The
Neshaminy Board of School Directors met in public session on April 23,
2002 in the Auditorium of the Ferderbar Elementary School.
The following persons were in attendance:
BOARD MEMBERS:
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ADMINISTRATORS:
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Dr.
Gary Bowman
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Mr.
Steven Schoenstadt, President
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Dr.
Raymond Boccuti
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Mrs.
Yvonne Butville
Mr. Harry Dengler, Jr. |
Mr.
Harry Jones
Mr. Richard Marotto |
Ms.
Carol Drioli
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Mr.
Joseph Paradise
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Mr.
Richard Eccles
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Mr.
P. Howard Wilson
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Mrs.
Kimberly Jowett
George Mecleary, Jr., Esq.
Dr. William Spitz |
Mr.
Bruce Wyatt
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BOARD MEMBER NOT PRESENT:
Mrs. June Bostwick
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SOLICITOR:
Kristina S. Wiercinski, Esq
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SECRETARY: Mrs.
Anita Walls
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STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES:
Miss Beth Foster
Miss Sabrina Ziemer
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OTHERS:
Approximately 30 persons from the
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public,
staff and press
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Prior to
the Public Meeting, an Executive Session was held.
Prior to
the meeting, the students from the District Elementary Music Festival
under the direction of Ms. Amy O�Neill performed three (3) patriotic
selections.
Dr. Bowman
pointed out that the students of Ferderbar Elementary School would like to
invite the audience to a preview of their annual art show, which opens to
the public on Wednesday evening, April 24, 2002.
The projects that are on display are from each student in
kindergarten through fifth grade. The
varied results were accomplished during weekly art classes under the
direction of Mrs. Louanne Lemke, Art Teacher.
Dr. Bowman further advised that the students are especially proud
of the clay projects that were made with the use of the new kiln.
Call to Order �
Dr. Bowman called the meeting to order at 8:20 p.m.
Pledge of Allegiance-
Dr. Bowman requested those in attendance join in the salute to the
flag.
Announcements
Mr. Schoenstadt advised that the
Board had a special motion to be presented:
Motion:
Designation of Superintendent Emeritus
Mrs. Drioli presented the following
motion:
WHEREAS, Dr. Gary L. Bowman has faithfully served the Neshaminy
School District
since l975, including serving for the past
ten years as its District Superintendent; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Bowman has served well the children of the Neshaminy
School District; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Bowman has been honored by election into organizations
in the educational
field, among them:
American Association of School Administrators, Association for
supervision and Curriculum Development,
Elementary and Secondary Association for School
Principals, National and State Middle School Association,
Pennsylvania Association of School
Administrators, New Jersey Association of School Administrators,
Pennsylvania School Business
Officials, Phil Delta Kappa, American Management Association; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Bowman has distinguished himself and the Neshaminy
School District with the receipt of many
educational awards; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Bowman has served the community through his work in
Rotary, the Chamber of
Commerce, School Works!, United Way of Bucks
County, Operation Helping Hand, Boy Scouts of
American, Bucks County Council on Alcoholism and
Drug Dependence, Inc., and the Feasterville
Business Association.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Neshaminy Board of School
Directors on this 23rd day
of April, 2002 do hereby express its sincere
appreciation and thanks for the leadership and dedication he
has provided to the students, staff, and the many
publics that make up the Neshaminy School District.
Be it further resolved that he be
designated Superintendent Emeritus following his retirement from the
Neshaminy School District.
Mr. Dengler seconded the motion.
The Board approved the motion with eight ayes.
Dr. Bowman
expressed his sincere appreciation for this distinguished honor and
advised that he was aware of most things occurring in the district;
however, this was a complete surprise.
Dr. Bowman advised that he was deeply touched by this great
designation of Superintendent Emeritus, and also the scholarship fund that
has been established. Dr.
Bowman thanked the Board members for this wonderful recognition.
Ms. Nancy
Doster announced that on Tuesday, May 14th at 7:30 p.m.,
through the Fulbright exchange program, a pianist from Hungary would be
presenting a program for the public. Everyone was cordially invited to
attend a wonderful evening of fine music.
Student Representative Report
– Miss Foster and Miss Ziemer, student
representatives, reported the following:
·
To celebrate World Languages Month –
a pop star from Argentina, Justo Lamas, attended Neshaminy High School.
Of the 750 in attendance 220 were Spanish III and IV students from
Neshaminy. Six other school
districts were in attendance.
·
Advanced Placement testing begins in
early May. Cost of the exam
is $78. If a student gets a 3
or higher, it could save the students up to $3,000 due to the cost of a
college course.
