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Agenda:NOTICE OF MEETING: The Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at 7:30pm at Lopatcong Township Elementary School located at 263 Route 57. The meeting will be held in the Cafetorium. To gain admittance, please use the front entrance. The meeting will be open to the public at 7:30pm. AGENDA
R-083-08 Accept CAFR and Auditor’s Report of Administrative Findings, Financial Compliance and Performance R-084-08 Audit Adjustment for June 30, 2007 R-085-08 Expense Account Transfers Greater Than Ten Percent R-086-08 2007-2008 District Nursing Plan R-087-08 Quality Assurance Annual Report R-088-08 Report Cards for Grades 1-4 R-089-08 Reading Recovery Contract R-090-08 Tuition Contacts with the Phillipsburg Board of Education R-091-08 Contract with Sam’s Kids R-092-08 Substitute Approval R-093-08 Request for Maternity Leave R-094-08 School Volunteers for 2007-2008 R-095-08 Employee Travel and Expense Reimbursement R-096-08 Request for Use of Facilities R-097-08 Field Trip Approvals R-098-08 Transfer of Uncommitted Funds R-099-08 Request for Use of Facilities R-100-08 Field Trip Approvals R-101-08 Restore the Principle of Majority Rule in New Jersey for Special Budget Questions R-102-08 Extension of Contract for Ed Reid R-103-08 Accept Proposal by the Lopatcong Athletic Association for a Winter Sponsor Program
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Minutes:MINUTES OF THE LOPATCONG TOWNSHIP BOARD OF EDUCATION President Gallant called the meeting to order on November 13, 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, Kurt Kessler, Judy Liptak, Frank Kish, Greg McGann (left at 8:38pm), and Bill Taggart. Absent: None Others Present: Dr. Michael Rossi, Superintendent; Teresa E. Barna, Business Administrator/Board Secretary; Rosemary Kowalchuk, Principal; Steve Geisel, Assistant Principal; and 20 members of the public. MISSION STATEMENT Dr. Rossi read the Mission Statement. CORRESPONDENCE Nicole Kocsis – Request for Maternity Leave. MINUTES Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mr. Drake, that the minutes of the October 9, 2007nmeeting be approved and filed. Motion carried on unanimous voice vote. BILL LIST Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mr. Kessler, that the bills submitted for the November 13, 2007 meeting, for the operating account and food service 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 September 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 September 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 overexpended 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. PRESENTATION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCE REPORT Mrs. Barna presented the Comprehensive Annual Finance Report for fiscal year ending June 30, 2007. Dr. Rossi led a tour through the elementary school to showcase some improvements to the building. In the all purpose room, the floor tile was replaced, windows were replaced with one-way security windows, double doors into the room were replaced with locking double doors. All the main exterior doors have been replaced. There is a keyless entry system installed at both buildings. Screens were installed on most exterior windows so that when the windows need to be opened, we don’t have visitors from the outside coming in. The asbestos tile floors in the primary wing were abated and vinyl composition tile (VCT) was installed. The preschool class now has their own playground with equipment that is suitable for their size. A French drain was recently installed in the courtyard to curb any possible water entering the building. The district received a new gym floor through insurance due to extensive water damage late in the summer. New ceiling tiles were installed in the library which helped brighten up the room. The group gathered in the Discovery Lab for the technology update given by Matt Shea. Mr. Shea showed a video that he created which highlighted all the new technology in the district.
