Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Meeting Actions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Califon Board approves tuition rates, $314,518.17 bill list and personnel hires
Summary
At its Jan. 22 meeting the Califon Borough Board of Education unanimously approved a $314,518.17 bill list, set 2025–26 tuition rates, accepted a $1,000 donation for the drama club and authorized several personnel actions and program items; enrollment was reported at 94 students.
The Califon Borough Board of Education on Jan. 22 unanimously approved a bill list totaling $314,518.17, set tuition rates for 2025–26 and approved a package of personnel and program items during a meeting in the school library.
Board President Christopher Keiser, Vice President Michael Reaves and Dr. Rebecca Kipp-Newbold voted to adopt the consent agenda, which included finance, personnel and curriculum items. Board Secretary Matthew Herzer administered the Oath of Office to Mr. Keiser at the start of the meeting. Vice President Michael Reaves opened the meeting with the board’s public-notice statement: “I would like to announce and have placed in the minutes that adequate notice of this meeting of the Califon Board of Education has been provided in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act.”
The board approved tuition rates for the coming school year: Preschool/PreK five full days, $5,700; Grades K–5, $7,000; and Grades 6–8, $7,500. The board also voted to file a waiver request to exempt the Califon Borough Board of Education from 2025–26 participation in the Special Education Medicaid Initiative (SEMI) on the basis that the Department of Education projects district enrollment under 40 students for that program’s threshold.
Other consent-agenda items included acceptance of a $1,000 donation to the Drama Club from the Weeks family; approval of the Treasurer’s and Board Secretary’s report for December 2024 certifying sufficient funds under N.J.A.C. 6A:23A:16.20; documentation of mandated fire and evacuation drills (12/18/2024, 1/13/2025); and approval of transfers for December 2024.
Personnel actions approved included hiring Alana Corradi as a substitute teacher and authorizing Anthony Xiros as a substitute custodian at $17.00 per hour, both pending criminal-history background checks. The board approved Lauren Welch to provide English Language Learning services as needed at $150.00 per hour during the 2024–25 school year and accepted a graduate clinical internship placement for Alison DeMarco at Felician University for Spring 2025 ($1,050 compensation listed in the minutes).
On curriculum and activities, the board accepted the December health report, approved the 2025–26 school calendar, authorized staff attendance at professional workshops (including MaryJane Medea’s attendance at a non-fiction comprehension strategies workshop in Paramus), approved field trips (band to Voorhees High School; K–3 to Columbia Trail and Califon Island Park), and approved a school team and Mr. Downey’s participation in Relay for Life at Voorhees High School in spring 2025.
The board also advanced several policy actions on first reading, including revised Harassment, Intimidation, or Bullying (P5512), Student Smoking (P5533) and policies on electronic surveillance (P&R 7441) and cooperation with law enforcement (P&R 9320). The minutes list abolishment of select policies but do not specify which policies were removed.
Superintendent Dr. Michele Cone reported district enrollment at 94 students, with zero HIB incidents and zero suspensions; when asked during public comment whether enrollment was up, Dr. Cone said two new students had joined the district. The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m. following a unanimous roll-call vote.
