001That's a good one. Pursuant to the open public meetings act, adequate public notice has been given by the secretary of the Eastam Township Board of Education in the following manner. Posting written notice on the official bulletin board of the board of education office. Emailing written notice to the Bronson County Times and the Courier Post. Filing written notice with the municipal clerk of EAM Township. Mr. Yates, may I have a roll call, please? >> Roll call. Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown is absent. Miss Bucher Mowitz >> here. >> Mr. Dearcy >> here. Miss Fox >> here. >> Mrs. Null. Mrs. Null's absent. Mr. Thompson >> here. >> Mr. Peeleman >> here. >> Mr. Bach is a notified absence. Mr. Compton >> here. >> We have a quarrel. >> Thank you. Mr. Yates, we'll now be looking for
002a motion to head into executive session. Whereas an NJSA 104-12 allows for a public body to go into close session during a public meeting. And whereas the board of education of EFAM Township has deemed it necessary to go into close session to discuss certain matters which are exempted from the public. And whereas the regular meeting of the board of education will reconvene following the end of the close session at approximately 7:30 p.m. Now therefore be it resolved that the board of education will go into close session for the following reasons as outlined in NJSA 104-12's items 2.2 through 2.4. Do we have a motion? Motion by Mr. Thompson, seconded by Miss Fox, Mr. Yates. Roll call, please. Roll call on executive session. Miss Berowitz, >> yes. >> Mr. DeMarcy, >> yes. >> Miss Fox, >>
003yes. >> Mr. Thompson, >> yes. >> Mr. Peeleman. Mr. Con? >> Yes. >> Motion carries. >> Thank you. We'll see you back at approximately 7:30 p.m. EST. Would all those please rise for the pledge? >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of Americ. Thank you. Our mission statement tonight will be read by Miss Fox. The >> mission of the Eve Shem Township School District is to promote excellence in an environment that engages students in meaningful learning experiences in partnership with students dedicated staff, families, and community. The district provides a strong educational foundation that will empower our students to achieve their unique potential, embrace self-directed lifelong learning, develop the skills necessary for appropriate risk-taking and responsible decisionmaking, respect themselves and others, problem solve individually and collaboratively, and become contributing members of a diverse global society. >>
004Thank you, Miss Fox. Moving to presentations. We have no presentations this evening. Moving to public comment. This meeting will now be open to the public referencing agenda items only. However, if your comments or questions pertain to litigation, student or personnel items, or negotiations, we would ask that you see the superintendent after the meeting. Do not discuss these matters public. Please limit your comments to three minutes per person. Is there anyone who would like to make a public comment concerning the agenda items today? Seeing none, we'll move to approval of the minutes. We need a motion to approve items 6.1 and 6.2. Do we have a motion? Motion by Mr. Dearcy, seconded by uh Mr. Peeleman. Any questions or comments from the board? Seeing none, Mr. Yates, roll call, please. >> Roll call on the approval
005of minutes. Miss Bucher Mowitz, >> yes. >> Mr. DeMarcy, >> yes. >> Miss F. >> Yes. >> Mr. Thompson, excuse me, Mrs. Null. >> Yes. >> Mr. Thompson, >> yes. >> Mr. Pelman, >> yes. >> Mr. Conton, >> yes. >> The motion carries. >> Thank you, Mr. Yates. Moving to item seven, superintendent report and administrative items. We need a motion to approve item 7.1 through 7.6. Do we have a motion? Motion by Miss Fox, seconded by Mr. Thompson. Before we vote, I'll hand the floor over to Dr. Smith. >> Mr. Can highlight three items that are going to be in next ETSD update. Um, in no particular order, we've got a uh police foundation fundraiser on November 1st. Um, ETPD does uh transport our schools. So, we are sharing about that to help support their
006work as well. We also deadline on the special education parent group survey. The deadline will be tomorrow. That's what I want to mention now in case anyone hasn't had a chance to complete that. We welcome uh you know everyone's uh feedback and input on that survey. And then lastly just congratulations to our SP students who presented well last night at the night at the museum at Deacy. Um and uh that's it. Thank you. >> Thank you Dr. Smith. Uh, any questions or comments from the board? Seeing none, Mr. Yates, roll call, please. >> Roll call on administrative items. Miss Bramoitz, >> yes. >> Mr. Dearcy, >> yes. >> Miss Fox, >> yes. >> Mrs. Null, >> yes. >> Mr. Thompson, >> yes. >> Mr. Peelman, >> yes. >> Mr. Conton, >> yes. >> Motion carries.
