001I call to order a regular meeting of the Wong Burough School District Board of Education. It is May 22nd, 2025, 7:10 p.m. 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. Welcome to a meeting of the board of education of the burrow of Waang. Please be advised that this and all meetings of the board are open to the public and media consistent with the open public meetings act chapter 231 laws of 1975 and that the advanced notice required therein has been provided. This is a regular meeting of the b board of education of the bureau of waong at which formal action may be taken. This meeting
002is being livereamed on the district website where a recording of the meeting will also be posted. The public will have an opportunity to be heard as shown on the agenda at points in the meeting provided for the public to address the board. Recording or photo photographing other than for private personal use requires the consent of parents or guardians whose children may be included in the image. M Bishop Johnson, can I get a roll call, please? Yes. Um Mrs. Agliero here. Mr. Fra here. Mr. Gonzalez here. Mrs. Harvey here. Mrs. Duet here. Mrs. Maddox here and Mrs. Amado, Mr. Craft and Mrs. Santos are absent. Thank you. Starting with presentations, we're going to get a referendum update from Connor O'Brien of Legacy Construction Management. Okay, good evening everybody. Um once again just want to give a
003quick update with the referendum projects. Um and then the update upcoming uh project for the outdoor learning commons and the multi-purpose field. Um so for the HVAC and the repair renovation work we did last year. Um for the HVAC the chillers are up and running. Um there is um one more pump that we have to replace um on as part of the project that needed to get um was deemed as just the condition wasn't sufficient. So we're replacing it. Um we're coordinating that right now. Um we don't want to go and replace a pump right now when the AC's maybe not today is not needed but in the near future will be needed. We don't want to push the limit on on having issues with the AC and complaints at the temperature in the classrooms.
004So, we are uh con looking into it with the contractor possibly doing it as soon as schools let out. Um there's no issue with the other pumps running for the chiller. It's not hurting the existing chillers. We just don't want to be in a situation like we've been up to now with all these things lingering around. We don't want to be at the point where we add more issues while school's still in session. So, we're still discussing that um and reviewing that with Ricky and the administration. um the uh art room and those other punch list items. We still have some working out some additional electrical issues with the uh media center. Um they fixed it. Um we're actually speaking with the manufacturer because we're not sure if there's a driver issue um with the
005lights. Um, unfortunately, it is common with these more sophisticated lights with energy uh code requirements that we're seeing um some manufacturing issues with uh the sophistication of all those switches. If you go up into the media center, you'll see the switches. There's it's not just one or two switches for that media center. On each switch, there's probably six, seven different switches functioning all the lights. So, we're working through that. Um, and then any other little punch list items or warranty items that do come up that the school informs Ricky. Ricky informs us. Uh, we've been working with the contractors getting out here and addressing anything that's required. That's with the existing previous projects. Um, with the outdoor learning common projects, um, we did open those those bids. um it did not result in a in
006a state where we were expecting as far as the price. Um so we are reviewing um pricing through the co-op. We only did get one bidder the project. Um so it's not sufficient for us to give a recommendation for that. It's not in the the pricing where we thought it should be and it's valued for what the budget was set for. Um, so we're working through with a co-op and we should expect a price in the next week or two with the holiday could be end of next week or earlier the following week. Um, so we can make a recommendation to the administration on what to do with that project. That's what I have as far as the update, but I don't know if anyone has any particular questions that they want to ask regarding
007those projects. Sure. Um I actually did want to ask about the um outdoor learning commons specifically the the number that was given to us by the you said single bidder. Correct. So um there was three biders that pulled the package when it was um issued to what we say is the street out to the public to uh bid on it. Three biders bid pulled the package. We have it a pre-bid voluntary pre-bid walk. Only one contractor showed up to that. that contractor ultimately decided not to bid the project. Um, and then I spoke to the other bidder that did pull the project. In the conversation, he said he's not interested with the project uh due to the condition of the the drawing and the details. Um, he felt there was inadequate information to be able
008to properly bid the job. And then there was just one bidder who put it in. Again, it wasn't where we thought the price was. So is that the right price? Is that a price because they feel there's need to pad it to cover themselves because it's wasn't adequate the information. That's why we're going to the co-op to justify that initial price. You mentioned the the drawing specifically. Mhm. Um could I ask why that wouldn't make a difference in terms of the bidding process? So, when you put a job out to bid and the biders take take that drawing, we set a timeline to to review the documents, get some pricing for the manufacturers and their subcontractors. Um, in order to do that with everything going on, you need the drawings to be issued efficiently and
009with enough information. Um during the bid process, um after I reviewed the drawings, I gave a recommendation to the administration and the architect to extend the bid and go back out, go back to the drawing board, basically address all the missing information and issue an addendum. They did that. But sometimes when you do that after the job's already been out, you lose interest in a project because biders may feel it's not a project well thought out or you know there's going to be issues throughout the construction because of missing details. So we had like bad plans to begin with and then we got the good plans but regardless because they were bad from the beginning. That's it. We've seen it across multiple, you know, jobs and we speak to contractors throughout all our work that
010we do and understand what their mindset is when they're reviewing jobs, right? So, we know the proper bidding time, you know, even what time to open bids, you know, we get feedback of that because how they get pricing in at the last minute. So, yeah, I needed to understand what happened and that was some of the feedback that we did get. What happens if nobody bids? I was concerned to be honest that this was going to be the first time that's ever happened that I've been part of. Um I called actually Karen Bishop on the way to the bid opening to see if anybody actually dropped off a bid because I was concerned. Yeah. Um you know if the job came in at the the budget, you know, okay, and if the drawings were okay,
011then we move forward. But because it was over budget, then we start asking questions. What what was the result of that? one bidder, you're not going to get a good picture of what happened. And it's it's un it's unfortunate because now we're we're up against the time and we immediately pivoted to uh co-op pricing um because to go out to the rebid and go back to architect engineer fixed fixed drawings and that takes time. How does the co-op help you? So, the co-op is is a platform that the schools can use for all sorts of um work and and items. Um this type of project um it's it's a big project, but it's not a big project. So, we can go to specific contractors through the co-op and um see if that type of work.
