If approved, school board meetings will be videotaped in September at the earliest.
Board vice president and Administration and Facilities chair Michele Kaish said the committee recommends a single camera mounted on a tripod, adding that the district also needs to figure out microphone reconfiguration and data storage logistics.
The board approved 8-0 three bylaw changes that were introduced at the May 10 meeting. Rachel Juliana was absent.
The public comment time limit under the proposed changes would be extended from two minutes to three. Currently there are two uncapped public commenting periods that bookend the meeting agenda, and the proposed bylaw change would limit the first public commenting period to 60 minutes and limit the second period to 15 minutes. If more time is needed, a majority of the board could vote to extend the public comment period. West Windsor Council officially caps its public commenting period at 30 minutes, though in practice Council simply allows time for every would-be speaker.
The A&F committee also supports increasing substitute rates the next school year: certified substitute teacher rates would increase from $90 to $95 and nursing substitutes from $150 to $175.
According to curriculum committee chair Dana Krug, the AMC Math Competition will be opened up to eighth grade students. AMC 8 is designed for middle school students while AMC 10 and 12 are for high school students, though AMC 10 will be opened to A&E and eighth grade Math Counts students.
The committee also reviewed the district’s 2014-15 NJ School Performance Report. Recently released by the New Jersey Department of Education, it contains data such as student performance on a variety of standardized tests.
The meeting began with a presentation by eight teachers who participated in the one-year student data app pilot program. Teachers used Action Point Mobile’s Confer app on iPads to collect and organize data on their students, a digital note-taking alternative to paper binders.
In response to a parent’s comments on student data privacy and over-reliance on technology, WW-P teacher’s union president Bruce Samelstrelli said, “Teachers are flexible and are able to use the technology when it benefits the student. The technology does not drive teachers in the classroom, it’s a tool we’re asked to handle and decide when it is best to use them.”
Dozens of students from the MidKnight Inventors and the two MidKnight Magic robotics team attended the meeting. Several students, as well as advisers Kathy Rogers and Ruth Kamen, shared their experiences and thanked the board for supporting the new robotics lab at North that is nearing completion.
The board also approved a $437,281 contract with Top Line Construction for basketball court restoration at South and pavement improvements at Grover, Millstone, and Village.
