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However, I would like to make an another percentage up. Since this is my last budget discussion, I'm going to advocate for and speak in support of a necessary response for 4%. I'm going to up the ante a little. This is an important increase to our school budget. An investment that will move us closer to meeting the educational needs of every student in this district. To understand this increase is essential. We first must understand the concept and Mr. Shahada, thank you very much for your um definition. The concept of adequacy is defined by the state of New Jersey under the school funding reform act SFR. Each district is given an ade adequacy budget which represents the state's estimate of what it costs to provide a thorough and efficient education which is a constitutional right for every child in the state of New Jersey. This adequacy value isn't a guess.
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It's a calculated figure based on real measurable factors. a base per pupil amount, student needs such as economic disadvantage, English language learners, special ed, grade level weights, and even regional cost of living adjustments. The state then calculates what local taxpayers should reasonably be expected to contribute, known as the local fair share, and the difference is ideally made up through state aid. But here's the challenge. In 2023, report by the New Jersey Policy Perspective found that Clifton's funding was below adequacy by about two $2,275 per student. That's a significant shortfall when you multiply it across the thousands of students in our district. The same report attributes this gap to two main causes. the state not fully funding its own formula and the formula itself not being adequate to reflect today's educational realities. So if we multiply the $2,275 by 11,000 students, it's only a merely $25 million rounded down a little.
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Dr. Robert Toy at the previous meeting highlighted that Clifton has historically contributed less in local school taxes than many neighboring districts. At the same time, May 2024, Clifton Times article reported that Clifton spends less per student than 70% of the districts in New Jersey. We were not being efficient when we were still underfunded, but for our students, a 4% increase isn't about luxury. It's about adequacy. It's about moving closer to the baseline of what our students should be getting. It will help us close funding gaps, support essential services, and retain highquality educators, provide students with the resources they need to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. I truly thank you for the 3%, but the state has given us a possibility to increase this number. I'm not going for the 30, 30, or 40%. 4% I'll be happy with. So, I urge you to view the proposed increase not as a burden, but as a step toward educational equity and responsibility.
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Let's make sure Clifton students get the education they not only need but deserve. And in addition, so everybody's getting named. We have Maple Valley for the middle school. How about Lori Lama elevator? When is that coming? I don't want to see Otis written on that elevator. It's going to be Lori L O R I Lama. So, I'm just saying hopefully it's done before I will go to PSNG personally and make sure there is. Thank you very much. Have a good evening. Thank you. Welcome. Come on up. Hi. Uh, my name is Virginia Sheen Mickey. Uh, known to Miss S to the kids I teach at school 11. I'm here with my mother and both of us are Clifton residents with no children in the public school system. Actually, everyone in my family attended Catholic school. everyone except my brother Jay, who was diagnosed with autism when he was four.
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Jay's Clifton School career was challenging as back then communication and impulse control were hard for him. The Clifton Special Education Department partnered with my mom and helped give him the things he desperately needed like smaller classes with modified curriculums, a oneto-one paraprofessional, and the tools to transition from school to the working world. Jay graduated in 2008 and we are so grateful for all the opportunities Clifton gave him, many of which may not have been available at every other public school. That said, it wasn't all perfect. And when I became a special education teacher, I wanted to build on that foundation of respect and compassion that Clipton had shown my family and do even better. As it turns out, so did Clifton. In my blessed and lucky 13 years working in the same district that educated my brother, I have found a culture of collaboration and growth.
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I have been trained in programs such as nurtured heart which builds students inner resilience while redirecting their intensity in positive ways as they learn to manage their emotions and increase their self-regulation. I use the secondstep social emotional learning curriculum which teaches my young students to recognize their feelings, develop empathy for each other and give age appropriate coping mechanisms for handing handling difficult emotions. I find myself often saying if only my brother had this. The good going on in our own backyard does not stop there. I am a proud member of our PBIS team of which school 11 is the district model and we have databased evidence of growth from our efforts with plans to improve. Our media specialists provide our students not only with wonderful books, but literacybased lessons and maker space opportunities that help students develop realworld skills such as problem solving, collaboration, and creativity.
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Through hard work and commitment, our Clifton cheer team has won three consecutive state championships while demonstrating athleticism, enthusiasm, and teamwork. Our Mustang band is award-winning, and video of their performance coupled with a science lesson on sound made even our most distractable students interested. We're we've even served as a model for other school districts both through school 11's PBIS rare day celebration and our district level collaborative team which have been highlighted as examples of effective practice. So it's no wonder we were named number 12 on 100 best places to live and that our schools were number three on that list. Our world is changing. It's not the same place it was just a short time ago. Just as there were glows and grows from when my brother was in the district, we need to recognize both our good and strive to do better. We need growth, not stasis, and definitely not cutbacks.
