001e e good evening everyone and it's 7 o'clock so welcome to the Clifton Board of Education general meeting April 11th 2024 please stand for the flag salute and a moment of silence I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the for it stands Nation indivisible withy and justice for all thank you uh Dr Dany is uh is out today it's her Spring Break um so Mr uh shahat please um call the RO miss bassford here Mr brunak here Mr Kenova here Mr Mahia here Mr Santiago here Mr siano here miss Suarez here president Paris here we have a quum 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
002literate lifelong Learners who are responsible and productive citizens contributing to a Democratic Society and 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 of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon in accordance with the provisions of this act the Clifton Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be publicized by having the date time and place thereof posted at the city clerk's office Clifton Public Library administration building senior citizen Nutrition Center on cable TV V in 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 so we'll start off to
003me do we have a student representative report hi Jada welcome um good evening so I'm going to start off with clubs so Key Club the Clifton Kanas family is consisting of CHS Key Club W wion middle school Builders club and the school 17K kids um will be holding a collection in May to the to benefit the St Joseph's Hospital in the pediatric hematology and oncology department they will be collecting coloring books crayle crayons Playdoh character colorful colorful Band-Aids um arts and crafts kits and monetary donations but please note that there they're only taking Crayola crayons um please miss Turk with any questions our mock trial Club um the CHS Mo trial team is the best in New Jersey they are number one out of 250 teams that participated in this year's tournament the Clifton Mo
004the Clifton mock trial team defeated the Mainland Regional High School from Southern New Jersey and the front New Jersey Supreme Court Justice rabar and the honorable Judge Clark as the US Defense government and Ellis V kirkin our next stop is Wilmington Delaware from May 2nd to 5th to represent the New Jersey National High School Mock Tri Championship the team will argue both sides of a case in a two-day tournament with four rounds so please wish them luck our robotics team qualified for the world championship they are third last week in the New Jersey SL um the Delaware District championship and they won the autonomous award our Mustang ambassadors will be selling ID holders in the Croc jbits for $1 each the sale ones every Wednesday after school in the Clifton High School Media Center um
005and for sports there have been a lot of great things happening with our Athletics and that includes our girls flag football team our flag blackag football has been rising in popularity since um our our our team has been rising popularity and the Clifton High School is no exception they continue to win um their games and they're on a streak after an impressive win against our Rivals pcti and their last win against Union City one of our captains K Koy shouted out Megan valo and Amanda pido for their hard work and commitment to the team and as always please make sure to come out and support our Mustangs so that's it for tonight good evening thank you thank you [Applause] Jada okay we will do uh start start with our Awards presentations we're going to start
006with our students of the April students of the month and Ninth Grade I believe Mr President thank you sir thank ninth grade Tiana rubab kova our freshman of the month is Tiana Hub rubab kova as a frequent traveler Tiana enjoys learning about new cultures and languages so it's no surprise her favorite subject is Italian along with her older sister and best friend her eighth grade teachers have been the most influential and impactful throughout her life teaching her independence and lessons she will use throughout high school and her future Tiana keeps herself busy by teaching others how to pronounce her last name playing volleyball in Lacrosse at CHS and is also a part of the Heroes and Cool Kids program Tiana strives to maintain good grades and keep herself involved throughout her years at C CHS
007she can also see herself taking part in the CH College CHS College programs in my future years in high school such as the Bergen M pccc program certificate of achievement this recognition is certified to Tiana kav kova on behalf of the Clifton Board of Education Administration for CHS student of the month April 2024 congratulations Tiana [Applause] do we have parents here tell Mom to come up do you want to come up I'll take the pictures for you with your camera if you'd like ready [Applause] next up is our sophomore student of the month and that is going to be Lucas Chen our sophomore student of the month has developed a keen interest in chemistry due to his exploration of the different components of life Mr iwan stands out as the most influential teacher for Lucas
008appreciative for his cond demeanor and will willingness to resolve issues Lucas finds Inspirations in his parents who consistently demonstrate love care and a commitment to doing things that are right his extra extracurricular activities include um being part of the soccer team as well as contributing to success in high school to completing his work diligently listening listening attentively and showing respect to other students previously Lucas participated in the computer science academy indicating a will willingful to engage in academic programs offered by the Clifton Public Schools certificate of achievement this recognition is certified to Lucas Chen on behalf of the clion Board of Education and administration for CHS sophomore student the month April 2024 congratulations [Applause] autoc to much handsomeness in one photo that's funny congratulations congratulations [Applause] sanago no I have her oh commissioner Flores sorry
009that's fine out of I have the honor to present nasle JIS our Junior uh student of the month nasle JIS our Junior student of the month finds joy in subjects like math English History and Ceramics inspired by her dedicated teachers especially Mr Rogers and Miss Anderson she values critical thinking and overcoming challenges with purpose nasle active AC l participates in extracurriculars such as Key Club mentoring ESL students and contributing articles on medium despite starting as an ESL student she has progressed to honors in AP classes demonstrating resilience and growth with aspirations to become an Eco minimalist architect nasle plans to pursue higher education while balancing her personal and academic Pursuits please uh let's give it up for nle J student of the month Junior conratulations [Applause] yes 12th grade Abel Chong AEL Chong our senior
010student of the month finds his passion in history valuing valuing its significance and understanding the world around us Dr Cal stands out as his most influential teacher imparting valuable life skills and lessons Abel's mother serves as his Greatest Inspiration guiding him to strive for excellence and supporting him in all his Endeavors he participates in football as an extracurricular activity where he faced challenges during junior year football camp but found camaraderie and growth through the experience looking ahead Abel aspires to become a physical therapist and plans to attend Sean Hall University to pursue his Doctorate with sincere congratulations on your meritorious achievement with recognition by resolution of the Board of Education the desire to excels the formula to a lifetime of success your efforts have brought distinction to you your family and Clifton Public Schools congratulations
011[Applause] able nice to meet you back a little bit there we go three two one sound like the paparazzi congratulations [Applause] congratulations awarding employe ofri award thank you it is my pleasure pleasure and honor to give this award out I requested to to say this uh District level Vincent Constantino District residency investigator Vincent institutes random residency audits of school students in addition to targeted efforts for students suspected of non-residency he investigates and cons conducts a limited number of residency checks of students selected at random he is part of the security team in visiting schools during monthly drills to ensure all drills are conducted with maximum Effectiveness and safety Vincent has gone above and beyond for all his colleagues such as security and other staff members with different position all throughout the district always manages to
012keep a smile on his face no matter if a bad or good situation gets the job done when asked to no questions ask a real team player by heart Vincent it always always positive hardworking and ambitious to get the job done Clifton Public Schools district distinguished employee of the month for April 2024 presented to Vincent Constantino for outstanding service dedication and commitment to the Clifton Public Schools Learning Community congratulations friend [Applause] it's okay I can take the picture why don't you leave it I'll take it for you go ahead leave it get in there all right this is who's is who's was this Jess's okay ready this is for Jess 3 two one and then for me hope I didn't break your phone congrats Ben [Applause] pleasure he's an all Hudson County boy you may
013have to get him Elementary level uh Angela B basan basan School social worker Angela is an exceptional employee Who services half the elementary schools and woodro Wilson Middle Schools working with the most vulnerable students in our district she uses her expert clinical background to effectively assess and work with students in a safe and supportive therapeutic environment Angela is a natural positive and warm individual she provides a sense of calm and security to all she works with she offers an empathetic and supportive ear offers re re reassurance guidance and perspective she adapts to a wide range of students meets them where they are and encourages them to reach their full potential Clifton and the studentry services are fortunate to have her this distinguisher award of the month for April 2024 presented to Angela basan for outstanding
014service dedication and commitment to the Clifton Public Schools Learning Community [Applause] congratulations of thank you no no are you going up there too huh do family family first I'll take a hug I'm a hug all right Mr Paris you're not visible there you go there right there there you go three two one and then I don't know whose phone I yours right okay all right whoops what's that that wasn't your phone Jess don't worry three two one I'm gonna come all right one more time three two one [Applause] [Music] congratulations midd scho isting next we have our employe of the month for the high school that would be Mr on high school level it is Steven sarano history teacher Stephen pushes his students towards being self-guided Learners step is an expert in his course content
015and has a keen sense of how to motivate and Inspire high school students Steven empowers students voices and develops them into mobile citizens by emphasizing textual analysis and analytical writing step prepares students for academic autonomy and college preparatory work Stephen has a lifelong has been a lifelong resident and graduated from the Clifton Public Schools district Steve is always building Partnerships with his colleagues friendly relations with the students and shares ideas on how to make CHS the best place it can be Mr sarano goes beyond the call of duty every day he is highly involved in his work with the eras Club kickball competitions ESL tutoring scorecard work during sports events student versus faculty sporting events Junior and senior prom PBIS and countless fun and engaging activities with his social students he always promotes all school
016events and is an attendance of all of them Stephen I have a PL for you [Applause] I was st's [Music] teer Compu in school English [Applause] I'm just getting to a microphone okay I have the honor and privilege of recognizing uh last month's District level winner who unfortunately wasn't with us last month but is here this evening Samantha DeRose our communication technology [Music] specialist Samantha doose tirelessly navigates the district capturing all of our special moments that tell a visual story of our Clifton one students Clifton one students and staff she is at every Board of Education meeting making sure to share all that happens through our social media platform from our district website to Flyers and posters or banners she is consistently creating for our district at a moment's notice Samantha has been a supporter
017of Key Club service Endeavors for the past 17 years as a teacher she shaved her head to motivate her students to do well in school and was always to go-to person for Tech help and guidance often leading department meetings and taking her personal time to help her less techsavvy colleagues her intellect and welcoming presence is always visible in everything she does congratulations to a well earned award [Applause] saman got a let her take her picture I'm taking phot hold on you want [Music] me know ready [Applause] you know I I do want to say that I've been with the district for 23 years and in multiple capacities and I have my mom and dad said thank my mom worked in in HR many years ago but in this role as a communication specialist it is
018an absolute joy to highlight our incredible staff and our phenomenal students it it brings me so much joy every single day and I couldn't ask for a better job because of the staff and the students so I thank you really [Applause] a quick Mr go right ahead Mr President if I may um absolutely little known fact about Mr Rose is that um she's also a rapper and I don't mean like a gift rapper I mean like 50 Cent rapper um she wrapped at a one of the talent shows and I'm not going to put her on the spot tonight but Sam if you're feeling a little frisky later and you want to rap for everybody you know just uh just just we'll we'll let it all out but yeah she's multi multi pent no no
019I would never I would never do that but I talk about somebody who's multi-talented did you see what happened when all of a sudden nobody could take a picture it was like chaos God forbid she's not here like nobody we know what to do so congratulations to all our uh students of the month and employees of the month all right congratulations to everyone um yes um we would like commissioner bassford please uh read the expression of condolence this [Music] evening thank you it was a heavy heart that I read this whereas on March 21st 2024 the community noted with soloro the passing of Greg dicki and whereas Mr dicki has served the Clifton Board of Education and the children of Clifton faithfully and conscientiously for 15 years until his retirement in July 2013 Mr dicki
020started in 1998 as vice principal at the high school and in 2002 he became the principal at school 11 until his retirement in 1976 he joined the United States Secret Service as a secret agent Mr Dicky served as a special agent for 20 years working in various positions in New Jersey New York and Washington DC including several presidential campaigns and details Mr Dicky loved science fiction books and movies and cherished spending time with his family now therefore be it resolved that this resolution be forwarded to his Bev family to serve as an expression of the great Regard in which Mr dicki was held by the Board of Education the Administration Employees and the pupils of the Clifton public school system and be it further resolved that the contents of this resolution be noted in its
