001to the April 15th, 2026 Hamilton Township Board of Education meeting. This meeting is being held in compliance with the Sunshine Law, having been advertised in the Press of Atlantic City and notices posted at the Township Clerk's Office, Maze Landing Post Office, MSBA Post Office, Atlantic County Library, as well as the schools of the district. This meeting is being recorded. Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Anker, >> here. Miss Bachelor >> here. >> Dr. Sino >> here. >> Mrs. Dirks >> here. >> Mrs. Jackson >> here. >> Dr. La Hawk >> here. >> Miss McQueen >> here. >> Mr. Rogers >> here. >> And Mrs. Bar >> here. Thank you. Can I please have a motion to convene in executive session? No move. >> Motion by Miss Bachelor. Second. >> Second by Miss Jackson. All in favor?
002I. Resolve that pursuant to sections seven and eight of the open public meetings act the public shall be excluded from that portion of the meeting involving discussion of legal matters attorney client privilege personnel and HIB. Be it further resolved that the discussion of such subject matter in executive session can be disclosed to the public when formal action is taken on such subject matter or at any other appropriate time. Be it further resolved, the board may take action on items discussed in executive session. Now therefore, be it resolved, the board will be in executive session for approximately 30 minutes. 15, 2026, Hamilton Township Board of Education meeting. Can I please have a motion to close executive and reconvene in public session? Motion second. All in favor? I. Can we please stand for the flag salute? Please
003take a moment of silence for private reflection. Thank you. Can I please have a motion to approve the minutes of regular and executive session meeting from March 18, 2026? Motion. Motion by Mr. Rogers, second by Miss Ankra. Comments or questions? >> Roll call. >> Mrs. Anker, >> yes. >> Mrs. Bachelor, >> yes. >> Dr. Serino, >> yes. >> Mrs. Dirks, >> yes. >> Mrs. Jackson, >> yes. >> Dr. La Hawk, >> abstain. >> Miss McQueen, >> yes. >> Mr. Rogers, >> yes. >> And Mrs. Bart, >> yes. Thank you. All right. At this time, I will turn it over to Dr. Zto for presentations. Thank you, Mrs. Bar. Can I please have Mrs. Bryant come up to the podium to present the reading challenge winner for the month of April? Is Carter here? This way.
004You moved everything. There you go. >> Okay. Good evening. Uh, this month's winner is Carter Hackett, if you're here, which I do not believe he is. Carter is a first grader in Miss Greco's home room. And Miss Greco says, "Carter is fun and energetic. He brings joy to the classroom every day. And Carter has shown a lot of growth this year. And congratulations to Carter and thank you to the board of ed. Thank you, Mrs. Bryant. At this time, can Mr. Kelchner please come down to the podium? And Mr. Kelner, can we please start off with Mrs. Duner's class with the H lost? Good evening, uh, president, members of the board, Dr. Tito, members of our school community. Um, I'd like to take a moment to recognize a group of students who have quietly been
005making a big difference in our school community. Um, in this classroom, students have taken on the important responsibility of managing the schools lost and found. While it might seem like a simple task, the work they do uh requires organization, responsibility, teamwork, and genuine desire to help others. Each week, these students carefully collect misplaced items from around the building: jackets, water bottles, lunchboxes, and more. They sort everything thoughtfully, making sure items are grouped and easy to find. Then, they help return these belongings to their rightful owners, often often bringing relief and smiles to their peers. What makes this especially meaningful is the pride and care they put into the process. They are not just completing a task. They are contributing to a school in a real and positive way. They are learning life skills like responsibility,
006independence, and cooperation. All while showing kindness and respect for others. Their efforts help keep our school organized, but more importantly, they remind us what it means to be part of a school community, looking out for one another and taking responsibility for shared spaces. I'm incredibly proud of their hard work, dedication, and positive attitude. They truly embody what it means to be helpful, capable, and caring members of our school. Please join me in recognizing and celebrating their wonderful work. I'm going to invite down the staff members that were leading this crew of students to call them down and recognize them. Again, thank you guys so much for do everything you do for the school. This is Miss Tutuner, their teacher, uh, who does a wonderful job organizing everything and supporting the students as well. I am
