Board hears facilities and preschool expansion updates; approves personnel and finance items
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Summary
At its July 9 meeting, the Lawrence Township Board of Education received updates on facilities, HVAC and construction planning tied to a referendum and preschool expansion (PEA), approved multiple personnel and business motions by roll call, and sworn in new board member Mackenzie Kelly.
The Lawrence Township Board of Education on July 9 received an operational update from district leadership about summer facilities work, bids for construction-manager services, an imminent bond sale and preschool expansion (PEA) preparations, and approved a slate of personnel, business and policy items by unanimous roll-call votes.
In the superintendent’s report, district leaders thanked technology and facilities staff for summer preparations and described multiple ongoing projects: rooftop HVAC units being installed at Lawrence Intermediate School and the high school, a new chiller installed at the high school serving 16 rooms, gym floor work at Slackwood, ceiling and painting projects at Eldridge Park, and lead/water testing that identified two fixtures slightly out of bounds and which the district said it remedied. The board said it expects cranes on site shortly as construction proceeds.
District staff said construction-manager specifications were advertised and that a pre-bid conference will be arranged. The board reported a bond sale scheduled for 10:00 a.m. the next day and said Standard & Poor’s reaffirmed a double-A rating during interviews. The board also discussed preschool expansion (PEA): the district said it had executed a contract with Lawrence Day School, ordered curriculum and classroom supplies (described as nine new classrooms and 17 classroom items in total), and purchased car seats for buses for about $20,000.
On business items, the board approved personnel actions grouped as P1 through P42 (transfers, hour changes, leaves, retirements, appointments, volunteer approvals and summer work), CIA/PD and student-services items (OIS 1–2 and OSS 1), and school business management items (SBM 1–15, including treasurer’s reports, fire-drill adoption, grant authorizations and contract awards). Each omnibus motion was approved by roll call; the board recorded “yes” votes from Mister Clark; Miss Evans; Miss Groger; Miss Kelly; Miss Martinez; Miss Pascoli; Mister Van Heise; and Miss Bowes.
The board also formally swore in Mackenzie Kelly as a new member during the meeting.
Finance-related notes included the board’s intent to reinvest approximately “upwards of probably about a half a million dollars” into the maintenance reserve to replace funds used this year, pending the upcoming audit in the fall. The board said grant submissions and several contract awards were authorized on the consent agenda; specific contract dollar amounts were not detailed during the meeting discussion.
Personnel recognitions included retirements for two long-serving staff members in student services and an announcement of Tori Hart’s appointment as assistant principal at Lawrence Intermediate School with the new principal and staff in attendance.
What the board approved (at a glance): grouped personnel items P1–P42; OIS 1–2 and OSS 1 (personnel/operational items); SBM 1–15 (finance/business items); and other consent agenda items moved as omnibus motions. All motions listed on the consent agenda were carried by unanimous roll-call votes.
