Board Meeting - September 26, 2023

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Submitted by jalijewicz on Thu, 09/21/2023 - 4:51pm

Dates:

Thursday, September 21, 2023 - 4:15pm

THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

METUCHEN, NEW JERSEY

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 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, 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

Meeting Open to the Public (for any topic)

Presentations

❖ NJSLA ELA and Math

Reports

President’s Report
Superintendent's Report
Committee Reports
Student Board Member Report

Old Business

New Business

Approval of Minutes of the Board of Education Meetings

September 12, 2023	Special Business Meeting (1)
September 12, 2023	Special Business Meeting (2)
September 12, 2023	Board Meeting

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

Appointment - Paraprofessional

Move to approve the appointment of Sharon Mok, Paraprofessional at Campbell School, for the 2023-2024 school year, at a salary of $23,127/year, prorated, effective September 27, 2023 through June 30, 2024.

2. Appointment of Additional Substitutes

Move to approve the appointment of the additional substitutes for the 2023-2024 school year on the attached chart, effective September 15, 2023, pending completion of substitute training and criminal history clearance.

3. Resignation - Assistant Superintendent and Moss School Principal

Move to accept the resignation of Richard Cohen, Assistant Superintendent of Metuchen School District and Moss School Principal, effective October 9, 2023.

4. Special Education Trainings

Move to approve the following staff members to prepare and provide trainings for special education programs and mandated professional development for the 2023-2024 school year, at the hourly rate of $49/hour:

Name	Training
Ann Leghorn Orapallo	Dyslexia Training
Andrea Agnone	Dyslexia Training
Emily Bianchi	Communication Strategies/AAC
Emily Rebelo	Communication Strategies/AAC
Dawn Valovcin	Job Coaching/Work Based Learning
Isabella Massaro	Behavior Intervention Strategies
Nga Pham	Health Mandates
Susan Fackler	Health Mandates
Jillieanna Peguero	Health Mandates
Michele Brinkerhoff	Health Mandates
Christina Dybas	Safety Care
Isabella Massaro	Safety Care

5. Special Services Intern

Move to approve Julia Kenny as School Psychologist intern from Rutgers University, at Moss and Campbell.

6. Home Instruction

Move to approve Michelle Duggan to Provide Home Instruction, as needed, at a rate of $60/hour for the 2023-2024 school year.

7. Clinical Experience

Move to approve Nicole Benfatti to conduct a supervised clinical experience towards clinical Social Work licensure during the 2023-2024 school year, as overseen by the Director of Special Services.

8. Paraprofessional Mentors

Move to approve the following staff to serve as Paraprofessional Mentors, for a stipend in the amount of $250 for the 2023-2024 school year:

Michelle Duggan	Kelly Vissichelli	Tary Tay	Deb Decerbo
Marilyn Levine	Mary Jo Paulmenn	Pam Malone	Tina Huber
Farhana Khan	Hope Serratelli

9. Intervention Services - Certificated Staff

Move to approve Emily Bianchi, to provide supplemental intervention services for the 2023-2024 school year at the rate of $49/hour (ESSER funded).

10. Intervention Services - Paraprofessionals

Move to approve the following paraprofessional staff to provide supplemental intervention services for the 2023-2024 school year at their hourly rate:

Name	Hourly Rate
Kelly Vissichelli	$21.84/hour
Ben Hohmann	$20.64/hour

11. Salary Adjustment – School Secretaries

Move to approve the salary adjustment of the following school secretaries for the 2023-2024 school year effective July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 at the annual salary as follows (Agenda 06/27/23, Section 13, A24):

Metuchen High School
Name	Salary
Kathy Mallory	$58,765
Mary Miranowic	$58,765
Lisa Latham	$49,789
Teresa Coleman	$51,013
Maureen Azzara (part-time 10 month)**	$26,587

