September Roundup
Catch up on September Board of Education and District news.
🌈 Welcome to Our Newsletter!
Hi! Each month, we plan to publish 1-2 newsletters. We’ll recap the Union Township, NJ Executive and Regular Session Board of Education meetings and highlight Board of Education, school district, and school-based educational issues in the Township community!
🏫 September Recap and Issues in Focus
Welcome back to school! It’s been a busy month for everyone - families, the District, and the Board!
This month, the Board met for a Working meeting (recap here) and a Regular meeting (video here).
To the relief of many community members, the tone of the Board, and especially of President Chastity Santana, was far more collegial toward the community during the September Regular meeting than it had been throughout the summer and during the September Work Session. In a welcome reversal, Community members were afforded their legal right to uncensored speech. The Board of Education’s consulting attorney, whose substantial fees (item F16, for example) are paid by residential tax dollars, was mostly quiet and did not interrupt public comment. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a new relationship between the Board and the community, and not simply a recognition of the Board Members’ potential vulnerability in upcoming elections.
Most importantly, the community looks forward to action on the issues they presented.
A community member spoke movingly about her child’s heat-induced seizure following extreme heat exposure in Hannah Caldwell’s un-airconditioned pre-k classroom in June. Despite Dr. Benaquista’s promise to take action, parents were outraged to find nothing had changed at Hannah Caldwell or many of the other District classrooms when school recommenced this month. This situation and Dr. Benaquista’s broken promise is simply unacceptable. The community demands immediate action.
The community urged the Board to ensure that the Department of Special Services provides accurate, timely information to parents of children with special needs. The community cited inaccurate information provided to parents and students regarding their rights to transition services. This systemic failure has a significant impact on families’ planning for their students future, and it is critical that these mistakes be corrected immediately.
The Board voted to approve a new school calendar (download here) which includes a new, additional day off from school on October 3 - just two weeks from the date the calendar was circulated by the District. Community members raised concerns about abrupt changes, which require families to scramble to arrange childcare. Community members urged the Board to consider the impact of calendar decisions on families, and requested that the District’s calendar committee, which includes District and Union representatives, be open to Community involvement.
Board President Santana announced Mary Lynn Williams’ resignation from the Board, effective September 20, 2024. November Board of Election ballots are already set. The vacant Board position will be filled by Board vote, according to the following policy:
The Board will give public notice of the vacancy and invite any qualified person to submit a written request for consideration of his/her candidacy for the vacancy. The Board may also require candidates submit a resume with their written request.
In considering candidates who have expressed an interest in a vacancy, the Board of Education may interview candidates in public or executive session. The Board must vote to appoint a candidate to a vacancy in public session and there shall be no decisions made in executive session. In the event interviews are conducted in executive session, Board members, in the public session nomination and voting process, shall express their opinion in support of their vote so the public can witness any deliberations, policy formulation, and the decision making process of the Board.
The Board did not provide a timeline for their process, nor has it publicly announced the vacancy, nor broadly sought applicants by District Communication email. The upcoming election, which includes three incumbents and one challenger running for three Board positions raises important questions about timelines of the process with respect to the election.
Realignment Committee action will commence in October! Community members are urged to take advantage of this opportunity to shape the future of the District and have a say in critically important redistricting decisions. Sign up here to participate in a Realignment Sub Committee!
Community members raised concerns about pass-through funds from the State directed to the non-public school United Academy of Union (item F-12) in conjunction with an ongoing negotiation for this school to lease the Hamilton School building. Concerns include the fitness of the building to effectively and safely serve as a school, the cost and responsibility for any required renovations, and the potential financial responsibility of the District to pay for transportation for in-district students to attend school in a building which may not be appropriate for learning. Board members seemed to have little knowledge of the ongoing negotiations between the District and the School. The Board’s consulting attorney indicated that details about the school and its potential building lease were protected by attorney-client privilege. It was unclear whose privilege was invoked in this case - the District, the school’s or both.
Community members AGAIN urged the Board and the District to employ a full-time, certified School Library and Media Specialist in every elementary school and pressed Dr. Benaquista to make good on his promise to hold open meetings for parents with himself and the District’s curriculum team. Finally, the community advocated for improved public Board meeting accessibility and insisted that community members be allowed to attend by phone and/or video conference. Such participation is permitted by Board members, but not my community constituents. Neither Dr. Benaquista nor the Board responded to these requests.
ℹ️ FYI: For Parents of High School Students with Special Needs
As raised by Sol Atencio, Candidate for Board of Education at the September Regular Meeting:
With the new school year already underway, IEP meetings will soon be scheduled, and families of Union High School freshmen with special needs will be introduced to various agencies and resources to help guide decisions between attending college or trade school. One of the key agencies available is the Division of Vocational and Rehabilitation Services (DVRS).
DVRS provides valuable services for students with special needs, ages 14 to 21, including work readiness programs and summer internships. These resources are available whether the student chooses to attend college or pursue a different path after high school. However, many families are unaware that these services can be accessed as early as freshman year.
Although the Department of Special Services meets with DVRS twice a year, there’s a need for expanded communication to ensure that families receive this crucial information earlier. No student should wait until their senior year to benefit from these opportunities, even if they plan to attend college.
Families should be informed about the excellent services provided by DVRS early on—starting in freshman year—so every student can make empowered, informed decisions about their future.
📅 Next Board Meeting and Upcoming Opportunities
Your voice has power!
District Realignment Committee Meetings start in October! Sign up here to be a part of the realignment process! The Board especially needs participants for the Special Education subcommittee!
Work Session: Tuesday October 8, 2024; 6pm; Administration Building
Regular Meeting: Tuesday October 15, 2024; 6pm; Union High School Library and Televised
⚖️ What is the Role of Board of Education
In New Jersey, “[t]he school board has a dual role: To represent the concerns of the citizens, taxpayers and parents to the school administrators, and to represent the needs of the students and school district to the citizens, taxpayers and parents of the community.” Learn more about Boards of Education in New Jersey here.
🫱🏽🫲🏿 Get to Know the Board and the District
You are represented by 9 Board of Education members, whose names, contact information, and photos can be found here.
The Township of Union Public Schools are organized under the supervision of the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Gerry Benaquista. Dr. Benaquista oversees five direct reports, who are responsible for the functioning of the District.
See the 2024-2025 organization chart here .