001Good evening everyone. We're going to get this meeting started. We have a packed meeting, so let us get started on time so we can get to the good stuff. Our next item. This meeting of the Mahwah Board of Education is open to members of the public who are physically present. Members of the public that attend will be asked to follow the same procedures as all other visitors to our schools. Those procedures can be found on the district page of our website. Additionally, the board meeting will be live streamed for viewing purposes only. Anyone wishing to view the meeting may do so by using webinar. The ID for this meeting is 846-446-43234 and the required password is 315-674. I call this meeting to order. Roll call, please, Ms. Germano. Mr. Salto. Mr. Kismark. Mr. Coplin. Here.
002Mr. Gabel. Here. Ms. D'Amelio. Mr. Houston. Here. Mr. Hughes. Here. Mrs. Cindy Johnson. Here. Dr. Wortmann. Here. Adequate notice that the agenda for this meeting was been provided to the Ridgewood News and the Record specifying that the Mahwah Board of Education will meet on May 20th, 2026 at the Mahwah Meadow School, 160 Ridge Road, Mahwah, New Jersey. A copy is filed with the Township Clerk. Uh our salute to the flag this evening, uh Mr. Coplin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> I would now require an executive session this at this time. So, we will go to the office Can I hear you? Okay. So, we will proceed to our
003superintendent's report this evening. Okay. Um all right. So, at this time we will have agenda questions now. Now, this is going to be like testing my memory. Please limit your questions at this time to resolutions and new business on this agenda. In the matter of fairness, you're asked to limit your questions to no more than one and your remarks to no more than 3 minutes. If you're here representing a group, please identify yourself, the group, and your position in the group. If you're here as an individual, please give us your name and address. This section of public participation will be limited to 15 minutes. But that's okay. Um All right. So, we're going to go through the meeting to the public. Mr. Kismarski seconded by Mr. Hughes. All right, we're officially open to the public.
004All right. Seeing no one come forth at this time, motion to close the meeting to the public. Mr. Kismarski and seconded by Mr. Hughes. Now, we will move on to our superintendent's report this evening, Dr. Tortora. Good evening everyone and welcome to this year's retirement ceremony. As we come together to honor an extraordinary group of individuals whose dedication has helped shape our school community for decades. A little aside, I would love to give the total number of years of all of our retirees except for the page shock. Dr. Fair won't give you that uh that information, so he's going to have that for us. But be prepared. Uh tonight we celebrate not only their professional accomplishments, but also the countless lives they have touched along the way. We thank each of our retirees for the
005legacy they leave behind and wish them happiness and fulfillment in the exciting chapters ahead. Thank you, Dr. Ford. Can we have all our retirees please stand for us? >> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you. So, >> [clears throat] >> collectively our retirees have devoted an incredible 307 years of service to the district. So, >> [applause] >> These years were filled with leadership, compassion, mentorship, and a lasting commitment to students and public education. Uh we're about to show you a retiree farewell video uh to all of you uh which will be followed by Dr. Toro and I inviting each of you up to receive the following. Um it's a it's a Mawa tradition. We give a a Mawa marble apple to signify education and the time here and being Actually had one of our woodworking students actually
006make the base of the apple. His name is Miles Boney. He is in our introduction to woodworking uh to woodworking over at the high school. So, a big thank you to Mr. Catizone and Mr. Cole for also coordinating uh the creation of the wooden base. And each retiree will have a note that has been hand delivered in by one or a few of our students. Uh three of our dedicated retirees were not able to be in attendance this evening because they had prior commitments. Uh Joanne Scanlon from the business office. She works in accounts payable and two two of our teachers were actually also our residents. Cathy Dolan, teacher at West Homer, as well as Mr. Pushie who is a special education teacher at West Homer. So, before we push play, I just want to
007share a little bit about what goes into the creation of these farewell videos. Uh what I can tell you is that I asked students to speak. Uh they very much spoke from the heart. Essentially, what we do is we approach students in the hallway and we say, "Can you please speak speak about this particular staff member?" So, you're going to hear a lot of great things from colleagues as well as our students. Um you'll see a cameo from Mr. Sherwood's cat. You'll see Mr. Aboudiab's head in one of the corners as I believe when he they were working in the pond area in the outdoor classroom. He was speaking uh Nancy and Rose. And also, we have students who were in the video who came to the country not knowing a word of English. And
008because of our staff members, they did so. They communicated quite successfully on the video. Uh we also had a student who was in a group shot with a bunch of other athletes and he actually asked uh the staff member who was filming, "Can I share just a note alone to Mr. Pascal?" So, you'll see a lot of great things, but I thought it was important for everyone as well to see kind of what happens behind the scenes and how it is all connected. So, we'll push play and then uh we'll honor all of our retirees. All right. >> Congratulations Andrea on your retirement and making career. When I think about what you did for our special I think about how many students I think about you have for some of the years you sit in
009this building. All the students that have ever had you have been your biggest cheerleaders and also think you class was so much fun. It is an absolute pleasure to not only be your colleague but also your friend. I wish you the happiest of retirements with so many days on the toes of the sand or beach somewhere. Hi Andrea, congratulations on your retirement. I just wanted to say thank you for the 29 years you gave us service here in Wall High School. It was an absolute pleasure working with you during that time. I loved the 11 years that I had to work together on the sideline when I was the athletic trainer and it's been terrific working with you in this capacity as well. And I thank you for everything you've done for our student athletes,
010coaches and staff for the better part of three decades. Thank you and goodbye. Andrea, congratulations. On behalf of the high school community, our retired student nurses, our current faculty and staff and our current students who are in this big school I would like to thank you for many many years of service to our students and for assisting us with any medical needs that we may have. With students you always go above and beyond our students and families and I appreciate that and I appreciate working with you over the last 27 years. Congratulations. First of all Andrea, we miss you already so much. We miss your energy, we miss your creativity, we miss you in the hallways, and I know that one day, hopefully, we'll see you around these buildings again. Yes, I I miss the
011ability you guys used to have, that that deep connection you had. And always just kind of bringing that energy of family, right, to everything you did and your commitment to kids and how focused and dedicated you were to make sure that they had everything that they needed. And my relationship with you is such an advocate. When you saw something was missing, you filled that gap. You saw something needed to be done, you did it. And those are the kind of things that of course we miss here outside, not just those the friendship and your kindness and the way that you were so open and honest with us all the time. We really appreciate the value that you are. Uh we miss you so much, but we're happy that you're in your retirement. And we definitely
