REGULAR MEETING - Somerville Public Schools



REGULAR MEETING

TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

ADMINISTRATIVE HEADQUARTERS

Mission Statement

Somerville Schools provide the highest quality education through an environment that promotes individual excellence.

|TIME AND PLACE |The Board of Education of the Borough of Somerville in the County of Somerset, New Jersey convened a Regular| |

| |Meeting on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at the Administrative Headquarters, 51 West Cliff Street, Somerville. | |

| |The meeting was called to at 7:00 p.m. by Mr. Chin, President. | |

|ROLL CALL |MEMBERS PRESENT: Mr. Norman Chin, Mr. Kenneth Cornell, (via video conference) Mrs. Dianne Durland, Mr. James| |

| |Jones, Mrs. Carmela Noto, Mrs. Linda Olson, Mr. John Prudente, Mr. Daniel Puntillo, Mr. Lucien Sergile, Mrs.| |

| |Erin Sweitzer | |

| |MEMBERS ABSENT: None | |

| |ALSO PRESENT: Dr. Timothy Purnell, Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Bryan P. Boyce, Board Secretary/School | |

| |Business Administrator | |

| |Mr. Chin announced that adequate Notice of this meeting in compliance with Chapter 231 of the Public Laws of| |

| |1975, entitled the "Open Public Meetings Act," has been provided by action of the Board of Education’s | |

| |President on January 3, 2017, notices to the two newspapers circulated in the school district, and a posted | |

| |notice to this effect on the Board of Education building bulletin board, Administrative Headquarters, 51 | |

| |West Cliff Street, Somerville, New Jersey. | |

|PUBLIC COMMENT |There was no public comment. | |

|APPROVAL OF MINUTES |RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve the Minutes of the Board of Education Meetings as follows: | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of February 7, 2017 | |

| |Workshop/Regular Meeting. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente ABSTAIN Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of February 7, 2017 | |

| |Executive Session. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente ABSTAIN Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of February 21, 2017 | |

| |Regular Meeting. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell YES Sergile ABSTAIN | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of February 21, 2017 | |

| |Executive Session. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell YES Sergile ABSTAIN | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of February 27, 2017 | |

| |Special Meeting. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente ABSTAIN Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of February 27, 2017 | |

| |Executive Session. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente ABSTAIN Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of March 6, 2017 | |

| |Special Meeting. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of March 6 2017 | |

| |Executive Session. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| | | |

| | | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of March 8, 2017 | |

| |Special Meeting. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of March 8, 2017 | |

| |Executive Session. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of March 9, 2017 | |

| |Special Meeting. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer ABSTAIN | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of March 9, 2017 | |

| |Executive Session. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile ABSTAIN | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| | | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of March 15, 2017 | |

| |Special Meeting. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of March 15, 2017 | |

| |Executive Session. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of March 16, 2017 | |

| |Special Meeting. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer ABSTAIN | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The motion was made by Mr. Puntillo and seconded by Mr. Sergile to approve the Minutes of March 16, 2017 | |

| |Executive Session. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell ABSTAIN Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer ABSTAIN | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| | | |

| | | |

|SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT |Girls’ Basketball Team Recognition | |

| |Dr. Timothy J. Purnell, Superintendent of Schools | |

| | | |

| |Dr. Purnell recognized the Girls’ Basketball Team and coaching staff headed by Mr. Matt Melesurgo. | |

| |Certificates of recognition were awarded. | |

| | | |

| |Robotics Team Recognition | |

| |Dr. Timothy J. Purnell, Superintendent of Schools | |

| | | |

| |Dr. Purnell recognized Somerville’s Robotics Team: FRC Team 102 Gearheads who were first place champions. | |

| |Certificates of recognition were awarded. | |

| | | |

| |District Conference Room Design | |

| |Robin Seazholtz and Noah Horowitz, Somerville High School Students | |

| | | |

| |Dr. Purnell recognized Ms. McEntee and her hard work that embodies the All-in for the Ville mentality. The | |

| |projects she oversaw included launching a new Student Information System, managing district-wide security | |

| |upgrades, designing a brand new website, overseeing all district testing, launching of a brand new | |

| |Emergency Management Plan with standard response protocol and redesigning the conference room. | |