012So, you have the outdoor learning commons, which was the base bid, and then the alternate was for the fields. So, um, we had a meeting with this, uh, co-op, went through the drawings, every aspect of the drawing from, and I went through all the details of what needs to be done, even if it wasn't shown, to confirm that they could do this type of work. Um, the only items that they are not able to do is the electrical work. Um, and that's something that myself and Ricky will coordinate through a different co-op um, to pull the wire and hook up the electric that's needed for um, outlets and cameras and stuff like that. So, what's the timeline looking like now? Is it possible to get done in time? Anything's possible, you know, when it comes
013to construction, getting it done. Um, but if we create a a schedule to where every part of that job has to be done by the start of school with no everything done, you pay for it, right? We're working with a budget. So, we're speaking with the co-op to create it where the loud and messy work and the dust work from the concrete, that part is done before school starts. And then there'll be some carpentry stuff. um you know with the shade structures and some maybe tie-in for the electric and stuff that will be done once school begins, but it's not disrupting the day-to-day school just like we did been doing with the work that we're doing, you know, currently or we went through those last couple months. That's my recommendation as to create it so
014the job can still get done, but you're not paying for that acceleration. So would we be using night shift like we have been or would it be during the daytime like if it were to extend to this? So we're in communication with the the co-op contractor to um build the schedule while we're kind of getting pricing to understand what would be left open. It's outdoor work. So you know yes September it's still late into the to the evening but they're working outside so they need daylight. Um, but we're we're we're confident it's achievable and it will be done and that that you know the board will be able to give to the public what they voted on and said that they would get. It's just we're pivoting and having to create a different pathway to
015get to that same end point. Okay. Thank you. Any other questions? Good. Mandy? Nope. Um, no, not I. I mean, basically the questions that Mo asked. I guess our biggest thing is just the impact, you know, on the school and the delays and stuff like that. That would be really our biggest Yeah. From the construction, you know, part with outdoor learning commons, right? The it's a stamp concrete getting up. There's demo. I got to we they would have to rip out the asphalt, right? That's loud. That's messy. That gets all done. The restructuring of underground gets all done. And the concrete would be done. So, and you know, we don't know what the weather would be. it's outdoor project, but if the weather holds up throughout the summer and we're able to work, um, theoretically
016everyone would come back and the stamp concrete would be done, the planter boxes would be in place, which are, you know, the ballards to protect the students when they're out there. What might not be there is the shade structure fully built. So, you know, is it's not a lot of work to do, but to get to that point when we're still waiting for pricing in the middle to end of June. You guys have a board meeting in June, but not in July. So, I have to get this taken care of within the next two weeks so we can get this hopefully on the next board meeting and get approved. So, we're working and I'm working with um you know, Dr. Glazer and Karen Bishop with the budget um to make sure it's aligned and that's
017where we're at right now. Thank you, Governor. And this is mostly um really new and um recent information. I know um we had a construction meeting this morning. So maybe Connor before you head home if you just took a minute with um Mrs. Kid. Yes. So she can get caught up. Yep. Not a problem. Thank you. Thanks. Thank you, Connor. Thank you. Okay, moving on. Dr. Glazer, do you want to read out the enrollment numbers? Sure. So, um, again, we have the enrollment on the agenda again each month. So you can see the um change year-over-year. We are currently at Bayberry eight students less than at the same time last year and at Valley View um four students left. Moving on to the district update. The it's the principal report when you're ready. Well, my
018night just changed. All right. Good evening, everyone. The third grade concert was held on April 29th at Bayberry. Students amazed the audience with their skills on the recorder, percussion instruments, and vocal performances. Thank you to Mrs. Riley for another spectacular concert. One second. Hey, Erin, if you could run that PowerPoint. You have the pictures that Oh, there we go. They're all from May. There you go. That's not the third grade concert up there. No, they're not going to be in the order that you speak about. Those are teacher of the year breakfast. We should We should make it so the pictures match what I'm saying. Just I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. On May 1st, CFKA Farms petting zoo visited Bayberry for our preschoolers to enjoy. Thank you to the PTO for bringing the pony