021entirety in the official minutes of the Clifton Board of Education for future generations to peruse um dated April 11 thank you commissioner bassford at this point uh I usually like to let people know that um you don't have to stay any longer if you're here for an award Etc um you're certainly welcome to um but it's it's up to you um president uh Parish I just want to note that um the dicky family is in the audience tonight um and maybe um uh you can Dr wazzi maybe you can say a few words to them thank you yeah uh if if if anybody would like to say a few words please you're more than welcome to say a few words um I did not know um M Mr uh dicki but I've only heard incredible
022things about him so if if if you would like to say a few words please feel free to come up to the microphone and introduce yourself um my name is Abel Chong so I actually had him during my kindergarten years at scho 11 and I'm very sorry to Mr Dicky's family I'm not sure where yeah I'm very sorry for your loss because uh I could tell he really did care about the students and you know it's just sad that he has passed away so I'm sorry for your loss that was very nice of you thank you so much thank you very much able that was nice got an award exactly exactly thank you wow that's awesome that there was a student here it really is um thank you very much to the Clifton Board of
023Education for that recognition tonight my name is Kim Dicky pentangelo I'm Greg's daughter um and I'm also an educator I've uh I work for the Westfield uh Public Schools as a as a school counselor um my dad passed away three weeks ago today so it's still um pretty fresh and and pretty raw um and it's it's funny because there were a few teachers who um from the Clifton Public Schools who came to my father's wake and it was interesting because they spoke so highly of him and as his daughter you know it's your dad so your impression of your father is always very different um and they spoke so much about how he cared about them as people and I think as a counselor in a school system when you hear that your father cared
024about his teachers as people that's really what matters um and that's that to me was so important to hear and you know when someone passes away you're always looking for signs and I was talking to Sandy my dad's partner for for the past 20 plus years that I've been looking for signs so often and when we found out that tonight you guys would be doing this recognition of him I started laughing because my grandfather passed away 41 years ago today my dad's dad when I was only nine so my dad used to call me every year on April 11th and say do you know what today is Kim and I would be like yes Dad I know what today is and so today was the first year that he didn't call me to ask me
025that question so I think it's pretty fitting that today is April 11th and that we're here today acknowledging him Clifton held a very special place in my father's heart he cared very deeply for the work that he did here for his students he cared very deeply for the teachers that he worked with every day so the fact that all of you are doing this tonight means a lot to my brother to myself and to his five grandsons so on behalf of the entire Dicky family I thank all of you very much from the bottoms of our hearts for this recognition and I hope his legacy continues so thank you very much you [Applause] you uh Miss regosa we'll wait for the um Exodus that occurs good to see everyone that's you stay yeah you stay
026oh okay yes all right good evening everyone um president Paris um Dr roosi who's currently not here but thank you all Commissioners thank you for uh the opportunity to once again showcase what we're doing the wonderful things uh good night everyone um I you know drawing inspiration from um what uh from the dicky family um and for what it means to to be part of the one Clifton community and to be a Mustang tonight's presentation is is really inspir ired by uh something that Miss bassford um asked at one of our most recent meetings um miss bassford you asked um is this working what we're doing in in one of our meetings and we come together every month to Showcase and highlight our staff students and our building administrators on the PBIS uh framework implementation
027and one of the things that we do once a year usually around the summer is provide you with outcome data from our conversation commissioner bassford um I I thought that it if if one person has a question that means there's more than one of us that has a question so I wanted to provide you all with some um current outcome data on the effectiveness on of the implementation of our framework in in uh Clifton Public Schools you'll see a little bit more of this during the summer months because we'll have complete data uh for some sets but so far this is what uh we have and really really what really grounds all of our implementation are guiding forces such as uh the systems or the place the things that you see in place that drive
028all of the practices that we recognize our folks for um the data that you'll see in front of you before um in just a few and ultimately all of it is based around equity and the um the really the aspect of everyone in our district mattering from students to all staff in our buildings to all of our parents and caregivers in our community so here are some um I I'll try not to bore you with some of the data but I am a data geek uh myself the first set of data that you see in front of you is called uh the district Fidelity inventory tool and this is a tool that is nationally used by all of um the technical assistance centers out in Missouri where all schools and all states um identify the
029districtwide implementation of PBIS now from year to year we've been we we started to Pilot this for the center during covid in 2020 and you'll see that we had a significant increases and then something happens from last year to this year that causes some of our domains to decrease you'll see things um by the way this this uh inventory is taken by the district collaborative PBIS team team in which 23 participants on that team answered these questions around these different domains and so some of the things that were interesting to us as we um took the survey uh earlier this winter and started to analyze the trends are the is the idea that there was some decrease I want to give you all an a picture of why most recently this year we have parents
030and students that joined our collaboration team and so one when folks are taking some of these um when folks are taking these surveys what we instruct folks to say is if you don't know the answer to that you mark it as as if it's not there doesn't mean that it's not being implemented it just means that we have to do better at educating everyone around the table as to what is going on so that's where you see that dip but it's interesting because those responses came from that that the beauty of this is that our team is growing across all of our shareholders not just our um School staff next we have for years um our schools self-rate their implementation and and these these um surveys and tools are utilized to develop uh a uh
031instructional planning for our students and staff and it measures the implementation of the univers tier system the national average is about 70% year after year this is for our 17 uh K through 12 schools now just this backdrop prek has follows the pyramid model and they have similar data sets but with a different tool so that's why you see 17 schools being measured um year after year Clifton Public Schools continues to to be light years ahead in districtwide implementation scores like this afford US the opportunity to present at a at a state and National level but more importantly it provides feedback to our own staff to say this is what we're doing really well and we want to maintain or these are the areas that we can improve upon again if the data is not
032there the anecdotal could be great but the data really backs up what we're doing um this next slide so the Benchmark of quality was what the national centers were using in previous years they've now um between last year and this year have turned over to the tiered Fidelity inventory so this is the updated boq for this year right it's called the TFI and um again I think we are getting asked to um officially present at the Northeast conference in May based on our district scores if you notice we have an overall uh overall average across the different subscales of way above average implementation and this all happens because all of our staff is fully really believes in our students um growth and ability to really make a change in the world and that starts by
033feeling part of the one Clifton Community um last but not least we partnered um thanks to Dr Rob to we've spoken about this with the ruter uh with ruter University and the New Jersey um Sky climate survey platform and so all of our buildings as I mentioned before have uh are have devised the plan spearheaded by um Mr jenera and miss kusal levage and and and uh building administrators to really uh utilize the climate survey results for all of our teams but tonight I wanted to show you our climate survey a a parent portion of it because I thought it'd be fitting for us all the scale for this data set the highest possible score is uh four and um the what the state average is looking for is anything above a 1.75 right because
034this is their first official year last year they piloted um and so what we see across our schools we're certainly way above that in particular um in particular how so how our parents feel about the Safety and Security of their students of their children and um students one of the things to note is the negative student interpersonal oops behaviors now this particular item is scared is is uh scored inversely meaning that the lower the score the better um this is the way that that platform is set up and one of the things that our our counselors are joining force with us and our teams are around this negative student interpersonal behaviors all the questions deal around how students feel um about uh social media uh influences how they treat each other outside of the school
035and of course we know that carries over into our building so those things are a little bit more challenging for us to really um to really make an an effect right we can't control what's outside of our buildings however our counseling um teams and our PBIS teams are really trying hard in developing those skills and those uh and those character Ed lessons so that we're teaching things like digital citizenship we're teaching things on how to just interact and be kind humans outside of our school um outside of our buildings and so we did see a decrease in that number as well which which is what we want to see for that particular category um very important to note um I'll have uh the schools in particular will each have plans developed around for the student
036and staff climate survey results and the the all of these pieces are uh are joined or all the data is triangulate triangulated to really make an an extensive plan on uh how uh how all the different teams can utilize so we have our security specialist using this data so as I mentioned our counseling our PBIS teams are uh building collaborative teams um and and I'm just really excited to provide you all with that because this is all of our work come to life um I want to thank you once again for all of your support because Dr Robos Mrs cus levage uh m Mr shahada and Commissioners this all happens with your full support thank you so much um if you have any questions let me know question thank you very much Paula that was
037great and it's it's great to see the impact the programs having and how well really really Clifton is is leading um Dr arosi you have comment um M regard go to thank you um data is critical right we we spend a lot of time doing this and we need to know is the time and effort and money we're putting into this having an impact so I think clearly this is um just one question I have did how how we know it's difficult to get people to fill out surveys how was our parent turnout on surveys what was our response rate so all right cuz I well In fairness statistically I know you you don't you don't you don't need a you know you % to be in fairness we In fairness statistically we say if
038we have 30% feedback we count that as a win that's huge huge 30% feedback and that's on average with five to six different prompts right whether it's through black Blackboard emails roll calls it's it's it's uh so our buildings varied by response where um some of our buildings had as high as 23% response rate which was and some of our schools who really had less than 1% response rate so we're all across the gamut the one thing that I will give the administrators a huge shout out for is um when Mr jenero met with them in October and subsequently in January there were there was a lot of planning on how to get parental and Community involvement so the surveys were kept open longer um to encourage folks for back uh we started that survey
039collection process in back to school night we we had it in multiple opportunities when when folks were coming in they uh some schools had laptops set up so that parents just visiting the building had availability to do that um we had some schools Who provided uh technical support in multiple languages for when parents came in so um they the administration really worked hard at getting those numbers to increase this year I think that um as as Ed administrators saw what was beneficial and what increased those scores some of our other admin said oh you know we'll try that next time around as well so in all fairness it was all across the board thank you so much you're welcome next on our agenda will be board committee reports and we'll start with uh residency and
040commissioner Santiago please thank you president Paris so we have two since uh we met early uh March so the first one is um residency security technology committee meeting minutes Tuesday March 12th which was my birthday and we still had a committee meeting but that's okay uh dedicated so the meeting took place on Tuesday March 12th and began at 50:2 in attendance from administration were Mr shihada Mr do missola Board of Education members and attendance were myself commissioner Kenova commissioner siano and president Paris Mr doctor explained that registration for the 2024 2025 school year is now open and we currently have over 265 students in the process of registering that's the first committee report so 265 students it was also brought up that a total of 14 potential non-residents have been identified since the last meeting
041and current currently being investigated for removal finally Mr doctor discussed some discrepancies with other schools claiming Clifton students the district's lawyers will be consulted about steps moving forward Miss zenola described the security drill of the month and that the drills were completed successfully throughout the district finally Mr doctor provided an update to a question concerning concerning formatting of board docs while the feature is not presently available the company is working to create and will update the district when it might be available the meeting adjourned at 5:35 questions GS I'll read the April committee meeting pleas I read the April okay great so um meeting took place on Tuesday April 9th and began at 5:02 in attendance from Administration where Mr Jenaro Mr shihada Mr doctor miss anola Mr Mountain Board of Education members and attendance
042were myself commissioner Kenova commissioner siano and president Alan Paris Mr doctor provided an update that registrations for the 24 2025 school year is current is currently at over 350 students either completed or pending miss anol explained that the security drill of the month was completed by all the buildings and that the observations of these drills were positive she also commented on the sidewalk repairs which occurred at school 9 and that she requested from Clifton PD to be notified if construction or repairs will impact any of our schools this topic has been brought up previously at Municipal Alliance and will discussed again Mr Mountain commented on a power outage which occurred due to an out issue outside of the school district's purview generators began working and one server needed to reboot which took less than 20
