Parents and residents urge action on staffing, safety and transparency at Middlesex Borough school board meeting

During two public comment segments, more than a dozen residents pressed the board on staffing shortages, student discipline and transparency. Speakers described frequent teacher turnover, gaps in counseling support, and concerns about morale at Hazelwood School. Residents said they saw repeated transfers of funds into substitute and new‑position accounts and asked the board to explain several line‑item transfers that a commenter said moved roughly $200,000 from a security contracted account into substitutes and other uses.

Several speakers questioned the promise and later count of Class‑3 officers (discussed earlier in the meeting), asking why the number went from earlier public messaging of five or six down to three in the current agreement. The board said the original discussion with the borough contemplated six officers split 50/50 with the borough but the borough later adjusted its budget and the district reworked its budget to cover three officers now with intent to expand later.

Parents also criticized board members’ conduct on social media and asked for better communications. Bruce Sanders and others urged the district to publish clearer, timely performance and benchmarking data; administrators said school performance reports typically publish in March or April and described the district’s benchmarking process. Some public commenters suggested creating a post‑meeting addendum to minutes listing questions asked and answers given so that community members can find follow‑up responses.

One speaker urged parents to organize a vote of no confidence; the board did not act on that request during the meeting. The board told commenters that some matters (personnel or individual student issues) must be handled outside public comment because of confidentiality statutes and offered to follow up on information requests.