001[bell] [music] >> Hello. Good evening. Welcome to tonight's Board of Education meeting. It's great to see everybody here. Uh we called our meeting to order earlier in our closed executive session, so we are ready to begin. Uh first I just want to say I hope uh all the mothers and mamas and mom figures out there had a lovely weekend and well-deserved respite from the everyday responsibilities that that you all have. So, um let's see. We uh have a fairly light agenda, but I am looking forward to our student reps in just a moment. Um Dr. Aroho, do you have anything to add at the beginning? Uh good evening, everyone. It's nice to have a crowd. Um just want to since uh since last week, we did receive uh notification that the finance department has received
002yet again the certificate of excellence in financial reporting from the Association of School Business Officials International. So, a credit to Dr. Russo, uh Mr. Meade, the finance uh department, all our budget managers, uh all our folks out in the schools that address and manage the budget. So, congratulations, Dr. Russo. Thank you. And now I'd like to invite our student reps from uh high school South and high school North. Uh we have um Allison Gucci, Anna Chen, Anisa Samuel, and Logan Klein. So, uh not sure who's starting, but go for it and take the floor. Um South will start. So, hello, everyone. Thank you for having us again. Even though AP season is wrapping up, our students and staff have continued to stay incredibly busy both inside and outside the classroom. To begin, we'd like to
003recognize Teacher Appreciation Week and thank all our teachers, student teachers, and staff members for the dedication and care they show our students every single day. We'd also like to congratulate this year's educator of the year, Mr. Nathan Leventhal. We're so grateful for his unwavering support and patience. We'd also like to congratulate our support professional of the year, Kathy Tanum, a South alumna who has dedicated 37 years of service to our school community. We are so thankful for everything they have done for South over the years. Recently, Campaign Dialogue created posters throughout the building to help reduce test stress and encourage positivity surrounding academics and mental health as students prepared for their AP exams. As always, South athletics have continued to impress this spring season. Our boys tennis team recently became Morristown Classic champions after another
004successful performance, including a win against North. Yesterday, South and North cricket teams competed in the semi-final round of their tournament and also took home a win against North. Boys volleyball also has also had an incredible and recently became the BCSL champions. Track and field athletes have also had an outstanding performance at the CVC tournament. We'd like to congratulate Aiden Edwards who earned second place in discus with a personal best performance, Julius Kinsler who placed in both the 400 m and 200 m races while also setting a new school record, and our board and our boys four times 100 relay team team who took first place overall. In addition, our baseball team will be playing under the lights this Saturday, May 16th at the Trenton Thunder Ballpark. Admission is free and concessions will be available, making
005it a great event for families and students to attend and support our pirates. Outside of athletics, our arts programs have been incredibly active this month. Our spring concerts wrapped up after weeks of preparation from our orchestra, choir, and band students with senior soloist Aaron Lee who performed Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue on the piano. Additionally, our music technology students will be hosting their scratch music production showcase on May 15th where students will present their original projects that they've been working on this marking period. We'd also like to congratulate Vera Malhotra who auditioned for the New Jersey All-State Jazz Ensemble and was accepted for the third consecutive year as a drum set player. This is an extremely rare accomplishment and we are incredibly proud of his continued success and dedication to music. Finally, SASA performed their annual
006cultural showcase last month celebrating the many traditions represented in cultures across India and dances like Bhangra, Raas, and Kathak and even showcased some classical singing. One of the highlights for me was a skit which was a parody of the popular film Student of the Year. The tickets completely sold out and the audience had a great time seeing all the hard work the students put in the last several months. Our seniors are becoming increasingly excited for their upcoming events including scholarship recognitions, the senior picnic, and prom which is themed Gatsby and of course graduation. Earlier this week Pirate Preschool celebrated own graduation and we are so proud of the students and teachers involved in the making the program such a success this year. Looking ahead, SASA will host their second signing day recognizing more than 10
