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Parent urges board to preserve K–5 Spanish and gym as class sizes grow
Summary
A Sycamore Drive parent, Ally Weinberger, told the Hazlet school board that the departure of a world‑language teacher, reduced gym instruction and rising kindergarten class sizes — reported as about 25 pupils — are harming young students and should be prioritized over administrative savings.
During the public‑comment portion of Thursday’s meeting, Sycamore Drive parent Ally Weinberger urged the board to restore K–5 Spanish instruction and gym time after the district reported program reductions while closing a budget gap.
Weinberger, who identified herself as a Sycamore parent, said her children ‘‘love Senor Grama’’ and that losing the regular language teacher will be ‘‘huge’’ for the youngest students. She told the board that kindergarten classes are already large — she cited a class of about 25 children — and said preschool tuition increases mean families are paying more for fewer services.
"We're paying more for less instruction," Weinberger said, arguing that parents and teachers value early‑grade Spanish and gym and asking whether the district had examined trimming administrative positions instead of classroom offerings.
Board leadership acknowledged the concerns and pointed to the budget presentation, which prioritized keeping as much instruction as possible while trimming transportation and leveraging energy savings, grants and solar revenue to preserve classroom staffing where feasible. The board invited Weinberger to leave contact information for follow up.
Another resident (Laurie Joseph) asked whether school presentations and student participation would continue once board meetings move to Raritan High School; the board said they would.
The board did not reverse the program reductions during the meeting; it approved the budget after public comment and said staff would continue to look for grant and revenue alternatives to mitigate classroom‑level impacts.
