LEHSD Board of Education Meeting - March 24, 2026 - Budget Meeting

001is to advise the general public that in compliance with the open public meetings act the little lake harbor Board of Education meeting was advertised in the Atlantic City Press and posted at the office of the Board of Education located at 307 frog Pond Road little lake harbor and posted at the office of the municipal clerk of little lake harbor roll call please mr. Chacon here server server here here here that may please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance can I have an approval of the agenda and I have a motion please second second thank you any questions on the agenda yes can you hear me sorry I have a little voice today at our last meeting we had to take a vote for electronic use of board members and I'm only able to find the

002policy that says electronic use for medical reasons has that changed and what is the policy that we are following so during the week Adam our attorney clarified that if you give a 48 24 hour notice in writing that you're able to participate via electronics what policy is that yes I have that notice too but I'm asking what that policy is because at our last meeting our attorney told us that we were previously in violation of that policy and that's why I wanted to vote yeah now actually we are in violation he wanted to play it safe because he wasn't sure if Laura had given notice ahead ahead of time so we played it safe and did what we did last time but he made it clear that we did not need to do that this

003time is there a policy on electronic use for board members yes what is that policy it's online we've already checked this what what is the exact question it's just contradicting our last meeting and that's concerning it's not contradicting because we did it out of precaution we did it they didn't have to do we have been writing that this however was going to be virtual the 24 hour notice I'm just being cautious because if we're our policy that miss Hol nationwide be protracting I'd appreciate that like I said we checked with the attorney Adams Europol Gregory's atuient we provide two hours but just so because they that you guys want to go pull the animated web page I'mещčić I'mighton сторi bird we didn't say exactly what the statement did in the CASPA document we didn't need

004to do it because we had in writing that Miss urban was willing to be virtual last time well ahead of the 24 hours I'm just being cautious because if we're not following policy miss Holney could be retracting No I appreciate that, like I said we checked with the attorney Adam and me but Adam wrote a response that it is perfectly fine for Miss Herbert to join the electronics everyone also because she gave a notice. Board policy 0155.1 it reads that the Board of Education recognizes that a board member may be unable to attend the board meeting due to a medical condition or I'm skipping a few or due to a commitment requiring the board member to be away during the time of the board meeting. So it is not limited to just the medical condition.

005Thank you. Can you just repeat that policy in the microphone for everyone to be able to hear you on the live stream? 0155.1. Thank you. And then also just confirming that we are not in violation of the Sunshine Act with our agenda not being posted to the public 24 hours prior to our meeting. Again I do not want to sit through this meeting and then have everything untied. That's correct. I think that's it. There's no requirement. Go ahead. I suppose it was said that when public notice is given of a meeting, what's known about the agenda at the time of that notice is that it's been in the notice board. Not in the notice board. If it is over, the Board is going to want to end it on their own. That's a number. You're

006all right. Could you talk a little louder? Sorry. We can't hear you in the back. We can say that all over again. That's no problem. We can repeat it. I . . . how's this? I said that there's no requirement that the agenda be published before the meeting there are requirements that certain information being provided in notice of public meetings depending on what type of notice it is and what type of inference or what information is known when the notice published okay thank you so Tiffany appreciate you crossing C's and I'm the eyes thank you okay so approval of the agenda I had a motion did I have a second we had a second any questions all right may I have a vote please great all right we're gonna enter executive session for about 20

007minutes can I please have any motion and I have a second please all right any questions all right resolution a little late Harvard Board of Education authorizing executive session pursuant to New Jersey open public meetings act whereas the literally Harvard Board of Education is a public body that is subject to the requirements in the public meetings act all the meetings of public bodies are required to be open to the public except where the public body may exclude from the public that portion of the meeting at which public body discusses certain specific matters and whereas the board has determined is necessary appropriate to discuss certain matters in private executive session on which the public shall be excluded now therefore it be resolved that the board enters into executive session for the purposes outlined and described by

008for matters falling within the attorney-client privilege because confidentiality is required we expect to be in there for about 20 minutes we expect to be in there for 20 minutes and action will be taken after the executive session now typically for those of you who've come to our meetings we're usually in there for an hour but today out of respect for the crowd we plan to start back up at 630 so we will be right back in 20 minutes the initial adoption public hearing of the 2627 tentative budget now normally we have public comment first but in order to hear from the community I know there's a lot of topics for tonight to talk about so we are going to put the public comments in the public comment section and we will be in the public

009hearing for the next 20 minutes. directly after the presentations and before we vote so and then when it's time for public comment I'll reiterate this but we do have a table over here which is different than we normally do so if you're on deck please sign up there and then come to the podium it'll save us time because we know there's a lot of people tonight so Carl are you ready Carl real quick I just want to do a motion to return back to executive can I have a motion to return back to from executive motion got a second all right all in favor all right all right go back home executive Carl's gonna do his presentation we have a full house all right so in starting tonight it would be nice if you could

010just establish the tone of some respectability and I'm sure there's gonna be some other lack of figures tonight as we go through some of the facts versus some of the fiction that's out there and some of the talk excuse me if we can't act respectful tonight I'm sorry sir excuse me guys we want to get through this so we can present it to you yes you will have an opportunity to speak okay with that being said for those of you that are being respectful thank you community concerns we're going to go through some slides we're going to go through some issues that the district has faced as you know I've only been here since July but you've been through a long time with this district and a lot of issues have happened most of them

011were unavoidable but the fact of the matter is that they did happen the concern we all have and we should have is that our students come first and any decisions that have to be made by a board of education should come with the students interest first it's sad to say that everybody else can second and third but that's what education is all about it's about putting the students first and we cannot continue this district putting budgets together on the backs of our students futures because that's exactly what you do when you don't make tough decisions and unfortunately sometimes have to be made this district is a business and unless you want to see the business go bankrupt decisions have to be made to keep it running these are very tough economic times for everybody for

012the state the districts the districts ones in this. Anyone that is looking at any kind of social media, except for all the social media we've been on, which is very nice, will know that there are several other districts this week, starting with last evening, that have had decisions just like this board did a few weeks ago. And there'll be many more districts over the next few weeks that will be making decisions of selling buildings, letting staff off, increasing class sizes, to make a balanced budget. It's not fun. No, we're concerned about our district here, and including our district students first. So let's try to keep that in mind when you pose your questions and you look at this board up here that was courageous enough to make some tough decisions this year. With that being

013said, we put together a very short PowerPoint, because I'm not up here to bore you with PowerPoints, about community concerns. So our first one, and forgive me if you're going to ask. There we go, we got it. Our concern number one, last year your taxes were raised 32.7% to keep jobs, but we're spending it on new buses and drivers. And I did my presentation for our transportation department several months ago. It's okay if some people forgot what the presentation was about. But the buses that are out there that were newly purchased, the arrangement that was put together was that they were delivered in October, but our first payment on them is not until this August. It's actually August 15th. Which is our new budget year. And the reason I drafted it that way was ,

014your conversation budget for this year, the one that raised your taxes 32.7% did not have any room in it at all to make any purchases. There was a budget that was produce constructed to make a year in education, and to get you for seven years of work, and that budget did nobody have enough money to cover everything. but they love the job exactly what they τ precipitate is, it was a temporary move, 8 pays 1 pay laughs.. back and put your thoughts in the thanks to the project. I do have a final question, and I know the words of what I was about to say in the second question, but I do not know if you have come up with any concerns on those topics that you're september and june 30th no pluses a few

015minuses but it had no room to purchase buses so how were those buses out there magically well the arrangement that was constructed was that the buses were delivered the finance company paid for them they're on a five-year lease with an option to purchase at the end of five years the district will own them outright and our first payment is august 15th those buses that have been out there have been making this district money that was not included in this year's budget because yes we pay for drivers we pay for fuel we pay for tolls and we pay for insurance but what we saved was we took back routes that were upwards of forty thousand dollars for homeless students out of district students and students that have to be transported for other reasons so it's not

016rocket science to figure out what a driver makes that's another topic too we know gas has gone up insurance is not that much on a school district and those were our expenses needless to say we have generated revenue from those buses and that transportation department has done everything they can to make it as efficient as possible at the beginning there's always going to be some stuff ups and downs with anything that's new but they're doing it and they're also getting trashed for it so just remember that when the trashy recurs your trashy people that are bringing money to this school district all because the first payment isn't due until august i hope that takes care of our first slide the expected or anticipated savings on transportation which is the bottom of the slide this current

017year will be approximately 2.4 million dollars the district will have spent for dorm and other buses to transport our students 2.4 billion dollars you never get to see back you don't own anything it's like paying rent you never own the building or the apartment just keep paying for it so 2.4 million dollars will be out by june 30th for transportation our new number for next year is slightly over 2 million dollars and that is before any anticipated revenue coming in from other school districts we have one commitment for our bass river students and that is included in this budget so our estimated savings for the first year out will be about five hundred thousand dollars we are in negotiations with the board event of tuckerton and also pinelands air transportation which will be additional revenue

018coming in so in september when you see all the new buses that are out there that are being rented and the reason they're being rented not purchased is because i believe interest rates are probably headed down this year so i want to commit the district to something that they could save money on three or four six months down the road but we will be purchasing buses and the district will own them outright and in the years to come when you don't have to make the payments for those buses the savings will be very favorable and everybody will look back and say wow we did this years ago and now we're doing it again because from what i understand the district did it for several years you had your own transportation department just like other schools

019still have it they never gave it up this district gave it up we're going to be doing it again gave it up. This district gave it up. We can't go backwards, but we can go forward. So that's our transportation, our concern number one. Concern number two, I like this one. Frog Pond's roof is leaking, right? It's a good one. Okay, you, most people here have been in the district much longer than I have been, but here's what I learned. The roofs were put on approximately 18 to 20 years ago. Their useful life expectancy was 20 years. They're under warranty and over the past three years have suffered major leaks. Each time there's a leak, the warranty company comes out and repairs that specific leak and another leak comes and the warranty company comes out again

020and repairs that leak. This has been going on for approximately three years. We had two major storms This past winter, and of course the roof is now a couple years older than a few years ago, and guess what? Just like the roof on your house, it gave out. Was it intentional? No. Did we plan on two storms with supplies being warehoused to try to fix the roof that couldn't even get here? It wasn't a second storm? No. Does anybody like having buckets in the hallway? Do you like having buckets in your house when you have a leak? No. But everybody did the best they could with the situation. To the best of my knowledge, I believe it was one or two classrooms that had to be relocated. And it's always funny when we have to

021relocate classrooms, right? No, it's not. But we kept going, didn't we? And those of you that enjoyed the fact that we had to have inspections and that stuff. People had to come out to look at our leaks. Well, they're being taken care of. But that doesn't solve the problem of your roof, does it? So for those of you that might not know, the presentation that the board gave several months ago about our new solar project is through a purchase which will include a new roof. Now keep this in mind. Our district has no money to buy a new roof. So the solar company in the package is financing our new roof, putting it on, zero out of district, and then we're going to have to pay a $1,000 on our budget. We'll wind up with

022a new roof and a solar project. And for the next 15 years, we will save money with solar energy. And that's how we solved our roof problem. Has it happened yet? No. We've received two out of three approvals from Atlantic City Electric for the solar project. As soon as we receive the third, a bid will be placed out for the roof. It'll go under contract and at some point, a new roof will be put on. And that's solid. That solves our roof issue. Should it have been done three years ago? Yes. I'm sorry I wasn't here three years ago to tell you we need a new roof. But that's what happened. Excuse me? We don't have a solar payment. A PPA agreement, we actually save money on energy. So we sell the solar energy off.

023They deduct it from our electricity bills. And we receive... No, excuse me, we aren't. Okay. Again, I'm not going to go back and forth with it. When the agreement is paid, the agreement is paid available, it can be public agreement, and you'll see then how it's put together. Once again, it's zero cost out of our district. We wind up with a new roof and a new solar panel array up on the roofs. I know sometimes it seems like it's magic, like Walt Disney, that you don't have to put out money. But sometimes you have to be creative. Because when you don't have the money, you have to figure out what to do. And this district does not have the money to go out. They've used all the reserves here. So we have to be creative

024of how we move forward. Excuse me? Well, the solar, like the roof, is past its life expectancy, and it's not really functioning at this point. A solar lasts about 15 years like a roof does, and then it's no good anymore. Well, they say 20, but what happens when you have a new roof on your house? The builder comes out and says it's going to be good for as long as you're in this house. And he gives you a five-year warranty. And what happens in the seventh year? You get a leak. It's not going to last forever. Okay, concern number three. Because of the roofs, my children are in an unsafe environment because of the water damage. As soon as the leaks occurred, and we saw what was happening to the buildings, we contacted the company

025that's been doing our environmental work in the district for years. They came out, they walked the building, they decided what areas to test, and they tested. A report was issued on March 10th and the test was done, I believe, about seven or eight days before that. And the test came out negative for mold and water or any type of damage. Did we have ceiling tiles fall down? Yes. If you have a leak in your house, you have sheetrock that falls. We don't have sheetrock. We have ceiling tiles. They come down. Do they look stained and dirty? Yes. It's clear water. It comes through the roof. It turns a color, comes through the ceiling tile, turns another color. But it was winter. The temperatures were cool. And according to our report that has been made public

026and is on our website, we do not have any issues and tested negative for mold and air. There will be time for public comment at the end. That's why we wanted to have the presentation first and then we will have public comment. Okay, so we'll continue and then take the questions later. Okay, so now we move on to a reason why most of you are here tonight. We'll go through the media, go through every board meeting that started a month ago, through tonight's board meeting, through this week, and through the next few weeks. All you're gonna hear about is healthcare because the healthcare system is broken. It's no one's fault. We didn't ask for this. The District had an 18% healthcare increase last year, which was put into your budget at rate of taxes, 32.7%.

027Right. and to put some numbers onto it, this year at 32.7%, our healthcare would have increased $2,381,000 and change. Increased. That increase would take our total amount to just shy of $10 million. $9,664,000. Healthcare. It's almost a third of our budget. It's unsustainable. Did we choose it? No. Did I want this to be sent into my desk? No. But these are the facts. And from here to the township to the state capital, Trenton, everybody's looking up saying, what happened? What are we going to do and how are we going to survive? Well, when you're in private business, you could run for a Chapter 11 and you can get help through the courts. We can't do that as a school district. So we're between a rock and a hard place. We either lay off staff or

028we find other ways to cut. The district has already cut everything they could over the last two years. You've gone through with that. You went through layoffs, reductions, and also a 32.7% tax increase. How much more can you take as taxpayers to keep going? Now, I say students come first because, yes, in a school district, they come first. In my office, I'm the first one to take a decision. And the board members that are sitting up in front of you are faced with hard decisions. But when you look at the facts, and you look at the numbers, and you have an A and B column, and the A column says, if you reduce health care, you can put money back into the district for the students. And column B says, if you don't reduce health

029care, you're going to take away positions from the students. Which would everyone like? A or B? I think that's a good question. If we're here for the students, it has to be A. Do we want class sizes that increase more? It's very simple math of what has to happen. So that is the decision that this board was faced with to reduce health care. Several other districts throughout the state started doing this over 15 years ago because they saw the handwriting on the wall. Many districts did it. Over the past three years after COVID. And some districts, like Tuckerton, did it last night. Lacey did it last week. We're not the only ones doing this. And they're doing it all for the same reason. Their Board of Education members are voting to put the students first.

030It's not easy, and it's not hard. But that decision has to be made. In our case here, the 81 staff members that the positions were abolished, which means they are never coming back in those positions, were offered the next day to start reapplying for a new position that did not include health care. We have been hiring staff members at 29 and a half hours since September. The union already filed against me the minute I started hiring them. Writing was on the wall. Because... You know what I said about the students coming first? I have a feeling this is the group here. And this is the... That's what it appears to be. You guys will have an opportunity to speak. We heard you. You will have an opportunity to speak. Continue. So regarding the end, the

031decision was made. Everyone knows about it because it's been all over social media. And now other districts are following our lead to do the same thing. Well, if you care about students in this district, then you'll care about what these board members did up here for your students. And please do not ask me the question how many people are here that don't have students. I'll repeat this one more time and one more time only. The staff members were given an opportunity and still have an opportunity to come back to your students in their same positions, excuse me, with all due respect. Did you take a pay cut? Minus the health care. Did you take that pay cut? Excuse me, sir? Did you take the pay cut? My job is not here to work for you.

032Oh, your job is here. Excuse me. And if we're going to go down that road, sir, we're quick. We know this is a very, very emotional and tough topic. We are willing to stay here all night and listen to every single one of you. But we want to get through this presentation. The only thing I'm going to add on to this now is as of this morning, we have 41 positions that came back, 41 staff members that have come back into the district that will be in front of your students, those 41. And we hope that the rest of them will also join to fulfill the 81 positions that were abolished. And I'll say this one more time in case anyone did not hear me in the back. As of this morning, we are halfway

033there filling up the positions again. And I believe it's been about a week and a half. They are part-time under our new positions for 29 and a half hours. And that's where we're at, halfway. So those of you that have students in the district, we are halfway there already after a week and a half. Okay, on to a very quick budget presentation so that you all can have an opportunity to come up and speak as the evening goes on. As far as positions in a school district, I can tell you that this budget includes two major points. One to the taxpayers. We're holding at a 2% tax levy increase. There is no healthcare pass-through down. That would have been worth a little more than a million dollars if I passed it down. We didn't do

034that because last year was hard enough for you. At some point, we're going to get into why this district wound up in the condition it wound up, but it didn't happen overnight. It happened through a series of years. But tonight's not the night for that. That will come during our budget presentation on April 3rd. But tonight, I can report to you that the tax levy increase will be 2%. Including that budget is seven new certificated staff positions. So 2%, seven new positions coming back in. Certificated staff positions. They are certificated staff positions, and that will be up to the administration and the Board of Education as to what those positions are. If I'm saying that correctly. Thank you. No, they are not administrative. That I think I can say. They are not administrative positions at

035all. The focus is to reallocate money, bring it back into the classrooms. That's the equation. Very simple. Excuse me, Carl, real quick. Can we just make sure the PowerPoint is matching what he's talking about? Well, let's see where we are here. So the two simple items, as I said. 2%, seven positions. Is that clear enough? I didn't get interrupted too much on that one. That was nice. Okay. There's still a herd, so. I think you all know what a school budget is. And right now it's between me and Brock and the hard place. Can we all get a condescending please? Yeah, we are ready to go. Can we just go right to this? Is this interesting enough? Taxpayers. Taxpayers. I don't like this. So the taxpayers will receive a 2% tax levy increase, which will

036bring the total levy up to $19,761,000,000. The 2% represents a little under $400,000. 2% of the previous number. The debt service, which goes back to the bonds that were issued by the district 15 years ago, $1,131,390,000. The total levy is slightly over $20,000,000. 2%, seven positions coming back into the district. Excuse me. We will have questions at the end, but for that specific question, this is the whole point of the presentation tonight, is to present it to the public. We're going to have public comment, and then at the end, public comment's none, we're going to vote on this budget that we're talking about right now. With that being said, your revenues that come in, you'll notice the largest portion is your tax revenue according to the pie chart. This will be available on the website

037tomorrow, this presentation. More than half of your money is tax levy income, back from zero. Federal programs, debt service, transportation, state aid, and our Bachelor of Intuition. The only other additional funds that can be added to this is through our transportation department, taking over routes for other schools, because we're charging them. Thank you. And we're also charging them for it at a profit. Basically, we took the dorm profit that they were making and we're bringing it into our district, similar to what you had for over 30 years when you had your own bus stop. It worked then, it'll work again. It might have some bumps in the road, but at the end, it will be very beneficial to what the district is looking for. Part of our transportation issues, students being on the buses at

038different age groups, that will change because each school will have their own fleet of buses. It'll be separated the same way as it was 30 years ago. The issues here with transportation arose with being tiered with pylons. You've all suffered through that for many years, and we will no longer be tiered with pylons or tiered with any other school district. We have become the school district for other schools to tier with. It's on our schedule now. It's not on their schedule. It'll give us a greater level of accountability because our drivers and aides will be district employees. They will not be employed by dorm. We have no control over dorm employees because they're not our employees. But a district employee is our employee. So it'll give the district greater accountability. Students will be traveling with

039the same age and grade levels. It will increase structural time, instructional time, excuse me, because we have a parent pickup line that is the longest parent pickup line I've ever seen in 40 years. So hopefully, more students will be riding the buses because the times will be different and it will increase our instructional time and less parental pickup. We have behavioral issues on the buses. Students are on the buses too long, because you sit and wait because we're on a tiered structure with another school district. That is no one's fault that's driving the bus. It was the fault of tiering with another school district and having to have a schedule be theirs all the time. So with no tiering, the bus trips will be shorter, students will spend less time on the bus, and hopefully

040will decrease in the behaviors on the bus. Appropriations, just for a quick minute. Our largest appropriation is salary. Almost 60% is spent on salaries. Health benefits now account for 20%. Salaries include every salaried district employee accountable at almost 60%. Health benefits now are down to 20%. Much more manageable figure. We have transportation at 5.5%. Our energy costs, our PERS contribution, and all other expenses. Our total expenses match our total revenues of slightly over $38 million this year. Again, with a 2% tax levy and a budget that accounts for the addition of seven new certificated staff members. Our federal funds, unfortunately, have been going down. So each year, our district, like most other districts, the money coming in is going down. We can't negotiate. We can't negotiate federal funds. We can't negotiate state aid. Basically what's

041happening is the federal government and the state is saying pass it down to the taxpayer. We're done. So the more they cut, the more we have to push down on the taxpayer because who else can pay for it? We're a school district. So whether it comes from state aid, federal government, or a tax lender, those are our sources of income. We have Title I, Title II, III, and ITA, which now account for $750,000. Five years ago, the number was almost $600,000 higher. So each year, it keeps going down. We did receive an increase in state aid this year over last year of $879,000. That was very nice for the state. It offset our contractual increases, meaning the contracts that we have for our staff members, which were $840,000. So our state aid increase covered our

042contractual increases. If the state aid didn't increase, we'd be looking at that because by contract, we have to pay the salary increases. So again, we're between a rock and a hard place. Our summary is very simple. We've lost state aid over the past five years. Health benefits have gone up, including 32.7% this year. The local fair share was what adequately is, which we will talk about in our next meeting on April 28th, which resulted in the district being short for several years of money. Increased energy costs, just like your costs at home go up, so do mine, just with more zeros. Salary increases by contract that have to be paid. Our new transportation department, which is now bringing in revenue into the district, instead of money being out and contracted out to a private company.

