The regular meeting of the Great Meadows Regional Board of Education was held on Monday, August 23, 2004, at Great Meadows Middle School, Independence Township. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM by Glenn Williams, President. A statement was read that adequate notice of the meeting had been given in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
Flag salute.
ROLL CALL:
Present: Helene Armstrong, Susan Cullen, Amy
Dieteman, Peggy Faulborn, Robert Jones, Joe Mahal, Cynthia Russo, Steve
Tierney, and Glenn Williams.
Absent: None
There were 25 members of the
public in attendance.
Motion by Bob Jones, seconded by Amy Dieteman, to
approve the minutes for June 14, 2004, June 28, 2004 and July 12, 2004.
Motion carried in a voice vote – motion carried.
(Mahal and Russo abstained June 14, 2004 minutes)
(Cullen and Faulborn abstained June 28, 2004
minutes)
(Cullen and Faulborn abstained July 12, 2004
minutes)
Motion by Amy Dieteman, seconded by Helene
Armstrong, to approve the executive session minutes for June 14, 2004.
Motion carried in a voice vote – motion carried.
(Mahal and Russo abstained)
Motion by Amy Dieteman, seconded by Peggy Faulborn,
to accept the Financial Report of the Secretary and Treasurer for the months
ending June 30, 2004 and July 31, 2004, as per copies attached and to certify
that as of June 30, 2004 and July 31, 2004, after review of the Secretary=s monthly financial report
(appropriations section) and upon consultation with the appropriate district
officials, that to the best of my knowledge, no major account or fund has been
overexpended in violation of NJAC 6:20-2.12(e) and that sufficient funds are
available to meet the district=s financial obligations for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Roll call vote - Yes: Armstrong, Cullen, Dieteman,
Faulborn, Jones, Mahal, Russo, Tierney, Williams.
No: None
Motion by Amy Dieteman, seconded by Susan Cullen, to
approve the bills from July 9, 2004 through August 18, 2004 in the amount of
$655,050.73.
Motion carried in a voice vote – unanimous.
Dr. Tracey Severns, Superintendent’s Update:
Kathleen Koops’ first day in the District was August
16, 2004. Due to the significant amount of time that she spent with Jim Alercia
prior to this date, only one day of overlap was necessary to facilitate a
smooth transition. Mr. Alercia is to be
commended for the outstanding efforts that he put forth to prepare Central
School to be placed in the capable hands of the new principal.
It is my great pleasure to recommend Ernest Batha as
the new Principal of Liberty School.
Mr. Batha emerged from the Central School search as a very strong
candidate whose experience, expertise and personal attributes were considered
an excellent match for Liberty School.
I have enclosed his resume in this packet for your reference and
review. I have asked him to attend
Monday’s meeting in order to provide the Board and the public with an
opportunity to meet, greet and ask him questions. We will need to finalize his offer and confirm his candidacy in
Executive Session. If all goes well,
Franklin may be willing to release him from his contract so that he can start
with us before Alice leaves.
The middle school principal search process is
currently underway. First round
interviews are scheduled for Thursday, August 19, 2004. The interview committee is comprised of two
parents, two teachers, one support staff, two administrators and two board of
education members. Candidates will be
interviewed using a panel format.
Successful prospects will be forwarded to a second round, which will be
scheduled at the interview committee’s earliest convenience. If none of the candidates warrant further
consideration, we will re-advertise the position. If we are still unable to find a strong candidate, we will enlist
the services of an Interim Principal on a full or part time basis.
The maintenance and cleaning of each school building
is progressing according to schedule.
Bill Fancher will conduct a walk through with each principal prior to
the opening of school.
The radon mitigation projects have been
completed. Final testing will be
conducted within the next two weeks.
The NJASK3 results arrived the week of August 16th. A preliminary analysis of the results
indicates strong performance in both mathematics and language arts. The individual student profiles will be
mailed to parents and guardians within the next three weeks. It should be noted that the State of NJ has
classified this test as a “benchmark assessment,” which means that although Districts
will receive results, the information will not be included in the NCLB adequate
yearly progress (AYP) calculations.
During the last several weeks, Mr. Bing has
facilitated a curriculum development work session and several professional
development workshops. On behalf of the
District, I would like to thank the teachers who volunteered their time to
attend the training sessions and Mr. Bing for taking the initiative to plan and
facilitate this important work.
