The notice of this meeting has been forwarded to the Aspberry Park Press, the beacon and placed in the foyer of each Barnett Township school in the Barinket Township Municipal Building and has been filed with the Barnett Township Municipal Clerk in conjunction with the Open Public Meeting Act, NJSA 104-10.
>> Roll call, please. >> Miss Churnney >> here. >> Miss Continanza >> here. >> Mr. Fedorzik is not present. Miss Jeanie >> here. >> Mr. Hearn >> here. >> Mr. Pizaro >> here. Miss Terinowski >> here. >> Miss Washurn is not present. Mr. Sarno
>> here. >> We have a quorum. >> Thank you. Please join us in the flag salute to the flag of the United States of America to the republic for it stands nationy for all.
>> Thank you. Um item five on the agenda is approval of the agenda. I believe there are there's a few corrections. Dr. Lis will read them off. >> So we have uh one change to the agenda. It won't be on the printed agenda because it was taken off uh prior to printing, but uh there was section 19
under ed committee page 10. We did remove number one. That was a motion to approve the attached summer reading assignments uh for middle uh for RVMS and high school. Uh this motion will be tabled at this time and uh more than likely brought forward next month. There's just a few more discussion items on that. All right. Can I have a motion
to approve the agenda as it stands, please? >> Second. >> Roll call. >> Miss Jurnney. >> Yes. >> Miss Continza. >> Yes. >> Mr. Miss Genie. >> Yes. >> Mr. Hearn. >> Yes. >> Mr. Bizaro? >> Yes.
>> Miss Hernowski? >> Yes. >> And Mr. Sarno? >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Item six on our agenda is approval of minutes. I get a motion to approve the four minute show, please. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Roll call.
>> Miss Churnney. >> Yes. >> Miss Continanza. >> Yes. >> Miss Genie. >> Yes. >> Mr. Hearn. >> Yes. >> Mr. Bizaro. >> Abstain on one and two. Yes. To three and four. >> Miss Herowski. >> Yes.
>> Miss Mr. Sarno. Uh, yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. All right. Item seven on our agenda is student upstanders and I'll turn the floor over to Dr. Lis. >> I will ask Mr. Toddings to come up to present. There we go. Good evening everyone. The
Upstander program is a wonderful opportunity to recognize and celebrate student districtwide who demonstrate a specific Bengal pride trait. These trades continue to enhance the positive climate in our schools and support the growth and success of our students both at home and at school. This month, we
are proud to honor students who exemplify respect, representing the R in Bangal pride through their kindness, consideration for others and commitment to creating a positive and inclusive environment. They have made a meaningful impact on their peers and the school community. When you hear your name,
please come forward to join the board president, Mr. Sarno, and Superintendent Dr. Lwis to receive your plaque. First, we have Christopher Messenger from Barnagate High School. When asked to think of a student who embodies respect amongst their peers and teachers, Chris Messenger is someone who
easily comes to mind. Whether he is a student in your class or someone you pass by in the hallway, Chris always has a positive attitude and is extremely cordial in his interactions. Chris's mature demeanor allows him to have a personal and meaningful interactions with his teachers that have a lasting
impact on everyone he talks to. He is polite, kind, and treats everyone in the Barnett High School community with respect. He is so deserving of this recognition. Congratulations, Christopher. Next, we have Adeline Maltise from Russell Oraman Middle School.
Addie was nominated for being respectful because she consistently demonstrates kindness and consideration throughout the school day. She listens attentively when others are speaking, follows directions, and treats both classmates and teachers with respect. Addy uses good manners and often offers thoughtful
compliments, helping to create a positive and welcoming classroom environment. Her cheerful personality makes a meaningful difference and brightness brightens everyone's day. Congratulations, Adeline. Next we have Carter Anon Robert El
Horbell Intermediate School. Carter is one of the most respectful students in one of the most respectful students his teacher has ever had the pleasure of teaching. He consistently demonstrates excellent manners, always saying please and thank you. He never interrupts conversations. Instead, he
patiently waits until others have finished speaking. When entering a classroom, he thoughtfully holds the door open for others. If he notices that help is needed, he immediately offers his assistance. Carter also shows kindness and inclusivity towards his peers, especially those who may have
difficulty fitting in, taking the time to sit with them and engage in conversation. Outside of school, he is a dedicated boy scout who actively participates in community service. Carter is a truly respectful young man and is highly deserving of this award. Congratulations, Carter.
