December 17, 2025 Board Meeting

001Good on Friday. Good evening, everyone. Good evening. Please stand for the flex loop. Hyperal. of the United States of America. Falicious land. with liberty and justice for all. Please be seated. In accordance with the Open Public Meeting Act, NJSA 10-4-6. Adequate notification of this meeting has been provided by advertising in the record, and 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 prior notice to the board meeting to the Acting School Business Administrator. Landita Aghastra at lagastra at hackensackschools.org. I hereby call to order the joint regular public meeting on Wednesday, December 17th. 2025 in the Hackasek High School Media Center at. 618 PM. Ms. Lagastra, can you please do a

002roll call? Ms. Alston-balaputra? Miss Amarehamza. Here. Mr. Carroll? President. Ms. Gilmore? Here. Mr. Jones? Right. Mr. Martin? Present. Ms. Pringle? Present. Ms. Harris? Present. Mr. Stein? Here. And also present with us tonight are the following districts from Rochelle Park and South Hackensack. If you can please acknowledge that you are present. Vice President Christina… Ms. Christina Holtz? She's running late. Trustee Ms. Elaine Renon? Absent. Trustee Michelle Jacobs? Absent? Superintendent Dr. Sue DeNobo? Awesome. And Vice Principal Nicole Santino. Thank you. Can we have a quorum. Thank you so much. Again, I just want to acknowledge and welcome our Ascending districts here tonight. We do have some members that are absent, but others will be arriving shortly, so thank you for joining us this evening. At this time, we have our student presentations. and we are going to

003hit it off with the Hackensack High School Chorus. Good evening, everyone. My name is Julie Platty. I am the chorus teacher here at the high school. This is my 15th year here at Hackensack High School. And it is my joy to present to you the Honors Chorus. This is members of the Honors Chorus are in the front row, and combined with the mixed chorus, they're in the second and third rows. Uh, the first piece will be presented by the Honors Chorus. It's a very brief. Uh, welcome to the holiday season, sort of. Um, but I wanted to say a word about the second piece. Um, Hine Matov is in Hebrew. And I just wanted to make sure that you all know that the translation means. Look at how good it is when people live together

004in peace. And of course, we've taken class time to talk about. Um, places where there isn't peace in this world, and where it's needed so badly. And of course, um, the Hanukkah night. mass shooting in Australia is heavy on all of our hearts. So, it's not just Hanukkah, it's not just Christmas, it's not just winter. But it's a hope for peace. For all of us. And then we finish up with our annual sleigh ride. And a Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Come on, it's lovely when the first lay right together with you. Come on, it's lovely when the first day we're together with you. Getting up, getting up, giddy up, let's go Let's look at the show We're running in a wonderland. Just over your head. Stay right together with you. We'll be singing

005the songs we love to sing without a single stop and a fine place lovely watch the chestnut spot. These wonderful things are the things you've never thought through. Come on, it's lovely, wonderful, sleigh right together with you. You move on, it's lovely weather force may run together with you. Let's go! Let's look at this show. When our cheeks are now. Just like two birds must say that. Play right together with you. They write together we do. Slay! Thank you so much, that was amazing. Um, now we have our new initiatives at the Hackensack High School. Presented by… Our principal, high school principal, James Montesano, and. Hackesack High School students. tough act to follow. Again, so just welcome to the Board of Education. I know it's a very busy time of year, but thank you to

006our own Board of Education for having us here today. Uh, the Rochelle Park Board of Education in South Hackensack as well. Uh, we truly enjoy and appreciate your partnership, so thank you. Tonight, it's just an opportunity for us to show some of the new initiatives that we have at Hackett Psych High School. Mostly in the STEM department, but I think they're going to be pretty impressed with our best asset, which is our students. Uh, just some quick introductions. I am Jim Afesato, I'm the high school principal. Uh, with me tonight is Patty Lozano, who's the grade 12 assistant principal. And her assistant? Her daughter? Um, Bob Greenwood, who's the 10th grade assistant principal? And Selso King, who's the 9th grade assistant principal. Initially, we were asked if we wanted to do the singing tonight as

007an administrative team. However, I think this was a slightly better choice by us, um, again, to let our little shining stars, you know, kind of lead the way for us. Additionally, we have some wonderful directors, supervisors who kind of help make the wheels go. Um, with us tonight is Rich Delvecchio, our STEM supervisor. And I see Marcelo Mancloa, Director of World Language, ESL, and Bilingual. So tonight, uh, we have an op… we have some pretty cool things, I think, going on at the high school as a former science teacher, it always. amazes me to see how fast technology really is, kind of, you know, leading the way when it comes to some of our new science initiatives. Uh, you're gonna hear from probably our most important asset, which I see all the time, is our

008students. You're going to hear. their passion when it comes to some of these new courses, one of them is advanced topics in science research. AP Environmental Science, which obviously is pretty appropriate, you know, nowadays, uh, Honors Bilingual Program, and obviously architecture. If on your way into closed session, or on your way out, they have some of their projects and a microscope set up of some of their work. Um, you're gonna hear some, you know, pretty interesting things, but without further ado, I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Delvecchio. I told him he has, like, a minute. Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Montesano. Uh, good evening, board members. I literally am going to do this in a minute. Um, so these new initiatives, uh, came out over the last, uh, one or two years. And uh…

009I'm gonna give you a quick overview of the program. Ms. Parchment always challenges us to know what our why is. So as a department, we got together, and we came up with 3 why statements. Um, and these courses that you're going to see tonight are thematic, and they're mission-driven. So the first, uh, students as thinkers. So we want our students to become scientifically literate. to participate in our democracy, to become critical thinkers. reason, scientifically, but also we want to make a commitment to scientific research. So Dr. Keeler is going to bring his scholars up. and go through some actual authentic research that they're doing and sharing with the scientific community. Second, we agree we want our students to be leaders in equity. And on June 15, 2020, our board passed a resolution. For anti-racist teaching

010and equity. Uh, we believe that the legacy of disparities in STEM education, both in education and in careers, can be disrupted when our students see that. So you'll see, uh, Mr. Santobanez and his educator, uh, his, um, students come up and talk about the honors bilingual Program. And finally, uh, not finally, there's two more. Um, students as environmentalists, so New Jersey was the first state in the nation to commit to climate change education and code. Um, and we have climate change education in all of our curriculum. But also, we wanted to have coursework that specifically highlighted that. So you're gonna see Ms. Weir and her scholars talk about AP Environmental Science. And lastly, a commitment to getting students access to high-paying careers. And the CTE department, you're going to see Ms. Raza is not here,

011but her students are, and they're going to tell us about the, uh. architecture fair that they had last year, and if we have it again this year, everybody will be invited. It is right here. So, uh, thank you so much. I'm going to bring up. Dr. Ben Keeler, I don't know if he's going to tell you, so I'm gonna add him. He has a PhD in neuroscience, running our research club. So, uh, Dr. Keeler? That's great, this is birthday! Good evening. Would you believe I'm turning 25 today? It's… My name's Benjamin Keeler, and uh, as Mr. Dalvecchio told you, I used to do biomedical research for about 15 years before I became a teacher. Um, I really enjoyed that research, and I wanted to bring it to our students here in Hackensack. Um, and so.

012with Mr. Dalvecchio, we began working on this class. Um, and we wanted to bring students, um, an authentic scientific research program. To help them navigate scientific literature, and also to allow them to design their own personal projects that they were passionate about. Um, the scope of the program starts with them learning the basic. uh, techniques that we do in the lab… oh, I'm sorry. Oh, thank you. Um, the basic techniques that we use in the lab, and how to read scientific literature, then they begin designing their own projects, and that's where they are right now. Um, later on, they'll start collecting their data and analyzing it, and then at the end of the year, they're going to present their data as a written paper, and also they're going to present it in Philadelphia at a

013symposium hosted by eClose. Or, sorry, the eClose Institute, which is actually run by a former alumnus here at Hackensack, Dr. Alana O'Reilly. Um, last year there were 6 students in the class, and I have their posters up here. I was able to bring them over here, so if you want to get a closer look at them. Um, this year, our projects range from cancer to behavior and neurodivergence. Um, we have a student doing a design project related to engineering, and we have another student looking at aging and reproduction. But I think it's way more interesting to hear from the students themselves, so I'm going to bring up. Uh, three of our scholars. Um, first we'll start with Asana Garcia. Uh-huh. Hello, my name is Yusana, and I'm a senior. I took this class due to

014my fascination with science research. And when I saw this class, it felt like a sign I needed to take it. In the future, I would like to get my MD-PhD in hopes to become an immunologist. Which is why my project revolves around. My project is specifically involved with cancer research and its links to the immune system. The human body has both an adaptive and an innate immune system. Researchers have been studying the innate immune system in hopes of strengthening it. Due to the fact that it is the body's first line of defense. I will use the Drosophila melanogaster, or the fruit fly. to learn how to strengthen the innate immune system, hopefully helping cancer patients in the future. Hi, my name is Winnie, and I'm a graduating senior taking Mr. Keeler's research class. I chose

015this research class because in the future, I hope to become a pediatric oncology nurse, and I thought that this class will help me provide with new research skills that will be useful in the future. From my independent project, I'll be using the Drosophila melanogaster fruit fly and experiment. Ting with specific supplemental vitamins and the effects they may have on fruit flies with breast cancer strains. Specifically monitoring how the supplements affect tumor growth through assays like ovary dissection and gene mutations. Lastly, we'll hear from today, you know? Hi, my name is Janae Neal. Um, I enrolled in this course because as an aspiring doctor, I wanted early exposure to scientific research. I've learned how scientists form questions, design experiments, and analyze data and translate results into something that can help people. I also wanted to challenge

016myself beyond my regular science classes and start building the skills I'll need in college and medical school. Such as critical thinking, data literacy, and scientific writing. My project focuses on whether improving sleep quality can enhance memory and learning in Drosophila flies with brain cancer. To explore this, I plan to test different sleep-related conditions, including temperature changes, light exposure, and food intake before sleep. The use of Drosophila flies as a model provided by Mr. Keeler's class had been beyond helpful in understanding how certain brain cancer mutations affect cognitive function. They set the bar pretty high, but again, I think our futures, and obviously great hands with, you know, this is just a microcosm of, you know, who's in the class, but I don't know if they know it yet, but at the end of the year,

