001I'd like to call this meeting to order. Mr. Merell, roll call, please. Mikuela Giuliani. Mr. Bono here. Mr. Fio here. Mr. Harris here. Mr. Holmes here. Mrs. Perez here. Mr. Rivera here. Mr. Silva. Mr. Sabbrana present. Mrs. Katispati present. In compliance with the New Jersey open public meeting law commonly referred to as the Sunshine Law, the Violent Board of Education has caused notice and posting of this meeting to be sent to the following announcing time, place thereof, agenda, etc. The Daily Journal, SNJ Today, the Press of Atlantic City, Vista Bueno, the clerk for the city of Vinland, and the administrative office public bulletin board. Would everyone please rise for the flag salute? Yes. Can we have our giraffe heroes come on up for the pledge of allegiance? To the flag of the United States of
002America and to the republic for it stands nation indivisible andice for all. We also have another presentation today. We would like to recognize our giraffe heroes. So, it's my great pleasure that we are recognizing this year's giraffe heroes. These remarkable students have demonstrated exceptional courage, compassion, and dedication this school year. Your actions students have profoundly impacted our community, showcasing what it means to be a true giraffe hero. You have set a high standard for your peers and have shown us all the power of courage and kindness. These outstanding students inspire others by their example and continue to strive for a community where everyone is willing to stick their neck out for the common good. Let's hear for our draft heroes. I would like to announce their names. Uh from Barcy, Amaya Gonzalez, if you're here,
003we have a certificate for you. If you're not, we'll hang on to it. From Durand, Damian Tony. Is Damian here? Step forward. Step forward so we can give you a certificate. There you go. Ah, yes. Awesome. From Memorial School, James Owen the I the [Applause] fourth from Pway School. Mason [Applause] Porkin from Rossi Elementary. Gracie Patrini from Wallace School. Nyla Rosado from Depalto Elementary. Marba Gimenez Gimenez from Johnstone. Anthony [Applause] Okendo from many school. We have Anthony Kalatia. Hope I'm spell saying it right. Is Anthony here? No. Okay. From pillar, Nathaniel Garcia. [Applause] from Sabotair, Melina Buglio. Is Melina here? There we go. And last but not least from Winslow School, Kaden [Applause] Cologne. And we also want to recognize our supervisor of guidance, Dina Vulfo. Please stand up for us so we can give
004you a big round of applause. Thank you for all your work working with our giraffe heroes and making amazing giraffe cookies and organizing everything. Outstanding work. We're going to take a quick picture. Do we have any presentations? Yes. Uh, Mr. Scott Mustell, our school business administrator, will present an adjusted 2025 2026 budget. Mr. Masterell. Good evening. So, we do have a slight adjustment in our 2526 budget. We submitted a carryover amount from preschool of $833,853 with a statemandated 25% reduction of $165,367 for a total of 668,486. The state however is telling us to use our carryover of 661466 which was the carryover we used this year. So the state made an error. They're aware of the error. However, they're requesting that we um we submit these figures with the knowledge that we can file an
005appeal after the fact. So, they want us to submit a carryover of 661466 with a reduction of 165367 for a total of 496099. The correct calculation is actually 833,853 as a carryover. The reduction to that or 25% of it would be 28,463 for a total of 625390. Now we submitted 668486 which the state will not accept. Uh the state is telling us to submit 49699. So right now we'd have to submit a budget with a reduction of 172387. Again the state is telling us 49699 but the correct the correct amount is 625390. So we could at a later time appeal to the state for the differential of $129,291. So what does that mean? We submitted a total budget with a general fund cont which at the general fund $210,281,800. Special revenue was 27,963 726 for
006a total of 238 24526 and that was what the board approved u last month. The adjusted budget the general fund won't change so it'll stay at 210 281800. The special revenue fund you'll see here is 27963726 less the 172 387 for an adjusted special revenue fund of 27791339 a total of which would be 238073139. So you you can see here from the spreadsheet that the difference is $172,387. There any questions on that? You will be appealing that, correct? Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes. Okay. That's it. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mustel. Does the superintendent have recommendations? Yes. Uh we have two on our agenda this evening. Uh requesting discussion and approval regarding resolutions number four and number five as noted on our agenda this evening. Do we have any questions or comments? Do I have a motion?
