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Operations committee updates: auditor RFP, pool talks, K–4 feasibility study, food service review and HOPE Squad pilot
Summary
The operations, facilities and finance committee reported on an auditor RFP (four responses, two to be interviewed), unresolved shared‑service talks over the community pool, a K–4 restructuring feasibility study, Maschio’s food‑service reporting, a YMCA fee increase, and a proposed HOPE Squad peer‑support pilot.
At its July committee meeting, the Montgomery Township School District’s Operations, Facilities and Finance committee reviewed several ongoing administrative matters and requested follow‑up information, committee representatives told the board.
Committee chair (reported to the board by committee representative Miss Frelak) said four firms responded to the district’s auditor request for proposals; two firms will be invited for interviews and the business administrator will schedule interviews to finalize selection for the audit period ending June 30, 2025. The committee also discussed increasing oversight of the district’s food service program, including participation in advisory meetings and weekly cafeteria visits.
The committee reported that the shared‑service agreement for the community pool remains unresolved; legal counsel has been consulted and outreach to the township will continue, committee members said. K–4 school restructuring remains a topic of community concern; a feasibility study is underway and architect Will Ross of Brett Sampson Architects is expected to present further findings at the August committee meeting.
New business included approval of a fee increase for the YMCA program for the 2025–26 school year and a discussion with Maschio’s, the district’s food service vendor, about allowances, rebates and reporting. Committee materials reported approximately $129,000 in cost offsets through May; members asked for additional documentation about how those figures are reported and what benefits the district receives.
Mister Corey Delgado introduced the HOPE Squad program, a peer‑based mental health initiative for students in grades 5–12 that trains students to recognize and respond to signs of stress among peers. The committee asked for the curriculum used by HOPE Squad instructors, letters from other superintendents where the program has run, detailed last‑year spending reports, a cost‑benefit analysis of proposed food‑service changes, final language for the pool agreement and the scope and findings of the K–4 feasibility study. Committee members also raised questions about the intensity of HOPE Squad training, workload for participating students, and the sustainability of funding beyond an initial two‑year period.
Committee members said initial local funding for HOPE Squad could come from a named local supporter cited in the committee report (identified in materials as "Jordan Relays") with possible future support from PTA/PTO groups, the Student Activities Fund and municipal grants. The committee scheduled its next meeting for Aug. 19.
No final board‑level votes related to these items were recorded at the board meeting; the board heard the committee report and requested the additional materials described above.