| | | |

| |Ms. Robin Seazholtz and Mr. Noah Horowitz, Somerville High School Students, presented on the process for the| |

| |conference room re-design project. Both are students of Mr. Kydonieus, Teacher of their Engineering Design | |

| |& Development class. Certificates of recognition were awarded. | |

| | | |

| |Somerville Middle School Highlights | |

| |Ms. Georgette Boulegeris, Somerville Middle School Principal | |

| | | |

| |Ms. Georgette Boulegeris introduced the President and Vice President of Somerville Middle School’s Student | |

| |Council. They highlighted the daily activities and programs taking place at Somerville Middle School since | |

| |last update. Mr. Floyd and the members of the Lion King Theater Production gave an encore performance of | |

| |the Circle of Life. The music accompaniment in the video presentation titled SMS in Action featured music | |

| |from the Jazz Band. In addition, various art work from our middle school students were showcased in the | |

| |conference room. | |

| | | |

| |College and Career Presentation | |

| |Mr. Jeremy Hudson, College and Career Counselor | |

| | | |

| |Mr. Jeremy Hudson, College and Career Counselor at Somerville High School presented the survey results | |

| |collected from alumni as part of Vision 20/20 Goal# 2. Survey questions focused on curriculum offerings at | |

| |Somerville High School and satisfaction levels with alumni’s high school experiences and how prepared they | |

| |were for college. Responses were gathered during the period November 2016 through January 2017. | |

| | | |

| |Tentative Budget Discussion | |

| |Dr. Timothy J. Purnell, Superintendent of Schools | |

| |Mr. Bryan P. Boyce, Business Administrator/ | |

| |Board Secretary | |

| | | |

| |Dr. Purnell started off the discussion by mentioning the primary goals that have been set by the Board to | |

| |support the budget for 2017-2018. Mr. Boyce referenced the 2017-2018 Tentative Annual School Budget | |

| |Executive Summary. Under Revenue – General Fund, he highlighted the decrease in Branchburg Tuition due to | |

| |decrease in projected enrollment. He stated that this is the single largest challenge facing the district. | |

| |Mr. Boyce also addressed fund balance, capital and maintenance reserves, General Fund tax levy and the use | |

| |of banked CAP, Special Revenue and Debt Service Funds. Under the appropriation side of the budget, Dr. | |

| |Purnell continued with the discussion highlighting staff cuts and Vision 20/20. Mr. Boyce discussed the | |

| |technology refresh cycle, capital improvements, turf replacement at the high school and supplemental | |

| |financial information. | |

| | | |

| |Mr. Prudente inquired about whether or not the school district would benefit from any PILOT agreements | |

| |currently in place related to all the apartments being built in town. | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| |WHEREAS, the Somerville Board of Education recognizes school staff and Board members will incur travel | |

| |expenses related to and within the scope of their current responsibilities and for travel that promotes the | |

| |delivery of instruction or furthers the efficient operation of the school district; and | |

| | | |

| |WHEREAS, N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-7.4 et seq. requires Board members to receive approval of these expenses by a | |

| |majority of the full voting membership of the Board and staff members to receive prior approval of these | |

| |expenses by the Superintendent of Schools and a majority of the full voting membership of the Board; and | |

| | | |

| |WHEREAS, the amount spent for travel and conferences in 2016-2017 to date is $29,564; and | |

| | | |

| |WHEREAS, the maximum travel expenditure amount established for 2016-2017 is $53,285; and | |

| | | |

| |WHEREAS, included in the 2017-2018 proposed budget is a maximum regular business travel amount of $1,500 per| |

| |employee; and | |

| | | |

| |THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, per N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-7.3, the proposed 2017-2018 budget establishes $52,035 as a | |

| |maximum travel expenditure amount for all staff and board members; and | |

| | | |

| |BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Somerville Board of Education requests the use of banked CAP in the amount | |

| |of $305,573 to be included in the base budget for current expenses. The need must be completed by the end | |

| |of the budget year and cannot be deferred or incrementally completed over a longer period of time; and | |

| | | |

| |BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Somerville Board of Education requests the approval a capital reserve | |

| |deposit in the amount of $125,000. The district intends to utilize these funds for the replacement of | |

