001I'm waving at them. >> Oh, we are. Okay. Oh, there we go. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening, everybody. I'd like to call to order for the meeting of the board of education, June 17, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of the Connor Road Primary School, 56 Conor Road, Coltsneck, New Jersey. Uh, Miss Morasco, if we could have a roll call, please. Excuse me. Mrs. Cameron >> here. >> Mrs. Horowitz. >> Mr. Oro. >> Mr. Rignetta >> here. >> Mr. Scales >> here. >> Mr. Scarpa >> here. >> Mrs. Vulpi >> here. >> Mr. Walsh >> here. >> Mr. Wickberg >> here. >> Thank you. You have a quorum. >> Great. Thank you. Uh, pursuant to the Open Public Meetings Act chapter 231, this meeting has been duly advertised in the Asbury Park
002Press in a schedule of meetings dated January 23rd, 2026, notice of which has been filed with the deputy clerk for Coloss Township and the requirements of posting of notices have been met. Uh, if we could all kindly rise for the flag salute. Thank you. I pledge algiance 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. Heat. Heat. Heat. Okay. Thank you everybody for coming this evening. Um we are going to go a little bit out of order tonight. I do respectfully ask that um everybody here uh remain for the entire awards uh celebration. Last year, I know people were cutting out in the middle of people receiving their awards and we just want to make sure
003everybody gets their moment to shine and uh like I said, we respect uh everybody's time and we want to make sure that uh everybody remains seated until the end of the award celebration. I'm going to start this evening off with my president's report. Tonight, we close out the 2026 school year by honoring our students and staff. I would first like to congratulate all of our students who have been recognized over the past several meetings. Whether they're they are high honoral students, high-erforming athletes, or exceptional theatrical performers, this board of education is proud to stand before you and recognize their accomplishments, as well as the hard work, time, and dedication they have put forth throughout this year. I would also like to congratulate our teachers of the year and support staff members of the year. Congratulations
004on a job well done and thank you for for the time, care, and commitment you invest in our students every day. Showing up each day to encourage our students to be the best they can be exemplifies your mission as Coleneck Township educators. Your willingness to go above and beyond to provide our students with the best educational experience possible does not go unnoticed. Tonight, I would also like to take this opportunity to reflect on some of this year's most memorable moments and accomplishments of the district. I want to thank our administrators and staff for helping the Col Township School District achieve a Purple Star designation amongst New Jersey schools. Becoming a Purple Star School exemplifies our commitment to prioritizing our military families and students. Our district's work our district works hard to ensure that our children
005and families receive the best education and resources while stationed at NE Naval Weapons Station Earl. This recognition is a tremendous honor and we are grateful for all the efforts that made this possible. Thank you. I would also like to thank the members of this board of education for their tireless efforts throughout the year. Working together, we prioritize the highest safety standards across all three campuses, including installing bus stop arm cameras on on our entire fleet of buses. I'd also like to recognize our finance committee for delivering a zero tax increase for three consecutive years while maintaining a healthy surplus, something that would will be critical for our future projects and the antip anticipated influx of students from affordable housing. Achieving this without placing an additional financial burden on our residents is something we should all
006be proud of. I'd also like to highlight the repairs and infrastructure upgrades this board has completed over the course of the year. At the conclusion of my president's report, I will ask our board chair of buildings and grounds Kevin Walsh and finance co-chair Brian Scarpa to elaborate on these projects, these completed projects. With that being said, back in November, we proudly passed our parental bill of rights, ensuring the parents' voices will always be prioritized and that parents will continue to have a seat at this table when it comes to their children's education. I would also like to thank our teachers and the entire district staff for their efforts in raising district test scores. Those scores have improved significantly due to the unwaving unwavering dedication of our administration, teachers, and staff. This progress reflects the commitment
007to excellence that exists throughout our district, and for that we are incredibly grateful. This year, we are also proud to have welcomed a sitting cabinet member, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. It was an absolute honor to have her here to highlight our students and their outstanding contributions and achievements within our district. We will never apologize for celebrating our students and showcasing their success. Our record speaks for itself and it always will. With that being said, it brings me to my final comments. Cedar Drive Middle School graduation will take place this Monday at 6 p.m. at Coleneck High School. I would like to take this moment to recognize our incredible eighth grade class. This class is especially meaningful to me because I have had the privilege to watch so many of them grow up and develop
008into the fine young men and women they are today. Each and every one of them has contributed to the success of our district while also serving as leaders within our community. To our graduating class, your journey to this moment has not always been easy. You have worked hard, overcome challenges, supported one another, and grown both academically and personally. This milestone is not just a celebration of finishing middle school. It is a reflection of your perseverance, determination, and commitment to your goals. As you move on to the next chapter, know that you carry with you the lessons, friendships, and memories built here at Cedar Drive. While this is the end of one chapter, it is only the beginning of another. Continue to work hard, stay focused, and believe in yourselves because your potential is limitless. We
009are truly honored to sit on this board and watch our students come full circle. Seeing you grow, achieve, and prepare for your next journey is one of the greatest privileges of serving this community. We are proud of each and every one of you and we cannot wait to see all that you accomplish in the years ahead. Congratulations and best wishes and best of luck on your next journey. Thank you very much. Uh at this time I'd like to uh ask uh u Mr. Walsh and Mr. Scarpa to uh briefly just um engage with the public the accomplishments on our infrastructure projects uh and uh safety security uh and the projects that were completed under this board's leadership. >> Sure. Kevin Walsh. Hello everybody. We have um a great facilities, great teachers, great school district, the
010best in the state. And now we all move here to have our kids get the best education. Part of the school environment and education is having a great facilities. We just completed a $10 million ESA pro program, energy saving investment program. Long story short, air conditioning all the schools, roof upgrades, window uh wrapping, um LED lighting, a lot of lot of upgrades that been it's been years since we've really undertaken a big project like that and made our schools looking the way they should be, the very very best. Very proud of the board of education. I'm proud of the boards before us that um thought about doing this and we accomplished it this year. The schools are looking great, but I'm excited to we're going to be talking about a direct install program tonight. Hopefully,
011we approve it with the votes and that's really going to really make our schools look outstanding facilities, new boiler replacements, new HVAC replacements. Our schools are aging. Cedar Drive is 60 years old. The primary school is old. It's beautiful school, but it's old. The boilers need replacements. Some HVAC systems need replacements. And we're going to invest in our schools. We're going to invest in our kids so they have the very, very best. >> Uh, thank you, Kevin. And, uh, uh, to dubtail the conversations that we've been having here, you know, this board is very, very proud of its student base and we're excited about the next chapters of our students going forward. And because of that, we want to invest in our facilities on a long-term program. So, we took it upon ourselves and work
012with the administrative staff to look at look out for the right opportunities partially supported by our state uh funding programs for the direct install. So, look at number two on buildings and grounds in in the program. It's a critical opportunity for us to listen to the presentation today and to vote on it and to to achieve a go forward strategy for our buildings. To Kevin's point, our youngest building is 25 years old. Our oldest is 60. So, like every home out there, it needs new AC units and new heating opportunities. And this is our opportunity to say thank you to our students that have come through the stools before and to invest in the students that are about to participate in our programs. So, this board continues to serve as an advocate for our student
013base and support our administrative staff, but remain fiscally responsible to our taxpayer communities. And we look forward to this opportunity and to answering any questions that you may have in this public forum. So, thank you for this opportunity and we look forward to dialoguing about that in a few minutes. >> Great. Uh, thank you, gentlemen. At this time, I'd like to introduce Dr. Garay uh so we could uh move forward with honoring our awards recipients. I believe we were going to do student representatives, but I do not see any here tonight. Is there any student representatives that would like to speak tonight? Okay, seeing none, uh Dr. Gar Bay is going to proceed with the awards. Thank you. It's a fun board meeting tonight. Welcome everyone. Um, faces and names. I'm Dr. Mary Jane Garay.
014I'm the extremely proud superintendent and challenged anyone who thinks that they're could be prouder superintendent of a district and community to serve than I am. Um tonight we have some extraordinary recognitions to make um of our teachers of the year, of our PTO, students who have exceeded in different things. Um but we're going to start tonight's program with uh a very very special recognition of um someone who is newer to our community, but also will be leaving our community, but while he has been here, um he's made certainly a big huge lasting impact on us. So tonight, our first honore is um Captain Smith, who is the commanding officer of Naval Weapons Station Earl. Captain Smith came to us in April of 2023 from Virginia, right? And hit the ground running, brought on our Naval
015Weapons Station Earl School Lazison, right? uh Ida West working together community and it is been such a pleasure to work with you to get to know your family to get to know your daughter seeing your faces in the schools and that partnership is so um important to not only support the military families and their and their children but also for us. We learn from you, we learn from them. And um there's always a small little piece of us that is so sad when you go because they're the relationships and the faces and the names that become part of our story as we go forward. And we certainly hope that you will take part of Colts neck with you um when you leave us to go on to the University of Kansas. Correct. Is where you're
016going next. And that's coming up in July. Correct. Okay. So there's two things that we're going to have you do. So, Captain Smith, if you would join me up here for a moment, for the very first time since I've met you, I am going to say Captain Kent D. Brussi Smith, because I have never referred to you as Bruski, but I will tonight. Commanding Officer, Naval Weapons Station Earl, by the we recognize tonight the Colts Township Board of Education. But all of us, all of us in this community, all the administration, all of the teachers, and every single family and student that you have helped support during your time here for your appreciation in appreciation for your exemplary dedication to the educational welfare of the military children of co of New Jersey, but most importantly
017and selfishly of Colts Neck. So, thank you so much for everything that you've done. I present this to you. Congratulations. I appreciate that. So, anytime anybody offers me the microphone, I I don't think I've ever said no, but uh if you just bear with me real quickly, and I I really appreciate the kind words to myself, but it really is this is a very special school district. You all should be proud. The school board has been nothing but amazing to me uh and taking care of the military children that go to the schools. I I know you absolutely put us first and and I can't thank you enough for that. Uh Dr. Gbeay, Dr. Reynolds, uh their work with my school leaison uh Miss Ida West Jones uh is just phenomenal. Anything that uh we
018brought the things they could do with the school compact challenges of the military children face, any of that, they were just eager as can be to get that to the principles and the vice principles and all the all the staff and all the all the uh teachers uh to make sure that they're looking out for the the children. and you've done a phenomenal job. I can't thank you enough. I have incredibly happy parents uh on my base. And when my parents are happy, my sailors are more focused on their job. Uh we do very dangerous work being a weapon station and it's fantastic that they can go to work and not have to worry that their children are going and getting the best education they absolutely can. So, thank you for making my job easier.
