Minutes for October 6, 2014History icon Archived Minutes

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A regular business meeting of the Board of Education was held this day in the Board of Education Administration Building, Mt. Horeb Road. The following is a record of that meeting.

I. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Board President Mildred Spiller.

Open Public Meeting Statement – Mrs. Spiller read the following Statement:

Re: Chapter 231 P.L. 1975: “The adequate notice of this regular meeting as required by the open public meetings act was provided by the posting, mailing/delivery, and filing of this notice on January 8, 2014. This notice was on that date posted on the bulletin board in the Township Office, mailed to the Courier News and the Echoes Sentinel, and filed with the Township Clerk of the Township of Warren, all in accordance with the requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act.”

II. Pledge of Alliance – Mrs. Spiller led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

III. Roll Call

Present: Tia Allocco, Celeste Campos, Desiree DeNourie, Lisa DiMaggio, Kathy Helewa, Mildred Spiller and Greg Steier

Absent: Len deMontagnac and Jim Sena

Also Present: Dr. Tami Crader, Superintendent, Patricia Leonhardt, Board Secretary, staff and members of the public

IV Presentation

Mrs. Lauren Valera provided an overview of the district’s ELL program.

V. Minutes

Mrs. Allocco moved the following:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the public and private session minutes of the September 22, 2014 Board Meeting.

The motion was seconded by Mrs. Helewa and approved by 7-0 roll-call vote.

VI.Correspondence and Information

· HIB Information

Total # of Investigations:

   

Total # of Determined Bullying Incidents:

 
 

0

   

0

· Fire Drills

ALT Central Mt. Horeb Woodland Middle

September 10 September 5 September 8 September 11 September 8

· Security Drills

ALT Central Mt. Horeb Woodland Middle

September 29 September 19 September 23 September 19 September 26

Non-Fire Non-Fire Non-Fire Non-Fire Non-Fire

Evacuation Evacuation Evacuation Evacuation Evacuation

VII. President's Remarks – Mildred Spiller

Mrs. Spiller read the District Mission Statement:

Warren Township Schools’ Mission Statement: Warren Township Schools’ Mission Statement: The Mission of Warren Township School District is to provide, through a safe, nurturing yet challenging environment, all students with an outstanding education that fosters academic excellence, healthy social and emotional development, and a lifelong passion for learning. In partnership with family, community, and staff, our strategic goals will guide our programs and actions so that students can exceed the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards at all grade levels and leave the district confident in their ability to think critically and independently and to succeed as students and productive citizens of the community and world.

Mrs. Spiller thanked Somerset County Child Assault Prevention for its generous grant, and thanked Dr. Crader for her quick and thorough response to the local luring incident.

Mrs. Spiller complimented our Middle School students on the artwork hanging in the boardroom.

Mrs. Spiller reminded board members to let the president know of any absences, to keep sidebar conversations to a minimum at Board of Education meetings, and their ability to contact the board president regarding agenda items.

Lastly, Mrs. Spiller expressed her happiness regarding the settlement of the contract with WTEA.

VIII. Superintendent’s Remarks – Tami Crader

Dr. Crader reported on the various aspects of the new dyslexia law and associated trainings and screenings.

Dr. Crader reported on her attendance at the Somerset County Superintendent’s Workshop, which offered a variety of valuable trainings.

Lastly, Dr. Crader reviewed the schedule for Monday’s Professional Development Day.

IX. Committee Reports

Mrs. Allocco reported on the Personnel Committee which discussed AchieveNJ, including summative evaluations. Also discussed was the board’s self evaluation, and a schedule for rolling out the vehicle.

X. Discussion

N/A

XI. Public Commentary (including opportunity to speak about items for Board Consideration/Action)

Note on public input at BOE meetings: Board Policy #9322, adopted on April 14, 2008, provides for and encourages public participation in Board of Education meetings. Such participation is governed by the following rules:

1. A participant must be recognized by the presiding officer and must preface comments by an announcement of his/her name and place of residence;

2. Each statement made by a participant shall be limited to three minutes’ duration (limit may be adjusted at the discretion of the presiding officer as circumstances dictate);

3. No participant may speak more than once on the same topic until all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard; and

4. All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer—no participant may address or question Board members individually.

