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Board approves annual appointments; members debate continuing with long-standing solicitor firm
Summary
The Collingswood Public School District board approved a slate of annual appointments and professional-service designations, including bid limits and check signers. The vote included debate over retaining a long-term solicitor and concerns about conflicts from shared-service relationships with neighboring districts.
The Collingswood Public School District Board of Education approved its annual appointments and related governance items for 2025, covering items 7.01 through 7.29. The slate included names for district positions and operational authorities: the board set a bid limit of $44,000 for the qualified purchasing agent; named First Colonial Community Bank as the district’s official bank; designated official newspapers; and approved appointments such as John Longo as asbestos management officer and Elizabeth Whitehouse as Americans with Disabilities Act officer.
The board packet listed professional services including architect, auditor, attorney and physician; the presenter said the district solicited requests for proposals and received written responses and fee statements from firms that replied. Asked whether the district had sent the solicitor request specifically to multiple firms, the presenter said she had posted the RFP on the district website, advertised it in the paper and circulated it through county association listservs.
Much of the discussion focused on whether to reappoint the district’s long-running solicitor firm. One board member said it was "not prudent" to employ the same firm that serves a neighboring district, citing potential conflicts of interest from shared-service relationships and saying that other firms may be reluctant to bid because of established relationships. Another board member argued the firm has a nearly 20-year history serving the district and, when conflicts arose previously, the firm brought in outside counsel to avoid leaving the district unrepresented.
The board discussed past instances when an outside firm was appointed because the primary firm had a conflict, and members noted that, as a small district, Collingswood faces a limited market of law firms willing to take smaller public-school accounts. A board member also said turnover among current lawyers at the firm meant a newly assigned attorney might need time to become familiar with the district’s matters.
After discussion, the board conducted a roll-call vote on items 7.01–7.29. The motion passed. During roll call one board member said they voted "yes, except the solicitor where I vote no," but the slate carried overall.
The approved annual items included appointment of custodians of records, delegation of authority to wire funds for payroll, authorization to make payments between board meetings for ratification, and approvals tied to special education programs and student records in accordance with the New Jersey Administrative Code. The board’s business administrator said RFP responses and evaluation materials were attached to the agenda.
