001Here we go. This meeting of the MA Board of Education is open to members of the public to be 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 agenda page of our website. Additionally, the board meeting will be livereamed for viewing purposes only. Anyone wishing to view the meeting may do so by Zoom. Webinar ID is 89545298434 and the required password is 205102. All right, I call this meeting to order. Roll call please. >> Mr. Dilva >> here. >> Mr. Kazmarkski. >> Mr. Coplin. >> Mr. Gallo >> here. >> Miss Daviniro >> here. >> Mr. Mr. Houston >> here. >> Mr. Hughes >> here. >> Mrs. Ting Jansen >> here. Dr. Morphy >> here.
002Adequate notice of the agenda for this meeting has been provided to the Ridgewood News and the record specifying that the MAWA board of education will meet on March 25th, 2026 in the administrative offices 60 Ridge Road, MA, New Jersey. Copy was filed with the township clerk. Um our salute to the flag this evening. Uh, Mr. Houston, would you lead us, please? >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay, we don't need an exec session, executive session in the beginning. So, let us move on to agenda questions. Please limit your questions at this time to resolutions under new business on this agenda. As a matter of fairness, you're asked to limit
003your questions to no more than one and your remarks to no longer than three minutes. If you are here representing a group, please identify yourself, the group, and your position in the group. If you're here as an individual, please provide your name and address. All right, I need a motion to open the meeting to the public. U Mr. Dilva, second by Mr. Gallo. We are officially open to the public. All right, seeing no one come forth at this time. Motion to close the meeting to the public, Mr. Hughes, and second by Miss Ting Jansen. All right, our MAWA student representative report this evening. It's a long drive with me. >> Excellent. Lot going on. Thank you. >> Robotics did well at Robinsville. Their alliance placed third. They won the judges board for safety. And they're
004moving to the Mid-Atlantic District Championship in Lehi in April. >> Winter Guard came in second place in their division at Hunton Regional Competition. Jazz band earned silver rating at Livingston Jazz Festival and Sebastian Miller was selected as best soloist out of all the jazz bands at the festival. Community problem solving took first for their project project hero. Future problem solvers won many awards including first place for global issues and first place for magic team. In total between both groups, 28 Thunderbirds earned spots to compete in the international competition held in Indiana in June. Wow. >> Our spring sports are starting this week. Um, we're doing Mindful Spirit Week at the high school with each day celebrating anCCL competency. And lastly, our symphonic band earned a gold rating at the North Jersey Music Festival held at
005Mon. >> Amazing. Thank you very much. >> All right, our superintendence report. Dr. Dora, >> now it's not as long. >> Is there a tag team? Should I just >> Should I introduce both of you now? >> And and Dr. I just I think this has become a combo. It's a combo. It's a you know one two punch as they say. >> It feels right. >> That's what they say. >> Okay. >> The ones that weren't taken. >> Okay. So, um, our our food drive, um, our referendum vote became, uh, an opportunity to give back, uh, as Rambo Ridge students organized a community food drive using the theme, two cans, two questions. Students collected donations prior to voting day and proudly contributed their efforts to support the center for food action. This initiative highlighted both
006civic engagement and compassion for the Ma community. And that one's a little bit longer. I just wanted to take a moment to read something to the board and to the community. I would like to take a moment to express my sincere thanks to the model community for your support in the recent referendum. With the passage of question one, approved by a vote of 2048 to 1,822. You have demonstrated a clear commitment to the future of MA public schools and to the students we serve. This outcome did not happen by chance. It is the result of tremendous collective effort grounded in transparency, communication, and a shared belief in the importance of our strong public schools. Over the past several months, we held more than 20 communication sessions, published articles in the papers, maintained an updated website
007and an active email address for questions and inquiries. All this designed to ensure that the residents had accurate information, opportunities to ask questions, and a clear understanding of what was being proposed. To everyone who attended those sessions, engaged in conversations, and took the time to learn more, we thank you. I would also like to recognize the many individuals and groups who whose work made this possible. Thank you to our communication committee made up of various model community members for their tireless efforts in sharing information across multiple platforms. Thank you to the board of education and community relations committee as well as the finance and facility committees for their leadership and thoughtful planning. Thank you to the full board for their guidance and support through this process. And to the many community members who helped share
008accurate information, engaged neighbors in meaningful dialogue, and encouraged participation in the vote. Your contributions were invaluable. To our administrative team and staff, thank you for your professionalism and commitment to ensuring that our community was informed and our students remained at the center of every decision. The passage of question one represents more than a successful vote. It positions our district's infrastructure on a solid footing for years to come. These improvements will directly impact the learning environment for our students, ensuring that our facilities are safe, functional, and align with the expectations of highquality educational experience. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that while this referendum addresses critical capital needs for the maintenance of our facilities, our operating budget will continue to present significant challenges. We are facing rising costs across multiple areas including benefits
009increasing at the state level by approximately 30%. Keeping in mind that our faculty and staff do make financial contributions to insurance cost and still the increase is double digits. Utility rising utilities rising at approximately 20% possibly more and transportation costs increasing by 3.6% to name just a few guaranteed rising costs. escalating expenses that are coupled with the mandated 2% tax cut tax levby cap. It creates a very real and ongoing budgetary issue. Despite these pressures, we remain committed to fiscal responsibility. Each budget cycle requires careful planning, difficult decisions, and continued focus on prioritizing what matters most for our students while being mindful of our taxpayers. No two years are the same and each presents a new set of financial challenges that we must navigate thoughtfully and strategically. While the referendum vote is an important milestone
010is it is also the beginning of the next phase of our work. Planning is already underway and we are fully committed to executing these projects with care, transparency and accountability. We we will ensure that every step reflects what we proudly call the MA standard. a standard defined by excellence, responsibility, and community trust. Allow me to take a moment to thank two other members of central office team. Um, and provide my sincere appreciation to Katherine and Barbara of the business office for their exceptional work and dedication in ensuring that our budget remains balanced, responsible, and aligns uh with the needs of our district. Their expertise and diligence are critical to maintaining the financial stability of Mawa Public Schools. It remains mine and Dr. affairs priority that together our district and community will continue to move forward
011thoughtfully, responsibly, and always with our students at the center of all that we do. I thank you. Thanks. >> She talked about Connor already, but I'll say it again. The Bergen County Schoolboards Association Unsung Hero Award celebrates students who make meaningful contributions behind the scenes through resilience, empathy, and strong character. We are proud to recognize Connor Yitaryi as our district's unsung hero. His positive impact exemplifies the spirit of this distinguished honor. And she said this one, too. Congratulations to the robotic uh the Robo T-Irds for earning third place overall and receiving the judges award at their recent competition in Robinsville, my old stomping grounds. This recognition highlights the team's commitment to excellence and safe practices. We wish them the best of luck as they advance to the next round. A great part of this story
