001Check one, two. Check one, two. We're just going to wait a couple of minutes. We have one board member who's s in traffic and she'll be here in a couple of minutes. Pardon me. I forgot the shoes. The other thing is with the kids doing the reports, we always get their parents usually come and stuff. So that's usually the start of the public meeting we had. It's been a little more crowded. Get the kids doing Oops. I call this meeting to order. At 6:08 p.m., the New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to advance notice and to attend the meeting of public bodies at which any business affecting their interests is discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the provisions of the act, the East Rutherford Board
002of Education has caused notice of this meeting by having the date, time, and place thereof provided to the record and South Bergenite newspapers to have published and posted in the vestibule of the Burrow Hall and public library. Copies of agendas are available 48 hours prior to said meetings in the board of education office and are posted on the East Rutherford School website, www. e rb.net. Uh please stand for the flag salute and remain standing for a moment of silence in honor of the members of our police department, fire department, first responders, and our armed forces. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. You may be seated. Roll call. Miss Caruso is
003absent. Miss Collie here. Miss Mena here. Mr. Sanders here. Miss Shmley here. Mr. Banka here. Larus here. Fire exits are located out front and to your left. Um, at this time I will have Mr. Tanel and the Junior Honor Society students uh present. Okay. Good evening. Uh we're back with our monthly school report from our NJHS members at FA School. Uh we have Daniel Mayhew who will read for FA, Aush Chowdery who will read for Lincoln and Diana Warowski will read for McKenzie. On April 2nd, we celebrated those students who made the honor roll. Congratulations and keep up the great work. We're so proud of how hard our students are working during the NJSLA this week. They're focused, determined, and giving it their best effort. Artwork and performances from some of our talented students were
004showcased at the Teen Arts Festival on Friday, May 16th. Our spring concert was held on Tuesday, May 20th. Our students put on another spectacular show under the direction of our wonderful performing arts teachers. The PTA is once again presenting the Holly Rock show for our students on May 23rd. This is always a fun time. Val students will show their school spirit at a pep rally on May 30th. Our students love to show off their Wildcat pride. Congratulations to Mrs. Lulier for receiving FA school teacher of the year. Thank you, Miss Lulier, for your passion, care, and incredible work. You truly make a difference. I will now read Lincoln School's news. Congratulations to the 2024 2025 Lincoln School Teacher of the Year, Miss Tara Tenkate. Her dedication and commitment to excellent has helped her to become
005such an impactful educator in our Lincoln School community. May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and Lincoln School is celebrating by integrating programming that reflects the contributions of authors, artists, and historical figures within the community. May is also a month full of appreciation, and Lincoln School celebrated teachers appreciation week, National School Nurse Day, and School Principal Day. Late April also featured administrative professionals day to highlight the work done by administrative staff within the building. Lincoln School is beyond appreciated for each and every staff member that contributed that contributes to our building. Our fifth grade students are starting to close out their lead program with the East Rutherford Police Department and in doing so are looking forward to a trip to Lucky Strike to celebrate. Thank you to Sergeant Alberta and Sergeant Felton for their
006effort in coordinating and planning the program and celebration and to all of the ERPD who walk our halls and support our students each and every day. Interim reports went live in the Genesis prayer portal on May 14th. Please reach out to the teaching staff directly with any questions or concerns. NJSLA testing is near conclusion and students have been working extremely hard to put out their best work in the realms of math, ELA, and science. Our mindful mornings were a great success with visits from Mr. Denise from yoga and meditation as well as her friend Charlie therapy doc. These resources help to foster the mind that brings success and our students continue to rise to the challenge. Lincoln look ahead. May 23rd is the Holly Rock show. May 28th is spring showcase at Beckton High School.
