Gloucester City Bd. of Ed. Discusses New Vice-Principal, School Choice, Welcome New Supt.
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
By Anne Forline
Gloucester City News
During his first Board of Education (BOE) meeting since taking the helm of the Gloucester City
School District, new school superintendent Joe Rafferty got right down to business.
photo credit Anne Forline
Rafferty and the School Board discussed the necessity of having another administrator, a vice principal, who will facilitate students’ arrival at both the junior high school and also at the Highland Park Program for Success.
The Board and Superintendent also discussed the issue of school choice, which was tabled until a later date.
During the business portion of the meeting, Curriculum Director Dr. Liz Curry said that as part of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Waiver, the Department of Education has replaced the “Adequate Yearly Progress” criteria with “Meeting Measurable Objectives.”
The district expects to receive a percentage from the state in August, and the district will have six years to improve, Curry said.
All business on the agenda passed, including the bid ratification $142,332.15 to American Asphalt for paving the high school parking lot.
Regarding grant action items, a motion was made and passed to accept safety grant award program.
Also, a motion was approved to accept the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights funds of $23,129.
A motion was made and carried to amend the 2011-12 grant to include carry-over funds from the previous year as listed.
A motion to approve a contract for Positive Outcomes Counseling Service was passed. The contract amount is for $49,920, and will be funded by the 21st Century Grant.
The board voted on and granted permission for a community event to be held in conjunction with a parent involvement activity that will take place on August 8 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Cold Springs School. The approved amount for the event was $2,667.
Board members approved a motion accept $68,162 for the Race to the Top Grant for a three-year period beginning on July 1, 2012.
A motion was made and approved to accept the 21st Century Community Learning Grant in the amount of $404,133 for the period of September 1, 2012 through August 31, 2013 for after-school programs.
A contract was approved for PNN Grant Consultants for $55 per hour, not to exceed $60,000 per year.
Board members also approved a motion to apply for the fiscal year 2012-2013 NCLB grant as listed for a total allocated amount of $936,240.
Other motions concerning workshop, fundraisers, field trips and curriculum as listed all passed.
A motion was made and passed regarding the uniform emergency system as presented. This concerns the uniformity of surrounding districts when dealing with lock-down procedures.
The BOE approved a change to the 2012-13 academic calendar to allow for four delayed openings, one hour per each marking period, for professional development.
The BOE will meet again for combined caucus and regular meeting on Wednesday, August 15, at 7 p.m. in the Gloucester City High School Media Center.