Board Meeting - September 12, 2023

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Submitted by jalijewicz on Fri, 09/08/2023 - 2:54pm

Dates:

Friday, September 8, 2023 - 2:45pm

THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

METUCHEN, NEW JERSEY

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

MEETING AGENDA

of the Metuchen Board of Education

Metuchen High School

400 Grove Avenue

Metuchen, NJ 08840

Call to Order

Flag Salute

Notice of Meeting

I hereby make this statement to indicate compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act known as Chapter 231 of the Public Laws of New Jersey, 1975, which became effective 90 days after enactment, January 19, 1976.

Notice of this meeting was given by providing the location, time and date of this meeting, and posting of the same on the front door of the Board of Education offices, by delivering copies to the Borough Hall and the Metuchen Public Library, The Home News and Tribune, The Criterion Sentinel, The Star Ledger, and by filing a copy with the Borough Clerk as prescribed by this law.

Roll Call

Mr. Benderly		Dr. Johnson-Marcus
Ms. Cook		Ms. Killean
Mr. Derflinger		Mr. Lifton
Ms. Dimbeng		Dr. Spigner
Mr. Glassberg		Mr. Suss

Showcase of Success

❖ Introduction of New Teachers

❖ New Student Representative - Madison Dimbeng

Meeting Open to the Public (for any topic)

Presentations

❖ SEL Presentation - Mr. Cohen

❖ District Goals - Dr. Caputo

Reports

President’s Report
Superintendent's Report
Committee Reports

Old Business

New Business
Approval of Minutes of the Board of Education Meetings

August 22, 2023	Special Business Meeting (1)
August 22, 2023	Special Business Meeting (2)
August 22, 2023	Board Meeting
August 22, 2023	Executive Session

Meeting Open to the Public (for any topic)

Recommendations of the Superintendent of Schools

(at this time the Board will take formal action on the following items – see attachments)

Often times it may appear to members of our audience that the Board of Education takes action with very little comment and in many cases a unanimous vote. Before a matter is placed on the agenda at a public meeting, the administration has thoroughly reviewed the matter with the Superintendent of Schools. If the Superintendent is satisfied that the matter is ready to be presented to the Board of Education, it is then referred to the appropriate board committee. The members of the board committee work with administration and the Superintendent to assure that the members fully understand the matter. When the committee is satisfied with the matter, it is presented to the Board of Education for discussion before any final action is taken. Only then, is it placed on the agenda for action at a public meeting.

PERSONNEL

Motion/Second/Comments/Roll Call

Edgar Clubs and Co-Curricular Activities - Rescind and Approve

Move to rescind and approve the following Edgar Middle School co-curricular stipends for the co-curricular activities for the 2023-2024 school year as listed (Agenda 08/22/2023 Section 13 A9):

Name

Position

Stipend

Rescind:

Audra Smith

Raquel Williams

Spanish Club (B) .5

$674.50

Approve:

Raquel Williams

Spanish Club (B)

$1349

2. Medical Leave of Absence - Extension

Move to approve the extended medical leave of absence end date for Kerry Blaze, Social Studies Teacher at Metuchen High School, through approximately November 13, 2023 (Agenda 08/22/2023, Section 13, A28).

3. Appointment - Leave Replacement

Move to approve the appointment of Shannon Desch, Leave Replacement for Kerry Blaze, Social Studies Teacher at Metuchen High School, for the 2023-2024 school year, at a rate of $301.49/day, effective August 31, 2023 through approximately November 13, 2023.

4. Maternity/Child Care Leave of Absence - Certificated Staff

Move to approve the maternity/child care leave of absence of Jessica Gesumaria, English Teacher at Metuchen High School, from approximately January 24, 2024 through approximately May 1, 2024.

5. Retirement - Certificated Staff

Move to accept, with regret, the retirement of Michael Molfetto, Paraprofessional at Metuchen High School, effective August 22, 2023.

