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.