001therefore be it resolved that the Camden City Advisory Board of Education enter into a closed session to consider the following matters investigations monthly HIV report disposition acquisition of real property Eastside High School and Personnel is there a motion to go into closed session thank you board member Hudson and board member Garcia we will be in executive session for approximately 30 minutes we shall return around 6:04 thank you diligently and impartially perform and impartially perform the duties of the office the duties of the office of student board representative of student board representatives to the Camden City school district Advisory Board of Education to the Candon City School District Advisory Board of Education congratulations let's give andriana please take your seat is there is there room there andreana is there room is there a seat up there
002okay perfect I will now take the role for our student Representatives Damen izari pres Adriana Ruiz saai Hicks Harmony Brunson romelo Mangum Elijah Vargas Perfect all right there we go we're working now um at this is one of um the most important parts of our board meeting we're going to hear from our students and hear from you on your experience so none of you um except for our newly sworn in board uh rep is new to this so we want you to be able to share um very honestly the glows and the grows um of your experience as a student a high school student here in the Camden City school district so um you may begin we're going to start with Daman izari from brim you can feel free to share out on your experience
003hello my name is Daman Rari I'm a senior at Dr Charles E bur Medical Arts High School uh first um we don't have any grows coming from our side um it has been very smooth and just you know regular school very academic and just one thing I would share is um just some shout outs especially for the seniors in particular um well first I'm going to start with the Juniors they did just um recently completed their um SATs the NPA you know so shout out to the Juniors because it's a very March it's a very stressful month I've been there and um I will also say shout out to the seniors also um it's around the season where regular decision admissions are coming back so a lot of seniors are hearing of aceptes to their
004dream schools or to their um you know their reach School and stuff like that so congratulations to them in all um high schools I will also say um thank you to the superintendent for allowing us to go to North Carolina this past two weeks ago uh we went to the national black cheerleading competition where we place third um and that is kind of just the highlight of our season thank you um so just for the public in general we do have our Middle School cheer uh cheer comp Expo coming up this Thursday so just pop out so you can see the amazing teams and yeah and I will also just pass it to Harmony thank you thank you Damen Harmony hi my name is har Bronson um I attend Creative Arts High School and like
005Damian I don't really have too many um like downsides to what's been happening recently but I would like to just touch again on funding so I sort of had a question um I want to say was it a week or two ago that we went to the theater oh yes last Tuesday last Tuesday can you say it a little louder I couldn't hear you my apologies so last Tuesday we went to um a theater and I want to say the play was something like the death of King Henley Hedley um so I went with my AP African-American studies class and my teachers's regular English class and I know saai went with the jrc members and they took the bus there but we met at the fery station and like we did a walking trip from
006this fairy station went to Philly then walked from the Philly station to the um theater and I I was just really confused that day as like why we were going to different we already had two different modes of transportation um and then just another thing with funding just to help fund um like the dance Department the art Department vocal department just it's a lot coming out of our pockets and especially as seniors my choir is like mostly seniors and then there's like a couple juniors so it's just a really tough time for us right now I'll say like funding wise and to pay for like trips competitions gigs all that stuff it's just really hard but other than that I would say like the schools have been doing positively thank you thank you Harmony thank
007you so much saai hello um my name is Shai Hicks I'm a junior at Camden High um a negative that I've some negatives that I've noticed as a new trainer I'm under trainer Jazz as um a sports trainer yes and a problem that we have is that we don't have any golf carts and just last week we had a minor injury but an injury nonetheless and we had to walk all the way from the um the um the trailer we had to walk all the way from the trailer all the way to the baseball field and it's just a lot and I'm sure once the season the sports actually start their games it'll be even worse and even more hectic to be able to keep going from one place to the next one place to
008the next to make sure we're able to treat everyone's injuries so it would be a lot more beneficial if we actually had the golf carts to help us get around a lot faster as a mode of transportation okay so that was that um and another thing in school is that I know that we're um doing the um the thing where we're typing in our names so that we're able to know so that we're able to make sure yes for lunch so that we're able to make sure that one person gets one lunch every lunch but I was I'm also under the belief that you guys are doing it so that you guys can get an act number of how many students eat lunch yes yes so just a suggestion suggestion right um it is Ramadan
009so I don't think this month would be entirely appropriate to be doing it because half the students in our building can't even eat lunch when it's time to eat lunch so if maybe we push this back until after March then we would get a more accurate account of how many students actually eat during lunch and it would save us a lot of time I think um grow grow we did I think we did very well for the ntpa as a junior and I think our staff did very well with making sure we've stayed on it they're making sure that the seniors are doing their pills and so I guess we should give a shout out to them for helping helping us to stay on track and I think I think that's all thank you hello
