Students Speak Out About Nutley Schools and a Golden Elevator Moment at Board of Education Meeting

NUTLEY, NJ - Most of the Monday, May 20 meeting of the Nutley Board of Education consisted of students, residents, and educators, speaking about their concerns during public comment. Public comment overshadowed the recognition bestowed on district students.

There were three groups of students recognized at the meeting: spelling bee winners, students earning their certificate of biliteracy, and history fair winners. Among the interesting winners from the history fair was a young student who worked on the history of Lego, and a team that shared the 65-year history of Barbie. In the spring of 2025, the Academic Booster Club will host the Science Fair.

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The main portion of the meeting opened with Superintendent Kent Bania acknowledging the concerns of the community, particularly the non-renewal of some teacher contracts. He explained it was part of a broader strategy to stabilize the district.

Bania explained that the situation was not ideal, and it pained him to make some of the cuts that were made. He said that no tenured staff lost their jobs, and many changes in the district involved changing roles for some staff members.

Public comment took up most of the meeting, with students, residents, and a staff member taking to the microphone to ask questions and express their concerns.

High school students spoke passionately about the school and township they love, with one proclaiming "You Lied," in reference to some of the changes and another stating, "we will never be silenced." And silenced they were not.

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After a long period of public comment, a motion was made to end public comment. Four board members voted to close the public comment portion of the meeting. They were Teri Quirk, Charlie Kucinski, Salvatore Balsamo, and Lisa Danchak-Martin. The board members who voted no, thereby supporting the public desire to keep public comment open, were Dr. Tom D'Elia, Nick Scotti, Joe Battaglia, and Dan Fraginals. It should be noted that at the last meeting, Fraginals was the only board member to vote "no' on passing the budget and tax increase.

With four members of the board voting to end public comment, and four voting against it, the tie-breaking vote was cast by Nutley Board of Education president Salvatore Ferraro.

Public comments continued to allow several more members of the public, including students, the opportunity to speak. TAPinto Nutley will have more about their questions and concerns later this week.

In what can best be described as her Golden Elevation moment, Nutley resident Maria Hamlin took to the microphone to ask about school security. Drawing from her law enforcement experience, Hamlin questioned the reduction of the security footprint in the district, and offered praise to the security staff. Many in the community expect Hamlin to make a run for the BOE in the November election. Hamlin has not made any public statements regarding that topic.

With so much packed into the meeting, TAPinto Nutley will have more from this meeting later this week.

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