6. Resignation- Certificated Staff

Move to accept the resignation of Stacy Winters, Mathematics Teacher at Metuchen High School, effective October 20, 2023, or earlier if a replacement is hired.

7. Resignation- Certificated Staff

Move to accept the resignation of Kathy Thomas, Science ICR Teacher at Edgar Middle School, effective October 29, 2023, or earlier if a replacement is hired.

8. Family Leave of Absence - Certificated Staff

Move to approve the family leave of absence of Ann Leghorn-Orapallo, Reading Specialist at Metuchen High School, from January 2, 2024 through March 25, 2024.

9. Salary Adjustment – Certificated Staff

Move to approve a change in base salary for Vincent Signorile, Campbell School Teacher, from Step 2D, $58,707/year, to Step 3D, $60,139/year, as a result of him earning his Master’s Degree, effective September 1, 2023.

10. Appointment - Additional Substitutes

Move to approve the appointment of the additional substitutes for the 2023-2024 school year on the attached chart, effective September 5, 2023, pending completion of substitute training and criminal history clearance (Agenda 08/22/2023, Section 13, A11).

11. Appointment - Paraprofessional

Move to approve the appointment of Poonam Pujara, Paraprofessional at Campbell Elementary School, for the 2023-2024 school year, at a salary of $23,127/year, prorated, effective approximately September 13, 2023 through June 30, 2024, pending criminal history clearance.

12. Instructional and Non-Instructional Stipends

Move to approve the instructional and non-instructional stipends of the following teachers for the 2023-2024 SY:

Edgar Middle School
Name	Assignment	Non-instructional Stipend	Total
John Butler	School Parking Lot Assistant	0.67 non-instructional stipend	$4523
Alicia Haller	School Parking Lot Assistant	0.67 non-instructional stipend	$4523
Ed Albanese	School Parking Lot Assistant	0.25 non-instructional stipend	$1688
Metuchen High School
Name	Assignment	Instructional Stipend	Total
Bill Latta	Special Ed/Math	1.0 instructional Stipend	$8400

13. Supplemental Intervention Services

Move to approve the following certified staff to provide supplemental intervention services for the 2023-2024 school year at the hourly rate of $49/hour (ESSER funded):

Andrea Agnone	Lauren Thompson	Lindsay Kaye	Julie Anderson
Ann Leghorn	Veronica Araneo	Rebecca Dwyer	Samantha Murphy
Isabella Massaro

14. Appointment - Home Instruction

Move to approve the following personnel for Home Instruction for the 2023-2024 school year, as needed, at a rate of $60/hour, pending criminal history clearance:

Leah Horesh

Jean Gilbert

15. Informal Mentor Teacher Assignment

Move to approve the following additional informal mentor assignment for the 2023-2024 school year, to be paid at a rate of $49/hour, not to exceed six hours (Agenda 8/8/23, Section 13 A12):

New Teacher	School	Mentors
Joelle Williams	Moss	Katie Upshaw

16. Medical Leave of Absence Extension - Custodian

Move to approve the extension of the medical leave of absence of Mark Cooper, Custodian at Campbell School, through approximately September 25, 2023 (Agenda 7/18/23, Section 13 A23).

17. Mentor Teachers – New Teacher Academy

Move to approve the following mentors to work with new teachers at the New Teacher Academy, August 28, 2023 to September 1, 2023, to be paid at a rate of $49/hour, not to exceed six hours:

Adam Levy	Rick Carter	Ken Smith
Katie Upshaw	Kelsee Young	Charmane Montgomery

18. Appointment - Certificated Staff

Move to approve the appointment of Sean Rappleyea, Math Teacher at Metuchen High School, for the 2023-2024 school year, at a salary of $60,200/year, Step 1G, prorated, effective approximately October 16, 2023 (or earlier if released from current district) through June 30, 2024.