| |synthetic turf at Somerville High School, and | |

| | | |

| |BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the tentative budget be approved for the 2017-2018 School Year using the | |

| |2017-2018 state aid figures and the Secretary to the Board of Education be authorized to submit the | |

| |following tentative budget to the Executive County Superintendent of Schools for approval in accordance with| |

| |the statutory deadline: | |

| | | |

| | | |

| |GENERAL | |

| |SPECIAL | |

| |DEBT | |

|APPROVAL OF TENTATIVE SCHOOL DISTRICT | | |

|BUDGET FOR 2017-2018 | | |

| | | |

| |FUND | |

| | | |

| |REVENUE FUND | |

| |SERVICE FUND | |

| |TOTAL | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| |2017-18 Total Expenditures | |

| |40,246,125 | |

| |2,108,266 | |

| |2,253,645 | |

| |44,608,036 | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| |Less: Anticipated Revenues | |

| |18,060,975 | |

| |2,108,266 | |

| |636,287 | |

| |20,805,528 | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| |Taxes to be Raised | |

| |22,185,150 | |

| |0.0 | |

| |1,617,358 | |

| |23,802,508 | |

| | | |

| | | |

| |And to advertise said tentative budget in the Courier News in accordance with the form suggested by the | |

| |State Department of Education and according to law; and | |

| | | |

| |BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a public hearing be held in the District Offices located at 51 West Cliff | |

| |Street, Somerville, New Jersey on April 25, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of conducting a public hearing| |

| |on the budget for the 2017-2018 School Year; and | |

| | | |

| |BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the proposed budget includes sufficient funds to provide curriculum and | |

| |instruction that will enable all students to achieve the New Jersey Student Learning Standards, and is in | |

| |compliance with N.J.S.A. 18A and N.J.A.C. Title 6 and 6A. | |

| | | |

| |Mr. Puntillo introduced and moved the adoption of the resolution, Mrs. Durland seconded. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell YES Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

|OLD BUSINESS |Mrs. Olson commended and thanked those involved in the Board Conference Room Re-design. | |

|NEW BUSINESS |It is recommended that Items 1 through 11 be moved upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools.| |

|1. HARASSMENT, INTIMIDATION AND |RESOLVED that the Board of Education hereby acknowledges receipt of the monthly Harassment, Intimidation and| |

|BULLYING REPORT |Bullying unconfirmed report cases #2016-2017:9SHS-NC; 2016-2017:3VDV-NC and 2016-2017:4VDV-NC. | |

|2. SUMMER EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR PROGRAM|RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve the attached summer extended school year program for students | |

| |with disabilities. (Attachment NB-1) | |

|3. OFFICIAL DEPOSITORIES |RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve the change of Official Depositories and Individuals Authorized | |

| |to Sign Checks for the following accounts: | |

| | | |

| |Bank | |

| |Account | |

| |Required Signatures | |

| | | |

| |TD Bank | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| |SHS Student Activities Fund | |

| |Principal/Board Secretary | |

| | | |

| | | |

| |SMS Student Activities Fund | |

| |Principal/Board Secretary | |

| | | |

| | | |

| |VDV Student Activities Fund | |

| |Principal/Board Secretary | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

|4. NONPUBLIC TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE |RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve the attached New Jersey Nonpublic School Technology Initiative | |

|PROGRAM GRANT |Program Order Form for Immaculata High School. | |

|5. NONPUBLIC SECURITY AID PROGRAM |RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve the attached New Jersey Nonpublic School Security Aid Program | |

|GRANT |Order Form for Immaculata High School. | |

|6. INDEPENDENT EDUCATIONAL EVALUATIONS|RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve the attached list of Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE) | |

|(IEE) RATES |rates. | |

|7. DONATION TO SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL |RESOLVED that the Board of Education accept a donation from Dancker, Sellew and Douglas in the amount of | |

| |$2,500.00 to help fund the Somerville High School Chamber Choir trip to Florida to attend the Varsity Brand | |

| |Spirit Awards Ceremony on May 14, 2017. | |

|8. 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR INTERLOCAL |WHEREAS, Somerville Board of Education (“Board”) desires to transport special education, non-public, public | |

