Reader
Browse passages, annotate evidence, and export with full provenance for citation.
If anyone is interested in speaking on any evening any topic on this evening's agenda uh please come to the mic state your name and try to contain your comments to three minutes. Hi everyone super wrapping up fifth grade at Potter School. Um, today, day one of teacher appreciation day, I um will also extend my appreciation to you all for the dedication that you have to our students of this community. I got to gush on your bride today, which she knows she's my my sensei. Thank you. Um, my teachers, as I've said in the past, are my village. They are my everything. And promised I wouldn't do that. It's a clearly a very emotional topic for me that we have to even fight for our teachers the way that we do. And we all know that the budget is a pretty tense topic these days. And I would just keep it brief and I will simply ask that we we just can't be losing our teachers.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
This law has changed, I want to say it's 19 times over the years. Yeah. I mean, you guys who've been on the policy committee for many, many years have seen this many, many times um almost as much as the high school graduation requirements. It feels like it's uh this is one that is constantly revisited and we're going to dive into it in a at a much deeper level in the second reading of the bullying policy, which is next.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
NJS NJS 18A semicolon 12-1 18A semicolon 12- one one and that I will faithfully and partially that I will faithfully and partially and justly perform all the duties of that office the duties of that office according to the best of my ability. So help me God according to the best of my ability. So help me God. Congratulations. [Applause] This congratulations Mrs. Peteri. Please take your seat on the deis. Who needs the mic? Congratulations. [Applause] Yes. Can Mrs. Lissa Hassan please come to the podium with her invited guests? Mrs. Lissa Hassan will be sworn in by Deputy Mayor Kevin Kaine. [Applause] I Lissa do solemnly swear. Oh, right hand and place your left hand. I I Lissa Son do solemnly swear that I that I will support the Constitution of the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey. and that I will bear true and that I will bear true faith and allegiance faith and allegiance to the same to the government and to the governments established in the United States and the state the authority under the authority of the people so help me God Ian do solemnly swear that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law for the office of member of a board of education and that I am not disqualified as a voter pursuant to RS194-1 nor disqualified due to conviction of a crime or offense listed in NJS 18A 12-1.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
Um, I've seen multiple families in different world about these issues and in my opinion the bullying goes all the way up to the school. I think that people are scared to bring their opinions forward. Uh, I think that my friend and United States veteran Dave Leco has been wrong. Uh, to the point where he had to fear coming here today. And that's all I have to say. My concern is just with bullying and threats and people in fear. and it's children's safety and I would just like to see the board do something about that and when it comes to a lot of issues I think the uh board here feds has had their heads dist whether that's because you haven't been given the information that you should have been given in a timely and fast manner or if I I have no but the only one I've seen and have any opinion about anything in these schoolboard meetings is one.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
We go throughout the year and make those adjustments based on where the actual expenditures are aligning just to be sure our budget um is in alignment with uh reflecting accurate activity. And so that's what you see um here for M. our capital funds. Our main two funds we have, as you know, are unrestricted capital fund. So, we did have that budget limit increase. That's that 2.2 million I referenced of um allocating those state funds. Um and so, we know as a district there's going to be instances of those critical improvements that come up. And so, we're making sure we position ourselves to continue living within our means um as necessary and to address those as any funding from the state comes available. And so, that's what we've done in this final revised budget. the emergency building renewal grant program. You'll see that went up by 1.6 million and that is um solely attributed to the Marley Park Central plant project that was uh approved by the school facilities board.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
And so with that, I'm going to hand it off to you who will tell you about those great things we do. All right. So the first topic we talked about was the curriculum and one of the main points where some schools thought they didn't offer enough CTE like courses like engineering um art, drawing and other courses. And I think DJS does a great job and DJN at offering a multitude of courses like as a junior I haven't been able to take as many because my classes are like full. So, I thought it was great that we offered as many courses and some people thought that there was enough like clubs, but at DJs and DJM, we do a great job at making sure that everyone's included and participating in clubs. So, I thought that was a great for me because I'm a part of politics club me.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
This board ensured again two really powerful agreements with our unions, launched the long range facility planning process, and lastly afforded me the opportunity to join this district. And I am truly honored for the trust um on myself and the team, the senior leadership team. truly feels appreciative and grateful for the atrocity you have afforded us. In your service, I'm reminded of the words of Elizabeth Andrews who said, "Vunteers do not necessarily have the time. They just have the heart. And your heart was always first. And you always put what was important for children first." as we bid farewell formally in this context, you may be a public comment a couple weeks. I'm just kidding. You're always welcome. Um you you as we bid farewell and think about you and the impact you've had, we also want to welcome those who've been appointed and elected and we know that they're they will stand on the shoulders of the efforts you put forward.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
