RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION
WORKSESSION – AUGUST 26, 2002
The Worksession Meeting was called to order at 7:31 P.M. in the High School Library by President Willis with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. On roll call the following members were present: Mrs. Ahmed, Mr. Brancato, Mr. Ferguson, Mrs. Monahan, Mr. Novosielski, and Mrs. Willis. Mrs. Cevasco arrived at 8:14 P.M. Mr. Ferrara was absent for the entire meeting. Mrs. Conlon and Mr. Brown were also present for the meeting.
N.J. OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS LAW
The New Jersey Open Public Meetings Law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advance notice of and to attend the meeting of public bodies at which any business affecting their interests is discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the provisions of this Act, the Rutherford Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be published by having the date, time and place thereof posted on the bulletin board outside the Borough Clerk's Office, mailed to the News Leader, Herald, South Bergenite, and the Record newspapers, and filed with the Borough Clerk.
TAPING AND BROADCASTING OF MEETINGS
As approved by the Rutherford Board of Education, we are taping and broadcasting our worksessions and regular meetings. These meetings will be broadcast without editing during a two-hour time segment on Tuesday evenings at 8:00 PM on the Comcast public access channel. At the conclusion of the two-hour segment, the broadcast will end regardless of what part of the meeting is currently being viewed due to the Comcast time constraint. Any member of the public who wishes to view the two-hour tape should make a written request to the Board Secretary who will have a copy of the tape made available within two weeks of the request. There will be a nominal fee charged for this tape reproduction. We welcome comments from residents viewing the broadcast.
DISCUSSION/PRESENTATION: Educational Foundations
A representative from the Lyndhurst Education Fund gave a presentation to the Board on the operations of the foundation, a 503C non-profit organization.
REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT:
Roll call vote:
| Mrs. Ahmed – aye | Mrs. Monahan – aye | |
| Mr. Brancato – abstain | Mr. Ferguson –aye | Mr. Novosielski – aye |
| Mrs. Cevasco – absent | Mr. Ferrara – absent | Mrs. Willis – abstain |
SECRETARY'S REPORT AND TREASURER'S REPORT:
1A. Resolution by Mr. Brancato, seconded by Mrs. Ahmed.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION that it has received and accepts the financial reports of the Secretary and Treasurer of School Monies for the month ending March 2002, April 2002, May 2002 and June 2002, and certifies that the reports indicate that no major account or fund is overexpended in violation of NJAC 6:20-2.13 and that sufficient funds are available to meet the district's financial obligations for the remainder of the school year.
Summary pages attached in official minute book. Detailed summary in the office of the Board Secretary.
Roll call vote:
| Mrs. Ahmed – aye | Mrs. Monahan – aye | |
| Mr. Brancato – aye | Mr. Ferguson –aye | Mr. Novosielski – aye |
| Mrs. Cevasco – absent | Mr. Ferrara – absent | Mrs. Willis – aye |
PERSONNEL:
PERSONNEL: Motion by Mrs. Ahmed, seconded by Mr. Novosielski to move the following resignations, retirements, salary adjustments, reassignments, appointments, etc., pending approval from the State Department of Education, subject to the New Jersey Criminal Background Check and other legal requirements.
Approved.
MARIANNE MORRIS 1A. Motion by Mrs. Ahmed, seconded by Mr. Brancato to accept the resignation of Ms. Marianne Morris, special education teacher, effective September 20, 2002 or sooner if a suitable replacement can be found.
Approved.
MARIE KELLY 2A. Motion by Mrs. Ahmed, seconded by Mr. Brancato to accept the resignation of Ms. Marie Kelly, lunch monitor at Pierrepont School, effective immediately.
Approved.
Mrs. Cevasco arrived at this time (8:14 P.M.)
Motion by Mrs. Ahmed, seconded by Mr. Novosielski to adopt Personnel Items #3A-11A.
EMERGENT HIRES 3A. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to employ the following applicant(s) under the emergent hiring law as per the State Department of Education:
Cynthia Alai – Substitute Teacher
Edward Mathieson – Substitute Teacher
Joseph Mata – Substitute Teacher
Joseph Stahley – Substitute Teacher
Suzanne Gobrili – Substitute Teacher
Beatriz Kacmarik – Spanish Teacher
JOLYN GARNER 4A. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION for HASP to employ Ms. Jolyn Garner as the HASP Director for the 2002-2003 school year at the annual salary of $40,000.
MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL 5A. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to make the following shift adjustments effective 9/1/02 through 6/30/03:
Union:
Edgardo Arce from 2nd shift to 3rd shift $2,234 (8% differential)
Lisa Garcia from 3rd shift to 2nd shift $1,623 (6% differential)
LUNCH MONITOR 6A. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to employ Ms. Angelina Siciliano as a lunch monitor at Union School for the 2002-2003 school year at the hourly rate of $8.25 effective 9/1/02.
BEATRIZ KACMARIK 7A. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to employ Mrs. Beatriz Kacmarik as a Spanish teacher at Pierrepont School effective 9/1/02 through 6/30/03 at the annual salary of $35,689 (step 1, level 1). This is a replacement for Mrs. Rivera.
DAVID FRAZIER 8A. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to employ Mr. David Frazier as the Athletic Director at the high school effective 9/1/02 through 6/30/03 at the annual salary of $62,056 (step 1, level 3) plus $1,625 for additional summer work. This is a replacement for Mr. Mulcahy.
MARY LOUISE PRICE 9A. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to employ Ms. Mary Louise Price as a special education teacher at Sylvan School, effective 9/1/02 through 6/30/03 at the annual salary of $36,202 (step 2, level 1). This is a replacement for Marianne Morris.
DIANE MOE 10A. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to employ Mrs. Diane Moe as a part-time (.57 FTE) Basic Skills Math teacher at Union School effective 9/1/02 through 6/30/03 at the annual salary of $22,426 (step 6, level 1). This is a replacement for Mrs. Sisco.
HASP EMPLOYEES 11A. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION for HASP to employ the following to staff the program for the 2002-2003 school year at the hourly rates listed:
Paula Risoli, Site Manager $17.00
Nina Morrone, Assistant Manager 12.25
Jade Bender, Assistant Manager 12.00
Carol DePinto, Aide 11.00
Marisa Viola, Aide 11.00
Steve Caufield, Aide 11.00
Bernadette Dunn, Aide 12.50
Fran Purpura, Aide 10.75
Donna Spiro, Aide 12.25
Shiela Semenecz, Aide 11.75
Ashley Miceli, Junior Aide 7.50
Leandra Ragone, Junior Aide 7.50
Nick LaMonica, Junior Aide 7.50
Chris Caufield, Junior Aide 7.25
Loretta Jakubas, Morning Aide 11.25
Elizabeth Ovarsi, Morning Aide 13.00
Irene Amitsis, Cooking Instructor 20.00
Roll call vote Personnel Items #3A-11A:
| Mrs. Ahmed – aye | Mrs. Monahan – aye | |
| Mr. Brancato – aye | Mr. Ferguson –aye | Mr. Novosielski – aye |
| Mrs. Cevasco – aye, abstain #4A | Mr. Ferrara – absent | Mrs. Willis – aye |
SHANA PETRASEK 12A. Motion by Mrs. Ahmed, seconded by Mrs. Monahan to accept the resignation of Ms. Shana Petrasek, special education teacher at the high school, effective 10/19/02.
Approved.
Motion by Mrs. Ahmed, seconded by Mr. Brancato to adopt Personnel Items #13A-17A.
KENNETH BERK 13A. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to transfer to the high school, at his request, Mr. Kenneth Berk physical education teacher at Union School effective 9/1/02.
KARA OLIVO 16A. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to employ Ms. Kara Olivo as a substitute teacher assistant for the 2002-2003 school year at the hourly rate of $8.50.
ELIZABETH JIMENEZ 17A. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to employ Mrs. Elizabeth Jimenez as a part-time teacher assistant at Lincoln School, effective 9/4/02, 3 hours per day, 5 days per week, at the hourly rate of $13.25 (step 2).
Roll call vote Personnel Items #13A-17A:
| Mrs. Ahmed – aye | Mrs. Monahan – aye | |
| Mr. Brancato – aye | Mr. Ferguson –aye | Mr. Novosielski – aye |
| Mrs. Cevasco – aye | Mr. Ferrara – absent | Mrs. Willis – aye |
FINANCE:
APPROVAL OF BILLS: 1A. Resolution by Mr. Brancato, seconded by Mrs. Cevasco.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION that the bills listed below be approved.
