001Good evening everyone. I apologize for our lateness. Um we had some executive session matters that we had to deal with this evening. Um, at this point, the executive session of the Wayne Board of Education regular meeting of July 15, was convened in the conference room of the Wayne Board of Education, 50 Noah Drive, Wayne, New Jersey. Statement of compliance setting forth datetime and location was read in accordance with the requirements of the open public meetings act, and a roll call was taken. The meeting was recessed and is now being reconvened. I'd ask everyone to please stand for the flag salute followed by a moment of silence. And during our moment of silence this evening, we ask you to remember two longtime educators from Wayne who just passed away. Matt Demeris and Linda Nicoa. Each of
002them in their own way shape generations of students. Their collective impact on our communities are measurable. The absence leaves a significant void for all for many of their students. We ask you and the entire community to keep the Deerris and Nicosia family in your thoughts and prayers during this time. 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. Um, at this time the board's going to recess and go into executive session for personnel matters. We're expecting it to be about 30 to 45 minutes at the longest. Um, so entertain a motion to go into exec. >> Motion, >> Mr. G. >> Second, >> Mr. Battershell. All
003>> right. This time we're going to be in recess again. We should be a half hour to 45 minutes at the most. Thank you. Okay, at this time we'll be reconvening the meeting. Um, Dr. Tobac, >> superintendent report. >> Yeah, we're moving. [Music] Okay. Okay. So, for um my superintendent report, I guess there's just um a few things that I'm required to provide to the board in the community before you have your next board meeting. One of those requirements is to report on progress toward our district goals. We'll do that in a little bit. Another report has to do with NJGPA or the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment, which is a report about how our juniors performed in this year's graduation requirement that all 11th graders take. The NJGPA is a test designed to measure
004the extent to which students are graduation ready in English and mathematics. The Elliott component is aligned to the grade 10 standards and the math component is aligned to algebra 1 and geometry standards. So, um, overall our district did well. percentage of students across the district who participated in the assessment was 99% of our students for ELA, 98% for math. In comparing our scores with the rest of the state, um first of all, 90% of our students were considered graduation ready and 86% were considered graduation ready in 2025. So, a little bit of a drop there. For math, there was no change at 69.8% 8% and comparing Wayne's NJGPA scores from 2025 versus the state in ELA. Wayne performed at 85 85.7% proficient. The state was 80.7%. In math, we were at 69.8% versus the rest
005of the state at 58%. So, we far exceeded um the rest of the state when it came to math scores. For subgroup performance, um we also did quite well versus the rest of the state. As far as our intervention strategies go, students who took but did not meet the minimum required score on each component of the assessment have the opportunity to receive additional supports such as academic support during the school day, after school tutoring, personalized learning options through technology, or they may take other steps to meet the requirement. They can retake the ELA or math part of the NJGPA, or they can meet a designated cut score from a menu of substitute competency tests or complete a portfolio appeal. So, a detailed presentation that will have all the different subgroups and lots of other information
006about the um NJGPA will be posted on our website tomorrow. Also, not to bring back any bad memories, but we're required to have a virtual remote instruction plan for the upcoming school year. Not that we have any expectation that we would ever need it, but we've been approving that periodically over the past few years since the pandemic. So, it is on the agenda, but it's not we're required to have it, but it's not something we would expect to have to use. Also for the HIV report, I'm reporting following data related to HIV in the Wayne Township Public School District. There were 11 incidents of HIV that were investigated since my last report and only two of those cases were deemed to meet the criteria of an HIV incident. And um just I'm very happy to
007report also that our numbers over the past few years continue to drop. They continue to really get right very close to where we were pre- pandemic. So that's that's really a nice thing for the district. number of HIV cases has continued to drop over the past year and in the prior year. So, um, but last but not least, as I prepare to close this chapter of my professional journey, I want to take a moment to express my deep gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity to serve as your superintendent of schools. For the past 11 years, it's been both an honor and a privilege to work alongside such a dedicated team of educators, school and district leaders, and community members who care deeply about the success of the Wayne Township Public Schools. Over the years, we
008faced plenty of challenges. We've celebrated some achievements. We've navigated unprecedented times during the pandemic and through it all, it was remained constant that our shared commitment to providing high-quality education for all all of our students in the district that never wavered. I'm really proud of what has been accomplished from advancing academic programs and expanding student support services to investing in our facilities and embracing innovative approaches to teaching and learning. To the board of education, both past and present members, thank you for your partnership and trust. Your leadership and guidance have been essential to helping us move forward with clarity and purpose to our staff and our educators and our school leaders. Your unwavering dedication to students continues to inspire me. You are the heart of our schools and your work makes a lasting difference in
