Middletown City School Board Meeting 01-15-2026

001Good evening and welcome to our community members, staff, and board colleagues. Thank you for joining us for the January 15, 2026 regular board meeting. We appreciate your time and engagement at this time. We now call the meeting to order. This agenda was prepared in advance of tonight's meeting. The final agenda for tonight's meeting is subject to change at the time of the meeting. Any changes will be noted at the time they are made and again after the meeting on the public board minutes which are available on the district's website. We're going to start the Pledge of Allegiance by Dr. Patricia DeJesus. United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice. Please remain standing, Mr. Perino. Thank you, President Romero. The first moment of

002silence tonight, one of our educational family, past Megan Alicia Ortiz-Guzman. I just want to read a brief sentence on this. On January 4th, 2026, Megan Alicia Guzman, the joyful daughter of Amy Guzman and Louis Ortiz, was taken from our world. She was six years old. Nothing I can say that would make the pain any less. So please remember in your prayers this sweet little angel. Thank you. Now, the mission of the Enlarged City School District of Middletown. Mr. Rett. We strive to provide fiscal, sound educational opportunities in a safe environment that continuously supports our diverse student population. We will enable all students to graduate, to reach their full potential, to become lifelong learners, and to become competitive, productive members of society. Thank you, Mr. Rett. Roll call. District Clerk. Dr. DeJesus. Mr. Estrada? Yeah. Mr.

003Moore? Yeah. Mr. Perino? Yeah. Mr. Rett? Yeah. Ms. Romero? Yeah. Ms. Tobiasen? Yeah. Mr. Freddie Williams? Yeah. Pastor Williams? Thank you. May I have a motion to approve the agenda as presented? So moved. Any discussion? All in favor? Move to amend. Yes, Mr. Perino? Move to amend the agenda. A COUPLE OF AMENDMENTS HERE. THE FIRST AMENDMENT, I'D LIKE TO MOVE THE ELKS RECOGNITION. IT'S UNDER NINE NOW. I'D LIKE TO MOVE THAT UP AFTER THE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA SO PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT. AND ALSO THE LEGACY PLAN UPDATES. SPOTLIGHT ON EXCELLENCE. I'D LIKE TO MOVE THAT UP. THAT'S THE FIRST ONE. Consider that now or do you want me to go on? Should we consider now and then move forward? Yeah. The second amendment I'd like to make under action items under L, I'd

004like to call for the release of the investigation report on behalf of the ESCDM dated 10-24-25 by Ferrara Firenzo, Attorney-Counselor's of Law. The next amendment after that, I'd like an action item on the rescission of leave of Mrs. Amy Creeden to take effect on January 20th at 12 a.m. Those are the three amendments. You said January 20th? 20th. That's after the long holiday. The memorial for dr. King I believe that's the date. Okay Would you yes, please I think point of order point of order I believe each amendment would require a second motion To then be voted on just point of information. Can I have a second on the first amendment? Can I have a second on the second amendment And can I have a second on the third amendment? So moved. Can you please

005do the vote? Point of information, are we taking a vote on each one individually? It's not being grouped. Thank you. So just to note that in order to amend the agenda, we need two-thirds of the majority to approve the amendment of the agenda. So we need six. members to approve the amendments and I'll do a roll call for each one. So for number one, that's moving our spotlight on excellence up to right after the agenda. The Elks. That's all of the, all of those items in spotlight. So I'll do a roll call. Dr. DeJesus? Yes. Mr. Estrada? Yes. Mr. Moore? Yes. Mr. Perino? Yes. Mr. Rett? Yes. Ms. Romero? Yes. Ms. Tobiasen? Yes. Mr. Freddie Williams? Yes. The pastor is not here, so that is approved. That passes. So we'll move the spotlight on excellence

006immediately following the approval of the amendment of the agenda. So... The second amendment is to release the release of the internal investigation that was on October 24, 2025. I have a first and a second, and I'll do a roll call for that. Dr. DeJesus? No. Mr. Estrada? Yes. Mr. Moore? No. Mr. Perino? Yes. Mr. Rett? No. Ms. Romero? Yes. Ms. Tobiasen? Yes. Mr. Freddie Williams? No. And Pastor Williams is not present. So we have, the motion does not pass. We need six to approve it. So that does not pass. So this third amendment to our agenda would be to rescind the leave for January 20th at 12 a.m. I have a first and a second and I'll take a roll call. Dr. DeJesus? No. Mr. Estrada? Yes. Mr. Moore? No. Mr. Perino? Yes. Mr. Rett?

007No. Ms. Romero? No. Ms. Tobiasen? Yes. Mr. Freddie Williams? No. And Pastor is not present. That does not pass. I turn it back over to President Romero. May I have a motion to now approve the agenda as presented? So moved. Can I have a second? Second. Request roll call vote, please. Sorry, dr. De Jesus For this is the approval of the amended agenda theme. Okay, mr. Estrada. No Mr. Moore. Yes Mr. Perino. No, mr. Rhett. Yes Miss Romero. Yes, mr. Bison. Mr. Freddie Williams. Yes, so the motion passes 5 Thank you. We're gonna move on over to the spotlight on excellence. Mr Perino This is gonna be a recognition for the elk student of the month for January James Hicks Good evening. Thank you all for having me here. My name is Jimmy Anderson the

008ER with Milton Oaks Lodge. I'd like to produce the certificate of achievement for student of the month James Hicks ELISA SCHREINER, COHORT PRINCIPAL, PRESIDENT ROMERO, VICE PRESIDENT WILLIAMS, MISSADOMA, BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TONIGHT TO INTRODUCE TO YOU JAMES HICKS, THE 2022 RECIPIENT OF THIS MONTH'S ELK CLUB STUDENT OF THE MONTH. In writing this, to be honest, I really didn't know what to say about James. We've had a long history, as I believe that James and his mom and grandma can attest to. Our relationship started off in middle school, summer school, and it was nothing short of tumultuous from there and leading into the earliest years of high school. James in school also did not seem to see eye to eye on things since he saw it

009as optional. The path that James had found himself on during his freshman and sophomore years was definitely not a good one. Then finally something clicked. I personally like to think that it was something that I said that sparked something in him that suddenly changed everything in James's mind. I think it might have been that I told him one day that James, our relationship is supposed to end in four years. I think I said we're supposed to break up in four years, I think is what I actually told him. But in all honesty, our relationship suddenly changed, and with that, so did James' attitude in school. Then there was an incident last year in school, and James was afforded an opportunity to participate in what is now called the Reconnect Learning Program. James ended up finishing

010out his junior year in that program last year and did extremely well, passing almost all of his classes, all after having had his incredible son, Halo. This year, he is part of the new micro school with Dr. Woods, where he is excelling. After the first marking period, James made the honor roll for the first time ever. He couldn't wait to tell everyone, and hopefully he got a certificate in the mail because he couldn't stop asking me about it. After all that James has been through and all of his struggles that he has had so far, I can't begin to express how proud I am of him. He has come so far. I don't think most people would have believed that you're here right now, James, and I knew you could do it all along, and

011I am extremely, extremely proud of you, and I can't wait to see where you go. You sure? Congratulations, James. Sure, I mean just being able to Walk along the path with James for the last four years It's really been an honor to see his growth each and every step of the way So I'm like miss Shriner said I'm very very proud of James We couldn't have thought of a better person to receive the award this this evening. So Congrats, bud The before the Jim Anderson Leaves who is the ruler of the Elks this year. I'd just like to say in this tragedy that we had, the Elks stepped up and they offered the Elks Lodge for a repast if needed, free of charge. So thank you, Jim. Good evening. Next we're gonna have our secondary

012legacy update. So last month we had opportunity here for my elementary buildings. Now I'm gonna ask the secondary team to come up, introduce yourselves, and then after that we'll show the video. Okay. Just to introduce myself? Yeah, if you, yeah. Okay. Billy Donahue, Executive Principal, Middletown High School. Kate Sheedy, Associate Principal, Middletown High School. Karina Acevedo, Cohort Principal of the Class of 2029. DWAYNE WHITAKER, COHORT PRINCIPAL, COHORT 2023. NAGLAL SAKHA, DEAN FOR THE COHORT OF 2023. SOFORA NUSSOM, DEAN OF STUDENTS, COHORT 2025. ROBIN POOLE, STEM INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER. GOOD EVENING, RACHEL COONS, INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER FOR HUMANITIES. ANCINETTE THOMPSON, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, E&L CASE MANAGER. PAT WOODS, DEAN OF STUDENTS AT PROMIS MICROSCHOOL. BRITTANY HILLMAN, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, CASE MANAGER, SUPPORTING THE HIGH SCHOOL THROUGH SPECIAL SERVICES. Terrence McKiernan, STEM Instructional Leader. Fred Merritt, Instructional Leader for Humanities at

