001I aliance 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. >> Thank you. Good evening and welcome to the South River Board of Education regular meeting of Monday, November 17th, 20125. In compliance with the Open Public Meeting Act, chapter 231, laws of 1975 of the state of New Jersey, adequate notice of this meeting of the South River Board of Education has been provided in the following manner. On January 15, 2025, the notice was delivered to the office of the South River Burough Clerk and posted at the Board of Education Administration building. On January 15, 2025, the notice was faxed mailed to the following recipients. Home News Tribune, the Star Ledger. On January 15, 2025, the notice
002was posted at the South River Burough Clerk's office. >> Mr. Rosa, would you please call the role? >> Mr. Basak has been excused. >> Mr. Budson >> here. >> Mrs. Bush has been excused. >> Mrs. Laauo >> here. >> Mr. Nielsen >> here. >> Mr. Unawway >> here. >> Mrs. Saddowski has been excused. >> Mrs. Youngo >> here. >> Mrs. Zerbanic >> here. >> Shiza Hussein >> here. >> We have a call. >> Thank you. We have some items on the agenda this evening for our meeting. The first being the minutes. Mr. Rosa, >> no additions from our Thursday premeating. >> Okay. And board members, is there a motion on these minutes? >> Move the reading of the minutes. >> We have a motion by Vice President Nielsen. Is there a second? >> Second. Second
003by Miss L. Any questions? All in favor? >> I. >> Thank you. The minutes pass. And Mr. Rosa, use of facilities. >> So, we do have three additions from our premeating. It's uh number 965, 966, and 977. >> Thank you. Board members, do you have any questions on these additions? Seeing none, is there a motion on the use of facilities? >> Move the use of facilities in accordance with board policies. >> Motion by Vice President Nielsen. Is there a second? >> Second by Miss Young. Are there any abstensions on any of these use of facilities? All in favor? >> Thank you. Our next item on the agenda is the financial report. Miss Well, >> thank you. Be it resolved that the board of education hereby certifies that it is in receipt of the financial report
004which indicates that no major account has been overexpended and that sufficient funds are available to meet the district's financial obligations for the remainder of the fiscal year. The finance committee recommends that the reports of the board secretary and the treasurer of school monies for August 2025 and September 2025 be approved and I so move. >> Thank you. We have a motion by Miss Low. >> Second by Vice President Nielsen. Are there any questions on the financial report? >> Seeing none, all in favor? >> Thank you. At this time, we're going to turn the meeting over to our superintendent of schools, Dr. Sylvia Zurg. >> Thank you, Mrs. Orvanic. We have several items on the agenda today, beginning with um my updates. Uh I do want to tell the community we have some audiovisisual upgrades uh
005at our high school auditorium, our primary school cafeterium, elementary and middle school cafeterium as well. They have all um recently received significant upgrades in audiovisisual equipment which we will use for instruction for assemblies, presentations, parent um sessions and programs as well and any community um facility usage. So, we're really pleased with how these projects will enhance all of those opportunities. We're looking into a unified communication systems. Uh, currently the district uses our ERAM and our text messaging system, our phone system and email system to communicate with parents when there is uh a district communication that is needed. But what we find is that our coaches, teachers use uh personal uh communication means such as dojo or remind. Uh those are two examples of popular ones. Uh which they are using independently. And um we feel
006that it would be safer and better for the district, for our parent community, for us to have a unified system for teachers and coaches to use, similar to how we communicate uh district messaging. So we will make sure that before we roll anything of that nature out, we give plenty of notice to all of our users um as well as our community members so that everybody is comfortable with that transition. Uh the press box at Denny Stadium. Uh we have a new modular press box being built for Denny Stadium. Uh that will significantly upgrade our athletic facility at that field. The new structure will feature dedicated spaces for the home team coaches, visiting coaches, and uh press members as well. Uh and really create just a more um professional environment for game management and coverage.
