East Rutherford School Board Receives State Funds for Campus Improvements
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Meeting Type:
School Board
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Meeting Date:
03/14/2024
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Recording Published:
03/14/2024
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Duration:
18 Minutes
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State:
New Jersey
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County:
Bergen County
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Towns:
East Rutherford
- Meeting Overview:
The East Rutherford School Board meeting focused on the implementation of various improvements across district facilities, fueled by a significant state grant. The Board discussed plans to utilize over $166,000 received from the New Jersey Department of Education’s Emerging and Capital Maintenance Needs Grant. The grant, which comes at no cost to the district, is earmarked for the purchase of a storage shed and the installation of security cameras at strategic locations.
The storage shed, to be situated near the greenhouse at Lincoln School, will address the current lack of indoor storage for maintenance equipment. Meanwhile, the existing cameras owned by the district are slated for installation at the Board office building and potentially in the McKenzie School elevator.
Additionally, the School Business Administrator reported the acquisition of a new pizza oven at one of the district’s facilities, promising an improvement in the quality of food served to students. The spring cleaning schedule was confirmed for Lincoln School, the board office, and other facilities, with a landscaper set to begin work soon. The district also plans to discard an unused bus to free up space for the Department of Public Works.
Financial matters were also addressed, with the monthly facilities calendar for March 2024 approved, and an amendment to a previously approved application for extending the recreation basketball program hours. The Business Administrator highlighted efforts to recover negative balances from the previous year, emphasizing the business office’s diligence in this task.
On the transportation front, the meeting noted no issues, with only standard call-outs reported. The Board intends to transition from the current work order software system to a new one, as requested by the buildings and grounds administrator, and discussed strategic custodial staff movements to optimize efficiency.
Looking toward the future, the preliminary budget for the 2024-2025 school year was announced, with the Board set to vote on it in the coming weeks. The district is also entering into service agreements with the South Bergen Jointure Commission for related services and transportation for the next school year, though costs are currently undetermined.
Furthermore, the Superintendent’s report touched upon the completion of fire and emergency drills, the handling of harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB) cases, and the potential to return two days to the district calendar, with June 17th potentially being the last day of school instead of June 19th.
In terms of personnel and community relations, the Board discussed approving a list of substitutes, movements, and salary changes for paraprofessional staff, as well as travel expenditures for various conferences attended by school officials. Policies regarding affirmative action, comprehensive equity plans, equal employment opportunities, and equity in schools saw revisions or abolishment.
The Board also acknowledged a donation from Exxon Mobile, amounting to $500, which contributes to ongoing district support from external organizations.
Giovanni A. Giancaspro
School Board Officials:
Alessandro Verace (Business Administrator / Board Secretary), Thomas Kobin (Board Attorney), Thomas Banca, Erin Shemeley, Maria Caruso, Irena Mena, Jillian Cawley, Antonio Segalini, Gina Lorusso.
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Meeting Type:
School Board
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Meeting Date:
03/14/2024
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Recording Published:
03/14/2024
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Duration:
18 Minutes
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Notability Score:
Routine
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State:
New Jersey
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County:
Bergen County
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Towns:
East Rutherford
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