Warren Township Schools: Minutes for January 3, 2023

Minutes for January 3, 2023 Archived Minutes

A regular business meeting of the Board of Education was held this day at the Warren Middle School, 100 Old 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 Secretary Christopher Heagele

Open Public Meeting Statement – Mr. Heagele 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 posted on the bulletin board in the Township Office, sent to the Courier News and TAPinto Warren, and filed with the Township Clerk of the Township of Warren, all in accordance with the requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act.”

II. Pledge of Allegiance – Mr. Heagele led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

III. Election Results

For entry into the minutes, Mr. Heagele provided the Somerset County Clerk certified results of the Annual School Election, held on November 8, 2022:

Warren Township - Three (3) Three Year Board of Education Seats

● Natalie Feuchtbaum

● Scott Otto

● Patricia Zohn

IV. Oath of Office

● The Oath of Office was administered to Mrs. Feuchtbaum, Mr. Otto and Mrs. Zohn by Mr. Heagele.

V. Roll Call

Present: David Breeze, Daniel Croson, Mehul Desai, Natalie Feuchtbaum,

Laura Keller, Scott Otto, Ryan Valentino, Todd Weinstein, and Patricia Zohn

Absent:

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

VI. Election of Board Officers

The nominations for Board President were opened by Mr. Heagele.

Mr. Daniel Croson was nominated by Mrs. Patricia Zohn. Seeing no other nominations, nominations were closed.

Mr. Daniel Croson was elected President with a 6-0-3 roll-call vote. (Mrs. Feuchtbaum,

Ms. Keller and Mr. Weinstein abstained.)

Board President Croson presided over the remainder of the meeting.

The nomination for Board Vice President was opened by Board President Croson.

Mrs. Patricia Zohn was nominated by Mr. Ryan Valentino. Seeing no other nominations, nominations were closed.

Mrs. Patricia Zohn was elected Vice President with a 8-0-1 vote. (Mrs. Feuchtbaum abstained.)

VII. Annual Reorganization Action Items

On motion by Mrs. Zohn, seconded by Mr. Weinstein and approved by a 9-0 roll-call vote, the board approved reorganizational agenda items A. through G.

A. Policies

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves adoption of current Board Policies & Bylaws for the Calendar Year 2023.

B. Service Appointments

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves the following:

1. The Courier News as the official school district newspaper for the Calendar Year 2023.

2. The Echoes-Sentinel as official alternate newspaper to be used in lieu of the Courier News, when necessary, for the Calendar Year 2023.

3. TAPinto Warren as official electronic news source for the Calendar Year 2023.

4. The appointment of Cleary Giacobbe Alfieri Jacobs, LLC (non fair and open) as Board Attorneys for the Calendar Year 2023 at the following hourly rates:

a) $165 - Partner

b) $160 - Counsel

c) $155 - Associate

d) $90 - Law clerks and paralegals

at an approximate total cost not to exceed $64,000.

5. The appointment of Parette Somjen Architects, LLC as the architect of record (non fair and open) for the Calendar Year 2023, at an approximate total cost not to exceed $20,000 with terms as specified in the contract.

C. Board Meeting Dates

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves the following list of meetings for the Calendar Year 2023:

WARREN TOWNSHIP BOARD OF EDUCATION

2023 MEETING SCHEDULE

(NOTE: All meetings will be held in person and virtually. All meetings are assumed to be held in the Library at the Middle School unless otherwise noted. All meetings are to be held on a Monday unless otherwise noted.)

DATE	TIME
January 3, 2023 REORGANIZATION	7:00 pm
January 23, 2023	6:30 pm
February 6, 2023	6:30 pm At Central School
February 27, 2023	6:30 pm At A.L. Tomaso School
March 20, 2023	6:30 pm At Woodland School
April 24, 2023	6:30 pm At Mt. Horeb School
May 15, 2023	6:30 pm
June 12, 2023	6:30 pm
July 17, 2023	4:00 pm
August 21, 2023	6:30 pm
September 18, 2023	6:30 pm
October 16, 2023	6:30 pm
November 20, 2023	6:30 pm
December 11, 2023	6:30 pm
January 8, 2024 REORGANIZATION	6:30 pm

D. Board Member Code of Ethics

RESOLVED, the Board of Education acknowledges that each Board Member has received a copy of the Code of Ethics as follows:

1. I will uphold and enforce all laws, state board rules and regulations, and court orders pertaining to schools. Desired changes should be brought about only through legal and ethical procedures.

2. I will make decisions in terms of the educational welfare of children and will seek to develop and maintain public schools which meet the individual needs of all children regardless of their ability, race, creed, sex or social standing.

3. I will confine my board action to policy making, planning, and appraisal and I will help to frame policies and plans only after the board has consulted those who will be affected by them.