007>> Thank you, Mr. AIDS. Moving to item eight, curriculum and instruction. We need a motion to approve items 8.1 through 8.5. Do we have a motion? Motion by Miss Bramoit, seconded by Mr. Peelman. Any questions or comments from the board? Seeing none, Mr. Yates, roll call, please. >> Roll call on curriculum instruction. Miss Bramoitz, >> yes. >> Mr. Demarcy, >> yes. >> Miss Fox, >> yes. >> Mrs. Null, >> yes. >> Mr. Thompson, >> yes. >> Mr. Pelman, >> yes. >> Mr. K. >> Yes. >> The motion carries. >> Thank you, Mr. Yates. Moving to item nine, finance and operation. We need a motion to approve items 9.1 through 9.14. 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
008call, please. >> Roll call on finance and operations, Miss Bram. >> Abstain from 9.5 and yes to the rest. >> Your abstension to 9.5 is noted. Mr. Dearcy, >> yes. >> Fox, >> yes. >> Mrs. Null, >> yes. Mr. Thompson, >> yes. >> Mr. Pelman, >> yes. >> And Mr. Conton, >> yes. >> And motion carries. >> Thank you, Mr. Yates. Moving to items 10, personnel. We need a motion to approve items 10.1 through 10.10. Do we have a motion? Motion by Miss Fox, seconded by Mr. Questions or from the board. Seeing none, Mr. Yates. Roll call, please. >> Roll call on personnel. Miss Brennan Ellitz. >> Yes. >> Mr. Dearcy, >> yes. >> Miss Fox, >> yes. >> Mrs. Null, >> yes. >> Mr. Thompson, >> yes. >> Mr. Peeleman. >> Yes. And Mr.
009Conton. >> Yes. >> The motion carries. >> Thank you, Mr. Yates. Moving to item 11, policy, of which we have none. Moving to item 12, committee reports. Are there any committee chairs who would like to share a report? >> Miss Fox, >> I just wanted to talk a little bit about what we went over in our last curriculum meeting regarding the literacy concerns. Um we are in the process of finding an independent auditor to come and review our literacy curriculum. Um how we structure the appropriate materials, observe and speak to the teachers. Um, there is no definitive timeline for this at the moment, but it is currently in process of trying to find someone, a third party to do that and hopefully address the concerns of the parents with our literacy program. >> Thanks, Miss
010Fox. Any other committee chairs like to share a report? Mr. Pman, >> I just wanted to thank everyone that had come out to the strategic planning session that we had um in October. There were about 30 people there. we talked about setting goals for the district um and what those goals will be for the 5-year vision. Uh and then in on November 12th um we would like to get as many people as we can to come back out and that is when we're going to talk about how what the uh how we're going to achieve those goals and how we're going to measure achievement for those goals. So please come out on November 12th and uh be a part of the strategic planning process. >> Thank you Mr. Pelman. Any other committee chairs like to
011share a report? Seeing none, moving to old business, of which we have none. Moving to new business, of which we also have none. Moving to open public comment for any items of interest. This meeting will now be open to the public referencing any items 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 meeting since we do not discuss these matters in public. Please let me three minutes per person. Is there anyone who would like to make a comment about anything? Hi everyone. Can you hear me? Okay. Okay. I'm Kelly Wilk, 28 Paddock Road, and I'm here to talk about the EEL contract tonight. I don't know the specifics about the contract, but I do know that
012it's probably coming closer to the time at which you'll have to make a decision whether or not to renew. As you, the board, think about this, I want to make sure you know that there have been and continue to be problems at Deacy Elementary and Deacy Middle. Classroom space this year continues to be a very big problem. At the elementary school, we have multil- language learners, our English as a second language students sharing class a classroom with students who need additional academic support through our INRS program. You could have three classes each full of high needs learners in one room all being taught at the same time. This is not an optimal learning environment. When I think about our our mission of promoting excellence in an environment that engages students, this is not it. It's
013hard to learn in a room like that. Our elementary students no longer have the library to themselves for their weekly library class. Spanish classes are simultaneously being conducted in the library. Both classes are in one shared large open space. I'm so sorry that I'm shaking. I don't know if you can tell. There is no wall separating the two classes, only shelves of books. This puts limits on our students library experience and on our students Spanish class experience. It also restricts the activities of the two teachers who have to share the same space at the same time. Because multiple classes are now occurring in the library at the same time, our middle school students can no longer perform research at their convenience like they used to be able to do. The elementary school fair had to
