Board Holds First Remote Meeting, Opposes State Bill Delaying School Tax Payments

The Board of Education held its first fully remote meeting on April 6, 2020, three weeks into the coronavirus school closure. Superintendent Dirk Phillips gave a construction update, reporting the Central School renovation was 99.5 percent complete and down to punch-list items, while the Ridgewood Avenue School project was still finishing the chiller component of its HVAC system. The board also approved several change orders with contractor Daskal, LLC at Central School, including work to add fire tabs and a shutoff switch to the elevator and a pressure-reducing valve, offset by a $43,175 credit for a BDA Systems antenna.

The board approved $875,183.58 in bills and claims, ratified $3,260,626.09 in payroll and related payments, and approved $470,244.23 in open purchase orders. It also accepted an anonymous $5,000 donation toward the Ridgewood Avenue School courtyard project. Separately, the board rescinded a previously issued termination for one employee and then accepted that employee's resignation, effective April 30.

Board President Elisabeth Ginsburg opened the meeting by asking the community to keep the family of longtime Ridgewood Avenue School teacher Eileen Ippolito in their thoughts after her husband's death over the weekend, and thanked school staff, parents, students, borough officials and medical personnel for their work during the pandemic. The board passed a resolution opposing pending state legislation, A-3902, that would let municipalities delay transmitting quarterly property tax revenue to school districts during the emergency, warning it could create a financial crisis given how heavily Glen Ridge schools rely on property taxes. Resident Fran Wong asked during public comment whether residents could help push back on the bill; Ginsburg said it could move as soon as that week, leaving little time.

Resident Joe Marigliano pressed the board on a question left unanswered from the prior meeting: when the district would begin offering Structured Learning Experiences, a work-based learning program mandatory since 2007, noting the high school's program of studies only describes a separate, narrower "Option Two" for seniors. Phillips said the district would respond by email within the week.

• Approved $875,183.58 in bills/claims and ratified $3,260,626.09 in payroll and related payments
• Passed a resolution opposing state bill A-3902, which would allow delayed transmission of school property tax revenue during the pandemic emergency
• Accepted an anonymous $5,000 donation toward the Ridgewood Avenue School courtyard project
• Approved Central School change orders with Daskal, LLC, including a $43,175 credit for a BDA Systems antenna

Watch key moments

• 0:36 — Board President Ginsburg opens the district's first-ever remote meeting with condolences for a longtime teacher's loss
• 13:34 — Superintendent Phillips gives a construction update on the Central School and Ridgewood Avenue School projects mid-pandemic
• 27:56 — Resident Joe Marigliano challenges the district on a still-unanswered question about mandatory Structured Learning Experiences for students