Next we have Johanna Pizara, Joseph T. Donahghue School. Johanna is a great student who is deserving of being recognized for the trait of respect. She consistently demonstrates kindness and consideration toward both her peers and school staff.
Her positive attitude and thoughtful behavior make her a strong role model for others. She displays many admirable qualities including responsibility, empathy, and cooperation. And she contributes to creating a welcome and respectful classroom environment each
day. Congratulations, Johanna. Next, we have Arya Reagan from Celeste Collins School. Arya deserves this award because she consistently treats everyone in our class with kindness and consideration. She listens when others are speaking, including classmates during group
activities and uses polite words with good manners every day. Arya is a great role model because she shows that being respectful means caring about how others feel and making sure everyone is treated fairly. Her positive attitude helps make the classroom a warm and friendly place for
everyone. Congratulations, Arya. Next we have Allison Sanchez Gonzalez from Lilianne Dumpy School. Allison has so many admirable qualities. She's smart, positive, and kind. Every day she demonstrates respect to each and
every one of her peers and teachers. She cheers everyone on and is always willing to offer a helping hand. She is such a valued member of the classroom community and her ability to make everyone feel valued is truly appreciated. We are so proud of you.
Congratulations, Allison. >> And last but not least, Ronan Salvatore from our ASUS program. Ronin consistently demonstrates respectful behavior. He uses polite manners, regularly saying please and thank you, and follows classroom rules
by cleaning up after himself. He appropriately advocates for his needs by requesting breaks when he feels overwhelmed and asking to use the bathroom or get water when necessary. Ronin is truly deserving of the Upstander Award for respect. Congratulations, Ronin.
A big round of applause for all of our students. Congratulations students and their families. Ryan, she's looking at you. All right. Um, next item is our student representative, Miss Kaylee Jansen, but I do believe she is here today. So, if she pops in, we'll have her fill us in
when she does get here. Um, next item n item nine on our agenda is the Barnagate Education Association liaison and Mrs. Morganov is here. So, Mrs. Morgan, floor is yours. >> Perfect. Thank you. The past month has been filled with so many wonderful activities across our school community.
Most importantly, today is National School Bus Driver Appreciation Day, and we want to give a special shout out to our incredible transportation team for all they do each and every day. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to the BEPTA for five outstanding days of teacher
appreciation. Your thoughtfulness and generos generosity made us feel truly special and appreciated. April has been an especially busy month with Earth Day and Arbor Day celebrations. We were honored to welcome the Barnagget Shade Tree Commission and are grateful for their partnership in helping our
students learn about and appreciate our environment. Tonight is the preschool art fair with Don with Don Hugh and Collins also coming up soon. We can't wait to see all of the amazing artwork and of course enjoy the chorus and band performances. Thank you.
Thank you, Miss Morganov. Really appreciate it. Um, item 10 on our agenda is our uh board of ed uh New Jersey school boards representative. I'm not sure anything anywhere. No, >> county. >> Okay. And county. >> Skip to the county one on number 11.
>> Well, I guess they kind of blend together. Um for the state level, the New Jersey uh annual delegate assembly will be happening on May 16th. Um so to our delegate and our alternate delegate or anybody who needs to fulfill their
delegate for any certification, you can talk to Mrs. Van Hassel to register you. On the county side, we have the Ocean County meeting on April 29th, which is tomorrow, at the Clarion in Tom's River. It is our spring recognition meeting with a featured speaker of Ocean County
Teacher of the Year. And I believe we have a handful of board members being recognized at this meeting tomorrow. So for various certifications that they have uh received. So we hope we see the board there in full support.
>> Excellent. All right. Thank you, Miss Tarnowski. Appreciate it. Um item 12 on our agenda is committee discussions. Each month we have the chairperson of each committee give a report out on what has happened in their committee over the last month and we will jump right back to Miss
Tonowski for finance committee. >> Finance met on April 22nd. All members were in attendance either in person or virtual. Uh we discussed bill list bills list line items including ones required by the state and ones uh that were related to replacing damaged supplies.