043And a reduction in health benefits due to the 32.7% increase. We had no other choice. This board and the members of this board had to make a financial decision to put the students first to keep this district running properly. There's a thank you at the end, but maybe a few of you would like to say thank you. But I'm going to end in saying this. It's going to be a difficult night. I would ask everyone again to please be respectful. And everyone that is here, thank you. As far as just for the board members, do you have any questions of the business administrator regarding the presentation? No, I was told my questions happened a good week earlier today. Tiffany, Dennis, Greg? Question, but can you just confirm that our voting tonight will be on the

044tentative budget, which means the numbers are the numbers. It's just how much money we have. This is what we're projecting to spend. But all of those allocations can change as we discuss finalizing the budget. Correct. This is a tentative budget that must be submitted to the county by Friday. And then the vote on the final budget is in April. And from what I was reading, if we do not pass the budget by the deadline, the county superintendent can take over our budget and make changes as they see fit. The board would then lose control of the budget. Is that correct? Correct. Thank you. And then the QSAC, it would also count against the board for QSAC when the board gets its QSAC scores for complying with all the different regulations and requirements? Okay. Thank you.

045Not so much a question, but a confirmation for Carl and Orisa. So the 2% increase, I just want to confirm, there'll be no teacher layoffs and there will be an add-on of seven staff members. Certificate on staff. Okay. And just, I do have a question. So we do not have any information regarding class sizes today? Class sizes. We can't hear you. The certificated staff members may or may not be classroom teachers. They may be special ed teachers, they may be BCBAs, they may be nurses, they may be any certificated staff member. But the class sizes will not increase, definitely not increase with this. But... But we don't have any information what they currently are. Right. I believe that some class sizes are in the round of 30, correct? Yes. 4 in 3 has 27 kids

046per child. Can't increase it anymore. And I guess that that goes along with it. Is there a cap? I know like kindergarten, right, if you have a certain number of students, you have to have it in kindergarten. Is there that same? Is there that same capacity for other class sizes? No, not in the code. There might be a policy on how to double check. Right now, current class sizes run from 18 in kindergarten through 30 in grade 6. So, depending upon the section. So kindergarten has seven sections. There's 146 students. Grade 1 has seven sections. There's 173 students. Average class size is 22. This is current. Second grade, 226 is our enrollment. Eight sections, 24 students. Grade 3, enrollment is 153. Seven sections, 22 students average. Grade 4, enrollment is 179. Seven sections, 26 students.

047Grade 5, 204 is our enrollment. Eight sections, 26. Grade 6, 178 students. Our sections, we have six sections. Average class size is 30. That's a lot. So, one teacher teaches 30 kids. Any more board questions? I can't answer all of them. Okay. Thank you, Carl. All right, public comments. The Board of Education welcomes the public to comment on the items which are on our agenda tonight. It may not always be possible or appropriate for the Board to directly answer questions during the public comment period. Each speaker is allowed five minutes, a maximum of five minutes to make their statement. No one may speak more than once on the same topic. You are required to give your name and address before speaking. Please keep comments respectful and non-defamatory and remain the level of decor appropriate for

048a public meeting where minors may be used. I'd just like to add a couple things. This year, we increased the public comment from three minutes to five minutes. Also, there's a table over here. If you're on deck, please fill out the information there and then come to the podium so that it's more efficient. Like I said, I know there's a lot of people here tonight. We're willing to stay here for as long as it takes to hear everybody. Just please keep it on topic. Respectful. Thank you. Do we talk now? Yeah. One more thing, sir. One more thing from the attorney. This is a public comment session, and it's an opportunity for all of you to be heard by the board and to let the board hear what it is that is of concern to

049you or any information you want to provide. It's not a question and answer session, though. So especially with the number of comments that are expected tonight and to make sure everyone's heard, the board is going to reserve any responses and take any questions that you may have. If you don't have any responses until after the public comment is over and try to avoid having to duplicate comments or responses and to make things run smoothly. Okay. Thank you. My name is Marion Seaman Renaldo. I live at 210 Lakewood-Missoula Drive in Little Lake Harbor Township, New Jersey. I am a resident and a taxpayer in Little Lake Harbor Township. And currently, I'm a full-time paraprofessional in the Little Lake Harbor Township School school district until June 30th 2026 when my position was abolished and that'll be noted

050imagine my shock and my dismay when I received while at work an email at 11 o'clock a.m. on Wednesday March 11 2026 stating that the Board of Education abolished the position of full-time paraprofessionals I learned this was not even on the agenda for the meeting but was added at said meeting I was told to blindsided by this action that seemed to me both sneaky and underhanded my first mental vision after hearing this was of a snake slithering on the ground writhing his ready he veered his head he's struck out and struck me he opened his eyes and jaws I am right on my heart, breaking it into so many pieces because I realized we have so many parents here who need that health insurance. This full-time position can provide. They are here for the students,

051but they are also here because it's a job and they need this position. You've already been like those lugs, right? Never talk. Listen to all of them. You're interrupting. I enjoy discovering my students' unique learning styles and using that information to help them to reach their fullest potential. I enjoy building trusting and respectful relationships with students. I love seeing the pride and joy on their faces when my students learn to read. I love seeing them. I love seeing them blossom with self-esteem at a task well done. This district will lose many experienced, loving, and caring power professionals because of this decision. I ask that you rescind this decision and continue the positions of full-time power professionals. Hello? Okay. Hi. Good evening. My name is Jennifer Lang-Sineko. I'm a parent and a resident in this district.

052I'm here tonight because like many parents and residents in this community, I no longer feel confident in other decisions. I feel confident in the fact that the decisions we make are truly putting our students first. I'd first like to thank the two board members who voted no on the decision. I'd also like to thank the board staff, principals, and administrators who work hard every day for our students and are doing the best they can with the situation. Like many families here, I accepted the 32% tax increase last year because we were told it was necessary to maintain staffing, support, and students, and ensure safe learning environments. But what we're seeing now does not reflect business as usual. The board has voted to eliminate the decision. The board has voted to eliminate the decision. Let's just

053thank everyone who断继ierly grinded their teeth. Let's thank our parents and our children and all of our friends for their Great Together coaches. Let's thank our parents and our children for sharing their skills, that they worked questionnaire and build trust with their businesses. Let's thank our Program A's information. Let's thank the company's delegation of judges, and those who also visited ourROC. And the staff of the high school as well. Each of you, with your families. Welcome to 21st Sound District of Central South. What did you think you heard today? It was a visit a lot better than the sewing machine we built? heard a lot better. More attention was paid to planning for June iPhone fraud 101, a private store for our college students. We realized that as we were building our first video hope you

054were able to get ready for the event. If those roles remain unfilled, would the district be forced then to contract out for services at a higher cost? And what if the student does not adapt to the two-para change? How does that help the student, and how does that make their day sufficiently the way we planned it in their IEP? Key requirements for the student, and they need to be sent out of district? That's going to cost the taxpayers even more. Another concern is our preschool program. State-funded preschool requires both a teacher and a paraprofessional in each classroom. Those two roles are being tied to maintaining the funding. So would it have been more responsible to prioritize paraprofessionals within the preschool where they support the funding and evaluate the reductions elsewhere? There's also serious building concerns,

055as we all know. The roof at Prog Pond has been leaking for years. It's not new. There are new concerns about mold and air quality and OSHA and the Department of Health, and everyone's been involved. Children and staff are getting sick now. That's not safe. When students and staff... are learning and working in these conditions, that should be an urgent priority. Instead, residents are hearing all about expanding the district's transportation system. How will building our own bus fleet affect the shared contract with Durham and the Pinelands District? If we opt out, will that increase the cost for others and ultimately the taxpayers? What is the contingency plan if this model does not work? Where will the buses be stored and maintained? How many additional staff and buses is required? You keep telling us it's bringing

056in money. But you're not telling us the costs. I've read your PowerPoint. Where are the costs? Do you think the school district's levy is extending health care and health insurance? Why are alternative cost-saving options not being explored before eliminating positions that directly support the student? Because other districts have. At the end of the day, a school district must be run with planning, transparency, and accountability. Right now, many residents feel that there is not a clear plan moving forward or transparency. And that includes myself. So tonight, I respectfully ask the board to provide concrete answers. What is the plan if paraprofessional positions cannot be filled? How will the district ensure compliance with the IEP requirements? What is the plan to permanently address the roof and the mold issues at Frog Pond? Because it's only going to

057get warm and it's going to grow. What is the long-term transportation plan? Like including the costs, the contingencies, and how this is going to affect us when we opt out of the Durham contract. Because I live here. I'm going to get with you. I'm going to pay my taxes and increase my pie lengths. And what is the plan to explore alternative health insurance options before cutting essential staff? As a parent and resident, we ask these questions because we care deeply about this district and the future of our children. When I don't understand something, I ask questions. I educate myself because knowledge is power. Our students deserve leadership that's willing to ask those questions and work towards real solutions. I'm not here simply to criticize. I'm here because I care. I'm willing to be involved and

058help move our school forward. My name is Tracy and I'm here to speak on the budget in relation to the 81 abolished paraprofessionals, which I am one of. I am also a resident, so I also see the tax increases. My grandchildren and this district. I knew of this district before. This is my second year. My granddaughter attends. My grandson attends. But I also see the difference that we make in children's lives. Not only through my work. And not only watching the students grow. Not only forming relationships with each and every student. And learning about them. And learning what suits them best. I've seen my grandchildren go through. And I'd like to say we are not certified staff for the most part, but we are essential. Like the previous speaker said. I don't care what other

059districts are doing. I don't care what other districts are doing. I am not a follower in any sense of the word. And I don't want to live in a community that is a follower. I don't appreciate the condensation that I... I don't appreciate the way I'm talked to. In this meeting. Outside of this meeting. I'm not going to be intimidated. It takes a village. But we are all here today. Because the children are number one. And we are all here to support the children. Because the children are number one. And all of the other budget discussion is not putting the children first. We all see. You are not transparent with the actions that are being taken. But we see. We see. We see as employees. We see as taxpayers. We see. And I would just

060like everybody to reconsider. And to acknowledge the importance of our jobs. And to acknowledge the importance of our jobs. We are essential to these young children. And the growth of their minds. We are their stability. But sometimes they don't have that. In all aspects of their life. We are there for them every day. Hi. My name is Danielle Townsend. I am both a special education teacher. And the parent of a child in this district. Who requires a full time paraprofessional. I'm here tonight because the decision to eliminate all 81 full time paraprofessional positions. And replace them with part time roles. And replace them with part time roles. Will directly impact students with the highest needs in this district. Will directly impact students with the highest needs in this district. Including my daughter Evelyn. Evelyn has

061Rubenside-Tavey Syndrome. Because of this condition. She has chronic constipation that makes toiling independence unlikely to ever be achievable. She has chronic constipation that makes toiling independence unlikely to ever be achievable. She requires assistance from her one to one aide. Throughout the day. Many times a day. To assist with diapering. And those women are medically sensitive. Physically painful. And deeply vulnerable for her. She does not tolerate unfamiliar adults assisting with toileting. And as her parents. We respect that boundary. Because protecting her dignity matters. Now I'm being told she may have a revolving door of staff. Now I'm being told she may have a revolving door of staff. Responsible for one of the most private parts of her day. Children with disabilities are statistically more likely to experience abuse. Children with disabilities are statistically more likely to

062experience abuse. Consistency in staffing is not a preference. It's a safe card. Our professionals are often the people who know our children best. Our professionals are often the people who know our children best. They support behavior, communication, academic access, toileting needs, and safety throughout the school day. and increased turnover because part-time positions without benefits cannot realistically retain experienced staff long term. Of those 40 staff that reapplied, most of them are going to find another job and rescind their application. I've done that. Many care professionals plan to leave because they are losing pensions, health insurance, and job stability. And because they are being asked to reapply for their own positions, some are close to retirement and at risk of losing benefits they worked decades to earn. Anyone who has worked inside a special education classroom or

063with special education students knows that they simply do not function the same way without care professionals. They hold our classrooms together. This instability directly affects whether students like my daughter can receive the services legally written into their IEPs. It is also concerning that such a significant decision affecting employees, classrooms, and students was not clearly presented to the community in advance. This was not just a budget adjustment. It was a decision that affects people's livelihoods and the daily support our vulnerable students rely on. Families of children with disabilities look to the board members who publicly identify as special education parents to help represent our students when decisions like this are made. It is especially hard for families and board members who identify themselves as special ed parents ask for our trust but then support decisions that

064reduce disability for students with disabilities. It is not just something we say. It is something we show to the public. It is something we show to the public. It is something that needs to be part of the classroom and also helps us through the choices we make for the most vulnerable learners in our district. My daughter deserves consistency. She deserves dignity. She deserves privacy when receiving personal care that she will always require. She does not have to meet a new adult every time she needs help with this vulnerable part of her day. Para-professionals are not expendable. They are essential. I urge the board to reconsider eliminating these part-time positions and to prioritize the needs of the students who depend on them every day. Hi, I'm Mike from Moss Beach, I'm 43, Landers Boulevard. I was

065in your office yesterday about the over request I made and responded today, on the ninth day, not the seventh as required. I don't believe that you have a question, so I hope that you got them. And I know you said you didn't want an answer, but it's a simple question. I'm looking more of a business approach, like what kind of insurance you offered to the school. I was interested in knowing what options you looked into to cut the insurance costs. Did you look into any other insurance program? No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. dollars. I asked how many

066paraprofessionals are taking the healthcare and you couldn't answer that. The response was the board needs to find out whether they have the records for that. If you don't know how many people are taking the insurance then how do I know that you're paying the right amount of insurance? People that aren't even working here are paying for people who aren't taking the insurance. Carl, can you repeat that? As you can see here, the consortium with the other schools, Pinelands, Tuckerton-Varro, I talked to the Tuckerton-Varro Board of Education member just today and they regret their decision and they're already looking to place the overturn. They have administration members that are doing multiple jobs, not just one job. So I think if you look at a consortium, you know, buying power, you can bring people's wit in, Dirfs,

067the neighbor, Tuckerton-Varro, Pinelands and the other schools, maybe buying power with that plan or even the plan you're on would get you a better cost and save you the money. Us the money. They can act far! I mean these are just We're going to make sure. Super options I think that you need to look at. And the husband or the wife, The husband or the wife. The husband or the wife. The husband or the wife. The husband or the wife. The husband or the wife. I've been a paraprofessional with Mary Bowlinger for 26 years, she's worked here over 26 years. I can tell you very clearly what she does, I was a police officer for a number of years and she's been hurt more than I am. It's not an easy job but it needs

068to be appreciated, these school buses. I don't know... Isn't there how they hire a mechanic? hand it, she can have a little facility to repair them. What can everybody do? My name is Jacob Seager. Not only am I a member of this community, but I am a student here at Little Lake Harbor School District. I just want to take a moment to talk about the impact of the role of the paraprofessional in the life of a child with special needs. One of the paraprofessionals is my mother, Jacqueline Seager. Why I feel qualified to speak about this is because the first-hand experience and the benefit of having one-on-one paraprofessional from kindergarten all the way to sixth grade right here in this school. When we think about elementary schools, we often picture classrooms, teachers and lessons, but

069for students like myself, there's also another staff member quietly shaping my experiences every single day. For me, school is full of challenges, simple routines, transitions, social interactions, learning expectations, creates stress and uncertainty. Having a dedicated one-on-one paraprofessional who moved me, my tendencies, habits, triggers, whatever it is that I can do, has been a great benefit to me. I'm not sure if I'm going to be a part of this, but I'm sure I can do it. renovations brought stability into my day and set me on a successful path. The consistency of seeing the same supportive face every day, all day, built in something powerful, and that is trust. It grows in small everyday moments. It grows when someone potentially explains directions without frustration. It grows when someone notices anxiety before it turns into distress. Because in

070my consistent one-on-one paraprofessional, school days were less stressful. I felt safer, more confident, and more willing to try. And I was able to learn and grow. I'm here to tell you that the early and constant support and growth shaped me into the person I am today, and it laid the foundation for my future. I can proudly say that because of that early support, I'm an adult who's 25 years old that can navigate my life with confidence. I can drive my own car. I can drive down a five-time drive. I can do whatever I want. I've had shares in Philly, Atlantic City, even Maryland and New York City, and I'm currently looking to buy my own condo, which is, we all know, damn well hard. This place is not accidental. It's the result of years of

071patience, encouragement, and unwavering support from someone who chooses to stand beside me all day, every day, when it mattered most. My one-on-one paraprofessionals, all who I can still name, were mentors, advocates, champions, and friends for me daily, and I couldn't have done it without them. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And they've asked me to tell the board members two things tonight. Number one, of the 81 paraprofessionals whom you have abolished, 56 of them you're going to see in the supermarket, everywhere in town because they are your residents and neighbors here in Little A Harbor. The action you have taken to abolish their positions is illegal, and while I'm certainly not going to litigate that here this evening, maybe you will feel 1% of the angst these folks have felt over

072the last two weeks with the guillotine hanging over their head. That's right. That's right. But that challenge is coming. Yes. My job is to assist them with all of their terms and conditions of employment. So I met the members last week, all of the powers of your three buildings last week, and I came prepared just like Mr. Morelli had with his meeting to talk about health benefits, pensions, unemployment, et cetera. And when I met in each of the three buildings, when I started to raise those topics, all of the powers stopped and said, hold on. What we want to really know is how will this impact our students, their IEPs, and the services. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. We will see. Despite Mr. Morelli telling them the opposite in his two meetings, to apply for those

073jobs because I cannot guarantee we will prevail to keep them. But I can assure you that it is highly unlikely that those folks will remain here for the part-time positions. Now, in addition to that, I also help our members with external communications and organizing the community. But I'll tell you what, I didn't know work here because unlike you, I could never match firing your lowest paid, employees in this army. I did no work. I have no credit for this. And in addition to that, I am a lifelong educator and a classroom teacher for many years. I hold a number of education certificates. I'm not just unionized, though. I'm very proud of that as well. I'm not going to tell you stories about my work with the power because I imagine we're going to hear hours

074of them tonight. So I will tell you this. Our great state university at Rutgers has a postgraduate program of study. They call the Labor Management Collaborative. It is research-based and peer-reviewed, and it says in a unionized setting, especially here in schools, when all parties work together with a shared vision, we have positive outcomes. That would be outcomes for your students. We are absolutely not working together. So let me congratulate the board on blazing a trail to mediocrity. I wish everyone would be looking at me right now. I don't want to claim that you're a student, but you didn't know these things would happen because based on that research, you will absolutely have longitudinal decreases in student achievement based on this move. So I'm telling you, it is in order, regardless of what management might want,

075for one of you to make a motion to rescind the vote of the last meeting when you came forward without an army and showed real leadership, not for a union, but for students. And the last meeting and spoke out against this. So on behalf of your 250 employees, thank you very much, Dr. Snyder, for speaking up. Now we're speaking of the health and safety issues, and I'll leave that to the community. But what I'll end with is this. The condescension we have seen here permeates into the district throughout the day. And yes, we did challenge the initial part-time hiring, and that is also in the own. There is an unfairly repractice. And no one here buys the Distinguished Element Act, Mr. Morelli, because you told Jackie Finnegan and Tom to keep two of your long

076employees. You can finish up in five minutes. I'm the president of the LEHTEA, and I am speaking on behalf of the Teachers Association regarding the budget and its relationship to the proposed abolishment of our full-time power professional and preschool teaching positions, cutting the lowest paid yet most essential support staff to reduce the number of teachers in the district. This cost sends a troubling message that student support is secondary to budget considerations. I am speaking tonight to express the LEHTEA's profound disappointment and strong opposition to the abolishment of full-time power professional and preschool teaching assistant positions. The Association is deeply disappointed, not only in the decision itself, but in the unacceptable way it was carried out. As our last meeting, I would like to thank the board for their support and the staff for their support.

