001apologize that we uh came late out of executive session. We're going to work on um that setup and and make it not as late in the future. So, appreciate your patience. If you wouldn't mind, let's stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with all. >> So, this is the first time we've done the board as a whole uh with the actual regular session. We did open the meeting. Uh we did follow the protocol for roll call and executive session. So, we're going to move on to approval of the agenda. Can I have a recommended motion to approve the agenda? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Any questions? >> I motion
002carries. >> Approval of the minutes. Can I re I have a recommended motion to accept the following minutes. Motion to approve the minutes. Second. >> Any questions? >> All in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries. >> Okay. Public comment. Agenda items only. The board of education now welcomes the public to comment on the items which are on our agenda tonight. It may not always be possible or appropriate for the board to directly answer questions during public comment period. Each speaker is allotted a maximum of three minutes to make their statement. No one may speak more than once on the same topic. You are required to give your name and address before speaking. Please keep your comments respectful and non-defamy and maintain a level of decorum appropriate for a public meeting where minors may be in
003the audience. Okay. Correspondenceformational items. Any questions on the following items A through D? >> Seeing none. Okay. Superintendent report. >> Thank you. >> The teachers of the year and support staff of the year are being recognized this evening and so congratulations, a hearty congratulations to all of them. We've got for Frog Pond, we've got Danielle Chux as the teacher of the year, ECC Amy Craig, and GJM Reed McFarland. Congratulations. And for the educational services professional, we've got Mimi Gander from Frag Pond, Michelle Fontana from ECC, and Lar uh Arabano, I apologize if I said that incorrectly, from JGM. So, honestly, a huge round of applause. and you'll hear more about them from the building administrators. Also, another big hurray and a hearty congratulations to Laura Ber, our board vice president, for satisfying all the requirements
004for master board member certification through the New Jersey School Boards Association Board Member Academy. This award recognizes professional development in areas critical to effective schoolboard governance. It requires earning a minimum of 40 credits through attendance academy at academy academy sessions the uh school board's annual workshop and a variety of county programs and passing the master school board member exam. So thank you Laura. >> And finally uh two more things. Following this evening's meeting, the district will be distributing I'll be distributing a winter attendance and wellness communication to families. This message emphasizes the importance of regular attendance and its impact on student learning, engagement, and overall wellbeing while acknowledging the challenges that winter weather and seasonal illnesses may present. We are seeing an increase in seasonal in seasonal illness right now. The communication outlines practical strategies
005for families to support consistent attendance, including planning for transportation challenges, promoting promoting healthy routines, consulting with medical providers or school health staff when illness occurs, and addressing stress or anxiety that may affect attendance. The message also highlights available school-based support supports such as assistance with cold weather clothing and maintaining academic continuity during extended absences. Overall, the communication reinforces the shared responsibility between home and school and affirms that consistent attendance is a key factor in student success during winter months. And we did provide communication, I think it was last week, that our new we have a new text message number. And so I wanted to make sure everybody was aware of that communication regarding that text message, which is now a local 10digit phone number is has is now the way we will be sending text
006messages. The phone number is 609-5598260. We recommend that you save this number in your contacts as LEHSD alerts so you'll always recognize this as a message from us. Remember though that the recorded voice messages regarding school closures, attendance calls, they'll still continue to come from our main school phone number as always. And while it may be easier and perhaps even more logical for us to utilize the same number for mass texts and voice messages, we're not permitted to do so as federal regulations require separate numbers for each type of communication. So we're not trying to make anybody's life difficult. We just have to do it this way. So we wanted to make sure that everybody was aware of that. And then just as an aside, if you've had a change of phone number or a
007change of address, be sure to go into the parent portal and adjust that. Thank you. That's it for this evening. >> Thank you, Dr. Anudis. All right. Next up are the presentations. Student of the month acknowledgements for George J. Mitchell in Fog. The character trait for January for the George Mitchell School was responsibility. All the students were chosen based on this trait. For kindergarten, Wyatt Lameza from Mrs. Rainers class. >> Wyatt is a truly kind-hearted student. He comes into class each day with a smile on his face and his positive energy genuinely illuminates the classroom. Wyatt consistently demonstrates leadership by following classroom rules, completing his work on time, and modeling what it means to be a good friend. I feel very fortunate to have Wyatt in my class. >> Next, another kindergarten student, Leonardo Matias
008Bermudez and Mrs. Hans Cliff. Mrs. Hansen, Leonardo is an exceptional kindergarten student that is always trying his best while being kind to all of his classmates. Leonardo is always ready to learn and takes responsibility for himself by having his eyes watching, ears listening, voice quiet, and body calm during instructional times. Leonardo independently follows our classroom rules and procedures and can often be found helping his peers. We are proud to see how much you have grown so far this school year. Keep up the great work, Leonardo. Next we have Logan Hazley from Mrs. Pitt's class. Mrs. Pitta said, "Logan is a responsible first grader. He comes to school ready to learn and follows both our classroom and school rules. Logan takes care of his classwork, helps others when needed, and always tries his best. Logan makes
