Last night, the Roselle Park Board Of Education (BOE) passed the tentative budget for the 2015-16 school year. While the $33,411,846 budget is a 2.8% increase from last school year, the amount to be raised by taxes for the coming school year is $21,142,768; a 6.6% increase from last year.

Revenues lessened the burden on property taxes by over $12 million, with about $10 million coming from state aid. Susan Guercio, the Roselle Park School District (RPSD) Business Administrator, stated that the amount for state aid remained the same as last year.

The school district, in this budget, had an over $400,000 increase in what is termed ‘enrollment adjustment’. This, according to the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), is the projected per pupil tax levy multiplied by the phased-in enrollment growth. Mrs. Guercio reported that she believed the increase in the student population due to the implementation of full-day kindergarten was a factor in the significant increase. Health benefits saw an increase of almost 19% to bring that total to $201,537.

This budget also has the district using the last of its available banked cap money. This is an amount that the state allows school districts to ‘bank’ and use for any amount that was not raised by taxation in any previous school year budget up to three years prior. In other words, any amount of the 2% cap on property tax increases not raised in any single school budget year can be used up to three years later without having to bring that amount before voters. The school district was last under that 2% in the 2012-13 school budget. It has increased the tax levy amount by the full 2% every year since. This total amount of $878,010 is an exemption of the 2% tax levy increase and will be included in this school year’s budget.

Debt service is another important amount that is exempt from the 2% cap and this year’s amount for that is $688,100 – a 5.5% increase from 2014-15. These are funds that are to be paid back for long term bonds, which, in Roselle Park’s case, was in the form of a referendum to construct and renovate facilities at the start of the century.

According to Mrs. Guercio, the 3.2% decrease in the districts revenue was, in part, a result in the decline of out-of-district tuition. This is revenue collected for families who pay to have their children educated in Roselle Park who are from out of town.

The budget was passed unanimously by those BOE members in attendance, absent from the meeting were Rodric Bowman and Troy Gerten.

During the meeting, the BOE set two (2) dates for budget information sessions that will provide further detail into what is being included in the budget. These dates are April 1st and April 22nd – both are Wednesdays.

The public hearing for the school district budget is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28th.

The 1st grade student of Mrs. Jean Erbeck and Ms. Kristen Mingoia from Robert Gordon selected members of the Roselle Park Police Department (RPPD) to accept the students’ “Act Of Kindness” Awards on behalf of the entire department.

The ‘Survival Kits for Police Officers’, as they were termed, were prepared by the first graders and presented to the RPPD in class on Tuesday. Included in each survival kit were:

• Life Saver candies, “To remind you of the many times you’ve been one”
• Starburst candies, “For the burst of energy you’ll need”
• Payday candy bars, “Because you’re not doing it for the money”
• Paper clips, “To hold it all together”
• Hershey’s Kisses, “Because you deserve them from all”
• Gum, “To help your unit stick together
• Tootsie Rolls, “To help you roll with the punches”
• Peppermint Patty mints, “To help you keep your cool”
• Snickers candies, “To remind you to keep your sense of humor”
• Mounds candy bars, “For the ‘mounds’ of courage you need”

The latter that accompanied each Survival Kit read:

Dear Roselle Park Police Officers:

We know you do so much for the community and appreciate it! To show our appreciation our class made you a survival kit with some goodies. Each of us donated something to put inside your bags. Thank you for being kind to our community and keeping us safe! We are always thinking of you.

Patrolman Joshua Medrano, Sergeant Keith Wintermute, Detective Richard Cocca, and Detective Sergeant Dominick Frino were honored to visit the classes to receive the creative and thoughtful gifts on behalf of the RPPD. After the presentation, the officers spoke with the students to tell them about who they were, what their responsibilities and duties as police officers were, and what makes their jobs rewarding.

In addition to Mrs. Erbeck and Ms. Mingoia, the RPPD wished to also thank Mrs. July Bennett, Mrs. Allison Kanarek, and Mrs. Jessica Gilchrist for organizing and holding the event.

RPPD Lieutenant Manuel Jimenez said, “The entire Roselle Park Police Department extends their gratitude to both first grade class members of The Robert Gordon Elementary School for this honor.”

Registration for the Early Childhood Center (ECC), Kindergarten, and new student registration will take place on Tuesday, April 14th from 8:45 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Sherman Elementary School.

Full-day Kindergarten classes will be available at each of the three (3) grammar schools in Roselle Park for the 2014-15 school year. Spacing will be limited to 22 students per class.

Classroom size limitation may result in children attending Kindergarten at a school other than their neighborhood school before returning sometime later in the following year. Siblings of students currently in a respective school will attend the same school and not be separated.

All children who will become 5 years of age on or before October 31, 2015 and who are to be enrolled in Kindergarten in September 2015 are to register at Sherman Elementary School. Additionally, all students eligible to enter First Grade in September 2015 who will become 6 years on or before October 31, 2015 should also register at Sherman Elementary School.

Registration is April 14th. Sherman School is located at 375 East Grant Avenue.

Completed registration forms (included below), health information, and proof of residence must be brought with parents or guardians on registration day.

Anyone needing more information can visit the Roselle Park School District website (link) or can contact Board of Education (BOE) offices at (908) 245-1197.

