Board Meeting- March 11, 2025

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Submitted by jalijewicz on Fri, 03/07/2025 - 3:44pm

Dates:

Friday, March 7, 2025 - 3:45pm

THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

METUCHEN, NEW JERSEY

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2025

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. Bhatt		Ms. Killean
Ms. Cheatham		Mr. Lifton
Mr. Derflinger		Ms. Shrestha
Mr. Glassberg		Dr. Spigner
Dr. Johnson-Marcus		Mr. Suss

Showcase of Success

❖ MHS Spring Musical

The MHS Footlighters will present the musical Footloose this weekend, on Friday March 14th & Saturday March 15th at 7pm, as well as Sunday March 16th at 2pm. Tickets are available at MHSFootlighters.com or at the door. In Footloose, a teenager moves to a small town where dancing is banned. There, he befriends his new classmates and challenges the community to change this unjust law. Tonight, juniors Manali Weller, Saanvi Karthik, Emily Grosso, & Kaydence Agnew will preview our performance with "Holding out for a Hero".

Meeting Open to the Public (for any topic)

Presentations

❖ School Based, Special Education and Preliminary 2025-2026 Budgets.

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

February 25, 2025	Special Business Meeting (1)
February 25, 2025	Special Business Meeting (2)
February 25, 2025	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)

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.

PERSONNEL

Motion/Second/Comments/Roll Call

Leave of Absence – Extension

Move to extend the leave of absence of Megan Shapiro, Teacher at Campbell School, through June 30, 2025 (Agenda 5/14/24, Section 13, A4).

2. Leave Replacement – Extension

Move to extend the appointment of Christine Piovoso, leave replacement for Megan Shapiro, Teacher at Campbell School, through approximately June 10, 2025, at a rate of $311.76/day (Agenda 6/11/24, Section 13, A6).

3. Transfer - Certificated Staff

Move to approve the transfer of Kristina Bormann, Supervisor, to Reading Intervention Teacher at Campbell School, for the 2024-2025 school year, at a salary of $88,688/year, Step 4L, effective March 12, 2025.

4. Appointment - Supervisor

Move to approve the appointment of Lindsey Omark, Supervisor for Metuchen School District, for the 2024-2025 school year, at a salary of $120,000/year, prorated, effective March 12, 2025 through June 30, 2025.

5. Clubs and Co-Curricular Activities

Move to and approve the following co-curricular activities for the 2024-2025 school year as listed (Agenda 01/7/2025, Section 13, A8):

Metuchen High School

Name

Club

Stipend

Approve:

Emily Caponigro

Math Honor Society (C) .5

$805.50

6. Transfer - Certificated Staff

Move to approve the transfer of Jaclyn Salit, Teacher at Campbell School, to Teacher at Moss School, for the 2025-2026 school year.

7. Instructional Stipends

Move to approve the following Metuchen High School instructional stipends for the 2024-2025 school year, effective March 10, 2025 through June 10, 2025, as listed:

Name	Assignment	Instructional Stipend Prorated
Michael Warnock	6th period instructional math	$8,727
Richard Cundari	6th period instructional math	$8,727
Jonathan Stevens	6th period instructional math	$8,727
Jim Thomas	6th period instructional math	$8,727

8. Instructional Stipend

Move to approve the following Edgar Middle School instructional stipend for the 2024-2025 school year, effective March 3, 2025 through June 10, 2025, as listed:

Name	Assignment	Instructional Stipend Prorated
Caroline Forde	6th period instructional ELA intervention	$8,727

9. Leave of Absence- Certificated Staff

Move to approve the leave of absence of Lauren Spanier, Teacher at Edgar Middle School, effective August 27, 2025 through approximately December 8, 2025.

10. Appointment Revision – Certificated Staff

Move to approve the revision of the appointment of Amy Dees, .6 Math Teacher at Metuchen High School, Step 1F, to .8 Math Teacher at Metuchen High School, at a salary of $48,540/year, Step 1F, prorated, effective March 10, 2025 through June 30, 2025, partially funded by ESEA Title 1 (up to the amount of $38,318).

11. Leave of Absence - Extension

Move to extend the leave of absence of Debra Oliver, Paraprofessional at Metuchen High School, through approximately April 7, 2025 (Agenda 2/25/25, Section 13 A9).

12. Appointment - Paraprofessional

Move to approve the appointment of Gianna Vega, Paraprofessional at Campbell School, for the 2024-2025 school year, at a salary of $23,695/year, prorated, effective March 12, 2025 through June 30, 2025.