007Discover Americana. June 3rd is lead field trip Lucky Strike Washington. Fifth grade students only. June 5th is field day. Rain day is to be decided. June 11th is grit ninja assembly onset activities. June 12th is bridge day which is also fifth grade only. School initiatives, spirit weeks, wildcat Fridays, our golden ticket program and monthly roar assemblies continue to energize our school community. Participation in spirit days this month was exceptional and we are proud of the enthusiasm shown by both students and staff. Memorial Day mental health awareness week next week and more to come. Field day events. McKenzie school successfully hosted prek and grades K to3 field days this past week. The events were well attended and filled with teamwork, laughter, and school pride. Special thanks to the staff and volunteers for their support in making
008these days a success. Memorial Day Assembly. On Thursday, May 22nd, McKenzie School proudly welcomed local VFW members and veterans for our annual Memorial Day Assembly. This respectful and moving event honored the service and sacrifices of our nation's heroes, providing a meaningful experience for our students. Congratulations to Mrs. Lillian Spear for receiving Mackenzie School teacher of the year. Thank you for your continued passion and love for teaching this year and all of the years. Post NJSLA enrichment. Following the completion of the NGSA assessments, our third grade students are looking forward to a PTA sponsored educational game show experience Holly Rock at FA school on Friday, May 23rd. We thank the ERP PTA for their continued support in providing enriching opportunities for our students. Upcoming events, workout Wednesday to be determined, and mental health spirit day, first
009and third grade spring concert June 3rd, preK for moving up ceremony June 6th, third grade moving up ceremony on June 11th, third grade breakfast and clapout on June 12th, and our last day of school on June 16th. I would like to take the time to acknowledge our eighth grade student representatives. This is their final board meeting as eighth grade wildcats. They'll be moving on to the next chapter of their lives. We have Daniel Mayhew who will be going to Beckton. Aush is going to BCA with a focus in computer science and Diana is going to the Anglewoodies with a focus on law. We wish you the very best and we are extremely proud of you and we're looking forward to returning in the spring, the fall with um new representatives from our honor society. Thank
010you. That's the end. Okay. So, at this time, we're going to acknowledge our teachers of the year, Mr. Jean Casper. Okay. Good evening. It is an honor and a privilege to stand before you tonight to recognize three remarkable individuals of the East Rutherford School District. The Teacher of the Year award is not merely an accolade, but is an attestament to the profound impact that three dedicated educators can have on the lives of their students, their colleagues, and the broader community. This year we are fortunate to have outstanding teachers with passion, creativity, and commitment that have left an indelible mark on our schools. However, there are three whose contributions have shown particularly brightly, capturing the essence of what it means to be an exceptional educator. Our teacher of the year embodies the values and principles that
011are a cornerstone of our educational mission. These individuals have consistently demonstrated a tireless commitment to excellence, a deep understanding of the diverse needs of our students, and an innovative approach to teaching that inspires both academic achievement and professional and personal growth. From the very first day in the classroom, these teachers have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Their lessons are not just informative, but transformative. They create an environment where students feel safe, valued, and motivate motivated to experience the best of their potential through creative and engaging methods. These teachers have made learning an adventure, sparking curiosity and fostering a lifelong learn of I'm sorry, lifelong love of learning. Moreover, these teachers understand the education extends beyond the walls of a classroom. They are they have been a mentor, a guide and a pillar
012of support for students navigating the complexities of their educational journeys. These teachers have grown in except exceptionally in their ability to connect with students on a personal level, helping them overcome challenges and celebrating successes. Colleagues speak of these teachers with the highest regard, praising their collaborative spirit and willingness to share innovative practices. These teachers have been leaders among their peers, continually seek out professional development opportunities, and share newfound knowledge to elevate the entire educational team. Their dedication to professional growth is mirrored by their ability to inspire others and to strive for greatness. Parents too have shared helpfelt heartfelt stories of the positive influences these teachers have had on their students lives. They have talked about confidence in their children have gained, the academic strides they have made, and the joy they bring home from school
013each day. It is clear that these teachers have made a lasting impact on countless families within our Wildcat community. To our students, these teachers are more than educators. There are role models, sources of inspiration, and trusted allies. These teachers classrooms are placed where every student is encouraged to dream big, work hard, and believe in themselves. The lessons learned here will resonate throughout their lives, shape the leaders and innovators and compassionate citizens of tomorrow. So without further ado, it is with great honor to announce that the teacher of the year awards go to, please hold your applause, Mrs. Lillian Spear of McKenzie School, Mrs. Tara Tenate of Lincoln School, and Mrs. Karen La Hoya of Alfred S. FA Middle School. Your dedication, passion, and extraordinary talent have made a difference in our students lives. You have
014exemplified the very best of our profession. We have incredibly we are incredibly proud of you and the part that you took in our educational family. So please join me on our three 2025 teacher of the year honores welldeserved. Congratulations. We have our teachers please stand. And we'll start with Miss Lillian Spears. If you could please come forward to the board president for your play. East Rutherford Public Schools McKenzie School teacher of the year 2024 2025 Lillian Spear in recognition of teaching excellence May 22nd 2025. Congratulations Thank you. Uh for Lincoln School, Miss Tenate, East Rutherford Public Schools Lincoln School Teacher of the Year 2024 2025, Miss Tara Ten Kate in recognition of teaching excellence May 22nd, 2025. Congratulations. and FA school East Shretherford public schools as FA school teacher of the year 2024 2025 Miss