013Twin Towers Middle School. Good evening, Nicole Brookins, Principal at Twin Towers Middle School. Hey, Nicole Minton, Dean at Twin Towers. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. Roberta Taylor, Dean of Students, Twin Towers. Good evening, Dominic Redonia, Principal, Monhagen Middle School. Good evening, Dr. Jessica LeBron, Dean at Monhagen Middle School. Hello, Belinda Hodler, Dean at Mount Hagen. Welcome, everyone. So this video will provide opportunity to hear what we've been working on this year with our scholars and staff. And we have some special narrators. We have Mrs. Sheedy, your hero voice, Mr. Donahue, Mrs. Brookins, Mr. Redonia, and two special guests. Stay tuned. So we're ready for the video. Every legacy has a starting point. For our scholars, it starts on that first day walking into these buildings as sixth and ninth graders, seeing the halls, the faces,

014the expectations, and realizing they are part of something bigger than themselves. We see that identity in celebrations of Hispanic heritage with music, flags, and dances that honor where our scholars come from. And in the hallways where historic structures stand beside new classrooms in a district that is still growing. There are also moments when everything goes quiet. On September 11th, we stand together as cadets lower the flag to half staff, showing leadership through respect and service. Leader in Me builds on that same idea. The ultimate goal of the Leader in Me Lighthouse team is to help all kids become leaders themselves. Everyone can be a leader and everyone has genius. And when our scholars begin with the end in mind, their choices today help shape the future they want and the legacy they leave. In our

015middle and high school classrooms, the work becomes more challenging. Middle school scholars take high school level courses and earn early credits. And from math and science to civics, financial literacy, and the arts, they learn how the world works and how their decisions matter. Some of our scholars earn tuition-free college credits before they graduate and follow pathways in civic readiness, world languages, healthcare, business, technology, and the military. For scholars who have different needs, the At Promise Micro School offers a smaller learning space focused on connection, social-emotional needs, and academic progress. Our schools also find creative ways to celebrate reading and effort. Book fairs fill the halls and a book vending machine rewards perseverance, respect, and integrity. Recognition events from special visits to VIP lunches and breakfast with the principal all send the same message. Showing up

016matters and who you are as a person matters. As our scholars grow, leadership becomes less about themselves and more about how they support the people around them. It looks like scholars sitting at the Board of Education table sharing what life is really like in our schools. And seniors talking honestly with sixth graders about social media, peer pressure, and staying on track through student councils, honor societies, and recognition events. Across our middle schools and our high school, these celebrations remind scholars that their effort, character, and leadership matter. and through service projects like Halloween gift baskets for families at the Ronald McDonald House. They learn that even small acts can say, you still matter, you are not alone. At our Wall of Fame ceremonies, alumni show how this district helped shape their lives and their success. Look,

017kids need three things. They need somebody, something to believe in. They need somebody to believe in them, and they need guardrails. When partners like Leadership Orange visit, they see scholars exploring career programs and real-world skills. In our broadcast studio, scholars tell real stories and learn that their voices have power. In Podcast Club, they build MIDI radio, planning, recording, and editing together. In all of these spaces, scholars practice real leadership, listening, creating, and sharing ideas that matter. With every choice they make, they are already building the legacy they will carry beyond these walls. All this learning and leadership builds into something you can feel. Moments when Middie Pride and our shared legacy are on full display. On fall nights and into winter, parking lots and downtown streets turn into festivals. From trunk or treat on campus,

018to marching in the city tree light with costumes, music, lights, and families filling our community. There are days when you can feel the energy before you even step inside. Seniors hold signs that say last first day, wearing trendy backpacks and posing for pictures like they're six or seven years old again. From modified teams in our middle schools to varsity under the lights, our athletes earn pride, discipline, and teamwork. Before a big game, players walk the halls while the school claps and cheers and pep rats fill the stands as teams and clubs take the field. This is Middie Pride, not only in the score of a game or the size of a crowd, but in the way we show up for each other and celebrate every kind of success. This is what leadership looks like in

019motion, in classrooms, in hallways, on fields, on stages, and in our community. These are the moments that teach our scholars how to lead, how to care, and how to believe in themselves as legacy makers. This is who we are. This is our legacy. At this point, it might feel like the story is over. But for us, this is the moment everything really begins. We've grown up in these hallways, in these classrooms, in this community. We've been pushed, encouraged, and believed in, even on the days we didn't believe in ourselves. Now it's our turn to take everything Middletown has given us and step into what comes next. We're ready to move forward even if it's hard to say goodbye. Because of this place, we know how to work hard and how to lead. We've learned to

020set goals for ourselves and keep going when things get tough. We may be leaving these buildings, but we're not leaving empty-handed. We're leaving with skills, memories, and a kind of pride that won't go away. Thank you for the pride, the chances, and the love. Thank you, Middletown. And I just want to thank the communications team that helped capture all those memories. So we have Caroline with us and Kevin Witt. And then Jason Tomasulo took the lead on this video, so he's not here tonight. But I just want to make sure that that team gets a shout out for the work they did to make this happen. Thank you all very much for everything you do every day. Thank you. We're gonna move along may I have a motion to approve the regular meeting minutes of

021December 11 2026 as presented Any discussion all in favor May I have a motion to approve the board workshop minutes of January 8th as presented Second second all in favor Any discussion Motion passes no administrative personnel memorandum items to approve tonight May I have a motion to approve instructional personnel memorandum? 14 B numbers 1 through 15 as presented Can I have a second any discussion all in favor motion passes May I have a motion to approve non-instructional personnel memorandum 14C, numbers one through 12, as presented? Can I have a second? Any discussion? All in favor? Motion passes. May I have a motion to approve financial memorandum 15D, numbers one through six, as presented? So moved. Can I have a second? Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Motion passes May I have a motion to approve

022special services memorandum 13 e numbers 1 through 2 as presented May I have a second? Any discussion all in favor? motion passes May I have a motion to approve change orders 10 F numbers 1 & 2 as Presented can we get update? Yeah, absolutely. Please. Okay. Can we please have an update? Thank you Both of these change orders are for the twin towers additional tracers project The first change order is to replace four additional existing electric panels And the second change order is to test the new primary service entrance cables Between the pole and the primary switch gear between the primary switch gear and the transformer Thank you any questions Can I have a first and a second first? second Any discussion? How are we on the contingency budget? We're doing well. We're at 1.3,

023so 1% and a third over out of at least 6%. Yep. Okay. All in favor? Aye. Motion passes. May I have a motion to approve the resolution as presented? So moved. Second? Second. Any discussion? All in favor? All right. Motion passes. Resolved that the Board of Education upholds the superintendent's decision made at the superintendent's disciplinary hearing regarding student number 1300154, following consideration by the Board of Education of the appeal made by the parent or guardian. And before everyone votes, I'd like everyone to know that I am going to be abstaining. So can I please have a motion? Can I have a second? Second. Any opposed? Motion passes. Abstention also here. Okay. Resolved that the Board of Education upholds the superintendent's decision made at the superintendent's disciplinary hearing regarding student number 1511073 following consideration by the

024Board of Education of the appeal made by the parent. May I have a motion? So moved. Can I have a second? So moved. So moved. You first and you roll second. Okay, thank you. And then all in favor? Aye. Any opposed? One exception. Okay. Motion passes. May I have a motion to approve the adoption of the 2025-2026 Board of Education goals as presented? Can I have a second? Second. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes. May I have a motion to approve the adoption of the 2025-2026 Board of Education norms as presented? Motion, please. So moved. And a second? Any discussion? Roll call vote, please. Mr. Hussus? Yes. Mr. Estrada? No. Mr. Moore? Yes. Mr. Perino? No. Mr. Rett? Yes. Miss Romero, yes, mr. Bison Mr. Freddie Williams. Yes, Pastor Williams is

