001meeting has been given by the secretary of education in the following manner. One written official of the board of education. Two, written notice of the Burlington County Times and the Courier Post. and three filing work of eam township call Mr. Brown Mr. Brown is absent Miss Bramoitz >> here >> Mr. Dearcy >> here Miss Fox is absent Mrs. Null Mrs. Null is absent Mr. Thompson >> here Mr. talk notified absence. We have a quorum. [snorts] >> All right. Republican close session to discuss certain regular meeting will follow session. Now that the board for the following JSA 10 items 2.2 through 2.4. Do we have a motion? Mr. Thompson and seconded by Mr. Peeleman. All those in favor please say I. >> Oppos. We are in executive session. Thank you all. I pledge allegiance >> to
002the 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. >> Thank you. Our mission statement tonight will be position school district of excellence and development that engages students in meaningful learning experiences in partnership with students staff and community. The district provides a strong educational foundation that will empower our students to achieve their potential. Embraceive learning. Develop the skills necessary at decision making and problem solve and collaborative members of global presentations of which we have. However, student or personal or negotiations we ask after the meeting since we do not discuss these matters in public. Is there anyone who would like to make a comment on the agenda tonight? Seeing none, moving to approval of the minutes. We need a
003motion to approve. Do we have a motion? Motion, Mr. Peelman. Any questions or comments from the board? Seeing none, Mr. Gates. Roll call, please. >> Roll call on the approval of minutes. Mr. Brown. Did we call Mr. Brown? >> All right. Moving on. Miss Ber Mowitz. >> Yes. >> Mr. Dearcy. >> Yes. >> Mr. Thompson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Peeleman. >> Yes. >> Your extension is noted. Mr. Conson. >> Yes. >> Motion carries. >> Thank you, Mr. Senate report it. Do we have a motion? Motion by Mr. Thompson. Mr. Dearcy. Any questions or comments from the board? Before we vote, I'll hand the floor over to Dr. Smith. Thank you, Mr. First. Just want to give a big thanks for welcome into classroom this week during education week. And thank you all for making the
004time to join us. Expansion plan for year three, which is for September 2026, is to add four new private provider classrooms as well as six new classrooms in a wing at Evans in the [snorts] model of the Marlton Preschool Center. Uh we anticipate that these new classrooms will uh eliminate or nearly eliminate the weight list. A point of light. Uh, so the Eveam Township School District is partnering with Rotary here in Marlton to install elementary schooler and the plan is to uh do that two schools for the next four years. Uh, both schools will be monuments of peace around those schools and in that in those district leadership. This is an international project and lastly partners and I see Mr. M there's here but she she sometimes and Mr. next steps. So, thank you, Mr.
005Canton. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, Mr. Yates, roll call, please. Roll call on administrative items. Mr. Merowitz, >> yes. >> Mr. Dearcy, >> yes. >> Mr. Thompson, >> yes. >> Mr. Peeleman, >> yes. >> Mr. Bach, >> yes. >> And Mr. Compton, >> yes. >> The motion carries. >> Thank you, Mr. Yates. Moving to item 8, curriculum and instruction. We need a motion to approve items 8.1 through 8.9. Do we have a motion? Motion by Mr. Deamarcy, seconded by Miss Bramoitz. Any questions or comments from the board? Seeing none, Mr. Yates, roll call, please >> on curriculum and instruction. Miss Bramitz, >> yes. >> Mr. Marcy, >> yes. >> Thompson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Pman, >> yes. >> Mr. Bach, >> yes. >> Mr. Conton, >> yes. >> That motion carries. >> Thank you,
006Mr. Yates. Moving to We need a motion to approve items 9.1 through 9.12. Do we have a motion? Motion by Mr. Thompson, seconded by Donald jump at Mr. Dearcy. Any questions or comments from the board? >> Seeing none, Mr. Yates. Roll call, please. >> Pardon me. One second. >> No worries. >> On finance and operations, Miss >> Yes. >> Mr. Mr. Marcy, >> yes. >> Mr. Thompson, >> yes. >> Mr. Peeleman, >> yes. >> Mr. Bach, >> yes. >> Mr. Conton, >> yes. >> That motion carries. >> Thank you, Mr. Yates. Moving to item 10, personnel. We need a motion to approve items 10.1 through 10.10. Do we have a motion? Motion by Mr. Thompson, seconded by Mr. Peelman. Any questions or comments from the board? Seeing none, Mr. Yates. Roll call, please. >> Roll
007call on personnel items. Miss Moitz, >> yes. >> Mr. DeMarcy, >> yes. >> Mrs. Null, >> yes. Yes. Mr. Thompson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Peeleman. >> Yes. >> Mr. Bach. >> Yes. >> And Mr. Consonant. >> Yes. >> That motion carries. >> Thank you. Moving to number 11, policy. We have policy this month. We need a motion to approve items 11.1 through 11.4. Do we have a motion? Motion by Mrs. Null, seconded by Mr. DeMarcy. Any questions or comments from the board? Seeing none, Mr. Yates. Roll call, please. >> Roll call on policy. Miss Butcher Mowitz. >> Yes. >> De Marcy. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Null. >> Yes. >> Mr. Thompson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Pman, >> yes. >> Mr. Bach, >> yes. >> That motion carries. >> Thank you. Moving to item 12, committee
