001Welcome to tonight's meeting. Welcome everybody to today's BOE meeting. Thank you for coming. This meeting is being held in compliance with the Open Public Meeting Act and is open to the media and public. Effective March 1st, 2026, all legal notices and board meeting dates shall be only posted on the district website in conformity with state code. Formal action may be taken. Mr. Bowen, can you get the roll call? Ms. Cassidy. Here. Ms. Fury. Here. Mr. Lowe's. >> Here. Ms. Metzer. Here. Mr. Pieros. Here. Ms. Grab. Here. Ms. Ryan. Here. Mr. Hill. Here. Mr. Rizzolo. Here. Will you please stand for the pledge? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. So, I'm
002going to start this meeting off with the president's report. I've done this a couple times over the last year and a half. It will just take about 5 minutes of your time and then we'll move to the superintendent's report. First thing we'll do is we want to highlight a few updates at the beginning of tonight's meeting. First, over the past several months, the board has received significant outreach through emails and public comments. I would like to begin by thanking everyone who has taken time to share their perspectives. Public comment is a vital part of our process. The first BOE agenda session allows input before the board takes formal action. The second provides an opportunity to speak on additional topics. Along with written communications, these avenues ensure the community's voices are heard and considered. We recognize
003there will be differing opinions and while not all feedback results in action, every perspective is carefully considered. We encourage you to continue engaging with us. Second, I'd like to highlight our progress on the 2026-2027 budget. Over the past months, the board and administration have worked closely to develop a preliminary budget, which was passed on March 23rd. Our next step is to review and adopt the final budget at the April 28th meeting. Throughout this process, we have worked to balance rising cost pressures while keeping the local tax levy as low as possible. I want to commend the administration, the finance committee, my fellow board members for the collaboration on this critical responsibility. Third, our strategic planning work continues to move forward. At the end of this month, the strategic planning core team will meet over 2
004days to develop draft goals for board review. This work has been informed by extensive community input, including one-on-one interviews, stakeholder meetings, and surveys. Our 5-year strategic plan is a key priority and one of the Forge four goals. Thank you to everyone who has contributed their time and insights to the process. Lastly, I'd like to bring briefly explain how the policy committee works. In addition to budget oversight and strategic planning, policy setting is one of the board's most important responsibilities. Like most school districts in New Jersey, Readington works through a policy vendor, Strauss Esmay, to assist in drafting and updating policies. The policy committee reviews each update before going to the full board. When required, policies must align with state statute. The district has discretion to modify language to reflect local priorities as long as it
005remains compliant with the law. Recently, we have completed review of our bylaws in the 1000-2000 series and we are currently working through the 3000 series. We have also prioritized policies that require updates based on changes in statute. As part of this process, the committee has incorporated locally developed language into sections and policies provided by Strauss Esmay, with several examples reflected in the bylaws. Another example is policy 7461, the district sustainability policy. Last updated in January '22, it is a comprehensive 10-page document. Across the state, there's wide range of approaches. Some districts have no sustainability policy. Some have one that are one-page long. Others have similar in scope to Readington. This highlights that while Bender provides a starting point, districts have both the flexibility and practice of tailoring policies to meet local needs. I'd like to
006thank the policy committee for their significant time and effort they have dedicated to this work. This is a substantial undertaking, and the commitment is greatly appreciated. In closing, I want to return to where I began, by thanking our community. Your participation, whether through the BOE meetings, emails, surveys, or feedback sessions, plays an essential role in our work. We value your continued engagement and partnership. Thank you. Dr. Thank you, Mr. Bender. Good evening, everyone. Welcome. Um thank you all very much for coming out on such a beautiful evening, uh to a Board of Education meeting. It's probably one of the top places you like to be right now. But we have a great night. Uh we're here to recognize two groups of students. So I'm pleased to tell the Board of Education uh that we have
007to celebrate our Destination Imagination teams, and I'd like to highlight a educator inquiry project that was not only an educator inquiry project, but also a student inquiry project, as well. I'll begin tonight with Destination Imagination. Like in years past, students from Holland Brook School participated in the New Jersey Destination Imagination State Tournament. Destination Imagination is a program that requires students to engage in research and regarding opposing themes, shadow storytelling techniques, and resolution troops. The students came together to highlight and achieve each others' strengths, to work collaboratively, and to communicate positively and effectively to achieve their goal. Our two teams, the first named Donut Island Dreamers, and the Fabulous Girlies and the T-Rex, >> [laughter] >> took second and first place, respectively, in the competition. To help me recognize these extraordinary students are their faculty advisors,
008Mrs. Mahoney and Mrs. Creely, and we also have one of our judges, Holland Brook staff member Mrs. Adhikari. Mrs. Mahoney and Mrs. Creely, help me recognize THESE STUDENTS. >> [applause] >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE'RE VERY PROUD TO BE here in front of you all tonight to celebrate these teams. Dr. Hart explained their very challenging challenge this year, which was the most complicated X team in my 15 years of DI. Um so complicated, in fact, that we practiced wrong for most of uh the season, and uh they rolled with it on the day of the tournament, both teams. Um so we they've been working together since late October to put together all of this for uh challenge and a tournament in March. So we are very, very proud of them um and all of the
009skills that they And we miss seeing them once a week. Yeah. We do. Cuz we had a lot of fun together. How long was your club? How long does it last? Do you see them We start We start in November, and then the competition was March. Yeah. And they spent most of March together. >> [laughter] >> Many days in March, so. So you want to do Donut Island Dreamers first? Yes, we can do the Donut Island Dreamers. Those of you who could make it tonight, and by the way, LILA FITZGERALD. >> [applause] >> CATHERINE CARDELLA. >> [applause] >> WE'LL ACKNOWLEDGE ELLA MARK, BUT SHE'S NOT HERE TONIGHT. >> [applause] >> GIANNA ZALI. >> [applause] >> HARRIS AND SHARON, WHO IS ALSO NOT HERE TONIGHT. >> [applause] >> MARK SAIDI. >> [applause] >> AND MELISSA WOLF.
