001e e 202 please stand for the flag salute moment of silence I pledge aliance to the of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all thank you sh M bford here Mr Brun here Mr kova here Dr Danny here Mr Mia here Mr siano here Mr Suarez here vice president Santiago here president Paris here we have a quorum thank you commissioner bassford could you please read our mission statement yes the mission of the Clifton School District in an open and reciprocal Community Partnership is to provide all students with a quality education to develop the skills necessary to become literate lifelong Learners who are responsible and productive citizens contributing to a Democratic Society in an everchanging world thank you the
002New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right to the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon in accordance with the provisions of this act the Clifton Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be publicized by having the date time and place thereof posted at the city clerk's office Clifton Public Library administration building senior citizen Nutrition Center on cable TV in the local press on the district's website and mail to presidents of parent teacher organizations this meeting will be taped recorded in accordance with policy 0168 at this time I'd like to invite our student representative Mark to the used to be Podium but now table for comments think it looks
003much better by the way Mr Paris don't you yes I have a place to sit get comfortable yeah I agree a lot more professional um thank you for setting this up so good evening everyone um for this month's report I'd like to uh Begin by thanking the Clifton Police Department on behalf of the entire clipton student population we are very thankful for their steadfast work in Catching and detaining the delinquent that was disrupting our school days Sports practices and our overall well-being we as a student body feel much safer and we are very thankful for their work to keep Contin uh keep continuing keeping us safe uh furthermore I'd like to talk about the phone policy that was rolled out um uh from a student Viewpoint I believe that it has gone fairly successfully most
004students are complying with the new regulation as and I me and as I mentioned at last month's meeting some of our students personally took initiative to make videos encouraging students to put down the cell phones and focus on life past the screen uh I believe it's too early to comment on the results of the policy so I will refrain from doing so uh I simply intend to make it clear that there haven't been any major hiccups with the roll out and that it's been fairly successful another recent development at the high school was the revamping of The English Department from the next year forward um in an effort to make our high school curriculum um kind of resemble more of a college level curriculum each uh the classes on each individual grade level have been
005altered from sophomore to senior year to reflect the specifics being taught in the curriculum instead of simply offering English two three and four classes uh students will be able to select from a wide range of classes such as lit from the stage which teaches English through Place such as McBeth and Al or science fiction where students will learn about the standards of language arts through the lens of Science Fiction this way there is more transparency regarding the curriculum for students when scheduling classes hoping to resolve or at least ease the issue uh the pre-existing issue that students have where they don't necessarily enjoy the curriculum this issue was present in the seci survey as well uh that we had discussed at earlier uh board meetings and superintendent ambassadors meetings finally I would like to mention
006that CHS will be performing Sweeney Todd on March 7th 8th and 9th uh we are welcoming students and family to watch the performance that dozens of CHS students have put hours of hard work into uh the show PG13 but all are welcome to attend in support the 7th and 8th will be at 7:00 p.m. the 9th will be at 1 p.m. uh and tickets vary from $5 to $12 students will be five and general admission I believe is 12 thank you all and uh good luck with the rest of the meeting thank you so much Mark and thank you and the rest of the the student leaders for uh assisting with the roll out of the cell policy we don't have any presentations today but we do have to meet very briefly 20 to 30
007minutes um in executive session to discuss a legal matter so we will be back quickly um we'll get to public recognition as soon as possible please bear with us uh motion to adjourn to Executive session motion second motion by commissioner Suarez second by commissioner bassford e e e gentlemen for being patient with us um Mr Shada R call M bassford here Mr brunak here Mr kova Dr Danny here Mr Mia here Mr siano here Mr Suarez here vice president Santiago here president Paris here we have a quum thank you okay we're going to to move on um so that don't hold you up any longer we're going to swap out our board committee reports so that we can take any public recognition first before it gets too late so let's start with um anyone virtually
008anybody virtually um Elias Ragsdale um his microphone is muted Elias if uh you can hear us can you hear me yes we can all right uh okay good evening everybody um first of all I'm good to go sir yes sir yes sir all right all right so uh first of all I just want to just short note first of all thank you to commissioner siano um and this is recapping off of last meeting um when it came to the cell phones I his pointing out that you know daily life today almost revolves around cell phones and using them and daily work I know you know even where I work cell phone is an essential piece to communicate and do different projects um and even when I was involved with student union and as president working
009with high school administration you know I even made recommendation saying maybe the onus is on the district or teachers or the making the curriculum engaging enough to where students want to be involved in class don't have to sit there on their phones um so that was a side note but really I'm I'm happy to see also that the band room was redone and named after Mr Morgan who was the director of the band for over 40 years that is incredible and welld deserved since June before I even graduated I think I brought the administration and this board a proposal to name our track after coach pontes who's been coaching and still does for over 50 years as a matter of fact congratulations to the boys win winner team because they just won another Pate County
010Championship so whatever you have to do to add that to coach P's list of achievements we have another one uh on the list um but I'm curious though about what the hold up is it's been almost seven months now a policy had to be formed which I understood um it was on the agenda multiple times and I'm just curious what's the hold up what are we waiting for it's something that like I said is welld deserved um but it seems to be taking a long time especially when we just had something else redone and renamed um so just curious on the hold up and how we can speed that up and uh make it public and get it done thank you everybody have a great night thank you elas is there anyone else in the
011virtual part there's no one else in the virtual CL motion close commissioner brunjak seconded by commissioner bassford uh anyone here like to approach our very welcoming public recognition table oh hello I know I realized that let's get through this first feels like I'm in a court of law all right my name is Lor L Lama and I'm the president of the cea so here I am about my retirement after much reflection I am here tonight to formally as you can see in the agenda announce my retirement effective June 20th 2025 at the conclusion of the school year it is with deep sense of gratitude that I closed this chapter after 41 years in education years spent teaching computer technology Spanish and ESL in classrooms in New Jersey and in Kito Ecuador throughout my career I've
