Welcome to a School Board Meeting
 This
is an introduction to the Franklin Township Board of Education and to
show you how it is structured and operated. Public control of public
education is one of the cornerstones of a free society and people
exercise that control through their board. The Franklin Township Board
of Education meets at 7:00 pm on the second Wednesday of each month in
the all-purpose room of the Franklin Township School. Occasionally, a
holiday or other circumstance will alter this schedule. In this case,
or in the event of a Special Meeting, public notice is given to the
Star Gazette and the Express-Times and is posted in the Franklin
Township Municipal Building.
The School Board's Role
The Franklin Township Board of Education is governed by a nine-member
Board who are elected by the members of the community. Board members are
elected for three-year terms and receive no compensation for their long
hours of service to the community. The school board is a policy-making
body whose primary task is the formation and evaluation of all policies
necessary for the efficient operation of the school district.
Executive Session
Occasionally, during a regular Board of Education meeting, it becomes
necessary for the Board to leave the room in order to go into
"Executive Session". This occurs when the Board needs to
discuss a personnel matter or potentially sensitive issue.
Addressing the Board
The Board benefits from comments and questions from concerned citizens
who attend meetings. Therefore, an opportunity is provided for you to be
heard during the public portion of the regular meeting. If you would
like to address the Board, simply raise your hand requesting to be
called upon, during the public portion of the meeting. Once called upon,
kindly state your name and address. Understand that, depending upon the
length of the Board's agenda, the Board has the right to limit each
presenter to three (3) minutes.
Notes regarding Addressing the Board
The public meeting of the school board is not the place to initiate
personal charges or complaints against individual employees. As per
Board Policy #1100, "The Board directs the establishment and
implementation of an organizational plan for the management and control
of school district operations. The plan will require the identification
and resolution of problems at appropriate organizational levels"
If, after communicating with the appropriate personnel at the
appropriate level, there are still issues and concerns, you should put
them in writing to the Chief School Administrator/Principal or Business
Administrator. Please be sure to give us your name, address and phone
number. The Chief School Administrator/Principal will then communicate
directly with the person or persons initiating the complaint.
The Agenda
The meeting of the Board follows a definite plan called "The Board
Agenda". Copies of the Agenda are provided to the Board in advance
of the meeting and are available at all meetings. The Agenda follows
guidelines which are established by the State Legislature and New Jersey
Department of Education. Items on the agenda are recommended by the
school administration and Board members. The President of the Board, who
is elected by other members of the school board, presides at all regular
and special meetings. The Vice President presides in the President's
absence. If you would like to be included on the Agenda, you can contact
the Chief School Administrator's office, at least one week prior to the
meeting. Groups are welcome, but the proceedings are facilitated by one
person acting as the spokesperson.
Administrative Team
The Franklin Township School District is managed by an administrative
team, which works within the limits of the school board policy. Members
of the team include the Chief School Administrator/Principal and
Business Administrator.
Chief School Administrator/Principal
Paul Rinaldi is appointed by the Board and serves as Chief School
Administrator/Principal and Executive Officer in administering board
policies in the operation of the school. He also acts as an advisor in
keeping the Board informed of the needs and programs of the school. The
Chief School Administrator/Principal is available to the Board as a
professional resource and his recommendations normally precede any Board
actions relating to recruitment, hiring and supervision of personnel,
selection of textbooks and instructional materials, development of
curriculum, long-term planning and fiscal affairs. The Chief School
Administrator/Principal is appointed by the Board for a specified term
of office.Mr. Rinaldi is also responsible for the day-to-day operations
of the district including curriculum and staff development.
Business Administrator/Board Secretary
Heather Spitzer is appointed by the Board and serves as Chief Financial
Officer. The Business Administrator supervises, manages and coordinates
the business affairs of the district and ensures that educational
support services help to achieve the educational goals of the district
with the available financial resources, as well as helping to secure
additional financial resources. She is responsible for the efficient
operation of the district's food services program and ensures that
cafeteria procedures are in accordance with law and regulations. Mrs.
Spitzer also serves as Coordinator of Buildings and Grounds.
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