11.18.25 Board of Education Meeting

001Notice is hereby given of the regular meeting of the board of education of the town of Westfield in the county of Union, New Jersey, at 6:00 p.m. on the evening of Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 in cafeteria B of Westfield High School, 550 Dorian Road, Westfield, New Jersey. The board will move immediately into private session to discuss matters rendered confidential by state and federal law, including student matters and contract negotiations. The public portion of the meeting will resume at 7 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to transact the regular business of the board and to transact any other business to come properly before the board. This is to advise the general public and to instruct that it be recorded in the minutes that in compliance with chapter 231 of the public laws of 1975 entitled

002the open public meetings act the Westfield school board on Thursday November 13th 2025 caused to be posted at the office of the board of education located at 302 Elm Street Westfield New Jersey and delivered to the Westfield Leader NJ.com the Westfield Library Town Clerk of Westfield Tap into Westfield and patch.com A meeting notice setting forth the time, date, and location of this meeting. Patty, may I have a roll call, please? >> Rob Bonaccia >> here. >> Kent Diamond >> here. >> Brendan Gallagghan. >> Charles Galinus. Leila Morelli >> here. >> Sonel Patel here. Kristen Sonic Schmeltz. Julie Steinberg >> here. >> Mary Wickens here. Uh >> Mary, would you lead us in the flag salute, please? I move the board approve the following resolution. Be it resolved that the board of education move into private

003session for the purpose of discussing matters rendered confidential by state and federal law, including student matters and contract negotiations. And be it further resolved that any discussion held by the board which need not remain confidential and the results of the discussion will be made public as soon as practicable. Can I have a second please? >> Second. >> Kent. Uh we do uh voice I guess is good. All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? We are in executive session. >> All right. Uh the board's going to come back to order from executive session. Uh we are going to start with our board announcements. Uh I don't know if who has number one. So um >> mayor, you want to start us off on the announcements, please? >> Yes, I would. >> Okay. Good

004evening everyone. On Thursday, November 13th, the Franklin Elementary PTO, Principal Duncan, and members of the Westfield community gather for a ribbon ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate Project Playground, the school's newly expanded and more inclusive playground. The upgraded playground reflects Franklin Elementary's commitment to inclusive play, community engagement, and creating spaces where every student can learn, play, and grow together. Excellent, Ken. >> Thank you. 25 Westfield High School student athletes were recognized this month for signing national letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at colleges and universities across the country. The event celebrated the dedication, hard work, and achievements of these outstanding Blue Devils who have excelled both in the classroom and in competition. Coaches, teammates, administrators, and families joined in congratulating the students on reaching this exciting milestone. Congratulations, >> Brendon. >> Yep.

005>> Twice a year, the Westfield High School Counseling Department presents the Derek Nelson Lift While You Climb Award to honor students who embody the values of former Westfield High School principal Dr. Derek Nelson, who believed in helping others as we rise. This fall, 11 students were recognized for their kindness, integrity, and commitment to making a positive impact within the Westfield High School community. Y >> the Westfield High School Wind Ensemble has been invited to perform at the 2026 New Jersey Music Educators Association State Conference this February at the Atlantic City Convention Center, one of the highest honors for a school music program in the state. This selection highlights the excellence of our students and marks the first time since 2017 that Westfield has received this distinction. A special thank you goes to the class of

0062025 whose audition recording earning earned this prestigious invitation. >> Kristen >> Westville Public School District will be closed on Thursday, November 27th and Friday, November 28th in observance of Thanksgiving. We wish all students, staff, and family a safe and joyful holiday filled with gratitude, rest, and time with loved ones. Uh Ila, I think you have one. >> Throughout November, Westfield High School Unified Sports is hosting basketball clinics emphasizing inclusion, student leadership, and teamwork. Students develop skills through drills and scrimmages while reflecting on encouragement and positivity. Activities like the encouragement relay and structured roles ensure every participant is supported, fostering belonging, confidence, and meaningful peer connections. >> Julie, >> the next parent teacher council general meeting will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, November 19th, at 10:30 a.m. The PTC serves as the umbrella organization for all 10

007Westfield school PTOs. Um monthly meetings bring together PTO president, the PTC board, district administration, and the board of admin education representative Kristen Sonic Schmz to discuss districtwide initiatives and updates. For more information, please visit the PTO PAR teacher council tab on the district website. Uh, and I'll finally announce the next regular public meeting of the board of education will be on Tuesday, December 16th in cafeteria B at Westfield High School beginning at 6:30 p.m. where we will recognize our fall athletic season accomplishments and hear some sounds of the season performed by the WHS string quartet. The meeting will be livereamed via the district YouTube channel, which viewers can access on the board tab on the district website. Uh, and with that, we have one more uh one more announcement to make. Uh we have with

008us representatives from the NJASA, Dr. Rich Boza, the executive director, and Dr. Judy Ratner, the assistant executive director, who have a presentation for a certain superintendent who we may know. So, I'll invite them up to the uh podium to to do that. Thank you very much for your invitation, President Bonacio, members of the board of ed, distinguished guests, and members of the community. Uh, I'm Rich Baza, executive director of NJSA. And as you mentioned, with me is Judith Ratner, our associate executive director. It's my privilege to join you this evening to formally recognize Ry, who has been selected as the 2026 New Jersey Superintendent of the Year. This prestigious honor places him among the nation's leading educational executives and affirms the high regard in which he is held by his colleagues across New Jersey. Since

009assuming the superintendency of the Westfield schools in 2021, Ray has demonstrated thoughtful leadership, strategic focus, and an unwavering commitment to advancing student learning and well-being. He has earned the respect of his peers through how, excuse me, through his professionalism, integrity, and strong advocacy for public education. While NJSA recognizes a number of significant accomplishments during his tenure, including major advancements in fiscal steward stewardship, strategic planning, academic leadership, and governance. The purpose of this recognition extends beyond his individual achievements. Dr. Gonzalez stands as a representative of the exemplary leadership demonstrated by New Jersey superintendent statewide. His selection highlights the collective dedication, resilience, and innovation that define our state's educational leaders. On behalf of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, I extend our sincere congratulations to Dr. Gonzalez. We are proud to have him serve as New

010Jerseys representative in the National Superintendent of the Year program and confident that he will reflect the strength and professionalism of all his New Jersey colleagues on the national stage. Ray, would you join us to receive your plaque? >> Congratulations, my friend. >> Very much. >> Get a picture of you. Come in the center. >> I didn't get the gray. I'm sorry. Can we get one on the stage as well? >> Sure. Absolutely. Thanks. Here we go. Thank you so much. Stay welcome. So congratulations and we are going to celebrate by putting you right to work with a report by district administration. >> So uh just to get started I I do want to thank everyone. Uh what um was not captured in the the comments that was made um was the fact that we we

011were also presented um this evening by uh the leaders of our professional association for superintendents in in this uh state of New Jersey who are also former Union County superintendent. Uh both were superintendents at in Berkeley Heights. Um and uh Dr. Ratner, Judy Ratner was the 2016 uh superintendent of the year uh for the state of New Jersey. So, uh the tradition of excellence that uh is found in this county, let alone in this community, runs deep, and I'm certainly proud um to be uh a part of it. I I did share during the New Jersey School Boards Association's uh regional uh recognition uh comments that really spoke to uh something that I just like to share uh this evening with everyone which is that uh as we all know the work can't be done

012uh in isolation. It can't be done by a single individual. And certainly over my career in multiple districts, uh working with multiple communities, multiple boards of education. Um the the one theme that was woven through all the experiences was the importance of trust, you know, and recognizing how important trust is to getting work done. Um we often find uh it's easy to recognize when trust is absent because that's when we see things starting to go ary. That's when there's confusion. That's when there's um uh that's that's when there's conflict even. Um but when when there is trust in a school district, a trust between members of the community and the board of education, between the administration uh and the the the school staff, between teachers and students, when you see that trust happen, then that's

013really when exciting things uh can occur for students. uh and and most notably in the world of Westfield public schools that was represented in the trust that we have seen over the past several years between the community and the the school district and the approval of our budgets over the past several years and most recently in the approval of the uh bond referendum and and I just don't want that to be um overlooked as as part of the work of a school district, part of the work of a board of education and part Part of the work of a superintendent is to always maintain that level of trust uh between the work that we do and certainly the commitment of this uh school district to support and serve our our students. Um I I would

