001Those moments. Okay. Good evening everyone. Welcome to our meeting tonight. I am going to call it to order. 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 only be posted on the district website in conformity with state code. Formal action may be taken. Can we get a roll call? Mrs. Cassidy? Here. Mrs. Fury? Here. Mr. Lopes? Here. Mrs. Metzer? Here. Mr. Pieros? Mrs. Rad? Here. Mrs. Ryan? Here. Mr. Pinto? Here. Mr. Rosen? Here. Can you please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? 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
002all. Uh good evening everyone. When we spoke last at the March 10th Board of Education meeting, I gave an update in regards to the budget timeline for the 2026-27 school year. Uh due to the new administration in the governor's office, um they extended the deadline for state aid numbers to be released, which pushed our budget timeline back a little bit uh to today. So, today, this evening, um Jason and I are going to present to everyone [snorts] the uh preparation of the tentative budget for the 2026-27 school year. What tonight's budget presentation and agenda items allow the board to do and then Jason to subsequently do is approve a tentative budget that is submitted to the county office for review and from there our final budget will be approved in April. Uh so, tonight's budget
003presentation is as final as it gets until the April 28th board meeting where we'll approve a final budget. Uh so, the goals that we think of uh when we enter budget season, believe it or not, that starts in Oc- October of um earlier this school year. Is our goal is to work with the administration and present a budget that aims for the 2% state-imposed tax levy cap, but also considers that we have some flexibility with eligible adjustments and we certainly don't want to ever negatively impact the academic experience of our students. So, we look to be reasonable and responsible in preparation of our budget. We know that that 2% number's in the minds of the public and the board and the administration, but we also want to make sure that we're not beholden to that
004number, but rather we also think about the academic program for our students. For this year, we're going to prepare for uh enrollment potential home enrollment increases on the Three Bridges side of town with those new housing developments. We certainly want to balance class sizes with scheduling efficiencies. We want to continue to enrich students' academic experiences through reasonable class sizes, opportunities for encore classes or electives at the middle school, and a complement of not only fully academic programs, but also co-curricular opportunities. And we're in the midst of working toward a new strategic plan. We're looking toward budget goals revolving around some of the strategic work that's going to come out of the strategic planning core team that will be meeting next month and all of the data we collected. Uh so, let's start with some data
005about the district. Our enrollment forecast for 2026-2027, uh we're looking at an anticipated total enrollment of kindergarten through grade eight of 1,380 students. We also anticipate a total pre-K enrollment of 240 students with a a total enrollment of 1,620 with right now nine out of district students and assuming 156 kindergarten students in district. And that's based off of the current students that we have right now in our preschool program, um and it's been great to forecast kindergarten enrollment based off of our current preschool program plus all of the students that we have registered through our pre-registration process that occurred back in February. Um and you can see that this number is higher, yes, because of the increased enrollment from uh pre-K, but the numbers for K-3 enrollment is relatively consistent. So, we kind of balance
006out with our our K-3 enrollment. >> [snorts] >> Here's our enrollment projection. So, this is just a little bit of history back from 16-17 all the way to 26-27. It's about a 10-year look back. So, we can see that there's been a little bit of a dip, quite a bit of a dip I should say, in enrollment over the first 5 years from 16-17 to now 2021, and now we've leveled off and stabilized. And we're starting to see a little bit of an enrollment increase. Um and I'll even remind the board that we talked in July, and then we talked again in January about enrollment um and some of our projections uh in terms of the fact that we started to see a little bit of a steady enrollment line, but a little bit of
007an increase year over year. Um and these are early projections. It is only March. Students will move in between now and September. Uh so, we'll come back to you in in August or September with where we start the school year in terms of enrollment. Uh here's our pre-K enrollment. This is fantastic news for the district. From the 22-23 school year when we had 25 students in the district to now over 225 students in the district. So, we are servicing almost every three and four-year-old in Readington Township in our pre-K program. Uh here's a look at our elementary class sizes. So, based off of enrollment, um and based off of rolling our classes currently forward into next year, this doesn't assume any new new move-ins necessarily. We're looking at very reasonable class sizes for our K-5.
008Anywhere from 16, 18 to 20 students, uh which are are really reasonable numbers. Our maximum um at uh K-3 is 21 students per regulation, and then grades 4-5 is 22 students. Uh so, that's where we really want to we want to target somewhere a little less than 21 or 22 students, and we we've achieved that here. Uh so, a couple of highlights. Um the budget includes um some major categories. Personnel, preschool, curriculum and pupil services, and capital projects. So, Jason and I are going to go through uh each one of these um categories or buckets of what's included in the budget, some of which I'll remind the board we heard back in February when each department was here and presented their budgets and some budget initiatives for next year as well. So, personnel. Personnel is
009staffing. This is our staff and benefits. Uh we're looking at additional IEP-based bus aides. So, these are uh adults that ride the school bus with students uh based off of needs that are identified in a child's individualized education plan. Uh our plan is to bring back an out of district bus route or or more if we can to do that in-house rather than contracting out and hiring our own staff to be able to do that. We're looking at reconfiguring several staff positions through attrition. Um I'll highlight the personnel section of the agenda tonight to the board. We've received several retirements at 10 um at last count that are on the board agenda. Um while we will miss these folks um because they've decided to retire, what the agreement that we created between our employees and
010the board has allowed us this early notification to know who's retiring. Uh the administrative team is meeting later this week to over to look at all of our staffing for next year, and we'll look at hiring for and bringing back staff based off of student need and program need. And we're going to talk about that later this week. Um we're looking at adjusting some elementary teaching staff positions based off of programming. We're going to look to see where enrollment is and class size numbers are, and we're going to look to see to make sure that we maintain these class sizes, but we're going to look at some of that attrition with our elementary level to see if we need to fill all of those elementary positions. We have increased uh in our budget we've increased
011the wages for our police officers through shared services. Our police officers have uh is a contracted service with the local police. Um it's a great approximate 50/50 split between uh the board paying half for these four officers and the Township of Readington paying half. It's a great shared service agreement. Our police officers, my best recollection is we did some salary wage increases about 2 years ago, and we think that it's time for another one. Um continuation of salary increases in the RTE and RTA contract. We uh have two contracts uh that are work that are that are continuing into next year. No negotiations are underway, and we know the salary increases projected for both our teachers and our administrators as well as our uh non-aligned staff. In the RTA agreement, as we're working through the
0125-year contract with the teachers, we're mindful and making sure that in our budget every year we reflect stipends and other obligations such as professional development, um a $1,000 stipend for paraprofessionals working in high-need classrooms, uh curriculum writing, and before and after school activities. This is a dollar amount that's outlined in the RTA contract that gradually is increased over the lifetime of the contract. We're going to continue tuition reimbursement for professional development for both our teachers as well as our paraprofessionals per the RTA contract. We're going to continue our retention and recruitment stipend stipends uh for some hard-to-need hard-to-fill positions and high-need positions. And we're going to sustain the employee assistance and wellness programs for our staff. Uh preschool. Uh we have a total of 17 classrooms we're going to operate for preschool next year. The