015Karen Lehulier in recognition of teaching excellence May 22nd 2025. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. If the families would like to come up and take a picture in front of the board of education sign, please do so now if you'd like. Okay. Nice to be embarrassed. She didn't have Again, congratulations to all our teachers of the year. It is truly an honor to have you all in our district. So, congratulations Yeah, I go up. Yeah, I know. replace. Okay, committee reports. Uh, school business administrator, Mr. Verach. Thank you, Madam President. Just two things I wanted to bring to the board's attention. F14, approval of bills list for May 2025. Uh, thank you again, Mr. Banker, for coming in and reviewing the bills. and F-15 renewal uh approval to renew the food service management contract for the
0162025 2026 school year with Mashio's Food Services, Inc. This will be year three of five. There are no price increases to breakfast or lunch. That's all I have. Okay. Um any discussion? Oh, okay. Thank you, Mr. Verace. You're welcome, Madam President. Uh, superintendent report, Mr. Jean Caspro. Thank you, Madam President. Um, there are some new uh updates to the superintendent resolutions. Before you is S1 and S3. Um, there was an another additional HIV that was added to that. And then we had a fire drill that was added. Um, underneath personnel P2 actions, there were in addition to P2 as well as P3, which is the approval of travel expenditures. And then of course P11 um part of my report. So at McKenzie school we have 383 students. Uh FA school 236. Lincoln school 173 a
017total of 792. Fire drills for the month of May were all completed as well as evacuation drills. We have two HIV investigations that we're going to talk about in executive session. Uh underneath long range facility plan. Mr. Varachi and I have been working along with Mr. Abatisani regarding the roof project um over the board office which we are going out to bid very shortly on to secure bids. Um some of the other things that we're looking to do is over at McKenzie School that small section of the roof as well as a full uh foul school roof was some of the things that we were looking forward to the following year. um as well as our external and internal doors uh for foul school. That's part of the plan. All right, let me just move
018it to here. Okay, go ahead. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Also underneath special education, we have total students of 124. We're down five students. Uh in district 118, staying steady at 118 and out of district, we are down one student from 7 to six students out of district. Um underneath child study team, there have been some updates to county and state level. Clar clarification has been done on the intersection between prescriptions and referrals to special education services. Some of the key points that were discussed was medical prescription uh versus special education referrals. Referrals must be educated, educationbased roles of medical prescriptions, evaluations of process requirements as well as well as critical reminders of underneath evaluations of students underneath the area of curriculum instruction updates. Uh the assistant superintendent of curriculum instruction student services had reported out that
019gifted and talented education new service report submission will be implemented beginning January 6, 2025. On April 21st, Bergen's Promise hosted a parent academy session for preschool three grade parents. We met with middle school world language teachers to discuss professional development for the 2526 school year. I can't believe I'm saying 2526 school year. Um met with math coaches to develop an instructional framework for the 2526 school year. met with science coaches to discuss science professional development for the 2526 school year as well as discuss materials for the next school year aligned with creative assessments uh that are geared towards state standards um exploring um open science one unit per grade level for the 2526 school year. And then we also met with foul school science teachers to discuss the framework of the 2526 school year and
020their coaching expectations. um WEDA testing is completed. I want to publicly thank the students for doing such a an amazing job working really hard taking that state assessment. Um our teachers I I own my teachers, right? Our teachers did a really good job. I want to publicly say I want my administration just getting the students ready for that state assessment is really crucial. Um, just hearing some of the feedback that I've been getting at my level is like they were like the teachers felt like it was pretty good. Like they were finishing what using the entire time I was told. Um, I was told that the students felt a little bit more comfortable with it. Um, the teachers really did a great job. Again, not teaching to the test, but aligning our assessments to look
021like the test. So, it's a lot easier for them when they when they tackle those things. is actually building stamina is part of the key there is just can you get through that entire test and be able to answer. So thank you staff for doing a magnificent job that you always do every year and make us proud. Um that's all I have at this time. Yeah. Okay. Sure. So underneath um personnel underneath P I just want to make sure I have the right number. P11 P11 um an announcement um knew this day would come someday but I wanted to publicly make a statement um which the parents of the East Rutherford School District the students the teachers board um I would like to hear it from me. I know I had sent an email to
022the board members regarding this on May 19th. So, I want to say good evening, President Laruso, members of the board of education, my esteemed colleagues, families, members, uh, community members and friends, and of course, the Wildcats. I come before you this evening with both a full heart and a reflective spirit to formally share a deeply personal decision. After much thought thoughtful reflection, I will be retiring from my position as a superintendent of schools to the East Rutherford School District effective August 31st, 2025. My first day of retirement will be September 1st, 2025. This moment is bittersweet. Serving this remarkable community for nearly a decade has been one of the greatest honors of my professional life. It has been a journey marked by dedication, shared purpose, and a steadfast commitment to the students, the Wildcats, who
023remain at the heart of all we do. When I began my tenure in East Rutherford in the summer of 20 2015 16, I brought with me a vision rooted in academic excellence, operational efficiency, inclusive leadership, and strategic innovation. Over these years, I have had the extraordinary privilege of working with an incredible team of educators, administrators, staff, parents, community members, and those partnerships and perseverance have helped transform the vision into reality. Together, we achieved meaningful progress. We passed a $35 million bond referendum that modernized our facilities and expanded steam programming. We embedded transparency, accountability, shared governance in every level of the district's operations. We strengthened community partnerships through burrow hall and forums, fostering greater engagement and trust. And most importantly, we advanced student achievement through evidence-based instruction, inclusive programming, and a relentless focus on the whole
