001No, I already like >> just just the budget. >> Good evening everyone. Executive session of the Wayne Board of Education public works session meeting of May 7, 2016 was con 2026 was convened in the conference room of the Wayne board of education 50 nos driveway, New Jersey. Statement of compliance writing setting forth date, time and location was read in in accordance with the requirements of the open public meetings act. Roll call was taken. The meeting was recessed is now being reconvened. Please stand for the flag salute followed by a moment of silence. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you everyone. Please be seated. Mr. Cadino. >> Thank you,
002Mr. President. You know, as educators, we are very fortunate that steering the ship of what we do is great teachers. And I'd be remiss if I didn't remind the public and remind all of us that um the week of May 4th through the 8th, specifically on Tuesday, um was teacher appreciation week nationally and the week in which we celebrate our our our staff. And as someone who takes an active role in doing evaluations of staff members in the classroom and trying to be present in the schools as much as possible uh along with my team, we are in a great place. We have amazing educators driving the ship and bringing our children um an engaging uh learning environment every day. And I couldn't be happier from what I see in the classroom. I could not
003be when I walk through a hallway and you you don't when you hear you don't want to walk into the hallways of a school and hear silence. You want to walk in the hallways and hear noise. You want to hear a buzz of learning and and you want to hear uh children laughing and children engaging with each other. Um that to me is a sign of a healthy learning environment with our schools and we're very blessed to have that. On the other end of it, we have those who care for us when we're not feeling our best. And that's when we celebrate our nurses in our schools. And um the week of May 6 through the May 12th, we celebrate them and thank them for everything they do um collectively and to make sure that
004our our students, some of them with the the most needs from GI tubes to anything else, get the support they need so they can learn in the least restrictive environment. Um, and sometimes, you know, you need that ice pack. Sometimes you need that band-aid. And our nurses go above and beyond to make sure that not only the the students, but the staff feels healthy and well informed um as different conditions go on in uh our school environment. So, we are very fortunate to have both and we celebrate both um this week at your when you're ready. Um, I know my my assistant to my left here, our business administrator, has a riveting public hearing on the budget presentation ready for us and conclude that whenever we're ready. >> Let's do it. >> All right. You
005ready? >> Okay. All right. >> Well, >> before I go into the presentation, and I know, Mr. President, you're going to have something to say about this. We didn't compare notes. U, we really should start calling each other more than we already do. Um, but last time we talked about the budget. I talked about the fiscal cliff that all school districts are hanging on and heading towards and I discussed that and my experience going to Trenton and lobbying um about S2 districts and uh state aid and a 2% number that's arbitrary and not really tied to anything um such as uh inflation or any other the measures that drive economics. Um today I'm going to talk about something else. Today I'm going to talk about they always say the elephant in the room. I talk
006I I I think elephants get a beating. Um so I don't like really saying that but I will open up with a a what I'm going to give you to an example. I like using film as you may have heard me talk in other meetings as an example or to draw a parallel. I bring us back to the movie um oh my goodness. Uh Poltergeist. Yes. Thank goodness I talked about Poltergeist. the earlier version, the first pulter one. And it's not that I'm making the comparison that uh healthcare is scary. >> It's the and it is it's the really the ending of the movie that I'll bring this to. If you can think back in your memory of what the ending of the movie Poltergeist was like um what what closed out the movie um
007but I'll give you a few examples. So in 2011 they the government introduced chapter 78 in which a percentage of our employees um salaries would go towards the premium cost to bring down health care costs and really was supposed to do is it was going to bring down property costs, property tax costs for the local taxpayers because now there was revenue coming to the district from the employees to help offset the cost of of healthcare. I don't know if it was and this is just an example. It's not everything, but I don't know if it was just um coincidence, but in that same year, uh Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield's president CEO, William Marino, um took a $1.87 million salary bumped by a $3.9 million deferred salary package that same year. So that $3.9 million
008increase that year as New Jersey putting together legislation that said that there was more money within our KOFERS to pay off healthcare to pay towards healthcare. So instead of that money going towards just one example of money going towards taxpayer relief it went to big health care saying oh there's more money now to take um because they can afford to pay more. So in 2020 they introduced chapter 44 which changed a little bit that a percentage of those those employees now will of those percentage will go to um was based on their base salary their percentage of what they pay towards healthcare. In that same year believe it or not a new president and CEO of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield Kevin Conland had a $1.2 million base salary. he also got a $3.9 million
009bonus um bringing up a salary to 5.1 million. So examples, I'm sure there's other examples of that, but the the point is that the money never really goes to boards of education. It never goes to the taxpayer relief that it's funded to because there's other parties that say, "Oh, there's more money to be divvied up and and taken to us." So even looking at things such as you know pharmaceutical we you know a lot of our increase this year when we look at a 30% increase in health care that must get placed onto someone unfortunately the taxpayer in situation is in into prescription plans. So in the United States, um, we would just, you know, happy now the insulin prices are down to $99, uh, on average, but our neighborhood of the north pay $12