008reports. Are there any committee chairs who would like to share a report? Mr. Pman >> um for relations. I just wanted to thank everyone again. We um completed the public meeting portion of the strategic planning initiative that we had enacted this year. Um we had a lot of people come out, had great feedback from everyone. We gathered information that is all available on the website under strategic planning tab um that people can go and look at. Our next steps are going to be to compile all that information into an action plan and then we will have a presentation I believe in March uh by the gentleman who came out Justin Wright who did was the moderator for the whole session the whole series that we did. So again, I wanted to thank everyone for coming
009out. It makes a huge difference. It is going to be kind of the guiding document that drives forward what we're doing with the district and what our priorities are and I'm really excited that we all get to take a part of it. >> Thank you, Mr. Pman. Miss Buch modes, >> I also have a update on curriculum. Before we talked about the district's um desire to solicit um the ELA audit proposals to audit our curriculum. So, we've worked towards that. We've received five proposals from different entities ranging from private companies to firms. They range significantly in price and in scope. So they were just presented to the curriculum meeting the curriculum committee just uh last week. So we are going to digest them, review them at the next meeting in December. Choose one and it
010will be on the agenda for approval in December. So you don't see anything tonight, but it is in the works and um we did receive five proposals which I think we all were pretty impressed by. We didn't know what to expect. So then they're they're pretty comprehensive there. So I'm confident that it will give us the product that we're looking for. Thanks, Mr. Bones. Any other committee chairs like to share a report? Seeing none, we'll close that out. Moving to old business, we have none. Moving to old new business, we also have none. Item 15, open public comment. This meeting will now be open to the public of interest. However, if your questions or comments pertain to litigation, student or personnel items, or negotiations, we would ask that you please see the superintendent after the
011meeting. Since we do not discuss these matters in public, please limit your comments to three minutes per person. Is there anyone who'd like to make a public comment on any items of interest? Going once, going twice. Open. Hi um Paddock Road. I'm here to discuss the upcoming Yale contract renewal. While this was not on the agenda for the meeting, I believe the automatic renewal was discussed tonight during the executive session. When the Yale contract was discussed last spring, I understood that the contracts were uh started or pending before the district was given permission by the state to increase the tax levy beyond the standard. Now that the t school district levy has increased 25% year-over-year, we are not situation in last year. Meaning this should not be a purely financial situation, but a costbenefit analysis
012on the impact. Importantly, after our demi PTA meeting in May after the contract was signed, parents and teachers were told that feedback and input would be taken before the annual renewal. To the best of my knowledge, this has not happened. No one has asked the teachers who are in the classrooms, the ones with boots on the ground, for any feedback. How can any decision be made without feedback? So, let me give you some parent input. I will not go into specifics out of respect for the teacher uh agenda period, but Deaci Elementary lost an incredible professional because of the trickle down impact of renting our space out to you. This was a teacher who had incredibly positive impact both inside the building for all students but also outside supporting students by school time. How could
013anyone know this when feedback was not asked for? As I said at the board meeting when this was voted on, this is not about the Yale students. It is about Deacy students. Your duty is to Demacy students. Most importantly, it's the lack of transparency. It absolutely feels like this decision would have been slept under the rug like it was last year until it was too late for a rebuttal from Dece. Please, I hope you ask for input before any decisions are made. >> Hi, my name is Kelly Broadbent. I live in Coltskate Road and I'm the mother of one middle schooler at Demacy Middle and two at Deacy Elementary. I'm here tonight because Demacy Elementary has a very real need for a dedicated vice principal. Someone whose sole focus is nurturing school culture, supporting teachers,