019rides, baby goats, and alpaca to our schools. On May 6th, eight regional finalist teams of bright young innovators from across the nation showcased their fintech projects, that's financial technology, in the competition for the national championship title. Congratulations to the winners of the five serve future techies national pitch competition for 2025 and it was our Wong team Lucas Waldron, Luca Bargash and Prrenav Agawal. So, congratulations, guys. Each of them received an iPad along with a $2,000 grant for Valley View School. The students are collaborating with their peers to brainstorm the best ways to utilize the donation for our school. For the month of May, our Mountaineer Monday lessons focused on neurodeiversity. Students and staff celebrated that what makes us all unique is what makes us special. As a culminating celebration of their middle school cultural and
020language experiences, our eighth graders enjoyed either a French breakfast or a Spanish lunchon early in the month. And on May 7th, we attended the governor's education educator and ESP of the year breakfast. We were thrilled to celebrate the contributions of our Somerset County recipients, especially our own watch staff. Congratulations to Valley View's educator of the year, Caitlyn Basili, and educational support professional Cindy Scalera. And to Bayerry's educator of the year, Anne Meleno, and educational support professional, Schulpa Shaheen. Teacher Appreciation Week was the week of May 6. Thank you to our PTO and everyone who took the time to express their gratitude to our staff. It was an exciting week of treats that was greatly appreciated. The Bayberry art show and Glee Cub performance was held on May 7th. Families enjoyed the beautiful artwork and the
021entertainment. Thank you to Miss Higgins and all the parent volunteers who set up for the art show. And thank you to Mrs. Riley and Miss Keegan for their dedication to the third and fourth grade glee club. On May 14th, Valley View held its spring band concert and art show. And the following week, families were again treated to a second day of the art show and the coral concert. Congratulations to all of our young artists and musicians for creating such beautiful pieces and of course to Miss Netor, Mrs. Morrison, and Mr. Regevitz for their support, guidance, and expertise. Our solar sprint team placed first in engineering during the junior solar sprint competition on May 20th. Congratulations to Ariana Patel, Prrenav Argawal, Rohan Patel, and Alec Choweki. Our third through eighth graders completed the NJSLA testing last
022week and this week and makeups will take place until May 30th. That's not fun and exciting. New kindergarten visitation was on Tuesday, May 20th. Our new students explored the kindergarten classrooms and rotated through a variety of learning centers while parents attended an information session. Best wishes for this weekend to Alec Choweki, Claire Carrian, and Lexi Costello who will re be res representing Valley View at the National Science B this weekend in Florida. I'm sure that you will all join me in wishing them well. Please note that our eighth grade commencement ceremony is scheduled for June 11th at 6 p.m. in the Valley View Gymnasium. Aaron caught a typo in my invitation to you all. It's not here. It's in the gym. Doors open at 5:30. And coming up, we have several field trips, field days,
023pep rallies, charity walks, our spring musical, and so much more. The last few weeks are packed with exciting and engaging activities. We are looking for a strong finish to the year at Bayberry and Valley View. Thank you all for all of your support and we hope you have a enjoyable holiday weekend. Do you want to just remind everybody fifth grade and uh uh Hib just joking next week? Sure. Fifth grade and hip just joking is next week. I don't know what you're Oh, incoming. I didn't know what you were talking about. Really? No, it's such a big deal. I My brain is not there right now because I was just doing makeup testing stuff. So, yeah. My brain. Okay. Um, next Thursday is the move up day for the fourth graders. So, they'll be coming
024to Valley View and visiting um with our peer leaders who will answer all of their questions, give them tours. They'll visit fifth grade classrooms and fifth graders will tell them how the transition from Bayberry to Valley View went. They'll also get to meet the fifth grade teachers themselves and our related arts teachers. And then in the evening, um, we have parents coming over that are interested. It'll be here in the APR and it's about an hourong session where I do a presentation kind of a little bit about Valley View, how it's different than Bayberry. And then afterwards for all middle school parents, we're going to have um an HIB presentation. talk a little bit about the policy, the law, the procedures, and about some trends with just joking that we see with our middle school