024child development. Professionally, I have remained grounded grounded in the belief that effective leadership is not only measured by student outcomes, but by the culture we have built. One that values equity, nurturing growth, and ensuring every learner is seen, heard, and supported. My professional philosophy has always been simple. Build systems that outlast individuals. I am proud of the sustainable framework we have put in place. Framework that will continue to guide this district forward long after my chapter has concluded. As many of you know, I've also remained committed beyond our district borders as an active member of the NJASA legislative committee, representative of the BCASA, working directly with the governor's office and a board member of Felician University School of Education and the South Bergen and Jointure Commission. These roles have enriched my leadership and allowed me
025to advocate for strong, inclusive, forwardthinking educational policies throughout the region. Now, as I look to my next chapter, I am filled with gratitude and humility. I plan to spend more time with my family and friends, those who have supported me behind the scenes with dedication, love, and patience. As I look ahead to retirement, I must take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to those who have been my foundation and my rock. My beautiful wife, supportive and amazing Rose. Right. Thank you for being my rock and always being there for me. You have been the anchor of our family, the stabilizer of our personal life and the strong precedence that has allowed me to do my very best professionally. To my remarkable daughters, Dominique and Veronica, thank you for always believing in me and in
026my ability to lead when the work pulled me away from all of you in many, many directions. Your love, encouragement, and belief, the greatest strength. And now to my son-in-laws, Eric and Daniel, thank you for becoming part of our family and for the respect, humor, and joy you bring to our lives. And I must also express a heartful thanks to my parents who instilled in me the values that have guided my leadership journey, a deep respect for ethics, a clear ver vision, and the importance of always doing what's right and just no matter what. Their example lay the foundation for the man, educator, and leader that I have become. to the members of the past and present board, but especially the past board who believed in me from day one. Thank you for allowing me
027the space to lead authentically to this point as superintendent of schools. To the faculty and to the staff, your dedication and resilience have inspired me and helped me grow as a superintendent of schools. to our families and students. Wildcats, I hope you're hearing me out there. You are the reason and the only reason why I do the work that I do and that you have made every challenge worth facing each and every day. In the coming months, I will remain fully committed to this board in ensuring a smooth and strategic transition, and I will continue working side by side with all of you to sustain the excellence that defines East Rutherford, as well as my recommendation for future leadership in the next coming years, which this district needs. Though I have been stepping away from
028this role, I will forever remain an advocate for public education and a proud supporter of this extraordinary school district. Thank you for the privilege of serving as your superintendent of schools and I will carry the memories of this journey with me always with respect, gratitude, warmth and trust. Giovani Jean Cash. Thank you. Thank you very much. Madame President, that is the end of my reports. Sorry. Sorry about that. Thank you. Um any discussion? So um Mr. Jean Caspro, I do want to congratulate you on your retirement and your next steps. Um your dedication has a lasting impression. You got a referendum passed. It took I know a lot of sweat, tears, teamwork, but you got it done. Construction was a lot, but you got it done. Co, you know, you got it done. Our move
029to St. Mary's and back, um, you got it all done. Um, one thing I was always taught was to leave places better than you arrived. And you have definitely left each better than when you came in from what I hear because I wasn't here then. But from what I from what I hear, you you are definitely leaving it better than when you walked in the door. So, I thank you for that as well and congratulations again. Thank you. Any other discussion? Nope. Okay. Uh there are no correspondence to the board this month. Um adoption of prior board meeting minutes. Um just want to make sure everybody read their email today. Yes. Yes. Okay. Okay. So, upon the recommendation of the superintendent, the board hereby approves the following meeting minutes. April 10th, 2025 work session meeting
030minutes. April 10th, 2025 work session executive minutes. April 24th, 2025 public session meeting minutes. April 24th, 2025 public session executive. Second roll call. Miss Collie. Yes. Miss Mana. Mr. Sanders? Yes. Miss Shmley? Yes. Mr. Banker? Yes. Miss Laruso? Yes. Um, it's not on here, but I should be opening up to the public. Correct. Before we do the agenda. Okay. Okay. So before we move on to the agenda items, I'm going to open to the public for public comment on agenda items only. Any person wishing to speak will be allowed to do so. You will have five minutes. Please address the board president. Okay. Seeing none, I close to the hearing of the public. Uh let's see. Okay. Uh superintendent resolutions. Upon the recommendation of the superintendent, the board hereby approves motion S1 through S10. S1
031approval of fire and emergency drill report. S2 approllment report. S3, approval of harassment, intimidation, and bullying monthly report. S4, resolution affirming the superintendent's decision relating to an alleged harassment, intimidation, and bullying incident report dated February 4th, 24th, 2025. S5, resolution affirming the superintendent's decision relating to an alleged harassment, intimidation, and bullying incident report dated February 26, 2025. S6 resolution affirming the superintendent's decision re uh relating to an alleged harassment, intimidation, and bullying incident report dated February 27th, 2025 S7. Resolution affirming the superintendent's decision relating to an alleged harassment, intimidation, and bullying incident report dated March 6, 2025. S8 uh resolution affirming the superintendent's decision relating to an alleged harassment, intimidation, and bullying incident report dated March 10th, 2025. S9 resolution affirming the superintendent's decision relating to an alleged harassment, intimidation, and bullying incident report dated
