May 13, 2026 – Regular Meeting

001Good evening everyone. >> Good evening everyone. Better good. Okay. In accordance with the open public meeting act. >> Good. Okay. In accordance with the open public meeting act. Sorry, technical difficulties. >> Can you hear me now? >> Yeah. >> Better. >> Yeah. Okay. All right, take two. In accordance with the Open Public Meeting Act, NJSA 104-6, adequate notification of this meeting has been provided by advertising in the record and the Herald News, posting notice in the board of education administration building, and filing notice with the city clerk to ensure accessibility interpreter services are available upon request. Please submit your written request at least 24 hours to the board meeting to the school business administrator, Dr. Steven A. Lewis at Steven Lewis at hackinacschools.org. I hereby call to order the regular meeting on Wednesday, May 13th,

0022026 in the Hackinack High School Media Center at >> 6:18 p.m. Miss Aostra, can you please do a roll call? >> Miss Alen Balutra, absent. Miss Emmerza >> here. >> Mr. Carol, >> Miss Gilmore >> here. >> Mr. Jones >> present. >> Miss Pringle >> here. >> Mr. Stein >> present. >> Mr. Martin >> present. >> Miss Harris >> present. >> We have a quorum. >> Thank you. Please stand for the flag salute. of the indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Please be seated. Okay. Good evening everyone. Welcome. Uh we are going to begin tonight's meeting with a presentation. Do we have our student reports this evening? Okay, we're going to begin this evening with our Hackinac High School athletics department presentation given by Mr. Montisano. While we are waiting for Mr. Montasana to

003come up. I just want to just uh let the public know that we are following our regular scheduled agenda which is we will go into executive session first after executive session. Then we will continue on with our agenda items which is part also with our public comments. Um and that's pretty much it. Floor is yours. Thank you. >> Good evening. Can you hear me? Uh my name is Jim Montasano. I'm the high school principal. Um I've also been uh or helping out in the athletic department. Um so again, we were in light of everything that's going on. We were tasked with, you know, looking to reduce expenditures in the athletic department. Uh it was obviously not an easy task. Um but we did it and we try to do it in a very systematic way.

004What we did was we went and looked at it as fair and equitable as possible and we looked to have a minimal impact on children. Um but again in the ultimate anytime you're cutting something's going to impact our children. Uh some of the things we looked at to reduce were obviously cost per athlete uh participation numbers and also like a history of the program which we'll talk about in a few minutes. I figure the best way to do it is just kind of go through each sport, look at what is being reduced, uh, and then, you know, kind of seeing what is impacted. Initially, the idea was presented to us to just kind of do a blanket, let's get rid of all freshman sports. Um, but, you know, I think of my own children at

005home. Um, when they were freshman, you know, with two bags of nickels in each pocket, they were maybe 140 pounds. And then by the time they're seniors, they were like 200. as well. My middle guy's like 235 lbs. There's a big maturity difference when you become a freshman into when you become a senior. So, we thought that, you know, kind of throwing the freshman in with the wolves, so to speak, um would not have been in their best interest and probably would have been served as almost, for lack of a better word, a death penalty for the rest of the programs. Um so, what we did was we kind of looked at the histories. Uh like football, for instance, hasn't had a freshman program in a number of years. Uh so, we reduced a coach

006there. So because again, so there'll be no freshman program. Now, in the event that they get, well, I talked to coach each of the coaches in the event that we get 35 freshmen that decide to come out for freshman football, some of the coaches are just going to do double duty. Uh I talked to coach wrestler. He was more than amendable. He was actually great. Uh and he said, you know, my head JV coach can also be the freshman coach. And the other side of that, too, is not a lot of the teams we play have freshman programs either. Uh only a handful. So what now it becomes is where the freshman and the sophomores kind of combine. They call it Frochmores. Um and they'll combine to do like almost another subvarsity level. Uh girls

007soccer, we reduced two coaches. And the rationale behind that was there hasn't been a freshman program in a number of years. I believe there's only a handful of girls currently. I'm just going by current numbers in the program. Um, and also across the board, what we decided to do just to make it equitable is some sports had a varsity assistant and some sports didn't. So, what we did was we removed the varsity assistant from all the sports. Um, girls tennis has pretty low participation numbers as well. So, we're going to retain one coach and we're going to reduce one coach. Uh, what that'll do is allow us to hopefully build the program back up so we can encourage some numbers and we have some ideas for that at the end. Um, boys soccer, however, they

008have three full levels. They actually have to make cuts at each level. Um, so we felt it would probably be an injustice to those students and those athletes to kind of reduce a coach there. So, we we enabled them to just retain the three levels. Same thing with girls volleyball. Uh, if you ever go to a girls volleyball triyout in the middle of summer, it looks like we're having a fire drill because there's like 96 girls in the gym. He does a great job, you know, recruiting a lot and we want to maintain, you know, our female athletes. So, we allowed them to kind of keep three levels. Additionally, um they have a full schedule. They have a full schedule of freshman games, JB games, and varsity. Uh cross country the same. A lot of

009the girls sometimes when they get if we do have cuts from girls volleyball, uh they will go to cross country. So, they have a full three levels there as well. Uh and again, cheerleading, you know, we kind of kept the same as well. For winter, uh what we did was again we really looked at the numbers. um both boys, girls basketball, I'll start with. They didn't have a freshman program the past few years. They're having trouble fielding a JV program as well, but we left them with a JV coach and a head coach uh for varsity. Um wrestling as well, you know, they're actually doing a great job building the program, but we reduced them one assistant coach. And the rationale besign that behind that was most of their events are in the same location.

010So like if they go to play North Bergen for instance, it's going to be varsity and JV in the same spot at separate times so they can both help out each other. Uh swimming was a challenge a little bit too, but actually our co-op with Tene did help. Uh what Tene does is they provide us with or provide the program with a a head coach and an assistant. So we reduced one assistant coach and we kept the head coach. Um boys basketball just because of the sheer numbers, you know, they have three full levels. they have a full schedule. Um they have to make cuts every year anyway, so they retain the three coaches. Same thing for indoor track. Um it's four coaches, but two coaches split a stipen, so they work it out where

011they can get five in there. Uh bowling, uh coach Wallace has solid numbers there, so we didn't make any reductions to there at all. So we just kept that the same. Uh same thing for winter cheer and again that was just kind of, you know, us looking at just maintaining stability as much as possible. um spring almost the same for actually is the same for baseball and softball. Those numbers have gone down a little bit. Uh so they haven't had a freshman program either side for the past couple of years. Uh so again consistently across all athletic programs we reduced the varsity assistant and then if they didn't have a freshman program historically we reduced that coach as well. uh spring track the rationale behind they still have solid numbers but we did reduce spring

012track but the rationale behind reducing it in the spring as opposed to the winter uh for those of you who have ever done winter track or waited for your child at winter track it's it's they're in the armory in New York City you know it's it's tough to manage as far as even supervision the positive side when you do spring track uh you're really all in one location a lot of them are just dual meets with one other town and most of our events are actually here so that helps a lot as Well, um, boys tennis, we reduced it as well one, but we would like to just still increase that and I'm going to talk about ways in which we can increase our numbers there as well. And in golf as well, uh, golf

013was tough. You know, we actually decided, you know, made the collective decision, which is not easy, but to remove golf at least for a year, um, depending on, you know, I guess how our financial situation sits out, but that's how it is right now. They only had five golfers for boys, total boys and girls, so there were only five. So again, it it hurts the kids and I've had a few students kind of come to me, but you know, it kind of made, I guess, a little bit of sense at this time. Um, boys volleyball, same thing. You know, they have three full levels. He has, you know, he makes cut at cuts at each level. They have three a full schedule. Uh, and again, they're consistently one of our strongest programs that, uh, are

014currently ranked in the state. Uh, flag football, again, it's now it's going to become a full sport, a official sport in 2627. Uh so we left that the same. We'd like to maintain those numbers and just again give our girls something else to kind of choose and go to. Um some of our ideas that we kind of had, but you know, again, we didn't blanketly just get rid of uh the freshman programs because we felt again like I said before, the only four that really had freshman programs or men's and women's volleyball, men's basketball, men's soccer. That that's the only ones who have a traditional currently uh freshman program. Um the other things that we decided to look at was we reduced the supply budgets for each sport about 40 to 50%. Uh we met

015Michelle and I with each coach this week. We have like one or two left, but we met with each coach. We looked at uh we talked to them about their essential spending. Is there any safety concerns they have that you know will just maintain student safety? I have to say the coaches are really a great group. uh they were you know obviously disappointed but understood and you know we're going to just prioritize only essential spending there. Um the other thing we talked about which does add up quite a bit are even tournament entry fees. Um you know coaches have the priority and they have the prerogative to ex you know uh select which tournaments like Christmas tournaments and etc that they would like to participate in but we're going to just ask them to kind

016of prioritize that to choose the ones that give our students the maximum amount of exposure. Um, and then again, our goal, and I told the coaches this, I told the kids this as they've been coming to kind of talk to me, is, you know, once funding is restored and we're kind of back on level playing field, our goal is to restore these programs back to their full strength and we have like a priority list of, you know, sports that probably need a little bit more help than others currently. Um, and then the last thing, which I think we can do a better job of from the school perspective, is I think we're going to use our physical education department a little bit better to kind of build some of these programs. um you know when

017I was in school we had golf you know and we would hit basically try to hit the trains that were coming by and everything else but um we would you know we haven't done that in a while but I think to build a program effectively you know have that in physical education so this way we can build more participants obviously tennis they do already but we like to just make sure that stays strategically there and swimming is the other thing too we've kind of just due to numbers sometimes swimming is a little challenging because you need two people in the room at a time in the pool but I think that should be a priority for too, so we can continue to build those programs, especially in lie of having middle school sports. Um, it's

018pretty much my conclusion, but before I just want to thank, and she's going to hate me for this, but Michelle Canestrino, who's the administrative assistant, um, you know, she she cares about these kids, each one, like they're her own. Um, and, you know, she really does a great job. And again, I couldn't have any sort of insight into this program without her knowledge. So, thank you, Michelle. Thank you so much for that present. Oh, I don't think this is working. >> Thank you so much for the presentation. Um, are there any questions or comments from the board? Thank you. I do I do appreciate the layout and how many coaches are are left um and that some programs still have have to build and I do also like the idea where our pees also are

019infusing and like you said we did do golf we did do many of those just like as a trial run and I think that's where students get that spark to want to continue in these programs. Um, does anyone have any comments or questions? >> Just want to say thank you. I think it was well thought out. It's not something we want to be doing, but you could tell that there was a lot of thought put into it. So, thank you, man. >> This was great. Thank you. With the red the the sports that did have a reduction, is there room? Are we covered by insurance for students like freshmen to still work out with the teams or there's not enough supervision for that? What kind of >> Good question. Like, I'll use tennis as an

020example. um you know there's usually 12 students that could participate on right varsity tennis but we're going to they'll keep 12 but like the other ones can sure you know practice they'll do their physical and everything else. So I think again to just kind of build the program, have more kids out there. So this way, you know, if a big senior class goes, we're not, you know, scrambling for kids. >> Great. Thank you. Um, and also I just want to thank you so much for so quickly uh putting this together um with all of the questions um and obviously um tough time for for all of our programs, but also just want to make sure that our athletic department is able to coordinate especially for our middle school and elementary school grades that they'll be

021able to coordinate with our recreation department at the city to really um encourage that type of theater activity. And so if we can make sure there's a lot of crossosting of all of those activities. >> I'm glad you brought that up because I probably should have mentioned that, but I have to say when I met with each coach, every single one of them want to like connect even more to to ensure that you know like junior track programs working with coach Levitzky and such. So yeah, that's a good point. But yes, it is a conscious effort that they're going to have going forward. >> Sure. Go ahead. uh as a former multis-port athlete here when I rode my horse down and parked it in the stalls. Um there are a lot of lessons to be

022learned on the playing field from your working with teammates, working with coaches. They set an example. Um, I'm glad we could retain what we can. Um, but yes, the those cuts and it hurts. >> Those cuts are necessary to maintain an efficient system. So, thank you and thank you to Michelle. >> I think for a lot of the kids, myself included, you know, I was probably more connected to my football coach, Greg Tol, than I was even my father at times. Uh, and I think we don't want to lose that. You know, a lot of kids, this is their connection to Hacketsack High School. So, we want to ensure that they do still have that go-to person and that outlet for them to kind of, you know, instead of books, books, books, and everything else

023all the time, they have an outlet where they can kind of, you know, perform at a different level. And, you know, if you look at the success we're having so far in the spring, you know, it must be the new athletic director. But, um, you know, the kids are great and it brings such a sense of pride to the building and we don't want to lose that. So, um, that's something. I >> do have a question. So for a sport like golf for example that is now eliminated. Have we found ways to find like an alternative maybe setting or location for those? >> Yeah, that's where we're going to talk to. Again, I'm, you know, still in my infancy here in this role, but I think I'm going to make some phone calls just to

024see if like maybe there's co-op programs for things or maybe there's even, you know, ways in which these kids can still golf, you know, under our oices. Yes. >> Excellent. >> Any other questions? Okay, thank you so much. >> Thanks, Michelle. >> Okay, so before we go into executive session, I do want to give a quick statement. Actually, it's not so quick, but I will do the best I can. I want to start tonight by being very clear about who is speaking to you. I am the president of this board. But before I ever held this GAVL, I was and still am a public school teacher. I am a former par professional. I am an alumnest of the Hackinack public schools and I am a parent of children in this district who have thrived because

025of our special services and because of the very people who have stood at this microphone over the last several months. Many of those staff members have personally helped my own children grow. I know how much sports, extracurriculars, and a stable classroom mean to a child's life. I didn't run for this board to cut staff. I ran because I am a parent who cares and I wanted to support the people who make this district run. Because we took our roles and responsibilities to this district seriously. I am happy to announce that as of approximately noon today, the state of New Jersey has officially accepted our budget. This is a massive achievement. Hackinac has done what so many districts throughout the state facing similar crises have failed to do. We have avoided a state monitor. A monitor

026would have cost this district more money and resulted in even deeper, more painful cuts carried out by a stateapp appointed official with no care for our personal stories. We avoided a costly referendum and we ensured that no schools were closed due to finances. This process has been grueling, but because we did the hard work ourselves, you will see that Hackinack will bounce back faster than any other district in a similar situation. There have been so much uncertainty. And while we should be happy that we avoided a much worse situation, I want to be honest. While I never could have predicted we would end up here, I am furious. As many people have pointed out, I have been on this board since 2022. When I was elected, the majority of the other trustees did not welcome

027me with open arms. They denied me with information. The more I asked hard questions, the more I opposed unnecessary hires like an unbudgeted second middle school principal, the more they pushed me out. When I wasn't being insulted and belittled in private and in public, I was met with a wall of assurance. When I asked how we had money for a six-f figureure salary for someone to follow our superintendent around and post on Instagram, I was told the money was there. When I asked why we were receiving financial and personal information right before a meeting, I was told it was in the Google Drive, hidden in plain sight. Most of the time, it wasn't there. And on several occasions, I literally did not have access. I was told to go fetch. And when it didn't exist,

028I was routinely rout routinely, excuse me, I was routinely told I wasn't doing my job, was a bad trustee, and didn't care about our children. They love to say people who disagreed with them didn't care about our children. I was not the only trustee in that situation. While Lance Powell, Scott James Vickery, and Lzette Cado Outton held the president and vice president positions, they created a culture that was exclusionary, secretive, and dysfunctional. It was the kind of environment where $17 million could be mismanaged or worse. Go back and listen to the independent auditor's report from January. It is clear those trustees used their voting majority to make reckless decisions using temporary funds for permanent hires because they thought it was a better campaign issue to say they were cutting taxes. What they were really doing