025students. So, thank you for the reminder, Dr. Glazer. Oh, thank you. It's been a lot of fun um at Bayberry and Valley View. Um I see Mrs. Riley out here. Um one of the pictures I didn't see go by was the we were supposed to have the glee club tonight. We couldn't quite make that unfortunately. um is the the last performance, but there was a great picture from the baseball game with your dogs at the Glee Club, so I'll make sure we send it to you since I didn't see it up on the screen. Okay. Um Bishop Johnson, you have a business administrator's report. Sure. Um business is usual with the business office. Uh the something you'll see on the agenda tonight is um a prescription drug change to be voted on. If it um
026is voted on, it's because our um healthc care broker evaluated multiple options to ensure that the district can continue to offer sustainable and comprehensive coverage. And in light of the rising prices, they they felt that they needed to go out to the market and take a look. and they came back recently with a change to Benard for prescription coverage. This this benefit is equal to or better than what the staff currently has. So, if approved, uh they'll be setting up anformational meeting before school gets out for the staff. So, that's been going on in the business office. We've finished open enrollment for healthcare and we're getting ready for June. That's it. Thank you. Dr. Glazer, do you have a report? Sure. Um, a reminder to everybody that um, as Karen said, schools are closed tomorrow
027and Monday for the Memorial Day holiday. I hope that everybody enjoys a relaxing um, rejuvenating weekend, but also um, can take a moment and remember uh, those servicemen and women who have given their lives um, for our country. We um talked about uh most of the upcoming events. We do have the district science fair Monday, June 2nd here at Valley View. And um there are a few more events before again reminder last day of school June 17th. Thank you. Moving on to committee reports. Uh Mrs. Harvey, can you give the report for the curriculum committee? Yes. Uh, but I thought, Julie, you were going to talk about the school. You thought I was going to what? I thought you were talking going to talk about the school self assessment. I can report on it. Good
028job. Thank you, Mrs. Harvey. You want to? So, in it'll take two seconds. In October, you might remember that um Mrs. Dakota gave a full presentation. It's tied to the HIB um work that we do. Both schools do a self assessment. Um that presentation is on the district website and we have received from the state the official letter accepting those HIG grades and those have been posted on the district website. Okay. So, the curriculum committee met on Wednesday, May 20th from 5 to 6:40. It was virtual. Um, those in attendance were Dr. Glazer, um, board president, myself, uh, Jessica Maddox, Phyllis Juet, uh, both principles, and the director of special services. There was no new business. Um, we did have some follow-up business. Uh, some was already mentioned, so I won't say that. Um but
029we did discuss the K to4 math uh for the curriculum update and they uh the teachers and administration selected envision uh SAIS learning and this program has more real world connections, a project-based assessment and an engaging format aligned with the new state math standards. It also offers more resources, new technology, textbooks and workbooks. The materials and lessons are streamlined to ensure consistency among classrooms. Um the 5 to8 math is curriculum is going to uh be big ideas learning. It's a Larsson text company supported by National Geographic Learning. Um there's no further update from the last meeting in which we reported and then there's the K to4 ELA which is going to be HM and this program is based on the science of reading. There is a vocabulary and spelling component to the program. Reading and
030writing are taught together instead of separately. The text are engaging and include illustrations. The text are updated topics that help with students interest and engagement. Writable is based on NJSLA and presents them with examples and strategies that are prepared uh that will help prepare them for standardized tests. Read alouds by teachers um are higher level so all students are exposed to higher level content. The um there's going to be a parent information evening in September to see the new materials children are using. So, I'm sure that date will be sent out to everybody as soon as it's created. Uh, special education monitoring. This is when the state comes in and checks to see if we're holding uh IEP meetings, if those meetings were held within the allotted timelines, and if services were provided to students.