012been privileged to witness the transformation power of Education I have seen students grow in confidence develop new skills and Achieve Milestones that once seemed Out Of Reach their resilience curiosity and passion for learning have been a constant source of inspiration reminding me daily why this profession is so meaningful the classroom has been more than a place of instruction it has been a place of Discovery collaboration and shared growth the relationships that I have built with students colleagues and families over the years are among the most cherished Treasures that I have as I step into retirement I carry with me countless memories of the joy and fulfillment that teaching has brought into my life as I step into this new chapter I look forward to exploring New Opportunities spending more time with my grandson Nico and
013remaining involved in education in different ways while I will miss the daily rhythm of school life I leave with a sense of Pride and ful fulfillment knowing that I have given my best to the profession I love I want to express my sincere appreciation to Dr Danny Roberto Janina kusevic who was lucky enough to interview me and hire me from this position the central Administration team the principals Vice principals supervisors the Board of Education my fellow Educators in the entire School Community for your support collaboration and dedication to our students it has been an honor to be part of this district and I look forward to seeing it continue to thrive in the years ahead I'd like a point of personal privilege if that's okay all right thank you an exceptional superintendent leads with a
014clear and strategic vision driving continuous Improvement in student achievement curriculum development and educational Innovation they understand the importance of building strong relationships with school boards admin rators teachers parents and the community fostering trust transparency and collaboration effective communication is key to uniting stakeholders around a shared Mission and ensuring that every voice is heard in the decision making process I am deeply grateful for our hard work and commitment we have built since you started in this District we improved our professional relationship previous to us becoming part of the Labor Management collaboration ative when the Labor Management collaborative came into fruition this has been instrumental in enhancing our students educational future which is the goal together we have fostered a proactive partnership built on mutual respect and shared responsibility working collectively to create positive and meaningful improvements
015for the betterment of the district I am extremely proud of the work and the dedication of the district collaborative team and the school collaborative teams with a steadfast commitment to Student Success you have prioritized Equity well-being and access to Quality education for all Learners you advocate for policies and programs that support diverse student needs while remaining adaptable to the everchanging landscape of Education whether navigating policy changes budget constraints or Community concerns you approach challenges with resilience create creativity and datadriven decision making to sustain progress and ensure long-term success Clifton is fortunate to have you as a superintendent your leadership is vital to the district's overall success impacting student achievement staff performance and Community engagement your guidance ensures educational Excellence Financial stability and a strong District reputation as a leader you remain accountable to the school
016board parents and stakeholders making it essential for a positive learning environment your professional success is a direct reflection of your personal commitment to the schools students and staff you serve and I deeply respect and admire your dedication thank you to all thank you and congratulations on your retirement is there any anyone else who'd like to speak this evening all right seeing no one motion to close motion public recognition motion by commissioner Mahia seconded by second Comm commissioner Suarez thank you we're going to go back to um board committee reports and we'll start with uh commissioner brunak and finance please thank you Mr President finance committee met on February 5th 2025 those present were myself commissioner Santiago commissioner kova and president Paris uh from the administration attended Mr jenero Mr shahada and Mr Uchi we started
0175:00 p.m we ended around 5:30 p.m. items of discussion were the overview of the committee and its members Administration introduced themselves to the committee and explained what they do and the purpose of the committee budget overview the administration reviewed the budget noting that many uncertainties remain until state aid figures are released the governor's address is scheduled for the last Tuesday of February with state aid allocations expected to be sent to the district two days later the committee of the whole budget meeting is scheduled for March Tuesday March 11th the preliminary budget approval for County submission for compliance purposes only will take place on March 13th however the budget will remain open for discussion and adjustments until May 1st does anybody have any questions okay thank you commissioner brunak um for municipal Alliance uh commissioner siano
018please thank you Mr President the municipal Alliance committee met on Monday February 3rd at the administration building and started at 5:03 p.m. present at the meeting from the Board of Education were myself committee chair president Paris vice president Santiago and from the administration Dr Danny Roberto superintendent and Mr Mark Jenaro assistant superintendent president from the city were Nick volano the city manager councilman Joe Cog councilwoman Rosemary Pino and councilwoman Mary cedula the agenda consisted of nine topics number one was school safety traffic control we request for CA B morning dropof and afternoon pickup SLC candlesticks the committee acknowledges the ongoing challenges with drop off and pickup at the ca prek program and remains committed to finding effective Solutions through collaboration the city and the Board of Education continue to prioritize the safety of students and
019Community stakeholders both parties agree that the ideal solution would be the presence of a permanent law enforcement officer with the authority to enforce traffic and parking regulations at all times however due to Staffing limitations the level of enforcement can only be provided intermittently to help address this the board of education has expressed its willingness to enter into a shared services agreement with the city to contribute to the cost of such Personnel additionally Candlestick bards are being installed along Brighton Road in front of the school this safety measure is designed to prevent working in areas where students and families cross further enhancing pedestrian safety number two was additional crossing guard near Maine Memorial Library this concern was raised by a staff member at Christopher Columbus Middle School after witnessing a near- Miss incident in which a
020student was almost struck by a car that ran a red light in response president Paris asked whether the city would consider assigning a crossing guard to that location to enhance safety the city manager suggested bringing this proposal to the CPD traffic division for further evaluation and input number three was Clifton High School enforcement the committee requested that CBD conduct routine drive-bys around Clifton High School during dismissal to help deter double parking illegal parking blocked parking lot entrances and unsafe driving Maneuvers this initiative aims to enhance student safety during its high traffic period in response the city manager suggested presenting this request to the Chief and CPD Traffic Division for further input and enforcement consideration number four was the on three Apartments proposal pilot Mr volano informed the committee that there were no updates on this
021topic in response president Paris asked whether the Board of Ed could be included in the process given its direct impact on District Operations Mr volano explained that the city negotiates the pilot agreement with the developer and provided examples of how income percentages would be allocated committee chair sieno shared his real estate knowledge noting that 6 100qt apartment in Clifton could legally house a family of four potentially placing a strain on the school district as a result the city will review this code number five was the CCMS tunnel update Mr volano provided the committee with an update on the CCMS tunnel project reporting that it's progressing and remains in development the city has partnered with an engineer who recently met with both City and school administrators to discuss the project while a specific start date has
