[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6521422,"mediaKeyId","5092443-c73a3a79a430bd9941cbab86d4163566","parentId",5092443,"title","Montgomery Township board begins 2021–22 goal-setting, emphasizing social-emotional learning, equity and curriculum review","audioSeconds",566,"startMs",1977000,"endMs",2543000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5092443-c73a3a79a430bd9941cbab86d4163566&start=1977&end=2543","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5092443-c73a3a79a430bd9941cbab86d4163566/thumbnail_1977000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6521422/New-Jersey/Montgomery-Township-board-begins-202122-goal-setting-emphasizing-social-emotional-learning-equity-and-curriculum-review","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6521422-dbdf31e2f588648420ce3df4cb70153d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771191401&Signature=Lkb~NpT-b6xzfwA5GkZA9H9d028KT5SGOcDw1AOYZwWE7t9ateFJLjTqP58qwFqfMAPoBOHBPsS7jQLacoEMVsuBlzz2JMY-tsCf5PIO3W1Af8bzxzZFlm1lPSHZvEM5zaZcCPAkqKFNdI7vBn8TO55p3Sbs-op4bNC9Un2JTQzcWYGXyxJVR5Ovq6XjGnf7cZg9A9CWzu0P9eTcghC7GWCFxJMUKzhDU1QpyAWMoWToVQHXgt9SaE8x7SH5tDHogsGd9KnhHm-y8A2HlB6jgBSK0crvztR6Ay3wufGJHM7QdB7P7A--4Wku9Gw0v0OzqbbicKPI7slCrj7wlpzXTA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Montgomery Township School District","date","2025-06-27T15:41:48Z","article","Montgomery Township — The Montgomery Township School District Board of Education opened a multi-step process to set district and board goals for 2021–22, with members emphasizing social-emotional learning (SEL), equity and a review of curriculum and assessment practices.

\"This is the beginning of, just a discussion about the goals. We will not finalize anything tonight,\" Board President Mary said as the board launched an informal discussion and a plan to gather input from principals and school leadership teams before bringing draft goals back for approval at the August 24 meeting.

Board members and stakeholders identified several \"big buckets\" for the coming year: addressing learning gaps and social-emotional needs that followed the COVID-19 disruptions; integrating diversity, equity and inclusion into curriculum and instruction; and conducting a comprehensive assessment of curriculum, resources and student outcomes to identify problem areas and data needs.

Jim Dolan, president of the Montgomery Township Education Association, praised the collaborative process: \"The process is awesome ... we're not creating goals in isolation,\" he said, noting that buy-in improves when teachers, administrators and association leaders participate. Assistant Superintendent Damien Papa and other administrators described a multi-stage plan: collect ideas from the board, principals and school leadership teams, then convene a district leadership team to draft actionable goals for board approval.

Discussion items included:
- Social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practices as a district priority, and the difficulty of measuring SEL outcomes; board members asked for clear action plans and measures of progress. \"How do you measure it? It's really hard to measure,\" a board member noted during the discussion.
- Curriculum review and resource audits, including requests to examine books and materials to ensure they reflect district values and students' experiences.
- Strategic planning: several members proposed using this year to gather data and identify problem areas that would inform a comprehensive strategic plan in a later year rather than launching a full strategic-plan project immediately.
- Board training and onboarding: board members requested a system of internal training and \"one-sheet\" summaries for committee responsibilities to help new members catch up and to improve questions and oversight at committee meetings.
- Community concerns about course labeling and tracking: an unnamed resident raised a concern that removing \"honors\" labels in upper middle school math had created pressure among fifth graders preparing for placement tests; board members discussed that the issue is layered and not solved by labels alone.

Board members said the district would form action plans under these buckets, ask principals and school leadership teams to develop building-level ideas, and present draft goals to the board in August. The board also asked chairs of standing committees to prepare short summaries of prior-year work to aid new members’ orientation.

Other items raised in the meeting included a summer food distribution program (described by the president as an SSO pickup on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Blue Spring Road and the high school) and early enrollment numbers: the district reported it had registered \"over 300\" students so far for the year but did not provide a net-enrollment figure or an estimate of the financial effect of recent housing development.

The board set the process in motion and asked administrators to return with draft goals, metrics and proposed timelines for action.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Education Meeting 8-3-21","oneSentenceSummary","Board members began drafting district and board goals for 2021–22, prioritizing social-emotional learning, equity and a comprehensive curriculum and assessment review; members also discussed strategic planning, board training and communications.","taxTitle","Montgomery Township School District, School Districts, New Jersey","taxId",64102,"location","New Jersey","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6521427,"Montgomery Township School District board approves director of equity, data and accountability",2025,195000,2220000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5092443-c73a3a79a430bd9941cbab86d4163566&start=195&end=2220","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5092443-c73a3a79a430bd9941cbab86d4163566/thumbnail_195000.jpg","/articles/6521427/New-Jersey/Montgomery-Township-School-District-board-approves-director-of-equity-data-and-accountability","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6521427-24acd49e043dde28e92725547001170c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771191401&Signature=PvAHfhZqAM0tFL7WkpTPe4eEyWqb7vcdhs8XmC0I0rLaLYGV6DYh5-ivCEAd8F4HQUQVUUkV8stjr0gRgcPsx6W-2M8kXbQqzRgp7dqmG3wnWsYlL7Z2G-eYg1n9cnSNgqcLPqgIDnVfNBQV~3oVKkMaRlQHX-~FzopCKDc1d9dSFu76IcpBM0Eei4gHFY0R~XukWCLtqztOngFQtf1pTJUDDNkiv6Nn89QOZ3j--wwV9dryuHo2vaNt32SPmvctvRlvE~8jJXuOyyEUAFKSOt4rjFdNrH5nUP05W~1LxCEOEXgYWyYzgk-EXzXvPR6wxqlz6QGK1GgOwWHWib2SxA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Montgomery Township — The Montgomery Township School District Board of Education approved Stacy Young as director of equity, data and accountability in a roll-call vote at the board meeting.

