Agenda for the December 16th BOE Meeting - Block Scheduling Vote, Big Budget Items and Leadership Changes Ahead
- Kathie Schwartz
- Dec 14, 2024
- 3 min read
The next meeting of the RIH BOE is Monday Dec 16, 8pm in the Ramapo cafeteria.
The links to the agendas and minutes are not working on the Board of Education page on the district’s new website, however you can access the agenda under “Latest News & Announcements” on the home page.
This will be the last meeting of the 2024 BOE, the last meeting for Dr. Aaron Lorenz and for Marianna Emmolo. Dr. Lorenz has been a huge asset to the Board. He is the only one at the table who brought education experience, with his 30 years of higher level education experience, both teaching and as a college dean. That perspective is an unfortunate loss for our district.
In January the BOE will welcome back Helen Koulikourdis (Franklin Lakes) and John Kinney (Wyckoff), and add newcomer Joseph Valenti (Oakland). The 2025 RIH BOE will have the opportunity to reshape itself from the drama and chaos of the past two years. I hope they make good choices when they reorganize.
Monday’s agenda includes many personnel motions, including approval of $88k for a payroll ‘coordinator’, $69 per hour for teachers to tutor students in the After School Academic Assistance program (small group or 1 to 1 instruction, no budget is listed for the overall program), and motions to approve revised Job Descriptions for the School Business Administrator/Board Secretary and for the Coordinator of Facilities. The revised Job Descriptions are not available to the public.
There is a motion accept the retirement of another 27-year teacher, Karen Szura.
Under Education, the agenda includes Approval of the new Drop Block Schedule, approval of the 2025-2026 Program of Studies and the 2025-2026 Calendar (not attached to the agenda for the public to view or comment on). There is also a motion to approve a new Athletics handbook. For some inexplicable reason the 2023-2024 BOE members have been heavily involved in the approval process of the Athletic Handbook, with lengthy discussions behind closed doors in committee. Finally the public will see what changes they wanted to push through (generally the BOE is responsible for Policy, and the administration is responsible for guidelines underneath policy such as regulations or student handbooks.) In a continuing lack of transparency, none of the details are available for the public to review and comment on before the BOE votes on them.
Under Facilities (Operations), the BOE plans to rescind the previously approved plans for the Indian Hills Athletic Training Room and the Ramapo High School Wrestling Room, and move those funds, along with $925k in funds for HVAC, toward two new projects: air conditioning/HVAC upgrades in the two high school cafeterias for a cost of $1.8mil. This indicates to me that the much disputed plan for window air conditioners has been dropped in favor of cafeteria HVAC upgrades, but I will listen to the meeting to confirm that understanding.
On the Committed Purchase Order report, once again the district is hiding the recipient of checks described as “Tuition -NJ Private”, for $90K and $120K. Why is the district hiding what private schools they are paying our tax dollars to? (Numerous checks on the check register also had the recipient’s name redacted.)
The agenda includes numerous Policy changes as a First Read. Curiously, the change to Policy 2200 Curriculum Content REMOVES the need for the Board to approve the Curriculum annually. I found this Policy change surprising, given the recent noise many current BOE members have made about their responsibility to review and approve the Curriculum.
