Quick Links

Lopatcong Links

United We Stand

Agenda:

1. Call Meeting to Order, Flag Salute, Opening Statement

2. Correspondence

3. Minutes of September 13, 2005, Bill Lists, Secretary/Treasurer Reports, July 31, 2005 and August 31, 2005, Certify Financials

4. Public Comment on Agenda Items

5. New Business - Action Items

Public comments are invited on any educationally pertinent subject.  All participants will be given five (5) minutes to state their issue.  In addition, the subject matter may be discussed by the Board for an additional five (5) minutes.  All audience participants must state their name and address before speaking.  Thank you for understanding.

Minutes:

MINUTES OF THE LOPATCONG TOWNSHIP

BOARD OF EDUCATION

President Gallant called the meeting to order on October 11, 2005 at 7:32pm.  Mrs. Barna read the following opening statement, “I would like to announce and have placed in the minutes that adequate notice of this regular meeting of the Lopatcong Township Board of Education has been provided in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act by publication of the annual notice in the Express-Times.  A copy of this notice has been filed with the Township Clerk and posted at both school locations.”

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all present.

ROLL CALL

Present:  Dennis Drake, Ernie Gallant, Terry Glennon, Frank Kish, Tim McGuinness, Raisy Stammherr and Bill Taggart.

Absent:  Greg McGann and Jesse Rozycki

Others Present:  Dr. Michael Rossi, Superintendent; Teresa E. Barna, Business Administrator/Board Secretary; Rosemary Kowalchuk, Principal; Matthew Eagleburger, Assistant Principal; JoAnn Murray, CST Director; Association President Heather Weidlick and approximately 11 staff and parents.

CORRESPONDENCE

1. Jenn Larsen – Request for maternity leave.

2. Lopatcong Education Association – Letter of intent to begin contract negotiations.

3. WCSBA – 2005-2006 meeting calendar

4. State of New Jersey – Letter from Acting Governor Richard Codey in response to a resolution sent to the Governor’s Office regarding the Phillipsburg High School project.

5. The Youth Center – Request to distribute materials in schools regarding their programs.

MINUTES

Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mr. Kish that the minutes of the September 13, 2005 meeting be approved and filed. Motion carried on unanimous voice vote.

BILL LIST

Motion by Mr. Taggart, seconded by Mrs. Stammherr, that the bills submitted for October 11, 2005 meeting, to include operating account, construction account and food service be approved for payment; motion unanimous on voice vote.

SECRETARY/TREASURER’S REPORTS

Motion by Mr. McGuinness, seconded by Mr. Taggart, that the Secretary/Treasurer’s Report submitted for the month ending July 31, 2005 and August 31, 2005 which agree with each other and the bank be approved and filed; motion unanimous on voice vote.

FINANCIAL REPORTS CERTIFICATION

Motion by Mr. Glennon, seconded by Mr. Drake, as follows:

Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:23-2.11(c)3, the Board Secretary certifies that no line 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) and;

Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:23-2.11(c)4, we certify that as of July 31, 2005 and August 31, 2005, after review of the monthly report (appropriation section) and upon consultation with the appropriate officials, to the best of our knowledge no major line 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 entire fiscal year.

Motion unanimous on voice vote.

Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mr. Kish, that be it

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve the 2004-2005 Violence and Vandalism Report as submitted to the State of New Jersey and attached to these minutes.

Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

Public Hearing on the Violence and Vandalism Report

Dr. Michael Rossi, Jr. reported on the 2004-2005 Violence and Vandalism Report.

The 2004-2005 Violence and Vandalism Report was completed by Mr. Eagleburger and electronically filed with the State of New Jersey, Department of Education. There is a Summative Report of incidents that took place as follows:

Most acts resulted in in-school suspension, one out-of-school suspension and $550 of damage expense to the Board of Education. The police were notified in one case.

There were zero incidents involving substance abuse.

The victim breakdown was five general education students and one special education student. The aggressors were nine general education students.

Mr. Drake asked to know what “simple” meant. “Simple” means that a student was targeted and did not retaliate. Where a fight means that two or more students were engaged in contact.