Accounts Payable 6-28-02 $1,503.86
8-27-02 540,865.45
Total $542,369.31
Offline Checks $169,085.60
(Health Insurance Premium)
Payroll 7-31-02 $9,849.34
8-8-02 $11,329.55
8-15-02 153,913.22
8-16-02 13,774.73
$188,866.84
General Activities 8-16-02 $1,000.00
Total $901,321.75
Roll call vote:
| Mrs. Ahmed – aye | Mrs. Monahan – aye | |
| Mr. Brancato – aye | Mr. Ferguson –aye | Mr. Novosielski – aye |
| Mrs. Cevasco – aye | Mr. Ferrara – absent | Mrs. Willis – aye |
NEW BUSINESS: (Action will not be taken)
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION:
Chairperson Novosielski reported on Curriculum and Instruction items to be acted upon at the Sept. 9, 2002 meeting.
ACADEMY STUDENTS 1. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to approve the attendance of the following students (names on file in the Office of the Superintendent) at The Academies @ Englewood for the 2002-2003 school year:
Student “A” – Grade 9
Student “B” – Grade 9
Discussion Item: Appointment of Student Representative
Mr. Brancato reported on Finance Items to be acted upon at the Sept. 9, 2002 meeting.
NON-PUBLIC TECH. 1. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to approve
REPORT SUBMISSION the submission of the 2001-2002 Non-Public Technology Final Report to the Bergen County Superintendent of Schools.
PETTY CASH AMOUNTS 2. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to establish revised petty cash amounts for the following locations for the 2002-2003 school year:
High School $300
Lincoln School $100
Sylvan School $100
Pierrepont School $250
Washington School $100
Maintenance Department $500
Union School $250
Gifted and Talented $100 (unchanged)
Business Office $2,000 (unchanged)
TSA PROVIDER 3. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to remove Washington National Insurance Company as a Board-approved tax shelter annuity, due to lack of active participation by current employees.
POLICY:
Chairperson Cevasco reported on Policy items to be acted upon at the Sept. 9, 2002 meeting
POLICY BOOK 1. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE RUTHERFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION to approve the following new/revised policies contained in the Instructional and Support Personnel section of the new policy book on first reading:
| Policy # | Policy Name |
| 4111 | Recruitment, Selection and Hiring |
| 4111.1 | Nondiscrimination/Affirmative Action |
| 4111.1 R | Prohibition of Sexual Harassment |
| 4111.2 | Creating Positions |
| 4112.2 | Certification |
| 4112.4 | Employee Health |
| 4112.6 | Personnel Records |
| 4112.8 | Nepotism |
| 4113/4114 | Assignment; Transfer |
| 4115 | Supervision |
| 4116 | Evaluation |
| 4117A | Reduction in Force/Abolishing a Position |
| 4117.41 | Nonrenewal |
| 4119.21 | Conflict of Interest |
| 4119.22 | Conduct and Dress |
| 4119.23 | Employee Substance Abuse |
| 4121 | Substitute Teachers |
| 4122 | Student Teachers/Interns |
| 4123 | Classroom Aides |
| 4131/4131.1 | Staff Development; Inservice Education/Visitations/Conferences |
| 4138 | Nonschool Employment |
| 4138.2 | Private Tutoring |
| 4147 | Employee Safety |
| 4151 | Attendance Patterns |
| 4151.1 | Personal Illness and Injury/Health and Hardship |
| 4211 | Recruitment, Selection and Hiring |
| 4211.1 | Nondiscrimination/Affirmative Action |
| 4212.4 | Employee Health |
| 4212.6 | Personnel Records |
| 4212.8 | Nepotism |
| 4213/4214 | Assignment; Transfer |
| 4215 | Supervision |
| 4216 | Evaluation |
| 4219.21 | Conflict of Interest |
| 4219.22 | Conduct and Dress |
| 4219.23 | Employee Substance Abuse |
| 4222 | Noninstructional Aides |
| 4231/4231.1 | Staff Development; Inservice Education/Visitation/Conferences |
| 4238 | Nonschool Employment |
| 4247 | Employee Safety |
| 4251.1 | Personal Illness and Injury/Health and Hardship |
| 4251 | Attendance Patterns |
BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS:
Mrs. Conlon gave an update on Buildings and Grounds
OLD BUSINESS: (No action to be Taken)
MEETING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: 10:26 P.M. No comments made
ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Mrs. Cevasco, seconded by Mr. Novosielski that the meeting be adjourned at 10:35 P.M.
Approved.