The Voorhees Township Public Schools board of education held its final meeting of the school year on Wednesday, June 26, approving summer projects and conducting other matters before not meeting until August.
In interim Superintendent of Schools Barry Galasso’s final meeting, he reviewed the 2018-2019 Quality Single Accountability Continuum District Performance Review.
“We’ve been notified by the state of New Jersey that the Voorhees Township Public School District has passed the state QSAC areas,” said Galasso. “It’s a daunting task to go through QSAC.”
Galasso commended many school district administration employees for their work in preparing the school district for the performance review, saying that the district received good remarks from the state following the review.
“I was told by the county superintendent when she came to visit us … that the uploads, the data were the best, so far, that they believe they’ve seen in doing QSAC reporting,” said Galasso. “That really is a commendable job. All the areas exceeded the 80 percentile, which was needed to pass QSAC.”
Galasso says the district scored particularly well in a number of areas, while also noting others the district can improve on. Administration said they expect the full 25-page report to be available for the public to read the following Monday after the board meeting. The report will be posted at the school district website at https://www.voorhees.k12.nj.us.
“The main important thing is that there are no action plans, there are no remedial plans, and that the Voorhees Township School District has been approved for the next three years, or until the next QSAC cycle, which can change,” said Galasso.
Galasso says the district can use the report as a sort of roadmap in designating what can be improved over the next three to five years.
Also at the meeting, the board approved multiple summer projects across the five district schools, including installation of hard surface flooring at all schools, hallway and interior LED lighting at Kresson and E.T. Hamilton elementary schools and a new playground at Osage Elementary School.
During public comment at the board meeting, two residents raised concerns of mercury with the upcoming installation of the gym floors for this summer, after Washington Township and other area schools have faced problems.
Director of Buildings and Grounds for Voorhees Township Public Schools Clark Mathes, Jr. said during the meeting that residents do not need to worry, as the floors being installed are not similar to ones where mercury has become a problem.
Speaking after the meeting, Mathis said mercury was used in poured floors decades ago to help settle for a more smooth finish, according to Mathis.
After the meeting, Mathis also said he contacted the installer of the floors to be reassured that mercury would not be a worry with the luxury vinyl tile being used in the gyms and all-purpose rooms across Voorhees Township schools this summer.
The next board of education meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Administration Building. The meeting will be the first board of education meeting for new Superintendent David Gentile.
