At the Thursday, Oct. 16, Haddonfield Board of Education meeting, the board provided insights on construction, HEA contract negotiations and the superintendent search.
The Thursday, Oct. 26, Haddonfield Board of Education meeting held in Haddonfield Memorial High School’s library was punctured by the steady hum of drilling as borough crews worked on a section of Kings Highway just outside the school. The meeting’s soundtrack of construction was particularly fitting as the board spent much of the evening discussing issues related to bond referendum construction, updating the public on the superintendent search and fielding questions about the ongoing Haddonfield Education Association contract negotiations.
The meeting’s agenda saw citizens’ comments pushed to a later slot in the evening than is typical. Board president Adam Sangillo said this was done by design in the hope that his presentation might provide insights into some of the staff and community’s concerns.
“My report tonight is going to be some answers to some questions that came up,” Sangillo said.
Sangillo began his presentation with a timetable on the district’s superintendent search. He said the board will send surveys to the staff and school district community in early November to get an idea as to what the Haddonfield community is seeking in a superintendent.
Applications for the position are due on Jan. 1, and the district plans to hold interviews in January and February. Sangillo said their hope is to extend an offer to someone in April, so the new superintendent can start in June.
The district’s air quality testing results came back last week, with every area tested having come back clear, Sangillo said.
“We’re comfortable that you’re working in a healthy environment,” Sangillo said to the staff in attendance.
Rob Notley of New Roads Construction provided further construction updates later in the evening. He said there is no state mandate requiring air quality testing during construction, but they will continue to perform tests to ensure staff and students are breathing safely.
He said crews are trying to be proactive in terms of dust management. The contractor is required to wet down areas prior to demolition, and they’re bringing in fans for ventilation, Notley said. However, Notley said dust is still an inevitable byproduct of the construction.
“We’re still going to create dust,” Notley said. “It’s still going to go on throughout the school year.”
Thus far, 33 percent of the cost of the project has been completed, and 33 percent of the referendum unforeseen conditions allowance has been used. Notley said the fact that both expenses are tracking at the same rate is a good sign.
Notley said they awarded $526,000 in change orders at the beginning of construction this summer. Some of this was due to alternate bid items, such as synthetic shingles for the high school that were necessary to maintain the building’s historic designation, as well as expenses related to asbestos abatement work done over the summer. He said asbestos was found at Elizabeth Haddon Elementary School and HMHS. The asbestos was removed, and all air quality tests that followed came back clear, Notley said.
Board vice-president Susan Kutner said there have been “evolving solutions” as construction issues arise.
“We expect things to be to be found during construction, but there’s nothing that’s budget breaking or earth shaking,” Kutner said.
Kutner said the board is quickly addressing construction issues that pop up at the schools and that are discussed on social media.
Sangillo also addressed social media at one point in the evening, saying he was reading the public’s tweets about citizens’ comments being slated for later on the agenda than usual. He said his hope in providing his report prior to citizens’ comments was to inform and not to make people wait to speak.
In regard to ongoing HEA contract negotiations, he said both sides will meet with the state-appointed mediator on Dec. 5. He said the board’s labor relations attorney costs to date have totalled approximately $17,500.
During citizens’ comments, parent Lindsay Vest asked why the board and HEA are deferring negotiations until Dec. 5 when they could continue to negotiate in the meantime. She said coming to an agreement would save taxpayers the meditation fee and provide some comfort to staff.
“The very active bargaining would do a great deal for the morale of our educators,” Vest said.
Head of the negotiations committee Glenn Moramarco said both sides agreed it made more sense to wait for the mediator at this point.
Jamie Vermaat, past co-president and current head contract negotiator for the HEA, echoed Moramarco’s sentiment.
“It seems mutal at this point that the mediator is going to be the next time that we’re going to meet,” Vermaat said.
HEA co-president William Usher said the longer staff work without an updated contract, “the more anxiety builds among staff.” He said Haddonfield staff wants to start 2018 with a sense of certainty about their futures.
“Ending 2017 without a new contract would be a kick in the stomach for the staff — to be really blunt,” Usher said.
Sangillo said the board’s goal is to be prepared to settle, and once the contract is settled, the district wants to get to work on creating a strategic plan. He said this means getting feedback from staff and the school community to chart the course of the district’s future.
“Strategic plans are all about listening,” Sangillo said.
According to Sangillo, the plan will dovetail into the superintendent search, so that once they have a strategic plan in place, they can explain to the new superintendent what direction they want Haddonfield headed in. He said they hope to wrap up the strategic plan by late January or early February.
The next Haddonfield Board of Education meeting will take place in the HMHS library on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m.
