001Hello. Good evening. I'd like to call this meeting to order. In 1 second, I would like to call it to order. Roll call, please. Mr. Accomando. Present. Ms. Barrelli. Mr. DeBella. Present. Ms. Derichello. Present. Ms. Ainello. Present. Ms. Rodolph. Here. Ms. Torvik. Present. Mr. Traverso. Here. Ms. Adarelli. Here. 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 all. Adequate notice of this meeting has been sent to all board members, to all members of the Board of Education, and to the Bergen Record in accordance with provisions of the Open Public's Meeting Act, Chapter 231, 1975. At this time, please be advised that all cell phones and electronic
002devices are to be turned off. Student representative report, ladies. Hi, everyone. Starting with the high school, we've had an exciting few weeks with lots more ahead. Five of our amazing students traveled to Atlanta, Georgia for the DECA International Career Development Conference, and it was an unforgettable experience. Manbir Kaur, Suzana Bobienko, and Katie Hahn attended as part of the Ignite Academy, recognized for their strong leadership. Adriana Maze and Elena Tovar competed in the main event. They met so many new people, learned tons of valuable skills, and represented our school with pride. By the way, shout out to Ms. Sharp and Mr. Rubis for being there with us for creating an incredible experience with us. Our spring teams have been doing incredible, so be sure to come out and support them at upcoming games. Moving on, AP
003exams are happening this week and next. Good luck to everyone taking them. Stay focused and do your best. May 1st was decision day and it was a huge success. It was amazing celebrating our seniors and their next steps. Some upcoming schedule notes. May 5th and May 7th are delayed openings for grades 7, 9, 10, and 12. May 12th, 14th, and 19th are delayed openings for grades 10 through 12. Students with AP exams should still come in as scheduled. A big, big event coming up, prom. It's May 20th, so get ready for a masquerade ball at Nanina's in the Park. Parent partnership night and 9th grade orientation is happening on May 12th, a great opportunity to connect and welcome incoming students. Field day is June 5th and our award ceremonies for underclassmen are is May 27th
004and senior awards are June 10th. That's all for now. Let's finish the year strong. At middle school. The middle school conducted honors placement testing for math, science, and ELA, social studies during the week of April 20th. This process determines eligibility for 8th grade honors classes in the 2026-2027 school year. On April 30th, our 7th grade students enjoyed a trip to New York City for lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and a performance of the Broadway play The Outsiders. To complement their 7th grade English curriculum, students traveled to New York City on April 30th after enjoying Oh, it's the same thing. >> [laughter] >> Middle school is ready for the NJSLA. Our students have been working hard all year in writing, reading, math, and science and we are confident they will do a great job. Please
005arrive with a fully charged Chromebook and a positive attitude. Good luck, everyone. Lastly, at Washington School. April was a busy and exciting month at Washington School. One of our highlights was celebrating the week of young child inspired by NAEYC. It was a joyful and meaningful week focused on creativity, curiosity, and the energy our students bring every day. A big thank you to our amazing teachers, especially our music teacher Mr. Matt and our art teacher Ms. Wolfe for organizing such fun and engaging activities. We loved coming together as a school community to celebrate our youngest learners. We're also excited to share that our preschool lottery drawing took place last week. We were able to welcome 38 new students with about 20 remaining on the waitlist. It's incredible to see our program continue to grow. As we
006head into May and June, things are not slowing down. We have many events coming up, so please keep an eye on messages from teachers and the main office. Don't forget, we also post reminders on Instagram for quick updates. This week we're celebrating our incredible staff during Teacher Appreciation Week, along with School Nurse Appreciation Day on Wednesday. Congratulations to Mrs. Jennifer Cannon on being named our Teacher of the Year. Thank you, Susie. Now I will share the updates for our elementary schools beginning with Franklin. It has been a busy and exciting month for Franklin School. Throughout the month of April, they celebrated Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month with discussions centered around kindness, inclusion, and celebrating the many different ways people think, learn, and experience the world. They also celebrated Earth Day with a school-wide presentation from