019Thank you for taking good care of my family. My daughter got an incredible education while we're here. And uh we will miss this place dearly. Thank you very much. Don't go away. So, something as part of our new um you know, really we're always looking for different ways to continue on to honor and to and to represent and looking in working with the board and partnership with us us they wanted something of a legacy project that we have here and thanks to Mr. Capaso and working in some of the creative lensure at the buildings. Um each building, each school building now has purple stars painted in the hallways. And every time a military student leaves, we're going to ask them to write their name on a golden horseshoe with a star in the middle of
020it. And this will be displayed on those purple stars so that they stay a little piece of them stays here. So, would you please do us the honor of being the first name on the Purple Star? Thank you so very much and thank you again for your service and wish you all and your family continued happiness, health, good fortune and everything that you do to help us as a nation. So thank you. >> Absolutely. Okay, next up we have some special awards recipients uh through our coral program. So I am going to introduce Mrs. Christina Hubard who you'll hear her name later on as well. But Miss Mrs. Christina Hubard is going to be recognized some of our core students. So Mrs. Hubard. >> Thank you Dr. Garbay. Thank you board of ed for offering
021this opportunity for us to recognize our students. We are so exceptionally proud of them. I have the honor of acknowledging tonight publicly three coral students who were accepted into the National Honor Choir and they'll perform at Carnegie Hall in July. Uh two of our eighth graders were also selected as Hershey soloists for our our Hershey trip this past spring. and I just want to bring them up first. So, eighth grader Paula Kosik. They also have little medals for their achievement. My next eighth grader is Pin Bashan and our seventh grade tenor baritone, Jacob Kaufman. We also have one more recognition. This solo, um, we had a young musician who will also be playing graduation. So, if you're in attendance, you'll have the privilege of hearing him accompany the choir this year. Uh, he was recognized
022for his outstanding student accompanist for the whole Hershey trip that we competition we returned from. And I'd like to acknowledge his accompanist abilities on guitar, Jake Reed. Don't leave. Jake Reed, come back. >> Jake Reed, come back. Come back. Don't go far. Mrs. Hubard acknowledged Jake for his guitar accompaniment of the choir at Hershey. Um, I would like to just take a moment to recognize Jake was awarded two individual awards at Hershey Park for the um entire festival of the day. Not just from our school, not just from our division, from the entire festival, middle school, high school, elementary school. He was the student accompanist on guitar. He also received the best jazz solo award for his guitar solo. So, congratulations And that is the perfect segue since they are both up here. Um, we
023have a what I like I mean I think it's a pretty special tradition. We give away our golden horseshoe awards in the fall and throughout the year. And um we couldn't let the year pass without recognizing and honoring two staff members that truly go above and beyond. And whenever we're thinking about something with Colts Neck and there's a project happening or an assembly happening or a speaker coming or whatever it is that happening, what would be the extra added touch? The music department, the chorus, the band, because there's just something chilling and exciting when kids are singing and playing music together and the growth and the talent that you both develop. So, first I would like, it is my honor to present a Golden Horseshoe Award presented to Mr. Jeffrey Brown in grateful recognition of
024your dedicated service, leadership, and outstanding contributions as an instrumental music teacher and band director of Theater Drive Middle School. Your passion for music education, commitment to excellence, and unwavering dedication to your students have inspired a love of music, foster discipline and teamwork, and encourage students to explore their talents through the arts. and Christina Hubert, in grateful recognition of your dedicated service, leadership, and outstanding contributions as a coral director of Cedar Drive Middle School. Your passion for music education, commitment to excellence, and unwavering support of our students have inspired confidence, creativity, and a lifelong appreciation for the performing arts. Thank you. Okay, I told you it's a fun night, right? It's a fun night. You can't have be in a bad mood tonight. It's all good. All right, next up we have some very cool recipients
025of awards, but I'm going to first introduce their very cool math teacher, Mrs. Hope Dia, who sadly is also leaving us in retirement this year. So, um, for the last time, I am inviting Mrs. Hope Dealia up to the podium to recognize students who have competed in various math challenges throughout the year. Yes. Thank you, Dr. Garbe. I would give a little speech about my retirement, but I'll cry. So, but thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Um, my math recipient's attendance seems to be a little light, which is fine. Um, I'm sure they're running around doing all of their other activities, which is what I'm usually doing, chasing my children. So, um, I totally understand, but I'm definitely going to go through all the names just to give them the recognition that they deserve
026for their hard work, their motivation, their dedication, their effort. Um, these tests this year were very difficult, a little bit more challenging than the previous three or four years that I have done this. So, if you ask any of the kids that participated in these tests, they would also tell you that the questions were a little bit harder this year. So, I don't know if they're just trying to make it a little bit more difficult, but it was definitely very challenging. But, I do want to give um all of the students that participated in this just all the love because they still came in every single test and gave their all, every single one of the tests, no matter what grade they were in, no matter what test they were taking. So, I'm very proud
027of all of them. Um, so my first uh test that I give is the Continental Math League. It's a six question test given five times throughout the year. Um, sorry I don't want to knock my glasses off. Um, it's national. These are all national tests. So we have this is a leveled test. So there's sixth, seventh, and eighth eighth and ninth grade. So the ninth grade test is for our geometry students in eighth grade. So that's the first group that I would recogni like to recognize as they did again I think this is the second year that I've given this test that the geometry class ended up winning the region for the country. Um so they did win region two which consists of New York and New Jersey schools. Um and I believe that one
028of those test takers is in the house tonight. So um I would like Colin Wkelman to come forward please. So, he was one of, I believe, 10 students. Um, and they compete against each other, so to speak, and then they also compete as a whole in the nation against other schools. So, you're representing all of them today, bud. Um, so they again got first place in the region. Um, so I'm very proud of them. You did a great job. Proud of you, bud. Okay. Um, let's see. Individually, is Jonah Wexler here? I thought I saw him. Is he here? >> He was here. I don't think he's here anymore. I did see him, but he's Okay. So, the top three students, I'm just going to recognize those. for the top three students in ninth grade
029um was Jonah Wexler, Laura Li Bradock, and Daniel Shapiro. So, they were the top students in the ninth grade. Um eighth grade participants, this also includes seventh grade students that take algebra 1. Okay, so those are going to be the students that take geometry next year. So, my top eighth grade students this year were McKenzie Huang and I believe Alex Morphino is in the house. Is he not? Come on up, Alex. Good job. Alex tied for second place with McKenzie. So, great job. Great job, dude. And then the first place student in eighth grade was Gianna Nicholson. She is not here, but G Oh, is she here? Oh, she's here. Giana. YES. OH, I'm so glad I didn't see you. Did you sneak in? Oh, honey. Congratulations. So, Giana is a seventh grader, but she
030got first place in the eighth grade testing. That's awesome. And then seventh grade, the top three students, I believe one of them is here, but the top three students, um, third place was Austin Palantonio. Second place was Von Patel, and in first place was Miss Alexandra Edwards. And then for my sixth grade participants, this is the first year for the sixth graders that take the test. And it's always it's always fun to watch them come in as sixth graders. And they come in the first test and they're a little nervous. It's very overwhelming. I'm in the cafeteria trying to man 70 kids. So sometimes I might not be as nice as I normally am. Um but they come flying in and they're ready to go. And I'm I'm very proud of them because they worked
031so hard and these three sixth graders that placed this year did amazing and I I I'm very very proud of them. So the top score they can get is 30 points. So Logan Savo, is he here? I don't believe he's here. Um he ended the the testing competition with 19 points which is a great score. Um in second place she is here. She ended with 21 points. So, she only got nine questions wrong out of all of the tests. Is Olivia El Dotti. And in first place this year for the sixth grade is also our president at Cedar Drive, Mr. Eli Young. He got 23 points, only seven questions wrong. Awesome job, kiddos. Okay, and then the last one I have the other test is the AMC8, which is a singular test. It is 25
032multiple choice questions and they have 40 minutes. So, they have less than two minutes per question. And these questions are difficult. They need to set up some kind of a plan. Sometimes it's computation, a lot of it's logic. Sometimes it's a very big pattern and they need to figure out some way to get to the end of the pattern very quickly. So this is a very difficult test. This is also a national test and I believe this year there was about 81,000 students that took this test in the nation. Um so I have our top scores. Now this is the AMC8 which means anybody in eighth grade or lower can take this test. Obviously obviously eighth graders have a better they have an advantage because they have gone through up to 8th grade. So I
033have three sixth graders that did better than 40,000 of these students that took this test. Sixth grade. So they had a couple year disadvantage. Um and I believe that kiddo is here again. So Olivia, get on up here. Um, and then we had the next set of students. They did better than 51,000 of these students that took this test. And that was a seventh grader, Isa Helms. And then two eighth graders, Addison Lam and Caitlyn Friend. I'm sorry. I'm sorry this is long, but um in third place for our school, now I'm going to go with how we place school-wise. In third place, Gianna, come back up here. So Gianna got third place for the school as a seventh grader. She scored 15 out of 25. So she got 15 out of the qu of
034the questions correct. She did better than 57,000 of the students that took this test. Awesome. Awesome. Very nice. And then our last two students that are not here. Um, the second place student was McKenzie Hang. Again, she got a 16 out of 25 in the top 25% of all of these students that took this test. So, she did awesome. And then, um, our first place finisher was Daniel Shapiro. He received a 19 out of 25, which is in the top 10%. So, he did better than about 73,000 students, which is amazing. Um, so he also Daniel was a regional winner for the CML. I forgot to mention that he won individually for the ninth grade in the region with New York and New Jersey. So congratulations to Daniel. So I'm I'm all done, but I
035want to just quickly thank Dr. Rigby for the last I don't know how many years that we've worked together. The board of ed, I appreciate all of your hard work. And Dr. Garbeay, I'll miss you dearly. Okay, I'm going to enjoy my retirement, but I will miss this so much. Thank you. Okay. So, and by the way, I'll take as much time as it takes, like as much time as we need to celebrate kids all day long. So, thank you for being here and celebrating and congratulations to all of our kiddos. We're going to move into a little bit more of our community celebration. And tonight we have, you know, we're excited um but we're also a little uh sad because um tonight is this part of the program is a celebration of community and
036nothing brings a school to a community together like schools and nothing brings schools together like your PTO does. So, we have people we have a very special night and I'm not going to steal that thunder because I'm going to leave that to um outgoing President Kim Kaufman. But that being said, um we have some former board members who are here this evening who we want to recognize and then we are going to do current board members because you all serve specific terms and when you leave you really don't leave like I know Mrs. coffin then recruit you to do other things because I've seen you doing that. But that being said, um before we get started, it is so unique. I brag so often about our PTO. Very rarely, unless you're a single school district,
037is there one PTO as powerful, as passionate, as committed, as um just the tenacity of our PTO to continue to give back to our students and our schools and our community is it surpasses anything that I've ever seen or heard about in any other district. So, if there was a battle of the PTO's, I know you would win hands down all the times. So, that being said, um I'm going to first uh recognize and ask when they call their name. And if they're not here, if you don't mind, we'll we'll still recognize them, but I would like to um just read the names of prior board members who may not be here um but certainly are with us um and we're contributing to tonight's special presentation by them. So, first up is sorry, Monica Kosik.
