HOLMDEL The Board of Education has selected SSP Architectural Group (SSP) to provide professional architectural services for the Holmdel 2020 Initiative projects.
“SSP is the district’s architect of record and has been working with Holmdel on this project for well over a year. They have handled a number of projects in the district and their engineers have very good knowledge of our schools which is a great benefit to us,” Peter Reddy, vice president of the board, said during the Nov. 29 council meeting.
“SSP is the district’s partner in planning/designing/bidding the 20-plus groups of projects that make up the 2020 initiative. We are in the midst of finalizing the preliminary schedule along with starting the process of hiring a construction manager to manage the $40 million program,” Reddy said. “Currently, we have been having bi-weekly meetings with SSP and the various stakeholders as there are numerous things to accomplish as we begin our work.”
“The overall referendum was approved by voters in September, so we do not need to vote on that, but many of the items that will be coming up will be discussed in the various [board] committees and then during public session. Some will need board resolution, construction manager, contractors selected for work etc., while others will not require approval,” Reddy said.
Also during the meeting, the board approved the submission of the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum (NJQSAC) statement of assurance for the 2017-18 school year to the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) with a district score of 100 percent in all five areas of accountability, according to a prepared statement from the Board of Education.
The Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC) is the DOE’s monitoring and district self-evaluation system for public school districts. The system shifts the monitoring and evaluation focus from compliance to assistance, capacity-building and improvement, according to Reddy. He said the system focuses on monitoring and evaluating school districts in the areas of instruction and program, fiscal, governance, operations and personnel.
The state requires each board to submit an annual statement of assurance to the DOE, Reddy said.
In other news, the board accepted a donation of Buddy Benches from the Village School Parent School Association. The benches are designed to create safe spaces for students and to foster friendships on playgrounds, according to a prepared statement.
The four benches will be placed at four playgrounds, Reddy said. Each bench is removable so it can change locations. The initial installation will be after the holidays, he said.
The board also celebrated Holmdel High School’s girls tennis team and boys soccer team for earning the title of New Jersey Group two champions, according to a prepared statement.
For more information, visit www.holmdelschools.org/board-of-education/meetings-agendas.
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.