007the Environmental Club. Third graders performed at the recorder concert at the middle school high school after weeks of preparation and did a fantastic job. Thank you to our music teacher Mr. Harder for preparing our students and for all he does. Fifth graders enjoyed a trip to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum to inspire their own Wax Museum event that took place at the end of April. Also, NJASLA testing is underway for grades 3 through 6. Franklin School is celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week and gives a big thank you to all their staff as well as the families and PTO of Franklin School. Now, over at Long School. Long School is proud to share several highlights. This past Saturday, our selected choir students represented the school at the MEBCI Festival in Fair Lawn. Our talented vocalists joined a group
008of 180 students from throughout Bergen County showcasing their dedication to the performing arts. Students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades are currently planning a wellness fair featuring various stations that promote self-care. The fair's primary goal is to foster a culture of well-being by focusing on the health of the mind, body, and heart. Fifth graders hosted the annual wax museum on Friday. They've been hard at work researching influential historical figures and transformed into these individuals to share their expertise with visitors. Long School would like to extend their gratitude to the Long School PTO and the LMS families for organizing Teacher Appreciation Week and making our staff feel truly valued. And now for Smith School. The home stretch of the school year is quickly approaching and many celebratory milestones are coming. Smith School is currently navigating its
009first adaptive state testing cycle. This week is reading, next week is math, and then writing concludes just before Memorial Day weekend. The third grade recorder concert was a success. Joining forces with Long and Franklin Schools, our newest musicians put on an impressive show. Also, many Smith students will be participating in the Multicultural Fair happening next week. Students are currently in the final stages of preparation. We encourage all families to attend parent partnerships and explore the diverse backgrounds that make up our community. Finally, kindergarteners have been traveling the world weekly. Their immersive study of different cultures will culminate in a special event this June. That is it for the elementary schools, but there is one final thing that we would like to share. Saddlebrook High School wants to recognize the month of May as Mental Health
010Awareness Month, something which was established in the United States in 1949. Globally, about one in seven people currently live with a mental disorder, and over half of the world's population will develop a mental health disorder at some point in their life. Emotional struggles are not something that needs to be hidden, and recognizing this month will aid in ending the stigma around mental health. That's everything for this month. Thank you. Good job, girls. Thank you, girls. Good job. Good job. Uh Superintendent report? Yes. Hi. All right. I want to remind everybody that we are having delayed openings for testing at the middle school high school only Tuesday and Thursday. So, today was our first one. Tomorrow's going to be our second delayed opening, and then next Tuesday and Thursday, and the last one's going to be
011the following Tuesday, which I believe is May 19th. I also wanted to acknowledge Teacher Appreciation Week, along with all the other appreciation days as well. We had School Nurse Appreciation Day today. We had School Bus Driver Appreciation Day. There was School Principal Appreciation Day, Admin Professionals Appreciation Day. And I just want to thank all the staff for supporting one another in these different roles, because when you walk through the schools, you see all the displays and all the cards were given. And then also thank you to our PTO for supporting our teachers especially, because I know that and really everyone benefits from it, where they fill up our faculty rooms, our staff lounges with all types types of treats. I just want to extend a thank you to them, and also the principals, thank you
012for supporting their teachers, because they are doing activities in their buildings as well. And all of that's appreciated. Our final parent partnership night is going to be next Tuesday, May 12th. It is is to be the mandatory ninth grade parent meeting, so all incoming ninth grade all incoming parents of ninth graders are required to attend. The ninth grade students are invited as well. They are changing the format this year where instead of coming in the auditorium and sitting here for the session, they are going to be assigned either media center, the gym, or the auditorium and there's going to be different admin people and staff in each and each room explaining different parts of the high school experience to them. So this will allow our new families to get a tour of the building while
013learning about what our high school has to offer. We also are going to have Saluna, which is a mental health um company. They're actually an app. It's free and they are coming to do a presentation on everything that they offer to students and families. And our multicultural night, we are doing it again this year. This year instead of doing the passport where you visit and they get stamped, all of our students are encouraged to attend. You'll have be able to taste lots of good food, learn about different cultures, and then there is going to be scavenger hunt to complete and prizes will be given. So they do have all that that they are planning. Also, parent partnership, we have a meeting for our incoming seventh grade parents to welcome them to the middle school. Our
