001you e e e know e e e good evening Welcome to our February 12th special meeting um at this time I'd like for us oh wait wait wait in accordance with open public meetings Act njsa 10 4-6 adequate notification of this meeting has been provided by advertising in a record uh please stand for the flag flag United States the IT stand nais jcece please stand for a moment of silence I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of Richfield Park detectiv Steven Fernandez Stephen had numerous ties to the city of Garfield he not only had friends he was not only friends to a number of police officers in our department but also had numerous employees in our district also I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of
002the passing of Mr Angelo Peta Mr P was a lifelong resident fireman DPW employee and part of the fabric of this community May these men both rest in peace thank you m dich please take attendance Mr Taylor Mr Munos present Mr folino present Mr Gaba Dr pivor Mr Moo present Miss Sanchez Mr KES Mr Ramos President we have a quarum okay since this is a special meeting we're going to go right to the resolutions so the only thing we're here to vote on is um 10.1 can I have a motion Mr president I'd like to make a point of order I i' would like to make a point of order uh I'd like to make a motion to resend resolution 10.26 named approve determination of participation in the state help program [Applause] Mr G is
003there something that we can take care of today Mr folino as you're aware this is a special meeting and as advertised the special meeting had one agenda item which was the change the vote uh the changing of the voting dates um for the Board of Education and as you are well aware that because that was the only item that was published there would be a clear violation of the open public meetings act if this board took any other action at this I believe the notice also stated that there other action can be taken Mr ferino I couldn't understand what you said could you please repeat it I didn't hear what you said I believe it also said other action may be taken at this meeting not other Mr folino I stand by I stand by
004my position it is advertised as a special meeting with so now ladies and gentlemen if you just look at the website you have a posting of all our regular meetings this date was not one please if you would let me finish if if we're not going to let me finish and we're going to interrupt we're going to end the conversation if you want a legal opinion I will give it to you however if you want to Banter back and forth my decision is final however if you want an explanation I will give it to you so it right now our published meetings are on the website this was not one of the published meeting dates that we had this was a special meeting set forth for one agenda item because we had pending litigation with
005regard to the election very simple and again I stand by my position as non-advertised as any other agenda item it would be a clear violation of the open public meetings act Madam Mr pres back and forth hold on ladies and gentlemen this is not a back and forth with the lawyer Mr what this is this is my legal opinion and this is what the board chooses to take action according to my opinion or not what the board chooses Mr it's a legal opinion is what I give the opinion is wrong because when I was on the board we we took other stuff Mr GTO with all due respect you seem to understand how to take legal action if you believe it's wrong put my feet to the fire sir will Mr President will ready M
006Mr President Mr President can we have the board secretary read the announcement for the public to understand it better and so I [Applause] can outside the micone we can't hear you can we read the announcement announcing this meeting so we could have a better understanding as to how it's worded quite frankly there's no need for it my opinion is my opinion if you wish to read you can read that's up to after he has to come through the president ask question looking for a motion understand what so we're for motion right now 10.1 point of order Mr President I'd like to make a motion to Mr ferino you're addressing points of order you're addressing points of order through me that goes through the president so we have proper chain of P okay Mr guer I
007would like to make a motion to move the public speaking session now so the public can have a voice at this time about what we're voting on today yeah so I mean that's up to you whatever whatever you wish to do yes he can make the motion all right um second so we have a motion on the floor by Mr folino to allow public comment portion of this meeting to occur prior to the vote is that correct Mr folo that is correct is there a second all [Applause] right guys bang the G with no second let's go on to the resolutions no second on that motion to go into 10.1 I make a motion motion by Mr Malo second second so go to motion 10.1 is there a second Mr second all right roll call
008I'd like to discuss what are you voting discuss resolution 10.1 through the chair I believe that but I'm actually going to request uh board members to go against this resolution to save money uh Mr fita hold on we're not we're not even there there was a roll call for a roll call vote at this point there were two motions and opening up for discussion you that would be through the president Mr folino okay you not the president no no I so it's all Mr President discussion please discuss go ahead I'm going to request that the everybody clearly I'm going to request that the board members not go in favor of this resolution and maintain the April election date for the Board of Education in order to allow our community to have a voice on the
009issues affecting our schools when the election was in November when the election for the Board of Ed is in November the issues get of the school get diluted amongst the gubernatorial the senatorial the assembly the other elections that are going on and I and presidential last year so I am going to urge our trustees to go against this resolution and support the community speak please public you will have your chance to speak please do not interject while board members are commenting that's not the way a meeting Works done just second at the moment please correct me if I'm WR did you get voted in November or in April Mr focarino both okay so was it diluted when you got voted can't hear can you please get him out of here was it diluted when you
010were being [Music] voted us I feel it was because but but you got in there I do feel that the ballot for the Board of Education was two or three pages past the initial page on the voting machines that we're using now which I don't agree with either so yes we get deluded okay do you have anything else Mr F at this moment no Mr valo do you have anything else Mr Vino can you tell me how many districts uh have April elections in this in the state of New Jersey there's at least five of them and how many districts are there in the state of New Jersey about 500 I think uh it's 600 and there's only 13 that are dueing April elections okay so what are you what are we proving here what
011are we proving by doing it in April well so any coms the any other comments from any other board members any other comments all right Mr munz no wait are we still discussing discuss can make sure we make sure we what we're voting on correct we're voting on so so to answer Mr malo's Question uh basically there's 500 plus different districts are voting on than education Garfield item 10.1 so we started the roll call yeah all right Mr ferino no Mr Gaba I Mr Meo hi Miss Sanchez Mr Ros hi okay motion pass that's it now have agenda items that was the only agenda public comment all right at this time we're going to open up the floor for public comment read the read the read the read the on before we start ladies and
012gentlemen before we start public comment there are a few guidelines that uh need to be addressed um the Garfield Board of Education recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on school matters of community interest please be advised that the following guidelines shall apply members of the public who would like to address the board must state their name and address each member of the public will be limited uh to offering no more than 5 minutes of public comment no participant shall speak more than once as this is a public forum and public comments may not in any way be disrespectful vulgar or threatening toward any member of the Board District faculty Administration or staff if any public comments violate these guidelines the