010>> [applause] >> SURE. SURE. >> [laughter] >> ONE, TWO, THREE. GREAT. >> [laughter] >> ALL RIGHT. >> [applause and cheering] >> OKAY, NOW THE FABULOUS GIRLIES AND A T-REX. WE WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THE T-REX, who is not here, BUT NICHOLAS DIGRAZIANO. >> [cheering] [applause] >> CORA ERD. FIONA PEARSON. >> [applause] >> WE WILL ACKNOWLEDGE GRACE LYNCH, who is NOT HERE TONIGHT. >> [applause] >> AND ALSO MAGGIE REDDEN, WHO IS NOT HERE TONIGHT. ADDISON STOKES. >> [applause] >> AND FINALLY, SAVANNAH WAGNER, WHO is also NOT HERE TONIGHT. >> [applause] >> THEY'RE ALL VERY TALENTED. UM Fabulous Fabulous Girlies. I think it's T-Rex. One, two, three. >> [applause] >> Thank you for being here tonight. Um secondly, over six years ago, a team of individuals sat in this very room to craft Readington's mission, vision, and strategic direction.
011Out of this meeting came a goal devoted to inquisitive learning. It spoke to the fact that our district sought to create an inquiry framework for students and teachers alike. Thanks to a grant from the College of New Jersey, two Holland Brook School teachers were able to engage in an educator inquiry project. They presented various math lessons to fourth grade across our growth mindset using real-world inquiry-based scenarios. The project was impre- was impressive, as it and is an example that inquiry is now embedded in our school culture among students and teachers. Here to talk about their project are our teachers, Mrs. Winter and Mrs. Aikman, along with students Giovanna Correa, Olivia Del Poldy, Jameson Przygocki, and Nolan Pachuilo. >> [applause] [cheering] >> HELLO, EVERYBODY. THANK YOU so much for being part of our presentation tonight. My
012name is Jen Aikman, and I'm a fourth grade math and science teacher at Holland Brook School, and I've been teaching in Readington for 25 years. Hi, everyone. Thanks for being here. I'm Maria Winter. I teach math intervention. I've been at Holland Brook School for 19 years. Um I've taught fourth and fifth grade, and now math intervention. So the idea for this project came about when we started noticing many of our students having a fixed mindset towards mathematics. We would often hear comments like, "Math is hard. I'm just not good at math. I'm never going to be good at math." And we wanted to try to find a way to overcome that. And our idea was really to introduce a lot of real-world math, but in a hands-on way. So taking a look at our current
013math curriculum, which is I-Ready, the lessons always start with what's called an explore day. So we decided to change that explore day a little bit, still make it exploratory, but more hands-on. So plan was to implement the project over the course of two integrated math units, each lasting five weeks. And we wanted to provide our students with hand- hands-on, meaningful math experiences connecting to their real lives. So we ended up extending the project for three units, because we were receiving so much positive student feedback, and they were having so much fun. And so were we. Yeah. So, we chose four of our students to share their favorite lesson. Starting with Nolan. He's going to talk to you about THE DREAM BEDROOM. >> [applause] >> HI, MY NAME IS NOLAN AND I chose the bedroom designing
014lesson because it involves money, which in my opinion is the most realistic in the entire real world. Also, adding money is the most important thing to know because adding money because it shows how to manage your money and it helps you realize what you need and what you want. In this lesson, we found items that you wanted to buy and you needed to manage the amount of things you bought and the price of the items you bought have to stay under budget. I think visualizing math and connecting it to the real world made me less anxious because I was able to choose what I wanted to do and it made me feel like I was actually shopping for bedroom furniture. Why managing your money is important. I think this lesson is important because it shows
015you how to manage your money. You need to know how to manage your money because when you're older, your parents are not in charge of what you buy. If you do not manage your money, that could lead to you buying too much and not saving enough. Also, you need to know how to manage your money so you can balance the amount of health care you need. You also need to buy a good house and if you do not know how to manage your money, you won't be able to buy a bank. Some tips about managing your money are one, do not gamble your money you can lose two, keep your savings in a safe in your house so it doesn't get stolen. Three, in big cities, keep your belongings in your front pockets so they
016don't get stolen. And lastly, save up money you earn for the things you need. In conclusion, in conclusion, I think the dream bedroom designing lesson was the most important and realistic to real life. It is also the most important because it teaches you how to manage your money. This lesson is the most fun because you can buy and design your room with anything you want. Finally, this lesson is the most realistic to real life because you buy things for a gift, food, in everyday life. That's why I think the dream bedroom lesson was the most important. >> [applause] [applause] >> And now we're going to have Olivia share with you about our candy lesson. Hi, my name is Olivia and my favorite lesson we did in math was the candy lesson. In that lesson, we
017learned about multiplicative comparisons. I learned that when you compare how much candy you have to someone else, you're using multiplicative comparisons to understand how many times as much one number is than another. For example, let's say you have 10 Skittles and this one kid has two times as many Skittles as this one kid has. I can take away how much Skittles would this one kid have. And the answer is eight. This lesson made me feel less nervous about math this year. One thing I noticed from math was when we do problems from the book, students tend to not learn as well as they do when we do hands-on math lessons. So, the kids in my class loved the candy lesson and they all did really well on our quiz on multiplicative comparisons. So, that's why