022not yet been determined the anticipated complete comption time frame is approximately 9 months Mr volano and Mr jenero will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available number six was officials day Mr jenero and Miss Debbie Oliver will work together to ensure the success of the event continuing the tradition of providing a meaningful experience for both students and officials the first meeting between Miss Oliver and the Clifton staff members serving as building representative liaison is scheduled for Tuesday February 4th 2025 officials day is set for Tuesday May 20th 2025 Mr jenero will keep all parties informed as he plans progress number seven was the charter school update Dr Roberto informed the committee that the NJ dooe has renewed the Pake Arts and Science Charter Schools Charter for another 5 years however the NJ doe
023denied their request to expand enrollment from 2276 to 2600 students additionally Mr volano explained that the Pake Arts and Science Center has not appealed the zoning board's decision which denied permission to expand the school on Hazel Street in Clifton the deadline to file an appeal was January 9th 2025 number eight was new business councilwoman Pino shared exciting news about a Clifton student who has set a record as the youngest individual to obtain a pilot's license she plans to present this achievement to the board of education so the student can be recognized at up at an upcoming public meeting councilwoman p also provided two Flyers to the committee requesting that the Board of Education distribute information about the echo youth program and Clifton behind the scenes through the district's various communication channels the next meeting was
024scheduled for Monday April 7th 2025 the municipal Alliance ended at 553 minutes were taken by Mark jenero respectfully submitted by Joe sieno thank you commissioner siano uh any discussion any questions commissioner Kenova yeah I had a question about the CCMS tunnel update so what exactly are they doing to update the tunnel do they have a plan of so they're actually do you want to take that Yep they're they're actually going to make it handicapped accessible so they're going to build a an an elevator on one side I believe and then reconfig re-engineer the tunnel so it's kind of rampike to the other side um so it's handicap friendly was there any ever conversation about making it an overpass instead of tunnel no the the funding was was directed towards the tunnel it was a a
025grant Mr Canova that I believe it was safe safe safe rout safe routes to school Grant um in addition to the elevator they're going to upgrade the lighting surveillance cameras upgrade the entire tunnel I believe there was there was that one meeting where an overpass did come up but I believe because of is that a County Road there there was some sort of restriction on why it couldn't be an overpass because of height with trucks or something like that that I remember I don't remember the specifics it did come up but um it's it it's all grant money and it's going to be topnotch with the with an elevator right with brand new lighting with anything else I missing talk about the surveillance cameras surveillance cameras um it's going to be a ramp out towards
026the Columbus parking lot there's no more stairs on the on the Columbus side so whether it's football games School graduation easy access for all pedestrians because the way it is now I know it's open obviously for students to to cross before and after school but I don't know how long it stays open for I know we have after school programs and things I just don't know you know what that means for this new renovation we close those it's the responsibility of the custodian from uh Christopher Columbus Middle School at the end of his shift uh to lock both sides of the of that tunnel so there has been no conversation specific to what that would look like afterwards uh but it's something we could definitely bring up to Mr volano the next time we thanks
027anyone else vice president Santiago thank you president Paris do you mind giving a quick one minute refresher on what pilot is explanation of pilot a a pilot is um an abbreviation for payment in lie of taxes so a developer can work with the municipality uh on a new development and instead of being assessed at the regular doing it an assessment of the property and the regular tax rate of the city they can negotiate their own uh terms instead of taxes in L of taxes um one thing that's different is the component that is based on property assessments there is a school tax that is collected and that is provided to the local school district but the remaining part of the pilot there is no uh carve out specific Ally for schools it can be in
028a negotiation but it is not um a requirement of a pilot and it is these rules are under the under the state you can go to a you can Google it there's a state site tell you all the terms tell you every pilot in every city you look up Clifton and see what we've got existing currently Etc anyone else so I I have a question based on that so out of that negotiation piece is the board event included any that or is is this totally the council to to date we haven't been a part of it that discussion came up during the municipal Alliance committee and we requested that we have some representation whether it be someone from the board or whether it be at someone from the council representing the interest of the school
029and impact on schools that might be uh Pilots developing a residential units so and there was that was met favorably so right now there's currently nothing in process process for for a residential pilot uh in the city of Clifton that I'm aware of okay thank you anyone else okay um moving on commissioner bassford could you please do both the uh uh booster club HSA and Athletics minutes please sure I'll read the Athletics uh we met February 11th at 2 pm during with platform of Google meets president was uh president Alan Paris uh commissioner mark Brak myself uh from Administration it was Dr robotzi uh ahed shahada Mark jenero and Mr Maly the agenda items were winter sports midseason review boys wrestling competing in sectionals finals uh B TR uh County Champs uh the state tournaments
030are upcoming the girls wrestling uh would did well first ever season um as a team we're recognizing the teams individuals and coaching accomp accomplishments academus B basketball had 100 wins lri GB soccer was 300 wins and galletta's wrestling was 300 wins um Mr Malle he talked about the spring uh preview his he said registration is going strong he's waiting on outdoor individual meets but otherwise all spring schedules are online uh events at the stadium are um on a holding pattern as we monitor the progress of the upgrades that are going on right now new business it was good for the order once uh cheer season is over a banner will be created to reflect their success uh discussions on revamping the hallways and the outside lower gym um the athletic collab is working on ways
031to make the area more modern but at the same time preserving a rich athletic history of the department um there was some suggestions made and um the district is um the administration is going to come back and uh kind of share what they plan on doing the district needs to plan on replacing the track and football field as it is hitting its 11year Mark so that has to go to finance we took about an hour we end at about 3:00 any questions so I did have one question um that's kind of tied to this redesign I don't know if if it is or if it isn't so I know we brought up into technology how cell phones inside of that area and these common areas where we have like games and U you know the
