Middletown Schools Will Begin Strategic Planning Process In May

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The Middletown school district will begin a strategic planning process in late May.

The school district plans to hire an outside consultant for this process.

The consultant will do a "large-scale efficiency study of the district," superintendent Jessica Alfone said Tuesday night. "This is our one unique opportunity to get this right once and for all."

The strategic planning process will take "four to five months" to complete, said Alfone. The results of the survey parents were asked to fill out last week will be used.

About five years ago, the Middletown school board started a strategic planning process but then abruptly stopped it.

A strategic planning process looks at which schools have the highest and lowest enrollment, where enrollment is predicted to increase and drop, and also look at the age and cost of upkeep to school buildings. Student enrollment overall is on the decline in Middletown schools. Declining enrollment is one of the reasons the state of NJ reduced Middletown's state aid allotment by millions of dollars in the past decade.

A strategic planning process also requires the school district to outline goals, initiatives and where it wants to invest money. It may include the possible closure of schools in the future, or consolidation of schools but it also could even mean new school construction, if that's what the district, school board and community decide to do.

"This effort will be led by an outside consultant and will include meaningful engagement with the entire school community," Alfone said in a letter home to parents last Thursday. "While no immediate changes will be made, all stakeholders recognize that something must shift."

"More details will be shared soon on how to get involved in the strategic planning process, which is anticipated to begin in late May," she said.

Stay tuned.

Middletown Has Discussed Closing Schools/Redistricting Before (March 2025)