We also discussed the purchase for the uniforms for our new sports in district this year and other various line items. Thank you to Dossi and Stagger attorneys at law for their donation for Pause for a cause. We discussed the budget and clarifications on a handful of items and we also spoke about annual renewals. We
will meet again on May 20th. >> All right. Thank you, Miss Tornowski. Next up is buildings, grounds, transportation, and food services. Miss Washburn is a chairperson, but she is not here tonight. So, Mrs. Continza will give a report.
>> Thank you, Mr. Sarno. Uh, the buildings and grounds committee meeting met on April 21st. At the April's buildings and grounds transportation and food service committee meeting, the committee reviewed several key updates across all operational areas. In food service,
Neutra Serve reported strong sales and continued success with Benny's Bites program, including partnerships supporting special ed students through job readiness initiatives and introduction of new men offerings such
as Asian Cusine. The district also received a 3,800 grant for fresh local produce and a renewal of the uh neutrerve contract is being considered by the finance committee with the goal of maintaining stable pricing.
Buildings and grounds fire inspections are complete. Seasonal grounds maintenance is underway, including field preparation, irrigation system testing, while facilities teams are preparing for endofear events and summer projects.
Transportation contribute uh continues to operate efficiently with new routing software fully implemented and planning underway underway for extended school year services. Transportation staffing remains focused with recruitment ongoing
to address a small driver shortage. Finally, the committee is bringing forward a motion to approve the April 2026 90day usage. Next meeting will be held May 19th. >> Thank you, Miss Continansza, via Miss
Washburn. Um, next is our education committee and Mrs. Churnney is the chairperson. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Uh good evening everyone. Uh the education meeting met on April 21st. Uh we discussed our usual work-based learning
locations, CBI locations, college and university placements, continuing ed requests, field trips, and out of district workshops and assemblies. One assembly uh we discussed was we received a presentation on teen mental health
first aid. mental health concerns have happened in our county and counties all over the United States. Um, and May is mental health awareness month. This presentation will be for three periods of health class and um something that
should be really um we look forward to getting that because um we want to take away the stigma of children reaching out and really going for the help that they need with our staff and our families. Uh we also discussed summer reading and
lists. We're probably going to go over that again next month and our next meeting will take place May 19th of May. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Churnney. Um next committee is governance committee and Mrs. Continanza is chairperson.
>> Thank you, Mr. Sarno. Uh governance committee met on April 22nd. There was a discussion on the staff hall of fame and the athletic hall of fame bylaws. No motions were forwarded to the board agenda tonight. The committee will review the bylaws with the committee's
update at the next governance meeting. There was also a discussion concerning the student handbook dress code which was reviewed. This will also be brought to next month's meeting with a new draft for review. Next meeting will be held May 20th. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Miss Continentza. Um, next is health safety and technology and chairperson is Mr. Ern. >> Thank you, Mr. President. The April health, safety and technology committee meeting was held on April 23rd. We have one motion on this month's agenda. That
is a motion to accept the fire and security drills log as presented for the month of March. Uh we also discussed an overall district security update was provided indicating the improvements made over the past month and the security improvements we
are working on moving forward. The committee also discussed a safety issue regarding access to one of our school roofs and all of the steps being taken to prevent such an issue from reoccurring at any of our schools going forward.
The district safety committee met last month on March 27th. The nursing update included our health audit regarding immunizations is complete and we are compliant with that audit.
Our technology update included that our tech consultant gave an overview of our email protection and ongoing fishing campaigns which have been successful in preventing cyber attacks. Our next health safety and technology committee
meeting will be held on May 21st. >> Thank you very much, Mr. Hearn. And lastly is personnel committee and I am the chair of that. Um, as you can see on our agenda, we have a retirement uh, Pasqual
Gian Caspro, our bus driver from our district who's been in our district for four years, I believe. Um, we have some hirings of a bus driver, transportation, another bus driver in transportation, full talent, full-time power professional for districtwide, a teacher
of computer science at the high school, and a part-time PAR professional also districtwide. Um, the other are just inner departmental moves. You can see on 1415 it's renewal for the
uh staff for next year and renewal of tenure and non-tenure for staff for next year. Um also Dr. Lwis and head of security uh Mr. Kingston as our law enforcement unit for next year's school year
and the rest are all medical. And that was it. We met on back to my notes. I didn't Oh, we met on April 20th. Our next meeting will be May 18th. And I know there was no athletics
committee this week and there was no this month, I mean, and no um >> right, no special ed uh committee meeting this week, this month. So, no reports on there. And that concludes our committee reports. Uh, next item on the agenda is superintendent highlights and
information. So again, Dr. Lowis. All right, we'll kick off with Miss John's. Okay, thank you everyone. So now it is time to see some amazing artwork, school spirit, and creativity. Pause for a Cause is proud to present
the winners from our Barnagate Pride drawing contest. Students were tasked with drawing a picture that represents Barnagate Pride to them from our ACES program, preK and kindergarten through sixth grade. Let's see who the winners
are. When we call your name, please come up front to get your Barnagget swag bag of goodies. Take a picture and then remain up front for a group picture. First up, we have Sierra Gove.
