By Greg Forester, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — President Hemant Marathe and Vice President Robert Johnson have been selected to continue on in the top two positions on the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District Board of Education, following April’s school board elections and budget vote.
New on the board is Alapakkam Manikandan, who was sworn in at the board’s reorganization meeting to take over a Plainsboro Township seat on the board, formerly occupied by outgoing member Patricia Bocarsly.
Dr. Bocarsly declined to run for the single Plainsboro seat in this year’s election citing increased work commitments and travel.
Incumbents Richard Kaye and Randall Tucker were also sworn in, after winning back their seats for a second term.
Mr. Marathe said the board’s biggest task would continue to be dealing with school budgets and state mandates regarding costs and other portions of the school district’s operations.
”The state gives us these mandates all the time,” Mr. Marathe said.
Also in the pipeline for the board and the larger district is an overhaul of what are known as exceptionality programs for the middle schools.
Examples include the Performance, Revealing, Individual Student Magic (PRISM), which is built around individual students focusing on particular topics of interest.
Another big undertaking currently taking place is the negotiation of union contracts, with all of the five labor organizations representing employees at the district. Mr. Marathe said he expected the negotiations to come to a positive conclusion.
”We have a very good relationship with our unions,” said Mr. Marathe. “If we finish all of that in the coming year, that will be a great accomplishment.”
Other district issues include the continued construction at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, where a new auditorium is rising adjacent to the faculty parking lot. A new gymnasium is also under construction.
The completion of work at High School South is expected near the end of the year, district officials said.
The new space will also allow for the renovation of art and music space in the older portions of the building, where equipment will be moved temporarily into newer space while the old teaching facilities get a makeover.