013all of the funding through preschool, and you'll see the numbers later in the presentation, is com- completely comes to us from the state. Uh so, this is not local tax levy dependent. We are going to continue our preschool program for all eligible three and four-year-olds residing in Readington. Uh we have not yet gone to a waitlist. I think that we have a handful of spots open for preschool for next year. So, we still we are still taking enrollment. We are adding one full-time teacher as well as one full-time para to bring our classes up to 17. We're going to continue our supervisory position for preschool as well as our coach and our intervention specialist with some shared responsibilities there um as well. Uh we offer no-cost bussing for all preschool students, and we have uh
014preschool aides, adults, on every preschool route. Um and we're looking forward to um a continued year in preschool with here we have 255 students is our maximum uh that we can enroll next year for preschool. And curriculum and pupil services. Uh we're going to continue self-contained special education programs inclusive of preschool disabilities uh in district next year. These programs include our learning and language disabilities program, also known as our LLD program, our autism programs, as we mentioned our preschool disabilities program, and our life skills program in the middle school. We'll continue um offering our extended year school program, um which is our summer school program for students who are eligible. Universal design for learning with a partnership through the Department of Education and CAST, and this will be year one implementation among the leadership team,
015um RMS as well as Three Bridges. Um ABLES and Central Reach uh is a program. It's a assessment and tracking program that tracks the language skills for students on the autism spectrum, and it's a very specific program, and we're going to begin new training for all of our autism staff next year uh in that program. On the general ed side, where we are planning on revising curriculum, as well as purchasing textbooks for various content areas. Right now, we're in the process of reviewing our curriculum, working with departments in department meetings, and identifying all of the revisions that need to happen over the summer. We'll continue our mental health services in continuation of one behavioral health counselor for the district and then three behaviorists and our employee assistance program for employees. I think we are almost
016done with um SEI training throughout the district uh for all of our teachers, but we're going to look into a final cohort of teachers that may require the training. We're going to continue our breakfast and lunch program for students. Uh this is critically important for our low-income students. Uh they take advantage of both our free and or reduced um breakfast and lunch. And of course after the strategic plan um is developed, we will look to plan um our implementation for next year for any goals that come out of our strategic plan. And I'll turn it over to Jason to talk about capital projects. Thank you, Dr. Horn. Um so in November, the residents in town passed a referendum which lowered overall taxes. Um the residents will see that tax decrease when our debt expires at
017the end of next school year uh reflective in the 2027-2028 um budget cycle. Um so our debt is being replaced with lower debt um that will reduce overall taxes. Now, what did we get for that? We the the town got 83 separate projects uh of which we're going to be completing a lot of them this summer. Uh we are going to be installing two brand new playgrounds one at Whitehouse School and one at Three Bridges School um that are also going to be um for uh students with disabilities. Uh so that way they're easily accessible for all um community members. Uh available for obviously nights and weekends as well because Whitehouse School in particular is a walking um school. Uh we're also going to be redoing the track. Um so that was board approved several
018uh months ago here. Um that work is scheduled to begin um in June. So uh that project should be done by the end of July or early August. Um and we have a lot of other projects that are going to be completed um publicly. Waste disposal rooms, uh security upgrades, windows, doors, fire alarms um so on and so forth. The projects that we're not doing this summer are being delayed mainly because one, we had to bid them out which takes time. But two, a lot of the projects can qualify for something called direct install um initiative through the uh Department of um Public Utilities um that could allow us to save an additional 40 to 80% off the cost of the projects. So you think about like boilers, HVAC, electrical upgrades, those all qualify uh
019through utilities to be subsidized further. So in addition to getting 40% state funding for the vast majority of our projects, something like 90% of our projects in addition, the district's going to be going for an additional savings through the Board of Public Utilities on select projects that will lower our energy usage. So utility costs are skyrocketing in New Jersey. Um everyone is feeling them. Our goal is to lower our usage by upgrading our equipment which should help our bottom line saving the taxpayers' money long term because we're using less energy um and therefore being able to keep the tax levy lower. Um some other things that we've done proactively at the board level is uh we've applied for preschool uh grant to cover 40% for bathrooms um at Three Bridges School. So that will allow
020us to not have to do an alternative use having um younger and at-need students have to leave the classroom to go down the hallway or across the hallway to use the bathroom. It's much safer for supervision if the bathrooms are inside the classroom. So that's what this grant covers, 40% paid for by the state. Uh we also every summer we do um air quality improvements in our classrooms. So we're going to be doing some carpet removal. Um we have HEPA air filters in our classrooms and other things that we do to make sure um our staff um are at their best um at each and every day. Uh we're paying for uh new classroom and sports spaces at Three Bridges School using this year's surplus. Um so those actually projects came in pretty low. Um
021so those should actually be done by the end of June. Uh new dishwasher, some other back and supports um Dr. Horn talked about preschool. Our goal with preschool is to make sure that each and every room is pretty much identical no matter where your child is placed. So if they're placed at a private provider or in-house, they have the same resources the same supplies the same level of um certification the same level of training. We have our training on site. So that way you're getting the same consistent experience. We also deliver food to those off-site locations through our Mash provider each and every day through our um bus drivers uh gratefully do that. So that way the students are even eating the same exact food and they can order online. Um and then the board
022recently passed uh solar initiative which will give us a fixed utility rate for the next 15 years. So as the utility rate goes up uh 85% or more of our electric will be solar generated at a flat rate. Our existing solar um is going to also expire in 5 and 1/2 years. Um at that time you will be paying nothing for that solar generation other than maintenance which is really covered for a 10 more years after that because we have a 25-year warranty. So what makes up the budget? Um well, salaries. It's salaries and benefits. You know, we're a people business. Um the teachers are the lifeblood of uh why we're all here to make sure they educate the students um and every year the budget gets tighter and tighter because of employee benefits. So
023the blue area just keeps growing and we just keep shrinking the colored areas that you see above every single year and um the goal is to be mindful of the taxpayers um to try to res- restrict those other areas, particularly the red um to the max degree possible without impacting student programming. Um but a lot of these things are fixed like you can't do anything about utilities. We really can't do anything about our make custodial and refuse. Um out-of-district tuition. So a lot of the other pieces besides the red are almost fixed in nature. So um it is challenging budget every year and the the finance committee really dives into the budget line by line to see what they can do to um help maintain uh cognizant of the taxpayers as well so we keep
024the programming intact. [clears throat] This chart just summarizes the pressures that we have. Um the tax levy um for over a decade has been very low. We were 0% or negative 15 plus years ago um and we started raising it recently because there's not a lot we can do as health and all these other items have been uh raising dramatically. Um health is our second highest cost, pensions is our fourth highest cost, salaries is our highest cost. Um liability insurance is top 10. Those pressures have caused us to have to raise the tax levy um just to keep up and um our goal is to keep it as low as possible um to benefit the local taxpayers. So what else have we done? We've been very proactive through the green committee with um utility costs.
