Warren Township Schools: Minutes for January 16, 2018

Minutes for January 16, 2018 Archived Minutes

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

Open Public Meeting Statement – Mr. Brezee 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, 2018. 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 – Mr. Brezee led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

III. Roll Call

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

Absent:

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

IV. Minutes

Mrs. DiMaggio moved the following:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the public and private session minutes of the January 2, 2018 Board Meeting.

The motion was seconded by Mrs. Freijomil approved by 9-0 roll-call vote.

V. Correspondence and Information

· HIB Information

Total # of Investigations:

Total # of Determined Bullying Incidents:

VI. President's Remarks - Mr. David Brezee

Mr. Brezee welcomed all and provided committee memberships as follows:

● Curriculum & Technology - Mrs. DiMaggio - Chairperson, Mrs. Goldstein, Mrs. Sarosy and Mrs. Taylor-Venson

● Finance/Operations/Security - Mrs. Freijomil - Chairperson, Mrs. Albano, Mr. Bellmann and Mr. Brezee

● Personnel/Negotiations - Mrs. Zohn - Chairperson, Mrs. Goldstein and

Mrs. Taylor-Venson.

Mr. Brezee thanked the Building and Grounds Department for their work on our snow days.

Mr. Brezee acknowledged and thanked MaryAnn McGann as this is her last Board of Education meeting.

Mr. Brezee commented on the recent presentation by the Watchung Hills Alliance which was quite powerful.

VII. Superintendent’s Remarks - Dr. Matthew Mingle

Dr. Mingle called attention to Mr. Achtau’s appointment as the Leave Replacement Principal at Central School, and the new Communications/Human Resources Coordinator.

Lastly, Dr. Mingle noted the motion on the agenda the increasing the substitute teacher pay to $100 per diem.

VIII. Presentations

● Mid-Year Update on Active Learning Space Pilot - Mrs. Stacey Hann-Modugno presented a review of the 1st year of the Classroom Design, with student and teacher input. She then reviewed options regarding continued implementation. The board asked follow-up questions.

Mrs. Albano left the meeting at 7:45 p.m.

Mrs. Sarosy left the meeting at 8:03 p.m.

● Quarter 2 Goals - Dr. Matthew Mingle provided an updated status on the Board, District and Superintendent Goals.

IX. 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, referenced the active furniture and Mrs. McGann’s departure.

● Susan Leonard, Woodland Staff, asked a question regarding surveys regarding after school clubs.

X. Items for Board Consideration/Action

On motion by Mrs. DiMaggio, seconded by Mrs. Freijomil, the consent items A.1., B.1., through B.5., and C.1., through C.7., 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 January 11, 2018.

B. Finance/Operations/Transportation

B.1. Payment of Bills

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the payment of bills for the month of January 2018 in the amount of $2,357,387.69.

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
Michele Wolkun	CS	Strategies and Structures for Teaching Reading and Writing	Livingston	Mar 2018	$209
Christina Tommaso	CS	Strategies and Structures for Teaching Reading and Writing	Livingston	Mar 2018	$209
Michele Kurilla	CS	Strategies and Structures for Teaching Reading and Writing	Livingston	Mar 2018	$209
William Kimmick	MS	ASCD Empower 18 Conference	Boston, MA	Mar 2018	$1,812
Alison Hales	ALT	Astronaut Training - A Sound Activated Vestibular-Visual Protocol	Doylestown, PA	Feb 2018	$415
Nicole Runfola	MH	PECS Level 2 Training	New York,NY	June 2018	$416
Matthew Mingle	BOE	Techspo 2018	Atlantic City	Jan 2018	$698
Jeffrey Heaney	WS	ASCD Empower 18 Conference	Boston	Mar 2018	$1,783
Christine Burkhardt	MH	Judy Freeman’s 34th Annual Winners Workshop	Somerset	Nov 2018	$209
Scott Cook	MH	ASCD Empower 18 Conference	Boston	Mar 2018	$1,878

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. BOE Meeting Date Correction

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the correction of its 2019 reorganizational meeting date to Monday, January 7, 2019.

B.4. Field Trip Destination

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves Somerset County Courthouse as a field trip destination for the 2017-2018 School Year.