031The district met all requirements for monitoring, and our district is uh now in the closed status for monitoring until six years from now. Uh we also got an update on the autism program. The director of special services gave an overview to the committee of the Valley View program. She explained that the program is based on the students IEPs. In some uh cases, the students will attend their academic classes with an autism teacher and if their IEPs allow uh they will attend their elective classes with their general education classmates. academic modifications will be made for students in this program based on their IEPs. Uh and a familiar autism teacher and and um or a par profofessional from Bayberry which I believe it will be and not or um will be moved to Valley View if this
032pro um if this program in this program is starting in September 2025. So students from other districts can attend the program on a tuitionbased basis and the sending districts will pay for all the tuition based students expenses. Individual parent tours for this program will be set up for next week. Our de our district complies with the state's regulations on staffto student ratios in this program. There is a transition process that consists of students attending the ESY summer program at Valley View to become familiar with their new surroundings and to help parents get used to the new procedures in Valley View if they don't already have um other siblings in uh Valley View. And then on May 29th, the fourth grade students will take a tour of Valley View. in the evening that the parents will
033have their information session on some of the potential uh board agenda items. I'll just skip down the pursuit of excellence summer staffing. All the positions are filled based on enrollment and the program has two coordinators. The program will run from July 7th to July 31st, Monday through Thursday, which is 16 days and it will be from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The ESY summer staffing, all of the teachers have been hired based on enrollment, but we are still looking for speech and occupational therapists for related services. Providers will be contacted to help fill these positions and contract power professionals. All hiring is based on student enrollment and IEPs. Afterare summer staffing, all staff has been hired based on enrollment and uh afternoons will be utilized for staff training. Bay music teacher recommendation. The committee re
034reviewed the synopsis on the recommended candidate and was able to ask whatever questions they wanted to and the committee was confident in the hiring uh recommendation made by the administration to the board. The prek tuition rate, the current preK3 and four have been added to the ESY summer program to help transition them to the next grade. If space is available, they will open this opportunity up to incoming students. Uh, other than that, that's about it. And I just would like to say our music candidate is here with us um with Mrs. Riley. Welcome, Julie. That'll come a little later in the meeting. Thank you. Uh, Mr. Frasier, can you give the administration finance report, please? Absolutely. Uh thankfully we have a pretty short thing because we already went over like 90% of it. But the
035finance committee meeting um met on May 13th. In attendance were Dory Harvey, Manny Gonzalez, Jennifer Aguilera. I always mess up last names. Jennifer Dr. Glazer, uh Karen Bishop Johnson, Ricky Boyd, Jim Finn, Jolene Co Antonio, uh who are consultants with Brown and Brown, Connor O'Brien, and Adam Craft. Um the meeting began at 4 and ended around 5:30. The first thing that was discussed was the referendum update, but Connor gave us the entire referendum update and then some. Um, as for new business, the the school was asked to join a litigation um from the law firm Willman and Spitzer because they are filing claims on behalf of school districts seeking compensation from the social media companies for their role in creating and supporting the social media public health crisis facing our youth. Today, they are asking
036us to add the district's names to our list to the sorry to their list. Uh we also discussed the Tik Tok challenge regarding inserting metal into Chromebooks and pencil lead and it's extremely dangerous and cause sparks fumes and issues with the batteries and it's not good. Then what uh we also discussed what Karen um mentioned regarding the uh change in RX coverage. Um, honestly, she hit it on the the head with, but I do want to specify there is no decrease at all in the uh current coverage. The only difference is that it has some potential um cost savings there. The three-year rate um increase with Express Scripts was 50% and with Benard it was 25%. which is pretty significant change. And that's pretty much it. The the delaying the change would result in a
037pretty large loss of up to 90,000. Uh and then yeah, that's all. Oh, and 95% of pharmacies participate in Venard. So, it is good. important. Thank you, Mr. Frasier. Um, Mrs. Juet, can you give the report for the policy committee, please? Okay. The uh policy committee meeting met uh met on Wednesday, May 14th, and we started at 5:30 and it was virtual and I think we went to about seven, but maybe even more. It was a big meeting. It was a good meeting. Okay. Committee members, Danielle Medio is our chair. Phyllis Duet, alternates are Manny Gonzalez and Jessica Maddox, and uh administration and guests were Julie Glazer and Pinky Nielsen. Transportation. The committee reviewed a revised policy uh policy 86000 that combined wording from our district and the high school and felt comfortable moving it
038to a first reading with some adjustments. Revised version is available in the folder. The busing safety guideline document for transportation coordinators was also reviewed a final time and will be shared with the full board after an update to the escalation protocols. Next steps, Dr. Glazer will provide the escalation protocols. Danielle and Kelly will catch up on distance measurements of bus stops. Okay. BO167 public transportation and board meetings. No feedback was received. This language has been added to the board meeting agendas going forward. Let's see. P8601, student supervision after school dismissal and associated documentation. Okay. Revised policy 8601. The committee is comfortable with this policy. Danielle and Pinky will review language together and make revisions for clarity. Then this can be moved to a first reading. Waiver language. A new waiver form will be added in