010every thank you so much saai thank thank you so much saai um we missed your voice saai we missed your voice I'm so glad you're back yep she's giving me that smile we are so glad you are back thank you yes you can continue thank you okay hi everyone my name is Adriana rues I am a 11th grader in Camden big pature Learning Academy and as well as brim I think and creative arts I think that it's smooth sailing with the glows um but I have um two grow glow oh it's smooth sailing with grows but I have two glows um the leaving to learning uh trips are really uh beneficial and have been helping us a lot to explore our uh careers and opportunities and future internship opportunities are being presented with us so
011I just want to give a shout out to our LTI coordinator um Robert ibone for um really pushing these internships and setting like the highest standard bar for these students to really go out and get even like paid internships cuz we have one with Campbell's um company and those are like really great opportunities for the students and I really am excited for that and then a shout out for to our lead educator Miss Bradley uh she always advocates for the students and teachers and exceeds her reach in bpla she supported us and encouraged us through the and jpa testing to the point where we um had 100% efficiency so I would just like to shout her out yes and that is all thank you so much thank you um andreana thank you yes and you
012can finish us off witha hello my hello my name is Elijah Vargas I'm a junior at ISA high and I got um two things to share today one I just want to say that the pizza is back in the menu for our lunch um the students are very excited um today it was we literally had no more cuz students just grab everything and I'm just happy that the students are actually eating it you know saying we got a different menu today you know I was very excited for that um to see their uh you know Smiles on their face um also want to share is students that have health class um they don't like the having health class in the stage and I understand that we in a small space right now and I just
013want to share that and also our athletes at Esau are in danger of injury uh a major of our Spring Track program is basically strength and and condition so basically like some of our athletes right now are injured and we don't really have a weit room and I was wonder if we could you know start something now for the athletes cuz we do have a track me up I believe next week uh deer and I just want to say that we need a wait room thank you I apologies for for the sidebar um I want to thank each of you for your input as always um thank you so much your voices mean so much we've taken copious notes um I go through school by school because I want to give the board the opportunity
014to ask any questions or or share anything that they would like to share after hearing your comments please know we will follow up on each of the grows that you provided us uh we app appreciate the glues also that you have shared with us appreciate president thank you thank you superintendent uh are there any board members that have any responses comments for our board reps thank you board pres I just want to congratulate you um board um um representative Ruez congratulations and welcome aboard and also thank the other student reps um for always sharing your input um it's it's um very well um received and we appreciate you thank you thank you uh board member board vice president Alvarez uh board member Garcia I just want to say thank you welcome aboard thank you for
015the job that you know questions that you're referring back to the board letting us know all the information that's going on with the schools very well received congratulations and thank you thank you board member Garcia anybody else so I would like to say congratulations on the competitions the testing I'm sorry I apologize Bo member kamacha yes I just wanted to share actually I just wanted to share um how important your active participation is here I mean I consider you guys the boots on the ground on what's really going on in the schools so I just want to congratulate you guys for this you know the information that you're giving I understand it is Vital Information um and I and I just want to encourage you to continue to have a voice and you know and
016speak um it's important for us to get that real information from you so thank you thank you board member kamacho any other board members board member Jackson we all have something to say tonight we're just so proud of you guys um I'm I'm excited for everybody's growth um welcome Miss Ruiz abore Damien thank you always for coming and giving your input of course you are a strong force both at these meetings and in the Cher team the Cher Squad so we're excited for Thursday um Harmony thank you so much for all that you had to give back that is a good question about why there were two different types of Transportation I did write that down so thank you um the king Headley play was really good wasn't it it was you guys went to
017Art and theater to see it very nice um Miss Hicks you are absolutely correct about the golf carts that is a thing it's it is hard to maybe you know suffer a minor injury even if it is minor and then have to walk one said injury from such a long distance so thank thank you for bringing that to our attention and we will take it into consideration um Miss Ruiz your learning trips you said you absolutely like those right very good so we'll keep those going um and wonderful job to you guys and all of your internships that you are working on um do great things represent us well represent yourself well more importantly though right okay and Mr Vargas thank you so much we're excited that you know the pizza is B that's a
018thing everybody knows you can't you well you can't think or study or write or work on an empty stomach you know what what I mean so it is it's good that you guys are excited about what you're being fed at school so thank you so much for that um in the weight room also very important for strength and conditioning how can you be at tip top shape as an athlete if you're not strengthening and conditioning yourself so thank you also for bringing that to our attention um and you guys just thank you so much keep up the wonderful great work and we'll be seeing you guys around thank you board member Jackson any other board members board member Hudson um I just wanted to say welcome um you know this is a big step in
019leadership and you got a plenty of support here Daman you always showing out so you know I just appreciate you all coming and your continuous participation and um your own development as a leader thank you board member Hudson anybody else board member G me no choice I just want to thank everybody be the be for being the voices of your peers that's it thank you board member Gallas show I think that's all the board member so uh Echo everything that all our board members said uh again congratulations um keep speaking up and we'll continue to work with the superintendent and her staff um just to assist so thank you thank you board president at this time I'd like to invite the board to uh transition down to the front rows for the superintendent's report good
