001Okay, let's go ahead check. Is this on? Can you hear me? All right. Yeah. All right, cool. Oh, let me talk. Okay. Okay. In accordance with OPID public meetings NJSA104-6, um adequate notification of this meeting has been provided by advertising in the Courier News and posting notice in the Board of Education Administration building and district schools and filing notice with the burough clerk. I hereby call to order the regular public meeting Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 in the Lincoln Middle School Cafeterium, 400 Denellan Avenue at 7:04 p.m. This meeting is broadcast live. For details, check www.denellinschools.org. Moving on to item number two on our agenda. Roll call. Mr. Pepe, could you please call the role? >> Mr. Anderson, >> present. >> Mrs. Condit is not here. Ms. Ibeback is not here. Dr. Gendrono >> present. >>
002Mr. Mitchell, >> present. >> Mrs. Moore, >> present. >> Mr. Sanoi, >> present. >> Mrs. Miss Shy is not here. Mrs. Shep, >> present. >> We do have a quorum. Okay, wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Pepe. Uh, moving on to item number three, executive session. Um, the Denellan Board of Education will now adjourn into executive session to discuss items that fall within the specific exceptions to the PO PO, excuse me, open public meetings act CJSA104-12B. The confidential matters discussed by the board during this executive session include items related to individual privacy, collective bargaining agreements pending or anticipate litigation as well as personnel. Any discussions uh that does any discussion that does not need to remain confidential will be made public as soon as it is practical. Minutes of the executive session will not be disclosed until
003the need for confidentiality no longer exists. All individuals who may be discussed in executive session have been adequately notified. Action will take place after the conclusion of the executive session. So uh may I have a motion to move into executive session. Please move to go to exe. Seconded. >> All those in favor? All right. Post. Okay. See you at about 30. Okay, cool. Okay, we are back. Welcome. Welcome. So, uh moving on. Oh, so first of all, um looking for a motion to come back to public. >> Move to go back to public. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I opposed. One, two. Okay. All right. So, moving on to item number four on the agenda. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. Flags this way. I pledge allegiance to the flag of
004the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Will you all please remain standing for a moment of reflection and respect for our troops serving throughout the world, our troops who have served and our troops who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of our United States of America. Thank you. >> Moving on to item number five, student recognition. I'll turn the floor over to Mr. Ross. >> Thank you, Dr. Dendrono. Good evening, everyone. It's wonderful to see you all here. Uh very excited about the student of the month recognition for May. Um, student of the month is something that we instituted a number of years ago to celebrate wonderful uh, achievements and accolades of students at each grade
005level and in the special areas at Faber um, who are recognized each month at the board meeting. So, what we're going to do is we're going to have each of the building administrators come up one by one. um they're going to uh speak about each of the students and the students will come up and receive a certificate and then they're going to stand in front of the um step and repeat which we're going to bring into the middle. When we're done with all the students for one of the schools, we'll pause for a moment and then you can stand up and you can go into the aisle, take a picture, take your time. Um we want to make sure everybody gets a good photo up. Um, and then at the end of the meeting, end
006of that section, we'll break so that everybody can take some good family photos and other types of things. All right, so without further ado, we're going to get started uh at Faber Elementary School and we have supervisor of early childhood education, uh, Miss Van Ross. Okay, I'm so happy to be here to present the students of the month at Faber. We'll start with our student nominated by the special area teachers. Alexa Espinosa. Come on up. The teachers say that Alexa is a joy to teach and brings a positive attitude into the classroom every day. She is consistently helpful and kind to both classmates and teachers, always willing to lend a hand and offer encouragement. What stands out the most is her strong work ethic. She works hard, puts in her best effort, never gives up,
007even when something is challenging. She takes pride in doing her best, and continues to grow as a learner. She's respectful and creative, bringing thoughtful ideas and originality to her work. Her dedication to learning and being a positive member of our classroom community does not go unnoticed. We're proud of you, Alexa. Congratulations. Keep up the good work. >> Okay. Our fifth grade student is Helen Salazar from Mr. Bur and Miss Dosa's class. Yeah, we all can stay up here. So, we we'll take a group shot at the end. Okay, Helen. So, M I think Mr. Bur is the one writing. He says, "I've had the pleasure of having Helen in my home room two years in a row. I so thoroughly enjoy her presence every day. She is one of the warmest and kindest children I've
008ever met. There's not a day that I haven't seen Helen smiling and laughing and enjoying her friends and life in general. She's one of the hardest workers at Faber without ever saying a word about it. Humility is not lost on Helen. She's made significant progress each year to the point where she's now oftentimes the helper in the room and she he's confident that she will have success at Lincoln and beyond. The class motto is a little better every day. And Helen has embraced it and made herself the embodiment of just that. We're very proud to have worked with Helen these last two years and truly miss we'll see miss seeing her every morning. She has definitely brought her joy into our lives and we're thankful for that. We're excited and inspired by the great things
009that you're going to do in the world. Congratulations. Okay, our fourth grade student is Camila Cur Curon Curacon Cur from Miss Dosa and Mr. Bur's class. Okay, Camila. Camila has many outstanding traits that qualify her as student of the month. She gets along with all of her peers. If she sees that a classmate is frustrated or alone, she's always ready to help them. She's attentive in class and always participates. She's organized and has good work habits. She's kind to everyone and works well whether she's working independently with a partner or a small group. She always strives for academic excellence. She brings a smile and a positive attitude to our classroom each day and we're lucky to have her as a student and watch her grow. Congratulations, Camila. Our third grade student is Elelliana Moretta Herrera
010or Miss and Miss Schwarzhoffer writes, "I've seen such positive change in Elelliana over the last few weeks. She's really stepped up her game and is making a genuine effort in everything she does. She's trying her best academically, participating more in her small groups and working well with her peers. She's also been a big help in the classroom and takes pride in her work and choices. What stands out most is how she uh approaches challenges headon and is truly growing from them. She doesn't give up and she's showing more confidence each day. We're very proud of the progress you've made and the effort you continue to put in. Congratulations. We have another third grade student, uh, Marvin Romero Martinez from Miss Lowry's class. So, oh, there he is. All right. Marvin is a very sweet, kind,
