BRICK – Having successfully run under the “New Voices for Brick” team in November, two new Board of Education members Melita Gagliardi and Daisy Haffner took their oaths of office while surrounded by their families at the annual reorganization meeting held on January 5.
Gagliardi, 35, has been a special education teacher in the Jackson Township School District for 14 years and is a graduate of Georgian Court University.
Haffner, 41, is an accountant who also attended Georgian Court University; she and Gagliardi ran as the “New Voices for Brick” team.
The two women are replacing board members Karyn Cusanelli and George White, who did not seek re-election.
During the reorganization meeting, the new board voted to keep John Lamela as its president and Stephanie Wohlrab as vice president. Both just completed their first year as board members.
Lamela thanked Cusanelli and White for their service as board members, and after Gagliardi and Haffner were sworn in, the two outgoing board members took seats in the audience.
The board secretary read the November election results and district Business Administrator James W. Edwards administered the oaths of office.
The board adopted the Code of Ethics for School Board Members and set the meeting dates for 2017.
The meetings, which have been held on a Thursday at the end of the month, have been moved up to a Thursday at the beginning of the month for 2017.
Board member and former board president Sharon Cantillo asked why the meetings were changed.
“When they’re held on the last Thursday of the month we can get the financials,” she said.
Business Administrator Edwards said the financials would be available within a six-week period. “We used to get them within four weeks, now we’ll get them within six weeks,” said Edwards. “For example, you would get the December financials on February 9.”
As part of the reorganization meeting, the personnel who are allowed to sign checks for the district were named.
The president, board secretary and treasurer of school monies are empowered to sign all checks, drafts, notes, acceptances and more. The principals, assistant principals, board secretary and/or assistant business administrator are empowered to sign all checks for the high school and middle school student activities account. Each check must have two signatures.
The board secretary and assistant business administrator are empowered to sign all checks for the Elementary School Student Activity Account.
Former Brick High School Principal Dennis Filippone was named as the district affirmative action officer; Anne Marie Dayton was appointed as the District 504 Officer/Homeless Liaison; and Business Administrator James W. Edwards was appointed as the appointing authority and district public agency compliance officer.
There were no board comments nor public comments before Lamela adjourned the meeting.
The Board of Education meeting dates are on the following Thursdays: February 9, March 3, April 6, May 11, June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14, October 12, November 2, and December 14. The 2018 Reorganization Meeting has been set for January 4. All meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. and are held in the auditorium of Brick High School.
All board meetings are recorded and may be viewed by visiting mms.brickschools.org.