012hope to see you around here sometime soon. So, thank you so much for everything you've done for us in this building. And have a great Have a good time and enjoy yourself. We miss you and love you and your family. All right, we celebrate three people who have meant so much to us in our lives. Robert Jackson, and Laurie Bennett. Laurie, your positive energy, that's your humor, and always been a huge part of what makes you so special. You care so deeply about your students and their future and their energy. You've helped so many children feel successful in life. You always see the good in every situation, and people are naturally drawn to that. I hope the time you spent here last brought lots of laughs and a good time with your family. Enjoy your
013retirement. Jackson, your dedication to students has always stood out. You are someone who puts kids first every single day. Your patience, compassion, and commitment has always helped us grow and make a difference with so many students. And whether it's in school, outdoors, or in your work in the community, helping people is just who you are. I hope the time you get to more time to enjoy the outdoors and continue doing the things you love. Robert, you've always brought so much care to the ones that matter to us. Your students absolutely adore you because they know how much you care for them. You have always been someone staff to rely on and support. You are a genuine commitment to having a great products. Being the easy candidate you are, the timing now means you can send
014the 80 well series parade this year. But, I have to say thank you for all you have done for us. Thank you, Laura, Janet and Laura for everything you have done for the students, families, and staff at Central Rock. You have each left your mark on this school in a special way, and we truly will miss you. Congratulations on your retirement. Oh, dear Mr. Rock, congratulations on your retirement. Thank you for all you have done for us this year. Hi, Tom. Congratulations on your retirement. I just wanted to come on and just let you know how much you have meant to me over the years, not just as a principal, but as a friend and oftentimes my biggest supporter. When I think of all the years you have taught in my life, uh at home
015and in the classroom, I have celebrated every single one of them with you. I appreciate so much everything you have done for me as a mentor, as a friend. Every time you have stopped by my classroom to check on me, to cheer me on, to give me encouragement. All of the little things that you have done for me and with me throughout my career, uh you've been an incredible mentor and social support. And I just I appreciate these past 25 years always having you in my corner. I never had to question that. And um you are going to be so dearly missed. I miss you already. I wish you all the best in your retirement. Um thank you for everything you have done. Thank you. Happy retirement, Mr. Rock. I wish you all the best
016in your retirement. activities that the students enjoy. I'm sorry I didn't know you were leaving today. I really enjoyed getting to know you and having you around. And we wish you the best of luck. You can give a tennis lesson whenever and wherever you want. However, the moment I saw you, you were always leaving. You're welcome to come by whenever you want. We miss you. The memories of the park, the music of the park. Um, the tennis court and everything here is enjoyable. Um, we closed down the park and enjoyed the facilities. Um, has been a wonderful time. However, you are our TWT kid. You were the TWT kid. You can walk in the park whenever you want. TWT is your family. You can attend all the social events at the school and all the
017activities. You always have a place in our hearts. You will be missed so much. Um, so you made this important for both of my daughters. So, we're going to miss you terribly. Our hearts are with you and your family. We love you and we'll miss you. We love you. We love you. Love, love. Hi Mr. Harry. Um, thank you for teaching me a a lot of stuff. And thanks for everything you did. And I love Bye. Congratulations Mr. Harry for 18 wonderful years at TWT. When we first met you, we knew that your passion for tomorrow exceeds that of TWT and the board. Your dedication and hard work to make sure the students have the best possible experience ever. Each day for what you suggest such as practice challenges and everyone's favorite PDW that's probably
018one of my favorite things that we have watching you with master sergeant where you are also cheerleader, coach, a choreographer and it's amazing to just see [music] kids go up there and putting them up to accept the coolest thing ever. I really enjoyed your time with Jeff, Alex, and Tyler and to everyone on the force consider this your life. This is Mason's last entry for the whole time I will be attending and so be well. Mason, thank you very much for everything you contributed to our school. You will forever be seen and you're forever thankful. Thank you teacher. Thank you teacher. You're the best teacher. I love you teacher. You're a great teacher. My favorite thing about Maureen is her stealth side of humor. Most people know Maureen is smart, kind, and soft-spoken but I
019think she's the best dance teacher. She does all those things but I got to know Maureen on a different level. She is hilarious. Her one-liners are priceless and they keep you laughing every single day. She's always my go-to person if I have a complicated question. Sometimes I even have to tell the kids, "I don't know. I need to I think I need to go ask Maureen." I enjoy our lunches together, carpool lane, and even have side conversations. I love all of it. We're actually sitting in the same room. A big void has been left in the school and I will miss you so much. But Maureen, nobody deserves this retirement more than you? 39 years of dedication to kids, colleagues, and the craft is beyond commendable. I hope you're able to take some good things
020away from us and enjoy your retirement support. As you remember well, our last retirement party theme was before. So, I think I'll end with this. Say hello for me. The magic is in the small things. I Nancy, just wanted to take a moment to wish you the best of luck in your upcoming retirement. It's been a pleasure for us here at Hammer Montessori. I'd say thank you for what you're doing today and for what you've done for us here at Montessori. I can't thank you enough for the work you have done with all of our students. You make them feel comfortable, relaxed, and you just create a learning environment and allow them to take chances. So, you will be missed. I have huge shoes to fill for sure. We love you and we wish you
021the best of luck in your future endeavors. Thank you, Nancy. Thank you so much for helping me sound out the words. I didn't know I liked when you talked to me. We sometimes I will always miss you so much. You are the best teacher ever. I am lucky to know you. Love, Nancy. Congratulations, Nancy. We are so excited for you. Sad for us, but excited for you to step into retirement and to into this new grandma era with Aurora. Uh she is going to be the best grandma ever. Um when I was thinking about what I wanted to say to you, my head was flooded with just so many amazing experiences seeing you advocate for our kids, trying to learn their language, but always circling back to the number one language of love. Uh you
