Menu

Jackson Township School District board meeting, Sep 16, 2026

2 h 12 min · 6 public speakers

Chronic absenteeism ▶ 27:51Phones in school ▶ 27:51Reading and test scores ▶ 27:51

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 2 h 12 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Jackson school board reviews graduation assessment and English learner test scores 32:37

  • A district staff member presented results of the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment and ACCESS tests, reporting the district had 57% graduation ready, an increase of 5%, with the state at 61% and the county at 57%. 32:37
  • Megan Gardella called for motions to approve revised policies on first reading and revised regulations. 1:12:03
  • Several speakers at public comment raised concerns about eliminated bus stops, longer rides and crowded buses, and about district communication and final exam exemptions. 1:30:50
  • A district staff member responded that close to 300 students had requested a different stop and that each request would be investigated. 1:51:19

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (11)
  1. Opening and agenda change 23:19
    • Megan Gardella called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 23:19
    • A staff member said Finance Number 6 had been removed from the agenda published earlier in the day. 24:16
  2. Student council report 25:11
    • The report said seniors painted their parking spots and held the Senior Sunrise, and that the first pep rally of the year was set for Friday, September 25th. 26:11
    • The student board members said the dance team got a bid to nationals and would travel to Orlando in February. 26:51
  3. Superintendent's report 27:51
    • The superintendent said Jackson Township High School had 103 AP Scholars this year. 27:51
    • The superintendent described the bell-to-bell cell phone ban and said attendance is a major initiative for the district this year. 27:51
  4. Graduation assessment and ACCESS results 32:37
    • A staff member reported 57% of students were graduation ready and said retesting would take place October 13th through 15th. 32:37
    • Tina Kas asked whether the drop in English language arts was linked to delayed resources and reduced state funding, and the staff member said resources had been delayed and were obtained at the high school only through a grant. 53:28
    • Michael Walsh asked whether the district had programs to support families of multilingual learners, and a staff member described parent liaisons, family engagement nights and use of Title III grant money. 1:04:07
  5. Board goals for the year 1:05:20
    • Megan Gardella presented three board goals: student success, community trust and governance excellence. 1:05:32
    • Megan Gardella said the action plan included completing an annual board self-evaluation and advocating for adequate and equitable state funding. 1:06:48
  6. Standing committee reports 1:07:43
    • Brian McCarron reported that 20 of 27 HVAC units had been installed at Johnson Elementary School and 4 of 27 at Holman. 1:07:49
    • Tina Kas reported the Policy Committee met September 10th and updated policies 3233 and 4233 to address ideological displays. 1:10:31
    • Tara Rivera said the next county meeting would be October 1st, and Michael Walsh said the township scholarship committee would meet October 13th. 1:11:26
  7. Policies, regulations and minutes 1:12:03
    • Megan Gardella called for motions on policy first reading, regulation revisions and minutes of meetings on August 19th and 26, 2026. 1:12:03
    • Three board members cast different votes on the August 19th and 26th minutes, with two of them each abstaining on one date. 1:13:10
  8. Public forum on agenda items 1:14:17
    • A speaker at public comment said parents were not informed of IXL and Link It scores and asked that the information be shared at back-to-school nights and on the parent portal. 1:15:13
    • A staff member said the district would form a K-12 assessment committee, with a recommendation expected probably around April or May. 1:21:08
  9. Finance and facilities items 1:25:00
    • Michael Walsh asked whether the district was purchasing books for non-public schools, and a staff member said the district manages funds and passes them through to those schools. 1:25:09
    • Michael Walsh asked about bathrooms for reassigned classrooms, and a speaker said preschool rooms must have an attached bathroom and the district uses alternate compliance. 1:26:06
  10. Public forum on any topic 1:30:04
    • Several speakers at public comment raised concerns about eliminated bus stops, longer walks for children, crowded buses and longer rides. 1:30:50
    • Speakers at public comment asked about a change ending final exam exemptions. 1:40:15
    • A district staff member said close to 300 students had requested a different stop and that route adjustments usually come around October 15th. 1:50:22
  11. Board comments and adjournment 2:07:04
    • Allison Barocas said it was nice to be back and looked forward to hearing the updates every month. 2:07:13
    • Brian McCarron noted the Junior ROTC marksmanship program had started back up. 2:09:51
    • One board member said the town needs to face issues with the state and receiving fair funding. 2:11:07

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “Jackson Board of Education (BOE) Meeting - 9/16/26”