013speaker will be asked to refrain from offering any further public comment regardless of whether they have time remaining in addition the speaker may be interrupted in his or her privilege to comment terminated if the speaker's comments are disruptive or otherwise violate these guid guidelines um we thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation ever GTO Jr 51 juw Street Garfield New Jersey Mr gisler it it St States right here on on what the Garfield Board of Education puts out and I'll read it to its entirety agenda formal action may be taken the purpose of this meeting is for the Board of Education to consider potential change in its annual election date the board reserves the right to relocate the meeting to a more suitable venue if audience uh if audience size necess uh necessitates the
014Board of Education matter related to Personnel negotiation litigation Andor contracts may be conducted in closed session pursuant to the board resolution the board this is the important thing here the one that you said you can't do the board reserves the right to amend agenda to address any urgent matters that arise between the publication of this notice and the meeting date so you're not respecting anybody's urgency to speak about something else other than what's on this agenda is that correct it clearly states it could you're not going to answer my question mrto now in all do respect very nice very I'm not looking for Applause I'm just looking for an answer to my question I'm going to tell you is you sat in this seat right here you know how public comment Works finish and I
015will respond the last meeting that it didn't work that way for the superintendent he he interjected 25 times during the meeting why didn't he wait to the end you should Practice What You Preach Mr superintendent you don't of course you don't know what I'm talking about I do I got it on tape I'll show you okay let me ask you something counselor my question to you is today you just and correct me if I'm wrong you just voted to change the meeting back to November correct election the election rather right correct now let me ask you how do you do that when I know you just filed an appeal against a final Judgment of of our our decision which said it's staying on April now you're bringing up to the Appel of division but it
016still says it's April as of now how could you vote on that that's a violation of the court order no Mr Geer yes it is is it is it not when you are finished I will respond so let's get all your comments out and I will respond I I truly believe it is a violation of a court order how could you vote on something where we clearly have a judge saying after two different appeals that it's staying free actually that it's staying to April now I know you you just put in your appeal to go to your pellet division you you you did that but there's still no decision as of now as of now clearly states on the Judgment a election is on as of now how could you vote to change it when
017you didn't even go to the appella division yet thank you so hold on if if I may through the president I know we're going to wait until the end but okay respond yes so Mr guo we did hear back from the Appel Division and in fact the Appel division granted the stay which a copy is here which probably was about an hour and a half ago the pet level pellet judge stayed the injunction meaning they allowed us to vote and it's clear and explicit in the order we will then have oral argument and hearings set forth going forward however at this point we were granted permission to have this vote today here's the order so yeah so I mean it's it's a public decision it's on the appet website it's available for everybody to see
018it was granted earlier today I would say probably 5:30 I don't know Dr maybe 5:00 um it was an emerging order the emerging order granted to stay for the uh injunction um and we will arum before the appell division when's it going to be heard Mr G uh there's a briefing schedule on here I'm going to tell you 18th approximately the 19th okay that's too late got one more question before I'm done and this question is uh going to be directed toward uh the superintendent Mr Tomo my question to you is you quoted in the paper that you really don't care when the election is for someone who doesn't care when it is why are you fighting so aggressively hard to keep it in November I want to answer it so Dr if I if
019I may I would ask you not not to respond um oh he he Mr Garo if if I may also you had indicated you were done with your public well I still I still have more than I still have my time your time is your time is out Mr M stop act shaking your head like you're like you're I will I will address the whole point as far as Dr Tomo fighting the election this this is a it was a simple question I understand it's a it was a simple question for somebody that don't care why is he aggressively fighting to keep it in November why answer my question I'm going to say I know I know and again I listen I'm advising everybody up here because it's pending litigation not to speak I'm I'm
020I'm a uh a firm believer of when there's a question like that and there's rhetoric involved in the question which I I can't finish if where's a rhetoric question my question is a r why would you answer right here is rhetoric this is our rhetoric so very simple um again my biggest issue with this whole thing is that your resolution that you put forth does not have the truth in it it's very simple which again and and was said which was said here you said that um the taxpayers should be voting on the budget and yes back in the day in April that happened but you were misinformed by your attorney and you guys wrote the wrong resolution so if you're going to now put something together in front in front of these individuals that
021are supporting that that that should be the right thing so again nothing should change or what you should have done was sit down and talk with everyone and say you know what let's move it to next April and not worry about the election but I honestly feel that that's what's happening now you you put up candidates that lost and now you have the momentum who put up candidates I guess you your friendica put us candidates I didn't put no p i just answer you put I'm okay that's fine be a man then stand up for it if you did it be a man and stand up and say you did it if you did it that's all I am a man bigger man than you and I didn't know I didn't know I didn't [Applause]
022it's okay Mr oo you've been out of line the whole meeting yelling comments so next hello I'm Justin Peter suroso I am the President of local 3977 the Garfield Federation of teachers [Applause] I'm not here to discuss the election but something different I'm here to discuss what happened at the last meeting on agenda item 10.26 and I'm here to address the email the staff was sent afterwards um we received an email that said quote from this uh from the board president stating I'm directing the postponement of the move out of the state benefits until alternate plans can be introduced to the board in other words there will be no change in healthcare plans at this current time so I do have a question uh since uh we have a lot of people here and we
023have an attorney here is that email legally binding email legally Bing we're not having a question and answer right okay so that's my first question um the next statement I want to make is that it clearly states on the website which we see every day when we log in to take care of our students that the board reserves the right to amend the agenda to address address any urgent matters that may arise between the publication of this notice and the meeting date in case you can't tell I've been the President 8 years now an employee 20 years I've never seen this before now two meetings in a row here with all of my members many of my members who are concerned and yet we're not going to address this so there's nothing legally binding here