|TRANSPORTATION SERVICES AGREEMENT |and vocational school students to specific destinations; and | |

|RESOLUTION FOR PARTICIPATION IN | | |

|COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION |WHEREAS, the Somerset County Educational Services Commission, hereinafter referred to as the SCESC, offers | |

| |coordinated transportation services; and | |

| | | |

| |WHEREAS, the SCESC will organize, provide and schedule routes to achieve the maximum cost effectiveness; | |

| | | |

| |NOW THEREFORE, it is agreed that in consideration of pro-rated contract costs, plus an administration fee of| |

| |4%, as presented to the Board as calculated by the billing formula adopted by the SCESC. Said formula shall | |

| |be based on a route cost divided by home to school mileage of students allocated to each participating | |

| |district. The total amount to be charged to district will be adjusted based on actual costs. Payments will | |

| |be due within 30 days of receipt by the district and deemed late after 60 days with an additional 1% fee for| |

| |late payments. At the discretion of the SCESC, late fee charges may be waived for extenuating circumstances.| |

| | | |

| |1. The SCESC will provide the following services: | |

| | | |

| |a. routes coordinated with other districts to achieve a maximum cost reduction while maintaining a realistic| |

| |capacity and travel time; | |

| |b. transportation each day while school or classes attended are in session; | |

| |c. monthly billing and invoices; | |

| |d. computer print-outs of student lists for all routes coordinated by SCESC; | |

| |e. all information necessary for the accurate submission of the District Report of Transported Resident | |

| |Students; | |

| |f. all necessary interaction and communication between the sending district, receiving school, and the | |

| |respective transportation contractors; | |

| |g. constant/timely review and revision of routes; | |

| |h. transportation as soon as possible after receipt of the formal written request; | |

| |i. a bid analysis to participating district boards of education upon their request; and | |

| |j. timely submission of contracts, contract renewals or contract addenda to the county office for approval. | |

| | | |

| |2. It is further agreed that the Board will provide the SCESC with the following: | |

| |a. copies of district policies as they relate to ride time or other specific transportation parameters; | |

| |b. requests for transportation on forms to be provided by the SCESC, completed in full and signed by | |

| |authorized district personnel; | |

| |c. forms will contain all necessary and relevant information, medical or otherwise, regarding individual | |

| |student’s condition and transportation needs; | |

| |d. withdrawal for any transportation must be provided in writing and signed by authorized district | |

| |personnel; and | |

| |e. strict adherence to the established payment schedule. | |

| | | |

| |3. Additional Cost - all additional costs generated by unique requests, including but not limited to, | |

| |mid-day runs or early dismissals will be borne by the district making such request. | |

| | | |

| |4. It is understood that any change in the number of students being transported on each route, or changes in| |

| |mileage during the course of the year will necessitate a reapportionment and adjustment of costs. | |

| | | |

| |5. The SCESC accepts no responsibility for assuring a pupil’s use of arranged transportation or attendance | |

| |on an established route. Once assigned to a route the monthly billings for the pupil’s reserved seat will | |

| |continue until the SCESC is otherwise notified, in writing, to delete the pupil form the assigned route. | |

| | | |

| |6. Other Services: the SCESC also provides coordinated regional bus maintenance services, safety training, | |

| |and other related transportation services for an additional fee as a shared services program, the Board may | |

| |participate at any time. | |

| | | |

| |7. Length of Agreement - This agreement and obligations and requirements therein shall be in effect between | |

| |September 1, 2017 and August 31, 2018. | |

| | | |

| |8. Entire Agreement: This agreement constitutes the entire and only agreement between the parties and may be| |

| |amended by an instrument in writing over authorized signature. | |

| | | |

| |9. It is understood and agreed by the parties hereto that this agreement shall be without force and effect | |

| |until it shall have been approved by the Executive County Superintendent of the County of Somerset and any | |

| |additional County Superintendent, where applicable. | |

|9. APPLICATION FOR 2017 SAFETY GRANT |RESOLVED that the Somerville Board of Education hereby approve the submission of the enclosed grant | |

|PROGRAM |application for the 2017 Safety Grant Program through the New Jersey School Boards Association Insurance | |

| |Group’s ERIC NORTH Sub fund for the purposes described in the application, in the amount of $8,670.87 for | |