017they actually present their research paper, their research projects to the administration. I understand about 10% of it even being a former science teacher, but honestly, it's wonderful just to listen to their passions. And just to kind of watch them in action, and actually, you know, view their experiments firsthand. Um, next, we're gonna bring up Mrs. Weir, who is our AP Environmental Science teacher, and. She's also our Governor Educator of the Year. And she loves when we talk about how embarrassing she is, but she's wonderful. Thank you, thank you, appreciate it, very appreciated. Um, so yes, I am Brooke Zuir. I've been here for 7 years at Hackensack High School, and this is my third year teaching AP Environmental Science. having… not had it in the school for about 10 years, it was my job to

018basically revive it, and. We've built it up a decent amount in the past 3 years, so to put into perspective, last year we only had. 7 students in the class, and this year we have 22. So we've built it up, hopefully maybe two sections next year, we'll see. Um, thank you. But, so, the purpose of the course. is we want students to be able to think critically about. what's going on in the environment through the lens of human impact. That's kind of the major focus of this course. So, some of the skills that we want the kids to be involved with is being able to first identify and analyze environmental issues, natural and. human-made. Evaluate what are the risks associated, so how does this impact us in the future? And for future generations, and ultimately

019proposing solutions. That's a really big focus of the course, is. Yes, these problems are happening, and some of them might not be completely reversible, but what can we do to mitigate the issues or try to. advance ourselves to be able to live with the new normals. So, beginning of the year, we get into the basics of what happens in the world, how does the environment work, how do species interact. What are some of the major processes that happen in the environment? And then the end of the year, we get into actually what is the human impact. How does it affect our waterways, our, you know, farming practices, um, climate change, what is that? What is global warming? And we always relate it back to Hackensack, which is. Sorry, really awesome, because we have so many

020resources here that we can actually use to mark. changes in the environment. So… Some of the things that we're able to do. Um, we've been able to make some really good connections over the past 2 years. Last year, we added, on top of the Hackensack Riverkeeper, who always lets us go on a river tour. comes into the classroom to talk, we've done some river samples, we've been able to actually, like. test some of the qualities of the Hackensack River. We've also partnered up with the Department of Environmental Protection, and last year we were able to go on a field trip. to see their water resource management and learn a little bit more about macroinvertebrates and just get their hands on some actual data. So, enough from me. Um, a lot of labs that we're going

021to be talking about, um, and I'm going to bring up my first student, Liesell Napoleon, who… this is his… he's in the class this year. He's been in the class for about 3 months, and he just wants to talk a little bit about. What is it called? Uh, good evening, my name is Liza Napoleon, and I'm a junior in Ms. Weir's AP Environmental class. 4 months into this course, I've learned, um, to write sharper focus. My FRQs show it, fewer words, stronger claims, enough detail to matter. That discipline has made me a better argumentative writer. and a better prepared college student. I plan to become an ecologist in the future, and this class feels like road training and not busy work. The course blends guided notes, and collaborative work. And we also have very interactive

022labs. In a recent lab, we studied soil science using samples we collected around town. We analyzed to determine sand, silt, and clay content. Then measured porosity and permeability. and nutrient availability. Um, from this, I learned how soil texture shapes. Um, soil behavior, for example, clay-rich soil tends to hold more nutrients, while. Acidic soils usually depleted in nutrients. As we connect this to climate change and its local impacts. I'm becoming more aware of how environmental issues affect my community. And how I can, um, play a role in environmental… Solutions. Okay. Zadie was in my class last year. Hello, good evening. My name is Edie Lopez, and I was Mr. Weir's student last year in her AP Environmental Science class. So I have a short little blurb, a little story. Um, and… I will further discuss it.

023So last year, I took a college prep environmental science, which here in Hackensack High School is one of the most standard and basic classes that we took. And at first, I thought it was a silly class that I took to fulfill my junior year, a science requirement. Um, and I wasn't planning on taking it seriously, but little did I know. Um, of my opinion on environmental science. would soon to be changed. Um, Ms. Zawir, uh, the instructor, she enlightened me to the importance of keeping our planet healthy. Through recycling, knowing the dangers that humans pose to the environment, and the benefits of composting to repair the soil. To repair the soil, and many other topics. Uh, that will soon be discussed. Um, the class was so impressive that I jumped to the opportunity to join

024AP, um, Advanced Placement. Uh, when given the chance. Uh, taking the AP environmental science may have shortened my lunch period in half, but it didn't shorten the amount of knowledge that I gained. Or the, uh, appreciation that I have for Ms. Deweir, who truly believes in her students. Um, it was totally worth it, and if I could start over, I would have started with AP to begin with. The highlight of environmental science was the chip that we took to the co-ed crews of the Hackensack River tour. Where we learn the history of the river and how it's maintained itself, um, and the importance of the meadowlands here today. Uh, Ms. Deweir, um… I'm sorry, another memorable activity that we did was the bycatch lab. Where every year, 1 million of the fish are killed when

025accidentally caught by fishermen. Uh, which is further called bycatch. Uh, we were challenged to design a net that limits the amount of extra fish caught and focus on the. targeting fish, the one that we're supposed to get. Um, you are now looking at the winner of that lab. As you can see, my name is on the red star. Thank you. Um, Mr. Weir took our in-class discussions and supplemented it with outside-of-the-classroom instruction. Uh, further taking us on our, uh, field trips. Uh, which then further expanded our knowledge, um, with real-world experiences. In closing, AP Environmental Science helped me change my world by viewing. And helping me to become more aware, more attentive. Of what the impact is on today's environment and our world today. Thank you. One of the interesting things I found out just

026tonight is that they took samples from around town. And one of the samples they took was from Mr. King's backyard. This man spends more time landscaping, seeding, power seeding, doing this, and they said his was the worst around, so… My good buddy, it's time to hire a landscaper. Uh, this next one really is… it's pretty remarkable how far we've come in such a short amount of time. We have a principals advisory committee that was started a few years ago. Um, and you know, sometimes… you don't really see the forest for the trees, so to speak, and. Some of the feedback that we got from our students really was amazing, and one of the key things that we. listen to our students, and we heard was that ESL kids and bilingual students didn't have the opportunity

027to come to transition. into honors tracks. And you know what, it really did break our hearts, because we thought we were doing a great job, and we failed miserably. Until we listen to them. Uh, Mr. Delfecchio, myself, and the rest of the administrative team, we really just. kind of worked with the staff, the staff were beyond… you know, welcoming and trying to get this track involved, and I think this is really one of our home runs that we started. And to tell us about it, I think, is one of the most important things one of our students, Ashley Martinez. And Mr. Santovan is one of our… he's our bilingual Honors Biology teacher. Good evening. Uh-oh. Well, I'm Mr. Mario Santovanis, Class of 2000. bilingual owners, biology teacher here in Hackensack. So what is bilingual owners

028biology? It's pretty much. The same exact curriculum as honors biology. where we follow the College Board pre-AP lesson plans, which were created to be academically challenging. while fostering independent and collective work. How do we get here? Well, it was an evolution. Uh, for the services towards our multilingual, uh, population. with one constant, the multilingual population has been increasing in the past few decades and continues to increase. In the 1990s, we offered ESL science. In the 2000s, we offered ESL biology and inclusion classes. in the 2010s, when I came along, bilingual biology, and now in the 2020s, honors bilingual Bio. But who better to tell you about this class than one of my former students? So let's welcome Ashley Martinez. Thank you so much. My name is Ashley Martinez. I'm a senior, and I took this

029class. When I was a freshman, I plan to study economics and international or international business, and today I'm going to talk about the class and my personal experience. Buffers, what does that look like? A typical unit in honors biology will start with data collection on a given phenomena where we will be. Task to find patterns and conduct. For their analysis, as you can see. The topics will range from protein. synthesis to DNA mutations. Leading to an explanation for biodiversity. One thing I will never forget. is how we were asked multiple times to create personal models. to think about our thinking and revise our models into final product using poster papers. Or computer programs. One project I will always remember is how we found out through our Google Maps that there were less trees in Hackensack.

030For example, this is Clay Street in 2012. and in 2022. We figure out that in 10 years, Hackensack had lost at least 2,000. 2,000? No, I'm sorry. 200 trees, and none were replaced. And the main question became. Why are there less trees in Hackensack? To answer that question, our class conducted a research on treat benefits. Hackensack. as a watershed, urban development, city politics, history, and redlining. Relevant climate change topics and effects on the ecosystem. Through the lessons, we were asked to create initial models, which we revised again and again. onto the end of the unit, to finally have a visual model. to answer our main question. We found out that the city politics and non-involvement. of citizens, what was the reason? for having less trees. As you can see here. So, we decided to do

031something about it. And we use everything we learned to create a proposal for tree planting at our campus, which I believe was instruments. instrumental in having more trees at our scope. This is actually my group's, um, proposal tree. And I think we did a pretty good job, as I can see around the school, there are many trees we propose, and I feel pretty proud about it. And to finalize, I would like to emphasize that this class provided me with opportunities such as expanding my academic potential. It was an opportunity to grow and learn useful skills, such as critical thinking, analyzing and understanding complex. Data and other skills. These skills, I was able to translate them and use them in Honors AP classes I took, and I'm currently taking. Not only that, the honors bilingual classes

032allows the ESO students with an aspirational mind. demonstrate their full intellectual intelligence without a language barrier. Thank you so much. And to bring us home, uh, we have a new course, we hired a new teacher last year after retirement. Uh, we were very worried, because, you know, filling some of the industrial arts and the CADs and the architecture is not easy. Not only did we find a home run, but we also found the female, which is really opening just more and more doors. you know, for females in, you know, some of the traditionally male-dominated classes. Unfortunately, she's taking her master's tonight because she is that much of a go-getter. Um, but to talk about it tonight, or something for students. Thank you. Okay. Oh, listen, Tom. Oh. Okay, alright. Damn, alright. Okay, it's just a

033little tall. Alright, thank you! Okay. Um, good evening. My name is Michaela Savient. Um, Dustin DiCambri. And, um, Devin DeCambri. And… ooh! We are excited to present Hacketsack High School's architectural program, which includes a Level 1, 2, and 3. As students, our mission is to challenge ourselves to imagine new ideas, work together, and bring our designs to life using tools, models, and digital programs. We use a variety of tools and programs and resources, including manual drawing tools, Autodesk Revit. Photoshop, and, um, GAD! Our classroom also includes multiple 3D printers that we use throughout the year. Our course topics range from 2D and 3D drawing. CAD, computer-based design through Revit, architectural drawings, model building, interior design. graphic design through Photoshop, structures, and climate change. I will pass it on to the Architecture 2 students. Thank you!