024and when you're given a chance to bring this up and vote on it you're not doing it so that leads me to believe that this is a false [Applause] [Music] promise and when this kind of trust is lost it's never regained so I'm going to urge you to do the right thing and vote it down here tonight revisit and resend please let's get this District back in order [Applause] answer's not answering it's fine okay Michael backo uh grievance chair uh AF New Jersey vice president on Monday the gft emailed the board president asking whether the board will be resending its prior action at the upcoming meeting obviously no they're not excuse me uh on agenda item 10.26 from the January meeting of course that's coming onone at this point in time we know that you're
025not doing it at this meeting but Mr Ramos we sent you that email and we're asking you again Mr Ramos will the Board of Education resend its vote from the J um January 26 excuse me January agenda item 10.26 was that email just fluff or actually going to be a man of your [Applause] word anyone else yes aren't you to answer we will answer he said the answer at the end we will answer at the end there's a lot of people that need to speak so in all fairness to the public that has come they let them speak and then we will [Applause] answer I don't understand you keep changing the rules for each person Tander Raymond 93 spring Street Garfield I'd like to inform the board you probably don't know but you're so lucky
026I was appointed delay is on from the council to the Board of Education which means Dr TOMCO I will be in touch with you we will be having some meetings there's probably some things we can do together and there's some things I would like to inform you of what's going on with the council and I would appreciate the same from you now that email that went out the the about the benefits I did see doctor and and I'm sorry president Ramos sent out that he was thinking about it it was going to be postponed or whatever why wasn't it rescinded tonight I want to know that and Dr tonco you said in our uh legal brief that we didn't have true facts you're wrong I didn't know you had a law degree the lawyer we
027have is a very competent lawyer but I will say in your appeal you you failed to mention all the positions that you've created and and gave out to family and friends that's not in your appeal that's going to have to be argued before the judge when uh they go before this appeal that you just filed I guess that's going to be coming up in the near future now it's my understanding the ballots are printed they have to be printed by the 18th of February so how could this appeal be held on the 19th that's a question Mr Geer for you also Dr TOMCO after the last meeting when I left I would appreciate if you got something to say to me say well I'm here you said my position wasn't refilled well guess what you
028have a nurse in the school district and it's needed you have a nurse in the school district that's pursuing her supervisor certificate because she was promised by the board members she's going to get the job so maybe some of them are not honest with you president Ramos yes we're up at Rules of Order Mr Gaba at the last meeting seconded uh Mr folino's motion you totally ignored it no we the vote what sorry sorry oh okay I would like an answer to that and if there's a deficit I want to know from this board you're you're claiming that there's a deficit Dr Tom I'd like you to answer this question please when I'm done is it true in October you were thinking of doing this because you would save $1.2 million if you took the
029benefits but you didn't do it because it was too close to the election is that true I want to know if it's true and you know I expect I would expect true answers from this body especially you president Ramos since you're a man of the Lord make sure you tell the truth and my last my last statement is if there's such a deficit how do you justify hiring all these positions taking secretaries and giving them $30,000 raises to created positions that never existed assistance to assistance which we never had before and at the end of the year if you come up with a deficit what are you going to say like you told Mr rojack you're going to have to cut 45 teachers you better not you better cut all those other positions before you
030touch a teacher let's remember one thing the teachers are the spinal column of this school district without them there is no school district you have quite an exodus of teachers leaving this District how is that going to look you serve on the committee in Trenton for for the committee on the shortage of teachers how are you going to explain from your District all these teachers that are leaving many of them are leaving not because they really want to because they're afraid to lose their benefits it's a shame that you've done this to these people that have worked and dedicated and committed themselves to this school district this I have one last thing I have to say I've been active in this community for 40 years I was a young mother if I had a child
031in school now you'd have a picking line right around that board office trust me when I tell you this is the worst board I've ever never seen [Music] sirf I got one more thing to say it's time Mr folino on behalf of all of us thank you so much for standing up thank [Applause] you how you doing good evening Dominic dagostino Dr Dominic dagostino 96 man RAV [Music] Garfield well well this is what I would like to do I would like to um State some facts about switching from Blue Cross Blue Shield to Etna Insurance okay I'm speaking tonight as I'm not as a teacher afraid of losing my best benefits ever I'm te I'm speaking as a doctor doctor who has dealt with Etna and blue crus blue shield for over 25 years I'm
032speaking as a physician who deals with these insurances and I'm going to tell you that the Etna plans that have been presented are not the same or better and I'm going to State why I have reviewed the four plans that were presented and they're not the same or better because as a treating physician I deal with thatn insurance and they are much more difficult to deal with than Cross Blue Shield I can assure you that I understand these insurances better than anyone sitting up there tonight and anybody probably in this audience tonight as well Etna may tell you on paper or they may show you on paper that it's the same or better but I can assure you that they love to exercise based on medical necessity and then they deny delay and depose which
033sounds very familiar when a United healthc Care CEO was just murdered in New York City that's the reason Etna Insurance has the same practices as United Healthcare Blue Cross Bruce Shield does not give heartache to their insured clients most Specialists are out of network with Etna and that is for a very good reason this will make it difficult for your employees sitting in this audience to find good honest doctors in n workor Specialists prefer to be out of network with Etna they themselves do not want to deal with Etna Insurance and what is that tell you I'm a specialist and I am out of network with Etna this means that the 100 to 150 School Employees that I treat will now have to find an in network doctor or they will be paying me out
034of network fees deductibles and Co Insurance these ET the plans that are being voted on are not the same EOP plan as the city of Garfield has for the police department and the DPW it is totally totally different and if you didn't understand that please speak to me because I will point out what's different it's totally different than what they gave the cops and the DPW so after hearing from a longtime treating physician in Garfield I pray that you guys make the right decision and leave the insurance benefits alone and look elsewhere if the money if you need to save district for the money the money for the district insurance benefits should never be negotiated to save money cheaper is never [Applause] better Jennifer roselli 275 South Boulevard Saddlebrook New Jersey I'm a teacher for
