Warren Township Schools: Minutes for May 24, 2021

Minutes for May 24, 2021 Archived Minutes

Due to the public health crisis, the regular business meeting of the Board of Education was held this day virtually through the online Zoom platform. The Board of Education, administration and the public were present and participating through logon to that platform. 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

Marc Franco.

Open Public Meeting Statement – Mr. Franco 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 6, 2021. 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 – Warren Middle School Principal George Villar, introduced 8th grade student Grace Prayias who led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

III. Roll Call

Present: Aaron Bellish, Mark Bisci, David Brezee, Lori Clar, Laura Keller,

Todd Weinstein, Patricia Zohn and Marc Franco

Absent:

Also Present: Dr. Matthew Mingle, Superintendent, Patricia Leonhardt,

Board Secretary, and members of the public and press.

Lisa DiMaggio joined the meeting at 7:01 p.m.

IV. Minutes

● Mr. Bisci moved the following:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the public session minutes of the May 10, 2021 Board Meeting.

The motion was seconded by Mr. Franco and approved by a 9-0 roll-call vote.

V. Correspondence and Information

· HIB Information

Total # of Investigations:			Total # of Determined Bullying Incidents:
	2			0

· Suspension Report

In School:			Out of School:
	0			0

VI. President's Remarks – Mr. Marc Franco

Mr. Franco thanked Business Administrator Patricia Leonhardt as she leaves the district.

Mr. Franco discussed the status of Covid related restrictions.

VII. Superintendent’s Remarks – Dr. Matthew Mingle

Dr. Mingle welcomed Warren Middle School students and staff who are participating in this evening’s meeting and noted the National Academic Championship awards which were announced after tonight’s presentation was recorded.

Dr. Mingle also congratulated Mrs. Leonhardt on her new endeavors as she leaves the district.

Dr. Mingle acknowledged New Jersey Education week and New Jersey Speech and Hearing Week.

Dr. Mingle noted that Warren Middle School families are being surveyed regarding their interest in participating in a Covid vaccination clinic at the Warren Middle School.

Lastly, Dr. Mingle thanked all those involved in the strategic planning sessions held last week.

VIII. Presentations

● Warren Middle School Student Awards - Mr. Villar and Ms. Mensinger highlighted the Warren Middle School students who received a plethora of academic awards in the 2020-2021 school year.

● Return to School Update - Dr. Mingle provided an overview of the plans for the September opening of the 2021-2022 school year. Dr. Mingle also announced a Question and Answer session planned for June 3rd.

IX. Discussion

● Return to School - The board asked follow up questions regarding the Return to School plans.

X. Committee Reports

● Finance Operations and Security Committee - Mr. Brezee reported on the Committee’s May 17th meeting at which radios, Building and Grounds roof re-bid, the Security Grant, Pop Warner field maintenance cost, the Lindbergh Ave project’s status and the National School Lunch Program were discussed.

XI. Public Commentary (agenda items only)

Note on public input at BOE meetings: Board Policy #0167, adopted on June 18, 2018, provides for 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, address, and group affiliation, if applicable;
Each statement made by a participant shall be limited to three minutes’ duration. If necessary, the public comment portion of the meeting may be extended fifteen minutes with Board approval;
No participant may speak more than once on the same topic until all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard;
All statements, questions, or inquiries shall be directed to the presiding officer and any questions or inquiries directed by a participant to another Board member shall be redirected to the presiding officer who shall determine if such statement, question, or inquiry shall be addressed by the presiding officer on behalf of the Board;
When the Board of Education is conducting its meetings either virtually or in a hybrid environment, members of the public may also submit comments no later than 9:00 AM the day of the board meeting via email to BA@warrentboe.org or hardcopy mail to the district office.

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).

● Mr. Adam Silver, Quail Run, supported Mr. Franco’s mask comments and student learning.

● Ms. Jennifer Armao, Briarwood Drive East, discussed the interconnectivity of masks and travel guidelines.

● Ms. Rachel Singleton, Deerwood Trail West, discussed student testing.

● Ms. Linda Draper, Briarwood Drive East, discussed New Jersey’s mask mandates.

● Mrs Heather Silver, Quail Run, spoke in support of Mr. Franco’s mask comments.

● Mr. Jeff Nicholson, Livingston Ave, spoke in support of following advice from the scientists.

● Mrs. Jaci Joki, Heritage Drive, discussed the status of mask mandates.

● Ms. Jennifer Armao, Briarwood Drive East, discussed the CDC guidelines regarding Covid spread in schools.

XII. Items for Board Consideration/Action

Mrs. DiMaggio asked for C.15. be pulled for a separate vote.

Various board members referenced Mrs. Leonhardt’s departure from the district and their appreciation for her service.

On motion by Mr. Bisci, seconded by Mr. Franco, the consent items A.1. through A.3., B.1., B.2., C.1. through C.14., and D.1. were approved by a 9-0 roll-call vote.

On motion by Mr. Bisci, seconded by Mr. Franco, the consent item C.15. was approved by a 8-0-1 roll-call vote. (Mrs. DiMaggio abstained..)