007So moved. Second. Roll call, please. Mr. Bono, yes. Mr. Fokei, yes. Mr. Harris, yes. Mr. Holmes, yes. Mrs. Perez, yes. Mr. River, yes. Mr. Silva. Mr. Sabrina. Yes. Mrs. Catispati. Yes. And I'd like to say that I'm very happy that we have the vamp trip resolved for them. Do I have a motion to open public hearing? So moved. Second. Roll call, please. Who is the second? Mr. Fokei, was that you? Thank you. Mr. Bono. Yes. Mr. Fio. Yes. Mr. Harris. Yes. Mr. Mr. Holmes, yes. Mrs. Perez, yes. Mr. Rivera, yes. Mr. Soprano, yes. Mrs. Katispati, yes. Motion carries. At this time, would anybody from the public like to make any comments on the 2526 budget as presented in the March 17th meeting? I do have a yellow sheet and I see it's uh regarding the
008budget. So, I'd ask Miss Tara Meerson if she would like to come up and comment. Is that right if I turn this? There we go. Good afternoon, board members, Mr. Yano and central admin. Today, um, I want to speak, um, to a growing crisis that we can no longer afford to overlook. The mental health emergency unfolding in our schools. Our students are struggling. Rates of anxiety and depression among children and teens have been rising for years, and the pandemic only intensified these challenges. According to the CDC, in just one year, more than one in three high school students reported experiencing persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness. That's over a third of our students. So many of them are walking into school each day carrying invisible burdens. And far too often, they're carrying them alone. And
009this isn't just a national issue. It's local. So right here in our own schools of Vineland, we've seen an increase in mental health referrals, crises, behavioral challenges. Teachers are seeing students shut down emotionally, act out in frustration, or simply disengage. And while our existing staff work very hard to support them, the truth is we simply don't have enough trained professionals to meet this need. So that's why we need and I'm asking for you to consider adding more guidance counselors and social workers to our school buildings urgently. Guidance counselors and social workers are trained to help students navigate mental health challenges, family instability, trauma, grief, and so much more. They're often the first line of defense when a student is in crisis. But in many of our schools, there's one counselor responsible for hundreds of students.
010That's just not that's not just unfair, it's unsustainable. According to the American School Counselor Association, the recommended student to counselor ratio is 250 to1. But in many schools, including my own, that number is far higher. Sometimes it's even double or even triple that recommendation. So what does that mean in real terms? So it means that a student experiencing anxiety might have to wait days for help. It means a child going through trauma might never speak to someone who's a trained adult who can intervene early. And it means that our teachers, and I can speak to this, that we're already stretched so thin and we're left trying to manage these crises that I'm not even that we are not even trained for. So, I think we need to move from a crisis response to an um
011prevention, crisis prevention. And when we invest in more counselors and social workers, we're not only providing immediate support, we're creating safer, more compassionate school environments, and students will feel seen, valued, and understood. These support professionals are the first line of defense for students facing trauma issues, bullying, anxiety. They help students make sense of their future, cope with challenges, and even just stay in school. Without enough trained professionals, too many students fall through the cracks. And this is not just about adding positions to a budget. It's about saving lives and supporting futures of our students. When students feel supported emotionally, they perform better academically and they're less likely to engage in risky behavior. Mental wellness is really the foundation to everything else. So if we truly care about our students, about their success, their safety, and
012their future, then we need to care about their mental health. And that means we need to invest in more trained professionals, guidance counselors, social workers in our buildings who can make a real difference. So in closing, if we really truly care about equity, mental health, and academic success, then board members Mr. Iano and central admin, please make it your highest priority to find ways to add guidance counselors and social workers to our buildings. It's an issue we can't afford to look past anymore. Thank you. Does anybody else have comments on the budget for 2526? Do I have a motion to close public hearing comment? So move. Second. Roll call, please. Mr. Bono, yes. Mr. Fokei, yes. Mr. Harris, yes. Mr. Holmes, yes. Ms. Perez. Yes. Mr. Rivera? Yes. Mr. Sabbrana? Yes. Mrs. Katispati? Yes. Motion
013carries. Public comment on any matter. Seeing none, board member comments. Mr. Fokei, nothing at this time. Mr. Holmes, nothing at this time. Bono, nothing at this time. Mrs. Perez, nothing at this time. Mr. Rivera, like to congratulate our giraffe heroes and I yield the rest of my time. Mr. hours. Nothing at this time. Mr. Sabrana, congratulations to our draft heroes, um, representatives of the behavior that we like to see in all of our students and how they improve a little at a time the overall school environment. I was at the first ceremony many years ago and it's great to see that this has been carried on and helping to improve all of our schools. Thank you, Mr. Yano. Uh, nothing at this time. Thank you. Nothing at this time. Do I have a motion to
014adjurnn? Second. Second. All in favor?