The Manchester Township Board of Education, at their September 19, 2007 meeting, accepted the retirement request of Superintendent of Schools, Dr. William E. DeFeo. “We accept his retirement with our greatest regrets but best wishes,” said Board of Education President Mary Walter. DeFeo, said his 10 years in Manchester “have been a high point of my career and I will miss it a great deal.” His retirement is effective June 30, 2008. [see related article]
Walter, DeFeo and Business Administrator Peter Corigliano all commented on the smooth opening of the school year, expressing their appreciation to the entire staff for a job well done.
DeFeo announced that the district did extremely well in state testing last year, with every school in the district passing all 41 AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) indicators. “It’s a tremendous accomplishment,” he said, praising the staff for doing an outstanding job finding ways to meet the needs of all students in Manchester.
The district’s new non-profit Education Foundation is beginning to plan fundraisers for this year, DeFeo told the Board. He said he and foundation president, Rick Campana, have been meeting with potential contributors and have already secured about $12,000 in donations.
DeFeo announced that Manchester Township Elementary School and Ridgeway Elementary School are the recipients of $10,000 School Library/Media Center Grants from the OceanFirst Foundation. He said a formal presentation would be made at the Oct. 17 board meeting.
The district has been updating its school safety manuals, working closely with the Manchester Police Department, said DeFeo. He added that the police will be using the high school in the future for crisis training exercises.
Business Administrator Peter Corigliano told the Board he is looking into bringing the district’s payroll system back in-house at a cost savings from the current practice of utilizing an outside company, ADP. He said he is also hoping to ease the heavy workload of the district’s technology staff, which consists of just two people serving the entire district, by purchasing a new software system that would allow them do more tasks remotely.
In other business, the Board approved an increase in substitute teacher pay from $70 to $75 per day, an early dismissal on October 12 for staff professional development, and an updated policy for high school graduation requirements to reflect current state requirements. The Board also approved a contract with the NJ School Boards Association to assist the district in a search for a new superintendent, which Walter said would begin immediately.