012is we were with Mr. Montana right before the first um the first competition and the robot wasn't done and he was stressed that it was going it wasn't going to be ready. So, the commitment of the kids of Mrs. Schwarz, Mr. Montana, and the volunteers, we can't thank everybody enough for really staying committed to the job. They did an excellent, excellent job. We have a wrestling milestone. We love sharing uh these types of milestones. Congratulations to junior captain Lindseay Cunningham on placing third at the regional wrestling tournament. Lindsay made ma history by becoming just the second female wrestler to advance to the state tournament in Atlantic City. We are incredibly proud of her dedication and achievement. This one uh we we're really proud of our staff for for taking on leadership roles. Our our staff
013continues to shine as leaders in education. Recently presenting at professional development events, Christy Harding Miller shared insights on meeting the challenges of K2 and high school gifted and talented identification and programming. Autonic Conrad, uh Chrissy Shannon, and Morgan Bridgeway each le led sessions uh for team middle school professional development. Their expertise reflects the strength and innovation within our district. And the next one was taken, but I'm going to read it anyway. Our T-Irds are earned in second place for their performance uh of the garden at Maine Scholastics Region 1 A1 competition at Hunington Central High School. Congratulations on this outstanding achievement. In addition, MA High School Jazz Bam received a silver rating at the Livingston Jazz Festival where senior Sebastian Miller was honored with the best soloist award. We are proud of our talented musicians
014for continuing to impress and inspire. I'll just transition. Great. So, you'll see here uh Breen Cole uh Breen and Cole uh has just been accepted into the prestigious All New Jersey State Orchestra as a 10th grader. This elite ensemble will perform at the teachers convention and uh NJP pack this November. We are proud of Breen's dedication and musical excellence. We've had some academic competitions and student success that are worthy of celebrating this evening as well. MA proudly hosted the perennial math competition in person for the first time, welcoming students in grades three through eight to engage in challenging logic-based problem solving. Our students delivered an outstanding performance, earning numerous individual and team honors across multiple grade levels. In addition, Rampo Ridge teams excelled at the future problem solving state bowl, demonstrating creativity, collaboration, and critical
015thinking. Uh throughout the competition, several teams earn top placements and invitations to the international level. Again, showcasing uh our students exceptional talent. We've talked about uh our self-contained students from the high school before uh but now they have visited Lenipe Meadows School to read to our youngsters. Uh the visit provided a meaningful opportunity for students to share experiences, build relationships, and foster a sense of community across all grade levels. And again, this is the spirit uh by which model connects was born and continues to thrive. Uh tabletotable program uh uh Ponttonian Food Services has been recognized by tableto for its efforts in rescuing food and reducing waste. Uh this honor reflects a strong commitment to sustainability and supporting those in need within our community. Um another piece that we don't have a slide because we
016just received the email um minutes ago. We have two students who uh who are part of our broadcast journalism and digital media program. uh their documentaries were were just um selected for the Garden State Film Festival High School category of New Jersey hometown documentaries which is so awesome. So congrats to William Nixon and Valentina Marina Moreno. Um the documentary will be shown Sunday, March 29th at Asbury Park during the festival. So a big shout out to Miss Longo. She's our new broadcast journalism and digital media instructor over at the high school. Uh what's awesome is when when we offered her the job, we had shared with her, we we want to get on the map with our students work because they do such an awesome job and she's done it within months. So, congrats to
017her. Um and congrats to our program. >> This just >> Yes, this just >> Yes. Uh we have some uh huge retirement announcements. Uh we'll start with Mr. Pushy. >> I know. Uh three, let me just preface by saying we have three wonderful people um exiting uh from our district this uh this spring. Uh the first is Mr. Pushy who uh has given 16 years of service to our district. Uh and uh we're proud of his work here. He's served as our middle school uh teacher of special education in the content area of social studies at Rampoo Ridge. Throughout his time at Rampoo Ridge, Tom has been a consistently positive and professional member of our school community. His commitment to supporting students has been evident in every aspect of his work from the classroom to
018the hallways and beyond. Tom has gone above and beyond by supervising students on afternoon bus duty and welcoming everyone each morning during arrival. Uh if you've ever been in the line, uh you'll uh you'll know that his thoughtful touch of playing a variety of music during arrival has created a warm, upbeat atmosphere for both students and parents alike, setting a positive stone for the day ahead. Tom's dedication, reliability, and genuine care for students have made a lasting impact on our school community. Uh and he will be greatly missed by colleagues, students, and families. As Tom begins this exciting new chapter, he looks forward to spending time on the golf course and enjoying many special moments with his wife Sharon, his sons Brian and Kevin, and his daughter Kelly. So, congratulations to Tom. A well-earned retirement.
019We hope uh for nothing but happiness and relaxation in his retirement. Secondly, we have uh Andrea Samini, also from the Ridge. Uh what an honor it is to recognize her work here in district. She's a truly dedicated educator who has served our school community for 32 years and two months. As a special education teacher, she has worked in a variety of settings including self-contained classes, resource room instruction, and in-class support. In these roles, uh, Miss Simeini was always focused on helping students build confidence in their learning and in themselves. And if you've ever seen Andrea teach, um, she is known to connect with any and all types of learners. So, uh, which is huge. Uh during her time at the Ridge, Miss Sini strived to be involved beyond the classroom. She served as homework club
020adviser, a lunch duty supervisor, and morning duty staff member, often being one of the first smiling faces to welcome students each day or one of the last teachers that students will be connected with at the end of the day. Uh throughout her career, Andrea has exemplified what it means to be an educator, dedicated, compassionate, and upbeat while making a meaningful difference in the lives of her students and her colleagues. So, we wish Andrea all the best. Uh, for our last retirement announcement, Mr. Pascal, he actually walked in on my office and he saw his Outlook picture. So, when I when I pull these pictures, I pull it from their mail, like our Outlook mail system. He said, "Please don't use that picture." So, so he said, "I'll send you better pictures." So, um, and John,
021>> typical John. What's awesome is that uh these pictures I mean just gives you like a quick sliver of what he has done here in the district. Um he has done everything in the best interest of students no matter what. So when John called me to share the news, my heart literally sank. Uh at first I thought he was joking because that's how John is. And then he paused and um yeah, I was like stunned. So what a dedicated man and educator John has been all of these years. Actually, I shared with him because he was part of the hiring process back in 2011 when I became supervisor in the district and what I've learned from him over the years. Um I said I said to him, he's like helped me grow into a young
022man. Um it really I've grown up uh with John providing me with many uh in district and life lessons. So his retirement marks the end of an incredible era at MOA High School where his impact has been felt in every hallway, every classroom, and every corner of the community. From his early days as a chemistry teacher to his leadership as assistant principal and principal, he has dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the success of his students and staff. He has been far more than an administrator. He has been a constant familiar presence at games, at performances, and at any and all events. Always showing up to support and celebrate his students and his staff. Uh no matter the day, uh no matter the weather, uh John always showed up. His unwavering commitment, often working around the clock,
023reflects a deep love and commitment for the school and the people in it. As a member of this leadership team, he's been a source of strength, encouragement, and steady guidance through every challenge and triumph. John's kindness, dedication, and genuine care have left a lasting impression on all who have had the privilege to work with and learn from him. And while we certainly have the opportunity to formally celebrate John's retirement this spring, I hope that in this moment he knows that MOA High School will forever be better because of him and he will be deeply missed as he begins his well-deserved new chapter. So we hope that in his retirement he truly knows that he left a lasting mark on this district and on this team that's it for this evening. Thank you. >> Thank you.
