Warren Township Schools: Minutes for January 2, 2018

Minutes for January 2, 2018 Archived Minutes

I. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Board Secretary Patricia Leonhardt

Open Public Meeting Statement – Mrs. Leonhardt 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. Leonhardt led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

III. Election Results

For entry into the minutes, Mrs. Leonhardt provided the Somerset County Clerk certified results of the Annual Election, held on November 7, 2017:

Watchung Hills Regional - One (1) Three Year Board of Education Seat

Peter B. Fallon

Warren Township - Three (3) Three Year Board of Education Seats

David Brezee
Ayanna Taylor-Venson
Christian Bellmann

Warren Township - One (1) One Year Unexpired Board of Education Seat

Ilana Y. Goldstein

IV. Oath of Office

The Oath of Office was administered to Mr. Bellmann, Mr. Brezee, Ms. Goldstein and Mrs. Taylor-Venson by Mrs. Leonhardt.

V. Roll Call

Present: Christian Bellmann, David Brezee, Lisa DiMaggio, Andrea Freijomil, Ilana Goldstein, Jeannine Sarosy, Ayanna Taylor-Venson and Patricia Zohn

Absent: Paige Albano

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

VI. Discussion

Board Officer Election Process - The board determined its process.

VII. Election of Board Officers

The nominations for Board President were opened by Mrs. Leonhardt.

Mr. David Brezee was nominated by Mrs. Andrea Freijomil. Seeing no other nominations, nominations were closed.

Mr. David Brezee was elected President with 8-0 vote.

Board President Brezee presided over the remainder of the meeting.

The nominations for Board Vice President were opened by Board President Brezee.

Mrs. DiMaggio was nominated by Mrs. Freijomil. Seeing no other nominations, nominations were closed.

Mrs. DiMaggio was elected Vice President with a 8-0 vote.

The Board discussed the open positions as noted in G.1., G.2. and G.3. and completed the motions with board member assignments.

VIII. Annual Reorganization Action Items

On motion by Mrs. DiMaggio, seconded by Mrs. Freijomil and approved by a 8-0 roll call vote, the board approved reorganizational agenda items A through I.

A. Policies

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves adoption of current Board Policies & Bylaws for the Calendar Year 2018.

B. Service Appointments

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves the following:

1. The Echoes-Sentinel as the official school district newspaper for the Calendar Year 2018.

2. The Courier News and Star-Ledger as official alternate newspapers to be used in lieu of the Echoes-Sentinel, when necessary, for the Calendar Year 2018.

3. TAP into Warren and the Echoes-Sentinel (online version) as official electronic news sources for the Calendar Year 2018.

4. The appointment of Cleary Giacobbe Alfieri Jacobs, LLC as Board Attorneys for the Calendar Year 2018 at an hourly rate of $150 (non fair and open), at an approximate total cost not to exceed $50,000.

5. The appointment of Sciarrillo, Cornell, Merlino, McKeever & Osborne, as limited counsel for ongoing construction and Special Education matters for the Calendar Year 2018 at an hourly rate of $165 (non fair and open), at an approximate total cost not to exceed $15,000.

6. The appointment of Parette Somjen Architects, LLC as the architect of record (non fair and open) for the Calendar Year 2018, at an approximate total cost not to exceed $30,000, at the following hourly rates:

a) Principal $164

b) Partner $164

c) Director $154

d) Senior Associate $154

e) Associate $143

and additional rates and terms as specified in the contract.

C. Board Committees

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves the plan to work generally as a committee of the whole, with a limited number of standing committees as follows (committee membership to be determined):

Committees - Curriculum/Communications/Technology

Finance/Operations/Security

Personnel/Negotiations

Liaisons

NJSBA (see G.1. below)
SCESC (see G.2. below)
Watchung Hills Municipal Alliance (see G.3 below)

D. Board Meeting Dates

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves the following list of meetings for the Calendar Year 2018.

