District says jointure will staff special-education services; parents press for details

Director of Special Services Darius Pemberton told the board the district will partner with the South Bergen Jointure Commission (SBJC) to expand access to specialized classroom programs, related services and transportation for 2026–27. Pemberton characterized the arrangement as a partnership, not a vendor contract, and said district leaders will sit on jointure boards to help coordinate services.

"The jointure itself is a special education school district... we're partnering with them," Pemberton said. He emphasized that the district will not amend students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or reduce minutes of service: "All the services and IEPs will be provided next full year the same way they were this year," he said. Pemberton also told the board that many paraprofessionals already worked part time and that the staffing structure can be implemented without changing IEP minutes.

At public comment, several parents and staff pressed for clarity. Online commenter Lauren Alberta asked why the district had additional agenda items seeking approval of outside agencies at a combined cost she said was about $800,000 if SBJC could "fully staff us." She also asked what due diligence had been performed before appointing an ADA officer amid active litigation. The administration responded that additional vendors are intended to ensure service capacity where needed and that parents' operational questions will be answered by directors and the CPAC parent group.

Pemberton recommended targeted in‑district and jointure arrangements as a way to maintain compliance with state caseload limits while addressing staffing shortfalls caused by recent reductions. Trustees asked staff to provide parents with follow‑up details about how many related-service staff SBJC will provide, paraprofessional schedules, and class-size projections prior to the start of the school year.