032March 10th, 2025. S10 resolution affirming the superintendent's decision relating to an alleged harassment, intimidation, and bullying incident report dated April 2nd, 2025. Second. Any discussion? These are the ones that we spoke about already, right? Yep. Roll call. Miss Colling? Yes. Miss Mena? Yes. Mr. Sanders? Yes. Miss Shmley? Yes. Mr. Banker? Yes, Morriso. Yes. Uh, curriculum committee, Miss Shamley. Thank you, Madam President. Upon the recommendation of the superintendent, the board hereby approves motion C1 through C5. C1, approval of student field trips and transportation requests for the 2024 2025 school year. C2, approval of student field trips and transportation requests for the 2520 2025 2026 school year. C3, approval of student transportation requests for ESY 2025. C4, approval of transportation requests from the Bureau of Charlest Recreation. And C5, approval of transportation requests from the Bureau of
033East Rutherford Recreation. Second. Any discussion? Um I do I have one question. Um my first question is last year did we charge the bureau of visual recreation for buses? No. No. Um and I I could have missed it. I don't know. Did we discuss about charging them? M there was discussion but the from my notes the board was like we were not going to because of the assistance that we get with referendum. Okay. Mhm. That we weren't going to charge weren't going to charge not each other person. Not each other. Correct. Right. So C4 Carl stat is fine. Right. Okay. Correct. So C5 does say that there's a C4 C5 does say a $200 for each bus. C4 is Carlstead. Right. C5 is East Rutherford and says $200 per bus. I thought that I can
034adjust that right now. Okay, I'll just do it. No, I accurate. Yes, that's a mistake. That is all I have. That's correct. Any other discussion? Yes. Really quickly in regards to the student transportation request C3, are we using the regular buses for that or is there special buses that we utilize for those? Our bus. Okay. So, some of those dates align with the Carlat transportation. I just want to make sure we do have ample time in between pickups and drop offs to get everybody where they need to go. This is our minivan, so that doesn't affect So, it's totally separate. Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. Anyone else? Okay. Roll call. Miss Collie? Yes. Miss Mena? Yes. Mr. Sanders? Yes. Shmley? Yes. Mr. Banker? Yes. Laruso? Yes. Thank you. And that concludes my report. Thank you.
035Personnel Committee, Miss Shamley. Thank you, Madam President. Upon the recommendation of the superintendent, the board hereby approves motions P1 through P10. No, P10 to start. Yep. Okay. Uh P1, approval of the Kelly Education Substitute List. P2, personnel actions. P3, approval of travel expenditures. P4, approval of leave of absence. P5, acceptance of retirement, Alina Moore. Uh, we wish her the best. Uh, P6, ACP, acceptance of resignation notification, Katherine Maldonado Gomez with regret. P7, approval of tenur employees for the 2025 2026 school year. P8, approval of non-tenured employees for the 2025 2026 school year. P9, approval of the non-certified employees for the 2025 2026 school year. And P10, approval of the employee salaries for the 2025 2026 school year. Second. Any discussion? Okay. Roll call. Just to be clear, we only voted on P1 P10. Yes. No.
036No. No. No. We're not separate total motion. Thank you. Okay. Miss Collie, yes. Miss Mana, yes. Mr. Sanders, yes. Miss Shmley, yes. Mr. Banker, yes. Miss Laruso, yes. Okay. And P1, acceptance of retirement from Giovani Jean Caspro, superintendent of schools. Sorry. awkward. Um, we've been through a lot. I If someone had to do it, I'm glad it's me. Um, this is with regret. Second. Any discussion? I just wanted to take a minute to wish you best of luck. Going to miss you. here. Hope you have a lot of success in your retirement. Thank you. I plan on trying fingers crossed. Yes. Thank you, Mr. G. Appreciate everything. No problem. Thank you, Miss. Okay. Roll call. Miss Collie? Yes. Miss Meta? Yes. Mr. Sanders? Yes. Miss Shmley? Yes. Mr. Banka. Yes. And Miss Laruso. Yes. Thank
037you, Miss Shamley. My report. Physical facilities committee. Uh, Mr. Sanders. Yes. Thank you, Madam President. Upon the recommendation of the superintendent, the board hereby approves motion PF1, approval of monthly facility calendar, June 2025. Second. Before you ask any questions, I do want to point out we need to update it. Touch the updated calendar. Yes, because the calendar still has school. Yeah, just on the facilities calendar, it has school ending on the 19th. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Any other discussion? Roll call. Miss Collie, yes. Miss Mena, yes. Mr. Sanders, yes. Miss Shmley, yes. Mr. Banker, yes. And Miss Laruso, yes. Thank you. That concludes my report. Okay. Uh, community relations, Miss Collie. No report tonight. Thank you. Just real quick, usually in July, we get hit with um policy revisions, abolishments, all that. Uh,
038that usually comes in July. We got a big packet so you'll have something to report out next month. Uh technology committee, Miss Mana. Thank you, Madam President. For technology for the information security program plan, the district continues to proactively evaluate all appropriate district technologies to ensure the safety and security of our data and information systems. Planning of scheduled maintenance and improvements for the 2425 school year is ongoing, including meetings with our consultant to schedule scans and testing. Protocols are continuing to be updated to best meet the security needs of the district, and scans are nearing completion. For AI and programming, initial conversations are ongoing as to the scope in which the district may look to embrace the tools so commonly found in today's landscape. As the conversations deepen, stakeholders will be engaged to provide valuable
039insights and feedback in terms of the expectations as we navigate this dynamic landscape. Budgeting for the 2526 school year is complete. Initial meetings were held to discuss all anticipated purchases, renewals, purchases, and renewals to support district infrastructure, programming, and technology needs. As we progress through the budget cycle, the technology team continues to ensure that the technology and support needs for all students and staff are considered when evaluating items and services for purchase. The 2425 school year sees the continuation of the annual technology fee to help support technology programs within the district. All students throughout the district will need the fee to be satisfied alongside their acceptable use and damage agreements in order to use and take possession of district-owned technology. The district has added Pay School Central as a payment servicing provider for these fees
