In this column, Moorestown Board of Education member Brandon Pugh provides an update on what went on in the school district this summer.
By BRANDON PUGH, Moorestown Board of Education vice president
It is hard to believe that the start of the 2017–2018 school year is less than two weeks away! The summer months have been hectic for the district and the Board of Education in preparation for the new school year, including the final stages of the referendum projects, changes in board members and leadership and the filing deadline for board candidates in the November election, among other actions.
The board held a special meeting on July 20 to appoint a new board member given Kathy Goldenberg’s appointment to the New Jersey State Board of Education. The board unanimously selected Mark Villanueva to serve until the reorganization meeting in Jan. 2018. Sandra Alberti was selected to serve as president until the reorganization, and Dimitri Schneiberg will serve as the chair of the budget and finance committee.
The deadline for individuals to file nominating petitions to run for a seat on the board in the November election was July 31. Five candidates are running for three full-terms on the board including Kameron Rabenou, Tinamarie Nicolo‐Dorfner, Jack Fairchild, Peter Palko and Lauren Romano. Mark Villanueva is the only candidate seeking the two-year term. Pete Palko and Mark Villanueva are the only incumbents running as Anne Marie Reyher and Caryn Shaw decided not to seek a second term.
At the Aug. 8 monthly meeting, the board heard an update on the “Building Excellence Referendum” construction projects from Rob Notley of New Road Construction. Notley expressed that all projects are on time, under budget and will be completed by the start of the school year. Projects over the summer took place at multiple schools and included the installation of new boilers, theater upgrades, roofing, HVAC upgrades and paving. One project involved the redesign of the traffic flow at the William Allen Middle School and part of the high school.
The board also adopted changes to school lunch prices for the 2017–18 school year per federal mandate. Lunch prices include $2.40 for the elementary schools, $2.70 for the Upper Elementary School, William Allen Middle School and Moorestown High School, and $3.25 for premium lunch at WAMS and the high school. Also, breakfast at Roberts Elementary will cost $1.30, and kindergarten milk/juice will cost $.50 at all elementary schools.
Furthermore, the board received an additional $75,218 in state aid as “categorical special education aid.” The board appropriated this addition to special education paraprofessionals to account for unanticipated needs.
The next regular monthly meeting of the Board will be on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. in the William Allen Middle School Media Center. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to the board if you need anything. Enjoy the rest of the summer, and I hope to see you at an upcoming meeting.
The views and content in this column do not necessarily represent those of the Moorestown Board of Education as a whole or any other individual member.