020evening everyone thank you for joining us for our March regular advice board meeting this is the superintendent report for Tuesday March 25th 2025 for a moment of silence Sergeant First Class Eddie McCrae served as East High high jrc instructor he started with CCSD September 1997 retired October 2019 dedicating 22 years of service with CCSD throughout his tenure Sergeant McCrae empowered generations of students guided them with unwavering dedication mentorship and a unrelenting commitment to service the agenda this month is a very short superintendent's presentation so as with all board meetings tonight we are going to focus on some key topics to highlight during this March meeting and you can see the outline of the topics open enrollment important dates we are still accepting students for the 2026 school year Camden facilities should have received or will
021soon receive one of our mailers to help guide the registration process we invite you to visit our Solutions Network work to ask questions or get support with enrolling your child next slide our next few slides will highlight teaching and learning HB Wilson family school math contest lead Nicole Brody who is also the fourth grade math teacher hosted a family math night Wednesday March 12th families had the opportunity to engage in Hands-On math activities that were created by some of hb's teachers as well as games that were created by their students parents played with math games alongside their children this event gave families the opportunity to see firsthand that Math is Fun families left with resources games and manipulatives that they can use at home to strengthen their children's math skills this event was a test
022to the passion our teachers have for their craft and the success of their students middle school math teacher cartika Tyler from Dudley family school was nominated for the CPAC Community planning and advocacy Council award in the category of creating Community Solutions Miss Tyler was selected for honorable mention for having an impact in the city of Canden with the parents and students that she serves cartika has been a middle school math teacher in the district for 11 years Miss Tyler is a favorite among the middle school students at Dudley and she works diligently to make sure her students leave Dudley ready for high school math did you ever write a letter to your principles sharing a possible tradition that should be incorporated into your school's culture second graders at Cooper Point had a chance to share
023their unit three writing skills with Dr Cala and present their ideas for a new school tradition there were lots of great ideas but one idea that stood out from the rest was a teacher day teachers would get a break since they are hard workers all letters are going to be displayed for an opportunity to vote for the the newest Friday Tradition at Cooper Point Dr Bob Freeman a mathematician from Rowan University presented to East Side seniors on the benefits of majoring in data science he discussed the pathways to take and starting salaries for students he will be presenting to the Camden high campus in the near future now the superintendent's favorite part of the report the sharing of District highlights this month we have some great highlights for you to enjoy one thing for sure
024two things are certain when it comes to the children of Camden our city will always show up for them no matter the school type on March 12th Camden's young athletes took the court for the Camden Middle School All-Star Game a powerful reminder that Sports unite us beyond the school walls students from public charter and Renaissance schools competed with passion dedication and true sportsmanship a huge shout out to ccsd's very on Miss Channel Perry K K8 athletic specialist for organizing such a beautiful event giving our students the chance to Showcase their talent build friendships and celebrate the Love of the Game on March 16th Camden he cheer team participated in the national black cheerleading championship event all day in Greensboro North Carolina and they represented Camden well placing third amongst the top cheerleading programs across the
025United State a huge shout out to the head coach ccsd's very own Deputy Chief of equity and engagement shereé Thompson Perry and her coaching team Who provided the cheer team members with the chance to Showcase their talent give me a seat to congratulate our cheerleader team maybe our next high school cheerleaders will be identified during Thursday's Middle School cheer competition go Camden last week we celebrated 10 years of partnership with bookmates in the Camden County Police Department this incredible collaboration has helped our students develop a love for reading while building positive connections with our local law enforcement thank you for your continued commitment to our community and our Scholars last week our high school students got an inside look at health careers in occupational therapy exercise physiology Pharmacy and more connecting with professionals and even
026participating in demonstrations a big thank you to St Joseph's University in South Jersey solutions for partnering with us to expose our students to the different Avenues within healthc care and to Woodson's culinary group for providing a a nutricious meal for them during this event last week our incredible School nutrition team under the leadership of SE senior director althia Brown hosted its monthly Camden School nutrition farmers market in partnership with food corpse New Jersey Campbell full Futures program Woodson's culinary group the city of Camden government Camden County Police Department Camp Care Health Corporation and the cam and fire department we were joined by mayor Carstar Advisory Board president Nelson and Advisory Board member gashaw along with New Jersey secretary of agriculture Edward D wenren Community leaders and partners to support our efforts in providing fresh locally
