The ongoing issue of school safety was briefly discussed. Johnson mentioned that the board will likely not implement a full-scale safety policy until the conclusion of the two-month, two-school pilot safety program is completed (scheduled to run April through June of this year), “so that our policy does not preempt the pilot program.”
In addition, he noted that building use has also been discussed in terms of safety. “One idea we are considering is to impose a possible security surcharge for groups who use school buildings after 6:30 p.m.”
The board also voted to approve its continuing partnership with Rider University’s CONNECT-ED Program, which provides teacher professional development in science and math. As part of this partnership, the board approved the participation of up to 10 teachers in either the Quest and Connect-Ed Summer Institute or the Quest 2013 Scholars Program, at a total cost not to exceed $2,500.
A new walking path will also be constructed at Dutch Neck Elementary School, as part of the capital budget expenditures.
And the board agreed to purchase a new textbook for the high school-level statistics course, titled, Stats in Your World 2012, by David Bock and Thomas Mariano, for a total cost of $29,200. This includes six years of electronic access to programs associated with the textbook.
