001have a motion to open the meeting. >> Second. >> Can we please stand for the pledge of allegiance? >> I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the stands, one nation, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. >> Can I please have a roll call? >> Mr. Blouse >> here. >> Dr. CI >> here. >> Mr. Halbeck >> here. >> Mr. Murder >> here. >> Mr. Mayor, >> Miss Smith >> here, >> Mr. Truma >> here, >> Mr. Mr. >> here. >> Can I have a motion to go into executive session vot? Thank you. June 11th meeting of the board of education of Barber. Please be advised that this and all meetings of the board are open to the public and media consistent with the open public meetings act and that
002advanced notice required therein has been provided. This is a meeting of the board of education or branchburg at which formal action may be taken. The public will have an opportunity to be heard as shown on the agenda. Can we please stand for the pledge of allegiance? I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> I'll hand it over to Dr. Burton. Okay. So, first up this evening is our May employee spotlight awardees. So, as I mentioned them, if they could come up, we'd like to al ultimately take a picture for with all of our May awardees. Just by way of uh explanation, we're highlighting the May spotlight recipients. These are staff who are
003being recognized for going above and beyond and the spotlight awards are a moment to celebrate their exceptional efforts. So, the first one is Amy Clark, the Whiten music teacher. [applause] The person who nominated Amy said that Amy exemplifies creativity, dedication, and excellence. Her commitment to providing exceptional opportunities for students helps make Whiten a vibrant and inspiring place to learn. And I can speak from personal experience. I've seen what she's capable of doing with children and it is fantastic in music. Next is Clayton Kazimbo from Stony Brook. [applause] Katie exemplifies dedication, perseverance, and compassion. Her commitment to students and her positive contributions to the school community make her a tremendous asset to Stony Brook. >> [applause] >> Next up, Leah Keley at BCMS special education teacher. Leah exemplifies dedication and teamwork. Her willingness to support students
004and staff in every capacity helps make BCMS a stronger and more successful school community. [applause] And finally, Paula Openour, bus driver. [applause] It was said that Paula exemplifies dedication, kindness, and dependability. Her commitment to students and positive impact on the school community are deeply appreciated and valued. Congratulations to all our met awardees. [applause] Swiss [applause] trail. Next, each year the district honors its retirees with a special acknowledgement at the June Board of Education meeting. This evening, we'd like to share a special congratulations to our retiring staff for their collectively over 117 years of service to the district. [applause] So, I'm going to invite up Miss Shobert to introduce the person for our first retiree. [applause] So, Miss Wigart is retiring and on her behalf, we have Miss Jess Waldo coming up. They have been friends
005and partners for a very long time in the speech team and no one could do any a better justice uh for speaking on her behalf than Mr. Miss Waldo. [applause] >> You have to be here. [laughter] >> You okay? Thank you. I want you to be present and in the moment and enjoy and don't be >> um so it was an honor and privilege. >> Thank you. when I got this mysterious um email from D if I wouldn't mind speaking on behalf of Adriana and um I was thrilled to do it and then Adriana asked me that night if I would speak on her behalf and I said no way [laughter] so here I am and um it's true what D said I have known Adriana about 40 years. 40 years. Um, we met in
006we met in graduate school and because she was in the elusive bilingual program, um, our path our paths would only cross when we would stand in line at the local Italian place [laughter] buying tuna subs. That would be our lunch dinner. And if there were leftovers, it would be our breakfast. Money was very tight, right? We spent many hours working and studying in the speech and hearing clinic at William Patterson College. Um, but we really never got to know each other. Dr. Chu kept Adriana and her cohorts so busy that there was no time to interact with other graduate students. They were like a secret society. William Patterson's bestkept secret. Our paths would briefly cross again um at Kesler Institute for Rehabilitation in East Orange, but we rarely spoke. And then Adriana was off to
007JFK to work in pediatrics following her heart working with children. Mhm. Then it finally happened. a higher power was listening and we were both hired by Branchburg School District to work at Whiten Elementary School and I finally got to know the real Adriana. This was many years later. Selfless, humble, and a mentor to all, even the really odd, quirky ones. Adriana, always the prepared and skilled interpreter, advocate, and assistant filler outer of applications and paperwork to support non-English-speaking families to gain access and opportunity. Adriana would relentlessly research without intimidation or qualms to find answers and resources for her students or their families in need. Some of these multilingual families whom she advocated for in preschool now have their child confidently entering Somerville High School. Nothing was too small for Adriana to champion. I once said,
008"Adriana, you should ask for a stipend." She said, "No, Deb, this is just the right thing to do." Lesson learned. Thank you. But alas, some things Adriana is not good at. >> Here we go. Basketball, [laughter] volleyball, >> and square dancing. >> Pickle ball is the outlier. She's very good at pickle ball. >> I am not. >> Fun fact about Adriana is that she's masterful at the art of avocado management. When co hit. It was a challenge for all speech therapists as we had to conduct our services with masks, face shields, and wooden plastic barriers. I mean, think about that for a second for speech therapists. Then came virtual intervention. Adriana was one of the first to teach me Boom Cards and how to present materials to students using the Google platform. Adriana helped me
009to organize the first and only Whiten Elementary School social distancing therapist teacher game night and scavenger hunt to pass many long nights while in isolation. We even virtually celebrated my birthday. And Adriana serenated me while wearing a Star Wars mask with a whiteboard behind her. >> Fun fact number two, Adriana can sing happy birthday like a Gregorian monk. That's [laughter] true. That's my whole family. >> Kids liked going to speech with Adriana because she taught them accountability, resiliency, rhyming words, and how to tell jokes. Or maybe it was just the best way of getting out of a math test. I don't know. If you've ever walked past Adriana's room and looked through the window, you probably thought you were witnessing a strange ritual. You'd see Adriana and a three-year-old both sticking their tongues out at