007going to call over the students and hand them a certificate for their awesome work. All right. Um, we have Karina. Is Karina here? We have Donovan Hannah. We have Sire Sier Gance and Mr. Ryan Hathaway. One more time, a round of applause for everybody. Thank you guys so much. I think we want to go to Yeah, keep So, where's my other thoughts? Here we go. >> Sure. That works. So, everybody here that is one of our safeties at the H school. If one of the students, would you like students and families or just students? Students. Students, can you guys come on down at this time? You're going to come down the center here. We're gonna get you up on stage. Come on down. >> Right over to Dr. Zto. Guys, you're going to go up
008on the stage, correct? Or do you want to do him here? Right over to Dr. Zto. >> Mr. K, would you talk? >> All right. It is my pleasure to share a brief overview of the school safety program now in its second year of implementation at the Hes school. This program is designated to promote or designed to promote student leadership, responsibility, and a strong culture of safety. Each day, our student safeties play an important role in ensuring a safe and positive start to dismissal by supporting bruss procedures, reminding their peers of expectations, including wearing seat belts and greeting students as they board. Their presence reinforces our schoolwide commitment to being respectful, responsible, safe, and kind. Each safety patrol member was thoughtfully selected, one per bus, for consistently demonstrating these values. Their leadership is not only
009visible, but impactful, helping to create a structured, welcoming, and safe environment for all students. I would also like to recognize and thank our program coordinators, one here tonight, Miss Hackne, another Miss Okowsky that could not make it this evening. whose dedication, organization, and commitment to student leadership have made this program a success. The work behind the scenes ensures that this initiative runs smoothly and continues to grow in meaningful ways. Um, at this time, I'd like to give a round of applause to our safeties and our coordinators. Dr. Zto, if you want to take a photo after that, I'm gonna call them down one by one for some certificates. Okay. >> All right. Absolutely. >> Worked really hard. >> I may have promised a few that weren't here tonight they would get a pin as well.
010Miss Hackne, if you could join me down here, we'll call the students one uh down one by one, and we have a nice certificate for them as well. I'm sorry. No, we don't. All right. At this time, I'm going to call the students name one by one so we can see who is uh safety and present here tonight. Students, once I call your name, you already have your pins. You guys can head back with your families on your way down, and we're going to clap them out on their way back. All right. So, if you're not here, we'll just move past them. But if you are, step on down back to your family, and we'll give them a nice round of applause. Um, Noel Lehawk. Hasten. Is Hasten here tonight? There he is. Ibrahim, also
011known as Ees, you go right back with your family. Okay, if you have your pin, you can write back for your family. Okay. Ashanta, is she here? Asant, I'm sorry. Amelia, Margensia, not here. Kieran Kieran Akan Brooklyn Gomez. Good job, Brooklyn. Leila Revvice Jamariss Emma Mason McCulla. I know he's up there. Xavier Milan, he is not here tonight. Jaden Mensah, not with us. Brooklyn Evans, Annayia Miller, Andrew Stokes. I see you. I love back to your family, buddy Davis, Briana Dico, Brandon George, I know who's with us, Damen Camp is not here tonight, Gabriella Landes, Savannah Rodriguez, Francesca Palumbo, Avery Graph, Ava Fleming, Olivia Lugo, Camila Carvada said that wrong. Liam Rabina, last but not least, Jeremiah, come on down. Thank you again, guys, so much for your dedication, hard work, and support throughout this
012school year. Thank you so much. Thank you guys. Congratulations to everyone and thank you so much, Mr. K for bringing these important programs to our district. At this time, can we please play the video for the staff members of the month? All right. Patrol's on a mission to find the staff of the month. >> Staff of the month. Staff of the month. Of the month. >> Staff of the month. >> Thank you. >> All right. So, boys and girls, you knew the secret, but now Mr. Gabriel knows the secret. He's our staff of the month this month. >> Oh, that's so nice. >> And I'm going to tell Mr. Gabriel all the nice things that everybody wrote about. All right. >> So nice. >> So Mr. Gabriel does a lot not only for kindergarten, but
013the entire school. He gets us guest readers such as the Davies 8th grade students and the Hamilton Township Police Department. And he just got done organizing our book fair. He's a wonderful human being. He's energetic and he's kind and compassionate towards all the students and staff. He's always happened to help. He's always happy to help no matter what. >> He does so many things and we just thank him so much for that. >> And that's why he's this month's staff of the month. >> Thank you for Thank you. Good morning, boys and girls. I hope you're having a good day so far. We are here to surprise one of your teachers, but we're doing it in a different way. We're actually starty for the month of March is Mrs. has been an incredible mentor and