009great choices and is a shining star. Keep up the great work, Logan. And in second grade, Aubrey Marsac from Mrs. Bridget's class. >> Aubrey is an incredibly responsible and kind-hearted second grader. She helps others without a second thought and never fails to try her best. Aubrey is always working hard, completing work on time, and helping her peers. She's a great classmate, student, and friend. We are so proud of her and extremely lucky to have her in our class. Ready smile. >> There you go. Awesome. Good job. Mhm. >> All right. Good evening everyone. Mr. Denning and I are here to present to the Frog Pond School and we're going to start with the fifth grader. Mr. Denning, when you're ready, we are presenting student of the month from Mrs. Martin's classroom. Ava Marie Desiato. Congratulations,
010Ava. The teacher, Mrs. Martin, is also here, and she says, "My student of the month is Ava Marie Desiato. She has shown great progress in all areas in the area of ELA. She has been working on identifying and writing site words and sentences. In the areas of math, Ava Marie is able to identify the correct number when given a certain amount of objects. In the area of communication, Ava Marie is able to express her wants and needs to adults. And socially, she's enjoying playing with her peers and she constantly makes others laugh. So, congratulations to Before in class today, he was maybe one of the biggest smiles we've seen all year. It was awesome. Thank you. >> Thank you for coming. Even though you didn't make it up here, we still appreciate you coming. So,
011thank you. >> Thank you. >> Next, we have from Moff's class. I know Mr. Woff is here as well. Mr. Evan Gutierrez. Come on up, Evan. I am delighted to nominate Evan as student of the month. Evan is a dedicated and hardworking student who puts forth his best effort in everything he does. I am so proud of him and all that he has accomplished this year. Not not only does Evan approach his studies with focus, but he also treats his classmates with kindness and respect. Evan is always the first to lend a helping hand. He brings positivity to the classroom with his infectious smile and encouraging attitude. His positive attitude and willingness to help others make him a valued member of our classroom community. Congratulations. Moving on to fourth grade from Miss Lamachi's class, Lden
012Leno. Miss Loud, you're watching. I love it. Len is a hardworking student who always puts forth his best effort. He pays close attention in class and takes pride in doing his work well. He's also a kind and dependable friend to his classmates. His positive attitude and dedication are inspiring and that is a trait that is so important in education. We agree, Mr. Lanchi. I am so proud to have Louden as my student and in my fourth grade class. Congratulations. Next from fifth grade in Miss Clemens class, we have Brooklyn Merkel. Is Brooklyn There you are. >> Here's what Miss Cleven had to say. I am proud to recognize and choose Brooklyn as my student of the month for January. Although Brooklyn may appear to be shy and quiet, she definitely is not when it comes
013to being a student in my fifth grade classroom. Brooklyn consistently works hard and shows a strong commitment to her work. She is kind to all her classmates, respectful to adults, and sets a wonderful example through her positive attitude and daily efforts. I believe Brooklyn is a definite role model in our classroom and is welld deserving of being named student of the month. Keep working hard and shining bright, Brooklyn. Last but not least from Mr. Maner's class, come on up, Chloe Msino. Chloe has consistently done an excellent job as a sixth grader this year. She cares about both her own work and success and the well-being of those around her. Chloe acts as a friend to anyone who needs one and is a favorite student of many staff members. She is someone that others look up
014to and choose to follow the example of. We are happy to have her as part of our sixth grade class this year and look forward to watching her continue to learn and grow. Congratulations, Cloud. There you go. Very nice. >> Make sure you take cookies for your siblings as well. All right. Thank you very much. Next, the Governor's Educator of the Year Awards. Okay, lucky day. E P E P E P E P E P E P E P E P E P E P ECC is first. So, uh I'm Dr. the friend, principal of the ECC, and I have the great pleasure to talk about our teacher of the year, Amy Craig. Mrs. Craig has spent her educational career in preschool classrooms, showing true dedication to her students and her colleagues. Mrs. Craig is
015loved and respected by the children, their parents, and her peers. Through the years, Mrs. Craig has made a positive impact in and out of the classroom and ensures that each child's individual needs are met with care, patience, and creativity. Uh, Mrs. Craig has also taken on the important role of mentor teacher this year in particular to a new staff member, offering guidance, support, and encouragement. Her professionalism, compassion, and unwavering commitment to excellence are why she has been selected teacher of the year. And our educational services professional of the year is Dr. Michelle Fontana. Dr. Michelle is our physical therapist. She's amazing in many ways. She's kind, compassionate, and extremely knowledgeable. Dr. Michelle's work often happens quietly, but the impact is felt every single day throughout our school community by creating access and removing barriers for
016our students. Dr. Michelle approaches students with patience, encouragement, and a deep understanding that progress looks different for every child. Dr. Michelle is a valued partner to teachers, our child study team, and families. She brings heart to her work, celebrates every milestone, no matter how small, and never loses sight of the bigger picture, helping students feel safe, capable, and included. Congratulations, Dr. Sure. The George Mitchell School Educator of the Year is Mrs. McBurnen. It is my honor to recognize Mrs. Reed McFarland as the George J. Mitchell School Educator of the Year. Mrs. McFarland was chosen because she sets high expectations for her students and her students thrive. Mrs. McFarland always goes above and beyond to ensure that her students have everything they need academically as well as socially and emotionally. However, it is what Mrs. McFarland