010each other, blowing bubbles through tiny straws or making exaggerated fish faces in the mirror. >> To some people, that's a midlife crisis. To Adriana, that's just a Tuesday morning. professional always at meetings, during crisis, during duties, volunteer events, and during difficult supervision. She is a gift and inspiration to all. I know that this is not the end of her speech journey and that she will continue to mentor some very fortunate aspiring speech language specialists. I'm not done. Oh, after all, Adriana has graciously survived years of what speech therapists call fronting errors, where a kitty cat becomes a titty tat. So when the Whiten Elementary School last day of school tradition of forwarding our students to their next chapter and to honor Adriana's career at Branchburg for her dedication, friendship, leadership, calmness, humility, and commitment to
011the services of others at school and in the community. Can we give her one last group bubble blow sendoff? Oh, [applause] you're welcome. [cheering] [laughter] >> Thank you. Okay, >> I'm going to introduce Miss Cry for our next two retirees. Good evening. Stony Brook is celebrating Miss Karen Alvis and Miss Manita Hadock. So, I'm going to call up Miss Irene Coral first to speak about Miss Karen Elvis. Come on up, Karen. You too. [applause] >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Hi everybody. So I did not get a mysterious email. Mrs. Christ came to me and said uh Irene would you like to say something for Elvis? And I said really thank you for the opportunity. And then I sat down and I thought for a long time as to what I can write and um
012I decided to create a help wanted ad for Mrs. Elvis. So here it goes. So position available looking for the ultimate educator. Location Stony Brook School. Important note must be comfortable occupying a much in demand room at the end of the hallway. Room A1. Experience required. 26 premium years of unmatched excellence. Job description. Here we go. We are looking for an awesome human being to fill in some very big shoes. The ideal candidate must be a total expert in everything. We are not looking for a specialist. the student. If a student walks into your room, you must be prepared to teach them long division, everything about the ecosystem, how to write an argument essay, the entire history of colonial America, and let's not forget how to write a graphic novel. All of this must be
013done before lunchtime and recess. After recess, make sure that you hand out band-aids. Send kids to the nurse to get ice. Handle the delicate intricacies of fifth grade social dynamics. Open five combination locks that somehow got jammed between lunch and recess. And take care of the missing sweatshirt that was left outside on the bench. Oh, all of this must be done with a smile. Minimum required credentials for this job. Awardwinning status. Applicants must arrive already prescertified as teacher of the year. Teacher of the year. Legendary status. You must be inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame. Please include a visual of your trophy. The most important, you must possess the ability to give off positive energy, have sharp wit, and be an incredible colleague to everyone nearby in the hallway. Additional duties include being an
014absolute pleasure to work with, be a steady support before meetings, during meetings, after meetings, [laughter] and throughout the day. Finally, you have to be able to look back on the 26 years of awesome teaching, changing thousands of student lives and making it look relatively easy. Well, as it turns out, Elvis, you're completely irreplaceable. So for the past 26 years, you have been a huge part of Stonyia Brook School. And while we're really sad, all of us at SBS, to see you go and I shall be crying on the last day of school, uh [clears throat] we are thrilled with um choice that you're making and the new adventure that awaits you. even though we will miss you a lot, a huge lot. So, congratulations on your retirement. [applause] >> And now, Miss Danielle Lucasio is
015going to speak about Manita. All right. So, theirs were like funny and cute and mine's like a love letter to you. [laughter] So, so, so buckle up. Um, hi everyone. For those who don't know me, my name is Danielle Cassio and I've had the privilege of working alongside of Manita, or as the kids call her, Mrs. H, for the last four years. Tonight, we aren't just celebrating a colleague. We're celebrating a person who made my job and other people's jobs possible every day. Tonight we celebrate a career defined by heart, patience, and a quiet kind of heroics. Tonight we celebrate a true unsung hero. Tonight we celebrate you. Um, as a par professional, Mrs. H just did an assist. She translated She translated frustration into understanding, anxiety into confidence, and an I can't do it
016with a wow, I can't believe I just did that. Mrs. H is always focused on the child, the student sitting next to her. For example, she would notice the student who needed a break before they even knew themselves, could tell if a child was sick before the nurse even took their temperature, and would know something was off even before she would get the child to open up. Mrs. H is a steady hand in a storm and the first person to cheer for the smallest victory. She makes a child feel safe and capable. Mrs. H just isn't a power professional or an employee of Branchburg. She's an anchor that keeps the classroom steady. In addition to having this quiet, steady magic that makes the hardest days look easy, Mrs. H is also an amazing writer. As
017many of you know, Mrs. H is a writer for the Branchburg News. To our students, she's a world famous celebrity author. The kids absolutely light up when they get to write with her. She has given them a voice and made them feel like their stories matter, just like hers do. For 13 incredible years, she has guided countless students through their toughest moments and celebrated their greatest victories. But beyond her work with our students, I have to speak to the part of her career that is not in any official file. To put it simply, Mrs. H has been my own personal lifeline, my anchor. She got me through those first years of motherhood, the years where you're trying to survive on zero sleep and the impossible pressure of being on for your students while a piece
018of your heart is at home with your baby. Whether it was giving me that perfect been there, done there advice or quietly taking over a task so I could have a moment, she always knew exactly what to do. And that is the kind of grace that you can't find in a job description. I'm going to miss our daily survival routines, specifically those chicken Caesar wraps from Vinnie's and eating with the lights turned off after a rough day. I'll miss the absolute peace of mind I had whenever I needed to be out with a sick kid as I never had to worry, not for a single second, because I knew she was a constant and consistent force in my classroom and that our room was in the best possible hands. I have joked with her many
