May 2, 2024 - Clifton Board of Education Meeting

001our screen our video off while he's presenting is that okay you'll still be on our camera will just be off while he's giving his presentation because it's from this laptop yeah that's fine is that okay he could share it to this he's going to share it to this meeting right so I would be able yeah you'll be able to see it he he just he just said that he's going to turn the video off while he's presenting it's fine think know this place is looking very Swank God P yeah looking Sharp of the United States of America and to the stands one nation God indivisible with liy and justice for all uh Mr shahada please call a roll Miss bassford present Mr brunak here Mr kova yeah Mr Mahia Mr Santiago here Mr siano here

002M Suarez here vice president Danny here president Paris here we have a Corum thank you uh one public service announcement at approximately 9:00 we will be breaking for executive session we have some uh legal matters that we need to address uh and the uh parties uh have an appointment with us at that time um so without further Ado we'll get things started uh 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 the New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right to the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings

003of 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 C 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 and the local press on the district's website and mail to presidents of parent teacher organizations this meeting will be tape recorded in accordance with policy 0168 do we have our student representative here this evening I don't think you can hear you can't hear me I don't know no I think he's out in the hall I think he's no she's not here she's not here this evening okay so we will we will move

004on to uh recognition and of the uh the cathlon team the CHS academic the cathlon team has qualified for the national finals for the fourth time in Five Seasons led by a talent by talented captains Amir Mustafa aan panchal and na ROK the team won the super quiz at the state finals for the first time ever coming from four points down entering the last round to win in overtime Alexander Jack mowitz was the highest scorer on the team and Brian weglinski and Amir Mustafa were co-mvps [Applause] W academic the cathlon is the Premier academic competition in the United States schools from all over the country participate Clifton High School is competing virtually this year and hopes to make Nationals again next year so congratulations to the academic the cathlon team and we will call you

005up one by one for your certificates [Applause] you okay so we there's a team's rather large of course so we are going to call everyone up one by one uh but then once we have everybody up here and congratulate and we'll do aot that uh our assist the superintendent of curriculum uh kenita cevich will present you Rand [Applause] Amar Omar [Applause] Aliana AR [Applause] Olivia aala [Applause] Ander jaimovich [Applause] ji Jal [Applause] Desai Kimberly [Applause] phis and ernestina [Applause] Fiero [Applause] lyyn moo am Mustafa go you go [Music] [Applause] a r [Applause] my kids so you're okay like that just when everybody uh I think you're okay let's see Mr Paris you're just why don't you just move over a little bit right there okay two one do a backup thank you congratulations [Applause] next

006recogniz okay so our freshman student of the month is Kamia Shmi Kamia yes let's [Applause] yes Kamia is our exceptional freshman student of the month she finds joy in exploring history embracing diverse cultures and traditions Kamia attributes her academic drive to her influential Roc teacher Mr Navaro and draws inspiration from her hardworking mother's example balancing her studies with participation in Roc and the Premed Club she credits her success to proactive time management and goal setting looking ahead Kamia plans to seize opportunities like the MSU program at Clifton High and embodying uh proving determination and ambition congratulations [Applause] Kamia okay going to do family family phone first one more congratulations [Applause] thank you president Paris uh for certificate of achievement this recognition is certified to Philip loury on behalf of the Clifton Board of Education and

007administration for sophomore student of the month our sop sophomore student of the month of May in is Phillip alborzi he's passionate about video production and cast class where he excels in editing and live streaming events Philip's Mentor Mr mccy guides him in mastering camera techniques Philip is also inspired by Taylor Swift's journey and admires her success outside class Philip volunteers at the Clifton Boys and Girls Club and assists Chef Nikki at Junior Chef classes his success comes from seeking help when needed and pursuing honors English 3 next year he plans to join Clifton High School's MSU program to pursue his dream of studying film at MSU please clap for Philip elor [Applause] yep gotcha all right [Applause] congratulations thank you president Paris I have the pleasure of reading the junior uh student of the month

008from grade 11 George Rivas who I know personally so this is a a very big honor for me I remember the day he was born George Rivas is our Junior student of the month George passion lies in studio art as he aspires to pursue art as a career George draws inspiration from his teacher Mr stepneski as he has been very influential to him and has helped him grow as a student he's deeply influenced by the hard work of his family who drives him to excel academically juggling marching ban trim and ARA Society George has mastered time management skills despite challenges like maintaining grades alongside extracurriculars he remains determined looking ahead George plans to attend college in New York where he will major in graphic design is George here probably not he's probably out he's out

009of band so this is to George yeah he's he's at a band function so congratulations George well be [Applause] go thank you Mr President grade 12 student student of the month Briana Gonzalez introducing Briana Gonzalez our student senior of the month whose love for math has been a lifelong passion she excels in the subject finding joy in its complexity since childhood among her mentors is Miss Ibraham stands out as the most influential Briana deeply values Miss ibrahim's unwavering support kindness and dedication to her students briana's ultim ultimate inspiration is her mother who selflessness and unwavering support have shaped briana's character and aspirations outside the classroom Brianna's leadership shines as the former captain of the varsity cheer team and a member of the dance Ensemble she sets her sights on attending rampo college to pursue nursing

010with dreams of becoming a NICU nurse or a pediatrician congratulations Banna [Applause] s that's right never be too prepared congratulations congratulations thank you president Paris um I will be presenting for Elizabeth Nick Elizabeth Nick also known as Liz is the transportation supervisor for the district Liz oversees the safe and efficient operation of transportation services for our students Liz understands both the needs and concerns of both students and parents regarding transportation and assure students feel safe and comfortable with traveling in buses with this past Summer's server outages she worked endless hours to ensure the school year ran as smoothly as possible and the department was up to par Liz creates a positive and safe work environment for all bus drivers and AIDS Liz's ability to motivate and lead her team is remarkable let's give it up

011for Li uh for Liz thank [Applause] you beautiful does anybody have [Music] [Applause] congratulations employe of the month I have that one it was my pleasure to announce the elementary distinguished employee of the month Joel [Applause] Rosetti Joel Rosetti is the principal in school N9 Joelle has constantly demonstrated outstanding commitment and professionalism in her role she goes above and beyond to ensure a smooth operation daily and the well-being of her students Joelle is present involved hardworking caring and passionate Joel is committed to making all School nine members feel welcom and cared for staff trust in her to support their Journey as Educators and respect her guidance and encouragement she makes it a point to get to know each and every student and form strong relationships with the staff and families Joelle worked with the custodial

012staff this past summer to get the building ready to open at the beginning of the school year she painted scrubbed vacuumed and moved furniture without anyone asking her to do so Joelle is always available to help whatever the situation is and constantly puts the well-being of her students and staff Above All Else Joelle embodies the value of school n and serves as an inspiration to our community school Community her love for her school shines in everything she does congratulations Joelle [Applause] well please I didn't realize yeah they can all come up nine will shine n will shine sh sh [Applause] congratulations mcy thank you it's an honor to be recognized um I want to thank my team though it's a true team effort that's and I wouldn't be the leader I am today if it

013wasn't all [Applause] that middle scho it is my honor to talk about the Middle School distinguished employee of the month one of my former teachers Salvatore enal Jr give it up give it up salvator naldi is a special education teacher in woodro Wilson Middle School s understands and empathizes with the struggle and challenges faced by students with special needs he helps build trust and Rapport to enhance students learning s is flexible in his teaching methods and approaches to adapt to student requirements and provide personalized support s is always finding creative ways to engage students in learning he collaborates with other Educators Specialists parents and support staff to meet all his students needs s maintains a positive and optimistic attitude and is consistently celebrating students small and big successes South Foster is a supportive classroom making

014students feel valued and empowered his dedication expertise and commitment to Student Success make him an invaluable asset at our school community and I can vouge for all of that so come on up big round of [Applause] applause yeah bring wait a minute are you sure you got the do you want me to take a picture with that why didn't you go up and I'll take a picture with your phone seriously you have nowhere to stick yourself okay all right I can that's everybody okay great yeah two one [Applause] congratulations thank you everybody [Applause] high school high school I got thank you president Paris our High School distinguished employee of the month is atio venturelli Mr venturelli is a school counselor at the high school he exemplifies dedication compassion and excellence in his role with a

015keen understanding of the diverse needs of our students atio goes above and beyond to provide invaluable support and guidance whether assisting students with academic planning offering emotional support during challenging times or facilitating College and Career Readiness workshops he demonstrates a genuine commitment to the well-being and success of each student he helps students feel heard valued and empowered to reach their full potential to plays a multifaceted role in supporting the academic social emotional and career development of students contributing to their overall success and well-being both during high school and Beyond before we give a big round of applause to till I just want to say venturelli rang a bell and I said so I reach out to my sons and do you know this venturelli guy and they both had amazing things to say but my

016son Matthew says yeah he's awesome why and I said well I'm going to do this award tonight and he said he definitely deserves deserves it so till was my son Matthew's high school counselor and I just want to personally thank you for your dedication compassion and Excellence to your role give so you want your team with you nobody's there I Mr Santiago whoa good catch did you plan this for did you plan this for his birthday nice happy [Applause] birthday 29 never looked so good you're a good I love you too okay last one three two one congratulations [Applause] it's Anon and to high school want to introduce my team kler Sarah Rado jod Springer greay mod one of the finest teams my sister in faith Jackie Fest serno and I have to do a

017shout out to the pon high school I'm honored and privileged to work there and I have to tell you a special shout out to my supervisor Jennifer Burman she's the finest person I've ever worked for her dedication so thank you for this [Applause] great uh ladies and gentlemen I have the honor of presenting last month's Middle School um uh Employee of the Month uh unfortunately he couldn't be with us last month so we're making it up today uh Jeff labriola our teacher at Christopher Columbus Middle School Jeff is in his 23rd year in education and still possesses all the attributes that have made him an indispensable part of our staff as well as a dynamic educator who has evolved in a manner that continually evaluate elevates his connection with the to students Jeff came up

018with the general concept of taking over his Advanced art Home Room students to the high school so they can meet the art teachers there and experience a day in the life of CHS visual art student it was a phenomenal success Jeff is competent inquisitive creative and a dynamic and effective educator these attributes are at the Forefront of his interactions with his students and colleagues any work delegated to Jeffrey is always completed organized and punctual Jeff understands and tolerates differences and points of view with fellow staff members he is curious and willing to ask questions in order to become a better teacher he has been instrumental in leading and training our staff on the pbsis program to improve the overall climate of the school he serves as facilitator of the art department but more importantly he

019is viewed as a master educator who offers his help to whomever desires it Jeff demonstrates that he is a resourceful and great Problem Solver when he has a problem to present he always comes prepared with possible solutions to discuss with the group please join me in congratulating Mr Jeff labriola [Applause] thank you thank you thank watch your step I I'll take it yeah do you want to do yeah sure all right there's a step there and it's not really visible yeah everybody's uh okay three two one Jack looking at losing and we'll do one more yeah absolutely three two one how's that for timing my battery's going dead on this that's why I have this congratulations [Applause] conratulations president Paris the entire Board of Education of course Dr Rober Mr it's been a wonderful 23

020years there Christopher Columbus when I say 23 years sometimes can't believe that number almost a quarter of a century in a building that's almost 100 years old it's it's a lot in the second grade I drew a picture it's some my costume that said when I grew up I want to be an art teacher and show kids to make our projects so dream do come true if you know follow your passions and you have the right to work from the beginning I've been fortunate to work with wonderful administrators I would like to thank Mrs gab Mr berini and Mrs Tori um I wear many hats at Columbus uh and their support and encouragement never ceases to amaze me Mrs Gabe is always willing to embrace my Visions as an idea as a teacher Club advisor

021and the champ a chair so I really thank her for being you together we've accomplished great things for kids and for the of CCS for years I'd also like to thank my super here exactly what a supervisor should be someone who's there to be a support advocate for his Department he really rocks of course my family I'm so blessed by my daughter Grace my son jack my dad my mom and my sister both retired clipon Educators um thank you for always supporting my career and lastly my students current including Comm commissioner Mia thank you who was not here but thank you for for everything um every day make me a better educator and for that I'm most [Applause] grateful thank you oh goodbye it was good it's great to see you byee are you ready

