Worksession - January 13, 2026 - 7 p.m. - Administration Building

1. Roll Call

2. Flag Salute

3. Mission Statement: Empower and Inspire Every Student, Every Day

4. Open Public Meetings Act Statement:

5. Approval of Minutes:

    1.    December 9, 2025 – worksession
    2.    December 9, 2025 – executive session
    3.    December 16, 2025 – regular meeting
    4.    December 16, 2025 - executive session

6. Communications:

REQUEST FROM CENTRAL JERSEY ALLSTARS TO USE UHS GYMNASIUM
    Request from Central Jersey AllStars to rent the Union High School Gymnasium on Sunday, April 12, 2026 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

REQUEST FOR LEAVE UPDATE – RODRIGUEZ
    Request for leave update from Alicia Rodriguez, school counselor-Union High School School, new leave date December 15, 2025.

REQUEST FOR LEAVE UPDATE – ZURKA
    Request for paid medical leave update from Christine Zurka, paraprofessional-Battle Hill Elementary School, January 16, 2026-April 16, 2026.

REQUEST FOR LEAVE UPDATE – DALY
    Request for leave update from Shannon Daly, English teacher-Union High School, new return date March 2, 2026.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – WHITEMAN-LAND
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Michaela Whiteman-Land, special service-Union High School, January 5, 2026-February 13, 2026.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – WALKER
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Lauren Walker, director-Pre-K, January 5, 2026-January 5, 2027.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – CLASS
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Maria Class, security-Jefferson School, January 5, 2026-January 5, 2027.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – STEEB
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Linda Steeb, math teacher-Kawameeh Middle School, December 15, 2025-June 30, 2026.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – PAYTON
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Jameelah Payton, counselor-Union High School, December 15, 2025-June 30, 2026.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – NICK
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Michele Nick, teacher-Kawameeh Middle School, January 5, 2026-January 5, 2027.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – PLAZA
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Vilma Plaza, paraprofessional-Connecticut Farms Elementary School, September 1, 2025-June 15, 2026.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – HAMPTON
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Deanna Hampton, fourth grade teacher-Livingston Elementary School, December 10, 2025-June 15, 2026.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – BOYD
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Glenn Boyd, custodian-Connecticut Farms Elementary School, December 24, 2025-December 24, 2026.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – NICK
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Michelle Nick, math teacher-Kawameeh Middle School, January 5, 2026-January 5, 2027.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – LYTLE
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Ann Lytle, math teacher-Union High School, January 1, 2026-January 1, 2027.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – GRACA
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Susana Graca, paraprofessional-Kawameeh Middle School, January 5, 2026-June 20, 2026.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – THOMPSON
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Robert Thompson, special education teacher-Union High School, January 6, 2026-January 6, 2027.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – CICALESE
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Jennifer Cicalese, special education teacher-Livingston Elementary School, January 6, 2026-June 20, 2026.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – LAKE
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Kelly Lake, science teacher-Burnet Middle School, January 9, 2026-January 9, 2027.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – MOUSSALLEM-MOUTIS
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Sandra Moussallem-Moutis, biology teacher-Union High School, January 7, 2026-June 30, 2026.

REQUEST FOR INTERMITTENT LEAVE – STEVENSON
    Request for paid intermittent FMLA from Davina Stevenson, physical education teacher-Franklin Elementary School, January 7, 2026-January 7, 2027.

REQUEST FOR LEAVE – MITSAELIDES MICCICHE
    Request for paid child rearing leave followed by unpaid FMLA/NJFLA from Maria Mitsaelides Micciche, ESL teacher-Battle Hill Elementary School, March 27, 2026-October 31, 2027.

REQUEST FOR LEAVE – DAMIANO
    Request for unpaid FMLA from Adriane Damiano, physical education teacher-Union High School, February 23, 2026-May 8, 2026.

REQUEST FOR LEAVE – OLIVEIRA
    Request for paid child rearing leave followed by unpaid FMLA/NJFLA from Marissa Oliveira, English teacher-Union High School, February 23, 2026-September 1, 2026.

REQUEST FOR LEAVE – ROBSON
    Request for paid child rearing leave followed by unpaid FMLA/NJFLA from Leane Robson, school counselor-Livingston Elementary School, April 20, 2026-May 8, 2026 (P/P maternity leave) and May 11, 2026-October 21, 2026.

REQUEST FOR LEAVE – CRUZ
    Request for paid child rearing leave followed by unpaid FMLA/NJFLA from Stephanie Cruz, CST-Livingston Elementary School, May 26, 2026-December 7, 2026.

REQUEST FOR LEAVE – CALDAROLA
    Request for paid FMLA from Anne Marie Caldarola, art teacher-Hannah Caldwell Elementary School, January 22, 2026-TBD.

