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Hackettstown board ends routine hybrid participation, approves purchasing authority and governance resolutions
Summary
The Hackettstown Board voted Jan. 7, 2026 to discontinue hybrid participation for routine meetings, set procurement thresholds, appointed Business Administrator James Schlessinger as qualified purchasing agent and Board Secretary, and adopted several governance and finance resolutions including the Board Policy Manual and Code of Ethics.
The Hackettstown Board of Education on Jan. 7, 2026 adopted a suite of governance and finance resolutions and voted to discontinue hybrid participation for routine meetings.
The board approved a resolution that, effective immediately, requires board members and members of the public to attend routine meetings in person at the location specified in the meeting notice, with remote participation discontinued except as may be required or expressly permitted by law. The resolution cited the Open Public Meetings Act and said hybrid participation previously permitted for convenience will be abolished for routine meetings.
On financial and procurement matters the board adopted its Board Policy Manual and Roberts Rules of Order as the official parliamentary procedure; adopted the Uniform Minimum Chart of Accounts for New Jersey public schools; and adopted the New Jersey School Board Member Code of Ethics pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:12-24.1. The board authorized the superintendent and business administrator to approve line-item budget transfers between meetings (to be reported and ratified at the next regular meeting) and authorized the Board Secretary to approve payment of bills between meetings pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:19-4.1.
The board appointed Business Administrator James Schlessinger as the district's qualified purchasing agent (recommendation of the chief school administrator) and set a bid threshold of $53,000 and a quote threshold of $7,950 under state purchasing law (N.J.S.A. 40A:11-9(g) and N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-3). The board also approved a contract with Kathleen Helewa Educational Consultants LLC to facilitate its strategic planning process and designated the Star-Ledger and the Easton Express NJ Zone as the official newspapers for legal notices through March 1, 2026; the record notes that, effective March 1, 2026, legal notices and meeting dates will be posted on the district website in conformity with revised state code.
All items in the business/finance, personnel, and education/policy sections that required action were approved in a single grouped motion carried by roll-call vote with all members present voting in favor. No public comment on agenda items was recorded.
