[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6643168,"mediaKeyId","2532571-b57b921b890a07d8f58f9a794d408565","parentId",2532571,"title","Mount Olive board approves routine actions and policy‑hosting service after public raises concerns about vendor and legal spending","audioSeconds",685,"startMs",5291000,"endMs",5976000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2532571-b57b921b890a07d8f58f9a794d408565&start=5291&end=5976","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2532571-b57b921b890a07d8f58f9a794d408565/thumbnail_5291000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6643168/New-Jersey/Mount-Olive-board-approves-routine-actions-and-policyhosting-service-after-public-raises-concerns-about-vendor-and-legal-spending","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6643168-ee1a00f7725c71868bf9f4defb958bd7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447541&Signature=VHXn~~FU0VTStxdKyuKXWhskiUNf-HaQhLbPjzuedm76gGd1Q93jqmxm-J3LyQo5K7UTwqU-04Hcb42K-iJI-mkf-o203GCxoa419-5hmU0C0-HaRmsWHV3ZmKxSn07ALfMl4dBMFGLZmCr2C7cyAzSw20QunYeDb53FCiPxF7regPc04IGvSn~L~1EBvquBi6uh~e8zIyEc5bunUpO3pgETetOxucoI5VzOHR062sJ8DLuQwYyKUSXzQ~tALSCatHdqvBnXFAZrfbP-YWi5Fvl1AMNybjZVqe~jvLpeCrrZA4tXHp4zLFRL3k1dtpy6eRuwV8oJ-yP7-JFnYBH8uw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Mount Olive Township School District","date","2025-03-11T01:13:23.813Z","article","The Mount Olive Township School District Board of Education approved a slate of routine actions at its March 10 meeting, including minutes, monthly expenditures, personnel items and several committee recommendations, and voted to move its policies and regulations to an externally hosted, searchable service provided by Strauss Esmay.

The vote to approve agenda items labeled 10.1 through 10.13 — which included the policy‑hosting item (10.13) — passed by roll call. During public comment, residents urged the board to table the Strauss Esmay motion and to issue a request for proposals instead. Speakers also raised concerns about the district’s legal spending levels and about the prior general‑counsel relationship.

What was approved
- The board approved the prior meeting minutes, monthly expenditures and reports (items 6.1–6.4), personnel actions (7.1–7.17), curriculum items (8.1–8.3), finance and operations items (9.1–9.17), and items 10.1–10.13 as listed on the March 10 agenda. A roll call occurring after discussion shows unanimous “yes” votes from the board members present for those motions.

Public comment and board response
Resident Martin Wellsmiller (25 Woodgrass Ave., Bud Lake) asked the board to “table the approval of Strauss Esmay as the vendor for our bylaws,” citing past mistakes he attributed to the vendor and recommending the district go out to bid. Wellsmiller said Strauss Esmay “made a massive mistake in the past few years on a policy regarding transgender and parent notifications” and urged greater due diligence and competitive procurement.

Brian Gallagher (135 Crenshaw Drive) echoed the request to review alternatives and to consider other resources such as the New Jersey School Boards Association. Gallagher also asked for clarity about several invoices on the month’s bill list and the roles of the district’s various legal firms.

Superintendent Dr. Bangea clarified the Strauss Esmay item as presented: the motion under consideration was to host the district’s existing policies and regulations on Strauss Esmay’s searchable platform, not to contract Strauss Esmay to write or replace the district’s policies. \"All we're doing is allowing them to take our policies, which we give them, and use their server to list everything out so it's easier for the public to search them in a more, transparent manner,\" Dr. Bangea said. He added that the district already receives policy alerts and that policy review and any substantive changes remain a district responsibility.

Board vote and context
The board approved items 10.1 through 10.13 by roll call; the agenda item list included a storage/hosting agreement for the district’s policies (10.13). The motion to approve the monthly expenditures (items 6.1–6.4), personnel actions (7.1–7.17) and other routine items were moved and seconded as recorded in the meeting minutes and passed by roll call with board members voting“Yes.”

