Hello, I’m Sue Bourdin, the Board of Education’s new Acting President. For those of you who do not know me, I am an 18-year resident of Woodbridge, small business owner and seven-year member of the Board. My husband Marc and I are the proud parents of Emily, a Junior at Woodbridge High School. My predecessor Dan Harris was offered a can’t-miss opportunity to join the Township’s Municipal Council to replace long-time Councilman Gregg Ficarra who moved to Jackson, NJ to be closer to his family. Dan was not only a friend, but a mentor to me and so many on the Board. He will be missed. Ahead of our June meeting, the Board will solicit members of the public who are interested in serving out the year in Dan’s vacated seat. Stay tuned on the replacement.
Allow me to be the first to congratulate our students and their families on their graduation or promotion to another school level. Enjoy every minute of these final days of school and the memorable moments such as Prom, Yearbook signings, and Field Day to name a few. At our May Board meeting, the Board adopted our 2025-2026 school year budget. The overall school budget outlook is strong with full State funding and a year over year growth of municipal tax base to mitigate the impact on our local property taxpayers. Highlights of the budget include an expansion of the New Jersey Tiered System of Supports (NJTSS) Intervention Programs, implementation of a Universal Literacy Screener K-5 to quickly identify when kids are not reading at grade level and provide the necessary supports to course correct. Frankly, there is no more important skill to learning than reading and continuation of the High Impact Tutoring program to improve student engagement and school attendance.
The district is investing in new or refreshed capital on things like Chromebooks, IT infrastructure, musical instruments, Career and Technical Education (CTE) course technology for courses such as Screenwriting, Film Production and Broadcast Journalism. More common budget items include curriculum updates and additional student assemblies.
Special education programs and services are near and dear to my heart. One of the best and most supportive groups in this area is POAC Autism Services who offer a range of free programming to our community. We all can support them when they come to Woodbridge for their Autism Walk for a Difference on Sunday, June 8 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at Woodbridge HS. Learn more and register for the walk online at www.poac. net/events.
The running of the annual Ernest Dubay Elementary School Track Meet was a huge success on a beautiful Saturday morning in early May. I am pleased to share that our fourth and fifth graders of our 15 elementary schools battled it out for over four hours across numerous events. This year’s Big School winner was Woodbridge’s Ross Street Elementary #11 and our Small School winner was Colonia’s Claremont Avenue Elementary #20.
Kindergarten registration for the 2025-2026 school year is now open and the application can be found exclusively online at https://www.woodbridge.k12.nj.us/page/student-registration. The district encourages families to register as soon as possible. Please spread the word. If your child will be 5 by October 31, 2025, they are eligible for Kindergarten.
The State expanded income eligibility for free school breakfast and lunch. It’s never too late to verify your eligibility by completing the district’s School Meals application. Parents can find the application online on their Genesis portal or can ask your school Principal’s office. Please spread the word!
The Board will hold its next regular meeting on Thursday, June 12 at 6:00 PM. The Board will meet in the gymnasium of the Ross Street Elementary School #11, 110 Ross Street, Woodbridge. The public is welcome to attend all meetings. As always, you can view live or read up on all previous Board meetings through the district’s website or Facebook page. This year’s Board meeting calendar is as follows: July 17, August 14 and 28, September 18, October 16, November 20, December 18, and January 6, 2026.
Should you ever require my assistance, I welcome your input at one of our monthly Board of Education meetings. You can also e-mail the full board at board@woodbridge.k12.nj.us or call the Board Secretary’s office at 732-602-8536.