024All right. Um, and well said about our retirees. Um, next, Miss, you have a report for us this evening, a budget presentation. Thank you. You should have to hold it. >> So, good evening everyone. Tonight is the first of three presentations on the 2627 preliminary budget. The goal of this evening's presentation is to provide a high-level overview of the district's financial framework. Specifically, we will be reviewing our revenue resources, options related to the tax levy, and the adoption of the preliminary budget. This presentation is intended to lay the foundation and in the next two presentations we will continue to build on this with more detailed information leading up to the adoption of the final budget. As we move into the state revenue and taxation, I want to start with a few important concepts that guide
025how we build the budget each year. First, under New Jersey state law, the district is limited to a 2% increase in the local tax levy. This cap is one of the most significant constraints in the budgeting process as it directly impacts how much revenue we are able to generate locally. There are limited exceptions to this cap. One of those is through what's called a health benefits waiver adjustment. This allows a district to exceed the 2% cap if there are unusually high increases in health insurance costs or significant changes in student enrollment. However, it's important to note that these adjustments must be justified annually and do not carry forward from year to year. Another concept is bankked cap. This refers to unused taxing authority from prior years where the district increased the levy by less than
0262%. That unused capacity can be carried forward and used within the next 3 years. For the 2627 budget, the district does not have any bank cap available, meaning we are limited strictly to the 2% increase unless a waiver is applied. On this slide, we're looking at how the district's tax levy was developed for the 2627 school year. Based on the 2% cap, the district's allowable tax levy is 74,468,294. This represents an increase of 1,460,163 from the 2526 school year. In addition to the 2% increase, the district elected to utilize a health benefits waiver adjustment in the amount of $1,411,291. With the inclusion of the waiver, the total tax levy for the 2627 budget is 75,879,585. Overall, this is an increase of 2,871,454 from the prior year or 3.93% with a 1.93% of that increase directly
027attributable to health waiver adjustment. I do want to make a mo take a moment to provide additional context around the health benefits as this is a major driver of the budget. The district budgets conservatively for health benefits due to the volatility and continued increases in costs for the 2627 budget. We have projected a 20% increase in medical costs. Our medical plan renews every January and runs on a calendar year which makes it more challenging to estimate costs for the la latter half of the school year at the time of budget development. In addition, our prescription and dental benefits renew every July and operate on a fiscal year basis. For the 2627 school year, prescription benefits are estimated to increase by approximately 40%. And dental benefits by approximately 12%. These are significant increases that that the
028district must absorb each year and we work to carefully balance these rising costs while maintaining our programs and operations. Although we were fortunate to to transition from the state health benefits plan to a private plan in 2025, reducing what could have been a 30% increase down to approximately 17.5%. The reality is that health benefit costs continue to rise year-over-year. It is also important to note that while the district did utilize a health waiver adjustment, we did not maximize the full amount available. Districts may request up to 29.9% if justified. However, we budget conservatively and remain mindful of the impact on our taxpayers. The health waiver is critical in helping to offset these increases. Without it, it would be extremely difficult to balance the budget and the district would likely need to make reductions in staffing.
029student programs and other areas that directly impact our schools and our students. By utilizing the waiver in a responsible and measured way, we are able to maintain our programs, support our staff, and continue to provide a high quality education while remaining fiscally responsible and mindful of our community. On this slide, we're looking at our state aid and federal revenue sources for the 2627 school year. The district's total state aid is 5,328,466 compared to 5,26,856 in the 2526 school year. This reflects an increase of $31,610 or approximately 6%. Our state aid is made up of several components including transportation aid, special education aid, and security aid. In addition to state aid, we also budget for 70 revenue, which is in which is the special education Medicaid initiative. SEMI is a program that allows school districts to
030receive reimbursement for Medicaid for certain health related services provided to eligible special education students such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, and other related services. The district provides these services first and then submits documentation to the state in order to receive partial reimbursement which helps offset those costs. For the 2627 school year, we have budgeted $40,591 in semi- revenue compared to $8,789 on the prior year. This increase is due to updated guidance from the New Jerseys Department of Education, which now requires districts to budget a minimum of 90% of their projected spending reimbursement. The amount budgeted is provided directly by the Department of Education and is not determined locally by the district. Moving into federal revenue, I do want to briefly explain what these grants support. For the 2526 school year, the district received $185,862 in
031ESCA grant funding, which includes title one through title 5 grants. For the 2627 budget, we have conser conservatively budgeted $139,396, which is a decrease of $46,466. ESA funding is used to support a variety of student focused programs including supplemental instruction such as afterchool tutoring and summer programs, professional development for staff and resources to support student achievement including support for English language learners and family engagement initiatives. Similarly, for IDA IDA grant funding, the district received $688,14 in the 2526 school year, and we have budgeted $515,19 for the 2627 school year, a decrease of $172,95. IDA funding is specifically used to support special education services including out of district tuition for students as well as programs and services that ensure students with disabilities receive the support they need. These reductions are not necessarily indicative of a loss
032of funding but rather reflects county guidance which directs districts to budget budget federal revenues at approximately 75% of prior year actuals. This approach ensures that we are budgeting conservatively and avoiding over reliance on certain uncertain federal funding sources. This slide outlines the key strategies the district used to balance the 2627 budget in a responsible and sustainable way. Before getting into the details, I do want to note that fund balance and reserves are additional revenue sources that the that the district may utilize to support the budget when needed. Starting with fund balance, when we refer to fund balance, we're talking about surplus funds from prior years, meaning funds that were not spent in previous budgets. This can occur when revenues come in higher than anticipated or when expenditures come in lower than expected. Districts are permitted
033to use a portion of that fund balance as revenue source in the future budgets. However, it is important to understand that this is a one-time funding source and not something we can rely on year after year. With that in mind, the district has reduced the amount of fund balance being utilized in the 2627 budget. We have budgeted 2,56,02 compared to 2,875,458 in the prior year. This represents a 12.85% reduction and reflects a more conservative approach, ensuring we're not overrelying on one-time funds to support ongoing expenses. Next, looking at reserves. Similar to fund balance, reserves are also funding sources set aside by the district for specific purposes such as emergencies, capital projects, or maintenance needs. For the 2627 school year, we have significantly reduced our dependency on reserve funding with an overall decrease by of 80.77%