043minutes any long lasting or large scale outages or disrup disruptions will be communicated with board members the meeting adjourned at 5:26 p.m qu questions thank you thank you commissioner Santiago uh commissioner Suarez could you read our policy minutes please certainly thank you president Paris uh the meeting uh in in attendance uh at the meeting was myself uh commissioner Mahia commissioner Santiago uh president Paris and the meeting took place on Tuesday March 12th 2024 began at 4:05 PM an attendance from this Administration is Dr D Danny robero Amed shahada Michael doctor Maggie Miller Board of attorney uh I had mentioned the Commissioners that were present as well Mr doctor reviewed the change to policy 6620 to reflect assistant superintendent of business instead of the title of assistant business administrator this was agreed upon by the entire
044committee Mr doctor then explained the requested addition and additional specific disciplinary categories to better detail infractions which occur this was agreed upon the entire committee Mr Santiago raised his concerns regarding staff attendance and Associated accountability Miss Miller explained that she had Mr Jenaro have been working on appropriate procedures to address staff attendance which the district can follow moving forward and will bring them to the committee when complete the Mee adjourned the meeting adjourned at 4:37 p.m. any questions thank you okay thank you commissioner Suarez um commissioner Kenova please uh read the legislative committee minutes uh the legislative committee met on March 26 pres was myself Mr brunak Mr Mahia Mr Paris Dr Rober toi um Mr Jango m m Kush Lich Mr shahada um and the assembly woman uh Miss boli so the meeting start
045time was 12:00 p.m. meeting end time was 1: p.m. uh overview the committee members and Central administration were warmly welcomed uring a robust understanding of the diverse perspectives present in the room the teacher sub shortage teacher sub teacher shortage and Pathway to teacher teaching was uh discussed Commissioners raised concerns regarding teaching sub Institute shortage and how this is impacting all districts Statewide discuss discussion ensued on what the state has plan to combat this growing issue the assembly woman shared insights on a plethora of legislative Endeavors aimed at addressing the shortage unveiling 12 Bills currently in the assembly notably among these bills are efforts to streamline certification processes such as removing K to6 certification basic skills practice practice portion additionally initiatives to enhance hiring practices by broadening science requirements to General Sciences were discussed the NJ
046Stars program LED for its commendable efforts at the community college level was elaborated upon particularly focusing on his income based requirements three state aid formula 2% cap Commissioners inquired about the new sapper formula allocations to take place once the current Formula sunsets also there were discussions if the 2% cap tax levy would be raised to combat increased cost currently districts only allow to raise 2% tax with a public vote this for many districts doesn't even cover the contract contractual raises that take place every year a new bill proposed by the Assembly women garnered attention seeking funding for pre-case special education and transportation to alleviate District's burdens a new bill would be proposed to the by the assembly woman garnered attention seeking funding for prease special education and transportation to alleviate District burdens four free lunch
047outstanding balances Commissioners inquired if there was any plans in place to shift to Universal lunch in the near future due to Soaring outstanding lunch balances the assembly woman was shocked to hear the large amount owed from families speaker coflin cin has legislation and it its strong interest in getting Universal free lunch District asked if there is a possibility to use Cafe funds like prior to years to repay debt number five Charter St School tuitions deliberations unfold around the introduction of a charter school bill a294 4 32944 aiming to fortify regulations and policy framework to enhance budgeting accuracy signaling a proactive stance towards educational reform six additional funding special ed crost technology the transformative impact of technology technological advancements catalyzed by the covid-19 pandemic was reflected upon observations were made regarding District's successful adaptation to one
048toone technology initiatives now seamlessly integrated into budgetary concerns seven Senate Bill 2421 abolishment of 5756 the assembly woman has a similar Bill about causing harm to others abolishment 5756 Committee Member asked if there was any discussion on this assembly woman said it is in litigation and legislators refrain until that is complete any questions Ju Just one comment the the assembly woman is a Acting Superintendent of school so we have someone representing us that certainly knows how schools work so yeah and many times when we brought up our concerns she ready was like oh yes that's 100% you're right you know this needs to be fixed in the same boat okay thank you commissioner Kenova um commissioner Bashford could you read our club meeting my pleasure um thank you president Paris uh booster club met on
049April 8th we started at uh 6:30 in the evening and we ended at 7:30 present I'm just going to read the um people from the administration the board I'm going to keep the parents' names um quiet um because the community members Dr roberi Mar chero Amed Shaha um Mr Wata myself um Tanya Suarez and various people that represented soccer um Clifton wreck the cheer team the ba base uh baseball and also basketball um it was basically um to give you a synopsis of what happened it was a open dialogue of the um booster club parents uh Dr robzi facilitated the meeting um to give them a chance to get to know each other and to form a bigger group as a booster club whole so we had a conversation about um how to form uh
0505013 or to how to get organized with um fundraising so there's a lot of comments going back and forth and so this is an open dialogue that you see on your on your computers it was really very informative they're going to band together they're going to um be able to help each other in a a more formal way fundraising also if they need help with um vendors and things like that so they had a they had a comment about um the 5013c and how to fund raise then they talked about um uh what if a parent doesn't join a booster club Dr robit you talked about um different uh bylaws that we have in place and also about tagging how we um we don't uh have to get permission anymore for the students to tag
051from the Clifton police dep department but he um has we have a bylaw about about tagging it the district wants to know when the teams are actually tagging for security and safety for our students that we know they're out there as well but they also have to get permission from the owner and uh one of the parents from that plays a dual role on the rec department and she's on the committee and also the soccer um booster club spoke about um how there's been evidence of a lot of out of town um teams coming and tagging over by Big Lot and over by that area and um I don't know if that maybe what you want to send that to mun Alliance maybe to bring that conversation up again to have about um maybe we
052should come up with some kind of procedure about how our local teams get first shot it tagging first in Clifton so they were they were um pretty pretty uh robust on that and then we um we went into um about who pays for uh travel Food Services and for events Dr Rober tell he was very clear about that and he uh explained why certain events with certain teams get paid for and don't get paid for um such as like if they if the football team was to play in a state championship and it was all the way down exit one on the turnpike we would pay for their busing because they're representing the you know the the the league in in a championship versus if they go to just a meet up at PCT and
053they played against and we don't you know Supply them with food prior to them going to that so he he uh actually um um explained that in a very nice way he had and they were they were very receptive to everything that was coming out of the committee so it was a really robust um uh conversation uh we talked about um fut need for future meetings that we talked about um fundraising efforts um we had a new parent in the group that's trying to form a booster club for the basketball team so they all jumped in to support him and um one of the suggests questions were because the HSA um committee um had brought this to task about giving a platform for the hsas to speak to each other so the suggestion was made
054that we give that platform to the booster clubs as well it's Google Classroom so they can speak amongst each other they can share events um they can share Flyers with the district so we can get them because we don't know when certain events are going on so it would be more but they can share fundraising they can share um ideas or just help each other and support if they have a difficult situation going on so it was really it was a nice meeting we actually got cut off because we couldn't went longer we only had the the zoom on for an hour so it shut off after hour so um the other thing that uh was mentioned um I mentioned to um commissioner Suarez because she was on a meeting with us we were missing
055um our other member because she was at she was away um was that we would like Dr OB you maybe the board to meet 10 minutes prior to the actual booster club meeting just the board members El with you and um so because it was more of an open dialogue with the booster club parents talking to each other so it wasn't really a formal meeting we had no agenda but it was really really nice to see the dedication of these people and what they want to bring to the table and they're going to be looking for our support so we're going to have another one in about a month and we'll try to do them on a regular basis a quarterly basis but they're um out of it came a couple concerns that I have
056to bring to Athletics and I'll bring that to the committee level as well and there was also a policy um question that uh was given to um commissioner Suarez and she's going to bring it to the policy committee so it was a good meeting so any questions commissioner Bass Just for those um listening in and the term was new for myself can you please explain tagging oh tagging oh yes I'm sorry so a lot of people don't know what tagging is tagging is when a sports team or an organized team or or a a club or committee from the local schools and I'm going to use safety patrol because it's very common to me the safety patrol will get permission from the superintendent um that they want a tag tag is when they go out
057in front of a store or a local business with a can with they usually their logo on it and they ask for donations from the community with spare change or dollars or anything like that and they stand say in front of Quick Check and I used to call it Shake in the can because they shake the can to let you know they're standing there and people dump money into their buckets and they go home and all that money is pure profit and um some some teams do it organized some teams don't do it organized some teams if you have to tag and you don't want to you can pay a a fee so you don't have to stand out in the cold or when to do it but there was um when my children did
058it we had to actually get a permit from the police department we also had to go through background checks for the people that were running the tagging event to make sure we didn't have a criminal wreck it because it was money being exchanged and they wanted to make sure the people that were standing didn't have any VI um um violations against Children's Welfare so the police department doesn't do it anymore but um the one parent did bring up the fact is that outside teams are are actually tagging at our really good spots and the only reason why it goes through the superintendent so he knows when the tagging event is happening and he knows what teams are out there so for security and safety for our children's uh betterment and Welfare does that help you
059thank you Absol I'm sure others might have had it's an old term it's now bring it back OG yeah I was the same I I knew what it was I never knew it as tagging correct you know that that's a clip basically I wonder if it comes from TAG ett I understand tagging as marking walls up so not graffiti glad that not graffiti okay not graffiti though we don't condone that any other questions thank you great meeting lot of lot of energy and I really look forward to next meeting thank you commissioner B it was great uh this portion of the meeting is open to Residents and non-residents of Clifton for the purpose of addressing any subject matter pertinent to Andor directly related to the operation of the Clifton Public School District residents and non-residents
060are 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 a respon respon will be forthcoming if and when appropriate the board ask 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
061comments 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 commitments there's no one on the zoom call there's no one on seeing then make a motion to close commissioner B motion to close second by commissioner Mahia um does anybody here and like to step up and make some comments welcome good evening my name is Kim Newan PUO I'm a proud alumna of Clifton schools and taught in Clifton schools for 35 years before retiring a few years ago I now volunteer as the communications director for the Clifton Education Foundation one of the best things that has come out of that role is getting to know know Sam Samantha D Rose who serves as our liaison to the superintendent as
062you all know Sam's professional skills are remarkable but it's her passion and commitment to ensuring that all students are provided a strong education in an inclusive environment that Fosters well-being safety and acceptance that truly makes me proud to call her a friend I know that sentiment is shared by all of our other trustees some of whom are here this evening to see Sam receive this well-deserved recognition we love you Sam you have a heart of gold and the district and our foundation are Beyond lucky to have you for those of you who may not know the CF has been providing grants for Clifton public schools for the past 26 years funding special projects programs and initiatives not typically funded or fully funded by the regular board of education budget to date the CF has funded
063over one qu of a million dollars to enhance education in our schools most recently the CF has funded has fully funded maker space in every elementary school media center as well as recent and upcoming important mental health and well-being programming on every level the cf's function is to raise funds our trustees work diligently in and beyond our community to raise money to provide these grants and special funding we seek the support of local businesses individuals and often our own friends and family to strengthen our ability to provide more and more funding each year we are extremely grateful for those businesses that provide support we encourage you to visit our business directory on our website www.con education foundation.org or social media pages on Facebook and Instagram to identify these businesses and thank them for by patronizing
