Stanhope board approves budget items, special-education placements, staffing changes and awards Before & After Care contract

At its Aug. 28 meeting the Stanhope Board of Education approved a package of business, special‑education and personnel items and awarded the district’s before‑and‑after care contract.

The board approved three bill lists: a July bill list for $229,316.28, an Aug. 15 Fund 30 bill list for $996,968.47, and an Aug. 1–28 bill list for $496,861.79. The board also approved Treasurer’s and Board Secretary reports and certified under N.J.A.C. 6A:23A‑16.10 that, as of June 30, 2024, no line item account was over‑expended in violation of the cited rule.

Special‑education placements: the board approved multiple out‑of‑district special‑education contracts for the 2024–25 school year. Sample contract terms listed in the motion included tuition rates and related services such as shared aides, counseling, speech and occupational therapy. Example contract amounts recorded in the motion include tuition rates of $24,900.00–$26,796.00 and itemized related-service costs per student as presented in the agenda.

Personnel approvals and resignations: the board approved delegation of limited appointment authority to the superintendent for the short interim period between meetings, longevity payments for two staff members, revised FTEs for two employees, several retroactive appointments of part‑time classroom paraprofessionals (with salaries listed per schedule), a practicum placement, the acceptance of three resignations, summer custodian appointment and a list of stipend positions and substitutes for the school year. These personnel items passed by roll call unanimously.

Before & After Care contract award: following an RFP (RFP #2024‑2025‑001) the board awarded the contract for Before & After Care Services to AlphaBest Education, Inc. (AlphaBest). The motion to award the contract was part of the business services packet moved by Gil Moscatello and seconded by Matthew Vilardo. The award passed with one abstention recorded on that single item (Mrs. Mattia Scharfstein) and otherwise affirmative votes across the listed items.

Procedural notes and next steps: the board delegated to the Business Administrator/Board Secretary authority to handle district business operations from Aug. 31, 2024 through the next meeting; the AlphaBest contract and other approved documents are on file in the Business Administrator/Board Secretary’s office for public inspection as noted in the motion language. The approvals include the district’s professional development and mentoring plans and routine travel reimbursements for conference attendance.

The meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m.