038Monica was the former assistant treasurer and all things smiles and just such a a pleasure to work with. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. Of course, >> Danielle Quigley. >> It's funny because there's people that will see and we were just talking with Mrs. Bulby before and she was like, "Danielle Quickly's still here." There we go. She is still here. We have her still. Wait a minute. I'm sorry. Here we Sorry about that. Rebecca Roach, January Nicolleta, who I know couldn't be here this evening. and former vice president of the Coleneck PTO, Mrs. Samantha Amato. Okay, now for our current PTO and again I know we all busy schedules. I know that not many that you know few mighty but it doesn't matter. I'm still going to read their names and recognize them
039and for all their work that they've done. Linda Kreski, Jessica Dudek, Alana Ventrice, Amy Linquido, Serena Gil, Jennifer Mule, Penelope El Dotti, Kristen Dinora, Vice President Carara Brick. and next year's president, Cara Brick. And certainly last but not least, the captain of the ship for the past few years. Um, and a true friend and just advocate for all things good that are for kids and teachers in education, Mrs. Kimberly Kaufman. Okay. Thank you so much for this recognition. It's truly an honor to be able to hand a $185,000 check to Dr. Garabay Cedar Drive Middle School for an aquaponic system to Conover Road Elementary School for a new library and media center and for and to Conover Road Primary School for a new outdoor field space. While I'm incredibly proud of my five years on
040the PTO, including the last three as president, this achievement is not mine alone. The legacy gift we are leaving behind, $185,000 for our school community, I'll say it over and over again, is the result of years of hard work, dedication, and collaboration from many people who have generously given their time, talents, and donations. from Readathon to Spring Gala to Harlem Wizards, as well as other fundraisers like Valentine's Day pizza, school store, which was today, Color Run, Flower Sale, and many more. Creating a legacy gift this large would not be possible. I'd like to recognize the current PTO board whose commitment and partnership have made so much possible. I would like to acknowledge my former vice president Samantha Amato, former treasurers um former fundraising director, J Joanne Pasalqua, former treasurers Monica Kosik and Daniellewigley who thank
041you so much for staying on an extra year after I begged her when she ended her presidency. Former Secretary January Nicoleta and former communications director Rebecca Roach. Their leadership, countless volunteer hours, and unwavering support help built the foundation that made this legacy gift possible. What makes me most proud is not their dollar amount itself, but what it represents. It represents a community that comes together for its children. It represents years of PTO volunteers showing up early, staying late, solving problems, organizing events, and always putting students first. Serving on the PTO has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I've had the privilege of working alongside extraordinary volunteers, the most dedicated educators, supportive families, and an administration that values partnership. Together, we've been able to make a lasting impact on our schools and
042create opportunities that will benefit students for years to come. Thank you for the trust you've placed in me, for the friendships I've made along the way, and for the opportunity to serve this incredible community. I'm excited to see all the wonderful things the PTO will continue to accomplish in the future under the leadership of Cara Brick as president and Jennifer Mule as vice president. So, with that, I'd like to hand Dr. Garabay, the largest check she will ever receive. That's awesome. Oh my god. >> It is the coolest thing. I did not expect anything left. >> Go big or go home with this PTO. >> It's not cashable. >> It's not the only thing that's um in this room that is bigger than that check are the hearts of the people that did it. >>
043So, thank you on behalf of all the students that are going to play on a playground, that are going to look at an aquapon center, that are going to walk through that library. Thank you for all the ones that are here and the ones in the future that you will continue to just make smile and make this place a better place. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. What a great great great. We're not done. Okay. So every year, every year we go through a process and it is the governor's uh teachers of the year and education service professionals of the year. There is a teacher of the year selected for each building. There is an education service professional selected for each building. And while one could not be here to this evening, five of them
044are here tonight. and I am so excited to celebrate, talk about, brag, and award you with the with your um honors that were presented to through the state department of education to you this evening. So, tonight we're going to start with Mrs. Michelle Weiss. So, as superintendent, you hear names and you hear people that come and go and, you know, different things and families and say, you know, thank you and talk about their experiences. And something that you hear over and over again is, um, I was like, oh, who did you have in primary school? I had Mrs. Weiss brought. Oh, I loved her. I hear it over and over and over again. And I think that's something that not only speaks to the growth of your children, but the care, the rapport, the time.
045It is not easy being a teacher of little ones. And you've done it. You do it beautifully. You continue to do it beautifully. You have become such a a a pillar of education, of the profession of education at primary school, and I could not be prouder to work with you on a daily basis. not just as a teacher here, you are also a mom here and have sent your ch children to school here through here. And so having that double perspective um is something that is unique but also uh more importantly makes you who you are and why you are celebrated as this year's Connover Road 2026 teacher of the year. Mary Corrian is this year's uh education service professional at Conover Road Primary School. She could not be here this evening, but I just
046want to take a moment because Mary Coran is the face of the front office of primary school. When you walk into primary school, if you don't walk into Mr. Fely, you walk in with Mrs. Oregon, right? And everybody knows that the front office secretaries run the building, right, Mr. Osman? No, I'm just kidding. But in terms of that, and she does it with grace, with sincerity, with a loving care that you would want every child to experience the minute they walk into Connor Road Primary School. And for that reason, it is no surprise that Mary Corgan was selected as this year's 2026 Education Services Professional of the Year. Grace Paleolino is a instructional assistant at Conover Road Elementary School. What is an instructional assistant? Many times when I'm interviewing people, I will say, "Do you
047know what an instructional assistant is?" And um you embody it. You capture it with with poise, with grace. Um, we asked actually some of your teachers that you work or your colleagues who you work with to describe you for tonight and they used words like patient, flexible, humble, dedicated, and a great teammate. On top of all that, you are caring, you are nurturing, you work with some of our most um most challenging students on a regular basis and you give them exactly what they need when they need it. And that's an art. It's a gift and we are so grateful that you are here with us every day in our classrooms to make that happen. And that's why it is absolutely no surprise that you were selected as this year's 2026 Education Services Professional of
048the Year. up there. Thank you. Mrs. Anne Murphy is a teacher at Conifer Road Elementary School. She is not just a teacher. She is a mentor. And when you start to go over that experience and we become more of the veteran crowd, those of you know, if you know, you know you're the veteran crowd. And you make a choice. You make a choice to be a leader. you make a choice to take people who are going to take your profession on after that you either win the lottery or we don't want to do choose not to do this anymore right which I wish for all of you in the room by the way I just want to make that clear that you do it with such poise and grace you've been you were one of
049the first people that I met 13 years ago when I came here you um have had such a lasting impression upon me as a superintendent for the type of educators that I hope you that other people learn from and you've continued to do that both as a partner teacher in your classroom setting among your colleagues among your district and it's no doubt it's no surprise whatsoever that you were selected finally as a 2026 Connor Elementary School teacher of the year I'm actually going to tell you a funny story because we have phones in our classroom and there was a couple years ago where they had a question for something that was going on and um Ann and her partner teacher just called me like called my office and I was like hello I thought they
050had a different answer. They were looking for somebody else. They were like no we have a question for you and I'm like oh okay. So it was just one of those things but that is the type of outreach and just saying I have a question and we want to ask a question have a conversation. So, thank you. What is a school psychologist? A school psychologist is a very special member of a school community. And a couple of years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Lauren Fascani for the first time when she came and interviewed with us for a position um here in Col Township Schools. A school psychologist is someone who is part of a child's study team but is so much more. Uh supports to students, supports to staff. Sometimes we need psychologist
051too in terms of helping us navigate situations, working with families, explaining very complex scenarios and situations related to educational programs. And certain special people do it with poise, with grace, um with intellect, with compassion, with empathy. And you are all of those things, Miss Basiani. And that is why it is absolutely no surprise and my honor to present to you all of the awards and celebrations that go along with being the 2026 Cedar Drive Middle School Education Services Professional of the Year. And I I told you you would hear her name a lot tonight. So, last but certainly, and I hate to say least because it is absolutely not least, so I'm not going to use that. Mrs. Christina Huard is a name uh that is synonymous with Cedar Drive Middle School. It is something
052it is a it is a staple in our community. Um, children enjoy have learned, some of them have first experiences with singing with you. Some of them have attributed their success in the future to you. And it's because of the love of music and the arts and all of the things that go along with being Christina Hover that make it such an honor to work with you and to be able to say that you are one of my teachers here in Colts. Um, it is absolutely no surprise that you were selected as this year's 2026 teacher of the year. And I know that your legacy will continue on for years and years and years. Um, for all of the work that you do, not just in the classroom as a music teacher, but all of
053the things that you do after school with students and truly make them feel like they are part of a school community. As I said before, tonight is a is a celebration and tonight is about community and you can see that each person represents a part of this community tonight. We have students here we're celebrating. We have staff members, educators here that we're celebrating. We have parents as part of a PTO that we're celebrating. We have our military leader, our commanding officer here, a part of a community. The schools are the heartbeat of a community. And we have the biggest heart in Mammoth County here. We really, really do. And it's because of people that you all represent sitting in this room. So, that concludes our presentation portion of the night. I want to thank all
054of you for everything that you do, for all that you are every single day here in Colts. I believe before we're going to take a small recess, we might coordinate some pictures. So, I think there might be some if the students who were recognized for the math league could come up, take a picture with Mrs. Dia, those types of things. And then, um, if you want to say we're going to take a break for a minute. >> Yeah. Thank you all for coming tonight. Congratulations to all the honores and recipients. We are so proud of a board of ed as a board of education to honor all of you. So, thank you all for coming and at this time after pictures uh whoever is not willing to stay for the rest of the board meeting
055um can carry on with their lovely evening. Thank you. >> Oh, you know what I wanted to say? Um always Hey Kevin, >> how are you, sir? Thank you very much. in your mind. Yes. Thank you. That's my dad. I'm going to be so sad about that. No, but this Have a good night. Thank you guys. >> Thank you very much. Step Get a race. All right. Hold on. very I need It doesn't match. You want to First I don't want to Come on. Okay, guys. I'd like to get started on the second half of our meeting. If everybody could find a seat, it's okay if I read this. not reading it. >> Oh. Uh, you know, ask uh ask Dr. Garve before I introduce it. >> So, under the new captain, you're going to
