MARSD BOE Committee of the Whole Meeting, 6 - 5 - 2025

001The New Jersey open public meeting law is enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meeting of the public bodies at which business affecting their interests is discussed appropriately. In accordance with the provision of this act, the Madawan Avenue Regional School District Board of Education advertised this meeting on June 5th, 2024 in the Asbury Park Press and historic budget. These notices were sent to the municipal clerks of the Burawan, the township of Aberine, and the Madawan Public Library. These notices were also placed website. We please stand for the To the flag of the United States of America and to the stands, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all Miss Martinez here and Miss Mar here. Be it resolved that close session for the

002purpose of discussing privacy, personnel matters, and legal advice. The subject matter of these discussions will be disclosed to the public disclosed to the public when the reason for confidentiality subsides. Although the board cannot guarantee it, the length of the executive session is estimated to be 30 minutes after which the public meeting of the board shall reconvene and pro proceed with business. Action will take place. And I have a motion and a second. Thank you everyone. We're going to get started. Thanks everybody for coming out. It's a very special night. We get to honor our governors, educators, and um education professionals of the year. Uh we'll be getting to that in just one second. I just want to have a motion and a second to approve the correspondence to the board on those topics. Thank you.

003superintendent's report. I'm going to turn it over to Dr. Ross. Again, congratulations to our staff. Very proud of you. Thank you for all you do and the dedication um you provide to our schools. Dr. Ross. Thank you, Superintendent Perez. It is with great excitement that we get a chance to recognize our special educators tonight. Uh I'm not going to talk much to you. I'm going to let the principles who work closely with these amazing educators speak more about their accomplishments. We're going to start off with Cambridge Park and we're going to have Mrs. Maggie Glazer come up and introduce our educators of the year. [Music] [Applause] Hi everybody. Good evening. Um I'm going to ask Audrey is she here? [Applause] standing up in front of me. Um, Audrey came to Cambridge Park um, 2 years

004ago when she interviewed with me. Um, I knew immediately after talking to her for probably 2 minutes that we needed to hire her at Cambridge Park. Um, she had a science background, a strong science background. She's taught special education. She's taught many grades. Um, she creates hands-on, engaging, thought-provoking lessons to our students. We have preschool students that know all about the scientific process. They use words and vocabulary that I would equate to high schoolers using, which is pretty amazing. She's worked with our middle school staff and our high school staff to bring students over and do lessons with them. She's received grants. Um, she keeps our garden tended. And when I say tended, she grows the plants. You also Thank you. harvests the plants. She does lessons with students. For example, today I walked into

005her classroom and her students were all trying mint leaves that they grew and they picked themselves and they were describing them. Their faces were all scrunched up because they did not like it. And then they tried radishes that they grew. So, um, Audrey, you've been a wonderful addition to the staff at Cambridge Park. Our students have gained so much from your knowledge, and I want to congratulate you. This is a well-deserved award. Um, I brought in her free time. She spends it with her husband and her two children. I hear they're not here. So, congratulations. Next, I'm going to call up Lexi Johnson who's our sport. So, we often talk about the power of social media. Uh about 5 years ago, we were very desperate for a school nurse. We had interviewed several people and

006no one felt like just the right fit. So, on my personal Facebook page, I said, "Does anybody know a school nurse?" That was all I did. And it turns out that one of my retired guidance counselors said, "Hey, my daughter, her friend is looking for a school nurse job." And Lexi came in and just like with Audra, I knew immediately after talking to her for 30 seconds that she was going to be the perfect fit for our building. Um, Lexi's job differs a little bit from other nurses in our district because she works with students, parents and families who often this is their first experience in the school district. So many of these parents have only gone through daycare. So they're leaving their children for the first time in somebody else's camp. So Lexi has

007300 students this year approximately. She works with Lifebridge as well. Um she does hearing, vision, and dental screenings for all of them. She does um takes care of immunization compliance. She does med uh medication administration. She monitors our medically fragile students. She's a part of ECAC, HERT, and CST, which is a lot of acronyms. If you don't know what they are, it's okay. Um and she expertly navigates working with parents, staff, and students, and laughs the whole time while doing it. It makes our students laugh. It's very hard working with three and four year olds, many of whom don't have the language to share what's wrong and why why they're in pain or what they need. So, in Lexi's free time, she spends it with her husband Chris and her two children who are right

008here. Um, and I'm very honored to be able to give you this award because I know just like Audrey, you are each part of Angry Park. So, congratulations [Music] Miss Wood and Miss Johnson, if you can stay up here, we have awards for you. I apologize that they were behind [Music] Thank you. [Music] Next up, we have Christine Jiren from Lickwood Elementary School. Everybody, I'm so excited to be here and congratulations to everybody. It's such a great night honoring all of you. So, I have the honor of acknowledging two teachers at our school, but I need a little help from our friends. So any of Miss Gilberg's um students, if you can come up for me, Miss Sarah's class. [Applause] [Music] That's beautiful. [Music] [Applause] [Music] So, it is with great joy and pride that

009we recognize Clifford School's 2024 2025 Governor's Educator of the Year, the one and only Mrs. Michelle Gilbert. Please come up. Michelle has been a huge part of the Madawan African Regional School District for the past four years. And every one of those years has been spent right here at Cliffwood School where she works side by side with our wonderful teaching partner, Miss Tara. Let's give her a round of applause. Today, they are a dynamic duo full of energy, passion, and love for their students. Whether it's singing songs, dancing around the classroom, too much at sometimes, never too much. Creating magical moments for their pre-K learners, they make Cliffwood a joyful place to be. Before joining our district, Michelle grew up with her over two decades of experience from a private school in Bright, where she

010laid the foundation for what would become a truly impactful career. Her expertise, dedication, and nurturing spirit are evident in everything she does. Michelle's experience in early childhood education has also been recognized beyond our school walls. She was named tools of the mind prek Twitter teacher for the months of February and March in and again in January 2025. Let's give her a big round of applause. [Music] Michelle is an active and valued member of our school community. She serves on both the title one committee and the student climate and equity committee. Always advocating for what's best for our students and families. She's instrumental in organizing our title one family nights and contributes greatly to our cause program which celebrates positive behavior and school per spirit. You guys are doing great. [Music] Michelle also participates in just

011about every school event and always with a smile. Whether she's cheering on her team at the Battle of the Faculties or taking on the Harlem Wizards in the Spirited basketball game, Michelle brings enthusiasm, laughter, and heart to all she does. Her dedication doesn't stop at the end of the school day. She's always lending a hand, supporting her colleagues, and helping to make Clifford a warm and welcoming place for all. But perhaps the most beautiful testimony to Michelle's impact comes from her students themselves. This Miss Gilbert has heart and is a girl and I love to play with her. Is that evening? Zara shared, "I love to sing the caterpillar song with Mrs. Gilbert." And Melanie beamed as she said, "I like to play Duck Duck Goose with Mrs. Gilbert." Do you guys like to play

012Duck Duck? Yeah. Michelle is kind. She is passionate. She is full of energy and joy and above all she's an extraordinary educator who touches the lives of her students in the most meaningful way. Tonight we are also thrilled to welcome two very special guests who are here to celebrate this well-deserved honor. Michelle's husband Andy and her father Donald [Music] family. Your light shines brightly and your impact is felt by everyone who has the pleasure of working with you. We are proud. Congratulations. [Music] [Applause] You guys are doing great. One more. Tonight, we are thrilled to celebrate celebrate a truly remarkable member of our Clifford family. Please join me in congratulating our Governor's Educational Service Professional of the Year for the 2024 2025 school year, Miss Tara McCormick. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Tara is the kind of

013person whose energy lights up a room or in our case the entire school. She is truly a dancing machine always full of endless energy, joy, positivity. Whether it's greeting students at the boss duty in the morning or sending them home with smiles in the afternoon, you can count on Tara to be dancing her heart out in the hallway. Her moves are no joke, and her joy is convenient. Every day she so shows up with a big smile, a kind heart, and a warm welcoming presence. Tara is incredibly caring, not just to her prek students, but to all the students and staff at Cliffwood. She makes every person feel seen, valued, and loved. And it's that spirit, that vibrant, joyful energy that makes Tara so special. Tara is a fixture at every school event. She has

014also played in the basketball game against the Harlem Wizards and showed her team spirit at the helm of the faculties. Wherever Cliffwood is, Tara is there cheering, dancing, and spreading sunshine. Tara's journey in our district began in 2017 when she started as a long-term substitute at Cambridge Park. When the district secured the preschool grant, Tara officially joined us as a district preschool staff member. Then in the 2021 2022 school year, she became something part of something very special, the inaugural preschool expansion at Cliffwood, working alongside Mrs. Gilbert to build something extraordinary. And what a team. We are lucky to have Miss Tara as part of the Cliffwood family. Her dedication, her joy, and her love for our students make her irreplaceable. And if you don't believe us, just listen to some of her students. Carly

015says, "Miss Tara gives the best hugs, and I like to play canuling with her." Michaela adds, "I love to give Miss Tara hugs, and I love to water the plants with her." Those simple words say it all. Tara is someone who makes kids feel safe, loved, and excited to learn and grow. And finally, we are delighted to welcome her wonderful family here tonight. Her husband Mike and their children Connor and Jaden. We'd like them and we look like them up here. Please, along with Miss Gilmer, also Miss Sarah and their amazing pre class and spread some sunshine right here and now by dancing together called walking on sunshine. I have to do it. Maybe this is the size. [Music] Everybody [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] Dr. Cronin, I hope you're ready to dance. [Applause] Thank you,

016Dr. Ross. Good evening, everyone. Congratulations to all all our recipients. Miss P, will you please join us? [Music] Miss Papa is our drive elementary school educator of the year. [Music] [Applause] Miss Papa embodies the heart and soul of what it means to teach on fire. Walking towards Miss Papa's classroom, the first thing you'll see is a sign that says, "I'm so glad you're here." As soon as you step into Miss Papa's third grade classroom, the first thing you notice is a film of belonging. A feeling of warmth that comes from the way that each of Miss Papa's students genuinely want to be in our classroom. As you look around the classroom, you will first family pictures and the affirmation station, a full-size mirror, positive saying ordering out. This environment has been driven by Miss Pap's

017desire to encourage her students to be the best version of themselves daily. And this all starts with knowing that her students are respected and loved. Miss Top is the essence of a warm commander, pushing students to continue to grow while supporting them in every step. Miss Papa's ability to respond to the social, emotional, and academic needs of her students is nothing short of inspiring. Conferencing with students daily, as soon as the student is in need, Miss Popa is already there, present and attuned with a listening ear and an actionable solution. One of my favorite parts of the morning is watching her students kick off the day with the beloved rain bins. Just one brief example of an activity that reflects Miss Papa's dedication to student autonomy and her belief in creating a welcoming community. Miss

018Papa is a true collaborator. As the teacher of our third grade multilingual learners, Miss Papa with the MLL teacher and our counselor to ensure every student is receiving what they need. Miss Papa models lifelong learning, becoming a literacy specialist. Last year, Miss Papa immediately provided professional development, earning rave reviews from her colleagues. In her six-year ravine drive, Miss Papa has transitioned into the role of the veteran teacher on the team. In this position, Miss Poppy plays a crucial role in making instructional decisions and planning numerous events for our students transition over to Lloyd Road. As a member of the school improvement committee, Miss Papa has developed a database of resources for teachers of all grade levels to use to support their learning both in math and reading. Miss Papa fills every room she enters with