[Music] [Applause] [Music] The symphonic band has one more piece of music for you and uh then we'll have a couple of awards to give out before we switch places uh with the wind ensemble. This last piece is Aventura. Although the children have been calling it Ace Ventura, it has nothing to do with the movie. Um, this is a really great piece by uh James Swearing who uh writes some really great music and never misses. Am I right? Never misses. Yeah. Okay. [Music] Heat up here. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat up here. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Baby, hey. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat up here. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] They sound huge, don't they? I [Applause] mean, we're going to take this time to hand out some awards. Um, starting with the solo and ensemble contest medals.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
Thank you, Adam, for all that you do. Some upcoming local meetings. Make your voice heard and stay informed about what's happening in your town government. On May 6th at 6 p.m. we have the board of health. Discussions typically cover public health updates, regulations, and local wellness initiatives. May 7th at 7 p.m. we have the annual town meeting, one of the most important civic events of the year. Come vote on town budget items, bylaw amendments, and community priorities. May 8th at 7:15, we have the planning board where you can hear about upcoming development projects, zoning updates, and land use planning. All meetings take place at town hall and are available to watch via WACA TV. Also coming up, we have the town manager coffee hours. Want to chat about town issues in a relaxed setting? Join town manager Michael Herbert for his monthly coffee hours held every third Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
That can't be the first to go. They're they're what our students need. They our students rely on our teachers for emotional support, educational support, the whole all of it. as do our parents that we're all very connected to my village of people, our village of people. We're we're all in this together. So, thank you for your time. Let's uh I would I would I guess pose can we beg the school committee to please give us what we need to run the schools and and let's ask the school committee, you're the school committee, the select board to give us what we need to run our schools. So, thank you so much. And um my teacher appreciation week is all year long. So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Madam Chair, did we do a roll call? Um you we didn't. Sorry. Sorry to interrupt, but just wanted to Um, Chris Oliver here.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
So, if there aren't any questions on that, I guess we could jump right into that conversation if you'd like. Let's move on. You guys good? Yeah. Okay. So, this is the aforementioned um updated bullying policy. That's the school climate. School climate. Yeah. School climate policy which covers the bullying piece. But the um we were required We are required, every school system in Connecticut is required to adopt the school climate policy that aligns with the law by July 1st basically for the next school year. Um so this um policy take you through it basically provides 18 definitions. Um, Adam, you were asking about like what's the bar and stuff. The the definitions start to get at some of that, but really the definitions are much more focused on what is a positive school climate. It's recognizing that um, and it's something that frankly I've uh, believed for many years that punishment uh, alone does not do away with bullying.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
and I will faithfully and partially and justly perform all the duties that the office according to the best of my ability. So help me God. Thank you. Congratulations, Mrs. Hassan. Please take your seat on the deis. Can Mr. William J. Otto please come to the podium with his invited guests? Mr. William J. Otto will be sworn in by Deputy Mayor Mayoral Advisor Tana Raymond. [Applause] Oh, thank you. Put the Let the kids hold. But you you got to hold it so he can hold this. There you go. Put your right left left hand right up. I I say your name. William J. do solemnly swear domly swear that I will support the Constitution I will support the Constitution of the United States of the United States and the Constitution and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States by the governments established in the United States and this state and this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
Um, yeah, I would just like some transparency for the community and some action and if it if my friend David here was held accountable for allegations against him which are false, like leaving kids in the parking lots. Um, then who's going to be held accountable for the security cameras in this school not working for who knows how long? And that's all I have to say. Thank you. Security is. Thank you. Good evening everybody. My name is Dave Leman. I live at 111 West Second Avenue here in Aaho. Um I was going to talk about something different, but real quick I want to talk about what's on the agenda because I don't really know exactly what it means. It says classified resignation assistant coach David Leco. Uh, I don't know if it has anything to do with my complaint because I wasn't complaining about my resignation to the superintendent to send a complaint to you guys.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