| |the period July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018. | |

|10. CAPITAL RESERVE WITHDRAWAL |RESOLVED that the Board of Education rescind its Resolution of January 17, 2017 for a Capital Reserve | |

| |Withdrawal for the following capital projects | |

| | | |

| |Boiler Replacement at Van Derveer Elementary School $1,000,000 | |

| |Roof Replacement at Van Derveer Elementary | |

| |School $1,000,000 | |

| |Upgrade of Electrical Service at Van Derveer Elementary School $416,023 | |

|11. MAINTENANCE RESERVE WITHDRAWAL |RESOLVED that the Board of Education rescind its Resolution of January 17, 2017 for the following | |

| |maintenance project, | |

| | | |

| |Somerville High School Gym Entry Ramp/Bridge Repair $200,000 | |

|12. FIELD TRIPS |RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve the enclosed request for field trips. | |

| | | |

|13. TRAVEL EXPENDITURE RESOLUTION |WHEREAS, the Board of Education has determined that the school district travel expenditures for the attached| |

| |programs are in compliance with State travel guidelines as established by the Department of the Treasury and| |

| |within the guidelines established by the Federal Office of Management and Budget; except as superseded by | |

| |conflicting provision of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes and in compliance with the district policy on | |

| |travel; therefore be it | |

| | | |

| |RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby approves the attendance of the listed number of school board | |

| |members and district employees at the attached training and informational programs, and the costs of | |

| |attendance including all registration fees, and statutorily authorized travel expenditures, provided that | |

| |such expenditures are within the annual maximum travel expenditure amount. | |

| |Mr. Puntillo introduced and moved the adoption of the resolution, Mrs. Durland seconded. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell YES Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |REPORT OF BOARD ITEMS | |

| |A. Student Board Member Report | |

| |Arthur J. Akins, Student Representative | |

| |Griffin LeBlond, Student Representative | |

| | | |

| |No Report | |

| |B. Finance Committee: | |

| |Daniel Puntillo, Chairperson | |

| |Diane Durland, Member | |

| |Lucien Sergile, Member | |

| |It is recommended that Items 1 through 6 be moved upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools. | |

|1. BOARD SECRETARY'S FINANCIAL REPORTS|RESOLVED that the Board of Education accept the Board Secretary's Reports listed below: | |

| | | |

| |Treasurer’s Report (February) | |

| |Secretary’s Report (February) | |

| |Investments(February) | |

| |Food Services (Not Available) | |

|2. ACCEPTANCE OF MONTHLY REPORTS |RESOLVED that the Board of Education accept the monthly reports as listed below: | |

| | | |

| |A. Van Derveer School Fund (February) | |

| |B. Middle School Fund (February) | |

| |C. High School Fund (February) | |

| |D. Athletic/Extracurricular Fund (February) | |

|3. PAYROLL |RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve the payroll payments for the following dates: | |

| | | |

| |DATE PAYROLL | |

| |February 28, 2017 $1,099,375.83 | |

| |February 28, 2017 $ 15,475.59 (FICA) | |

| |March 15, 2017 $1,216,866.90 | |

| |March 15, 2017 $ 24,244.88 (FICA) | |

|4. BILLS LISTS |RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve the payment of the following obligations of the School | |

| |District: | |

| | | |

| |Van Derveer and Middle Schools | |

| |Bills List Dated February 28, 2017 | |

| |10 General Fund $ 1,998.04 | |

| |TOTAL $ 1,998.04 | |

| | | |

| |Van Derveer and Middle Schools | |

| |Bills List Dated March 21, 2017 | |

| |10 General Fund $ 27,703.23 | |

| |20 Special Revenue Fund 214.55 | |

| |30 Capital Project Fund 28,180.28 | |

| |TOTAL $ 156,180.28 | |

|5. LINE ITEM TRANSFERS |RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve the enclosed February line item transfers. | |

|6. PRESCHOOL EDUCATION AID TRANSFER |RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve the enclosed Preschool Education Aid line item transfer. | |

| | | |

| |Mrs. Durland introduced and moved the adoption of the resolution, Mr. Sergile seconded. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell YES Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

|7* BILLS LISTS |RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve the payment of the following obligations of the School | |