019kindness, always lifting up others, and leading by example. Miss Poppy, your dedication to your students, colleagues, and our entire school extraordinary. Thank you for being a classroom where our students feel safe, respected, and loved. We are thrilled to see what the future holds for you and all of your students. Miss Papa is joined tonight by Mr. and Mrs. Papa, Miss Papa's two sisters and her fiance, Mr. Bar. [Music] Congratulations, and we're getting married next Saturday. Sorry. Washington the ravine drive elementary school educational service specialist of the year, Mrs. Columbo. Mrs. Columbo could not be here with us tonight as it is her father's 70th birthday. [Applause] Columbo. It is my absolute pleasure to take a moment to recognize someone who is truly the heartbeat of Ravine Drive Elementary School. A person whose compassion, leadership, and

020dedication shine in every corner of our building. Mrs. Plumber wears many hats, and she wears them all with grace, intention, and deep commitment to every child and adult who walks through our doors. Whether teaching monthly character trade lessons in every classroom, coordinating buildingwide behavior supports, or working directly with families to ensure their child's success, Mrs. Palumbo's work is rooted in empathy, strategy, and unwavering care. Each month, her character lessons align seamlessly with our schoolwide focus on positive behavior and development. These aren't just lessons. They are moments of connection, reflection, and inspiration for our students. What makes Mrs. Plumbo truly exceptional is her ability to know each student, not just their name, but their needs, their background stories, and their strengths. Building trusting relationships with our students and their families, tailoring her support so that every

021student has what they need to thrive. Mrs. Plumbbo's door is always open, her energy is always warm, and her presence is always supported. Mrs. Columbbo is a powerful advocate connecting families with services and supports that make a real difference in the lives of our students. Her impact is felt not just in the classrooms but in the homes and hearts of so many. If you ever started your day at being drive with a smile, chances are it was because of Mrs. Columbo's morning announcements complete with uplifting songs similar to what Miss Sharon just shared with us and messages that brighten the mood and set a positive tone for everyone in the building. From spirit weeks to theme days to schoolwide celebrations, Mrs. Plumble brings creativity and joy into our daily routines, reminding us all of the

022importance of fun, connection, and community. Mrs. Plumbo has earned the trust and respect of student, staff, and families alike. Not because of any one thing she does, but because of how she does it with kindness, thoughtfulness, and heart. Students seek her guidance, staff seek her wisdom, and families rely on her support. Mrs. Columbo's role over drive cannot be overstated. Making our school a better place and a brighter place. A true champion for our children, a trusted colleague, and a pillar of our community. Everyone, please give one more round of applause. [Music] [Applause] Thank you, Dr. Con. Next, we have Mrs. Kelly over from sorry Straorth. Good evening. I have the pleasure tonight of speaking about the Strathmore staff nominated this year. I would like to start off by saying when I met with my staff

023to discuss this evening, they both cringed and said, "Do I have to speak?" And I said, "No." And then they both separately said, "Please keep it brief." So I would like to invite up this is Colleen Burton educator of the year. I myself have only been at Strathmore for a a few short months, so I haven't had the opportunity to work with Colleen in very long, but I have to say in that short time, I am very much in awe of Mrs. Burton. She walks around the halls as if nothing really bothers her. Um, I'll use the elementary term cool as a cucumber because I just sometimes want to be her. She definitely brings a sense of calm to kindergarten if that's possible. I do have a few remarks. Mrs. Burden is a dedicated kindergarten

024teacher currently, you won't believe this, in her 30th year of teaching. [Applause] Even more impressive is the last 24 of those of those years have been spent here in Madawan at our very own Strathmore Elementary School. [Music] She has made it her life's work to guide our youngest learners through their very first school experiences. And she does so with a passion and patience that are truly inspiring. Colleen is especially passionate about helping her students learn how to read and build the foundations that will carry them through their entire educational journey. Her classroom is a place filled with curiosity, joy, laughter, and a lot of learning. A self-proclaimed city girl from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Colleen now enjoys the peaceful pace of what she calls country living all the way out in Milstone, New Jersey. She and her

025husband Jim have two wonderful children, Court and Rat, which she speaks often of and very fondly of. As a family, they love traveling together, especially to places like Bam, Canada, which happens to be her favorite destination so far. If you haven't seen it, look up the pictures. They're amazing. Colleen also enjoys relaxing at the beach, I'm sure, with a book in hand and going on bike rides with her family. But if you really want to know what makes Mrs. Burton special, just ask her students. These are some direct quotes. They'll tell you she is kind, patient, thoughtful, and funny. She's amazing at cutting paper, great at teaching math, and helps us read books. She always reminds them, "Keep your hands to yourself." And perhaps most importantly, they say, "She is the best teacher in the

026world." Congratulations, Mrs. Burden and thank you for the incredible impact you've made not only in your classroom but on the lives of so many children and families over the years. We are all so lucky to have you. [Music] I have Mrs. Fry. [Applause] It's my privilege this evening to recognize this year's Governor's Educational Services Professional of the Year for Strathmore Elementary School, Miss Christine Fry. While I have only been at Strathmore a few short months, I have had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Fry in other capacities in her time here in the district. She's amazing. Um, and I get her because I am also a social worker. So, I definitely think we're on the same page a lot of the time. It's my pleasure to stand here and speak about you this evening. Mrs.

027Fry is currently completing her sixth year in the Madawan Aberdine Regional School District where she serves as a dedicated school social worker on the child study team. She brings an extraordinary level of compassion, energy, and commitment to her role, advocating fiercely for our most vulnerable students. Whether it's supporting families, guiding students through challenges, or offering a listening ear to a colleague, Christine is always there, committed, loyal, and reliable. But Christine's impact doesn't stop with students. She's also a trusted, loyal colleague, someone others turn to in times of challenge or in cheer. Her investment in relationships runs deep, and her presence on any team makes it stronger. A graduate of Mammoth University and a proud former member of their women's soccer team, Christine hasn't strayed far from the field. She continues to share her love of

028the game as a coach, a parent, and a lifelong athlete. A self-described homebody, she does like to indulge in concerts with family and friends. And in fact, she gave up tickets for a performance tonight in order to be here. As a Madawan resident, Christine and her husband of 22 years, Dave, have raised four wonderful children in this community. All four, sorry, all four children, by the way, were students of our previous recipient, Mrs. Burton. Christine is not only a trusted professional, but a true neighbor, always building connections and lifting others wherever she goes. Christine Fry represents the very best of what it means to serve in education and we are so grateful for her. Please join me in congratulating her on this well. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Next we have Good evening everyone. Um, it

029is my honor tonight to um introduce our governor's educator of the year, our teacher of the year for Lloyd Road, Miss Emily Mills. Miss Mills has been a staff member at Lloyd Road for the Maton for the last six years and an exemplary educator and a true team player who supports our Lloyd boat school students, staff, and parents. Miss Mills is a kind, compassionate, resourceful, and empathetic and lifelong educator who truly exemplifies dedication and caring. She is constantly seeking out ways to enhance her teaching and support her students. She has been a leader in the implementation of restorative circles and makes a daily effort to get to know each of her students on a personal level, including their cultures, their interests, their hobbies, as well as their academic and emotional needs. Miss Mills is deeply

030involved in our school community, always willing to do whatever she can to support our students at our school. She has volunteered for countless events, school activities, including our school spelling be for the last two years, our school climate committee, our school skip committee, PTO events, the Harlem Wizards game, lip sync, sunshine, staff versus student volleyball games, battle of the schools, just to name a few. Emily is viewed as a leader in the area of curriculum and instruction among her colleagues and is extremely tech-savvy, offering support to others whenever she can. Emily creates a meaningful and lasting connection with her students and inspires them to strive for their goals and enjoys positive, supportive, and meaningful relationships with all the students and staff that she encounters. We are so privileged to have you at Boyd Road. I

031know Miss Mills is here tonight with her family. is so honored to meet everyone um and her family and once again I wish you congratulations [Music] [Applause] All right. Next, it is my honor to welcome up Miss Maria Gonzalez. [Applause] Mrs. Gonzalez has been a staff member of uh Memphis Lloyd Road for the last four years and is an asset to our school and our school community. Mrs. Gonzalez greets all students and staff with a big smile every morning and no matter what type of day you're having, you just have to walk in, see Mrs. Gonzalez, and just the smile on her face makes you feel better. She is always willing to do whatever she can to support our school and our students and ensure they have a successful day. On any given day, you

032can find Mrs. Gonzalez lending a helping hand to the staff when she is not working with our students or asking what she can do to help whenever she is free. She will pop in and ask, "What else can I do?" She took her own time and resources to create handsewn window shades for every room in our school building to ensure our students and our school were safe. and they are proud to display and then she would pop in and say, "Do you need any more window shades? Do we need bigger ones, smaller ones?" So, our school is outfit and every time we see them, we we think of Maria and how wonderful she is. Miss Gonzalez enjoys her role as a lunch and recess aid and connects with each student on an individual level and

033has strong connections with our entire student body. Mrs. Gonzalez has been an asset to Lloyd Road in supporting our Spanish-sp speakaking students, particularly students that are new to our country. supports our ESL students, making them feel warm, welcomed, kind, and supported, and cared for. Um, which is something that can be very scary when you're coming to the uh new country and not speaking the language. So, our students are so fortunate, particularly our ESL students. Her students know that she is willing to help and guide them and to give them the best education that they can have at Lloyd Road. We are so fortunate. And I know um Maria is also here tonight with her family and new members of her family. her uh her daughter Bridget also works at Lloyd Road. So um I'm pleased

034to get to meet more members of her family and once again congrat [Music] [Applause] Next we have Mark Van Horn from fans. [Applause] [Music] Thank you. Congratulations to all the nice recipients. I'd like to bring up Beth Cavage, please. It's an incredible honor to recognize this year's ma'am's teacher of the year. Someone who impact whose impact goes far beyond the classroom forms. Mrs. Hkevich has worked in Madawan Aberdine since 1993 at Cliffwood and mostly advance. As an exceptional language arts and special education teacher, she brings deep knowledge, unwavering passion, and contagious enthusiasm to every lesson. Her classroom is a place where all students feel seen, supported, and inspired to grow. But her influence does not stop there. Mrs. Hutvich has served on our school's climate committee, ensuring that every voice is heard and every student

035feels they belong. She has served as an affirmative action officer. She knows that teaching is not just about academics but is also about building relationships. She meets students specific needs, fosters a love of reading in our learners and Mrs. Hutvich is also regularly at after school activity and at community events. Mrs. Hudkevich is respected by her colleagues. They recognize her professionalism, commitment, heart, and purpose. Many of her colleagues are here tonight to support her. In her spare time, Mrs. Cavage enjoys reading, gardening, yoga, and spending time at the beach. Here tonight to help celebrate her are her husband Tracy and her daughter Audrey. Tonight, we celebrate not just her accomplishments, but the spirit she brings to each and every day. Congratulations to our teacher [Music] I'd like to please have join Nurse Saul, Sonia Saul.

