BY WALTER ELLIOTT
WEST ORANGE – Public school districts here, Montclair, Nutley and in 24 other towns statewide are still preparing for more preschool students, thanks to a newly-announced New Jersey Department of Education grant program, even though the Sept. 8 first day of school has passed.
West Orange Public Schools Board of Education President Jennifer Tunicliffe, on Sept. 12, said that her district will have space for 144 more 3- and 4- year-old children open on or by Sept. 28.
Tunnicliffe and Curriculum and Instruction Assistant Superintendent Eveny de Mendenz said that WOPS’ now-four “no-cost” preschool classes are to be found at the West Orange Community House on Main Street’s Tory Corner section. This is in addition to a pair of “private provider” classes at the center, three Head Start classes at the Montclair Child Development Center and two inclusion classes here at the Betty Maddalena Early Learning Center.
Tunnicliffe and her BOE colleagues, in a special Sept. 13 meeting, approved the $1,894,659 it had received from NJDOE’s Preschool Expansion Aid program. The program, which became a line item in the 2022-23 state budget on July 1, was apportioned out by state educators on Sept. 8.
NJDOE, in their Sept. 8 announcement, had also awarded Montclair Public Schools $970,555 and Nutley Public Schools $1,228,170. They were shares of the $26 million given out among 27 public districts to expand existing or start new free pre-Kindergarten classes.
Why the awarded districts are making space some three weeks after school has started has to do with the state’s awarding and allocation process. School building principals had to apply for the expansion aid in August.
The principals had to include applications of interest from parents who would use the preschool programs. They and school administrators are to also show that they have at least 20 percent of households qualifying for low-cost or free school breakfast and lunch programs.
MPS will have six classrooms open in four locations for 60 students on or by Oct. 1: two each at its Developmental Learning Center and the Nishaune Elementary School plus one each at the Montclair Community Pre-K and the Geyer Family YMCA.
Montclair Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jonathan Ponds, however, added that parents’ applications were subjected to a placement lottery. Applying parents were to be advised of their selection on Sept. 21.
Nutley Public Schools, however, have not publicized its preschool expansion details after accepting the state’s PEA award on Sept. 9. A majority of participating voters had rejected a $70 million construction bond issue in 2017.
The PEA’s requirements include each full-time preschool to run at least six hours daily; starting and dismissal times are subject to location. State certified instructors are to provide supervision and/or teaching.
NJDOE’s construction arm, the NJ School Development Authority, on Sept. 8, announced its approval of two Newark Public Schools projects to replace a pair of its PreK-Eighth Grade school buildings.
The two NPS educational building replacement projects are among 12 renovation, addition or replacement projects among 11 districts in 10 counties to stem overcrowding. They and three more projects in Camden and Salem cities to address “serious facility deficiencies” are to split a $1.9 billion line item allocation.
NPS, as of press time, has not detailed its share of the SDA award nor which school buildings will be replaced. The Newark projects are the only ones approved to start in 2022-23 in Essex County.
WOPS’ Redwood Elementary School was meanwhile named by Acting Education Commissioner Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan as a “2022 Blue Ribbon School” by the USDOE on Sept. 16. It was one of 16 schools statewide and the only one in Essex County so named.
Award recipients are to be given a plaque and a U.S. flag in a Nov. 4 ceremony at the Washington, D.C. Hilton.
