Middlesex Board approves consent items, amends Chromebook expenditure; superintendent reports near-full staffing and registration push

The Middlesex Borough School District Board of Education on Wednesday approved a package of consent items across minutes, personnel, education, policy and facilities/finance and adopted a resolution amending the district's Chromebook expenditure. Superintendent Roberta Freeman told the board the district is "almost fully staffed," and district staff described an ongoing push to complete reregistration for students before the start of the school year.

Board members voted to approve minutes and multiple action lists that the administration said had been reviewed by committee. The board also approved a motion to amend the amount allocated for Chromebooks for students and teachers, a change the public raised during the meeting.

The matter matters because the Chromebook amendment alters a previously approved expenditure line and because district staffing and reregistration affect classroom readiness on day one. Public commenters pressed the board for clarity on how the Chromebook allocation was recorded in minutes, how many reregistration files remain incomplete, and on district policy changes affecting how student achievement is recognized.

Superintendent Roberta Freeman said the administration has "almost fully staffed" the district and that "we only have about 5 openings currently," praising staff work on recruitment. Freeman and other administrators described a reregistration process that is nearly complete: one speaker reported the administration was "down to 322 people who have not completed the process," while district staff said that, earlier in the week, a larger number (671) had been reduced through outreach. Freeman said families who have not completed reregistration will be contacted and that students cannot access the Genesys parent portal until their reregistration paperwork is complete. Genesys access for most schools was scheduled to open Friday; one school (Mogger) was scheduled to open Wednesday, Aug. 27, according to the superintendent.

Public comment included questions about the board's revision of minutes and the Chromebook purchase. Cheryl Tarkas said the public record should show that the board approved an additional $20,000, moving an earlier $195,000 allocation to $215,000 for Chromebook purchases. Tarkas told the board: "If it was an additional $20,000 for these computers, then it should have been on the agenda that we need to allocate an additional $20,000." The board's motion read into the record described amending the expenditure for Chromebooks to reflect a higher amount; the board approved the amendment as part of the facilities and finance consent items.

On policy, a public commenter, Melissa Zimac, urged the board to revisit policy 5440, "Honoring Student Achievement," which she said was revised in 2021 to stop identifying valedictorian and salutatorian "beginning with the class of 2025." Zimac said the change carries adverse community optics and asked the board to reconsider the policy in a future policy cycle. The board did not take immediate action to reverse the policy during the meeting; policy action items 12.01 to 12.03 were adopted as presented.

Routine business passed largely by roll-call votes with some abstentions and one recusal. Minutes (items 5.01 and 5.02), personnel (9.01''9), education (11.01'—5), policy (12.01'—) and finance/facilities (14.01'—1) were approved. Board members and the public asked for clearer notation on agenda changes posted before meetings; one speaker asked that any last-minute edits be noted on the paper copies available to the public.

In response to questions about unenrollment, the superintendent said the district follows state guidance, that the default is to educate enrolled students, and that there is a process (including the possibility of appeals to the commissioner of education) for removal; she estimated in discussion that the operational timeline includes roughly 21 days for parents to provide required documentation before removal processes are initiated.

The board closed with brief remarks about community engagement for the coming school year and adjourned without returning to executive session.

Votes at a glance - Minutes (5.01, 5.02): Approved (roll call; multiple yes votes; abstentions noted). Public comment requested clearer notation of revisions to previously posted agendas and minutes. - Personnel (9.01'—2): Approved (roll call; at least one abstention on an extracurricular hire). - Education (11.01'—5): Approved by roll call. - Policy (12.01'—): Approved by roll call; public comment requested future review of policy 5440 (Honoring Student Achievement). - Facilities & Finance (14.01'—1): Approved by roll call; Board added/approved item to amend Chromebook expenditure (public commenters and board discussion referenced an increase from $195,000 to $215,000).

What's next - The board indicated the contract terms with a bargaining unit have been agreed to by negotiating teams and must be ratified by the union before the board places a final ratification item on next month's agenda. - Administration will continue outreach to families with incomplete reregistration; Genesys access for parents is scheduled to open Friday for most schools and Aug. 27 for Mogger.