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West Milford launches "Highlander Pathways" career-and-college tracks for 2025
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Dan Novak and high school staff presented four new structured college-and-career pathways — computer science, journalism and broadcasting, visual/graphic arts, and educator preparation — that the district plans to open to incoming ninth-graders in September 2025, with an application process for current eighth graders.
Assistant Superintendent Dan Novak presented Highlander Pathways, a new set of structured four-year sequences the West Milford Township Public School District plans to offer beginning next school year to prepare students for postsecondary education and specific careers.
Novak told the board the pathways group started after a state computer science grant expanded course offerings and put the district in position to organize related coursework into formal pathways. "Great moments are born from great opportunity," Novak said, describing how the grant work and staff collaboration led to the proposal.
The board packet and Noviak's slides list four pathways for 2025: computer science (including cybersecurity, Java, Python, robotics and industry certifications from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google), journalism and broadcasting (with Adobe certifications and dual-enrollment journalism courses), visual and graphic arts (Adobe certifications and a digital-art dual-enrollment course), and an educator preparation pathway (courses leading to CPR/First Aid and early childhood care certifications and the district's Tomorrow's Teachers senior initiative).
Karen Johnson, who led the scheduling and application design, said students will apply in April; the application includes an essay, teacher recommendation, attendance and academic-review components and will be reviewed by a pathway-specific selection committee. Johnson said accepted students will be asked to commit for a minimum of two years so they gain meaningful exposure to the sequence.
Novak and Johnson said pathways are intended to raise rigor, support student engagement after pandemic-era attendance declines, and provide dual-enrollment, certification, internship and apprenticeship options. Novak said the district intends to seek CTE (career and technical education) designation from the state and to apply for the federal Perkins grant to support program development. He noted the district has already used a prior state computer science grant to buy equipment and expand offerings.
Board members asked how the pathways will work under different daily schedules, how special-education students will be included, and whether non-certified industry experts would teach. Novak and Johnson said the pathways can be adapted to eight-period, nine-period, and block schedules; special-education access will be handled through case managers and existing special-education processes; and that certified teachers will deliver instruction while structured internships and partnerships will bring outside professionals into supervised work-based experiences.
Novak said the district will roll the pathways information out to families at the district's eighth-grade parent night (scheduled for Feb. 24) and via the district website. The district also applied to the state for a $50,000 esports grant that Novak said aligns with computer science and broadcasting pathways.
Board members and staff described the presentation as the first phase. Novak and Johnson said they expect to expand pathways in future years to include additional CTE offerings (for example, technology/auto shop) once in-district capacity and external partnerships are in place.
The board did not take a vote tonight on creating pathways; Novak said the district plans to begin enrolling students this year for implementation in September 2025.