03521 years in Garfield and I'm here to speak tonight on behalf of the staff and faculty that are afraid to get up and speak in front of you and I'm not here to offend or put anybody down I just want to speak to the public as a teacher I'd like to First commend the students who had the courage to speak at the last meeting it was an honor to see you give the staff such immense support and I speak on their behalf when I say thank you from the bottom of our hearts I'd also like to say it's an honor as a teacher when you've taught in this District long enough to see some of your former students that are now employed by the district because there is no better teacher than experience so when
036they see how much we have sacrificed and what we do in our classrooms and now have to do with themselves it's difficult it's a great challenge but I feel that they maybe hopefully think it's as worth it as we do many staff members have been Paralyzed by the fear of political retaliation for speaking out to stand up for ourselves and defend our rights but you should stand up for yourselves and stand up for our students because they stood up for you for far too long we've remained silent while continuously providing for these children even though it's their responsibility to do so we received an email from Mr Ramos claiming to have listened to our concerns at the last meeting yet several times they left into Clos sessions refusing to listen or answer for the nepotism
037and the selfish decisions they made on behalf of our District at our expense behind our backs you directly insulted Us by claiming the benefits promised to us in our contract would be the cause of your financial deficit how dare you deciding not to change and I quote Mr Ramos Health Care Providers at this time will be detrimental to the needs that staff member students in the community have charged us with repairing are we supposed to feel guilty about them violating our contractual rights to compensate for the irresponsible manner in which they spend the budget money our voters entrust the Board of Ed to properly manage funds for the benefit and Welfare of this community not to be gaslighted by them for their inability to do their job effectively while remaining dedicated only to their friends
038and family you want to know what dedication is look around this room at the staff here tonight who continue to serve this District despite its corrupt conditions teachers who dedicate themselves educating your children every day volunteering hours after after hours at their schools buying their own materials and supplies and working far beyond the obligatory contractual hours so I speak to the parents of this community so that they can understand how we uncomfortably have to ask for donations for tissues pencils Etc this is not just about our health benefits they've been taking away from us at every possible angle and it has to stop we the teachers are the ones proudly serving this community with integrity and dedication not you we the teachers we the teachers are the ones financing our aesthetically decorated classrooms not you
039we're buying our own paper because we're limited to one re a month we're supplying content curriculum in our classrooms for multiple subject areas to ensure that our students receive a quality education that they deserve and were promised not you we accommodate multiple Lev Learners on a daily basis differentiating our instruction to meet their social emotional and academic needs where our needs continue to go unmet we painfully watch students struggle despite how hard we work we Supply materials for strategic intervention and remedial materials for tutoring and then we're often accused of not meeting grade level expectations because this board that stands before you limits the number of students we are allowed to leave back or retain forcing those incapable of passing on to be promoted anyway continuing to struggle the following year we the teachers listen
040to the parents inquiring about accommodations and modifications which we can't always provide due to a shortage of specialed Staff yet there's certainly no shortage of assistance in the board office we're tired of unreliable Wi-Fi struggling daily to integrate technology into our classrooms as required while Mr TOMCO gets an allowance for his Wi-Fi working from the comfort of his own home does any staff member in this room remember getting reimbursed for their Verizon bill during Co when when we are expected to overturn our lives and alter our living conditions while we taught remotely within two short weeks of notice neither do I and other districts got bonuses just for showing up we certainly have a lot of professional development days that take away from our instructional time with our students I'm sure those professional development presenters
041are quite costly to our district but yet we're being blamed for money that's mismanaged and misspent we don't need extensive PD to make our teachers better we need supplies and support neither of which they have been forthcoming with yet they managed five minutes finish it for me finish it right here you don't have to read Mr P finish this this and the end okay Dana Guzman 10 Cottage Place I'm also a teacher in District uh we don't need extensive PDS to make us better teachers we need supplies and support neither of which they have been forthcoming with yet they managed to download our Wi-Fi eliminate educational website memberships to cut cross change our Data Systems known as real time the list goes on somewhere behind each and every change there's someone receiving financial compensation and
042they still had the audacity audacity to violate our contract and attempt to deny us our health cover they need to do the job they were hired to do meet our needs by spending the budget money properly they have a legal obligation to provide us with what we are entitled to we're not asking for favors like their friends and families we're asking them to respect and honor the contracts to be righteous and fair to serve this community with the honesty Integrity that they swore on oath when they were accepting their positions to to reflect the same dedication that we the teachers have shown this community on our school website Mr TOMCO was Spotlight in education weekly in 2023 for exhibiting innovative solutions to fix some of the most pressing challenges facing K through2 schools in this
043critical period of our history this is how you did it by taking more and more from the hardworking teachers and raising taxes for the community while you so generously gave away our funds as impressive salaries money that we were entitled to to better serve the community parents and citizens of Garfield we want to give our children your children the education they deserve we as a faculty want to serve you the best of our ability we are hard workers dedicated workers but we are not miracle workers we need your support there is strength in numbers when we unite for just the cause we need your votes to elect trustworthy competent and committed members of our Board of Education your child's future depends on it we ask you to do the right thing when you vote during
044the next election Nancy Cuts up 484 van buam Avenue I respectfully urge the Board of Education to give careful consideration to the following pivotal issues that directly impact the future of our students Educators and Community number one respecting the intelligence and strength of Garfield residents it is imperative that the board recognizes engages with the Garfield Community with the respect it deserves the knowledge and dedication of our res residents Run Deep and past attempts to undermine this awareness have not been successful transparent open communication is essential to meaning trust and fostering collaboration the p a portrayal of a community apathy or disengagement presents a false narrative Garfield is a town rooted in strength and resilience with a proud history of determined citizens when provoke Ed the strength of our people is undeniable I ask how do
045you plan to respect protect and Empower Garfield residents shielding them from adversity that continues to plague Us number two enhancing teacher morale and retention our educators are the heart of Garfield's success their commitment is undeniable and they continue to provide exceptional education despite facing numerous challenges Garfield High School Educators have equipped our students with the skills to succeed at the Collegiate level even as they contend with an with very limited resources however there's a growing concern that current policies risk driving these invaluable teachers away the loss of these Educators would not only damage the quality of education but also harm the support systems for Student Success furthermore the early college program years in the making has been a essential pathway for our students to earn college credits thanks to the dedication of teachers who advanced
