001good evening the executive session of the wayne board of education regular meeting of may 20th 2021 was convened virtually and hosted in the media center of anthony wayne middle school 1201 guard side avenue wayne new jersey the statement of compliance setting forth time date and location was read in accordance with the requirements of the open public meetings act and the roll call was taken the meeting was recessed and is now being reconvened please rise for a flag salute 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 okay a second all right can i get a mover to reconvene mr giordano this is cher uh roll call mrs liddick this is here mr bubba
002here mr duffy here is your chair daniel here here this is kumar here mr here this is cut up here and mr cheryl here [Music] okay turn things over to you this is reischmann [Music] good evening everyone dr toback is unable to be here tonight i am here in his place i'd like to start the meeting by recognizing our outgoing pto presidents as valued members of our community you have helped to make a difference by giving your considerable time and talents to our schools i would like to acknowledge your outstanding contributions you're all pto presidents but all of you have served for many years as members of the pto working tirelessly in support of the schools please know that what you do each and every day to support the children is never taken for granted
003and the board appreciates your efforts in improving the wayne township public schools every board meeting is a testimony to the generosity of the pto and that we regularly accept donations that enhance the educational experiences of our students we are grateful for your leadership in the community the board of education will be recognizing you with an award that has been delivered to your school's main office for pick up there at this time i would like to individually announce and recognize each pto school president starting with a.p terhune aaron pastone packanac elementary school mathalda halligan heinz lake elementary school michelle severett ryerson elementary school anthony filaramo anthony wayne middle school stacey niesensen george washington middle school joanne diorio schuyler colfax middle school melissa cannizzaro wayne hills high school eileen d'amico wayne valley high school jill spoda and
004wayne valley high school jenny franklin thank you to all of you additionally i would also like to recognize our outgoing student representatives i believe just gina is with us tonight and we will pass this along to joseph well the purpose of student representatives is to serve as a liaison between the governing body of the school district and high school students the wayne board of education has a long history of including two students one from each high school a student representatives to the board the representatives this year include joseph kabaf czech from wayne hills and gina fermi from wayne valley we are proud to have had both students attend our board of ed meetings and we certainly recognize their commitment and dedication to our schools and community gina and joseph sacrificed time every other thursday evening
005to self selflessly attend our board of education meetings and keep our communities informed we wish both joseph and gina continued success in their future endeavors next year joseph will be attending hamilton college and studying biology on the pre-med track gina will be attending williams college in the fall where she hopes to study international relations and anthropology the board of education will be recognizing each of you with an award that has been delivered to your schools and can be received in your school principal's office congratulations to all thank you mr freshman at this time if any of the board members want to comment this is albanies um i wanted to also add my congratulations and i thank the pto presidents we know the countless hours the tremendous amount of time that you give to running your
006ptos we want to thank you your officer boards and all of your chair people because you really do make a difference every day in the life of every student and staff member in your building so thank you very much for all that you do i want to congratulate the two student representatives and thank you for your contributions to the meetings it's always a wonderful part of the meeting to really hear what goes on at our two high schools and get a little glimpse into the life of what an average high school student is doing each and every day so thank you for bringing that each time to the meeting thank you anyone else okay i'll just make a quick comment uh i want to thank all the pto presidents and your executive boards for all
007you do for our students i know firsthand how much time and energy goes into these positions on top of everything else parents already have on their plate what you do for our students is important and appreciated not just by the board but by the students and their families wayne is such a wonderful community to raise a family and you're certainly one of the reasons why thank you all and to our student representatives i want to thank you both for your service to the board this year we enjoyed your reports and updates on all the wonderful activities at each high school i wish you both the best in your next chapter and we couldn't be more proud of you having you here at our meetings has been a nice reminder of why we all do this
