Regular Meeting
February 20, 2007
7:12 P.M.
The Regular Meeting of the Kearny Board of Education was held at Washington School, 80 Belgrove Drive, on the evening of the above date.
President McDonald called the meeting to order and announced that in accordance with Chapter 231, Laws of 1975, Open Public Meetings Act, adequate notice of the meeting was provided to the Observer and the Jersey Journal. Notice of the meeting was posted on the bulletin board in the lobby of the Board Office and filed with the Acting Town Clerk by letter dated February 15, 2007.
ROLL CALL
On roll call, the following members were present: Mr. Campbell, Mr. Castelli, Mr. Doffont, Mrs. Marks, Mrs. Santos, Mrs. Schalago, President McDonald.
Mr. Robert P. Mooney, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Ingrid Kiss, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Mrs. Karen A. Yeamans, Business Administrator/Board Secretary, and Kenneth J. Lindenfelser, Esq., Board Attorney were also present.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mrs. McDonald led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
MOTION RE: APPROVAL OF MINUTES
It was moved by Mrs. Santos and seconded by Mrs. Schalago that the Minutes of the following meetings be hereby approved:
Regular Meeting, January 16, 2007 at 7:07 p.m.
On roll call, the following vote was recorded: Mr. Campbell, “not voting”, Mr. Castelli, “aye”, Mr. Doffont, “not voting”, Mrs. Marks, “aye”, Mrs. Santos, “aye”, Mrs. Schalago “aye”, President McDonald, “aye”.
There being five votes in the affirmative and two members “not voting”, the motion was carried.
MOTION RE: APPROVAL OF MINUTES
It was moved by Mrs. Santos and seconded by Mrs. Schalago that the Minutes of the following meetings be hereby approved:
Closed Session, January 16, 2007 at 6:00 p.m.
On roll call, the following vote was recorded: Mr. Campbell, “not voting”, Mr. Castelli, “aye”, Mr. Doffont, “not voting”, Mrs. Marks, “aye”, Mrs. Santos, “aye”, Mrs. Schalago “aye”, President McDonald, “aye”.
There being five votes in the affirmative and two members “not voting”, the motion was carried.
MOTION RE: APPROVAL OF MINUTES
It was moved by Mrs. Santos and seconded by Mrs. Schalago that the minutes of the following meetings be hereby approved:
Special Meeting, February 6, 2007 at 6:04 p.m.
On roll call, the following vote was recorded: Mr. Campbell, “aye”, Mr. Castelli, “aye”, Mr. Doffont, “not voting”, Mrs. Marks, “aye”, Mrs. Santos, “aye”, Mrs. Schalago “aye”, President McDonald, “aye”.
There being six votes in the affirmative and one member “not voting”, the motion was carried.
MOTION RE: APPROVAL OF MINUTES
It was moved by Mrs. Santos and seconded by Mrs. Schalago that the minutes of the following meeting be hereby approved:
Closed Session, February 6, 2007 at 6:05 p.m.
On roll call, the following vote was recorded: Mr. Campbell, “aye”, Mr. Castelli, “aye”, Mr. Doffont, “not voting”, Mrs. Marks, “aye”, Mrs. Santos, “aye”, Mrs. Schalago “aye”, President McDonald, “aye”.
There being six votes in the affirmative and one member “not voting”, the motion was carried.
BOARD MEMBER ARRIVES
Mr. Sgalia arrived at 7:18 p.m.
SUPERINTENDENT SPEAKS
Mr. Mooney acknowledged the recent passing of two Board of Education employees, Joseph Aulisi, Assistant to VP/Athletics at Kearny High School, and Helen Davidson, former Roosevelt School teacher.
PRESENTATIONS – STUDENT ATHLETIC RECOGNITION
The following student athletes were honored for their achievements during the 2006-2007 Fall Sports Season:
ALL COUNTY FOOTBALL TEAM
Steve Rodgers – Second Team – Defensive Team
Joe Dos Santos – Honorable Mention – Defensive Team
Dan Pshybyshefski – Honorable Mention – Defensive Team
Juan Ageitos – Honorable Mention – Defensive Team
Tom McDermott – Second Team – Offensive Team
Dave Cassels – Honorable Mention – Offensive Team
Mr. Millar and Mr. Howell spoke of the students’ achievements during their high school careers.
Mr. Millar also advised that the Girls Basketball team will be playing in the State Tournament on Monday, February 26, 2007.
BOARD PRESIDENT SPEAKS
Mrs. McDonald thanked Mrs. Costello for the use of Washington School for the evening’s meeting.
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT – Mr. Mooney
PART I – PERSONNEL ISSUES
The following resolutions were moved by Mr. Doffont and seconded by Mr. Campbell:
A. RETIREMENTS
Carole Annafravage-Meyers, Teacher of Art at Franklin School, will retire effective July 1, 2007 after twenty-nine years of service to the Kearny Public Schools.
