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Hackensack teacher warns of oversized PE classes and says his position will be cut
Summary
Daniel Holesman, a teacher at HMS, told the board his position is scheduled to be eliminated in 44 days and raised safety and instructional concerns, citing a 30:1 PE guideline and saying district materials show a ratio of "89 to 1." He said he teaches six periods a day without compensation and urged the board to clarify next steps for athletics.
Daniel Holesman, who identified himself as a teacher at HMS, used his public-comment time to press the district for answers about staffing, compensation and physical-education safety. He said his position is scheduled for elimination in 44 days and asked the board to clarify whether anything official had been decided: "My position is going to be eliminated in 44 days."
Holmesman said he teaches six periods a day and has done so for three years without compensation. He said he is the lowest-paid teacher at HMS and described a gap between professional guidance and the district's current PE staffing: federal guidance and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education recommend a 30-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio for middle-school physical education, but "with the graph, our ratio is currently stated to be 89 to 1," he said, which he warned eliminates safety and meaningful instruction.
Holmesman noted that New Jersey Administrative Code guidance provides some flexibility for facility constraints but argued that the district's current practice compromises safety, participation and instructional quality. He asked what the board expects for the future of athletics and what steps will be taken to ensure fair treatment of staff and safe programs for students. The presiding officer told the speaker that board and superintendent responses would be given at the end of public comment.