036I'm happy to rec recognize MA's educational services professional of the year, our school nurse, Mrs. Saul. Nurse Saul began her nursing career in 2001, but has worked at MAMS since 2023. In just a short time, she has made an extraordinary impact on the lives of both students and staff at MAS. As our school nurse, her soul goes far beyond the typical responsibilities associated with her work. Her approach to student health goes beyond treating illnesses and injuries. She works to create an environment where students feel comfortable discussing their concerns. Nurse Saul consistently demonstrates an ability to address unique needs of each student. Whether it's managing chronic conditions, administering medications, or offering support for other health challenges, she ensures that every child receives personalized empathetic care. Nurse Saul collaborates with teachers, administrators, and parents to ensure that

037all students and families are supported. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading, and voting. Nurse Saul is joined tonight by her husband, Michael, and her children, Emily and Tyler. Congratulations to our service professional of the year. [Applause] [Music] And for our last school tonight, we have Mr. Mike Wells, principal of the high school. [Music] Thank you, Dr. Walls, Mr. Perez, Cabinet, Board of Education. It's an honor to be here tonight as we get to celebrate all of our teachers of the year. Special shout out to nurse saw Miss Fry was Miss Fry. Miss Fry had the opportunity to work very closely with them in the past since the graduation to you all. Tonight I'm here to recognize two dedicated members of the Manawan Regional High School family. And I truly mean family. It's an

038honor to present Dr. Neil Jack as the Madam Regional High School educator of the year. Dr. Jackman [Applause] has been a fixture here at the high school since joining our staff in 2004. He's been instrumental in the development of our STEM academy bringing highle math courses to the district including AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, multivariable calculus, of course. is offered for dual credit before community college. In his spare time, he also teaches at a number of uh higher institutions. So, he's a busy man. Now, he doesn't know this, but while he was out in the building last week celebrating his daughter's graduation from Harvard. Wow. [Music] Mayor snuck into some of his classes. to see what they had to say about Dr. Jack. Now, I mention this because Dr. Jackson never allowed me to

039interrupt his classroom. In fact, I even scheduled all of our security drills around his classes just to avoid the awkward conversation when he comes to my office asking why must we have these drugs to which I often reply, "It's the law." So when I asked the students though, they their faces lit up. I asked them, you know, what they liked about Dr. Jacket and why they feel he should be the teacher of the year. Here's a couple things of what they said. He is my favorite teacher of my high school career. He is passionate. He plays funny do now songs. And when the lesson's going to be hard, he plays Adele. He helped me with college the college process and prepare me for interview the interview process. He takes time to teach topics outside of

040the curriculum because he knows we will need them. He tests critical thinking skills. He runs an efficient class covering a lot of hard material but making it seem manageable. He is a human calculator often making problems up on the fly. He has insane room control and commanding presence. He talks a little, but when he does, he has a commanding voice. Now, when I returned to the high school last year, a number of teachers stopped in to say hello, you know, welcome me back. And while there are many teachers that simply just stopped in to say hi, Dr. Jack came in, sat down in my office, pounded the table, said, "Mr. Wells, I need access to the SAT scores. I used to have them. I need them again." So, I said, "Okay." you know, so I

041made a couple calls and we got them. Uh, he needed to make sure that our students were among the the the best and brightest in the nation. Dr. Jack, thanks to you, they are. So, thank you. Please join me in graduating. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Sorry, I have some students here that wanted to come up and they they have a little gift for you, Dr. Jack. [Music] [Applause] Next up, please join me in congratulating Miss Amanda Welcome, our Mal Regional Life Education Support Specialist of the Year. her passion shine through in everything she does. She's the driving force behind so many meaningful programs, serving as the adviser of our women's empowerment club. She coordinates the Husky closet. She leads our blood drive and is the organizing member of our community volunteer program. She also co-advises

042our Husky Helpers program, creating opportunities for students and faculty to connect and serve together. Whether making lunches for the blessing parade St. Peter's lunches or supporting other community events, an instrumental part of our new Husky Prep Academy, Miss Wongo wrote the grant for our pearls and gloves program and she serves as a vital liaison for the Madame Burough Recreation Commission and recycling program as well as coordinates our student jobs program. When asked about a model or quote that defines her, Miss Long Miss Long simply said, "I don't have one." She just gets up every day and is genuinely happy come to work. I'll take that. [Music] Part of our team is a welldeserved [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Applause for all of our educators that [Applause] Yes, Dr. Ros, I also wanted to just take a

043minute on behalf of the board of education to congratulate all of you. It was great for us to hear um exactly what your peers think about you, what your students think about you, and the reasons why you were nominated. These are nominations that come from staff, students, families. So, we appreciate the time that those folks took to nominate um somebody to be named to these uh awards and I want to take a minute to personally congratulate Dr. Jackman. Both of my children had Dr. Jackman and um and we are now friends because his daughter who just graduated from Harvard is friends with my daughter. My daughter attended the graduation party. She had a great time. It was great. And so, he is a friend as well as my and my children's teacher. So, congratulations from

044our [Applause] So, that concludes the um award presentation portion. We do have another presentation that we need to set up for, but we can take a few minutes if anybody would like to take additional pictures and um leave for the evening. Thank you. Um, so I'm going to turn it over to Miss Pris for the second part of our presence report. Good evening everyone. Sorry, my bad towards the audience. Um, we're very excited about tonight's presentation. Um, tonight we have read a docu um from city um who conducted the demographic study. um we heard um feedback from our community and we had a lot of discussion with our board um over the last year and a half in terms of getting um have conducted a democracy study. So um we hope that everyone um will

045find this um veryformational. I know I did in terms of looking at historical data, but also where it's going, where we're going in terms of the two towns, um, with students, um, our families, our community as a whole, and, um, and the growth, which is really, really exciting. So, Fred is from Citygate. Um, Citygate's a 38-year-old company. He consults um, it's consulting firm specializing in redistricting, school planning. Um he's worked in terms of specifically enrollment projection, redistricting software, um bus routing. So we plan to continue um collaborating with him um in terms of our other needs. 28 years of continuous demographic and redistricting experience in K to 12 districts um specifically and these others are listed. He has 27 years hands-on demographic. So he's been doing this a long time um in multiple school projects

046and extensive mapping and analysis experience. So with that I welcome Fred to our district and thank you very much for the building. We noticed that 62 is when I was born as well. So to me and this school are the same age. Looks much better than we're the same age. Um so um I'm going to go over basically the process that we um went up with the numbers. I'm not going to explain the numbers and how um um what to expect I guess in the future as as as the next So to do this, um, one of the things that I want to do, excuse me for they really want to hear what we have to say this evening. So we're going to use this microphone here. It's also for the recordings and audio is

047better. Um, so in order to get a a a good idea of what's happening locally, I wanted to find out sort of if what is occurring here matches up with what's occurring around this neighboring schools, what's happening regionally, what's happening in the state, the Northeast, and the US. So get an idea of if West Frank here is the same as everywhere else, or is it specifically different? And um so this um graphic that I have up basically shows we start looking at it from a large perspective and what are we now the actual research to do this the way we go about coming up with a projection is we look at population in the past and um projections in the future. We look at housing. We look at uh income. We look at uh birth

048rates. We look at previous enrollment, new planned housing, future projections of the population. And then we compare them to the um to the uh once we have the enrollment projections, we come we um look at the um capacities of the school and then we um put our enrollment projections. in line with those capacities to determine what what is actually going to happen and which schools are going to be impacted on it. So the first thing that I did is I wanted to get an overview of the of the school district and these three images are from Google Earth uh which allows you to look at historic um photography. So this is 2002, 2011 and 2022. What I uh was trying to find out is if there have been any large scale development projects and you

049can see those pictures. It's a little bit hard to see uh here but uh the pictures are nearly the same. So while there has been development there hasn't been huge development projects. Um and we see that in other areas where all of a sudden they annex an area you know 100 100 200 uh kilomes. So the looking at these um graphs this is from the census uh bureau's 2020 um dennial census. So in that um survey they actually get total population and different racial demographics, Hispanic origin as well as housing caps. That's some of the graphics that you see up here. The the quadrant on the upper left is the total population and you can see that the district has grown in population since 2010. in fact grow more than the neighboring whiskers and um

050as a percentage of total population. The graphic below it is um showing the increase in Hispanic population. Now looking comparing the top one um the one I was just talking about in the upper left to the one below it. You can see that the adjacent districts not all of them have gain population. Some have but here we have the largest gaining population as a percentage of what we started out with. So we can see that the trend is different here than the neighboring uh school districts. The bottom one shows uh Hispanic population changing between 2010 and 2020. Now Hispanic um if you guys remember you're filling out your census forms is it's a different question than than your race. So you get the choice of selecting whether you're white, African-American, Indian origin. There's a set

051of five things you can select any com combinations of. And once you're done with selecting race, you can decide whether you are of Hispanic origin or not. So they're two different questions and we can see that across the board all of the neighboring um school districts as well as here there's been a gain in Hispanic population over the decade. Um the one on the upper right is the uh housing uh changes and you can see that again there's been by percentage a larger gain in um in uh housing population uh in housing counts and the one below it is the minority population. I'm going to get into the detail get into a little bit more detail with that. But in general, the way that we calculate minority population is looking at anybody who did not

052select white only. So if you didn't select yourself as being white only, then we can we count you as a as a minority. So as population change goes between 2010 and 2020 starting at um across the whole country you're looking at you're looking at 7 7.4%. Um for the decade in the northeast the population growth has been less as there's been migration towards the south and southwest. New Jersey itself had only a 5.7% population gain. The county had 2.1 and your neighboring districts actually had less at 8%. Here the population growth was close to 7% which is close to the average US again more than the neighboring certainly more than the uh neighboring districts. So looking at a little uh the numbers in a little bit more detail, we have um between 2010 and 2020

053as I said 6.9% population increase. The white alone people that selected white alone actually went down a little bit. Um African-American uh relatively stayed the same. Hispanic had a large increase. People identifying as Hispanic origin had a large increase. Um a minority population also increased. Um the housing counts have gone the number of housing units has gone up increased by 1874 units. That's an increase of 7%. Uh importantly the vacancy rates actually have gone down. So even though there's more houses, there's less vacancy in the area. [Music] So the next thing we looked at was income and poverty. And um the graph on the left shows the US versus uh New Jersey versus um um the district globally. And you can see that the average of the US is around $80,000. Here we're looking at

054our household numbers. We look at 124,000 almost. Um so it the district has um income well above the average household income of the country. The graph on the right is actually interesting because um what has occurred there is since uh 2016 the average household income went from $86,000 to what it is now or the 2023 is the last number we had of almost 124,000. So the income in general has gone up quite a bit um over the over the uh uh last 20 8 9 years and the the two the so the line that spikes up um on the right is the people that are the people that are making more than 100,000. The orange line are people that are making between 25 and 100,000 which is generally as trended down um as more people

055are essentially getting into the operating income and people making less than 25,000 is basically sloping um down but generally uh stable. So the poverty level is not particularly um going high or increasing but the the income is actually going up here. So looking at the birth rates um you can see that um it it had gone up and down uh before but the last three last three years for which we have data. So the last year of the data is 2022 from New Jersey Department of Health. It's actually gone up every year. The graph on the right, what it shows is going from birth numbers to kindergarten and to prek. So the prek number is in blue and the kindergarten number is in orange. The kindergarten number has generally stayed um close to um where

