001ledge allegiance to the flag/ evil. I pledge allegiance to the of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. I just like to read a quick statement of Dr. Hayes. The New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the rights of the public while advancing government to attend the meeting of public bodies of Virginia business affecting their interest is discussed after according to the provision of this act of course notice that this meeting can be published by having the date time and place in the office of the board of ed the office of school number 3456 in the high school on May 16th 2025 and notice reported to reporters for the record May 16th 2025 This is an
002official meeting. Like to take the role if I may. Mrs. Abru here. Mr. Capano here. Mrs. Fredo here. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Nrew here. Dr. Pontiano here. Mr. Roro here. Mr. Russo here. Mr. Russo. Mr. Yunzi here. And Mr. Ryan is here. Here. and scalab here. Okay. Okay. Dr. Terbakia. Good evening. 35 personnel resolutions tonight. I thank Mr. Calibri, principles, supervisors, entire administrative team for all of their assistance in trying to ensure over the last 6 to 7 weeks that our schools are fully staffed for the 2526 school year. Whittle down from approximately 25 to two vacancies and our fingers are crossed that we can tie those two vacancies up within the next few days. particularly thank this board of education for their support in helping me recruit these teachers, talk to the teachers, and support
003us in what we had to do to ensure that Cliffside Park schools are well staffed. The there are four HI investigations under policies and procedures. Three were alleged HI investigations. one was confirmed. All four cases, counseling was provided. Restorative practices were put in place and in the one confirmed case, disciplinary action was taken. Mr. President, I ask you if you would uh like someone on the board to highlight resolutions 44 and 45 tonight. Dr. Piano is going to discuss those. Thank you. I want to I want to thank the negotiating committee Mr. bravely on that uh Dr. Hayes for his leadership especially our attorney Mr. Pogy because we had I think a great set of meetings. Um the teachers were phenomenal. I personally enjoyed working with the teachers throughout negotiation. I think that both sides
004came to it looking to be fair and I think that in the end we did come up with a fair agreement that benefits both parties but most importantly I think on behalf of the board I want to say thank you to our teachers tonight we ratify their contract. I assume we're going to ratify their contract but I want to say thank you for all that they do. Um unfortunately many times a lot of the teachers are the unsung heroes. You know, we hear the names of some that we see, maybe the coaches and, you know, some of the ones that are a little bit more visible, but I want to say thank you to every teacher in the district who works for our students, the ones that we see, we hear on Facebook and so
005forth, and the ones that we never really hear about because they're doing something quietly behind the scenes. I want to also congratulate all of our kindergarteners on their graduation this week. I'm sorry I missed the fourth school one yesterday. I was out of town. But, you know, I I remember the kindergarten days and our kindergarten teachers work so hard with those students. You know, the kids come in the beginning of the year in kindergarten and, you know, they they're new to many of them are new to school and, you know, they're new to uh the classroom experience and so forth and our kindergarten teachers really help them grow into their own and uh you know, then they graduated. So, thank you to the kindergarten teachers. Thank you to our middle school teachers, our high school
006teachers who, as Mrs. Calib was saying before, some of them spend so much time with the kids at lunchtime on their own time just giving of themselves and establishing those relationships and those connections, and we don't always get to highlight that or thank them for all they do. So tonight, as we ratify their contract, I want to thank them for their cooperation and negotiations. And I want to thank them for all that they do and they've done for the students, the parents, and for the district. And I want them to know on behalf of the board of education. They are very much appreciated. So I want to say that again. We appreciate and love our teachers. Good park board of education. Thank you. And is it our student representative here yet? Yes, she is. But
007um introduce um the new student council. They were elected. Um this is Arya, our new president. And then this is Sebastian, our treasurer. And then vice president, sorry. And then uh this is Christina, our treasurer, and then Adriiana, our secretary. very great group of kids. I'm actually so happy that they got elected. Um they're very involved with the school. Um I'm expecting really really bright ideas from them and fresh you guys have some fresh minds in here, creative minds. Um they're looking forward to like festival food truck days and um giving you guys feedback from the new schedule as well and possibly some new AP courses. So, they're a great bunch and I'm just so excited to um have possibly I think is this our last meeting or is it next week? Next week. Next