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We need the 4%. As a property owner and taxpayer, I do not say this lightly, but our one Clifton children deserve to be prepared to thrive in the world we're handing them. They're going to be us one day. The people that bag our groceries, fix our pipes, teach our children, perform lifesaving medical procedures, and also take care of us when we're in retirement homes. Do right by them. Thank you for your time and your hard work. Thank you. Is there anyone else who would like to speak this evening? I may need a little more. I'll try to do my best to make sure you understand. Uh, first of all, I'd like to say thank you to Mr. Shahada for his presentation. Uh, I do have a couple questions before I'd like to say something. So, uh, first of all, I wanted to ask what the transportation hub expense was, that $535,000 expense.
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Can I answer? I like it. Normally, we don't do question and answer, but go ahead. We may all be We'll make an exception since it's budget week. Go ahead. Uh so that transportation hub that is money that we allocated from capital reserve from last budget to this budget. So we purchased a property right next to our current transportation hub 94 Silven A. Uh we are we are closing on the building actually Tuesday in that back room. Uh so the money we need is because it's not going to be done officially through all the lawyers and all that legal ease stuff. So the money is going to go past July or rather June 30th. So we have to repull it back out because that money reverts back to our account after June 30th. Okay. I understand. Um my second question was regarding the adequacy. Uh how do we know how long the board will have this power to uh raise the taxes?
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Is it only for this year or will that uh extend over the course of the next couple years? I'll answer that. It's only for this year right now. It they may choose to redo it in the future, but right now it's just a oneshot opportunity. Okay. Thank you so much, Mr. Paris. Um, and I think that just kind of adds to the urgency and I'd like to thank um, Miss Lori Llama for uh, bringing it up, but uh, I'd like to give my view as a student of the proposed budget increase. Um, and I would like to advocate for the 4% increase. Um, I'd like to take a look at some of the stats Mr. Shahada presented. Um, other districts are increasing their taxes 4% 8% 30%. We even saw our neighboring um district pake. I believe they increased it by 4% or whereabouts. I think it would be a completely warranted uh increase and I'd like uh to implore you all to take a a look into some of the successes we've had uh in investing in our students.
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I believe it is uh an utmost concern to invest in our students. I'd like to uh bring up Chewy. Chewy and the service dog teams uh were a very recent investment into our student body and as Dr. Roberts as Mr. Jenger will tell you it has been a tremendous success uh in improving the quality of life of our students. Uh and it is it's really important to to make sure that students uh get all the resources they deserve. Uh it helps to build a community within the high school and taking away uh clubs or grants um will break down what is already a struggling uh community within the high school. Um and some of the proposed cuts for the 1% or 0% or 2% are are quite frankly uh outrageous to me. I would hate to uh see clubs get defunded, sports get defunded. Um, and it it's I just I would like to say that um I firmly and strongly stand uh with the 4% increase and if not from a teacher, if not from an educator, if not from a parent, I would like you to hear it from a student.
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Uh I believe that it is necessary. Thank you very much. Thank you, [Applause] Mark. There anyone else who would like to speak this evening? Motion motion to close by Commissioner Mahia. Second, seconded by Commissioner Brunak. Uh, next is adoption of minutes. We're going to I'm going to bundle these two items together, the minutes of April 8th and April 10th. So, I'm looking for a motion to approve both. Motion by Commissioner Suarez, seconded by Commissioner Mahia. Uh, roll call. Mr. Shashad, Miss Bassford, yes. Mr. Brunac, yes. Mr. Kenova, yes. Dr. Danny, yes. Mr. Mahia, yes. Mr. Ciano, yes. Mr. Suarez, yes. Vice President Santiago, yes. President Paris, yes. Motion carries. Thank you. Um, Dr. Roberts, your report time. Thank you, Mr. Paris. Good evening, commissioners and members of the one Clifton community. uh very brief tonight because we did have two presentations.
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I just want to publicly once again thank Miss Morola, Mr. Jagger for the outstanding presentation on our district labor management collaborative. Um it has I believe transformed our district in many ways and quite frankly we're only scratching the surface of how um good it can be. And second um a big thank you to Mr. Shiada uh for that outstanding presentation tonight. It was he took what was very is very difficult material to understand. He made it clear. He made it concise. Um and he made it authentic to uh to our lives. So Mr. Sha, outstanding job with the presentation tonight. Um you've done all you can do. administration's done all we can do to express um you know what we believe is necessary and ultimately board of education members will will vote and will make a decision that they believe is right and we absolutely respect that decision whatever that decision is so um that's all I have for tonight Mr.