040and parents are encouraged to create accounts for all district financials if they have not already done so. Fees will continue in future school years to best support the growing technology needs of the district. The district continues to use Genesis to share and collect data from families through the forums portal to allow for efficient and paperless communications. Forms are updated annually to account for new information. The addition of Parent Square has been a welcome one as we look to better communicate with all community members. If you have not already done so, we encourage you to download the app for even more features. The district continues to evaluate varying technology platforms to help support productivity, efficiency, and instruction within the district. And lastly, the district continues to evaluate policies and procedures related to appropriate technologies to help
041support productivity, efficiency, and instruction within the district. And that concludes my report, Madam President. Thank you, Miss Mana. Any discussion? No. Okay. Thank you, Miss Mana. Um, let's see. Finance Committee, Mr. Banker. Thank you, Madam President. Upon the recommendation of the superintendent, the board hereby approves motions F1 through F-15. F1, approval of April 2025 payroll. F2, approval of financial reports for April 2025. F3, approval of transfer report for April 2025. F4, approval of providers for tuition extraordinary service contracts and agreements for the 2025 2026 school year. F5, approval of providers of for extraordinary services for the 2025 2026 school year. F6, approval to submit preschool education aid budget and planning workbook for the 2025 2026 school year. F7, approval of federal school breakfast lunch pricing program for the 20252026 school year. F8 appointment of risk
042management consultants agreement for the 2025 2026 school year. F9 approve the withdrawal from maintenance reserve account for the 202520 school year budget. F10 approve the withdrawal from capital reserve account for the 2025 2026 school year budget. F11, approval of the tax requisition schedule for the 2025 2026 school year. F12, approval of NJSBA annual workshop 2025 travel expenditures and reimbursements. F13, approval of May transfers for preschool education aid funds for 2024 2025 school year. F14, approval of bills list May 2025. F-15 approval to renew the FSMC contract for the 2025 2026 school year with Mashio's Food Services. That concludes my report, Madam President. Thank any discussion. I have a question in regards to F6 which is the PA planning workbook. I just wanted some clarity on the numbers of the rooms for the prek. So, I
043was under the impression, and maybe I'm mistaken, that the pea grant allows us 15 kids per room. Yes. Going from three to four, correct? You said how many children in a classroom? 15. Three being room for special education students, 12 for Janet. Yeah. So on that sheet where it shows the breakdown, there's 24 total including inclusion students and 36 for preK4. Do you have that document? It's on the um workbook. [Music] What is the concern this matter? So if we have 15 kids per room, the total would be right now for preK3, we have 24. So we can technically have 30 if we have two classrooms for preK. Understand these are projected, right? Enrollment projected. You have to give them projected numbers for next year. So they're projected. Okay. So, I just want to ensure
044that we're maximizing that space and we're fulfilling those slots to the entirety. So, if we could have 15 kids per room that we are having. Yes, we have. And the board was provided with plan B that Mr. Barl supplied the office about what was the board about what was going to look like for the next school year. Yeah. Yes. I'm not the rooms I'm good with. I just want to make sure that we're f we're filling every single possible right. The problem is with projections, we can't give you a guarantee at this point. They're projections. So, we don't know how many students are going to be enrolled at that time if that's what you're asking if I got it right. Yes. Didn't we do the prek lottery already? But the special education, right? The special
045education spots. Correct. Right. So, what it is is it's 12 gened spots, three special ed spots. So, the GenEd spots may be filled, which makes it 24 students, and then the three uh well, the six special ed spots may not be filled yet. So, that could be why. Correct. You're only Does that make sense? No, it does. I just saw the numbers on here for special ed, so I assumed it was finalized. And then for the preK4, we're up to 36, which allocates a lot more space. So, are we saving those as well in the event of Yeah, I mean, we do have space for them. I mean, after speaking with Mr. Barrow, speaking with Dr. King Doson, I can assure you we have enough space. No, no, I'm not concerned about the rooms. I'm
046just concerned more that we're fulfilling every open seat within those rooms. Right. making sure that those seats are filled so that but we can't guarantee every seat is going to be filled. They're the prop they're a child can leave the district a child can get sick god forbid and I mean there's no there's no guarantee on that. So that's a question that's really ambiguous. I can't answer that question unfortunately because we don't know if they're leaving the district coming to open slots essentially for prek4 but that's including the special ed right those would be unfilled potentially could be in unless kids were could be right do we fulfill those like in September if we never if there's I think you have to leave it open right we may have some spaces open correct is there's
047a percentage that we have to leave open no but usually what happens If we have spaces that are not filled, we would go up the list because there's a list when we pull them. So the next person would then come in if there was an opening if we had openings for Janed. But the special ed ones remain open. Oh yes. Regardless, we have to keep them open for special ed just in case. Correct. That's knowing the application. The application is very stringent about what we can use the money for, how many spaces we have. It's nothing that's controlled by the board nor me. is controlled by the state. Okay. So right now essentially we have allocated five for special ed that are in the count because it's 31 gened, five special ed and then the
048remaining nine also get saved as of right now special ed. Okay. Thank you. Um any other discussion? No. Okay. Roll call. Miss Collie, yes. Miss Mena, yes. Mr. Sanders, yes. Miss Shmley, yes. Mr. Banker, yes. Miss Laruso, yes. All right. So, okay. Old business. Um, Mr. Varachi, did you get a chance to reach out to pay schools about um Okay. Oh, and also I updated the calendar. Thank you. So, you take a look. It's there. Thank you. You're welcome. Okay. Um but thank you for the reminder. I'll reach back. Thank you. Uh new business. I have two things uh for the board. So just recently I had sent an email to Gina to you to madam president um as well as uh Mr. Jeff Bliss from our auditing firm upon my departure on August 31st.
