THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

METUCHEN, NEW JERSEY

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2024

MEETING AGENDA

of the Metuchen Board of Education

Metuchen High School

400 Grove Avenue

Metuchen, NJ  08840

1. Call to Order

2. Flag Salute

3. 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.

4. Roll Call

5. Showcase of Success

❖ MHS Fall Play Preview

The MHS Footlighters will present the comedy Clue on Friday Nov 15th at 7pm and Saturday Nov 16th at both 2pm and 7pm. Tickets are available at MHSFootlighters.com and at the door. Clue is based on the classic board game, and 1985 film of the same name, in which six anonymous guests are given aliases and invited to a dinner party. Once there, they must solve a comedic mystery similar to that of the board game: Who did it? With what? And in what room? Tonight, we will present an introductory skit, written by senior Zoe Soneyvtsky, and featuring seniors: Luke Krombholz, Meredith Inverso, Zoe Soneyvtsky, Juniors: Emily Grosso, Manali Weller, Saanvi Karthik, Ryan Stein, and Sophomore: Daniel Stone. The Footlighters can't wait to see everyone at the show!

6. Meeting Open to the Public (for any topic)

7. Presentations 

❖    AP/SAT/ACT Presentation

8. Reports

• President’s Report 

• Superintendent's Report 

• Committee Reports

• Student Board Member Report

9. Old Business 

10. New Business  

11. Approval of Minutes of the Board of Education Meeting

12. Meeting Open to the Public (for any topic)

13. Recommendations of the Superintendent of Schools

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

Oftentimes 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.

1. PERSONNEL

Motion/Second/Comments/Roll Call

1.    Mentor Teacher Revision

Move to rescind and approve the following mentor assignment for the 2024-2025 school year (Agenda 8/13/24, Section 13 A5):

2.    Leave of Absence - Paraprofessional

    Move to approve the leave of absence of Marian Sharkaway, Paraprofessional at Edgar School, effective October 14, 2024 through approximately February 3, 2025.

3.    Retirement - Bus Aide

    Move to accept, with regret, the retirement of Linda Rhodes, Bus Aide and Bus Driver for Metuchen Public Schools, effective November 1, 2024. 

4.    Appointment - Leave Replacement

    Move to approve the appointment of Laurie Walker, Leave Replacement for Eric Stein, Speech Therapist at Campbell School, effective October 30, 2024 through approximately December 6, 2024, at a rate of $311.76/day. 

5.    Appointment - Intermittent Leave Replacement 

Move to approve the appointment of Laurie Walker, Intermittent Leave Replacement for Eric Stein, Speech Therapist at Campbell School, to do per diem work as needed, throughout Mr. Stein's intermittent leave, at a rate of $311.76/day for the 2024-2025 school year.

6.    Paraprofessionals as Substitutes

    Move to approve the following Paraprofessionals to serve as substitutes, as needed and assigned, for an additional stipend of $50/day:

7.    Paraprofessional Mentor - Additional

    Move to approve the following additional staff to serve as a Paraprofessional Mentor, for a stipend in the amount of $250 for the 2024-2025 school year (Agenda 8/13/24, Section 13, A20):

8.    Home Instruction

    Move to approve the following to work Home Instruction for the 2024-2025 school year, as needed, at a rate of $61/hour: 

9.    Appointment - Bus Aide

    Move to approve the appointment of Sheri Kady, Bus Aide for Metuchen Schools District, for the 2024-2025 school year, effective November 11, 2024, at a rate of $16/hour. 

10.    Supplemental Instruction - Rescind and Approve

    Rescind and approve the following staff to provide Supplemental Instruction as needed for the 2024-2025 school year, IDEA Grant funded (Agenda 9/10/2024, Section 13, A9 Agenda 09/24/2024, Section 13, A2 Agenda 10/15/2024, Section 13, A3):

11.    Appointment of Substitutes

    Move to approve the appointment of substitutes for the 2024-2025 school year as listed on the chart below, effective October 21, 2024, pending completion of substitute training and criminal history clearance. 

