001Good evening everyone. I'd like to call this meeting to order. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] Thank you. >> I'll ask you to please um join me for a moment of silence as we remember Dennis McCrae, a retired custodian from Ramapo High School that recently passed away. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good evening everyone. Fire exits are located in the side room in the front and in the back. In the event of a fire, you will hear a fire alarm. At that point, please move in a common orderly fashion to the nearest exit. Before we commence public speaking, it's my honor and privilege to present to a dear colleague of mine, fellow board member, fellow trustee, Sabrina Charles Pierre on the NISPA lifetime level four
002lifetime achievement award. [applause] Congratulations, Sabrina. Um, I'm going to read the letter that uh read it out loud. That was [snorts] um dear Michelle Pierre, I would like to congratulate you for earning a level four achievement award on the NISBA's board ex excellence recognition program. This is NISBA's highest award level at this program equals you for the following certificate for free registration to our annual convention education expo event certificate of recognition commemorative plaque executive pen set. This program is is designed to acknowledge schoolboard members who strive to continually expand their governance, knowledge and skills. There's compromised of four achievement level that are reached by accumulating points for participating in NISBA trainings, workshops, events, and activities as well as taking on board related roles such as board president and NISBA's advocacy liaison. [clears throat] Again, congratulations
003on your achievement. We thank you for your service and Sabrina, it's a real honor for me to present it to you. You know, as board president, I see the dedication and the hard work you put in for the children of this district and as board president and I think I can speak for the whole board. We all appreciate your advocacy and effort. So, thank you and thank you for being such a good colleague. Thank you. [applause] >> [applause] >> Okay. Um, we will now move on to public speaking. Do I have a motion for public speaking? Moved by Mr. Moses C. Do I have a second? Second by Mr. Guber. All those in favor say I. Anyone oppose? Obstain. Motion carries. Speaker number one. Good evening East Rambo community and members of the board. My
004name is Jayeni Halapalma and I am currently a senior at Ramo High School. I am also a leader of the public education committee of the New York Civil Liberties Teen Activist Project. I am speaking tonight to share my experience as a student in the East Rampo Central School District and to urge the community to go out and vote on this budget. This budget is extremely important because students have been advocating for better conditions in our schools for years and without proper funding. These issues will continue to be ignored. I have seen firsthand how badly improvements are needed. And I hope the community understands how much this matters to students like me and the generations after us. Since my freshman year, the conditions inside the building have needed serious improvement. I often found myself eating lunch
005on dusty hallway floors because the cafeteria was overcrowded. And as a freshman, I did not yet feel comfortable eating in a teacher's classroom. I eventually stopped eating the lunch because the lines were extremely long and the food was not appetizing. The building has also struggled for years with broken air conditioning, which becomes dangerous during warmer months and negatively affects students health and ability to learn. There are broken windows, damaged locks, and even a stall in the girls' bathroom that has never been able to lock. While students continue dealing with these conditions, we see money being spent on things like television screens and hallways that do not improve our learning environment. By voting on this budget, we can begin making the changes students have continuously asked for and create student school buildings that are safe, comfortable,
006and supportive for everyone. Last time I stood here, I spoke about creating a policy that protects immigrant students in our schools. It seemed as though there was interest in working with us on this issue. I hope there can be more communication moving forward so that this policy can be created before the following school year. Every student deserves to feel safe, supported, and protected when they walk into school each day. As I stand here in my final year in the East Rampo Central School District, I truly hope the conditions students face begin to improve and that the c concerns we raise are finally taken seriously. This budget is not just about numbers. It is about investing in students whose families sacrificed everything so their children could have opportunities and achieve their dreams. I hope my words
007reach those listening tonight and encourage our community to continue fighting for us students. Thank you. [applause] >> Thank you. That concludes public speaking. Um, as we do not have have any of the student representatives tonight, I'll now give it over to our superintendent, Mr. Lusco, for the superintendent report. >> Thank you, President Rose. Good evening. Uh, we're going to start our report with u an update on the hot weather. We wanted to inform the community on the measures that we did take today. And I'll pass this on to our assistant superintendent for business, Mr. Stark. >> Thank you so much. Um so uh just to give a quick uh overview of uh what we've been doing and uh how today went. Um we have been looking uh obviously this this uh the new um regulations
008and laws were put into effect for the beginning of this school year. Um, at that time in the fall, all of our school buildings uh put together uh excessive heat plans for their particular buildings in terms of what they would do in the event that we had a day like today. Um, and uh how to address uh rooms that uh exceeded 82 degrees, which is the first uh level. And then, you know, in the event that reached 88 degrees, um what we would do at that point, every building had a plan in order to move um students and staff to cooler areas of the buildings. And um then as uh in fact, we did not have any of uh those types of days in the fall. We were actually very lucky this year. We didn't
009have any of that in the fall. Um, moving into the spring, we looked at a number of different uh things in order to help um in the buildings. We have a we have several buildings that have many special education classes that had air conditioning units already in them. So, we have a few elementary schools that had um um air conditioning units in almost all of the classrooms. Um so, no issues there. But uh in many of our buildings um there was a we just had a a speaker that mentioned that we have broken air conditioners in in many of our schools. Um we have looked to replace uh window units um and have been uh working on that. There are some electrical issues that are involved in that in terms of running new um running
010new wires and um circuits so that other circuits don't blow. Um, so we've been uh installing window units and then on top of that uh we did a transfer at last at the last board meeting for um 105 spot coolers which are a air conditioning a portable air conditioning unit that uh can be rolled into a classroom and plugged into 110 volt um uh plug um as opposed to the 220s that the that the window units use. Um we uh with with the um heat coming this week, last week at the end of the week, we uh actually increased that order, we wound up getting 160 units that we um distributed throughout the schools uh based upon the number of uh existing air conditioners in each in each school building. Um and those were um
011I want to say 90% of those were uh in service by the end of the day yesterday. Um the rest were were were finished today. Um I was in I think uh 10 of our 14 schools today. Um, and the uh these units are are not necessarily were not necessarily meant to bring all of our classrooms to 70 to 74 degrees, but more to keep the air conditioned to uh get keep us at a level where we were not going over the 82 in in the um in the extreme heat that we had with uh with the heat reaching 95 degrees today. Some of our buildings that um have second floors um and have a lot of uh glass and black framing tend to get hotter than others. Um but all in all um we
012had a a successful day. We did we had a few rooms throughout the district where we did have to move children to cooler areas of the buildings. Um we were in constant contact with um union leaders throughout the day to make sure that we we were uh getting any complaints that there might be. Um and um although it was certainly not ideal, uh we did get through the day um without any disruptions, without any need to um do any early dismissals or anything like that. Um we did um after consulting with uh other districts and um other athletic directors cancel after school activities. It would have been very very difficult to have outdoor activities uh in in the weather that uh we we were experiencing in the in the 3 to 5:00 hour. So um
013we continue [clears throat] to uh work on the um the window units moving forward. Um but um the plans that we had in place and modified with some additional units that had cooling in them today. >> Did the power grid hold up? >> Did the power the electric power hold up these units today? >> So the so we we did experience in some areas um where uh sidebyside rooms both were using the units that we were we were having breakers trip. So, we modified some plans to make sure that uh determining which rooms shared circuits and not having both rooms use them and and move some of the original uh rooms that were chosen. We were trying to choose the rooms that were the hottest in each building, but uh so we did have to
014make some modifications along the way. And then uh in addition to that, we have the district's electricians that were at um went to Chestnut Ridge where we had se several issues like that to actually pull new wires for additional circuits. >> And there's enough ampage in the building to hold that. >> Yes. Yes, there is. Yeah. So, we have some of our older elementary schools have uh the switch gears that are not um that wouldn't be capable of air conditioning the entire building, but our our upper level buildings, our secondary buildings all have uh the uh infrastructure to to handle it. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> I'm sorry if I may. Um first two things that I want to address. Uh first thing is I believe in transparency. Um I believe uh Mr.