034year-over-year. Specifically, no funds have been budgeted from emergency reserve or capital reserve in the 2627 school year compared to 200,000 and 800,000 respectively in the prior year. For maintenance reserve, we have reduced the amount budgeted from 300,000 to 250,000. Maintenance reserve is specifically used to support increases in maintenance related costs across the district, helping us address ongoing upkeep and operational needs of our facilities. These changes are intentional and support long-term financial stability by preserving reserves for future needs and emergencies. In addition, we continue to focus on our ongoing fiscal responsibility. This includes targeted reductions in areas such as technology and supplies along with ongoing evaluation of programs to ensure we are operating as efficiently as possible without negatively impacting students. Finally, we are focusing on increasing other revenue opportunities. This includes maximizing interest earnings on
035district funds. Together, these strategies allow us to balance the budget while maintaining our programs and strengthening the district's overall financial position. This slide provides a summary of all budgeted revenues for the 2627 school year, including both operating and grant revenues. The total proposed budget is $86,382,564. For comparison, the total budget in the 2526 school year was $85,585,55. This represents an overall increase of $797,59 or approximately 0.93% from the prior year. While the overall budget increases under 1%, there are several key areas that contributed to the changes within the budget budget. The local tax levy increase by 3.93% which includes the use of health benefits waiver adjustments that was discussed earlier. In addition, other local revenue, which includes rental revenue, miscellaneous revenue, and interest income, increased by $543,215. This increase is largely due to a more
036refined and accurate analysis of these revenue sources based on actual trends. State aid increased by approximately 6% and extraordinary aid increased by 500,000. It is important to note that the district typically receives over $1 million in extraordinary aid each year. However, we budgeted conservatively below that amount. SE revenue also increased by $31,82 compared to the prior year. At the same time, there were several areas where revenue sources were reduced. We we reduced our reliance on onetime funding sources. Budgeted fund balance decreased by 12.85%. maintenance reserve withdrawals decreased by 16.67%. Additionally, there are no capital reserve or emergency reserve withdrawals included in in the 2627 budget compared to the prior year. I also want to briefly clarify the adjustment for prior year incumbrances that you see on the chart. Um, this is not something that districts
037budget for directly. That amount is entered after the annual audit is completed and is automatically reflected in the budget system. For reference, the original approved 2526 budget was82,899,434. The difference you see in comparison to the $85,585,55 reflects the adjustment for prior year incumbrances totaling 1,724,867 as well as differences between actual revenues received as of February 1st, 2026 and what was originally budgeted. Overall, although there are increases in certain areas such as tax levy, those increases are offset by reductions in other revenue sources and more conservative budgeting practices. This is why the overall budget increase is only 0.93% despite the tax levy increasing by 3.93%. As we wrap up tonight's presentation, I'd like to briefly outline the next steps of the bud budget process. Our second budget presentation will take place on April 8th. During that
038meeting, we will take a deeper dive into the expenditure side of the budget, including special education, benefits and operations, enrollment, personnel, and capital outlay projects. Our third our third and final budget presentation will be held on April 29th where we will present a final summary and seek the adoption of the 2627 budget. Before we wrap up tonight's presentation, I'd like to take a moment to thank Dr. Doro, Dr. Fair, Lisa Rizzo, Jody Craft, Barbara Comr, and the entire MAWA administration team for their support, collaboration, and input throughout this entire process. I also want to thank the finance and facilities committee for their continued dedication, thoughtful feedback, and guidance. So we appreciate everyone's time and attention this evening and look forward to continuing these discussions at our next presentation. Also any questions? >> Yes. >> Real
039quick. So going back to the beginning of the presentation, you mentioned the significant increase in healthcare expenditures. Do we have any specifics as to what is driving the increase in healthcare costs for the healthcare plan? That is a good question. >> Well, we have the answer to that. That that could be on on a national national level. What I can tell you is uh we're really at the mercy of the providers. >> Um actually at the state level um as as Mr. Moto said, at the state level they're hovering around 30%. >> Yeah. And thankfully we were able to get into the private plan which helps us that we're at 17 >> right now 17.5%. >> So that's that's significant along the lines of of the offset or cost avoidance >> um as Mr. Galla
040would say. So no I don't have an answer of exactly why the the the the premiums or the costs are are rising at a massive pace yearoveryear. I wish I could tell you it was an anomaly but unfortunately it's starting to become a norm. Um, and what I also can tell you is this is not something that's that's specific to MAWA. Um, in my consortium across Bergen County, and I'm also on the the state government relations board, we every district is crushed by uh the costs and have to make some really hard decisions. Um, I'm really proud to say we're at in at a really good place, as I said, right now. And we'll continue to make sure that we're looking at all of our different costs to make sure that we are prepared for
041what's to come. I can't say what is to come. That's the hardest part about it cuz every year in is it October or November, we get the new costs for January. So, what we'll be able to report, Mr. will be able to come uh in the fall and tell us this is what's coming from January uh to December of the 27 year. So, I know that I didn't answer your question, but I wanted to try to give you um the context of what we're dealing with on on a state level and more importantly on a national level, >> which obviously trickles down to us. And um healthcare has been on our radar for years and years and years and for many years, we've been able to take advantage of switching plants to a private healthcare
042um facility. We changed our uh healthcare uh advisor from Brown and Brown to IMAC a number of years ago. They've been very helpful in helping guide our our policy decisions. Um now we've had two things also happen. We had chapter 78 which is began the process of employee contributions to their healthcare. Uh and then we had chapter 44 a couple years ago which changed the dynamic of the contribution rate. It's related now to the employee salary as opposed to the cost of the plan. So by its very nature um employee salaries don't grow as fast as the costs do. So the more the cost of the health care um the health benefit will transition to districts. So many districts where they have a lot more chapter 44 employees, they're experiencing much higher levels of increase
043and it's going to be very difficult for them. But again, we have the healthcare waiver and we use we used it last year. We're using it this year. And if you go to the slide where you saw the 2% cap and the and the healthcare waiver, the healthcare waiver itself is like 90% of our if it's if our increase is 1.4 million60,000 compared to 1,411,000 health care costs alone wipe out our 2% cap. >> Wipe it out. >> Oh yeah. So that assumes that the cost of electricity, the cost of paper and pencils and salaries and transportation, every other element that makes the district go turn on every morning >> would not be able to be paid for if we did not have access to the healthcare waiver. And um and I I think one
044of the themes that sort of gets lost here a little bit sometimes in the weeds is most districts are going for a 30% waiver. We went for a 20% waiver. So we didn't completely exhaust our healthcare waiver benefit but because we knew on the other side of the equation on the appropriation side of the equation the expense side is that we could make our programs work with this uh funding envelope. So we were again as as Katherine and Mike both have um emphasized is we were very mindful of the of our taxpayers because 3.93% is still higher than the 2% that they would be expecting. >> Yeah. So, it's this is a good news, bad news story. We're better than the rest, but it's still not a great story for um you know, long term.