025absent motion passes Now we're going to call for public participation. This is an opportunity to address the board. The board will designate a portion of its meeting agenda for public comment for a period of up to 40 minutes. Each speaker will be allowed up to four minutes. The public is not permitted to discuss topics and or matters involving specific individuals. Speakers must sign in prior to speaking and speakers are not permitted to cede their time to. other speakers. Anyone who would want to come up speak to the board, please Write your name. I already signed in. So yeah, you didn't need to Thank you Just for the record. My name is Joe DiStefano mayor of the city of Middletown and I'm here tonight basically to The video that you played is one of the reasons

026why I'm here tonight the message that was in that video because That's what Middletown has become and you know Due to the work between the school district in the city of Middletown town of walk Hill US News and World Rated the city of Middletown as a number 11 best place to live in New York State for 2025 and 26 and my concern is I think You know that that happened over a period of years and a lot of hard work by school board, school board members, city members, city council members, and of course residents. And I have a concern now that we're sliding backwards. So I want to start with some clarity on the issue I want to talk about. One is when this board was selecting a superintendent years ago, I supported a different

027candidate than Amy Creeden. After her appointment, Superintendent Creeden reached out to me directly. She asked me to meet and discuss how we could work together. to improve student outcomes and strengthen the district. That mattered. It showed professionalism and leadership. Since then, we have worked productively with one goal in mind, what is best for the children in the city of Middletown. And that's why I'm here tonight, because I've watched previous meetings, and I'm concerned about the direction. I'm concerned about the amendments that were voted down this evening. I'm concerned that a report hasn't been released. That is public property. We have a superintendent that has been in exile now since August, and it's a big concern. Last summer, this board renewed superintendent's credence contract for five years. That was not symbolic. A five-year contract is a

028clear vote of confidence in performance and direction. Weeks later in August, this same board suspended her. Months now have passed. She remains at home on paid leave. According to multiple news reports, and that's all we can go by because you refused to release the report, the district hired an investigative firm. That investigation fully exonerated the superintendent, according to news reports. No misconduct. No substantiated wrongdoing. So the simple question is, why is she still out? If there was no cause for discipline, what justification could possibly exist for the continuation of this suspension? If there are unresolved issues, why was a five-year contract approved back in July? And if there is no additional investigation, and maybe we don't know about it if there is, then what exactly is being accomplished by keeping her on the sideline? This

029brings me to the financial reality of what's going on. Superintendent Creeden has a valid legally binding five-year contract. I understand the process. I'm a mayor. I've had charges filed against me. I filed charges against employees. The process doesn't work this way, the way it's working here in the Middletown School District. Continuing to keep her out of the job after she's been cleared exposes this district to serious financial and legal risk. taxpayers may be forced to pay the full value of that five-year contract, which would be approaching nearly $2 million, and legal costs without receiving the leadership we are paying for. At the same time, the district is spending public money on outside counsel and repeated investigations. That is taxpayer money not going into classrooms, student supports, or educational programs. From the perspective of some residents,

030myself included, this is no longer looks like due process. It looks like an effort to reach an outcome that the facts did not support. That perception damages trust, undermines district stability, and sends a chilling message to employees and families. This is not personal. This is about accountability. I know almost all of you. I respect all of you. I respect the job you're doing. But it's about fiscal responsibility, good governance, and that video that you played. You renewed the superintendent's contract because you believed she was doing a good job. An independent investigation confirmed there was no cause for removal. Ignoring those facts has consequences, financial, legal, and reputational. At this point, the burden is on the board to explain why a superintendent you endorsed, investigated, and cleared by your independent investigation remains sidelined at growing public

031expense. I urge you to act now in the best interest of the city of Middletown, in the best interest of the Middletown School District. the taxpayers, but most of all, our students. We need to release that report. We need to know, as the public, what's happening in this school district and the direction you're going in. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much. Anyone else want to come up? Good evening. If you haven't already, please sign in. I've already signed in. Thank you. Thank you. My name is Terry Randolph. I spoke at the last meeting. 1,194,000. $947 since the tenure of the superintendent paid out to education elements for professional development. This does not include peaceful schools or Leader in May. These are all geared towards developing and growing outstanding leaders. Amy is

032responsible for bringing this to the entire district. She is well aware of the content and to say that more professional development will help is a disservice to the district and its constituents. Her salary is not for an entry-level salary. A person with this salary should be bringing knowledge and experience with them, not hiring outside sources to develop plans, set goals, or construct reports. These exorbitant expenses, coupled with the many lawsuits and their associated fees, need to stop. I have foiled for the costs of the lawsuits and will comment on that at the next board. I foiled for the professional development for this meeting. To continue would be fraud, waste, and abuse. If they continue, this will lead to a complaint to the commissioner for not acting in the best interest of the district. I commend

033the five members that are acting cautiously. The four advocating for her are acting irresponsibly. The private investigation and its report serves no purpose to the EEOC case. At best, it was done to make the district feel as if they've done nothing wrong. Again, the legacy that was presented by the secondary schools is carried out by the administrators, faculty, and staff. It's not one person. Mrs. Adoma is a person of integrity and a true leader. Thank you. Thank you. Hi, my name is Veronica Liag I'm gonna read from prepared comments at the November 20th meeting a board member supported their vote to have the superintendent return on December 1st by referring to an investigation they claimed had cleared the superintendent of any wrongdoing Fast forward to January 8th, a news headline read, Leak Report Clears Middletown

034Superintendent in Federal Disability Complaint. The problem with this headline, it can be interpreted that she is cleared of the EEOC charge. The superintendent can only be officially cleared if the charges are fully investigated and resolved by the EEOC. or the Department of Justice, or if a judge adjudicates the case at trial. A law firm hired by the board does not have the authority to clear the superintendent of EEOC charges. Its findings can be used as part of her defense or as a response to the EEOC inquiries or at trial. If this is what the report was supposed to be for, why did we have to hire another firm when we already had a firm on retainer? I assume this report was available only to the board and its attorney. It is deeply troubling that someone

035within this circle would leak it. Not only does this expose the district to potential legal risks, but it also undermines the trust the community has in this governing body. We entrusted this board with protecting the district. Instead, it appears that the leaker was focused on protecting the superintendent rather than remaining neutral during this process. I am angry, but moreover, I'm saddened by this event. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. We're going to pivot a little bit for a second. My name is Jessica Rodriguez. I am the Building Student Support Facilitator at the Maple Hill Annex at Truman Moon. As you are all well aware, we had a devastating tragedy last week with one of our sixth grade students. Megan was a light to all of us. Megan was just a love to everyone in our building.

036For those of you that don't necessarily know, our building is very small. We have about 120 students. We are a very, very close, tight-knit family. Every staff member has a relationship with every single student in our building, and we are all mourning the loss of Megan tremendously. So I wanted to come here tonight to just give a huge thank you on behalf of the Truman Moon family, on behalf of Megan's family, the outpouring of support and love from the community, from the board, from administrators and teachers, staff, through all of the buildings has been immeasurable. We are so grateful for all of the support we've received the Maple Hill PTO Was gracious enough to put a GoFundMe out on our behalf which has so far I think we're up to 67 almost 6800 dollars for

037the family we also raised over 2500 last week just from donations from the staff in the buildings and That was a huge huge help to this family in dealing with this tremendous loss that they've suffered. So please, please know that the Annex family is deeply grateful for all of you and everyone in the community for your support. I'm going to introduce you to Charles who is Megan's older brother and he would also like to speak on his family's behalf tonight. Hello. Please excuse me if I get emotional. I also want to second and say thank you. This hasn't been easy. Ms. Romero, please don't cry because you're going to make me. The support you guys have shown us has been tremendous, and I don't think we would be where we're at right now if not

038for that. Both of my parents work seven days a week, and you guys are allowing us to be able to grieve and not have to worry about... the things that adults have to worry about. I also wanted to just say thank you for the programs you guys have enlisted for special needs kids. My sister was autistic and just being an older brother and have gone through every grade already, the fear of someone different going to school and just being ridiculed for just being them. was something that went through my mind every day and just seeing how happy she was being at Truman, it just took that worry away. So I truly am utterly grateful for every single one of you. To those who were able to make it to her funeral, I want to say