008especially this year when we haven't seen anyone in person thank you both and good luck okay this is reischmann back to you the state of new jersey dedicates the second week of may special education week during special education week we recognize and celebrate the many achievements ever of our students with disabilities during this past year of hybrid learning we have seen many of our students work extra hard to adapt to the new ways of learning while this was certainly very different we're so proud of our students and teachers for rising to the occasion watching our students continue to learn grow and thrive in the most difficult of situations is just another indication of their resilience and perseverance when it comes to their individual growth and commitment to maximize their achievement in our schools two seniors
009from our automotive technology program at wayne township high schools recently took home the top prize at universal technical institute top tech challenge congratulations to james lay and ryan mcveigh who each earned a full scholarship to universal technical institute and to our two district automotive instructors ken burgin and steve hopper who lead this premier program for our district our nationally certified automotive technology program received a trophy and a specially designed toolbox with the latest in technology and tools congratulations to all last week we launched the thought exchange at wayne valley high school all wayne valley students wayne valley parents incoming freshmen and their parents and wayne valley alumni were invited to participate the thought exchange was announced on our website and all social media channels with the link to access the thought exchange and participate in
010the discussion a full report is being compiled and the outcome of the exchange will be presented at our june 10th board meeting when we will be joined by tamika reese our district consultant for diversity equity and inclusion now that the weather is getting warmer we've received some questions from elementary parents about the mass mandate for students during the school day school districts are required to follow the masking guidelines for schools that are detailed in the governor's executive orders 241 and 175. students and staff are still required to wear masks at school except when doing so when inhibit the individual's health and when the individual is eating or drinking when the individual is exposed to extreme heat outdoors and when the individual is engaged in high-intensity aerobic or anaerobic activities recently we opened our playgrounds for
011after school youth after further consultation today with the department of health beginning on june 2nd our playgrounds will reopen for use during the school day students will sanitize their hands pre and post play and there will be periodic surface cleaning to maintain the safest environment possible while adhering to the distance and guidelines a rotating playground schedule will be established during the snack periods to avoid having too many students on the playground equipment at any given time since mass wearing is a mitigation strategy for the prevention of covet spread on extremely hot days when mask wearing isn't advisable the students will not be able to use playground equipment while covett is still being reported in the district we're thrilled to report that very few cases have been reported these past two weeks for hiv i'm reporting
012the following data related to harassment intimidation and bullying incidents in the wayne township public school district there was one incident investigated since my last report and that case was not deemed to be in the category of hiv and this concludes my report thank you thank you mrs reichman speaking of student representatives i believe we have gina here this evening to give our wayne valley report hi thank you so much for having me again um congratulations to the boys and girls spring track team for a third place finish in the valley co-ed relays lane valley gave a valiant performance at the track placing first in the four by 1600 and second in pole vault discus and four by four hundred great job to senior samantha navendorff on going four for four with four runs and three
013rbis to lead wayne valley softball team to a win over west goldberg senior gianna lomorges added four hits and three rbis and pitcher gabby perez had 10ks on the day boys tennis picked up their third win in a row with a 3-2 victory over west milford rafi medallion won at first singles six to three and valley's first doubles team of mahir mystery and seed ebonymas continue to shine with a 6-0 win great job the class of 2021 is 2022 is enjoying their junior formal at the grande's outdoor venue as i speak special thanks to the junior student council officers and their advisors for organizing this event the wayne valley percussion ensemble performed virtually in the annual necessary noise festival hosted by mantra percussion over 20 ensembles were also involved in the event was a resounding
014success great job to the wayne valley student dance association on their two successful shows with a theme road trip usa over 200 people were in virtual attendance and all girls involved did a phenomenal job special recognition is in order for white team overall emily krasowski and blue team overall chloe wright great job to all the month of may brings ap season to wayne valley students and staff this year students have the option of taking a traditional paper copy exam or virtual exam provided by the college board all have been working hard and studying in preparation for this exam which in and of itself is quite the accomplishment good luck to all on the quest for the five and to conclude i just wanted to express my gratitude to the board and to all of wayne's