014be remiss if I didn't use the opportunity this evening to to thank everyone around the table uh for trusting me, for believing in me, for supporting in me. Um but uh equally important is for um trusting, believing and supporting the school district and and the mission of this school district as exemplified in the work that we do each and every time we come together uh at a board meeting. Uh I also want to thank all members of the staff who are present here this evening and those who are working tirelessly uh day in and day out. Uh my executive assistant Carla Wolf is here. She's amazing. She's awesome. She keeps me uh in check. uh as well as members of my cabinet, Mike Weissman, uh Dave Greer, Kat Ernst, uh Patty Ramos, and certainly uh

015Matt Bolton. Uh the the members of our administrative leadership team, the members of our office staff, the members of our um teaching staff and support staff all contribute to the success of our school district. And um I could not be a superintendent of the year without having uh a district of the year uh behind me and supporting me. So, uh, with that, I just want to once again thank everyone for their support. I want to thank everyone for the congratulations, and I look forward to representing, um, the school district and the community with pride and honor moving forward. In addition, uh, I do want to highlight just a couple things. Uh on the agenda for this evening, we do have uh the approval of the NJ uh New Jersey quality single accountability continuum uh self-evaluation

016that is uh also known as NJQAC which is our state monitoring uh accountability system that evaluates uh all uh school districts on five different areas instruction and program fiscal management governance operations and personnel. Uh as part of the self-evaluation, we as district administrators work together to do a uh comprehensive review of all of our policies, protect practices and performance indicators in order to make sure that we are compliance in compliance with the requirements under uh each of those five uh areas. Um the submission that you see on the agenda this evening represents uh months of work and collaboration in order to uh provide our self assessment. And I do want to clarify for anyone who's looking uh closely um there is a maximum of 100 points or 100% um that you can gain and in

017in any single uh district performance review in the realm of instruction and program. the first 60% or 60 points is awarded by the state. So when we do our self-evaluation, we can't include those 60 points. So that's the reason why you see the maximum amount that we were able to evaluate ourselves on, which is 40 points. So it may look lower than the rest but it still represents the maximum allowable uh self-evaluation um rating that we could give ourselves. Once the um the department of education receives our submission, they will then schedule an on-site visit that is conducted by the county office of the uh um department of education who will verify all the documentation, the practices and the scores that we provided and they too will provide their uh final results for those additional

018uh 60 points that I mentioned earlier. Uh once we get a final report from the department of education, we will then represent those uh scores to the board of education for review uh and approval and then that will then determine our next steps. Most importantly, I think for members of the public and members of the board of education is this represents an ongoing uh cycle of monitoring that all states all districts in the state of New Jersey undergo. Um so it it certainly provides us with the confidence and reassurance of the practices that we have in place are uh are in fact compliant with uh what the state requires. In addition to that uh I also want to highlight uh in the governance section that we are actually adopting a resolution this month um to

019reinforce our commitment to protect the health and safety um of our student staff and community by reducing v vehicle idling on school property. Um and in doing so uh we are recognizing that there are harmful effects of vehicle idling uh and its impact on uh pollutants in um in the air that contribute to not just poor air quality but um potential cardiovascular or uh respiratory challenges as well. So uh in this work um we want to do what we can to provide a healthy environment for our students. We want to reduce greenhouse gases and we want to uh ensure that we're creating uh experiences that are uh healthy not only for our school district but for our community at large. Um so a few years back as a school district we were awarded bronze uh

020recognition for our our sustainable efforts under the New Jersey uh sustainable uh schools um program. Uh and this is yet another uh proactive uh step that we're taking um to support environmental stewardship um and creating healthy uh clean environments uh for our students and for generations to come. Now, last but not least, I I am excited to share that the latest update on our progress um uh to bring our referendum projects from vision to reality will occur this evening um through a presentation by Mike Berry and his team from FKA Architects. I'll allow him to the the full introductions um as they will provide a status update on where we are with our referendum projects and where we are headed. So, at this time, I'm going to turn it over to Mike Berry and team.

021>> Is this on? >> Yes. >> Yeah. Okay. Um, we're excited to be here today. This is our team from FKA. Um, Luke Shidler, Will Tate, Christy Dockerty, I'm Mike Berry. Um so tonight we wanted to walk you through um what we've been diligently working on for the past few months and give you a bit of a status update on that. Some timelines on how our projects are looking as they're building out. Um we'll review each of the school the schematic designs for each of the schools as they are right now. And then at the very end we'll have a a few items for what our next steps will be moving forward. So, what's what's been happening in these last few months? Um, from the architectural side, we spent a lot of time field measuring

022all of your buildings where we're renovating and adding on so that we know in detail what the in existing conditions look like dimensionally and physically so we can incorporate those in our documents and designs uh moving forward. Uh we've had many many programming meetings with the administration, the principles and department supervisors to determine the size of the the size of the new spaces and renovated spaces, the occupancy of them, what needs to be next to them, what kind of equipment needs to go in them, what are the physical features of those spaces so that we have a good idea of how to build out our renovated and new spaces. Um we have also prepared a code review analysis of all of the projects to make sure that everything we're proposing is uh in compliance and

023uh planned properly. We've developed egress plans to the same to the same end. And we've prepared the schematic design plans which we're going to show you in a few minutes. Uh we've also some work that you won't see tonight but is which is in progress is we're working on preliminary elevations and sections of the of the addition so that we can see what they look like as they coordinate with the existing buildings and surrounding neighborhoods. And we'll be developing bid packages for summer of 26 projects and also building out project schedule. In addition to the architectural side of things, we also have the engineering side and construction manager on board. So get together and collectively were we're the um the design team. So from the engineering side of things, they've been out and to survey

024mechanical, electrical, plumbing systems. They've analyzed the existing electric service capacity of all of the buildings to plan for not only the additions, but the air conditioning throughout and also a um conservative estimate for future expansion uh needs as we're upgrading electric throughout. So, all of the buildings um that we're working on do in fact need an electric service upgrade. I'm going to talk a little bit more about that later. Um they've they've done preliminary heating and load uh heating and cooling load calculations to determine those sizes and and start to begin the preliminary mechanical designs. Um we've developed an early bid package that we're working on right now to to get the electric service capa the electric service projects out to bid. They're also working on an RFP for building management system. That would be

025your temperature controls um the the head end that controls all the uh mechanical units throughout the building. And they have also performed uh acoustical baseline surveys so that we know whatever we're going to design is uh acoustically accurate with the existing conditions. So teamwide, uh, we we've we've been through all of the old drawings that we found in the basement at Alm Street to to look and see, um, how things were designed, how how uh how the existing structural systems of the buildings go. So we have a really good idea of how we need to plan our new designs. Uh there's been a geotechnical investigation performed soil borings that is at each of the sites to determine what the soil bearing capacities would be for our new designs. So that was completed and site surveys

026were also uh uh performed at the schools that that are getting additions and the construction managers began a construction logistics review of the plans to plan for where are things going to go on site, where is a trailer going to go, how are we going to how are we going to stage the construction over the course of of a couple of years. So those are all in progress. So timeline This is sort of an overall um boiled down view of uh the the schedule. So what's what's driving the main schedule is the additions for full day kindergarten. So what you see in in the green bar up there represents the full day kindergarten projects which include Franklin Jefferson, McKinley, Tomquist, Wilson and Washington. And those those are those are scheduled to be complete in 28.

027So the rest of the projects that are contained within the referendum are built in the schedule around that. So the high school will follow the similar schedule to the full day kindergarten, but we do have some projects that that are going to happen earlier. So we have a a list of summer projects that will happen in 2026, and you can see the list there. Essentially, it includes playgrounds at Franklin, uh some restrooms at Jefferson, Tomquist, and the high school, playgrounds at Washington, and some site work at at Washington, and the media centers at Edison and Roosevelt. So, in addition, I mentioned the electric service replacement. So what one of the things that uh the team is doing is we're issuing an early bid package to get the electric service replaced in the schools. The reason

028being is is twofold. One is because utility companies are notoriously um have long lead times on on um providing transformers and things like that. The other is the main panel for the schools. We've seen uh lead times as much as 18 months on those. So, collectively as a team, we thought that that set of projects should be bid out first so that that is all in motion by the time we need the buildings energized for the addition construction. The mechanical replacement work will go in the same kind of schedule as the additions at at the elementary and high schools. And then in the summer of 2027, Edison and Roosevelt uh renovations would be included there for the locker rooms and the small group instruction space. And then finally, um towards the end of the schedule

029would be the the auditorium and media center at Westfield High School. It's important to note too like these aren't these aren't all it in the case of uh the intermediate and high schools the summer what what's shown as like a summer project there is not necessarily just a summer there they're these projects are large enough that they're going to have to overlap a couple of months of the school year just because of the size and scope of the project. I'll also say that the schedule is titled 1.0 timeline 1.0 you know, um, as as things move forward, sometimes things change and shuffle a bit. Um, so this is a draft a draft schedule. Okay. So, now for the plans. So, um, each of us will take you through, uh, our our schools one by one.