| |District: | |

| | | |

| |High School and Districtwide | |

| |Bill List Dated February 28, 2017 | |

| |10 General Fund $ 57,123.22 | |

| |20 Special Revenue Fund 2,500.00 | |

| |TOTAL $ 59,623.22 | |

| | | |

| |Bill List Dated March 21, 2017 | |

| |10 General Fund . $ 994,960.93 | |

| |20 Special Revenue Fund 97,373.71 | |

| |30 Capital Projects 22,100.00 | |

| |60 Cafeteria Fund 8,653.58 | |

| |TOTAL $1,123,088.22 | |

| |Mr. Puntillo introduced and moved the adoption of the resolution, Mr. Prudente seconded. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell YES Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto YES | |

| |Certification of Major Account Status(Read by Mr. Puntillo) | |

| |Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-16.10(c)(4), the Somerville Board of Education certifies that as of February 28,| |

| |2017 after review of the Board Secretary's and Treasurer's monthly financial reports and upon consultation | |

| |with the appropriate officials, to the best of its knowledge, no major account or fund has been overexpended| |

| |in violation of N.J.A.C 6A:23A-16.10(c)(4) and that sufficient funds are available to meet the district's | |

| |financial obligations for the remainder of the fiscal year (Major accounts are Current Expense, Capital | |

| |Projects and Debt Service) | |

| |C. Building and Grounds: | |

| |Kenneth Cornell, Chairperson | |

| |John Prudente, Member | |

| | | |

| |Mr. Cornell referenced the Facilities Report prepared by Mr. Gabriel. | |

| |D. Athletics and Student Activities Committee: | |

| |Daniel Puntillo, Lucien Sergile, Chairpersons | |

| |James Jones, Member | |

| | | |

| |Mr. Sergile commended middle school and high school theater productions as well as the high school Robotics | |

| |team. He reported on various winter athletic standings at the middle and high schools. | |

| |E. Curriculum: | |

| |Linda Olson, Chairperson | |

| |Lucien Sergile, Member | |

| | | |

| |No Report | |

| |F. Policy: | |

| |John Prudente, Chairperson | |

| |Dianne Durland, Member | |

| | | |

|1. SECOND READING |RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve the following bylaw for a second reading: | |

| | | |

| |P 2411 Guidance Counseling | |

| |P 3125.2 Employment of Substitute Teachers | |

| |P/R 3126 District Mentoring Program | |

| |P 5514 Student Use of Vehicles | |

| |P/R 8441 Care of Injured and Ill Persons | |

| |P 8630 Bus Driver/Bus Aide Responsibility | |

| |R 8630 Emergency School Bus Procedures | |

| | | |

| |Mr. Prudente introduced and moved the adoption of the resolution, Mrs. Durland seconded. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell YES Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |G. Technology Committee: | |

| |Norman Chin, Chairperson | |

| |Kenneth Cornell, Member | |

| | | |

| |Mr. Chin referenced the Technology Report prepared by Ms. McEntee. | |

| |H. Borough Council/BOE: | |

| |Luc Sergile, Liaison | |

| | | |

| |No Report | |

| |I. Somerset County Educational Services: | |

| |Commission: | |

| |Daniel Puntillo, Liaison | |

| | | |

| |No Report | |

| |J. New Jersey School Boards Association: | |

| |Daniel Puntillo, Delegate | |

| | | |

| |Mr. Puntillo volunteered to be Delegate for the New Jersey School Boards Association. | |

| |K. Somerset County School Association of Boards | |

| |of Education | |

| |Linda Olson, Delegate | |

| | | |

| |Mrs. Olson volunteered to be Delegate for the Somerset County Association of Boards of Education. | |

| |L. Ad Hoc Security Committee | |

| |John Prudente, Chairperson | |

| |Kenneth Cornell, Member | |

| | | |

| |No Report | |

| |M. Ad Hoc Negotiations Committee | |

| |Daniel Puntillo, Chairperson | |

| |Norman Chin, Member | |

| |John Prudente, Member | |

| |Melissa Sadin, Member | |

| | | |

| |Mr. Puntillo reported the committee is working on finalizing dates to meet. | |