010for that same insulin per insulin. And to our south in Mexico, they pay 2 $2.79 for that same insulin. uh humira which is a very common uh medication in the United States. Our pharmaceutical companies I mean our prescription companies charge our health care providers $7,100 per prescription for that. In Canada it's $1,845 and in Mexico $1,500. Zoralto, United States $1,760. Canada $318 and Mexico $85. Ompic, which we hear a lot about, um, United States is $1,000, Canada $340, and in Mexico $200 for the same prescription charged to the same whether it's come, you're coming out of pocket or to the healthcare provider. Why is it to the north and the south of us, they're paying a fraction of what our health care providers are being charged for the same same medication. So again, just example
011of the more that we're willing to give as employees and to bring down the costs of health care, there are more hands in the pot to um take that money. So back to my movie analogy, in the end of Poltergeist, they find out what the problem was, why then why it was being haunted was that they built the homes on top of an old cemetery. and they said you moved the tombstones but you didn't move the bodies. So chapter 78 and chapter 44 is just an example of us moving the tombstones. The things on the surface which they believe were to be the issues, but the real problem was the body of the core of the problem was the cost rising cost of no regulations on healthcare that are really driving up these costs. And
012it's still going on today. And that's why we have a 30% increase in our health care to us the the um school districts that are taxed on to the taxpayers who never saw the relief intended by chapter 78 and chapter 44. So you'll see that as part of our budget presentation tonight is the big driving factor of an increase. But as we look at our budget presentation ah there it is. Okay. We are very proud that our school district again um is an A rating for our academics, our teachers and our college preparation. According to nich.com we are ranked among the top school districts of the state of New Jersey with overall academic performance. Our graduation rate is at 96% or exceeding that. And as we've demonstrated, our special needs programs are designed to provide
013education in the least restrictive environment for all of our students of those needs. Wayne is a community that's very proud of its athletics programs. Um, I've been very proud to be at a lot of them this month as the weather's turned nice in spring. Um, being out there and being on the sidelines and seeing so many of our young athletes, our student athletes, I like to say student athletes because student comes before athlete. Um, you must be a very good student before you can be an athlete. Um, and seeing how proudly they're performing. We are ranked number one in uh number one district for athletes in New Jersey and top 10 nationally. Um we offer large number of intercolastic teams with 70 plus boys teams and 70 plus girls teams. We compete at high levels
014uh with student participation which hundreds of student athletes um in each high school and our athletics are offered across all of all of the seasons fall winter spring and seasons with multiple levels from varsity JV and freshman. and we have a lot of uh championships um and accolades to support the uh work in that area. Additionally, we have the arts. Um our arts education program emphasizes creativity, collaboration, and self-exression across multiple uh disciplines. Students consistently earn regional and national awards. We saw that at our last meeting in this room where we celebrated uh our students who performed so well in the arts um with their musical and vocal talents. To support all that, we have some new curriculum initiatives. Remind me, is this me or you? >> This you. >> Still me. Okay. In K8
015science, we have the uh new instructional resources. $240,000 towards includes up updated and expanded resources for students and teachers. Our I Ready assessment platform is K to8 assessment tool for students at $182,000 includes expansion of assessment tool for math and language arts K to8 includes an expansion of of learning path uh resource for math in grades K to 5. In K to2 math, we have a textbook and and resources initiative at $290,000. And it's a second year of payment of our new math resources implemented uh the prior year and AP statistics as a textbook renewal for Wayne Valley and Wayne Hills for $30,000. And again, staffing. Um I know it's something that we are very proud of this year and I know that our board president is going to speak to this as well. Um
016that as we saw in many districts around us and across the state um and even here in Wayne last year um there were some staffing issues that caused us to lose many positions. Um in this in this budget we are supporting our staff. there may be the need for transfers as we look to uh reduce roles in different programs but does not eliminate any programs. Um and as I said all smart corporations all smart organizations provide perform an assessment of their staffing every year. You send your very highly effective staff to where they're needed with the educational supports of their students and you meet the students where they're at. you don't just stay in the same position because that's where you've always been. Um, and that's something where we're doing here. But through that, um,
017no teacher that has been in uh, in good standing um, will will lose a position this year due to any riffs um, because of smart budgeting and taking on this challenges as a board and as administration. I think should be applause for that one. Continuing on, this year's budget continues to prioritize investments in both technology and student transportation. This district remains committed to maintaining a strong one-to-one technology program by refreshing student Chromebooks at a cost of approximately $660,000. Uh this ensures that students continue to have reliable access to instructional technology both in the classroom and at home. In addition, approximately 460,000 has been allocated for staff laptops replacements to support instruction, communication, and operational efficiency across the district. On the transportation side, the budget includes $600,000 for new vehicles, including two new 24 passenger wheelchair
018accessible vans and two 24 passenger vans. These vehicle replacement help maintain a safe and dependable transportation fleet while supporting the needs of both general education and special educational students. the document >> capital projects. This year we'll be withdrawing $1.3 million from our capital reserves. First, allocating $660,000 towards Wi-Fi upgrades at both high schools and seven elementary schools. This will ensure reliable connectivity to support our one-to-one devices, digital resources, and online assessment. A $700,000 investment has been allocated for HVAC replacement work at Randall Carter. The the existing temporary heating system in the gym will be replaced by new rooftop unit, ensuring improved air quality and climate control. Finally, $150,000 is budgeted to replace paging systems at Wayne Hills and Lafayette Elementary School. This is an important safety upgrade that ensures clear and reliable communication throughout each