Edgar Middle School
Name	Salary
Allison Sullivan	$49,789
Audrey Hausser	$49,789
Adele Rackley (½ time @ EMS & ½ time Sp. Svcs)**	$28,790
Campbell Elementary School
Laura Chiusano	$55,677
Pamela Hatzelhoffer	$49,789
Katherine Eosso (½ time @ CES and ½ time Sp. Svcs)**	$24,894
Moss School
Patricia Hallas	$51,013

**Part-time secretaries may be used as substitute secretaries at their hourly rate.

12. Salary Adjustment - Central Office Staff

Move to approve the salary adjustment of the following central office support staff for the 2023-2024 school year effective July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 at the annual salary as follows (Agenda 06/27/2023, Section 13, A22):

Special Services
Name	Position	Salary
Adele Rackley	Part-time Secretary (½ time @ EMS and ½ time Sp. Svcs.)	$28,790
Katherine Eosso	Part-time Secretary (½ time @ CES and ½ time Sp. Svcs)	$24,895

13. Appointment - Interim Moss Principal

Move to approve the appointment of Kathy Glutz as Interim Principal at Moss School, from October 10, 2023 through October 17, 2023 at a rate of $600/day.

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

FINANCE

Motion/Second/Comments/Roll Call

1. Payment of Bills

a) Board Secretary’s Certification

Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6:20-2A.10(d), the Board Secretary has certified that as of September 26, 2023 no budgetary line item accounts have obligations and payments which exceed the amount appropriated by the Board of Education.

________________________________________ _______________

Michael A. Harvier, Board Secretary Date

b) Approve the Following Items Submitted by the Board Secretary

Payment of bills and claims, as shown on the attached list(s) that have been certified by the Board of Education and filed in the Business Office.

2. Professional Development

Move to approve the professional development activities as shown on the attachment.

3. Resolution

The Board hereby approves the Memorandum of Agreement between the Metuchen Board of Education and the Metuchen Association of Educational Secretaries, for the collective bargaining agreement covering July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026, and authorizes the Board attorney to draft the final version of the contract for execution by the Board of Education and the Association.

4. Special Olympics Unified Grant

Move to accept the Special Olympics of NJ Unified Grant in the amount of $2,500 to implement Unified Programs at Metuchen High School.

5. Grant Application

Move to approve the submission of the New Jersey Learning Acceleration Program: High Impact Competitive Grant application for Fiscal Year 2024, and accept the grant award of $111,211 upon the subsequent approval of the High Impact Tutoring Competitive Grant.

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

POLICY

Motion/Second/Comments/Roll Call

1. Suspensions

The Board hereby acknowledges receipt of the suspension report summary for September 11, 2023 - September 22, 2023.

