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 5:34 p.m. on the evening of Tuesday, September 16th, 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 harassment, intimidation, and bullying incidents. The public portion of the meeting will resume at 7 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to transact the regular business of 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
002entitled the open public meetings act the Westfield school board on Thursday September 11th 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 field and patch.com a meeting notice setting forth the time, date, and location of the meeting. Pad, we have a roll call, please. >> Rob Bonacio >> here. >> Kent Diamonds >> here. >> Brendan Gallagghan. >> Charles Galinus >> here. >> Leila Morelli >> here. >> Sonel Patel >> here. >> Kristen Sonic Schmeltz >> here. >> Julie Steinberg >> present. Mary Wickens. Uh >> Kent, would you mind leading us in a flag salute, please? Uh, I move for the board to approve the following resolution.
003Resolve that the board of education move into private session for the purpose of discussing matters rendered confidential by state and federal law, including harassment, intimidation, and bullying incidents. 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 practical. Can I have a second please? Second. >> Uh Kent. Uh this by voice vote I guess. All in favor? >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? We are in executive session. All right. Uh we have returned back from executive session. Uh and we will begin with our announcements and recognitions. Uh Kent, I think you have the first one. >> Thank you, Rob. Westfield High School is proud to announce that senior Grace Mattis has been recognized as a semi-finalist
004in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. Grace is among more than 16,000 academically talented high school seniors nationwide who were named semi-finalist in this prestigious program, representing less than 1% of all US high school seniors. These students now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for approximately 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million to be awarded next spring. Good luck, Grace. >> Uh Brendan. >> Yep. Our school counselors have been busy welcoming students back and making sure everyone transitions smoothly into the new school year. Secondary and student assistance counselors supported students as they adjusted to new bell schedules while our elementary counselors visited classrooms to for meet the counselor lessons. At the elementary level, counselors also hosted lunch bunches and invited students to chalk the walk with positive messages to set a welcoming
005tone for the year. At Westfield High School, counselors launched the first session of their new lunch and learn series with college application workshops, helping students get a strong start on the road ahead. Back to school nights. District administrators and educators are looking forward to continuing back to school nights throughout September. The schedule is as follows. The intermediate schools will take place this Thursday, September 18th. The high school on Thursday, September 25th. Lincoln school on Tuesday, September 30th. Additional information has been or will be shared by building principles. >> Ila, I think you're next. Back to school night community tables. Throughout September, local community partners will be participating in our back- tochool nights. They will have tables set up with information on programs, events, and how to get involved. Participating this year are Westfield Area YMCA,
006Westfield Coalition for the Arts, Foreign Language Awareness Group of Westfield, and Boys Ice Hockey. National Hispanic Heritage Month. Westfield Public Schools is proud to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month observed from September 15th through October 15th. During this month, we honor the rich history, vibrant culture, and countless contributions of the Latino community. >> Schools will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 23rd and 24th, in observance of Rashashana. Warm wishes to those celebrating the Jewish New Year. Schools will also be closed on October 2nd in observance of Yammer Kipper and on October 13th in observance of Columbus Day and Indigenous People's Day. All schools in the district will be closed on Monday, October 13th for a staff inservice day. The day is dedicated to professional development for our teachers, support staff, and administrators, allowing them to
007enhance their skills, collaborate with colleagues, and focus on improving the educational experience for all students. >> And finally, the next regular public meeting of the board of education will be on Tuesday, October 14th in Cafeteria B at Westfield High School beginning at 7 p.m. The meeting will be livereamed via the district YouTube channel, which viewers can access on the board tab on the district website. The complete agenda will be available on Friday, October 10th, 2025. Uh, and with that, I will turn the meeting over to Dr. Gonzalez for a report by district administration. Yes, thank you. Uh, tonight for my superintendent report, I would like to begin by providing information uh, regarding the mandated graduation pathways report and the mandated student um, safety data systems report for period 2. As required by code, the graduation
