Uh when a lot of people think about adult education, the first thing that comes to mind is, oh, it's the GED program, right? We're so much more than that. Um we were last year and we're likely to be this year the largest family literacy program in the state. Uh the model that we put together for our program last year was so effective that the state actually asked us to build a statewide curriculum map. Um so that's pretty excellent because up until three years ago we didn't have a family literacy program, right? So we've invested a lot of time and money into that. Um, and what we found over the cohorts that we had last year is the folks that were attending these family literacy programs, they had a much lower uh rate of chronic absenteeism, a much higher rate of parent participation, right? So, we're really trying to be purposeful with how we're supporting the school district, which this infographic shows.
It was very very uh it was it was very high quality presentation. We also uh one of the things we discussed, which which is also on the agenda and discussed in the budget, there was a it's called the P carryover, which is the preschool, and that was $900,000 more that we carried that we carried over. It's going to go with new playground equipment, upgrading some things that um Miss Miss Lee has already explained to us. And actually, those were those were the only two items during this operations meeting. So, that is that. Questions for Mrs. Hein on operations. Thank you very much for carrying the banner, Sue. All right. We need to have no report for Somerset County Educational Services Commission this meeting, so we will move to item 4.6, South Bound Brook report, Mr. Incalacaterra. On March 30th, the school district and the uh Sorry, police.
I mean, I say this because I'm confident that the votes were there because eventually we went did do it again and it passed overwhelmingly. So, um the the people didn't realize they had to vote in both places. Whether you're voting for or against, you need to vote in both places, the the um town meeting and again in at the ballot. Um, so could we could you explain a little bit about how that evolved with the attorney and everything? >> Oh, there's Yeah, there's a number of different structures. Um, like [clears throat] you mentioned, you could do the ballot vote before and have a special town meeting. Um, and I think, you know, another thing we >> that's an additional cost, right? It's less expensive if you have to have a special town meeting than it is if you have to have a spe a ballot.
Um, because when we support each other, the whole community wins. These are our outcomes. Um, so they're pretty outstanding. They've they've grown year-over-year, right? 96% of the parents in this program noted that they gained confidence in supporting their child's education. So, we're talking to them about what reading can look like at home, what literacy skills can look like at home, what math skills can look like at home. 91% have gained a better ability to communicate with their child's teacher. We talk about how to draft an email. Some of them haven't opened a computer ever. So, we're going over technology skills. We're going over how to set up an email. We're going over how to talk to a teacher, how to email a teacher, how to reach out to a teacher for help. 90% have felt more connected to their kids' school community. 95% found it easier to attend classes at their child's school.
Uh accepted the donation from the At Ease Foundation, uh director Pasquale Grillo, uh the donation of a Jersey Tactical Emergency Preparedness Locker and supplies for entry and first aid. And then that was about it. All right.
>> Correct. Correct. Anytime you're running a special um whether it's an election or a special town meeting, it's over and above the cost we had, you know, we had anticipated and you will incur costs. Um we looked at we looked at a couple of different ways. Um, we looked at both uh doing the ballot before. Um, we looked at um doing what's called like a contingency budget um in the sequence that we're doing now. And ultimately the decision was made to keep it as simple as possible for people to make it one town meeting with a ballot vote in between. and the first night of town meeting which is May 6. Um we will uh be voting on the budget which contains the override number and subsequently the vote will happen on the 19th at the ballot and if it passes at the ballot we convene on June 3rd at town meeting again just to dissolve town meeting.
We've made it purposeful to bring it to the schools that need it most, that have the largest populations of folks that will actually attend these classes at night. You'll see in this picture, this was one of our uh family literacy evenings. So, this year we partnered with Read to Grow. It's a nonprofit based in Brford. They come with the bookmobile. This was our first night this year uh back in January and we had standing room only. We actually had to come up with a plan for the alternate days and the days that followed in case we had more than this show up because we needed to push overflow into the uh into the gym and into the media center. So again, this is a program that a lot of people use um and they're coming wanting to be part of this, right? And so what we're looking to do in the coming years is to build that partnership even more with the elementary schools.
