Warren Township Schools: Minutes for April 11, 2022

Minutes for April 11, 2022 Archived Minutes

A regular business meeting of the Board of Education was held this day at the Mt. Horeb School, 114 Stirling Road. The public was welcome to attend in person or virtually through the online Zoom 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 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 5, 2022. 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: Mark Bisci, Daniel Croson, Lisa DiMaggio, Laura Keller, Todd Weinstein, Patricia Zohn and David Brezee

Absent: Ryan Valentino

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

Mehul Desai arrived at 7:05 p.m.

IV. Executive Session

● At 7:01 p.m. Ms. Keller 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

specific prospective or current employees unless all who could be adversely affected request an open session.

Action will 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 Mr. Brezee and approved by unanimous voice vote.

V. Motion to return to Open Session

On motion by Ms. Keller, seconded by Mrs. DiMaggio, the Board reconvened in open session at 7:35 p.m.

VI. Minutes

● Ms. Keller moved the following:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the public and private session minutes of the March 28, 2022 Board Meeting.

The motion was seconded by Mr. Brezee and approved by a 8-0 roll-call vote.

VII. Correspondence and Information

· HIB Information

Total # of Investigations:			Total # of Determined Bullying Incidents:
	1			1

· Suspension Report

In School:			Out of School:
	0			0

· Fire Drills

ALT	Central	Mt. Horeb	Woodland	Middle
March 16	March 31	March 3	March 11	March 22

· Security Drills

ALT	Central	Mt. Horeb	Woodland	Middle
March 30	March 10	March 17	March 24	March 15
Active Shooter	Active Shooter	Active Shooter	Active Shooter	Active Shooter

VIII. President's Remarks – Mr. David Brezee

● Mr. Brezee welcomed all to the Mount Horeb School.

● Mr. Brezee noted motions C.1. and C.2., and welcomed all new staff members.

IX. Superintendent’s Remarks – Dr. Matthew Mingle

● Dr. Mingle gave an update on Warren Township School’s response to COVID-19.

● Dr. Mingle announced that all Board and staff members received Double Good Popcorn, who has been donating popcorn to essential workers.

X. Presentations

● Mt. Horeb School Feature - Mr. Scott Cook presented the Mt. Horeb School Feature, the Student Drone Initiative (Student Tech Support), which was led by Mrs. Zgombic.

XI. Discussion

None

XII. Committee Reports

● Curriculum, Communications, and Technology Committee - No meeting

● Finance, Operations, and Security Committee - No meeting

● Personnel and Negotiations Committee - No meeting

● Ad Hoc Planning for Elementary Growth Committee - No meeting

● Ad Hoc Return to School Committee - No meeting

● Ad Hoc Committee on Dress Code - April 5, 2022 - Mrs. Zohn reported that following the March 14 Board meeting, the Ad Hoc meeting met on April 5. The Committee looked at student requests for modifications to the dress code. The Committee reviewed policies at other schools including Watchung Hills Regional High School. It is currently conducting a survey. The next meeting will take place after the survey results are available.

XIII. 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;

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).

None

On motion by Mr. Croson to close public commentary, seconded by Mr. Desai, the motion was approved by a 8-0 voice vote.

XIV. Items for Board Consideration/Action

Dr. Mingle reported that the district is making great progress in hiring new staff for the school year.

On motion by Ms. Keller, seconded by Mr. Croson, the consent items A.1., through A.3., B.1., through B.4., and C.1., through C.8., were approved by a 8-0 roll-call vote.

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 March 28, 2022.

A.2. Elementary School Rezoning

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the Planning for Elementary School Growth Working Group’s recommendation to rezone the four elementary schools for the 2023-2024 school year, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Education directs the administration to develop recommended elementary school attendance zones and an implementation plan for Board consideration and approval in Fall 2022.

A.3. Out-of-District Placement

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following out-of-district placement for 2021-2022 school year:

School

Student Id #

Date

Cost

The Community School, Inc.

1363196692

April 4, 2022

through

June 30, 2022

$13,235.52

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 6471-School District Travel, 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
Michelle Barbagallo	MTH	2022 General and Special Education Conference	Online	May 2022	$369
Christopher Heagele	District	New Jersey Association of School Business Officials Annual Conference	Atlantic City	June 2022	$829
Kelly Stankiewicz	MTH	Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Clinical Services Provider Course	Hillsborough	May 2022	$200
Matthew Mingle	District	New Jersey Association of School Administrators / New Jersey Association of Pupil Services Administrators Spring Leadership Conference	Atlantic City	May 2022	$472
Derek Ressa	District	New Jersey Association of School Administrators / New Jersey Association of Pupil Services Administrators Spring Leadership Conference	Atlantic City	May 2022	$980

All of the above travel has been approved by the Superintendent. The School Business Administrator shall track and record these costs to ensure that the maximum amount is not exceeded.

B.2. SCESC Transportation

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approve a transportation agreement with Somerset County Educational Services Commission for 2021-2022 SY transportation for out of district student as follows:

School

Student ID #

Cost

The Community School Inc.

1363196692

$856.00

per diem

B.3. Refusal of Grant Funds

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the refusal of American Rescue Plan (ARP) Homeless Children and Youth (HCY) II grant funds in the amount of $1,752 for the Fiscal Year 2022.

