Elections, Nutri-Serve Highlight Month In Moorestown Schools

MOORESTOWN, NJ — It is hard to believe the holiday season is already here. This is a hectic time of the year, and it is no exception for the board and the district. In this month’s column, I cover the board of education election results, a new school security policy, and exciting events upcoming, among other updates.

The 2017 election results were finalized to reflect absentee and provisional ballots. I would like to congratulate Jack Fairchild, Lauren Romano, and Tinamarie Nicolo-Dorfner for being elected to full-terms, along with Mark Villanueva for being elected to a two-year term. These individuals will be sworn in at the reorganization meeting on Jan. 2, 2018, 7 p.m.

At the board meeting on Nov. 14, the district’s school lunch vendor, Nutri-Serve Food Management, gave a presentation on its school lunch offerings. Nutri-Serve also showed their new digital platform called “nutrislice,” where students and parents can review online the nutrition, allergy warnings, and recipes of school lunch offerings. This platform can be viewed at www.mtps.nutrislice.com.

The board adopted a policy on school security, which was reviewed in conjunction with the Moorestown Police Department. This policy discusses various school security options available in Moorestown, including the relatively new concept of the “Class Three Special Law Enforcement Officer.” If both sides agreed, this would allow a special officer trained in school security to supplement other options, including the school resource officer and district-employed security.

At various board meetings, board members have expressed an interest in having Request for Proposals (RFP) for all professional services to ensure competitive pricing and quality service. There is currently an RFP for the District’s Health Benefits Broker of Record. Sealed proposals will be accepted until 2 p.m. prevailing time, on Nov. 28, 2017. Also, an RFP for School Solicitor, Auditor, and Architect of Record is posted with a deadline of 1 p.m. prevailing time on Dec. 12, 2017. Additional and specific information can be found at www.mtps.com.

There are a number of exciting events and opportunities within the next month. First, the Moorestown Holiday Parade will be on Dec. 2. This is followed by the MoorArts Holiday Arts Festival from 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. at the Church Street Recreation Center at no cost. It features a K-12 student art exhibition, live entertainment, and crafts.

Second, the Madrigals Holiday Dinner will be on Dec. 18 at the Riverton Country Club, 6:30 p.m. Tickets are still available for this night of great music and food.

Third, there are a variety of student concerts and performances in December. I encourage you to look at the district calendar at www.mtps.com for the specific dates.

The next meeting of the Moorestown Board of Education will be on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. in the William Allen Middle School Media Center. I encourage you to join us at a future meeting and please do not hesitate to reach out at any time. Enjoy your holidays!

The views and content in this column do not necessarily represent those of the Moorestown Board of Education as a whole or any other individual member.

About this column: In this column, Moorestown Board of Education Member Brandon Pugh provides monthly updates on what's going on in the school district and on the BOE.