Mr. Glennon asked how the numbers were in relation to the previous year. The first year in the middle school there were seven incidents, and ten incidents in the second year of the opening of the middle school. Student on student altercations are going down.

The public hearing was concluded with no further questions or discussion.

Motion by Mr. Kish, second by Mr. McGuinness, that be it

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve the three year Comprehensive Maintenance Plan as presented and attached to these minutes.

Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

Motion by Mr. McGuinness, second by Mr. Drake, that be it

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, authorize the Business Administrator to enter into a three year agreement with Honeywell International, for the Instant Alert System for an amount of $9,000 over three years with the options to renew for two years at the same cost.

Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.

Motion by Mr. Drake, second by Mrs. Stammherr, that be it

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent approve a Reading Recovery Technical Support Contract with Bridgewater–Raritan Regional School District for the 2005-2006 school year in the amount of $1,300 which is funded by Title I.

Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.

Motion by Mr. Glennon, second by Mr. Drake, that be it

RESOLVED, that the Board of education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve the establishment of a Physical Education Club for grades 1 through 4.

Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

Motion by Mrs. Stammherr, second by Mr. Drake, that be it

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education authorize the establishment of the Ski Club for the 2005-2006 school year with all costs to be paid by the participants.

Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mr. Kish,

WHEREAS, the district’s purchasing agent, Teresa E. Barna, holds a Certificate as a “Qualified Purchasing Agent” issued by the Division of Local Government Services pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:11-9(b), and

WHEREAS, if the purchasing agent is qualified, the board of education may establish a bid threshold up to $29,000 effective July 1, 2005, now therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education designate a bid threshold of $29,000 for the 2005-2006 school year.

Motion carried unanimous roll call vote.

Motion by Mr. Kish, second by Mrs. Stammherr, that be it

WHEREAS, every New Jersey school district must submit a Long Range Facility Plan to the Commissioner of Education every five years, specifically every year ending in “0” or “5”, and

WHEREAS, regulations require that every board of education must approve the submission of this plan,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Lopatcong Township Board of Education does hereby authorize the School Business Administrator to submit the Long Range Facility Plan for the Lopatcong Township School District to the New Jersey Department of Education for review and approval, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the School Business Administrator, in accordance with regulation, shall provide an advisory copy of this plan to the local planning board.

Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.

Motion by Mr. McGuinness, second by Mr. Kish,

WHEREAS, the Alliance For Competitive Energy Services (hereinafter referred to as “ACES”), an alliance composed of the New Jersey School Boards Association (hereinafter referred to as “NJSBA”), the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, and the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials, will from time to time during the Effective Period as defined below solicit bids from natural gas suppliers for retail natural gas supply services including interstate transportation to the local natural gas distribution utility company (Natural Gas Supply Services) through an energy aggregation program in which NJSBA will act as Lead Agency of the ACES Cooperative Pricing System #E8801-ACESCPS in accordance with the “Public School Contracts Law”, N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-1 et seq., and the Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act, N.J.S.A. 48:3-49 et seq. (“EDECA”) and the regulations promulgated thereunder; and

WHEREAS, the Lopatcong Township Board of Education is a participating member of the ACES Cooperative Pricing System and is eligible thereby to obtain Natural Gas Supply Services for its own use through one or more contracts to be awarded to natural gas suppliers following said bids for Natural Gas Supply Services pursuant to the aggregation program; and

WHEREAS, the Lead Agency will from time to time during the Effective Period (from date of adoption through May, 2009, hereinafter referred to as “Effective Period”) issue one or more Requests for Bids for Natural Gas Supply Services on behalf of the ACES Cooperative Pricing System pursuant to the Public School Contracts Law and EDECA; and

WHEREAS, due to significant volatility and the potential for price increases in the wholesale natural gas market, Participating Members will preauthorize the Lead Agency to award contracts for Natural Gas Supply Service for no more than two years at a time in each service territory to one or more natural gas suppliers that submit bids which are reasonably forecasted to provide estimated savings to the Participating Member based upon its previous natural gas usage and utility provided Basic Gas Supply Service rates; and 

