Warren Township Schools: Minutes for March 5, 2018

Minutes for March 5, 2018 Archived Minutes

A regular business meeting of the Board of Education was held this day at the Central School, 109 Mount Bethel 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

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 February 20, 2018 Board Meeting.

The motion was seconded by Mrs. Freijomil approved by 8-0-1 roll-call vote. (Mrs. Albano abstained.)

V. Correspondence and Information

Dr. Mingle reported on one piece of correspondence which addressed security.

· HIB Information

Total # of Investigations:

Total # of Determined Bullying Incidents:

· Fire Drills

ALT	Central	Mt. Horeb	Woodland	Middle
February 1	February 16	February 27	February 6	February 21

· Security Drills

ALT	Central	Mt. Horeb	Woodland	Middle
February 27	February 21	February 26	February 26	February 26
Modified Lockdown	Modified Lockdown	Modified Lockdown	Modified Lockdown	AED Medical Emergency

VI. President's Remarks - Mr. David Brezee

Mr. Brezee welcomed all and thanked the evening’s musicians.

Mr. Brezee thanked all involved in the work this weekend with Central School’s power outage.

Lastly, Mr. Brezee reflected on his participation in Read Across America Day which he truly enjoyed.

VII. Superintendent’s Remarks - Dr. Matthew Mingle

Dr. Mingle welcomed all and thanked the many people involved in Central School’s facilities issues over the weekend. Dr. Mingle also thanked Warren Township officials who assisted.

Dr. Mingle highlighted the motions concerning the Middle School Schedule (A.3.), Woodland School HVAC (B.2.), the Health and Wellness Room (B.4.) and the Bus Camera Purchase (B.5.)

VIII. Presentations

N/A

IX. Discussion

N/A

X. Committee Reports

● Ad hoc Policy Committee - Mrs. Zohn reported on the February 27th meeting which continued its policy review.

● Personnel Committee - Mrs. Zohn mentioned the committee’s meeting earlier in the evening which will be reported on after minutes have been distributed.

● Finance/Operations/Security Committee - Mrs. Freijomil reported on the recent meeting which reviewed security, including a discussion of a follow up audit, the Woodland School HVAC Project, building cameras, bus cameras, the Capital Improvement Plan, the Middle School Wellness Room, After Care providers and the 2018-2019 budget.

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).

● Debra Rothenberg, Angus Lane, requested the assignment of police officer in each of the district’s schools.

● Tia Allocco, Mustang Trail, discussed the safety of the district’s students, noting especially the district’s parking lots.

XII. Items for Board Consideration/Action

On motion by Mrs. DiMaggio, seconded by Mrs. Freijomil the consent items A.1., through A.5., B.1., through B.5., C.1., through C.7., were approved by a 9-0 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 March 1, 2018.

A.2. Field Trip Destination

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the field trip destinations for the 2017-2018 School Year as follows:

1. Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office
2. Bridgewater 4H Club

A.3. Middle School Master Schedule

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the Middle School Master

Schedule for the 2018-2019 school year.

A.4. Parameters for Board Meeting Presentation Recording

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the Parameters for Board

Meeting Presentation Recording.

A.5. Out-of-District Tuition

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves an out of district placement for Student #4058597640, to The Midland School, beginning March 19, 2018 through June 30, 2018, at a cost not to exceed $19,368. (This motion supersedes the previous motion for the student’s Arc Kohler placement.)

B. Finance/Operations/Transportation

B.1. 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
Lauren Valera	WS	NJTESOL/NJBE Spring Conf.	New Brunswick	May 2018	$331

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.2. Woodland School HVAC Project Award

WHEREAS, a recommendation was made by the Superintendent of Schools to the Warren Township Board of Education (“Board") to seek a contract for construction services for the Woodland School HVAC Project (hereinafter “Project”); and

WHEREAS, the Project was properly advertised to prospective bidders in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-4; and

WHEREAS, on Tuesday, February 13, 2018 the Board received the following bids from potential bidders in accordance with N.J.S.A.18A:18A-1, et seq.;d

Contractor	Total Base Bid
ENL Mechanical	$1,013,000.00
Preferred Mechanical, Inc.	$1,070,000.00
Unitemp, Inc.	$1,094,521.00
Framan Mechanical Inc.	$1,098,000.00
Centralpack	$1,137,635.00
Direct Digital Control Systems	$1,148,000.00
EACM Corp	$1,149,950.00
Sunnyfield Corporation	$1,162,000.00
K&D Contractors	$1,187,000.00
H&S Construction and Mechanical	$1,194,000.00
Teo Technologies, Inc.	$1,287,000.00
GDS Mechanical Inc.	$1,338,000.00

WHEREAS, ENL Mechanical’s bid has been reviewed by the design professionals and attorney and is the lowest and is responsive to the bid requirements for the Project,

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board hereby awards the Project to ENL Mechanical for One million thirteen thousand dollars ($1,013,000.00). Motion includes approval to transfer monies from Capital Reserve for full cost of the project, including professional fees.

B.3. Joint Agreements between SCESC and Warren BOE

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves entering into the following joint agreements between Somerset County Educational Services Commission (SCESC) and the Warren Township Board of Education:

● Nonpublic Instructional Services Agreement for Chapters 192/193, dated July 1, 2018 for the 2018-19 school year, with an administrative fee of 6%;

● Nonpublic Instructional Services Agreement for Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), dated July 1, 2018 for the 2018-19 school year, with no administrative fee charged;

● Nonpublic School Textbook Services agreement, dated July 1, 2018 for the 2018-2019 school year, with no administrative fee charged;

● Nonpublic School Technology Initiative Program agreement, dated July 1, 2018 for the 2018-2019 school year, with a state-approved administrative percentage (5% in 2017-18);

● Nonpublic School Nursing Services agreement, dated July 1, 2018 for the 2018-2019 school year, with an administrative fee of 6%.

