Warren Township Schools: Minutes for November 17, 2025

Minutes for November 17, 2025 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 9, 2025. 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, Bridget Granholm, Laura Keller, Richard Molfetta,

Stephen Toor, Todd Weinstein and Patricia Zohn

Absent: Scott Otto and Ryan Valentino

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

IV. Minutes

● Ms. Keller moved the following:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the public minutes of the October 27, 2025 Board Meeting.

The motion was seconded by Mr. Weinstein and approved by a 7-0 roll-call vote.

V. Correspondence and Information

● Dr. Mingle reported on one HIB.

· HIB Information

Total # of Investigations:			Total # of Determined Bullying Incidents:
	1			0

· Suspension Report

In School:			Out of School:
	0			0

· Fire Drills

ALT	Central	Mt. Horeb	Woodland	Middle
October 31	October 3	October 29	October 3	October 24

· Security Drills

ALT	Central	Mt. Horeb	Woodland	Middle
October 17	October 14	October 22	October 22	October 14
Lockdown	Lockdown	Lockdown	Lockdown	Lockdown

VI. President's Remarks – Mrs. Patricia Zohn

● Mrs. Zohn report on:

○ District retirements, and wished both retiring staff members congratulations.

○ The recent food, clothing and supplies drive, which was coordinated by district staff.

VII. Superintendent’s Remarks – Dr. Matthew Mingle

● Dr. Mingle reported on the recent food, clothing, and supplies drive. He mentioned that all resources will be distributed locally in Warren.

VIII. Presentations

● None

IX. Discussion

● 2026-2027 Calendar - Mrs. Dalton reported on the ad hoc calendar committee meeting. She reported on the specifics of the proposed 2026-27 calendar. The committee recommended Option 2B-SB. Dr. Mingle reported that the identification of snow day give back days was very important to the school PTO presidents. Mrs. Zohn opened up a discussion of the full board. A brief discussion followed. The calendar committee recommendation will be on the next board agenda for adoption.

X. Reports of Board Members Appointed to External Assignments 2025

● New Jersey School Board Association Delegate Assembly

○ Patricia Zohn, and Richard Molfetta, alternate

● Somerset County Educational Services Commission

○ Nicole Dalton and Stephen Toor, alternate

■ Mrs. Dalton reported that the SCESC Superintendent reported on the SCESC goals for 2025-26 at the board’s most recent meeting.

● Watchung Hills Municipal Alliance Committee

○ Bridget Granholm and Ryan Valentino, alternate

● Warren Township Opioid Advisory Committee

○ Bridget Granholm

● Watchung Hills Shared Services/Regionalization Study Advisory Committee

○ Patricia Zohn and Todd Weinstein

XI. Committee Reports

● Curriculum and Technology Committee - September 29, 2025

○ Stephen Toor - Chair, Bridget Granholm, Rich Molfetta, Laura Keller - Alternate

■ Mrs. Granholm reported that the committee reviewed the 2025-26 goals, reviewed the 2024-25 testing results,and discussed upcoming changes to state testing.

● Finance, Operations, and Security Committee - November 10, 2025

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

■ Mrs. Zohn reported that the committee met to discuss an unanticipated and significant increase in health insurance costs. Also, the committee reviewed district capital projects, and recommended several projects for approval, which are on this board agenda (Motions B.2., B.3., B.4., and B.5.)

● Personnel, Negotiations, and Communication Committee - October 27, 2025

○ Laura Keller - Chair, Nicole Dalton, Todd Weinstein, Patricia Zohn - Alternate

■ Ms. Keller reported that the Personnel Committee met to discuss outside organization outreach by board members. This is the board’s only goal for the 2025-26 school year. The committee also viewed a district marketing video that was donated by Weiniger Realty.

● Planning for Growth Working Group - October 28, 2025

○ Patricia Zohn, Laura Keller

■ Ms. Keller reported that the Planning for Growth Group met to discuss facility tours and the Watchung Hills Regional High School feasibility study. The group also heard a report of the district’s demographer.