011and compassionate student. He's always making sure his friends are okay. and always willing to share his markers with his friends when they don't have any. Marvin works hard in class and raised his I Ready score for math by 88 points. Nice. Woohoo. He's He's very happy and he loves to have fun and he's eager to learn and always tries his hardest to do the best he can. We're excited to have Marvin as our student of the month. Congrats. Okay, our second grader, Lyanna Ubaldo from Miss Batalado's class. There she is. All right, Lyanna. She's a hard-working and motivated student who approaches tasks with care and attention. She's conscientious and kind, often showing generosity and a readiness to help classmates. Her leadership in the classroom encourages others to try their best. Her positive attitude and steady
012effort make her a strong role model for peers. Congrats. Good job. Okay. To our first grader, Sophia Ventura Flores. There she is from Mr. Wilkinson's class. Sophia is kind, respectful, and responsible. She's caring toward her classmates, always does the right thing, and she always lends a hand to any student in our classroom. She's one of the first students to follow class routines and directions. Nice. She's eager to learn and she's kind to everyone she meets. She's willing to help others, whether it's with academics or with the routines. Congratulations, Sophia. Okay. Kindergartner Satie Rei from Miss Devito's class. All right. Sadie is a wonderful role model in our classroom. She comes to school each day ready to learn. always tries her best and shows kindness to everyone around her. Satie listens carefully, follows directions, and works
013hard to complete her work. Satie greets me every morning with a compliment and a friendly hello. She makes coming to school enjoyable. I'm so proud of her. Mrs. Devito. >> Okay. And last but not least, our preschooler, Summer Davies. Come on up. All right, Summer. Summer is an exemplary student. She's bright, hardworking, empathetic, and helpful to everyone around her. She always does her best and encourages others in the classroom to do the same. She is an excellent role model that treats everyone with kindness and respect. We're thrilled to watch her grow and have her in the classroom. Congratulations, Summer. Okay, can we come together for a picture? Marvin is representing the boys, right? Nice job. Yeah, I will. >> Yeah. Also, um parents, you should just be aware that um we have a very generous
014gift from uh Warrior Fitness for all of our students of the month. It's uh what is it? A free class um free class that that was uh very generously donated uh by them. So, thank you to to our friends at Warriors Fitness. So, I'm going to bring up uh Miss Caulfield now from Lincoln Middle School. Okay. Hello everyone. Congratulations all students of the month. Um I saw all three of my students here tonight, so I'm excited. I'm going to start with our sixth grade student, Emily Cardinz. Can you come up? Emily puts a 100% effort into all of her work. She's eager to learn, ready to share experiences, and brings positivity to the classroom each and every day. She works well with peers and often serves as a leader during group work. Emily is very
015conscientious about the quality of her work, which is evident by her grace. She is a true role model in the LMS community and always strives to do the right thing and help others even if it's not necessarily what's most convenient for Emily. Congratulations, Emily. Stay right here. Okay. Our next student is seventh grader Lauren Mack. Okay. Lauren is an exceptionally friendly student who always has a smile on her face. She consistently shows kindness to both her peers and her teachers. Lauren is respectful, attentive, and puts forth a strong effort in all of her work. She has shown great improvement in her grades this year and was recently recognized in the honoral assembly. In addition to her academic contributions, her teachers also noted she brings a great sense of humor into their classes each day. Lauren
016also works well with others, making her a wonderful role model and a deserving student of the month. Congratulations, Lauren. And our eighth grade student, we have Thomas Chavez Pinto. Can you come up? Our eighth grade student of the month, Thomas, has achieved high honoral all three marking periods. His teach Yes, his teachers all commented that he's a pleasure to have in class so shows interest and enthusiasm in learning and the quality of his work is excellent. Thomas is an excellent student, very deserving of this recognition as he consistently participates in class and shows a true desire to learn and participate in all of his academic classes. Thomas asks thoughtful questions and takes his learning very seriously. In addition to his academic strengths, he is extremely kind and respectful to both his peers and teachers. He
017stands out for being notably caring. He often checks in and asks others how they're doing. He is also always willing to help others, supporting classmates when they need it. This year, Thomas is a member of the track and field team, competing in the hurdles, sprints ranging from the 100 to the 400, and even has been a member on the 4x100 team relay. Thomas is a positive president presence in and outside of the classroom and a great role model for others. Congratulations, Thomas. Okay, we're going to take a picture. Come up to the front. Grab a picture. All right, last but not least, we have Miss Ashley Powell from Denellan High School. >> Hi, good evening everyone. All right, so we're going to start with our ninth grade student of the month for May, Kayla Kolinsky.
018So, it's my pleasure to recognize our May student of the month for 9th grade, Kayla Kolinsky. Kayla is a well-rounded student who consistently demonstrates dedication both in and outside of the classroom. She's an active member of the drama club and recently took on a leading role in the spring musical. Academically, Kayla is a consistent honoral student and her teachers describe her as a pleasure to have in class. In addition, she's a committed student athlete. She shared with me, "It's softball season. Let's go, Destroyers." Uh, balancing her responsibilities with maturity and determination. Congratulations to you, Kayla. Way to go. All right. Now, our 10th grade uh student of the month, Alan Hernandez Ramirez. It's my pleasure to recognize our May student of the month for the 10th grade, Alan Hernandez Ramirez. Allan is an honoral student
019who consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to his academic success. His teachers note that he actively participates in class, shows genuine interest and enthusiasm for learning, and remains focused on his studies each day. Congratulations, Alan. Our 11th grade student of the month, William Ganam, is not here, but I will read about him. Let's give him a round of applause. Will has a track meet, so that's why he's not here. So, it's my pleasure to recognize our May student of the month for the for the 11th grade, Will Ganam. I had the privilege of teaching Will both his freshman year and again this year in our leadership for life class where he consistently demonstrates strong leadership in and out of the classroom. Will is a dedicated student athlete participating both basketball and soccer and track and his
020teachers commend him for his outstanding work ethic. Way to go Will. And last but not least, our 12th grade student of the month, Gabriella Roas Gonzalez. Come on, Gabby. It's my pleasure to recognize our May student of the month for 12th grade and soon to be graduate, Gabriella Rosas Gonzalez. Gabriella is an academically strong student who consistently demonstrates a strong work ethic. She's actively involved in a variety of activities including the book club, the fall play, math league, and the National Honor Society. In addition, she serves as a peer leader and a Project Connect student guide supporting and mentoring others in our school community. And we can't wait to see what you do in the future. Way to go, Gabrielle. Come on up. Wait, wait, one more. The official All right. So, congratulations to all