077Thank you. I want to make one more note. The last item on this agenda item was communicated via cold and impersonal email. Abolishing these positions is a disservice to the most vulnerable students in our district and a failure to support our educators. These power professional and preschool teaching assistants are not just staff. They are essential to our classrooms, vital to student success, and a lifeline of many children. Yeah. roles creates instability, turnover, and increased risk. Replacing experienced full-time staff with part-time positions removes the consistent, trusted adults who manage behavior, ensure safety, and provide critical one-on-one support. This decision also raises serious concerns about IEP compliance. Many students require paraprofessional support as mandated in their individual education programs. A lack of consistency and high turnover directly undermines these legal and educational obligations. Informing dedicated staff who

078have spent years supporting our students that they are losing their jobs via email without face-to-face communication or public discussion is deeply disrespectful. These are not just aides. These are trained professionals who play a critical role in maintaining safe, supportive, and effective learning environments. Replacing full-time professionals with part-time, no-benefit roles will have serious consequences for student achievement, staff morale, and school safety. These individuals have been underpaid, overworked, and overlooked by IEP professionals. Show them the respect they have earned, protect the one-on-one support our students rely on, maintain full-time paraprofessional and preschool teaching assistant positions in our schools. Follow the contract of our support staff association. The LEHTEA urges the board to reverse its decision. We also acknowledge the two board members who voted against the abolishment and student support of our staff. Our students deserve better.

079Our staff deserves better. Thank you. My name is Jenna Letts. I'd like to say a couple things. I was a paraprofessional for five years at a school that only hired part-time. I did four years at school that hired ultimately off the bat. The difference in the classrooms and the students? Unmatched. School that hired part-time? Classrooms are chaos. Full-time employees? Beautiful. We all work together with the schools. We all work together with the teachers. Teachers need full-time professionals in the classrooms. Besides that, all the classes that you just bought, that you said we didn't put anything down for, that we were making the first payment for the year, How many cases are we making? making per year how long is that going for what you said is a 5.5 transportation appropriation for this year what was

080the last year what is it going to be for the next couple years you also said that it's only going to be for our schools i already heard that the schedule for the buses are going to be changing that every school is going to be on a different not budget a different schedule i heard that grogcon is going to be one time george is going to be one time ecc is going to be another time how is that going to be attainable for parents of work full-time to get these kids on the buses and you also said that we are already going to be under contract with pine lanes and puckerton how is it going to affect our schedule for the next couple years i also want to point out to the public for anyone

081interested in the school board election is the third tuesday of the year my name is i'm a facility secretary for this district and i'm a taxpayer and i am here to oppose what you have voted on the decision of this board of ed to fire all the paraprofessionals and teacher assistants the way this was conveyed to the powers and teachers was wrong did you not discuss it beforehand i am arnold has been elected a president on thisани or if i did not not incorrectly i represent both any state and federal agencies and the general public in the county council of these people who deserve the respect from each and every one of you you fell short yes yes yes tired after 26 years and i know a number of these powers and unfortunately for you

082you don't know we are a family yes arnold is a family that you have decided dr antunes not to be a part of Anything we have put out to you, you don't return. Emails, you don't return. Phone calls, there is no transparency. And as far as going around and saying that we were told in November, whichever one of you is passing that around, that is not true. The press firing of 81 staff members who are the lowest paid employees in the district is deeply troubling. They are not just employees, they are trusted adults that make learning possible for the vulnerable population of students that we have here, which is preschool students and special ed students. And we have a large majority of special ed students. Yes. Education and preschool students deserve better than substandard care.

083That's right. I'm struggling to understand how this district can justify buying school buses while firing the very people who support these children. Correct. It seems pretty clear the Board of Ed and the superintendent are more interested in placing district financials into creating their own bus company than in the students that they're supposed to be serving. Yeah. This year at all. We are a three school district. We do not need a bus company. No. The students who live in this town for any time period should know why. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How much is the car? We had no problem getting these students in time in their classrooms, not eating breakfast ten minutes after they were supposed to be here, before administrators came in and decided to change the whole thing. Instead of leaving it

084the way it was. Yeah. For special education students, nor preschool students. If cuts are unavoidable, they should be made where they do the least harm to the kids. Every budget cut I have personally seen in this district over the past 26 years, and there have been many, and every year it's always the same thing. We don't have any money. But for 26 years, I have never seen an administrator take a freeze and have ever said, I will take a freeze in my salary. No. I really hope you take this to the heart. Because you are disappointing a lot of students. I know. I know. I know. I know. And parents in this district. That's true. You don't live here. That's right. So you have no investment in this community. Abolishment of our parent profession. I've

085originally chosen to work in the preschool program, but I like to think the preschool chose me. And I love it. I started teaching in this district in 2012. And throughout the years I've been here, I have had the absolute honor of working with some of these amazing teachers. And I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. KJ's amazing power is from time to time. In the preschool, I cannot do my job without them. I simply cannot function without strong team work. Teacher assistance and special education paraprofessionals are essential to making sure every child is supported and successful. Over the past two years since I've been in preschool, I've had the honor of working

086with a full-time special education paraprofessional. paraprofessional whose job is technically to support students with IEP. That description barely captures what she truly does. Her dedication goes beyond that job description. She even spends her own personal time learning sign language so she could communicate with patients and the care, kinds of effort takes. Think about that. The kind of commitment people bring to a career, not to a job. A dedication that our students deserve. My own children attend this district. Recently, my son saw his preschool teacher assistant from his class when we were out in public. My son was in preschool six years ago. Yet, seeing her made him so happy that he talked about it for days. Oh, that's nice. She was a person who gently patted his back at nap time. She encouraged him to

087try writing his name for the first time. She comforted him when he missed me. Those small moments may seem simple, but they have lasting impressions on the children and on their families. These people in these roles build relationships that shape a child's experience in school and help them feel safe, supported, and ready to learn. That is why I'm here today. I'm here to help you. I'm here to help you. I'm here to help you. I'm here because, at a loss without you, I couldn't have taken up so much more of the world. I hope you are here today, as I live in the space that those outside of me all raise up. Even though it's tough times, I'm here to help. I think we have all a potential and it takes every individual to do

088better. I believe in the ability to be the best drop er, in dealing with the consequences. I believe in the ability to make superior decisions that need to be made. I feel like I do it more in the Psalms than any other gift or criticism thing. Anyway, I plugged along and I came with my했el tots 나는 get ready We work with these children every day and see firsthand the difference that they make in their lives. Our students deserve the very best support we can give them. So please, I ask you to reconsider your vote. Please do not abolish our full-time powers. Thank you. My name is Sarah Trotta, and I've been a teacher with the Little Lake Harbor School District for 14 years. I've had the privilege of working in a variety of settings, including

089general education, in-class support, and for the first time this year, self-contained special education. I'm truly enjoying my role as an autism teacher, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with such caring, compassionate, and dedicated paraprofessionals. The needs of my students vary greatly, from academic support and assistance with their AAC device to help with feeding and toileting. My paraprofessionals run alongside myself. When I meet my students during PE, they clap along during music, and they get covered in paint during art. They do whatever is needed, without hesitation, to support my students. They're not just helpful, they're essential, and an integral part of my students' success each and every school day. The consistency of having the same paraprofessional every day, all day, is critical for maintaining my students' routines and helping them stay regulated. For many

090of them, consistency is not a preference. It's a necessity. My students' faces light up when they come off the bus and see Ms. Britt and Ms. Amy with their hands extended, and they can help them down the steps of the minibuses. They know every single student's breakfast order. They know who wants cereal, they never get the wrong cereal, they know who wants a bagel with cream cheese, and they never, ever forget the banana. They bring in extra toys from their homes when they know my students might like them, and they've even baked homemade treats for the class so that the students can try something new. These are the things that I love about my students. These are the kinds of people, sorry, these are the kinds of relationships that cannot be replaced or replicated on

091a part-time schedule. I'm deeply concerned about how scheduling will work with paraprofessionals moving from full-time to part-time positions, and more importantly, how the change will impact the stability and well-being of our students. I urge you to please reconsider and undo your vote to abolish full-time paraprofessionals. Our students' needs must come first. Thank you. Good morning. I'm Colleen Monsali. I'm a preschool teacher in the district. I'm speaking tonight not just as a teacher, but as someone who spends every day with our youngest learners, children who are just beginning to understand school, relationships, and their place in the world. I'm deeply concerned about the recent decision to eliminate full-time paraprofessionals and our preschool teacher assistants in our classrooms. For our young students, consistency is everything. They don't separate their learning from relationships. They learn because of the

092relationships fostered within our classrooms. They participate because they trust the adults around them, and that trust is built through daily, predictable, consistent connections. In my preschool classroom, the teacher assistant is not just extra help. They are a second, constant adult, someone who comforts a child when they're crying, who helps them navigate their new friendships, who notices when something's just a little off, who celebrates their small successes. For many children, that assistant becomes their safe person. When that role becomes inconsistent, when different adults are coming in and out throughout the day, those relationships are broken before they can even have a chance to form. And this causes children with more anxiety that become withdrawn, more dysregulated, and are far less ready to learn. There's also a compliance concern. New Jersey's preschool standards require that every classroom

093has both a teacher and a full-time teacher assistant. So, we're going to talk about that. The first is the requirement of a teacher's assistant present for the full instructional day. This is a foundational requirement tied to our program quality and our funding. Having a model that depends on multiple part-time staff or a decreased time in our class increases the risk of gaps in our coverage, inconsistent support, and challenges maintaining our required ratios. But beyond the regulations, I want to emphasize what this looks like in real life. When a child is struggling, when they need reassurance, when they are learning how to share, communicate, and regulate emotions, they need their familiar, trusted adults. A consistent assistant is not a luxury in preschool. It is essential. I am asking that you please reconsider this decision, not from

094a budget perspective, but from the perspective of a small child sitting in their classroom for the first time, trying to figure out who they can trust. Our students deserve stability. They deserve consistent, caring adults. They deserve a high-quality preschool program that supports not just their academics, but their emotional well-being. And they deserve a classroom team that is fully present for them every single day. But regardless of your decision, I ask you to please remember that this is people's livelihoods. Caring individuals that I've had the opportunity to know for a long time. They've dedicated years, decades, to our district. Please treat them with the respect and sensitivity that they deserve during this process. Thank you so much for your time. Good evening. I'm Tracy Moyer, and I'm a health and PE teacher at the Mitchell School.

095And I'm here to speak to the budget and ask you to reconsider your decision about eliminating all of our full-time paras. I'm not going to pretend to understand what goes into creating a budget and the difficult decisions that go into it, but I do ask you to try to find a way to do that. I have been with our district since 2009. I have been at both Mitchell School and Frog Pond. And through that time, being a special area teacher, I have worked with countless paraprofessionals. And I cannot explain to you the difference a paraprofessional can make in a classroom. Or in a gym, in that case. Your decisions are for the children. But as somebody who is in the school, I see almost every student in the school. I see almost every student at

096Mitchell School. I work with countless paras. They are for the children. And they are there to make a difference. I want to say thank you to all of the paras for all the help over the years. And helping me to be the best educator I can be. I'm going to try and make this through this speech, but I'm not sure that I can. I have proudly served this district as a special education teacher for 29 years. In nearly three decades. I dedicated my life to the students who need more. More patience. More support. More understanding. And more people to stand beside them when the world doesn't always know how. Tonight, I stand before you clearly heartbroken, frustrated, and deeply concerned. You have made the decision to eliminate 81 power professionals. Eighty-one. Let me be very

097clear. I cannot do my job without them. Power professionals are not optional. They are not extra. They are essential. They are the steady hands that help regulate a child in crisis. A calm voice that redirects a student on the verge of shutting down. The trusted adult who builds a bridge when learning feels impossible. They are the reason some of our most vulnerable students even make it through the school day. I live it. I see it. I breathe it. And beyond academics, these men and women are so much more. For many of my students, they are the consistent presence that they don't have at home. They are the ones who tie shoes, wipe tears, celebrate small victories, and provide the kind of unconditional support that every child deserves, but not every child receives. They are, in

098many ways, the mom and dad figures our students are missing. When you remove power professionals, you are not cutting positions. You are stripping away support, safety, and dignity from the students who need it most. You are asking for more. You are asking teachers like me to do the impossible. You are asking us to meet individualized education plans, manage behaviors, ensure safety, deliver instruction, and provide emotional support alone. This is not just unrealistic. It's irresponsible. And most importantly, it is unfair to our most vulnerable students. I want to continue giving my students the education they deserve. I want to continue showing up for them the way I have for 29 years here. But I cannot do that if the foundation of my classroom is taken away. This decision does not just impact staff. It directly impacts

099children. Real children. Vulnerable children. Children who rely on us to get it right. I'm asking you, no, I'm urging you to reconsider your decision. Because behind every power professional is a child. Every power professional is a child who needs them. And behind every one of those children is a future that depends on the support we choose to provide today. Thank you. My name is Samantha Moore. And I am a resident and former parent professional for this district. I am speaking for the budget. I am, I worked with disabled children, I worked with children with disabilities. They need structure and routine. Structure and routine is for everyone. Helps everyone out. What are you going to do when your power professional is gone? What are you going to do when your power is quit because of your

100decision? I was once a student here with a power professional in the classroom from 3 school to 6th grade. I thrived on them and it made me the person I am today. I have a job. I drive a car. Power essential. And I repeat, an essential part of this classroom. Please do not abolish full time power professionals. Inclusion for all. And be kind to one another. Thank you. My name is Tyler Carlson. T Carlson. At WHD. L E H S D dot org. That's how you might know me because I know you don't know my face. But that's how you might know. My name is Matthew Huck. I am the abolishment of the full time power professional positions. I have been a power in this district for 2 years now. Prior to that I have

101over 10 years of experience working with children as a full time coach. Coaching both snowboarding out in Colorado and skateboarding in New York City. There are so many things I can say about this job that I have grown to love in such a short time. But one very obvious one that I feel I share with 80 other full time powers, along with the part time and teachers as well, is the connection with the students we all get to build as they attend our schools. There is a true bond formed between the students and those parents each day as we work together making it through the school day. There is a trust and understanding that has to be earned with many students in order to accomplish the goals for each day. The trust isn't always an

102easy thing to accomplish. But it is a trust that you can build. And it is a trust that you can build. That being said, I can say this group of pattern professionals all have displayed that trust. I don't know the exact number of years of experience between all 81 of us, but it has to be a pretty large number. A number that is going to be very hard to replace along with relationships that will not be easy to replace. Not only losing all the experience bad for the students but also bad for future staff with little or no experience. As stated earlier. Prior to being here, I have over 10 years of experience, and without the help from senior staff here, it would have been very hard to adjust to this new work environment. Training

103is great if you can get it, but the hands-on experience and knowledge shared between all 81 of us is priceless and cannot be replaced within a summer special. That's why I'm up here tonight. They already told me I'm done in June, but I'm not going to sit back, I'm going to finish out the year, I'm not going to resign like a coward, I'm going to fight, put the students first, fight for what's right, fight what's best for them, fight for what's best for their teachers, and lastly, try to keep my job made with some benefits. Thank you. My name is Barbara Rowe, R-H-E-A-U-L-T. I live at 667, don't laugh, Pine Valley Court in Ed Harbour City. I am the Atlantic County President for NJEA. Whoa! I represent 6,200 members in my county alone. I also

104represent the members here as chair of the NJEA Working Commission today. I represent them as one of my directors to the federal union. I am proud of my brothers and sisters. I'm not an overly religious person, however, I am a woman of faith. So when I heard about the decision to eliminate Paris from their full-time status with benefits, I immediately thought of Matthew 25, 40, which says, and I'll paraphrase, I tell you the truth, when you do something to the least of my brothers and sisters, you are doing it to me. That is what I want to do. Reverse course and treat all Little Egg staff, including the 81 Paris. Oh, by the way, 97% are women. Yes. Yes. With dignity and respect. And shame on you, Carl. Shame on you. No confidence. And you

105know what? I just might have to get involved and support my brothers and sisters. So disrespectful. But let me remind you, Carl, that schools are not businesses. Schools are supposed to run as public service, not arts and bodies designed to serve communities and students. With the primary goal to provide quality public education. So when you eliminate 81 Paris from full-time positions with benefits, who is going to support the students? I'm here tonight because what's happening is not just a budget decision. It's a decision about people, about dignity, about whether the individuals who hold our classrooms together are valued or discarded. You and all of us are going to be able to do this. We're going to be able to do this. And we're going to be able to do this. And we're going to be

106able to do this. We're going to be able to do this. So you want to eliminate full-time paraprofessionals. You strip them of their already modest salaries and essential health benefits. And then in the next breath, invite them to replay the part-time work. Let's be honest about what this is. This decision is destabilizing. It's disrespectful. And it sends a clear message that your professionals, your paraprofessionals are expendable. And they are not. Paraprofessionals are exactly the same. They're best friends. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. Paraprofessionals are stackable. They change day first. They manage small groups. They assist with behavior and ensure classroom functions every single day.