008pathways report outlines how students met New Jerseys graduation requirements. Uh for the 2024 2025 school year, 448 students graduated in June with no additional summer completions needed. Of these, three satisfied the English language arts requirement and 18 satisfied the math requirement by passing a state competency test. uh of these uh I'm sorry, in addition, one student met the English language arts requirement and three students met the math requirement through IEP modifications. And finally, six students in English language arts and 27 students in math qualified by completing the portfolio appeals process. The full report is included in uh tonight's notes for the records. The mandated student uh data system report which is uh also known as the SSDS report for period 2 covers January through June 2025 and is also listed as an attachment in the
009notes for the record. This report includes incidents related to violence, vandalism, weapons, substance abuse, and confirmed HIV cases. It also tracks incidents that resulted in students removal from class, the use of restraint or seclusion, and anti-bullying trainings. All of these sum uh detailed reports help uh the district administration review, assess, and improve safety and anti-bullying efforts. In addition to the mandated reports, I'd like to share some comments about how proud I am of the way this school year has kicked off. We're a few weeks in now and despite some of the big changes in arrival, dismissal, and secondary schedules, our students, staff, and families have shown incredible flexibility and positivity. Each day, we're seeing our schools become more settled and routines are starting to click for everyone. As we move forward, we're keeping our eyes
010on the future. And that brings me to our strategic plan. Tonight, the board is taking action to readt the year three activities of our 2023 through 2028 strategic plan. And I'd like to highlight some of that work um for the uh year ahead, beginning with goal number one to support academic and personal growth for all students. This year, we'll be deepening our instructional practices and expanding opportunity for our students. A few highlights include implementing curriculum revisions across several departments, continuing work on the proport, a vision that will guide what we want all students to know and be able to do by the time they graduate. We're launching a district-wide assessment framework and data intervention system to support student progress. We're going to continue to expand dual enrollment, adding new high school courses, as well as
011building an internship program. And we're also going to be continuing to refine the new secondary schedules based on feedback from students, families, and staff. For goal number two, promoting wellness and well-being across the district, we remain committed to supporting the social emotional wellness of both students and staff. We'll be reviewing our counseling programs and looking at new tier one social emotional learning criteria. Our work with Rutgers's uh mental health grant will continue at the high school and we're exploring partnerships with colleges to support our ongoing counseling efforts. There will be more parent workshops, new transition strategies for key grade level moves, and a focus on deescalation training throughout the district. We're also launching a district staff wellness committee to make sure we're taking care of the adults in the building, too. For goal number three,
012we want to advance a more inclusive and responsive school community. And this year's work will be focused on building stronger relationships and ensuring every student feels seen and supported. We're expanding our recruitment pipeline through partnerships with Kain Universities and other organizations. We'll continue to strengthen our all-in inclusion initiative and expand cultural and heritage lessons. And there's a big focus on using data to identify and address disparities, especially when it comes to access to advanced coursework. We're also expanding opportunities like unified sports and esports as a way uh to continue to expand our inclusion efforts and exploring more inclusive arts programming as well. For goal number four, our goal is to strengthen community partners and partnerships through community connections. We are making this a priority for us moving forward. We're building out our LinkedIn presence, improving
013the Westfield app, and strengthening rel relationships with community organizations. We're looking at ways to connect outgoing seniors with alumni opportunities. And we're encouraging more student involvement in local initiatives. We'll also be expanding studentled cultural activities and encouraging more cross level engagement like high schoolers working with elementaryaries uh students in arts and athletics. And then last but not least for goal number five, we continue to optimize uh resources to support all of our district goals. So as we move forward with um with our school year, we're going to explore practical and financial uh resources that can support all four goals. This includes planning for full day kindergarten, advancing referendum projects, and expanding shared services with the town. We're refining three-year budgets and facilities plans, updating school signage, and improving SKU school security systems, and researching continued
014sustainability practices. We're also exploring building management systems that support operational efficiency and cost savings throughout the district. The work ahead is ambitious and it remains focused and aligned and rooted to the common common priorities that are articulated in our strategic plan. I'd like to thank the board for your continued support and thank you to our families, staff, and students for helping us move forward together. Before I conclude, I'd like to formally welcome uh Ben Zo to the board of education as this year's student representative. Uh Ben and I have uh interacted several times in advance of this meeting and I look forward to our work together. That concludes my report for this evening. >> Welcome. >> Any questions before we put Ben on the spot? >> Excellent. All right. Well, before before uh before Ben
