March 19, 2026 - Clifton Board of Education Meeting

001I'm going to call to order the March 19th Board of Education meeting. Would all you please rise? That's Danny. And join me to salute the flag in a moment of silence. That's all right, that's all right. Welcome everyone. Roll call, Mr. Usi. Mr. Brunsiak. Here. Mr. Canova. Here. Ms. Esther Barnes? Here. Mr. Parrish? Here. Mr. Ragsdale? Here. Mr. Siano? Present. Ms. Suarez? Here. Vice President Santiago? Here. President Passaport? Here. We have a quorum. Commissioner Estrick-Barnes, would you do the pleasure of reading the mission statement, please? The mission of the Clifton School District in an open and reciprocal community partnership is to provide all students with a quality education to develop the skills necessary to become literate, lifelong learners who are responsible and productive citizens contributing to a democratic society in an ever changing world. Thank

002you, Commissioner Estrick-Bonds. The Open Public Meetings Act, Vice President Santiago. Thank you, President Bassford. The New Jersey Open Public Meetings Law was enacted to ensure the right to the public to have advance notice of and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the provisions of this act, the Clifton Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be publicized by having the date, time, and place thereof posted at the City Clerk's Office, Clifton Public Library Administration Building. Senior Citizen Nutrition Center on cable TV in the local press on the district's website and mailed to presidents of parent teacher organizations. This meeting will be tape recorded in accordance with policy 0168. Thank you, Vice President Santiago. Before I call up

003our student rep, the Clifton Board of Education would like to make a statement tonight before we begin our meeting. The Clifton Board of Education is aware of recent social media posts and circulating rumors alleging that a district employee was arrested in connection with theft or other criminal conduct. These claims are false. No employee of the Clifton Board of Education has been arrested. There has been no incident of theft by any employee. There have been no arrests or no criminal charges. This information currently being shared online is false. The board is mindful that the rapid spread of this misinformation can cause unwarranted concern within the community and is harmful to the district's reputation. We encourage reliance on officials. district communication for confirmed information the clifton board of education remains committed to transparency integrity and maintaining the

004trust of our community as it serves thank you now jenna would you mind taking the podium for our student representative report good evening A few weeks ago CHS had performed their spring musical Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 and was the first high school in New Jersey to perform this show. I know I can say it was fantastic and that I want to acknowledge all the students who put on such an amazing performance. Next, the superintendent ambassadors met last week with Dr. Robertozzi and Ms. Kusilevich, and some issues brought up were regarding more support around SAT and ACT prep, as well as garnering more school spirit, and noting that parking continues to be an issue with students over packing not only the student parking lot at CHS, but city halls. Some possible solutions

005mentioned were keeping a security guard outside longer to ensure anyone who enters the parking lot is permitted to, as well as looking into more options and into expanding senior parking options. Next, the student versus staff basketball game will be hosted at CHS on March 27th. Alongside the game, we will be hosting mini games and giving out prizes. We invite everyone to come out and support. Next, the Student Council will soon be sending out our Athlete of the Winter Season form to acknowledge and commemorate our hardworking athletes. With that, we would like to acknowledge the student athletes who did a fantastic job last season and hope for a good season as they begin their spring sports. And speaking of sports, we would like to also congratulate our cheerleading team for winning their fourth consecutive state championship

006as well as becoming national champions in Providence. And lastly, the student council will be hosting Culture Night on April 18th. Forms have been sent out to sign up to represent countries as well as cultural performances, and we encourage every student and staff to support and participate in what we hope will be a very exciting event. Thank you. Thank you, Jenna. Does anyone have any questions for Jenna? Yeah, do we know what time that thing starts with the basketball fundraiser thingy? 7 PM. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Jenna. We don't have any presentations or reports from administration or advisory committee or special committee reports. We don't have any board committee reports yet. We'll be meeting up again. Public recognition. This portion of the meeting is open to the residents and non-residents of Clifton

007for the purpose of addressing any subject matter pertinent to and or directly related to the operations of the Clifton Public School District. Residents and non-residents are requested to sign the register provided for this purpose and to state their names. addresses and subject matter comments are limited to five minutes per person issues raised by members of the public may or may not be responded to by the board all comments will be considered and the response will be forthcoming if and when more appropriate the board asks that members of the public be courteous and mindful of the rights of Others, individuals, when speaking, specifically comments regarding students and employees of the board, are discouraged and will not be responded to by the board. Students and employees have specific legal rights afforded by the laws of New Jersey.

008The board bears no responsibility nor will it be liable for any comments made by members of the public. Members of the public should consider their comments in light of legal rights of those affected or identified in the comments and be aware that they are legally responsible and liable for their comments. Mr. Mountain, do we have anyone online? We do not, thanks. Motion to close remote. Okay. Motion to close was by Commissioner Brunciak. Second was by Commissioner Siano. Okay. Anybody in the audience would like to address the board? Good evening. My name is Christy Wilson, and I am a middle school social studies teacher as well as the vice president of middle schools of the Clifton Education Association. As we enter budget season, we recognize that tonight's vote is a preliminary step ensuring compliance purposes. However,

009we also know that the decisions made over the next two months will have a lasting impact on our district. With that in mind, we urge the board to approach this process not from a place of maintaining the status quo, but from a thoughtful and forward-looking perspective that reflects the evolving needs of our students and staff. With the recent opening of our third middle school, our district is entering a period of transition and growth. In order for this new building to succeed and for all of our students to function effectively, we must ensure that staffing levels are sufficient not just for next year, but for the years immediately following. Across the nation, veteran teachers are retiring. Administration is having a difficult time finding staff members to take their place. and the ones who are here are

010left holding the pieces together. How do we make Clifton a desirable district to recruit quality teachers? Planning only for the present risks placing unnecessary strain on both current staff and students in the near future. We must also consider the broader impact of budget decisions. Reductions to extracurricular activities or supplemental opportunities may not appear as important, but they significantly affect both the quality of life for our staff and the overall experience of our students. These programs are often where students find connection, purpose and belonging where staff and where staff build meaningful relationships beyond the classroom. Additionally, even with the generous support of the Board of Education last year, halfway through the school year there were budget constraints. One of the results was a decision in the reduction of the availability of substitute teachers across the district.

011When substitutes are not available, students are often placed in large group settings such as auditoriums or combined classrooms, which disrupts their learning environment. At the same time, teachers are being asked to cover additional classes, contributing to increased burnout, while administration, secretaries, and support staff are spending significant time each day managing these gaps. This is not a sustainable model and is one that impacts every level of our school community. I want to acknowledge and thank our superintendent for consistently affirming that this budget process will not result in job loss for our members. That reassurance matters deeply. Our educators are committed to this district and stability is essential for them to continue doing their best work. The Clifton Education Association recognizes the board's past willingness to make thoughtful and sometimes difficult decisions in support of our district.

012As we move forward, we respectfully ask that you continue that work with an eye toward long-term success, adequate staffing, and the preservation of the programs that are the heart of our Clifton community. We urge the Board to carefully consider the full scope of this budget, not only its immediate requirements, but its lasting impact on our students, our staff, and the future of our district. Thank you for your time and consideration. Would anyone else like to address the Clifton Board of Education? Motion to close. Motion by Commissioner Brunciak, second by Commissioner Siano. I apologize for passing over committee reports. My computer was not working right. I'm logged in now, and I have all the reports. So I'm going to go in order for the Municipal Alliance with Commissioner Siano. Read the minutes from the Muni Alliance

013meeting. Absolutely. Municipal Alliance met on Monday, February 9th at 530 at the Board of Ed building, started at 535, ended at 642. In attendance for Clifton Public Schools was Commissioner Paris, myself, Tanya Suarez, and Michael Docter. In attendance for Clifton City Council was Councilman Latona, Koloje, and City Manager DeMarzo. Discussion, items, and action plan. First discussion item, traffic deterrent at CHS. The need for a police car to be stationed at the bottom of the hill at Clifton High to deter speeding and regulate traffic. Action, there has been no movement on this since the last meeting and there should be additional officers and vehicles available by September. another discussion Washington Ave turning it into a one-way idea was mentioned to make Washington Avenue from Paulson Ave to the stop sign at 7th into a one-way action

014was the city will review the feasibility of this suggestion Next was no parking signs on school roads when snow covered. Idea was mentioned to place no parking when road is snow covered signs on roads in front of schools. Action, an ordinance would be needed. It can be resolved with emergency signs which do not need a specific ordinance. Next, bus cameras for stop arm violations. They propose the installation of cameras on buses to ticket drivers who illegally pass a red stop sign. The city would cover the cost of the cameras, the installation, and viewing, and would recoup expenses via summonses. Action. The city will continue gathering information on this initiative. The Board of Education is in favor of moving forward. Next was the new apartment complex. We discussed the new apartment complex at On 3 with

015the potential for 1,000 to 1,200 units. Recommendation to have a student limit, which would provide funds directly from the landowner for per-pupil costs and transportation. Action with Superintendent Robert Tuzzi should be added to the city's meetings with On 3. The CCMS tunnel update of the grant-funded project was requested. Action preliminary planning stages are underway. Medical use at elementary school. Concern was raised about hand washing before lunch. Action, school district will study feasibility. Next was future storm planning. There is a need for the city, school system, and county officials to meet and plan working together during various emergencies including storms. Action, issue was discussed. Next was the praise of city and schools. Specific situations evoked praise by both sides. Action was text messages sent during student bus drop-off delays were commended. The school system working with

016Jason from DBW was mentioned as a great job of working together for the betterment of the city and Clifton students. Mr. Shahada, Assistant Superintendent of Business, was mentioned as being a great to work with and an asset to the district. Next meeting, the next Municipal Alliance meeting is scheduled. It is scheduled for April 13th at 530. Location is going to be at City Hall Conference Room. Any questions? No questions. Thank you. Mr. Konova, Commissioner Konova, you have a question with that mic? The emergency signs for the snow. So they did say that in an emergency situation we can put up signs. Would that be us putting up signs or do we call the city and they put up signs? I believe that would be the city would have to put up the signs, but they

017don't need an ordinance to do so. Because I know we've worked in the past and we've done things like shoveling and whatever where they should. So I didn't know if that was extended to us as well as we could do that. I don't want to speak out of place, but I think if we got the permission to put up the signs, but the city would have to say, okay, put them up. But the city would typically do that. If they couldn't, I don't know why we couldn't, but that's something we'd have to just make sure of. Thank you. You're welcome. Any further questions? Thank you, Commissioner Siano. Policy, Commissioner Suarez, please. Thank you, President Basford. The meeting took place on Thursday, February 12, 2026, and began at 4.30 p.m. In attendance from administration were Michael

018Docter. Board of Education members in attendance were Anthony Santiago, myself, and President Judy Basford. Also in attendance was Board Counsel Miss Maggie Miller. Policies 4111. 5127 and 5145.7 and 6163.1 were reviewed for approval of changes which are required based on best practice and state statute. Policy 5600-5131, student conduct and discipline, had two offenses added to the list of conduct violations as clarification, not as new discipline. Finally, policy 0143 slash 9113 was discussed and is being forwarded for a second reading. The meeting concluded at 4.59 p.m. Any questions for policy? Commissioner Brunsiak? Thank you, Madam President. So some of them say there are other reasons, right? So now it looks like we have boxes, monitored, mandated, other, right? So... For some of these, it's just others. So they weren't mandated, these policy changes. Is that correct?