107Day in, day out, before the bell業 rings and day after the bell rings. Yet despite their professionalism, their wages, often make it difficult to make ends meet, even now. Many are already piecing together multiple jobs just to survive. Educators, every educator, should be able to work one job and live with dignity. That is not controversial. By the NB Research Center found that paraprofessionals largely love what they do and believe they make a difference. They don't want to leave their profession. But low wages, reduced hours, and the loss of health benefits force them out. You are forcing them out. And when they are gone, our students are going to lose. Maintaining full-time status and benefits is not just the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do. It ensures consistent support for teachers and

108students. It improves retention. It attracts qualified candidates. It helps to reduce... It helps to reduce absenteeism and turnover. It strengthens collaboration in our schools. And most importantly, it supports improved student outcomes. The Little Lake Harbor Education Association, the support and the professional certificate, alongside the Ocean County and New Jersey Education Associations, is a member-led, justice-centered union. We are committed to dignity, equity, and harmony. We are committed to a high-quality public education for every student. I would hope this board shares that vision. I only have one statement. Thank you. You go. Before taking a step this drastic, before dismantling the stability of the very people who support your classrooms every day, why not sit down and collaborate on solutions that would preserve both fiscal responsibility and human dignity? Because at the end of the day, this

109comes down to a simple truth. One job with a good school. One job with a good school. One job with a good salary and health benefits should be enough. Enough to support their families. Enough to access health care. Enough to live with dignity. Your paraprofessionals deserve nothing less. Your students deserve full-time paraprofessionals. Thank you very much. My name is John Miller. I'm the president of Little Lake Harbor. I have a long and storied history with this district and with a lot of you. And I consider everybody to be my best friends. in this room, my friend, and I will say my father was a teacher in this district for 35 years. My wife is an employee of this district currently, and I have a teacher who has been through a lot in this district now.

110And what I'm going to bring to light is a couple things that a lot of people want to say, but I'm going to say them. Number one, stop drinking Carl's Cooling. You are the superintendent of the school, and you are the... So, you have advisors. These are your advisors. These are your professionals. But they were not elected to this position that you hold. You are all sitting up here, the board members, and I thank the two of you who voted against this ridiculous and insulting act that was happening. But the people who are sitting here, and you know you messed up. You know that you have children in this district. You have quite a lot of power. Let's be professional and say that maybe it had to happen. Hear me out. Because you did not

111think this through. You did not give us an opportunity to discuss this. You did not... Was there an alternate budget that was prepared that kept the 81 full-time positions? No. Lisa? Carl? Was there one competitive education? Keep that up. Well, you don't have to answer it. I know the answer. Carl. Next thing is, you're saying you have 41 applications. Well, good. That's great. I'm willing to bet you you're not going to get 10 of them. Nobody here would have the self-respect to let their boss or their employer crawl all over them and step on their faces and then ask them to reapply at a lesser position with less dignity. These are our friends. These are our employees. These are the people that run this school. You do not run this school. That's for real. They're

112pirates. They're teenagers. Health insurance waiver incentive. That's for real. Maybe with all of the employees of this district, administrators, teachers, parents, maybe some of them have insurance from their husbands or wives. Maybe they put elect out of insurance, saving the district money for some kind of small incentive. I did. Maybe people can do that. Was that discussed? I did. Was that proposed? I don't care. So, here's the other thing. Employees. They don't like it. Now, we're going to have five and a half hours a day. So, you have... You're the only one applicant so far. Ain't none of them going to actually show up. That being said, you still have 488 unaccounted for hours. So, you're not halfway there, Carl. You need 96 people to fill that position. Remember the positions. You are voted in

113here to make the hard decisions. Last year, you made a really hard decision about our taxes. Right? We took it on the chin and we were happy to do it. Why, guys? Because who goes first? Now, guess what? You have a vote. You have a vote. You have a vote. You have a vote. You have a vote, right? But you know what? Who's got the vote? We do. What do we vote? What do we vote at the next election? Not you. Not you. What you got to do is you're going to set a precedent that's going to make the front cover of every paper in this region. You're going to redo this vote right now. And you're going to publicly say no to the 81 professionals in this room. Do it right now. As soon

114as we're done, do it right now. Because what you did that was dirty. It was underhanded. It was running. I've been a resident 25 years, 2.6 Lake Champlain Drive, right in the heart of Mystic Island. Maybe the best place in the district. Certainly first-hand experience to talk to the outcomes of my neighborhood children and what their before and after school time looks like. To the board, I think John said it perfectly. You guys have the power. You put your name on the ballot for a reason. You ran uncontested. I didn't really have a choice to vote. There was no other name on the ballot. And this is where the problem really meets the road. This is why you put your name on that ballot. For a meeting like this to understand that there are some

115real heated emotions in here. And, sir, your numbers and your slides, I'm sorry, but it seems to me, based on the comments, you've misjudged what the real concerns were. I'm sorry. You've misjudged what the concerns were. To put together $700, $500, $500, $300, $400, $400. And I hope those two yellow buses in this backyard aren't the ones that are supposed to be new. The one with the wheelchair, you know, lift, do you even understand what fleet management costs? And I'm not even sure if you guys have compared the liability risk that you're taking and what means Tom hiring some CDL drivers. overpower professionals. Review the results of workmen's complaints and long longitudinal impacts. This is not strategy. This math does not math. No. So if you need resources, you can look around the room at

116the business owners, the second, third generation, little like heart presidents that have made it. They are resourceful. They are resilient. They can stick through the fire. Unlike some histories around the table in terms of staying, hanging in when it all gets tough and the fire is heating up in here and the kitchen is heating up. I can see that some of your visions may be short sighted. You may be numbered by the years that you plan on being employed actively. Our kids are our future and the power professionals are the protective risk factors that we need to depend on to get these kids to the next level. Yes, they are the people that have student student facing staff these are direct protective factors for our children and nobody walking around the building that doesn't deal

117with kids can provide the safety net that the powers provide i am um i'm a social worker by trade this will likely be my last little white harbor township board of ed meeting i've had three students 25 years ranging from age 29 to age 11. but i'll make time to still come out if i have to um as a resident and to support some of our great educators my mother was a paraprofessional for 45 years in halloway district and sir if you want to bring up other districts how about you look at the socioeconomic status and start talking about pleasantville because if you mention lacy and tuckerden as critical We don't compare. Come on, sorry. Social economic status. Both of your moms. Hi. I wasn't planning on talking tonight. But don't cut a mama bear

118off when she's talking about her baby's health. Especially when you make over $120,000. Michelle Smith. Yeah! I'm sorry, like I said, I wasn't planning on talking tonight, but I wrote this as I was sitting here because I was just getting very angry. And very sad. To know. So I come here tonight, not only as a parent, but as an educator of another school district. Is there anyone up here that has swatted a classroom with 25 plus students? With approximately 5 to 7 IEPs? With also 5 to, probably 4 to 5 504s in that same classroom? Nope. Because I have. It's not easy. I've even sat in that classroom. My guess is nothing. No. I've never sat in a special education classroom. No. With most of the vulnerable students. Which I teach, by the way. My

119guess is no. These parents out here are the backbone of a school. They are the ones that keep everything together. They are the ones that dry the tears. They go for the walks with students that are having a breakdown. They are the ones that drive the tears. They are the ones that have their eyes open while the teacher will be handling another situation. This is a promise. Discipline is going to be an issue. Without a doubt. You think you have discipline problems now, Mr. Manning? Just wait. Children are not going to open up to these adults. Let them go for two hours. I've seen it. They will just react and cause issues. This will then cause problems for other students in the classroom that can't concentrate. You started this meeting saying you were looking out

120for the interests of our students. That is a lie. You take these kids away. My child doesn't need a parent. She's not a special ed student. However, while she's in the room with 30 children or 22 of what her average is without a parent that's possibly helping that one student because of all the other cuts from last year and the year before, are now thrown back into the classroom. Okay, you remember all that too? Now she can't concentrate. She had a horrible second year and she had an outstanding teacher. Don't get me wrong. She had an outstanding teacher. She had a wonderful, wonderful parent. And I'm just aiming up for your year. Which there were still problems. They're not miracle workers. So now my daughter is catching up from what she lost from all those

121other distractions. This can't be. We cannot let 81 parents go. Part-time? What are we going to get? 15 year olds that just graduated from high school that are not saying they're spending time to a chair? Here comes lawsuits. How are they? But onto other things. Onto the leaks, Paul. As I said, it was a lie. Some of those kids were at times at least 3 or more years old. How do I know that? My son is now in 8th grade and some states were here when he was attending this school. My daughter has been coming home every day. The past month and a half saying that she has a headache. You can ask the teachers that she has that know her here. Because that's where they know who I am. She is the very most

122sociable, likable by her peers, her teachers. She is the most loving thing that you will know. She wants to sit alone on the bus going home. How do you think that makes me feel? You know why? Because she's coming home every day with a headache. My guess is false. I've been there twice a year anyway. Don't try to tell me there is no mold after three plus years of leaks. And don't tell me there wasn't leaks before the three goes again. It's been five. If I remember after 6th grade. So I understand that things need to change. But cutting the backbone of our staff is not the way to go about it. Please reconsider your decision to keep our powers full-time. Stop lying over what is going on in this district. Thank you for your

123help. I have a direct and let's just call it this, having a full-time paraprofessional is a direct hit to our students who need support. You cannot remove clinical support staff from critical support staff and expect classrooms to launch amazing. I actually quit. I'm looking up now. I'm not even looking around. So as a parent of a child with an IV, this decision is extremely alarming. Even though my child does not have a dedicated parent, she connects with the parents that are in her class and they help her tremendously. The relationships that she has built with them provides consistency and a sense of safety in her school environment. I also have a preschooler who loves her parent, loves her. Comes home every day talking about her. Even though she loves her teacher, she talks about her.

124And I know her personally outside of the school as well. I'm also a daughter of a special education teacher and a special education para. She was my grandmother who did it for probably over 45 years. Both of them, it would be appalled with what we are doing. We are not doing any justice to our kids. I hope that you really do what we are doing. Good evening. My name is Jennifer Salzman. I have been working for the district for 19 years as a preschool assistant since the early childhood center inception in 2009. Some of you I see every morning dropping off their children from school. It's nice to see you at a later time. I would like to speak about the budget and a relationship to the proposed abolishment of the full-time paras and assistants.

125Having one consistent para teacher, assistant in the classroom is not just a staffing decision. It's a commitment to continuity of care, connection, and trust. In a learning environment, consistency matters. Students thrive when they know what to expect and who to rely on. We welcome, we become a familiar, steady presence in students' daily experience. We learn the rhythms of the classroom, the personalities of the students, and the subtle cues that others might miss. Over time, this consistency builds a deeper understanding of the needs of the students. We learn that trust is not just a matter of trust. It's a matter of trust. Trust is built through repetition and reliability. When students see the same teacher assistant every day, they begin to feel safe and loved. They know that this person understands them, not just academically, but

126emotionally and socially as well. That assistant remembers who needs extra encouragement, who prefers quiet support, and who benefits from a gentle push. These small, individualized responses, send a powerful message to students. You are safe and you are loved. With one teacher assistant, relationships don't have to restart or readjust. There's no need for students to retell their needs, reestablish comfort, or adapt to new personalities. Instead, connections deepen over time. A single assistant can follow a student's growth closely, celebrating progress, recognizing setbacks, and responding with consistency. This continuity creates a sense of security that allows students to take risks and engage more fully in their learning. It also strengthens the partnership within the classroom. The teacher and the assistant develop a shared understanding, a unified approach, and a clear communication. That alignment translates into a more cohesive

127environment for students. Expectations remain steady, support seems seamless, and the classroom operates as a true team centered around student success. Importantly, having the same assistant reduces confusion and emotional disruption. For many students, especially those who need additional support, frequent changes in adults can feel unsettling. A single, trusted assistant provides a dependable anchor throughout the day. That stability between a student shutting down and a student feeling confident enough to participate. Our concern as full-time assistants is the lack of continuity, communication, and collaboration that may result from making these positions part-time. This can lead to higher turnover and less experienced staff. Weakening the team approach that is so essential in early childhood classrooms. Ultimately, continuity of care is about more than routine. It's about relationships. One teacher assistant, present day after day, all day, has the opportunity

128to build meaningful connections that foster trust, confidence, and growth. And when students trust the adults around them, they are not only more ready to learn, they are more ready to thrive. Thank you. John Baker I am not comfortable. I had no plans on talking to much celebrity, but due to your condescending presentation, I felt compelled. I haven't heard a specific name of a child. My son is John Baker. He's a preemie. He was three pounds, 12 ounces. Ever since he's been born, it's been an uphill battle. He's a creature of habit. The only thing that makes his life easy in this school is not the BA. It's not any of you guys sitting up there. It's the parents. We go on vacation. He said, I miss Miss Vermosky. He misses all the parents. Mrs. Torres

129has seen him grow through the parents and the teaching. That his autism and the chance of him being mainstreamed and having a normal life is right at her fingertips. But your poor decision making, you're going to turn his little world upside down. I have failed because this is probably the second school board district I've been to. I plan on being up here a lot more. Because of you. I'm pretty sure you understand that. You can't teach us. We know what's going on with our kids. And we were going to do something about it. You only need a parent. I'm Heidi Gunston. I work in the preschool. I'm a preschool intervention referral services case manager. So I am on the front lines. I am one of the initial people that get to meet all of our

130little ones as they come in. So I do not have my own classroom. However, I am in all of the preschool classrooms. So I get to see our little ones before they sometimes have a diagnosis. Before they really get the services that they need. So my job is to meet them, greet them, get a first plan going, and really help them get the services that they need. So I am teaching our teacher assistants in our preschool classrooms who are essential. How to run behavior plans. How to give reinforcement. I am the one teaching these preschool assistants really how to do all the work necessary to have our preschool students, our littlest learners, be successful in a preschool classroom. So some of you here on the board might know me from that. Some of you in

131our crowd tonight might know me because I have had your learners. I have had your students. I have been the one that has had to tell you some of the hardest news that I have heard. I have been the one that has had to tell you some of the hardest news that I have heard. Some of the hardest news of your life. And I am sorry I have had to be that person, but I have gotten your kids where they needed to be. And some of them have started out in the hardest spot, but they are where they need to be now. They are in general education now. They might have had to go to self-contained, but now they are in gen ed. And it is because we have had paraprofessionals that have been there

132to support them. Running the behavior plans, running the reinforcement plans. And without them, we will not be able to do that consistently. On top of that, like Ms. Olson said, I have my own son with autism in preschool who's successful and in high school and in general education. So, what's the right name? Who's doing this? We have children who come to us through foster care who are in placements. That consistent person is with them all day. We're switching people in and out. We are, again, re-traumatizing these children who have already lived through trauma. If somebody's leaving them again, why would we want to do that? So, just think about what we're doing to kids that have been on this earth for 36 months. That's it. 36 months. When you think about a three-year-old, sometimes, not

133even that, on October 1st, that's when they need to be three years old to enter preschool. So, they don't even need to be three when they walk through our doors. So, having consistency. Having consistency. Having consistency. That consistent person is so important. And our preschool brand is different than the K-6 budget. Why are we eliminating preschool teacher assistants? Why are we doing this? Our budget is different. Why did we eliminate our preschool teaching assistants? Because we need budgets. It's a different budget. It's a different brand. They take your money. So, I would really encourage you. Please. Please. Look at that preschool brand and think about the consistency for that as well. Good evening, members of the board, superintendent Antunes. My name is Lisa Mitchell, and I'm here today as the Ocean County Captain for East

134Band. We are a group of NJA members who advocate for educational support professionals, such as the great paraprofessionals and teacher assistants of Little Lake Harbor Schools. I myself am a very proud paraprofessional of 18 years old. I've been in my district for 18 years, and I can tell you firsthand, quality, stability, and security we offer students as full-time school employees cannot be matched by any agency. Paraprofessionals and teacher assistants are the heartbeat of the classroom, acting as specialized educators who are essential to the student's safety and success. For a student with autism, a medical fragility, or a behavioral plan, their paraprofessional is the most important person in the classroom. A professional is their main daily support. These are district employees who, by their dedication and commitment for our students, help them to achieve greatness during

135this time with us. I am here to urge the board to view the Little Lake Harbor paraprofessionals as permanent school employees who have built strong, long-lasting relationships with the students and their families. They are some of the hardest-working and dedicated professionals of our community, Parents can rest assured knowing their special needs child, especially those who are nonverbal, are safe in the hands of their paraprofessional who has taken the position because they actually love children. Their position doesn't have a great salary, but the health benefits make up that difference. They have prioritized the health and well-being of their own families and of the students over the higher salaries that other positions offer. Offering part-time positions with no health benefits and no small pension for them to look forward to in their golden years is a complete

136insult, especially for those who are close to retirement. Part-time work is a temporary fix that will lead to privatization, which will be another temporary fix. You will be filling these positions with strangers who are not familiar with the students, and their families, their conditions, their personalities, their likes and fears, their family background. You cannot callously fire loyal employees and sub out the relationships they have built. Everyone has invested in the Little Egg Harbor paraprofessionals to be the best caretakers for the most fragile students and teacher assistants to care for our youngest learners. Please put yourselves in their shoes right now. The students and the staff are the ones who are most important to us. The students and the staff are the ones who are most important to us. And the families of Little Egg Harbor

137deserve the best, not part-time mediocrity. And who are you? Amy English? Recent retiree, as of . Curious if Ms. Erber is still on the call and if the attorney could just clarify some things. I'm looking at the stress SMA policy 155.1, which I think you spoke of earlier. The last paragraph says to participate via an electronic device. the board member must use the video feature of her device if the member is unable to utilize the video feature, he or she must notify the board president in writing with detailed reason as to why. Apparently this was a planned absence, as was the last one, and as an upcoming one. So if it was planned, there's no reason why it should not be on the video. Is she still on or do we not know that right

138now? Carl. Okay. That's alright. That's fine. I have some other quick things. I'm not going to speak on the paras because everyone before me did an excellent job in fighting for them. If they are comfortable, I would ask the paras to please stand up where you are. If you're comfortable, you're great in the college. I'd like to give a boop to Dr. Snyder for voting no against the blindsided fire of the new law. The attorney and the members of the board of ed tonight, I appreciate you for making eye contact. And actually listening to the speakers tonight. The leaks, they're not new. You may be Carl, but it was brought up at the April 15th, 2025 meeting that it was raining down brown water in the hallways. And I did screen capture that part of

139the meeting and posted that on Facebook. So that is there. So Lisa asked for proof. There was a whole Google document of the leaks for years, not just this year. It's not just the story. So it has been raining in this building for decades. So these are not new. Question is what is the turnover rate on the part-time paraprofessionals that started being hired in September? Because I've heard rumors of some of them coming in for two days and leaving. There's nothing keeping them here. There's no incentive. There's no benefits. There's no pension. Let's move on to buses. How much money is it going to cost the district to house the buses? Rumors, this was not addressed during the whole presentation here and when we were talking about rumors, rumors of the district acquiring land across

140from George Mitchell School for a bus depot. How much is that bus depot going to cost to raise the land, pave it, put up a fence, the bus depot itself, an office, a bathroom, etc.? What are the funds, where are those funds coming from, and how much is that going to cost? There's a rumor that was not addressed on there. And that the director, there's going to be a lot of money. There's going to be a lot of money. There's going to be a change of terminology. There's going to be a director of transportation and the rumor around that is that $30,000 in addition to the $10,000 last year said that they were renewing their contract with Durham. And I understand that we, Little Ike Harvard, has a special ed run for Pinelands and a