● Nonpublic School Security Aid agreement, dated July 1, 2018 for the 2018-19 school year, with no administrative fee charged.

B.4. Fitness and Wellness Room

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves Phase I of the Middle School Fitness and Wellness Room project at a cost not to exceed $46,100.

B.5. Approval of Cameras Purchase

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the purchase of a camera system for the district’s buses and vans from Seon, at a cost of $35,303. Purchase to be funded through a transfer from the district’s Emergency Reserves, as allowed for security projects.

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. Michaela Porras, Classroom Paraprofessional, 32.5 hours, Angelo L. Tomaso School, Step 1 of the 2017-2018 salary guide, $22,165 (prorated), effective March 6, 2018 through June 30, 2018.

b. Marcela Stefanikova, Transportation Monitor, 25 hours, $11,700 (prorated), effective March 1, 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. Lee Horner

b. Toni Ann Waters

c. Alana Paolella

C.3. Family Leave Request

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following:

a. Employee #2942 for leave (unpaid according to legal and contractual entitlement), under FMLA from on or about April 9, 2018 through on or about May 4, 2018 with an anticipated return date of May 7, 2018.

b. Employee #0396 for leave (paid according to legal and contractual entitlement), under FMLA from on or about April 5, 2018 through April 30, 2018.

C.4. Retirement/Resignation

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

a. Kathy Pantalone, Classroom Paraprofessional, Woodland School, for the purpose of retirement, with appreciation for her 17 years of service to the Warren Township students, effective June 30, 2018.

b. Patricia Morris, Guidance Counselor, Central School, for the purpose of resignation, with appreciation for her 8 years of service to the Warren Township students, effective June 30, 2018.

c. Jennifer Carr, Special Education Teacher, Warren Middle School, for the purpose of resignation, with appreciation for her 10 years of service to the Warren Township Students, effective June 30, 2018.

C.5. Compacted Schedule for Summer 2018

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves a 4-day compacted work schedule for Summer 2018, from the week of July 9, up to and including the week of August 20.

C.6. Additional Hours

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the additional hours for Brittany Leonard to accompany Student #6416306269, to Archery Club for 3 sessions from February 28, 2018, through March 14, 2018, at a cost not to exceed $150.

C.7. CPR / First Aid Professional Development 2017-2018

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following staff for reimbursement as an Instructor. Each instructor will be reimbursed at the WTEA contract rate $50 per hour according to the following table. The total cost shall not exceed $1,200.00.

Course	Staff Member	Date	Prep Hours	Instructor Hours	Cost Total
First Aid	Jan Brennan	April 25, 2018	2	2	$200.00
First Aid	Harriet Stambaugh	April 25, 2018	2	2	$200.00
First Aid	Doris Zanchelli	April 25, 2018	2	2	$200.00
CPR	Jan Brennan	May 2, 2018	2	2	$200.00
CPR	Lisa Lontai	May 2, 2018	2	2	$200.00
CPR	Harriet Stambaugh	May 2, 2018	2	2	$200.00

XIII. Unfinished Business

N/A

XIV. New Business

● Security - Dr. Mingle provided an overview of the district’s security initiatives. Board members discussed. The board supported a Spring/June review by Safe Havens International.

XV. 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.

● Brenda Nemczak, Old Smalleytown Road, shared the Middle School trips dates.

● Debra Rothenberg, Angus Lane, asked the board if it needed additional information and input regarding security staffing.

● Stephanie Reed, Middle School parent/Long Hill township resident, discussed the future viability of a Warren Township Education Foundation.

XVI. Executive Session

At 8:29 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:

a collective bargaining agreement and/or negotiations related to it,

protection of public safety and property and/or investigations of possible violations or violations of law and

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

Action will be taken upon return to public session;

the length of the meeting is anticipated to be approximately 10 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. Goldstein and approved by unanimous voice vote.

On motion by Mrs. Goldstein, seconded by Mrs. Freijomil, the Board reconvened in open session at 9:07 p.m.

XVII. Items for Board Consideration/Action (continued)

On motion by Mrs. DiMaggio, seconded by Mr. Bellmann the consent item C.8., was approved by a 9-0 roll-call vote.

C. Personnel/Student Services

C.8. WTEA Grievance Resolution

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby denies the grievance filed on February 20, 2018 by the Warren Township Education Association against the Warren Township Board of Education.

New Business

● Security (Continued) - The board discussed funding options for Security expenses in the 2018-2019 School Year.

● Budget Process - Mrs. Zohn discussed concerns regarding the process the district utilizes for the budget building process. This led to a discussion regarding a memo written by Mrs. Zohn regarding the process.

On motion by Mr. Bellmann, seconded by Mrs. Sarosy, the motion to distribute said memo to all board members was approved by a 9-0 roll-call vote.

On motion by Mrs. Zohn, seconded by Mr. Bellmann, a motion requesting additional board discussion regarding the budgeting process failed by a 4-1-4 roll-call vote. (Mr. Bellmann, Mrs. Sarosy, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Zohn voted in favor. Mrs. Albano voted no. Mrs. DiMaggio, Mrs. Freijomil, Mrs. Goldstein and Mr. Brezee abstained.)

The board continued to discuss the topic. It was recommended that the process be an item for the board's annual retreat.

XVIII. Adjourn

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

9:45 p.m.

Minutes submitted by,

Patricia Leonhardt

Board Secretary