032auditorium where they don't really function correctly and specific spefically there I know the other day there was a a wood Wilson versus Columbus game and they were taking like venmo and people's phones couldn't even work there um and then it also made me think about security like if something happened if something was a breakout and people were trying to call 911 or something I don't know if they could get through now I realize that's not necessarily our like there's nothing we could do we don't provide the internet service but can we send like a letter from our Board of Ed to Verizon T-Mobile whoever and say like hey this is an issue for us is there a way of doing that I I believe that I believe that um Mr mountain is already working on
033that with Verizon is it Mr sh yes yeah so they're aware of those dead spots and he is working with them and there may be some equipment we need to install to to help um so yes those that's already in process to some degree I don't know where we're at with it uh we still in negotiations about getting the thing about getting the router or whatever it's called I don't even know the repeater stengthen the booster booster is a good word too so because if we're doing a redesign if we have walls open and they could put their device in or what I don't know I don't know what it entails but I know go on the Roof oh okay all right so not resolved yet but in process and we can put that on
034the next uh technology y schedule thank you thank you commissioner kova uh the booster committee met booster HSA committee met on February 4th um with the Google meets platform we started at 6:35 p.m. presid from the Board of Education was uh president Alan Paris vice president and um at the time some of this is wrong it's LC Dr Lucy Danny commissioner T Tanya Suarez and myself from admin was Mark jenero Janina cevich um Amed shahada Tom meany and various building principles and representative from prek elementary middle school and high school from the community we have hsas uh pto's PTA board members representing multiple building uh buildings we do not want to put their um their identity Out Mr jenero uh led the meeting outlining its twart structure the first focused on the booster clubs while
035the second addressed the HSA PTA and PTO matters move moving forward it was decided that each group uh would hold separate meetings to ensure dedication attention to to the specific needs during the booster club portion of the meeting uh Tom Maly provided an update on current fundraising efforts highlighting that a small group is handling the majority of the workload he noted that uh various programs have set up school stores but each sport uses a different brands and pricing structure to create a more efficient system Mr Malley suggested cons consolidating orders through a single company Swan Brothers which previously managed large scale orders and in-house screen printing was mentioned as an option additionally fundraising platform snap raay uh have become increasingly frustrating due to the resilience on the email and its representative have stopped visiting the
036district due to the company's broad uh reach as an alternative a newer platform uh Leading Edge was introduced some of the coaches are are currently testing it and the cheerleading booster club which has already met with Leading Edge reported positive uh feedback they find it f user friendly appreciated its text-based communication and noted that it is actively involved Athletics in fundraising and by requiring them to make phone calls Mr Malle he emphasiz that the importance of keeping the district informed about booster club activities while reminding attendees that the Box pools are strictly prohibitive uh he also expressed a willingness to explore partnership sh with local businesses for fundraising opportunities to assist with Spirit Weare purchases Miss Fitzpatrick and Miss Vega will provide a list of vendors previously shared by the hsas additionally miss m myself
037inquired about uh integrating booster clubs into the district uh email system a suggestion that was also raised for the hsas the decision the decision has shifted um to snack sales at the stadium concession stand uh with a plan to ensure equitable process for all student athletes this this initi initiative is set to launch in the New Year along with the football season regarding sponsorship policy 616 3.1 was reviewed outlining that all proposals must be submitted to the assistant superintendent Mr shahada for approval certain businesses such as a gentleman's club bars alcohol venues and dispensaries are prohibited from sponsorships however proposals are considered on a case-by Case basis and the businesses may be submitted for pre-approval before Outreach efforts begin the HSA committee um meeting commenced at 6:30 uh 6:23 p.m. with a warm welcome and
038appreciation from Administration parents and Guardians contributing to the one Clifton initiative Mr jenero announced um that the hsas and pto's will formally be recognized by the Board of Education meeting June 10th 2025 in gratitud ude for their dedication and their efforts U Mr RZA the district's pbsis coordinator provided an update on pbsis highlighting the success of the tier 2 check-in checkout framework she also encouraged parent representatives to connect with their building principles for updates specific to their schools the field trip transportation process was clarified Mr shahada stating unequivocally and he makees sure that this is on the record um that the district will cover the cost of any operated or outsourced yellow school bus but will not fund coach bus services in response to the HSA president's inquiry about the policy re requiring parent contributions
039to field trip it was confirmed that while no formal policy exists the school May request donations ensuring that no child is excluded from the participation Miss Fitzpatrick and Miss Vega um assistant principal at school number 12 and 14 shared the results of recent surveys which centered on creating a more unified approach to fundraising those fi findings highlighted the need for a dedicated committee on this topic the next session uh set to focus on success fundraising strategies Additionally the survey included an interest in Pro potential benefits for reviewing how to obtain a 501c3 designation and a gaming license to support fundraising efforts the meeting concluded at 77 17 p.m. any questions yes commissioner Suarez thank you um president parison thank you commissioner bassford uh for reading that um I was a part of the meeting and
040a question came to mind um Mr shahada if you're able to help me understand who pays for field trips the hsas cover the field trips we cover two educational assemblies a year two educational assemblies year so when I heard that I was actually surprised um because experential learning is a critical component to Student Success so I was surprised that the hsas were responsible for field trips are we able to fund field trips at all for schools may I um Mr sh M War just so um just to to be clear M up until a few years ago the HSA has paid for everything yeah it was until I found that there was some inequity going on that I came to to the board and said we should be paying for the transportation so the HS
041says we're paying for transportation we now pay for transportation for all of the field trips the the money that the hsas are paying for these are for your not necessarily your although all field trips are educational these are your kind of end of the year big kind of fund trips and they're covering like admissions costs and things like that um if we want to have a discussion on whether the board wants to cover that happy to have that discussion that's a finance discussion not a problem but I just want to be clear that there was a time where the hsas were paying for everything today we took Transportation off of their um payroll so and that saved them a lot of money that I think they were thankful for that sure and and they were
042prior to us they were paying for educational assemblies so I'm like you know well and my concern was that some schools getting assemblies and others weren't I can't have that so we offered to pay two for two educational assemblies um each year which takes a lot of fundraising Miss bassford as you know is a former HSA thank you Dr Robert sui anyone else I just I just want to reiterate um and I thank Administration for doing this because the hsas and the boosters they do want separate meetings their their issues are different when we have one on before the other it just it's not fair to the each group so I I thank you for guys for doing that and if we can get a date set for them that would be helpful because these