034So, I'm Debbie Cambri, and I'm a second-year architecture student, and last year, we did our mid-year architectural showcase, and it was about environmental design and also climate change. So what we did is that we went through a tough. process of analyzing our school's environment, and also just making models that also that. Yeah. And also making models that helped us, like. propose new ideas for our school. So, as you can see, there are two student examples right over here. So, on the left, you can see Environmental Haven, that was produced by two or three students. Um, as you can see, it's a sustainable community housing for displaced people in our community. And then on the right, you can see a student design and filtration roof, and this roof was, um, used to collect rainwater, and to

035be more efficient. for our, um, for our community. And for our final project, we were, um, tasked to create and propose a new addition to the Hackensack High School, um, and this was through, um, through the abandon law that's right next to the tennis courts, and as you can see. We studied the area, we studied the sun cycle as well, so we can get more, um… more information about the area, and so then we can propose our best ideas for this. little space that we have over here. So, after working hard for 2 months, everybody was able to create their models and showcase that through our final architectural design showcase that was held in the library. And this was a very community-active event for our school, and I think it really opened the doors for

036everybody to just look at our ideas and also give us feedback on what should be, um. What should be proposed for our school, and what should also be just, I guess. shown for our, um, administrators. So, as you can see here, it's a video. Very interactive for our students. Everybody has to speak about. So, as you can see, from me and Dustin, we created a new addition to the high school, and it will be a hospital wing, and what we're doing here is just trying to add a new addition to the school. in a new area for students to explore the medical field as we are already in the medical area. Um, seeing as the hospital's over there, like, literally around the corner. So, um, what we did is that, through our design process, we

037made a conceptual design first drawing. As you can see right over there, like, right under Real Model. And then what we did was we brought it to Revit so we can get a more realistic sense to it, as you can see all the way in the top left. And we also created the interior design, um… For our, um, our new model, um, so you can just see. What would be on the inside of… The, um, hospital wing. So, as you can see at the top. We have our first floor plan, and we just kind of made a more lab-based interactive, career-based. Um, classrooms, just to get students into a more interactive workflow, and instead of the class to just, like. just doing a lot of, like, lecturing and presentations up in class. I think we

038need to do more, a lot more, um, interactive-based works that's also exposed to career-based jobs. And on our top, we have, um, our second floor is classrooms that. We designed to reinforce the things that we learned inside the lab. to create a better understanding of what is to come on the next level. Here's our… That is over there. If you want to check it out. So, not only… we made a unique design, also our students, we also… they also created a lot of. good ideas and good presentations to kind of show the unique side of architecture. And, as you can see right here, we have, uh, Hackensack Study Cove. kind of like the drop-in we have on our basement floor, but it's just more specific and. uh, kind of centered, so it's like a relaxation,

039study, social interaction place where students can work. And on assignments, and study, and exams and stuff. Here we have is a tennis slash golf. Um… locker room, so we have 3D rendered views. for our, um, interior design, and also our physical model. And here we have is the architecture wing. As you can see with the… the interior design, we have a lot of, um… a lot of introduction to new things that students have never experienced or not really exposed to. in our, um, classrooms right now. And you can see what the floor plan is using a lot of, kind of. using effectively to space, and just bring a lot of opportunity to a lot of students. So, our program, um, consists of future architects, engineers, and designers, and they also. include a lot of program

040skills that kind of translate to career-based skills, but also. personal and real-life skills, like presentations, collaboration, and teamwork that is… worked a lot during the class, and it's shown as we do a lot of presentations around. our year, and it just builds up the life skills that people are gonna use later in their life. And yeah, that's it. Thank you. I think they nailed the presentation part of their skills, yeah. I hope, yep, so I hope tonight that you were able to see. I think one thing that really comes through in all the different groups is just our passion and just the engagement that the students have, and not only. You know, making hack. It's like high school better, but also making the surrounding environment better for our school in our school community. Uh, if

041we could just give maybe a round of applause to not only our staff, but our teachers and students. And that concludes my presentation. I will say, that was truly, truly amazing, and I would love to just. give another round of applause to our students. You guys… Truly, I was blown away by everything, and I just started writing down just a few things that you guys had mentioned. Some of you said you love the challenge. that the bar has said hi. that this is real training, not just busy work. Um, as a teacher, we love to hear that, right? Um… you know, the Honors Bilingual Biology, that truly is so inspiring and amazing, and I love. how you presented so well, and I didn't realize that you do these projects in Spanish, and all the terminology

042is all in Spanish. That alone is impressive. Um, and by the way, the young man who's wearing the Hacketsack versus Everybody shirt, you gotta make sure you hook it up with the full board. Give us the details on that. Um, honestly… They'll pay for it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes, yes, yes, on the record, for the record. Um, but thank you so much, that was amazing. Thank you again. Um, I also wanted to… Oh, sure. I'm sure you have something you wanted to say something? Okay, yes. Um, I also just wanted to acknowledge, uh, one of our sending districts from Rochelle Park, who arrived, um, Ms. Christina Holtz, who was the Vice President at Rochelle Park. Welcome. All right, um, and now at this time, we have our student report from Zoe Gonzalez. Good evening. On

043December 17th, our guidance department hosted Instant Decision Day for our seniors. Over 20 schools participated, offering students the opportunity to be accepted on the spot and waive their application fees, as well as receive instant scholarship offers. A special thank you to the HHS Guidance Department staff for the collaboration in helping to facilitate this event. Our student council is facilitating a spirit week for our HHS community. This holiday event will be taking place daily until the holiday recess. Finally, our winter sports season is underway. We wish all our winter athletes good luck this season on their wrenches. All right, thank you, Zoe. Okay, and, um, before everyone leaves, I just want to wish all of our students and staff a great holiday and a great break. Um, I always say disconnect so that you can reconnect.

044Okay, so use that time wisely. Um, at this time, we're gonna move into executive session, be it resolved that the hack… unless… I'm so sorry, Andrea, did you want to say something now? I'm going to save my comments later for the students, but I still… it was excellent. I'm so impressed. I learned a lot, and I'm just really, really. proud of you, and I see a future and a hope. Uh, but before we go into executive session, I wanted to acknowledge Dr. Superintendent Dr. Sue de NoNobili. For her years of service, she will be retiring effective December 31st, and we just wanted to. Thank you for your service. to the Rochelle Park Educational Community, and for your collaboration with us. And with me, and we are going to miss you. Um, all the best to

045you. Yes, thank you. Be it resolved at the Hackensack Board of Education determines it necessary to meet an executive session on Wednesday, December 17th. 2025 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? I'll offer. Motion by Trust Parmerhemsa. Can I have a second? Second, by Trustee Gilmore. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Any abstentions? All right, it is 7.02. We will try our best to be out by 8 o'clock. Hey, good evening, everyone. May I have a motion to reopen to the public? Motion by Trustee Emmerhemsa. Can I have a second? Second by Trustee Jones. All those in

046favor say aye. Anyone opposed? Any abstentions? Okay, so we are back. It is 9.04. We're moving on to the approval of the minutes. Be it resolved that the Hackesack Board of Education approves the regular and executive session meeting minutes. of November 17th, 2025. And special meeting minutes of December 8, 2025. Can I have a motion? A motion. A motion from Trustee Gilmore, and a second. Second. All second. Second by Trustee Carroll. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Any abstentions? Okay, moving on to our superintendent's report. And that would be our acting superintendent, Mrs. Andrea Oates-Barchment. Good evening, everyone. Our enrollment report. Or, as of December 11th? Uh, we have 5,103 students. Um, you can also see. And broken down by school. And our attendance is 96.63%. the average. residency cases. Received… 6,

04713 year to date. To verify, and 3 year to date. For unverified for November, and 10 year-to-date. Or harassment, intimidation. And bullying report? We had 2 cases. found it, 12 cases unfounded for a total. 14 cases. 3 are pending, and… to, one, had a preliminary determination of not HIV. I also want to… Thank Mr. Montesano. And the Hackersack High School team and our wonderful and talented students for. The presentation, I was very impressed. Uh, with the level of work. Uh, that we saw that they are participating in in their classes. And we have a bright future. with our students. Uh, the high school pep rally. I had a chance to attend one part of it. It was exciting. I arrived during the time of the dance presentation. The students were outstanding. And so, dancing with

048the star contestants cannot even compete with our students. What I saw. It was wonderful. I also attended the Middle School Winter Concert. It was excellent. And the program has grown tremendously. With so many more students participating. in the arts was wonderful. Um… I think it's important to mention. Some of the business of school and what we've been involved with. During the last past month, or probably 2 months. We have met all of our deadlines for the various reports that we have been required to submit. It's been very… Very busy and challenging, but I want to especially acknowledge our special ed director. And the Special Services Department. Our Student Information Systems Department. Our assistant superintendent marks, our Acting Business Administrator, Agastra. Our technology director, and the entire central office staff and also our school administrators for