B.5. Union County Cooperative Pricing Agreement

WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 40A:II-1 et. seq. authorizes contracting units to enter into Cooperative Pricing Agreements; and

WHEREAS, the County of Union hereinafter referred to as “the Lead Agency” has offered voluntary participation in a renewal participation in a Cooperative Pricing System for the purchase of work, materials and supplies; and

WHEREAS, the Warren Township School District in the County of Somerset desires to participate in the Union County Cooperative Pricing Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Warren Township Board of Education in the County of Somerset, State of New Jersey that the Board of Education authorizes the Warren Township School District to participate in the Union County Cooperative Pricing Agreement and execute a Cooperative Pricing Agreement with the County of Union upon its approval by the Division of Local Government Services; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the County of Union as Lead Agency is expected to comply with the provisions of the Local Public Contracts Law (N.J.S.A. 40A:II-1 et. seq. and all of the provisions of the revised statutes of the State of New Jersey).

This is a true and exact copy of the regular session meeting of the Warren Township Board of Education held on January 16, 2018. This motion was passed on an 7-0 roll-call vote.

________________________________

Patricia Leonhardt, SBA

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. Max Achtau, Leave Replacement Principal, Central School, at a per diem rate of $60 per day, effective on or about March 28, 2018 through on or about June 1, 2018, which is not creditable service toward tenure acquisition. (Mr. Achtau is LR for Employee #3106).

b. Casey Hardy, Bus Monitor, District, increase from 5 hours to 7 hours per day, at an annual salary of $16,871 (prorated), effective January 17, 2018 through June 30, 2018.

c. Benedicto Frech, Night Custodian, Central School, at an annual salary of $36,000 (prorated), effective January 26, 2018 through June 30, 2018, pending successful completion of final employment testing. (Mr. Frech replaces Feuakham Vongvilay.)

d. Shannon Regan, Communications/Human Resources Coordinator, District, at an annual salary of $60,000 (prorated), effective February 1, 2018 through June 30, 2018. (Ms. Regan replaces Mary Ann McGann.)

e. Ashley Martin, Leave Replacement Kindergarten Teacher, Central School, BA, Step 2 of the 2017-2018 salary guide, $58,320 (prorated), effective January 17, 2018 through June 30, 2018, which is not creditable service toward tenure acquisition. (Ms. Martin is LRT for Employee #1797.)

f. Shannon Butler, Leave Replacement Grade 1 Teacher, Angelo L. Tomaso School, BA, Step 1 of the 2017-2018 salary guide, $57,460 (prorated), effective on or about February 14, 2018 through on or about May 25, 2018. (Ms. Butler is LRT for Employee #3159.)

C.2. Leave Request

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following:

a. Employee #2277 for extended leave (paid according to legal and contractual entitlement) from January 17, 2018 through on or about April 20, 2018.

b. Employee #1797 for extended leave (unpaid according to legal and contractual entitlement) from January 2, 2018 through June 30, 2018.

c. Employee #0547 for extended leave (unpaid according to legal and contractual entitlement) from January 16, 2018 through January 19, 2018.

C.3. Long Term Substitutes

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following as Long Term Substitutes:

1. Zaida Hernandez, effective on or about January 17, 2018 through on or about February 28, 2018. (Ms. Hernandez is LTS for Employee #1680.).
2. Yuliana Barone, effective January 16, 2018 through on or about March 14, 2018.(Ms. Barone is LTS for Employee #3047.)

C.4. School Safety Specialist

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby appoints Business Administrator Patricia Leonhardt to serve as the district’s School Safety Specialist.

C.5. Substitute Pay Rate

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves an increase in the substitute pay rate to $100 per day effective February 1, 2018.

C.6. Interim Grade 6 Team Leader

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves Ann Marie Christou as Interim Grade 6 Team Leader as per the WTEA agreement, effective on or about December 1, 2017 through on or about March 29, 2018. (Ms. Christou is interim team leader for Employee #2088.)

C.7. Retirement/Resignation

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

1. Feuakham Vongvilay, Night Custodian, Mt. Horeb School, for the purpose of retirement, with appreciation for her 13 years of service to the Warren Township staff and students, effective January 25, 2018.

XI. Unfinished Business

XII. New Business

● Policy Review - Mrs. Freijomil asked a question regarding the status of the homework policy review.

● Class Size Projections - Mrs. DiMaggio asked that the projections be on a future agenda for review and discussion.

XIII. 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

XIV. Executive Session

At 8:47 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 9:05 p.m.

The board took a five minute recess at this time, during which time Dr. Mingle contacted Board Attorney Matthew Giacobbe via telephone.

At 9:11 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 9:12 p.m.

XV. Adjourn

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

9:13 p.m.

Minutes submitted by,

Patricia Leonhardt

Board Secretary

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