BOE Notebook: Board Welcomes New Business Administrator

The Board of Education welcomed its new Business Administrator at Tuesday night’s meeting. Dana Sullivan, the former Business Administrator of the Montclair public school system, has replaced Vincent Yaniro, who . Sullivan, who is a CPA and a licensed public school accountant, has 15 years of experience in the field. Prior to becoming a school business administrator, Sullivan spent four years as an assistant business administrator and five years with a public accounting firm.

 Other notes from Tuesday’s meeting:

• Ninety-seven percent of the 456 members of Westfield High School’s class of 2012 are pursuing some sort of higher education this fall, according to a report recently released by the Office of Counseling Services. Among the graduates, 87.5 percent are attending four-year colleges and universities across the country and the world. Additionally, 6.5 percent are attending two-year colleges and 1.3 percent have entered vocational, business or other post-high school institutions. The remaining three percent of the class has accepted employment, pursued a military career or expressed undecided plans at the time of graduation.

• District teachers and support staff attended an in-service training day on August 30, focusing on preparation for the 2012-2013 school year. The day included technology sessions to better orient the faculty with the district’s new wireless capacity and updated hardware. Health services staff members were re-certified in CPR, and in-class support teachers focused on team-teaching strategies. The child study team was introduced to a new paperless endeavor aimed at streamlining the Individualized Educational Programs for special education students. Hands-on workshops were held for K-12 language arts as well as intermediate math and science teachers who have had revisions made to their curricula.

• Back to School Nights have been scheduled at each of the 10 district schools. Parents are encouraged to check the appropriate school website to confirm the date of their child’s school and to be aware of any changes that are made.

• Public schools will be closed Monday, September 17 and Tuesday, September 18 in observance of Rosh Hashanah.

• The Board of Education will next meet Tuesday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at 302 Elm Street.