001I'd like to call the meeting to order. Open public meeting act statement. Can you hear me? No. I'll I'll say open public meeting act statement. In accordance with the provisions of the open public meetings act, the board secretary has ordered notice of this meeting for advertising by having the date, time, and place there. Administration building salute andice for all Mr. Bartletta. Mr. Bolamino present. Missetta present. Mr. Barry Mr. Dere Miss Howard Mr. Lewis Mr. Executive session regular meeting minutes. I'd like to make in a motion to approve the reorganization meeting minutes of January 3rd, 2025 and meeting minutes of January 16, 2025. Second discussion. Call the role. Mr. Bartletta, yes. Mr. Bolanino. Yes. Miss Diodetta. Yes. Mr. Barry. Yes. Mr. Deombre. Yes. Miss Geller. Yes. Miss Howard? Yes. To January 3rd. And I need to
002abstain from the January 16th. Mr. Lewis. Yes. Mr. Lions. Yes. Showcase Governor's Educator of the Year recognition. Good evening. You can't hear on the mic, right? All right. Good evening. I'll use my principal voice. Oh, good evening. I'm Rob Valente, principal of Yubra Street School. I'm so happy that I get to start this. It is an absolute joy and a pleasure to be standing here today to celebrate someone who truly embodies the heart and soul of the building that we're in right now, Huber Street School. Our 2025 teacher of the year, Mrs. Mary Kate Benetti. Now, if you know Mary Kate, you know that she's a force of nature, full of energy, full of love, full of fun, and always full of ideas that make her classroom a place where magic happens every single day.
003Mary Kate works with our incred our incredible special education students and she does so with a level of care, patience, and creativity that is nothing short of inspiring. Her classroom, and this is important to me, her classroom is a space where every student feels seen, heard, and deeply valued. Mary Kate brings fun to learning in a way that touches the hearts of her students and brings out their very best. But what makes Mary Kate truly exceptional isn't just the joy and innovation she brings to the uh to teaching. It's her heart. She cares so deeply for her students, for their families, for her colleagues, and for Huber Street School and the community. And as devoted as she is to her students, there is nothing that that Mary Kate is more dedicated to than her beautiful
004family. Her husband Nick, who is her partner in all things from soccer to wrestling and running back and forth from here to Fairlon, and her three amazing kids, Blake, Braden, and Katie. If you've ever seen the way her face lights up whenever she talks about them, you know that her love for them is endless and that her strength as an educator is only matched by her strength as a mom. Though there are some people that will argue that she loves Carlos and Charlie more than anybody else. Those are her two dogs. I didn't mean to leave the B team out. She loves you guys as well. Nick, Braden, Blake, Katie, you share your mom with us each day and we thank you for that because she's not only shaping young minds, she's also touching hearts
005and all of us are better because of it. Mary Kate, you're a gift to this school. Because of you, Huber Street is not just a place to learn, but a place to belong. Your kindness, your infectious joy, and your unwavering love for your students make you truly deserving of this award. And while we see it every day, tonight we are happy to make it official and to let everybody know. I am happy to announce the 2025 Huber Street School New Jersey Governor's Educator of the Year, Miss Mary Kate Benetti. [Applause] There you go. One, two, three. [Applause] Good evening. I am Dr. Danielle Garzone, principal of Caucus Middle School. It is my absolute pleasure to stand before you today to recognize one of the brightest lights in our school community. The 2024 2025 Caucus Middle
006School Educator of the Year. Mrs. Maloney is the perfect example of dedication and excellence in education. With over 30 years of experience, she has not only been a cornerstone of our school, but has also positively shaped the lives of countless students, colleagues, and families. I've had the privilege of working alongside Miss Maloney at Clarin School and now here at the middle school. Over the years, I've witnessed her unwavering commitment to their students, her creative and engaging teaching methods, and her deep understanding of how to reach every child in the classroom. Mrs. Maloney brings learning to life, instills confidence in her students, and fosters an environment where every learner feels valued. What truly sets her apart is her ability to connect. Whether it's a shy first grader or a curious middle schooler, she has a way
007of making each child feel seen, heard, and capable of achieving greatness. Mrs. Maloney's contributions go far beyond the classroom. She is a mentor to her colleagues, a trusted partner to parents, and a leader within our school community. Her dedication, compassion, and expertise remind us all of why we chose this noble profession. It is with great pride that I announce our 2024 2025 Caucus Middle School Educator of the Year, Mrs. Felicia Maloney. Congratulations. [Applause] Good evening everyone. Welcome. Name is Stevia Janney, principal of Caucus High School. I'm honored to recognize Miss Sharon Kim as a Caucus High School teacher of the year. Miss Kim is completing her 10th year at Caucus High School. As a dedicated and inspiring educator, Miss Kim exemplifies the qualities of a truly exceptional teacher, making a lasting impact on her students