Any questions for Mr. Incalacaterra? Any final comments or questions regarding the committee? All right. Hearing none, good work. And we will move on to item 5.1. In accordance with district policy 0167, public participation in board meetings, members of the public are required to sign in either at the podium, providing their name, address, and group affiliation, if applicable. When addressing the board, please state your name and address and limit comments to agenda items only at this time directed to the presiding officer. Each participant is allowed to speak 3 to 5 minutes. No individual may address the same topic more than once until all others wishing to speak have had an opportunity to do so. Any comments from the public regarding agenda items only. I know you're waiting very patiently. Give us 5 minutes. I promise we'll get through the rest. All right. On to item 6.1, be it resolved that the Bound Brook Board of Education, upon recommendation of the superintendent, approves the minutes for the following Board of Education meetings.
If it fails at the ballot, then we will need to go back on June 3rd to go ahead and redo the budget in a way that's within the Proposition 2 and a half limits and the stabilization fund and that might be a good time. Katherine, I just sent you the nonoverride stabiliz budget because I know that's something that we haven't really covered and I know there's been some questions about that as well. >> I just emailed it to you because do it earlier and it's a spreadsheet. And as Katherine pulls that up and I'll explain it. Um the agreement that everybody came to was that if the ballot vote uh failed um we would look at transferring an additional 1.1 million from the stabilization fund and put that towards the Ashland public schools. >> I was thinking I thought it was like 1.4. >> Did I what did I say?
If an elementary school is having trouble contacting a parent or partnering with a parent, we oftentimes have them in our programming right at night. So if you're having trouble catch catching them during the day, we can talk to them at night in our programs. We are piloting something this summer uh that speaks to kind of that initiative of how is our programming supporting the larger district. We are going to be piloting a strong start family literacy program. It will be for folks that are entering into kindergarten. Uh they will be able to attend with their parent. It's a seven-week program two nights a week. The parent will receive family literacy support and kind of the means of parent education as well as adult education. Once that seven weeks is up, which will tail uh when the traditional school year starts, right, the parent will be able to continue through an ESL or a GED or high school completion through our regular programming through the year, but they'll actually be able to attend this summer programming with their child and prepare that child to get into kindergarten.
This is regular and executive session for March 23rd, 2026. May I have a motion? Thank you, Mr. Incalcaterra. A second. Thank you, Mrs. High. Any discussion? Okay, hearing none, can we have a roll call, please, Ms. Lee? Ms. Guzino. Yeah. Ms. High. Yes. Ms. Uh Mr. Incalcaterra. Mr. Janosek. >> Yes. Mr. Minhas. Ms. Molson. Mr. Volmer. Motion passes. Thank you. Item 7.1, be it resolved that the superintendent recommends for approval the resolutions as outlined in district personnel resolutions. This is a big one. It is 7.2 through 7.50. May I have a motion? I'm going to go with Mrs. Guzino for the motion and Mrs. High for the second. We are open for discussion.
>> 1.1. >> Oh, I'm sorry. It is 1.4. I apologize. >> Okay. because I know like we had I don't I can go back in my notes but so we have the 750 that we're planning to to move over from stabilization on the municipal side >> there was like 650 if I remember correctly >> to balance I've been I've been in these numbers that's the [clears throat] one thing I can say I've been >> been up to my eyeballs and budget stuff 650 um to balance to basically to balance the budget and Then there was like 200 that we were going to basically >> front end and then it would that would fall to free cash and that will come back into the stabilization fund. >> Correct. [snorts] >> Right. >> And I'll explain a little bit more about that when we talk about the fields.
And so what we're hoping to see through this program is lower absenteeism, right? higher scores on their literacy assessments because we're prepping them on how to work on things at home, how to understand how they can support their kid at home. For many of these parents that are going to be in this program, this is their first kid going through public school. So, we're providing them an official way to kind of welcome them into the district to make them feel part of the community, but in addition to that, how do we help them support their kid? Who are our learners? Uh these are just some stats. So 90% of them from last school year were parents or guardians. We are very unique. Uh we're one of the only adult ed providers in the entire state where a vast majority of the people that are coming to us for services are working.