019Because some of them, for instance, one of them, we added five or more paragraphs to it. So the policy existed, but we're adding multiple pages to it. So is there a reason for that? Or it wasn't mandated, right? So these aren't necessary, right? It's my understanding that they were, everything is mandated and it came from the state. But my doctor, if you want to. Help me with that, but I believe that it's all mandated. Sorry to put you on the spot. So yes, Ms. Suarez, that is correct. These are mandated by the state, and all of them were sent to us by New Jersey school boards when we did the switch over to their company for policies. So they're all clarifications, adjustments that the state had made. that we needed to institute. A lot of

020them are changes in resources, websites, things like that, more so than actual changes to the wording of the policy. Some deal with changing to NJ SLEDs instead of NJ SMART and changes such as that. So is it possible they were marked incorrectly the policies that it wasn't it wasn't mandated It was just other reasons for for doing that. They are mandated. The changes are mandated. Thank you Yeah, all right. Just a quick question because like the media center library one, right? Looks like a crime scene. There's so much red here you added so much So everything added in red here is mandated by the state from what we were told from New Jersey school boards. Yes Those are additions Going back to Commissioner Brunziak's question is why would they be marked other as opposed to

021be marked mandated or Not mandated. I think we're going to have to call down to New Jersey school boards and find out maybe it was an error on their part because it's a new service that they are offering people. They have some new employees. So I think we're going to have to check with them. I mean, if it's an oversight, I'm okay with that. But can we make sure it's not mandatory? Absolutely. If we could table it first. on whether or not that policy was mandated. And what the court held was that that policy is not mandated, that you have a policy, but you're required to follow the law that is in that policy. So whether you have a policy or not necessarily didn't matter. You're required to follow the law which is out in

022that policy. So maybe that is why they're marking them as not. mandated and other though I don't know why the library the one on the library is marked as other because that is mandated the other one on the gender gender identity the court held that it was not mandated however you're required to follow the law which is in the Department of Education issued guidance on gender identity and expression and you're you're you're obligated to follow that law thank you So to the superintendent, can we have someone from staff reach out to New Jersey school boards and find out what the rationale and how they mark these? Because if it is a law action, maybe that's why they're interpreting it as other, even though it's mandated. And then if there's law instituted that it's not mandated

023but we have to follow it, they may be marking it as other. So we've got to find out what the rationale is. Mrs. Bessler, we'll absolutely give an explanation. Just first reading I believe yeah We will reach out and we will get clarification. The good news is that this is first reading so we have until We have until whenever we you know the board wants but next meeting will have second reading but we'll have clarification before then Vice president Santiago and There are updates to mandated laws already what the and the gist of it really was There used to be a whole list of a bunch of different resources on it. And what they did was they, my doctor, correct me if I'm wrong, they changed that, if you look at it, with a link.

024If you click the link, it just goes to all those listed resources. Instead of having all these resources listed, they put a link that takes you to those resources. That's the first one. And the second one about the media center is there's a process now and a form that needs to be completed. That's correct, Mr. Santiago. Thank you, Mr. Doctor. Anyone else have any other policy questions? All right, so the superintendent is actually going to have somebody reach out. We're going to get clarification. So it'll be on the next policy committee meeting, and then we can report that before we go into a second reading. Commissioner Ragsdale, would you do the honor for HSA, please? Sure. The HSA meeting took place on the evening of February 18th. Dr. Bertuzzi called the meeting to order and

025welcomed all HSA members. He introduced the Board of Education, HSA committee members, and recognized the various school principals in attendance. First, we discussed the Superintendent Scholarship Fund. The Mustang Mania WrestleMania fundraiser has now taken place and to my understanding was successful. We also discussed a scholarship dinner that will take place on May 8th at the Elan. HSAs are requested to support by donating baskets for the dinner's turkey tray by April 18th. The Clifton Education Foundation. Let us know that they've awarded 103 grants this year. Teachers and HSAs are encouraged to apply for various incentives. The Education Foundation also requested updated HSA email addresses to maintain communication regarding partnerships with local vendors like Philly Pretzel and Agami's. We discussed district operations and safety. Title I policy, the parent compact is now available through Parent Portal. Feedback

026regarding family involvement at Title I schools can be sent to Ms. Kusilevich. As the discussion on life touch security was had and following a meeting with life touch executives, the district confirmed that there is no evidence that student photos or personal data were compromised. As for communication, the district is currently transitioning to a new communication system to improve outreach. And then finally, upcoming community events were announced. So February 21st, school four has a drive-by shoe drop-off. On March 6th, school 16 has a, had a tricky tray. at the Boys and Girls Club. April 24th, school 13 has a trick-or-treat at the Boys and Girls Club and on May 30th, school 8 has a trick-or-treat and adult yoga event. Thank you, Commissioner Ragsdale. For finance, we have two. Commissioner Brontiac. Thank you, Madam President. This is

027one of our marathon meetings from February 18th and I was out of breath by the end of it. It commenced on February 18th. Those in attendance were myself, Vice President Santiago, Commissioner Canova, and President Baskford from administration, Dr. Robert Tosi, Ms. Kucylevich, Mr. Shahada, Mr. Uchi. Others in attendance were Mr. Joel Murillo, Mr. Barry Murillo, Mr. Brian Atkinson, and Mr. Tom Uco. Meeting started at 4 PM. Meeting ended at 6.15 p.m. Items of discussion, the overall medical claims trends. Medical claims are significantly elevated compared to prior years. For July through January, claims are 30% higher per member than the same period last year. The historical average was 7%. Admissions into hospitals, maternity admissions, which I love. Congratulations to everybody, 26%. Overall admissions up 10%. Inpatient surgeries up 18%. Length of stay in the hospital up

02818%. Emergency room utilization increased 20%. The top 10 claimants account for $3.7 million in paid claims. There are 114 members that exceeded $50,000 in claims. And 51 members exceeded $100,000 in claims. The total high claims... The total high-cost claimants represented $14 million in paid claims. Top diagnoses included hyperlipidemia, 25%, obesity, lower back pain, anxiety, and cancer. The population's chronic condition profile was worse than Aetna's standard book of business. Prescription cost loss ratio is currently 133%. GLP-1 weight loss and diabetes medications are major cost drivers. Zepbound and Wegovy alone cost $2.3 million. Total spend on weight loss slash diabetes medications exceed $3 million annually. The average prescription costs on Zepbound and Wegovy are $1,100 and $1,400 per script, respectively. Generics not expected until 2030. Discussion included long-term health return on investment versus short-term financial strain. Diabetes

029medications must be covered. Obesity coverage may be more flexible but contractually sensitive. Network savings and carrier review. Inpatient hospital network discounts decreased 23.8%. So this is what happens. This is basically from the consolidations of the hospital networks. And what they do is they can start pushing you around and threatening you because there is less competition as a result. So the inpatient hospital network discounts decreased 23, 24 percent. Average discount per admission down 33 percent. Hospital consolidations have absolutely been driving up negotiated rates. IMAC is replacing claims through Horizon. They're repricing them. We're reviewing alternate carrier options, evaluating self-funded prescription versus fully insured prescription options. Year one, 6% under-expected. Year two, 7% under-expected. Year three, trending significantly higher. The projected 25-26 medical spend, this is for the year-ended June 30th. 2026, the gross projection is $48.5

030million. After employee contributions, which is $7 million, $41.5 million to the district. The budgeted amount was $32 million. The estimated gap is going to be between $6 and $9 million, depending on stop-loss recovery. Stop-loss recovery is expected, but it is unpredictable, estimated at $2 to $3 million. There are obviously major concerns, which we discussed at the budget meeting on Tuesday, and next year's renewal is due to high utilization and catastrophic claims. The budget outlook, revenue assumptions. Tax levy is the current is is one hundred fifty three million. The increases of two percent would be a three million dollar increase to that. The state aid at that time was assumed to be three million dollars. It was less than that. As we saw the number, the expected increases are salaries, which were contractually obligated for six

031million dollars health benefits. Medical includes 16%, prescription 25% increase, dental 10% increase, approximately $8 million. The insurance property, cyber, umbrella, 7% increase. PCI, PCTI tuition enrollment increasing from 816 to 871 students is what we expect. The approximate increase on that is $780,000. Charter schools, approximately one-third of state aid increase flows directly to charters. The formula is driven by per pupil cost. Structural reliabilities, 80% to 87% of the budget is personnel. 10% to 15% is fixed costs. This includes charter school, PCTI, and insurance. True discretionary spending is 5% to 7% of the budget. Major constraints are no control over state aid. The charter formula, PCTI formula, health insurance trends, and there's limited flexibility outside staffing adjustments and program reductions. The next steps, we were waiting for state aid at the time. They were expected March 12th.

032The budget meeting was tentatively scheduled for March 17th, which we had, and the final adoption in May. And obviously, as we just discussed, the health insurance costs are the primary fiscal driver this year and next. Medical utilization is significantly elevated. Next year's renewal presents the greatest risk. Preliminary 26-27 budget gap projected at $7 million after realistic revenue assumptions. Further analysis pending state aid notification. Does anybody have any questions? No questions. Could you move on to the next? Minutes for finance, thank you. Well, thank you. This meeting commenced on March 5th, 2026. Those in attendance were myself, Vice President Santiago, Commissioner Canova, President Baskford. Administration attendees include Dr. Robert Tozzi, Ms. Kucielewicz, Mr. Shahada, Mr. Ucci, and Mr. Gingaro. Items of discussion was the budget. Finance Committee met to review the district's- Current financial position and

033discuss the development of the 26-27 prelim budget that will be presented at the March 17th Board of Education meeting. The administration reported that the district is preparing to recommend a 2% tax levy increase, which would generate approximately $3 million based on the current levy of about 152 mil. It was noted that the state of New Jersey is currently facing an estimated $3 billion structural deficit. creating a continued uncertainty regarding state aid. The committee reviewed the district's major revenue streams, including tax revenue as well as state aid, as well as smaller sources such as extraordinary aid, excess surplus, and miscellaneous revenues. The administration explained that the contractual obligations and fixed costs continue to grow faster than revenues. Key cost drivers include approximately $155 million in salaries, a projected $8 million increase in health insurance, increase in