008week. Okay, perfect. But yeah, I'm so happy to be here as well. But um Alyssa and Stephanie couldn't make it, but they send their love to go to next week. Well, on behalf of the board, even though next week is our last meeting, you are graduating on Friday. Yes, I am. So, I want to say on behalf of the board that we thank you for your time and your energy and coming to the meetings and being with us and being a voice for the student body, the entire student body, but especially the high school student body. We really appreciate that and every board member up here really wants to get the student perspective and you've done such a beautiful job in in you know communicating that to us and I believe you know we got
009the open lunch now for the juniors and the seniors and it's going well and a milestone. It's a milestone. So right now we can you know talk about it and just agree to it as well. But yeah, I'm just so excited. Um, everybody I feel like is going to remember that that the upper classmen get to go out for lunch and I hope it's something that stays in CO Park history as well and I feel like you guys have really great feedback and listen to our opinions as well. So, it's something amazing. You see, as you said all along, it all really comes down to you because you told us that we could trust you having the open lunch and we said we would trust you and you know if there was an issue then
010we would deal with it and you know to my knowledge there hasn't been anything substantive. So you really, you know, you came here, you made a wonderful case for something. We were able to grant that for you and you kept your word. You kept the word, you know, your peers kept your word. So that's wonderful. What I would like to do because it's on the agenda tonight is I want to read this beautiful res. Yes, I think I got my glass. I want to read this beautiful resolution that was written just for you and it will be commemorated in the minutes of the board of education forever because these minutes have to be and kept forever. So I will read you so much. Whereas Valentina Londano has served with distinction on the Cliffside Park Board
011of Education. And whereas through her leadership, the Cliffside Park Board of Education has gained fresh insights into student concerns, priorities, and what is on the mind of young people in the community. whereas she has further contributed to the community by serving as a valuable sports person sharing the student perspective at Fort whereas Valentino Landon's exemplary commitment to fellow students and the school district has promoted clear communication between the board district administration and student body whereas Valentino and has maintained a professional decor at board meetings showing respect to board members and strive to learn the proper etiquette of serving on a school board. Whereas she has demonstrated a commitment to advancing the education of all students without neglecting her own responsibility to strive for success in the classroom. Now therefore be it resolved that the Curside
012Park Board of Education recognizes Valentino Londono's dedication and commitment to advancing educational opportunity and open communication between the board, district administrators, and the student body. And be it further resolved that the members of the Cliffside Park Board of Education extends their sincere appreciation to Valentino Lano for her dedicated service on the Cliffside Park Board of Education. And be it further resolve that the members of the Cliffside Park Board of Education extend their best wishes to Valentina Lindano and all of her future endeavors. So to our second representative on the board of education, congratulations and thank you so much. You know this resolution will live in perpetuity in the archives of Close Park Public School District. So 50 years from now, you'll be able to bring anybody you want back here. You're coming back here. It's
013really Dr. Harris. I don't have anything else. Do you have anything? Um, couple things for finance. Thank you. Um we are uh engaging our auditors for end of year audit. They we are engaging them electronically now and then at the end of the summer they will be coming on site. We are closing the year in the next couple of weeks. We are engaging that process. We are opening the new year. We are engaging that process and we are engaging our summer projects which we just had a meeting with the buildings and grounds committee and the board earlier today. I just like to take your eyes to page 17 resolution number 65. This is a resolution we do each year. This resolution allows us to put a certain amount of of our surplus into our capital
014reserve account that allows us to do the projects such as boilers, roofs, floors, all the capital projects, RTUs, unit ventilator projects that are done throughout the district. This resolution happens each and every June. Again, allows us to put in surplus into our capital reserve account in order to do future capital projects. So this is the 2425 school year. This surplus will be for the 2627 school year which will be next summer of 2026. So again I want to thank the board for all their support in regard to working through our surplus dynamics each and every year. We've been fortunate in my 12 and 1/2 years here wood we've had some surplus each and every year. It looks like we're going to have some surplus again this year. Obviously things are becoming a little bit more