022have poured into our kids every single day. And we appreciate you. We are going to miss uh your energy in this building. And I'm actually going to stand outside because I brought some friends with me to share how you have impacted their lives today at the Bobby E. Meadows. And they said they wanted to come outside because they said this is Mary Poppins and this is the vibe of sunshine. So, I want you to carry that and take that with you to your retirement. You have impacted every person in this building and we are very happy to have you. So, here's to you. All right. So, we love you. We hope you have fun with your granddaughter. And thank you for helping us read and give us ideas what to write. I hope you have
023a good retirement and I hope you stay safe and don't forget your assets. I hope you have a good time with your granddaughter and I hope um you won't forget about us. All right, we love you. Bye. I think you are happy to retire. She's going to get to do a lot of fun with you. She's a so sweet little girl. But, I know that you're going to have a good retirement. So, we're going to miss you and we love you. Good two years. I wish you well and lots of luck for you. How you impacted this school with your smile and your love. school which is D F E which is 20 Mom. Do you see? Well. And this is how she has had an incredible impact on so many lives through the years.
024She's always wanted to be a part of the school while her mom was working at the school. She was working at the school. She was constantly doing her best in her presentations and always provided the encouragement and care that they needed to succeed. Her patience and positivity and her genuine belief in her child is inspiring and created a learning environment where students felt safe, respected, and capable of learning. Her ability to guide students and set expectations with kindness is a gift that she has capitalized on and inspired many others including me. Andrea will be deeply missed in our department. I particularly miss our daily check-ins in my office and also her willingness to always go on humanitarian trips with her parents and chaperone many others. We appreciate all that you do and we will miss
025that. And you know, her her impact here with all of us over so many years. I used to do the endless happiness celebration joy and experience of fabulous destinations in her retirement knowing that she leaves behind an amazing legacy of compassion and acceptance and our pure happiness. Love you, man. Hello. We just wanted to say that we will miss you here at George Washington High School. It is definitely not the same without you and we are just so grateful for all year at the break. Last year was so much fun and we developed such a great partnership with you. And we miss you probably you know our practice school and we'll see you. We all believe in small group and tired. I just wanted to thank you for all the support and guidance that you
026have given me this year. Uh one thing I don't want to forget is something I don't want to put small things on the table. But this year we have been working on this success. And the first thing that I saw was you all the way to you. So you can make her and I found out you can't talk to people that way. Um it's just typical. Um on the way back home I found out about you. Um you give all the energy yourself to the school, um to the students. You show up to them. Um you thank them for their sincerity and support. And you did something without. So thank you for the year of supporting Tyler. Supporting the self. Kind to the self. You know what I'm saying? I'm sorry. Um it's been a
027pleasure this year. Working with you this year and to our possible Tyler. >> [applause] [applause] >> Thanks for your time. So we really appreciate all the time you spent with us. And then we just learned a lot. through a few messages from our people with all the great work all of you have done. And what Dr. Ettore and I wanted to do would obviously provide you with, you know, a physical gesture of our appreciation, but also to just mention briefly the legacy all of you have left or will leave behind. So, first we'd like to invite Dr. Sun up. >> [applause] >> So, Dr. Sun, in your time with us in this position, you were integral in assisting us through the hell of the pandemic. And what he has taught us is just the importance
028of a team approach. It was We used our courage, knowledge, and information to collectively and cohesively work with our nursing team, um and we're real better for it. So, Dr. Sun, thank you. >> [applause] >> Our next retiree is Ms. Maureen Lovman. >> [applause] >> Ms. Lovman, Ms. Lovman, or just Lovman, or Mo Mom. And it is uh genuinely well deserved JK for her commitment to the students. Whether you see her in the front office, in the cafeteria, in the classroom, you can see her commitment to the students in JK, and she will absolutely be missed. So, thank you so much for being here this evening. >> [applause] [applause] >> And that's the entire reason Ro Mason from GW can stand before us. >> [applause] >> What Ro leaves behind is an authentic love of
029GW school as well as the yearning to make sure that every student feels included and belongs. And I believe that Ro, if I know Ro and I see that she has a few words which we would love for you to share. Good evening. First, I'd like to thank the board and the administration for recognizing my 19 years of dedication to the students at GW Middle School. I also want to thank the teachers and my colleagues at GW. Your friendship, guidance, and support have made me the teacher I have always wanted to be. I was happy to serve on the paraprofessional advisory council and be a member of the NEA paraprofessionals. I would just like to share a few of the initiatives that I have brought to GW. I started the Walking Club as a way
030to get students active. With the generous donation of the Copeland family, they donated a bunch of pedometers for the kids to wear, so we counted our steps and walked from New Jersey to California. I also ran Penny Wars fundraisers to teach the students to subject to others in need. We raised money for cystic fibrosis and the Special Olympics. In addition, Deep Thinking Manon and I ran kindness challenges and we made up a song to thank the lunch ladies for their hard work. The children sang together in the lunch room, much to the joy of the lunch ladies. I have also delivered holiday decorations with Amy Palavida, my friend, and the kids that the kids made to an assisted living community to brighten their day. Last but not least, I ran Avenue of the Arts Theater
031GW's Got Talent. It's a way for the students to show off their individual, very special talents. My focus has always been on the students, instilling in them a sense of confidence, a passion for learning, and being good citizens. I leave knowing I left my heart at GW with my students. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Our next retiree is Mrs. Laura Landsman. >> [applause] >> Mrs. Landsman is such a warm presence in each classroom that she steps into, whether she's supporting students in the classroom or in a small group. Um, the ability for her to teach our students how to read and all the essential things, I just want you to realize how much Marlowe truly appreciates um your 24 years of service to Marlowe School. >> [applause] [applause] >> Our next retiree is Jen
032Maribeth. >> [applause] >> So, as a lady, Jen was once a math expert, and then she pivoted to reading, and she has given students the gift of reading. Uh what I've learned in terms of her legacy is even with Mrs. Santangelo, what she said is that what Jen does is if she has a goal for kids, she will do anything in her power to make sure that they achieve that. And um we know that. That has been who you are, and that's how So, thank you, Jen, for the good work you've done. >> [applause] >> Um I want to thank you too, for all your help. Several years ago, the administration and the district Um I want to thank you for And so, I want to thank my supervisor, my supervisor, um Mr. Zangrillo. Mr.