014protecting our children's right to a stable, joyful, and enriching learning environment. Redate with their own dedicated vice principles. Blue Hall or our elementary school has none. Deacy Elementary is not just another wing of the building. It's its own school with its own challenges and without a VP dedicated to it, no one is consistently looking out for those needs. The largest of which is the domino effect. Back in May, many concerns impact. Unfortunately, those concerns are being realized. Last week, after learning that our beloved librarian is leaving for another school, turnover happens everywhere, but this loss is different. It's a loss that could and should have been prevented and I fear more will come if we don't make changes. She was a bright spot every day. Contribution was that she wore an unbelievable amount of hats
015for our school. Without a VP to focus on building a dynamic, positive culture, Deacy had to completely rely on our teachers. And due to the nature of her role, she led the charge on inventing and supporting many of the fun traditions. Kids need holiday themed activities, lively morning announcements, exciting clubs and early STEM experiences, and silly shark bait ooh uh call-in responses. Those moments are what make school feel like home. Those things matter. And now that school is leaving with her and those enormous shoes must be filled all because the demands placed on the library. With the elementary classrooms, the library responsibilities and disruptions it was never designed to handle. It is unacceptable library students have had to keep quiet or even have lights turned off so another class could teach. It is unacceptable that
016middle and elementary students must share the same space, making it a subpar learning environment for both groups. Our children couldn't even use their own library for a pumpkin decorating contest or a book fair because middle school Spanish couldn't be interrupted. When our principal, Miss Green, is required to spend her day in school, who is supporting elementary teachers and students as they navigate all of these new challenges brought on by the Yale contract. Who is addressing? Who is managing the bathroom bottlenecks? Who is monitoring our fifth grade classrooms? The answer is no one. Not because but because the plan was designed last year elementary was without a dedicated. Deacy Elementary continues to be treated as an afterthought in our district and the consequences of that are now impossible to ignore. In an effort to generate additional
017revenue pushed out, frustrated our teachers, disrupted our students, and weakened our school culture. I am asking agreement. And equally important, Deacy Elementary deserves a dedicated vice principal. Someone whose full-time job is protecting the culture, safety, and stability of our children and ensuring that missteps like these do not happen again. A sensible solution would be to use the additional revenue earned from this year's Yale contract to begin funding the position. Thank you. All right, members of the board. Um, my name is Sean Crump. I live on 161 Crown Prince Drive. I have a son that goes to Marlton Elementary School and a son that goes to Buer. I want to thank you for this opportunity to speak to you tonight. I just want to address a general uh topic and That's uh an issue that's fundamental
018fundamental to good governance and community trust and that's transparency on how people's tax uh payers money is managed. The board oversees one of the largest portions of our local budget. These are not abstract dollars. They come directly from hardworking residents of East Sham Township. families, retirees, homeowners, and businesses all contribute the funding of our schools within the expectation that the funds will use efficiently and wisely. Transparency is not a courtesy. It is a responsibility. When decisions involving millions of taxpayer dollars are made behind closed doors without clear explanations or without easy to access information, trust erods. And once trust is lost, it becomes harder for the board to build support for future budgets, initiatives, and community partnerships. Transparency is also practical. It also allows taxpayers to understand where their money is going, why costs rise,
019what programs are affected, and what and where improvements can be made, and encourages accountability, reduces waste, and helps residents feel like partners rather than outsiders in the process of shaping our schools. N Sham, we should strive to be a model district where residents can easily find financial information where budget decisions are explained in plain language and where board members are proactive in commun communicating with the people they serve. Open governance is strong. Open government is strong government. And when it comes to taxpayers money, sunlight is not only the best disinfectant, it is also the foundation of public confidence. I appreciate your opportunity to speak to you tonight. Thank you. [snorts] >> Hello, my name is Lisa Argus, 31 Albany Road. Um, I'm from Demacy and I wanted to speak um about the Yale contract today.