The portion of the meeting during which participation of the public is invited shall be limited to fifteen minutes (limit may be adjusted at the discretion of the presiding officer as circumstances dictate).

N/A

XII. Executive Session

At 7:42 p.m. Mrs. Helewa moved the following:

Executive Session

WHEREAS, the Open Public Meetings Act, N.J.S.A.10:4-11, permits the Board of Education to meet in closed session to discuss certain matters, now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, the Board of Education adjourns to closed session to discuss:

a collective bargaining agreement and/or negotiations related to it

Action may be taken upon return to public session;

the length of the meeting is anticipated to be approximately 10 minutes; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, the minutes of this closed session will be made public when the need for confidentiality no longer exists.

The motion was seconded by Mrs. Allocco and approved by unanimous voice vote.

On motion by Mrs. Helewa, seconded by Mrs. Allocco, the Board reconvened in open session at

7:46 p.m.

XIII. Items for Board Consideration/Action

Mr. Steier asked a question regarding motion B.9.

Mr. Steier requested that C.2. be pulled for a separate vote.

On motion by Mrs. Allocco seconded by Mr. Helewa the consent items A.1. through A.3., B.1. through B.9., C.1., C.3. through C.7. and D.1. were approved by a 7-0 roll-call vote.

A. Education

A.1. HIB Report

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the HIB Report submitted by the Superintendent for the period ending on October 2, 2014.

A.2. QSAC

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the QSAC Statement of Assurance for submission to the Department of Education.

A.3. Professional Service Providers - Update

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves an additional service (ABA Therapy) from The Data Group, Gillette, NJ, at a rate of $70 per hour.

B. Finance/Operations/Transportation

B.1. Board Secretary's and Treasurer's Report

WHEREAS, the Board of Education has received the report of the secretary for the month of August 2014;

WHEREAS, this report shows the following balances on August 31, 2014:

FUND

CASH BALANCE

APPROPRIATION BALANCE

FUND BALANCE

(10) General Current Expense Fund

$4,293,041.65

 

$1,553,121.66

(11) Current Expense

 

$1,977,077.06

 

(12) Capital Outlay

 

$78,790.50

 

(13) Special Schools

 

$1,214.40

 

(20) Special Revenue Fund

-$1,107.44

$24,141.96

$0.00

(30) Capital Projects Fund

$1,341,712.20

-$904.77

$869,199.44

(40) Debt Service Fund

$576,355.71

$0.00

$164.71

TOTAL

$6,210,002.12

$2,080,319.15

$2,422,485.81

 

WHEREAS, in compliance with law and code the secretary has certified that, as of the date of the reports, no budgetary line item account has obligations and payments (contractual orders) which in total exceed the amount appropriated by the district board of education, now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, the Board of Education accepts the above reference reports and certifications and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, in compliance with law and code, the Board of Education certifies that, after review of the secretary's monthly financial report (appropriation section), to the best of its knowledge, no major account or fund has been over expended in violation of law and code and that sufficient funds are available to meet the district's financial obligations for the remainder of the year.

B.2. Budget Transfers for Month of August 2014

RESOLVED, the Board of Education ratifies the following transfers between budget line items that have been approved by the Superintendent of Schools and that are now being reported to the Board pursuant to Policy 3160:

TO:

 

FROM:

   

11-000-270-503-10-00

Contracted Aide in Lieu

11-000-270-511-10-71

Contracted Bus Transportation

$51,800

11-000-270-515-10-00

Contracted Special Ed. Transportation - Jointure

11-000-270-518-10-00

Contr. Special Ed. Transportation - ESC

$33,000

11-190-100-500-00-00

Other Purchased Svcs. - District

11-190-100-610-00-07

District Supplies - Middle School

$645

12-000-252-730-11-01

Equipment - Technology

11-000-291-270-00-00

Health Benefits

$131,192

13-422-100-101-00-00

Summer Fun - Teacher Salaries

11-000-262-622-00-07

Electricity - Middle School

$7,520

13-422-100-106-08-00

Summer Fun - Aides (Special Ed.)