015Starks said that there were no interruptions. >> There were no interruption. There was no issues. I guess you're saying with the heat that we had today. Um >> I didn't say that there were no issues. I said that that our buildings had plans to deal with issues where there were and there were some rooms that reached uh close to 88 degrees. Um and with the plans that each school had um when when we uh became aware of rooms that had those issues, we were able to use the plans that were put in place to move children to cooler areas of the building. >> Okay. You also mentioned um correction with that. Um you mentioned there was no disruptions. You mentioned there were no dis dis uh during the school day. Um the only thing I
016want to say like I said for transparency purposes which I know um I didn't see anything shared with us we do have to um I believe from my understanding we do have there were two incidents at a school with students fainting. Um so I think that's something that you know we should make sure we are able to address moving forward as tomorrow and you know the upcoming weeks we will see more um hot days. Um, the second thing I want to say is that, um, more so of a statement, um, because as we all know, uh, Governor Hokll signed a a law establishing the state's first maximum temperature regulations for public school classrooms, um, which took effect September 1st, 2025 with specific mandates. And I believe that student and sta staff safety must always be
017a priority, especially when new laws are enacted to protect the well-being of those in our school buildings. The concerns we are seeing today raise important questions about planning, urgency, and preparedness. If we're only now beginning to order air conditioning units while simultaneous simultaneously working to determine whether our buildings and infrastructure can support implementation, that to me is a concern. Um, compliance with new requirements should not begin when temperature reach dangerous levels, planning for implementation, assessing infrastructure needs, evaluating building capacity, identifying potential barriers and developing contingency plans should occur well in advance. So what happened today as you mentioned where um we show saw you know putting these uh AC portables in rooms and then there being a shortage um shows that extreme temperature are not an unexpected event. Heat waves happen every year and when
018new regulations are put in place there should be urgency to ensure systems are prepared before challenges arise. Families deserve confidence that when laws are passed to protect students and staff, proactive steps are being taken to meet those requirements. Staff deserve confidence that they will have safe working conditions. Students deserve learning environments that prioritize their health, safety, and ability to learn comfortably. It this is not about, you know, I'm not here to blame, but it is about accountability, preparedness, and ensuring that moving forward, we are taking proactive rather than reactive approach. We will owe it to our students, our families, and our staff to plan ahead, address infrastructure challenges early, and ensure that our schools are ready before situation situations become urgent. Um, and I just feel like that, you know, with this law being in
019effect since September 1st, we had, you know, enough time to put things in place so that, you know, what happened today did not happen. Thank you. >> Thank you. I just want to respond to a couple things. One is I did not hear about two students fainting. I heard about one that happened at 9:00 in the morning and that was before the temperatures had risen. So we don't think that that was related to the heat. We did have a nurse look at the child. Uh but I didn't hear about a second and secondly I agree that um and I've asked um Mr. Stark to work with our consultant uh Carl Nau to develop a plan to ensure that um uh air conditioning uh is addressed um in a phased in fashion and a prioritized fashion
020with timelines and associated costs um and that it be in place by next May. So I'm looking forward to receiving that and um so I I do appreciate those comments and I agree should have been there. >> So do uh do we have plans? I know you said by next May. So, um do we have a concrete plan now from now moving forward up until June? >> So, now we have these air conditioners, these, um um mobile air conditioners, and we have the air conditioners that we're putting into the buildings. Um we've been putting them in, but I don't think that 100% of them have been installed yet. Um so, those air conditioners will stay in for to the end of June. And we're also uh air conditioning Kakiat and Suspring Valley because they're going
021to be running our um summer programs will be running in those buildings. But what we not what we do need is um um an actual formal plan that will be um shared with the monitors and the board including like I mentioned timelines and um costs and prioritization which building should be first, second, third, etc. um and how we'll use our current resources, the um air conditioners we do have and in a phased in fashion. So um that's that's our current plan for to to manage heat for the summer between now and the summer. Um and um and then throughout the next year, we'll hopefully be able to implement a plan that um Eric will be overseeing the development of. What about the issue with um the mobile ones that we have now? Y >> that
022are causing issues to where I guess multiple >> things can't be plugged in at the same time. >> So, you know, it's not ideal. You know, you're not wrong about that. It's not an ideal situation. Uh what what we're finding is that and that the the what are they called? The circuits are being tripped for different reasons. Depends on the situation. So, in some cases, we're asking teachers not to use the Smartboard with the air conditioner. In some cases, I understand that um in the past, it had been one big classroom separated into, let's say, three with walls and they're using the same circuits. So, now we've had um electricians go in uh to those and are going in, they're not all resolved um to fix and to address those specific issues. So, it is
023kind of a patchwork response. As a problem arises, we're sending folks there to fix and to address. Um, our primary our primary u goal right now is to make sure that the temperatures stay within the legal range as comfortable as possible so that we could keep students in school and keep educating, you know, continue the education process. Um, that's the disruption that we're saying we're trying to avoid that. Yes, there were internal disruptions, but we were in communication with all of the principles. We um assigned central office administrators as point people. We spoke to the union leaders um and we um deployed our staff to go and address any situation that arose. And so we were able to handle it. Hopefully between now and the end of June, there won't be these really hot so
