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HAMMONTON—The Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) addition is ready for the new school year.
Hammonton School Board President John Lyons called the August 8 board of education meeting to order and all board members were present at the Samuel A. Donio Memorial Library except for Folsom Representative John Thomas.
During the committee reports, board member Raymond Scipione said the ECEC renovation and addition is ready for the opening of school.
“It was on time and on budget. We will have a ribbon cutting, which will be held on August 28 at 2:30 p.m.,” Scipione said.
During Scipione’s report, he said the Hammonton High School track and tennis courts were resurfaced.
When Board Vice President Luke Coia gave his committee report, he discussed various projects including the ECEC addition..
“The ECEC expansion, the new wing, is ahead of schedule. It’s under budget. We currently have our staff members in the wing right now. They’re finally cleaning. They’re waxing the floors. They’re installing our projectors, the blinds on the windows and the doors and the furniture. We have teachers coming in to prepare their rooms,” Coia said.
According to Coia, the renovations to the main office are underway and will be ready ahead of schedule.
For the middle school fire alarm project, it is ahead of schedule and will be complete soon.
“There’s some 390 devices I believe throughout the whole building plus electric panels located in different areas. Every single device has been replaced within the last two weeks.
It’s incredible how fast they did this, so they’re all in place and every single device is being tested and programmed as we speak,” Coia said.
At the Warren E. Sooy Jr. Elementary School, the old wood timber guard rail is being removed and some areas will be replaced with bollards.
During Coia’s report, he said the ECEC traffic pattern is being rearranged by adding five drop-offs.
Coia also thanked Robert Capoferri for paving at no cost to the district.
Earlier in the meeting, Assistant Superintendent Tammy Leonard gave a presentation on the Student Safety Data System Report Period 2 January 2 to June 30, 2024, Spring 2024 NJGPA (Graduation Proficiency Assessment) Results and Spring 2024 ACCESS for ELLs Results.
For the NJGPA English Language Arts (ELA) average score, Hammonton’s average score was 782 while the state average was 767.
The minimum passing score is 725 for ELA and math.
The percent of students scoring NJGPA ELA “Graduation Ready” was 89.8 percent for Hammonton and 81.6 percent for the state.
In 2023, Hammonton had a 79.8 percent of students who were NJGPA ELA “Graduation Ready,” so there was a 10 percent increase this year of students who were “Graduation Ready.”
For the NJGPA math average score, Hammonton’s average score was 736 while the state average was 735.
The percent of students scoring NJGPA math “Graduation Ready” was 54.4 percent for Hammonton and 54.7 percent for the state.
For the Student Safety Data System Report Period 2 January 2 to June 30, 2024, the ECEC had one incident of violence and one Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) alleged incident. The Warren E. Sooy Jr. Elementary School had two incidents of violence, 10 HIB alleged incidents and 21 other incidents leading to removal. The Hammonton Middle School had five incidents of violence, three incidents of vandalism, four incidents of substances, one incident of weapons, 15 HIB confirmed incidents, 10 HIB alleged incidents and 89 other incidents leading to removal. The Hammonton High School had 10 incidents of violence, two incidents of vandalism, six incidents of substances, five HIB confirmed incidents, 15 HIB alleged incidents and 345 other incidents leading to removal.
After the presentation, Superintendent of Schools Thomas Ramsay gave the superintendent report.
He said school will officially begin on August 29 and the parent portal will open on August 16 where student schedules can be viewed.
High school orientation will be on August 20 at 9 a.m., Hammonton Middle School sixth grade orientation will be on August 21 at 9 a.m. and seventh grade orientation will be August 21 at noon. Warren E. Sooy Jr. Elementary School second grade orientation will be on August 22 at 10 a.m. and ECEC Pre-K orientation will be on August 28 at 3 p.m. and ECEC kindergarten orientation on August 28 at 4 p.m.