039special thanks because your support meant the world, especially to my mom. Yeah. Thank you, truly and and Charles and I also I know Drew we spoke about this previously bringing awareness to the district families about the severity of the flu I Know that the flu is so common that we all have it. It's such a common thing Maybe just some more What's the word I'm looking for education to families And about advocating for your child when you bring your child into the hospital and when you you know Don't be afraid to speak up when you think that you're not getting the treatment that you should be getting All right. Thank you. Thank you. Yes, again, on behalf of our school board and our central office, we offer our sincere condolences to your family. If you

040guys need to reach out to us for anything else, you know, you can contact the district or clerk. And, you know, we're here for you. And, again, you know, our condolences sincerely. Thank you. Thank you. Our heart is with you. Sorry. Anyone else would like to address the board at this time? Did you sign in? Okay. Thank you. Okay. So I'm just going to read something that I found off of the internet that. Made me really think about the district and how I'm feeling about the entire situation. So 2026 is the year of the fire horse symbolizing intense passion freedom rapid change bold action fueled by fire elements leading to innovation self-expression and potential upheaval potential upheaval It's time for breaking limits, embracing adventure, and swift progress. Progress. But also requires balance, fiery impulsiveness with

041mindful, positive outcomes in technology, culture, and personal growth. Key meanings. Action and freedom. The horse represents movement, independence, and a drive to break free of constraints. Please help us break free. Fire element magnifies these traits with passion, energy, enthusiasm, and a catalyst for transformation. Help us continue to transform without the negativity, please. Rapid change. Expect fast-paced developments, breakthroughs, and cultural shifts. Rid the district of micromanagement and retaliation for good. We teach our students bullying is not okay, but allowing it from upper administration is not okay. The most important, boldness and innovation. A year of daring leaps, new opportunities, and challenging the status quo. Together, let's take a leap and explore the opportunity of finding our person. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else want to come up? Thank you to everyone that did come up tonight.

042Now for our superintendent updates. So I'm going to have Dr. Connell introduce Mr. Jeff Smith. He's here to write our annual report. Good evening, members of the board, members of Middletown community. It's my honor to introduce Mr. Jeff Smith from Municipal Solutions. I just want to say, you know, starting in this new job, it's good to find real, intelligent, knowledgeable partners. Mr. Smith and his entire team have such amazing knowledge of school business, of the nature of New York State's education system. And not just for now, but as we forecast into the future. Mr. Smith has really helped me to understand and have clarity on a lot of the variables that we're facing currently and what we intend to face in the near future. So without further ado, I want to introduce Mr. Smith and

043thank him for the work he's done with us so far. And I am honored to work with you, to work with your team, and I look forward to our future together. Thank you. Well, this is this is one of the events that I enjoy every year is meeting with the board before you go into the budget deliberations and kind of giving you an overview of both the district's finances and what we see kind of on the horizon over a number of years. So we're doing, the district does multi-year budgeting, perhaps a little more sophisticated than most of the school districts that I deal with. And that this district, I think this is almost 20 years now I've been doing this. coming here each year. We have, the district has addressed so many challenges over that

044time and as we go through the presentation I'll mention some of those challenges we've had. Everything from the housing crisis around 2018 that where assessed valuations decreased, which put tremendous pressure on the tax rates. There was that long battle for foundation aid. That's not over, but... Tremendous strides were made and a number of the board members here have been on those front lines putting forth the effort to get changes made to really further the needs of a diverse district like Middletown's needs are. And so each year I try to come with a theme. Some years it's gloom and doom. Other years, more recently, it was pretty optimistic. I think the theme that we're going to hear this year, and this is an election year for the governor, and also on the federal level, there's a

045midterm election that will be very crucial. So I think the themes we're going to hear on both levels are going to be themes of affordability and equity. especially on the state level. So financially, as far as the economic horizon, things are pretty stable from what they were last year, and they were good last year. And I think 26, 27, the economic situation for the state could be, it's probably going to be about as good as last year, maybe a little better. My concern is fiscal year 27-28, 28-29, depending on how things square up. For 28-29 especially, there are some temporary tax increases on personal income tax side that will... They'll they're scheduled to go away now We don't know something temporary in New York State tends to stay around for a long time But if

046if it does go away there will be some impact on personal income tax Also the increase in the child tax credit That's about to go into effect for all children under the age of 17 By that period of time that will also decrease personal income tax collections The other thing we don't know what impacts are going to be is a new mayor in New York City with an emphasis on taxing the very wealthy. We don't know what effect that will be, but there is potential for very rich to leave New York State. That would be a real problem. We're starting... It's not happening in New York State yet, except anecdotally when you talk to real estate agents in Connecticut, New Jersey, and the South, they're seeing a heightened, at least, inquiry of people that are

047looking at moving elsewhere. Hard to believe New Jersey would be a place you'd want to move for income tax reasons. There are some storm clouds on the horizon in the future. Middletown has been, the board has been able to weather these tough conditions because of the foresight they have. And you've done well, and I kind of tell that story of the two people that are walking in the woods and suddenly a grizzly bear comes out and starts chasing them. And the one guy says to the other, he goes, we can't outrun this grizzly bear. And the other guy says to him, I only got to outrun you. So this is what we've been trying to do with Middletown is set you up so whatever those circumstances are, you are in the position to weather the

048storm better than your peers. I think that that multi-year budgeting that you've done the foresight that you have and I'll outline some of those moves that you've made to stabilize the revenues that are coming into the district have served you well so basically what you've got to do and we don't know what the conditions are going to be in those out years I'm not really concerned about this coming budget year I don't know now the governor will be releasing her budget in about five to seven days So we'll start hearing the first gambits of what the changes may be But in our projections, we're saying that basically the large increases we've seen in foundation aid won't be here. Probably something in the range of 2% a year of increases in state aid. Middletown may do

049a little better with some of the, if some of the things that are being talked about now in changes in foundation aid do come about. I'll get into them in a little bit. But I'd like to say that for a district that has had to face challenges, we recently, a year ago, we did a bond issue, and we'll have bond issues coming up for Truman Moon. and Twin Towers will be coming up. But we went before the Moody's Bond Rating Agency, and the district was given a AA3 bond rating, which is very high. It indicates a very strong credit quality and very low expected credit risk. This level suggests solid financial performance with adequate fund balances and manageable long-term liabilities, supporting the district's ability to repay its bonds. So the job you're doing has actually

050been reinforced by independent bond rating agencies that review every school district in the state. So this board is to be commended. I have seen a board that over the years went from kind of diversity and it was tough. Some of those board meetings 20 years ago were not that easy. But what I've seen is I've seen a lot of people trying to oar together and if that can continue, I think the district will do well. For just for an introduction on when this multi-year budgeting It's to assist the city school district in the development of sound long-range fiscal Management plan that will promote efficiency and long-term financial solvency We try to do it for three years because state aid is determined annually in the state budget and it can swing significantly from year to year.

051The traditional public school and each school district receives The aid the school district receives is comprised of a series of formulas that provide general operating support foundation aid and reimbursements for a share of specific eligible expenses building aid transportation aid textbook aid etc Factors that affect school a growth include school enrollment numbers school district property and income wealth student demographics and various supported expenses, as well as the annual state budget process, which is difficult to project. As I say, and I won't get into all the detail here, you can read this, but current economic conditions in the state have remained very similar to the budget director, Blake Washington's economic update contained in his January 2025 technical briefing that was issued last year. that the state's fiscal health is quite sound. Personal income tax revenues have

052been strong. The stock market returns were excellent. Wall Street bonuses were one of the highest they've seen in quite a large number of years. Higher interest rates have increased investment income and employment has returned to pre-pandemic levels. So we are looking at a good situation here, especially for the next budget year. The other thing we don't know is that what will happen, like with the governor's proposal, but I have a hunch she's not going to... make drastic changes, but there are a couple that have been suggested by the Board of Regents in the state aid that could benefit Middletown. There's two areas of the foundation aid that actually this district, I think, I know, has been kind of lobbying for over the last couple of years. And on page eight, I kind of do a