Why it matters: Procurement and legal spending
Residents’ comments touched on two distinct issues: (1) whether the district should competitively solicit hosting or policy‑service vendors rather than using a long‑standing provider, and (2) concerns about legal fees and the district’s change in outside counsel over the previous year. The administration said the policy‑hosting contract is a one‑time fee to migrate documents to a searchable platform and clarified that the district separately retains policy alerts and performs local review. Several members of the public called for greater transparency about legal spending and for the board to consider requests for proposals on both legal and policy services.

Votes at a glance
- Approval of prior meeting minutes — Motion by Mr. Orzillo; second not specified; outcome: approved (roll call recorded as all present voting yes).
- Approval of monthly expenditures and reports (6.1–6.4) — Motion moved/seconded; outcome: approved (roll call recorded as all present voting yes).
- Approval of personnel actions (7.1–7.17) — Motion moved/seconded; outcome: approved (roll call recorded as all present voting yes).
- Approval of curriculum items (8.1–8.3) — Motion moved/seconded; outcome: approved (roll call recorded as all present voting yes).
- Approval of finance and operations items (9.1–9.17) — Motion moved/seconded; outcome: approved (roll call recorded as all present voting yes).
- Approval of items 10.1–10.13 (including policy hosting 10.13) — Motion moved/seconded; outcome: approved (roll call recorded as all present voting yes).

The board did not take additional action on the public speakers’ requests to issue an immediate RFP for policy or legal services during the March 10 meeting. Members of the public who spoke said they will follow up and requested the board review competitive procurement options.

The board’s official agenda packet and the recorded minutes will show the formal motions and roll‑call tallies; this report is based on the board’s public session and on the comments captured in the March 10 transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","MOTSD Board of Education Meeting 3/10/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Mount Olive Township School District Board of Education approved routine agenda items and a policy‑hosting arrangement with Strauss Esmay on March 10 after public commenters urged the board to seek competitive bids and questioned recent legal spending.","taxTitle","Mount Olive Township School District, School Districts, New Jersey","taxId",55585,"location","New Jersey","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6643173,"Mount Olive school leaders outline preliminary 2025–26 budget with targeted staffing, $4M in capital projects",2133,1372000,3505000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2532571-b57b921b890a07d8f58f9a794d408565&start=1372&end=3505","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2532571-b57b921b890a07d8f58f9a794d408565/thumbnail_1372000.jpg","/articles/6643173/New-Jersey/Mount-Olive-school-leaders-outline-preliminary-202526-budget-with-targeted-staffing-4M-in-capital-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6643173-d9bc9ab56a19a1bcdcf7886942a4be51/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447541&Signature=GcLVy4cpe7hMxk4ykqKIk6oRiCoJcOifIlFNqm~YcSdy22XWeZiZsh4p5sXXiyLJ2BL-tDUIsPvhYhM9CVknMuc9R3BzlpBmX1O-6IGnSGVH75azxLaV8GWvKrms0olxSXIiu5manMXIp7Bl8iOAaurvJ9NDy61mgyt7xEYhVPIIBbqZ2c73B~p9-Mz~OBXXV96AORvoXlaf3R5MCGDVKOWi1XCUO2gQKCLmOnJnG-RgTLuuM9p8GuPUgi6Qo7-YMIAZXgkjR014heNomGELn5A1X7jOtdwsQq00JET5M-lAkC32Q6fbsplacHbwI~iUooRcAyPX2RQgoLJaHHJONQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mount Olive Township School District Superintendent Dr. Bangea and Business Administrator Nicole Schoning presented the board with a preliminary 2025–26 budget that builds staff capacity, advances several capital projects and accounts for a roughly $340,000 reduction in state aid compared with the prior year’s one-time increase.