019building. So, let's talk numbers. Um, my movie analogy is more of a repeat because uh, as the county reviewed our uh, budget submission that I did back in March, nothing really has changed. Just some clarifications. So, the numbers that I presented to you back in March is pretty much the same. With that being said, our tax cap um, our tax levy cap increase is approximately $3.5 million. and that is the 2% maximum allowable increase under state guidelines. Our state aid has increased by 783,936 representing a 6% increase. This reflects the maximum increase any district could receive this year. We are also seeing an increase in semi-reimbursement and extraordinary aid totaling approximately $350,000. In addition, there is a significant increase in healthcare adjustment of $10.5 million. This adjustment allows us to exceed the 2% tax levy
020cap to help offset rising employee health cut health benefit costs which represents 6%. Just to uh note for the 2627 budget, our total health care costs are projected to increase by well over $13 million. However, this adjustment of $10 million does not fully cover that increase, and our operating budget must still absorb approximately $3.2 million of the increase. This slide outlines the proposed revenue sources. You could see that um local taxes has the 2% um tax levy of 3.5 million and 6% of 10.5 healthcare adjustment that we're taking as a as it is typical in New Jersey school district. The majority of our funding continues to come from local property tax. As you could see here, it's 90% of our revenue sources. Beyond our general fund, we continue to manage various grant-based resources, including local
021grants, which are contributions from education foundations, PTOs, and corporate partners, non-public grants, funding allocated to private schools within our geographic area, and federal entit entitlement grants, ESCA, and Perkins to say to list a few. This combination of funding sources allows us to maintain our programs and services. Factors impacting appropriations, which are expenses. As I mentioned, health benefit increase is $13.7 million. Curriculum and instruction remain a top priority with the total investment of approximately $742,000. These funds are dedicated to strengthening our academic offerings and support student success. Added tuition costs are projected to increase approximately $2.3 million. This figure also accounts for PCTI tuition. This growth is driven by rising number of students moving into Wayne with existing out of district placements. We are seeing a $2 million increase in cost for specialized support services. This
022is a direct result of students with increasing medical and complex disabilities and our current reliance on outside providers to staff our preschool programs. These services are essential to maintaining the high standard of care our students require. Utility costs are projected to increase over $400,000. Additionally, lease purchase payments are increasing approximately $598,000. While our annual increase typically increases about 180,000 for Chromebooks and buses and uh technology, as you saw in a previous slide, this year is the first year um we're m we are required to make a payment for our preschool expansion grant uh lease that we took from PCTI. I mean Pay County Improvement Authority. A lot of acronyms there. These rising costs represents the primary financial pressures within the budget. With those cost drivers in mind, the next slide will show you how funds
023are actually allocated across the district. The largest portion of the budget is dedicated to instruction and student support services reflecting our core mission of educa educating our students. Additional funds are allocated to operations, transportation, administration, and facility maintenance. This breakdown demonstrates our continued commitment to prioritize classroom instruction and the student needs. The overall 2627 budget balances educational priorities with increasing financial challenges. The district's tax levy will increase approximately 176 million to 190 million reflecting the approved reflecting the approved health benefit adjustment and allowable cap adjustment under state regulations. That's an 8.01% increase. state aid increase approximately 784,000 which helps offset a portion of the rising expense expenditures but does not cover ongoing financial pressures and mandate mandated cost increase. The total proposed operating budget for the 2627 school year is 211.1 million representing an 8.41%
024increase over the current year. A total of 2.7 million supports all non-public grants as mentioned before including ESCAD Perkins non-public funding for private schools and local grants. There is no debt service tax levy included. Our bonds fell off a couple years ago and uh we do not have any bond currently have bonds. Despite continued financial pressure, this budget maintains existing programs, supports student achievement, preserves staffing levels whenever possible, and invest in curriculum, technology, transportation, and facility improvements. The average assessed test assessed value of a residential property in our district. So the average cost a home in Wayne is $231,655. Based on this figure, the estimated tax impact would result in an annual increase of $296. This breaks down to approximately $2467 per month or just 81 per day. Residents can refer to the provided chart
025to determine the specific impact based on their individual property assessments. Finally, the budget timeline. Today is May 7th, which is the last bullet on the timeline. We are conducting the public hearing for the per for the proposed 2627 budget. The budget was advertised and tap into Wayne and posted on our district website on May 1st in accordance with the state requirements. Pending board approval tonight this evening, the budget will be formally adopted for the 2627 school year. And this concludes our budget presentation. >> Any questions by the board? Um, thank you whole administrative team, Mr. DeMarco, especially your late hours and your weekends. Go past the board building and see you there. Um, I just have a couple comments. you know, as we move forward tonight, you know, our final budget is presented um and
026is what we're sending to the state. But I want to be very direct and I want about where we are, what we did, and what the larger problem is. This is not a Wayne issue, folks. Pick up the newspaper. Hackinack 154 jobs. Patterson over 300 jobs. West Milford closing a second school in two years. Jefferson talking about doing away with um athletic programs and extracurricular activities. It's all over the place. South Jersey, they're selling schools to try to get money. But the problem is they're one-time fixes. You can sell a piece of property for $2 million, but you only get to $2 million one time. It's a band-aid as the state does. We faced some of those difficulties last year and I can tell you it was unpleasant. These decisions affect children, families, staff, and
