Uh that have resigned and uh will no longer be with the district. We appreciate their service and uh thank you for their dedication to the district. Uh congratulations to Fireman Ed Kovac. Congratulations to the student of the month. I want to thank the uh student government representatives Sarah Bolanos and Darla Martinez for their work and dedication throughout this past year. In addition, I'm calling on the governor and the state legislators in the Senate and Assembly to find a solution to the public health benefits crisis that we're going through right now as approved by this uh particular board. And uh want to wish everybody a happy Memorial Day, remember the fallen, and uh upcoming uh 250th anniversary of our great country. Thank you. Thank you, Alan. Any other board members? Uh Shawn. So to begin, I'd like to congratulate the e-sport our high school e-sports team on their state championship.
Thank you. >> No problem. Um, all right. So, so with that, the governing board presentation is planned. We still have a half hour. Um, would you guys like to go over any of these policies right now? Or do we want to say the likelihood that we'll be able to follow up and finish doesn't feel great? Um, and so that we just make these like the first of the next year, >> the second one. >> I kind of feel the same way. Um, does that work for everybody? >> Yeah, that sounds great. >> Okay. So then, um, the meeting schedule, Mr. Man, I don't know. I mean, this would end up being like, let's plan for next year. Do do we want people to provide like general information like I'm better with the every other Tuesday like we used to do or do we want to just say like we are >> I think it doesn't hurt to kind of get a sense from people like what will fit their schedule and then what we could do is based on that information um produce a draft calendar for next year and just push it out to the group to review.
And finally, we completed a review and update of our concussion protocol. We reviewed and updated procedures to ensure alignment with the Heads Up Concussion Program, supporting safe and effective return-to-learn and return-to-play practices for students. And now, I'm going to turn it over to my colleague, Colin Bear, for social emotional learning update. Thanks. So, in the world of social emotional learning, we've been really focused on developing layers and levels of supports at each of our sites to meet the needs of students. At tier one, our work at the district level has looked like differentiated PD, coaching training to help sites create, implement, develop systems of support for every student at their site. So, that might look like consistent language, common expectations, uh consistent systems for responding to behavior, or developing positive relationships. And tier two this year across the district, we've rolled out an intervention for the first time which is called check and check out.
Um so, those are always used to try to get the big picture takeaways, um and not are used as a a released data set. So, uh the other data we do present. We did uh in that other one provided when asked for, so um quantitative data, I have no problem, you know, with us sharing those kinds of things. Uh the qualitative ones, there's no way to scrub it to make it not harmful for somebody. So, we always synthesize that and take the big takeaways. So, that's kind of everything that we've heard to this point. I All things point towards engagement being our top focus and primary focus next year. And should the board approve that tonight, uh then over the next month we have a whole bunch of leadership meetings to actually take the potential action items and start turning those into actual action items.
Thank you Mr. Stinner. Mr. Bruning will come up and give a quarter one financial report and then go directly into the second presentation for him this evening which is an early uh budget workshop on the operations fund for 2027. Good evening Dr. Phillips and board. Thank you for having me this evening. uh Here we go. Our revenues first quarter of 26 compared to 2025 in the education fund the revenues are up just under 1% over the first quarter of 25. Operation fund revenues are down approximately 23% however this can be traced to the lower budgeted transfers from the education fund. Our operating referendum fund revenues are at zero as they were at this point in 2025 as they're tied exclusively to property tax reports or receipts which we do not receive in the first quarter of the year. Looking at education fund expenditures in the first quarter salaries are up 1.5% over 2025 benefits are up approximately 1%.
Any questions? >> And just uh if you then the automotive department, the auto mechanics class, will give that to them. Yes, so we won't have plates for it. >> Good use for it.
It's about six, seven minutes long and they really do a great just going back through and putting this hour hour and a half meeting into um more of a conversational approach to it. And if you haven't had a chance yet, check that out. It's it's really um enlightening in my opinion. So, thank you to Brooke for that work, but check that out. >> Thank you, Dr. Terrell. Item seven, other business of the board. or not, but appreciate anyone who does come and step forward and bring things to our shine light on something. All I would like to say is that as board member so many of those meetings were very very detailed information and research and juggling that you guys have done and brought forward to us as recommendations to make us feel informed and confident in what we might vote on or I think I appreciate that.
