|
|
|
Quick Links
Lopatcong Links
United We Stand |
Agenda:NOTICE OF MEETING: The Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 at 7:30pm at Lopatcong Township Middle School located at 321 Stonehenge Drive. The meeting will be held in the Instrumental Music Room. To gain admittance, please use the entrance at Stonehenge Drive. The meeting will be open to the public at 7:30pm. AGENDA
R-041-08 Horizontal Salary Guide Movement R-042-08 Family Medical Leave Request R-043-08 Substitute Approval R-044-08 Contract for Physical Therapy Services R-045-08 Request for Use of Facilities R-046-08 Employee Travel and Expense Reimbursement R-047-08 Board Member Travel and Expense Reimbursement R-048-08 KidsVote 2008 R-049-08 Fiscal Year 2008 No Child Left Behind Grant R-050-08 Refusal of Title III Funds R-051-08 Approve Student Teacher R-052-08 Field Trip Approval R-053-08 Agreement with Rebel 2 R-054-08 Girl Scout Contribution
•
Minutes:MINUTES OF THE LOPATCONG TOWNSHIP BOARD OF EDUCATION President Gallant called the meeting to order on September 11, 2007 at 7:34pm. 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 in the Express-Times. A copy of the agenda 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, Robert Edinger, Ernie Gallant, Terry Glennon (arrived at 7:40 pm), Kurt Kessler, Judy Liptak, Frank Kish, and Bill Taggart. Absent: Greg McGann Others Present: Dr. Michael Rossi, Superintendent; Teresa E. Barna, Business Administrator/Board Secretary; Rosemary Kowalchuk, Principal; and 16 members of the public. MINUTES Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mr. Edinger, that the minutes of the August 14, 2007 meeting be approved and filed. Motion carried on unanimous voice vote. BILL LIST Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mr. Edinger, that the bills submitted for the September 11, 2007 meeting, for the operating account, be approved for payment. Motion carried on unanimous voice vote. SECRETARY/TREASURER’S REPORTS Motion by Mr. Taggart, seconded by Mr. Edinger, that the Secretary/Treasurer’s Reports submitted for the month ending June 30, 2007, which agree with each other and the bank, be approved and filed. Motion carried on unanimous voice vote. FINANCIAL REPORTS CERTIFICATION Motion by Mr. Taggart, seconded by Mr. Edinger, 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 June 30, 2007, 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 carried on unanimous voice vote. Delaware Park School Discussion The Board of Education currently owns a vacant building known as the Delaware Park School. The township leaders and administration have visited the building to consider using it for township growth purposes. Inquiries have been made to the school district by Monarch Housing to use the building to meet the COAH requirements of the township. At a recent council meeting, the town council voted to offer the board of education $1 for the building. Mayor Douglas Steinhardt was present at the meeting. President Gallant asked the Mayor to give the Board of Education an update on the status of the plans the township may have for the use of the Delaware Park School. Mayor Steinhardt indicated that there is still the option for Monarch Housing to acquire the building to renovate into 8 units that would meet the COAH requirements. The township would receive grant funds to do this. Mayor Steinhardt also indicated that the township has had recent discussions about using the building for municipal purposes since the current municipal building is lacking in space. Both options are currently being considered. Mayor Steinhardt also mentioned that the township would be willing to reconsider the board’s offer for the development of athletic fields on the middle school property. The cost of this project could be split between the two governments. Mr. Edinger thanked the Mayor for coming to the meeting. PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS Mrs. Rozycki asked where those fields would be located? Dr. Rossi explained that the fields are proposed for the middle school field. Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mr. Kish, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve the following for horizontal salary guide movement on the district’s Locator Guide effective September 1, 2007:
Roll call vote: 8 – Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Kish, second by Mr. Drake, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve a leave of absence for Jennifer Gable under the Family Medical Leave Act as requested. Roll call vote: 8 – Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mrs. Liptak, second by Mr. Taggart, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve substitute teachers for the 2007-2008 school year as presented and attached to these minutes. Roll call vote: 8 – Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Glennon, second by Mr. Drake, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve Therapeutic Intervention, Inc. to provide physical therapy services for the 2007-2008 school year at a rate of $82.25 per hour for school based therapy and $91.50 per hour for home based therapy. Roll call vote: 8 – Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Kessler, second by Mr. Kish, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve the following requests for use of facilities:
Vote: 8 – Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Edinger, second by Mr. Drake, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve travel and expense reimbursement for district employees as presented and attached to these minutes. Roll call vote: Mr. Taggart – abstain. 7 – Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Drake, second by Mr. Kish, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approve travel and expense reimbursement for Dennis Drake and Kurt Kessler to attend the Warren County School Boards Association Fall Conference on October 10, 2007 in Washington, NJ. Registration Fee is $16 per person. Roll call vote: 8 – Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mr. Drake, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve “Kids Vote 2008” to be held April 15, 2008 for the purpose of holding a simulated school election for Lopatcong students. Vote: 8 – Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Kish, second by Mr. Edinger, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve the fiscal year 2008 No Child Left Behind Grant for submission to the Warren County Office of Education for approval as follows:
Roll call vote: 8 – Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mrs. Liptak, second by Mr. Taggart, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, refuse Title III funding through the No Child Left Behind Grant in the amount of $439.00. Roll call vote: 8 – Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Glennon, second by Mr. Kessler, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve Paul Famula of Centenary College as a student teacher in 6th Grade Social Studies from September 1, 2007 through December 21, 2007. Vote: 8 – Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Kessler, second by Mr. Taggart, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve the following field trips:
Vote: 8 – Yes. Motion by Mr. Edinger, second by Mr. Drake, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve an agreement with REBEL 2 for the 2007-2008 school year to receive $3000 to support the program. Roll call vote: 8 – Yes. Motion carried. Dr. Rossi reported that the school year got off to a good start. New staff members will be introduced to the board at the October board meeting. The November board meeting will be held at the elementary school. Many upgrades and improvements are continuing in that building and the administration would like the board and the community to see first hand what has been done. Dr. Rossi also reported that the cluster superintendents will be meeting with the Commissioner of Education, Lucille Davy on September 17, 2007 regarding the construction of the new Phillipsburg High School. The purpose of the meeting is to request direction from the Commissioner to find a solution or guidance with this issue. A letter has been drafted and signed by all Superintendents and Board Presidents. This letter will be sent tomorrow. Regarding the consideration by the board on an after-care program, Dr. Rossi has reached out to all the area providers and non-profits to schedule a meeting to review the specifications for a proposal. Dr. Rossi has met with all but 2 providers thus far. Deadline for all proposals is September 30, 2007. Dr. Rossi will review the proposals with the Ad-hoc Committee. REPRESENTATIVE INFORMATION FROM PHILLIPSBURG Mr. Kish indicated that the new staff at Phillipsburg will be introduced at the September 24th meeting. Mrs. Jacqueline Attinello has submitted her letter of intent to retire effective September 1, 2008. Phillipsburg High School will be holding an assembly program on distracted driving. Governor Corzine signed the new Pension and Benefits Bill. The US Department of Education has indicated that 100 percent of staff should meet the requirements of Highly Qualified Teachers. Mrs. Koslowski – Is the meeting with Commissioner on September 17th open to the public? No. Mrs. Rozycki – When does Lucille Davies term end? Dr. Rossi explained that there is no term for the Commissioners and that they are appointed at the discretion of the Governor. Russa Noldstadt – What’s up with the geese on the walking path at the elementary school? Is there anything you can do to keep them off the path so that there droppings are not drug home into the houses? Dr. Rossi and Mrs. Barna will talk to the Director of Buildings and Grounds about this. Janice Reppert – How are students chosen to be put into their homerooms, specifically the special class. Students are broken up into homerooms to try and make the classes even as far as the number of boys and girls in each class. Students are not chosen by ability levels to be placed in classes. Mrs. Rozycki – What was the theme of the Artists in Residence Program last year? Egyptian History and this program will be back at the elementary school this year. Mrs. Rozycki – How many marking periods are there at the middle school this year? Four. Mrs. Rozycki asked Mr. Kish to explain what he meant by retro-grade when he was talking about Mrs. Attinello’s resignation at the high school. Mr. Kish explained that there are certain board members that have come onto the Phillipsburg Board that are targeting the wrong people to force out of the district. The Board is trying to replace some of the key people in the district. EXECUTIVE SESSION Motion by Mr. Taggart, seconded by Mr. Drake, 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 involving legal and personnel 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 8:30pm to discuss the above mentioned matters 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. Motion by Mr. Edinger, second by Mr. Taggart, that the Board of Education return to regular session at 10:06pm. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote. Mr. Kish left at the end of the Executive Session. Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mr. Kessler, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, contribute up to $250 towards materials for a Gold Award Project for Kaitlin McGann. Vote: 7 – Yes. Motion carried. Hearing no further business, the board adjourned at 10:10pm on a motion by Mr. Edinger, second by Mr. Kessler. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote. Respectfully submitted, Teresa E. Barna, RSBO Business Administrator/Board Secretary
These minutes are provided as a convenience to the residents of Lopatcong Township and do not constitute the official minutes of the Lopatcong Township Board of Education which are maintained in the BOE Office in the Middle School.
•
Last Modified: Sunday, February 10, 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Send email to: bill@lopatcong.org with questions and comments about, or suggestions for, this website. |