020Um, I'm here to voice my opinion regarding the Yale school and the literal space they are taking up at Deacy and how this is affecting the students, the teachers and staff in both the middle school and the elementary school. There are a lot of examples, but first I want to bring up something that floored me when I saw it, which is a makeshift classroom set up in the library for the middle school students. Have you ever been to a PTA meeting or any other meeting in our library? I'm on the elementary PTA board for Deacy and I host meetings in the library and I can tell you so much as a whisper can be heard from one side of the library to the other. It has very high ceilings and no walls. Right now, my
021daughter has her Spanish class in there. And I asked her how she likes having Spanish class in the library. She said, "I love it. The elementary kids who are having library class at the same time I'm having Spanish class are so loud. It's so distracting. She's happy that her teacher goes off topic or has to stop and wait for the noise to die down or for a middle schooler to stop looking over toward the elementary students and get back on track. She said it makes the class more fun and this floored me and I think it speaks for itself. Our students are are being pushed out of their classrooms to the hallway floors to do critical things such as benchmarking. Their teachers are literally sitting on the floor to benchmark their progress because the tables
022are being taken up in the fourth and fifth grade pod and they can't go to the library. Um, and the fourth and fifth grade pod is where the Yale students classrooms are located. There are many more examples of our students being treated as guests in their own school. We tried this for one year, and while the students and teachers are truly lovely, and I know that firsthand because, um, I worked the book fair and I got to interact with them and they're awesome, but they're just not in the right spot. Um, so, um, I value my education, my child's education, and my child's happiness more. Um, and I also wanted to mention a solution which could possibly work. I have no idea. Um, but I know that the Yale students that are at Evans right
023now, um, this the Sequoia High School students are moving to Cherokee in September. So, I thought maybe that would be a solution. Thank you. I stand, but to raise a critical concern about teachers in ST right now. Teachers are forced to adapt spaces that are inadequate. Students are being displaced temporary in temporary areas normal school day requires. This is not to experience what the children face. Has anyone sat with students to hear about the general? Has anyone time to understand and disruptions this arrangement causes? If not, I do before. Decisions in the live exper not the abstract numbers or the important students education. Our teachers there are spaces other learning environment. Our children our teachers tools not our deserves the well students above. So I strongly recommend that you consider others. I've worked in this
024district for 30 years. My name is Jennifer Early. The last 15 years I've been at Deacy and I've watched I've watched us have a vice principal, lose a vice principal. I've watched us have a secretary, lose a secretary, be replaced by two type clerkus. I've seen a secretary come back now this year, no type clerkus. I've seen six gym teachers go in and out of our building over 15 years. Six art teachers, six music teachers because Deacy is what? Why? Why is it always Deacy? We had one woman that was central to that building that got to stick through all of this and that was Casey Schaefer, our librarian. and I will say her name because the way she was treated and the lack of space her library has become it's not a library and
025hence she had to move on. She had to do what was best for herself and get the respect she deserves. I worked with Irene Romanelli and she said, "Everybody has a place at the table, but I don't think you've come and looked at our table. You have not seen what it's like to find a to get to to get back to the classroom, the back." Sorry, I don't speak that we're against Yale, the children, and the staff. As previously stated, they're all lovely people, but again, the B was not taken in consideration at all. When a Yale student has to use the bathroom, the Demacy students have to then find alter. Now, imagine fifth graders using bathroom spaces with first graders. It's not working. It's not working. Irene found a place for the table. The
026table's not big enough. Please, Dr. Smith, understand that. Please understand that. McCluskey Mar um 607 Waldorf Road Demacy parent um I had emailed the board previously but I am going to read some of the key points that I had written. Um first and foremost former Yale employee current ID uh employee I work with IDU ID youth um who are displaced and in need of additional services. I am all for inclusivity and humanity and the development of our neurotypical children having Yale students in their presence if we can accommodate. A year ago or you know less than a year ago we were told that it was a year-by-year contract. We would see if we had enough space. it would be considered and there would be ample time to discuss. The response I got to my email
027was, "We have to make a quick choice." Respectfully, that's not what we were told. Respectfully, we were told we would have a say. Teachers would have a say. Students, the students need a say. I have a daughter now in a very small classroom. Fourth grade, 20 kids, no windows. He is blaring. They are on top of each other. This is not an equitable learning environment. And I implore you to do better for her and her classmates. Further, there's only one means of egress in this climate with the emergencies that can take place. Are you truly comfortable saying these three classes only get one way out? It's not fair. It's not equitable. We don't have the space. And I implore you to do better for our kids. Thank you. Any other public comments? Seeing none, we'll
028close that section out. Uh, board member announcements. Is there any board members have an announcement they'd like to share? Um, thank you. Uh, first of all, thank you all for coming out tonight. um you know it's I think any decision requires from the staff what's what's it look like at the ground level uh some that I want to share this topic I hard to think where it's normal or school institutions uh within the team comp um I think it's an incredible on on the staff thereation um to try to needs meet the needs of a contract while meeting the needs of both the middle and elementary students all at the same time. Um we we we tried here where where where we said how um and given the small numbers I personally continue to see