007student athletes who will continue their athletic careers at the college collegiate level. Next week, grades 9 and 11 will take the NJSL while grades um 10 and what 12 will have a delayed opening. On May 21st, admin will hold an end of year assembly and that evening National Honor Society will host their induction ceremony welcoming new members and recognizes students for their leadership, service, and character. We are also excited for students to participate in organizing the upcoming United Partnership football game on May 28th for special education players. As we approach the final weeks of the school year and students look forward to our end of year celebrations including our second annual celebration on June 18th. We'd like you to take a moment to thank the Board of Education for this opportunity and their large involvement
008at our school. Thank you for having us this past year and now we are ready to pass it on to North. Hi. Sorry. Thank you so much for having us. To start off, teacher appreciation week was last week so we would like to say a little late thank you to all of our educators at HSN. Additionally, we would also like to congratulate our support professional of the year, Hemu Pali, and we would also like to congratulate the educator of the year, Ms. Earaghetti. Her achievement and character is an inspiration for the rest of us at North. And additionally, after 24 years of coaching, we would like to congratulate her for her last lacrosse game for coaching her last lacrosse game earlier this month. To continue on about sports, on Friday, May 8th, North hosted the
009CVC championship for North for track and field at North. We would like to congratulate the girls track and field team for getting first place. Additionally, we have been celebrating our seniors in sports with their senior nights like girls lacrosse on April 30th against New Egypt High School which they won and boys volleyball senior night against North Burlington today. Speaking of seniors, the seniors at HSN celebrated National Decision Day on May 1st by wearing merch from their college. It was extra special thanks to our PTA who hosted a luncheon with some amazing food. The seniors also had the final Disney meeting on April 29th where they learned more information about the trip and got their room assignments. The trip is coming up on June 2nd to June 7th which I know they are very excited for.
010Before seniors can fully lock out, they along with students from all grades have been taking AP tests for the past week. While there are only four more days of AP testing left, we wish all students with tests remaining good luck. While the seniors and sophomores will enjoy delayed openings next week, freshmen and juniors will be having NJ SLA testing. We would like to wish good luck uh for uh the top 100 high school students learning. Uh to celebrate the end of all our testing, our annual North Day is coming soon on Thursday, May 21st. May 21st, North Day is a field day for North students. They have the opportunity to play different sports or activities all around the school. There is also food for them to eat like a Dunkin' truck with Mr. which Mr.
011Thomas has been so amazing to arrange for us. Later this month, our student council will be hosting our annual tonight show. The tonight show features multiple acts from our seniors including bands, comedy acts, and more. It is fun night for our families to come see on March 30th. Now, I'd like to pass it back to Anisa to finish it off. To talk a little bit more about our student council, we had our executive board election earlier this month, and I would just like to congratulate Logan for winning vice president. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Well, congratulations. And as always, we love having you here and hearing about all all the things that you guys are just involved in from athletics to, you know, remembering to appreciate your teachers and staff, performing arts, what else did
012you mention? All the senior activities, cultural representation, and graduations for the little preschoolers or pre-Kers, and and the seniors. I I do we do have some prepared remarks because this is your last meeting with us this year. Uh this evening, I have the distinct pleasure of recognizing our four high school student representatives, three of whom will be attending their last board meeting tonight as they prepare for graduation. Anna Chen, Alice Nettochi, uh Anisa Samol have been integral members of our Board of Education meetings, and Logan Klein is a junior, and we look forward to him joining us again next year as a North student representative, and in his new role, apparently. Uh their presence here is the highlight of our meetings as they provide a crucial voice for the incredible accomplishments and daily events happening
013within our schools. Anna and Alice are members of the High School South class of 2026, and Anisa is a member of the High School North class of 2026. Anna Chan has been our High School South representative for 2 years now, providing a steady and insightful perspective. Her leadership extends far beyond this room. She is a dedicated soccer player, a member of the student council, and someone who consistently pushes herself through a rigorous academic curriculum. Her longevity in this role has given our student reports a wonderful sense of continuity and depth. Alice Snetochi joined us this year as our second South representative and has made an immediate impact. In addition to her commitment to our meetings, Alice is a member of the South girls tennis team, serves on the student council, and maintains a challenging academic