11-000-262-622-00-06

Electricity - Woodland

$6,557

 

B.3. Travel Approval

Whereas, in accordance with State of New Jersey School District Accountability Act (A-5) and the Warren Township Schools’ policy number 4133-Travel and Work Related Expense Reimbursement, travel by school district employees and Board of Education members must be approved in advance.

Now Therefore Be It RESOLVED, the Warren Township Schools Board of Education approves the following expenses for faculty, staff, administrators, and board members for seminars, conferences and workshops. The expense includes travel costs, if applicable:

 

Name

School

Workshop/ Conference

Location

Month/Year

Cost

Peter Kassalow

MS

AMTNJ Conference

New Brunswick

Oct 2014

$195

Beatrice Schwarzkopf

MS

Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Training Program

New Brunswick

Oct 2014

$2,298

Denise Kennedy

MHS

International Dyslexia Conference

Somerset

Oct 2014

$353

Jeanne Vecchione

WS

International Dyslexia Conference

Somerset

Oct 2014

$313

Tia Allocco

BOE

NJSBA Workshop

Atlantic City

Oct 2014

$509

Paula Pontoriero

ALT

Special Education Law in NJ

Edison

Nov 2014

$198

Karen Sutherland

WS

Outstanding Resources to Enhance Music Instruction

Parsippany

Dec 2014

$229

Alexis Sacks

CS

Practical Strategies to Address the Challenges of Today

Parsippany

Dec 2014

$235

Catherine Maguire

MHS

Transformation Process Aligning Literacy, Ed & Legislation

Somerset

Oct 2014

$353

 

All of the above travel has been approved by the Superintendent. The School Business Administrator shall track and record these costs to insure that the maximum amount is not exceeded.

B.4. District 2015-2016 Budget Calendar

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the 2015-2016 District Budget Process calendar dated September 12, 2014.

B.5. Grant – Child Assault Prevention

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education accepts, with gratitude, a grant of $2,092 from Somerset County Child Assault Prevention program.

B.6. Transportation Contract for Watchung Hills Regional High School

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the transportation contract with Watchung Hills Regional HS School District for the transportation of their students for the 2014-2015 school year as follows:

Contractor

District

Route

School

Cost

Warren

WHRHS

WH 1

WHRHS

$13,672.80

Warren

WHRHS

WH 2

WHRHS

$ 4,975.20

Warren

WHRHS

WH 3

Assorted Trips

$ 8,997.25

Warren

WHRHS

DLC

DLC

$ 6,739.10

B.7. Approval of Contract with WTEA 2014-2017

RESOLVED, the Warren Township Board of Education (Board), approves the Memorandum of Agreement and salary guides as recommended by the Board’s Negotiations Committee for the period of July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2017 as follows:

1. Effective July 1, 2014, base salary of all WTEA employees shall be increased 2.3%.

2. Effective July 1, 2015, base salary of all WTEA employees shall be increased 2.3%.

3. Effective July 1, 2016, base salary of all WTEA employees shall be increased 2.3%.

B.8. Authorization for Competitive Contracting

RESOLVED, that per N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-4.3, the Board of Education authorizes Competitive Contracting through a Request for Proposals (RFP) for legal services, exempt per N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-4.1 and 18A:18A-5, for the district, for calendar year 2015.

B.9. Purchase of Electric

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the agreement dated October 2, 2014, to purchase electricity through the Alliance for Competitive Energy Services (“ACES”), effective October 3, 2014 through May 31, 2018.

C. Personnel/Student Services

C.1. Substitute Teachers

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following to be appointed as substitute teachers for the 2014-2015 school year:

a. Raymond Chau

b. Karin Doss

c. Janos Kollonitsch

d. Elizabeth Lafaro

e. Joseph Pfeifer

f. Judith Shanahan

g. Laurie Steen (2013-2014 Substitute Nurse)

h. Karen Schlosser (current part-time teacher at Mt. Horeb)

C.2. After School Activities/Clubs

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the updated 2014-2015 after school activities/clubs, and the instructors for each, at the negotiated stipend rate.

