i would like to call the meeting to order in accordance with the provisions of the New Jersey Open Public Meeting Act of 1975 the Ottabon Board of Education transmitted notice of the meeting scheduled at 6:30 p.m the Ottabon Junior Senior High School Media Center to the Retrospect newspaper and
clerk and by postings on the Ottabon Public School District website and at the main and the Pine Street entrances of the junior senior high school roll call please mrs ron Amy Davis here steven Wilson absent sarah
Alison Lipsky absent mark Gaddy wilson abanches Alison Cox Andrea Robinson absent Jonathan Max All right
i just talked to Bill there we go all right whereas while the Senator Byron open public meetings act requires all meetings of the Ottabon Board of Education to be held in public NJSA 104-2 sets for nine types of matters
that may lawfully be discussed in executive session i.e without the public being permitted to attend and whereas the Ottabon Board of Education has deemed it necessary to go into close session to discuss certain matters as are noted on the agenda may I have a motion to go into executive session
all in favor any opposed we will be approximately 30 minutes all right may I have a motion to reconvene the board of education meeting all in favor any opposed all right once again I'd like to
call the meeting to order and Ask everyone to please stand for the flag salute united States of America to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisibley and justice for all
next I'd like to ask our student representatives to make their reports everybody I have a couple things I wanted to talk about this meeting the first thing is NJGPA teaching uh testing the 11th graders took it last week 98% of students took it only 2% are going to
have to do makeup this week the school day was not interrupted everybody else followed a normal school schedule which is good because that is one of the big goals of our education committee and other committees on the board um senior trip is coming up on Monday so any senior that signed up to go will be
going to Disney until Friday um there is the art for unity event on April 1st which is with no heat in the garden state there are all so you can submit like an art project you can do like singing you can do singing writing all that type of that's really cool um very nice for
anybody in the community to show up um there are many college fairs and career fairs coming up around southern New Jersey um if you look on the council corner which was sent to your a bunch of stuff about that and a bunch of links to things that you are able to access and
go to to further yourself in that field our girls and boys winter track broke a bunch of records um over their season they had a real season we had a 4x4 team for our sprint medley relay go to Nike Indoor Nationals um they placed
fourth out of 28 teams and had a 5-second school record so that's really exciting congrats It is National Athletic Trainers Month so we wanted to say thank you to Liam Corbal who is our school's athletic trainer job providing everything we need um and helping us with a whole bunch of
stuff so thank you Liam two weeks ago there was Prom the Musical which was a really great musical he was whether that be in the cast and stage crew everybody involved did a really great job and then the last thing I wanted to talk about was Prom is
coming up prom tickets go on sale on April 1st and then prom tables shortly after so if you are a junior or are getting invited by one of those grades super exciting buy your ticket yay jane pretty much covered all the bases
there um but recently there's a many from welcoming committee that's uh being trying to be formed um I made the Google form and everything and there's a lot of participants so soon we will try to crack down on that and get all the people in that because we uh are nearing
the time for n from kids to come over here really excited about that it's going to be great and really help from kids come over and blend in with their wheels great guys thank you very much any questions for our student reps
all right terrific next we're going to move on to arguably the highlight of our evening we're going to have our students of the month spotlight for February 2025 and we are also going to recognize our staff members of the month so we will
get started with our pre kindergarten students for preschool we have Nathan Williams is Nathan here come on up [Applause] yes everyone's invited to come up if you need to come with your special grown-up
that's absolutely fine and make sure that you stay at the end so that we can take a group picture nathan Williams was chosen as student of the month because he demonstrates all the characteristics of swarm nathan prioritizes safety by
following directions carefully and ensuring those around him feel secure his focus on safety inspires others to follow rules as he gently reminds his classmates to stay on track very good nathan works together with his peers
demonstrating collaboration and willingness to support others in group activities he naturally guides his peers leading by example and showing a genuine interest in helping others learn nathan demonstrates a strong commitment to learning which helps him
achieve his goals with determination and curiosity eager eagerly exploring new learning opportunities his respectful attitude shows through his interactions as he listens shares and shows kindness
to everyone in the classroom lastly his mindfulness allows him to regulate his emotions and be aware of how his actions affect others if he makes a mistake he quickly apologizes without a grown-up around when faced with sadness he
quickly bounces back and moves on with a sense of calm and understanding his curiosity and eagerness to learn is truly inspiring nathan Nathan is an asset to have in our classroom his teacher writes "I am confident that
Nathan will continue to inspire others with his presence and genuine compassion we are so proud of you Nathan congratulations." Okay you take that thank you and for kindergarten we have Evelyn
Whistler is she here today all right hi how are you this is for you open it up and you can face the crowd as I read some wonderful things about you okay evelyn was nominated as the kindergarten student of the month student of the
month and has done an exceptional job so far this school year and always comes into the classroom with a smile and a positive attitude that is contagious to her classmates evelyn is a friendly Havlin Hornet who displays safe
respectful and responsible behavior each and every day toward her classmates and teachers she goes above and beyond to help her peers evelyn's hard work passion for learning and a desire to do well is a great combination for success
we are lucky to have such a responsible Havlin Hornet in our classroom and are very excited to award Evelyn student of the month congratulations high five oh the um Catalina La
Palama is uh February's first grade student of the month there she is wow congratulations right there catalina's teacher says that she is very deserving of this award for many reasons
she exemplifies all the PBIS traits of being respectful responsible and safe catalina is a wonderful role model for other students she models respectful behavior by raising her hand helping others and following school procedures she shows responsibility through her
independence in completing assignments and knowing all the classroom procedures and expectations without having to be reminded catalina takes pride in her school work and always gives 110% effort she has a
growth mindset and is willing to take chances and challenge herself with activities that may seem difficult she never backs down from a challenge finally Catalina follows the rules of the playground and hallway so that she and other students can stay safe
catalina started first grade as a quiet and shy student she was reserved and often held back from interacting with her classmates catalina has found her voice and confidence she has made many friendships and now initiates playing with her peers catalina is still quiet
but she is no longer reserved and shy catalina's academic and personal growth has been a joy to watch congratulations Catalina we and your teacher are excited to see what you do what the rest of your brains congratulations good job
harrison Venet Shaw Warren is February's second grade student of the month all right there you go harrison you want to stand right there in their nomination for second grade student of the month Harrison's teacher states that Harrison is a model student
in the classroom who always does his best work inside the our classroom in the cafeteria and on the playground harrison is a role model to his peers by always being safe respectful and responsible he goes out of his way to help other students and is not afraid to
do the right thing in addition Harrison contributes meaningfully to class discussions he loves to share his knowledge with us about science and math harrison is quiet but once you get him started on a topic that he is interested in he will likely teach you a thing or
two harrison's teacher is excited to see him continue to grow during his time here in Havlin and looks forward to hearing about the amazing things he will accomplish as he grows congratulations Harrison alicia Shabbaz known as Ellie
[Applause] thank you so Ellie is nominated as the third grade student of the month ellie has demonstrated raw
behaviors and qualities in every way ellie is respectful to teachers and peers she takes ownership for her own learning by participating and asking questions during lessons if she does not understand something she is not afraid to ask for help she is an She is in
constant competition with herself and is always striving to get 100% on her assignments ellie shows achievement by always doing her best and taking pride in her work she shows responsibility by handing in assignments on time and coming to school prepared for
assessments ellie is a hardworking student who takes school very seriously much more seriously than her little sister and has a positive attitude while doing it she has been a true pleasure to have in class congratulations
[Applause] all right for grade four Brody Preston [Applause] all right it is with great honor to recognize Brody Preston as student of
the month for fourth grade brody always does his very best to exemplify roar behavior at Mansion Avenue School he shows respect to both his peers and teachers brody shows ownership of his very best schoolwork achievement is shown as Brody always tries his best in
everything he does he also shows responsibility by always completing his assignments brody is a joy to have in class he works hard and always participates in class he is also always willing to help others congratulations Brody
you're welcome we have Fiona Conahan [Applause] fiona Conahan has earned the nomination of student of the month fiona consistently demonstrates Mansion's raw behaviors she's kind she's a kind
hardworking student who's always on task and puts forth her best effort in every lesson and assignment she's consistently engaged in the classroom and enjoys working with and helping her classmates in small groups fiona's dedication to both her academics and her peer relationships highlights her
understanding of Mansion's core values of respect ownership achievement and responsibility congratulations Fiona keep up the great work great job the sixth grade student of the month is Trevor Gregoire
[Applause] at Mansion Avenue School we were reminded daily of how the community and culture that we have cultivated throughout the years have helped to develop and nurture our students respect ownership achievement and responsibility