19. Resignation - Paraprofessional

Move to accept the resignation of Chelsea Coxon, Paraprofessional at Moss School, effective September 8, 2023.

20. Appointment - Zone Staff

Move to approve the following the additional Zone Staff at Edgar Middle School for the 2023-2024 school year.

Paraprofessionals:

Name	Hourly Rate
Kathi Pearsall	$23.00
Ben Hohmann	$23.00

Mentors:

Name	Hourly Rate
Oliver Atkins (MHS)	$16.00
Nicole Bellows	$16.00

----------------------------end of personnel section--------------------------

FINANCE

Motion/Second/Comments/Roll Call

1. Resolution

Move to approve the James Stronge observation and evaluation system for the 2023-2024 school year.

2. ESCNJ Authorization

Move to authorize the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey to conference, discuss and solicit input in the development of the nursing services contract document for the 2023-2024 school year, which provides nursing services to the following non-public schools located in the Metuchen School District: Edgar Learning Center, Apple Montessori, St. Joseph High School, Metuchen Christian Academy and St. Francis Cathedral.

3. Appointment-Balanced Literacy Coach

Move to approve BDO, Deanne Opatosky, as ESSA Balanced Literacy Coach for the 2023-2024 school year using ESSA Title IIA funds not to exceed $27,795.

4. Appointment - Mental Health Coach

Move to approve School Wellbeing Solutions, Martin Blank, as Coping Skills Trainer for the 2023-2024 school year using ESSER III Accelerated Learning Coaching and Educator Support Grant funds not to exceed $25,000.

5. Professional Development

Move to approve the following professional development activities as shown on the following chart:

Start Date	End Date	Activity Title	Name	Building	Approved	Payment	FFPI Proposal #
9/13/ 2023	9/13/ 2023	Fifth Annual NGSS/NJSLS Science Workshop for Administrators	Cohen, Richard	Central Office	0	No cost
9/13/ 2023	9/15/ 2023	2023 GPANJ Educational Symposium	Orcutt, Tracey	Central Office	not to exceed $600	Other
9/15/ 2023	9/15/ 2023	NJ Department of Education - School Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management (BTAM) Training	Azevedo, Suzy	Edgar	0	No cost
9/15/ 2023	9/15/ 2023	School Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management (BTAM) Training	Kirschner, Brooke	Campbell	0	No cost
9/15/ 2023	9/15/ 2023	School Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management (BTAM) Training - NJ Department of Education	Lewis, Patricia	Edgar	0	No cost
9/20/ 2023	6/12/ 2024	ASAP-NJ	Rubin, Samantha	MHS	0	No cost