022we're ready ready okay next on our agenda we will have a presentation from our uh Vice uh assistant superintendent of business uh Mr shahada not doing the committe no shut that off it's kind of creepy I'm just going to go right over it all right good evening Commissioners thank you for giving me the opportunity to present the 2425 budget this budget isn't just for next year this budget is one we believe will put us on solid footing for years to come over the past few weeks we have provided you all with a lot of information some was simple some was complex while we would love for you all to vote Yes and just let me sit down my goal was to make sure you were all informed and had a solid understanding of this budget

023here is the district at a glance we have 24 facilities and there in the process of acquiring two more we have 1,700 employees almost 12,000 students and of those 3500 are transported on a daily basis with 57 Vans and buses in circulation over a th000 student athletes and 160 clubs and activities here is the budget schedule we follow this year the preliminary budget was approved on March 8th it was advertised in the Bergen record on April 23rd and the last day to hold a public hearing is Monday is Tuesday May 7th this is the district's total budget for the 2425 Year all in we are at $293 million roughly $260 million will come from the local tax levy and state aid in addition to the revenue we get from the state we also receive money

024from the federal government for specific programs this totals an estimated $25 million a $20 million decrease from last year and here is how the revenue for 2425 will be spent as you can see our largest expenditure is salary and benefits equating to roughly 76% of our budget leaving us 24% to run the day-to-day operations of the district which ranges from maintenance to the implementation of curricular initiatives and these are the positions that were newly budgeted for the 2425 Year all of these positions are necessary to further help our students growth it's important to note that this list is is not set in stone we anticipate a continued rise in enrollment for the special education and multilanguage learner population and it's highly probable that some if not all of these positions will adapt to support these

025Evol uh these evolving needs excuse me in the past two years alone we have seen an increase of 130% between special education and multilanguage Learners now it's no secret that Charter School numbers have drastically increased year-over-year here you will see a 5-year look back in the past 5 years we have seen on average a 21.9% increase in tuition and roughly a 12% increase in enrollment now in collaboration with the facilities committee these are the capital reserve projects for the 2425 year just to clarify these projects are not impacted by the local tax and Levy increase currently we have two debts we're repaying the referendum and CB this year will be the last year of the cabb payment and this money will go back to the taxpayers in the 25 26 year with the proposed 4%

026increased and based on the average assessed Home in Clifton this would equate to roughly $17 per month or just over $200 per year this 4% also encompasses 2% of Bank cap money that if we do not utilize this year will be gone forever and it is extremely extremely important to remember the 4% increase for the taxpayers is only based on our piece of the pie it's crucial to highlight that while we are advocating for a 4% increase this only translates to a 0.9% uptick in our portion of the pi and as of now we stand at 47.6% but this number will decrease once the county and City finalize their budgets and in closing in my capacity as the assistant superintendent of business it has truly been an honor and privilege to work with each and

027every one of you on this budget hearing everybody's perspective and Gathering input has made this budget successful and in turn we will see the ripple effect of this collaboration in the classroom thank [Music] you we will open up the meeting for public recognition at this point uh this portion of the meeting is open to the residents and not residents of Clifton for the purpose of addressing any subject matter pertinent to and or directly related to the operation of the Clifton Public School District residents and non-residents are requested to sign the register provided for this purpose and to State their names addresses and subject matter comments are limited to five minutes per person issues raised by members of the public may or may not be responded to by the board all comments will be considered and

028a response will be forthcoming if and when to Pro roate the board asks that members of the public be courteous and mindful of the rights of other individuals when speaking specifically comments regarding students and employees of the board are discouraged and will not be responded to by the board students and employees have specific legal rights afforded by the laws of New Jersey the board Bears no responsibility nor will it be liable for any comments made by members of the public members of the public should consider their comments in light of the legal rights of those affected or identified in their comments and be aware that they are legally responsible and liable for their comments is there anyone present who would like to speak please approach the podium just questions thank you Elias ragdale um first

029I know you put that there are three assistant principles being proposed um so first just where would those be placed if that's decided already um two the capital projects that you presented are those also dependent on your proposed increase um and then three I'm sure you all aware but uh the city itself hasn't even finalized its budget yet and it looks like we're going to have a big tax increase there so of course and I'm sure you guys are all aware of this just please um you know I've come to this board I think it was one or two years ago advocating that we um increase taxes but I mean four has to be other ways um it's a lot on the taxpayer but I mean I think those are two big questions um and

030will citizens be able to get like an itemized view of where money's going now or based on this increase where where is where is money going more than it was before um like Athletics uh I know we we saw the employment and salaries but just a more uh detailed view of where money's going where it's going now thank you thank you elas anyone else would like to speak Mr good evening my name is Nicole zety I'm the school nurse at school 11 good evening Dr Robert tosy Administration Board of Education Commissioners members of the Clifton Community I understand uh that you're going to be reading the school Nurses Day Proclamation L later on from the National Association of School nurses and I thank you for that but I'm here just to speak a little bit

031more about the School nurses in our community and what we do um School nurses week school nurse app or I should say A Nurse Appreciation Week always coincides with teacher appreciation week which is next week and school nurse Day always falls on the Wednesday of this week this school year happens The Nurses Day happens to be on Wednesday May 8th so very often when people hear you're a school nurse the very common reply is oh you're a school nurse well that's an easy job so what you basically just give out ice packs and Band-Aids all day right well we know this is not true and I'm here just to take a few minutes to let everybody know what it is that we really do however first I would like to quickly take you all on

032a little trip down memory lane to let you know how I became the school nurse standing here before you today during kindergarten back in 1977 I was in Mrs morehead's class and we had to do that standard project what I would like to be when I grow up so on back to school night everybody's project was on display and it was hello my name is fill in the blank and when I grow up I'd like to be a blank so of course there were a lot of police officers and firemen and naturally lots of teachers then there was mine hello my name is Nicole and when I grow up I'd like to be a princess but not just a princess you did it my picture had the biggest most sparkly diamond filled Tiara and the

033biggest most sparkly pink gown that would make Linda the Good Witch of the W North from Oz jealous so fast forward a couple years and now I'm in e8th grade Christopher Columbus Middle School Miss Thomas's English class same project but it's a little bit more formal we have to do a presentation and a demonstration of what we wanted to be when we grow up so knowing that my dreams of becoming a princess were crushed even though I had Pro perfected my Royal wave right I said I wanted to be a nurse but not just any nurse I wanted to be a charge nurse a nurse in charge so I stood in front of the room I educated my classmates on the career of nursing what they do and all the exciting opportunities that come along

034with it for my demonstration I decided to take the blood pressures of some classmates wrapping their arms in slings putting bandages around their head I have to say I was very good at it and I got a well-deserved a a little bit further down the line I'm a junior at Clifton High School and I am now a member of the First Health occupation students of America I left school at I think it was 12:00 I went to St Mary's Hospital uh which was P General at the time I was a nursing assistant in the labor and delivery and levels one and two nursery and postpartum how exciting I was it was for me on back to school night that year during my senior year when I got to tell everybody the doctor didn't make it

035in time and myself and another nurse delivered a baby so here I am today I am a nurse of nearly 28 years if you could believe it 18 of them are in a school setting I have worked as a registered nurse a staff nurse working my way up to a center nursing supervisor in uh one of the largest Family Planning clinics in Burton County and now I'm a certified school nurse I have the honor and privilege to be working with the most amazing group of women of School nurses many who do so much but most of often of what they do is not known so here in a few minutes or a few seconds has to say is a little bit about what we do we are members of your iron arrest and 504 teams

036we are case managers we are Educators we are counselors we are mentors one of my proudest moments was last week during superhero week when a girl ripped open her sweatshirt and said look nurse Nicole I'm a nurse I'm you we have resources for all of our students to give them free exams free winter coats eyeglasses access to food we have been granted the magical powers of getting any knots and shoelaces undone un making all zippers work getting gum out of hair anything we could do it we fix eyeglasses we have the privilege of working during the historical front lines of the co vaccination clinic Dr Rober toi I hope you always remember who was that amazing nurse who gave you your vaccination we provide treatments for diabetes tube feedings catheterizations first aid and yes we

037do hand out lots of Band-Aids and I packs we document everything we do and we do it with a smile so in closing I would just like to one in recognition of teacher appreciation work week next week thank all the teachers that I have had that not only led me to hear but I would also like to thank the teachers that worked so hard in our town for all of our students today but lastly I offer up a challenge for everyone here I offer for the administration the Commissioners members of the community anyone that's watching the teachers parents and students on Wednesday May 8th please thank your school nurse give her a phone call send her an email stop by her office door say thank you thank you for all you do and we appreciate

038you thank you very much for your time [Applause] thank you Nicole um anyone else would anyone else like to speak hi Donna papait um I wanted to come and invite you and the community who's watching on Saturday May 11th at 2m we're going to have our uh ribbon cutting for our food pantry our first one is opening up on City Hall property outside uh the um Senor Center uh the little free Pantry program is set up as a community-based food source people drop off food that they have and people who in need of food come and pick it up it is not meant to sustain you like St Peter's Haven or the food Brigade where they're giving out bags of food but it will help you get through the end of the month we have

039so many people signed up for these pantries to help us out and of course we want to thank them and also the board who generously has offered um I was just speaking to someone from the boys club and and we might be in contact with you very shortly about putting in more pantries um our second Pantry by the way on City Hall property will be for pet food and uh we also have one going up in Jubilee Park um the second second announcement is on the 20th of May which is a Monday evening at 6:30 6:30 to about 8 8:30 we're finishing up at the main library um we will be Helping Seniors and the disabled fill out their blue books for their tax free okay uh they've raised the limits so that you could

040make approximately 150,000 this year and if you didn't apply last year because the limit was like at 85 this they raised last year's liit to 150 for this year because it's a two-year average so even if you didn't and went couldn't get in last year you could probably get in this year so that would help offset I hope any tax increase here and also the one across the street so for anyone who's a senior or if you are disabled only one of you needs to be a senior if you are living with someone and they are married that only one has to be over 65 only one of you has to be disabled if you are disabled it doesn't matter on how old you are okay so please come to the library we will help

041you fill out the forms and help you save some money um I sent Dr Rober toosy some info which he told me he had already seen on The Yoda packets which I hope he shares with you these are the ones you use if you go to a concert and and uh you put your phone in them so you can't secretly tape the concert they use them in some theaters so you cannot secretly tape the performance and then put it on YouTube okay excellent idea I can tell you how excited I am about this I think cell phones was one of the main reasons I left teaching so anything to get them to put away the phones is is absolutely wonderful this they get to keep the phone so that gets rid of the whole anxiety

042of the phone they can still hold on to their phone it's just not usable until they leave the building and uh finally I I just want to say I know we're in the 30-day trial period for Kelly um both my husband uh and my daughter are Subs in the system right now okay and um I really encourage you to really rethink this whole Kelly project because from our point of view this has been a disaster we have spent well over $20 and Buu bucks trying to get ourselves certified as Subs where Kelly again there is just an every time we we think we're done they throw us another email there's another hurdle there's another problem and I don't think for this to switch over should have cost us one cent and yet it has and

043today we found out we need to do more and it's going to cost us hundreds of dollars this isn't fair and this isn't right and this is not what you were told at the meeting thank you thank you anyone else like to speak of course well good evening my name is Lor lomman I'm the president of the one of the best locals in the area Clifton Education Association so in our journey together through life we inevitably encounter situations where tensions arise and conflicts emerge it is during these challenging times that we must remember the power of understanding open communication and cooperation instead of jumping to conclusions and assigning blame let us pause and reflect on the importance of seeking facts before making judgments by taking the time to gather information and understand the full context

044of a situation we can ensure that our responses are fair and just empathy plays a crucial role in result olving conflicts and fostering harmonious relationships when we put ourselves in the shoes of others and strive to understand their perspectives and feelings we create a foundation of mutual respect and Trust empathy allows us to see beyond our own biases and pre and preconceptions opening the door to meaningful dialogue and Reconciliation at the same time let us let us Embrace empathy as a guiding principle in our interactions recognizing that is through understanding each other's experiences that we can find a common ground ultimately the path to resolution lies in working together to find Solutions rather than focusing or assigning blame by pulling our Collective wisdom and resources we can overcome obstacles and Achieve positive outcomes that benefit