13. Appointment of Substitutes

Move to approve the appointment of substitutes for the 2024-2025 school year as listed on the chart below, effective March 12, 2025, pending completion of substitute training and criminal history clearance:

2024-2025 Substitutes for Board Approval 3/11/25
Pay Rates - $105/day - Substitute with 30+ college credits
$110/day - Substitute with bachelor's degree (no teacher cert)
$115/day - NJ Teacher Certification
$16/hour - Paraprofessional Substitute
$16/hour - Secretary Substitute
$200/day - Nurse Substitute
Sub Name	Certification/Sub Category
Saima Khan	Substitute with college degree

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

FINANCE

Motion/Second/Comments/Roll Call

1. 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 #
3/11/ 2025	4/22/ 2025	Spring Administrator Institute: High Quality Science Instruction as a Path to Equity in K-12 Classrooms	Lemerich, Kathryn	Central Office	$522.56	Other
3/11/ 2025	4/22/ 2025	Spring Administrators' Workshop: What to Look for in the NGSS Classroom	Azevedo, Suzy	Central Office	$500	Other
3/17/ 2025	3/17/ 2025	NJ CEC 2025 Spring Conference	Lewis, Patricia	Central Office	$175	Other
3/18/ 2025	3/18/ 2025	Sustainable NJ Grant Award Event	Santasieri, Erin	Campbell School	$0	No cost
3/28/ 2025	3/28/ 2025	Character.org National Evaluation Site Visit	Pasquale, Jennifer	Campbell School	$0	No cost
4/4/ 2025	4/4/ 2025	Rutgers Collaborative Conference	Bruno, Kristin	Edgar	$0	No cost
4/4/ 2025	4/4/ 2025	Rutgers Collaborative Conference	Porowski, Edward	Central Office	$0	No cost
4/4/ 2025	4/4/ 2025	Rutgers Collaborative Conference	Burnett, Ann	MHS	$0	No cost
4/11/ 2025	4/11/ 2025	NjSCA Spring Conference	Chango, Lisa	Edgar	$95	FFPI	25-123
4/12/ 2025	4/12/ 2025	General Infection Control Prevention Guidelines for K-12 Schools [Enduring]	Pham, Nga	Moss School	$148.50	FFPI	25-127
4/21/ 2025	4/21/ 2025	Basic Life Support(BLS) Renewal CPR	Pham, Nga	Moss School	$90	FFPI	25-128
4/22/ 2025	4/22/ 2025	Using AI to Increase WORLD LANGUAGE Student Proficiency and Teacher Efficiency (Grades 6-12)	Williams, Raquel	Edgar	$295	FFPI	25-124
4/22/ 2025	4/22/ 2025	Leading Research-Based Writing Instruction with The Writing Rope	Thompson, Lauren	Edgar	$225	FFPI	25-122
5/1/ 2025	5/1/ 2025	The Best Award Winning Children's Books and Powerful Strategies, Tools, and Resources for Using Them	Doherty, Jennifer	Campbell School	$295	FFPI	25-126
5/14/ 2025	5/14/ 2025	Dealing With Challenging Behaviors Using Developmentally Appropriate Strategies	Young, Kelsee	Moss School	$295	FFPI	25-125
6/29/ 2025	7/2/ 2025	ASCD Annual and ISTE Live Conference	Lemerich, Kathryn	Central Office	$1,358.15	Other

2. Home Instruction

Move to approve Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) School Program to provide home instruction at a rate of $64.49/hour, as needed.

3. Adoption of the 2025-2026 Tentative School District Budget

WHEREAS, the Board of Education must adopt and submit a tentative 2025-2026 school district budget for the New Jersey Department of Education review and approval.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Metuchen Board of Education adopt the tentative 2025-2026 school district budget as follows:

	Appropriations	Local Tax Levy
Total General Fund	$52,871,455	$45,573,917
Total Special Revenue Fund	$1,447,151
Total Debt Service Fund	$6,138,640	$4,173,380

The supporting documentation of the budget included an itemization of certain expenditures required under administrative regulations. Maximum travel budget is established at $90,000. Travel includes professional development that takes place outside the District.

WHEREAS, the Board of Education is requesting authority to utilize $571,874 in health care allowance and this allowance will be utilized by the end of the budget year and cannot be deferred or incrementally completed over a longer period of time.

4. Settlement Agreement

Move to approve the settlement agreement for student # 2029010.

5. Settlement Agreement

Move to approve the settlement agreement for student # 2026127.

6. Home Based Service

Move to approve CCL Therapy LLC to provide home based Occupational Therapy services at the rate of $135/hour, as needed for the 2024-2025 school year.

7. 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 March 11, 2025 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--------------------------

POLICY

Motion/Second/Comments/Roll Call

Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying

Move to affirm the findings of the previously reported case.

EMS012725002
EMS02032005001
CES021225001

2. Second Reading of Policies and Regulations

Move to approve the second readings of the following policies and regulations.