025So this shows our utilities before major programming started. We were over a million dollars every single year paid for electric and gas. And now we are trending up because you'll see the rates are going up. So our actual usage is flat. And because of the increases at the electric um we have been going up and our goal is to either flatline that or start shrinking that again. Um there's really not too much more we can do from a control perspective but we're hoping through LED light upgrades, HVAC upgrades, having a fixed solar rate and the drop off from solar 5 and 1/2 years that that should flatline and then start to come down. Um and that allows us to put the money directly towards the students which is why we're all here. So what does
026that mean for next year? Um this is our state aid. Our state aid went up um about 180 something thousand dollars. Um so when the finance committee met, we decided to give the vast majority of that back to the taxpayers in tax relief. So that's we we lowered our overall tax rate because of that. And we got a a significant sum in preschool. So preschool is the right column. Um we used to get zero dollars. That's straight from the state. Um that allows uh three and four-year-olds to not have to pay for daycare and that they can come now to our private providers and receive instruction directly from a certified professional with a power professional um and start their learning two years earlier than you know, they normally would have in kindergarten. So that is
027fully paid for by the state and next year we're going to get 4.6 million from the state for that. Um and right now every single person in town can get into our program. We have no wait list. So what does this mean from um tax levy? This is our debt service. So everyone knows from the referendum um that the tax uh levy is expiring for debt and um as you can see, we're getting close to the end. This is our last debt payment. And then next year we should have a large decrease because of the new debt we issued is much lower than our existing. So, taxpayers will feel another decrease next year as well. The other reds you see here is when we refinanced. When interest rates go down, the board has been very
028proactive with refinancing our debt to lower what we're paying from interest perspective, which is directly given back to the taxpayers. Overall, um we've been our best to keep taxes as low as possible. This coming year, we're recommending a 3.6% overall increase. This actually is our second largest increase in 18-plus years. Um but with all the pressures um that have been coming and exist and everyone else is feeling on a personal level, um we did our best to try to achieve a very low tax rate increase um to keep the good student programming going. Um and that's what we're reflecting tonight for your vote. What does that mean for an average assessed home? Uh that equates to $161 over the year. Um so, if you live in a house valued assessed at 450, $161. Um what
029that means if you want to do the math yourself, if you know what your house is assessed at, 100,000, you know, you can divide and you get your actual increase right there. And um some tax rate information for reference. Any questions? I just have a comment. I just want to thank you all for all the time you put into this and the finance committee for reviewing it all and um it's fantastic considering you read in the news all these districts that are really struggling. I think it's uh commendable that you balance this and you you know, attrition and and whatnot and not lay off. I think that's fantastic. So, I just want to thank you for that. That was our when we talked in finance and personnel, that was always our goal to make sure
030that we avoided impacting our employees' futures. I think we've done that successfully. Any other questions? Well, this is fun. >> [laughter] >> Uh we can come up with a great budget. Um and if there are any other questions, uh Jason and I are happy to answer them. The next step is for the board to vote this evening. And we will submit this budget to the county office. And then we'll have a final budget review April 20th. That's our last step. Thank you all. Thank you, Dr. Herberg. Okay. The next item on the agenda is our first public forum session. Um it's for items on the agenda for items that will be actioned. So, any action agenda. If you would like to speak on any item related to the agenda, please come up, state your name,
031what town you're from. Um you'll have 3 minutes to make your statement. All right. Tom Curtis, White House Station. So, I just had two questions. Uh the first one is regarding the health care. Do the teachers and other uh school employees have a choice with regard to health care, the different plans that they can choose from, which might help, you know, cost-wise? And then secondly, was um Uh good question. >> [laughter] >> I'm drawing a blank on myself. It was related to the uh pre-K program. So, right now the state is paying for that. If that happens to stop completely and you wanted to maintain the program as is, what would the cost be to do that? So, that's it. Thanks. We can Anyone else? Um we had if any questions I get addressed, we
032would answer them at the end of the public session. Jason DeLuca, Readington. Uh question I have is I was looking at the actuals for this year uh line item 45399, which is the general administrative, which also includes legal expenses. And we seem to be 2/3 of the year here, 2/3 into the year, and we're down to about 5.5% remaining. And I'm wondering, is that calculated for in, you know, the future budget given that we are, you know, now in a situation where legal expenses will be high? Thank you. Okay. Anyone else? Can I sign in those spots? Yes. Cassandra DeLuca, Readington, District 6. Um two quick comments. I first was really impressed to great to see, especially seeing something that eventually will be paid off like is covered in our maintenance. So, I just want
033to congratulate anybody who was involved with having I think that's really nice to see. Um the second uh question I had was related to the refuse service. Um I'm just interested in learning more about that, if there's specific companies you're contracting with and if there's any opportunities for some of the maybe grant money that was talked about previously or maybe in collaboration with the town at large, um just to see if any of those would be options. Thank you. Thank you. No one online? Okay. We'll close it out. Um we did have a couple of questions that were very specific for this evening. I know Dr. Herberg, do you want to address a couple of them? Yeah, that's okay. Um We're going to go back and forth cuz I think I'm going to need your