or ROAR are qualities that support and reinforce the colorful character of our school community at Mansion Avenue School we are fortunate to have model students like Trevor who mirror these traits trevor's contributions in our classroom discussions provide insight
and clarity to all subjects his strength in math is demonstrated by his ability to provide detailed analysis and problem solving skills in language arts he applies each reading and grammar skill to his own writing and takes pride in his work when using transitions in his
essays he remains curious and thoughtful regarding social studies and sub science subjects trevor plays hockey and baseball and is equally enthusiastic to participate in those sports his sense of humor and appreciation for sarcasm is also the reason that he is so warmly
loved by his classmates and teachers it is clear that Trevor's commitment and discipline is demonstrated in his work ethic and approach to his academics he works hard and challenges himself to do his very best he is an active learner and supports his peers trevor is always
polite and his demonstration of roar expectations are immeasurable for all these reasons and more Trevor has earned our designation of sixth grade student of the month congratulations Trevor and for seventh grade we have Ava Dill
[Applause] Diachill ava Diachill has been selected as a seventh grade student of the month for her dedication hard work and well-rounded involvement in both academics and extracurricular activities she is a diligent student who balances her time between soccer band and choir
while maintaining a strong commitment to her studies since the beginning of the school year Ava has demonstrated a keen interest in robotics showing both initiative and enthusiasm in exploring coding concepts she not only completes her assignments quickly and efficiently but also takes the extra step to collaborate
with her partner and expand on coding possibilities beyond what is required ava is always willing to lend a helping hand to her classmates making her a supportive and valued member of the classroom her favorite subject is math where she continues to excel with her problemsolving skills and determination
outside of school she enjoys spending time with her two sisters her brother and her two birds ava's curiosity kindness and strong work ethic make her a pleasure to have in class and she is truly deserving of this recognition [Applause]
all right and for our grade eight student of the month we have Scarlett Lopez [Applause] Campos congratulations scarlett Lopez Campos has been selected as Ottabbon's eighth grade student of the month for her outstanding work ethic and positive
attitude she's a dedicated student who always puts in the best her best effort and actively participates in class discussions scarlet is known for her willingness to assist her classmates whether by offering a helping hand with assignments or encouraging them to stay engaged her cheerful her cheerful
personality and constant smile help create a welcoming and enjoyable classroom environment she is not only a hardworking student but also a kind and supportive friend to those around her outside of school Scarlet enjoys swimming for Tavistock in the summer where she demonstrates her dedication and teamwork she has a passion for
English class and loves spending time with her friends scarlet's enthusiasm for learning and the abil and her ability to brighten the mood in any situation make her a true asset to Ottabbon Junior High her teachers appreciate her strong effort kindness and positive influence on her peers congrats to Scarlet on her this
well-deserved recognition [Applause] congratulations lauren Hagen is the freshman class student of the month i was looking in the big group over
there there you go thank you so much good job lauren Hagen is the type of student who reminds you why you chose to work in education she consistently goes above and beyond not only completing her work with excellence but also striving to
improve and challenge herself her hardworking nature and positive attitude make her a joy to have in the classroom lauren always has a smile on her face and is eager to help her peers where whenever they need assistance she is a role model for her classmates
demonstrating kindness dedication and a strong work ethic in addition to her academic achievements Lauren is also a talented athlete playing field hockey in the fall and preparing to participate in lacrosse this spring hold on her ability to balance both academics and athletics
with grace and enthusiasm is truly commendable lauren's positive influence extends beyond the classroom as she leads by example with her determination and generosity she's a student who not only meets expectations but exceeds them making a lasting impact on those around
her [Applause] congratulations rihanna Murphy is Ottabon's 10th grade student of the month
[Applause] briana Murphy Ottabon's 10th grade student of the month is one of the hardest working and kindest students at AHS she has maintained an A average in every class this year and earned an impressive 99.4 GPA last marking period
always striving for academic excellence Briana has enrolled in challenging courses and has not only risen to the occasion but has truly thrived demonstrating resilience dedication and a passion for learning her nomination for student of the month is not just a reflection of her outstanding academic
achievements but also her exceptional character briana is dedicated focused and constantly progressing in the classroom but what stands out most is her kindness toward her peers respect for her teachers and consistently positive attitude she embodies the
values of rigor and excellence that AHS takes pride in fostering beyond academics Briana has a passion for science and hopes to study a science related field in college briana's commitment to both her studies and her character makes her an excellent role model for her classmates and a deserving
recipient of this recognition congratulations [Applause] aison Young has been selected as Ottabban High School's 11th grade student of the month aison Young has been selected as
Ottabban High School's 11th grade student of the month for his outstanding dedication both in the classroom and on the court aison is a hardworking student who always comes to class prepared and ready to learn he's known for his kindness and willingness to help others
always celebrating the success of his peers his positive attitude and everpresent smile make him a pleasure to have in class aison is not only respectful to his teachers and staff members but also serves as a role model for his classmates on the basketball
court he reached an incredible milestone this year scoring his 1,000th career point while helping lead the Green Wade to the South Jersey quarterfinals we need him on the Sixers with another season ahead he currently ranks eighth all time in scoring for boys basketball
at Ottabon beyond his athletic and academic achievements Aison enjoys reading writing and cooking he has two brothers including a younger one who's a freshman at Ottabon aison has great potential academically and if he continues to push himself anything is
possible for his future looking ahead he plans to study business in college and pursue a real estate license demonstrating his ambition and drive for success congratulations Aison and our senior class student of the month is Payton Scott
[Applause] payton is an outstanding student whose kindness dedication and enthusiasm make him a valued member of the Ottabon High School community he is always respectful caring and willing to engage with both his peers and teachers greeting everyone
with a smile obviously evident in the hallways and classrooms payton is a hard-working student who consistently puts in the effort to reach his full potential if he encounters challenges he takes the initiative to ask for help and find ways to improve demonstrating his
commitment to learning his positive attitude and perseverance make him a bright spot in the classroom and his determination to succeed sets an ex excellent example for others beyond his academic achievements Payton has a deep passion for art and has taken on the
challenge of expanding his skills particularly in working with clay he eagerly experiments with new techniques and seeks out additional resources to enhance his understanding of different artistic styles and periods his curiosity and drive extend beyond the
classroom as he actively studies art at home and borrows books to deepen his knowledge payton's dedication to personal growth is also evident in his involvement in extracurricular activities as a member of the cross country and track teams and the National
Honor Society his kindness enthusiasm and work ethic make him incredibly deserving of this recognition with his passion for art education and his willingness to always better himself Pton is sure to make a meaningful impact in his future endeavors congratulations
[Applause] All right next we are going to recognize some of our staff members uh for the month of February 2025 and for our preschool on Havlin Avenue we will start with Gwen
[Applause] Klouse mrs i'm Hang on one second mrs ledger I'm sorry some people are leaving please if you're able to stay um students please make sure that you stay because we want to take a group shot and and faculty members too at the end thank
you thank you for coming out this evening um the Havland Avenue educator of the month for February 2025 is Mrs gwen Klaus as a basic skills teacher Mrs klaus provides push-in and pull out small groupoup instruction in first and second grade the interventions that she
provides help students focus on specific skills where they are struggling so that they can tackle problems and get back on track to meet grade level expectations this type of support helps build tenacity and stamina in our students resulting not only in improved academic performance but also increased
confidence and self-esteem mrs klaus models a can do attitude and celebrate success with her students their trust in her is evident as they seek her out for support when needed in addition to the valuable contributions made in the classroom Mrs claus seeks professional growth opportunities as well as ways to
be more involved in our school community she can be counted on to lend a hand when needed and excuse me I got ahead of myself she collaborated with colleagues to plan the ReadAcross America activities for our building for the past two years as a co-teer she is a leader in the classroom and she contributes to
professional dialogue with insight and using data to make informed instructional decisions for our students mrs klouse greets students with a smile helps them succeed in school and is an asset to our Havlin school family we are grateful for her service and proud to honor her as our Havland Avenue Educator
of the Month next for Mansion Avenue we have Janine Gilbrook [Applause] yes she didn't make it the Mansion Avenue staff member of the month for
February 2025 is Janine Gilbrook janine is always radiating positivity consistently brightening the school environment no matter what challenges arise her upbeat attitude never falters her enthusiasm is contagious and it plays a key role in creating an atmosphere where both students and staff
feel supported motivated and appreciated students are especi especially fond of Miss Janine they trust her deeply and know they can rely on her to help them navigate even the toughest challenges she has an incredible ability to meet students where they are and push them to