056it has been. The prek numbers have really shot up in the last 3 years. We're going to talk a little more about that. So the other number that we look at is the long-term population projection. So University of Virginia does this um for every state and we took those numbers and we aortioned it to the district. We aortion actually to the state, the county and the district. The numbers here are just to the district. So the gray bar on the far left is the current number and it is expected to go up by the end of this and then it stabilizes as as um with the um in 2040 and 50. The graph on the right shows the same information except by uh different age groups and I've focused basically uh the data that we

057have is for five and younger 5 to 9 I believe and then 10 to 14 and then uh 14 15 to 19 and those are um the current and 2030 and 2040. So for the first one we are basically increasing um in the next during the rest of this decade. Um the key thing that I wanted to point out here is even for the for the cohorts that are going down in population, they're bouncing back column. So this is whatever this dip is is temporary. It's not it's not continuous. So really I will be looking at the numbers as we are kind of stabilizing in the long term. Um the other item that we looked at of course was residential construction. How many new homes are coming in and I contacted the Aberine Township um

058planning office as well as the Mawan um planning office and they provided me with these construction um permit information and which ones actually had been um are on their way versus ones that are actually planned. So the information that you see on the left is a list of them. On the right minister are expecting um this afternoon we had a meeting where some of those numbers were changed and um one of the projects that is um actually already been constructed across town and the u transit rehab. It's a possible development. It's it's on the votes, but I think the general agreement is that it may actually not happen, right? The one that's crossed out is completed. The one that is crossed out is is has been completed and the students are already so they don't

059go into the future projections. Thank you. So based on based on these numbers, we actually added those um those student those potential students into our projection and added them at the at the years that they're going to be coming online. So I have the word cohort survival ratio. Let me explain what that actually means. It's just a demographic term meaning how many of this group makes it to the next group. So if you have 100 um first graders when you go to second grade how many of them are actually going to be there for the second grade? So if it's 100% that means that you expect which is in fact in this case between 01 and 02 100% of the kids historically have made it. And if you go to the next line, which is

06002 to 03, typically what happens is if you start with 100 kids in the second grade, the next year you'll probably end up with 100 at least historically, which means there's more kids coming in at that level. So we look at in this case 7 years worth of data and look at what these numbers show. These numbers are not um I wouldn't say they're atypical, but in a lot of school districts, we see kids um coming in, let's say, at 9th grade because they go to schools, private schools that only go to 8th grade. Vice versa, we have some situations where you have kids um dropping off at 9th grade because they um go to some other school when they go to high school. Um we don't see that here. All the numbers are pretty

061close to 100%. And um that essentially shows that once kids start in this uh school district, they go all the way to the end. So basically, just as an example, if you see all of a sudden 50 new kids make it to kindergarten this year that you weren't expecting, expect that next year they'll be in first grade and second grade and third grade. They're going to go through the whole system. Now what has um occurred which is on the graphic on the on the right side of the top is that the green line is the prek numbers and the purple line is the kindergarten numbers. The prek numbers over the last 3 years have really shot up and they're plateauing at about 44. So based on the conversation that we we had this afternoon, there

062is more prek options available now. So that's probably accounts for the increase in that population. And that increase has not is not enough of a history that I can, you know, if I if I just take that graph and look at it, well then it should just keep going up and up. But that's obviously not going to happen because the the the space is simply not there. It's not going to be there. But the it's worthwhile set up pointing out that this is actually occurring. You are getting a lot of UK students. Um so this particular um slide shows our uh enrollment projections for the next decade going through 20 3435. And the purple lines that you see there are the years at which at which we're adding those um those uh new constructions against

063the new construction. And the graph on the bottom right really shows the total population going forward from here out. And there is a steady growth based on the increase expected in total population and also in birth rates. And basically over the um the entire decade we're looking at about 12% increase in total number of students. The graph on the bottom left when we do these uh analyses what we do is we do a um plus and minus 5%. So, we basically say, okay, if you're off by 5% in either direction, what is the what is the um what is what do the numbers look like? And the high the graph going on the top shows 5% plus and the one below at the bottom shows if you're off by 5% below it. And of course

064the one in the middle is what the table at the top shows. We also did a capacity analysis to see which schools are going to be out of capacity um in which year based on the numbers that we received from the uh architect. And um it's a little bit hard to see but the uh we have we have the school And then we have which graded um go to that school currently. And then the next column is the capacity and the table in front of it in green and red shows the years and the uh student population for that year at that school. And whenever it turns red is when basically the school is out of um capacity. Now these capacities are 90% based on based on um reasonably small class sizes. They're not over.

065So there's some room here to adjust. Um but in 2030 you're going to uh basically see um capacity issues. Now at the prek3 level I think adjusting the boundaries a little bit will will u fix the problem and then um the problem that later gets to the four to five at Lloyd road and that's a little bit more tricky because it might require some greater configuration to um eliminate the u the u over the over capacity numbers. The table below it just shows a year to year plus or minus how many kids are getting added and subtracted from the school based on our injections. And the graphs at the bottom show the same information with the dotted line that's very hard to see that shows the capacity. So which one essentially gets over capacity led

066by how much. So the uh the maps that we have here show where the students are and the first one on the far left shows sort of the density of the students. So you guys can see sort of where the largest number of students are coming from. The um graphic on the right shows all the students. Uh it's a little bit tiny here for you to see. So I'm going to do So the first one is Cambridge Park. Um and that shows all the students that are going to to um to that school. The next one shows the um Clifford Provine Drive and Stratmore by district. And um it's as I said, it's a little bit difficult to see, but I was trying to show how many kids are actually uh attending out of their

067school district of their zone. Um it's not that many and it's not it was not unusual enough to cause any concern. It's probably kids that um are teachers teachers um the children or other exceptions that we typically have. The other three um show the U Boy and the middle school and the high school and generally the the students are very equally dispersed around. So the school there's other than the fact that they're generally equally dispersed through the district, there's really not much else that we can uh get from from this information. So this is the uh general conclusion. Really the high point of this was what I already discussed about the mid-level projection for 2024 being um 12% increase to 4,422 students. And that's really the um the main um take away from here and

068the capacity issues will primarily be at the at the um elementary school level. the middle school and the high school plenty of capacity. And um so that should at least for the next 10 year 10 years should um and as I said the the redistricting and possible greater reconfiguration might be the future between two and 5 years from now. Thank you so much. Very thorough report. We appreciate that one. Um, do we have any questions from the board? I just wanted to ask you, just wanted to ask this is phenomenal. First of all, thank you so much. Um, when you took a look at the median income, did you put the 86,000 in an inflation calculator to be able to compare apples to apples? Say that again. When you took the median income initially of

069$86,000, did you put it in calculators? So, we're actually comparing apples to apples because when I put the $86,000 into 2023 cost, that's $111,000 which is very different than comparing what that money so I was wondering what if there's an impact so the numbers we don't project the numbers forward so what we what we do is we compare that number um to the other jurisdictions oh so you are comparing correct so so the the increase in income hasn't been as high in other areas when I when I can get you now. Thank you very much. So, just to add um to that, so we had a lot of questions about the definition of under adequacy. So, that really illustrates it. The actual income level growth in this area really fars out what the state is

070telling us. Obviously, you know, there was some some issues about how to account for that in terms of getting that extra income. But that being aside, it it does show that as far as the state sees the district, they feel that the income level of the families in the district is like you saw in the report higher than surrounding districts. they're going to see the same numbers. So, um the source is the source is the same. They get it from the American Community Survey, which is the survey that the Census Bureau does that information. So, they will get it from the same. They get it from the same place. And I mean, I show the income numbers. Obviously, that's not the whole picture because $124,000 a year is doesn't mean as much as if you

071lived in West Virginia. Um, you'd be rich over time. Um, here you probably couldn't afford to buy a house. So I mean there's a this doesn't account for it but if you go into a place and you see that that income level has um hit below national levels then you know that that school is going to be distress in a lot of ways that's not happening here when you compare it to the state when you compare it to the uh to the uh national numbers. Any other questions? Oh, sorry. Mine was quick. Um, was on the slide about, you know, about the input levels. Again, this was something that I was almost kind of chastising myself probably making too many jumps of assumptions, but I I was looking at the, you know, that that mid-range

072goes down some and then the high range goes up a lot. This speaks to just literally more households in our our town. Is it fair to say the same? Obviously, there was housing growth, community growth, and vacancy down. Is it that the people moving in have more income or is that too much of a jump, too much of an assumption? Um, it's not because that's the conclusion that I made. Okay, that's what I was But it's, you know, you look at a lot of things and, you know, when I'm looking at this, I'm just a gobs of data and I'm trying to figure out, okay, what's actually happening here? I can't point to one thing and say, well, this guy moved in and he made the made the whole thing go up. But in general,

073I saw people moving in and I saw the the income go up and it it wasn't like if you if I look at that graph, it was like this for a long time and then it just did this. So that tells me that either a bunch of people won the lottery here or people moved in with money. Yeah, we uh we all noticed we all had at least one neighbor new neighbor who bought their house for cash. Yeah. So, it's a bit more than that, but um it's just it just helps us with thinking about how changes like like state income like the state looks at us from income levels, whether like current residents that or longtime residents have really increased their income greatly or is it that new folks that are coming in that

074have a lot more money? I guess correct there. There is there does seem to be population because if everybody here was um that lived here was um your income was going up generally you would have seen that graph be a lot like scooter but the fact that it just doesn't this that kind of tells me that you had a sudden influx of people right thank you um just one question because I think one of the concerns a lot about extending was um trying to understand how many students are going to be accommodated. So the national average per 100 homes or units is 41. So for us it's 37, right? So that's correct. So so what I did was um if I if I didn't have those numbers, I would have just gone with the national.

