Glen Rock board retreat focuses on MTSS expansion, AI literacy and curriculum priorities
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Summary
At a board retreat, administrators outlined district initiatives to expand MTSS supports into Tier 2, strengthen assessment practices, and continue SEL (RULER); trustees asked for clearer, measurable district goals and pushed for curriculum attention to AI literacy, math and music.
Glen Rock Public School District trustees met in a board retreat on Aug. 12 to review districtwide priorities for the 2025–26 school year, focusing on academic supports, social-emotional learning and curriculum questions including artificial-intelligence literacy.
Administrators presented a two-track set of proposals the leadership submitted: elementary priorities to strengthen Tier 1 instruction and to add targeted Tier 2 small-group interventions under MTSS, and secondary priorities to improve common assessments and use data to differentiate instruction. "The district will strengthen tier 1 and tier 2 instruction in general education settings to better meet the diverse academic and social emotional needs of students," a district presenter said, describing job-embedded coaching, streamlined data collection and RULER SEL practices such as mood-meter check-ins and community circles.
The board pressed for clarity on implementation and measurement. Trustees asked how data are collected and who will provide professional development; administrators said teacher-collected benchmark assessments will be combined with embedded coaching and three upcoming professional-development days. Administrators noted the district is in "Year 2" of MTSS work and that INRS (Intervention and Referral Services) and 504 plans still need smoother translation from elementary to middle school.
Public-comment speakers and trustees also urged attention to curriculum areas. Doctor Angela Pucci Bender, a member of the public, said the board must hold the superintendent accountable for results and called for renewed rigor: "He works for you. He works for us," she said, urging the board to prioritize transparency and student outcomes. Trustees raised parent feedback asking for increased investment in math and music and recommended better communication about recent middle-school math changes.
Trustees debated whether the board should set curricular direction or leave content to educational experts, with some trustees stressing that the board’s role should be to approve state standards and give high-level direction rather than write curriculum. Several trustees proposed that the board provide clearer, prioritized guidance so administrators can present measurable, budgeted action plans.
AI literacy was discussed as a distinct curriculum issue. One trustee noted that New Jersey districts are required to develop AI plans and that the board had approved an AI policy last spring; trustees asked administration to report back on what is currently implemented and whether a K–12 AI literacy curriculum—covering critical thinking, ethics and appropriate use—should be formalized.
Facilitator Martha Newton said she will synthesize the day's discussions into a meeting summary and circulate a draft to trustees for comment before administrators prepare a formal action plan. The retreat was explicitly structured as a discussion-only session; no formal policy decisions were made.
The meeting concluded with the board asking for a rapid turnaround so trustees can review a clarified, measurable set of goals with the administration before the school year begins.