019times over the years that if she ever left me, that I would hunt her down and find her. [laughter] Well, Mrs. H, you're finally making your escape. But even though I won't be tracking you down at home, please know that you're taking a huge piece of my heart with you. As you turn the page to this next chapter, you're trading in your classroom celebrity status for your most important role yet. After years of being my lifeline and a guide for so many families, you finally have all the time in the world just to be grandma and soak up every second with your new granddaughter. She's so lucky to have you. Thank you for being my partner, my colleague, and my friend. [applause] Okay, finally, Dr. Stanton for the retiree at BCMS. All right, it is
020my pleasure to introduce Mr. Betta who is our prof para profofessional at BCMS. Um, and speaking on her behalf tonight is Mr. Zach Miracle. Come on up. [applause] >> Thank you. Uh, good evening. Uh, my name is Zach Miracle and I'm a teacher here at Branchburg Central Middle School. It is my honor to say a few words about Robin Deetta who is retiring after 25 years of tireless service in our district. During her time in our district, Robin has worked in every grade level, including preschool and in each of our three schools. She has helped dozens of students achieve their goals. I thought I might share some words from some students and colleagues about Robin. One student said, "Mrs. Mrs. Deetta is helpful and smart. She is very nice and cool. She helps me so
021much with my reading. She is just awesome. Another student said, "She is so kind and she has beautiful hair." A longtime co-orker had this to say. Robin is incredibly kind and patient, not only with her own students, but with everyone in the classroom. She takes the initiative to modify classwork the moment she sees a student is struggling, adapting seamlessly without missing a beat. Her presence will be missed dearly and I wish her nothing but continued success and happiness in her welldeserved retirement. And another co-teer said, "Robin always has her students interest at heart. She knows her kids inside and out from what they like to eat to how they like to style their hair. She is beyond intuitive when it comes to reading how her students are feeling and she does whatever she can to
022make them comfortable. She makes sure that the children she works with are included and always goes the extra mile to help a lesson run smoothly. She can always be counted on to run a learning center thoroughly and give feedback on how it went. If a task needs to get done, Robin is on it. She's a dedicated employee and will be thoroughly missed. I'm sure you all picked up on the common denominators here. Robin's kindness and compassion. Robin is patient and caring with the students in her care. She knows the power of forming positive relationships with students. She takes a genuine interest in their interests outside the classroom. Her sincere warmth and generosity have helped make our classroom a safe and nurturing oasis. As an instructor, Robin finds creative and engaging ways to help students connect
023to their learning. She knows when to challenge a student to finish just one more problem and when it's time for a student to take a break. She holds our students to a high standard of learning and she models inclusion and acceptance for all learners. Robin is an incredible organizer and problem solver. [clears throat] Whether it was our popular coffee cart or a Thanksgiving celebration with our white and friends, Robin was adept at taking my pie in the sky ideas and making them an actual reality. She has a knack for working out the logistics of our life skills projects and helping everything run smoothly. She is a dedicated worker. She can be counted on to put in 100% effort every day. She's adaptable to the unique needs of our classroom and never hesitates to jump in
024to help any student. We are so sad to see her go, but we know she is excited to spend time with her daughters Haley, Ashlin, and Brienne, her beautiful grandbabies, Mave, and Sutton, as well as her granddaughter, Nacho. Please join me in wishing Robin a well-deserved and relaxing retirement, preferably somewhere really warm. Thank you. [applause] [cheering] I'd like to invite all the retirees to come up for a picture and then we're going to take a quick break for some refreshments. Open short. Congratulations. [applause] Well, good evening. Uh, Mr. Davenport and I would like to uh present tonight on strengthening our school safety and security. So, I'll mention that as I began working with the district, there were many questions regarding how we might add additional security to the already robust um program that we had.
025While we have Steve as our director of security, he's one person and we do have three schools. So, over the last few months, the board has been investigating having armed security guards at each of our buildings. And today we are about to share some of the plans and the details and then have the opportunity um to answer any questions regarding the program. So as a uh current security measure measures I think if you along the bottom is what many school districts have. They have radios drills that are mandated from the state of New Jersey and the memorandum of agreement with first responders. Here in Branchburg, we h additional measures. All of our staff have a uh badge where we swipe in and we swipe out. So again, helps us. Just for example, today we knew
026who was here and who was not when we had a fire drill here at BCMS based on the fact we knew who was uh in the building. We have security vestibules the district has invested in and I can tell you they are very highly sought after to be able to have two double sets of doors that allow for should there be someone with bad intent to not be able to come into our schools. We have a very sophisticated camera system. The brata system that we use again in and around outside uh and throughout our schools really does maintain levels of security throughout the time stu students and staff are in the building as well as over the weekend. And finally the lockdown system and in particular there is an automated s uh portion of this
027whereby uh any and all law enforcement speaks to take the human element out of having to um activate drills. So having the armed security guards really is that next layer of protection for the district. Among the strength uh among the goals uh is again to strengthen the school security is to improve improve preparedness in the event of uh the need for a response uh in the event of an emergency. Again, there are many other benefits and so we'll talk a little bit about them as we move through the program. Right now, I'm going to turn it over to Steve to talk a little bit about the very specifically the qualifications and the mandates that are required for all of our security officers. Well, the first thing is why are we hiring a retired police officer?