046their qualification to serve as adjunct professors any actions that undermine this program or the commitment of our teachers would have have a detrimental impact on our students Futures we are already seeing damag system with the lack of a proper chemistry teacher Also let's not forget the critical role played by our elementary Educators who laid the very foundation for lifelong learning what concrete steps are being taken to prevent a massive Exodus of our teaching staff third focusing on datadriven Improvement while optimism is very important we must confront challenges head on with honesty and rigor as someone trained in data analysis within an abbid District I fully understand the value of performance through acate accurate and actionable data it is crucial to identify areas of weakness and address them without delusion delution or distraction the board must
047commit to initiatives that have direct tangible impact on student achievement superficial measures may offer temporary com Comfort but they will not s solve the core issues facing our district what is your substantial long-term plan to ensure Garfield students Thrive that we continue to protect and support the Educators who make a meaningful difference every day in closing I challenge the board to demonstrate unwavering commitment to the issues at hand the decisions you make today will shape the future of our students our Educators and our community please ensure that the best interest of those who matter most the students and educators are placed at the Forefront of every decision I would appreciate your response to my questions I will provide you with a sheet for of them in case you don't remember them thank you so my
048name is alexandraa I 152 Sherman Place Garfield New Jersey and I'm just a parent some of the teach know me so I have concern about meetings I tell you from this St you suck especially you Mr okay over the past year I have closely followed the decision made by by and I Love You by our Board of Education yes I remember numbers which one you were throwing last year I love you so again over the past year I have closely followed the decision made by our Board of Education particular regarding financial management and our tax dollars are being spent during multiple board meeting I ra a critical issue our school district is willing to pay a superintendent salary that is approximately 40,000 higher than that of superintendent in neighborhood cities and Mr Ramos that time
049you told me that $40,000 is nothing it's yes you go check the recording check the recording you say you were chewing gum and you say that check your recording instead of addressing this concern responsibility one board member exactly you publicly dismiss it stating that this amount is nothing if $40,000 is truly insignificant to them why not take it directly from the board members person personal funds and invest if our teacher instead last year our school taxes were raised and it was suggested that there will be no increase this year however according to the New Jersey state regulation School tax L levies should remain below 2% C if we are searching for additional funding perhaps the superintendent should focus on evaluating the performance of teacher who have faced parent complaint for many years rather than blindly
050approving salary increase for some of them GFI has long struggled with finding and retaining quality education this issue is further exacer I'm sorry exagerated thank you thank you exagerated when the Board of Education chooses to act aset for superintendent V this as responsibility Ste stewards of taxpayer money when leadership dis disregards Financial pro pro I'm sorry prod prod and allows an individual to dictate the decisions and checked the results is a District that prioritize personal interest over the well-being of students and education for example and now is the legal question hiring Mrs buika as a transportation assistant for almost $98,000 who had do not have direct driver license he was driving under influence you know and was arrested for insurance fraud so I would like to know if this is legal because as a fact
051as a parents I am scared another major consenter is the switch to Etna for district insurance plans this change has not result in better coverage for teachers and staff in fact atna continuously modify its medication PL plans based on production cost rather than ensured stable quality healthare services a good insurance provider should guarantee consist benefits not Shi coverage unpredictable to maximize profits this change does not benefit the hardworking teachers or families who rely on this Healthcare Services additionally want to say that my husband is in un and we have this Etna Insurance yeah they're constantly changing the medical plan and I have narcolepsy and lupus I constantly have to change a lower level medication because Etna constantly is cutting the the Garfield Board of Education must be held accountable for its financial decisions taxpayers deserve
052transparency fiscal responsibility and Leadership that prioritize the needs of students and education Educators over personal agendas we cannot continue to accept excuses and mismanagement while hard ear tax dollars are funneled into unnecessary expenditures and policy decisions if we truly want to improve our school we must demand better leadership a commitment to responsibility budgeting and a focus on students successfully rather than administrative IND Indulgence it's time to put pressure on the board of education to make decisions that benefits the community not just those in power and Mr T you have a ethic some kind ethic ethic uh education um no you don't you are not acting like don't chew gum that's first if you're chewing gum because I noticed you know when we saying pledge to the flag we don't chewing come Mr Mr R thanks
053God you stop doing that thank you but I still don't answer the answer I would like to hear you like answer no no thank you your attorney say to us very clearly at the beginning that he want to he want to respond on each question my question was about the hiring this personel oh you don't answer thank you very [Applause] good hi uh my name is Lorissa Assan I live at 27 Garden Court North um I just have three questions you like to publish the supposed administrative and legal fees for opras but can you tell us how much you spent in legal and administrative fees appealing the election change uh to specifically when do you plan to resend the decision to change the School Employees Healthcare benefits which you promised in the email and three
054why have last year's recorded uh school board meetings been removed from the gbo website and uh YouTube and will they be returned they are documented inconsistent ancies between the recorded votes and the published minutes and I believe they should be returned to public access to ensure transparency and uh accuracy thank you is there anyone else Jus Rodriguez 149 Midland Garfield I don't need a mic new Grandpa new grandpa I got five minutes to say whatever I need to say right great guys and this is amazing I'm not a teacher but my wife is and I know I know for 23 years what this should go through with all this BS that's going around B system not what you're thinking bad system is BS Mr fuo thank you it looks like you the only one that
055have the conscious right but not to say something else kind of a little funny I asked my wife yeah I could be a a comedian right to see all this circus going around the city with a lot of clowns animals you name it puppets puet puppets oh my God how many puppets now I have one question a couple of questions let me breathe because you know it's hard to be a grandpa especially when you're holding that baby but it's a bless let me tell you right T oh Mr Raymond with all this respect if you left hand and cause you to sin cut it off this is serious deep stuff man some of you know what I'm talking about some of you have no idea know if you I ca you to sin go get