007And it's also going to be equipped with a huddle camera for live streaming which we have not had before. So this is exciting not just for athletic events but also some of the other events that we hold at the stadium such as graduations and and so on. And we are in budget season believe it or not for next school year for school year 26 27. our uh directors, our principles are in the process of meeting with their teams, their building teams and department teams to develop that budget. Um the proposed budget for the upcoming school year. We really won't know much about funding in terms of state aid, federal allocations, etc. until later on in the year, but we begin with a preliminary draft of that budget and then we adjust as needed. Any questions
008about budget um or the upcoming school year in terms of um fiscal allocations, we ask that you please send those to Camila Miasio, who is our assistant business administrator, and she can certainly uh work through any questions with community members on those budget items. Additionally, in my report for today, we have our NJQAC district improvement plan for 2526 school year for your approval. consideration. And then um we also have a high school graduation results presentation. It's a brief presentation from uh Dr. Travisano which is required for us to share with the public and the board. So I'll turn it over to Dr. Travisano at this time and he will present that for us. We'll also post this on our district website as we do after all our presentations. Thank you. >> Good evening. I love
009how it was prefaced by a brief report and that's normally how Dr. Zer starts my reports and my presentations. Anyway, um as noted as part of our annual QAC review, we do post certain presentations. We do a data review for our graduation results in terms of the actual test scores. be doing a presentation for the New Jersey student learning assessments in mathematics, science, and English. Um, and this will be the third and final presentation. And this is our graduation results. And we haven't gone over this in a while, so I figured it was time to just to cover what the high school graduation results are for course base. Um, on the course base, there are 20 credits required in English language arts, 15 in mathematics, and succession courses. There's 15 credits science, including laboratory, biology
010or life science, chemistry, and then third, inquiry or laboratory based science. And then 15 credits of social studies. Those of us who may have had previous graduation requirements, it used to specifically say United States history 1 and two, they've removed that and now it's really integrations of civics, economics, geography into historical courses. Those are the four major content areas. Then beyond that um are additional There's two and a half credits in financial literacy. Financial literacy can be standalone course the economics and the accounting. You have five credits in visual performing arts, five credits as a minimum in world languages, technology integration and five credits in 21st century. Now these are the minimum graduation graduation course requirements per the state of New Jersey. As you look towards colleges, colleges have additional recommendations. So five credits would
011be one year of foreign language. Most colleges would like two to three years of foreign language. The same thing in financial literacy 2.5 credits. They like to see additional credits. So those are classes that the high school students are given opportunities to take uh throughout their career here. The students have to attain a total of 120 credits um provided over 120 credits in each of these disciplines or combined disciplines over their four years here in South River. We currently offer the students an opportunity to take 160 credits which allows them to explore different disciplines or to uh explore further. So four years of mathematics, four years of science, four years of history based on their interest and where they want to go after this. The other thing the other part of graduation the testing requirement.
012This is the part that we wanted to go over this evening. Students in order to achieve a high school diploma don't only have to pass the courses, they also have to pass the testing requirement. And the state gives us three options in order to allow students to help our students attain that requirement. First is passing the New Jersey the New Jersey graduation proficiency assessment, also known as GPA. I've gone over those results with you earlier this year. They have to attain a passing score in GPA in mathematics and in language arts. Students who don't achieve that score on one or two potentially three opportunity to take that assessment are given the second pathway alternative pathway attain graduation requirement that would be a passing score in the ACT, PSAT, SAT um in both language arts and
013mathematics. received word recently that they're reading the um ACUPPLACER I'm sorry the ACUPPLACER was already counted but they're actually going back to read the ASP which is the test for the military that is actually coming back as a graduation requirement as a graduation pathway under the second pathway the third pathway would be the portfolio assessment portfolio assessment would be vetted tasks in English or mathematics that are approved at the district level that demonstrate student proficiency in standards across four years again in mathematics and in English. Students are given these portfolio assessments. They're scored and that information is then provided to the state as the third potential pass pathway. Now, in order to take a graduation requirement in the second or third pathway, students have to sit for the um New Jersey graduation proficiency assessment. So,
014they have to take that test first and then the state recognizes that there's a potential to attain the testing pathway in a different way. So, these are results from last year and these were uh reported uh put out at the end of the summer. Students are the opportunity to obtain these graduation results up to August 31st. So the number of students passing our New Jersey GPA, English and math are presented. The number of students passing the substitute competency test, we call that pathway two, are also presented for the English and mathematics. And then using the portfolio assessment, this past year we've had nobody who had to use the portfolio assessment for language arts, but two students passed portfolio assessment in mathematics. There are students who through their do not have to take a specific test
015if you would. And then we graduated two students uh with the altered requirements per their two students that were grad that were denied graduation based on the graduation testing. I'm sorry. There were two students who were denied graduation this past year that would be failure to achieve the graduation requirements in the courses. Now, we had zero students not not graduate based on not taking not passing the testing requirement. Our 2025 graduation rate, we actually received word, if I remember correctly, today >> uh that our that this number is slightly incorrect. We're actually at 92.7. So, we increased. So, um the state gave us that notification today in some reports. So, um that number I didn't have a chance to change prior to the report. So, that will be changed for the posting tomorrow. and 2024
016graduation rate again. >> No, >> I'm good. >> Thank you, doctor. >> All right. And finally on my report, you do have one confirmed HIV. That's item 3.4 also for your review and approval. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Zerger. Uh at this time we are going to open up the meeting for the reception of visitors and the public may address agenda items only. There will be a public portion later on in the meeting for other items of interest to the board of education. So, if you want to address the board of education on agenda items, please come to the microphone, state your name and address, and please keep your comments to a 10-minute time limit. This is on first call, on second call, and on third call. This portion of the meeting is closed.