053summary of the Middletown City School District's fiscal revenue implications for 26-27. And we talk about foundation aid. and Middletown's relatively high student poverty rate and suggest to the adjustments to the current and formulas could improve its foundation aid levels although the ultimate impact will depend on the final legislative action. But there's two areas the Board of Regents came in and has changed the foundation aid on the top of page nine. In December 2025, the New York State Board of Regents adopted its budget and legislative priorities. Several of their recommendations for changes to foundation aid could be of benefit to Middletown schools. These enhancements are English language learners weight increases to .60 in the foundation aid additional funding. Last year the governor the legislature and governor updated this part of the foundation aid and they increased

054the weight from 0.5 to 0.53 Research into the New York State formula aid estimated the increased ELL weight within foundation should be 0.61 with other studies suggest aggregate weights between 1.3 and 1.6, supporting this suggested incremental increase. So it's an incremental increase, but it would be an increase, and it would be the trend of continuing that equity and affordability that will be that theme coming up. A new weight, 0.12, for students experiencing homelessness. The current formula recognized student financial need, though the economically disadvantaged count and small area income poverty estimates were used for the first time. But neither of these figures reflect a direct analysis of family resources and costs, and both serve as proxies, not actual measures, of student needs. The board recommends using the federal McKinney-Ventral Act definition. And that's the thing with

055this state aid stuff. It's dry. It's intricate. So it's sort of like making sausage. You probably don't want to see it being made. But as far as the end product, you know, what comes out at the end is what comes out. Families below. and above the poverty line may find themselves lacking a fixed regular and adequate nighttime residence and children experiencing homelessness are especially vulnerable to educational disruption and the board recommends using this aid ventro act data to deliver additional aid to students in need so there might be two areas that middletown could benefit from That would take that suggested state aid to a higher level. We just don't know right now, and we probably won't know, hopefully by the end of April, beginning of May, but it depends on how the politics, how tough

056they get this year. The state aid last year was spending $4.3 billion. and was an increase. But again, we don't see that happening this year. It's going to be more steady. One of our recommendations is if you have to, depending on how the year settles out, the district does have adequate fund balances, very strong fund balances. So if you have to appropriate some of that fund balance to balance the budget. Not a large amount, but if you have to appropriate some of it, you do have the room to do some appropriation. I see improvement made as far as... bringing in stable revenues through building aid in that the district for many of its larger projects has been able to pay cash because there was the state comptroller criticized the district for carrying too high of

057a fund balance. So what and what was a great move was Because of the needs you have, because of the expanding student population you've experienced, they've paid cash, the district paid cash for those projects, but the state gives you building aid over a 15 or a 30-year period, depending on what you're building, with interest. You're paid back. So what the district has been able to do... You're in a position now where you're actually getting close to two million dollars more of state building aid than what your debt service is That's key because like I say every year the The state plays around with the formula aids, but they don't play around with building aid So what the district has done for like the next 15 years, it's built in this surplus of building aid versus

058what your death service is going to be. So you have insulated, at least insulated yourself from these vagaries we've seen over the years in ups and downs in state aid. It was a very good move. I put in exhibits that kind of give you an overview of what your enrollment, the district's enrollment has been and what it's projected to be. And there is a moderate decline, but then it goes, the population is estimated to go back up again. By 2029-30, you'll probably be back to where, right around 7,500 seems to be that. Area where you you kind of settle you'll be going estimates are for 2526 year 7,000 going down to 7,000 170 2526 7,000 350 26 27 7,000 525 you're back up to that 7 5 again and stay right around that area population

059still keeps growing and that could be another impact on this district. The New York City tax rate, if that does go up, could push populations for those that don't want to leave the state but want to try to avoid some of that city income tax. could move up this way. So there could be both an increase in property values and also a potential population increase. Again, we don't know, but it's going to be something to take a look at. The other thing with the tax cap is that... And I mention this building aid all the time, but one of the things you don't want to do is you don't want your debt service to fall off because with the tax cap, what's going to happen is you will lose percentage of the increases you're able

060to do with the building aid. So what you'll be doing under Exhibit B, you can see that debt service falls off from $10,478,000 in 2005-06 down to $7 million. The debt service falls off about $3 million. That's where the new building projects, where we'll be borrowing for them. as soon as they're done, but I would expect, I know we'll be borrowing in 26, either short-term or long-term. That's where we're going to backfill. That's where we're going to bring it back up again to that stable area so that we're not impacting your ability to raise revenues under the tax cap formula. I just want, and like I say, I don't want to go into a lot of detail and take up your time tonight, but I just want to say that the district is in good

061shape. You have the ability for some flexibility depending on what happens with state aid formulas. There's a potential for some increase beyond historical levels. that could come to Middletown if those foundation aid changes do come. And I feel that you will be in a position to weather the storms that are coming in the out years because through the investment of money right now, your investment program is bringing in, I think it's over $3 million right now in investment income. which is a result of the higher interest rate we've seen rather than what we were seeing five years ago. And I expect that things are going to, as far as on the revenue side for investments, it appears that even if the Fed were to cut interest rates, the bond market is getting concerned about the

062size of the federal deficit. So we're not seeing bond rates. If the Fed decreases 25 basis points, bond rates, investments on treasuries and that are not going down 25. They actually went up the last rate increase. So I do expect your income from investments will probably stay very similar to what they are now, even if the Fed were to do another rate increase in 26. We don't know when it'll happen, but there will be an inflection point where the federal deficit gets so large that a lot of our debt, the Treasury, is bought by foreign countries and foreign investors. There will be a point where they're going to say, you know, you guys, we're worried if you can even pay us back. And so, if anything, we'll see probably an upward trend on interest rates.

063But a good strong investment program is like found money and you're doing a very good job on your investment side, too. So overall, I think it's another year very similar to last year. I know that budgeting is never easy, but looking at opportunities, right-sizing, retirements, that sort of thing, which can assist with... Stabilizing or at least diminishing the increases which are it's so hard for cities and school districts because you're so sensitive to payroll benefits and high inflationary supplies and electric is one area that we expect we're putting in at least an 8% increase in electric utility rates every year and that's probably low but we do expect within three years interest electric rates will be easily 25 to 25 percent more than what they are now So those are, you know, these whole utilities,

064you're so sensitive, and you can't really shed or shy away from those expenses. So you're limited to 2% on the tax cap, which hopefully will be relooked at again. Or when the state did the 2% tax cap, they kind of, I don't know if they realized it or not, but they set themselves up where they got to keep giving you more money. because there's got to be some way to supplement that 2%. That 2% is not realistic increases for cities and municipalities. So they either got to pony up more money, or maybe they'll do something with the tax cap limit. But for this district, for the coming year, I think you'll be okay. It's those 2 and 26 is going to be a year of... The person that had the horoscope, she probably got that

065right. It's going to be one of those years of dynamic change. And where we're going to come out of it, we don't know yet. But you're doing a good job. I commend you. Thank you, Mr. Smith. Thanks so much. Anyone have questions, comments? We all good? Thank you so much. Mr. Smith just if you're any if anybody is a real geek We we've supplied a very detailed spreadsheet that looks at past budgets by line items and future budget projections and so if you and with our assumptions that are Into each line you can see the inflationary factors we put against each but we do that as part of this producing this report Mr. Perino, my microphone is on I thank dr. Smith for the presentation just a a couple of things here one of my

066concerns is that The governor will have to funnel more money into New York City because the federal government might not be funding certain programs. And it is an election year, and there's many, many votes in New York City, not as many in Middletown, New York, as there are in New York City. So that's one concern about the money. The other concern, as I look at the various exhibits here... Retirement system costs are going up, the employee retirement system, the teachers retirement system. You mentioned treasury bonds, and the bonds a few months ago were going about 4.5%. Now they're hovering around 3.7 or 3.75, unless they went up this. past week. I'm not positive on that. So I'm trying to be optimistic about things, but I am not quite as optimistic as in the past. And

067that's my questions. Any validity to the question of funding for New York City as opposed to this area? There's going to be there's definitely going to there's going to be have to be more money Sent to the city Especially the population growth that we've seen in the state has be has been because of immigration And last year there was 3.5 billion was sent out to the state, majority of it to the city, for services for the new immigrants. But that's where the state's been losing population but for immigration. Now, with the change in the federal level and, you know, this... radical enforcement, I would think there's going to be pressure to send more money that way. So again, I don't know how much more it'll be this year, but it's those out years that really

