Palmyra Board of Education authorizes boiler project application, hires technology instructional coach and approves new autism program

The Palmyra Board of Education on Nov. 12 approved a package of routine business that included authorizing Garrison Architects to prepare and submit a New Jersey Department of Education Other Capital Project application to replace boilers at Palmyra High School, appointing a Technology Instructional Coach and moving forward with plans to establish a Kindergarten–Grade 1 autism classroom at Charles Street School.

Mr. Toner read the public-notice statement required under the Open Public Meetings Act, saying, “The Open Public Meetings Act was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advance notice of and to attend meetings of the public bodies,” as the meeting convened at 7:06 p.m.

Why it matters: the board’s authorization to pursue NJDOE capital-project approval allows the district to seek state funding or approval for a major facilities upgrade that the finance committee identified as needed; approval of a dedicated autism classroom would create an in-district placement option for young students with autism spectrum disorder; hiring a Technology Instructional Coach aims to support classroom teachers as curriculum and instructional technology needs expand.

Superintendent Dr. Norton reported district highlights for October, including a fully enrolled preschool (104 students), a successful reunification drill at the high school, near-universal staff completion of Safe Schools training and the start of adaptive state testing. Dr. Norton said an IEP review audit is complete and confirmed the district will submit a proposal to the Burlington County Office of Education to establish the K–1 autism classroom for the 2025–26 school year.

Patrick Broadbelt, the student representative, summarized fall extracurricular success, noting recent accomplishments by the marching band and color guard, cross country finishing as division champions and a new career scoring leader for girls soccer, Mikayla Mangano.

On facilities, the board voted to authorize Garrison Architects to amend the district’s Long-Range Facilities Plan and file the NJDOE application to replace boilers at Palmyra High School. The agenda describes this action as an "Other Capital Project" and does not include an NJDOE project number; the board did not specify a construction timeline during the meeting.

The board accepted a purchase award for managed IT services from RFP Solutions Inc. in the aggregate amount of $101,361.37 through a cooperative bid and accepted a $1,500 donation from the Mental Health Association in New Jersey to support Teen Mental Health First Aid in Grade 12 health classes.

On personnel the board appointed Kathryn Hagmann as Technology Instructional Coach for 2025–26 and approved several other personnel items including substitute and chaperone assignments and student-teacher placements. The board also accepted resignations from Maureen Brzycki and Nicole Sperbeck (preschool paraprofessionals), Katherine Futia (stipend club advisor) and Mary Petrucelli (Palmyra Childcare Program Director), with Ms. Petrucelli’s departure effective Dec. 11, 2025 or upon a successful replacement, per the agenda.

The board corrected an error on the published time for a bus evacuation drill: the Delaware Avenue Preschool drill is listed as 10/16/2025, 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m., supervised by Robyn Ivanisik; Charles Street School’s drill was corrected to 10/16/2025, 8:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m., supervised by Octavia Lee; and Palmyra High/Middle School’s drill was listed as 9/19/2025, 8:00 a.m.–2:21 p.m., supervised by Mike Papenberg.

Several items were approved as part of the consent agenda, including the September board secretary and treasurer reports, enrollment, safety and health reports, routine fundraisers and field trips, and policy and curriculum actions such as approval for the district to participate in the Cappies Program and formation of a No Place for Hate committee. The agenda denotes several items as “no cost to the district.”

The meeting included routine committee reports from Policy & Curriculum, Finance & Physical Plant, Human Resources & Negotiation and Strategic Planning. Ms. Campbell, Ms. Austin and Mr. Dickinson each reported on recent committee meetings and next steps.

The meeting concluded with brief board recognitions of fall athletics and marching band accomplishments. The board adjourned at 7:39 p.m. Jared M. Toscano, Business Administrator/Board Secretary, submitted the minutes.

What’s next: the district will submit the NJDOE Other Capital Project application for the boiler replacement and will pursue county approval for the proposed K–1 autism classroom; timelines for state review and any required public hearings were not specified on the agenda.