141homeless run that we do for Pinelands. And you clearly said that the bus routes didn't work when we shared buses with Pinelands. How are we going to go and bring Pinelands into our busing system if they already don't work the bus schedules? Let's see what else I have here. Did we ever look at changing the bus routes to get our students on different buses? I believe, and I'm pretty sure, maybe like 99.9%, that there was a presentation done. It was proven that we could split our kids up onto two buses, but it went on to deaf ears. There may not be a law about the agenda needing to be posted 48 hours in advance or whatever, but this board, and it was really under Dr. McCooley, and I think it was more of a thing,

142this board was on transparency. This board, not all of you, obviously, because you weren't all here, but you were talking about that, that agendas need to be posted. It wasn't posted until this morning. So we're going back years into the lack of transparency. The ceiling looks great. Yeah. But if you go out to the parking lot, the second to the right dumpster, not the one that has the pallet on it, you will see all of the discarded. Thank you. Oh, thank you. You can see the discarded ceiling tiles in that dumpster right now. So if everybody's leaving, you can go out there and look for yourself. And this board of ed needs to know what kind of person, Lisa, is, and I'm not even going to acknowledge the doctor in tune is. On the January

1434th. You have either five minutes. Is that allowed? Yes. I am currently a leave of absence school social worker slash child subpoena team case manager, and I just wanted to take the time to say a couple of things. Encouragement is always needed by all, right? So I wanted to take the time to thank the board for hiring me. In September and keeping me, and I have been in different districts, not because I wasn't good enough, but because I do the legal absence to help, help wonderful teams. I come alongside them. And can I tell you that this is my fourth district? And can I tell you that I have never, ever in my life, see a district more hard. Working than little egg hard. With that comes, not only do we have hardworking teachers and

144admin and all of you, but also as the fourth district, it has been a district where it has been a high population of the special needs population. The highest that I've ever worked with. Wow. Kudos to each and every one of you for coming in every single day to give of yourself. Every single day. And let me tell you, I know you're probably sitting here around. You're like, who's that lady or whatnot, but you know, I don't know you. I smile. I say hello. And it is, it has been, I'm not leaving yet. So do forget, but it has been my most privilege and honor to work alongside. Power us teachers. Cause he didn't know me, the child study team. We work as a team. That's right. It is not a job to make it

145work. And our students, right? What do they need most evidence-based work out there? Right. It talks about consistency. Yeah. Consistency is key without that. Where do we go from here? So keeping that in mind, and I just want to leave us up with this. I love, I don't know if any one of you is familiar with Richard Branson. Who knows him? That's okay. If you don't know him, I'm going to tell you right now. Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin group and owner of Nectar Island in the British Virgin Islands. I like this guy, the CEO. You know why? I like his philosophy. I like his philosophy. Let's hope. I like his philosophy. His core philosophy is to prioritize employees. And I like that. I like that. So he says, believing that treating

146them well leads them to treating, and I'm going to change the words for today because we don't deal with customers. We deal with our amazing students. So he says treating them well leads them to treat customers well, ultimately driving business success. So if we take care of our wonderful, hardworking staff, our hardworking staff takes care of our students and the rest is history. Speak after everyone else is speaking. My name is Julianna Holleran. For me, this year may only be my fourth year as a paraprofessional, but I have worked next to many paras in this district who have dedicated years and, in some cases, decades to working with students. We build relationships with children who rely on consistency and trust in order to feel safe and learn in not just their classrooms, but at recess,

147lunch, and specials. We're always the first person our students see when they get off of the minibuses or when we open their car door at drop-offs. When you remove full-time paraprofessionals, those relationships are disrupted. Students who depend on familiar adults to help them regulate, learn, and succeed successfully lose that stability. And this decision is not affecting just one or two positions. Eighty-one paraprofessional positions will be impacted. That is 81 human beings who support students every day in classrooms that could lose the consistency students depend on. If paraprofessionals are important enough to work with your most vulnerable students every single day, then they should be important enough to be valued as full-time professionals. This decision may look like a financial solution on paper, but in the classroom it becomes something very different. It becomes instability for

148students and uncertainty for the staff who dedicate their time and core to this district. To end on a quote that I started to use daily, be a leader, not a follower. I'm going to read you a little poem. In the spirit of the Lorax, from Dr. Seuss's famous book, where in our protagonist of the story states, I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees. You may recall the plight of the Lorax. I penned this before the meeting so I could maintain my composure and hopefully affect positive change and appeal to humanity. So I humbly submit, I am a carrot. I am a tree. I speak the truth. It's time I spoke up regarding our youth. I have sat here in silence as this budget was slashed. It seems our kids come in second when

149balancing our cash. Now I don't envy your task. It's a difficult one. But that's what you signed up for. No one said it'd be fun. So as you try to offset and balance and cut what becomes of education, I ask you, just what? The state has made mandates to test for the measure, but you're sinking our ship while burying the treasure. With bigger sized classrooms, spending less, wanting more, can't you expect that the children can continue to score? Special education is most difficult. This I do, I know. But we must provide the means for our children to grow. With reduction in staffing as you're slashing in half, do you really believe these kids can bounce back? Despite the structure, they thrive on your team. Your cuts will soon hurt them. I don't say this to

150be mean. In your effort to keep certain citizens from falling out of the system, you're not going to be able to keep them. You're going to have to keep them. You're going to have to keep them. You're going to have to keep them. You're going to have to keep them. You're going to have to keep them. You're going to have to keep them. You're going to have to keep them. You're going to have the strength to keep them. You're going to have different ways of helping them. You've tied teachers' hands, cut them off at the knees. Can you promise us all that this ship won't crumble? Learn a lesson from Lakewood, and I say this humble. Let's learn from more ens. And hear me said please. Because this meeting was born, it's not about you,

151or about me. Our kids are our future. Pay attention IE, and the Cuts staff. Let us no longer bleakness. And I quote Dr. Seuss, unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's gonna get better. It's not. Hi, my name is Erica Baker. I am a member of this community and a parent of each child who's distraught. I'm here to speak about how important the parents are in my son's life at the end of the week. Parents are not just support staff. They are essential to my son's ability to learn, communicate, and stay safe and succeed in school. They provide consistency, structure, trust, and with my son, depends on every day. When support is only part-time, consistency is broken. Okay. My son is forced with adjusting over and over again. Then he is consistent

152confusion, anxiety, and aggression. It's directly important for his success and education to have that piece of piece. IEP, under the Individual with Disability Act, my son has the right to support his needs. Not potential support, but the level of support that truly allows him to succeed. So I ask you, if my son needs full-time support to learn and stay safe, how is part-time support enough? This is not about asking for more, it's about asking what is necessary. American professionals are not optional, they are my son's life. And they are essential in the backbone of this district. Jason Baker, 23 Maple Road Drive. Apologize for not taking my hand off for you guys, but I'll take it off for the people that voted against America. My brother actually talked, I also didn't plan on coming up

153here, but after kind of being lectured with a short slideshow, I also felt compelled to come up and talk. And that Lorax boomed, stole my thunder. Seeking shit, sashing, where's the cash? You took all the good ones, man, good for you. So I'll just focus, instead of being condescending or lecturing, I just want to point out that my son also has an IEP, he's kind of a split session kind of thing, he's a good kid. He had a speech impediment, did not want to talk at all. Bad. Like me right now. But he did end up talking and he really blossomed because of routine. He's a creature of routine and he loves his parents, his teachers. He wouldn't be the kid he is today without them. And stop signs, he loves stop signs. You know.

154But the point I'm trying to make is, you guys had to make a difficult decision. Hopefully you can see that, everyone here is trying to encourage you to make not a terrible decision. And kind of listen to the voice. And all that stuff, I'm going to throw them to rail. But the point I'm trying to make is, I don't want to talk. I thought my physical presence would be enough to show my support. But again, I feel like you just needed to hear a little bit more normal people and not Carl's. Oh wait. My name is Cindy Castaldo. And the first thing I'm going to do is, I'm actually going to read off my, the responses to my last two emails from Dr. Tuna's. Which is also unsure what everyone else who has emailed her

155has received. I'll just wait a little bit. Nothing. Why is my 11 year old daughter coming home from school and instantly going, mom, they got notices all the time. Notices all throughout the school. I asked her regarding what she said. Oh, it's all the brown sludge coming from the, from the walls, from the ceiling tiles. All right. We get a memo, maybe about 30 minutes after I emailed Dr. Tuna's, that there was no mold. I have photos that a student took that a parent sent to me because it is absolutely disgusting. I'm worried about attendance. And you want these students coming here every day and have to, if you guys can look right over here, you can see some of the remnants of it. All of this up here is for show for the parents.

156If you see right over there, there's one coming down already. You have classrooms that are being shut down, hallways that are being shut down. There's light fixtures that have water and sludge in them. You say you're going to get the roof repaired. Are you going to repair and clean up whatever is in between the roof and the ceiling tiles as well? We're worried about it. Do you want to come into work like that? How's your, how's your office look? I want to see what the inside of your office looks like. Because how do you want your child to learn when she is in that type of environment? That's my first, my first point. Because that can't even be like, I'm sorry. I wasn't prepared to come up here. I'm a little hot. But, but, but

157that's my first point. These kids don't want to come into a school like that. And what teacher wants to even teach in a school like that? That they have to worry if their kid's going to, something's going to fall in their kid's head or they're going to fall and slip in the classroom or something. Secondly, my family made the extremely hard decision this year to pull our students, to pull my kids out at the end of the year. We're going to homeschool them. The reason, the reason in doing that, I had to, I just left the preschool to sign my daughter up for the preschool program so I can then help teach my older students. Now this comes up that, oh, that this is going to affect the preschool age. I came in here last

158year and it's like, I predicted it. We're just going to keep cutting, keep cutting, keep cutting. And there's just, it's, there's no transparency like always. There's no communication. And it's like, if we don't, if we email you with something that you don't like, eh, screw it. We'll just, you know, we don't, we don't have to listen to them. We're, what are we doing? Seriously. What are, what are we doing? When a parent comes up to you with health concerns, and you don't answer? Parents come up to you about their children's parent, no answer? I, and again, I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I know the budget, because I don't. And that's not my expertise, which is why I'm not sitting up here. But, what I can say is, the past year and

159a half, has been absolutely atrocious. There is, you, I have a local business, I see a lot of people that live in this town, I see a lot of people that work in this town that also live here, and you have teachers, that don't even send their kids to the district. Isn't that embarrassing? But again, the, it's neither here, I, I can't speak again on the power of thinking, just because everyone here did a really great job on that. But, like I said, you're worried about attendance, you have the school falling apart, this is all for show. And I would love if I could really see a picture of your office, because I want to know how clean it is. I can forward you the pictures as well. Thank you. My name is Tracy Newmans,

160I have three young children in this school district, one with special needs, and one with special needs. So as I stand before you, I respectfully urge you to reconsider your recent decision to abolish 81 paraprofessional positions. Paraprofessionals are not extras, they are essential. They are the steady hands guiding students who need additional support, the compassionate voices helping children stay focused, and the bridge that allows teachers to effectively reach every learner in an increasingly diverse classroom. Without them, we would not be able to accommodate students, especially those with special needs, learning differences, or behavioral challenges, risk falling through the cracks. In classrooms today, teachers are already stretched thin. Removing paraprofessionals does not only eliminate the needs of the students, it simply shifts an even greater burden onto the educators who are doing everything they can to

161meet those needs. The result will be larger gaps in learning, increased classroom disruptions, and fewer opportunities for individualized attention. For many children, paraprofessionals are the difference between frustration and success, between disengagement and confidence. They help create inclusive classrooms where all students, regardless of ability, can learn and grow together. Eliminating these positions sends a message, intended or not, that some students' needs are less of a priority. I understand that the financial pressure is facing the district, but we must ask ourselves, what is the cost of not supporting our students adequately? The long-term impact in academic achievement, behavior, and emotional well-being could outweigh the short-term savings. I urge you to revisit the decision and resend your vote. Good evening, I am Mark Sink, and I live at 35 Over Crush Drive. Yes, I am your host. And

162most of you might be new to the area, but unlike you, I am not new to this district or this town. I've lived here my entire life, I attended these schools as a student, and I sat quietly in the corner of countless board meetings as my mom sat at this table as a board member and board president for years. I have also had the privilege of working in this district as a staff member before pursuing other opportunities elsewhere. So when I stand here tonight, I do not just stand here as a resident, but as someone deeply connected to this community and its schools. I am here to ask you, respectfully, but firmly, to rethink your recent decision. More than that, I am asking you to have a heart and rescind the decision to abolish 81

163full-time paraprofessionals and preschool teacher assistant positions. These are not cut on a spreadsheet. These are people. These are livelihoods. These are individuals who have dedicated years, some decades, to service to our students and our students. My mother sat on this board in the 90s, when they were faced with a very difficult decision to sell the district's bus fleet we mentioned it so I figured I would too, which meant losing their bus drivers. It was not an easy decision, nor was it popular, but there was a key difference. They had a plan. They did not hide behind non-agenda item votes or impersonal emails. They faced the community. They stood by their decisions, and most importantly, they took care of their people. They ensured that those drivers were given priority for other open, full-time positions in the

164districts. Those dedicated drivers became paraprofessionals, secretaries, cafeteria workers, so that those people who had given years of service did not lose their path to a pension, their retirement, or their dignity. In that leadership mindset, what we're seeing now is uncertainty, no plan for transition, and no reassurance that their service to this district matters, or that you care. I do apologize, I'm not including you here. It's not just a policy failure. It is a moral one. I understand that difficult financial decisions must be made. I understand budgets, constraints, and obligations. But how you make those decisions, and how you treat people in the process, matters just as much, if not more, than the outcome. We still have time to do the right thing. Rescind your decision. Re-evaluate the process. Create a plan that prioritizes these employees,

165whether through reassignment, attrition, or phased changes. That's another option. Phased changes. You might need to have that explained to the page. Please get the handspan in front of you and I might want to get the credit for that. All right. So, that data does not simply discard the people who have given such for our district. Be transparent. Be accountable. And most importantly, be human. In your day, it's not just responsible for the numbers on the page. They're responsible for people. Thank you. Yes. My name is Raquel Seelander. I'm at 12 Rosemont Lane, Little Ike Harbor. My daughter is a student here at Frog Ponds. I was not planning on speaking tonight. I'm going to try and stay focused on what I need to say. So, I am the one that sent OSHA to the school.

166Yes. Because my daughter was covered in hives from school. It was out of nowhere. I did not understand what was happening with her. I said, what's going on at school? Like, what's different? And she said, there's just buckets of dirty water everywhere. I heard that other people were also having issues. And I basically anticipated getting the blase dismissive answers like we heard here tonight. So, I knew the school was not going to do anything. So, mom-ness. Okay? The air quality report that I looked at did not include the classroom that was moved. It did not include the classroom that was moved. So, the classroom that was the problem did not have the air quality test done in it. I have a big problem with that. I also want a... I have a big problem with

167that. I also want a new date for the roof, not a hopefully it happens this summer. I want a date for the day my daughter doesn't have to take antihistamines to come to school. At what point is this an urgent health issue with our students and staff? I think it is very clear. We've all seen the pictures online. Things are not going well here. So, let's get it together. Rick and Ella are up to same paper. Yeah! A lot of people consider Solomon the wisest person maybe ever in the world to be the mother of a baby. Split the baby in half. They want to see their baby split in half. It was the other woman. This word. Last year, there was a 32.6% tax increase. This year, it's 2%. May the compromise be made

168so that if that increase has to go up to 10%, I would urge you to consider before you do it. I'm not Solomon. I've covered school boards for 30 years and the ones that compromise have been the ones that last. Thank you. My name is Mallory Figueres. I am really nervous publicly speaking but as I tell my students, you can do hard things, so here I am. I'm a paraprofessional at ECC and I am one of the one. I have only worked here for three years, but in those three years, I have found a second home. I have found a community. I have found a community that helps and supports one another and in return, we work together to provide a safe, caring environment for our students to help them learn, grow, and succeed. It

169is much more than a job to me. It's my livelihood and I'm incredibly concerned about the impact that this will have on the students with the lack of consistency and the loss of the exceptional staff who has invested their time and hearts into students for futures. I ask you to please reconsider your vote. And lastly, in regards to how we were told that our jobs were abolished, I have to put my mic down for this. We deserve better. My name is Scott Campbell. I'm the president of the Townsend River Education Association. I want you guys to know, so as a union president, I have to have a concept of what a union is. Here's one. If you go to the circus and you watch the lion tamer in his little cage with all the lion

170tamers, you're going to be a lion tamer. You're going to be a lion tamer. You're going to be a lion tamer. You're going to be a lion tamer. But I'm going to be a lion tamer. I'm going to be a lion tamer. If a lion tamer is there, you're going to be a lion tamer. But I'm going to be a lion tamer. It's not just a lion or a tiger, a giant. But a lion is going to be a tiger. It's a lion and a tiger. A lion and a tiger. If a lion and a tiger ever got organized, they can take over the cage and do away with the guy with the whip and chain. What I mean by that is organize and vote. You can't say anything if you haven't voted, so please,

171get organized and vote. So I'm a president of the fifth largest union in the state, not significantly different than what you folks do. It's just on a different scale. So, president of the fifth largest union in the state, not significantly different than what you folks did. It's just on a different scale. We've been an S2 district and lost hundreds of millions. You guys have lost hundreds of thousands. And we've been able to muddle through. We have a couple of creative superintendents in there. This is my fourth superintendent in nine years. And in that time, we had one superintendent that fired 25 secretaries. And you can't open a building without certificate staff, secretaries, custodial, bus drivers, security, or a pair of professionals. So, as I've been sitting here listening to what's going on, and I look

172back on my nine years as president, the only thing I kind of can think of is that right now, you're playing as a giant. You're a giant cluster. I'll start with transportation. I know what districts in our area have gone through trying to find and hire bus drivers. So, you want to find good people. You want to retain good people. You want to motivate good people. It doesn't seem like that's going on in this district. So, I can tell you this. You're going to get rid of a bunch of paraprofessionals and their benefits. You will find. You will find many bus drivers that don't want benefits. You'll be able to find some retired guys that have social security and Medicare and all those other things. But you're going to come up short in the number

173of bus drivers that you have. You haven't hired bus driver number one. You haven't built bus garage number one. You haven't put together bus rails. You haven't done any of this. So, by my estimation, step one of this, where we're going to hire all these bus drivers, and we're going to hire them. We're going to bring it in-house. We'll try 100% for it. I think privatization kills what you're trying to do. You're going to fail on the transportation side. On the paraprofessional side, our district hires just over 400 paraprofessionals that we actively work with. The first 100 are what we call Tier 1 paraprofessionals. It's the same paraprofessionals that you have. They're unbelievably hardworking, caring staff members. And they receive single benefits, or if they were grandfathered in, they received family benefits or whatever they

174had at the time. That 100 will never change. We will always have that. In 2015, we took our vouchered paraprofessionals, we brought them into the union, we negotiated contracts, working conditions, and those types of things. We have approximately 150 of them. The third group that we have are also Tier 2 paraprofessionals that we have through ESS. And that's a service that supplies any type of staffing that we might need. So, the reason I think that your paraprofessional plan is going to fail is because, one, you've got to automatically replace those 81. Mine's two. Good luck. Good luck. Because I know that in Tom's River, that we can't find paraprofessionals. And we're a large area. We've got several large towns around us. We can't find them. We can't find them. So, again, that third step in

175a good contract is can you retain people and motivate them? Our paraprofessionals are on a revolving door. It was mentioned before that some of these paraprofessionals come in for a couple of hours, a couple of days, and this. The biggest problem we have is not necessarily with the contracted Tier 2 paraprofessionals that we have because they, you know, they're conscientious. Everybody's often a conscientious hard worker. It's the ESS workers. They don't want to do any work. They don't want to touch a kid. They don't want to toilet a kid. They don't want to put their hands on a kid because of how litigious we've become. So now, not only have you failed on the transportation side, you're going to fail on the other side. Good luck. Hi. I'm D. Sullivan. I'm not even going to

176talk tonight, but some of these paraprofessions are my friends. I am a parent, a taxpayer, and a substitute teacher in this district. So, you know, you've got to have a good relationship with your teacher. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. A parent, I was so upset that they cut music and steam. My daughter, she's in sixth grade this year. She had to miss on her winter concert because there was no music teacher. As a parent, I was so upset. As a taxpayer, I only agreed for the tax increase because they said they're going to keep the teachers and everybody else. I'm sure everybody agreed because they said they're going to keep their jobs. As a

177substitute teacher, when I go into any self-contained classroom instead of the teacher, what do I tell the parents? You are in charge. I am just a guest in this classroom. Their kids, I'm not going to even call them students because they teach them as their own kids. Like I teach, like I not teach them, I treat them as their own kids. Like I treat all the kids in this district as my kids. Because whatever I want to happen to my kids, I do it to these kids. Tell me what to do because I don't know how these kids act or can set them off. Maybe a touch on their back will set them off. I don't know this, but they know this because they are there every single day. It's not because I'm not good,

178but they know them better than I do. So they are important. And my shirts say you matter. You matter. You matter. You matter. You matter. Whether you are a teacher, a professional, all matter. And we love our job. That's why we're here every single day. I get their benefits. It's stressful to find a job. Sometimes I go to sleep. I don't know if I'm working next morning or not. When I don't work, I don't get paid. But I have been here for four years. And I love it. I love being around the kids. I love seeing the same kids every single day. It makes me happy. I treat them as my kids. So good luck. God bless you all. I can't do your job because your job is very tough. And it needs special care.