009the lives of so many to our families and all of our community partners and supporters like our PTO. Um your support and involvement are vital to the excess of success of our schools. And so while I am stepping away from this role, my commitment to education and the success of our students will remain strong. And I know leaving the district in competent hands is a nice feeling. So Mr. Cidino is capable and experienced hands. Um and the strong foundation will continue to support educational excellence. So please accept my heartfelt thanks for allowing me to be a part of this incredible community. Um it's tough to say. Um but I always be I always carry with me fond memories of my time here in Wayne and I look forward to seeing the district continue to grow
010and thrive. And um thank you. >> Point of order. [Applause] >> Thank you. >> Point of order. Thank congratulations. >> Thank you. >> End of the year goals. >> Okay. Okay. So, um this is another thing that uh we are required to do is just go over our district goals and so we have a summary for you and this so we can post our website. So over the past many years we've had district goals five and six goals and so during my time here we've had somewhere between 60 district goals and I'm happy to report they've all been accomplished. So all sorts of different initiatives and changes in the district and positive steps forward were all kind of incorporated into these proposals. And so this is the last edition for me anyway. I'm sure will
011happen in future but for now I'll just go over. So leveraging AI to enhance educational outcomes and employee efficiency. So this is kind of a widespread um issue not just here but in lots of places. How do we use AI technically in the classroom? What's appropriate? What's not appropriate? How do we communicate um to our students? What is the best course of action when it comes to embracing AI and making sense of how it a lot has happened during the time that this goal is in place. So in the end you can see this is basically summary of the supporting activity the that were formed um and then the change in policy. So one of the big key items was basically putting together policy related to artificial intelligence. And so here's basically a summary. So
012we have the professional development. You can see that there's an AI policy and we have a AI committee meeting which recognize and readily acknowledge there's still a whole lot more. So we're really into this and there's also so many new products out there that it's just amazing. I know that um I was able to see a preview of the software package that ultimately you ask it to develop a lesson plan the lesson plans for a week and you basically describe what you'd like to accomplish during that week. Wow. It creates lesson plans for so it's really I mean there's a lot that has happened that is education specific. It knows the standards but it's really It's come a long way. So I think that has a thing for our staff going forward. Um gathering spot.
013So this is really a goal put together by Dr. S and assistant Jana. So ultimately they felt that it was important to continue to build a community of parents around the special needs community. And so this is basically the activity that took place this year. And there have been a number of ultimately workshops for programs that were delivered to parents based on the interests from the parents. Goal three is evaluation instruments. You can see a background here. The district used the strong model. Nothing has really changed in the past 10 or so years since we implemented it. Although there is room to make some changes if we wanted to. So hopefully we may work together over the course of the year. And we also um survey information from the staff and the educational specialists. And
014in the end we have a new communication guide the evaluation tool further clarify expectations the tool itself will send. So other words we're describing with more specific language each of the different. So profile graduate this is the second year where we developed this priority this common thing that happened in district safe kind of reset after the pandemic what is important to the district what's important for our students what is it that we need them to be able to do and so that's something that went on start training administrator retreat a lot more about what this means in practice what does it All right. What does that mean in practice? So on and so forth. So students are able to identify uh I'm sorry. So if you go along in this report here, um basically we
015also got the students involved. I guess that is the main point here that we got our students involved and they had some ideas about what all this means. We might continue this for a third year. Okay. Um future technology growth. So over the years and especially now with our budget situation, we have worked very hard to enhance our technology base. And so that requires constant work. And the district um I'm I'm sorry to say we were a little bit in in more of a reactive um mode when it came to dealing with technology issues, but I think over the past few years we've become a far far more proactive. And this is just another step in being more proactive in terms of building our technology foundation and making sure we have properly funded it. And
016so that's another important goal for the district INRS. So this is a big goal. Okay. And what this is about is basically um the efficiency of in kind of a post-pandemic goal. How is it that we went about identifying students who need services? What is it that we need to do? And because of the volume, all of our INRS teams were really flooded with students who've been recommended. So the goal was to consider different ways of doing business when it came to INRS, right? Um and so you could see the main concerns that existed among the staff members. You can see we formed a district committee. And so now we really are moving ahead with training teachers and moving ahead in with greater efficiency when it comes to how we handle INRS recommendations. So, and