Public Comment regarding agenda items:
Bill Vonder Haar, Liberty resident, asked why
teachers were paid a stipend for a volunteer curriculum workshop? He was told
the stipend for curriculum listed in the agenda was a mandatory workshop that
the teachers were paid for. There are other workshops where attendance is on a
volunteer basis.
Bob Pace, Independence resident, asked who are the
parents on the middle school principal search committee? He also asked if the salaries for the new
principals are higher than the current principals salaries? He was told no they
are lower. He stated we need to pay more to get someone more qualified and
stated we could pay more to the Middle School Principal by getting rid of the
Vice-Principal at the Middle School. He also asked what is tenure. He was told
3 years and 1 day of consecutive employment.
Mrs. Freidan, Independence resident, stated that
when Great Meadows Regional had money left over in the budget in June,
shouldn’t it have gone to the surplus? She was told part of that money was used
to purchase textbooks.
Kim Newton, Independence resident, stated that she
heard there isn’t enough money for the 5th grade social studies
books. She was told that priorities were listed and materials bought to make
budgeting money stretch as far as possible.
Ms. Budzinski, Independence resident, stated administration
is always defending Mr. Nittel, why not recommend him for principal? She was
told the position of Vice-Principal was being defended because it is required
at the Middle School and if Mr. Nittel wanted to apply for the Principal
position he could do that, but he is not interested in applying. Ms. Budzinski
would like to know how you get on the committee to select the principal? She
was told the parent organizations were contacted.
Mr. Pace asked how many people applied for the
principal positions? He was told 41 of which 12 were asked to come in to be
interviewed; 9 responded, 1 pulled out. After the 8 interviews, it was narrowed
down to 2 candidates.
Ernest Batha, final candidate for Liberty School
Principal, came to sit at the Board table and explained a bit about himself and
then answered questions from the Board Members and the Public.
Motion by Peggy Faulborn, seconded by Amy Dieteman, to approve student #021588 for Warren County Special Services Summer Program from July 1, 2004 through August 12, 2004 for the tuition cost of $3,860.
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Motion by Cindy Russo, seconded by Amy Dieteman, to approve a contract with the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired for Level I services for student #122992 effective September 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005 at a cost of $1,035.
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Upon recommendation of the Superintendent, motion by Bob Jones, seconded by Amy Dieteman, to approve the following providers at their respective rates for the 2004-2005 school year:
Allison
Peck, Hope, NJ, Physical Therapist, $72 per hour
Anna
Nierenberg, Occupational Therapist, $86 per hour
Therapeutic Rehab. Services, Branchburg, NJ
Kathleen
DiFebo, Occupational Therapist, $62 per hour
Occupational Therapy Service, Bangor, PA
Motion
carried in a voice vote – motion carried.
(Tierney
– abstained)
Motion by Amy Dieteman, seconded by Bob Jones, to approve Great Meadows Regional School District join the Hunterdon County Educational Services Commission to obtain cooperative pricing for #2 fuel oil for the 2004-2005 school year and award a contract to low bidder Petroleum Traders, Ft. Wayne, IN at their bid margin of .0724.
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Three bids were received on July 12, 2004, for the transportation of nine high school special education students to Warren County VoTech and Warren County Special Services School District, ARC campus, for the 2004-2005 school year. These routes will be part of a transportation jointure with Oxford, Warren Hills and Hackettstown School Districts.
Motion by Amy Dieteman, seconded by Peggy Faulborn, to accept the bids received as attached and award contracts as listed:
VT# 1 – Snyder Bus Company, Washington, NJ
$17,280 annual with an increase/decrease per mile
adjustment of $1.90
VT# 2 – A. Morris Scott Jr. Inc., Belvidere, NJ
$12,960 annual with an increase/decrease per mile
adjustment of $1.89
VT# 3 - A. Morris Scott Jr. Inc., Belvidere, NJ
$6,480 annual with an increase/decrease per mile
adjustment of $1.89
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Upon recommendation of the Superintendent, motion by Bob Jones, seconded by Steve Tierney, to approve the stipend of $180 to each of the following teachers as compensation for their participation in a K-5 curriculum revision workshop held Tuesday, July 27, 2004, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm with an hour for lunch (6 hours x $30 per hour = $180) at Liberty School as per the Great Meadows Regional Board Of Education/Great Meadows Regional Education Association negotiated contract:
Judy
Arnold Carol Gibson Eileen Romagnoli
Amy
Broxton Dana Gruszecki Charlotte Sliver
Chris
Caufield Ellen Gulini Liz Szamreta
Joanne
Coppola Jen Koster Sandy Vliet
Lois
Davis Anne Lisk Laurie Washburn
Jen
DeLorenzo Barbara Miller Judy Williams
Kristine
Doty Kara Nagurney Barbara Wohlgemuth
Gayle
Evans Phyllis Pezzato
MaryAnn
Gatyas Mary Redus
Motion
carried in a voice vote – motion carried.