B.4. Before/After Care Request for Proposals

WHEREAS, the Warren Township Board of Education (“Board”) wishes to solicit proposals from interested and qualified firms to operate as a before and after school care provider; and

WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-4.1(b)(1) permits competitive contracting to be utilized for the hiring of a for-profit entity for the operation, management or administration of recreation or social service facilities or programs and N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-4.1(j) allows the use of competitive contracting for the procurement of concessions; and,

WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-4.3(a) requires that a board of education pass a resolution authorizing the use of competitive contracting for such purposes; and,

WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-4.3(b) requires that the competitive contracting process be administered by a purchasing agent pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:11-9, or by legal counsel of the Board, or by the school business administrator; and,

WHEREAS, the Board has determined that the procurement of a before and after school care provider through the use of competitive contracting is in the Board’s best interest.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Warren Township Board of Education that the purchasing agent is authorized to initiate competitive contracting for the solicitation of proposals for before and after school care services.

C. Personnel/Student Services

C.1. Employment for the 2022-2023 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
Jamie Einiger	Math Teacher 02-33-22/bdb	WMS	MA	3	$68,220	August 29, 2022 through June 30, 2023	No	To replace employee #1479
Samantha Dock	Math Teacher 02-33-22/acx	WMS	BA+15	4	$66,062	August 29, 2022 through June 30, 2022	No	To replace employee #2279
Alexandra Freitas	LDTC 02-30-06/abi	CS	MA+30	25	$99,578	August 29, 2022 through June 30, 2022	No	To replace employee #0025

C.2. Substitute Teachers

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following to be appointed as substitute teachers for the 2021-2022 school year.

Name

Diane Mahatha

Emily Imiolek

Liana Antonelli

C.3. Leave Request

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

Employee ID

Paid/Unpaid

#1801

FMLA - August 29, 2022 through September 23, 2022 (paid)

NJFLA - September 27, 2022 through December 16, 2022 (unpaid)

#1950

FMLA - April 4, 2022 through April 8, 2022 (paid)

FMLA - April 11, 2022 through April 14, 2022 (unpaid)

C.4. 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

Maria Serrano

April 4, 2022

through

June 30, 2022

WMS

Night Custodian

04-33-10/aje

WMS

Day Custodian

04-33-10/aob

C.5. Summer Fun Positions - 2022

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

Name	Position	Location	Salary
Emily Zengel	Summer Fun/ESY Secretary	MTH	$4,000.00
Patricia Paradiso	Summer Fun/ESY Nurse	MTH	$46.35 per hour
Lisa Lontai	Summer Fun/ESY Nurse	MTH	$46.35 per hour

C.6. Warren Academy Courses - Instructor Stipend 2021-2022

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following staff for reimbursement as an Instructor. Each instructor will be reimbursed at the WTEA contractual rate of $50.00 per hour.

Name	Course	Date	Prep Hours	Instructor Hours	Cost Total Not to Exceed
Michelle Zgombic	Year End Tech Closeout	May 3, 2022	3	1	$200.00

C.7. Spring Curriculum Revision Writing Project- K-5 Social Studies

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following staff for the revision of the K-5 Social Studies Curriculum, as per the WTEA negotiated agreement, at a rate of $50 per hour, not to exceed $3600.00:

Names
Kristen Stoyanov	Francesca Frosoni
Rebecca Sutherland	Cheryl Plager
Sarah Hughes

C.8. After-School Activities/Clubs - Substitutes

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following person to be appointed as an After-School Activities/Clubs substitute for previously approved students during the 2021-2022 school year. Substitutes are paid at their hourly rate.

Name

Shanise Green

XV. Unfinished Business

None

XVI. New Business

● Student Transportation Procedure - Multiple Township Residences - Mr. Croson made comments on the proposed multiple transportation procedure, additionally stated that he would be inclined to support the new procedure.

There were various board members who made comments and asked questions about the procedure and the motion.

On motion by Mr. Croson, seconded by Mr. Desai, RESOLVED, that the Board of Education directs the Superintendent to seek legal guidance regarding Student Transportation Procedure - Multiple Township Residences, and bring the item to the next Board meeting for further consideration.

The motion was approved by a 8-0 roll-call vote.

XVII. 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;
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.

● Ms. Jeanne Kaufhold, 3rd Street - Commented on upcoming changes to district health curriculum.

● Ms. Vaishali Amberkar, Orchard Way - Made comments and asked questions regarding the food service working group. Also, asked questions about construction of a kitchen and the NSLP..

● Mr. Adam Silver, Quail Run - Commented on the food service working group. He made comments on the former PTO program and a possible future kitchen.

● Ms. Rachel Singleton, Deerwood Trail West - Wants to continue the mentoring program paid for by ESSER funds and potentially widen the program.

● Ms. Shefali Tejani, Aspen Court - Commented on upcoming changes to district health curriculum.

On motion by Ms. Keller to close public commentary, seconded by Mr. Croson, the motion was approved by a 8-0 voice vote.

XVIII. Adjourn

On motion by Mr. Croson, seconded by Mr. Desai, the meeting was adjourned at 8:41 p.m.

Minutes submitted by,

Christopher Heagele

Board Secretary

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