021the students of the month. Let's give everyone a nice big round of applause. All right, we're going to take about a 5 to 10 minute break right now and we invite you to take family photos or individual shots. This is double-sided, so there's another logo on the back. Um, but take your time, enjoy the evening, and get some great photos. And I know some of the teachers are here, so thank you so much for being here and supporting your students. Congratulations, everyone. Yes sir. >> Sure. >> Okay everyone, welcome back. We are back in here. So we are moving on to item number six um the budget hearing. So there will be a budget presentation um in the first part of item six and then after the budget presentation and discussion there'll be time for
022public comment on the budget here on budget hearing items on the budget hearing only. So while we're getting the um projector ready let me just uh get out of the way here. Good evening. So, we are here. It is May 5th. We are here for our um annual budget hearing. I'm going to do a pres presentation which is a um a overview of the same information that was presented in March. Um we had a good discussion in March about where we were as a district financially, what we needed to do to keep us moving in a positive direction and um now we are here to finalize that. Uh we have submitted the budget that you approved in March to the county office. Um the county was supportive of it and approved the budget. So we
023are here to say yes, this is our budget for next year. So let's talk a little bit about what we plan to do with this presentation. It'll be a little bit briefer than the last one. Still going to talk about the budget process and timeline about how the budget is designed to support the goals of the district. um talk a little bit about revenues and expenses and then the tax impact on the community. So here's a timeline. Each time we talk, we check off some more boxes that this process begins in October, November when we start um talking with all the budget managers about what things they foresee needing for the following year. Um December they submit everything. January we review it. February we review and we talk with the um BOE through the operations
024committee about it. And then in March we have our presentation and the final step. This is the final stamp to say this is our official budget for the 2627 school year is right now. All right. These are our four goals. These slide this slide has been on the screen many many times over the past year. Um it talks about the way that we've kind of directed how we are operating as a district. The things that are important and what what our focus is. Um, we have four different four areas that we've been focused on. Academic success, student wellness and climate, operational efficiency, and community engagement. And so, as we put the budget together, these were the things that we had conversations about, and these are the things that led to decisions about what things to
025keep in and what things to um take out. Just a reminder of where we are with revenues. Um, as an aside, I'll just remind the board and the community that the um, this was a tough year. This is a very tough year. We had a 38% increase in health care costs. Um, we had other costs that are just increasing through your um, regular um, CPI and we had to figure out how to make this work. We were fortunate enough to get an increase from state aid, but uh still with that increase from state aid, we still had to go above the 2% local tax levy. Um and as a reminder, the state has a formula that they calculate and based on their formula, our um adequacy budget would have us increasing by about eight and
026a half percent this year. Um and furthermore, when you look at the um 2% cap levy formula, which is 2% plus some adjustments, we were actually eligible to go up as much as 13%. And the board and the administration did not see that as the right way to go. And we said we need to figure out how to make this work with not going crazy. Um but unfortunately the costs are such that we could not stick to just the 2% increase. Um what we have is this local increases matching the state increase and that they're both 6%. Um the other numbers on this screen are things we kind of don't really have as much control over. Federal aid is something that we're given that number every year. The miscellaneous revenues I have a little bit
027of control. And part of how I balanced this budget was looked at the um miscellaneous revenues for the past couple years and noticed that what I had been budgeting was below what we actually brought in. And so I was able to increase our expected amount for miscellaneous revenues by 330,000. So that helped not have to cut something or not have to raise taxes more. So that helped out with that. And then on the bottom, this is our um withdrawals withdrawal from reserves and our budget fund balance. These are um the budgeted fund balance is a number that comes from the audit and every year when we finish our audit they say here's the amount that you have to include in the following year's budget. And so those numbers are part of how we performed in
028um prior years. And on the appropriation side, here's where we're spending the money in this budget. Um, again, our focus has really been we don't we don't really want to decrease anything we're doing for the students and second to the students would be the staff and the support of the staff. And so you can see general education and special education both have an increase in appropriations this year. um where we were able to cut back so that we wouldn't have to increase um the local tax levy more than we did were in facilities and in administrative costs and in just other costs which is like all of the other stuff that doesn't fit into these buckets. And so everything in those categories got trimmed. We looked at what things we could do without and we
029were able to make it work with the uh 6% local tax levy plus the 6% state aid increase. So that's the story of our revenues and appropriations. This is the balanced budget slide. Every year I say the same thing. This is my favorite slide because it tells you everything and nothing at once. Um all it really shows is that our revenues match our appropriations which has to happen or the state would not approve our budget. Um but this is just an overview of of all that. So with that said, let's talk about the tax impact. Um, if you look at the tax levy column, the third column from the left, uh, you'll see at the bottom that it's showing a 5.7% increase. I just announced that we are doing a 6% local tax levy increase.
030The the reason why it's only showing 5.7 is that there are two parts to the local tax levy. There's the general fund tax levy, which is the bulk, and then there's the debt service tax levy, and that's paying back debt from prior um referendum. And so the debt service part of the tax levy did not increase. Uh that's why the average for the total tax levy increase is a little under 6%. Um what this slide shows you is that for the averaged assessed home, the estimated increase uh for school tax will be about $400. And if you don't have that average home, which is 498,587, and you'd like to figure out about where your house would be, you can take the number at the bottom, $7983 per $100,000 of assessed value. So for every 100,000,
031you add another 79.83. And that will get you to the number that would be the increase for your household. All right. And that's pretty much it for today. Um for this is again this is just a kind of a summary of what we talked about. We did spend a lot more time in March and again I will answer questions first from the board and then when we're finished with this we'll open up for public comment for uh comments from the public on the budget. Um just a reminder that this budget does represent a continued commitment to supporting all students uh sustained support for the development and implementation and improvement of all staff. As I said, those are our first two things. First students and then 1B is our staff and 1 C is our umbrellas.