028The reason being is there's a lot of different choices. We could do it other ways. We can have civilians who have training. Retired police officers have the training, the experience under pressure. They're familiar with firearms. They're just the best choice. And with the things that we're putting into place, it will make it even better for Branchburg qualifications. In order for them to be a a Branchburg firearms carrying armed guard, they're going to have to have something called New Jersey RPO. That's a retired police officer certification. Only retired police officers can get it. They qualify with their firearms identical to an active police officer. They do it twice a year and each time they do it, they qualify a day qualification and a night qualification and they have to do that each year and every year
029to maintain the certification. They also have to have something called arm sora. that is a certification where it is a an 8-hour training course that teaches deescalation. It teaches everything that a security officer would need in the state of New Jersey and it's certified through the New Jersey State Police. Through those eight hours of training blocks, they have deescalation. We will be making sure that they're all uh CPR and AED trained. And this is not a mandatory thing, but in Branchburg, we're going to mandate that every school security officer has to have school security specialist training, which is a five-day course through the Department of Education and Department of Homeland uh security for New Jersey. We're going to be doing special training for them. It it's taken me three years so far to get all
030the knowledge just for Branchburg. I'm going to hopefully try to get these guys trained in in a couple of weeks. It's going to be a continuing type of training. They're going to have to learn about the the lockdown system and the alert system and the fire system and everything that I do in each one of the schools. Hopefully, they're going to take a little from me and they're going to be able to do it in each one of their schools. and the annual evaluation. They're going to have to maintain all these certifications each and every year, including the school security specialist. They have to do 10 hours of training each year. Dr. Burton and myself are both school security specialists. And it's, you know, it's it's excellent training. It's better than you can ever get
031any place else. Which is the next one? for the evaluations. You know, they're going to be getting federal background checks, criminal history checks. That's an automatic for the state police. Anytime someone wants arms sora or RPO, that is instantly done each and every year. They also do mental health checks that we're going to be doing uh a comprehensive drug and toxicology screening. The psychological reports, they contact whatever police department you were retired from or and where you live and they ask for the county records of any mental health and the background investigation. They have to go through me first. Once they pass mine, it's going to uh HR is going to be evaluating them and then the last phase is going to be Dr. Burton is going to do an evaluation on them. These are
032some of the things that they're going to be doing every day. They're going to be monitoring all of our systems. Our main security vestibule was probably one of the best things that we installed. And there was a report that just came out a couple weeks ago. And the number one way that active shooters have gained entry into schools is prop doors and through the front front door. That's I believe it was out of and this study came out from from 2000 to 25. I believe it was 47 events that was prek to 12 and it's always a prop door or a door that someone followed that person in behind them. They call it piggybacking. This way we'll have a security officer that during hightra times would be able to monitor that. He's going to be
033there if there's any questions. We had uh someone come to a school and they were uh an unwelcomed guest in through verata. They should not be around children. The the unit the the verata system caught it and we made a decision. They were not allowed into our building. They're going to be checking the doors. They're going to be pushing on the doors. I walk around every school and I touch the doors. make sure they're they're sealed. That's how they get in. They always find an open door that's propped open or hasn't closed mechanically. Is is something wrong with it? So, these these uh security officers, that's going to be part of their perimeter and interior. They're going to walk around and make sure everything looks right. And again, they're going to uh intercept any unwanted
034individuals. We spoke to Chief Buck the last time I met with everyone and Branchburg is 25 square miles. He admits that the best that his men, he probably can get one guy here in a couple of minutes, maybe three minutes, then they set up a command post, the next couple guys get there. They're not getting here inside the school within four, five, six minutes. Most active shooter events are over in five minutes. With a security officer inside that school, his main objective is to respond and stop the threat. They're going to assist me in the drills. Each school does 20 drills a year between fire and regular. They're going to be able to assist. I'm still going to be responding, but they can take over some of my some of my drill duties. And it's
035it's a full-time job to make sure everyone's doing their drills each and every year because we have to send those reports to to the state and it has to be certified. They're going to be doing reports. They're going to be coordinating with law enforcement. Every day I speak to I get a phone call, something's going on where I speak to Chief Buck or uh Captain Edgar. And this way at least they'll have a rapport with them also and it will be a a working relationship with law enforcement. So we truly want to be able to have our security officers um be really part of the fabric of the school. So beyond the security measures, we anticipate the officers will become uh truly a a staff member amongst all the other, you know, in in that
036each of the respective buildings. Again, C will be here. So we'll be getting two new for both Stonybrook and for Whiten. Each day they'll be here. They interact with students, reinforce the again the see something, say something protocols. Really being that upstander as well as uh being able to flex their schedule. A lot of times there are many uh large events back to school night concerts and other large school community events. We'll allow for them to flex their schedule so that they are here to help to monitor those large events in the evening. We expect that they'll also be a resource u for you uh for the staff members for the administration with any safety issues uh that might arise in our classrooms and that could use again as a consult. I know Steve, as