12.    Resignation - Supervisor

    Move to accept the resignation of Natalie Dougherty, Supervisor at the Metuchen School District, effective November 27, 2024.

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

2. FINANCE

Motion/Second/Comments/Roll Call

1.    Professional Development

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

2.    Comprehensive Maintenance Plan

Move to approve the district's Comprehensive Maintenance Plan for the 2025-2026 school year.

3.    Nonpublic Security Aid - Rescind

    Move to rescind the  following nonpublic security aid for the 2024-2025 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 (Agenda 09/10/2024, Section 13, B2):

4.    Special Olympics Grant

    Move to accept the Special Olympics Grant Award of $3,500 for Metuchen High School for the 2024-2025 school year.

5.  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 November 12, 2024 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.

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

3. POLICY

Motion/Second/Comments/Roll Call

1.    Suspensions

    The Board hereby acknowledges receipt of the suspension report summary for October 14, 2024 - November 8, 2024.

2.    School Bus Emergency Evacuation Drill Reports

    Move to accept the following reports on the completion of the School Bus Emergency Evacuation Drills:

• 10/17/2024 8:30 AM, Metuchen High School, student parking lot. Van 16. Supervised by Brian Stike 

• 10/22/2024 8:00 AM – 2:15 PM, Edgar School, back bus circle. Full School Evacuation Practice during Physical Education & Health Classes, Busses 29 & 23 were used for all. Supervised by Neyda Evans. Teachers Leading the drill were John Butler, Rick Carter, Michelle Huff, Nicolette Jomo, and Drew Bandola

• 10/22/2024 8:43 AM, Moss School, front school loop on Simpson Pl. Van 20. Supervised by Marissa Plancher, Jen Asprocolas, and Billy Ortman

• 10/22/2024 9:05 AM, Moss School, front school loop on Simpson Pl. Van 14, Van 24, and Van 16. Supervised by Marissa Plancher and Jen Asprocolas

• 10/22/2024 11:54 AM, Moss School, front school loop on Simpson Pl. Van 24. Supervised by Marissa Plancher and Jen Asprocolas

• 10/22/2024 9:30 – 11:00 AM, Campbell Elementary School, Location for the drill was Campbell driveway between Talmadge & Durham. Full school evacuation practice at assigned times. Supervised by Marissa Plancher, Brooke Kirschner, Joe Fitzgibbon, and Billy Ortman

3.    First Reading of Policies and Regulations

    Move to approve the first reading of the following policies and regulations:

❖ P 0141        Board Member Number and Term  

❖ P 0164.6    Remote Public Board Meetings During a Declared Emergency (M)

(Abolished)

❖ P 2200         Curriculum Content (M)  

❖ P & R 3160    Physical Examination (M)  

❖ P & R 4160    Physical Examination (M)  

❖ R 5200         Attendance (M)  

❖ P 5337        Service Animals  

❖ P & R 5350    Student Suicide Prevention (M)  

❖ P 7231        Gifts From Vendors (M) (Abolished)

❖ P 8420        Emergency and Crisis Situations (M)  

❖ P & R 8467    Firearms and Weapons (M)  

❖ P 9181        Volunteer Athletic Coaches and Co-Curricular Activity
      Advisors/Assistants 

❖ R 2464    Gifted and Talented Students

4.    QSAC - Self Assessment Score

    Move to accept the QSAC report and the following scores:

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

4. 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: 

2.    Wellspring Center for Prevention

    Move to approve Wellspring Center for Prevention for character development lessons, using the Why Try program resource at Edgar Middle School, not to exceed $5,400 (partially funded through ESEA Title IV funds).

3.    Professional Development

    Move to approve Magnolia Consulting Group to provide professional development for I&RS and 504 teams on tiered interventions and supports, not to exceed $5,600.

4.    Curriculum Guides

    Move to approve the implementation of the following curriculum guides:

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

14. Meeting Open to Public (for any topic)

15. Announcements 

16. 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.

17. Adjournment