Download File (PDF)

Download File (PDF)

Roselle Park recently initiated a Community Garden that is currently in the process of sign-ups. But for the longest time, residents have exercised their green thumbs to cultivate their own piece of nature in their backyards.

Among them is Sherman School student Owen Miller. Last month, Owen – who was the New Jersey State Winner in the National Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program for growing a whopping 21 pound 2 ounce cabbage – was awarded a $1,000 savings bond scholarship at a ceremony in his school. Being chosen from over 21,000 third graders throughout the state, Owen had taken part in Bonnie Plants’ program last summer to have schoolchildren cultivate they plant wholesaler’s ‘oversized’ variety of cabbage plants. The students get to witness the fruits, or in this case the vegetable, of their labor through nurturing and cultivating cabbage.

Introduced by Sherman School principal Mary Christiansen, the presentation had New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher and Bonnie Plants New Jersey Manager Casey Jansen provide some history and information on the various produce grown in the country’s most densely populated state. With over 9,000 productive farms in the Garden State that cover over 700,000 acres, Jersey crops include apples, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, blueberries, cranberries, cucumbers, peaches, potatoes, soybeans, spinach, squash, strawberries, and cabbage. The audience included members of Owen’s class, his teacher Ms. Parker, Roselle Park School District Superintendent Pedro Garrido, and Councilwoman-At-Large Charlene Storey.

Surrounded by his parents – Jen Miller and Board Of Education President Chris Miller – his sister, and his grandparents, Owen was presented with a $1,000 savings bond from Bonnie Plants to use toward his education.

The Roselle Park First Aid Squad (RPFAS), as part of a community outreach program, will be visiting the borough’s three (3) grammar schools this week.

Lead by Committee Chair Joey Regan, the RPFAS will be visiting Sherman, Robert Gordon, and EJF/Aldene schools on from April 15th – 17th to teach about 9-1-1 and EMS awareness as well as how to deal with emergency medical situations.

This program will help younger children understand what an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) does and not to be afraid when an ambulance comes to their homes. Members of RPFAS will be giving demonstrations to the older grades on what to do if someone is choking and how someone would be backboarded. During this time every grade will get the chance to go into the ambulance and explore the different equipment that might be used on a call.

The Roselle Park First Aid Squad is always looking for volunteers to help in providing emergency response care to the community. More information can be found on their Facebook page (link) or by visiting their station at 535 Laurel Avenue.

Two presentations by the Board Of Education (BOE) this month for the 2015-16 school year drew an audience of seven residents in total. Held at the newly renovated 500-seat auditorium in the high school, Roselle Park School District (RPSD) Business Administrator Susan Guercio provided specific information on the costs that go into educating the children of the Borough to a room full of empty seats.

The school budget is responsible for over 50% of property taxes – 50 cents on every dollar that taxpayers pay. This coming school year’s budget was announced as being $33,411,846 with about 61% of that amount – $20,454,668 – to come from property taxes.

Mrs. Guercio began the presentation by reviewing expenditures. The $19,710,481 paid in salaries was – as with almost all organizations – the major expense in the budget; this amount was a $269,579 increase from last year’s budget.

Although cited as a 12% increase in the presentation, health and dental insurance figures presented only had a 5.2% increase from $5,942,841 to $6,251,534 this year. This is, in fact, a lower increase than the 10.6% increase for the 2014-15 school year.

Out-of district tuitions had an increase of $56,574 due to, according to Mrs. Guercio, several new students with special needs that are being sent to other schools. This is done because the school district cannot adequately provide either programs or accommodations for those students. Special education and other related services (*not including salaries) saw a combined increase of  $48,256.

Finally, although Mrs. Guercio stated that costs for other educational supplies “went up slightly”, it had the third-highest percentage (30.2%) and dollar increase ($142,267). The Business Administrator went on to explain that these costs included smartboards, computers, and other technology-related purchases, stating, “We’re somewhat committed to doing some additional purchases in that area.”

On the revenue side, a decrease of $95,007 was attributed to less children from out-of-district enrolling into Roselle Park schools on a paying basis to the district. It was not disclosed if these students enter the district’s general education, special needs, or Academy Program population. The Academy is a program that educates students dealing with a wide range of issues that include impulse control, disruptive family environments, chronic health conditions, or therapeutic requirements.

The Unrestricted Miscellaneous line item decreased by almost 50% and it includes revenue from interest on investments and gate receipts from games. Other Restricted Miscellaneous saw an almost 15% decrease and this includes moneys collected for residency fines, legal reimbursements, and rental of facilities. The district is expecting that last portion to increase with the renovation of the high school auditorium.

The most significant decrease in revenues came from excess surplus which saw a loss of $285,697.

The Business Administrator made mention of state aid remaining almost flat for the past four years at around $10,400,000. She referenced the 2009-10 school year state aid figure which was $10,671,165 and pointed out that in 2010 it decreased by $1.4 million and has never returned to that 2009 amount. Data provided shows that although that was the case in 2009, when there was a gubernatorial election, the current amount is higher than aid given by the state in 2008 and previous years.

At the conclusion of her portion of the budget presentation, Mrs. Guercio gave the amount of increase per house assessed at $65,000 to be $300. This means that the average household will pay $4,390.10 of their property taxes to the school district. Last year, the increase in the school tax levy was $207.