● Ad Hoc Calendar Committee - October 16, 2025 & November 10, 2025

○ Ryan Valentino - Chair, Nicole Dalton, Bridget Granholm, Stephen Toor - Mrs. Dalton comments were reported earlier in the 2026-27 Calendar discussion section.

● Ad Hoc Regionalization/Shared Services Committee - No Meeting

○ Patricia Zohn - Chair, Laura Keller, Rich Molfetta, Todd Weinstein

XII. 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).

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.

● None

On motion by Mr. Weinstein to close public commentary, seconded by Mr. Toor, the motion was approved by a 7-0 voice vote.

XIII. Items for Board Consideration/Action

Dr. Mingle thanked the HIB Director and HIB Coordinators in all buildings.

On motion by Ms. Keller, seconded by Mr. Toor, the consent items A.1., through A.4., B.1., through B.8., C.1., through C.11., D.1., and D.2., were approved by a 7-0 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 October 27, 2025.

A.2. HIB Self-Assessment

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the HIB Self-Assessment for the 2024-2025 school year.

A.3. Fieldwork Site

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following supervised clinical fieldwork at Warren Township Board of Education for the 2025-2026 School Year:

School	Clinical Field
Seton Hall University	School Counseling

A.4. Home Instruction

RESOLVED, the Board of Education approves home instruction as follows:

Student ID	Provider	Start Date	Amount
8750667428	Educational Services Commission	November 12, 2025	Not to exceed $5,700
6706835165	WTBOE Teacher - $50 per hour, up to 10 hours per week	November 17, 2025	Not to exceed $3,000
6082530540	EI, US LLC (LearnWell)	November 10, 2025	Not to exceed $6,048

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 2025 in the amount of $5,506,422.50.

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
Matthew Mingle	District	2026 School Law Conference	Edison	Feb 2026	$191
Matthew Mingle	District	New Jersey Techspo 2026	Atlantic City	Jan 2026	$1,164
William Kimmick	District	New Jersey Techspo 2026	Atlantic City	Jan 2026	$1,164
Lance Riegler	Technology	New Jersey Techspo 2026	Atlantic City	Jan 2026	$1,093
Amy Jensen	WMS	2026 New Jersey Music Educators Association State Conference	Atlantic City	Feb 2026	$578
Michelle Barbagallo	MTH	American Occupational Therapy Association Speciality Conference: Children and Youth	Charlotte, NC	Dec 2025	$420
Thea Moore	MTH	American Occupational Therapy Association Speciality Conference: Children and Youth	Charlotte, NC	Dec 2025	$420

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. Approval of Interior Door Replacement Project (Angelo L. Tomaso, Mt. Horeb and Warren Middle Schools) Bid Award

WHEREAS, a recommendation was made by the Superintendent of Schools to the Warren Township Board of Education (“Board") to seek a contract for construction services for the Interior Door Replacement Projects at Angelo L. Tomaso, Mt. Horeb and Warren Middle Schools.

(hereinafter “Project”); and

WHEREAS, the Project was properly advertised to prospective bidders in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-4; and

WHEREAS, on Thursday, October 30, 2025, the Board received the following bids from potential bidders in accordance with N.J.S.A.18A:18A-1, et seq.;

Vendor	Base	Alternate 1	Total
C&M Door Controls, Inc.	$1,600,000.00	$92,000.00	$1,692,000.00
D&E Window and Door, LLC	$1,820,952.00	$92,833.00	$1,913,785.00
Kaneo Systems, Inc.	$1,403,033.00	$58,600.00	$1,461,633.00

The low bidder, Kaneo Systems, Inc., made a mathematical error and requested to withdraw their bid.

WHEREAS, C&M Door Controls, Inc. bid has been reviewed by the design professionals and attorney and is the lowest and is responsive to the bid requirements for the Project,

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board hereby awards the Project to C&M Door Controls, Inc. one million six hundred ninety two thousand dollars ($1,692,000.00). This contract and all of the project’s professional and ancillary fees are to be paid from the district’s capital project fund monies.