014leader. She consistently demonstrates strong organizational professional and a collaborative spirit that positively impacts both staff and students. Her willingness to support others, share her expertise, and lead by example makes her a true asset to our community. Thank you so much. and we'll take a picture. >> All right, go ahead. >> Let's give a round of applause, guys. So you got to stop. >> Good evening everyone. And this is just a crowd. Every month we our staff pick a staff of the month and I saw that that staff member is here tonight. So congratulations to Dat Staff of the Month. The son of Congratulations to all the staff members of the month. At this time, can I have my William Davies Middle School student council please present on this month's activities? Okay, for the past events
015for March, Monday, March 17th, the Davies band had an amazing performance at Rowan University. And on Thursday, March 19th, the Davies Choir also had an amazing performance at Rowan University to show off their talents at the NJMEA Middle School Choir Festival. On March 20th, the Lenipe players invited us to be our guests as they brought the magic of Disney's Beauty and the Beast to the stage. It was a fantastic show. Our annual ladies tea was held on March 27th during Women's History Month. This program recognizes the contributions of professional women and inspires young ladies to excel in their chosen educational endeavors and future career goals as well as educates young ladies on the history of women. It was a huge success. Medical science students went to the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia on March 23rd. This
016was an excellent opportunity for students to learn about the evolution of modern medicine, offering hands-on look at the history of healing. Upcoming events for April. Kindness club is planning the dance through the decades dance along with the music department. The dance will be held Friday, April 24th, after school in the Davies cafeteria. This Friday, April 17th, the William Davies Jazz Band will be performing at Mainland Regional High School for their annual jazz festival. The annual boys barbecue is also this Friday, April 17th. This is a community event designed to connect young boys with positive male role models who offer guidance, share life experiences, and encourage personal growth. Next Wednesday, April 22nd, our student council will be walking over to Oakrest to speak and collaborate with their student council members and adviserss. On Friday, April 24th,
017there will be a career explor exploration program held for selected 8th grade students at ACCCC. The students will be getting a firsthand look at career paths and collected program programs. They will also be participating in interactive rotations exploring state-of-the-art facilities in technology and innovation, health and science, and applied arts. Davies volleyball mad madness is underway. Teachers are putting together teams and the prelims will be take will take place April 20 28th after school. The finals will be May 1st. Awesome job, guys. Thank you so much. All right. At this time, you are all more than welcome to stay, but if you have activities or things that you need to do, we totally understand. Um, please feel free. Now's your chance if you want to go. >> Yes. They like we don't have to sit. All
018right, I'm going to get started with our correspondence. Uh, our first correspondence is um coming from Mrs. Stacker. She wanted to let everyone know each year the Department of Education's Office of Special Education presents a virtual art expo to celebrate art created by students with autism who use art as a means of in expression. We want to congratulate our students Michael Luden, Eli Pontaryi, Kevin Obbyo, Caleb Marsh, Jasmine Lewis, Alec Hasher, and Aiden Hershey. Their artwork has been chosen to be part of this year's autism acceptance virtual exhibition. I also received a note from Mr. Cartwright who wanted to bring to you bring you in on a proud moment for our district. He was given the opportunity to speak with principles and their teams from across the state who are just beginning the work of
019equitable response to student behavior using PBIS RPs. While he was presenting, a team from Shainer was presenting in another room on the application of universal prevention to early childhood. In Mr. Cartwright's session, he highlighted the work at Shainer and currently at Hess and shared learning experiences along the way and had a great time asking answering questions and answers with the principles after he finished presenting. Uh Mr. Carr let me know that our district shone brightly that day and we should be really proud of our schools. Uh finally, I'd like to invite Dr. Holmstrom, is she here? Dr. Holmstrom, I miss. Um, just to quick Mr. If if I say other admin here, if you guys want to talk for a quick second, our volleyball team re recently finished the season with a 10-1 record and