Congratulations, Sierra. You can see her drawing up on our screen. She's from prek at Duny. Next up, we have Joina de Christopharo. Congratulations.
She's from our ASUS program and you can see her artwork on our screen. Congratulations. Next up from kindergarten at Collins, Ella Dennis. Congratulations. Excellent job.
And from first grade at Collins, next up, Emma Highlop. Congratulations. Excellent job. Next up from second grade at Collins, Giovana Teller. Nice job. Next up, third grade Donahghue, Todd
Hris. Excellent. And fourth grade, Donahue, Jackson Dangji. All right. And on to Horell. Fifth grade. Anthony Masterpiro.
Nice job. And sixth grade belt Michelle Perez Toodel. Nice job everyone. As we take our group picture, let's applaud for our Barnagate Pride Drawing Contest winners. From pause for a cause,
>> Congratulations everyone. You sure know how to show your Bengal pride. Good evening, members of the board of education. Dr. Lwis. It's my pleasure to introduce Mr. Roy Huff, our gifted and talented teacher who works with our fifth grade students. Mr. Huff
implemented an engaging stock market lesson in the G&T program, giving students a hands-on experience in financial literacy and critical thinking. Tonight, he's here to share some exciting news and recognize the astounding achievement of one of our
students. Please welcome Mr. Huff. >> Uh, good evening everyone. Um tonight I'm here to recognize um an amazing student. Um this student won first place in New Jersey for the Invest Right uh writing competition. Um the prompt this
year was to describe your favorite stock market game investment and your least favorite investment in the game and explain why. Also discuss how to use your stock market game knowledge to create a long-term diversified portfolio for you and your family.
Uh here's an excerpt. Kennedy was recently published um by Investor Wright Newswire and they said, "Kennedy's essay stood out for its clear reasoning and practical application of investing principles. Rather than focusing only on performance, the essay demonstrated an
understanding of asset allocation, long-term planning, and how to refine a strategy based on experience. As your teacher, I can say that Kennedy represents everything we hope uh to develop in our students. Curiosity, perseverance, and a willingness to
challenge yourself. Kennedy, we are incredibly proud of you, not just for this award, um but for the mindset and the dedication that got you here. Your future is very bright. And at this time, it's my privilege to present Kennedy Havlin with this award, a
recognition of her outstanding achievement. Congratul Thank you. Um, so we are here uh now to recognize a student at the Horbell School, a sixth grader um for an incredible achievement with the safety patrol this
He was nominated for a state award and I'm not surprised that he got it. So um to introduce this award um we have Tracy Noble from the AAA foundation. Good evening everyone. Good evening members of the board and thank you for
allowing me to come here tonight to present this award. Um my name is Tracy Noble. I am with AAA Club alliance and as most of you mo might know the school safety patrol is a AAA program and it's been around since uh 1920. So the
program is over a hundred years old and it's one of the best things that I get to do because it takes regular students and it turns them into leaders and this is their first taste of leadership. So annually we put a request out to all of
the safety patrol advisors in the state. There are 540 of them in the state of New Jersey. And we ask them to nominate one student per school as to who would be an outstanding school safety patrol award winner for the year. Of that we
get to choose a very limited amount of winners. This year it's two and one of them is from Horbelt. So, I am so proud and honored to be here to give that award tonight. Uh, Mr. Huff nominated
one student and he embodies what the school safety patrol is. He is the representative that you want at your school. Not only does he pay attention to the rules, but he looks for the best
in his fellow students and exemplifies what a leader needs to be by using compassion, caring, and just showing what
needs to happen. Not by enforcing, but just by modeling the behavior. So, we're proud to recognize Brian Maya as a AAA 2026 outstanding school.