015gives his report, um I want to on behalf of the board welcome you as well. Thank you for agreeing to serve. Um the state passed a law I guess five or six years ago now. um that uh created an opportunity for students to be part of the board of education which made a lot of sense because this board and and the district here when when all is told I mean these are the constituents we're we're serving the most. Um so the the street here is is very much two ways. Uh Ben gets to see you know how the board works you know uh report back to the students all the things that we're doing basically telling us to our students. Um and in the reverse we get um feedback from the students directly. uh we
016and the public as a matter of fact get feedback from the students directly as to what's going on in the high school and how the things that we think we're doing well are are actually happening. So it's it's been you know for the past few representatives it's been a great partnership um and uh you know welcome to the board. Uh and I'll turn it over to you Ben for your report. >> Thank you. Um, as another short introduction, I'm Ben Zhao, um, a junior at D at WHS and I'm also currently the vice president of communications um, on the board of SGA there. This is the role that allows me to serve as the BOE student representative and as such, I'll be here to deliver monthly schoolwide updates. It's a huge honor to be able
017to serve in this role and I hope to carry on the legacy that others in my position before me have left behind. Um, as Dr. Gonzalez mentioned, the school year has been off to a great start. On September 3rd, SGA and the school administration held yet another successful freshman orientation. Mrs. Espendis gave a presentation and SGA president Aviva Contract delivered a speech welcoming the incoming students. The morning concluded with a group tours led by over 100 upperassman volunteers. Last week began with a 30inut presentation delivered by the principal and vice principles. The new schedule has been a big adjustment for everybody and the principles did a great job of communicating the all the need to know information including changes affected by the block schedule as well as regular school year notices such as attendance to
018students. For the most part, the school the new block schedule has been running smoothly. Some students are enjoying the feeling that the day goes by faster and utilizing the common lunch to hold club meetings or hang out with friends. Even though some are also reporting that lunch gathering spots are feeling a little congested, Mrs. Fendis is working with the SJA to sort this out as well as any remaining concerns. Additionally, the new cell phone policy was communicated very clearly on the first day and continues to be consistently enforced. Blocking Genesis during the day has not aroused any major complaints. On Thursday 911, WHS observed Patriot Day. In a show of spirit, students dressed up in red, white, and blue while the SA handed out stickers and bracelets to commemorate the lives lost in and as
019a result of the attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Just this past weekend, Westwood hosted the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or by its more popular name, SAT, Saturday morning, where students look to score highly on the notoriously rigorous exam. On Sunday morning, a few chosen upperassmen met to participate in one of the many trainings dedicated towards transition outreaches. The transition program at the high school is a long-standing tradition that aims to foster belonging within the new freshmen at WHS through peer leadership. They will be holding multiple outreaches throughout the course of the first semester. Looking forward, back to school night and club day are coming up in September. Both are a good opportunity for clubs and organizations at WHS to gain exposure within the school community. Clubs and organizations will be
020allowed to set up a table for parents during back to school night on Thursday, September 25th. And then on Friday the 26th during the gym's day lunch period, clubs will create posters to showcase the gym the clubs will create posters to showcase to the students in gym 5. The SU is planning many important things this year, including the ritual student teacher games, homecoming dance, pep rally, senior sunrise and sunset, and many and much more. As we move forward, we want to emphasize our full and unwaving commitment to the WHS community, a promise of full commitment to all of our pursuits and establish establishing clear communication in all regards. Thank you. >> Thank you, Ben. It's a heck of a start. Appreciate it. Um, now let's see if uh our board committee reports could live up
021to Ben's. We'll uh we'll start with curriculum instructions and programs. Laya. >> So um hi. And uh last night was our first uh committee meeting for SIP and it was my um first SIP committee meeting since I started on the board four years ago. So um at this meeting the committee conducted a full review of the tier 1 enrichment curriculum designed to provide students in grades K through 5 with structured enrichment learning experiences in computer science and design thinking. This curriculum will be presented to the full board for review and approval at the October meeting. The committee also approved the annual district profess professional development plan and the district mentoring plan. These plans outline district goals and the professional learning experiences provided to both experienced and new staff to support the achievement of these goals.