020was named division champions. Um, so I just wanted to congratulate them and just if anyone wants to just say two words on that, more than welcome to come down. So, as the uh first volleyball coach that Davies has ever had, I would like to say all the success has obviously come from the start of the program. Um, but in all seriousness, Mr. Latanzio and Miss Pickering have done a fantastic job. We had so much interest in our volleyball team. We actually have two teams now. We have a varsity and a JV team. So, it's amazing to see where the programs come in just a few years and uh back-to-back champions. Love to see it. We have the tournament here where we get to show off our school in front of a lot of different um
021a lot of different people. So, it's really exciting and we're really proud of how far it's come in just a few years. >> Thank you very much. Uh as far as our my superintendent report, uh since our last meeting, our work has remained focused on strengthening instruction, supporting our staff, and ensuring consistency amongst all the schools. We've successfully completed our end of trimester processes, including report cards, parent teacher conferences, reinforcing clear communication with our families and a shared focus on student progress. Throughout the month, I work closely with our administrative team through ongoing leadership meetings and daily huddles to support planning, budgeting, communication, and overall school operations, ensuring we remained aligned as a district. In addition, I had the opportunity to attend several student and school-based events across H Davies and Shainer, which continue to
022reflect the strong culture and pride within our community. As we move into as we moved into spring break, we also use that time hopefully to reflect, recalibrate, and prepare for a strong finish for the school year. I'd like to extend a special thank you to Mr. Nelson for uh his incredible amount of building grounds work across the district over spring break. His efforts along with those of our custodial staff and buildings and grounds and maintenance who work diligently to prepare our classrooms for spaces and staff and students return do not go unnoticed. I also want to recognize our IT department for the work in refining our testing and security systems during the break to ensure our schools remain safe and secure. Our focus remains simple. Strong instruction in every classroom, consistent systems across every school,
023and a continued commitment to doing what's best for our students. I'd like to thank our staff for their continued dedication and commitment to our students each and every day. I believe in you, and I'm proud of the work that we're doing together. Here are the dates to remember. On the 20th of April is our uh normally scheduled PTA meeting right here uh in in the uh main uh conference room in the board office. April 21st is the Hess instrumental program program called Skygazer at Hes school at 7 o'clock p.m. Uh, April 23rd is Hessa's spring coral program at Hess school at 7:00 p.m. On the 25th of April is our PTA day at the rides at Play Link in Castaway Cove in Ocean City from 1 to 4 and there's a link on our board
024agenda for wristbands. On May 5th is the Davy spring band concert at the Hes auditorium. On the 6th is our board of educ the regularly scheduled board of education meeting 5:15 for executive and 5:45 for regular session. And on May 9th there's our Hamilton Township resource fair which is an amazing event uh and carnival at Hess. And that's on May 9th from 10:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. This concludes my superintendent report. >> Thank you Dr. Zto. >> At this time we will open public comment for tonight's agenda items. There are two opportunities to address the members of the board. The board values and welcomes comments and opinions from residents as long as remarks are not personal or discourteous. The public comment portion of the meeting allows the board to listen to community members and hear
025their opinions on school policy and operations. The first public portion is reserved for persons wishing to speak about agenda items only. The second opportunity following the action items is when residents may address the board on any school related issue. Each speaker is asked to limit their comments to three minutes and you are not permitted to yield your time to another. The public comments portion of the meeting during both sessions will not exceed 30 minutes. Upon being recognized, persons wishing to speak should stand and identify themselves by name and address. Seeing none, we'll open board member comments. Are there any members of the board that would like to comment on any item of interest pertaining to the schools? Go ahead, Dr. L. Um, I just wanted to say that I had the opportunity to participate in
026the ladies tea. Um, it was my 14th year participating and every year I just love talking to our students and the professional women who come and you know give their time that morning to support our our school district. Um it just it's a delight to be able to talk to our students and get to know what their aspirations are and what they love about school. Um and this year we did something special at our tables. All the kids, all the girls and the adults we wrote little um compliments to each other and I was just so touched by what the girls had said to me that I have my compliment list hanging up at my desk at work. So I just wanted to share that event. I just wanted to thank all staff members who