015challenging for some of the dynamics. We've been uh engaging in regard to especially medical and um prescription costs but we'll work through that. Uh we have some meetings with uh our consultant at the end of the summer to see what some of our opportunities are. But again I'd like to thank the board the staff the business office and the public for uh their continued support the business office and and finance team as a whole. Thank you Mr. by and Dr. Hayes, Mrs. Cers, um I just want to echo the sentiments of uh Dr. Hayes and everything that he said about um end of year and and what is going on and thank the board of course for you know being able to um staff the at the end of the year. It's it's challenging times
016in education and we're very fortunate that we were able to um you know go into the summer knowing that we were able to staff um our um you know our teachers and and our buildings. So I'm very comfortable knowing that we're you know able to do that. I also want to echo um what Dr. said um about really appreciating our teachers and also I want to um you know thank the principles at the end of the school year for uh tirelessly you know really putting in that last the the June is just a a tiring month just ending you know the bill ending the year and you know finalizing paperwork and all of that but really I want to commend them for having such wonderful activities with their kids, prek celebrations and moving up ceremonies
017and you know making sure and ensuring that you know the children are placed in proper settings and that they're you know handed off to you know to the the proper teacher and that the you know little ones it's you know dealing with their parents and and whatnot and and I think that Cliffside Park the community the outreach you you know, that goes into the nurses, everyone, the guidance counselors, you know, the related service people. There's so much. It takes a village to raise these children. Uh, you know, we and we do that as as a community and I just really want to commend the whole entire, you know, Cliffside Park team, you know, our security resource officers. Um, you know, I would be remiss. I know it's not our last meeting, but, you know, I
018just want to thank Dr. Hayes. I have learned so much from Dr. Hayes. Um, I also uh look forward to working with my my new partner here, Mr. Rinfists. And uh I I do want to uh I look forward to working with our our new student council over here. But I also want to thank Valentina and Nick. Nick, we would be remiss if we didn't thank you too. Nick school. Oh, NJ. I thought so. Okay. So, Nick is going to NJIT. Congratulations to our seniors. Um, you know, and and that's that's pretty much it. We have a great summer program coming. So, you know, hopefully the kids will have a great summer program. We have our uh camp care and our summer recreation program. Um, so that's about it. That's my that's our summer report.
019Summer school is up and running. It starts Monday and um we have a big summer program. Fair view will be here. Uh it will be housed summer school because of some of the um summer projects will be housed at three school, four school, five school, and the high school this year. If you don't mind me jumping in backing off something you said or something that Mr. Keroki said earlier, while we're thanking people, Mr. Teraboki reminded us all that the end of the year activities would not be as bountiful as they were and are without our PTOs and PTAs and all of their hard work and their dedication putting on different things like the funday events that we we see. And you know those are those are etched in the minds of the kids forever. I
020know you have teenagers, I have a teenage daughter, you know they remember these things. These are the memories and we're so blessed that we have the parents who want to, you know, do the fundraising to make these memories happen because it's not the school district that supports those funday events. It's the PTO's and the PTAs who really put their heart. I remember doing it many years ago, but they put their heart and their soul into it. And I like the idea that Mr. Winfest, sorry, will be uh, you know, allowing us to celebrate our PTOs. And thank you, Mr. Terokia for reminding us of all the hard work and dedication. So, we'll be, you know, looking to those people in the future and then giving them personal thank you, but it's important. And I want
021to thank you and and Dr. Hayes for something that I've been looking forward to for a long time. It's on tonight's agenda, putting guidance counselors in all of the schools. That's a very important thing on the agenda this evening because now we're not going to have a guidance counselor running from one school to another only being there half time. As we know in this day and age and the day that I see the kids nodding, so that means we're doing a new thing. This day and age, you know, when kids have so much that they're dealing with and, you know, mental health crisis and and family issues and, you know, tests and all that kind of stuff, we really need to be able to support our students. So, I am very excited that we're able
022to as a district put a dedicated counselor in every one of our schools. That's kudos to you guys for recognizing that need. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Fish, you have anything? No, just uh kind of repeating what everybody has already said is that you know it it definitely takes a village to to raise these kids and it's hard to believe that we are days away from the end of another school year. Um still have a lot of exciting events left with the middle school graduation, high school graduation, project graduation. Um, so it's great to see some students here and looking forward to working closely with you guys in the future. Mark, I want to thank you for continuing to do an excellent job at the middle school and for taking everything you possibly can off