008and our community. Miss Kim has assisted in providing opportunities for academic growth by expanding the advanced placement program to include more freshmen in AP human geography courses by more than doubling enrollment this school year. This initiative not only provides younger students with an advanced curriculum, but also fosters confidence by preparing students with college level material beyond the classroom. There's a lot of this. Miss Kim devotes much time and energy as the student government organization. That's the SGO adviser. Under her leadership, her school's pep rallies, homecoming events, spirit week, and field day are valuable celebrations of school community and pride. She skillfully balances logistics, creativity, and student input, ensuring every event is memorable and inclusive. Her ability to empower students while coordinating large-scale events is a testament to our organizational skills and passion for fostering school
009spirit. Additionally, Miss Kim serves as the yearbook adviser, guiding students through the process of capturing and preserving the essence of each school year. Her attention to detail and commitment to producing a highquality yearbook ensures that each edition becomes a cherished keepsake for both students and staff members. Miss Kim is not just a teacher. She is a mentor, a leader, and a source of inspiration for students and colleagues. Her dedication to enriching the educational experience and building a stronger school community makes her truly worthy of this recognition. Congratulations, Miss Kim. So each year each each year we ask the recipients to give us one of their favorite quotes. And Miss Kim's favorite performers, Taylor Swift. Her quote is, "No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Be good to people is a wonderful legacy
010to leave. [Applause] It's okay. It's okay. [Applause] In addition to teacher of the year, Caucus uh high school also has the services professional of the year, which is exactly like being teacher of the year, but for guidance counselors. I'm honored to recognize Miss K, Mrs. Kate Suzano uh Caucus as a Caucus High School educational service professional. Uh now in her 19th year at at our high school, Mrs. Sano has made a lasting impact on both our school um in as as being a school counselor and our internship coordinator. She is deeply committed to putting students first and her support extends far beyond academics, addressing students emotional, social, and career development needs. Whether helping a student through a challenge, a personal challenge, advocating on their behalf, or connecting them with vital resources, Mrs. Aano ensures every
011student feels supported and valued. Her genuine care and proactive approach have built a strong culture of trust, encouraging students to seek her guidance with confidence. Mrs. Suzano's dedication is especially evident in her leadership of the annual senior scholarship night. Each year she devotes countless hours to build relationships with local businesses, alumni, and philanthropic organizations to s sec secure scholarship opportunities. And thanks to her effort, this event generates over 80,000 in local scholarships each June. Senior scholarship night has become a cherished tradition celebrating both student accomplishments and the generosity of our community. Beyond scholarships, Mrs. Suzano has developed programs and initiatives that connect students with real world handson learning experience experiences tied to potential careers. Her counseling helps ensure that every student is prepared for life after graduation. By consistently prioritizing students needs, Mrs. Aano has
012improved individual outcomes and fostered a schoolwide culture of empowerment and achievement. Congratulations, Mrs. We asked Mrs. Hisano for a quote and she chose a quote by Steve Jobs. It says that your work is going to fill you is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work and that's what she does every day. Congratulations [Applause] They tell me this will work on the tape, so I'm going to talk into it. Over the years as a writer and as a teacher of writing, I've learned that some tasks are incredibly humbling and almost impossible to begin. And once you finish, you feel you couldn't possibly have done it justice. Writing this for Lisa Smith Bonan, Clarin School's teacher of the
013year, has been one of them. I knew from the start that no technique, no turn of phrase, no matter how carefully chosen, could ever fully capture who she was or what she meant to this school in our district. And if I'm being honest, there were moments in writing this that I almost felt I didn't have the right to be the one to speak about her. So, I hope that tonight I can offer you what I've witnessed since joining Claridan. I hope that I can offer even a glimpse into how deeply we love her, how much we miss her, and how profoundly she touched all our lives. I know I speak for everyone fortunate enough to have known Lisa when I say to know her was to feel lucky. To be in her orbit felt important,
014special, meaningful. She was so funny, like the smart kind of funny that not everyone can pull off. At least not like she could. She embodied wit and courage, grace, resilience, selflessness, strength. And if you ever got to see even a picture of her on a horse, let alone her actually riding one, there was actually something about her and the look in her eyes that I can only describe as powerful and fierce. When I interact with people, I've come to look for and trust the type of frequency I feel when I'm around them. Some people bring calm, some bring clarity, and some simply make you feel seen. That was Lisa. Every single interaction I had with her left me feeling better, warmer, more whole. I only wish I'd had more of them. When my own words