017then there's a year two plan that needs to be developed to continue this if that if that moves forward. And um yeah, so that's it. >> Okay. Board members, do you have any questions? >> Any questions? >> No, we're good. >> Thank you. At this point, we'll read the u revisions to the agenda. Under human resources, item seven, approval of appointment of district staff. Number 28, Jordan Falconee from kindergarten to fourth grade. Approval of appointment of volunteers. Number three, Beverly Sullivan to Beverly Coleman. I'm going to add number 16, Giana Pasaro, volunteer drill instructor, Wayne Hills High School. Number 15, approval of appointment of extracurricular advisors. Gina Pasaro, assistant drill instructor, Wayne Hills High School. Step one, $742. Number 20, approval of memorandum of agreement with the Wayne Education Association. Now therefore be resolved the
018Wayne Board of Education approves and ratifies the memorandum of agreement dated June 9th, 2025 and the salary guides for successor agreement between the Wayne Education Association and the Wayne Board of Education for the period of July 1st, 2025 through June 30th, 2028 and authorizes the president of the board of education to execute the successor collective bargaining agreement incorporating the memorandum of agreement and salary guides as discussed in executive session. Number 21, approval of employment agreement with intram business administrator and board secretary. Therefore, be it resolved. Dwayne Board of Education approves the 2025 20226 year an employment agreement with Vincent Oino as interim school board administrator and board secretary commencing July 1st 2025 through August 30th 2025 and as reviewed and approved by the county executive superintendent. Approval of appointment agreement interim superintendent. Now therefore, be
019it resolved, the Wayne board of education approves 2025 2026 school year and employment agreement with Donna Richman as the interim superintendent commencing on August 1st, 2025 through August 14th, 2025. And it was reviewed and approved by the P by the county executive superintendent. Number 23 was tabled under O, school resource finance approval of the contract for consulting service geotech investigating and soil testing elevator edition at the pregnancy childhood early childhood center. Whereas on July 10th, 2025, the main board of education requested proposals for geotech services for elevator edition at the pregnant early childhood education center project. Whereas the board of education received three proposals which were reviewed by the district architect of record and whereas the lowest municipal proposal was submitted by French and Pllo associates with a base amount of 16,800 whereas the board
020has determined that f that French and Pillo Associates 1800 Route 34 sweet 101 Wall Township New Jersey to be the lowest responsive bidder and responsible proposer. Now therefore, be it resolved in accordance with the proision provisions of the public school contract law NJSA18A colon 18A-1, the board of education hereby awards the contract to geo technical investigations for elevator edition at the pregnancy early uh education center to French Pillo Associates. Be it resolved that the board of ed board council is authorized to prepare the contract for the project. Forward the same to French Peru associates and to obtain documentation required thereby. And be it further resolved that the business administrator is authorized to execute the contract on behalf of of the board to French PL associates totaling $16,800. Q uh school resource legal resolved that the
021board of education affirm the superintendent of decision on HIV case 138/2024 22 uh 2025 following an appeal as requested by NJSA18 col37-15 uh subsection B section 6E E. Next is the approval of a settlement settlement and released. We resolve that the board of education upon the recommendation of the superintendence hereby approves the settlement and release agreement in the matter of DS and KS as guardian aid lit um limit and for docket PAS-L3242-24 dated July 17th 2025 is attached by the reference and further authorizes the board president and the secretary to execute the same on behalf of the board. The business administrator and superintendent are authorized to take full further steps required by the terms of the settlement agreement to further implement the same. Number three, approval of a settlement agreement and release CT. Resolve the
022board of education upon the recommendation, superintendent hereby approves a settlement agreement and general release in the matter of student ID 2445198596 OAL docket number EDS09890-25 agency reference number 22025-39213 dated July 10th as attached by by reference and further authorizes is the board president and the secretary to execute the same on behalf of the board. The business administrator and superintendent are authorized to take full and further steps required by the terms of the settlement to further implement the same. At this time, we're going to open the meeting to the public on agenda items only. This portion of the meeting is open to citizens for comment on agenda items only. Residents are state their name, address, and subject matter. Comments may be limited to three minutes per person. Members of the public are discouraged from speaking negatively
023about an employee or a student. The board bears no responsibility for dis um for comments made by the public. Comments regarding employees or students cannot be legally responded to by the board. Other comments may be responded to tonight or at a subsequent meeting under old business. Do I have a mover or >> move? Second. >> Mr. Batter. Anyone from the public wishing to comment on an agenda item? >> Seeing no one move to close. >> Second. >> Mr. Chair Dan, >> do I have a mover on the agenda? >> I'd like to move the agenda in total, please. >> Second, >> Mr. Cher, Mr. better. Any discussion on the agenda? Seeing none, roll call, please. >> Mr. Alcoin, >> no. On K4, yes on everything else. >> Was that no on >> K4? Yes to
024everything else. >> Yes, >> Mr. Batiskill. Yes, >> Mr. Faber. >> I have to recuse due to a conflict on Q1 and yes to everything else. >> Mr. Gordano, >> yes. >> Mrs. Leandre is absent. >> Mr. Paul is absent. >> Mr. Padrick. >> Yes, but I'll abstain on L1 by name. I'll abstain on M 2022 and no on M7 number four. >> Mr. Pacos abstain on my name on L1 and yes. And Mrs. Wgle also is absent. Motion passed. Thank you. [Applause] We have retirement. Mr. Bazakus. Ruth Album. We would like to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the retirement of someone very special to the extended day program. Ruth Album. After 25 years of service, Ruth will be retiring on June 30, 2025. Ruth has been much more than a sight lead.
