The Mt. Laurel Board of Education is hoping to have Superintendent George Rafferty leading the district well into the 2020s after approving a resolution at last Tuesday’s meeting.
A little more than three years after Rafferty first took on the job as superintendent in Mt. Laurel, the BOE voted to extend his contract last week. The contract extension stretches for five years, with Rafferty’s contract now expiring on June 30, 2024. Rafferty’s original contract with the district was set to expire following the 2019-20 school year.
District officials said the minutes reflecting the vote and the contract will be submitted to the Burlington County Superintendent’s Office for approval. The terms of the contract will become available following approval from the county superintendent.
Board President Diane Blair told Rafferty the board was very pleased with the job he had done over the past three years in Mt. Laurel. Rafferty expressed gratitude toward the board for extending his contract and giving him an opportunity to remain in Mt. Laurel for years to come.
“I just want to thank the board for your vote of confidence in me,” Rafferty said. “I really appreciate the opportunity to stay with you in Mt. Laurel and I look forward to continued productive years ahead.”
Rafferty was approved as Mt. Laurel’s new superintendent in February of 2016 after he had previously been superintendent in Tabernacle for nearly five years. Rafferty’s original contract was for four years with a starting salary of $162,500. Tuesday’s resolution rescinded the final year of Rafferty’s original contract and replaced it with the extension.
In other news:
· Last Tuesday’s meeting began with a public hearing to review Mt. Laurel School District Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying grades from the 2017-18 school year. Each school district is required to do a review of its scores each year under the state’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act.
The report includes grades for all eight schools as well as the district. Each school is required to complete a self-assessment grading its performance in various categories. The categories include HIB programs, training on board-approved HIB policy, other staff instruction and training programs, curriculum and instruction on HIB, HIB personnel, the district’s reporting procedure and investigative process. The maximum score a school can receive is a 78.
In Mt. Laurel, every school scored at least a 70 out of a possible 78 points. The district’s overall score was a 73.
“In all of those schools and in the district, we’re either meeting all of the requirements or exceeding all of the requirements,” Rafferty said.
Rafferty added the district is reviewing the 2017-18 grades as it takes nearly a full year after a school year is complete for the self-assessment to be completed, submitted to the state Department of Education, and later approved at the state level.
State law requires school district to place the score report on each of its websites. Residents can view the scores for all eight of Mt. Laurel’s schools at www.mtlaurelschools.org by visiting the Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying page.
· The Mt. Laurel Public Education Fund will host its 25th annual Golf Classic on Friday, Oct. 4 at Ramblewood Country Club. The event will begin with registration at 11:30 a.m., followed by an 18-hole scramble-style golf tournament. A cocktail reception will take place at 5 p.m. followed by dinner and an awards presentation at 6 p.m. There are a myriad of sponsorship opportunities for this year’s event. For individuals, the cost for golf for one and dinner is $200. The cost for the cocktail hour and dinner only is $75. Residents can get more information and sign up at http://mlpef.org/events/25th-annual-golf-outing.
· The next Mt. Laurel Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. at the district’s administrative offices at 330 Mount Laurel Road.