015fall short, I turn to real poets. In Mary Oliver's poem, The Summer Day, she asks, "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" In the brief time I was able to know her, I think that Lisa didn't just answer that question. She lived it. Whether by conscious choice or simply by being her true, beautiful self. Lisa devoted her one wild and precious life to enriching all the lives around her. You see it in the students she inspired. You see it in the life she built with Allan, in the love she poured into her amazing children, Savannah, Sienna, and Logan. I saw it myself in the way her mother, Monica's eyes, reflected such loving devotion and pride. I see it in the deep bond she formed with her
016colleagues, not simply friends, but family, even sisters. I see it every time I get to hear someone reminisce about her, and I feel it in my bones when a thought of her crosses my mind. And the intense admiration I have for her washes over me. Her life was wild, not in chaos, but in spirit, brave, vivid, full of purpose, and it was precious beyond measure to everyone who knew her. Thank [Applause] you. Thank you, Miss Thank you, Miss Candella. That was beautiful. Beautifully written. and congratulations to all the recipients. Student representative. Yeah. Um so to start off I want to talk about the art show. Uh on May 6 we had over 200 student artists displaying their talent. Um through various mediums of art ranging from ceramics to painting to graphics. They they really did
017it all. Um thank you to Miss Linder, Miss Cava, and Miss Gimenez who put together another wonderful exhibition. Uh, I've heard a lot of family and friends came and they enjoyed the night very much. Thank you to Miss Z, Miss Bosch Galupo, and the National Honor Society for putting together about 250 thank you cards to um, display in the atrium of the Caucus High School. Um, in the morning, all the staff was able to come and see all of the cards um, what's it called? Like put up, and it was really a beautiful sight to see. Congratulations to Mr. C. Fox's esports team, the Deliberators, for their uh victory in the Atlantic division of the EGF Smash Bros. Tournament. Congratulations to freshman swimmer Melanie Hang, who uh represent team USA in the Athletes Without Limus
018Vertuse World Championships. This will take place from August 20th to August 30th in Bangkok, Thailand. So, uh please join me in wishing our good luck there. National College Decision Day was on May 1st and seniors wore their college merch to school to celebrate. And I actually have a um extensive list of all the um universities that our students got uh accepted to. Start off uh Arizona State University, uh Baroo College, Berkeley College, Caldwell University, UC Berkeley, the University of Chicago, uh TCJ, Cooper Union, Cornell University, Duke University, Fairley Dickinson University, Felician University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida State University, Forom University, Georgia Institute of Technology, uh Hasher University, the University of Illinois, Indiana University, John J. College, Kain University, the University of Maryland, the University of Miami, University of Michigan, Montlair State University, Morgan State University,
019um New Jersey Institute of Technology, NYU, uh the University of North Carolina, Northeastern University, Northwestern University, Pace University, Pace University, Pennsylvania State University, Princeton University, Purdue University, Quinnipak University, Rampo College of New Jersey, University of Rhode Island, Ron Stone University, Ruckers University, St. Peters University, Sen Hall University, the University of Southern California, Stevens Institute of Technology, Stony Brook University, University of Tampa, University of uh Texas San Antonio, University of Virginia, and William Patterson University. Uh there are a lot more uh well, not a lot more, but there are a few more colleges that the guy stepped into, but this is a very, very long list. Oh, and I'd also like to congratulate Miss Kim for teacher of the year and Miss Susanna for educational service professional of the year. Uh, Miss Kim, she's my SGO
020adviser, and she's really uh, amazing to have. She makes everything very fun. Um, especially the pep rallies. We put them together very well thanks to her. Mrs. Ano, she's my guidance counselor. Really, I couldn't ask for anything better. Um, especially for the college stuff. She had everything on on time and she's she's really um, always there for uh, for me there. Thank you. Thank you, Paul. That list was very impressive. Uh, next, correspondence. Yes, tonight I do have correspondence. It's from on behalf of the Enrio Bol Bologanino family. They would um sent a thank you. Perhaps you sent a lovely card or sat quietly in a chair. Perhaps you sent a funeral spray. If so, we saw it there. Perhaps you spoke the kindest words as any friend could say. Perhaps you were not there
021at all. Just thought of us that day. Whatever you did to console our hearts, we thank you so much, whatever the part. The family of the late Jane Serella. Thank you. Acting superintendent report. Congratulations to everyone who won today. welld deserved. So Paul read off a very impressive list and I want to go back many years ago 1973 when Caucus decided it was going to have a high school and in 1973 the students were given the opportunity to stay in Caucus as they were getting ready to build the school and it was amazing because it There was only a high school of freshmen. Freshman only sports. 7374 7475. Now you had the sophomores and freshman playing JV and freshman sports. But the academics started right away and eventually the building opened and the first class