045everybody involved let us approach challenges with a spirit of cooperation and my favorite word collaboration knowing that together we are capable of overcoming any adversity as we embark on this journey of understanding open communication and cooperation we may build a future filled with compassion empathy and mutual respect through this collaboration the Education Association and the Clifton public schools have a wonderful opportunity to rec recognize and celebrate the remarkable individuals who make up the backbone of our school district the dedicated staff as we commemorate teacher staff appreciation week it's important to reflect on the invaluable contributions of every member staff students Administration Board of Ed Commissioners board attorney so it's important that we understand how passionate we are and we reflect on the invaluable uh ideas that we bring together through the young minds of our

046hardworking administrative staff ensuring the smooth operation of our schools their tireless effort deserve an utmost appreciation and gratitude this week is not merely a formality but a heartfelt expression of gratitude for the unwavering commitment and dedication demonstrated by our School District staff beyond their daily duties it is their passion resilience and compassion that enrich the lives of our students and create a nurturing learning environment by taking the time to celebrate this day and this week we reaffirm the importance of recognizing the invaluable efforts of our staff and nurturing culture of appreciation and support within our school Community let us come together to honor and express our sincere appreciation for the exceptional individuals who devote themselves to the betterment of our students lives every day Dr Robert toy would you like to end this well since

047you mentioned collaboration Mr Lama I would like to remind everyone that this Saturday night the cea and the administration have collaborated on a family event for all of our employees our board members everybody works in Clifton and your families to come to the turtle bag Zoo from 6:00 to 10: at night um admission is free we have the the zoo to ourselves I told my children we go visit my family and um it's going to be a great night just for Clifton and there will be uh some food trucks and other things there where you can purchase food but admission to the zoo is is free yep so hope to see everybody there thank you thank you is there anyone else who'd like to speak here in person first motion close motion by commissioner brunak

048second second by commissioner Mahia um we'll go to is there anyone Mr Rose in the virtual no Mr Kenova and no one else okay thank you very much motion to close virtual second motion by commissioner brunak second by commissioner Mahia so virtual is going to stay up with Mr Kenova on screen but I won't admit anyone if they should enter into the room certainly okay all right next on our agenda is the adoption of the 2024 2025 budget is there a motion to adopt the budget discussion well first you have to make the motion then seconded then motion motion by commissioner bassford second by uh commissioner Danny discussion Mr BR thank you Mr President based on my thorough analysis of the budget and the district needs it is clear we are unable to proceed with

049a 0% increase this is unsustainable for the foreseeable future based on our state and federal aid in its current form unless something significant occurs such as a large increase in state aid federal aid or a large decrease in enrollment I've been very fortunate to have been able to get a tour of some of our schools and many of them were legit busting out the seams such as having some rooms being converted to classrooms and other rooms being converted to multi-use Rooms it's not practical but we have done all we can when I was sworn into office last year there were just under uh there were just around 10,5 00 students and this year there are over 600 additional enrollments there is no indication that this trend will reverse as a result I am agreeable to

050an incremental tax in increase in the tax levy to secure Pope the former Pope Paul 6 high school on Valley Road and while a determination hasn't been reached as to what type of school that property would be used as yet we desperately need the room any further increase than this I am unable to support and as a result I'm a hard no on this 4% increase I'm asking Administration my colleagues on this board and the public to be please be patient as we continue to build this District thank you thank you commissioner Brak anyone else commissioner siano um almost what you said but a little differently right a little differently um I fully acknowledged in the necess necessity of an increase um I've looked over the budget many times did a meticulous review of it

051I've been on the phone with many of my colleagues here uh modest rise is justifiable given our urgent need for additional infrastructure to accommodate our growing student population you can't get around that it's also crucial to recognize that while taxes are on the rise wages in the private sector are L largely stagnant uh this poses a significant strain on the financial well-being of the community our mandate as elected officials is to prioritize the needs of our students staff and The Wider Community this commitment compels us to advocate for a more balanced approach that considers the fiscal responsibilities we owe our taxpayers I wish to highlight the importance of sustainability in our financial planning a modest increase should not be viewed as a temporary fix but as part of a long-term strategy to address our funding

052needs without resorting to sustainable tax hikes in the future I urge the board to adopt a more measured and Community conscious approach capping the tax increase at a maximum of 2% thank you commissioner s anyone else other comments I think commissioner Kenova yes um you can hear me right yes okay so I I believe um the that investing in school is investing in the future right the kids are the future and either you agree with that fact the education educating a society is a positive thing where children are given the opportunity to benefit both both really themselves and the public right they're going out there and opening businesses and they're just uh you know contributing to society and and um I think if we want the students to have access to 2024 style teaching and

053teaching and learning tools and fall within the average of other how other schools are spending for this to happen um especially given that there are schools like pcti where their per pupil cost for their students is in in the the great 20,000 25,000 or whatever that that number was um so me personally and and and this happened last I think it was two years ago when I was still on the board where initially I was going to go for a 0% because it sounded right it sounded like we're getting more money from the state um it doesn't make sense to then go to the taxpayers to ask for more money but then you realize that all you're doing is kicking the can down the road and keeping status quo when status quo which I don't

054know if anybody really paid attention to what Mr shahada said is that we're at the 70th percentile spend which means that 70% of the districts spend more per people than we do uh we were also at that I think the bottom like two like one of the bottom two for administrative um so to me that's that's not average that's not status quo that's behind the behind the ball we need to be median or in front of it and that fact alone and knowing what our class ratios are we know that there's sometimes 25 kids in a class 27 kids in a class right we know these things are happening so aside from just Pope Paul itself I think those numbers speak volumes and if we were Apple that'd be like putting zero dollars into research

055and develop where you Qui quickly fall behind and I think in a school the same thing would happen so I I believe that we should get ahead of it all and we should start now especially with you know the average and the county average for increases right that's that's a higher number than what our our 2% increase is um so how would you even sustain something like that and if you're not giving people what they deserve wouldn't they just go to other districts where they are giving it since that is the average so I think I think we need to be careful about we're talking about here um I think we invest in the kids and it may be one of those situations where yeah you have to tighten things up now and invest now

056but you're going to see that pay in the long run Way Forward um I know the concern is tax taxes for seniors but there is a tax freeze in Clifton where they can apply for it and if they granted it let's say their taxes were $10,000 when they were granted and now they're 15 I believe it works that they would initially pay the 15 and get back the five it works something along those lines don't don't quote me specifically but but um there's a tax freeze for seniors and then other people who are concerned about lower income and people who are renting renters don't pay tax they pay rents so unless the rents go up because of the tax I mean that could be one area but other than that it really wouldn't affect them

057much either um and if you're paying for a school out of pocket if you're going to private school we know what the costs are there and they're way higher than what a tax would be per year especially if you have multiple children and when you when you're really talking about the health of a city you're talking about the school system anyone who's looking for a house who's young is telling you I'm looking in XYZ towns because their school systems are great and I think we should be one of those towns and we can be um you you see our students and you see the Caliber Caliber of of of education and learning you see our our staff and administration when they come up here and they're great and I think that if we put the

058money behind them that we're going to win in the end so me personally I'm 100% on board with the administration's uh budget here at 4% and I would I would encourage my my fellow uh board members to to also think about these words thank you thank you commissioner Kenova any anyone else commissioner Bast um for my fellow colleagues uh the questions 1 to 12 were mine um I have I gonna ask you again IED if you could just explain to everyone very simply 2% and then what the bank cap means because a lot of people were confused with that I kept on getting that from a lot of uh the people in the community thank you absolutely so the the bank cap let's just start there it's money that we did not use within the

059last three years so we didn't go to 2% into the 2122 school year so this money is held in the Bank quote unquote and we can recoup it within 3 years so that amount is $2,685 1085 the current 2% is what we are legally allowed to go up to every year without a public vote is $2,848 cents so I asked you if we do go use the bank cap what is the really actual percentage for the increase 3.88 five thank you and to educate a student in Clifton is now I said uh you said 19,4 88 that's uh that's what we pay for our students here in Clifton if this budget were to pass um that would be the cost that our 2425 perable cost okay um uh is um have there been um are

060there any are there I don't how to phrase this for the three assistant principles are is there a projected schools that were thinking about or there's no definite on that yet that's all going to be worked into got yeah Mrs bassard a budget like anything is is a plan that can change so while we have a good idea of of where they're most needed there's a very good chance that could change between now and then so I'm I'm I'm reluctant to really even say to you because I I don't want you to say to me well you said that school so and so is getting an assistant principal I'm reluctant to do that other than to say I do believe it's necessary um but having said that since a budget is a plan that plan

061may change and there are things we said last year that we ended up using money for different things so um I would just reiterate and this is important Amed mentioned it Mr Kenova mentioned it when we talk about um Administration all right nobody wants to you want money spent on kids Administration are the people who are not directly typically directly working with kids right Clifton's administ there's a measure called the administrative cap and we are in a when we're measured we're in a group of of 80 of 95 other districts and we of those 95 districts we are number 80 in terms of administrative cap meeting hopefully you're following me 95 districts we're number eight 0 79 districts have a higher administrative cap than us they spend more on Administration than we do the point

062is we really should have more administrators than we do I don't want more Central administrators this board has helped me I have the help that I need depending on the day remember when I started at a full head of hair but our schools our principes our people that are on the front lines they're dealing with issues that we haven't seen ever and they're be it's becoming increasingly more difficult and having an extra person does help tremendously that so I'll get off my soap box I have one other question um for you I'm sorry and then I'll Le myself to the floor these figures that you're giving us are based on a projection of what you do we all drive around this city and we're seeing the overdevelopment in how housing apartment buildings we don't know

063what that down the block is going to yield us with with student population growth if say we get a thousand kids out of you know more kids because we're going to it's coming you know you see es and flows in population right will this will that help us give the staff that we need in case we have like you know the magic wand sprinkles and we have 600 more kids next year 700 more kids it definitely will not hurt um we do have a comprehensive plan in place for when these new buildings are erected um to see if you know what the city is saying where no students are going to move into these developments actually do and we're going to have to just kind of wait and see how that unfolds but we do

064believe this budget allows us the flexibility of assisting all of the influx of students that we are receiving whether they're the multi language Learners or students living in these developments so I feel confident that we will we will be just fine thank you anyone else like to make a comment commissioner Suarez good evening everyone thank you everyone for your input um I deeply respect everyone uh their thoughts and ideas and concerns um I just would like to share my ideas and I and why I am in support of the 4% and when I look at the budgeted positions districtwide um you know we know that a large determinant factor for children's success in schools is the student to teacher ratio um and as commissioner bunak has pointed out we are busting at the seams and

065our students really deserve having um more Administration and and teachers within within their schools um and space to learn uh so they can get the attention that they deserve so every single position here and I understand Dr Rober toi we can allocate specifically because um as schools go you you have to rearrange depending on needs as as years go on and and there are needs that are unforeseen at this point this is all based on prediction for what we know now um and so I really respect uh the positions alone like the positions alone and understanding that um we really have an increase of student population specifically with special education and multilingual Learners um it really makes sense for the increase in order to meet the needs of our students and as commissioner kova mentioned

066um it really is looking forward and it's really planning ahead of time I'm very much an if than thinker if we just if we believe that our students deserve and to maintain a good strong teacher to student ratio um then this is something that we have to do for future it's not just for next year but it's for years to come uh if anyone's a chess player you have to play a few moves ahead you can't just see the move right in front of you and I think this is an excellent plan to see not only for the 25 26 year but also the years to come uh for students to get what they need and so that's my perspective and why I support it thank you commissioner Suarez anyone else like to make comment

067okay I would like to make a comment um just to kind of put things in perspective uh pardon me if I'm redundant um but in Pay County there are 14 k to2 school districts out of those 14 districts Clifton has the lowest per pupil cost the state average uh this the last per pupil cost we have this is not the one budgeted for the next realm I'm sure everyone's will go up as well but the last number was 18871 for Clifton the state average is $2,485 per student um so Clifton 70% of all New Jersey school districts spend more money educating their students than Clifton does Clifton's tax rate and it always sounds like a lot of money how much of my property taxes go to schools and the last number we had from last

068year is 47.6% if you look at your tax bill you'll you'll see it the average school tax portion throughout the state of New Jersey is 53% of the local tax uh levies so again Clifton is a district that is very conservative on its spending our history of tax changes over the last seven years starting in 2018 we had a 96% increase in 2019 we had a 88% increase in 2020 we had zero in 20121 we had zero in 2022 we had zero now granted those were pandemic times there was an influx of federal money that helped us get through and attain those zeros in 2023 it was a 2% increase and last year and and what was being proposed uh for the next school year is 4% the state allows Boards of Ed to increase

