School board to review legal counsel

The Board of Education voted, 5-3, to seek proposals from potential new board attorneys at its meeting Thursday, July 17.

Board members Kurt Morris, Leigh McMichael and Lauren Collier voted no. Michelle Hinkle was absent from the meeting.

Morris, a former board president, pointed out everyone seems to be pleased with the legal work of Schenck, Price, Smith & King of Florham Park.

”So if the law firm is doing such a great job for our district, why disrupt it and go with someone that we don’t know who we’re going to get.”

McMichael said Schenck, Price has provided “consistent, proactive, effective service, most notably helping us settle the teachers contract in record time.”

“Their institutional knowledge and responsiveness have real value,” she added.

Collier said, “I just feel there’s simply no compelling reason to seek change.”

She pointed out that the firm has expertise in all areas of law needed by a school board so hiring multiple firms is not necessary.

Partner Marc Zitomer handles routine board business while partner Joseph Roselle handles labor negotiations and partner Kate Gilfillan handles special-education cases.

Morris said the board’s case list has been reduced recently, and McMichael pointed out legal fees represent just one-quarter of 1 percent of the budget.

Board president Kaitlyn Gagnon said this move isn’t personal and she had worked well with Zitomer since she joined the board.

However, she previously raised concerns about how the board was being charged for certain legal items. Since then, those fees have stopped. “To me, that’s a problem because without that issue being raised by me, those costs would still be incurred.”

The board’s legal costs have fallen because of the lighter caseload and other reasons, she said. “However, our OPRA costs have also gone down significantly because I’d like to believe that the public has greater trust in our board currently than perhaps they did several years back.”

In addition, the board hasn’t re-evaluated its legal counsel for some time, and it is proper procedure to do that occasionally, she added.

Board member Roque Martinez said, “Regardless of the service, it would be remiss if a board does not review their vendors on a yearly cadence. ... The reverse of being comfortable is it becomes a relationship that actually is not helpful.”

State test results

Assistant Superintendent Tara Rossi reported results of the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment that 11th-graders took in the spring.

They are required to take the test, which measures English and math skills, in order to graduate.

In Sparta, 94.1 percent of students were deemed graduation ready in English language arts, compared with 81.6 percent statewide.

In math, 70.5 percent of Sparta students were graduation ready, compared with 54.7 percent statewide.

Superintendent Matthew Beck pointed out that Sparta High School’s graduation was held in the morning this year for the first time. “With this success, we hope we have started a new tradition in our district that is best for our students and their families to celebrate the momentous occasion.”

The high school will offer girls flag football for the first time in the spring as well as a girls wrestling co-op team with Jefferson Township High School, Sparta’s first official girls wrestling team, he said.

”We’re excited to see these two new teams in addition to all of our athletic teams in action for the upcoming school year.”

Sept. 16 referendum

Work on the Sept. 16 referendum continues, he reported. Public meetings will be scheduled before the vote.

”It is our goal to ensure all of our residents are fully informed on all aspects of the referendum so they can cast their informed vote in September.”

During the public comments, Angela DeLuccia, president of the Sparta Education Association, said the referendum is “not about luxury, it’s about necessity.”

She pointed out that Alpine Elementary School is overcrowded. Small-group instruction is done in hallways, and art and music teachers must push carts from classroom to classroom.

If the referendum is approved, Alpine would get a $49.8 million addition. The other schools also would be upgraded.

Martinez reported that the schools have accrued $27,000 to $28,000 in lunch arrears.

The district has to pay its vendor, so the board and staff have to notify parents to make sure their children don’t owe money for lunches.

“We do not want any child to go hungry, but we also need to pay for the services that were rendered,” he said.

The schools have resources to help people who can’t afford to pay for lunches and breakfasts, he noted. A breakfast program will start this fall.