015school administrators for the opportunity to be able to serve as the student liaison this year and in the past year as well um it's really been an honor to be able to present all of lean valley student accomplishments here and i've really learned so much and i can only hope to emulate the same professionalism um empathy and um problem solving that i see each week at well each month at these meetings and in between as well as i enter my future academics and careers so thank you again thank you so much gina i don't know if you're watching but the board's all applauding you we've enjoyed having you this past year and last year you're quite an amazing student and you've impressed us all thank you i really appreciate it thank you we're going to
016miss you um suzanne you're going to read our wayne hills report unfortunately joseph couldn't make it this evening sorry you couldn't be here this evening joseph but thank you for the report uh wayne hills high school is ranked number one in passaic county for the new jersey math league and was recognized as one of only 36 high scoring schools in the state of new jersey jacob hablitz was wayne hill's top scorer and instrumental throughout the competition and was recognized as one of only 50 high scoring students in this whole state njml is coached by wayne hill's math teacher mr todd green congratulations quiz bowl team ranking number one in new jersey and on to the nationals the wayne hill symphonic band jazz band and ensembles will be performing a live spring concert on thursday june
0173rd starting at 6 30 behind wayne hills high school this event will be hosted by the whhs chapter of tri-m the national music honor society audience members are asked to bring their own lawn chairs and observe all applicable cdc and school guidelines the resilience of our band members has been incredible this year now come and enjoy their talents and musicality this spring the rain hills high school photo program partnered with sunrise assisted living to create a gallery for its residents photo 3 students selected their favorite nature photos which were then displayed in the common areas of the nursing home the feedback we see from the sunrise assisted living facility was wonderful as the residents enjoyed seeing the work our students created while our students were thrilled to have their work provide such a pleasant experience
018for the community on wednesday may 12th the wayne hills girls golf team participated in a match at preakness valley golf club and samantha flynn came in first place and alexander schmidt came in second congratulations students thank you thank you joseph thank you for pinch hitting mrs butt up okay revisions to the agenda ms lydic revisions are as followed under t emergent human resources item 1 approval of leave requests revise number two change dates to may 19 2021 pm to june 28 2021 item two approval of additional compensation numbers 11 and 12 6 period assignment change start date from april 1 2021 to may 10th 2021 ad number 18 anita dispensary nurse for unified sports events district may 1 2021 through june 23rd 2021 53.13 an hour up to seven events account number 11 401 100
019100 17045 item 10 approval of extracurricular athletic workers ad number three pedro crespo wayne hills number four joan brothers wayne hills under x emergent school resource legal ad one resolves that the board of education upon the recommendation of the superintendent hereby approves the settlement agreement and general release in the matter docket number p-a-s-l-803-19 in the superior court passage county law division as attached by reference and further authorizes the board president and secretary to execute same on behalf of the board the business administrator and superintendent are authorized to take all further steps required by the terms of the settlement to further implement same that concludes the revisions okay thank you very much moving on to our first public portion this portion of the meeting is open to citizens for comment on agenda items only residents are
020to state their names addresses 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 a student the 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 responded to tonight or at subsequent meetings under old business can i get a mover mr giordano mrs kumar [Music] hi um i was wondering if um in relation to um the june 10th meeting would this be the public portion to speak at or would that be the second if we're making a presentation it's part of the meeting okay um thank you uh i'll wait for the second public portion my apologies [Music] madam presidency no hands raised
021i moved to close i'll second mr pavlak mr duffy [Music] i'm sorry i thought she was asking about the next meeting but no it's not on tonight's meeting either um okay let's move on to committee reports i would like to go first mr g are down good evening uh the personnel committee met tonight uh chairperson is myself and attendance was also miss daisy sher miss susan put up paula clarke and of course michelle leideg and donna reischmann several personnel items were discussed the ones we can mention in public is uh we looked at substitute rates we also looked at revising some job descriptions uh that are coming up in the future we also went over a a review for board policy uh for the future also and that is the stuff we could discuss from
022the personnel meeting thank you thank you who's next mr pavlak uh facilities committee in transportation met this evening myself mrs kazan mr moffatt mr blanchard and mr skibitsky we reviewed all agenda items for tonight's meeting facility-wise the boilers that are ancient at wayne valley are finally being replaced in that process will be ongoing over the summer as you heard me from mrs reichman our playgrounds will be opening they've all been inspected by our insurance carrier and any few minor tweaks we took care of and we discussed the cleaning of the equipment as well the transportation department is evaluating its organizational chart and which will be brought up at the next meeting we're looking for bus drivers and we're looking for bus aides um we have a need for uh to fill these positions um we