School Superintendent Pedro Garrido then gave information on what it meant if the budget is passed or voted down by the BOE.

If approved, Mr. Garrido stated that current programs and class size would be maintained, citing studies that reduced class size is productive to learning. Full-day kindergarten would be able to continue and interactive technology devices, textbooks, furniture, and an additional school bus would be able to be purchased. Although the school bus would cost more in purchase, the Superintendent commented it would outweigh the cost for renting a school bus, thereby decreasing the cost to the district in the long run.

On the other end, Mr. Garrido stated that if the budget were to be rejected, then programs and full-day kindergarten would be in jeopardy. Additionally, staff could be reduced and needed purchases might not be acquired. The argument made by the superintendent was that the amount invested now, although significant, would pay off in maintaining and improving the level of education to Roselle Park children. This, in turn, would benefit the municipality since it would improve the desirability of families who would want to move to Roselle Park.

The school budget can only be voted on by the nine member BOE since the amount to be raised by property taxes did not go over 2%. If that had occurred, then only the amount over 2% – not the entire budget – would be voted on by residents.

In providing an outlook on looking for ways to cut costs and increase revenues, Mr. Garrido mentioned that the district has hired grant writers to obtain funds, started working on bringing back out-of-district students to Roselle Park, and hired a firm to explore more efficient use of facilities.

During the public comment period, those in attendance covered a range of topics including asking the BOE to find more ways to cuts costs to lessen the burden on the taxpayers, inquiring to find out if the school district has conducted a shared-services feasibility study, and wanting to find out more information on special education costs.

The 2015-16 budget has been reviewed and approved by the County School Board. A public hearing on the budget will be held on April 28th at 7 p.m. in the Roselle Park Middle School auditorium. The BOE is scheduled to vote on the 2015-16 school budget on Tuesday, May 12th at 7 p.m. in Robert Gordon School.

A copy of the PowerPoint presentation is available below

For the first time in years, Roselle Park will not be having a Project Graduation in 2015. Originally started throughout the country and in the borough as a way to offer high school graduates safe, alcohol-free, supervised activities as a post-graduation party. The Roselle Park PTSA (Parent-Teacher-Student Association) has, for years, raised money and gathered volunteers to offer this free program to Roselle Park High School (RPHS) Seniors on the same night as graduation.

“This decision was not made lightly and was driven by several factors, including but not limited to our inability to raise the funds needed to organize the event,” said Tracey Siravo Scott, PTSA President. The cost of the event, which includes transportation, rental of a facility, and security, has been more than $10,000 in the past.

The PTSA President went on to explain that once it was realized that they would not be able to raise the necessary funds needed this year, all effort was made to still host the event asking parents of interested Seniors to pay a fee to offset the cost. Unfortunately, a minimum number of students was needed to commit and organizers could not meet that minimum in time.

“Despite this, I am happy to report we will still be able to continue our tradition of funding scholarship money for the graduating Seniors!”, stated Mrs. Scott, “We believe in the wonderful parents of Roselle Park, understand there are many ways to support this town, know some are already stretched thin between various organizations, appreciate the support we did get this year to at least fund scholarships, and hope more parents and high school students will join us in future years to keep the PTSA relevant.”

RPHS principal Sarah Costa echoed the efforts, saying, “The PTSA worked very hard to try to hold Project Graduation, but the student and parent interest just was not there. To their credit, however, these parents successfully hosted a wonderful Mr. Roselle Park competition last Friday that will greatly help the PTSA fund their scholarships.”

PTSA member Sue McGovern, expressing her disappointment, remarked, “It breaks my heart that this class will not have one last party together the night of graduation. Going forward we will learn from our mistakes and start fundraising sooner.”

The RPHS PTSA meet monthly during the school year. Anyone interested in joining can visit their web page for more information (link)

At last night’s Board Of Education (BOE) meeting in the Roselle Park Middle School (RPMS), some time was taken from discussing the school district’s budget to recognize some students who volunteered to reach out to others.

Most of the students, when it’s their birthday, their friends come in and decorate their lockers,” RPMS Principal Mrs. Carlin, referring to the efforts of RPMS students Alexis Cieslinski, Emma Cieslinski, Luana DaLuz, Madison Cieslinski, and Madison Martinez. The principal went on to explain that with the special needs students, a lot of times, their lockers remain bare on such special occasions. The young Roselle Park residents decided to do something about it. As a group, they found when those students who – either by class schedule or program implementation – do not regularly interact with the general school population. They then came in on birthdays and other special occasions and decorated those students’ lockers.

“Students were really shocked and thrilled to death that they did this,” commented the principal on the outcome of those efforts.

Additionally, Mrs. Carlin gave recognition to students who participated in a special pen pal program with one of the school’s Special Education classes. Complimenting the students on the wonderful work they did, Mrs. Carlin went on to describe the way students rotated correspondents between each other in order to individually get to know as many of the students as possible. The success of this first endeavor had the principal saying, “Many of these students have volunteered to come back a second time.”

The RPMS students recognized for being part of the Long Writers Pen Pal Club were Alexis Cieslinski, Angeliesse Barlett, Brianna Feliciano, Emma Cieslinski, Julia Berlinski, Karen Galvan, Kevin Feliciano, Jonmarie Sanders, Luana DaLuz, Madison Cieslinski, Madison Martinez, Matias Carrion, Nicole Flor, and Seth Levine.