179They talked about the leaks and the ceilings. They never talked about the freezing classrooms or the overheating classrooms. Some of these classes are either really very cold or very hot. So hopefully something will be done about the air here because sometimes I go into the classroom and see the weather. So that I know what I'm going to wear the next day. Whether I need a jacket or a short sleeve. Thank you and God bless you all. Okay. My watch is telling me to calm down. So bear with me. As most of you know, I am a very private person and I don't talk much. My name is Aidee Carpenter. I'm a special ed paraprofessional. I'm one of the 81 students at U of I BEL. I have worked in this district since 2012 as a

180special education paraprofessional. I stand here not just to help. I stand here not just as an employee but as someone who has given her heart to this work for over a decade. The reason I stay here is not just for the paycheck. It's the students. It's the child who comes in unable to speak and months or years later finds their voice. It's the student who once struggled to even enter the classroom and eventually stands on the stage. It's the student who has been able to stand up and speak confidently and proud performing in front of a crowd. Those moments just don't happen. They come with consistency, trust, relationships built day after day, year after year. One of the students recently looked at me and this happened just the day after I got the email. Ms.

181Carpenter, do you feel loved? And I said, yes. Without hesitation. Because you make me feel loved. That moment stays with me because that is what this job really is. Love. It's patience. It's showing up. FPC and staff members, we are stable. We are safe spaces. We are part of these children's lives in ways that they can't replace overnight. When decisions are made that remove people from their lives, it does not just affect us. It affects the students who rely on us, who trust us, who have built bonds with us. You are not just cutting positions. You are breaking connections that took years to build. I'm asking you from the bottom of my heart to please rethink your voting. And think about the human side of these decisions. The children, the relationships, and the people who

182have dedicated their lives to supporting them. Because many of you, many of us, this is more than a job. This is our purpose. And I can tell you as a single mom of a child with autism who has gone through this school and also who has a grandson who is in self-contained class, who plans on coming here, who plans on coming here next year, I think we're going to have to look for an alternative school for him because he has severe asthma and other health issues. So I don't know what's going to happen. I really hope that there's going to be a resolve to this issue. Thank you. Hello everyone. My name is Victoria Rickey. I am not only a substitute paraprofessional in the ECC, but a former student of this school district. My mother,

183my biggest inspiration, is a preschool assistant here. After I heard that 81 paras were being fired in an email, I was disgusted. In the classroom, I see how paraprofessionals help not only the students, but the teachers they support. We are the backbone of the classroom and to the success of this district. We help students to learn, grow, and shape them into the adults they will become. I also did not plan on speaking, but the blatant disrespect towards staff and all others in attendance tonight is unacceptable. As a staff of all ECC substitutes, I urge you to change your decision. It's not about money, but the impact on children's learning if this decision is not withdrawn. Thank you. My name is Kate Sanchez. I have two children in the district. One has a 504, one has

184an IEP. I'm going to do my best to get through this speech without falling apart. I'm here today as a parent and someone who has first-hand experience and seen the life-chasing impact that paraprofessionals have on our children. I'm going to speak clearly and honestly, reducing these positions to part-time is not a staffing decision. It's a decision that directly impacts the well-being, stability, and success of our students. My daughter graduated ABA therapy today. Yay! It's going to be possible in at least this decade. The confident, capable girl she is today, she did not get there alone. She got there because of a team. Her teachers are paraprofessionals and her ABA therapist working together with attention, consistency, and care. What made the difference was not the services themselves, but the collaboration between her teachers and the aides.

185The paraprofessionals and the teachers worked consistently between home and school to make sure that what we were doing at home was also being done in school. They're not just support staff. They are steady, trusted figures in our children's lives, and in many cases, they spend more waking hours with my children than I do with them. They are the ones reinforcing the skills, calming the fears, building confidence, and helping our kids navigate the world moment by moment. We talk a lot about outcomes, about progress, about student success, but those things don't happen in a vacuum. They happen because people dedicate and train compassionate people who show up every single day they put in work. If we truly value our children's growth or independence in their future, then we must value the people who make that possible.

186Please don't reduce these roles. Protect them. Invest in them because behind every child who is thriving, there is a team that made it possible, and the paraprofessionals are an essential part of that team. I can tell you that there are so many people in this room who have pushed my daughter forward. Teachers, paraprofessionals, people who have been there for her, who have walked in with her every day, so I knew that she got to her classroom when she wasn't just roaming the halls going on her own little side quest. The paraprofessionals in this room take a lot of abuse from these kids because a lot of times they don't see consistency at home. Maybe something triggered them. It's a hard job, and I see it every day when I walk my kids into the school.

187Whether it's my kids giving you trouble or another kid that's just not having it in the morning, you deserve the health insurance. You deserve the pensions. You deserve absolutely everything. And I hope that you do. I just want to make sure that everyone that wanted to speak at least once, go. This is my first board meeting. It wasn't very cool to talk, but I came to support all of these parents that we all love. I have two children in this district. This is my one son's first year. He has an IEP, and he is very reserved. These parents got him to open up. He waits for them every single day. Mrs. DeVito and Ms. Boyer, Ms. Gabby, Mrs. Soltzman now. They treat him like he is part of their family. Before becoming a mom, I

188worked for a very large international corporation. And when I was told that I had to eliminate someone's livelihood, it was soul-crushing. And I don't know how you guys can live with that. Only two of you were opposed to this. And how you can look at 81 people, which you didn't because you emailed them. But this is not a billion-dollar company. This is a public school. These local families are being affected. And I'm also representing a friend of mine who, she has a child in special ed, and she wanted to request a one-on-one next year for their child. And now they feel like they can't due to everything that's going on. And what are people like her supposed to do? And are our children, because I know my son doesn't open up to anyone, are our

189children supposed to see people coming in and out of their classrooms every day and then regress and then they don't want to go to school at all? Like the gentleman, the union rep said, how will you be able to look at these 81 people when you see us on the soccer field, at dance, in the grocery store? And to me, this is just, we don't have any morals at all. And I'm just like everyone else here, really urging you to reconsider. Thank you. Thank you, folks. My name is Ron Donnerstag. I'm the president of the Central Regional Education Association, and I'm a graduate, 1987, of Pineland Regional High School. So I'm part of my community, my senior year of high school, and I have to tell you, the impression I got from the people here

190were obviously set the right way. Not too many kids can move into an area as a senior and feel as welcome as I did. So I have a loose connection to the community. As the president of the community, as the president of the union myself, I also have a responsibility to all of my people. And I commend the parents for being here and the bravery that they have, knowing that consequences often follow when you say that to yourself. I want to thank the board and everybody. Turn around and look at that sign behind you that has your middle-aged, harder school district on it. Please, do me a favor. No. You do it. They love that. It says, Learning and expanding horizons. And I can't understand how eliminating 81 positions is going to increase the learning

191and, if anything, it's going to shrink your horizons. And you're doing a disservice to your students by making this decision. And I know money's tight, but as others have said, there are other creative ways to do it. And I know boards talk to other boards, and I know BAs talk to other BAs. I ask you to reach out to Arne, because he seems to get the formula right. We just get free. And we're doing pretty well, so maybe you should ask some more questions before you get used to seeing us. Good evening. My name is Sabina Martin, and I live on Alatory Court in Little Acorn. And I'm sort of probably not going to make friends on either side of it. I understand, as board members, you're not paid for the positions that you're in,

192so it's a difficult situation, and you have to put budgets together, and that's not always easy to do. I've been on the administrative end of this situation in the job that I come from. We came, actually, we had a similar situation where it was looking at a mass layoff in where I came from. And as administration, I will tell you that the first thing I did was get my administrators together, my directors, and said, look, here's the thing. We're going to save jobs, and we're going to do it any way we could. We put an addendum together to all of our contracts administratively, and walked in and said, we're freezing our salaries for two years. Now we can negotiate with our unions instead. We need to work as a team together. You're not going to

193resolve it in one. And I appreciate that everybody has their stories, because I started out in my position years ago as a parent. So I totally get where everybody's coming from. And I worked at regional day school. So it's not an easy place to come from. So I get both ends of the spectrum here. But all the stories and the things, we do understand that we value these powers. I mean, they are essential to these kids. So I think the problem is, that's not going to resolve everything that we all understand. Now we need to come together and talk about it. Now we need to come together and figure out, what do we do from here? So I think, you know, maybe freezing some things, going to the union and saying, okay, we've given a

194little bit. What can you help us with? Sit down, have that conversation. Go through the motions with the unions and say, what can we do as together, collectively, to figure this out? Go to the community and say, look, what are we talking about? How much money on the government? What kind of dollar are we talking about? For an increase, working with the administration, working with the unions, and working with the community on how much are you still willing. I understand you have the 2% before the budget goes on the ballot. But if I'm not mistaken, I think there's an exemption. And when it comes to healthcare costs that increase, that means that if you go above that 2%, it doesn't have to go on the ballot. So you can still talk to the public and

195see, what are you willing to give above the 2% to keep these people in the positions? Because a lot of them, let's face it, and like I said, I came from the power portion. They're not doing it for the money. So it's mostly the benefits that they can get, health benefits for their families. I mean, it means a lot to these individual families. And it's 81 families that are being affected. We need to come together as a community, and figure a resolution to keep the positions in place. I probably overstayed my welcome, but that's my opinion. And I think that that's something we need to do. We need to get collectively, everyone together, to figure out how we can keep them. And it's not just standing up here and saying, change your vote. It's let's

196come up with a solution on how we're going to fund it when that happens. Dr. Carlson, get the F out of my office. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Hi, my name's Monica Fraser. I live in Little Lake Harbor. I'm Inara Smith. I was afraid to come up here. Why? Because I am so terrible at talking. I'm going to sound like I'm crying my whole time. I said my son's story to the group of advocates today, because I didn't think he'd want me to share his name. And when I read it to him, he said, mom, you can go up there and tell them my name's Monica. We've all heard and we all agree about the 81 paraprofessionals. We don't want them to leave. We sat through last year's budget

197and we took it on the chin as other people said. We didn't want to have our taxes go up like that, but we were willing to do it if it meant that we got the people that we respect and we need here. For this many of us to come out and speak, one, speaking is not our forte. It has to mean something to us. It has got to mean something to you. I'll give my son's story quickly, but before I do, Carl, I think you should run for a national seat somewhere. Something. Anything. What you've done, what so many people can't do. You've united both sides of the table. You've united Democrats and Republicans and Independents in a joint dislike of how you spoke to us. Thank you. That's fine. Yes. How dare you come

198into our town and speak to us like that as if we don't understand what's happening. Yeah. We should be ashamed of ourselves. That's fine. Before . My son has a periodic fever syndrome. We think he was born with a VLN. Like clockwork since he was a baby, he has fevers pretty much every month. We've been told he'll go out of it. We've done genetic testing. We've gone through a gamut of specialists. We don't know what the problem is, but this year, he was probably healthier than he had been ever. In November, he had a perfect attendance, which he's never had before. He would turn on his alarm, he'd call it up and call it behind and call it up every month because he misses classes. But when winter struck, he went from having what we

199expect to have two fevers to five or six fevers. And because they were so close together and it was so unlike what we normally deal with, we just said, all right, now he has a fever. And we went to the doctor for every fever we had. And we had him tested for every common illness. And it was nothing for most of them. He got flu A in December, right before Christmas. And then in February, he got flu B. In between, he probably had one or two of his fevers. And he was not feeling well. And he was not feeling well. And he was not feeling well. And he was not feeling well. And he was not normal fevers. But the other three, we don't know. The doctors did the tests. And they even tested for

200some kind of viral infections, which is not what you normally do. But at this point, he said, why is he keeping sick? And then the doctor says to him, well, you have to work on your hygiene if you keep getting sick. And he was so offended because he's basically rotted at this point. He washes his hands constantly. He hates when people sneeze around him. He's very offended if you sneeze, it'll cover your face. But he's very offended. And he just looks at the doctor. He's 11 now. And he's like, I do. I can't wash my hands in the school because this stupid soap dispenser is keeping a brick off the wall. And there's no soap in the bathroom. But if I go in this one, I can maybe get soap. But then there's a giant

201phallus thing. It paints it on the wall or something. I don't know how much detail you want, but I heard it's hairy. He says when they walked down the halls, they would have black sludge dripping on them. Water is not slimy. Water doesn't come down slimy and dark. There's something going on. He was on nebulizers. He was on inhalers. He would have been on oral steroids if his body could metabolize it, but it cannot metabolize oral steroids anymore. He has been sick. He has a 504 for his periodic fevers, but he's having a hard time keeping them out. On top of that, now his body is not recovering as fast in between the fevers. He walks like a clean soldier. Why coach soccer? Because I wanted his team to stay together. He's not going to

202make practices. I don't know if he's going to be able to play games. I'm not giving up on my team. But the whole reason to do it was so that we have this team together and someone would have a chance to play. And I don't even know if he can play. Sorry, I'm on offense by the way. I don't understand. Who says that? He was right on the floor. Just have a look. I understand. That's the table. That's right, Chris. Chris is a realtor, everybody. Don't use him. Maybe we won't. EXP to be exact. Hello, my name is Amanda Hand. I have proudly worked as a teacher in this district for the past 17 years. I'm speaking tonight. Not only as a teacher, but also as a concerned parent and a taxpayer. I would like

203to speak regarding the budget in relationship to the abolishment of the full-time power positions for our district. Over the years, I have witnessed firsthand the profound impact that power professionals have on our classrooms, our programs, and most importantly, our students. Power professionals are not an extra support. They are an essential part of our lives. They are an essential part of the educational team. Because we are a team. We work hand in hand together. In professional education, especially, they are the backbone of our programs. They provide consistency, stability, and individualized attention that many of our students rely on to function successfully in our school environment. Without them working full time, the ability to meet students' IEP goals, and shorter distance learning, and to work in the classroom are completely out of reach. We are a team.

204We are a team. We are a team. We are a team. safety and deliver meaningful instruction is severely compromised. Many of our students come to school carrying challenges far beyond academics. For some, paraprofessionals serve as trusted adults, sometimes filling roles that resemble those of a parent, mentor, or advocate. They build relationships with our students that foster trust, regulate emotions, and create a sense of belonging for our classroom communities. These connections are not easily replaced, nor can they be replicated through reduced or inconsistent support. From a practical standpoint, removing or reducing paraprofessional support directly impacts the teacher's ability to do their job effectively. If my past 17 years working both in preschool and as a special education teacher now for George Mitchell has taught me anything in this school district is that the special education parents,

205as well as the preschool teaching assistants, are the backbones in our classrooms to keep them running smoothly, safely, and effectively and there is not a time during the day that they are not needed. As teachers, we cannot simultaneously provide whole-class instruction, manage behaviors, ensure safety, and deliver individualized support without the partnership of our paraprofessionals. Beyond the classroom, paraprofessionals contribute to the overall climate and culture of our schools. They step in wherever needed, often voting above and beyond their roles without any recognition. Their dedication, patience, and commitment are invaluable assets to the district. The decision to reduce paraprofessional positions is not just a stocking change. It is a decision that will negatively affect student outcomes, teacher effectiveness, and the integrity of our educational programs. Maintaining paraprofessionals as full-time staff is not a luxury. It is necessity

206if we as a district are truly committed to providing equitable, appropriate, and high-quality education for our students. I urge you to reconsider any actions that diminish this vital support. Our students deserve it. Our paraprofessionals deserve consistency. The teachers need consistent partnership. And our paraprofessionals deserve to be recognized for the essential role that they play every single day for our students. Also, I would like to pose a question to the board that I don't have written down. But I am wondering, at what part during the day do our students who have a one-to-one para, do our preschool students, our three- and four-year-olds, not need a para? At what point during the day do they not need a para? At what point during the day do they not need a para? Do they not need this individualized

207support? Do they not need a full-time para in the classroom, helping with toileting, with taking breaks, with maintaining safety, allowing teachers to do small group time? What point do they take the children off of the bus? They put the children back on the bus at the end of the day. That is a major safety concern. I'd love to know when we think we don't need them. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'd love to know how someone can speak that has this work with them. Over these years, I've been teaching them. And say something for them, for these people. I'd be a bus driver for a little life. I started out as driving in the Outer District children's. I had seven beautiful children all

208over Ocean County. We started very early. We did a lot of things on the bus to keep us occupied. I could not have done it without bus aid. Never. We could not have done it. And I started out as a bus driver. I was in the District 1 District. When the District split, I was a product of divorce. Who gets Amy? I've worked seamlessly with everybody. I drive from kindergarten to super seniors, which is 21-year-olds. And love it every day. Every day. I don't follow the job. I say it's what I do. I found my passion late in life. And that is being the most shy or especially with these children. A month or so ago, I was told that I'm being let go to much of the powers. They're going away with me. I'm

209not going to be the only one. I'm going to be the only one. I'm going to be the only one. I'm going to be the only one. I'm going to be the only one. I'm going to be the only one. I'm going to be the only one. So, I have never called out. My husband was diagnosed with cancer on Monday. I came to work Tuesday. 16 rounds of chemo. Two major surgeries. And infusions every three weeks. I managed to fit it into my schedule with minimal coverage needed. And I realized why I didn't want to get my most expensive job. I was so sick. I couldn't take it. I did that very quickly. It's for the kids. It's for the consistency of the kids. They need to see me. They need to see or they

210need to know who's covering for me. If not, I'm in trouble. Or that child might not get on the bus that night because they're fearful. They don't know who they are. Going to transportation and the people that they're hiring are amazing people. I honestly have to say West Rovers are a very special type of group. We see it all. We see the front lines. We know all your secrets. Just letting you know. But the problem with the transportation plan that I have no idea what it is, but you cannot do it on part-time hours. Not three schools, out of district children. It's not feasible. At least in my mind. Maybe somebody can go about it in my town, but I was part-time. When I started and I worked too many hours and did not get

211paid for it because I did it for the kids. Anytime the school could call me, Miss Amy, we have a sick kid. I'll be right over. And I wouldn't trade it for the world. And my other thing is my bus seats. My bus seats, they did it for $11 a bus ride. It didn't pay anything. Nothing. They did it for the kids. They knew that my bus could not roll. Miss Amy could not roll without a bus seat. So I had to raise my hand. If she was a regular bus seat, if she wasn't going to be there, I always had another one. Right in line, right behind them to make sure those kids were okay. Brought up, she does a little round up, but we still did it. She overstimulated me to say that.