039the fall that families must fill out to permit someone who is not a parent or guardian to pick up their child from school. This is a new protocol that will require photo ID at pickup. The committee urged administration to embed this form into the current programs and processes. Next step, photo ID language will be added to the waiver form. Okay. policy and um let's see 2440 summer programs no feedback was provided so this will move to a second reading while most AI programs require users to be 13 years and older there are websites that use AI to support work that teachers are currently employing in the classroom such as Canva and Google Maps next steps teachers will provide a list of these AI supportive websites for policy going forward. We will follow up again next
040month. All other policies up for review in May were moved to the June meeting. Thank you. Any questions? Um, moving on to the ad hoc negotiations committee, Mr. Gonzalez. Sure. The committee met uh with the union on May 1st and we will meet again with them on May 28th. Thank you. I Moving on to board liaison reports. Um, anything from the legislative liaison? Uh, sure. Again, pretty short. So, bill A4762 was passed by the Assembly Education Committee on Thursday, May 8th, and it is just mentioning water safety month. Uh it would the bill would designate May of each year as water safety month in New Jersey and would encourage the New Jersey Department of Education in consultation with the state department of health to provide resources to school districts to hold presentations and educational activities
041during the month for students in grades K through 5. Um don't believe anything else new has passed yet. Thank you. Uh Mrs. Maddox, do you have an update from the Somerset County Educational Service? No updates. Um, Mr. Fra, did you have Mrs. Amado's um Somerset County School Boards Association report? Probably somewhere. Could you come back? I'll give you I'll come back to you. Sorry about going for you guys to get your um your plaque. We had the pictures up there. I can do that. Um, for the school boards association report, um, we received our plaque for our board certification on May 8th from the New Jersey School Boards Association. Um, and they will come and present it to the full board for everyone who missed it at our next meeting on June 19th. Um, and
042also everybody got an email about the board self-evaluation process. The um, portal is open. you can go in and um see our goals and input all your thoughts. Um I do have You ready? Yeah. Okay, go ahead. So, like Jen mentioned, we um attended the county meeting on May 8th to receive our um plaque for the board certification. Uh the event we attended also provided county and legislative updates and promoted some upcoming virtual trainings such as the ones on May 29th at 1 p.m. a webinar on organizational leadership, culture and change. May 30th full webinar on popular topics from last year's workshops and June 8th which is the AI conference which and it is a full day at the Mercer conference center. Thank you. Um excuse me. I have no update from the regionalization committee.
043We haven't met. Um and then Dr. Glazer, do you have an update from the Morris Union joint? Sure. Got this meeting. June 5th is when we meet. Great. Thank you. Um moving on to community community engagement. Do we have anyone from the PTO? Anyone from W? Go ahead. Good evening everyone. Angela Millie of the Watch Educational Foundation. Just one update. We are having a dine to donate for a fundraiser for June 9th and 10th at Capitol Craft Brewing and it's both lunch and dinner. So you have every opportunity to be there and they're donating 50% of the proceeds from the dinners and lunches to W. So we're very excited that we have two days and we'll be sending out flyers for that and appreciate your support and that of the community. Thank you. How will
044you be sending out those flyers? Um, we're we're going to post those on social media and we'll share them with the principles and whomever else wants them. We'll share them with the board. Send to me. That'd be great. Awesome. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Thank you very much. Do we have anyone from CPEG? Okay, moving on to comments from the public on agenda items. We welcome input from the public. There are two times during the meeting when the public is invited to speak. The first opportunity to comment on agenda items only is now. The second opportunity for public comment is towards the end of the meeting. Total time allotted for public comment is 30 minutes. Before you make your comment, please state your name and municipality of residents. In the event it appears the
045public comment portion of the meeting may exceed 30 minutes, the presiding officer may limit each statement made by a participant to 3 minutes duration. Our public forums are not structured as a question and answer session, but rather are offered as opportunities to share input with the board. In instances where the board feels a response is needed, the presiding officer or superintendent will address the comment. New Jersey statutes do not permit the board to discuss personnel or hiring in public session. Names of students should not be used. Members of the public should consider their comments in light of legal rights of those affected and identified in their comments and be made aware that they are personally legally responsible with potential liabilities for comments that they make to the board. The board shall not be held liable