(Williams
– abstained)
Three bids were received on August 9, 2004 for the transportation of eight high school special education students to the Midland School in North Branch, NJ and to Hunterdon Learning Center in Califon, NJ, for the 2004-2005 school year.
Motion by Susan Cullen, seconded by Steve Tierney, to accept the bids received as attached and award contracts as listed:
Midland
School –
A. Morris Scott Jr. Inc., Belvidere, NJ
$29,520 annual with an increase/decrease per mile
adjustment of $1.89
Hunterdon
Learning Center –
A. Morris Scott Jr. Inc., Belvidere, NJ
$24,840 annual with an increase/decrease per mile
adjustment of $1.89
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Motion by Amy Dieteman, seconded by Helene Armstrong,
to approve aid-in-lieu of transportation payments to the parents of the Great
Meadows Regional School District students attending the following non-public
schools at a rate of $771 per student during the 2004-2005 school year as per
attached list:
American
Christian School – Succasunna, NJ
Bayley-Ellard
High School – Madison, NJ
Blair
Academy – Blairstown, NJ
Delbarton
School – Morristown, NJ 07960
Friendship
Center – Hackettstown, NJ
Garden
State Academy – Tranquility, NJ
Good
Shepherd Christian Academy – Washington, NJ
Morris
Catholic High School – Denville, NJ
Northwest
Christian School – Newton, NJ
Notre
Dame Elementary – East Stroudsburg, PA
Parsippany
Christian School – Parsippany, NJ
Pope
John XXIII High School – Sparta, NJ
St
Michael’s School – Netcong, NJ
Tranquility
Adventist School – Tranquility, NJ
Motion
carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Motion by Helene Armstrong, seconded by Steve Tierney, to approve providing transportation to Great Meadows Regional School District students attending St. Mary’s School, Hackettstown, NJ on District High School routes during the 2004-2005 school year as per attached list.
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Motion by Amy Dieteman, seconded by Cindy Russo, to approve the resolution titled “Resolution for Participation in Joint Transportation” to provide Special Education Transportation effective September 1, 2004, through June 30, 2005, via Sussex County Regional Cooperative.
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Motion by Amy Dieteman, seconded by Peggy Faulborn, whereas, the Board must consider matters involving personnel, the deliberation of such matters may be held in private under the Open Public Meeting Act NJSA 10:4-6, the Board will adjourn to Executive Session at 8:50 PM to discuss the above mentioned matter, to the exclusion of all others. If any action results, it will be taken following the re-entry into regular session.
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Motion by Peggy Faulborn, seconded by Helene Armstrong, to re-enter regular session at 9:10 PM.
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Upon recommendation of the Superintendent, motion by
Bob Jones, seconded by Peggy Faulborn, to approve the following hours and
annual salary for cafeteria staff from September 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005:
Sally
Van Syckle - 7:30am - 1:00pm
5.5 hours x $12.00 per hour x 168 days = $11,088.00
Carol
Dugans - 10:00am -1:00pm
3 hours x $10.49 per hour x 168 days =
$5,286.96
Virginia
Brenner - 11:00am -1:00pm
2 hours x $9.72 per hour x 168 days =
$3,265.92
Barbara
Mrozinski - 7:30am - 1:00pm
5.5 hours x $10.49 per hour x 168 days = $9,692.76
Kim
Carswell - 8:00am - 1:00pm
5 hrs x $10.03 per hour x 168 days =
$8,425.20
Anna
Letsak - 10:00am - 1:00pm
3 hours x $11.03 per hour x 168 days =
$5,559.12
Leslee
Carolan - 8:00am -1:00pm
5 hours x $10.21 per hour x 171 days = $8,729.55
Debra
Herb - 8:00am -1:00pm
5 hrs x $9.40 per hour x 171 days =
$8,037.00
Upon recommendation of the Superintendent, motion by Bob Jones, seconded by Cindy Russo, to offer a contract to Ernest Batha as Liberty School Principal effective September 20, 2004 through June 30, 2004 at the annual salary of $72,000 pro-rated to $56,700 plus 2.5% Tax Sheltered Annuity of $1,417.50 providing employee matches contribution of $1,417.50 plus medical, prescription and dental benefits.