029was ensuring that one day the schools would have to cut staff. Some of these trustees made a big show out of resigning out of for their own political allies once they were off the board. It feels very co coincidential to me that the previous board president and vice president bailed on the district right around the time we hired a new independent auditor. They thought their job was to keep their political adversaries in line instead of holding the superintendent accountable. And where have those formers trustees been for the past five months? They haven't offered a single solution. They haven't stood at this microphone to defend the teachers they claim to care about. Instead, they are hiding behind fake names on Facebook asking, "Weren't the people sitting up there on the board for years?" A few of

030us, yes. But weren't we the ones being gave down? Weren't we demeaned in public for asking questions? They are culpable and they are cowards. This deficit is their legacy. A legacy of deflect, divide, and destroy. Ours will be the legacy of saving this district. To those wondering where the accountability is, the district has taken action. There is a civil lawsuit and the board has taken other steps that we cannot legally discuss at this time. But rest assured, we want accountability just as much as you do. While previous leadership threw revenue out the window by letting Maywood leave, a move that has already cost us 15 million in tuition. Think about that. Their actions cost us $15 million without a plan to replace that revenue. That's almost the cost of the deficit we faced for this

031school year. This board, however, is working hard to find revenue so we can get our schools back to normal as quickly as possible. We are also urgently pursuing every responsible avenue angle to exit the ECDC. Our goal is to return our students to neighborhood schools, which could save us approximately $1 million. It's a win for the budget and a win for parents who could no longer have to race across town to two different drop offs. This period has been a reminder of something we have always known. Our schools are the heartbeat of Hackinack. We saw that pride in every public comment. We saw it from our city council who stepped up during a critical time to help minimize the mid-year impact on our students and from the many elected officials throughout the state who advocated

032on our behalf. We saw it in the collaboration of the county superintendent and in the roundthe-clock efforts of our acting superintendent, the business office, and human resources. We feel that desire to help every time someone raises a new idea or asks how they can help fund raise. No one took joy in this process, but it reminded us that this district is worth fighting for. to our dedicated staff. You should have never been put in this situation. You are not a line item in a spreadsheet. Each decision was heavy and especially over the past month, the county superintendent's guidance really forced our hand. I know that doesn't change the hurt you feel, but it is the truth. to our families. This board discovered this problem and we are solving it. I know many of you are

033making decisions about September and I want to assure you we will do all we can to ensure your students have a safe quality education in our schools. There will be a clear plan forward. And now that we officially have state approval and have a better sense of what our staffing will look like for September, I ask for your patience just a little longer. Finally, to our students, I know this has been a challenging time. To those of you who have spoken here, we see your bravery. I am not just the board president like many of the trustees here. I was a student in these halls. We know what is lost when an elective is gone or program is cut. We know we have the best teachers in the world right here in Hackinack. It may

034be hard to see her right now, but we are going to work to make this pro these programs possible again. That's why we all ran for the board. And even though we had to take a detour this year, that is what we are still committed to do. Your experience will not be defined by this year. Giving every student a thriving experience is our only priority because we are Comets and like comets, we expect each and every one of you to soar. Thank you and we will make it to the other side. At this time, we are going to move into executive session. I do apologize. because I know many of you are here tonight to speak um for public comments. However, it was also posted on our website that we are going to go into

035executive session first. Then it will be followed by public comments. We will try our best to be out as soon as possible. I would say I would say by 8:00 we aim to be out. Be it resolved that the Hackasack Board of Education determines it necessary to meet an executive session on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 to discuss legal, personnel, student related matters, HIV reports, negotiations, and other confidential matters and be it further resolved that these matters will be made public when the need for confidentiality no longer exists. Can I have a motion to go into executive, please? Motion by Vice President Martin. Can I have a second? Second by Trusty Stein. All those in favor say I. >> Anyone opposed? Any abstensions? Thank you all. It is 6:46. We will try our best to be

036out by 8:00. Thank you all. Okay. Good evening everyone. Thank you for your patience. Can I have a motion to reopen to the public, please? >> Motion by Vice President Martin. Second. >> A second by Trustee Edmza. All those in favor say I. >> I. Anyone opposed? Any abstensions? Okay. Excellent. It is 8:36 p.m. Welcome back. We are going to go on to approve our minutes. Be it resolved that the Hackasak Board of Education approves the special meeting minutes and executive session minutes of April 8th, 2026 and regular minutes and executive session minutes of April 22nd, 2026. Can I have a motion to approve the minutes? >> So move. Motion by trustee s Stein and a second. >> I second. >> Second by trustee Gilmore. All those in favor say I. >> Anyone opposed? Any

037abstensions? Excellent. We are going to move on to our superintendence report um with acting superintendent Andreas Parchment. >> Good evening. Our enrollment report we have a total of 5,43 students. Also residency cases we had two residency cases received and two residency cases were verified for the month of April. for HIV, harassment, intimidation, and bullying. We had seven cases. Five were unfounded, two were founded, and two are still pending. I also wanted to recognize Nelly K. Parker School for their autism walk I attended. It was a really thoughtful affair. Uh we also had during this month we celebrated teacher appreciation week, principal day and this month Asian and Pacific Islanders month and special education week for this week. I also uh wanted to just give accolades to our crossing guards. I have been to many places

038throughout the city this month and I have to say our crossing guards are doing their job. They are doing such a good job and I just wanted to um acknowledge them. Uh very thoughtful about our students. Um so I just wanted to give them a shout out today. Each month I said I would highlight a school or a certain program and this month I want to highlight our academic decathlon students and I'm just going to uh share with you that they returned safely from the academic decathlon nationals and the team performed according to Mrs. Dorso performed the best that they have ever done at the national level exclamation point. Uh they finished sixth place in our division and we had six medals, five students earning all American status and students. If I mispronounce your name,

039forgive me, but I just wanted to say Sophia won the gold medal in literature and also was our team high scorer for which she was awarded $250. Natalie Natalie and Kyle rounded out the literature category by earning the silver and bronze medals. Josh won silver in both math and science and Justin won the silver and economics. Senior Marielle was selected as our team's MVP and was awarded $250. Our other team members, Izzana, Zadeie, and Evelyn, all helped add individual points in each subject to lead us to our sixth place finish. Overall, uh, Miss Duro says it was a tremendous success and our team was very grateful for the experience. So, let's give our students and Mrs. Duro a round of applause. And that ends my report. Okay, thank you so much. Moving on to public

040comments. Public participation shall be governed by the following rules. One, if in person, a participant must sign the sign-in sheet and be recognized by the presiding officer and must preface comments by an announcement of his or her name, municipality of residence, and group affiliation if applicable. Two, each statement made by a participant shall be limited to a threeminut duration during the public session. Three, all statements, questions or inquiries shall be directed to the presiding officer and any questions or inquiries directed by a participant to another board member shall be redirected to the presiding officer who shall determine if such statement, question or inquiry shall be addressed by the presiding officer on behalf of the board or by the individual board member. And four, all board and or acting superintendent responses to questions or inquiries shall

041be held until the end of public participation. At this time, the floor is open to anyone in person that would like to speak. Please come up, state your name. >> Good evening, >> Reverend Carolyn Davis. Uh, next month I will be celebrating my 60th graduation year from Hackinack High School. very proud Hakasack. Where do we go from here? This has been a devastating year for everyone involved. I understand the pain of not wondering, not what, not knowing where your income was going to come from. I've had that happen in my own life. But what I've done is just trust God that it would work out. Excuse me for one second. I'm not used to reading from the phone. Um, I just want to say a shout out to this board and also to our acting

042superintendent. I was there. I understand what happened in the past. I attend those meetings and I understand everything that they tried to do. Not making excuses, but it's a fact. I want to thank them because had they not gotten to the balance they did, we would be in much worse shape than we are right now. If the state had taken over, we would have lost a lot more. I understand what these teachers and powers are going through and other employees. And I pray every day, I literally pray every day that a door opens up for everyone who may be losing their jobs. But I also want to say this to Jen and Leila and our acting superintendent and those who were on the board before. I know what they went through. When they asked questions,

043when they wanted to know what was going on with the funds, they were threatened and they were humiliated. This board and this acting superintendent walked into a fire that they did not plan to walk into. just like you didn't plan to walk into it. And now that we're set with putting out the fire, I want to thank you, Acting Superintendent Andrea. You've been like the Moses. We've been in a desert for the past year and we're done out yet, but you could have walked away, but you stood the test. I say to the community, I'm almost over. Give me one more minute. I say to the community, part of the community too has to look at themselves. And I'm not saying you here, but Hackinack community as a whole. We had a referendum several years

044back that the city voted against because they said it was going to cost too much the taxes. But look at where we are now. Had that referendum passed, we'd have a school now and not have to be worried about where we're going to put our students. If that referendum had passed, we would not still be paying 6 to8 million a year to ECDC. We had an option. Where was the outcry when Maywood's contract was not renewed? That should have been a public outcry. Not only did the students lose in Hackasack, so did Maywood. So, I just want to say that as we go through the question is where do we go from here? I can only say that myself as a proud Hackac graduate, I will do whatever I can to help. If it means

045volunteering, coming in as a lunch aid, whatever has to be done, I'm going to talk to my classmates this year at our 60th reunion to see what we could do financially. We can't change the past. It's done. It happened. It shouldn't have happened. It shouldn't have happened to this board. It shouldn't have happened to this acting superintendent, and it definitely shouldn't happen to you. But it did. And my question is, where do we go from here? I'm standing on the note that we will get through this as hard as it is and somebody will look back at Hackasack and say what a great school system they got through the desert. Thank you. Good evening parents, students, teachers, and board of ed members of the Hackinack School District. My name is Samuel Brero. I'm a sophomore

046at Hackinack High School. Firstly, I'm coming up. I'm coming to speak up for this budget cut as a son of God out of love for students and teachers and concern. As a student that attends Hackinac High School and that has student that has specialed classes, the cutting of some some of these teachers that have special ed, I believe this detrimental to the school and to our teacher and to our students. According to a study, special education provides tailored instruction, specialized services, and tailored support that empowers students with disabilities to overcome obstacles, meet grade level expectations, and boost self-confidence. If fosters inclusive environments that enhance academic, social, and emotional growth, resulting in improved literacy, better behavioral outcomes, increase independence, and improve long-term success. What are we going to do with those students that have other learning

047disabilities? I know [snorts] someone that had special ed classes, and against all odds, he graduated high school, attended Ruckers, and now has a PhD. Another thing I would like to to state is the cutting of sports. I believe cutting the sport cutting sports is something detrimental because it creates discipline and it creates structure. We it's very unfair that we have to pay the consequences of your irresponsible funding or past community members. Lastly, I want to encourage all students to speak up. Joshua 1:9 says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." And one thing I want to say is that to all students, my my last two words to speak up. To speak up

048because what's going on is corrupt and we don't deserve this. The pair professionals don't deserve this. The teachers don't deserve this. And that's all I want to say to please take the pain of us into consideration. Thank you. God bless your families. Jesus loves you guys. Good night. >> I'm Danielle Kakuza. I'm a preschool special education chair for uh 20 years um with the little guys and I'm speaking on behalf of one of the speech and language pathologists because they worked on this collaborative but the but she um can't speak at the moment. So we understand the significant I might be reading it because it's I'm not not it's not mine. The significant financial pressures facing the district and we recognize the contracted providers can help fill temporary staffing gaps. However, Hackinac's history of reliance

049on contracted related service providers has repeatedly repeatedly sorry demonstrated serious concerns regarding continuity um consistency and compliance of student services and I'm one that has to suffer that sometimes. Over the past several years, we have multiple intelligences where speech language pathologists went out on a leave a month with um with months of advanced notice yet no contractor was secured. In some cases, students went months without mandated services altogether. True fact. We have also experienced contractors who stay only days or weeks before leaving. Contractors who are unfamiliar with IEP compliance re requirements and situations requiring compens compensatory compensatory services due to missed mandates. In some cases, compensatory um services were never fully addressed. These issues do not reflect poorly on every contracted provider. Many are dedicated professionals. However, the nature of contracting staff often creates instability.

050Frequent turnover, reduced hours, inconsistent attendance, and limited integration into the school community directly impact students and staff. District employed related services provides providers do far more than direct therapy minutes. They collaborate with teachers and child study team members, conduct observations, communicate with parents, attend conferences and school events, and help maintain continuity across years of a child's education. There are also financial implic implications beyond staffing costs. Money contractors are not semi-qualified, limiting the district's ability to cover eligible revenue. Inconsistent services also increase the likelihood of compensatory education costs and potential litigation. Most importantly, students with disabilities rely on the predictability, relationships, and consistencies of their speech language um providers. When providers frequently change or ser um or services are interrupted, students lose valuable progress and trust. As the district considers future decisions regarding related services, we

051respectfully ask that long-term student outcomes, continuity of care, and compliance obligations remain at the center of your conversation. Thank you. >> Good evening. My name is Lauren Alberta and I am a speech language pathologist at Hackinack Middle School. I know what you're thinking. Numbers are boring. Trust me, I agree. And listening to numbers is even more painful. But tonight, the numbers matter because they tell a very different story than the one that may have initially been presented to you. My current the current proposal would eliminate every occupational, physical, and speech therapist and behaviorist in the district. 2 se 26 special services staff members in total. We understand the reasoning. On paper, eliminating these positions appears to save more than $2.5 million in salaries, not including health care costs, which we recognize are substantial and part

052of the district's massive financial crisis. But here's the question. Is eliminating an entire department really the only way to achieve those savings? Our alternative plan would reduce all non-tenured special services staff across seven disciplines including non-tenured related service providers, psychologists, learning consultants, and social workers. That plan also reduces staffing by 26 employees and saves over 2.5 million in salaries. Same number of reductions, nearly identical savings. So what's the difference? Approximately $100,000. And this is where semi-revenue becomes critically important. According to the district's April 2026 semi-napshot, the district has already been reimbursed nearly $280,000 through SEMI. That reimbursement alone more than closes the salary gap between the two reduction plans. But wait, I'm still not done with the math. Last week, I discussed the hidden costs of outsourcing related services. Tonight, I want to discuss the

053costs that aren't even hidden. Southburg and Joiner Commission charges approximately, it's actually $375 for every PT, OT, and speech evaluation and 700 for every functional behavior assessment. This year alone, speech therapists completed more than $450 evaluations. If all of those had been outsourced, the district would have spent over $160,000 just on speech evaluations. And then there are the therapy services themselves. By the end of this school year, district speech therapists will have provided more than 21,000 hours of therapy. At SBJC's approximate rate of $114 per hour, outsourcing those services would cost over 2.4 million, and that does not include OT, PT, behavior services, or more than 150 additional evaluations completed this year. So yes, we've discussed what the district would cut, but have we fully discussed what the district would have to spend? District employed

054providers absorb the cost of evaluations, support semi-reimbursement, provide continuity for st students, and allow the district to use contractors strategically to fill gaps, not replace an entire department. Because this conversation cannot only be about reducing numbers on a spreadsheet. It has to be about making financially responsible decisions that still protect students, services, and the long-term stability of the district. Thank you. >> Good evening. My name is Alexa Smalling and I'm a speech pathologist here in Hackin. Put my glasses on while I do this. Hello. Um, my name is Alexis Walling and I'm a speech pathologist in Hackinack for 15 years, 20 overall in New New Jersey public schools. I would like to briefly explain the special education Medicaid initiative, also known as SEI, and why it is important when discussing special education staffing and services.