022Dr. Bolton guided the committee through a review of the year three activities of the district strategic plan, much of which Dr. Gonzalez touched upon, focusing on goals related to the instructional program, counseling and wellness, and diversity and inclusion. The committee also approved two overnight field trips for the DECA Club at Westfield High School, which will be on this evening's agenda for full board approval. In addition, the committee finalized its scheduled meeting dates and identified the presentations that will be brought forward over the course of the school year. The committee expressed enthusiasm for the year ahead which will feature important work leading to expanded programming off offerings and new curriculum development in several key areas including updated policies that impact grading assessment and homework. New courses in the visual and performing arts, world languages, and business
023education. Increasing the number of advanced placement and dual enrollment opportunities at Westfield High School. and the development of a portrait of a Westfield graduate, which will outline the skills, competenc competencies, and attributes students will develop throughout their Westfield public school experience. The next meeting of the SIP committee will occur on October 6th. Thank you. >> Thank you, Laya. Uh, finance and facilities, Brendan. >> Yep. The finance and facilities committee met on Friday. Uh, covered a number of topics as we always do. um for the the every month uh health insurance is still more expensive than we want it to be. It will always be that way. Um grants uh that we anticipated came in as we did as we anticipated. Uh so no increase but also no decrease which is good for us. Um Patty
024showed us a list of capital reserve projects that happen every summer. Uh I'll hit on a couple of them in a minute. Uh we started the first phase of the of implementing the referendum with a bond anticipation note sale. Uh basically it's a instead of selling the 30-year bonds up front, we we sold one-year bonds short-term notes uh to allow us to start all the pre-construction activities uh paying our architects, our engineers, all the mobilization that has to happen. Uh we sold in the amount of $25,350,000 uh at the at an interest rate of 2.5% which is just incredible in this market. Uh it goes to show the long-standing credit rating of this district and our uh the willingness of people to lend us money at almost 0%. I mean not quite zero but very
025low interest rates. Uh on the referendum itself uh the architect, the engineers and administration are meeting regularly to develop uh programming and phasing of how this will actually be implemented. Uh we have construction planned for every single school uh in multiple areas of every school, renovations plus additions and figuring out the order that makes the most sense so it's the least disruptive for students. Um also certain things need to happen quicker uh like electrical system upgrades uh the lead time on those can be up to two or three years. So the the very specialized hardware uh that isn't sitting on a shelf. So, it all has to be manufactured for us specifically. Um, Dr. Gonzalez did uh touched on the strategic plan update. Uh, we're we're on track. The the segments that are assigned to
026finance and facilities is really the referendum and we're we're pushing right ahead with that. Uh we did discuss uh our field maintenance program. Uh we now have a comprehensive field maintenance plan and have piloted a couple things last year like turf blankets behind Edison School. Uh those were wildly successful. So we're going to be ordering a couple more. Uh it works. It was cheap. Uh so we're going to two or three more Patty. >> So the bulk of the field behind Edison will be protected and if that works it'll we'll expand it out to other schools. Uh last spring we entered into a shared service agreement with the town and they've been maintaining Roosevelt Field. Uh it's been it's a great relationship and it's good that we're sharing resources uh because everything we do comes
027from the same tax base. Uh the Westfield High School softball field will be getting new fencing and a new dugout. Uh the boosters have contributed uh money almost what $30,000 towards the cost. >> Yeah. Yeah, I mean Kent will hit the the donations in a minute, >> but the boosters are always uh a big supporter of Westfield athletics and allow us to do projects that we wouldn't otherwise get to in that year. Uh Mr. Darno is working on forecasting what we might need for other athletic facilities districtwide. Uh and we can we'll start incorporating them into our facilities plan so that they uh get sequenced in through construction. Uh our new buses are up and running. Uh we got them last spring and uh usually the first couple weeks of school there's always some big
