Montclair Students Ask Board To Protect Popular Dance Teacher's Job

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Several local students made passionate pleas in support of a popular dance teacher in Montclair at a recent board of education meeting.

Students spoke about the impact that Julia Sprung – a dance instructor at Glenfield Middle School – has had on them during the May 14 meeting of the Montclair Board of Education.

According to a petition on Change.org, Sprung was recently informed that her contract is not being recommended for renewal next year. The decision did not appear to be a result of budget reductions, it states.

The petition’s author said the local educator has made a big difference in their life:

“Mrs. Sprung has been at Glenfield for three years and within this time she has not only made me want to join dance inside and outside of school but has taught me how to become a better dancer – and I know this to be true for many other students as well. When I was a sixth grader, from the second that she first taught me a dance in the musical, I knew that I wanted to be a dancer. She creates a welcoming and caring environment for anyone who wants to be in dance. Mrs. Sprung is also always there for people who need someone to talk to and will listen and help. In the musical when she is teaching, she takes her time and helps the people who may not be dancers outside of school.”

Watch footage from the May 14 board meeting below (student public comment begins around the seven-minute mark).

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