037he mentioned, he does this all the time. Anytime there's any type of an emergency, let's connect with Steve in terms of what his thinking is. Does he need to connect with the police? Um, they will also be part of the behavior threat assessment team. And again, if there's ever a concern whereby a student may be a threat to himself or others, we do what is referred to as a BTAM, a threat assessment, um, Steve has to be part of them in every building. Now, we'll have security officers that can be part of each one of the buildings. So putting this all together, we expect again that the security officers will be a deterrent, someone visible each day as a presence throughout the day to ensure our schools are safe places for our staff, students, and
038our visitors. On the agenda this evening is policy 7446. Again, that outlines all of the details that we're speaking to in in detail for these requirements. again. And as per statute, um we'll also be including an FAQ that will be that will be part of a a district-wide correspondence that's going out um for tomorrow. Again, in in terms of parents wanting to know exactly how this is going to work, um what will happen, what you know, there's [clears throat] a lot of details, additional details. So, we did put an FAQ together that we will be putting this so that we can let for those who have not been able to see this tonight as part of a correspondence to all parents and and guardians tomorrow morning. So, at this time, we'll take any questions that
039you have about the security officers. >> So, why why timing of this right now? Did something happen within the district or is it just for overall safety reason? So we did have that question. It's actually on the FAQ. So are we, you know, has Branchburg been a uh has had threats in that. Um there has not been some incident or episode per se, you know, the words here. What we are doing is we have and we know the importance of being able to have you know Steve in one of our buildings having someone as he mentioned and Chief Buck as you all know because he's come to exact session has said to us that their time frame in terms of getting to the building coordinating and getting physically inside I can assure you the episode
040that happens in schools will have already transpired and so this is really truly a due diligence. There's not a a specific threat. It is a due diligence for Branchburg. um that having that element of and again as a deterrent but I can tell you the school community since the time we've been talking about this and I did this actual presentation Steve and I with all of our buildings um we've been talking with staff especially our administrators about when we have the security officers they'll address this when we have the security offic there's been multiple times where we have had incidents that have happened that we've had to call Stephen he's had to in other words he always has to be able the one to run over as opposed to having someone right there to deal
041with deal with any kind of an issue episode people that you see wandering in other words sometimes outside and we're asking again that's where immediately someone that comes to the door you know through the through the system they are there to help to address any and all these types of incidents these episodes that may uh escalate they're there to be able to deescalate them so it is part and parcel honestly in 2026 what school districts should have in each of their buildings C >> can you explain what happens um on like a scheduled absence or person goes on vacation etc. Sure. The question is, you know, in terms of um an absence or a vacation or that type of thing, training, one of the things they have to do is training. What we'll be doing,
042uh we will be actually posting for these security guards. Uh as starting actually as of next week, uh part of this will have will be to have subs. So, in the event that uh a security guard for some reason is out, we'll have subs. And I happen to know that there are people who very much want to be able to to come and be subs. So, as we go through the uh the applicants, anyone who is not hired as the actual security guards, we'll ask them would they be interested in being part of a subpole. I think of it very much like honestly uh the school nurse. School nurse has to be here every day, medical reasons. We need the security guards here every day for security reasons. >> Thank you. >> I have one
043question, but it's it's kind of technical about the weapons. At what level will they be carrying? Like I know that there's certain things, right? There's there's chambered, there's there's chambered, there's loaded, there's safe, there's holstered, and there's strapped, right? So, when our officers are walking around the school, at what level will they be? >> There is only one level. I've been a firearm instructor for 25 years, and at no time have I ever taught anyone other than a recruit to walk up to the firing line with an empty firearm. Okay? You always have the gun loaded. The I can get technical with you, right? Reaction and action are if you're going to uh draw a weapon and try to fire at me, it's going to take me 2.7 seconds to see you doing it, draw
044my weapon, and fire at you. If I have to draw my weapon, rack that firearm, now you're talking about >> 4 seconds. >> It doesn't work. No one trains with an empty firearm. >> Okay. >> Or with a safety on or anything like that when we >> So, it's cocked, chambered, loaded, >> cocked is only a uh a singleaction fire uh firearm 45. I I guess I may I mean chamber racked would would be >> dude it [clears throat] would be racked in a safe holstered position and then the holster is a certain threat levels you can only as a armed sora there's a specific uh level that we must use. >> Okay. >> It's concealed >> and it's concealed carry. So the weapon is not going to be exposed to anyone. >> Not like
045anybody in no grabby hands going for it. No. >> Thank you. >> Thanks, Steve. Okay, moving on to the uh just a couple additional items in my superintendent's report. On the agenda this evening is policy 7446 for the first reading. Again, that outlines the requirements for the school security officers as well as the job description. Uh item B5 lists the details on all the bus evacuations at both Whiten and BCMS and Stony Brook students. Uh these drills are part of our mandated security drills for the year. Also on the agenda this evening is the continuation of the contract with Miss Stephanie Vorhees as our business administrator until December. Very happy about that. I do want to mention that the board has again submitted a the application to the state for the projects to be included