Back to School nights will be Hammonton Middle School on September 18, Hammonton High School is September 19, ECEC is September 25 and the Warren E. Sooy Jr. Elementary School is September 26.
“As your new Superintendent of Schools, I will be at each and every orientation. I will be at each and every back to school night, and I cannot wait to meet our students on the 29 of August and I cannot wait to talk to our parents at back to school night,” Ramsay said.
When it was time to vote for matters concerning finance, the board most notably voted to:
• Ratify the purchase order lists for July 2024 in the amount of $47,674,944.01.
• Approve the bill list for August 2024 in the amount of $1,093,032.35.
• Ratify the check lists for June, July and August 2024 in the amount of $3,052,225.87.
• Ratify the July 2024 payroll in the amount of $1,129,097.17.
• Ratify the June and July 2024 Food Service expense list, bank reconciliation, accounts
receivable as prepared by the Food Service Director.
• Approve the Monmouth-Ocean Educational Services Commission 2024-2025 fee schedule.
• Approve Fabbri Builders, Inc., Change Order No. #PCO 17 to furnish and install network cabling.
• Approve Fabbri Builders, Inc. Change Order No. #PCO 19 to provide breaker in new panel.
• Approve Capital Reserve Withdrawal for installation of fencing at ECEC and Warren E. Sooy Jr. Elementary School: Capital Reserve Withdrawal 10-601 $43,675; Construction Services 12-000-400-450 $43,675.
• Approve Master Wire Mfg, Inc. to furnish and install fencing at the Early Childhood Education Center in the amount of $24,000 based on lowest quote.
• Approve A & R Fence and Guardrail LLC to furnish and install fencing at the Warren E. Sooy Jr. Elementary School in the amount of $19,675 based on lowest quote.
• Approve travel expenditure resolution.
• Approve a contract with JD Sound Video for sound system upgrade at the Middle School in the amount of $17,487 based on lowest quote.
• Approve a contract with Remington & Vernick Engineers for professional engineering services for not to exceed fee of $15,000.
• Approve a revised contract with Effective School Solutions for Comprehensive In-School Therapeutic Program Services in the amount of $377,523 for an all-inclusive cost to provide two in school full-time and one in-school part-time mental health clinicians at the Hammonton Middle School and Hammonton High School. Revision is to increase the part-time clinician from 0.6 to 0.75 FTE. Services to be funded through the BSCA grant.
• Approve the usage of the St. Augustine Prep pool for the swim team at a cost not to exceed $55,000.
• Approve the Technology Aid Agreement with St. Joseph Academy. The items being purchased will be through Non-Public Technology State Aid Funding.
• Approve the Security Aid Agreement with St. Joseph Academy. The items being purchased will be through Non-Public Security State Aid Funding.
• Ratify the June 2024 Latchkey Program bank reconciliation.
Next the board voted on matters concerning personnel. Most notably they resolved to:
• Approve a letter of resignation from Sarah Wood, district bus driver, effective August 23, 2024.
• Approve a letter of resignation from Dominique Jones, district part-time bus aide, effective July 29, 2024.
• Approve the (replacement C.R.) Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator (CIC0 for the 2024-2025 school year.
• Approve personnel for the elementary school Curriculum and Instruction Coordinators for the 2024-2025 school year.
• Approve the personnel for the elementary school extracurricular stipends for the 2024-2025 school year.
• Approve the ECEC personnel to receive $100 payment for moving classrooms.
• Approve a letter of resignation from Alexander Moffa, effective August 1, 2024.
• Approve the board resolution and contract for Lori Scibilia, Assistant Superintendent, for the
2024-2025 school year.
• Approve the revised/additional personnel for the Extended School Year (ESY) for the summer 2024 school year.
• Approve the salaries to be charged to the ESEA FY 25 grant.
• Approve the salary adjustment for the following personnel effective for the 2024-2025 school year: Peter Amendolia – from MA - $65,152($64,777+$375 in field) to MA+15 - $66,190 ($65,815+$375 in field).