The Superintendent recommends that it be:

A. Education

A.1. HIB Report

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education accepts the HIB Report submitted by the Superintendent for the period ending on May 10, 2021.

A.2. Out of District Placements 2021-2022

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the 2021-2022 Out of District placement list dated May 17, 2021.

A.3. Bedside Instruction

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves the bedside instruction through Silvergate Prep for Student #7674803877, beginning May 19, 2021, at an hourly rate of $40, at a cost not to exceed $1,600.

B. Finance/Operations/Transportation

B.1. Payment of Bills

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the payment of bills for the month of May 2021 in the amount of $3,894,262.20.

B.2. Dell Purchases

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the following purchases from Dell:

● 400 Dell 3100 Chromebooks and Licenses at a combined cost of $396.50 each, for a total of $158,600.

● 20 Dell 75 4K Interactive Touch Monitors plus Wall Display Mounts at a combined cost of $3,275.28 each, for a total of $65,505.60.

All purchasing under New Jersey State Contract M0483.

C. Personnel/Student Services

C.1. Employment for the 2021-2022 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 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., if applicable Staff members shall be paid in accordance with provisions in their collective bargaining agreement and/or in accordance with a schedule provided to all employees prior to the beginning of the contract or school year.

Name	Position/PCR	Location	Degree	Step	Salary	Effective Date	Tenure	Discussion
Dominic Vignali	Leave Replacement School Counselor	WMS	MA	1	$65,504 (prorated)	August 30, 2021 through December 5, 2021	No	To replace employee #1415
Kimberly Collison	Leave Replacement Grade 1 Teacher	ALT	BA	5	$63,144	August 30, 2021 through June 30, 2022	No	To replace employee #3159

C.2. Leave Request

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following leave requests:

Employee ID	Paid/Unpaid
#0682	FMLA - April 13, 2021 through June 17, 2021 AM (½ days and paid) (This motion supersedes the motion approved on April 26, 2021)
#3442	LOA - August 30, 2021 through June 30, 2022 (unpaid)
#2651	FMLA - May 11, 2021 through June 22, 2021 (paid)

C.3. Retirement/Resignation

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the retirement/resignations

of the following staff:

Name	Position	Location	Retirement/ Resignation	Dates of Service
Mariana Arango Guzman	1:1 Paraprofessional, 32.5 hrs 08-40-08/blq	ALT	Resignation	March 16, 2021 through June 30, 2021
Patricia Leonhardt	School Business Administrator/Board Secretary 10-00-02/aij	District	Retirement	November 14, 2011 through July 18, 2021
Victoria Cruz	0.8 School Social Worker 02-30-22/blo 02-50-22/blp	WS, CS	Resignation	January 25, 2021 through June 30, 2021

C.4. Appointment of WTEA-eligible Staff 2021-2022 School Year

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the list of WTEA-eligible staff employment, dated May 24, 2021, for the 2021-2022 school year.

C.5. Appointment of Unaffiliated Staff 2021-2022 School Year

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the list of unaffiliated staff employment, dated May 24, 2021, for the 2021-2022 school year.

C.6. Summer Hiring

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education authorizes the Superintendent to extend offers of employment for which there may be a vacancy or which are predicated by enrollment numbers between May 25, 2021, and September 27, 2021, subject to ratification of the Board at its next scheduled meeting.

C.7. Approval to Create Positions

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the creation of the following positions for 2021-2022 school year:

Location

Position

Full-Time Equivalent

1:1 Paraprofessional

08-35-08/bib

32.5 hrs per week

1:1 Paraprofessional

08-35-08/bic

32.5 hrs per week

C.8. Approval to Abolish Positions

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the abolishment of the following positions for the 2021-2022 school year:

Location	Position	Full-Time Equivalent
ALT	1:1 Paraprofessional 08-40-08/bgc	32.5 hrs per week
ALT	Classroom Paraprofessional 08-40-08/bgi	18.33 hrs per week
CS	Multi-duty Paraprofessional 08-30-15/ben	10 hrs per week

C.9. Transfer/Change in Assignment

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the transfer/change in

assignment of the following district staff:

Name

Effective Date

From

Myranda Shimko

August 30, 2021 through June 30, 2022

WMS Language Art Teacher

02-33022/bdj

WMS Library Media Specialist

02-33-05/acj

C.10. Summer Employees

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves Summer 2021 hiring as follows:

● Summer employees for Buildings and Ground Department, per list dated May 18, 2021.

● Transportation department drivers and monitors at their 2021-2022 hourly rate as needed for Summer 2021 transportation department needs (student transport and mail) .

C.11. Special Services Providers’ List

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the Special Services Providers’ List for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year, dated May 21, 2021.

C.12. Summer Work - Special Services Department

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves district staff to conduct summer evaluations, therapy hours (in-district), scheduling and IEP meetings, per the list dated May 19, 2021, at a cost not to exceed $63,616.

C.13. Substitute Teacher

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following to be appointed as Substitute Teacher for the 2020-2021 school year.

Name

Alexa Butrico

C.14. Crisis Prevention Intervention Repeat/Refresher Training Instructor Stipend June 2021

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following staff as Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) Instructors. Each staff member will be reimbursed at the WTEA contract rate $50.00 per hour for a total cost not to exceed $300.