027grown produce to Camden families thank you to everyone who came out we love seeing our families take advantage of these resources and enjoy nutritious Farm fresh food our next Farmers Market will be in April be on the lookout for that date in our social media page from robotics to chemistry and Beyond students from across Camden came together for the Citywide stem showcase presenting their incredible projects and discoveries thank you to the Camden Ed Fund in American Water for sponsoring such an amazing event now just two upcoming events save the date join us on March 27th from 10:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the 2025 Middle School cheer expo at the Camden high campus the students from all School types will showcase their skills and compete in various cheer categories lastly important dates to remember April
02818th Good Friday April 21st Easter Monday April 22 to 25 CCSD spring break schools are closed April 28 to 29 academic parent teacher conferences early dismissal for students congratulations to the following retiree P Poria Spearman thank you for your service of 27 years and six months best to you thank you and that is all for this report [Music] [Applause] thank you to our committee chairs for sharing summaries of their respective committee meetings gotcha at this time we C I'm sorry okay gotcha at this time we'll have our committee reports start with Bo member Garcia thank you board president again the communications report met last week it was Dr Walker vice president Alvarez board member Hudson and myself we met the communications committee met this month to discuss plans for our staff recognition Spotlight and decided
029that instead of rushing the process in April we will roll out the monthly spotlights starting in September this time we will allow the committee to L vet the process and effectively communicate with staff with with District staff about nominating their colleagues thank you thank you board member Garcia at this time uh we will have a report for teaching and learning board member gallashaw um we have no updates at this time we'll have a thorough um update next board meting thank thank you for member gashaw uh for our finance and operations committee uh we don't have a report for this month we will have a report next month uh policy and governance board member Hudson thank you board president uh the policy and governance committee met on March 17th it was attended by me myself I'm
030the chair uh board member and board member kamacho district Representatives Teresa ree Ashley Zimmerman and Kim bu Alvis uh Personnel update on te teacher vacancies noting 9% vacancies and 56 uh 56 vacancies in the recruitment process with hard to fill positions in special education Spanish science health and music uh we discussed the teacher Apprentice Network and also the teach Camden program which is a 18-month program forar professionals to become certified teachers with they focus on hiding areas like special education and math and we also discussed uh several policies including the cell phone use policy uh the visitors policy which needs to be updated and also a policy survey uh for District staff to gather their feedback on existing policies and identify areas for approvement our next meeting is scheduled for April 21st at 1 p.m.
031thank you board member Hudson thank you to our committee chairs for sharing summaries of their respective committee meetings we will now turn the meeting over to our inum general counsel for our public comment session all right thank you the Camden City school district welcomes the attendance and comments from all members of the public at its meetings this public comment period is your time to present your comments to the board and the state district superintendent each person who signed up to speak will have three minutes you will be notified when your three minutes are up and you cannot yield your time to another person when it is your turn to speak please state your name and address for the record and address all of your comments to either myself or the state district superintendent please be
032courteous to your fellow community members and keep your comments ments within the time allotted so that everyone has the opportunity to speak at the end of the 3 minutes the microphone will be silenced and your comments will have concluded please conduct yourself in a respectful manner the first amendment is not absolute and the board can prohibit language that is inappropriate in accordance with board policy 11:21 we may interrupt warn or terminate your statement question or inquiry when it is too lengthy if a member of the public speaks about a staff member Interruption May necessary to caution the speaker of the danger of slander for anyone whose comments or actions harass intimidate or threaten the safety of any person we will provide you with a warning or immediately end your comment time we may request any
033person to leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum we may also request the assistance of law enforcement officers in the removal of a disorderly person when that person prevents or disrupts a meeting with an act that obstructs or interferes with a meeting we may call for a recess or an adjournment to another time when the lack of public decorum interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting and finally we may weave any of the rules when necessary for the protection of privacy or to maintain an orderly operation of the board meeting um after the public comment period is closed the state district superintendent or her design will address your questions to the extent provided by law so it looks like we have eight speakers signed up this evening we'll start with
034Miss Jacobs and then Miss Smith hello that's better hello oh there we okay um good evening board president Nelson and members of the board my name is michelina Jacobs or I'm I usually go by Mikey and these are my co-workers Sylvia and aate and we are pre teachers at the Ruckers State Rucker State University of early learning research Academy or elra and we are members of a local 5094 of health professional and Allied employees hpae we last attended a board meeting in November of 2024 to bring to your attention um the fact that Ruckers University is continually refusing to recognize the terms of your contract with them offering our members significantly less budgeted um significantly less B budgeted in violation of the agreement we recently sent a letter via email on February 14th detailing the
035full list of issues and we have yet to hear anything in response from you which is why we're here today rectors is currently paying two active teachers s salaries which are significantly lower than the money budgeted in our respective positions aate my friend here mate um she's one of those teachers and she is being paid almost 27,000 I'm sorry yeah 27,000 less than what is budgeted for her salary Additionally the Canon City school district has undercounted the teaching experience of six of our teachers and the education experience of four of our teachers I'm one of the teachers whose experiences is being undercounted though I've have over 18 years experience um in 2023 when the district had conducted an audit I was given credit of three years experience which amounts to a difference of over $22,000