024many of them. There'll be some, but not every day is going to come up to 95. Today was a really hot day. Tomorrow is better. The rest of the week will be better. We'll be fine. But there will be days. Um and I do think we have enough so that we can keep buildings operational um and and and open. >> So I don't know how many um teachers use a smart board. But doesn't that take away from teaching if they do use it? >> It it means that they have to use different um you know strategies for teaching. You know when I was a teacher back then we didn't have Smartboard. So, back to blackboards, back to project work. And even though, like I said, it is not ideal. Um, and once um a plan
025is implemented, we won't have to resort to that. But we're still educating. We still have the students here. We're not trying to send them home early, which can be very chaotic, as you know, and potentially even unsafe. So, it's the best that we can do under these conditions. Not ideal. Um, point taken about planning. I happen to agree. Uh but we'll move forward and we have a we have uh direction that we're going to move forward in. >> Okay. Thank you. So the only last thing I'll say is as a recommendation if it hasn't been done already >> um for those teachers you know who do use the smartboards if to make sure that communication is in place um to let them know that you know to find other means to um you know teach
026what you know whatever they would use a smartboard for. >> Thank you. Okay folks. So, I'd like to move on and I'd like to invite our um supervisor for safety, Tom Carton, who has asked to address the board on a particular request. >> Thank you, Superintendent Willow. Mr. President, I appear today not just as the coordinated safety and security, but as a former first lieutenant, United States Air Force to honor another former first lieutenant, United States Army. In 1915, a young man named Lee Fletcher started his educational career teaching at Spring Valley High School. According to the 1910 census, Spring the village of Spring Valley had a population of 3,000 people. So, you matter how small it was. In 1917, uh, Mr. Fletcher was promoted to vice principal of Spring Valley High School. At the
027same time, World War I broke out. So, Vice Principal Fletcher joined the army, went paid his way through civilian military training camp and was commissioned a first lieutenant in the United States Army. He bypassed the rank of second lieutenant uh recognized for his leadership ability and became the first lieutenant assigned to company K 111th regiment uh United States infantry as the intelligence officer. Sadly, the last week in August during the Muse Argon campaign, his regiment and several other regiments came under heavy shelling from the Germans. Sadly, American shells started falling on the American position, killing and wounding numerous Americans. First Lieutenant Fletcher volunteered to go back to the American lines and have them reduce their shelling. At this point, he was wounded, severely severely wounded by shrapnel. Sadly, on September 8th, Lieutenant Fletcher succumbed to
028his his wounds and died. He was buried right outside the general hospital. In 1919, his deeds were recognized by the US Army and he's awarded the Silver Star, the US Army's third the US military's third highest award. Unfortunately, uh the chief of the general of the army's general John J. Persing felt he didn't deserve the silver star. He deserved higher for his ranks. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. In 1922, the Spring Valley class of 1917 and 1921 erected a monument in his memory at the old old Spring Valley High School. It that monument has been moved three times. It now stands in front of uh the new Spring Valley High School since 1955. Just so Lieutenant Fletcher was never forgotten, the village of Spring Valley named Fletcher Drive in his honor. And that's
029located between Muny Boulevard and Robert Pit Drive adjacent to Elwood Elementary. Uh on September 11th, 2025, I had prior that I'm sorry, prior that I had a response from the the major general of the New York State Division of Naval and Military Affairs uh saying that Lieutenant Fletcher didn't get the medal of merit that was requested. Governor Hokll reviewed it and she gave him the New York State Conspicuous Service Cross, New York State's second highest award. So he was awarded that in September 11, 2025. on May 21st, this Thursday at 2:45. uh myself, members of the faculty, alumni, Spring Valley Rotary Club, Finkelestein Library, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the American Legion, and the public would like to honor Lieutenant Fletcher by presenting a plaque to the district. To put on display is
030Spring Valley High School in memory of the almost 50 soldiers, 50 alumni from Spring Valley who were killed in World War II. the soldiers killed in Korea, I couldn't get a number. The 13 soldiers from Spring Valley who were killed in Vietnam, and the one soldier from Rampo who was killed in the war on terrorism. So, we'd like to have the district accept this honor in memory of all the um alumni and faculty who've given their lives in the line of duty. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay, so um we're moving on. We want to make sure that we celebrate our tenure recipients and our district retirees. Um, and I'm going to ask Mr. Kravitz to provide us with an update on this celebration. >> Thank you very much. So on uh Tuesday, June
03116th, prior to the June 16th board meeting, uh we'd like to recognize those who have been here for many of whom have been here for a long long time. And those are those who've put in for retirement this year to thank them for all their years of service and for the the hundreds and hundreds of lives that they've impacted in a positive way. On the opposite end for those we have some who are going out and some who are hoping are going to be with us for a long time over the the between last board meeting and this we have a number of uh different tenure recipients and we are inviting them as well so that we can recognize those who have been here a long time and those who are you know really just
032getting started um with a with a celebration >> here >> sorry it'll be here in the PLCC room yes everyone who is on that list will be receiving a letter invitation to them and we're hope that they can And that'll be before the board meeting. >> It will. >> Um Okay. On June 16th here. And um Okay. Looking forward to that celebration. Yep. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So, our next slide uh reminds parents that um uh UPK and kindergarten registration is open. Uh so students who will be four years old uh by December 1st, 2026 are eligible for UPK and they can register right here in this building or online. Um UPK programs are offered five days a week, five hours a day and they provide a wonderful educational experience for students