030>> All right. So, we'll start with um Franklin. Um I'll go through the site, work our way around to the back of the building, then we'll get into what the addition is and uh what's included within it. So, if you start, we'll start on uh Newton Place side. Um currently, you have an existing drive loop that's uh somewhat thin, runs tight to the uh facade of the building. So with this new scheme, we're pulling off uh from the face of the building, including a new drive loop significantly wider um to for better uh traffic of pick off pickup and drop off. And what that does is also gives opportunity to put a uh pedestrian specific pathway around that loop to connect from both ends of that street up to the uh two entry points of

031your school. Then you move your way to uh Prospect Street side where your main office is, the main entry. Um what's going on there is a little addition to of a uh new permanent entry portico uh new set of doors to the main entry as well as an ADA accessible ramp and new stairs to uh uh give full accessibility to the main entry of the school. Then you work your way around to the back of the school. Um the little gray mass that you see um in between the field and the school is a combination of stairs and another accessibility ramp to allow for students to easily access access the fields and um playground area from the centralized point of the school uh and also where the uh the gymnasium is located for recess. And

032then we are all aware that this new addition is taking up the space of your current uh playground area. So, what we're doing is the lighter blue shaded areas up by the existing playground space is um essentially a one for one um new addition of playground space surfacing um uh so the kids aren't losing out on that uh central space for outside play. So, this is the overall first floor plan. Dark blue is the massing of the uh new addition and the lighter blue shaded areas are renovated areas that um will just help to connect the existing to the uh to the new and also provide for uh better programmatic spaces that are needed. And I'll explain those a little further on the next slides. This is just your um second floor plan overall. Again,

033dark blue is the addition. Lighter blue along that connecting point is your renovated existing spaces. On back to the first floor, this is a blow up of your um the new addition going on to Franklin. So, adjacent to your existing gymnasium, you're you'll have an expanded area for gymnasium. Um, and this then opens up into your new corridor, which has uh new kindergart kindergarten classrooms. You'll have four new kindergarten classrooms in the addition, a new set of boys and girls restrooms, um, as well as a renovated kindergarten space um, and guidance suite right at that connecting point between the new and existing. And on the second floor in the new, you'll have um a corridor that looks onto the open area of your gymnasium. And within this uh you're getting some new small group instruction

034spaces, uh new typical size classrooms. Um and then in the renovated areas, you're getting another renovated classroom and some additional uh small group instruction spaces. Oops. Sorry, I skipped one. Okay, next up we will talk about Jefferson. Jefferson will receive an addition to on the north side of the building as well as the south side of the building. We will be adding a multi-purpose room for the expansion of the school. um this particular school besides adding full day K is also anticipated increase in enrollment. So the additional classrooms that you'll see added uh are taking that into consideration. We other also have areas for renovations which include the administration space, the classrooms that were larger in square footage that we have are renovating for kindergarten use and then the area that we are tying into

035the building as well. We are removing a classroom and um offering program space in there as well. Oops. Okay. So, the scope includes the new multi-purpose room which I mentioned um five new classrooms, one of which is an art classroom um for anticipated growth. Uh we have four new SGI rooms which is small groupoup instruction. We're doing um a CST suite. We are renovating and reconfiguring the main office as well as the nurse suite. And then we have the five classrooms um that will be renovated to accommodate kindergarten. Sorry. There you go. Okay. So, the multi-purpose room addition, that space is going to accommodate an elementary gym layout. We're also including storage and a PE office. The classroom wing edition is offering 10 classrooms, one and an art room. We have fall four small groupoup

036instructions um for pullout replacement for special education and then we have the CST suite as well as restrooms to accommodate um that the new addition. As for the renovation of the main office area, uh currently there is a conference room, an underutilized conference room that faces the main entry and entrance of the school. So that area will be opened up and reconfigured in order to provide a direct uh visual connection to the main entrance from the front desk. We'll provide a conference room, a office for the assistant principal, the principal and also a nurse suite. And then the five classrooms that are existing currently that will be renovated to accommodate kindergarten, they were of larger square footage, each of those classrooms will receive an accessible single-use bathroom and then the entryways into all of the

037classrooms will be widened in order to accommodate an accessible entrance. Okay, next up is McKinley. McKinley is a threestory edition. Um, and the interesting and unique thing about a renovation with this project is the um ways that we were able to utilize some conditions that were not ideal in the existing school. So, currently the main office and principal's office are broken up. They're located on the first floor, which is half story above the the entrance. So from a security standpoint, there were some issues and concerns with that. So by uh adding on to the new addition, we are able to address those issues as well as add the full day K. So on the ground floor we will be adding uh a new main entrance which will be at grade uh with a direct connection

038to the main office and the nurses suite. There will be a guidance office um and a nurse suite current as well an LLD kindergarten classroom as well as renovating the art and music room on the ground floor. On the first floor, we're adding um a CST suite, three new kindergarten classrooms, uh and an SGI room, small group instruction room as well, as well as renovating bathrooms in order for us to make the connection between the existing building as well as the new addition. On the second floor, we will be adding a small group instruction as well as three classrooms which when we look at them in a little bit closer are being um taken relocated from some of the areas that we're renovating and creating different you uh program. So, looking at the ground floor

039a little bit closer, um we are renovating two of the classrooms on the ground floor. uh which are currently used as classrooms to designated art and music rooms. In the addition, we are offering a administrative um front office that includes a conference room, a principal's office, and also guidance. The nurs's suite will offer um an exam room, and also an accessible bathroom. Um and then we also have an LLD kindergarten room as well as a small group instruction room. Also shown in this plan is the bathrooms that are currently existing and the newer of the wing. Um in order to provide the connection between the existing room building and the new building, they will be reconfigured and renovated uh in order to provide that new corridor between the two. Now the first floor will be

040renovating the CST suite that was existing was the uh main office as as well as the nurse suite and a small group instruction classroom which was is the existing conference room and principal's office. We will also be adding three kindergarten classrooms, a small group instruction which is in the new addition. Uh we will be renovating and reconfiguring the bathrooms uh in order to provide that corridor that we saw on the ground floor. And then on the second floor, we will be doing the same renovations for those bathrooms, those groups of bathrooms in order to provide the corridor to the new addition. We will also be adding three new classrooms. Those classrooms are the relocated classrooms from the art and music on the ground floor as well as where we're creating that nurse suite that was

041an existing classroom that will be relocated as well. Um, also a new small group instruction and uh that I mentioned the reconfiguring of the bathrooms that is McKinley. >> There you go. >> Thank you. Uh next up we'll be talking about Tmacquis Elementary School. Uh what you see here on your screen is the site plan which shows you the existing structure with our mass in blue for the addition. Uh the challenge here was to integrate the new structure with the topography and the uh programming of the existing building in a way that kind of marries the two structures together in an interesting way. We'll get into uh more detail as we move further along. You'll notice here that the building is slightly tilted. We did that to open open up the site between uh for

042uh a usable space in the future. Additionally, we thought that we needed to bring in some sunlight into the existing classrooms uh facing towards the Baltimore Avenue side. Uh here's a enlarged plan showing the overall connection between the existing building and the addition and I'll give you uh more insight in the next slide here. So, we are adding in four kindergarten classrooms, uh, one LLD kindergarten classroom, and then we have two, uh, SGI spaces that are at the hinge point. And, uh, we clustered the music and art classrooms towards the end, which were the more public louder spaces away from the kindergarten classroom. And uh one thing to point here is this entire mass is slightly lower than the existing level of the the existing school. And we did that for several reasons. We wanted

