Minutes for April 9, 2018History icon Archived Minutes

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A regular business meeting of the Board of Education was held this day at the Angelo L. Tomaso School, 46 Washington Valley 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,

Ayanna Taylor-Venson, Patricia Zohn,and David Brezee

Absent: Ilana Goldstein, Jeannine Sarosy

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 March 19, 2018 Board Meeting.

The motion was seconded by Mrs. Freijomil and approved by 7-0 roll-call vote.

V. Correspondence and Information

  • HIB Information

Total # of Investigations:

5

Total # of Determined Bullying Incidents:

2
  • Fire Drills

    ALT Central Mt. Horeb Woodland Middle
    March 26 March 06 March 08 March 16 March 29

 

  • Security Drills

    ALT Central Mt. Horeb Woodland Middle
    23-Mar 26-Mar 29-Mar 28-Mar 28-Mar
    Active Shooter Active Shooter Lockdown Active Shooter Lockdown

VI. President's Remarks - Mr. David Brezee

Mr. Brezee welcomed all and thanked Mrs. Backus and the students for their musical offering.

Mr. Brezee commended all of the district’s Excellence in Education award winners:

❖ Cynthia Cassidy - Middle School

❖ Amanda McGrath - Woodland School

❖ Barbara Pellicano - Angelo L. Tomaso School

❖ Mark Weber - Mount Horeb School

Mr. Brezee congratulated ALT teacher Nancy Andrews and students who successfully raised over $5,500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Mr. Brezee reported on his recent meeting with Mayor Sordillo at which a variety of topics were discussed.

Mr. Brezee referenced the letter from County Superintendent regarding district operations and congratulated Dr. Mingle and Mrs. Leonhardt.

Mr. Brezee thanked retiring staff members Mrs. Papalitskas and Mr. Petyotin for their years of service.

VII. Superintendent’s Remarks - Dr. Matthew Mingle

Dr. Mingle reported on the recent meeting with the Township regarding future developments.

VIII. Presentations

  • Angelo L. Tomaso School Student Presentation - Mrs. Smith congratulated the evening’s musicians and introduced the a cappella vocalists who then performed. All were then treated to a news broadcast run by ALT students in the broadcasting studio.
  • Tuition Program Proposal - Dr. Mingle provided an overview of his research and recommendation of this proposal. The board asked follow up questions.

IX. Discussion

  • Capital Improvement Plan - As a followup to the architect’s presentation, the board discussed its next steps. On motion by Mrs. DiMaggio, seconded by Mrs. Freijomil a motion to direct the Finance Committee to further review the Capital Improvement Plan was approved by a 7-0 roll-call vote.

X. Committee Reports

  • Personnel Ad Hoc - Mr. Zohn reported that all full policy series have been reviewed, with just a few individual policies requiring additional analysis.
  • Somerset County Educational Services Commission - Mrs. Zohn reported on the SCESC board meeting, which included discussions regarding security and an animal therapy program.

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:

  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

Mrs. Freijomil asked a question regarding consent item C.6.

Mr. Bellmann asked a question regarding consent item C.9.

On motion by Mrs. DiMaggio, seconded by Mrs. Freijomil the consent items A.1., through A.4., B.1., through B.4., C.1., through C.11., 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 April 5, 2018.

A.2. Field Trip Destination

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

  1.  
    1. MLK Jr. Federal Building
    2. Bridgewater Middle School
    3. NJ State Bar Foundation

A.3. Fieldwork Site

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves a one year School Psychology Externship Agreement with Kean University, from September 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019, securing Warren Township as a fieldwork site to provide supervised clinical educational experiences in psychology.

A.4. Home Instruction

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves up to 10 hours per week of home instruction for Student #8649543813 beginning April 3, 2018, at a rate of $50.00 per hour.

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

Lindsay La Neve

CS

Judy Freeman Winners

Whippany

May 2018

$209

Susan Jackson

ALT

Winners Workshop: The 100 Top Children’s Books of the Year

Somerset

May 2018

$209

Patricia Leonhardt

BOE

NJASBO Conf.

Atlantic City

June 2018

$690

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. Purchase of Dell Monitors

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the following purchase:

  •  
    • 20 Dell Interactive 70 inch Monitors, at a cost of $2,999.99 each, for a total of $59,999.80.

This purchase is administered under N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-5(e) regarding the negotiation of a cost 10% or more less than State contract.

B.3. Purchase of Electric - Alliance For Competitive Energy Services

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the agreement to purchase electricity through the Alliance for Competitive Energy Services, effective June 1, 2018 through May 31, 2023.

B.4. Purchase of Natural Gas Services - Alliance For Competitive Energy Services

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the agreement to purchase Natural Gas through the Alliance for Competitive Energy Services, effective June 1, 2018 through May 31, 2023.