B.4. Approval of Public Address System and Strobe Light Upgrades at Central School Bid Award

WHEREAS, a recommendation was made by the Superintendent of Schools to the Warren Township Board of Education (“Board") to seek a contract for construction services for the Public Address System and Strobe Light Upgrades at Central School (hereinafter “Project”); and

WHEREAS, the Project was properly advertised to prospective bidders in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-4; and

WHEREAS, on Thursday, October 30, 2025, the Board received the following bids from potential bidders in accordance with N.J.S.A.18A:18A-1, et seq.;

Vendor	Total
Technotime Business Solutions, LLC	$609,693.96
Power With Prestige Inc.	$478,000.00
Signal Electric Corporation	$420,000.00
Coskey Electronic Systems, LLC	$306,878.00

WHEREAS, Coskey Electronic Systems’ bid has been reviewed by the design professionals and attorney and is the lowest and is responsive to the bid requirements for the Project,

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board hereby awards the Project to Coskey Electronic Systems, LLC for three hundred six thousand eight hundred seventy eight dollars ($306,878.00). This contract and all of the project’s professional and ancillary fees are to be paid from the district’s capital project fund monies.

B.5. Proposal - Woodland Restroom Addition Phase II Project Services

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves an agreement with Parette Somjen Architect for architectural services on the Woodland School restroom addition - Phase II, not to exceed $17,340.

B.6. State Application for Warren Township Board of Education for the Restroom Alteration & Renovation at Woodland Elementary School

WHEREAS, The Board of Education of Warren Township in the County of Somerset, NJ (the “Board”), would like to proceed with a school facilities project consisting generally of Restroom Alteration/Renovation in the existing all-purpose room kitchenette at Woodland Elementary School:

WHEREAS, the Board now seeks to take steps in order to proceed with the Project:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, In accordance with the requirement of Section 6A:26-3 of the New Jersey Administrative Code, the Board hereby approves all plans prepared in connection with the Project and the Board

further authorizes the submission of the same to their County Superintendent of Schools and the New Jersey Department of Education for approval by Parette Somjen Architects. This project is designated “Capital Reserve”

and the Board is not seeking state funding.

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Board hereby authorizes, if necessary, the amendment to its Long-Range Facilities Plan in order to reflect the proposed Project.

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the School Administration and such other officers and agents of the Board as are necessary, including the Board attorney, bond counsel and architect, are hereby authorized to

perform such other acts, to execute such other documents and to do such other things as are necessary to implement the determination of the Board set forth in this resolution, including the submission of Information to the

New Jersey Department of Education as applicable to the proposed Project.

B.7. Student Transportation - Berkeley Heights Public Schools

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the transportation contract with Berkeley Heights Public Schools during the 2025-2026 School Year as follows:

School	Student ID #	Transportation Cost (Per Diem)
Columbia Middle School	9623171219	$83.80

School

Student ID #

Transportation Cost

(Per Diem)

Columbia Middle School

9623171219

$83.80

B.8. Sale/Disposal of Obsolete Vehicles

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

Year	Model	Vin Number
2011	Dodge Caravan	2DRN4DG4BR779258
2013	Chevy Bus	1GB3G3BG2C1176491
2007	Dodge Caravan	1D4GP25E07B239740
2007	Dodge Caravan	1D4GP45R57B114666

C. Personnel/Student Services

C.1. Employment for the 2025-2026 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	Total Salary	Effective Date	Tenure	Discussion
Sumathi Srinivasan	1:1 Paraprofessional (12.5 Hours)	WMS	N/A	1	$11,515	$0	$11,515	October 28, 2025 through June 30, 2026	No	New Position
Enrique Limbo	Skilled Maintenance Mechanic	District	N/A	N/A	$52,500	$0	$52,500	On or about November 17, 2025 through June 30, 2026	No	Replacing Employee #3756
Heather Debnarik	1:1 Paraprofessional (30 Hours)	MTH	N/A	5	$29,615	$3,800	$33,415	November 18, 2025 through June 30, 2026	No	New Position

