Starkey resigns, leaving vacant BOE seat

BRIELLE — Liam Starkey, the youngest Brielle Board of Education (BOE) member in the district’s history, announced his resignation from the board via email on Wednesday, leaving a vacant seat on the board as Starkey leaves for college. 

Starkey, who graduated from Brielle Elementary School in 2020 and won his seat as a write-in candidate last November at age 18, was absent from the meeting on Wednesday. BOE President Kurt Becker read aloud the email from Starkey, which effectively ended his term that began on Jan. 1. 

“With regret, I respectfully submit this email as my official resignation from the Brielle Board of Education. My brief tenure as a member of the board has given me deep appreciation for the service that you and my fellow school board members provide to our community. I have learned a tremendous amount about the operations of the Brielle Elementary School and its faculty and staff, and I hope that I have contributed a little to the success of the board and our school,” said Starkey’s email. 

In his message, Starkey thanked the board and the administration for their help and guidance throughout his term. His resignation came just before his departure for Auburn University, where he will continue his academic career. 

“I hope to continue my own education with the same sense of service that they have all shown to me,” he said. 

According to Borough Administrator Diane Quigely, the board has 65 days to fill the vacancy from the date of notice of an empty seat. Following a posting for the position, the board will determine whether the interview process will be conducted in person or in public. If the board fails to fill the position within the allotted time, the county superintendent will appoint a candidate. 

“I want to thank (Starkey) for putting himself out there. This job, it’s a unique one, and it’s not easy…Although brief, he was an asset and a value to the board,” said President Becker. 

NEW DEAN APPOINTED

The Brielle administrator had a busy summer in terms of hiring, filling seven positions and appointing Stephanie Pennetti as dean of students.

“We had a very competitive applicant pool for this position…Stephanie was so impressive with her experience, professionalism and enthusiasm…We know she’s going to be a great fit here at Brielle,” said Superintendent and Principal Stacie Poelstra, addressing the board and attendees, including Pennetti with her husband and two young children. 

The filled teaching positions include both tenure track and leave replacement positions. At the time of the meeting, six of the seven open teaching positions were filled, according to Poelstra. 

“We are going to be fully staffed when September comes…I’m very excited about the candidates who will be joining us,” said Superintendent Poelstra in her administrative report. 

PROJECT UPDATES 

The equipment for the new lower-grades playground has arrived and demolition of the old playground is set to begin this week. The project includes new equipment and resurfacing of the area with a rubber covering. 

“If we get lucky enough, we can anticipate it being ready for the start of school,” said board member Tedd Vitale. 

According to Vitale, the overall cost of the playground is about $160,000, with $40,000 coming from funds raised by the parent-teacher-organization. The remaining balance will be subsidized by the 2023-2024 budget. 

The playground won’t be the only refreshed area to the school come September. 

The media center is on track for use the first week of school and is “reading to open its doors, subject to putting books on the shelves,” according to Vitale. 

FOURTH GRADE CLASS SIZE 

The district stood by its previous decision to reduce the number of fourth-grade class sections from three to two, raising the number of students in each classroom to 22. 

The decision struck concern with parents during the June meeting, which was attended by more than 50 people, many of whom spoke in favor of keeping small class sizes. 

“After reviewing the feedback and weighing all of our priorities in the school, the decision to keep two sections of fourth grade will remain in place for September,” said Poelstra at the Aug. 14 meeting.

During the meeting on June 26, Poelstra explained that by restructuring staff, the board will add special education teachers in primary grades where there is currently no dedicated special education staff. Though there is an additional aide in each classroom, students in those grades who need extra support or have IEPs rely on a single, dual-certified teacher. She said the major factor impacting staffing is the school’s special education classification rate, which is nearly eight points higher than the state average, with 23.8% of Brielle students having IEPs, compared to a state average of 15.9%. 

The student-teacher ratio will remain 1:11 in each fourth-grade class, with a main teacher and instructional aid in one classroom and a main teacher and special education teacher in the other.