Linda Carey-Cifelli, elementary teacher at Garfield School, will retire effective July 1, 2007 after thirty-three years of service to the Kearny Public Schools.
Lucia M. Corsaro, elementary teacher at Franklin School, will retire effective July 1, 2007 after forty-one years of service to the Kearny Public Schools.
Lois Currie, SAC Counselor at Kearny High School, will retire effective July 1, 2007 after thirty-nine years of service to the Kearny Public Schools.
Blanca Feliciano, Teacher of Science at Franklin School, will retire effective July 1, 2007 after thirty-five years of service to the Kearny Public Schools.
Joan Kassenoff, Teacher of Mathematics at Kearny High School, will retire effective July 1, 2007 after twenty years of service to the Kearny Public Schools.
Louis Pandolfi, Media Specialist at Kearny High School, will retire effective July 1, 2007 after thirty-six years of service to the Kearny Public Schools.
Michael Rusek, Physical Education Teacher at Washington School, will retire effective July 1, 2007 after twenty-nine years of service to the Kearny Public Schools.
On roll call, the following vote was recorded: Mr. Campbell, “aye”, Mr. Castelli, “aye”, Mr. Doffont, “aye”, Mrs. Marks, “aye”, Mrs. Santos, “aye – with regret”, Mr. Sgalia, “aye – with regret and thanks for years of dedication”, President McDonald, “aye”.
The following resolutions, inclusive of Items “B” through “I”, were moved by Mr. Doffont and seconded by Mrs. Santos and unanimously carried:
B. RESIGNATION
Amy Stedronsky, Garfield School Nurse, will resign effective April 9, 2007 or sooner if a replacement is found.
C. RETURN FROM MATERNITY LEAVE
Rosanna Markarian, Bilingual/ESL Teacher, will be returning from Maternity Leave on February 20 instead of March 14, 2007 as previously stated.
D. MATERNITY LEAVE
Kathleen Mancuso has been granted a Maternity Leave of Absence from March 1 to June 22, 2007.
E. APPOINTMENTS
1. Aides
The following Aide appointments have been approved contingent upon Criminal History Check:
NAME ASSIGNMENT SALARY EFFECTIVE REPLACE/NEW
Aguero, Mercedes............................................ ............................................................... Substitute
Cruz, Brigett.................... Washington School...... $ 10.00/hour.......................................... Purcel
Vaca, Maria................................... School Bus...... $ 10.00/hour...................................... Ramirez
2. Home Tutors
The following has been appointed as Home Tutors for the 2006-2007 school year at the remuneration of $32.00 per hour:
Lipani, Elaine
Mullins, Jaqueline
3. SRA Committee
The following has been appointed as SRA (Student Review Assessment) Committee member at the remuneration of $32.00 per hour. The total number of hours for the SRA Committee will not exceed 770, and 150 hours for the Team Coordinator for the 2006-2007 school year. There are currently 65 SRA students and if additional teams are necessary, they will be formed:
Christopher Kennedy – Writing Evaluator
4. 21st Century After-School Program
The following has been appointed as a substitute for the 21st Century Community Learning Center After-School Program at Washington School and Kearny High School at the remuneration of $32.00 per hour:
Vartan, Nicole
5. Long Term Substitutes
The following have been approved as long-term substitutes for teachers on leave. They will receive substitute compensation until the starting date stated:
Name Replacing Daily Rate Rate per Starting Day
Coogan, Scott ** ............................. Flowers........... $75/diem first 22 days...................................... then $100 per diem
......................................................................................... ($37,776 prorated when certificate is issued)
Weber, Toni Ann *....................... De George........... $80/diem first 21 days ............................ then $37,776 (prorated)
* Certification in process
** Certified teacher
6. Structured Learning Experience Coordinator for 2007
The following has been approved to serve as Structured Learning Experience Coordinator for 2007, since the State requires every high school student to complete a minimum of five credits related to career education:
Mary T. Kaag
7. Volunteers
The following volunteers have been approved:
Patricia Sandle.......................................................... Softball
Douglas Gogal......................................................... Baseball
F. EQUIVALENCY
The following equivalencies have been approved by the Equivalency Board of Review:
NAME EQUIVALENCY AMOUNT EFFECTIVE
Di Pasquale, Marlaina............ B.A.+32............... $3,351 (prorated) ................ 2/1/07
Falcone, Joseph....................... M.A.+32................ 6,060 (prorated)................. 2/1/07
Humphrey, Jennifer................. M.A....................... 1,931.. (prorated)................. 2/1/07
Moyano, Antonio.................... B.A.+16................. 1,296.. (prorated)................. 9/1/06
Squitieri, Maria....................... B.A.+16................. 1,400.. (prorated)................. 2/1/07
Sofield, Melissa....................... B.A.+16 (revised).. 1,433.. (prorated)................. 9/1/06
G. SUBSTITUTE CERTIFICATES
Approval has been granted to obtain State Substitute Certification for the following in All Grades/All Subjects:
Cooper, Brian N. Mason, Eric
Ferguson, Jessica L. Ramalo, Jacqueline M.