056continue being the >> wonderful and you go to all the high schools because I told you the one time you go to all the high school board meetings, too. >> Okay. Oh, let me see. >> Okay. So, where is he at? Oh, right there. Okay. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Okay, we are going to resume our meeting. >> Oh, yeah. Excuse me. Two more minutes. I'm sorry. >> Oh, uh I could uh want me to introduce >> Yeah. Yeah, I'll introduce him and then we'll carry on. We'll stay there for two minutes. >> All right. Uh okay. At this time, we are going to continue uh with the agenda item number six under presentations. It will be the C uh the DCO energy presentation to the board on the direct install. I'd like to introduce uh
057Mr. Greg Burns uh to do the presentation for us at this time. Thank you. >> Yeah, just make sure you your uh your mic is on. >> Test good. Yeah. >> Oh. >> Uh yes. If uh the board members want to take a seat on the opposite side of the deis at this time, that would be great. >> Whatever. Whatever works for everybody. I'm easy. All right, good to go. Good. Yes. Well, yeah, good evening. Happy to be back in Colts Neck. Uh, Dr. Garay, Vince, uh, Nick Moretta, and board members, Colts community. Thank you for having me this evening. As was mentioned, uh, my name is Greg Burns with DCO Energy. We've been working with the district for quite some time now, starting with the energy savings improvement program, EIP. Um, and and here
058to talk to you about the direct install program. So, uh, really appreciate the the introduction early on during the comments. Um, so really excited to present to you. So, we like to just kind of introduce what what is direct install and what does that mean? So, it's a way for another option school districts have to implement facility improvements if they meet certain requirements. So, if your demand is under 300KW, you qualify for this program for an annual 12-month period. The peak demand has to be under 300KW. So, what it allows us to do is use the utility uh the energy efficiency program through JCPNL that's authorized by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities that as a rate payer, you're paying for it whether you use this program or not. So, if you check any
059of your utility bills, you have something on there called the SBC, societal benefits charge. that money's taken to fund programs like direct install. Um, so this is a really awesome way to get additional rebate dollars. Um, as part of the EIP, we were able to get about $530,000 of funding from JCPNL. So I don't say it's going back to the well more or less, but going back to programs that you're paying for and this allows you to recoup that funding back. Um, and it's a really great way to reduce the impact to the taxpayers because it there's also an option here tonight that we'll talk about is if it gets financed, it' be 0% interest for five years or 60 months. So, you'll see some breakdowns. Please stop me if you have any questions and
060I will jump into it. Um, hey, you're fine. So, we like to just start off on what the district currently spends um throughout the the existing utility spend throughout a calendar year. So you're talking a little over, you know, 3 million kilowatt hours, about $415,000. Uh you can see the natural gas about $634,000, which is less than prior to the EIP. The other part, I know I assuming driving up and you've seen it, you're you're here often obviously. So you see the solar panels generating electricity at a rate of 2 cents per kilowatt hour. So just driving that theme of reduced energy consumption to fund capital improvements. So, as I mentioned, you pay for the societal benefits charge at home and through utility bills here at the district. We've estimated the district has paid about
061$455,000 since the program of societal benefits charges started to be required in 1999. So, what does the program mean? So, again, the the whole concept of direct install is to achieve capital improvements at a reduced cost by using that societal benefits charge. The utility program through JCPNL direct install allows you to get up to a certain percentage of rebates back based on qualifying expenses. So here at at Crest or the there's about nine units not counting the boilers that equate to 58 tons of cooling that would be replaced. So that would be the rest of the units that were not replaced or or um upgraded during the EIP program. The other part is the boilers. So there'd be two brand new boilers installs installed um with the hydrotherm boilers. That's just the manufacturer uh really
062good piece of equipment and it also be tied into the energy management system to to give one front end and really allow Nick and the the facility staff to maintain the facilities efficiently and really allow him to be proactive rather than reactive. So this is now mapping out where each unit is and you can see this table over to the right. So it has manufacturer model number. The unit at the bottom was replaced with some contingency funding left over from the ESIP program. But you can start to see the ages of these units are getting up there. 28 years old. You know, units units all will last anywhere from 15 to 20 years um with for their useful life, but they're starting to get well past that or approaching that. And lumping this together gives
063you the economies of scale to get the maximized rebate dollars and allow the district to have a fully comprehensive HVAC system districtwide. So this is what the boiler plant currently looks like. Um maybe you've had a chance to do a facilities tour, maybe you haven't. That's what the Crest boiler room looks like. That's an example of what it would look like when the hydrotherms would be installed. So this is the breakdown per site. These are preliminary numbers that we're waiting on. We would So, what our asked tonight is now to submit applications to JCPNL to get into the queue to lock in the rebate dollars because the funding mechanism or the the rebate structure could change as of July 1. That's kind of the urgency behind this this evening. But our projections conservative project cost
064about $1.8 million just for for Crest about $530,000 rebate. $1.3 million. Again, that's able to be paid back over 60 months at 0% interest, which I think everybody knows in today's economy, getting 0% interest is next to impossible. But it's been this program has been going on since about 2021 is when this started. The energy and operational savings are we're taking into account conservatively estimate if the those upgrades were made and all those units were replaced that were just specified about $27,000 a year of energy and operational savings. You'd have warrantied materials, brand new equip equipment, so hopefully less time with service contracts and maintenance, just brand new equipment running efficiently. So that is the the crest scope of work. Next is really the call it the meat and potatoes but this is where most
065of the work is to be done because a lot of the at the the middle school and the elementary school a lot of the HVAC units were covered in the EIP. So here there is 386 tons of cooling districtwide in the direct install proposal we have the analysis is 517 12 tons of cooling 386 at the primary school alone across 15 units. We'd also include in that number and analysis is replacing the boilers. those are approaching their their end of their useful life at at Crest and the primary school. You're at 27y old boilers, 24 year boilers, which is you're you're getting there. So, I know for Nick it'll be something where that useful life is really expiring and getting up there in age. So, you can see them mapped out um again over here,
066age, tonnage, quantity. So, there's quite a few spread out. And when we sat down with with Dr. Garbay, Vince, and and Nick uh few months ago to to start discussing this project. His priority items were were were tough to fit in. So, we had to kind of go back to the drawing board, find the energy efficiency units that would match and meet the program requirements. There are certain requirements that we have to install certain efficiency level units or sear units, the the certain requirements. So, we were able to go back, find them, and fit in all the units that Nick um and the district were looking to accomplish. Again, same boiler setup, hot water boilers. They're just different manufacturers. These are Cleaver Brooks. Again, Hydrotherm would be the re recommended manufacturer, but that could be
067decided with Nick in the district down the road. So, obviously, it's it's a much larger scope and cost. Um, again, it has the same thought process because the units are just so much bigger in capacity and size. they're not as incentivized as some of the other measures, some of the more efficient, lower tonnage uh units. So, you can kind of see the numbers for yourselves. But again, 0% interest over 60 months and then the primary school and talking with Nick and Vince and Dr. Garbeay, the primary school here is causing the most issues from an HVAC standpoint. So, for for better or worse, the way to say it is you're going to have to do this eventually. This is a way to take some funding that you're already paying out to reinvest back into your
068facilities. Very similar to the ESIP. Next is the middle school and that is uh mirrors really the elementary school. The main difference is that those boilers are pretty new. They're locking bars from 2015. So they're not they're they're well within their useful life. They're running they're running well. There's not really need to to do much to replace them or or anything there. Um, again you can see the units. So some of them are not being replaced. You can see the reason like the LG here, the LG unit there, it's only seven years old, well within useful life. Um, we had a tag like this one's getting up there 30 years old. Couldn't read the tag. So there are some some certain items we didn't. But you can start to see at the middle school, you're
069approaching 20, 30 years, and I'm sure Nick could attest to this. It becomes more difficult to maintain, difficult to get parts, and everything just gets more expensive. And it's kind of like I like to equate it to like a used car. Do you want do you want to spend $10,000 to a car for a car that's worth five grand? Like that that's kind of the the investment decision to make. So again, the main difference here is there's no boilers. That's why the the cost is substantially lower. The boiler rooms are a big driver in the cost. Again, you can see the the numbers for yourself. Um there is some large energy and operational savings by replacing these units. And the again the incentive is is fairly lucrative here. Next I believe this was this had
070to be added in since our last presentation a few weeks ago. So this is four units 15 1/2 tons of cooling and this would again take care of the administration building. It would stay on the local controls. So there were some units that that the team here replaced a few years ago. So those are not being touched. Um, but there are the units that are approaching, you know, 35 plus years old right now as we speak. Again, rebate tied to this incentive. Our goal is to show you conservative estimates this evening so we can go back, fine-tune the numbers, hopefully find more energy efficient equipment, and increase the incentive amount to get the district more funding through this program. So, now this is it in a snapshot. Before I dive a little more into the
071numbers, I did just want to just hit you with it with this project between the EIP you already invested in between this project you would look to invest in all units would be within about 5 years of new life. So all units would be with I'll say with the exception of the transportation garage because they don't qualify but of the school buildings administration building all units will be within 3 to 5 years of life. So it allow Nick uh Dr. Dr. Garbeay, Vince, and the district to be very proactive. New energy management system, everything's tied in and you're not being reactive and and again, you'll have the warranty. So, it should allow the district to not only have equipment that's efficient, but also keep the students in a comfortable setting in those learning environments that
072we got to celebrate this evening. So, you can see, so I just want to highlight it's an estimated $6.8 million of cost, about a $1.3 million of rebate. So, working with Vince, Dr. Garbay, and Nick, that'd be about almost $1.8 million of free money. Well, it's free money, you're paying for it, but money back from the utility companies to invest in your facilities in a budget conscience way to take advantage of these programs. So, you could see the payment if you did all of the projects together, it would be about $92,000 a month. Um, I estimated that if you financed it, rates today for tax exempt bonds or leases for a school district, you'd be about four four and a half%. Through this program, if you finance a 6.8, you're talking like4 to $5 million
073of avoided interest cost. So through a referendum or just through a lease purchase or something of that magnitude without the interest is a massive savings in a very budget conscious way to get these done, aside from just getting the $1.3 million in rebate dollars. So what the next steps would be, what it looks like moving forward. Um the authorization this evening that's agenda item number two would allow us now to submit to JCPNL through the application process. Then we would come back, work with them, fine-tune our numbers, go into what they have a a direct install tool. We have to have inputs put in there. Our my engineering team will do that with Nick and we'll in we'll in uh insert that. It'll spit spit out proposals. Then we would sit down and review the
