Nutley Public Schools: Transition Plan

The Board of Commissioners, in partnership with the Board of Education, approved a bond to purchase a building in Nutley. This will be leased to the Board of Education for PreSchool classrooms and Board of Education offices.

In the fall of 2025, ten preschool classrooms will open at 777 Bloomfield Avenue to expand the district’s state-funded Raising Raiders PreSchool Program. The Board of Education will move its offices to the third floor of that space.

Then, in September 2026, this purchase will assist the district in the transition of sixth grade students out of the elementary schools and into John H. Walker Middle School, making it a true 6-8 middle school. The students first impacted by the new 6-8 middle school are this year’s (24-25) current 4th graders.

In order to accomplish this, the district will develop a transition plan. Transition Planning is a process for identifying short/long-term goals, priorities, and actions that guide decision-making and resource allocation to improve student outcomes and overall district performance.  

It will be an interactive effort, with 30-40 stakeholders from various areas of the educational community. The process will be designed to gather information and ensure the development of a transition plan that prioritizes our students' needs in the areas of: Student Transition, Curriculum, Operations and Resources. 

The first meeting for Transition Planning will take place on February 19th, 2025 from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm in the John Walker Middle School Media Center. This is an in-person meeting. 

If you would like to be considered for this transition committee, please email Superintendent Kent Bania at kbania@nutleyschools.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

February 18, 2025 - We are looking forward to our first Transition Meeting tomorrow night, Wednesday, February 19th. As of Tuesday night, February 18th, we have 44 participants from throughout the community and this meeting is at capacity. Please email Kent Bania (kbania@nutleyschools.org) with questions and check this site frequently for updates.

 

February 20, 2025

On Wednesday, February 19, the District hosted its first Transition Planning Meeting at 6PM in the JHWMS Media Center. Forty-seven participants pre-registered to be part of this committee, which included parents, faculty, administrators, Board of Education members and community representatives. The two-hour meeting was the first in a series of work sessions aimed at readying the district for the transition of sixth graders to John H. Walker Middle School in September 2026.

 

The meeting kicked off with a welcome by Superintendent Kent Bania. He thanked all those in attendance for volunteering to be on this committee and take part in this important work. During the next two hours, the group was divided into ten smaller groups with representatives from different categories of stakeholders. These small groups were asked to identify both the benefits and challenges of moving to a 6-8 middle school. 

 

After discussion, four areas for concentration were identified: Academics, 5th Grade Transition, Resources, and School Operations. This Transition Planning committee will meet every three weeks and the groups will work to address challenges and logistics in these four categories. 

 

Please check back here for frequent updates. 

 

March 12, 2025

The second Transition Planning Meeting took place on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. The meeting opened with remarks from Superintendent Bania about the importance of collaboration, followed by a group activity to allow some time for participants to work together.

 

Four committees were formed to focus on Academics, School Day Operations, 5th Grade Transitions and Resources.These committees will work together for the duration of this project. The groups were given time to identify the key challenges in their area, the goals of the group, the information and resources required to work on these tasks and what is needed for next steps. 

 

There was no shortage of conversation, as groups expressed challenges and opportunities of bringing the sixth grade students to John Walker Middle School in September 2026. The meeting concluded with the committee leaders sharing their top challenges for their focus area and the direction they see their work going for the next few months.

 

April 2, 2025

The Transition Planning Committee met for the third time on Wednesday, April 2nd. The three groups - School Day Operations, Academics and 5th Grade Transitions  - broke out to each discuss one main focus area.

 

Middle School Principal Joe Materia led the School Day Operations Group, focusing on the Learning Schedule for the middle school. The group identified a number of area-middle schools to visit this spring. They developed guiding questions to learn about schedules in 6-8 middle schools, which will help hone in on the best option for Nutley.

 

Global Studies Supervisor Joe Dwyer led the Academics Committee, where the group focused on rotating cycles of electives as a way to both introduce sixth graders to various content areas and topics as well as make the most of the space in the building.

 

Radcliffe Principal Mike Kearney led the 5th Grade Transition Group. The members of this committee began to create a Transition Plan for the current 4th grade students (the inaugural 6th grade class at JHWMS). This plan includes redefining and planning for key milestone events and activities to conclude elementary school as well as new opportunities as the first JHWMS 6th Grade Class.

 

Throughout the evening, Superintendent Kent Bania offered tours of JHWMS to the committees so all were able to familiarize themselves with the building and space options.

 

The next meeting is scheduled for April 22nd.

 

 

April 22, 2025

The Transition Planning Committee met for the fourth time on Tuesday, April 22nd. 

 

The three groups, School Day Operations, Academics and 5th Grade Transitions, gathered once again. During this session, the groups were asked to generate and develop 2-3 goals as well as actions steps and resources/research that is needed to move forward. Groups met individually and then presented out to the full committee.

 

Today, April 23rd, marked the first of several visits to area-middle schools. John Walker Middle School Principal Materia and a small group of committee members visited two middle schools in Wayne today to look at operations, scheduling and facilities. These visits will continue through the spring as a vehicle to help answer questions and look at best practices for 6-8 middle schools.