Holmdel administration reviews summer programs, ARP‑ESSER timeline and curriculum work

During the July 24 Committee of the Whole, central‑office leaders updated the board on summer instructional work and grant‑funded programs.

Curriculum and instruction: District staff ran a July curriculum‑writing symposium to align K–12 unit plans and ensure articulation across grades for ELA and math. Administration highlighted strong AP results in humanities: “Notably, both the US history and world history AP courses achieved remarkable results with a 100% of the students scoring higher than a 3,” a central‑office speaker reported.

Internships and summer programming: Mr. Cohen reported 20 students verified for internships across fields including electric contracting and medicine. The district’s summer “step up” program currently serves approximately 100 students and is funded through ARP‑ESSER dollars.

ARP‑ESSER funding deadline: Finance staff said ARP‑ESSER funds must be expended by Sept. 1 of the school year; unless the board chooses to fund continuation through operational budgets, programs financed by those grant dollars will end after that date.

Special services and safety training: Extended School Year began July 8 with positive participation; district staff completed advanced behavior‑threat management training with federal partners and will serve as master trainers for staff and community partners. Guidance staff said bullying‑specialist training and senior college counseling events are planned before the school year begins.

Next steps: The board asked whether in‑school tutoring might continue beyond ARP funding; administration said sustaining those services would require operational budget decisions and will be considered on the finance side.