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A regular business meeting of the Board of Education was held this day at the Warren Middle School, 100 Old Stirling 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, Tia Allocco.

Open Public Meeting Statement - Mrs. Allocco 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 4, 2017. This notice was on that date was posted on the Courier News, and TAP into Warren, all in accordance with the requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act.”

II. Pledge of Allegiance - Mrs. Allocco led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

III. Roll Call

Present: Paige Albano, David Brezee, Len deMontagnac, Lisa DiMaggio,

Andrea Freijomil, Joan Schiller, Patricia Zohn and Tia Allocco

Absent: Jeannine Sarosy

Also Present: Dr. Matthew Mingle, Superintendent, and Patricia Leonhardt, Board Secretary, and members of the public and press.

IV. Minutes

Mr. deMontagnac moved the following:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the public and private session minutes of the November 27, 2017 Board Meeting.

The motion was seconded by Dr. Schiller and approved by 7-0-1 roll-call vote. (Mrs. DiMaggio abstained.)

V. Correspondence and Information

· HIB Information

Total # of Investigations:

1

Total # of Determined Bullying Incidents:

1

• Fire Drills
  

  ALT	Central	Mt. Horeb	Woodland	Middle
  November 16	November 27	November 02	November 03	November 29

• Security Drills
  

  ALT	Central	Mt. Horeb	Woodland	Middle
  November 21	November 21	November 20	November 20	November 20
  Bomb Threat	Bomb Threat	Bomb Threat	Bomb Threat	Bomb Threat

VI. President's Remarks

Mrs. Allocco welcomed all and congratulated Woodland School and its PTO for the Blue Ribbon celebration and thanked all who attended.

Mrs. Allocco called attention to item B.6. and thanked the Angelo L. Tomaso PTO.

Mrs. Allocco thanked her family and friends for supporting her during her years of boardsmanship.

VII. Superintendent’s Remarks

Dr. Mingle called attention to item A.4., a minor calendar adjustment and Mrs. McGann’s resignation.

Dr. Mingle also referenced Woodland School’s recognition at the recent New Jersey Department of Education meeting.

Lastly, Dr. Mingle thanked Mrs. Allocco, Mr. deMontagnac and Dr. Schiller on this, their last meeting.

VIII. Presentations

Recognition of Service to Board Members - Mrs. Tia Allocco, Mr. Len deMontagnac and Dr. Joan Schiller

• Mrs. Allocco presented a Resolution of Appreciation for Dr. Joan Schiller.
• Mrs. Allocco presented a Resolution of Appreciation for Mr. Len deMontagnac.
• Mr. deMontagnac presented a Resolution of Appreciation for Mrs. Tia Allocco.

IX. Discussion

• Role of the Board President - Mrs. Allocco provided an overview of the role of the board president.
• Mrs. Leonhardt discussed the options for January’s board leadership voting positions.

X. Committee Reports

• Curriculum & Technology Committee - Mrs. DiMaggio reported on the evening’s committee meeting, which reviewed policies.
• Personnel/Negotiations Committee - Mrs. Albano reported on the recent meeting which discussed the Superintendent’s evaluation timeline, a job description modification and policy review.

XI. Public Commentary (agenda items only)

Note on public input at BOE meetings: Board Policy #9322, adopted on January 21, 2013, provides for and encourages public participation in Board of Education meetings. Such participation is governed by the following rules:

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

• Gina Valenti, Providence Road, thanked those board members who are leaving the board for their years of service.
• Heston Allocco, Mustang Trail, spoke of Mrs. Allocco’s dedication to both the board and her family.

XII. Items for Board Consideration/Action

Mrs. Allocco spoke of her regret regarding Mrs. McGann’s resignation (C.8.).

Mrs. DiMaggio addressed the value of the FLENJ Conference.

Mr. deMontagnac also wished Mrs. McGann the best.

On motion by Mr. deMontagnac, seconded by Dr. Schiller, the consent items A.1., through A.4., B.1., through B.6., and C.1., through C.12., were approved by a 8-0 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 December 7, 2017.

A.2. Recording of Board Meetings

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the recording of selected presentations made during its meetings for the purpose of posting to the district website and directs the Curriculum, Communication, and Technology Committee to recommend guidelines for such recording.

A.3. Bedside Instruction

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves the bedside instruction through Silvergate Prep for Student #6672870988, beginning November 28, 2017, at an hourly rate of $40, at a cost not to exceed $2,400.

A.4. 2018-2019 Calendar

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the revised 2018-2019

calendar.

B. Finance/Operations/Transportation

B.1. Payment of Bills

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the payment of bills for the period December 1, 2017 through December 11, 2017 in the amount of $1,576,780.68.

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 12, 2017 to December 31, 2017, and to submit those bills to the Board of Education for approval at its first meeting in January 2018.

B.3. Board Secretary's and Treasurer's Report

WHEREAS, the Board of Education has received the report of the secretary for the month of November, 2017; and

WHEREAS, this report shows the following balances on November 30, 2017:

 

FUND	CASH BALANCE	APPROPRIATION BALANCE	FUND BALANCE
(10) General Current Expense Fund	$10,615,337.30		$990,303.32
(11) Current Expense		$1,898,728.64
(12) Capital Outlay		$410,031.93
(13) Special Schools		$14,937.47
(20) Special Revenue Fund	($51,388.38)	$26,378.99	$0.00
(30) Capital Projects Fund	$104,711.05	$0.00	$297,136.05
(40) Debt Service Fund	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
TOTAL	$10,668,659.97	$2,350,077.03	$1,287,439.37

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.4. Budget Transfers for Month of November 2017

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:

 