9/27/ 2023	9/27/ 2023	School Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management (BTAM) Training - NJ Department of Education	Hsu, Erica	Campbell	0	No cost
9/27/ 2023	9/27/ 2023	School Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management (BTAM) Training - NJ Department of Education	Evans, Neyda	Edgar	0	No cost
9/27/ 2023	9/27/ 2023	School Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management (BTAM) Training - NJ Department of Education	Rubin, Samantha	MHS	0	No cost
9/27/ 2023	9/27/ 2023	School Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Training	Levy, Adam	MHS	0	No cost
10/6/ 2023	10/6/ 2023	CJPride PD Day	Taylor, Carolyn	Central Office	0	No cost
10/11/ 2023	10/12/ 2023	NJPSA/FEA/NJASCD Fall Conference	Lemerich, Kathryn	Central Office	$400.581	Other
10/12/ 2023	10/12/ 2023	2023 NJPSA/FEA/NJASCD - Sold A Story	Jeney, Meghan	Campbell	$270	FFPI	24-016
10/12/ 2023	10/12/ 2023	2023 NJPSA/FEA/NJASCD Fall Conference	Bormann, Kristina	Campbell	$208	FFPI	24-027
10/13/ 2023	10/13/ 2023	NJSCA-Fall conference	Campbell, Lauren	Edgar	$199	FFPI	24-018
10/17/ 2023	10/17/ 2023	NJ science convention	Wang, Jingjing	MHS	$230	FFPI	24-025
10/18/ 2023	10/18/ 2023	New Jersey Science Convention	Ronk, Edward	Edgar	$194.40	FFPI	24-017
10/19/ 2023	10/19/ 2023	Oppositional, Defiant & Disruptive Children and Adolescents: Non-medication Approaches to the Most Challenging Behaviors	Cermak, Danielle	MHS	$249.99	FFPI	24-026
10/20/ 2023	10/20/ 2023	Drew AI Symposium	Forde, Caroline	Edgar	$50	FFPI	24-028
10/20/ 2023	10/20/ 2023	AI and Writing Symposium	Kurtin, Ilana	Central Office	$50	Other
10/20/ 2023	10/20/ 2023	DrewTeach: AI and Writing	Manziano, Lou	Central Office	$75	Other
10/26/ 2023	10/26/ 2023	Leave Happy: Strategies to build relationships and create a positive classroom community	Cermak, Danielle	MHS	$219.86	FFPI	24-019
10/30/ 2023	10/31/ 2023	Art Educators of New Jersey Annual Conference 2023: Making the Invisible Visible	Murphy, Kelly	MHS	$285	FFPI	24-020
11/5/ 2023	11/7/ 2023	Character.org 2023 International Forum	Upshaw, Katherine	Moss	$1105.5	FFPI	24-022
11/5/ 2023	11/7/ 2023	Character.org 2023 International Forum	Herold, Michele	Moss	$1238.22	FFPI	24-021
11/5/ 2023	11/7 2023	Character.org International Forum	Cohen, Richard	Central Office	$197.50	Other
11/17/ 2023	11/17/ 2023	Using AI Tools to Increase Science Learning	Ronk, Edward	Edgar	$279	FFPI	24-029
3/11/ 2024	3/11/ 2024	The Intersection of Reading and Writing	Jeney, Meghan	Campbell	0	No cost
3/11/ 2024	3/11/ 2024	AIM's 12th Annual Research to Practice Symposium	Bormann, Kristina	Campbell	0	No cost