Gomes, Ana R. Rovira, Angelo
McDonnell, Nicole Treffinger, Timothy
Marshall, John P. Zub, Ava
H. ADDITIONS TO THE ANNUAL LIST OF SUBSTITUTES
The following has been added to the listing of teachers eligible to work for and be charged to the Title I Program:
Schaumburg, Susan
I. SERVICE LEARNING
The following has been approved to perform service learning for a total of 25 hours from March 2 to March 11, 2007, under administrative supervision:
Kory McKeown
PART II – NON-PERSONNEL ITEMS
The following resolutions, inclusive of Items “A”, “C”, “D”, “E” and “F”, were moved by Mr. Doffont, seconded by Mr. Sgalia and unanimously carried:
A. SUMMER SCHOOL
Approval has been granted for the Passaic County Educational Services Commission to conduct summer school courses for grades 5-12 at Kearny High School. The middle school program has been successful and is open to students in Kearny and outside the district.
C. OUTSIDE PLACEMENTS
The following outside placements have been approved:
Student No. 11471 to be placed at the Horizon School, Livingston, effective January 29, 2007, at the annual tuition of $54,959.10 (prorated).
Student No. 2-06-128 to be placed at the Daytop Preparatory School for an indefinite period of time, at the annual tuition of $26,758.80 (prorated).
Students No. 4-06-173, 9-05-34, 10-05-55 to be placed at the Tot Spot, Kearny, effective February 13, 2007, at the weekly tuition of $175.00.
Student No. 6-96-96 has re-entered Kearny and will remain in his present placement (Deron I), effective February 2, 2007, at the annual tuition of $43,709.40 (prorated).
D. MENTORING PLAN
The Board has approved the Kearny Public Schools Mentoring Plan.
E. PROFESSIONAL DAYS
The listing of Professional Days has been approved and is hereby made an integral part of the minutes.
F. PROJECT SUCCESS
The Board has approved the Life Skills/Project Success Program, designed to prepare students for the competitive world of work in the 21st century.
The following resolution was moved by Mrs. Marks, seconded by Mr. Doffont and unanimously carried:
B. 21st CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER PROGRAM 2006-2007
The Board of Education hereby approves the 2007-2008 application for the 21st Century Community Learning Center Program in the amount of $517,000.
The following resolution was moved by Mrs. Marks, seconded by Mrs. Santos and unanimously carried:
G. BOARD POLICY – “SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE” – FIRST READING
The Kearny Board of Education hereby approves the first reading of Board Policy #6141.2 entitled “Separation of Church and State”.
REPORT OF THE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR/BOARD SECRETARY – Mrs. Yeamans
The following resolutions, inclusive of Items # 1 through #7, were moved by Mr. Campbell and seconded by Mr. Sgalia and unanimously carried:
1. Cash Receipts – January, 2007
The Kearny Board of Education hereby approves the following Report of Cash Receipts for the month of January, 2007:
BANK OF AMERICA
Feb 2 State of NJ-Debt Service Type II $ 488.00
4 State of NJ-Chapter 192/193 39,074.00
5 State of NJ-Title V 6,692.60
5 State of NJ-Title II-D 2,617.00
5 State of NJ-Title I 53,528.10
5 State of NJ-Title II-A 16,051.50
5 State of NJ-Title IV 10,155.60
8 Coca-Cola Bottling Company 315.40
8 State of NJ-IDEA-Basic 110,406.10
8 State of NJ-IDEA-Pre-School 2,523.20
8 Interest-Checking Account 8,683.44
8 State of NJ-State Aid 1,132,764.00
9 State of NJ-21st Century Grant 39,543.00
11 NJCM Return 1,800,000.00
16 State of NJ-Debt Service 12,903.00
17 2006/2007 Budget 4,242,763.00
22 State of NJ-School-Based Youth Services Program 66,708.00
22 Coca-Cola Bottling Company 103.23
22 State of NJ-State Aid 1,132,764.00
29 NJCM Return 1,500,000.00
31 State of NJ-School Lunch-December-Federal 47,013.37
31 State of NJ-School Breakfast-December-Federal 2,802.66
31 State of NJ-School Lunch-December-State 222.50
31 State of NJ-School Breakfast-December-State 207.70
31 State of NJ-Title V 1,111.90
31 State of NJ-IDEA-Basic 110,406.10
31 State of NJ-IDEA-Pre-School 2,523.20
31 State of NJ-Title I 53,528.10
31 State of NJ-Title II-A 16,051.50
31 State of NJ-Title IV 1,649.90
31 Miscellaneous Receipts 66,850.78
10,480,450.88
NEW JERSEY CASH MANAGEMENT
31 Interest-NJCM #50555 3,039.23
31 Interest-NJCM #10561 44,335.86
31 Interest-NJCM #128651 12,116.93
31 Interest-NJCM #130001 15,528.16
$10,555,471.06
2. Approval of Budget Transfers
The Kearny Board of Education, based upon the recommendation of the Business Administrator/Board Secretary, hereby approves the list of transfers as per the attached for the 2006/2007 school budget.