036in my compensation Sylvia's experience and education have been undercounted account undercounted and and they are and it's a difference of $16,000 so this negativity is impacting our negotiations with Ruckers as Ruckers is proposing a wage scale that would result in all of us having lower salaries than what the Camden School Camden City school district teachers make thank you I'm sorry your time is up oh okay Miss Smith you are up next and then miss [Music] Luke we would like to pass these out can we pass these out it say thank you so good evening my name is Katherine Smith I'm from New Jersey Transit and I come to I guess uh solicit your your your ears we are have identified you as a high-risk area for rail crossings and we would like to come to
037the schools and present to K through 12th graders the rail safety pedestrian safety bus safety protocol for New Jersey Transit thank you excuse me do you have any information you would like to leave or share yes okay thank you all right thank you Miss Luke and then miss Gonzalez good evening Karen belli Luke Camden Education Association so the first thing I wanted to address in the um board minutes was under teacher stiens 124 uh teacher in charge there was an amendment and according to our contract um teacher in charge is a $499 for the year if it's a teacher if it's a teacher in charge for a program is the mic off we can't hear you lift it up a little bit is that better okay so where where do I just from okay so
038um the teacher stiens 124 the teacher in charge is a 499 499 flat rate for the year it's only when it's an a program does the teacher in charge get an hourly rate so what you put in August was correct was for $4.99 you didn't need to make an amendment according to our contract um so what Elijah was talking about um Health on the stage yes the kids have been complaining about that so there has been talk about moving the other health class to the trailer and not the one that's on the stage and leaving the one on the stage I think it has to be the other way around and then there was also the talk of putting the two Health classes in a one classroom trailer which that wouldn't work so I think
039the immediate issue should be the classroom that's on the stage should be one that goes to the trailer um the other thing was with the wait room it's not just being competitive as an athlete it's also being competitive for scholarships and it's really important that the sooner that the students have access the student athletes have access to that weight room the better it is as a former coach and a fiz teacher I understand the importance of that last and definitely not um least uh the long-term Subs again this is myth time bringing it up it is union busting um and anytime that you're doing that and you're allowing Subs that are not uh Camden City Employees many of them do not even have 60 college credits to grade and put grades in and have access
040to Genesis is unheard of it's not happening anywhere else and for us to be told that there's a hiring freeze yet you hired an assistant ba and then the deputy superintendent gave herself a $5,000 bonus on top of that that's absurd when we have all these vacancies and you're having a hiring fair but you have a hiring freeze I'm really confused because we have all these vacancies and the money is going everywhere but to the classrooms thank you all right up next is Miss Gonzalez and then Troy aasby [Music] is gabal still here is Troy here okay Troy you can go now just good evening superintendent good evening uh president body and some of the student body that's still here um he myself and my colleagues are here from alumni from woodro Wilson uh which
041SL Eastside High now we're planning to uh launch in 2025 the Wilson Eastside Tigers Mega Alumni Association so we wanted to come to introduce ourselves to you and let you know that we're looking forward to working with the principal Vega with this body and the city at large to let them know that we're going to make ourselves available for the students and for the city for positive Outreach and we're looking to incorporate in 2025 so we will come back when that's done so that we can work on some initiatives so we just wanted to introduce ourselves to you tonight so thank you guys want to say right up next is Mr Walters and then Mr White uh good evening everyone um hope you all are well so I first want to uh I want to
042do this I want to uh express my condolences to the district on the loss of a first um superintendent mcco H uh we're going to miss you um your um information went out today you're you know your your um attention to when now today but I first want I just want to express my condolences to the district on the loss of you um because you have been consequential although in battled uh as a superintendent but what now needs to occur is the next superintendent needs to be disconnected from the end guy uh we all know who that is uh but also make sure that the pr of the kber building which is now housing East Side High School stays with the district because the last superintendent we had who was sent here to specifically and
043strategically uh destroy the campas city school district um he you know gave away six schools we need to keep that building because the new East Side High School that's going to be constructed also uh we don't need to lose another building for a Tarter school um let me see what else I want what else I want to do um I'm not going to say this I was going to say but I'm not going to say um but I've come to you before about the um ability for me to be able to provide counseling support for students in a private setting I've asked and I know that you know about the doors that we do need and I know that there probably are some complications to getting those doors there but to work with students in
044a counseling sit situation and the hallway it's really unacceptable and I've had to do this I can do it okay I can do it but when a student walks through the hallway and I'm trying to counsel a student because the other room is unavailable we have to stop and I can't allow any more conversation to take place or end it all all together what is the process go why are we not house with equipped with those doors at this particular time and the school year is almost over I can't continue to provide that kind of counseling in the open like that I just can't it's unethical and it's illegal um what support can we expect from the district on May 17th um 2025 school-based Youth Services Program is going to conduct a team mental health
