Warren Township Schools: Minutes for November 3, 2014

Minutes for November 3, 2014 Archived Minutes

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 7:01 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 allegiance – Mrs. Spiller led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

III. Roll Call

Present: Tia Allocco, Celeste Campos, Lisa DiMaggio, Mildred Spiller and Greg Steier

Absent: Len deMontagnac, Desiree DeNourie and Jim Sena

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

Mrs. Helewa arrived at 7:14 p.m.

IV. Minutes

Mrs. Allocco moved the following:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the public and private session minutes of the October 20, 2014 Board Meeting.

The motion was seconded by Mrs. DiMaggio and approved by 5-0 roll-call vote.

V.Correspondence and Information

Dr. Crader read a note of thanks from Mrs. Pfeifer for her Excellence in Education award.

· HIB Information

Total # of Investigations:			Total # of Determined Bullying Incidents:
	2			1

· Fire Drills

ALT Central Mt. Horeb Woodland Middle

October 21 October 6 October 27 October 27 October 9

· Security Drills

ALT Central Mt. Horeb Woodland Middle

October 10 October 15 October 29 October 17 October 23

Lockdown Lockdown Lockdown Lockdown Lockdown

VI. 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 the Warren Middle School PTO for its generous donation and remarked on the fun exhibited at Trunk or Treat.

VII. Superintendent’s Remarks – Tami Crader

Dr. Crader also reported on Trunk or Treat, as well as the upcoming Math workshop.

Dr. Crader also reported on the NJSBA Workshop, specifically noting Dr. Bill Daggett’s presentation.

VIII. Committee Reports

Mr. Steier reported on the Finance Committee meetings of October 21st and earlier this evening. The main focus of the October meeting was the historical financial analysis. Also discussed were direct deposit and the status of the generator at the Warren Middle School.

This evening the auditor presented the results of the 2013-2014 audit, which yielded no recommendations, to the committee.

IX. Discussion

Board Self - Evaluation - Mrs. Allocco distributed the results of the board’s self evaluation. The board took ten minutes to review the data. The board then discussed the results for each standard in depth.

Mrs. DiMaggio left the meeting at 8:16 p.m.

X. 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

XI. Items for Board Consideration/Action

On motion by Mrs. Allocco seconded by Ms. Campos the consent items A.1. through A.3., B.1. through B.8., and C.1. through C.3. were approved by a 5-0 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 30, 2014.

A.2. Home Instruction

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves up to 10 hours per week of

home instruction for Student #4603410305, beginning on or about November 3,

2014, at a rate of $40 per hour.

A.3. 2015-2016 Calendar Revision

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the revised 2015-2016 district calendar to better align with WHRHS.

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 September 2014;

WHEREAS, this report shows the following balances on September 30, 2014:

FUND	CASH BALANCE	APPROPRIATION BALANCE	FUND BALANCE
(10) General Current Expense Fund	$6,249,533.98		$1,553,121.66
(11) Current Expense		$1,642,771.36
(12) Capital Outlay		$73,426.28
(13) Special Schools		$1,262.47
(20) Special Revenue Fund	($87,269.90)	$24,802.24	$0.00
(30) Capital Projects Fund	$1,198,631.70	($5,484.77)	$869,199.44
(40) Debt Service Fund	$556,130.71	$0.00	$164.71
TOTAL	$7,917,026.49	$1,736,777.58	$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 September 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:
11-000-100-566-08-01	Tuition - Private Schools	11-000-100-562-08-01	Tuition - Other LEAs	$10,730
11-000-213-600-01-00	Health Supplies - BOE	11-000-291-270-00-00	Health Benefits	$1,495
11-000-213-600-03-00	Health Supplies - Central	11-000-291-270-00-00	Health Benefits	$1,495
11-000-213-600-04-00	Health Supplies - Mt. Horeb	11-000-291-270-00-00	Health Benefits	$1,495
11-000-213-600-05-00	Health Supplies - ALT	11-000-291-270-00-00	Health Benefits	$1,495
11-000-213-600-06-00	Health Supplies - Woodland	11-000-291-270-00-00	Health Benefits	$1,495
11-000-213-600-07-00	Health Supplies - Middle	11-000-291-270-00-00	Health Benefits	$3,170
11-000-213-600-09-00	Health Supplies - B&G	11-000-291-270-00-00	Health Benefits	$1,495
11-000-213-600-11-01	Health Supplies - Technology	11-000-213-300-00-00	Health Purchased Services	$200
11-000-219-104-00-01	Child Study Team - Extra Pay	11-000-219-390-08-00	CST Prof./Technical Svcs.	$15,375
11-000-219-580-08-00	Travel - Child Study Team	11-000-219-390-08-00	CST Prof./Technical Svcs.	$1,275
11-000-240-800-07-00	Dues - Principal/Dean - MS	11-000-240-600-07-10	Admin. Supplies - Middle	$385
11-190-100-580-07-00	Travel (Instructional) - MS	11-190-100-610-07-10	Instructional Supplies - MS	$500
12-130-100-730-07-00	Instructional Equipment-MS	11-190-100-610-07-10	Instructional Supplies - Middle	$5,420

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/Yr	Cost
Allison Reu	CS	Integrating SLP Interventions	Edison	Jan 2015	$235
Paula Pontoriero	ALT	Special Education Seminar	New Providence	March 2015	$153
Cynthia Cassidy	MS	ISTE Conference	Philadelphia	June 2015	$401

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. Acceptance of Audit for the 2013-2014 School Year

WHEREAS, the Board of Education has engaged Suplee Clooney & Company of Westfield, NJ, to audit the district's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014, in compliance with N.J.S.A.18A:23-1 et seq, and,