NEW BUSINESS
Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mr. Drake, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, accept the Comprehensive Annual Finance Report (CAFR) and the Report of Administrative Findings, Financial Compliance and Performance for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007 as prepared by Ardito & Co., LLP and presented by the administration with no recommendations and a negative corrective action plan. Roll call vote: 9 - Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Kish, second by Mr. Edinger, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by Superintendent and Ardito & Co., LLP, approve audit adjustments to the June 30, 2007 finance report as follows: Revise June 30, 2007 Board Secretary Report to reflect $552,966.01 in fund 10 account 10-753 Reserve for Encumbrances/Current Year and to approve expense account transfers as follows:
Roll call vote: 9 - Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Dr. McGann, second by Mr. Glennon, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent and Ardito & Co. LLP, approve expense account transfers greater than 10% as presented as per audit adjustments. Roll call vote: 9 - 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 the 2007-2008 District Nursing Services Plan as presented and attached to these minutes. Vote: 9 - 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 the Quality Assurance Annual Report (QAAR), including School Level Goals and Objectives for the 2007-2008 school year and the three year Comprehensive Maintenance Plan for submission to the Warren County Office of Education. Vote: 9 - Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Kessler, second by Mr. Drake, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve the adoption of a new elementary school report card for grades 1-4. Roll call vote: 9 - Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Edinger, second by Mrs. Liptak, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve a Reading Recovery Contract for the 2007-2008 school year with the Bridgewater Raritan Regional School District in the amount of $1,400. Roll call vote: 9 - Yes. Motion carried. This is on-going training and professional development for the Reading Recovery Program. Motion by Mr. Drake, seconded by Mr. Taggart, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve tuition contracts for special education placements and services for the 2007-2008 school year as follows:
Roll call vote: 9 - Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mr. Kish, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve a contract with Sam’s Kids for the 2007-2008 school year to provide physical therapy services at the following rates:
Roll call vote: 9 - Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Kish, second by Mr. Kessler, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve substitutes for the remainder of the 2007-2008 school year as presented and attached to these minutes. Roll call vote: 9 - Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Dr. McGann, second by Mr. Edinger, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve a maternity leave request for Nicole Kocsis from December 17, 2007 through February 14, 2008 as requested. Roll call vote: 9 - Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mrs. Liptak, second by Mr. Drake, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve a list of volunteers for the 2007-2008 school year as presented. Roll call vote: Liptak – abstain, 8 - Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Glennon, second by Mr. Edinger, 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: 9 - Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Kessler, second by Mr. Kish, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education approve the following requests for use of facilities:
Vote: 9 - 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 the following field trips:
Vote: 9 - Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Drake, second by Mr. Edinger, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve transfers of uncommitted funds in the amount of $239.00 as presented. Roll call vote: 9 - Yes. Motion carried. Motion by Mr. Taggart, second by Mr. Edinger, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, approve the following request for use of the facilities:
Vote: 9 - 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 following field trips:
Vote: 9 - Yes. Motion carried. Dr. McGann left at 8:38 pm. Dr. Rossi gave an update on the progress of the Ad-Hoc Committee’s review and consideration of a before and/or after school care program. Dr. Rossi met with many providers. The proposals were due September 30, 2007. Several providers requested an extension. Dr. Rossi extended the deadline to October 31, 2007. Proposals have been reviewed and a summary report and proposals were provided to the Ad-Hoc Committee. The Ad-Hoc Committee will meet to discuss this topic further. The district will be expanding the yearbook. The yearbook will be offered to all students and will include all students. It will be in-color and a hard cover book. The cost will be $25 to the student body below grade 8. Eighth graders will continue to receive a complimentary copy. The New Jersey School Boards Association Convention took place in October. The Diversity Project was chosen as a workshop. Dr. Rossi presented the workshop to about 25 attendees. The topic and project was received very well by those in attendance. Dr. Rossi thanked Mrs. Barna and Mr. Shea for their support in attending the workshop. The Key Leaders Group is continuing to meet regarding discussions surrounding the Phillipsburg High School issue. The Lopatcong Township Athletic Association is proposing a sponsorship program whereby commercial banners would be hung in the gym. The board needs to contemplate this request. REPRESENTATIVE INFORMATION FROM PHILLIPSBURG BOARD OF EDUCATION Mr. Kish reported that the architects who designed the Early Childhood Center were recognized for their accomplishment in building the Early Childhood Center in Phillipsburg which is the first “Green School” in NJ. The school is very energy efficient. Veterans who did not graduate from high school were honored and given diplomas from Phillipsburg High School. This program was started by Mr. Bill Nixon. Bonnie Bercaw announced her retirement. Miss Bercaw is a long-time dedicated physical education teacher and softball coach. Dr. Rossi interrupted the meeting to make an announcement that we just received notification that two prisoners broke out of the Warren County Prison and are on foot in the Phillipsburg area. The Board took a five minute break to allow attendees to secure their cars and make sure their homes were secure. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE No Report.