025She has been the heart and creative spirit of her site, bringing her unique talents from years of camp leadership and kindergarten enrichment into our program. Root's arts and crafts activities were always a step above. Imaginative, joyful, and often magical. Whether it was a holiday display, a hands-on nature project, or a personalized keepsake, Ruth infused every activity with care and creativity. Her calm leadership, steady presence, and ability to make every child feel seen and valued have left a lasting mark. Ruth created spaces where children not only felt safe, but also were inspired to express themselves and try something new. We thank Ruth for her unwavering dedication, her artistry, and the many ways she went above and beyond, always with grace and warmth. Ruth, you've made an indelible impact on our children, our staff, and this program.
026We wish you the happiest and most fulfilling retirement, one filled with all the beauty and creativity you've shared with us over the years. Thank you. Tonight, I have the uh pleasure and honor of reading the retirement of Dr. Mark Tobach. On behalf of the entire Wayne Board of Education and all the members over the last 10 years, I'd like to take a moment and acknowledge and celebrate the retirement of Superintendent Dr. Mark Tobach. Now, Dr. Tobach was guided to our district for a full decade. He's done it with remarkable dedication, a truly steady hand, and unwavering commitment to every student, staff member, and family right here in Wayne. His time with us has been marked by integrity, a real sense of resilience, and a level of patience that few in his role are ever really
027asked to summon. When Dr. Tobat decid first decided to come to Wayne and leaving behind a very successful superintendency in Hoboken, he was drawn to a community known for its strong educational roots and a vibrant civic spirit. Now, some folks might have imagined this move would lead to some calmer waters, but he quickly found out that our district passion, deeply involved, and often complex, parents, and staff and board would present its own unique challenges. But you know what? He never once shied away from the task. When he arrived, Wayne was honestly facing some pretty difficult situations. Both academically and technologically, the district was in clear need of a fresh start and a revitalization. Our leadership had been built on on unstability instability with a series of interim superintendent preceding him. What Wayne truly needed at
028that moment wasn't just another manager. It needed a leader, a steady presence, someone who could restore both direction and trust. Dr. Tobach became that leader. He thoughtfully built a cohesive administrative team, cultivated a close working partnership with the board, and brought the essential structure and vision to a district that was very much in transition. Under his guidance, Wayne really made some huge strides. Our technology system was modernized, communication channels were significantly strengthened and staff development became top priority. And let me tell you this, these improvements proved absolutely critical during one of the biggest crisis in recent memory, the CO 19 pandemic. Thanks to the infrastructure and the sheer foresight of Dr. Tobeback had already put in place. Wayne was able to respond with far greater agility than many of our peer districts. On a personal
029note, I've had the privilege of serving as president of the school board for many of Dr. Tobach's ten years. During that time, we've navigated not only the district's big priorities, but we've also also that very human side of leadership, balancing the needs of our teachers, educators, and families while always trying to respond to to an educational landscape that was consistently changing. Through it all, one quality in Dr. Tobac's leadership remained consistently strong and his deep compassion. He generally understood that leading school districts isn't just about data or policies. At its core, it's about people. It's about having the courage to make tough decisions for all the right reasons. Staying calm when things get tense and celebrating even the the quietest victories. Our regular conversations and yes we have many and yes sometimes they were quite
030early in the morning always reflected the the thoughtful his thoughtful leadership. I truly came to value his insight his steady voice and the clear sense of purpose he brought to even the most difficult topic. Those candidate collaborative conver candidate collaborative conversations became a reliable cornerstone for our work together and I will generally miss them. Beyond the professional. Beyond the professional, Dr. Tobach and I connected on a more personal level level, sharing stories about our children, our favorite football rivalries. Yes, even when Ruckers beat Delaware, and even navigating the light-hearted pressures of the snow day lobbying that went on in our households. These personal moments truly enriched our professional relationship and served as a powerful reminder that behind every policy and every decision, there's a human being doing their doing their absolute best. To his family,
031we extend our heartfelt thanks, your unwavering support, and your many sacrifices over the years to allow Mark to dedicate himself so fully to our community in Wayne. Because of you, thousands of children, many of whom never even knew your name or who you were, were given invaluable opportunities to learn, grow, and truly succeed. Mark, your time here in Wayne has left an indelible imprint. While your professional role is now drawing to a close, your influence, I assure you, will continue to shape this district for years to come. You haven't just helped rebuild programs and structures. You've rebuilt invaluable trust and stability. Your influence, Mark, is truly immeasurable. On behalf of the entire board of education, the Wayne community, we thank you for your dedicated service, and we wish you a retirement filled with well-earned peace,
032good health, and perhaps even an occasional snow day just for nostalgia sake. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. That is very nice. Thank you. But no snow days for me. >> They're all snow. >> Oh man. Excuse me. This portion of the meeting is open to citizens now for comment on any topic. Residents are asked to state their name, address, and subject matter. Comments may be limited to five minutes per person. Members of the public are discouraged from speaking negatively about an employee or student. The board bears no responsibility for comments made by the public. Comments regarding employees or students could not be legally responded to by the board. Other comments may be responded to tonight or at a subsequent meeting under old business. Do I have a mover? >> Move. >> Mr.