014Board of Ed Trustees will be there for a meet and greet. Community Partnership will be present. The Saddle Brook Library wants to share all their offerings that they have for our families. There'll be refreshments and Alphabet is once again offering free child's care to anybody who wishes to attend and have their school age child being cared for while they attend the meeting. I wanted to remind the community that all schools are closed Friday, May 22nd. That's our give back day. Also, as mentioned at Washington School's digital sign is going to be installed probably within the next few weeks. Same for our Board of Ed offices right on Saddle River Road, so we're getting two new digital signs in the district. Our Teacher of the Year luncheon is coming up in 2 weeks. We'll be inviting
015our awardees to our June meeting along with our retirees. I forgot if I shared who they are, so I'm going to share them right now. Washington School is Jen Cannon, Franklin School Joe Stapleton, Smith School Jamie Cavallo, Long School Joe Munez, and Middle School High School James Garvey. So, congratulations to all of those teachers for winning their Teacher of the Year. For the academic awards at the high school, we are having some changes as I shared previously. So, we are going to do one night for senior scholarship and awards, academic awards. So, that way we want to be cognizant of their time because it's such a busy time for our senior students and their families that we wanted to make it convenient. We'll have it here at the Middle School High School, and also um
016not have them come out two nights when they could just come out for one night. So, we are going to do the senior scholarship and awards one night. We're going to do it here in the auditorium. The plan is to have this make it really student-centered, celebrate their achievements, have them up on the stage, have the scholarship donors um in the front, and have it really organized. So, we're working through all the logistics of that, but that is the plan, and then refreshments in the cafeteria. And then for grades 9 through 11, we're going to have a separate night here in the auditorium for them. It'll be a little bit more low-key. Our visitor management systems are in each building now, so all visitors must show a state-issued ID upon in order to enter the
017building. So, please make sure you have your license on you. I can't tell you how many people have driven here, don't have their license, and then they have to go home to get it. So, please make sure you remember to have your license on you when you are driving, and then you do have to show it and it scans, it does a background check in our guest visitor system visitor management system. And then it also keeps record of who enters and exits our building, so it's a really neat gadget. Then we have Oh, we tested it out today at Washington School. They had their Muffins with Mom event. It was absolutely adorable. I'm not sure who planned it. I think it was a collaboration of staff and parents, but it was a wonderful event, very
018well attended, and they had a QR code that they sent out from the guest management system where every parent that attended were able to scan their ID in the system so that way they were approved and they just had to check their IDs they entered the door. So we assess success there. It was mentioned our third grade recorder concert. I attended with the K to 6 principals. I really do feel it was one of the best ones we've had. It was absolutely amazing. Want to thank our music teachers. Our spring concerts are beginning so I want to remind everybody to look at our district website for those dates. I believe our first one is tomorrow night here. So want to make sure we promote our music program. They're doing an excellent job. I was actually
019looking to see because there was some congratulations to some students. They I can't get their names right now so I wasn't I'm sorry, my apologies. Um But they also so there's students that made the state court the chorus but then there's also students that when they went on their trip to to Williamsburg, Virginia the concert received an excellent rating placed first in their division. The concert choir received a superior rating and also placed first in their division. Gino Martinez received the outstanding vocal solo award at the festival. So our music program is really growing and doing a fabulous job. And then as our student reps mentioned our spring athletics are doing wonderful and we really do encourage everybody to come out and support our teams and really want to focus on all the good that's
