The discussion included transgender students and the budget, but the hottest topic at the February 16 WW-P school board meeting was the recently approved merger of the ice hockey teams from High Schools North and South.
More than a dozen hockey parents from the district spoke before the board. While there was not necessarily opposition to the merger, in their statements the parents indicated they felt blindsided by the administration’s decision, expressing frustration that they learned about the merger through the local newspapers.
“We are under no illusions as to the skill level possessed, or lacked, by our children,” said Bob Corell, whose son is on the North team, alluding to one of the goals of the merger: to deepen the hockey talent pool in WW-P and allow for the formation of sub-varsity-level teams (The News, February 5).
“We are very concerned, some to the point of outrage, that we were not consulted or even invited to express our opinion on this change to the program,” Corell said. “We have been attempting to be involved in this process for over a year now.”
The hockey incident is not the first time this school year that parents have felt left out of the loop on changes adopted by the board. In a separate public comment, Mike Jia questioned the district’s transparency with respect to statistics cited by the administration in support of last fall’s curriculum changes.
“We have heard and read so many times, where the superintendent has cited 120 students recommended for psychiatric evaluations and 40 students being hospitalized. No response has been forthcoming on clarification,” Jia said.
Transgender Policy. Mark Toscano, general counsel to the administration and school board, discussed the board’s transgender policy, which he emphasized is a reflection of the current state of law.
“The board is not taking any action that every other board in New Jersey hasn’t taken or will take,” Toscano said. “The federal courts and Office of Civil Rights has made it very clear that transgender students have the right of access to the gender which they identify with, which may be different than one’s gender at birth.”
Toscano added that a public entity cannot condition the right of access to bathrooms or facilities based upon the requirement of a receipt such as a prescription or psychology assessment. Given there is not a “bright line test to attain transgender status,” the language in the district’s policy is anti-discriminatory and allows for flexibility with respect to identifying transgender status. If another student is uncomfortable with the right of access of a transgender student, the student can request accommodation from the district.
In a public comment, Carol Watchler, co-chair of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education (GLSEN) Network Central New Jersey, expressed concern that under the policy, a student could be made unsafe when speaking with a parent. A parent and student could be asked to meet with district staff in the event a parent does not consent to the student’s gender identity. Watchler said parents are in many cases the child’s best advocate, but there have also been cases of parent abuse or disowning.
Personnel. Town Center principal Brian Stevens will retire at the end of the school year after 26 years with the district. The district also announced outgoing interim special services director Rich Flamini will be replaced by interim director of services David Lieberman, who previously worked in the district from 1982 to 1992.
Budget discussion. Assistant superintendent Larry Shanok made another budget presentation. The state will release its funding aid figures in late February, and the district will issue a preliminary budget March 22, followed by budget adoption scheduled for April 26.
Transportation costs increased to $10.05 million, with 5 percent increases each of the past two years. These costs are projected to go up as contractors are charging more because of a shortage of bus drivers caused by stringent state licensing. Within the transportation expenses, there has also been an increase in special education busing, as well as an increase in special education instruction and tuition expenses. Health benefits spending has held steady the past few years, largely attributable to increased contributions by employees.
The 2015-’16 budget included a tax levy of $151.94 million, a 2.3 percent increase from 2014-’15.
In a public comment, West Windsor resident Barbara Pfeifer asked the district to reassess the long crosstown commutes for high school students.
“Please look at bus pick up times and have them start no earlier than 7 a.m.,” Pfeifer said. “This is student stress.”
#b#Videotaping Under Consideration#/b#
There will be a test recording of the Tuesday, March 8, school board meeting, as the administration continues to explore a proposal to videotape public meetings. Jamie Watson, the district’s cable station manager, tested sound and camera angles at the February 16 meeting.