069the tax rate without going to the taxpayers for approval for 2% that 2% if you don't utilize it can be banked for a period of time three years I believe if I'm correct um after that period if you haven't used what the state said you can and likely should be using um you will lose it um our seven-year average of tax increases is 1.12% on school taxes so we've gotten very accustomed to some very low increases in our school tax rate here in Clifton but eventually the chickens come home to roost uh one of those chickens includes the fact that our pandemic money is expiring and I believe Mr shahada mentioned it was to the tune of $20 million of programs that that sunset this year and I believe most of those programs we We

070are continuing m c levich yes we've absorbed many of the ones that were the most effective but there are some that will be eliminated so we have out of our pocket for the betterment of our students because they do need catchup around the country students are behind and it is a major issue to catch students on up on the learning losses from the pandemic and that is a burden on our district that we are absorbing in this budget but it's a benefit for our it's for our it's for our students um per state law we're giving $17 million of our budget to private and charter schools for supplies and services or instruction I believe that's an increase over last year and a number that increases chars went up 3 million annually went up 3 million

071year-over-year so another burden on our budget um Mr sh mentioned earlier think was 76% of our budget goes to contracted staff compensation medical cost increases these are contractual obligations the district has it it exceeds those numbers in our contracts exceed 2% a year so even if we do not increase our uh our tax levies our costs are going are going to go up greater than that amount um inflation just general cost of goods in 2021 the national inflation rate was 4.7% in 2022 it was 8% in 2023 it was 4.1% so the cost of goods and services certainly isn't going to go down and also exceeds the 2% we're allowed to increase the state allow allows districts without going to a public referendum to increase that 2% because they expect the district to take those

072funds and in fact in their formula a part of their formula includes uh the local let me get the right term maybe Mr sh a local fair share so they calculate how much based upon a districts I think social economic status is one and and Val Real Estate Value think another um they calculate how much they believe the individual District should be contributing towards a students's education the state aid formula then makes up the remainder of that if you don't take that portion then you are not uh you are not securing the the local funds that the state is saying you should be providing this amount towards your students education in your District um so here we are we need additional room we've been talking about it for years we're running out of room I

073think the tune was 30 classrooms or so or 20 something class just looking at preschool alone yes and there's more just for for special end and ESL but given those increases so we've all pretty much I think we're all pretty much agreement that we need more space and we're lucky that we have a building in town that is already outfitted for class rooms that we can rent if we had to go out find a location raise $150 million or more to build a school which would take years to do um I I doubt that that would happen right so this 2% that we are taking out of using in our next year's budget towards this rental this is essential for the district and this cost will continue uh beyond the additional 2% I mean in

074my mind a school building isn't much without the staff to teach and if we have 20 to 30 more classrooms available and we're just using our existing staff we're really not going to be meeting the needs increased needs that we have that were mentioned of over 100% increase in enrollment of special education students as well as uh English language Learners um in this two extra 2% come some positions that are very critical to our special needs and E students um in fact that's 12 of the positions are are classroom instruction dedicated to those students um so to me it makes sense the two go hand inand if we don't utilize this additional 2% we can't come back to you the taxpayer uh we well we can't get it ourselves without coming back to the taxpayer

075and getting voted on it and getting getting voted on a referendum for it we lose this money going forward and if you take the amount of money we've lost by not going to our 2% by maintaining our average of 1.12% annual increase over the last seven years um we've already put ourselves to the tune of almost $16 million behind what the state says you guys should be able to supply towards your own local school budget so for that reason um I will support the 4% uh as proposed by Administration and unless there's any other comment yes commissioner Mahia so I just want to bring something up that you mentioned real quick um the previous um tax increases that we did one of them was 0.9 another was 08 for three years in a row it

076was 0% 0% 0% then 2% then last year we voted on that 4% I believe it's important for the public to know and to realize that I know many of you might disagree on this but the previous Boards of Ed education and the state set us up for failure if you think otherwise then you are living in a completely different world with that said many of the same people who voted for that 0% are still on this board and I think it's important for you guys to realize that they set us up for failure they are part of the reason why we are not where we're supposed to be instead of paying up now we're playing catch up I believe it's important for you guys realize that important cuz now what now we're all realizing

077we need that 4% we need it desperately how many more students about 600 more students are expected to come in next year we need that school we need it there's no way in saying that we don't need the extra 2% we need that 4% and I believe it's shameful that the previous Boards of Education knew this was going to happen they knew it you can't sit here and say oh we didn't know we didn't know you knew it you knew we were going to lose out on money each and every year that's what happens when you vote 0% 0% 0% for 3 years straight you guys knew that we were going to have to play catchup and now many of you are probably sitting you know at home or on the stage thinking well hey

078too bad so sad that's in the past let's fix it well it's not true it's not true it's not too bad so sad you guys should have thought about this you guys should have had a 5-year plan on how you were going to fix this you guys should have thought hey maybe we should propose another referendum to actually build another school now we are here trying to play catchup you know what all the people at home are thinking another 4% wow what are they thinking they just gave us 4% last year now another 4% this year it is insane it is absolutely insane and the people who sat on this dayis who voted 0% for those three years should be ashamed of themselves because you knew this was going to happen don't sit there and

079think I didn't know I didn't know because you knew you knew and now we're here and now we have to go to a 4% it doesn't come without consequences everything you do matters thank you and that's all I have to say okay thank you commissioner Mahia um hindsight is 2020 I don't blame any of the previous boards or board members for their decisions in the past they made the best decisions based upon the situation at the time and it was I'm sure with the very best of intentions for this School District um anyway I guess I'm one of those ones to blame Mr Canova Miss Lucy and Mr Paris who we all sat on the board at that point I can tell you this week I sent an email to Danny and Alan Paris president

080Paris commending the business administrator our assistant superintendent and board secretary Amed shahida on his work on this budget and the 13 years that I have sat in multiple seats on this day multiple seats we went through a pandemic together we had a lot of issues this together this is the first time in my experience that I've been given detailed information and access to detailed information and the ability and the chance to ask these kind of questions my 12 questions I I was on the fence you know I've been going back and forth two weeks with you almost every other day questions questions going back and forth because I I am the steward of the taxpayer dollars every one of us sitting on this dayas was the Stu of the stewards of the tax we have

081a fiduciary obligation to the district I look at it as the Holy Trinity the students the staff and the taxpayers every one of us here are going to be affected by the decision that we make here tonight I'm not ashamed of what I've done in the past I'm happy I don't have social media from my past that's a different story those things could go down in history but you can't Point your finger at somebody because three fingers point back at yourself and I'm not pointing my finger we did the best we could my like I never understood this about my parents we didn't have a lot we had a little but we made the best we could with that it was until I became a parent that I decided because I used to get very

082angry at my parents and I realized the one thing my mother and my father did the best they could with what they had raising me and we didn't have a lot so I'm not going to point the blame and I think I I'm I'm not ashamed I sat on the Board elections have consequences we all know that whatever happens happens in the future but we did the best what we could so I'd like to thank you Amed and if you don't don't mind me calling you by your first name for the comprehensive the professionalism the dedication no you went Above and Beyond on this one because I the emails were going back and forth with you telling us everything this week every single one of you had a chance to ask questions and we did

083and we got answers that never happened to me we used to come to the board meeting this is what we were told this is what we're doing because we don't need it we have enough and we will make do with what we have that's what we were told and Allan's nodding his head cuz he knows I'm right about this and so Lucy you as well and I don't know I can't see you notd and Joe uh but that's what we did and we did the best we could with what we had it's time that we need to ask for a little more maybe next year it'll be zero right we don't know what the state's going to give us but I'm not ashamed I'm very proud of my 13 years sitting here in this chair

084I think we've done excellent work I think we have more work to do I think this board has more work to do and I look forward to moving ahead I am supporting the 4% I am going to get ripped tomorrow I don't care but you know what I know what's needed and I see what's needed and thank you so much for all the information Danny thank you for letting me speak to him and thank you Allan for letting me get my answers answered I appreciate it all of you thank you thank you commissioner bastard are we ready to vote anybody else want to say nice things about me excuse me anybody else want to say nice things about me Mr no I don't think so Mr shahada please call the RO maybe next year maybe

085Miss bassford I was going to pass because I I I'm always first and I don't think it's fair but yes Mr Bak no Mr kova yes Mr Mia yes Mr Santiago yes Mr siano no Miss Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries um is our guest here yet oh is our guest here yet Mr sh uh Vic will be here by 9ine okay so we will continue next uh is adoption of the minutes um if there's no uh objection I will bundle the minutes from April 11th to April 25th uh looking for a motion to approve both motion second okay I didn't hear oh motion by commissioner Santiago second by commissioner Mahia discussion roll call please Mr Shad M bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr kova yes Mr Mia yes Mr

086Santiago yes Mr siano yes Miss Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries okay we'll move on to board committee uh reports and we'll start with uh commissioner uh Suarez and policy please thank you president Paris the Clifton Board of Education policy committee met on April 15th at 2024 uh those present were myself commissioner Santiago commissioner Kenova and uh president Alan Paris Administration who attended were Mr Mark Garo Mrs Janina kusich Janina one day we really going to get it Mr am sh and Miss Maggie Miller the meeting started at 5:30 and meeting in time was at 7:23 items in discussion recess policy recess is found within policy 2422 on Comprehensive Health and physical education in accordance with njsa 18a 35431 the board of of Education shall provide a daily recess period

087of at least 20 minutes for students in grades kindergarten through 5 a recess period is not required on a school day in which the day is substantially shortened due to a delayed opening or early dismissal the recess period shall be outdoors if feasible a student shall not be denied recess for any reason except as a consequence of a violation of the school district's code of student conduct including a VI excuse me including a harassment intimidation or bullying investigation pursuing pursuant to njsa uh 18a 3713 students may not be denied recess for more than twice per week for a violation of the code of student conduct or Hib investigation and these students shall be provided restorative justice activities during recess period in addition to the 20-minute daily recess period students receive 150 minutes weekly of physical

088educ phet 60 Minutes taught as two 30 minute PE periods with the PE teacher and 90 minutes of PE movement Incorporated in the classroom transition time between subjects and grade K through 5 frequently allow for a brain break in Go Noodle class yoga or other opportunities for movement with increases in Center time and developmentally appropriate play in primary grade students have increasing opportunities for independent Choice activities using recess as a consequence is limited in 11 of 14 Schools only the principal can use denial of recess as a con consequence in three Schools teachers may do so but in consultation with the principle when denial of resets is used as a consequence it is used as part of a restorative intervention and in most cases with parental input looking at the loss of privilege category and

089consequences in the code of conduct the consequences the consequence is used sparingly incidents of loss of privilege to date this school year range between four and 62 instances recorded in our student management system when looking at our total number of students in each school and total number of possible recess periods the data demonstrates how infrequently this consequence is used the district will continue to look at creative ways to potentially increase the amount of available recess free play an independent Choice time for students to meet their Developmental and creative needs the committee wants to survey other districts to see how much time they allocate to recess and Council reiterated the impact this can have on contractual commitments we also discussed Athletics policy 6630 athletic fund on behalf of Dr Roberto Mr shahada shared insights garnered from

090recent booster committee meeting highlighting a proposal to allocate a portion of admissions from each respective sport to the booster club the Strategic allocation is envisioned as a proactive measure to bolster the Financial Health of our booster clubs while simultaneously lessening their dependence on traditional fundraising Endeavors by earmarking a percentage of admissions revenue for the booster club we aim to provide a steady and reliable source of funding that can support various initiatives ranging from equipment purchases to facility improvements this approach not only streamlines the financial management process but also Fosters a stronger sense of community engagement and support for our athletic programs furthermore by reducing the the burden of fundraising our coaches and athletes can devote more time and energy to their respective Sports enhancing overall performance and promoting a positive and enriching experience for all

091involved this collaborative effort underscores our commitment to fostering a thriving and sustainable Athletic program that benefits both our student athletes and the broader School Community the committee was in support of the idea whether it's given to each team or spread amongst them all equally and will work amongst themselves and the attorney to craft a policy that encompasses this change the committee does not want to charge students the committee wants to restructure how the concession stands are ran and bringing it back in house committee wants to see if P pomptonian would be willing to run the concession stand third naming of school facilities and properties the committee was provided with a copy of policy sourced from another district for examination legal council recommended adopting this policy for or a similar one furthermore it was advised that