So, as you're looking at the um the soil management plan that was presented to you and that there's a cut and fill image in the uh top left-hand corner of that of that diagram, uh all the areas in red represent locations where we're going to be cutting into the existing soil. The intent is that soil is going to be removed from the site. There is approximately 6,000 yd of material that will be removed from the site. And within those areas, we need to properly characterize the soil such that it can go to an approved disposal facility that's licensed by the state and it will be tracked appropriately under the RAM plan as well as the the the mass continue the MCP regs. Um So, during that that process we will remove the soil but again it where we're only characterizing the soil that's getting removed from the site.
Has everybody had time to approve? I mean to review, sorry, not approve. >> Is there any discussion or question? So, we're looking at July 20th and August 31st for our two summer meetings. Am I correct? >> I I think so. Sorry, I just put it down. I've got to bring it back up. >> I had looked at them all. I'm good with them. I mean, I'm good. >> And I'm good. >> I'm just I'm just trying to verify. >> July 20th, August 31st. Correct. Okay. >> [clears throat] >> Um, and can I also bring up that we have a meeting scheduled for June 22nd. Last year we cancelled that meeting thinking we didn't need it. Um, >> and we wanted I think we talked about a little bit last week and want to wait and see. >> Yeah. >> Is that correct? That's what madam chair that's what I suggested is that we wait till the June 8th meeting and see what's going on with town how town meeting flows and everything of that nature.
Or yeah. >> Money to them? Money? No, no, but ultimately it would ultimately get sent back to you and then you're the name that's >> We'd probably collaborate on it together. Yeah, that's I think I'm just I think it's It's a different kind of grant than this one though. Okay, okay. This is a that's a collective grant you're talking about. This is an operational annual >> It's a requirement. Yeah, I got it. Yeah, I yeah, I was just going to give officer of early childhood, you know, money the distributions there. If I may one question just to be clear, Emery, um you were talking about, if I heard you correctly, a certification for special ed being a benefit, which makes sense. Were you talking about what Jeff is proposing right now for the assistant principal? I'm talking about the assistant principal having that extra little certification.
Um it's not the same as curriculum writing institute being that we don't have a lot of teachers involved, but we do have a communications loop so that teachers will be aware of what's happening and we'll be soliciting their feedback. And then uh lastly, we've begun talking about, you know, what's been going on with our math pathways and just concluded conversations with our middle school teachers to see how this change over the last 2 years has impacted them, how it's impacted the students, to get their feedback, and to talk about moving further. And in the next coming days, we'll be meeting with math teachers at the high school in 9th through 12th, soliciting their feedback to better understand the teachers' experience and making plans for next year. That is it. So, have you talked to those math teachers already because one of one grade that's over there kind of went through some of the new math that uh Both seventh and eighth grade.
So congratulations to Mr. Durn and all his students. We are very proud as the board. And I'd also like to congratulate the Garfield softball team on being voted as team of the week for Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic counties. Now to explain all my absentee uh absentations, uh I apologize if that's not the right word. I'm saying sorry. Abstentions, there you go. Um I wasn't on the board, so I won't vote in favor of it. Uh but going forward as things are going under uh so when everything after May, I'll be voting in favor against, whatever the case may be. Uh lastly, there will be a spring concert at the at May 19th uh at 6:30 p.m. All are invited. Thank you. Any other comments? Mr. Quilleth? Yes, thank you. You're welcome. First I want to congratulate Mr. Kovac, 50 years of service, selfless act to this community.
>> Okay. >> And the governing board um does have to take action again to continue this committee. So they will do that at their first board meeting in August. >> Is it a good idea that we plan ahead before the governing board takes action? I your guys's guess is as good as mine. I was not so much thinking about dates, but just being like in general um we meet on Tuesdays, but I'm happy to wait. >> Yeah. Yeah, I mean the only the only upside to doing it now would be um sometimes the beginning of the year it's really difficult to get something like that organized but it would be wasted effort if the board chooses not to continue the committee. I find that not a high likelihood but there's always the possibility. Um well what if we do this we so Heather that you know what we tried to do was it was like uh the leaders not leadership the governing board meetings are on Tuesdays so we initially had started with like this group also being a Tuesday group it didn't quite work out for us um this year because we started a little bit later but are Tuesdays good for everybody?