C.3. Medical Leave

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following:

a. Employee #1017 for leave (paid with benefits) under FMLA, from January 13, 2015 through on or about March 15, 2015.

C.4. Approval of Inservice Day Presenters

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following October 13, 2014 Inservice Day presenters, to be paid the contractual rate of $40 per hour, for total cost of $11,500.

Andrew Ahimovic

Jessica Halpen

Wendy Piller

Lynn Alger

Debbie Hunt

Lauren Regal

Fran Blaboli

Midge Johnson

Alexis Sacks

Jan Brennan

Peter Kassalow

Helen Scully

Anita Brown

Denise Kennedy

Shannon Sharkey

Carol Brown

Susan Kline

Kelly Stankiewicz

Kathy Brown

Diane Langworthy

Melissa Stoeckel

Mary Pat Brown

Marianne Larson

Cristina Ulloa

Chris Burkhardt

Cathy Lazas

Suzanne Wisher

Michelle Cebula

Lisa Lontai

Linda Yu

Sheila Connelly

Kara Miletic

Doris Zanchelli

Sean Convery

Patricia Morris

Michelle Zgombic

Lynn Degen

Megan O’Donnell

Jill Ziobro

Mary Beth Greco

Rebecca Olszyk

 

C.5. Movement on the Guide

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following staff for amended placement on the 2014-2015 salary guide.

  1. Jessica Halpern, with congratulations, for movement from BA+15 to MA, retroactive to September 1, 2014.
  2. Catherine Lazas, with congratulations, for movement from BA+15 to MA, retroactive to September 1, 2014.
  3. Nicole Panos, with congratulations, for movement from MA to MA+15, retroactive to September 1, 2014.
  4. Tiffany Serafin, with congratulations, for movement from MA+15 to MA+30, retroactive to September 1, 2014.

C.6. Extended Hours

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the extended hours for the following district staff members to accompany students to after school programs, beginning October 1, 2014:

a. Alexis Sacks, to accompany Student #9367358396 to Sports Club, for 15 weeks, at a cost not to exceed $600.

b. Eleanore Wilson, to accompany Student #8297221918 to Board Games & Games of Strategy, for 30 weeks, at a cost not to exceed $550.

c. Emily Puhak, to accompany Student #8267156734 to Buddy to Buddy Club, for 30 weeks, at a cost not to exceed $500.

d. Deborah Singer, to accompany the following students to Board Games & Games of Strategy, for 30 weeks, at a cost not to exceed $900: Student #3466780360, Student #6779642820, Student #1045936013, Student #1345868822, and Student #6685963361.

C.7. Basketball Supervisor

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves David Arnold to serve

as Basketball Supervisor during the 2014-2015 school year, at a rate of $40 per hour, not to exceed 50 hours.

D. Policy

D.1. Policies – Second Reading

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the second and final reading of the following policy:

a. 5120 Assessment of Individual Needs

XIV. After School Activities/Clubs

Mr. Steier questioned gender specific clubs.

C.2. After School Activities/Clubs

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the updated 2014-2015 after school activities/clubs, and the instructors for each, at the negotiated stipend rate.

On motion by Mrs. Allocco seconded by Mrs. Helewa the consent item C.2. was approved by a 6-1 roll-call vote. (Mr. Steier voted against.)

XV. Old Business

N/A

XVI. New Business

Dr. Crader discussed the nationwide heroin issue, and reviewed the district’s drug education program.

Mr. Steier asked if there have been any local questions regarding the Enterovirus.

Mrs. Helewa asked a question regarding failed coursework.

XVII. Public Commentary

N/A

XVIII. Adjourn

On motion by Mrs. Allocco, seconded by Mrs. Helewa, the meeting adjourned at 8:08 p.m.

Minutes recorded by

Patricia Leonhardt

Board Secretary