Warren Township Schools: Minutes for November 18, 2024

Minutes for November 18, 2024 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 6:30 p.m. by Board President Patricia Zohn

Open Public Meeting Statement – Mrs. Zohn 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 11, 2024. 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 – Mrs. Zohn led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

III. Roll Call

Present: Nicole Dalton, Mehul Desai, Richard Molfetta, Stephen Toor, Todd Weinstein and Patricia Zohn

Absent: Laura Keller, Scott Otto, and Ryan Valentino

Also Present: Dr. Matthew Mingle, Superintendent, Christopher Heagele, School Business Administrator, and members of the public and press.

IV. Executive Session

● At 6:32 Mr. Weinstein 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:

᪆ a matter involving the purchase, lease, or acquisition of real property with public funds,

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

᪆ material the disclosure of which constitutes an unwarranted invasion of individual privacy

Action will be taken upon return to public session;

the length of the meeting is anticipated to be approximately 60 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. Dalton and approved by a 6-0 roll-call vote

V. Return to Open Session

On motion by Mr. Weinstein, seconded by Mrs. Dalton, the Board reconvened in open session at 7:30 p.m.

VI. Minutes

● Mr. Weinstein moved the following:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the public minutes of the October 28, 2024 Board Meeting.

The motion was seconded by Mrs. Dalton and approved by a 6-0 roll-call vote.

VII. Correspondence and Information.

● Dr. Mingle reported on Board correspondence and HIB reports.

· HIB Information

Total # of Investigations:			Total # of Determined Bullying Incidents:
	2			1

· Suspension Report

In School:			Out of School:
	0			0

· Fire Drills

ALT	Central	Mt. Horeb	Woodland	Middle
October 10	October 8	October 23	October 9	October 9

· Security Drills

ALT	Central	Mt. Horeb	Woodland	Middle
October 8	October 7	October 8	October 15	October 29
Bomb Threat	Bomb Threat	Bomb Threat	Bomb Threat	Bomb Threat

VIII. President's Remarks - Mrs. Patricia Zohn

● Mrs. Zohn congratulated Mr. Valentino, Mr. Molfetta and Mrs. Granholm on their election to the board.

● Mrs. Zohn wished everyone a great Thanksgiving holiday.

IX. Superintendent’s Remarks - Dr. Matthew Mingle

● Dr. Mingle reported on the following:

○ The strategic planning process and upcoming surveys that are part of that process.

○ Special thanks to the Lions Club and Warren Township Schools staff for their assistance in the distribution of food to needy families.

○ Thanks to AlphaBest for helping with child care during past strategic planning meetings as well as their financial assistance for a community family.

X. Presentation

● Student Achievement Report - Mr. Bill Kimmick

○ Mr. Kimmick presented the 2023-2024 student achievement report as required by law.

XI. Discussion

None

XII. Committee Reports

● Curriculum and Technology Committee - No meeting

○ Stephen Toor - Chair, Mehul Desai, Rich Molfetta, Laura Keller - Alternate

● Finance, Operations, and Security Committee - No meeting

○ Patricia Zohn - Chair, Scott Otto - Vice Chair, Ryan Valentino, Rich Molfetta - Alternate

● Personnel, Negotiations, and Communication Committee - No meeting

○ Laura Keller - Chair, Nikki Dalton, Todd Weinstein, Stephen Toor - Alternate

● Ad Hoc Strategic Planning Committee - October 28, 2024

○ Laura Keller, Stephen Toor, Patricia Zohn - The report will be presented at the December 16, 2024 meeting.

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;
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).

The Board of Education welcomes and encourages input from the public. Being mindful of privacy rights regarding students and board employees and to avoid any potential liability on the part of the speaker, the board discourages references to specific individuals. While directing your comments or questions to the board president, please understand that the public comment portions of the meeting are not structured as question and answer sessions but rather are offered as opportunities for you to share your thoughts with the board. The board president may need to refer an issue to the superintendent if the particular issue has not been handled through the appropriate chain of command with the school district. However, responses may be provided at the end of this session. There are times when comments and questions will require additional fact gathering before a response is provided.