043to create a universal transition from the upper level of the existing school down to the exterior where the children would play at the playground. So we're we're working through different strategies to make this as universal as possible for the uh the students here. Uh, okay. And then Washington. >> All right. So, for Washington, there's a lot of exciting moments to unpack here. Um, I just want to build upon before I get into this, what Rey alluded to earlier is, um, you as a board have, um, really done a really good job in providing us feedback from the community on needs and wants. Um, and I think you'll see that we hopefully addressed all of that within this specific um, design and layout and site. So, similarly to Franklin, um, the addition is going to encompass

044the existing playground space. Um based on a lot of uh many iterations, planning discussions, this is the most economical um plan and layout that we were able to come up with that makes sense for just the the flow overall flow of the school and the way the program is going to be set up. So how do we address that in terms of a site? So, what we've done is we've thoughtfully laid out a site design that um gives you some interesting pathways that connects the new addition in the dark blue at the end all the way around at all three uh main entry points and um helps to draw students and parents to back around to the uh rear of the school where there's a more grander entrance um that opens up into this new

045playground area um that will provide more space for the students to uh to play and have recess. Um and uh another benefit of this is not only are the students getting a new playground area and the site um kind of connects all the way around the school, um it offsets the playground from the the street a little more to give a little more uh seclusion to to that area for students when they're in session um playing outside. So this is a overall floor plan of uh this proposed design. The dark blue shaded areas are the addition. You have your main addition, the little blue area in the middle that's a smaller addition for a music room and then the light blue just like all the other plans are renovated areas. So you'll that middle middle

046edition piece is the music room. So, originally that was incorporated within the main um block or massing of your addition, but um talking through the design and the layout and how the school and spaces are going to be used. Uh this makes sense to put the music in that uh central piece um separated from uh classroom spaces right across from the gymnasium. So, if there's uh uh concerts or anything, you have that direct connection between the two as well. Um, and the light blue shaded areas are renovated kindergarten classrooms, uh, as well as renovated, uh, ADA accessible bathrooms within. On the one end of the school, you have a couple more renovated spaces that are uh, small group instruction rooms. And in your addition, you are getting uh four new kindergarten or sorry, four new

047classrooms uh which includes art. Um you're also getting eight additional small groupoup instruction spaces all mixed all throughout that and six special ed classrooms in total as well as a new set of restrooms. So, we're looking at Wilson uh elementary school here. The extent of the project here, what you see here is an interior renovation of uh six classrooms with with one uh flexible classroom for two small groupoup instructions. And then at the top of the screen, you'll see that we are adding a divider to an existing classroom for uh small groupoup instruction. This is the first floor. On the second floor, we're adding in a divider to an existing room, renovating for two special education classrooms. And we'll show you a little bit more as we move further. Here are the classrooms on the

048first floor that we're uh renovating with the two uh classrooms that are flexible with the divider in your upper leftand corner. And then you can see the um the the room the classroom with the divider on the bottom right. And then here is a uh a plan of the second floor showing the the two special education classrooms. All right. So, here uh at Edison Intermediate uh school, what you can see is the overall plan of the first floor, showing the the sections where we'll be adding uh the uh renovations. We are adding two uh locker rooms to one side with a PE office and a new ADA accessible bathroom for the the PE teachers. And then on the bottom, we're adding in a SGI and an autism classroom. And then on the second floor, which

049is a work in progress, you can see the location for a uh renovated uh guidance suite as well as a uh learning commons or media center. So, here's an enlarged plan showing you the locker room configuration that we are proposing alongside the PE uh office with the bathroom that was previously mentioned as well as the SGI uh space and the autism which was on the lower half uh below the gym. And here is a uh schematic uh which is in progress. We've been working uh diligently with uh the team, the district, Ray, Patty, and uh we're we're working through all the the nuances to get this right. That's Edison. Uh similarly, at Roosevelt, we're doing a similar proposal with the gym and the flanking locker rooms. The flanking locker rooms would also have the uh

050PE suite with the uh bathroom. And then on the left hand side we are introducing uh three SGI classrooms and a a classroom at the top. We have a new corridor with a egress exit as well. And at the lower portion of the plan you'll see we have a uh renovated media center or learning commons which is also in progress. Here's just a uh enlarged plan kind of giving you a furniture layout for where we are with the um current plan. And then here's our work in progress learning commons. All right. Okay. Westfield High School. So, this is this is an abbreviated site plan of of the high school and part of the scope at the high school does include a drop off or um a loop there on Dorian Road. And you can see

051also the addition in dark blue in the front. And part of this part of the site work will be as we construct this loop here will also be to connect it to the three main entrances on this side of the building and provide accessibility to those three entrances. That being the main entrance, the auditorium and then a new gym entrance which would be a part of the addition. So this is an overall floor plan which shows the areas uh that are being worked in. Obviously, the addition in the front facing Dorian Road there, the two locker rooms flanking the gym, the the current wood shop area in the center of the building, and what's not shaded on here is the auditorium. Um, we have we have not started the the schematics for the auditorium or

052the media center projects yet. Um, but those are to come. And then the second floor uh the work on the second floor would be in the area of the current boys locker room which has two floors. This is a second floor area of that. So a bit larger of of a view here. This is this is the addition and what's currently the boys locker room at Westfield High School. So th what this does is it adds on in front of of what's now this the sort of gym lobby entrance there creates a new lobby entrance in front of that one which will include a stair to get up to the second floor uh area. So on this first floor here we have two classrooms in the new addition and we have a foods lab and

053the wood shop. Foods Lab is a little departure from the original design here. Um, as we've talked through um, how how to plan this out, what we've done is move the special education components that we originally had in the addition back into the center of the building, which I'll show you on another slide where the current foods lab is. So, we kind of swapped the spaces to what made more sense in where to keep special education. So, this plan, this plan and the that's the dark blue areas, uh the lighter blue areas includes uh renovation of the boys locker room to become a boys locker room and a boys team room and then in between that a shared coaches space and then there's space on the end of this towards the right of the plan

054which is the athletic trainers room. So, currently that's upstairs on the second floor adjacent to the boys's current locker room in a sort of weird um space above the stair that's in that portion of the building. So, we're trying to fix that that odd configuration of spaces um as we get up to the second floor there. So, this is the girl side of the locker rooms. Uh in this locker room, in this side of the locker room renovations, we have the PE lockers, the team lockers, and the coaches shared coaches room uh co I'm sorry, PE room in between. And then surrounding that, we have additional storage space. So moving to the center of the building, the current wood shop right now. Um you can see here this is being renovated into special education rooms,

055small small group spaces and then also expanding the support services offices that are next next to that into that space to provide uh continuation of that office area. Now below this and not shaded is the current uh food slab that was not the renovation of that was not a part of the referendum but the idea is to convert that in a future project into uh what would become a life skills type room. This is the second floor in the area of the addition. So, the only piece of the addition that would wind up being a twotory piece would be the stair and above the lobby area. And the reason for that is because the stair that currently connects the odd odd configuration of where the trainer space and the current boys locker room is would

056be removed and reconfigured so that everything in that area becomes accessible to the current second floor, the current main second floor of the high school. So all this would then become one level all interconnected and then the space which currently contains this the second floor of the boys locker room will be renovated into two small group instructional spaces uh with supporting offices. So that's an overview of the schematics for the plans and what's what's changed. Um, looking forward, our next milestone is to get the electric service projects out to bid this winter. Um, right after that, we're looking to send out to bid the summer of 2026 projects that I mentioned in the beginning. And then as that's going on, we're concurrently working on what we call the design development phase of of the additions

057and renovations project. And what that means is that's when we put together all the components of the design, including material selections, um what the outsides look like, um renderings and things that that um advance the the look and feel of the building. So once once that phase is done, we move into uh securing some agency approvals. One is Department of Education. Although we got an approval from Department of Education before the referendum, it's required that we submit any educational space back to the department so that they can see the changes and things that we've made, some of which we talked about like the food the uh foods lab moving into the addition. This is why they do a two-part application. So, we'll be we'll be looking to do that in the winter and spring months.

