The audit report revealed that the school district received nearly $6 million in federal grants, which were allocated towards various programs, including academic support, professional development, ESL certification, newcomer programs, family engagement events, and more. One of the major highlights was the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which funded academic after-school programs, summer programs, SAT prep courses, and elementary school air conditioning projects.

The district supervisor of federal programs explained the utilization of the title funds, emphasizing the commitment to compliance with federal and state laws. The board discussed the findings under Title I and Title III, including the lack of a documented comprehensive needs assessment and a monitoring process for students newly exited from multilingual learner status. In response to these findings, the board committed to a more formal process involving stakeholders for future documentation and planned to create forms for proper monitoring of the aforementioned students.

Another point of discussion was the NJGPA scores, which saw an increase in the percentage of 11th graders deemed “graduation ready” from 2022 to 2024. Notably, there was an improvement in the scores among Hispanic and Latino students and an increased passing rate for students receiving free and reduced lunch. The board dissected the scores by ethnicity, race, program, and gender, ultimately expressing satisfaction with the student performance improvements and the interventions in place for academic support.

During the meeting, the board also received positive feedback for the district’s work with grants and the variety of programs offered to students. The board praised the district staff for their attention to detail and timeliness in fiscal breakouts.

In addition to the financial and academic discussions, the meeting addressed cultural inclusivity. A speaker raised a concern about the inclusion of a holiday in the school calendar. The board acknowledged the significance of the holiday and expressed their intention to incorporate it into the school calendar in the upcoming year. They also deliberated on accommodating students for prayer during the school day, mentioning that existing lunchtime and afternoon recess times could be utilized for this purpose without interfering with educational requirements.

The personnel committee took the opportunity to announce the retirements of two long-serving members of the Kearny Public Schools. One individual retired after 22 years of dedication, and another after 36 years of service.