017does outside the classroom that really makes her stand out. Mrs. McFarland is a teacher leader who was involved in choosing our English language arts curriculum, and who piloted our wonders and our new ELA assessment tool, Dibbles. Mrs. McFarland was the lead teacher of ELA and social studies, is currently the lead teacher of assessment and technology, and is a teacher buddy to a new teacher. Mrs. McFarland is always willing to assist her colleagues in any way. Outside of the classroom, Mrs. McFarland always volunteers to do anything needed for special parent nights and community events. Mrs. McFarland works with colleagues to create special areas within the school for classes to enjoy reading such as a winter wonderland or Dr. Seuss World. As you can see, Mrs. McFarland is not only an asset to her students, but also
018to teachers and all of the students in the George J. Mitchell School. Congratulations, Reed. Our educational services professional of the year is not here this evening, but I'd still like to recognize him. Mr. Larry Ariano was chosen as the George J. Mitchell Elementary School Educational Services Professional of the Year. Mr. Ariano is a registered behavior technician who provides support to the students in our 10 self-contained classrooms as well as any student who is struggling behaviorally. Mr. Ariano builds relationships with students and helps to build coping skills needed to assist students in remaining regulated throughout the day. Additionally, Mr. Ariano is bilingual and always assists us in communicating with parents who do not speak English. The George J. Vicious Elementary School would not function as smoothly without Mr. Ariano. Congratulations, Larry. All right. First up, Miss
019Danielle Trux. Come on up there. Face the children want to see. It is a distinct honor to recognize Danielle Trux as the Frog Pond teacher of the year. Danielle has dedicated her career to the self-contained special education department here at Little Lake Harbor, working with many of our students who face serious challenges. To describe Danielle's classroom as a welloiled machine is an understatement. It is a place where high expectations meet deep compassion. She's a master of individualization, often managing 12 distinct schedules and lesson plans simultaneously. On any given day, she might be pivoting from teaching foundational prek math skills to sixth grade math skills, ensuring every student, regardless of their level, is challenged and supported. What truly sets Danielle apart is her whole child and whole family approach. She understands that the challenges her students
020face don't end when the school bell rings. For example, she has coordinated unique resources for families such as bringing in specialized hairdressers to provide haircuts in a safe, familiar environment. Another example, she celebrates her students milestones with elaborate transitions, working closely with the case managers and future schools to ensure her students find success long after they leave her classroom. The bonds Danielle forms are lifelong. Families frequently cite their time in Miss Trex's room as a pivotal moment in their child's education. She provides the structure students need to feel safe and the high expectations they need to thrive. I wanted to share another skill that I can't call you now. This is true brings to our school. Like many of the schools in our country, it takes a team. And there is a team of adults
021that work with many of our teachers, including Mrs. Trux. Every team needs a captain. And as great as she does with our students, Mrs. Trux brings leadership and that ability to be a captain to all the adults that work with our students. And ultimately, her students benefit from that. So, not only a great teacher, but really a great leader, and we are lucky to have you. >> So, with that said, Danielle is more than an educator. She's a pillar of our special education department and a tireless advocate for her students and families. We're incredibly proud to name her the teacher of the year. Congratulations. Next we have Nitty Gander. Come on up N. I am proud to introduce Nitty Gander as our educational service professional of the year. As a registered behavior technician, Nidi has
022proven herself to be highly skilled a highly skilled specialist who consistently exceeds the expectations of her role to support our students and staff. She is a true team player. She is always the first to step in when a par professional is unavailable or a classroom needs extra support. Miss Trux notes that Niti is constantly helping other children in need, ensuring that no student is left without assistance. Her colleagues frequently comment on her on her ability to build rapport with students. For example, Miss Glory Benson describes Niti's wonderfully soft-spoken manner as a tool that makes students feel safe and capable. This is echoed by Ashley Joerger who highlights Nid's patience and her ability to build positive relationships quickly. She is a dedicated advocate who deeply understands the individual needs of the students that she serves. Perhaps
023most impressive is Niti's consistent professionalism. Melissa Mscato and Lorie Benson both emphasized to me that Niti always puts her students first, often going out of her way to bring in thoughtful items to brighten a students or a teacher's day. Even on the most challenging days, Niti remains solutionoriented. As Mrs. Trux mentioned, she is known for never saying it can't be done, but instead finding a way to make it happen. N's loyal, compassionate, and dedicated approach makes her an invaluable asset to our team. She doesn't just do her job, but she ensures that everyone around her, students and staff alike, has the resources and encouragement they need to thrive. So, as Mr. Denny shared some of those words, you've heard me mention multiple teachers that Navy has worked with over the years. And >> Mr. Denning
024and I can Mr. today and I can tell you so can everyone else in this room. They are some amazing amazing teachers in our district. And when you earn that kind of praise and when you earn that kind of respect from the best of the best in the teaching field that's really saying something and what that says to us is we are honoring the right person and you are deserving of this award. >> It is an honor to recognize Niti Gander as our educational service professional of the year. Congratulations Can I ask a favor? Have all >> all our outstanding teachers and professionals line up. I'm happy. >> Now it's everybody. >> Now's the main picture right out front with the logo >> here. >> Right here. >> Trust me, it look good on Facebook.