014be held in the computer lab. This required computer teacher to leave her room for 3 days. There was no other in the entire school. This is where we have this is not excellence. Board members, if you haven't already, I urge you to do your own research. Come see the classroom arrangements at ask the staff what challenges they have faced this year regarding classroom space. If you choose to renew the Yale contract, we need to come up with other arrangements in the spring. I spoke here concerned about the Yale students taking premium classroom space in one of our pods away from our fifth graders. I had no idea how much bigger the space issues would grow. Our students and our staff deserve ample space to engage in meaningful learning. Please consider EES students and their educational
015experience and needs. Please adhere to our mission statement and make the necessary changes to promote excellence in our schools. Thank you. Hi, my name is Amanda Gaunt. I'm here representing the Eve parents for improved literacy outcomes. The data is clear. For three consecutive years, Eve has missed literacy state targets. Last year, only one in two students achieved literacy proficiency. Esham ranks among the lowest performing district in ELA compared to our neighbors. Yet, the district continues to promote its use of the FMP benchmarking system and curriculum, highlighting the high percentage of students meeting that FMP benchmark. This is a tool that has been unequivocally discredited by research and officially labeled as a misguided practice by the new department of ed. If so many students are in level according to FMP, why only half proficient on the
016state test? The numbers don't lie. The benchmark does. For 2 years, we've urged Eve Shan to implement valid universal screening and progress monitoring measures. The district has refused until the state required it for grades K through three. Even now, grades four through eight have no valid system to identify struggling readers. The result, children are slipping through the cracks. One of my own children was labeled above level for at least the past two benchmarks of FMP. Yet I ready and NJLA both show he's a full man behind. His story and my older child's similar one illustrate a systematic failure of accuracy and accountability. My children's story is not. How many other parents have been led to believe their child is on track or even above when they're not? Board members, this is your moment to demand
017answers. Why is so licensed to acknowledge what research and data have made undeniable require curriculum leaders to provide universal screening data disagregated by skill strand, grade, and demographic categories including special education to ensure transparency. targeted intervention and equitable access to intervention so this board can see exactly where instruction is falling short demand a plan to use the results of its universal screening data to improve instruction across the tiers beginning in tier one require leaders to predict data regarding how many students were on level according to their most e most recent eth grade level according to ready the answer to that single question will reveal how many students this district is quietly leaving behind in grades four through 8. Demand implementation of universal screening through 8th grade to ensure no child falls through the cracks. Demand
018ongoing highquality evidence-based professional development opportunities from reputable unbiased external providers. Reject a slow approach to reform when decisive, substantive action is urgently needed. It's time to stop defending outdated philosophies and misleading data. The state has spoken. The research is clear. Parents have been patient long enough. Our children deserve an excellent education at is your mission. Good evening. My name is Chris Dianelli and for more than two years, our literacy advocacy group has been raising the alarm about EX literacy curriculum almost to the point of exhaustion. During that time, we presented extensive research and resources showing that our current literacy framework and instructional practices are not effective. Yet, despite all this evidence, meaningful change still hasn't happened. We now have I ready data for grades K through three showing how many students are falling short in
019key foundational areas phonics funological awareness high frequency words vocabulary and comprehension results raise an urgent question. How many of these students are now being referred to the intervention and referral services team because our tier one instruction is failing to meet their needs? Let me share one example. My own first grader was considered on level at the end of kindergarten according to your district's font and panel benchmark assessment. Yet her most recent I Ready results show she's performing at a preschool level in her funological awareness domain. This clearly shows that fontanel is not a reliable measure of a child's true reading ability. Esham claims to implement MTSS, the multi-tered support system of supports. But if that were truly the case, our data would make it clear that this is a tier one problem, not a tier