068concern me. Thank you. Anyone else? Thank you so much for your time tonight. Thank you. Thank you. Great presentation. I just want to remind her that January 19th the district will be closed to honor the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King. So 97 days, 97 years ago he was born. Just in my household that was a figure that my family talked about. My ancestors were slaves. My grandparents grew up with segregated South. My parents were products of segregation, Jim Crow laws. My uncle was there at the march. So we're just thinking about the power that Martin Luther King had working with others and bringing people together, thinking about what it was like in the 1950s and 1960s and what people faced. Fast forward to where we are sitting here in this boardroom today, you know,

069we're doing internally there was a lot of it was about unity and bringing people together and I'm hoping that we could get the focus back to the kids over, you know sooner than later Just but just kind of watching what we saw here Here in the comments that I've been going back and forth, you know, it's been very divisive and you know my ask on behalf of the district staff and our families is that we Work together to come to a resolution so we can move forward and get the focus back on the kids. So again, Martin Luther King Just kind of job just kind of just feeling a little bit that today and I just wanted to share my my thoughts but I think it's important that we um Like said figure out how

070to work together and bring it back to the kids Thank you so much. Thank you We're gonna move on to a Board of Education updates student board member reports Good evening, everyone. We are currently in our midterm week for the high school, so students who are taking their midterms took them on days Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So again, I would like to say good luck to all the students who took their exams. Students had blocked scheduling for their midterms. Therefore, students took their midterms for their periods first, fifth, and eighth on Tuesday. 2nd, 4th, and 7th on Wednesday, and 3rd, 6th, and 9th on Thursday. 2, 4, and 7 on Wednesday, and 3rd, 6th, and 9th on Thursday. Yes. Thursday today. And for all those days, they were dismissed at 1 p.m. On January 6th,

071here at Middletown High School, we had an emergency closing due to a water pipe main break. and students were dismissed around 11.35. Thankfully, the problem was solved the same day and students were able to attend instruction the following day. Moving on, yesterday, January 14th, was transition night for the upcoming 2026 freshman cohort. The night was filled with excitement, laughter, and a great sense of curiosity. Nipor and I were honored to have the privilege of being there to give our newer high school scholars a warm midi welcome. As the night went on, we had the opportunity to make ourselves acquainted with them and help them get a kickstart with goal setting and just an overall positive mindset for their next big chapter in our lives. Now we're gonna move on to community engagement Mr. Moore. Yeah,

072thank you. I have a couple of videos and pictures, but I definitely want to start off with Going over what I have prepared before I begin. I just want to say good evening president superintendent fellow Bell members I want to take a moment to acknowledge Dr. Martin Luther King as we reflect on his legacy. One quote continues to resonate deeply with me. We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today, and we are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. Those words remind us that leadership requires action, not later, but in the present. With that in mind, I want to briefly highlight a positive experience that took place Wednesday night at our high school at the eighth grade transition program that was for the incoming cohort 2026 and class of 2030. The program

073commended the I want to commend the high school administration, the sports staff for delivering a clear, organized, informative session. Families received a strong overall overview of what to come and what to expect as incoming freshmen, including graduation requirements, credit expectations, attendance expectation, academic pathways, and academy model. The opportunity for parents and students to engage directly with teachers, counselors, administrators was extremely impactful, and the turnout from the pictures that I will show shortly was a tremendous engagement that speaks volumes by the measures of the program and its success. That experience leads me directly to my second point. Because access and preparation opportunities do not stop at that doorstep, I want to address some false narratives and sometimes circulating around youth programming and particularly athletics. As a coach in the city and working primarily with young women

074in basketball, I want to be clear. The work... It's about the presence, accountability, and standards. And these young women, as you can see here, are held to a high level of expectation academically, behaviorally, and athletically. And we are exposing them opportunities often extended beyond what they initially imagined for themselves. What's often overlooked is this level of sacrifice behind the work, coaches, mentors that give up significant time away from their families. And in my own experience, someone that has raised and personally contributed with tens of thousands of dollars to ensure families could have access to travel opportunities, cover fees, remove financial barriers, so these students could not have any unnecessary circumstances. When these programs are mischaracterized, undermined, and primarily just overall frustrating, it's extremely harmful because the real impact is not on the adults, it's on

075the students. And it's on the student athletes who are striving and growing. and learning what commitment truly looks like. I want to acknowledge the success of the girls program. The varsity girls program was currently 9-1 and is currently playing tonight in conference play. And our JV team, who is currently 7-0, is also competing tonight to move into an 8-0 status as far as they record. These achievements reflect discipline, teamwork, leadership, values, and extend beyond the court. And what brings me to my final point is sacrifice and leadership. Tonight, I'm fulfilling my obligation as a board member. even as my daughter competes elsewhere, right? That sacrifice is not by one that's willingly. It's not, sorry, that sacrifice, but it's one that I make willingly because leadership requires presence. It requires to show up where decisions are

076made, where the futures of our district are shaped. Dr. King always remind us that faith is like taking a step, taking this first step even though when you don't know the whole, you don't see the entire staircase. As leaders, we are called to take a step by being present, standing firmly on our responsibilities and ensuring that the opportunities before our students are protected, expanded, and the full path ahead is. A full path ahead is not yet visible. So thank you. And this is just some videos, some photos of some of the girls that are across the entire county and here in Middletown. I hope this requires a couple more seconds to show some of it. And I have a couple of some highlights as well. I'm not sure if you're going to be able to

077show the video. You guys may have but these girls to compete tremendously many of them have had a great opportunity to not only coach and develop them so we have a lot of years ahead here in Middletown and in some of the emotions that were discussed earlier today we do see the program continue to grow and succeed with the new formulation of other Groups that the athletic program is going to take on so I just want to say take a moment and say thank you and Look forward to the future success of all the programs. Thank you Thank You. Mr. Moore. Mr. Perino Thank You president Romero Before I get into this we did have a letter that The mayor submitted that was asked to be read into the record And that was not done

078tonight. It wasn't on the agenda. I didn't read on the agenda. Did you have a letter to share that was received by the mayor? Did we receive a letter recently? So I ask that that be read at the next meeting. Okay. Okay. Continuing on for a moment, I'd just like to say something about Dr. King. We have that up, please? We have that? You know, we... always did not have a holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King, and I think it's very, very well deserved. In 1968, when Dr. King was assassinated, what the schools did, we took a whole day... and a school day and we talked about civil rights and we talked about Dr. King and the members of his movement. So what I'm saying is holidays are good and it's well deserved and we

079should have that. But maybe we should think about the, in all our elementary schools and secondary schools. before the holiday to discuss these things that Dr. King stood for. One thing that sticks in my mind, has always stuck in my mind, judge of person. by his character, his or her character, not the color of the skin. So things such as that I think would be helpful. And I know some of our buildings have had displays of Dr. Martin Luther King. I don't know if we have any of that up now. But I know, for example, when Hagen Denise Lipper in the library had a very, very nice display, which I did take a look out from the photos. And so well deserved. And again, that is my recommendation for the future. Continuing on here, shout

080out to the buildings and grounds and custodial staff. The winner so far has not been the easiest, but our guys are the first responders. It's always there cleaning up, plowing, and so on. You know, they have to get to work when many of us are still at home. So a shout out to them. I'd also like to give a shout out. We had a, to Dave Coates and Justin Serge. I got a call from the, one of the American Legion officials. They wanted to reinstitute the American Legion team. And I must say, I called, they wanted me to provide a contact. I called Dave Coates. And I tell you, about an hour later, I got a call from the official again, and he says, yes, Mr. Coates called me, and we're working on that. So

081that's one example of the athletic department reaching out into the community. An excellent program last evening, teaching and learning. 2025-2026. Ms. Sodom will chair that committee and one of the members of the committee, Terry McKernan, is here in the audience. And I'm going to talk about that. I'll talk about that at the next meeting because it's just an outstanding meeting with the people there. I may start off with that next meeting. Thank you. My time's up. Oh, I'm sorry, Tiffany Hall. Tiffany Hall. I saw you back there, Tiffany. I thought you had left. I was facing. But you did a very good job, too. All the members of that committee. And I'll speak about that the next time. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Arrett. Yes, and moving along with the same spirit of honoring the