Roselle Park High School (RPHS) is hosting its Spring Blood Drive this Wednesday, June 13th from 9 a.m. till 3 p.m. at the RPHS gym. The drive is sponsored by the New Jersey Blood Services, which is a division of the New York Blood Center (link).

Chaired this year by RPHS Senior Lindsey Bianco, the 2015 Spring Blood Drive will have a patriotic theme and those who donate blood will have an opportunity – before or after giving blood – to write a postcard that will be sent out to those serving in the American military. Lindsey is assisted by RPHS Seniors Holly Ryan, Sarah Barbosa, and Jessica McGovern in this drive.

The requirements for donating blood are:

• Eat  a meal beforehand
• Bring identification
• Be at least 110 lbs.
• Be at least 16-years-old with a content form. 17-year-olds and older do not require one.

The New Jersey/New York area faces a high demand for blood with close to 2,000 donations needed each day. Those who need blood include cancer patients, accident/burn/trauma victims, newborn babies, mothers delivering babies, transplant recipients, surgery patients, chronically transfused patients suffering from sickle cell disease or thalassemia, and many more.

At last night Board Of Education (BOE) meeting, the Board unanimously passed a $32,932,801 budget for the school year 2015-16. Out of the nearly $33 million budget, $20,454,668 of that will be coming from property taxes.

The nearly $12.5 million difference comes from various forms of revenue including transportation aid, special education aid, various other forms of state aid, Medicaid reimbursement, tuition paid to the school from students in other districts, and excess surplus. On the levy side, $688,100 that will be coming from taxpayers will be to pay off debt service. This is the amount that has to be paid off, like a mortgage, on an annual basis for the expansion of the school district that was voted for by a referendum in 2005.

The Roselle Park School District (RPSD), even though it has moved its elections to November, still operates on a school calendar year, not a January to December calendar. This means that half of last year’s budget along with half of this budget will be used to calculate the increase in 2015 property taxes for a household assessed at $65,000 – the standard currently used for such calculations. The increase is estimated to be around $300 which translates into the school portion of 2015 property taxes being an average $4,390.10. This year’s increase is almost a hundred dollars more than last year’s increase in the school budget which was $207.

A copy of the full 2015-16 school budget is available below along with a copy of the 2014-15 RPSD budget.

At the May 12th Board Of Education (BOE) meeting, the Board unanimously approved to appoint Donna Glomb as the new principal for Sherman School to replace Mrs. Mary Christensen who will be retiring in June at the end of this school year. Mrs. Glomb was selected from a group of over 80 applications that were submitted from both in and outside the school district.

Mrs. Glomb was previously a teacher in Roselle Park until 2006 when she left to pursue her career in Administration. She has worked in the Keansburg School District for nine years as an administrator in the positions of elementary Vice Principal, Principal, and currently Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction. She received her undergraduate degree in Education and Psychology from William Paterson College – now University – in 1992. She taught 5th, 6th, and 1st grade for 12 years before receiving her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Monmouth University in 2005.

With expertise in literacy instruction as well as having been part of various initiatives that helped raise student achievement, Mrs. Glomb stated that she will be bringing that wealth of knowledge and experiences to the district to enhance the education of the children under her care.

Donna Glomb is married to popular Roselle Park Middle School teacher Robert Glomb.

“The five and a half years I spent in Roselle Park as a first grade teacher were very rewarding to me,” said Mrs. Glomb when reached for, “To be given the opportunity to return and serve this great community once more as the Principal of Sherman School is an honor.

The New Jersey School Counselor Association (NJSCA) held its 2014-15 “Counselor Of The County” Awards Ceremony last Wednesday, May 20th, at New Jersey City University. This school year’s recipient for Union County’s School Counselor is Roselle Park High School’s (RPHS) own Mrs. Ann T. Moore. The Awards luncheon was sponsored by the Undergraduate Admissions Department of New Jersey City University in Jersey City, NJ.

Mrs. Moore has worked in the Roselle Park School District for over 40 years. She started out as a French teacher for grades 7 and 8 at the Roselle Park Middle School (RPMS) before moving to RPHS to teach Spanish and ESL (English as a Second Language). In 1998, Mrs. Moore became a guidance counselor and currently serves students whose last name begins with the letters P-Z. She is very active in assisting students to find and apply for scholarships.

RPHS Principal Sarah Costa commented, “Mrs. Moore is dedicated to her students and our school. She definitely deserves this recognition. She has worn many hats in this district and always puts our students first.”

Nominated by her colleagues and selected by Union County’s School Counselor Associations for this award, Mrs. Moore was honored as a professional who devotes her career to serving as an advocate, and often a lifesaver, for the students under her care. She was selected because of her ability to deliver an effective school counseling program which focuses on academic development, career counseling, and personal/social support. She has further distinguish herself by proving to be a leader of systemic change, an advocate for students, and a collaborative professional who seeks the success of the student – in school and in life. More specific information on the NJSCA can be found at their website (link).

As a finalist, Ms. Moore is eligible to be named the 2015 NJ School Counselor of the Year.

