001Good evening. 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 Junior Senior High School. Roll call, please. here. >> Steven Wilson is absent with notice. Sarah Coolen, Alison Lipsky absent, Mark Gaddy, Bill Wilson, Danielle D. Franchesco, Alison Cox, Andrea Robinson is absent with notice, and Jonathan Maxon absent with notice. >> Thank you. Whereas while the Senator Byron M. Bear open public meetings act requires all meetings of the Ottabon Board
002of 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 certain matters that are exempted from the public and as are noted in the agenda. May I have a motion to go into executive session? >> All in favor? Any opposed? Right. We will be approximately 30 to reconvene the meeting. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Any opposed? All right. Uh, please stand for the flag salute. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >>
003All right. First on our agenda, we would like to welcome and um install our new student representative. He is going to be representing the junior class, Mr. for Ryan Win. Ryan, would you come forward? Congratulations. Mrs. Ron Casease is gonna read the oath for you. Rep. >> I, Ryan Win. >> Do affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey. >> Do affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey. >> And that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same >> and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. and to the government established in the United States and this state. >> and to the governments established
004in the United States and this state. >> Under the authority of the people. >> I state your name. >> I Ryan Win >> do affirm that I am a student of the Ottabon Junior Senior High School. >> Do affirm that I am a student of the Ottabon Junior Senior High School. And I will faithfully impartially and justly perform the duties of the student representative of the board of education. >> And I will faithfully impartially and justly perform the duties of the student representative of the board of education. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Excellent. Come on up and take your seat. And while we have all of our other students here this evening, someday this might be you guys up here as our senior and junior class representative. So something for you guys to aspire
005to. All right, I'm going to turn it over to Helena now to uh give our report. Um our school spirit recently has been really amazing. So we had a couple senior nights for some of the fall sports. Girls tennis was in the earlier parts of October. And yesterday, last night, was the girls field hockey game. That was their senior night. And on Friday, we had an amazing turnout for the football marching band and cheerleading senior nights. And it was against Collingswood. They got an amazing win. And it was really fun in the stands. And the energy was awesome. And if you saw our hallways, our student council has decorated each hallway. So there's the freshman, sophomore, uh, juniors, and seniors all have a different theme of our homecoming theme, which is spooky, which is this
006Friday. So the ones that you walk through here was the freshman hallway, which was like spooky forest. And they all did an amazing job. It looks so cool. Sometimes they change the lights if you look all the way at the further hallway. So they got really creative with it, and it's awesome. All right, thank you. Um, we are going to honor our students and our student spotlight program next, but um, just a couple of quick notes while we have everybody here. You're welcome to stay after our student present, student and staff presentations. Uh, we have a a presentation this evening by Mr. Burke on our NJSLA scores and then Mrs. Ron Casease is also going to do a presentation on the results of our our bond referendum and all the wonderful work that was done.
007So I we know you have to get home with the littles. We understand that. But if you would like to stay or tune in later and and watch it on YouTube, that would be fantastic. And then I also want to let you know that the board of education is hosting a meet and greet. It is on October 30th at 7. I know that's a conflict with the Lions Club parade. I'm sorry. Um, but if you're able to join us that night, there'll be four of us here. Mrs. Miss Allen is going to give an overview of where we are with the strategic plan. And it's also a chance to just sit and have a conversation and a dialogue with with four of the board members, talk about some of our um, a new phrase that
008we all just learned, some of our glows and our grows, some areas where we we need to have some improvement. So, that is going to be on October 30th. And there'll be three other meet and greets during the school year. Okay, without any further ado, we have our student spotlight program. Um, when we call your name, come on up. One of our board members is going to read something fantastic about you. You can come up with your grownup if that makes you feel more comfortable. And don't forget to stay for a group picture when we're all finished. So, we'll start with our pre kindergarten student. Our pre kindergarten student of the month is Tula Conte. [Applause] All right, Tula, your teacher wrote, "Tula Kante is the student of the month for September because she consistently
009shows respect in the classroom. She listens carefully when her teachers and friends are talking and waits for her turn to speak. Tula uses kind words and a gentle voice, and she helps her friends feel happy and included. She is a great helper, a good friend, and a wonderful example for others. We are so proud of Tula and lucky to have her in our classroom family. Congratulations. [Applause] >> All right. And our first grade or sorry, our kindergarten student of the month is Quinn Reese. Okay, your teacher wrote, "Quinn Reese is nominated as the kindergarten student of the month." Quinn has done a great job with the transition into kindergarten. He is a friendly Havlin Hornet who displays safe, respectful, and responsible behavior each and every day towards his peers and his teachers. There have been
010countless times already this school year that Quinn lent a helping hand to one of his classmates. He is a great role model who follows directions quickly and quietly and he always uses his manners. His hard work and determination are going to lead him to big things this year. Quinn is an excellent student and a pleasure to have in class. His teachers are excited to name him the September student of the month representing respect. Congratulations [Applause] And the first grade Sarah's so much taller than me. Um, and the first grade uh student of the month is Emry Rothman. Is Emry here? Oh, wonderful. Congratulations. >> Awesome. Okay. So, it was with great pleasure that your teacher nominated you for first grade September student of the month. Good job. Their September PBIS focus was respect. Emmery is
011a role model for respectful behavior. He is excited and enthusiastic about school and learning, but he never forgets to raise his hand and wait for his turn to share his thoughts and ideas. also speaks in kind and caring ways to his classmates. Welcome to Havlin School. They love having you in class. Congratulations. [Applause] The big picture. The grade 2 student of the month is Kelly Story. Kelly here. Okay. Well, congratulations to Kelly, the second grade stu September student of the month for respect. Kelly shows respect every day in their classroom and on the playground. He listens carefully to his peers and his teachers, and he always follows directions with a positive attitude. When interacting with his peers, Kelly consistently uses kind words and is the first person to lend a hand to another student without
012having to be asked. Kelly's respectful choices help create a classroom environment where everyone feels heard and respected. His kindness and willingness to show respect to his classmates and teachers make him a role model for others. The teacher is so proud of Kelly and the positive impact he has on their class each day. [Applause] For grade three, we have Will Johnson. Will here? [Applause] All right. Will's teacher writes, "I am proud to nominate Will Johnson as our third grade student of the month. Will truly exemplifies what it means to be respectful. He consistently demonstrates respect in every environment he enters. In the classroom, Will raises his hand and waits patiently to be called on before sharing. He shows respect for others by listening attentively and contributing ideas during discussions. And on the playground, Will makes sure
013everyone feels included and always plays fairly. Will's positive attitude and respectful demeanor make him a role model in our classroom community. Congratulations to Will. [Applause] And for grade four, we have Lincoln Simkins. Lincoln. Oh, good. There you go, Sarah. Congratulations. And stand right there. All right. Lincoln, your teacher, writes, "It is with great excitement that we are nominating Lincoln Simkins for fourth grade student of the month. With our fourth grade year underway, Lincoln has been a wonderful embodiment of Mansion Avenue's roar expectations. Rising to the fourth grade standard of respect, Lincoln has adapted and exceeded the challenges of a new grade. He is never shy in doing what he needs to in order to take charge of his learning. Always caring for his friends and respecting his classmates. Lincoln shares his insights and participates in
014classroom discussions. Always entering the class with a smile on his face. Lincoln has been wonderful during our first month back in 2025 and we are excited to watch him continue to grow academically and achieve wonderful things throughout the rest of the school year. Congratulations. [Applause] For grade five, we have Elena Vorlander. [Applause] Elena's teacher writes, "I am proud to nominate Elena Orlander for September student of the month for fifth grade. Elena shows respect in all aspects of her day. From the time she enters the classroom to the time she leaves, she shows shows her classmates and teachers kindness and respect. Elena shows respect by always being an active listener in class and following all expectations. She is always looking out for others and is a wonderful role model for her classmates. Congratulations. [Applause] And our
015sixth grade student of the month is Enzo Smaro. [Applause] Uh, let's see. Enzo's teacher writes, "Our sixth grade student of the month is Enzo Smaro. So far this year, Enzo has been an active learner in the classroom and works hard to produce his best work. He enters our building each day with a smile on his face and treats everyone with respect. His kindness and consideration is evident in his attentions with interactions with peers and teachers. Keep up the great work, Enzo. We're looking forward to a great sixth grade year together, your teacher writes. Thank you. For the seventh grade student of the month is Malcolm Smith. [Applause] Malcolm's teacher writes, "Malcolm Smith has made a smooth and respectful transition in the seventh grade, quickly establishing himself as a con as a cons, I'm sorry, that's
016a hard word, an hardworking student. His conscientious, thank you." His growing independence is clear in the way he takes responsibility for his daily routines and sets himself up for success. Malcolm shows respects not only for his teachers and peers, but also for himself, advocating for his needs so that he can thrive academically and personally. A dedicated student, he especially enjoys social studies and is an active member of the Stars club. Outside of school, Malcolm brings the same positive energy to playing Frisbee and video games. His cool and kind personality makes him a valued part of the Ottabbon community. Congratulations, For eighth grade, we have Audrey Kavanagh. [Applause] >> Audrey Kavanaaugh has had an excellent start to the school year and is a shining example of respect in the classroom. Her thoughtful responses and active participation
017set a positive tone for her peers and she consistently models the expectations of our learning environment. Audrey is always willing to assist classmates, bringing kindness, a smile, and a positive attitude each day. Beyond the classroom, she's involved in dance, interact, and NHS, where she continues to demonstrate her respectful and considerate nature. Congratulations. [Applause] Okay, for our freshman class, we have Chase Quinn. [Applause] All right. Chase's teacher writes, "Chase Quinn exemplifies the theme of respect each day at Ottabon. He comes to class with a smile and a positive attitude, setting a welcoming tone for his peers. Chase demonstrates respect for learning by actively participating in class discussions, raising his hand to share thoughtful ideas, and encouraging meaningful dialogue. His enthusiasm makes him a joy to have in class. Beyond the classroom, Chase is a dedicated member
018of the choir, musical, interact club, the spark club, and theater, where he continues to show respect through his teamwork and commitment. Congratulations, Chase. The sophomore class student of the month is William Johnson. [Applause] value of respect through his dedication, effort, and consideration for others. A model student, William consistently puts forth his best work in all of his classes and demonstrates a genuine desire to excel academically. He is particularly gifted in math and science, showing remarkable intelligence and curiosity in these subjects. Beyond the classroom, William is a three sport athlete competing in cross country, track, and another sport. What's the other sport? >> Winter track. All right. Um, pushing himself year round with determination and discipline. His commitment to personal growth, teamwork, and respect for his coaches, teammates, and peers make him a a standout student
019athlete. Williams passion for math and engineering is matched by his consistent efforts and respectful attitude. Qualities that will serve him well as he pursues his academic and athletic goals. Congratulations, [Applause] The junior class student of the month is Bridget Matson. [Applause] >> All right. Bridget's teacher says, "Big Madson exemplifies respect in everything she does. She treats her peers, teachers, and teammates with kindness and consideration. Always offering help when needed and brightening every room with her contagious smile. Bridget is hardworking, dependable, and honest. Consistently striving for success both inside and outside the classroom. A standout on the tennis court, she helps lead she helped lead Ottabbon girls tennis to one of the most successful seasons in years. Beyond athletics, Bridget is actively involved in unified sports, Interact, the Red Cross Club, FCA, and the Ottabon High
020School welcoming committee. Academically and personally well-rounded, Bridget challenges herself, demonstrates respect in every interaction, and enjoys spending time in beautiful Wildwood Crest. She truly embodies the qualities we celebrate in Ottabon's student of the month. Congratulations, And for our student class student of the month, we have Kayla Belito. Kayla, your teacher says that you are a wonderful example of kindness in action. When asked to partner with a quiet classmate, you went out of your way to make sure that that student felt welcomed and included. Kayla consistently demonstrates respect for herself and others, offers help to those in need, and shows small acts of kindness that have a big impact on our school community. She's also involved in the health prep club, and is truly an amazing young woman whose positivity and compassion inspire those around her
021here at AHS. Congratulations, [Applause] All right. In addition to our students of the month, we have some faculty and staff members that we are going to recognize. So, uh, to begin for the preschool and for Havland Avenue School, we have Briana Henderson and Deborah Newman, if I said that correctly. [Applause] Briana Henderson is Havlin School September teacher of the month. Miss Henderson joined Havlin the fall of 2021 as we return to full-time in-person learning. From the start, she has been instrumental in helping our youngest learners develop strong academic, social, emotional foundations. Her classroom is nurturing high expectation environment where students are supported in practicing self-regulation, social skills, and independent problem solving. Through open-ended questions and collaborative work, students grow as confident, capable learners. Beyond the classroom, Miss Henderson has embraced leadership roles, planning field trips,
022completing sheltered instruction training, and supporting multilingual learners. As a valued PBIS team member, she models our school values daily with dedication and the can do spirit. Thank you, Briana, for your hard work and your heart. Congratulation on being the September educator of the month. Say your first name. Diabra Diabra Newman is Havlin Avenue School's September staff member of the month. Diabra provides a warm, supportive presence for the students in Miss Henderson's kindergarten class, helping them through each day of care with care and positivity. Though her title is paraprofessional, Miss Newman is very much a teacher, leading small groups, reinforcing key skills, and making learning fun through purposeful play. She participates in professional development, including sheltered instruction, and supports our school community. As a dedicated PBIS team member, always smiling and full of positive energy, Miss
023Newman tackles every challenge with a can do attitude and puts students first in all that she does. Thank you for your dedication and heart. Congratulations on being the September staff member of the month. For Mansion Avenue School, we have Colleen McFetridge and Stephen McCormack. [Applause] Colleen Mc Metridge, that's not you, is Manchester the School's September teacher of the month. Colleen is such an incredible colleague. She is knowledgeable, always willing to listen, a team player and such an incredible colleague. Oh, and team player and wants what's best for the students. She wears many hats in our buildings and she does it with a smile on her face. She has embraced her role as RTI coordinator on top of being a classroom teacher. She is making positive changes in our building that are going to make our
024building function even better than it already is. She does a lot for our building and should be recognized for her outstanding service to mansion college. Colleen has stepped up into the role of RTI coordinator with an eagerness and care that I admire. She has taken on many new responsibilities without question as ma and has made herself available to those who have questions and concerns. Colleen is always willing and happy to help her colleagues while always helping students in mind, keeping students in mind. She pays close attention to her students needs and reflects on her own teaching to help her students succeed. Colleen is an asset to the Mansion Avenue School. [Applause] Steven McCormack is Mansion Avenue School's September staff member of the month. Steven started with us as a substitute at the end of last
025year and quickly began to contribute to as a team member. During sixth grade graduation practice last year, he engaged with the students positively and supported the graduation production with his experience with the high school marching band. This year, he is a paraprofessional working one-on-one with one of our students. He is reliable, pleasant, and kind. He takes great care with our students, demonstrating a mutually respectful relationship with him and all of the students he comes in contact with. Thank you for your [Applause] And for the Ottabon Junior Senior High School, we have Bridget Gity Vantel and Jeff Wallardo. [Applause] >> See how many more? >> Thank you. So, I'll do Mr. Mr. Valardo first. He's not here, so I'll let Miss B hang out for a second. Uh, Jeff Aro. We are proud to recognize Jeff
026Valardo from the grounds department as our staff member of the month for 20 September 2025. Each day, Jeff's hard work and dedication ensure that our school grounds look outstanding. His consistent attention to detail is especially evident in the upkeep of our athletic fields, which provide our students, athletes, and community with spaces that are safe, welcoming, and ma well-maintained. Jeff takes great pride in his work, and the results speak for themselves. The care he puts into maintaining our campus enhances not only the beauty of our school, but also the pride we all feel in being part of the Ottabon community. Thank you, Jeff, for your hard work, dedication, and commitment. You are truly appreciated. [Applause] You guys stand in the front now. It's going to embarrass you for a second. We are extremely proud to recognize
027Mrs. Bridget Gity Banel as September teacher of the month for her unwavering dedication to her students, colleagues, and the Ottabon School community. This year she has gone above and beyond adapting curriculum, adjusting her schedule to support staff, and spending extra hours to help students. Her classroom is a welcoming, engaging space where students are both supported and challenged. And she builds strong relationships that foster personal and academic growth. Beyond the classroom, Mrs. Gity Banel has led initiatives like the garden of acceptance and contributed impactful ideas to the inclusion revolution, creating meaningful opportunities for all students. Her passion, creativity, and selflessness make her a true inspiration. Now, I'm going to go off the cuff for one second. If anyone has been out back at the school by the um football field, they see the brand new garden
028of acceptance. That was an initiative by Mrs. Gary Banel. Um, our unified club is an initiative by Mrs. Gity Banel. Um, the Green Bean Cafe back there is an initiative by Mrs. Gity Banel. Um, who's been here for a short time, but her impact for the school and the community. Um, every other Sunday or third Sunday, you could see her over if you want to in Fairmont Park feeding feeding the homeless with a bunch of students and staff members. Um, and the list goes on and on and on. So, I just want to thank her for her involvement and and contribution to the high school and the community at large. So, thank you. And she's also an assistant soccer coach and the girls varsity basketball coach as well if she needs more things to do.
029>> All right, congratulations to everyone. One more round of applause. All right, now it's picture time. So, we're going to ask every one of our students and our staff members that were recognized this evening to uh walk over to the glass doors over there and bring your best smile. I don't know which camera Congratulations. Thank you for coming. I can't do it. I can't do it. >> Thank you. Bye guys. You're going to get one in a minute. Come here. Thank you. I got to go to bed. Thank you. >> Allison [Music] That was her nephew. >> All right. I think we're going to continue with our meeting at this time. >> Bye, Pop. >> All right. All right, we have two presentations this evening. So, first uh we have uh Mr. Burke is going
030to present on our NJSLA scores. >> I think uh they are working on the dimming. Hello everyone. All right. Yeah, I'm just waiting for the There we go. That's a little better. There we go. >> Oh, I got to go in the mic, right? Okay. Sorry. I gotta go in the mic. >> Me, >> Mr. Burke, our assistant superintendent. >> Yes. Yes. Yes. I'll change that on the official presentation for everybody. Sorry about that. I forgot. Um, all right everyone. So, uh, this is our annual, uh, presentation of the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment, uh, scores from the spring of 2025. So, this is last spring's results. Um, I went over the, uh, the data in a lot more detail with the education committee. Um, I guess it was two weeks ago or so. And
031um you know there's a lot of things that we're able to dive really deep into like cohort data. I know sometimes you guys hear me talk about that. Um so uh all that stuff we went into in great depth. Uh today is a little bit more of an overview of the results. Okay. Okay. So um I'm going to go through um all the grades that take the assessment. Um it's a little bit shorter than last year. I was able to pull some of the slides out. Uh before I start, you know, really ripping through all these slides, let me just orient the board to um what it is that we're looking at so you kind of have a sense of really the colors that you really want to look for. So um this is for
032the NJSLA spring 2025. Each of the slides has the grade level and then the um the subject area where the assessment was given. On the right hand side you have this did not meet expectation. You have partially met expectation approaches expectations met expectations and exceeded expectation. Generally speaking when we're looking at this uh we're really looking to see met expectation and exceeded expectation. So So yeah, it's like this purple color and this blue color here. Okay. on the um the left hand side. Um and and and really what this is um helpful for is just to kind of see the breakdown of where the students fall, right? Um on the left hand side for each of the slides, we have met or exceed expectations and then um we have how they performed in 2025 versus
0332024. And then we have the comparison to the state in those two years as well. Okay, so this one here is for third grade. Um, third grade remained strong in ELA. Uh, what we see here is that this year they were at 59% of the students either met or exceeded expectations. Um, and the state was at 45%. While it talks about this number here, the 64%, I think it's important to recognize that that 64% is a different cohort of students. So, we're required to talk about the um the comparison to last year at every ga grade level, but um that information is something that we went over in detail in the education committee. Okay. >> Yes. When I talk about Yeah, it's different. It's Yeah. So, you know, this is the class, you know, the
034kids that took this um they are currently now in fifth grade. the kids that took the one in 2025, they're currently in fourth grade. Very different. Yeah, different just different students. So, you're really comparing apples to oranges. Um, and then so you as a board might be looking at me then asking a very relative question which is well then why are you showing that to us, right? And the short answer is we're required to. >> Yes. So, okay. So, um, I lumped everything together by grade level, right? So, now we're seeing math for third grade. Um, what we see here is that we had, um, 65% of our students either met or exceeded expectations versus the state, which is 50%. And then for fourth grade ELA, uh, we were at 67% met or exceeded and
035then the state was at 54% And then for uh fourth grade math, we're at 54% and the state was at 47%. I think you're starting to see a trend, right? That we're well above state average in most areas. Um fifth grade, so this is ELA again, very, very strong, 72% versus the state's 53%. Fifth grade math we are at uh 62% versus the states 44%. Now in fifth grade we also have a science assessment. So um in addition to math and ELA grades five, grades eight and grades 11 all take a science assessment. the science assessment, the um you know there's you'll hear people in educational institutions throughout New Jersey have um they have a lot of concerns about it mainly because the kind of data that we get isn't as instructive. So one of
036the things that I went over with um the education committee is in addition to the kind of data you're looking at now, we get things called evidence statements. And these evidence statements break down each of these assessments by the standard. actually they break the standards apart even so it's precise information. So that last inservice that we had just a couple days ago, those evidence statements, that's part of what the teachers are looking at on those days, right? So they can see how their students performed on any given standard. And then they take that, they compare it to things like pacing guides, like, oh, well, they didn't perform well on insert skill here. Well, when did we teach that? How did we teach that? Do we have the resources? Things like that. That's super instructive, and
037we have that for math and ELA. However, we don't have that for science. So it makes the information coming out of science a little difficult to to navigate because we don't really have a a true sense of what to do with the information. So uh regardless um here's how Ottabbon performed. Uh we were at 36% the state was at 30%. Right? And uh what's going on guys? Oh, here we go. Okay, we're back back on track. All right, so um sixth grade ELA strong again. We have 74% either met or exceeded versus the states 56%. All right, so now the grades that I just showed you, those were all Mansion Avenue. Okay, so then we move into seventh grade. Oh, I'm sorry. We forgot the sixth grade math. Here we go. Uh 58% versus the
038state's 40%. Um, this is seventh grade ELA. Um, seventh grade ELA, we had 70% either meet or exceed expectations versus the state's 57%. Seventh grade math, uh, we were at 56%, the state is at 39%. eighth grade ELA. So this year we were at 56% the state was at 57%. And then for math so we were at 22% the state was at 21%. This again is an area where I know every year I come here and I explain that this is a tricky area math and eighth grade. Uh the reason why it's a tricky area to really look at the data is because the students get split in eighth grade. Um you know part of our um of our honors program is that our eighth grade students who perform very well in math they move
039on to algebra 1. So then what we have then is we don't have all of our eighth graders taking that assessment. So during the education committee, I was able to break down how eighth graders performed on algebra 1 versus how ninth graders performed on algebra 1. And here I was able, you know, so anyway, the long and the short of it is it's a difficult thing to really look at and it's also a statewide problem. As you can see, really only one in five students is really either meeting or exceeding expectations statewide. All right, here's eighth grade science. So this year we were at 17% and the state was at 19%. 9th grade ELA. So uh we have 34% versus the states 50%. This is an area where we're taking a good hard look at
040as you can imagine. Um, and when you look at the cohort data, uh, there were some very telling things, um, that were, again, like I said, taking a very hard look at. Um, I don't want to get into too many of the details of, uh, the specifics here, but that cohort data was certainly telling. All right, algebra 1. So, Audabon, we were at 25%, the state was at 38%. and geometry. So this year we were at 43% and the state was at 56%. Then one more, it's the science uh for the 11th graders. Uh so we were at 29% versus the state's 31%. You'll notice that there's no um uh no ELA or math data that's specific to um just 10th graders. And uh the reason is because they don't take the NJSLA. Um you'll
041also notice that there's nothing for the NJGPA. We went over that in I believe it was August if I'm not mistaken when we talked about the NJGPA. Okay. Next, we have to talk about um some of the uh demographics. So in this area uh we take a look at the same kind of thing. You still have um you know from did not meet expectation all the way through exceeded expectations. And then um you're still looking at these two areas here. Um this breaks it down by things like gender, socioeconomics, race, um those kinds of things. Uh whether or not a student is classified, right? Um I can see that this is difficult to to see. Um, so what I will do is I'll just read to you the um the areas where um it's either
042uh either met or exceeded expectations. So for ELA, oh the the other piece too to keep in mind as I go um through looking at the demographic data um we have to look at at it as a whole district. We can't look at it by grade level. And the reason is because the numbers for any specific uh grade level, for any specific demographic are too small to report, right? So we have to look at the overview. So when we're looking at some of this stuff, if we're looking at say um Hispanic, Latino students, right? Um that's for all the students from grade three through grade nine, right? Um otherwise, we just don't have enough at certain areas to actually report anything out. Uh so anyway, here we have um gender. So we have uh I
043think it says 15% there and 36% there either met or exceeded expectations. And then we have uh I think that's 28 and we have 39 um respectively with either exceeding or meeting expectations. All right. All right. And now this is for math. Um oh my mistake. That's supposed to be ELA. >> Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. That's my mistake. Thank you for pointing that out. Yeah. So that should read um ELA. That's just a a typo. All right. So for math we have um for male 9% and 42% um exceeding and then meeting and then for female I think that says six and then 37. This is black African-American for ELA. I did the same thing again there. I see it. All right. We have uh 16 and then we have 26. And then for um
044for ELA we have uh 20 looks like 26% um met expectation. We didn't have any exceed expectation. >> Oh my bad. My bad. Y got you got me like second guessing myself now. All right. So uh moving on to Hispanic or Latino, we have 11% and 31 for ELA. And then for math we have 3 and 25. White we have 24 and 38. And then for math we have 8 and 43. Two or more races. for ELA 4% and we have 36 I think that says and then we have um zero and we have 26 IEP these are students with IEPs this is our special education population so for ELA we have 4% and 17% and then for math we have 3% and 17% 504s. So these are students when we say 504 they might
045be getting some kind of accommodation but they're not necessarily classified as special education. So 504 we have 11% and 47%. And then for math we have three and 35. Uh these are our multil- language learners. Um we have for ELA 0% uh exceeded expectations, but we did have 18% meet expectations on the um on the ELA assessment. And then for math, we have zero and nine. economically disadvantaged. So we have 13% and 30% and then we have 2% and 25 for math non-economically disadvantaged. We have um we have eight and 24. I'm sorry. No, we have 24 and we have 40 and then we have nine and 43. there's a uh a bunch of students that we can't report on. And what this means is that districtwide we have fewer than nine of these students.
046Um that includes um homeless uh American Indian Alaskan Native, we have um Asian for ELA and math and then Native Hawaiian other Pacific Islander. All of these categories are the categories that are delivered to us by the state. Um this is all the terminology that they use. Okay. Um as always, we can't just have data and do nothing with it. It's really a matter of what we do with the information. Um next steps, well, how do we maintain and improve? There are areas that that you're looking at that I think uh to use your terminology are blows and there's other areas that are areas where we certainly need to grow, right? I think they stand out. Um, so, um, some of the things are real basic stuff, right? You know, it's things like taking a
047good hard look at when we're teaching things, how we're teaching things. There's a few times a year when we come back to these things. Um, right around midterms, just after midterms, um, we have folks looking at the evidence statements as I'd mentioned before. Um, so looking at all that information, uh, we come back to our pacing guides. uh we have building administration and then now we're able to um you know my office is now able to actually push into a lot of these conversations around lesson planning. Um this is something that we weren't able to do in the past. So um now that we have extra support in in the curriculum office, the building administration will be making sure that lesson plans are done that they're compliant but then we're able to take a good
048hard look at the content of what's being planned. And a big thing that we look for when we're looking at that, by the way, is the alignment to standards, right? We need to see like, okay, are we hitting all the standards we're supposed to hit? Are we hitting them in a meaningful way where the students themselves are actually mastering the skill? And how do we know that? So, these are some of the conversations that we're actually able to have now. Um, looking at released items. So, um, at the junior senior high school, um, taking a look at released items. This is something that we started last year and it's something that we're actually expanding on because we certainly um we did see in some areas um taking a look at those release items was certainly
049helpful um especially if you think back to the the results on the NJGPA but it's you know taking a look at some of those teachers that had even more success looking at them or taking a look at the practices that they were using and it's things like not just having the kids do the items it's having the kids you try the item out, but then also explain it to another kid. And the reason why that's important is because that's a step in, you know, having them articulate what it what's going on with the math helps them understand it and helps them be able to write about it, which is a component of the NJSLA and the NJGPA. Um, okay. So, we take we're taking a good hard look at a lot of the released items.
050Um, and then we're, you know, just checking for understanding. And then we have uh preparing students for the the new assessment platform. Um I'm realizing now that that word new has a little too much excitement in it. Um and that wasn't the intention, but I wanted to make sure that I didn't forget to say this stuff to you. Um so yeah, that might be a little bit more. Yeah. So, um, as many of you know, um, we have a brand new NJSLA adaptive. Um, we are still receiving information about what this really is going to look like. I know the time frames are going to be different. The platform is completely different. Um, our understanding of it right now is that for math and reading, um, as the students answer questions, if they get them
051right, they get exposed to more challenging questions. If they get them wrong, they get less challenging questions until they hone in on whatever area they, you know, whatever score they believe is the actual right score. Uh, are you going to make me answer for the state because I really just don't know the answer? Go ahead. Right. So my understanding is that this is like EXL which I believe having talked to many of the students who are doing this obviously you know a select group but >> um I would not be surprised if our scores tank as do the states because one of the issues with adaptive onl is if it glitches you can't fix it and it will throw you back if your finger slips and you didn't mean to hit that and you get
052thrown back. And these are kids who don't want to take standardized tests to begin with. So if like there's a glitch and you throw me back and you're telling me I have to go and do these questions again, a lot of them are just going to be like whatever. >> Yeah, we are um we are taking a look at what the assessment is going to look like on the student end. That was a piece of what we did uh with the last inservice. We gave folks time to go ahead and take a look at that. Um, and I I did notice there's a lot of buttons to hit. So, we're going to have to do our best to get kids familiar with what they're going to be looking at. And, um, it might mean that
053we are reestablishing a baseline for data next year. >> We're not going to get any data back from this field test. >> The field test we'll get nothing back from. This is just a test the test itself but the actual assessment in the spring we're told that we'll get similar data that it's all aligned to the standards and all that. Um and then the writing section is very different. Um it's you know I mean they're still working on the rubrics and things like that. Um but as soon as stuff comes out we are going to be sharing it with staff, sharing it with students. Um there are certainly some segments of the um the website that the state has for this um that are still blacked out um or grayed out I should say like
054it says like it says coming soon. So you know I'm sure it'll be here soon. Um >> and just and just to be clear >> this is not our choice. >> No. >> Right. No. >> I just I don't want anybody to think that we thought oh hey let's you know let's go try out a new test. No. Yeah. >> This is mandated. This is >> correct. >> Results of >> Yeah. So yeah, I I mean I I know that so it's a brand we used to it would used to be Pearson and now it's Cambium and um so we're going to see what it looks like and you know again we don't have a choice in the matter. This is something that we must do. There's actually been a lot of mandates coming out
055of the state. That's a conversation for another day. And a lot of brand new systems again a conversation for another day. But um but you know, we are going to do what we always do, which is we're going to look at it and we've had these conversations with, you know, I've had these conversations with teachers and we're going to look at it and we're going to do our best to wrap our arms around it and we're going to encourage our kids to do the best and that's the best we can do, you know. All right. Um let's see here. So, um I talked a little bit about this. We are of course analyzing trends. Um we're using inservices. We're using PLC's. is we're looking at the cohort data. That data is very telling. Um and
056then the evidence statements and we look at the trends over a few years with evidence statements. Um and then you know ultimately um we develop researchbased practices all based on this. Um you know basically we take a look at the data and then based on what the data is we look at the research and we do what the research tells us to do because that's the soundest thing that we know how to do. And that's it. All right. Anything from the board? >> Yep. >> I know that you're not presenting on cohort data tonight. Um, and I don't know how familiar you are with it off the top of your head, but are there any generalizations >> you can share on what you saw with cohort data? >> Um, I will say this. Um there
057are certain trends that um that tell us that and and and you know many of you have been on the board for quite a few years so you could probably have your finger on the pulse just by sitting through these presentations. Um but there are certain trends that tell us that uh based on the cohort data and based on not just the cohort data but then taking out any students who haven't taken all the assessments with us, right? that gives us information about how strong our program is because these students have taken it with us and um when we do that we actually see an uptick in the results across the board um because you know these are students who have been through the audit improvements and things like that but the consistently and and
058I've only been on the board for three years, but the data consistently shows that we are very weak in the high school with these scores. And I keep hearing, you know, we're looking at this, we're looking at other ideas, we're we we are isolating where we're seeing these things and yet I'm not seeing any improvement. And it it generally looks like our children are not being taught the standards and so they are not getting the education that not only they need but they deserve and so that is my concern like where are we where's the change going to be like as you're looking at this I understand that previous to Miss Allen's uh tenure she term here. Um, you know, lesson plans really weren't being looked at. There really weren't walkthroughs and things like that.
059And I know that that's happening now, but I would have expected to see an uptick and not decreases and doing worse than the state and things like that. you know, if it's that and and part of and I know that part of the issue was and the thought was, well, you're only having one teacher who teaches one subject and doesn't go and get to have that input and feedback from other teachers and we're going to fix that so that there's more teachers teaching the same subject. You know, maybe not so the same grades, but so that there is or, you know, they'll be splitting it. And yet, I haven't really seen that. and it's the same teachers with the same grade and clearly not having that ability to have those other teachers. There hasn't been
060that change, but either what they're doing is not correct or it's just not working and it's not being changed. So, for just and and I'm I'm not saying this to castigate you or anyone else. It's just frustrating and I'm sure anyone sitting here and parents are frustrated because I'm seeing the same data every year and the same things being said and yet I'm not seeing the changes. And so, you know, I it would be nice if we could see the changes and there could be some indepth talks about what changes are being made and what the hopes are with those changes and not we're looking at it. we're processing the data and we're going to make changes like tell us what the changes are and and show us because so far I'm not really seeing
061much changes in the curriculum and I'm not seeing any ch and how it's being taught and I'm not seeing changes in our numbers except to the detriment to our students and and obviously I'm looking at great numbers at mansion and things like that. I love seeing the good results for the most part on the AP test. I love seeing that. But to consistently see this and then knowing that these kids are going to leave here and not be prepared for a higher education in many ways because many of our students go on to college and it's just going to make their job a lot harder if they're not academ at a minimum academically prepared. So that's just my frustration and I'm not trying to and I'm sorry if it's coming that way. I just if
062we could just get definitive answers of what the changes are and what the metrics you're using because I'm hearing of this or that or trying but then not actually hearing definitively what they were any revamping of the curriculum, any revamping on the teaching or the teachers and things like that. And clearly, you know, the proof's in the pudding. And that's concerning because these kids, our kids are smart. Our kids are able. I know that they can do better and want to do better, but we have to meet them, you know. >> Mr. Burke, do you want to talk a little bit about what Mr. Sylvester presented to the education committee? >> Sure. Sure. I think that is that is a very tangible um >> uh indicator of some of the changes that are being made
063and I know all the board members have access to that through the education committee agenda right agenda I believe so >> see the actual >> what >> oh the the lesson planner yeah we can we can get an example of that >> and I don't want to steal Mr. Wilson's thunder because I know he's going to present on this but >> I know that's a it was a very tangible Yeah. >> Yeah. So, um, before I get to that, um, I do think we should take a moment and also recognize, um, because you're right, there there are certainly some elements of this that, you know, I look at and I I'm certainly frustrated as well. Um and you know the the other piece though is that we should take a moment and recognize that the
064end result you know because you you talk about the kids going out into the world and not being prepared for the rigors of life or or you know college and career but when we see on the NJGPA that was presented in August an uptick of 15% in mathematics I would argue that that's a huge leap and that you know we did do things that that certainly helped you you know, that's certainly an area where, you know, that's the last test that these students take. And then ultimately every year when we talk about the purpose of the NJGPA and we talk about the the fact that it's a graduation assessment, yes, there's the NJGPA. And then if they don't pass that, they also take the PSAT. And at the end of the day, we're left with
065maybe about I don't know 10 to 15 kids who have to do the portfolio at the end. So we're only talking about a very small percentage of students that end up h we having having to do a portfolio as a last resort to to actually graduating which I I would argue suggests something about you know how it is that you know we have made improvements and you know it's in the grand scheme it's not that bad you know in you know earlier too there is a reality too that students they don't like taking standardized tests and you know a lot of the students students. You know, when we take a look too at who it is that end up having to do the portfolio, I can't get into the specifics of that, but you know,
066there's certain segments of the population that really end up being the ones having to needing that extra support. Um, well, let me talk about the lesson planner because I was talk about that and or is this relevant to this thing right here? Okay, perfect. Yeah. Okay, go ahead. Go ahead. also saying that you can consider is um a lot of the scores for high school is when we were like not meeting the state. Um and something that I was thinking about is once you get to high school a lot of your learning is more refined. So like say you're taking a lot of APs and we saw from the last meeting that there was a lot of students registered for APs um and a lot of the time your learning is more um targeted towards
067a certain subject area. So, as someone who I think like I'm I think I'm smart, but like the I took the NJSLA and I saw I didn't get the best scores, but it's also because I'm taking like, you know, like AP chemistry or like physics and like that's kind of different than something I learned my freshman year, which is like basic science and math. And I think that's just something other else to consider >> there. Yeah. And you know, to your point, um there's multiple data points that we should really be looking at. These are the data points that we're required to actually present. Uh when we take a look at our students, we don't just look at the NJGPA or the NJSLA. No one goes to college and says, "Yeah, I ace the NJSLA,
068right?" Like that's not a talking point. Um to make friends anyway. Um so anyway, um but yeah, there there's multiple data points and you know, we have to look at the whole package too. Certainly, we look at this every year. This is what we're required to talk about, but we have to think about the whole child, too. So I, you know, while I think we're right in in asking those tough questions, those are those are the right questions to ask. Um, and but there's there's other factors, too. And again, we're in public session, so there are certain pieces that I can't really get into obviously because that would require me to talk about personnel. Um, getting back to your um comment, and again, I won't say too much about it because I don't want to
069take away Mr. Wilson's thunder either. Um but um one of the things that we are doing at the high school in particular is we are completely overhauling how it is that we go about doing lesson planning and it's directly tied to pacing guides. So as teachers work on their lesson plans, it automatically creates a very usable pacing guide. It's all lined to standards. Um it's actually teacher created. Um I will say this, Mr. Sylvester did an amazing job. He really did. And We are also supporting the teachers through this endeavor. You know, we started the school well actually we started it over the summertime and we had a committee working on this and working out all the kings and then from there we um we opened the inservice and like okay this is how we're
070going to be working on lesson plans and we're going to give you support and we're going to give you guidance and we're going to give you time. That's the thing that a lot of teachers lack. Um if you ask any teacher like what's the thing that we lack the most and it's time to actually get the stuff done. So um so we followed up at the last inservice by giving folks some time to get more support and also work on those lesson plans which is basically not basically it is creating um a very usable and readable and functional pacing guide as as they go along. So um it's something that there's a lot of benefits to it. Um, but one of the nice things too is that if we have someone step out of a
071teaching role and we can have another person come in and it's very clean for them to use it. >> The really big piece is teachers always write their lessons, lesson plans, whatever, and show the standards that they're hitting. This one's doing a little bit reverse. It's got all the standards listed and seeing when we're hitting it so it's clear what standards aren't being hit, what standards are being hit, how often. And then when we get our evidence statements and we can go back and compare the evidence statements or the results from an assessment and say, "This standard didn't really do well. Oh, well, you only hit that standard one day. This standard did really well. You hit that standard 12 days. Maybe we can take a couple days off of that and move it over
072to here." So, it's allowing us to look at it in a different way. Um, but it's only because of his process that he did. It's not more work for the teacher. It's actually less work for the teacher. It'll take that data and manipulate it into a variety of different ways. So, you're kind of doing your lesson planning the way you always did, but it extrapolates it out and puts it into other forms for us as administrators, as curriculum to be able to look at and go, "Oh my god, there's a glaring hole right here. We had no idea. You're following your pacing guides. You're following the textbook. You're getting ready for the final exam, but we didn't realize that there's this one standard that never got hit." That kind of a thing. So, we're looking
073at I know what I'm teaching is hitting the standards. I don't know that all the standards are necessarily being hit. So this allows so that's a very tangible thing like you were saying with the data we have and even the the grades that don't have a test I can in history sit there and say you know I do a great job hitting all these standards oh by the way there's four I never get to okay well now I have to find a way to integrate those in there because I have my curriculum my curriculum does everything I'm supposed to do but is it hitting everything or is it hit everything equally and pieces the consistency yes we do have two teachers teaching things this year it's a first year so we haven't seen the results
074of that yet. Um, but it also helps with that consistency across the classrooms and things like that as well. >> You've had your hand up. Go ahead. >> Uh, uh, I think a big part of why scores have gone down is I think also just the morale and there's like a bridge of like miscommunication between the students and the teachers. Like I think for me like I don't really understand why we take these tests. Now I do, but I think just to for some students to actually know why we are and like to show the importance of it, I think would bring up those scores a lot because I just think the general morale is just down for students. They just don't care. They ended up just slotting themselves into school that day just to
075take a test and they're going to rush through because they don't understand why they're taking it. I think that would help. >> Yeah. Yeah. Good insight. >> All right. All right. Anything else from the book? >> Do the student like that's a really a really good point. Like I know there would be some kids that would be super motivated if like they saw that you know that was our score but the state did this score. It would be like all right let's get our scores you know over the state. >> I think that's that's a really great point >> that I feel like with like AP tests students understand the reason why they're taking them and understand it's important for college and I don't think students understand that with the state testing. So I think
076if that if that gap is bridged, I think they'll make >> motivation is a serious thing, you know, and that could also be a contributing factor to why students do better on the NJGPA. >> All right. Anything else from the board? >> Oh, good. Okay. Thank you, everybody. >> Okay. Next, um our second presentation this evening uh is on our uh bond referendum an update just showing um now that we've completed almost all of the work um what exactly was done what it looks like and our business administrator Mrs. Ron Casease is going to and oh and Miss Allen. Sorry, there's a program change there. And Miss Allen, >> this is the most fun presentation because it's a showand tell of all of the great things that have happened with the bond referendum. Um I
077was not here for the bond referendum. I just get to shoot do the show and tell and show off all the wonderful things that happened. That's part of the things that Miss Ron Casease will be here for. There are a lot of slides. I'm going to go through them quickly, but I don't want to leave anything out. There was a lot of projects and a lot of things that were touched over the last four years, five years. >> December December of 2021 is when we approved the bond. So December of 2021 through now, most everything is completed. There's still a few dots on the eyes and tees to cross to get everything completed, but for the most part, the projects are done. Am I not going? Did you turn it off? There we go. Havlin
078fencing. Havlin prayground. Can we turn the lights out more? It's not really much reading. So, they're really cool pictures. I want you to be able to see. I like showand tell you. It's a very nice sky. Oh, look. There's a playground, too. We have the playground. We have a couple different angles of the playground. Thank you to uh Mr. Hollander for taking these pictures. It was a nice beautiful day. Um, the Havlin playground was all redone, the ramp and fencing to the playground along the side of the building. Uh, the retaining wall for the playground, the basketball courts, the concrete out front, and the pretty flag pole. Um, some things are not as pretty, but very necessary. The HVAC, the air conditioning units both outside and inside on the roof, the within the offices and
079the classrooms. The LED lighting throughout and the pretty white ceilings. Uh lighting controls may not seem like a big deal to you, but you saw we just did some things with the controls. The main office, the gym floor, very beautiful with its bee in the center. Uh dimmer controls as we just saw happen in here. Uh the renovated media center, the refrigeration, HVAC control center. Uh and then we move on to mansion. Again, not as the as bougie things, but the boiler pumps. Winter time, you'll be very happy about those. the boilers, the controls, the electric panels, the expansion tank, the hot water system, the HVAC, the HVAC in the classrooms and their controls, the lighting panel, the media center, also redone, the newly painted all-purpose room, the kitchen appliances, the main office flooring, the
080main office lighting, the audio system, the speakers, The black top. I love that picture. It's my favorite one. Would you go up on the roof? The black top and fence. The mansion roof. And now we're to the high school. The boiler room exhaust. HVAC for the cafeteria. Chilled water pumps. The chiller. The drainage at the A building. The generator. Again, seems like a little thing, but the old generator could only power part of the building. The building's gotten bigger and the generator hadn't. So now we have a generator that can power the building. electric for the generator. Emergency electric panels, the generator controls, the media center doors, you've seen them tonight, the media center front desk right over there. Uh media center retractable doors, the furniture, cool stuff over there, not the stuff you're sitting
081in. Uh the Green Bean Cafe over on the side there. We have art room exhaust, art room furniture, art room cabinetry and sinks. a building classroom floors, uh ceiling in the classrooms, HVAC units, classroom and office doors and locks, smartboards, LED panels, light panels, the gymnasium floor, unfortunately more than once with its beautiful I did say that gymnasium bleachers, uh the lighting in the gymnasium, the thermostats, the auxiliary gym floor also very pretty team locker rooms and bathrooms, wrestling room pads, hot water booster pumps, hot water system, hot water storage, kitchen appliances, more kitchen appliances, kitchen refrigeration, stadium completely repainted, stadium bleachers and concrete work, the track, the b basketball courts, the retaining wall at Walnut Street, The ramp at Walnut Street. Walnut Street steps and railings. The wait room roof and HVAC. A building
082roof and exhaust. A building roof entrance. Auditorium roof exhaust. Cabinet heater in the foyer. Dbuilding HVAC. Wood shop machinery. Wood shop floor. Woodop dust collection. Wood shop dust collector, woodshop dust collector controls. Wood shop makes a lot of dust. Wood shop HVAC. And so I told you there was a lot of pictures, but that's a lot of things that have happened. So for the money side, there's of course the money side we want to go through. So the bond referendum approval was in December of 2021. The bond referendum was for 26,810,000. There was also some 232 24 capital reserve projects for 650,000 and there was a grant the small school small business ventilation and energy efficiency verification repair grant that was 2,556,000. So for the grand total of revenue was 30 million. The expenditures we
083just broke it out by year. You didn't need to see everything. Obviously year one things got started year two. By year three things were really running. That's when you were really getting into all the HVAC units and things where a lot of the money went into the controls went through the grant. So the total expenditures was the 29,929 29 million 929,62621. So there's a balance between our revenue and what we spent. So there's $86,000 still left available from the um bond. Couple things just to note. There were a few projects that had to be cut from the bond project um because of costs, because of different things. The stair treads here at the high school, the high school bathrooms, the stadium bathrooms, and there was a warranty that was a two-year warranty that we cut
084back to a one-year warranty in order to stay under the um guidelines, the prices that we had. So, that'll be something for the board to discuss over the at the next operations meeting and things of that nature with some of that leftover money. Do we want to attempt any of these projects? these projects. Not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things for the project. There you go. There you go. All excited. So, we really just want to take a minute to say thank you for your support for the board, for the community, for everybody. There was 105 slides there of beautiful things that have happened in the Ottabon School District. And it's all because of that project and the hard work that you I don't know what I just did that you
085all did with it over those years because that was it was a lot. It was a lot and it shows. It's beautiful. question. >> I I think I just want to make sure the board would be remiss if we did not acknowledge Dr. Davis and uh and his part in leading us through those years and also uh Mr. Rudder who is our director of buildings and grounds. So, um obviously kudos to them, kudos to Mrs. Ronase for all of all of her oversight and work in the project. Um it's it's tremendous. I mean, I I wish we had the before and the after pictures, especially the locker room here. Um, >> it's it's just fantastic. Well, this room itself. Yes. Yes. This room itself. Yeah. So, just thank you to to all involved. Really wonderful.
086>> We have a a recognition next. One more recognition. >> Well, yes. While Miss Ron Casease and I are up here, we would like to recognize Mr. James Hollander, who is our director of facilities, took over with the responsibilities for Mr. Ruer with a lot of he was very active in a lot of those bond referendum things, but he received a certificate of appreciation this past month when he was at the Haden Township Bureau of Fire Prevention, Office of the Fire Marshall. He got this certificate in appreciation and recognition for the commitment to upholding consistent compliance, oftentimes above and beyond the minimum requirements of the New Jersey fire code. The continued efforts and professionalism the staff from your organization have demonstrated while working together with the building strong relationships with the fire prevention bureau and
087the fire company have not gone unnoticed. We commend you on a job well done. Thank you for being a prevention and part partner in prevention. We appreciate all of your efforts and definitely want to acknowledge all the hard work that you do for the district and we thank you. [Applause] We have some students that need to uh need to leave early because there's some studying that has to be done. >> Oh, yes. I'm sorry. Thank you. All right. And now we have uh superintendent and district report. Not trying to make things too long, but I have a few things I wanted to add. Um spirit week, I know that Helena mentioned it a little bit. It was great. Um, being newer to the district, it's really fabulous to come in one day and have the
088hallways all different colors. What was really cool was watching them be here on Monday. Monday was a day off. Uh, 40 to 50 kids came in on their day off to work to beautify the school and make it great for when the kids came in. Um, what I was so impressed by, and you can see there's a theme for this whole area. Well, there's like 10 or 15 kids working on it. Like they're all cohesive, one group working together to pull off what this was. So, you only get to see the three down here. There's two more upstairs. Um, but it's really great and the teachers love it and especially, you know, if you're not from Ottabon or Everybody does their spirit week different. You guys do spirit week really really well and it's just
089a really neat thing to walk into and see. And it just it makes the building really fun for the week as as well as some of the things. I wore a purple wig all day. It was crazy hair day. So, all of the different things make it a lot of fun. Uh, I wanted to mention about our inservice days. We just had last Friday and Monday. Um Mr. uh Burke touched on it briefly. The amount of work that our stu our teachers did on those days was just amazing. Um yes, the lesson planner that they were working on up here at the high school. Um some of the initiatives and things down at the elementary school, this was our first half day for that team, the uh grade level collaboration that we talked about um
090when I created the calendar last year and I put in those half days. So this was our first one and I can report that the schools all did what we asked them to do. any of the assemblies and this and that that was going to mess up the day we did on that half day. Um at the high school they all went down and did their evacuation from the cafeteria. What would you do if there was a lockdown or something in the cafeteria? So that was a good day to do that. So that was our disrupt the education kind of a day because it was already a hectic day. So that was something as the board that we talked about. Um and that did happen at all grade levels. Um and then the afternoon it
091was amazing to see the kind of work that was happening. again Monday um Mr. Burke had a very robust agenda. There was very very many working parts at the same time. Having um Sam Costel as our supervisor of curriculum was amazing. She was able to run um some workshops for example linkit our data um data warehousing. They were able to run two different workshops simultaneously. one for beginners and one for the advanced so that everybody's not sitting and hearing, well, all right, I already know how to use all this and now I'm getting nothing out of this PD or oh my god, they're talking about things that are over my head. We can send people to the right spots and make sure that we're meeting their needs and helping them be efficient with their data
092and data processing. I on the 10th was part of the safe routes to school. Uh this is an initiative that Jim Blumenstein had started a few years ago and there's different levels of it. We have gotten awards and recognition of a silver and a bronze level and we're now going for gold or platinum or something. Um people from safe roots of school, people from Department of Transportation, people from within the school district and the police department all came together. We all broke out in our neon yellow vests and walked the town some of the routes where the students go and we took pictures of looking at different crosswalks. Apparently, there's different kinds of crosswalk, but I learned about zebra versus constitutional and something else. And I don't know, I didn't learn well. Uh, but we
093took pictures of things and we talked about where there areas for improvement, what things look good, what things don't look good. It was really great to walk around with police officers. I had uh Chief Bower with me and the other two officers went with the other group, but difference between county roads versus burrow roads and uh as we're going around and looking at u where the crosswalks are. We also had someone from the safety patrol with us. So he said, "Well, there's a safety here and a safety here." And he said, "Well, there's a crossing guard there and a crossing guard there." So it was a really nice cross section of people um PTA as well. And we really tried to look at now I wasn't able to go back when they debriefed and looked
094at the map and came up with the next steps, but it was a big piece. It was about a three-hour project of people. We had a presentation in the beginning, different things we were looking at. There was a lot of proposals about things we could do out front here to help with traffic, to help with the safety of pedestrians, things of that nature. So, that's basically what was looked at for all the schools. A really neat initiative and I'm glad that we continued it. Um, and then one more thing I wanted to talk about, two more things. Um, we had we have district um admin meetings every month. This year, we changed it up a little bit and we go to building level. So, we had a building level meeting last month. It was Miss
095Smeltzer. It was our supervisor of curriculum, Mr. Burke, assistant superintendent, and myself sitting together and talking for an hour about curriculum about we looked at the scores some of the stuff that he just showed you in a global she um Sam had broken down grade by grade with the evidence statements and Meltzer said this is great when are we telling the teachers how are we telling the teachers so within that hour we had come up with a plan of PLC's who's doing it when's doing it how are we going to shut up how are we going to get this to the teachers how are the teachers going to get it to the students it was a really really valuable and instead of having that meeting with Jeff, Barbie, and Bonnie, it was a meeting just
096with Bonnie because Mansion is different than it was very targeted. It allowed us to have that targeted. It was very exciting. It was the first one we've had, but it just I left there feeling really, really good. Um, we went in with what do you think we should do? And we left with uh a to-do list all mapped out. So, it was very exciting. Um, the field test was just talked about briefly. I just want to make sure the community as a whole knows to look at the Facebook page for the Ottabon School District. I'm putting things out there regularly. I put some pictures of the spirit days out there, uh, the spirit hallways out there, but I did a video about the field test to try to answer some questions to try to make
097sure that the parents know what's coming. One of our biggest frustrations internally is kind of what you just talked about. I want to see the growth and I have a whole new uh, ruler to measure starting next year. So, it's going to be very difficult and very frustrating for me not to be able to chart the growth and see the exact um success of some of the things that we're putting in in place right now because we're never going to have that same assessment again for me to be able to compare it to. So, it's very frustrating, but I needed the public and again, it's not our choice. Every school in the state of New Jersey is required to take this field test. Um, so I tried to put information out there for the parents,
098let them know exactly what grade levels, what dates we're looking at, things like that, so that everybody can be informed. I'm trying to put videos out every couple weeks for things that affect not just parents, but community members as well. Parents are easier to get emails to. Community members aren't. So, I'm trying to use social media for that. I'm done. I promise. Okay. All right. Um, next we're going to move on with the approval of the board minutes. They have a motion to approve the minutes from September 17th executive session and September 17th public session. Roll call, please. >> Sarah Coen, >> yes. >> Allison Lipsky, >> yes. >> Bill Wilson, >> Alison Cox, >> abstain. >> Danielle Franches D. Franchesco. >> Mark Gaddy. Amy Davis, >> yes. >> Motion passed. >> Thank you. Okay,
099next we're going to move on to our first public participation section and this res in regard to items that are on the agenda only. The board of education recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on school matters of community interest. In order to permit the fair and orderly expression of such comment, the board has set aside two portions of this board meeting for public comment on any school or school district issue that a member of the public feels may be of interest to the residents of the school district. For the first portion, this portion, public comments are invited on matters pertaining only to the agenda for tonight's meeting. For the second portion, which will be at the end of the meeting,
100public comments are invited on all matters pertaining to the school district. Participants are asked to announce their name, address, and any group they may represent if applicable. The board reserves the right to limit public discussion, and public discussion of a topic will be limited to 15 minutes, and individual speakers will be limited to three minutes. No participant may speak more than once on the same topic until all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard. Reference bylaw number 0167 of the Audabon Public Schools Board of Education manual. The board uses the public comment period as an opportunity to listen to citizens. Not all issues brought to a board meeting will be resolved at that particular meeting. Complaints stated or actions requested by the public may be taken under advisement by the board
101for investigation, discussion, action, or disposition at a later date or time. The public comment sessions are an opportunity for citizens to share their opinions and remarks with the board. It is not a question and answer session. The board may or may not respond to public comments at the time they are made and is under no obligation to do so. The board does not endorse public com comments, nor will the board be held liable for comments made by members of the public. Any individuals who may be the subject of public comments, including district employees, shall retain all rights against defamation and slander according to the laws of New Jersey. So, having said all of that, is there anyone who would like to make a comment on an agenda item? Good evening. Sarah Barry, Lo South, uh
102Lo Avenue in Ottabon. Um I'm here uh speaking on behalf of my resignation tonight um from the Ottabon High School nurse position. Coming back to Ottabon was a dream come true to me to care for the students of our town and our families. I want to thank you all, all of you up there um watching tonight to letting me take care of your children for all these years. I owe the parents and staff an explanation as to why I decided to resign my position and I made my decision because of how the administration in this district works or I should say doesn't work as a team. Overall, the safety is a concern where my non-medical staff are making medical decisions without consulting. This year has been a large influx of high acuity medical needs at
103the high school ranging from cardiac issues, epilepsy, life-threatening allergies, diabetes, asthmatics, and mental health. Many of you may know may not know the high school only carries one nurse for 7th through 12th grade. 800 students. The prek has 65 students. Havlin has 250 students and mansion 320. With this many students and the need of medical acuity this year, that is not a safe ratio. The admin voiced to me, the nurse in the past 18 years called and ran this school just fine. But what the admin fails to realize is that the kids have more medical conditions than just 5 years ago. And with that mentality, the risk of liability is um the care to any student from a response of a temperature taking to the cardiac arrest students. Admin told me no to a CNA,
104which is a certified nursing assistant, but advertised for a paraprofessional with a job description to respond to medical emergencies and signs and symptoms. There has been a par profofessional advertised since July with this district with no applicants. So, the likelihood of one in the nurse's office would be low. The inappropriate for needs a medical response without a medical background is at risk to our students. When I asked why a CNA couldn't be advertised, I was told we can't budget that for $2 more difference than a par profofessional. I was dismayed because if administration actually took the time to consult with me as the nurse, I could have gotten the school a CNA full-time with a cost reduction to your district. Some issues with the administration of safety meetings were held for parents and I asked
105for an administrator to be present. I was told no, we are busy. After 911's were called um multiple times, a debrief was held and I showed up for the meetings and I was told you have to go away. We will fill you in. When teachers approached me nervous with the amount of medically fragile students this year, I was given 20 minutes to cover mandated trainings from the state. If you look at NJSA 18A 40 and multiple um re uh restrictions for that 12-38 34 um with all the different types. Thank you so much. But there's needs to be a lot more. If you want students um grades to increase in this district, you have to look at their health. Good evening board. Ryan Barry, 34 North Lo speaking this evening as a concerned parent and
106spouse. The district has sustained a giant loss of a gem, nurse Barry. During her tenure here, I personally watched nurse Barry give countless hours before and after school that were uncompensated, hundreds of her own dollars towards the cause, and she created the Health Prep Club, which within a year of its commissioning had one of the highest attendance rates in the school with 50 students. She repeatedly asked for help and was told no. Let me frame the ludicr. With 800 students, 75% of whom have acute medical issues, nurse Barry single-handedly saw 5,000 students last year. That rounds out to more than six students per day or excuse me, six uh visits per student. She was compared to the nurses throughout the rest of the district. As we all know, high school nursing is not the same
107as uh elementary and junior high. Uh she dealt with pregnancy, drugs, transgender issues, complex medical issues, daily medications, gym excusals, calling parents, doctors, student emergencies, all while the medical acuity increased. Throughout her time, she was excluded from medical decisions. She was prevented from debriefing emergencies. administrators were giving medicine under her watch without her consent. She was not consulted on field trips and I saw her health personally decline while she was here. While I sat by and listened, I was trying to be supportive, but I bring my voice tonight. Within a day of her resignation, she already heard rumors that she was being replaced. My charge to each of you is that nurse Barry is irreplaceable. So may the may the town may that voice uh be loud and hear loud and clear that uh the
108safety of our students needs to be revisited. Thank you. Steve Ray 261 West Graberry F. I just had some questions about the presentation uh with the test force. Uh could we clarify what it means that it meets some expectations and approaches expectations? So the the public comment period is not a question and answer period. You can post >> you well yes there are answers but um this is not uh an exchange a back and forth exchange. You can make your comments and the school district can follow up with that. >> I just wanted to clar like because it I would think if you if you met some of the expectations then that would be approaching. I feel like it would be the same thing. I just didn't know if it was maybe >> state. >>
109Um and then we saw the the number well and those number the state numbers are awful. Our numbers weren't much better which was pretty sad. Um is there somewhere where we can see the numbers where we compare to towns closer to us? Um like because comparing Ottabon to a city like Newark or something like that doesn't make much sense. Like I would like to see how we compare to Haten Heights or Hadenfield or Collingswood. Um that would be I would feel better getting a comparison to that. Um and then the one slide it said the next steps. Um making sure curriculum is followed and we're hitting the marks and everything else. H I know I'm not going to get an answer, but how is that the next step? um how was that not already being
110done? Like like what what was happening there? Like how were we not checking that the curriculum was being met and that we were hitting the marks that we were supposed to be with the students that and with with these low scores? Um I like I wasn't aware that the scores were that bad uh until until I seen the presentation. I was doing my own research online and I didn't really make couldn't make a lot of sense of the numbers, but Mr. Burke did a great job of explaining. that I explained. Actually, I kind of wish I didn't understand the numbers because that those numbers were pretty bad. Um, but I think it would be better information if we had uh comparison to local districts to towns that look like us and if it was uh
111and just to clarify the numbers on what approaching and and meet some like I feel like it would be the same thing. I'm not sure but it would maybe clarified with pie charts but thank you. Um, so Mr. Ray, I would say that um to get answers to those questions, if you could reach out to Miss Allen, I'm sure that she'd be happy to to clarify those. >> Yes. So it's sallallenabschools.org. Yep. Um, those terminologies are things that you can find online. They're not our terms. They're state terms. Um, they used to give us something to allow us to compare with other towns. They don't really give that to us anymore. Uh there are ways for that and if you contact me, we can go into some more detail with some of that. Any other
112public comments on agenda items? Okay, seeing none, I'm going to close this public participation session and we're going to continue on with our agenda. Make sure I don't have any red here. All right. Uh, governance is next. So, I'd like to recognize Miss Lipsky. Uh, we did not meet uh yesterday. Uh, unfortunately, this is the time of season where there's a lot of health issues and things like that, and I personally have had some. Uh so we are going to be meeting in November as anticipated and at that time we are likely going to be doing a deep dive into some human resource policies that need to be looked at and reviewed. Um, and what we have on the agenda today are all these are all a second reading and that is because we had
113them on the agenda last month and I believe I did a pretty deep dive in most of them at that time. Uh, the inappropriate staff conduct both policy and regulation. Uh, those are things that were mandated by the state. The academic integrity was what formerly was known as our plagiarism policy. But this goes into much more indepth, not just, you know, Susie copied from, you know, an encyclopedia and claimed it was her own or copied from someone else. It's more it it go it does deal deals with that but also deals with you know malfeasants deliberately ripping pages out of books so your other student colleagues will not be able to get the answers out of that book things like that I just and that also was had a lot of mandatory things that we
114had to change food services there was a change in policy and also instead of it being the US Department of Education, it's the US Department of Agriculture. So, a lot of just changing the name from US Department of Education to the US Department of Agriculture and things of that nature. Um, use of electronic communication devices. Uh, that is something that the state of New Jersey is now saying, hey, you know what? It's not good for kids to have their phones in school. It tracks from learning and here's suggestions on what you can do. Pick what you want. And literally we just aligned it with the code of conducts in Mansion Avalanch and at the high school consistent with our policies on the use of when and where students can have their phones and when and
115where they have to be put away in designated areas and electronic surveillance in school buildings and on school grounds. We had kind of sent it back to just get a further clarification which is why this is a little little later even though we had looked at this previously and that is because we just wanted to make sure that not anyone could be looking at our students and that literally this is only the purposes for allowing someone other than administration and staff here at our schools to monitor the children. This is in cases of emergency. Police can and firefighters and things of that nature um can review live what's happening in the school at the area that the emergency is at. So they can't tape it, they can't change it, they can't do manipulate it, they
116can just watch live. So this is a safety feature, but we did make sure that that the only time that they will be looking at our students as they're in school. And so that's about all. One more thing that we're going to work on in governance next month is creating a handbook for the student representatives for the um board of education to give them a little bit more foundation and and we're just trying to expand it, make it a bigger, more important role on the board. So that's another thing that we want to work on. >> Thank you. All right. Any questions, comments, discussion on non-aggenda items? Okay. Just um real quick, don't forget um our board of ed self-ealuation is now live. I inputed the goals. Uh and we had set a group goal
117for having that completed by October 30th. Yeah, October 30th. Um I said that our meet and greet is October 30th also. And I know as of right now myself and Allison and Allison and Mark are signed up for that one. No. Okay. So now Mark and Miss Allen will be there as well to talk about the status of the strategic plan. The Mount Ephraim board of ed meeting is November 10th if anybody is available to go to that. And then we also started um in human resources tonight. started to look at the committee policy which is 0155. I know that the committee chairs had talked about um taking a deep dive into that policy to make sure that um once again our practices are meeting the policy. So, um, I just would ask each individual
118committee member to take a look at policy 0155 and look through the entire policy, but kind of hone in specifically on what your um your committee is responsible for. See if there's anything that needs to be struck or if there's anything that needs to be added to the policy and we'll bring that to governance. >> Yes. I just know that that wasn't what we were doing for next month, which is why I didn't mention it. >> Yeah. Yeah. But we already know from looking at it that there are things that >> yeah that need tweaking >> need tweaking that we don't do and you know because it literally lays out what each um committee does >> and there are things that none of the committees do and just the it's the role of the president
119but we don't have or the vice president and we don't have it listed as such. So >> it was a while ago that that policy was was created. So it take it needs another one. >> Yeah. I think it was probably when you moved to um committees >> committees. Yeah. >> Just just four committees. We had I feel like what do we have 12 committees at one time? >> Between 8 and 12. >> Yeah. Okay. >> All right. Uh any other questions or comments on non-aggenda for governance? Okay. Can I get a motion for item number one? >> Second. >> You guys got a Andrew and and Jonathan are not here. Any questions, comments, or discussion on agenda item number one? Okay, roll. Oh, is Allison and John, I'm sorry. Okay, roll call, please. >>
120Allison Lipsky. Bill Wilson, Alison Cox, >> Danielle D. Franchesco, >> Mark Gaddy, Sarah Coolen, >> Amy Davis, >> yes. >> Motion passed. Okay. Um, under operations, I want to make sure that we acknowledge the items in red on page six of the agenda. Number six, motion to acknowledge safety drills conducted in September should say in September. And then, uh, further down under Mansion Avenue School, it should be September 23rd, 2025. And under the Ottabon Junior Senior High School, it should say September 10th, 2025 for the bus evacuation drill. Okay. And then I would like to recognize Mrs. Cox for operations. Thank you, Mrs. Davis. Um, we did have our operations committee meeting on the 7th and we were at Havland and we took a tour and that was really cool. It was really neat. Missed
121a few things looking at the slides. So, we when we return back we'll look at those things. Um, our next meeting is November 4th at Mansion. Um, so and I'm just it it was really neat to see the the bond so long ago actually to see it come to fruition. And I mean some of the things were not bougie, but they were stuff that will keep our facilities running for many years. I will not be on the board, I promise, uh, for the next bond referendum. Um uh but so that that's that said I was very encouraged. Um we did discuss uh the remaining district staff openings. Um we talked about the budget. Uh we received the uh title one funding and we had some discussion regarding uh our all the funds. So school choice
122funds, out of district costs, tuitions and also reasons for why um the students would be leaving Audabon and uh it was a lot different than narratives that we've heard. So that was encouraging as well. Um uh there are some potentials some potential costs to the district that have not been budgeted. More information will come. Nothing's definitive yet. Uh we do have new hires. they are on the agenda um under personnel and we are definitely keeping an eye on stipens the stipened uh positions just to keep it cost contained keep within our budget. Um keys Jack Rabbit's not up and running yet so sorry about that. Um it's just we we've hit some snags that are kind of like an anomaly to Audabon specific. So we've just got to work through that. Um we're a little
123bit more lenient on times and when when people can bring their children and that kind of thing. So it's a little bit more rigid, but we'll walk we'll walk we will work through it. And we were going to alert the um uh the masses, the parents um the participants about that. Um yes. Uh speaking about budget, you know, we budget from July to June and health benefits are they come out in January. So it's we're anticipating what health benefits will be and uh the increase will be from right now over 20% increase in health but in health benefits and we've budgeted 10. So just FYI there there's a a definite deficit. Um uh >> uh no that's specific for the bond. cannot use that. >> But that was good thinking. I like outside of the
124box, you know, that um so you know tonight we uh we did talk the bond referendum was um presented the completion and we weren't able to do everything on the bond, but we got really creative and so many things we thought we would have to take off and then we were able to figure out different ways to put it back on. So, I really think I believe in my heart of hearts that Audabon got the best bang for their buck with this bond. We really really um we did a lot uh for I mean it's not a little bit of money. It's $30 million all in total, but um we we got a really good bang for our buck. Um, so on the agenda for tonight, we have August's board secretary report, cash reconciliation, and
125they weren't any there were no transfers for August. Uh, we also have the September and October bill lists. Uh, we have our September safety drills um as listed and a resolution to be able to submit the comprehensive maintenance plan. And that is all I have. >> Do you have anything? >> I don't. I just about the we did met met at Havlin. I'm really liking that we're going to different buildings. Um tonight operations or tonight HR didn't go to go to Havlin but a lot of the same members that were on operations governance missed it. So we'll have to figure out a time for them to see it. But it is nice for the board to go to the different buildings and be able to play showand tell and show you some of these things
126that we saw in the pictures in person. So that's really been neat this year. >> Could I add something personal to that? I would like to continue to to road trip if we could. It took me like 20 seconds to get home from Havlin. I really like that. >> It took me a little longer to get >> been tremendously beneficial. It really has. All right. Um any questions, comments, discussion on non-aggenda items under operations? I just want to say that I don't think the referendum well I mean the referendum kind of is on on the agenda because we had a presentation but it's not operations and so I just want to say thank you because I do remember maybe about a year ago all of a sudden there was a pres the same type of
127bond referendum like where things are going what we still have to work on it was a year and a half ago and all of a sudden it was we were in a deficit and it was talking what are we going to cut and all these things and it was like oh that's a that's a lot you're talking about cutting and to now hear that pretty much everything was done there were just a few minor things that weren't hit on and we have $86,000 is huge and I know that a big part of that was you miss Cox and operations and Miss Ron case and everyone else but but the fact that you dug down and all collaborated and were able to make this work is tremendous. So, thank you. >> Maybe put a little bow
128on the uh bond referendum, but um you know, that was before my time it was voted on while I was a uh just a resident, not a board member. Um and uh I think when I came on, Allison had had Mrs. Cox had told me, "This community cares about the schools and it's not a given that a referendum, no matter how much it's needed, will get passed. Ottabbon believes in the schools. They will hold your feet to the fire. They do not want to see the bougie stuff. They want to see they're the ones I feel like are interested in, oh, finally they updated the HVAC." Um, and I I would hope that through the pictures and through, you know, the end result that we've shown that their trust was warranted. And I appreciate that
129the community does stay so educated and and informed about what's going on. >> Okay. Then can I have a motion on items one through nine under operations? >> Roll call, please. Allison Cox. Danielle D. Franchesco, Mark Gaddy, Sarah Coolen, >> Alison Lipsky, >> yes. >> Amy Davis, >> yes. >> Motions passed. All right, we've got a lot of red for education. So, here we go. Page eight, number three. Uh, all the way down at the bottom of the page, it is a conference for M. Scully. The date for the second one for Mrs. should be 31726. Happy St. Patrick's Day. Okay, moving on. Page 10. Um, we need to add under Mr. Thomasi's name, we need to add Miss Del Rosario. There'll be a fall symposium 2025-WJV, Mount Laurel, New Jersey. That is October 24th,
1302025. $225 plus travel. Next, uh, Miss Augustine, the neurobiology of trauma PTSD, it's a virtual experience, will be January 14th, 2026. Cost is $60. And Miss Tempano will be attending an Every Learner Matters integrating Behavioral Support in Galloway, New Jersey, U October 28th, 2025. $178 plus travel. At the bottom of the page, hold please. The bottom of the page um underneath the Ottabon High School, the last Ottabon High School, the field trip, uh we need to add Havland Avenue School. Um they will be coming to the Ottabon High School on October 22nd, departing 8:45, returning 9:45. There'll be three students and two chaperones to um create relationships in our community and taking the opportunity to learn about gardening and pumpkins. $50 which will be paid for by the wave account number 620 page 11. Um
131so there should be two high school trips and then another one needs to be added under there. Um it's for the Havlin Preschool um on November 20th, 2025, departing at 9:00 a.m. returning at 11. 18 students and one chaperon to prevent fall enrichment activities to the prek and there is no cost and that's it for education. So now I get to recognize Mr. Wilson who is filling in for Miss Robinson. try to do my best here. Um going to reference some as well as my own. Uh we met last time uh September 23rd at Ottabban Preschool and uh it's it's always great to get over there. The um I don't have any my kids are not there anymore and so uh just being able to get in that building still and just see the continued
132growth is great. Um it's just a great place and and they're it just looks wonderful and uh really excited about the expansion. We got to tour some of the classrooms, see what they're doing. Everything's excellent. Um while there we saw a couple of things. Mr. uh what was previously mentioned by a couple of people, Mr. Sylvester's uh pacing guides were presented and um we had had a sneak preview of these a little while back and then we got a a real look by Mr. himself to give us a full tour of how this this this tool works. Uh his enthusiasm was uh you know incredible but it was surpassed by how detailed and how uh intricate his design is. Um and he is but he has all these tools with it to help people understand
133how to use it. He's saying that he's not seeing a lot of people have difficulty. Uh he's not getting a lot of questions. So they're they're it seems to be training people on how to use it. Well, uh it does so many things in one tool that it's it's really impressive. It not only allows you to build your lessons, but also check off the standards, see which ones you've met, see how long your units are. plot them in, you know, by day and just calendar view. It's just pretty impressive. Um, so I can't speak highly enough of the amount of work he put into it and uh how I think beneficial will be just because I don't know my professional life I don't have anything like that and it is just it looks like it's
134something that will be a massive timesaver and also a stress reducer. Um so that's that's great. Um, we also looked at the number of students in classes and the teaching partners uh at the various levels and um and then we looked at Mr. Burke gave us the sneak preview of the NJSLA scores uh that we looked at tonight. Um the NJSLA scores that we, you know, we look through. I expressed my concerns there about the the glaring issue that a couple of people spoke about. Um Miss Kipsky spoke on it the same, you know, as I did. Um She said frustrated. Frustrated. Uh I think I'm closer to Mr. Brady. I I I think he spoke up and and uh honestly it's it's embarrassing when you look at that score or the dip. When you
135hit eighth and ninth grade, it it's an embarrassing it's an embarrassing score. Especially when you look at how great we're doing in fifth grade, fourth, fifth, sixth grade. It's troubling to see the swing from 12 points above state average to 15 or 16 below. That's that's almost a 30 point swing. And so we need to figure that out. And the reason why I find it troubling so troubling is it's a perennial issue. I was here y you know saying this in committee last year. I I I feel like I keep beating the same drum. And that's the thing that really needs to be worked down. And I know Miss uh Miss Allen said this year we're going to implement some changes this year and and we hopefully we'll see the results of that next year,
136but I heard a lot of people here tonight talking about and I hear this sometimes in these committee meetings. Students don't like standardized test taking standardized tests, but that doesn't Mr. Ray mentioned some surrounding school districts. If I look at other school districts, Haden Heights doesn't like taking tests. Glouster City doesn't like taking tests, but they're still doing better than us. Mix of courses for each student. I focus on this and they focus on that. So does Hadenfield. Hadenfield has a has a mixed case load. Like when we compare apples to apples of our scores to the other scores, all the schools are the same. They have the same the same baggage. So when we compare ours to the state average and we're below at a certain point, it's just an indicator that we're not
137doing as well in that area. it's not an indicator that we have something different unique going on more than likely especially when it's happening over and over again and so that's why I really want to address that and I'm really hopeful that some of your changes that you that you're bringing in putting in place are going to be really um beneficial and uh Mr. Sylvester and Mr. Burke has been a champion of that that new uh tool that that Mr. Sylvester developed. I'm really hoping that they come in and can really improve that that area because unfortunately the room got quiet, right? And it got quiet because I'm talking about something that's negative, but really I should be celebrating how great those scores are at the, you know, below. We we are 15 points above
138or 12 points above average uh the state average on ELA and in fifth grade if I off the top of my head, right, Mr. Burke? We should be celebrating them, but that gets buried and we shouldn't I I shouldn't be burying that. we should be celebrating all of that and hopefully talking about how great we're doing here. So, I I want to see that um that success that we have locked up so well in Mansion to to keep carrying up and metriculating up uh and and get away from this this difficult conversation that we keep dancing around. Um, and so I I I look forward to that that so that was uh uh some of the conversation that we had at the committee meeting. Um, at our I'm sorry, on our agenda tonight, we have
139a fair amount of uh items uh for facilities requests, standard uh requests there. um requests for uh field trips and conferences. Um pretty pretty standard boilerplate uh items that we're used to seeing perennially mostly. Um the homebound instruction request, the uh resolution for professional service agreement and um out of district placements. uh a guest speaker to discuss NJ standards and curriculum regarding safety and legal concerns from uh Miss Lipky and uh also a settlement agreement and a nursing service plan. And that kind of rounds that all out uh for us tonight. Our next meeting will be uh October 28th at Havlin. Beautiful >> spelling in tonight. Mr. Miss Allen, do you have anything to add? >> Uh, just two real quick things. I I can't thank Mr. Sylvester enough. I do want the um board
140to know how much the high school staff is embracing it. They, like I said, we gave them inservice time. They are all using it, getting used to it. Now, they're all different levels of comfort with it because it is a little techy. And he is going above and beyond. You will see him several times on this agenda and on future agendas being compensated for the time that he's giving to teachers for that. But I think this is a a very worthwhile investment. Um, and then just a quick uh apology for all the reds. There was a little bit of a clerical error between our two offices and some things got put behind a PO that we didn't realize needed to be separated. So we found out when the agenda went out to the staff. One
141of the uh secretaries said, "Where's all the stuff I submitted to you?" And we're like, "You didn't submit it." She's like, "I did. So it won't happen again." But that's kind of what happened there. We have some new people and it was the first that we came across that. So we'll do better. All right. Any questions, comments, discussion on non-aggenda items under education. >> All right. Then can I have a motion, please, for items 1 through 10 under education? >> Any questions, comments, or discussion on agenda items 1 to 10? >> Just want to clarify why I'm on the agenda in case anyone had any questions since I was, you know, I I will be vote recusing myself from number eight on that. Um this is something that I have done before and it's part
142of what m it's kind of part of what Miss Allen has talked about of using the community resources to further help because we volunteer and thus we are free and and and we're a good community resource and this is because I am a public defender in my So, I do know areas um and I actually specialize in collateral consequences for convicted sex offenders. So, I know a lot of of the types of safety and legal concerns around um sexing, nudity, things of that nature, uh consent. And that is what I talk to the students about so that they understand that as minors, you can held accountable and have very severe consequences based on what you do because even though you are a minor images of yourself and others is considered child pornography and things like
143that. So that is why I'm there and I've done this talk before and I also know as a parent because I will be talking to my child's class. emails were sent out so that if you have any questions or concerns or any of the parents have questions or concerns, they can be addressed and you can contact Mr. Le or Miss Allen or so I just wanted to clarify that it was just not a random board member but this is part of when you have expertise in a certain area if you want to volunteer and have that that's what I'm doing. Thank you. >> Any other agenda questions? Oh, their garden is amazing. >> It's the wave groups though. It's It's the interaction with the >> microphone. Okay. All right. Anything else under education? Okay. Roll
144call, please. >> Alison Cox, >> yes. >> Danielle D. Franchesco, >> Mark Addie, >> Sarah Cen. >> Alison Lipsky, >> Bill Wilson, >> and Amy Davis. >> Yes. >> Motions pass. >> Thank you. >> Okay, moving on to human resources. But wait, there's more red. >> Page 18. There was some necessary clarification about the rates for um facilitating professional learning. So number 29 uh should read motion to approve the following staff members to facilitate professional learning during the October 13, 2025 inservice at the A.EA EA negotiated a rate of $60 for two hours of preparation and $60 for one hour of presentation. And then um the first person in the chart, Miss Novik, it should be uh for the presentation hours, it should be 1.5 hours at $90 for a total payment of 150. Under
145that, Miss Nent, the presentation hours is listed at one. So it should be $60 for a total payment of 120. Miss McCutchen presentation hours should also be noted at $60 for a total payment of 120. Mr. Sylvester, presentation hours of two should be 120 for a total payment of 240. And Miss Wiltzy presentation hours is 75. So the payment is $45 for a total payment of 9750. And then underneath item number 31, Mr. Weaver um received an addition an additional lensure which is excellent. Um in addition to the HVAC, the Black Seal, he also received his refrigeration lensure for $200 prrated from October 1st, 2025. And then additionally under human resources we have two addendums. Number 33 is a motion to approve the sidebar agreement between the A.EA and the board of ed. And then
146number 34 is a motion to approve the first year tenure track 10-month school nurse contract for Miss Salunus. I hope I said that right. Okay. I wrote it down phonetically. >> I tried a couple of different things and they just didn't Okay. Um the human resources committee, we met tonight um before the regular board meeting. Uh a couple of the things that we reviewed were the openings that we still have in the district. Uh fun fact, the state in is now collecting data on openings that all districts have. So it's very interesting to see what they'll do with that compiled data. We know that we are having difficulty filling par positions. And we also know that that is um an issue for districts all across especially Camden County, but I'm sure all across the state.
147So it'll just be interesting to see you know what the state does with that information. If they're going to incentivize power professionals across the state, if they're going to do, you know, targeted pushes at at colleges and institutes of higher learning to try to um encourage people to pursue that that career path. So, that was just a um an interesting update that was shared with us this evening. Uh and again we're going to uh as a committee we'll be working on policy uh 0155 too to make sure that our practice meets the policy when it comes to HR. Um on the agenda for tonight there's a motion for a resignation and there's a separation agreement. There are motions to approve instructional staff. Uh there's a motion to create positions at the recommendation of the superintendent.