025Congratulations. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> I just want to say congratulations to all the teachers and support staff just in case you leave before the end of the meeting. And Dr. Contana, it's so wonderful to finally put a face to the name. And I know that you serve our district and other other districts and we're so grateful to have you. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> All right. >> So, now it's time for the audit. If you guys would like to leave, now would be the time to go unless you want to hear the audio presentation. Thank you. Easiest way to clear board members I have to be able to Thank you so much. Hi everyone. My name is Mike Garcia. I'm from Ford Scott Associates. Here to present the results
026of the audit for the 2425 school year. Um we're just passing out right now the synopsis of the audit. Um those schedules all come from the main report that's over 100 pages long. But um what I want to draw your attention to really is contained in this packet. Um first, as we do every year, um as part of the audit, we're required to not only look at the financial numbers, but also um um test to make sure the district is following the rules and procedures that the state and the federal government impose on school on all school districts. When we find areas of error or exception, we are required to write a finding a finding and recommendation for corrective action. This year's audit has three such bindings and you'll find those on page nine of
027the document that I've handed out. Um I'll just go through them quickly. First, um the first finding is that the district was unable to provide for audit a copy of the tuition contract with the ambassador um board of ed. um the the payments were made and collected properly, but there should be a signed um contract on file in the business office available for audit and available as a part of the permanent record of the district. That was not available for audit. So, our um recommendation is that fully executed copies of tuition contracts be maintained and available for audit. Second, um as you're all probably aware, um the district is required to withhold from employees salaries a portion um of the cost of their health benefits and there's a calculation on what that amount should be
028and in several cases the calculation was incorrect. Um so we recommend that all employee contributions for health insurance costs be calculated correctly. And then finally, the third finding is that the preschool education program um was overextended by about $287,000. Um you may or may not be aware, but your preschool funding from the state is set aside in a separate fund, the special revenue fund. And what was required to happen this year is because the expenditures were in excess of the available funds, the general fund had to transfer um additional funds to support the preschool program. Um and so the recommendation there is that preschool education expenditures be limited to the amount available. Um so once again, these are the three findings related to the 2425 school year. So so the school that ended June 30th.
029Um, that's it for the findings. Now, if you would roll forward on the document that I handed out to page eight, this is the bottom line statement for your general fund. Your general fund is the main operating fund for the district. And um, this is um, where you end at the end of the year. Um and first I'll remind everybody that a um a significant reason for you'll see a reduction in surplus is due to the fact that the state your state aid in the 2425 school year was about $600,000 less than the previous year. And then obviously I know we're all aware that um over the last five or six years the district has lost millions of dollars in state aid. So that's a continuing impact. But you'll see we ended and run um
030if you look at the actual column towards the bottom of the page, we've got fund balance at June 30th. The district ended the year with fund balance of 1,835,4168. That total amount is broken down into several components. First, you'll see there is a capital reserve of $566,599. Those funds are set aside and can only be used for capital improvements to your buildings. You also have a maintenance reserve in the amount of $37,038. Um, similar to capital, those funds can only be used for repair maintenance to your buildings. Those funds have actually been utilized in the 2526 school year. Remember, this is a snapshot as of June 30th of 25. So those funds are currently um in spent to fund this school's um operating this year's school operating budget. Um next we have an unemployment reserve
031in the amount of $25,019 for future unemployment claims. We have a reserve for incumbrances in the amount of $110,76. Those are funds that are set aside to pay bills that relate to the 2425 school year. But the um funds have as of um June 30th, the funds aren't yet dispersed. That's totally normal operating procedure. The vendors don't get all the paperwork in by June 30th to be paid. Ultimately, those amounts are liquidated by being paid in July or August of um the subsequent year. We have 736 um $73,623 that is designated for subsequent years expenditures. What that means in layman's terms, those are the um fund balance funds that the district provided to fund the 25 um the 2526 school year. So, the year we're currently in, the board applied that $73,000 towards this year's
032operating budget. And so, those funds are being spent um you know, as part of this school year. That leaves us with unassigned fund balance in the amount of $392,553. Um, the state imposes a cap on school district fund balance. That cap is 2% of your expenditures with certain adjustments. Um, it's important to note that this number, this 392,000 is well below the 2% cap. You're about $148,000 below cap. um you know, generally speaking, um you want to, you know, we want to see that number back up to at least the 2% with some excess, um you know, go going forward. And once again, that um that really only occurs by the excess only occurs by having unexpended budget line items this year. So, when we get to June 30th of 26, um we're hopeful that
033that $392,000 um increases. Um um Carl, is there anything that you want me to to to mention in addition to that as far as 25 um 2627 budget goes? >> It would just be that when we did our midyear budget presentation for the county, we reviewed our midyear numbers. And if you wanted to address that at all, where we stand now? >> Yeah. Um back on the first I guess first week of January I did attend the um district's midyear budget review with in the county superintendent's office along with Carl and with Dr. Antunes and um went over the budget as it stands for and the plans to hopefully get it into a stronger fund balance position um for June 30th of 26. Um Carl has implemented some cost-saving items. Um specifically, I know transportation