032And then a commitment to power and community engagement. We have been working with a lot of different systems and and mechanisms and and had a lot of conversations about how to continue to do that. Um our CPIs is a phenomenal resource that we're happy to be able to continue with that um community resource. And then finally, funding and planning for facilities related needs. Now, I did say that we decreased the facilities budget. That was kind of where we were able to make some cuts. However, I don't want to give the wrong impression. We do have money budgeted for facilities. We just had to make priority decisions on what things can wait another year or two on what things we really need to do next year. And so, that's how we made that work. Um, and
033so with that, are there any questions from board members? >> Uh, yes. Um I know you did a lot of work to find us a bank account, a savings account that gives us better performance. Uh so that was very helpful in order to increase some of the revenue that we have. But with the current climate of the economy uh worldwide do we see that same return on investment coming in for next year? >> Uh it is declining but it's still you know >> better than before. >> Yeah. better than before and and it's kind of flattened what I've I've been watching it and it seems to have flattened out a little bit. I I don't know. I can't predict the future. I can tell you that when I said I increased our our revenue anticipated
034revenue by 330,000 in miscellaneous, which would be the bank interest and and that um that wasn't the full amount of what we received over what I had budgeted. I was kind of in the middle. I said, "Well, I don't want to assume that we're going to get all of the same revenues we got this year, but I can say we're going to we're going to get more than I had been budgeting." >> Yeah. So, thank you for the work on that. So, so I'm just understanding you're just being conservative with the revenues. So, in case of any other market fluctuations with the current climate, we can still work through that. >> Yes. Yes. >> Okay, great. >> Uh the other item is the increased cost in energy rates and and um where we are in
035this state. >> Uh Do you do you see an impact on that on the budget for for next year? >> Um hopefully not. We hit we had a big impact on that last year and it was predicted. We were given that information in January before the current year's budget. Um and kind of like what we did with the health benefits this year, we did the same kind of an analysis and said okay how are we going to cover this? It was like a 25% increase in energy costs. Um, one of the things we have going for us is that as we are replacing units, we have cycles of things that come in and out. We have been able to take advantage of some energy saving opportunities. So, some of our new um HVAC units do
036uh operate more efficiently than ones that they replaced. So, that 25% didn't really come to fruition, but it did increase, but not quite as much as as was predicted because of those energy savings. And we're continuing to look for more of those projects. >> Yeah. just extend our thanks to you and your staff for finding these these cost uh savings elements and hopefully more people will understand like the the work that everyone's put into this. >> Thank you. Um two things I just wanted to mention. one that for especially for the public that this presentation is up on the website and also if you um go past the question mark there is the appendix and these are basically the slides from the last presentation that weren't part of today's presentation but it was we thought
037it was be helpful to have them there in case you wanted to review some of the things we talked about last time. So, these these slides are not part of today's presentation, but they are on the presentation that's on the website um in case you wanted to go back and look at any of that information. Any other questions from the board? All right. Well, thank you very much for your support and we are now going to move to um Dr. Dendrono. Will we will open up for public comments. >> Yes. Well, I'll stay I'll just stay here then. Um, >> just in case. Yeah. >> So, at this time, >> well, you know what? I kind of can't because >> So, at at this point, we'll move to item six uh sorry, item 6B, public
038comments on budget hearing items only. So, if you have a comment that you'd like to make, uh please come to the uh podium at this time, uh state your name and municipality and uh we'd love to hear what you have as a comment. >> Hi, Kimberly Green Denellan. I don't know if I missed it on the budget, but is there just too short Kimberly Green Denellan? Um I must have I might have missed the line item, but I'm curious of what our legal fees were for the year um between either lawsuits or due process for the special education department. And I understand you might not be able to answer all that now, but I just that was the question. >> Yeah. Um, just first of all, I will take direction from the board president. Technically,
039this is public comments, so we're not back and forth, but I have no problem answering questions like >> at the end. Okay. So, at this time, are there any other public comments on the budget? Last call. Okay, I think uh we're good. So, Mr. P. >> Okay. Um, so that specific budget line is not something that's part of what's presented to the board or what or what's that line is part of a bigger um section. It's called um general administration or function 230. I can tell you that historically we've been in the area of $50,000. It has been there there was a blip one year um for a settlement agreement that that cost us some extra, but that's been right around where we've been. >> Motion to approve 6C. >> Seconded. >> Okay, we are
040open for questions or comments from the board. I know we just had questions and comments, but last chance, last call. >> I actually have a comment. >> Are you on? >> I don't know. >> I guess I'm just not here. >> Maybe not. >> Okay. All right. >> Hello. Hello. >> You're You're on. You're on. >> Okay. All right. Um I just want to say thank you to um Mr. Pepe and Mr. Ross, in regards to the budget, um, as an educator, um, I'm watching my own district go through these exact same things. And this is not just subjective to Danellen. This is all across the state where the budget is become a big concern. Um, taxes being raised, um, layoffs, riffs. So, I just want to say thank you to making sure that this
041budget did not affect personally having to let go of staff. Um, as a taxpayer, I understand I don't want my taxes to go up either, but we also have to look at the needs of the children in our district. Um, this budget was the most comprehensive budget we could have. In other districts, they are raising taxes up to 17, 18, 20%. So, I just want to applaud you for all of your hard work and thank you. Board members, any other comments, questions? And I too would like to echo the sentiment for all of the hard work that you put into to this. I know the this began what in October, November and uh and here we are the many discussions that we've had along the way, a lot of hard discussions, a lot of difficult
042discussions. Um but I think at the end of the day, you know, we we reached a place where as Miss Shimp mentioned, we a place where I think we found balance. So, thank you. All right, last call. Okay. So, um, Mr. Pepe, can you please call the role? >> Mr. Anderson, >> yes. >> Miss Ibeck, >> yes. >> Dr. Gendrono, >> yes. >> Mr. Mitchell, >> yes. >> Mrs. Moore, >> yes. >> Mr. Senoi, >> yes. >> Miss Shyf, >> yes. >> Mrs. Shep, >> yes. And we have a budget. >> Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you. >> Wonderful. Okay, moving on to item number seven, president's remarks. So, good evening everyone. So, uh first of all, I wanted to take a moment to congratulate all the students again who are recognized this evening. We are
043so proud of your accomplishments. Keep up the great work. Um again, I wanted to take a moment to recognize Mr. Ross, Mr. Pepe, administrators, teachers, staff, and anyone I may have missed who was instrumental in crafting a lean, well thought through budget that we will be vote that we did just vote on. And thank you again for your your team, you and your team for your diligence and hard work. I did want to take the opportunity uh to say um a few words uh that um there was um a town hall um on the 22nd of April and I had the opportunity to speak on behalf of the mayor's cannabis task force. This is my fourth year on the task force and can convey that after reviewing all available data to date, we re reaffirm
044the recommendation to council that Denellan should continue to opt out of the cannon businesses in Denell. And just in case you missed it, that's you know that's one of the dual rows I guess that I that I dual hats that I I wear um representing uh the board. So um I also wanted to mention recently u Miss Moore, Mr. Mitchell and I participated in the NJSBA uh school public relations forum on April 24th. Um just to give you a little bit of context um in this session uh the first session there was a topic designing systems that save time and strengthen trust. In the second uh general session the topic was AI how does it make the job easier and then the balance of the day took us through uh took us to different breakout