055SEI is a federally supported reimbursement program that allows public school districts to recover a portion of the cost associated with providing legally mandated special education services to Medicaid eligible students. When a student has an individualized education plan or an IEP, the district is legally required to provide the services written into that plan. SEMI helps districts receive partial reimbursement for some of those required services. Qualifying services include speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and evaluations related to student needs. This reimbursement is important because it helps offset rising special education costs, supports staffing and student services, and reduces pressure on the general education budget. However, semi-reimbursement depends heavily on strong, accurate, and consistent documentation completed by properly credentialed staff members. Providers must meet specific qualifications and documentation requirements in order for services to be billable. This is

056where staffing decisions become especially important. When districts eliminate in-house related service providers and rely heavily on contracted staff, several concerns can arise. Districts may experience reduced continuity of care for students, higher turnover among providers, [snorts] and fewer staff members who hold credentials necessary to participate in semi-reimbursement. Inconsistent staffing and incomplete documentation can directly impact a district's ability to recover eligible semifunds. Most importantly, students benefit from stable providers who know their needs, collaborate with teachers and families, and ensure services are delivered consistently and in compliance with IEP requirements. SEMI is not simply about billing. It's about maintaining highquality compliance services while responsibly recovering funds that can be reinvested back into supporting students. Thank you. Good evening everyone. My name is Andrea Guzman and I am a speech language pathologist here in Hackinac for 17 years. I

057would like to speak about the value both educationally and financially of maintaining the tenur district employed related service providers including speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and our behaviorists. First, it is important to note that these professionals along with the CST learning consultants, psychologists and social workers belong to the department of special services. It is important to note that the related service providers are in fact part of the child study team. It is seven disciplines all working together on the same educational team supporting students every day. However, it is the related service providers who directly interface with students on a day-to-day basis. Beyond the semantics, there are substantial operational and financial benefits to keeping as many services inhouse as possible. District employee providers offer continuity, collaboration, communication, and accountability. We know our students, our

058families, our teachers, and our buildings. We communicate regularly with about students needs and help ensure smooth transitions as our students move from one school to another or from one grade level to another. We are part of the school community. We attend staff meetings, parent conferences, school events, and collaborate daily with the child study team members and classroom teachers. We provide tier one and tier 2 interventions and consultations. These responsibilities extend far beyond direct therapy minutes. In-house providers also reduce the district's risk of litigation by helping maintain compliance, consistency of services, and accurate documentation. Financially, district employed providers support semi-reimbursement opportunities through consistent compliant documentation by qualified staff. Contracted providers are not are often not semi-qualified which can significantly reduce revenue for the district. District employed providers contribute to the overall functioning of the school. We

059assist with testing administration sub coverages which we've done a lot of monitoring morning duties hall coverage crisis support. Maintaining the manpower helps build op builds operate more buildings operate more smoothly and efficiently. Speech language pathologists can serve also serve as case managers for students with speech IEPs and uh I'm sorry a role currently underutilized and could further support the CST efficiency. Ultimately, retrain retaining district employed related service providers is not only an investment in the students, it is an investment in the stability, accountability, compliance, and the long-term financial health of the district. While many of us may not be born here, we do bleed blue and gold. We have become part of this Hackinack community, the Comet family. These students are our children. We have watched them say their first words, grow up, develop and

060become amazing humans. We have de we have always put the students first and we will continue to do so. That is why we are here and that is why we fight. Thank you for your time and your consideration regarding this important concern. Thank you. >> Good evening. I'm Carol Feinstein. I'm the NJA field rep and I represent Hackinack as one of my districts. I have 20 districts. This is one of them. I know this is a difficult time for everyone and that is why I have not been here before because I understand for budgetary reasons you are pretty much stuck in what you can do. Um, you can always pick and choose sometimes what what you get rid of, but your your hands are tied. I get that. I actually sat in your seat in

061another community a as a board member, so I understand um that the public doesn't always know what you have to go through to make these decisions. However, I'm here because of all of my people who have been let go or reduced in salaries or reduced in benefits. And I would be remiss not to speak on their behalf. Even though we understand why that had to be done, it is lifech changing for people to have that happen to them. I'm also going to speak particularly about the um the staffing for the special ed department because it's like you wiped out a whole department. I have I know that the south jointure is not subcontracting because it's an interlocal agreement. I understand the difference between the two but I also know that people that will come through

062the jointure and this has nothing to do with their ability. They are all qualified people but they are not going to be here every day all day long like your people in house are. They will come in they will they will um give out the services and they will leave because they have other things to do. The members that you have in Hackinac are here between 11 years and 26 years. They of service they hold the license to do the semis. They also contribute to in other ways. They they cover classes. They proctor exams. They come to back to school night. They go to the IEP meetings. And these shared services will not be doing that. So just I'm sure you may know that or you may not know that, but they are not going

063to be doing those things. You have special ed monitoring next year, I understand. So you're going to need as much help as you can get. Um, I think that there are other ways that you could have and and I know this was last minute. I'm not not [clears throat] putting blame on you because I know I've dealt with the county superintendent. So, I know that it kept coming back to you, cut more, cut more, cut more. I get that. But I hope that if you are going to at least put in place a seniority list, so if you do decide to bring people back, that you work with the association to put together an accurate seniority list so that people at least are aware of should I call back four people that they are being

064correctly called back. um the association would be more than happy to work with you on that um to put that together. I just want say um that um I'm pre I know I'm preaching to the choir. I know I am. And that and I know you are aware also of what you're losing, but you are losing fantastic people who have dedicated their lives to Hackinack. They didn't go anywhere else and they could have gone anywhere and they stayed here. So I want you to take into consideration uh at least the seniority list so we know that that's in place for the call backs. Thank you. Sorry I'm a little nervous. Um good evening everyone. My name is Lauren Taylor. I am a longtime resident of Hackinack and a recent transplant to Tene New Jersey. and

065I am here to speak in support of keeping the occupational, physical, and speech therapist in this district. Lindseay Arrigliano, formerly Joseph, was my student teaching supervisor in the fall of 2013. She taught me how to work effectively and efficiently while always making decisions in the best interest of students. She also taught me the importance of collaborating with children, their families, and classroom teachers so students can get the most from their educational placements. Near the end of my assignment, I asked Lindsay about getting a job in Hackinac. She explained that staff members were incredibly loyal to this district and that openings rarely became available. Looking back now, it does not surprise me that many of the same professionals who were there when I was a graduate student are still serving in those same roles 13 years

066later. Some, like Mrs. of Prianiano have continued their education and professional growth. But what has not changed is their dedication to students and families. When you cut staff, you are not simply eliminating positions. You are disrupting the educational flow, severing trusted relationships, and removing professionals who have spent years building knowledge of this district, its students, and its families. Those relationships cannot be replaced overnight. These therapists provide far more than services on paper. They provide consistency, trust, advocacy, and support for children who depend on familiar and experienced professionals to succeed. I urge the board to consider the long-term impact these layoffs will have on families, students, and the overall quality of services in this district. And since I still have a minute left, I just wanted to say thank you to Miss Joseph, as I will

067always call her. And thank you to Andrea and thank you to Alexis, Jen Lamb, Jen Lam, I think. Um, they have all helped me become who I am in my district. I have been very successful and I know that without the work of the related services team and Hackinack, you know, I wouldn't be who I am today. So, no matter what happens tonight, thank you again for all you've done. Kimberly King, teacher and resident of Hackinack. Last Thursday, I walked into the building alongside three of my colleagues. As we quietly exchanged good mornings, there was a heaviness in the air, an unspoken understanding that one of us would not be returning to teach at Hackitech High School next year. What made that moment even more heartbreaking was learning as we entered the building that he

068himself had learned the night before that he would not be returning next school year. And not from anyone in central office, but from the posts on Facebook about the presentation from the board meeting. Later on that same day, I learned that another teacher from the morning from that morning was among the staff represented in Miss Parchment's report. I don't know I don't think any of us from that morning realized that Wednesday's report included people who hadn't yet been informed. I have been deeply disappointed in the manner in which district leaders communicated the reduction in force notifications. You've demonstrated a lack of compassion and professionalism that my colleagues and staff in the district deserve during such a difficult moment. While I recognize that the district that district leadership was under immense pressure to revise and submit

069the budget, this was not the work of one individual acting alone. There was an entire team involved in developing this plan. To overlook the basic professional courtesy of notifying affected staff before publicly announcing the elimination of staff and programs was not only disheartening but unacceptable. This is yet another example in a growing pattern that has caused me to lose confidence in our current district leaders ability to lead the district through this crisis successfully. I don't think you planned accordingly for this crisis. The audit was completed and presented in January, but I feel like you must have known months in advance that this was coming. The positions of supervisor of special services and assistant principal at the high school were left unfilled and those positions were posted, I want to say early in the fall or

070late in the summer. They were never filled. The impact of this has already hit us. We have over 200 students who have lost their schedules for next year. We need to figure out what the students in TV studio are going to be taking. Woodshop, these are career paths. Those career paths are now gone. We have to figure out how we're going to schedule 200 students. We don't have the staffing. We don't have the programs. We're losing our career paths. We're losing our electives. We're losing our what made us attractive and what made people want to come here and stay here. And I don't think that was considered when you decided what was going to go and what was going to stay. We currently have people on staff who still have their jobs who don't need

071those jobs. They don't have their feet on the cl on the on the floor and they're not in the classroom. Those people are administrators. They're people that don't have any interaction with a child. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Michelle Tvarez. Uh longtime resident of Hackinack. Um and tonight, yes, I am PTA president of the H the high school and I oversee all of the PTAs and President's Council. But I'm going to speak as a parent. I want to similarly go off of what Miss King had said. I want to address the decision to eliminate TV studio and media programs at both middle school and high school. This program is not just another elective for many students. It's a place where they discover confidence, creativity, and sometimes even their future careers. My connection to

072this program is personal. When my daughter was in middle school, she woke up at the earliest hours of the morning to be part of TV studio. For her, it wasn't a burden to get up so to school early. It was something she was excited about. It gave her a creative outlet before the school day even started. And for many other middle school students who had no choice but to be there early, it gave them something meaningful meaningful to focus on. Those early mornings weren't just about announcements or cameras. They were about teamwork, responsibility, and pride in creating something together. As students moved into high school, programs like this become even more important. Most people here know that I work in a high school myself, but what you do not know is my brother has been

073teaching TV and media production for nearly 20 years. In that time, he has watched students go on to careers in broadcasting, film production, and media. He regular sees he regularly sees former students names appear in film credits, on television, and across the industry, even Oscars. Many of those students may never have discovered those paths without this classroom. We are taking away that opportunity from our students. I understand that the decisions you are facing are incredibly difficult. Budget pressures are real and none of us envy your responsibility you carry. But this particular decision is a little confusing to me. The cost of a program like this is mostly staffing. There is virtually no additional overhead. Equipment is often donated. Studios studios across the region regularly donate equipment when they upgrade after major events like Olympics, but

074still perfectly usable equipment as distributed to schools and programs. This is a program that gives students so much for relatively little cost. I also want to acknowledge right now educators affected by this decision. For Mr. Charles, learning about the elimination of this program on Facebook was disgraceful. This is someone who has volunteered his own time to support the PTA and even created a fantastic commercial for our duck derby, which by the way, there's tickets still available. And the middle school teacher who learned about this decision while he was chaperoning sixth grade camp. You both deserve better. Our educators deserve transparency and respect, especially those who consistently go above and beyond for our children. Right now, our district feels like it's going through the darkest times, but we don't have to make it darker. Yes, you

075have to make hard decisions. Absolutely you do. No one is denying that. But please, please stop making these decisions harder than on the incredible educators who gave their time, their creativity, and their energy for our children. Please reconsider programs like this that mean so much to our students and this community. And please do a little better for our educators. They truly deserve it. We know this is hard, but it does not have to be harder. Thank you. Hi, my name is Amanda Martinez. I'm a parent of two Nelly K. Parker students and one Hackinack High School student. Um, par professionals are some of the most overworked and underpaid employees in this district. And after decades of dedication, this district's solution was to cut their pay and strip their benefits. That's not restructuring. It's disrespectful, and

076it's borderline slavery. Stripping benefits is cruel and evil. Their families rely on that coverage. Some have medical needs, and many people with pre-existing conditions will not qualify for affordable coverage elsewhere. It's a death sentence. They're basically being forced to leave the district just to get medical coverage elsewhere. These are human beings who dedicated decades of their lives to this district only to be treated as disposable objects. And what about tenure? Uh what about the uh tenure for those impacted by these cuts? Was that protected or was that wiped away with no care too? Was any thought put into protecting the years these people invested into this district or are they now expected to start back at square one somewhere else? It's disgraceful. Meanwhile, people making these poor decisions continue sitting comfortably with their six-f figureure

077salaries. Did cut start at that level first before targeting some of the most essential pieces of the educational system? Because from a parents perspective, some of these positions seem to be as useful useless as the white crayon. Um while people actually holding classrooms together are the ones being sacrificed. Captains of the ship are throwing their crew members overboard and still expecting the ship to safely reach its destination. It's delusion. Teachers are already coming out of pocket for classroom supplies and now they're being expected to manage larger classrooms with less support while somehow producing better outcomes. At NEK, most classrooms are open concepts. So, how exactly is effective teaching supposed to happen with larger class sizes, less support, and constant surrounding distractions? Reducing support staff for children with 504s and IEPs will absolutely lead to more

078emotional breakdowns and stress for both students and staff. And with minimal staffing, no school level administrative support or an assistant principal, how is anybody realistically expected to handle being out sick or having a family emergency? How are these schools supposed to function when staff is already stretched in? I also want the board to address the runaround regarding possible cuts to safety staff. And if those positions are being reduced to, then parents deserve to know exactly what the action plan is to keep our schools safe when while already being understaffed and overcrowded. And for the people who cause this mess, there should be conviction, restitution, and emotional distress compensation since our educators and children become collateral damage. To everyone impacted by these um decisions, I am truly sorry that the district you serve with pride failed

079you so miserably. And to the parents and taxpayers in this community, despite feeling like you're talking to a wall in these meetings, continue to attend anyway. There's power in numbers, and more parents need to speak out if we truly want to make a difference. We already proved this concept when several parents came together and addressed the disorganization within Hackinack recreation sports programs and changes were made. So imagine the difference we can make when it comes to protecting our children's education. Let's be proactive and not reactive when it's eventually your own child being impacted. Let's support our educators with actions, not words after damage is already done. Hi, my name is Cindy Roman. Miss Harris, I am here today with one agenda to speak specifically about the issues. But after listening to your opening statement, I

080realized I needed to shift my perspective entirely. You sat here and gave a speech about how you saw all this coming. You're knowledgeable that I'm sorry, I'm nervous. You're knowledgeable that you may have raised your voice and asked questions and recognized that something catastrophic was developing within the district. Yet, at the end of your own statement, the unavoidable conclusion is this. You [clears throat] saw coming. You did nothing. Last year when this came to came to light the word was the word fraud was thrown around that was accusation that was the level of concern and communication communicated to the community. Now suddenly narrative has shifted into budgetary mismanagement. Those are two very different things. Which one is it? because you seem very concerned before. And if you truly believe there was fraud, then if you

081generally believe that the district was being driven towards financial collapse, then you had an obligation to act beyond simply raising concerns in a board in a boardroom. You were part of the prior board under Superintendent Sanchez. This did not begin overnight and certainly did not begin solely under currently suspended superintendent. By your own account, you saw warnings signs under multiple administration. You want this community to believe that you alone saw the damage, sounded the alarm repeatedly, but yet someone every single system failed while you remained powerless. But if the situation was truly as severe as you now claim, where were the actions? You did not go to state controller, you did not go to department of education, you did not go to the state auditor, you did not go to the county commissioner, you did

082not go to the media, you did not publicly documented these concerns for the taxpayers to fund the district. when you what you did what you did do however was engage publicly on Facebook about private individuals exercising their own rights to speech to speech and privacy that seemed to merit accited destruction of the school district did not warrant the same level of public urgency. So now you have now you want the the community to accept a narrative that you always had hacker sex back interest at heart but everyone else prevented you from doing the right thing. At some point accountability cannot only apply to people sitting beside you. It also applies to the people who claim they knew all along and sat al all knew all along and still allowed the damage to continue while remaining

083in positions of authority. Good evening. My name is My name is Christopher Hapler. I am a Hiller School teacher. I stand before you tonight to express my displeasure with some of the decisions of the board of education. This is the third time I felt compelled to speak to you since word of the financial situation came out. While I am satisfied to hear the state has approved our budget, that doesn't change my opinions on many of the cuts being made. I would like to start by stating that the decision to outsource related services is not conducive with best practices for student outcomes. The educators who we will be losing show up to work day after day working with the most vulnerable population of children. They are essential members of our school communities who step in to