074final numbers with you. Again, our goal is to present conservative this evening, come back and try to find ways to enhance the rebate and see if we can fine-tune the project cost. Sorry. Then once that got through, we would come back, get final approval of the proposals, have a kickoff meeting, design, and begin implementation. The other benefit of this program, if we move forward this evening, we estimate that we would be able to get all units installed and up and running by September of 2027, meaning between the EIP and this, all units will be within 5 years by that time. So, you'd have another 15 to 20 years of life longevity of the new units and really limit any out of unex out of pocket unexpected costs for that time period. So that is the
075the key points I wanted to hit on you this evening. And I believe Matt, one of my colleagues, covered for me. The the energy and operational savings is about 5 to 10% of your current utility spend. I believe that number was asked for. So I just want to make sure I hit on that. So um any questions? >> Hey Greg, thank you very much for your time. uh considering the new units capacity new they're far more efficient than they were 15 20 years ago with the potential hypothetically speaking that if we were to build out a wing of a particular plant one of the schools would we have to depending upon the size would we have room to expand without going into new equipment for heating and AC obviously depending upon the size but is
076there room to work with uh so that hey if we go into this space okay we planned appropriately ly with the right level of units. We don't have to take on edited expenses with new units. >> Yeah, that's a great question. Fortunately, unfortunately, direct install is just inind replacements. So, we're not able to really plan for those types of improvements. Um, but I would say there are new construction rebates that could help offset that. A lot of a lot of districts that are in the same situation are looking to just do package units. So, I'd say you would be limited in this case, in this project. But, I think even planning and thinking ahead, you'd probably have to do that anyway. I think the boilers would be okay in terms of capacity, but uh rooftop
077units or if you just want packaged units or a vertical like unit ventilators, that could be a good option for the district. >> I think we need to take the opportunity advantage of this since it's in the queue and the the revenue the the funding is going to disappear. As a board of education, as building and grounds chair, our district should take advantage of this program. All the HVAC and boilers are almost at the end of their life. >> Mr. Moretta, our facilities director, strongly recommends we invest in this program. It's a a winning all the way around for our taxpayers in Coleneck and, you know, for the great schools for our kids. >> I think what we're looking at what 9.4 million if we didn't have the financing and zero tax increase. >> And
078that's not even counting the incentive, correct? >> Yeah. to incentivize uh for our district to go and take advantage of what we paid into the system, all our taxpayers and um you know increase you know make our infrastructure that much better. >> Yes sir. >> You know there's a lot of product going out the door here. Is there any scrap value or uh associated with materials going out the door or a second use? Can any of it be sold to a secondary market so that the schools get some level of a credit towards uh the new install? >> Yeah, it's a great question. So, it's absolutely something we could work with the district on. That's not taken into account in these models, but I think that is something that could be pursued and evaluated as
079we go through the next steps. So, 100%. Some districts we've had we call it like Frankenstein and you know keep some of the old units just for some parts being you'd have mostly new stuff you should be okay but I think it's a great idea to keep some stuff back just in case if things become more difficult to find over time but that's something we could work with Nick and the district on for district. >> Absolutely. So we it's uh so our plan would be if we got the okay this evening, we would probably start the paperwork in the tool tomorrow to run it through to submit the proposal or the the pro the direct install tool through JCPNL's portal. Then we would work with them. Um I would say pro our goal would be
080by by mid August to have proposals finalized and present final numbers to you. And then at that point, a lot of this again, a lot of mechanical probably going to take obviously the boiler is going to be done in the winter, but a lot of it will probably happen next summer. But we're very confident in looking through the timeline, we would be able to get everything installed by by September 2027. There will definitely be some punch list items, you know, making sure the controls are connected, etc., but beneficial use would be ready for next school year, September. >> Thank you, sir. Mhm. >> Correct. >> So, so there's a uh Yeah. So, there this is a a tariff program. Oops. So, so what uh Vince had asked is how this works and how the contracting
081mechanism works is so this is a tariff approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities which allows school district to then realize a you a public utility procurement exemption. So then JCPNL then contracts the work to us. So you may see DCO on proposals or analyses or uh resolutions, but you also may see JCPNL. So the the procurement vehicle here allows because it is a public utility exception in public procurement law. It allows the district to contract directly with JCPNL and then us with JCPNL. Does that make I know it's a little weird. It's it's because it's a utility tariff. That's the reason we're able to do it this way without going out through like a formal public bid. >> Correct. Yeah. >> So we're we're a trade it's called a trade ally or
082a program partner of JCPNL. we've been one since the inception in 2021. Um that's how we were able to get the $530,000 in the phase one of the EIP. Um but it's a great point, but yes, so we we are approved by JCPNL. They would contract with us, but the contract would sit with the district most likely with JCPNL. >> Yes, sir. One more piece. Thank you. Uh we're an education forum, so this is a unique situation. Uh so we ask that you work with Dr. Gab Bay and Nick and the team to uh bring the students into the program. Let them take interest in in some capacity. There's finance associated here. There's buildings and grounds. There's energy efficiency. There's green. So all these things that we let's think about how it could impact our
083student base. This is not only we just taking care of our facilities, but the students that are here might be very interested in this going forward for their own careers and opportunities. as as we do the dance for the next year or so and go through this program. Think about the student base and uh as well in that capacity let's work on the educational component. It be very important to the board 100%. So uh just to give some back we've been working with Dr. Garay and uh Miss Reynolds on we we call it our competitive edge program. So we've been coordinating efforts to come to the science fair engage the students in it based on the math scores and the math results. I heard this evening maybe we have some future interns for us. um
084based on those results. But uh yeah, so we would love to be a part of anything we can do to help the students, educate them to understand what you're placing a rooftop unit, that's awesome. I don't really care as long as I have air conditioning. What does it mean? How does the financing work? So I think it's a great idea. Absolutely. >> Yeah. We buy American clauses. >> Yeah. Yeah. Some school when it gets public bid sometimes it gets hairy. questions. All right. Awesome. Thank you for your time this evening. I appreciate it. Okay. Uh, at this time we're going to move right into uh the rest of the agenda. I don't see any communications listed here. I already presented my uh uh president's report. So, we'll move right into the board liaison reports. Uh,
085Mr. Harowitz is not uh was not available tonight. Um, and she just wanted to extend uh her sentiments regarding Mrs. Kaufman and her years of service here and congratulate uh her for all the hard work that she's done uh in raising funding and uh leading the PTO for as many years as she did and also to Samantha Aman for her unwavering dedication uh to uh our students and fundraising here. We want to um welcome the new leadership uh Carara Brick uh for president and the VP Jennifer Mule and we wish them the best of luck. We're looking forward to partnering uh with both of those ladies and the full PTO and wish them continued success in the future. We are going to move right into um I had nothing for the PIF. Uh by the
086way, we're going to move right into the Colts Township School newsletter. Mrs. camera. >> Thank you. Um, the next edition will be published after the last day of school. And I'm just reminding residents who do not receive the newsletter via email that you can go to the school website, Colts Neck Township Schools. We have a link to subscribe the board of education tab/newsletters. And I always encourage all residents to subscri to subscribe. Okay, thank you. >> Great. Uh, thank you. Uh, the Colts Township School Arts, Sports, Extracurricular Activities, Mr. Reignetta and Mr. Wickberg. >> Yes, thank you. Uh, last Thursday had the opportunity of attending Subs and Sounds. It was a wonderful, wonderful night. Um, the kids did incredible. I want to congratulate all the musicians that uh that were involved. Um, they sounded great
087and I can't wait to see what happens in the future, how how they develop. and uh for all the eighth graders that were there. I wish you guys good luck uh in high school and I hope you guys keep it going. And I want to thank all the uh the music teachers and staff um the teachers that were there and helped out, Dr. Gabri of course and uh the PTO and um everyone involved for making it happen. Um thank you guys so much. >> Great. Uh thank you. Uh anything you want to add, Mr. Wickberg? Yeah. Thank you. >> Uh the Colts Neck Sports Foundation is offering uh a summer basketball clinic uh this summer for uh grades 6 through 8 boys and girls. Uh the dates will be August 18th, 19th, and 20th. Uh
088the time will be 6:30 to 7:30 at the Cedar Drive outdoor courts. The fee will be $100. Uh session two will be grades 2 through five, boys and girls. The date for that will be August 24th, 25th, 26th, and 27th. That'll be held from 6:15 to 7:45. The same uh same spot, Cedar Drive Outdoor Court, and the fee is $150. >> Okay, great. I do uh I would like to add a few things regarding the meeting that was scheduled with the sports foundation leadership about a week ago. Um I'll have uh you add to that. I know Mr. Walsh uh represented the buildings and grounds. Mrs. Camera I asked to sit in because I was unable to attend and Mr. Wickbird. Um I just want to revisit that meeting. I know there was discussion about
089brand new bleachers. Mr. Walsh, if you want to um you know add some comments there. I heard it was a positive meeting. We went over uh things that the sports foundation may need for the upcoming season and once again I always prioritize the sports foundation relationship uh and thank them for all the hard work uh they do in engaging our kids in sports and extracurriculars. So uh Mr. Walsh, you want to brief us with Mr. Wickberg and Mrs. Cameron on the discussion on the bleachers? Uh yeah, they uh >> All right. Yep. Whoever wants to do it. >> Um the sports foundation offered uh to contribute towards the uh purchase of the bleachers in in terms of uh optional if they want to make them bigger or add uh add certain things to them. So
090that was really nice. Uh what else? I left my I left my notepad. >> That's okay. >> What was there here? I uh Dr. Gar Dr. G this Dr. the garb was there. I think we should as a board I brought up and I mean pay for the bleachers. There are bleachers for our kids. We're replacing the primary school gym floor and I think the bleachers should be at expense out of the board of education. Just to highlight the meeting was a great meeting positive. Um anything they needed the sports foundation for their future programs were there to support them. Uh they're going to have all their banners brought into our schools, sponsorship banners as well, just to highlight the the partnership with them is is is great. And most of the kids in our
091town play in our schools, so we're there to support him as a board event. >> Right. I just want to add one thing, too. Um the bleachers were part of a recreation grant and um so that kind of offsets the cost for the uh floor replacement and then the then the sports foundation offered they wanted them possibly larger uh than what we have now and they were very kind and offered to you know cover the difference. >> Okay. So that's the um recommendation you're putting forth to pay for the bigger option of the bleachers. Is that what it is? The >> pay the most of the expense the the bleachers and but obviously that's a board of ed vote for all nine of us. >> Okay. >> They would cover the difference. >> Okay. Terrific.