|PERSONNEL |RESOLVED that the Board of Education approve and/or accept the Superintendent’s Recommendations as follows: | |

| |(All appointments and salaries subject to verification of documentation.) | |

| |PreK-8 | |

| | | |

| |Motion by Mr. Prudente seconded by Mr. Sergile that items 1 through 6 be moved, upon recommendation of the | |

| |Superintendent. | |

|1. DANIELLE MATTIA |ACCEPT the resignation of Danielle Mattia, teacher of special education at Van Derveer School PreK-2 | |

| |effective June 30, 2017. | |

|2. SMS VOLUNTEER COACHES 2016-2017 |APPROVE the appointment of the following individuals to the position of volunteer | |

| |coaches at Somerville Middle school for the 2016-2017 school year: | |

| |Liana Fross Softball | |

| |Stacey Jaconski Softball | |

|3. JOSEPH MARTINELLI |ACCEPT the resignation of Joseph Martinelli from the position of teacher of special education at Somerville | |

| |Middle School effective June 30, 2017. | |

|4. JULIA WILK |ACCEPT the resignation of Julia Wilk from the position of teacher of special education at Van Derveer School| |

| |effective June 30, 2017. | |

|5. MICHAEL GUILARTE |ACCEPT the retirement/resignation of Michael Guilarte from the position of bilingual and ESL teacher at Van | |

| |Derveer School effective June 30, 2017. | |

|6. NJASK SCIENCE 4 AND 8 TEST |APPROVE the appointment of the following staff members to the position of NJASK Science 4 and 8 Test | |

|COORDINATORS |Coordinators for the 2016-2017 school year at no additional remuneration: | |

| |Jennifer DePace | |

| |Valentina Carleo | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell YES Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |9-12, Districtwide | |

| | | |

| |Motion by Mr. Sergile seconded by Mrs. Durland that items 7* through 17* be moved, upon recommendation of | |

| |the Superintendent. | |

|7* SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS 2016-2017 |APPROVE the appointment of the following individuals to the position of substitute teacher for the 2016-2017| |

| |school year at a rate of $90.00 per diem: | |

| |Leslie Hernandez | |

| |Morgan Lowrey | |

|8* TIFFANY MAZZAGATTI |APPROVE Tiffany Mazzagatti, a student at Fairleigh Dickenson University, to complete her mathematics field | |

| |experience placement at Somerville High School for one week for a minimum of 30 hours supervised by Nicole | |

| |Pierce, Somerville High School mathematics teacher. | |

|9* CST SUMMER WORK |APPROVE the appointment of the following Child Study Team members to provide initial evaluations and | |

| |re-evaluations during the summer 2017 at their per diem rate not to exceed ten (10) days: | |

| |Francine O’Connor | |

| |Lisa Mulhearn | |

| |Deirdre Rajoppi | |

| |Karen Tovi-Jones | |

| |Cathy Hons | |

| |Michelle Turnbull | |

| |Marjorie Mahoney (3 days) | |

|10* JIMMY GABRIEL |APPROVE the appointment of Jimmy Gabriel to the position of Director of Buildings and Grounds to fill a | |

| |vacancy caused by a resignation (Gambino) effective March 16, 2017 to June 30, 2017 at a salary of | |

| |$110,000.00 (prorated). | |

|11* JIMMY GABRIEL |APPROVE the attached employment contract for Jimmy Gabriel. | |

|12* JENNIFER RIGGI |APPROVE a paid maternity leave of absence for Jennifer Riggi, Supervisor of Student Activities and Testing | |

| |at Somerville High School, effective April 18, 2017 to July 3, 2017 and an unpaid childcare leave of absence| |

| |in accordance with the New Jersey Family Leave Act effective July 4, 2017 to October 31, 2017. | |

|13* STAFF TO SCORE WORLD LANGUAGE |APPROVE the appointment of the following staff members to score World Language Placement exams at Somerville| |

|PLACEMENT EXAMS |High School at the rate of $36.00 per hour: | |

| |French -- not to exceed three (3) hours | |

| |Victoria Kessler | |

| | | |

| |Spanish -- not to exceed six (6) hours total | |

| |Jessica Crutchlow | |

| |Lindsay Lockwood | |

| |Elizabeth Ramirez | |

| |Jennifer Russo | |

| |Aida–Janet Wahba | |

|14* CHRISTOPHER MULLIGAN |APPROVE the appointment of Christopher Mulligan to the position of NJBCT Test Coordinator for the 2016-2017 | |