064them embracing the district's one Clifton initiative support is a two-way street and our community should be supporting those businesses that support our schools there are several ways that you can support the CF our upcoming annual fundraiser the CHS cast Film Festival is celebrating 25 years it takes place on May 1st at 6 p.m. and will be a fun family event featuring a DJ photo booth snacks door prizes an alumni reunion dinner and a variety of short films by Clifton High's young filmmakers in the cast program I'm excited to announce this evening that the CF has arranged to have renowned director screenwriter and producer Ron Maxwell CHS class of 1964 whose credits include Gettysburg gods in general The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia The Parent Trap too and a multitude of other well-known films
065attend the festival Ron will attend the alumni pre-show dinner as well as the film festival then return to CHS the next morning to meet with our young filmmakers to share his wisdom and hopefully Inspire many to do as he did and pursue their dream of creating films we hope to see some of you there that evening and encourage residents to come and see the talent that Educators Mike mccy and Joanna huster have cultivated in the extraordinary cast program we are also currently accepting sponsors and prize donations from local businesses and individuals on May 18th the Clifton Community band's Lollipops and Roses concert at Clifton High School at 2m is another familyfriendly event we are grateful to the Clifton community band and the Clifton Board of recreation for generously donating half of their proceeds to the
066CF additionally one of our business donors CJ Lori owner of Agames Gourmet delicin and Caterers located on Market Street has partnered with us to donate 10% of each bill to the CF for our let's do lunch and D to donate ongoing fundraisers details may be found on our social media Pages Grant season for the 20242 school year will reopen this spring we are here to support our entire School Community including parent and student organizations we strive to raise our profile and encourage you all to join us by spreading the word about the important work the Clifton Education Foundation is doing in our community and encourage individuals and local businesses to show their support by donating to allow us to continue funding programs that enhance the education of all Clifton public school students thank you thank
067you Miss PUO is there anyone else who would like to make any comments all right good evening um Clon cion president Elias Ragsdale um just a few things from last meeting um so first it was mentioning of opening up the stadium to the public um as a member of our track team and and I've talked to coaches and other athletes please please do not do this um first of all establishing city parks and ensuring Recreation for the citizens of Clifton is not the job of the board of the school district um that is within the purview of the city city council recreation department and the point is it's the city's Duty um the money used to recently renovate the entire field and track was paid for by Clifton public school district for students and no
068one else if the city of Clifton would like a track for people to walk on or a football or a soccer field to use then they should go about doing that on their own second but related to this point the facility there is very frequently um occupied with students every single day after school on Saturdays um during the day the middle schoolers use it at in gym class when the weather's nice um track and field team football team I think lacrosse uses it flag football um and I really don't see when the public would be able to be there anyway um just two main things first you know it's the safety issue and then two is it worth opening up to the public um opening up anything comes with liability unlike other public tracks and
069Fields like this the stadium does not serve just one purpose in addition to being the football field and track and use for sports it's my understand that our maintenance department has an office there and a hub sort of thing um you know constantly trucks are coming in and out that belong to the district a portion of the stadium is blocked off from the rest of it and it's really a parking lot for all these trucks um so I don't know how good of an idea it is to have the public you know roaming around here um last meeting it was also mentioned that we may need to staff security for this as well or make it someone's duty to open and close the facility um and it just sounds like more unnecessary money spent or
070adding duties to employees of the district which I think most aren't in favor of and then also in regards to liability and issues um the previous question of vandalism destruction of property and similar concerns that go along with this uh people may ride bikes on the track which on the track which can ruin it um and even just the shoes you wear have a big impact on the track and its um sustainability so and I remember maybe two years ago the city was dealing with issues at Moon Memorial Park because people were quite literally destroying the toilets and the public bathrooms and everything um and I think this is just a headache that we can all avoid void it and when that's really not necessary um next there was also talk last meeting about our
071Athletics and how we lose students and athletes to other districts and one of the barriers when it comes to athlete retention and getting students to participate in sports is the requirement of a physical from a doctor um Rich you didn't graduate too long ago and I know you were an athlete so maybe you understand this and remember it it's like when the season starts the big thing is get your physical in get your physical in um and so many students are denied entry onto a team simply because they didn't hand in a physical on time um you can ask any coach athletic trainer it's an ongoing issue and this isn't an issue without a solution though in fact it's my understanding that we brought this problem upon ourselves I was recently told in the past
072the district brought a doctor into the high school for about a week before the season and students would be notified of this before the season and simply see the doctor right in the high school with no cost at all I'm curious as to why we got rid of this um Dr bosia I think in Lyndon they do this um pcti they do it um so like why why did we stop it um why limit our athletic ability put the burden on families and make it so much more of a complicated process some students have parents that are constantly working there isn't time to schedule an appointment and see a doctor or whether we like to recognize it or not not everyone has health insurance and can so easily see a doctor the way we'd like
073them to so now it's even a heavier burden on those that may be of a lower socioeconomic class and make it harder for those students to enjoy the privilege of Athletics and playing High School sports so please I don't know if someone could bring this up or it could be started as an initiative or at least looked into and then lastly um I'm aware that contract negotiations for teachers are still ongoing um and I know we like to remark that the superintendent runs the day-to-day operations of our district which he greatly does but within this District are our teachers as well um I think of it like a bicycle yes for it to be functioning someone must be riding it but you can only ride a bike so well if you don't check first to
074make sure that the tires have air the brakes are working the chains are clean and to apply this to our situation here we must take care of our teachers which are those gears that you know make the watch turn and make our district run every day um we have an amazing superintendent and it wasn't that long ago that his contract was finalized and we all said he deserves what he was given to him because he's done a good job and we want to keep him here in Clifton so we should feel the same about our teachers we want to keep them here and we should give them what they deserve I understand that money of course isn't growing trees and that there isn't an unlimited amount but we have to assess here what matters in
075a time where we already have shorters of teachers I cannot stress how important this is I don't think of any of them I don't think any of them got into the profession to become rich and their real motivation isn't the dollar sign but everyone needs to live comfortably and if teachers one are personally or financially worried who do you think is affected in the end and furthermore if teachers feel they are not valued by the district then how do you think they'll respond to District initiatives and the direction of administration that's set in place once again who loses in the end here um of course the answer is students and I just wanted to remind this board that Student Success success is at here as well thank you all thank you lias uh anyone else
076wish to speak good evening my name is Lori Lama and I am the uh president of the cea today I stand before you to emphasize the critical role of Parental involvement in education as well as being an integral part of our district research consistently shows that when parents are actively involved in their child's education students achieve higher academic success have better attendance rates exhibit improved behavior and develop strong social skills therefore fostering a strong partnership between schools and parents is Paramount to the overall success of our students parental involvement must address a pressing concern that is affecting the learning environment in our middle schools the vandalism occurring in the school bathrooms these bathrooms are nicer than mine the new ones the destructive Behavior not only poses a safety hazard but also detracts from the overall
077educational experience of our students as we seek solutions to address this issue I believe the parental involvement and support our crucial elements in our efforts to stop the vandalism and promote a positive School environment first and foremost is essential for parents to have an open and honest conversation with their children about the importance of respecting school property and the consequences of vandalism by reinforcing positive behavior at home parents can instill values of responsibility and accountability in their children which will ultimately translate to more respective Behavior at school moreover fostering a sense of ownership and pride in the school facilities can significantly deter destructive Behavior the referendum we've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and millions actually I'm sorry and for kids to go in and vandalize the brand new bathrooms is absolutely pathetic parents can
078encourage their children to take pride in their school environment by invoking them in activities such as beautification projects mural painting and other initiatives that promote a sense of ownership and stewardship by creating a positive and inclusive School Community we can cultivate a culture where students feel invested in maintaining and protecting their school environment in conclusion parental involvement and support are essential components in our efforts to address the vandalism occurring in the middle school bathrooms you also have a powerful Catalyst for student achievement and overall School Improvement by implementing strategies we can cultivate a culture of partnership between schools and parents that enriches the educational experience for all stakeholders together let us commit to prioritizing parental engagement as we work towards the collective goal of empowering every student to reach their full potential thank you thank
079you anyone else wish to speak this evening okay seeing none motion to close motion second motion by commissioner Bast second by commissioner Mahia next is uh adoption of the minutes from March 7th 2024 uh looking for a motion to adopt minutes as written motion motion by Mr Bak second second I commissioner Mahia roll call Mr Shada please M bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr kova yes Mr Mia yes Mr Santiago yes Mr siano yes Mr Suarez yes president Paris yes motion carries Dr Robert toy do you have anything to report this evening I do Mr President thank you so much good evening uh Commissioners uh those in the audience faculty staff students those in the community watching from home um I'd like to reiterate a couple congratulations uh that Jada had mentioned earlier um a
080significant achievement a big congrat congratulations to our high school mock trial team who uh won the State mock trial championship of and it's not one of these state championships like in in some of our sports that are by group or by region there's only one there's one state champion state champion in the entire state of New Jersey and Clifton High School um did it not only did we do it we were the first High School from P County to ever win the mack trial state championship so very very proud of our Mack trial team under the leadership and guidance of Mr vanderhey and I'll be asking the board to recognize the team and Mr vanderhey at a a future meeting uh either in May or the beginning of June absolutely that's it deserves a round
081of applause um also uh I don't have the details but I want to uh and I'll learn more and I want to congratulate our robotics team who qualifi for the world championships in Houston I mean what an opportunity for our students to be a part of these competitions where they get to travel uh across the country to Houston and participate against students from other countries all right so it's it's uh we'll get more details on that and typically we recognize the robotics team they they usually come here and do a little demonstration for us each year which is always really cool so uh we'll recognize them when they do that I think last year that happened in May so we'll do that again excuse me uh School 8 had their annual Tricky Tray on March
08215th and the principal and PTO asked me if I could thank the members of the community school 8 staff and all the families who attended and the PTO would also like to acknowledge the many businesses especially the local Clifton businesses who donated prizes for the event um it was mentioned by U Miss PUO from the Clifton Education Foundation but it's absolutely true we should be frequenting the businesses that support our staff and our students so thank you for mentioning that anytime you want to give a plug to a to a business certainly feel free um and by the way thanks to the Clifton Education Foundation for all that you do uh that that crew right there in the back they're they're the heart of the foundation and they do but look they look innocent but
083don't don't get them started right cuz they you know troublemakers yes they are some troublemakers former nun in the bunch too mhm I'm sorry sorry none of this none of that thank you for all you do because you do provide um extra things for our students and and our staff that that the board can't uh provide so thank you for all you do look forward to collaborating with you again in the future um last year the Clifton Education Foundation supported a uh a dinner for our Governor's educators of the year there's one from each school and our uh support staff of the year and thanks to the Clifton Education Foundation we were uh able to have a nice dinner for them prior to a board meeting and I'm hoping we can discuss perhaps doing that
084again soon so I'll be in touch guys thanks thanks again Elias did he did Elias leave just wanted to commend Elias he's always very well spoken um and I and I appreciate his his input his perspective from himself but he also does speak on behalf of of of many students and so you know we like to take into consideration some of the things he says um most recently he did approach me uh emailed me formally um I won't get into the details but um talking about naming a facility after um Community a member of the community and this had come up previous ly and we don't have a policy in place and we really should so I've put that on the agenda for our meeting Miss Suarez on Monday we should have a policy in