092naming a facility should be reserved for individuals who are no longer affiliated with the district either through retirement or posst humously committee was in agreement with the policy and will add it to the agenda for the first reading on the May 2nd meeting with a few edits which will be provided by Council fourth athletic cleats on use of facility form Mr shahada apprised the board that metal cleats are not utilized in high school or middle school sports for reference moreover he informed the committee that this information could be seamlessly incorporated into the form however he prefaced this by indicating that the field will not be rented out in the immediate future due to minor punch list items awaiting resolution which are currently on back order fifth item woodro Wilson Middle School field concerns Mr shahada

093updated bore regarding the usage of the field the past few weeks Dr Roberto and Mr shahada identified the individual who was using the field without a permit the individual was sent communication to cease use of the field a meeting will be held in the future with the IND individual and administration sixth district policies committee unanimously agreed to accept the recommendation of the administration and have policies placed on the agenda for first reading I managing for equity and education policy guides and the policies that were listed are 1140 educational Equity policies affirmative action 1523 comprehensive Equity plan 1530 equal employment opportunity complaint procedure 1550 Equal Employment anti-discrimination Practices 22 2260 equity in school and classroom practices 2411 guidance counseling 3211 code of ethics 5570 Sports ship 55 excuse me 5750 Equitable and educational opportunity 5841 secret

094societies 5842 equal access of student organizations 7610 vandalism 9323 notification of juvenal offender case disposition General policy guide updates policy 2423 bilingual education 24 31.4 prevention and treatment of sports related con concussions and hen injuries and policies that were abolished 50 755 equity and educational programs and services thank you all thank you commissioner Suarez uh Mr Shah like to make a comment yeah if you don't mind uh just going off of 2e uh I did email the board the following day after the meeting uh Mr Rosenberg from pomton is more than happy to assist the booster clubs in this uh in collaboration to get food at a cheaper price uh he will be at the next booster club meeting when we have that so he can speak with the parents and kind of get a

095gauge of what they're actually looking to sell I couldn't answer that question so he will be there um I asked um Danny I I have to bring this to you Allan that before the next booster club meeting if the booster club committee can meet prior to meeting with the parents so this way we can all get on the same page about where how we're going to address this and then let them in to the meeting and then we can discuss it with the rest of the board when we come to some kind of conclusion thank you I will set a meeting prior to that one 30 minutes in advance on a Lin just remind me any other questions yeah I oh sorry Richie go I just want to say um thank you to Mr shahad

096for the such detailed on the minutes you know I'm reading through it I'm like wow yeah it's really good thank you uh with the um policy that U um with the policy that we get from Strauss Esme um going forward maybe uh if we know that we have a big um policy that people are questioning let's get the word let's get the policies from Schoolboard and compare because maybe it it is a better policy and the word the verbiage and the content may be better so that's what until we make the switch thank you commissioner bassford I think it's a great idea because um it really helps to understand um what we're digesting and and what we're trying to understand for ourselves someone has some who's new who really wants I really want to understand

097so I appreciate that recommendation just one for clarification Mr Ross reached out on on the committee's behalf to NJ SBA and we are looking at a 71 start he's just trying to just work out the logistics thank you yay anyone else okay we move to uh facilities uh commissioner Brin Shack please thank you Mr President those present uh meeting occurred on April 16th 2024 those present were myself Mr Kenova Mr siano President Paris uh Mr shahada Mr Maldonado Mr Marion Mr oito and Mr Watkins items of discussion epic gave an overview of what has taken place thus far in the referendum and what has taking place through the rest of the year Package 2 and 2A AR complete and will be closed out in the coming weeks working on a on punch list items getting

098to close out documents plaques for the referendum Administration saw input from the committee regarding preferred method of displaying the plaques for clarification ation the plaques accompanying newly constructed structures intended to acknowledge the board members who approved the project and those who were instrumental in initiating the project concept during their tenure the committee decided to go with the board that passed the referendum and the board that passed the bid packages capital projects working on drawings for school 11 parking lot expansion the layout will leave optimal grass School 12 wheelchair lift drawing is near completion upgrading waterpr proofing stadium bleachers coating of the bleachers would include repair would include repair all loose or damaged concrete replacing of old Expansion Joints then add waterproof coating over the seating area and steps this cost is approximately $1.8 million roughly

099b& updates at woodro Wilson Middle School behind the school we are replacing 10 LG of galvanized fence behind the school by vendor Fox fence painting beautification project at school number four currently eight classrooms were painted the media center the nurse's office as well all have a Fresh coat of paint pothole repairs are started at at the schools CA a woodro and the high school we have an estimate from uh vender Crossroad Paving that will be a little over $290,000 to start repairing the m most damaged asphalt around the school building repointing and sealing of the bricks around the school D due to water infiltration was completed at school number three in front of the facial of the building also School 15 in the rear of the building by the playground area and finally at Christopher

100Columbus above the cafeteria area and the classrooms above quotes just arrived to get gutter guards quotes will be reviewed and a recommendation will be made naming of the CH track after thorough discussion the committee resolved to defer the decision to regarding the naming of the stadium track to the policy committee recognizing the need for a cohesive policy framework to guide such significant changes the policy committee is currently in the process of formul formulating guidelines encompassing name changes this approach ensures a s systematic and transparent process aligned with organizational principles finally Stadium track open on the weekends at the previous meeting the potential of opening the stadium for committee use on the weekends was brought up for discussion following extensive deliberation the committee reached the unanimous decision that scheduling would be un feasible to the numerous

101events already scheduled at the track this decision reflects the consideration of existing commitments and logistical constraints District liability maintenance costs and there are other areas that are available that will not be a cost to the district does anyone have any questions uh I have a question yes um so on the plaques for referendum um what what was the rationale on um the decision it's based on histor what historically what what's been done in the past on these projects so for instance on the East Wing at the high school when that was dedicated when they dedicated you could see that plaque to this day when we had the retreat uh commissioner Santiago you could see all Commissioners at the time when they approved that that project are on there as well now that was something new

102as as part of that that was part of something that I've never heard of before the people who are approving the purchase orders I've never heard of anything but I'm okay with I was okay with whatever the the committee was okay with I was fine with yeah go ahead um we have a separate item on the agenda um for these recognition plaques for approval so at that time if you like we can have discussion on this little more detailed okay and um or we could pull it too we could bring it back to committee pull it but I I think we could probably uh have some discussion and maybe give some guidance and and finish it off okay since it has its own item okay yep commissioner Mahia did you have a question um yes

103I did have a question of two questions the first is going to be the naming of the CHS track are we talking about the track track track like physical track um I have a a an idea very similar um I know other you know universities other schools other Public Schools do this as well they in honor of you know a coach or a tremendous you know alumni or a generous sponsor um they usually name the track team or the football team uh for example up in I think it's Stanford they have um Wade and some someone else's name football team of Stanford University so you know if have you know the track be such a logistical complication for us uh maybe even naming the track team dedicated to that specific individual um I believe you

104know that would that would be an even better um form of honoring that person um whoever it may be um especially you know if they're a coach or alumni I would prefer to have them as their team cuz it's always going to be their team especially if it's like I said an alumar coach um the second thing is going to be the stadium track on the weekends I know we previously discussed this before um and I know we mentioned it would be great for the community to have the chance to use our track but then again you know where what we can do with the security issues you know what if someone Springs an ankle on the turf um I believe Rutherford has something very similar where they have the community use their stadiums um

105and it's basically um you can use the stadiums yes but if someone has a permit and is on the field or is using the track then you guys you know sorry to say you guys have to get out um and make room for the people who requested and paid for those permits to be there uh maybe if we can instead of you know completely eliminating it and getting it off the table maybe we can look into what ruford uses on their terms I still think it's a great idea but then again like we keep mentioning um the liability that comes on us if someone you know Springs their ankle um someone breaks you know into our weight room into our Fieldhouse what are we going to do and who's going to pay for that um

106part of it is maybe adopting security cameras already inside of the stadium U maybe outside facing you know you know coming in and out of the Fieldhouse or the weight or the weight room seeing um if any destruction um is made between those hours those time periods um and like I said I think it'd be a great idea to adopt something similar that they have uh another great example is going to be some of the schools up in Morris County they also do have um open tracks for their Community to be using um so that's just another idea that I'm bringing maybe we could look into that instead of completely getting it off the table because I would like to see it happen you know maybe if it's not this year next year maybe in

1075 years um if we could figure out how to um get to security get all the money in line it'd be great thank you Mr Paris if I can on the stadium track so just we we know it but just and we're saying it but just to reiterate it again we use it for events non-school events there's liability there's maintenance there's back-to-back events that are from other organizations and so that's that's my reason reasoning for being in support of opening that as I mentioned before thanks anyone else yes so I was just saying you know this is one of the things that I I was uh in support of and what I'm saying is that we already I've said it already we use it for multiple events some of them back to back there's an

108event that's non-school and there's people there and they walk they jog they do whatever so whatever the liability is whatever the cost Etc Maybe I don't know if some of the cost is shared by the people running the event but the liability Etc all that still exists in these events that are held there are private events quite frankly thanks okay no yes he actually walking to the door okay should we should we should we do the entire executive session at this one we're having two yeah I think I think we do all okay okay I I don't know I'm not sure because there there is a lot do we want to try to get through the agenda how long is he GNA be he's he's here now so we do need to at least break

109for him okay um if if you are comfortable with being here an hour and coming out we could probably do it all let's do it all okay as as mentioned earlier um we need to go to Executive session um we do have uh someone here that's uh scheduled that's that's here for uh the meeting time right now um we're going to try to do everything on our agenda for executive session in this time period the estimation is about approximately one hour um it will be discussion on uh litigation and and uh student matters and action will be taken when we return uh motion to I have one other thing a legal matter I'd like to bring up in the back room it's just quick I I think Mr kova is on the same page with

110me on this one absolutely thank you uh motion motion MC second second by commissioner Mia let's do it e e e e e e thetion what's his name out no he said he needs 10 seconds he said something like that all right motion to reconvene from executive session motion second um I missed them all all in favor it's Mark and Rich Mark and rich thank you um so we might as well vote on this thing since since it's fresh we're going to we'll finish up the executive uh content so uh looking for a motion under uh executive session Part D items two through nine motion motion to Second Mr Mahia second by commissioner brunc roll call Mr shahad Miss bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr kova no he's not on Mr Mia yes Mr Santiago

111he's on vacation yes Mr siano yes Miss Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries okay we're going to go back to where we left off which is uh committee reports uh commissioner brunak will you do Finance please he's the finance guy yeah uh Finance minutes present were myself commissioner Santiago commissioner Mahia president Paris Mr Jenaro from the administration Mr shahada and Mr Uchi budget overview of the committee convened with the administration to conduct a comprehensive review of the anticipated final budget presentation the upcoming budget meticulously curated by the assistant superintendent of business uh Mr shahada is slated for unveiling at the forthcoming May 2nd general meeting deliberations encompassed an exhaustive analysis of projected revenues expenditure allocations and strategic Financial init initiatives poised to fortify the organization's fiscal resilience various aspects of

112the budgetary framework including potential adjustments and optimization strategies were meticulously scrutinized to ensure alignment with overarching organizational objectives and fiscal Prudence The collab ative exchange between committee members and administration underscored a collective commitment to transparency accountability and stewardship of Financial Resources furthermore the meeting served as a platform to address pertinent inquiries and solicit valuable insights from diverse perspectives fostering a holistic approach to budgetary decisionmaking as a culmination of rigorous deliberations approaches the committee remains steadfast in its dedication presenting a comprehensive and judicious budget proposal that reflects the organization steadfast commitments to Excellence and sustainability facility rates discussion ensued regarding facility rates Administration informed the committee this is under the regulations and is determined by the superintendent and his design Administration plans to review all the rates this summer and share it with the board does

113anyone have any questions okay seeing none we'll move on uh commissioner siano please Municipal Alliance the municipal Alliance committee met on April 22nd in attendance was myself Mr Kenova Miss Dany president Paris Administration was Mark Jenaro and from the city we had Mr volano and Miss Peno started at 608 ended at 655 first thing we discussed was school safety we were following up on signs and Crossway markings asking for a timeline city manager opened the discussion by elaborating on recent developments and ongoing projects within the city inhouse painting operations a significant shift has occurred in the city's approach to painting operations with a move towards conducting these tasks inhouse utilizing water-based paint this transition reflects a strategic decision aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and cost Effectiveness furthermore this city manager emphasized the critical role of