028problem that happens with busing. This year small problems. So uh the more we have in our control uh particularly with busing the better. Um we did talk about uh Chromebooks and a possible insurance policy. uh they're they're not particularly expensive devices, but when a child loses or breaks one, it's money that no family was ever anticipating. So, we're looking into a policy that we can offer families to purchase as an optional add-on. Um, no decision has been made there. And that's really about it. I mean, the bulk of our conversation had to do with the referendum and how to implement it. Any questions? All right. Excellent. Thank you, Brendan. Uh the uh policy, personnel, and governance, son. >> The policy, personnel, and governance committee met on Monday, September 9th from 4 to 5:30 p.m. In
029attendance were board members Mary Wickens, Rob Bonacio, Laya Morelli, and myself along with administrators Dr. Gonzalez and Dr. Greer. This meeting served primarily as a session to plan the committee's work for the school year. We began by reviewing and confirming our upcoming meeting dates to ensure the PPG committee will meet in advance of each scheduled board meeting. The board c calendar calendar will be updated accordingly and administration will send calendar invites to committee members to help keep us on track. Our focus during the session was to review several policies and bylaws that appear for first reading on tonight's agenda. Specifically, the committee discussed revisions and updates stemming from the most recent policy alert, including policy 0143 regarding board member election and appointment, policy 0174 on legal services, and policy 0177 on professional services. In addition,
030the committee reviewed policies that required revision to remove outdated references to virtual and remote meetings, aligning them with current policies and practices. It's worth noting that these changes only apply to public meetings. Board committees may still meet virtually if needed. All of the policies and bylaws were we reviewed are being recommended for first reading on tonight's agenda. Another topic of discussion with the was the district's upcoming participation in the New Jersey Department of Education's triannual monitoring process known as the quality single accountability continuum or QAC. The administration is currently conducting a thorough review of the policies required for QAC and comparing them against our existing board policies. Any identified gaps or required updates will be brought forward to this committee or other relevant committees for review and recommendation in the months ahead. We also reviewed
031feedback and suggestions that have been submitted so far regarding potential board goals for the year. The committee encourages all board members to continue submitting their ideas so we can finalize a thoughtful and focused set of goals that reflect our priorities and responsibilities. Looking ahead, the committee discussed a number of topics we anticipate exploring this year. These include a comprehensive overview of school safety and security practices. A review of policy 8681 related to school walking and bicycling with particular attention to ebike safety and education. Updates to both regular and stipen job descriptions. a review of observation and evaluation rubrics and discussions around the code of conduct, our procedures for evaluating professional services, and the development of the school year calendar in light of our referendum project needs and feedback we've received. Our next meeting is scheduled
032for October 9th. >> Thank you, Sonel. Um just a quick reminder for the board and also for the public as well. uh and very consistent with the um with the training that we had in our earlier meeting. Uh we have for some time and are continuing to try to get our committee meetings scheduled as far in advance of board meetings as possible. I think the schedule of them is up on the board portal just so just so everyone knows. Uh generally we try to get anywhere between seven or eight days beforehand if not longer. Finance is a little difficult because we're we're calculating numbers for you know for the board to take action on almost you know up to the minute so that we can make sure that's done. Um, usually a report on what
033happened at that meeting is done usually within 24 to 48 hours of that meeting. Uh, and that's also posted to the board portal. So for those members who aren't on a particular committee, take a look at the reports. Uh, and you should have some time at least to ask any questions regarding items that you might have seen if if you know if uh if you need some more information on them. Uh finally, um especially with finance in particular, um at our last finance meeting, Patty prepared a uh a summary of just sort of where the district's finances are, uh for those of us who are uninitiated in accounting and uh and other financial matters. Uh I would like to call it translating numbers to English for many of us. Um, it was a really, you
