School District of the Chathams Packet Summary — 2026-08-24
Meeting: Board Meeting
Scheduled: August 24, 2026, at 7:30 PM at the Chatham High School Auditorium
The School District of the Chathams Board of Education is scheduled to consider a broad start-of-school agenda covering staffing, grants and financial matters, school security agreements, curriculum and professional-development plans, evaluation frameworks, and Board goals. Administrative reports are also scheduled to include the August 31 start of school, an update on the planned referendum, construction, and Board of Education candidates.
Key Items on the Agenda
Referendum and Construction Updates
The Superintendent's report is scheduled to include a referendum update, while the Business Administrator is expected to provide a construction update. The packet does not provide additional details about either presentation in the August 24 agenda itself.
The referendum follows action documented in the July 13 meeting minutes included with the packet. At that earlier meeting, the district reported that it was working toward a January 2027 referendum election, and the Board authorized architectural work and state submissions related to potential facilities and instructional renovations.
Start of the 2026-27 School Year
The Superintendent's report is scheduled to address the start of school on August 31. The packet also includes the previously approved 2026-27 calendar, which lists August 25-27 as staff professional-development days and August 31 as the first day of school for students.
School Security Agreements with Chatham Borough and Township
The Board is scheduled to consider separate shared-services agreements with Chatham Borough and Chatham Township to provide Special Law Enforcement Officers to district schools. The agreements themselves are identified as being on file in the Business Office, so the packet text does not specify their financial terms or staffing levels.
Major Financial Items
$6.69 Million in Bills and Payroll
The finance agenda includes proposed approval of payments totaling $6,687,196.26:
- Bills dated July 30: $1,987,094.06
- Bills dated August 20: $3,455,032.28
- July 15 payroll: $644,606.74
- July 30 payroll: $600,193.18
Supporting payment records identify numerous operating, instructional, insurance, facilities, technology and other expenditures. The August payment list totals $3,455,032.28, including a $1,442,515 payment to Perma Risk Management Services/SHIF and $799,310.78 to Weatherproofing Technologies.
Federal Education Grant Funding
The Board is scheduled to consider accepting $883,126 in IDEA funding for special education programs: $856,016 in IDEA Basic funds and $27,110 in IDEA Preschool funds. The IDEA Basic allocation includes $42,996 for non-public schools, leaving a stated district spending amount of $813,020.
The agenda also proposes acceptance of ESEA funding totaling $36,213 for Title II-A, $9,803 for Title III and $10,297 for Title III Immigrant. The district plans to participate with Springfield Public School District in a consortium involving the $9,803 Title III allocation.
Wellness and Lead-Filter Funding
The Board is scheduled to consider accepting a $25,000 Schools Health Insurance Fund wellness grant for 2026-27, with Human Resources coordinating the funded wellness activities.
A separate proposal would authorize an application to the New Jersey Department of Education's School Lead Filters Program. The program can reimburse eligible purchases and installation of point-of-use filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets, with the district's allocation listed at up to $5,309.87.
Donations for Chromebooks and Music
The agenda proposes accepting a $40,950 donation from the Chatham Middle School PTO for Chromebook carts at the middle school. It also proposes accepting $1,050 from MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (USA) Inc. for string instruments.
Special-Education Placements
The Board is scheduled to consider tuition and transportation costs for three additional 2026-27 out-of-district special-education placements. Listed totals are $125,217 for a Montgomery Academy placement, $80,305.08 for a Newmark High School placement and $232,800 for a Capstone Center placement.
Curriculum and Student Programs
Districtwide Curriculum Approval
The Board is scheduled to consider approval of the district's 2026-27 curriculum across nine state-defined content areas: Visual and Performing Arts, Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, World Language, Computer Science and Design Thinking, and Career Readiness. The resolution covers the district's schools from pre-K through grade 12.
The proposal also includes the Chatham High School and Chatham Middle School Programs of Studies, PK-12 programs and services including ESL, Basic Skills, Gifted/Talented and School Counseling, and textbooks currently used to implement the curriculum. Additional or new texts connected to 2026-27 curriculum revisions would remain subject to later Board approval.