084assist, pivoting whenever and wherever needed. Their faces are recognizable throughout the building and most students know them. As a GenEd teacher who has had the inclusion class nearly every single year, regardless of the grade I taught, I have worked closely with these individuals and can tell you their loss will be felt. I am certain the outsourced service providers will not work so hard to make sure speech, OT, and PT fit in our daily schedule in a way that doesn't interfere with other essential instruction. They won't collaborate with teachers on other projects throughout the building. The loss of these vital members of our school community will be felt deeply for years to come. Considering the number of cuts taking place, we all know the quality of education will decline. This is an an inevitability when we

085have 30 plus students in a room. And I'm certain when you reassure everyone that educational outcomes will remain where they are now, you know you aren't being truthful. Everything going on leaves me wondering if the board of ed has explored any alternate options, perhaps more creative solutions. I'm sure if you surveyed the staff, you would find there are many ideas we have that could prove to be helpful in saving jobs and money. I mean, look at the presentation from the service providers tonight. That was fantastic. Maybe if we felt like more of a priority, you would see more of us here. I could tell you from talking to colleagues, many have become hopeless. Many do not believe you are listening to what we have to say. And I must tell you, working for a district

086where everything now feels hopeless makes our jobs far more difficult. Seeing the loyalty so many employees have given to Hackinac only to have their livelihoods cut, it's truly difficult. Lastly, after hearing the research from the service providers who spoke tonight, it's clear that the district is not making the best decisions. Not only would services be disrupted, but financially it seems like a given that we need to save their jobs. Thank you. >> Hi, good evening. My name is Tanya Feliz Patron. I am a Comet teacher. First, I want to tell all those that are being impact, my heart goes out to you. I don't know what it is to lose an opportunity to provide for my family and things to that sort. And truly it hurts me to hear about my teachers, my parah community,

087the custodian special ed specialists and all other staff members of um that are really negatively being impact some health issues that are out there. Family impacts. This is not just a oneperson uh situation. You're really hurting others. Truly, our Comet family is reading uh bleeding red right now. We're not bleeding blue and gold, which is what I was always taught. I come from another uh district and well I went to high school somewhere else but coming here it's amazing how many comets come back to serve. Um and I pray for the clarity and all who are working to fix this awful mess. I'm a proud CTE teacher industrial arts teacher for the past 16 years and my department is truly a family. We support each other every single day and I'm just absolutely lucky to

088have Mr. Tusuni Sharif as my teacher mentor. I He is my brother. Tusuni is a true Comet alumni that has dedicated over 20 years to this district. Um to the point where shutting down the wood shop is just unacceptable. Truly is unacceptable. Uh working there with him hand in hand and seeing students come back and just saying, you know, I got the job because you taught me how to read the ruler. I mean simple things, practical things. the idea that you can perhaps do something for yourself and your family. After three years, I also mentored a a stu a teacher, new teacher, Sophia Raza. She recently was rifted. So, not only are you shutting down the wood shop, you're also shutting down the architecture program. She has done phenomenal job to the point where there

089are two students now that are nationally recognized because they competed in a competition and the the program is thriving. the you if you have an opportunity to go see the models, go check it out. We do have a CTE symposium coming up in June 3rd, I believe. Uh besides uh the CT besides CTE being a graduation requirement, we've had a variety of shops at Hackinack High School and they reach the majority of students. Each one of us teach about a 100 students in a school year. Perhaps there are people here that still have a piece at home that they did. In fact, this lovely podium was made by our wood shop, by our teacher, and we enjoy it every single time that we're here talking. Um, some different uh shops that you're perhaps not aware

090of. Wood, I currently am the metal shop teacher. There's robotics, there's engineering, there's STEM, there's architecture, there's bees and sustainability, auto and culinary. These are all practical, hands-on things that our student, our population thrives on. Not everyone's going to college. Not everyone's pursuing higher education, but everybody needs to have a job. As a whole, I hope that we go back to bleeding blue and gold because it's truly a pleasure to be here and it hurts to walk the hallways down. Thank you. Hello, my name is Deborah Srano. Um, I am a full-time currently a full-time parah at Hiller School. Um, I have I was raised in Hackinack. I was born on Fair Street in Hackinack. I've gone to Jackson. I've gone to Nelly K Parker. Um, and I've graduated from Hackinack High. I have dedicated

091I am a dedicated special education parah professional with 17 plus years experience supporting students with special needs. throughout my career because it is my career. I have given my full commitment, compassion, and all my energy to helping children succeed academically, behaviorally, and so much more important, emotionally. After 17 years of loyal service, I'm now being reduced from full-time to part-time. And I take nothing away from our part-time employees. They work very hard as well. But this results in much less pay and also the loss of benefits for all of us full-time parsers. As someone who supports and cares for family members of my own with needs, this change is devastating. I truly love the work that I do and I would love to stay in Hackinack and to stay with the students that I serve.

092You will never find people more dedicated and dependable and passion passionate about helping children succeed, especially our special ed students. It is heartbreaking to me to give so much of myself for so many years and feel that this dedication is not being valued in return. So please I'm with all my parents fulltime parents you are seen and you are valued. Thank you. [applause] Hello. My name is Galani Bellow. Um I'm here as a parent. Um I don't have a speech because I didn't plan on doing this. Um I wasn't made aware of what was going on until today. um from my son's speech therapist um which has helped my son tremendously. He's been in IEP since he started in ECDC and he's in first grade now at Hillers and Miss Guzman has been working with

093my son for two years now. Um, and he's excelled and he's done well and he still needs the help with the the uh with the speech therapy and it just saddens me that this is all going on because it directly affects my kid. So, me not coming up here, I would deeply regret it. I'm sorry that you guys are going through all this. Um, it's heartbreaking. Um, especially like with electives and things like that being taken away from kids. um as they will be able to bounce back one day as hurtful as it is and they'll be able to get other jobs. The people being affected the most is their children. They don't get to redo their school years. They don't get back to do being kids. So, they're being affected the most. So, I

094think that's what we really need to focus on is we're taking away from the children and it's not fair. Um to Miss Guzman, I thank you so much for working with my kid, for working with him, for helping him, and for mostly loving him and caring for him. I know just throwing somebody in with my son, um, it wouldn't be helpful to him because he's comfortable with her now and he needs the help. So, I just hope that we can come to some resolve and we can save some of these jobs because the children need it. And thank you. Good evening everybody. This is more difficult than I uh than I anticipated even though I speak to um in front of the crowd every day. My name is Sharif Sunni. Uh proud graduate of 99,

095proud to call Hackinhack my home since 91 when we first moved to this country. um and most recently um well proud faculty member for 20 years. Um I went into this field passionate about working with your sons and daughters in supporting them, preparing them u as many impactful teachers have done for me. Um I speak to them and I teach them as my kids. Uh now I talk to them now that I'm a father. I speak to them as my nieces and daughter uh nieces and and nephews. Um, excuse me. I'm here to voice a concern for our program. Um, Hackinac is one of the rare districts that has a robust industrial arts CTE or career program. Um, I can list it, but you already know at this time at the time I entered this

096profession 99 as I graduated, the rhetoric was work smart, not hard. Go to college. Go get a college degree. And as a result, three decades later, the most in- demand careers are electrician, plumbers, HVAC, carpenters. And if you've looked for someone, you know how in demand they are. Nationally across this nation, thousands and thousands of openings remained unfilled because uh the youth since at least three decades have chosen to not enter those careers. Uh finally, as I said, fighting against that tide three decades later, I was excited to see that there's been a resurgence. We've getting some attention um where our students have the most opportunity. Wood shop is not an elective. It's the beginning of a career for those kids who are not collegebound. It's an opportunity to have real earning careers right out

097of high school or with short-term training. Um, so I caution you. I I respect and understand how difficult this position you are. I've spoken and I know many of you, but I understand how difficult this position is. But I feel like it must be said how important this program is, how much has been invested to maintain that program and how difficult it is to restart such a program. And it's important to remember what our kids what opportunities our kids will be losing um because that is really irreplaceable. Um I thank you for the time. Good night. Excuse me. [cough and clears throat] Hi, good evening. Um, I know this is a really tough spot you guys are in and I think all of us do recognize it. Um, I just want to say I I

098had an opportunity to speak last week and and thank you for listening to me, but I just want to share with you a personal experience when some of the related service providers came up and explained to you about SEMI and that it is a way to get some reimbursement from the state. I want to share with you a an experience that I had where um it was around COVID um a case manager came up to me and uh called me and said um Mary I have a oh sorry my name is Mary Turbuff I apologized um I have a student that has not been receiving physical therapy and I asked the case manager I said oh well you know how come well we just didn't have anybody and I said well for how long has

099this happened and the response was two years three years I I don't I honestly do not remember and it was like okay give me the information etc etc so I started to see this student um sat down and calculated how many sessions this child had missed and decided on my own that I was going to make up those entire three years of sessions and I did I had a running list of I don't even know how many it was and a list of I did one, I'm down one. I did two, I'm down two, and it literally I I I got I got it done. Um, so this semi may not seem like a whole lot, but trust me, it is. Um, now I'm the person also the face of the person that sent you

100guys an email this morning. Um, I don't know. I'm hoping you had an opportunity to read it. Um, one of the big questions, the question that I really had and I I repeated myself on the letter was I'd still like to know with this across the board, I guess it's 26 positions. I there were so many numbers being thrown around. I think on the on the on the letter I referenced 40, but I still don't I'm still curious as to what is the amount you have an across the board. These people are gone. You have to have a number and I'd love to know what that number is. Um I also referenced something that was brought up last week. I think Mr. Jones you had mentioned about the Pavano the administrative administration building and 18

101or 19 people beautiful building etc etc and in my letter I said you know maybe we need and I didn't specifically say that but that you probably figured out that was what I was implying why couldn't rather than selling that you know real estate is really prime in here in Hackinack why not repurpose it why not we've been trying to get a prek program building I should say in this district for years and we still haven't been able to do it. Why not consider using that as a skeleton? Start to build from there. Use it as a prek building. Like I said last week, we got we have apartments and condos. They're on the cities. There's kids in there. They're going to come into the district. They may not all be special needs, but all

102these buildings are we're going to implode. And we really need to plan ahead. And I think if you guys would again I'm I'm pleading with you to reconsider maintaining the tenur related service providers because that's your core that's your foundation that we can continue to build this district back up. Thank you. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Uh Carmen Burn Morton, uh, proud parent of a Nelly K. Parker student. Uh, earlier I was sitting over on the side, uh, watching my friend's children, and they were sitting reciting the Nelly K. Parker pledge. And I said, you know, it's amazing, right? all the things they could be doing right now, they're sitting there reciting the Nelly K. Parker pledge. Nobody asked them to do that. So, I just wanted to say that. That's that's one thing because that that's

103something that lives with them, right? My son comes home. I've I don't know anything about that, right? I've never heard it. I didn't grow up here. I grew up in Mayonia. Um and we moved here and I moved to Hackin Sack specifically because of its diversity. Um, and because I wanted my son to grow up around children and people of all different types, right? That's one. Two is I'm hearing all of these cuts. I'm hearing about all of these different positions in these schools. And the first thing I'm thinking about is all the funding that's needed for these programs, right? And it's so much bigger than our board. It's so much bigger than our town. And it upsets me because on the way here I'm talking to my dad and I said, you know, it's

1048 it's 8:30 at night and I got to be there. I have to show my face because I need to support my community where I don't agree with cutting our support staff. I don't I don't agree with cutting our power our paras. But I do know that all of the districts around us have done so. Why? Because not enough money is being pumped into our education. And that is not something that is a hackin acting. That is something that is outside of our community. I hear it time and time again. People don't want to pay the money that it's going to take to invest in our schools. We talk about sending our kids to private school or charters or it's you're still paying taxes regardless, right? So, I always urge my friends, whether they send

105their kids to private or not, to to make sure you you keep on top of your school board, see where your tax dollars are going because you're paying for those schools. I say this to say I really do hope that all of these programs do come back. I really do hope that we have inhouse services one day because I do know how important they are for the members of the community that don't understand where these parents are coming from. These children will regress because the relationships that they built with these providers are so crucial. I was an early interventionist. I worked with children for years. I had to hand off a lot of them to a lot of these preschool teachers here and I was so happy to know that they were going in the

106hands of loving, caring providers. And I know the difficult decision that there has to be made because of increased premiums, right? And insurance. I understand that that is the big elephant in the room. So again, and I'm going to end it here. We have to think about the bigger picture. Education is so important. So when we go and we vote, we have to think about these things. Primaries are coming up. November is coming up. Just think about these things when you are voting. If education is so important to you, if special ed is so important to you, remember that. Remember these positions that were cut and why. It's easy to blame the people who are sitting here because they are so close to you. They are in proximity, but they are not 100% to blame.

107Anyone else from the public that would like to speak? Right. Sorry. I know it's been a long night for everyone, but I I felt like I just had to say something. Um, so my name is Anna Lis and uh I'm an occupational therapist. Um, so I would just like to say that I was a contractor. Um, when I graduated, I worked with one agency for 3 months. I wasn't happy. I went to another agency for three months, was not happy. And then I finally found Hackinack actually as a contractor. And my position had been empty for I I want to say like months and months, like six months, there was no OT and there were a ton of kids, I think over 20 kids that were just not being serviced at ECDC. Um, and that's

108because they were using a contract service. Um, and then I worked with you guys for two years and then uh I actually got hired for the district. Um, and I just I really want to emphasize that contract providers and district providers are very very different. Like when I was here as a contractor, I'll be honest. Like I came in at 9, like 1:00 p.m. I was like, "All right, like I'm done with my kids. Like I have something going on. I'm going to leave. I'm going to go home." Like I didn't attend like all the meetings. like I I I don't believe I even heard or knew what semi was. Um I did not go to back to school night in the evenings. Like I it was just not nearly the same level of investment.

