Superintendent reports proficiency gains, nearly $100,000 impact grant and curriculum updates

Dr. Gamas (superintendent) presented district highlights, emphasizing new staff and program investments, curriculum changes and student-assessment trends.

Gamas said preschool now has a grant-funded School Resource Officer and a parent and community involvement specialist/social worker; Pushin Art was expanded into preschool classrooms and the New Jersey inclusion project was implemented through a grant. Facilities upgrades, including HVAC improvements at Sherman School and new athletic cameras and a press box AC unit at the high school, were noted as completed or in progress.

On assessments, Gamas walked the board through three-year proficiency charts showing district trends. He told the board the district "met or exceeded the state's targeted scores" and that, in math, "greater than 60%" of students in grades 3–6 scored at levels 3–5. He highlighted Algebra I performance in the district as 62% meeting expectations versus the state's 31%.

Gamas also said the district will use the NJ Impact Grant — which he described as "almost $100,000" — for purchasing high-quality instructional materials in elementary grades and for piloting new programs. He said the district met state growth targets using 2024 and 2024–25 data sources (NJSLA and DLM) and will post presentation materials and an updated district assessment calendar on the district website for transparency.

Board members asked clarifying questions during the presentation; Gamas responded that additional charts and slides would be posted for review. The superintendent encouraged continued monitoring of proficiency and growth year to year to guide curriculum, enrichment and intervention efforts.

Next steps include publishing the assessment calendar and rolling out selected materials funded by the impact grant.