Five Things: School Board Meeting

The West Orange Board of Education met Monday night at the administration building. Here are five things you need to know.

1. Drama students were recognized Monday night for their participation in various acting competitions. The students participate in the high school drama club and drama productions after school. Jesse Lab, Clarissa Lotson, Raul Ausa and Joey Piserchio were present at the meeting and honored by the school board.

2. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Anthony Cavanna gave a district report on the the . He said five incidents of bullying were reported in December and six were reported in January. Cavanna said though the law increases the number of reported incidents and encourgages teachers to "err on the side of caution," the district has always employed anti-bullying policies of prevention. "I think we were doing it without the legislation … we have a long ," Cavanna said.

3. Though not on the agenda, some parents adamantly protested the midterms implemented on the middle and high schools for a second year in a row. They said high-scoring students had failed the tests along with a majority of their classmates.

"There are serious problems with the midterms, students that get As and Bs are failing," said one parent. Others were concerned the low test scores were hurting the students' self-esteem.

"I don't like hearing that tons of kids aren't doing well," board member Megan Brill said.

"If there's that many kids failing the exam, then there's something wrong with the exam," said board member Paul Petigrow.

Though midterms were imposed on the middle schools and the high school for the time last year, board president Laura Lab said school officials had yet to see an official report on any midterm results due to a communication error made by the administration.

School officials did not take the complaints lightly and promised to further review the problem. They said it was the first time they had heard there was an issue with failing midterm test scores.

4. Board president Laura Lab updated the public on the current status of the anti-bullying legislation that was

The state Council on Local Mandates issued the ruling after hearing a case brought by the Allamuchy school district, which argued the law was unconstitutional because it was an "unfunded mandate" that diverted resources from other areas.

Lab praised the move and said the district had spent $4,000 to meet the demands of the anti-bullying mandate and would likely spend more.

"It's not to take away from the intent of the law, but once again, (Trenton) had a knee-jerk reaction without thinking through the implications to the school districts," she said.

The state council's decision goes into effect 60 days from their Jan. 27 ruling. School officials predict some form of the statute will remain in effect with some state funding.

5. Cavanna presented a mid-year report on the school district and said future challenges include improving curriculum and maintaining financial stability. He was hopeful this year's budget would remain under the two percent cap and not include layoffs.

Cavanna outlined strategies to meet four district goals: implementing an integrated curriculum, cultivating a safe and secure environment, having sustainable facilities and encouraging community engagement.

Accomplishments include an increase in Advanced Placement courses taken by students and an increase in AP test scores. Cavanna also listed a slew of programs and for personalized learning and to meet student needs.

He said the district had made some headway with the mathematics curriculum and test scores but had some work to do in the language arts literacy area.

See attached document for a copy of the report.