109And now that I am a district employee, like my level of investment in the district, in my students has grown honestly tremendously. Um, and I I just like I know what I say might not really even make a difference, but I really really wish that we could come up with creative solutions like collaboratively to to kind of maybe move costs around and try to solve a problem like what everyone's saying. like I don't know, maybe maybe keep the tenure staff and and and like let the non-tenured staff go or maybe just find ways to keep as many people as possible because this really is like affecting a lot of lives and livelihoods very negatively. Um, and like as Mary said, I think we both asked like how much are you actually saving? Like can we

110get some numbers? And we never received answers. Um so yeah uh I I just I really think that we can do better and there are are ways um around this. I think even someone said like let's like sell a building like let's sell one of the central office buildings and maybe that way we could we could put that towards saving jobs. Um because at the end it's not even about the jobs it's about the students that those jobs are impacting. Um, yeah. So, uh, that's all I have and thank you. Anyone else in person that would like to speak? Okay, seeing that there are none, we're going to close in person comments. Um before we move on, we need to um have a motion to move the meeting past 10 o'clock. And I have a

111motion. Motion by Trustees uh Jones and a second. >> Second by Trustee Pringle. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Anyone opposed? Any abstensions? Okay. Thank you very much. recess. >> Sure. Yes. So, yes. So, we will take a 10-minute recess, okay, before we go into our Zoom comments. Okay. So, we will return back by 10:00. Thank you. All right. Good evening everyone. Um members of the public, we're about to begin. Okay. So, it is 10:03 and we're going to continue and or actually we're going to begin with our online public comments portion. Uh hello, my name is Anthony Ziza. I'm a parent uh of a student in the Hackitech public school system. I'm an alumnist. I am the first vice president of the HA and I'm a teacher. And there's a lot

112to talk about tonight. Um but one of the things I want to focus on right now is um the TV studio. Uh as a teacher who has um taught TV production but who gained a passion for television and film and uh media production when I was a student at Hackinack High School learning under George Leosi. Um, I think what this represents is, you know, a particularly devastating commentary on our district. I you Hackinack was notable for having pretty much one of the first television production programs uh not just in Bergen County, but in the entire state. It used to be uh a flagship program uh of this district. And you know, I'm sad to say over the past decade or so, we've seen a perpetual and consistent deinvestment in the studio. And I think um

113what this budget represents is the final nail in the coffin of that once great program that uh was a feather in Hackinack High School and Hackinac Middle School's cap. And you know, it's particularly um saddening to uh know that Mr. Charles, who you know I'm very uh happy to say, uh was I believe the kind of person that given the resources that um have been given to TV production teachers in this district, uh which is basically zero, um had a plan to turn that production studio into something that could really uh give those students a taste of a career that many of them only know from um social media and getting the actual hands-on production. I think um you know this loss is devastating not just for what it means for Hackinack as a whole

114but for um the studio. And so it's it's devastating to lose Mr. Charles, who who I do believe um could have been the kind of person who uh brought stability to a program that desperately needed it. But I think that this speaks more broadly to the issues that we've talked about, you know, meeting in and meeting out. You know, you hear all of our occupational therapists and specialists and speech therapists and they all came tonight with with ideas. ideas that could have been presented months ago when this budget was um when this budget deficit was revealed. And quite frankly, nobody cares. And I have more to say, but my time is up and I appreciate uh that. Bye. Hi, good evening. Sue Avalone. Um, I just had a couple of things. Um, I see that

115we're eliminating an athletic trainer position and since there's really been no decrease in the size of the athletics program, I'm concerned about the health and safety of our young athletes. um just as vital to the program as coaches are our trainers because they are there to deal with injuries as they occur and in many instances they also deal with the rehabbing of the young athlete afterwards. And so my concern here is that without having these trainers readily available for our teams, we're going to have our our children suffering injuries that are not going to be dealt with properly. a coach cannot be expected to in the middle of a of an athletic contest be dealing with a child who has an injury. And so I'm concerned that since we're not decreasing the number of teams,

116uh the number of students that are participating that we're not going to have that safety net of having athletic trainers present at all contests and practices or at least available. I also want to raise the point and Anthony just did this again with the uh the therapists. uh if in fact the the the woman who presented her facts and figures this evening is even anywhere near correct about the cost that may actually be incurred with this uh liaison with uh Southberg and joiner then I think it would behoove the board to at least have a meeting sit down with the therapists hear them out as to what their ideas are and really take into account the possibility that those numbers are actually correct and maybe there was another way to go. So, I appreciate you

117listening and I hope that you'll take these things into account. Thank you. >> Oh, good evening. My name is Albania Martinez Bohos. I am the former Fairmont PTA president, a Hackinack resident taxpayer and most importantly the mother of a child with special needs. I am speaking as a mother, a mother who has lived through the frustration, exhaustion, and heartbreak that so many families in this in this district are experiencing right now. While we continue hearing words like restructuring, budget cuts, what is really happening is that the department of special services is being ripped apart. And the people paying the price the price are not just the staff members losing their job. The people paying the price are our children. The behaviorists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech pathologist, and support staff being pushed out are not

118just employees. They are the people who see with our children during meltdowns when no one else knows what to do. They are the people teaching non-verbal children how to communicate. They are the people helping children learn how to regulate emotions, hold pencils, tie shoes, speak words, build confidence, and simply make it through the school day. These are the people our children track. These are the people parents track. These are the people who walk into school every day knowing they may not receive recognition, but they still choose to show up for our children. And yet somehow the people directly serving students are the ones being removed while the leadership of this department once again remains untouched and protected. How is it possible that the people doing the hands-on work with children are considered expandable where so

119many parents and teachers have have experienced years of ignore email, lack of communication, lack of accountability, and endless excuses. I can personally tell you what that feels like as a parent. It feels defeating. It feels isolating. It feels like you are constantly begging people to care about your child when all you're asking is what you is what your child is entitled to by law. I sent emails that went unanswered for days and weeks. I was told my emails went to spam even though they had clearly been open. The only time I finally received responses was after escalating concerns directly to the superintendent. No parents should have to fight that hard just to be heard. And while parents are fighting there for communication, our children are the ones losing valuable time, support, and services. Parents should

120not have to repeatedly prove that their child's IEP is not being followed. We should not have to constantly provide evaluations, documentations, and recommendations while hearing excuses after excuses instead of seeing action. Even when the child study team members and independent medical professionals recommend that a that a child needs an out of district placement because the district cannot appropriately meet that child's needs. Families should not be forced into battles just to get their children the help that they deserve. Last week someone asked why families are leaving for charter school and why they can be forced to come back. As someone who made that painful decision myself, I can answer that very clearly. Families leave when they are no longer feel heard. Families leave when when trust is broken. Families leave when they feel their children's need

121are treated like burdened instead of priorities. And families leave when they when they watch people who truly care for and support students being pushed out the door. And you are dealing with a director of special services who is dismissive and chooses to ignore people. This is not just about staffing. This is not just about budget. This is about human beings. This is about children who need stability, consistency, compassion, and support. This is about parents who are exhausted from fighting battles they should never have to fight. And before I end tonight, I want to acknowledge the people who made a difference in my child's life. Mrs. Goodman, thank you so much for caring for my son and and help him speak when he came to ECD. Mrs. Lan, thank you for believing in him and supporting

122him from the moment he entered FMA. People like you are the reason many of our children make progress. You are the reason parents feel hope during some some of the hardest moments of our lives. Many many families may never forget the kindness, patient, and love you showed our children. I know I never will. So, thank you. Have a good evening everyone. Hi, this is Hi Silverston. I am a parent of a kindergarten student at Fairmont. Uh, and we have an incoming preK3 student for the upcoming school year. I just had a few questions. um you have all it seems like you're making a concerted effort to answer our questions as they come up which I appreciate. So I just wanted to throw out a few for you. Um so the budget has passed officially and

123it's time to move forward and it's been mentioned that there will be a detailed plan in place for how the district is going to operate next year with all of these changes. Now, I was wondering if you could go into more detail on what will be included in that plan, what the timeline is for that, uh what is already in motion in preparation for next year, and what your next priorities are going to be to address. Um, I also wanted to ask there's been a lot of talk about, you know, student teacher ratios flying around and I haven't heard any numbers in regards to the prek program. Uh, I'm just curious if you know about how many students are going to be per teacher at that age level as well. Um, and then I also

124wanted to know, uh, there are students, you know, you've started to address concerns about special education students. There are also students in the district who have IEPs or 504 plans who are in the general education setting. uh how I I want to know how you the district plans to support those students who are not in a special ed classroom but are going to be in a class of 25 to 30 potentially more students with one teacher and how their supports are going to be met. uh if there's just one teacher with that many students, uh I'd worry that those are going to be the kids who really fall through the cracks. Um and yeah, I just I I want to know what your plan is to help those students now. Um and that was it.

125I made it in my time. Thank you. Hi, good evening. My name is Jennifer Reyes and I am a teacher at Fairmont School. For nearly 29 years of my fair at Fairmont School, I have dedicated my entire career to special education. In these past three decades, I have learned that meaningful progress does not happen because of one teacher alone. It happens through the strength of an experienced collaborative team of professionals who know each child deeply. For me, that team has included my par profofessional, my child's study team members, our behaviorist, our school counselor, and our related services team. Because of this district district's bud budget deficits, my paraprofessional was forced to into retirement at 21 years of service. My case manager, Dr. Ponuio, my behaviorist, Dr. Tutor, our related services team comprised of Mrs. Aigliano,

126Miss Morelli, and Mrs. Lam, whom we are recognizing for her 25 years of service next week, have all been let go. And let's not forget our amazing school counselor, Mrs. Ananka, whose position has been reassigned for September. Come September, this entire foundation of support will be gone. This is district-wide for every single special education student and teacher. These are not simply positions being eliminated. These are trusted relationships, years of collaboration, and professionals who know our students beyond the evaluations, data points, and service minutes. They know their students fears, triggers, strengths, family dynamics, communication styles, and strategies that help them succeed. Mrs. Aigliano and Miss Melli have helped our students find their voices. Mrs. A priiano with us for over 17 years have worked often worked with the same students for four to five years and

127have guided them from struggling communicators to confident learners transitioning through many developmental milestones. Mrs. Islam brings exceptional occupational therapy expertise and a rare ability to integrate sensory regulation, motor planning, executive function, and emotional regulation into practical individualized supports that have an immediate impact in the classroom. homework extends far beyond therapy sessions. She helps teachers embed strategies into daily routines so that students can access learning and regulate in real time. Mrs. Zangga, our school counselor, has been the calm during our most challenging moments. She runs towards the hardest moments with compassion, professionalism, and unwavering support. When behavior crisis occur more often than you can even imagine, this is a team that runs towards a fire. They communicate, they problem solve and support one another seamlessly because they have spent years building trust. I would be remissed

128if I did not include our amazing assistant principal, Mrs. Service in this team of crisis managers. I would also like to recognize Linda Baldo, Lauren Alberta, Andrea Andrea Guzman, Ronnie Love it, and Miss Mary, whom I've had the honor to work with, along with so many others whose dedication cannot be measured in a budget line. Replacing these professionals with temporary agency staff is not a solution. Agency professional personnel may fill vacancies, but they cannot replace the relationships, consistency, and institutional knowledge our most vulnerable students rely on every day. In special education, stability is not a luxury. Continuity is not optional. Relationships are the intervention. What is being dismantled is a support system that took decades to build, and our students will pay the greatest price. Budgets reflect priorities and I urge you to make our

129most vulnerable learners, our children, your priority. Thank you and good night. >> Hi, my name is Laura Martin. I am a teacher and a parent. I want to start by saying that I'm grateful the state has approved our budget and that we can move forward without a state monitor. But now that we've jumped this hurdle, I'd like to address concerns about communication that have emerged over the past several months. I know that this entire situation required a lot of quick thinking and rapid action, but many of the changes that were considered and/or ultimately pursued were not shared or explained in meaningful or timely ways with stakeholders. I understand that some things could not be shared publicly due to the sensitive nature of the information, but the vacuum left by the lack of transparency has led

130to an erosion of trust in the process and has also fostered the rise of rumor and speculation, thereby ramping up tensions across the community. Tonight, Mr. Monosano provided a clear and concise rationale for the changes that were made to our athletic program. This is the kind of communication we're looking for. May I respectfully request that the district provide the following information in a similar comprehensive format? Can you tell us how many staff members you anticipate working in each school building and how these numbers were determined? Can you tell us what the staff to student ratios will look like and how these ratios will differ from our current levels? Can you tell us how many staff members you anticipate assigning to each grade level and or department and how you anticipate these assignments affecting instructional capacity?

131Can you tell us what classes will run, what classes will be paused, and what classes will be eliminated, as well as the rationale that was used to make these decisions? Can you tell us if classes or programs will be moved across buildings? You've already said that we can anticipate prek returning to our neighborhood schools. Will all other existing programs at the elementary level remain or will be there will there be shifts to where, for example, specific special education and ESL bilingual classes will be housed? Can you give us expected class size caps for both general education and special education classes for both core content and electives? Can you tell us how safety plans will be updated to account for the increase in student population both at the microclassroom level and at the macro school level?

132Can you provide us with more information about shared service agreements, how these will function within our schools, and how the district will ensure that we are not simply staying in compliance with legal mandates, but also ensuring that our students are receiving high-quality services. Can you give us a timeline that explains when the district expects to notify various members of the community about ongoing changes to district operations? Can you give us a timeline that explains when and how the district will begin work on the next budget so that we can avoid a five alarm fire in the next budget cycle? Can you tell us about the district's plans to search for additional revenue streams and develop community partnerships? Can you share with us your priorities for what you hope to bring back first once our situation

133has stabilized? I'm sure I'm missing things, but if there's anything you can take away from my list of requests, it's this. We know we've lost a lot, but we don't really have a true sense of why certain cuts were made, what we have left, or what we can anticipate returning in the future. I'm asking you to please give us a clear picture of what we can expect in the 2026 2027 school year as expediently as possible so that all stakeholders can act accordingly and so the district can demonstrate its commitment to transparency and accountability. Thank you. Good evening. >> Good evening. >> Hello. >> Yes, you're on. >> Hi. Good evening. Can you hear me? >> Yes, we can hear you. >> Okay. My name is Nola and I am parent of the student at

134the Hackinisack High School. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak tonight regarding the proposed budget cut and the impact they will have on our student teachers staff in particular our student attent I am deeply concerned about the decision to reduce the staff and eliminate the and reduce analytic training support within the school system. While I understand that the budget challenge required difficult decision, I respectfully ask that the board consider the cuts that directly affect students health, safety, learning, environment, and overall well-being. Adele trainers are not simply an extra service on the sideline of games. They are licensed health care professional like myself who play a critical role in injury prevention, emergency responses, concussions management, rehabilitation, and protecting the overall health of our students. For many families, the athletic trainer is the first line

135of medical support for their child that receive an injury during a practice or competition. As a parent or a coach or community member, it is extremely concerning to think about our students participating in sports without immediate access to trained medical personnel. Every day athletes face risks including concussion, cardiac emergencies, fractures, dehydration, heat exhaustions and other serious injuries. In those moments sec seconds matters. Having a qualified athletic trainer on site can make the difference between a quick recovery and a lifealtering outcome. Beyond athletics, staffing cuts also affect the student and stability of the classroom. Reducing teachers and support staff places additional pressure on already overworked educators increase classroom st sizes and they limit individual student support and it will impact the education on on on our children that our children's going to receive. Teachers are being

136asked to do more with less. While students lose access to the resources and support system they need to succeed academically, emotionally and socially. These cuts affect every student, not just athletes. They affect our children who need the extra academic support, students who rely on counselors, staff for guidance, and teachers who work tirelessly every day to provide safe and effective learning environment. When staffing is reduced, safety concern is increased. supervision becomes more difficult and both students and educators feel strained. Our student athletes already dedicate countless hours representing the student district with pride, discipline, and commitment. Our teachers dedicate themselves daily to education and supporting our children. They are deserve to know that their safety and well-being are our priority. Budget decisions reflect our values as a district. If we remove resources tied directly to student safety,

137classroom support and educational quality, we send a message that financial saving out where the protection and the success of our children. I do not believe this is the message this board wants to send to the family staff of our community. I respectfully urge that the board reconsider the cuts and explore any alternative solution that preserves staffing and athletic training service. Whether that means reevaluating pending priorities, pursuing grants, partnership or phrase out resolution elsewhere. I believe there are ways to address financial concern without compromising student health, safety and education. At the end of the day, budget can be addressed, but the consequences are inadequate support and unsafe condition for our students can be irreversible. Please consider investing in the safety, health, education, and the future of our children. Thank you for my consideration. Have a good

138one. Uh good evening U Tomano and I uh don't know what hat I'm going to wear. I guess I'm going to wear the teachers hat. Uh and then also uh you know with concerns with the union. Um, you know, I I guess uh with respect to teaching and with respect to being a uh a member in our labor union, I think that um the community at large has to reckon with the fact that there's going to be a potential shift in attitudes about labor. Um the demand will increase in terms of the responsibilities on the teachers that remain. Um but the service to all students will very likely be strained to say the least. Um and that is something that is incredibly problematic. Um I think you've heard again and again tonight and in previous

139meetings at the community and the stakeholders were were not brought to the table to discuss concerns before recently uh and currently. Uh I I don't know if you are listening with open ears the way I've been listening. Uh you've got some really really smart people uh in the community. the the person who just spoke before me uh laid out some very specific and and alarming concerns and then Laura Martin ended up speaking before that and had a a litany. You have to go back and you have to listen to what she ended up speaking about uh item for item. Um I don't know if you can end up running back a replay, but every single one of those concerns needs to be uh addressed tonight and then readressed in future meetings. uh decisions are rendered

140error during these meetings um without stakeholder input and I'm concerned the trends is going to exist in the future uh with the same results um which uh at that time will be expected and predictable and part of our narrative um we will end up talking about advocacy for stakeholders and you know uh advocacy for our most vulnerable members and then the doors will close and decisions will be rendered and that table will end up having a known group of people who are used to eating dinner together rather than um you know an open table uh family style where people are speaking openly and sharing uh the dishes that our our community is able to to offer. Um you know I was just speaking to administrators I I stand on a lot of sidelines uh for

141my kids sports and uh administrators are on those sidelines. They end up anticipating additional shortages of funding in the coming year. Uh they're also anticipating that the healthc care cost rise was not a one-year anomaly. It'll be uh you know a persistent problem in future budgets. And I uh wonder if the board uh in considering this budget and you know has thought about that uh to prepare for the potential situation of of rising costs across the board. Um you need to think about future contingencies. Uh you need to think about your leadership. good leaders prepare for contingencies uh thereby preventing and averting disaster. Um the cost of the s students the situation of the students is is greater than anybody in here has the imagination for. Um they're going to live with it the longest.

