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Verona BOE parents press board over Lanning class consolidation as administrators cite budget and reserve rules
Summary
Parents urged the Verona Board of Education to restore a third class at Lanning and to reconsider budget choices after the district eliminated a STEM supervisor and combined a first-grade section; administrators said legal layoff rules and capital-reserve constraints limit options.
The Verona Board of Education heard sustained public concern May 28 after district parents said a decision to collapse a first-grade section at Lanning into two larger classes will harm students and disproportionately affect those with special needs. Cassidy Perna, a Lanning parent, told the board parents had sought clearer answers from both the township and the board and said she was "disappointed in the lack of response from certain board members." She asked the board to improve collaboration with the township on budget matters.
Parents and speakers repeatedly pressed the administration about class-size thresholds and alternatives. Sarah O'Connor asked what enrollment level would trigger restoring a third section, citing board policy 5120 as the only cited authority for student assignment decisions. Stephanie Pogorelick argued that manageable class sizes are essential for a "positive…
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