This Saturday, June 13th, will have the Community United Methodist Church (CUMC) and Community PreSchool Summer sponsor a Kick-Off Kids Party.

The party will start at 10 in the morning and run till 1 p.m.

There will be games & prizes, face painting, a dinosaur dig, Bible songs as well as a performance. There will also be free play on tricycles, jump ropes, hulahoops, and chalk. The event will included free popcorn, italian ices, chips, and drinks.

The party is also an opportunity for families to visit the PreSchool Open House, which will start full-day pre-Kindergarten in the Fall. Staff will be available for tours and will be on-hand to answer any questions about their curriculum.

Community PreSchool Director Pam Henn stated, “We invite all families from the community visit with us. This is the perfect time to register for our summer session and for our fall programs.”

The Community PreSchool is located on East Grant Avenue at the intersection of Chestnut Street. Parking is available on East Grant Avenue as well as at the parking lot across the street at Michael Mauri Park.

Anyone seeking more information can contact Mrs. Henn at (908) 245-8651.

The Roselle Park High School (RPHS) Robotics Team – also known as Park Robotics – qualified and, hopefully, are on their way to the Teacher-Student Association VEX National Championship in Texas. That is an accomplishment in and of itself when you consider that RPHS is not a technology or engineering high school. Still, support from the community is needed to get there.

More on that in a little bit.

First, a bit of history.

Park Robotics has come a long way to get to where it is today, and in just two years. Mr. Seibert, one of the two teachers involved in the team, recounted, “This year, we were able to compete at a much higher level due to the dedication of our students and the support of faculty, administration, peers, and parents. As a second year team we are very lucky to have competed at such a high level.”

Luck might have something to do with it, but it is not the only thing.

Starting from a grant that was applied for and awarded by NASA in January of 2014, the RPHS Robotics Team came in at 7:15 in the morning everyday during competition to work on their robotic creations and stay after school till 5 or 6 at night – and still do their homework and other responsibilities. They spent countless hours brainstorming, designing, building, and coding; trying, failing, trying again and again and never giving up until the pieces of steel took shape and came to life. Over time, all that hard work and dedication paid off.

In December of 2014, they were semi-finalists in the Team Challenge of the VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) at Ranney School. Then, a little over a month later on January 17th of this year, Park Robotics not only reached the semi-finals level again in the Team Challenge but also took first place in the Programming Skills Challenge; this qualified them for the New Jersey State Championship in Cherry Hill. Later, on the last day of January, at the South Brunswick VRC Event, they once again were semi-finalists for the Team Challenge and, once again, took first place for the Programming Skills Challenge.

Then, just this month on May 2nd, at the New Jersey Technology Student Association Competition, Park Robotics came in 3rd overall for the Team Challenge and took 2nd place in the Driver Skills Challenge.

Those achievements landed them a spot to go to the Nationals in Texas at the end of June.

The team of 25 from a small town in New Jersey consisting of 19 young men and 6 young women – mostly sophomores but also freshmen, juniors, and seniors – led by two teachers have a chance to make it to the Nationals. And to think, it all started with 9 students just a year ago.

Remember, this is just Roselle Park.

Now, remove one word to show the pride.

This is Roselle Park.

With a chance to compete on the national stage in sight, the opportunity for the community to take part in it – however small – is available. Due to limited funding and being that the team is so new, contributions are being ask for in order to defray the expenses to go to the National Championship. A GoFundMe page has been started (link) and already the team is a third of the way to their goal of $3,000. Every bit helps, be it $5 or $25 or $100. Every dollar is a step closer, not only to the Nationals, but to supporting the future of Roselle Park Robotics. Any funds raised beyond the goal (or on the off chance that the goal is not reached), those donations will be used to purchase equipment and parts for future robots.

RPHS parent Debby Serrano understands how important technology and engineering are to the future of a child’s education. She commented, “I would recommend the STEM programs to other parents. I didn’t know anything about the program until I encouraged my son to take a technology class. This is where we met Mr. Chin, a young energetic teacher who really inspired my son. It wasn’t long until my son told me he wanted to pursue Engineering. I attend every competition and really see a bright group of kids guided by two wonderful teachers, Mr. Seibert and Mr. Chin.”

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics and is a high school program designed to emphasize the importance of the sciences not only to education but the future since it is estimated that 80% of jobs created in the next decade will require math and science skills. It invests in the future with its programs today.

Investing in the future is basically what education is when you think about it. It gives students the opportunities to go places and do things they never thought they could do if they just try. From applying for a grant that might not have been awarded – it was – to building robots that might not have worked – they do – to having a young new team take part in competitions that they might not have won – they did – to possibly making it all the way to the Nationals – they might – with just a little support from Roselle Park.

Anyone interested in donating can visit the Roselle Park Robotics GoFundMe page (link).

The VEX National Championship will be from June 28th – July 2nd at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center about a half hour northwest of Dallas, Texas.

Photograph courtesy of Debby Serrano

At the June 10th Board Of Education (BOE) meeting, the board approved Alina Garrido as a district substitute teacher, as recommended by the Superintendent. During the first public comment section of that meeting, Jacob Magiera asked school superintendent Pedro Garrido if there was any relation. Mr. Garrido answered that she is his daughter. The superintendent further stated that substitute teachers are exempt from the district’s nepotism policy.