056out right now all of you guys the only one is Mr focarino and the lawyer Mr guys skirt that we've been here for many years thank you for your patience because let me tell you it's not easy but I'm here as a taxpayer right so I have the right to say whatever I need to say now the same way we put you in there if the elections in April this year next year November we don't give up whatever you want to fill the blank the same way we P you in we're going to take you out you know what we tell you this man I spent 30 years of my life with this BS in this city which is a great city until uh 68 years ago maybe after whatever happens and if you raise
057my taxes which I know it's going to happen every all the time you can't bulling me oh sorry because you know it's it's the truth and then what I need a job can you have a yourphone assistant assistant of the garbage do you need an assistant to dump the garbage matter of fact I volunteer how's that I volunteer for that how much time we have left 3 minutes to five still so guys think about it how do you sleep at night oh in the M firm where BS you're conscious I don't know how you guys could go with all this that's going on and be able to rest at home oh that's what it is I never been there here but I need a haircut definitely no joke anyway we going to cut a lot
058of stuff here guys listen I feel you it's been a long time I don't stand here come and say anything because I'd rather have this good inside of me so I'll be able to help others to see and open your eyes man you guys have to do the right thing and you guys know me all of you know no not all of you a few of you knows me and I know that I'm passionate about what I say how I I say I really at this time of my life I don't give a blank because I'm not running for nothing but I'm a taxpayer and I know it's coming get ready guys it's coming but tonight you guys are going to vote to have the election until for April right no November oh from November
059why why what are you so scared about five minutes 30 seconds what is it we want to see the budget because that's my money that we pay you guys and you me tell you something to the board who's the boss he's the boss of the administration he's not your boss we are your bosses and you better do the right [Applause] thing hello my name is Kyle Oaks I'm I'm 11th grade who spent all my life in Garfield schools and I'm from 120 Hartman Avenue first of all everyone is here to see not this change not go through no one wants their insurance Swit to atna this change isn't just unfair it's wrong this change was so shortsighted and nobody was prepared and given the choice with that email you give such short notice you may
060have thought that this was right for the district but what about the teachers and their families so I asked the board reverse this decision do the right thing listen to the the teachers the students in the community thank [Applause] you how you doing Frank Barber 262 Evans Place Saddle Brook um so I was watching this comedy show from home and I was like I got to get here definitely had to get here um so the first thing I want to say instead of cutting hair we should start cutting these higher up positions I know you guys created a bunch of positions I'm sure you could save money there um myself and Mr GTO we talk all the time and some of the things that we've seen in the hirings it's it's hundreds of thousands of
061dollars over the last few years Mr TOMCO I did some research with Belleville it seems you have a track record of doing this up in Sussex there's a lot of things that happen yeah your name's been around um you know and not not for good reasons you're you're on the you're on the state committee um for to try and keep teachers and I I see like what your guys are doing with the benefits and I think half the problem is not one of the board members up here and I'm Mr fol you're out of this conversation because you're doing the right thing are Educators not one of you have I think stood in front of a classroom at least in Garfield and know what they go through and to take these things away is is
062um irresponsible on the board's part um I heard Mr Moo saying to Mr folino about moving the election and that was a big talk right you you say it doesn't affect anything the board sets the budget probably what like around March so that me that vote would be in April fresh in the Public's mind you want to push it to November because it kind of falls to the Wayside people forget and then these people who run can keep the power in November now and also one of the biggest problems here and the reason that you guys stay in line is because of a a guy by the name of Mr Bea who's behind it and I can Mr TCO don't you yeah you know who he is um so Mr malayo when you say and
063and you went after Mr folino openly so I I'm I'm assuming I'm allowed to address you with this about moving the board election and did it matter it does matter it does matter because instead of putting everything together it's one Focus the Board of Education and guess what Garfield's budget is through the roof 100 what is it 35 million 135 million 150 million now so to me that's the thing that's why the People Want it in April so they can get the budget it's fresh in their mind they can vote on it as far as changing teacher health benefits you know what Mr Ramos why don't you give out free haircuts then why don't you reduce your prices no I'm saying for everybody for everybody you know what I'm saying if it was up to
064me in order you're touching their pockets and touching their lifestyle I would boycott your business I said it on my podcast I would you do construction I wouldn't hire your company this is how this works yeah but I'm just saying like you guys you you guys don't understand how this is affecting this is all this is all a Personal Agenda set forth by the powers that be behind you the money follow the money you'll find the answers whose money how did you run how did how did you run Aaliyah I heard you said who money what are you following Mr Bea financed your whole campaign that that's the money how many Flyers were sent out during that election n 12 13 probably about $100,000 in Flyers were sent out over $100,000 in Flyers were sent
065out probably and it didn't work I mean you're still here bottom line is I I hope this election gets moved to April and yes you I wait Mr TOMCO you were talking politics that he supported a ticket and they didn't win well guess what next time I'm going to support a ticket strongly and I can say whatever I want and I will expose every single person up here what they did I won't let them forget I won't let them forget and as a matter of fact I was thinking of calling all you guys because you say your number is open call you any time I should call you live on my podcast we can answer questions all right huh what's that I I I know oh you wanted you could talk with me but you
066wouldn't answer his questions I just want to know when is this when is this going to be rescinded for the teachers when he sent out an email I saw it when's it happening Mr Ramos you set you set the agenda with with the superintendent am I correct do you set the agenda I asked you the question you were voted in by our people you don't ask me questions people not huh do you set the agenda with the superintendent okay so you have a say in what goes on too but you say nothing at all and I get it Mr gisler advis you guys not to say anything but the these teachers want to see you do something take action an email means nothing means nothing five minutes that's good that's all I got to say
067do [Applause] something there anyone else keep piling on good evening my name is Eric PA Castro 102 Kon Avenue and I want you to write my address down because I'm going to ask you to do me a favor before I leave three years ago actually I'm sorry two years ago I almost lost my wife have you ever hold the hand to somebody that's dying and you're scared out of your mind and you have to lie to them to tell them that everything's going to be okay the only thing in my back pocket that I could rely on was my insurance because my wife went in for one procedure found out that she had a pendis and the doctor was confused as how she got to the building because as he said two days two hours