----------------------------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	Woodbridge High School	12th Grade; To assist seniors in learning about different colleges and universities in order to make informed decisions about their future education. Seniors will be able to: -Learn about different colleges and universities from admission reps -Get their questions answered about the college admission process -Get information about financial aid and scholarships -Meet other students who are interested in the same colleges -Get a feel for different college campuses. We will pilot the fair this year with a total of 40 seniors.	Ilana Kurtin Leigh Hanbridge Elizabeth DeMott	10/18/ 2023	40	0	no subs needed
CES	Von Thun Farm	Grade 1; SW understand that living things grow and change over time SW understand what living things need to survive SW observe plants at different stages of their life cycle SW read Spookly the Square Pumpkin throughout a corn maze and develop an understand and awareness of bullying and its effects.	Tara Palmieri, Deanna Kindler, Candace Evans, Ellissa Cadel, Samanta Jackson, Megan Shapiro, Jeremy Barnes, Tara Pata, Bailey Tocci, Rupel Conzo, Julie Anderson	10/26/ 2023	155	0	no subs needed
MHS	Red Robin	Grades 5-12; Students will be going to Red Robin restaurant to work on restaurant skills including budgeting, ordering from a menu, monetary calculations and social skills. CRP1 Act a responsible and contributing citizen and employee CRP2 Apply appropriate academic and technical skills CRP4 Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason CRP 8 Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.	Dawn Valovcin, Christina Dybas, Alexis Wolford, Jordan Leitner, Michelle Schutz, Joseph DiMeglio, EJ Svolto, Marilyn Levine,Janine Haulenbeek,	10/20/ 2023	13	$50	no subs needed
Edgar	Norz Farm	Grades 5-12; Students will be going to Norz Farm in Hillsborough to work on problem solving skills and social emotional learning. We will use problem solving skills by going through a corn maze. We will also work on recognizing one's thoughts and or feelings when we get stuck and need to turn around to find the correct way out of the maze. Lastly, we will work on finding ways to persevere to reach our goal of making it through the corn maze.	Dawn Valovcin, Christina Dybas, Janine Haulenbeek, Jordan Leitner, Michelle Shutz, Joseph DiMeglio, EJ Svolto, Marilyn Levine	10/6/ 2023	13	$90	no subs needed
MHS	Killington Ski Resort, Vermont	Grade 9-12; Students will participate in skiing and snowboarding activities for two days at the Killington Ski Resort. Students will also participate in an indoor rock climbing activity at the Green Mountain Climbing gym. Upon completing the trip, students will develop a growth mindset by embracing challenges, accepting setbacks as learning opportunities, and displaying resilience in the face of difficulties encountered during skiing, snowboarding and climbing activities. By the end of the trip, students will be able to reflect on their skiing and snowboarding experience, identifying areas of improvement, and setting goals goals for future skiing endeavors based on their gained insights and skills	Anna Girin, Danielle Cermak, Lauren Scala, Ryan Clapp (might change)	2/2/ 2024 - 2/4/ 2024 (2 nights/ overnight trip)	46	0	no subs needed
MHS	New York City	Grades 9-12; Students interested in the fashion industry will be able to observe new trends of fashion by visiting different fashion displays, participate in a museum exhibition, experience a variety of textiles and materials in a renowned fabric supplier. Staff and students will meet at the train station.	Ann Lezama, Nickolas Vosinas and Anais Ortega	12/15/ 2023	35	$0	3 subs needed
MHS	Museum Metropolitan Museum of Art and Hadestown	12th Grade; Impact of 9/11 on Government and Politics, Retrospective of European Art	Evan Robbins; Beth Abbott	12/8/ 2023	18	$0	2 subs needed
MHS	Woodbridge High School	12th Grade; To assist seniors in learning about different colleges and universities in order to make informed decisions about their future education. Seniors will be able to: -Learn about different colleges and universities from admission reps -Get their questions answered about the college admission process -Get information about financial aid and scholarships -Meet other students who are interested in the same colleges -Get a feel for different college campuses. We will pilot the fair this year with a total of 40 seniors.	Ilana Kurtin Leigh Hanbridge Elizabeth DeMott	10/18/ 2023	40	$0	no subs needed
MHS	Space Coast Florida Spring Ball	Grade 9-12; Students will develop teamwork and collaboration between athletes. Develop a positive relationship. Spring training develops team comradery as they practice together and develop a bond so they play effectively once the season begins.	Michelle Huff, Ed Porowski, Mark Mooney	3/21/ 2024- 3/24/ 2024	16	$0	1 sub needed

2. ESCNJ Appointment of Representative

Pursuant to enacted legislation P.L. 192-1989, Chapter 254, the Metuchen Board of

Education elected Vincent Caputo to the Representative Assembly of the Educational

Services Commission of New Jersey from September 2023 to September 2024.

3. Emergency Virtual or Remote Instructional Plan

Move to approve the MetuchenPublic Schools Local Educational Agency Guidance for Emergency Virtual or Remote Instruction Plan for the 2023-2024 school year.

4. Turn Key Training

Move to approve the following staff members to prepare Turn Key Training for our district on the In-service workshop on October 9, 2023, not to exceed 9 hours at the rate of $49/hour.

Name	Workshop
Yoko Kato	Climate Studies
Karen Van De Castle	Climate Studies
Jonathan Nolde	Science Training
Kristina Bormann	Dyslexia

----------------------------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.