043groups start in the spring get really busy so I want to if we can get a a date out there for them I would appreciate it and so would the rest of the people in the group thank you thank you commissioner basser all right um so up to adoption oh I'm sorry one more you thought I was going to forget but I didn't um I'm was betting on me forgetting uh commissioner Brun Shack facilities please thank you Mr President we met on February we met on February 5th 2025 those present were myself commissioner bassford commissioner siano and president Paris Administration who attended was Mr jenero Mr shahada Mr Maldonado Mr oido Mr Toronto and uh Mr Watkins started at 3:30 ended around 3:45 p.m. Eastern Standard Time number one was an overview of the committee
044and its members Administration introduced themselves to the committee and explained what they do on the purpose of the committee referendum update school8 has a Transformer meter switch gear installed has new service connected needs the old old service disconnected School 9 has a trans Transformer meter switch gear installed needs new service turned on by psng school 12 trans Transformer installed switch gear being wired in the electrical room School 13 the Transformer meter switch gear being installed needs new service turned on by pscg school 15 Transformer meter switch gear installed needs new service turned on by psng wood draw new electrical service up up grade complete Columbus switch gear installed need Transformer and the meter b& updates capital reserve projects for the upcoming fiscal year 2526 Administration gave an update of projects taking place throughout the district
045woodro gymnasium wooden bleachers would be replaced with new plastic slip resistant tread bleachers that can accommodate approximately 176 net seat and will be motorized maroon color cost is $75,400 ton and a 12 1/2 ton unit cost is 9,495 roof repairs are made at school 11 and 12 Annex are scheduled to be working at CHS next Mr shahada discussed tentative capital reserve project for the 25 26 years they included gym floor replacements at school 8 and 12 in addition there will be remodeling of the amphitheater at CHS as well as adding an enclosure for the loading dock for security reasons referendum signs placed on site near the trailers discussion ensued about the store storing of these signs bleachers locker room update the bleachers are expected to be complete in the spring in time for graduation barring
046any unforeseen weather delays the locker room renovation is on track to be finished around the same time the project is currently running two weeks ahead of schedule school 12 area parking discussion ensued about acquiring uh neighboring property for additional parking spaces new business discussion ensued about renovating the concession stand at the stadium Mr shahada said this is something they will look into does anybody have any questions I just wanted to tell the committee uh Monday the transformer for Columbus came in so we're up and running with that commission can um so I have a few questions uh the elevator CCMS do do we know where we're at with that the Transformer we just got um waiting on psng now to put it in it's going to power up that elevator okay so um PSG is
047psng so maybe I don't know 2027 yeah it feels like they're holding up all these projects um the the seats they're going to be installed in and the bleachers are going to be installed in W Wilson you mentioned that they're motorized is there an override in case it jams and then they they need to put them in or take him out or something yes we could do it manually as well okay I think that's so yeah that's it thank you anyone else hold on no no I had one more oh one more the bleachers that are in Columbus you said they're they're not going to be done till uh bleachers not mean the stadium yeah in the stadium um are there any events where they use that uh in between that time no we spoke
048with Mr Maly they don't have that big all count track meet this year that usually takes place at the stadium so good all right thank okay thank you commissioner brunak okay we have uh two meeting minutes to adopt uh January 9th and January 23rd motion to adop commissioner bassford seconded by commissioner Mahia any discussion roll call Mr shot M bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr kov Dr Mr Mia yeso M Flores yes vice president Santiago yes president Paris yes motion carries thank you uh the floor is yours dror robertto thank you Mr President good evening members of the Board of Education one Clifton Community it is nice to see so many staff members here tonight welcome thank you red means good right all right good it's good to see you guys I want to start
049off by uh reiterating what our student read uh Mark mentioned first tonight and that is a big big thank you on behalf of the Board of Education and the administration the entire Public School District a big thank you to the Clifton Police Department um and our high school principal detective Mr hamda Meg zenola our director of school security Vicki Rogers vice principal and Mark jenar our assistant superintendent who worked very closely with the Clifton Police Department um investigating the recent threats that had been going on for two months um and finally uh through their hard work led to the apprehension of a suspect and we are very very grateful for that so thank you to the Clifton police department and our dedicated staff Lori what you said tonight was uh very moving for me thank
050you so much for taking the time to say those nice things so let me say a few nice things about you it's almost six years ago that we started you and your position maybe two months before I came in and when we first met we knew that we had similar philosophies that we knew that we would solve More Problems by working together than by fighting with each other and that informal relationship suddenly became a formal relationship where we started working with the Labor Management collaborative at Ruckers University which initially started as one District team of Administrators and teachers and now is a district team of 30 something staff members representing every bargaining unit and um every um position in the district and every single school has a labor management team or a school collaborative team
051is what we call them and what their role is they problem solve they work on issues to try to make their schools better so what started as an idea is came to fruition and our goal was always to make sure that whatever we put in place outlasted both of us so you just happen to be the first one leaving me you're like a flat leav um but I believe that um what we've built will continue for many many many many years to come and I knew we were on to something I knew we were working well together and I knew that things were going well when I heard from some of my administrators you know Danny you always give into the union and then I talked to Lori and Lori said you know my teachers
052say I always give into the administration and that's when I knew that we were doing something good you've touched the lives of thousands of students over your career you've changed people's lives and you've represented your staff uh fiercely when NE necessary um and people like to think of all the times that we agreed and maybe came to a solution but there were plenty of times where we disagree behind closed doors but we always did it respectfully and we were always able to have civil conversations I thank you for that um and I thank you for your collaboration over the years I will miss you personally and I will miss you professionally and I wish you nothing but the best in your retirement thank you there's also another retirement on the agenda actually one of my
053first hires when I came here in Clifton in July of 2019 I think I've told the story about how when I started on July 1st and I walked into the office and I said hey I'd like to send a a message out to the community to say introduce myself and say I'm here how do I you know get that into that email system to do that and they're like what do you mean email system we we don't do that here but if you want we'll type a letter for you and we'll use the US mail and we'll mail it out to 11,000 homes and I did the math on that and I said no let's save the stamps that was when I knew we needed a communication system we needed Communications uh Department we didn't