023run a very very large operation and we really are in need of people for the next school year our bus inspections have concluded and congratulations to everyone in the transportation department our mechanics rich everybody for a phenomenal job the failure rate for the state department of transportation when they come in to do bus inspection for a school district is about 70 percent we were at zero we had no failures that is a phenomenal phenomenal feat with the amount of buses we have the hours and miles there are on the road to everyone in our transportation department thank you that concludes my report thank you for all that good news mr pavlak this is put up reports uh the first is for the policy committee that met on tuesday afternoon february 17th with mr moffitt our
024business administrator miss lightig our assistant business administrator mrs kassan mr giordano and myself we discussed several items gifts grants and donations um conflicts of interest uh bylaw 0167 regarding public participation uh we discussed uh guidelines and a handbook for the booster clubs which also included a brief discussion on advertising on school property and we also discussed review for policies for gifts grants and donations thank you uh my second report is for the finance committee that met this afternoon at four o'clock uh with mr moffat miss lighting miss mrs kazan mr pavlak and myself items on the agenda to be reviewed were transportation agreements and contracts for 2021 to 2022 a discussion of medical dental and prescription analysis uh donations to the district uh disposable obsolete equipment a review of the check register we briefly discussed
025the lack of state guidance on chapter 44. we had a grant update including and regarding uh cares act also known as esser and other federal funds we received an update on our unemployment claims however information we need has not been forthcoming from the state of new jersey we also talked about what would be required to close out our current budget year re revenue accruals and final payroll and final invoices and that information should be coming in june thank you thank you mrs putta does anyone else have a report this evening okay that concludes our committee reports let's move on to the agenda get a mover madam president i would move the entire agenda as one item second thank you mr pablo second by mrs share is that you discussion does anyone have a comment on
026an agenda item or question no roll call mrs slidick mr bubba yes mr duffy [Applause] yes in under item of school uh resource finance i'll abstain on item 10 and 11. yes everything else this is put up yes this is cher yes this is albanese yes this is kazan yes well motion carries thank you very much uh get comfortable everyone we're about to read a very large number of retirements and well deserved by uh our staff so i'll start with you mr pavlak i'd like to first diane may this may will hang up her bio lab expertise after 10 years at scholar colfax mrs may worked tirelessly to provide academic excellence for her students and prepare them for the demands of high school and beyond mrs may enjoyed telling stories in her classroom with her
027students and laughing together her lessons created excitement among her students and kept them on their toes and curious at the same time they enjoyed fun and laughs through their laps on thursday morning her eighth grade friends will miss her lunchtime humor and good times sharing stories of her grandchildren and her family all the best for a happy healthy retirement with your family arsene serigliano mrs cerigliano finally fondly known as the scholar colfac prince princess nurse will be retiring her band-aid responsibilities after 15 years mrs cerigueno claim calm and caring approach brings many frequent flyers to her door steps every day whether they be staff or students and each one she takes the time to listen nurture and care for her walkie-talkie with its princess crown comes all day with busy nature of her job and
028the regardless reckless of tasks she provides mrs serigliano meets each one with a smile and a sense of humor we will miss her contributions to inrs and her lunch buddies will miss our stories and sense of humor best of all all things to come in your retirement and much health and happiness with your move down the shore thank you mr pavlak mrs albanese thank you i have two to read tonight uh joanne cirillo has been a valued member of the wayne valley counseling department for 15 years throughout mrs cirillo's time she has always been a caring insightful and hardworking advocate for the students and families she has worked with the college application process and navigating through a student's senior year of high school can often be difficult however mrs cirillo has helped so many students
029and families feel confident in making difficult decisions about their futures mrs cirillo has made a positive impact as a counselor as well as in her time as a swimming coach regardless of her role she's provided the necessary support guidance and encouragement for all students whether it be coordinating the 4.0 breakfast assisting students and colleagues on the ncaa clearinghouse or working with student athletes to improve mrs cirillo would never hate to go above and beyond when it melted helping a student or a family mrs cirilla will be missed by colleagues administrators families but most importantly by her students for her dedication professionalism and her willingness to help others an enormous thank you to mrs cirillo on behalf of the entire wayne valley high school community we wish her the very best of luck and enjoyment as