027the entire community. We took a proactive approach this year. The board gave the administration a clear mandate. Do everything possible to protect programs and teaching positions and they did an admiral job with that. As um was stated, yes, there may be some people moving around into new positions from where they were the year before, but there were no pink slips issued this year in the district. Yes. Do we have people leaving? Absolutely. Do we have people coming? Absolutely. All right. We don't our budgets for any school should not be balanced on the backs of our classrooms. And unfortunately, it's going to come to that around this state. They're difficulti decisions eliminating and combining administrative positions. You see how many administrative positions we've cut and over the last two years. People who say, "Oh, you got
028too many administrators." They need to take a look at over the past two years how many administrators we don't have anymore because people like Mr. Cedadino and Dr. Kasmar are doing three and four jobs. Mr. Sedadino's been superintendent and HR director for over a year now. We also have to be honest. These are all one-time fixes that we're seeing around the state. They may help you get through this year, but they don't solve the long-term issue. These budget issues are not going away, and every board will be dealing with the with the same financial pressures again next year and the year after that unless the state of New Jersey gets their act together. Let's go back to the slide that showed that 90% of the bud the school budget comes from property taxes. You know
029what that 90% should be from the state of New Jersey. The small 8% should be from your property taxes. We're facing inre increasing enrollment. was talking to the principal from uh George Washington. It was telling me how much his numbers are up next year and they're not up 10 or 10 or 15 students. They're up much higher and there's more to come with that in the next few weeks. At the same time, we're operating under a 2% cap. That doesn't even cover the cost of living increases. 30% increase in health insurance. That's just for 6 months of this year. Come January when the state's budget goes back, new budget comes in, there's going to be about a 28% increase. Again, see the state and the boards and school boards are not on the same budget
030cycle as are the towns. So you look at this. We certainly can't be putting additions on schools with a 2% cap. Now municipalities have it good. Yes, we all pay for it at the end of the day, but if they want to do something, they say they want to pay the front parking lot. They pass a bond ordinance. They pave the front parking lot. I want to put six classrooms on a school. I have to go out to the voters and say, "Hey guys, you ready to fork up, you know, $10 million to do this project?" This is part This is the part that concerns me. If these trends continue, they're going to lead to increased class sizes, fewer extracurricular activities, fewer elective opportunities, and more pressure on our schools, our staff, and our students.
031It's not the way it should be. Three years ago, I said to I'm really concerned about the budget cycles coming up and not just this year, but in the next few years, and I hoped I was wrong, but unfortunately, it was worse than I ever thought it could be. New Jersey needs to come up with a way to have a long-term solution to school funding. Haven't we learned enough from one-time fixes and band-aids? School budgets cannot rest on the back of the citizens of this town and every other town. 15 years ago when they implemented chapter 78 in chapter 44, oh, it's going to be a windfall for the towns and the board of ed. They're going to get all this money in to pay for health insurance. We ended up paying more out than
032we took in because the health care companies saw that as their cash cow. And as Mr. Cedadino said, you know, $5 million salary really, it comes off all our backs. Everybody 2% with caps. Let's be honest, that cap's not even close to cover increases. Look at gasoline. What has gone up in the last two months goes up for you, goes up for me, goes up for all of us on the board, in the board, in our schools, how much our electric bills are going up. It's time for politicians to they're quick to celebrate our schools. Oh, we got the number one school in the school districts in the country. Education in New Jersey is great. Yeah. They will want to pound their chest and say, "Look at me. Look at me. Look at me." But
033when it comes to paying for it, they're more interested in put in a road that goes to nowhere someplace enough. The problem's not h didn't happen overnight. And I blame both political parties for it because it's been going on way too long. Too many gimmicks, too many band-aids, and not enough fixing it. We did the responsible thing this year in this in this with this budget. We protected our classrooms. We made hard decisions. We reduced and combined these administrative positions. But this cannot be the long-term answer. Wayne can continue to be responsible. Wayne can continue to make difficult decisions. Wayne can continue to protect the classroom as much as possible. But local boards cannot fix the broken state funding and the gimmick every year of, "Oh, we'll let you know how much we're going to
034give you." But it's really not how much we might give you. We never know at the end of the day. At some point, the state has to pro provide a long-term solution and protect students, protect the taxpayers, and give districts a realistic way to plan for the future. The state of New Jersey needs to get its act together and we need to needs to be done for public education. Our students, our taxpayers, our community deserve better than all these band-aids. >> Mrs. DeMarco, any revisions to the agenda? >> Yes. Uh, under section M, human resources, item number two, uh, apologize. Under section M, human resources, number one, approval of resignations and retirements. Item number two, Anna Maria Ruth, change resignation to retirement. And then under T, emergent human resources number nine, approval of appointment of
035district staff for 2627. Item number five, Kareem Deer, Junior Network Engineer. The salary should read $80,000 prrated. >> Thank you. This portion of the meeting is open to citizens for comment on agenda items only. Residents are asked to state their names, address, and subject matter. Comments may be limited to three minutes per person. Members of the public are discouraged from speaking negatively about an employee or student. Board bears no responsibility for comments made by the public. Comments regarding employees or students cannot be legally responded to by the board. Other comments may be respond to tonight or at a subsequent meeting under old business. Do I have a mover? Mrs. Landry, Mr. Agnes. Anyone from the public wishing to speak on a budget? I mean on a budget on an agenda item. >> Hi, good evening.