212I love my job. I will do my job somewhere else. But I just wanted everybody to know that it's been a privilege. To be your special needs bus driver over the years, because it really has. She changed my world. And they were my heart every single day to come to work. And every day that I had to deal with something, they were never going to see me have a bad day. And they did. They were my heart, my soul. And that's the reason why I came to work every day, regardless of everything else, because of the consistency. They needed me. And I needed them just as much. Hi, everyone. My name is Valerie Ford. And I have one child. I have one kid in the district here and another one starting in September. I'm shaking

213right now hearing everybody's speech and looking at all of you across the table and seeing not one single emotion. As human beings, as people that have kids in the district, especially some of you with kids with special needs. And not one, not one emotion on any of your faces. So I'm going to keep this very short and simple. I'm shaking. I'm so sorry. Because this is not a complicated decision. It just doesn't make sense what you guys are doing. The district lost $1.5 million and responded with a 32.7% tax increase. So naturally, the next step was to cut paraprofessionals and teaching assistants, right? That's my first question. How does charging the community more money result in getting students less? Second, what other options were actually considered before this? Was it for cutting the people who

214directly support our kids every single day? Or was this just the easiest line item to cut? Because from the outside, it looks like we skipped right past creative problem solving and landed on remove adults from the classroom. Now that's kind of moving. There is one. What exactly happens after the paraprofessional leaves halfway through the day? Do the students with IEPs also switch to part-time needs? Do behavior issues politely wait until tomorrow? Or is the plan that teachers just observe all of it? Which leads to the next question. How are teachers supposed to do two or three jobs at once and do them well and educate our children? And finally, where is this increased funding actually going? I saw there was like 2.0 million on your beautiful graph that you had up there, that little pie

215chart. Where is that extra spending going? Right now, this feels like a strategic decision and more like balancing a budget on the backs of the kids who need it the most. And I have to say, if this is the plan, it's a pretty expensive way to make things worse. So we'd really like some clear answers tonight. And I hope that after we're all done speaking, Carl, you, Lisa, you, and the board will please reconsider and rescind your vote. Put a motion in. Thank you. I'm going to rescind the vote in a second. So let's do that. And do what's right for our kids. Carl, Carl, Carl's here. How are you guys doing tonight? My name is Christopher Cittadino. As some of you guys know me, I am the head of the Tulips here in town.

216So I'm a big part of this community. I have six children, five of them which go through this school district. One of them is going to be getting ready to go in soon. They all have IEPs, I have O4s. I'm here to say that there is this one person who, this person who touched me and my son in a way that I just could never imagine. My son has Tourette's and action seizures. He was in the hallway one day and this para came up to him to make sure that he was okay to make it throughout the day and the remainder of the school year. To make sure that that boy came to school, got his education that he deserved, and taken away these guys' jobs, it's not going to do that. It's really not.

217I'm not here to bag anybody. You guys do your job. These guys need to do their jobs. That's all I'm going to say. Thank you very much. Hi, my name is Catalina McDowell. I'm coming to you as a very concerned parent. I actually just got done putting my three young children to bed, got myself dressed, and got myself here. I've been listening since 6 o'clock last day. I sent it to all of you. You guys were all in the same email. Thank you. I expressed my concern that I have as a parent. You see, my oldest child has a very severe peanut allergy. I'm not going to try not to get upset about it, but it's okay. Right now, my daughter has the best teacher. She has the best paras. I was so nervous to

218send my child to school because my child is anaphylactic. If my child even gets a lick of it or if it touches her skin, she reacts. School is supposed to be a safe place for her, right? I feel so comfortable with her classroom right now because she has one teacher. That's one set of eyes. She has two paras in her classroom. That's another two set of eyes. There are three pairs of eyes checking every single kid's snacks, their lunches, making sure that it's safe for my daughter to be at school so that my daughter can learn the curriculum. Now, my middle child is supposed to start next year. Whoever gets him, God bless them because he is a hard child. Now, if we get rid of these paras, who's going to go get my son

219off the playground? Are you guys going to go get my child off the playground? My son will eat. He's quiet. He's very sneaky. He will sneak out of the windows. Are you guys going to go get him? Who's going to call me and tell me that my son escaped? It is so concerning as a parent to see what is happening to this district. I went to this school. I grew up in this town. I don't want to leave this town. I want my children to have the same experiences that I did. I'm so proud to be a part of this district. I'm so proud to be a part of this town. But it just breaks my heart to see that this is what's happening for our kids. I mean, our paraprofessionals, they're amazing people. My

220daughter was so free to go to school. She had her speech delay. And with her, the last two years, like the growth is astounding. My daughter is so, so smart. And she tells me every day that she can do all the brave things. Because of what her teachers say to her every single day. Her paras, her teacher, they are phenomenal. Every single person here in this building, all the faculty that work here, we should be so proud and we should be so thankful that these are the people that are teaching the future. And instead we send them an email firing them. That is so disrespectful. It's so upsetting. So I'm pleased, I beg you to please reconsider your hope. Please put some emotion into it. Please do what we see as parents. I've heard a

221lot of people the last four or five hours expressing their concerns, their emotions. And it's heartbreaking. And I don't know how anyone can honestly sit in their chairs, listen to everybody talk, and not have a single thought or a word. And just sit here emotionless. It just breaks my heart. But I hope everybody has a good night. I'm going to go back to my pajamas. I really hope that you guys reconsider this vote. Thank you. Hi, I'm Cheryl Post. And I am one of the 81 people let go. I have been working in this community for over a decade. I have been a member of the community for over 23 years. I have given. Okay. Okay. You got this Cheryl. You got it. I have been a professional of this district for over 22 years.

222During my time here, I have supported students with special needs. Helped them with their learning growth and feeling safe. Valued their understanding of each and every day. Working in the special ed department is a great way to help students. It's not just a job for me. It's a passion. I have built strong relationships with my students. And my staff members. We are a family like they said. I have been a constant caring presence for the children that over rely on a routine trust and connection to succeed. I have supported students on one on one, in a small group, and in individual class settings. Also doing a lot of work. And also doing the best of their needs to individually help them with their needs. Many of our students require more than just academic support. They

223need patience, comparison, stability, and they also... Oh my god. Sorry. The bonds we form with our students are meaningful and impactful. And their support team plays a critical role in their progress. Carol and all of us other Carols understand that decisions must be made based on budgets and changing needs. But I respectfully ask you to consider the human side of these decisions. Beside every position in a person who has given their time, heart, dedication to this district and behind every student is a need for consistent support. I'm asking for the opportunity to continue doing the work I love. And to keep making a difference in the lives of the students who depend on us. You've been here 23 years. There are other people here long too that depend on our health insurance. I don't have

224a husband to run home to to say, hey, I'll take your health insurance. You're taking away our health insurance. Which is not really fair. Do you know how many times one of your parents winds up in urgent care, the emergency room, because they got hurt doing what they love. And they need their health insurance to help them continue their life. To help them continue their job. And they're not taking away our health benefits. So when we get hurt from doing what we love to do, who's going to take care of that? That extra money that you're going to give us as a part-time, I don't want. I want my health insurance. And I'm sure most of these parents in this room want the same thing. Their health insurance. For the first time. I have been

225inundated with messages because people are afraid to speak up. I am not. And believe it or not, I am not the one behind these Save Our Parents Facebook pages. But to whoever it is, I know you're in this room, thank you. Because you are getting that. Believe it or not. These are some of the things that I have even just received tonight. One, previous boards looked into solar panels in the past. At the time they insured them. But the insurance company would not allow it. Has our insurance company changed? And they already approved the project. The reason that they gave was that they would need emergency access to the roof. Yada, yada. So, I don't know if that's been addressed. Second, Mr. O'Keefe, the question about you, are you still a union member at Central?

226That came up to me tonight. You don't have to answer it. But that was something because when Mr. Berry was on the board, he would have to abstain from votes on Central. He would have to abstain from votes on Personnel Matters. And last but not least, this again was passed off to me. District Policy. And I know we're really big on policy here. 0145, I don't know if this one is still active. But it was just delivered to me. A member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the board without good cause may be removed from office on the affirmative vote by the majority of the board to appear and yet some of our board members for two weeks now within a possible upcoming board meeting will not be here. So, that's District Policy

2270145. So, just please take a look at that at the next meeting if Mrs. Erbert is not here because she's still not on video. Thank you. I'm sorry I had to come back. I don't want to hold you any longer than we have to be, but this is such an important topic that I want to have the stamina to do it. That I want to have the stamina to make sure that everybody is heard. And if you need support in being heard and if you feel like you cannot speak and you just want to sign your name on the paper to be heard, to be noted that you showed up in support of the community, the children, I can stand next to you and hold silence for what's happening here in this room. Two other

228topics because they're different than what I spoke about before and I don't even think I feel like I'm talking about. I'm going to use my five minutes, but I'll keep the topics different. The first one is the healthcare costs. We heard some questions about what alternatives could we explore, what return on investment, profit margins, things have we had around wellness incentives. I can tell you a lot about mental health. I can tell you a lot about healthcare. I've been a healthcare administrator for, I don't know, 15, 20 years. Absolutely the costs are rising. Absolutely employers find ways to have wellness incentive programs, to privatize their insurance, to pay for different disability benefits. So don't be fooled by the idea that we're the victim here. There are poor budgeting skills in the past and these healthcare

229companies and oh, it's the big bad insurance companies that have driven this. They have driven up our costs. Do not be fooled by that's the only option. There is so much evidence, research to support happy people cost less. Happy people solve problems better. Happy people call out less or present more, not absent. Happy people do not have the utilization costs of healthcare claims and chronic conditions that things like traumatic death, death of a loved one, death of a loved one, death of a partner or death of a family member. This is the result of the systematic, toxic, and hostile work environment cause. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . to use that power and say, we

230have to make tough decisions. We come around this table and we have to have courage. There are other ways in terms of healthcare costs to reduce your expenditures and if you need to have a special parent committee on how to do that, I'm happy to sign up. I've signed up for parental involvement committees in the past. I've come to more meetings in the past and heard it bring over. It's the parents. This district has lack of parental involvement. That's why we can't get our test scores up. That's why our attendance rates and our school report cards continue year after year to show no results. We've had superintendent after superintendent show some signs and say, oh, we got a 2% increase in our scores year over year. We are still failing. We need to do something.

231We need to wake up. That's a health care advocacy. Have a voice. Come. Just because you made rules going along that if you spoke once, you can't speak again. That's kind of like house rules with, you know, you're winning and the owner of the house starts making up rules as you win the game. It's okay. The third thing I would just say is Fred Rogers. Fred Rogers has to be recognized. He has to be one of my most influential heroes in my life. The way he fought for children, the way he fought for public broadcasting, and the role model he was to teach us all how to articulate our emotions. Obviously, some people have adrenaline and we're all in our voice shake. Sorry about that. However, Fred would say in times of crisis, look to

232the helpers. There are always helpers. And whether it's our group of power professionals, whether it is the educators that have come, I don't know how far have they come. We have a three-county representation here tonight. Central, Toms River, Atlantic County, Ocean County. LBI. LBI. So, besides Fred Rogers, I'll finish up on, I took a wrong turn and not pass your little administrative office over there. There's a sign out front by Margaret Mead. It's a quote. You sign up to work for this district with that quote inside of the door that you walk through. Stand by your words. The first thing was today, for the first time, I learned, in case you didn't know, there is a New Jersey special education ombudsman. There is a New Jersey Department of Education special education completion. There is a

233New Jersey Department of Education complete investigation unit. All these people with IEPs and 504s. We're talking about toileting and assisting with ADLs. I don't know, that sounds like a scope problem. If you guys aren't going to let these powers do it, we could get some LPNs. We could get all these ombudsmen to advocate for the fair and equitable education that our children need. Yes. Anything else? No. I'm going to speak tonight. And my biggest anger is that you don't have a mic stand because I'm Italian and I need my hands to speak. So I think that each and every one of you sitting up here at this table has been roasted. You've been jousted. You've really taken it from us. I'm sitting in the front row. I've shouted out. I've shamed. I've done all of

234that. But I really do have to say that I heard people say that all of your faces were emotionless. And I'm not going to agree with that. I'm not going to agree with that. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and believe that you're seriously looking at everyone who's up here speaking tonight and taking it in. Because I think that's important. I think that's important. And I hope. It's my greatest hope that that's what's happening. I want to thank Dr. Christine Snyder. And I want to thank, I'm sorry, Mrs. Middlecamp. I'm so sorry. Tiffany Middlecoop. I want to thank you for your vote no. I worked with many of these women. I spent 13 years. And gentlemen. I spent 13 years in these halls, in this school. And in the Mitchell School.

235I feel this for them. Because they are everything. And how they were treated in this decision was so abrupt. And for them, it was so abrupt. I don't know what it came to for you to make that decision. But for them to open an email to find that decision after they've given so much for so little throughout the years. I could go on. Everyone's COVID. So I'm not going to do that. But I just, you know, I wanted to thank. You know, and I also wanted to say, I was watching. I am a people watcher. I watched Dr. Snyder tonight. You sit here and you administer to every speaker just with the way you hone in and the way you watch us. And the look on your face. It is just so caring and service-threatening.

236And I see you listening. And the same for Mrs. Middlecoop. I see you just so seriously and so intent on every speaker. But again, as I said, I hope all of you are listening that intently. And I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that you are. I just want to really quickly ask, if you know of a school district that is following this model that has gone to part-time paraprofessional. And that is not a school district. I know that you are part-time paraprofessionals. Shout out the name of the district. Lacey? Who else? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

237. . . . . . . . . in this decision these ladies and gentlemen these 81 they are they are the blood of these schools and making a lot and i also wanted to shout out to amy lucas who spoke tonight because she is also in the same predicament the bus driver thank you very much action items recommend motion to approve finance items a and b i always felt a little uncomfortable when i was president that you i'll come up here and speak and give us your time and it takes a lot of courage and especially to the mom who spoke up without reporting to osha i want to say wow that is amazing that you sit up here um for me even though i voted no last week i literally walked out into

238the parking lot and i go oh my god why didn't i say can't we table this to next week to the next meeting and i felt so terrible um it's really hard to be in this seat sometimes and think on the spot and think of what to do. And I was so focused on what was happening and the fact that people weren't here and things like that. So I just wanted to say that. And there was just a couple things. Regards to the health insurance, I had asked that question whether or not that we can go out to outside providers because I know we've done it in the past. Consortium on healthcare, I've never heard of before. And I also want to thank John Miller for doing the math on the number of part-time carers

239that it would take to cover the full-time carers because again, that was a question I had asked. And I'm trying to go through some of these without getting all of them. And again, all I can say is that I feel all of you that are here and that have come out about this, I do believe that this could have been handled better. And for that, I really appreciate it. And thank you. Thank you. Thank you folks. . Good evening everybody. I'd like to thank everyone for coming out and being so courageous. It was really inspiring. And we hear you loud and clear, for sure. I'm just gonna save this report for them, but I think it's important that I say it now before I cast my vote. All right, so I'm reading here because I

240don't want babble and I don't wanna go on and on. That's with notice. respect to anybody so your testimonies this evening are truly inspirational particularly parents like Kate Sanchez truly inspiring I was really moved by many but certainly for whatever reason he stood out to me and I appreciate your words and thank you for your courage thank being up here you took a lot to say so I'm just gonna read your guys the decisions before this budget cycle the decisions before us this budget cycle are among us are among the most difficult we face this as a district I want to acknowledge plainly and respectfully the very real impact of the recent restructuring professional teacher teacher assistant roles these are dedicated individuals who support our students every day as we've heard over and over tonight

241and changes of this magnitude cannot and do not be taken lightly at the same time our responsibilities of board is to ensure that we preserve and maintain the quality of education that we provide and to ensure that we improve what matters most student success in the classroom as parents and professional educators that means maintaining qualified teachers protecting instructional continuity and keeping class sizes within a range that allows for effective learning the choice to prioritize retaining approximately seven to ten without laying off seven to ten teachers and now being able to hire seven new certificate staff members was not easy we didn't have great options given our budget climate but it reflects core belief that direct classroom instruction must remain a top priority as you've all agreed and I appreciate that we are operating within a

242fiscal reality that cannot be ignored despite an increase in state aid we remain significantly underfunded relative to what the state defines as adequate with a gap of approaching of ten million dollars of inadequacy we have absorbed the loss of substantial aid the expiration of federal relief funds and sharp increases in health care as we now know transportation and operational costs even after historic tax levy increase of over 32 percent last year our community has limits and I believe we must respect them superintendent Antunes has assured the board members here tonight that the proposed increase contemplates the hiring of seven additional certificate staff members and will allow the district to continue operating at current levels I make an eventual budget vote tonight based on these facts these this plan reflects the balance between maintaining instructional quality

243and exercising fiscal discipline for that reason I remain committed to holding this year's budget growth at no more than 2% this is not about austerity for its own sake it's about sustainability as a taxpayer in this district as well as taxpayers have already made a significant contribution and it is our duty to demonstrate discipline efficiency and accountability and how we manage those resources and how we think about staff truly from the head and with the heart that said fiscal restraint does not mean abandoning our students or our staff it means making thoughtful strategic decisions continuing to seek operational efficiency such as transportation initiatives that have already begun to happen over the last year it was first made clear by the administration that we want to implement the face to face assistance to continue those to

244yield savings. Thank you, Carl. Thank you, sir. Aligning staffing models to current needs while minimizing impact of classroom destruction, advocating strongly at the state level. We all need to advocate strongly at the state level. The governor and the state aid is not coming to help this district, and I'm very frustrated about it because I am an educator and I'm proud of what we do. We are not getting our fair share here, and that's off script. I can assure you, I can assure the audience and my fellow board members that if after a tentative budget vote, this governing body discovers legitimate and legal means to produce other appropriations such as salaries or health benefits, I would welcome that discourse during our upcoming budget meetings this month. I've noted and asked questions on topics such as health

245care, negotiation, preschool special consideration, re-affirmation of our plan to cover any staff shortages in the event the plan does go sideways, which isn't approved yet. Providing teachers a union with an opportunity to offer revenue cooperation feedback. Sure. Why not? Let's talk. we must a few other notes we must be honest about the structural challenges we face without meaningful changes in how our district is funded we will continue to confront these difficult trade-offs year after year we will continue to push for solutions that address these root issues while ensuring that our students are not caught in the middle and then my position is guided by four principles students come first always we agree on that we agree on that classrooms must remain strong supported and effective fiscal responsibility is essential to the long-term health of our

246district and community and we need to recognize that the state is not helping enough and we must sustain and reduce costs lastly I understand not everyone will agree with every decision that I respect those perspectives I believe we can move forward together with a shared commitment to both educational quality and financial stewardship offering our students families and teachers the best possible education while maintaining fiscal governance thank you for the time thank you I just want to say that every single person that came up to speak I either know who your child is from being a paraprofessional in this school district or I worked in your classroom and was taught how to be a paraprofessional totally or you were one of my 40 children's teachers or paraprofessionals because as a resource parent I take special education

247students on top of my own and since only one student was named I just have to give a shout out I love Johnny Baker I hear you I'm happy to see you tonight and I look forward to advocating for the students and staff of our district thank you anyone else a motion motion have a second any questions roll call please Mr. Chagon yes Ms. Ermer Ms. Sildingshaker yes Ms. Middleton yes Dr. Schneider Ah, no I'm abstaining because I'm a personal student and I will tell you one thing is that I am not interested in teaching for as long as we still can properly understated well that was our אתה Yes Dr Schneider Yes Dr. Schneider Uh No I'm abstaining because of my health conditions Uh-huh. No I'm abstaining because I'm a personal student and we