034help on some of them. Um Mr. Curtis for health care. So, since 2020, we've been operating under Chapter 44, which is state law when it comes to health care. And what it does, any new employees to the district, this is new employees only, um have the option of choosing between um the state health benefit plan or the Garden State Plan, correct, Jason? So, there's two plans that they that employees can choose from. We're in a um school health insurance fund that also allows our employees to choose between two carriers, AmeriHealth or Aetna. Um our previous employees, anybody who's hired before 2020, are grandfathered into legacy plans, plans that are like Direct 10, Direct 15 PPOs, those sorts of things. So, when it comes to if there is any cost control mechanism, the cost control mechanism
035really is Chapter 44 because the state plan and Garden State Plan are theoretically supposed to cost less. Um the legacy plans are uh that employees can choose are we apply a cost to our employees based off of a set of um salary as well or or a graduated um salary percentage as well. What we what we can't necessarily do, despite new employees going to Chapter 44, either the Garden State Plan or the State Health Benefits Plan, we can't necessarily mandate employees take a high deductible plan as opposed to a PPO plan or anything like that. It's really employee choice when it comes to health care costs. Um Jason, how did I do? Fantastic. Okay. >> [clears throat] >> It's the right answer. I I know there's no going back and forth, but some of those
036plans do allow for a more catastrophic, maybe more contributory for someone who's uh relatively healthy and just needs that catastrophic coverage. I understand what you mean. I I I got you. Um preschool. So, as you saw from the presentation, we're getting about $4 million from the state for uh preschool funding. Uh I I don't have a crystal ball and I can't predict the future. My hope is that preschool is funded for forever, right? For the the the future of the children in Readington, which would be great. If we were to lose that preschool funding, I think the choice that would be in front of the board and the community is what can be absorbed, you know, under a tax levy. And I think the question would be, is there another referendum that we would have
037to put out to the community to bring $4 million worth of programming in-house? It It could involve not only It would involve, I should say, not only personnel, but it would also involve some kind of physical plant change because we we don't have um 17 or 15 additional classrooms in district. So, um right now, we're grateful for the funding that comes from the state. Um should we ever be in a position where we want to fund preschool in-house, I think that that would have to be a question that goes out to the community in terms of an extra question for the budget that would come in March or April. Thanks. Um Mr. DeLuca's question about legal expenses. Uh generally in the past, what we've done when it comes to calculating our legal expenses for the
038year, we do use a baseline from the year before. And we also take into consideration any potential or ongoing litigation as well as contract negotiations. Uh if we're engaging in contract negotiations with either uh the teachers union or the administrators, we know that those those years tend to cost a little bit more. Um but it is just baseline data and then reviewing that data and looking at any kind of potential issue that may be on the horizon. Um and Jason, I'll turn it over to you as far as refuse and our program there and anything else you have to add to any question. Uh no, I'll just say for legal, we also have insurance legal which caps our uh deductible of $10,000. So, um if we're in a case that's prolonged and it costs $100,000,
039the district taxpayers are only on um for $10,000. So, that um allows us um to protect more of the taxpayers long-term. Um for refuse, we actually tried partnering with the township a few years ago before the township itself pushed uh refuse to the individuals um community members in town. So, you all are actually now paying for your own um garbage collection, but we have looked in the green committee extensively at a variety of options. We're always looking at more options um and that bid actually got comes up every um every one to three years, and I believe we're up for it next year. So, the committees will actually be looked at board committees will be looking at that and deciding what to do in the future. So, appreciate your comment. I'll just make mention if
040there's something that we did not answer in terms of a question, feel free to email us or the board and certainly glad to get back to anybody who might have a more specific question as well. That's it. Okay, Mr. Bowman. All right, thank you. Our next item is correspondence. Uh we received seven emails. Um they have been recorded with the board secretary on file. Now, we're going to move into our board action items. So, our first one is the approval of administrative reports. Um we have one item 101. Can I have a second I mean a motion and then a second on 101? I'll move, Ellen. Second, Justina. Second. Any comments? Okay, I'll Mrs. Cassidy? Yes. Mrs. Fiore? Yes. Mr. Lopes? Yes. Mrs. Mentor? Yes. Mr. [clears throat] Pieros? Yes. Mrs. Rad? Yes. Mrs. Ryan?
041Yes. Mr. Pinto? Yes. Mr. Rizzo? Yes. Passes. Okay, our next item is approval of minutes. Uh we have two items, 201 through 202. Can I get a motion and a second? I'll move, Ellen. Second. Okay, any discussion? Mrs. Cassidy? Yes. Mrs. Fiore? Yes. Mr. Lopes? Yes. Mrs. Mentor? Yes. Mr. Pieros? Yes. Mrs. Rad? Yes. Mrs. Ryan? Yes. Mr. Pinto? Yes. Mr. Rizzo? Yes. Passes. Okay, our next item is finance and facilities. We do not have a committee report this month, but as we just went through the budget presentation, we do have quite a few items on the agenda, 18 in fact, 301 through 318. Can I get a motion and then a second on the 18 items? Motion. I'll second. Second. Okay, any discussion? Okay, Mr. Bowman. Mrs. Cassidy? Yes. Mrs. Fiore? Yes. Mr. Lopes?