058And then as we're doing that, we'll look to attend a courtesy planning board review and begin the local permitting and uh process and review. As that's going on, also we'll be working on what we call construction documents. And what construction documents are is the final drawings that we'd use for bid. This winds up being uh a series of drawings which will include architectural, structural, civil, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, uh fire protection. all of these drawings, which will be a a pretty hefty set of drawings that would be then issued for bid purposes and for the construction permit. In conjunction with that, we'd have a project manual which would include technical specifications and contracts for the entire uh scope of work so that then we could bid the projects in the summer and fall of 26. So

059that anticipates a fall and winter start of construction of 26 uh with the eye on completing by 2028. So that is our presentation and we'd be happy to answer any questions the board may have. Yes. Um I've received uh several parents have asked about the additions that are being put on how we're managing that in terms of they want to know will they be constructed as standalones and then the connection to the existing building happen when students are out of the building. >> Right. >> Does that make sense? >> Yes. Yeah. I know what I know what you're asking. You're you're asking during construction what's going to happen on the other side of the wall. >> Right. They want to know when that transition happens and if the students are going to be exposed to

060that. >> Uh they won't be exposed to that. What what will happen? We've had conversations with this um in the first slide I mentioned logistics planning. This is this is part of logistics planning. So um right now the current plan for most of the schools is to do that connection in the um last summer of the project which would be the summer of 2028. So like if you imagine like Franklin were going through a classroom to get to the addition. So that renovation of that classroom would happen in the summer of 2028. So that's like a last thing that would happen. McKinley is a little different story with a little more complicated transition. Um but that generally that's how it would go. Seeing no other questions, I want to thank you guys for all the

061all the work that's been done. Um, when we say this has been a process, this has absolutely been a process. Um, and we are I don't know about midway, but we're certainly a good good of the way through it. So, I want to thank you for all the work for taking, you know, what's special about our district into consideration uh in crafting these plans. and we certainly look forward to the next uh the next round in iteration. So, thank you all very very much for coming out. >> Thank you and thank you all. >> All right, next item on the agenda is a report from our high school student representative, Ben Thank you. Um, it's officially the start of the second marking period at WHS. As such, there are there are many exciting new new

062updates to share. The pinkout activity period took place on October 24th dedicated to breast cancer awareness. It was a day filled with spirit and compassion. Preceded by the choir and cheerleaders, staff and students played a volleyball game in which staff took home the win. Students also wrote letters to patients undergoing breast cancer and doors all around the school were decorated. In the end, SJ and community service made a $500 donation to Pathways, an organization supporting patients undergoing breast cancer treatment and their families. Several students also received prizes by winning a raffle sponsored by the SJA and various local businesses for being spirited during spirit week. Finally, SJA held a successful homecoming dance that night in which 400 students participated. On November 2nd, the three teams of the robotics club opened their season at a meet

063hosted in WHS's gymnasium. Team 5968 took first place out of 21 total teams. Last week, 25 WHS students gathered with family, coaches, teammates, and administrators to sign national letters of intent to pursue their athletic career careers along with higher education at schools all across the country. WHS is proud of these students who carry forward not only our tradition of academic excellence but also of academic achievement. Athletic achievement. Speaking of achievement, as already mentioned, the Dr. Derek Nelson Lift while you climb award was given last Friday to 11 students. They were nominated by their teachers for their dedication to helping others exemplifying qualities expressed by the former WHS principal. In Dr. Nelson's own words, you lift as you climb. If you can do that, you have contributed more to society than anything your bank account can

064produce and ultimately contribute more to your own well-being. On Sunday, WHS's Running for Cancer Club held a successful 5K at Tomquist Park where community and students alike ran to help raise funds that will go towards helping support kids with cancer. This Monday, No Place for Hate held their annual pledge signing activity. Period. Students reviewed the No Hate No Place for Hate pledge, participated in group discussions, and did an activity that helped emphasize everyone's shared interests. Overall, No Place for Hate's efforts make WHS a more inclusive, equitable, and united school. Today, Mrs. Espendis held the first meeting with her student leadership council composed of 10 students, two members from each class council, plus two members from SGA. Committee members discussed student opinions on the new block scheduling and Genesis Blackout. Overall, Mrs. Espendus was very receptive

065to feedback and is looking forward to further collaboration with the council and as always with the SGA to make student informed decisions that help make WHS a better place. Looking forward, this week marks the start of the season for many winter sports teams. And finally, the theater department's fall winter production of Blue Stockings will take place this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Make sure to buy tickets and pack the auditorium. Thank you. Thank you, Ben. Uh moving on now to the board committee reports. We'll start with curriculum, instruction, and programs. That's Leila. >> Thank you. Um so the SIP committee met um on Monday, November 10th. Uh Dr. Weissman uh served as our facilitator for this meeting. Thank you again for doing that. And we were lucky enough to um have uh the infamous Mr. Patterson

066who is quite the um performer and I I would love to hear him speak at all times. So, um we the committee reviewed um uh the I'm sorry um the committee um was met on November 10th and received a comprehensive presentation from supervisor of science and technology education Tom Patterson on the K through2 science and technology education curriculum. The presentation highlighted the district's overarching philosophy of fostering curiosity, hands-on learning, and the development of inquiry based skills, as well as curriculum updates at the elementary, intermediate, and high school levels, including ongoing alignment with edup planet UBD frameworks, continued emphasis on open sedal practices, and expansion of teched course offerings and facilities to support 21st century learning and student accessibility. It was really an amazing presentation. Um the committee was also provided with updates on district professional

067development initiatives. On October 13th, the district held a full-day professional development program that included data teams, training for counselors, and CST on fostering resilience training followed by an afternoon AI ad camp designed to support instructional practice and innovation. Additionally, during the November 5th half-day professional development session, staff participated in wellness activities aligned with strategic plan goal number two, which focuses on supporting educator well-being and fostering a healthy school culture. I was super jealous. There was yoga. Um, there was woodworking. It was amazing. Further updates were shared regarding the redesign of intervention and referral services, also known as INRS. The committee reviewed the ongoing work to enhance the INRS system through clearer referral pathways, increased use of data analysis, and a more structured multi-tered approach to student support. This redesign work is also connected to the

068district's MCSS alignment efforts. The committee received an update on the district's professional development initiative aligned to strategic plan goal number three inclusion. This initiative focuses on developing school-based inclusion teams and providing professional learning centered on least restrictive environment LRE expectations and high leverage instructional practices that support inclusive classrooms. Finally, five overnight trips were approved and are on the agenda tonight for approval. The next zip committee meeting will be December 8th. >> Excellent. Thank you very much. Uh we'll next move to finance and facilities report. Uh that'll be Brendan. Right. So finance and facilities met on Friday morning. Uh talked obviously at length about the referendum, but we just covered that so I'm not going to do it again. Um health benefits are lower for October were lower than September. uh did raise the alarm bells

069there. Uh so we're doing better, but we're still projected to be about a million dollars over year-over-year. Um we'll be able to close the 2526 budget in January. I think that's supposed to be 2425. Um >> it's 2526. That's just saying that we're going to start slowing the purchases down. Got it. Um, back with healthcare, uh, we are having our broker uh, shop our plan around uh, between Horizon, Etna, all the other carriers statewide. Um, we are looking at the state uh, state health benefits plan and the New Jersey educators plan which are $70,000 a year per for family coverage. So, we can't imagine we're going there, but that's where this that's what the state plan is this year. Uh we're averaging about 41,000 right now as a self-insured entity. Uh onto the 2627 budget,

070uh health insurance obviously is going to be what we're building the budget around. Um we're in negotiations with PAR professionals and about to start custodians. Um, we're preparing for kindergarten, whether that's uh building curriculum or planning out staffing needs uh for the 2829 school year. Um, we also have more issues with the soil at Lincoln and now Kaylor. Uh, this has been a problem going on for about eight years. Uh, every time we think we're done, the state comes back two years later and says, "Try again." Uh, so there's a transfer out of maintenance reserve tonight for $130,000 for more soil testing and remediation. But on the flip side of that, we are doing something I've never seen, which is we're getting a refund from a contractor on a project for $42,000. Uh, >> it's

071it's not a refund, it's just a change order down. So we it's less we're spending less on something we would have. So >> that doesn't happen in public construction too often. >> No. Uh that's it for the report for tonight. If there's any questions, happy to answer them. >> Okay. Thanks very much. Next is uh policies, personnel, and governance. I think some uh the policy, personnel, and governance committee met virtually on November 13th from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Uh board members Mary Wickens, myself, Rob Bonacio, and Laya Morelli were in attendance along with Dr. Gonzalez and Dr. Greer. The committee began with a review of stipen job descriptions. As part of the district's ongoing effort to ensure that every paid position is supported by an up-to-date or newly developed job description, Dr. Greer presented the

