Board ratifies principals' contract; committee updates on auditor RFP, pool agreement, food service and HOPE Squad

The Montgomery Township School District Board of Education voted to ratify a successor collective negotiations agreement for the Association of Principals and Supervisors and received operational updates from the Operations, Facilities and Finance (OOFET) committee on auditor selection, a shared-service pool agreement and food-service finances.

Board President Kelly read a last-minute personnel resolution (agenda item 4.2) that "ratifies and approves the terms of the CNA" (the collective negotiations agreement) for the 202526 through 202829 school years and authorizes the board president and business administrator to execute the agreement on the board's behalf.

The motion to adopt action agenda items 1.1 through 4.2 was moved and seconded and passed by roll call. Doctor White voted yes. Miss Dallas voted yes. Miss Franklin Herman recorded an abstention on items 1.2, 4.1 and 4.2 as noted during roll call; Miss Harris likewise recorded abstentions on the same items. Mister Todd voted yes. The motion was recorded as carried.

Nut graf: The board took formal action to ratify the principals' contract and heard several committee updates that could affect district operations and future agenda work, including selection of an auditor, continued negotiation on a community pool agreement and programmatic reviews of food service and a proposed peer-support program.

OOFET committee report: Miss Frelak said the committee met July 8 and reviewed current initiatives. Business administrator Andrew Italiano updated the auditor RFP process: four firms responded to the RFP and two firms will be invited for interviews; two respondents were judged to lack adequate experience with public-school audits. Italiano said interviews will be scheduled to finalize an auditor for the year ending June 30, 2025.

The committee also discussed the shared-service agreement for the community pool; Frelak said communication with the township "has resumed" and that legal counsel had been consulted and outreach would begin shortly. The committee is continuing a feasibility study on Kto4 restructuring in response to PTO and parent concerns about transitions for younger students; architect Will Ross of Brett Sampson Architects is scheduled to attend the August committee meeting.

Food service vendor Maschio's provided cost and allowance reporting, and the committee heard that Maschio's reported approximately $129,000 in cost offsets through May; committee members asked for more detail about how allowances and rebates are reported and what benefits the district receives. The committee asked for additional reporting, including June numbers and a cost-benefit analysis tied to any proposed staffing changes.

The committee reviewed a YMCA fee increase for the 202526 school year and moved that it be approved as part of routine committee business.

Mental health peer-support: Corey Delgado introduced the HOPE Squad Program, a nationally supported peer-based mental health initiative for grades 512. The presentation noted a plan to seed local implementation for the first two years with funding from "Jordan Relays" and potential future support from PTA/PTO groups, the student activities fund and municipal grants. Committee members requested the HOPE Squad curriculum and letters from districts where the program operates, and raised concerns about training intensity, impact on student workload and funding sustainability beyond initial seed funding.

Ending: The committee requested additional materials on food-service reporting, the pool agreement and the Kto4 feasibility study; the next committee meeting is scheduled for Aug. 19. The board then approved a slate of minutes and adjourned the meeting.