018my favorite lesson in math was the candy lesson. That's what I got. >> [laughter] [applause] >> So, next we would like to bring up Joanna to talk about our holiday shop managers. Hi, my name is Joanna. I chose the holiday gift shop. It was a very fun month. I got to learn math while working with candy canes. In my opinion, working with the candy canes to do multiplication was way less nerve-wracking than doing a quiz or a couple of math games. Like, what is not fun and jolly about candy canes? Also, working with the candy canes was a lot of fun for me. Imagine learning something new and having fun while doing it. Well, actually, no need to imagine. We worked with candy canes. Working with the candy canes helped me learn how to make
019arrays and eventually how to multiply two-digit two-digit numbers. For example, we had to make a display that had to be 13 candy canes across and 11 candy canes down. Then we had to figure out how many candy canes there were in total, which is 13 * 11. This lesson was not only fun, but it taught me how to multiply larger numbers in an exciting way. Also, we got to eat some candy canes. I loved this lesson and hope you have more coming. >> [applause] >> And [clears throat] finally, we would like to bring up Jameson and he will be talking about the fidget spinner lesson. The fidget spinner lesson by Jameson. Hi, my name is Jameson and I'm going to be talking about my favorite math lesson this year. My favorite math lesson this year
020was the fidget spinner for division. Here are two reasons why the fidget spinner was my favorite lesson. One, I got to learn what a millisecond millisecond or a second and I was really proud of that. Reason two, I got to watch a video on how to work the fidget spinners and know when to stop the time. And best of all, I had so much fun. When I got the hang of it, I was not nervous at all about the lesson and after that, I I kind of forgot that I was dividing. One time when the fidget spinner was going, I forgot to stop the timer and kept going. Oops, I just thought to myself, no big deal, I'll try it again. >> [applause] >> Thank you to all the presenters, YOU WERE AMAZING. >> [applause]
021>> SO, THIS SLIDE compares the diagnostic results for the AM class from beginning of the year to the January diagnostic. And as you can see, the students went from 29% of students on grade level to 50% of students on grade level. And another important thing to notice is that every single student made growth, which is amazing. So, the results of this survey show us that the project was a success and we expect this upward trend to continue as we move towards our spring diagnostic. We also have a PM math class and this is the data from that class. So, we started off the year with 39% of our students on grade level and as you can see, this went all the way to 83% of students on grade level. So, we were very impressed with
022this data. And we also did various surveys, interviews, and exit tickets throughout the year to get the students' perspectives and we wanted to talk a little bit about that as well because we thought that was important as well as the diagnostic data. So, what we found throughout this three units was that it really was helping to reduce the feelings of math anxiety. We were now starting to hear comments of I'm good at math and math is fun and that was really the goal of the entire project. And whenever we would introduce a new skill like connecting it to the real world, we also noticed that students were better able to communicate to us in verbally, but also written, which was a challenge for them to, you know, write expressions about how they're feeling and their
023exit tickets were wonderful and they were always really excited to explain what they did, what skill they used that day and that was just amazing to see that increased confidence and hear how much they are able to talk about math and just see the stress levels decreasing as we went through these three lessons. So, how do these conclusions connect to the content? So, when we combine the inquiry and anxiety surveys, student interviews, and the testing data, we learned that place value understanding is a crucial component to student success in fourth grade math. And we have some ideas for year two of the project. First, we thought we could begin the year with conversations in math about what math anxiety is, how to recognize its signs, and learning different ways to manage it. We really wanted
024to focus on inquiry and real world connections for the first three lessons and meet with students on prerequisite skills rather than instructional grouping. We thought that would be important so that they could all show mastery of the skill or that would be our goal. And we decided to create mini exit ticket assessments that are models of the standard and continue to meet in those small groups for students who haven't mastered the skills. We wanted to just share one last quote from one of our fourth graders. Like I said before, we had lots of exit tickets with amazing quotes, but this one stood out to us the most because it really demonstrated what we were trying to accomplish throughout this entire project. So, this student said, I was not nervous because we were just having fun
025and if I get it wrong, so what? I'll just fix my answer. So, we're having so much fun, we decided to continue the project for this year and we have our students participating in mini math passion projects and they're exploring their career interests and trying to learn ways that math connects to those careers and we're so excited to see what they learn when they make their presentations. So, thank you so much for your time tonight. We really appreciate it and thank you again to OUR AWESOME STUDENTS. >> [applause] >> I HAVE LITTLE CERTIFICATES TO RECOGNIZE THE students who get a little prize too. >> [applause] >> OLIVIA >> [applause] >> JAMESON >> [applause] [applause] >> EVERYONE'S WELCOME TO STAY CERTAINLY if you would like. >> [laughter] >> I don't understand. Do you want to just
026take like 2 minutes? There'll be four of them leaving so I just want to congratulate everyone from Destination Imagination. And I also want to say math was always my favorite subject growing up I do think math is fun and I thought the teachers did an excellent job as well as the four students that presented your projects, fantastic job. I don't know if anyone else wants to make any comments. I I I was I was impressed. Yes. I could relate to some of that and then figuring out when I got into the real world how I may have missed out on some things that I started using you know as an adult and in working. So, I thought that was fantastic. Excellent. Great. All right. Excellent. Thank you very much. We'll take like a 1-minute break