114weather conditions particularly warm temperatures in ensuring the proper curing of the paint for optimal longevity he also highlighted the Ines of crosswalk maintenance which are examined annually streets undergoing construction are prioritized for maintenance although action is deferred until the completion of construction to prevent potential damage Revenue approval for signage recognizing the importance of effective signage in promoting Public Safety and enhancing traffic management city manager appealed to the council for additional Revenue to facilitate the procurement and installation of signage across the city these signs serve as vital communication tools conveying essential information to Residents and visitors alike and their strategic placement is integral to the city's overall infrastructure and urban planning efforts bump outs Implement uh implementation a proposal was put forth to allocate Surplus Revenue towards the implementation of bump outs as an alternative to

115traditional speed bumps this Innovative approach not only prioritizes safety but also offers advantages in terms of conserving City Vehicles moreover addressing congestion issues around CA be was underscored as a key priority with plans for heightened enforcement against illegal parking in the area this multiface strategy aims to optimize traffic flow and enhance overall Road Safety within the community then we also followed up on road construction around schools being that numerous parents are reaching out and would like to know when they they would need to plan alternative routes how do we get this list or who can we how can we be kept in a loop resident no notification in response to inquiries regarding notification protocols the city manager clarified that the engineering department Bears the responsibility of notifying residents including local schools of any upcoming projects

116or developments that may impact them however Mr shahada expressed a preference for personalized notification underscoring the importance of proactive communication in acknowledging this request the city manager assured him of prioritized updates to ensure timely and transparent disci dissemination of information Maine Memorial Park Green Acres Grant during discussions surrounding funding allocation questions arose regarding the utilization of Green Acres funding for the Improvement of walkways within the city in addressing these queries the city manager emphasized the urgent need to address existing walkway infrastructure rure particularly in terms of enhancing Drainage Systems to mitigate flooding risks recognizing safety as Paramount the city's commitment to prioritizing projects based on critical need was reiterated with a focus on safeguarding the well-being of residents and visitors alike also spoke about keeping us updated on events acknowledging the accessibility of meeting materials

117online the committee collectively agreed to optimize communication channels by having the city manager directly transmit the appr approved meeting calendar to Mr shahada for subsequent distribution to the entire board this streamlined approach aims to Foster greater efficiency and ensure that all stakeholders remain informed and engaged in the decision-making process uh students parking on permit only streets in light of ongoing issues regarding resolution the committee committed to conducting a thorough investigation to achieve a peaceful and mutually beneficial outcome deliberation centered on exploring various perspectives and potential Solutions with a shared commitment to fostering dialogue and collaboration amongst all parties involved emphasizing the importance of open communication and respectful discourse the committee reiterated its dedication to facilitating constructive problemsolving efforts then we talked about shared services pothole repair initiative recognizing the community's concerns regarding pothole maintenance the

118committee explored opportunities for collaborative action with the city Mr shahada volunteered to spearhead efforts by compiling a comprehensive list of affected areas and buildings with the intention of forwarding this information to the city manager for further coordination and implementation this proactive approach reflects a collective commitment to addressing infrastructure challenges and enhancing their overall quality of life within the community new business was brought up which was youth week activities inquiries regarding the status of planned youth week activities were raised by the superintendent uh City manager confirmed the best of his knowledge that youth week activities remain scheduled to proceed as planned pending any unforeseen circumstances this affirmation underscores the city's ongoing commitment to fostering youth engagement and promoting Community involvement through meaningful events and initiatives the next meeting schedule is the committee concluded the meeting by

119tentative tentatively scheduling the next session for early August with further details to be confirmed closer to the date and during ample time for Preparation and coordination this decision reflects a commitment to maintaining regular communication and progress on key initiatives moving forward with the agenda items addressed and action items summarized the meeting was adjourned with attendees thanked for their participation and contributions towards advancing the city's Collective goals and priorities these notes were diligently taken by Mr Shahar any questions I do I'm sorry commiss Bor yes you week um are they going to have the board members are the board members going to be invited to the youth week celebration that we had in the past and then they stopped during covid so if somebody could reach out to find out if we're getting invites I know

120we pay our own way but we usually get invited and sit at the table Yeah Mrs bassford well the whole thing might be up in the air but so if it's confirmed I will absolutely confirm that because the board should be invited I know Mr Jenaro had been working with um with Miss Oliver so we'll follow up and and make sure here U Mr sio in terms of our one Clifton you know whole logo and everything um is it possible for you to set up an arrangement with them where we could possibly um you know when we talk about the taxes going up and down we use percentages they use points and all this and a lot of people around the community are always saying well what's the difference and some of them get confused

121with their present on with their point system and all this is it possible to probably work something out where we could say we all agree to use percentages or we all agree to use points you know it's funny so that's a question for them but this was brought up at one of their meetings and I don't remember how it ended that they wanted to switch percentages but for some reason they use points because it's a better system for them I don't remember the outcome of that meeting because we weren't involved in it but that's something we could definitely ask but I don't see them changing their point system based on that I don't know if anybody remembers that discussion in their meeting I don't remember exactly what was said but it was hey we got

122to stick to points thank you yes I forgot um I got I called you I got a a complaint about school three today and yesterday um with public service or something that they were they were doing road work and the kids couldn't get into the school so um if we can go back to when we used to do it when we had road construction around schools they waited till June July and August August so it wouldn't disrupt the entrance and the and the uh arrival and dismissal of our school children and the parents like some of the elementaries they have a hard time getting it anyway so so Mr valano definitely stated they try to do that or try to do stuff after hours but it's really in the hands of these companies and these

123companies are the ones that are supposed to be reaching out to us to tell us but they're dropping the ball so he is getting on top of it but you know it's up to the company what we can say just to add to this team is uh we reached out to CPD this morning as we had talked about that collaboration between us and City uh even the CPD was not made aware of that uh project until 8:30 this morning but nonetheless Mr volano did reach out and they agreed to stop uh the construction during arrival and dismissal times for the time being before a better plan is put into place any other questions okay uh education and special education Dr Danny the the committee met on April 16 2024 the meeting began at 6:30 p.m.

124president from the Boe Commissioners was myself as chairperson Judith bassford commissioner uh Tanya Suarez commissioner and Anthony Santiago Administration was Janina kusevic assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction Med shahada assistant superintendent of business Heather Rolo director of of special services special education update and program growth by Heather Rolo Miss Rolo began by discussing the success of the recent project UniFi talent show at CHS many woodro Wilson Middle School self-contained students came to CHS to tour their future programs the building and some teachers there is an upcoming poac walk on 5324 come join us the next cpag meeting will be held on 52924 at school 16 at 6: p.m bounce out stigma student and teacher volunteers contact special education at Clifton schools.net if interested we've been attending job fairs looking for new staff for current and

125future openings the alternate alternate testing dlm started 48 24 and will run for several weeks for students not taking the njla as per their IEP update on Special Olympics increase in students and coaches at wwms upcoming Track event at pcti on 5424 Mr Rolo shared a presentation about state of SE and self-contained classes including class sizes increase in referrals need for staff and space m Rolo and Miss kusevic highlighted increases in complexity of needs since the pandemic referrals have increased from 355 to 669 last year with 401 CS referrals so far this year in 2021 we had 281 SE students with 654 that were in self-contained classes today we have 2,360 SE students with 887 SE self-contained classes nearly every class is completely full to maximums Allowed by idea action informational elll ml program update

126and growth by Miss kusevic Miss cevich shared more information about our programs for multilingual Learners with specific focus on the ever growing numbers she reviewed the continued growth and unprecedented increase in the number of Ells from 614 in June of 694 October of 2021 to 1,295 with 30 new arrivals in Q to be tested for ESL Services as of today in addition the district has to provide follow-up support to 209 recently exited students who still require support the complexity of student needs keeps growing ml students continue to register on a weekly basis more ml students are coming in needing not just ESL bilingual language support but also significant counseling and instructional needs due to disrupted education violence poverty and displacement action informational njsla by Miss kusal levich she presented information on njsla grades um 3

127to1 all grade spans will start testing this the week of April 29 2024 Miss kusevic gave a description of testing format content areas and time allotted for each grade span for language arts math and science test she also shared the schedule modifications made for testing at CHS with a delayed opening for all non- testing students and half days at the middle schools action informational recess Miss kusevic reported the topic of reesus was addressed in the policy committee and is now being reviewed in this committee commissioner Suarez requested that we look at possible expansion of recess in addition to the 20 minute daily recess period students receive 150 minutes weekly of physical education 60 Minutes taught as 23 minute PE periods with the PE teacher and 90 minutes of pe/ movement Incorporated in the classroom transition

128time between subjects in grade K through 5 frequently allows for a brain break Go Noodle class yoga or other opportunity for movement with increases in Center time and developmentally appropriate play in primary grade students um have an increasing opportunities for independent Choice activities while there is a great deal of research supporting increasing recess time to at least 30 minutes or more there are many other njsls requirements that already overfill the elementary school day the curriculum develop department will explore possible ways to expand reesus while balancing all other mandates a pilot to coordinate longer recess with classroom teachers L PE minutes may be considered action informational adult evening School pilot program presented by Miss kusel levich commissioner bassford requested that we explore opportunities to expand offerings for families parents and the community discussion was held about

129previous learning opportunities in Clifton in the adult evening School the program had been discontinued prior to the pandemic due to cost overruns ideas to bring the program back in a cost effective manner were discussed courses scheduling participants and funding and the grant opportunities were proposed registration concerns and digital access to books and Technology were addressed the district will explore using existing grant funding for parents such as Title One and title three as well as reaching out to the cea to exploore Pride to explore Pride funds to bring back parent opportunities in-person and virtual sessions were considered as options given the types of funds available at no cost to the taxpayer a pilot adult ESL program will be reinstated in the coming school year action informational meeting ended at 8 15 this report is respectfully submitted

130by Janina kusich any questions okay thank you Dr Danny um superintendent's report um Mr Paris I will wave my report tonight due to the time uh just take a quick moment to thank Mr shahada assistant superintendent of business for all his hard work on the budget uh he's been Relentless and he's just a great asset to our district I know he's a great asset to all of you and um and thank you to the board regardless of your vote tonight I know that you care you worked uh very very hard I'm learning about budget stuff and and you know you represent the community and you have good reasons for voting the way you do so I I appreciate and I value each and every one of you thank you for asking the questions you asked

131and thank you to Amed for all of his hard work okay thank you Dr Robert toy um I will uh wait till make my comments along with the rest of my colleagues later um unfinished business I haven't seen any okay uh Dr Rober toi could you please read our expression of condolence sure Mr Paris thank you whereas on April 11th 2024 the community noted with sor the passing of lindita alushi and whereas Miss alushi had served the Clifton Board of Education and the children of Clifton faithfully and conscientiously for 13 years Mr alushi started in 2011 as a substitute power professional in the district and in 2015 she became a part-time paraprofessional in the elementary schools Lind loved working at School 14 and took pride in her students she was more than a coworker she

132was a friend and a role model to many now therefore be it resolved that let this resolution be forwarded to her bereaved family to serve as an expression of the great Regard in which Miss alushi was held by the Board of Education the Administration Employees and pupils of the Clifton public schools and be it further resolve that the contents of this resolution be noted in their entirety in the official minutes of the Clifton Board of Education for future generations to peruse dated May 2nd 2024 thank you Dr roberi Dr Danny um could you please read our res um resolution for Teacher Appreciation Week yes whereas whereas teachers mold future citizens through guidance and education and whereas teachers encounter students of widely differing backgrounds and whereas our country's future depends upon providing quality education to all

133students and whereas teachers spend countless hours preparing lessons evaluating progress counseling and coaching students and Performing community service and whereas our community recognizes and supports its teachers in educating the children of this community now therefore be it resolved that the Clifton Board of Education proclaims May 6 2024 to be the teacher appreciation week and be it further resolved that the Clifton Board of Education strongly encourages all members of our community to join with it in personally expressing appreciation to our teachers for their dedication and Devotion to their work thank you Dr Danny you're welcome uh commissioner Suarez could you please read the national uh school nurse day sorry thank you president Paris where our students are the oh yes where students are the future and by investing in them today we are ensuring our world