068two minutes this was ready to rupture he said if this had ruptured in the emergency room we'd give her a 50-50 chance 10 years ago I was in a car accident I have the for discs in my neck I have three cracked vertebrae L3 L4 L5 I know one of you is a chiropractor so I heard I show up to work every day in pain I'm back in physical therapy Etna won't cover that for me to do my job for me to stand for me to be with my kids I need to go and see a specialist my my wife because of her health issues has to see a specialist there's no reimbursement through Etna if this was you if this was your family could you look yourself in the mirror and say it's okay
069that we're doing this it's hurtful because Dr TOMCO when we first met at the um uh in the be no no no it was in the beginning of the year when we had all the schools together you talked about the business model of schools if you take away the insurance what is there to attract new teachers to this town now I'm not here to rehash anything but Dr TOMCO you and I had a meeting in June and one of the things I saw in your office was a big sign that says it is what it is and it made me smile no no oh please it made me smile because that's something my grandfather used to say all the time when he got diagnosed with cancer he said kid it is what it is the
070insurance will cover it after our meeting and after the events of what happened it caused me to seek Mental Health Services because I was having panic attacks and we won't get into that but the one thing we will get into is the fact that Etna will not reimburse those things I work with some very wonderful I think anybody that laces up their boots and comes to work as a teacher is a calling but most of pretty much everybody has a sad tale whether it's a spouse themselves their kids children we talked about children being the greatest asset of this town some of these teachers have kids that need Specialists that need these need these doctors that etot won't cover so when you figure this out like I said I ask you guys write down my
071address you come to my house and you tell me what the value of a human life is thank [Applause] you Michael we passing my voice is very bad so excuse me but I felt like I needed to talk and I started my own time I've already said at the last meeting how plans are different how they're not the same or better if there's anybody here that doesn't understand that I'll be happy to meet with each and every one of you at any time any place and go over it with you I echoed the words of Dr D de austino because I've dealt with him also and he's telling you the truth listen to him this plan this proposed plan is nothing more than lipstick on a pig that has that has been attempted to pass
072off as a unicorn it's not because when you take the lipstick off it's still a pig if there's anybody that has any questions at any time I'd be happy to sit with you at any time to discuss this but if anybody needs a review you could look at the last meeting I think I've said everything I needed to say but if there's any questions you know where I am thank you [Applause] Joe Joe Delaney here 15 G Court North I I I've been going to to Council meetings Board of meetings Freeholder meetings for all types of meetings for over 40 years and on every agenda it states that the board deserves the right to change of the amend the agenda so you have the right to amend the agenda you do right now as a
073matter of fact when I sit down all you need is a motion and a second to vote to be send that resolution that's all you need you need one motion and one second to Res send that resolution you could do it it's been done so and after listening there is to come out here and to vote on the one resolution where affects three people running in the election instead of voting on a resolution that affects hundreds of the employees thousands a lot I mean but these people got to wake up tomorrow morning and realize do I have benefits or not they have no clue how would you I mean just waking up with that every morning it's you know it it really me it behooves me and I use that word behoove who always said
074behooves Dr Kenneth KY that's right all right Dr Kenneth KY who's who's looking down right now at this board of education and he's turning in his grave right now because that that's one thing the bo event member is your your employees and there's no Reas okay now I seen the email so you say you want to look at different options whatever so why not weend tion until you look at different options it's not that hard it's really not that hard all it is takes a motion and a second and with regards to uh the city the city did change it its program I was on a council member then you know what it took us six months because we met with every single employee and made sure they were satisfied with the program that they
075were getting we just said rush it in one night or wi month we took months to make sure that they were happy we took their consideration before our own and it did work out and with with regards to the election you know what I fought to have the election move to November because there'll be more people voting I didn't fight for it to get two people to raise thousands of dollars to support three individuals to win an election you know and that's what's going on if you really care if you think the people's going to forget between April and November what's going on right now they're not going to forget they're not going to forget so so really get a second get a motion and a second right now you could open up the meeting
076again and we send that resolution you could do it it's not that hard is there anyone else anyone else left to speak good evening my name is mine Flores 292 Leonard Place pamis New Jersey I am here because during our last meeting um the live feed was cut off and it didn't record what I had stated in the last meeting um we are being told that that health insurance is equal to or better however in the email that we received from Dr TOMCO it states this is coming from the plan benefit document review we have received the requested New Jersey Educators Health Plan and New Jersey state educators health benefit program and matched it as closely as possible to the etos Choice POS and open access management choice we have listed here those benefits that
077we cannot administer that right there tells you that is not equal to and it's definitely not better okay but we have to believe you the board I pay $1,800 a month in benefits okay $1,800 a month out of my pocket for benefits because those are benefits that help me and my family I have a paralyzed vocal cord I have to go to New York to see a specialist who wouldn't be covered under Etna my cardiologist is in New York who wouldn't be covered under Etna have you ever had a needle stuck into your throat while a camera is down your neck down your throat okay to fix your paralyzed vocal Court while you're awake no my son has five upcoming surgeries five upcoming surgeries now I don't know if those surgeries will be covered but
078according to you Dr TOMCO the $800,000 that you're saving you will help us figure out how those surgeries will be covered right because the board will have the money to help us cover those surgeries right yes yes that's what was said at the last board meeting was it not yes right so where is the savings saving in that explain that to me we received an email from you Mr Ramos and I've respected you since you've been before you got on that seat and you know that yes you do okay we received I've always seen you as a man of your word okay a man of the Lord and I and you sent out that email saying that you were going to back you guys were going to on this vote so why can't you resend
079it if you really believe re there's a reason there's a reason and there's a reason why we're here there is a reason why all these teaches are here because we're not fighting we're fighting for our livelihoods okay if I'm paying $1,800 in health benefits I want it to be for health insurance that is going to help me and my family and all these other families I ask you to resum the vote thank you is there anyone left to speak so I can respond is there anyone left to speak so I can respond all right so at this point I'm going to close the public session Mr President so hold on Mr folino let me speak first and then you can do whatever you need to do one second please so there's a reason is what
