Hot Topics and noteworthy Board agenda items for 9/22/22

Here are the highlights to the agenda and attachments for the BOE Meeting tomorrow night.  There are 199 pages of attachments in addition to the lengthy agenda – it’s a lot, so here’s the good stuff:

ADMINISTRATION: 

Resolution A – District Policies – Study and First Reading

P0163: Quorum; policy was updated in February 2021, as part of a settlement with the Union County Prosecutor as a result of ‘not deliberately’ violating OPMA surrounding the rushed plans for FDK.

P0147: Board Member compensation and expenses; is being abolished. This policy prohibits any monetary payment to board members and outlines the proper channels to be reimbursed for travel and expense related to travel or official Board business.  We hope to receive some explanation as to why this perfectly good policy is being abolished – does this mean Board members can be compensated? 

Resolution B: District Policies Second reading and adoption

P 2415.04 Title 1 – District-Wide Parent and Family Engagement; while the policy itself looks pretty decent on paper we feel the need to enter into some sort “can you name the regulations of this policy” game with Dr. Varley and the Penna Bloc who have become acclaimed professionals as keeping parent and family engagement at an all time low.  Some areas of great clarity I hope Dr. Varley and the Penna bloc have read and committed to memory;  g.1. “parent and family engagement” means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:-that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning; that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;  that parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making on advisory committees to assist int he education of their child; and the carrying out of other activities” 

PERSONNEL

Resolution A – we are so thrilled about the hiring of James Finley as the Assistant Principal at GL! We know James and this this is an absolutely great addition to GL!

Resolution P: Retirements; we wish you all a wonderful retirement and thank you for your time at BHPS; Renee Curcio, Geralyn Mohr, Berly Roman.

Resolution Q: Resignations; we are sad to see you go and wish you luck in your future endeavors; Terrance Hanratty, Bruce Harms. Silvia Martucci, Tara Oliveria and Garbiella Pirrone. 

Then there is the cool $130,000 we are spending on an Assistant to the Business Administrator and a “Confidential Administrative Assistant”

What
The
Fuck
Is
a
“Confidential Administrative Assistant”?

BUSINESS

Resolution G: Accept Donation from Pamela Stanley…of $4,000…to be utilized for STEM/STEAM assemblies and field trips as the discretion of the Principals.  Each of the 4 elementary schools will receive $1,000.  We are smart enough to smell bullshit when we smell it.  If Ms. Stanley wanted to donate to the schools she could have easily done so through each PTO.  This donation and allocation, coming from a current Board member, can be construed as instructing BHPS staff to perform a task which is in direct violation of the NJSBA’s code of ethics; not to administer the schools but ensure they are well run.  Board members making monetary donations and then earmarking those funds is not common practice at public schools nor should it be tolerated.

Attachments:

-The district has learned the hard lesson that we can be kind until we are blue in the face, by kindness doesn’t pay the bills.  The district is proposing a $3 pay increase to the base salary for bus drivers.  

-John Migueis and Laura Kapuscinski with a little help from our Homies in Mountainside