The Board of Education welcomed Tanya Simmons as the district’s Director of Special Services.  Simmons comes to Verona from the West Essex School District, where she served as Director of Special Services for ten years. Previously, Simmons has experience as a school psychologist in Morris Hills and Livingston.

The Board is also preparing to hire the district’s architect and attorney for the coming year, both of which were approved at this meeting.

Security

Superintendent DiGiuseppe announced that the district will be working with Collaborative Response Graphics, a company that will remake and digitize school maps for use in emergency situations.  Run by veterans that used the same style of mapping in combat overseas, CRG’s maps are easy to understand and can be used by first responders that might be unfamiliar with the school’s buildings.  Funding for the program will be provided by the state through the American Rescue Plan. Governor Phil Murphy set aside $6.5 million to improve school security across NJ.

Finance

The district acquired a more environmentally friendly 54-seat gasoline powered bus to replace a decommissioned diesel-fueled bus.