080I was trying to say now I don't know if the community understands but I'm a lifelong resident I rais my family here I live here I own a home here I run my business here okay so I do take all these things personal no my children my no no no no no um respected you when you were speak where do my kids go where do my kids go okay Mom just checking nope my one daughter is in charge of school currently currently currently she was supposed to to the middle school but that's not that's not something I need to discuss with you yeah where did your kids go all right all right so rather than the back and forth okay so so so I don't appreciate I mean there there's certain things going on in
081the community okay a lot of the things that have that have gone on a lot of the things that are important to you guys understand that just as well I take them personally regardless of you know the little uh things that are going on on the little side Antics and stuff that are unnecessary by grown men um there's something that we need to understand yes I did send out an email the only reason that nothing else is going on tonight is because we're missing board members and I wanted those board members to have their say because of what happened during the last meeting can I finish can I finish can I finish last time you didn't let me speak and things that I needed to say weren't said so since everybody you they need to
082cut me off you know it's hard for me to get a point across so to further State I am a matter of my word everything was recent nothing was sent to where it was and those that of you that reached out to me know that has to be factual okay so the email um was not legally binding I'm guessing so the email is delayed for stopping the implementation the resolution yes let me finish so with with everything being done there was a call for a boycott of my barber shop you know by the you know the great Mr the great Mr Barber because you know I get my money from the community you know I I don't receive anything from a taxpayer there's no Kickback or anything coming in my pocket so does it I'm
083not coming livelihood okay all right so so with everything said um one of my ideas before we before I further anything so one of the ideas was to create something that if in the future there is any discussion of doing anything with healthare we would have Community involvement teacher involvement and not any administrative involvement so that way those discussions could be had there's also other things that we could possibly do that would be like some kind of um sending uh questions to try to be answers if they're ethically allowed to be answered but with that said Mr folino I'm looking for a motion to resend the vote [Applause] I will gladly make the motion to resend from the last meeting resolution 10.26 regarding the health benefits you like a second Mr go okay SC it
084up all in favor we got roll please Mr yes Mr Mr M Sanchez mramos yes motion car [Applause] okay I need you to understand a lot of you in the room have had my children in your classrooms I've gone to school with you I understand what it is to be in this city I understand the struggles that we go through on a daily basis and I appreciate all of my teachers I apologize for the way that things were done I don't believe that they were done you know in a in a manner of malice you know it was just that money the amount was hard to deny but in in all due respect I believe that the process was tainted and it shouldn't have been done the way it was done okay now with that
085said with with that said you know I I do have to make a statement towards a lot of the things that I'm hearing so I believe that as adults we set the tone for our children and we set a set a tone for the things that are going on I don't appreciate being um portrayed as a criminal being portrayed as everything and anything humanly else that's being posted online I raised my family here and the fact is that my children bring this to me it's not something that I go online to look for it's my son that brings it to my attention because he wants to know why his father is being villainized I'm a man of my family I'm a man of my business and I do what I can for this community whenever
086I can for this community and I have my entire life there's not a moment that somebody is it comes to me in need and I deny them so the fact that you don't understand or may not see that this is just as home hitting to me as it is to you guys maybe not as hard because I don't have health care I'm sorry I don't you know I have to go for charity care whenever I go to places so I don't have the amount ofy people may think that I have you know I run a struggling business right now but that's not even important so I want you to know that from this point forward I am trying to develop certain Avenues to where the community has more input on these agendas on these issues
087that affect the community overall this is what I was trying to get across the last meeting when everybody was aggressively speaking over everything there's things that I would like to see I don't want to see the community like this I love that everybody is taking part in what's going on in the community I love that everybody came to the mic I just wish that I would have had the chance to speak before everybody came up here to beat me up and not understand where my heart was at my heart has always been in this community my family's always been in this community and my family wouldn't want anything done to hurt this community because they love this community they died in this community and some of you in the audience know that to be the
088person that I was to becoming that I am is the values that I hold whether I get made fun of from my faith Jesus is the only reason that I am the man I am today and he's the only person that I can accredit for the things that I have today so regardless of how comical that might seem to some of you I hold his standard to a higher level than man I'm sorry because that's that's something more important to answer to and that's something that I can't run from that's something that I can't go into another room and say he can't see me so yes I hold Bible studies in my in my barber shop on Thursdays and I teach the word of God and I am a man of God I am a
089flawed man of God I make my mistakes at times I make court judgment calls at times I make spontaneous decisions that's my flaw as a human that's what my faith is for to correct the things that I had wrong with my spirit to correct the flaws that man has had since the beginning of time that I'm sure every person in this room has but it's easier to attempt to point out the flaws in other people and people that are attempting to do the right thing for other people I'm sorry if I'm speaking too long okay I thank you for your time thank you for everything Mr President I like to make a motion to resend resolution 10.1 from this evening's meeting oh he's talking about the no second we have to move forward I have
090a two-year-old that's looking for me so if we can speed this up yes know yes please speak I'm actually come out here I don't know that many of you know me I'd like you to listen to me and not comment you know I'm not going to cross TI here because we do have a pastor here but who there with the least faults can throw the first stone okay we're all guilty of things we're not perfect beings and I'm not here to talk about Christianity or prosing as I said but that gentleman there apolog have your name Eric nice to meet you at the age of 48 I had a beautiful wife three great kids in college she had just finished her Masters was teaching English in Princeton was a marathon runner only ate organic and
091was a swimming instructor in Spring Lake yeah I lived down Shore I had a great house five bedroom house 3 4,000 squet okay because I listen to everyone else she got diagnosed with cancer she got diagnosed with cancer I had to spend $500,000 in order to try to help her okay excuse me I'm showing you that I'm passionate compassionate for what you're going through okay I have a compassion for you're my experience beemp by you yours you're just onesided that's what it sounds like you're onesided at this time we' like to take a motion toour second toour all all in favor I I no than