027and then we'll start back up. Thank you. Okay. Everyone, thank you for whoever has stayed. Thank you for staying. Our next item on the agenda is our first public forum. It is for comments for any [snorts] item that is an action item on the agenda. If you wish to speak, please come up, state your name, your town you're from, and make your comments. There is a 3-minute time limit on each of the speakers. Is there a hand up? Yes, there is. And then it includes the letter that I sent today to the board along with the letter my attorney sent to you on March 3rd and memorandum of appreciation that we received from you. Please state your name and town. My name is Anthony Sarah, president of Whitehouse Preparatory School. 586 587 Route 22. Mr.
028Sarah, we I know we have your letter. Are you going to read your letter or do you still want us to read it afterwards or No, I'm not going to read the letter, yeah. I just wanted to make a couple of comments. Um Obviously, if you refer to my letter, I would appreciate that. But, um we wanted to make it clear that uh on the agenda 3.04 is um a motion to reduce our school from four classrooms to two. We don't agree with that. We I it looks like almost on that agenda as if we consent to that. We do not consent to that. Um This came about just so the board is clear, uh we participated in this program about 3 years ago when it first came about, the PDA preschool educational program. We
029devoted all four of our classrooms to that program. We believe in Dr. Hart, we believe in the program. Uh wonderful resources for everybody and so all of us joined together really could do exceptional program. We and we believe in that and so I we devoted our entire school to this program. Uh And my wife has been teaching for over 35 years. We've Whitehouse Prep started in '09 as a private preschool. Um so, we have a great deal of experience in kindergarten and preschool. Um In January around that time of the year, I I was called to a meeting with Dr. Hart. Um just me, not my wife. My wife is head of school, Judy. I'm the president. Um just to talk to me alone. I I felt like I Like, what did I do wrong?
030Cuz I'm not sure why my wife wasn't in- invited to join me. But, that's okay. I met I met with Dr. Hart in his office. There was no agenda. It was about this this coming school year. Uh and I we received the memo that I just hand- handed out which has some issues, some concerns that he raised that were certainly doable. We talked about that. But, at that point is when it was disclosed to us that it was his recommendation to take us down by two classrooms. The first time I heard of that, um there was no pr- prior warning of that and it took me by surprise to be honest with you. And why my wife was not invited to that discussion kind of concerned me to be honest with you. But, I I
031said to Dr. Hart and and talking just like this, I said, "Is that your Is are we up for discussion about that or is that your decision?" Oh, no. That's my decision. Well, where are these two classrooms going? To another private pro- provider. So, meeting ended respectfully and we sort of think and I guess we have two private classrooms now that we have to try to fill up. Half our revenue was gone. And who was upset? We're back to now in the private sector. It's a very different business model being part of this program. We now have to go back out and get private uh students. It's not easy. And it wasn't until I conferred with counsel that there's a con- there's obviously a contract, the very contract you're being asked to look at today.
032It's a very comprehensive contract that regulates this very thing. It wasn't until it was brought to my attention by my attorney that Um we can continue that we needed to look at this. And clearly there is a whole protocol that needs to be filed and followed in order to reduce classrooms. It's due process part of the the ins and outs of of what the bargain was for us contributing our classrooms. Um so, my concern tonight is it seemed like a letter is being sent to the DOE, Department of Education and the DCF which is what it says we need to do. I don't think that's ever been done. I don't know what that letter is going to say. I have no idea what that letter is going to say. Maybe you discussed it in executive
033session. I really have no idea. But, it would seem to me that should be disclosed to us to know what the basis is for removing those two classrooms. So, I'm not sure how this board can vote to authorize a letter to the DOE to reduce ours our classrooms without knowing the basis for it. So, I wanted to present that to this board tonight to demonstrate my concern over that. What are you voting on? Um So, we have the right to do it. We have the right to articulate a basis for it. I don't know what the basis for that would be. But, that's the merits of the issue which I don't want to get into tonight. Um So, I would ask that um this board do not authorize that. And engage in some discussions with
034us as to what the issues were that brought this to a head to begin with. There's very little collaboration on whether we should maintain our four classrooms we got. Uh and um But, this is very important to us. Very important to us that um that we try to avoid this conflict to be honest with you because it's not about that. It's about the children. About creating the best pro- program for these for these three year olds. Uh and and that we we are committed to doing that. So, my I don't know my wife wants to say a couple words as well. Thank you for your time. Hello. I'm Judy Sarah. Um I just want to let you know, I'm sure you may know if you're live in town, that I have been running a preschool
035in town for the past 15 years. I've been providing an outstanding preschool program. I've been a member a member of Readington Township Kids since 2009. Readington Township Kids is a high quality rating. I started in that program in 2009. I worked hard every day and I work hard every day now because I am committed to the instruction of young children in this town. And I would like to continue that passion with as many children and as many parents as I've had wanting me to continue in that regard as well. Our school's been star rated twice. I work with state coaches, county coaches, and curriculum implementation specialists in my school. We built our program with a high accuracy score through that and they were coaching us through I worked alongside them. I'm used to that. Okay?