LETTER OF RESIGNATION – WAHBA
    Letter of resignation from Erini Wahba, English Language Arts Teacher-Union High School, effective February 20, 2026.

LETTER OF RETIREMENT – AGUILAR
    Letter of resignation, for the purpose of retirement, from Helen Aguilar, special education teacher-Kawameeh Middle School, effective July 1, 2026.

LETTER OF RETIREMENT – FIGUEIREDO
    Letter of resignation, for the purpose of retirement, from Rosa Figueiredo, preschool teacher-Connecticut Farms Elementary School, effective July 1, 2026.

7. Comments from Public (on resolutions in bold and all other matters)

8. Superintendent’s Report:

    1.    Superintendent’s Report
    2.     Student Liaison – Jacklyn Cassandra
    3.    Presentation by Auditors – Suplee, Clooney & Company
    4.    HIB Bi-Annual Report – September 2025-December 2025 (period 1)

9. Education/Student Discipline Committee Resolutions:

Upon recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, the Education/Student Discipline Committee presents the following resolutions for the Board’s consideration:

E-1.    SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT OF HIB
    Superintendent’s Report of Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) for the period December 17, 2025 to January 13, 2026, in accordance with the information appended to the agenda (no vote required; for reporting purposes only).

E-1A.    AFFIRM SUPERINTENDENT’S DETERMINATION OF HIB
    Affirm the Superintendent’s determination of Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) for the periods December 10, 2025 to December 16, 2025, in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

E-2.    APPROVE JANUARY REPORT – NJDOE – HIB
    Approve the Township of Union Public Schools January report presented by the Superintendent as required by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) of Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB).  The report provides the public with the information collected from September 2025 through December 2025, as well as the number of incidents per school building, status of investigations, HIB investigators, nature of the HIB reports and the discipline resulting from the report findings.  The HIB report also includes all training of school district personnel, building programs and assemblies during that time.

E-3.    ACCEPTANCE OF NJDOE PHONE FREE SCHOOLS GRANT
    Approve acceptance of the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) Phone Free Schools Grant in the amount of $33,747.70 to the district for the 2025-2026 school year, in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

E-4.    APPROVE APPLICATION FOR LIFT GRANT
    Approve application for the Literacy Initiative for Families and Thriving Communities (LIFT) Grant for the 2026-2027 school year.

E-5.    APPROVE NJ TRANSIT SAFETY EDUCATION PROGRAM PRESENTATION
    Approve NJ Transit to present the NJ Transit Safety Education Program to district students during the 2025-2026 school year at the high school level.  The program is a free 45 minute statewide public transportation education program providing safety training by bringing rail, bus and pedestrian safety to life through age-appropriate education programs (no cost to district).

E-6.    APPROVE DONATION OF BOOKS – BURNET MIDDLE SCHOOL LIBRARY
    Approve list of donated books from Thorndike Press to the Burnet Middle School Library, in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

E-7.    APPROVE AGREEMENT WITH RUTGERS UNIVERSITY – EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM
    Approve Agreement with Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Graduate School of Education (GSE) to implement the Educator Preparation Program with the Township of Union Public Schools, in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

E-8.    APPROVE GIRLS ON THE RUN PROGRAM - FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
    Approve Girls on the Run Program at Franklin Elementary School for grades 3-4 (April 7-June 3, 2026 (Tuesdays and Wednesdays), from 3:20-4:35 p.m.), at a cost of $25.00 per student (coaches: Tiffany Reid Anglin, Kari Graham, Eboni Dockery).

10. Fiscal and Planning Committee Resolutions:

Upon recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, the Fiscal and Planning Committee presents the following resolutions for the Board’s consideration:

F-1.      TREASURER’S REPORT
            That the Treasurer’s Report dated December 31, 2025 be accepted.

F-2.      SECRETARY’S REPORT
            That the Secretary’s Report dated December 31, 2025 be accepted.

F-4.    APPROVE APPROPRIATION TRANSFERS
    Approve appropriation transfers in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

F-5.    APPROVE LIST OF CONTRACTS/PURCHASE ORDERS (none at this time)
    Approve the attached list of contracts and/or purchase orders (copyrighted materials and licenses) pursuant to the requirements of N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-5 (bid exceptions to requirement for advertising) and 18A:18A-10(a) (purchase through State agency; procedure), in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

F-6.    APPROVE DISTRICTWIDE TRAVEL AND RELATED EXPENSES
    Approve districtwide travel and related expenses pursuant to the requirements of N.J.S.A. 18A:11-12, N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-7 and Board Policy File Code 6471 and in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

F-7.    APPROVE DISTRICTWIDE STUDENT FIELD TRIPS
    Approve districtwide student field trip destinations and purposes pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-5.8, in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

F-8.    APPROVE LIST OF 2025-2026 STATE CONTRACT APPROVED VENDORS
    Approve the amended list of the 2025-2026 State Contract Approved Vendors pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-10(a) (purchase through State agency; procedure) to facilitate schools’ purchasing, in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