achieve success whether it's academic challenges or social emotional growth Janine provides unwavering support encouragement and guidance her dedication helps students not only overcome obstacles but feel a sense of pride in their accomplishments
janine is also a beloved member of the staff she is has a remarkable ability to lift others up often often reminding us why we chose to enter the field of education in the first place for the love of students and the care we share for one another janine is always ready
to lend a helping hand share a kind word or offer thoughtful advice when needed she exemplifies the core values of teamwork compassion and dedication making her an invaluable asset to our school community for all of these reasons and more Janine is truly
deserving of this recognition her impact at Mansion Avenue is immeasurable and we're lucky to have her as part of our team [Applause] and for the Ottabon Junior Senior High
School we have Thea Reichi [Applause] good evening everybody it is with great pleasure that we recognize Thea Richie as our teacher of the month as a health
and PE teacher Thea consistently demonstrates unwavering dedication and passion for both her students and her craft her enthusiasm for teaching and commitment to her students success is evident in everything she does inspiring those around her to engage fully in the
lessons and activities she leads beyond her exceptional teaching Thea goes above and beyond to contribute to the school community she is always willing to lend a hand whether it's covering classes adjusting schedules or offering support to her colleagues her flexibility and
collaborative spirit make her an invaluable team member and her kindness and positive attitude help create an environment that fosters growth and success for everyone thea is not only a fantastic educator but also a wonderful person to work with her passion work
ethic and caring nature make her a true asset to our school and we are incredibly fortunate to have her as part of the Ottabban family congratulations to Thea on being named teacher of the month and thank you for being a true example of pride and [Applause]
excellence fantastic all right if we could have all of our students of the month and our faculty staff members of the month you guys could just head over there to the glass doors we'll get some pictures of the month we don't have any official
presentations this evening so I'm going to uh turn the mic over to Miss Allen to give us uh her superintendent report thank you uh on 3:14 we had our strategic planning work session we had approximately 20 people in attendance
mostly teachers a few administrators and parents we worked on the four major goals that you can see on the website they were broken down into three actionable goals and action plans were developed um now the consultant has the information it will all get put into a finalized and brought back to the board
to review but we were very happy with the work product that we got out of that day's work um I was going to talk about the NJ GPA but our students did we did have 98% attendance that was fabulous thank you parents for supporting and sending the students to school to make sure we get that uh assessment done one
last thing was if you didn't have an opportunity to attend the school play it was very I wanted to give a shout out to the students staff the crew the everybody involved because it's a whole lot of people to make that happen parents involved as well and it was a really really nice
performance so I hope everybody got a chance to see that um I would just like to piggyback a little bit on um how wonderful the work day was for the strategic plan action committee i was fortunate enough
to be able to attend that day and just the collaborative efforts of everybody in the room it was just very inspiring and and um just excellent conversations were had i mean we we had a table where you had an AP math teacher talking to a first grade teacher it was just um a a
wonderful wonderful day and um I would uh again like to thank um Miss Allen for her work from beginning the project back in December when we did the student surveys and all the advertising to this point uh where we are right now so thank
you very much for your efforts in uh in helping us to achieve the strategic plan which we've been longing for for many years absolutely okay um moving on to approval of board minutes may I have a motion to approve the minutes for February 19th executive session and
public session roll call please andrea Robinson yes bill Wilson alison Cox yes danielle D franchesco Mark Gaddy yes sarah Cen
Alison Lipsky yes jonathan Maxon yes amy Davis yes motion passed thank you all right next on the agenda is our first public participation session the board of education recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of
the public to express themselves on school matters of community interest in order to permit the fair and orderly expression of such comment the board has set aside two portions of this board meeting for public comment on any school or school district issue that a member
of the public feels may be of interest to the residents of the school district for the first portion public comments are invited on matters pertaining only to the agenda for tonight's meeting and for the second portion public comments are invited on all matters pertaining to
the school district participants should announce their name address and any group they may represent if applicable the board reserves the right to limit public discussion and public discussion of a topic will be limited to 15 minutes and individual speakers will be limited
to three minutes no participant may speak more than once on the same topic until all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard and please reference bylaw number 0167 of the Ottabon Public Schools Board of Education manual the board uses the
public comment period as an opportunity to listen to citizens not all issues brought to a board meeting will be resolved at that particular meeting complaints stated or actions requested by the public may be taken under advisement by the board for investigation discussion action or
disposition at a later date or time the public comments sessions are an opportunity for citizens to share their opinions and remarks with the board it is not a question and answer session the board may or may not respond to public comments at the time they are made and
is under no obligation to do so the board does not endorse public comments nor will the board be held liable for comments made by members of the public any individuals who may be the subject of public comments including district employees shall retain all rights
against defamation and slander according to the laws of New Jersey having said that is there anyone who would like to make a public comment hi my name is Jay Maponey i live at 30 East Merchant Street um I represent the students of Ottabon Junior Senior High
School um we have come today to talk about the elimination of the position of the mental health um assistant counselor position miss Ko is a beloved figure in our counseling department she runs things like our grief group and our lunch groups which help many students
she helps with mental health counseling she helps with interventions drug and alcohol counseling she is our homeless student liaison she has many different different certifications than other counselors and other staff members in the building so she's able to help us in
so many different ways it's such a great resource for people who don't have regular ass access to things like therapy and other mental health resources everybody has such a high opinion of Miss Kao and she's able to devote such a great amount of time to
each student and help with everybody's each specific needs nobody does the same thing as her in school as everybody else is more so geared towards school related things whereas she is somebody that can help you with anything that happens in your personal life i myself have utilized Miss CBO when it came to things
like the loss of my dad in my junior year she when I finally came back to school she called me down immediately and discussed things with me and helped me find resources she's the reason why I went to therapy she's the reason why I got on
medication we just want to say how upset we are about this decision for whatever it may be and I now want to invite Marissa and Jamie up hi I'm Marissa Derio i'm a junior ner place old park New Jersey
sorry i'm Jamie Reev and my address is 608 West Kings Highway Matt from New Jersey we the students of Ottabbon High School strongly oppose the decision to eliminate the mental health counselor position miss CBO is an essential part of our school community providing
providing support guidance and a safe space for students who are struggling with academic stress personal challenges and mental health concerns mental health is just as important as academic success and many students rely on Miss Cable for emotional support crisis intervention and resources that help them navigate
difficult times removing this position would leave students without a trusted professional to turn to negatively impacting our well-being in the overall school environment we urge the administration to reconsider the decision to eliminate the mental health counselor position recognize the critical role Miss Cable plays in
supporting students mental health and well-being ensure that students continue to have access to professional mental health support within the school we need our voices heard please do not take away this vital resource and yeah um should I read this okay we
got over roughly 250 signatures um Miss Cable is an essential part of our school community providing support guidance and a safe space for students who are struggling with academic stress personal challenges and mental health concerns mental health is not mental health is just as important as academic success
and many students rely on Miss Cable for emotional support crisis and resources that help them navigate difficult times by signing below we stand together to demand that Ottabon High School prioritize student mental health and keep the mental health counselor position intact
we're going to give you guys this petition and we invite anybody here that is here to support Miss CBO and the hopeful reversal of this decision we would invite you to stand up right now to show your support so my dad died my freshman year of high
school i was 14 and I'm sorry Miss Gabbo was there for me when I didn't really have anyone because I didn't really expect many people to understand what I was going through but next year my sister leaves
and it'll just be me and my mom and I know next year I will really struggle without Miss Cable and you know it's my last year and I truly think that she should like be here because she helps so many people for so many different reasons not just like death other things
she's a constant in everybody's life in the school and she's so essential to everybody and everybody's well-being so we just ask that this gets reconsidered or something is done about this that's it and that's all we have to say
thank you thank you good evening i'm Trisha Martell president of the Ottabon Education Association an educator in this district for 25 years tonight my comment pertains to operations agenda item 11 as you res review this tentative budget and move