072first set of descriptions for positions that receive stipens. After careful review, the committee recommends that this first batch of stipen positions be included on the November 18th board agenda for approval. Next, the committee reviewed a proposed standard operating procedure related to the review of professional services. The committee supports this SOP as well as the introduction of a consistent review cycle. We are recommending the district establish a 5-year review cycle for all professional services, which would also be reflected in policy where appropriate. The administration will draft a schedule aligned with current RF RFP timelines and bring it forward to the finance and facilities committee for a final review. The committee also continued its work on the development of board goals. Following the NJSBA training in August, board members were invited to submit suggestions for new board

073goals. In October, the committee recommended consulting with our NJSBA field rep to review and refine those suggestions. Based on that input, four draft goals are being presented to the full board under unfinished business this evening. Our hope is to reach consensus on these goals tonight with a formal vote to adopt them anticipated at the December meeting. And finally, on a festive note, the committee encourages all board members to wear their finest ugly sweaters for the December meeting. We look forward to closing out the calendar year in the spirit of joy. Our next meeting is scheduled for December 4th. >> Challenge accepted. Um all right. Um, next we'll move to recognize the public. This will be on agenda action items only. Uh, during this portion of the meeting, district residents and staff are invited to address

074the board of education on agenda action items only. These are the color-coded items that are listed at numbers 10 to 14 on the board agenda. Uh if you have public comment not related to an agenda item, we're going to have a second public comment session after the votes uh where you can present uh more general uh non-aggenda items to the board. So just hold on uh depending upon what you have to talk about. As a courtesy, allow students and staff of Westfield Public Schools to speak first. The board requests that individuals sign in and state their name, municipality of residence, and group affiliation if applicable for the record, the specific action item you're commenting on, and ask that all remarks be directed to the board president or a designate, not to individual members or staff.

075The board asks that members of the public be courteous and mindful of the rights of other individuals when speaking. Specifically, comments regarding personnel matters are discouraged and cannot be responded to by the board. Students and employees have specific legal rights afforded by the laws of New Jersey. The board bears no responsibility, nor will it be liable for any comments made by members of the public. If a matter concerning a district staff member is of interest or concern to a resident, the matter should be referred to the responsible building principal, superintendent of schools, or the board of education either by telephone, letter, or email. Although the board may not respond to items raised during the public forum, all public comments will be considered. Please note that if any member of the public becomes disruptive during the

076meeting, the board president may terminate the participant's statement. Continued disruptions may result in removal from the meeting or adjournment of the meeting. Each speaker statement will be limited to 3 minutes in duration. We'll close on agenda items then um and get to some board business. Uh, I'll begin by making a motion to approve the October 14th, 2025 regular board meeting minutes. Do I have a second? Kristen. Uh, we can do that by voice vote. All in favor? Any opposed? Any abstensions? All right. Julie abstension. Okay, I got you. Um, next we'll move for the governance items. Kristen, >> I'd like to move items A through C under governance of tonight's agenda. Can I get a second? Mary, >> you're welcome. Um, okay, we can vote. Rob Bacio, >> yes. >> Kent Diamond, >> yes. >>

077Brendan Gallagghan, >> yes. >> Charles Galinus. >> Laya Mr. >> Yes. >> Sonel Patel, >> yes. >> Kristen Sonic Schmemells, >> yes. >> Julie Steinberg, >> no one A. Yes. to all others. >> Mary Wicens. Yes. >> All right. Next, we'll go to the personnel items. I think Mary. Okay. I'd like to move items A to you under the personnel section of tonight's agenda. Any comments, questions? Second and then I'd like to comment on R. >> On R. Yes. Okay. >> Uh just want to So item R is the contract for the 25 uh through June 30th of 2030 uh with our secretaries association. I just want to thank their team for all the hard work they did to help get us across the finish line. Thank you Judy. I don't I see you. I

078don't see anybody else from where I'm sitting. Oh Glenn, thank you for coming as well. Uh it was a pleasure working with you guys and we're glad we got that done uh emically in a way that I think we're all pretty happy with the end result. >> Thank you Brendan. >> I also have some retirement comments. Uh so this evening we will be recognizing three um individuals who have serviced our school district in a variety of capacities. Uh beginning with Christy Hotelling. Um, she's been a dedicated science teacher in the Westfield public school since uh, September 1995. Spending her career igniting a love of science and building classroom rooted in curiosity, confidence, and connection. Known for her energy, expertise, and innovation, Christy brought a real world relevance to her teaching through her long-standing partnership with

079Princeton University and her participation in a NASA funded climate science program. She inspired future educators as a mentor and a cooperating teacher and continually refined her lessons to keep student to help students see the beauty and wonder of the world around them. Her classroom is a place where students feel valued, encouraged uh and encouraged to ask big questions. Christiey's presence, professionalism, and passion for teaching have left a lasting mark on our schools, and she will be greatly missed by colleagues and students alike. Up next, we have Dami Panasses. Dami has been a dedicated par profofessional in the Westfield School District since 2013, bringing warmth, reliability, and a steady presence to the classroom each and every day. She built strong, caring relationships with students and was always willing to offer a helping hand. Dami embraced new

080learning, responded thoughtfully to feedback, and applied strategies with consistency and care. Her adaptability, kindness, and quiet dedication enrich the lives of students and staff alike. She leaves with great uh appreciation of those who had the pleasure oh deep appreciation uh of those who had the pleasure of working alongside of her. Last but not least, we have Carolyn Mal Malookski. Carolyn joined the Franklin School uh community just six months ago, but in that short time, she had a meaningful impact through her prof professionalism, care, and steady presence. As a par profofessional, she supported her students with patience and compassion. Carolyn worked collaboratively with staff and always brought a thoughtful and student- centered approach to her role. We wish our retirees all the best as they embark on this new journey. >> Ready? I >> think with

081that we're ready. >> Rob Bonaccio, >> yes. >> Kent Diamonds, >> yes. >> Brendan Gallagghan, >> yes. >> Charles Galinus. Leila Mr. >> Yes. Sonol Patel, >> yes. Kristen Sonic Schmeltz, >> yes. >> Julie Steinberg, >> yes. >> Mary Wickens, >> yes. >> Thank you very much. Uh, and with those things official, I'd like to join Brendan in congratulating uh our our negotiating team both all the way around for the uh for our new contract with the secretaries uh their their representatives as well. So, thank you both very much and please extend the best to the team as well. Um, next we'll move to finance and facilities. Kent, >> thank you. I'd like to move items A through N on the agenda tonight. Uh, may I have a second? Thank you, Mary. I'd like to

082call out item J. We have over $11,000 worth of donations tonight. Starting with uh Stephanie Rubenstein. Thank you for donating a Khan Ambassador trombone, estimated value of $100, plus a G proofer BP clarinet, estimated value of $50. This is to support the Tmacqua's band program. So, thank you, Stephanie. Next up, we have Richard Eisenberg, who donated uh $8,100 worth of items for the WBS music program. I'll highlight the items here. They're the Khan Auto Saxophone, model 24M, estimated value of $500. The Bach Summer Silver intermediate BP trumpet, model Omega 551253, estimated value $700. A violin which is a copy of a Stratio estimated value of $200. A violin which is a copy of a Stratzia made by TB Aberdell Jr. in 1915 with an estimated value of $6,000. Next we have an electric guitar, a

083Ibanz RG120 series 0201778 estimated value of $400. And last we have a mandolin famous brand estimated value of $300. Thank you, Richard, for your kind donations there. Next, we have the Wilson PTO. A generous donation of $52 to purchase an indoor American flag and pole with stand for the gy gymnasium stage at Wilson. Next is Westfield United Fund donated $1,475.73 to purchase a buddy bench with plaque for the Wilson playground. Next is the Westfield Rotary Club Foundation, Inc. donating $500 for a grant for Jefferson Early Act Community Program, followed by the donate another one by the Westfield Rotary Club Foundation of $500 for a grant for the Roosevelt Early Act Community Program. With these donations tonight, our school year today total is now $134,000, $369.17. Thank you all. >> Very nice. >> Any questions? We

