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Regular Meeting Minutes, January 12, 2012

WESTWOOD REGIONAL BOARD OF EDUCATION

TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, NEW JERSEY

MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JANUARY 12, 2012

Present: President Mountain, Trustees Blundo, Gregory, Hanlon, Koch, Mandeville, Schaadt, Swietkowski, and Board Secretary Keith A. Rosado. Also present Student Representative Nicole Gioe.

Absent: Vice President Liddy and Superintendent Zoeller.

The meeting was called to order at 7:35 P.M. in the Hurley Theatre, Westwood Regional Jr./Sr. High School, by President Mountain who led the salute to the flag and read the New Jersey Open Public Meeting Law statement.

Mrs. Gregory, seconded by Mrs. Hanlon, that approval be given to the Regular and Executive session meeting minutes of October 20, 2011.

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY: 8-0

President’s Report

Mrs. Mountain:

·  The state legislature passed a bill regarding school board elections moving to November. It is now waiting to be approved by the Governor to become law.

Business Administrator’s Report

Mr. Rosado:

·  The Business Office is beginning to prepare the 2012-2013 budget. Budget meetings will be held with each building principal over the next two weeks.

Student Representative’s Report

Nicole Gioe reported:

·  At the winter pep rally, the Film Club announced their participation with MSG Varsity and Cablevision’s Power to Learn Charity Champions program. The school was presented with a $1,000 check to donate to their chosen charity, the American Cancer Society. State Senator Gerald Cardinale and representatives from both the Cancer Society and Cablevision were also in attendance.

·  Ms. Fowks’ fashion classes have designed skirts that they are currently finishing. All fashion students will be walking in a fashion show on January 23rd to model their newly made skirts as well as other garments.

·  The Newspaper is currently working on completing their first edition of the Cardinal Chronicle. The issue will include articles featuring editorial, opinions, and hard news.

·  Eleven high school Peer Pals, with the support of Ms. Bulger, have created a Project Adventure program for the district’s elementary and middle school students. This is a team-building program which teaches trust, cooperation, and leadership.

·  The preschool parents organized a family breakfast on January 7th. Nearly 100 people attended the event, and students from the Early Childhood classes and Alternative Program helped keep the activities and games organized and fun.

·  Student musicians from the high school and middle school performed together at the Riverside Square Mall in Hackensack. Holiday shoppers enjoyed pieces by the jazz band, chamber choir, and the flute, trumpet and clarinet ensembles.

·  This week the high school has been host to the Bergen County Band and Choir for rehearsals leading up to their performance on January 15th at 3 P.M. Sarah Nelson, Leah Pranschke, Rainey Derwin, and Nicole Kalish of the high school choir, and Lily Kaufman and Patrick Ferner of the high school band will be performing.

·  The boys bowling team is undefeated in league play and the girls team is ranked 5th in the county at this time.

·  The boys basketball team put together a 5-game winning streak until facing the number 1 team in our division, Fort Lee. The boys battled until the last minute of the game, finally succumbing by three points.

·  The wrestling team was flying under the radar until they beat an up-and-coming Dumont team last night to secure at least a tie for first in the league with only Fort Lee to wrestle for the championship tomorrow night.

·  The cheerleaders begin their tournament season with their first competition this Saturday in Secaucus.

OLD BUSINESS

·  None

PUBLIC FORUM:

Started: 7:43 P.M.

Ended: 7:45 P.M.

·  Rory McCourt, Director of Elementary Education, acknowledged the motion to accept Dr. Parker’s retirement and her years of service and dedication to the district.

PERSONNEL/NEGOTIATIONS: Mrs. Mountain, Ch.

Mrs. Mountain, seconded by Mrs. Hanlon, that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given to the Personnel/Negotiations Report and the following motions:

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given the appointment of Lisa Bagley, Vocal Director, Spring Musical, for the 2011-12 school year, per the list dated January 9, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given a revised contract for Leslie Curcurato, Kindergarten leave replacement teacher, Washington School, for the period of February 1, 2012 through April 8, 2012, and as a teacher consultant for the period of April 9, 10, and 11, 2012, per the list dated January 9, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given a revised contract for Kate Langan, Grade 3 leave replacement teacher, Washington School, for the period of January 30, 2012 through March 25, 2012 and as a teacher consultant for the period of March 26, 27 and 28, 2012, per the list dated January 9, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given the resignation of James Arricale, ABA aide, Special Services, effective January 20, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given the revision of hours for aides for the 2011-12 school year, per the list dated January 9, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given for a fieldwork placement for the period of January 25 through May 2, 2012, per the list dated January 9, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given for a Structured Learning Experience internship, date to be determined, per the list dated January 9, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given the appointment of substitute teachers and substitute aides, per the list dated January 9, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given the appointment of aides, per the list dated January 9, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given the appointment of substitute teachers and substitute aides for the 2011-2012 school year, per the list dated January 9, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given the resignation of Brain Lamendola, aide, Washington School, effective January 10, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the resignation for the purpose of retirement be accepted for Rachelle Parker, Ed.D., Principal, Washington School, effective July 1, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board approve a transitional curriculum stipend for Rachelle Parker, Ed.D., Principal, Washington School, for the 2011-2012 school year, per the attached list dated January 12, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given a medical leave of absence and use of sick days for Danny Castro, Custodian, Berkeley School, for the period of January 9, 2012 through January 23, 2012, which will include the Family Medical Leave Act.

Mrs. Mountain reported:

·  The district’s administrative team convened for its annual winter summit on January 6th. The day focused on special education and K-12 curriculum articulation. In the morning, Dr. Matthew Jennings gave a presentation on best practices in completing PLAAFP, Present Levels of Academic and Functional Performance forms. In the afternoon administrators worked on their subject area curricular triumvirates to evaluate the status of the yearly goals and to draft the mid-year triumvirate reports.

