001All right. Good evening. She says to almost no one. I would like to call the meeting to order. In accordance with the provisions of the New Jersey Open Public Meeting Act of 1975, the Ottabon Board of Education transmitted notice of the meeting scheduled at 6:30 p.m. in the Ottabon Junior Senior High School Media Center to the Retrospect newspaper and the Burough Clerk and by postings on the Ottabon Public School District website and at the main and the Pine Street entrances of the new, excuse me, of the junior senior high school. Roll call, please. Mrs. Ron Casease, >> Amy Davis, >> here. Steven Wilson, >> Sarah Cen, >> Alison Lipsky, late with notice. Correct. Um, >> Mark Gaddy, >> Bill Wilson, >> Danielle D. Franchesco, Allison Cox, absent with notice. Andrea Robinson >> here, >> and
002Jonathan Maxon will be late with notice. Thank you. All right. Whereas the Senator Byron and Bear Open Public Meetings Act requires all meetings of the Ottabbon Board of Education to be held in public, NJSA 104-12B sets forth nine types of matters that may lawfully be discussed in executive session, i.e. without the public being permitted to attend. And whereas the Ottabon Board of Education has deemed it necessary to go into close session to discuss discuss certain matters that are exempted from the public and as are noted in the agenda. May I have a motion to go into executive? Thank you. All in favor? Any opposed? Right. We will be approximately 30 minutes. Good evening. May I have a motion to reconvene the board of education meeting? >> Motion. >> Thank you. All in favor? >> Any
003opposed? All right. I'm going to call the meeting to order again and ask everyone to please stand for the flag salute. Pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands one nation indivisible with liberty justice for all. All right. So in our program this evening uh we have our student representatives. We'll start with our 12th grade representative. So, we have a lot of um things kind of going on at the moment, though it seems like not a lot. And then I was thinking about it and we actually do have a lot going on with sports and with clubs and things like that. So, our fall athletics were really successful this year. Um, girls field hockey, soccer for both boys and girls, cross country, and tennis
004all did amazing. Um, a lot of them made it to the playoffs. We had some coaches receive uh recognition within their group and players. Um a lot of people made um first team and second team all conference for their sports which is amazing. Um the football team is was selected this year for the Turkey Bowl which means you guys can go online and vote for them to be to win and they get I think they get money too if they do win. So yeah. So um the team will actually go on the radio soon which is awesome and they're going to be playing rival uh Hatton Township on Thanksgiving. So you guys can buy tickets either online or at the door uh with credit card, no cash. Um but you guys should go to that.
005That's gonna be really fun. >> Actually, that's Wednesday. >> Oh, Wednesday night. That's >> um the cell phone policy has been good. A lot of students have been following it and honestly, it's just part of a routine now to put your phone in the pocket, which is really good um to stay off the screens. Uh Powderpuff was yesterday, actually. The seniors won. Uh, it was really fun, really cool. Yeah, in the hail. It started hailing for a second there. We have a food pantry here, which is amazing in light of SNAP being shut down, so any students or families that need food can access that in our school. Tomorrow isn't there's a lot really going on. I'm listing it all. Uh, there's an NHS field trip tomorrow to the preschool. So, we are going to
006do some fun Thanksgiving activities with them. And our blood drive run by NHS will be 11:29. Uh if you guys want to sign up for that and and donate blood, which is really good to do. And the last thing I want to talk about is we just had the field test last week for the NJGPA and the NJSLA. Um so that means that they got a new test. So basically they had our students test out the new test and the new um user interface. So like the parts of the test that the students interact with. And uh Ryan will talk more about that because he took the test. >> Yeah. So I had the pleasure of taking it. Um so it honestly it went fine. Uh the one big thing is that on Wednesday the
007math one kind of went a little haywire. Not really complaining though. Um and then we had to make it up on Friday. The big thing is that the website is just a little weird with the math test, but otherwise it seems fine. The whole thing ran really smoothly. [snorts] So, for my report out, I'm doing Mansion and Havland. And uh for Mansion, they're running a student council can tab from at least from what I saw that uh all the proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald House for families in need. And uh soon they're having a holiday market on the uh 6th of December from 10:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. with crafts and vendors. Uh they also had a trunk retreat recently and I'm currently working with Miss Leadyard to kind of get some more info
008on Havland and see how that goes forward. Yeah, >> Davis, may I? Absolutely. >> Uh the the food pantry, was that organized by students? Was that student led or >> I am unsure. >> I'm unsure. >> Yeah. >> Oh, yeah. I think it might be Miss Greeway. So, >> I think that's great. Thanks for putting that together and supporting it. >> All right. Any other questions for the student reps? Mr. Maxon, >> I know that you are involved in almost everything at Ottabbon. Um Interact Club, is that correct as well? All right. >> Yeah. >> Um, Interact did receive like a pretty significant recognition. >> Oh, yeah. They did. I don't remember >> which is I forget the the actual um recognition for it, but only like one a handful of high schools in the
009entire state got it. Um, it was bestowed by Rotary um, you know, in the United States. And it just goes to show you just uh, our Interact program here is uh, almost uncomparable to anywhere else that you know in the state of New Jersey. So, it's a kudos to the staff. It's kudos to you guys. Over like 200 members, correct? >> Yeah. >> So, grown a lot. I just know that they received one of the most distinguished recognitions um in the country for it. So, job well done. >> Thank you. >> All right. And um thanks too for the report on Mansion and um Havlin and the preschool too. That was great. That was really great to hear. Okay. We're going to move on to one of the highlights of our evening. We're going to
010recognize our student spotlights and our educator spotlight as well. Um so we're going to call each student up by name and each um staff member as well. If you feel comfortable coming up and standing in front when we recognize you, please do. If you need to bring a special person up with you so that you feel a little bit braver, that's fine as well. Um and then we're just going to ask everybody to stay at the end because we want to take a a group picture. Okay. So, we will start with our pre kindergarten student of the month, Mr. William Wilson. Okay. It is my honor to uh announce the pre kindergarten student of the month for the month of November is Miss Amelia Squib. [applause] >> Hold it up there. All right. >> [applause]
011>> All right, folks. Ameilia shows >> Hang on, Ameilia. We're gonna say some wonderful things about you. Mr. Wilson's going to say some wonderful things. >> Amelia shows responsibility every day by staying focused and completing her learning tasks on time. She takes great care of classroom materials, always making sure they are used properly and put away neatly after use. Amelia also follows classroom routines and rules independently, demonstrating that she knows what is expected and takes pride in doing the right thing. Her consistent effort and reliability make her a positive role model for her classmates. Congratulations, Amelia. [applause] Now, our kindergarten uh kindergarten student of the month for November is Elelliana Mendes. >> [applause] >> Hey, how are you? Show everybody. Hold up there. All right, Elelliana. Elelliana is your your teacher says that you are
012a textbook example of safe, respectful, and responsible in our school. Elelliana is always following directions quickly and uh cons concisely in our classroom. She makes transitions seamlessly and is always the first to be listening and waiting for instruction. She never fails to brighten my day and is a great help within the classroom in modeling what responsibility should look like. We are so proud of Elelliana. Congratulations. Great job. [applause] Good evening everyone. I have the pleasure of announcing the grade one student of the month in Cecilia Cample aka CC. [applause] >> Cecilia Campbell aka Cece is being chosen for student of the month in first grade. She takes the role of being responsible very seriously. She always remembers to turn in her classwork and homework on time. She takes care of her school supplies and keeps
013her desk neat. When it's time to clean up, Cece helps her classmates without being asked. She can be counted on by friends for knowing the directions or how to log into a story on their computers. CeCe shows respect and leads by example. Her teachers are proud of her hard work, as is the board of education. Thank you. [applause] Okay. The grade 2 student of the month from the month of October is Shelby Barthol. [applause] Your teacher wrote, "Shelby is very hardworking student who has impressed all of her teachers with her dedication to being a responsible second grader. To say she arrives at school prepared each day would be an understatement because she also comes in smiling and excited for new challenges. Shelby embraces responsibility in the classroom by following school routines and also by putting
014amazing effort and care into every assignment. She even looks out for others along the way, helping her classmates to stay on track when everyone whenever someone needs a little help from a friend. We're so proud of Shelby for being such a kind, responsible student. Congratulations. [applause] And our third grade student of the month is Olivia Kener. [applause] All right, Olivia, your teacher wrote, "Olivia's transition into third has been seamless. She shows responsibility in many ways. Olivia shows responsibility by coming to school with her Chromebook charged every day. She completes her homework and classwork on time and comes to school prepared for all tests and quizzes. She is always prepared for lessons with the correct materials out and ready to go. Libby shows responsibility by respecting school rules and treating others kindly. Olivia's responsibility has helped
015to create a positive and safe place where we can all learn and succeed together. Congratulations to Olivia. >> [applause] >> The fourth grade student of the month is Elliot Melooki. [applause] right there. This month, we're proud to recognize a student who truly shines through responsibility. Being responsible means doing what's right, even when no one is watching. It means showing up prepared, taking ownership of your actions, and being someone others can count on. Our student of the month chose responsibility every single day by completing assignments on time, helping classmates, and being a positive role model in and out of the classroom. This student doesn't make excuses. They make things happen. Because of their dependable attitude, hard work, and care for others, we're proud to celebrate Elliot Malooki as our fourth grade student of the month of
016for responsibility. Congratulations. We're so proud of you. Nice work. [applause] Good evening. I am proud to recognize our fifth grade student of the month, Melody Burton. [applause] Melody's teacher is proud to nominate her as the fifth grade student of the month. Melody consistently shows outstanding responsibility in everything that she does. As a safety patrol member, she reports for duty on time each day and can always be counted on to fulfill her role with care. She takes her schoolwork seriously and sets a positive example for her classmates. Melody truly represents what it means to be a responsible student. Congratulations, Melody. [applause] Our sixth grade student of the month is Albert Albi Saka. [applause] We doing that. Okay. All right. I like it. I'm really not that cool. All right. Our sixth grade student of the month
017is Ali Saka. Albi is incredibly creative, friendly, and hardworking. Ali shows responsibility each day by being prepared with his schoolwork and materials. He is also a great model of these expectations to his peers and to younger students. Albi is an amazing artist and shows great responsibility by utilizing his skills for classwork when appropriate. Awesome job, Albi. Keep up the great work. [applause] I am proud to announce America Dorte as the student of the month for seventh grade. America's [applause] teacher wrote, "America ex America exemplifies responsibility in everything he does. Whether in the classroom or on the field, America can be counted on to engage thoughtfully and contribute meaning meaningfully to any discussion, no matter the topic. He demonstrates respect for himself and others through his words and actions, setting a positive example for his peers.
018Americ's kindness shine kindness shines through in a way he supports his the his classmates and teammates alike. Outside the classroom, Americo stays active and committed through his participation in baseball, soccer, and unified sports. His dedication to both academics and athletics shows his strong sense of balance and personal accountability. With a genuine love for learning, especially in math, America continues to stand out as a student who takes responsibility seriously and makes our school community a better place every day. Congratulations. [applause] For eighth grade student of the month, we have Jaydon Row. >> [applause] >> Jaydon Row has demonstrated outstanding responsibility and commitment since the start of the school year. He consistently puts forth his best effort, striving for excellence in everything he does. Jaydon is dependable, respectful, and kind. Qualities that make him a positive role
019model for his peers. His growing confidence and strong work ethic have made him a pleasure to have in class. Beyond the classroom, Jayon shows responsibility through his involvement in cross country and track, balancing his athletic commitments with academic success. Whether he's pushing himself on the course or collaborating in math class, Jaydon's dedication and positive attitude shine through. We're proud to recognize Jaydon as our eighth grade student of the month for responsibility. [applause] Sorry. Our freshman class student of the month is Brahen Thompson. [applause] Uh Brahen's teachers say that he exemplifies responsibility in every aspect of his school day. He comes to class focused, prepared, and ready to learn, consistently completing his work on time and putting forth his best effort. Bhine takes ownership of his learning by staying organized, asking for help when needed, and
020submitting all assignments promptly. He is also a supportive classmate, always willing to lend a hand to peers who may need assistance. His teachers describe him as dependable, hardworking, and mature beyond his years. Outside the classroom, Brahen continues to demonstrate responsibility through his commitment to travel soccer and his interest in environmental science. He also enjoys spending time with his brother and sister. Raheen is a student we can always count on and we are proud to recognize him as our student of the month for responsibility. [applause] Our sophomore class student of the month is Payton Bryin. Is it? Okay, give you that. Pton's teachers say that she exemplifies responsibility both inside and outside the classroom. As a 10th grader, Payton successfully balances a challenging academic schedule while actively participating in numerous extracurricular activities including field hockey, wrestling,
021softball, interact, unified sports, this is going to take a while, health prep, Spanish club, and club wrestling. Payton consistently demonstrates the ability to manage multiple commitments with dedication and maturity. Whether on the field, in the classroom, or contributing to school clubs, Payton takes ownership of responsibilities, meets deadlines, and shows reliability that peers and teachers can depend on. Payton's conscientiousness and commitment to both academics and extracurriculars make them a true role model to fellow students and a deserving recipient of this student's student of the month recognition. Congratulations. The junior class student of the month is Cade Scoffield. And Cade has had a strong start into the year in financial math, consistently demonstrating diligence in notetaking, completing all class examples, turning in assignments on time, and carefully verifying his work. He also shows responsibility beyond his own
022work by willingly answering classes, answering questions in class, and assisting his classmates when needed. Outside the classroom, Cade manages his time effectively to balance multiple commitments. Okay, there's there's a lot here. Uh he is an integral member of the baseball team in unified sports, participating fully while ensuring he meets all responsibilities for each activity. His respectful his respectful demeanor, strong work ethic, and dedication make him a model student who truly deserves this recognition. Kate enjoys social studies and is considering a future in business or athletic training, reflecting his drive to continue growing both academically and personally. Congratulations. [applause] And for our senior class, uh, Theo Colladros. [applause] >> Theo exemplifies responsibility both inside and outside the classroom. Theo approaches every task with care and dedication, consistently going above and beyond to assist with class projects
023and to support his peers. His respectful, kind, and helpful nature makes him a role model for others as he reliably steps up to help whenever needed. Beyond academics, Theo demonstrates responsibility through his active participation in the football and baseball programs, balancing athletics with school work, and maintaining a strong work ethic. With his interest in criminal justice at college, Theo shows maturity and commitment to his future goals. It is a pleasure to have Theo in class and his dependable and conscientious attitude makes him truly deserving of recognition as student of the month. [applause] All right. Now, we're going to move on to our teachers of the month for October. And we're going to start with uh Miss Christine Brady. [applause] back. >> Hello and thank you for coming out this evening. Um, it is my pleasure
024to recognize and honor Miss Christine Brady as the educator of the month for Havland Havland Avenue School for November of 2025. Um Christine was the first teacher I met when I began as principal in in Ottabon. And in the middle of July she was I was walking through um the building getting you know finding my way exploring the maze of Havland if you've been to Havland. Um when I stumbled upon a summer lesson Mrs. Brady was leading with three or four little ones spending time catching them up practicing skills that would help them be successful the following school year. and under her skillful guidance, they were having fun, they were engaged, and um they were enjoying school work even in the month of July. So, what I soon realized and didn't know at that time
025was that this would be the way with Christine Brady. Every lesson, plan, discussion, conversation, assessment, activity, and event in our school is based on what's best for students. She sets high expectations, provides engaging instruction, and gradually releases responsibility so that students become confident, independent learners. In her classroom, learning is joyful. Students collaborate, share ideas, use resources, and celebrate their progress. Outside of the classroom, Christine is a true professional and a leader. She mentors new teachers, contri both student teachers and um first year teachers, both both big hats to wear. um contributes to our PLC's and school climate, supports curriculum work, and is always willing to step up and lend a hand when needed. Teaching is both a skill and an art, and Christine Brady embodies both with grace and talent. Thank you, Christine, for your
026dedication to our students and our school, and congratulations on being educator of the month. [applause] Next, we have uh Miss Carrie Figureroa. >> [applause] >> Thank you. >> One of your colleagues wrote this. Carrie Figueroa is a perfect person to be named as October's teacher of the month. She is talented and dedicated special education teacher. Carrie consistently demonstrates remarkable patience and creativity in the classroom. I'm continually compre impressed at the degree of care, presentation, and thoughtfulness she gives when teaching her students. After working in a different assignment for four years, I was moved to Car's classroom. In the last two and a half months, I have witnessed firsthand her exceptional dedication to students with special needs, and I can't wait to learn more from her. I'm confident that she is the most deserving person for
027this honor and strongly recommend her for this recognition. [applause] And for the Ottabon Junior Senior High School, we have Miss Erica Bombgardner. [applause] I believe she said she wasn't going to be able to join us, but I wanted her to hear her write up anyway. It is with great pleasure that we recognize Mrs. Erica Bombgartner as the AHS teacher of the month. Mrs. Bombgartner demonstrates exceptional dedication to her students and her craft. She works tirelessly with the middle school math students, designing engaging and effective lessons that help them grasp complex mathematical concepts with confidence. Her instruction not only supports those who may need additional assistant assistance, but also challenges and extends the learning for the more advanced students. Through her thoughtful planning and innovative approach, she consistently fosters a love for learning and a deep
028understanding of mathematics. In addition to her excellence in the classroom, Miss Bombgottner is a valued member of the AHS community. She is always willing to assist her colleagues, share resources, and collaborate to improve instruction and student income outcomes. Her professionalism, generosity, and commitment to excellence exemplify what it means to be an outstanding educator. We extend our sincere appreciation to Mrs. Bombgartner for her hard work, her positive influence, her unwavering dedication and to students and staff of AHS. [applause] At this time, I'm going to ask Miss Ronase to come join me at the podium. We have one more uh staff recognition. Uh, could I ask Kim Denskus to come up to the podium? Join me up here. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Yes. >> Okay. All right. You have to
029stand. >> Stand there. Look at Look. [clears throat] So um last month Kim was um recognized through Neutroserve food management for a make a difference award and uh they actually shared us why um she was awarded this. So I am going one of our employees actually reached out to Neutraserve and wrote this about uh Kim. I wanted to take a moment to share how impressed I am with the outstanding work Kim and her team do at Audabon. The students are provided with an incredible range of healthy, high quality options every day. Whether it's the fresh salad bar, made to order sandwiches, or hot lunches. Kim's openness openness to student feedback and her willingness to adjust the menu to meet their interest and needs is truly commendable. She consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that
030our students not only have nutritious meals, but also enjoy the experience of school lunch. I can honestly say that the students at Audabon are fortunate to have such an exceptional program in place. It's a testament to the dedication and professionalism of Kim and the entire NeutriServe staff. So yes, it is uh the make a difference award that you were given through neutrerve food management. So congratulations. [applause] Thank you. >> All right. At this time, we'd like to get some pictures taken. So, if all of our students of the month could gather over at the uh the glass doors over there, our superintendent, Miss Allen, will take your picture. And then we'd also like to have our um staff uh nominees for the month of October as well. Bring your certificates with you, too. All right.
031Wow. Where'd everybody go? [laughter] All right. Uh, we're going to continue on with our meeting. Um, did you want to say anything? Okay, go right ahead. >> So, if you're looking at the agenda, we do have some other people we want to recognize. I realize most people have left, but I still want to give a shout out that during our preschool trunk or treat, we had some volunteers from the National Junior Honor Society, from the Ottabon Intergenerational Club, from the Interact Club, and the board of ed were all there. Um, as well as the Ottabon uh Ottabbon Park Fire Department, the Haden Township Police Department, the Ottabon Mutual, AMHC and Maintenance, and the Ottabon Fathers Association. They all had trunks and were around for the trunk or treat. It was a very good time. We
032had beautiful weather. It was very nice out there. Uh, a couple other things that I want to add real quick. Um, Havlin, the property next door to Havlin has been bought and there is some work going on there. So, we've had two days now that we found out that they were taking down trees and we found out by the noise of the chainsaws, not because we were given any prior information. So, um the the next step we did get the contractors in touch with our facilities, Mr. Holland. Uh they did talk understand it's a um property. It's a public propert someone else's property. We can't tell them when they can and can't do work. We're hoping that they will let us know, but uh Miss Ledger has had to do things on the fly twice
033now when she found out trees were coming down and it was oh, I don't know, within the time that dismissal was supposed to be happening. So I just ask for a lot of understanding from the community that we're doing our best. We asked them for a plan on what the plan is. They are going to demolish the top floor and try to add on a level depending if the first floor is stable. Lots going to be going on there. Lots going to affect I know Havlin's drop off and pickup is al already precarious but when you put large equipment and falling trees and whatever in the street we have to move the students as far away from that as humanly possible for safety. So, um, we had a lot of, you know, unhappy parents today
034at at pickup having some things to say to Miss Ledger and she's trying our best. We're doing our best with what we can and our main goal is obviously to keep the kids safe. Uh, another update just for the community is that we have a registar. We was one of our positions that we added from the tax levy and we will be implementing some updated registration and residency verification procedures. Um, so people will be getting there'll be a notice coming out from me with some more information, but people will be asked to verify their residency. If some of our uh files and things are outdated or leases that have expired, we'll need new copies of those things just to make sure that our um our attendance and our residency is correct. And then one last
035thing before I hand over the microphone is congratulations to the board members for the reelection. Our three incumbents all were reelected and that has happened since our last board meeting. So, I know you don't get sworn in or whatever till later, but another thing just wanted to say. I think that's everything I have for right now. >> Great. Thank you very much. >> All right. Um, moving on to approval of our board minutes. May I have a motion to approve the minutes from October 15th executive session and public session. And if anybody wasn't there, you have to make sure that you have seen. Can I get a Did I have a motion? >> Thank you. Um, roll call, please. >> Addie, >> yes. >> Sarah Coen, >> Alison Lipsky, >> yes. >> Jonathan Maxon, >>
036Andrea Robinson, >> Bill Wilson, >> Stephen Wilson, >> Alison Cox, Oh, she's not here. Sorry. I apologize. Danielle D. Franchesco >> and Amy Davis. >> Yes. >> Motions passed. >> Just just [laughter] All right. Uh we will have our first public participation session. Um please note that um this is on agenda items only. Is there anyone that would like to make a comment on agenda items only? All right. Seeing that we have no one to make a comment, I will close that public participation session and move on to governance, I'd like to recognize Miss Lipky. So, we had a rather lengthy meeting uh last week, but we had a lot of policies to go through. Um we had thought we were all caught up, but we were just proud fools. Um so most of these
037though um were mandatory and it was more of they wanted to make sure that the statutory language and the title of the statutes were correct. Um they also were taking out all of our policies and regs well our policies spelled out every um group that was a protected class. um this they just changed that so it says what the statute is and the the statute which had the definitions. So that is what happened and that was the change that was made. There weren't a lot of comprehensive changes to most of them. When there was recommended we basically we already had the policy. A lot of this also was once again changing from he she to they. So it was non-gendered. Um and and one of the big things that the administration is doing too because
038In a small school district like ours, a lot of people have a lot of different hats. And so the administration is working on having an organizational chart. They've already made one in organizational chart so everyone kind of knows the hierarchy in the administration and in the school system. But this is one where if there were someone on staff or in the administration that had an issue with affirmative action or an equal opportunity issue or equal employment or discrimination type of issue, who do you go to? Because we have different unions and different things like this and you know we might Meltzer who is the principal at Mansion but she's also the um I think the equal opportunity officer or the uh discrimination officer and but for these group of people but not for this group
039of people. So they are working on an org chart that will be part of the policy so that when people all of these are online they can go and see that that also will be up with the signage that is already up in all the schools that deal with these policies and laws. um so that you will know, bless you, you will know who the correct person is to go to in a very easy way and not have to be hunting for it. Um and it'll be right there in this organizational chart so that it's very clear for everyone and that's also for everyone in the community as well. So that is something that is also going to be a part of of that and will be part of policies in the regs and online
040as well. Um, there were a couple that were recommended. We already had them. We made the changes as recommended for most. One of the ones that we thought was odd and because it was recommended, we decided not to is they wanted to remove and guardians from parents and guardians. Like that was kind of the biggest part of what they were talking about. And uh we here at Ottabon have a lot of kids that might not have a parent but have a guardian and things of that and we felt that it was important because of that that we don't take that language out and so that has remained in um and that's pretty much what happened. There was nothing really, no real fundamental changes except just making sure that we were up to date in what
041the statutes were actually titled and what the language that is being used and is mandatory for the state. And that was pretty much it, but it was it was a lot, but we got through it. Um, and then also not on here, but we are working on a um kind of like a policy manual or like a little guide for our student handbook. Thank you for our student representatives. I know you guys are so excited about it. Just you wait. Um, yay. So, we worked on that, but that obviously is not something that we publish and things like that, but that was a big part of what we did in that meeting because we take having the student representatives on the board very seriously and we want them to get as much out of it
042as they possibly can. and we actually enjoy hearing things from your perspective because as we would say, you're in the trenches. So, um, anything else from anyone else on the on the committee? Oh, it's being abolished because the state has abolished that policy. And it's and I was I was just about to say that as Miss Allen stated, it's covered in other policies and it just has become redundant. But so that is why it's not that there is no more equity in educational programs and services. There is a lot of equity and as you can see a lot of what we went through is talking about equity and fairness and non-discrimination. So, um, that has been removed, but the spirit of it is still alive and well in all of our policies and regulations. >>
043Uh, anything to add, Miss Allen? So, like I said, we I did actually share the handbook with the student reps today when we had our meeting. Talked to them about that it's still in draft mode, that we want them to be a part of helping us develop it. So, gave them some time. I'll make sure I get them the dates to be able to attend our committee meetings because I keep forgetting to do that. Um the day after governance I got a few new policies already that need to be updated. They sent us a special notice about so I'm not sure about that. Um and just to follow up we had talked about school boards has a free policy update service as opposed to strauss and we decided we're not going to not do strauss
044but I did sign up for the free service. So we will get from school boards see how that is see if it's more efficient more effective good bad and different. We're gonna wait a year. But I did sign up for that and they said they wrote me back and said it will start in January that we'll get these notices from them. So in governance we now can have notices from two people to review. Yay. >> So happy. >> Who wants to be on governance committee? >> Still coming during the week to see me, right? >> All right. Um can I get a motion on items one and two under governance? >> Thank you. Any questions or comments or discussion on agenda items one and two? Mr. Win, >> I just got a couple questions about
045um exactly what secret societies and what that was revised about because that's that's like a kind of >> We had a lot of fun >> talking about that one. >> Yeah. It's not really >> that easy. >> Yeah. Everyone has to have access. You can't have a secreted, >> right? >> All right. All right. But that was a very good question. >> I just I saw it and I I had to ask >> that. Let me tell you, when we all got our agendas, literally that was the first policy we all read, right? >> Anything else? Okay. >> All right. >> You are speaking. [laughter] Remember to turn on your microphone. [gasps] >> Any other questions? Okay. Okay. Roll call, please, then. >> Alison Lipsky, >> yes. >> Jonathan Maxon, >> yes. >> Andrea Robinson,
046>> yes. >> Bill Wilson, Steven Wilson, >> yes. >> Danielle G. Franchesco, Mark Gaddy, Amy Davis, >> Motions pass. Excellent. All right. I was all set to recognize Mrs. Cox, but she's not able to join us this evening. So I am going to do a a the best I can here to capture uh what occurred at the operations committee meeting and any of my fellow committee members please feel free to jump in. Um so operations committee met on Tuesday November 4th and um some of the things that we reviewed were any of the district openings that we currently have. You'll see on the agenda tonight is the approval for the budget calendar. That's not the budget. It's just what happens in the um sequence of events to develop the budget. Um we also talked about
047the memorandum of understanding that is also on the agenda with Ottabon Park and actually Mrs. Cox had a a good catch. Um, we added language to that to make sure that in the event that the preschool expansion aid would no longer be available to us for whatever reason, you know, anything that might happen at the state level. We wanted to make sure that we had language in there that we wouldn't be held to that lease because of course if the preschool expansion aid isn't given to us as as with other districts, we wouldn't have the funds to be able to to provide for the preschool. So, um you'll see the language for that lease in there. We talked about our new hires. We had a lengthy discussion about um our power professionals and different things
048that we can do to try to maintain their employment in the district recognizing that that is uh a challenge for many districts right now uh all over the state as a matter of fact. So we're you'll hear me also echo that discussion in human resources as well. We're continuing to have that discussion. Um Mrs. draw case provided us with a lot of information and um Miss Allen also has received some additional information and we're going to continue that discussion in December. Hopefully considering we are beginning our budget cycle with the information that we find out we'll be able to make some plans and add that into our budget projections for for next year. We also um of course this date has passed but I brought to everybody's attention the um New Jersey Department of Education
049was um putting a survey up on their website for community input on the school funding reform act. I believe the deadline closed was it the 14th? Yeah, November 14th. So um Miss Allen put out a superintendent spotlight on that and also the link was in there too. So hopefully community members as well as board members were able to log on and and read about that and answer that survey. I attended a meeting last night about that and we'll be interested to see. The the Department of Education is holding several hearings across the state. Unfortunately, they're in the middle of the workday, so it's rather difficult for anyone to get to. Um but we'll uh eventually see the results of that survey and see what the input was. And um we had also asked Mrs. Ron
050Casease to kind of update us at that time as Helena mentioned the the SNAP benefits were uh in great peril at that time. So we talked about how we could help our community if there was any needs that she was aware of or anything that we needed to do in the moment. And one of the things that she brought to our attention was um if anybody at any time has a change in their income status that they may apply for free and reduced lunch. So it may be I we just wanted to make sure nobody thought that that's only a beginning of the school year option and you could only capture that opportunity in September. But literally if your income changes at any time, you have the opportunity to apply for the free and reduce
051lunch. And how would they do that? Is that your question? >> How will they do it? But also, is that something like can we put a banner just because of the SNAP benefits and things like that like on the website because people might not be thinking of that? They're just probably reactionary. >> Sure. And just >> and there's been a lot of layoffs, things like that. So >> just so that's kind of there. Yep. >> In their face. >> That's a good idea. Um, and how Yes. And how how would they apply for the free and reduced lunch? Mrs. Ron Casease, is that on the website? >> A link to that >> is on the website. It is in paper form. Um, so you would need to print it out, but we do send them
052out at the beginning of the year. beginning of the year and we have had students come down to well here at the high school um come to our office and pick up forms but um also uh food service also has forms. >> Okay. >> Um down in the lunchroom. >> Okay. >> The upper and lower elementary schools. I apologize but >> No, no, no. >> Can we possibly have the forms like maybe at the front desk? >> I believe they do have I will double check. Sometimes we send over like 10 at a time um and they call. Yeah. >> Excellent. Thank you. >> Okay. Um my fellow committee members, any else from the meeting that I might have not captured? Okay. All right. On the agenda tonight, um are the the normal reports that
053we see each month. Um, we also have um some documentation about the preschool for next school year for 2627. Again, the budget calendar is on there. Um, we're going to be renewing our membership in the BCIP GIF. That's a three-year membership. Um, it doesn't the renewal doesn't start until July 1st, but Mrs. Tron said that they they need us to have the resolution on the agenda this early even though it doesn't take effect until July 1st. Again, theou with um Ottabon Park and oh the updated organizational chart for the public um for our school district um with the addition of the two new positions. Yes. So that is on there. Do you have anything else to add? I just wanted to say thank you to both Barbie and Deb for the um preschool expansion grant.
054We actually got ours submitted early, which was huge because there were some technical difficulties. I had to write to the help desk to get some things um reset and we were able to get ours submitted. And when I went to the county meeting on Friday, I found out over half the counties were unable to submit theirs by the deadline because they were then writing to the help desk on Friday. Hey, this isn't working. This isn't working. It was too late. So fortunately, Miss Ledger is ahead of the game and Miss Ron Casease was like, "Let's get it done today. Let's just do it today." So that that little window of time of being ahead of the game really worked out for us. So I want to thank them for their due diligence. >> Excellent. Excellent.
055Excellent. All right. Any questions, comments on non-aggenda items under operations? All right. Then can I have a motion for items? Make sure I have this right. 1 through 16. Thank you. Roll call, please. >> Allison Lipsky, >> yes. >> Jonathan Maxon, >> yes. >> Andrea Robinson, >> yes. >> Bill Wilson, >> Steven Wilson, >> yes. >> Danielle D. Franchesco, >> Mark Gaddy, >> Sarah Coolen, >> Amy Davis, >> yes. Motions passed. Thank you. All right. I'd like to recognize Miss Robinson for education. The education committee met on October 27th and we had presentations from the Havlin and Mansion PBIS committees which were really incredible. Um at Havland they are using buzz bucks they have a schoolwide prize if they fill their cafeteria hive. They have assemblies. Uh they have Havland choice awards where students get
056nominated for like an end of the year Havland award. They have a student of the month breakfast at the end of the year for all the students of the months. Um, and then at Mansion they are they use the data from each year's discipline reports to drive the next year's lessons and uh the ways that they're going to incorporate PBIS in particularly to their RGI program. Um they're using the sixth graders to present to the third graders about how PBIS works at Mansion. Um and they have a student PBIS representative from every class on their committee. Um so that was really neat. It was very positive as PBIS is supposed to be. Um, then we also talked about uh lesson plan checking and how that's happening with the new sort of positions. Um, we got
057a update on the wind program and how it's working and how they're going to use data from testing to see to really evaluate the wind program. Um, was at the meeting. And then on the agenda tonight, there is the usual student statistics, conference approval, field trip approval, out of district placements, homebound instruction, the standard. Um the standard things. Miss Allen, did you want to add? >> That was I didn't actually have anything. The presentations were great. I want to thank the teachers that came and spent that evening with us to present those things. I think that was really great and I look forward to more presentations of that nature. Um I think it's good for the board to hear from them. I also enjoyed going to the buildings. Nobody's mentioned it in today's uh last
058month we did. We went to Mansion this month for all of our committee meetings and I think it's been great going to different buildings. And next month we're at the high school and even though we're used to having our meetings here, we will do a tour to see some things that maybe we haven't seen in a few years. I think it's really great to really appreciate the facilities and some of the things that are happening in the buildings. All right, thank you. Any questions, comments, or discussion on non-aggenda items? >> Miss Robinson. Um, I haven't been to Havland events in a long time and I went to the Havland um, haunted house event and it was amazing too. I mean, it was just the right amount of scary. Um, really fun prizes at the end.
059It was really good event. I think that was PTA, but they did a great job. non agenda having been in Havland when we had our meeting. I loved all the Spanish everywhere because was it mansion? It was mansion. My apologies. Mansion. It's >> we're getting around. Uh it was mansion. Hadn't been there for a while. But I did love, you know, elo me elo and I was it was just a lot of fun and it was like triggering all the Spanish I took through many years of high school and some college and now know very little. I brought that up to our Spanish teachers at our high school. So we had seen that at seeing that in uh uh an elementary building that can that can be used in middle school, high school. That was
060awesome. And I agree with that, Miss Lipy. That was great. So, anybody that hasn't gone, they the steps they actually have numbered um they have light switches, fire extinguishers, bathrooms, water fountains, offices, all of these cafeteria, nurse's office, all of them have a small sign that has it in Spanish as well, so that students are picking up and and just seeing it, recognizing it. >> Yeah, but that has been the benefit of the tours of of all the buildings is seeing all that great stuff. All right. Um, can I get a motion on items 1 through eight under education? >> Any questions, comments, or discussion on agenda items 1 through eight? >> All right, roll call, please. >> Jonathan Maxon, >> yes. >> Andrea Robinson, >> yes. >> Bill Wilson, Steven Wilson, >> yes. >>
061Danielle G. Franchesco. >> Mark Gaddy, >> Sarah Ken, >> Alison Lipsky, >> yes. >> Amy Davis, >> yes. >> Motion's passed. >> Thank you. And now to human resources. Um committee met last night. Again, we were at Mansion. We um also reviewed the open positions in the district and we reviewed some of the new hires that are on the agenda. We like I said in operations, we had a continuing discussion regarding the salary structure for our par profofessionals. And we also reviewed the committee goals for this school year. and Miss Allen is going to be um commenting on some of that. I I don't want to steal your thunder, so I'll let you I'll let you talk about the successes of our um newly I thought you were going to do that tonight. No. >>
062Okay, I guess. >> Do you do you want do you remember? Okay. All right. of our newly appointed uh assistant superintendent and our supervisor of curriculum and instruction. And um some of the upcoming things that the committee still needs to accomplish is we need to and I think all of our committees need to review policy 0155. Um human resources is looking to get job descriptions for all of the stipen positions. And even though it's an evermoving, ever evolving um animal, we would like the organizational chart for the instructional staff just so we have a [clears throat] clearer picture of we we see all these names and we see some of the faces here at the meeting, but it would really nice be nice to know where everybody is in each one of the buildings. Um
063on tonight's agenda, there's various motions concerning staffing. Um we have motions for requests for FMLA and medical leads. one of our staff members is um achieving their tenure. There's a motion for paid and volunteer winter coaching positions. A motion for our municipal alliance grant coordinator. Motion for volunteers for the Mansion Avenue musical pilot, which I think will be wonderful. I hope we get invited to that and know when that's going to be. We have motions for extracurricular contracts. You'll see that um the appointees for the instructional council are on the agenda. There's a motion to approve two compensation days for room assignment changes per the A.E.A. contract. There are motions um for compensation to our staff that facilitated professional learning. Motion for new teacher supports. There are motions for sixth period and overload compensation. Motion
064for a nurse assistant at the high school. Motion for admin staff to buy back vacation days per the AAA contract. Motion to approve chaperoons for the senior trip and motion for our community education volunteers. All right. Any questions, comments, or discussion on non-aggenda items under human resources? Okay, then can I get Oh, I had things in red that I forgot. Sorry. Oh, yes. And you Sorry. Please hold page 13 in the agenda. You're supposed to remind me about this. Page 13 on the agenda number four, it should state motion to release employee number 2466 effective December 18th. And then on page 16, number 25, you can see there was um an adjustment there for the yearbook business position. So it should read Mike Stubs yearbook business effective September 2nd through November 18th and the contractual
065rate is $91047. And then the new appointee, Miss uh Amy Wiltsy, for the yearbook effective 1119 to 630 with the contractual rate of $232.96. All right, Miss Allen, sorry. Do you have anything to add? Okay. I originally had um I wanted to thank the union, the A.E.A. for working with us on the sidebar to allow us to do the partial stipens for approval. That certainly made everybody's life a lot easier and to have that language in the contract um covers us with that. I also wanted to give a shout out to Chris Sylvester again with all of the professional development that he's been doing. Um, we actually had an admin meeting today at the high school about it and uh he is jubilant about doing it. He's doing it more and more. People are asking
066for more and more help with it. Um, some obviously are taking to it faster than others, but even those that are nobody's refusing. some are just a little bit more um hesitant or scared or having a little bit of difficulty with it and he is patient with everybody working with anybody as much as we need every inservice we have um Mr. Mr. Burke is is scheduling in time for a overall presentation and then time for working one-on-one with people. So, you will frequently see this paying him for these things. But I I don't can't pay him enough. Like the service he's doing for the school and the education committee got to see that firsthand. It is an amazing tool. It it's not 100% there yet, but it is an amazing tool and we're really coming
067a long way with it. and the fact that he's willing to support it every single time with all the different learners, administrators, teachers, whatever. He gets all excited. He did a bunch of updates the other day. He's like, "Oh, I have to do all this new." And and it's just he's got a whole new life even about it. So, it's it's really really great to see. Um, as for the meeting, we did talk about a few things. One of the things that's one of the goals that we're that I'm to report out on is we added two new administrative positions this year with this budget. We added a supervisor of curriculum and we made our director of curriculum into assistant superintendent. And there's always questions as to why we did that. So, as things are
068coming up, I wanted to just keep you informed on how well those things are going. Um, Miss Costl, our supervisor of in of curriculum and instruction, has been doing walkthroughs. She's popping into classrooms and seeing things that are happening at all of the different buildings in order to keep it very consistent and have a a rhyme and reason, not just sporadic. She's doing a department at the high school, then she does a grade level at an elementary, then she'll do a department at the high school, go do a grade level at the elementary, but she gets to see everybody in, let's say, the high school math department was one of the first. So, she saw everybody in the high school math department. After a meeting, she would send them an email that had some information,
069things she loved to see, little shoutouts, and then maybe some next steps. Here's something you might want to think about, or here's something that you could do next, and things like that. Um, she sat with Mr. ISM and technology for probably an entire day to get something called autocrat figured out. So now she has a Google form when she goes into a walkthrough. She has a Google form in front of her. She puts in a little bit of actually she does it on paper and does it later. Uh she writes down some notes. She sits down in a Google form, fills in this information and it'll automatically generate an email to the teacher that says, "Hi, this is Sam and it was great coming to visit your blank class today and seeing the blank happening."