C. Personnel/Student Services

C.1. Employment for the 2018-2019 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 2018-2019 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. Alyssa Pech, Guidance Counselor, Central School, MA, Step 2 of the 2018-2019 salary guide, $64,741, effective September 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. (Ms. Pech will be replacing Patricia Morris.)

C.2. Custodial Substitute

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves Huanda Almonte as a Substitute Custodian for the 2017-2018 school year at the approved substitute custodian pay rate. (Pending successful completion of the criminal background check.)

C.3. Substitute Teachers

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

a. Kim Lester

b. Sonia Gomes

c. Melanie Azevedo

C.4. Family Leave Request

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following:

a. Employee #2088 for extended leave (paid and unpaid according to legal and contractual entitlement), from November 22, 2017 through on or about May 9, 2018. (This motion supersedes previous motion dated December 11, 2017.)

b. Employee #0673 for leave (paid according to legal and contractual entitlement), from April 23, 2018 through on or about June 19, 2018.

C.5. Retirement/Resignation

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

a. Anastasia Papalitskas, Paraprofessional, Warren Middle School, for the purpose of retirement, with appreciation for her 10 years of service to the Warren Township students, effective July 1, 2018.

b. Lesley Duncan, Paraprofessional, Warren Middle School, for the purpose of resignation, with appreciation for her 5 years of service to the Warren Township students, effective June 30, 2018.

c. Paola Gower, Spanish/French Teacher, Warren Middle School, for the purpose of resignation, with appreciation for her 2 years of service to the Warren Township students, effective April 9, 2018.

d. Tanin Petyotin, Custodian, Central School, for the purpose of retirement with appreciation for his 16 years of service to the Warren Township students, effective April 25, 2018.

C.6. Approval of Additional Days

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves an additional 15 days during the 2017-2018 School Year for Security Program Compliance Manager Ron Berry, at a per diem cost of $300, for a total cost not to exceed $4,500.

C.7. School Safety Specialists

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the appointment of Christine Smith and Patricia Leonhardt as the district’s School Safety Specialists.

C.8. CPR 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 $50.00 per hour according to the following table. The total cost shall not exceed $600.00.

Course

Staff Member

Date

Prep Hours

Instructor Hours

Cost Total

CPR

Jan Brennan

May 16, 2018

2

2

$200

CPR

Lisa Lontai

May 16, 2018

2

2

$200

CPR

Harriet Stambaugh

May 16, 2018

2

2

$200

C.9. Additional Hours

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

a. Alexandra Esposito to accompany Student #9240417981 to participate in Track, starting March 28, 2018, at a cost not to exceed $465.

b. Lisa Lontai to accompany Student #9240417981 to participate in Track, starting April 12, 2018, at a cost not to exceed $1,000.

c. Karen Balich to accompany Student #8281299312 to Softball, starting March 21, 2018, at a cost not to exceed $2,000.

d. Brittany Leonard to accompany Student #6416306269, to Archery Club for 4 sessions from February 28, 2018, through March 14, 2018, at a cost not to exceed $200. (This motion supersedes previous motion dated March 5, 2018.)

e. Lisa Pravato to accompany Student #1316551903, to participate in Band, starting April 19, 2018, at a cost not to exceed $126.

C.11. 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. Adele Tenore, Leave Replacement Teacher, Warren Middle School, BA, Step 1 of the 2017-2018 salary guide, $57,460, effective January 2, 2018 through on or about May 9, 2018 which is not creditable service toward tenure acquisition. (Ms. Tenore is replacing employee #2088. This motion supersedes previous motion dated January 2, 2018.)

XIII. Executive Session

At 8:34 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 and

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

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. Albano, the Board reconvened in open session at 9:02 p.m.

XIV. Unfinished Business

N/A

XV. New Business

  • School Resource Officer - The board discussed its options. Mr. Brezee then made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Taylor, to ask Administration to work with the Police Department and Township Committee to investigate, and return to the board the details, regarding one School Resource Officer (SRO) to be shared by all district facilities’ for the remainder of 2017-2018 school year.

    The motion was approved by a 5-1-1 roll-call vote. (Mrs. Zohn voted no and Mr. Bellmann abstained.)

  • Meeting Acoustics - Mrs. Albano requested that microphones be used when Board of Education meetings are held at elementary schools.

XVI. 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).

N/A

C. Personnel/Student Services

C.10. WTEA Grievance Resolution

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby denies the grievance filed on March 15, 2018 by the Warren Township Education Association against the Warren Township Board of Education.

XVII. Adjourn

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

9:28 p.m.

Minutes submitted by,

Patricia Leonhardt

Board Secretary