Bernards Township Board approves committee reports, adds girls varsity flag football team; votes at a glance

BERNARDS TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The Bernards Township Board of Education approved a slate of routine and substantive items at its final meeting of 2024, voting to accept committee reports from finance, personnel, policy and curriculum committees and to add girls flag football as a Ridge High School varsity competition team.

The board voted to accept the superintendent’s report — which included the code of conduct and school safety data report, updated HIB (harassment, intimidation and bullying) totals, an educational research project and approval for an overnight Model United Nations trip — and separately approved the addition of girls flag football as a Ridge High School varsity competition team for the 2025–26 school year, with non‑varsity play beginning in spring 2025.

The approvals were taken by roll call on motions presented during the meeting; motions for the various committee reports were routine and passed by recorded roll call votes.

Why it matters: The votes formalize program and operational decisions for the 2024–25 and 2025–26 school years, including athletic offerings and curriculum changes, and endorse finance and facilities planning that will shape capital spending and staffing in the coming year.

Most important facts

- The superintendent’s packet included the code of conduct and school safety data report; the administration reported HIB counts of 44 last year and 40 this year for confirmed incidents, according to the report presented at the meeting.

- The board approved adding the girls flag football team as a Ridge High School varsity competition team for 2025–26, with the team to begin non‑varsity competition in spring 2025.

- The finance committee reported that the district is pursuing an in‑house maintenance staffing plan that would replace an 11‑person contracted team with an 8‑person specialized in‑house group; the administration projected roughly $100,000 in recurring annual savings and a contractor‑cost reduction of about $200,000 for the current school year from existing in‑house HVAC and plumbing staff.

- The district was informed of a likely audit finding related to the timing of deposits for student activities funds, and officials said they may obtain a remote deposit machine for checks at Ridge High School.

- The district discussed electricity‑market pressures: PJM (the regional transmission organization) notified stakeholders of capacity changes that the district’s staff said will likely translate to roughly a 20% increase in electricity costs. The district’s electricity cost for the 2023–24 school year was reported at about $788,000.

- The board reviewed JCP&L “direct install” energy‑efficiency projects that would replace HVAC and lighting equipment at Cedar Hill and Oak Street schools; estimated project costs to the district were shown alongside the program’s grant share (Cedar Hill: approximately $1.5 million of work with a district cost of about $750,000; Oak Street: approximately $925,000 of work with a district cost of about $332,000).

Meeting context and supporting details

Superintendent Nick Markarian read the revised item for athletics during his report and asked the board to clarify that the girls flag football team would be added as a varsity competition team for 2025–26 and would start participating in non‑varsity schedules in spring 2025.

Finance committee chair and staff presenters reviewed a number of capital projects proposed for summer 2025, listing the Mount Prospect roof replacement, Mount Prospect play area fence, district‑wide flooring, Liberty Corner artwork and casework, Ridge sidewalk and brick repair, and direct‑install projects at Cedar Hill and Oak Street. The committee also discussed vehicle replacements (a bus purchase versus lease; maintenance vans and a dump truck) and replacement options for a phone system that reached the end of its support life.

The finance report included a summary of an ACERS (COVID‑related) grant audit; district staff said the state identified a clerical error that double‑counted about $15,000 and that an action plan will be provided by the state.

Votes at a glance

- Superintendent’s packet (code of conduct/school safety report; HIB report; educational research project; overnight Model UN trip; addition of girls flag football team): Motion to approve by Keith (mover) and Janice (seconder). Roll call: unanimous yes. Outcome: approved.

- Approval of minutes: Motion by Jen (mover) and Robin (seconder). Roll call: one abstention (Miss Light); remainder yes. Outcome: approved.

- Finance committee report (15 items): Motion by Dave (mover) and Kirsten (seconder). Roll call: unanimous yes. Outcome: approved.

- Personnel committee report (15 items): Motion by Kirsten (mover) and Robin (seconder). Roll call: unanimous yes. Outcome: approved.

- Policy committee items (school calendar and second reading of district calendar): Motion by Keith (mover) and Janice (seconder). Roll call: unanimous yes. Outcome: approved.

- Curriculum committee report (three items including new ELA electives, course title changes in band program, and a psychology textbook adoption): Motion by Jen (mover) and Kirsten (seconder). Roll call: unanimous yes. Outcome: approved.

What the board did not decide at this meeting

Several committee discussions — including some facilities and wellness items — were reported out for further work. The meeting record shows discussion and direction but, where appropriate, separate formal motions were made only for the items above. For example, the wellness committee made recommendations about staff professional development (see separate article) but the transcript does not record a separate, final board vote on an expanded multi‑year training contract at this meeting.

Who said what (selected attribution)

Superintendent Nick Markarian clarified the girls flag football item’s timeline, saying the team would be added for the 2025–26 varsity season and begin non‑varsity play in spring 2025. Mr. Rallo and Sean Mickley (facilities staff) briefed the board on the in‑house maintenance staffing plan and direct‑install energy projects. Scott Cleland of the district’s audit firm was reported to be scheduled to present the audit results in December; Cleland is the auditor referenced in the finance report.

Next steps

District staff will pursue the actions approved in the committee reports and continue planning capital work for summer 2025. The board indicated follow‑up on the audit item, energy‑efficiency financing, and the maintenance staffing transitions will come through staff recommendations and committee updates in the new year.

Ending note

The board completed the meeting with customary board‑forum remarks and recognized outgoing members; no additional formal votes were taken after the items listed above.