034other insurance and benefits rising, PCTI tuition, and uncertain costs related to transportation and charter schools. Even with a potential increase in state aid and a proposed 2% tax levy increase. The district anticipates a budget shortfall of roughly 10 mil. The administration emphasized that internal reductions in operational efficiencies are implemented each year to close this gap while attempting to minimize the impact on students. However, it was noted that continued reductions may eventually have more significant impacts on programs and staffing. Health benefits remain a major financial challenge for the district. with total expenditures currently around $52 million. Recent increases include 16% from 2023 to 2024, 30% from 2024 to 2025, and a projected 90% increase in the coming year. The administration noted that the health care costs continue to rise statewide and may require broader policy changes

035to stabilize long term. The committee discussed staffing implications. Related to the new Maple Valley Middle School configuration where sixth grade will be added this year and seventh grade next year. Core academic teachers will be reassigned from existing middle schools, but some additional staffing needs, particularly in special education and specialized subject areas, are expected. These positions are not fully included in the current budget projections due to fiscal constraints. Constraints, excuse me. Instructional leadership also outlined the impact of current budget limitations. Cost control measures have already included a reduction in substitute coverage, earlier termination of after-school tutoring programs, and the review of other locally funded initiatives. Special education costs, particularly those associated with paraprofessionals, continue to place significant pressure on the budget due to legal service requirements. The committee reviewed the spending related to Kelly Services, noting

036that the district previously averaged $500,000 to $600,000 per month in contracted staffing costs. Recent reductions have lowered the spending in some weeks, with administration targeting a more sustainable weekly cost. Of approximately $75,000. Committee members requested the administration to provide documentation outlining the operational impact of 0, 1%, and 2% tax levy scenarios to assist the board in evaluating budget options. The administration agreed to prepare a similar document to what was provided in the prior year. It was emphasized that the March budget presentation would be preliminary as the district must submit a complaint to budget to. must submit a compliant budget to the county before further refinements can be made. The committee discussed the importance of communicating clearly to the public that the budget will continue to be adjusted as additional information, including state aid figures, become

037available. The committee also reviewed the estimated tax impact on residents. Based on the average assessed home value of approximately $180,000, a 2% levy increase would equal approximately $8.83 per month or about $105 annually for the average homeowner. Additional discussion included comparisons of per pupil spending and local tax contribution with other districts. The administration noted that Clifton's per pupil cost is estimated at approximately $19,000, which remains lower than many comparable districts. Data also indicates that Clifton contributes less from its local tax base than several similarly sized districts. The committee briefly discussed the state's local fair share formula, noting that the updated figures will be available after the state aid announcement expected on March 12th. Potential changes to aid calculation metrics could benefit the district due to its growing special education and multilingual learner. populations. Finally, the

038committee reviewed efforts to control costs through careful review of software contracts, program usage, and purchasing practices. Examples were shared of departments creating instructional materials internally to avoid expensive curriculum adoptions. Shared services opportunities with the city were also discussed. though limited opportunities currently exist. The meeting concluded with the understanding that the administration will present the preliminary budget recommendation on March 17th, after which further review and refinement will occur prior to the final budget adoption. Does anybody have any questions? Yes, would you like some water Mr. Brontiac? Good, I got my coffee here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Brontiac for the two reports. Commissioner Paris, would you do the honor of education please? Thank you President Baskford. The education and special education committee met on February 19th. Meeting began at 6.30 p.m. Present were myself.

039Vice President Santiago and Commissioner Suarez from administration miss Kusa Levitch the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction Mr. Doctor the director of operations miss Abadrabo the special education supervisor miss Bergman counseling supervisor grades 9 through 12 and principal Hamda of CHS Some positive news on LifeTouch from Ms. Kusilevich. She summarized Mr. Shahada's extensive and detailed work in investigating and communicating with the LifeTouch company and executive team regarding concerns about data privacy. Mr. Shahada had provided several community updates showing no wrongdoing on the part of LifeTouch and confidence moving forward using this vendor. Next topic was leveling the class rank calculation from Mr. Hamda and Ms. Bergman. Ms. Bergman and Mr. Hamda shared an adjustment regarding class rank calculation to move away from the decades-old customized programming used by the district. The current system requires contacting

040the real-time software company for every rank run due to slight differences in automated calculation programming. The proposal aims to simplify the calculation process and align with most neighboring districts. Mr. Hamda shared the importance of simplification and clarity in rank calculation. The change would make GPA and rank calculation transparent and easy to explain to students and families. Ms. Bergman confirmed that traditions such as the top 10 would remain, but the new system would use real-time's clear and understandable standard ranking methodology. This new calculation would go into effect in September for the next school year. The current practice of running rank multiple times for New Jersey stars and early rank and file rank causes contention among students and is not done in most districts. Moving forward, rank will be run for New Jersey starts and to issue

041a final rank only. Any additional ranking needed for scholarships or other limited needs can be requested individually from the guidance office. Under the topic of special education update, Ms. Abadrabo provided an update on special education, noting that as of February 18th, they had 139 preschool referrals and 146 K-12 referrals in process. Current special education enrollment, including speech-only IEPs, is about 2,400 students, representing 24% of the student population. The department anticipates approximately additional... approximately additional students will need placements and self-contained programs across the elementary and middle school levels are currently full or near capacity for the high school additional instructional space may be needed for the next school year ms abu drabo shared information about a new state law for iep meeting documentation the department is implementing this new law it's pl 2025 c107 requiring districts

042to send parents printed paper copies of certain student information two business days prior to an IEP meeting. This law mandates this paperwork submission in addition to the current electronic practices, which is estimated to have significant annual costs in postage, printing, and paper. She has also provided training and assessment updates. The Special Education Department hosted professional development for over 50 building administrators on discipline procedures for students with IEPs or 504 plans. They also rolled out a new digital Woodcock Johnson 5 assessment platform for learning consultants, which uses updated post-pandemic norms. Furthermore, the digital second step social-emotional learning program is being introduced in middle and high schools. Finally, she gave an update on ways to increase revenue from special education. Medicaid initiative Oh, from the Special Education Medicaid Initiative by potentially billing for transportation and nursing services.

043Ms. Abrajaubo reported that as of January, the district had recouped $263,000, significantly exceeding the previous year's reimbursements of approximately $80,000. ELL updates. Ms. Kusilevich shared that numbers of multi... LINGUAL LEARNERS REMAIN HIGH AT OVER 1,850 STUDENTS. NEW STUDENTS CONTINUE TO ENROLL ON A WEEKLY BASIS. ALL MULTILANGUAGE LEARNING STUDENTS ARE CURRENTLY UNDERGOING ACCESS TESTING TO MEASURE THEIR LEVEL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY. AND LAST, STAFF PLANNING FOR THE 2026-2027 BUDGET. MS. KUSOLEVICH REVIEWED PRELIMINARY DATA. gathering for positions to be requested for potential inclusion in the 2026-27 school budget. Preliminary staffing needs are leaning heavily towards special education and specialty positions for Maple Valley Middle School. Over the next two years, Maple Valley will need to increase office and building-based staff and those cycle teachers who will not be able to be shared as more grades are added.

044However, core content staff each year will come from the existing middle schools as teams are transferred with the addition of grades 7 and 8. Special education class needs for both teachers and paraprofessionals continue to grow from pre-K to 12. Meeting adjourned at 7.40 p.m. Any questions? No questions. Thank you. Commissioner Harris? You mentioned there was additional cost for physical letters and postage. Do we know what that's going to be for the year? Then has it been estimated yet? But you can imagine every everyone gets a stack of paper printouts now that have to be mailed to them as well And it they're not simple letter mailings. They're going to be pretty significant stacks of reports. This all was Electronically transmitted previously, but the state is now mandated that we provide this hard copy to everyone

045I'm assuming that's an unfunded mandate. That's an unfunded mandate. Absolutely. So I remember previous to us getting the Blackboard Connect and emailing parents and saying like, you know, whatever the season took place or what issues were going on. We used to send postage out, letters and postage. So I guess we have an approximation of what that costs, but I don't know what it's going to cost now. So what we looked at was about we were looking, because we don't know how many. That's how I do it. So because the mailings vary, there's a minimum of one mailing per student. They do vary in size. Some might just be a few pages long, but many are 20 and 30 page documents. So our initial estimate, just a kind of a ballpark, was somewhere around $40,000 with

046a combination of mailing and printing costs. But that could go up or down. We're not really sure. It'll all depend on the number of students, etc. Thank you. I can speak to this. I don't understand why they changed this mandate because it's like we're going backwards. That's in my eyes because I don't know if anybody's gotten mail lately. It's late. I almost didn't get my driver's license renewal. My letter was about to expire because I printed it out when I renewed online. So I was sweating, and then it came on the day that it expired. I was lucky, but... I don't understand why they're doing this. So I'm going to ask our legislative team to bring this up. I think that we should carry the ball and start maybe going to other districts and get

047other districts on the same page as us to stop this because this is going to be a costly expense. You're talking a lot of money. Commissioner Suarez. Thank you, President Bassard. I had a similar question during the committee meeting. We kind of talked about that a little bit. My thought was it may be because as a district, we're great with communication in our special education department. That's not true for all districts. And so it's really easy not to inform parents or families about their IEP. So my assumption is to make it more equitable, to make sure parents receive everything. But I agree it is an unfounded mandate. It does cost money. It's a waste of paper. But my thought was it was to support families who otherwise wouldn't receive information. Okay, so maybe, let me

048pivot back then. Maybe we can ask our legislature that we say Dr. Robert Tuzzi comes and he has a child with an IEP. And do you prefer paper or electronics? And we can cut down on some stuff like that. You can opt out. Right, you can opt out. Because we, like you said, but we also have people that don't have access to computers and email and they don't understand. But there's got to be some kind of opt-out. This is going to cost us a fortune. May I? Yes. The new law requires that. We that the districts now send out what's the present levels of academic functioning which is part of a child's IEP we have to send it out now to two business days before in the paper along with the agenda of the meeting

049and what is who's going to be in attendance. So it's not anything that you weren't communicating previously or parents didn't get, but now we have to mail it out and make sure they have it in the paper copy before the actual IEP meeting. It's meant to give them more notice and opportunity to participate. I don't know what the mailing requirement is for and why it can't be electronic, but it's information that they already get when they go to an IEP meeting and get the printed out copy of the IEP. So I've sat through I don't know how many IEP meetings personally I think this is to me that we have to have an option because we have a large percentage of our population we're almost 11 or 11,000 students what's the percentage of our population?