045Now, one of the things that um this one of the themes of this budget is to reduce or curtail a one-time revenue sources like Katherine pointed out. Uh the use of the um of the fund balance that was like a $370,000 uh you know >> reduction in re revenue, a million $50,000 in reduction in reserve accounts. So that's all revenue we had to make up from somewhere else. So in future presentations when we talk about appropriation the expense side of the equation there are reductions in expenses that are consistent with our ongoing fiscal um responsibility and and prudence uh to keep our costs in line. Um I mean and the other thing is this sets us up relatively well for next year. Most districts, they go, "Oh my god, we got to the end of
046this budget. >> God knows what the hell's going to happen next year. >> We'll have time." >> And you can watch plenty of those budget presentations at other board meetings as I have and it's painful to watch because you go that car accident is going to happen next year just the same way it happened this year. >> We don't have that situation. So combined with the fact that we we had the support of the public on question one in the bond referendum that takes an element of risk out of our budget in terms of the operating um maintaining our buildings as Dr. Dtoro pointed out. Um but healthcare is going to be an ongoing uh risk factor in our budget. Um and then the other stuff we really can't control. I mean, we can't control
047the cost of electricity, um, paper and pencils and all the other the supply side of the equation. Um, but I think it's it's it's hard to explain to people, oh yeah, you have a 3.92% budget increase, but that is phenomenal relative to other districts and neighboring where they're looking at increasing class sizes, reducing programs, cutting staff. I mean, we will have some staff reductions. You'll see that in a future presentation, but they're they're very reasonable compared to and they don't affect any of our programs. We're not increasing class size. We're not limiting programs. We're not going out to the public for activity fees and other types of gimmicks that other districts have had to do in order to make the books um come together. So, uh I mean, Dr. Toro gave a very eloquent introduction
048to today's presentation and it's it's unfortunate nobody here is here from the public to hear it. >> But here but you never ask any questions careful what you wish for. >> But this is a budget we can really really be proud of. It it is um it is it is both thinking about the current year but it is also future thinking about where we're going down the road. And I think you know people always ask me like why is that district I hear I I read about them in the paper why is that district out of control? And I think it really is that one-year focus. If because the budget really is built as this one year type of thing you get done you oh my god thank god we got there. We have a
049we have an administrative leadership team that thinks like, oh yeah, if we do this, this could have a consequence a year or two down the road. And this budget is very cognizant of taking some of those um one-time revenue sources out, which which really makes it a much more sustainable budget. As Dr. Dtoro pointed out as an opening remarks, there are things that will still be problematic in future years, but we reduce that risk. the the the the amount of risk that we're facing in the future is less because of actions we've taken and the things we've thought about going forward. >> We we control what we can control. >> Correct. >> Yep. >> Um can you go back to slide something real quick? Just just so I take a picture. So >> seven. >>
050Thank you. >> Um I also wanted to just um >> the last one. I just wanted to also follow up um Chris to your question >> Mrs. Hiramoto you mentioned um and I don't know if you heard the health care costs are 17.5 but prescription costs >> is 40%. So again I think you know this has been a consistent issue that you know finance and facilities our administrative team um everyone is talking about the same area and it has to do with health care costs whether it's prescriptions whether it's dental whether it's the plans and I mean what I can say is we've tried as much as possible also to encourage um our you staff and employees to look at the other at various plans because there's you know a variety of plans that are
051offered and that's also been an education process as well. So um I would say Chris this is just a consistent issue and a I mean we can't understand it. I don't think people have solutions for it as to why does it keep going up but it does in this country and in New Jersey and in Mawa. Um, but I think we've done the due diligence to whatever we can do to try to contain it, but some of it's just, I think, out of our hands. It's it's truly a struggle. And and as Dr. Dtoro spoke to me um the other day, we were just talking about how other districts are are having to cut staff. I mean, they >> six and seven%. >> Well, I mean, that's going to be the next thing if because
052of those increased costs. >> Yeah. So it's it's just a it's a bigger term issue that we're on a you know on a on a very small level trying to manage but you know we seem to be doing doing the best job that we can but yeah >> on the prescription side the exposure the use of GLP1s is a big driver. >> Oh it's the GLPS. Okay >> that makes sense. And you know the other thing to really Mamoto kind of touched on it but to to really understand is the 17% increase that we're talking about for health insurance they work on a that's that's on a calendar year. So that 17% was for the second half of last school year and the first half of this school year. We have no idea what it's
053going to be for the second half of this school year even though we have to have the budget now >> to kind of illustrate the absurdity of of some of this stuff. So, you know, coming off of u a lot of the one-time uh revenue sources, I liken it to, you know, you look at nutrition, you're weaning yourself off of the sugar, so that you're more on on, you know, the protein, >> right? It it should it it makes sense that you know the the one time the one time >> well that's you know I I think when when you see districts around us that are having to go to the public for for bond referendums so that they can balance their budget next year. >> I mean when you look at stuff like that
054like that's actually happening around us and then you look at this I mean >> this is it's it's and you'll see in the next the next two presentations but We're in a really good place. >> Miss Jansen, >> I I just want to say thank you to Kathy for all of her work. I mean, the way I have learned personally so much from the committee and from you pulling this together, this is phenomenal. So, when Mike, Mr. Gallow, says, "Look at the other options of how you present this. This is phenomenal. So, we should be really proud of this work because it sets us up for success. It sets us up so that when we talk about reducing teachers, it's done in a thoughtful way where we're reconfiguring rooms based on what we need, not