·
Cartoonist, Rob Armstrong, visited
Neshaminy for an inspiring talk on March l9.
Mr. Armstrong used unique devices, such as cartoons, to motivate
Neshaminy students.
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The Rotary Students of the Month are
Terry Robinson, Lindsay Jenkins and Matt Sandheim.
·
Carrie Duke was chosen to be the
“2002 Champion of Caring.”
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FBLA winners who took part at the
State Conference, April 8-10 are:
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Ken Birk – 9th in
Economics
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Kyle Elfstrom – 4th in
Business Law
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Cecelia Olmo – 2nd in
Computer Applications – going to Nationals in Tennessee
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Nick Orrison – 7th in
Computer Applications
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Neil Harner & Eric Goldner – 3rd
in Website design
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Greater Philadelphia is hosting its
first annual Car and Motorcycle Show that will be held at Neshaminy High
School on May 11th, rain date May 18th from 9:00
a.m. to 3:00 p.m. All
proceeds go to the March of Dimes and Eagles Fly for Leukemia.
·
Environmental Club had a clean up
activity sponsored by the Silver Lake Nature Center and Wheelabrator, Inc. which was held on April 20th from 9:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m. at Styers Orchards. This
was a contest between schools in Bucks County.
Neshaminy also sponsored a variety of activities in honor of Earth
Week.
·
On April 19th the Sophomore
Dinner Dance was held in Gym 3. This
year’s theme was “Midnight Paradise”.
It was a very successful dance and the gym looked beautiful.
·
Wednesday, May 1st will be
the Jazz Bands first performance of many to be held this month.
It will be held at Attleboro in Langhorne.
·
Reviewed the status of the sports
teams. Congratulations to all
athletic members who made the Courier Times Winter Golden teams.
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Baseball is 4-l
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Tennis is 4-2
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Softball is 7-l
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Track team is 13-0, still leading the
undefeated season from last year. Today,
they defeated Council Rock
Public Comment – There
was a two-minute time limit per speaker.
Mr. Phil Schieber, Langhorne, advised the Board that previously he
had made comment that the District Business Manager was performing the
duties of the Treasurer. Recently,
it has come to his attention, that the board may be considering an
additional Fifty-Thousand ($50,000.00) Dollar position for a public
relations specialist for the school district.
Mr. Schieber questioned why this would be necessary, and if the
district was not happy with the services of Dr. Costanzo.
Mr. Schieber urged the Board to look very hard at the up-coming
budget.
Mrs.
D’Andrea, Langhorne, President of the Home and School Association
advised that much time has been spent improving the facilities and the
image of the school. Mrs. D’Andrea voiced concern over a recent Courier Times
article regarding two (2) drug dealers that raised much confusion among
parents. The article failed
to be clear in stating that the incidents occurred nearly five (5) years
ago. Mrs. D’Andrea has
received many calls from concerned parents regarding this article, and a
clarification should occur.
Mr. Mark
Geist, Oakford, employee of Neshaminy School District, works at Maple
Point Middle School, spoke regarding the public being involved in the
budget process. Mr. Geist
suggested that the budget be brought to vote by the public at a primary
election. Further, it could be publicized in the newspaper and on the
radio that the budget would be voted upon.
Mrs. Rita
Geddes, Lower Southampton, wished to advise the Board of some positive
comments. Her child’s
private flute instructor praised the quality of instruction that her child
had received through the Neshaminy music program.
The support from the staff in the music curriculum is amazing.
Mrs. Geddes further advised that the staff at Ferderbar Elementary
should be commended in teaching the entire student body regarding
compassion. A student with
cancer was so very well accepted by the entire student body due to the
fact that the staff had taken the time, at every grade level, to prepare
the student body for just this type of situation.
Superintendent’s Report
– Dr. Bowman advised that the Courier Times
article was regarding an investigation that took place several years ago,
and the school district did not have anything to do with the writing of
the article. The good
news was that two (2) persons were arrested.
The Neshaminy School District has always taken a proactive approach
to the prevention of drugs. Presently,
the district is using drug-sniffing dogs to help combat this problem.
Dr. Bowman
advised that this evening he was pleased to be able to speak to nearly 700
people at the Neshaminy High School auditorium for the National Honor
Society induction ceremony. There
were l64 students that met the high standards required to be inducted into
the National Honor Society. Three
(3) Neshaminy students are National Merit Finalists, scoring a perfect
l600 on the SATs.
Dr. Bowman
announced that on May 7th at 6:30 p.m. at the Maple Point
Middle School the district would be presenting service awards to staff
members in recognition of special achievements and accomplishments.
Dr. Bowman
announced that Maple Point Middle School was one of two schools to receive
the “2002 Violence Free Youth Challenge” recognition.