033Mr. Bar, anyone from the public wishing to speak on any item? >> How you doing? I got to lower this a little because uh the last person was way too tall for me. Rob Zardy uh Wayne Education Association and I'm just here just a real quick um just thank you to you Dr. Tobach. I feel like we have um really built quite the relationship in the year and a half that I was president here. I think we helped change the narrative and I'm looking forward to continuing that with your predecessor. Um, we as a union and as a board, I feel like we're making bridges right now and that's where we need to be in order to move forward. Um, I do expect to make sure that we have lunch from time to time as
034we go on. Um, and just truly thank you for for everything that you've done. All right. >> Thank you. Anyone else from the public wishing to speak? >> Seeing no one move up. to premature. >> Hello, my name is Melinda. Just going to use my phone. I want to express my sincere gratitude for the important roles you all hold and that you're dedicated to. I just want to start with that. I'm here today to continue to talk about my serious concern regarding the lack of timely and transparent communication from the district, specifically today related to changes in classroom and teacher assignments and class sizes. Decisions of this magnitude have a direct >> Could you speak a little louder, please? >> Decisions of this magnitude have a direct and profound impact on the daily lives and
035academic success of our students. It is deeply troubling that such critical information is being released through a public website which is in CA which in this case contains misinformation. Currently our school's website states that there will be four classroom teachers for the expanding fourth grade class when in fact there will only be three. This discrepancy means classroom sizes may rise to approximately 30 students per class, an educational environment that is far from ideal. Families deserve clear, accurate, and proactive communication. A formal email from the school administrator or administration explaining these changes would enable parents to make informed decisions such as securing additional summer academic support to support their children, preparing them for the coming school year and reduce the summer slide, especially in light of larger class sizes. Transparent communication is not a luxury. It
036is a minimal standard. It is essential for all families, including those with students of differing abilities, to have access to accurate information so they can advocate for their children's individual educational needs. Moreover, these decisions must prioritize educational outcomes. With this recent reduction of 111 teaching positions and new housing development underway, the issue of overcrowded classrooms will only worsen. This will inevitably impact student performance and ultimately the reputation of our district as a high-erforming school system. It is imperative that the board of education take swift and meaningful action to restore trust through open and consistent communication. This includes timely updates, accurate reporting, and a clear explanation of how decisions made, especially when those decisions affect student teacher ratios and classroom dynamics. Additionally, I'm aware many of you are seeking election, some even new positions or reelection.
037If the lack of transparency and communication we're currently seeing under this situation is any indication, it raises serious concerns about the kind of governance and decision-making we can expect. Families deserve leadership. They can trust leadership that values accountability, transparency and open dialogue with the community. I have expressed in previous emails and in public comments, open honesty and timely communication is not simply appreciated. It is expected. I urge the board to make this a priority and I ensure that parent and ensure that parent voices are included in every step of the decision-making process. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Anyone else from the public wishing to speak? >> Seeing no one move to close. >> Mr. Faber. >> Second. >> Mr. Patterson. Any old business? New business? Board member comments. Matt, >> thank you. Uh,
038just a couple things I wanted to point out from our presentations tonight. uh goal one that was reached talks about AI. Um one of the big things that people uh I want them to understand about uh some of the programs we're using as a former teacher when IEEPs became state law and you had to follow them. Even state lawmakers would tell you uh it's a dream to have onetoone differentiation in the classroom. It's a pipe dream at that point. We're talking in the mid 1990s. Now, with some of this new AI that's coming out right now, they have the ability to take your students scores and based upon the uh proficiencies and the deficiencies that the child tests under. A lot of lesson planning can be almost tailored close to a personal level. It's a
039few years away, but the fact that we can even talk about it um is significant. So when people start to demonize AI and it's for stealing things and there's no uh you know it's the the the next great thing that's going to destroy us all and I've heard a lot of that just pointing out that there are little things that can make being in the classroom making the teacher even more effective than they are right now. Um just consider those kinds of things. Uh I've seen some examples of it where a student would have a small isolated in issue with one particular subtopic in education and the teachers lesson plans when they're put out and AI said you can do this study this test this page and when you do individual work give this child
040this practice problem to work on that will directly address that issue. You take that multiply it out times 30. Teachers are human. There's no way they could do that every single day for 180 days a year for 30 students if you're elementary or up to 110 if you're a a high school teacher. But to see that being put out there as a guide for teachers, it'll make differentiation even more uh a more potent one. So the future looks really bright for this stuff. So when you see this, don't sit there and say it's the end of all and we're all doomed for it and the Terminator robots are going to take us over and all that crazy stuff here. It does have some very very positive impacts. Um, second point Mark, God bless you, sir.