085place um when requests come in from any person or organization to name a facility to name a room to name something after um a prominent citizen an employee because otherwise it it could become very subjective it could be done on a whim some people could be recognized some people not so uh from the administration's perspective it would be best if we had a policy that I could follow when such a request comes in on my previous District we did have a policy I I'll share a sample of that with the with the policy committee but basically there was a when a request would come in there was a a committee formed of of of board members members who would review it and then look at certain criteria and it sounds kind of uh funny and
086I'm not meaning to be funny but one of the big criteria you have to determine is the person have to be dead do the person still be alive and and there's a reason why I I you know I say that because um that's a critical uh factor that you have to take into account in my previous District we named the gymnasium uh as after one of our coaches who happened to be the coach at the time and two years later he left the district and his name was on the court so maybe you don't have to be dead but maybe you need to be retired right or so these are things that why a policy is necessary um for us to to go to so I wanted Elias to know that we are working on
087that because I believe me if I don't respond to him he'll follow up um so I do want him to know that we're working on that um and also I don't know the uh question he asked about the physicals why we used to do them and we don't any longer but that's certainly something I would like to find out there must have been a reason why we stopped doing it maybe it's something we can look into doing again finally guys um and I'll send you a more formal invite but on April 22nd um there will be a bench dedication for Emmanuel Manny Rodriguez a formal former School 16 student who passed away in uh 2021 after a long foot battle with cancer uh he attended Clifton School 16 and woodro Wilson Middle School he was
088a member of Team Praise of the Clifton League baseball and a martial arts student the dedication will occur at 3:30 p.m. outside of school 16 right next to the tree that was planted for him in 2022 and all are welcome to attend the board had previously authorized um this uh this bench um and it has come to fruition so I will send you a formal invite but just for your calendars April 22nd at 3:30 at school 16 um and last but not least I was remiss and not remembering that tomorrow is is Vinnie Constantino's birthday and uh Employee of the Month Happy Birthday Eve Vinnie hope you have a great birthday tomorrow um that's all I have for tonight thank you Mr President thank you Dr Rob toy um I will hold my comments till
089the end uh next up is a the first reading of policy it's um policy 5600 student discipline code of conduct and policy 6620 petty cash I'm looking for a motion to approve the first motion second okay motion by commissioner Brin Shack second by commissioner Mahia roll call Mr shot please miss bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr kova yes Mr Mia yes Mr Santiago yes Mr siano yes M Suarez yes president Paris yes unfinished business is next is there any unfinished business discuss okay seeing none uh we're going to move on to um some monthly recognitions that we have uh the first is for Autism Awareness Month and commissioner Suarez would you please read that resolution certainly thank you um whereas Autism Awareness Month in April aims to celebrate and promote acceptance for the condition that
090occurs in one in every 36 children have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and whereas individuals with living autism spectrum disorder can achieve independence and live purposeful lives when afforded the support system and opportunities that each everyone deserves and whereas many individuals and families living with autism know that acceptance is often one of the largest barriers to finding and developing a strong support system whereas policies need to be implemented that break down barriers for individuals with autism so they may succeed in their chosen communities and whereas self- Advocates family caregivers professionals and others who work every day to create more opportunities for individuals with autism should be recognized for their contributions and whereas One goal of autism awareness and acceptance month is to spread awareness Foster acceptance and Empower everyone in the autism Community for
091the resources needed to live fully and whereas the ultimate goal is to create a world where everyone in the autism Community feels accepted and connected to the support they need when they need it now therefore be it resolved with the autism diagnosis right rate increasing the Clifton Board of Education would like to take the month of April to celebrate the differences of learn more about and Empower autistic individuals where blue this month to recognize and celebrate our population with ASD thank you thank you commissioner Suarez uh April is also Arab Heritage Month uh Mr commissioner siano would you please read uh the resolution absolutely whereas the Clifton Public Schools board of Education recognizes the importance of honoring and celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Arab Americans whereas Arab Heritage Month provides an opportunity for students
092Educators and community members to learn about and appreciate the contributions of Arab Americans to our society culture and history whereas the celebration of Arab Heritage Month Fosters inclusivity diversity and understanding among students Educators and community members whereas as it is essential to promote cultural awareness and understanding to combat stereotypes prejudice and discrimination now therefore be it resolved that the Clifton Public Schools Board of Education hereby proclaims the month of April as Arab Heritage Month in clion public schools be it further resolved that Clifton Public Schools shall incorporate educational activities programs and events highlighting the history culture contributions and achievements of Arab Americans during Arab Heritage Month be it further resolved that Clifton Public Schools encourages Educators to integrate lessons and materials about Arab American Heritage into their curriculum throughout the school year be it further
093resolved that the Clifton Public Schools Board of Education encourages H the observance of Arab Heritage Month through various activities such as cultural performances guest speakers art exhibits film screening screenings and Community discussions be it further resolved that Clifton Public Schools encourages students Educators and community members to actively participate in and support the celebration of Arab Heritage Month this resolution shall take effect immediately thank you commissioner siano April is also School library month uh in New Jersey uh commissioner Santiago thank you president Paris whereas the month of April 2024 has been designated nationally a school library month by the American Association of school librarians and whereas School libraries with clion Public Schools strive to provide Equitable access to resources and instruction for all students and whereas Clifton Public School libraries Endeavor to provide materials and resources
094that reflect the diversity of our students and communities while upholding a student's freedom to read and whereas the libraries of Clifton Public Schools provide resources and instruction to support the implementation of New Jersey student learning standards and whereas the school library media Specialist of Clifton Public Schools develop information literacy skills instruction to empower students to effectively locate evaluate and apply knowledge and where as a school library media Specialist of Clifton Public Schools play a crucial role in literacy development fostering a lifelong love of reading among students and whereas the school library media Specialist of Clifton Public School schools curate literature appreciation activities and promote both content and recreational reading to every student and whereas the libraries of cliff and public schools contribute to students social and emotional learning needs and whereas it is both fitting
095and proper that special recognition be given to school libraries and the role of certified School library media specialists in ensuring an environment that Fosters reading and learning investigation and research and the lifelong pursuit of knowledge for all students in New Jersey now therefore be it resolved that the Clifton public education Board of Education recognize April 2024 School library month in New Jersey thank you thank you commissioner Santiago all right um I'm looking for a motion to approve the following uh under education Administration items one I'm good through 13 motion motion to approve by bassford seconded by commissioner brunak roll call Mr shot please miss bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr Kenova yes Mr Mahia yes Mr Santiago yes Mr siano yes M Suarez yes president Paris yes motion carries okay under Personnel items one through
09624 motion to approve please motion motion by commissioner second by commissioner brunak roll call Mr shida please miss bassford yes abstaining on p21 my name only Mr brunak yes Mr kova yes Mr Mia yes Mr Santiago yes M uh Mr sianos yes Miss Suarez yes president Paris yes with abstention on C 21 my name only motion carries under finance and Facilities seeking a motion to approve items one through 18 motion motion to approv by commissioner brunak second sorry second by commissioner bassford roll call please Mr shahada Miss bassford question I thought I thought Mr Brun I got a question sorry I had a question on P4 question okay um this is an agreement between us the Board of Ed because we own a portion of main Memorial Park um where we own up to where
097the pond is I believe right so and what what is the do we it's a dollar what is the lease agreement or is it just a handshake it is a dollar from 1984 thank you that's the only question I have thank you oh I have a question uh thank you for p8 um if you can and maybe um Mr shahada you can explain I wasn't clear what Phoenix advisers um are or what they do for our district it's a low cost but I just wanted to have Clarity around their role this is the company that um like does the bonding for our referendum so we have to renew it every year thank you they're um um they're a financial advisor I read it I just couldn't gain Clarity with the language that was used but
098thank you any any other questions okay roll call please Mr shot Miss bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr kova yes but abstain on F18 5121 Mr Mia yes Mr Santia M Santiago yes Mr siano yes abstaining on f17 invoice 109 935 tomahawk promot motions because of my business relationship Miss Suarez yes president Paris yes motion carries board member comments so we will start if my memory serves me correct I think we start with Mr siano go for it put me on a spot nice good evening everybody I got some stuff to say here congrats to the students of the month and the employees of the month it's great to see such amazing people our district I do want to give a shout out to Vinnie uh one of the first people to come out and
099support me because my father was his mailman which is a good reason to support me and Samantha I'm just getting to know you but your dedication really shines so I was very happy to see that tonight uh thank you Jada for always keeping us informed with your student report it's very vital we stay up to date April marks autism awarness month it's a Time dedicated to fostering an increased understanding and acceptance of autism together we should work towards a future that fully includes people with autism ISM this month we also take a moment to appreciate the storied history vibrant traditions and the enduring Spirit of community that Define Arab Heritage I was honored to be invited to attend the CHS project UniFi talent show that was an amazing experience filled with unbelievable Talent just before
100the meeting I was able to attend the ribbon cutting for the new weit room at Christopher and I think that was a great investment in our students that weight room is amazing some congratulations uh first Clifton earned best community in music education for this sixth year in a row I think we all know how important music is so I'm very happy to hear this and to the CHS mock trial team for becoming state champions that's truly an amazing achievement I can't wait to see what the future holds for you it's also School library month I urge everyone everyone to go to your nearest library and do what I did get yourself a library card consider looking into the benefits of joining the friends of the library it's uh very important to support our libraries and
101learning never stops go take a look and explore the selections and all the programs that they offer Clifton Junior Athletic League kicked off this past weekend I'm looking forward to attending some games I gave up my Yankee tickets this year for this position so I could give it my full attention so I'm certainly these games will make up for it yeah it's all right it's all right I'm going to go but now I have these games I'm looking forward to it uh to all those in the community who reach out to me regarding concerns please keep it up I ran with an open door policy I stand by that and my phone is always on for your calls I do have to thank Danny and Mark for getting right on top of these concerns as
102I present them to you I am truly grateful for your help and your care for the district Clifton rec.com has a lot of summer events and programs my personal favorite is music together at the Clifton Arts Center the amazing Kim latiano is the instructor check the schedule it's certain Wednesdays in June and July it's good quality quity time with family singing dancing while learning to support your child's musical development and I hope everybody has a good week that's all I got thank you president Paris so um I just wanted to ask a question first before we start if that's if that's okay so um in terms of using the track um right did actually I think currently right now we use the track for fundraisers do we not like it's Autism Awareness Month I think
103there's an Autism Walk in May um I think we've had Relay for Life I think we've used that multiple times for similar things is that correct yeah those have been specific use of facility requests from organizations right but and they continue right we have one in May which will be a fundraiser these are all worthy causes but public comes and they walk on the track the day the half the day whatever it is right so we kind of use it in a similar fashion but if via the use of facility right okay thanks um so congratulations to all of our um employees who won the award as well as our students um I want to shout out Abel who I read his I really want to um recognize him for his his uh his empathy
104um and I want to say um condolence to the dicky family and thank you so much for coming out my older son Anthony went through uh attended school 11 Mr Dicky was his principal I remember him well um then my son Matthew had him for kindergarten in first grade and then we created we built School 17 and had to move him that's a whole another thing but um they both had Mr Dicky as a principal and um when he retired uh he was missed but he will be missed in my do and thank you for coming out um but to Abel thank you so much for doing what you did I mean it's no wonder you won this award and it's just great example of our students thank you um the mock trial team I
105just have to do this I'm sorry is the first pay County school public or private to win Top honors in the 40 plus years of the State mock trial champ competition Clifton's team the first pay County School to be commanded so not pcti not Little Falls not Wayne on and on Clifton's mock trial team the first pay County school so kudos to them um yeah happy U you know Autism Awareness I um have U someone in my family who is dear to me um and so just um thinking about and celebrating everybody uh celebrating that um School library month I mean thank you so much to all of our Librarians and our media Specialists especially now um thank you for all that you do um Mr Rose thank you for all you do um congratulations