6. Nonpublic Technology Aid

Move to approve the following nonpublic technology aid for the 2023-2024 school year. These expenditures are required for the district to fulfill certain legal obligations under state legislation to administer federal or state funds provided to nonpublic schools within our jurisdiction:

School	Vendor	QTY	Item #	Description	Price	Total
St. Joseph High School	CDW-G	5	5539074	Dell C7520QT 75" 4K-20pt. Touch IPS glass monitor	$3,323.80	$16,619.00
St. Joseph High School	CDW-G	5	2819857	Chief Fusion Large Adjustable Mobile TV Cart 42-86" silver	$1,172.62	$5,863.10

7. Technology Equipment Disposal

Move to approve the disposal of the technology equipment as shown on the attached list.

----------------------------end of finance section--------------------------

POLICY

Motion/Second/Comments/Roll Call

1. Appointment - Student Board of Education Member Representative

Move to approve Madison Dimbeng as the Metuchen High School Student Board of Education Representative for the 2023-2024 school year.

----------------------------end of policy section--------------------------

CURRICULUM

Motion/Second/Comments/Roll Call

1. Field Trips

Move to approve the following field trips for students in the Metuchen School District as shown:

School	Destination	Class/Group/ Purpose	Teachers/ Advisors	Date(s)	No. Of Students	Board Cost- Transportation	Number of Subs Needed.
MHS	The Imperia	12th Grade; Safety Ambassadors will attend the Safety Summit Training event, hosted by Robert Wood Johnson Safety Ambassador Program. SAs prepare to teach safety lessons to 1st graders at Campbell Elementary.	Danielle Cermak	10/5/2023	8	$130	1 sub
MHS	Met Opera	Grades 9-12; Puccini opera in Italian. Professional Opera house rehearsal-see workings of final dress rehearsal and professional performances- students will observe and critique opera's style, cultural importance, performance and rehearsal practices. THERE IS A OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH MEMBERS OF THE ORCHESTRA AND CAST AT THE END OF THE PERFORMANCE	Stefeny Stofa- Krombholz Linda Wisnewski	10/6/2023	30	$0	2 subs
MHS	Sunrise Mountain and Culvers Gap	Grade 9-12; Members of the MHS Outdoor Wellness Club will participate in a 6 mile hike on the Appalachian trail. Students will enjoy lots of fall foliage views hiking the Appalachian trail from Sunrise Mountain to Culver Fire tower and Culver's Gap. By the end of this hike, students will be able to explain and adhere to basic trail safety guidelines, including proper footwear, staying on designated trails, being aware of potential hazards, and following group hiking protocols. Students will be able to reflect on their hiking experience, identifying challenges they overcame, skills they developed, and personal insights gained from the experience.	Anna Girin, Danielle Cermak, Nickolas Vosinas and Lindsay Nalepa	10/21/2023	40	TBD	no subs needed
MHS	Rowan University	Grades 9-12; This date will be the dress rehearsal for our performance with the Rowan University Orchestra the following day. This will serve as our only rehearsal alongside the Rowan University Orchestra prior to the performance.	Christopher McEwan	10/23/2023	20	$200	no subs needed
MHS	Campbell Elementary School	Grades 9-12; Students from the MHS Orchestra will provide music for the Campbell Halloween Parade. MHS students spend September and October preparing music for the parade, and upperclassmen get experience conducting and leading rehearsals on certain songs.	Christopher McEwan, John Messenger, Jordyn Gallagher	10/31/2023	50	$50	1 sub
MHS	George Street Playhouse	Grade 9-12; Footlighter students will have an additional opportunity to see a professional production of a play ("Having our Say" by Emily Mann). "Having Our Say" follows the lives of two African-American sisters who live to be 100 years-old. They share their experiences as the daughters of a slave (who later becomes a professor), as they establish their careers, and integrate a NY suburb. The George Street Playhouse produces student matinee performances, which are followed by a talk-back with actors, director, and producer, during which students are able to ask questions of both art and craft, and to learn about the process of mounting a professional production.	Jacquelyn Jacobi, Stefeny Krombholz, & Amanda Shorr	12/13/2023	15	$130	3 subs
Edgar	Moss School	Grade 8; Students in the 8th grade guitar class will perform for the Moss School students. This will give the guitar students a chance to showcase the skills and techniques they have been working on during the semester class. This will also give the kindergarten students a chance to watch a live performance of the instruments we study in music class every Friday.	Jordyn Gallagher	12/15/2023	25	$60	no subs needed