F-9A.    APPROVED LIST OF CONTRACTS/PURCHASES (STUDENT ACTIVITY)
    Approve the attached list of contracts and/or purchases pursuant to the requirements of N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-5(21) (paid by funds raised by or collected by students), in accordance with the information appended to the agenda: 
 

F-9B.    APPROVE FUNDRAISERS
    Approve the following fundraisers, in accordance with the information appended to the agenda:
 

F-9C.    ACCEPT DONATIONS
    Accept the following donations:
 

F-10.    APPROVE 2025-2026 OUT-OF-DISTRICT STUDENT PLACEMENT LIST
    Approval be given to amend the 2025-2026 out-of-district student placement list (month of January 2026), in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

F-11.    APPROVE INCREASE FOR MARILYN KUBICHEK – NEUROLOGICAL EVALUATIONS
    Approve increase of the not to exceed amount for Marilyn Kubichek MD, FAAP to provide neurological evaluations for the 2025-2026 school year to $60,000.00 (from $25,000.00; an increase of $35,000.00).

F-12.    APPROVE APPLICATION – NEW JERSEY CHILD ASSAULT PREVENTION
    Approve application for the New Jersey Child Assault Prevention (NJCAP) 2025-2026 training (at no cost to the district), in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

F-13.    ACCEPT ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT AND MANAGEMENT REPORT
    Accept the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and the Auditor’s Management Report, in accordance with the information appended to the agenda (auditors to present report to the public at the January 20, 2026 meeting).

F-14.    APPROVE CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN (CAP)
    Approve the Corrective Action Plan for Single Audit Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2025, in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

F-ATTY.  For informational purposes only – vote not required.  List of legal services paid as of December 16, 2025 for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

11. Grievance/Negotiations Committee:

12. Operations/Technology Committee Resolutions:

Upon recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, the Operations/Technology Committee presents the following resolutions for the Board’s consideration:

O-1.    APPROVE SECURITY DRILL/BUS EVACUATION REPORTS
    Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:41-1 and P.L. 2009, Chapter 178, approve the following security drill for the month of December 2025 and, if applicable, bus evacuation reports for the 2025-2026 school year, in accordance with the non-public information appended to the agenda.

O-2.    APPROVE REQUEST FROM CENTRAL JERSEY ALLSTARS TO USE UHS GYMNASIUM
    Approve request from Central Jersey AllStars to rent the Union High School Gymnasium on Sunday, April 12, 2026 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

O-3.    APPROVE USE OF UNION HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS OF NEW JERSEY YOUTH SUMMIT – LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
    Approve the use of Union High School Library on April 8, 2026 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the Special Olympics of New Jersey Youth Summit – Leadership in Action.  Attendees will include members of districts associated with the Special Olympics organization.  Special Olympics of New Jersey staff will organize the library space for the summit and provide lunch to the attendees (at no cost to the district).

13. Personnel Committee Resolutions:

Upon recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, the Personnel Committee presents the following resolutions for the Board’s consideration:

P-1A.    PERSONNEL ACTIONS – NEW HIRES
    Personnel Actions-New Hires be approved in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

P-1B    PERSONNEL ACTIONS – EXTRA PAY
    Personnel Actions-Extra Pay be approved in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

P-1C    PERSONNEL ACTIONS – TRANSFERS
    Personnel Actions- Transfers be approved in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

P-2.    APPROVE SUBSTITUTE LISTS 
    Approve Substitute Lists for the 2025-2026 school year.
 

P-3A.    ACCEPT LETTERS OF RESIGNATION/RETIREMENT
    Accept letters of resignation/retirement from the following staff, with regrets:
 

P-3B.    APPROVE LEAVES
    Approve leaves for the following staff: 
 

P-4.    APPROVE STUDENT TEACHERS AND INTERNSHIPS
    Approve student teachers and internships for the 2025-2026 school year, in accordance with the information appended to the agenda.

P-5.    APPROVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - MUJC
    Approve Shawn Paterno, Principal of Livingston Elementary School, to attend professional development at the Morris Union Jointure Commission (MUJC) for the 2025-2026 school year, at no cost to the district.

14. Policy Committee:

15. Residency Committee Resolutions:

Upon recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, the Residency Committee presents the following resolutions for the Board’s information:

R-1.    REPORT OF STUDENTS VOLUNTARILY TRANSFERRED TO DISTRICT OF RESIDENCE
    For informational purposes only (no vote required): The following residency investigations were completed and the listed students voluntarily transferred to the district of residence:

16. Approval of Bills:

Upon recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, that the Board concur with the bills listed in the permanent bound register appended to these minutes and be ordered for payment.

17. Unfinished Business:

18. New Business:

19. Executive Session:

20.  Adjournment: