001of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all. Mr. Rinfus, I just like to read a quick statement if I may. The New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the rights of the public advanced notice of and to attend the meeting of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest was discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the provision of this act board of ed scores notice of this meeting to be published by having the date, time and place posted in the office of the board of ed and the offices of school numbers 3, four, five, and six and the high school on May 18th, 2026 and notices were posted close board of ed website
002May 18th 2026. This is an official meeting. The ran I'd like to take the role if I may for Mrs. Abru >> here. >> Mr. Capano >> here. Mrs. Fredo >> here. >> Mr. Nidru >> here. >> Dr. Ponttoiano >> here. >> Mr. Rancor here. >> Mr. Russo >> here. >> Mr. Bakia >> here. >> Mr. Yanuzi. >> Mr. Rus. >> Thank you, Mr. Alfano. Thank you, board of education members, teachers, principals, supervisors, parents, friends, family, kids, everybody else that's in attendance tonight. Um, we're going to save the best uh for last this evening. We're going to go through the agenda first. Um, and then we will honor our teachers of the year and educational uh support uh professionals as well. Uh, last week we had the honor of our uh, state commissioner Dr. Lily
003Locks, Sharon Rosario, Noripek, Patrick Fletcher, uh, come and visit schools three and five uh, to tour our schools, take a look at our literacy program. So, big thank you to Mrs. Martini, Mrs. Broco, Mrs. Calibri, couple supervisors and teachers uh for welcoming the team from the state as well as Bergen County. And I think I speak for everyone when I say that they are welcome anytime. Big thank you to the fourth grade parents at school number four for attending a parent information night last week at school number six. Big thank you to Mr. Vagna for helping uh present uh the school to the families who uh are now going from fourth grade at school 4 over to fifth grade over at school 6. So I think it was a great evening where we were able
004to show off and display uh our brand new gym, cafeteria, classrooms, and I think the kids who were in attendance were extremely excited about the new opportunity for them over at school number six. I wanted to recognize Lori Lavine uh for being rec for um being chosen as the Bergen County School Counselor Association's kindergarten through 8th grade school counselor of the year. Uh she was honored this evening with that award. Um and we welcome or sorry, we're wishing her uh well in her new chapter um because she is retiring in the next couple of weeks. Uh big congratulations to our coaches uh Carmine Cambereri and Matt Bernelli who were recognized as uh by the Bergen County Coaches Association over the weekend. Each coach earned 100 wins in their sports. So big congratulations uh to the
005athletic department which is headed by Mr. David Porfido. Um June 8th we will be having our winter and spring sports awards night. So, if any parents and student athletes would like to come and support, we would welcome that on June 8th. And as a reminder, um we do have a summer blackout period uh between August 1st and August 9th. Couple other dates of importance is that we do have an early dismissal on Friday of this week due to a snow day that was used earlier in the winter as well as June 2nd for the primary elections. the last week of school. June 15th through June 19th is uh early dismissals for all students in the district. And June 19th is our last day for all students. We have our middle school graduation at 10:00 a.m.
006on June 19th and the high school graduation at 6:00 that evening. And we, like I said, we will save our Bergen County teacher of the year and educational support professional of the year uh for the very end. So, if you want to turn to page two, couple items in the agenda that I would like to highlight. Resolution number six, we are appointing Barbara Scoro as our summer school program director this evening. She's going to be a big help with the student placement and teacher placement of all students in the summer school program or extended school year program. Resolution number seven, we are appointing Steve Gusa as our district afterchool program coordinator. Our afterchool program is going to look a little bit different next year. One thing uh that is going to be different is that
007we are going to be offering morning care. Morning care will start at 7:30 every morning in all of our elementary schools. And we will also um open up the morning care and after care to three and four year olds. something that we had not been doing this year. We want to welcome those families and those students into the morning care and afterare program. Um as well if you take a look at page five, page five, if we take a look at resolution number 23, we are appointing all of the staff for our extended school year and summer school program. Big thank you to Mrs. Calibri building uh principles and a few of our supervisors for helping out um with the scheduling of these classes and teachers. And one trend that we did notice is that
008we are seeing uh fewer students who are uh having summer school required. So a big uh congratulations to those students for not having to uh come here in the summer, but also to the teachers for working with those students and getting them to where they need to be. If we take a look at page 8, resolution number 33, we are offering the high school ML bridge program. This is a program that we've been running for a few years where we have some of our ML students leaving the middle school going to the high school. Um, and we want to continue uh with the consistency of them uh and their ML classes. If we take a look at page 11, these are our co-curricular and coaching positions. Did want to mention Adam Bernstein. He is our
009new high school academy STEM supervisor. So, this was a position that was held by Dan Helm for a number of years. Big thank you to Mr. Helm for the work that he's been doing. And Adam uh Bernstein is going to have some big shoes to fill um taking on that role. One person I want to point out on page 12 is Alberta Tambber. She's going to be taking over as the anti-bullying coordinator for the district. We were lucky enough and blessed to have Renee Arp in that position for a number of years. Renee Arp along with Lori Lavine are going to be retiring at the end of the year. So Alba's going to be uh filling in for um Renee for the anti-bullying coordinator position. And if we take a look at page 18, there
010are number of students here listed on this page that have earned the seal of biiteracy. These students need to show proficiency in English as well as a second language. So a big congratulation goes out to all of these students who are now able to say that they earned the seal of by literacy. Page 22. This is a state uh guideline um that we needed to fill. And if you take a look at our website, you will now see grades under the anti-bullying bill of rights act. So, we took information from our HIV, harassment, intimidation, and bullying cases from the 2024 2025 school year. Um, we assessed those different cases. We graded each school, and if you go on to the website, you will be able to see that page 23. Um, we wanted to recognize
011an important person who's not a board of education employee, but has meant a lot to the Cliffside Park Board of Education for just north of two decades. Uh, Steve Fogerty is with um one of the, I would say, most recognizable, well-known, and respected law firms dealing with educational law in all of New Jersey. He's been instrumental in helping each of us um navigate difficult challenges. Um and Steve is uh officially or unofficially uh retiring, but we wanted to thank him for the work that he has done for the Cliffside Park Board of Education as well as many other districts across New Jersey. So, we do have an official resolution thanking him for his 20 plus years of service to this district. and page number 26. So page number 26, this was another resolution um that
012we added and this one is focusing on the healthcare crisis and the financial crisis that we're seeing across the state. New Jersey school boards reached out to all districts and all counties and they want to urge the government in New Jersey to make this more of a priority. um because we as a board are doing the best that we can with the resources that we have. So, we wanted something on record and I'm not going to go through line by line and read this to you, but it explains why we have this resolution, why we want to talk about it, and most importantly why we need to keep this conversation going because this is not a problem that is going to go away in one year or two years. it needs to be spoken about
013more and hopefully we can start to see changes in the right direction. Just a couple lines I do want to point out down at the bottom of the page uh talks about an analysis that was released by the Treasury Department in March of this year and it said that based on the projected losses and building in the future trends, active premium rate increases for 2027 are likely to be in the double digits. These projected increases would follow the 31.9% premium increase that took effect in January of 2026, further exacerbating an overall premium increase of nearly 74% in the preceding 5 years. So we are at the point where we again are doing the best that we can with every dollar that we have and we are trying to stretch it as far as we can
014but we are urging our government to help us out and uh hold up their end of the bargain. And one last paragraph that I wanted to highlight on page 27 says, "Now therefore, be it resolved that the Cliffside Park Board of Education in the county of Bergen calls upon the governor and state legislature to provide immediate short-term relief uh from the unsustainable increased health care cost experienced by school districts in recent years. So all districts across New Jersey were asked to have this as an official resolution to again keep the conversation going and make people hopefully have a better understanding of the crisis that we are currently in and approaching as time goes on. Um so we do have that on our official agenda and with that I will turn it over to Mr. Alfano
015if there's anything that you would like to highlight. >> Just a couple items. Thank you very much. Um, I want to make the board and the public aware that on uh May 12th, we had our auditors come in, what we call our pre- audit. We bring them in every year in May uh to try to proactively manage any potential findings when they come in in September for their formal audit. It's a informal quality Q&A discussion. We engage them in regard to where we believe there may be opportunities for findings and what we may do to remediate those findings proactively. So we are not reactively getting a finding back when they come in for their formal fiscal audit in September. Goes very well. Been doing this now for about seven or eight years. They come in
016for a full day and each individual from the business office has interview time with them. Angelo Alban participated uh this year. So, it's extremely uh informative and helpful for our business. Um, we are going to be engaging in uh our summer facilities project. The major project, open bid project is with the high school where high school masonry project. We're going to be doing concrete work on a retaining wall, sidewalk, steps. Uh we've already had our pre-construction meeting and we hope to engage that project starting June 1st. We are engaging in our end of year and we are engaging in our start of year 2627. We just opened up that budget. I just like to take folks eyes to page 33. >> We are engaging in a become another member of a cooperative. And again, a
017cooperative allows us not to engage in the bid or quote process because these bids have already been pre-awwarded for certain components of businesses throughout the state. We will be participating in the Payic County Cooperative. That's on that runs from pages 33 all the way through 35 and through 37. That's the resolution and the agreement. And the last page is on page 39, resolution 84. And I want to thank uh Mr. Savastano who's here tonight and Miss Mr. Dominguez who engaged in the server infrastructure refresh project which Mr. Savastano can probably talk a heck of a lot more uh logically and uh we can provide details but again this was quite a project correct Mr. Sabastano to get to where we are today in regard to getting the what we believe is the best price and
018the best solution and obviously the best vendor in regard to uh new era. They have a it's called the server infrastructure refresh project. Includes project management, technical services, product infrastructure, off-site backup monitoring, and uh backup monitoring using what we call a national cooperative at a cost of $92,695. You look at that number, you say, "Wow, that's a big number." But again, that's throughout the entire district. And Mr. Sabastano, was that for how many years? Three. >> Five years. Uh so again it was it was clearly the best deal, best contractor uh and based on all the due diligence that Mr. Savastan and Mr. Dominguez went through, this was the best course of action for our for our business moving forward. That's pretty much it on my All right. Um do we have anything uh anything
019from the public, Mr. S? Okay, >> I'll make a motion to accept the agenda. I'll second it. >> Okay, that was uh Mr. Terabakia number one. Was that Mr. Russo number two? >> Okay, I'd like to take a vote now if I may. >> Mrs. Abru, >> yes. >> Mr. Capano, >> yes. >> Mrs. Fredo, >> yes. >> Mr. Nrew, >> yes. >> Dr. Pontiano, >> yes. >> Mr. Rancourt, >> yes. >> Mr. Russo, >> yes. >> Mr. Terabakia, >> yes. >> So moved, Mr. Rinus. >> All right. Thank you, >> Rinfest. and uh members of the public. And I want to just uh I have to excuse myself as a prior commitment. I want to congratulate all the teachers of the year. I've been here 20 years and I have to say we have
020a a tremendous district here with top-notch teachers and you guys deserve every accolade out there. And on behalf of the board of ed and myself, thank you for everything what you uh do in our district. Everybody have a good evening. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thanks, Jeff. Okay. >> All right. So, at this time, we uh I'd like to invite the principles up and we will be recognizing our teachers of the year. They've decided we're going to order first. Of course, >> Mrs. Bracker, how the kids like the pie truck? Oh, I had to tell them to um >> that they loved it. Thank you so much. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Good evening everyone. Um I want to thank you for coming and I want to congratulate everyone here this uh this evening. Uh
021tonight is truly an honor to recognize our school three teacher of the year, Evbec Yagan. Come on up. Evette amazes me every single day. Even after recently returning uh from maternity leave and caring for a newborn and a three-year-old at home, she continues to give her heart and soul to our students, staff, and community with a smile on her face. Her dedication is simply inspiring. Before leaving for maternity leave, Evbeth was running a Girls Who Code program at 7:30 in the morning for our fourth grade girls. Since returning in January, she has already organized two successful book fairs, assisted in managing bagel sales and countless PTO events, scheduled author visits, received a grant for Makers Day, and oversaw a high impact tutoring program in the morning for school 3 and five. throughout the week. She
022also single-handedly organized and ran our school readathon and raised over $6,000. Wow. >> As if that were not enough, she was also featured on the Today's Show as the president-elect of the New Jersey State School Librarian Association, a true reflection of the respect she has earned in her profession. Keep in mind this young lady accomplished all this in six months. I just amazing. >> Ivette's favorite words are, "I have an idea." And when she has an idea, she brings it to life with passion, creativity, and determination. She never does anything halfway, and her enthusiasm inspires everyone around her. I always tell her she has a wonderful husband and I have to acknowledge him Garen because he supports her dreams and understands the incredible passion she has for education and for the children of Cliffside Park.
023Evth we are blessed to have you at school 3. Your dedication, leadership, and love for students makes a difference every single day. The sky is truly the limit for you. Congratulations on being named our teacher of the year. Why you wind a lot of gifts? >> Can you carry >> carry that for me? >> Can you carry that for mom? >> Carry that. Hey, thank you. >> Thank you. Hi, how are you? Good to see you. >> Good evening everyone. Welcome. Today was a really great day. We had a wonderful lunchon with all of the teachers of the year um throughout our district and it was wonderful to celebrate everyone. Um so it was a great way to kick off the day. Um tonight as the school for principal I get to honor Allison Morettic.
024So Allison please come up AND JOIN ME. SO TONIGHT WE CELEBRATE AN incredible milestone and an even more incredible educator, Allison Morettic. For 30 years, Allison has dedicated her career to the students, families, and staff of school 4 with unwavering compassion, commitment, and heart. This year we have the honor of recognizing her as our school 4 teacher of the year. A truly well-deserved award. Allison's impact extends far beyond the classroom. She is a mentor, a supporter, and an advocate for consistently ensure ensuring that every child feels valued, included, and capable of success. Her dedication to inclusion and her belief in meeting the needs of all learners has helped shape the positive climate and culture we are so proud of at school number four. Allison has been instrumental in developing and implementing successful special education programs,
025most recently helping lead the expansion of the inclusion programs within our school and throughout the district. Her leadership, positivity, and collaborative spirit continue to inspire both the staff, students, and myself every single day. Please join me in congratulating Allison Morettic on this remarkable achievement and thanking her for 30 years of excellence, compassion, and dedication to the children. Congratulations to Allison. This is very welld deserved. Oh, thanks actually. >> Yeah. Congratulations. Good job. How are you? >> All right. Good evening everybody. Port of Ed would like to thank you for all your support of course throughout the years. Um our recipients, you deserve this award. I've worked with many of you and it's um you make us all very very proud. I'd like to introduce Mrs. Daniela Rutz, the school 5 teacher of the year. So,
026I'm closing in on my 11th year as principal of school number five. From day one, I've been blessed with a wonderful staff for every single one of the those years. However, there is one person that I grew to rely on, and that is our incredible teacher of the year, Daniellea. Aside from her strong instruction and classroom management, Mrs. Ruts serves as my memory. Don't forget it's the 100th day of school next week. Thanksgiving's in a few days. Can we hold our annual parade and her latest reminder, our 100th birthday is approaching. Let's celebrate. But her reminders don't stop there. Mrs. Rutz immediately begins planning and organizing activities not just for her class but for the entire school. Mrs. Rutz's expertise as an early childhood teacher has gained her recognition and she's often asked to model
027lessons for her peers. Mrs. Rutz's success in her career is largely due to the support and encouragement from her beautiful family, husband Dave and her daughters Isabella and Dava. Her parents and siblings also take a role inside and outside her classroom. Her sister Christina also um her sister Christina and her class are our our annual virtual guest readers on readaloud day. She's also blessed with her loyal and faithful aid, Miss Colleen. On behalf of our school 5 community, we are so proud to call Daniela Rutz our teacher of the year. Thank you, Mrs. Ross for all you do for our students and colleagues as well. We wish you continued success and many more years as our phenomenal teacher of our littles. Thank you. Thank you for all you do. Good. Thank you. Thank you. Good
028evening, Mr. Rinquist, Board of Education, parents, supervisors, everyone else, and the teacher of the year. All of you, couple of you are my ex- studentents. You've done a wonderful job. It's wonderful seeing you grow this many years in our district. For school number six, can I have Linda Lacowski, Linda Serenion, come on up. It is with great pride and the utmost respect that I congratulate Linda Lewicowski on being named school 6 teacher of the year. This honor is a direct reflection of her dedication, leadership, and profound impact she has made on our entire school community. Looking across Linda's remarkable 33 years of service to the district, including 21 years dedicated here at school 6 and the middle school. It is clear that she is more than an educator. She is a pillar of our school
029community. Whether guiding students through the world of literature as our media specialist or fostering critical thinking in the English classroom, Linda's versatility and passion for learning have left a mark on generations of students. Beyond the classroom, Linda's leadership as our after-school coordinator for over a decade provided a structured enrichment environment for our students long after the final bell rang. Her efforts in organizing our school book fairs, snack sales, and flower fundraisers have not only raised vital resources, but have consistently brought a sense of joy and unity to the school 6 community. She has always looked for ways to give back, and that generosity of time and spirit have not gone unnoticed. Linda, thank you for your decades of unwavering service, your endless energy, and the big heart you bring to work every day. You embody
030the very best of what it means to be an educator, and we are incredibly fortunate to call you one of our own. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Linda Loaus. CONGRATULATIONS. Thank you. sequence. >> All right. Congratulations to our teachers of the year. Um, our educational support specialist of the year also, I don't think that was recognized, but we're going to recognize them also. Um, I'd like to call up Miss Bucko right now. That's a name familiar to us. Come on. U, Miss Bucko, I think the greatest compliment that I can offer to Miss Bucko or to any teacher quite honestly is when you're an administrator in a building and you're recruiting teachers from other buildings. So when I was at high school, multiple times we had conversations and multiple times I was like, "Vicki, come
031on. I need a history teacher. Come on, Vicki. I need a history teacher." Because I understood how supportive she was in the classroom to students. How supportive she was to teachers, new teachers, older teachers, senior teachers, teachers with experience. She brought in fresh ideas. Uh she was instrumental in running the colonial fair at the middle school for years. She's instrumental in running mock elections at the middle school for years. Not only did she put this time into the middle school during the elementary her career at the elementary, she really became a close reading expert. And when I came to the middle school, one of the first individuals that I spoke with, that I asked to come in and help train our staff on close reading was Vicki because I knew that she had this background
032and I knew that she had this foundation. I knew how important it was in the sciences, the so social social studies and the other courses. and having that background and that strength. I see it when I go in our classroom and it is fundamental to the development of the children that they understand how to read like sci scientists or read like social studies teachers or read like historians. And that's what Vickiy's doing in her her classes. Whether it's breaking down documents or project based activities, she has them reading like historians and that is tremendous. But she didn't only make her mark in the classroom. She also made her mark as a as a coach. Vicki was a volleyball coach for years in the in the district. She also was a basketball coach, a girls basketball
033coach for years in the district. I don't think we coached together. I would have loved to or welcome to coach with Vicki. Um but I don't think we had that opportunity. Uh Vicky is at work every day. Vicki puts 110% into her classroom every day. She puts the time into her students, but even more than putting the time into her students, she's supportive of her peers. While reading the recommendations from the staff for the position for this this honor, it was overwhelmingly consistent that this the staff that nominated Mrs. Bucko me stressed and mentioned how when they came to the district, when they were new to the district, how she was fundamental in their growth, fundamental in supporting them and is the backbone of the social studies education at the middle school. So Vicki, really
034you you deserve this. You put a lot of time in and the kids respond to you and it's it's amazing what you're doing with them. So congratulations. I welcome you and UH CONGRATULATIONS. THIS IS FOR YOU. with this. Okay. >> Okay. Good evening everyone. I just want to um thank the board of ed and Mr. Rinfus for uh consistently supporting our teachers and allowing us to uh recognize these exceptional teachers. Here tonight, I have the uh honor of speaking on behalf of two colleagues, the high school's teacher of the year and the district's educational services professional of the year. So, I'm going to begin with Vinnie Barrera. Vinnie, please come up. So Vinnie, I wrote you a letter and I'm I'm going to read it here tonight. Dear Vinnie, tonight we recognize you as Cliffside
035Park High School's teacher of the year. I wanted to take a moment to speak not only about your accomplishments but about the person behind them and the extraordinary impact you continue to have on our students, staff and school community every day. For the past 20 years, you have dedicated yourself to the students of Cliffside Park, first at the middle school and for the past 15 years as an integral part of the high school Spanish department. Over those two decades, you have taught and mentored thousands of students, and your influence reaches far beyond the walls of your classroom. As a Spanish teacher, you have built a program that reflects true excellence. Year after year, your students achieve some of the highest AP scores in our school. But those achievements only tell part of the story. Your
036success comes from the environment you create, one where students feel challenged, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential. You have also become an invaluable resource to our families and staff. As one of the longest tenur Spanish- speaking educators in the building, you are constantly helping students and parents navigate important moments in their educational journey, translating, assistance, assisting with enrollment, and providing guidance whenever needed. Beyond the classroom, you are a true building leader. You consistently volunteer your time to serve on committees, support school initiatives, and help move our building forward. Your colleagues value your level-headed perspective, professionalism, and honesty. In moments when guidance is needed, people seek you out because they know your opinion is thoughtful, trusted, and always centered around what's best for students. And what I admire most though is the professionalism, the
037integrity, the humility, and the positivity you bring to our building every day. You are someone who your colleagues trust and your students admire. Schools are built on educators like you. The kind of teacher who makes a school better simply by being part of it. The kind of person who quietly raises the standard for everyone around them without ever asking for recognition. Vinnie, it has truly been an honor to work alongside you and witness the difference you continue to make at Cliffside Park High School. This recognition is incredibly welldeserved and I could not be prouder to celebrate you tonight. Congratulations on being named Coar Park High School's teacher of the year. Thank you very much. We're gonna take >> I have one more letter. Uh, at this point, I'd like to recognize Christine Spado. Dear Christine,
038there are certain people in a school building whose impact is difficult to measure. Yet, their presence is felt in countless ways. You are undoubtedly one of those people. Tonight is our privilege to recognize and celebrate you as Cliffside Park School District's educational services professional of the year. When I first transitioned into my role as administrator, one of the first things that became clear to me was the profound influence you have in the lives of our students. Every day, students walk into your office carrying challenges, stress, uncertainty, and circumstances that are often invisible to others. And every day, you meet them with compassion, patience, empathy, and unwavering support. You have created an environment where students feel safe, understood, and valued. And that kind of impact reaches far beyond anything that can be reflected in a title
039or an award. Regardless of the challenge, you consistently rise to the occasion and meet the moment with professionalism, resilience, and grace. You consistently support your students academically, emotionally, and personally. You work tirelessly to keep systems running smoothly, schedules accurate, and students in the right placements. All while remaining remaining calm, organized, and relentlessly you. That is someone with a sense of humor, a sense of perspective, and an incredibly open heart. What makes you truly exceptional is not only the work you do, but the way you do it. Students trust you because they know you genuinely care. Families rely on you because they know you will advocate for their children. Staff members respect you because of your dedication and selflessness. In some of our students most difficult moments, you have been the steady and reassuring presence, helping
040them navigate obstacles with respect and positivity. Much of your work happens quietly and behind the scenes, but its impact is immeasurable. The relationships you build, the support you provide, and the care you show our students each day embody the very best of Cliffside Park High School. This recognition is not only welld deserved, it is long overdue. We are incredibly fortunate to have you supporting our students, families, and staff each day. Thank you for your 21 years of service, and congratulations on being named Close Park School District's ESP of the Year. We do a picture too, right? >> I guess so. >> Okay. CONGRATS. >> All right. Uh, Miss SP and Mr. Barrera, since you guys have these glowing letters of recommendation, just please promise us that you're not going to take them and look for
041look for a new position. Um, congratulations to all the recipients this evening. Thank you to the friends and family staff that came out to support. Uh, we're truly lucky to have each and every one of you. Um, it's probably long overdue for you to be recognized officially. um you know, but thank you for everything that you do and everything that goes unnoticed every day for our kids um and staff members in our school community. So, thank you all and have a great night. I'll make a motion to journ. painted for never.