034know, Patty wants to run through the report with us at our next finance meeting, but I think, you know, once we work out the kinks and she explains it to us, I think that report will also be part of the board portal. So, for those of us who love numbers, you will still get the I don't know 300 or 400 page spreadsheet of of a very small print. For those of us who don't, there'll be a translation of what that means and and what we're doing with the district, which I think should help. Um, so just, you know, make sure the public knows we have space and time to do things and and same for the board as well. It seemed like a good time at the beginning of the year for that reminder. Uh,
035and with that, uh, I will open for our first public comment session. Uh, during this portion of the meeting, district residents and staff are invited to address the board of education on agenda action items only. These are the color-coded items uh that are listed at numbers 10 through 14 on the board's agenda. If you have a comment regarding something not on the board agenda, there will be a second comment period after our board action is taken, which which shouldn't be too long. Um, as a courtesy, please allow students and staff of Westville Public Schools to speak first. Uh 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 they are commenting on, and ask that all remarks be directed
036to the board president or designate and not to individual board members or staff. The 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
037considered. 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 adjournment of the meeting. Each speaker statement will be limited to 3 minutes in duration. All right. Uh seeing no one approach, I will close the first public comment. Uh, and I will make a motion to approve the minutes of the August 26th, 2025 regular board meeting. Do I have a second? >> Second. CJ, uh, we can do this by voice vote. All in favor? >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? That carries. Uh, Kristen, would you please move the governance items? >> Yes. I'd like to move items A and B under governance of tonight's agenda. Can I get um a second for that? >>
038Second. Sonel, any questions? >> Okay, we can vote. Rob Bonaccio, >> yes. >> Kent Diamond, >> yes. >> Brendan Gallagan, >> yes. >> Charles Galinus, >> yes to A. No to B. >> Leila Morelli, >> yes. >> Sonol Patel, >> yes. >> Kristen Sonic Schmeltz, >> yes. Julie Steinberg, >> yes to A, no to B. >> Mary Wicens. >> All right. Next, uh, we'll move to the personnel items. Sonel, >> I'd like to move items A through E under the personnel section of tonight's agenda. Can I get a second? >> Thank you, Kent. Dr. G, do you want to say a few words? Absolutely. Uh this evening I'd like to recognize Patricia Clark. Uh Patricia Clark has been a special education teacher at Westfield High School since September 2015. Throughout her time in the district,
039she's been a trusted teammate and a quiet force within the special education program. She collaborated seamlessly with co-teers, shared strategies generously, and always stepped up to support the team. Patricia could often be found staying after school to offer extra help and determined to ensure her students not only understood algebra, but also believed in themselves. She lifted up everyone around her, including students, colleagues, and the entire math special education program with her generosity, steady presence, and unwavering belief in what's possible. We wish Patricia and all all the best as she begins the new chapter in her life. Rob Bonacio, >> yes. >> Kent Diamonds, >> yes. >> Brendan Gallagghan, >> yes. >> Charles Galinus, >> yes. >> Leila Morelli, >> yes to all, but I need to abstain from D and E. >> Sonel Patel, >>
040yes. >> Kristen Sonic Schmeltz, >> yes to all except for H. I need to abstain from H. Julie Steinberg. >> Yes. >> Mary Wickens. >> All right. Next, we will move to finance and facilities and the diamond donation report. >> Ken. >> Great. Thank you. I'd like to move items A through Q on the finance section. May I have a second, please? Anyone? Thank you, Brendan. Um the donations, we're up to $54,556,000 so far in this short school year so far. We have three donations I'd love to highlight. The first being the Westfield boosters donating $30,000 towards Westfield High School softball field fencing and dugouts. Huge donation. Huge thank you. Second, I'd like to thank the Thornberg Investment Management Education Program for donating $1,000 to support Miss Sarno's third grade class at Tmacquas. Shout out
041to Miss Sarno who taught my son. Uh third, I'd like to uh call out again Thor and Burn the Investment Management Education Program, $1,000 for supporting Miss Lefer's first grade class at Democrus. Thank you to those three. And uh that's it. >> Rob Bacio, >> yes. >> Ken Diamonds, >> yes. Brendan Gallagan, >> yes. >> Charles Galinus, >> yes. >> Laya Morelli, >> yes. >> Sonel Patel, >> yes. >> Kristen Sonic Schmeltz, >> yes. >> Julie Steinberg, >> yes. >> Mary Wickens, >> uh, next the policy items. That's round two for Sunnel. >> I'd like to move item A under the policy section of tonight's agenda. Can I get a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Ila. Any questions? Rob Bonaccio, >> yes. >> Kent Diamonds, >> yes. >> Brendan Gallagghan, >> yes. >> Charles