| |school year at no additional remuneration. | |

|15* JENNIFER DEPACE |APPROVE the appointment of Jennifer DePace to the position of alternate Anti-Bullying Specialist at | |

| |Somerville High School effective April 1, 2017 at no additional remuneration. | |

|16* MEGHAN BOWER-MAJOR |APPROVE the appointment of Meghan Bowers-Major to the position of volunteer for the marching band at | |

| |Somerville High School for the 2016-2017 school year. | |

|17* ERICA IEZZI |APPROVE the appointment of Erica Iezzi to the leave replacement position of teacher of English as a Second | |

| |Language at Somerville High School to fill a vacancy caused by a maternity leave (Cobos) effective April 1, | |

| |2017 to June 30, 2017 at a salary of $54,447.00 (BA, Step 1) (Prorated). | |

| |Upon call of the roll, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell YES Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| | | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto YES | |

|PUBLIC COMMENT |Ms. Denise Lang, 201 Grandview Dr., Branchburg, Grievance Co-Chair of Somerville Education Association. The| |

| |Somerville Education Association wants to bring to the attention to the Board and community that the | |

| |district is in violation of Article 23 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Somerville Education | |

| |Association would like to exchange initial proposals by March 27th prior to the first negotiations meeting | |

| |scheduled for April 5th. | |

| | | |

| |Mr. Randy Stitt. He is requesting an opportunity to discuss with the Athletics Committee the possibility of| |

| |the district establishing Somerville’s own Boys Ice Hockey team. Currently, Somerville High School is | |

| |participating in a co-operative agreement with Bernards High School to offer a varsity ice hockey program. | |

| |He indicated that Bernards interest is waning and additional funding is needed. | |

| | | |

| |Ms. Terry Trubiano, 6 Hackberry Pl., Flemington, Secretary of Somerville Education Association. Ms. | |

| |Trubiano reminded the Board that at this time last round of negotiations, the respective committees had met | |

| |four times. She indicated that the membership is nervous about Chapter 78 (Tier 4) and are anxious to start| |

| |negotiations. She appreciates the support of the Board. | |

| | | |

| |Mr. Marc Innella, echoes Mr. Stitt’s comments and voices his support to institute the Boys Ice Hockey team | |

| |program in this district. | |

| | | |

| |Mr. Herbert Hall encouraged the Administration and the Board to attend the Borough Council meeting in April | |

| |to voice their concerns regarding lack of funding from the PILOT program and to discuss demography results. | |

| | | |

| |Mr. Ben Weiland, 463 Lomerson Ln., Glen Gardner, Grievance Co-Chair of Somerville Education Association. He| |

| |stated that the membership is concerned about Chapter 78/Health Benefits, the uncertainty of the Board’s | |

| |intentions and a new Superintendent. He expressed urgency in getting negotiations underway. | |

|EXECUTIVE SESSION |RESOLVED that the Board of Education move to recess into executive session at 8:55 p.m. to discuss student | |

| |matters, and the Superintendent search. The minutes of the executive session, to the extent permitted by | |

| |law, will be made available to the public once the issues are resolved, subject to confidentiality | |

| |requirements. | |

| |Mr. Sergile introduced and moved the adoption of the resolution; Mr. Prudente seconded. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call for a voice vote, the vote was as follows: | |

| | | |

| |Cornell YES Sergile YES | |

| |Durland YES Sweitzer YES | |

| |Jones YES Olson YES | |

| |Prudente YES Chin YES | |

| |Puntillo YES *Noto N/A | |

| |The Board of Education reconvened to public session at 9:04 p.m. | |

|ADJOURNMENT |With nothing further, to be discussed, Mr. Puntillo motioned to adjourn and the motion was seconded by Mr. | |

| |Prudente that the meeting be adjourned at 9:05 p.m. | |

| | | |

| |Upon call for a voice vote, the motion was carried unanimously. | |

| | | |

| |Respectfully submitted, | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| |Bryan P. Boyce | |

| |Board Secretary | |

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