055because we have to because of finances, right? So, I'm really grateful because every effort in here is really conscious with the student in mind to get them the best experience with things that are out of our control, right? And that's where I think we have to normalize this conversation so it's not a shock factor that it's more okay, we're all navigating with this and y'all are just doing the best we can and and that's really the intent of the committee. >> Thank you. Appreciate it. >> I love the new look. >> Thank you very much. Yes. >> Thanks to Barbara Cover, too. She helped with this new look. So, >> thanks Barbara. Thank you very much. I I felt No, I felt it was it was very clear for the non finance person. It was
056me. >> Oh, you could you go ahead. >> I have something else. >> Yeah, that's for you to share. >> I'm pleased to share. >> You're good. Don't leave this hanging. sharing >> the official results of the March 10th referendum special election. So for question one, the results were as follows. On election day, 1,330 votes were cast in favor and 1427 against. Mailin balance resulted in 678 votes in favor and 373 against. Provisional ballots totaled 40 votes in favor and 22 against. This brings the overall total for question one to 2,48 yes votes and 1,822 no votes with a total of 3,870 ballots cast. For question two, the results were as follows. On election day, 2017 votes were cast in favor and 1733 against. Mail and ballots resulted in 534 votes in favor and 456
057against. Provisional ballots totaled 35 votes in favor and 26 against. This brings the overall total for question 2 to 1,586 yes votes and 2,215 no votes with a total of 3,81 ballots cast. So those were the results. I'm excited to share that question one was approved by the voters. This is a significant achievement for Malvant and reflects the community support for investing in our schools and our students. So, thanks. That's all. >> And even though the vote is close in question one, nine of 14 voting districts voted yes on question one. So, there was widespread geographic community version of the estimates. And district two, my district, 29.3% turnout. >> Betsy Ross. >> Back to you. That's a great turnout. >> Yeah. >> Excellent. Thank you very much, Mr. >> Um and yes, very um thorough
058budget report and I actually I felt like it was very understandable for someone who's not a finance person. So, I thank you. Um and I will continue president's report. So um first off I just um want to say there's a lot of holidays coming up. So we have Eid Mubarak to our Muslim community. We have happy Passover to our Jewish community and happy Easter to our Christian community. And um hopefully everyone will enjoy their spring break coming up. So um all good holidays and good wishes to all. Um so um Dr. Detroit, thank you for your thoughtful words, uh on the referendum and um I also wanted to uh share as well a few words about the referendum as we're talking about all of that. Um so I first like uh the opportunity to thank
059everyone for all their hard work um on the referendum process. This was not something uh that was just worked on in the last couple of months. um it came to you in the last couple of months but this is something that started you know approximately a year ago um in discussions in conversations in um you know preparing for what was then presented um so first off I want to thank our administrative team uh Dr. Durro Dr. fair, Miss Heramoto, Miss Rizzo, Miss Craft, um for all your hard work. Um my fellow board members, I think each of us um contributed um in the community in many ways. So, um thank you to Mr. Dilva, to Mr. Kismarski, um to Miss Davinero, to Mr. Gallow, uh to Mr. Copan, to Miss Ting Jansen, to Mr. Hughes,
060and to Mr. Houston, our newest member. We kind of like what is that? Uh, initiation by fire. Is that what they say? Like boom. Right. We threw you into it. Um, and I also want to give really a special thanks to our community um to our community relations committee members and to our chairperson Brett Copan who really they were we they were having you know weekly updates. They were having weekly meetings. They were really um on the front lines. And also thank you Mr. Gallow to you um for finance and facilities and to your um team as well who uh did a lot of the leg work to get to where we were. So, thank you very much for your diligence. Um I also wanted to thank um our um you know partners LBC Communications
061who um worked with us um Rose from their team and supported us um every step of the way. the communication committee uh from the community um that had you know multiple people on that um the people at LAN Associates, our bond council, all the people who were part of this um principles, assistant principles, our staff who helped get the word out um and promote the special election. But most importantly, I really wanted to thank all of you who came out to vote. Um most importantly, we asked you to vote. Um voter turnout was I think what 18 Mr. Gallow >> 20%. >> 20 close to 20%. Um a little over a little over Mr. Gallow tells me and um they actually the um communications um consultants indicated that most special elections are 10 to 12%.
062Um because they didn't understand Mawa because we're a very unique place and 20% is is a good turnout. It's a great number. So Again, we thank you for finding out what was going on. We thank you for attending the presentations, uh, bringing questions, uh, and getting out to vote because really we we really couldn't have done this part without you. So, although not exactly the result we were looking for, you know, would have been nice to have both questions. However, the passage bless you, Mr. Tilva. The passage of question one in the amount of almost $80 million, I mean, we can kind of sit with that, is a true accomplishment to be uh very very proud of. Um, and it will be critical to maintaining the infrastructure of our buildings as Dr. Dur mentioned while
063not um directly having to affect our operating budget, our staffing, and our programming. Um, so again, as we've spoken about, we're in a special place here. Um we really do say thank you for trusting us um and we will take this um you know vote um and your confidence in us um and we will do this responsibly and efficiently. Um we have already started looking at the projects um creating a timeline with our partners and we will continue to keep you a breast but um I I think we're kind of up and running beginning looking at projects as soon as summer of of this summer into fall for sure. So again, we um just say, you know, hopefully you will see um that we use this money in a very efficient, responsible manner. Um and
064we, you know, we look forward to looking and regrouping about some of the projects in question two. Um but for now, uh we thank you. We appreciate your confidence. um and we take it very seriously and we will make sure that these projects are done properly for the school district and for the students here. So, thank you very much to everybody. Um last I wanted to uh share about our top soaring teamirds. Um so wasn't taken one the one little thing that wasn't taken. So for February um it's a junior Constantine Hurof. I hope I pronounced that correctly. For being spirited. Do you guys know if that's good? Um staff member noted that Connie always is upbeat and brings out the best um in his peers, especially as an officer on the technology student association.