033uh prior to entering kindergarten. Uh for kindergarten registration, students have to be at least 5 years old uh by December 1st of 2026. And again, you may register here in this building or online. Uh families are encouraged to register early. And now I'd like to pass this on to uh Miss Maronei who will provide information on the next couple of slides. >> Okay. Good evening. Thank you. So, we just wanted to share that the district is currently undergoing a special education audit and we wanted to invite our parents of students who receive special education to participate in a survey to give the district feedback on their students experience. So, we have a QR code here um for parents to be able to use the survey. We have also emailed out um the survey for parents
034as well to fill out. Additionally, we are going to have a special family university for families to be able to join us and engage in dialogue about their students experience. So, we encourage parents to attend. That is going to be on Wednesday, June 3rd at 6 PM for Family University. >> Thank you. >> And we also wanted to talk about our summer learning experiences this evening as well. So, we have our kindergarten jump start program that is going to be running from July 13th to August 13th from 9:00 am to 100 p.m. This program is really designed for students who did not have a universal prek experience. So, we're going to be sending out invitations to families for students to attend this program and invitations will be um sent out within the coming weeks and
035we uh will be holding an orientation for families as well. More information to come on that. We also have our summer explorers program for all of our students currently in grades K through seven. All students enrolled in the program are going to participate in hands-on experiences in sports, fine, and performing arts as well as STEM programming for the summer. We're anticipating serving about 900 students. And once the spots are filled, we will place students on a wait list. Families will be notified if openings become available. The program runs July 6 through August 13th, Monday through Thursday from 9 to 1 located at Kaciat Steam Academy, and transportation as well as breakfast and lunch will be provided. >> Thank you. I'd like to invite Miss uh Ren Kontomazawa to provide information on um Wonder Girls and
036the Summer Academy. >> Thank you. Good evening everyone. So, this is um our Wonder Girls program that's um offered this summer. At the last board meeting, I shared some information about it and there was more questions about the selection process. So, just to give you a little bit more update, um this program aims to serve 30 middle school scholars um selected from Chestnut Ridge, Khaka, Pomona, 15 rising seventh graders from Limekill, um El Dorado, and Elmwood. Um the selection process um is a recommendation from the building principal in collaboration with other staff members and they are selecting candidates who um are um at a point where they are developing their leadership um skills, working on team building experiences and really looking at overall who these um wonder girls are that they'll be recommending to this
037program. Um the program will run two weeks in the summer from July 20th to the 23rd and July 27th to the 30th. Um the program uh will take play they also have sorry uh three paid high school ambassadors and counselors from Ramapo High School and Spring Valley. Um and so this program is um really a continuation of the program that they currently have during the year. Um, I'll also share an update on our um, high school summer academy. This is for our incoming 10th uh, 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students. The program will take place at Spring Valley High School. Similar um, schedule. It'll run Monday through Thursday from July 6th to August 13th. This is in partnership with Welcor. So, we're working very closely with them to create project-based learning opportunities that focus on
038the content that our students will experience entering 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. Um, additionally, we are working with Welcor to uh provide other enrichment opportunities that support in the development of social emotional learning and mental health well-being. Um, we are also planning some trips um aligned to the program uh for this um for the summer. So, um registration is open. We encourage our families to please register. Right now, um, registration's low, so we're hoping that, uh, we have more students uh, signing up. >> Thank you. >> Um, and I'm going to now invite Dr. Gonzalez to share information about summer school. >> Good evening. So, we're partnering with Rockland Boseies for students to attend the regional summer school program. Uh the priority is for students that are in the cohort of 2022 or earlier, which
039really just means seniors and holdovers, students that are scheduled to graduate this June. Uh the program will run from July 8th through August 17th on Monday through Thursday only, and that'll be followed by the New York State Regent exams, which are currently scheduled for August 18th and 19th. Uh we're working very closely with Rockland Bosey's leadership team to make sure that our students have access to all of the programs and supports they will need throughout the summer. Um that will include breakfast and lunch being made available to all students as well as transportation. Uh the regional summer program is being held at Fieldstone Middle School in Stony Point. >> Thank you. And now I'd like to invite Mr. Gandhi to provide us an update on uh Parent Square and Family University. >> Thank you. to
040uh good evening board and the community. Um so we continue to remind our community that the district will move from Remind to Parents Square as the primary um communication platform for families and schools beginning July 1st 2026. And uh we encourage all families to register their parents square accounts by June 18, 2026, that's next month to participate in a friendly school competition. So schools will be recognized based on their account activation percentages as of June 18, 2026 and weekly updates will be shared with the schools to keep everyone informed and encouraged throughout the competition. And again, families can register using the parents square mobile app um or website with the email address and the phone number already connected to the school. So, this transition will help improve communication, increase family engagement, and uh make it
041easier for parents and guardians to receive important school updates in one place. As always, please reach out to your child's school if you need to update your email and phone number. And if you have any questions or issues um with the registration um uh with the app, please contact us at parentsquaresd.org. >> Quick question. Um the I know it says the competition ends June 18th. Is that the same day it goes live or >> um so parent score has been up and running? It's just running parallel with Remind right now. So schools we're just recommending school to use uh parent square for non-urgent messages. >> Oh, so messages are being sent through and >> remind we can we can use both right now up until June 30th. June 30th Remind will be shut down automatically.