070And then it's got her blurbs about the shoutouts, her blurbs about the and um if you would like to give any feedback, you would like to talk about this. Now, it also has the ability for the teacher to write comments back and it pops up back to her. So, they can actually have a two-way dialogue through this system. So, today at our high school meeting, we are going to take that system to the next level. So, as soon as we get the autocrats set up to send it and say instead of saying, "Hi, I'm Sam Costel," it'll say, "Hi, I'm Jeff Leb and I'm Dan Callie and whatever." and each of the vice principles will do the same there. It's all housed in one Google file in her drive. So, she can always go back
071and see. She's communicating that with the let's say math supervisor. We did the math department. So, I'm going to go talk to the math supervisor. Here's things I'm seeing that are going great. Here's my areas of concern. So, when you go in, make sure you're looking for the same things. We also developed a plan like maybe it would be a good idea for you to do a walkthrough a couple weeks before you're going to do your observation so that when you're saying here's things I want you to, you know, you might want to check up on. There's a kid in the back of the room on his phone. you didn't really see that. Then maybe by observation time some of those things we can see if those improvements are being made. So that's been amazing.
072The feedback, we're all about feedback. We started it last year. We added it to the observation forums. We spent the summer with training about um about meaningful feedback, not just, hey, you had a great lesson. Yeah, that doesn't help me any um but giving meaningful feedback and areas for growth. And so this walkthrough is doing that as well. and we're working with everybody to make sure that we're all giving back meaningful feedback and it's all kind of directed. So, I'm not saying I like your walls and you're saying I like your your productive struggle and you're saying I like that the kids are using technology. We're trying to keep things focused. Um, another big piece that Sam is doing is she's taking on the announced observations. I can talk about this more in depth at
073a committee, but by her taking on the announced observations, it frees up a lot of time for the building administrators to be in the classrooms and doing more other of the other instructional things that we need them to be doing to be instructional leaders. Um, so much time was taken up with those that it almost cuts that time in half. They're still evaluating. They're still getting in to see the classroom, but they're not having to do the pre-conference, the postconference, and have it as structured because their days are fluid. With a discipline happens, a parent shows up, somebody starts cutting trees on down in the property next door, it tends to mess with you. Um, so that's a lot of the things that the supervisor is doing, assistant superintendent. One of the big things that
074we've been working on is leadership. leadership of our principles, leadership of our teachers, leadership of u different committees just working on enhancing figuring out where people's weaknesses are and really helping them, mentoring them, whether it's communication, whether it's leading of meetings, whether it's documentation of things um through an investigation. Miss Gearan had a long conversation with one of our administrators and they said, "You know what? I'd love to have a training on investigations and documentations from somebody who's been in the court having to do something. What can I do to help you to make your job better? What things should I be writing down? what things shouldn't I, how often, how do I do that? So, we're going to work on a training with that. Um, some of the things from the strategic plan, new
075teachers having peer observations. Uh, we don't want to just say, "Hey, you should go in and see three teachers." We're structuring it. It's going to have real meaning. We're not doing anything to be a checkbox. We're doing things with real meaning. So, uh, Mr. Burke has laid out, made sure we found people. So, I have a new teacher, but they're experienced. They're just new to Ottabon. Well, great. They should be going to seeing somebody. Mansion's a perfect example because they have your roar system. You have your your um zones of regulation. These are not things that happen in other districts. So, if Mr. Maxon's a very accomplished teacher and he comes to Mansion, he's still not necessarily going to know Mansion's ways. So, I'm going to have him go and see some teachers that specialize
076in some of those Mansion things as opposed to going and seeing instructional strategies. So, we're really targeting what we can do to help these people grow and really be um valuable in our buildings. Uh same thing with professional development. You see a whole lot of professional development. We're researching, finding areas where we think people need growth, making sure they're going to worthwhile workshops and also when they come back, we're talking to them about it. What did you learn? How are you going to implement that? What things are not just okay, you went came back, great, but taking it to the next step. And one of his biggest uh jobs in the last month anyway has been these new platforms whether it's testing or New Jersey SLED which is New Jersey Smart which is really what
077gathers all captures all of our data and gives us our school report card which is one of the most important things to us as a district. It's a brand new system and it doesn't work and it's a mess and it requires a whole lot of hands in the pot and figuring out who's responsible for what where when and why and then a lot of patience to talk to the state going when are you going to fix it because I can't submit it. it has 25 errors and is everybody else having these errors and who's having these errors. So, he's really been spearheading that and trying to make sure that all of our deadlines are hit, QAC, things of that nature. Making sure the d the data that's being uploaded is accurate. Um, if it's not
078figuring out where, why, and how and making sure it's fixed and it's requiring a whole lot of coordination. So, um, that's been a lot and that's taken up a lot of time in the last and also the announced observations. uh the two of them have taken those on, but we I'll report more out more on that and committee. Any questions, comments for non-aggenda items under HR? All right. Did I Did I get the motion? No, we didn't do that. I know I went out of sequence when I didn't ask for your input, Miss Allen. I apologize. All right. M I have a motion then for items 1 to 45. Thank you. Any questions, comments, or discussion on agenda items? Miss Robinson, >> I have a question about 42. Despite fearing repercussions, I asked about this
079last year. Um, and my concern is that there are are over half of the teachers who are going to be chaperoning the Disney trip for five days in March are not 12th grade teachers. and some of them teach AP classes. And I know we're always talking about the AP push, the AP push, and now the AP teachers are going to miss five days of class. So, I just this might be the hill I die on, but this trip just seems so disruptive to the educational experience of all the students. Yeah. Um, and I I think we talked about this last year with the chaperoons, and I was assured that there would be different chaperoons this year, but I think it's the same. >> It's not the same. I I'm glad you asked about it because
080I did want to address it. I forgot. It's not the same. Um, Mr. Lab put out an email and asked for volunteers. Came back and said, "I know we want senior senior teachers to go, but if senior teachers don't volunteer, I can't make them go." I said, "Totally understand that." So he went through and was very deliberate to look at who was going and who was not going. Um or who volunteered, I'm sorry, who volunteered and of the people that volunteered. If you go, is there senior teacher that I can put in your spot to be able to cover this and cover that? For example, uh if you teach a trade or something that is something that only you can do and I can't have somebody sub your class, we didn't put that person on
081the list. So like there's a math teacher going, but there's a math teacher that's staying that will be able to cover a math teacher's class. So, those things are already thought about and figured out to make sure that the classes that are um empty are covered with a a senior teacher that stays like they've already looked at that. But every senior teacher that volunteered was put on the list. >> And how will the AP classes be handled? >> Which ones have AP? I think there's only one, isn't there? I think >> I think >> who has >> I mean but also they'll be missing >> Morrison and who yeah I thought it was a heading that was I couldn't find that. Um I don't like I said I know that Mr. Leb took time and
082effort into looking into that. I'll have to find out what I don't know what the things were. years old as usual. >> Yes. Yes. The expectation is he he called me and we went over it in depth. Um he had a one one list of people a couple people said they didn't want to go even after they had volunteered. Um so he called me was very concerned and how do you feel about and I said you know I'm not making this decision you're making the decision just make sure that it's thoughtful. I want to be able to say to the board was this taken into consideration did we think about and what are our provisions being made? He said yes. So I was comfortable with that. My big thing was like in the past I
083couldn't say that. This year I can say it was definitely thought about. It was definitely considered and a plan is already in place even though we're not there yet. And again I think you see 43 also talked about allowing us to have alternates because things happen at the last minute and we wanted to be able to but I can tell you it's not the same list as last year. There may be some but it's definitely not the same list. not entirely the same list, but yeah, there are some people, and that was another thing he was intentional about was to make sure new people are going so that should people not go anymore, should people like retire out of wanting to do that, we have people that have gone. I don't want everybody that knows
084to say, "I'm done. I don't want to go anymore." And then not have anybody that knows. So, we're trying to build the capacity of others. Any other questions? Okay. I'm actually I'm really glad that that you asked that question because we did have that explanation at HR last night and really I'm I don't ever remember having that kind of that level of consideration being given to that and I think that was an important point that you raised um last year when we were talking about it and I really do feel like it it received a level of consideration this year that it never has before. So, yeah, I'm really glad that you raised that point last year and that it was it was taken and and run with. >> Okay. Uh, roll call, please. Robinson,
085>> yes. >> Bill Wilson, Steven Wilson, >> yes. >> Uh, Danielle D. Franchesco. Mark Gaddy. Sarah Cen. >> Alison Lipsky, >> Jonathan Maxon, >> yes. >> Amy Davis, >> yes. >> Motion's passed. >> Thank you. All right. You can see on the agenda our um HIV reports. And now on to our special program representatives. Mr. Steven Wilson for ed services. >> I have nothing to report this month on that. >> Mr. Maxon for Camden County School Boards. >> Nothing to report. We have a meeting uh beginning of December. >> Yes. Is anyone able to go to that? It's the winter concert here at the high school. Okay, great. Um, back to Mr. Steven Wilson for Ed Foundation. >> Uh, we had a meeting on Monday to discuss the, um, Festival of Lights that we're hosting
086as a fundraiser on the 10th, 11th, and 12th at the rec center, uh, 5:30 to 8:30. There will be, um, we're still finalizing the details because it's the first time we've done it and there's a lot of like, how many people are going to show up? What are we going to have? Uh there will be uh crafts, pictures with Santa, uh a couple vendors, some food, some s'mores, some hot chocolate. Uh the community's it's on a donation basis. Thank you. It is a fundraiser after all. Um we obviously want it to be a community event, but the intention is to raise money to support the programs that they support. Uh the community has really stepped up. There's a dozen or 15 um organizations that have purchased um or sponsored signs uh and the lighting displays.