046for comments made by members of the public. Do you have any comments from the [Music] public? Okay. So, we do not need an executive session today, which I'm happy to say. So, we can move on to our action items. Um, Mr. Thank you, Madam President. Oh, you're very welcome, Mrs. Harvey. Um, Mr. Fra, can you move administrative items, please? Sure. I move administrative I make a motion to move administrative items. One, approve minutes of previous meeting. Two, approve special education placement. Three, approve extension of shared services agreement with Wong Burough for a school resource officer for the 2024 2025 school year. Four, approve the memorandum of understanding between the Wong Burough school district and new New Jersey office of emergency management. Five, accept school bus emergency evacuation drill report. And six, accept Bayberry and Valley
047View School drill reports. Second. Did you get the second? Yes. Any discussion? No. Okay, we're ready for a roll call. Okay. Mr. Gonzalez, yes. Mrs. Duet, yes. Mrs. Maddox, yes. Mrs. Harvey, yes. Mr. Fra, yes. Mrs. Egliero, yes. And Mrs. Amado, Mr. Craft, and Mrs. Santos are absent. The motion passes. Thank you. Um, Mrs. Maddox, could you move the items under personnel, please? Yes. I move to uh approve um appointment of certificate staff. Move to approve summer technology staff. Move to approve accept resignation. Uh I move to approve revised leaves of absence. Move to approve unpaid absences. I move to approve a point 2025 extended school year ESY instructional staff. Move to approve appoint extended school year um ESY related services staff. Move to appoint extended school year ESY professional staff and I move to
048approve a point summer pursuit of excellence staff program staff. Um, move to approve trial study team members for summer 2025 evaluations and case management. Move to approve certificate staff to participate in summer 2025 IEP meetings. Move to approve summer hours for Valley View Counselor. Move to approve district summer 2025 before and afterare program staff. Move to approve revised extracurricular positions. Have a second. Second. Any discussion? I'd like to welcome Mrs. Kas Kaski to the district. We've heard great things. Any other discussion? Okay. Can move to roll call, please. Yes. Mr. Gonzalez. Yes. Mrs. Duet. Yes. Mr. Fra? Yes, Mrs. Maddox. Yes, Mrs. Harvey. Yes, Mrs. Aguilaro. Yes. And Mrs. Amado, Mr. Craft, and Mrs. Santos are absent. Motion passes. Thank you. Uh, Mr. Gonzalez, can you move items under operation finance, please? Sure. I make
049a motion to uh move action item number one, approve payments of bills. Number two, approve transfer of funds of 2024 2025. Number three, accept financial reports. Number four, approve revised change of order for Bayberry and Valley View HVAC upgrades. Number five, approve revised change order for Bay and Valley View HVAC upgrades. Number six, approve change order for Bay and Valley View Hback upgrade. Number seven, approve order for Valley View change. And it seems like they're all the same. Change back value upgrades. Number eight, approve changes to group medical insurance carrier. Number nine, appoint school health insurance funds shift alternate funds commissioner. 10, approve and hire paid training. 11, appoint professional services providers. 12. Approve professional services provider list. 13. Approve the preschool at Bayberry School for 2025 school summer summer school program. 14. Approve appoint
050the district treasurer. 15. Approve adult engagement letter. 16. Approve prek tuition rate. 17. Approve before and after care costs for summer 2025. 18. Approve professional development business and related expenses. 19. Accept donations for first grade butter butterfly kits. 20. Accept donations for funds of art show. 21. Donations Accept donations for the kissing handbook. 22. Accept donations for preschool petting zoo. 23. Accept donations for fourth grade move up. 24. Accept donations to support art program. 25. End of year gift. 26. Accept donations for risers. 27. Accept donations for end of year Lu Luau. 28. Accept donations for early act club. 29. Accept donations for Chinese acrobat assembly. 30. Accept donations of field day and 31 accept donations for preschool move up. Second. Good job. Any discussion? Only again this month. Thank you to the PTO. This
051represents another um more than $30,000 donated to the schools. Very, very generous and we're very grateful. Yes, I agree. Thank you very much to the PTO. Um any other discussion to roll call, please. Okay, Mrs. Harvey. [Music] Yes. Mrs. Maddox. Yes. Mr. Frraise. Yes. Mr. Gonzalez. Yes. Mrs. Duet. Yes. Mrs. Agliero. Yes. Okay. Mrs. Amado, Mr. Craft, and Mrs. Santos are absent. The motion passes. Thank you. U Mrs. Harvey, can you move the items under curriculum, please? Sure. Phyis, I was just saying you should have sat over here cuz you're all by yourself over there and I want to know why do I get the alphabet but everybody else gets numbers. Notice that too is a setup. Same in policy. I'm just saying. Oh, okay. 20 meters. Nobody else noticed, but thank you. Um, I'd
052like to move A, adopt adopt program and curriculum. B, adopt grades K to4 math textbooks. C, adopt grades 5 to 8 mathematics textbooks. D, adopt grades K to 4 English language arts textbooks. E, readopt K to8 district textbooks. F. Adopt evaluation instrument for certified staff. G. Adopt evaluation platform for certified staff and administrators. H. Approve the 2025 district extended school year program and dates. I approve the district's 2025 summer before and um afterare program and dates. J. Revis location. And I'm presuming maybe it's letters because we're the curriculum committee. No. No. Wrote a note though to follow it up. Second. Thanks. Any discussion? Just want to say I'm very excited about the new curriculum. Sounds um like it's going to be quite amazing. Yeah. The teachers, I have to say, did an amazing job reviewing
053materials. um being able to use materials in their classroom this year to really make an informed decision. I think everybody's really excited to have those new resources and we'll like um Mrs. Harvey shared, we'll be excited to showcase them to the families in September. Okay, roll call, please. Okay, Mr. Gonzalez. Sure. Yes, Mrs. Duet. Uh, yes, Mrs. Maddox. Yes, Mr. Fra. Yes, Mrs. Aaro. Yes, Mrs. Harvey. Yes, Mrs. Amado, Mr. Craft, and Mrs. Santos are absent. The motion passes. Thank you. Mrs. Dwet, could you move the items under policy, please? Okay. Let's see. For first reading, uh, student supervision, after school dismissal, and student transportation. Second reading, public participation in schoolboard meetings, uh, summer sessions, promotion and retention, school board threat assessment teams. Second. Any discussion? Yes. I just wanted to thank the policy committee