106very well deserved um and uh yeah happy American uh I'm sorry happy Arab Arab Heritage Month um and uh I think that's it good night thank you president Paris um I first like to congratulate all of our employees for being um employees of the month and a big thank you for all you guys I know most of you probably have other job offers um seeing other opportunities that pay a lot more probably but thank you guys for sticking with us and making our district extremely well um congratulations to all the students of the month in terms of our spring Sports I know you guys are having a terrific season to open it up so keep it up especially the boys tennis team I see that that they're pretty hot right now especially after beating on
107one of our biggest Rivals Pake um like Mr seano said it was a great talent show that happened over at the high school and as in contrast to the weight room it's beautiful I I was talking to one of the coaches before and a former teammate of mine saying Oh how we wish we would have had this back back when we were there especially because of how good our football team and track team are getting um these past couple years this is obviously going to improve in how they perform on and off the field and a huge shout out to Mr vaner in terms of the Montreal team um back when I was on the Montreal team we made it to the semifinals of that round so to actually be there and celebrating their big
108win especially versus Midland Regional that's the school that I I believe that's the school we lost to or it was Notre Dame Academy um but it was huge seeing that um the momentum when the judge came out it was almost like a a drum roll of silence and as soon as it came out everyone's burst into into tears jumping up and down um and I knew we were going to win from the moment I heard um their opening I knew we were going to win it from that moment and I said hey it's already a closed case so congratulations to them um I know we're going to honor honor them um hopefully within the next month um and I wish them the best of luck going down to Delaware thank you all right good evening
109everyone first congratulations to all the award winners I know we have talented individuals here in Clifton and I'm glad that we have an opportunity to recognize them um I was glad to see the pbsa program is having a positive impact um I'm hopeful to see that the behaviors continue forward and outside of school I know that's a um we do have a sort of a barrier there like you said we could only interact and do things within the school walls but I hope that they take that with them and bring that outside of schools as well um my condolences to the dicki family uh the the daughter said she was looking for a sign and as you mentioned you know we had Abel stand up here and say what an impact he had on his
110life I mean a lot of a lot of reasons why people go into this profession is really for that and they never know who they really you know have have U an interaction with or someone who they that uh they touched along the way so I was glad to see that happen and unfold in in in real world example uh I just want to thank all the groups fundraise for schools clubs and teams I know that's a tough role to do and allows everyone to partake in in everything that we do here so thank you for that uh Mr Elias talked about opening the track and we talked about also what we're doing at the memorial Pond where they're doing some sort of like uh renovation there maybe it's possible and we should bring this
111to the municipal Alliance meeting maybe it's possible they they put a little track around there for people to walk um if they're just looking for a place to walk it could it could be something that we do there and we don't have to open up the other side of the track for for them um just an idea the doctor physical at back to school night they reminded everyone that get these physical forms in because they do take a while to to come back and I did experience that myself with uh when my daughter was trying to do something with dance so I know there is a there is something there I just don't know what the what the situation is or how to fix it but um there is definitely something there and with the
112the facilities the bathrooms how they said they're they're marking up the walls maybe we bring that to facilities to see if there's something that could be done to coat the walls or coat the the dividers and tiles to make it easier to clean um other than that just you know instructing students not to do that maybe periodic bathroom checks if you know which students had gone into the bathroom maybe you could identify who's doing it um that's the only ideas that I have um and that's all I had tonight thank you thank you Mr President want to give a shout out to all the students who were invited to the all City strings concert M Mr lewitz and all the other admin and staff who helped make it happen it was absolutely fantastic and at
113the end they had never done this before because they were about 300 students in all so they ended up doing a um they ended up doing a song at the end of 300 of them and it was amazing what can you say and this is competitively based so congrats to all the kids who made it and got the invitation over there absolutely fantastic fantastic other things going on in the city shout out to the Clifton Junior Athletic League um based out of albian park for all the great work they do for the kids in this city commissioner fantry with youth baseball all the coaches including Bob C Wayne bilau Jason corano Chris peruta Ken Lee all the other volunteers who helped get it done personal shout out to miss Samantha D Rose employee of the
114month this was the best speech I Have Heard tonight since I was sworn in it was heartfelt selfless message what else can you say but thank God for a high caliber high and qu high quality employee like Samantha thank you for everything you do and finally shout out to principal hamde I had forgotten about the solar eclipse this year till he mentioned it about six weeks ago approximately I don't I don't even remember where we were and um He was discussing this Celestial event and it so profoundly impacted me that uh last week I ended up booking a room on Thursday for Sunday night Sunday afternoon I drove out there to Cleveland and it rained Sunday night so I freaked out and uh my twin brother had been there since Friday so he's like come
115out 40 40 miles west of Cleveland so I was there and never seen anything like it in my life and if anyone else had the honor to do something like that was absolutely breathtaking and beautiful very emotional event and uh you just see darkness and there's also a red dot at the bottom of the of the Eclipse which I made sure I wasn't hallucinating so everybody else surrounding me and it ended up being a solar flare which was insane but it was absolutely beautiful so shout out to princi principal hamda for mentioning that that's all I have thank you for your time God Bless America good night everybody thank you thank you um good evening everyone to the employees of the month congratulations um to Vinnie and Sam even on the weekends you're at events
116taking pictures and you you memorialize the beauty of our district in a profound way and your pictures are outstanding so heartfelt thanks and she was also one of my daughter's favorite teachers so yeah well you you you shaped her to go into communication so it's kind of TIG you're it um condolences to the Dicky family and to the film festival on May 1st uh at 6:00 I will be there I have two uh former alumni that were at the film festival we still have Evil Elmo living in my house um my basement was under construction and Samantha turned the basement into a dungeon and thus evoled Evil Elmo when she locked my then young son in a dog cage and evil Elmo attacked my son it was a great we still have it so it's
117you know the memories that that our students make from the film festival and their products are outstanding so if you have nothing to do at May first sachche over to Clifton High sasche over at 6 o'clock and go watch fine outstanding impeccable Talent the future of our world making films it they're incredible so please do that um congratulations to the mock trial team the robotics team I went to see project UniFi so some of my uh fellow colleagues there to miss PUO and the Education Foundation ladies thank you for everything you do um thank you to Jada and thank you to Elias for getting up and speaking the wait room today was unbelievably beautiful if you have when you go over to the stadium poke your head in if it's open peek in the windows
118everything was so pristine and and beautiful and for somebody that has to have everything in order all the names are the right up them they the weights say Clifton Mustangs on them it's just the detail was outstanding so go there and see it from what it used to be to what it is now thank you to the residents of Clifton that allowed this board to make that decision to give that to the future of this this District so thank you from the bottom of my heart you know it's just beautiful to see I just hope there's a couple of the projects that have to go on over there I'm hoping that um we we as a board get to see them come to fruition as well um last but not least I have to um
119send my deepest condolences to Dana Howard um she's an HSA mom I know her for a long time um condolences to you and your family on the sudden passing of your husband Robert my thoughts are with your family with Emma Lucy and James during this very difficult time um deepest con toces Dana you you're you're a you're a rock at school 15 um and your husband was supported everything you did and supported the school system so uh my heart goes out to you and your family if you need anything you know where we are she's a she's a very big um involved parent with the HSA committee she's involved in the district and she's always supported this district with everything that we've asked of our parents so my deepest condolences that's all I have good
120night thank you commissioner bassford I'll repeat some of my other colleagues comments it's hard not to after they all spoke um but they're important things to recognize um did I miss someone I'm so I am so sorry you're a very forgiven presid me off by starting with Joe commissioner Suarez it's all yours thank you it's quite all right um good evening everyone and um congratulations to all the winner uh our award winners students and staff and um Sam thank you so much for all the work you do I'm appreciating getting to know you and look forward to developing our relationship in the next three years and hopefully more than that um Clifton I say this every meeting and I think I'll continue to say it I I just really appreciate it more and more um
121the students you know um Mr ragdale this young gentleman young man um I really appreciate what he has to share I agree with you Dr Rober toi that when he speaks it's it it comes with intention and meaning and um I really appreciate what he had to share uh regarding the um physicals and another perspective to take with that as well depending on your insurance um if it's an annual physical that you sometimes they only approve once per year and if your next physical isn't due until February or April some students may miss out on some um Sports as a result of that you know their insurance that have nothing to do with so um thank you Dr Robert toosy for wanting to look into that further um and this is just uh a quick
122thing from last meeting I mentioned uh to discuss the policy on our recess or rather our recess policy and that will be discussed um in this coming meeting that we'll have next week um and then just other things that Clifton is doing uh I had the privilege to attend project unify talent show um to say I was lighted is an understatement um the students shine so beautifully so brightly with their um their interests and their talents um I just I was in tears with how much joy the parents had um with how much support went in from the teachers and staff and and um the students uh both from the high school and other programs it was just truly truly a beautiful event I wish I could bring my could have brought my son with
123me so he could um celebrate the diversity of Clifton it was really beautiful um also big congratulations to the mock trial team what a wonderful accomplishment um thank you uh commissioner Santiago for really nailing exactly how special it was um so thank you for sharing that um and yes I I also you um before I came on board and as I shared with the public I I wanted to let you know how I I wish to continue to um better myself as a board member and as an educator today I attended a professional development at hackin saac Meridian School of Medicine right here on Route three and um they're looking to partner with local public schools so I am partnering with some people there just to learn more information see um if and how we
124can potentially um and of course I'll talk to Dr Rober toi there's nothing there I'm just in conversation meeting people but um things that we discussed today were social emotional learning um teacher retention and the influence of uh the flux of multilingual Learners all things that we've discussed here um so I'm really looking forward to seeing how and if um we can partner cuz um they seemed like they were doing some really good work there and also this weekend I'll be attending the American Education research Association in Philadelphia um this is the stateof art research uh education internationally coming uh here to Philly last year it was in Chicago and and I plan to really learn a great deal there um you have the Educators from around the world doing the Leading Edge um research
125in education um in all of these things whether it's social emotional learning um what I just mentioned in including technology all things in education so um I look forward to sharing some things that I learned with uh my colleagues here thank you well thank you everyone have a great night thank you commissioner Suarez I'm sorry I it's hard to keep track sometimes what's that should I you want me to mention okay yes um Mr Shad reminds me that our next meeting will be April 25th it will be um at the high school media center and it's a special meeting we call it a board retreat um most people would call it professional development um we have a a representative from New Jersey School Board Association that comes in and helps facilitate some training for us
126and uh I thank my colleagues for dedicating uh the additional time and also also uh for dedicating this board to work towards becoming a certified board by njsba uh it takes quite a bit of additional training and takes quite a bit of dedication from from everyone's part and it's greatly appreciated and as a board we decided we wanted to do that to improve ourselves uh and be the very best we can be um congratulations to all the award winners uh and particularly uh Mr Rose who's everywhere all the time um if there's anyone who exemplifies excellence and one Clift and it's you um thank you to the Clifton Education Foundation members that are here this evening and Miss PUO who spoke and all you do for our community uh our school Community uh there's just
127so much more we're we're able to offer our students because of you and it is greatly appreciated and recognized um congratulations to the mock trial team the robotics team um we won someone mentioned I believe uh Tony mentioned or Mr siano mentioned about this is the sixth year that we won an award for music education here in Clifton um it's an area very near and dear to to my heart um but the Arts in general in Clifton um and how they really they really enhance our students learning um be at the uh uh project UniFi uh Talent contest I saw uh displaying uh some fantastic vocalists U and comedians as well who was quite quite the gamut of talent um we had our All City band and our All City strings over the last month
