Narcan, Head Lice Policies Highlight Month In Moorestown Board Of Education

It is hard to believe we are already in spring! Nevertheless, the Board has been busy. Highlights of the Moorestown Board of Education’s work in March included the initial adoption of the 2017-2018 budget, discussion of district policy, and student recognition.

The Board held a special meeting on March 15 to adopt the preliminary 2017-2018 budget, which was approved unanimously by those present.

The budget maintains all current curriculum and programs. It calls for a 2% tax levy increase, but with the retirement of debt service, the net impact on the taxpayer will be about 1.9%. For the average assessed home of $534,100, this amounts to about an $102 increase in taxes.

Even with the 2% tax increase, the Board faced an initial deficit without any additions from 2016-2017. This was caused in part by flat state funding and increases in salaries and benefits, which account for 81% of the budget. The Board and Administration worked cooperatively to close that gap with minimal impact.

The preliminary budget is now under review by the Executive County Superintendent. The Board plans to hold a public hearing and final vote at the April 25 meeting. Changes can be made between initial submission and final approval.

Personally speaking, I am thrilled to see significant progress made on revenue generation and the proposed slowing of the technology expansion given the budget constraints.

At the monthly meeting on March 21, the Board had the opportunity to recognize multiple students. In particular, a $1,500 donation by the Moorestown High School student body was announced to benefit Mercy High School in Malawi, Africa. These funds were raised during Spirit Week.

The Board voted on several policies on first and second reading, but I would like to address two in particular.

First is Policy 5330.04 – Administering an Opioid Antidote, which was adopted on second reading. This policy permits school nurses to administer an opioid antidote, commonly referred to by the brand name Narcan, to overdose victims under the direction of the school physician.

This policy was not developed in response to a specific issue in Moorestown, but rather due to guidance from the New Jersey Department of Education and a desire to be proactive should an emergency arise that warrants administration to visitors or students.

Second, the Board approved on first reading Policy 8454 – Management of Pediculosis, which is tentatively scheduled for a final vote in April.

This policy provides uniform guidance to school nurses on how cases of head lice should be handled. The policy is in line with guidance that recommends not disrupting the affected student’s education, but does call for parental notification and assessment by school nurses upon return to school.

Be sure to save the date for the Moorestown Special Education Advocacy Council’s annual “Pathways to Success” conference on Saturday, April 8, 8 a.m.-2:15 pm at the Upper Elementary School.

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The next monthly meeting of the Moorestown Board of Education is April 25, 2017, 7 p.m. in the William Allen Middle School Media Center. As always, do not hesitate to contact the Board or myself if you need anything. I hope to see you at an upcoming meeting!

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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.