092Uh and the signage that they're uh requesting that will be put up all year round starting from September. Do we know? >> I I told them as soon as they can get in there, Dr. Garay, right? Soon as they can get in there, the better. Just to highlight their their uh their the sports foundation, all the great programs, all the sports programs. >> Okay. Terrific. uh at the end >> all the sponsors. >> Perfect. Uh at the end of this summer, I will coordinate with Dr. Garabay to maybe have a meeting first thing in September that we could all join. I'll see if Mr. Ragnetta, Mr. Wickberg, uh myself, and maybe one more board member, uh we could start off the year once again meeting with them uh to to be proactive and what their
093needs may be for the year. Um okay, moving on, we have the Colts Township Committee, Mr. Walsh. Okay, the highlight of the meeting is the township is consulting hired a consultant, a township planner. And long story short, they're looking to come up with ideas of how they can we the town can reinvest in a business corridor from Route 18 up to Flock Road. So, uh they're going to be studying that. The t the township planner is going to present um their plans for how the envision what that district is going to look like whether it's um residential use, business use just to encourage reinvestment in our township and look at that uh that corridor how how how can they go about improving it. So um and the planner is going to present the their their
094plans to the planning board. The planning board actually is going to really sit down dayto day and meet with their committee and come up with ideas how they think the township should develop it but in con consultation with the township planner. So that's in the works. Um that's going to be redevelopment and rehabilitation not eminent domain which is really important. So it's a big undertaking by the town study that that business card to see what they can do to improve it reinvest in that area and come up with ideas with buy in from all township stakeholders the community. Uh okay what else they had uh 1,900,000 spent for vouchers. 80% of the vouchers went to purchase the 21 units in the grand which is an affordable housing control. So that was the bulk of the
095payment and uh that's pretty much it again. Oh, I'm sorry. >> Okay. >> So, we're going right into the uh 250th celebration. Mrs. camera. >> Yes, thank you again. Um, so just some updates on the calendar contest. Winners will be announced July 3rd at the fireworks. Our seniors again will receive $200 and our winners of grades K to 11 will receive $100. Checks will be donated by the Colts Neck Historical Society. There is a Google form that was created by Dr. Garbe. It has all the images of the um contestants work and it was sent to Sue Fitzpatrick. No names of students um are with the artwork and all members of the 250th committee will have the opportunity to vote to keep it very fair. Um I want to thank both our staff and all
096the volunteers for our patriotic themed field day. It was a tremendous success. So on June 9th at the primary school, we had Field Day across America. Happy birthday USA. And then on June 12th at the elementary school, we had Stars and Stripes and Games. Oh, and that which was today. >> Oh, okay. So, thank you. Um, so apparently was rescheduled for today because of the heat. And what I really loved is I saw some like pictures of students and they designed their own shirts, their own field day shirts. I thought that was really cute. Um, hopefully everyone has noticed our 250th, our 1776 flags are now placed around our buildings and they just look so fantastic. So, thank you to the administration. Um, Tuesday, June 30th, at our very own Colts Neck Library, we'll be
097presenting History Alive, New Jerseys Revolutionary Neighbors. And we have a parade coming on um June 28th in Middletown Township, Red, White, and U. America's Big Birthday Parade. So all of this information is under our board of education website. We have a USA 250th tab. We have links to both township events, Mammoth County Library events, um the Mammoth, New Jersey website, as well as the national website. And just a reminder to join the Colts Neck 250th Facebook and Instagram page to see highlights and we still have our board of education video contest going on. So I encourage everyone to get involved. Um so I'll just roll right into recreation >> please. Thank you. >> Okay. So moving on to recreation and parks. Um the Colts neck recreation and parks department continues to provide a variety of
098summer programs and community events for residents. We have summer camp 2026. Um registration open March 12th through community pass and the camp will run the 29th through June 29th through August 6 at Cedar Drive Middle School. The hours are 9 to2. It's open to students kindergarten through grade 8. And there's new flexible weekly registration options available in addition to the full six-week program. Colts neck responders and military families are eligible for special rates and additional off-site trips will be offered. Recreation also puts on the Sounds of Summer concert. Concerts are held Thursdays from 7:00 to 8:30 at the Town Hall Pondside. Um, tomorrow night is the next concert and it looks like it will be an 80s alternative rock band. Um, so residents are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and enjoy these familyfriendly community events.
099And then recreation put out a notice for the Big Brook Preserve. Um, so it's a public safety notice from the Colts Neck Township Police Department advising residents that the Hillsdale Road entrance to Big Brook Preserve remains closed until further notice. and the Big Brook. Um, it's considered one of New Jersey's premier locations for finding fossils, including shark teeth, um, prehistoric remains, marine fossils, all dating back from like 66 to 100 million years. So, um, it is something over the summer that you might want to take your children to a free activity. Um last, all recreation programs, activities, memberships, and court reservations continue to be managed through community pass and building and ground permit requests should be submitted via email to the re recreation and parks department. And these these buildings are free to Colts neck
100residents. So um I know that softball, cheer, girl scouts, boy scouts takes advantage of this program. So, um, again, I encourage if you have any recommendations for recreation and parks to email colby at cm a rq coltsnneck.org. Okay. And that's everything. So, thank you. >> Great. Uh, thank you, Mrs. Camera. Moving on to the Colts Neck Township senior citizens, Mr. Walsh. >> Okay, >> that's the report. Enjoy your summer, seniors. >> Great. Thank you. Moving to Naval Weapons Station Earl. Mr. Scarpa. >> Thank you. I want to take this opportunity to thank Captain Smith for his work uh with our student base and and um and the families and wish him uh safe seas as he travels to his new uh new chapter. I also want to uh extend the congratulations to the students that
101from the base that are departing us and and I are very very thankful that they now have a permanent signature on our walls in the schools. So you know that mark is left behind and that's meaningful to our community. So we wish them uh uh safe travels in their new chapters. I I uh want to deviate a bit and just highlight our our district infrastructure technology. You know, I had the opportunity to meet up with Mr. Petrillo uh the other day. You know, it's it was a lovely conversation and just just want to highlight some some it's it's good to spotlight individual points of work that go on in our district that may get overlooked from time to time. So this is an interesting I asked him to provide an executive summary and he's been
102in our district since 2017. So this is his ninth year and the district embarked then on a comprehensive modernization initiative within the first three years. Uh the entire physical backbone and infrastructure hardware were completely replaced seamlessly establishing a reliable enterprise level platform capable of supporting substantial instructional and administrative traffic with zero disruption daily operations and total continuity for students and staff. I highlight this because it's critical that we are in a technology centric environment for our student base and we have the personnel employed by this district to make sure that our backbone of technology is working as designed and is there to support our current infrastructure needs our technology infrastructure needs as well as the go forward opportunity for our students. So thank you to Mr. patrill for all your work these past nine years
103uh specifically around the backbone the firewalls the technologies the the privacies all things that are critically important to our infrastructure uh of our students so that does not go overlooked I appreciate the conversation that we had and I look forward to um uh future dialogue in this space there's a lot to learn in the compliance technologies and the infrastructure behind our systems and we appreciate the uh the level of support that we have in this district. So, thank you. I want to highlight that. >> Thank you. >> Great. Uh thank you, Mr. Scarpa. For the state and county school boards, uh representative, uh we have two weeks left to secure early bird discount for the workshop, uh 2026 in Atlantic City. Uh that'll be taking place October 19th through the 22nd. Uh that conference is
104the biggest for public schools in New Jersey uh for the officials to receive professional learning and networking opportunities for their districts. Uh the theme this year is uh charting the path empowering journeys. Uh the rates are in your emails. If you would like to attend uh you can register u find your uh early bird rates in your email. Uh the nominations are being accepted for the New Jersey school board's member of the year board member of the year. The winner will be announced at that conference in Atlantic City and all that information uh is in your board emails. Uh that'll be that'll conclude the school board's uh representative report. At this time, I'm going to have Dr. Garay proceed with her superintendent report. Thank you. Um I wanted to reiterate congratulations to all everyone celebrated
105here tonight. There's a lot of uh celebrating things to celebrate in our district on a regular basis and I just want to thank the board for uh reserving time and setting a ti time time for some special recognitions. Um just as an update and along with Mrs. Camera talks about in curriculum summerbridge uh approximately 140 students are registered for our summer bridge pro program. Um we Mrs. Dr. Reynolds has informed me we can still take some registrations. If anyone is interested just contact the curriculum office directly. Uh summerbridge letters for students who are registered did go out to families. If you did not receive that uh email, uh again, please contact the curriculum office. Uh summer work uh letters will be going home by the end of this week regarding 2026 summer work. All students
106have a personalized learning plan through which is data that's been collected through NWA maps and I Ready for the first grade only. Uh there are extension enrichment activities related to keyboarding, typing as well as the stock market uh program that Mrs. KMA referenced uh at a prior board of education meeting. Everything will be posted to our website. So all the instructions, everything regarding logging in. We're sending it out nice and early. So and we will be encouraging our parents through the letter to log in. We know the last thing you want to be thinking about is summer work on the last week of school, but it is helpful if you log in making sure your students can get in when they need to get in and then you know think about it. you can come
107back to revisit it this way. We're all here to help um and navigate anything along the way. Um eighth grade graduation, as Mrs. Vulby said, is Monday, June 22nd. I know that Mrs. Cameron, Mrs. Vulpy, Mr. Walsh will be in attendance. Um that being said, if any other board member is planning on attending graduation, if you could let me know by tomorrow morning because we are planning for seating. So, please just let me know by tomorrow morning at the latest if you are able to join us for that very special night. Uh, student registration, new student registration is open. If you have a child entering kindergarten or if you or someone you know is moving to Colts neck over the summer, you do not have to wait to register. The first start that you uh
108place to start is on our website and then Mrs. Susan Gil can help guide through the rest of the process, all the documents that are required um uh the forms all etc etc. Don't wait. It's a it's a rolling process and that helps us to be in good shape preparing wise uh to receive and educate your children in September. Um our last full day of school for the 2526 school year is this Friday, June 19th. Next week, Monday through Wednesday are short session days uh for students with Wednesday, June 24th being our very last day of school. So the latter part of the remainder of my superintendence report is going to focus on that. Um, this evening we recognized our teachers of the year and I had recognized Mrs. Dia, but as we head into
109our last week, I want to recognize and thank and I know we've done it individually along the way. Um, but I certainly just want to recognize our retire our 2026 retirees, Tatiana Bergos, Moren Katherine Price, Hope Dealyah, Amy Desmond, Terry Hyer, Marjorie Magcguire, Theo Papos, who is on tonight's agenda, Deborah Steel, and Veronica Zeno. These are people who have dedicated years of their life to the Couleneck Township schools and the students in the community. We've celebrated them individually as they've appeared on the agendas, but I just want to again uh give them such a sincere thanks and appreciation as we head into uh the last week couple few days of their educational careers. Um as we gather for our final board of education meeting, um I would like to take a moment to reflect on
110the many accomplishments as Mrs. Vulpi did celebrations and experiences that have shaped this year in the Colts Township schools. Public schools are often described as the heart of a community and nowhere is that more evident than here in Colts neck. Our schools are more than places where children learn academic content. They are gathering places where relationships are built and traditions are celebrated. They bring together families, educators, students, community organizations, local leaders, and residents around a common purpose. And that purpose is ensuring that every student, every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed. Throughout this school year, we have witnessed that spirit of community in countless countless ways. We have come together to celebrate student achievements, support one another during challenges, honoring our veterans and military families, recognizing acts of kindness and service, cheering