087It should be nice. We have another meeting in two weeks to hopefully finalize all the details. Uh and again it's the 10th, 11th, and 12th at the rec center 5:30 to 8:30. Come on out and check it out. Um we usually do the um night at the races this time of year. That's getting pushed to the spring. So it's still going on. We're still trying to figure out where to have it. It is happening still. Um we're just trying something different this year. Uh there were two grants that were discussed. One was approved, one we're tableabling. Um but the teachers are still asking for projects. So if you come out to support uh the foundation, those monies go to support the teachers. So thank you. >> All right. Um uh so in the month of
088October, as was reported earlier, there was the trunk or treat event that Miss Lipsky and Mrs. Davis attended on behalf of the board as well as Miss Allen. Um Mounty from board of education meeting for this past month was attended by myself and Mrs. Cox. Um and I believe Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Allen attended the Ottabon Park Council meeting uh which was the same night. Um so on the community events calendar that's linked on the weekly wave. Um there are links within the calendar to sign up for the Mount Firm board of education meetings. We'd like to have representation there just so we have a better idea what's going on with their district sending to us those relationships and things like that. Um I don't think there's many people signed up yet for December. The
089dates for January on are not set yet. So those are still open, but for December if anyone has availability to go, the date is on there. Um it's really interesting experience. The meetings are very short compared to ours. Um the format is a little bit different as well. So it's it's just really interesting to see um how other districts handle their meetings, too. Um in addition to that, I'm gathering dates for different concerts and events for December that I'll put on the community um list as well, just in case any board members want to attend and see the great works that our our students and teachers are doing. Um otherwise I'm not aware of too much um going on from community perspective for the month of December other than you know Mansion has their um
090holiday market on the 6th. AEF has their um festival of lights as well. So just some opportunities to get out and mingle with some people in the public um answer some questions or hear hear feedback from our community members. So I think that's it. Thank you >> very much. Um, Mr. Gaddy for ad hoc committee. >> I've reached out to Mount so that we can discuss how uh the summer events that we had done together and how the first marking period is going. So far, I haven't heard back yet. >> And uh board member orientation, Miss Lipsky, >> we haven't had any meetups since we kind of have mentors and mentees. Um I do kind of feel like it's part of not necessarily orientation but um board member collegiality and being a board together. Yeah.
091Spirit of the board. Uh so um I did put out to everyone including our illustrious lawyer and business administrator and our assistant superintendent. um for after our cup of cheer that the board usually does after our December board meeting to have the what has become our annual secret Santa Hanukkah Harry anonymous agnostic serreptitious spiritualist thank you for that Miss Coolen that is really hard to say and spelling seritious I had to check a couple times [laughter] and uh seems like everyone's kind of doing that And if anyone else wants to do it, please let me know by the end of this week because I figured I'd get out who your person is so that if you want to hit those Black Friday deals, you can. Um, but I I have found it to be something
092that's really fun and just kind of connects you to someone else in a different way, in a meaningful way. So, thank you for, you know, engaging with it and things like that. I appreciate it. Right. Any questions for any of the um special program committees that we have? Okay. Any board member comments? So, I would just like to and while we have the student reps here and everything like this, um [clears throat] with the AI task force, I just love having that name. It sounds so like we're we're hands-on with it, although it's way more dramatic than it actually is. Um I know we were thinking about possibly having the task force re-engaged in December, but hearing that there's new policies and things like that, and I feel like December is always kind of a
093hectic month. I would like it, Miss Allen, if you are okay with it if our January governance meeting, which I believe is January 13th. Um, the junior rep is to come to governance meetings when they can and we'll make sure that you have that information. Helena, usually as a the senior rep is education now, but you did such a good job and you did the poll of the students and you were part of it. So, if you would like to be a part of it, but As Mr. Maxon said, you are involved in everything. Um, so if you are a little stretched thin, I understand that as a senior, but maybe if you can provide that information to Ryan and kind of catch him up on it if you're not able to attend or just
094even if you are so he can kind of hit the ball, hit the ground running. Um, and then if we can kind of have that for January and just plan on that, um, I think that'd be really good because although I've said this before, I'm learning that education is it's a slowm moving ball toward slow ball train. I I don't think it's a train. I I think it's a ball that no one's pushing, but heavy. It's a very heavy ball. Um but AI is one of those things that is just kind of blazing through and if we are not at the forefront of this and really all on board and I think everything that all that that we saw at the NJSBA conference is that we all kind of have to figure out what we're
095doing and we need to be going with it and it can't be one of those things where we well maybe let's see how this runs because let's see how this works. That's already old news and now it's something new. So, we're going to have to have something a flexible policy and regulation and this is also going to really have to be a part of our curriculum, which is what I learned from every presentation that I saw that this is really it's not just a board policy. This has to be implemented throughout the entire district at all levels and in the curriculum as well. So, um I look forward to January and uh yay comments. I wanted to boost a Facebook comment I saw on the high school group that if your senior is going on
096the real uh going on the trip, they need the real ID. Don't wait till the last minute to get that. It's a requirement now. Uh you don't want to have to like fight with the DMV last minute. So, you're >> have a passport >> or you get a passport. You have a passport, you're good and it's not expired. >> Just make sure you have all your documents in place before that time comes because it's going to be here before we know. >> Passport card. Passport card. Password in any form. >> In any form or the card. Yeah, >> definitely. Unexpired. That That's key. >> All right. Did you have Okay. Okay. Um, no more comments then. I'm going to open up the public part the second public participation session. This is an open discussion. So,
097anybody that would like to share anything, doesn't have to be an agenda item, it can be anything that you wanted to bring to our attention. You're welcome to approach the podium. My name is Jim Blumenstein. I'm a resident at 136 West Pinehoot. I have three children at Mansion AB School. With me tonight is Audrey Beer who has four children in the district at all three buildings and Amy Liberia who has two children in the district, one at Mansion and one at Havlin. We formed the core of the Ottabon Safe Roots to School team and are here tonight to thank the board of education and the administration for their support of the program. Miss Smeltzer at man and mansion a school with the support of superintendent Allen recently hosted a meeting to conduct our school travel
098plan road safety audit. It included members of our team along with school administration, staff, police department, both PTAs, sustainable audabon, representatives of the county and state departments of transportation and cross county connection, our county's designated transportation management association that is assisting us with the implementation and use of sustainable transportation modes for our students and residents. We discussed how students travel to school, what roads they use, and how parents feel about the safety of their students as they travel to and from school. This will result in a school travel plan which will be recommend ways to increase the number of children walking and biking to school through infrastructure improvements and programming. Our local goals will align with the national safe routes to school program goals of improving the health of school children through increased activity, increasing
099travel safety, and reducing reliance on cars to get to school. We are eagerly awaiting the draft of the plan and look forward to collaborating with the district, parents, and burrow to celebrate our strengths and thoughtfully address areas where we can continue to grow. More recently, some parents and residents have expressed concerns over drop off procedures at Havlin and a school, suggesting it is safer for children to be dropped off by car than to walk, that walking to school actually increases risk of harm to students, and that bad weather conditions increases this risk further. Some feel that the new procedures are an inconvenience and have asked for more car access at the entrance of the school. National Safe Routts data has shown that car congestion is the number one cause of school zone injuries and that
100reducing car traffic near schools improves safety. That walking and biking infrastructure reduces crash risk and improves pedestrian safety. The fact is safe crossings with trained crossing guards and traffic calming strategies are safer for our children than the convenience of dropping them off at the entrance by car. While it may be an inconvenience, Safe Routes to School emphasizes student safety and community benefit over driver accessibility. Risk comes from cars, not kids walking and biking. When more students walk and bike in organized crossings like those around Havlin, visibility increases and drivers slow down. Even if the car line was brought back with tighter enforcement, it would not solve baseline safety concerns caused by high car volume, congestion, blind spots, and unsafe street design. All major concerns that can be alleviated with an emphasis on walking and biking
101to school. I'm I'm almost finished. The solution is not more car access, but fewer cars and better infrastructure. We look forward to sharing the travel plan with all stakeholders to address these and other concerns and create space to discuss and plan better solutions for the safety and well-being of our children and community. Thank you for all that all of you do. We appreciate it and we look forward to working with you in the future. Thank you. Is there anyone else that would like to make a comment? >> Okay, Miss Allen, as Mr. Blumenstein said, I was a part of that event. It was very eye opening. It was very informative to walk around the neighborhood. Um, it was parents, school administrators, police officers, transportation. We broke into two groups. One group walked around town on
102this side. Everything from mansion to the high school and back looking at the the routes that we would have. The other ones went to the Havlin, from mansion to Havlin and back. It was it was very informative. It was just really really cool experience for me to walk around with the parents and a police officer and people from transportation and hear about uh just everything from your crosswalks. We learned two, three different kinds of crosswalks. There's a zebra, there's a this, there's a that. different kinds of uh where there's places to to cross and not to cross and yes changing traffic patterns where we have one-way streets and and it was entertaining that while we were doing it one of the groups let out so we got to see the high school kids walking and
103doing some different things. It was it was very very informative and I think it's a really neat initiative. >> Thank you. Yes. And and we certainly do commend all the people that were involved in bringing that to us in the first place. I know Mr. Bloomstein, you spearheaded that uh in the very beginning of it. So, we're just absolutely thrilled to see that it's it's continuing and it's it's going to the uh the position where it is now. It's wonderful to hear. So, thank you. >> Yeah. >> So, I I know how much work goes into that and I do appreciate the time you have dedicated to doing that. Um something that should have been done a long time ago, but I'm glad it's finally getting done. So, thank you. All right. Um, oh, Mr.
104>> I just want to say I really I think it's incredible that you guys were able to do this because um I think it adds to the reason why I wanted to live in Ottabon and be here in a small town and just have that small town feel where there's a walking shuttle of kids that I pass by that are are are crossing together at a at a at a safe crosswalk with crossing guards. Uh, it's awesome. I'm glad that my kids get to have that experience because I didn't when I was a kid and I just think it's a great experience, a great place to be and that adds just one more piece to why this town is great as a small town. Thanks. I never do this. Shout out to the police department.