022of 1977. As you see those colleges from 1977 on, every single year it got better and better and better, but it started out really topnotch people. So, this place has always had it. It always will have it. You got a group of people that work here. Couple are retired. Mr. Clancy been here from when that started quite honestly. A couple of you guys were kids really. But here it is all these years later and yet again another impressive group. I think the teachers, administrators, the entire town, the parents, everybody. This has been going on for quite a long time. And I'm just very proud to say, Paul, you did a great job tonight telling everybody once again, we did it again. and I'm sure we will continue to do it. Congratulations to everyone. Thank you,
023Charlie. Business administrator, board secretary report. Oh, I'm sorry. Why do I I always do that? I should wear my glasses. Go ahead. Sorry. I skip that every time. discussion. Call the role. Mr. Bartletta, yes. Mr. Bolanino, yes. Miss Diodetta, yes. Mr. Barry, yes. Mr. Deombre, yes. Miss Geller, yes. Miss Howard, yes. Mr. Lewis, yes. Mr. Lions, yes. And now, business administrator board secretary report. I do have one item to add tonight. Under operations committee under finance, we will be adding resolution R4.08, approval to accept the donation of a baby grand piano estimated at $5,000 from the estate of Shane Long. This was donated by his parents, Anthony and Cheryl Long. Thank you. Thank you, Grace. Public forum agenda items. No. Yes. I don't. No. Okay. I'd like to make a motion to go into exact
024session. Can I Can I ask a question? And I know we have to go into close session, but we have parents here. It's a school night. Can we let them speak public speaking so that we don't hold them up because we be an extended public session and then after the public speaks then come back and do our No, we have to speak before we vote. Okay. Okay. Sorry. We'll be announcer they they have that was public forum but then later on they get the at the at the you know board member comments. So we need to put a role in the executive session and it's for purposes of personnel. Yes. Christina Sorry, it's for purposes of personnel and action will be taken and action will be taken. How long will we be in there? About
02515 minutes. So the executive session will be for about 15 minutes and action will be taken when we come out of executive session. Sorry for the delay. Moving into governance. Moving into governance. Okay. Yes. Okay. Good evening. Tonight we will also be adding two additional resolutions to the agenda under governance. We will be adding resolution R 1.23 motion to extend Mr. Devorhees appointment as acting superintendent for 90 days through September 30th, 2025 subject to approval of the interim county superintendent. And we will also be adding resolution R 1.24 24 requesting the BA to post position of the superintendent internally and externally forth with. Thank you. Okay. Thank you, Grace. governance personnel. Our district vehicles will have monitoring devices for full view while they are in service, which is an upgrade from our partial view that
026we have now. All contracts for 20 school year 2526 will be for teachers, TAs, secretaries, custodial staff, bus drivers, aids, and substitute teachers. We are approving the description for a director of nursing job and also our summer staff is on the agenda for approval. I'm going to go back. I make a motion to accept the recommendation of the acting superintendent to approve and adopt resolutions R1.01 to R1.24. And motion M1.01. Second. Okay, we're just going to hold up on that. I'm going to go back to the public forum regarding agenda items um in light of the new information that um Grace Yo just discussed. If there's anyone in the public that would like to speak on that, now is the opportunity to do that. Not for for just what do you want to speak on
027that? Okay. Good evening everyone. Anthony Grerary, Caucus resident. Um I'm pleased to hear that the board will be posting the position for a permanent superintendent forth with. Um I do have some questions regarding that. Where will this posting be advertised? Exactly. Um will the board be forming a search committee to guide the process? And if so, how will members of that committee be selected? Will the board retain the services of a search firm such as the New Jersey School Boards Association to assist with the process and ensure that our board selects the most qualified candidate? Will the board make finalist interviews open to the public to provide community members an opportunity to learn more about the candidates and offer feedback prior to hiring? If the answer to any of these questions is no, um I
028would hope that we could get an explanation as why. Thank you. Thank you. You want to speak, mayor? Good evening everybody. Good evening. So you just said you're going to post for a superintendent. You're going to post for superintendent inside and outside, right? Are you going to vote on that? Because we have a super assistant superintendent now is doing a hell of a job. I don't know why just I can't say give him a job, but he's doing a hell of a job. I have not had one complaint from anybody at all. No complaints at all. And we're getting somebody from the inside. That's what we need. We need We don't need an outsider. We had enough experience prior to this with the outsiders. We got somebody from the inside and that's what we need.
