Cedar Grove Board Awards Construction Contracts

The Cedar Grove Board of Education had a jam-packed public meeting Tuesday night, which saw the awarding of contracts for construction work on district school buildings, the approval of the tentative 2012-13 $24.4 million budget and a discussion from various residents on the district's homework policy.

Construction Contracts

After what Cedar Grove Board of Education President Frank Mandala, called a "long run," the board awarded contracts to begin facility upgrades on four of its schools. 

The work is a result of a  approved last year by voters, and will cover repairs and replacements for roofs, doors and windows at the , the , the  building, and .

As architect Robert Donahue explained in a presentation, the awarding of contracts was split into two separate projects, one for the high school and the other for the remaining schools.

Both projects received extensive bids, with 26 contractors submitting for the high school project and 24 bidding on the other project. The contracts awarded for both projects were below budget estimates and included additions and construction alternatives such as integral window blinds, motorized window operators, air conditioning in certain rooms of the high school and upgraded ceilings.

After Donahue's presentation, the board unanimously approved a $3.137 million contract for the elementary schools and Leonard R. Parks buildings to Vanas Construction Company. The board estimated a construction cost estimate of $3.445 million, representing a savings of $308,300.

For the high school project, the board awarded a $6.410 million contract to Brockwell and Carrington Contractors. The board estimate for this project was $7.076 million. 

When asked why the bids were below budget and if the approved bids were reasonable, Donahue explained the majority of bids submitted fell below the projected costs. "The bid bids were tight, it was a few thousands of dollars separating bids," Donahue said. He added the economy was driving the low bids.

After the contracts were awarded, Donahue said the next step is a kick off meeting with construction work to begin in the summer. In anticipation of board approval, window contractors had already begun taking measurements, as window replacements represent such a large portion of the renovations.

Tentative 2012-13 Budget

The board also submitted the tentative 2012-13 school budget to the Essex County superintendent after unanimously approving it.

The tentative budget totals $27.1 million, with the amount to be raised by taxes representing $24.4 million. The board did receive notice from the state Feb. 23 they would receive $723,300 in additional state aid, representing a 31% increase over the 2011-12 school year.

Cedar Grove Superintendent Gene Polles and Finance committee members Christine Dye and Pamela Burke outlined some of the additions the board would like to make in the upcoming school year, particularly in the area of personnel.  These additions include the following:

• One full-time Math Basic Skills Teacher at the high school
• One full-time Regular and Basic Skills high school math teacher
• Two additional math teachers for Grades 7 and 8 at the middle school, allowing for two blocks of math daily for each student
  
  In addition to planning for increased staff in the upcoming year, the board has begun plans for increasing staff for the following two school years. These additions include a full-time Spanish teacher for the middle school, adding instruction before school at the middle school for band and orchestra (zero period), rather than pulling students out during the school day, a full-time world language teacher and a reading specialist to be shared between both elementary schools, and additional teachers for English, World Language and the Media Center at the high school.

A public hearing on the 2012-13 budget will take place at the board meeting on March 26.

Discussion on Homework Policy

While the board is awaiting a report from high school Principal Michael Fetherman on homework policy, Cedar Grove resident Lorraine Ruggiero again pressed her case for the elimination of zeros for homework that is not turned in on time.

Ruggiero has been circulating a petition and has formed the Parents Against Zeros committee. During the public portion of the meeting, Ruggiero said she is concerned with the below average students who have IEP's (Individual Education Plan).

Ruggiero said many of these students have completed homework but sometimes have forgotten to bring it to class, leaving it in their locker.

Ruggiero said giving a student a zero is demoralizing and suggested other consequences such as detention.

Several board members, as well as other Cedar Grove residents and a high school student, spoke out against Ruggiero's proposal.

"As we are getting ready for college, we need deadlines," said Cedar Grove High School student Renee DeLora.  She said if the board took away grading penalties for missed homework assignments, they would take away students ability to learn responsibility.

DeLora's mother, Colleen, also spoke about what would be the incentive for students to turn in homework if they were not penalized academically.

She also said giving detention is not always practical as many students have after school commitments such as part-time jobs, athletic practices and games and other extra curricular activities.

Students who travel by bus would also be impacted, she said, since they would miss the afterschool bus and might have to wait several hours for a working parent to pick them up.

Cedar Grove resident Tara DiMattia, a high school teacher in the Caldwell-West Caldwell district, also spoke out against the "No Zero" policy.

"You are teaching accountability.  If there is no real consequences, you are giving permission to get by. This is problematic and upsetting," she said.

As a teacher, DiMattia also said a detention policy is not practical.  "Schools are not a utopia. Who would manage detention? What if a student missed multiple assignments on one day?," she asked.

Many board members said they would make a decision after reviewing Fetherman's report, which will be presented in April.

However, board members did respond to some of Ruggiero's claims about the need for teachers to "educate kids, not fail them."

"Teachers do not give grades. Students earn them," said board member Laura Marinelli. 

Other board members noted homework is just one of the many assessment tools used by teachers to evaluate students, and with homework typically accounting for 10% of a student's total grade, one or two missed assignments will generally not negatively impact a student's grade in a marking period.

Mandala said parents can keep track of missed assignments by checking the parent portal.

"It is parent's responsibility. It starts at home. It cannot just be the responsibility of the teachers."

He and other board members added while there are always extenuating circumstances, penalizing students for missing homework assignments is teaching them about the "real world."