034is one of them. Um but also um it's important that the that the unexpended funds in the 2526 budget um um that it be as tight as possible so that I don't know if you put a spending freeze yet, but I know it was something that was being discussed in order to make sure that we get to June 30th with funds in that budget that can then roll roll into next year's budget. So um it will make the budget process going forward somewhat easier if there's money left over in this year's budget. >> Yeah, >> I just have a question. Um, so on the summary that Carl provided, I got page 14. I don't see that here, but I see your numbers transfer over. Can you just explain how the unassigned fund balance of 1
035million8 how that ended up being only 300,000? >> Okay. Well, the 18 is the total that you have and the vast majority of it is pledged already. 500 something to capital reserve, 73,000 is um being used to fund this year's budget. So the 1.8 is the total that you have. The 392 is the only amount that's free and clear and not already spoken for. >> Okay. because I see unassigned fund balance unreserved designated for subsequent years expenditures for the 703. So I didn't know that was encumbered or >> no the 703 is spoken for by being a funding source for this year's 2526 budget. Remember the 703 was in the bank at June 30th of 25 and is now being used as a funding source for the 2526 school year. So essentially just the 392
036is >> that's all you have free and clear. Yeah. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Yes. Question. Okay. Um I'm aware that looking at KK8 that at the end of last year we did take a loan to cover the time between received funds from the from the state. >> Yeah. Is that reflected in these numbers or that's not reflected? >> If if you look at actually on on that page eight, the second to last number, $752,888, that is the amount of the final two state aid payments. And um just a a quick recap for everybody, the state um does this to every school district. You get normally but you get 20 payments a year a school year from the state for your state aid twice a month for 10 months of the school year.
037Um 15 years ago the state started um delaying the June payment until July to fix the state budget. So school districts would get their last payment in May and would have cash flow issues in June. So, the state allows you to borrow against that $700,000 number. And if you turn forward to page one, page one um is the balance sheet for your general fund. And in the first column, general um in the general fund column um under liabilities in the second portion of that statement, you will see state aid loan payable in the amount of 593,955. So that is the money that the district borrowed in June against the state aid that came in in July. Um that that money comes in like July 5th, right after 4th of July. It comes in um you
038know immediately. The the loan was paid in full to the bank and the state reimbures you for the interest. So you know it's a it's a it's a cash flow um um issue that the state allows districts to borrow for that. But once again, um the if you had more surplus funds, you wouldn't need to do the borrowing. But once you get down to such a tight um surplus number um was the reason that you actually needed to borrow to make that um to get that loan. And it was outstanding for less than 30 days. It's only um you know, a short period of time. And like I said, the state does reimburse you for the interest >> and it's completely reconciled. Yes. Oh. Oh yeah. Yeah. Okay. And I just have one more question
039about preschool. Yep. question. >> Um, so did we act does that does that actually reflect the fact that like our preschool program was over budget like potentially from staff staff or other budgetary means or was it just a a glitch in the budget of where money was deducted from? It's it's the accumulative result of many of every of everything that goes on in the preschool program. But specifically what happened here is every year the state the department of education gives you your full allocation of your preschool um funding um based on what you've been awarded. If you don't spend the entire amount by June 30th, the amount left over is called a carryover and it's allowed to be carried over into the next year. So what happened here was in the um the 2223 year
040the carryover was around $300,000. And in the next budget, which would be the 2324 budget, that 300,000 was budgeted to be used and it was spent. Then in the subsequent year, 2425, now the year that we're auditing, that same 300,000 was budgeted again and spent or most of it was spent, the vast majority of it. So in essence, what happened here is money that was left over from the 22 23 year was budgeted twice and spent twice when you only had the money once. >> So again, will that affect us this year and what we plan for our budget? >> Well, no, now it's cleaned up. So, so, so once again, so what so it was charged off against that unassigned surplus. That's an additional reason why that number is less than 2% because it
041had to be absorbed by the general fund. So, um, this year, once again, we're talking about 2526. You're you only the district only budgeted just about $3,000 of those carryover funds. And there is $3,000. So, there won't be just as long as you stay within what's budgeted, that won't reoccur. >> You're welcome. Any other questions? >> All right. Thank you so much. >> All right. You are welcome. Thank you all and have a good night. Take care. >> Okay. Action item. School business administrator board secretary recommend motion to approve finance items A through F. And I have a motion. Please. Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Are there any questions? >> Okay, seeing none. Roll call, please. >> Mr. Chone, >> yes. Yes. Miss Ber, >> yes. >> Mr. Lee, >> yes. >> Miss Middle,
042>> yes. >> Dr. Snder, >> yes. >> Mr. O'Keefe, >> yes. >> Mr. Fichello, >> yes. >> Motion carries. >> Thank you. Facilities recommend motion to approve facilities item A. Can I have a motion, please? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Any questions? Seeing none, roll call, please. Mr. Shone, >> yes. >> Miss Ber, >> yes. >> Mr. Lee, >> yes. >> Miss Middle, >> yes. >> Dr. Snder, >> yes. >> Mr. Keith, >> yes. >> Mr. Coach, >> yes. >> Motion carries. >> Recommend motion to approve school business administrators and non-personnel items A through E. Can I please have a motion? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Are there any questions? Oh yeah. So, okay, never mind. >> That was with the newspapers. The one that said to send it there. Okay.