014schedule while actively supporting numerous school initiatives. Her energy and dedication to the everyday wins of our students have made her a fantastic addition to the team. Anisa Samo is a senior at High School North and has served as a Board of Education student representative for the past 2 years. Anisa has been a part of the student council for all 4 years of high school and serves as student council president this year. As president, Anisa guides her peers through the year's events and watches them thrive in their their diverse and unique talents. She is also a member of the North Girls Volleyball team. Outside of school, Anisa serves as a camp counselor at the NJASC Leadership Training Camp, where she helps mentor aspiring student leaders. Anisa plans to attend Rutgers University next year, where she will
015pursue a degree in finance and business analytics. Logan Klein is a junior, as I said, at High School North, who demonstrates strong leadership both inside and outside the classroom. Logan has been involved in student council for the past 2 years and will step into the role of executive board, wait, did you say vice president or president? Vice president as a senior next year. Within the school community, Logan serves as an officer of the business club, where he helps guide members in developing practical business skills and competing in virtual events. Beyond school, he is the co-president of Small Step Loans, an organization dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs in developing countries through microloans, highlighting his initiative and committed commitment to making a broader impact. I want to personally thank Anna, Alice, uh Anisa um Anisa and Logan for
016the countless hours they spend both preparing for and attending meetings. They work diligently to prepare their summaries of school events, distilling a month's worth of highlights into the eloquent and upbeat presentations we hear at these meetings. Thank you all for your poise, your hard work, and for ensuring that the student voice remains at the heart of our district's mission. We are incredibly proud of everything you have achieved. Anna, Alice, and Anissa, on behalf of the Board of Education and the WWP community, I thank you for your service and commitment to your schools, your peers, and your community. We look forward to seeing the impact you will have on this world when you graduate next month. We wish you a wonderful end to 2025-26 school year and much success as you begin the next chapter in
017your adventure. Logan, thank you for your service and commitment as well. We hope to welcome you back and and I know we are welcoming you back to our board meetings next year. We wish you a wonderful end to the 2025-26 school year and a safe and enjoyable summer break. Thank you all for joining us this year. And we have a couple of um presents for you. So, if you want to come over and accept your your gifts. Thank you, guys. >> [applause] [applause] >> Uh thank you so much and off you go, new adventures. So great to see. Um okay, I guess we're back to our regularly scheduled program. I will see We'll see you guys next month. Um so, it's ti- it's time for our first opportunity for public comments. The board invites thoughts
018and reactions on agenda items and items of concern for members of our community who are present. Each participant is asked to give his or her name and address prior to making a statement, which will be limited to 3 minutes in accordance with board policy 0167. All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer. This public comment period shall be limited to 60 minutes. We have a full crowd, so if anyone has a public comment, here's the first opportunity. Oh, crickets. Okay, well, seeing none, uh if you change your mind, there's a second one. Uh I'll close this public comment period, uh but it is great to see you all here. Um let's see, we have not met as committees since the last meeting, so we have no committee reports, and we can move on to
019the voting portion of our meeting. So, can I get a motion for administration items numbers 1 through 5 plus the purple and the orange addenda? Uh Liz and Pooja. Any questions or comments? >> [clears throat] >> I think man, I have no voice. Okay, we'll start with Ms. Cheniera. Yes. Ms. Bansal. Yes. Ms. D. Sebastian. Yes. Ms. Pruitt. Yes. Ms. Maliga. Yes. Mr. O'Brien. Yes. Ms. Shetty. Yes. Ms. McQueen. Yes. Uh we have no items to vote on for curriculum and instructions, so can I get a motion for finance items numbers 1 through 12 plus a verbal correction for number two, professional development should read professional services request for proposal. Uh Dana and Paul. Any questions or comments for finance? Okay, we'll start with Ms. Pruitt. Yes. Mr. O'Brien. Yes. Ms. D. Sebastian. Yes. Ms.
