Budget numbers and animated public comments on the curriculum stole the show at the March 8 WW-P school board meeting, which was videotaped as the district continues to explore the viability of recording meetings.
Curriculum committee chair Dana Krug gave an overview of the committee’s lengthy March 1 agenda. The committee reviewed the status of the Gifted and Talented (G&T) program review action plan, which is available on the G&T section of the district website. This was the first time any board member or administrator has commented on the G&T program at a board meeting since December. Several changes have already been implemented, and beginning next year Millstone River A&E teacher Hugh Green will be reassigned to a teacher resource specialist for math position.
The results of last year’s PARCC exam were also discussed. Less than 5 percent of WW-P students in grades 3 to 11 opted out of the exam last year, the first year it was administered, though subgroups of students at both high schools, Grover Middle School, and Dutch Neck Elementary school did not meet the 95 percent participation rate required by the state department of education.
PARCC measures participation from several racial categories, as well as students who are economically disadvantaged, in special education, or have limited English proficiency. The district is required to submit action plans to detail how it will improve participation rates.
It is unclear which student groups fell below the 95 percent rate. PARCC is one of several measures required by the state for graduation, though Krug said very few juniors opted out. PSAT and SAT scores can also replace PARCC as a graduation requirement.
Krug said the administration will work with the few students who did not meet standardized testing measures, as a portfolio review is another means to attain graduation. The administration did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
More than two dozen parents were at the March 8 board meeting, the highest attendance since last fall. Several parents commented in opposition to high school pre-requisites that prevent students from taking multiple science courses in grades nine and ten.
Former West Windsor Council member Barbara Pfeiffer suggested extending public comments from two minutes to three minutes.
In response to harsh comments made by residents, the president of the teachers’ union, Bruce Salmestrelli, said: “I want to repeat what I said in December. We can disagree but we don’t want to be disagreeable. Our children are watching.”
The board approved an April start date for the new supervisor of special services, Kristen Hanson. At the last meeting, the board approved the appointment of David Lieberman as interim director of special services.
The meeting began with a presentation by members of the Waksman Club from High School South. North is exploring the establishment of a similar club, a molecular biology program in partnership with Rutgers. Waksman students discussed their project, an analysis of duckweed DNA, which has bio-remediation and biofuel potential.
#b#Tentative School Budget Approved#/b#
The tentative 2016-’17 school budget is $171.7 million, a 2.17 percent or $3.6 million increase from this year. The corresponding local tax levy will increase by 2.33 percent to $155.58 million.
Assistant superintendent Larry Shanok declined to estimate a tax impact for individual households because the district has not received new assessed values from the townships. He noted that under state regulations a 3 percent budget increase was allowed.
The school board approved the tentative budget submission, 7-1. Taylor Zhong was absent. Member Scott Powell voted against the budget, advocating for more modest budget increases.
“We still have some untapped potential,” Powell said. “We haven’t looked at our busing policy.” Powell also added the district’s employee-friendly contracts did not correspond with economic trends.
State aid stayed at similar levels to last year at $8 million. Benefits, special education, transportation, and capital outlay were the four main areas of expenditure increases.
Benefits increased by $1.56 million, or 5.6 percent, to $29.27 million. Shanok said the district will be shouldering additional costs going forward, as there is no increase in employee contributions next year after four years of increased employee contributions.
Special education instruction and tuition increased by $1 million to more than $21.4 million. Shanok said the state does not cap tuition increases at private, state-approved special education institutions, where 10 percent yearly tuition increases are common.
Transportation costs are expected to increase by nearly $1 million to just under $11 million, a 9.5 percent increase that Shanok largely attributes to a shortage of bus drivers. Last summer no drivers passed the state licensing exam, which has a 20 percent pass rate.
“The net result is the district and contractors have a shortage of drivers,” Shanok said. “That has led to contractors being aggressive in their bids.”
Facility maintenance increased $886,000, or 40 percent, to $3.1 million. Board vice president Michele Kaish said the district has $250 million in physical assets, and that projects at Community Middle School and High School North may account for the increase.
The district will submit the budget to the state for approval. A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 26.
#b#Board to Evaluate Videotaped Meeting#/b#
A trial videotaping session was completed at the March 8 board meeting, and the administration will evaluate the recording before deciding what to do next.
The district’s cable station manager, Jamie Watson, operated two mounted cameras.
“We’re going to first evaluate. There was a cost, an employee running the camera,” said Michele Kaish, the administration and facilities committee chair. “We’re analyzing different set ups and looking at the quality. It’s still in the committee’s hands as far as what would work, what its cost would be, and if we want to go through with it.”
In response to several harsh and loud public comments, board president Tony Fleres reiterated his opposition to videotaping and broadcasting meetings.
“I’ve been clear in the past: I am against it,” Fleres said. “One of the objections I had is people tend to grandstand. I think board members should consider that.”
Board meetings have been much lower-key affairs after the fierce curriculum discussion that overtook the district to conclude 2015, though there have also been active public commenting periods more recently.
After the meeting, Fleres said, “We do publish the minutes of meetings, what the votes are. It’s not like we’re hiding anything. A public meeting does not have to be broadcast. Plainsboro doesn’t broadcast their meetings. If other members disagree, when the time comes and the committee comes up with a recommendation, then the whole board can discuss it.”