128uh which were the very best of our elementary middle and high school uh bands all of which I can say perform well above their levels and are quite amazing um our Wind Ensemble our high school Wind Ensemble recently participated in a competition where we took silver uh amongst some very very uh very good bands in the area so I'm very proud of them our cast filmfest that's coming coming up soon something that uh you don't want to miss and just all the areas whether it be the visual arts um music uh Dance Theater you name it I mean these are the things that have not only enhanced students lives but also are quantitatively proven to advance academics and learning uh so it's just a wonderful wonderful program that we have here in Clifton and um
129I just like to thank all those that help make that possible for students uh May 18th just another Shameless plug uh is uh the Clifton community band uh Lollipops and Roses concert uh half the proceeds are shared with um the Clifton Education Foundation that's here at the high school auditorium uh if you have time uh please come and see us and that's all I have so new next topic is new B new business anyone yeah I have something Dr Robi took a walk outside the excuse himself there's been a lot of chatter on Facebook and social media about um the difference between Abbot and non- abbit District so for the community now that we have everybody's attention could you explain could somebody explain I'm asking the question for you Mr um president uh Paris if
130somebody from Administration can explain how a district becomes the other question that was asked of me can Clifton still apply can you just tell them the parameters of how this works and then this way maybe we can clear up some misconceptions thank you Mr Shad is aware of that uh far too aware yeah so it was something that was created in the 1980s by the legislature to uh being compliant with the Constitution to give all students an equal access uh education it's mainly geared towards impoverish districts with a low tax base so you know the the Trenton the Camden the Pattersons the pakes unfortunately our neighbors um and they just dumped in a bunch of money into those districts where like 90% of their budget comes from from the state instead of like local Revenue
131like we have here it in the early 2000s is shifted to SDA it is not an application process it is something that if you just have the community that can't support the taxes that are needed for the Local District the state has to step in and and bear the cost so my question would be does CLI does Clifton currently in 2024 qualify to become an abbit District absolutely not thank you yeah my my understanding It's a combination of real estate value and uh median income and in fact we haven't had a uh real estate reappraisal in 30 years so I think that I read recently somewhere we're appraised at somewhere around five billion based on the old standard which conservatively conservatively the estimate was it would be at least three times that when we do
132our reappraisal so we're pretty high value real estate District also um we were compar had to Hoboken and now you know I grew up in Jersey City right next to Hoboken and back in the day the community was impoverished and now through gentrification just like Jersey City you can't you can't touch a home on a regular Street for over a million dollars my fa my the house that my grandfather built that my father was born in it's over a million dollars I I wouldn't it's a mashbox you know it's a tinder box and just just to reiterate this is something that was done back in the ' 80s and '90s so so whatever it was at that time you're kind of grandfathered in and comparing Hoboken to us it's not Apples to Apples they're are
133one one by one square mile you know and we're a city of 100,000 people so there's no real comparison there the other thing that people don't realize is back in the day and we don't no longer get these fundings we used to get what's called a rim funding we used to get an extra little stiens if you want to call it from the state and uh it did help because the communities around the abber district did file suit and they got this Abott Rim money so is there any way because you know it is becoming quite tumultuous for us to look if we wanted to if say we we needed another school we'd have to go to the local taxes um to the community where when we look over to our neighbors and God bless
134them they're getting all this free money and they're getting school after school after school it's hard for us to answer to the people that we our constituents that we're not getting that money is there any way that now that you have somebody and you've talking to start you start our legislative team is actually working well with the you've you've bridged the Gap somebody in education somebody that understands the needs that we have and is also our 27th District uh representative can we bring this to her about how to make this fair you know the word is fair that we get some more funding from the state as well for buildings we have and and just to clarify so for the past two or three years under Governor Murphy's Administration we re see roughly this year
135we got $264,000 I guess you can consider it that Rim money and it's used for maintenance project falls under the SDA and to your original question uh Mr Kenova has done a fantastic job of connecting us with the assembly woman and we seems as though we have a really good relationship with her and she understands our struggle she is a superintendent in a in a in a district in East nework so everything that we were reiterating to her she was understanding because she was going through the same struggles we are so I do believe there is light at the end of the tunnel thank you very much I just wanted to clarify that for everybody because I was getting a lot of people are hit me up with messages and I did see the email
136that Dr robotzi did send back to the Community member so thank you Dr robotzi for answering those questions we I learned something in that email too as well but I think that that's one of the things that we need to do is have open communication people would chat in a way and you know it's it's not fair that we can't get that money but maybe there's a way if we open up voice and as far as assembly woman Rosie boli I know her very well for a really long time and she is an educator first yeah so you have a good person in that seat yeah if I may Mr Paris we we were very impressed with the assembly woman we're happy to have her as our representative we think that's a really good we
137got up to a really good relationship with her she understands our our issues um and I have to share something that the Community member told me who who had asked me um a few bunch of the budget questions and also Mr shahada spoke to um she was just very thankful that we answered her and I'm thinking to myself I wonder what her experience had been uh in other places because of of of course of course I would answer um sometimes people might not like the answer but we're always going to answer um and she was very complimentary she was very appreciative of the fact that um I was responsive and uh and very also impressed with Mr shahad who got on the phone with her and spoke to her for you know I don't know
138how long and I and I I said to her I said I like the thing we're very cognizant that we only exist because of our the kids in the community their parents and the taxpayers otherwise we don't exist so um I I say that just to any member of the community if there is a question of course you can come here not everybody can come to a board meeting if you email us we will get back to you we will do our best to answer the question um and I was just very surprised that she was so grateful that we answered it and I guess answered it with transparency can you just explain to the people in the in the audience and the community when they email the board what is the mechanism that happens
139so this way everybody's clear on how we do this yeah that's that that's that's very important so it is is important for members of the public to know that when when you email a board member with a concern they're going to forward it to me and the response is probably going to come from me or a member of my staff a board member cannot individually speak for the board um they might simply respond to you that they've received your concern they forwarded your concern to the superintendent a board member cannot act on their own individually so what their responsibility is to pass that issue along to the administration it's when the administration does not handle an issue then that issue will be brought to the full board so please don't think that a board member
140is ignoring you if you email them um you'll probably get a response that simply says I forwarded your concern to the superintendent thank you sanago president Paris um so um yeah I was actually going to share that that person then shared your response and did compare it to other areas that may not be as responsive and um she was very very thankful for that um you know people think like we hide things from them or um you know the Abbot District commissioner Mahia brought this up last meeting and we we discussed that and we answered that and still people think like for looks we don't want to I mean listen I take that personal because I'm on this board and being a part of this board I'm not going to going to let anybody for
141lack of a better word just commit fraud so that we don't get funds because it's not a good look I mean I'm not going to be a part of that so um yeah the more we just communicate and share what the reality is it is now Hoboken what's the criteria of getting Hoboken out of there Mr shihada thank you it's a tiny tiny small town but I don't know what the criteria is when you get off of that but I know the criteria is how we get on it and we aren't qualifying for that so thanks anyone else any oh commissioner Mia so with uh what Mr Santiago just mentioned I Just Want U if any of you guys could just answer that way the public knows I see it day in and day out
142people um show me texts about it they show me Facebook post Instagram post about it in the past 20 years were we ever presented with the opportunity and did we neglect it uh Mr shado would like to answer that so it's it's not something that and Dr to correct me if I'm wrong that you're presented with the option and it's kind of yay or nay it's if you qualify for it by the state's metrics you're it it's unequivocal they they put you in that bracket and and you're there until I guess your grandfather that or timed out I don't know how that part works thank you so for the community out there that's the answer we no one here ever said no we don't want the funding if they would have gave us the funding
143back then I would have taken it yeah um nothing nothing better nothing better than that would take y good morning well thank you again M Shad okay thank you any anyone else yes commissioner Suarez um this is uh a different matter and I just came to me so I I didn't communicate with anyone prior to this meeting um for the public portion on the Comm uh on the computer for Zoom um and of course we can table it and discuss it another time is it possible to keep the zoom open from the start of the meeting just because it's really hard to predict when you're home when the public portion is going to begin so if someone has intention to come on the board for for the public portion and um and maybe perhaps you
144know went to the restroom really quick and came back and realized we closed the moot we made a motion to close it and they don't have the opportunity um to speak publicly via Zoom is there a potential possibility that we can open it um indefinitely until it's presented and then we can close it just so someone can have the ear out if it's in the background and they go oh okay public for question is now and and let me come to the computer um just because I I've done that last year prior to being a a board member um I wanted to participate and it it was hard because I didn't know it's hard to predict when um it it's going to be unless you have the you know I know that you can participate
145online uh and in the zoom but I'm just wondering if there might be a disconnect in time there and I'll second that because that happened to me as well but there's also a delay between this and live so some yeah so sometimes depending on how long that delay is and it all depends on you know what they're watching on TV or YouTube or where they are maybe the answer is a simple as reversing what we doing Mr President uh president Paris um I'm four terms on this board so I can tell you my first term we started public com at 8:00 regardless of what was going on somebody made a motion to suspend the or noral Lo of business 8:00 it was public session boom uh we did that because it was similar to the
146way the count runs there everybody knows you want to go to council meeting 8:00 is public portion regardless what's going on they stop so from from my tenure as my experience I would that would be my suggestion is make it a dedicated time of when public portion is going on I would have public portion in public first and then do the virtual on the actually giving people that time to get on for the delay because I know you yeah because a lot of people did say well I tried to go on and you guys did it already and I couldn't get in so that would just be something and that that I think it would have to go in the policy committee uh yeah we can run through policy but but as I understand we
147would always break at 8 and the request would be to keep open uh the online portion through the do the public portion first inperson portion first keep it up in the whole time and then go to uh online excuse me are aren't we always in Eric Mountain's waiting room or something like that when you get into that room or the people coming in go into a a waiting room yeah yeah uh then they're let in I mean Mr Rose could explain best how this works she you can see who who's in you can see if somebody's in there waiting yeah I we leave it open all the time right and then when it's minimized you can see if somebody's popped in because it'll display on the screen that somebody's in the waiting room thank you
148and you know they they can watch or whatever and I just think if we designate a time people will be more cognizant of getting up but getting into that Rhythm it'll take a couple meetings before people get used to it but you know that can be discussed in your committee and then this way you can bring it back to the board and we can have that debate on it yeah I do agree that it'll take a couple of meetings so because it's the expectation um you know and and just wanting to just waiting so if they know a specific time or the the um the time to wait if they're listening in and so either one but I'm open to a specific time I just wanted to bring that up um to increase public participation
149it would be optimal to have a specific time because the meeting does time out it for inactivity so I constantly have to go up there and jiggle the mouse or whatever which is not a problem but it would just be more efficient and professional if we did have a time but that's just two cents thank you and we made a change uh previously so that we' read all the board committee reports before public recognition so there is a possibility if we do 8:00 we may not be there or do that so but if if the key thing is the timing we can do that we can break at 8 make sure we go to public recognition but we may not get in everything maybe we won't get to committee reports by 8 o'clock I don't