105Sorry, it's the public defender and me. Um, but one of the things that I've always noticed, and I definitely see it with safe schools and walking routes, you will definitely see during the time periods when the school when the kids would be walking, there is a much greater police presence where they're driving around, they're monitoring, they're watching, and that's lovely to see. And having moved around to many different places as a kid, I never saw that. And so, it is one of those things I think makes Ottoman very special. So, shout out to them as well. All right. Um, we are going to continue on now with a board discussion of our board of education self evaluation. So, we're going to be talking about ourselves at this point in time. You're welcome to stay and
106and listen to that conversation. Um, if not, uh, we wanted to make sure that you knew that our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 17th. We start at 6:30, but officially the meeting opens up to the public at 7. So, um, that's when our next official board meeting is. Okay. All right. Board, we are not adjourning into executive. We are staying here for our discussion. All right, board self-evaluation 2025. Was everyone else as excited as I was to see the graph and the chart? That was really cool. Really cool data. Look at this data. Data >> notable, >> right? Not applicable. Right. Okay. So, um, thank you for um jumping in and taking one of the sections for uh each one of the subtopics here. Appreciate that. We're going to start off um I
107mean if we just look at the graph and the chart, everything I thought was very positive uh in terms of our responses, we were either in uh exemplary or proficient. Um, everyone seemed very much in agreement for the areas, you know, where there's there's still work for us to be uh accomplishing, but overall I thought it was a it was a a good uh a good report. So, um, Miss D. Francesca had the uh topic number one, which was the vision, mission, and goals. Yes. And as you can see on the chart, uh we did fall u mainly under proficient or exemplary. Um the main summary of our strengths um we are committed to regularly reviewing district and board goals including bianual reviews during retreats and ongoing ongoing discussions and committee meetings. This year the
108board adopted a new strategic plan developed with input from district stakeholders. Board members emphasized strong support for the plan, noting improved goal setting practices, greater communication and transparency and alignment with the superintendent's goals. Um, it is still early to assess the progress, but the board is confident that the strategic plan will guide their work moving forward and serve as a long-term north star for decision-making and continuous improvement. For challenges, the board members identify several ongoing challenges in meeting the district goals. These include the need to hold the superintendent accountable when goals aren't met, improve communication with su with stakeholders, and more effectively use data to drive student achievement, especially at the junior senior high school. Some express concern that despite frequent data discussions, student outcomes remain unchanged and innovative programs are lacking. Additional challenges include
109managing large amounts of data, overcoming resistance to change, working within tight budgets, and ensuring all stakeholders stay aligned with the strategic plan. Overall, the board stresses the importance of consistently communicating goals, staying focused, and purposefully using the strategic plan to guide progress. Anyone wants to add to that under vision, mission, and goals? Okay. And overall we had a score in that domain of 3.4. So I thought that was that was very good. Uh go ahead. >> What was the numerical value that we were striving for according to our new um rep not Terry numeric? Uh Lori, I feel like she said anything three and above. >> Three, right? >> Teachers scored on the same scale. >> Oh, okay. All right. >> Three, you're golden. >> Yeah, I believe it was three and above. Yeah, the
110Yeah, that's a good point because everybody in anyone who's still watching this could think like 10 was the mark. So, thank you. Yeah, four is the highest you can get. So, that that's a very good clarifying point. Um the board too. Do you have any objection to me sharing the data with um Miss Allen? I did not share it yet, but >> okay. So, I will sh I will share the report with her. Okay. I wanted to get your um agreement first. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. >> Okay. So, I know I know I know I know. All right. policy policy policy um was Miss Lipsky >> we are at 59% for exemplary 39% proficient and they made me do the maths 2% um area for growth. Um essentially what we're doing well is most people
111said we're doing well. Uh we're in a good place with policy. They're most are mostly updated. They we work to make sure that it's explained to the entire board and not just in committee what the policies are, what the changes are, things of that nature. Um for challenges, a lot of it seemed like don't rest on our laurels. Uh onward and upward, there's always room, you know, you can always find room for improvement. Um one of the things I saw a couple things, uh which was what policies do we write? what policies do we create? Um, and so I wanted to clarify a lot of what we do. It's not something that we can ad hoc make our own because it's all based on state legislature, state laws, state policy, and we have to be
112in accordance with state law, state policy, and state standards. Uh so we can't just do it on our own and make something up from air anytime we want it. Um but we do make sure if it's mandatory and we make sure those mandatory changes. However, when it's recommended, there's policies that are recommended. We actually go back and look at our regulations, look at if it's something that has to do with our code of conduct or something that we have dealt with in a different way that might not be like that policy but we've dealt with that issue in another way. We always make sure to look at how we at Ottabon handle it. See if that is in align aligned with the policy and the state legislature and things like that and then make sure
113that it is still the way that we as Aottabon want to do things moving forward. to unique to Ottabon. I would say that there are a couple things that we have done that we are creating policy uh where we had one but we've changed. So, one of them would be um the weighted GPA >> and it was Miss Robinson who I believe two years ago brought it to our attention and then Miss Cox started saying well this has been an issue for decades and we've never seen how to solve that. Um, we worked with administration said, "Hey, I understand this has been going on for decades and decades and no one can figure this out. There has to be a way to figure this out because it's just not fair and we don't want to
114limit our students in any way." Um, and it took about a year, but Mr. lab, you know, took the direction, started meeting with other people, other stakeholders, teachers, staff, um, as he would say, people who are smarter about this stuff than me. Um, and they were able to figure out a way that we can have our kids be in chorus and band and other electives and it not actually give them a ding to their GPA, which it doesn't seem like much, but I think every student in like the current senior class where it's by minutia where your class rank is, it's important. Um, obviously we couldn't change things for the kids that already have made those choices and are on that path, but essentially every freshman coming in this year is going to have the
115benefit of that change of policy and it's going to move on, you know, and so and this was something very novel because I don't believe any other school districts had figured it out. And so far it looks like and from every thing that they every test that they were running um this actually is a solution. So that was a policy and a regulation and a protocol that we problem was brought to our attention. It's a problem that's across the board everywhere and we ended up figuring out a policy. Um, also like with our code of conduct, we we kind of went outside the box, let things be squishy for a year as they gave administration the ability to figure out what works and what doesn't work and to have some breathing room. And then they
116came back with a a code of conduct that was had restorative justice and had things in there that gave children the ability to learn from their mistakes in a positive way and not just by punishment. And it also incorporated um counseling and uh helping others and volunteering and things of that and ways that they can go and make their situation better by helping themselves mentally and physically but also helping others. So, and then also we are working on AI and taking that seriously and really trying to find the best thing across the board across the district that will work for our students, staff, faculty and and harness it for good. So, um that was pretty much so I I I reading this I think we're do we're in a good place. Obviously, I recognize we
117can do better and I think we are continuing to strive to do that as a board. It's sometimes not enough time to read through all the policies. The policies are linked on the governance agenda. So as soon as governance has their meeting which is the second Tuesday of the month. Thank you very much. So you and that um agenda is always linked on the weekly wave. So you don't have to wait until the board agenda comes out to see those policies because sometimes like this time it's a lot to have to read through. So um just just keep that in mind that you can always um you can always take a look at the committees um the committee's agendas. I thought something else jumped out. I think that was the biggest >> if you're looking
118at the agenda and you see some policies that don't if you're looking at the governance meeting agenda and you don't see policies that were there that are on the agenda you should look to the side because it should say tabled right or have question or it might say has questions for. So if it says has questions for that means we've tabled it because we want to go and have those questions answered. >> I try to update the agenda with comments that happened during the meeting. I try to have the trying to remember to have my computer and I I put live things on the agendas and I'll say table this and that so that we can tell which things are actually going on to the board and which ones aren't or why you know Sandy
119will ask other districts um going to going to ask Strauss Esme about something going to check with Amy Giran on something like I have notes next to them so that and if you again if same as we talked about with weekly before if there's a a manner that I could do the the agenda differently that would make make it easier for you. Tell me that, too. I notice I put numbers a lot of times and I don't always put a name of what that is. And so to go 5650, that doesn't necessarily mean anything, but if you said secret societies, at least you'd know what you were looking at. So, >> oh yeah. >> Um I just I wanted to just um just let the board know in general. I know you use Strauss Esme
120here and um in the legal community there's a you know a lot of opinions about the utility of Strauss Esme. Um they are they are very good at tracking legislation and making sure uh and giving you alerts and updates. So when there's changes in legislation, you get an alert to update your policy. Um, however, if you look actually at the substance of the policy, 90% of the time it is a cut and paste of statute. Um, which I know some policy people would argue that that's not really a policy. That's just a regurgitation of statute. Whether you had a policy or not, you still have to follow the law and do it. Um, you do as a board have flexibility to make aspirational policy statements. um or as long obviously as long as it's consistent
121with law. There is nothing that that says you must just regurgitate statute, you can make um policy decisions consistent with law that are unique to Audabon and how you know that reflects your values and reflects your aspirations and reflects your community and incorporate those things into your policy. So, I just wanted to offer that as um just some thoughts or guidance if there are concerns about not really >> I think we already do that. Um when we might have a question as if that's appropriate, that's usually when it's asking me Garen is it okay? >> Because we might say, well, it looks like this would totally jive with this, but maybe it might seem like it's on the line. That's when usually we'll call you get the call. So I think we are trying to
122do that and we do try to do that as best as we can. Um because there's sometimes we're just like we don't like this. This doesn't fit here which was also when it was like take out guardian and we're like no >> you know we're like no not in this town. We've had a lot of students lose parents and we're not gonna we're not going to do that. And um so but I does everyone feel kind of the same that we're kind of on that same type of page. Okay. Great, >> Miss Robinson. >> No help. Thanks. >> I'm fine. [laughter] >> So, under student accountability for student achievement, um we earned a 2.9. Uh we have done a really good job prioritizing the strategic plan. That seems to be one of our strengths and
123successes as well as uh identifying smart goals and measurable outcomes for in particular the superintendent. Um our challenges are in accountability towards that student achievement. We've got a great ideas and we think that the students can do it and we have high expectations but we continue to need to improve on the accountability of student achievement. Um, and also making sure that budget decisions align with the strategic plan. That's it. That's my summary. Any comments or questions? I guess my only my only hesitation in this. I was a little struck by the low score. I know I know our I want to make sure that our frustration is reflective of what we can control right about the work that we're doing and in terms of what we're doing to ask for accountability and to ask for
124data and to and to push things and to you know want the pacing guides and want there to be meaningful work and stuff like that. I think we are doing a good job on education committee and as a board as a whole. So I just I I I just had a question about that in my mind to make sure that the score reflects the work that we're doing under the guidelines that we actually have control over or governance over. That was my only takeaway. Anything else? Okay. All right. Uh, governance team relations andships and accountability with Mr. Max. >> All right. So, governance team relationships and accountability summary. So, the overall performance there was 47% exemplary, 44% proficient, and 9% area for growth. Um, Miss Davis, do you have the actual score because I actually