049all that they provided. So that… it was a team effort, so that we could meet these deadlines. It's been very busy, and I just wanted to acknowledge them. Happy Hanukkah to everyone who celebrates. Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa. And I will say. That we're approaching a new year, and with a new year. There's always hope. For a new beginning? And so I wish everyone hope. And a wonderful, happy. New Year. That's it. I forgot. I'm sorry, I forgot one more thing. The high school had an instant decision day. And students obtain a total of, just for today. 2.1 million today in scholarships, so just… Work node. Yeah. Uh, so we are moving on to public comments. Public participation shall be governed by the following rules. One, if in person, a participant must sign the sign-in sheet

050and be recognized by the presiding officer, and must preface comments. By announcement of his or her name, municipality of residence, and group affiliation, if applicable. 2. Each statement made by a participant shall be limited to 3-minute duration during the public session. 3. 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. We 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 be held until the end of public participation. At this time, the floor is open for public comments. If anybody here present would

051like to speak. Good evening. Good evening. My name is Krishnanabawa. I'm here as a stakeholder and a parent. And a parent of two students at Jackson Avenue School. Oh, thank you, thank you. At Jackson Avenue School, one of them went on IEP. I'm here tonight because I'm deeply concerned about the decision to transfer our vice principal. Mr. Julio Morel. to the middle school. What makes this decision especially difficult to understand? Is that the board? is led by someone who knows personally what it means to raise a child with an IEP. Because of that experience, I expect. decisions, the pri- prioritize stability, consistency. And emotional well-being of students who rely. Unpredictable routines and trusted adults. Last year, when our principal was absent for an extended period of time. Mr. Morel became the steady leader. Our children

052need it. He was the face that the students saw every morning, and greeting them with words and reassurance. For children with special needs. That daily consistency made a real difference. Mr. Morrell, who was also present for parents, he spoke with us outside the building, listened to our concerns, and helped families feel supported when leadership felt unstable. Now, we are being told that Mr. Morel. will be transferred. With our clear explanation to the families most affected by this decision. I'm left asking, how am I supposed to explain my child? that although they trusted the leader. who guided them every day will suddenly no longer. Be there. For students with IEPs, abrupt change is not minor, and it can be confusing, distressing, and disruptive to their progress. I would also like to highlight and question how a

053new vice principal will work with an absent principal. I understand that change must be come to Jackson. But I reassure you, Mr. Morrell is not the problem. It's part of what has been working. The decision feels disconnected from… to our community, and I would also like to state. While us, the parents and the students. may hear other administrators will listen to Mr. Morrell. I respectfully but firmly ask the boards to reconcile this transfer. in the best interest of our students. Thank you for your time. Good evening, uh, board members. My name is Reviana Hadinatha. I have 2 children here in Hackensack District. One is in high school and one in Jackson. Um, I'm here to speak on behalf of the voiceless students. As well as parents and stakeholders of Jackson Avenue School. We come before

054you with deep concern regarding decision to transfer Mr. Morrell. Mr. Morales has been a stabilizing force within our school community. His leadership provides consistency, trust, and sense of security for students, teachers, and staff. At a time when our school needs steady leadership more than ever. The remover of such a leader raises serious concern. among families. Mr. Morales is not only assistant principal by title. But visible? engaged and deeply committed educator. He's present every morning and afternoon greeting student families during arrival and dismissal. These daily interaction matters. They create a welcoming environment. Strength relationship and ensure student feels seen. supported and safe. His presence sends a powerful message to our children that they matter. Beyond daily duties, Mr. Morrell, consistently supports school events. work collaboratively with the PTA. I'm a PTA member. I was on the

055board, too. And he always there. Helping hands with no question. And respond to the family with professionalism, too. Compassion and respect. He leads with integrity and empathy. Fostering a culture of accountability. Kindness and mutual respect. throughout the building. His leadership has helped Jackson grow stronger. More connected and more unified as a school community. We respectfully request transparency regarding the rationale behind this transfer. As parents and stakeholders, we believe decision that significantly. impact our children's learning environment should be communicated clearly. and thoughtfully. Transparency builds trust. Trust is essential to healthy. Partnership between families and the district. Sudden leadership changes create uncertainty. Particularly for students who rely on familiar. trusted adult. So, we strongly urge the board. to reconsider this decision. And to return Mr. Morrell. to Jackson Avenue School. where his leadership has proven effective. And

056we're continuing to make meaningful differences in lives of our students. Thank you. Hi, I'm good. How are you? My name's Erica Livingston. My daughter's been a student at Jackson Avenue School for the past 4 years. I, too, would like to speak in regards to the suggested transfer of Julio Morel. Mr. Morrell has been the glue that's held Jackson Avenue School together. During repeated periods of absent principal leadership. I speak on behalf of many students, teachers, parents, stakeholders, taxpayers, and concerned Hackensack voters when I respectfully ask. That the board reconsider the decision to transfer Mr. Morrell. Mr. Morrell is… the leadership of Jackson Avenue School. If signatures are required for petition, I'm fully prepared to organize one. Uh, please advise how many are needed, and I am confident that I can easily secure those signatures. Um,

057before the next board meeting. I would like to highlight some of the many contributions he's made during his time there. First and most importantly, Mr. Morrell has always made me feel welcome. Um, he's approachable. He makes you feel heard, respected as a parent, and responsive. If he doesn't have an answer, he's gonna make it a priority to find the answer. And that's something that… wasn't available before he was there. Um, he's the building leader who constantly prioritize and participates in parent engagement. as a mission, not an obligation. Um, he's worked to support children's literacy by providing free books, by attempting to bring students to the Board of Education meetings. and showcase their talents, even when it was discouraged. He continued to advocate for students and families, and fought to do so. to do what was

058right, um, even when he was discouraged. Mr. Morrell has personally supported parent volunteers, bringing coffee, lunch during school events. Showing appreciation and respect for our time and efforts. He created Jackson Avenue School's first talent show, which he continues. He gives students an opportunity to take pride in skills beyond the classroom. He regularly attends events, supports PTA meetings, after-school events, again, which is rare in our administration. Under his leadership, Jackson Avenue has achieved the highest NJSLA math score. in the district for the elementary schools, and saw a reduction in chronic absenteeism. Two measurable indicators of positive school leadership. Despite what many of us know to be a toxic environment for work… for employees. Mr. Morrell has remained focused on student success, often with visible support. from many. Jackson Avenue School has a gold standard in leadership

059with Mr. Morrell as vice principal. Removing him would be a disservice to the students, family, and community. His tirelessly supported. Thank you for listening, and I do hope. I can support him and the students in any way I can. Thank you, thank you. Good evening, board. My name is Bettina Thomas. I am a mother of a. Current student at Jackson Avenue School, as well as a child who attends Fannie. Meyer-Hillers in the special education class. Main thing we are here for, which I'm sure all of you are aware by now, is Mr. Morrell. Um, he has been a. meaningful person. He has built meaningful relationships with the student, staff, and most importantly. the families. We… trust him with our children. When we see him there at drop-off. There's nothing more relieving to see him there.

060We know that anything we have a concern on, we can call him. We have seen positive outcomes in student behavior. School culture, and what he most is proud of is the NJSLA scores. It has gone up significantly since he started. And as everyone in the community is obviously not available to be present, I am here to speak on behalf of them. As well. And a few of the concerns they had was. Has anyone from the board come to any of the staff? students or families and asked us what the feelings of the community is before you guys made this decision. And it's just one. thing that we're asking is that somebody from the board just come to the school for. half a day to just see the interaction that our children have with Mr. Morrell.

061when they see him. It's a high-five, it's a hug, it's… Anything that you see our children with him. You know, during drop-off and pick-up, Mr. Morrell is the only person. administration-wise, that is there every day, consistently. Interacting with the students and family. The one thing that we ask is. That… you guys just pause. Do not move forward with this transfer. Just listen to us as families. and protect what is working. We, as a community, are asking for discussion. Transparency and the opportunity to work together before irreversible harm is done. Thank you. Good evening, good, good evening, everyone. My name is Jessica Rojas. Just like everyone else here, I'm speaking on behalf of Mr. Morales. Um, I am a proud alumni of this… of Hackensack High School, and I remember seeing Mr. Morrell around. The school,

062when I was a student, but now that… now, as a parent of two students at Jackson Ave. I truly understand the kind of leader he is to our children. Mr. Morrell is not just our vice principal, he is the true leader in our building. He's part of our children's daily lives. He knows their names, their faces. their struggles and their successes. He shows up every single day with genuine care. to our children, and our children feel that. He is the only… Um, administrative present at every event. Every celebration and every moment that matters to our kids and to all the parents. when our students look around, they see a familiar face. someone who makes them feel safe, supported, and valued. That kind of presence cannot be. cannot be something that I am more proud of.

063When we are in the middle… in the middle of the school year, a time when children especially need stability and consistency. Change at this time will create uncertainty. and other students deserve… and our students deserve better. They deserve the comfort of knowing that people who guide them and protect them will. They'll be there tomorrow. He is the heart of our school. He represents who we are. in what we stand for. For the sake of our students, our families, and our entire school community. We strongly ask that he remains with us where he belongs. Thank you. Thank you, bye. Hello. Sorry. Thank you. I'm so sorry. Hello, my name is Gladys Tuya. I have two kids who attend Jackson Avenue. I am here today at this board meeting to explain how deeply disappointed I am I

064was when I learned Mr. Morell was. going to be moving from Jackson. I am not the only parent who feels this way, as many of us are here tonight to show our support to him. Whenever you see Mr. Murrell at Jackson School, I immediately feel welcome, and more importantly. the… I feel the children feel value and love. If you have ever witnessed his interactions with the children. And I believe many of you have not. you would see the smiles he brings to every child at Jackson. Mr. Morel, he is an outstanding male role model for our children at Jackson. The children light up when he's around, and it truly feels like he knows every single child in that building by names. Last year, he stepped up when our principal was absent. And this proved that

065he had. proved that validity and leadership when our school needed the most. It feels unfair to relocate him. without fully considering the impact this will… be on our children's. They will be left heartbroken and without a possible role model who has. been a lasting difference in their daily life. I urge you to please think about the children at Jackson Avenue School and the well-being of our community. Thank you. Yo tengo unijo en la Jackson Avenue. Y gracias senor Julio more el. podieron hacer su examena el para detectarle un problema que el tiene. No suspectamente como sericen ingles, pero tiene un… El es muyo imperactivo y muchas veces nos empoca lo que tiene que hacer. Entonces yo tuve por parte de fuera que el sien en el examen, pero no… que le podiernan hacer el examiner.