Staff Member	Date	Repeat Course Offering Prep Hours Only	Instructor Hours	Total Cost
Rebecca Hartman	June 2021	3 hours	Within contract day paid for prep only	$150.00
Brittany Leonard	June 2021	3 hours	Within contract day paid for prep only	$150.00

C.15. Summer Fun/ESY Nurse - 2021-2022

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following Summer Fun/ESY Nurse for the 2021-2022 school year.

Name	Position	Location	Salary
Anne Isedeh	Summer Fun/ESY Nurse	MH/ALT	$45 per hour, not to exceed $4,320

D. Policy

D.1. Policy – Second Reading

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the second reading of the following policy:

Number	Name	New/Revision	Source of Changes
P0167	Public Participation in Board Meetings	R	Board

XIII. Unfinished Business

● Consolidation/Regionalization - Mrs. Zohn led the board’s discussion of the Watchung Hills Regional High School regionalization study efforts. Mrs. Zohn made the following motion:

RESOLVED that the Board of Education approves the establishment of an ad hoc committee on the application for shared services and school district consolidation study, applied for by the Watchung Hills Regional High School district, for the purpose of reviewing and making recommendations to the whole board on requests related to such study.

Seconded by Mrs. Clar, the motion was approved by a 8-1 roll-call vote. (Mr. Franco voted no.)

XIV. New Business

● Returning to In-Person Board Meetings - Mrs. DiMaggio reported on the Curriculum Communications and Technology Committee work on this topic. It is the Committee’s recommendation that the Board of Education begin in-person meetings effective July 19 at the Warren Middle School All Purpose Room, with public attendance. Technology purchasing will allow travel to the other schools as past practice. Meetings would be recorded and posted online. The board discussed at length. Multiple members of the board requested the real time inclusion of the public from home. The decision was to obtain legal advice. Mr. Franco made the following motion:

RESOLVED that the Board of Education requests that administration review with legal counsel the possibility of allowing for public commentary from a remote location during a live, in-person board meeting.

Seconded by Mr. Weinstein, the motion was approved by a 9-0 roll-call vote.

● Impact of Township Development - Mr. Brezee led the board’s discussion of the effect of PILOT projects on the district’s enrollment and conversations with the township committee.

● Return to School modifications - After discussion, Mr. Franco made the following motion:

RESOLVED that the Board of Education hereby requests that administration make an amendment to the in-place Return to School Plan which removes the obligation, effective immediately, of students to wear masks inside or outside, and submit said plans to the county for approval.

Seconded by Mr. Weinstein, the motion failed by a 2-0-7 roll-call vote. (Mr. Franco and

Mr. Weinstein voted yes. Mr. Bellish, Mr. Bisci, Mr. Brezee, Mrs. Clar, Mrs. DiMaggio,

Ms. Keller and Mrs. Zohn abstained.)

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, address, and group affiliation, if applicable;
Each statement made by a participant shall be limited to three minutes’ duration. If necessary, the public comment portion of the meeting may be extended fifteen minutes with Board approval;
No participant may speak more than once on the same topic until all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard;
All statements, questions, or inquiries shall be directed to the presiding officer and any questions or inquiries directed by a participant to another Board member shall be redirected to the presiding officer who shall determine if such statement, question, or inquiry shall be addressed by the presiding officer on behalf of the Board;

● Ms. Rachel Singleton, Deerwood Trail West, spoke to parent surveys, PILOT projects and public participation in board meetings.

● Mrs. Heather Silver, Quail Run, expressed her support of engaged board discussion and board protocol changes.

● Mr. Adam Silver, Quail Run, discussed board meeting protocols and the proposed Return to School plan modifications regarding mask wearing.

● Ms. Gretchen Minieri, Mundy Lane, spoke in support of the ability for the public to participate in board meetings remotely, regionalization and students not wearing masks.

● Ms. Shefali Tejani, Aspen Court, spoke in support of remote public meeting participation.

● Ms. Mariette Dzeletovic, King George Road, asked a question regarding board minutes and the effect of PILOT housing on enrollment and outside playtime.

● Mrs. Jennifer Armao, Briarwood Drive East, spoke in support of public remote Board of Education meeting participation, lunch duty, student recognition and contingency plans.

● Ms. Nancy Andrews, Angelo L. Tomaso School staff member, spoke of the WTEA’s support of the district’s plans and in support of public and staff remote board meeting participation.

● Mr. Micheal Minieri, Mundy Lane, spoke in support of public remote participation in Board of Education meetings.

● Ms. Linda Draper, Briarwood Drive East, discussed the mask mandate and also Middle School student vaccinations.

● Ms. Jennifer Star, Blue Jay Court, spoke in support of remote public participation in Board of Education meetings and masks.

Dr. Mingle encouraged those with Return to School questions to attend the June 3rd information session. It will also be recorded for viewing at a later time.

XVI. Adjourn

On motion by Mr. Franco, seconded by Mrs. Zohn, the meeting was adjourned at 9:48 p.m.

Minutes submitted by,

Patricia Leonhardt

Board Secretary