046as part of the referendum. What we're referring to as referendum 2.0. Uh we anticipate the projects being restrooms, HVAC roof replacements, um the BCMX uh BCMS auxiliary gym uh renovations, Stonybrook, the multi-purpose room renovations, as well as the addition of the gym at Stonybrook and main parking at and main office renovations. There will be much more information forthcoming to share the details on the projects, the cost structure, and potential timeline for completions. Tonight, the board will be accepting donations from the Branchburg Ed Foundation for grants for Whiten and BCMS and the Branchburg PTO library donations uh from the Branchburg PTO as well as field day supplies. Do want to mention just something from our seventh grade student leadership group. They're celebrating the 250th anniversary celebration of the US by bringing some important and fun facts
047and unique details about the important time in American history. And here's one of them. On this day, June 11th, 1776, Congress appointed a committee to write the Declaration of Independence. A task John Adams famously handed off to Thomas Jefferson because of Jefferson's superior writing skills. Working under a tight two-eek deadline, committee member Robert R. Livingston helped from the helped frame the historic document, but was unexpectedly recalled home to New York before he could sign it. Ultimately, the team beat the clock in the and presented their finished draft to the public just two weeks later. This document marked the beginning of shaping America into the wonderful nation we know today without the use of chap GBT. Final note, uh do want to mention this marks my last meeting as the interim superintendent. I wanted to share
048a few words of thanks for the opportunity to join the Branchburg school community for just a while to support the staff and our administrative team as we provided for each our students each and every day. It's been a year filled with some unexpected events uh that provided for us opportunities to learn as well as those we very much look forward to each day and especially those moments that we cherish. I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy and fun-filled summer. Again, my sincerest thanks to the board and the Branchburg school community for this opportunity. Thank you. [applause] >> And that concludes my report. >> Okay. Uh next up is public comment on agenda items only. Does anybody have any comments on agenda items? Seeing none, we're going to move on to governance. Um, the
049only thing I have is just to remind anybody who wants to run for the board that the deadline is July 27th at 4 o'clock. You have to go on the county website and get your election petition and have it signed by, I believe, 10 people. >> 20 25 >> 20 people. >> 25. >> I may not be here next year. [laughter] >> I don't know. 25 people. Yeah. Um and I the only other thing I wanted to say publicly we talked about exec but just to thank Dr. Burton um just came in seamlessly really you never know the kind of interm that you're going to get someone who's just going to study the ship or someone who has a vision who's going to continue to move us forward. Um we are very thankful to fall
050in the latter category. Um Dr. Dr. Bird has just been such a breath of fresh air. The relationship she's been able to build over the last year has just really been tremendous. Um really can't thank you enough for stepping into this role and doing such a tremendous job at it. So, thank you. >> Um I have [applause] I have nothing else besides that. We do have some voting items. We have one approval of minutes. Two, approval of HIV investigative report. Three, approval of HIV findings report. Four, approval of submission of the 2627 comprehensive equity plan statement of assurance. Five, approval of bus emergency evacuation drill report. Six, approval of 2627 personnel appointments. Can I have a motion to move those? >> Second. Uh, can I have a roll call, please? >> Mr. Blouse, >> yes.
051>> Dr. Cabriy, >> yes. >> Mr. Hollac, >> yes. >> Mr. Christa Mury, >> yes. >> Miss Smith, >> yes. >> Mr. Tuma, >> yes. >> Mr. Carpentier. >> Um, abstain on one and two. Yes. To the rest. We're going to hand it back over to Dr. Burn real quick. She has some other things she wanted to cover. >> Yeah. the uh usually in my in the June board meeting we take a look at all of the district and board goals and so I have shared these with the board uh earlier today but I did want to just um give a very high level view uh a goal one again was to complete the action items to and supply metrics in the target areas specifically as it relates to June um by June's as it
052relates to the vision for student empowerment on the document that the board has references is all the student behavior uh transitional supports leveraging AI expanding students voice strengthening instructional and emotional intelligence uh staff capacity for social and emotional intelligence cultural responsive curriculum as well as strengthening of special education and inclusive as part of all of these action I do want to just reach out uh do a thank you to all of our administrators who have helped throughout the time that we had these since we did these uh back in September October time frame. Uh all of the detail and all of the evidence has been supplied by our principles, our directors throughout the year as we are ma making progress on these goals. They detailed with all the evidence in goal two which was promoting
053student achievement again refining the middle school offerings refining intervention and referral service the attendance practices tier one interventions identifying an evidence-based emotional intelligence again program which we have which we'll very much looking forward to learning more about um Miss Anderson did a very comprehensive special education uh program evaluation audit that we talked about as well as school uh wellness as well as enhancing culture and climate and then at each of the respective buildings there were again evidence of the information and ways in which they did at each of the respective schools. In goal three, this was again strengthening family and district collaboration. action items included strengthening home and school communications, bolstering the redesign of the website, and deepening community partnerships, of which the PTO and BEF um Tony Gooding does a large uh connection with