030she embarks upon her retirement journey on a personal note joanne and i have been friends since our children were young swimmers on the wayne wave swim team she's a wonderful mother to her two daughters and golf partner to her husband pete joanna is that rare type of friend who has the incredible ability to always be there when you need someone to talk to or even to just sit quietly if needed her kindness and compassion for others is evident in everything she does and her many close friends both professional and personal are fortunate to call her a friend the second one i'm privileged to read tonight is for bruce keough mr keough and that's how he's known has many accolades to support a resounding recognition of approval and thanks for his work during his tenure here
031at wayne hills high school his involvement in the whole of our community was broadened many years ago as coach keough took on the important role of leading our boys and girls tennis programs and girls bowling team during his many seasons leading our sports program he has dozens of successful seasons that are affirmed with many consecutive paseo county titles seasons of the same county titles and related awards however none of those achievements even can begin to compare to his character his goal each day is to do his best for his players students program and the entire school his boundless energy and past and was self-evident each and every day we thank you mr keel for being the consummate professional and wish all the best to a great man mr keough we wish all the best to
032you and your wonderful family as you start your next chapter you will be sorely missed in the halls of wayne hills by student staff and parents alike thank you on behalf of the many many students who have helped to guide and shape and see the adults we are all so proud of today thank you and congratulations to both of you thank you mrs alvinis mr giordano yes thank you very much i have two to read tonight the first one is uh mr fred eyers mr irs has dedicated the last 18 years of his life to his seventh grade science students there is no doubt when mr iris pulls into the school parking lot in the morning with a loud rumble of his motorcycle and the distinct sound of his cowboy boots walking down the halls
033mr irs aka the real bill nye the science guy has been engaging his students with the incredible magic of his science prowess while also cultivating their love for the beatles and all things rock and roll his sound and lighting career before teaching has benefited skylar colfax innumerable all school productions and assemblies and will be a significant loss when we stared at the ceiling to see his way from the audio booth his commitment to his students is palpable and his love for teaching and kids can be felt as soon as you enter his rather cluttered but homey science lab in corridor a we wish you all health and happiness in your retirement and the next leg of your journey don't forget to keep us up to date on your adventures in cape cod next we have
034mr bruce lemkin mr lemkin has served all wayne students at both wayne valley and wayne hills and our technology department teaching is a craft that mr lincoln tried to each year to improve his own knowledge to share with his students he always searched for industry standards in computer aided design otherwise known as cad such as solidworks integrating virtual reality into the design process or having students design shovel-ready building designs for his other passion the boy scout camp called nobi bosco students returning from college consistently thanked mr lemkin for not just preparing them for college level design courses but for advancing the knowledge of knowledgeability to the junior or senior level of college we wish him well in his retirement thank you thank you mr giordano mrs cher [Music] okay so tonight i have two retirements
035um patricia ricciardi patricia pat richard originally worked in paterson for 32 years as a speech therapist classroom teacher of the deaf and interim intern tenoring teacher of the deaf she taught sign language classes to students parents and city workers after her successful tenure in paterson she moved on to wayne mr shardy has been a part of the wayne township public schools community since may of as the district's only teacher of the deaf over the years she has developed strong relationships with the wayne students and their families that she works with when not working with students teachers or families she can be found working collaboratively with the assistive technology team we have full confidence that mr shardy will be filling her time bargain hunting expanding her impressive culinary talents enjoying long walks with her dog trooper
036and spending quality time with her actively expanding family she will be well missed and then the next one i have is for miss nancy linden she has been working for the wayne township public school district since september of 1994 as a social worker she has worked on various child study teams and has worked in every way in school except for pines lake and wayne valley high school she has spent the last number of years on the james fallon jfk and pakinak elementary school's child study teams miss linden has been engaged with wayne's staff parents and students she shares personal experiences to help the parents become more comfortable with making educational decisions for their children she always had a wealth of knowledge about resources specialists and programs available for students with disabilities throughout her time in