05024% Right So we're talking a lot of money, and that's money that can go towards programs. And we're in a budget crunch, and this is what I see. They're penalizing us because we do communicate well. So let's bring it to the ledge, and let's start the ball rolling that we have options, that they can't just stick these mandates on us, and we're stuck up against the wall. So I have one more question. Is that requirement that it needs to be delivered two days prior, like at their home two days prior, or is it that we send it out two days prior and then if it gets lost in the mail? Right. Because if your intention is to get it there. You're supposed to receive it two days prior because the there's the mailbox It that

051when you put something in the mail it takes three days So it's also putting extra even though it's work your child study team and your teachers have to do to prepare the document It's messing up their timelines a little too because now they have to do the same thing they were doing before but Much sooner before the meeting to get the documentation out. So if we said that Five days prior the assumption is that we're clear because it takes three days to get there And if it doesn't take three to them what I don't know that there's any penalty yet I think it's you know, you have to make a good faith effort. We don't have to send these certified or anything Being on the receiving end of that, knowing what happens with our mail,

052my neighborhood has been complaining that our mail delivery is not normal. So we're up in the Albany section. When our regular mail person is in, we don't get mail. We get no mail. It's just bizarre. But I just don't see this as an option that we should be forced to have to do. And if we use our voices, let's see, maybe we can change something and get a, you know. buy in and opt out type of thing anyone else uh commissioner canova would you please do us the honor of residency please okay residency meeting was uh thursday february 12th um in attendance was uh my doctor megan zanola eric mountain um myself mr santiago mr ciano uh rotating board member was mrs bassford the meeting took place on thursday february 12th and began at 3

053at 5 33 p.m in attendance from administration where are you ready for that uh mr docker provided the district savings on residency since our last meeting between clifton schools non-residents and non-residents from outside schools which we pay for the district has saved 717 579 dollars since our last meeting and since July 1st has saved $1,315,621. Ms. Anola explained that the January security drill of the month was a lockdown. The drill was completed throughout the district with fidelity. She provided an update on Maple Valley Middle School that all cameras and access controls are now operational. Mr. Mouton echoed the sentiment that Maple Valley is completely operational to the same level as all of our other buildings in regards to technology. Finally, the committee discussed some of the issues and parameters involving security requirements for facilities agreements.

054Administration will provide some suggestions at the next meeting. The meeting concluded at 5.53 p.m. Any questions? Thank you, Madam President. The facilities committee met on March 5th. Those in attendance were myself, Commissioner Harris, Commissioner Siano, and President Basford. Administration attendees included Dr. Robert Tosi, Mr. Gingaro, Mr. Shahada, Mr. Capacci, Mr. Ucci, and Ms. Kuselevich. And then the guest, our guest of honor was Mr. Steve DiStefano. Items of discussion. Punchless items are now being worked on for the referendum. B&G updates to Woodrow Wilson. gymnasium has received quotes and approval for the painting of both gym facilities scheduled to take place in April during spring break period the the initiative aims to enhance the overall appearance of the gyms CHS Hutchins HVAC will be replacing the rooftop units RTU number five That control the media center in

055adjacent rooms. We are installing a 12.5 ton unit estimated cost of fifty five thousand three hundred seventy five dollars collaboration with Rodney from the car Rubino Plans to replace sections of the roof at CHS in school 12 under a rod grant We will cover the replacement costs up front and will receive up to 40% back From the state once the project is completed We are currently coordinating with diocese regarding necessary repairs to the parking lots at Schools Sela a and Sela s we are currently preparing the fields in anticipation of the upcoming baseball and softball season regarding the energy program. Steve DiStefano provided an update on the district's energy management initiatives. The recent upgrade to the building management system has significantly improved the district's ability to control and monitor building operations. The system now allows

056staff to coordinate schedules, shut down systems when buildings are not in use, and activate specific areas, such as individual classrooms when facilities are rented. BMS control is a centralized and primarily managed by Maurice Capacci, Eddie, and Sean, with Steve DiStefano also having system access. electric and gas supply auctions. The district successfully conducted its annual electric and gas supply auctions the previous day. The electric auction, the duration was 47 minutes. There were 12 suppliers and nearly 300 unique bids submitted. The result was a five-year rate of 8.42 cents per kilowatt hour, which is lower than the rates secured by many other school districts during last year's auction. And just as a side note, If you use PSE&G and you don't have a third-party supplier, most of us are paying $0.19 per kilowatt hour. So just so

057you have an idea of what we got in that auction is absolutely outstanding. It's more than 50% less than what all of us residents here use if we use PSE&G as our supplier. The gas auction, the duration was 47 minutes. There were eight suppliers for gas. The result was a four-year rate of approximately 78 cents per decatherm, significantly below the PSE&G February rate of approximately $1.14 per decatherm. That is a savings of over 30%. Energy strategy and efficiency efforts, high efficiency heat pumps installed as part of the district referendum, have effectively electrified many heating operations across the district. The systems can operate electrically until temperatures drop to the mid to upper 30s, reducing reliance on gas-fired heating coils. The district's energy strategy focuses on shifting heating demand from gas to electricity when it is more

058cost effective, helping to manage and reduce demand charges. Current electricity consumption is slightly above 10 million kilowatt hours, which is already below the initial projections, and staff continue to pursue additional strategy to reduce usage further. Energy rebates and financial impact, the district continues to receive financial incentives through a PSE&G customized energy efficiency program, supporting projects such as window replacements, HVAC improvements, heating upgrades, and the BMS installation. Rebates received to date are schools 2, 3, 4, and 11, totaling approximately $160,000. Recently approved is school 1 rebate of just over $100,000 and the pending applications of approximately $4 million in additional rebates currently under review by PSE&G. Mike Ucci confirmed that these rebate funds are recorded as contra expenses against the electric and gas costs. meaning the funds are directly offset energy expenditures within the district's general

059fund. The rebates will help offset higher electric costs experienced this year. Energy costs are expected to stabilize and decrease moving forward now that the period of continuous building usage associated with referendum construction activities has concluded. Several new facility improvement projects will be included to the upcoming budget through the district's capital reserve. These projects address critical infrastructure needs across the district. Planned work includes roof replacements at School 12 and Clifton High School, replacement of the high traffic flooring at School 16, which has experienced ongoing issues. The original installation was previously reimbursed through FEMA. PAVING IMPROVEMENTS AT SELA A. THESE PROJECTS FOCUS ON MAINTAINING THE INTEGRITY AND FUNCTIONALITY OF DISTRICT FACILITIES WHILE HIGHLY VISIBLE, THEY ARE ESSENTIAL TO LONG-TERM CONDITION OF DISTRICT BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS. THE DISTRICT'S CAPITAL RESERVE REMAINS IN STRONG FINANCIAL CONDITIONS WITH A CURRENT

060BALANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 19.8 MILL PROVIDING FLEXIBILITY TO ADDRESS MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS RESPONSIBLY. Maple Valley Kitchen conversion. Work continues on the conversion of Maple Valley Kitchen into a sending kitchen for Pomptonian Food Service. The kitchen has already been fully gutted as part of the renovation process. Quotes have been obtained and a purchase order has been issued to proceed with the work. Prior to installation, staff will inspect the flooring to ensure there are no structural issues or unforeseen conditions. The project is currently... on schedule for completion between mid-april and early may once completed maple valley will function as the district's centralized kitchen replacing the limited and outdated space currently at clifton high school does anybody have any questions commissioner canola um the maple valley modifications is that being done with the cafeteria funds is that what we're

061using cap reserve cap reserve right it was actually capital reserve correct oh yeah Oh, we could have used it. It could have been used. I'm sorry. It could have been used if they're not using capital reserve funds. Oh, we don't have it. Okay. All right. Because I know that those can only be used for that. That's why I want to make sure we deplete those first before. Correct. We've done other food equipment projects throughout the district. Okay. Thanks. Commissioner Ragsdale. That 40% that we get back from the state for the roof of, for the roofs, is that straight to capital reserves? Yes, that's correct. Okay. Anyone else? Seeing none, thank you to all the committees for doing very extensive work, as you can see by the minutes. So thank you very much for your diligence.

062It's appreciated by me and everyone else from the administration. We're going to look for a motion. I'm going to do this all in one shot. If anybody doesn't have any objections to move the minutes from February 5th, February 26th, and March 2nd for both executive and regular admission. Second. Motion by Commissioner Brunciak, second by... Commissioner Paris, any questions, concerns, or comments? Seeing none, roll call on the minutes. The group. Mr. Brunsiak? Yes. Mr. Canova? Yes. Ms. Estrick-Barnes? Yes. Mr. Paris? Yes. Mr. Ragsdale? Yes. Mr. Siano? Yes. Ms. Suarez? Yes. Vice President Santiago? Yes. Vice President Basler? Yes Designation of minutes as you can see on your screen. We have some additions to the meetings one of them being We had the one of March 17th. I asked for them to be put on so everybody

063has them and their calendar base And then also we have a meeting March 7th. So I just want everybody to be mindful of that meeting as well It's the final hearing on the budget So we're going to May 7th, I'm sorry. I'm still in March. You have to understand. And also, we have our special awards meeting in June and then one in November. So it's on the calendar. Mark your calendars so we're all up to date. Okay. Moving on. Can we talk about the calendar? Yes. Go ahead. There's my microphone. I don't know what's going on. At least it doesn't sound like a novice, so I'm good. Commissioner can over so sorry. All right June 18th Her and I both cannot make this meeting. That's two commissioners out. I would like this meeting move to

064another date You're already down to that has to be decided upon with administration Dr. Robitussi do we have any issue for moving the meeting then we have to move vote on it seat I would like to vote on it. I know people are going away that month Is that an issue with you as well, Commissioner Canova? Yeah, so for me, the 11th and the 18th are conflict. If we can move those up, that would be better. So what we have now, Madam President, is we have on June 11th, we have the Special Awards Board meeting, June 18th regular. No problem with moving June 18th to the 25th, the following week, which the only issue, if it is an issue, is it's the night before graduation. It's not an issue for me, not an issue for,

065and I don't think there's anything on the district calendar. Mr. Paris can't make it. He's away. And then, Mr. Canova, you're asking to move the 11th, correct? That's right. So the only conflict, if we move that to the, we can't move that to the 18th, to move that to the 4th. Do you have budgetary things or staff assignments? No, we get earlier before well before this one mr. Canova started matters the awards meeting so that yeah, we got on the third so the fourth wouldn't work Can we not move the 18th to the 17th? We can move. Absolutely. Just push it one day before. I think we can. So at least you have two of us at it. If we wanted to be consistent and keep it on Thursdays, the 25th works, but I'm good

066with. We just had a special meeting on Wednesday anyway, right? We did. So why not do it on the 17th so that we're not down to two? The commissioner of Paris is not available on the 25th. The 17th looks good for a board meeting. Everybody good with that? I wouldn't be there, but that's fine. Joe we could excuse me mr. Canova we could and the special awards meeting doesn't have to be in June it could be the last week in May Is everybody available June 11th for a regular meeting? Yeah it is. Yeah, it's tough. It's it's probably better to keep it in June Well, the awards meeting is that right? It's the awards. It's the recognition. But the board meeting, I think all of us being at the board meeting is, listen, it's important