042So people who have remind right now it's safe for them to stop using it and go to parent um square. >> Yes. >> And they'll still get the same >> they'll still get the messages. Yeah. I mean if uh again if buildings are using parent square to communicate they'll get it on parent square right now. >> So for not all buildings are using it yet. >> Yeah. So they are still doing soft launch right now. This is the time when when you just use both systems parallel. >> So not use until June 30th. Yes. if you get message on your mind but parents square is what we want to encourage uh we've been working with the schools to make sure that they start using it in some ways you know where parents are getting the
043message on parents square as well >> I'm only asking I know I'm a board member right now but as a parent I just want to make sure I'm using the right >> you can use both of them right now yes >> thank you >> so just a quick update on family university um here are some of the upcoming uh family university virtual sessions scheduled for June um again next month. So these sessions are designed to provide helpful information, strengthen family partnership and support um students success. So June 3rd session led by our uh PPS team um Miss Marone uh will focus on um special education audit and give families an opportunity to learn more and provide feedback. On June 10th um session, the technology team will host a parent square training session to help families
044learn how to use the new communication platform. And the final session on June 17 will feature the Finkelson memorial library, uh youth services team sharing, um information about summer learning opportunities, uh student programs, and free family resources. So all sessions will take place virtually through Zoom, and families can join by using the QR code um shown on the slide deck. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> We wanted to make sure that uh families are and the community are aware of our endofear school celebrations. Uh at the elementary level, we have uh three at uh the early childhood center all on June 19th uh 9, 11, and 100 p.m. Um at the Kakiak Auditorium. We also have um two at Fleetwood July June 11th and June 12th, both at 9:00. Um, Hemstead has a few. June
04512th as well as June 15th and 16th. Um, and they are at varying times. Let's see 9:00. Actually, they're all at 9:00 for Hemstead. Margettes, June 12th at 9:10 a.m. Summit Park, June 18th at 10:00. Margett, June 20th at 9. Lime, June 22nd at 9. Grand View, um, is at June 23rd, 9:00. El Dorado the June 24th at 8:30 and Elmwood June 24th at 8:45. You can find information on the school's websites as well and we hope that families can attend. >> Um I just want to say thank you for putting this together. Um I know every year I'm trying to go to every single website to try to put in my calendar and I've learned that it's not always accurate on the calendar. So I appreciate this slide and for putting that together. Thank
046you. Thank you. Uh similarly, we wanted to inform uh folks of the secondary celebration. So for the middle schools, we have promotion ceremonies. Uh Chestnut Ridge Middle School on June 26th, Khakiat uh June 25th and Pomona June 26th. Uh and then Spring Valley and Ramapo High School graduation, both of them on June 26th. The Spring Valley 4:00, Ramapo High School 7:00. Um, important to note that Chestnut Ridge, Pomona, Spring Valley, and Ramapo High School celebrations will be at Clover Stadium and the Kakiat Steam U Academy celebration will be at the Kakiat Gymnasium. >> Just one correction, the um address isn't correct. It's one TC way, Pomona, New York. >> Thank you. Um, >> and sorry, Mike, just one other thing. The Spring Valley and Ramapo times are are reversed. So, Spring Valley is at seven
047o'clock and Ramapo is at four o'clock. >> Correct. >> Bobin, will you help? >> Okay. Bobin helps with the make these corrections. Thank you. >> And if we're going to make a correction of this to to um I know it's I'm assuming alphabetical order with chestnut, khaki, and Pomona so it's not confusing. Can we put khaki at first since it's on the 25th and then put Pomona and chestnut? >> Sure. >> Thank you. Okay. And so I wanted to just uh provide a couple of follow-ups. At the last meeting, um there was concerns that were raised about school lunch um regarding halal and kosher uh foods. I'm going to ask Mr. Stark to provide us with an update. >> Sure. So um again um I think we reported out on this um that um we
048do have the uh kosher and halal options available at every school. Um we we have usage on a regular basis uh at three or four of our schools. Um, but we do have notices up at all of uh the school buildings that for anybody that is uh requiring either halal or kosher or any other special item, we do have some um ciliacs disease and things like that that uh we we can accommodate uh to see the cafeteria manager. Um we did have a request from one of the board members to um to get that information out to our families. So that has become a part of the communications that um our communications crew send out through some of the things that we were talking about before parent square and so on and so forth. So
049uh those communications have been done um and um the the peace on halal where the student had asked if um um the certification could be apparent. Um we are now um giving the halal meals out with the uh labeling that shows that it is certified halal. >> Thank you. >> Also at the last meeting um we heard from a student um concerns were noted about a social media post. Um and so I just wanted to provide a little bit of detail on that. Um, on March 10th at 6 PM on social media, we did post congratulatory remarks for our validictorian and saludiatoran. And unfortunately, there were some inappropriate comments that were posted um on social media by some member of the community. We don't know who. And so we discovered that the next morning by
050900 p.m. by 900 a.m. I'm sorry, those comments were removed. In addition to that, uh the school principal was informed and um was counseledled to please meet with the student and explain what happened. That meeting did occur. So I just wanted to provide you with an update on that as that was raised last um last time, last meeting. And finally, um, I wanted to just inform the community that the Ramapo High School spring concert, which is originally scheduled for tomorrow PM, has been rescheduled for Thursday, June 4th at 7 p.m. And we hope that everyone can attend. That concert is free for all. And now we move on to a different part of our presentation. Uh I had informed you that at our last meeting that we were going to invite our core content area
051directors uh who have attended who are here present today um to present information about their content area. They're going to focus on their assessments. They've been with us for about a year. So they have assessed their their particular departments and they've been recommendations for next year. Um this presentation will be uh provided by Dr. Gonzalez as well as Dr. Dr. Edward, our director for science, Dr. Palumbo, director for ELA, Dr. Lur, director for social studies, and uh Miss Gillan, director for mathematics. Dr. Gonzalez, thank you. In terms of attendant RLCO, good evening uh President Rose and board of trustees. Uh it is my honor to provide an introduction to the program overview that the secondary content directors have prepared for you this evening. Uh while their primary responsibilities are for grades 7 through 12, uh
052they consider the full K through 12 continuum, English language learners, students with disabilities, as well as general education students as they prepare to lead their respective content areas. Uh throughout their brief presentation, you will hear words like equity, access, professional development, and outcomes. I ask that as you listen, you understand that this has been a year of laying the foundation for work that will last well beyond this school year. The full scope of their impact will not be fully captured in a few slides, but we do foresee a path forward that brings the district into full alignment with the long-term strategic and fiscal plan, preparing students for rigorous coursework while also increasing supports for students that need it. Uh please know that the information you'll be presented while brief is a direct analysis and response
053to what is actually happening in classrooms across the entire district. Uh we ask that you prepare your questions to be shared at the conclusion of all directors when we will gladly provide thorough responses. And so without further ado, I'd like to call up Dr. Edward, our director of science. Good evening everyone. Tonight I will be sharing an overview of grades 7 through 12 science programming including the needs assessment, the initiative undertaken during the 2526 school year and our recommendations for the 2627 school year. I would like to begin with some important context. New York State is in the final stages of a multi-year transition from the Common Core State Standards to the New York State Science Learning Standards, which are closely aligned to the next generation standards. This transition has significant implications for curriculum assessment,
054professional development, and professional development. The state is now replacing longstanding assessments, including the regions, with exams that are aligned to these new standards. Prior to this year, teachers reported having received some training on this shift. However, it was limited and lacked continuity. This created gaps in curricular materials, laboratory resources, and instructional support, particularly at the intermediate and high school levels. It is important to note that our teachers consistently demonstrated commitment and professionalism in working with what was available to them. In response to these identified needs, the following actions were taken this current school year, the 2025 2026 school year. A grade 7 through 12 resource website was developed aligned to the new standards and shared with our teachers. The new vision science curriculum was piloted for the life science biology and earth and space science.
