The Livingston Board of Education made a number of approvals, including personnel matters, the addition of new textbooks, and an agreement with the Livingston Huaxia Chinese School during its August 13 meeting.
Huaxia School
The Board formally entered into a contract with the Livingston Huaxia Chinese School for the use of facilities at Mt. Pleasant Middle School and Heritage Middle School for the 2024-25 school year.
New Books
The Board approved three new books to be taught throughout the district. “You Are Here: Connecting Flights,” edited by Ellen Oh, was approved to be taught in seventh grade language arts classes throughout the district. “Everything We Never Had” by Randy Ribay was approved for students in eighth grade, while “All My Rage” by Sabaa Tahir was approved to be taught in ninth grade.
The Board also approved the agreement with the Workplace Group to provide recruitment services for the payroll manager position, at a fixed cost of $8,000.
Recruitment and Roofs
The Board also entered into a contract with Fox Fence Enterprises to replace the roofs of Heritage Middle School and Burnet Hill, at a total cost of$701,000. $379,850ofregular operating district (ROD) grant funding will be utilized for these projects.
Teachers to Attend Conferences During its meeting, the Board also granted approval to six Livingston Public School teachers to attendconferences and overnight trips. Lorena Dolan was retroactively approved to attend the Teaching Reading Across the Day Virtual Institute; Carlos Gramata was approved to attend the New Jersey Principals’and Supervisors’ Association’s fall conference in Atlantic City from October 16 through 18; and Lisa Steiger was approved to attend the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education’s virtual conference.
The Board also authorized Kristen Angel-Lambert, Victoria Gioioso, and Christopher Ianuzzi to attend the College Board Forum in Austin, Texas, from October 21 through 23.
Student Representative Reports In her student representative’s report, Darcy Bialik highlighted the various fall sports entering preseason training. Girls’ and boys’ soccer began training on August 12; the varsity cheerleading team will begin practicing on August 19; and the football teams have been training since spring.
Bialik also shared that the Livingston Student Government’s new executive board has entered into the early stages of planning a new fall event, tentatively titled Fall Fest. This decision was due to a decreased interest in a homecoming dance.
“Its intention is to be a community outreach event open to the entire town,” Bialik said. “Clubs, athletic teams, and local businesses will be encouraged to participate and make stands, and fall themed activities will be the main attraction.”
Based on polling done through the student government’s social media, interest in this proposed event is higher than that for a traditional homecoming dance.
The Board also approved a number of personnel matters, including retirements, resignations, leaves of absence, and appointments.
Retirements
The Board accepted the retirement of Michele Jacobsen, a teacher of students with disabilities at Riker Hill School. Her last day of employment will be February 1, 2025.
The retirement of Mt. Pleasant Middle School’s Diane Sikora was also accepted by the Board. The instructional aide’s last day of employment was retroactively set at June 30.
Resignations
The Board approved a number of resignations, all retroactively set with the final day of employment as June 30.
Resigning were Sara D’Egidio, an instructional aide at Harrison; life skills teaching assistant Toni Lynn Sisbarro, who worked at Livingston High School; Alyson Goldstein, an applied behavior analysis discrete trial teaching assistant at Heritage Middle School; and Shanaelle Sommervil, an applied behavior analysis discrete trial teaching assistant at Burnet Hill.
Leaves of Absence
The leave of Livingston High School’s math teacher Sara Osmer was approved by the Board. She is set to return to work onAugust 25, 2025.
The Board also approved the leave of absence of Riker Hill’s teacher of students with disabilities Hilli Gibbs. Her leave retroactively began on June 13, and she is set to return to work on December 16.
Hillside’s elementary school teacher Kathrin Pezzullo’s leave of absence was approved from December 9 through August 25, 2025.
Livingston High School’s istructional aide Toni Lynn Sisbarro had her leave of absence, spanning from March 5 through June 10, retroactively approved by the Board.
The Board also approved the leave of absence for Genevieve Finnegan, an elementary school teacher at Riker Hill. Her leave will begin on November 18, and she is set to return to work on August 25, 2025.
Appointments
A number of new appointments were also approved during the Board’s meeting.
Brittany Gajewski was approved to begin serving as the dean of students at Livingston High School as of August 14.
The Board approved Dawn Feeley to be the new supervisor of social students, grades seven through 12, at Livingston High School as of August 15.
The Board approved Sevgi Tugce Akinci Yalt to serve as Mt. Pleasant Middle School’s math teacher as a leave replacement from August 28 through February 7, 2025.
Jennifer Suarez was approved to work as Collins’payroll manager, retroactively beginning as ofAugust 12.
The Board approved the appointment of a number of teachers, all set to begin working on August 28. Thomas O’Dowd was accepted to teach physical science at Livingston High School. Kristi Nalick and Catherine Bitar were approved to be Harrison’s newest teachers of students with disabilities. Thiago Liete was appointed as the newest English teacher at Mt. Pleasant Middle School.
Jami Cerrato was approved as a teacher of students with disabilities at Burnet Hill. Cerrato’s effective date will be shared upon issuance of certification by the New Jersey Department of Education.
Caroline Clark Jordan was appointed as Riker Hill’s newest teacher of students with disabilities, beginning October 14, unless she is released from her current contract earlier.
The Board approved Angela Tone to begin serving as Livingston High School’s administrative secretary on August 22.
Vincet Mogavero, a student at Ramapo College, was approved to serve as a student teacher at Burnet Hill. Mogavero will work under Emily Burger from August 30 through January 1, 2025.
Geoffrey Rothrock was appointed as Heritage Middle School’s newest security liaison. He will begin working on August 28.
The Board also approved two new bus drivers, Anabela Asparrin and Lynette Cepeda, both of whom will begin their roles on August 28.
Substitutes
The Board approved the appointment of a number of individuals to serve as substitute teachers on an asneeded basis for the 2024-25 school year. Lauri Brown, Barbara Ann Casale, Anika Patel, and Ann Zullo were all approved. Gail Harrison, Samantha Greco, Rebecca Cullen, and Joseph McCarthy were also approved to serve as substitute teachers for the upcoming school year.
Kadraya Kyte, Miguel Sewell-Fields, and Carlos Huapaya were all approved to serve as custodial substitutes for the upcoming school year.
The Board extended congratulations to all of the newly hired employees throughout Livingston Public Schools.
The Board will next meet on Tuesday, September 10, during which mentoring plans, remote learning plans, and the Board’s goals will be discussed.