065He's part of the biotech research and health science pathway, boys soccer, boys tennis, the technology student association, and habitat for humanity. Um, and then our staff member is Matt Sururich. Um, Mr. uh, Hughes. Uh, you know Matt Surich? >> I sure do. Yeah. >> And my son and Mr. Hughes and Matt Surich are all classmates. Um, for being inspiring. Uh, a student wrote that he's always in a good mood. He's engaged with students and he's inspiring because he's a good role model and helps students look at the bright side of things. Um, so >> education. Oh, and he was on the communications committee. Thank you. Um, so again, uh, thank you. I mean, congratulations to both our top soaring T-Irds. Um, all right. Uh, do we have board member Oh, no. Board committee reports this
066evening. Nothing policy, nothing. All right. Well, then you're going to have to continue to hear me speak because we have instruction and curriculum. Uh, so we just had our meeting. um for our March meeting few things that were presented. Um number one uh there was a presentation from Dennis Jarvis about our new science curriculum. Um this is exciting for sixth through 8th grades. So um there uh Mr. Gallow and I have and um have been on the instruction curriculum committee for some years. Um there was concern about that in the past there had been a drop in middle school science scores um so in testing so um along with Miss Craft um they wanted to address that um for that middle school curriculum. Um so the current curriculum uh in Rampo Ridge is domain specific
067and topic specific. So you do earth science one year, life science one year like that. But testing when they test in eighth grade is is not domain specific. It's covering all three years of sixth through 8th grade. So um they wanted to actually look at programs that built on each other and were not sort of isolated um and teaching only specific domains. Um so they looked at uh several um different um uh programs that looked at the science standards. It brought in several vendors. Um and the final decision was to go with activate learning. Um and one thing that I thought was very important is all the science teachers at Ramco Ridge were also included in making the final decision. um activate learning. It's a little less flashy but has very good content. Um lots
068of labs and student involvement which um Mr. Jarvis said they were very interested in. Um and there was a lot about analytic discussions with students um and scripted lessons for teachers to encourage um uh discussions with students. I know some of you don't want to hear this, but Ramsay did put this curriculum in place a few years ago. Um, and they've demonstrated actually very positive results with it. So, um, there'll be a soft launch in September. There will be PD professional development over the summer. Um, and there will be it will be starting to be incorporated in September. So, that was one. Uh second uh we had um um Miss Oir Karns come and present to us and I'm not even sure people are aware but there is a cursive writing requirement now uh for
069grades 3 to five. So um before leaving office uh Governor Murphy signed into law that New Jersey students needed to be proficient in reading and writing of cursive by the end of fifth grade in particular to read historical documents. And Mr. Hughes just left. I was going to you, M Miss Par, our civil um civil service person, such as the Declaration of Independence. Um so, um they looked at several handwriting companies, um which are quite expensive, but they did decide on a smaller company called Sandlier. Um and there will be a company workbooks um and Chromebooks. They can do it on workbooks, Chromebooks. Um there's a parent home connection and materials um can also be sent um with them to to work on there as well. Um next uh Dr. Far reported about the reflective
070practice uh their evaluation program. Um and this the this was started last year. The goal was to legitimize the evaluation process for highly competent teachers. Um and the program has grown and transitioned very well from last year. um the practice has expanded and individual projects have grown and become more creative and engaging. So um Dr. Fair presented us with a few examples of some of these projects um infusing readers workshop into sixth grade classrooms developing tier three supports reviewing data charts and student performances on I Ready uh and the school psychologist is looking for one for something to use as the best practices in autism screening. So um all these projects um the goal would be um to work with their supervisors, principles um for next year and perhaps uh present some of these projects
071as well. So um a very successful program. Thank you Dr. Farah. Um Miss Craft had an AI committee update for us. Um a few things um they developed the framework uh for guiding plan uh the vision and pillars. Um, one thing that was very interesting is they established a student advisory board. Um, which I thought was really great and this was students 4th to 12th grade. Um, and they're going to meeting be meeting with them midappril. So, I think that's a good piece of it. So, we're really they're talking to students as well. It's not just um, you know, teachers doing this, etc. or administrative people. Um, and then there was some proposed curriculum writing for this summer that Miss Craft brought to us in the business department and for the new science and math
072curriculums. All right, that's all we have board member remarks this evening. >> So, Ruben, I don't have any problem using the new science program that Ramsay's using as long as our positive results are more positive. >> All right. Excellent. But I sometimes just bring up the name and there's like a reaction from some of you. >> Sometimes I think you do that on purpose. >> All right. Excellent. Thank you, Rick. Anybody else? Miss Jansen. >> Um, in the spirit of math conversations in science, I wanted to thank Mrs. Shaner for hosting the perennial math tournament. Um, last Saturday. My son participated. I saw a variety of children participating. They were having a lot of fun in the building. and we had kids coming from busing from Cherry Hill and all over the place. >> So,
073it was a really good turnout um and just making math fun. So, >> where was it held? >> High school. Okay. >> So, thank you to Mrs. Shaner as I know she's retiring and it's been a very strong effort from her registering many many students. >> Excellent. That's great. Great to showcase our schools. Um all right. Uh new business. Shall we move on to new business A through R? All right, I need a motion on the floor. Um, Mr. Hughes, second by Miss Ting Jansen. Mr. Hiramoto, roll call, please. >> Mr. Mr. Dilva, >> yes. >> Mr. Gallo, >> yes. And I'm sure in a there's a check or two. I have to >> Miss Tinro. >> Yes. >> Mr. Houston. >> Yes. Mr. Hughes, >> yes. >> Mrs. Ting Jansen, yes. >> Dr. Morph,
074>> yes. >> All right, let's take our uh new business personnel. Um we generally take our retirements uh separately. Um so we will do 18 A, B, and C. And um so I need a motion on the floor. Mr. Gallo, second by Mr. Hughes. Is your motion? Roll call, please. Mr. D Salva. >> So, um I would like to wish our retirees, as I always do, a very long and happy and active retirement. Um for Mr. Pascal. I've uh was lucky enough to know him as a science teacher in high school and then as principal, you know, obviously in in my role here and with all three of my kids going to uh coming through the high school. And you know, it's not it was not abnormal to see on a Saturday >> to be