045sessions focusing on social media dos and don'ts communications planning and the website branding and tools and newsletters outreach and community. um each each of the three of us we jumped into one of them and those sessions and we'll share some reflections during new business later this evening. Overall, it was a very enlightening event that provided us with a good many ideas to consider uh as a board. I had the pleasure of attending the DHS honoral ceremony on dece on April 21st as well as the LMS honoral ceremony on April 24th honoring our high school and middle school students and their tremendous academic achievements. I was quite proud to see the great number of students being recognized who made honor role and high honor role and congratulations to all the honoral students. Um I did also
046want to note here uh that tricky tray occurred this past this past Saturday on the 2nd of May and as I understand it it was another successful event. Congratulations to the PTO and all those who helped to make it such a great success. I do also want to note that this is teacher appreciation week and thank you to all of our teachers for the great work that you do. And that in case we uh forgot um or didn't remember, Mother's Day is this weekend and thank you to all the mothers for shaping the world. Behind all of our own stories is our mother's story because it is her story where ours begins. Thank you, moms. staying healthy. As the weather changes again and the temperatures jump like a yo-yo, like 80 degrees today and 40
047degrees tomorrow, it is important to reiterate and underscore that healthy kids means healthy schools, which means a healthy community. Bottom line, we encourage you to take the common sense precautions to minimize the spread of infectious diseases that can really impact our school year. As I've been doing for uh months on end now, uh recognizing our monthly celebrations. So, in May, uh, we celebrate AsianAmerican and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, JewishAmerican Heritage Month, Mental Hel me Mental Health Awareness Month, National Children's Mental Mental Health Awareness Day, which is on May 7th, and this is to um highlight the significance of children's mental health and promote positive mental well-being for young people. There's also an International Day against homophobia, transphobia, and biophobia day. That's on the 17th of May. And on this day, we reflect upon the violence
048and the discrimination lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and interex persons worldwide suffer and recommmit ourselves to opposing these acts. This year, like every year, we state unequivocally, LGBTQI persons deserve recognition of their human universal human rights and human dignity. of course, Memorial Day on the 26th of May or I think it's the 26th or Memorial Day which commemorates all men and women who have died in military service for the United States. I mention all of this as I do um to underscore how important diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are to our lives and the world around us. With diversity, we're able to welcome and appreciate different views and perspectives and how that makes our lives richer and stronger. Equity is important so we are all playing on the same field by the same rules. Inclusion
049is key so there is equal access to opportunities and resources for everyone. And with belonging you feel you're being part of something, a group or a community where you are accepted, valued, and comfortable. You fit in and are an important part of the whole. These things have an unbelievable impact on our community. Open, honest, and genuine communication that is respectful, positive, supportive, fair, and most of all kind goes a long way in strengthening in community. Lastly, we are about six weeks away from wrapping up another great year. As we participate in the many events this month and next, please take a moment to appreciate all the little moments from this year that added up to something truly significant. Let's celebrate all of our students as they make their push into the home stretch of the
050year. Thank you everyone for your time and listening. Moving on to the superintendent report, Mr. Ross. >> Thank you, Dr. Jano. Uh we do not have our students here uh this month, unfortunately. Uh neither was able to attend. So, we'll move on to other items for discussion. And we'll begin with the construction report. So, I'll pass the mic over to Mr. Pepe. Okay. The construction report. Yep. The construction report is online for anyone who'd like to follow along or or read it later. And it was on my screen before and it isn't now. Give me one second. Come on. Okay, there it is. Um, so every month the construction report begins with uh section one, which is project background. That's the same paragraph as it was from day one, except for the one thing I
051had to correct that was incorrect in my first one. And then um the second section is a recap which really just gives you a link back to the district website. So you could um go through all of the construction updates if you'd like to see what we've talked about in the past. All right. Section three is just an outline of meetings that have occurred since the last construction update. The way this one worked out, we only had three weeks between board meetings and there was a construction meeting right before the last board meeting and there's a construction meeting two days from now. So, there was only one uh which these meetings happen every other week. There's only one construction meeting that occurred since the last board meeting. That was on April 23rd. Um these construction
052meetings are where the contractor, the architect, the construction management company, and the district get together in person, some people virtually if they can't be there, and we just talk through the the progress of the project and any things that need to be addressed and decided. And uh it's a very um important meeting that we have every two weeks. All right. So, some general updates. Um I have the last time I gave some stats. The stats haven't changed as far as how far they've completed with excavation installation of footings and concrete. Um however, they have started um they have made some progress there. More back filling has occurred. Um the if if you could see inside the construction zone, you'd see that it's getting very close to being ready for them to start um building upwards.
053There's also some new work that has started on the stair where the stairwells are going to be and where the elevator is going to be. Um so that excavation has begun. There's uh some significant demolition work uh specific to HVAC units that has occurred since the last meeting. And then things that are uh going to be happening are continued installation of the footings and peers, continued demolition work, continued excavation of the stairwells and elevator sites. Um, and uh, also they're starting now, the next thing they're starting is to run electric and plumbing and that should be starting this week. Um, project status, we still don't have a specific update because the steel fabrication is uh, pending. We're waiting for the steel uh, company to get back to us with an estimated arrival date of the
054steel. There were some things that came up along the way that had some questions, things that had to be answered, tweaked, and so it's a little bit behind, but we don't know exactly how how far behind yet. Once we receive that estimated delivery date for this deal, we'll come up with a, you know, we'll reassess the project schedule and get a sense of how far along we are. Um, the last section is allowance authorizations and change orders. And allowance authorizations are um well both of these are are things that occur that come up that weren't um foreseen when the bid happened. Uh things that maybe we changed the scope or things we didn't know needed to happen when we you know go into the ground. Sometimes you discover there's pipes that need to be rerouted
055that you didn't know about or there's certain you know types of materials uh that need to be addressed. So, as you go through a construction project, these kinds of things happen. Every construction project has change orders. In our case, we're using two words, uh, two phrases, allowance authorization and change order. And the allowance authorization is basically a change order that happens that doesn't add any cost to the total project. And the reason for that is when the project is bid, there is a builtin allowance. In our case, it was $250,000. So, the first $250,000 of change orders doesn't uh impact the um amount that was awarded for the whole contract. If we go through all of that, then there will be regular change orders that will increase from the original bid. We're hoping not to
056get to that point, but with construction, that is a pretty common occurrence. And that is my construction update. >> Great. Thank you very much, Mr. Pepe. Uh next item on the superintendent report is the report of the NJQs process. The NJQs process is a governance um process that occurs every three years for school districts across the state. It is the quality single accountability continuum. Um and this process was uh was done in Denellan in uh 2324 during that school year. And at at that time um there are five CQAC areas. They are instruction and program, fiscal management, governance, operations and personnel. Um, and basically this is sort of the state's determination of how well the district is following laws um and regulations and uh and the code and then also how students are performing and