055The courses replacing the old living environment and earth science regions. Laboratory materials were secured to fulfill mandated lab requirements and 100% of teachers across grades 7 through 12 participated in professional development focused on the new mandated laboratory requirements spanning from intermediate science, life science, biology, earth to space science, chemistry, and physics. My recommendation for the 2026 2027 school years are as follows. At an intermediate level, a restructuring of the scoping sequence which will establish consistency across the middle school to three middle school buildings. This will include piloting a standards aligned curriculum with full implementation support for all teachers. At the high school level, we will continue to refine the life science and earth and space curricula. We will also pilot a new aligned program for chemistry and physics in anticipation for the updated regions examinations.
056So students in the 26 27th cohort will be taking the new physics and chemistry regions. I also want to highlight two recommendations that is grounded in equity and access. First, the earth and space science will be expanded to both high schools and made available to all students. The current model limits enrollment to honor students at a single building. Second, region's preparatory courses will be embedded within the daily schedule, ensuring the students have equitable access to the support they need to meet the graduation requirement. In closing, I'm grateful to our board, district leadership, building administration, and teachers for the continued investment in our students and their shared commitment to this important work. Thank you. >> Thank you. And now Dr. Palumbo. Hello everyone. Based on data analysis and our work with our Carnegie Learning and New
057Visions partners, we saw our teachers have real instincts. My administrative colleagues and I saw creative lessons in both high schools. podcasts used to teach argument, writing conferences happening in co-taught settings, graphic organizers, as well as strong digital workflows. What's missing is not the effort. It's a shared road map. Right now, there are no common expectations for how a lesson is structured, no consistent usage of learning targets that students can point to and say, "This is what I'm learning and this is why." and no shared systems for keeping students engaged and working independently. Students who are off task aren't so because their teachers don't care. They're off task because the structures that support focus and sustained work aren't quite there yet. Our middle schools started using Carnegie Learning earlier this year, and the difference in classroom
058culture and expectations is visible in every class in every building. Teachers are asking better questions about their instruction. Students are writing more than ever before. The bar has shifted because the foundation was put in place to get us there. What high-erforming districts do, those districts that get results for student populations facing the same challenges as ours consistently do three things. They use one shared highquality curriculum across all classrooms. They embed coaching within that curriculum and their teachers regular regularly review student data together. When I shared the data dashboards I built for both our middle and high schools with the administrations this spring, the response was it was showing patterns that hadn't surfaced before. And our ENL teachers recently shared at Chestnut Ridge Middle School that there was a notable increase in the amount of student
059writing on the recent NISLAT assessment. That's what happens when those three things are in place. Right now, we have an equity issue. Whether a student in grades 9 through 12 gets access to complex grade level texts, meaningful writing tasks, and high quality feedback depends entirely on which teacher they have. using high quality instructional materials that are aligned to state standards, rated highly by independent evaluators, and designed with built-in supports for English language learners and students with disabilities closes the gap at the structural level, not teacher byteer, but across the board. Meeting teachers where they are. The research shows that teachers grow when they have a shared curriculum to anchor their work. A coaching model that is specific and concrete and a steady cycle of planning, teaching, and reflecting together. Our seventh and eighth grade teams
060are doing this work. And the changes in practice are meaningful. Student discussion is now prioritized. Writing is woven throughout every unit. And grade level texts are made accessible to all learners through layered supports. Our high school teams haven't started this work yet because they don't have a common foundation upon which to build. We can't hand teachers a directive and say build a shared learning culture. We have to give them the common tools and the structures necessary for growth. For next year, we're putting those structures in place. We've optimized high school course offerings to give every student a clear pathway that is purposeful. The foundation of this is the regions pathway, a four-year progression aligned with state standards, building toward the 11th grade regions exam, as well as the 12th grade course, which is required for
061a region's diploma. For our students who want more of a challenge, we're expanding dual enrollment. This doesn't mean 11H is going away. It is being combined with our RCC college course. A building level honors label does not carry as much weight in college admissions because it isn't validated by a university. Colleges know this. It's dependent by district. A dual enrollment course, by contrast, is issued by RCC or Syracuse University, appears on a real college transcript, and is broadly accepted, especially at Sunni and CUNI schools where most of our students will enroll. Students can also take the course for regular high school credit if college credit feels too daunting. Mastery in this course is measured through essays, projects, and courseworks, not a single highstakes exam. For students seeking the ultimate challenge, advanced placement courses are available
062in grades 11 and 12, culminating in College Board exams offered every May. Supporting teachers and students, we are also introducing a writing seminar course for grades 9 and 10. The teachers asked for it, our walkthrough data supported it, and our test results, particularly on the NISLOT writing component and the essay sections of the regions confirm the need for it. Students must score well on the written portions of the regents in order to pass and right now too many aren't. These seminar courses are not teaching writing in isolation. Students will work on actual essays and writing assignments they are already doing in English history and science with the additional support of their teacher. It is not remediation. It is acceleration. On the teacher side, every pathway comes with dedicated professional development and collaborative planning time. Dual
063enrollment and AP teachers will receive specific training aligned to the college course standards and to supporting every type of learner in the classroom. This is how we ensure cohesion, consistency, and vertical alignment across this district. Here's what I know from this year. In every building, our teachers are ready. Our students are ready. what they've been waiting for are the systems and supports that make their efforts count. We're putting those in place starting right now. >> Thank you, Dr. Palumbo. And I'd like to introduce Dr. Lors who will provide us with an overview of social studies. >> Good evening everyone and thank you for the opportunity to present tonight. In alignment with East Ramapo's mission for ensuring our students are healthy, safe, supported, engaged, and challenged, I will share key findings from our district needs assessment
064along with priorities and recommendations for upcoming for our upcoming school year for social studies at the secondary level. At the middle school level, one central idea guided our work, which is middle school is the bridge to future success. This is where students must develop the foundational social studies skills necessary for success in high school and beyond. skills such as analyzing evidence, chronological reasoning, civic participation, and inquiry. This work is especially important because students do not take a state social studies exam until 10th grade. Our review identified these primary areas of need. First, operational silos between buildings have created inconsistency in student experiences and instructional pacing. Second, there is a need for more inclusive and rigorous instructional materials that support all learners. And third, teachers need sustained targeted professional development to effectively implement new resources and