027put that together and um especially Mrs. Tobin. I know that's um near and dear to her heart. So I just like to report out on it every year. So it was a very nice event. >> Thank you. Uh first thing I want to say is um I love to see these creative activities that are happening with our special education students. I think they are amazing. I think they took the the lost and found and made it such a fun activity and they did a fantastic job. The autism art project I think is amazing and I'd love to see more of this and I'd like to hear about it here in in the board meeting. Um I'd also like to say go volleyball team. Woohoo. Go team. So um thank you. Anyone else? All right. Just
028to piggy back off Dr. Hawk that the women's tea is always a wonderful event and the way they transform the you know IMC or what used to be the IMC and and now is the digital media classroom. It's it's pretty incredible. Um and just spending the day with the girls is really special. The Beauty and the Beast show was absolutely incredible. I hope everyone got out to enjoy that. The talent in our students is just and just the whole weekend production. It's just really incredible. And congratulations to our students who are listed on the agenda from Davies for achieving the principles and superintendent list for their grades for the last um marking period. A lot of hard work goes into that. So congratulations to those students as well. At this time we will have our
029committee reports and Miss Bachelor, can we please have the report for personnel policy committee? >> Yes. Thank you. The Personnel and Policy Committee met on Monday, April 13, 2026 virtually at 6:15 p.m. At the meeting, the committee discussed the following. We reviewed and and are recommending approval of personnel items this evening, including new hires, substitutes, transfers, and leaves of absence. These actions ensure that our schools remain properly staffed and continue to operate smoothly. In addition, we are approving extended school year staffing to support our students over the summer as well as routine policy updates and required HIV affirmations in alignment with state requirements. I motion to approve all items in section 10. Second by Dr. Serino. Any comments or questions for section 10? Roll call, please. Mrs. Ankra, >> yes. >> Mrs. Bachelor, >> yes.
030>> Dr. Serino, >> yes. >> Mrs. Dirks, >> yes. >> Miss Jackson, >> yes. >> Dr. La Hawk, >> Miss McQueen, >> yes. >> Mr. Rogers, >> yes. >> And Mrs. Bar, >> yes. Thank you, Miss Bachelor. Moving on. Finance and operations. Dr. Sino. >> H. Finance and Operations Committee took place on April 13th virtually. Um we met to and reviewed all items related to the district's financial health facilities and operations. We are recommending approval of the board secretar's report, budget transfers, bills, and payroll confirming that the district remains financially stable and within budget. We also reviewed contracts, professional development opportunities, and operational matters, including find uh facility use and upcoming student activities. These act these items support both the district's daily operations and ongoing opportunities for student and staff. I motion to approve items
031in section 11. So move. >> Motion by Dr. Sino, second by Mr. Rogers comments or questions? >> Roll call. >> Mrs. Anker, >> yes. >> Miss Bachelor, >> yes. >> Dr. Serino, >> yes. >> Mrs. Dirks, >> yes. >> Mrs. Jackson, >> yes. >> Dr. La Hawk, >> Miss McQueen, >> yes. >> Mr. Rogers, >> yes. >> And Mrs. Bar, >> yes. >> Thank you. Curriculum, Dr. La. Um the curriculum committee met on April 13th. Um at the meeting we discussed um recommending approval of several important instructional items. Um we were con we confirmed our special education programming for the next for next year. Um these programs reflected a continued commitment to meeting the diverse needs of our students through expanded in district supports including specialized programs and inclusive opportunities across all schools. We are
032supporting parent engagement efforts as part of our continued focus on strengthening connections between home and school. I motion to approve items in section 12. >> Second. >> Comments or questions? Roll call. >> Mrs. Anker. >> Yes. >> Miss Bachelor. >> Yes. >> Dr. Serino. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Dirks? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Jackson? >> Yes. >> Dr. Lahant? >> Yes. >> Miss McQueen? >> Yes. >> Mr. Rogers? Yes. >> And Mrs. Bar. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Are there any members of the board that would like to comment on any old business items that have been previously discussed? Is there any new business to be introduced this evening by any board members? Okay. Seeing none, we will receive comments from the public in accordance with the board's policy on participation at a board meeting. Okay,
033seeing none, we'll close public comment. And can I please have a motion to adjurnn? >> Motion by Miss Dirks. >> Second by Miss Jackson. All in favor? >> I opposed. Thank you everyone. Have a great evening.