Montgomery Board of Education Hears District Updates, Committee Reports and Public Comment at April 28 Meeting

Nicholas Mistretta

The Montgomery Township Board of Education received a series of district updates, committee reports and public comments during its April 28 meeting, with discussion ranging from student achievements and school programming to technology use, facility rentals and community concerns.

In her superintendent’s report, Superintendent Mary McLoughlin highlighted recent accomplishments and activities across the district. Among them was a milestone for Montgomery High School, where the girls lacrosse team captured the first conference championship in program history. McLoughlin also noted that the high school partnered with the Montgomery Township Police Department and the Montgomery Township Health Department to host “Think Fast Interactive,” a game show-style assembly focused on the dangers of vaping and substance abuse.

At the high school, McLoughlin said students also participated in a Week of Inclusion, featuring themed activities, daily announcements and what she described as the school’s first silent disco, organized by the student council and Unified Club. She said the event was designed as a sensory-friendly opportunity for students to socialize in an inclusive setting.

At the middle school level, McLoughlin highlighted service-learning efforts by eighth graders, including visits to younger students, classroom support activities, projects benefiting local organizations and campus cleanup work. She said seventh graders participated in community-building activities with the Hope Squad and that students also attended a presentation by a historian on the Declaration of Independence and its connection to the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary.

McLoughlin also praised the Lower Middle School spring musical, Willy Wonka Jr., calling it a community-wide effort involving performers, crew members, designers and families. She said the school was preparing to welcome rising fifth graders on May 4, followed by an informational session for parents, and noted that the middle school PTO’s annual Spring Fling dance was scheduled for May 8.

At Village Elementary School, McLoughlin said fourth-grade students recently traveled to the New Jersey State House as part of their civic studies, and that Mayor Neena Singh was scheduled to visit the school to speak about her role in local government. She also reported on Arbor Day activities led by the Montgomery Shade Tree Committee, a Somerset County government-themed poster contest in which Village students earned all three top recognitions, and the selection of four fourth-grade chorus students to the New Jersey Elementary All-State Choir.

McLoughlin said Orchard Hill Elementary School had also been active in April, including a career fair led by high school peer leaders for first- and second-grade students and a schoolwide autism acceptance program featuring a bubble-blowing event and a student question-and-answer video with members of the autism teaching team.

The board then turned to committee reports.

Reporting for the Assessment, Curriculum and Instruction Committee, Board Member Harris said the committee met April 10 and reviewed a proposed upper middle school French textbook for the 2026-27 school year. Harris also said the committee heard a presentation on The Amazing Generation, which will be part of a new “one book, one school” initiative at the upper middle school. She said the book, focused on navigating a screen-centered world, would serve as an additional summer reading requirement for incoming seventh and eighth graders and would be incorporated into school-year programming, including family engagement efforts.

Harris said the committee also discussed digital textbook bundles and the broader use of technology in classrooms. She said the district’s current approach is intended to balance the educational benefits of technology with concerns about screen use, and she outlined safeguards including filtered internet access, restricted access to certain online platforms, and classroom-based technology use in the elementary grades.

That report prompted discussion among board members about how much technology should be used with younger students. Board member Dr. Wang said the district should remain open to scaling back technology if parents and child-development research support that direction, particularly in the early grades. Harris responded that the committee’s discussion was not meant to suggest technology should be used without reconsideration, but rather that technology remains a real part of students’ world and should be incorporated thoughtfully and responsibly.

The Operations, Facilities and Finance Committee report, delivered by Board Member Franco-Herman, focused on the recently adopted budget and a review of the district’s facility use policy. Franco-Herman said the policy and related regulations have not been updated in seven years and that the committee has begun examining possible revisions to be forwarded to the policy committee.

Franco-Herman said a significant portion of that discussion centered on the district’s fee structure for facility rentals. She said district officials reported that 65 percent of booked hours currently fall under community-based organizations, generating no revenue for the district, and that the current per-student fee structure does not reflect actual usage patterns. She said Business Administrator Andrew Italiano recommended moving toward a space-rental model based on time increments rather than seasonal or annual fees. Franco-Herman said the district hopes to have an updated policy in place before the start of the next school year.

During that discussion, board member Nargund said she was encouraged by the review of the facility-use system, describing it as difficult for some community members to navigate and suggesting a revised approach could both improve access and create an added revenue stream for the district.

Reporting for the Policy and Communications Committee, Vice President Spina said the committee met April 13 and reviewed policies related to employment contracts for teaching staff members and support staff following the signing of the 2025-28 Montgomery Township Education Association agreement. Spina also said the committee discussed the development of a district policy on artificial intelligence. According to the report, a model policy is under review by the district’s technology and curriculum departments and will be brought to the committee and then the full board after additional vetting. Spina added that the committee also began discussing the development of committee norms for board committees, a conversation expected to continue when the full committee is present.

Public Comment
During the public comment portion of the meeting, resident Karen Anderson criticized the board’s meeting structure, saying the nearly two-hour executive session had caused many members of the public to leave before public comment resumed. She urged the board to reconsider how executive sessions are scheduled so residents do not lose the opportunity to speak.

Anderson also questioned whether certain board members should have recused themselves from the budget vote because of campaign support and union affiliations, and said she was concerned about the legality of the vote. In a separate comment, she criticized the district’s refund process for unused student lunch account balances, questioning why families must complete additional paperwork to receive relatively small reimbursements.

A second speaker, district art teacher Dara Zimmer, invited the public to attend the district’s Art Extravaganza on June 5 at the high school. Zimmer described the event as an opportunity for families and residents to view student artwork from across the district and see students’ creative work in a broader setting.

Later in the comment period, Anderson read a statement on behalf of resident Nancy Castelino raising concerns about district policies and transparency in response to a recent incident involving AI-generated images of students. The statement asked what policies and procedures are in place to protect students, how such matters are handled, and what role law enforcement plays in serious incidents. The statement also argued that while student privacy must be protected, accountability and communication about incidents remain important to the community.

Click here to view entire Board of Education meeting.

Photo Credit: Nicholas Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com