023my chair. This my guest is probably going to bleed you for another 6 days, but I I really appreciate all your time. You've been wonderful. Thank you. Since we have our two high school students here, we have project graduation coming up. I would like to thank Mrs. Fredo and Mrs. do for the last 20 years they started that program. So it's 20 years they've been doing that program. So it's a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication and 20 solid years they've been doing it. Our class is really looking 66 63 students that didn't fill out the paperwork. I'm being told. Yeah. I need to post it on the account. We got to put it up there. We got to get it out. Yeah. Do a TikTok. Yeah, but it's a it's a fun
024event. It's your last night to all spent, you know, you can talk about your reunion, 10 year reunion. You know, something funny might have happened. It's a it's a it's a good event. It's, you know, it's almost like the fun days for the little kids, but your fun days little if you want. I can bring my 5-year-old there. I'll drive you for 12 hours. But it's it's the same concept. What are we doing in the middle schools? It's it's a fun day but in a different category. Please inter. It's the same concept. You enjoy forever. Yeah. You enjoying your time with your your fellow teachers that were with you for 4 years and it's memories that you never forget. It's always about making memories. Always. So, if you can push the rest of your class
025to fill out the paperwork, please get it done. You still found out about your five buses. You know how long it is to get buses. Get buses. That's why we hear buses, buses a lot. So, please get the rest of the students. Um, we'll be there for your graduation. Congratulations again. Since I'm talking about that, kindergarten graduation has passed. Um, I want to commend all those grades that are moving up there. Uh, they're doing, you know, other kids, fourth graders are moving up to middle school. A lot of moving on month of June. Extremely busy. Everybody's more excited, but there's a lot of moving parts. But like everybody said here, Mr. panel helped out with the with the contract. It's, you know, it starts from the bottom, the custodians all the way up. So, I
026want to thank everybody for the hard work. There's a lot going on. A lot of things happen behind the doors and all that. It's great. Look how happy you are. You got a little pride. All right. A little You did a lot. Next 50 years, you're the one that start You pushed it to open up the schools, right, for lunch. I was a hard no 20 years ago for you asking me a question. It's good. So, you know, there's a lot more. So, I want to thank everybody. We're going to have a good year. We're going to have a new soup for new leadership. So, it's going to be little changes, but change is good. That's all I have. Anybody else from the board have anything? I have one more thing cuz I can't shut
027up. All right. As as a former teacher, I want to say I used to be a high school teacher. Coming to the end of your time like our high school year. I encourage the seniors to drop a little note, couple of sentences to someone who was special to you at the high school. And if you really, really, really want to do something exceptional, drop a little note, a little email to any one of your teachers, one of the secretaries, and custodians, somebody who you remember who would made a little difference for you. Take the time. I know this time is about you and it's about, you know, your graduation and stuff like that, but take time to just say thank you to somebody who made a difference because I don't think you get to 12th
028grade or even 11th grade in high school without having encountered somebody who made a difference to you. And often times when you graduate high school, you remember the high school people who made a difference. But if I were going to write a note as a mother today, I would remember Miss Fontaine, who was my daughter's kindergarten teacher. She was my kindergarten teacher. See, she got me through kindergarten. She got me through kindergarten. I always bring her up because you know what? That was a hard time for me as a mom bringing my little daughter there and she got me through kindergarten. So, I always like to throw out a thank you to her for helping the mom get through kindergarten. So, it makes a big difference. If you can uh you know encourage some of
029your friends, colleagues, whatever just to drop that little note, it would mean a lot to people cuz you know teachers they remember that kind of stuff. Yeah, I was asking the first time right now. Don't they Mrs. Calibies? They remember that stuff. I've gotten thank you notes over the years and it's really like wow you remember me or someone stopped me in like a supermarket or and remembered me. So it's nice special. It is special. That's it. Sorry. Anybody from the public? Uh, no. Anybody want to make a motion to accept the agenda? The motion. May I have a second, please? I'll second. Uh, Mr. Rancor was number one and Mrs. Fredo was number two. Okay. [Music] The vote now. Uh, Mrs. Brew. Yes. Mr. Kapana. Yes. Mrs. Freda, yes. Mr. Nrew, yes. Dr. Papliano,
030yes. Mr. Rainort, yes. Mr. Tvaki, yes. Mr. Yunes, yes. So move. Dr. Hayes, Mr. Tabakia. So move. Thank you, Mr. [Music] Motion to adjurnn. Okay. Second. Very good. Thank you. Thank you all. um board next week is just going