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Board reviews facilities repairs, calendar changes tied to June elections and plans maintenance‑reserve funding
Summary
Business Administrator Stephanie Puchar updated the New Milford Board of Education on facility improvements (student‑lounge windows, senior lounge work), an emergency high‑school boiler repair (~$43,000 estimated) and a plan to use maintenance‑reserve funds pending a November resolution; the board also approved using four emergency days rather than holding school during June elections in some buildings due to security constraints.
Business Administrator Stephanie Puchar briefed the New Milford Board of Education on facility projects, calendar changes and near‑term budget actions.
Puchar said window replacements in the high‑school student lounge are complete and the senior lounge finish is in progress. She reported an urgent high‑school boiler issue that required replacement‑type work; she gave a repair estimate of about $43,000 and said district staff located existing equipment that avoided a new purchase but still required installation. Puchar told the board a resolution will be brought to the November meeting recommending use of maintenance‑reserve funds so the cost does not hit the local operating budget.
On the school calendar, administrators said an audit of polling sites and meetings with borough officials showed some schools cannot safely host June elections without additional measures; because police must remain 100 feet from polling entrances, the district plans to use four emergency days for closures and pursue security options rather than schedule school on election days at affected sites.
Other operational items discussed included a donated playground nearing completion, residency verification work that has identified transient and affidavit‑based enrollments (with potential McKinney‑Vento implications), a delay in the student‑data snapshot used for state funding, and the Play Unify inclusive sports program (the speaker said the state grant supporting the program was reduced; the transcript contained inconsistent dollar figures and the exact grant amount was not specified). Puchar also described work to ensure accurate free/reduced lunch applications because those numbers feed state funding calculations.
The board moved by voice vote to close the public portion and adjourn into executive session to discuss personnel and student matters; no public action was taken.