041You did a fantastic job in and a thankless job. One of my goals in the near future is I want to go on to teach teachers and a lot of teaching now at the college level case studies. One of the things I want to do is I'm going to have them access the old Wayne board of education meeting sites here and say this is what you how you conduct yourself with professionalism, with dignity, with grace and you should model yourself whether you are a firstear teacher or you are a 50th year person in the district. You are the example of dignity and respect that everybody should follow and I have been honored and privileged to work alongside you. Um I would get phone calls also and I'd say I'm just a board member. Why is
042he calling me? But the conversations were deep. They were meaningful. You took my advice to heart in many cases. Sometimes they even flipped the decision one way or the other way for it. But it was a privilege and it's something as a teacher and as a union person. I went through 10 superintendent in my other job as a board member. I've seen one superintendent. I'm spoiled rotten at this point. Uh Dave, don't worry. You'll be number two. We'll take care of you shortly here. Um you brought stability, you brought dignity, you brought grace, and I personally from the bottom of my heart thank you for your service to this district. It was an honor and a privilege working with you. And so while I say goodbye to Mark, I am welcoming Dave to come in.
043I am pretty certain that he's gonna follow in footsteps. And one of the jokes I've been telling everybody here is I'm a big MASH fan. And MASH had two great leaders at the 4077. They had Colonel Henry Blake who was one style of leader and it worked great and it was effective. And then he left and then a new style came in with uh Colonel Potter. And while he was much much different, he was very effective with those people. And I understand it was Hollywood writing, but it kind of I'm seeing that dynamic as one sets and one rises. I think that Wayne is going to be in a really really good place. So good luck and Dave, congratulations. >> Right. So I'll start with Dr. Dobach. Um I really think that over the time
044the uh the 2 and 1/2 years that we've worked together now um it has been uh a amazing amount of professionalism that I have seen from you. Um I work with a lot of leaders around various different industries and see a lot of leadership in general. I don't think many of them come even close to the amount of professionalism that you exude and exert on your organization over a period of time. um your ability to maintain a calm head no matter what else is going on. I think I've rarely if ever seen you lose your temper um and and or even raise your voice. Um and so, you know, despite everything else that has gone on around you, your ability to do that and to think clearly through those processes and and put those in
045place is really quite an amazing talent. Um it is a loss for us to be able to see that. We'll deal with you next time. Um um so I am sorry to see you go, but I am pleased for your retirement and I really hope you get some rest. Um the other thing I'll touch on the AI thing cuz I I don't really think Matt went far enough uh understanding the things it can do. It can really help teachers. It can help the things there. I've said that a number of times, right? Um, the the people I hire now coming out of college that leverage AI are working about 10 to 15 times better and faster than existing people in the workforce that are taking time to adjust to it. Really consider that in terms
046of the things that you do. Don't just wait for the teachers to go in and create a lesson plan. Take their summer homework. Take what they're doing. Take their results out of their summer homework. Push that through. Find out where your kids need help from those things as well. Use this as a parent. Look at the things that you can do. As Dr. Tobac said, it knows all of the standards. It knows where they are. You get your test scores coming back. You get the things come back from there. Load those up. Have them analyze your kid. Let that help you guide. But just remember, it gets things wrong. So check that yourself. Don't trust it 100%. Verify the whole way, but it can really simplify a lot of things to improve your children. Get
047them used to doing that. Don't let them use this as a tool to rely on. It took us many years after the introduction of the computer to get to onetoone computing in just the last few years. AI will come faster. Technology always does. It moves faster and faster. So leverage that, understand where that's going cuz it will change this district, this state, the work that people do afterwards, the things that you see in supermarkets and so on as well. It is coming and it is coming quickly. Um so I would put that on your radar as well. Uh the baseline of the goal that we have is really a baseline for the things that we do that needs to be built on. That needs to be something we can carry forward. that needs to be
048something that actually influences and changes the way that things are. When I started, calculators were shunned in schools. Um, nowadays we're talking about getting computers to actually do some of the work for you and finding out where it's going wrong. So, just bear that in mind. Thank you, >> Mr. Bizad. I just wanted to address the um the comment about the classroom sizes. There's still a month and a half left and you know I my understanding being on this board for three and a half years is you know it's a fluid situation. People are moving in, people are moving out. So it's it's going to change. Um we all want you know small classroom sizes. Uh but nobody on this board is actually doing the dirty work. It's it's the administrators are speaking with the