towards finalizing the official budget I urge the board to prioritize retaining essential positions that provide critical and positive support for all of our students these roles are vital to student well-being and academic success
and every decision should reflect what is truly in the best interest of our students the safety and emotional well-being of our students are just as important as their academic growth our community as reflected in the strategic plan has recognized the need to support
students mental and emotional health alongside their physical and academic development these services are not optional they are essential i ask you to take the time between now and the final budget approval to explore every possible way to preserve these vital
resources our students rely on them and it is our responsibility to ensure that they continue to receive the support that they need to thrive thank you for your time and commitment to our students future [Applause]
good afternoon my name is Leo Davis and I'm a senior here and I'd like to talk about the removal of Miss Cable's position i'd like to start by saying I feel that I owe a lot to Miss Cable she has helped me through a very difficult time when I lost a close friend to suicide when I became incredibly distracted from school and sports she helped me with getting back on track and
I can confidently say that she has helped many other students in a similar regard as for the mental health counselor position I know that it stands out as one of the most significant roles in our school for much of the student body we have students who may not have anyone to talk to at home and who cannot afford therapy services outside of school so this position stands as a
fundamental piece of these students education without this role personal life issues are going to steamroll over the focus for academic success or athletic success and when these students start to fail their classes or lose in the sport they love it's just going to make an increasingly worse headsp space for these kids i have attended the
strategic planning meetings that have been held here for the past two months and that have been coming up with plans on how to improve our school in the future i saw countless times that teachers other staff members and people of the community noted wanting an improvement for students emotional and mental well-being and different facilities or techniques with helping
them terminating this position feels like a step away from what our community staff and students want and need out of a school system miss Cable is a key element in keeping a healthy and hardworking student body a key element to our school thank you hello so thank you for your time thank
you for allow Okay I'm not going to need the whole three minutes um I'm Chris Bane i'm at 1023 West Kings Highway in Mount Ephraim um I just wanted to share a little bit um Miss Cabo helped my son Luke recently he was a freshman here at
Ottabbon High School navigate through a navigate through suicidal ideiations self harm a suicide attempt and gender dysphoria without having the mental health counselor here I don't think he would have been as well supported as it
helped him navigate through with the guidance counselor and with us as parents we all work together as a team with therapists to get him where it's been he's been without self harm for two months and he is clear from suicidal ideiations
um Miss Cabo truly cares about our students you know our children's mental health i would impede the board of education to show that you care as well by reversing the decision to eliminate Miss Cabba's position thank you hi I'm Nicole Stallard um 45 Story
Avenue Mount Ephraim um I am also speaking on behalf of Miss CBO um I don't have anything formally written or anything i just wanted to come in front of you and say I really hope I'm an educator myself i work in a middle school with the same age students and we and my district are adding more mental
health care crisis counselors to our building because so many kids are in need right now we are in midst a big mental health care crisis as most of you may know and hopefully maybe you don't know and you're not struck by it at home however I am my son also lost his father for two of my sons here and my daughter soon to be here next year um and they
both utilize her to the fullest um and anybody who has teenagers at home knows that getting them to talk to anybody is nearly impossible we've been through so many counselors outpatient impatient virtual teleaalth you name it we've tried it it didn't work but Miss Kbo does and she is about the only person
that my 15-year-old will open up to right now and as anybody knows that's really important to have somebody so I'm encouraging you to please not take that away from not just my child but everybody else here that clearly utilizes her and we really need her and we need this position if not we need
more of her thank you hi my name is Is Gabriella Reeve um I graduated nine months ago um and Miss KBO still to this day is in contact with me um and if that
doesn't speak for itself then I don't know what will um she has worked closely with me um since she got here um she is the reason I graduated at all
um and she is the reason I am um I I moved out of my home i um I am in my own apartment now um I am going to a trauma therapist because of her
um and she has greatly impacted my life and my sister's life as well um so I'm not going to get into all of that but I would just ask you to
reconsider um eliminating her position that's all [Applause] hi I'm Katie Valerio 9 Stand Piper Place Ottabon Park New Jersey um also here to advocate for to keep the position of the
mental health counselor um when my husband was killed almost two years ago I was unable to be a parent to my children and without the support of the
services that the school provide in particular Miss CBO I don't know that my kids my children would be thriving as they are right now um a lot a lot of people in our towns recently had a lot of loss and she was able to pull
together grief um support counseling for them so instead of these children feeling isolated and alone they had each other they had other people that knew what they were going through and I've have applauded the school the
administration Miss CBO for the necessary services that she gave because I don't know where my children would be right now and I str I I implore the board to reconsider the decision because if the
children are not here mentally they are not here academically so we need them to be able to walk into this door and have someone that they can rely on and get them into the mental space where they can receive the education otherwise it's it's not going
to work so thank you hi my name is Lindsay Quinn i'm at 549 Maple Avenue i'm also here for Miss CBO and I looked at the numbers today and we have over 1400 students in this school and 9.5% will have a suicide attempt at some point um and that's over 100
students in this in this school district alone and over 200 of them will have suicide audiations and over 500 will suffer from serious deep despair i don't know how she alone would is going to handle that amount of kids and getting
rid of her who who are we putting in her place what are we doing to make sure that those kids are supported it's a big number and that number is rising every year it's not going down since co it's it's continued to climb at a steady pace districts around us are getting more and more people in that position and we're
getting a rid of it it's a scary thought i never thought I'd be in a position to need that help and I remember the day that my son told me that he was suffering and I called here desperate and Mr miller connected me with her and she saved my son she is the person that
he goes to when he doesn't feel like he can make it through the day he'll call me and panic she has gotten him out of class in the adult panic attack she's pro provided him a safe space as opposed to him needing to come home she provides him that safe space to get him back in class so that his day is not interrupted
so that he can continue his education he's here 35 hours a week now we have provided him services outside of school we have gotten him a trauma therapist but that's not an easy task and a lot of parents don't have those resources and it's a process so taking that out of his school
day it will be a devastating impact on our students here um I just really want that decision to be reconsidered i do know that a $155,000 budget cut is devastating and I don't know where we're going to make that money up i know that
losing that CO money that was supposed to be applied to mental health is also hard but if anybody in this world thinks that 5 years after CO that our kids are done suffering from the effects of it they're wrong i think the effects are
going to continue for years um I don't think after 5 years the kids are just over it and we don't still need to figure out how to support them um so just wanted to speak on her behalf if if not her we need to do something to make sure they're still supported thank
[Applause] you john Coochmeck for North Hood Avenue i'm also speaking on behalf of mental health um it's no surprise that people who have mental health problems especially school
it affects them absenteeism it affects their grades roughly 5% of kids actually never even finish school because of mental health issues that that's a lot right me personally when I was 18 lost my best friend I had no one no one
downward spiral luckily I met my wife and she picked me back up but I I really think you need to reconsider this right mental health is incredibly important and there's a lot going on in this world today and it's confusing everything from
social media right you have everything in front of your face kids have to actually deal with a lot more problems than we had to deal with when we were kids really reconsider this [Applause]
hi I am Sky Gang Gali i live at 53 Pac Avenue Ottabbon New Jersey i'm here tonight to advocate who for someone who advocated for me that being Miss Cbo i graduated in 2020 2023 all thanks to her
and it was a struggle it was a big struggle as you can see not only myself but my brother are here tonight to advocate for her along with everyone else in this room that you could see half more than half of this room stood up for her when looking towards
eliminating her position i believe that she should not at all at all be taken away from these students let alone this school district because of the impact that she has had on all of us i apologize miss Cable provided not only a
structured and activity-filled lunch group but she provided a lot of help bringing students together that were going through similar issues that we would have never known about that being if we didn't have her this brought me to
have so many long-term friendships even out of high school now and still being in contact with her and these students again that went through very similar issues as me being one homelessness and she helped me get through that being the last two years of my high school career and that being junior year and senior
year the two hardest years of my education so all props to her all thanks to her for helping me through that and many other students here thank you hi I can't even hear myself but hi I'm William Cook i live at 53 Pac Avenue
Autobon New Jersey uh I'm here to advocate for Miss Cable because Miss Ko was really the first person that I met in this school like me and her went to school and we only had one year together so after 8th grade it was really hard on