066A parte le es una persona que es muy muy proficenales su trabajo. El mucha gente tanto padres como estudiantes lo quieren y lo admiran mucho, yo cre… No seria justo que le agan un cambio escuela. Yo, pero yo quiziera. que el se quedar a en escuela de la Jackson Avenue para seguir ayudan via portando todo loquelda. A la comunidad de la Jackson Avenue. Yeah, that's okay. Hi, uh, good evening, everyone. My name is Jeffrey Carranza, Hakase Hunt President. I'm the father of Tuk. Children's going to Jackson Avenue School. One is the second grade, the other one is in the third grade. And I have a little one who's going for a special education out of the Hakisa district. I'm here with my children because, uh, Mr. Morel. cares about us. As a community. I'm also,

067um… the father and other child. who is now a young adult. I haven't been in Khakistan for many years. women studying in the Hakistan School District. And I think to, uh, from the bottom of my heart to everyone. However you guys doing for our kids' education. What I don't like about this process. you guys taking decision with. Would I tell parents. Um, is there… is there attempting to move, Mr, um, Julio Morel with, um. without saying anything to the community. And this point in the school year. when we asked the Jackson Avenue community. are very upset about his living without a justible reason. The community of parents the children under Hakistan Avenue School. Do not want him to leave. My children are very sad because. their favorite teacher is leaving. It will be a very

068difficult holiday season for them. And for us to have a deal with these two. Especially. We know the person. Coming to fill his position without. Any purity and knowledge. Or giensip. Provence or principal for about 3 weeks, maybe. Uh, what can I expect with a new bi-principle? Uh, when they won't be a principal to guide him. So, kindly ask… to the board, to considering. He transfers? He's a true leader in our Jackson Avenue community. The only one who's interacting with kids. And as a parent. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. I support Mr. Morrell. He's been… we asked for 4 years. He's part of the family. Heat trace or children as… They were his own. I think he won't… he wants to stay on Jackson Avenue with us. And I would like to support. Mr. Mural,

069to stay on Jackson Avenue. Excuse me, can you state your name? Excuse me? Oh, sorry. My name is Avalio Chavez. Gracias. Good evening, everybody. I'm Mr. Morel. Um, Mr. Moreau, assistant principal at Jackson Avenue School, I'm just gonna grab the mic, because. I have a bad back. This is difficult. So, Mr. Mura, I'm the assistant principal of Jackson Avenue School. First and foremost, thank you. Thank you. First and foremost, I want to thank the board, I want to thank the community for providing this platform, especially the Jackson Avenue School community. This is epic for the Jacksonville School community to raise their voice. This is a community that I think it was stated before, that genuinely. do not raise their voice. Um, they need a voice. It could be a language barrier. We are over 80%

070Hispanic in Jackson Avenue School. And they need a face in Jackson Avenue School. Um, so for them to come out. I want them to give themselves a round of applause, because this is epic. Give yourselves a round of applause. This is Epic, and thank you. Thank you for the kind words. This isn't really just about me tonight. This is about a community that needs us. Right now, Dr. Whiting, who has… I give her all the kudos and praise, your leadership. is outstanding, and I thank you for the meeting you had with me today. Um, wherever I am, I'm going to serve as the Hackensack community, because it's not just Jackson Avenue School, I service Hackensack. Um, but we need consistent leadership in Jackson Avenue School. Um, our staff. Our students need us to be present.

071Our staff and students need us to be fully. committed to servicing our students. I was shocked on Friday when I got the news that I was going to be transferred. And just to be clear. I do not want to leave Jackson Avenue School. Just to be clear, Dr. White, it's not that I don't want to go to the middle school. I was there 5 years, and I loved middle school. But I do not want to leave Jackson at MU school. for that sole purpose. I think Jackson Avenue School. needs a face that looks like them, eats like them, talks like them. And can communicate like them. So they had a meeting with, uh, not just, uh, Dr. Whiting, but also met with Mr. Colliado. And I shared with Mr. Colliado, because we're all being displaced.

072my support. I fully support if Mr. Colliado's going to be at Jackson Avenue School, I fully support him, because it's not about either one of us. is about our community. Um… the one thing that has been consistent, that's the message that's been given to me that I want to leave tonight. is that there are members of our community that have fear. They have fear in their heart. I don't know where the fear comes from. But they're afraid to speak up. For my wife at home, my kids. But also, especially for those that have told me about their fear, please let go of that fear. We need every single one of your voices for Jackson M.U. School to continue to thrive. I am proud to be Jackson Avenue School Vice Principal. If that's the way that

073I end my career, beautiful. But I'm here to service the community. Thank you very much. Good evening, everyone. Good evening. Um, my name is Stacy Wilkins. I am a teacher at Hackensack Middle School. Um, I'm also the PTA president, so I'm kind of speaking. On both ends, correct? I am tired. My colleagues are tired. Our students are tired. We are tired of being gaslit. When will your actions back up the promises you keep selling us? The middle school is seen as the school that needs the most support. Yet every year, you shake the foundation, leaving every single person there embracing for impact. Four years ago, Dr. Whiting was brought to the school to help build stability. and create a strong foundation for us to build upon and showcase how great a school we really are.

074Unfortunately, the first year one of our assistant principals was moved to a new position within the district mid-year. And the start of rebuilding a new foundation began. Take two. The second year decisions and mistakes were made that led us to lose another assistant principal. And getting a new one mid-year. New cracks in the foundation that needed to be repaired. With hiring of our dear Mr. Colliado. Take 3. The middle school is split with the new principal. undermining all the hard work Dr. Whiting had put in the two years before. trying to build stability. more cracks in the already shaky foundation. The new principal is here for one year. And the middle school is back to one building under Dr. Whiting's direction, leaving her to repair the broken foundation of the building yet. Again, take 4.

075We start the school year with a solid administrative team that has been working together for over a year and a half. Each building rapport with the students and staff just for our foundation to take another hit. Mr. Collyato has made his mark on the middle school. As the 5th grade assistant principal, he was the first person our 5th graders met at their orientation. He earned their trust, and his office has become their safe space. Transitioning from elementary to middle is difficult for students, but Mr. Collier has made that transition easier for them. He is their lifeline, and decisions are being made to strip that from them. He is a big part of their foundation at HMS, and here we are again. Bracing from impact from the attack. on our foundation. How is transferring Mr. Colliato

076in the middle of the school year supporting HMS? what is the benefit? what was the purpose of Dr. Whiting being moved to the middle school if every time she worked to build a sturdy foundation, decisions are made that make her have to start all over again. We can only be as strong as our leadership, and every year, our leadership is dismantled. Brick by brick. You don't build a foundation by constantly removing the people holding it together, and you don't get to act surprised when everything begins to crack. Thank you. Anyone else from the public? Okay, can we go for online? Thank you. Yes. Hello, can you hear me? Hi, this is Julie Platty, Hackensack High School chorus teacher. You heard from me in person earlier today, about 3 more hours ago when the course performed.

077And, um, after 15 years of teaching, this is the first time I've ever spoken at a board meeting. Um, I am asking today for the board to please consider allocating funds to replace the HVAC system. For the Hackensack High School music rooms, especially for the chorus rooms. As you may know, that room has no windows, so we are completely reliant on the HVAC system for our. ventilation and our heating and cooling. In my 15 years, the air conditioning has not worked for more than a few days. per warm season. That's 15 years of basically baking in a brick oven from typically mid-April till graduation. One year after the graduation ceremony, the temperature in the chorus room was over 100 degrees. And then again, until around the end of September. Now, that's pretty bad, but the

078heat had always been fairly reliable until this year. Now, the heat is not working correctly anymore. When the heat is on, it gets close to 80 degrees in there, and if the blowers are turned off, it gets down to the low 60s. So, most mornings. either Adam Msufi, who has got to be our school's most valuable person easily, a million times over, he deserves all the praise in the world. He either beats me to it and comes in, or I text him in the morning to come in, and he has to go into the back room and climb up a ladder to reach into the ceiling to turn on the blowers. And then a few hours later, I text him to ask him to come back to shut them off, because it's 75 or 77

079degrees in there, and then he comes back and shuts it off, and then for the rest of the day, the temperature slowly goes back down, and we repeat that pattern every day. It's not a great situation. We're cold, we're hot, we're never comfortable, um, and it's such an old system, it's impossible to get the right parts, so when something is fixed, it breaks again in a matter of days. Um, so I ask you for your consideration to be able to find money in the budget for that expenditure, um, and I very sincerely thank you all for your consideration, and wish you all the happiest of holidays. Yeah, thank you. Good evening, everyone. Shawna Shortridge. Hackersack resident and teacher. Um, good evening, members of the board. I would like to take a moment to recognize the

080outstanding, um… The presentations that I witnessed earlier on, Asana's research on cancer was both powerful. And, um, inspiring. Her dedication to understanding this disease gives me hope. Especially as so many of us are personally. Um, affected through close relatives and friends who are currently battling cancer. I truly pray that her work one day contributes to finding a cure. Um, I would also like to commend Devin and Dustin de Cambre. Um, for their architectural design. Um… for their architectural design project, they represented their work with confidence and professionalism. Um, their vision for a hospital wing and a study cove. Was, um. you know, really well student-centered, and I must say, perhaps next they can take on. a student-led design for the bathrooms in the school. Um, these students were not my personal scholars, um, as in

081elementary education teacher, I'm proud. To, um. you know, listen to their meaningful research in science, technology. It was very inspiring. And this is what the future looks like in Hackensack. And I, again, I pray and hope that Asana is able to find a cure. for cancer, and I'm hoping that the DeCambri brothers will be able to come up with a great visualization. for not only the women's bathroom, but also maybe the boys' bathroom. I haven't been in the boys' bathroom, but maybe the women's bathroom, the girls' bathroom could get an upgrade. Thank you. Thank you. I'm sorry, before we go to the next online person. Can I have a motion to extend the meeting past 10 o'clock? A motion… motion by Trustee Jones. Can I have a second? Second. Second by Trustee Pringle. All those