054have social media on July 1st 2019 and one of my first big hires was I came to the board and I said we need Samantha D Rose and Sam for the the last six years has built our District's Communications from the ground floor I can't take any credit for it other than realizing it was needed told her my expectations and she flew with it so we are now on every social media platform every school almost every Club at the at Clifton High School alone if you search on Instagram you find like 50 different accounts with clubs and um departments and I can send an email right now that'll be a text message and a phone call I could do that in about a minute all right our Communications one thing I'm very proud of H
055over the last six years have improved immensely and that is solely because of you I congratulate you on your retirement I will miss you immensely for all of this the things you did publicly for me and many things behind the scenes for me that nobody would ever see um and how hard I always saw that you worked I appreciate you I value you and I wish you nothing but the best in the future that concludes my report Mr President thank you um one thing I might ask you to address uh earlier on Elias mentioned about the track naming whether you have an update or Mr shahada yes uh thank you Mr President Mr shahada I I'm pretty sure I know the answer but I know you know the answer so would you mind addressing that
056please yeah the sign was done earlier last week uh we are getting it dropped off and just waiting for the weather to break we have to break into the asphalt at the stadium it's going to be right at right before you enter the track so the sign is ready it's just uh Mother Nature is holding us [Music] up okay so hang on Elias it's on the way and we'll have a nice hopefully nice new refurbished Stadium to presented through um okay any unfinished business all right moving on uh we have National School counseling uh month recognition uh vice president Santiago can you please read that Proclamation sure thank you president Paris where at school counselors are employed in public schools to help students reach their full potential and whereas school counselors are actively committed to
057helping students explore their abilities strengths interests and talents as these traits relate to Career awareness and development and whereas school counselors help parents focus on ways to further the educational personal and social growth of their children and whereas school counselors work with teachers and other Educators to help students explore their potential set realistic goals for themselves and whereas school counselors seek to identify and utilize Community Resources that can enhance and complement comprehensive School counseling programs to help students become productive members of society and whereas comprehensive developmental School counseling programs are considered an integral part of the educational process that enables all students to achieve success in school now therefore be it resolved that the Clifton Board of Education recognizes February 3rd through February 7th 2025 as National School counseling week thank you thank you vice
058president Santiago uh February is Black History Month commissioner Suarez can you please read our Proclamation yes thank you president Paris whereas Black History Month celebrated during the month of February originated in 1926 when Dr Carter G Woodson set aside a special period in February to recognize the Heritage and a and achievements of black people in the United States and whereas since 1976 February has been recognized as Black History Month throughout North America and whereas this year's theme for Black History Month Mon africanamerican and the Arts is infused with African Caribbean and the Black American lived experiences in the fields of Visual and Performing Arts literature fashion folklore language film music architecture culinary and other forms of cultural cultural expression the African-American influence has been Paramount whereas we encourage the celebration of Black History Month to
059provide a continuing opportunity for all people in the United States to learn learn from the past and understand the experiences that have shaped the United States and now therefore be it resolved the Clifton Board of Education proclaims February 2025 Black History Month and encourages staff and students to honor it during February and throughout the year with interactive research classroom lesson plans guest speakers displays lectures practical activities and cultural celebrations thank you commissioner Suarez I'm uh looking for a motion to approve uh under B education Administration items one through six motion second motion by vice president Santiago seconded by commissioner Suarez any discussion roll call Mr sh Mr bford yes Mr brunak yes M Canova yes Dr Danny yes Mr Mia yes Mr Tano yes Mr Warez yes vice president Santiago yes president Paris yes motion
060carries thank you Mr shot um our next is a long one okay under Personnel C Personnel items number one through 34 Mr President I would like to uh pull an item number 33 as a separate vote okay item number 33 as a separate vote so we'll be voting on uh items 1 through 34 excluding 33 at this point um any discussion motion to approve first second motion by vice president Santiago seconded by commission Mia any discussion roll call Mr shahad M bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr Canova yes Dr Danny yes yes oh um just abstain from p 29 uh 28 uh my name only excuse me abstain for my name only p28 no problem um Mr Mia yes Miss siano yes Miss Suarez yes abstain p28 my name only vice president Santiago yes abstain
061on p781 2933 president Paris uh yes but abstaining on 7829 and and my name only on 28 motion carries thank you Mr SH now we'll uh looking for a motion to approve item c33 motion second motion by commissioner bassford second by commissioner Mahia any discussion yeah I have something to say um a long time ago there was a wronged and I'm not speaking to you I'm speaking behind you um with this is p33 we have Standalone vote on that we have a standalone vote Yes a long time ago there was a wronged I didn't know any better I vote I was the uh descending vote on that wrong I I have to choke this back I learned very quickly what the wrong was I went and investigated how to fix it and when that wrong
062was able to be repaired I approached this former superintendent you were not here Danny and I asked for that wrong to be writed tonight after 13 years of being on this board this solidifies the wrong that was done and it was writed so I vote I'm going to just say that to you I'm sorry that that was done to you heartly sorry and I hope that you understand that when we found out we fixed it so thank you any other discussion okay so roll call Mr shot motion oh motion I thought I did that already but okay motion to I did motion to approve I did already yes so call the RO please uh Miss bassford With Honor absolutely Mr Brak yes Mr kova yes Dr Danny 100% Mr Mahia yes Mr siano yes M
063Suarez yes vice president Santiago yes I have to abstain on that okay wasn't there abstain on 35 president Paris uh OB stain on 33 only because I have to 33 right correct okay um moving on to under D finance and Facilities uh looking to approve items one through 7 motion motion by commissioner second by vice president Santiago any discussion all right hearing none roll call Mr Shad M bassford uh yes I'm abstaining on number six item number 5281 I am affiliated with praise rest yes Mr brunak yes Mr kova yes Dr Danny yes Mr Mia yes Mr siano yes I'm staining on use of facilities 5365 the school 16 HSA because they just did a fundraiser at my office I'm abstaining on check 22306 for the Clifton times business relationship and 22116 the Center for
064Family Resources because I have a relative that works there miss Suarez yes vice president Santiago yes president Paris yes motion carries thank you okay up the board member comments and if I remember correctly we'll be starting with commissioner brunak thank you Mr President want to give a personal congrats to miss L Lama and Miss Samantha D Rose on their intentions to retire I hope and pray that the both of you enjoy the qtr your quality time remaining is I hope you both enjoy it I am grateful for your service to our district finally a prayer for a wonderful husband brother colleague and friend commissioner siano Lord I pray for your healing touch upon Joe's body during surgery guide the hands of the surgeon and his staff who assist in the surgery use their skills to