084need to get a drum roll type of sound. >> Rob Bacio for the total. For the total. You >> ready to roll? >> Rob. Rob Bonaccio. >> Yes. >> Kent Diamonds. >> Yes. >> Brendan Gallagan. >> Yes. >> Charles Galinus. >> Laya Morelli. >> Yes. >> Sonel Patel. >> Yes. >> Kristen Sonic Schmeltz. >> Yes. >> Julie Steinberg. >> Yes. >> Mary Wickens. >> Yes. >> All right. Thanks very much. Always good to get the diamond donation report. Almost forgot to introduce it. Um, next we'll move to policy. Sonel, >> I'd like to move item A under the policy section of tonight's agenda, which is a second reading on two mandated policies. >> Second. >> Thank you. >> Ready. Uh, Rob Bonacio, >> yes. >> Kent Diamonds, >> yes. >> Brendan Gallagghan, >> yes. >>

085Charles Galinus, Ila Morelli, >> yes. Sonel Patel, >> yes. >> Kristen Sonic Schmeltz, >> yes. >> Julie Steinberg, >> yes. >> Mary Wickens, yes. >> All right. And finally, con uh curriculum instruction and programs. Laya, >> I'd like to move items A and B under the curriculum, instruction, and programs section of tonight's agenda. Do I have a second? Kent, >> questions. Rob Bonacio. Yes. >> Ken Simons. >> Yes. >> Brendan Gallagghan. >> Yes. >> Charles Galinus. >> Leila Morelli. >> Yes. >> Sonel Patel. >> Yes. >> Christensen Sonic Schmeltz. >> Yes. >> Julie Steinberg. >> Yes. >> Mary Wickens. >> Yes. >> Okay. I will call the board's attention to the notes for the record. Uh, and we'll move now to uh the discussion that was highlighted under unfinished business, excuse me, of the board

086goals. Um the board goals were included in our agenda highlights and in the check-in. Um I'll just summarize them for the public very quickly and then we can you know we can start on discussion there. uh as noted by Sonel, these goals were the uh culmination of of polling of the board uh of uh they grew from the uh the presentation by our NJB SBA representative uh and they've been distilled down to to these these four uh that will uh be things that we'll be striving for over the course of of this year and the future. So board goal one is to review and strengthen the board governance protocols. Um that will include a review of our handbook and some of our operating procedures. Uh we received a few comments on on ensuring those were

087were tightened up. Uh board goal two is to increase the board and committee use of data. Uh that includes it seems somewhat generic, but it includes um instruction on how best to utilize that data, what data uh is is available to and and otherwise not for for board members uh and how best to utilize the data that we're receiving from our district representatives and professionals to set forth policy and planning goals for uh for our future. uh as well as to collaborate with our district representatives uh utilizing this data for uh you know for improvements in policy, curriculum and facilities and finance. Uh board goal number three is to build board capacity around HIV oversight responsibilities. Uh the board discusses uh you know HI matters are discussed typically in executive session because they involve confidential

088matters. Uh however, the board does have oversight not just over um hearings and appeals, but also processes and procedures uh that our staff and district utilize for uh for processing these. Uh there have been a number of questions that have come up among the board and board members about how we can uh ensure that those policies remain compliant with what the state requires uh and improve upon them to uh to help both the public uh you know students and and staff involved in them and obviously the board itself to maintain its responsibilities. Um so a a goal there to to build our capacity and and uh improve structures there. Uh and then finally uh engage in ongoing board development and activities towards certification. Uh this is probably the one we got the most positive commentary

089toward. Um our NGSBA representative certainly highlighted this as a as an extreme positive for the board. Uh what board certification is is essentially um you know for the public ensuring that the board and its members uh have you know a proper level of training and operational excellence to make sure that in performing our duties we're serving the district uh as best as we can. Um so those are the distillations of the board goals. Obviously, you know, they they would be fleshed out into greater specifics uh as we as we talk about them, but um I wanted to highlight those uh from, you know, from what was submitted uh and then open the floor to any discussion on those. Uh again, with the idea being get some commentary out, put the rest add that commentary to

090any final comments we have and set the goals up for a vote uh formally in December. So um will we when we submitted our our goals each one required us to provide a summary of the goal uh how how the achieve would benefit the goal in the district and suggested activities and you know we obviously have like just four summary sentences. So it's it's much more high level than than what was submitted. So, it's hard to kind of understand what each goal is in that in that context. How are we going to be able to vote? Uh are we going to have that level of detail before we vote? I guess is is kind of what I'm trying to understand because you I feel like it's uh I understand why you had to distill. Um,

091but I I'm trying to understand, you know, at at a high level what the detail is behind each goal because it seems like there was detail. It was distilled and now that detail needs to be returned in order to understand what what what what the approaches for each one of those goals. So, I was just wondering how that's going to happen and or if it is going to happen. Okay. So, that's I just wanted to make sure stuff was there. So, some of the detail you're looking for is in the committee notes from PPG. Um, that breaks down some of the goal, some of the activities with the goals. Uh, in some cases, some of the stuff that we got was was very very specific. So, we ran that by our NJSBA rep to make

092sure that we were treading the waters correctly between what's within our responsibilities and versus what's within our administrative responsibilities. So, she was able to flush that out for us in a bit greater detail. But, I would suggest checking the the PPG notes uh for some of those more a little bit more expansive stuff and then if there's further questions on that, we can we can get into a little bit more detail on that. >> Oh, no. I I did look I I meant that each goal like is a high level says that but like it doesn't explain like what we're going to do for each goal. That's what like when we when we when we put the form in like there's three sections for each I'm sorry if it wasn't clear. >> Um so I'm

093just trying to I'm wondering how we're going to get back to that. So it's very clear like how each one I'm sorry if that wasn't clear in what I was asking. >> Yeah. No, no. I'm I probably misunderstood. You're looking at what the action plan for each goal is, right? >> Yeah. So I understand like how like you know cuz like like you tried to take it, you distilled it, you tried to get there, but now like how do we know like what each goal means? Cuz it's very high level now. >> How are we going to know? So we're when we're voting for it like that goal is at the level that >> the goals in terms of what the original structure was at if if at all. >> Yes. No, I I think

094we'll have, you know, certainly a certain level of that, but I think the action plans are going to get flushed out over the course of over the course of future discussions. So, I don't know that we'll have a a very specific bullet point by bullet point action plan to vote on in December, but we'll certainly have the general goals that break it down and then that action plan would get developed either through committee where wherever the goals would fall, you know, or through further comments. >> Can can I add on to that, Rob? what what we're going to be putting on in December will be these these goals as these are the goals we want to approve and then from there we would be able to develop the action plan and the detail around it

095what you're talking about once we approve them well who's just so I understand who's we because when we talk about these goals these are board goals right so is it like a committee of the whole kind of an effort or is this going to be just the PPG making these decisions and then it comes back to us to vote on at a high level. >> Can I? >> So if you look at the um PPG meeting agenda form, there is the goal um like for example board goal one review and strengthen board governance protocols. And then there's a sample activity, right? It says the board will review the board of education handbook and governance practices to ensure alignment with current bylaws, statutes, and best practices in New Jersey public school governance. Revisions will be made

096to as necessary to clarify committee roles, communication protocols, decision-making processes, and expectations for member conduct with the goal of improving board efficiency, transparency, and um collaboration. Right? So, there's the goal. There are some sample activities. And then there is um at the bottom this link to an action plan, template, and sample. Did you see all that? >> Okay. So um what we're going to do is we're going to fill it out um in PPG and then it is provided to everybody and it can be worked on collaboratively via comment via email just as we just as it is at is as it is posted and and then we'll do be doing it together at the table as we discuss it in unfinished business. Does that make sense what I'm saying? >> I think so. Yes.