·  Final plans for the rescheduled February 20th staff development are almost complete. Outside presenters from the TEQ Corporation will provide ongoing intermediate and advanced level SMART Board training at the middle and high school. All Grade 2-12 staff will receive a two hour training from Dr. Matthew Jennings on building a culture of inclusion and effective interpersonal practices for IEP meetings. A variety of other sessions including additional training on Treasures and technology trainings for administrative assistants will be offered.

BOARD POLLED AND MOTIONS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY: 8-0

FINANCE: Mrs. Mandeville, Ch.

Mrs. Mandeville, seconded by Mrs. Schaadt, that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given to the following motions:

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, invoices for materials received and services rendered for the 2011–12 school year for November 2011 in the amount of $568,821.04 be ratified for payment in accordance with the lists reviewed by the Board.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the Report as of November 30, 2011 of the Treasurer of School Moneys be received.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, acknowledgement be made of the Secretary’s certification that as of November 30, 2011, no budgetary line item account has encumbrances and expenditures, which in total exceed the line item appropriation in violation of N.J.A.C. 6A:23-2.11(a).

Keith A. Rosado

Business Administrator

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:23-2.11(c)4, we certify that as of November 30, 2011, after review of the Secretary’s monthly financial reports and upon consultation with the appropriate district officials, to the best of our knowledge no major account or fund has been over expended in violation of N.J.A.C.6A:23-2.11(b) and that sufficient funds are available to meet the district’s financial obligations for the remainder of the fiscal year.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given the Adjusted Transfer Listing dated December 31, 2011 for the month of November 2011.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given to for the cancellation of outstanding checks as of June 30, 2011, as per the auditor’s recommendation.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given for the transfer of excess balances on various bank accounts as of June 30, 201,1 to the Budget Account as per the auditor’s recommendation.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given for the closing of accounts at TD Bank and the cancellation of all remaining outstanding checks as of January 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the board authorize the amendment of the current Long Range Facilities Plan to include the Locker and Team Room Renovation project at the Westwood Regional Jr./Sr. High School.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, the board approve the submission of the project application to the New Jersey Department of Education for the Locker and Team Room Renovation Project at the Westwood Regional Jr./Sr. High School.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given to the parental transportation contract for the 2011-2012 school year:

Contractor / Route # / Cost / School
E.J. / Woodridge 1 / $55.00/diem
X 134 days / BCSS-Transition Center
at Wood-Ridge

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given to the revised transportation contract renewals for the 2011-2012 school year:

Contractor / Route # / Cost / School
John Leckie, Inc. / 22 / 191.88/diem
45.00/diem (aide) / Community School

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given to Special Education vendors, per the attached list dated January 12, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given for out-of-state field trips for the 2011–2012 school year, per the list dated January 10, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given to staff to attend out-of-district conferences per the attached list dated January 9, 2012.

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given to the revised transportation contract renewals for the 2011-2012 school year:

Contractor / Route # / Cost / School
Scholastic Bus, Inc. / P63 / 157.16 / St. John's Academy
Scholastic Bus, Inc. / P3 / 151.16 / Don Bosco/St. Joseph

BOARD POLLED AND MOTIONS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY: 8-0

CURRICULUM/PROGRAMS: Mrs. Gregory, Ch.

Mrs. Gregory, seconded by Mrs. Schaadt, that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given to the Curriculum Report.

Mrs. Gregory reported:

·  District administrators are in the final stages of planning a district-wide NJASK/HSPA before-school program, which will be taught by teachers to provide students with important test-preparation leading directly up to taking the tests. Although administrators were pleased with the action plans developed to address standardized tests results last year and many aspects of the plans remain the same, this program represents an important revision to help address student achievement at all our schools.

·  Mrs. Gregory read The Grinch Meets His Max to the students in Ms. Neibart’s preschool integrated class. The class discussed rescue pups and were given a pretzel rod that resembled the stick the puppy kept retrieving in the story.

·  The Board of Education Curriculum and Instruction Assessment Committee will meet on January 19th at 7:30 P.M.

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY: 8-0

LEGISLATION/POLICY: Mrs. Hanlon, Ch.

Mrs. Hanlon, seconded by Mrs. Gregory, that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given to the Legislation Report and the following motions:

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given to approve as a 1st reading the following revised Policy:

Number / Title
3216. / Dress and Grooming

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given to approve as a 2nd reading the following revised Policies:

Number / Title
2425. / Physical Education
2460. / Special Education

·  that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given for the NJDOE QSAC Statement of Assurance (SOA) and corresponding QSAC District Performance Review (DPR) for the 2011-2012 school year, per the attached list.

BOARD POLLED AND MOTIONS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY: 8-0


SPECIAL EDUCATION: Mrs. Schaadt, Ch.

Mrs. Schaadt, seconded by Mrs. Hanlon, that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, approval be given to the Special Education Report.

Mrs. Schaadt reported:

·  Ms. Sheridan’s class worked with Chef Tabeek focusing on the newly learned letter “L.” Students explored lemons by cutting them open, smelling, touching, and tasting them while making lemonade. Chef Tabeek’s students supplied the measuring cups, utensils, pitchers, and homemade syrup for this activity.

·  The Preschool Family Fun Breakfast was held on Saturday, January 7th with over 94 people in attendance. Families volunteered to supply the breakfast and students and family members engaged in structured activities. Volunteers included special services administration, teachers, Early Childhood students, Alternative Education Program students, and case managers.