B.5. 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
Sharon Carroll	CS	School Nurse: Enhance effective medical emergency response teams at each school sites	Freehold	Jan 2018	$295
Jan Donlay	Transp.	STS 50th Annual Conference	Atlantic City	Mar 2018	$562
Lance Riegler	Tech	NJ Techspo 2018	Atlantic City	Jan 2018	$275
Kenya Cook	WS	FLENJ 2018 Annual Conf.	Iselin	Apr 2018	$154
Bernadette Danner	MS	FLENJ 2018 Annual Conf.	Iselin	Apr 2018	$156
Paola Gower	MS	FLENJ 2018 Annual Conf.	Iselin	Apr 2018	$155
Kristen Boni	MS	FLENJ 2018 Annual Conf.	Iselin	Apr 2018	$154
Mary Pat Forenza	MS	FLENJ 2018 Annual Conf.	Iselin	Apr 2018	$156
Hildegarde Jackson	CS	FLENJ 2018 Annual Conf.	Iselin	Apr 2018	$152
Jeannie Pang	MS	FLENJ 2018 Annual Conf.	Iselin	Apr 2018	$226
Alexis Slack	MS	FLENJ 2018 Annual Conf.	Iselin	Apr 2018	$153

 

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.6. Donation Acceptance - Angelo L. Tomaso School PTO

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education accepts, with gratitude, a donation of approximately $1,250 from the Angelo L. Tomaso School PTO. This donation will be used to purchase furniture for the new broadcasting program.

C. Personnel/Student Services

C.1. Employment for the 2017-2018 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 2017-2018 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.”

1. Joan Lo Iacono, Grade 6 Math Teacher, Warren Middle School, MA, Step 11-12 of the 2017-2018 salary guide, $69,751 (prorated), effective January 2, 2018 through June 30, 2018. (Ms. Lo Iacono replaces Kathryn Gausz.)

C.2. Substitute Teachers

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following to be appointed as substitute teachers for the 2017-2018 school year:

a. Helen Moore

b. Jordan Gelber

C.3. Employee Discipline

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves the suspension, without pay, of

Employee #3049 and Employee #2947 (for transportation duty only) for November 29 and November 30, 2017.

C.4. Approval of Merit Goals 2017-2018 - Superintendent

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following Superintendent’s merit goals for 2017-2018, which supersede the goals approved on August 28, 2017:

• Quantitative: 3.33% per goal

○ Increase the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations on the PARCC grade 8 mathematics assessment by 10%.

○ Decrease the number of unfilled teacher vacancies (substitutes needed but not available) by 10%.

○ Expand before/after school enrichment and extracurricular participation by 10%.

• Qualitative: 2.5% per goal

○ Develop the Warren Township Schools tuition program.

○ Improve the provision of after-care services.

C.5. Extra Pay

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following staff members for extra pay based on the employee’s per diem rate for the inputting of data for the Califon Associates’ seniority list project:

• Denise Armand
• Sally DeFelice
• Sandra Dodd
• Ashley Militch
• Darlene Nardi

Total cost estimated not to exceed $5,000.

C.6. Job Description

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the revised job descriptions for the following:

1. District Communications/Human Resources Coordinator

C.7. Leave Request

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following:

a. Employee #1598 for extended unpaid leave from October 30, 2017 through January 25, 2018.

b. Employee #1328 for extended paid leave from November 6, 2017 through on or about January 26, 2018.

c. Employee #2088 for leave (paid according to legal and contractual entitlement), from November 22, 2017 through on or about March 29, 2018.

C.8. Retirement/Resignation

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

1. Mary Ann McGann, District Communications/Human Resources Coordinator, District, for the purpose of resignation, with appreciation for her 7 years of service to the Warren Township students and staff, effective January 31, 2018.

C.9. Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) Building Teams

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following staff as Crisis Prevention Intervention Building Team members. Each staff member will receive an annual amount of $500 stipend per the WTEA Collective Bargaining Agreement. The stipend will be rewarded upon verified completion of the Crisis Prevention Intervention training. For a total cost not to exceed $4,500.00.

Natalie Caterisano	Alison Hales	Sandra Surowiec
Kristen Chmielewski	Keith LaBadie	Sara von Bartheld
Ashley Dendy	Alyssa Pech	Deborah Yankowicz

C.10. Warren Middle School Musical

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following personnel and stipends in support of the Warren Middle School production:

1. Laurie Wood, Choreographer, at a stipend amount of $1,470
2. Kelly Backus, Assistant Director, at a stipend amount of $1,470

C.11. Rescind Employment for 2017-2018 School Year

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education rescinds the employment of Adrienne Schillizzi as Substitute Van Driver/Substitute Bus Monitor, effective December 4, 2017.

C.12 Long Term Substitute

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves Judith Maddalone as Long Term Substitute, effective November 27, 2017 through on or about January 3, 2018. (Ms. Maddalone is LTS for Employee #2088.)

XIII. Unfinished Business

N/A

XIV. New Business

Dr. Schiller thanked her fellow board members and administration for their service and hard work on behalf of the district.

Challenge Day at Watchung Hills Regional High School - Mrs. Allocco discussed the events of the day.

XV. Public Commentary (any topic)

Note on public input at BOE meetings: Board Policy #9322, adopted on January 21, 2013, 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).

• Heather Silver, Quail Run, discussed homework at the Middle School. Mrs. Silver also thanked all three departing board members and Mrs. McGann.

XVI. Adjourn

On motion by Mr. deMontagnac, seconded by Dr. Schiller, the meeting adjourned at

7:56 p.m.

Minutes submitted by,

Patricia Leonhardt

Board Secretary