036I did it effectively for 10 years. Our curriculum that I was using was a curriculum that I had staff that were deemed to be endorsed by the curriculum that that that through our process of using a curriculum. I want to continue to do this for the children in Readington Township. I was heartbroken when Dr. Hart had a meeting with my husband that excluded me. And he told my husband that we were being reduced to two rooms. And he said this decision was final. And he didn't even ask me to come to the meeting. He told me I was not allowed to go to the meeting. Is that collaboration? I then first started to advertise because what was I supposed to do? I went back to working like I always do. But parents came to me
037and said, "Judy, why? Judy, why? I have younger children. I want them to come to your school. I want my child to come to my school. I want my friends and my I'm here. I want to come to your school next year." I then looked at our contract and sure enough we do have a way to have our voice said about not having a reduction and that's when we began to have legal support. I would like to have four classrooms next year. I am qualified to work with staff. I am committed to work collaboratively. I am committed to sharing what I've learned over the past 35 years as a kindergarten teacher, a first grade teacher. I worked here in Readington Township for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher. and first grade teacher. And a preschool
038teacher running that school for 15 years. I want to work collaboratively with the Readington Township School District. I really truly do. I want to continue that going. I want to build the best preschool program in the state of New Jersey and I'm committed to doing that. And I hope you will consider that and consider keeping me in the realm of having four classrooms next year. Okay. Anyone else? >> [clears throat] >> Okay. So we we did receive a letter from Mrs. Sara that you would like us to read. So we are going to read that into the record now. Thank you. Good evening, Mr. Bowman and board members. This letter is in response to agenda item 3.04 relating to tonight's board meeting. Let me first state that it should be made crystal clear that Whitehouse
039Preparatory School strongly objects to a reduction in classrooms from four rooms to two. This proposed action represents a reduction of 50% of our student body and revenue stream nearly $500,000. Without this revenue, the viability of the school is in serious jeopardy. It should be understood that the preschool expansion aid program is state funded with the district serving as the conduit through which these funds are administered. Accordingly, both the district and private providers must adhere to the terms of the preschool education program contract that are entered into each year. In fact, the very contract you are being asked to approve tonight. That contract lays out detailed and explicit terms as well as due process requirements relating to the termination or modification of the relationship between the district and the private providers. Neither the superintendent nor this
040board has the unilateral right to affect the terms of a private provider's standing without being in compliance with the contract. As noted, the preschool education program contract sets forth in clear and unambiguous terms the basis for reducing classrooms of a private provider. In short, the contract provides that there can be a a reduction in classrooms only if one of the following have been met: financial mismanagement or classroom quality, available in-district classroom space. None of these conditions have been met nor apply in this case. The contract also requires that notice be given to the New Jersey Department of Education, Division of Early Childhood Services, and the Department of Children and Families, Office of Licensing, along with a full explanation in writing for the district's decision. As far as I know, the district has not had any
041contact with the DOE or DCF as it relates to Whitehouse uh Prep School's standing as a private provider. And if there has been any such contact, it has been without notice to WPS. An ex parte communications with any state agencies to reduce classrooms would be inappropriate and a breach of contract. Before this board acts on this agenda item, it's wise to ask the superintendent several simple questions. On what contractual basis is the district seeking to reduce Whitehouse Prep School from four to two classrooms? What proof does the superintendent have that supports his decision to reduce the number of classrooms at WPS? What good faith efforts has the superintendent made to ameliorate any of his concerns that forms the basis for his decision and to reduce the number of classrooms at WPS? Is the superintendent prepared
042to expose the district to litigation over his decision to reduce the number of classrooms at WPS? Is the board ready to engage in litigation with a reputable a reputable, well-respected preschool in Readington Township that has served this community well over the last 17 years? Over what? It should be noted that the initial reason Dr. Hart gave for reducing the number of our classrooms was to allow Whitehouse Prep autonomy over two classrooms. This was stated by Dr. Hart in a memorandum he issued to WPS on January 7th, 2026. Enclosed is a copy of that memorandum. Thank you. But WPS is not seeking autonomy over its classrooms. WPS wishes to remain integrated with the PEA program and work cooperatively with the district as it has for the past three years. To the extent there is now a
