Public commenter urges action after TOIS scores reported at 14%; critic calls middle‑school block schedule 'malpractice'

Alex Hayes of Oakhurst used the public comment period at the Township of Ocean Board of Education meeting to urge immediate action after state test results ranked TOIS at 14%.

Hayes praised a turnaround at OTES and said the same methods could be applied across the district, adding that the 14% summative ranking released two days earlier was “the lowest that I've seen in a number of years.” She said parents and students are impatient for results and urged the board to replicate successful practices from OTES.

Hayes singled out the district’s middle‑school block schedule as a barrier. “It is a ridiculously failed experiment,” she said, and added: “It is malpractice of this school board to continue an 85 minute classroom for 11 year olds.” She also said promised exit surveys for families leaving middle school had not been completed: “Doctor Stavango said they would do a survey… that's never happened.”

Board leaders did not take immediate formal action during the meeting. The board had earlier read rules for public participation and encouraged members of the public to direct specific questions to the superintendent outside the public‑comment period.

Why this matters: State summative rankings are commonly used by families and administrators to track school performance and can influence district programming, staffing and parent choice. Hayes urged administration and the board to pursue a strategic plan or targeted interventions similar to those credited with improvements at OTES.

What’s next: Hayes called for concrete follow‑up — a review of schedules, consideration of accountability measures and replication of successful practices at other schools. The board did not announce a timeline for such a review during the meeting.