037wayne she has made strong relationships within the community including out-of-district placements that benefited our swain students and families she has a career full of memories and has touched a lot of lives along the way we are sure that her retirement will be well spent with her children and grandchildren congratulations to everybody thank you mrs cher mrs kumar hi um so miss eleanor verduan mr dune has served the community of wayne as a special education mathematics teacher her dedication to her students was evident every day in their classroom and hallways of wayne hills high school mr dune always placed students first and displayed an extraordinary talent for instructing our special education population her teaching ability rapport with students and professional attitude will be greatly missed we wish her all the best on a well-deserved retirement after
038over 27 years of service to students she was always someone who smiled and was willing to help anyone in the hallway whether she really knew them or not she was just a great co-worker and then kathleen boltzer kathleen boltzer has been a valued member of the wayne valley community for 17 years throughout her time miss boltzer has taught a variety of classes and done so with a high level of professionalism success and empathy as a member of the mathematics department miss boltzar always has been willing to participate in new initiatives and pilots of various programs miss bolter has a strong work ethic she is a team player she is well liked and respected by her colleagues administration students and parents through her years at wayne valley miss boltzer has always prepared her students for the
039rigor and concepts which are required in all levels of courses and her students always found success another example of ms bolter's education to both students and schools most recently when she took a leadership role in creating a curriculum for senior level mathematics elective course that carries dual enrollment credit this course is needed and miss boltzer has done an outstanding job of working collaboratively and leading the development of it with her colleagues during the past two years miss bolster has done a fantastic job of implementing the curriculum and working with students in the class ms boltzer will be missed by her colleagues administrators families and most importantly for students for her support to fellow colleagues the attention and enthusiasm of her teaching and over imp overall impact to the wayne valley community and a huge thank
040you we want to wish miss bolster health happiness and good fortune as she takes the next steps in retirement thank you mrs kumar miss para i'd like to read retirement information for aaron walker we are here today to show respect and love for erin walker who has spent 17 years supporting students and programs as a paraprofessional during her tenure she has served in the capacity of a one-to-one shared and a classroom lpn paraprofessional erin has touched many lives along the way including fellow colleagues teachers families and most importantly students she always puts students first and treats all with kindness and respect aaron has excellent attendance and has always provided consistency and diligence to all her assignments erin you will be missed wayne township public schools wishes you good luck in future endeavors enjoy your retirement
041with your family thank you barbara barty barbara began her tenure at wayne valley high school in january of 2000 as secretary to the media center specialist two years later in september of 2002 barbara enthusiastically moved into the role of media center specialist since that time she has been a valuable resource source to students and staff barbara has always collaborated with teachers whether she was planning a freshman orientation or identifying resources needed for a class project or research paper when staff and students began attending school virtually last march barbara was an invaluable resource she offered small group training on technology platforms as well as individual support across departments barbara also researched electronic resources that could assist teachers and students our dedication continued to our current hybrid instruction barbara is back in the media center ensuring that
042any resource needed is available when she is not in the media center she is in a classroom supporting teachers and students with various projects in her spare time barbara is an avid reader and enjoys puzzles she and her husband love to see broadway shows and travel the administration and staff would like to sincerely thank barbara for her contributions to our school we wish her all the best as she begins the next chapter may it be filled with many broadway shows and exciting destinations thank you mr bubba thank you mrs kazan um the first one i have tonight is for neil ishoni mr shoshone is retiring after 26 years of service to students in the community during his tenure at wayne hills neil is a guiding force for the computer science program he successfully introduced new
043courses to ensure our students were on the forefront of the field mr ashoni was also instrumental in students receiving many awards through the american computer science league his depth of knowledge ability to enrich the curriculum and ensuring students were prepared to take on collegiate computer science courses will be missed we wish him well as he embarks on the next chapter of his life and my second one i have tonight is for mr chris heinbachel prior to coming to the wayne school district as the tech education teacher at anthony wayne middle school in 2009 mr heimbachel worked in this financial sector being responsible for finance organization communications and investment management deciding to venture into a brand new career mr heimbachel worked as a daily substitute teacher and a long-term substitute teacher using his teaching certificate and
