Valley school officials OK pacts, make personnel decisions

SCHOOL BOARD UPDATE

By Olivia Tattory
   The Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education approved agreements for the following professional services during its meeting Monday.
   • Medina, Martinez, & Castroll, LLC of 65 S. Main St., Pennington, for attorney services for the 2007-2008 school year. This $8500-a-month agreement will include all general legal work, contract evaluations, counsel to administrators and staff and student matters.
   The services will not include litigation work, labor negotiation preparation, policy writing, special education legal services and services related to bond referendums.
   • Strauss Esmay Associates, LLP, of 35 Washington St., Suite 1A, Toms River, for the preparation of a manual of bylaws and policies and the preparation of a manual for all administrative regulations for a total fee of $16,000, plus the cost of printing, binding and shipping.
   The firm will advise on the content of the district’s current policies and identify pieces that are no longer consistent with current practices. No items or policies in the manual will be changed, however, until the committee has voted and approved each alteration.
   • The board also voted to terminate the professional services agreement with The Prisco Group for the Timberlane Middle School (TMS) photovoltaic project, noting the following unresolved issues with the Department of Community Affairs: completion of a structural engineering evaluation and certification for the TMS roof and submission of sealed engineering design drawings and equipment.
   As a result, the board approved a contract with architectural firm The Spiezle Group, of 120 Sanhican Drive, Trenton, to complete the TMS photovoltaic project for an amount not to exceed $16,000.
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   The board also OK’d the following personnel recommendations of Superintendent Judith A. Ferguson:
   Appointments and resignations for 2007-2008 are as follows:
   — Denise Elliott, school nurse at Hopewell Elementary School, $59,326, pending contract ratification.
   — Mickey Coakley, school psychologist at Bear Tavern Elementary School, $25,457, pending contract ratification.
   — Diane Dempsey, school social worker at Bear Tavern Elementary School, $66,662, pending contract ratification.
   — Andrew Pfancook, special education teacher at Timberlane Middle School, $43,910, pending contract ratification.
   — David Sherwin, English teacher at Central High School, $45,403, pending contract ratification.
   — Amanda Palmer, special education teacher at Timberlane Middle School, $43,910, pending contract ratification.
   — The renewed contract of Kat D’Ambra, vice principal at Central High School, $112,840, effective July1.
   — Transfer of Cecilia Cardano, guidance counselor, from Hopewell Elementary School to Timberlane Middle School.
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   The following revised tuition rates for the 2007-2008 school year also were approved:
   — Increase from $13,500 to $14,200 for grades six through eight.
   — Decrease from $32,100 to $23,000 for autistic classes.
   — Increase from $5,350 to $5,500 for autistic extended school year.
   — Decrease from $40,162 to $19,100 for multiple disabled classes.
   — A new budget allocation for auditory impaired classes at $7,200.
   The rates were determined using the 2007-2008 estimated calculated rate in the budget statement. Recommendations reflect anticipated actual cost of each grade level. Tuition rates not listed have not changed.