• Approve the following transfer of the following teachers for the 2024-2025 school year:
Ashley Filipone from elementary school to middle school, Joseph Ayers from middle school to ECEC and Myriam Ferrara from ECEC to middle school.
• Approve the transfer of the following part-time aides for the 2024-2025 school year: Dulce Villagomez-Juarez from the high school to the elementary school and Melissa Martinez Gutierrez from the middle school to the high school.
• Approve the transfer of the following personnel for the 2024-2025 school year: Karen Booth from the Central Office to the Middle School Child Study Office.
• Approve middle school personnel to receive $100 payment for moving classrooms.
• Approve additional hours for the high school part-time athletic trainer.
• Approve three hours of training time for the high school part-time hall monitors and cafeteria aides.
• Approve personnel for the high school girls’ basketball assistant coach for the 2024-2025 school year.
• Approve the following personnel pending receipt of all necessary paperwork (current substitute pay schedule approved by the Board January 20, 2022: Regular County Substitute Certificate - $125 per day, Regular Standard State Teaching Certificate - $150 per day;
substitute nurse pay schedule approved by the Board October 14, 2021: School Nurse - $225 per day):
- Samantha Weikler – elementary school elementary education teacher
- Anthony DeRosa – high school part-time personal care aide
- Richard Kibler – middle school part-time personal care aide
- Elsie Canizales – middle school part-time bilingual aide
- Jamie Rizzotte – early childhood center part-time instructional aide
- Gina Thompson – early childhood center part-time instructional aide
- LaShelle Curcio – early childhood center part-time instructional aide
- Linda Fiorentino – high school part-time hall monitor
- Ilian Serrano – district full-time custodian
Substitute teacher who has a teaching certificate:
- Patrick Murphy
Substitute teachers who have a New Jersey substitute certificate:
- Pamela Costa
- Khristina Washington
Substitute teacher who is applying for a New Jersey substitute certificate:
- Brock Mauriello
Substitute school nurse who is applying for a New Jersey substitute certificate:
- Maria Drzaszcz
Substitute food service workers - $18/hour:
- Tina Fenwick
- Beth Totten
Substitute hall monitor and cafeteria aide - $18/hour:
- Carmella Santora
Before voting on programs, students and miscellaneous matters, Board Solicitor William Donio thanked the board for waiving the application and insurance requirements to hold the Samuel A. Donio Foundation for Education Award Ceremony.
“It’s hard for me to believe that this was our 25th year holding that. We gave out 16 scholarships. A total of $55,000,” Donio said.
For programs, students and miscellaneous matters, the board most notably resolved to:
• Ratify the FY25 ESEA award in the allocated amounts attached and to ratify the submission of the FY ESEA gran application.
• Approve the submission of the 2024-2025 Comprehensive Equity Plan Statement of Assurance.
• Approve the student handbooks for the high school, middle school, elementary school and the ECEC for the 2024-2025 school year.
• Ratify the submission of the LEA Checklist for the Virtual or Remote Instruction Programs and the Chapter 27 Emergency Virtual ore Remote Instruction Programs for the 2023-2024 School Year. The Atlantic County Office of Education has found it compliant with the required checklist elements.
• Approve the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Membership Resolution for the 2024-2025 school year.
• Affirm the Superintendent’s Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) recommendation as discussed at the prior month’s meeting.
• Approve the following bylaw and policy to be abolished: P 0164.6 ByLaw – Remote Public Board Meetings During a Declared Emergency and P 7231 Gifts from Vendors.
• Ratify Use of Facilities Requests, which were approved subject to receipt of all necessary documentation and reviewed by the Risk Management Consultant, who has approved all Certificates of Insurance unless noted otherwise: Samuel A. Donio Award Ceremony, Danny Reynolds, July 17, 2024 at Hammonton High School Media Center.
All items were approved.
The next board of education meeting will be on September 12 at 7 p.m. at the Samuel A. Donio Memorial Library.
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