049principles, speaking with the teachers to see uh you know what the best um uh classroom size um will will be and which which student is going where and um stuff like that. So there's still there's still time. I think uh we publish something in August. Oh, go ahead. >> Yeah, if I could just address that. So people from the public come and ask questions. We like to give answers during the board meeting. So Harry is on point. There are guidelines. So the board is very concerned. The board actually monitors during the leadup to the start of the school year and every meeting after that in the education committee they monitor class sizes across all of our elementary schools. They are very proactive about that. So the situation you're talking about I'm not sure which communication
050there was no certainly no nothing that I was aware of today regarding communication about you know class sizes being released at any of our schools. So that must have came your way in some other way. I'm not really sure, but I will say this. As far as I know, the situation um that I think you're describing is related to class sizes that are 28, 28, and one class that is currently 29. The classes that you're talking about are all within the district guidelines, which I admit are not ideal. When you talk about education of elementary school students, class sizes that are much smaller are ideal, but that this is the world we have. And over time, I I I hate to say it, but it it seems to me like that might continue to to
051grow. Those classes might continue to grow. And it is something the board is very concerned about. Part of that was the referendum. Part of it was just other things the board has been doing to look at class sizes. I had I neglected to mention during my administrative report, one way to deal with these issues is redistricting. So, the board is in fact involved in a plan. They've hired consultants. They've gathered information. and they've shared that information. So, there is a redistricting plan that is in development and that will also resolve hopefully some of these class size issues absent another building which is something we desperately need. So, um but that's where it is right now. So, Mr. Pacos is 100% right though there are guidelines and the classes that you're talking about are still within
052those guidelines. And oh by the way, and one other point, we did not leave we did not um reduce our teaching staff by 111. There were 14 teachers that were reduced of which some of them were hired back. Just on another point. >> Yep. Thank you for the clarification. Um I was happy to see um that the WA contract is approved. So congratulations to Mr. Sardi and the entire WA and all our educators. Uh we came to a mutual agreement. Uh congratulations to the negotiation committee. Um and congratulations to you, Dr. Tobeck. Uh once again, um thank you for your steady hand and calm demeanor um over the last three and a half years that I I've been here um on this board. Um I think I've seen you get angry only once and I
053was actually angry with you. Uh I was in agreement with your your anger. It was justified justified anger. Uh which you know I was angry myself. Um but um uh welcome to Mr. Cadino and uh to all the the new hires that we have um here and uh uh I know you'll be able to provide a steady hand and and calm demeanor uh as uh Dr. Tobach. And I know you have experience uh dealing with uh being a superintendent during COVID. So hopefully we do not have a co situation again uh in our lifetime. Um and um yeah just uh you know thank you everyone and uh we'll see you in August. So um AI is an important theme. So, one thing I would also tell parents is familiarize yourself with it because it may
054um alter the track that you try to push your kids in in terms of jobs because of the time horizon as to what jobs may be available and may not be 5 10 15 years from now. Um, I've had in the last couple of months, um, I've been using it at work to create automation and efficiency. And I tell it, you know, I have a very basic knowledge of coding, but, um, you tell it what you want and it spits out code and basically it can run functions that people took hours to do in minutes. So you don't have to be an expert anymore to be able to build functionality in you know v uh virtual uh visual basic or anything like that. So a lot of functions that are done today may not be
055here in 101 15 years. So careers are going to change. So it's important to familiarize yourself with this so that you might be able to anticipate better what may still be available in you know to your children. you know, like coding, if you're not going to focus on AI, may not be the ideal place to go because that is eventually going to become a technology of the past. Um, Dr. Tobach, thank you so much. Um, coming on to the board as someone who knew nothing about the district and had all these great ideas on what I wanted to accomplish, um, helping me understand the ins and outs and having all those talks with me to explain why things are a certain way really helped. um the guidance on certain situations that appeared to be one
056way but then after discussions turned out to be another um were very very helpful and um I'm really glad that I got to know you and understand more about what a superintendent's job is because you know I heard about the superintendent of schools when I was in school but never met one you know never you know never had to know what the board of education did but it's been really educational getting to understand more about what's going on And you know, it really blows my mind as to what you do and what you have to deal with and the team does on a daily basis. I never could have imagined what it really takes to get it to keep a school district like this, you know, going. So, thank you very much. Thank you for