A review of both the Roselle Park School District (RPSD) policy and NJAC 6A:23A-6.2(b) confirms such is the case.

The New Jersey Administrative Code, which governs school district hiring practices by statute and regulation, under nepotism states “A school district or county vocational school district may exclude per diem substitutes and student employees from its board nepotism policy.”

A review of Roselle Park School District Policy 4112.8, under Nepotism, also includes – as the last section of the policy – that “Per diem substitutes and student employees are excluded from this nepotism policy.”

As a substitute, Ms. Garrido, if utilized, will be paid $95/day.

Although such an appointment makes some uneasy about the hiring of relatives, it is covered under the RPSD policy. It is not an automatic exemption as the NJAC regulation states that school districts may exclude such personnel. The decision to allow such a policy remains with individual school districts.

The Roselle Park High School (RPHS) Marching Band will be having a car wash this Saturday, July 11th, from 9 a.m. till 3 in the afternoon.

The car wash will be in front of Roselle Park High School at 185 West Webster Avenue.

All donations will go to the support the Marching Band.

The rain date will be the following Saturday, July 18th.

The deadline for anyone wishing to run for a seat on the Board Of Education (BOE) is Monday, July 27th by 4 p.m. The school board election is 99 days later on same date as the general election which is Tuesday, November 3, 2015.

The nine-member school board has three (3) seats up for election every year in Roselle Park and 2015 has the seats currently held by Scott Bruckenstein, James Damm, and Troy Gerten available.

School board elections work differently than general elections in that voters can choose up to three BOE candidates at once and do not simply have to choose only one candidate. No one runs against each other, they simply accumulate votes, and those with the top-three most votes are elected.

Candidates filing a nominating petition for a school board must meet the following requirements:

• Must be a citizen of the United States of America
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must be able to read and write
• Must be a resident of the municipality from which he/she is to be elected for at least one year preceding the date of the election.
• Is a registered voter in the district.
• Is not disqualified as a voter pursuant to NJSA 19:4-1
• Is not disqualified from membership for the conviction of crimes pursuant to NJSA 18A:12-1

Within 30 days of an election or appointment to the school board, a member must undergo a criminal history background investigation through the New Jersey Department Of Education (NJDOE).

It should be noted that although it is not explicitly stated in the petition, it is presumed that a candidate must be able to read and write English.

The nominating petition must have, at least ten (10) signatures, one of which may be the candidate’s, to be accepted by the County Clerk.  Petitions must be filed with the county clerk in Elizabeth, not Roselle Park Borough Hall.

A Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) circular, along with other pertinent information, are available on the New Jersey School Board Association (NJSBA) website (link).

A copy of the nominating petition is available below but anyone interested in running or needing more information should call the Union County Clerk’s office at (908) 527-4360.

The Friends of the Roselle Park High School will be holding auditions this coming Sunday and next Wednesday for the 2015 “A Night Of Broadway” cabaret show.

Auditions will be at the Roselle Park High School auditorium, located at 185 West Webster Avenue, on the following dates and times:

• Sunday, July 19th at 3 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 23rd at 7 p.m.

The only requirements are that participants must be either Roselle Park High School alumni or a current Roselle Park resident who is at least 21-years-old.

Those auditioning are to bring a filled-out Audition Application (link) as well as a headshot photograph (4″x6″ or bigger) and schedule for an audition online (link for Sunday) (link for Wednesday).

Each applicant should prepare a song that is cabaret-appropriate – musical theater, jazz, or pop genres – and is 3 to 5 minutes in length. The audition should showcase the applicant’s abilities as a singer and a performer.

An accompaniment track on a CD, smartphone, MP3 player, iPad, tablet, etc. is to be brought to the audition. A live accompanist may be provided if there are enough requests for one, however the applicant must provide the sheet music. Anyone requesting a live accompanist should send their request to rphscabaret[@]gmail.com (remove brackets before sending e-mail).

Those who are selected will take part in the October 3, 2015 Dinner Theater Cabaret at Crossroads (link) in Garwood. The ensemble performance will be co-directed by Roselle Park Faculty musicians Linda Green and Eric Witkowski.

Friends of Roselle Park High School is a nonprofit organization created with the purpose of easing the financial burden of the community by creating a permanent funding source solely to be used for Capital Improvements to enable the students of RPHS to benefit from a modern, safe and comfortable learning environment. Most recently, they were instrumental in raising funds and awareness to renovate the RPHS auditorium.

A copy of the application is available below:

Download File (PDF)

On Wednesday, July 15th, the New Jersey Department Of Education (NJDOE) released a state-, county-, district-, and school-level database on 2013-14 teacher evaluations. The database is a result of TEACHNJ Act, which stands for “Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey” Act. Passed in 2012, TEACHNJ Act has both its supporters and critics who – while agreeing on its intent to improve evaluations for teachers throughout the state – differ on the impact to student learning as well as the reliability of measuring educators’ performance.

The TEACHING Act increases one year to the tenure process (from three to four) but it also provides an opportunity for those teachers to be mentored. Additionally, a School Improvement Panel, which is a school administrator (principal) and a designee (usually a vice principal or veteran teacher), is responsible for performing the evaluations and supervising the mentoring.