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Paris, thank you very much. Yes. I don't have the numbers. Could you share? You want Mr. Shahada to share? Yeah. Mr. Shadow, could you share? Um, we discussed at our last board meeting um the meals that we fed students over spring break. Okay. And um I I was supposed to put it in my report and I didn't. So, I know Mr. knows the numbers and I will say this, it was much more successful than we ever dreamed it would be. So, Mr. Chowder, please. Uh, so for that week of spring break when we were piloting the lunch program at school 17 and I believe Christopher Columbus, uh, 1,400 meals were distributed to students in our district and 238 were sent to the code blue warming center for the unhoused population. So, I just want to thank the board for being on board with this. Um, you guys are changing lives and we sincerely appreciate it.
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Thank you, Mr. Shahada. Um, I'll reserve my comments for the end as I usually do. Um, any unfinished business? All right, seeing none, we'll move on to uh, education and administration. We have a lot of special recognitions this month. Um, so we're going to start with May 5th is teacher appreciation week. Uh, Commissioner Brunac, please read that. Thank you, Mr. President. Whereas teachers mold future citizens through guidance and education and whereas teachers encounter students of widely differing backgrounds and whereas our country's future depends on providing quality education to all students. And whereas teachers spend countless hours preparing lessons, evaluating progress, counseling and coaching students, and performing community service. And whereas our community recognizes and supports its teachers in educating the children of this community. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the CL Clifton Board of Education proclaims May 5th, 2025 to be teacher appreciation week.
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And be it further resolved that the Clifton Board of Education strongly encourages all members of our community to join with it in personally expressing appreciation to our teachers for their dedication and devotion to their work. Thank you, Commissioner Brunak. Um, next is May 7th is National School Nurse Day. Commissioner Suarez, could you please read that? Yes. Thank you, President Harris. I do. Okay. Whereas students are the future and by investing in them today, we are ensuring our world for tomorrow. And whereas families deserve to feel confident that their children will be cared for when they are at school. And whereas all students have a right to have their physical and mental health needs safely met while in the school setting. And whereas students today face more complex and life-threatening health problems requiring care in school. And whereas school nurses have served a critical role in improving public health and ensuring students academic su success for more than 120 years.
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And whereas school nurses address the home and community factors such as social determinants that impact students health. And whereas school nurses are professional nurses that advance the well-being, academic success, and lifelong achievements of all students by serving on the front lines and providing a critical safety net for our nation's most fragile children. And whereas school nurses act as a liaison to the school community, families, and health care providers on behalf of children's health by promoting wellness, improving and in improving health outcomes for our nation's children. And whereas school nurses support the health and educational success of children and youth by providing access to care when children's cognitive development is at its peak. And whereas school nurses are members of school-based teams such as school health services, 504 and IEP plans, disaster emergency planning, providing care coordination to address the school population, and whereas school nurses understand the link between health and learning and are in a position to make a positive difference for children every day.
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Therefore, be it resolved that the National Association of School Nurses celebrates and acknowledges the accomplishments of school nurses everywhere and their efforts to meet the needs of today's students by providing and advocating for quality student centered care and offers gratitude for the nation's school nurses who contribute to our local communities by supporting students to stay healthy in school safe and ready to learn and keeping parents and guardians at work, not just on this National School Nurse Day, but in every opportunity throughout the year. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Clifton Board of Education encourages all district students and staff to observe Wednesday, May 7th, 2025 as school nurse day. Thank you, Commissioner Suarez. Uh, special education week starts um on May May 11th through 17th. Um, Commissioner Bassford, could you please read that? Thank you, President Paris. My pleasure. Special education week, May 11th through May 17, 2025.
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resolved that the Clipton Board of Education accepts the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools to recognize special education week in New Jersey for May 11th to the 17th, 2025. Whereas the New Jersey New Jersey School Boards Association theme for this week is planting the seed of education. Whereas, we would like to take the opportunity to recognize the achievement of our state's 232,000 students with special needs and the dedicated collaborative work of their teachers, school personnel, parents, and other professionals. Whereas our many teachers, child study teams, par profofessionals, administrators, school personnel, transportation staff, and the board of education provide ongoing support and assistance to our students. resolved. We in Clifton and the most fortunate are most fortunate to have such amazing staff to help our students with special needs reach their potential and become su and become successful citizens. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Bassford. May is also mental health awareness month.
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Uh Commissioner Ciano, could you please read that proclamation? Absolutely. Thank you so much. Whereas May marks mental health awareness month, a time dedicated to addressing the struggles experienced by millions of Americans dealing with mental health conditions. Whereas since its establishment in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has played a crucial role in combating stigma, providing support, spreading public awareness, and pushing for policies that prioritize the welfare of those affected by mental illness. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Clifton Board of Education recognizes the month of May as mental health awareness month. Thank you, Commissioner Ciano. May is also AsianAmericans and Pacific Islanders Month. Whereas the people of the United States join together each May to pay tribute to the contributions of generations of the Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders who have enriched the history of this nation. And whereas the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community is an inherently diverse population composed of more than 45 distinct ethnicities and more than 100 language dialects.
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