All right, hearing none, can we have a roll call, please? Mr. Dawson. Ms. Bezena. Yes. Ms. I. Yes. Mr. Incalcaterra. Mr. Genovese. Yes. Mr. Menendez. Ms. Musson. Mr. Balmer. Motion passes. Thank you. Item 8.1, be it resolved that the Bound Brook Board of Education approves the resolutions as outlined in district education resolutions. These are items 8.2 through 8.18. Have a motion? Thank you, Mr. Dawson. A second? Thank you, Mr. Incalcaterra. Discussion?
Okay. Which is under the agenda. >> And then um so that would be so that I think >> we were talking like 3 million. >> It's 3.1. >> 3.1. Okay. That would >> if if the override does not pass. >> Correct. >> Okay. >> Um and our stabilization fund is like around 8.1 right now. >> That's correct. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> So, it's a good chunk of our stabilization fund is what it really kind of >> Yeah. So, um, it's it still keeps us over the 5% which is the critical like baseline, but not where we've been, which is 10% which is what is really um the goal. >> Yeah, I do, you know, if it does fail, I do worry about our bond rating. >> Um, you know, it's hard to predict um what S&P would do. There's a number of factors that they go that go into that but um yeah >> I mean >> concerned >> you know I worry about the bond rating certainly but I think if it fails the bigger concern really is is the deficit we face down the road right >> that now we're we're using monies that aren't replenished um and that then eventually you know we have to come back to the down and ask again and it will it'll be more than 2.75 and I and that's sometimes that's kind of hard to wrap your head around.
Right? So if you go to other adult ed providers in urban areas, New Haven, Hartford, right? a vast majority of them are unemployed and they're coming to these adult ed programs to get better employment or to get a job. That's not to say that some people don't seek us out for that reason, but a vast majority of the people that are coming to our program are parents and they just want to know how to help their kid. So, it really makes us a unique program. Um, our biggest demographic that we serve are 25 to 44 year olds. Um, and this is a pretty stark statistic. 19% read at or above intermediate school level in English when they when they enter our program. So that means 81% of the folks that enter into our program are entering in below a sixth grade reading level. Their median income is 36,865.
Hearing none, can we have a roll call, please? Mr. Dawson. Yes. Ms. Bezena. Yes. Ms. I. Yes. Mr. Incalcaterra. Mr. Genovese. Yes. Mr. Menendez. Ms. Musson. Mr. Balmer. Motion passes. Thank you. Item 9.1. Ooh. I'm on the right page. There it is. Be it resolved that the Bound Brook Board of Education approves the resolutions as outlined in board action resolutions. These are items 9.2 through 9.35. Have a motion? Thank you, Mr. Dawson. A second? Thank you, Ms. Musson.
Um but if you dig into it a little bit you know I think some of the um you you know some of the meetings the public forum um the interview that that Makita did with Mr. Adams last week. Um these these they're very helpful in in helping folks to understand um what this means and how it helps us by doing it now how it helps us down the road um to minimize the hurt. And you know, one of the things that a friend of mine said to me a long time ago when we were talking about overrides and and debt exclusions and you know, he said, you know, Claudia, the thing is is that um when you vote no on these things, you it it always comes back. It always comes back. And when it comes back, it costs you more. And you know, that's not to scare people or anything else.
Now, I'm putting that statistic up here because if you take a look at the fact sheet, when they finish their high school diploma or their GED, we see an average of about $9,000 in gains, about 25% jump in the family household income. Right? So, what we have to do under federal law and under state law is we track our students for four quarters after they exit. We track them for a full year. We work with DO. It matches their data to their their tax forms, right? And we actually see how much are they earning the second quarter and the fourth quarter after they exit and how much has that increased. That's one of the metrics that we use to judge our success. For the last three years, we have met and exceeded we've almost gone double what the state goal was for median annual inc uh earnings.
Any discussion? Here, here. Me, too. I I'm just very appreciative of all the work that goes into grants. You know, just applying for them, it's very it's it's quite a process. So, just to see, you know, just the amount that has come to us from those grants. So, thank you for doing that. Also, thank you, Mrs. Hyatt. Any other comments or questions?