049Usually we have an audit done of our books and finances. I have asked in writing to the auditors that I like a full review of our finances so that upon my departure there is no hiccups um or anything whatsoever. So that will be evaluated. I will get that date. Usually it's the end of August, but we're going to start as early as July 1, okay? Or after the holiday. So, I wanted to make sure of that. That's number one. Uh number two, um I know there was talks about a special education audit um never took place. Um so, currently, right now in the East Rutherford district, we do have internal audits to asssure that our special ed programs are where they need to be. I will give that to you, Madam President, right before my
050departure because I want to make sure everything is stellar, special ed and budget before my departure. That's all I have. Uh, thank you, Mr. Jean Castro. Also, I should have brought it up during uh the community relations, but um I was fast concert um the other night and what a spectacular uh performance all the kids put on and it just makes me that more excited to go see Lincoln schools uh next week. So, I just want to congratulate all the teachers who um put it together, all the students who performed. It was outstanding. Okay. Anyone else? Nope. Okay. So, at this time, I will open again to public comment. Um, opening public comments on any non-aggenda items. State your name and address for the record. Address the board president. Uh, each person wishing to speak
051will have five minutes. Hello. Uh Kevin Lion, uh here representing I'm sorry, 77 Clinton Place. I'm here representing the East Rutherford PTA to give the board an update of our uh up of current things as well as some upcoming items that the PTA is working on. So, some of our fundraising programs are still going on. We now have a summer spiritware sale from May 5th and it extended till May 31st. You can get all your Wildcat gear at 20% off sitewide. The promo code is summer summme collection is almost at an end. We have about 50 bags of 25 pairs each collected. Our final collection will be on May 31st, which is our townwide garage sale. Uh we've decided to use my house as the location for that drop off. So um we'll put yes
052because it's just easier because that's where we have to sort them anyway. Uh the company will be here in June to pick them up and we thank the DPW who's graciously stored those shoes for us in the garage over on Maple Street. So thank you DPW for your assistance with that. Our tricky tray happened on May 9th. Oh my goodness, what a huge wonderful event. Our largest fundraiser of the year. Our thanks to Charice Brown and our own Jillian Collie uh who spearheaded with the Tricky Trey Committee that effort a huge effort by them. Uh thank you to all the local businesses, our town departments, the schools and teachers for all their donations. And of course, thank you to all of those who attended the event and made it such a huge success. We truly
053appreciate it and we hope you enjoyed the evening. Look forward to doing it again next year. A couple of things that we've done over the past month is we had the teacher appreciation week uh for teacher appreciation day May 6th. Uh PTA provided trays of cookies for our teachers, give them a little energy booth boost for the first day of NJSLA. And we provided a Chipotle burrito lunch on Thursday, May 8th, uh for all of our teachers and staff, and we truly thank them for all they do for our students throughout the year. Uh McKenzie hosted their field day this past Monday and Tuesday. Monday was for prek, Tuesday for kindergarten through third grade. Our PTA provided water bottles and we also provided t-shirts for all of our kids to wear. Um, Carmela, we also
054hosted a contest for the kids to design the shirt. Uh, this year we had two winners. Carmela Ferrer from Mrs. Nastro's third grade had her design featured on our first grade, third grade, and half of our prek student shirts as well as half of our teacher shirts. And Adam Fangley, who was in Mrs. Veton's second grade had his design on our second grade kindergarten and the other half of the pre-K shirts and teacher shirts and pictures can be found of those shirts as well as some of the kids doing the activities on the ERSD uh X our Twitter uh feed online. Some upcoming events as um some of our uh honor society kids mentioned our FA and Lincoln schools tomorrow will have the annual Holly Rock Entertainment Game Show assembly. PTA is happy to sponsor
055that as a postNJSLA event. Give them a little break on the half day before Memorial Day. Our third graders will be bust over from McKenzie School and they'll join our fourth and fifth graders for a earlier morning session and our sixth through eighth graders will enjoy a later morning session. And the program is a quiz type game show. Uh that seems very dynamic. I'm looking forward. I'll be there for about an hour tomorrow morning as well. Uh Lincoln Field Day is planned for June 5th at Lincoln school. Uh PTA will be providing water bottles and the tire a Kona ice truck to come in and give the kids a refreshing treat at the end of that event. Uh Nina, I apologize for your last name for my pronunciation of your last name. Ridz Ridzodsik, I