148A motion for a voluntary transfer as well as motions for FMLA requests. We have a motion to approve new substitute secretaries and custodians. A motion to approve speech therapy sessions. A motion to approve paid and unpaid fall coaching positions as well as extracurricular contracts. A motion to approve paid employees to serve as clock and or ticket takers for some of our winter sports. Motion for staff to facilitate professional learning and a motion for staff to review and update lesson plans as noted. Um motion to approve an HVAC black seal and now what was the other one? Refrigeration refrigeration lensure for a maintenance staff member. Uh and a motion to update retroactively noted employees who received their substitution certification. Okay. Uh Miss Allen, do you have anything? I do not have to add. All right. Um,
149any questions or comments for non-aggenda items under HR? Okay. Can I get a motion then for items 1 to 34? >> All right. Any questions, comments, or discussion on agenda items? Miss, >> uh, without going into too much specific, I was just curious the requirements for substitute teachers, um, what kind of qualifications they have. I thought it was like a certain number of college credits or something like that. >> It used to be 60, it's now 30. >> Okay. >> All right. Thank you. under 16. Miss Cog said under 16, 17, and 18. Should it say winter coaching positions or fall coaching positions? >> Yeah, >> that's probably winter. >> It's looking like winter, isn't it? No, 18 would stand with 17. >> They're all winter. >> Even though >> Oh, no. No. Number 18
150is fall. >> 18 is fall. >> Oh, I'm sorry. I was thought we were just looking at 16. >> So, 17 should say winter. >> So, let's strike fall coaching positions. And we need to have that reflect >> that winter. >> So, >> the motion's already on the table. >> The motion's on the table. The motion is pending. So, what we actually have to do if someone change [Music] Can I have a second? >> All in favor? >> Any opposed? >> Does it have to be roll? >> No, she does not need to be roll call, but you all need to >> vote. I heard like two people. >> Oh. All in favor? >> Any opposed? >> All righty. Okay. Um uh the only comment that I'd like to make under HR is that I'm
151very pleased to um have our sidebar agreement between the uh education association and the board of education. Um was a fairly seamless process and I'm really glad that we were able to iron out that language and now we're all clear as far as approving stipens and whenever um some adjustments need to be made. So I'm very pleased about that. Yeah, good news. Okay, any other questions about the agenda? Anything else? >> Apologize. Okay. All right. Uh, then uh, roll call, please. >> Oh, hold on. >> Danielle D. Franchesco. >> Mark Addie, >> Sarah Cen. >> Lipsky, >> yes. Bill Wilson, >> Alison Cox, yes. >> Amy Davis, >> yes. >> Motion's passed. >> Thank you. Okay. Few seconds to pages here. All right. Uh, next we have our reports. We can see our HIV district
152report and then our special program representatives. Mr. Stephen Wilson is not here this evening and nor is Mr. Maxon um to report on ed services or Camden County school boards. I was not Did anybody attend the county school boards? I chose to stay at the auto the national night out that night instead of going to the school boards so I didn't get there. Um but um I know many of us are going to be attending workshop next week. So, I'm looking forward to uh a robust uh list of seminars and programs that we're going to be sitting through. And then for AEF, Mr. Steven Wilson is not here. Miss Coolen. Yes. Yay. Go Miss Coolen. >> There you go. Um so, AEF met this past Monday night. Um and much of the discussion was on
153the Festival of Lights event that they have planned that is from December 10th through 12th. So, it's a Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evening from 5:30 to 8:30. It's going to be at the rec center um and Ottabbon Family Park. Um they are still accepting sponsors. So, if anyone would like to sponsor be a sponsor for that event, they would be very grateful for that. This is a fundraising um endeavor. Um sponsors need to be received by uh November 1st and my understanding is that the sponsor information is on the website for them. Um they're planning to have lightup displays, photos with Santa, a vendor fair, hot cocoa and winter treats, and some entertainment uh at a suggested donation of $10 per family. So hopefully people can come out. Um any money that's raised by AEF
154goes directly back into the schools in the form of grants um for you know programs that the teachers request. And so it's a great night out and it also contributes back to our students in that way. And basically that's it for now because that's a big event that they've got coming up. So that's where all the attention's going at the moment. >> We had talked about as a group um participating that and and sponsoring um I think Stephen said it was $200. Um no no that's night at the races. That's in the spring. Um which you had a great idea for a horse name. Um but um I I only heard from one board member if as to their interest in contributing towards that. So I'll I'll put that out there again. If you're interested
155in making contribution towards is it is it a tree that we or a light >> I believe there's going to be a sign >> okay >> on on site for >> and then they just use the money as they see fit for whatever they needed. Okay, that's fine. And I think they maybe even said it was 150 per sponsor. That wasn't entirely clear to me at the meeting, but there was definitely >> clarify that. >> He had said 200, but he wasn't that wasn't I didn't feel like that was hard. Anybody from the AEF? >> It's 150. Thank you, Mr. Martell. >> We did um get the AF page updated. A lot of this information is on it. It finally is um new and improved. So on the district website under the community tab, AF
156is there and a lot of this information is is available right there. >> Okay. So if you're interested, just shoot me an email and and we can take care of it. >> U about that though also talking to Mr. Wilson, he did tell me for those of the Jewish persuasion that since they are calling it the festival of lights, which Hanukkah that is one of the things that is called a festival of lights. I know Diwali Dvali I believe is also a festival of lights in the Hindu religion but it's much earlier this year it happened already. Um so I thought that was really lovely because it is multicultural and recognizing that it's right around the time that Hanukkah is going to start. So I thought that was really lovely too. So anyone that might
157have hesitated it is multicultural and they are recognizing that. So that's lovely. Y good. >> And the only other note on that is that typically the uh committee meets on the second Monday of the month, but for November that's pushed back to November 17th. So if anyone was wanting to get involved in AEF, um you can reach out and let them know, but it will be the 17th at 7 p.m. here in the media center. >> 7 p.m. Great. Okay. And continuing on, Miss Gulen, community outreach. >> Uh, so this past month, we had a couple of board members attend the Ottabon Park Council meeting. Um, it was Miss Davis and also um Miss Allen were able to attend. Uh, just kind of keeping track of ongoing uh discussions amongst uh Ottoman Park Council in
158terms of the preschool expansion, um, support concerns, etc. Um, so we're trying as a board to have members present at those events just so that we have kind of a pulse on what uh the community are feeling about that as we hopefully expand those preschool spaces. Um, also we're um, Miss Davis set an initiative to have us attend the Mount Ephraim board of education meetings each month so that we can better understand what Mount is doing in their um, and so Mrs. Cox and myself attend I think it was last week something like that. Um the format of their meetings is very different than ours. It was really interesting to see and try to follow along with their agenda versus ours, but it was really really great to see some of the initiatives that they
159have going on. And I know that we're, you know, continuing to try to um bridge some of the gaps between our districts. Um in terms of upcoming events, Miss Lipsky, if you don't mind, I'll actually turn it over to you for the trunk or treat because I know you've been planning that. Sure. >> It's gonna be lit. Um, so it's the Ottabon preschool trunk or treat. This is its third year. Um, changing up the board trunk this year. It's not Hocus Pocus. It's Barbie. Um, and we are going to have a musical teacher Barbie. Um, the we're gonna have principal Barbie. Who is Barbie? Uh, we will have superintendent Barbie. Um, I'm coming as Trixie Mattel, the acclaimed drag queen, worldrenowned drag queen and a who has a passion for makeup artistry. That's what she
160says in her Tik Tok videos. Um, so it's going to be a lot of fun. I have a ton of candy treats. I have a ton of non- candy treats. It's always fun to watch the littles. They have a blast. And I will not be Wifter Sanderson this year. So, I will not be asking them if I can have just a little bit of their soul to fix my crow's feet. So, but I am worried about the children because they always say yes. So, um so thank you. If you have littles, please come. It's a really good time. It just it's wholesome. It's fun and the kids all love it. Friday, I believe >> Friday at Ottabon Preschool in their parking lot and it's from 400 pm to 6 pm. >> In terms of other
161upcoming events, u Mr. Gaddy mentioned earlier tonight that um the Lions Club has their parade on um the 30th where the kids get to put on their costumes and parade and get um judged, I guess, win some some trophies for that. Um and so Mr. Gaddy I know is planning to attend. If anyone else is planning to attend, we don't have to register for this event, but if any other board members would like to attend, um you can put your name on the spreadsheet that we have. Um other than NJSBA conference coming up next week, which I know a lot of us are attending, we don't have a lot of upcoming events other than the ones that were discussed. So, keep everyone in the loop. And um on our weekly wave, Miss Allen's also letting
162us know about the inschool um programs and things like that that we could attend as well. >> Yeah, that's true. So that's and that's an outside event that anybody can go to the Halloween parades. >> Um it's in the newsletters for Havlin Mansion um and the preschool. Uh awesome event. Last year it was way too warm for Halloween, but it was a great time. So, looks like don't say it. Look, with this weather, it could be it could be 90 degrees, it could be 20, I don't know. Uh, but we will have So, that's something the board members if if you're available to go to community members, it is a great thing. Even if you just come out on your front porch and watch them doing their walk around, they're amazing. >> Francesca was reminding
163me that the end of this fabulous spirit week is homecoming. >> Yes. So, I know the students I think are very excited about that. Yes. So, that's this Friday night. >> Dance Fridays game on Saturday. >> Game on Saturday. Yep. >> All right. Uh, Mr. Gaddy, anything for ad hoc >> on the ad hoc meeting? No. >> Okay. And Miss Lipsky for orientation? Nothing specifically for that, but um I have been talking with Misty Francesca and if Miss School, but I know that you have done the New Jersey uh NJSBA workshop in Atlantic City that's coming up next week and a bunch of us are going, but it I know it's Miss D. Francesca's first time. So, we have downloaded the app and things like that. So, we're just kind of doing that. So if
164there's any that's what we're really kind of working on and then also the board self-evaluation we'll be working on comments. >> Okay. >> Would you like the microphone right next to you? Miss Garrett >> would like to um let everybody know uh hopefully you have seen it. Parker McKay is hosting a breakfast on Wednesday morning at the schoolboard's convention. The whole school wall department will be there. Uh it is a wonderful event. I look forward to seeing you all there and I hope you can make it. So please join us. >> What time is it? >> Uh I believe the breakfast starts at 7. It starts at 7 and it goes for a couple of hours. Well, >> a lot of educators are early risers. A lot of board members are early risers. Uh, and
165for those of you who are not early risers, we will be there for a couple of hours. Um, and the later you come, the more you can just sit with the school law department while we eat all the leftovers. >> Oh, it is at the Sheridan is at the Sheridan uh, in Atlantic City across from the convention hall. >> Thank you for inviting me. >> Absolutely. Absolutely. >> All right. Any other board member comments? Yes, Mr. microphones. Um, so going back to reports, I'm new here, so cut me some slack on this question. What is exactly the bullying incidents report saying exactly? I'm I'm just confused on because it has confirmed HIVs and then total only being one. I'm just confused on exactly what that means. >> So, do you you want to explain this
166or Okay. Um, so when you see like uh underneath the high school, it says it was a confirmed HIV incident. So that's why the total is one. That's what there was an ID number. >> There was one. Oh, yes. >> Yeah. Oh, sorry. I didn't realize that. >> Yeah. Oh, I'm sorry. >> I just leapt right over that, didn't I? Yeah, those are Yeah, those are ID numbers. >> You You won't see student numbers. You won't see student names. You won't see staff names a lot of times on the How many? >> Yeah. No, you're like, >> boy, that's that's really horrible. >> And let's go home now if that's the case. Yeah. Good question, though. Thank you. Keep them coming. >> Okay. Anybody else? All right. Um, then I'm going to open up the
167second public participation session. This is an open discussion, so it is not limited to items that are on the agenda. I'm not going to read through all those paragraphs again. and everything that I said at the beginning of the meeting still holds true. So, if there's anybody that would like to uh come up, just let us know your name and address. >> Again, my name is Steve Ry, 261 West Graberry Avenue. Um, I had one point to make, but now I have two after the last exchange. Um, so it's public knowledge that the PR that the principal of Havland, uh, Mrs. Leadard and the board of education have been made aware through an email on 9:30 that there's a large amount of parents who want the carline reinstated at Havland a time there's been a
168petition started. Uh, roughly 60 people had signed it. Today there are over a hundred. Uh, and it's not just internet people. it its parents in town and its parents with children in the district. Uh to this day, the school board has yet to publicly acknowledge the petition even though there is a movement and a demand from the parents to reinstate the car line. Uh there is no case to be made that it is safer to have more children walking further distance in early morning hours, that it is safer than a building drop off. The consensus the consensus is the administration would rather inconvenience every parent utilizing the carline than deal with the few who can't follow the rules. We are adults. We are taxpaying adults and this sort of action taken against the group is
169simply unacceptable. It is safer for a child to walk a few feet from the car than to cross a street. That's a fact. It is also a fact that more kids crossing a street during the morning rush with inattented with inattentive driver adds more risk of an accident. It is a fact that we have multiple child families where the oldest child at Havland where the oldest child is at Havland and the parents have strollers, car seats, etc. And in bad weather, it is not safer to juggle multiple children in the elements through traffic and inclement weather because there's nowhere to park and they have to juggle these kids through traffic because they can't drop off at the car line. If there's nowhere to park circling the block looking for a spot, a parent might not
170see a child trying to cross the street. Taking the car line from all the parents isn't fair because of the parents who are actual the pro who were actually the problem. The school needs to address the parents that are the issue. Some of the parents that are attending have some of the kids that have parents that are attending Havland for the first time this year. Uh like the the kindergarten kids are being punished for parents that aren't at Havland anymore who their kids are probably in third grade. So for the actions of parents that aren't even at the school anymore, the parents coming in are getting punished for it. So if you're dropping off kids and it's like you're putting the kids in danger, there's no argument to make. You can't tell me that dropping
171a kid off in front of the building is not safer than dropping a kid off or having to walk a kid three blocks away when there's nowhere to park. And that's the bottom line. And and I see I'm running out of time. And the next point I want to make is it said that the board that there's never enough town participation or parents don't participate enough in these board meetings. It takes courage to stand up here. I'm standing in front of 10 people now and sometimes it's more. I have a room full and I don't care about that. And when I'm talking about my kids, that clock means nothing. There's 10 people here. Sometimes there's more. You have a room full of people behind you or half a room behind you. It's courage to be
172a public speaker now. I don't have 15 16 years of education. I'm just high school educator. >> Sure. I'm I'm so sorry. Your your time has expired. >> I'm sorry. I'm only a high school educator. I didn't understand something that was presented and I asked a question and there's no there's there's no law ramifications from it. I just asked for clarification and just like you're shooting me down now. You couldn't give me an answer. And this is why nobody wants to participate in these meetings because you just don't listen to what we ask. >> I'm I'm so very sorry. Your time is up. >> Thank you very much. Anyone else that has any public comment? Okay. Uh, seeing that there's no one else, I will close the second public participation session. Uh, I just want
173to clarify that changing the drop off procedure was not something that we did without thoroughly investigating all of the options. Student safety has to be our number one priority and as such we decided to eliminate the drop off lane. Uh we did try multiple ways of mitigating the issues with the safety. We did have accidents. I'm not going to give you the data and the students and things that we had the issues that we had last year, but it we know it's a problem. I know it's inconvenient. I know it's an issue. We've been out there every morning. Um Mr. Burke and I have taken turns being out there to see how things are going. It it wasn't an easy decision. We didn't do it just to make people uncomfortable. Honestly, the reason is student
174safety. There were issues last year. We tried things. Everything we tried did not make the students safe. We had issues. So that's why we are where we are. >> Okay. Um at this time we do not need to go into another executive session. Our next meeting of the board of education is scheduled for Wednesday, November 19th at 6:30 p.m. here in the Junior Senior High School Media Center. Can I have a motion to adjurnn? >> Second. >> All in favor? Any opposed? Okay, thank you.