Highland Park Board of Education Meeting - 9/28/2026

The Highland Park Board of Education held a hybrid workshop and voting meeting on September 28, 2026. The board approved Finance and Facilities items 1–16, with amendments removing one personnel-related item and canceling a contractor item, and approved Curriculum and Instruction items 1–6. Finance items included contractor and related-service approvals, Education Services Commission of New Jersey nonpublic nursing services, McKinney-Vento tuition contracts with Patterson Public Schools, grant-funded salaries, and a school-led filter-program reimbursement of $2,349.14. The board also received $1,400 for an Irving student field trip and donated drama-club mirrors valued at $400. No specific new contract award amount was stated for the approved service items.

Facilities and spending discussions included an ongoing master plan assessment, completed Bartle projects, and a report that the school now has a full certificate of occupancy. One Bartle boiler has failed; the district is working with architects on the issue and expects to seek bids for a solution to leaks associated with exterior drains. A high school water-line replacement is in design review, while proposed sustainability improvements involving a farm robot and a home economics room still require pricing. The committee also reported athletic spending of about $653,512 in 2025–26, up roughly 31% from $499,217 the prior year, citing staffing, supplies, and increased event transportation; uniform allocation and phased purchases were discussed, with a $25,000 uniform line item referenced. Other major topics included NJGPA results and a special-education program evaluation with a three-year improvement roadmap; no procurement decision was identified in those presentations.