Warren Township Schools

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

III. Roll Call

Present: Tia Allocco, Celeste Campos, Len deMontagnac, Desiree DeNourie, Lisa DiMaggio, Kathy Helewa, Jim Sena and Mildred Spiller

Absent: Greg Steier

Also Present: Dr. Tami Crader, Superintendent, Patricia Leonhardt, Board Secretary, and a staff member

IV. Presentations

Dr. Crader introduced Mrs. Candie Hengemuhle, who provided an overview of Special Education, both in general and in the district.

Mr. Sena read a resolution honoring Mrs. Spiller as she steps down from the board after 10 years of service.

V. Minutes

Mrs. Allocco moved the following:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the public minutes of the December 1, 2014 Board Meeting.

The motion was seconded by Mrs. Helewa and approved by 7-0-1 roll-call vote. (Mr. deMontagnac abstained.)

VI.Correspondence and Information

· HIB Information

Total # of Investigations:

4

Total # of Determined Bullying Incidents:

0

Dr. Crader called the board’s attention to the letter distributed tonight from Mr. Wicks. Mrs. Spiller will respond on behalf of the board.

VII. President's Remarks – Mildred Spiller

Mrs. Spiller read the District 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 board for its resolution. She spoke of the rewarding experience she has found her boardsmanship to be.

VIII. Superintendent’s Remarks – Tami Crader

Dr. Crader reported on the streamlining of QSAC requirements for highly performing districts as well as the foundation’s new meeting schedule.

Also discussed was the anticipated delivery of Student Growth Percentages and the planned PARCC presentations at WHRHS.

Dr. Crader reported on the broadband initiative which, beginning in the 2016-2017 year, has the potential to be a cost saver.

Lastly, Dr. Crader reported that the Middle School windows are in and the Central School boiler is operating.

IX. Committee Reports

Mrs. Helewa, reporting on the Policy Committee, prefaced her remarks by thanking all committee members for a good year. The committee report included its review of the tutoring policy (which the board discussed further) and the field trip policy. Slated for future discussion are the district’s non residents, initial education evaluation, and sports physicals policies. Lastly, Mrs. Helewa reported on the NJSBA Legislative Committee’s work with legislators.

Mrs. Allocco reported on the Personnel Committee meeting, which discussed the first round of evaluations, which will be the subject of a future board presentation.

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. Items for Board Consideration/Action

Ms. Campos asked that C.7. be pulled for separate vote.

Mrs. Allocco asked a question regarding the field trip policy (D.1.) and Mr. deMontagnac asked a question regarding clubs (C.6.). The board discussed listing clubs on the website.

On motion by Mrs. Allocco seconded by Ms. Campos the consent items A.1. through A.5., B.1. through B.6., C.1. through C.6., C.8. through C.11. and D.1. were approved by a 8-0 roll-call vote.

On motion by Mrs. Allocco seconded by Mrs. Helewa the consent item C.7. was approved by a 7-1 roll-call vote. (Ms. Campos voted nay.)

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 December 11, 2014.

A.2. Summer Fun Program

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the 2015-2016 Summer Fun Program to begin on Monday, June 29, 2015 through Friday, July 31, 2015.

A.3. Extended School Year

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the Extended School Year to begin on Monday, June 29, 2015 through Friday, July 31, 2015.

A.4. Uniform State Memorandum of Agreement

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the annual update to the Uniform State Memorandum of Agreement, dated December 15, 2014. (The Agreement between education and law enforcement officials is approved on an annual basis.)

A.5. Home Instruction

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves 10 hours per week of home instruction for Student #9583327737, beginning on or about December 17, 2014 through March 1, 2015, at a rate of $40 per hour.

B. Finance/Operations/Transportation

B.1. Payment of Bills

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the payment of bills from December 1, 2014 through December 15, 2014 in the amount of $5,067,779.42.

B.2. Partial Payment of Bills

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education authorizes the School Business

Administrator/Board Secretary, pursuant to Policy 3326, to audit pending bills and claims, to pay qualifying bills and claims within approved budget line item amounts, from December 16, 2014 to December 31, 2014, and to submit those bills to the Board of Education for approval at its meeting on January 20, 2015.

B.3. Budget Transfers for November 2014

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

B.4. 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
Candie Hengemuhle	District	The Year in Review: 2014-15	Long Branch	March 2015	$174
Michelle Cebula	MHS	Rutgers Literacy Convention	New Brunswick	Jan 2015	$180
Marianne Larson	CS	Rutgers Literacy Convention	New Brunswick	Jan 2015	$180
Gina Cocivera-Wright	WS	Rutgers Literacy Convention	New Brunswick	Jan 2015	$180
Mary Beth Greco	ALT	Rutgers Literacy Convention	New Brunswick	Jan 2015	$183
Linda Yu	MS	Assoc of Math Teachers of NJ	Jersey City	Jan 2015	$169
Anna Rizzo	MS	Assoc of Math Teachers of NJ	Jersey City	Jan 2015	$169
Kathy Brown	WS	Rutgers Literacy Convention	New Brunswick	Jan 2015	$180

 

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.5. Transportation for Out of District Student - 2014-2015 School Year

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the 2014-2015 school year transportation for an out of district student as follows, from December 5, 2014 through December 31, 2014:

Contractor Student ID# School Cost

MRESC 4058597640 ARC Kohler $1,835.41

B.6. Central School Lift Project

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the submission of the

documents to the Department of Education for review of the new lift at Central School. If required, USA Architects is authorized to update the Long Range Facilities Plan for this project. Approval also includes the solicitation of bids for the project. USA Architects fee of $10,000 plus reimbursables.