111on students in performances and competitions, and creating lasting memories at school events and community gatherings. These moments remind us that schools are among the few institutions that unite an entire community across generations and backgrounds. First, I would like to thank the members of the board. Your service, leadership, and stewardship of the district play a vital role in maintaining the excellence of Coloulac Township Schools. Your commitment to the important work of governance often takes place behind the scenes, yet it is essential to the success of our schools. Thank you for your thoughtful engagement in complex discussions, your willingness to learn, to navigate challenging decisions, and your willingness to serve our community. Thank you on behalf of the staff of Col Township Schools. To our Col parents and families, thank you for entrusting us with your children
112each day. As both an educator and a parent myself, I understand that there is no greater responsibility than helping to guide and support a child's growth. We are deeply grateful for the confidence you place in our schools and for the partnerships we share. Whether volunteering at events, supporting learning at home, attending concerts, athletic competitions, dropping off lunches or forgotten items at home, or simply encouraging a child to do their best each day, your involvement helps create a the caring and connected school community that makes Colts neck so special. To our students, thank you for the your enthusiasm, creativity, kindness, and determination you bring to our schools every day. You challenge us to be better educators and remind us why this work matters. It has been a privilege to watch you learn this year, grow, overcome
113obstacles, discover new talents, and support one another throughout the year. And finally, to our remarkable faculty, staff, and administration. Words alone cannot adequately adequately express my appreciation for all that you do every day. You bring your expertise, compassion, and commitment to our students and families. You celebrate successes, provide encouragement during challenges, and consistently go above and beyond to ensure that every child feels seen, valued, and supported. The positive impact you have on the lives of students often extends far beyond what can be measured in grades or test scores. It is reflected in the confidence you build, the relationships you nurture, and the countless opportunities you create for children to succeed. I am continually inspired as your superintendent by your dedication and proud to serve alongside such an exceptional team of professional educators. Thank you to
114everyone who has contributed to making the 2526 school year such a success. It's been a privilege and continues to be a privilege to serve this remarkable community. On behalf of the entire Koulse Township District, I wish our students, families, faculty, staff, and community members a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable summer. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in September as we continue to share as we continue our shared work of educating, supporting, and inspiring the children of Colts Snack. That concludes my superintendent report. >> Great. Well, thank you. >> Great. Uh thank you so much uh Dr. Garvey for those kind words. We really appreciate um your hard work here. Okay, we are going to take a um a look. We have a several information items uh listed there. There's three of them. If everybody just
115wants to um look over that and then we are going to move right into comments from the public. Um anybody would like to get up and say something. I see lines and lines of complaints here about how the board run operates. Um okay, closing public comment. We're going to move right into action items. Uh, I need a motion to move action items 1 through six. >> Motion sec. >> Okay. I want uh to comment uh on number five. I know some board members were questioning some of the outofd district placement costs. Um and what's that? Um uh yeah, I'll just say the few things that I found out and then you could you know elaborate on those costs where it says extraordinary costs that is not for busing uh it's rel it's for related services
116therapies etc. I will have Dr. Garabay add to that but I just wanted to confirm that those were not busing costs. >> That's correct Mrs. uh Bulby. The first column is the tuition, strictly the tuition, and the second column are extraordinary costs associated with the child's placements and services they're receiving in the out of district tuition. That's correct. Great. Does anybody have any uh questions or comments on any of those other action items? >> Okay. Uh seeing none, I'll get a roll call for uh items one through six. >> Mrs. Cameron? >> Yes. >> Mr. Reignetta? Yes, >> Mr. Scales. >> Yes, >> Mr. Scarpa. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Vulpi. >> Yes, >> Mr. Walsh. >> Yes, >> Mr. Wickberg. >> Thank you. The motion carried. >> Okay. Uh, terrific. Moving on to buildings and
117ground safety and security. I need a motion to move items one through six again. >> Motion, >> I'm sorry. I'm sorry. One, one and two. And then there was one through six uh extension of uh number two. Did I get a second? >> Second. >> Okay, great. Uh any questions or comments on the direct install program? Anybody want to comment? >> Yeah, again I'm just going to say it's the opportunity if it's long range planning when you look at it as well. Just uh be proactive in replacing these parts. boilers and condensers and HVACs are going to go out of use in near term. It's a great investment in our schools, great for our kids and u we just want the best facilities for all our students and taking advantage of that zero tax, zero
118interest for five years. Uh we'd be crazy not to take advantage of the JCPNL rebates as well. >> Great. Anybody like to add to that? No. >> Okay, great. Um, we'll get a roll call for those uh two items, one and two. >> Yes. Buildings and grounds. Mrs. Cameron, >> yes. >> Mr. Riggnetta, >> yes. >> Uh, Mr. Scales. >> Yes. >> Mr. Scarpa? >> Absolutely. Yes. >> Thank you, Mrs. Vulpi. >> Yes. >> Mr. Walsh? >> Yes. >> Mr. Wickberg? >> Yes. >> Thank you. The motion carried. >> Great. Thank you. Moving on to curriculum. I need a motion to move items one through four under curriculum one through four. Can I get a motion? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Mr. Wood. >> Uh, anybody like to comment on any of those items? >>
119Um, I would. >> Okay. >> Um, so I'm really excited about some of these new programs that are both for staff and for students um coming up in the 2627 school year. I did have a question about the Stoke summer planning curriculum um because I had the opportunity of going three times. Um I haven't really seen any anything new. So I was just wondering um what is what is what are the changes to the curriculum possibly which is why they want to um write some of it. It's called curriculum writing but it's really planning. So it's there's a lot of planning that goes into the trip or organizing coordination communication. So we designate time. So even though it's called curriculum writing, they review the activities, they take feedback, they tweak some things, but mostly it
120is planning and organization for the trip. So to your point, yes, it is something that we do, but we always evaluate and it takes um once September hits, you know, the teachers are in the classroom, the chaprons are working, so we organize time to uh put together and organize the trip. >> That makes a lot of sense to me because it is an unbelievable amount of organization. So, thank you. >> Uh, okay. Any other questions regarding um the curriculum? >> If not, we'll get a roll call. >> Curriculum. Curriculum items one through four. Mrs. Cameron, >> yes. >> Mr. Retta, >> yes. >> Mr. Scales, >> yes. >> Mr. Scarpa, >> yes. >> Mrs. Vulpi, >> yes. >> Mr. Walsh, >> yes. >> Mr. Wickberg, >> yes. >> Thank you. Thank you. The motion passed.
121>> Okay, great. Moving on to finance. I need a motion to move items one through 23. Quite a bit under there. 1 through 23. >> Could I get a motion? >> I have a question on number 16. >> Well, we need a motion uh first, >> if you will. >> Motion motion. >> Mr. Scales with the motion. >> Second. >> Okay, great. We have our emotions. Uh there's a question from Mr. Scarpa related to >> Yes. So question number 16. Just walk me through I believe I saw this last year as well this time of year. Is is that correct? Uh >> no it's a different it's a different service. What we brought in was someone with a a transition. Um if you remember we reduced a position in the business office and it was
122to support the audit processing as it was going through. That was last year. She was a former retiree who came back to do some work for us over the summer before she fully done her retirement. Okay. This is a bridging of personnel and operations uh until a full-time uh replacement for our current payroll bookkeeper position is filled. It was posted. There was a a a late May resignation that we accepted and so it's posted and we're interviewing. So it is a placeholder of services. Correct. It's a transfer pay role of services for you know the operations of the business office. >> I gotcha. And is that as a consultant is that just salary? There's no there's no compensation for benefits associated with >> none. It's just an hourly rate for services. It's a contracted service.
123>> Very good. Thank you. Um, so 17, 18, 19 are all about the ability to transfer funds. And I was just wondering what the um advantages and disadvantages are with having it done and then having board approval after the fact versus board approval and then transferring the funds. So I don't know if that's more for Vince. >> Sure, I could comment on that. So these are annual resolutions that are very standard across the spectrum of New Jersey school districts. Anyone who has any boards of education who maintain various restricted reserves reserve accounts. And the reason 90% of the districts take advantage of this is to allow the flexibility. Uh you have to do it before June 30th is in the law. um giving a board the flexibility to transfer any surplus that may be generated
124as operations close for this year up to a certain amount. The wording is very specific to allow that flexibility. It's not a predetermined amount because operations have one have not finished. So we do not know the exact number. I was able to give an estimate and provide enough flexibility so that there is a ceiling in case we determine through the audit process closing out the year that operations have provided a certain amount of surplus and then we can decide what we want to do with it. capital reserve is a little bit more and that's because items in your capital reserve account are dedicated to the long range facilities plan. So that one just by the essence the nature of it you you want to allow a greater flexibility. Maintenance reserve not so much but still
125a good uh you know a large enough window to provide funding because there are those you know undetermined emergencies that do come up like we had this past school year with in the beginning of the year and we did have to pull funds from that maintenance reserve. So these are again really statutory um driven annual resolution. I hope that answers your question >> Mr. Moresco. That was very helpful. Thank you very much for providing that. Uh these are statutory transfers and obligations that any jurisdiction uh with our responsibilities is going to follow. So we appreciate that education. You know this has come up before in the public domain and we certainly appreciate proper discourse and dialogue associated with this. So, thank you very much for providing that extra color, Mr. Morasco. These are incredibly important
126to our financial infrastructure of our schools. without this, like by way of example with the water uh issue that we had back in the fall and having a tank on site because of the transfers, because of the allowances and the structures of our accounts to preserve enough of a of a reserve to cover those incidentals. We continue to operate with no disruption of service. Your students did not go home for four to five days because water was not provided. To get that water truck here to provide that infrastructure to our students without disruption, we need to operate within the jurisdictions of allowance to move monies from one account to another to allow the payment of services. It's very straightforward. So by looking out at it over here a sea of empty chairs, it appears that
127the actual questions are actually being answered by the right levels of folks like Mr. Morasco and the rest of the board here that is deemed to be educated in this space. We hear much from naysayers out there that don't choose to educate themselves, that don't choose to appreciate what this is all about. And by the sea of empty chairs, I see that our their questions have been sufficiently answered. So thank you Mr. Morasco provide an extra level of cover. >> You're welcome. And I'll even add a little bit more just for extra credit here. Uh extra credit >> if you do notice. So we have the three maintenance accounts, right? Number 19, which is transfer to Federal Impact Aid Reserve. That's that's the result of a law that came out in 2015. Uh or I
128take that back. It might be 2016 or 17 when New Jersey authorized it in the legislature to allow districts to only districts who receive federal impact aid could have established this reserve, which we did. But the rules are a little bit different with this reserve. If you notice in the reading, this is an exact ceiling number because you are only allowed to commit to the reserve what you took in from federal impact aid to date. In other words, through the date of this resolution. So if we want to again after operations move some of that to the um some of the federal impact aid to the federal impact aid reserve account. We can do that by this authorization. >> Thank you. >> Great. >> Um I just have a question about number seven. >> Um
129the appointment of school physician. I'm guessing that's just a reup of the current contract that we have with the school physician and um in what instances of just not just for me but for the public as well too. What instances would we um call a physician to come in to be used? >> Sure. >> So our school physician is used for um when we when there are medical reasons for homebound instruction. It goes through a review and verification process. So um and it's not it's more just about the checks and balances of the things they work directly with uh in coordination with the director special services and department and working with families. They'll send a doctor's note medical notes for certain things. Our doctors will or the phys school physician will review it in that
130manner. So it's it's primarily used for studentbased uh situations involving conversations between physicians. >> Thank you so much. >> Um does it have anything to do with workers comp too or is that >> that's totally different. Totally different. >> Thank you. >> It's more it's the school physician is reserved for student use for student review of information. >> Okay. Any uh any other questions regarding uh the finance items 1 through 23? I see none. We'll get a roll call. >> Okay. Uh finance items 1 through 23. Mrs. Cameron. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Uh Mr. Reignetta. >> Yes. >> Mr. Scales. >> Yes. >> Mr. Scarpa. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Vulpi. >> Yes. >> Mr. Walsh. >> Yes. >> And Mr. Wickberg. >> Yes. >> Thank you. The motion carried. >> Great. Uh, thank you.
