Glen Ridge Schools Board Awards $1.82 Million HVAC Contract, Accepts Five Resignations

The Glen Ridge Board of Education met July 25, 2022 in the Glen Ridge High School cafeteria and via livestream, opening with a closed executive session at 5:03 p.m. to discuss personnel, negotiations, confidential pupil matters and possible litigation before returning to open session at 7:01 p.m. Once back in public session, the board acted on four Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying investigations from the past school year, accepting the superintendent's recommendations that HIB was not substantiated in reports 21-22 FAS #3, RAS #14 and RAS #15, but was substantiated in report 21-22 RAS #13.

The board also voted to accept, "with regret," five resignations: nurse Toni Lee High and teacher Cortney Ryan, both at Ridgewood Avenue School, effective June 30; Glen Ridge High School teachers Lindsay Downey and Kate Pritchard, whose resignation letters arrived July 14 and July 15; and Central School paraprofessional Bertha Valladares, who resigned July 18. Board member Mr. Bonnett abstained on that vote; the rest of the board approved it. Superintendent Dirk Phillips told the board it has "become a teacher's market," with some staff departing even as the district works through the summer to hire replacements, including two new supervisors — one filling a newly created position overseeing intervention programs, the other replacing a retiring supervisor of buildings and grounds who is moving out of state.

In the meeting's costliest action, the board awarded the contract for the Glen Ridge High School HVAC Replacement project to Thassian Mechanical Contracting, Inc., the lowest responsible bidder, for a base bid of $1,820,000 — undercutting a $2,005,256 bid from Centralpack Engineering Corp. The board also ratified bills and claims of $259,236.14 and payroll and other bills totaling $4,584,515.39, and approved open purchase order reports of $433,536.03 for the 2021-2022 school year and $11,481,962.11 for 2022-2023.

Board President Elisabeth Ginsburg thanked several donors during the meeting: Kevin Sherry, caretaker of the Freeman Garden, for donating two stone lion statues to Linden Avenue School in memory of his late sister, Jackie Sherry; the Class of 2026 baseball team for a $600 donation to the high school baseball program; the Glen Ridge Educational Foundation for $24,956 to fund 2022 fall mini-grants; and the High School Home & School Association's Project Graduation effort for $550 to help live-stream the 2022 graduation.

Superintendent Phillips also updated the board on summer facilities work: Forest Avenue School's main office is being renovated and a second-grade classroom is getting new furniture; Linden Avenue School's art room is getting new flooring and its pre-K restroom has been upgraded; Central School is pursuing a shade structure for its playground; Ridgewood Avenue School's lower gym roof project is about to begin; and at the high school, new media center flooring has been installed while the gym and cafeteria sound systems are being upgraded.

The board approved the first reading of a slate of new and revised policies, including a new dress-and-grooming policy, a new student journalism policy, and the abolition of the district's school-sponsored publications policy, along with revisions covering board website accessibility and lesson plans, among others. Members also approved the 2023-2024 school calendar and building hours, and signed off on several field trips, including a Broadway performance of "Wicked" and a visit to the Rubin Museum for Middle School Student Council members.

During public comment, resident Phil Johnson asked how many teachers would still be carrying extra "sixth period" teaching assignments this fall. Phillips said the number is down significantly from last year, when three teachers left mid-year without replacements and the district had to absorb roughly 18 additional class-period coverages as a result; with most open positions now filled, he said, the number of teachers starting this year with sixth-period assignments is reduced from last year.

Action items

• Accepted HIB investigation findings on four 2021-22 reports; one (RAS #13) was substantiated, three were not.
• Accepted, with regret, the resignations of nurse Toni Lee High and teacher Cortney Ryan (Ridgewood Avenue School), teachers Lindsay Downey and Kate Pritchard (Glen Ridge High School), and paraprofessional Bertha Valladares (Central School); Mr. Bonnett abstained.
• Awarded the Glen Ridge High School HVAC Replacement contract to Thassian Mechanical Contracting, Inc. for $1,820,000, over a higher bid from Centralpack Engineering Corp.
• Approved financial reports including $259,236.14 in bills and claims, $4,584,515.39 in payroll and related bills, and open purchase orders of $433,536.03 (2021-22) and $11,481,962.11 (2022-23).
• Accepted donations from Kevin Sherry, the Class of 2026 baseball team, the Glen Ridge Educational Foundation ($24,956), and the High School Home & School Association ($550).
• Approved first reading of new and revised board policies, including a new dress-and-grooming policy and a new student journalism policy.
• Approved the 2023-2024 school calendar and building hours.

Watch key moments

• 8:46 — A board member set to leave in a few months jokes about "freestyling" through the rest of the meeting.
• 23:20 — The board thanks Kevin Sherry for donating two stone lion statues to Linden Avenue School in memory of his late sister, Jackie Sherry, alongside other community donations.
• 25:25 — Resident Phil Johnson presses the superintendent on how many teachers are still stuck with extra "sixth period" assignments, prompting a candid rundown of last year's midyear staffing shortage.