042Yes. Mrs. Mentor? Yes. Mr. Pieros? Yes. Mrs. Rad? Yes. Mrs. Ryan? Yes. Mr. Pinto? Yes. Mr. Rizzo? Yes. Passes. Okay. Our next item is our education technology section. Once again, we do not have a committee report at this time, but we do have three items, 401 through 403. Can I get a motion and then a second? I'll motion. I'll second. Okay, any discussion? Mr. Bowman. Mrs. Cassidy? Yes. Mrs. Fiore? Yes. Mr. Lopes? Yes. Mrs. Mentor? Yes. Mr. Pieros? Yes. Mrs. Rad? Yes. Mrs. Ryan? Yes. Mr. Pinto? Yes. Mr. Rizzo? Yes. Passes. All right, our next item is personnel. We will have a committee report for personnel, but first we have six items to move, 501 through 506. Can I get a motion and then a second? I'll move, Ellen. Second. Okay. Justina. >> [clears throat]
043>> What do we vote on? The committee met on March 16th. Um the first thing we discussed was staffing updates for the 2026-2027 school year. We then discussed enrollment for the upcoming school year. Class sizes will remain fairly consistent. We also discussed non-aligned non-aligned staff. The board meeting on April 28th will list the staff renewals for next year. We did a follow-up on the climate survey. Dr. Hart provided additional feedback from the climate survey. Principals also followed up within their respective buildings. The committee discussed a personnel matter, and our agenda items are retirements, resignations, and other typical agenda items. The April 28th meeting will include all renewals for next year, and we set our next meeting for April 27th at 8:30 a.m. Thank you. Any discussion? Just had a a question. Just remind me for
044the retirement, it's such a big list. Um we will have the the one of the board meetings the retirement. Is that in the May meeting? Is that right? Yeah, we're planning um our retirement celebration for our retirees as well as our governors educators of the year to be our May Board of Education meeting. Uh similar formats we had uh last year. We'll we can start about 45 minutes early, and that will be cake and refreshments in the cafeteria. We'll open our meeting here in the board room, and then we'll go down to the uh cafeteria for uh presentation of awards and gifts and thank yous to all of our governors educators of the years and our retirees. Any other discussion? Okay, Mr. Bowman. Mrs. Cassidy? Yes. Mrs. Fiore? Yes. Mr. Lopes? Yes. Mrs. Mentor? Yes.
045Mr. Pieros? Yes. Mrs. Rad? Yes. Mrs. Ryan? Yes. Mr. Pinto? Yes. Mr. Rizzo? Yes. Passes. Our next agenda item is our communication policy section. We will have a committee report on that tonight. Um but we have three items to move, 601 through 603. Can I get a motion and then a second? I'll move, Ellen. Second. Okay. Okay. The committee met on March 16th. The first item we discussed was communications we received um on behalf of the green committee uh regarding volunteer opportunities. Dr. Hart offered to include the green committee's volunteer opportunities in his newsletter and our social media account. Um Pam had received some volunteers from the announcement at the public meeting, and she will let Dr. Hart know if more are needed and details regarding the timing. And Beth advised that the biodiversity audit
046may be conducted during classroom time or after school at Holland Brook School and will provide an update as she receives more information. The second um item we discussed was the review of the 3000 series of our policies and regulations. Policy 3124, employment contract. No changes were made as non-tenured employees are in the RTEAA and RTAA and have this in their contracts. The attorney agreed that we do not need it in this policy. Policy 3125.01, employment of non-represented employees. No recommendation to adopt after research. Policy 3130, assignment and transfer. Attorney agreed no changes needed. Policy 3143, dismissal. Um Dr. Hart added the following statement, however, the board reserves the right to terminate a non-tenured employment without notice when sufficient cause warrants. The attorney agreed with this additional language. Policy 3150, discipline. No changes made at 31
047um as 3144 discussed tenure charges. The evaluation system also authorizes administration to determine inefficiency and incapability of performance. Policy 3151, assessment of pay. The following language was added, regular and prompt teaching staff attendance is critical for the academic success of students as well as teaching staff members may request or the superintendent may enforce wage deduction in cases where the teaching staff member has exhausted all compensated absences but has good reason for the absence. >> [cough] >> And also, the superintendent is authorized to direct properly cautioned teaching staff members who are repeatedly tardy not to report at all on those days when they cannot report on time and to suffer such wage penalties as may be appropriate. For policy 3223, evaluation of administrators excluding principals, vice principals, and assistant principals, the missing definitions of administrators were
048added based on the Strauss Esme model policy. And for policy and regulation 3232, tutoring service, it is recommended that we adopt this policy. Some minor changes were made to the regulation. Questions were asked regarding tutoring trends in our district, and Dr. Hart will follow up. Policy 2535, library materials. At the request of a committee member, this policy was added to the agenda to address recent feedback from staff and the public in light of the formal complaint filed against the board. The committee maintained a focused discussion on the received comments. Dr. Hart outlined the procedural framework and that's next steps addressing how this complaint will be handled. Our fourth item was policy tracking document in a sharp 3000 series review. This was tabled until next meeting due to time constraints. The agenda items are revisions to
049the 3000 series 3143, 3151, 3223 and 3232. Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 29th at 3:30 p.m. Okay. Thank you very much, Ellen. Any comments or discussion? Okay. So, vote. Mrs. Gasly? Yes. Mrs. [clears throat] Geary? Yes. Mr. Lopes? >> Yes. Mrs. Mentzer? Yes. Mr. Pieroth? Yes. Mrs. Rad? Yes. Mrs. Ryan? Yes. Mr. DePinto? Yes. Mr. Rizzo? Yes. Pass. Okay. The next item on the agenda is unfinished business. Anyone like to raise any unfinished business? Okay. Next item is new business from the board. Um anyone want to raise any item? Okay. All right. Now, we're going to move to our second um public session forum. This could be for any items on or off the agenda. Similar to last time, you'll have 3 minutes to speak. If you would like to, please come
050up to the podium, state your name and town that you're from, write it down on the piece of paper, and make your comments. My name is [clears throat] Kathy Chard. I have lived in Readington for 13 years. Just a reminder, I come from Holland. A communist love to dumb down their citizens through censorship. So, I'm here again regarding 2535. In the last two meetings, I asked some questions that I finally found answers to. Do we have a censorship office here like the communists did in my country? Yes. Do we screen educators like the communists did in my country? Yes. Here, we question our librarian's credentials for a job she is clearly qualified for. Whose ideology are we embracing here? Madam, and finally, where are we heading? Reductions? Softening of facts? Spreading misinformation? Perhaps. Since you
051think you that the committee members are more qualified than the librarian to vet books, I took a look at her your credentials online. And it seems I have more education than every one of you. Perhaps I'm more qualified than you do you are in this job, and maybe I should run for one of your positions. But let's dismantle some of the misinformation that is floating around online regarding policy 2535. >> [snorts] >> All library books, number one, all library books are vetted using software tools such as Smarter to ensure they are appropriate for each grade level. Number two, at the start of each school year, families are emailed a list of language arts books selected for each year's curriculum. Number three, when students take out books from classroom libraries, these selections are recorded in reading