4. I will carry out my responsibility, not to administer the schools, but, together with my fellow board members, to see that they are well run.

5. I will recognize that authority rests with the board of education and will make no personal promises nor take any private action which may compromise the board.

6. I will refuse to surrender my independent judgment to special interest or partisan political groups or to use the schools for personal gain or for the gain of friends.

7. I will hold confidential all matters pertaining to the schools which, if disclosed, would needlessly injure individuals or the schools. But in all other matters, I will provide accurate information and, in concert with my fellow board members, interpret to the staff the aspirations of the community for its schools.

8. I will vote to appoint the best qualified personnel available after consideration of the recommendation of the Superintendent.

9. I will support and protect school personnel in proper performance of their duties.

10. I will refer all complaints to the Superintendent and will act on such complaints at public meetings only after failure of an administrative solution.

E. District Mission Statement

RESOLVED, the Board of Education readopts the district’s mission statement as follows:

“The mission of the Warren Township School District is to provide, through a safe, nurturing yet challenging environment, all students with an outstanding education that engages students and fosters academic excellence, healthy social and emotional development, and a lifelong passion for learning.”

F. Appointments

1. The election of Natalie Feuchtbaum as Board Representative to the NJSBA Delegate Assembly for the Calendar Year 2023 and the election of Ryan Valentino as the alternate.

2. The election of Scott Otto as the Board Representative to the Somerset County Educational Services Commission for the Calendar Year 2023 and the election of Mehul Desai as the alternate.

3. The election of Ryan Valentino as Board Representative to the Watchung Hills Municipal Alliance Committee for the Calendar Year 2023 and the election of Todd Weinstein as the alternate.

4. The appointment of the Superintendent of Schools as the Board Representative to the Morris Union Jointure Commission Board of Education for the Calendar Year 2023.

5. The appointment of the Superintendent of Schools and Patricia Zohn as liaisons to the Warren Township committee.

**********End of Reorganization Items**********

VIII. Minutes

● Mrs. Zohn moved the following:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the public minutes of the December 19, 2022 Board Meeting.

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

IX. Correspondence and Information

● Dr. Mingle made brief remarks on correspondence.

· HIB Information

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

· Suspension Report

In School:			Out of School:
	0			0

· Fire Drills

ALT	Central	Mt. Horeb	Woodland	Middle
December 8	December 9	December 21	December 8	December 8

· Security Drills

ALT	Central	Mt. Horeb	Woodland	Middle
December 1	December 5	December 22	December 12	December 12
Active Shooter	Active Shooter	Active Shooter	Active Shooter	Active Shooter
Lockdown	Lockdown	Lockdown	Lockdown	Lockdown

X. President's Remarks - Mr. Daniel Croson

Newly elected Board President Mr. Croson thanked Mr. Brezee for his service as past president.

Mr. Croson welcomed the new board members, Natalie Feuchtbaum and Scott Otto, to the board. He also congratulated Mrs. Patricia Zohn on her election as Vice President.

Mr. Croson made brief comments regarding the coming year.

XI. Superintendent’s Remarks - Dr. Matthew Mingle

Dr. Mingle thanked Mr. Brezee and Ms. Keller for their past leadership as Board president and vice-president.

Dr. Mingle congratulated Mr. Croson and Mrs. Zohn on their election as board leadership for the coming year.

Dr. Mingle congratulated new board members, Natalie Feuchtbaum and Scott Otto.

Dr. Mingle thanked all who assisted with the brief evacuation of Central School earlier today.

XII. Presentations

None

XIII. Discussion

None

XIV. Committee Reports

None

XV. 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).

● Warren Township, Mayor Victor Sordillo- Spoke on the importance of the board and the relationship between the Warren Township Committee and the Warren Township Board of Education.

● Ms. Levia Spingarn-Gabel, Skyline Drive - Thanked Mr. Brezee for his service as Board President during the prior year, and spoke about the importance of the role of Board President.

● Steve Baumgarner, Skyline Drive - Made comments regarding the Board’s election for president.

On motion by Mr. Weinstein to close public commentary, seconded by Mr. Desai, the motion was approved by a 9-0 voice vote.

XVI. Items for Board Consideration/Action

On motion by Mrs. Zohn, seconded by Mr. Weinstein, the consent items A.1., A.2., B.1., through B.6., and C.1., through C.8., were approved by a 9-0 roll-call vote.

The Superintendent recommends that it be:

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 December 19, 2022.

A.2. Bedside Instruction

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves the bedside instruction through Silvergate Prep for Student #4383537048, for an additional 2 weeks beginning December 19, 2022, at an hourly rate of $40, at a cost not to exceed $560.

B. Finance/Operations/Transportation

B.1. Payment of Bills

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the payment of bills for the period December 20, 2022 through December 31, 2022 in the amount of $1,626,515.22.