045Summit at East Side High School uh we've been uh contact with Sheena so I don't know what else would be available I'm just coming to find out what would be the provisions for the school district to help us promote it and to let people know that team mental health is not just something it is a health concern and we need support thank you all right Mr White and then after will be Mr Delgado oh hello good evening my name is Joseph white my name is Joseph White and um many people know me Geor white I currently attend uh big p Learning Academy I'm 11th grader and I'm speaking on behalf of um fam Academy um we are a group uh in Camden and I've been a part of fam Academy for four years the mic
046up to you I've been a part of fam Academy for uh four years um we all get together on Sundays um we dinner together and we learn lifelong um skills and prepares for college um some things we do on Sundays when we get together we do workshops where we have people coming to how like to change a tire um how to keep our credit score like don't go in depth and how to tie tie and get ready for interviews for the future um being with f for the last few years made me build a strong bond with other members where I got right here um before I came into the program I did not know who the uh who these people were but uh they're families to me now and for May 2nd we are
047going to um have a young men's uh mental health Summit um we have FES right here to pass out and that's all thank you thank you [Applause] I'm the last one save the good for the last anyway uh good good good evening uh Madam superintendent uh uh I want to recall that you called me when I was in luko which was uh luckily I wasn't in the water I may have drowned when I got your phone call but anyway I appreciated the call I don't know if your situation uh status your status is going to not make that phone call something that you want to C do but if you do please reach out to me and by the way congratulations on the position and hope I know you won't forget us and do everything
048you can at that level to help us um I want to point out to The Advisory board that some of the vocational auto equipment was still at U East Side the old Eastside High School um worth hundreds of thousands of dollars I don't know if it's still there if you turn the keys over to the person that's demolishing the building all that's inside belongs to them so if that hundreds of thousands of equipment is still there I'd appreciate it if you would ask the superintendent to find out what the status is um uh I would also appreciate if the attorney or someone could give me a listing of all of the topics that you discussed in private in close session you're not allowed to just say Personnel matters or whatever you're supposed to say specifically
049what items you are discussing uh we just heard another War story that we uh we heard about what's happening at Eastside High School um where counseling occurs in hallways due to the uh space limitations in that small elementary school during testing it becomes even worse where kids are eating in classrooms there's all kinds of disruption and instruction is not happening uh even in a small school like that um when when you add the the issues of testing it becomes even more difficult for teachers to do their jobs and for students to do their job um so in uh recognition all of of that oh by the way I would appreciate it if someone would get in touch with free all Minds perhaps there is a collaborative effort that can be established between the district and
050the U this program um I would like to reserve the remainder of my time and keep thinking about the kids and the teachers at East Side High School thank you all right thank you I will turn it back over to state district superintendent to address the issues and concerns um named during public comment thank you so much and thank you as always for everyone who has come to uh come to our uh board meeting to share your concerns to share ways that we can uh get better as a district and continuously improve as we move um forward and so I'm going to go through uh some of the areas if there is an area that I need to dig deeper into with my team which sometimes happens there may not be a specific response right
051now but please know that we are working um and we do we will continue to keep the board updated as as to our responses in those areas so for the first group who came I am not sure if they are still here I don't think so but the students from the early learning research Academy um Ruckers the teachers my apologies who came to speak um I want to um provide some information to you so unfortunately the district the district did not receive an email sent in February um from hpae however you can send the email listing your concerns directly to our director of early childhood education Miss Marquita Nesmith who will ensure a response is provided please also be assured that the Camden City school district Works to uphold the provisions of the contractual agreements
052we have with all of our private provider Partners to deliver a highquality preschool program which does include comparable teacher salaries we will continue to monitor the status of negotiations between the teachers union at elra and the university upon settlement of the contract there we will ensure program leaders remain in compliance with the terms of our agreement so again I know those teachers have probably left I don't see them um here but that is read into the record and they can look at the response online as well as um Reach Out directly to our uh director of Early Childhood childhood excuse me education Miss Marquita uh Nesmith Miss Smith thank you for coming and sharing with us from the rail safety about rail safety education we look forward to being able to partner with you um
053because we want to make sure that our students are safe thank you for thinking of our students and thank you for coming and coming prepared and sharing uh the handouts with the board and with the District staff this evening we will definitely review the information and share it with our school leaders we know ctively how important safety is um for all of us and that it is all of our Collective concern and we will um work together with you to help to make a difference in that area and to spread awareness about rail safety um miss Karen barelli Luke who's still here yes there you are um I have to take my glasses on and off so forgive me I see you um Miss belli Luke thank you for the four items that you shared