075But what I what I had was I I knew how many housing accounts there were and I know how many students there were coming out of the current number of homes. So all I did is I looked at I did divided those numbers. It's just basic math at that point and figured out how many kids at each grade level are coming out of the housing that is here. And so when we add new housing and again there are other jurisdictions where they gave me super detailed information. So they're like, "Okay, this apartment complex has this many permitted two-bedroom houses, this many three-bedroom and and and so forth." And so I can actually assign how many kids typically come out of two bedroom house versus three bedroom houses. But here I had some information detail and

076some information they just so I couldn't do that far out, right? So I couldn't I couldn't go to the very detailed one-on-one development and have zero details on the other one. So that's why I used the total number of housing units which I knew going to be kids that were at the district level and then a portion of that and so the so we should just subtract the 50 um that they said was already constructed and then potentially transit transit station. Right. So, I'm actually going to redo these. I just sort of got the expressions out there and and I'll um put those back. But the way that that we do this is we have a giant spreadsheet with everything in it and then whatever you change the the changes. So, I'm going to update

077those. I'm going to generate these and just actually actual numbers that match up. It isn't that many students here. It's not going to change the number dramatically, but I bet it does. That's when we're really going to see the impact. Yes. I have a question. So, the original data that you received about the this um construction, the number of units, the housing things like glass works or you know, hand gardens. Where did you get that information? You got it directly from towns, right? Correct. So I called the um their planning department and both and they gave me the name of the person which actually same person both places and then um she basically sent me an email with this list of coaching. So today there were updates that were mentioned. So I'm just curious as

078to why there was a discrepancy. We used a lot of work to gather this information and then today on the fly had to kind of adjust based on what was giving us this afternoon. So just curious as to that's usual or I mean we were happy to have the correct information included here because we want to make sure it's all accurate. Um, I just was I found that to be straight and already did your due diligence and the numbers kind of changed. So, so this is what I did. I'm generally a suspicious person. Um, so when I got that data, that list, I went in Google um maps and I did street views and I went to each one of these addresses and I looked to see what I saw. Now those pictures don't get

079updated all the time. So there's a delay between some pictures and other ones and for glass works and um I think it was junction I saw that there was construction. So then I just said okay these two are actually happening and the other ones just looked like a um like a site that was so that that was my check. So I tried to sort of double check everything but um I didn't know that that other one had finished that or been added. He was still showing as part and then the one that um is was star presentation just so everybody here knows um that's basically a project that's on the books but it's not that's actually a project from the New Jersey Department of Transportation. So, at at this point, it doesn't look likely, but

080it's still potentially 122. And although, you know, probably unlikely. We can't really discount it cuz we won't know. I'm sorry. I I will probably ask my I was trying to I have my stuff. But anyway, no, I had this one was um I want to make sure I understood because you kind of mentioned it just I I just want to make sure I understood it right. So the uh we shouldn't treat the expected bump up in K through three and then the bump up at 45 to then back down. This is like a permanent bump. Correct. So really I looked at so one of because of this way sharp increase that you had in play and there's not enough history for me to reliably if if I base it on the if I base it

081on 5 years then your numbers basically do this which which I know that's not going to happen and if I base it on the last two or 3 years then it does this which I also know is not going to happen. So what I did is I we we talked safely about the number of um um seats that are going to be available which is around 500. So that's where the numbers are going to have to stay unless what I did have is correlation between kindergarten and birth rates. So what I at least for the report what I did is I did 3K I'm sorry birth to 3K as one cell and then I did birth to K as a separate set and that's the one that I carry to the remainder of the remainder

082of the data because I had seven years worth of corresp That's used to that the uh we can have we can climb in the seats for prek. We can't tell community residents that we can't educate their kids starting kindergarten. So yeah, I think so. I just wanted to bring up um from the conclusions something that I want everybody to be aware of and keep in mind that there will likely at some point be a resigning which means you know, the cuto offs of certain neighborhoods and which schools they go to may change probably will change. So, just something in mind if anybody's moving in and they want to move into a certain neighborhood because they want to go to a specific elementary school that may or may not be. So, if they know that and

083then secondly um there will there could be also and likely to be a change in the grade levels at the build. So right now we have a separate school just for fourth and fifth could be you know I don't we don't something we have to start working on I guess but could be taken by all the elementary schools you know we don't really know what that looks like but it's but the conclusions are that we will be looking at some changes in the zoning and grade levels um in the district correct correct so what I shared with um I'll show you a thread um this afternoon is that providers the district the district has um take the approach that we cannot guarantee that kids will go to student to their building where they're concerned going

084forward. So that's why so like for community members when you're here you know I'm I'm supposed to go to Strathmore but like particular school now I'm over Strathmore going to um drive and it's because that building particularly like Strathmore is at capacity so in order to be fully transparent in terms of families are coming in and registering not just preschool but even at our K like as mentioned the K to3 watching that level we want to make sure that kids have equal um and fair education at each of our buildings as we go along. We're trying to avoid one building having more than the other. So, which we have seen in the last two years after the strategy. So um in terms of the redistricting and reszoning um and to share with um the experience

085here having to share with us the board that um we wanted we we we will be transparent and kind of take the approach in terms of having community forms so families know the way ahead of time in terms of where students will be served um and and also get that input. I don't know. I mean, it's it's it's a learning experience, I think, for all of us. I think for the sport um right now, um obviously redistricting happened a long time ago. This Floyd Road was an elementary building. I don't know when that was, but um but it was um so we will be asking for community input and also obviously that impacts as well. So we need to plan that and also plan budget as well to coincide at the same time. So um

086I know the charts are kind of small. So it is um so in terms of the elementary schools the one that is closest to capacity is stra by far. So that's the the performing are specifically talking about the structure very close to hitting capacity whereas the other two are pretty you know at a healthy levels so that's really where the zoning has to be yes so and I also want to add that so the planning has to start ging starts planning just you that limitations. So if we're planning for that 230 or even planning according to um what the basis of the um the units so if we look at 28 29 then we have them here. So um which we would um not to add all the solutions or anything right now but um

087when when we have the community forum and all the conversations something we consider is interfacing with the chamber of commerce to get in touch with realtors in this area so that they know so they don't tell people things aren't true. I did bring that up today. Um there's a lot of prompts as the chamber of realtors. I love I didn't think of using the chamber of commerce, but I actually mentioned to Miss Perez that we needed to tell realtors in the area to not say this house is goes to Strathmore or this house goes to because that may or may not happen. Yeah, that's it. They're in the district. Um if any other board member questions, I'm going to um open it up to questions just about this presentation. Please keep a brief um so

088that we can I know there may be specific to this so I'm going to forgo waiting until public comment so if you want to come up and ask um where hi my name is with 299 world um okay so I guess my question is aside from redistricting. But what happens when we're at capacity? Like when we're full, right, and we've moved everyone from left to right and right to left and all the parents are mad cuz we're being in trles and cliff and everyone's freaking out. And now we have the Lloyd Road Elementary School and everyone's like, "What the heck is that?" once they're full because it looks like we're going to be full. Now what? That's my I know you guys can't do it. I don't know if you really And also how does

089that affect our budget? So if we're doubling in size but we're only able to go up a certain percentage because that's what the law is like what do we do and then we have people the city council is just like hey let's just keep on building let's just build right so like that's I guess that's my question like what's like what we like what happens like how do we pay for it how we buy can the school here's my other question did the could the board of education school district buy property I mean I know you can but do we have like even like cuz I know like for example just as a quick example 160 M right now is up for auction right so you know it's slated for trying to change the zoning

090so like maybe this will go in with the towns and maybe we're those preliminary very preliminary discussions are kind of in the back of our heads and happening a little bit um but yeah I mean it's we we need we have get space. Right. So that's that's part of the budget, that's a little different story. Um to I will say um to the credit of what we heard today from at least Aberdine regarding the development at Glass Works, they are not going to um they're going to really prevent anything more than two bedrooms in the new units that are being built there. So the developer asked for like to be three bedrooms. The information we got today is that they will not allow that. So there was two I have two witnesses. Um they will

091only go up to twobedroom units in the phase two of class works which right now is still phase one. What's going on? I guess school that would be positive. I guess for the tax housing issues then I guess not so great because we still have to do the reason why they changed it for is because we needed more low-inccome housing and for limiting it to two we might be cutting off our new resistance by a question for the town. Yes, I will be asking them on June 17th when they're going to talk about 160. So thank you. I wanted to get information from you guys first so that I can go back and go by the way thanks for showing up and this is what's going on. Thank you. Hi. So, a little disappointed that

092it only goes to 2020 because especially like myself, I know that I entered the town and a lot of other people from New York entered the town after 2020. So, I know that it's going to be factored in a little bit. I'm also going to tell you that um I hear quite a bit from other towns that what makes our town so um attractive is our preschool. A lot of the other towns don't have like this full day preschool. They don't have um 500 seats. They don't, you know, like pretty much you get into the preschool where the other towns, you know, they have like 100 seats or it's like half day or something like that. So like the numbers make sense to me because we do offer the preschool and we do have people

093come who are looking for that whole day preschool. So that's the first thing. The second thing I wanted to mention was I sorry I'm so sorry to interrupt you. Um I want to make sure it's a question. Oh it's a public comment. We'll Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So that's the question part. So um you mentioned the meeting that you had today. Um I was just wondering who was at that meeting. Can you ask that? So, first um I just want to address the resource. So, okay. When we um when the district was selected to apply for that preschool expansion, the the state already determined that there were close to 500 preschoolers already, right? So if they did not come at 3 and 4 that that cohort was going to come and that it wasn't going to

094be 500 kindergarteners but it would be say 250 um which is what we're seeing. So the other towns had opportunities to I live in so full transparency they are eligible to apply they it was community that completely different. So, I just want to share that because for us, we had a lot of um a lot of community input when we applied for school expansion and you know, saying are you applying, are you applying? So, we're going to fail the first round. Um we're reapplying again. Um which we did. So, that's one. And I do, you know, I do see that districts. So right now we have um someone from the department of education or preschool district this this afternoon. Um we're at we're at a third the state of New Jersey a third of our

095school districts have that school expansion their pushes to we'll see what happens with the election but it's been a push to go that route. Um in terms of today's meeting um present was um leadership um this morning um town mayor um mayor of um and the two town managers um that Maline and everyone was invited correctly the whole councils were invited. So councils were invited um and we did share the um today they left with the information. Thank you very much. Any other questions just on this presentation? I just want to be this will be on the website tomorrow. It's it's hard to really um get the information with just the report, but this slide presentation will be on the website and hopefully you can get the video as well. So that information um moving

096on uh the president's report. I really only wanted to share one thing this sure. Um, also thank you so much. Uh, really, really thorough report, lots of great information and we really appreciate you traveling from out of state to come help us present it today and also to meet with our town leadership and thank you so much. I just can ask real quick, I'm over here. Um, I just want to make sure um I know we know how to get in touch with you, but we're definitely going to need input when we can redistricing redistricting, I can't say that word, and transportation. They need different routing. So, I'm hoping we can continue work. Thank you so much. Absolutely. And um just starting with people not just you guys. Please do. So, I really only have

097one thing to share before we dive into our agenda items, which is um earlier this year, we through the diligence of our business administrator in this case applied for a fitness grant um for the National Fitness Council campaign and a local recreation grant. and we were able to um secure a big portion of the funding for the this grant. So, what this is is it's called tennis court. It's actually very cool. It's it looks kind of like a tennis court where the the net would be in the wall and on one side there's stationary um I don't want to call it equipment because it's not things like a bicycle but it's it's shapes. So like a square box, a platform, and you can do exercises on those like um step-ups. They have on the wall

098bars, so you can do pull-ups, rings, all kinds of um equipment that stays in place and can withstand the elements to be outside year round. The other side is a flat pad where you could do things like have yoga classes or you know yoga instruction um you know dance um zumba you know those types of things. So it's a really cool um element to add to our uh school property. Uh we're looking at it for the high school in front of where the dance and the band room is. There's like a big grassy area. So that would be pretty much overtaken by that and it would be open to the community as well. So part of the grant we did have to inform the towns and um actually just add it to um kind of

099cosign that they knew that this was happening for our board and they were very uh generous to do that for us. This case we up and had it sent in and quickly and so we were approved for that and it's been going well. Now this is where everybody else comes in. Um we are really close to the gap amount that we still need to make up the difference between the grant and what actually uh will cost including eggs and pad for the location. And so we've gotten very very generous donations from local businesses, some of our own partners and vendors that we work with. And we've gotten a little bit of inquiry about how community members can help. So if you wanted to get $25, $50, you know, I even had somebody offer me $500

100today. So those donations can be written out in a check made out to MSD the district and in the memo just write fitness court. Um and hopefully we can make up the difference. Um unfortunately this case has a sore throat so I don't want her to speak but I don't know it's you just explain a little bit more. It's just I wish we could have used that to show the video. We'll put it up on the website. It's a really nice um equipment area that we could even um work into the phys curriculum. Uh yes, we will be working it is part will be a part of the phys curriculum. Um we thought that it was an excellent opportunity for um school and community to come together and also the spirit of wellness. We know

