West Orange board unveils plan to reorganize middle schools into three 6–8 campuses to save money and boost continuity

Superintendent Hayden Moore told the West Orange Board of Education on April 28 that the district will move to a three‑school 6–8 middle‑school model to strengthen academic alignment and reduce costs. “The 6‑7‑8 middle school model is sound both academically and fiscally,” Moore said, describing the plan as a response to enrollment shifts and a district budget shortfall.

District leaders said the academic case rests on three years of continuous staff teams, earlier interventions for struggling learners and better vertical alignment into high school. Felix Plata, the district’s world‑language supervisor, framed the change as part of a broader effort to give students sustained supports: the model “strengthens our ability to align instruction to identify needs early,” he said.

Transportation was presented as the clearest near‑term savings. Gregory Cohen, director of transportation, said neighborhood‑based routing and aligned bell schedules are expected to cut long cross‑town bus runs and generate approximately $1.5 million in savings over three years. Cohen also noted the district’s ongoing need to support growing preschool transportation demands.

Administration released a preliminary communications and implementation calendar: assignment letters to families the second week of May; principal outreach and parent orientation sessions in late May and June (with dedicated multilingual sessions); and school open houses and transportation meetings in August. Street‑level feeder maps will be posted on the district website after final enrollment balancing and operational review.

Principals from the three receiving schools described operational plans. Edison Principal Steve Melendez outlined summer orientation and student‑ambassador programs to help incoming sixth graders; Liberty Principal Xavier Fitzgerald emphasized parent engagement and transition activities; Roosevelt Principal Lionel Hush discussed targeted multilingual supports and separate orientation sessions for multilingual learners.

Administration said placement of specialized programs has been considered in the planning: intellectual‑disabilities and emotional‑regulation programs are proposed for Liberty, and the autism program for Roosevelt, with child‑study assignments and paraprofessional staffing to remain aligned with New Jersey special‑education rules.

Why it matters: the district is operating with a structural funding shortfall driven by rising costs and a reduction in state aid. Leadership framed the reconfiguration as a way to reduce non‑instructional operating costs while protecting classroom services as much as possible. The administration will continue to refine feeder boundaries and staffing allocations as it finalizes the budget.

Next steps: the district will publish final boundary and routing maps after enrollment balancing and will host orientations and information sessions for families in May, June and August. The board voted on routine agenda items later in the meeting; separate public comment sessions returned repeatedly to budget and program concerns.