West Milford board approves agenda, personnel and finance items; hears Eagle Scout project and student report

The West Milford Township Public School District Board of Education on March 18 approved routine agenda and consent items, recognized retirees and a student unsung-hero award winner, and heard a presentation by a prospective Eagle Scout on upgrades to the high school shot-put pit.

The board voted to adopt the meeting agenda and approve minutes from prior meetings, then acted on personnel and operations-and-finance recommendations before moving into a roughly 30-minute executive session on personnel, negotiations, special-education and attorney–client matters. No final board action was taken after executive session, the board announced.

The meeting opened with a Superintendent’s report from Dr. Kitchen, Superintendent, who reminded trustees that the chief school administrator (CSA) evaluation and the board self-evaluation processes are underway and that a timeline and compiled evaluations will be shared with the board. Dr. Kitchen also noted the district’s acknowledgment of a New Jersey School Boards Association “unsung hero” award winner and invited the student to be recognized at the meeting.

Alexandra Gruber, a senior at West Milford High School, was recognized in the meeting after earlier county-level honors. Student representative Megan Snyder reported on school activities and athletics, including the high school musical Mean Girls, Interact Club fundraising for low-income students’ prom tickets, and multiple sports achievements. Snyder also outlined upcoming events and noted the district’s efforts on inclusion and arts programming.

The board heard a late addition to the agenda: Noah, a prospective Eagle Scout, presented plans to renovate the Highlander shot‑put pit to meet New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) standards. Noah said the project would excavate roughly seven inches, install about four inches of crushed rock and three inches of sand, add two spectator benches and remove an adjacent bush for clearance. He described fundraising plans, including a planned GoFundMe, and said some materials have been offered as donations. The board and staff asked questions about sourcing crushed rock and coordination; the meeting record shows facilities staff will work directly with Noah to align the project with district requirements. Noah said, “So today, I'm presenting my Eagle project at, the turf at the high school,” and board members agreed to coordinate the work with facilities personnel.

The meeting also included recognition of district retirees. Several trustees offered brief tributes to staff members identified in the personnel section as retiring after years of service.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes (Feb. 18 regular and executive-session minutes; March 11 preliminary budget hearing) — approved; the record shows abstentions on the March 11 minutes were recorded. (Motion and second recorded; roll call taken.) - Adoption of the March 18 agenda as presented — approved by voice/roll call. (Motion and second recorded.) - Movement of education agenda items (12.2 and 12.7) to a different position on the education agenda — approved by roll call. - Personnel recommendations (various hires, retirements, and student-affairs hand-carries) — approved by roll call. - Operations & finance items (motions 16.1–16.18, including some contract extensions and payroll items) — approved by roll call; the minutes note recommended abstentions/recusals for specified items related to contracts and vendor relationships (item 17.3 was recused by multiple members and is recorded in the meeting roll call). The board discussed a sidebar labor agreement item related to home instruction and noted recommended abstentions for members with potential conflicts. - Policy items (18.1–18.4) and negotiated items presented for approval — approved by roll call. - Motion to enter executive session for approximately 30 minutes to discuss personnel, litigation, special education, negotiations and privileged attorney–client matters — approved; the board announced no action would be taken after executive session.

Discussion and context Board members and administrators framed most votes as routine consent or procedural approvals; several items produced short procedural questions from trustees (for example, whether certain services had been bid out). Trustee questions about a photography contract prompted an acknowledgement that bidding could be pursued for future years. Assistant Superintendent Novak detailed an upcoming district digital-citizenship and cybersecurity event aimed at middle- and high-school students and families and described Highlander Pathways, the new high-school program being publicized at the event. Novak said the event would include a keynote addressing digital citizenship and artificial intelligence, breakout sessions for students, and a parents-only session.

District staff clarified that the CSA evaluation is in progress and that a timeline for board completion will be distributed. On facilities work, the board noted that Noah will coordinate with facilities staff (Mr. Glenn, facilities) to ensure the Eagle Scout project meets district standards and safety requirements.

Ending The board moved into executive session as scheduled and announced that any executive-session minutes would remain confidential until privilege or confidentiality no longer applied. No further public action was taken after the executive session, and the meeting adjourned.