065health and wholeness I ask you to remove any fear or anxiety from Joe's mind to fill him with peace that you alone can give may your recovery be swift your strength renewed and health restored Lord you are the Divine healer amen thank you everybody for your time and God bless America have a good night everybody thank you commissioner rack commissioner Canova uh good evening first I just want to say thank you to our Clifton police and our security team um I know the safety of the schools are are the most important thing to us I'm glad to hear we found the culprit and we're able to figure all that out so thank you um Mr Lama um congratulations on your retirement uh I no you were someone who fiercely advocated for cl in up and
066down the state and and I appreciate all that you did for us so thank you and I wish you well in your retirement um Mr Rose you were a staple here in Clifton every event we go to you're there um taking images uh working with us on communication Bridging the Gap in Clifton keeping Gus one Clifton uh much appreciated another one thank you for for your service um and the only other thing I had was uh Happy Valentine's Day but now I learned about Mr siano and and I'm wishing you well on your surgery as well but thank you thank you commissioner kova commissioner Dr Danny uh thank you president Paris um so I would like to say thank you to all the speakers um to the student representative mark thank you for your report
067it's always nice to know what the students are thinking um congratulations on your retirement Miss Lama I'm sure that uh you will be missed by your staff um uh all the things that you do for NJ AA um just being part of that organization starting to get more involved in that and like everybody knows Lori Lama so very well known um and um uh Mr Rose so nice working with you all this time seeing you at all the events um I hope retirement brings a lot of um you know time for you to do things you want to do both of you and um so I wish you the best on your retirement both of you and Mr sieno just want to say um you know we've had some talks I'm glad that you you
068know took the route that you did to find things out and um as Mr brunak said and I always say you know that may God be guiding the hands of the surgeon and you know that you have many years to come of you know health and happiness and thank you that's all I have for this evening thank you Dr Danny commissioner Mia um thank you very much president Paris um as we all stated before I like to thank Clifton PD and our district security for such a great job on what they recently did happy Black History Month um I want to share a quick story about Miss Lor Lama um we always talk about this when we do see each other um I was about to fail a class because I didn't have it have
069the word doc in I didn't I by accident I had everything in all caps and at the time I did not know how to change it so luckily enough for me I was taking Miss Lama's class at the time so I went down there and I told her could you please help me because if not I am going to fail this class um and luckily enough she didn't know how to do it so we ended up working on it together and we reverted it back from its original state in all honesty I don't know how I got it in all caps if I'm being completely honest but back then computers were a little bit different and we press you know a certain button it would change everything um on part of that I do also
070want to thank um Sam for all the efforts that you have done in terms of our Communications I remember this happened right after I graduated high school too so right after I graduate I'm like damn everything is being so much better in terms of communicating what's going on in our district so thank you for all that hard work that you've been doing um and in honor of National School counseling week um I'd like to thank my old high school guidance counselor because without his guidance without everything that he's done I wouldn't be so far ahead in my own personal career and I don't think I would be in this very same position I am today without all the help that he gave me um so thank you and have a great night thank you commissioner
071Mahia commissioner Siana thank you Mr President uh first I want to thank Mark for the student rep report and express my gratitude to the speakers who joined us this evening um I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Samantha D Ro and Lori Lama on their upcoming retirements although I have only known you both for a short time your unwavering commitment to the district has been evident and your contributions have left a lasting impact while I am saddened to see you leave I am happy for you both as you begin this next chapter of your lives I would also like to recognize Vincent Farrell a teacher who has profoundly shaped my life who you guys hear me talk about all the time everyone has that one educator who leaves a lasting impression and for me
072that was Mr Farrell his guidance honesty and persistence during my eighth grade year were transformational even if I didn't fully realize it at the time his belief in me and his unwavering encouragement have played an integral role in making me the person I am today Mr Farrell your dedication as an educator and Mentor is deeply appreciated and I am forever grateful for the wisdom and lessons you imparted you deserve the very best in life and thank you for everything National School counselor's week I also want to point that out cuz I was in that office with the counselors quite often so thank you all of them uh I want to address something that all you brought up I Feel Love in the room tonight so thank you very much so on February 27th I'll be
073undergoing surgery for prostate cancer since my diagnosis in October I have been fortunate to have coted early though we will really only know the full extent until after the surgery they're going to be removing the prostate and all the surrounding lymph nodes around the prostate just in case it did spread because the cancer was very close to them I remain being optimistic and hopeful for a positive outcome I want to take this opportunity to urge all men and everyone who has men they care about in their lives to prioritize health and get regular prostate screenings early detection is critical and it can make a significant difference while I won't be able to attend the strategic planning meeting I do plan to participate in the budget meetings on March 11th and 13th thanks to the support
074of commissioner brunak who's going to be driving me there he's going to be My Chauffeur I hope he wears the hat that is mandatory sir all right uh I also want to extend my gratitude to those of you have who are constantly calling me and offering me help and support and rides Allan Mark Judy Amed thank you your thoughtfulness and constant Outreach have truly meant the world to me and I really appreciate it I want to wish everybody a Happy Valentine's Day and I look forward to seeing many of you at the special award meeting next Thurs day thank you all and have a wonderful evening thank you commissioner siano commissioner Suarez thank you president haris um to reiterate what others have said Thank you to the Clifton PD um I really appreciate knowing that
075our students are safe and our community is safe um and congratulations to your retirement Mr Rose and U Miss Lama it's been a pleasure knowing both of you in this one year but thank you for all that you've done um and happy Black History Month and definitely to the counselors um as a former School social worker I definitely just appreciate all the work that goes into to what you do for our students so thank you um Joe I truly trust in your full recovery and um I'll be praying for you and um finally to the Clifton Community I simply want to share with you that I am a steadfast advocate for public education please know that I am watching closely um the events about public education within our state and Nationwide and I am doing