WHEREAS, the Lead Agency will only award contracts for said Natural Gas Supply Services to natural gas suppliers that submit bids with pricing reasonably estimated to be lower than the utility-provided basic gas supply service; and

WHEREAS, the District agrees to purchase all Natural Gas Supply Services for its own use during the Effective Period through any natural gas supplier(s) awarded a contract, it being understood that the term of any one contract shall not exceed two-years;

WHEREAS, the Lead Agency will notify the Department of Community Affairs’ Division of Local Government Services by mail prior to the issuance a Request for Bids for Natural Gas Supply Services, with the understanding that if the Division of Local Government Services does not respond within 10 business days, it will be deemed to have approved the issuance of the Request for Bids or the Request for Rebids.

NOW, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the District binds itself to the ACES Cooperative Pricing System #E8801-ACESCPS to purchase all Natural Gas Supply Services needed for its own use during the Effective Period from the natural gas supplier or suppliers awarded a contract for Natural Gas Supply Services by the Lead Agency; and, be it   

FURTHER RESOLVED that the Lead Agency of the ACES Cooperative Pricing System is hereby authorized to execute a master performance agreement that obligates the district to purchase Natural Gas Supply Services at the terms and conditions stated therein with a third-party supplier or suppliers who have been awarded the contract or contracts by the Lead Agency on behalf of the participating members of the ACES Cooperative Pricing System #E8801-ACESCPS (or any CPS number to be assigned in the future), provided that no single contract shall have a term exceeding two years, and provided further that all such contracts shall be at prices reasonably forecast and estimated by the Lead Agency to provide savings to the Districts relative to the price charged for basic gas supply service by the natural gas public utility that would otherwise provide such service; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED that ACES is authorized to continue to bid to obtain Natural Gas Supply Services at any time during the Effective Period on behalf of the ACES Cooperative Pricing System including, for example, a rebid if energy market conditions do not initially lead to a successful bid, on additional dates to be determined by the Lead Agency; and

FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution shall take effect immediately upon passage.  The authorization provided to the NJSBA pursuant to the Local Public Contracts Laws (N.J.S.A. 40A:11-11(5)), and the Local Public and Public School Contracts Laws Administrative Code (N.J.A.C. 5:34-7.1 et seq.) shall be valid until May, 2009 (the Effective Period) at which time the Cooperative Pricing System will be subject to renewal.  Any rescission of this resolution shall not affect any Natural Gas Supply Services contract entered into prior to such rescission.

Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.

Motion by Mr. Drake, second by Mrs. Stammherr, that be it

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve a maternity leave for Jenn Larsen beginning January 2, 2006 through June 30, 2006 as requested.

Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.

Motion by Mr. Glennon, second by Mr. McGuinness, that be it

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve the following requests for use of facilities:

Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

Motion by Mrs. Stammherr, second by Mr. McGuinness, that be it

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve the following field trips:

Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mrs. Stammherr, that be it

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve the following transfers within the 2005-2006 school year budget:

Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote.

Motion by Mr. Kish, second by Mr. Taggart, that be it

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent approve the Quality Assurance Annual Report (QAAR), including the School Level Goals and Objectives for the 2005-2006 school year and the 3-year Comprehensive Maintenance Plan for submission to the Warren County Office of Education.

Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

Motion by Mr. McGuinness, second by Mr. Taggart, that be it

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve the district Nursing Plan as presented and attached to these minutes.

Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

Dr. Rossi reported on the following items:

The Honeywell Instant Alert System that the Board approved will help the district communicate better with parents and on a more efficient basis.

The opening of school went very well and the Open Houses went smoothly as well.

The district has proposed to the municipal government that the school district have an opportunity to showcase some of our students’ and staffs; talents at the Community Day Event. The administration will meet again with the municipal officials again as the event gets closer.

There was a good response and feedback to the professional development survey. Responses will be compiled and incorporated into the Professional Development Plan.

The Math, Science and Social Studies Scope and Sequence of Curriculum is on the school district website. Dr. Rossi encourages parents to access and use the school website. We are working towards making this a link for information is a user friendly way.