B.2. 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
Lauren Floroff	ALT	Non-Violent Crisis Intervention & Blended Certification Training	South Plainfield	Feb 2023	$4,249
Derek Ressa	District	New Jersey Association of Pupil Services Administrators - Winter Conference	Monroe Township	Jan 2023	$170

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.3. Travel Reimbursement Mileage Rate

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the reimbursement rate for district travel in a personal vehicle to be $0.47 per mile, per the New Jersey State Appropriations Act.

B.4. Purchasing Approval

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the following annual Cooperative purchasing:

● Atra Janitorial Supply Co, through Ed Data Services Bid #10425 for assorted janitorial supplies, at an amount not to exceed $200,000.

● Cablevision Lightpath - NJ, Inc. through cooperative purchasing agreement NJDRLAP through ESCNJ, for internet and voice services, at an amount not to exceed $250,000.

● Dell, through State Contract M0483, for computer equipment, peripherals and related services, at an amount not to exceed $350,000.

● School Specialty, through State Contract T0114 and various ED Data Service Bids, for school supplies, at an amount not to exceed $175,000.

● SHI International Corp, through cooperative purchasing agreement E-8801-NJSBA-ACESCPS as well as other cooperative purchasing agreements, for technology purchasing, at an amount not to exceed $200,000.

● Staples Business Advantage, through various Ed Data Services Bids, for office/computer supplies, at an amount not to exceed $100,000.

B.5. Transportation for Out-of-District Students

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves a transportation contract for the transportation of students for the 2022-2023 School Year as follows:

Host

Joiner

Destination

Route

Revenue

Warren

Long Hill Twp BOE

Various

(Sports Trips)

$75.00 per hour*

*Minimum Revenue: $200 per trip

B.6. Transportation for Out-of-District Student - 2022-2023 School Year

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the transportation contract with Somerset County Educational Services Commission for 2022-2023 School Year transportation for out-of-district student as follows:

School	Student ID #	Cost
East Mountain School	4383537048	$271.70 per diem

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

Emily Purkis

1:1 Preschool Paraprofessional, 32.5 hrs

08-35-08/boi

N/A

$27,923

On or about January 4, 2023 through June 30, 2023

New Position

C.2. Leave Request

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

Employee ID	Paid/Unpaid
#1194*	FMLA - November 28, 2022 through on or about January 20, 2023 (paid)
#3344**	FMLA - November 18, 2022 through January 9, 2023 (paid)

*(This motion supersedes previous motion from November 21, 2022)

** (This motion supersedes previous motion from November 21, 2022)

C.3. 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 January 4, 2023 through January 8, 2024, subject to ratification of the Board at its next scheduled meeting.

C.4. Substitute Teachers

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following to be appointed as substitute teachers for the 2022-2023 school year.

Name

Elisabeth Morris

Gianna Riccio

Griffin LeBlond

C.5. Warren Academy Courses - Instructor Stipend 2022-2023

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 $50.00 per hour.

Staff Member	Course	Date	Prep Hours	Instructor Hours	Cost Total Not to Exceed
Michelle Zgombic	Making Classlink Work for You!	January 31, & February 2, 2023	2	2	$200.00

C.6. Clubs/After School Activities

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following 2022-2023 after school activities/clubs, and the instructors, at the negotiated stipend rate.

Name	Club	School	Cost
Susan Cooper	Chess and Other Games of Strategy	MS	$735

C.7. WTEA Stipend Position 2022-2023

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following WTEA stipend position per the contracted rate for the 2022-2023 school year:

Name	Club/Activity
Aleksandra Wagner	Softball Coach

C.8. Approval to Create Positions

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves to create the following positions for 2022-2023 school year:

Location

Position

Full-Time Equivalent

1:1 Preschool Paraprofessional

08-35-08/bok

32.5

1:1 Preschool Paraprofessional

08-35-08/bol

32.5

● Mr. Croson asked for members to email him with their committee preferences.

XVII. Unfinished Business

None

XVIII. New Business

None

XIX. 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. Isabel Manata, Green Valley Drive - Recently moved into the district, with two students, and thanked the school community for the warm welcome. Asked questions regarding sales tax charged for school lunch, PTO food days at Warren Middle School, and the RFP process for next year’s lunch program.

● Ms. Nancy Andrews, WTEA President - Thanked Mr. Brezee for his time as a Board President last year.

● Ms. Heather Silver, Quail Run - Congratulated the new Board leadership, and thanked the old leadership for their service last year.

On motion by Mr. Weinstein to close public commentary, seconded by Mr. Desai, the motion was approved by a 9-0 voice vote.

XX. Adjourn

On motion by Msr. Zohn, seconded by Mr. Valentino, the meeting was adjourned at 7:44 p.m.

Minutes submitted by,

Christopher Heagele

Board Secretary

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