057uh uh how they're growing from you know one year assessment to another. When the assessment was done in the district uh at uh at that time uh we had 100% score for fiscal management, governance and personnel and a 91% for operations. Our instruction and program score was 78% um which was due to the outcomes of the the state assessments and the the 2023 uh state assessment. At that time uh we were instructed to put together a district improvement plan which is known as a DIP. Um and we approved the dip um and went through two cycles of that and very very pleased to announce that um due to the growth scores um our students have performed from uh last spring's NJSLA assessment um we were able to get the instruction and program score over to
05881% um which uh gives us now the high performing designation for uh a school district. This is really the testament of excellent systematized academic um improvement work that's been done at each of the buildings. Um Faber has um as I've reported in the past has exceptionally high MSGPS which is the student growth percentiles um among the highest in the county and uh the middle school is showing improvements as well and we we expect to see more improvements there. And so, uh, I'm very proud of the team. Um, and this is going to be now, uh, recognized at the state board of education meeting that's happening later this month. Um, and then we'll, you know, get back on the cycle when it is our turn again. Um, but this is excellent news and, um, just wanted
059to make sure that that was reported and shared with the public. Other items uh from the superintendent report um last Friday we announced the educators of the year um and at each of the buildings and one educational specialist for the entire district. These folks will be recognized publicly at our next meeting on June 9th. Uh they are from Denellan High School, CJ Sutera who is our instrumental music uh teacher from Lincoln Middle School. Uh Kate Beexa who is a special education teacher from Faber Elementary School. Amy Bodilato, who is a second grade teacher, and our ED specialist was Margaret Gamble, who is a school counselor at Faber. Um, one of the sort of really interesting things about these amazing educators is that, uh, Miss Beexa is in her 28th year in the district. Um, and
060the other three are all non-tenured uh, staff members. So, CJ is in his fourth year, uh, Miss Balado is in her fourth year, and Miss Gamble is in her third year. Um, and just so proud of these these folks. They are um absolute shining lights within each of their schools and across the district. Um just incredibly um helpful to their peers um to their colleagues. They serve their schools very well and obviously um each of them has sort of a forward- facing community uh identity as well. Um and uh you know very excited to celebrate them next uh month at the board meeting and the administrators will be here to speak on their behalf and and share some of the amazing things that um earned them the the educator of the year recognition. So congratulations
061to those four folks. Um we have appreciation days. Uh we've had a couple over the last bunch of weeks. Um right now this is teacher appreciation week. We're in day two. Um, and I want to thank the uh the PTO for supporting the the staff at um at each of the buildings. Teacher appreciation week is uh a time to sort of stop and and pause to recognize the amazing work of our educators at each of the buildings, the sacrifices that they make, the contributions that they make. And really, you know, these are the folks that have the highest impact on um the outcomes of students and the way that students feel about themselves um and progress throughout the years um of anybody in the school district. So, this is a nice opportunity to uh congratulate
062them and celebrate our our amazing staff. On May 1st, we had National School Principal Day, um which is uh again an opportunity to celebrate our three school principles. And then on April 22nd, uh a couple weeks ago, we had administrative professionals day. Um which at each of the buildings and in central office was an opportunity to to give thanks to the the folks that kind of make the engines run. Um our administrative professionals who who do so much of the clerical and support work um and you know, business office work and human resources and main uh school main offices. Um and so uh we're we're very very grateful for all of those folks and and glad to be able to celebrate them. We have uh also uh on tonight's agenda, we have the renewal of
063all of our non-tenured staff members. This is uh DEA members, um some non-aligned folks, and some DAA members as well. Um I want to congratulate everybody who is on the renewal list. Um you know, those folks were notified that they would be renewed. Uh and um you know, they are all to a person folks who have really contributed extremely well to the district and we look forward to their return next year. And then uh last but not least before the enrollment report um I just want to mention the bike rodeo. The bike rodeo is Thursday partnership with um the the burrow and keep middle sex moving. Um we have a really great event uh planned out. This is going to be at Faber. It's from 5 to 7:00 p.m. in the horseshoe there. Um we'll
064have activities um bike helmet decorating um safety pledges and a really cool obstacle course that the kids will be able to run through um using their bicycles. So that's May 7th. That's this Thursday coming up from 5:00 to 7:00. And I'll finish with the enrollment report. Um the enrollment report as of this meeting, we have 56 students in preK in Faber plus another 86 in our private providers. So we're over 140 uh pre preschool students. We have 94 kindergarteners, 89 first graders, uh 87 second graders, 94 third graders, 93 fourth graders, 90 fifth graders, 96th graders, 110 7th graders, 116 eighth graders, 110 9th graders, 94 10th and 11th graders, and 111 seniors, which brings the total uh district population, including our private prek providers, to 1414 students. um which again is is up among
065the most that we've ever had in the district. Um and that concludes my superintendent report. >> Thank you, Mr. Ross. So, moving along to um item number nine, public comments on agenda items, agenda action items to be voted on only. So, in accordance with policy 0167, the 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. At this time, the board invites public comment on agenda action items to be voted on only. The board and administration will take notes during public comment, but will not provide substantive responses to questions or concerns raised by individual speakers. If necessary, the superintendent may provide a brief response after the entire public comment period is completed. The board appreciates
066and welcomes feedback from the community, but is not at liberty to engage in a back and forth dialogue with members of the public during this portion of the meeting. Prior to making your public comment, please state your name and municipality. Please note that all statements must be directed to the presiding officer. Please come to the microphone at this time if you would like to make comments on agenda action items to be voted on only. Prior to beginning your comment, please state the action item to be voted on that you would like to comment on. Last call for comments. Okay, moving along to item number 10. uh committee reports. At this time, we're going to go through A through E, starting with uh our education committee. I will turn the floor over to uh Miss Ibach,
067our education chair. >> Thank you, Dr. Jendano. The education committee met on April 30th at 6 PM. Those present were myself, Miss Moore, Miss Shyf, Dr. Jendrano, Miss Drakin, and Mr. Ross. Uh the committee discussed a number of items including a wide range of staff professional development, coaching and coc curriculum related activities occurring throughout the district. information related to ongoing grant work across the three schools, including the district obtaining the next round of the climate literacy innovative opportunity grant, which will provide funding to support the creation of an aquaponics structure at LMS, updates regarding the preschool registration process for the 2627 school year, and a variety of other items and confidential matters. Thank you, doctor. Thank you very much. Love that aquaponics. That's going to be cool. So, moving on to 10B, uh, personnel. Turn
068the, uh, floor over to, uh, Miss Shep, the chair of the personnel committee. >> Thank you. The personnel committee met on April 30th at 8:00m. Present were myself, Mr. Anderson, Dr. Gingano, and Mr. Ross. The personnel committee discussed a number of items including updates about the evaluation process for non-tenured staff members, information about the district's partnership with NJCTL to support staff members earning additional NJ DOE endorsements and a number of confidential items. >> Thank you, Michelle. Moving on to uh 10 C operations. Um that would be me. So um the operations committee met on April 30th. Um in attendance were myself, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Satanoi, Mr. Pepe, and Mr. Ross. And we discussed a number of items including details related to the 2026 2027 budget hearing tonight which was presented tonight. Updates related to the