054them and um we incorporated all the work that she does with them to help to uh showcase and to uh advertise the work that they have put together and all of the programming that they do. Finally, goal four was ensuring safety and sustainability. Large of what large part of what we talked about this evening with regard to the security guards are part and parcel to this, but also incorporated mental health supports, uh the anonymous reporting threat uh systems, strengthening our emergency preparedness, summer projects, facilities work, advancing our security uh measures, um hip data, learning from that. What are next steps? Conducting staff enroll efficiency review that came in the form of u as part of our renewal process. long range facilities planning, sustaining our referendum, budgetary, how to find efficiencies in our budgetary process, cyber
055security, and again um putting together elements of our buildings and grounds security and um [clears throat] technology to enhance our overall systems. So again at uh the board has been afforded all of the action plans, all of the evidence and all the metrics about how the district has uh met the district goals this year. I did also I um in connecting with um Mr. Carpentier the board also did its due diligence in terms of its goals particularly supporting the first goal was to support the funding of our facility infrastructure and implementing the long-range facilities plan. Again this is as it relates to referendum 2.0. So we uh put together the referendum committee uh as part of that working with our um architects. We did a demographer report as well as a housing turnover coordinated with
056the architect for what those next set of plans are. Worked with bond council. uh I now have in are working with a consulting company to begin the marketing as we go forward for uh as I'm affectionately referring it to uh Branchburg forward. And then finally board two uh board goal number two was to complete the action plans to secure a district visionary and instructional leader and in a new superintendent. So board convened with a consultant. They put together a committee. There were communications on the district website to uh elicit feedback from staff, from the community. There was some training. There was a district-wide calendar whereby we solicited input from the community, conducted the interview, rounds of interviews, made the recommendation. Um the county approved the curricula, the excuse me, the contract, and uh Mr. Bigby,
057which we have all had the opportunity, has been in the district on a number of occasions. You'll actually be here tomorrow. um really trying to do everything that he can. He's been part of a lot of the events, the activities, the awards assembly assemblies to get acclimated and begin the transition. And I'll also be working with him uh the first couple of weeks um to launch him as the new superintendent. So that kind of just brings together all the action plans for both the district and board goals. >> Thank you very much. Okay, next up is policy. Mr. Seiznot here. I have a brief report um for the second readings. All of that was just um common like verbiage changing from people to student. Um policy 2411 we're changing the from guidance counselor to career
058education and academic counseling. Uh policy 0162 and 0162.01. We're just addressing some verbiage to make um to make sure that all board meetings are available to the public. Policy 6112 is the Department of Education in New Jersey is setting guidelines for federal grants and allowing it to be clearly and transparent about allocation of all monies. And finally, policy 8561, um we're changing it for food nutrition from state guidelines to federal guidelines. Um, in addition to the policy that Dr. Burton and Mr. Davenport has already talked about, um, can I have a Oh, sorry. We have some voting items. We have one policy and regulations, second reading and two policy and regulations first readings. Can I have a motion to move those? >> Motion. >> Michael on that. Um, any questions, comments? >> Can I have
059a roll call, please? >> Mr. Blouse? >> Yes. >> Dr. Criy? >> Yes. >> Mr. Hollandbeck? Yes, >> Mr. Christa Murdy. >> Yes, >> Miss Smith. >> Yes, >> Mr. Tuma. >> Yes, >> Mr. Carpenter. >> Yes. >> Next up is curriculum and instruction. Mr. Christian Mur, do you have a report? >> Yeah, just u one item last program audit evaluation. So, there's some updates that we received just minor items there. Um there's going to be more communicated uh in August right before the school starts. So, there's definitely Thank you sir. We have some voting items. We have one approval of student teacher. Two approval of 2627 out of district programs. Three approval of revision of contracted service. Four approval of educational programs. Five approval of service agreements. Six approval of contracted services. Seven approval
060of curriculum. Can I have a motion to move those? >> Second. >> And Michael. Any questions or comments about anything on there? >> [clears throat] >> Can I have a roll call, please? >> Mr. Blousestein? >> Yes. >> Dr. Celebrity? >> Yes. >> Mr. Hollandbeck? >> Yes. >> Mr. Christian Murdy? >> Yes. >> Miss Smith? >> Yes. >> Mr. Tuma? >> Yes. >> Mr. Carpetier? >> Yes. Next up is personnel. Mr. Holland, do you have a report? >> Yeah. Uh, some of what I was going to talk about has already been discussed, uh, such as security officers and Stephanie's extension, which is fantastic. We're very happy about that. Um, we also reviewed a bunch of job descriptions, some that remain the same, some that were changed, and we uh went over that. Um, but one
061thing that sticks out to me that seems to be a recoccurring theme is we keep reviewing the substitution fulfillment um trends that we have for for uh for substitutes. And it's month after month it's outperforming last year. So, it's a great trend to see that that hasn't dipped, that it's staying steady, and good. Okay, thank you very much. We have some voting items. We have one, approval of hiring staff. Two, approval of unpaid internships. Three, approval of ESY bus drivers and bus aids. Four, approval of 2526 substitutes. Five, approval of reg resignations. Six, approval of personnel. Seven, approval of leave. Eight, approval of provision of personnel. Nine, approval of provision of leave. 10, approval of extra duty pay. 11. Approval of 2526 special projects. 12. Approval of transfers. 13. Approval of additional ESY hours. 14.
