School Board

The Board of Education June 21 honored 30 retired township employees. The employees ranged from teachers to office workers. Special mention was made of Rick Goetz, a 36-year veteran who most recently served as supervisor of maintenance, grounds and custodial services, and Maureen Manning, the assistant business administrator for 12 years. Those honored with a special plaque were: Name, position, …

The district’s outstanding students were honored June 4 at a special Board of Education meeting. Students in the past have been honored at board meetings in April, May and June, but, schools Superintendent John Ravally said, this year students suggested a different approach. “We talked about the recognition the board likes to offer to our students who do amazing things, …

A 12-year educational veteran was named the first vice-principal of the new Claremont Road Elementary School May 24 by the Board of Education. Madlen Rizkalla will follow her former boss from Franklin Park School to the new elementary school, slated to open in September. She begins her new job on July 1 with a salary of $95,000. “This has been …

The school district’s educators of the year were honored May 24 in an annual breakfast held at the Imperia on Easton Avenue. Each of the district’s eight schools were represented by a teacher of the year and an educational services professional of the year. Introductions were made by building principals, and the awards were handed out by Board of Education …

The idea of putting metal detectors in township schools “is not off the table,” a crowd of about 100 people was told March 29 at the township Safety Symposium held at Franklin Middle School. In response to a question from a township resident, schools Superintendent John Ravally said that the idea of putting some kind of metal detection – whether …

Update: The Board of Education adopted the proposed 2018-19 schedule that sets September 20 as the first day of school. Two parents spoke against the late start, saying it would be an inconvenience for parents, and that it would interfere with fall sports practices. Schools Superintendent John Ravally said the district is looking at ways to alleviate any hardships for …

Nancy LaCorte was voted president and Ardaman Singh vice president at the Board of Education’s reorganization meeting on Jan. 9. The winners of the 2017 election – newcomers Michele Shelton, Michael Smith and Nishita Desai – were also sworn in during the meeting. Both LaCorte and Singh are in the second year of their current three-year terms. Also at the …

The final Board of Education meeting of 2017 was also the last meeting for members Pat Stanley and Ed Potosnak. Neither Stanley nor Potosnak were re-elected in their November bids. Stanley made no public statement during the meeting, which featured an unusually light agenda. But Postosnak expressed thanks and had some requests. “I wanted to thank the board for their …

Update: As expected, the Board of Education Oct. 19 accepted the resignation of the Franklin High School principal, and appointed an interim. Former principal Cheryl Clark abruptly resigned Oct. 13, citing personal reasons. Without comment, the school board Oct. 19 accepted Clark’s resignation and appointed FHS vice-principal Beth Ebler as the school’s interim principal through Feb. 28, 2018. According to …

A $23,057.25 merit bonus for schools Superintendent John Ravally was approved by the Board of Education. The board approved the bonus, the terms of which had been negotiated last year, at its July 19 special meeting. Ravally was eligible for merit bonuses based on his base salary at the time of the agreement of $177,500. Ravally and the district have …