029what increase this year and it not sources to support our students. when those students consequences that those students members yet whether or not we should continue to utilize those revenue here long as to whether consider that is not change the finan going forward and then you know what's going on with so any other board member have an announcement. >> Um, I want to mostly just second everything that Aiden said. Um, he's spoke eloquently, more so than I would be able to. Um, when we originally voted on the Yale contract in the spring, much of the concerns that were presented to us, the almost the majority of the concerns that were presented to us were about the students and the population coming in and the disruption that that would have within the community itself. And that
030has proven not to be any sort of an issue. People have spoken, I've heard from numerous people that it is a great fit. They're lovely kids. It all works very well and I'm very happy about that. And we don't have space. We do not have enough classrooms in that building for these students that are there. If we had one or two more classrooms, that would still not solve the problems that exist within the building. And I don't see how I don't see what the path forward is to make the arrangement with Yale and with the Macy work at the same time. Um, I agree with Aiden that it we raise taxes by a tremendous amount and it seems an unfair burden to place on the community to then shrink the educational opportunities of the kids
031in the district. Part of what we both spoke about at that vote was how important it was to reclaim the excellence of the district. And this does not feel like we are putting excellence first for the district. So I also basically want to cosign everything A and Kevin just said and also just want to clarify that no decision was made tonight. You know this is still under under review. It's still under conversation. Still talking about going to do calls to talk to to to get some more information before the deadline of when we have to inform y'all of our plans for the contract. uh on a different topic, slightly more fun. Um the CPAG group. So I just wanted to shout them out. Um there was a meeting earlier today. I was there before I
032came here. They meet um periodically organization for those of you who don't know stands for special education parent advisory group. So, it is heavy on the special education, but it is for anybody and everybody who has a student in East Sham Township who has special education needs and the general population with kids with um special needs. Um the meeting tonight was results of the survey that went out to the entire community. The response had hoped. um they got aboutund and some responses out of about you know 4,500 kids. So they're hoping for a little bit more of that survey was to inform um the different areas that parents are most concerned about when it comes. So um shout out to anybody survey receives a survey that information is valuable. So if you ever see anything
033that come across your email, take the time to do it because it will inform um just some different opportunities and different areas that the either different department wants to improve on in the future. Um one of the things that come out um the district can potentially provide and Dr. training tonight on executive functioning skills and of general education students. I mean, that resonated with me, not only as a parent, but as just a human and an adult. And I think everybody could benefit from that. So, it was super um informative and and I just think everybody should come out to those meetings um if you see them on your calendar. They're definitely worth your time. On for the PTA PTO group, uh we meet monthly with Dr. Smith. I'm doing this for a while because
034I mean it's no secret I'm still the PTA president over at MEES for the remainder of the school year. It's a great anybody else from the board to come get together, share ideas and we all learn from each other. um to like every PTA and PTO like just sitting in that meeting and I've s through many meetings but me like how much all the PTAs and PTO's do in all of the buildings all of the you know the money they raise of course but also just the the traditions that they maintain and this group of people in all the buildings like worked tirelessly and they're all volunteers to put on great experiences for the kids as well as raise money for things like new playground equipment or you know different AV needs for the school
035or you know anything. So in in a time when you know money's been tight the PTAs and PTO's really have stepped up to supply what they can for the students of our school. Um and last this time with the government shutdown and the reduction in SNAP benefits nationwide, most of them um stepped up in a way where the all the can drive, you know, the things that a lot of people might not realize, but the PTAs and PTOs did step up to provide for families within our school district that lost those benefits in the weeks past and and moving forward. So, um, so shout out to them because that was certainly remarkable and needed and goes unnoticed. So, I just wanted to make it sure everybody knows. >> Thanks, Miss Mr. Moes. Any other board
036announcements? Mrs. Null, >> I just wanted to add to what Terry said as far as the PTA's PTO's raising money. We did have the Eve Sham Ed Foundation designer bag bingo. I went, it was fabulous. And the Ed Foundation, they have gone above and beyond this year. Dr. Smith was there. There were so many baskets. I don't know how much money they raised, but it there was it was full many, many baskets. I'm sure they raised a lot of money. Even though I didn't win the 5050, I did participate. So, I recommend um coming out next year. They do this annually and um I know we have a lot going on but I did want to extend a happy Thanksgiving to everybody. Relax and enjoy your time with family. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs.
037Null. Any other board announcements? Um I'll say one thing just on the the conversations that have been happening tonight. Um I am blatantly stealing Dr. just miss words here, but but our like we are elected specifically for the students of EFAM Township. Um it is because we were looking after the best for our EVA Township students that we went out to Yale when we were in a dire financial situation. It's obvious that we are not in that financial situation anymore. Um and with that said to what Terry said earlier, no decision has been made up to this point. We are still exploring um both E contracts and um we hope to have a formal vote or some decision for you in December. So, thank you. Um >> come to me after I'll I'll Yeah. Um
038with that said, motion to adjurnn. Motion by Mr. Thompson, seconded by Miss Null. All those in favor? I