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. Amanda Gordon, Leave Replacement Teacher, Mt. Horeb School, MA, Step 1-2 of the 2014-2015 salary guide, $61,694 (pro-rated), effective December 3, 2014 through on or about April 2, 2015. (This motion extends the original approval on the September 8, 2014 agenda as a leave replacement teacher for Employee #0082.)

1. Brittany Leonard, Transportation Monitor, 1.5 hours per day, at an approximate cost of $2,677.50, effective December 8, 2014 through June 30, 2015.
2. Lisa DelGaudio, Classroom Paraprofessional, Angelo L. Tomaso School, Step 1-3 of the 2014-2015 salary guide, $18,237 (pro-rated), plus a stipend of $1,800 for her teaching certificate, effective January 5, 2015 through June 30, 2015. (She will be replacing J. Tsui who resigned.)

C.2. Substitutes

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

a. Patricia Glen (School Nurse)

b. Christopher Novolo

c. Sanjanish Singh

C.3. Summer Fun Coordinator

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves Meryl Lettire as the 2015-2016 Summer Fun/ESY Coordinator, at a salary of $10,539.60, effective December 16, 2014 through August 7, 2015.

C.4. Summer Fun Secretary

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves Eileen Haddican, Multi-Duty Paraprofessional, Warren Middle School, as the 2015-2016 Summer Fun/ESY Secretary, at a salary of $4,630, effective December 16, 2014 through July 31, 2015.

C.5. Extension of Medical Leave

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves Employee #0082 for an extension of Medical Leave (paid and unpaid according to legal and contractual entitlement), from December 1, 2014 through on or about April 10, 2015. (This motion extends the original approval on the August 11, 2014 agenda.)

C.6. After School Clubs – 2014-2015

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following clubs and advisors:

1. Jolanta Scassera to be a Club Advisor, Computer Coding Club at Mt. Horeb School, for 15 sessions, at a stipend of $715.
2. Mary Balkonis to be Club Advisor, Gardening Club at Angelo L. Tomaso School, for 15 sessions, at a stipend of $715.
3. Jennifer SanAntonio to be Club Advisor, Little Feet Walking Club at Central School, for 15 sessions, at a stipend of $715.
4. Danielle Riccio to be Club Advisor, Little Feet Walking Club at Central School, for 15 sessions, at a stipend of $715.
5. Lyndsay Carroll to be Club Advisor, Girls Running Club at Central School, for 15 sessions, at a stipend of $715.

C.7. Approval of Career Expo Presenters

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following staff, who presented at the Career Expo on November 20, 2014, to be paid the contractual rate of $240 per presenter, for a total cost of $960:

a. Philip Jones

b. Susan Kline

c. Wendy Piller

d. Jill Zimmer

C.8. Service Provider

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves Kerri Savage Nehlsen, M.S.CCC-SLP, for an Independent Educational Evaluation for Student #3107385710, at a cost not to exceed $1,000.

C.9. Retirement

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the retirement of the following staff:

a. Mary Ellen Roberts, Technology Supervisor, District, for the purpose of retirement, with appreciation for her 23 years of service to the Warren Township staff and students, effective June 30, 2015.

C.10. Substitute Bus Driver

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves John Hunte as a 2014-2015 substitute bus driver, at a rate of $19.11 per hour.

C.11. Additional Hours

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves additional hours for the following staff members:

1. Stacey Papalitskas, to accompany Student #1316522773 to a combination of Homework Help Club and practice for the Warren Middle School Musical, up to a total of 30 hours, beginning December 10, 2014, at a cost not to exceed $665.
2. Carolyn Wells, to accompany Student #1316522773 to practice for the Warren Middle School Musical, beginning December 11, 2014, up to 100 hours, at a cost not to exceed $1,655.
3. Emily Puhak, to accompany Student #1316522773 to practice for the Warren Middle School Musical, on December 9, 2014 for 1 hour, at a cost not to exceed $17.

D. Policy

D.1. Policies – First Reading

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the first reading of the following policy:

1. 6153 Field Trips

XIII. Old Business

Mrs. Allocco expressed her gratitude for Mrs. Spiller’s guidance through the years. Mrs. Helewa and Mr. deMontagnac reiterated the sentiment.

XIV. New Business

N/A

XV. Public Commentary

N/A

XVI. Executive Session

At 8:49 p.m. Mrs. Allocco moved the following:

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:

specific prospective or current employees unless all who could be adversely affected request an open session

Action will not be taken upon return to public session;

the length of the meeting is anticipated to be approximately 15 minutes; and be it

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

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

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

9:03 p.m.

XVII. Adjourn

On motion by Mrs. Allocco, seconded by Mr. deMontagnac, the meeting adjourned at 9:04 p.m.

Minutes recorded by

Patricia Leonhardt

Board Secretary