052logs so that the parents stay informed. Number four, in addition, librarians help guide students' choices by limiting access to more advanced materials, which are shared with younger students only with parent permission. And number five, and as the book Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and it seems to be a hot topic on our websites, 11-year-old are not allowed to check out this book from our library. That is fake news. The librarian will not allow it. As for the one quote in the reference to a joke a character makes about oral sex, that hardly makes the book pornographic. That book does not have any sex scenes, nudity, per se. It does, however, have profanity, but that is common in young adult literature. We live in times where our kids are much more mature, evolved, and
053perceptive than any of us were when we were their age. The kids already have access to the greatest library in the world, the cell phone. You are seriously underestimating your kids' abilities to process complex material. The idea that profanity, not pornography, is going to irrecoverably damage your kids is something that you have made up in your heads. The age of Beaver Cleaver is over, and I suggest that our board members evolve with the times. Thank you. Okay. Anyone else like to come up? Hello. Hi everybody. My name is Marlena Orlandi, and I live at 116 Griff Hook Road. Um I've come tonight cuz I'd like to read some excerpts from a letter that was actually uh delivered, I believe, to the board from the New Jersey Association of School Librarians. So, let me do this
054for you now. Uh dear members of the Readington School Board, the New Jersey Association of School Librarians is very concerned about the policy changes that Readington adopted in February for the policy regulation 2535. The association believes that the changes are in violation of the newly enacted Freedom to Read Act. We ask that the Readington Board rescind the amendments to the policy and revert to the language recommended by Strauss Esme, a law firm that Readington engages to ensure that the district's policies are in compliance with the state laws. The Freedom to Read Act was written to protect the intellectual freedom of students. And in addition, the law recognizes the professionalism, honor, and work ethics of school library staff. And it also promotes library libraries as trusted sources of information. The plain language of the law makes
055it makes its intent clear. We encourage everyone to read it. In contrast, Redington's adopted policy changes deliberately policy changes deliberately deliberatively misconstrues the law. These changes allow the board's use of pre-purchase review committees to identify books that may contain inappropriate material. Additionally, language such as sensitive materials is intentionally vague, causing a chilling effect among well-meaning staff members. Based on staff comments at the March 10th board meeting, staff some staff were afraid to recommend books in their school and classroom libraries because of the definition of the term sensitive. So, in short, staff may find find it more prudent to recommend no books rather than risk offending the board. Note, the existing law does not allow one parent or one group of parents to determine what all children can read. Safeguards are already built into the policy
056for that. We We request that the board remove the language about sensitive materials and pre-purchase review committees from the policy and regulation 2035 and revert to the recommended policy language provided by Strauss Esme. Sincerely, Gabrielle Casserly, President, New Jersey Association of School Librarians. THANK YOU. >> [applause] >> OKAY. WOULD ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO COME UP TO SPEAK? HI. My name is Amy Coss. I am a resident of Stanton and a proud graduate of Readington School as well as my child. Um New Jersey's Freedom to Read Act is clear and complete. There was no need for you to add elusive language to Readington Township spots policy, specifically the words sensitive materials. These wiggle words allow you to override the professional judgement of the individuals you have hired to do their jobs here as educators. In addition,
057you have hired highly qualified and educated librarians who know how to make the correct decisions regarding age appropriate reading material. When I was here at Readington, I was bullied unmercifully in sixth grade and I can tell you that the library was my refuge and the librarian was my friend helping me to find the way out of that morass and the courage to stand up for myself. I would hate to think that she would be hampered by trying to figure out what sensitive materials are, those very elusive wiggle weak words. I would urge you to repeal your overreaching policy 2535. THANK YOU. >> [applause] >> OKAY. WOULD ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO MAKE COMMENTS? YEAH. Tom Kriby is way down there. So, uh I guess the problem with the policy maybe is this should have been more
058specific. And maybe it should have said something to the effect of profane language or uh graphic uh description of sex or rape. Uh because it's my understanding there's another book in the library which is called The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I've read both books. I've read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. I've also read The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Now, if there's anyone who can tell me and you should read the book and then be able to tell me that somehow that has redeeming educational value for 11, 12, 13 and possibly 14-year-olds. I don't think anyone is saying to anyone with this policy what a parent can choose their kids to read. All we're saying is that there should be some type of standard for library books that apparently if it is
059true that that other book is in the library that needs to be met because the supposed professional skills of the librarian has failed us if that book truly is in a middle school library. So, again, I'm sure that many people are speaking from the heart here. But I I just don't see the overwhelming need to have books which basically uh I don't see the value in those books. I just don't see it. And parents are certainly welcome. I mean, I've read both of those books on the internet library. Fully available to any parent who wants to go on there and get it for their child. They can buy the book. They can go to the public library. Why it has to be in the middle school library, I just I don't understand that. And people
060have said there's some agenda. Well, putting a book like that in the middle school library to me is an agenda. So, again, maybe that maybe that policy needs to be amended and be more specific in what it's trying to accomplish. And I think it's trying to accomplish some standard. Education is all about standards. We all rave when the educational system is beating standards or meeting standards. But why would we have a standard for the material in the library? And and when you find such such an objectionable book, and I'm not even talking about Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. I mean, yes, there's some language in there. But this other book is patently offensive, the material in there. And I don't see how a a you know, a middle school >> [snorts] >> a
061student [clears throat] aspires to anything in in reading that material. So, again, I I thank the board for their efforts, but maybe that needs to be refined. >> [cough] >> So, I just want to say again, Catherine DeLuca. Is that a workable? Yes. I have my phone just for a visual camera. Um Catherine DeLuca, Readington, District 6. Um I wanted to come up and um speak to uh regulation [singing] 2535 again, unfortunately. >> [snorts] >> Um I was thinking and censorship is a really old issue, right? It's gone through a lot of names, whether you want to put it in the context of anti-vice or obscene materials or uh even I'm probably going to mispronounce this because I was a library kid who saw words in front of me more than I heard them. Um