❖ P 9163 Spectator Code of Conduct for Interscholastic Events

❖ P & R 5516 Use of Electronic Communication Devices

❖ P & R 5533 Student Smoking

❖ P 5701 Academic Integrity

❖ P 5710 Student Grievance

❖ P 5512 Harassment, Intimidation, or Bullying

❖ P & R 9320 Cooperation with Law Enforcement Agencies

❖ P 5460 High School Graduation

----------------------------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	Middlesex County Teen Arts Festival	Grades 9-12;The Teen Arts Festival is a celebration of the arts for students in Middlesex County. Teen Arts Festival activities focus on recognizing the accomplishments of Middlesex County teen artists by showcasing their creative efforts. Students who excel in the visual arts, creative writing, dance, music and theatre will be showcased along with their peers from other county schools. Students will participate in master class workshops and have their work adjudicated by professional artists in their respective fields. Top students will be nominated to the 2025 New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival.	Ashley Jaye, Kelly Murphy, John Flynn, Margo Banner, Stefeny Stofa- Krombholz	3/12/ 2025	75	$445	4 subs needed
MHS	Disney- Orlando, Florida	Grades 9-12; This trip offers music students an extraordinary opportunity to participate in the Disney Imagination Campus Soundtrack Sessions and perform live at Disney World. During the Soundtrack Session, students will step into a state-of-the-art recording studio, where they will perform Disney film scores under the direction of industry professionals.	Ashley Jaye, Ed Porowski, John Messenger, John Flynn, Chris McEwan, Stefeny Stofa- Krombholz, Jordyn Gallagher, Robyn Keyes, Dillon Fernandes, Nga Pham, Nicole Benfatti	3/18/ 2026 to 3/22/ 2026	120	$0	5 subs needed
EMS	Metuchen High School	Grades 6-8; Edgar Self Contained class will travel to MHS to discuss a community service project. The self contained classes will meet with the Executive Director of " We are Loved" a nonprofit that supports foster children. The students will find our the needs of foster children and start a collection at both schools to donate. CRP1 Act as a responsible and contributing employee CRP2 Apply appropriate academic and technical skills CRP4 Communicate clearly and effectively with reason CRP5 Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions	Lisa Lombardi, Brendan McCunney	3/28/ 2025	3	$50	no subs needed
MHS	John Proctor is the Villain on Broadway	Grade 11; The students read "The Crucible" and engage in a debate about the heroism of John Proctor's character. By exploring this character from a more antagonistic perspective, the students will gain a deeper understanding of how a person's morals aren't necessarily in black or white, but in shades of gray.	Eileen Wagenblast, Kerry Blaze, Adam Levy and Alexia Baird	4/23/ 2025	50	$0	4 subs needed
CES	Raritan Valley Community College Planetarium	Grade 1; Students will observe the patterns of day and night. Students will explore the daytime and nighttime sky and explore the sun, moon, stars and planets along with their characteristics.	Jeremy Barnes, Brian Jeney and Samanta Jackson	5/12/ 2025	52	$0	no subs needed
CES	Raritan Valley Community College Planetarium	Grade 1; Students will observe the patterns of day and night. Students will explore the daytime and nighttime sky and explore the sun, moon, stars and planets along with their characteristics.	Tara Pata, Christine Piovoso	5/13/ 2025	49	$0	no subs needed
CES	Raritan Valley Community College Planetarium	Grade 1; Students will observe the patterns of day and night. Students will explore the daytime and nighttime sky and explore the sun, moon, stars and planets along with their characteristics.	Tara Palmieri, Rupel Conzo, Elissa Cadel, Candace Evans, Bailey Tocci and Adrianna Reyes	5/15/ 2025	70	$0	no subs needed
MHS	Functional Human Anatomy Lab Rutgers University	Grade 12; The Honors Health Science students will view a dissection of a human cadaver in the Rutgers Human Anatomy Lab. The dissection will be run and performed by a Professor of Human Anatomy at Rutgers. The students will view the structures and organs that they have learned about throughout the school year.	Ryan Clapp and Bob Ulmer	5/16/ 2025	30	$0	2 subs needed
MHS	Lowe's	Grades 10-12; This trip is to participate in a building project at Lowe's CRP1 Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee CRP2 apply appropriate and technical skills CRP6 Demonstrate creativity and innovation	Christina Dybas, Michele Schutz, Joseph DiMeglio, Dawn Valovcin	5/16/ 2025	6	$80	no subs needed

2. Student Observer

Move to approve the placement of the following student observer from Kean University in the Metuchen Public School District for the 2024-2025 school year.

Name	School	Supervisor
Alana Capron	Campbell	Eric Stein

3. Textbook Disposal

Move to approve the disposal of the following textbooks and one machine from the Metuchen High School:

DEPT	QTY	TITLE	©	# YEARS OLD	PUBLISHER	ISBN
Geometry	8	Geometry	2001	24	McGraw-Hill	0-02-834817-6
Algebra 2	5	Algebra 2	2004	21	McDougal Littell	0-618-25020-4
Algebra 1	5	Algebra 1	2004	21	McDougal Littell	0-618-25018-2
Geometry	1	Geometry	2008	17	McDougal Littell	0-618-92319-5
Engineering & Design 8	1	Grizzly 20" Planer/Surfacer	2000	25	Grizzly	N/A

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