131We have nothing under policy this evening. Going right into negotiations. Uh, I need a motion to move that one item under negotiations. >> Motion. Any questions or concerns regarding the one item? All right, seeing none, we'll get a roll call. >> Mrs. Cameron, >> yes. >> Mr. Reignetta, >> yes. >> Mr. Scales, >> yes. >> Mr. Scarpa, >> yes. >> Mrs. Vulpi, >> yes. >> Mr. Walsh, >> yes. >> Mr. Wickberg, >> yes. >> Thank you. The motion carried. >> Okay, great. Moving uh to transportation. We have one item under there. Can I get a motion to move that item? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Any questions or comments? >> I see Marbor is paying us uh considerable amount of money to use our buses. >> Yes. This this was part of the budget, the
132revenues. >> Uh anybody want to comment, Mr. Scarpa? Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Camera. Oh, >> and and thank you for this. Is um is this is this an annual rate or is it adjusted every year? How does that work out? And >> adjusted every year for CPI. >> Taking last year's uh rates, it's governed by uh the DOE. Transportation contracts have a certain level of uh CPI that you can increase. >> Excellent. Okay. But >> so I don't have the exact number of the per route cost. Some are probably around 39 to $40,000. >> Thank you. >> Per route. Okay, great. I'll take a roll call on the one transportation item. >> Sure. Mrs. Camera, >> yes. >> Uh, Mr. Rnetta, >> yes. >> Mr. Scales, >> yes. >> Mr. Scarpa, >> yes. >> Mrs.
133Vulpi, >> yes. >> Mr. Walsh, >> yes. >> Mr. Wickberg, >> yes. >> The motion carried. >> Okay, great. We are moving right into personnel. This is quite lengthy. I'm going to need a motion to move items one through one through 400 one through 42. 1 through 42. >> Uh motion. >> Second. >> Great. Thank you. I just have a comment on uh the number two under the retirement uh for Mrs. uh Papa Savis. I just want to wish her uh the best retirement. my daughter uh had her in her uh younger years at the primary school and she's just such a phenomenal lady. Um she's a warm heart and just puts puts her all into uh teaching and taking care of our children. So I just uh on behalf of the board, I wish
134her a fantastic retirement. Maybe I'll run into her somewhere down the low down the line. Anybody uh else? Dr. Garbay, do you want to say >> All right. Uh Dr. Garbay uh echoes that sentiment. So, uh, if there's no other questions, >> um, number eight, is that, um, a vacancy we're looking to fill or is that a brand new, uh, position? >> Uh, the library media assistant number. Yes. >> So, in my updates, I I referred to it as it is a a a way that we are addressing a need for expanded related related arts at the elementary school. And the state department of education allows you, this is a current staff member who works as a library media assistant who does have a teaching certificate that we are allowed to expand for use of
135her certificate under elementary school. She's expanded to be providing time for a research in a program that's not necessar that is related to library media services but that we are able to utilize um the her certificate as a classroom teacher. So, it is a creative way for using certifications of teachers and so it's a part-time position that we budgeted to expand and meet the needs of the related arts at >> Thank you so much for the clarification not just for me but for the public. Thank you so much. >> Absolutely. And and we're happy to have provide the staff members an opportunity as well. Thank you. Um, I'd like to just thank our students who come back, um, graduating students who come back and volunteer their time for the summer bridge program. Um, not only
136does it look good for college, but just thank you for your time and wanting to do this. And I think again, um, it's because of the culture and community that our teachers provide that students want to give their time. So, thank you. Great. Uh, anybody else? Seeing uh, no further comments, I'll get a roll call for items one through 42. >> Under personnel, uh, Mrs. Camera. >> Yes. >> Mr. Rignetta, >> I'm going to recuse from three, four, five, and 10. And yes to all the rest. >> Thank you. Uh, Mr. Scales, >> yes. >> Mr. Scarpa, >> yes. >> Mrs. Vulpi, >> yes. >> Mr. Walsh, >> yes. >> Mr. Wickberg, >> yes. >> Thank you. The motion carried. >> Uh, okay. Uh, great. Moving on. We're going to go into our second comments
137from the public. Anybody like to get up and complain or have a question? Seeing none, we'll all close that and we'll move right into new business. >> Uh Dr. Garbay would like um yeah, Dr. Garbay, you could go first with your new business. >> Just a reminder that I think in conversation with um Mrs. Vulpi had referenced before, but we will be officially uh cancelling the cow meetings uh for July and August. We will only be meeting um and on July 22nd >> and the 19th of August. Okay. And then just a special meeting is posted and notified for next Thursday at 6:00 at the um back at the administration building. So, and then notification that that meeting will not be livereamed. That's all. So, I just had something um Dr. Garay had mentioned it
138in her superintendence report, but during the last cow meeting um I had requested about a review for this stock market game and it is now up on our district's um website. It's under the steam enrichment activities tab and it's um it starts June 29th to August 14th and kids can make a virtual portfolio using real market data um investment decisions and um I really hope we have students that get involved and can't wait to hear about it. >> Uh one question, how did the uh the finance um uh assembly go in first week of June? If you I may have missed the update, but if you can highlight that. >> Very very well. >> Excellent. Any other uh new business? >> Just uh one thing, usually the uh the softest voices are our fathers in
139the district. Just wanted to wish a happy father's day >> to all the fathers. >> Um and also I wanted to just piggyback on what Mr. Scarpa said because it um it really it opened my eye to when you look out here into the vast attendees. I want everyone to take a nice mental picture of that because this is this is a testament to all your hard work and I wanted to thank each and every one of you for an absolutely fabulous school year. We did some pretty amazing things as a district, our staff, our students, everyone. Um, and when you don't have people with a line at the deis complaining about things, it's a huge testament to all your hard work. We had a a pretty loud year. We had a couple of events
140that caused a couple stirs nationally, but what we noticed during that time as well when we did have a line, um, the majority of those people were from outside of the Colts Neck community. So, what I again just a heartfelt thank you to all of our residents and constituents in Colts neck for having the faith um in our district. Um your voices are heard, we're transparent, and we provide as much communication as possible. Um so, thanks for all your all your efforts this year with with those events. And then lastly, um we saw a great presentation of fiscal responsibility and stewardship. Um just wanted to echo the comments that we we had made on uh the direct install. There there's a lot of money being saved in that program. Um and without the responsibility of
141our budget committee, we wouldn't even have the money to do a program like this. And I think one of the one of the comments we overlooked is that we're getting a zero interest loan for that amount of time and it's only going to cost the district $5 million. If we were to go out to market, it would cost 9 million and interest. So, we are saving the taxpayers here in Colts Neck a substantial amount of money and we have the money already to fund that program. Again, that is a testament to all your hard work and responsibility. Um, there is no slush fund. I think I wanted to kind of put my imprint on that. Those will be the last comments that I'll make on that. But the residents of Colts Neck were tricked. They
142were lied to and they were lied to pretty terribly. So, um, now that we have had our voices heard, the accountability train has left the station. So, thank you for all your efforts. We have proven that our budget is sound. There is no slush fund. And thank you. Oops. Just want to wish the kids a happy and safe summer and we look forward to seeing you in September. Please be safe out there, kids. If you're riding ebikes, wear your helmet, okay? Be safe out there, you know, and we'll see you in September. >> You know, uh, someone wise once told me, "With friction comes traction." And I like that. That resonates well with me. Uh, we have accomplished a great deal this this calendar year. much to be proud of. Uh we have put we
143are collective body of advocacy and communication on this board and we will not stop to educate ourselves, translate that education to our community members that want to participate in it in a professional manner. We don't bow to immaturity or an uneducated speak. We prefer to have public dialogue and ask questions. Uh we don't always agree and that's a good thing. We but we do come to the table twice a month, the nine of us, and we have good public dialogue. We are all volunteers, and we appreciate the support of the majority of our uh um electoral base, and we look forward to a very successful 2026 2027 calendar year. So, happy Father's Day to all, and thank you for the cooperation and continued support for this board of education. >> Great. Any uh any other
144final thoughts or new business? >> Just Oh, uh one more thing. >> My apologies. I forgot to mention this is that um in as Mr. Capaso uh was designing and and creating the horseshoes for as a legacy for the students to sign with Kath Smith signing. He also because it was a board initiative made smaller ones for this board to be able to sign to add to the different projects too. So you are more than welcome to also write your name on your stars that we will put on the legacies as well. So thank you Mr. Capaso who is here with us tonight. Thank you for that uh >> thank you >> that thoughtful gesture. >> Uh okay my last comments of the evening. I I want to thank all of you guys. Um I
145enjoyed working uh even though the year isn't over. Our school year has ended and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all of you individually in committees in groups um making fantastic decisions uh for our district. this board of education um has been nothing but trailblazers and we have done an exceptional job. Um to be recognized nationally uh was just um unimaginable uh triumph for me and uh I I just thank all of you and it's a shame that the um Couleneck Republican party chose to um go after this board of education in in for the sake of an election. But I'm will say that in January when um people take their seats, we will be watching every single thing that is going on in the township and we will hold them accountable. Um and I
146just want to thank you all for the great work you did and uh we're going to keep doing fantastic things for the rest of the year and beyond. So, thank you very much. We are going to end uh I'll take a motion to end the meeting. We will be going into an executive session uh regarding negotiations. Um I'd say it will take under 30 minutes and we will uh we will no longer be resuming the live stream. So if I could get a motion to move into executive session at this time >> motion >> second. All in favor? >> Great. >> Opposed. >> Thank you very much. >> Motion carried. >> Yep. Thank you very much for coming. >> Bye. Thank you very much. Gentlemen, thank you back there.