057my kids because they're in the district and they're benefiting from the last 10 years that you've been here. Um, and just good luck in whatever it is that you're choosing to do in retirement and keep in touch. And David, I know you're going to kill it. And you come with a dog, too, which, you know, that's pretty awesome, too. >> Mr. Alun, >> I just want to say congratulations on your retirement, Dr. Tobach. And, um, good luck and have fun in your next chapter. >> Um, just a couple things tonight. Firstly, I was I was remiss at the end of the agenda. We have two of our new principles here. Mary Ferrara, who will be the new principal at JohnF Kennedy High School, I mean elementary school. And Jennifer Grimlas will be the new Wayne
058Valley principal. Um, >> welcome. >> Yes, welcome. And we look forward. They're both longtime um staff here in Wayne. So, as you see, a lot of times we do hire from within. We cherish the people we hire because we hire good people from the get-go. So, they me we mentor them. We have programs for them uh to mentor to become principles and to become administrators. And that is something uh in fact uh Mr. Citadino and I had a long discussion about today just about that program and he's got some great ideas as we move forward. Um and also Mr. Citadino and I will be doing uh a number of community roundts. We're going to do coffee with the superintendent. U we'll put stuff up on social media like Dunkin Donuts, Sunrise Bagels. We're going to
059make a we're going to make the trip around the town so everybody gets an opportunity to meet him um as we move forward and we're going to do some other uh things since we can get him here permanently in August. Uh AI AI is a whole new world but as Mr. Badel said it's also part of it is also an issue when you totally rely on what chat GPT Gemini AI or 5,000 different other AI sites now I don't even know what they are anymore I asked my kids in high school I said tell me the sites you use and the list keeps growing but I think two things about AI one I think we need to stop as educators villainizing AI I we villainize it too much. Yes, you should not go on a
060and say to AI, "Write a paper for me." No, that's wrong. But to use some of the advanced searches now AI gives you is phenomenal. But again, you also have to be careful with what you're getting and you have to vet it out. Um I know for myself I do use AI in my classroom and one thing I've used it for when I teach is I've converted um lectures that I've given into audio lectures so that my special needs students who may not be able to sit there and listen to everything I have to say for 20 minutes now can listen to it. And I've had dramatic success with it with them and the listening to the point where we spend the last 20 minutes of the class regoing over the lecture and completing you
061know some kind of um worksheet or document to support what they learned in the lesson. So I think there are so many hidden things out there that AI can be used for but again it's properly using them. I think that that is without a doubt um the key um class sizes. I can tell you every Friday I'm asked my email goes out to the assistant superintendent send me the spreadsheet. She just does it now. And I look at I look at the class sizes and the board looks at the class sizes and the education committee every monthly meeting and we continue to look at it. And yes, we did have to lay off about 15 teachers and many of them we hired back um into positions. But you also everyone has to understand and what
062this board faces and it's not only this board. I'm tired of hearing the word mismanagement. This board mismanages. Go to the council meeting last night. The council attorney, Matthew, Matt represents many school districts. He eloquently put it out there. This isn't the only place it's happening, folks. If you think that is, you're wrong. He said almost every district that he represents are facing the same challenges. You have districts down south who are looking at bankruptcy, closing school after school. So it's not just a Wayne issue. And this week we quite eloquently got told that your health plan benefit plan is going up 30%. January 1st, halfway through the school through the budget, but you on the other hand, you only have a 2% cap. So where does that put us already? We're 28% behind the
063eightball. So these are things that we are diligently working on right now and looking at and preparing for next year. and with our business administrator, our assistant business administrator and staff, we are looking at ways that this year is not going to be next year is not going to be a repeat of this year. And I and I know we will get there. It'll be but there's so many extraneous uh costs that are going up out of control that we have we have no control over. I can't control I can't control energy that's going up 20%. I can't control that. And we try. We do the best we can. And we're looking for every corner to cut in the classroom is always the last corner. And I know the class sizes are a little bigger
064than we thought, but we also don't have the room in a lot of buildings. We've already taken over classrooms that were art rooms and music rooms. They're back. We're back to music on a car and art on a car in in a number of schools. the redistricting the uh company has is creating a demographic study right now. We provided them with a whole bunch of information. This has been going on for at least the last three to four months. It takes time if you want to do it right. If you want to sit with like happened many years ago in this district before most of you were even around. Some of you were probably even born. um where they just took out a pencil and redrrew things. We don't want to do that. First thing
065I said when we talked about redistricting is it has to have a minimal impact on the community. I'm not going to take a group from here and just put them over here to do it. We're going to look at the least impact on the entire district. And that's one of the goals of it. But that's something we have to do now. Dr. Tobach, I don't know what else to say. >> Thank you. >> But thank you and thank you for everything you've done here and we definitely will be in touch. >> Thank you. Motion to adjurnn. >> Motion second. Mr. >> Judo, Mr. Pacus. Good night everyone. Thank you.