082in favor say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Any abstentions? Okay, could go on for online. Thank you. Yes. Can you hear me? Hi, this is Jessica Cruz, I'm the Nulli K. Parker PTA President, a middle school teacher at Hackensack community member. Um, tonight, I am… Speaking on behalf of my. Current and former Nellie K. Parker parents. Who are… saddened about the changes. of the transfer between Mr. Julio Morel and Mr. Colliado. Um, first of all, I want to give a huge shout-out to the parents from Jackson who spoke. Um, it sounds like Mr. Murrell is doing a fantastic job at Jackson, and um… To my point, uh, I think Mr. Coyado is doing a fantastic job at the middle school. And I think it sounds like we already know that they should not be swapped. that

083this transfer, uh. is going to affect a lot more than we've realized. Um, this week, actually, I was. uh, confronted by a group of Nellie K. Parker parents who have some had a couple middle school students, and some will have 5th graders next year. And one of the things that comes with being a PTA president, who also works at the middle school, is my 4th grade parents come to me and go, sew the middle school. And they want to know my opinion and what it's like, and what 5th grade is like, and. whether or not they should send their students to the middle school, or consider a charter school. And… Mr. Coyado, um… One of the parents answered before I could. And she said, what a fantastic, uh, experience she had had at the middle

084school with her 5th grader, who is there right now. Uh, with the communication from Mr. Coyado, and just helping the students feel comfortable and at ease being there. Um, and unfortunately, these other 4th grade parents. And the same breath, we're told that he is now going to Jackson and. Um, how saddened that the 5th grade parents are that this transfer is happening. This transfer affects students. and staff who have a rapport with these two administrators, who seem to be doing fantastic jobs of where they are. Um, also, with the middle school. you know, we're constantly hearing all the things that the middle school needs to do better. And this is a situation where the parents have bonded with this administrator and feel confident in the administrator, and now both of these two. administrators are going

085to be swapped, and those relationships are going to be severed. And I just asked the board to consider that this affects those families. And also that the world that we live in right now, a lot of families. are living in fear. And the fact that these communities. at Jackson and at the middle school have bonded to these two people. And that we are taking away that certainty. Um, it's just something that I don't think is in… the best interest of children. Um, again, um… I just asked the board to reconsider. Thank you. Hi, hello, can you hear me? Yes. Hi, my name is Jessica Stancow. Yes. I am a long-time Hackensack resident. Speaking on behalf of my 7-year-old second grade. daughter that attends Jackson Avenue School. And I have to say that when it comes

086to Mr. Julio Morel. That man is the glue. to our school. He's the glue to the families. to the children. He's the liaison, leader. When Mr. Moran. was not available, he stepped up, and he stepped right into clay. we value him, he values us. He makes us feel welcome. The devastation will come if he is transferred. How do I explain to my 7-year-old how does that affect us as a family? Because at Jackson Avenue School. That's what we are, where we're family. And for some of those children, that's the only stability that they have. So I'm asking you to please reconsider. to please take our words into action. There's… volumes on top of volumes, endless, that can be said about them. So please, at this time, if it can be postponed. Or reconsider, please do

087that, because at this point in the school year. Right before Christmas break. This will be most helpful. Not to only to the children, but also to the families. Thank you, thank you. Hello, can you hear me? Alright, hello, my name is Philip Brophy. Yes. I'm a teacher at Hackensack High School. Uh, good to hear you all. Um, I would like to… call on behalf of the Muslim Student Association. Uh, the last time I. called in, it was just for a minute, so I didn't get to really articulate everything. Um… I want to shout out some specific students and people that helped to facilitate it. Michelle. Erico from Machino's, um… Patty Lozano, the Vice Principal at the high school, and specifically, uh… Mark, uh… sorry, excuse me. Uh, Ayan Mudasir. Muhammad Muhammad, and. Marqabo… Mahmood Kulova.

088The three of them together. So sorry about the pronunciation. Um… were really instrumental in making everything come together, uh, so I really want to shout them out and, uh. between helping to create the Juma prayers on Friday and the halal options that. now exist at… The high school, in the high school cafeteria, I think it's, uh. extraordinary what they've done, so… Yeah, just want to shout them out, and uh… that's it. Thank you very much for your time. Mike Jones. Have a good night. Talk to you all soon. Hello? Can you hear me? Hello. Yes. Excellent. Good evening, my name is Uralda Tavares, a proud teacher at Jackson Avenue School. I am the 4th grade bilingual teacher there. And I come to you to speak on behalf of. Mr. Morrell. I've been at Jackson Avenue

089School for 5 years now. And in my tenure at that building. I have seen, um… inconsistency with, uh, administration. Mr. Morrell came to us. When it was my second year at Jackson. And since then, I've seen nothing but. a face. I've seen nothing but support. I have seen nothing but. a genuine person that not only cares for the students. For the communities, for the community. But also for us. For us, the teachers, for the people that come into that building each and every single day, and see those beautiful smiles. Mr. Morrell is an outstanding leader. Um, I have had the pleasure not only to see him as a leader, but also to see him as a teacher. Mr. Morrell took some time out of his day every single day last year, and he walked into

090my 3rd grade classroom. And we make. magic. Mr. Morel and I are a dynamic mathematical team. And I just want to share. that out of my 15 students. 9 met. NJSLA scores for approached. And two partially met. We started with an empty slate, we ended up with superstars. We knew that, we just… were the resource to bring those children to their full potential. As a bilingual teacher, I see every single day, day in and day out, how the multilingual community. is shattered. Um, I… have been here at, um… hacking Zach for 8 years. I came from Hitler's school where there was stability. And always an administrative face. And when I moved to Jackson, and for me to not see that, it was a little… disgruntling, but… I made it work. And Mr. Morrell. has made

091it work. He's made it work for us. He has made it work for the children. He has made it work for the parents, he has always made it work for the community. I really hope. that the board takes into consideration all of the people that have come forth to you. to speak on behalf of Mr. Morrell, and you reconsider your, um… decision to transfer him over. Thank you so much for your time, and you all have a wonderful holiday season. Thank you, Jim. Good evening. My name is Michelle Tavares. Uh, resident Hackensack, and I just wanted to… I apologize, I am late to the meeting, so if this was discussed already, I do apologize for that. But I just wanted to take an opportunity to thank the Board of Education and thank the district. Today

092was instant decision day for our senior students in the high school. And I can proudly say that my son was accepted to every college that he applied for. Last year, my daughter was accepted to every college that she applied for, and for the community that don't know, Instant Decision Day takes a massive burden off of seniors who are stressed and concerned and worried about if they are going to get accepted or not accepted, and not many schools in many districts do an instant decision day, so I just want to thank the Board of Education and the guidance Department and all of the high school teachers. Okay. Is there anybody else from the public that would like to speak that's in person? Alright, at this time, the public comment section is closed. We are going to

093move on to our committee reports and resolutions. We're going to start with personnel. And the chair of personnel is Trustee. Emmer Hemsa. Uh, the personnel, uh, the personnel committee met last week, and I have items A1. A through O to offer. As well as a walk-on resolution, item P. For consideration, uh, that resolution, item key. be it resolved that the Hackensack Board of Education, upon the recommendation of the Acting Superintendent of Schools. accepts the following transfer for the 2025-2026 school year. Uh, the name is for Donna Petrin-Wall. The position of Acting Principal, non-tenureable. from location, um, director of BCDC. to the location of Jackson Avenue School. Um, to be effective January 5, 2026. Okay, so we have a motion from Trustee Amor Hemsa. May I have a second? Second… second by Trustee Gilmore. Ms. Lagastra,

094can you please do a roll call? Ms. Osten Balaputra? Yes, all with the exception of D1 and D2. Miss Abrahamza? Yes, to all. Mr. Carroll? Yes, I recruit myself from B. Ms. Gilmore? Yes, to all? Mr. Jones? Yes, to all the exceptions of the only 2. Mr. Martin? Yes, the law is set. Section, uh, D1, D2? Ms. Ms. Springle? Yes to all, except for D1 and DT. Ms. Harris? Yes to all. Mr. Stein? Yes, to all. Motion passes. Okay, moving on to policy and share for policy is Trustee Pringle. Um, for policy, I'd like to… make a motion for B1, B2. Um… There's nothing new actually for policy. Yeah, there's no… there's nothing new. No first readings for today. Um, B2… is just giving the first readers following from last time. And so I like

095to offer a motion, but probably… Okay. Okay, so we have a motion from Trustee Pringle. Can I have a second? Second by Trustee Jones. Ms. Agostra, can you please do a roll call? Ms. Olsen Balbutra? Yes. Miss Amrihamsa? Yes. Mr. Carroll? Yes. Ms. Gilmore? Yes. Mr. Jones? Yes. Mr. Martin? Yes. Ms. Springle? Yes. Ms. Harris? Yes. Mr. Stein? Yes. Motion passes. I'm sorry, but I have a quick question in regards to the personnel. Mr. Carroll, when you say refuse from D1, or… All of B. All of D? No, no, E, B, B. Just wanted to confirm. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, so moving on to curriculum, and the chair of curriculum is Trustee Pringle. Um, I'd like to make an offer to motion C1 through C14. Um, with highlighting C14. Um, which, uh, just explains

096the purchase. of plan Dream Box. Learning Reading Platform from Discovery Education. to be implemented into Hackensack High School. for the 2025-26 school year to be paid from grant funds. Again, Calvin would like to make a motion for a C1 to C14. Thank you, so we have a motion from Trustee Pringle. Can I have a second? Second. Second by Trustee Jones. Ms. Lagasha, roll call, please. Ms. Alston-balacucho? Yes. Ms. Amrahamza? Yes. Mr. Carroll? Yes. Ms. Gilmore? Yes. Mr. Jones? Yes. Mr. Martin? Yes. Ms. Pringle? Yes. Ms. Harris? Yes. Mr. Stein? Yes. Motion passes. Okay, thank you. Moving on to finance. and chair for finance is Vice President Stein. Okay, I'd like to offer, uh, D1. through D14. I'd just like to call attention to. Dean number 5. Which is a $3,000 grant. from the Rotary Club