Superintendent McLaughlin told the board the district had identified the need for the position, created a job description, conducted a multi-stage recruitment and interview process and selected a final candidate for board approval. \"We are happy to approve our director of equity data and accountability this evening,\" McLaughlin said during the superintendent's report.

The board took a single omnibus motion \"to approve 1.1 as amended through 4.1 in the action agenda,\" which included the appointment. The motion was moved and seconded; a roll call produced unanimous \"yes\" votes by the members recorded on the record. The board president congratulated Stacy Young and said Young would speak to the board following formalities at a future meeting.

Members of the Montgomery Township Education Association and district administrators who participated in the hiring process praised the selection. Jim Dolan, president of the Montgomery Township Education Association, said the interview process involved association leaders and administrators and was successful: \"We had so many superb candidates come through ... the hardest decision came at the end because we really had some amazing candidates,\" he said.

The meeting record shows the motion passed on a roll call with all in favor; the board did not note any abstentions or no votes.

The board did not set an effective start date during public remarks; administrators said the new hire was expected to report and be introduced at a future meeting.","The board voted by roll call to approve Stacy Young as the district's director of equity, data and accountability after a multi-stage hiring process; the vote was unanimous.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6521430,"Montgomery Township board hears mixed public comments on mask rules as district awaits county guidance",859,493000,1352000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5092443-c73a3a79a430bd9941cbab86d4163566&start=493&end=1352","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5092443-c73a3a79a430bd9941cbab86d4163566/thumbnail_493000.jpg","/articles/6521430/New-Jersey/Montgomery-Township-board-hears-mixed-public-comments-on-mask-rules-as-district-awaits-county-guidance","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6521430-fbd8a72a9bb79ae74557aeab24a3bc08/orig.mp4?Expires=1771191401&Signature=QGTdFfyu8sr7ZdNBKzq~AZQkVXJ5OpLIplUnGGUXhfWKCy1SCSR2U5Go7SPFWl4UfEIZsfbdurFX4PtGLbFl2HyTiUMPakoysK8b1YmYmPkqmay8GZVZ48sNy1HdZ9OumeUeVXHmmlYPzN-GOfHru2w8jfJrPT8oq6sZbc4Oqbco7RdfrO87t48RzaNdziJuZNeebzOKk7l4UrBj6fJgF~GKaMDgVosOaP-ADIdOVEmBO3HKHVhxOrE2OTkJxyJe9BSxF8wRnCJdY8DPwVwylRzJuQoPhT1IyoukHSRPutJ1jH1sdAJ1QT1xJY2rdxhe3SeHU6xf1TzW5UijmAxH0A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Montgomery Township — Members of the public urged opposing positions on masking as the Montgomery Township School District signaled it will wait for county and state guidance before setting a final policy for full-time, in-person instruction in September.

At a July board meeting, several residents asked the board either to require masks or to make them optional. \"I don't see how you can force the kids to wear it if you don't show us they are safe,\" resident Gabriela Zayova told the board, adding she wanted data showing masks benefit children and do not cause harm.

\"I would like to request that the board consider making masks optional for all staff and students and allow parents to make the choice for their own children,\" parent Jennifer Dressler said, while acknowledging she was not presenting medical data. By contrast, Francine Pfeffer, another resident, said the more-contagious Delta variant made masking necessary: \"I fear ... we won't be able to keep schools open unless we use all possible mitigation strategies including masking,\" she said, and asked the district to consider pooled testing.

Board President Mary said the district will not act unilaterally on masks. \"What we're going to do is we're going to wait for the health departments,\" she told the meeting, and said district leaders will \"look at each school as individual schools, and follow the guidelines, parameters, recommendations, and come up with our protocols for each building and for our staff.\" She said the district expects a uniform letter from the Somerset County health departments and that the district will align building protocols to that guidance.

Superintendent McLaughlin, in an earlier report, confirmed the district plans a full day of in-person instruction starting in September and said the district will communicate details on masking, lunch protocols and quarantine rules after county and state agencies issue recommendations. McLaughlin also said the district would schedule a public forum to answer questions and that school leaders will meet with the district leadership team in the coming weeks to finalize plans.

Residents raised several practical questions: some asked whether clear masks for younger grades would be provided so children could see teachers’ mouths; Mary said the district had not planned a universal purchase but would look into whether clear masks would be beneficial. Pfeffer asked whether pooled testing was under consideration; she cited Department of Health materials that she said described turnkey testing programs and pool testing used by some schools.

Board members and the Montgomery Township Education Association president, Jim Dolan, who participated in the meeting, said staff, union leaders and principals would be part of planning, and that the district must remain nimble as federal and state guidance evolves.

The board did not take a vote on a mask policy at the meeting. Administrators said a final local policy will be based on the county health departments’ uniform guidance and that the district will tier building-level protocols by local conditions.

The district said it will communicate specific masking and quarantine procedures to families after it receives county recommendations and completes internal planning, and that a public forum will be scheduled so parents can ask questions and the district can explain its protocols.","Public speakers urged both mandatory masking and parental choice while the Montgomery Township School District said it will wait for Somerset County health departments and state guidance before finalizing mask rules for full-time, in-person school reopening in September.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Montgomery Township board begins 2021–22 goal-setting, emphasizing social-emotional learning, equity and curriculum review

Montgomery Township School District board approves director of equity, data and accountability

Montgomery Township board hears mixed public comments on mask rules as district awaits county guidance