At the May 28 meeting, the board approved for a fifth year the food services management contract with Sodexo Management Inc. Per the contract, the district shall pay Sodexo a management fee of $.21 per meal for the 2013-’14 contract year, and Sodexo guarantees that the district shall receive a minimum annual financial return of $65,050 for the 2013-’14 school year.
In addition, the board agreed to a 5-cent increase in basic school lunch prices for next year. Milk prices and prices for other food options will remain the same. Said Vice President Anthony Fleres: “We have held constant on the school lunch prices, but now we felt the need for a minimal increase.”
In light of the damage to the High School South tennis courts, making them unable to be used, a resurfacing contract was awarded to Fraytak Veisz Hopkins Duthie, which entered a bid of $192,945. A second bid from American Athletic Courts, in the amount of $285,000, was received but not approved.
Board member Michele Kaish announced that while work on the 2014-’15 academic calendar was progressing, further conversation would be necessary before the calendar would be ready for approval.
At the upcoming board meeting on Tuesday, June 11, there will be a presentation on the building expansion plans for Village School. Fleres explained that “a portion of the Community Education Department’s fund balance, between $1 and $1.5 million, will be used to help finance the expansion. By law, the Community Education fund balance can only be used for things that will benefit Community Ed, and because they will be moving into the new space, they are going to receive a direct benefit from the expansion. So we felt a portion of the fund balance should be used towards the project.”
The summer reading lists for the middle and high schools, originally scheduled to be approved at the May 28 meeting, will instead be approved at the June 11 meeting.
The Board also approved numerous personnel items, including the following:
Brianne Bergen, appointed as a third grade teacher at Maurice Hawk as a leave replacement for Christy Taylor Tuthill-Todd; Jamie Conlon, fifth grade teacher at Millstone River as a leave-replacement for Tamara Hutchison; Alison Crawford, special education teacher at High School North, replacing Sandra Giardino, who resigned; and Kimberly Haines, fifth grade teacher at Village, a new position due to enrollment.
Also Lauren Johnson, appointed as a fifth grade teacher at Millstone River, replacing Ronnie Epstein, who resigned; Krystina Maloney, a special education teacher at Millstone River, replacing Rhonda Upshur, who resigned; Lauren Petro, a fifth grade teacher at Millstone River, as a leave replacement for Audrey Trapols; and Marla Savage, a first grade teacher at Maurice Hawk, replacing Allison Zamparelli, who resigned.
#b#New Principal?#/b#
At the next board of education meeting on Tuesday, June 11, it is expected that one of the current assistant principals at Community Middle School, Shauna Carter, will be appointed as principal. That position became vacant when Gerard Dalton was appointed to be an assistant superintendent.
In addition, candidates for the vacant athletic director’s position are currently been interviewed. It is anticipated that a selection will be announced at the June 11 meeting as well.