097No, I think the action plan on that form would get worked once the goals are approved and we know what we that these are the goals we want to work with. >> We we start with the action plan and get PPG and then those would obviously yes come back to the board for formal approval for >> it's posted as well. I'm saying and then before the board meeting you can email the committee and go back and forth with your input as is outlined in the handbook. >> Right. So this is basically step one. get the get the goals and the general and the general concepts on the board and then the action plan gets developed comes back before the board to make sure that we're hitting all the correct points. >> So it's not going

098to be like a separate committee of the whole it's going to be PPG driving this >> correct? Yeah. >> And that decision was made by you and Dr. Gonzalez just so I understand the process >> or that was something that was recommended by the state. >> Best practice, correct? >> Just best practice. Yeah, that's best practice from the state and for the rest. Yes, correct. You know, we don't we don't get to just make up stuff. That's >> I just didn't know. I I just didn't know how the process worked. That's why I'm asking. >> Okay, great. Thank you. >> Okay. Any other comments? Okay. Um, so what we'll do then is we will, uh, if there's anything that people, let's let's add in. If there's any other thought, I mean, I know we're kind

099of on the spot here, so if there's any other thoughts that come up, you know, over the course of the next, you know, week or so before the next PPG meeting, please definitely send them to the PPG chairs, um, so that we can flesh some of these things out in a little bit greater detail, any other comments because we'll start with the goals and and some of their beginnings, uh, in December. All right. Um, there's no new business submitted to the agenda beforehand. So, let's move to liaison reports. Uh, who's got them? Kristen. I have two. Um, on first is for the PTC. On October 15th, the PTC held its monthly meeting virtually. Mrs. Basselone provided an overview of the district's counseling programming and reviewed the HIB process. Um, and then this the um different

100committees also gave reports, some highlights from those committee reports. The PTC is continuing to fund raise for the PTC scholarship and the Cuthbertson scholarship and hopes to raise $10,000 by the end of 2025 to support both of these scholarships. The special education committee hosted its fall roundt on October 16th about the legals in legal in-n-outs of IEPs and 504s and they are also hosting a parent social on November 20th this Thursday um at 7 p.m. at Charlie Browns. And then the breaks committee thanked everyone for participating in a successful walk-in bike to school day. The next PTC meeting is actually tomorrow. um it will be held virtually and we will be presenting uh a similar progress update as we did this evening. I also attended the Washington general PTO meeting last Thursday. I was in

101attendance with Dr. Perry and several parents. Dr. Perry provided updates on the on Washington school and answered several questions regarding the upcoming construction. At the conclusion of the meeting, Teresa Wright, who is also a parent at Washington, shared updates on the community wait till 8th pledge. They currently have over 400 pledges from families throughout Westfield, ranging from kindergarten to 6th grade. And if you'd like to learn more, you can email Teresa at wait until 8th. But I guess I should spell that out because it's the word wait then the word until and then 8th. westfieldgmail.com. Um, and that's the that's the update. >> Julie, >> um, I have a UCSC update. I was able to do the school tours of the, uh, the six schools. Um, and I highly recommend everybody on the board as

102well as the, uh, the public, if they want them, do that. Four of the six schools reside here in Westfield's borders. Um and these are excellent um special education facilities that are available to the county and uh provide very strong out of district options for uh children with uh special needs. um whether it's the Westlake School which is um empowering students with multiple disabilities, Crossroads which is an autism program which starts in preschool um Lambert's Mill which is really catering to um behavioral challenges and emotional challenges. So uh the ERRI population uh it was very impressive and very compassionate program um which is not always easy to find. uh both Hillrestmies which will be merged as the facilities merge as the completion of the uh Cardinal Drive building moves forward but it was still very

103impressive to see and uh as I mentioned uh to my colleagues earlier in many ways what they're doing over there is creating a small alternative environment that reminds me a lot of what we're doing here in our own district with project 79 and of course the work readiness academy which is a kind of a hidden gem um and provides a transition program for students 18 to 21 who are looking for real life opportunities um and a program to help learn life skills, work skills, um once they're leaving and getting ready to transition into the real real world. I actually had a chance to tour that today. So, I just wanted to recommend that to everybody. Um if you have a chance to, they will still create um custom tours for anybody who wants to do

104that. And um the information is available on Instagram as well as their website. So, I just wanted to make sure that we shared that and uh encourage everyone to participate. Thank you. >> Any other reports? I would actually echo what Julie said. I've had the opportunity to tour a few of those buildings myself uh when I was part of the board's foundation and it is incredible, absolutely incredible the work that they're doing and we can talk about it, but you know, as Julie's suggesting, seeing is a whole lot different than than hearing. So, thank you for for bringing that up. Um, okay. Uh, we'll now move to recognize public uh for general comments. During this portion of the meeting, members of the public are invited to address the board of education on any topic. As

105a courtesy, allows current students and staff of Westville public schools to speak first. The board requests that individuals sign in and state their name, municipality of residents, and group affiliation if applicable for the record and ask that all remarks be directed to the board president, board designate, not to individual board members or staff. The board asked that members of the public be courteous and mindful of the rights of other individuals when speaking. Specifically, comments regarding personnel matters are discouraged and cannot be responded to by the board. Students and employees have specific legal rights afforded by the laws of New Jersey. The board bears no responsibility, nor will it be liable for any comments made by members of the public. If a matter concerning a district staff member is of interest or concern to a resident,

106the matter should be referred to the responsible building principal, superintendent of schools, or the board of education either by telephone, letter, or email. Although the board may not respond to items raised during the public forum, all public comments will be considered. Please note that if any member of the public becomes disruptive during the meeting, the board president may terminate the participant statement. Continued disruptions may result in removal from the meeting or German of the meeting. Each speaker statement will be limited to three minutes in dur. >> Yeah. >> Excellent. Go for it. >> Hi, my name is Adriina Cohall. I'm currently a senior at Westwood High School and I'm here tonight to speak on the behalf of many members of my sk my senior class regarding our policy. Um we hope the board will reconsider

107the restriction on leaving campus during our flex periods which previously last year were called free periods. Um, in previous years, seniors had the privilege to leave campus during lunch or any free period under our our old schedule, which ran from periods 1 through 9ine, and seniors in upper classmen in general were allowed to leave from periods 4 through 9 if you had a lunch in a free period. It worked very smoothly and responsibly, but with the change to the block scheduling this year, that freedom was kind of taken away from us. Now, even during the flex period, which is technically a free period, seniors are required to stay in the building. Um, specifically this cafeteria and cafe. Um, and I so I started a petition which asks seniors to be allowed to leave during flex

108periods and I currently have over 300 signatures from the senior class, which is more than half of our senior class and the number continues to grow. Um, and this isn't just a small group of students asking. It's majority of our entire senior class asking for this privilege. And senior year is kind of supposed to prepare us for life after high school, which is whether it's trade, college, work, whatever the case may be, it's supposed to was supposed to prepare us to go out into the real world. So, I feel like restricting us to a building during our flex period, that's not very um that's not preparing us that that well for our college life ahead of us. I feel like trust and independence are a big part of this preparation. And I feel like if

109we are trusted to drive, vote, and hold jobs, we should also be trusted to manage our own time responsibly. And for many students, flex periods are a time to recharge or catch up. But during lunch periods, teachers office often hold off office office hours and labs, which a lot of students have either double labs, so they have two labs in one day or and they don't have time to eat and really recharge and refocus, so they're actually engaged in school. And that's when mental health starts become like a big deal and like stressing and everything like that. And so, oh, sorry. And some students also, um, sorry, and some students also need time to like fill up and like take a break. So, I feel like allowing seniors to leave during flex would give us

110time to like grab the food, fuel up, come back, and be more focused and ready to learn. And I also feel like this change wouldn't create any new problems because this this would be exactly kind of what we had last year. And we already have a privilege to sign in and out for open lunch, upper classmen do. So, I feel like we could use the same system that we use for open lunch like on Genesis where they ask the parents, oh, is the child allowed to leave for open lunch? We could do the same restrictions. Is your child allowed to leave for flex periods as well? I feel like that shouldn't be a problem. Um, and I also believe that Westfield's motto is for the students by the students, which kind of instills that you

111guys hold trust within us. And I feel like this kind of took away from the trust that they had with us. Thank you. >> Thank you. Oh, did I just go? All right. Um, hi, my name is Alice Schaefer. I'm also a senior at Westwood High School and I'm here to also speak for the many concerned students that are really they're facing consequences for this change that has been made. Um, specifically something that Audina didn't touch on. There's a lot of detentions that have been happening because you have to scan in exactly at the right moment when your flex period starts, but that gets really messy because there's hundreds of students coming in here and so things happen in the stu in the like Genesis system and then you get a cut even though you

112were here and that was just not an issue that we were having before. Um, and additionally clearly like we have this system in place. We've done it before and there's no reason why we can't do it again. I'm just confused what tangible difference it makes in me leaving the school at 11:00 versus at 1:00. I'm still leaving campus, so I'm just confused why like the time on the clock matters because I'm doing the same thing. And I think a lot of my peers are feeling the same way. Thank you. >> Thank you. Okay. Um, seeing no other public comment, um, I will close uh that portion of the public comment, um, and, uh, I will make a motion to adjourn our meeting. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> I'll take Kent. Uh, we'll

113do that by voice vote. All in favor? >> I. Any opposed? >> Any abstensions? We are adjourned.