097of Hackensack. Uh-huh. And this is for… Uh, toiletries, clothing, food, and school supplies. Uh, to help meet our students' needs. Thank you. So we have a motion from Vice President Stein. Can I have a second? Second by Trustee Pringle. Mister Gastro? Ms. Austen Dal Futra? I'm sorry, I have a question. D2 is the bills list. is the bills list, the bills list that ends December 8th, or is it bills list. That was beyond December 8th. The bills that was, you know, Thursday before the board. So there's been no addition to the one that we saw in committee. And the committees, I believe they have added after that. It's the one that was emailed the Thursday before the board meeting. Are you saying that we didn't receive the email, or are you saying that. It's not

098here in our packet. I don't… have the email or it in my package. I have the one from Tuesday, December 9th. It should have been the Tuesday, I can go back. So there are pathways in your back. Okay, just… just to be clear that there is a motion on the table. So… We continue on with the vote. Correct. No. So, let's try that again. So, Ms. Aghastra, can you please do a roll call? Ms. Austen-balputrio? No. Ms. Amrahamza? Yes. Mr. Cao? Yes. Miss Gilmore? Yes. Mr. Jones? Sorry, I'm a little bit confused, so was it just information that we didn't get, or… So the number that's there is the same number that was… The motions on the table. The motion's on the table is to approve D1 through D14. Okay. Hey, yes, and I'll abstain

099from D2. I'm still voting. Yes to all, except for the two, I'll abstain. Okay. Mr. Martin? Yes. Ms. Springle? Yes. Ms. Harris? Yes. Mr. Stein? Yes. Motion passes. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Pardon my interruption. I need to clarify my vote, my no was to. D1 attachment, D2. I'm agreeing to everything else. Just note the details. It's… Resolution D1, but the attachment of D2. And can you have mine reflect that as well? Sure. Mm-hmm. Okay, moving on to facilities, and the chair of facilities is Trustee Martin. Yes, I would like to motion E1 through E5, highlight E2. Um… this boy is very happy with our shared service program. city, the… this boy is very happy with our CIA service program with the city and MAA and Council. Because of this program. We were able to

100expedite this. project as at a reasonable cost. Also, I'd like to add to the shared service program. Came in just in time. The salt you see around the school property. is part of the share service program. So, again… So, again, I… the entire board. and Director of Billing and Grounds. want police, better known as Pablo. And our tech director. Alex would like to thank the May and Council for working with us as we work with you. So with that said, I would like to motion E1, E5 again. Second. Yep. We have a motion from Trustee Martin, and a second from Trustee Carroll. The sigastric and please do a roll call, Ms. Alsten Belucha? Yes. Miss Amerhamson? Yes. Mr. Carroll? Yes. Ms. Gilmore? Yes. Mr. Jones? Yes. Mr. Martin? Yes. Miss Pringle? Yes. Ms. Harris? Yes.

101Mr. Stein? Yes. Motion passes. Thank you. On to Community Relations and the… Chair for Community Relations is Trustee Gilmore. Good evening. Last night, some of the members of the Community Relations Committee had the opportunity to participate in the City's final focus group. For the comprehensive Bicycle Line Pedestrian Plan. Um, being, um, led by NV5. Um, I believe that having the Board of Education involved will give, um, a different. Um, lens to the bike plan as it relates to the safety of our students. and community members. Um, so it was a really great, um… Meeting, a lot of ideas came out. So, I think we are well on our way, um, to having a comprehensive. Bicycle plan in Hackensack. Um… Just stay tuned. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, so for other committees, I would like to

102report. the Joint Board of Ed and City meeting met last week. Um, as Trustee Martin had said, we are still exploring shared services. Uh, and so far, we have been able to collaborate on salt and not salt that we eat, but salt that you put on the floor for the safety of our students and this weather. Um, also, we have… we were able to collaborate on. The train wire, as he had stated, the fixture, and we have been able to have great communication and support in getting that done. Also, we thanked the city for also supplying box lunches for our students. in a time of need, when some. additional aid was not given to our families. So, we thank you, and we continue to. Collaborate with the city or share services. onto our second public

103comment portion. Where individuals may address the board on agenda and school matters of community interest for one minute. anybody in person that would like to speak. Okay, I see that there are none. Anybody online? Okay, let's go with online. I do have something. Hello, this is Philip Brophy again. I just want to chime in and. enduro's… come in complete support of the bicycle plan that will hopefully be implemented in Hackensack, and. the Hackensack High School. bicycle… locking area is… very much, uh, in need of. support, so anything that could come of this that would help out with that area. Uh, kids are… hard up to find places to lock up because they wind up filling up almost the entire racks, and then have to go beyond and find other creative places to lock up, so…

104Yes, I completely… Completely agree with this, and uh… I was at the, the… city council meeting where I spoke at that as well, regarding this, but yes, anything. to bring more awareness and safety to the students of Hackensack who ride their bikes, and often share bicycles with their families. It is of vital importance and completely. essential. Thank you very much. Thank you. There we go. Okay. So, at this time, we're going to close public comment section, and… Vice President Stein, you had something? Yes, uh, I'd just like to… under old business. Um, there seemed to be a misconception. About, uh, what I had indicated about. charter schools. At no time did I indicate that. This board should sue the state. I know that cannot be done. Um, our taxpayers are burdened with. Close to $7

105million. in monies that we pay out of our budget. two charter schools. what I am asking this board to consider. Sometime in the near future. is a resolution. to the state indicating that. Any community in the state. That is, is funding charter schools. That that burden of expense. be passed on. to the state. to the various charter schools. Okay, thank you. And… now we are moving on to board comments. Anybody wants to volunteer? I'll go to get it out. All right, trustee. I don't want to speak much. Okay, um… Our first, um… I'd like to thank the Hackersack Chorus. And the course teacher for coming out, um. They sound amazing. They were wonderful. Oh my gosh. Um, Mr. Del Vecchio, Mr. Keeler… All the students, which were soon to be, are… Uh, future doctors, our

106future… Ecologists, our future biologists. Um, especially, um, a bilingual biologist, I want to say, too. Um, our future architects, engineers, and designers. Um, you guys are going to come back into Hackersack and rebuild when y'all get these jobs, I hope. Um… I'd also like to thank, um, Zoe Gonzalez for her student report. Um, and I also would like to thank, um. the parents for coming out, and those who called on the phone. Um, that felt the need to speak out for, um, Mr. Morrell. Um… Merry Christmas, have a blessed New Year. And… good night. At Justin Austin Balaputra. Good evening. Um… As always… I think Superintendent Harchman for her hard work and her team's work. Um, I wanted to specifically highlight. the finance team, Mr. Gastra. And a consultant… But most importantly, I want to

107highlight. Some of the legal work that has taken place. With Mr. Neutenemacher, it's been a tremendous amount of work that he has. done on our behalf, and it… and… It is appreciated. It is appreciated. Um, shout out to Parker School. for the Sensory Santa program, something that was near and dear to my heart. My son and I struggle with Santa, and I really appreciate them for sponsoring that program. I echo the sentiments about the Hackensack High School students that were here tonight. Our students are awesome. Um, it was just great to see, get a glimpse at some of the things that are happening, especially in our STEM programming. I'll set an opportunity to see our Hackensack High School students perform. at the Kwanzaa celebration at Brayleigh Dickinson University. It was awesome and moving. Um, I

108hadn't been to a Thanksgiving Day game in a minute, so I was an exciting experience to have. Recently, on last evening, we attended, some of us attended the City Council meeting. where among a lot of exciting things that happened. Of the late Nick Picchialo and. his writing partner, Marianne Di Maria, who produced many of. the musical theater. presentations here at the high school over several decades were. received a commendation from the city. Um, as a reluctant participation in some of those productions. it was life-changing and life-enriching, I mean… Granted, my other option was to take my mother's class. But, um, I was… truly enriched by all the experiences I had as a Hackensack student. And while I was reluctant to have those experiences. it enriched my life in a tremendous way. It was great to

109see. Mrs. Demaria, and to see the work that she's done, and with Mr. Pigallo, the work that he's done. Honored over the decades. Um, I believe that's it. Happy holidays to everyone. Thank you for coming out. Thank you to all the parents who came out to. to make your voices known to us. Have a good night. Since we're raising hands, anybody else want to join? Go ahead, Rusty Jones. Uh, so, I definitely want to shout out to Chorus, that was an incredible presentation. Really, all the presentations, um. That came up today. First of all, I want to shout out Zoe, also my table mate, who's up here with us every month now. Um, and also for Rochelle Park and South Hackensack, being here tonight. Um, the presentations were incredible. Um… I mean, everything from the

110science angle, as well as the, uh… the architectural angle, and I think, um… you know, obviously, shout out to all the teachers and all the administrators involved. Shoutout to the Hackettack Riverkeeper for always being involved and kind of getting our kids out there. Because one thing we have in Hacker Tech is we have Meadowlands, we have a river, and that's something that. I think our kids kind of can get an experience with that, uh… that other towns don't. also to the bilingual Honors, uh, biology program. That was incredible. Um, and it's just… every time I… every meeting, I'm still new a little bit, not anymore, but… But every meeting, I learn something new that's going on that, like, blows me away, and. Um, especially the science aspect and the architectural aspect, I was on the

111zoning board. Uh, for the last 12 years before this, and. the plans that I saw up there, the site plans, the physical model. Um, that looks like it came from. a legitimate developer. I mean, and that's our kids doing that, and that's… That's incredible. So really, just shout out to everything that they're doing here and those programs. Um, that's really advanced stuff, and it's really impressive. Um… Shout out to Winter Sports, um, somebody brought that up, especially bowling. And we did take home a win over Dwight Maul today. Um, and then really, I really just want to shout out all the parents, teachers, and everybody that came up and spoke. I mean, that's… it's vital, and that… that… Just coming up and… And saying those things, and speaking your piece. is a super important part