● Mildred Waale, Mt. Bethel Road - moved to next public commentary.

On motion by Mr. Desai to close public commentary, seconded by Mr. Toor, the motion was approved by a 6-0 voice vote.

XIV. Items for Board Consideration/Action

Dr. Mingle had no comments on the agenda.

On motion by Mr. Weinstein, seconded by Mr. Molfetta, the consent items A.1., A.2., A.4., A.5., B.1., through B.4., and C.1., through C.10., were approved by a 6-0 roll-call vote.

On motion by Mr. Weinstein, seconded by Mr. Toor, the consent item A.3., was approved by a 5-0-1 roll-call vote. (Mr. Desai 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 October 28, 2024.

A.2. Settlement Agreement

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves a settlement agreement and general release with the guardian of student #700523.

A.3. HIB Investigation

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education affirms the determination on November 18, 2024 regarding HIB Investigation #270250_MHS_10082024.

A.4. Student Matter

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education affirms the recommendation of the Superintendent and the special Board subcommittee regarding Student #4020600773 and approves the attached resolution.

A.5. Out of District Placement

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the tuition and transportation contracts with Somerset County ESC for 2024-2025 Regular School Year for the following student:

Student

School

Start Date

Tuition Cost

Transportation Cost

#4020600773

Somerset Academy

November 11, 2024

$390/day

(60 days)

$51.92

per diem

B. Finance/Operations/Transportation

B.1. Payment of Bills

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the payment of bills for the month of November 2024 in the amount of $3,131,874.23.

B.2. Student Transportation - SCESC

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the transportation contract with Somerset County ESC during the 2024-2025 School Year as follows:

School	Student ID #	Transportation Cost (60 days)
Angelo L. Tomaso School	4376622801	$112.89 per diem

B.3. Sale/Disposal of Obsolete Items

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education declares as obsolete the following items:

Item

Description

Identification Number

Truck #4

2013 Ford Dump Truck with plow and salter

VIN #:

1FDUF5HT4DEB90661

B.4. High Impact Tutoring Grant Award Acceptance

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education accepts the adjusted New Jersey High Impact Tutoring Reissue Competitive Grant award to the amount of $124,344. (*This motion supersedes previous motion from July 22, 2024.)

C. Personnel/Student Services

C.1. Employment for the 2024-2025 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	Base Salary	Stipend	Salary	Effective Date	Tenure	Discussion
Sydney Lynn	Special Education Teacher	ALT	MA+30	8	$83,550	$0	$83,550	On or around January 2, 2025 through June 30, 2025	Yes	Replacing Employee #2954
Nicole Sharkey*	Leave Replacement - ASAP Math	ALT	MA+30	5	$79,248	$0	$79,248	November 22, 2024 through April 11, 2025	No	Replacing Employee #3679
Daniel Ring	1:1 Paraprofessional (32.5 hours)	CS	N/A	2	$29,884	$2,000	$31,884	December 2, 2024 through June 30, 2025	No	New Position

*(This motion supersedes the previous motion from October 28, 2024)

C.2. Substitute Teacher

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following to be appointed as a substitute teacher for the 2024-2025 school year.

Name

Sitwat Mir

C.3. Long Term Substitute

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following Long Term Substitute:

Name	Dates	Employee #
Darcy Passaro	*September 16, 2024 through November 20, 2024	#2954

(*This motion supersedes the motion from September 16, 2024)

C.4. Leave Request

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

Employee ID	Paid/Unpaid
#3223	Administrative Leave - May 31, 2024 through December 16, 2024 (Paid) (This motion supersedes the previous motion from October 28, 2024)
#3580	FMLA - October 8, 2024 through November 1, 2024 (Paid) (This motion supersedes the previous motion from September 16, 2024)
#2055	FMLA - August 27, 2024 through November 15, 2024 (Paid) Extended Leave - November 18, 2024 through June 30, 2025 (Paid) (This motion supersedes the previous motion from October 28, 2024)
#3384	FMLA - December 4, 2024 through January 15, 2025 (Paid)
#3832	FMLA - March 21, 2025 through April 25, 2025 (AM) (Paid) FMLA - April 25, 2025 (PM) through May 16, 2025 (Unpaid) NJFLA - May 19, 2025 through June 30, 2025 (Unpaid)