056believe is how you pronounce it, but she's in Mrs. A fortunado's fourth fourth grade classroom. She has her design featured on the Lincoln t-shirts, and that will be for all grades, fourth, fifth, and teachers. Um, FA field day is planned for June 9th. That will be at Rian Memorial Field. The students will walk from FA to Rian. PTA will provide a lot of stuff for them. We provide water bottles, a pizza lunch served out of the kitchen there, chips, ice pops, and also t-shirts for all the students and staff. Uh, Faith Geraldo, who is in Mrs. Jackson's eighth grade home room, will have her design featured on those t-shirts. So, congratulations to all four of our designers. We also have an honorable mention, but I'll bring it up for next month's when I have the
057actual design. We're having the one the student who came in second place at FA is designing our PTA shirt for the 252. So, we'll have a new PTA shirt for next year designed by that student and I have that name at home. Uh, Lincoln School is host hosting a grit on the go assembly with the grit ninja. This was the program that was brought to us by Mrs. Diz Dardovvic. Uh, it's co-sponsored between PTA and our schools. It will be hosted on June 11th for our grades four through 7 and it's physical education lessons with a ninja style obstacle course and PTA will also be providing ice pops for that day as well to help keep the kids cooled down. And we have our end of year moving up parties. Our eighth grade formal coming
058up on June 11th at the fiesta. And our PTA school reps are working furiously with Mr. Barrow and Mr. Valardi and their teams to come up with uh parties for our third grade and fifth graders who are moving on to their new schools. Uh we had four applications for our Beckton student scholarship, the PTA scholarship for Beckton students, and we're reviewing those submissions to decide who and how we're who's going to receive them and how we're going to distribute the funds that are part of that. And those scholarships will be awarded at the Beckton ceremony on June 7th. And our eighth grade hosted a car wash at the DPW and we thank the East Rutherford Police Department who came with their cars to get washed and for their support. They also had a garage uh
059graduation sorry graduation yard sign fundraiser event uh that has completed. So this those signs have either been obtained and distributed or or are getting printed and will be distributed soon. And they're also hosting a endofear hangout and dance later this month on May 30th. And that is the PTA report. And then just as a parent, I also want to uh echo what Mrs. uh Russo said about the concert on Tuesday for FA school. They did an excellent job. I was so happy to see many members of our board of ed there supporting them. And on behalf of the parents, I want to thank our board of ed for making sure that arts and music are part of our program because I know that's often what's cut when budgets are looked at. And as a theater
060kid myself, music kid myself, it really, as you can tell, touches me that that stays as an important part of the East Strford School District. And I hope it stays for many years to come. So, thank you. And sorry, I also meant on PTA side just to mention or to also congratulate and thank Mrs. Leholier, Mrs. Kentate, and Mrs. Spear, our teacher of the year. Thank you for all your work and especially to Mrs. Spear as she retires this year for her many, many years of dedication to our school district and to the art with our children. Thank you. [Laughter] Thank you. Okay. Anybody else? Okay. So, I will close uh to the hearing of the citizens. All right. So, at this time, we're going to adjourn to executive session. Um, resolved that in accordance
061with section 8 of the Open Public Meetings Act, chapter 231, the board has the authority to adjourn to close session to discuss matters pertaining to legal personnel negotiations, attorney client privilege, and/or student matters. Said matters will be made available upon the determination by the board that the disclosure of the minutes will not detrimentally affect any right or interest of the board. The board expects to return to the business portion of the meeting in approximately. Okay. So, yeah, an hour. I go with an All right, we'll go with an hour. But sure, I'll be out greeting all telling you we're extending it. But there will be no action taken when we return. Correct. Right. An action. Okay. Motion. So motion second. Most second. All in favor? I. Any opposed? Okay. We're going to remain in executive
062session for another 60 minutes. Yes, you are screen sharing. Oh no. Okay. So, where are we? Okay. I need a motion to return to the regular order of business. Second. Wow. Did you got that? [Music] All in fa All in favor? I Any opposed? Okay. Um Okay. No worry. Okay. Okay. Uh before we adjourn our next the next meeting of the board of education will be held on Monday, June 23rd, 2025 at 6:00 pm. A motion to adjurnn. So moved. Second. All in favor? I. Any opposed? Meeting adjourned. 9:34