School Board

Newly appointed Conerly Road principal David Heras address the school board at the November 18 meeting. The Board of Education appointed one new school principal, and accepted the resignation of another at its November 18 meeting. The Board appointed David Heras as the top educator at Conerly Road School. Heras, who assumes the $128,000-a-year position on January 1, 2022, succeeds …

Elizabeth Avenue School principal John Haney honors Donna King, a school paraprofessional, during the breakfast ceremony. Nearly 40 of the school district’s teachers and educational service professionals were honored November 3 at a special breakfast. For some, the ceremony was a year in the making. The district has been honoring its Teachers and Educational Service Professionals of the Year with …

Board of Education member Pat Stanley, seen in this file photo from 2020, was forced to leave the October 21 school board meeting for refusing to properly wear her mask. Board of Education member Pat Stanley was forced to leave the Board’s monthly meeting October 21 under the watchful eyes of township police after she refused to properly wear a …

Elizabeth Avenue School has reported nine cases of Covid-19 infection, the most in township schools. (Photo: Franklin Township Schools.) Two people affiliated with the school district are in quarantine, and there are 28 total Covid-19 cases in district schools as of October 4. The coronavirus cases are spread out among all district schools save one – Claremont Elementary School – …

The oversight of school district guidance services will now be handled by two people instead of one. The Board of Education at its September 23 meeting voted to create two new positions: Supervisor of Guidance Pre-K-8 and Supervisor of Guidance 9-12. The positions replace the former district-wide guidance director position. The former Director of Guidance, Dana Karas, left the job …

Vimal Sodhani presents the donation check to Board of Education president Nancy LaCorte at the September 23 meeting. A local charitable foundation made the first of what will be sustained donations to the school district’s Innovation Competition. Sodhani Foundation founder Vimal Sodhani donated $3,000 at the Board of Education’s September 23 meeting. The Innovation Competition is a STEM-(Science, Technology, Math, …

Board of Education candidates who showed up for the event responded to four questions. Six of the nine candidates for the Board of Education tried to put their best foot forward September 29 during a “Meet the Candidates” virtual event. The event was sponsored by the Franklin Township PTO Presidents’ Council and the Franklin Township Women’s Club. The candidates were …

Schools Superintendent John Ravally said that about 1,100 staff members had returned surveys about their vaccination status. School district officials estimate that about 150 of its staff members have not been vaccinated against Covid-19. Those teachers and staff members have until October 18 to get vaccinated, under an executive order issued by Governor Phil Murphy. If they do not get …

Jared Sheffrin and Nikki Tatum are the school district’s newest vice principals. Vice principals for Hillcrest School and the Road To Success Program, and Franklin Middle School – Sampson G. Smith campus, were appointed August 26 by the Board of Education. Nikki Tatum will leave her dual position as vice principal at Claremont and Franklin Park elementary schools to take …

District and school administrators took part in an August 23 webinar about the start of the school year. Student work loads this school year will generally be the same as they were before the Covid-19 pandemic, although students will work more independently, rather than in groups. Also, school buses will top off at about 40 students per trip, as a …