The scoring was separated into four (4) different levels (‘Highly Effective’, ‘Effective’, ‘Partially Effective’, and ‘Ineffective’) with a numbering system between 1 and 4  that were obtained from averaging various elements including planning, instruction, professionalism, environment, and student growth objectives. The levels were separated, according to the NJ DOE, into the following breakdown:

The database does not contain specific evaluations of individual teachers, but that of schools and districts.

In addition to the data provided, suppression rules have been included to further remove the ability to discover an individual’s evaluation. The suppression rules applied were as follow:

1. Records that had a count less than ten (10) were suppressed. On the NJDOE website, an example was provided where if nine (9) or fewer staff received a rating of Ineffective (or any other category), the record would be suppressed and not be part of the data file.
2. When one performance level is suppressed due to the reason above – and all four performance level ratings are present, the next lowest staff count will be suppressed to disallow roll-up to find the rating count for the first level suppressed and thus potentially identify educators. This is why some levels have asterisks (*) in the same school or district.
3. Records with 100% staff in one performance level are suppressed, as per state law. In such cases, only the total staff count record will be provided as part of the data file. Such is the case with Mountainside. The thinking is that the public would know the level of every single educator, be it ‘Highly Effective’, ‘Effective’, ‘Partially Effective’, and ‘Ineffective’.

In the instances where records were suppressed due to the first two rules, those combined counts would always be included in the totals.

With that background, data is provided below both on each school’s ranking of ‘Highly Effective’ teachers and the school district’s within the county and state.

In The District

The first table compares the schools within the Roselle Park School District (RPSD).

The evaluation, according to the data, was of 170 teachers in the school district, this even though a tally of  all school totals equals 169.

Reviewing each school, Sherman School had the highest percentage of ‘Highly Effective’ teachers at 64%, followed by Roselle Park High School (RPHS) at 63%. Roselle Park Middle School (RPMS) had the lowest ‘Highly Effective’ rating, under 13.3%. This percentage was arrived at using the suppression rule determining that RPMS had counts in more than one of the three remaining categories then verifying the count by cross-checking the column totals against the row totals.

It can also be deduced, by subtracting all the counts in the ‘Effective’ column from the total that Sherman School had ten (10) teachers that were rated at that level.

In The County

The next table has Roselle Park ranking 4th or 5th highest among Union County schools for ‘Highly Effective’ teachers.

The variance in ranking is due to the 3rd suppression rule for Mountainside where the district received either 100% in ‘Highly Effective’ or 100% in some other category. If all of Mountainside’s teachers received ‘Highly Effective’, then it would be highest, if not it would be last.

Out of the 21 municipalities in Union County, RPSD ranked higher than 15 other districts (Scotch Plains and Fanwood share one school system).

Comparatively

The final table shows RPSD in comparison to other schools not confined by municipal boundaries in Union County as well as the county and state averages. In all instances with the following data, Roselle Park ranked higher than those schools as well as the county and state averages.

Taking the evaluations throughout the state, excluding suppressed districts (there were 38 of them in line with the 3rd suppression rule) Roselle Park ranked 138th; just at the top 25% – (25.4%) of all 544 ranked school districts.

This first such ranking system will surely have debate on both the pro and con of how analogous such evaluation is to education. Among questions that will be asked regarding the methodology is whether certain districts assessed their teachers at a stricter (or more lenient) measure than others, even though some elements were not objective.

Discussions resulting from these evaluations among districts, schools, educators, parents, and communities will add another dynamic to a growing list of new initiatives – from PARCC to Common Core – that time will determine whether models of teaching in Roselle Park and New Jersey will improve or become constrained.

A copy of the raw data is available at the NJ DOE website (link) or the newspaper’s download mirror (link).

At the June 23rd Board Of Education (BOE) meeting, a proposed salary increase of 1.75% for the 2015-16 school year for non-staff personnel was on the agenda to be voted on by the Board. During the first public comment portion of the meeting where people in the audience can discuss agenda items only, Jamie O’Connell, a Roselle Park School District employee, spoke on behalf of the non-union staff, some of whom were in the audience at the Roselle Park High School.

“I beg you not to approve it. I beg you to say ‘nay’,” stated Mrs. O’Connell in her objection to the proposed increase, “And the reason behind that is because it’s a 1.75% increase . . . The administrative assistants I’ve worked with, I know that they work very hard at what they do and we were there early, we stayed late, some of us don’t take lunch and 1.75% doesn’t even cover the mandatory increase to the pension rate which is 0.14% and if you add them together, the mandatory point and the contribution 2.4%, that’s a 2.54% increase of deductions out of our paychecks that we have no control over. So to me, a 1.75% increase . . . across the board for non-union staff to me just doesn’t make any kind of sense.”

In combining the increase with the already existing contribution percentage, the amount is more than the increase but the 2.4% is the amount that was already in place since last year. The increase itself is less than one percent but even taking the argument that a 1.75% salary increase in addition to last year’s 2% salary increase would not cover a combined 2.54%, then a 2% increase would still not cover pension contributions.

Mrs. O’Connell continued, “If you were in a corporate environment, people are compensated based on their performance. I have not an appraisal that told me that my performance was not good. So how can you just approve on an agenda without even giving a reasoning behind why you’re taking away, basically giving a non-increase? That’s just how I feel. I feel like a 1.75% increase is not even an increase at all since we have mandatory things that are taken out of our paychecks.”