043different basis for reducing the number of classrooms, that rationale has yet to be communicated to WPS. Is the letter you are voting on tonight justifying this reduction in classrooms going to say that it is to allow Whitehouse Prep autonomy over two classrooms? That was the reason we were given. I served on the Board of Education at Hunterdon Central High School for a number of years, so I have an understanding of how boards work and the politics at play. I also know that it is the board that serves as an integral buffer between the emotions of a superintendent and actions that may expose the district to unnecessary conflict and litigation. In this case, the board should know that WPS has been a willing participant in the PEA program since its inception three years ago, devoting its
044entire school, all four classrooms, to the program without hesitation. We believed in Dr. Hart and in his intentions to work collaboratively with all four private providers in our shared goal of creating a preschool program here in Readington Township that was exceptional and outstanding. We were eager to be a part of that effort and to contribute in a way that was meaningful and constructive. For us, it was never about the money or about developing a new business model. For us, it wasn't always just been about the children and how this unique partnership could produce amazing results if we just work together with respect and mutual admiration. We continue to have those ambitions. Judy, the head of school, works tirelessly to administer a preschool program that is high quality and safe for our young students. Over the
045past 35 plus years, Judy has earned a reputation of being a knowledgeable, caring, and inspiring kindergarten and preschool teacher and now administrator. WPS has a great deal to contribute to the PEA program in Readington Township as do the other providers as well. Admittedly, it can be challenging to administer at the district level a program that brings together the cultures and perspectives from various providers, all eager to have a say in the policies and procedures that define that define our core values. But in that challenge also lies the beauty and richness that can only come from people of goodwill and intentions working together for a common cause, inspiring three and four-year-olds. Respectfully, we ask the board to vote down this agenda item in so far as it approves the letter to the DOE seeking a reduction
046of two classrooms at WPS. First of all, we don't even know what the letter is or will say. How can a decision this impactful on the viability of a private provider be made when this board has not been informed of the basis for that decision? How can the board approve the sending of a letter to governmental agencies seeking to challenge a contract that has the potential of exposing the district to litigation when the content of the letter has not been disclosed? If the content of the letter is known to the board at this time, then the public has the right to see that content in an open forum like this. In closing, this board should know that WPS stands ready, willing, and able to continue to work cooperatively and collaboratively with the district in fulfilling
047its responsibilities as a private provider of the PEA program. The very contract you are being asked to consider tonight requires us to do that very thing. Purpose of agreement: The district shall work collaboratively with the provider to meet the requirements of the elements of high quality preschool programs. We hope the board sees and appreciated the good faith we bring to this situation in the spirit of maintaining our partnership with the district. On the other hand, if challenged, WPS will do what if necessary to protect its interests and contractual rights as one would expect from any reputable private provider. Respectfully submitted, Anthony J. Serra, president, White House Preparatory School. Thank you very much. Are there any other comments in this public forum? If we're sharing emails that were sent, will they be read or put on
048the record? Emails from the public present, I believe. No, they don't get read into the record. Unless Unless they specifically ask to be read into it. And no one has specifically asked to read into it. But what we do is we put them on with the board secretary. We file them away, so if anyone asks for them, they're available. It is an open public. But at this point, we don't read them unless they ask to be read. Okay. Please put them on the Yeah, and we do acknowledge them. So, on the next BOE meeting, you'll see letter from the initials were sent in, so people know that they're being available. But this board has has seen those. Yes, sir. Thank you. Any other comments? Okay. So, I am going to I usually do this at
049the end of every public session. I think just go over a portion of the policy in that in our policy, we don't directly comment on comments made by the public at the BOE meetings unless it's something very specific, um like administratively and so on. So, generally, we do not comment on any comments during the public session. In regards to the one item on the reason for that's going to be in the letter. We did Dr. Harker as I speak prior to this with our attorney, and he did mention that we would publicly state what that reading is, what that reason is. So, Dr. Harker, do you want to mention it? There are, um as the board and public know, there are three reasons that Mr. Serra identified in this letter regarding the preschool program and
050the contractual provisions for non-renewal. They include fiscal management, poor classroom quality, and available in-district space. At this point in the year, we've identified available in-district space where classrooms can be moved. That's the rationale behind the letter that the board will be approving tonight. Yeah, thank you. Okay. Since there's no other comments, I am going to close out the public session, and then we're going to move to the action items on the agenda. So, just so it's clear, I'm not going to respond to that. That's not appropriate, I guess. But I will be responding to that, so not in this forum. Okay. But then the basis for that is that there's now in- in-district room for these two rooms. Is that the the rationale? That is what the rationale will be in the letter. >> Okay.
