Board of education meetings in May often come with a large list of resignations and retirements, and the May 22 meeting of the Evesham Board of Education was no different.
Board Vice President Joseph De Julius and several other board members commented on the large number of retirements and resignations and gave some personal remarks before approving the list.
“Before us this evening we have a resolution to accept a rather large list of retirements,” De Julius said. “The board of education congratulates all our retirees and thanks you for your commitment and dedication to our students. Our school district is truly a better place because of your efforts.”
De Julius said he would be remiss without personally acknowledging several individuals leaving their positions.
The highest-level resignation was that of district business administrator Dennis Nettleton.
De Julius said Nettleton was leaving the district after four years of optimizing the learning environment for students and using financial and human resources in ways that promote student achievement and provide safe, effective and efficient facilities.
“He’s creative when he seeks new resources to facilitate operations and always meets and explains decisions based on ethical, unmovable principles,” De Julius said. “Dennis, it’s certainly been a pleasure to work with you, and I wish you much luck in your future endeavors.”
Board member Sandy Student also commented on Nettleton’s departure.
“My distinguished colleague Mr. Nettleton, I will just tell you that I will echo what the other board members and more importantly what the community feel about you,” Student said. “You epitomize Evesham Township. You are that circle of life. You grew up in town, you came back to live here, you’re raising your family here. We know that your job position is changing, but you’re still an Evesham person, and we appreciate it.”
De Julius also made special mention of Jaggard Elementary School principal Susan Screnci who is leaving the distract after 15 years, and Marlton Middle School eighth-grade math teacher Carol Dadetto, who is retiring after 26 years.
“Sue has articulated a vision of learning for Jaggard that promotes the success of all students, and she motivates the entire school community to achieve that vision,” De Julius said. “She assists school personnel in understanding and applying best practices for student learning.”
When speaking about Dadetto, De Julius said she instructed numerous students in math over the years, including him.
“Carol has high expectations for her students and she makes sure that they have the support and resources needed to maximize their learning potential,” De Julius said. “She’s certainly skilled at using instructional practices that are effective in developing mathematics learning for all students.”
Board member Lisa Mansfield echoed De Julius’ sentiments about Dadetto with her own personal remarks.
“You really understand how to use math. It’s almost like a language, and I really have to thank you because you had my one child who math is definitely not his language and my other child who is taking high school-level course under your guidance, so thank you very much because you really reach every child you teach,” she said.
In other news:
Nettleton spoke about the district’s need to start planning on replacing many of its buses in the coming years.
“We’ve been discussing for several years now,” Nettleton said. “We’re entering that portion of our bus replacement schedule where we are going to need some buses. Over the next three to five years, you’re talking almost 50 percent of our buses.”
Nettleton said the district recently held a bid opening to finance the project. At the meting, the board approved the resolution awarding the contract to the lowest bid of Sun Trust Equipment Finance and Leasing Corp., with a five-year interest rate of 1.29 percent.
The district also bundled the buses with future technology purchases to get a better interest rate.
“We generally do that because the more money we put out to bid for lease purchase, the better rates we get, and we really got an outstanding rate once again,” Nettleton said. “Last year when we did this, we were under 1 percent. This year we’re just over 1 percent, so still that’s very good considering the amount of money.”