029I just hope you vote with your conscious and you vote for what this town really needs and it's we need Charlie. Thank you, Mayor. I think we also by way of email. Um, and at this time I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Fogerty who will explain to everybody the reason behind the process that we have to take. Good afternoon. One of the resolutions on the agenda for the board to consider tonight is to advertise the position of superintendent of schools. Uh that is because we now have a vacancy. Uh Mr. Borhees is currently serving as our acting superintendent of schools. As of April 21st thereabouts, we have a vacancy in the position. We are required to post that vacancy uh pursuant to our collective negotiations agreement obligations. So the recommendation is to post
030the position internally and externally. Externally would be on on our website. So initially the board is not going to engage a search firm for the purposes of recruiting a superintendent. They're going to go through the process themselves before determining whether that is necessary. I don't think are we allowed to allow them to know what we just found out about the process. Can can the public know what we just found out to ensure that they know exactly we know about what we must do? Can you explain that? Is that am I am I analy? No, of course not. So, so in terms of this process and and and at times it seems very confusing, um, but the process right now is that Mr. Borhees has been approved uh for each 90day period as our acting superintendent.
031Um, and that is because he doesn't currently hold a standard certificate as a superintendent. So, because of that, the approval has to come from the executive county superintendent every 90 days. And that is the process that we are following and will continue to follow. Um, we're advertising for a permanent superintendent, a permanent position, uh, because we are required to do that now that we have a vacancy. The alternative was to pursue an interim superintendent appointment. But an interim superintendent appointment could only be filled by a retired administrator. It cannot be filled by it cannot it cannot be filled by anybody in the district because we now have a vacancy. So the process we must follow is one to assure continuity to make an appointment of Mr. Borhees for the next 90 days. Secondly, the board
032is going to advertise the position internally and externally on our website. We are not presently going to engage a search firm that may be determined at a later date determining upon what the outcome is of the of the internal and exter external posting. Uh so that's the process we have to follow. uh um the regulations pretty much handcuff us in terms of what we must do and uh that's the reason for the recommendations on the agenda this evening. Can I just say something just to make sure by contract we must post. Yes. That actually that posting requirement is pursuant to the contract with the caucus education. That's part of our contract with our employees that we must post. That's number one. Number two, if we were to post for an interim, not a permanent, it
033would only be someone that's retired superintendent. It would not be anyone else but a retired superendent. It could be Mr. That is correct. Thank you. Yes. So, we were in the middle of moving the Want me to state it again, Mr. Barry? Yes. Would you move that motion again, please? No. Don't you apologize. That's fine. Cutting you off. Uh, sorry. Okay. I'd like to make a motion to accept the recommendation of the acting superintendent to approve and adopt resolution R1.01 through R1.24 and motion M 1.01. Second. Discussion. Call the roll. Mr. Bartletta. Yes. I have to recuse myself from R 1.03 through R 1.07 and R 1.23 and R 1.24. Mr. Bolanino. Yes. Miss Diodetta. Yes. Mr. Barry. Yes. Mr. Deumbre. Yes. Miss Geller. Yes. Miss Howard. I have to recuse myself from R 1.03.
034R 1.06. 06, R 1.07, R1.23, and R1.24. Mr. Lewis. Yes, Mr. Lions. Yes, policy. Yes. Okay. Just letting the audience know that the vote passed to extend um Mr. contract till September of 2025 and to post for a superintendent position both internally and externally without you using a search firm. I just want to say that I need to be able to make a motion to accept checka policy Hopefully it's a very good policy and it's it looks like be very helpful for our district. Mr. Bartletta, yes. Mr. Bolanino, yes. Miss Dietta, yes. Mr. Barry, yes. Mr. Deombre, yes. Miss Geller, yes. Miss Howard, yes. Mr. Lewis, yes. Mr. Lions, yes. Education committee curriculum. Um, good evening all. The education committee had a monthly meeting on April 30th. Um, I would like to share with you
035the updates we received. So, as you know, well, testing season is here. It started the week of April 28th. Um according to the reports, testing is running smoothly in all of our schools. Um I also want to touch up uh the district has developed artificial intelligence policy and artificial intelligence plan. Both plan and policy provide our teachers with guidelines on all um AI related matters and the plan gives guidelines on how to utilize u artificial intelligence in the classrooms. Um as Mr. line said before, I mean, hats off to our um directors and the district um in um implementing this policy. We are ahead of the game compared to other districts in New Jersey. So, thank you so much for that. Um also, we have a lot going on. There are a lot of field
036trips planned. We have assem assemblies coming up. So, it's going to be exciting two months um um May and June as well. Moving to the voting part. Um I motion to accept the recommendations of acting superintendent to approve and adopt resolution R3.01 approval of the 202528 comprehensive equity plan. Resolution 3.02 approval of the district artificial intelligence plan. And resolution 3.03 approval of field trips. Second discussion. Call the roll. Mr. Bartletta, yes. Mr. Bolanino, yes. Miss Deetta, yes. Mr. Barry, yes. Mr. Deumbre, yes. Miss Geller, yes. Miss Howard, yes. Mr. Lewis, yes. Mr. Lions, yes. Operations Committee, Finance. So, I have nothing new to report for this month. We did have a meeting on April 30th which was to approve the budget and that's all we have. Um I make a motion to accept the recommendation