134for tomorrow and whereas families deserve to feel confident that their children will be cared for when they are at school and whereas all students have a right to have their physical and mental health needs safely met while in school setting and whereas students today face more complex and life threatening health problems requiring care in school and where as School nurses have served a critical role improving in improving health and ensuring students academic success for more than 120 years and whereas School School nurses address the Home and Community factors such as social determinant that impact students health and whereas School nurses are are professional nurses that Advance the well-being academic success and lifelong achievements of all students by serving on the front lines and providing a critical safety net for our nation's most fragile children and

135whereas School nurses act as a liaison to the school Community families and Healthcare Providers on behalf of Children's Health by providing well well Ness and improving Health outcomes for our nation's children and whereas School nurses support the health and educational successes of Children and Youth by providing access to care when children's cognitive development is at its peak and whereas School nurses are members of school-based teams whether it's school health services 504 IEP disaster emergency planning providing care coordination to address the school population and whereas School nurses understand the link between health and learning and are in a position to to make a positive difference for children every day therefore be it resolved that the National Association of School nurses celebrates and acknowledges the accomplishments of School nurses everywhere and their efforts to meet the needs

136of today's students by providing and advocating for Quality student centered care and offers gratitude for the notion excuse me nation's School nurses who contribute to our local communities by supporting students to stay healthy in school safe and ready to learn and keeping parents and Guardians at work work not just on this national school nurse day but in every opportunity throughout the year now therefore be it resolved that the clipton Board of Education encourages all district students and staff to observe Wednesday May 8th 2024 as school nurse day thank you commissioner Suarez uh commissioner bassford can you please read the special education week uh sure resolution thank you president Paris resolve that the Clinton Board of Education accepts the recommendation of the superintendent of schools to recognize special education week in New Jersey from May 12th

137to May 18th 2024 whereas the njsba theme for this week is diverse Learners Big Dreams whereas we would like to take this opportunity to recognize the achievement of our state's 232,000 students with special needs and the dedicated collaborative work of their teachers School personnel parents and other professional whereas our many teachers child study teams power professionals administrators School professionals Transportation staff and Board of Education provide ongoing support and assistance to our students resolved we in Clifton are the most fortunate to have such amazing staff to help our students with special needs reach their potential and become successful citizens thank you thank you commissioner bassford uh commissioner brunak could you please read our resolution for mental health awareness month thank you Mr President whereas May Mark's Mental Health Awareness Month a Time dedicated to addressing the

138struggles experienced by millions of Americans deal dealing with mental health conditions whereas since the establishment since its establishment in 1949 mental health awareness month has played a crucial role in combating stigma providing support spreading public public awareness and pushing for policies that prioritize the welfare of those affected by mental illness now there for be it resolved that the Clinton Board of Education recognizes the month of May as mental health awareness month thank you commissioner brunak commission yes forgot about Joe a we didn't bring Joe back in Joe said he wasn't going to Jo oh I apologize he's not want to come back in you couldn't okay uh commissioner siano please read um our resolution on asian-americans and Pacific Islanders month thank you president Paris whereas the people of the United States joined together each May

139to pay tribute to the contributions of generations of the asian-americans and Pacific Islanders who have enriched the history of this nation and whereas the Asian-American and Pacific Islander Community is an inherently diverse population composed of more than 45 distinct ethnicities and more than 100 language dialects and whereas it is imperative for the good of our nation that schools continue to build awareness and understanding of the contributions made by asian-americans and Pacific Islanders and whereas celebrating Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month provide the students and school Community an opportunity to recognize the achievements contributions and history of and to understand the challenges faced by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and whereas the Clifton Board of Education through its core values and implementation of culturally responsive practices demonstrate our commitment to diversity equity and inclusion within our

140school division now therefore be it resolve that the Clifton Board of Education officially recognizes the month of May as Asian-American and Pacific Islander heritage month thank you commissioner siano um commissioner Santiago could you please please read our Jewish American Heritage Month resolution yes thank you president Paris whereas May's Jewish American herit Heritage Month established by the United States Congress to recognize a more than three 360 year history of Jewish contributions to American culture and whereas Jewish Americans in the face of unspeakable discrimination and adversity have fought tirelessly to realize the promise of the nation's freedom and continue to teach us empathy and compassion inspired by their parents and grandparents and whereas Jewish Americans have helped bring about enduring progress in every aspect of society shaping our country's character and embodying the values we hold dear

141and whereas Jewish communities continue to confront hostility and bigotry and whereas determined to confront racism many Jewish Americans found a cause in the civil rights movement in a call for freedom and Justice and whereas we recognize the history of Jewish contributions to American culture which acknowledges the achievements of American Jews in the fields ranging from Sports arts and entertainment to medicine business science government and military service now therefore be resolved that the Clifton School District Board of Education affirms may as Jewish American heritage month thank you commissioner Santiago uh next be looking for a motion for Section B uh items one through 18 motion motion to approve by second by commissioner Santiago discussion Mr President yes like to make a motion to pull policy 2260 and 3211 from ea1 and bring it back to the

142policy board policy committee excuse me for further review I'll second that okay motion made by commissioner brunak seconded by uh commissioner bassford what numbers were those again please policy 2260 and policy 3211 thank you discussion okay the motion is to um remove 2260 3211 referring it back to policy committee uh Mr shot roll call please so so it's it's still the same number as we we said before it's uh one ea1 EA ea1 right he did just yet so we're vote we are voting on all the other uh items minus those two no no no no we have to vote on the motion to pull okay motion to pull first okay sorry uh Miss bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr kova here Mr Mia number is again 2260 3211 EA 11 yep EA 11 sorry

14311 okay yeah yes yes Mr Santiago yes Mr siano yes Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries now you okay uh so now we'll be looking for a motion to approve uh B1 through 18us 18 minus the two uh policies we just by commissioner brunak second second by commissioner Santiago discussion Mr Shad roll call please miss bassford yes abstaining on 15 Mr brunak yes Mr Mia yes M Santiago yes Miss Jano yes Miss Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries thank you um under section c person Personnel uh looking for a motion to approve items one through oh it's a long one one through 36 I'll move it by commissioner bassford second second by commission Mahia discussion roll call Mr sh M bassford yes subst standing on

14432 name only say again I apologize 30 what 32 name only Mr brunc Yes except for p32 abstain on my name only Mr Mia yes abstaining to p32 my name only M Santiago yes abstaining on p29 and p32 my name only M siano yes abstaining on p32 my name only for the Board conference Miss Suarez yes abstaining on p32 my name only vice president Danny yes um abstaining on p32 my name only and president Paris yes obst standing my name only p32 motion carries okay under uh D finance and Facilities uh seeking a motion to approve items 1 through 14 motion motion by commissioner brunak did I miss second second by uh Dr Danny discussion can we have the discussion on eight that you mentioned before the the plaque discussion yes so um it when

145I asked earlier it seems like the reason we followed this was because past practice it sounds like right so um you know the referendum was 2021 I believe and um if we the you boards since then have approved changes to it um if there's uh something beginning early next year um from from the referendum then that means you know four years later right um so I just think that whether it be this board next year there'll be another board different board um there's work that is being done um again approving changes things like that I'm not saying remove the previous board I'm saying we could add the current board or whatever the board is in the future right I think that it should be that let's say it's next year it should be the current

146board whatever that is next year and that initial referendum pass board and the reason I say that is because it's done different you know different districts do it have it many different ways some do the original board only which is what this past practice is some do whatever the current board is at the time some do a mix so I'm just proposing that we also put the current board at the time also on the plaque so you have a are you constructing a motion here or motion to amend amend amend this this item eight I'll second it okay how are we amending it that's exactly what I was about to ask yeah I need to write that down motion to amend it to include the current board at the time or do we pull it

147and discuss it okay in committee this is the resolution okay um we can do either one of thoseo and I had a bit of a discussion on this and there was uh another policy that we had found on online um that that policy was uh the board that approved the referendum was responsible for the referendum passing and then any subsequent boards up to the date of the opening of the facility so in our case it would be like a ribbon cutting so um that would so that then includes in this in the case of uh the Fieldhouse I think that would be three two or three years worth of board members and because that was last year's ribbon cutting and this year's there's um the weight room so that would be up through this board

148so I don't know yes my question would be because we're doing both the the weight room and the stadium right so we would want to break these out completely or the the weight room and the the Fieldhouse at the at woodro excuse me so you would want two separate plaques or would you like them to be just uniform across the board well if because the ribbet cutting like you said was in what if there's a motion to follow what I just described as what we found from a online from a college U their policy then there would be two different plaques because um the Fieldhouse was dedicated a year ago right so that this current board wouldn't be on that one would be it would be the same other than um would not include this

149current board members but the weit room would because that was um completed in this this uh board's Year yes I just want to make sure that we don't that when you say policy is there a naming convention by policy no we not have as an aside I was going to say at the very least we need to think about putting in a building naming policy facility naming policy which again other districts have and we've seen other places so do do you want to just send this back at this point so we can craft the policy uh that's in compliance do you want to there's the other policy on the first reading tonight for naming facilities right that's different though right but maybe this could be incor to that so would you like to pull that

150and then send it back to um facilities or policy I guess that would be a policy and have that yes um I was going to say um similar to what you said when I used to go recruit across the country I used to see different schools that would have you know all the members who were involved for example like you said if it opened up in 2027 then it would be the people from 2020 or 2019 all the way up until 2027 you would list them and honor them saying thank you for these people for being a part of history and making um this happen for our community I think that would probably be the best way to do it that way you know nothing is left um in terms of people who keep approving

151you know bids or projects that go on you know after us you know well yes commissioner Bak so is there a motion to pull this or is there that's say right now there a motion to amend there a motion to amend it do you want to yeah for for so for specifically the referendum plaque second um oh yeah I'm sorry yeah I would amend this specifically to include our current board so there's two different things going on here there's the motion to amend this particular thing and then there's a a tangential discussion about sending the naming conventions my words only to a policy that Dr Robos indicated there is also a facility naming policy on for first reading that there may be appended to correct so there's two different things happening but the motion on

152the floor is a motion to amend yeah so why can't we motion to amend this yeah motion to amend this about what we're doing yes motion to amend this so there's a motion to amend to include the current board member correct okay that was that I could understand by you second that's correct okay any discussion on this motion forther discuss yes commissioner B I'm going to vote no because I don't need my name up in writing I think uh spending $155,000 on a plaque is uh we could put it towards a school sign out in front of electronic sign in front of a school uh most of our hsas can't afford them I don't need to see my name glorified for eons to come people know when we're on the board I just think it's

153I don't know well the the the $15,000 price of the plaque is this current plaque that we're looking at right now don't quote me on that price it's within that range um yes it would be for you know per plaque yeah so I'm just saying the price of the plaque is the price of the plaque and and just for clarification on the person who has to report this to the architect um we're going to add everybody's name so both plaques are going to be identical that's what we want to go with the old board and the new board so I'm going to can add all whoever is missing from this list onto the one that's going on the weight room and the one that's going on to the Fieldhouse amending this yes okay not a

154problem anyone no no there was already a second I do have a question can I ask you can do whatever you wish you're the board president I'm here over for the ride if we if we uh choose not to do these plaques are we able to get that credit somehow for what whatever's been in the contract I mean is it part of the is there something we can actually red divert to funding somewhere else absolutely but um we are fine with the money in the referendum right now so it this would be half a change order it wouldn't be any significant credit coming back to us in comparison to the grand scheme of the project uh my recommendation would be to go forward with it I think we're our reserves are fine but it's the

155board's call any other other question yes so so it's so it's one plaque it's two plaques so it's like previous board and then current board next to it it's one plaque with everything on it so one yeah one one for the Fieldhouse one for the because two plaques but one of everything on the thing okay okay I get it now yes okay any any other discussion okay roll call Mr sh on the motion to amend on the yes motion to amend the uh item eight to include the entire current repard Miss bassford no Mr bronc no Mr Mia yes Mr Santiago yes Mr seano yes Miss Warez can I do a neutral I don't want to do a neutral president not voting is about as neutral as you can get um I don't I don't

156have a strong opinion either either way to be quite if if I must be honest um so I I don't vote am I able to do that you may abstain yes okay I abstain technically the exstension goes with the carrying goes with yeah but okay uh vice president Danny no president Paris I'm going to abstain motion fails motion does not carry now m 3 three it's three yeah yeah but when now now part two of the separate issue was the policy regarding you know naming the facilities we should have a policy straight as opposed to just we're going to go with past PR right history or tradition we should have a policy on this which is what most boards have so to the extent that there's a policy on facility naming um and it's on