142We're we're not. And so um you know the opportunities that end up being offered in Hackinide public schools there there are many that don't exist anywhere else. It's tied to the students sense of selfworth. Um, you know, people on the board talk very proudly about having been a Comet and always being a Comet. Uh, and and there's a certain sense of pride, but you were able to take advantage of the things that you were you felt like you were entitled to or deserve. Uh, if program any program is taken from a current student, uh, they're going to have to process it. Um, depending on the age that they're at as though they don't deserve it. Um, they're going to have to live with that feeling. and that does a real number on their uh future

143prospects. Um and then finally uh with respect to folks who are through no fault of their own leaving the district, I I I want to myself express the gratitude for having had the opportunity to have worked alongside such fantastic professionals. Um I would hope that that gratitude would be amplified as we wind down this year uh from the board in particular, but also from administration. And that I'd also like to encourage people in the community and my my colleagues as well to to make sure that the people when they end up leaving us at the end of this year um you know to uncertain employment in future years understand how grateful we are um you know that they have spent some time with us have been in the service of the the community uh have

144prioritized the children in the community. Um, we we don't necessarily need a defensive statement concerning politics. We don't need a defensive statement about past leadership. Uh, we need greater expressions and actions uh that let these folks which we've let down know that our community thanks them. That part of our core value is gratitude. We have to be demonstrative, demonstratively grateful to have had the multifarious benefits of of these people's professionalism. Um, we don't need people to to compliment themselves on zeroing out a budget. We need to make sure that we honor the people who have worked diligently and and and and difficultly in some very difficult situations and have uh in most cases risen above and provided a tremendous benefit to people in our community. Hello. >> Yes. Good evening. >> Uh my name is

145Brianna Fischer. Uh today I had a Zoom meeting with staff to discuss the evaluation process for my uh autistic 5-year-olds who will be starting kindergarten in Hackinack this September. Um while most of my questions were answered, there were some that couldn't be answered due to the situation uh we're discussing today. Uh for example, they couldn't really give me a definite answer if the school that my son will be attending um well should be attending that's around the corner from me um will have a special education classroom available for him in September um or if he'll have to go to another Hackinack school further away from where we live. Um, I expressed concern that I am worried about my son getting evaluated by the school district because I'm worried that they will underplay his diagnosis um,

146so they don't have to give him as many services that he desperately needs and deserves. Uh, from attending these meetings, I see the compassion that these teachers and staff have for our kids and what's happening to them is heartbreaking and unfair. Um, practically eliminating the special education staff is a crime. Just like a few people stated tonight, these contractors who will be stepping in won't even be remotely close to what our kids need and deserve. Um, and I strongly urge that all of us who have spoken today uh to not stop trying to have their voices being heard here. Um, I urge everybody to write letters and flood the county superintendent, senators, and the governor with letters so we can be heard and hopefully get the help that we are like clearly needing because something's

147got to happen. Um, uh, you know, there has to be a better way than what's been spoken about. Uh, the fact that my kids haven't even started school in Hackinack yet. I am still, um, I'm as concerned as the parents that have been there for years, uh, really speaks volumes. Um, I promise you I will not stand for my kids not getting the proper services so that um, that they I'm sorry, hold on. I promise you I will not stand for my kids not getting the proper services. So, get used to my name um because you will hear a lot from me if I feel his needs aren't being met. Um and definitely one thing you may not know about parents with special needs kids is we don't give up because we can't give up

148and there's really no choice. Um we have the fights that the average parents uh don't really need to have. So, I just really really hope that you guys think about what is about to happen. Thank you. Hello. >> Yes. Good evening. >> Good evening. Yes. My name is Gard Romano. I am a parent of two children in the district. One of them that uh currently has an IEP. Uh he's currently in Fairmont and he's had wonderful staff since he's been in the district from ECDC to Fairmont School, Miss Lamb, Miss Kakusa, Miss McBride. Um but come next year, what is going to happen? He's not going to have a case manager. He's not going to have speech. He's not going to have OT. and whoever is going to come in um is not going to

149know what to do unfortunately. So, as much as we were told not to listen to social media and all the misinformation, we're not getting any information. It would be great like a previous speaker said, what are going to be the class sizes? What are the limitations? Uh what is going to be in place come September? If someone could please explain that or answer that question, um that would bring some clarity and maybe we stop reading less things on social media. That's all I have to say. Hi, good evening. Can you hear me? >> Yep. Good evening. >> Hey, uh I'm Chris Aar, uh taxpayer, parent of a Miller's student. Um, you know, I'll start off by just saying it's really terrible to see bickering and and kind of please for favoritism with different parents pleading

150for, you know, different programs because frankly, I mean, no programs, it's not acceptable for any of the programs to be cut. And uh I say that to uh I guess make a call to to to fellow you know city citymates whatever you want to call it taxpayers that uh you know we the budget isn't just getting to zero. Okay it's what is that budget serving? The duty isn't just to get the budget to balance. What are you balancing it to do? Right now, it's being balanced to guarantee that kids fail. Guarantee that they fail. The number one thing this entire district exists for, it's putting last. So, what governance is in place now to prevent more problems? Why don't we want state oversight? Who's that protecting? I understand the possible threats of it, but considering

151that all we get is another political cycle of a new group blaming the last while the existing group does nothing different and we don't find out till they're gone. So, we have the right, we can't just ask for transparency. We have the right to transparency. So, I say that to say that us taxpayers need a coordinated effort to use our powers through the Open Public Records Act to request the worksheets, not flood them with unnecessary requests, but let's see, was there independent review on the budget? What new processes are in place to prevent this from continuing? Things of that nature, not just please for help. It's problem solving to make sure it doesn't continue. Thank you. Oh, furthermore, I would like to have the custodian of these records identified because I'm not aware. Forgive me

152if it's on your site. I will look. But you have a duty to provide reasonable requests and I plan on making them. And I call for anybody else who can help to to actually analyze things. Thank you. Goodbye. Good night. All right. At this time, public comment section is now closed. Um, so as always, we try our best to answer as many questions as possible. Um not every question can be answered in this evening as it does take time to either get the information or make sure that we have the correct information. Um so we will try our best this evening to address some of the things um um in terms of an action plan uh for the next school year or what these numbers are going to look like if there's going to be

153a presentation. Is there going to be um there was a comparison made between what Mr. Montasano did in terms of the images and the numbers being presented. Is that something that the district plans on doing? And when >> first I want to say and thank Mr. Monttoano again at the last meeting which was um May 6 a question uh was asked about sports and athletics and the thought that went into it and thought did go into it and I said that you would get that information. I don't like doing things peace meal because the plan needs to be comprehensive but because that was asked and I couldn't answer the question Mr. Monasano put that that together uh with Mrs. canistrino and it was well done and well presented. So now that the budget has been

154passed and we have been around the clock working on a budget, sometimes you think that we can multitask and do the plan and do this at the same time, but with the attention that we had to give to it, we could not. However, we have begun to draft a plan. I had my staff printed out um and we have begun to draft a plan. Uh we heard um our HA representatives talk about collaboration and with teachers working during the day. Uh we have um now that we passed the budget and we know what we have, we are actually going to have a posting for extra compensation because we want to do this collaboratively. uh for possibly two representatives from each school to work with us as we develop the plan some of the things on

155the presentation and I'm just going to give you because we're trying to do this at the same time. And so there's some has been some brainstorming about the plan and uh we're coming up with a title and it'll be collaborative. So maybe we want to change the title, but it's reimagining our schools in 2026, 2027 and beyond. Um it's a season of restoration and rebuilding, which is what I'm hearing. uh very important to me and to our team is that the first slide will be a dedication page and this page will be dedicated to all of those who were impacted. It is a way to honor and recognize our colleagues who experienced the loss of a position. Listen, and it's just a way to do that because first and foremost, that's important or who have

156been affected. Not in this order, but one of the topics will be student learning and instruction. And that will involve listing each school, showing the details of each school, the number of staff that were in the school in 2025, 2026, which is this year, versus the number of staff who are will be in the school 2026, 2027, including administrators, administrative assistants, grade levels, class sizes, special ed class, is preschool classes, administrators, paras, homebased subs and para floers, grade four instrumental. All of these things will be each school will have a profile and you will see exactly where each school stands. operations and the impact on schools partnerships that may be able to support although we cannot solicit extracurricular. You you saw some of it today with athletics, buildings and grounds and maintenance and how that

157will look with the reduction of our custodians revenue ideas, school safety, related services and how that will look and the service provider uh uh teacher leadership and the funing that possibly can use with title two funds for teacher leadership because we will definitely need that. Uh preparing administrators for running schools with less support. We're thinking of summer institutes. So these are just a list of things that will be in the plan. And I said to you, if you remember, I we will try to have this in June, but this is a lot. And with us wanting to collaborate with our teachers and with uh maybe parents, this is going to take time. And I am not one or we are not one to throw something together. We have a budget. We had a budget deficit.

158And it's not going to take a few weeks to put something comprehensive and meaningful. I even stated last night if you know I'm pushed to do something for the June meeting, it will be very high level. You cannot expect a detailed plan and to be put together in a couple of weeks. Uh so we are working on the plan and we absolutely uh invite the collaboration. In fact, we're putting the money toward this when we say we're going to post for extra compensation so that our staff can be involved with the plan because this is going to take after school hours uh to work on this. So uh that's just a little insight on the plan. Um and we have been working as a team. >> Thank you. Thank you. Um I I also did

159not want to miss this um opportunity also to thank all of our um related services specialists who came out tonight and spoke. Um you guys highlighted everything that was in the presentation that you did send us. Um we all read your emails. I thank you for giving us that information. Um and as I had promised, I we also forward it over to our superintendent and special services um to our students uh or student who had spoken also. Thank you again for for coming out and acknowledging the people who have um helped you in in all of your educational needs at school here in Hackinack. Um, in terms of our special education parent advisory group, I I do want to acknowledge that they had a meeting on Monday and I was part of the meeting. As

160many of you know, I am a parent of a child uh with special needs. And I was at one point a part of before I became a board member for several years, a part of what was called at the time the uh hackin sack um hackpack. Yes. And funny enough, I was the one who created the Facebook page at the time because we were very active. We had sessions. Um we had a good a good amount of parents and the only way that committee or group works is through parent involvement and yes we have our amazing teachers who are a part of it but parents please take advantage of this group attend at least listen give your opinion about what you would like because they can't move forward unless they know what it is that

161the community needs and at the time the community needed more information and what did we do? We brought outside services to come and speak to the parents and we made it very kid-friendly where they could bring their children. Their children were being watched right in in house while their parents were getting informed about special education. And although my son is 17 years old, I will say that till this day even I go to those meetings again and again because there's always more information that you can learn and that it applies to you at that moment where sometimes it doesn't. So I highly encourage for our parents to please uh reach out, go on to our website, see when the next uh SE CPAC um meeting is and please make your voices heard there. Uh it

162is my understanding that there were great questions. they are being formulated and then soon it will come to um uh to Miss Andrea Oats parchment. Um also involving the community, I won't I won't um jump over Miss Gilmore's toes um but just to give you a little heads up, the community relations committee has been meeting and they also have a small group to come up with survey questions so that we can give to the community. Um, our goal is to have small informational sessions at all of our schools. So, with those small informational sessions, um, I mean, look, we're not going to have answers, but we want to work together because just like how our related services folks reached out to us with a plan, there might be plans that you might have that we

163we we haven't heard of or we just don't know. And we definitely want to hear that. Um, as far as the athletic trainers, um, I I hear your sentiments. I understand the the need to have more people u for our students because we do have many many incidences that happen at once. And it's not just in the event that a um an injury happens, it's also preventative, right? Our students also receive therapy just to prevent from them having an injury. Um in the past we've have had relationships with colleges um with interns, grad students. Um maybe that is something that we can look into uh for for this future or is that something that we currently have? >> Yeah, that's something we can always look into. But I I just wanted to let you know

164that we met with um Mr. Montasano who's currently serving and there is a plan for how uh the athletic trainers will be available. We've discussed that so we will make that public that he's really addressed that already. >> Okay, perfect. And again, you know, people sometimes I I need to address social media. Um because social media seems to be the driver here and it should not be the driver. I appreciate everyone who came out tonight. I I want to say we had a good amount of people here this evening, about a good 50 people, and I can only imagine how many people online were also watching. But there's a reason why we have code of ethics and the code of ethics also prevents us as board members from commenting on these posts. So everyone here

165on this board I can say with pure confidence that no one here has responded to any or has posted of any such thing. Um however in the past I have seen other board members previous board members who did comment and that is against our code of ethics. Uh if you have been part of these meetings if you have been watching us from the beginning at no point and I will speak about myself um at no point was it ever said that there was any fraud. At no point did we ever allude to there being fraud. The auditor had stated that it was fiscal mismanagement. Two different things. Now, as far as us taking action, yes, there is a civil lawsuit and it's very extensive and you can read that on your own time. I highly

166recommend that you do. Um, there's a lot there's a lot going on and Hackinack has a reputation and we need to stop bashing our own district on social media. We need to stop. We need to continue to give out real information. Come out to these meetings where we can hear you and we can solve the problem together. Yes, we all have social media. Yes, we do see it, but we can't comment on those things. And as always, we can't comment on personnel. As far as a board, what are we doing to prevent some of these things from happening? Well, one, a lot of the policies and procedures that we have implemented from the start of this of this this school year, um, beginning with our business department, um, understanding and receiving a bills list. In

167the past, we were not receiving a bills list. We were told that a bills list was not available until two months after the fact. We as a board we have a policy committee and there is a list of policies that we would like to create because that is our job. We are policy makers. So we would like to create some policies, amend some policies because some of them are very outdated especially our technology ones. And we will be meeting very very soon. Where is my chair? My chair. We will be meeting very soon about these new policies that we would like to see implemented and you as the public will also be involved in that. Um, yeah, I believe that is it. Uh and yes, in terms of Oprah requests, um you as the public

168have the right to do so. If you feel that there's more information that you need, um by all means, that information is there. It is it is your right. And if you feel that we're not giving you that information, then that that would also be your next option to do. Um all right so I believe that is it for this moment. Um we are going to move on to our agenda and resolutions for this evening. Okay. And we are going to begin with personnel. So I have for our chair for personnel trusteeza. >> Uh thank you madame president. Um obviously this is a very difficult um personnel agenda. Um I do want to just provide um a little bit of clarification um on u one of the resolutions that that you see on there um

169resolution S um that is on page uh 38 of um of the agenda. Uh and that resol uh that resolution involves um the creation of uh job description for the position of general counsel. And I want to just walk through what that means. Um especially because one of the big issues when we've been talking about um fiscal mismanagement and you know is just the discussion of um positions that were created that were not necessary with no reasoning provided to the district and the public. And so we want to explain the reasoning um behind the creation of of that position. Um and as this board and our acting superintendent stated last week and again uh we heard from our president earlier today, we are committed to identifying new and creative solutions to saving money and identifying