After the first public comment portion of the meeting, the BOE unanimously approved the 1.75% increase to most positions in the district. At the second public comment portion, Mrs. O’Connell once again spoke, offering an alternative. She commented, “So, since you’ve shown that you’ve approved that already and you show that you don’t use financial compensation, then I urge you as an administration to take soft compensation. For example, a four [day] summer work schedule where the secretaries come in early, take shorter lunches, and work extra hours [where] we cover each other. There’s never a time where there is no coverage. There’s never a time where we leave it unstaffed. And if it has to do with productivity issue, once again, no one’s ever spoken to us regarding our productivity. I don’t understand why something that’s been a past practice since 1997 is being taken away. It’s almost like we’re being punished based on our salary increase. We’re being punished based on our soft compensation. I just don’t understand why since no one’s spoken to us about our productivity. A few of us in the office are newer and we don’t have as many vacation days as some of the more senior secretaries, so it’s very important for us from a family life perspective to have those four days.”

From her comments, it appeared that the summer workweek of providing non-union staff with a four-day workweek, was not offered this year. Mrs. O’Connell referred to how the BOE offices would still remain open five days a week, unlike Borough Hall which is closed on Fridays this year from June through the end of August. She stated, “All it’s doing by taking away the four-day workweek is making secretaries use their vacation days. You’re still not going to have the coverage in the office because we’ll just take our vacation days . . . but we don’t get that many to use. Some of us do and some of us don’t.”

“The way to keep good employees is by compensating them financially or with soft compensation,” stated the Mrs. O’Connell in asking the Board to consider her proposal, “And since that’s not being done, then how are you going to keep and retain good employees? Because it’s easy to go get another job but it’s hard to keep people who want to be here. I want to stay here. I want to do the best I can for the district which I think if you ask any of the teachers or my boss or anyone, if I’ve been doing a good job since I got here. I’ve made financial improvements. I’ve brought a 360 degree customer service to the teachers. But why would I stay in a district that doesn’t compensate me and doesn’t give me soft compensation?”

The BOE went into closed session after the meeting but did not return with any action on the proposal by the non-union staff.

While waiting outside during the executive session, Mrs. O’Connell spoke on the core issue to her and others regarding the Board’s action.

“The problem is that they don’t communicate,” she remarked, adding that in previous years, non-union salary increases would be approved after the unions have their contracts ratified but this year they approved non-union salaries first. Currently, the BOE and the teachers’ union – the RPEA (Roselle Park Education Association) – are in negotiations for a contract that will cover the next three school years. In previous years, non-union staff received a 2% increase in line with what the RPEA received. Still, no reason was given publicly nor, according to Mrs. O’Connell to the non-union staff.

She reiterated, “There is a lack of communication. If they gave a reason, I would understand that but it looks to me like they said ‘Let’s just do 1.75% across the board and call it a day’. Because we’re non-union, we don’t have any representation so they could do whatever they want.”

When asked if a scenario arose and the RPEA received less than 1.75%, would she match that percentage, Mrs. O’Connell answered, “I wouldn’t because I come from a corporate background where you compensate people based on their performance and, again, we’ve never been told that our performance was not good. Just sit down with us and say ‘this is the reason’. What [they did] does is it reduces employee morale and it causes people to want to look for other jobs because they don’t know what’s going on and they don’t feel like they’re being fairly treated.”

In concluding her comments, the de facto non-union staff spokeswoman stated, “It’s understandable [if it’s] the financial situation but I’m sure if you add up the amount of money, it’s not that much money.”

And in reviewing the figures, for the most part, she is correct, with one exception; the salary of the Director of Plant Operations.

In order to address the monetary difference between a ¼ of a percent, a table shown below has tabulated the difference in increases between 1.75% and 2% for all comparable non-union salaried positions listed at the June 23rd meeting agenda. Some positions were removed to not being included in the June 23rd agenda and some positions being removed.

An analysis of a proposed 2% was tabulated next to the general increase of 1.75%, with the exception of a 5% increase for the position of Director of Plant Operations. Matching comparable positions from 2014-15 to this coming school year, leaving out the Director of Plant Operations, the 0.25% difference would have meant an increase of $1,506.08 for all positions in the annual budget for non-union staff. Including the 5% actual increase of the Director of Plant Operations shows that the total increase is $525.81 more then if everyone received a 2% increase. A 2% across-the-board increase would have been $2,031.88 less than what was approved at the June BOE meeting.

No explanation was provided at the meeting as to why that particular position received almost three times an increase over every other position. Additionally, the percentage increase for that position does not reflect last year’s increase.

The question still remains that if the decision was a cost-saving measure, why are the actual increases combined more than if all positions received a 2% increase. Even with a flat 2% increase for non-union staff, it would mean a total $1,500 increase in the budget. If that was not the reasoning, are current negotiations with the RPEA a factor in a preemptive move by the Board to signify the amount they are asking the teachers’ union to accept in order to deal with the serious financial issues that the school district will be facing in the very near future (article link)? Or were there actual performance factors concerning one or a few employees that would have been revealed in percentages that are public information?

The next BOE meeting is tonight at 7 p.m. in the Roselle Park Middle School.