The school will receive Five Thousand ($5,000.00) Dollars from the
Department of Health.
Mrs.
Butville commented that this up-coming budget would certainly be a
difficult budget, however, the board was not looking for a public
relations person and would not put Fifty Thousand ($50,000.00) Dollars
towards a public relations position.
Mrs. Drioli
commented that she would attend the next Home and School meeting in order
to discuss the issue regarding the Courier Times article involving the
drugs.
Approval of Minutes –
Upon motion of Mrs. Butville, seconded by Mr. Eccles, the Board approved
the minutes of the March 26, 2002 and April 10, 2002 Public Meetings with
eight ayes.
Approval of
Treasurer’s Report, Bills for Payment, Investments, Budget Transfers and
Exonerations of Personal and Per Capita Tax – Mr. Paradise
presented the following for approval:
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March 31, 2002 Treasurer’s Report, subject to audit
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Bills for payment for March, 2002
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Three Investment Funds and Two Escrow
Funds
·
Budget Transfer Report No. 02-6
(working copy), which includes three transactions
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Personal and per capita tax
exonerations for March 2002 totaling 98 exonerations
Mr. Eccles
moved the March 3l, 2002 Treasurer’s Report be approved, subject to
audit, the March 2002 bills for payment, Budget Transfer Report No. 02-6
and March, 2002 personal and per capita tax exonerations be approved.
Mrs. Drioli seconded the motion.
The Board
approved the Treasurer’s Report, subject to audit, bills for payment,
budget transfers and exonerations of personal and per capita tax with
eight ayes.
Bids –
Mr. Paradise presented the following bids for approval:
Bid No. 02-20 – Boiler Replacement
at Lower Southampton Elementary School
Bid Amount:
$288,998.00
The bid is
for the replacement of the original boiler at Lower Southampton Elementary
School. The Neshaminy School
District budget charge is $l63,998.00.
The amount of $l25,000.00 is from the Lower Bucks County School
Authority.
Bid No. 02-22 - Emergency Generator for Neshaminy High
School Bus Garage
Bid Amount:
$22,578.00
The bid is
for one 50 Kw Emergency Power Generator for the Neshaminy High School Bus
Garage.
Bid No. 02-23 – Refinishing Wood
Floors
Bid
Amount: $17,031.00
The bid is
for work to be done on gym floors at Neshaminy High (2), Neshaminy Middle,
Poquessing Middle, Sandburg, Middle, Maple Point Middle, Everitt, and
Ferderbar Elementary Schools. Also,
stage floors at Maple Point Middle, Heckman, Hoover, Lower Southampton,
and Walter Miller Elementary Schools.
Bid No. 03-10 – Medical Supplies
Bid Amount:
$11,303.10
The bid is
for various supplies for school nurses and co-curricular athletics.
Bid No. 03-11 – School Agendas
Bid Amount:
$27,246.15
The bid is
for agendas, teacher planners, lesson plans, and record charts for all
secondary schools.
Ms. Drioli
moved the five bids be approved and Mrs. Butville seconded the motion.
Mrs.
Butville questioned why Neshaminy High School appeared twice on the budget
charge for medical supplies, Bid No. 03-10 and three Middle schools were
listed. Mr. Paradise responded that all the middle schools and all
the elementary schools would be receiving supplies if they made a request
for items.
Dr. Spitz
commented regarding Bid No. 03-11 – School Agendas and inquired as to
why the Maple Point Middle School was so much higher then the other middle
schools. Dr. Bowman advised that the agendas are developed according
to each school. Basic
information is the same for every school; however, each school may create
some parts of the agenda to be unique to their particular school.
The Board
approved the five bids with eight ayes.
Certified and Support Personnel Actions
– Dr. Bowman presented the following for
approval:
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Elections – Certified Staff
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Resignations and Leaves of Absence –
Certified Staff
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Elections and Changes of
Classification – Support Staff
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Resignations and Leaves of Absence –
Support Staff
The
personnel information appears on pages H-1 through H-7 and Addendum of
Elections of Support Personnel. Dr.
Bowman recommended the approval of the personnel report for certified and
support personnel as presented.
Mr.
Mecleary moved the personnel actions listed on pages H-1 through H-7 and
Addendum of Elections of Support Personnel be approved.
Mrs. Butville seconded the motion.
Mr.
Schoenstadt inquired as to whether the number of retirements was at
thirty-six (36). Mr.
Jones confirmed that number and advised that the number was still
changing.
Dr. Spitz
inquired as to the long-term substitutes and will they be replacing any of
the persons that will be retiring. Mr.