020Cheniera. Yes. Ms. Maliga. Yes. >> Ms. Shetty. Yes. >> Ms. Bansal. Yes. >> Ms. McKeown. Yes. Can I get a motion for personnel item number one plus the green addendum? Uh and as well as a verbal correction that I will turn it over to Charity Cannella. Thank you. I just want to point out that um the start dates on the agenda for many of the 10 all the 10-month personnel. So, you'll see the reappointment of the non-tenured staff and the reappointment uh for certificated and non-certificated, but any 10-month staff member, the start date should say 8/31/26. Typically, a school year is uh 9/1 to 6/30 each year, but this particular school year we're starting on August 31st and we will have that corrected. It's in our records, but I wanted to make sure the board
021was aware. Awesome. Thank you, Charity. Um any questions or comments? No. Okay. Uh Oh, did I call for the motion? No, no motion. >> [laughter] >> Uh Sharon and Paul. Uh no questions or comments about that? Okay. So, we're good to go. >> Okay, we'll start with with Ms. De Sebastian. Yes. Mr. O'Brien. Yes. Ms. Geneara. Yes. Ms. Brew. Yes. Ms. Maliga. >> Yes. Ms. Shetty. Yes. >> Ms. Bansal. Yes. >> Ms. McKeown. Yes. Uh can I go first? Sure. I just wanted to highlight uh one of the several of the personnel changes that we just voted on um with respect to administration. Uh there are two principal changes that were just adopted. This was communicated out to those staffs uh last uh 2 weeks ago, uh but we do have um a vacancy due
022to the resignation of Dr. Dobber at Grover. That was previously adopted by the board. Uh On this evening's agenda, Maureen Cook, current principal Wyckoff Elementary School, will be moving over to Grover Middle School July 1 as the next principal. With the vacancy then at Wyckoff, we will be then transferring Dr. Tolpe from Village Elementary School to Wyckoff Elementary School effective July 1. So, the posting which is up is now at Village Elementary School. So, it's part of a three-player trade with the vacancy now being at Village internal only posting with anticipation being filled by internal administrators. Multiple system principals are ready to to assume that role as principal and have applied. So, we'll be running through that process. Also on this evening's agenda is the I believe it was last agenda, but we also since
023I'm going through administrators, also have a resignation in our language arts 6-12 supervisor with the resignation of Emily Creveling as Emily's becoming a director 5 minutes 10 minutes from our house. We congratulate Emily on that opportunity for her and her family. And so, we have that vacancy as well. And we're in the process just for the full breath of updates of interviewing first round, well, technically second round interviews for High School South assistant principal position as well. That was today with the anticipation of having that prepared for the next board meeting as well. Okay, thank you Dr. Aderhold for those updates. And before we move on, I do also want to acknowledge a retirement that we just approved with this agenda. Carrie Pross, High School North science teacher, is retiring WWP after 14 years of
024dedication and service. So, we wish Carrie all the best for new adventures and um a lot of gratitude for your dedication. So, thank you. And now we can move to uh minutes. Uh can I get a motion to approve the Board of Education minutes from April 28th? Uh Lloyd and Dana, uh all in favor say I. I. I. Any abstentions? >> [clears throat] >> Paul? Any abstentions for April 28th? Yes, I will abstain. Thank you. >> [laughter] >> Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Yeah. Cool. Cool. Cool. Um any board liaison reports? Oh, Lloyd. Go for it. Yeah. Uh Liz and I are both the liaisons for the PTAs and PTSAs uh throughout the district. But uh since there was a mention of teacher appreciation last week, uh we just want to do a shout-out to all
025the parent-teacher associations who showered our uh teachers and staff administrators and um throughout the district with the with lots of thanks and gratitude for all the work that they do. Uh and also um happening with the PTSAs is the Reflections program concluded. So, we had several students who made it to the national level and actually won on the national level. And many students who went from school to county to state and then again to national level. So, a lot of um talented and um wonderful kids doing a lot of wonderful things. So, just if you could check your Friday newsletters and see the announcements of uh students that have progressed or your um respective PTA website uh not websites, what do you call them? Uh Facebook pages and Instagrams and all that um just to
026get information about those specific students. But uh many thanks to the PTSAs and PTAs for putting that program on and um having kids and giving kids an opportunity to share um in the arts uh projects that they do. Thank you. Awesome. Thanks for the update, Lloyd. And Liz for representing. Um any other liaison reports? Okay, any new business? Then that takes us to our second opportunity for public comments. The board invites comments from members of our community who are present. Each participant is asked to give his or her name and address prior to making a statement which will be limited to 3 minutes in accordance with board policy 0167. All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer. This public comment period shall be limited to 15 minutes. Uh, do you have anyone interested this
027round? I saw a hand go up, but it was just a scratch though. So, I'll take that as seeing none. Um, I'll close this public comment period and move to adjourn. Can I get a motion to adjourn? Liz and Shweta. All in favor say I. I. I. Okay, well, thank you. Goodnight. Thanks for coming out. >> [music and bell]