101that um you know there are a lot of families and um community members that are struggling. So it was nice to walk. Um this will be the first center. So we're excited. Um we have been receiving donations. So we thank everyone and we will future meeting as well. um the projected timeline for voice but the projected timeline is for so it's a pretty quick turnaround um so and um we part of this if there are if anybody knows anybody that has a business that wants to give a little bit more um I don't know exactly what the threshold is but I'm sure you can call the business office and find out there is a logo promotional piece so that already the donations that we've gotten are ranging from five to $10,000. So, you are getting

102your logo on the fitness court in exchange for that. We have a rendering with our husky colors. It looks fabulous. There's a video showing how the all the um equipment was used that we will try to get up online so everybody can see it. And it was actually shared in the patch today, details about it. So, um, we'll try to get all this information up on the website and share it as much as we can through like the school Facebook pages just so everybody can, if they'd like to contribute, kind of get us over the finish line. We're really close. But, as we've been discussing, we don't have a lot of wiggle room in the budget. So, we want to move forward without having to really budget completely. So, that's that's the goal. Okay, moving

103on to the agenda, curriculum and instruction. Mr. Leman, I know that you have a little bit update as well on just overview. Yes, thank you. Good evening. We're looking forward to some new initiatives and expanding some current opportunities for students in the 25 26 school year. Just wanted to provide some highlights, some of what we mentioned in the agenda as well. Uh we're expanding tools in the my curriculum to include kindergarten next year through drive. We'll actually has started this year will be in year two of the program. They piloted year one this school year. That was at no cost. We partnered with tools in the line for a pilot. Clickwood and straer elementary schools will start year one in the fall. The train staff training will begin over the summertime and this is part

104of our PEI funding. Foundations for grades K2 will be entering year two, giving our students a better jumping off point for orthonics development and early literacy as they return in the fall. Teachers will continue there competing for this program next year as well. For grades four and five, we're adding a fullear elective called Husky Sustain ahead. The focus will be on science and engineering through hands-on projects and experiences. That was tonight's agenda at Louis Road. We're also realigning grade level home room schedules in an effort to continue to maximize instructional time. Dr. Bombader, the principal, will be sharing more with families later this month. At a middle school, our sixth grade students will engage in a new science curriculum where they will explore science through inquiry based questions, conduct investigations, collect and analyze data, use

105models to explain science phenomena in addition to doing science readings, discussions, and lessons that build student understanding of core science concepts. This will be expanded to grades seven or eight over the next couple of years. For some students in grades seven and eight next year, there will be a STEM humanities enrichment course added. This halfyear course will begin the second half of next school year. Staying at the middle school for a moment. Over the past few weeks, we've engaged in the fall reflection and reviewed our approach to identifying students for our honors programs. After careful consideration about our initial placement decisions in light of our ongoing commitment to student success, we made some adjustments for the upcoming school year for some students specific student details regarding honors classes will be coming directly from the building.

106moved to high school. We are looking forward to adding some new electives including courses like the history of rock and pop music business as music business industry design engineering entrepreneurship which is my course mindfulness too and a workbased learning course for seniors as part of our efforts to continue to expand our career technical education course to teach courses at the high school. And then over the next year plus, you'll be hearing more about us offerings here at High School. Overall, for the next few board meetings, we'll be able to share with the board updates on our student attendance efforts, updates to state testing, and we'll share updates to our data dashboard as well. To the agenda, there is one action item this evening. That's item A, travel action. So we are recommending the board to

107approve the travel agenda that's listed. The remaining part is for consideration which we uh we have action taken at the next meeting. Item B1 which is on the bottom of page one continue on page two. These are new courses that are being offered for next school year. Curricular fighting will happen over the summer. I just happened to mention some of these in my previous presentation. So that goes on page 311. Item number two, we have one additional non-resident student for 2526 school year. The board approved uh both in the last meeting. This is for one additional student. Just to remind the board like last month on the finance agenda, anything that we see in purple, these are approvals. So they're they're not new. If they're purple, if they are in black, it is new. And

108I'll pause. We get to a couple of those. So items three and four, those are renewals. On the top of page four, item number five, it's black. So this is something new. This is the tools of the mind curriculum that I just mentioned a few minutes ago. You can see some more details to get that cost covered under PDA. 6 and 7 renewals. On page on page five, items 8 through 12 and 12 are renewals. Page six, items 13 through 16 are renewals. I just want to pause for a moment. on the bottom of page six at number 16. Just a highlight to the board. The regional professional development academy you can see on the next page for $2,200. I think this is one of the best deals in professional development around where we pay

109one price and then staff go to them with a number of professional development offerings here right in Mont County. They can meet with colleagues and all the topics are topical to curricular instruction but more importantly to what teachers are teaching in the moment. So that that's been important for us. The overall cost is well worth it. On page seven, items 17 through 20, they are renewals. On page 8, 21 through 25, renewals. On page 9 and 11, I'm going to pause for a couple of these renewals. Item number 27, this is a renewal. This is the nations of language training test foundations, which I mentioned a few moments ago. Um, this is ongoing support. So the cost includes additional resources that we need each year. There's ongoing professional development since we are here too. Staff

110have been trained throughout the school year and will continue to be trained next year because that is important piece of this program and their support for staff and help kids. Um item 28 is a removal. I want to put this out to the board. So EIB is our research partners. So we talk about things like staff browse, student attendance, surveys. This is the group that's behind the scenes that helps us cabinet in order to push some of these initiatives out to the community and to our schools. They're an important piece of that. They also have a big focus on bringing instruction as well. So that that's an important piece. We're we're proud to make that recommendation. Item 3 is renewable. Page 10, items 31 through 35 are renewals. All falls on number 36. So item

111number 36, what I just mentioned a few moments ago about grade 6, the new science curriculum. So activate learning is the vendor open site is the curriculum. So all those resources I mentioned a few moments ago that we're looking forward to launching that in the fall for sixth grade. That continues on page 11. And on page 11, the last item, item number 37, uh this is to approve Amplify the vendor to provide us with Dibbles, the product. So Dibbles, what it is, is a universal screener for students in grades K to three. So this is important for the board and the committee to know that just recently this school year the department of education has u put out a mandate for all schools in New Jersey that we have to two times a year assess

112students in K to 3 on early literacy in order to gauge where they're at. So we need to have a screener in order to do that. Dibbles is uh one of those approved programs. It's highly recommended. is researchbased out of University of Oregon and with that comes online component that we can assess the students. Teachers get uh have the data analyzed for them and create small groups provides lesson plans all the support that teachers would need in order to to gauge where students are early literacy. It's an unfunded mandate which means that we're required to do it and there's just no money behind it. Um, so this is a program that we knew this probably would be coming and we wanted to go to Dibbles anyway. So we had already budgeted for Dibbles prior to

113the mandate. Some good news, this will come on the finance agenda. We did apply for a grant that was on the last agenda for improving the application. We got good news. We did receive some grant money for this particular program. So some of the costs will be offset by the grant. And when you look at the overall cost, there's two things. There's a purchase services and there's a professional development. The professional development is very important to support staff and the cost well it's high and it is is year one of implementation. So what we do is again next year the cost actually will come up down because we'll meet everything from year one to year two. So the knowing projecting where we're going to go cost and have some money to offset it and we

114motion for it. Okay. Thank you. Construction. Thank you Mr. I have a motion and a second to approve construction agendas. I'm going to ask the first question. Um I was going to ask that about the costing down because after we implemented the professional development cost down what about number 36? Is that an annual cost or is that just the one time for the curriculum? So there's one time cost for the initial purchase of resources. So open sad as a criminal actually it's open sad as a science community wants schools to do science phenomena based curriculum which means hands-on experiments curriculum itself is free that's good the resources are going to cost money so the additional purchases to get all the kids going there's there is a reoccurring cost not this much has to replenish some

115of the supplies you're doing hands-on experiments and you use up enough stuff they have to be replenished So there will be a recurve cost. Thank you. I also just want to comment that um this is not the first time that I hear planning ahead, seeing things coming, having the foresight to know that this money is going to be needed and allocating it um so that we're not stuck. And I really really appreciate that. I just want sorry I just wanted to ask real quick um I I love that we're adding science and you'll be talking a lot about it. Um I just want to clarify they'll be using the labs hands-on a lot this is going to be not just studying applications from the labs and stuff. We are so I give you a quick

116example just if you want to talk about sixth grade science. So the topics that are covered in this particular curriculum resource here are the topics. So it's light and matter, thermal energy, climate, motorcycleycling, rock plate, rocket plate and tectonics, natural hazards, cell systems. So you can see that there's a variety of topics there which is appropriate for those elements or taste of a lot of different things. And within each of those units, each one has hands-on experiments and experiences that kids can engage with. This particular group is designed to start with questions. So students should be asking questions about the topics and then the lessons guide them through answers to their questions. Sorry. Um I also wanted to say thank you on the science piece because I know we had a lot of conversations on

117that. We know the scores in middle school the science scores are not where they need to be. So we're looking to improve and I do think that hands-on learning will help tremendously. So, I know it'll be a slow build, but I'm very happy because I think giving them the hands-on learning will help them understand on a deeper level because as we've talked once they get to high school, they're expected to know how to do that. Um, and so I think that'll help bridge that gap. So, I'm very happy to see that. Um, also just for the public to know is every year, but um we review there's a lot of things here um subscriptions programs every year. you guys review and make sure that they're being used before we just sign up again. Yes. So

118for each technology program we provided reports. So my team reports twice a year in January for our part in contributions and then again the end of May just so we can see January half a year by the time we get to May that helps these decisions. So there have been over the past few years programs that have not been pursued by the district. That's not and then I just wanted to say thank you too because um I submitted a lot of questions about I tend to go back to previous year just cost just and they're about 20% is typically what I ask or below. Thank you because your information you supplied was very thorough and I really appreciated that because a lot of the reasons why the cost are going up this program expansion things

119like that any other questions services there are no action items this evening. So recommendation for June 16th meeting item number one rest to consider approving for high school graduation for this year a provider for sign language interpretation. Item number two to approve for bench instruction listed item number three the board to approve students out of district placement for 2526 school year. which we know ahead of time will be out of district. So that's on page one, page two, and page 31. Item number six, just like the previous agenda, it's in these rules. Item number four, we're asking where to approve the agreements the following providers for 2526 school year. So again, these are rules. This is from pages 3 through 8. the charter note. There are a couple that are not super. They they are

120new, but pages 3 through eight of renewals. So, we go to page 81 item number five. We're asking the board to approve a partnership to provide groceries for students grades 6 through nine. That also includes students attending academy. It's at no cost to the district. Six is a rule item number seven. This includes this is for us to work to improve our partnership for curriculum for our um ABA which again that's supposed to provide students in high school through transition 18 to 21 year olds for this particular letter of service. Going on to page nine item eight is a rule. I just want to point out to the district that we are recommending our continue partnership with the the YMCA to provide counseling and social services for students. That's at no cost to the district.

