PENNINGTON: School board’s standing committee procedure is restored

Policy revision outlines jobs of the four groups

By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
   The Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education has officially returned to the standing committee system — the method of operation that was suspended in mid-December 2007.
   On Monday, the board adopted a revision to its policy on its basic method of operation. Under the revision, the board essentially discontinued making all its decisions as a committee-of-the-whole and established four standing committees.
   On Dec. 10, 2007, the then board — citing a “lack of trust among board members” — voted to suspend its policy relating to standing committees and chose to operate as a committee-of-the-whole. It was decided then that the committee-of-the-whole system would be in place until at least April 21, 2008, the meeting following April 15 the school board election. In April, the board decided to continue to conduct all its business as a “committee-of-the-whole,” rather than going back to the committee system.
   However, at the Nov. 10 agenda meeting, the board — the membership of which has changed considerably since Dec. 10, 2007 — introduced a revision to the policy on its method of governance, with the intent of returning to the standing committee system.
   Still in office when the committee system was suspended were former Hopewell Township members Linda Mitchell, Ed Gainsborg and Judy Karp, and Kevin Doran, former Pennington representative. Longtime township member Carl Swanson had just resigned and had not yet been replaced by Bill Hills, a former board member. Those who have joined the board since are township members Armelle Daniels, Judy Lindenberger, Roy Dollard, and Leigh Ann Petersen, and Pennington’s Daniel O’Connor. Those who were on the board in late 2007 and remain on the board today are Hopewell Township’s Jeffery Bartolino, Aaron Tellier and Jim Wulf, and Hopewell’s Melvin Meyer.
   THE REVISED POLICY calls for four standing committees: education/program, finance and facilities, communication, and alternate resources. Prior to Dec. 10, 2007, there were five standing committees: finance, facilities, personnel, curriculum and policy — groups that had been in existence for decades.
   Despite the fact that the policy revision had not yet been approved, reports from those committees were on the agenda of Monday’s meeting and on the agenda of the Nov. 10 meeting, when the policy was introduced. Also on the printed agendas of both meetings were the names of board members on each and the names of the persons chairing the groups.
   Descriptions of the work of the four individual committees will do have changed since Nov. 10 in the cases of finance and facilities and alternate resources. The wording of the other two remains unchanged.
   • Finance/facilities: chairman, Jim Wulf. The other board members on this committee are Roy Dollard and Daniel O’Connor.
   This group will oversee all financial affairs, including fiscal controls, fiscal reporting to the board, annual budgeting, procurement procedures, capital funding and appropriations, bill payments, recommendations from the Alternate Resources committee, and tax impact projections. It will receive reports from and review the activities of the board secretary and report thereon to the board. It will review policies, programs, and legislation in its area of responsibility. The committee will also oversee all matters affecting buildings and grounds, including maintenance and upkeep, capital project specifications, planning board reviews, construction, use of buildings and grounds, and safety. This committee will also have responsibility for transportation matters. The district’s business administrator, Robert Colavita, will serve as the superintendent’s liaison.
   • Alternative Resources: chairwoman, Armelle Daniels. The other board members are Mr. O’Connor, Aaron Tellier and Mr. Wulf.
   This group shall investigate and seek to establish sources of funds, which do not originate from local taxes, as well as oversee such fundraising opportunities. Sources shall include sustainable, on-going fundraising programs, as well as targeted, one-time opportunities. Moneys raised shall be applied to specific areas of spending and/or to the district’s general funds. The committee shall review policies, programs and legislation in its area of responsibility and make recommendations to the board as appropriate. The assistant superintendent of schools, Richard Lang, will serve as the superintendent’s liaison.
   • Communications: chairwoman, Judy Lindenberger. The other board members on this committee are Jeff Bartolino, Leigh Ann Peterson and Mr. Tellier.
   This group will oversee the fostering and strengthening of relationships between the school district and the community by creating an atmosphere of open communication and understanding. The committee will review policies and programs in its area of responsibility and make recommendations to the full board. It will review and develop policy that governs the relationship between the community and the school system. It will oversee dissemination of community relations policy throughout the district and community. It will review and recommend necessary resources in terms of finances and personnel. The director of communications and development, JoAnn Meyer, will serve as the superintendent’s liaison.
   • Educational program: chairman, Mr. Bartolino. The other board members on this committee are Ms. Daniels and Ms. Lindenberger.
   This group will oversee the educational programs, including curriculum, techniques of instruction, professional development, student assessment and achievement, and co-curricular activities in the district. It will review policies, programs, and legislation in its area of responsibility. The director of curriculum and instruction, Pat Coats, will serve as the superintendent’s liaison.
   Under normal circumstances, standing committee meetings will be closed meetings unless a quorum of the board will be present. Meetings of standing committees will be announced to the full board and, if a quorum of the board wishes to attend, the meeting will be noticed to the public as an open meeting. No committee may take official action on behalf of the board. Meetings of standing committees will normally be held in school facilities.