BOE Officially Introduces Referendum, Modifies Engineering Services Resolution

The Fort Lee Board of Education’s regular business meeting Monday began with a moment of silence for Matthew Ramon Calderon, the Fort Lee High School student who died Saturday from complications related to juvenile diabetes, and Acting Superintendent of Schools Steven Engravalle provided a detailed rundown of what went on at Monday in the wake of the student's death in terms of providing services for grieving students and staff.

At the regular business meeting Monday evening, the BOE made its $30.2 million referendum to renovate and upgrade the school system official, approving a resolution to put a “special ballot question” before Fort Lee Voters at a special school district election on Jan. 24.

As school officials have previously laid out in detail, the proposal includes heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) upgrades, roof and window replacement at ; window replacement and masonry improvements at ; HVAC upgrades, masonry improvements and roof replacement at ; interior alterations, renovations and reconfiguration at , along with HVAC upgrades, roof replacement and additional and renovated educational space, science rooms and the media center; and interior alterations, HVAC upgrades, window replacement, masonry improvements and science room alterations at .

If Fort Lee voters approve the proposal on Jan. 24, school officials expect to receive about $9.8 million from the state in grant funding—32 percent of the overall cost of the proposed project—thereby “reducing the amount of borrowing/local share for the project to $20,430,466,” according to the resolution—or the remaining 68 percent.

Recently, the school district announced a series of walking tours of the schools, which they hope will sway undecided voters, and three public forums beginning Dec. 12 at the .

The school board also voted in favor of modifying a resolution (2B&G) approving project and site engineering services by Boswell McClave at a rate of $158 an hour by putting a $5,000 cap on those services and limiting them to the referendum. Board member John Bang originally made a motion to table the resolution over concerns that it did not conform to the school board's by-laws as written. Bang's motion was voted down, but board member Charlie Luppino's motion to add the stipulations passed, and the board ultimately passed the modified version of the resolution.

Below is a rundown of all of the resolutions passed by the BOE Monday:

Editor's Note: Patch will take a closer look at how Engravalle described Monday at the high school, as the school community mourned the loss of one of its own, as well as other issues raised at Monday's meeting, in a subsequent article or articles.

Building And Grounds

• 1B&G - Resolution of The Board Of Education of The Borough of Fort Lee in The County Of Bergen, New Jersey Providing for the Submission of a Special Ballot Question to The Fort Lee Borough Voters at a Special School District Election to be Held Tuesday, January 24, 2012
• 2B&G - Boswell Mcclave Project And Site Engineering Services At A Rate Of $158 Per Hour (with $5,000 cap and limited to the referendum)

Curriculum And Instruction

• 1CUR - Approval of Class Trips Totaling $800
• 2CUR – Approval of Financial Literacy Curriculum

Finance

• 1F - Approval of Current Bills List Totaling $335,976.34
• 2F - Approval of Line Item Transfers For October 2011
• 3F - Acceptance of The 2010-2011 Audit
• 4F - Acceptance of Corrective Action Plan
• 5F  - Englewood Public Schools BOE Joint Transportation
• 6F - Printing Agreement For Middle School Yearbook at No Cost to the District
• 7F - Acceptance of Additional Education Jobs Fund Act Monies Totaling $3,335
• 8F - Acceptance of Donation Totaling $323.44
• 9F (walk-in) - Referendum Communication Services (Fort Lee Patch, not to exceed $2,600 and Social Media Monsters, not to exceed $5,400)
• 10F (walk-in) - Public Relations Maximum Budget of $25,000

Health, Welfare And Safety

• 1HWS – Approval of Payment of Home Instruction

Personnel

• 1P - Approval of Staff Trips and Conferences Totaling $1,217.42
• 2P - Rescinding/Correcting Co-Curricular Appointments For 2011-2012 School Year
• 3P - Approval of Vacation Payment Totaling $3,602.63
• 4P - Transfer Doris Hobeika as 1:1 Aide From School No. 1 To Out-of-District in Leonia
• 5P - Appointment of Mary Anne Cordaro As 1:1 Aide At School No. 1
• 6P - Appointment of Genna Kornweiser A Part-Time Classroom Aide At School No. 1
• 7P - Tuition Reimbursement as per FLEA Agreement
• 8P - Horizontal Movement as per FLEA Agreement
• 9P - Appointment of Grant-Funded Tutors At Lewis F. Cole Middle School
• 10P - Appointment of Part-Time Bus Aide For 2011-2012 School Year
• 11P - Appointment of Cheryl Balletto As Affirmative Action Officer
• 12P - Additional Substitutes For The 2011-2012 School Year
• 13P - Home Instructor Hourly Rate Adjustment for Michelle Mcinerney
• 14P - Appointment of Melinda Heuschneider As Human Resource Confidential Administrative Assistant

To download the complete agenda for the Fort Lee Board of Education's regular business meeting Monday, click here, or visit the school district’s website.