082beloved Martin Luther King. I'm just honored to say that we're having our annual celebration with the YMCA in association with the Greater Middletown Interfaith Council, where we honor his legacy through song, music, and dance. I will be doing a number as well as several of the kids from our schools and in the community. I am also very honored to be a part of the same fraternity that Martin Luther King is associated with, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. So again, this is one of those events that it'd be nice to bring the family out and really enjoy some of our people sharing about his legacy. Moving right along. We had a great celebration in the Galleria Mall. Excuse me. which is honoring Kwanzaa as we begin to move in closer to Black History Month. We want

083to talk about some of the history things that are very important, but these are some of the entertainers. This is a young black gentleman, I'm excusing, young blind gentleman, and of course he's black. And you know, his talent is just immense and amazing. And we have our young students from the community as well performing. We had a big turnout there at the mall. with this event. I want to give a shout out to a couple people here. Mr. Maximilian, if you can hold that picture there. I want to honor Maximilian Messerton. He's the choir and drama director of the YMCA. And he has a service of commitment. And he does these things all the time. Congressman Serrano, this is his last year, he orchestrated putting this together and bringing this along, but also acknowledged Bishop

084Rawlins, who was the emcee, the young lady next to him. She used to work in our district. Her name is Drusilla, and she gave a great presentation on Kwanzaa. And the person next to her, I think y'all might know him, Curtis Rett. and some other people, but it was just a great celebration. And we encourage people to come out all the time and continue to see the talent that we have out here with our kids and the community. And just to talk about some of the things that were mentioned by my colleagues up here, it's important to just continue to... accentuate the creative arts as well as the athletic, you know, extracurricular activities because the more we get children involved in these things, you know, it parlays over into the classroom. You know, it builds

085their self-esteem and confidence and they're excited about learning. So I am just honored to always be able to support any of these initiatives. I think that might be it, but let's see. Anything else? Any other photos if not, thank you very much Thank You. Mr. Rhett. Mr. Bison. I Really don't have anything to say. I do want to concur with my fellow board members and as interim superintendent Adama was speaking I Was brought up upstate New York where the color of your skin back in the 60s when I was in high school and some of my fellow board members have heard this, did not matter. We were all one. And late in the 60s, around 63, 64, so the middle of the 60s, I was stationed at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina. And I

086think it was one of the hugest awakenings for me because we didn't have. go to the back of the bus. We didn't have in the Woolworths a segregated space. So I learned a lot. I've shared my experience both as a teacher and as a board member with fellow board members, but I can really understand what you were saying more and realizing that we've changed a lot. We've got a long way to go. For me, it was a monumental change, as I said, back in the 60s. But what is it we shall overcome? Anything else? Dr. DeJesus? Thank you, Ms. Tobiasen. Reach out and touch somebody's hand. I have two announcements that I want to share, but Camille, I want to say thank you for... reminding everyone that we're here for the children. So thank you.

087MSK. my sister's keeper They are doing extremely well, so I want to thank Jasmine Ortiz and Tiffany red for all that they are doing with that program there are over 150 young women in that program and I see him not in over there and even the middle schools are very Actively involved. I've had the opportunity to attend several of those meetings The collaboration, or they're not meetings, they're gatherings, and there's teaching, and there's also socialization as well. On January 28th, Diamonds and Pearls, and my sister keepers, my sister keeper are going to be coming together. I'll actually be doing a workshop that day on four different types of coping skills that they can use in the moment. The other announcement that I want to share, tomorrow the Too Good for Violence graduation at Maple Hill

088at 10 o'clock. My granddaughter is one of the graduates in that program, and she's very excited. She says, Grandma, Grandma, Grandma, you going to come and see me? I say, yes, I'm going to come see you, Madison. And then at our next meeting, I'll have a video for you for the Martin Luther King tribute from the My Sister's Keeper program. Thank you. Thank you. Dr. DeJesus mr. Estrada Thank you. I I wanted to first of all remind all of our Viewers to come out and support our middies and the various sports that are going on during the winter season We have some great stuff going on Trustee Moore mentioned the girls varsity basketball team. Unfortunately, they lost tonight, but it's only their second loss of the year. They battled. They lost by four points this

089evening, and I think the boys lost also tonight on a close game as well. So sometimes that happens, but they're on pace for a very good section year this year. And let's not forget our wrestling program. Our wrestling program right now. is probably top five in New York State. And they're getting ready to finish probably one of the most successful years ever in Middletown wrestling. So please keep an eye out for them. They do an outstanding job each and every year. Before I get on to my report from Carter Elementary, I also want to acknowledge our security guard, Mr. Sanchez over there in the far corner. For those of you who don't know, despite, you know, he's a Valley Central grad, so I got to, you know, or going to be a Valley Central grad,

090but nevertheless, his dad works for us. And so we got to give him a shout out. His son, Jason, finished fourth. He is the alternate to the Olympic team this year, next month in Italy. You never want to wish anybody to get hurt. But you know it does happen. You know your practice. I think Jason's in China He's gonna be in China in the next skating but for those of you who didn't watch on NBC this weekend on Saturday he came into the the last the the full-length skate the free skate I don't know what they call it, but it's long skate compared to the short. So he came in, he was seventh coming into that program and finished fourth. And the difference between third, and typically they take the top three to the Olympics,

091I think his score was like, let's say 149 point. and third place was 149.17, something like that. So it was an amazing skate for him. We wish him well in his journey, but he's obviously after this year gonna be one of the favorites to make the 2030 Olympic team. I don't know where the Olympics that year, in France, I believe actually. Yeah, I think it's one of those. So congratulations again, dad and good luck. And if you watch the end of this gate, you gotta love mom coming down to give him a hug with a Puerto Rican flag right next to her. Moving on now to my report on Carter. We have some slides and Mr. Witt as well provided us with some pictures from their Too Good for Violence graduation, which was held last

092Friday. As Trustee DeJesus mentioned, tomorrow. morning is Maple Hill's turn but for Carter they graduated 136 students from the program. I want to give a shout out to some of our police officers and the connection that these students make with our city of Middletown Police Department. You know we have a couple of them who are going to be retiring after some long years of service to Middletown and to this district. So I think President Romero, if we can put that in the back of our mind to maybe invite some of those officers who are retiring at the end of this year or during the summer to come here because they've been an integral part of the school district, either through DARE or through this particular program. And if you just bear with me, I'm just

093gonna finish up real quick. Since returning from the break, Team Carter has continued to work with some new programs. They have the Core Knowledge Language Arts Program, iReady Math, and STEM Scope Science as well. They're in the middle of their Martin Luther King study month, learning about the life and work and impact of Reverend King as well. And then after this, the folks at Carter, they're excited to take on their Leader in Me school play. which was written what by one of Carter by Carter's own drama club director and Stay tuned that's gonna be ready for April 10th and 11th So head on out to Carter in April and join the leader in me play. Thank you Thank You. Mr. Estrada vice president Williams Good evening. Happy birthday to dr. Martin Luther King today's his

094actual birthday. So one quote that always resonated with me was it's always the right time to do the right thing. I was going to share that quote. Too late. Slowly a thunder on that one. So, you know, it always resonated with me, and, you know, my parents instilled that in me also. So, you know, it's just a friendly reminder to everyone, you know, listening at these tables, you know, our students, our staff. It's just that quote is imperative to progress and it means a lot. I want to start off by acknowledging the CKLA program. Not so long ago, I mean it was almost a year ago, it didn't seem that long ago, I remember sitting over in the seat over there, I think where Dr. DeJesus is sitting, and excited about the rollout of it,

095you know, mentioning Superintendent Adoma and Tiffany Hall-Murray, and having a quick enlightening. conversation with Tiffany I think it was last week and how the conversation is about how the program is pouring into the staff right as well as the kids with the staff actually getting books to read for themselves and I thought that was imperative to uh the energy, the positive energy and the growth in our district. So I just want to give you guys a salute to that CKLA program that is thriving in our district. And you guys are doing a great job. The second thing I wanted to touch on was the, Mr. Lugo stole some of my thunder with the water main break that I was going to talk about, but you did a great job. Thank you. I just want to