044teacher of technology education her years before mr heimbachel started at anthony wayne middle school at the start of the 2009-2010 school year and earned tenure on september 1st 2012 active in all aspects of the school community mr heimbachel chaperoned the annual 8th grade class trip to washington dc in addition he would be seen at most canteen socials musicals and other school events serving as a chaperone a source of great pride from mr heimbach and our overall school community he began the robotics club which was well subscribed annually enjoyed by all the safety of every child in the tech ed classes while using equipment and materials was always his primary concern and he is commended for having always insisted on safe and orderly procedures during tech ed class his students learned so much more than the
045curriculum and content standards that were addressed during his classes much more than just a tech ed teacher mr heinbach will be missed on behalf of the anthony wayne middle school learning community we worship many years of good health and happiness and retirement and congratulations to all the retirees tonight thank you mr bubba mr duffy good evening uh my first retirement is for catherine eck nurse ick has been an essential contributor to the health and well-being of our students and faculty here at wayne hills high school and in her earlier days in our elementary schools in the past year however her gentle and thorough approach has been all more felt as the unprecedented health crisis necessitated an ever-increasing need for support catherine engaged students and parents in addition to the whole of our staff with clarity
046concern and great comfort catherine served our wayne community through her attendance at band camps field trips sda athletics and many more school events we wish her a happy retirement with her family my second is donna del morro which is very close to me having worked under her husband as a captain for the patterson fire department mrs del maro has been a part of of the foundation of wayne hills high school and specifically the english department for the past 21 years her passion for literature writing and journalism have led a generation of students into developing a deep understanding of those subjects and many of them have gone on to careers in communications media and news industries she transformed the patriot press into a modern newsroom taking it from a four printed additions to continuously breaking news
047format of an online publication throughout the past few years her general journalism skills have also helped her to transform our traditional morning announcements into a hybrid video morning announcement series through working with her counterpart in our television production courses to cap off her career she was selected as a wayne hills teacher of the year her presence throughout the building and the district will be greatly missed we wish her the best in retirement now you can enjoy yours with your husband say hello to momo for me thank you mr duffy well i have the honor and privilege of reading the last one john maso joined the wayne township public school community as the director of facilities in the fall of 2009 he came with a breadth of experience in providing leadership for facilities planning and development
048and an extensive background in post-secondary facilities management during his time in the wayne schools mr meso demonstrated his commitment to our schools and community by maintaining the safest and most pristine facilities possible he worked tirelessly and around the clock and will be remembered for sleeping with his phone on his chest and one eye open just in case there was an emergency requiring his attention whether it was monitoring a snowstorm and planning for snow removal or tracking local power outages that might impact our schools he offered ongoing communication with the administration so that we were always fully aware and informed with the most up-to-date information mr meso will always be remembered for the many facilities projects where he did everything from setting a vision planning providing oversight while construction was in progress to organizing a ribbon-cutting
049ceremony to celebrate the completion his attention to each detail was impeccable and he always strived for perfection what many will remember about john is his humility although he was the driving force behind the many facilities projects that were completed under his leadership mr mesa would rather plan the ribbon-cutting event and help others celebrate as opposed to taking any credit for himself you would often find mr maso strolling the grounds or hallways in our many schools with our administrators to hear their ideas for improving our school facilities and keeping current with the latest trends technology and innovations in education some of the projects mr meso will best be remembered for include the development of our very own wayne township learning center a renovated space where our staff can come together to share ideas participate in professional
050development training or work together on curriculum development and related projects mr maso has also worked to maintain and keep our top rated high schools on the cutting edge with renovations to our science labs and new turf fields this past year we opened the early childhood center at preakness school which was a result of a year's worth of planning and renovations to restore an older space to the progressive new preschool we now have in place for our pre-k pop population improving energy efficiency was another area where mr meso worked hard and made great strides in our district his commitment to our energy savings improvement plan resulted in improved air quality and upgraded hvac systems and what will add up to millions of dollars in energy savings his work in this area also contributed to the wayne