042Galinus, >> yes. >> Leila Morelli, >> yes. >> Sonol Patel, >> yes. >> Kristen Sonic Speltz, >> yes. >> Julie Steinberg, >> yes. >> Mary Wickens. >> Uh, and next, uh, the curriculum, instruction, and programs items. Laya, >> I'd like to move items A through C under um the curriculum section of tonight's agenda. Is there a second? >> Kent. Any questions? >> Rob Bacio? >> Yes. >> Kent Diamond? >> Yes. >> Brendan Gallagghan? >> Yes. >> Charles Galinus? >> Yes. >> Leila Morelli? >> Yes. >> Sonel Patel, >> yes. >> Kristen Sonic Schmeltz, >> yes. Julie Steinberg. >> Yes. >> Mary Wickens. >> All right. Like to call the board's attention to the notes for the record. Uh that includes the SSDS and pathways report that Dr. Gonzalez had referenced earlier. Uh there was no
043unfinished or new business presented for the agenda. So we will move now to Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead. >> Really quick in the notes for the record. I just want to note the agenda that was posted online is going to be revised tomorrow for the pathways report. Um Dr. Gonzalez did go over the correct numbers in the beginning. There were some errors in the numbers that were presented. So we're going to fix that for tomorrow. It'll be up on the on the uh >> the the numbers I reported were accurate. The one ones that are in the notes of for the record will be updated. >> So the total number of graduates is 448. Received the diploma in June is zero. than passing a substitute comp compet competency test is three in ELA and 18
044in math. The portfolio appeals process was six in ELA, 27 in math. And the meeting alternate requirements specified in IEPs was one in ELA and three in mathematics. So that'll just be updated tomorrow on the agenda. >> Thank you for that clarification. Uh now we'll go to liaison reports. So, I'm not sure if anyone has a report. Excellent. Uh, then we will move to our second public comment. Uh, during this portion of the meeting, members of the public are invited to address the board of education on any topic. As a courtesy, please allow current 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, and ask that all remarks be directed to the
045board president or their design, not to individual members or staff. The 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
046that 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 adjournment of the meeting. Each speaker statement will be limited to three minutes in duration. Do >> I need to give my name? >> Yes, please. >> My name is Venita Clayborn. I am a resident of West for over 50 years. I I think he might have touched on because I have children that have those Chromebooks and had to pay $155 because one of his friends kicked the Chromebook. So, I was going to ask, was there any way we could get our own insurance on these Chromebooks? Cuz these books don't cost a lot, but to pay $155 is a lot to replace a screen. And then
047the other question was, I noticed that June 19th is a federal holiday and all the federal holidays on the school calendar, the kids are off and why are they not off on June 19th and will they be counted absent if they don't come to school? Those are my two questions. Okay. Once p public comment is over, we answer all the questions that one. Yeah. All right, I will close public comment and if Dr. Gonzalez wants to address it. >> Sure. So, as as you referenced and as reported, we are looking at uh exploring the opportunity for uh providing and offering optional insurance uh for Chromebooks moving forward. That does currently does not exist. Uh but it's certainly something we're looking to pursue in this coming year. Uh and once that's in place, we'll make sure
048that we get that word out to all the parents so that they could uh and families to make sure that they have the that option available to them. Uh with regards to to June 19th, um all uh federal holidays are not necessarily uh used as days off from school, but they are considered excused absences. So, if a student uh is out for any of the observed uh holidays that are uh either religious or federally recognized, uh we would not uh count that against them and that would be considered a uh an excused absence. The challenge in developing the school calendar is there are so many holidays that we want to make sure that we uh provide a balance. So we do recognize that in some cases uh families will have to make uh personal decisions
049and we certainly don't want to compromise um that decision-m by having it count against students. So that's the reason why I afford that opportunity. >> Thank you. And with that we have come to the end of our agenda. Um so I will make a motion to adjurnn. Do I have a second? >> Uh Kent. All in favor? >> Any opposed? and the abstensions. We are journ