036Alan to 41 years drive. I've come to speak about one of the topics on your agenda, but before I do, um, I have to echo what the superintendent said about healthcare. Personally, it's part of what I do for a living. It is just simply out of control personally. Uh, so I I can understand what you are going through with that. Um, this will not be the first time I've come to the podium to speak. We'll be speaking today about topic D on your agenda. Um, We've had a serious discussion about budgets. I just want to talk about something that is a little bit more pleasant. Um not budgets are not pleasant enjoy putting a budget together. Um, I have typically come to advocate for students and I still get stopped by people in Wayne thanking
037me Your microphone's not on. >> Who's Scott? Scott the mic. Here you go. >> Should I start over? >> You're good. >> Well, let me thank the superintendent for My name is Alan Tempescu. I won't go through the whole thing again, but I wanted to thank the superintendent for talking about healthc care. Uh because personally I am uh involved with healthcare in my job and it is just simply out of control. Um so I appreciate that. I'm here to speak about topic D on your agenda. I've typically come to uh advocate for students and I still get stopped by people Wayne thanking me for advocating for the eighth grade trip which got cancelled a few years ago after co I came to speak in the past about the school calendar because it aligned with the
038students needs. Today I come to the podium to advocate and appreciate Wayne teachers and nurses. It is National Teacher Appreciation Week and students cannot achieve success in the classroom without good teachers and Wayne Shore has a lot of good teachers who and we appreciate their hard work. And since I mentioned the uh pandemic, um I want to remind everyone that was a difficult time for all of us and the teachers in Wayne taught during remote learning and remote learning was certainly not anything that uh most wanted at the time. They dedicated their energy to make it work. Uh my son has been through the Wayne school system since kindergarten and to this day um we truly appreciate Mrs. Akabuchi and I'm sure when I mentioned her name many of you know who she is. Uh
039everyone knows her as a truly dedicated kindergarten teacher and the other day I heard she's she's still teaching in the same kindergarten classroom. Um, I can think of so many experiencing experiences of the hardworking Wayne teachers who have gone above the call of duty to inspire my son and other students. Teacher appreciation day was later expanded to teacher appreciation week and that came to exist as a result of Eleanor Roosevelt pressuring Congress to recognize teachers for the dedication. as she said, quote, "It is impossible to give teachers monetary compensation alone that will repay for their devotion." So, I moved to Wayne then because of the school system. So, to all the Wayne school teachers out there, and you know who you are, thank you. Um, I would be remiss if I did not also recognize
040what next week is. It's national, it's nurse appreciation week. And I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe we only have one nurse per school. Um, yet you too hard, you work hard, too, to make sure Wayne's students are given the appropriate care each day. I could only imagine the medical situations you have to manage each day, keeping all the medical records, coordinating clearances for athletes. And since I spoke about Eleanor Roosevelt, let we should all know that nurse appreciation week was initiated to align with the birthday of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale. Uh so to on behalf of all the students who I will always advocate for, this is a time to pause and thank all the Wayne teachers and all the Wayne nurses who dedicate so much time
041and energy at the Wayne schools. Thank you. >> Thank you. Anyone else from the public wishing to speak on an agenda item? >> Seeing no one move to close. Mr. >> Faber, Mr. Four motion to move the agenda. >> Mr. Favor, >> any comments on the agenda? Discussion seeing none. Roll call. >> Mr. Pacos. >> Yes. >> Mr. Agnes. >> Yes. >> Mr. Eloquin. Absent. >> Mr. Faber. >> Yes. >> Mr. Haymon. Yes, >> Mrs. Lamandry. >> Yes, >> Mr. Paul. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Regaloso. >> Yes, >> and Mr. Pavlac. >> Yes. >> Motion carries. >> This portion of the meeting is open for citizens for comment on any topic. Residents are state their names, address, and subject matter. Comments may be limited to five minutes per person. Members of the public are discouraged
042from speaking negatively about an employee or student. Board bears no responsibility for comments made by the public. Comments regarding employees or students cannot be legally responded to by the board. Other comments may be respond to tonight or a subsequent meeting under old business. Do I have a mover, Mrs. Regalos, Mr. Faber? Yes, sir. Was expecting to be here much later on budget final budget night, but uh thanks for moving along quickly. Uh Mike Farrell, 35 Oak Lane. Uh so a couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of for the second year of attending uh SDA at Wayne Valley. I'm sure many of you were there as well. Uh I've this is my second year. My daughter's a sophomore at Wayne Valley. Blown away by the performance. Uh the choreography, the coordination, the energy in the
043gym, uh of course the performance the students put on. It was just is truly remarkable. In addition to what we all see on the floor as a parent, I have the pleasure of also watching my daughter participate behind the scenes. Um, and just seeing the experience that she gets that, you know, between the teamwork and the dedication and the leadership skills they build. It's really a beneficial uh event for all of the the students that participate. And then the friendships and the memories she's built, they'll they'll last a lifetime. It's it's really awesome. Um, so I you know, really, as you know, the STD experience is so unique to the Wayne school system. Uh unfortunately there is a subset of students that don't get to experience that STD that SDA at Wayne Valley. Um and
044that's our student athletes. You mentioned student athletes before. Our student athletes that participate in spring sports unfortunately are not able to participate in SDA to due to uh school policy I suppose. Um I have and it's concerning for me because I have another daughter that's in at Anthony Wayne now. She's in eighth grade. She's probably going to go to Wayne Valley next year. Um and she plays lacrosse. So knowing that playing lacrosse will prevent her from participating in SDA, I reached out to the administration uh to inquire, you know, why is it that they can't do both? And really it boiled down to two reasons that were given. Uh the first reason was because it would be too much of a time commitment. Um so while it is true that students have all kinds of
045activities today that that that take up their time interest activities um it should really be left up to the students and their parent to determine what u what their limits are as far as as as far as uh time commitments. So, understanding the time commitments that are required for both lacrosse practice or other sports practice and SDA, I I view it as pretty manageable that my daughter could do a dance or two and still manage her time uh with with a sport. Uh so, I didn't really look at the time commitment as a as a a valid reason, at least in my opinion. The second reason was certainly a valid reason, and that's conflicts. So too much there though two both of both participating in SDA and in sports requires a significant um commitment of
046course uh and there are just too many conflicts to do both. So I took the time to take a look at the schedules for both um and while while it is a barrier this is the piece that I was hoping to get the board's uh you know support to uh to hopefully remove this barrier. reviewing the schedules for both lacrosse and SDA. If there were just a couple of tweaks, it could remove most of those conflicts. Uh, one change would be moving two practices a week up a couple hours. So, on either Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Wednesday, if practice were moved back, that would allow students to really not miss any SDA practices except on game days. and looking through the games over the last 10 years, um it would they would only
047miss one or two at most practices in a year for any given dance. So there's really from a time commitment from a from a conflict perspective, there really wasn't a lot there that if you make a a that one simple change would eliminate a lot of the conflicts uh and still allow a student to do two dances while still participating in a sport. Uh the other thing was there were on the Thursday and Friday of performance week um we would need to avoid scheduling games and looking through the again the past 10 years there were a couple years where there were games on a Thursday uh but the times didn't conflict but obviously we would want to not not put them in a position of having to do one or the other on game day.