067for the awards, but I understand that, you know, things get in the way. But if everybody's available on the 17th of June as opposed to the 18th of June where we're not down two commissioners, I think at least we can start. Well, we would be down three commissioners. I'm gone from the 3rd to the 19th. It's nice, right? It's a nice vacation. You'll be on vacation. You'll be fine. There is no conflict with a district event on the 17th. There is no conflict on the 25th for a district event, but who has conflicts on the board for those days About you on here. I'm the third to the 19th. I'm not here but outside of that I am 24th also works that would be Wednesday. So Wednesday the 24th Thursday the 25th. No, nope Miss

068Paris gonna be on a boat somewhere, right? It looks to me, Madam President, like I think we just have to be a majority vote on what's best for everybody. i'm okay with the 17th yeah 17th we're not down two that's the biggest thing we would again we would be down three if we did the 18th so it's got to move either way um are you a way where you can't access uh yeah i'm just asking i'm trying to give you the option because we're allowed to zoom in three times a year but during executive session you can't we have to shut it off because we don't know who's in the area as far as miss farmers are committed to 24th when everyone i think would be free oh oh that's when you aren't okay sorry

069so do we make a motion for the 17th to move it it's not enough it's not it's not enough time before then because we we got to do accruals for the for for the budget and everything like that you know so there's a lot of stuff on that agenda That we need to put in there because they need to do payroll. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Mr. Ruchi. There's a lot of things Is it preferable to have it later in the month it would be preferable to have it later Later I make the motion to move the meeting from the 18th to the 17th Said it because it's preferable for the BAS. All right Hold on the meeting that we have right now right now the scheduled meeting is the 18th. Are you okay

070with the 18? Boom because that is later in the month. It's not the third to follow along with us Commissioner Brunziak So well, I'm making the motion to move the 18th meeting to the 17th. Mr. Seuss is the 17th late enough. Yes. Okay But mr. Kind of come here. I just want you to be women's Commissioner Cronover is not available. So It's not Christmas Morris. It seems that most of June at least one board member will be absent So I think that's a regardless that's a sacrifice we have to make so the least amount or rather if we have the most amount of people It sounds like either the 17th or the 24th at work motion for the 17th June 17th Second motion by Commissioner Siano to move the meeting to the 17th seconded by

071Commissioner Brunsiak to move to the second 17 discussion roll call Mr. Brunson. Yes. Mr. Canova. Yes. Mr. Barnes. Yes. Mr. Paris. Yes. Mr. Ragsdale. Yes. Mr. Siano. Yes. Ms. Suarez. Yes. Vice President Santiago. Yes. President Basford. Yes. And thank you, Commissioner Canova, for being gracious and voting yes. Thank you. Now, what about for the awards? The awards right now is on the 11th. Moving it a week earlier doesn't help. But we could move it to June 2nd. There's no reason why that can't be on a Tuesday night, right? Oh, understood. Well, if it's just you, ma'am, honestly, the special awards meeting, I love you. I don't need you. Fair enough. I could even do the minutes. Does that work, Mr. Cano? Yeah, yeah, that would work for me. Does that work? Anybody have an idea?

072problem with June 2nd for the awards dinner what's meeting yeah do we have anything on district with the calendar for any kind of award ceremony because June's rough okay so well so we're gonna we're gonna make I need a motion for June 2nd to move the special awards motion Second motion by commissioners Seattle second by Commissioner Brunsack Discussion just so everybody knows there will be whether it's the fourth the second the 11th some school somewhere is gonna be having an event Somebody's gonna have a conflict just so you know right no matter and June is crazy There's nothing major on my calendar, but there will be something June 2nd it is. Well, it looks that way. Okay, so we're going to make it for June 2nd. I need a roll call, but I have just

073one thing. I'm going to send everybody out another calendar. I've been updating it, and I have some community events that I put on there for, like, recreation. So bear with me. I'm going to try to get it on a different kind of format. Just bear with me. But roll call, please. Mr. Brunziac? Yes. Mr. Canova? Yes. Ms. Estrick-Barnes? Yes. Mr. Peris? Yes. Mr. Ragsdale? Yes. Mr. Siano? Yes. Ms. Suarez? Yes. Vice President Santiago? Yes. President Bathory? Yes. And to administration, can you please just send us an updated calendar tomorrow? Yes, I'm just wondering, Mr. Zieg, I don't want to put you on the spot. Can we change that right now on the agenda? Click the edit button and change the date not to put you on the spot, but I have a big edit button

074right there Oh, you're in the mean gotcha, okay, no worries We will make sure that the board gets it. Don't don't my thing is working really fine right now. I was working well before Anything okay with that being said superintendent You are on for your report Good evening commissioners and members of the one Clifton community nice to see faculty and staff out in the audience tonight I want to just take a moment. It was mentioned earlier by our student rep Jana the Cast crew and directors of our spring musical Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 It was nothing short of spectacular. It was the best Musical I've ever seen That I mean I've seen Broadway shows I've this was unbelievable. You would not have believed this was a high school musical And notably,

075as Jenna mentioned, we are the first high school in New Jersey to perform this musical and one of only a select few nationwide. So congratulations to all of our students, Mr. Weismantle, the director, and all of the staff who worked diligently on that production. It's just a testament to the caliber of our performing arts program in our district. I'd like to recognize fifth grade students at school number eight who are participating in an innovative classroom podcasting project that's designed to strengthen their skills in speaking, listening, and writing. The initiative was made possible through a grant from the Clifton Education Foundation, which you heard earlier in the HSA minutes. GAVE OUT THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN GRANTS THIS YEAR. SO THANK YOU TO THE CLIFTON EDUCATION FOUNDATION. AND THIS PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED THROUGH THE EFFORTS

076OF FIFTH GRADE TEACHER MRS. META AND DISTRICT LITERACY COACH LISA POST. SO STUDENTS ARE CREATING PODCASTS. AND THAT'S A HUGE THING. in this time and they're taking the podcast they're connecting it to what they're learning in the classroom and gaining experience using the technology so I think that's wonderful I'd like to congratulate one of our students who I know is here tonight but we're gonna recognize him later Mrs. Badsford but I do want to congratulate Philip Alborzi my guy Philip we're gonna call you out but give him a shout out now We have a resolution on the agenda and we're gonna recognize you a little bit later I just wanted to give you a shout out because you know, you're my guy On Wednesday March 25th at the 2026 Passaic County unsung hero awards Philip

077will be honored He was selected out of all Clifton high school seniors as a student who defines our schools through quiet leadership and exceptional integrity And that's something to be very, very proud of. We are very proud of you, Phillip, and thank you for always being here at our board meetings and making my hair look good. I would like to encourage our board commissioners and the community to come out next Wednesday, March 25th, for the All-City Band, and the following Wednesday, April 1st, for the All-City Vocals. And finally... Two quick notes. As we approach the conclusion of Ramadan, I'd like to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim students, staff, and families celebrating Eid. This holiday marks the end of a month of fasting, reflection, and community. And since we will not have our next

078meeting until after spring break, I want to extend a very happy Easter to all of our students, staff, and families who will be celebrating on April 5th. And I want to take the opportunity to wish those who are observing, wish them a joyful celebration and a spring break spent with loved ones doing something that you enjoy. Because I know our faculty and staff deserve it, and so do our kids and their families. So hopefully you'll get to do something that you enjoy. Madam President, that concludes my report. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Robituzzi. I have to do committee assignments. I have to put Commissioner Estrick-Barnes on some committees, and I'm going to sit with Vice President Santiago and Dr. Robituzzi, and we're going to... Figure it out. We do have that extra position. So I'm

079gonna move you in I have to assign you a chairperson role. So I have to move things around a little bit I'm just gonna ask everybody to bear with us We were very busy this last week with a lot of things going on. So we're gonna get together on Tuesday And we're gonna get together on Tuesday. No the budget and there's you know, the budget was going on And the other thing is if anybody's tuning in late I want you to rewind to the beginning of the meeting. I did make a statement about some false rumors going out there. I want everybody to know that every one of these commissioners take their role very seriously. They put a lot of time in, and I'm grateful for them, as you can see by the committee reports.

080We put hours in. We don't get paid. We don't get reimbursed. We don't do that for that. We do that because we actually care about our community. So I thank you for what you're doing for us, and keep up the good work. But if anybody wants to reach out, there's a statement. I have the statement here. I know one of our community members will want the verbatim word for word. I'll make sure he has a copy of that later so he can release it on his social media because it does get a lot of hits. So thank you for that. That was a shout out, Michael. With that being said, I do not have any other business to talk about. Unfinished business, do we have anything? Anyone? No. Okay. Expression of condolences. I assign this

081to Commissioner Ragsdale. Would you do the honor of reading this condolence notification of condolence, please? Sure. For Mr. Elliott, right? I don't know if my thing loaded correctly. Yeah. Now it's updated, yeah. Whereas on February 23rd, 2026, I lost it. Okay, I got it. Whereas on February 23rd, 2026, the community noted with sorrow the passing of Eileen Deblinger. And whereas Ms. Deblinger had served the Clifton Board of Education and the children of Clifton faithfully and conscientiously for 28 years, Ms. Deblinger was an elementary school teacher at school number five until her retirement in 2011. Through her patience, creativity, and compassion, she touched the lives of countless students, leaving a lasting impression that extended far beyond the classroom. Teaching was not just her career, but her calling, and she took immense pride in nurturing confidence and

082curiosity in every child she taught. Eileen will be remembered for her gentle spirit. With generous heart and her unwavering devotion to her family, her legacy lives on in the family she adored and the students she inspired and the many lives she touched with her kindness. Be it for the resolved that the contents of this resolution be noted in their entirety in the official minutes of the Clifton Board of Education for future generations to pursue. Thank you, Commissioner Ragsdale. Commissioner Canova with the second expression of condolence. I'm ready here for it. Whereas on February 27th the community noted with sorrow the passing of Forrest Elliott and whereas Mr. Elliott had served the Clifton Board of Education and the children of Clifton faithfully and conscientiously for 32 years, Mr. Elliott was a special education teacher at Woodrow

083Wilson Middle School until his retirement in 2015. He earned two master's degrees. Forrest dedicated his life volunteering and doing charity work. He was the founder of Children Are Our Future in Woodridge, which he established five years ago. He volunteered in helping the homeless, especially homeless veterans. Mr. Elliott was an avid reader and enjoyed watching baseball and collecting baseball memorabilia. Be it further resolved that the contents of this resolution be noted entirely in the official minutes of the Clifton Board of Education and future generations to peruse. Thank you, Commissioner Canova. I'm going to go to B. I'm just going to have you guys read each section, and then we'll move the group. National Women's Month. Commissioner Siano. Thank you so much. Whereas American women of every race, class, and ethnic background have made historical contributions to

084the growth and strength of the nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways, whereas American women have played and continue to play a critical economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of our nation's life by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working in and outside the home, Whereas, American women have played a unique role throughout our history by providing the majority of the nation's volunteer labor force and have been particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, philanthropic, and cultural institutions in this country. Whereas, a celebration of women's progress and contributions to this country since its founding, this year's theme is Leading the Change, Women Shaping a Sustainable Future. This theme recognizes women who are driving innovation and systemic change across environmental, economic, and social justice, building a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable

085world. Therefore, be it resolved that the Clifton Board of Education honors the contributions that women have made throughout history and commit to support efforts to improve opportunities for women and declared March as National Women's History Month. Thank you Commissioner Siano. Next on our list is recognizing school social worker week. Commissioner Suarez. Thank you President Baskford. Whereas school social workers are essential members of the educational team helping students overcome social, emotional, and behavioral challenges that impact their ability to succeed in school. And whereas school social workers provide critical services including counseling, crisis intervention, mental health support. and connecting families with valuable community resources. And whereas school social workers play a vital role in promoting equity and inclusion by addressing barriers to learning and advocating for students in need. And whereas the National Association of Social Workers

086has designated the week of March 1st through 7th, 2026 as School Social Work Week, providing an opportunity to recognize and appreciate the contributions of school social workers to student success and well-being. And whereas the Clifton Board of Education values and acknowledges the dedication, compassion, and expertise of school social workers who support the students and families of Clifton Public Schools. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Clifton Board of Education does hereby recognize March 1st through 7th, 2026, as School Social Work Week and expresses its sincere gratitude to the school social workers of Clifton Public Schools for their unwavering commitment to our students, families, and school community. Thank You Commissioner Suarez Commissioner Brunsack maintenance worker appreciation day Thank You madam president board DOS continues to be mad janky so if admin could please fix it before

087the next meeting greatly appreciated thank you today is maintenance worker appreciation day whereas the Clifton Board of Education recognized the essential role that maintenance workers play in ensuring that our schools remain safe functional and welcoming environments for students staff the community and whereas maintenance workers serve as a backbone of our district's daily operations by maintaining facilities repairing critical systems ensuring building safety and responding promptly to the needs of our schools and whereas These dedicated professionals work diligently behind the scenes to support teaching and learning by maintaining clean, secure, and well-functioning school environments. And whereas their commitment often requires working in challenging conditions, including responding to emergencies, severe weather events. unexpected facility needs in order to keep schools open and operating safely and whereas through the winter season including recent snowstorms and blizzard conditions Clifton Public

088Schools maintenance workers demonstrated extraordinary dedication by working long hours to ensure school facilities remain safe and operational for students and staff and whereas the Clifton Board of Education wishes to formally acknowledge the professionalism reliability and pride that maintenance workers bring to their every day, to their work every day in the service of the Clifton School community. Now therefore be it resolved that the Clifton Board of Education hereby recognizes maintenance. Worker Appreciation Day and expresses its sincere gratitude to all maintenance workers across the district for their dedication, hard work, and commitment to maintaining safe and supportive learning environments. And be it further resolved that the Clifton Board of Education encourages all students, staff, administrators, and members of the Clifton community to join in recognizing and thanking our maintenance workers for the invaluable contributions. they make to

089the success of our schools thank you commissioner brunsiak commission our vice president santiago irish heritage month my pleasure president bathford Whereas Irish Americans have made significant contributions to the cultural, economic, and social fabric of the United States and their legacy of resilience, ingenuity, and commitment to education continues to inspire generations. Whereas the month of March is nationally recognized as Irish Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the rich history, traditions, and achievements of Irish Americans, including... Their contributions to education and public service and whereas millions of Americans including many residents of Clifton trace their ancestry to Ireland Enriching our community with Irish customs music literature and values of hard work and perseverance And whereas the Clifton Board of Education acknowledges and values the contributions of Irish Americans in the fields of education science Business and the

090arts as well as their dedication to civic engagement and social justice and whereas fostering an appreciation of diverse cultures including Irish heritage enhances the educational experience of our students and promotes understanding and unity within our schools and community. Now therefore be it resolved that the Clifton Board of Education proudly recognizes March 2026 as Irish Heritage Month and recognizes students, educators, and community members to engage in activities that celebrate the honor and history and contributions of Irish Americans. Be a further resolved that copies of the resolution shall be be shared with Clifton community and school districts to promote awareness and appreciation of Irish heritage throughout the month of March Thank You vice president Santiago Commissioner Paris will do do the honor of bestowing the next very special award, please recognition Thank You Commission President Baffert it's

091my honor to recognize Philip a Borsi as a 2026 Passaic County Unsung Hero. Whereas the Passaic County School Board Association and the Passaic County Education Association, in collaboration with the New Jersey School Board Association, recognize unsung heroes from each high school in Passaic County to celebrate those whose character and impact define the very heart of our schools. And whereas the Unsung Hero Awards honor students who make outstanding contributions to their schools and communities, but are often overlooked by traditional recognition programs, students who have modeled good citizenship, resilience, and the flowing with purpose, the power of persistent character that inspires others. And whereas these unsung heroes may have organized community programs, selflessly supported their peers, or achieved significant academic success while overcoming difficult personal challenges, disabilities, or language barriers. And whereas Philip Alborzi has overcome seemingly

092insurmountable obstacles to reach his full potential, serving both the school community and the community at large as a beacon of integrity. And whereas, Philip Alborzi, on March 25, 2026, will be formally recognized for these achievements at the fourth annual Passaic County Unsung Heroes Award Ceremony held at the West Milford High School. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Clifton Board of Education officially recognizes Philip Alborzi as an unsung hero of Passaic County and the Clifton School District. and be it further resolved that this resolution is presented to Philip Elborzi as a sincere token of the Clifton Board of Education's congratulations and best wishes for continued success as he continues to lead by example. Congratulations, Philip. Thank you. Thank you. thank you all for uh like i said before you're all invited to go to the

093new jersey school boards sponsors it it's through the state county school boards association it's next wednesday at west milford high school um please come and share your share your presence with uh the honorees especially phillips so it's it's a great day to be a mustang excuse me real quick i just wanted to mention to the board if you did And Philip is going to school to become a teacher. William Patterson, Montclair State. Thank you. Montclair State, where my daughter is. So hopefully, Philip, in four years, maybe we'll see your name on an agenda here, okay? Getting a job. All right? Good luck. Thank you. I need a motion to approve B1 through B21. I'll make that motion. Motion from Commissioner Paris, second by Commissioner Siano. Discussion? Seeing none, roll call. Mr. President. Yes to everything

094except EA 14, no on EA 14, please. Mr. Canova. Yes. Ms. Esther Quarrens. Yes. Mr. Paris. Yes. Mr. Ragsdale. Yes. Mr. Siano. Yes to everything, I'm also going to no on EA 14. Ms. Suarez. Yes. Vice President Santiago? Yes. President Vazquez? Yes, and I abstain on my name only on B10. I'm looking for a motion from C1 to 27. Motion. Second. Motion by Commissioner Brunciac, second by Commissioner Canova. Discussion? Seeing none, roll call. It was Commissioner Brunciac and Commissioner Canova. Gotcha. Sorry about that. Mr. Brunsiak? Yes. Mr. Canova? Yes. Ms. Esther Barnes? Yes. Mr. Peres? Yes to all, but abstain on 23, please. Mr. Ragsdale? Yes, but abstaining on P7. Mr. Siano? Yes. Ms. Suarez? Yes, abstain on P22, my name only. Vice President Santiago? Yes. President Baskford? Yes. Motion's carried. Right next is finance

095facilities D. We're looking for a motion to move D 1 to 15 motion Motion by Commissioner Siano second by Commissioner Paris any discussion roll call. Mr. Lucy, please. Mr. Brunzier. Yes Yes, yes, mr. Ragsdale abstaining to check number two two six three nine nine only Mr. Siano. Yes, abstaining on check 226, 399 for Tomahawk promotions because of my business relationship. Ms. Suarez. Yes, abstaining on eight. Vice President Santiago. Yes. President Vassar. Yes. Motion's carried. Perfect. So we're going to go to board member comments. I'm going to start with you, Commissioner Paris. Okay. Thank you. Thank you to Jenna again as usual for not here anymore I know but for her comments and also for mentioning the student liaison committee which three of us have the privilege of sitting on. It's amazing our students these are

096representatives of all different grade levels that meet with us. It's amazing how articulate and mature and thoughtful our students are and we really appreciate their input and participation. Condolences to the Demblinger and Elliott family. Next week, Wednesday 25th, I need to correct you, Dr. Robert Tosi. You corrected me the other day. We are having an all-city, but it's not band. It's strings on Wednesday. Thank you, Mr. Perez. I stand corrected, and you did owe me one, sir. No problem. I'd like to make a comment on the all-city band. Concert which was last evening. It's actually the 75th commemorative All-city band performance and for that performance there was a concert band piece commissioned Entitled three cheers. It's based on Clifton high school's fight song, which is our director and you probably all know it if you've

097been to a football game Let's hear it. Mr. Paris and What'd I do? You have to sing it, Mr. Parris, because I don't know if the community knows it. I have to have musical accompaniment, so I will do that for you when I have appropriate musical accompaniment. And also, it was written by, composed by a renowned composer, and it was written, a very unique piece in the way, because usually these pieces are written for different level concert bands. And because All City represents everything from our... elementary, fourth grade, on up level through high school, this composer wrote the piece to include all those different levels of performers. And so up on the stage were our very best musicians throughout the entire district, and they played a very stirring and moving piece. There's also a live

098stream that you can view if you've missed it. It's worth a look. It's really amazing what our kids can do. And I think that's pretty much all I have other than for all those observing, a blessed eve and a joyous Easter. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Parris. Commissioner Ragsdale. Thank you. Mr. Parris already touched on the student liaison committee meeting, but I would say it was very fruitful and very good, especially being a former member of that committee, but as a student, it was good to go back and have those discussions again with those representatives. I did add Happy St. Joseph's Day to Mr. Canova and Mr. Siano. The cheer team did an incredible job of 4P, a dynasty, I know it's been called before. It's amazing, but I'm not surprised at all. The musical,

099again, was also phenomenal. I used to do the backstage kind of stage managing stuff, but this one blew us out of the water by far. So a huge thank you to Mr. Horn, Mr. Wiseman, and even Mr. Wellens, who was a volunteer parent. We celebrated Dr. Sooth's Read Across America Week, which is excellent. Again, going back to my old schools, going back to my old classes, and reading back to those students. The All-City Strings and All-City Chorus are coming up. Those dates are actually on the website where there's a calendar, and you can see all the different kind of events that go on. Congratulations to my friend Phillip. I was in the high school with him, so we were classmates, sort of. But I've seen you do work at the Boys and Girls Club as

100well, so huge congratulations to you. Very well deserved. Happy Women's History Month. Those that celebrated Eid, I hope you had a very blessed fast. And with Easter coming up, happy Easter, happy Resurrection Sunday. If you celebrate in general, stay safe. And until next time. Commissioner Siano. Thank you so much. Good evening everyone. As always, thank you, Jennifer, the student rep report. Congrats to our amazing cheerleading team. Tonight I want to thank the schools that welcomed me for Read Across America. I was able to visit five schools and read to multiple classes. It was more than rewarding. It was a powerful reminder of what makes this district so special. I also had the pleasure of attending the CHS production of Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, and that was absolutely extraordinary. I've got to