Check and check out does two things for children. It increases the number of opportunities for feedback throughout the day on how you're doing and it also pairs you with another trusted adult to form a relationship with. We've seen sites really explore explode in growth and how they're serving students with check and check out. It's been wonderful to see and recently at a parent teacher advisory committee when we were reviewing just our discipline practices and behavior in general, several parents there were like, "Oh, my student has had that and that really worked well for them." So, it's nice to see that work growing in our district and we'll continue to develop that as the years go on. Now, at the same time as we're developing our systems, another area in social emotional learning specific to our district that we focused on is the data that teams have at their disposal at their disposal to make decisions on.
So, that's the plan moving forward. Questions? >> Um so, this small group, so because we were talking about data, this small group response about the raw data, Mhm. they're just the teacher teachers are saying that they just would like to see the raw data? Correct. From the from but there's four major surveys that we give. Yeah. And They're asking for the free responses. Here it just says raw data. >> I know, but by raw data, it's the free responses in the raw data. Okay, but so they get the other they get all the other raw data. >> other not all of the other raw data, but it's it is presented in in aggregate like what we presented at the last meeting. Okay. Yeah. Can you talk a little bit more about that about why why this proposal that group sees this proposal as targeting the teachers or teacher practices?
Other education fund expenses are down just under 11% due largely to reduce supplies and professional services expenses in the first quarter. As budgeted transfers to the operations funds is down about 30%. Overall expenses in the education fund are down just under 2% when compared to 2025. Our operation fund expenditures, uh salaries are down 3.7% due to attrition across the board. Benefits are down 20% and that is due to timing of our payment to our workers comp account, which will happen in the second quarter. Other operation expenses are down 15% over 25, mainly due to reductions in repair, natural gas, and equipment expenses, as well as timing of telephone and software expenses in the first quarter. Overall expenses in the operations fund are down 12% compared to 2025. In the operating referendum, teacher salaries in the referendum are up 2.8% as staff retention among teachers remains high.
All in favor, signify by saying aye. >> Aye. >> Opposed? Motion carries. E5, consider approval of the after school program policies, handbook, and wage scale. Can I get a motion for that, please? >> I will make a motion to consider the approval of the after school program policies, handbook, and wage scale. >> I'll second. >> Okay, motion and a second.
One thing for anyone and everyone to understand is the title doesn't always represent the hats that are worn by somebody and think there's a lot of answers to the question when they're asked when what does somebody do a lot of answers for that. So I I just jump in on this conversation because I think Lambert brought up some good questions and fair questions that I think the general public want to touch upon. I just want to speak from my experience since I've been a board member here for 10 years. Um one of the things is we experienced life when there was no director of communications and I always joke jokingly say Mr. Jack was like our director of communications, a former board member and it wasn't necessarily we appreciate his efforts but it wasn't necessarily pretty. Um, so that was actually a more pressing hire and I would actually contend and sit up here publicly and say I think it was one of the better hires we ever made.
So, there's been a couple of questions about um why aren't we sampling under the building? Um because if you look on the the cut and fill [clears throat] image you'll see that um some of the areas under the existing building um are really going to stay there. So, the intent is even if the soil is uh has contaminants in it if we're not exporting it off site then there's no reason to do any further testing on that soil. It's going to be remain on site. We're going to build a new project over the top of it and it's going to have all the proper environmental controls within the footprint of the building. And I'm I'm sorry, who uh your name is I'm sorry. Sorry, it's uh Bob Sanda with Callahan Construction. Okay, thank you. Um but you will be altering the site. You know, whether whether you're removing the soil or just moving it around it's an alteration which triggers our jurisdiction for that stuff and that's that's why we're concerned about it.
Personal again personal opinion. >> Everybody okay with that with the wait and see? >> I'm fine with that. >> Okay. Um are we ready to vote or get a motion? >> Go ahead. I I just want to um mention that I'm I would be unable to um join at five o'clock July and August. >> The five o'clock in August. >> Yeah, I would not I would not be >> able to make it before. >> How about the July? >> I'm sorry. The July and the August are both proposed to >> I think last summer we did 5:30. Is that possible for you or is 6:00 the >> I think I made it work but I guess I'm one of four so I proceed I just um it's very unlikely but I will try my best and >> to get to be at 5:30. >> Yeah.