033Zangrillo, supported the elementary school program and I want to say that to all of you. I'm going to address most of all the students. >> [applause] >> Thank you. >> Our next retiree is Ms. Laurie Bregman. >> [applause] >> Where do I begin? Um Ms. Bregman, what I can say about Ms. Bregman is the passion and the love that she has for her children. It starts at arrival at Betsy Ross School. Anyone's ever been to the arrival, the energy there is second to none. She really makes her kids, whether the kids in her class or the kids in the school, uh truly feel special. And and it's it's an experience for them, their parents, and even adults too. feel special for Ms. Bregman. But, that love starts at arrival and it doesn't stop until after
034the hours of the end of the day. What I can say is she advocates very strongly for everything that she believes in, whether it's her students, whether it's her colleagues. And uh we greatly appreciate the positive impact that you made on Malala for the past 37 years. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Laurie Bregman is not speaking All right. All right. All right. I don't even need this. I don't even want it. I really didn't even want to speak. I I leaving Malala is the hardest thing to do. I am so excited to retire, but the the anxiety of leaving, it's hard. This is my home for 37 years. And every person who works in Malala, I cannot say enough about all of you. It's You're incredible teachers. And keep doing what you love because I
035love teaching. And I am not going to stop. I told you I'm looking to I want to advise student teachers and I want to keep my feet right there in the water because this is what I do. So, thank you for 37 amazing years in my life. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] >> [applause] >> Okay. Absolutely. Carrasco. Our next retiree in honor is Nancy Murphy. >> [applause] >> Nancy has been in the district for 24 years. She served as our ESL teacher. The The video that featured Mrs. Carrasco out by the playground with laptops, the three students there knew no English and because of Mrs. Murphy's work with them, she provided them with that huge gift and that's where her legacy lives on for a lifetime. So, Nancy, thank you for everything you do. Thank
036you for your kindness always. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Our next retiree this morning is Shatner. >> [applause] >> Mr. Shatner has served in Mahwah for 39 years. And I have to say, 15 years ago when I when I started at Joyce Kilmer School, I quickly appreciated the impact that Mr. Shatner made on our students. Um she works with our students who are in the advanced math classes. She works with our gifted students and she is constantly challenging our students each and every day. I got a chance to see her whether it was working with a student as I said in math, but mock trial and the things that they did in class were second to none. So, what I can say to you is please understand that our students are better because of
037you and we greatly appreciate all that you've done here in Mahwah. >> [applause] >> All right, next retiree is Andrea Is that Is that Snyder? There we go. All right, our next retiree is Andrea Sweeney. >> [applause] >> I can say I have had the pleasure of working with Andrea this this morning. Everyone who meets Andrea loves Andrea, but what I can tell you is what she leaves behind is she is able to connect with every single kid. She can use tough love to connect with a kid, but what she can do is connect with any kid no matter what. And that's something that not every teacher can do, but you do it often and you do it really well. So, thank you. We really appreciate it. >> [applause] [applause] >> Our next retiree is
038Mr. John Pasquale. >> [cheering] [applause] >> Woo. All right. So, Mr. Pasquale um has been here for 36 years. Started as a chemistry teacher, then he was an assistant principal, and now he's a principal. Um I'm going to be a little selfish and I'm going to talk about Mr. Pasquale's impact on my life. As a brand new principal in Mahwah, as a brand new principal period 15 years ago, what I can say is he was instrumental in my growth as a leader here in Mahwah. When I get a chance to see John each and every day, what I can tell you is he's a part. He connects with everyone. And he is a part of our community, whether it's in school or the community at large. The legacy he's going to leave behind is showing
039up. He is at every single event. Often times multiple events in different parts of New Jersey on the weekends. Mrs. Pasquale, I can't thank you enough for sharing him with us. Um And knowing that um what he did your mom always knew was special. Um I don't know how he's not going to come in on in September uh to on the first day, but John, there are so many things that I want to say to you, which I will say in the future, but just understand that Mawlawi's better because of you. So, thank you for all you've done. >> [applause] [applause] >> Congratulations to all our retirees. >> [applause] >> This is kind of surreal for me. I have spent 56 years of my life in a high school in a high school building, 39
040of them as an educator, and I have to tell you that I have loved every minute of it. First and foremost, I'd like to thank my family, my wife and my best friend Andrea, who has graciously supported me throughout this journey and allowed me to fully commit to leadership role that I have loved. Being a high school principal is a 24/7 job. Um even on Monday last week, my daughter was graduating with a master's from Montclair. My daughter's in the car, my wife is in the car. Dr. Perro texted me, and I said, "I have to call the superintendent. Nobody talk. I didn't know he could talk. Serving the students and families in the community of Mahwah for the past 36 years really has been the greatest joy of my life. What began as a
041profession quickly became a calling and a ministry for me, and the high school became more than a workplace. It became a community that I've been proud to call my home. Throughout my time here, I have had the privilege to work alongside extraordinary educators, dedicated staff members at from every building and every department, a board of education that is very supportive of its students and of its staff, and an outstanding team of administrators and supervisors. The best part of being a high school principal really for me has been meeting and collaborating with the countless families who have entrusted their children into our care, and working with students to develop intellectual curiosity and prepare them for their post-secondary experiences. More importantly, I have been continually inspired by the Thunderbirds who walk through our doors each day. Their
042energy, their talent, their kindness, and their potential remind me time and time again of why this work matters so deeply. Together we have celebrated achievements in the classroom, on the stage, in athletic competition, and in countless co-curricular activities that define Thunderbird pride and spirit. And through it all, I've been proud to be part of a team, a systemic team, that always puts students first. I'm deeply grateful for the relationships I formed during my time here and all that I have learned watching generations of Thunderbirds grow and graduate, and watching graduates come back to our district to take on positions in all areas of education has been very meaningful to me. I have to admit I'm a little bit sad. I feel like the cruise is almost over. But as we bring the flagship to the