me so I ended up going to Miss CBO and I learned that Miss CBO could really help me and beneficiate from what my sister has helped me with and structuralize with my mental health and I feel that eliminating eliminating Miss Ku would
not help the structural that we have built up i feel this is a step back forth i know you guys and the board have lot to think about in money but mental health is number one and without mental
health I feel students would not be focused i feel my mental health sometimes I can't even focus in school sometimes and that's kind of hard so I have to go talk to her sometimes but when it helps to talk to somebody and
let things out cuz I don't really let things out when I cuz as a man you're taught to let things like you're I I see that men are never supposed to cry in front of women right right or wrong but
uh you're supposed to hold things in as a man and show that you're protective of others and their mental health thank [Applause]
you good evening my name is Romina Mako and I'm a freshman at AHS i live at 28 North Davis Avenue like many of my peers I am here to speak about the potential removal of one of our most important staff members Mrs cbo all throughout the year Mrs cbo has worked tirelessly to
support dozens of students dealing with various issues whether they be related to school or not not only does she counsel students who reach out to her she also goes out of her way to check in with any students she doesn't meet with regularly a little hello or how was your day from Mrs cable can be enough to turn
a bad day into a better one last year she would walk around in the cafeteria from table to table asking about her days and listening to our responses she made us feel seen and heard the whole counseling department is essential to Ottabon High School's overall well-being
each individual in the counseling department matters and when you deem one of these positions as expendable you forget just how hard they all work to improve Ottabon High School's atmosphere middle and high school students benefit greatly from counseling because especially during this age mental health
is extremely important to for their performance and overall quality of living lack of self-esteem anxiety depression and anger issues are just some of the factors that could interfere with a student's ability to participate in class all of these examples are real
issues that the counseling department including Mrs cbo help students cope with in a healthy manner mrs cbo is a hardworking caring and vital member of the AHS staff and eliminating her position from the school would be incredibly unfair to all the students
that rely on her guidance i really do hope you could reconsider your decision and that you think of the students that have benefited and grown from her guidance and support thank you for your [Applause]
time before we go any further with the public participation we have exceeded our 15 minute time limit per topic does the board wish to take any action at this time i'll second that
all in favor am I good to go now i didn't want to be removed at my first board meeting in a while so uh my name is Patrick Witz i live at 428 West Graceberry Avenue um I'm also here to speak about Miss CBO
um I'm speaking on behalf of the parents who have not had to interact with Miss CO um my family has been lucky enough to uh not have experienced any of the losses uh any of the uh the setbacks that some of the other families have
spoken about today uh but that doesn't mean uh we don't see the the value the the the love in this room um by expressed by some of these people and uh I didn't prepare anything because I
didn't have a chance to prepare anything um I found out about it was it today yesterday um which in retrospect as we look back over the years we had a year and a half to two years worth of uh uh
tours we took of the building to learn about where we were going to be investing the money rightfully so looks great right but uh we had how many forums Mr leb in regards to what the future of the Ottabon School District
was supposed to be and not once was any of this specifically brought up there wasn't any opportunity except for this case in this instance to to do this and you know I I look around this room i I look around the people behind me i look
around the people at the table a lot of people I've coached with interacted with i know everybody in this room is here for the children and if there's one thing that is being spoken loud and clear tonight is that we need to put that mental health of the children first
we need to consider where they're coming from what the society has today what kind of pressure they have on today what kind of pressure we are putting on them as a society in regards to the tests they need to pass in regards to the way
that they need to interact on social media to make sure that everything is acceptable the way that they need to fall in line and there's no substitute for having somebody who's a third-party independent caring individual like a Miss Capo who would help guide those
students and if there's anybody who wants to argue about that I am all the ready to discuss financial planning we can talk about putting an extra $5 into everybody's pocket sorry I don't want to put the cart before the horse but um if
this is truly a financial situation we need to have that conversation a little more open than just a 15minute speaking session in front of the board of education so thank you very much good evening hi I'm Rachel Negro i live at 251 West Kings Highway um I am
here on behalf of Miss Cable as well because she like me is a social worker so I think I just want to point out a couple things because we hear a lot of well someone else could do that job someone else can pick it up someone else can step in and that's not how it works mind you March is social work month so
happy you social work month all our social workers but Miss Ku was an MSW which means she's a masterers of social work which means she did four years undergrad two additional years for her masters she's an LSW which means every two years she has to submit CEUs as well
she uh state New Jersey you have to do things about ethics uh cultural competency um child abuse a number of different things 30 CEUs every two years plus you had to take a a test to be um licensed in the state so I think to
think that anybody could just pick this up an extra 15 minutes a day uh I know there was comments about guidance counselors i love a guidance counselor there's nothing wrong with a guidance counselor um but they have guidance counselor tasks to do they are going to be getting people their college
applications registering people for PSATs tending things to that they are not going to be able to drop everything and pick up all of this work that she does which by the way as Miss Lindsay Quinn said I am not even sure how one person could manage this entire school and she's doing it and taking it in
stride so I'd really reconsider and I think we have to also put out there that her role is not something that someone else can just pick up so thanks [Applause]
Hi I am Chase Quinn i live at 549 Maple Audabon New Jersey and I would just like to say as a student of the Audabon High School Miss Cable was one of the most important people here for me i have had panic attacks multiple times just this year and she has been there just today I asked to go down to her office and in
the next 30 to 45 minutes she called me right down we had a long talk it was great i'm very glad to have her at this school for me whenever I have a panic attack whenever I get stressed and as everyone here has said I think it's a very important decision that you guys have made but I think she I think you
guys should think about that she should stay because she's helps every single student in our school and just been a great person for all of us thank you [Applause] we just not want to deprive anybody of their opportunity to share their
feelings again I'm Trisha Martell president of the Autobon Education Association and this comment pertains to human resources agenda item 15 this particular agenda item states that the Ottabon Education Association has reviewed this rubric the association
was not aware of the existence of it and in fact has not had the opportunity to review it this is now the second time this school year that a rubric has been presented to the board of education claiming it was reviewed by the association when that was not the case i urge the board to ensure proper review
processes are followed in the future thank you [Applause] all right um on behalf of the board I would like to thank everyone who shared their personal stories and their comments with us this evening um I think
if you've been to our meetings we've reiterated each month that our budget is and continues to be extremely limited but with that being said please be assured that the board takes mental health the mental health of all of our students in the district very
seriously and services will still be provided with fidelity for our students moving on I would like to recognize Miss Lipsky for governance so back in February I mentioned that our
January meeting we reviewed a lot of policies um and had questions on several of them but three of them we were moving forward for a first read they didn't make the February um agenda so they are on this agenda so
the first one 5112 harassment intimidation and bullying also known as hib uh on that one and these three that we have done were ones that we didn't have questions on because they were mandated by the state and state law so in regards
to hib harassment intimidation and bullying the policy had to be updated to and revised to add information from the section that included parental notification requirements and procedural guidance on when a school district must stay or pause the HIV investigation to
allow law enforcement to conclude their investigation so to put that in layman's terms under HIB is something that is statemandated and has very specific time requirements because they take harassment intimidation and bullying
very seriously in New Jersey and obviously we do too in Ottabon because it has specific legal set time requirements of when certain things have to be done in the investigation they then had to update it because sometimes
with those types of investigation it's not just a violation of school policy it's illegal conduct under the laws and you know the laws of the state and county so the police get involved so when they kind of intersect and there
might not be able to be done on that very tight time schedule under the HIB law this now made that change so that there can be the investigation by the police while still maintaining the investigation for HIB but allowing there
to be a little more flexibility so a correct and thorough investigation through both agencies can be done so that's what that's all that was revised there as to policy 5460 high school graduation this once again is something
else that is mandated this is a new requirement for the gra uh graduation requirement for high school graduating classes of 2025 2026 and 2027 i am going to be one of the parents that also is going to be affected by
this so understand this is required and Essentially it's a new graduation requirement that you have to complete and submit a financial aid application in a form prescribed by the New Jersey Higher Education Assistance Authority um I do I believe that there are certain
clinics that the school has so this is not something that you're going to you know two days before your kids supposed to graduate it's going to be there you will be hearing about this you will know about this information will be provided and also work sessions will be provided