The presentation, given at the March 10 board meeting, outlined personnel additions the administration says are intended to expand academic and special-education services. Those additions include an elementary gifted-and-talented teacher, another elementary multilingual teacher, a new sixth‑grade team to smooth the transition between elementary and middle school, an additional high‑school English teacher, an in‑class resource teacher at the high school, an additional clinical social worker/interventionist, and added special‑education staff including an autism spectrum disorder classroom at SandShore with accompanying ABA staff and paraprofessionals, an ABA specialist, elementary occupational therapists, a shared physical therapist for the middle and high schools, and another child study team member.

Nicole Schoning, the district’s business administrator, told the board the administration aims to bring some related services in‑house — for example, hiring therapists as district employees rather than contracting the services — which the presentation said should be a net cost benefit over time. The technology plan included replacement of end‑of‑life student devices (Chromebooks, laptops, desktops), continued purchases of interactive classroom boards, and an additional technician position to support staff and devices.

The capital reserve portion of the proposed budget totals “a little over $4,000,000,” the presentation said. Highlighted projects included boiler and roof replacements, continued completion of a multi‑phase middle‑school door‑lock project and a new public‑address system at the middle school, several parking‑lot expansions and playground additions, and a high‑school track and turf replacement priced “close to a million dollars.” The administration said the proposed turf has an extended warranty and avoids rubber infill pellets. The plan also includes a modular office building for the transportation depot to provide meeting and break space for drivers.

Schoning reviewed the district’s reserve activity: an opening capital‑reserve balance of about $7.2 million, a $1.2 million withdrawal to support the current year, anticipated interest earnings and a planned $2.0 million deposit before the end of the school year. The net effect, the presentation said, would leave the capital reserve approaching $9.0 million before the administration draws about $4.0 million to fund the proposed 2025–26 capital projects.

The presentation estimated overall general‑fund revenues up about 4.5 percent. The district’s prior‑year one‑time state aid increase was roughly $5.1 million; the administration said the Department of Education indicated the district should expect a lower amount this year, and the administration modeled a worst‑case 3 percent reduction before the department issued its final figures. Schoning said the district ultimately budgeted anticipating a modest decline of about $340,000 from the prior year’s unusually high state aid.

On property taxes, Schoning explained how the tax levy is calculated and reported a proposed general‑fund tax levy increase of 3.88 percent. Because the district’s ratables (property valuation) rose about 5 percent, the presentation showed average tax bills declining slightly: using the district’s example of an average assessed home at $325,000, the presentation estimated an annual net tax change of about a $160 reduction when debt service and valuation increases are combined.

The administration said the district plans to continue curricular investments, including K–5 ELA review, renewal of elementary and middle‑school math resources with a focus on Conquer Math through geometry, expanded professional development and targeted supports for multilingual learners.

Board members asked clarifying questions about state aid components (equalization aid, transportation aid, special‑education aid and security aid) and about the assumptions the administration used when budgeting federal and special‑revenue carryovers. Schoning said certain federal grant carryovers from 2023–24 reduced the revised budget for 2024–25 and therefore were not carried forward into the proposed 2025–26 revenue lines at the same levels.

The board announced that the final public budget hearing is scheduled for April 28, 2025; no final budget vote was recorded at the March 10 meeting. The administration said the full budget materials and the presentation would be posted on the district website for public review.

Why it matters: The proposed budget commits new staff and resources to multilingual and special‑education services and plans capital spending on safety‑related projects (door locks, PA system) and high‑use athletic facilities. The administration emphasised using reserves and one‑time federal or state receipts carefully, noting last year’s $5.1 million state aid increase was not expected to recur in full.","Superintendent Dr. Bangea and Business Administrator Nicole Schoning presented a preliminary 2025–26 budget that trims state aid compared with last year’s windfall, adds personnel for special education and multilingual services, and proposes about $4 million in capital work including a track/turf replacement and modular transportation office.","actionData","errors"]

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Mount Olive board approves routine actions and policy‑hosting service after public raises concerns about vendor and legal spending

Mount Olive school leaders outline preliminary 2025–26 budget with targeted staffing, $4M in capital projects