Professional Development and Mentoring
The agenda includes proposed approval of the district's 2026-27 Professional Development Plan, electronic submission of the District Mentoring Plan, and submission of the Professional Development Plan and Mentoring Statement of Assurance to the County Office.
Personnel items also include proposed mentoring assignments for the new school year, along with numerous extra-duty and extracurricular stipends.
Teacher and Administrator Evaluation Frameworks
The Board is scheduled to consider the district's teacher evaluation framework incorporating Charlotte Danielson's "A Framework for Teaching" as its teacher evaluation instrument. A separate resolution proposes James Stronge's "Leader Effectiveness Evaluation System" as the district's principal evaluation instrument.
The agenda includes the district's 2025-26 New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum, or NJQSAC, Statement of Review. The proposed action would affirm the report and its scores in Instruction and Program, Fiscal Management, Governance, Operations and Personnel; the agenda states that the district is designated "High Performing."
A New Jersey Department of Education letter included in the packet gives the initial July 2026 scores as:
- Instruction and Program: 87%
- Fiscal Management: 96%
- Governance: 100%
- Operations: 100%
- Personnel: 97%
The state letter says the district satisfied at least 80% of the weighted indicators in all five areas and was designated high performing. It also states that the Commissioner would recommend three-year certification as providing a thorough and efficient system of education, or until the next NJQSAC review.
Personnel and Staffing
The personnel agenda contains 34 items covering retirements and resignations, new and amended contracts, leave replacements, transfers, curriculum-writing assignments, mentoring, stipends, coaching, leaves of absence, substitutes and professional travel.
Among the proposed staffing actions are multiple teacher, paraprofessional, school nurse, school psychologist and custodial appointments or amendments as the district prepares for the new school year. Several leave-replacement teaching assignments are also proposed for terms beginning August 25.
Other notable proposed personnel expenditures include a $15,000 extra-class assignment for a certificated music teacher, a $2,500 referendum video stipend, and a $2,500 District Technology Website Coordinator stipend for 2026-27.
Governance and Operations
Board Goals for 2026-27
The policy agenda contains one item: proposed approval of the Board's goals for the 2026-27 school year. The packet states that the actual list of goals is on file in the Superintendent's Office, so their substance is not provided in the meeting materials.
Middle School Student Activity Fund
The Board is scheduled to consider reorganizing account categories in the Chatham Middle School Student Activities Fund. The proposal includes consolidating duplicate accounts, closing obsolete accounts and resolving legacy balances; the detailed account listing is on file in the Business Office.
NJ STRIVE Participation
The district proposes participating in NJ STRIVE, formerly NJ STRIDE, at a cost of $825 for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.
What to Watch at the Meeting
- Referendum planning: The Superintendent is scheduled to provide an update on the referendum as the district continues work toward the facilities proposal documented in earlier Board action.
- School reopening: The meeting falls one week before the August 31 first day for students, with staffing, construction and the start of school all appearing on the agenda.
- School security: Separate agreements with Chatham Borough and Chatham Township would continue or establish municipal provision of Special Law Enforcement Officers to district schools.
- NJQSAC results: The Board is scheduled to formally address a state review showing the district designated "High Performing," including perfect initial placement scores in Governance and Operations.
- Curriculum and evaluation: The agenda calls for districtwide curriculum approval as well as teacher and administrator evaluation frameworks for the new school year.
- Public participation: Public commentary is scheduled before the action items and again later in the meeting. The agenda states that members of the public may comment on issues that are either on or off the current meeting agenda.
This packet summary is based on publicly available meeting materials from the School District of the Chathams for the August 24, 2026 Board Meeting.
Provider: apptegy
Provider Meeting ID: apptegy-20260824-ee05cc0fa19079f8
Official Meeting Source URL: https://www.chatham-nj.org/documents/board-of-education/meeting-agendas/2026-meeting-agendas/august-24%2C-2026/29261747
Meeting/document listing page: https://www.chatham-nj.org/documents/board-of-education/meeting-agendas/22784855
Civic Translator summarized publicly available meeting materials.