037of the business administrative board secretary to approve and adopt resolution R4.01 through R uh 4.07 as described below. Second discussion call the role. Mr. Bartletta yes Mr. Bolanino yes Miss Detta yes Mr. Barry yes Mr. Dembre. Yes. Miss Geller, yes. Miss Howard, yes. Mr. Lewis, yes. Mr. Lions, yes. Safety, security, buildings, and grounds. I make a motion to accept the recommendation of the business administrative board secretary to approve and adopt resolution R 5.01 and motion 5.01 as described below. Second. Discussion. Call the RO. Mr. Brata. Yes. Mr. Bolanino, yes. Miss Detta, yes. Mr. Barry, yes. Mr. Deombre, yes. Miss Geller, yes. Miss Howard, yes. Mr. Lewis, yes. Mr. Lions, yes. Ad hoc shared services. I believe we're still going back and forth to coordinate a date. Is that correct for the meeting? I I've asked
038the district through you if we can set up some dates sent to the mayor and the council. something. So, as soon as we get that done, we wanted to get it done in April, May. So, if we can work on that, that would be great. Okay. And if I could mention, part of what we're going to do in that is honor uh the teacher from Clarity by program. So, we take seriously the I actually ran into the mayor. I wanted to tell you, he just reminded me on Saturday. Um yeah, no and um he had said that they're already starting um on that. So they've started. Yeah. Thanks council. We appreciate the council has said whatever they can do to help us with this on their dime. They're going to help us so that that
039district gets the extra space. We appreciate it. Grace, we setting something up for shared services, right? Okay. Okay. So we'll get a date. Okay. Nothing for legislation. Athletics, what are we meeting? Kelly. Kelly, one thing on uh May May 21st, I am going to a seminar. Okay. Which gives educational ob education law updates. So if anything comes out of that, I'll bring it back for the next meeting. For the next meeting. Thank you, Melissa. Athletics is May May 19th. Okay. Technology. I know Enrio, we're still going back and forth, right? We didn't settle on a date, but we'll get there. Maybe next week. Um nothing for visions and we're not up for negotiations on anything. Uh public forum general This meeting is open to the public for the purpose of addressing any subject matter that
040is pertinent to and or directly related to the operation of Caucus Public School District. Residents wishing to speak on such items must sign the register provided for this purpose and are required to state their names, addresses, and subject matter. Comments are limited to three minutes per person. The board may or may not respond to issues raised by members of the public at the time they are raised, but will provide a response if and when appropriate. The board asks that members of the public be courteous and mindful of the rights of other individuals when speaking. Please note that the board will not respond to comments regarding students or board employees in light of the privacy rights held by those individuals. Moreover, the board discourages comments about such individuals and will not be responsible for such comments.
041Members of the public who choose to speak during this public session should carefully consider their comments since they can be personally liable for any statements they make. Finally, please note that in accordance with district policy number 11000, the board will not officially comment or respond to any matter mentioned unless it can confirm that the matter has first been brought to the attention of the appropriate school personnel in an attempt to resolve the issue. Your cooperation is appreciated, Mr. Grineer. Good evening again, Anthony Granary, Caucus resident. Um, I want to remark on the 2025 2026 budget approved on April 30th. There was no specific line item within the budget allocation for special education. I'd like to know why is that so? Uh, if funding for special education is included within one of the delineated line items,
042which one or ones is it? And when separated out, what is the total amount of funds that this district is budgeting for special education and related services? Regarding notice of the April 30th special meeting, when was the public notice of this meeting posted? The Special Education Parent Advisory Group or CPAG expressly asked about budget concerns in its letter sent to the board on April 17th. And yet, the board did not respond to these concerns or tell CPAG was having this special budget meeting only 13 days later. Likewise, the notice the board gave regarding the rescheduling of this meeting from May 8th until today was a posting that changed on the website a few hours before the meeting was scheduled to take place on May 8th. At the very least, when calling special meetings or when
043changing the date of a regular scheduled meeting, the board should provide notice by email to all those subscribed the Saucus Public School District listerve. The district sends out countless emails via this list serve and something as important as changes to and additions of schoolboard meetings should be included. Finally, at the end of last month's meeting, there was a statement by the board that there are CPAG members on the visions committee. As a member of CPAG myself, I verified that there are in fact no members of CPAG on the visions committee. This incorrect information and overall lack of transparency are but some reasons why this board needs a standalone special education committee to protect the interest of our children with special needs. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Craneer. I just want to clear up what your