121Item number nine request the board to again reapprove our partnership with the center for independent living. Uh this is at no cost to the district. Item 10 is the renewal. Going to page 10 of 11. Just want to point out on this page item number 13. This came to the board in a previous agenda. Uh but the rest of the board to approve learning ally. It's at no cost to the district. Uh this was done through a grant. 14 and 15 are renewals. They continue on page 111. Item number 16 is also a renewal. That includes student services. Thank you. Can I have a motion and a second to approve the student services agenda? I'll second. Any questions? I had a question about the psychiatric evaluations. I see a huge range of prices from $500

122to $700. Is there any particular way that we try to pay the 500 rather than 700? Is that how is it chosen? It depend it depends on the assessment and the level of testing that we do and what we're required to to conduct. So even though it says set val and it also sometimes um it availability um and also um any of those providers may as well. Thank you. I just I just had a question. I know we have school solutions for our substitute teachers that we use that as well. So I see that is that not on this renewal at this time or it's a went to RP last year. So it's a two-year contract. So that's why you Okay, thank you. So that would be up for renewal in a year. Yes. So

123we go through the same process that they come out. Thank you, Mr. Le. Just for the record, I know I had asked this earlier. I just wanted to uh ask again on the floor for number three. I know um there's you know all the children that are um going to be out of district moving forward or projected for next year. These are not new. These are students that have been out and that they're just kind of all in one spot where we're seeing them. And so as a board member I just asked I at first thought these were going to be new and incoming but these are students that have already been and already have been out. These are not new. Correct. Correct. Thank you. [Music] Thank you. We are asking the board to take

124action on several items. Uh items one through six to be exact. uh which staff designations a resation lab instruction as listed on page 206 uh today which is item sorry to our regular agenda that we're going to ask the board to take action on June 16th uh we have nothing resations or retirements get uh item B use of absence as listed 306 extracurricular activities uh nonthletic as listed we have nothing instruction uh developers but we will most likely have uh any there instructional assistance teachers like district blank on page 46 we have item six instructor as listed we have item 27 social nurses part five and 26 as listed and our mentor teachers which we're still working on those that we will have built uh and share with you number nine uh we have our

125district waiting coordinator in the school anti specialist 2526 school year to page 6 sorry yes page six then we have home disruption which uh we don't have here yet but we have staff grade changes that's listed for uploads and then we have no college students no volunteers 66 and other we have the from our last meeting listed uh comprehensive equity plan which is a three-year plan that the district submits and also district submit New Jersey um based on compliance when it comes to equity and practices and policy uh that we will present uh to the state by June 23rd. We have an annual appointment of school buddies as listed of college position with the job switch uh provision as listed. And then we have high school midterm exam parters as listed uh agreements 2596. And

126finally we have our salary salary adjustment. And then we have the National High School Perkins grant uh which one of the fascinating exciting programs that Mr. spoke of that grant actually supports a lot of those career and technical education programs that Thank you. And I have a motion to approve agenda. I'll stack in. Um I just I question um I heard you say that you were something that's not fractional tonight that you expected to see. I didn't I missed what that section was and while you're thinking of that um do we think do we I don't know the timing of resations and retirements. When would be like the last Yeah. Unfortunately, we don't we don't have for the following year anytime between when until now September 1st. Oh, really? To resign from a position? Yes.

127Yes. Resation could be any time but retirement any still learning. Thank you. Um any other questions? Oh, that'll be done during the summer. So, we may have some takers on that in the future. Perfect. Thank you. Okay. Thank you for policy. This is a second read that we are asking the board to take action on an adoption. Um, we have several policies that were discussed at our last meeting. uh just to bring the particular uh focus to sexual harassment of students. Um we had spoken to legal counsel Mr. Rubin uh suggested that we use the concrete evidence standard. I don't know if the board would like wish to hear from Mr. proven that it's not under the regulations. We have the choice of what level you want to have sexual evidence%. Thank you, Mr. And

128we also had um particular um questioning in terms of equal access of student organizations and that just included that we wanted to keep the protect protective classes listed and they are listed um as such and that policy. Thank you. Finance agenda is page. No. Oh, sorry. Sorry. Motion a second to accept the policy motion. Any questions? Okay, that's why this evening case does not have a voice, but I am going to ask Miss Case to tap. I'm not making any errors here. Um, so on the agenda this evening for board approval, there are no action items. We're asking for board approval for the RAM items listed on page one of seven, which includes um one, receiving acceptance of the board secretaries report, treasures report, approver approval of appropriations transfers. Item number four, approve bills. Item

129number five, final bills list of transfers. Item number six, transfer of unexpended appropriations and/or excess revenue to capital reserve. Under item number seven, transfer of unexpended appropriation and/or excess revenue to maintenance reserve. Under item number eight, transfer of unexpended appropriations and/or excess revenue to emergency reserve. On page 307, item number nine, the adoption of the tax levy schedule as listed. Item number 10, the tax payment schedule for the 2526 school year as listed. That continues on to the top of page four of seven. Item number 11, allocation of the nonpublic technically technology textbook nursing and security services as listed. Um those actually the the cost will be on agenda. Item number 10 12 the approval of Victorian agency. Item number 13 funding of optimal comp street comp discretionary grant for the 2526 school year as

130listed. Item number 14 agreement between St. Clemens Parish and MCD for the following school year. Item number 15, shared service agreement between um MSD and New Jersey statewide diverse educators. Item number 16, acceptance of donation from MCD student parents as listed, acceptance of donation from Mashio's food services as listed. The agreement between ESC andJ master special ed tuition and the district for the 2526 school year. Number 19, agreement between St. Joseph's um Catholic Church and the district for the following school year. Item number 20 on page six of seven, the approval of the agreement between Lbridge and the district for the following 25 26 school year. Um this is our preschool program. Um it is projected to have 30 students. Item number 21, insurance renewal premium rates as listed. Item number 22, routine travel reimbursement

131for the follow for the column staff members for the remainder of the 25 24 25 school year. And item number 13 on page 77, the evac fire and evacuation evacuation drills as listed. And item number 24, the bus evacuation drills as listed. Thank you. We have a motion of a second motion questions. I just wanted to say thank you um to the um student parents whoever that is. I know it's confidence at this point but we're paying off students negative lunch and that's we know we have said before another meeting a huge negative lunch balance like it's over $100,000. Um, so the fact that parents are standing up for other students to pay some of that off, I think is phenomenal. Also, Cashio is donating um $5,000 to the parent is huge. I think that's

132awesome. So, thank you. Thank you. I also wanted to um is our food service provider, so that was great in health and fitness. So, thank you so much to them. And I have a question about number six, seven, and eight. Are we expecting? Yeah. So that's important. So we don't really have unexpected unexpended appropriations for capital reserve, maintenance reserve, emergency, whatever we have in there. Now, and I know that one of the findings that has come up the last couple of years from our audit is that we need to have a little bit more especially in our reserve, right? So, if anybody has a tree in their backyard yet and our surplus and we don't have as much as we should, but obviously we're just trying to be as we can. So, that's what we're

133doing. Um I think just this for the uh you know just for the microphone that um while we don't need approval from the town for the tax levy schedule or from either town um we did the district did share that schedule with both the burrow and the town and and it's all been agreed upon. Right. Okay. All right. Great. So um this case just here that we actually the district and the town were collaborating to come up with that schedule. Wonderful. So that way it's great and it works for everybody. That's great. Any other questions on the agenda? Did I? All right. So we are comfort the board of education recognizes the value of public comment on matters of interest to the school community. Individuals wishing to speak must state their name and municipality of

134residents. Comments are limited to a threeminut duration, but an individual may speak a second time after all others who wish to speak on the topic have been heard. All statements should be directed to the board president and no participant may address or question board members individually. All speakers are requested to express themselves in a civil manner with due respect for dignity and privacy of others whose legal rights may be affected. Please note, while it is not the board's intention to stifle comment on matters of legitimate concern, the public should be aware that if their statements violate the rights of others under the law of defamation or invasion of privacy, they may face personal liability to the inter party. If speakers are uncertain about the legal ramifications of their comments, the court urges them to seek

135guidance beforehand from their legal advisor. [Applause] Hi, Abby Bird. I99 Broad. Um, I had a question about the uh professional development stuff. So, I had the opportunity to speak to um one of our principal education educators that I'm friendly with and she had expressed to me that maybe this is like a while ago. I'm actually surprised that I haven't thought about it, but um I was told that this person told me that they feel a little bit left out. the elective um teachers feel a little bit left out when it comes to professional development because it's really mostly geared towards like classroom teachers and they sit there like bubbling their hands and it's like a waste of time and a waste of day and they understand that they have to do it right they have

136to do their PPE but I was just curious if any of these are geared towards their special education like the other like the electives maybe like the computer teacher I don't know how it works but definitely the phys teachers and the health teachers and that was my first question I guess I'll with the law. Um the other thing I wanted to talk about was um there's a rule at the high school that if you use your cell phone you get suspended a lot of times it's like an inschool suspension. Um this is a difficult because I know I had expressed my issues with like lack of vocational training and when I spoken to a few parents and they even asked like why didn't their kids get in because the vocational schools are very open to

137like why didn't you get accepted we found a group of us that a lot of these kids had an extremely high number of inschool suspension marks because of the cell phones. So I understand that the cell phones is a nightmare. It's a nightmare and they cheat and these kids do not know how to put it down because it's like glued to their face. But I just hope that maybe we can rethink a way to try to stop them from using it without them having like a huge amount of suspensions all over their records because it really looks like these kids can't like behave. So, I mean that's just a thought just to bring it out there. Also, I wanted to bring up an issue I had with changing my address. It was like a nightmare.

138I remember once upon a time we used to go to central office and change it once and now you have to change it in every school. So the middle school was great. It took me 10 minutes. I had to like send email after email after email to get it done in the high school. And while I didn't really care cuz I went from Madawan to Madawan, it really was a nightmare trying to get my son transportation. He had to drive to Tipp Falls for like a month because I moved in April April 15th. I moved like during and I was like great it'll be during spring break we'll be able to figure it out. They just started him back on transportation the like last week and then my middle son this bus happens to just

139pass by my house so they just stopped at the regular stop so they just happened to add it in. So maybe we could work on that to make it maybe one place centralized. I don't know why it changed. Um and then I just wanted to say two thumbs up for the uh CPR classes. I think that's great because my daughter wants to babysit and I won't let her do it unless she knows CPR and so now she can do it. So that's a really cool addition. So thank you. Thank you. We'll try to answer those um one by one. So first professional development for health and phys teachers uh correctly is a challenge for not only health and phys but a lot of other content areas grade levels. Um so our next districtwide professional development

140day after opening dates in October, we do have some things planned districtwide where um helping present teachers, child study teams, we're going to be doing some things on AI and they're it's going to be geared towards them. They're going to have that opportunity. We we fingers crossed with our fitness cohort studio that that's going to be a fantastic opportunity to do some professional development specifically for that group. Um, so I can empathize with with your friends if as a teacher uh that they're correct. That's something that's top of mind. We're always open to ideas uh for some of those more specific instructional areas that we can offer that as a quality meeting. So that that is top of mind. Um Mr. President, I'm going to go through go through some of these the cell so

141the cell phone in terms of students have that that um there's a code of conduct which is following board policy in terms of cell phone usage. Um we understand that there has to be a learning curve with students and there has to be some balance in terms of personal responsibility in ter terms of their own cell phone usage and getting caught using cell phones that that's the process in terms of how do we handle it does show in terms of their discipline record of cell phone usage that that's been an ongoing issue it's actually gotten better this year that's partially due to the board policy and the fact that principles are aware teachers are aware and staff areware where um it's going to be a battle that it's going to be forever for as long