075out in Pennsylvania at a at a a Wintergard competition. And Mr. Pascal comes in 10 minutes before MA goes on just having come from the robotics competition in Connecticut. And as soon as he's done on his way out, taking off his winter guard shirt and putting on his indoor percussion shirt because he has to get to South Jersey before they go on. >> It's it's MAWA has absolutely been blessed to have John um as uh as as high school principal. I wish Dr. Far all the luck in the world trying to fill those shoes. >> Um I wish Mr. Pascal's lovely wife. All the luck in the world because that man is not just going to sit down and relax. >> He's on weekend. >> Uh yeah. Yeah. So I I I I wish him
076all the best. Um >> but I'm going to not take the superintendent's recommendation. I'm going to vote no on accepting. >> Oh boy. on all three. You're voting. >> No, no. A clear guess on B and C. >> Thank you. >> I'm going to join you, Rick. >> What happens if we >> Can we not touch? >> I think we need at least a quorum vote. So, the rest of you, please vote. Yes. I'm a definite yes on John's retirement and all the retirees and for 36 years of remarkable service to this district. Um we have no right to slow him down in his uh in his in his retirement, a well-deserved retirement. Um he certainly left a mark. I mean we probably spent hours talking about our experiences. Um but um you can one
077one thing you can say about John, he was a hands-on uh leader of that of that school. Um he connected with every element of that school from the kids, the faculty, the supervisors to the parents. Um, I remember during our strategic planning meeting when we had alumni come in and they would talk about their experience with John 10, 15, 20 years ago uh as uh as the leader of that school. And um yes, it will be difficult to replace him, but I'm sure that he's going to be happy getting his weekends back and putting fewer miles on his cars. But I think uh the MA High School will always have a special place in his in his memories. um and he as he's left special memories in the in the minds of many of his
078students. So yes, please retire with great joy and happiness. >> Okay. Um Miss Daviniro, >> I guess it's a begrudging yes. I'm young enough that I only had John as a principal and not as a science teacher. Um but he >> You're welcome. >> I know you miss me. a lot. Okay. >> He's fantastic. And you know, I text my daughter while we were sitting here. I sent her a picture of the retirement announcement and she's like losing her mind in my text right now cuz she's like, well, that's not fair. She's like, I'm going to the high school next year. She's like, I don't understand what's happening. And she was like, she knows him from being engaged in different events. And she's like, even just his social media post, she's like, mom, usually like
079older people are a little cringy. She's fantastic. She's like, "This books are great." She's like, "And they're fun and they're engaging." She's like, "I was really looking forward to that." >> And I'm like, "There's like lots of kids, I think, who will feel the same." Um, that they're missing out on that experience cuz he was great. I know whoever comes in next will be fantastic. Also, there's never been a person here that we were like, "Oh, this isn't great." Um, so I I know the experience will continue, but John's just a really special person. >> No pressure, Dennis. none whatsoever. >> But yes, so yes, but not because I want to say yes. >> Thank you, >> Mr. Houston. >> I mean, yes. And I will just say that my um my experience with John
080was outside of the schools and to see the influence that he had on kids as especially boys who he would give a gift to when they got their arrow of flight and say you return this to me when you get your Eagle Scout and I and he was at every Eagle Scout uh court of honor that I presided over uh for MAWA Troop 50. It was always a pleasure to to have him there and the kids were always excited to have them be there and be part of that milestone in their lives. >> Thank you. Uh Mr. Hughes. >> Yeah, I appreciate the dedicated service of all of our retirees. Mr. Pascal is an absolute legend in the MA school district. Really appreciate all of his service. Mr. Pushy as well. I had Mr. Pushy
081in seventh grade history class with Mr. Mutell. So, he was a phenomenal teacher as well. Uh, but I'm I'm going to be joining Rick in voting no. You know, let's just go. Mr. Push is going to kill me, but I'll do no for all of them for A, B, and C. >> Yeah, why not? >> Started. >> Hey, Mrs. Ting Jansen. >> Never gets to go again. >> Yeah, exactly. >> Yes. With a congratulatory note for all of them. I hope they truly enjoy their retirement. I mean, listen, this is it's truly a joy to be able to walk out of something you love and enjoy time with your family. So, no big grudge on that, but I do wish Dennis good luck finding a replacement. >> Thank you. And Dr. Mory. >> Um, yes.
082Um, yes. Um, and I just want to say, um, these three retirees I I just added up, have 83 years of experience in total. Um uh the the I mean Mr. Pascal as everyone's spoken is is truly a legend. Um uh but again Mr. Pushy and and Miss Sim Simei Simini with over 30 years as I mean this is the dedication um to our district um that is just unbelievable. Um I think I would just the only remarks on Mr. Pascal is I always remembered his um sharing that you know before he came to teaching and so on that you know he had actually gone to divinity school uh originally or theology school you know whatever um and seminary >> seminary seminary I wasn't getting the right word I was I was waiting Steve for
083help seminary um and I think that's what always struck me um because John's presence created calmness ness created safety among our students, a sense of security, a sense of you can go to school and and high school can be tough, but there's somebody there in a leadership position who's really looking out for you. And when I actually mentioned it to my children who both had uh John as a as as a principal and went to Malawa High School, they said, "Ma, he's one of the good ones. He's just a really good guy." and they felt that. So when students feel that it creates a real sense of um you know warmth in a school and I think that's just um what he created and students know he supported them. He went to the dedication I
084mean I don't know how he did it. I mean truly attendance at events cheering them on all of that. So sadly missed uh I mean he will be sadly missed. Not yet but we will sadly miss him. Um, and I'm not I think it's it's not even hard to replace. I I don't know if we replace it. I think we we've got to find somebody who brings, you know, energy to that position. And Dr. Fair, you've you've uh you know, you've always done that and and and and we trust the process. But it it's going to be a tough one. But yes, I vote yes. Congratulations to all three. >> I think before he like actually wraps up, we need a selfie with the board. >> I I agree. I agree. >> Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.
085Um, we'll make sure that happens, Mr. Dalva. All right. Next, let's take 18, uh, D to O. Um, motion on the floor. Um, Mr. Gallow, second by Mr. Miss Ting Jansen. All right. Uh, roll call. Mr. Ma. Mr. D. Silva. >> Yes. >> Mr. Gallow. >> Yes. >> Miss Daviniro. >> Yes. >> Mr. Houston. Yes, >> Mr. Hughes. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Ting Jansen. >> Yes, Dr. Morty. >> Yes. >> Public questions or comment. Public participation at board meetings is in accordance with bylaw 0167. 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 one in your remarks to no longer than three minutes. If you're here
086representing 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. Um, all right. Motion to open the meeting to the public. Mr. Dilva, second by um, Mr. Gallow. We are officially open to the public. Seeing no one coming forth at this time, motion to close the meeting to the public. Um, Mr. Hughes and second by Mr. Houston. Thank you. All right, we do need an executive session at the end and we will adjourn from there directly. Thank you uh for coming this evening. Good night.