054because I've been reading all of your stuff and you guys are doing a lot of work and I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you, Jory. Thank you, Mr. Frraise. Yes, Mrs. Harvey. Yes. Mrs. Maddox, yes. Mr. Gonzalez, yes. Mrs. Duet, yes. Mrs. Agliero, yes. Mrs. Amado, Mr. Craft, and Mrs. Santos are absent. The motion passes. Okay. Thank you. Moving on to board business. Okay. I have something So where transparency is important to maintain accountability and public trust. So as such I'm going to share the outcome of former board member Anthony Gracia's petition against the board. As you are all aware in February of 2024, Mr. Ingrassia disagreed with the process the board adopted to fill a board member vacancy. When he was unsuccessful in changing the majority board decision regarding the process, he filed a
055petition against the board with the ed commissioner of education. On April 9th of this year, an initial decision was given by the administrative law judge on this matter. The judge wrote, "Ultimately, school boards must hold the respect and confidence of the people and ensure and preserve public confidence in their conduct." NJSA18A12-22. The legislature appears to have intentionally constructed the relevant statutes to have this effect. Written board policy furthers this intention by establishing the procedure through which a school board complies with its obligation to the public. Guidance from both the commission as well as the New Jersey School Boards Association further indicates that a board's primary requirement is to comply with both statute and policy. The New Jersey School Boards Association suggests that it may be prudent to obtain as much information as possible from candidates
056seeking to fill a vacancy, but that the interview process rather than the written application process is the best means to do so prior to the board's closed deliberations. The judge further wrote that the board appears to have complied with its duty to serve the public. The board's policy notes the importance of public disclosure of deliberations, policy formulation, and the decision-making process. The 30inut preliminary opportunity to review the candidates resumes prior to the meeting appears less important to the process than the candidate interviews. The New Jersey School Board's Association provides guidance about the interview process conducted in public session. The board had the opportunity to comprehensively understand the eligible candidates during the interview process. After the interviews, the board deliberated in executive session for over an hour using the information provided to the board members during
057the interviews, the most important part of the vacancy filling process. Thus, it appears that the board acted appropriately using the information available to both the board and the public in filling the vacancy. Applying the law to the credible facts, I conclude that the board did not er in refusing to accept the applications submitted via email, in refusing to provide those applications to the petitioner or other board members, or in reviewing the applications for only 30 minutes prior to the candidate interviews. I further conclude that the board complied with the statutory requirements of NJSA18A12-15F, its written policy regarding vacancies, the notice provided to the public, and its duty to the public as a whole. It is hereby ordered that the respondents, that's the board, motion for summary decision is granted and the petitioners, that's Mr. Ingrassia,
058cross motion for a summary decision is denied. Mr. Ingrassi appealed the judge's ruling, but on May 19th, the Commissioner of Education dismissed the appeal and adopted the judge's decision as final. In summary, it was ruled that the board's process to fill the vacancy was proper. This petition cost the district time, effort, and money in the form of legal fees. The financial cost resulting from this petition is approximately $42,000. That's $42,000 that could have been spent in the classroom. While this is extremely disappointing, it's important to note that the this loss of resources was caused by the action of an individual who is no longer on the board. This current board works differently and I'm proud of the work that has been done over the past year to ensure that this type of action is considered
059unacceptable and won't occur again. We discuss decisions respectfully, listen and consider opposing opinions, and don't exert pressure on board members to vote a certain way. Each person's thoughts, views, and votes are valued, even when we disagree. The majority opinion is accepted and adopted by all. We function best when we work together, and that's what the kids, staff, and community deserve. Despite what has transpired in the past, we have successfully come together as a board with the common goal of providing excellence on the hill. The costs incurred here are are a reminder of the importance of that. Any comments? Frustrating to say the least. Thank you for saying that. You're welcome. I think it's important to share and be transparent. What's big cost? I just I just wanted to say um thank you for for reading
060that and sharing that with the public because I think it's important as you mentioned that there is full transparency in regards to where the finances do go and and how we spend, but also um working collaboratively as a a cohesive group even when we agree and when we don't agree. So, thank you for sharing that. It's very important. Um, okay. No one else. All right. Moving on to comments from the public. We have any further comments? Okay. All in a motion. I move to adjurnn. So moved. I to move straight to all in agreement. Say a I I a I ai. Meeting adjourned. [Music]