043final port of call on June 25th, I'm equally as excited that the flagship will be repositioned with its new captain, Daniel Gauthier. I look forward to watching the continued success and growth of the Malden Public Schools in the years to come. Congratulations. >> [applause] [applause] >> Okay. You have a year um during the school year you really get a chance to appreciate uh the commitment of our educators and the impact that they made. And I loved the the way what Dr. Ferry put together in the video was truly priceless. Hearing from colleagues and hearing from students. It's my hope that our graduates understand what you have genuinely done for our students here in Malden. So, I know you might not understand it now, you might not understand it after the school year's over, but I'm
044hoping in September when your alarm clock doesn't have to go off so early and you have that extra cup of coffee, you can take a you know, lean back and understand that you truly made a difference here in Malden. We will miss each and every one of you. Please know that you have a home here. And just remember, once a Thunderbird, always a Thunderbird. So, thank you for all you guys do. >> [applause] >> Now, we have the rest of the board meeting, and you're more than welcome to stay and listen to what we're doing things. But, if you do not want to stay, I understand. And now is the time to escape. Escape through the back door, if you would. >> All right. Uh I think I need to Congratulations to all our retirees
045and thank you for your dedicated years of service to the district, to the students who have been impacted so tremendously and for for some of us very personal to see some of the these retirees go but again we wish you all the best and enjoy retirement. Congratulations again. All right. Let's see. Dr. Farr, do you have any other report this evening? Okay, tremendous retirement uh send off. Thank you very much. And Mr. McIntyre, do you have any report this evening? No, I don't. Okay, so we're on to my report and um, like to introduce, uh, to the board, um, Elizabeth DelRosso, who is our new NJSA Field Services Representative for Bergen County. Um, she is going to introduce herself and, uh, talk about the CSA evaluation process. And I'll hand it over. Thank you, Mrs.
046DelRosso, for coming to our meeting. Appreciate it. My pleasure. Thank you. Uh, so I just wanted to first introduce myself. Obviously, Elizabeth DelRosso. You have, uh, my business card there. I am a new, uh, field services representative for the School Boards Association. New Jersey School Boards Association. Um, I know a lot of you are seasoned, uh, board members. So, uh, even though I'm new, I have a background as well. I've served in New Jersey. I was a board member in Monmouth County for a little bit for 5 years. Uh, and I got my school board certification in 2019. My name is Elizabeth DelRosso. Uh, and basically I just love this job. So, what I want you to understand for my role in this job is if you need anything as a board member, that's what
047I'm here for. I'm here to support you, not just in training, but if you have any questions, if you're not sure of something, you have my business card there. Don't hesitate to give me a call or reach out to me if you need any information. Don't be a stranger. Very good. Uh, You can come this way. Yeah, yeah, that's fine. And fighting example of that. So, anyway, the point is, as you're doing this, uh, job that you get paid so well for, and, um, and it takes so much of your time, I want you to understand that if you have any questions as a board member, you just need to reach out to me. Whether you make a phone call, you send me an email, if you want to research something, we have a great
048website, the School Boards Association, but when you you on there, you probably go down a rabbit hole, and it could take you a lot of time. Don't waste your time. Reach out to me. I probably can get it to you faster, and I'm happy to do it. Um you'll get a a response very quickly. I will get back to you within 24 hours, and if you don't hear from me within 24 hours, don't hesitate to call me back. Um so anyway, that's what I want you to know about what I do. My job is to support you you. Um and that's what I'm here for. So I'm going to go over through this CSA evaluation presentation, and I just want you to know you don't have to take notes. You have everything you need in
049that booklet. Everything that we cover here is in that booklet, and once again, if you need anything, just need to pick up the phone and give me a call, okay? And if you have any questions while we're going through this, don't hesitate. Ask me while we're going through it. Don't wait till the end. Thank you. Yeah, it might be easier for us to get go down everyone Okay. So basically, the superintendent evaluation tool is is just that. It is the resource that you're going to utilize, the tool you're going to utilize to evaluate your superintendent. It's probably one of the most important roles that you have as a board member. You just finished one of the evaluations actually done for your budget process. Um so we know about the next five months. And um but
050seriously, this is really important because you're evaluating your superintendent, and that is your way of evaluating the direction your district is going in. Um so we're going to talk about the legal guidelines, the evaluation process, and the evaluation tools. Um just a reminder, if a the member has is that works in the district, you may not take part in the superintendent evaluation process if that's the case. Do not open the email when it comes to you or we'll reach out to you and let you know and I can stop that from happening as well on my end. Okay? The evaluation of the CSA is the board's means of oversight and appraisal of the effective management of the school district. As I mentioned, it's probably one of the most important roles that you'll be doing. There
051are the legal guidelines, just so that you're aware, you are required annually as a board to evaluate your superintendent. It's actually written in the statute. Okay? And there's just a couple of criteria around that. You need to do it once a year, you need to do it in writing. You need to meet with the superintendent and the board to discuss the findings. Okay? You're evaluating on the goals and objectives of the district and the responsibilities of the superintendent. All right. The other piece of this is it should be done by July 1st. Okay? So that's another thing to make sure you're setting a timeline up accordingly. The reason for that is in order to get those little little points on QSAC, it's a pretty easy couple of points there, right? Those two points are super
052easy if you just do it before July 1st like that. Okay, using the school board evaluation tool, it's not required. Just as as a heads-up, it is a tool for boards to use, but the superintendent and the board can choose any other type of evaluation tool that you like, but it must be done in writing. I will give you a little bit of background that the evaluation tool was created in combination between New Jersey School Boards and the NJASA, which is represents superintendents, and New Jersey School Boards representing board members. It was a 2-year process and just recently the Superintendents Association has been speaking to New Jersey School Boards about tweaking them, okay? Because obviously everything can get better. So, I just wanted you to know that it is you are required to do the