125did not put that in my notes. >> 3.4. So, I think that's similar to our our first standard. So some of our successes, the board of education is highly engaged in that we are um ethical and student focused. Um members are committed to their roles, support for one another and work collaboratively to advance the strategic plan. Um committee structures are effective. Uh we have the right people in the right positions leveraging what we're good at. Um new member onboarding and mentoring have improved, fostering a welcoming environment and setting members up for success. Uh the board president, Miss Davis, has cultivated an atmosphere of trust and respect which has positively influenced interactions and decision-making. Um overall, the board functions professionally um maintains confidentiality and balances uh differing viewpoints. But some of our challenges um in this
126area. Uh an area for growth is improving efficiency. Um meetings and that includes board meetings and committee sessions can be lengthy at times. Um at times tensions can arise from personal uh differences in philosophies and points of view. Um but there's an opportunity to encourage dialogue uh outside of formal meetings to prevent maybe issues from escalating. And focusing on streamlined purposeful meetings while maintaining mutual respect and keeping student success at as our guiding objective um will continue to uh improve our overall effectiveness. Any comments or input on that? This cool one. I appreciate that we had a an educational opportunity with our NJSBA field rep on um board decorum relationships, things like that. I will say I was a little disappointed in that and that it was a PowerPoint of this is how to communicate
127and I felt like there was an opportunity perhaps for some dialogue about what challenges are you having as a district so that we could kind of dive into that a little bit to um just have a a clear and transparent conversation with one another about what our expectations are where we feel like we're maybe failing them at times. ways to um just improve the the cohesion and camaraderie of the board. Um so that might be something that's worth doing again in the future, but with more of a focus on us as a board and our own unique strengths and challenges as far as that goes. Um so just wanted to add that piece. >> Yeah, I agree with that. I'm wondering if couple of thoughts just sprang to mind. Maybe it's something that we could
128add to our retreat in January. Um once we kind of get that agenda set, I don't want to make that a lengthy evening, but I'm wondering if either school boards or maybe Miss Allen in her contacts or even Mr. Maxon in your contacts too has um you know, a human resources consultant or someone that could come in and facilitate that type of a conversation. Um I I think Dr. Banlo did, you know, kind of a cursory presentation. You know, it was a good opportunity to get a chance to meet her, but I agree. I think that there's there's more work that could be done there on that on that subject. So, um I'll look into that. If anybody else has any resources or anything that they they could suggest, just uh send me an email
129and we'll start to put together some possibilities. Any other uh points on that? Okay. All right. Moving on to resource management and oversight. Um this was going to be Mrs. Cox's presentation. I will luckily I prepared in advance. Um so we had a 3.6. Thank you, Miss Allen, for writing down the scores. We had a 3.6 in this area. Um I don't think there was any surprise here. We all um responded very favorably to how we are managing the district um largely in part to Miss Sonas's oversight along with Miss Allen and the rest of our administrators when they develop their budgets. Um we are spending every scent that we can as responsibly as we can and um trying to be as transparent as as we can with it. Again we are operating at nearly
130100% capacity of our budget and that's that's not the best place to be. But um we we had a little bit of um of an assistance this past budget cycle with the tax levy incentive. But in keeping with that, one of the challenges was again communication. So um we do have our budget hearings every year that that's it's part of the statute that we have and then we also have another meeting when we actually vote on the budget. But I think that maybe um one of our um public forums that we have scheduled, maybe not the January one, but maybe the spring one could be a little bit more budget focused. So um it again it's not under the constraints of a board meeting where you know there's three minutes and 15 minute time limits
131and there's no discussion back and forth and maybe Mrs. Ron case can really explain some of the in ins and outs of the budget. So that may be an area where we can um improve on how we are communicating, what decisions we're making, and why when it comes to to the budget to the community. Um other than that, I I think we were overall very, you know, we're very pleased in in our oversight of the district and and what we're doing with operations. Any other insights or thoughts or anything going on? Okay. Uh, community leadership is cool. >> For community leadership, the board rated itself 3.3 out of four, 37% exemplary, 56% proficient, and 7% area for growth. our strengths. In addition to attentively listening to public comments at board meetings, the board has prioritized
132community engagement over the past couple of years by attending community and school events, providing opportunities for caregivers, students, and community members to address their concerns to the board. The board also highly encouraged community participation in the recently created strategic plan. Uh for challenges, some board members expressed feeling that the board could improve on authenticity and transparency in communications with the public, including providing opportunities for discussion in a less formal environment or structure, which you were just alluding to, uh with all board members, ideally volunteering for these community engagement opportunities. Additionally, we can work to better engage student voice in the decision-making process and try to find a better balance in celebrating the successes of all students regardless of the level of academic achievement. Uh there was some sentiment that we could better educate the public
133on the duty and role of the board in response to public comments at board meetings. And a challenge that we face as a board is that despite our best efforts to communicate, we can't guarantee that anyone in the public will actually read or you know come to the events that we have. So, we're kind of working within that that framework. >> Um, any comments on community leadership? >> All right. Unity. >> What? What? >> One book, one community. That would be really great. >> Let it go. Just let that one go. All right. Greatest strengths we can build upon. Mr. Gaddy, >> the fun one. >> You did >> the optimistic one. I will say this is not AI generated. I wouldn't even know how to do that and I have no desire to know
134how to do that. Uh it is interesting in that this is coming after hearing pretty much comments in each category. This is not scored. It's not ranked or anything like that. But um so here's what I came up with on my own. [laughter] >> Go Mark. >> We work hard. We communicate well both within the board and with the superintendent and show respect for each other despite our differences of opinion. We are open and transparent with each other and share committee info freely leading to better collaboration. We are not afraid to question administration in the pursuit of academic excellence. While we each have distinct views and goals, we all recognize that student achievement in education, a respected and valued teaching staff, and costs efficient budget make for a healthy and productive school district. If I
135had to summarize this in one word, it was communication. Everybody said that, and it's funny to hear it in the other ways, but everybody said we communicate. And I think what I pulled from it was, you know, it's communication involves fighting. It's knowing how to fight right and how to how to speak right and I'm somebody who's had to learn that over the past two years. Um and we feel that we're striving always to hear people out better and I think that's a good thing to start. Yeah. >> Great. Thank you. All right. And anybody have anything to add to strengths? want to say from being a parent coming to these meetings for many years to now being on the board um obviously it's a different perspective anyway but just thinking back it felt like
136there was no communication you know yay nay yay you know next you know when I would come here as a parent and it it it didn't I didn't get to really see what was happening in the discourse when you would talk about it, it was just like it would seem like, well, this was just what was there and then no one would have a comment and would talk about what was going on. And I just want to I I feel like as a board, we've really, as Mark said, we really have recognized that communication between ourselves, but also with the community and that transparency has been such seems to me like as such a big motivator for all of us. like we want everyone in the community to understand why we are making these decisions,
137what our thought processes was, what what the budgets like, you know, what we're trying to do. And I just I just feel like it's a much more engaging process that even if the community isn't here, they can see it on YouTube, they can hear it, they can and they can get a better idea of what we're thinking about and and why we're deciding things the way we're deciding. So, I just I think Mark nailed it on the head. >> All right. And then, uh, Mr. Steven Wilson for areas for continued focus. >> So, I have the counter to Mark's presentation, and I did not do this on my own. And you I mean, we've talked about all everything I'm going to say. we've already discussed, but the board agrees that accountability for student achievement must
138remain a central priority. With renewed attention on curriculum and test performance, the district needs a clear plan for what will happen if scores in key subjects do not improve. Over the past year, the board has provided the superintendent with the personnel and resources requested to strengthen curriculum, support student mental health, improve staff training, and boost morale. Next step is ensuring that the administration communicates honestly and clearly about whether these initiatives are producing measurable results. The board also recognizes that artificial intelligence policy and ethical digital literacy represent the next major shift in education. Preparing for these changes will be essential for students and staff alike. Professionalism, focus, and a clear understanding of the board's role versus that of the administration continue to be core expectations. The board also sees a need to help the public better
139understand what the board of education does and what individual board members are responsible for. Now that the superintendent has had time to learn the district and begin implementing substantive changes, the board is prepared to hold the superintendent accountable for effective administration. While there will always be opportunities for growth, the board expects to see measurable improvement across the district. Strengthening communication remains a priority as well, promoting meetings, creating opportunities for community dialogue, advocating at the legislative level, and regularly taking the pulse of students and families. Overall though, the board views itself as a high functioning body and is proud of the work it continues to accomplish together. >> Any comments on that? >> I think those are again all areas that that we've agreed on that that need our attention and focus. All right. Um the
140only other thing was a a quick look at the board goals. I'm not going to run through them because especially because I think anything that we did not um achieve last year, we either carried over again to this year or um you know highlighted and and made sure that we were on track to to hit those targets for for this coming year. Did anybody have any anything else that they wanted to add to our scores on the board goals? Okay. All right. Um I just want to thank everybody for contributing to that report. I know in years past it has fallen um to the responsibility of the president and the vice president um who whoever was in leadership role at that time. So I appreciate everybody's contribution makes the load a little bit lighter. Um
141and uh and thank you for taking the time to do each individual section like that. Appreciate it. >> Yes, Mr. Steven Wilson >> believe the we will continue to use this platform and be able to look at past results to see trends to see how we were doing how we are doing. This was the first year of this platform >> um and now we have like graphs. I love graphs. >> I know right. >> It's nice to be able to have measurable >> they like the state because as soon as you get used to >> Well, that's that's my that's my concern. >> Hasn't changed the evaluation like this is the f like I've been on for 12 years. This is this is the first year that they've changed the evaluation for >> but I
142think even after we're all you know have moved on from the board and future boards are here we can >> the future boards can look back and see >> this kind of data and see how things are going. So >> right no that's that's very valid >> very valid indeed. Yeah. >> Yes. Yes, definitely. All right. Um, the only other thing I wanted just to quick take everybody's pulse on are retreat dates in January. Not we don't have to look at dates. I was just I'm going to send out a survey for dates. Do we want to go with a week night or do we want to go with a Saturday morning? I know we've kind of been leaning more toward week nights or sat Okay. I prefer that. >> Oh, not a Sunday. >>
143Okay, how about we do this? I'll put a survey out and you can indicate whether you prefer a week night or a weekend and I'll let you know what the results are. Oh, I'll do I will Yeah, I mean, same. I'll do either, but I would like I mean, it would be good to have a majority. It would be good to have a majority. Okay. And then, of course, I'm going to be asking you for topics in addition to what we mentioned tonight. Please do not leave the burden of of coming up with the program just to myself and to Allison. So, I appreciate your input. >> Oh, that's right. That's right. Next meet. Are you going to be here for the next meeting? Okay, good. >> Okay. >> All right. Tell me later. Um,
144we're hot. principal. It doesn't get that luxury. All right. Can I have a motion to >> adjourn? >> All in favor? Any opposed? All right.