Revise la carta adjunta sobre la Evaluación del aprendizaje de los estudiantes de Nueva Jersey.

• NJSLA Testing Letter – English
• NJSLA Testing Letter – Spanish

CMS

HS

Lafayette

Lamonte

Smalley

Policy

Chemical List 24-25 – Bound Brook

Tell us about your career and educational background. 

My teaching career began 20 years ago when I worked in a small school district in Northern Pennsylvania. I started in a special education classroom and knew I had found my place. In 2010, my family relocated to Flemington, New Jersey where I was fortunate to find employment in the Flemington-Raritan Schools. Throughout my career in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, I have worked in resource rooms, self-contained classrooms, in-class support settings, and pull-out service settings.   

My educational background consists of a bachelor’s degree from Wagner College on Staten Island, a Teaching Certificate from Alvernia University in Reading, PA, and my Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership from Thomas Edison State College. I am certified in Special Education and highly qualified in English, Social Studies and Mathematics. Additionally, I hold both my Supervisor and Principal certifications.   

After graduating from Thomas Edison State College, I had the chance to work as an Assistant Principal in Bernards Township Schools and then most recently, to serve as the Principal of The Midland School in North Branch.   

What attracted you to Bound Brook School District (BBSD)? 

I believe strongly in the power of education to change lives. I am a product of public education and know that there are tremendous opportunities afforded by hard work and excellent teaching. I wanted to be a part of that process and have always delighted in my students’ progress.   

Bound Brook, more specifically, is a wonderfully diverse community with dedicated professionals providing excellent education to students. Additionally, the community is close-knit and supportive. The staff has been so warm and welcoming! 

What is your vision for Special Services in BBSD? 

I am striving for an environment where the staff work in collaboration to meet the needs of the students. Our Child Study Team and teachers are extremely skilled and knowledgeable, and I want to create a network to support all the professionals as we move forward. We can be resources for and supportive of each other. Each of us possesses skills that can benefit the team and when we work together, we are significantly stronger for the students.   

How do you plan to collaborate to ensure the needs of students are met? 

I believe that we are in the business of people. We should all have the same goal: to make sure that the students are progressing, and their needs are met. With that in mind, and working together, we can ensure that all our students are moving in the right direction. It is essential to form partnerships with colleagues and parents to work as a team to get things accomplished. In my experience, those relationships are crucial to the success of the team, and the support of the students we serve.   

Are there any new trends or best practices in Special Services that you are excited about?   

We are always looking for opportunities to enhance learning for the students. We have wonderful technology available, and I am exploring new ways to put that to use. I am interested to see what Artificial Intelligence may bring to special education over the next few years. I believe it may open a lot of doors for students with various disabilities.   

Kristen Massimo lives in Flemington with her husband, Michael, and two children, Evelyn and Matthew. She enjoys cooking, reading, needlework, and music. 

Grades 7-8:

• Incoming 7th Grade Math Summer Assignment
• (Spanish) Incoming 7th Grade Math Summer Assignment
• Incoming 7th Grade H Math Summer Assignment
• Incoming 8th Grade Summer Assignment

Grades 9-12:

• Incoming Algebra 1 Summer Assignment
• Incoming Algebra 2 Summer Assignment
• Incoming Pre-Calculus Summer Assignment
• Incoming AP Calculus Summer Assignment
• Incoming Geometry Summer Assignment

SFSP Fillable Flyer_Sumer 2024

The tentative budget for the 2024-25 school year follows a perfect financial audit in which examiners found that the district is in full compliance and resolved all prior recommendations from the 2022-23 school year. 

The $49.6 million operating budget for the 2024-25 school year aims to improve student performance and outcomes by expanding curriculum and staffing, especially in the areas of summer and after-school enrichment, elementary school gifted and talented programs, English as a Second Language (ESL), Math, and English Language Arts (ELA). 

“Our students and staff here in Bound Brook School District are exceptional,” said Bound Brook Superintendent Alvin L. Freeman, Ed.D. “The leadership team worked closely with the Board of Education to present a tentative budget that continues to support our staff by providing additional tools and training opportunities and enhances the educational offerings for our students.” 

The tentative budget was adopted in March, and a public hearing and vote on the final budget will be held on May 22 at the Board of Education meeting. 

Highlights of the 2024-25 budget include: 

• Enhancing curriculum and programming across all grade levels to improve student performance and implement the new 2023 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Math and ELA.  
• Expanding summer and school-wide enrichment opportunities for all students. 
• Investing in Bilingual/ESL and early childhood academic coaching and professional development for teachers. 
• Hiring additional staff, including high school ELA and Math academic interventionists, elementary school gifted and talented teachers, instructional coaching and resource support staff, and a school psychologist.  
• Purchasing new and updated textbooks, technology, online programs, and other materials to benefit student learning. 
• Investing in capital projects at each of the district’s schools to protect and maintain the community’s investment in facilities. Projects include bathroom renovations at the high school, bleachers and scoreboards at Community Middle School, new signage and gates at Lafayette, a new instructional copier at Smalley, and iPads and interactive boards at LaMonte/LaMonte Annex. 
• Covering increasing costs for special education transportation. 
• Expanding Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses to include unmanned drone flight, mechanical engineering technology, and EMT/firefighter program.   

The budget comes in under the 2% tax levy cap allowed by the state and balances the expansion of programs and student services with a school tax decrease for residents in Bound Brook. The 2024-25 General Fund Tax Levy would increase by $294,910, however the school tax rate would decrease to 1.165%. The owner of a home assessed at the average of $418,501 can expect to see an approximate tax decrease of $140 per year.   

The tax decrease was possible because of an increase in ratables in Bound Brook, additional funding due to growing student enrollment, and a 16% increase in state aid from last year. For the first time since 2008-2009, the district received the appropriate level of funding prescribed by the current school funding formula for equalization aid. 

“We want to thank Gov. Phil Murphy, the New Jersey Department of Education, and the Somerset County Department of Education for bringing the district the funding it deserves and was promised,” Freeman said. 

Business Administrator/Board Secretary Michael C. Gorski, CPA added that Bound Brook was historically one of the most underfunded districts in the state.  

“Our teachers have worked tirelessly to meet the diverse needs of our student population, despite the limited resources stemming from previous deficits in funding,” Freeman said. “We are excited now that additional resources can be directed into the classroom, enabling us to provide the level of instruction that the school funding formula was designed to support.” 

Even amid inflation, the district was able to find cost savings for taxpayers through a variety of shared service agreements for transportation, special education, food services, recycling, law enforcement, insurance, and more. 

“I want to thank Dr. Freeman and the Board of Education for their commitment to funding programs and services aimed at improving student performance and providing the best learning environment possible,” Gorski said. “I am also proud of their support and guidance to eliminate all prior year recommendations from the auditor and have a clean, unblemished financial audit for the 2022-23 school year.”