Dr. Rossi has seen the curriculum in action by observing in classrooms.

The auditors were in district this past week and have completed their analysis. We got an “A+” Grade. A quote from the auditors “We couldn’t have done a better job.” Dr. Rossi thanked Teresa Barna and Pat Seymore for doing a great job in the Business Office.

The State is requiring testing in grades 3, 4 and 8. The district will test internally in grades 5-7. Without internal testing the district will not know how the students are performing and what the impact of the curriculum is.

The Quality Assurance Annual Report that the Board approved is basically a checklist of items that the Board has already seen throughout the year which is compiled into one report. The report is submitted to the County Office of Education where it is reviewed and the district gets accredited for another year.

REPRESENTATIVE INFORMATION FROM PHILLIPSBURG

Mr. Kish reported on the suit that Phillipsburg has filed against the State regarding student athletics. Franklin Township is pulling out of the conference because of distance to competing teams. For many years Phillipsburg was a member of the Pennsylvania conference where distance was no more than 35 minutes. Phillipsburg is currently traveling more than an hour to many of it’s competing teams home fields. Phillipsburg also depends on revenues from sporting events. Since the teams a far away, many away teams do not have a lot of spectators traveling to Phillipsburg for away games which has caused a significant decrease in sporting event revenues. The long travel is affecting education most importantly. Students participating in sports miss many hours of instruction in order to arrive at away teams field on time. The State requires Phillipsburg to compete in an in-state conference in order to be eligible to compete at the State level for playoffs and championships.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

A3680 is still languishing in the Senate. Extraordinary Aid bill is languishing in both houses. The State is proposing a Special Session to look at property tax reform.

The federal government indicated that they will reimburse schools for taking in children displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

OTHER ITEMS OF AN EMERGENT NATURE

None.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Lee Rozycki – As far as the Long Range Facility Plan – what are the guidelines for class size? There are no guidelines for class size except for Kindergarten. The district deals internally with class size by doing projections at budget preparation time. Teaching positions must be supported by the local budget. Facility improvements also depend on the local budget. Such things as Air Conditioning in the primary wing of the elementary school. The project is recorded in the Long Range Facility Plan but funds are required to complete the project.

What is the plan for first grade next year with 5 Kindergartens? Staffing that grade level will be an issue going forward. The board will definitely be looking at that during budget preparation time.

If large class sizes are necessary, could there be a classroom aide? Yes, that is a possibility for reducing teacher/student ratios.

Is there a plan for additional growth and space requirements? Mrs. Barna explained the concept of unhoused students. The Long Range Facility Plan includes a demographic study. Enrollment projections are incorporated into the plan and matched against the districts facilities to identify if there are any unhoused students. Unhoused students reflects space deficiencies. This Long Range Plan does not include any unhoused students.

Dismissal at the elementary school is a disaster especially in the rain. Can there be a canopy for students to stand under. Parent will contact Mrs. Barna about the possibility of having community volunteers erect a canopy.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

Motion by Mr. McGuinness, seconded by Mr. Kish

WHEREAS, Section 7 of the Open Public Meetings Act, Chapter 231, P.L. 1975 (R.S. 10:4-13), permits the exclusion of the public from a meeting or portion of a meeting of this public body in certain circumstances; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Education must consider matters related to the personnel and legal issues, the disclosure of which could constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy; now

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education adjourn to executive session at 9:10pm to discuss the above mentioned matter to the exclusion of all others. Matters discussed may or may not be made public this evening. Any resulting action will be taken after re-entry into regular session.

Vote: 8 - Yes. Motion carried.

Board returned to regular session at 10:50pm on a motion by Mr. McGuinness, second by Mr. Taggart. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

Hearing no further business, the Board adjourned at 10:50pm on a motion by Mr. McGuinness, second by Mr. Taggart. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

Respectfully submitted,

Teresa E. Barna, RSBO

Business Administrator/

Board Secretary

Last Modified:  Saturday, May 06, 2006

Send email to:  bill@lopatcong.org with questions and comments about, or suggestions for, this website.