170new revenue um to restore cuts over time. Um the creation of this position is an example of us trying to identify savings um that we will realize annually. Um it's important to note that this is not a position that is being created in addition to our current contract with council. it is instead of um and that means um we will have a full-time dedicated attorney in house whose sole client is our district. Um le as folks I am sure who have been paying attention to board of education meetings for years legal bills have always been very costly for this district and in the last few years um on average they have been between $400 to $500,000 annually. Um we are fortunate that our current attorney and law firm um have actually helped us to reduce

171um those those fees in the last year that they've been on board. Um, however, we believe that by um creating an in-house general counsel position, a position of general counsel um and getting rid of outside counsel that this will save the district an estimated $200 to $250,000 annually. And so that is why we are creating this position. And we want people to to understand that this is this is not something that is being created in addition to adding a new expense. This is trying to save and reduce legal expenses. Um and I know uh there may be some folks that remember, you know, a couple years ago a prior board had proposed a full-time legal specialist position. Um that was a very costly legal specialist position. It was a parallegal uh requirement for that position

172that was ultimately not approved. Um but that proposal was in addition to legal counsel at that time. This proposal is actual general counsel and attorney for the district that will be instead of um our our legal outside legal counsel. So, I just want to make that very clear. Um, especially as we are trying to think outside of the box for ways to save money um to save costs um uh over over the coming months and and years. Um so that is resolution S. Um the second resolution that I want to highlight um is resolution K on page um 24. Um, and I do just want to read the text of that resolution. Um, this is related to the reappoint of part-time paraprofessional staff. Um, the resolution, be it resolved that the Hackinack Board of Education

173upon the recommendation of the acting superintendent appoints the following part-time paraprofessional staff for the 2627 school year. Be it further resolved that the restructuring of the role of paraprofessional in the school district is subject to the continuing discussions between the Hackinack Board of Education and Hackinac Education Association. So I just want to let folks know that there are discussions that are happening right now. Um and so you may not see everything on here as it relates to PAR professionals, but we just wanted to highlight that. Um, and obviously, um, as I offer these personnel resolutions, I do, you know, just to follow up on what one of the comments was, you know, we are incredibly grateful for all of the staff that are on this agenda and for those who are not. Um, and just

174know that our conversations will not end today about the things that are on this agenda. So with that, um, Madame President, the personnel committee met, um, and I have to offer for consideration personnel actions A1 A through S. Thank you. So, we have a motion from Trusty Ammer Hems. Is there a second? >> A second. >> I'll second. >> Second by Trustee Gilmore. Miss Aostra, can you please do a roll call? Miss Alustin Balutra. I have one abstension and two no votes. I'm abstaining from J and I'm voting no to P and S. >> Miss Amza. >> Mr. Carol is absent. Miss Gilmore. >> Yes. >> Mr. Jones. >> Yes. >> Mr. Martin. >> Yes. >> Mr. Yes, President Harris. Um, I am abstaining on N and P and yes to the rest. Vice uh

175Vice President, Mr. Vice President Ken Martin, can you just repeat? Oh, no. It's Mr. Stein. I'm Stein. Sorry. Mr. >> Yes. Motion passes. Thank you. Moving on to policy and the chair of policy is Trusty Pringle. >> Um for policy, we don't have there's no first reads and no second reads for policy this evening. >> Okay. Thank you very much. Moving on to curriculum and the chair for curriculum again is Trusty Fringle. >> Um I would like to like to offer a motion for consideration um C1 through C12 highlighting C9, C10 and C12. One second. Um C9 approves the following research project by staff member Iman Maga Moglay. No, forget him. From May 14th to June 16th, 2026 in affiliation with St. John's University Doctoral Literacy Program. This approval is contingent upon official IRB approval

176being granted and all district procedures required for implementation of the proposed project being satisfied. Um C10 um approves the special education Medicaid innovative the semi-action plan of the 2627 school year. Um, and C12 approves the submission of the spring the preschool education aid budget and the acceptance of preschool education aid in the amount of $6,680. Well, actually that's 6 million. I'm sorry. My eyes is six 6 million 680,000. That's okay. Thank you. So, we have a motion from Trusty Pringle. Is there a second? Second by Trustee Jones. Uh, is there any discussion? Okay, seeing that there are none, uh, Miss Aostra, can you please do a roll call? Miss Alustin Buchra. Two abstensions from C10 and C12. >> Got it. Thank you, >> Miss Emra Hamza. >> Yes. >> Miss Gilmore, >> yes. >> Mr.

177Jones, >> Miss Pringle, >> yes. >> Mr. Stein, >> yes. >> Vice President Martin, >> yes. >> President Harris, >> yes. >> Motion passes. Thank you. Moving on to finance and the chair of finance is Trusty Stein. >> Thank you, Madame President. Uh I'm here to offer D1 through D17. Uh I do want to make a comment that uh our Bergen County Superintendent of Schools has uh approved our budget after long and tenuous discussions with him. um and that this will he will convey this to the state. So uh again I'm offering D1 through D17. >> Okay. So we have a motion from Trusty Stein. Is there a second? >> I second. >> Second by Trusty Pringle. Any discussion? >> Okay, moving on. Missra, can you please do a roll call? >> Miss Alutra. Yes

178to all. I need to abstain from D2. >> Miss Amson. >> Yes. >> Miss Gilmore. >> Yes. >> Mr. Jones. >> Yes. >> Miss Pringle. >> Yes. >> Mr. Stein. >> Yes. >> Vice President Martin. >> Yes. >> President Harris. >> Yes. >> Motion passes. >> Thank you. Okay. Moving on to facilities and the chair of facilities as vice president Martin. >> Um I have pretty much standard on my >> end through E4 pretty much stand. >> Okay. Thank you. So we have a motion from Trusty Martin. Is there a second? I'll second. >> Second by trustee Stein. Any discussion? [snorts] >> Okay. Thank you. Uh Mr. Gastra, can you please do a roll call? >> Miss Alustin Balutra? >> Yes. >> Miss Emrazza? >> Yes. >> Miss Gilmore? >> Yes. >> Mr. Jones? >>

179Yes. >> Miss Pringle? >> Yes. >> Mr. Stein? >> Hi. >> Vice President Martin. >> Yes. Um, President Harris, >> yes. >> Motion passed. >> Thank you. Moving on to community relations and chair for community relations is Trusty Gilmore. >> Good evening. Um, as President Harris mentioned earlier, um, the community relations committee has been meeting and if I might say that this committee, I believe, will be very, um, impactful in the recovery of this school district if all um, people uh, stay stay committed and involved. So we met to discuss on ways to strengthen communication, increase transparency, and create more meaningful opportunities for community engagement. Um right now we are developing a district and communitywide survey that um we will distribute and we hope everyone will participate and give your feedback. Um, we are also

180planning small informational sessions that will be at every district. Um, I'm excuse me at every school and we're focusing on different topics. So, you can pick the topic that is most important to you and come out and share. These these sessions are intended not only to share information but to listen and to hear feedback and um understand what is important to you and how we can move forward. um as a community and as a school district. Um so Hackinack is very unique in you know we have a school we have a parent community we have a student community but we also have business communities and other stakeholders that impact um Hackinack as well. So we want to engage everyone and we hope that everyone will engage with us meaningfully. Um our goal is simple. We

181basically want to ensure our community as a whole feels heard, informed, and connected as we as we move forward. Um, that's the ultimate goal um of everyone that sits here, but specifically the community relations committee. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you so much. On to other committees. We have any reports? Okay, we do not. On to new business. Is there any new business? Okay, moving on onto our second public comment portion where individuals may address the board on agenda in school matters of community interest for one minute. Is there anyone in person that would like to speak? I really do want to say thank you to the board for hearing Oh, sorry, Lauren Alberta, uh, speech therapist. Um, I do want to say thank you for taking the time to review the very thorough

182presentation we put together for you. Um, it means a lot to us that you at least gave it time and energy and um, we hope we'll be back. But I also want to say that on Hackinack happenings, there is an infographic that is going around that was put out in Parent Square today and I want to [snorts] caution people that it's inaccurate. It just is. And the information was directly taken from the presentation I provided and put through AI and negated. and it's hurtful, especially when I was told it would not be taken and used as someone's own words. Um, it's hurtful and I really hope that the board can see who is in charge and I caution you. So, thank you. Is there anyone else in person that would like to speak? Okay. Is

183there anyone online? Let's go to online. >> Hello, my name is Jessica Cruz. I'm a special education parent of a child with an IEP. Um, just really quickly, um, with a lot of what was discussed today, what was voted on today, um, it's a lot of numbers and information, and I would really look forward to, um, seeing an actual presentation that explains everything from the leadership uh, of the special ed department and um, getting that information directly, so to speak, from the horse's mouth. Um, I had an unfortunate incident with my son uh last week that was very concerning and the only um administrator that reached out to me was the building principal who very professionally made sure that I had all the facts straight and uh I did not hear from leadership from special

184ed and I think I feel that we need to start getting the facts directly from them and uh I look forward to that conversation, that information. Thank you. Okay, at this time public the second public comment section is closed. Um I just want to again just address um to our therapists, our related services professionals. Um nothing stops the board um from continue continuing a discussion and collaboration. So it does not mean that we can't revisit this again. Um, so stay tuned. That's all I can say. You're welcome. And moving on to board comments. All right, going to start at a different angle. Trusty Jones, >> I felt that coming. You gave me the look first. [laughter] >> Gave you the teacher look. >> I just wanted to thank um Mr. Montasano and Miss Castrino for

185their presentation. I thought it was very detailed. it helped explain a lot of things. I also thought that uh the way they talked about building up certain programs through fizzed and everything and you could tell that there was thought put into that and uh and uh I think it was a great presentation. Again, it's something unfortunate and something we don't we don't want to see. Uh but even as board members, it helps us look at things a certain way when we're thinking about what we're trying to get back. And uh and so so all the information we can have, the more we have uh you know, the more info we can work with. Um, I wanted to shout out the academic decathlon team. Um, they looked like they had a good time out there, too.

186And their $250 prizes as well, and they look like they did great. I saw a lot of medals and a lot of smiles. And, uh, sometimes it's great to see stuff like that, especially with what, you know, we're dealing with here. Uh, we're all dealing with. Um, I don't know who shouted out the crossing guards. Was that you, Andrea? Did you shout out the crossing guards? >> I want to shout out Miss Patricia on Grand and Popppler. It's just a personal thing there. Um um thank you to everybody that came out u and spoke and I know it's an emotional time and and we appreciate you guys coming out and everybody that called in and and the feedback is important and uh as President Harris said the conversation will continue. This is stuff that we're

187looking at and we're we're trying to figure out. We had to get through this budget. Um, and to that [clears throat] end, you know, we had [snorts] a lot of people talk about um, we need creative solutions, you know, and and um, I I think now that we're through the budget, now's the time that we start looking at a lot of that stuff. I did float something out there >> [snorts] >> uh, last week. I almost said last month, then I remember we have meetings every week. um um about potentially um you know selling property or or even you know it's been brought to my attention after that potentially leasing that property and turning into a revenue stream which is I mean the more we can do to get money coming in the more things

188we can potentially save whether it be staff whether it be programs whether it be sports um so the the the more creative we can get and and listen not all of it's going to work and and sometimes you got to throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks um so I'm going to throw some things at the wall right now. Um, so a couple things I was looking at um is in kind of in the same vein of of looking at property and maybe how that can make us money. Um, you know, one thing I'm looking at is is like the tennis courts. Um, I don't know if we could take a look at that. Um, I was talking to one of the tennis coaches this week and we looking at the courts and

189going over stuff and um, again, he he had some ideas and we were kind of going back and forth, but um, you know, these these courts um, they're used by the girls I think from August till around October and they're used by the boys I think um, soon as the weather gets nice until May. The season just ended um, last Friday. But that [snorts] means that from um May until August, nobody's using those tennis courts all weekends, all year, nobody's using those tennis courts. And there's [snorts] a lot of tennis professionals that would potentially rent out those courts to train people. Um so there I think that is a potential for some revenue there. Um if not, maybe we reach out to the recck department and see if we could do some shared services there

190as well. But I think the tennis courts could be a potential revenue stream. even the um the um what's the tennis association um that golf has the PGA? It's the US >> US TA. Um apparently there's programs out there that they might be able to get involved because what they really want is they really want uh kids to get involved in tennis so it builds the sport. So I think we should explore all avenues with that. Um, same thing with the pool. You know, I think we have a pool there that and I know that and I know we [snorts] do lease it out, I think, to there's a state swimming team. Uh, from my understanding, they're actually looking for more hours and more time in there. So, maybe that's something we can explore now

191that we're through the budget. Uh, and then, [snorts] you know, uh the the all of that stuff is painful. It's all painful in different ways to think about especially people's livelihoods and people's benefits and um and one of the things that hits me too is like the shop class thing hit me and and it's uh again this is this is a career path for a lot of these kids that might not be going to college and it's a big deal and um we have a really nice wood shop. I don't know if anybody's been down there, but I actually, thank you, Andrea, allowed me to tour. So, I went there today um and toured the high school. And uh [snorts] a lot of money's been put into this shop, too. And it's a it's a

192beautiful shop. Um and I know, you know, um as Mr. Tassooni was saying, you know, it's difficult to sometimes bring a program back once it's gone, but um we have a lot of infrastructure in place there. And I wonder if we can explore the possibility of maybe using that area for adult classes similar that they the way they do it in Bergen Tech the way they do it in um Bergen Community College. I mean, we have a really nice shop. They just spent like $100,000 on a vent. Um and they use a lot of reclaimed wood. So, there's there's I think opportunity there maybe to look into where we can use that to maybe start making some money and maybe bring some of these programs back. And again, it doesn't have to be necessarily just

193the programs that come back. Um, I think that there's a lot of people a lot smarter than me. So, that's kind I want to say it at the public session because people have a lot of good ideas out there and maybe maybe that's something that that that we could think about doing. Um, [snorts] and uh, and the other thing is uh, you know, the local businesses. I think I think Gina, you brought it up, but somebody had brought up working with local businesses. Whatever we can do. I mean, I don't think anything should be off the table right now. We just cut so many people and we cut so many programs and we cut sports. I mean, I honestly wouldn't care if our football players had Home Depot on their uniforms. Like, you know, I

194think we have to get creative with stuff like that. So, I mean, uh I I think it's I think it's looking into collaborating with businesses. And I think that the um community relations committee and the survey that's going out um it's a big deal and I think it's a bigger deal than people think. It's going to go to um everybody in town, right? So taxpayers, we're talking about all the teachers, which I think I think the teachers, the staff um all the staff in the school. I think I think there's going to be so many good ideas that it's going to be a matter of just sifting through them. Um and it's also gives us an opportunity to get a lot of the FAQs out of the way. So, you know, you're going to have

19530 of the same question. And now when we go out and we're present at Hackinack October Fest or at the schools or somewhere where we're trying to engage people and explain stuff um we have a lot of those frequent questions answered. So I think that survey is going to be really important and uh and that's going out I think somewhat soon right? >> Memorial Day >> before Memorial Day. So and people will be receiving. So that's going to be parent square. What else? That's >> do you know? So, >> so we'll be working um >> I didn't mean to put you on the spot. I know it's going out. >> Yes, we'll be working with um Miss Markx who will be in charge of putting it together to send it out. >> Okay. And if

196you if if you're watching this and you're listening and you see that survey, fill it out. It's it's done with drop downs that's that help you prioritize what's important to you and and those numbers are going to be compiled and that's that's going to give us a lot of data to work with and a lot of talking points and a lot of things um that maybe we can prioritize and start to fix. So again, we got through the budget. It's a lot of hard work into it, but it's hard to celebrate it with all the with everything that went on to get there. Um but but again, credit credit to u Andrea and everybody that that worked to get through it. So, um that's all. I appreciate you guys. Thank you for the comments. [snorts]