Jones responded that long-term substitutes would be replacing contract
employees who are on sick leave, maternity leave or sabbatical leave.
These contract employees will be returning to the district after
there specific leaves are finished.
The Board approved the personnel actions with seven ayes.
Mrs. Jowett abstained.
Motion: 2002-2003
Proposed School Calendar
Mr. Dengler
presented the following motion:
WHEREAS, each year the Board of School Directors must establish an
official school calendar for
the coming year; and
WHEREAS, the six participating school districts of the Bucks County
Technical School
strive to establish a common school calendar;
and
WHEREAS, the Board of School Directors reviewed the proposed
calendar at the April
10, 2002, Board Public Meeting; and
WHEREAS, the proposed calendar was forwarded for comments to each
of the employee
bargaining groups.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Neshaminy Board of School
Directors
adopt the attached school calendar for the
2002-2003 school year.
Mr.
Eccles seconded the motion. The
Board approved the motion with eight ayes.
Motion: Participation
in PA Joint Purchasing Council
Mr.
Eccles presented the following motion:
WHEREAS,
the District participates in cooperative purchasing agreements with
entities under the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1996; and
WHEREAS,
these agreements have financially assisted the District by increasing its
purchasing power through joint purchasing with other municipalities and
other governmental units; and
WHEREAS,
PA Joint Purchasing Council has been authorized to bid roofing and certain
other building maintenance materials on behalf of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Business Administrator be authorized
to participate in purchase contracts with the PA Joint Purchasing Council
when it is financially advantageous to the District to order and purchase
such materials, supplies and equipment when needed by the District.
Mr. Dengler
seconded the motion. The
Board approved the motion with eight ayes.
Dr. Bowman
introduced Mr. William Gretzula who will be the new principal at Lower
Southampton Elementary School and Ms. Dawn Kelly who will be the acting
principal at Everitt Elementary School.
Dr. Bowman wished both individuals well in their new positions.
Federal Programs –
Dr. Bowman noted the federal programs/grant information was included in
the board meeting booklet. Entitlements
total $852,733 and other grants total $840,294.50 for a total of
$l,693,027.50. Dr. Bowman pointed out the amount of $10,000.00 for
Summer P.A.S.S. I & II Programs, Job Coach and transportation and
career exploratory experiences. Dr.
Bowman thanked Dr. Costanzo for taking care of the grant program.
Dr. Bowman
recognized Lois Gretzinger’s, Supervisor, Special Education,
Intermediate Unit No. 22, attendance at the Board Meeting.
Other Board Business –
Mrs. Butville advised that the revised 2002 School Board Committee
sheet does not include the Ad Hoc Committee.
Dr. Spitz
inquired as to when there would be further discussion regarding the
budget. Dr. Bowman advised
that a bill was put forth in the Senate and the house and was awaiting the
governor’s signature. The
district was in the process of taking into account all the retirements,
and updated information regarding the budget, which would be available at
the work session scheduled for Tuesday, May 7th.
Dr. Bowman is convinced that the budget is going in the right
downward direction. A full
update will be provided at the May meeting with new calculations.
The approval of the preliminary budget will take place at the May
public meeting.
Dr. Spitz
expressed concern that the board would not have sufficient input and would
not be able to present their ideas regarding the budget. Dr. Spitz
suggested not waiting until the May meeting for the board to make
comments. Dr. Bowman
advised that the Board would have adequate time in May and June to provide
input. Dr. Bowman advised
that the agenda would be limited for the next work session in order to
devote adequate time to the budget. The
time frame being used for this budget is the same as the one used for the
past ten (l0) years. Dr.
Bowman encouraged board members who had any questions regarding the budget
or input to the budget to meet with the administration.
The administration and Mr. Paradise are available daily to discuss
the budget. The budget is an
ongoing process and dialogue is encouraged between board members and
administration.
Mrs.
Butville inquired whether the new budget numbers will be available in the
board packages or whether they will only be available the evening of the
meeting. Mr. Paradise advised that the budget is worked on every
single day and continuously is an ongoing project.
Mr. Eccles
commented on an article recently in the Courier Times regarding the earned
income tax. Mr. Eccles
commented that since Middletown Township recently sold the water and sewer
system for $40 million dollars would Neshaminy School District be entitled
to some of those funds in order to balance the budget.
Correspondence –
There was no correspondence.
Public Comment –
No public comment.
Board Comment – No
board comment.
Mr. Eccles
moved the meeting be adjourned and Mrs. Butville seconded the motion. The Board approved the motion with eight ayes.
Mr. Schoenstadt adjourned the meeting at 9:15 p.m.
Respectively submitted,
Anita E.
Walls
Board Secretary |