054with us um again thank you for your comments we will certainly r you the teacher in charge board submissions to ensure it is in agreement with the terms and conditions in the teacher contract um we encourage you to share your ideas regarding classroom space and usage with principal Vega and or the health and PE Department lead and full team that convenes biweekly so we do have still that bi-weekly 8:30 a.m. team meeting um and thank you there are some as you shared there will be some Transitions and movement ments from the stage to the modular units but please make sure and we will also um support you in that that principal Vega is aware as she is also supporting with um providing recommendations for who goes into which spaces so thank you for bringing that
055to our attention um Dr Walker spoke with Elijah this evening our student board rep and thank you for that Dr Walker um and we'll continue to follow up with ad Phillips and also with um the Eastside High building leadership and coaches to see what Provisions can be made for weight training we agree that is absolutely um important and essential and we are working we will continue to work to resolve um expeditiously it's my understanding that all substitutes on the substitute um piece of what you shared must have a substitute certification to accept an assignment and have a minimum of 60 credits we will confirm this standard expectation is consistent with all long-term Subs assigned to our district and finally while we are in a hiring freeze for this school year um which is correct school
056year 2425 we do continue to recruit for anticipated vacancies in school year 2526 and with with regard to the ABA uh position that position was vacant um for a while and we have to have that position filled um so again we will continue to uh keep everyone the board and the public updated in those areas thank you uh Miss belli Luke Mr Oglesby and the alumni committee I'm not sure if you're still here I think they had to step out um for the alumni committee um thank you so much we are very excited uh to meet with you and partner with you and look forward to working with the team collectively to support our Eastside High School Scholars I think this is a a great breath of fresh air uh and I know that um
057this will lead to something positive so again thank you for coming this evening and we look forward to partnering with you um to um just do great things for your alma mater Mr Waters there you are thank you Mr Waters thank you again um for advocating you have been consistently advocating for the doors in that area on my last walk through of the building along with our facilities team and other staff members um we did see that and I want to provide you with an update um we are waiting for the quote from the vendor for the doors and we'll follow up on the quote expeditiously we will dig into that I am not sure what the delay is other than the door frame the door is very narrow it's not a regularized door but
058I will still dig in deeper um to find out what the full delay is we know space is a premium but perhaps another space can be identified we will work um with principal Vega principal Vega I know that there are not many spaces there but we want to identify another space especially as we prepare to move some of our classes out of the building into the modular units um that are ready to receive them and finally thank you for your kind words and your support and well wishes to me personally it means a lot and um appreciate your cander as always as you advocate for what's in the best interest of the Camden City school district uh Mr Joseph white yes thank you doesn't this group of young men look absolutely amazing they have S
059through the entire meeting as well as Clos session and they have kept their Poise and their attention and they are engaged and we are very proud of you I am impressed with your focus and so thank you to Mr White and fame Academy or fam Academy F thank you take the E off fam Academy thank you um to fam Academy and big picture Learning Academy for speaking out about your wonderful um organiz ation we're so excited to have you and your fellow members here this evening we know it's important to you as you stay to share with us this important information so again thank you for the Flyers I haven't had a chance to read through the Flyers but we'll take a chance to read through as long as well as our District staff and
060the board members um please connect with our chief of communications Machina Yara who is in the back wave your hand Sheena very good so that we can make sure that we share your information on all of our platforms um and any other way that we can help to support this great effort we are so very proud of you and please continue to keep up the good work and to show everyone what how important it is for Unity and how important it is for us to make sure that we stick together and focus so thank you again Mr White please give them another round of applause and finally last but certainly not least Mr Delgado thank you thank you for remembering the call I am so sorry I called Mr Delgado for full disclosure and he
061was away on vacation having a wonderful time but thank you for the conversation that we had and you did commit to working collaboratively um while I am still here uh I would like to con to be able to meet with you because the work is still not done and so thank you so much with regard to the automotive equipment that you mentioned um the automotive equipment has been moved to storage at sharp school all working equipment all working equipment equipment excuse me was removed with the exception of one item that was bolted and secured to the facility so we will look into that area again though just to make sure um that there is not anything else that our team may have missed um but that is the latest update update that I have we
062will review and ensure we are in compliance regarding the disclosure of topics covered in Clos session uh and we thank you for for that um as well did you want to um yes I'll turn it over to the board secretary to sh resolution Mr Delgado that I read into the record when we um before we left uh reads this way therefore be it resolved that the Camden City Advisory Board of Education enter into a closed session to consider the following matters investigation Hib monthly report disposition acquisition of real property Eide and Personnel I'm I'm sorry you have to say more than that you just can't power the statute that's what the Supreme Court St Supreme Court thank you Mr yeah thank you Mr Delgado that's something that we can get a common understanding on um