MHS	Campbell Elementary School	Grades 9-12; The Metuchen High School Band program will present a winter music concert for all grade levels of Campbell School. The purpose of the concert is to teach the students about the instruments within the band ensembles along with previewing performance opportunities for each of the students when they get to the high school. These performances provide inspiration and motivation for students to continue to progress on their instruments as well as promoting our music community from the elementary to high school levels. While serving as a recruitment strategy, the performance is an age long tradition all staff and students enjoy.	John Messenger, John Flynn, Jordyn Gallagher	12/21/2023	75	$140	no subs needed
MHS	Continuo Arts Conservatory, Summit, New Jersey	Grades 9-12; Rehearse for and Perform in a concert at Carnegie Hall- 40th Anniversary of Rutter performing with at Misconducted by John Rutter. Piece of music to perform, is the Rutter Magnificat Festival Chorus of 200 high school singers from around the tri-state area	Stefeny Stofa- Krombholz	1/5/2023 - 10am-1pm; 1/6/2023- 2pm-5pm; 1/7/2023- 8:45am - 4:30pm	20	$705	2 subs
MHS	Moss School	Grade 9-12; Students use technology to show kindergarten students how 21st century musicians use tech to create and represent ideas and stories in music. We study the Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint Saens to illustrate our ideas.	Stefeny Stofa- Krombholz	1/19/2024 (SNOW DATE 1/26/24)	20	$50	1 sub
MHS	Metuchen High School	Grade 8; 8th grade orchestra students will travel to MHS to observe and play alongside the MHS Orchestra. Since Orchestra functions in a different way between the two schools, this is an opportunity to see how the group functions, interact with the MHS musicians, and see what they can expect the following year in the high school orchestra class.	Christopher McEwan	2/2/2024	24	$50	no subs needed
MHS	David Geffen hall, Lincoln Center	Grades 9-12; Students will see the New York Philharmonic perform Strauss's master work "An Alpine Symphony." Students will be exposed to the music ahead of time during class, and will have an understanding of the meaning of the piece as they watch it performed live. Students will see professionals at the height of their profession performing on the same instruments they play during class.	John Messenger, Jordyn Gallagher, Ashley Jaye	2/8/2024	37	$0	no subs needed
MHS	Moss School	Grade 9-12; Students will present music composed and arranged in the Carnival of the Animals Project to classmates and parents.	Stefeny Stofa- Krombholz	2/9/2024	20	$60	1 sub
Edgar	Moss School	Grade 8; Students in the guitar class will perform for the Moss School students. This will give the guitar students a chance to showcase the skills and techniques they have been working on during the semester class. This will also give the kindergarten students a chance to watch a live performance of the instruments we study in music class every Friday.	Jordyn Gallagher	4/26/2024	25	$60	no subs needed
Edgar	Moss School	Grades 5-8; This field trip will allow the students who are in the Edgar Advanced Orchestras a performance opportunity to showcase the skills and advanced repertoire they have been working on throughout the school year. This will also give the kindergarten students a chance to watch a live performance of the instruments they have been learning about in their music class.	Jordyn Gallagher	5/17/2024 Times: 9:30am-10:30am 12:30pm-1:30pm	20 20	$40 $40	no subs needed no subs needed
Edgar	Six Flags, Jackson, New Jersey	Grade 8; Students will be able to communicate effectively using math and science concepts. Students will understand and apply the forces and laws of movement using real-world situations (velocity, distance, time, Newton's Laws of Motions, etc...) as well as calculating costs of admission, food and souvenir costs.	Chrissy Kremer, Danielle Kennedy, Lauren Scala, Barbara King, Alyssa Dugasz, Richard Stoner, Ed Ronk, Rachel DiVanno (and others who volunteer)	5/23/2024	200	$0	6 subs(approximately)

2. Work Based Experience

Move to approve Work Based Learning Experiences for students in the Metuchen Internship Learning Experience classes at MHS for the 2023-2024 SY.

3. 2023 New Teacher Academy Workshop

Move to approve Evan Robbins as a Presenter for New Teacher Academy Workshop at Edgar Middle School, at a rate of $49/hour, not to exceed 2 hours (Agenda 8/08/2023, Section 13, A24).

4. Curriculum Documents

Move to approve the following curriculum documents for the following subjects:

Curriculum Documents
Subject	Grade
PE	5
PE	6
PE	7
PE	8

5. Appointment - Multilingual Learner Trainer

Move to approve Guzman Educational Consultants, Alex Guzman, as the Multilingual Learner Trainer for the 2023-2024 school year using Title III Immigrant funds not to exceed $5,537.

----------------------------end of curriculum section--------------------------

Meeting Open to Public (for any topic)

Announcements

Motion to Go Into Executive Session (when applicable)

Resolution to Close Meeting

BE IT RESOLVED, pursuant to the Sunshine Act, N.J.S. 10:4-12 and 13, that the Board of Education will now meet in executive session to discuss _____________________________________ and that matters discussed will be disclosed to the public as soon as the reason for confidentiality no longer exist.