065instructional practices. At the high school level, we identified similar challenges with additional instructional implications. Building silos have contributed to inconsistent programming and unequal access to advanced coursework. Equity requires that a student's academic opportunity should not depend on their building assignment. We also identified the need to continue shifting instruction from a traditional teacher centered model toward student centered inquiry and analysis. Finally, the transition requires sustained professional development and ongoing instructional support for staff. Now at this point the most important question after identifying these gaps now what? In response we develop recommendations centered on three priorities middle school mastery, high school access and pediat success and pedagogy and synergy. These recommendations are designed to strengthen equity, rigor and student outcomes across the district. To strengthen student achievement and engagement at the middle level, we're recommending analysis of
066course performance, state assessment results, and diagnostic data to inform student placement, in particular at our honors courses at the middle school. expansion of the seal of civic readiness opportunities so that all students, not just our students who take algebra one or science for the high school credit, have equitable access to begin earning points towards the minimum sixpoint required needed for the seal of civic readiness designated, which is a designation awarded at graduation. adoption of inclusive instructional resources paired with ongoing implement implementation support for teachers at the high school. An equally important focus is dismantling institutional silos to ensure consistency and equitable access districtwide. To accomplish this, we will continue our partnership with our curriculum providers to ensure alignment with best practices and state expectations, develop a com a unified course catalog across both high schools,
067and embedding regions preparation into the school day to ensure that students have the access and support that's needed. We are also excited to expand our course offerings to include AP African-American studies, AP human geography, multicultural studies, and Latin America and the Caribbean. As we expand these opportunities, we remain grounded in the belief that curriculum should serve as both a mirror and a window reflecting students identities while broadening their understanding of the world around them. And last priority, which is pedagogy and synergy classroom instruction will intentionally spotlight student centered social studies practices across the district. We will continue and expand crossbuilding collaboration to ensure curriculum and and assessments are aligned and strengthen collaboration with myself and the MLE team to support both the seal of biiteracy and the seal of civic readiness initiatives. So as we
068move forward with these recommendations, we are building a more equitable, rigorous and inclusive social studies program across East Ramapo. What is especially encouraging is that this momentum is is already underway. Both our students and our teachers have began actively taking advantage of learning and enrich enrichment opportunities outside of East Ramapo representing our district with pride. For our teachers, we have broken down regional isolation in a major way. Teachers across multiple grade levels accompanied me in attending the Westchester Lower Hudson Council for the Social Studies Conference, an event East Ramo educators haven't attended for in over 10 years and received a warm welcome by the way. Teachers from both high schools recently participated in the portrait of a graduate workshop focused on the implication uh focused on its implication on social studies instruction. Several of our
069educators volunteered as judges at the regional national history day competition making East Ramipo one of only two Rockland County districts represented. Our students are also actively engaged in meaningful opportunities beyond the classroom. Students from both high schools recently participated in Pace University's careers and law program where East Ramapo is the only district represented from Rockland County. And this week, students from Chestnut Ridge Middle School will travel to Albany to visit the state capital and state museum, engaging directly with civic participation in New York State history. These experiences reinforce the direction we are moving in as a district. They reflect the commitment of our educators, the potential of our students, and the strong foundation we are continuing to build together. Thank you for your time and your support of our endeavors. >> Thank you, Dr. Loris.
070And now I'd like to invite Miss Gillan to provide us with an overview of her assessment and recommendations for the math department. >> Good evening, President Rose, Vice President Miguel, Intram Superintendent Miss Wusco, and board trustees. This year, our work in secondary mathematics focused on strengthening instructional coherence and aligning our systems to current New York State initiatives and expectations for math education. A major priority this year was the continued implementation of the New York State Next Generation Learning Standards. Much of our work in grades 9 through 12 focused on curriculum refinement, pacing adjustments, and common assessment development. As outlined in the state's implementation timeline, this was the first year of full algebra 2 implementation aligned to the new standards. Next year, all math classes K12 will be fully aligned to the next generation learning standards.
071In collaboration with district leaders, building administrators, and teachers across both buildings, we also made the decision to realign our region's mathematics sequence back to the state recommended pathway of algebra 1, geometry, and algebra 2 under the next generation learning standards. These courses are intentionally designed to build build upon one another in a coherent progression that prepares students for advanced mathematics, college, and career readiness. Throughout the year, PLC's and collaborative planning sessions focus on analyzing student data, refining instructional practices, and developing common assessments. In addition, classroom walkthroughs and instructional debriefs centered on student engagement, higher order questioning, and the implementation of the district's identified high impact teaching strategies. This year, we were also extremely intentional in our efforts to increase collaboration among the three middle schools and two high schools in order to improve consistency and
072equitable learning experiences for all students regardless of the building they attend. As a result, we have identified the need to continue strengthening numeracy instruction and mathematical reasoning districtwide. Next year, our work will be grounded in the New York State Numeracy Initiative and the eight numeracy briefs developed by Dr. Deborah Ball in collaboration with Nison. Finally, this year, the district partnered with MGT to conduct a comprehensive mathematics audit. We are now beginning to unpack those findings and we'll use the re recommendations to develop a strategic three to fiveyear math improvement plan focused on equity, instructional quality, and long-term sustainability. As we look ahead to the 2627 school year, our work will continue to focus on strengthening instruction, building teacher capacity, and expanding access for all students. Our priorities will include continue will include continuing to strengthen
