Pennsauken Board approves dozens of hires, contracts and $10.29M in bills at Aug. 19 meeting

The Pennsauken Township Board of Education on Aug. 19 approved a broad slate of personnel hires, curriculum recommendations and contracts while ratifying payments that together brought the board’s August bill list to $10,291,010.31.

The board voted to approve agenda items 1–94 in a single motion moved by Mr. McDevitt and seconded by Mr. Alves; the motion carried. The approved items included dozens of personnel appointments and transfers effective largely between Aug. 20 and Sept. 1, 2025, curriculum and course approvals for PreK–12, and multiple vendor contracts and payment applications for capital projects and services.

Why it matters: the approvals set staffing and program plans for the 2025–26 school year, allocate grant and general-fund resources for instruction and services, and authorize payments and contracts that affect the district’s near-term capital and operating budgets.

What the board approved - Personnel: The agenda listed a long set of recommended appointments and reassignments across certificated and noncertificated staff (teachers, speech therapists, educational assistants, custodians, grounds crew, bus drivers and more), with salaries, effective dates and account codes specified. Many start dates were contingent on fingerprinting, certification and health clearances.

- Curriculum and professional development: The board approved all PreK–12 curricula and the creation of new courses including Math Lab, Media Literacy and Project Lead the Way Gateway Engineering. The board also approved consultants and vendors for professional development, including Bee Consulting (math PD, not to exceed $6,000) and DM Educational Consulting (ELA consulting, not to exceed $39,000). Create Labs Ventures, Inc. was approved to deliver the Sept. 2 convocation keynote on “Responsible AI in Education and Student Success” for $7,500.

- Contracts and purchases: Notable recommended contracts and purchases included (all approved as part of the consolidated agenda): a contract with the Gateway to College Program at Camden County College for up to $250,000 for 2025–26 (account 11-000-100-560-000-000-00); a recommendation to join the OMNIA Partners cooperative purchasing contract and purchase custodial supplies from Waxie’s Enterprise/BradyPlus (later purchase items totaling $176,819.19); purchase and implementation of student-transportation bus camera systems (Transportant) not to exceed $62,764; and renewal and purchases for educational technology (Bluum/GoGuardian) and HMH Into Literature online resources (cost not to exceed $66,400 for PHS ELA).

- Capital payments and projects: The board recommended payment applications for ongoing projects including Baldwin ECLC partial roof replacements (payments to Winchester Roofing totaling $518,012.63 with balance to finish and retainage noted) and Payment Application #5 for the PHS Magnet School Addition to Nacom Companies for $475,618.50 (with a listed balance to finish of $10,326,990.30).

- Grants and aid: The board approved submission and acceptance of multiple federal and state grants and entitlements, including IDEA Basic funding ($1,702,535) and related IDEA allocations for the 2025–26 year.

- Budget and bills: The August bill list presented and approved totaled $10,291,010.31, incorporating general-fund bill lists, special checks and payroll amounts as listed in the agenda.

Legal and compliance notes Board Solicitor Mr. Li briefed the board on two recently enacted state laws affecting district compliance: a requirement to provide certain information to parents in advance of an annual IEP meeting (effective July 1, 2026) and A4897, requiring that new or replacement student ID cards include telephone numbers for mental health and suicide crisis-prevention services (effective next school year). “The law doesn’t go into effect until July 1, 2026,” Mr. Li said of the IEP-notice requirement, and he described A4897’s ID-number requirement to the board.

Public comment and executive session The board opened two public-comment periods (agenda items and general comment) and recorded that no members of the public spoke. The board later entered executive session to discuss student and personnel matters; the public portion reconvened and closed by 7:30 p.m.

Memorial and closing President Mrs. Young and Superintendent Dr. James Bevere noted the passing of Gordon Butler, director of the Pennsauken Color Guard, and offered condolences to his family. Mrs. Young said Butler “was a pleasure and a joy to be around and showed great enthusiasm for the Pennsauken Color Guard.” The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

Votes at a glance - Motion to approve agenda items 1–94: Motion by Mr. McDevitt; second by Mr. Alves; motion carried (board recorded the motion as carried during the meeting).