Congratulations, Brian. So, we would like to present you with not only >> but we also have a certificate for you. But because we've been told that you give 100% all the time, we also have a
$100 gift. All right, we have a few other highlights that I'm going to read off really quickly if you'll allow me. Uh, Pause for Cause is hosting a summer fun at the uh, shore raffle. So, for $10 a ticket, you can enter for a chance to win a beach cart filled with the summer essentials while supporting families in
need of our school community. You may purchase the tickets at any school or at the superintendent's office through May 14th. This is underelling it. It's about $2,000 worth of merchandise that you could win if you're the uh if you're the winner of the raffle. So, there's a lot of uh cool stuff that's in there and I
would encourage you guys to support it. Um, congratulations to Jennifer Blanchard, JTDS counselor and being named the hipster counselor of the year. So, that's very exciting. Wednesday is JTDS night of the arts uh for band and chorus and art. Doors open 5:45.
Congratulations to the ROBMS Jazz Ensemble and earning a gold rating at the Mainland Regional Jazz Festival. Rex Gerky was named best soloist and the saxophone section was recognized as best section. Congratulations to Angelina Kolivita on breaking the school record
in the 3200 meter. Congratulations to the boys volleyball team for winning the 2026 Morstown Invitational Championship. We are proud to share that the Barna Township School District has once again been named a best community for music education by the NAM Foundation for the seventh consecutive year. So,
congratulations to our outstanding music department for their dedication and excellence. And thank you to the board for supporting it. And uh last but not least, uh shout out to the transportation department. We have our very own Lisa Vargas back there right now, but we'd like to just shout them out. Transportation department is uh a
very challenging uh position uh department to say the least. Uh and uh the bus drivers and aids that are on those buses have a a tall order. Um it's a very challenging uh job to do, but they do it well here. and uh that's kudos to Miss Vargas and her entire department. So, thank you.
>> Yeah, that being said, I will turn it back over to you, President Sarno. >> Thank you very much, Dr. Laos. Um on my end, just a couple things I want to touch upon. Um, one, it's awesome to see, um, the recognition that two of our students like, uh, you know, not just in
athletics, but to be diverse like that and recognized statewide for, um, their accomplishments and, uh, the way they carry themselves and conduct themselves. That that is um, absolutely awesome to see. Um, secondly is the budget is which
is on our agenda for tonight. Um, again, want to thank the administration. Um it's fantastic the rest of the board again I think it's important every year for the board to work on this budget together especially in these trying times that we're in. Um
we know there's a lot of things we have to take into consideration. Um things are not um in most of the districts around our in our county things are not um sparkly and perfect as you can see as you see on social media or in the news. Um, lots of
cuts, lots of things happening, taxes going up, um, schools being sold, you name it, it's happening everywhere around us. Um, luckily here in Barnagot, we are still pretty stable with everything. Um, our district financially, every audit has been clean,
been perfect. Um, taxes, we try to keep to the minimum amount that we can every year. Um that was our agenda again this year was to a not cut make any cuts to our district, keep our education as strong as it can be and secondly was to
try to keep in mind our taxpayers as far as um the tough times that we're in and being cognizant of the taxes um that we pay. So again, I think as a board and as an administration, we walked that line very well this year. again. Um, as you
can see, there was again no cuts, um, no staff cuts, no program cuts. There was actually a few additions of things that we had planned, uh, for long term that we we were still adding. Um, and again, compared to districts around us, the tax
rate is um, again, minimal compared to what you're seeing other districts right around us. I mean, neighboring towns. So again, kudos to everybody here that helped and had a hand in putting together this budget. So thank you again. With that, I will turn it over, I
guess, to Miss Van Hassel for the budget hearing. >> Uh we have to make a motion to open the hearing. >> Oh, okay. Sorry. Item number one under 15. Motion to open the public hearing for our 2026 2027 school year budget. Can I get a motion for that, please?