062perient interest. Um but one of the reasons that has always stuck with me is that throughout time these arguments have always brought into question like what vulnerable or innocent people would think of them, right? So, ostensibly it was always to protect innocence exposure to the things that people shouldn't be exposed to, namely children. Um and I think that in that sort of framework, it's very reasonable to make the argument that you are protecting children. Um that's the argument that has quite frequently been made. Um but that is not what this is about and I'm going to just pull from the Freedom to Read Act. I don't like reading, I prefer talking. Just to define censorship in accordance to what the act says. And verbatim, censorship means to block, suppress or remove library material based on
063disagreement with a viewpoint, idea or concept or solely because an individual finds certain content offensive, but does not include limiting or restricting access to any library material de deemed developmentally inappropriate for certain students. Now, we've already heard some examples of things that can be found personally offensive to certain people. There's also a saying that no two people ever read the same book. It's all dependent on your experience. So, what one person might not pull anything from might be a lifeline for somebody else. And educators, librarians have the tools and the resource materials to curate their collections to make sure that it is not pornography that's being directed to kids. Now, I said pornography because that word has also been floating around a lot and it's really dismaying to hear that nobody is coming to correct
064this popular misconception. Nobody is peddling pornography to children. Nobody's goal is to do that. Um and hearing about the safeguards that are already in place, I'm wondering why those things aren't being highlighted more. Because I think that there are really excellent efforts to loop parents in. Um to give parents the opportunity to just to talk with their kids. The the district itself has policies about pregnant students, about suicide. So, those things are already happening. Like, you know, you don't have them just for nothing. Ooh, my camera was on point today. Um So, with that being said, um I'm at my 3 minutes, but I just wanted to speak out and explain why this is so unsettling and so disturbing to so many people. Thank you. >> [applause] [clears throat] >> Good evening. Lauren Mahoney, uh
065teacher in Readington for over 20 years. Um I just want to add some historical context to this discussion that is continuing. Um because there is a conflation in public discourse that the opposition or unease with the new language for 2535 is in particular support of books that continue to be brought up as offensive by some people. And those are very distinct things. The books that keep being brought up are already in the library. And the rest of uh regulation goes through a specific policy for challenging a book. And you can look up that policy and you can look to see the exact steps that you can take to challenge one of the books that are in the library if you have a vested interest. If you have a child in the school, if you are
066an educator in the school, um and other things that are outlined in that policy. So, the new language is really redundant and unnecessary because it makes that language vague. And it seeks to come in and to head it off at the pass when our librarians already have the tools and are using the tools to find developmentally appropriate reading materials. Developmentally appropriate is decided between physician, psychologist, child educational specialist to cover a band of ages. Not every 11-year-old is going to be ready for the same thing. 11 to 14 are in the middle school. That is a developmentally appropriate age. We go through puberty. These things happen. These are things that you are going to experience in life. And literature in that band is going to address those things that are lived experiences for students. It's
067not going to be for everyone. In the history of this policy and of the book challenge procedure, one book in the last 15 years has been formally challenged. And that was Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl. On March 14th, 2023, a motion was made in front of the board to take that books off the shelves, and it didn't pass. No additional provisions were made to limit that book, to have sign-outs, or to further encumber students from taking it, other than that it is a youth a young adult novel, which are clearly labeled in the Redington Middle School library and are only available to eighth-grade students unless parents specifically write in that their younger children should be able to have access to them with their permission. Part of the regulation language for the book proposal is
068also that you may challenge the book again after a year. If you do not like this book and you have a vested interest, you may go ahead and go through that process again, which includes reading the entire book. You have to read the book and not just take uh formal passages out, which have been circulating online as screenshots that are incendiary to the public who have not read the book. People do see value in it. The librarians' associations have seen value in it. The book has received awards. It has been made into movies. The movies received awards. Just because you don't see value in it does not mean there is no inherent value. It has value to the people that it is meant to reach. Other issues that have already been addressed are that parents
069every year get a list of their book club books that they can opt out of, and at any point in the year you can write in and say any book that you don't want your child to read in the school, in the classroom library, or in the library itself. That goes into the librarian, and every time your child picks out a book, it comes up as a note on the screen, parental requests for and whatever it is. Those things are already in place. These are things that are happening every single day in our schools to protect our children from things that they may not be ready for. What we can do as parents and as teachers and as a staff is communicate with each other productively, talk to your children so they come to you
070with things that they may not be comfortable with, and open a dialogue. And if you need to have a formal request, there is a process in place. This is why the staff feels uneasy. All of this is already in place and is not being highlighted. Thank you. I'M OVER MY TIME. >> [applause] >> ANYONE ELSE IN THE AUDIENCE? THANK YOU. >> [laughter] >> AND WE DO HAVE some comments online from @joykossian3430. I wanted to share some thoughts as a parent who's had children in our school district since 2013. I'm writing to express my support for the recently implemented policy 2535 that establishes a formal process for books available in school libraries and classrooms. I want to emphasize that my perspective isn't about questioning the judgment of our teachers or librarians. If our own children were
071to use sexually explicit language in the school setting, whether they said it, wrote it, or looked it up online, there would be clear and immediate consequences, right? Inconsistent So, it feels a little inconsistent when we consider similar content being readily available through school resources. And then we have one from @julielawseracina6939. If the current tools allow books like Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl to be available in the library, then I'd say the tool is broken. I am in favor of the protection being in case for in case for our children. And then she continued, "We entrust the schools with our children. Making overly sexual and profane content readily available breaks that trust. There is no educational goal that outweighs exposing them to adult content." And then from @delwet delhwang2257, "Books are not infectious simply by