142as cell phones around. Um and I would anticipate in the next couple of meetings when we're going to have we're be hearing about the wait till 8 initiative again. Um so it it all ties together. Um change of address deals with registration. So in the past we did have a central registar um that has we do still have a central registration process for our younger grades. When you get to the older grades, it is building based on that just comes down to to staffing and workload for those people. Uh we're sorry that that was a frustrating process. It should it should be simple, but that's important feedback that I can share with the administrator who will proceed registration. So, I'm going to take that to them and you're welcome for CPR. That's important especially if

143you want to be a certificated babysitter. That's really important. That's great. Thank you. Thanks, Mr. Leman. Um, one thing that I would like to add just on self policy. I know that this has been communicated, but I think it's important to really communicate that maybe it's worth it to get into school suspension and you know, we all know teenagers who just kind of shrug it off and and deal with punishment, but uh maybe just as we go into next year really reiterating the ramifications of things like that like I mean that's really a shame that because of that um that can stop the students out and you don't want them to miss that opportunity. So just really communicating that up front like this is where it comes into play. You might not make it into

144a vocational school or one of the county you know um high-tech high or any of those um it it affects a lot of things. So just being aware of it it's its consequences and that's one of them. So I know it's really harsh and I feel bad because it's not like we were caught fighting or anything else but um we're really trying to crack down because it's not it's not good. it's not doing anything good and that's if they can for six hours control themselves, it's going to go a long way. So that's that's the that was the goal of the board policy on that. Um but I appreciate it and I you know I feel that um Mr. Livian, I just wanted to comment. Um, thank you also, Mr. H, but I did notice

145and we knew this when we rolled out uh or not rolled out, but we um had the phone policy last year and then we rolled out the new policy. Um, we knew it was going to take some time, but I I have noticed like over the last year, I remember it was, you know, a lot every month. So, I do notice it's going to get better. And I feel like the class that it's leaving versus now the newbies coming in, they're not going to they just know better. So I think it will start to, you know, we'll see some more change. So thank you to the principles for having to adhere to all that. I know it's a lot of paperwork. How you doing? Listen, I want to say thank you for all you're doing.

146This is really amazing. Awesome. Um, my name's Mike Fther. I'm an Aberdine. I'm a high school teacher, like a educator, and I'm just here to just make a little elevator pitch, not a question. So, that's considering the time. I haven't saw them since 4:30 a.m. and I'll get up at 4:30 a.m. again. Um, my daughters are in MAMS and I got news about the cut. We mentioned it uh to the honors program and I know that being an educator I know that there's always budgetary constraints etc. and but I don't think this would be a good area to make a budget cut in and for a few reasons. The main reason being it's the golden goose of education, right? Academic excellence. And I think that if we make cuts there as opposed to other areas,

147then it really does end up being a long-term detriment. And um I would just say that I was curious about whether anybody else felt the same way. And uh so I put out a petition and within just a few days families signed it. So I think a lot of people feel the same way. Um secondly uh the reduction I think is problematic because it really doesn't make for like a qualitative benefit and the reason why I say that is it's I could use the analogy here. If you reduce the the number of students by 50% or whatever percentage it is doesn't make it better. It it be like reducing the board by half would it be a better board anyway. Um, but what I think is the problem here is that by reducing it and

148saying that there'll be opportunities to get back into the program if you're not in it anymore, you're really pitting one student against another. And by that I mean the only way to get back into honors if you're put out of it is by getting another student out of it to take their spot. And that doesn't create a it doesn't create a set of circumstances psychologically that build up every student where we're all rising together. And then lastly, I would just say that um I think that uh what was my last point? My last point was that um we I think that we as individuals here it's the board of education I know you don't want to get into the micromanaging of principles and their decisions I understand that education so I understand that but I

149do think this is a little bit bigger than the minutia of what principles all about I think the reason why I say that is because it's about the vision of the school system and I have nothing but good things to say about that school system. My daughters are doing higher level work very often than the high school students that I teach are doing. So, uh you keep up the good work but keep the vision. I really think that honors education is very important part of that vision. Thank you for all your concerns. Thank you very much. Um before I let Mr. leave an answer to that. I just wanted to say that um it's the word cut is really misinformation. Um it wasn't due to a budget consideration. Actually, to your point, it was to

150really make the academic piece a rigorous piece so that um the students that are selected are are maintaining the rigor. But I will let Mr. Lee I'm not education so I will let Mr. Le answer that. It's trust me it's really not it's not a question. It's late. I want to I don't want to labor the point. It's just now this is early present and I I'll speak to it briefly. So I just want to echo the comment that not budget cut has absolutely nothing to do with budget cuts at all. Um the the initial look at honors programs for next year was how do we make sure that we have the right students achieving at the right level. So we we always look at multiple measures of of data. That's internal test scores, state

151test scores, mark period averages. We look at those students and what make sure that they're placed in the right spot. Um we took after some reflection, some feedback, talking with administration, talking with our team, the right move, which is a lot to our strategic plan, which is to offer challenging opportunities for for kids. Um so that that's what we're doing. those students being bumped out of a position. So, if a student is in honors program because they got that letter last month uh and we're offering more opportunities for more kids, they'll be being bumped out of it. That's not not the case. So, I don't want anybody to think that uh we're swapping kids who exceeds that. That's not the case. So, definitely not budget. Um they'll bump in. We're trying to create opportunities, right

152opportunities for kids. I will say this that it's important to know that we have groups of students who do um accelerate to those challenges naturally and we want to give them opportunities to excel as well. It's one of the reasons that we're adding an enrichment course to the middle school next year. And then I've said this to parents often. If you're looking for ways to accelerate in honors programs, middle school, you're stringent. There's only limited opportunities for those opportunities. But when you get to the high school, we've created pathways for kids based off their interests and your passions to accelerate in honors courses and AP courses. Um, often students mature and find their their levels of interest and how to challenge themselves and there's opportunities at the high school just because the high school allows

153itself to those opportunities. So that clarif will let you speak again as long as there's no other comment. Oh, and Mr. Scott has a question. And I was just wondering, I know at the school which I teach, we have opportunities for parents really feel like their kids just want to be in that course and can't handle the rigor and some of the criteria doesn't fit. there's a system for the parent to sign off that they understand they're taking risk and students grades may do what they do as a result but that they're willing to take on that responsibility and understand that I I don't know is that a part of our district as an option at the high school it is at the middle school is not and opportunity at the high school because we

154have so many offerings that we can do that the middle school you really have just a couple of places to face it and that's much more difficult to do out of middle school, but we've tried it in the past. It works best in the system that we've got. Well, high school, absolutely. Yes. Yeah. I would just uh it may be a matter of semantics, but if someone's in the program and they're no longer welcome in the program by a set of metrics, then that will be bumped, right? got whatever reappropriated whatever word you want to use the semantics but there are students who are in the program now who are being asked to leave the program so I think I think I'll put that in the category of cut and that's change we're addressing yeah

155well it's it's what you had mentioned in your comments were that there was a limited number of spots so you said students against each other competing for the same spot I think Mr. David's point was that's not the case. If the criteria is met, the criteria is met. The retroactively retroactively the criteria was made. So what happened was uh after the fact after the children were already in the program, a set of metrics were determined to see who would still be welcome in the program. So imagine if I get this here to the board, I say, "Okay, I'm just going to make we have to cut the amount of seats here by 50%." So we'll um we'll we'll do it by how many years of tenure you have or how many uh whether you're an

156educator or not and then we'll make the decision. That would be kind of arbitrary for me to make that decision based on that. But whatever the case may be, I will be making cuts based on whatever my set of metrics are that just came into play right now. So that's what's happening with the students right now. There were I don't know the exact number 100 students and it's being brought down to 50 more or less. You could you could say the numbers but all right I'm not going to belabor the point. It's 954. Thank you. I just wanted to make the pitch. Thanks for all you're doing and I appreciate that you you're being respectful of our time but um once someone's speaking we just want to clarify it especially since we're we're recording. So

157because someone and you're speaking on behalf of maybe some other parents because I heard you say a petition, right? So in terms of the revisions and why we sent out a letter um to community was because it's input from you and also from um from staff working with administration that we revisited and then there will be changes that will be made and adjustments which will be forthcoming next year. I mean next week I should say um particularly to the projected seventh and eighth graders right so then and then looking at sixth graders that criteria will be used for incoming sixth graders so that's for sure okay so then um in terms of the students that are um that were in the um honors program we recognized the fact that we had deep conversations in terms

158of the material whether they were going to be repeating the curriculum and material being taught from this past year and how what that would look like last year. So that's what kind of brought us to um making the adjustments necessary for particular students that that may be impacted. Um and just just as a thought, if there's any parents, we always say this um that have any questions, comments, concerns to please reach out to the building principal um and and speak. Obviously, things need to be handled privately. it's about a child and just to have a sit down with the administration because they're they're welcome to do that. Um just cuz you know a lot of things go on social media but we can't discuss that stuff there. So feel free to contact the principal if

159there's any issues. Thank you. There's a lot of and there's a lot of misinformation too. I know on particular threads of that petition um it got political talking about budget cuts and elections and all kinds of stuff. Everybody here would be happy to speak to you. I mean nothing I I understand. I'm just saying it's not a great way to get information. So um and I know the petition was to get attention but I would just suggest it worked. I would just suggest that you know everybody feel free to reach out to the building principal and then they can address it as appropriate. Um so thanks for coming and staying in. Thank you. Appreciate it. Um okay we will take a vote on the agenda items for action. Mrs. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Any

160new or unfinished business? Miss Wiki. Yes. Um I just wanted to say um that so I attended both the senior um recognition night as well as the um honors society inductions this past week and um they were both great. It was great to see our students highlight it and celebrate it and there were so many kids inducted which I thought was phenomenal um into the various honors societies, math, science, um English and world language. Um so that was really nice to see. Um and then senior recognition night which was um there were so many generous um scholarships that were given out to students. I think the amount in total was $98,000 um the other night. So that was phenomenal um and really fantastic and I know all the students and their families appreciated. So thank

161you. Yes, I would like to piggy back on that especially since this is being recorded to just thank the community because as we stated there all that money came from the community and as being a parent of a child who benefited from that. Um, I just want to say thank you for taking care of her and her friends and her colleagues and people that she's been with since preschool or kindergarten. It's just so generous to know that our community stands behind our kids and here after years giving this money to support the college. So just thank you. Thanks, Missia. Um, Miss Scoolies um children received scholarships. So, we were really proud of that and um there were a lot of folks who came who are alumni of this district and are donating back to the

162district to scholarships. So, that is really nice to see. I always say there's something in the water cuz everybody comes back. So, we have a lot of teachers that went through this district. So, it's really cool to see. Um anything else? Okay. Thank you. Oh, sorry. Okay. Be it resolved that a close session be convened for the purpose of discussing privacy, personal matters, and legal advice. The subject matter of these discussions will be disclosed to the public for the reasons confidentiality subsides. Although the board cannot guarantee it, the length of executive session is expected to be 30 minutes after the next public meeting of the board. Mr. business. No action will take place and I have a motion that second motion. I'll second. Thank you.