Nutley outlines plan to move sixth graders to John H. Walker Middle School in 2026

Nutley Public School District officials presented a detailed plan to move sixth graders from five elementary schools to John H. Walker Middle School in September 2026, saying the shift will create a campus approach and open new programming opportunities.

Superintendent Bania told the board the district analyzed available space and is converting the middle school media center into four classrooms and repurposing six ground-floor rooms, with demo complete and framing scheduled to start. "Demo is complete and framing is starting shortly," he said. Administration officials said the work will create about a dozen additional classrooms and that the facilities renovations are on schedule to support the 2026 transition.

The plan aims to minimize disruption while expanding programmatic offerings. Principal Joe Materia described operational changes to handle 300-plus incoming students, including a sixth-grade homeroom beginning around 8:00 a.m. to stagger arrivals and reduce congestion. Materia said the district will use cohort lunches — splitting students between the cafeteria and the auditorium with 23-minute rotations — so the remaining period can be structured for study, interventions or teacher team meetings.

Janine Locunsolo, director of curriculum and instruction, said the academics group is working to align sixth-grade instruction with New Jersey Student Learning Standards and adjust curriculum to fit middle school minutes for ELA and math. The district plans articulation time for grades 6 and 7, exploration of cycle classes and a possible sixth-grade seminar that would emphasize communication, research and collaboration.

Community input informed the plan: a 47-person committee of parents, board members, teachers and administrators produced a "survival guide," recommended building staff liaisons and recommended preserving school-specific rites of passage such as clap-outs, yearbooks and graduation events. Mike Carney, who led the parent transition group, emphasized keeping traditions intact and adjusting logistics such as adding an extra half-day for graduations.

Funding and schedule: Business Administrator Davida noted resolutions on the agenda to withdraw capital-reserve funds and accept township support to pay for the media-center conversion, and the district expects the media-center work to be complete by April with HVAC upgrades planned for spring and summer. Staffing conversations start immediately: the district will send a Google form to staff this week to gauge interest and begin staffing and scheduling dialogue that will inform the 2026–27 budget and program.

Next steps include continuing operational planning, finalizing curriculum design beginning in January, and returning to the board and community with updates as staffing and programming details are settled. The district said it will post presentation materials and timelines online and continue outreach throughout the year.