Board Adopts Tentative Budget With No Job Cuts, Confirms a Substantiated Bullying Finding
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The Board of Education accepted the recommendation of Superintendent Dirk Phillips on a Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying investigation (Report 21-22 HS #3) at its March 14, 2022 meeting, finding that the complaint was substantiated.
The board also accepted, with regret, the retirements of longtime sixth-grade science teacher Paulette Cinotti at Ridgewood Avenue School and kindergarten teacher Pamela Urban at Central School, both effective June 30. Phillips and Board President Elisabeth Ginsburg both praised the two for their years of service, with Ginsburg noting Cinotti has "made so many generations of our students excited about science" and Urban, who previously taught pre-K at Linden Avenue, gave "an excellent start for our littlest children." The board also accepted the resignations of paraprofessionals Jaclyn Sibilia (Linden Avenue, effective March 4) and Nancy Breslin (Central, effective March 4), substitute teacher Adamson Odige (Ridgewood Avenue, effective February 4), and GRHS social-emotional-learning counselor Jordan Roche, whose resignation date was revised to March 17.
Business Administrator Barbara Murphy presented a 2022-23 tentative budget totaling $42,229,853 across the general fund, special revenues and debt service, supported by a local tax levy of $32,619,457 -- a 2% increase that Murphy said will raise taxes on the average home, assessed at $669,910, by $202.61 for the year, or $16.88 a month. Phillips told the board that, thanks to higher-than-expected state aid (up $326,000) and savings from a health-benefits switch, this is the first budget in his tenure as superintendent that adds positions without cutting any -- a shift from years of belt-tightening. New and upgraded positions include a full-time applied behavior analyst ($101,000), a part-time occupational therapist ($50,400), two registered behavior technicians ($130,000 combined), a part-time special education teacher, an additional one-on-one paraprofessional at Forest Avenue, a new pre-K teacher and two pre-K classroom aides, a new supervisor of student support services ($134,000), five additional teaching periods to expand Orton-Gillingham reading instruction, and the conversion of part-time custodian, physical-education and elementary art positions at Central School to full-time. The budget also funds a $2 million HVAC upgrade at the high school -- replacing ventilators and adding air conditioning to about 20 classrooms, financed in part by a $1.35 million capital reserve withdrawal -- along with $69,000 to double the district's internet bandwidth. The board also accepted a $7,038 donation from the Glen Ridge Educational Foundation to fund a Rigamajig engineering kit for the elementary STEAM program, and approved field trips including a Student Council trip to see "Come From Away" on Broadway, an Astronomy/Engineering visit to the American Museum of Natural History, and a Model UN trip to the Rutgers Model Congress Conference. A public hearing and final vote on the budget is set for April 25.
Superintendent Phillips recognized ten staff members named 2022 Governor's Educators of the Year: RoseMarie Cancelliere and Helene Maia from Linden Avenue School; Heather Goss and Kelly Kren from Central School; Sherilyn Nuguid and Alyssa Chernego from Forest Avenue School; Jill Szalony and Christine Coppola from Ridgewood Avenue School; and Victoria Ramirez and Shihong Zhang from Glen Ridge High School. New Middle School Assistant Principal Kimberly O'Donnell-Pickert also introduced the district's new "Character ACE Awards," which recognize students and staff for acts of acceptance, compassion and equality; among those honored at the meeting were sixth-grade nominees including a student who held a door open for a teacher and another who created an unprompted review game to help classmates study.
The board approved the first reading of eleven revised or new policies, including a new anti-hazing policy and updated rules on student assessment, sports-related concussions, and bias-related acts.
During public comment, resident Robert Fardon asked whether the district could shift its part-time school library media specialist position, currently funded by COVID relief money, onto the regular budget; Phillips said the position remains funded through the district's ARP grant for two more years and that the current arrangement is working well. Resident Tricia Akinwande asked administrators to clarify which staffing lines in the proposed budget represent genuinely new positions.
Action items
- Accepted the finding that a Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying investigation (Report 21-22 HS #3) was substantiated.
- Accepted, with regret, the retirements of Paulette Cinotti (Ridgewood Avenue, science) and Pamela Urban (Central, kindergarten), plus resignations of Jaclyn Sibilia, Nancy Breslin, Adamson Odige, and Jordan Roche.
- Approved the 2022-23 tentative budget of $42,229,853, including a 2% tax levy increase and a $2 million high school HVAC upgrade; public hearing and final vote set for April 25.
- Accepted a $7,038 donation from the Glen Ridge Educational Foundation for a Rigamajig STEAM engineering kit.
- Approved the first reading of eleven revised/new policies, including a new anti-hazing policy.