044last statement about the visions committee. What was said was we elected two representatives to serve on the committee with your permission and I reached out by way of email to CPAC. I have not heard back from anybody if that was acceptable to have the board, you know, sit on the committee. That that's what was said in that meeting and I will get you the answers to the rest of your concerns. I just have to consult with Grace and I will get back to you. Thank you. John Derbasio. Good evening. Good evening. Still have to say my name and address. We know you. John Jasio, 710 John Street. I'm here both personally and as a member of the town council. I call your attention to the student volunteers in your school district. I am impressed to
045no end. Uh four events in my ro recently occurred. We had our art show at town. Student volunteers came, served food, interacted with our guests. We had our Easter celebration where we had our Easter egg hunt etc. Many students came from the school celebration over to help us out. We had our senior citizen prom. It was an amazing situation. Students from sale came in, interacted with the seniors. It was a pleasurable experience for everyone. Seen commented to me how much they enjoyed interacting with these students. They were pleasant. They were fun. They were absolutely vivacious in their interactions. It was they would dance. It was just great. Uh and to that end, uh I organized with the mayor that all the juniors who were in sale and any other organizations, we generated a letter of
046thanks. Uh, and I'm a bit of a lite, so I think we're going to print these letters and we're going to hand them out. And apparently you email those letters to Navian. Navian, is that what it call? Navian. Navian. So, uh, that was all done for those. Um, we also did a cleanup of the, uh, area beh below Kane Stadium. Many middle school students came out, dug through the trash on a cool day in late April, picked up a lot of stuff, and we greatly appreciated all their help. Each of those students is a credit to themselves and their families, a credit to the school system for fostering that kind of volunteerism and a credit to our community. We know and I know personally that volunteering is a lifeblood of community that these students do
047it. They do it willingly. They do it happily. And I am just so impressed. And I just wanted you guys to know uh because I said I told them letters it would have been nice whole celebration. But the bottom line is it should be encouraged on our end on your end. And again, they should be applauded for all the work that they do and I greatly appreciate what they did. On a second note, I was asked to say something nice. Lance Bartlett Letter is a sharp dresser. If I had to say something nice about Lance, but thank you very much. Thank you, John. Through the chair, may I respond to John? Yes. Councilman, we uh have talked the the board has talked about honoring our students and they're going to do at the last meeting
048every year. We've had other recent events. I attended the tricky trade they had last Sunday. A whole group of uh students were volunteering to help that go smoothly. The hygiene project which is all st the students are involved with that. Did a whole community service where they had a whole program showing us anyone that came. I was one of the judges showing us what they've done for the community. Not only is it great they get recognized but this kind of stuff either through Junior National Honor Society or National Honor Society having that letter can be submitted with their application for the honor society and show they've done community service which is one of the components of getting accepted those programs. So what you've done at city hall, what we're going to be doing here hopefully
049help these students to reward them for their generosity of their time. And just to follow up, if you do see students uh who need that sort of recognition, bring it to our attention. We would be glad to generate uh an acknowledgement to go into their file because like I said, we're all part of the same community and it's important to recognize when people go a little bit above and beyond just living here and taking part in the whole community. So reach out anytime. We'll generate those letters and we'll take care of Thank you. Thank you, John. Dina Gerbasio. Hello. Good evening. Good evening. Um, Dina Jerbasio, 11:07 Stonewall Lane. Um, so I've been watching these meetings for a long time. My kids have been in the school district for a few years. This is the
050first time I've attended in person. So, thank you for having me. But what I wanted to say was that the last board meeting um you guys brought up the special education committee and our special education students. And in the few years that I've been watching these meetings, that's the most acknowledgement I've seen to the special education students and the CPAD committee. And it was as a parent of two students in the special education program that warm my heart very much and I hope you continue to do so because our special education students are very important. Um and I understand that um you have said that there is not a need for our special education committee, a standalone committee and that it can be bundled with the education committee. But as a parent with two special
051education students, if you know anything about that or if you have a a child with special education, as much as we want to say that they um you know they are the same, they are not. And sometimes they require a little more attention, a little more thoughtfulness, and a little more mindful mindfulness. Um, so I implore you to really reconsider that given that our special education students are about 17% of the student population, which is pretty sizable. Um, and also given what's going on with the unknowns of our federal government, um, I I implore you to please be proactive with them. That's what they need. Um, I'd rather you be, you know, proactive than reactive because we don't want to wait till last minute when things are defunded and and things are taken away from