too okay so that is the only change to that and then as to student smoking um it's a little behind the times actually but the it is once again mandated and that is
because they had to say you also can't vape um I think we already knew that you're not supposed to vape from school but this is just something where portrait education is usually a little lags behind is not the fastest of things
and so this is just updating the policy and it's statewide that electronic smoking devices i.e vape pens or vape anything is not allowed to be used in school by the students or anyone else so
well by the students um so that was mandated that's the change that we made and so those are the three that we did a first read of back in January do you have anything to add all right
did not have a governance meeting this month and that is because death and sickness made it impossible but we do have one planned for April and we will be addressing uh the code of student code of conduct
all right uh any questions comments or discussion on non-aggenda items under governance i just had two quick things um just uh because I know AI has been on our radar New Jersey School Boards is
hosting an AI conference on June 6th from 9:30 to 3:30 at the Mercer County College june 6 9:30 to 3:30 at Mercer County College i think for members it's $119 so if you are interested in attending that I just wanted to put that
on everybody's radar um and also uh believe it or not it's time to start thinking about the um superintendence evaluation so at our next meeting in April during executive session we'll need to have a pre-conference meeting
with Miss Allen um so um we'll make sure that can have that discussion and I just wanted to put that on okay um can I get a motion on item number one under
governance any questions comments or discussion on item number one under governance all right roll call please wilson alison Cox yes danielle D franchesco Mark Gaddy Sarah Ken alison Lipsky yes jonathan
Maxon yes andrea Robinson yes amy Davis yes motions passed thank you all right next is operations and actually before I recognize Mrs cox I'm going to recognize Mrs ron
case on the approval to be sent to the county thank you so tonight we present to you a tenative budget to submit to the county office as stated in the release of state aid on February 27th the Ottabon School
District received an increase in state aid of $8,147 however the 2425 budget included a one-time stabilization aid of 69,917 which not available in the 2526
budget therefore the district actually has a net decrease in state aid of $61,770 for the 2526 school year the tenative general operating budget totals 28 thou
28,611,98 this re represents an increase of 3.6% over the 2425 budget the budget proposes a tax levy of 3.4% increase which is comprised of the state allowable 2% increase and the use
of a healthc care cost adjustment of $195,430 or 1.4% the public hearing on the 2526 budget is scheduled for May 7th at 7 PM at that meeting there will be a more formal
presentation and changes can be made before final vote of the 2526 budget you Mrs ronis I will once again recognize Mrs cox for operations thank you Mrs davis well
since our last meeting we've been busy we've had two meetings uh one on the 4th and one on the 13th and mainly about budget talks and Deb just gave you uh the synopsis um we're required for a balanced budget it's been sent to the
county um we are in agreement with how it went um but of course we can make changes as Deb said um we also had discussion of the New Jersey certified tuition rates
um and uh uh with uh the tuition rates and the adjustments made with Mount Nephim and that everyone agrees with those numbers um we were working on securing more rooms for preschool um we were able to offer an additional
classroom um for the upcoming school year which is very positive uh the the forums were talked about but of course that was mentioned tonight too so no boring um there's a potential for shared services agreement more will come so look for
that to come as it's being um unfolding and capital improvements have been put on hold for right now um I just want to say you know the budget is tentative we're required to get the balance budget to the county so things can change but
we needed to have something so um on the agenda uh and our next meeting will be the first Tuesday of next month uh we'll just you know our normal schedule um on the agenda you have your January board secretary reports uh cash reconciliation
reports and the transfers safety drills as listed um the bills payable list for February March voided checks as listed a resolution for the submission of the tentative budget to the county um the preschool expansion aid budget narrative
and workbook contract for heating control valves purchase of a new Ford F250 truck and a memorandum of agreement with the AAA which is the administrators association and that is All
right any questions comments or discussion on non-aggenda items for operations all right then may I have a motion for items 1 through questions comments or discussion on items 1 through 15
i just want to make it very clear that my understanding is that this is not we're not voting on the budget this is not us voting on the budget tonight this is literally a budget had to be submitted to the county to review we
have not voted on that budget it was sent to the county for review it will come back to us that is when we will vote on it and so that is that is what is happening today and my understanding is the budget's already been sent
because it was due today a lot of board of educations have their meetings today or later in the month and but this was the due date so this is not us saying yay or nay on the budget it's just yay
or nay on sending that to the county so as Mr maxon stated it's not until later that we will actually decide on the budget and we all have been listening to you so in education a lot of things come
down to metrics and data and um you know the numbers right and especially when we look at a budget we're looking at numbers but on the topic of mental health a lot of it is not quantifiable right we don't know truly the impact that one person can have on the
community you never know that one thing that you said to somebody that made all the difference to them we don't know how many students come to school each day knowing that they have supportive um adults staff here for them and if those
staff members are not here we don't know how many would then not come to school because of their anxiety or different things that they're going through our main job here is to educate the students but we can only educate them if they're in the building and alive
this is my first uh I believe my first time as a full member of the operations uh committee during the budget um I just all other issues uh with you know notwithstanding I would like to uh thank um our business
administrator and our superintendent for the amount of work they put in it's a very tight schedule from the time that the state tells you how much money you're getting and the time that the county tells you you have to bring that budget in for at least the preliminary uh review and I do appreciate the hard
work that has gone into this and hopefully um between now and then hopefully we'll get a lifeline of some sort but we will have further discussions on uh the final budget thank you i just wanted to go on record as saying
that I hope we are able to look closely at the budget and reallocate some money for this position and also acknowledge that all mental health resources in the school are not going away we still have mental
health resources it is this position that is being eliminated not a person a position i would like to uh just call attention to number 15 the memorandum of agreement between the board of ed and
the Ottabon Administrators association i would just like to thank um our negotiations team on um settling not just one contract but two contracts during the school year so I'm very grateful for um all of their hard work
and the late hours and the numerous meetings that we had and I'm very grateful um that we were able to come to an agreement with the administrators and move forward with their contract all right then may I have roll call
please for operations alison Cox yes danielle D franchesco mark Gaddy sarah Coolen alison Lipsky yes jonathan Max yes andrea Robinson
Bill Wilson Amy Davis motion's passed thank you next I'd like to recognize Miss Robinson for education thank you um our last education meeting was on February 25th and at that meeting we had a presentation from Ms mcgilloway and Ms
becca about the RTI program at both Havland and Mansion we got a very good idea of what those programs encompass we also um looked at the progress that's being
made on the discussion regarding class rank and GPA at the junior senior high school and we looked at what other districts do regarding their senior Disney trip
um on tonight's agenda there are facilities requests and um workshop requests as well as field trip requests and
practicum requests um the calendar approving the calendar is on the tonight's agenda um authorizing
Haden Township to use the tennis courts and a bilingual history assess social history assessment our next meeting is on March 25th next month did you have anything to add
all right any questions comments or discussion on non-aggenda items under education all right may I have a motion then on items one through I want to make sure I have it correct 13 no yes 13
items one through 13 under education please all right any questions comments or discussion on agenda items under education yes I have comment I would like to make on
agenda item number 11 on the education committee this is the motion to approve the 202526 Ottabon public school calendar um it was tabled after I saw that
although having been a member of this community where for the first probably decade that my daughter and I lived here we were known as the only Jews of Ottabon although we weren't and they actually are more Jews now that are
solely Jewish living in Ottabon there are also blended families that are Jewish and Christian and after years of coming to board meetings and saying "Don't put major school events or testing on uh
major Jewish holidays and having to fight for that." Uh finally but once again I'd be told "No we'll never do that it will happen for one year and then the very next year there'll be major testing put on there." Um on
Russia Shana or Yum Kapoor our holiest of holy days then after once again coming and coming to board meetings then running for and being on well first being appointed to the board and then running and being uh voted to the board
bringing up this issue bringing up this issue finally being told and I understand it was another administration that yes it's recognized that this is important and we do have Jewish families and it's important that they have the same access to their
education as you know non-Jewish students and and that we would always have at least two days set aside and if you if you didn't need two days excellent you'd only get the days
that you needed if you needed three you'd get two you make do um but now there's a new administration and apparently um doing the right thing is only done when it is easy because I understand
that it's hard to figure out the days and things like that however the right thing is to recognize that there are people there are they are a minority but they exist and they are asking that their children not have to
miss multiple days of school um we don't do a spring break let's be honest it's an Easter break it's Good Friday and the week after Easter that is what Audabon does because that's what Audabon