>> So move second. >> Call. >> Miss Journey. >> Yes. Miss Continanza, >> yes. >> Miss Jeie, >> yes. >> Mr. Hearn, >> yes. >> Mr. Pizaro, >> yes. >> Miss Terinowski, >> and Mr. Sarno, >> yes. >> Okay,
>> that I'll now turn it over to Miss. >> So, I just want to start out again. Um, I think we're seeing this more and more. Uh, it's becoming much more of a challenge to navigate S2 as they keep it in place and provide a quality
education. Um, and someplace that brings joy to children and they want to come every day. Um, but I do want to thank all of the board um, and all of the administration. Um, it was a really collaborative effort. Everybody jumped
in. We start in December. We set the goals. we needed to to kind of accomplish. We worked through it. Um we'll kind of go through all the details as we go through, but again um I have said since I've started at Barnagget the last couple years, the one thing that
impresses me about Barnagate is the administration and their willingness to jump in, be be creative, um children first. Um and I think we've done that kind of for another budget year. So proud of the budget we're kind of putting forth. So, if you don't mind, do
I have the clicker? Y. So, again, um just kind of going over it. The budget is a 360 uh day process. We plan budgets for three years. We don't actually just work on a a year budget this year. Um we're working now on
closing what those fund balances look like, how we're moving those forward for the following year, how we're planning for reserves. Um we already starting with legislative committees to see what state aid looks like next year and how we plan for those before we even kind of seal up this year's budget. So um it's
it's a constantly evolving thing to try to get these goals that we want to achieve. So um there really is no day off from the budget. Um but the formal process starts in November. Um we kind of meet with the board. We set some goals that we want to see for our
district uh going forth in the following year. And then in March and April, based on state aid numbers and what we've heard from each of the schools, we put together a rough draft. Um propose it to the board, make whatever um cuts or additions that need to happen. We submit
it in March to the county. Uh we go through a little bit of a rigorous process working through the county to make sure everything is where it needs to be. Um, in addition, we also meet with uh the state for the preschool portion of the budget during that time. And then that takes us to here where we
have, uh, the opportunity to give you the presentation of what we've kind of come to up with. So, all right. So, uh, efficiency is the name of the game these days with S2. Um, but I'm super proud of our district because I think we just keep finding
that. Um, we've talked about that the last couple years. Um I think the first one though I do want to talk about in a little more detail. It's something we talk about a lot in our district because um as we've moved um some of our out of district runs back in house um it has
been over a million dollars. We're we're rounding about million and a half dollars um to be able to use those funds for other areas of our district as we're providing the transportation in house. Um next year we're taking on another uh out of district run bracken house um and
providing transportation for another child out of district. So again bringing in revenue. Um but I think the other part to this is that um we're certainly focused on the efficiency of it. The other part is the control though. I mean these are some of our most um critical
students and I think at this point we have such a talented transportation team. we understand their needs the best and I think it's starting to be more of a confidence that we want those kids to get safely to whatever school district that they need to be if we can't service
them in Barnagate and so I'm finding that um we need to do that a little bit more of a mandate as far as safety for those vulnerable students so um we take that very seriously so again we use that as efficiency it's certainly working for us but the other part is making sure that those students are getting where
they need to be safely and um we just have such an amazing team to do that. Uh let's we we became fine collectors. So last couple years we've brought a person in house. Um she's she's collecting on fines. Um it's something
we need to do. We can't carry it through. Um in terms of our food service account, um we were uh three years ago $89,000 in a rears with people owing us money. Uh we've got down down to $6,000.
You know, that translates into a lot of stuff for us. We have a very successful food service program as we switched to Neutraerve, but we also have aging buildings with aging equipment. And when we're constantly having to write off $89,000 worth of uncollectible fines,
you know, those are lost opportunities for us to provide better equipment to preserve food. So things like ovens and steamers and things that we need to make sure we're providing healthy meals for the students each and every day. We have started uh this is our third year into moving into leasing for all of
our technology. Um it's it's kind of two uh fold which helps us. One is we're seeing a complete uh reduction in repair costs. Uh we're also seeing you know we don't have a huge tech department. They do pretty incredible things each and every day with the amount of staff that
we have and the amount of technology that we need to keep up and running in this district. Um and so by moving to this uh we are able to wrap in uh repairs uh and and maintenance agreements. Um so that frees them up to be a much more accessible to teachers
and making sure teachers are up and running every day and with the technology they need. And then most especially as the budget is getting tighter and tighter every year. We're not having large swings because as technology is expiring, we have huge purchases that we need to account for.