043So, I'm good. >> Any other questions? >> Roll call, please. Mr. Chone, >> yes. >> Miss Server, >> yes. >> Mr. Lee, >> yes. >> M. Middle. >> Yes. except to abstain to C4. >> Dr. Snder. >> Yes. >> Mr. O'Keefe. >> Yes. >> Mr. Phil. >> Yes. >> Motion carries. Recommend motion to approve personnel items A through H. Can I please have a motion? >> Motion. >> Second. Are there any questions? >> A through H. Yes. >> Okay. So, okay. I'm sorry. Did we remove the substitute rate from this? Was that on I thought that was on the work session that we had discussed it for the substitute caris and or was that the last one Yeah, the power G >> um with the list is that going to be discussed at a different
044time potentially increasing that salary. >> That could be at the next workshop. >> Okay. Yes, please. >> Okay. Any more questions? Roll call, please. Mr. Cho. Yes, >> Miss Ber. >> Yes, >> Mr. Lee. >> Yes, >> Miss Middle. >> Yes, >> Dr. Snder. >> Yes, >> Mr. O'Keefe. >> Yes, >> Mr. Phillips. >> Yes. >> Motion carries. >> Okay, moving right along. Recommend motion to approve superintendent of schools non-personnel items A through H. Can I please have a motion? >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Any questions? >> Yes, I'd like to discuss the calendar. Um, I received the feedback that you had sent. um I guess was the teachers union. >> Yes. >> Um I don't know that a lot of us had a chance to review it um in detail. I do
045think there were some good suggestions in there and I don't know if that's something that we wanted to table to discuss further before we approve a calendar. But I think there were some very good suggestions especially with regards to you know having students and staff in your the Friday before Labor Day weekend. um especially if preschoolers do not get out till almost 4 pm and things like that. It's just a very late day before holiday and there were some great suggestions for uh PD potentially starting before Memorial Day, not Memorial Day. >> We I want it to bemorial. >> Yes. This afternoon, >> it was literally like 5:00. Yeah. >> So, could we possibly table that to the next meeting? I'm okay with that. What do you guys think? >> I'm fine with it. Sure.
046>> So, is there a timeline that we have to, you know, Dr. Antunes, is there a >> The board can certainly table it, it will it will uh it's fine. We'll deal with it. >> Okay. >> We do have to make a motion to table that part though. >> Yeah. I I would make a suggestion to the extent that you'd like to table that um I suggest that you withdraw the pending motion because the pending motion was inclusive of that item if I'm not mistaken. So >> I would draw the pending motion. >> There we go. And then someone can make a motion to table that specific item and then someone can make another motion to approve all other items. >> Okay, I want to try this. I make a motion to table non-personnel item
047letter B. second and >> that's that's until next meeting. >> Yes, next session next. >> We can discuss it at next work session and then vote on it at next regular session. >> Any questions on that? >> And I mean also too, I don't know if it's possible to get any, you know, when when are parent teacher conferences before is our parent teacher conferences at all before our next meeting to potentially get any parent feedback on it. But they can always email us on the website if any parents want any suggestions included in the making of the calendar. All right. So vote on the motion to table. Roll call, please. >> Did someone second that? >> Yes. Yes. >> Mr. Shone. >> Yes. M server. Yes, >> Mr. Leega. >> Yes, >> Miss Middle. >>
048Yes, >> Dr. Snder. >> Yes, >> Mr. O'Keefe. >> Yes, >> Mr. Fichello. >> Yes. >> Motion carries. >> Motion to table all of those other items with the exception of one. >> I'm sorry. Move to approve. >> Motion to approve all the other items except B 2B. >> Motion. >> Second. Any questions? All right. Any other questions on the rest of that? Seeing none. >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Jacone, >> yes. >> Miss, >> yes. >> Mr. Lee, >> yes. >> Mr. Middle, >> yes. >> Dr. Snder, >> yes. >> Mr. O'Keefe, >> yes. >> Mr. Phillips, >> yes. Motion carries. >> Okay, new business. We have two motions under new business that I would like to read. resolved that the board of education approve the termination of employee number 7260 effective 211
0492026. And the second motion which will be 132 resolved that the board of education approved the rental agreement with Shepard Bus Service Inc. effective February 10th, 2026. Subject to attorney review. I have a motion. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Any questions? >> Seeing none. Roll call, please. Mr. Shone, >> yes. >> Miss Ber, >> yes. >> Mr. Lee, >> yes. >> Miss Middle, >> yes. >> Dr. Schneider, >> yes. >> Mr. O'Keefe, >> yes. >> Mr. Phil, >> yes. >> Motion carries. >> Okay. Public comment. The floor is now open to members of the public. The board of education recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues. The board request that each statement made by a participant is limited to 3 minutes as cited in policy number 0167. There is a signin