has always done when I've mentioned that you could accommodate both and Passover there's been outrage by other people because only Cherry Hill and Philadelphia do that well shockingly
when there are more Jews in an area they actually try to accommodate both Christians and Jews and what that says to me when you say something like that go be with your kind Jew because we're
not going to recognize you here that's what's being said and the outrage wasn't that their child would be missing more school the outrage is because they are a teacher whose school district would have different time off than their child and
they would have to use personal vacation time if they wanted to have vacation with their child that's what every parent does who is not a teacher we have to use our personal time off if we want to have vacation
time with our child when they have time off of school that is what is done so it wasn't an outrage over the child not getting education it was not being able to have the same vacation time as the child and having to use personal time it
was also quite upsetting to hear that the reason why this time we did not get the promised one day off for Russia Shana was because if we g recognized a minorities minorities who have religions
and want time off we'd have to recognize every minority's religion which was offensive and s overly simplistic why in fact one I have not seen one person who has
come to this meet to any of these meetings or said that they actually celebrate Eid and want the school and their child would not be able to go to school because they celebrate Eid no one has come forward no one has mentioned
that so no child is being harmed by us not taking off for Eid i also found it offensive because it was very much akin to the things that I heard from homophobes when same-sex marriage was being um litigated and made part
of our common laws and understanding because I heard homophobes say "Well if we recognize same-sex marriage why we'd have to recognize any marriage like a a person who wants to marry their dog?" That's offensive and idiotic of course
not but that's what it felt like to hear someone say that what we do have are Jewish people in this community who have been present and who have been missing school and major events and major school events because they were put on major
Jewish holidays my child will already miss days of Passover you know if if we want to go and be observant to Simkura Shimia Zeritz Sakote she will miss all those
times and yet it's when the minority and this is what we talk about when we talk about diversity equity and inclusion to constantly pick the minority fight for bear accommodations and when you've been
told yes we understand we're going to do this and you've been fighting for this and you finally have it and the very next year it gets taken away you're being told it doesn't matter when it's hard you're going to be knocked out the
box because you're a minority and you're not worth us fighting for and honoring our obligations and what we said we would stand by that's what happens and I thank God that I don't believe there are any Native Americans in this school
since we are having off the school is closed for students for Columbus Day and so that is my comment about that and why I'll be voting no to number 11 i too was disappointed to see that um
following the discussion at the last board meeting um this schedule did not change um when it comes to the Jewish high holy holidays i don't know if I'm saying that correctly but um you know I think when we make the case about numbers and how
many students this is going to impact I think that does say that when people are in a minority they their voice doesn't matter as much or we're not concerned as much um and so I too will be voting no on number 11 for that reason anyone else questions comments on agenda
okay uh I thought that there was one day off am I misunderstanding the calendar okay but we are recognizing a holiday okay i just wanted to make sure
that that was true um and I I do believe we have Native Americans in the school so I don't want us to think we don't have Native American students here um and I think we do have students who are fasting for Ramadan and celebrating Eid
they just as you said have not made themselves known at a board meeting but again there are students in the district who are celebrating these other holidays just want to acknowledge that
all right now I have roll call please on items 1 through 13 under education yeah are we doing the one that's fine we'll Okay perfect okay I'm going to call 1 through
13 on education danielle D franchesco mark Gaddy Sarah Coolen Alison Lipsky Jonathan Maxon yes andrea Robinson yes bill Wilson Alison
Cox Amy Davis motions passed moving on to human resources the human resource committee met last night um we reviewed uh staffing openings retirements and any potential staffing
changes that might be occurring um I'm happy to report that Miss Allen and Mr burke are going to be attending an upcoming career fair to uh look for candidates to fill our open positions i think that's something that hasn't been
done before so I'm really Oh you're gonna be there oh different one okay I think that's I think that's a great initiative yeah that's a great initiative um we reviewed budgetary items as they are
related to human resources we did review the technology coordinators uh evaluation rubric and um the AEA contract the hard copy of the contract was given to you tonight so everybody should have that and then the
AAA contract while the uh memorandum of agreement has been signed now that it's been board approved Miss Garin will work on um the actual document and and writing the language for the actual document so we should have that um that
should be coming next um we did review uh Miss Allen's action items for the year everything is current and progressing uh the only thing we just called attention to was making that um we have a document with the uh responsibilities for which for each one
of the administrative staff members so that that's that's clear and um and plain to see um that was it for the meeting on the agenda tonight we have motion for resignations with intent to retire we
certainly thank those individuals for their years of service and dedication to our district we have a motion to extend a long-term substitute position and to extend unpaid leave of absence and a medical leave of absence there's a motion to approve spring paid and
volunteer coaching positions and extracurricular contracts motion to approve facilitators for professional learning and to approve district substitutes as noted and also a motion for the rubric for technology
coordinator do you have anything that you want to add do you want to change that i have two things um they're really just um typos in number 15 the motion to approve the technology coordinator observation rubric should just say at the recommendation of the superintendent
in schools the words as reviewed by administration and audea should be eliminated this is not a um union position it's a a standalone position so the observation rubric was developed um consulted with the HR
committee and recommended to be adopted u so that was an error that was just something that was cut and paste by my secretary and made an accident in number 17 there's also a typo uh Mr kley is the principal of 10 to 12 and Eric Miller is the principal of 7 to nine their uh
grade level seems to have inadvertently been reversed so we'll fix that on the final draft but wanted to point those things out um I think that was everything thank you okay any questions comments or
discussion on non-aggenda items under HR all right then can I have a motion for items 1 through 17 any questions comments or discussion on items 1 to 17
all right roll call please then for human resources Mark Gaddy Sarah Alison Lipsky Jonathan Max yes andrea Robinson yes bill Wilson Alison Cox Danielle D
franchesco Davis yes motion pass thank you all right next we move on to our reports you can see the HIV district report and our special program representatives uh Mr wilson is not with
us this evening so we will um skip the educational services commission uh Mr maxon for Camden County School Boards operations i know yeah I think that's something I agree i think that's something we need to look
all the time all right maybe it's something that we need to Yeah we need to revisit um maybe we'll hold static for the rest of this year but that's something we can work on at our retreat in July yeah I I noticed the same thing too
unfortunately okay um uh again Mr wilson Mr steven Wilson is not here for the education foundation uh Miss Ken for community outreach Davis um So I signed us up for Audabon
Day which is Saturday April 26th it will be from 11:00 a.m to 7 p.m there is a rain date of Sunday the next day from 1:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m so I'll be sending something out to see if anybody is willing to help man the table we can have different shifts and things like
that and also want to excuse me um think of an activity uh to help engage some of the kids and bring some of the community members our way as well um I'll be signing us up for the Hatton Township Pride Parade as well for anyone that's interested in participating in that and
I'm going to be keeping an eye out for other events um that we can get out in the community and represent our schools pride parade there necklaces for board members who come i won't mention what they look
like but it's just I know there was the there's a color run aren't they are aren't the two PTAs doing a color run together i think so that might be I The date escapes me oh yeah
twin set me that's exactly what I want to do yeah no not a bit i think it's the end of this month it's coming up the 30th thank you i mean that's that's another opportunity
too perhaps okay yeah sure all right um Mr gaddy for ad hoc um just another note on that we obviously we're working all the time the the students coming over here then us going over there that was one thing I've
also uh talked to administration about we have other districts around us that doc sending so what can we learn from them about how they welcome in their sending districts um although majority of mount from comes at ninth grade there is a big cohort that comes at seventh grade as well when I was talking with the um I guess it's the guidance
counselor that that's in charge of seventh grade about the seventh grade trip we had looked at before it was on the agenda to go to David Busters we took that off only 11th grade did that seventh grade was looking for something else um she did look into and she's looking to I think it's being board approved for Citizens Bank Park and to
do it early in September so that all the seventh graders one of the part of the thing besides touring the park which is an amazing trip is you get to sit in the stands and eat your lunch and it would be a nice opportunity to have some team building and let them so it was something that she talked to me about was well how did I feel about doing it
early in the year and it would really help with some of these concerns that we have about seventh graders whether it's choice I guess at that point it is choice but it's a lot of money from choice and outside of Mount Choice coming in at seventh grade it'll be a great time to do that metriculating of all the kids together in a um less