020happening in the district. Thank you. Thank you very much. Our business administrative report, Mr. Crotty. Okay, just a couple things. The referendum I I can't believe that this past March was 3 years since the voters approved it and it's winding down waiting for a few more things to get done. The last thing we were working on were miscellaneous doors and windows throughout the district. So right now some doors are being replaced in all the buildings. So I want to see how the all that goes and gets finalized before you you know move on to the next thing but it should be pretty much done by this by this summer and everything came out great. We had good contractors. I think the schools all the um projects that were done look look great. The budget is
021on the 26 27 budget is on tonight for approval. We had a public hearing on Monday. The board just had some finance and budget training in a in a meeting with New Jersey school board. So you know, it's all coming together. So this budget will be approved and it's effective July 1. But soon after the purchase orders go out and we get supplies in, we have to start working on 27 28 because as you just if you heard the presentation from Monday, it's you know, we made it through another year, but it's not you know, looking with good with the health benefit costs. We're trying to you know, retain student programs and and and staffing. That's our main main goal, but the cost everything is is way more than 2%. So the state needs to
022get together and do things and we have a resolution on the season's agenda for those health benefit costs to urge the legislators to do something. And I can close my report. Thank you, Mr. Crotty. At this time I'd like to open the meeting for public comment for agenda items only. Motion. Second. Thank you. All in favor? I. At this time I'd like to close the meeting. Motion. >> Second. No one wants to. No one's here. All in favor? I. Thank you. Board action items. B2526.39 through B2526.42, I believe. Let me check. Yep. Second. Motion. Wait, I have Motion. >> A question. Second. So um Mr. Crotty, can you go over exact I can't open the resolution. It's not coming up for some reason in my computer. >> What is this resolution and what is the
023um what are we hoping for? Can you just explain a little bit more? The resolution states to the legislators about the how the health benefit costs are impacting the budgets and we can't live within a 2% cap and be able to sustain or you know, budget increases with with salaries and all the other supplies and textbooks and everything else we have to do that comes in the 2% cap. I mean, it's even building maintenance, it's everything. So, they need to find something [snorts] else other than I don't know what that would be. Either something's going to be done with the health plan. Something's got to be done with just throwing it to the local taxpayers to pay the increases. It's just a problem. So, this just gets New Jersey school boards put this out to
024get support from all the surrounding all the districts and to send it to them to get them talking to do something. Okay. So, now the chapter I believe it's chapter 44, it's going to be expiring soon. Correct? Yeah, I forgot the I forgot the year, but it is soon. >> next year or so, two years. Okay, so hopefully this will get them motivated to >> Do something. >> assist us in some way. Okay. >> Right. Perfect. Thank you. Anybody else have any questions? Okay. Roll call. Uh Mr. Traversa. Yes. Zarrelli. Yes. Mr. Racomondo. Yes. Mr. DiBello. Yes. Mr. Richello. Yes. Ms. Ainello. Yes all, but I am going to abstain from Hold on. Wrong page. Uh from B.2526.31 uh the number one April 1st meeting. I was not here. >> 39. I think it's a
02531. Okay. 39 number one? 39, yes. Number one. Okay. Ms. Torbeck? Um yes, but on B2526.39 and abstain from one and four. I was not at those meetings. And Ms. Roloff? Yes. Uh education and curriculum. At the recommendation of the superintendent, I make a motion to approve the following items: E2526.61 through E5 E2526.67. Discussion? Second. I'll second. Second. Discussion? Roll call. Ms. Traverso? Yes. Ms. Addarelli? Yes. Mr. Accomando? Yes. Mr. DeBello? Yes. Mr. Richello? Yes. Ms. Ainello? Yes. Ms. Torbeck? Yes. Ms. Roloff? Yes. Budget and finance, Mr. Accomando? Yes. At the recommendation of the superintendent, I make a motion to approve the following items: BF2526.91 to be to uh BF2526.122. Discussion? I'll second. Second. Any discussion? Roll call. Ms. Traverso? Yes. Ms. Addarelli? Yes. Mr. Accomando? Uh yes to all, but in BF2526.91, check no
026check number 68630. Mr. DeBello? Yes. Mr. Richello? Yes. Ms. Ainello? Yes to all, but in beef uh F2526.91, I'm going to abstain from check number 2794, 2437, and then 68620. Okay, Ms. Torbeck. Yes. Ms. Rodolfo. Yes. Facilities and operations, Ms. Torbeck. At the recommendation of the superintendent, I make a motion to approve the following items: F2526.12 and F2526.13. Can I get a second? Second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Mr. Verso. Yes. Ms. Adorelli. Yes. Mr. Racamato. Yes. Mr. Debello. Yes. Mr. Richello. Yes. Ms. Ainello. Yes. Ms. Torbeck. Yes. Ms. Rodolfo. Yes. Policy. There is none. Nope. Negotiations. Negotiations. Nothing at this time. Personnel. At the recommendation of the superintendent, I make the motion to approve the following items: P2526.67 to P2526.81. Can I get a second? Second. Any discussion? Roll call. Uh Mr. Verso. Yes.
