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Warren Hills board approves 2025–26 appointments, contracts and budget moves
Summary
The Warren Hills Regional Board of Education on June 17 approved a comprehensive slate of appointments, contracts, purchasing thresholds and budget actions for the 2025–26 school year, including appointment of Donnamarie Palmiere as Qualified Purchasing Agent and a proposal to transfer up to $3.5 million into the district's capital reserve.
The Warren Hills Regional Board of Education approved a broad set of organizational appointments, contracts and budget measures for the 2025–26 school year at its June 17 meeting.
The board designated Donnamarie Palmiere as Qualified Purchasing Agent and set the district bid threshold at $44,000, authorizing her to award contracts that fall below that aggregate threshold in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:18A‑3(a). The board also named the New Jersey Herald as its official newspaper for legal advertising and designated Citizens Bank as the district depository with specified authorized signers, including Palmiere and Treasurer Judith Favino.
Administratively, the board appointed Schenck, Price, Smith & King, LLP as general counsel and Nisivoccia & Company as auditor; it approved Dr. Brett Keller as school physician and Design Resource Group as architect of record. The board approved a range of professional and software contracts for the 2025–26 year, including a $50,925 engagement with Nisivoccia LLP to audit fiscal year 2025 and software renewals (for example, HR/payroll modules totaling $14,400 annually and Frontline subscriptions totaling $29,917.99).
On budget items, the board accepted the April 2025 financial report and approved a bill list totaling $5,709,834.30 and student activities bills of $25,844.34. It approved transfers for April in the amount of $888,027.95 and a series of tuition and special‑education contracts (amounts specified in the motions). The board approved awards for ESY special‑education transportation to Snyder Bus Service for multiple routes and ratified a shared‑services transportation agreement with Washington Township totaling $113,156.00.
The board approved capital project accounting actions that included a proposed transfer from Capital Outlay to Capital Projects representing local shares for Project #41‑5465‑050‑23‑R501 ($2,798,700) and Project #41‑5465‑060‑23‑R501 ($916,734). It adopted resolutions authorizing routine contract renewals under PL 2015, Ch. 47 and voted to deposit up to $3,500,000 to the Capital Reserve Account, up to $100,000 to the Emergency Reserve Account and up to $500,000 to the Maintenance Reserve Account under N.J.S.A. 6A:23A‑14.4 et seq.
Personnel approvals included multiple administrative and staff appointments for 2025–26. Notable approvals recorded in the personnel slate were Michelle Murphy as assistant principal at an annual salary of $115,000; Michael Mason as director of facilities at $102,467; Kevin Call as head athletic trainer at $126,499; Dennis Mack as director of human resources at $112,519; Timothy Jaw as technology coordinator at $128,167; David Guth as school security program director at $90,176; and the employment of Donnamarie Palmiere as Business Administrator/Board Secretary at $177,034, subject to Executive County Superintendent approval and other conditions noted in the motions.
The board approved equipment disposals and purchases including a rooftop compressor replacement ($31,552.00), football uniforms ($13,807.02), a ZTrak mower ($13,489.00), and purchases of staff computers and Chromebooks as detailed in the motions. It also approved change orders for the high‑school HVAC upgrade: Change Order No. 1 for $8,227.20 (vector filter feeder tanks) and Change Order No. 2 for $8,496.00 (new aluminum door frame).
All listed action items on the agenda were moved and adopted by roll call vote; the published motions show the members present voting in the affirmative and one member, Corey Piasecki, noted as absent. The board also reaffirmed district policies, procurement through state contracts, participation in cooperative purchasing programs and the district benefit plans and insurance broker appointments for the coming year.
The board said many of these approvals are routine organizational and operating decisions for the new fiscal year; several contracts and reserve transfers will be subject to further administrative processing and, where required, compliance checks or approvals by county or state offices.