017At this time, we are going to move into items under president of the board. The first item are the board goals. Every year the board of education um sets goals for the upcoming school year. Those goals have been identified. All the board members did get copies of them and they will be posted to the website tomorrow. Did any board members have any comments or additions to these board goals? I know we were all given the opportunity Seeing none, then we will go on to our consent resolution. Mr. Rosa, >> the South River Board of Education by means of a consent resolution adopt various resolutions of a routine and non-controversial nature at one time. And whereas the below listed resolutions are hereby adopted by the said board of education in whole as if the same were
018individually acted upon and those are under superintendent of schools 3.1 to 3.4 the president of the board 5.2 under buildings and grounds 7.1 under finance 8.1 through 8.19 under instruction 9.1 through 9.4 4 under policy and legislation 11.1 under human resources 12.1- 12.12 under safety and risk management 13.1 through 13.2 and under residency 14.1- 14.2 >> thank you Mr. Rosa board members what is your pleasure on the consent resolution >> move the consent resolution >> we have a motion by Vice President Nielson is there a second >> second by Mr. Buds in. All in favor? >> I. >> Thank you. >> May I add that I would like to abstain from 9.2 under field trips >> to the June 23rd project graduation trip. >> So noted. >> Thank you. >> Our next item on the
019agenda are our committee reports. Our athletics. Mr. Budson. Nothing on the agenda for this month. >> Okay. Thank you. And buildings and grounds. Vice President Nielsen. >> Thank you, Madam President. Buildings and Grounds Committee after review of all items on this month's agenda and upon recommendation, the superintendent recommends approval of item 7.1 with no additional items on the agenda as listed, including routine items. That's all I have tonight. M does it. >> Thank you. U moving on to our finance committee report. Miss Low, >> thank you very much. Um so the agenda includes approvals for several um service contracts supporting student evaluation and instructional needs including bilingual child study team evaluations, augmentative and alternative communication evaluations and professional development workshops. Contracts were also approved for yearbook services for the elementary and middle schools, custodial services
020and snow removal. Several facility and security upgrades for Denny Stadium and school buildings were authorized, including security cameras, electrical work, a sound system, roof replacement changes, and flooring and stale stairwell repairs across multiple schools. So the finance committee after review of all items on this month's agenda and upon recommendation of the superintendent recommends approval of the items 8.1 through 8.14 with additional items 8.15 through 8.19 on the agenda as listed including routine items. >> Thank you. >> And would you please continue with our instruction committee report? will do. So, uh, Miss Bush likes providing a brief summary of Dr. Te's report, so I would like to do similar. Uh, so this month, administrators and teacher leaders closely analyze student achievement data from standardized tests, including the high school graduation proficiency assessment and student learning assessments
021in grades three through nine. So, using disagregated data provided by uh, Mrs. Cashion teams identified trends, discussed instructional strategies, and assigned action steps to address areas of need with continued use of linkit for ongoing assessment. The high school along with the counseling department has begun reviewing current and proposed courses to evaluate demand, interest, and high need areas as they develop next year's program of studies, which will be finalized in early January. November professional development will focus on supporting multilingual learners, strengthening instructional strategies during extended class periods, and providing additional training through effective school solutions for staff working with students requiring enhanced support. The instruction committee after review of all items on this month's agenda and upon recommendation of the superintendent recommends approval of the items 9.1 through 9.3 with additional item 9.4. for on the
022agenda as listed including routine items and that is all I have for this evening. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Under negotiations there are no items for this evening. Our policy and legislation committee report Mr. Rud >> the policy and legislation committee after review of all items on this month's agenda and upon recommendation of the superintendent recommends approval of the item 11.1 with no additional items on the agendas listed including routine items. >> Thank you. >> Our human resources committee vice president Nielsen. >> Thank you madam president. The human resources committee after review of all items on this month's agenda and upon recommendation of superintendent recommends approval of the items 12.1 through 12.8 with additional items 12.9 through 12.12 on the agenda as listed including routine items. And that's all we have for tonight. Madam