051Just I just want to be clear on that. For the two rooms? Yes. For the 17 altogether, I know it's two. Okay. Our next item on the agenda is correspondence. We received seven emails within the last month. As I mentioned earlier, they are on record with the board secretary that people can request to see them if needed. Our next item is board actions, and we have The first one is approval of minutes. We have items 201 to 202. Can I get a motion and then a second on those two items? I'll make a motion. Second. Okay. Any discussion? Okay. Mr. Lowe's? Ms. Cassidy? Yes. Ms. Fiore? Yes. Mr. Lowe's? Yes. Ms. Mentzer? Yes. Mr. Pieros? Yes. Ms. Rad? Yes. [clears throat] Ms. Ryan? Yes. Mr. Pinto? Yes. Mr. Yes. Passes. Okay. Our next item is
052finance and facilities. We do not have a committee meeting this month. But we do have four items to move. Items 301 to 304. Do we have a motion and then a second? Motion. Second. Second. Okay. Any discussion on four items? Okay. Mr. Lowe's? You're welcome. Ms. Cassidy? Yes. Ms. Fiore? Yes. Mr. Lowe's? Yes. Ms. Mentzer? Yes. Mr. Pieros? Yes. Ms. Rad? Yes. Ms. Ryan? Yes. Mr. Pinto? Yes. Mr. Rizza? Yes. Passes. Our next item is our education technology section. We do have a committee report, but before we read that, we have six items to move, 401 to 406. Can I have a motion and then a second? Motion. Second. Second. Okay. All right. Committee report. Yes, we met on uh March 24th, which was a rescheduled from last month, which was scheduled for February 23rd.
053And on the agenda, we went over mid-year I-Ready results. Comparison data was presented by Stacy Brown, supervisor of tech. Data shows comparison between students between students from some neighboring districts, and compares to state average. When comparing this data, we can see that our district is meeting or exceeding those districts. There are some differences. These differences are due to the student population. Chart shows some mid-year results under 50%, but in the past, that has been corrected by the end of the year. And most results are at or above 50%, which is expected at mid-year. A chart was presented on reading and math growth per building for non-English learners versus English learners. Charts are showing growth. A board member asked how many teachers have SCI and training, and I think someone said SCI training for all three
054bridges, and what half teachers will complete it by next school year. A board member asked how many students were in intervention. Intervention students average 20 to 25 per building. Further discussion led to questions on how many students test out of intervention classes. The only way to tell is to look at the release rate. In addition to it was explained that parents have always consented to intervention for students. Intervention students' numbers and release rate will be shared with the committee. Spring teacher cap academy was underway. The The new teacher academy calendar is now digital via the uh software and my Google website. This has streamlined the process for sign-ups, and also gives teacher reminders. Anthony tomorrow in-service day was on March 13th. They met diverse needs of staff based on grade level. Several sessions included creative
055curriculum, a workshop on understanding accommodations and modifications, articulation across grade level, and understanding key takeaway and takeaways from I-Ready consultant. End of day, teachers were able to unwind with games through trust. They were available, and teachers had opportunities to work by this. A board member asked if parents were asked to go to the in-service day. Parents had their own in-service day specifically for the parent forum. Climate survey was offered to parents for input. Their voices have been heard, and changes have been made for next year's in-service day schedules. Anthony tomorrow also presented on parent academy, which is on March 25th, 6:00 p.m. Information is on the BOE website. The academy offers different sessions. Parents asked if they would be interested in presenting, and the doctor, McCray, a local veterinarian, is offering a session on how
056dogs communicate and what kids should know. A board member suggested sending out separate Genesis blasts to inform all of the our parents. Cursive handwriting in the law update, Stacy Brown stated that the law will have a minimal impact due to the fact that we already have cursive handwriting in the third grade. I think the fourth and fifth grade will have minimal impact due to it being the same program and no added cost. NJSLA updates, changes made by the state have been administered through the test. March They have made have made the test more challenging. Principals and teachers have been helpful in adjusting schedules for testing. There are 50 questions split into two sessions. 75 questions a week. I'm sorry. 70 50 questions? I I 50 and 75. Um 50 questions. >> 50 questions. With two
057sessions, 75 minutes each. >> 75 minutes. Yep. Thank you. You got it. each session. Some other changes are math and reading are adapted. The questions are in groups of three to four, and change depending on the student answers. Teachers will explain the changes to the students. Uh agenda items, typical agenda items include student and teacher placement, fund raisers fund raisers, fund raisers, etc. Next meeting will be April 20th, 2020. Thank you, gentlemen. Any comments or discussion? >> [clears throat] >> Ms. Cassidy? Yes. Ms. Fiore? Yes. Mr. Brooks? Yes. Ms. Minster? Yes. Mr. Geary? Yes. Ms. Rabb? Yes. Ms. Ryan? Yes. Ms. Pinto? Yes. Mr. Russo? Yes. Passes. Okay, our next item is our personnel section. We do not have a committee report this evening. But we do have five items to move, items 501 through
058504. Can I have a motion and then a second? I motion. I second. Second. Okay. Any discussion? Okay, let's do the roll. Ms. Cassidy? Yes. Ms. Fiore? Yes. Mr. Brooks? Yes. Ms. Minster? Yes. Mr. Geary? Yes. Ms. Rabb? Yes. Ms. Ryan? Yes. Ms. Pinto? Yes. Mr. Russo? Yes. Passes. Our next item is policy communication. Once again, we do not have a committee report this month, but we do have one item to motion, item 601. Can I have a motion and then a second? I'll move. I'll second. Okay. Any discussion? Okay, let's do the roll. Ms. Cassidy? Yes. Ms. Fiore? Yes. Mr. Brooks? Yes. Ms. Minster? Yes. Mr. Geary? Yes. Ms. Rabb? Yes. Ms. Ryan? Yes. Ms. Pinto? Yes. Mr. Russo? Yes. Passes. Okay, next item is unfinished business. No items on the agenda, but anyone