C.2. Retirement/Resignation

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

of the following staff:

Name

Position

Location

Retirement/

Resignation

Dates of Service

Lisa Carlson

Special Education Teacher

WMS

Retirement

September 1, 2001 through June 30, 2026

Michelle Roth

1:1 Paraprofessional

(32.5 Hours)

Retirement

March 21, 2005 through June 30, 2026

C.3. Leave Request

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

Employee ID	Paid/Unpaid
#2414	FMLA - February 18, 2026, through April 10, 2026 (Paid) NJFLA - April 13, 2026, through May 29, 2026 (Unpaid)
#2051	Intermittent FMLA - October 24, 2025, through June 30, 2026 (Paid)
#3440	FMLA - October 27, 2025, through November 17, 2025 (Paid) FMLA - November 18, 2025, through January 7, 2026 (Unpaid)

C.4. Approval to Create Positions

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the creation of the following positions for 2025-2026 school year.

Location

Position

Full-Time Equivalent

MTH

1:1 Paraprofessional

(30 Hours)

1.0

C.5. Shared Services Pay

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves Katherine Gorski to act as Public Relations Specialist for Watchung Hills Regional School District and to receive compensation at an hourly rate of $40.79 for work performed outside of contractual hours. This agreement is effective for the period September 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.

C.6. Warren Academy Courses - Instructor Stipend 2025-2026

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
Myranda Shimko	Break out of the routine with Breakout EDU	January 8, 2026	3	1	$200
Cynthia Cassidy	Get to Know Khanmigo	February 12, 2026	1	1	$100
Cynthia Cassidy	Incorporating Choice in the Middle School Classroom	December 10, 2025	3	1	$200*

(*This motion supersedes the previous motion approved on October 27, 2025.)

C.7. Substitute Custodian and Substitute Maintenance

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following to be appointed as a substitute custodian and substitute maintenance for the 2025-2026 school year.

Name

Jonathan Hold

C.8. WTEA Stipend Position

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following WTEA stipend position per the contracted rate for the 2025-2026 school year:

Name	Position
James Zilinski	Boys Basketball Coach

C.9. Long Term Substitute

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

Name	Dates	Employee #
Juliana Porcelli	November 17, 2025, through January 7, 2026	#3440
Darcy Passaro	December 2, 2025, through February 6, 2026	#3399

C.10. Summer Fun Positions - 2026

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the following Summer Fun/ESY 2026 positions.

Name	Position	Location	Salary
Jessica Decelle	Summer Fun/ESY Principal/Supervisor	District	$15,914
Kristen Stoyanov	Summer Fun/ESY Assistant Principal	District	$10,609
Jaclyn Johnson	Summer Fun/ESY Secretary	District	$4,000

C.11. Employment Rescission

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education rescinds the appointment of Francisca Orellana-Monge as Bus Monitor for Warren Township Schools, effective November 17, 2025.

D. Policy

D.1. Policies – First Reading

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the first reading of the following policies:

Number	Name	New/Revision	Source of Changes
P2530	Resource Materials	R	SEA
P2535	Library Material	N	SEA
P9130	Public Complaints	R	SEA

D.2. Regulation – First Reading

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approves the first reading of the following regulation:

Number	Name	New/Revision	Source of Changes
R2535	Library Material	N	SEA

XIV. Unfinished Business

● None

XV. New Business

● None

XVI. Public Commentary (any topic)

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;

● None

On motion by Mr. Weinstein to close public commentary, seconded by Mr. Toor , the motion was approved by a 7-0 voice vote.

XVII. Adjourn

On motion by Ms. Keller, seconded by Mr. Toor, the meeting was adjourned at 6:55 p.m.

Minutes submitted by,

Christopher Heagele

Board Secretary

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