formal setting more comfortable setting and do some different things so that's something we're already working on i realize that's not addressing exactly but we are working on many different ideas and acknowledging that there is that big change between sixth and seventh grade and a change between eth
and nth grade with the population that's in the classes it was our trip i haven't entertained that but there's a lot of we get a lot of choice in trying to get our kids within the building that it's choice kids coming in
outside together i don't that would be a neat idea to have the seventh and eighth graders do their class trips together because I know it's a smaller Mr max and it's a smaller group at Mount calendar to make sure our calendars were
as humanly possible it's a great idea another idea that is a little more small scale not not like a special trip going somewhere because I can't remember but I think it's only through sixth grade that
we have field days yeah right because I saw my daughter wearing her and I was like you haven't had one of those in a while have you but that might be something really nice because it also they would could come here and all of like Mansion seventh grade with our seventh graders or the eighth graders
and you know something like that not man Mount Ephim my apologies doing a field day mr leb and I actually have have started conversation about what the end of the eighth grade year is going to look like and we were talking about bringing over Mount Ephraim for a field day of sorts that's you know something
we were in the idea stages of we certainly don't have anything mapped out yet but we started talking about for the end of the year for eighth grade you know as opposed to promotion or whatever if we had a field day and had both sets of schools here everybody for eighth grade that's stepping up to have like a big stepping up type of a ceremony are
you a little scared that you and I were sharing the brain for a little bit apparently you're a little scared aren't you um I But to to Mr gaddy's point like again like all these ideas are are wonderful but we we need to make sure that they are like memorial getting done
but they need to be they need to be memorialized we don't need to be thinking about this like every year like let's stop reinventing the wheel exactly there's there's practices and procedures for how we make sure that we include all students that are coming into the into the district so I think
that's that is it was the crux of the frustration i think with both our our members of ad hoc and mount from members of ad hoc too that like like let's just get this written down somewhere so that there's a checklist and we can make sure that balls don't get dropped when you're
here so that's good well she's the she's the student come sit back up at the table Helena she can have a mic uh definitely the field trip's a great idea but another thing that I think would be cool is I
know the eighth grade trip for both um Mount and Ottabbon is Tall Pines so if it's already the same field trip maybe you could combine that one and it's a bunch of team building things it's like like you go to a camp and you do like a bunch of like cool things so that would be a great way I think to get people to
talk to each other and meet each other we're still working um to get some kind of a a joint meeting together with Mount Board of Ed we're talking about potentially a joint training on doing the superintendent evaluation a lot of us have been through it before wouldn't hurt to have a little refresher and we
also have a new field service representative it's not Terry Lewis anymore so might be a good idea you know good opportunity for both of our districts to meet the new field service rep so Mr gaddy is working on that um and I'm going to reach out to the field service rep too to see if we can get get
some dates um okay miss Lipsky for board member orientation our second informal uh board member orientation kind of meeting um with our newest board members and we had
um Miss Cox and Miss Davis uh who you know doing this forever they know the ins and outs the ups the downs um and myself uh and we met uh informally at a coffee shop um I think the response was
positive right i see smiles i I think it is very nice because it it gives people a chance to just The rule is there's no stupid questions right like we want to hear like say what you want to say ask your questions we'd rather we know what you're thinking or
wondering about so that we all know the right answer um and so I I found it lovely and and informative and I I think everyone's kind of feeling the same way that this is a nice space to be able to you know
without a without having a or anything like that and we can talk business but it's not going to in any way you know be illegal or affect something except having a better understanding of how the
board works ins and outs and um addressing concerns okay is do you guys feel that it was beneficial uh thank you Alison i I love the um option to be able to be a part of
this committee being a new person um I think I probably got it feels like one answer question answered compared to the ones that were going on in my brain um so but going on possibly happened for just being able to have
someone um say "Well that's a really good um one question regarding this um committee and I think there was mention at some point of having like a mentor like a particular person assigned and I was just curious if that's still is definitely still in the works it was
just more of trying to get the initial this and that and then we'll move forward with that okay that's the next step thank you and I would like to um commend Miss Franchesco and the school and for um doing the the training work um for their
governance one for that intensive weekend of training yeah yeah i mean it's time away from your families which is which is always difficult to to manage so appreciate that sacrifice of time for that
immersive experience really right i know yeah no I still like I still see her on Facebook all right um that's uh that concludes special program representatives uh any board
member comments just general oh wow oh uh she had you buy a hair there um I just wanted to compliment the weekly wave particularly last week's weekly wave um which is just like all the good things that are going on in the district there were so many things and so many
places where we were like a model and people were coming to us for advice or like how to run a program i just thought that was really positive and there was a lot of positive stuff going on so thanks for those of you that don't know the weekly wave is something that Miss Allen
sends out to board members just kind of a synopsis for us as to what happened during the week so don't want anybody to think they're missing out on something uh and preschool they did a great job i was able to sneak in to
class kids were really excited birthday in each class it was great i saw Miss Allan I got a picture of you reading to my other daughter's class uh and uh it was it just seemed like a great week where they just celebrated i think all the schools
I don't know what was put on the screens in the school but um last week several uh sophomores and some juniors in French and Spanish were inducted into the French honor society and the Spanish
honor society um and it is very to do that so I know that they had to work very hard because I believe they have to have something like a 95 or higher the entire for every yeah every semester so it is hard
to do and um so I just want to commend all of them for a job really well done next we're going to move on to our second public participation i'm not going to reread the uh paragraphs there everything is still applicable but um
the difference between this public participation and the first one is this is an open discussion so it doesn't have to be limited to agenda items is there anyone who would like to make a comment under the second public participation same thing 45 is it on Nicole Stallard 45
Story Avenue um I just want to say first thank you for the calendar consideration because I do have children in Mount and in Ottabon um and I purposely send mine here in seventh grade because I can't stand the disconnect i don't like that my kids in Mount aren't offered the same
programs here um so my kids all come here in seventh grade so my last one will be here next year in seventh grade so I don't have to worry about the calendars but this year was awful with the days not lining up of being off and it was terrible so thank you for considering it for the other families um and also I think it's a great idea the
trip collaboration i also did notice that um that I think it would be a great thing to have those junior high um trips line up so they can kind of get acclimated um I know sports they they get acclimated but it better it'd be better to have other atmospheres too for them so thank you for those um the other
thing which I know they're trying to work out the kings for are the Ottabban and many from days again two towns that are tightknit and the both of their fun days are both always the same day which is kind of frustrating because you can't be in two places at once and I know they did adjust the times but unfortunately
like sometimes there's sports during a day not unfortunately there's always sports during a days so it'd be nice to have two separate days where the towns can kind of you know unify i know that's not really on you guys so much but just to kind of voice it out there um and then just pigging back um to what you
said Miss Davis about um you said that mental health will always be addressed um and I do appreciate that but there are just certain things that you can't replace um like we said before the safe space with the bond that Miss KBO already created with these kids um ripping that out in and giving them
somebody else doesn't mean that it's going to be the same it doesn't mean they're going to feel safe um as Rachel said in her comment before um she's also way more qualified than her job than anybody else she'll try to throw in this position so to just throw somebody in there is um setting a message that our
kids are just not worth what they already have which is really good excuse me and highly qualified um as it shows on paper and it shows with rapport um so I just I just really want you to really really consider that it's not just her position that we're talking about it's
it's actually not her position we know that you will offer some kind of resources but it is her she's not replaceable for some of these kids um she was here for them the time that their crisis happened she supported them through their crisis and now you want to throw somebody new in there that knows nothing about them and it's starting
back at square one for those students it's maybe opening up more trauma that they kind of surpassed already and now they have to go back to it to kind of get to a new spot and some of them it's just it's not feasible um so I really hope that you guys can realize that you can't put a value on mental health i
know the state puts a value on our budget but you can't put a value on our students mental health so I really hope you will reconsider saving the money here on her and you know just reconsider that we're actually saving lives which is more important so thank you for your time
else all right seeing that there are no other comments um we do not have a need to go into a second executive session so uh the next meeting of the board of education is scheduled for Wednesday April 16th 6:30
p.m back here in the Junior Senior High School Media Center may I have Motion to adjourn the meeting all in favor any opposed all right thank you have a good