059want to bring anything up? Okay, move to new business from the board. Any items anyone wants to bring up? Okay. Next item on the agenda is our second public forum. This is for any items on or off the agenda. Similar to last time, speak for 3 minutes, please come up, state your name and your town, and please begin. This is Katherine. My name is Katherine Trinh. And I live in Reading for 18 years, so I am deeply invested in the issue of book censorship. Because all my kids are attending all the schools, including this one. Today I will point out the hypocrisy of book censorship versus conservative values. I call today's lesson liberty for me, but not for thee. Individual liberty and limited government are core tenants of conservatism. Do you even know that? Or
060is conservatism dead? Having committee members picking and scrutinizing books screams big government. Invoking parental rights and giving full veto power to the parents supporting the bans, while the other side has no recourse, screams big government and violates our kids' liberties. Do you care about our kids' liberties? Do you? I do, and I'm a goddamn liberal. Also, does government overreach ring a bell? There is something conservative There is nothing conservative about book bans and watchlists. This is a domain of authoritarians, dictators, and fascists. The irony here is that people like you who promote censorship are usually the same people that need to be schooled in the very topics you are banning. For example, people that support the banning of the book Maus probably have very poor understanding of Holocaust and would stand to benefit from reading
061it. People trying to ban ban the book Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and are offended by the oral sex joke that could honestly they could honestly learn a thing or two by picking up a copy of a sex ed book. Frankly, cloaking fascism in conservatism is just stunning. And I can't believe this ideology has made its way to America and to my neck of the woods. Learning about the life complexities, some of them dark and uncomfortable, sparks young imaginations to think outside the box. Living in a sterile bubble produces lazy thinking, which produces lazy thinking, close-minded kids with lazy, close-minded aspirations. In conclusion, I want to announce that I will be starting a Facebook page, followed by a TikTok, and calling out the stupidity and hypocrisy in our government, starting with this committee.
062You inspired me. I will be contacting organizations and people I already know and make connections with to collaborate with me to speak out in a space where I can create a movement to call out the BS, because I don't think anybody ever did in this area. If you are pissed as I am, join me. If you are as fed as I am fed up as I am, join me. If you are ready to dispel the misinformation spread on the local mega websites, join me and don't be intimidated. This will not be a private account and it will be called Dems in the Wild. Thank you for your comments. Anyone else like to speak? Hi everybody, my name is Katherine DeLuca from Reading Town Clerk District 6. Um I wanted to talk tonight regarding regulation 2535
063and namely the fact that I expressed previously that I'm not in support of Section C of this provision. One of the things that I wanted to address tonight has been a topic of discussion a lot, and that's the question of protection of students. Um one thing that really stuck out to me is the delineation between student safety, which is absolutely the purview of the board, versus protection. Because the difference seems a little bit fuzzy. So, when we talk about things like student safety, I assume that the board has metrics that they have for things like suicide rates, fire safety, things along those lines. What I'm concerned about specifically in the context of reading and resource materials is the fact that things that are being portrayed as protection are being confused with safety. Um there is
064not necessarily any connection between what students are reading and how safe they are in schools. I know that this is a bit of a convoluted point that I'm trying to make, but it's something that, you know, listening to all of the varied discussion that's been going on, everybody's been very committed to ensuring students are protected, students are safe. Um but I don't know necessarily that safety extends to what is being read in the classroom, if there's any particular any particular statistics that the board is drawing on in terms of that. So, it's just something that I wanted to bring up for consideration. Um that's all I have for tonight. Thank you so much. Thank you for your comments. Would anyone else like to speak? Anyone online? >> [clears throat] >> I think there might have
065been one that was Okay. That's a comment. I will contact the person online. Yeah, there's one here at the bottom that says at jb6712 wellsaid. I think if you scroll go back I thought I saw one. I don't know if that was the last one. Yeah, a lot of them were from, I believe. I read it online. I thought I saw somebody had a question. Someone had a question. Yeah, I'm moving on. Okay, I thought I saw one. Yeah, I'm Okay. I'm moving on. There's just a Let's see. I know. That was a Okay. Just a >> [clears throat] >> Okay. Did you delete Was there one that was irrelevant? The one You said it was online and I deleted What? Okay, perfect. Yeah, we'll get to it. Okay. Okay, that's fine. So, there were
066just let everyone know that they can't see the screen, there were just a bunch of shout-outs for the students earlier congratulating them on the presentations that they did and the awards they received. That being said, I'm going to close up the public forum session and our next item on the agenda is adjournment. I will move for adjournment. Adjournment, may I get a second? Second. Okay, and again, let me go to the roll. Ms. Cassidy? Yes. Ms. Fiore? Yes. Mr. Brooks? Yes. Ms. Minster? Yes. Mr. Geary? Yes. Ms. Rabb? Yes. Ms. Ryan? Yes. Ms. Pinto? Yes. Mr. Russo? Yes. Passes. Okay, thank you everyone for coming this evening. I thought I had questions. Is this confidential? I'm moving it out.