053evaluation, you are not required to use the New Jersey School Boards Association tool. The other key to our tool is the fact that you are able to do it anonymously as board members individually. And then we get to the end and we get to the report information. Just so you know, every time you pull that report it's randomized with the comments and everything else. So, if you are looking at this and you're trying to pull the tracking report and see who finished their part first and who finished their part last, don't assume that the comments will line up because every time you pull it's randomized. When I pull it, I send it out to the board president and put it into a PDF to to avoid that. It keeps you anonymous. Okay? Most of this
054is done so I'm not going to go down this road. Everything in the census is updated. So, we'll skip through this. I'm going to assume you have an evaluation calendar already planned out with your dates. Um We go there if this is correct or not. Um this is a sample evaluation calendar but we'll go on that. I just wanted to say something about this. The evaluation process itself is cyclical. It is not a one-and-done deal. It's actually a full year ahead, right? It starts with your district goal-setting process which again once you get finished with it you have to go back and start all over again, right? Um but the other important thing is you should be getting regular updates on the district goals. There are districts that don't do that. It's really important so
055there are no surprises coming before the evaluation. And just before you do the evaluation, you can remember um that should be the last update of your year as a superintendent evaluation pre-conference. It's really the last update on how the district is doing on the goals. And that's usually occurring just before your superintendent begins their portion of the CSA evaluation. All right? So, then the superintendent goes in, puts in all the evidence and self-evaluation, goals, and comments. When he is done, it is forwarded to the board. The board then completes individually their portions. From there, once everybody is done, we will download the report into the compilation that I will forward onto your board president. Then the board will meet in executive session. Your superintendent will be right and that's where you will go over that
056compilation, review, and figure out your majority opinion. Okay? And it's really important to understand that um there's seven nine out of seven. I really can't handle what it's like. Um so, there are nine of you and that is nine individual voices looking at this in different ways. So, this process is trying to get one voice and one majority opinion. Okay? So, that's what comes across as the annual summary. The annual summary is the written document of what the compilation the majority compilation says. You also have the opportunity and and you're required to sit down with the superintendent as a board in executive session. Once again, the superintendent will be right. Where you will go over this report, right? This um summary. Uh I will also say that a few days before you do this, your
057superintendent will have a copy of that cuz again, we want to avoid surprises at the table. Your superintendent will have the opportunity to review this prior to you sitting down. When you sit down, um again, the board majority opinion is what's in there. If you have a dissenting opinion, and when I say dissenting opinion, it's not necessarily negative. It you know, you might be thinking it's hitting it out of the park and everybody else is saying it's deficient. You have that opportunity to voice that opinion in that meeting. And, you know, that is your opportunity to be heard, okay? And then, at the end of this, your board president and your superintendent will sign this document and then it just becomes a personnel record. Your superintendent also has the opportunity, if he disagrees with some
058of this or wants to add information to there, he has an opportunity as well to do that at that time, okay? Any questions so far? I'm going to list through some of these for the public record. Um this is I think that's the only one that's up. What else is up? Okay. All right, so this is what it looks like when the superintendent puts everything in. And then If you do it all together, I'll put this I'll put this one up. Okay. So, the first portion of it is the goals. And that's the district goals. The superintendent will put in commentary on that. He will put in evidence to what's been accomplished. And then as you can see on there, that's the evaluation. So, you can see there's a The first column is achieved. The
059ratings are ratings. The second one is the superintendent's self-evaluation. In that one, it says achieved. And then if you go over to the end, that's the board members. So, seven board members said achieved, one said satisfactory progress, and one said there was no progress made. All right, so two two dissenting opinions obviously there. But, the summary report will show that it was achieved based on that journey. Okay, then you go on to standards portion which has two sections to your CSA evaluation. And these are the six six standards and again this was agreed upon between both groups. Again, the mission and core values, governance ethics, professional norms, operations management, curriculum and instruction, assessment and school improvement, community and care, equity and family engagement, and professional capacity building for school district personnel. This is what it
060looks like. So, you'll see the top is the standard and that would be the first one with the mission vision report and then you have the ratings and they're defined there. Make sure you understand them and agree with that that's why they're they're defined on the page, right? So, then you have the resources there. Take the time to look at the resources. I I first year it's kind of hard to see it if you're not looking for it and it can be totally missed. Um and I think it was a new evaluation that we were talking about that I was using here, but it is really important your superintendent takes a lot of time putting this together and the valuable information for you when you're doing this. Okay, the next thing you need to go
061down and there's a list of indicators as you can see there. This is where it gets a little repetitive and a little bit um I guess owners, right? The board members and I understand that and as a board member I would feel the same way, but what why this is important is the indicators are trying to keep everybody headed in the same direction and you're looking at that standard in the same way. The indicators are indicators that show if that standard is being met. And it's really trying to keep getting the alignment of different mindsets all on the same page to all travel in the same direction. So, when you go down there, that's going to give you the at the bottom, you're going to get a final rating for this for that standard, okay?
