Riverside Township Board approves $4 million in year-end reserve transfers, contracts and wide-ranging personnel slate

The Riverside Township Board of Education unanimously approved a package of budget transfers, contracts, appointments and personnel actions at its regular meeting on June 11, 2026 in the elementary cafeteria.

The board authorized year-end transfers of anticipated surplus into reserve accounts under state statute, voting to deposit up to $3,000,000 into the district’s Capital Reserve and up to $1,000,000 into the Maintenance Reserve. The motions cited NJSA 18A:21-2 and NJSA 18A:7G-13 and were carried unanimously.

Board members also approved a series of vendor contracts and professional appointments for the 2026–27 school year. Notable approvals included WebsitesMadeEZ for district technology support ($12,000 annually); Educational Data Services as a group purchasing agent ($4,920); participation in an Educational Consortium for Telecommunications to pursue E-rate discounts (fee: 15% of Category I savings, 7.5% of Category II savings); appointment of Capehart Scatchard as board solicitor at $190 per hour; and Garrison Architects as architect of record. The board approved membership dues for athletics governance (NJSIAA $2,500; BCSL $2,045; DAANJ $225) and authorized procurement through state contracts where available.

On personnel and programming, the board approved dozens of actions: acceptance of multiple staff resignations; appointment of new employees for 2026–27 (including teachers, aides and custodial staff, pending criminal-history review where noted); summer-school teacher stipends; curriculum-writing hours; and a long roster of extra‑curricular positions and Teacher Leader stipends. The board also adopted a new middle‑school student club and approved volunteers and stipend structures for bus drivers tied to trip counts.

The board approved agreements affecting special‑education and support services, including a contract with Empower AAC LLC to supply AAC devices and a CCESC General Services Contract. The district approved an addendum with ESS Northeast to continue substitute services for 2026–27 and retained Good To Go Physical Therapy to provide therapy services as needed. The board approved tuition arrangements with Delanco School District (high school tuition $20,000 per pupil; multiply disabled tuition $33,000) and later authorized an out‑of‑district placement to Brookfield Academy with prorated annual tuition of $75,877.20.

School administration matters included designation of Robert O’Brien as Board Secretary and Qualified Purchasing Agent/Public Agency Compliance Officer; appointment of Erika Ruff to multiple compliance and safety roles (Coordinator of Homeless Students, 504 Compliance Officer, Threat Assessment Coordinator); and appointment of Stacy Saia as Affirmative Action and Title IX Officer. The board readopted curriculum aligned with NJSLS standards and approved the district’s Emergency Virtual or Remote Instruction Program and the Comprehensive Equity Plan Statement of Assurance for school year 2026–27.

The board accepted the administration’s recommendation for a long‑term suspension concerning student ID 280338 and approved the May Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) report. All recorded motions in the minutes carried unanimously unless otherwise noted; a small number of procedural abstentions were recorded on specific personnel/club votes.

The meeting concluded at 8:29 p.m. The board recorded its 2026–27 regular meeting dates (beginning with a reorganization meeting on Jan. 5, 2027) and directed the Business Administrator to make necessary June 30 transfers to avoid negative balances and to process a second set of bills for ratification at the July meeting.