Mr. Drake presented a resolution that he presented to the board for consideration. The resolution petitions the legislature and the governor to amend language in the current law that takes away the right of majority vote. The resolution follows.
Motion by Mr. Drake, second by Mr. Taggart, Whereas, New Jersey Public School Districts face increasing budgetary challenges to maintain effective and high quality educational programs, and Whereas, greater budgetary constraints (caps) imposed by recent legislation (Assembly Bill A1 and formally known as P.L. 2007, c.62) force many school districts to present high quality educational programs to district voters by means of special questions, and Whereas, P.L. 2007, c.62 imposes an unprecedented 60% majority vote requirement for a special question to be successful and further declares that school districts have no right of appeal to the local municipality or the Commissioner of Education should such questions fail, and Whereas, low voter turnout (often less than 15%) for school budgetary questions often means that success or failure is often based on very low margins, and Whereas, this requirement violates all principles of majority rule and gives those persons who vote in the negative, greater voice and control in their respective communities, Now Therefore Be It Resolved, that the Lopatcong Township Board of Education requests its legislative representatives and Governor Jon S. Corzine to amend Chapter 62 to eliminate the provision on a super-majority (60%) vote for school district special questions and restore the principle of “one person, one vote” in the State of New Jersey, and Be It Further Resolved, that a copy of this resolution be sent to our local legislative representatives in the General Assembly and Senate, the Governor of the State of New Jersey, and to the New Jersey School Board’s Association. Vote: 8 - Yes. Motion carried. Several Senior Citizens mentioned to Mr. Taggart that schools in Bethlehem Township and Greenwich Township provide a free Thanksgiving Dinner for the seniors in the community and wanted to know when we were going to start. Mrs. Buckeley suggested that perhaps the district could put the new elementary school report card on the web-site for parents to review. Mrs. Buckeley also requested that Mr. Kish make the Phillipsburg High School aware that there is some concern about how the high school is calculating a student's GPA on a six point scale. Will this affect the student’s transcripts on college applications. EXECUTIVE SESSION Motion by Mr. Glennon, second by Mr. Taggart 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 9:15pm 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. Kessler, second by Mr. Edinger, that the Board of Education return to regular session at 10:20pm. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote. Motion by Mr. Edinger, second by Mr. Kish, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education, upon recommendation by the Superintendent, extend the employment contract for Edward Reid to the end of the 2007-2008 school year. Roll call vote: 8 - Yes. Motion carried.
The board discussed the proposal made by the Athletic Association to hang commercial banners in the school gymnasiums which would generate income for the Athletic Association. The Athletic Association would give the board a share of the proceeds. A discussion took place surrounding this proposal about commercializing the school buildings and exposing students to this during the school day. There was also concern raised about the types of business that could potentially purchase banners and how do we not discriminate and control the content. There would need to be a policy in place to control this. The Board took the following vote after consideration of the proposal. Motion by Mr. Edinger, second by Mr. Drake, that be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Education accept a proposal by the Lopatcong Township Athletic Association for a Winter Sponsorship Program in the schools. Roll call vote: No – 5. Taggart and Gallant – abstain. 1 - Yes. Motion does not carry. Hearing no further business, the board adjourned at 10:42pm on a motion by Mr. Glennon, second by Mr. Edinger. 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.
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