072being in the same room with a student. The controls are already there. If you have a child in the school, you can use them rather than blocking books on vibes." That's all of them. Oh, nope, there's one more. Sorry. And then from @christinekopecky, "My name is Christine Kopecky, and I am a resident of Three Bridges. I encourage the board to reconsider their language of sensitive materials in regards to policy 2535." Any other comments from people in the audience? We do have two emails to read as well. >> [clears throat] >> Okay. So, um We did receive two emails that were asked to be read alive alive allowed. So, I want to read There's two more two more emails. From @koss again, "As a former student in this district, I believe it is inappropriate for students
073of that age to be exposed to this type of content within a school setting." And from again @christinekopecky, "I trust my children's teachers." Um the first email I'll be reading is from April Ambio. Distinguished board members, I am writing regarding Redington Board of Education Policy and Regulation 2535. I am deeply concerned that this policy moves our districts toward what is in effect a book ban at a time when research consistently shows that access to diverse literature supports student achievement, critical thinking, and social emotional development. In our township, we employ highly qualified master's-level librarians who are carefully selected through interviews with the superintendent and approved by this board. These professionals are trained in collection development, age-appropriate material selection, and student guidance. National education and library organizations consistently affirm that trained school librarians play a critical role
074in improving literacy outcomes and helping students navigate complex material responsibly. My own experience reflects this. My son, currently in seventh grade and reading above grade level, became interested in 1984. Although the book is available in the school library and part of the eighth-grade curriculum, the librarian thoughtfully consulted with the guidance counselor who contacted me to discuss whether it was appropriate at this time. Together, we chose Animal Farm instead. My son and I both read and discussed it, guided by discussed it, guided by the school's recommendation. This example illustrates a system that is already working effectively, one that combines professional expertise with parental involvement. Research shows that individualized guidance from educators is far more effective than broad restrictions when it comes to supporting [clears throat] student development. Additional layers of oversight, such as review committees, risk
075undermining that expertise without clear evidence of improved outcomes. Policies that restrict access to books also raise concerns about viewpoint discrimination. Studies in education and child development indicate that exposure to a range of perspective to a range of perspectives helps students build empathy, critical thinking skills, and the ability to engage in respectful dialogue. Limiting that exposure may hinder students' preparedness for college, careers, and civic life in a diverse and rapidly changing world. If the goal is to reduce children's exposure to inappropriate content, available data suggests that books are not the primary source of concern. Surveys consistently show that vast majority of adolescents encounter explicit or inappropriate material online, often unintentionally through smartphones and social media. A French child was recently exposed to explicit content on a bus via smartphone. In that situation, the school responded appropriately
076by notifying [snorts] parents, allowing families to address the issue directly. This type of response aligns with research showing that parental involvement and open communication are the most effective ways to mitigate harm from such exposure. Rather than restricting books, evidence supports increasing guided engagement with content. One practical way families and community members can contribute is by supporting reading clubs, student discussion groups, and school-based forums where literature can be explored in a structured and supervised environment. Research indicates that when students are given opportunities to discuss complex texts, they develop stronger comprehension skills, improved critical thinking, and greater media literacy. These approaches address concerns about content while preserving access to information. Additionally, broader community involvement through recreation programs, extracurricular activities, and partnerships with local organizations has been shown to reduce risky behaviors and improve student well-being. These proactive
077strategies are more effective than limiting access to books, which does not address the primary source of exposure to harmful material. As someone who has worked in multiple schools, some with libraries and some without, I can say firsthand that access to a well a well-resourced library and qualified staff strongly associate with higher student engagement and literacy development. Redington has invested in these resources, and they are working. There is limited evidence to suggest that book bans or restrictive review policies improve student safety or outcomes. However, there is substantial evidence that access to diverse reading materials combined with professional guidance and parental involvement benefits students academically and socially. I respectfully urge you to reconsider this policy and instead focus on evidence-based approaches that support students, empower educators, and engage families. Thank you, April MBO. Um, MSEED LDT-C, concerned
078parent and educator. >> [applause] >> Um, we have one more email. Um, this is from a Cornelia Barrett. Dear board members, please read this statement out loud at the board meeting. I am writing to express my opposition to policy and regulation 2535, which was adopted by this board and includes language allowing the board to censor sensitive materials. By adopting this policy, the board clearly doesn't trust school librarians to do the job they were trained to do. The best way to support parental choice is to continue the already existing opt-out program for reading materials. The opt-out program makes parents the final decision-makers in materials their children can read, not the school board or the government. I also strongly encourage the board to reconsider their 2535 policy and reach a consensus on a version of the policy
079which will satisfy all stakeholders, including parents who want to decide for themselves what materials their children have access to rather than a governmental agency. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Cornelia Barrett, Readington Township. >> [laughter] >> THANK YOU, HOLLY. OKAY, SO I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE WHO SPOKE TODAY PUBLICLY, ONLINE, who sent us emails. We received other emails as well, in addition to the ones that were read, some in favor of changes we made, and some that were similar to what was recently read. Um, just want to call out in our policy, we generally do not address public comments. So, if you hear us not address your comments, we encourage you, it's just through our policy we don't do that. The exception is similar to what happened in the first session where you
080asked a specific question like Mr. Curtis asked earlier where we can actually answer that. That's generally how we address public comments. So, if you hear us not addressing it, it's just because the way our policy is written. So, on that, I am going to make a motion to move to executive session. Um, I'll motion to adopt the following resolution. Resolved to adjourn to executive session in accordance with the Sunshine Law to discuss a legal matter for approximately 30 minutes, at which time the board expects to return to public session where action will not be taken. Matters discussed will be made public if and when circumstances requiring confidentiality no longer exist. However, it is not presently known when such circumstances will exist. I will move this. Can I get a second? Second. Okay. Um, Mr. Bowles?
081>> [clears throat] >> Ms. Cassidy? Yes. Ms. Fury? Yes. Mr. Bowles? Yes. Ms. Mencer? Yes. Mr. Sears? Yes. Ms. Ryan? Yes. Mr. Ryan? Yes. Ms. Endo? Yes. Mr. Wersatt? Yes. Thank you everyone for coming out tonight and have a good evening.