By Rob W.
Our last piece, Community Voices at the August 14 BOE Meeting, captured the emotion of parents and residents as they raised concerns about testing and equity. This follow-up focuses not on the public commentary but on the board members themselves — the questions they asked, the concerns they raised, and in some cases, the gaps in understanding that surfaced during a data-heavy presentation.
ACCESS for ELLs: Language Proficiency Under the Microscope
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Boley opened with the ACCESS for ELLs exam, a state-mandated test for multilingual learners. Students must score a 4.5 overall to exit ESL services.
East Brunswick currently has 410 ESL students speaking 31 languages, while over a third of the district’s total student population speaks a non-English language at home.
Vice President Liwu Hong quickly zeroed in on the trend lines. “This year we have more students staying in ESL for three, four, even five years. That is a very alarming sign,” he warned.
Board President Heather Guas, meanwhile, revealed a surprising gap in awareness when she asked if students are tested in their home language — a question that underscored how technical and complicated the state’s process can be even for decision-makers.
Board Member Laurie Herrick pressed for strategy. “We saw about 20% of ESL students meet the 4.5 proficiency criteria. What targeted plans are in place to increase that percentage?”
And Board Member Wilbur Pan asked about the very structure of the exam. “If proficiency is 4.5 on a six-point scale, why do we have a six-point system? Is that standard?” Dr. Valeski explained that it is a national measure.
Special Education: The DLM Debate
The Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) assessment, designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities, saw scores drop after the state shifted 122 higher-functioning students into the regular NJ SLA testing pool.
Scores appeared to plummet:
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ELA proficiency fell from 58% to 43%.
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Math dropped from 59% to 34%.
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Science dipped from 25% to 21%.
Hong challenged the explanation, insisting the numbers were still a red flag: “We are not talking about a handful of students. We are talking about hundreds, and the percentage is drifting down.”
Board member Marianne Tanious pushed back on the usefulness of the data: “What is the value of this information if we can’t benchmark it properly? Data doesn’t mean anything without a plan to address it.”
Dr. Valeski countered that this was the first year of the new eligibility rules and that comparisons would be more meaningful starting next year.
NJGPA: Strong Results, But Gaps Remain
The New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) showed East Brunswick ahead of state averages: 92% passing in ELA (compared to 81% statewide) and 80% in math (versus 58% statewide).
But subgroup data told another story. Students with IEPs, English learners, and those identified as economically disadvantaged lagged significantly.
Board Member Jaime Falco expressed concern: “Children with IEPs are no less intelligent than any other child. They just learn differently. These gaps point to inequities in how we educate them.”
Board Member Dr. Lou Figueroa honed in on ESL students whose parents declined services: “What are we doing for that 5% so those students still have a chance to succeed?” Dr. Valeski responded that supervisors call every parent and principals work to build relationships to ensure support.
A Board Looking for Clarity
The meeting highlighted how board members are engaging deeply — and sometimes struggling — with the data presented.
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Dr. Anna Braun focused on curriculum pilots: “In these new elementary pilots, are ELL and special education students being included? We can’t have kids falling through the cracks just because we’re testing new programs.”
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Heather Guas reflected on demographic shifts: “Our influx of students right now is staggering. This isn’t going to be like a ripple in a pond — this is going to be like throwing in a major boulder.”
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Tim Cummings took a high-level view: “The town is growing, and the challenges are increasing… Ten years ago we weren’t having these conversations, but now the needs are everywhere. This is a great challenge for your team.”
Even Pan suggested more transparency, noting that student services presentations are valuable but hidden in committee: “It would be great if the public could see more directly what teams are doing. There’s incredible work happening that no one gets to hear about.”
The Bigger Picture
Throughout the meeting, Superintendent Dr. Victor Valeski tied the data to broader social realities. “There’s a family structure behind every student, and that has changed tremendously,” he said. “People are coming here at every expense to access quality education, but then they are struggling to maintain. That’s what has changed in the last five or six years.”
What stood out just as much as the numbers was how board members engaged with them. Board President Heather Guas asked if students are tested in their home language — a question that revealed just how technical and complicated these assessments can be, even for someone who is both a teacher and a board leader. Later, Guas and Board Member Marianne Tanious appeared surprised to learn that nearly every East Brunswick school is already designated Title One.
Other board members raised thoughtful but varied points. Laurie Herrick pressed about ESL exit rates. Wilbur Pan wanted clarity on why ACCESS is scored on a six-point scale. Dr. Anna Braun pushed to ensure that special education and ELL students were included in curriculum pilots. Jaime Falco emphasized inequities for IEP students. Tim Cummings stepped back to highlight the broader challenge of a growing, more diverse town.
Taken together, the evening showed how much board members are expected to know — and how challenging it is to keep pace with shifting demographics, changing state requirements, and complex assessment systems. But it also showed something else: the value of their questions. The community has voiced frustrations at past meetings, yet this one felt different. The questions board members asked cut to the heart of the issues and opened space for deeper conversations.
In many ways, it was the most productive board meeting in some time, because it revealed that everyone — from administrators to board members to parents — has a lot to learn. No one can be an expert in every detail, but progress comes when leaders are willing to ask, listen, and keep learning alongside the community they serve.
That’s why the upcoming November Board of Education election is so important. Voters deserve to understand where each candidate stands on these issues, and hopefully every candidate will campaign actively and share their knowledge with the community. The more transparency there is, the better informed our town will be when choosing who will help guide East Brunswick through these challenges.
With all but two schools now Title One, ESL enrollment climbing, special education needs growing, and more families struggling economically, the question is no longer whether these changes are happening. They already have.
What comes next is how East Brunswick responds. Our town must embrace the diversity of its students and commit to meeting kids where they are — not where we wish they were — with the resources, support, and leadership they need to succeed.