063as we move forward thank you so much and thank you SBA Taylor for sharing what was was what was shared um out publicly and so I want to take this opportunity again to thank everyone um in my closing comments uh as was shared by Mr Waters um today there was information that was shared there was a public press announcement um shared from the governor's office in conjunction with the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of of Education there is a letter that I will not read into the record but it is on our district website um and I just wanted to share um publicly in this setting as well um because board meetings are very important they they always are and we have done our best to make sure that we're providing the information that's
064necessary and so a long to make a long story short which will be um tough for me after 30 years of service in The District in many areas ranging from a kindergarten teacher in 1991 yes 1991 um is what a long time ago none of you in the fam were even born in the fam group but in 1991 I did start here um as a kindergarten teacher um and have been serving in different roles um throughout the district up until the current role that I'm serving in and have been for the past seven years and so it is Bittersweet for me to announce um that I will be accepting a position as assistant Commissioner of education for the New Jersey Department of Education um over the division of Early Childhood Services at the end of
065my contract which does end June 30th uh and so again I will work diligently to make sure that in collaboration with the Department that it the transition is as smooth as possible um my heart will always be here in this city uh my mom lives in this city and she's here today um she lives in the city um we worship in this city our church is here where my P my husband yes he's my pastor too my husband is Bishop and pastor but there are so many ways that I am connected still to this city that has poured so much into me and I will continue to do that so I just wanted to say to the board I've I've spoken with each of them individually I've had conversations with um as many staff members
066as I could but I wanted to also say to students who may be viewing um you know that's where my heart is making sure that students are put first is what's most important and I hope that I have done um I no I don't hope I've done the best that I have been able to do in order to do that and it's time for me to move in a different direction I share that if God opened the door for me uh that I would walk through that door I shared that earlier this year and he did open a door for me and I will continue to serve the children of Camden it'll just be the littlest ones but that's okay as well as the Young Learners across this great state um in order to make
067sure that we're doing our best to raise up and to provide a firm foundation um for our young people who are going to lead us into the future so I thank you for this space and wanted to take this opportunity to have you hear me say it it will be video recorded but I didn't want just a letter to be floating out there because my connections my relationships my love for this city and this District go beyond just a letter so I thank you and I will continue to serve for the next 90 days and we're going to continue to do our very best so thank you again for um that space and I will turn it over now back into the hands of our board secretary [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] thank you so
068much for the generous Applause and if I could just say one more thing before I turn it over to board president um thank you so much for the support of my family again I want to say it again my mom is amazing Miss Unice young it is because of her um as a you know she took care of everything and she she doesn't like this but as a single parent I saw her when she was a paraprofessional at woodo Wilson High School she took care of us on that salary which was not very much but she did everything she needed to do and so because of that reason there is no no circumstance no challenge that I could ever face that I have not had an example to look up to who weathered the storm
069and did it for me and my sisters so publicly I want to say thank you Mommy I thank you I know you don't need to hear it but I want to make sure I say it and honor you and give you your flowers while you are here because it is because of you that I did not quit that I did not give up I'm just transitioning I'm not quitting and I thank you for all that you are to me and all that you have been to our family and thank you to my husband Dr Tyrone momes for all that you have uh been the support um and it's just a blessing to be able to have family members who love you and I appreciate you thank you I'll turn it over to our board president
070thank you superintendent um any board members that have any responses at this time no board members um so I would like to say uh thank you superintendent for uh your commitment and your service for the past 30 years as well as um your Administration um so we appreciate it and we will continue to work together to serve our district um until the end of the year and Beyond so thank you at this time I will turn it over to our board secretary to present the business office agenda items are there any questions on any of the agenda I apologize I want to say thank you to uh the young men out there the the fam group um and shout out to uh the uh director Mr Ricardo uh dell um believe he the director sitting
071right in the back if you can stand up so thank [Applause] you I apologize councilman councilman um so we appreciate your service your leadership and your commitment and as the superintendent said you know just representing um young men um continue to shine um continue to be the example um and we thank you and we'll find whatever ways we can um to uh be able to support thank you thank you [Applause] yes it's in your hands board secretary thank you are they any questions on today's board agenda any questions for any board members not at this not at this time SBA tellor thank you superintendent I will allow you to uh read into the hearing your approval of items thank you so much so in accordance with powers rested in the state district superintendent according to
072njsa 187 a-35 I hereby approve all March 25th 2025 board agenda items if nothing more I'll turn it back to our board secretary to call for a motion to adjourn wait for it just joking is there a motion Twi motion Jackson and Hudson thank you so much uh all in favor any oppose any extensions have a wonderful evening thank you thank you