WARREN TOWNSHIP BOARD OF EDUCATION

2018 MEETING SCHEDULE

(NOTE: All meetings will be held on a Monday in the Library at the Middle School unless otherwise noted)

DATE	TIME
January 2, 2018 TUESDAY REORGANIZATION	7:00pm
January 16, 2018 TUESDAY	7:00pm
February 5, 2018	7:00pm (at MTH)
February 20, 2018 TUESDAY	7:00pm (at WS)
March 5, 2018	7:00pm (at CS)
March 19, 2018	7:00pm (at WMS)
April 9, 2018	7:00pm (at ALT)
April 24, 2018 TUESDAY	7:00pm
May 7, 2018	7:00pm
May 21, 2018	7:00pm
June 4, 2018	7:00pm
June 18, 2018	7:00pm
July 16, 2018	4:00pm
August 20, 2018	7:00pm
September 4, 2018 TUESDAY	7:00pm
September 17, 2018	7:00pm
October 1, 2018	7:00pm
October 15, 2018	7:00pm
November 5, 2018	7:00pm
November 19, 2018	7:00pm
December 10, 2018	7:00pm
January 8, 2019 REORGANIZATION	7:00pm

E. Board Member Code of Ethics

RESOLVED, the Board of Education acknowledges that each Board Member has received a copy of the Code of Ethics as follows:

1. I will uphold and enforce all laws, state board rules and regulations, and court orders pertaining to schools. Desired changes should be brought about only through legal and ethical procedures.

2. I will make decisions in terms of the educational welfare of children and will seek to develop and maintain public schools which meet the individual needs of all children regardless of their ability, race, creed, sex or social standing.

3. I will confine my board action to policy making, planning, and appraisal and I will help to frame policies and plans only after the board has consulted those who will be affected by them.

4. I will carry out my responsibility, not to administer the schools, but, together with my fellow board members, to see that they are well run.

5. I will recognize that authority rests with the board of education and will make no personal promises nor take any private action which may compromise the board.

6. I will refuse to surrender my independent judgment to special interest or partisan political groups or to use the schools for personal gain or for the gain of friends.

7. I will hold confidential all matters pertaining to the schools which, if disclosed, would needlessly injure individuals or the schools. But in all other matters, I will provide accurate information and, in concert with my fellow board members, interpret to the staff the aspirations of the community for its schools.

8. I will vote to appoint the best qualified personnel available after consideration of the recommendation of the Superintendent.

9. I will support and protect school personnel in proper performance of their duties.

10. I will refer all complaints to the Superintendent and will act on such complaints at public meetings only after failure of an administrative solution.

F. District Mission Statement

RESOLVED, the Board of Education readopts the district’s mission statement as follows:

“The mission of the Warren Township School District is to provide, through a safe, nurturing yet challenging environment, all students with an outstanding education that engages students and fosters academic excellence, healthy social and emotional development, and a lifelong passion for learning.”

G. Appointments

1. The election of Christian Bellmann as Board Representative to the NJSBA Delegate Assembly for the Calendar Year 2018 and the election of Andrea Freijomil as the alternate.

2. The election of Patricia Zohn as the Board Representative to the Somerset County Educational Services Commission for the Calendar Year 2018 and the election of Lisa DiMaggio as the alternate.

3. The election of Andrea Freijomil and Lisa DiMaggio as Watchung Hills Municipal Alliance Committee members.

4. The appointment of the Superintendent of Schools as the Board Representative to the Morris Union Jointure Commission Board of Education for the Calendar Year 2018.

5. The appointment of the Superintendent of Schools and Board of Education president as liaisons to the Warren Township committee.

H. Evaluation Instruments

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education readopts district evaluation systems as follows:

● Kim Marshall Principal Evaluation system as evaluation system for building administrators as well as curriculum supervisors.

● Danielson Framework for Teaching as evaluation systems for the district's teaching staff.

I. Parliamentary Procedure

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education adopts Robert's Rules of Order as its parliamentary procedure.

**********End of Reorganization Items**********

IX. Minutes

Mrs. DiMaggio moved the following:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the public and private session minutes of the December 11, 2017 Board Meeting.

The motion was seconded by Mrs. Freijomil approved by 6-0-2 roll-call vote. (Mr. Bellmann and Mrs. Sarosy abstained.)