052them. And, you know, now we have to figure out how to help them. They they they don't, you know, they can't do that. They can't, you know, that's not for them. So, please reconsider. Um, and as a member of the CPAD committee, I really hope you do think about it. don't have to answer me now, but I just wanted to speak up for myself and other parents of special needs students and uh hope that you'll think about it a little bit more and come up with a standalone committee and allow that. So, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Thank you. board member comments. I have Okay. First, I want to congratulate all the high school students on their college acceptances. That list was very impressive and it just shows how well our teachers teach here and
053our administrators administers. So, um very kudos to them. I want to congratulate the teachers of the year and service professionals of the year um on their honors. That's a great honor. Um and I know from just hearing students about how much they love the teachers that were actually honored tonight. So, that's great. And lastly, I want to congratulate the Caucus Recreation Competition cheer team and their coaches for placing sixth nationally this weekend in Las Vegas. This group of all Caucus girls, ages 7 to 14 years old, accomplished big things this year and represented our small town on a very large stage and made us all proud. So that's all I have. The chair. Yep. Several things. One is uh update in the special committee. Madam President, at the last meeting you offered us to be
054involved with the CPAC and Miss uh Geller and I have both voice and interest. If we could be included in that, I still support a committee. If we to start with right now, if we could still be included in that, I'm very interested in whatever we can do to be a part of that. Uh the shared service committee has been addressed. We should be walking on the long range facility plan. I think that's something we need to include in our next agenda, if not sooner. Uh I have a question about our high school enrollment and capacity. If someone get back to me on how many current students are enrolled in the in the high school and what is our total capacity for that? Uh it's national just passed as an educator national teachers week and
055also national nurses week. So to all of our nurses and teachers congratulations on a job well done. I know how teachers are valued in the community. Speaking from a personal experience I want to wish you all the best with all fellow teachers. Can we receive some updates on the architectural plans that was voted in at the last meeting so we know where they're going, what plans are being moved forward for what we're going to be doing in the district. I think it's like a $4 million budget for that. So, if we could be kept a breast of what's going on with that, I'd appreciate it. Um, and John, you brought up what I said, recognizing local groups. And so, I think that's something even when we had a retreat a few weeks back, the woman
056from the state from New Jersey School Board Association said, "It's a very intricral part of your district that you can honor." and I know have been to several of the city council meetings where you've honored different groups for there and I I really think that'd be great if we can do that. Uh if we can get information on how much money was generated for the senior class and scholarships this year, I think it looks great for us to show that we have all these impressive colleges mentioning Ivy League schools and other places. It'd be good to find out how much scholarship money was given to us because that's a good thing to look at down the road to see what we can do to generate more money for that. And uh that's it for me.
057I got something real quick. Mhm. Um I'd like to recognize somebody who's sitting right there, uh Felicia Chhatri. Um she organized, uh something called the Lincoln Tunnel 5K Challenge. It's a it's a donation to the uh Special Olympics and a bunch of a bunch of school people got together and raised over $3,000 for the Special Olympics. Um so I'd like to I'd like to recognize that. Okay. Anyone else? Yeah. Anyone else? Okay. Um, I'd like to also congratulate all the winners um this evening um and congratulate as as Jerry said all the teachers and the nurses. Um I know that they celebrated this month as well. Um what was the um and also uh Paul mentioned all of the colleges that are um on their acceptances to college. Um now I'm going to speak just
058as Kelly Diadetta the trustee and not Kelly Diodetta the board president. um what we voted on tonight and what the mayor discussed um as far as his support for Charlie Borhees um and how uh the board voted tonight. I just wanted to make everyone aware and the public as well that um that is not to say that you know Charlie cannot apply for this job. So, what we did tonight was we extended his position um as the acting superintendent to September of 2025 um with the approval from Melissa Pierce, barring the approval from um the county superintendent Melissa Pierce. Um we had some options u to take this evening and we decided as a board collectively that we thought that the best way to go um was to post this position um internally and externally
059and see where we land. But again, that is no reflection on how I personally feel regarding how Charlie is doing um and the performance that that he's done for the district thus far. So again, um I just wanted to make that clear. Also, happy birthday to Lance and Pat. And we're going to go back into the room because we did not get to um sing happy birthday and have cake. And um I will be in touch, Mr. Grineer, as far as your questions and concerns. And Dina, if you could give me a contact phone number for you, I'd like to call you and speak to you. Okay. All right. Thank you. And thank you, John, for what you said as well. Thank you. All right. Motion to adjurnn. Motion. Second. All in favor? I. All
060right. Good evening.