157for first reading tonight you could either and it may have already passed um so you can you can the board president can direct that the policy committee go back and review this and bring forward an amended policy to whatever facility policy that is I don't know the number um that's that's a choice another choice is to make a motion to to pull on first reading what you already approved approved which seems a little bit sloppy to me I think if you just go back and you make an amendment you'll it'll re-trigger a first reading um but that's probably the easiest thing that that you guys can do we fin TI yes you do the motion the motion to amend failed you still have 1 through 14 to vote on but the idea of the policy

158issue we still need to address item eight okay um so is there a motion to remove item 8 send it back to policy committee motion for review second I'm not making motion so who's making okay commission here and commission s motion to remove number eight any discussion okay uh roll call please Mr Shad Miss bassford is this on eight yes it's a motion to pull to pull to remove remove it to send it back to committee I no no Noe okay yes Mr Brak yes Mr Mahia yes Mr Santiago yes Mr siano yes Miss Suarez yes vice president Danny no president Paris yes I know I'm getting time motion eight is removed say thank you that the budget was not this controversial thank God it was so you're now back to one to 14 minus

1598 okay so uh motion to approve 1 through 14 well you technically you had a motion you had Mr brunak and oh then we were in discussion right okay but it's so now you're back to 1 to 14 minus 8 yes okay okay uh Mr shahada roll call please miss bassford yes brunak yes Mr Mahia yes Mr Santiago yes Mr siano I got to stand on F 14 voucher 24501 0819 for the Board conference and Tomahawk promotions 24511 076 due to my business relationship Miss Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris uh yes but abstaining on item thir uh number 13 uh specifically number 5145 motion carries thank you okay so that's what are we up to here okay we're up to we have the board member comments yes can I make a motion

160to to you know not do board member comments today late of like being late okay I'm my brain is just tired I think as the chair you can simply make that audible if you wish I don't think you necessarily need to deviate from the agenda you just simply not have board comments I have just at very least one little expression of condolence that would like to share so I so we'll go through and uh perhaps it will be be fast fast um so we will start with uh for board member comments let me look my notes Here briefly we are in what month are we in okay may so we start with uh oh commissioner Kenova who's not here so we start with commissioner Santiago oh okay so in the interest of time I just

161want to sincerely express my condolences to um the Laura family that's um mayor Laura of pic um but also Manny Laura his brother a friend and a very active member of the Clifton Community um they lost suddenly lost their nephew Brian who was actually a Clifton High School graduate and um also a paic police officer and I remember my older son Anthony and him in the talent show at Clifton High School and um we and their other friends and so now we look at that video we kind of cherish that even more so um there aren't words ever that are right I just want to sincerely send my love my prayers to um the entire Laura family and um their friends and um PA PD thank you thank you commissioner Santiago commissioner Mia um thank

162you president Paris um I first like to thank everyone who came out here to speak um especially um when they brought up one of our services that we recently approved a few months back um about the Kelly Services so I do want to bring that up in new business um also thank you to the board you know doing the right thing um I know it's hard to you know vote for a four % increase um no one wants to do that you know but it's something that we need drastically um all the students coming in all the buildings that are being built which are going to have students um inside our schools even if they don't go to our schools they might go to a charter school or maybe even a private school we still

163got to give you know something up for them um when it comes to you know the facilities uses about using the track I agree with um what Mr Santiago said we do end up already using that space for people to rent out and use um and there's always liability with it and you know having you know been in Rutherford before um I went to school over there over at Felician University and you know we did get to use the field there were people who used the track and field early in the mornings late at night um and there's other um districts who also do the same thing very similar um over in Bloomfield um I think there is another one up in Morris County it might be botin it might be Dover that also uses

164their track um but giving this opportunity for our community to actually use a track and field um especially you know I know before um Mr kova was saying that we could have them use the pond around you know it hurts on your shins you know as you get older you realize running on concrete isn't that far far well so you want to run on something a little bit softer even if it's you know the track or even the turf um I hope we could probably get that done um maybe if it's not this year maybe next year maybe the next couple of years um besides that congratulations to all the student athletes on their senior nights um congratulations to our students who performed at the talent show fashion show um you guys did an amazing

165job um I also do want to give a quick shout out to our give me one second it was our flag football team they did an amazing job um a few days ago over at the stadium and and I was you know I you guys probably know I'm a big football fan so they're playing and I was I couldn't be anything but half year especially because you know I know I think they did be pcti before um that's one of our biggest Rivals so I'm very happy for them and the things that they're doing um thank you to the track team I know you guys are doing amazing work as always um as well as the lacrosse teams the softball and baseball teams that we have and our tennis teams um but besides that thank

166you again very much um for having me here thank you president Paris that's thank you commission M here uh commissioner Brak thank you Mr President I want to give my deepest condolences to cord darl law and the his family on the loss of their child uh shout out to president Paris for chasing us down with this yard stick and getting us together to become a certified board uh these board Retreats I believe got us uh together and made us a little closer and I I my perception is that it'll help us make become a better board as a result lastly happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there uh I said something similar last last year and uh if it wasn't for my mom I'd probably be six feet under so happy Mother's Day

167to all the moms out there thank you for your time and God bless America have a good night everybody thank you commissioner brunia commissioner bass thank Mr brunc that was very nice I'm G to pass I'm G to save everything for the next meeting okay thank you uh commissioner Suarez uh thank you president Paris and thank you uh commissioner brzak for the Happy Mother's Day uh really quick I just wanted to give uh nurse Eva at school 8 a shout out and um this is just an example for what all of our nurses do uh my son bumped his knee a few a few weeks ago and she called me just to let me know about it and of course I appreciated the phone call he did get in fact an ice pack but it's

168so much more than an ice pack uh for seven year-olds and all little ones their bumps and bruises mean a lot and to be cared for and nurtured school when their parents or Guardians aren't around um is really a beautiful time and moment for our little ones so I just that's just one small example of what nurses do it's so much more than tending to AB bruise but you're also tending to their hearts so thank you to nurse Eva and thank you to all our nurses thank you commissioner Suarez commissioner siano I'm want to streamline this okay Dr Danny I streamline it I a lot of stuff but I'm going to go fast uh employees and the educate uh the children so now you're throwing me off um everybody who had their accomplishments received a

169recognition this month especially uh Mr enal who was my teacher congratulations to you deepest condolences to Cera law on the tragic loss of his daughter Serenity I couldn't imagine what you're going through uh this district is here for you uh topic close to my heart special education week it resonates deeply with me my personal journey through special education underlines the significance of those dedicated in this field one of them them being Mr analdi and obviously Mr frell who I speak of all the time with the utmost gratitude um because I don't know where I'd be today without him mental health aware uh health awareness month is very important even having a conversation with somebody can make a huge difference um I did have the pleasure of attending the educator and Par professional of the Year

170Awards for our district which was absolutely amazing seeing those people the surprise on their faces I was um I was really happy to be there congratulations Allison ditzig teacher of the year and our professional of the Year Iman moasis uh lastly I attended the film festival at CHS for the 25th um year they were doing it uh it was really amazing watching those films it was a really good experience also I was able to join Judy bassford as she received the friends of Education award last week and that was an honor Judy your recognition is truly welld deserved um wishing everyone a good few weeks ahead Mark you're welcome reminding you to tell everybody Happy Mother's Day you're welcome for that happy Mother's Day to everybody and everybody have a good week I'll see you

171on the 23rd president Paris can I just give a shout out certainly happy birthday Stanley Dr Danny uh just going to say happy Mother's Day to all the mothers I'll hold my comments um and I just have to say to my father because he's a big kick out of this um Stanley guik happy Birthday Dad and may God continue to bless you thank you Dr Danny um and thank you you mark for reminding us all about Mother's Day happy Mother's Day to all the moms and my mom uh happy birthday to my mom who's coming up on uh May 10th believe she'll be 94 God bless her and happy birthday to your dad Dr Danny um and to all of you um commissioner uh brunak mentioned it um just my heartfelt thanks and pride and

172appreciation for your time and your dedication to achieving New Jersey School Board Association certification for this board um we'll have a chance to celebrate at the Pake County School Board Association meeting at the end of May and uh just truly thank you very proud of of what we've accomplished and uh we're going to move forward I think there's still some more learning we could do um that's all I have um so we've come to a close motion to business oh new business okay I'm sorry I'm jumping ahead new business yeah I didn't want to bring up the Kelly Services that we're using um I know a few commun um community members came up saying they're spending $300 on trying to get recertified cuz I know you know trying to get your sub license from the

173county is like 150 or something like that but if that's true you know I want to take a look at that uh excuse me can I go back to personnel I can't really speak to that particular issue and I have the utmost respect for Miss papait love her um there was an issue that I can't really speak publicly about but I will tell you this that that's the only issue that has come to my level in regards to Kelly Services just to give you this the other side of it of of why it's been great for us give you this one statistic April 2023 our substitute fill rate was 49% that means half of the teachers who were out we couldn't get a sub for Kelly service has officially started for us right after our

174uh break this year which was April 8th for the month of April just in the last three weeks that they've been with us our sub rate was 80% our fill rate was 80% um I only expect that to go higher so it's been very very successful I'm sure there have been one off situations where employees might have had issues um anything like that we will do our best to rectify but overall it's been very successful anything else yes um yes I got a phone call um two phone calls um just about the wait room and I talked to Mr Shaha today about it um the weit room is for every sport correct because there was there was an announcement that went out that it was for the football team that and and uh so I

175got a couple phone calls from some of the other parents for soccer and so could you please speak to that thank you yeah so we discussed that the white room at the stadium is for all of our student athletes it is not specifically earmarked for the football team so I'll say it again unequivocally it is for all of our student athletes Mr shihada I'm sorry if I can um I believe at the ceremony uh there were students that were not just football players there were students of all different sports I'm sure I talked to kids from track and things like that all are welcome but must be accompanied by a coach so any sport that wants to use a facility more than welcome it's it's for our students so yeah I I was doing reps

176with a kid that does wrestling so um president Paris I actually have one thing for new business I'm sorry guys I know it's 11-11 make a wish um so during the when we were certified when we became a certified board we discussed the um option of pulling all of our Awards and presentations and doing them quarterly so I came up with a schedule here so if I could just run through really quick September October November uh we would begin this obviously September the meeting would be in November for all of the awards it's a standalone meeting just for awards and presentations December January February the meeting would take place in February March April May and June would take place in June so it' probably be two hours on a random day day throughout the month

177you know probably just the week following our board meeting and it'll streamline our board meetings and it'll streamline the presentation process as well so you're saying once a quarter per quarter once we're doing is it's like the Oscars for student and teacher Awards but it would be once a month or it would be once every three months once every three months months so we would do September October November all three of those months we would honor those uh recipients in November December January February everybody from those three months will be honored in February and the last four months March through June they will be honored in June and this does not Encompass that normal presentation like the buzz presentation Hib or things that Janina has to do for for the state I just want to

178clarify again so there's going to be Four Freshmen of the quarter let me give you this list three three so it'll be three or four that's all I want to know four three oh three I'm sorry we'll be going around and around around doing now I need to look right just three you said Thank You November February and June correct November February and Jun commissioner Santiago Mr if I may so it's the employee and the student awards and is this just a decision that you do do we have to vote on this do we have to we definitely wanted a consensus on it well you definitely need a consensus but I believe your your agend the format of your agenda includes that recog those two recognitions as a matter of course when when you do

179your organizational meeting you pass a resolutions adopting the format of your agenda so technically you should amend the format of your agenda to remove that technically I'll make a motion to agend the format of our to make I'll I'll make a motion to amend the format of our agenda to have Awards specific to student of the month employee of the month every quarter second that as a special meeting okay as a special meeting motion by commissioner bassford seconded by I didn't hear who it was oh commissioner siano uh question any yeah discussion any discussion I'm not I don't know we be here all night I'm not 100% on that myself if I have to vote I'm voting no okay let's uh take the roll call I know discussion here or no no I have no

180s no I'm I'm ready to go because we discussed it at the retreat um M bford yes because um we all discussed um about keeping the meetings just a business and it will work better for everybody's schedule yes Mr brunak yes Mr Mia abstain Mr Santiago no Mr siano yes Miss Suarez yes Vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries okay motion to journ motion second have a nice weekend e for