X. Correspondence and Information

Dr. Mingle referenced one email addressed to the Board of Education.

HIB Information

Total # of Investigations:

Total # of Determined Bullying Incidents:

Fire Drills

ALT 19-Dec

Central 12-Dec

Mt. Horeb 7-Dec

Woodland 18-Dec

Middle 19-Dec
Security Drills

ALT 20-Dec Active Shooter

Central 20-Dec Active Shooter

Mt. Horeb 12-Dec Active Shooter

Woodland 19-Dec Active Shooter

Middle 21-Dec Active Shooter

XI. President's Remarks - Mr. David Brezee

Mr. Brezee thanked all and welcomed the new board members, encouraging them to ask questions.

Mr. Brezee requested that all board members email him their committee preference.

XII. Superintendent’s Remarks - Dr. Matthew Mingle

Dr. Mingle wished everyone Happy New Year and welcomed all, especially the new board members. He also congratulated the new board leadership.

XIII. Presentations

Special Recognition of Mrs. Mary Russo - Mr. Brezee, on behalf of the board, thanked Paraprofessional Mrs. Russo for her quick and lifesaving response.
Substitute Shortage Recommendations - Dr. Matthew Mingle presented an overview and recommendations. The board asked follow up questions.

XIV. Committee Reports

Finance/Operations/Security Committee - Mrs. Freijomil reported on the December 18th meeting, which discussed bank account interest rates, health benefits increase, Capital Improvement Plan and miscellaneous other topics.
Personnel/Negotiations Committee - Mrs. Zohn reported on the December 15th meeting at which proposed policies were discussed.

XV. 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).

Heather Silver, Quail Run, discussed topics related to substitute staffing.
Leanna Wellerding, Mt. Horeb Road, asked a question regarding training of substitutes for special education students.

XVI. Items for Board Consideration/Action

On motion by Mrs. DiMaggio, seconded by Mrs. Freijomil, the consent items A.1., through A.4., B.1., through B.4., and C.1., through C.7., 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 20, 2017.

A.2. Summer Fun Program

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the 2018-2019 Summer Fun Program to begin on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 through Friday, July 27, 2018.

A.3. Extended School Year

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the 2018-2019 Extended School Year to begin on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 through Friday, July 27, 2018.

A.4. Bedside Instruction

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves bedside instruction through Professional Education Services, Inc. for Student #6894416342, beginning December 26, 2017, at an hourly rate of $50, at a cost not to exceed $3,000.

B. Finance/Operations/Transportation

B.1. Payment of Bills

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the payment of bills for the period December 12, 2017 through December 31, 2017 in the amount of $3,434,889.33.

B.2. 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
Alison Hales	ALT	Executive Functioning Skills: Strategies for organizing tasks, time, materials and behavior	West Orange	Feb 2018	$268
Rebecca Sutherland	CS	Strategies and Structures for teaching reading and writing	Livingston	Mar 2018	$249
Amanda Rodrigues	MS	Women's Leadership Conf.	Monroe Twp	Mar 2018	$329
Michelle Barbagallo	MH	Executive Functioning Skills: Strategies for organizing tasks, time, materials and behavior	West Orange	Feb 2018	$269
Laurie Donovan	WS	Executive Functioning Skills: Strategies for organizing tasks, time, materials and behavior	West Orange	Feb 2018	$265
Matthew Mingle	BOE	ASCD Empower 18	Boston	Mar 2018	$1,707
Michael Pate	B&G	NJSBGA Expo 2018	Atlantic City	Mar 2018	$471

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.3. Field Trip Destination

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves Mayo Performing Arts Center as a field trip destination for the 2017-2018 School Year.

B.4. Sale of Obsolete Items

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education declares as obsolete the following miscellaneous items:

2 - Dell Latitude E5510 Computers	4 - Dell Latitude E5440 Computers	1 - Clarke 24 inch floor scrubber (asset number 5105)
22 - Dell Latitude E5520 Computers	20 - Dell 17 inch LCDs	1 - Clarke 26 inch floor scrubber (asset number 5100)
15 - Dell Latitude E5530 Computers	10 - HP Color LaserJet 4650n printers
13 - Dell Latitude E5430 Computers	1 - HP Color LaserJet 5550n printer

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the sale

of the listed equipment in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:18A:45 – Sale of Property.