062That's the whole idea there. That's the point of it. At the end, it is the bottom um rating that you're going to be getting. Okay. This is a sample of the compilation. So, this is what you will get at the end, and you'll be able to see the various um breakdown of all board members on this particular one as I'm looking at it, right? You're going to find out again it's proficient and you have one that says exemplary two that says area for growth and majority of the five say proficient, and that's what what the majority of the people is. Okay. Um once you get that compilation, you're going to figure out the majority opinion. You will usually meet in an executive session and go through those comments and go through that and make sure
063everybody's on the same page. I recently had a question, what happens if there's no clear majority? What do you do on the board? That's when you it's the meeting of minds that you really need to have a conversation and understand where everyone's coming from and get that majority opinion. It's a good time. It could be great if you just agree and agree that's the majority, but sometimes it could be, you know, it could just still spread out randomly and not have a true majority. That's an important time that you're going to need to discuss that. Okay. This is where we show the same thing to you 50 different ways. Um This is the template that you use for the summary. That's usually the work of the board president to put that together unless they give
064it to somebody else. And again, that's a template. Just as a heads-up to you, you are giving the summary template to your superintendent. You are not giving the backup and there's a reason for that, okay? Um and all boards do it differently. You can choose to do it the way you want to do it, but if you're giving the backup, right? It it negates the whole point of doing the summary um of of one voice type of uh evaluation, right? It It It doesn't matter what the dissenting opinion is, although you will have the opportunity to speak to that. But the point is to give a summary of what the overall voice of the board is, all right? So, this goes through what you do with that. You write your superintendent. You share the evaluation
065and again, as I mentioned, you're sharing that prior to the conference as well. Um the majority of the membership should be there for it. Minority opinion may be expressed. Remember also if it's a executive session, they are not involved in this. And the minutes of that executive session should reflect that the annual superintendent summary conference was held. That is your documentation that will be used for your QSA. Keep your backup. And this we covered as well. This is really another overview of what we'll do. This is really important. You keep a copy. You're going to have two copies when this is over. One thing I'm going to tell you, you should shred your compilation. Board members should not save these documents. Um there are some boards that might hand on file number and take it
066back. This is a personnel record. It is extremely confidential and it shouldn't be floating around out there, just as a heads up. So, you need to treat it accordingly. You're going to have one final copy signed by your two two copies, one for the superintendent, one for the board president. The board president should give that copy over to the board attorney. That's who usually holds them. If you switch board attorneys, that file is transferred. And the superintendent, you should keep a copy of it. I recommend you keep it at home and don't recommend you keeping it in the office. The point of this is it's it's a confidential personnel file, right? And nobody else in the district is above the superintendent and therefore they shouldn't have access to it. So, you might have confidential secretaries
067that can have access to it, but they shouldn't and that's why I say that. So, but the key thing here, and this is super important, each of one of you should have a copy. At the end of the year, it's actually the end of January of the following year, we delete everything from our files. Completely deleted. We don't hold onto it. They are it's personal information. We don't want it I don't keep it on my file either even when I send the compilation over, it will always just go on one file. I delete that file. That's really important because we always get the request from somebody to say, "I don't have it anymore. Can you get it?" I cannot. I also will never see the final summary. As you as you get so far that
068is not my my goal. You won't send me that final summary. And I'm going to do it again. I delete it. Um that again is a personal record. So, I wouldn't even have that to give it to you if you needed it. Okay, so just an overview, remember it's an ongoing year that we decide what goes throughout the year. Um you're you are review the performance over the full you should make sure that you have that on your annual calendar. You should maintain a developed system to retain the evidence so that both positions are at the same time, and that's part of those updates. Progress updates and two-way communication are critical. Responsibility is all held to board members to fully participate. So, I did not know as a board member that you could choose not
069to do this, and really you can't. It wasn't until I came into this role that I found out that there are board members and some board members don't do it, not because it's a conflict of interest, but because they choose not to do it. I highly recommend that every board member do it. I consider it to be a critical piece of your role and responsibility in this position. And I know it's hard, and sometimes you don't have the best time allotted, and I know it's a little tedious, but I really, really you need to take the time to do that because that is your big part of what you do. You evaluate, and this is the way you do it, okay? The other thing I want to tell you is also to think of when