Um and so that was the amount of that project. So that is um now going to be funded through the state classroom site fund, excuse me, no adjustments or changes from our revised budget in December. So that amount remains the same. And then special projects. We just had a few increases in our federal and state grants from when we revised our budget in December. Um we were finalizing our completion reports and so now that reflects our final known carry forward amounts. And then food service fund. We just made a minor adjustment just to reflect act u more actual activity that's been occurring in the nutrition program this fiscal year. And again as always we have all of our financial reports on our budget website. We have our audit reports um as well as our full annual comprehensive financial report for public viewing.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
So, I think it was great to have everyone from different variety of clubs coming and participate in those discussions. Yeah. Um, we did have a couple topics that we did feel were some areas that were very new to the education world such as AI as well as student management in terms of technology and new curriculums that come out in a lot more rigorous courses. We felt that AI is a new top a new type of technology used for students throughout the school. And with it being so new, a lot of students are misusing it. But we did feel that ignoring the problem was probably going to make it worse. So we believe that a good kind of conclusion with that would be trying to implement some areas in curriculums and some literacy courses to help students understand the best ways to use AI and where not to.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
And we are just thrilled. We are thrilled by the opportunity and your guidance. And we know it's not the end today. To our new board members, we are honored to continue our service. Uh for those of you joining the board this evening, um and we are appreciative to your families. We know it takes a village and in this case it really takes a family. And so we want to thank you for your service um in advance and we want to thank you for the hard work it took even to arrive here and we recognize the sacrifices you made to really put children first and to put yourselves aside in this journey. And so we want to thank you in advance um and for what you've already accomplished. So and with that I will now turn it over to our board president for board comments. Okay, moving on to agenda item 3.1, board member comments.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
Um, so here we go. Uh, low brass trio or low and high brass trio getting second place. Emma Hul, Chase Myers, and Taylor Rose. Come on [Applause] [Music] [Applause] down. [Music] Also second place uh Woodwind trio, Llaya Vanderver, Grace Noak, and Lucia James. [Music] I'm trying to knock these out by band so that it makes sense. First place tenor sack solo, Joel Joel Sporakus. [Applause] And we honored him at the last concert for best of day, which is a huge honor given to only one person that the judge thinks is the best thing they heard all day. Trumpet solo Aaron Eisenhower. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] And now uh we're going to give the outstanding freshman band member award. Uh this award is given to someone who practices really hard, who goes to contest, who does goes above and beyond uh to do their best in band every day.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
at the Ashlin Community Center. Bring your questions, concerns, or ideas. The next dates will be May 21st, June 18th, and July 16th. The Lions Club Pasta dinner is also coming up on Friday, May 9th. Doors open at 600 p.m. at the Ashlin VFW. An evening of good food and great music awaits. Enjoy a full pasta dinner and a live performance by Tony Funches of the Platters. Tickets are $25 and must be purchased in advance. For tickets, contact MF pi mel atverizon.net or 74499171. The five town Special Olympics will be on Friday, May 9th, 9:00 a.m. at Medfield High School. Celebrate the courage and talent of athletes from Ashland, Hollist, Medfield, Medway, and Milis. This inspiring event promotes inclusion and showcases amazing athleticism. Want to participate or volunteer? Contact Mary Brol, that is mbrl.medfield.net. The letter carriers food drive Saturday, May 10th. Support the Ashlin food pantry by leaving non-p perishable food items by your mailbox for pickup.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
Kathleen Emerald here. John Nunes. Mary Beckwith here. Best Coughlin here. If there's anyone else for public comment. Okay. Um, seeing no one approaching the mic, uh, would like to turn the meeting over to Dr. Sa Maguire for some recognition of students. Obviously, this is our favorite time of year recognizing our students for all the great work that they do throughout the school year. And one of the prestigious I think awards that we um award every year is called the MASS Superintendent Certificate of Academic Excellence. And MASS stands for the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendent. And so this is an award that's given out in our uh 351 communities across the state. And when you think about that, it's a really select uh number of students who are uh chosen for this award. And Mr. Sheay and his team of folks recommended uh a couple of students who I recognize here.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above
you know, if punishment was the most effective deterrent to bad behavior, prisons would be wicked successful. Um, we've never had recidivism, anything like that. And, uh, alternatively, the focus is on creating a positive school climate and what steps should be taken by a school community to ensure the development of a positive school climate. many of these things are things that uh we're currently required to do. Um it just provides stronger guidance I think around it than it has in the past. So you know things like the definition of a positive sustained school climate um has never been there and and this is where we would start with our um you know required school climate committees. Um it defines social emotional learning for example and emotional intelligence uh two terms that in recent years have been clouded by really what does that mean and so I think it's helpful that that is defined here you see number five that definition of bullying again real or perceived not even received power balance but here it's legitimately perceived power imbalance um what is the school environment define cyber bull bullying.
⚗ AI-reconstructed · cite from original above