050sheet located on the podium. Please sign in before you speak. Okay, seeing none, board forum. Let's start with Christine and make our way around. Okay, I just want to say congratulations to all the educators of the year. Um, I have having had children through this school district, it really is a village and um, we're grateful to all of you and no matter what uh, capacity that you serve. So, thank you very much for all that you do. And I'd also like to remind um, everyone this is also women's history month and uh, women in STEM along with heart health month and um, Black History Month and a lot of good things going on in the district. And I know that we have um is it international night >> multicultural um evening. So if you have
051a chance to check that out and thank you very much and have a good evening and hopefully we have some warmer weather coming ahead. >> Thank you. Thanks. >> Good evening everyone. First would like to congratulate all the award winners, both the professional educators and the children here tonight. It's wonderful seeing uh smiling faces uh and even one of my neighbors which I'll have to see on the street and congratulate him. Uh but uh that'd be one of the students. I'm humbled to be here. I'm grateful to uh be part of this collaborative uh group and to represent the community. Uh I have enjoyed the um the board as a whole session so far being my first uh 22 days coming up on my anniversary this week of one month. So it's a pleasure being
052here and I look forward to uh the good work that we do for the community. power. Thank you. >> Also, congratulations to all the recipients tonight, students and staff. Definitely welld deserved. And um here's my community engagement for you. Uh Frogon has bring someone special PE night on February 2nd, Frog 5 to 7:00. They're going to have fitness uh stations, yoga, door prizes. Um students must be accompanied by an adult. Um ECC is inviting ECC and GJM families out. So multicultural night Thursday, February 19th from 5:30 to 7. Um they'll have food samples throughout the night. There is a prom dress collection. So if you have any gently used, clean prom dresses, you can drop them off to the local library and uh they have a program where they give them out to students for
053free. And the PTO had a cupcake wars. It was delicious. Um, a few of us got to judge the cupcakes on that. It was definitely a sweet night. Um, the GJM had their VIP and me uh dance and that was well attended. Tons of fun. Awesome pictures shared on social media. The Gertude Hawk fundraiser ends this week. Uh, the cuto off for people orders is this Friday. No late orders will be accepted. Um, gentle reminder that we all want those field trips. We all want new things on the playground and it all costs money. So, in the past, Grocery Hawk has brought in over $20,000 and I think they're about $9,000 right now. The goal was 30. So, if you have uh any friends and family who would like to order some chocolate, please get
054those in. Chick-fil-A fundraiser night is February 20th from 4:00 to 7:00. Mention LHPTO. Designer Bad Bingo Sony's raffle baskets. If you uh would like to donate an item or an entire basket, please reach out to the PTO at ptohsc.org. And their next meeting is April 13th at 7 p.m. From all three events except for the designer bingo, which tickets I think go on sale this week. I'll be volunteering, so I can't believe. >> And you have a really good attendance at that, right? >> That will sell out. So if you're looking for tickets for Designer Bedo, you better hop on it. It's limited. >> All right. Thank you, John. >> Yeah, I want to say congratulations to everybody that received uh awards tonight, teachers, students. It was an honor to uh hand out the awards
055tonight for my first time. It was really fun. Um to see everybody smiling, kids happy, getting uh getting the awards must be something special for them. I also wanted to talk about um just bring up absenteeism. Um something we've discussed as a board a lot and uh me and Dr. Snider came up with an idea to where we wanted to contribute and uh you know present pizza for a pizza party for the students. So um the numbers are a little bit down. We got to try to help out get our kids out there in the mornings. Parents, I know it's a struggle. I'm a parent myself. It's hard to get my two kids up in the morning, but we got to get the numbers back up so these kids can get their education. and then
056let's reward them with some pizza and some uh other things that we have in mind that we will be talking about at another time. So, thank you everybody and have a great night. Congratulations to all of our educators of the uh of the year. I have to give a special shout out and thank you to all of the staff that does the parent pickup and drop off lines. Uh bringing this freezing cold uh unprecedented cold that we've had over the last couple of weeks could not be easy. I'm sure you're the envy of all everybody who's sitting inside during the nice months, but uh I'm sure also nobody was more disappointed to see that Pakatani Phil saw a shadow uh than you guys uh in these cold weeks that we had. So uh thank you
057for having those big smiles, being energetic um as the kids are coming into the building. Um I know it means a lot to them and and really starts their day off right and then having a well organized machine as they leave the buildings uh at the end of the day. So special thank you to you. Another one that I can't leave uh unnoticed is uh thank you to everybody yesterday with your fantastic communication uh with what went on with the nursing home. Um from Miss Cummings sending out an email, Dr. Plan, your direction was spot on for pickup uh as far as notes. Um I saw Officer Brian directing traffic. I saw Mr. Kopher uh directing traffic with his lights on. Um it was just great to see in uh like a moment of chaos.