101concur with Dr. Robert Tozzi. Best show I've ever seen. The talent, the confidence, and creativity on that stage were unforgettable, and I was invited to sit on stage, and I became a part of the show that made it even more remarkable. I got to dance a little bit. So, that reason is why it's so frustrating to see our district reduced to criticism on social media, the keyboard warriors out there. There's a stark difference between the negativity posted online and the excellence happening in our schools every day. If you want to know the truth about the district, don't look at the comment thread. Go to the schools, sit in the audience, watch our students perform, compete, create, and lead. Ours is a deeply diverse district with students speaking 67 different languages. That diversity is one of

102our greatest strengths. It also means the work is complex. Meeting the needs of every student, providing specialized support, maintaining strong classrooms, and being responsible to taxpayers is not simple. Yet our staff shows up every single day ready to do that work. They do it with commitment, skill, and heart. And our students rise to the challenge with talent, resilience, and determination. So I want to urge every resident. Number one, stop posting blatant lies and whatever you want to put on social media. Show up for the schools. Buy a ticket to a school play. Attend a concert. Cheer at a game. Watch our cheer squads compete. Visit the events that showcase the incredible work happening across the district. Your presence matters. Your support matters. And when you see the students in action, you'll understand why we are

103so proud of what we do. We have some of the most talented students and dedicated staff in the state. They deserve to be seen, celebrated, and supported, not drowned out by misinformation and unfounded claims. Not everything you read online reflects reality. Man, was that frustrating going around. This last one. We're not able to comment on it. We can't comment. We're all board commissioners. It was very frustrating to see that. Shame on the Facebook groups that do that and allow that. Just spread lies everywhere because it's okay because you're on social media and there's no rules. Shame on everybody that runs those groups. Unfounded criticism doesn't just mislead. It actively undermines the extraordinary efforts of our students and staff. They deserve better than that. So does our community. Personal note. Robert Popovich, my heart's with you.

104Get better. I know you're going through some stuff right now. You're a great guy. Yeah, so everybody's wearing red for St. Joe's. Just so you know, that symbolizes devotion, good luck, and strength. That's why red is the color of the day. Me and my father were named after St. Joe. I don't know if you were named after the St. Joe, but something tells me you might have been. And really, that's about it for tonight. I hope everybody has a good evening, and please remember to take care of yourselves and each other. Thank You Commissioner Siano Commissioner Suarez please Thank You president bass for a good evening everyone Philip a huge congratulations to you for being an unsung hero since my time on this board you've been so kind courteous and a beacon of joy I'm

105proud that you are representing Clifton as you are an outstanding student thank you for going into education we not only need teachers but male teachers are critical in particular I wish you all the best and all that you do And a couple of weeks ago, as my colleagues have mentioned, it was Read Across America, and it was so wonderful. It's a time that I truly look forward to every year. This year, my schedule had more conflicts than in years past, so I could only make it to a few schools. And even though I visited a handful of classrooms, being with our young students brings me so much joy and I am sincerely thankful to be welcomed into their classrooms. My favorites are the kindergarten kids who have a tremendous and wonderful ability to bring up

106tangential topics about their experiences, family members, and interests. I love it all. I always leave with a huge smile on my face and they truly make my day a happy one. Also, I would like to give respect my respect to Clifton Education Association and your efforts to advocate for a strong and quality public education in Clifton. I especially appreciate your point in making Clifton a desirable district to work in so that we may attract top-tier teachers. Our students deserve them. As for School Social Worker Week, I sincerely thank all of our school social workers. Having been a school social worker for 10 years, it's a profession that is near and dear to my heart and continues to shape my perspective on the needs of our students and education throughout today. Being a school social worker

107is a labor of love. It is an emotionally laborious role because school social workers wear many hats on any given day. Cheers to all of our school social workers. Also, as a plug for School 8, where learning is great, they're having a yoga event, adults only, this Saturday at 10 a.m. You can email me if you'd like to sign up. I can send you the information. There will be no purchase at the door the morning of the event. And lastly, Eid Mubarak, happy Easter and the weeks ahead, and wishing you a safe and joyful spring break. Have a great night, everyone. Thank you, Commissioner Suarez. Commissioner Brunsiak? Thank you, President Bassford. Good evening, everyone. Lots of things happening in our district, including competition, which is alive and well. Want to let the community know that.

108Girls Varsity Wrestling did awesome this year. And three of them ended up going to the state championships. And one of them is my niece. So that's really cool. So she made it down there. She lost, but just that. I mean, she was ranked like... Eighth in the state at one point so she she really she faced some tough competition she trains like very hard and Shout out to all three of those girls from making States Absolutely outstanding work and shout out to administration wrestling is becoming so popular now that a Wrestling club is for me in the very near future is my understanding so shout out to you administration for help making this happen Also, I had the honor of attending the All-City Band concert last night. Commissioner Parrish was there as well. And there

109are over 1,000 children in this district that play band here, and only 123 of them were selected. And I want to let the kids know, make sure you work hard. If you weren't invited, you get another chance next year. Most of you get another chance next year. And I want to give quick plugs again for the All-City Strings next Wednesday, March 25th, and the new All-City Chorus on April 1st at 7 p.m. on both of those dates. Congratulations, Phillip, but I think I'm going to have to, I'm going to the All-City Strings. It's absolutely awesome to see it. Congratulations, fam. Wish you all the best and continued success. Finally, I want to wish all my brothers and sisters in the Muslim community happy Eid, happy Passover to all of those who celebrate, and happy Easter

110to all who celebrate as well. Thank you for your time, and God bless America. Have a good night, everybody. Thank you, Commissioner Francia. Commissioner Canova? I think I'm good. I'd like to congratulate the wind ensemble who took gold last night at last week's regional competition who were Committing who were up against the very best ensembles throughout North Jersey and took home gold Our cheer team for winning both states and nationals, which is a four-peat this year. They also got the best choreography and best sportsmanship. Sportsmanship was by other teams, voted in by other teams, and they sent it in because our girls were being so nice and kind to other individuals there, which I think is an amazing accomplishment. And then as I mentioned on Tuesday, I wanted to talk a little bit about budget

111here. I think there's a lot of considerations that have to take place between now and when budget is actually submitted, like the actual tax increase that we're submitting. Going back to some comments that were said and how I look at things is that inside of a school, I feel like especially for sports and organizations, we should be supplying students with what they need to succeed. Yes, I agree with fundraising outside of that. So if they wanted to do a breakfast at an IHOP before an event, absolutely, that's something they should fundraise, and I think they should feel pride in doing that. But if it comes down to things like... The bus to get to where they need to go or the uniforms, I don't think that should be an impediment to their success. There are

112kids that come from many different facets of this town and. Some have have and some have without right? So I think that everyone should be treated even equally. And equitably, I think that in order to do so. We need to fund these these things at the full potential. I know that 4% was agreed upon by this board alone. Right we said. This next year these are the salary increases for our individuals who make up 80% of our budget and that's 4% So a standard 2% increase just won't cut it for what we already agreed to financially So that's some concerns I have I don't know I don't know what the number should be but I think we need to have more of a conversation on what that should be and I think we're not thinking

113about the whole picture and we just talked about You know just an arbitrary number of 2% or 3% or whatever people We're all taxpayers here. I'm a taxpayer. As a taxpayer, I want zero dollars. But at the same time, I also want a school where people want to come to. Right? Our house is worth what it's worth because people believe in what we do here. So if that means 2.5%, it means 2.5%. Whatever we agree on. But I think we need to come to agreement on what that is. And other than that just happy St. Joe's Day go out there and get a pastry for that one Wonderful eat celebration and happy Easter. Thank you Thank You Commissioner Canova Commissioner Esther Barnes. Would you like to speak? Sure. Thank you president bass part kind of

114mirror Mr. Commissioner Canova's sentiments. I just want to be transparent. As a homeowner in Clifton, I am directly impacted by this vote. It's not a decision I take lightly, and I understand that it's unpopular, but I believe it's the right one. We cannot keep deferring the problem. The financial shortcomings we faced today did not appear overnight. They are the result of years of deferred actions. Continuing to kick the can down the road does not make the problem smaller. It makes it more expensive and disruptive. The longer we wait, the fewer options we have, and the more severe those options become. Clifton's value is not accidental. When I chose to buy here, I wasn't just buying a house, I was buying everything that Clifton has to offer, proximity to the city, public transportation, walkable amenities, and

115critically, a school district that's worth investing in. Many of my friends chose to buy elsewhere precisely because those things weren't as valuable to them, and they made that trade-off, and we made this one, and that comes with a responsibility. Students are not a cost, they're an investment. If we want our schools to remain competitive with PCTI or anywhere else or charter schools, we must fund them like we mean it. The return on that investment is real and measurable. Families choosing to stay, property values holding strong, and a community that continues to attract people rather than lose them. The increase, whether it's 2, 4, 6 percent, is unlikely to drive people away. I challenge anyone to show me a comparable municipality where the taxes are dramatically lower and that the quality of life is equivalent. Largely,

116that place doesn't exist. People don't leave communities like Clifton over a tax adjustment. They leave when schools decline, when amenities disappear, when the community stops investing in itself. I'm open to alternative approaches with conditions. If there is a compelling case for a smaller initial increase, I'll listen, but only if it becomes paired with a clearly defined and tiered multi-year plan. A smaller number with no roadmap, again, is just kicking the can down the road with extra steps. For clarity, a school tax increase only applies to the school tax levy portion of the property tax bill, not the total assessed value of the home. I believe that formula was worked into the financial report, but I don't know if that was just a discrepancy or my misunderstanding. And based on the data that Mr. Yushi provided,

117I think it was $26 a month. Again, these are numbers that aren't concrete, I guess, just yet. But I think it's less likely, or I'm sorry, the people most likely to feel this impact, even if we're saying it's small or incremental, are those on a fixed income, especially retirees. happy Passover happy Mubarak happy Easter and congratulations again to Philip Thank You Commissioner Esther Bonds Vice President Santiago Thank You President Paris a president bass for now emerging all of them Phil congratulations again Phil was not used to being in front of the camera. He was like, where do I go? And what you don't see is that Phil is behind the camera again. What I really love about this award, if you go back to just a little bit of the resolution, is it honors students

118who make outstanding contributions to their schools and community, but are often overlooked by traditional recognition programs. So there may or may not be academic honors students. There may or may not be athletes. but they're students who make a difference to the community, to their students, to the school, to their staff. And Phil is incredibly deserving. Congratulations again. Cheer for Pete, state champs, and the national champions. Killing the game. Congratulations. Way to rep, Clifton. Keep up the great work. Happy Women's History Month. to the women on this dais. Thank you so much for your contributions and the difference that you make in all of our staff and all of our teachers. Happy Irish American Heritage Month. God willing, in a month or so, Commissioner Batson, I say you read this because she's Irish, but she's like,