070you're doing goals, and you're reviewing these, things happen throughout the year. This is why those regular updates are so important. Things can change and derail goals. Not because they can't be done, not because it wasn't capable, but outside factors can change that. And that's okay. Goals can be fluid. I always recommend you go back to thinking about COVID and take that into consideration when you are assessing your superintendent, okay? I can guarantee you that the majority of superintendents did not hit their goals the year that we had COVID, right? But I will also tell you I would bet 99.9% of them stepped up in a way they never expected they would have to, right? So, that's the stuff you have to take into consideration when you're doing this evaluation. Don't be so critical to the
071point to say, "Oh, that wasn't done and and and that was impossible." Take the whole picture into consideration when you're reviewing this. Give it the time and thought that it deserves. Okay? Any questions? Wow, that was I told you. Yeah. All right. Well, thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. It was nice meeting you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Steve. Steve, if you have a My views are Thank you. Thank you so much. Yeah, you're the new guy. Yes. Any questions at all? >> [clears throat] >> Oh, no. I don't know. All right. Thank you again, Mr. Galvin. Very appreciated. And and honestly, it's interesting that we're as in the past, I didn't even know how the vibrations were going to come out. informative. All right. Let's move on because again, we
072have a lot more to cover. Uh board committee reports. Uh we're going to have to see. Mr. Galvin. Sorry, I just have um three things I want to report back on. Um you know, otherwise we'll be talking about bond issue two. And as we get deeper and deeper, into it, there'll be more happening. Right now, we are in the process of the district and our legal counsel are preparing the bond, or I call it the perspective, but they have another name for it, to sell the bond. That is on schedule to go out to the market the end of June and the cash to be deposited in our accounts in mid-July. We also have other aspects of the referendum that are more directly related to getting the projects off the ground. That is contract plan,
073um the design work, construction bid documents, all that stuff, and that is well on the way as well. And the last item, which is um a really a feather in our cap to, especially to Greg Romero, our supervisor of buildings and grounds, who has persisted for 2 years to get a grant to plant 80 trees in the district. And I was just noticing again as we walk around in the nooks and crannies with the new shrubbery and trees that have been installed. So, thank you, Greg, and thank you to the Trees for Schools plant program for getting those 80 trees in our district. So, thank you. Uh thank you, Mr. Gattman. Do we have any other board member to speak this evening? Uh okay. On behalf of um instruction and curriculum, um oops. Just a
074couple of updates um from our main meeting. Um we did receive a curriculum uh uh AI curriculum update um from uh Miss Pratt. Um this is the uh committee that they have ongoing um coming up with um uh ways of um how we're proceeding with AI curriculum. Um this piece was very interesting because they spoke uh with a range of students um across various schools, J P Machado, the Ridge, and May High School. Um and they gave us several questions to them and they took feedback from them. Again, I think it's just really interesting to hear the students' perspective. So, one of the things that came out that basically there was conversation about AP students feeling maybe shouldn't be taught at other high schools so much. Um remember Ribs said it's a tool for academics.
075And while high school students were quite steadfast that in their opinion about if they use taught at the Ribs, they wanted to follow the guidelines. They wanted teachers to know that when they're using AI that they're doing it responsibly. Um and so it was just it was kind of interesting. I think the student perspective is very important. So, that was one. There was an update from Mr. Shade regarding our AP stats. There's a new textbook and they're doing curriculum writing for the AP stats curriculum. Um there's also quite a lot of curriculum writing that's on the agenda for tonight as well. And that will be through the summer. All right. So, that was our main All right. Do we have any board member reports this evening? Okay. All right. Let's take old business 17 A
076B. This is from our April 29th meeting. I made a motion on the floor. Mr. Gallo seconded by Mr. Copeland. Uh roll call basis and our time. Mr. Castor C. Yes. Mr. Gallo. Yes. Mr. Houston. Yes. Mr. Hughes. Yes. Mrs. Swanson. Yes. Mr. Copeland. Yes. Dr. Morgan. Abstain. All right. Next, let's uh 18 for new business. We have A through U, and then through U. Um we need a motion on the floor. Mr. Kismarki, second by Mr. Hughes. We'll call places for that. Mr. [clears throat] Kismarki. Uh yes, excuse myself. I'm checking 1 2 >> [snorts] >> 3 7 1 7. Mr. Gauer. Yes, except on 18A, abstaining from check number 123605 and 123704, and I'm abstaining on 18A. Mrs. Kay. Kay, yes, that's correct. Mr. Houston. Yes, Houston. Mr. Hughes. Yes. Mrs. King-Denson. Yeah.
077Mr. Coplin. Yes. Dr. Ford. Yes. All right, now let's take new business. Personnel, this is 18. We have A through T. I need a motion on the floor. I'm looking to this side of the table. Mr. Coplin, Mr. Hughes. Second, thank you. And we'll call places for that. Mr. Kismarki. Yes. Mr. Gauer. Yes. Mr. Houston. Yes. Mr. Hughes. Yes. Mrs. King-Denson. Yeah. Mr. Coplin. Yes. Dr. Ford. Yes. All right, public questions or comment about participation in board meetings is in accordance with by law 1067. At this time, members of the public may ask questions or make a comment on educational issues or school matters of community interest. As a matter of fairness, you're asked to limit your questions to no more than 1 minute, and your remarks to no longer than 3 minutes. If you're
078here representing a group, please identify yourself, the group, and your position in the group. You're here as an individual, please provide your name and address. I need a motion that we open the meeting to the public. Mr. Marski, second by Ms. Jansen. We are officially open to the public. See none for the time. Motion to close the meeting to the public at this side of the table. Mr. Poplack, second by Mr. Houston. Thank you. We I do need a motion now to close this executive session. Ms. Jansen, second by Mr. Hughes. Um and then we will be uh adjourning to executive session. Thank