3. Report of the Secretary (A-148)
The Kearny Board of Education hereby accepts the monthly Report of the Secretary to the Board of Education for the month ending January 31, 2007, based upon the Board Secretary's certification that no line item 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 be it further
Resolved: That for the record it be noted that after having reviewed the appropriations section of said report and also having consulted with the appropriate district officials, hereby certifies that no major account or fund has been over expended in violation of N.J.A.C. 6A:23-2.11(b), and that sufficient funds are available to meet the District’s financial obligations for the remainder of the 2006/2007 School Year.
4. Report of the Treasurer of School Funds (A-149)
The Kearny Board of Education hereby accepts the monthly Report of the Treasurer of School Funds to the Board of Education for the month ending January 31, 2007.
5. Request for Taxes
The Kearny Board of Education, having determined the amount of district taxes needed to meet the obligations of the Board for the next eight weeks to be $4,242,764.00, hereby requests the Town Council to place in the hands of the Treasurer of School Funds that amount within the next thirty days in accordance with the statutes relating thereto.
Requisition Schedule
Amount of District Tax Voted $ 42,427,638.00
Amount Billed to Date $29,699,345.00
Amount of this Request 4,242,764.00 33,942,109.00
Balance to the Credit of Kearny
Board of Education $ 8,485,529.00
6. Investments – January, 2007 (New Jersey Cash Management Fund)
The Kearny Board of Education does hereby confirm the action of the Business Administrator/Board Secretary in having made investments through the New Jersey Cash Management Fund during the month of January, 2007. And be it further
Resolved: That for the record it be noted that the interest earned on said investments amounted to $71,980.95, bringing the year-to-date interest to $373,183.50.
7. Payment of Bills
Please refer to Addendum.
The following resolution was moved by Mr. Campbell, seconded by Mr. Doffont and unanimously carried:
8. Authorization of Investment Provider
The Kearny Board of Education, based upon the recommendation of the business Administrator/Board Secretary, hereby adopts a 457B Plan effective February 20, 2007 for the purpose of making available to employees an eligible, voluntary deferred compensation plan as defined in Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and further advised all companies on record with the Board of Education to offer investment funding vehicles for said Plan.
The following resolutions, inclusive of Items #9 through #12, were moved by Mr. Campbell, seconded by Mrs. Santos and unanimously carried:
9. Approval of Cost Estimate – Repairs to Franklin School Auditorium Roof
The Kearny Board of Education, based upon the joint recommendation of the Business Administrator/Board Secretary and Director of Plant Operations, hereby authorizes issuing a purchase order to DON LUBY ROOFING & CONTRACTING, INC., Nutley, NJ, in the total amount of $5,200.00, for repairs to Franklin School auditorium roof (stage area), as provided in their written cost estimate.
10. Authorization to Upgrade Verizon Internet Connection Services
The Kearny Board of Education hereby authorizes the following:
1. Upgrade current 3-year contract with Verizon for Internet connection service from 5Mbps at a monthly rate of $1,136 to 9 Mbps at a monthly rate of $1,127.
2. Upgrade current 3-year contract from ATM services to a new 5-year contract for Private Line Ethernet service to increase the capacity and rate of data transportation to and from each school. The monthly rate for the upgraded service will increase from $4,200 to $7,800. The monthly rate for Internet access with Verizon will remain at $1,800 per month.
Current Charges New Charges
$ 1,136 $ 1,127
4,200 7,080
1,800 1,800
$ 7,136 $ 10,007
(Net increase of $2,871 per month)
11. Permission to Accept Donation
The Board has accepted the donation of $200.00 from GO Pictures and Films LLC, for the use of the high school photography class.
12. Payment to Contractor – Re: Schuyler School Gymnasium Floor Repair
The Kearny Board of Education hereby authorizes the Business Administrator/Board Secretary to issue a warrant payable to NICKERSON CORPORATION, Bay Shore, NY, in the amount of $82,650.00 (a) in payment of Application Number 1, as duly certified by John Fallon, Project Architect, for the “SCHUYLER SCHOOL GYMNASIUM FLOOR REPAIR” project.
For Informational Purposes
Original Contract Sum $ 87,000.00
Net Change by Change Orders 0.00
Contract Sum to Date $ 87,000.00
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