096mention the teamwork. I happened to be in central office that day. of the incident and the way that, salute to you, Mr. Bartlett, Superintendent Adoma, Dr. Norville, just sitting there and kind of seeing it all come together, the teamwork, right, the emails, the interaction, and like Mr. Lugo said, the same-day fix. That could have been... Way worse, right? But the action that was taken, and along with the city of Middletown, Mr. Bartlett, you said also, right? The teamwork was amazing. That was very impressive of how you guys alleviated that issue in a timely fashion. The kids had a half day. It wasn't an immediate, you have to leave the building. So half day, and we're right in the building is the next day. So that was amazing. I want to tip my hat to you

097guys on that. Also, I believe I had some photos. And this is touching on Six West Barbershop. It's a business I own in downtown Middletown. I'm going on eight years. We were able to rattle off our seventh annual toy drive. This year we brought 300-plus gifts in. I have a lot of people to thank. I might run over my time. But we have Mr. Stevenson Monterey, Middletown Cares Coalition. is always a big part of this. Mr. Dave Coats and Justin Sturge, Middletown's Athlete Cares program, they donated. We have MBK, Mr. Everton Brown and Kenneth Ward. We have my sister's keeper, MSK, Tiffany Rett and Jasmine Ortiz. I don't want to forget anybody. Madam Chair, President Romero. Also, and she was present and the energy was awesome. I hope you can testify on that when you

098get your turn. The energy was great. Jennifer Young needs to always be in support and sending over the National Honor Society kids. And then I also have Middletown Youth Sports. We had some of our national basketball players, national team basketball players come and help. Energy was great. The kids had a good time. It's always a good time. To date, in seven years, we've accumulated and acquired over 2,400 gifts for the community and the partnerships. Thank you. With partnerships with emergency housing, that's honor, multiple churches, the pediatric unit in Garnett Health. and we also do the Salvation Army also. So I just want to thank everybody. It means so much. You know, having the scale back on my business, me personally, it really means a lot for us to still be able to do things to

099serve our community. So I really want to thank everyone that was involved. I appreciate you all. Thank you. Thank you. Of course, Freddie is being... You know, he's leaving some people out. But, again, you did a fine job with supporting my wife's program, God's Hearts for Women, for the third year in a row with several gifts. You know, and I just want to commend you and thank you, again, for the continued efforts that you bring to the city, particularly during that time of year, holiday season. Thank you. Thank you. It was an amazing event definitely impactful I have some updates for Twin Towers at Twin Towers Middle School the lighthouse teams continue to meet regularly collaborating to develop thoughtful engaging action plans that strengthen school culture leadership and academics Scholars have been reviewing the habits

100during the morning announcements asking the school the following questions What is one proactive choice I can make to date to start strong? What kind of day do I want to have and what choices will help? created. These questions encourage our scholars to think through their day and make productive choices. Twin Towers is also looking forward to the Encore concert, which will be happening next Tuesday at 6.30 and hope you can all make it. I have a flyer to share. The flyer is for young ladies in grades 6 through 12. Don't forget. It is our Diamonds and Pearls event with my sister's keepers. It is on January 28th from 4.30 to 6 p.m. And it is going to be a wonderful event. You won't want to miss it. I was inspired to read a quote as

101well. But, of course, Freddie had to steal my quote. But when that quote. means to me is that, and is also what the purpose of the quote is, is that there's never an excuse to delay morale or ethic action, and you should always choose to do good, help others, and stand against injustice, no matter the circumstances. So I do think that is a powerful quote. Great minds think alike. Did you guys have anything else you wanted to share? Denise, are you going to invite me and John this time around? No, no, you can't come. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Okay, go ahead, Vice President. You had something else to share. It's on. Yeah, one thing that I did leave out, and it's kind of moving around in my seat a little bit tonight, Mr. Drew Moore

102had mentioned being present. His daughter, excellent athlete, great basketball player, she's playing tonight. And my son was playing tonight probably about 15 yards from where we're sitting right now. So being present is very important. And we all stood up there and took an oath, right, to put the district first. And a lot of people don't realize, like, we're not robots, right? We have families. We have things. going on in our lives but i just wanted to touch on that being present is is imperative to progressing as a unit as well so i just wanted to touch on that uh so you know mr moore you weren't by yourself on that one yes thank you all for sharing um do we have any committee reports The next audit committee meeting is Monday, February 9th at 5

103p.m. at the board office. Thank you. Mr. Rett? We put a field out to see who's available for a policy meeting on the 30th of January. So I know, I believe Denise and Dr. DeJesus responded. So just let us know. Let's get find something out by tomorrow and then we'll have a gender forthcoming. Thank you Yes So when you give an update on on on the DEI But also on president Romero on my actually if you could take a look at policy 1510 as it relates to letters For the DEI committee we met last week, and because that committee is so large, we broke up into three subcommittees where Jillian, myself, and Julie are each going to be facilitating those subcommittees. And then we're going to come back together as a whole, but we're looking

104at the three goals that we're working on, so each one of us have a goal. And so like the subcommittee that I have, I encourage you on it. One of the things that we are going to be looking at is it relates to restorative practices, that whether or not restorative practices increased in-school suspensions while decreasing out-of-school suspensions. And if that is the case... What are we going to do and then also looking at it from that lens of the black and brown suspension? So the group that I have there's four different Sub goals that we working on towards the larger goal and we'll report out on those Also what we're going to be doing in a di di committee as it relates to here is sharing a monthly blurb on what's going on. So like

105if we were in the month of May, I would probably have something up around mental health awareness. So we're going to be doing that monthly and sharing that here. So we're excited about the work that's happening within the DEI committee. Looking forward to it. Thank you. Did you have anything? We had our BOCES school board meeting last night, and one of the things that was handed out was a pamphlet. I have five of them here, so if anybody wants them, I'm going to give them to President Romero. About the course offerings that BOCES has for teachers, primarily in regards to AI, there are a lot of. different things out there that hopefully we're taking advantage of as a school district. I'm sure we are. And just, I was yesterday in the morning was the advisory

106board for BOCES. And at that meeting was. about six students and two of them were our students. A young lady who does her clinical work at Valley View Nursing Home and then Mr. Barone who was here during the BOCES presentation as part of the aeronautics. I mean these. Kids are all-stars They've done an outstanding job at BOCES. They did very well representing Not only themselves, but the school district as well So and I was happy to report that by far Middleton has the most students at BOCES at about 500 this year which when you take that into account is about 25% of our students here at the high school. So it's an amazing number, one that we should be very, very proud of. And as the capital project gets to completion over at BOCES, there's

107gonna be even more and more opportunities for our students over there. Thank you. That's amazing. That's what it's about. Do we have anything on anyone who wants to share on conferences, professional learning or any educational matters? Okay. No, we're not ready yet, Rose. our board representatives are going to be sharing the upcoming dates and reminders. So on January 20th, 2026, there's a budget information session. It is starting at 12 p.m. and it is a virtual event. Again, on the same day, there is an in-person event and it will take place at 6 p.m. at the Board of Education office. On the same day, on the 20th, there's a Twin Towers Incorn concert. It starts at 6.30 p.m. and it is held at Twin Towers Middle School. On January 21st, 2026, there's a Maple Hill Orchestra

108concert. It starts at 6.30 p.m. and is at the Middletown High School. On January 27th, 2026, there's a NJROTC annual inspection and awards ceremony. It starts at 8 a.m. till 12.30 p.m. and is at Middletown High School. and I know this has been said a few times, but I'll just say it again. On January 28th, 2026, Diamonds and Pearls and My Sister's Keeper starts at 4.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Middletown High School. No, Curtis, you can't go. On January 29th, 2026, there will be a board workshop. On February 4th, 2026, there is a Wednesday family night world read-aloud day. at 6.30 here at Middletown High School. On the 5th, 2026, is winter graduation between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. here at Middletown High School. Well, 6 and 7.30, sorry. Congratulations to all our January

109grads, winter grads, congratulations. On the 6th, 2026, is elementary winter dances at 5.30 to 7.30 at all elementary schools, Maple Hill, Carter, and Presidential Park. On the 11th, 2026 is a UPK information night. And on the 12th, 2026 is a board of education meeting. Thank you so much. May I have a motion to adjourn? Second. Thank you. All in favor? Aye. Motion passes.