150know it depends on or get through all of them by then it depends on uh how many reports I guess we have I don't know what time we got to it tonight I'll double check the tape and see okay I I'll work on that it's it's just a it warms my heart and if this board ever decided to go back to the second and uh to the second and fourth Wednesday of every month you would really make me even happier that was changed to accommodate two board members um schooling and we went because everybody set their Clocks by the first and second um the first and third Tuesday of every month was across street second and fourth Wednesday was always here and that would warm my heart but I I I do agree with with
151my fellow Commissioners that public portion is really because that's what we're a public school that's our constituents we need to hear from them so maybe we have to adjust a time as we go maybe 8:30 you know it depends on you know we have to watch it and watch the whole it's it's going to be a wheel we're starting to invent again so we're going to have to take it from how we see take the data and see what we need to do with it so listen I'm I'm willing to do a test run on this but I've been going into that um Eric Mountain's room since 2021 I'm telling you there just aren't a lot of people calling in the comment it's true it's it's the God's honest truth you know so it's it's
152sad but true and uh you know to the people that actually come here like uh Elias or whatever Lori she's here all the time you know so dedication and we have it and I believe the city council still does not even have that right they don't have a zoom no so we we at least have it okay and any other new business I have one other one yes um so I don't know how to address this but I just want to bring it up so on social media there are posts sometimes where there's just inaccurate news like wild claims of a painted picture of a dire situation in a school and while I know otherwise I'm a commissioner and I cannot comment to it so is there some way or to say that someone here
153is that person or someone from Administration is that person or somehow get some information out to the public saying that there's this wild claim that I don't know frogs are falling from the sky in such and such school but that's not the case because I get a lot of calls and emails and all concerned it it's it it's a problem especially the other night with with a very serious claim and people were so matter of fact about this thing happening in in our school and it was very very frustrating to read that I just I have a philosophical issue with giving credence to anything that's on Facebook that's my problem with us giving an official response to social media posts on Facebook however as you know when it started to get a little out of
154hand I had to have the principal um principal actually asked me could could I send something out um and so we did um you know so I I kind of rather handle it on a caseby Case basis you know what I mean um Mr Rose does alert me she's on those things she does alert me if she sees something that's a little questionable um but to have to say to have Samantha go on there and issue an official statement yeah I don't I don't know well and then you know then there's Twitter and what other media are you going to monitor it's and then you forget one I'm only thinking that in a certain spefic specific group and and even honestly in this setting you know I'm not even a member of that group but
155people are sending me messages from it um so I know we couldn't be on every group but what happens is in these settings someone will post something 30 people will see and then other people a comment and it's like the bad news gets even worse and then they never hear because they may not have students in the school they may never hear the fact that that was untrue and then their depiction of the school is oh this type of stuff occurs every day that's Clifton and it's just not the case so I don't know I don't know the answer but I just want to at least bring up the problem here so that people are aware and the communities aware that maybe they have answers I don't know can can I just sorry I mean
156it's it's great because we brought this in and commissioner bassford also alluded to right we are informed of certain things right we are aware plenty of people says hey I'm hearing this rumor are you aware we are aware of certain things right um but yeah you you can't I mean there's rumors there's speculation there's people believe any Story I mean we would be you know you'd be answering that all day long um but to what you're alluding to somebody asked me that crazy same exact thing um and I don't know sometimes you listen I mean I love our students but sometimes you're repeating what a kid said you know what I mean and it's kids and like you got to make sure you I don't know but um yeah you just we can't answer every
157you know story or rumor I don't I don't know I mean the they'd be doing it all day long we we have a mechanism for this already right there there's emails that you can send to every parent in any school uh we let them know when there's a holiday we let them know when it's a half a day so if it's something that becomes that misconstrued uh Administration can send out u a notification I I think that's probably and that's official that's coming from the source and it's not feeding into the rumor mill you know I think that's probably the best way we could communicate president Paris I have to commend Dr robotzi for his solar eclipse email I mean it was thorough I actually took a screenshot and sent it to a friend of
158them in another district and I said na na na na and because and they they were very impressed because one thing I've I've learned and I've told you this is that can do or know everything I surround myself with people who are a lot smarter than me that's all Janina that was great thank you and Sam it was a collaborative effort and we also had input from our nursing supervisor and our science um and language art supervisors too so that all of our resources and everything aligned to support our teachers as well her her answer back was crickets from my end and I went like that I gave the emoji with the tongue sticking out so cuz we compare apples to you know oranges and since you know we've never I can tell you from
1592011 when I sat here in this well yeah probably this that chair when I first started here the communication was nothing it was nothing so the text message that you get when there's things going on it's it's really good because at least you feel that you you're involved and you're you're well informed so I don't know maybe policy configur fig out Joe what to do maybe you know like there was a message from woodo Wilson I got a copy of that too somebody sent that to me said thank you it was sent down I said that's not me that's the big guy up sitting in the chair so they said but they they feel that the communication is so much more advanced than it used to be and appreciative of so if you don't hear
160it from thank you the peanut gallery yes it is appreciative and sometimes we do miss things and sometimes there's miscommunication but um we strive we strive to to do better to to communicate and to be transparent there's nothing to hide and so I think we're hopefully getting people to realize that right you know it's it's more work trying to hide something than telling people here's what happened um you know one thing I have to improve on is I I I sometimes will text you guys um got you know there an ambulance going to school so and so for and sometimes I A lot of times I forget to follow up with you and say oh person's okay so I'm going to do a better job of that I'm try to do that a little better
161um that's well anything else just adding yeah just adding to the um social media thing because that's everywhere and I used to be much bigger on social media than I am now on my personal page because now I don't comment on anything on my personal page uh because of the position that I'm in and I feel once you comment on something they're going to expect you to continue commenting and if you don't comment on something that's tragic or drastic or a blatant lie they're going to assume it's the truth um I only comment on my business page now and it's nothing nothing to ever do with school or the Board of Education I think that's very important I don't know what you could do about that but just to as a commissioner stop commenting on
162posts just leave your Facebook to be a private Facebook don't be a commissioner on your private Facebook unless you have a page open for that that's the easiest way to go up on it okay anyone else okay um we will have executive session uh this evening uh we will discuss some personnel and legal matters action may or may not be taken um motion to go into executive session second and I had a security matter for executive too okay motion by commissioner brunak second by commission Mia we will take at least an hour right Mr President um I don't think so you don't think so no half okay I'm going to say an hour because every time I say use I'm going to Pat it whatever I say double Mr President that's right so uh we'll
163see you shortly oh Mr buek yes sorry five minute recess five minute recess yes enjoy e e e e e e e check one two can you hear me Mark okay um switch it back to the uh graphic the uh uh switch it back to input six thank you e e e [Music] [Applause] good evening everybody welcome thank you for coming this is the Mustang band showcase here so excited to have you here tonight my name is Brian I'm the band director here at Clon high school and the first thing I want to share with you is that I have I born and raised in Clon this has been my own Earth forever and when I was a third grader at school 11 I could not wait to join band the following year and so
164I'm hoping to share some of that excitement with you tonight while we play some really fun music we have a great program prepared and we're going to show you a little bit about what band is all about uh now before we continue our program we're going to do a little thing called tuning so good evening everybody if we can take a seat that would be great welcome welcome welcome on behalf of the administration and the district's instrumental teaching staff I'd like to welcome all of you to our third annual Mustang manand showcase for third and fourth grade families I'm Jason leitz the supervisor of Visual and Performing Arts and I couldn't be more excited to start the festivities just out of curiosity by show at hands how many third graders do we have here tonight
165who look that H how many fourth graders do we have fourth graders too third and fourth because we have some fourth graders who haven't played an instrument yet who this event is for as well I want to give uh can we get those third and fourth graders a round of applause for starting their Journey out you guys it's so nice to see all of you and you're in for real tree tonight uh while the bands are playing on the stage third and fourth graders make sure you keep an eye on the instrument or instruments that may be appealing to you know that you'll have an opportunity next year to play any band instrument that you hear tonight and you'll also have an option to pick a string instrument as well if you'd like a violin
166Viola or cello however those instrumental demonstrations will take place at your schools in early June sometime your parents will have an option to either purchase or rent an instrument and uh uh your instrumental teachers will get into all that at a later date but we use a company called the music shop however if you want to use your buy your own instrument off another company or online you can do that as well uh if you do decide the music uh if you do decide to use the music shop hour you can visit their website at the musicshop.com and note that you'll also be getting a copy of all this information from your School's teacher some of whom you'll be meeting later tonight you can also reach out to bva email our phone with any follow-up
167questions my contact information is listed on the visual Performing Arts page on our district website and before I go I also wanted to make a quick plug for the IC program which you'll be hearing about later on tonight from Miss Lou Who one of our band teachers the IC program stands for the integrated summer enrichment experience and it's a 4-we program that takes place in July only for 4 hours Monday through Thursdays this year it's at school 3 and it's a camp and it's so much fun I've sent my own three children to it we have it sells out every summer and basically you can learn uh an instrument in just four weeks you'll be learning four months versus a lesson for one the lessons in just four weeks time uh and you could also
168learn coding you can do a musical this year it's called Finding Nemo you could do uh a it's no homework involved it's all fun and the uh Miss Louie and Mr Louie will be passing out flyers later on if you're interested and last ly I want to make you aware of the music Angels a program that was started over 20 years ago to assist financially underprivileged families with the cost of an instrument if you have a child who's on free or reduced lunch please reach out to your school's instrumental teachers about how you can potentially obtain an instrument for only $25 a year and that's about it for my portion of the program so third and fourth graders are you ready I only can hear the front I said are you ready and now led
169by their amazing director Mr Brian stepneski here's the 2023 2024 edition of your Mustang band [Applause] [Music] show the Northeast featuring [Music] w oh [Music] wo [Music] pap [Music] oh [Applause] oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] la [Music] la [Music] [Applause] all right what you think everybody welcome thank you for coming this is the Mustang band showcase me so excited to have you here tonight I Brian I'm the band director here at clipton high school and the first thing I want to share with you is that I have I am born and raised in clipton this has been my home or forever and when I was a third grader at school 11 I could not wait to join band the following year and so I'm hoping to share some of that exciting with you tonight while
170we play some really fun music we have a great program prepared and we're going to show you a little bit about what band is all about uh now before we continue our program we're going to do a little thing called tuning so as you can see some of our band members have changed instruments already from how we started the the the concert and we need to make sure that we sound our best for you so it's going to take a quick two minutes we're going to tune up and then we're going to continue with our what [Music] am [Music] d [Music] watch all right we're going to continue the fun and games portion of our program now with a little bit of the theme from Pokemon and then Super [Music] la [Music] [Applause] [Music] a
171[Music] [Applause] [Music] w [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] la [Music] thank you so much I can tell already you're going to be an excellent Crow and so now I invite you to sit back in your seat relax as we take you to the movies and play some of our favorite music from the world of Disney [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] la [Music] la [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] this [Music] la [Music] many [Music] I [Music] la a [Music] la [Music] a [Music] w [Music] oh w e good okay welcome back from executive session and oh Mr sh please give a roll call M bassford here Mr Brak here Mr kova here Mr Mia here Mr Santiago here Mr siano here M Suarez here president Paris here um very happy you we're making a making
172looking for a motion from executive session uh to approve items 1 through 7 motion second by commissioner bassford second by commissioner brunak discussion seeing none roll call Mr shahada please miss bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr kova yes Mr Mia yes Mr Santiago yes but obstain on one correct Mr siano yes Mr Suarez yes president Paris yes abstaining on one motion carries okay motion to adjourn motion to close second have a good good evening everyone can I get the bang this again hey I like that e