048So really just those two things pushing two practices a week back and not scheduling games on those two days would be enough to eliminate that barrier. So um hopefully that would hopefully we could find a way of getting there. So you know a couple reasons why we should also look at doing this. Permitting uh SD participation would uh would also increase the participation in our sport our spring sports programs at Wayne Valley which suffer due to this having to choose one or the other and some girls choosing SD. I've been involved with the the PAL lacrosse program as a parent, coach, and administrator over the last several years, and it really is heartbreaking to see these girls get to get to high school and not be able to play the sport they love because they
049want to do SDA because it is such a unique experience and something that they could do in the Wayne school system. So, our our sports teams suffer as a result. Participation is really down in some of the spring sports as a result. So, by making these little adjustments, that'll help the sports programs programs as well. Um, and finally, the last thing I wanted to mention was our current eighth grade class. We have nine girls on our team who would go to Wayne Valley. Of those nine, three have already chosen to go elsewhere. Um, the they're making choices between private schools, PCTI, Wayne Valley. I believe that the lore of SDA would help us retain some of these students that choose to go elsewhere. Um and as we you know talked about in the budget with
050you know sort of out of district cost and PCGI cost um we've spent millions of dollars over the years on these um you know next generation science labs in order to keep ch students in the district and not go to PCTI. This is something that would not cost the district anything and could help us keep district students in the district and save the district money. So as we're talking about budgets and money it's something that we could do. So it's really a win-winwin. Um, it's a win for the students. It's a a win for the sports programs. It's a win for our budget. Um, I've only looked at lacrosse. I'm sure it applies to other spring sports like, you know, football, flag football now and and softball that if if practice time times could just
051be adjusted to work around the SDA schedule. Again, that would just be two days a week. Um, and just avoiding games on those two days during the season, it could allow these girls to participate in both sport and SDA. So whatever support you could provide to that um would really be appreciated. Thank you. >> Thank you. Anyone else from the public wishing to speak? >> Seeing no one move to close. >> Mr. Favor, Mr. Paul, any old business, new business, board member comments? Harry, >> I just uh hope that all the teachers uh felt appreciated and enjoyed. they should be appreciated and enjoyed uh and uh for their devotion every day. Uh also um I hope the nurses will feel appreciated for uh nurse appreciation week. But I also want to say uh May is
052also military appreciation month. So uh want to appreciate all our military servicemen or or veterans. um the AAA's, you know, academics, athletics, and arts. As you saw from page two to page four through page four, uh in the district budget presentation, you know, Wayne is, you know, everything's way better in Wayne according to the AAA's. Uh if you look at the presentation, um but that comes at a cost. It costs money. And uh I don't know if everyone noticed, but if you look at the the budget presentation, page 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, that's where you should go and see the details to how we reached a milestone for the first time in Wayne. And this hurts as a taxpayer. The budget is over 200 million this year. So, um, but you know, expenses
053keep rising. Uh, healthc care is a big driver. We're still falling short even with the healthcare adjustment. Um, as for uh Mr. Farrell, uh, SDA, um, I attended both Wayne Hills and Wayne Valley's SDA programs this year and, um, yeah, they always put on a great show. Um, my daughter was also in the the Wayne Valley one. Um, and I know for a fact, uh, SDA has actually brought back female students from PCTI after a year when they they say, "Oh, wow. You know, I I really should have been at one hills or or Wayne Valley to to do SDA." Um, but I think there's I don't think there's a a policy that bans them from um competing in the SDA program and competing in a sport. I know it's it's really we don't set