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.”

a. Lauralee Dupper, Bus Monitor, District, increase from 5 hours to 6 hours per day, at an annual salary of $15,142 (prorated), effective January 2, 2018 through June 30, 2018.

b. Pamela Ditzel, Bus Monitor, District, decrease from 6 hours to 5 hours per day, at an annual salary of $12,942 (prorated), effective January 15, 2018 through June 30, 2018.

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. Liana Nemiroff

C.3. Leave Request

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following:

a. Employee #2693 for leave (paid and unpaid according to legal and contractual entitlement) from on or about April 16, 2018 through on or about October 26, 2018

b. Employee #1937 for leave (paid according to legal and contractual entitlement) from January 2, 2018 through February 28, 2018.

c. Employee #0547 for leave (unpaid according to legal and contractual entitlement) from January 2, 2018 through on or about January 12, 2018.

d. Employee #2217 for leave (paid and unpaid according to legal and contractual entitlement) from December 11, 2017 through on or about December 22, 2017.

e. Employee #2277 for extended leave (paid according to legal and contractual entitlement) from January 2, 2018 through on or about January 16, 2018.

f. Employee #2051 for leave (unpaid according to legal and contractual entitlement) from on or about January 16, 2018 through on or about April 13, 2018.

g. Employee #1680 for leave (paid and unpaid according to legal and contractual entitlement) from on or about January 2, 2018 through on or about February 28, 2018.

h. Employee #3047 for leave (paid and unpaid according to legal and contractual entitlement from January 2, 2018 through on or about May 1, 2018.

C.4. 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 $500.00.

a. Stacey Lederman-Kroll

C.5 Long Term Substitute

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves Adele Tenore as a Long Term Substitute, effective January 2, 2018 through on or about March 29, 2018. (Ms. Tenore will be LTS for Employee #2088.)

C.6. Additional Hours

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

Deborah Singer to accompany Student #9240417981 to Backstage Club starting February 1, 2018, at a cost not to exceed $330.
Anastasia Papalitskas to accompany Student #9240417981 to Backstage Club, starting February 1, 2018, at a cost not to exceed $750.

C.7. Long Term Substitute

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

XVII. Unfinished Business

XVIII. Executive Session

At 8:14 p.m. Mrs. DiMaggio 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:

pending or anticipated litigation or contract negotiation and/or matters of attorney-client privilege and

material the disclosure of which constitutes an unwarranted invasion of individual privacy

Action may be taken upon return to public session;

the length of the meeting is anticipated to be approximately 30 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. Freijomil and approved by unanimous voice vote.

On motion by Mrs. DiMaggio, seconded by Mrs. Freijomil, the Board reconvened in open session at 8:59 p.m.

On motion by Mrs. DiMaggio, seconded by Mrs. Freijomil, the consent item A.5., was approved by a 8-0 roll-call vote.

A.5. Tuition Contract

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves a tuition contract with the Parents of Student #620615 for continued attendance in the Warren Township School, effective January 2, 2018 through June 30, 2018, at a monthly cost of $1,895.20.

XIX. New Business

Student Health - Mrs. Zohn discussed student mental health and a review of an appropriate

level of reporting on this sensitive subject.

XX. Public Commentary (any topic)

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.

N/A

XXI. Adjourn

On motion by Mrs. DiMaggio, seconded by Mrs. Freijomil, the meeting adjourned at

9:11 p.m.

Minutes submitted by,

Patricia Leonhardt

Board Secretary

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ALT	19-Dec
Central	12-Dec
Mt. Horeb	7-Dec
Woodland	18-Dec
Middle	19-Dec

ALT	20-Dec	Active Shooter
Central	20-Dec	Active Shooter
Mt. Horeb	12-Dec	Active Shooter
Woodland	19-Dec	Active Shooter
Middle	21-Dec	Active Shooter