076things that I'm able to in my capacity to uplift our community uplift our students and work with our colleagues to make sure that we maintain an equitable public education in our community thank you everyone and have a good night thank you commissioner Suarez commissioner Bast thank you uh condolences to the Nick family I would like to highlight that njsba offers a valuable training now it's it's new for the student representative I look forward it's a it's a training um and I encourage the district to look into this about getting our student representative trained uh it tells them it speaks about um what the student representative can do and what their duties are and also what a board member can do and what their duties are Samantha as you embark on your new chapter I want
077to personally thank you for your incredible influence you have had on the students of this District especially someone very close to me your passion and dedication to the field of communications has left it lasting impact shaping young minds and inspiring Future Leaders The profound influence you had on these young adults will extend far beyond the classroom the love and your enthusiasm you poured into your work have planted seeds that will come to grow shaping their future in a way that is both kind and meaningful uh your legacy will live on in the lives you touched and the impact your of your guidance will be felt for years to come and I can say that personally I know that you have done that well whenever I attend the Schoolboard function throughout the state I am frequently
078approached by county and state colleagues uh who can conly praise Clifton's outstanding social media um presence and their recognition their recognition is a testament to your exceptional work uh being done to keep our community informed and engaged so and I give you full credit wishing you all the best and deserved in your retirement you will be deeply missed but never forgotten Lori congratulations on your new journey I am truly sorry to see you retire from our district your unwavering dedication to the cea and your passion for Education have made it lasting impact it was an absolute pleasure to collaborate with you on numerous initiatives and I witness firsthand especially during our week in Los Angeles How Deeply you cared for your students your colleagues and your our district you will be missed your leadership will
079be difficult to replace I cannot thank you enough for your years of commitment and service wishing you all the best in your next chapter Nico is fortunate to have more time with such an incred incredible educator I want to take a moment to address those who have reached out to me regarding the use of social media and my frequent in um disclaimers the reason I make these disclaimers so often is simple it's how I was taught by those that came before me at njsba I do not speak on half of anyone on the stus nor do I grant anyone permission to speak for me if you find yourself offended by a social media post from someone else in this group I uh I can only reiterate what I've told you when you've called upon me
080I am sorry but this goes beyond my control uh the reality is that I'm not even acknowledged as a human being by this individual so I will not engage with them directly in this role you learn quickly when you take a position you wear this hat 247 may I continue it's just brief yes uh every action every word every reaction reflects upon your position you hold the responsibility is something I take Serious and I will conduct myself accordingly um happy Valentine's Day to Maya Laura thank you very much for helping me out in Pake today uh siano AKA HJ you know what that means wishing you the best of luck on your upcoming procedure sending you positive vibes um thoughts and uh vibes your way your green wear is needed so take time to heal
081rest and get back to us soon thank you happy Valentine's Day thank you commissioner bassford vice president Santiago thank you president Paris thank you to uh the public and our staff who came out tonight um glad to see the cheer team is getting their recognition and Banner they've uh hopefully will threee and so it's welld deserved and overdue uh Lori Lama and Sam doose thank you so much for your many years of dedication and commitment to our students and to our district um it's an end uh in in one respect but it's New Beginnings so I just wish you all the good things in your new beginnings in the next part of your chapter um thank you to all our counselors um happy counselor week they do amazing work um thank you for everything you
082do um happy Black History Month to all of our parents and staff and school Community celebrating our special Awards meeting is on the 20th our strategic plan meeting is on the 27th that meeting is so good because it's not just your voice but you actively participate I continue to say that you are we break out in in groups and you actually um you know roll your sleeves up and have a time and opportunity to create um you know change in our district over the next five years so I highly encourage everybody to come out uh looking forward still again to Sweeney Todd March 789 happy St Valentine's Day uh to everyone good luck commissioner siano godspeed thank you to CPD again one one quick PSA if I can on swatting or pranking to our parents
083to anybody who you know a guardian anybody has a kid in their life please please please talk to your kids about you know swatting it's not a joke it's very serious um our law enforcement is taken away from other people they can be saving lives um or other calls they be can be going to it creates fear it's not funny at all and there are serious consequences so um the same day that CPD announced uh their arrest there was a you can Google this there's a 18yearold in California I believe who was convicted and he had done I think like a few hundred of these and public officials and religious institutions and schools he was um given four years so imagine your 18-year-old kid right now is going to jail for four years it's serious
084so you know just talk to your children and I mean I'm a parent I know it's hard but till it's till you're blw in the face till they're annoyed and and tired of you and like my wife always says continue to tell them make good choices make good choices um that is it for now thank you so much have a great night thank you commissioner Santiago um our condolences to the the Nick family um thank you also to Clifton PD for keeping us continue to keep us safe uh congratulations uh Miss Lama and Mr Rose um for your service to the district our students um you'll be missed and you'll be leaving some big holes that need to be filled um all the best to commissioner siano for Success sucessful uh surgery we look forward
085to welcoming you back you'll be in our thoughts thoughts and prayers um just reminder I know that vice president Santiago mentioned the Strategic plan but it is so important that we we started out so well we have some good momentum um please remember the 27th of February this is our next followup um if you didn't come to the first one you're certainly welcome to come to this one and the next one as well uh the more the merrier and um it's we had a very productive first meeting and I'd like to continue that momentum and Happy Valentine's Day to everyone all right any business yes commissioner Suarez I think I this is the wrong place and if we can put it on for the next meeting that's fine as well I just wanted to revisit
086the calendar conversation on juneth um but that is not a pressing matter so if you want to put it on next agenda that's fine Mr Paris Miss Suarez I I think we were going to discuss it at Ed committee if not we will got it and um if we're going to make any changes we would probably it would probably come from the education committee to the full board okay thank you very much okay we'll put on the next uh education agenda all right anyone else okay hearing none last item of business is um approval of the items from our executive session uh that would be items under G executive sessions number two through five motion to approve approved by commissioner bassford second by commissioner Mahia roll call Mr sh M bassford yes Mr brunak yes
087Mr kova Dr Danny Mr Mia yeso M Suarez yes vice president Santiago yes president Paris yes motion carries motion to journot motion by Dr Danny seconded by commissioner Suarez have a great and Happy Valentine's Day for