054the schedule here on on the board for for any of the athletics uh athletic programs and so or or SDA. So I I think if you know they work with the coaches, you know, they might be able to to to do both. I know in past years there's been girls that have been on the the cheer team and also on SDA u and there was some overlap and they've put in 5hour days uh uh on an extracurricular basis. So, I don't think, you know, unless uh the administrators uh want want to um talk about that, I don't think there's really any u issue with that. >> I've had some preliminary conversations about it. Um I know that Wayne Hills does their SDA performance um really during an off time between the winter and spring. It
055was like a month ago. Um the Wayne Valley SDA performance is right in the heart of the spring season, which makes it more difficult. I don't know how they select when they're going to do the performance if they have to doing doing them a month apart. I I I that I don't know. Listen, I'm new to this SDA. Um and amazing. I was at both performances. Well, I I I had asked the girls questions. How do you get these performance? How do you get these outfits? Like the outfit changes? How many gowns do you have over the course of a year? Because as I've gone to, which I'm I haven't gone to the prom yet, but assuming the prom gown, the fashion show gown, the gown they wear at the beginning of the SDA, it's
056like just a plethora of of gowns that every girl has to have at their at their um in their closet, I guess, just to get ready to for these events. Um but amazing amazing work and preparation went into it. Um so again, more questions to look into as to the scheduling of the SDA Wayne Valley. Maybe it could be placed in more of the off time of between seasons. Um, just have to find out why and when it's there. >> Yeah, it's probably special permission or special coordination between the the coaches and the moderators and uh stuff like that. So, um, yeah, with that, um, I'm good. >> Yeah, thank you to bringing uh that to our attention today. I always love to hear from the public the different things that go on because if
057you don't tell us, we don't know. And uh as you can see, some discussion has already started tonight. And uh on a personal note, this discussion has helped me, especially what you just said. My daughter's only three, but I'm going to start budgeting for gowns now. So on the budget, um you know, we kind of got a little bit lucky with the uh additional amount that we were able to, I guess, get from the uh increase on the benefits, but at the end of the day, it's not really lucky because that cost is being transferred on to the taxpayers. And I've been saying this for the last two years that, you know, you really should write to Trenton and complain because if you look, we're part of the state healthcare program, right? So they gave
058us $16 million as you know, they're saying that's our state aid number, but then they took $13 million back from us when they increased our costs for the medical benefits. So at the end of the day, they really gave us $3 million. and we're paying such a large portion in taxes where you have other places that are getting 56 7 $800 million and their their budget only accounts for like maybe 20% of the t like that their whole budget is paid for by 20% of taxes. So there's no equality going on with this and you know they've already started mentioning well maybe the new solution is going to be to remove that cap. Well, that sounds great that it'll fund the schools, but what's that going to do to our property taxes that are already
059really high? So, it's not a question of, you know, they're going to say, "Okay, well, now we'll allow you to start, you know, taking all this money and you won't have to lay off teachers." But if this continues on this trend for the next 5, 10 years, how long is it going to be before none of us can afford to pay our property taxes? What's that going to do to our our house values if our taxes go too high? So, you know, really reach out and, you know, vote accordingly because we need people that are going to come up with some solutions here because this is just and I've said it before, but this is just going to snowball. And this year we lucked out and I mentioned last year that there were going to
060be a lot more districts that are, you know, dealing with these issues. And this year it's, you know, a lot of them just hit, they fell off the cliff. And it's just next year you're going to hear more. It's just going to continue down this trend because you have about five districts that are getting I think it's actually 50 districts are getting 80% of the money that's being allocated which is just it's that's unacceptable. So please let's go write to Trenton or do something talk to your congressman whatever but we got to do something. Thank you. Um, so I just wanted to um also touch on uh the teachers appreciation week and wanted to thank the teachers of Wayne for their steady guidance, patience, and encouragement that you bring to the classroom every single day.