073instruction across grades 7 through 12 while increasing rigor mathematical discourse and student centered learning opportunities. We will also continue to refine pacing guides, common assessments, regions aligned instructional supports and intervention systems that improve instructional outcomes across all secondary schools. Professional learning will remain a major focus through expanded coaching cycles, high school PLC's, and collaborative planning across courses and grade levels. Working with our curriculum partners, our professional learning efforts will focus on culturally responsive mathematics instruction, high impact instructional strategies, and data informed decision-making. As a result, this work will strengthen both vertical and horizontal alignment across all grade levels and buildings. In the area of equity and access, we will continue expanding intervention supports in grades seven and 8, advanced coursework opportunities in grades 9 through 12, regions preparation embedded into the instructional day, and multiple
074pathways for graduation. Our dual enrollment program, accessible for all students, will now include college algebra, college statistics, pre-calculus, and calculus. We will also continue utilizing district-wide data systems to guide decision-making and continuous improvement efforts. I would like to close by thanking the board of education along with all district and building leadership for their continued support of our programs and initiatives across all content areas. I also want to recognize and thank our teachers for their dedication, collaboration, and commitment to student success. The progress we have made this year would not have been possible without their willingness to grow alongside our students. As content directors, we are proud to work as a collaborative team committed to continuous growth and improvement. We deeply appreciate the willingness of our teachers and embrace the willingness of our teachers to embrace
075change in support of student success. As Rita Pearson once said, "Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, one who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be. Thank you. like to um thank them all four directors for their leadership this year um as we continue to work towards strengthening our curriculum and instruction. And I'm sure there might be some questions. >> Yeah, I just have one. Um being a math educator myself, just curious with the um algebra 1, I know you said then they'll go into algebra 2, I'm sorry, geometry, then algebra 2. With the algebra one, have we considered we went back to um where students that may need that extra support where we had them in algebra
076lab with lab. >> Are we doing that? >> Um we do not have an algebra lab, but we do have a two-year algebra course for those students. >> Oh, okay. So, you're doing two years. Okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Thank you. Any any other questions? Again, I I really want to thank you. Um you know, you've really been a wonderful addition to our our uh community, our district. Uh we appreciate your leadership, and we really look forward to seeing how your leadership, your recommendations will deepen our um instructional focus, strengthen our instructional programming, um and really, uh result in improved student outcomes across the board. Thank you so much. Okay. Okay. And now I pass it back to President Rose. >> Thank you, Minister. Thank you to all the directors for all the
077great work and hard work they put into this district. So, thank you. Um, okay. Moving on to consent and agenda items. Do I have a motion for items 1 through 7? Move by Mr. Simon Cth. Do I have a second? >> Second by Vice President McIll. All those in favor say I. I. Okay. And I'm going to oppose abstain. Motion carries. Moving on to action items. Do I have a motion for action items 1 through nine? >> So move. >> Move by Vice President McIll. I'll second the motion. Open it up for discussion. Hearing no further discussion, we have a motion and a second. All those in favor say I. I. And I'm going to post abstain. Motion carries. Uh yeah, you know what? Since we're it's pretty quick, I'll um just say that I
078didn't write my notes, but um again um the East Remipo School District hosted the Unifi Basketball and they had um East Ramapo of course, Pearl River, um North Rockland, as well as Nanuette. And guess what? East Ramipo was at the top. Yeah. So they were champions for this year and it's so cool to see our children with special needs playing basketball and then the students literally I keep saying this but they literally helped them along the way. It's really cool. So but um it was it was a very good event um at Spring Valley Senior High School. And then the last thing I want to mention, I do want to congratulate our students um both at Ramipo and Spring Valley um for those individuals being inducted into the National Honor Societies. Um hats off to
079them. Uh job well done. Um and just so proud of our students being part of that. You know, it shows a lot of leadership from them, dedication, resilience, um and it's more than just academics, you know, their character. So, I just want to say congratulations to all of them and that's it. Thank you. >> I have a question. >> Thank you, Vice President McIll. Go ahead, Mr. Fed. >> Uh, September 2nd at the meeting we tabled one of the contracts which was called Healthy Smiles. I was wondering where it's up to. >> I'm sorry. Can you can you repeat that please? I believe it's the Healthy Smiles contract was tabled September 2nd. >> Healthy Healthy Smiles. Yeah. >> And officially it was supposed to be on. It was pushed off and pushed off. >> Does
080anybody have an answer for that? >> I mean, we've been working with Healthy Smiles to get the appropriate paperwork and documentation that we need. So, we recently received um some of that paperwork which is being reviewed to ensure that we're all set to move forward. We just connected with them again this week. So hopefully that will be on the next meeting. >> Thank you. Moving on to advanced planning. A regular meeting is scheduled for June 2nd, 2026, 7:30 p.m. right here in the PLC room. Administration building, 105 South Madison Avenue, Spring Valley, New York, 10977. Letter and communications. Written communication. Since the last board meeting, the board has received a letter from a student regarding homework. I will now make a motion to enter executive session to discuss matters regarding the possible employment or termination
081of particular persons. We expect action following to get the preliminary results of the budget vote and election. Do I have a second? >> Second by Vice President McIll. All those in favor say I. >> I'm going to post up abstain. Motion carries. [snorts] Thank you. [music] Okay, before we get the results, I do want to wish a very, very happy birthday to our vice president, Sher McIll. >> Happy birthday. Many more happy and healthy years. Thank you for your service to the community and for your dedication for the children in this district. So, thank you and happy birthday. >> I second that motion, President. [laughter] >> Thank you. Okay, I will now give it over to Trustee Charles Pierre who is going to help us out with the results. >> Thank you, President Rose. Preliminary
082results of 2026 budget vote in trustee election. Motion to accept the preliminary results of the vote on the May 19, 2026 budget proposition and election of board of education trustees subject to verification by the district clerk as reported by myself, Miss Charles Pier, the permanent chairperson. Ward 4 results are not available tonight due to technical difficulties. There are not enough votes to change the outcome for the budget or the trustees. 1,45 votes casted. Official results are pending. Ward four results and canvasing of a of affidavit ballots by the district clerk. Unofficial results tonight are the budget passes with 940 yes votes and 443 no votes. Sher trustee Sherry McIll is elected as the W three trustee with 225 votes with seven writin votes. Trustee Simon Simon Cloff is elected as the W five trustee with
08319 votes to three write in votes. Trusty Moshi Samuel Federer is elected as the W 8 trustee with 92 votes to 12 right in votes. Do I have a motion? >> I'll make the motion. >> Second by Miss Charles Pier. All those in favor say I. >> I. Anyone oppose abstain. Motion >> motion carries. Congratulations to all my colleagues and congratulations to the district for passing the budget. Thank you all. And >> I will now make a motion to >> Sorry. >> Congratulations to all. >> Thank you. I will now make a motion to adjourn this meeting. Do I have a second? >> Second by the board. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Anyone oppos? Motion carry. Thank you all. Have a good night.