248need to do what I must do in order to achieve best results. I did not receive answers to questions that I have had regarding the budget. Thank you. Yes. Yes. Yes. Motion to average. Thank you. Yes. New business. Any new motions? I have a motion. Okay. I'm sorry. Laura, could you please mute your computer or phone? Give me a moment. The only thing I have scripted for tonight. I move to amend the March 10th resolution abolishing full-time paraprofessional positions to require board review of the final staffing plan, financial impact, and student impact analysis prior to implementation. I am not trying to stop the budget. The numbers are the numbers. And they need to be submitted. Please put it on mute. Thank you. This should be heavy lifting. This should be heavy lifting. That's right. Anyway,

249back to my motion. I motion to amend the March 10th resolution abolishing full-time paraprofessionals to require the board to review the final staffing plan, financial impact, and student impact analysis prior to implementing that. I don't feel comfortable that the board has been educated fully. I think a bigger review needs to be done. I'm not asking to rescind it at this time. I'm asking to amend it for the board to take into consideration anything that we may have overlooked. It can be rescinded in the future, or it may not be. But I'm asking tonight for an amendment. I second that. You don't need to shout. We hear you. So, you're asking for an amendment. Correct. Amendment to what? To the abolishment. I told you. Can you explain that further? She says the board finds upon review

250that the final staffing plan is not going to work. Objectively, in compliance with IEPs that we currently have, or that the financial impact is not what it's portrayed to be, once we figure out, you know, that number that I think Mr. Miller was able to give us, and what the actual student impact is. Right? What data do you have that shows that this is going to be better for the students? That's a doubt. I'm just asking for a further review. Or I can motion to rescind it. I don't know. That's it. That's it. That's it. this what you're going to be doing anyway since it is only a temporary budget that's correct i'm trying to understand what the difference is between this being a temporary budget and voting on an amendment that is not the

251difference is i'm not messing with carl's budget tonight so we can go ahead and put through the tentative budget as planned to get in meet those deadlines and the board can then review all of these concerns and maybe at the next meeting somebody might motion to rescind and we would have done all of our research to either rescind it or not but at this point i mean because if i can just add i think and i don't know um not speaker but if we rescind the motion now that affects the ability for the tentative budget to go to the county correct correct and so that's what she's trying to prevent and allow it to go through but still allow us the ability to have all of the information that everyone needs and everyone that's here

252that wasn't your last meeting that we had to review this information and have all the information necessary um because that's what's lacking at this point um all i've been told is we're going to have overlaps and power professionals that's wasn't a good enough answer for me yeah you guys have any questions on that you're kind of quiet yes it's not a policy so it doesn't need to be a second reading my my concern is the event with the motion you've made is how you are defining um implementation does that mean june 30th i mean hiring part-timers for next year so that would mean from what i was reading on all the down the rabbit hole of legalities over the past week is that we would still continue to take our part-time applications we would still

253continue to do interviews if and when they started but in the meantime the board would then have the time to review all of those other things while administration continues on with their plan if at any point the board decides that it does not map if you will the board would then have a further discussion on other options because like kirstine and members of the community have said they're still unanswered questions so that was a very quick vote any understanding it would be that if the board doesn't take any further action with regards to the power professionals after this motion if it were to pass that the that the layoffs that were going on last meeting would go into it back correct can you say that again for people that don't understand my understanding is that

254the pending motion seeks to require the board and i don't remember all the words and i don't want to mistake them but but seeks it seeks to require the board to look into the issues surrounding last meeting's vote regarding the paraprofessionals more and to do it before basically the end of the school year but that other than requiring the board to perform that further investigation and review it doesn't affect what happened last meeting so that if the board were to approve this motion now but do nothing else the the paraprofessionals that were i suppose not renewed for next year you mean five abolished abolished abolished abolished abolished Right Is that all right profound Can we put a timeline on this so that by the next work session we have this information so that if we

255do choose to move forward with we're sending it that we're able to do so before the final budget adoption and this way everything is eyes are dotted and t's are cross before that date because apparently that's been part of the the issue is we haven't received you know some of the health care costs since the last minute things like that and that's kind of the background of why i think that that's enough might be some of the you know holy grail of money that we're looking for or there can be discussions hires them back which I was also looking for with the groups so that we have more answers so my question is a point of clarity so we've already the body already voted on that matter and I even made a statement stating that

256if there were legal and legitimate reasons during the budget review cycle beyond the pool of tonight's tentative budget that would ultimately occur new findings could potentially bring us to that solution anyway after the tentative budget is approved so it's a point of order shouldn't we approve the tentative the budget as tentative and then go to work and go to work and hear everything and vote then certainly that question should be asked if something comes to light where hypothetical sound health care benefits can be renegotiated teachers say you know we're going to freeze our salaries over the next time hold on hold on it was stated by your own savings it's been stated whatever constituents we've already made that approval and the motion is to approve the tentative budget it's not changing the approval of the

257tentative budget it's adding a new motion that's why my point is let's just approve the tentative budget we are proof it's already approved is there anything it's already been approved this is additional new motion under new business if I could just clarify the public meeting did you notice what we got I guess we would just like some accountability here to know that it's going to be done the abolishment that's the end all there's nobody else is Dukevi's looking at at any further it's done what's done is done but if it's amended we are now putting that pressure on administration to give these numbers and without the amendment that's not their priority their priority is going to be the budget and all the things that Carl has to do because fun fat guys Carl I don't

258think he goes home he's hard to number at all times and although Carl and I don't agree on everything and he may have gotten me sick less I mean wanting to do line by line he really is doing his best and he can only do so much everybody needs to give him a little bit of praise and focus on the problem problem so with that I'm asking the board to amend the resolution so that administration has to give us more information the final staffing plan because as a special education parent I'm not confident in that the financial impact you know I'm not confident in that the financial impact because I'm not sure because it's not as clear as day and the student impact because if you have the people that are with these students all

259day long telling you that it's not going to work we're not listening to people that are here all day what are we listening to answer questions wanted to use motion I think that's the way to do it that if you want to change to vote on something other than what was originally motioned to make a motion to amend what to include a timeline yes that's what you think can I make a motion to amend the motion so that there's a timeline of when is that meeting April 21st that we have the information to all board members in order to decide on rescinding or moving forward with this plan thank you all right I'll just one last question sorry which is it'd be a lot cleaner if you didn't do it as an amendment to last

260week's you just did it as a new motion but I'll leave that to your discretion if you just instead of trying to amend this motion you just said new motion we I move to require the administration provide information to allow the board to conduct a review by the state that doesn't really take into consideration the abolishment so the whole point is to have an amendment because the abolishment was done and it needs to be under review to possibly be undone it's not laying off they're not ripped there's no chance of them coming back the way that it was voted upon last meeting correct like the it abolished the chance of ever having a plan para in this district if it's my correct understanding correct you said that right now there's a motion pending to amend

261the motion to amend last week's vote right now is whether or not to amend the motion that Ms. Middlecook made to add a timeline of April 21st I'm not sleeping in this building no yeah roll call please Mr. Chacon I'm standing is there ever no no I vote Mr. Lacheyka no Ms. Middlecook yes Dr. Schneider yes Mr. O'Keefe no Mr. Ferricello no no oh oh oh oh oh oh wow wow wow wow wow wow wow you're horrible you're horrible you are it's not amended back to the main motion let's go get her out of our room over are you texting her to respond are you kidding me neither the motion is out back to the main motion motion is out in the middle of the speech ... to amend last week's vote is still pending

262without an item the back of the meeting is on the agenda whatever Terry's doing over there I think I can't hear any of that Terry's not doing anything why did you do that to me for me She should be on the phone with us. From what I understand, according to policy, I'm sorry, you read it to me before. 0-1-5-5-1, and I believe that one of the speakers already read it. I'm not even sure why we're taking in the electronic vote, because the policy states that in order to participate in the electronic device, the board member must use the video feature. That hasn't happened, and it continues to be a disaster. Thank you. What's your vote? Laura. Lori. Gentlemen. Thank you. Now we're voting on Ms. Middlepool's original motion to amend last meeting's vote of abolishing

263the full-time paraposition to... Ms. Middlepool, maybe you want to read off of it? That last vote was to put a deadline on her request. That failed. So now the question is whether to amend it to add this claim that Ms. Middlepool's about to read without a deadline. I move to amend the March 10th resolution abolishing full-time paraprofessional positions to require board review of... final staffing plan, financial impact, and student impact analysis prior to implementation. So that's the pending motion. Now, before I vote, I want to say that you can actually do that without having an amendment. This is a temporary budget, and between now and next time, if new financial information comes through, if negotiations happen between now and then, that the budget can be amended. Is that correct, Laura? That's correct. We don't need

264an amendment to do that. But if we want it, what's wrong with having it so that we have something in place that more than likely hopefully ensures the information that we're asking? Not asking you to change your vote to the abolishment. I'm asking you to amend the resolution of the abolishment so that we can do the right thing and make sure that we are following the law, that our numbers are correct, and that there's no other possible way that we can bring them back. We're trying to do our due diligence as board members for the students and all of the staff. What's the better way to say it? It's not just... We're going to have a review of the health care information. It's not just health care, Chris. I'm concerned about our students. I'm concerned

265about the minutes in the IEP. I'm concerned about the inconsistency, all those things I have big concerns about. Again, I don't just have one special needs child in my life. I have many. I have seen many IEPs. I've seen many changes in the school district. I do not feel comfortable not giving the board all of that information. So I'm not asking you to rescind your vote. I'm not asking you to rehire all the people you just fired. I'm asking you to amend it so that the board gets a staffing plan. A staffing plan because the last time I asked, there was no staffing plan. Okay. It's... So... Do you guys have anything else before I... Let's run it. I have a comment. Oh my God. The motion suggests that without it, I would be unethical

266and I would not do my due diligence, which is absurd. I would absolutely fight for everything that you guys are hoping for. We are going to do our due diligence once we move beyond the extent of the budget. So... Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Listen, Chris, before this meeting, I asked if I could just... I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. I'm sorry. Oh, he's coughing over there. But... I asked in an email to you. I had several... Many questions regarding this and they were unanswered. I wanted to know what our director of special ed services plan was if we have part-time parents. I wanted to know what he thought about it. What was the plan? And I did not receive an answer. So I want to know, you know, and again, no offense, Carl,

267but was this a solely Carl decision? Was the whole team talked about it? The CST teams talked about it? I want to know. This is a serious decision. And again, and I feel horrible, you know, my number one, I thought about the staff first and the students second, and I think they should be thought about together. Together. They're one. And that was a mistake on my part. And... But we need... I did ask those questions. Maybe not at the moment. But we need those answers so that we know that this is going to work. We have one chance in a child's childhood. We have one chance in a child's childhood. We have one chance in a child's childhood. We have one chance in a child's childhood. That's it. That's it. That's it. That's it. We

268don't get a two over. If this doesn't work, we failed it. And that's not something I want to be part of. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. No one would be sitting here today. No, I totally agree. And if this makes you feel comfortable, that by next time it doesn't touch what we're doing for Friday, that it's still going to be passed and go on to the county, and we do our due diligence until the next meeting, and that makes you more comfortable in voting. And having more information and asking more questions. Maybe there's negotiations between then that we can come. I heard a lot about collaboration tonight and working together. Maybe this whole thing and the way it went down has been a starting point for a conversation that you

269should not have. This is a starting point. This is a temporary budget. This is a starting point for the final budget in April. So if that makes you feel better, and we get the conversation going, then I will support that. And say yes. I think it just really shows us that we're holding ourselves accountable. That we are promising that we are going to . That's why I said at the beginning I wanted to understand exactly what this meant. And I support that. To have more conversations, more negotiations, and see what can be done. I hope so. I hope you're not just saying it. So Carl and Lisa, I think that's, we're here from the community tonight, that we want for over the next month to meet with the unions. To have negotiations. To see what

270can be settled. I heard grandfathering. I heard certain, you know, there's situations that are very. That need to be discussed further. And if that makes my fellow board members more comfortable in having more information, we can do that. Why didn't you do this before? So put your motion up again. Unless I'm wrong. So everyone's on the same page. I move to amend the March 10th resolution abolishing full-time paraprofessional positions to require board review of the final staffing plan, financial impact, and student impact analysis prior to implementation. Any questions? Again, this does not affect the budget that we're submitting. Carl, can we have a roll call, please? Roll call. Mr. Capone? Second. Your server? We didn't get a second. A second. There's already a second. Dr. Snyder. Sorry about that. Roll call again. Roll call. Disconnect.

271Roll call. Mr. Lashaker? No. Ms. Benito? Yes. Dr. Snyder? Yes. Mr. O'Keefe? No. Pellicello? Yes. Dissociations between now and then. I think we're tied. We're tied. We're all counting down. No. Right now, you're tied. We're tied. We're tied. We're tied. We're tied. We're tied. We're tied. We're tied. We're tied. Please. So, who? I want the same. I'm so bored of sipping plaster. I'm sorry. You didn't get it? I wasn't there. There's兩個cines. Dos can pasar. Dos can pasar. Ready to vote Mr. Lashaker. We also like to know this from the OMB files which are all坚r off by a third. According to the set number, the conversations that should be had before. I apologize. It's not funny. All right. We are having the opportunity to further look into this and to find solutions. Any new business? Any

272more new business? I know people leaving. You're welcome to stay. There is another public comment. Welcome to come. Again, we're here. So if you want to do more public comment, we're here. Yes, we're going to open a public comment. Motion? Okay. Sorry, go ahead. Okay. Again, I'm Cheryl. I have to say, none of you have ever walked in any of our special ed rooms to see what as a parent we do. Exactly. Exactly. Come in and see. We do not just sit there behind a desk. We help out children every single day. And I'm sorry, but you have a child and you have a parent. And you should understand the needs that we give your child every day. This is very upsetting. Yeah. This is very upsetting to me and a lot of others. I

273would just remind all staff members that even though you are up here exercising your First Amendment rights, you still have a duty to keep student confidentiality. I didn't say anything. I just said, well, I have to take. I'm just reminding you of the consequences of the convention. It's in his body. Everyone knows it's his. Come on. No. I'm sorry. You guys, that's okay. Continue. Continue. But you should come and see what we do. We do not just sit behind a desk like this. We change kids. We feed them. We walk with them. We have, like they said before, we are like their mothers when they're not there or their fathers are not there. We hear their stories, their horror stories and their good stories every single day. Before you make a judgment on what we

274do and our salaries and take away our jobs, come and see what we do. Please. Look into our special ed room and see us when we're getting beat up and then come back the very next day or an hour later back in that room loving that same kid that just knocked the living daylights out of one of us. Just do that, because before you make a judgment on us, please. Thank you. Thank you. Mark Zin, 35-year-old freshman. Thank you. Thank you, ladies. I'm going to address you because if I was my father, I'm not going to address her because she's not going to be on screen because of the deep empathy that he's having. Sorry. I just want to make sure. If you're here, please keep it down so we can hear the speaker up

275front. If everyone can be respectful of those who are, apparently I'm not allowed to talk if you're talking, but they, you know, both won't. Sorry. I don't know why, but it's fine. All right. We're trying to get it to work. So, ladies, thank you. You trying to take credit for that at the end, it made you look even smaller than you are before. I mean, Mr. Ruffin, I probably made you look more, but last meeting, I was like, I'm going to be the one to get the job done. I'm going to be the one to get the job done. You said there's a plan in place and if you're not happy, show up. The plan failed. Did you know what the plan was to send a faceless email to the staff? To then send a

276text to the staff? And then you're like, I think I'm going to be the one to get the job done. I'm going to be the one to look after the staff. I don't know why, but I'm sorry. I don't know why, but it's fine. All right. All right. So, ladies, thank you. You trying to take credit for that at the end, it made you look even smaller than you are before. I mean, Mr. Ruffin, I probably made you look more, but last meeting, if I recall, I was watching the live stream when I was shocked and appalled at what I was hearing. the livestream when I was shocked and appalled at what I was hearing. You said, there's a plan in place and if you're not happy, show up. The plan failed. Did you know

277what the plan was to send a faceless email to the staff? To then send them, come in a couple days to this meeting and then just tell them to be quiet when they ask questions? Because that's what happened. So I'm here telling you what happened. It could have been handled better. Okay, you would think it was something we ought to admit. But that doesn't change what you did. Knowing that now, because you said the plan, you're okay with it because of the plan, and you just admitted the plan was flawed. So, I'm going to leave that at that. You always talk about the inclusion model for your child and all the different things and all of us have special ed. I was a teacher here, I worked with everyone. How are you going to sit

278back and think about this? I know the struggles you've gone through. Not everyone's struggles are equal. Some people might get extra options provided to them and things like that. And different access. And we just need to model that for all parents. So I implore every special ed parent, find those advocates, find the law, use it. Because maybe you can request a specific classroom space because your child needs the bathroom. So an entire classroom will have to be moved to move your child's classroom to that space with the toilet. It's allowed by law. That's what they need. And there are people who take that action. And use it. Again, it's following the law. So use it for your advantage too. Because other people definitely do. I worked until 9 and then I drove here. I want

279to thank both you ladies for standing up for the children. I know Tiffany you've done so freaking much for children with special needs. I'm new to learning who you are, but I am very excited to learn who you are. You did an amazing thing standing up for what you knew was right. Please don't take her in wonder. You are not the one who came up with this idea. You do. You deserve all the credit for it. And piggybacking on what Mr. Singh said, every single parent in this room, you know your child best and so do your teachers. So I'm going to tell you right now, if you don't like what's in that IEP, if you think your child deserves a 1 to 1 aid for the entirety of the day, you fight for it.

280I have fought for my daughter tooth and nail and I have made myself sick over it. Do it. It is hard work. But our children are, you know, they're here for us. We're here for them and we need to do everything we can. So if you need help, I will make myself available to any person who needs help. Thank you. So I just want to come back and say thank you to the board for hearing us out and coming to a resolution that I think was probably the best that we were reasonably going to get. Right? We would have loved for you to reverse the decision outright and say oops, we're wrong, we're sorry. However, I'm happy. Thank you. I do want to thank you guys for taking the time and hearing what everybody had

281to say and doing what I think is the right thing to do. I just want to give you guys a little bit of perspective as a business owner. So I'm a local business owner and I'm an employer and I manage healthcare in my business. We have, I have a staff of about 12 people and we have health insurance for all of them. And it is not easy and it is not cheap. And I get it. I do understand from a budgeting perspective, I have a financial background, I get it. What I want you to, the only reason I came back up here is when you have these discussions and you do your review, please do not underestimate the retention problem you're going to have with any part-time employee you hire with no incentive to stay

282here. Thank you. You're going to, it's, it's, that's the problem is that these people are valued. One of my biggest honors as a business owner and as a successful businessman is being able to provide health insurance for the people that I love, which are my family and my employees and their families. I will never turn my back on them. And you know what? They stay with me and my company forever. Yup. Because that's what I've earned. I'm not challenging you. I invite you to embrace the concept of retaining your employees and your family with respect and understand that that little sacrifice that we'll have to make as taxpayers or whatever we need to do to get that health insurance approved for those powers will pay off in dividends. Exponential. You will have a happier staff.

283You will have a more. You will have a more. You will have a more. And you will not have to fight litigation costs. You won't have to fight NJEA. You won't have to fight all the unions and all the people that are going up. And you'll get reelected. So something to consider there too. So like I said, thank you very much for taking the time. And I look forward to working with you guys in the future. I'm sure we're going to come up with a mutual, mutual resolution that's going to save our powers. Thank you. I'm going to close public comment. Can I have a motion? Motion. Do you have a second? Second. All in favor? Aye. Second. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

284Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.