061The way you meet students where they are academically and strive to make learning fun, creative, and successful is just great. Thank you for seeing the potential in your students and in our students and for the care you put into helping each person grow uh academically and through time personally. You really do make such a difference in the students lives. So I appreciate so much of what you do. We all appreciate you and together we say thank you so much for your effort. You are what makes Wayne schools strong. I also would like to comment on um the nurses week. I don't know if you guys know, but I'm a nurse myself and um it's so great to actually be in that profession to make the diff a difference in the lives of people and our
062students um knowing that they have the nurses in the schools, that comfort zone. Um so I really appreciate what they do and the compassionate care they provide to kids when they're sick. They need a nurse for sure. So, thank you and thank you to our administration for putting together the um district buzz uh budget presentation and um for all that work. Thank you, >> Mr. Agnes. >> Uh obviously, we can echo about teacher and nurse appreciation. It a million thanks to all uh anybody in that profession. But I wanted to take a quick pivot. Last Saturday, I had the uh ability to attend JFK's Earth Day cleanup uh through the PTO. And I want to give a special shout out to one of the parents, James McGrath, for putting it together because it was more
063than just picking up trash around the school. It was actually a good lesson in service and taking care of not only your school, but your community and and teaching the the kids, specifically also my daughters were there, um what it means to serve your community. and something as simple as a cleanup. It was a lesson that I hope uh will echo with them for a lifetime. And if we continue to do that as parents, as board members, as administrators, as anybody involved in in this community, in this school system, uh the future is only just going to be on the up and up regardless of any uh challenges we may face. But we just got to continue to do stuff like that. So, special shout out to James McGrath and the JFK PTO for all
064their hard work. >> Thank you. Um, May's a month full of appreciation. As Mr. Paka said, you have military appreciation, we have nurse appreciation, teacher appreciation, law enforcement appro appreciation. It's it's a month filled with dedicated people who deserve >> what's that? >> Mother's Day. >> That was next. That's a separate. You get me in trouble first. Um, you know, during teacher appreciation week, I want to personally thank our teachers in our school district. We have phenomenal teachers. All of us as board members have the opportunity to visit schools. We attend events. Uh, we speak with families. We see the work that takes place inside the school room every day. What we always stands out, what stands out to me mostly is the heart of our teachers. You're not just they do not just teach
065subjects. They teach our children. They love our children. You know their strengths, their struggles, their personalities. And the days when they need a little bit more encouragement and when they need the arm around them to just say, "I'm here for you." I also wanted to to offer a special thanks to our special education teachers. Uh they work their work is so meaningful. They help our students grow, build confidence, and feel supported because they continue to learn in their own way and at their own pace. They also provide families with guidance, reassurance, and partnership. That quiet, steady support makes a real difference to our students. There was a quote that came to my mind when I was thinking about this. A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning. That
066quote reflects what happens in Wayne every day. Our teachers inspire students not only by what they teach, by how they care for them. Wayne has always been a community that cares about its children, its teachers. That is the major reason why we are the district we are. We know their work is demanding. It doesn't end when the bell rings. As I frequently say, it just the next section just begins. home making lesson plans, grading papers, trying to figure out what you're going to do the next morning when you get a curveball thrown at you that this is hap, this assembly is going to take place, that assembly is going to take place, and oh my gosh, what am I going to do today? But they always come through. The days are long, the moments are
067difficult, and the time they give of themsel is priceless. On behalf of the entire board of education, I want to personally thank each and every professional we have that you've chosen Wayne to be your place to work and you thank you for your care and patience and dedication you give to each and every one of our students. Um, with that I'll take a motion to adjourn. Mrs. Landry, Mr. Actis, good night everyone. Thank you.