051township public schools receiving multiple sustainable jerseys for schools grants and awards in the wake of an undefeated undetected i'm sorry had burst pipe and extensive water damage at schuyler colfax middle school mr meso immediately started work to limited firmware damage and worked to restore full access to the building then he worked to transform the affected classrooms from 1960s aero learning spaces to modern 21st century classrooms mr maso's most noteworthy recent accomplishment includes the planning and preparation for our return to school during the unforeseen cove at 19 pandemic mr maso had the foresight to consider all of the necessary preparations protective gear and cleaning supplies that would be needed to safely reopen our schools this past fall without his careful and organized planning and preparing our schools would not have been able to safely reopen for
052our students and staff last september 8th we are truly grateful for all of mr maso's hard work last summer to prepare our facilities for one of the most challenging back-to-school openings we will likely ever experience in short mr meso made his mark in the wayne township public schools his diligence perseverance and true care for our schools and the wayne schools community have amounted to more than the many facilities improvements he carefully led his commitment cemented a culture of great pride in our schools anyone who spends their days as a student or employee in any of our wayne schools visits our town or considers moving into wayne will undoubtedly note that our schools are well cared for we wish mr maso the best of luck in his retirement and future endeavors he will be able to
053dedicate quality time to his loving wife children and grandchildren on behalf of the board i want to thank mr maso i can just still see him strolling through rooms and he could never walk into one without darting his eyes up down right left to make sure that everything was perfect he will be heart missed and very hard to replace thank you john okay i made it so we're on to our second public portion this portion of the meeting is open to citizens for comment on any topic residents are to state their names addresses 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 there is no responsibility for comments made by the public comments regarding employees or
054students cannot be legally responded to by the board other comments may be responded to tonight or subsequent meetings can i get a mover mr giordano mr pavlak [Music] tissue um hi katie cluck uh 34 healthcare drive um i just like to bring attention um to the board as well as to i guess remind because i think i previously stated this in a few meetings ago um the society of indian psychologists said in 1999 that indigenous mascot indigenous mascots do harm and promote stereotypes of indigenous peoples um the american psychological association has as recommended that all indigenous mascots be retired since 2005. similar resolutions have been adopted by the north american society for the sociology of sport the american sociological association the american counseling association and the american anthropological association the naacp has called for the
055end of the use of indigenous mascots since 1999. the commission on civil rights the u.s commission on civil rights released an advisory opinion calling for an end to the use of these mascots and schools in 2012 a united nations expert on human rights of indigenous peoples said indigenous mascots obscures understanding of the reality of native americans today and instead it helps to keep alive racially racially discriminatory attitudes and several other new jersey schools are retiring their indigenous mascots i think this is important to remember what um these experts have said for over a decade as we continue to move forward um thank you for all that you do and i wish everybody who is retiring a very happy retirement thank you okay old business new business mr pavlak to all our retirees thank you for
056your dedicated service to the district when you look at the number of years that these individuals have given to our district to our students it is a phenomenal number and they will all be missed mr maso congratulations on your retirement um i don't miss our five o'clock phone calls in the morning uh snowy days uh going back and forth on how the roads were john was the reason a lot of things got done in this district and our buildings are in the shape they are and we are in a really good place as far as facilities go and he is the one who has led the department over the years over in major projects that we have done and major cost savings to this district and taxpayers away thank you very much mrs cher i
057just wanted to same as don i wanted to say congratulations to all the retirees we have a lot some big shoes to fill but i wish you all the best of luck in the future uh i also wanted to say thank you to the pto presidents for all your hard work i know it's a tough job and i appreciate that you're willing to do it and thank you to our student representatives have a nice day anyone else well it's a bittersweet night we wish everyone a happy and healthy retirement but you will be missed and we thank you all for your service same to our pto presidents and our student representatives thank you good night can i get a move to close pavlak mr giordano have a good evening thank you