069universal prek expansion facilities project. Discussion about board approvals and insurance policies. updates on other construction projects occurring throughout the district, security and reunification information, and a variety of confidential matters. Moving on to 10D, policy, we don't have any updates there. And 10E, negotiations, we'll be discussing uh later. So, moving on to item 11, approval of minutes. Looking for a motion to approve the minutes from our April 14th board meeting. Move to approve minutes from the board meeting. >> Second. >> Open for questions, comments. >> Last call. >> Okay. Mr. Pepe, can you please call the RO? >> Mr. Anderson. >> Yes. Uh, Miss Ibec, >> yes. >> Dr. Gendrono, >> yes. >> Mr. Mitchell, >> yes. >> Mrs. Moore, >> yes. >> Mr. Senoi, >> yes. >> Miss Shy, >> yes. >> Mrs. Shep, >>
070yes. >> Motion passes. >> Wonderful. Moving on to item number 12, board action items. So again, we're in the structure where we have all of our education, personnel, and operation action items together under item number 12. So looking for a motion to approve 12. >> Move to approve item number 12. >> Second. >> Open for questions, for comments. >> I do have a question on 12 A4. The resources that are highlighted here, are they physical textbooks or is this electronic packages? So the um the the core resources that are listed are um in some cases uh digital only and in some cases we are purchasing classroom sets of textbooks so that kids do have um the ability to access a a a textbook. I think gone are the days where um every every student takes
071the textbook home. >> Right. I just want to reduce the weight of the backpacks for the kids. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> And also if utilizing the electronic version can be a lot more cost effective than the physical textbooks. Just wanted to see if there are some some opportunities there because I know with McGraill and their push to compete with some of the other publishing companies which are moving to full electronic and utilizing the Amazon model where it's more of a rental uh to reduce the costs. I think uh the students today will be a little they'll have a better way to research material faster, to get to answers faster through electronic version. >> Yeah. I mean, I I think it's it's clearly the case that textbooks um you know, the the way of education has
072gone digital. Um and at the same time, we recognize that not every student has um great access to internet at home um and access to the types of resources that would allow them to do that that work there. um in the classroom. It's also nice to have books um that are more tactile that you know kids can use in some cases. So there's a mixture. Um in these particular ones, you know, in conversation with the staff members in these particular areas, there was a desire to have some physical textbooks. Um although again, largely things are done electronically and Google Classroom is obviously very strongly used. >> Yeah, some of these kids could probably do well in the infantry with the amount of textbooks they're carrying. go for a nice ruck. Um I also would just
073like to point out in the um operation section number seven which is the lunch the meal prices um that this represents uh for next year no increase from uh the current year but it's actually no increase even from the 23 24 school year. Um so this is now the fourth year in a row that we will be able to keep the meal prices the same. So, I think that's a that's a a great sign for us. >> Just a comment on that, I also appreciate the fact that we found a way to relieve the um searchcharge fee on credit card purchases. So, that's an important uh piece to also highlight on cost savings. >> Any other comments? I did want to note um if there are no other comments um item 15B that we have
074a great many um whatcham call it uh oh yeah staff travel uh for professional development you know so I think that's wonderful I think this is it's not a new record but it's still a lot so I like it um 19 I believe this time around but it's this has been consistent which I think is is wonderful And um the second point I'd like to bring up is B3. >> And I just wanted to highlight that with B3 we will be um approving Dr. Johanna Roberto as interim superintendent effective July 1st. So just wanted to make sure we were all you know highlighting that fact. >> I know. Yes. And I wanted to thank Dr. Roberto for being here. There you are. Any other questions, comments? air conditioned. >> Okay. >> So, should we put
075that into the notes to turn off the air conditioner? >> Yeah. Okay. All right. So, uh with with no other comments or questions, Mr. Pepe, could you please call the role? >> Mr. Anderson? >> Yes. >> Miss Ibeck? >> Yes. >> Dr. Gendrono? >> Yes. >> Mr. Mr. Mitchell, >> yes. >> Mrs. Moore, >> yes. >> Mr. Senoi, >> yes. >> Miss Shyf, >> yes. >> And Mrs. Shep, >> yes. However, abstaining uh from A21. >> Okay. Motion passes. >> Okay. Wonderful. Wonderful. And congratulations, Dr. Vberto. >> All right, moving on to item number 13. Uh, old business. Is there any other uh business from previous meetings that we should bring up? Rehash. Okay, moving along. Uh, item number 14, any new business? I have two uh items if if no one has any other
076items uh to discuss. So um I just wanted to mention that we will have to um for the first item in the uh superintendent search, we're going to have to work on some dates, I think. So, I believe that the um it would have been um we we um the search firm, we would like to have a public kickoff, if you will, of of what the what what they're going to be doing. And it it seemed rushed to try to squeeze it in this evening. So, we'll look to have potentially another date to be able to do that on. So, um I do have some dates uh from them that I can share with us online um and for hopefully we can um uh get that date on the calendar uh get those dates on
077the calendar for um upcoming um meetings and events. So, just want to make sure that we were all aware that that's coming your way. Second thing I wanted to bring up is our we alluded to earlier I alluded to earlier in the president's remarks about um the public relations forum. So, Miss Moore, did you want to start? >> Thank you, Dr. Denjano. Yeah. Um, as I said, we attended this uh the public relations forum. Um, the first session was led by uh the Edison, I believe it was the director of communications. and she helped lead the discussion discussing the importance of communication as an ecosystem, a system of tools and routines designed to work together to keep everyone informed. Um she helped she defined some of the important roles of various forms of communication website
078school website being the source of truth place for people to go to get the information. The mass communication platforms like parent square providing timely consistent communications with families, social media being the visibility and celebration and helping to reinforce everything going on in schools. Newsletters to providing context, narratives explaining the why we're doing everything that we're doing. Um, and then two-way communications to help building a dialogue of trust amongst, you know, the school and the community. Um, that she had suggested a few things that they do within their district that may be things to consider. Um they do um an ask me anything on their YouTube channel where people can submit questions and the superintendent or members administration can help answer to provide some guidance so the parents can understand a little bit more of what
079is going on. Um doing you know newsletters that include like Q&As with teachers so that parents can learn more about the staff within the district just going ons. Um she also mentioned they do QR codes for parents to be able to submit feedback after um uh to provide input and concerns after webinars, seminars, meetings. So when the school is doing these big meetings to provide information to parents, they provide a QR code to get some anonymous feedback on to help guide and see what more could be done or some better way, you know, better information that may be needed. Um, she also talked about how AI can help strengthen the infrastructure. Um, using AI to help as a thought partner, not writing the messages, but helping clarify and keep it clear, which then led into
080session two, which was about AI, you know, using tools to help with administrative tasks, saying how they were talking about how AI can help prevent some of the burnout of educators. Educators may be able to use AI. um to help with some of the administrative tasks. Um they're saying some of it can about 30 to 40 they estimated 30 to 45% of the administrative tasks can be done by AI to help tasks be completed faster to help things move along so that it's not it helps to prevent some of that burnout. Um so that was about the AI. Um and then we went into our breakout sessions. I attended the newsletters outreach and community um and some of the suggestions the the school district I forget which district it was that led it. They do
081a newsletter. There was one that does a newsletter twice a year. There was one that does a newsletter I think quarterly where they allow community members, not just parents to subscribe so that the community can start to see what is going on in the district. Then you use those newsletters just to promote all of the good the student achievements, successes in sports and and whatnot. So it was a very good seminar. A lot of good ideas, some things that hopefully we can find a way to bring into Denali. So yeah. >> Okay. So as I mentioned before, like this is the brief summary of of some of the things that we we heard. So um there were four of these breakout sessions. Alo the one that Miss Moore mentioned was that was the one on