058Uh we had a plan, we executed the plan, and um so many people worked together to make that happen. So um when I was calling into town uh to pick my kids up, um it was a scene like I've never seen before. All of those emergency lights, the staging area, um it was just a lot to take in. So knowing that everybody was okay, that we had a detailed plan, um was was very settling to me. So uh thank you to everybody. I'd also like to congratulate all the award winners and truly it's it's it's very um it's very evident that it's well deserved in this district and uh that there are a lot of great educators and service personnel. Um, for Chris, I want to thank you for the communication that you've had with
059us lately and you mentioned all those articles in the leader magazine which I get in person and print and there are really a lot of great articles this uh particular issue and one speaking directly to the absenteeism and how districts can reach out and improve on that by reaching out to the families whether it's a visit to the home and that tends to be very um effective And it's not in a punitive matter perspective, but it's in a caring and helpful manner. And just to engage our families more and see what might be going on or what might be the causes of chronic absenteeism because if the children aren't in school, they can't learn. So I really appreciate that, Chris, keeping us all informed and um hopefully we read those articles. Thanks. >> And you
060didn't mention I sent it at 5 in the morning. Was anyone up reading it? At least it was >> 9:00 in the morning. Yeah, right. >> Uh, thank you, Laura. I appreciate that. Uh, you know, everyone has nothing but praise for all the educators and the professionals. You guys are the ones that make it fun and desirable for our kids to come to school and learn. Uh, and specifically, and I'm glad she's staying around, Dr. Fontana. Uh, my son Matteo has Down syndrome. He's in fourth grade, but we still, my wife and I still talk about the first day he met Dr. Fontana in kindergarten. And she looked at him and she said, "He is an athlete." And ever since then, for the last four or five years, uh, he's been playing soccer, he's been
061playing basketball, he's played flag football. He just loves it. And she called it from day one. And ever since, she's been encouraging him and working with him on his running form and, you know, his endurance. And he absolutely loves her. He has progressed so much in the past couple years since kindergarten. So, Dr. Fontana, we thank you for all you've done for him and all the students cuz I know he's just one of many that love you and and appreciate all that you do. Uh to echo the multicultural night, February 19th, Thursday, February 19th, 5:30 to 7. Uh my wife goes all out on that. She uh gets she's from El Salvador originally and she gets giant pictures. She gets the papooas. She gets the music. It's really neat to and then look to the
062side and see someone with a Polish background or an Italian background or um Dominican. There's all sorts of backgrounds in our district that get represented that night. So, if you have a chance to go out there just to walk around, it's a it's a really interesting night and you can get to learn a lot. Um Laura, I want they gave this to me to give to you last week, but I wanted to make sure there was a bigger audience. Congratulations on the master board member certification. That's a lot of time invested in our community. So, thank you for leading the way on that. >> Anybody can do it. >> Anyone can do it, but you did it first. So, thank you very much. And just in general, I want to thank the board members, the
063administration, the staff in the office, the staff in the buildings, uh the teachers, and our attorney. We've we started a new form of governing, so to speak, with this board as a whole. uh we kind of flipped everything on its head and we've asked for a lot more information in a shorter amount of time and we've asked for at least two long meetings a month instead of one and you guys have answered the call. You guys are reading everything. You're asking great questions. Um I'm hoping that you're getting all the information you need to make the right decision that you feel um is right in your view. But it is a lot of work. Most of us or at least board members don't get paid. But seeing that our schools are run well and that
064our students are getting the best education possible is really what makes us put in the hours. So I just wanted to say thank you each and every one of you for all the efforts that you're putting in to make sure that this board as a whole and then this district as a whole is run correctly. And then just finally our next meeting is Tuesday, March 3rd. That's going to be our next word session in the media center. Um, it's a very long meeting, but that's where we get a lot of the work done, and I really appreciate all the questions that everybody asks. So, does anybody else have anything? >> All right. Can I have a motion to adjurnn? >> Motion. >> Second. >> All right. be hereby resolved by the Little A Car Board
065of Education to adjourn at 8:43