027Ms. Adorelli. Yes. Mr. Racamato. Yes. Mr. Debello. Yes. Mr. Richello. Yes. Ms. Ainello. Yes to all, but in P2526.70, I am going to abstain from item number 10. All right. And then, in P2526.74, I'm going to abstain from item number eight. Okay, Ms. Torbic? Yes. Ms. Rolfe? Yes. We'll move on to committee reports. Mr. Alcomondo, budget and finance? Uh we didn't have to think. Okay. Ms. Torbic? None. Sylvia? No. Mari? Nope. No report. >> Any liaison reports? Mr. Alcomondo? Uh nope. Sylvia? I have one from Franklin. Well, we can we're on education. Okay, no other than have a good summer. Um special ed, Kelly? No, nothing. And nothing from the township? PTO liaison, Franklin School? Sylvia? Let me just get it. Um Franklin's PTO has been very busy the last few months. As the school
028year's coming to an end, they've been helping support field day by purchasing t-shirts for the students and staff, as well as organizing water and snack donations. Pizza will also be provided. This week, they spoiled the staff with various treats throughout the week, including a catered lunch. They also recently funded the fifth and second grade field trips, and their annual scholastic spring book fair is scheduled for May 19th and 20th. Thank you, Sylvia. Helen Iches School? Okay, so this week was teacher appreciation week. Uh they got donations from the Parkway Diner and Starbucks, which is nice for field day. Today, they had 80 sandwiches delivered from Chick-fil-A, which sounds good to me. Uh they're also looking for donations for field day. Looking for water and things of that nature. And their next uh PTO meeting is
029May 12th. Thank you. Long? No, nothing for tonight. Thank you. Middle school? So, they um they are celebrating our teachers and staff with love and appreciation, and they asked um that everyone take a second to think uh to thank our wonderful teachers. Thank you. Washington school? Nothing at this time. Thank you. Any old business? New business? Memorial Day parade? Second. Just Just to um let us know if you'll be uh walking or riding in the parade. I think I got a couple of yeses so far, but >> a head count? So, we can give you a number. There's There was a calendar invite. If you could respond that or or again, send an email to let me know what to uh Purchase. >> what to do. Yeah. >> Andy. I'd like to open the meeting
030for the public comment. Uh new business, right? Oh, yeah, that was Memorial. Yes, new business. >> Yes, Michael. Uh I just want to wish all you ladies up here a happy Mother's Day. Thank you. Thank you, Michael. Enjoy. And ladies out there. And uh to the teacher appreciation, thank you all the teachers. We know what hard work it goes into being a teacher. I wouldn't want the job. And uh happy Mother's Day to all the moms. I'd like to open the meeting for a public comment. Motion. >> Motion. Second. Perfect. See? Now, I'd like to close the meeting. All in favor? Second. >> Okay. All in favor? I. Perfect. Whereas, the Board of Education must discuss Oh, never mind. We're not going into closed, right? Nope. I'd like to make a motion to close the
031meeting. Second. All in favor? I. Thank you. That concludes our wonderful meeting. >> Happy >> Mother's Day.