0202 and not a tier three problem. The issue isn't the interventions. The issue is that our core instruction and curriculum are not aligned to evidence-based literacy practices. Every year we delay addressing this, more children fall behind. not because they can't learn, but because our instruction isn't meeting their needs. We are failing to provide highquality research aligned literacy instruction across all classrooms and all tiers. So tonight, I'm asking for three things. One, require all board members to review and publish the K3 skill area results of IRA and INRS referral data tied to literacy. Two, require a time timebound implementation plan from curriculum leadership with monthly progress reports to ensure accountability. Three, adopt a structured evidence-based core literacy program that will actually support children's needs. They deserve a voice. We are their voice. We have to make
021change with a $100 million budget. Our students deserve updated resources, not resources from 1987, 1997. We need updated books. They're still coming home with over 20 years old books. That's a problem. Our students deserve better and the data proves it's time to act and hold the curriculum director and supervisors accountable. Thank you for your time and listening and we hope to see action soon. [Music] Sorry, little short. Um, hi, my name is Tanisha Shardan and I am here today to advocate for my daughter, Demi Shardan. My daughter is a student at Rice Elementary School and she is currently out of school right now due to a decision that was made when I went to a meet and greet and did an observation of the class. And I would like every parent on the board to,
022you know, feel what I'm trying to say. Um, my daughter is very bright. My husband and I, we put a lot of work into my child. Um, we have ABA services. We teach her academically at home as well. So last semester, school semester, my daughter, we were potty training her and we were told by the school her teacher that the school did not have the support to meet Demiy's needs with potty training. With that being said, I did ask if her RBT worker can be present in the class. We kind of got the runaround. Um, now let's move forward. I'm just going to make it short and sweet. As I did an observation of the class that they were currently going to put my daughter in, I was okay with it the beginning of well
023the last of the school semester. I was okay with it as we did the observation and I also did a Google Meet observation. That class did not meet my daughter's criteria. My daughter is bright. It would cause her to regress if we put her into that class that they are recommending. All I want is my daughter to be moved. If my daughter was in a regular class and she didn't have autism, would it be a problem? They would just go ahead and move her into a different class. I'm not comfortable and my husband is not comfortable with the class that is currently that was currently recommended for my daughter. So, I'm asking as a parent if you guys could feel what I feel as a parent. I advocate for my daughter. I'm her voice. She's
024autistic and because she's autistic, it doesn't make it right that she's supposed to go into a class that doesn't meet criteria. She's bright. She knows her numbers. Last school semester, the class of 12 that she was in, she did great. I don't understand why now that it's an issue with the potty training and we're asking for a RBT worker just so that for more support for Demi. Why do we have to bring her into a class of four with children that doesn't meet well that's not at her level. I'm sorry I'm a little nervous. This is my first time. but with children that are not at her level. And I don't want my daughter to regress because she has came a long way. And I do take her academics very um serious and I do
025believe she needs social skills, she needs academics and she needs life skills to get through life. So that's all I have to say. Mrs. Jardan, I'm just I'm Dr. Smith. We emailed earlier today. So, uh, thank you for everything you shared and I'll follow up with you after the meeting so we can talk some more. Any other public comments? Seeing none, moving to board member announcements. Are there any board members who would like to share an announcement? Mrs. One minute. I have to check the date. Uh I I'm sure Aiden will be talking about EF as he always does, but I wanted to plug the designer bag bingo which is happening on November 14th at Deacy. It's a a great sold out always sold out lots of fun and it really raises a lot of
026money for EF and in turn they support our programs. We have requests on tonight's agenda, requests for money from EF for our CAPS program, metamorphosis, tier three summer enrichment, and others. So, if you can come out, please do. It's always fun. Thank you. Any other board member like to share an announcement? >> You're good. Oh, wow. All right. Anyone else? No. Okay. Motion to adjurnn. Motion by Miss Fox, seconded by Mr. Thompson. All those in favor? >> See you next month.