062Approval of revisions of ESY hours. 15. Approval of summer curriculum writing hours. 16. Approval of revision of Title 4 clubs. 17. Approval of revision of unified sports hours. And 18. Approval of new and revised job descriptions. Can I have a motion to move those items, please? >> Not second. >> And Megan. Um, any questions, comments about those? No. Can I have a roll call, please? >> Mr. Blousy? >> Yes. >> Dr. Celebrity? >> Yes. >> Mr. Hollowback? >> Yes. >> Mr. Christian Mury? >> Yes. >> Miss Smith? >> Yes. >> Mr. Tuma? >> Yes. >> Mr. Carpentier? >> Yes. >> Thank you. Uh, next up is finance and facilities. Mr. Tumi, you got anything? >> A brief report. Uh, finance and facilities met last Thursday. We had discussed um a revised housing turnover analysis which
063we had requested um that'll be used to help us support the referendum. Uh we discussed the summer capital project that we performed. Um some good news, the solar panels that we're having removed from the building actually found a lower bid. So we able to save some money on that about $13,000 which is nice. Um we had a quick discussion on Old York and some of the things that are in motion there. Um, we determined we're going to hire a consultant to help us with the referendum 2.0. Um, we uh discussed the timelines for the marketing, how we're going to work the marketing to get everything in before the the uh before the vote. Uh, we discussed next steps which we covered earlier this evening. And um, that's it. Oh, actually no, one more thing. We
064we discussed bringing or keeping Dr. burden on to do some transition work with Mr. McPeek when he starts. So, we'd also agree to keep her on for some time to help ease the transition. >> Thank you for doing that. >> Because we don't want to see her leave. >> Do we have any like big projects over the summer? Anything that's going to >> solar panels is pretty big. >> That's the Okay. >> Roof project. >> Roof roof. >> Okay. Okay. Thank you. >> I'm sorry. Will that all like so the removal of the panels and the re-roofing is all going to happen like over this this Oh, perfect. >> That one section, not the whole. >> Right. I understood. Cool. Thanks, Charlie. >> Um, we have voting items. We have one, billisting payroll. Two, secretary
065and treasurer reports. Three, line item transfers. Four, approval of delivery service agreement with Machio's Trucking LLC. Five, approval of purchase of kitchen equipment. Six, approval of donations and grants. Seven, approval of transportation jointer with Readington Board of Education. Eight, approval of approval of acceptance of the focus one grant continuation for 2627. Nine, approval of revision of contract for solar panel removal. 10, approval of NJ schools insurance group for liability insurance and other coverages. 11, authority for budget transfers, designations of claims, auditor and payments of bills in 2627. 12, approval of disposal of equipment. Uh 13, approval of PL uh 2015, chapter 47 resolution. 14, approval of annual petty cash allocation. 15, approval of reverse deposit. 16, approval of contract for professional services. And 17, approval of agreement with guiding consultants group. Can I have a
066motion to move those? >> Second. >> Any questions or comments? Can I have a roll call, please? [clears throat] >> Mr. Blousey? >> Yes. >> Dr. CBRE? >> Yes. >> Mr. Hollowback? >> Yes. >> Mr. Christian Murdy? >> Yes. >> Miss Smith? >> Yes. >> Mr. Tuma? >> Yes. >> Mr. Carpetier? >> Yes. Um, next up is public comment on any item. Anybody who wants to talk, please come to the mic. Uh, good evening. Uh, my name is Laura Foley, 208 Ronin Way in Branchburg, New Jersey, and I am speaking um, as the secretary of the Branchburg PTO. Um, and also a parent. Um, we are very excited about the new security initiative. I know I can echo um a lot of people in the community are really happy about a defined presence in each
067of the buildings. In terms of things that are going on with the PTO, we just wrapped up um teacher staff appreciation month this past May uh that we were able to uh celebrate our wonderful staff. This uh in terms of the end of the year, we had our field day for Branchburg uh Central Middle School. Today we also had some wonderful celebrations for the third grade and the fifth grade um end of the year um celebrations. We also are looking forward to this Saturday is our eighth grade dinner dance. We are still looking for some volunteers to help out with that. If you are an eighth grade parent that volunteers, you get some extra tickets to the graduation ceremony. Um, for 8th grade graduation, we are also looking for some volunteers to help out. We
068do not want any eighth grade parents uh involved with that. They should be able to see their kids and have a wonderful time at that ceremony, but any other um parents and community members that can help out. That's certainly something that we are looking at. And we are extremely happy about our second annual gala that is happening on October 9th. and tickets went on sale. The pre-sale tickets literally sold out in minutes and we have just a handful of tickets left. So, please head on over to branchburg pto.org if you um are interested. Also, the board, the Branchburg PTO executive board is looking for any feedback. We want to make sure that we are the best that we can possibly be. So, if you have any suggestions, comments, feedback about uh that we can kind
069of digest over the summer, we'd really appreciate it. Thank you for all that you do, and I hope that you have a wonderful summer. >> Thank you, Miss Foley. Thank you for all you do, too. Appreciate it. >> Anybody else? I'm going to close public comment, move on to board leaison reports. First up is Somerville. >> So, we had a meeting on Tuesday and just a couple of things I was going to mention. Uh we also celebrated the retirements at the at the high school. One was Mrs. Russo and another one was Ms. Barrist. So we thank them for their um years of teaching. And then another item that I thought I would mention is Somerville actually um is purchasing a 24 passenger wheelchair bus. So I thought that we might be interested in using
070that in our transportation jointer with them for any needs we may have. And then also they are going to start the strategic planning in July and they are looking forward to working with Branchburg um through that process and I happen to run into Mr. McPeek at an event and he is looking forward to helping out with that. So more [clears throat] to come on that. >> Awesome. Thank you. >> Um going to skip PTO. Um Somerset County Ed Services. I have no report. Um New Jersey school boards. >> Uh I have no report. >> Okay. Branchburg Township. I attended the meeting on Monday. Nothing of pertinent further unfortunately down this year and they did have an event which is author's day right kids still doing books right which is signed pretty well. Um they're also
071looking for new volunteers all the time. So if anybody's interested please check out. >> Thank you. Um, CPAC, I unfortunately don't have a report. We don't have a need for a second executive session. Can I have a motion to adjourn the meeting? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Thank you.