112of this process, so thank you. Okay, alright, I'm ready. Trustee Martin. Thank you very much. You're welcome. Uh, it was a real pleasure seeing our students excel in the. presentation that was… presented to us tonight. So I take my hat off to the building leaders and the, uh, teachers. You recognize their strength. and encourage them to… reach their goals. Good job to all of you, and especially to our students. Also, um, I want to thank, uh. Ms. Julie Pratt, the course director? And the, um… I'm course directing the performance that, uh. you and your students gave to us today, tonight? It was, um, it's always a pleasure hearing from you. Keep up the good work, and this board was always behind you. Um, also, um… this board, we always encourage. everyone to come out, come

113to the mic. and speak. Uh, you have done so, uh, tonight. We appreciate hearing from you. Um, we did listen to you. Sometime it goes your way, sometimes it doesn't, but this boy do listen to you. And, um, sometime we have to make the best decision. That we feel is for the district. So, um, don't get discouraged. Please continue on coming out. And, uh, we will continue on listening to you, and… And, um, working with our community and students. Again, thank you. Have a good holiday. And we'll see you next year. Okay, thank you. Trustee Gilmore. Good evening. I wanted to first thank the Honors and Mixed Chorus for your wonderful. Performance is nothing like hearing sleigh bells to get you into holiday season. Um, thank you, uh, to Dr. Keillor, Mr. Del Vecchio, and

114Ms. Wyer. Um, the advanced courses that were added are absolutely amazing. Um, I was especially. impressed by, um, the twins with the, um, medical wing, um, you know, capitalizing on being so close to the hospital is amazing. I would love to see that coming to fruition. Um… What else? Um… Oh, and I thank you for, um, I forgot the gentleman's name that called in about the Muslim. community, um… Oh, Phil Brophy, thank you. Um, thank you again for highlighting, um, that change to support our Muslim community. Um, everyone needs to feel. welcome and included in their environment, and that definitely makes that more. accessible. Um, and that's it. I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Hanukkah. Merry Christmas, and a Happy Kwanzaa. Have a good night. Oh, and a Happy New Year. Thank you.

115Trustee Amrahamza? Thank you again, uh, to Ms. Flatty, and the Honors Chorus. Um, for their beautiful performance, um, obviously their message of peace and hope is especially important right now. Um, a huge thank you to Mr. Montesano and his team. Um, here at the high school, um, for all of the really wonderful presentations. Um, thank you, and happy birthday to Dr. Keeler. Thank you to Ms. Swire, Mr. Santavanis, Ms. Rasa. All of the students, Isana, Winnie, Janae, Lizelle, Sadie, Ashley, Michaela, Dustin, and Kevin. Um, and, um, also, just really to highlight all of the wonderful collaboration that is happening. Um, you know, a huge thank you to our sending districts, Rochelle Park and South Hackensack. Um, and again, to reiterate what Acting Superintendent Parchment said, um, congratulations and thank you to Rochelle Park. Superintendent de

116noble, um, on her retirement. Thank you for all of your service. And again, thank you to… it's really wonderful to see the collaboration with. the city on so many different initiatives, from shared services, um, to the honor that they give to, as, as Trustee Alston-Balaputra mentioned, to. Um, our staff and students, um… And there's many more opportunities to collaborate and really to Ashley's point, in her presentation where she was talking about. Um, the loss of trees, you know, that was another collaboration between the city and the schools. on the recent grant that we were awarded to the Shade Tree Grant. Um, to… to plant over 200 trees across the district and the city and our parks. Um, congratulations to our amazing high school seniors, um, who received wonderful news on Instant Decision Day. As well

117as the $2.1 million and counting, I'm sure, in. Um, scholarship offers. Um, and again, um, just to reiterate what Trustee Martin said, obviously. You know, for all of us here, you know, we really value what everybody is saying, and their feedback, their comments. It's not always easy to make decisions, but we definitely want to hear from everyone. Thank you to our team, our acting superintendent, our acting business administrator, everyone at central office. Um, and thank you to everyone else here on the dais, all of my fellow trustees, our board president, our board of attorney. Um, you know, it's definitely a pleasure to work together. Um, and a huge thank you to all of our teachers and our administrators, our custodians, our secretaries, everyone who helps keep the district running. Um, and wishing everyone very happy

118holidays, happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and a Happy New Year. Thank you. Trustee Carroll. You thought I forgot about you? You were hiding, I saw you. Uh, again, thank you to, um… Rochelle Park and South Hackensack representatives. Um… high school chorus, outstanding performance. Um… The new initiative presentation was outstanding. It was… I'm always talking about how. Um… Hackesack High School has so much to offer in classes and programs. That, um… it seems like every week I'm even amazed by the different things that we have to offer here. And, um, it was nice to hear from the students and how engaged they are. in these programs, in these classes, and hearing their perspective, and. seeing their experiments and everything, I thought that was really great. Um… I like to say, oh yeah, and um… This

119week, we had, uh, shop with a Cop at Target. for 10 of our, um… less fortunate families. We're, um, an officer went out and… shopped with, uh… Some of the students from our district, and um… It was nice to see, uh… Ms. Petron Wall, um… Dr. Galliana. And Ms. Saran, come out and represent also. That was nice to see, and. Scott, I just want to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday. Good night. Thank you. Vice President Stein. Oh, thank you. Um… There's so much that took place tonight. Uh, first of all, I'd like to thank Ms. Platty. And, uh… the chorus, uh… Every year, they sound wonderful. Uh, this student presentations tonight. Um… It's amazing what we… And what we as a board. uh, offer. And what our students and our teachers do. On

120a daily basis. Um, we saw those presentations tonight. And just phenomenal. Really phenomenal. Um, about 2 weeks ago, we had our fall sports coffee hour. And one of our students, and please forgive me, I forget his name. Uh, there was a special presentation that night. Where he made a commitment to. the University of Southern California. to attend as an athlete. Uh, to everybody… Here in the room. And those listening on board. Um, we wish you all a happy Hanukkah. Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas. And a Happy New Year, and a healthy and safe. New Year. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, uh, so… I want to thank our ascending districts who came out tonight, Rochelle Park, South Hackensack. We love to see you, um, and we definitely want to showcase our students more often. So, definitely, we

121look forward to seeing them in the future again. Um, shout out, even though they're not here at the moment, but I hope that they listen to this at the end. Um, to our Jackson Avenue. Um, families, you know. It is true, it is monumental for them to come out, um, as a predominant. school with Spanish-speaking families. Um, as… a child of immigrant families. I know how difficult it is for families to come out. and speak on behalf of their children, especially with the language barrier. It's… it… it was truly moving. Um, unfortunately, we're not able to discuss personnel matters. Um, as our… you know, my board trustees, um, board members have said. You know, we do make very difficult decisions. we do take a lot, um, into consideration when these decisions are made. I want

122to thank Zoe, our student representative, for her report, as always. the Hacketsuk High School Chorus, Ms. Platty. Um, for doing a wonderful job, as always, just kicking it off. For the holiday season. Again, shout out to our high school, uh, high school students with their presentations. I mean. Really, one of the callers had mentioned that the future does look bright in Hackensack. And, you know, as I had mentioned before, some keywords that just stood out to me, they loved the challenge. Um, the bar was set high. This is real training, not just busy work. So you can tell that the students are highly invested in the projects that they are doing. And hey, listen, maybe even those projects might even spark some reality. And the medical wing, you know, or even with the trees that.

123That was presented. Um, again, I was very impressed and inspired with the Honors Bilingual Program. Again, as a Spanish… coming from a Spanish-speaking family, it is. just wonderful to see. That when there's a need. we make it happen. We listen to our students, we listen to our families, and it becomes a reality. Um, with that being said. Uh, because it is… We're ending a year and starting a new one. I always like to reflect and think about things that we have done, right? We should always look back and say, okay, what things did I… I accomplished, and what things do I need to do next for the new year? Um, so there have been a lot of significant changes that has happened so far in our board. Um, we've had… we started the year with.

124some trustees who had stepped down. Um, after they stepped down, we were able to appoint two new, um, board members or trustees. who are now officially will be, uh, sworn in in January. one who will be re-elected in January as well, and I hope everyone will join us. on January 7th for the re… Meeting, again. of Trustee Austin Balaputra, Trustee Jones. And re-elect, uh… What is it called? Return? The comeback of, uh, Trustee Carroll. Don't call it a comeback. Um, I also want to thank, and excuse my voice, this has been a two-month ordeal, I can't get it together. But, um, I would still like to thank, um, my board members. Uh, trustees, for your commitment and willingness. To serve our community. There have been many meetings, there have been lots of discussions. And I

125just thank you for your promptness, for your opinions. and support throughout. Throughout this entire time. Um, the Board of Education hasn't been the only thing that has seen a transition. We've also experienced transitions in our central office. Um, with the appointment of our acting superintendent, Ms. Andrea Oates-Parchment. with the change of our acting, um, business administrator, Ms. Lenita Gastra. Along with several shifts across central administration and within our school buildings. Uh, and throughout this time, the board has also taken its fiduciary responsibility. very seriously. We are also following up. And up-to-date on all mandated board trainings. Which reflects our commitment to strong governance and accountability. Since these changes, we have also worked closely with central office to establish board and district goals, which are posted on our website. As a result, also, the improvement of.

126Stronger collaboration and working with the City Council. As we head into the holiday season, which is literally a week away, folks, okay, so students and staff can be excited about that. Um, I do want to wish everyone a restful and. recharging break, whether you use it to celebrate a holiday, whether you just use it to. like I had mentioned before, disconnect so that you can. Take that time to… Do what you need to do. Um, I want to thank the community, staff, students, and families for always. Supporting the Board of Education. And I look forward to seeing everyone in the next year. Have a great evening, everyone. And can I have a motion to close our meeting? Okay, motion by Vice President Stein. Second by Trustee Frinkle. All those in favor say aye. Anyone opposed?

127It is 1033 PM. Have a good night, everyone.