The Ocean City Board of Education met Wednesday evening in a brief special meeting and addressed the following items:
- New board member: Gregory Whelan took the oath of office as a newly appointed member of the board.
- New committee chairs: James Bauer was named head of the Negotiations Subcommittee, and Whelan was tapped as a member. Tiffany Prettyman will fill Bauer’s seat as head of the Curriculum and Instruction Subcommittee.
- Teachers contract: Bauer reported that after a near-12-hour negotiation session, the Board of Education reached a tentative memorandum of agreement with the Ocean City Education Association on a new teachers’ contract. The last three-year contract — which expired June 30, 2014 — included 1.99 percent raises for teachers. The new agreement must be ratified by the OCEA and approved by the school board before terms can be released.
- Ocean City High School construction: Scott Weitz of New Road Construction Management reported that a $2.7 million project to replace the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system at the school is on schedule and on budget. The project is expected to be fully complete by August 25.
- Longport Sending Agreement: The board went into a closed executive session, in part, to discuss a plan for Ocean City High School to accept students from neighboring Longport who currently attend Atlantic City High School. The state Department of Education and Longport have approved the plan, but Atlantic City is seeking an injunction while they appeal the decision.