082newsletters outreach and community. Mr. Mitchell was also there. Um he attended the uh social media dos and don'ts. Correct. So if you wouldn't mind just giving us a you know a few words on what uh what you gleaned from there. We could certainly go into more detail you know later. >> But so I attended the uh social media dos and don'ts uh portion of the forum. Uh some of the topics discussed were uh social media as a part of uh communications plan also who manages social media, social media guidelines and content handling misinformation and board members and first amendment rights. Uh there were a number of key takeaways. Um and if I can sum it up, just don't do it. That's it. Very well stated, very succinct. Appreciate that. Um, so I don't think any
083of us went to the three of us, we did not go to branding and tools because we were only three and all these um four uh breakout sessions were were going concurrently um in par in parallel. Um so um but I did I did attend the breakout session for communications uh planning and website um and interest it was very interesting topic uh about uh we had one of the um school communication officers I think it was and this is a person that actually is very much involved in developing the websites the that particular session was very heavily um laden on not very heavily emphasizing um ADA compliance. I was actually quite we we spent a good amount of time on that and I was surprised to to learn that there is um I believe it's
084a a law where all schools all school districts and websites have to be compliant ADA compliant by April 2027. Initially it was April of 2026 but that was moved back um a year uh recently um for them for all these all the different school districts to be able to comply. Um, not to go into the details, but there was a lot of things that, you know, um, they showed us in terms of what, you know, what is compliant, what's not, what things to avoid. I mean, we had a conversation on the seven best fonts to use on a website. I mean, it was pretty cool. Um, but to just sum up, um, um, one of the phrases or one of the things that came out of that session was your website is your face to
085the world, and we want to be able to make sure that it's it's, you know, it's informative, but it's also, um, inclusive. Um, so I'll just I'll just leave it there. We can go into further details at a at a later date in committee to go on. But there was, like I said, there were a lot of things that we learned uh amongst the three of us during that session and you know, look forward to sharing that with you in future committee meetings. >> So can I just add please one thing. So um, at the beginning Mrs. Moore mentioned that this was the public relations forum, but I just want to make sure all the board members and the public knows that it's the New Jersey school boards association. >> Sorry. Thank you. >> Right.
086um that um provides this. And just to remind the board members to be checking your emails because school board sends emails about these types of things all the time. If you find something that you think you might be interested in going to, please email me. I'm the concurge for the school board's uh training sessions, >> right? And just like there's public uh I mean public uh professional development and additional learning for for other folks in the district, this is also a way for us to learn as well. I think our next event is what the 20th, right? I think it's the That's the Middle Sex County School Boards Association meeting is May 20th. >> That's right. That's right. So, and we're I know that the three of us are going to that as well. So,
087okay. Any questions, guys? Comments on that before we move along. >> I do have a question in terms of new items. Um I see that we've uh done a lot of investment with the local police to do reunification, but right now. And this is something I've kind of voiced before. The reunification drills that we're doing is very specific use case or scenario. I just want to see if we can look at other scenarios for unification. One of the main ones because we're so power hungry and uh for energy to to unite. Everyone's got a cell phone, but what if you have no power? So scenarios like that where it adds a big twist and losing power is probably a lot more of a possibility than than other scenarios. >> That's good. Thank you. All right.
088Any other um comments, questions, or new business anyone wants to bring up? >> I do just want to say, you know, you had mentioned the tricky trade before, but I do want to make sure that I say thank you to everybody involved with that. This is months and months of work. It was a very successful event. We are waiting for the final numbers, but based on preliminary numbers, it looks like it may be the most successful one we've done yet. It's a It is definitely over $30,000. We're just waiting to see what the actual final number is. >> Wow. >> But yeah, very successful. Thank you to everyone involved. Um and we'll do it all again next year. Okay, any last items? All right, moving on to item number 15, president's remarks. I think I've
089said enough, so I'll move on to item 16, public comments on any school related issue or topic. In accordance with board policy, sorry, in accordance with policy 0167, the 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. At this time, the board invites public comment on any school-related issue or topic. The board and administration will take notes during public comment, but will not provide substantive responses to questions or concerns raised by individual speakers. If necessary, the superintendent may provide a brief response after the entire public comment period is completed. The board appreciates and welcomes feedback from the community, but is not at liberty to engage in a back and forth dialogue at this time
090with the members uh during um members of the public during this portion of the meeting. Prior to making your public comment, please state your name and municipality. Please note that all statements must be directed to the presiding officer. Please come to the microphone at this time if you'd like to make comments on any school rellated issue or topic. >> Hi, Kimberly Green. I wanted to thank the board. there seems to be a shift with transparency and moving forward with the community and I really appreciate that and your efforts are noticed. Um Nicole, those are all great suggestions and thank you. I appreciate it. Um I originally came to ask how the community can help the board but as you see there's nobody here so I am calling out the community. Um what can we do
091as a community to help? I mean you guys have a really difficult few months. Um, so I just want you guys to see if there isn't a way we can help you and support you and I will continue to work on the community needs to show up. So I just wanted to see if there's some way we could support you for all the work you do. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good evening. from Denellan. Um, so this is um in regards to the new curriculum and um anything that you're going to be purchasing in the future. I'm sure you're all aware of um the new decision that's been made by the Los Angeles Board of Ed um to start limiting the use of Chromebooks um for their district. Um, and so I know that
092this is a growing interest for parents, not only in LA, but even here in New Jersey. Um, I know it was just mentioned that, you know, we want to limit the strain on their backs with the textbooks, but, um, there really is a concern for, um, being able to have that pen and paper, to be able to just read through text, um, to be able to scan as you normally should, um, from left to right, crossing the midsection. Um um and so these are all really um important concerns as we consider the child um and and in the way that they develop. So moving forward um I'm just wondering if you will consider buying more textbooks. Um if Chromebooks are or digital copies are the way that you're deciding to go moving forward. um if
093this is something that you'll continue to consider as policies change throughout the country, just putting it in your ear and I'm looking forward to hearing what's next. >> Thank you. >> Any other comments? Last call. Okay, moving on to item number 17, uh, executive session. So, the Denellan Board of Education will now adjourn into executive session to discuss it, excuse me, discuss items that fall within specific exceptions to the Open Public Meetings Act, CJSA 104-12B. The confidential matters discuss discussed by the board during this executive session include items related to individual privacy, collective bargaining agreements, pending or anticipated litigation and personnel. Any discussion that does not need to remain confidential will be made public as soon as it is practical. Minutes of the executive session will not be disclosed until the need for confidentiality no
094longer exists. All individuals who may be discuss discussed in executive session have been adequately notified. action will not take place after the conclusion of the executive session. So may I have a motion to move to executive session. Please >> move to go to exec. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I opposed. Okay. We are moving into executive session and as we do we will be um adjourning from there. So u you do not need to stick around and wait for us to come back. We will not be taking any actions after um after that session. So, thanks everyone. Our next scheduled board meeting is June 9th. Thank you.