Roll call vote - Yes: Armstrong, Cullen, Dieteman,
Faulborn, Jones, Mahal, Russo, Tierney, Williams.
No: None
Upon recommendation of the Superintendent, motion by Peggy Faulborn, seconded by Amy Dieteman, to accept, with regret, the resignations of the following teachers effective as soon as a replacement is found or 60 days, as per negotiated contract.
Corrine Isak – 8th Grade
Resource Teacher
Thomas Mertus – MD Class Teacher – Liberty
School
Cynthia Rasavage-Heller – 6th
Grade Resource Teacher
Motion
carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Upon recommendation of the Superintendent, motion by Cindy Russo, seconded by Helene Armstrong, to offer a contract to Debbie Rutcosky as Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant (LDTC) from September 1, 2004 through June 30, 2004 (183 days plus 7 additional days) at the annual salary of $59,500 including medical, prescription and dental benefits.
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Upon recommendation of the Superintendent, motion by
Amy Dieteman, seconded by Peggy Faulborn, to offer a contract to Erin Daly as
Special Education Teacher at Great Meadows Middle School from September 1, 2004
through June 30, 2004 at step 2 BS at the annual salary of $38,959 including
medical, prescription and dental benefits.
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Upon recommendation of the Superintendent, motion by
Helene Armstrong, seconded by Steve Tierney, to approve the attached list of
substitutes in addition to Christine Nary and Megan Wolfgang for the 2004-2005
school year:
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Upon recommendation of the Superintendent, motion by
Cindy Russo, seconded by Helene Armstrong, to offer a contract to the following
as cafeteria aides for the 2004-2005 school year:
Susan Howell – $8.50 x 2 hours per day x 168 days =
$2,856.00
Susan Lechner – $8.50 x 2 hours per day x 168 days =
$2,856.00
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Upon recommendation of the Superintendent, motion by
Amy Dieteman, seconded by Helene Armstrong, to offer a contract to Dami Panasis
as a special education aide in the Pre-school Disabilities class at Liberty
School for the 2004-2005 school year at the annual salary of $10,500 without
benefits.
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Upon recommendation of the
Superintendent, motion by Amy Dieteman, seconded by Peggy Faulborn, to suspend
Policy #3420, entitled Employee Benefits, for the purpose of providing benefits
for employees Elsa Calderon, Thomas Schepis and Israel Marmolejos who are
employed as long-term substitutes until receipt of their certificate of
eligibility.
Motion carried in a voice vote
- unanimous.
Upon recommendation of the
Superintendent, motion by Peggy Faulborn, seconded by Amy Dieteman, to accept,
with regret, the resignation of Erin Townley, School Psychologist, with her
final day as October 22, 2004, or sooner if a replacement can be found.
Motion carried in a voice vote
- unanimous.
Upon recommendation of the
Superintendent, motion by Peggy Faulborn, seconded by Susan Cullen, to offer a
contract to Jeffrey Rosequist as 7th Grade Language Arts Teacher at
the Middle School at Step 4 BS at the annual salary of $39,559 plus medical,
dental and prescription benefits.
Motion carried in a voice vote
– motion carried.
(Cullen & Russo – opposed)
Motion by Bob Jones, seconded
by Amy Dieteman, to authorize Dr. Tracey Severns, Superintendent, to hire any
other staff members needed before the next Board Meeting.
Motion carried in a voice vote
- unanimous.
Motion by Peggy Faulborn,
seconded by Amy Dieteman, to contract with Village Bus Company on an emergency
basis for the new Central School Bus Route #8.
Motion carried in a voice vote
- unanimous.
Other Public Comments:
Diane Bourland, Independence resident, asked if class sizes will be smaller this year? She was told yes. She stated she was happy to hear this.
Motion by Amy Dieteman, seconded by Helene Armstrong, to adjourn at 9:47 PM.
Motion carried in a voice vote - unanimous.
Respectfully submitted,
Christina Sharkey
Board Secretary