WHEREAS, this audit has been completed and the CAFR filed with the State Department of Education and submitted to the Warren Township Board of Education along with a synopsis of the audit report and recommendations, which synopsis and recommendations are available for public review, and,

WHEREAS, pertinent results of operations during the 2013-2014 school year are:

AUDIT 2013 - 2014

REVENUES	Final Budget	Actual
Local Sources	$37,928,896.00	$38,133,420.81
State Sources	$1,387,441.00	$5,058,496.75
Federal Sources	-	-
TOTAL	$39,316,337.00	$43,191,917.56
EXPENDITURES
Regular Instruction	$12,152,988.05	$11,923,032.23
Special Education	$3,937,741.96	$3,862,922.91
Other Instruction	$1,381,510.00	$1,356,574.82
Undistributed Expenditures	$22,171,815.29	$24,062,892.71
Total General Expenses	$39,644,055.30	$41,205,422.67
Capital Outlay	$2,116,543.35	$1,834,089.62
Special Schools	$190,223.00	$184,860.62
Charter Schools	-	-
TOTAL	$41,950,821.65	$43,224,372.91
OTHER SOURCES/USES
Transfer in from Capital Projects		-
Transfer to Capital Projects	-$1,671,096.00	-$1,671,096.00
EXCESS (DEFICIENCY)	-$4,305,580.65	-$1,703,551.35
Fund Balance July 1, 2012	$7,007,962.58	$7,007,962.58
Fund Balance June 30, 2013	$2,702,381.93	$5,304,411.23
Analysis of Fund Balance
Reserved
Excess Surplus- subsequent year's expenditures		$450,000.00
Excess Surplus		$450,000.00
Emergency Reserve Account		$375,000.00
Capital Reserve Account		$2,400,027.27
Encumbrances		$526,262.30
Unassigned Fund Balance		$1,103,121.66
TOTAL		$5,304,411.23
Source: Audit Report Exhibit C-1

Now therefore be it,

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby accepts the report, notes the following recommendations, and directs that appropriate corrective action be taken:

Recommendation: None

Corrective Action: None

B.5. Payroll Direct Deposit

RESOLVED, per N.J.S.A 52:14-15a, that the Board of Education approves mandatory direct deposit of payroll for all Warren Township School District personnel effective January 1, 2015.

B.6. Donation - Warren Middle School PTO

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education accepts, with gratitude, a donation totaling $4,550 to be allocated for the following, at Warren Middle School: earbuds to be used with Chromebooks, carts, and additional tech equipment.

B.7. Approval – USA Architects

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the commencement of work on the following project by USA Architects:

Project # 5470-035-14-1004 – Mt. Horeb Roof Replacement Project

If required, USA Architects is authorized to update the Long Range Facilities Plan for these projects. Approval includes the solicitation of bids for the projects. Fees as per the Architect of Record agreement.

B.8. Transportation for Out of District Student – 2014-2015 School Year

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves 2014-2015 School Year transportation for out of district students as follows from November 20, 2014 through June 30, 2015:

Contractor Student ID# School Cost

MRESC 120350 & 120540 Banyan $29,910.02

C. Personnel/Student Services

C.1. Employment for the 2014-2015 School Year

RESOLVED, upon recommendation from the Superintendent that the Board of Education approve the following Personnel items including the emergent employment of the following employees (indicated by *) conditional upon the final approval by the New Jersey Department of Education, for the 2014-2015 school year and the Board further authorizes the submission of an application for emergency hiring pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:6-7.1, et. Seq., N.J.S.A. 18A:6.14.12, et. Seq.”

a. Kaitlyn Brown, Classroom Paraprofessional, Woodland School, Step 1-3 of the 2014-2015 salary guide, $18,237, plus a stipend of $1,800 for her teaching certificate, effective November 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015. (This motion reflects the addition of a stipend for her teaching certificate.)

b. Melissa Fedosh, Leave Replacement Teacher, District, MA, Step 6-7 of the 2014-2015 salary guide, $63,778 (pro-rated), effective on or about December 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015. (She will be a leave replacement teacher for Employee #2045.)

C.2. Substitute Teachers

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

Mary Cagnetta
Vittoria Cook
Barry Francini
Ella Megrish
Diane Moon

C.3. Approval of Additional Inservice Day Presenters

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following additional October 13, 2014 Inservice Day presenters, to be paid at the contractual rate of $40 per hour:

Myranda Shimko
Harriet Stambaugh

XII. Old Business

Delegate Assembly - Mrs. DiMaggio discussed the resolutions to be voted on at the assembly.

Voting in line with the board’s consensus, Mrs. DiMaggio will support resolutions 1 and 3, and abstain on resolution 2.

Attorney RFP - Dr. Crader provided an update on the process, which saw 10 firms submitting. Dr. Crader recommends that the board moves forward with 5 of the proposals. In addition, the board discussed the status of the board’s current counsel. The board decided to interview all 5 firms on one night.

XIII. New Business

Mr. Steier discussed the possibility of commissioning a second demographer’s report. The board decided to move forward with a second projection.

Mrs. Helewa requested that the board review its school attendance for non residents policy.

XIV. Public Commentary

Mrs. Patricia Zohn, 157 Mountainview Road, requested additional information regarding the status of the legal firm interview process. Additionally, Mrs. Zohn questioned the process regarding follow up for a board member’s request for additional data, made in public session. Mrs. Zohn also mentioned ancillary conversations which yield the board discussing items not formally public noticed.

Ms. Jou, Downingtown Court, asked questions regarding the process for identification of potential HIB reports.

XV. Adjourn

On motion by Mrs. Allocco, seconded by Ms. Campos, the meeting adjourned at 9:06 p.m.

Minutes recorded by

Patricia Leonhardt

Board Secretary

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