Board of Education Taxes

An $85 million referendum that will result in a new elementary school and a realigned district was approved Dec. 9. The final tally was 1,953 “yes” votes to 1,463 “no” votes. Of the 16 voting districts established for special school elections, “no” votes outnumbered “yes” votes in only three: 2A and 2b, which includes several adult communities, and 6, which …

Parents and students from across the school district joined teachers and administrators Dec. 6 at Franklin High School for what was billed as a day of celebrating township schools. Punctuating the day, amid the student performances and curriculum demonstrations, were subtle and not-so-subtle messages in favor of the Dec. 9 construction referendum. Posters promoting the referendum were placed in the …

Township voters will decide Dec. 9 whether they’re willing to invest an average $166 a year in funding improvements to the school district’s buildings and realigning the elementary school grades. That’s the increase in yearly school-portion property tax bills estimated by school officials if the roughly $85 million referendum is approved. The figure is based on the average residential assessment …

A scheduled vote to rejoin a statewide consortium to buy natural gas starting next year was postponed by the Board of Education at its Nov. 20 meeting. The board took the action on the recommendation of interim schools Superintendent Lee Seitz. Seitz, as well as all board members and members of the administration and township government, received an email earlier …

        Incumbent member Ed Potosnak and newcomers Patricia Stanley and Latee Walton-McCleod won election to full three-year Board of Education terms on Nov. 4. Margaret Steele won the one-year unexpired term of former board member Robert Trautmann. These results are pending the counting of provisional ballots, which are not expected to change the outcome. Potosnak, who was selected to fill …

A township family’s negligence lawsuit against the Board of Education was given new life recently by a state Appellate Court panel. The three judges remanded to Superior Court the lawsuit brought by Freddy Florian and his mother, Carmela, which a Superior Court judge sitting in New Brunswick had dismissed on summary judgment. The case stemmed from an accident in which …

Contracts totaling more than $76,000 were approved at the Oct. 23 Board of Education meeting. The board approved a contract with Full Service Vending of Rockaway, through which the company will pay the board $27,118.05 to provide and maintain vending machines in the district’s schools. Full Service was one of two companies that bid for the contract, according to district …

The Board of Education at its Sept. 18 meeting said goodbye to its long-time business administrator, John Calavano. Sort of. Board members held a short ceremony at the beginning of the meeting to praise Calavano for his 17 years of service to the district, and, later in the meeting, hired him as a consultant through February, 2015. Board vice president Eva …

UPDATE: The Stage House Tavern was told to remove tables and chairs from an outdoor area until owners can show the township Zoning Board that they have provided more parking for patrons. Vince Dominach, the township’s senior zoning officer, said he instructed Stage House management to remove the tables and chairs from the “VIP Club” area until the extra parking was provided. …

John Calavano, the Board of Education’s business administrator and assistant schools Superintendent, has resigned. Calavano said in an email that he submitted his 60-day notice on July 29. Calavano, who has been with the district for 17 years, said he will become the business administrator for the West Orange school district. Calavano’s departure marks the fourth high-level district administrator to …