C.5. Retirement/Resignation

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

of the following staff:

Name

Position

Location

Retirement/

Resignation

Dates of Service

Dana Weber

Leave Replacement - Multi-Duty Paraprofessional

(30 hours)

ALT

Resignation

August 27, 2024

through

November 27, 2024

Lisa Cohen

1:1 Paraprofessional (32.5 hours)

Resignation

September 2, 2022 through

November 27, 2024

C.6. Clubs/After School Activities

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following 2024-2025 after school club and instructor at the negotiated stipend rate.

Name	Club	School	Cost
Beth Alcaraz	Math Kangaroo	CS	$1470

C.7. Warren Academy Courses - Instructor Stipend 2024-2025

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
Beth Alcaraz	Differentiation in the classroom	December 9, 2024	1	1	$100
Cynthia Cassidy	Using Canva to Support SEL	January 9, 2025	3	1	$200
Cynthia Cassidy	Canva Make and Take	January 16, 2025	1	1	$100
Cynthia Cassidy	Canva for the Intermediate/ Advanced User	January 30, 2025	3	1	$200
Ann Marie Christou	Battle Brackets	December 11, 2024	3	1	$200
Ann Marie Christou	Cooperative Learning Old School Style	January 6, 2025	3	1	$200
Susan Cooper	Mnemonic devices to improve student memory	December 3 & 4, 2024	2	1	$150
Francesca Frosoni	Being a Reader: Conference	December 10, 2024	3	1	$200
Kristen Stoyanov	Classroom Management	December 16, 2024	1	1	$100
MaryEllen Weaver	Meditation for Middle School Educators: Deep Stress Relief and Renewal	December 2, 2024	3	1	$200

C.8. WTEA Stipend Position for 2024-2025

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following WTEA stipend per the contracted rate for the 2024-2025 school year.

Position	Name
Boys Basketball B	Angel Menendez

C.9. Approval of Inservice Day Presenters

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following November 5, 2024 Inservice Day presenters at the WTEA contractual rate for prep per employee for a total cost not to exceed $2,200.00.

Names
Nichole Kaller	Marylin Orejuela	Jaclyn Cohen
Rebecca Hartman	Lyndsay Carroll	Francesca Frosoni
Cynthia Cassidy	Kristen Stoyanov	Patricia Iannacone

(*This motion supersedes previous motion from October 28, 2024)

C.10. Extended Day Coordinators

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the adjusted Extended Day Coordinators stipend in the indicated schools, to be paid commensurate with building program funding sources.The total cost not to exceed $12,000 and to be fully funded by Federal Grants.

Names	School	Amount
MaryBeth Greco	ALT	$4,000
Linda Yu	WMS	$4,000
Cristina Trump	MTH	$4,000

D. Policy

D.1. Policies – Second Reading

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the second reading and adoption of the following policies:

Number	Name	New/Revision	Source of Changes
0145	Board Member Resignation and Removal	R	Board

XV. Unfinished Business

● None

XVI. New Business

● None

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;

● Mildred Waale, Mt. Bethel Road - Commented on school expansion. Asked if the district considered adding onto existing buildings, instead of building a new school building, to save on administrative staff costs.

On motion by Mr. Weinstein to close public commentary, seconded by Mr. Toor, the motion was approved by a 6-0 voice vote.

In response to the public comment period, Mrs. Zohn briefly discussed the Board’s planning as it relates to increasing enrollment. Mrs. Zohn encouraged the commentor to participate in the upcoming Strategic Planning meetings.

XVIII. Adjourn

On motion by Mr. Weinstein, seconded by Mr. Molfetta, the meeting was adjourned at 8:11 p.m.

Minutes submitted by,

Christopher Heagele

Board Secretary

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