197>> Okay. Thank you, Trusty Gilmore. >> Um good evening again. Um thank you to everyone who came out um and um you know, just gave us how you were feeling. We appreciate um the honesty. Um this has not been easy. Um, when I joined the board, I did not anticipate um, walking into a situation like this, but I'm here. I'm from Hackinack. I was born and raised here. My son um, went through the public school system, and many of my friends that I graduated are teachers here. So, this affects me personally. And, um, every morning that I get up, I have a um, I think it's a a book that my son made in Woodshop. So, I know the importance of all of these programs that um are being cut, and I would like to

198say they're just being paused because we are going to figure out how to bring these um programs that we all um experience back. Um and to Trustee Jones's um point, um when you do see the survey, please please fill it out. Um, we plan to have QR codes. We plan to have paper because everyone doesn't do digital. We want to make it as inclusive as possible to get everyone's opinion um so we can collaborate. And this is a a joint effort. It's not um just the school systems issue. It's a community issue. It's our stakeholders. It's our local businesses. so everyone has skin in the game so we can make this district um back the way it used to be. Um so please pass the word out that a a surveys coming out and when

199you hear aboutformational sessions, please attend. Uh we welcome um the good, the bad, and the ugly. Um we we need to hear from you. We need to know what's important to you. We need to hear different ideas because we don't know everything. um your presentation was very enlightening. We didn't know. So, thank you for sharing and as um President Harris said, we will continue um the conversations just um you know, it's just not over after this meeting. We will continue having these discussions and and we will have a breakthrough. I know it. Um, Hackin Sack is my home and and I'm going to fight and do everything I can in my power to bring this district back to what it's supposed to be. Um, everyone get home safe. Thank you and good night. >> Thank

200you, uh, Trusty Stein. >> Thank you. You're >> welcome. >> A little bit of background. When I graduated college in the Midwest in the early 70s, I I had job offers around the country. I was my degrees were in public relations and journalism. And I decided, you want to know something? Being on the east coast, being in Hackinack, being close to New York, I can take that education and use it for the benefit of me and my future with children, wife, whatever. And it all came to pass the way I wanted. I've been involved, as many know, on the city council for 16 years. And then I took a step back and it's not a step back. I was elected to the board and served nine more years on the board. Said it's time. Took

201some time off. And people came to me and said, "You need to run for the board again." I said, "They want this old hack be on the board again." They said, "Yes, you have the knowledge, you have the financial background, and that's something this board is lacking." So, three years ago, myself and my team um ran for the board and we won. moving forward. Um, I used to be on social media and found out it's not as good as it was cracked up to me. There was information that was factual but kind of twisted. Where am I going with this? I am so grateful that people come out and attend our board meetings. They hear it firsthand. They may not always agree. We've had some very serious discussion as a board about how do we

202get out of this mess? And I think it's kind of proven itself by the amount of time that administration put into this and the fact that I got the county superintendent approved our budget. Um, it takes us into a step in the right direction for how we envision this district and our kids to benefit from the education in all these buildings that we have. So with that, I like Ken Martin has said often, please come out to our meeting. You want information, you want answers. This is the source for both. You get to hear it and you get to ask the questions and those that we ethically can answer, we will. And as the president has said often, when the time comes that we can release the information that we talk about in in executive

203session, we will and you'll have all the facts. I know that administration is working on the plan. Well, I agree. When you're in business, you develop a fiveyear plan. If you're running a good business, that helps you know that year one through year five is where you're headed. And then you develop another five years because you've reached your goal for that first five years. So please come out. Please ask your question whether you like our answers or not. You know you're getting the feedback that you're requesting. So thank you to those who lasted the whole evening. We appreciate the fact that you're still here and uh thank you, Madam President. >> Thank you. Uh Trusty Austin Balapucha, >> good evening. Um I just want to say to Miss Alberta, for someone who doesn't like numbers,

204they like you. I think you did a masterful job in explaining some things to us and we appreciate you for that. Um, I I really appreciated the presentation. I also appreciated the athletics presentation. It gave it it was very clear on what we have, what we can keep, and how we're going to do the best we can to meet the needs of our athletes going forward. And I really appreciate Mr. Monosano, Miss Canestrino, and whoever else uh contributed to that presentation as well. Shout out to our academic decathlon students. That's my tribe. But also, shout out to our championship track team. I think they took took home a couple titles recently. Sorry, not my tribe. I can't even run the vacuum cleaner. But so I really admire our track team. Um, this job, this job

205on the board is taking us to places that we didn't think we'd go. um the newest place I think that we seem to be headed down a road of some legislative advocacy and that's the next frontier of of some of the work that we've that we're that we're faced with and um whatever we can do to advocate for this community, whatever we can do to serve this community, we're willing to do that. Um so stay tuned for what that part of the journey will look like. Thank you everyone for coming out. We appreciate your contributions. Trusty Mahamsa. >> Oh um thank you very much. Um I think uh it's really hard to know what to say. Um, you know, it feels like ever since there was a change in the district administration, um, back in

206June of last year, it feels like forever ago. And, um, it was like an onion, you know, trying to peel back the layers of information, everything that we didn't know. Um and that first phase was really just that factf finding. I mean Miss Agostra in the business office worked tirelessly with acting superintendent parchment um assistant superintendent Markx just to find out and piece together all of this information to figure out what was our condition. We didn't know what was our financial position. We didn't have a complete PCR and thanks to Miss Diaz, we were able to put that together. And that took a really long time to get all all that information right. And the second phase has now just ended with the call that we got today approving our budget. And it's a crappy

207budget. I mean, we're not happy about the cuts that are in that budget, but it is a significant achievement because it really helped us to first of all maintain local oversight of our schools and avoid a state monitor. Um, and that's a big deal because you've seen other districts where they have had state monitors for 10 years and those state monitors make cuts, but they make deep cuts and they slash everything and anything. And so, at the very least, we're able to maintain that local oversight um of our own schools and avoid that state monitor. But that's really just the second phase. And now the third phase is going to be equally as hard because now it's time to pick up the pieces um and to figure out how we actually work to restore first

208of all financial stability. Um and we know that those first two phases have been really difficult for our staff, for our students and the whole community, very stressful and uncertain. And um we know that there are still serious challenges ahead and we you know someone asked us last week, can you tell us that you are committed to rebuilding and restoring the things that have been cut and we said last week yes we are all committed our board and our administration and you know the things that you hear like just today with the example of the general general counsel, you know, is not a common practice, but it's a way that we can actually save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. And then you hear really creative ideas by other trustees like Trustee Jones. Um, and

209what was really refreshing was to just hear how our related services staff came together, even knowing this very bleak reality that we are faced with to put together such a thoughtful presentation and send out thoughtful email and make thoughtful comments. And as Melanie said, it's very enlightening um because there's a lot of information that we as trustees don't know. Um we have a wonderful in-house expert on special services in our president. Um but you know it's really helpful to hear from you all and even though we had to make these votes today because of statutory deadlines that we have for end of year as everyone I think here has said we are not ending that conversation and we're going to look through everything with a fine tooth comb. you've shed light on some areas that

210now are going to require um a lot of deep analysis. And so our commitment is not only about restoring programs, field trips and athletics and things, but special services, as everyone has said, as our families have said, our most vulnerable students, they are a priority. And so I just want to reiterate that commitment not only for me but I know from all of my fellow trustees. And um I uh I also just want to say I know that it feels like when you come up here and make comments it's like you're talking to a brick wall because we can't really interact and can't really show our emotions and or we can't respond in real time. And that's because we have a responsibility to make sure when we answer we're giving you the right information. and

211complete information. We don't want to peacemeal things. So, I know it's frustrating and things seem to op operate in slow motion and um we are going to try and do our best to get complete information in a quicker way, but it is really important that we hear from everyone. So, please don't think that you're talking to a brick wall where your comments are just said out put out in the ether and they don't go anywhere. We're we're taking them in. We all take copious notes throughout this time and watch our meetings over and over again. As difficult as it is to sit here, we know it's much harder for the people who are not going to be with us next year. And we appreciate immensely everyone's service and loyalty to our district and most importantly

212our students. And we want to do right by all of you and all of our students. And that is our commitment and I wish things could be done in a quicker way. But just know we are committed to doing that. And I do want to end on a positive note because it is very overwhelming. But I do want to just congratulate our academic decathletes. Um I was also an academic dicathlete although back in Westwood. Um and um so I I know what an achievement that is to make it to nationals and then to see those medals that speaks to everyone's hard work across the district as educators, as administrators, as all of our staff are are the village that you know create that success. So thank you to and congratulations to those students and thank

213you for sticking out this meeting. Um and sorry for the long comments. Thank you. Uh, Trusty Pringle. >> Yeah, I know I talk a lot. So, where do I start? Um, I want to say I am glad that out of all the towns in Bergen County that I chose to have my last two kids um, go through the school system in this town. Um my son was a graduate of 2022. Um my youngest daughter um will be graduating class of 2026. Um I learned more than what we had to go to like mandatory classes for. What I've learned by being on the board and living in Hackinack is a sense of what community is. Um, me growing up in the Bronx, you I would never have saw I stayed in New York. I don't think

214I always lived in a community but never was part of a community. My parents didn't do things like this, you know, in Hackes. This is my first time. I've lived in Garfield. I lived in Clifton since I've been in Jersey. And this is the first time I've ever been a part of a community. So, Lauren, um although there weren't many questions, um you know, I didn't have any answers for you um when you reached out, but I did say to you that um I appreciated and I felt flattered that you wanted to speak to me. Um the reason why I said that was now you understand it was bigger than what you wanted to share. it was more so she actually make me feel like I was a part of hackath you know like a

215community person um so yeah that's that's how I'm feeling and you know I pray for all of you guys I pray for um myself uh Reverend Davis always a big supporter understanding um even on a personal level I appreciate you Reverend Davis um I appreciate my board members, every one of you, our superintendent, our BA, um our attorney, too. Um um so yeah, I I just wanted to say that um although this is like a somber time and you know, I don't give up is what I'm saying is like don't give up. Trust me, with all the challenges that I've gone through in my life, trust me, I think that um we're going to make it through. We have to stick together as a community. We're all human. I have feelings. Okay. Um and the

216other thing is what I learned too, um is that it's very important to listen. So although we may not always have the answers, what I've learned is that is the time and effort that you put into just listening makes a big difference. Um, everyone have a blessed night. Get home safe and I will see you soon. Good night. >> Thank you, Vice President Martin. >> Good evening again. First, I want to just congratulate our uh decathlon students on a job well done. Thank you for bringing um the medals home and u uh showing uh everyone what a comet really is like and we are the blue and gold. I hope channel 7 picked that up and uh put our students on TV. That's something positive. That's something great. Um I also um to our special

217service um you guys your um your um presentation report. I I I looked at it many times and um I see you spent a lot of time on it. You put a lot of energy, a lot of brain power behind it. Uh this board do appreciate it. We did discuss it. We did talk about it and uh we do appreciate it. uh what you uh the hard work you put into it and the thought you put behind it. Um so, you know, we'll let um we'll see let the um our superintendent and our special uh director um go through it and uh we'll you know try to work with them on that. Um also I want to just um speak on the budget. Um, yes, it has been uh uh passed by the uh county

218and and it seemed it's going to go forward all the way. So, we kind of weathered that first storm and I tell you from last year all the way up to now, we thought we was living in hell with many meetings. We had long meetings. I think the longest one was till 3:30. and uh we stayed and we went to every meeting and I don't think there's one board member have missed a meeting because we are committed. We really wanted to get through this. We wanted that zero and uh we would there's things we had to do that we didn't appreciate doing but is either get to the zero or have the state come in and with no heart at all and make it even worse. They they see they don't see the things we

219see. They not they not part of the community. Plus, we will have to pay them an extremely amount of money to come in and do some things that we uh really held back and try to get to uh zero. So, I do commend um our um team in the um in the board office, Andrea uh team, you know, on the the work that you have done, the time you have put into it. Um although that you guys have your own personal problems you was going through as you can see Miss Mark's not here. She went through um difficulty with her um health. She had health issues that she's um correcting. And we all uh same with our board members. We all had outside things as well as dealing with what we had to deal with.

220So, we weathered this and now we have a second half to go through, another storm, and that's coming in September. And we're going to get through that as well. And um uh once we get through that, things uh we should start getting better. It it doesn't seem that way, but that dark cloud is going to move from over top of Hackinack. So, um just uh bear with us. uh you'd be surprised what can happen from between now and September. Um there's a lot of things that we have talked about some good ideas that we are coming up with um that we of course we can't discuss. Uh that's that's the worst part about this or being on this board. We hold a card that you can't see. So with that, there's a think of a

221big puzzle and you guys don't have that missing piece and we do and we can't give it to you because of personnel reasons or whatever or or uh just uh ethics problems that we can't discuss with you. So just deal be a uh deal uh deal with us, be with us, support us, and we'll support you. We keep um we going we're going to get through this storm, the second storm. So again, continue on coming out. It's important that you come out. Uh in my closing I always say uh that microphone is your microphone and that is uh you have our ears and uh please it it's extremely important to be here in this meeting to get the information the right information and not to make your own assumptions on what you think and and

222and what's probably going to happen and oh I heard and uh I don't do um social media so I don't know what's on there. I don't know what's said on there, but from what I understand, I hear people talking what's on there. Uh, if you want your answer, that microphone and this and the people here this day is is the one that you're going to get the true answer from as much as we can give you. Again, uh, have a good night and, uh, we'll see you at the next meeting. >> Thank you. All right. Try to get us out before the bell rings. >> Okay. Very quickly, I just want to uh recognize it's special education week. Um and yes, special education week. Um, one thing that I always try to practice is during

223special education week, I always reach out to my son's therapists, teachers, paraprofessionals, and uh, just remind them how great they are and how much they have shaped and helped support your child during their time. Um, so I encourage our parents, I encourage um, our guardians to just send an email to those that are supporting your child during their educational uh, time here. It is very important. and it means a lot to them and I I promise you that um it also mean a lot to you as well. Um it is also mental health awareness month. Um I encourage you to unplug unplug as much as you can um from a lot of the noise that is going on. Um a lot of the noise that's going on is causing a lot of divide. They are

224deflecting and they're trying to destroy. Do not let those people destroy your inner peace. Unplug, take a walk, do whatever makes you happy at least for five minutes in a day, 10 minutes in a day if you can go out and do something for yourself. Um, we are at the end of our school year where there's a lot to celebrate for our students, a lot of their achievements. I look forward to attending the top 20 dinner, which is one of my favorite things to go to. Um, next month we will be celebrating our students who have received the seal of biiteracy which is a huge deal um in our district because usually those numbers are very high. Um, I want to shout out and support our PTA who has their duck derby. I'm very excited

225that the duck derby is back. It was here as a big thing when I was in in school and I am very happy that we are continuing that tradition. Um, so please attend. I I believe the date was also changed from the previous flyer. Um, prom is coming up, graduation. I want to give lots of praise to our seniors. I hope you have a wonderful time and I can't wait to see you on the fields in June. And two more things. I would like to just commend the public, those of you who were here in person, for being respectful and coming up and saying what you need to say with respect. Um, also listening to each other. It's much different when we are here in a smaller space while we're trying to conduct business and

226people are are having side conversations. And I appreciate that there was less of that this time around because it allows us. That's not the bell I was looking for. There is a bell. I know that was my three minutes. It is almost um but but it's very important right because this it is you guys are the audience watching us conduct our business. So it is important that we are able to hear those of you who are at the podium and as well as each other when we're speaking. So the respect that we saw today and being appropriate is exactly what we want to see. Uh and lastly, I wanted to shout out Trustee Austin Balaputra who will be receiving an a certificate um from our New Jersey school boards um association for her new board

227member boardship. So that means she has done everything possible to gain all her certificates as a new board member this year. Congratulations. All right. And with that, thank you all for joining us till this late evening. Um we will see you in June or at any of the future events. Oh, the HA dinner that will be happening I believe next week. So we will see you there. Um can I have a motion to adjurnn? >> Motion. Motion from Trusty Stein, second by Chucky Pringle. All those in favor say I. >> Anyone opposed? Thank you all. Good night. It is 11:57 p.m.