119Tony, you can read it. So thank you, but we will hopefully have a wee little hooligan in a month running around our house, and we can't wait. Have a blessed Easter. Happy happy to everyone Read across America is one of my favorite things every single year I love it, I love it, I love it. I went to school eight, school 11, school 12, school 12 annex. So thank you to Ms. Munoz, Mr. Waka, Ms. Kenning, Ms. Vega, all the teachers, all the staff. The kids are funny, they're smart, they say the darndest things, they're astute. And then after all the craziness of a week, and it's nowhere near as challenging as our teachers and our staff, and I know you get tons of these, you come in. the board here and there's a little envelope

120and I thank you from the teachers and all the kids in the class sign this and it just inspires you and says okay I can I can come back and keep doing this so thank you to all the students thank you everyone have a great evening Thank you, Vice President Santiago. I too did Read Across America, and I have my little, I save all this stuff. I have a box that I put in, then I put it into a scrapbook, so I keep all this. And I had the pleasure of reading to a class, a kindergarten class, and it was about green eggs and ham. And the one gent in front of me kept on, he kept on nudging my feet, but he made me. Make the sounds again, make the sounds again. So I

121was having a ball. I got to five to eight to 12 to 13. I had two other schools. I wasn't able to fit it in my schedule, but I'm going to ask Dr. Robituzzi if I can reach out to those coordinators and read it another time because I really want to get to them. It's just, that's the cream. That's the payment. We don't get paid. We don't get benefits. That's the payment for us is graduation and all the events that we go to as commissioners and we stand there with a smile from ear to ear. That's our joy. That's our payment. That's why we do it for the kids. So thank you for those that invited me. Those that I couldn't get to, I will try to get to. Our cheerleading squad. Okay, so I'm

122a cheerleader. I've always been a cheerleader. Once a cheerleader is like a Girl Scout, you can't take it out of a system. So congratulations. It is a sport. I don't care what anybody says. It's a sport. It should be recognized as a sport. What they go through, training, practice, is grueling. We are very proud of you. And I hear that rings are coming or something's coming? Okay. So that's great. Happy St. Joseph's Day to our two Joes. And also the Joes in my family. I have my nephew from Hawaii I got to see on Saturday and my brother-in-law Joe and my other brother-in-law. So my son used to call the one the other guy because he couldn't call him Uncle Joe because he said, I can't do that. We have two Joes. It's the other

123guy. So we all call my other brother-in-law the other guy. So it's stuck. Thank you to Jenner for a very, very... comprehensive report thank you to the staff that come to the meetings I know you don't have to but you come to be informed and that means a lot to us that we know that we're we at least have you and we you hear the stuff that's going on here so you could take back to your communities so you could dispel the rumor mill so I thank you all for doing that and taking from your time to come here that's really important for us thank you to I have something. Thank you, Dr. Robituzzi, for a rough week this week and being available to everyone. Also, thank you for saying to me that if we

124need to have extra Zoom meetings for the budget, just like we did with the vacancy, how we scheduled that in, we're going to try to pivot that way because finance will be the committee meeting for the budget. But to let the other board members be involved, we may. schedule a meeting here or there via Zoom. We'll work it around everybody's schedule so everybody has access to the information that's coming. And then if we have to have another meeting, we'll put it to you all to see if you're available for discussion. We are going to do as much as we can to get this thing right. You have my word and you have Dr. Robituzzi's word as well that we're going to do that for everyone. With that being said, blessed Eid, happy Passover, and a

125happy Easter to those that celebrate. Please as Joe said thank you for your statement about social media, but come here first If we can't comment there is a reason we're not allowed to but you can always email us and we will flip the email to our our administration to answer and just Stop listening to the to the rumor mill. It's it's not true That's all I want to say because I've done my phone blew up and kept on saying it's false false false But there you go. So with that being said Any new business? Okay, Commissioner Seattle son. We've been dealing with all week in the I don't know how to quote Brunziak on this Board Docs has been mad janky. Is that what you said? Is that the right quote? Okay. And it's true

126because I've had a problem all week with board docs. Can we look into this? Because it doesn't seem to be getting better this week. And then at least for the next meeting or the next agenda, we'll have it taken care of. Thank you. I mean, it's not bad. It's not bad on my personal device, but on this device, there's issues. So I don't know if that's something to do with it. I actually had to reach out to him today. I couldn't access it from anything. He had to send me the agenda so I could look it over one more time. Here I'm having. a better time but you know you you quoted it best i have to i have just i have to agree because when i came into the meeting it didn't sign me

127in the right way so when i went to go to committee reports they weren't in the shop so i didn't think we had any and that's when somebody passed me a note and said you have committee reports so it's it's janky commissioner uh canova so so uh we'll take that back to technology but it's one thing i did observe was in especially in the expression of condolence it looks like a different font or font size so sometimes if you copy and paste off a word now sometimes it'll bring in that metadata and css and it might be trying to do something here on that page so it could be something like that maybe just the way it was copy and pasted versus like instead of a notepad or something stripping the tech the additional pieces

128in text so maybe that's something we could look at but we could of course you know talk about in tech okay could you bring it to tech that would be very important anyone else with new business make sure jinky gets in the minutes please I have one. I'm sorry. Okay. I need to amend my vote from earlier. I voted yes to accept the previous minutes, but I need to abstain. I wasn't at those meetings. Thank you very much for correcting. So just that you know that when you vote on something and you need to correct it, you're allowed to do it during the next meeting. You can do that that way, but you quit yourself, which is great. But at the next meeting before we actually go into that section, you can ask. for your

129vote to be changed before the minutes are read new business um coincidentally also technology kind of thing we a member of the community brought this to my attention and then i checked and they were right we used to have a clifton public schools app and i like i physically or literally still have the app downloaded but it's not updated it's no notifications it's like dead so mr ragsell um Mr. Mountain could probably explain it a lot better than me, but basically the app was Pretty much what our website is now whereas if you went to our website and you Held it down and put a little shortcut to it on your phone That's pretty much what the app is So the app kind of believe it or not is an out more of an outdated

130thing now people are just using their EBS their websites and our website is mobile friendly There's probably some more technical terms in there that Mr. Martin would use, but that's the general gist of it, that everything that was in that app is on our website. Okay, thank you. Anyone else new business? I just want to add, we should bring that back to technology as well, because I know I do find that... at least on mobile, when you hit certain pages, it does this like pop-up thing that you always have to say like disallow. So there's something strange going on there too. So you probably just got to look at that. Thank you. I just remembered that June 2nd is a primary election and it's a half day for the students and staff. Would that be

131an issue for us having a meeting on June 2nd? Not for me. Okay. I just wanted to bring that to everybody's attention. Okay. Commissioner Suarez. Thank you. As you were talking about the app, it reminded me that on the parent portal or where we access the calendar, there aren't the Board of Education meetings posted. And so I think that's something that could be updated. That's something I like to look at. And I'm like, oh, wait, it's not here. So just to be aware. I want to try to get a calendar. I don't know if we could do this. You know how, Dr. Robituzzi, that you guys made the calendar for the HSAs? Yes. Can we do one for the board? And like where we get it? We can. All right. So if one of us

132have something going on that we can actually get it out there? We absolutely can okay At time we were in season we get it worried about that. I'm just worried about just a shared calendar on Google calendar We'll try We'll send it to tack take care of that we please we also we also have The Boys and Girls Club Gala coming. So do we have an extra seat available to invite our new committee? Okay, good. So you're invited to April 16th. We'll talk amongst ourselves and give you the information. Anybody else have anything else to talk about? All right. With that being said. I have one question, I guess. I know a long time ago we used to get report cards home. And then we moved to a digital world and post-COVID, et cetera. And

133I know that I have to check a box that says that, yes, as a parent, I looked at this report card. Do we have analytics on that? Do we follow up with parents who don't look at that and don't check that box? Sorry, Mr. Knoll. We do absolutely have analytics. A couple of presses of a button, we can tell who has checked, who hasn't. What the follow-up is, I don't know, but I can follow up with you on that. But we absolutely have that information. Thank you. Anyone else? Okay, with that being said, this board will now enter, I'm going to ask for a motion to enter an executive session in accordance with the open- Motion. Second. To discuss legal matters involving personnel, legal, and contractual issues, which require confidentiality. Formal action may be taken

134upon return to public session. Motion was by Commissioner Brunciac and second by Commissioner Suarez. Roll call, yes. With a five minute recess before we go in. Thank you, thank you Madam President. Roll call. Mr. Brunziak? Yes. Mr. Canova? Yes. Mr. Estrick-Barnes? Yes. Mr. Peris? Yes. Mr. Ragsdale? Yes. Mr. Siano? Yes. Ms. Suarez? Yes. Vice President Santiago? Yes. President Becker? Yes. Motion carries. We'll see you in about an hour. 948, we're back from executive session, roll call. Mr. Brunsiak? Yes. Mr. Canova? Here. Ms. Esther Barnes? Yes. Mr. Farris? Here. Mr. Ragsdale? Here. Mr. Tiano? Present. Ms. Suarez? Here. Vice President Santiago? Here. President Passord? I'm here. We have quorum. Okay, I have to just read something that I forgot to do before, and it was a donation to the district. It was F19, sorry, it was

135F1. D1, oh my god, resolved that the Clifton Board of Education accept the recommendation of the superintendent to accept with sincere gratitude a donation of a case of feminine hygiene products for the district and a letter of appreciation be forwarded to Pam at St. Peter's Haven and Margaret Carreri of Clifton, New Jersey for the generous donation. Okay, with that being said May I make an announcement? Mr. Mountain was watching the meeting and he wanted me to tell the board That he was hearing about the board Doc's issue if if I could share there have been a ton of internet issues with sites using Amazon AWS the hosting company Canova will be familiar Over the past three hours lots of sites have been janky Great work since 630 p.m. Or so it looks like most issues

136have been resolved, but I will certainly follow up with more detail Thanks. Just FYI. Okay. So we're going to vote on G, executive session items 2 to 11. Can I have a motion? Motion. Second. Motion from Commissioner Siano, second from Commissioner Brunciac. Roll call, discussion? Seeing none, roll call. Mr. Brunsiak? Yes. Mr. Canova? Yes. Mr. Ekstrak-Marnes? Yes. Mr. Perez? Yes. Mr. Ragsdale? Yes. Mr. Siano? Yes. Ms. Juarez? Yes. Vice President Santiago? Yes. President Paz? Yes. Motion's carried. Motion to adjourn. Second. Yes, have a good break for a little bit of a, you guys need it. Have a great day off. Motion, who motions? Second. Motion by Commissioner Parra, second by Commissioner Brunciac. All in favor? Aye. Anybody opposed? Good night. Thank you, everybody.