023President, >> thank you. Safety and risk management, Miss Young. >> Thank you. So, the safety and risk management committee after review of all items on this month's agenda and upon recommendation of the superintendent recommends approval of items 13.1 through 13.2 with no additional items on the agenda as listed, including routine items. >> Thank you. And would you please continue with the residency? The residency committee after review of all items on this month's agenda and upon recommendation of the superintendent recommends approval of the item 14.1 with additional item 14.2 on the agenda as listed including routine items. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um our school board burough council is on committee vice president Nielson. >> Thank you madam president. She's in the office tonight uh in the audience tonight. We had a very productive meeting on
024the 31st in regards to uh security and things within the school. Um I think it was I know I know I think we have made some progress here. The town's open to our suggestions and willing to work with us. So um I like to see that and be moving ahead with that. Right. Matt. >> Thank you. Anything you like to add? >> Okay. Thank you, Mr. >> That's all I have, Madam President. Thank you. Our South River Public Library lia is on Mr. Goodson. >> The upcoming events kids event making Thanksgiving treats. November 18th is adults craft night of pumpkin. 20 is a co-riting class and 24 is another adult crafts night making turkey. The 18th is the friends of the library meeting. That's all I had. >> Thank you. Our student board representative, Miss
025Lousan. >> Uh, hi everyone. I would just like to say that the um all the different activities going around like with the library. I think it's a great opportunity for students here at the high school to participate in like I myself I did a community service hours at the library and I took lots of pleasure and doing all these different types of activities helping out children and contributing to the holidays and just keep up the good work that everybody is doing with our community. I love this school. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Normal. >> Okay. Is there any old or new business to come before the board? And is there anything from our attorney a report? >> Yes. Uh I know there was a discussion last Thursday. Um I'll just update you on that,
026but um there's rumblings about the funding formula right now. We're on the right side of the funding formula and I'd like you to stay that way. It's unlikely that anything's going to significantly change for this round. John Johnny's already like shaking. >> Yeah. >> You know, >> twitching. I I was at a superintendent interview a couple of months ago and one of the applicants had said that they were involved in the student in the funding formula and that that was a huge asset in their application. So we asked them to explain it and they couldn't. So it's interesting how deep we've gotten with the funding formula. There is no there's no graceful exit. So I think a year from now we'll be hearing about change if at all or we may just be entrenched. As
027far as the question that Vice President Nielsson brought up last week, there is a Senate bill 4488 which would change Donaldson hearing. Donaldson hearings are the process that is owed to a non-tenured person if you are not going to vest them with tenure and show them the door before they get tenure. That is a very informal hearing. We haven't had one for a while. uh which is a good thing >> because usually the answer is a pretty clear one for your administrators and thus when the board is confronted with that it's quick and easy. Uh this legislation aims to make it less quick and less easy but it has no legs. It was proposed from a 2024 elected Essex County senator. It was presented out of Senate Education Committee on November 10th and the Senate
028said thank you and sent it back to the committee. Uh which is not a sign of a lot of support. So right now it is nowhere. If that changes we'll talk about it again. It would make the process a lot more elaborate. Uh it would not change tenure but it would change the blockades to people getting tenure which is an important thing for you because you know once there's tenure you know what happens is that And that's all I have. >> Thank you, Chris. >> Payment of bills. Miss Low. >> The finance committee recommends that all bills presented having been certified by the school business administrator, board secretary, be paid as listed. And I so move. >> Thank you. We have a motion by Ms. Low. >> Second. We have a second by Vice President
029Nielsen. Any questions on any of the bills? All in favor? >> I. >> Thank you. The bills, Johnny. >> Okay. Thank you. Now, at this time, we are once again going to open up the meeting for the reception of visitors where the public may address any concern or comment they have for the board. Uh if you do come up, please state your name and address and please keep your comments limited to 10 minutes. This is on first call, on second call, and on third call. Seeing no one from the public, we're going to close this session. We do not have an executive session tonight. Leaving the last item of business, a motion for adjournment. Neielson. >> Moved by Vice President Nielsen. Is there a second? >> Second by Miss Yong Yao. All in favor? I.
030>> This meeting is adjourned. Thank you. >> Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. >> Happy Thanksgiving. >> Thank you.