Fair Lawn Public School District highlights rising test scores, literacy gains and plans to tackle $270M in facility needs

Fair Lawn Public School District officials told the board and community May 28 that student performance and targeted supports showed measurable improvement this school year even as the district begins planning for major facility needs.

At the district’s full "State of the Schools" presentation, Superintendent Dr. Dianio framed three strategic goals for the district — "empowering pathways to excellence," "cultivating belonging and community," and "building sustainable foundations" — and asked the public to judge success by those measures. "This is an overview of the three district goals and strategies that support each of those goals," he said in opening remarks.

Administrators offered specific examples of academic change. Anthony Gatilla, supervisor for school counseling and student wellness, said the high school added AP Seminar for 10th‑grade English and plans to add AP precalculus; the math lab will be paired with the district’s Personal Financial Literacy graduation requirement so students earn credit while receiving support. "We added AP Seminar for English 10," Gatilla said. "Next year, we are adding AP pre‑calculus to the options for our students for the math track."

District leaders highlighted strong advanced‑course outcomes: an AP passing rate of 93.5 percent, 157 AP scholars and 12 National Merit‑commended students. Officials also said roughly 80 percent of graduates pursue a post‑secondary pathway (college, military or trades).

Early‑literacy screening and tiered interventions drew extended attention. Building leaders described expansion of DIBBLES universal screening and district data‑analysis days that teachers and intervention staff use to set targeted small‑group and whole‑class interventions. Principal Sue Gans said the K–3 DIBBLES results show growth: "If you look from the beginning of the year to the middle of the year in all of our grades K to 3, we've increased that blue and green percentage and that yellow and red is decreased," Gans said, noting a grade‑1 highlight of about a 10 percent increase and an approximate 5 percent reduction in students with the most intensive needs.

Administrators also reviewed MTSS (multi‑tiered systems of support), INRS (intervention and referral services) process standardization and new in‑class resource co‑teaching at the secondary level as part of inclusive access initiatives.

On statewide assessments, the board was told the district outperformed Bergen County and New Jersey averages across several NJSLA subgroup comparisons. Dr. Dianio said, "We outperformed in every single one of those areas," and showed the district ahead of county and state benchmarks in multiple presentations of the data.

Facilities and finances: a $270 million estimate and multiple options

The presentation closed with a review of last year’s architect facility study. Facilities lead Mr. Cruz said the audit identified roughly $270 million in construction and soft costs across district buildings. "When we look at the total projects construction and soft costs associated with these projects, the number is 270," he said, and noted the district could estimate about $91.7 million in potential debt‑service aid to reduce the net cost to roughly $177.2 million. Cruz outlined priority categories (priority 1: urgent health and safety; priority 2: short‑term; priority 3: medium; priority 4: long‑term) and said next steps include finance‑and‑grounds committee review, phasing options, and consideration of capital reserves, referenda and state grant programs.

Enrollment and capacity

A demographic projection presented to the board showed stable district enrollment in the near term. Dr. Buzzio summarized a seven‑year projection indicating next year’s combined middle/high enrollment of about 3,449 students (roughly 1,700 at the high school and 1,700 across the middle schools) and said the district currently has capacity for the projected student count, while flagging program delivery constraints such as cafeteria capacity and singleton course scheduling.

Why the update matters

Administrators tied assessment gains and the expanded early‑intervention work to the district goals they set last year, and asked board members and the public to treat the facility study as a starting point for multiyear capital planning. "This is about meeting the needs of our kids," Dr. Dianio said. "This is work we do every single day."

What’s next

District leaders said they will bring project and funding options to committee meetings for prioritization and phasing ahead of next year’s budget and capital planning. The board opened the floor for questions after the presentation and later discussed parts of the facility study and phasing at committee level.