Um, moving into leases makes our budget much more consistent so we can manage it every year, year-over-year. And again, we talk about extraordinary aid every year. We have dived into this extensively yet again this year. This is certainly something that we try to
maximize every dollar to get back to the state um as we have to put more students out of district. Um, this year, you know, that we had some issues with children registering and they were already put out of district. So those were costs that were unanticipated when we budgeted last year and we had to
absorb and extraordinary aid is a mechanism which we can go back to the state and ask for some of those funds back and and use it uh forward for other school years and then consistently reviewing scheduling to keep classes in the 20s. You know, obviously we all want
to be in the low 20s. Uh depending on the grade this year, you'll see where we're at the 20s, but you'll see very very many Ocean County school districts are now starting to report class sizes in the 30s. That's the result of S2. Um we're very cognizant of it. We're really
trying very hard not to be one of those districts. Um and I believe this year this budget can still support us to have that class size. Energy efficiency monitoring. So, I think there's like a more official name for it. Dean and I, my facilities director worked on today
and we couldn't figure it out. But, um, we as part of the ACES agreement we're a part of, um, we actually get notifications when we should go into blackouts or reduce our electric down to certain things based on the grid. So, we're constantly monitoring all of our
buildings for when the grid is higher and when we should be going down to try to maximize our utility costs. So, um it is certainly something we're always very focused on. And again, um the free and reduced lunch applications, uh you know, many have multiple applications. You
know, no child should come to school hungry. Um and so for students that are struggling, getting them an application, make sure they get fed all day. The other part is making sure that if they are hungry, they're not uh getting large balances that the families aren't able
to afford to reimburse the school at and then we're having to write off. So staying focused on making sure every family that needs an application is getting one um is is serving us well and um that is I think what you're seeing also us being able to keep those uh
unpaid balances at a more reasonable level for the district. So when we talk about the budget and it's kind of everybody wants to say are you a zerobased or you you go from last year and you know very little of the budget is actually very flexible. So,
um, you know, you talk about this huge budget, um, but 81% of our budget is already committed before we even start doing the process. And that's because that makes up through health benefits, your contractual obligations with salaries, um, or obligations to the
state for PERS, and then the other employee benefits that are promised through contractual obligations. So um you know there's a finite amount that we can be efficient in and we certainly do our best to do that but when you take 81% and those are the commitments you
have before you start um you have to look for some creative solutions. So um this is kind of I think something we're starting to talk about and I really feel like this is where we need to focus because it's the cost of the cap. So,
we talk about getting a 6% cap, like a 6% cap. Everybody hears it. I don't know if people really understand the true meaning of this cap. And so, I think everybody gets excited. They hear we get a 6% increase in state aid. But, you know, the portions that make up
state aid is we spend all year submitting to the state report after report showing how we're spending our money, what our student needs are, what is driving our cost for the budget. And then according to the state, they say that's the formula they use to determine how much state aid. And so we spend a
lot of time making sure those reports are accurate. So if we were to get what we should have gotten for state aid based on the formula and the state saying this is what your your district is due based on how you're spending the money state how you have obligations. Um
this year alone um we should have been awarded $3,225,385. We got capped at 1.5 million. Last year we should have been awarded 3,386 uh,000 and we got capped at 1.4. The year before we got cut 1.9 million. So
again, you know, people hear, "Oh, you got 6%. The 6% this year didn't cover our health benefit increase." You know, these are big numbers and and when you start to put them together and realize what your obligations are, you have to see what the total collective cap and
obligation and loss is and these are what you have to then budget over. So, if you just take what we've had to manage over the last three years, the money we should have gotten from the state was another $5.5 million that we've had to overcome. Um, but that being said, um, again,
testament to the admin, the faculty, and all the teachers, um, you know, New Jersey average for putting a a student in a class in a seat is $28,761. Barnagget's doing it efficiently at 26,82.
Ocean County is averaging 31,893. The indicators are kind of like where we are becoming efficient. And if you notice, we're staying right where we need to be in the middle um based on even some of these cuts. So, I think, you know, it's a testament
again to the teachers, to the admin that they're putting forth, the test scores that they're doing. We're staying very efficient. We're maximizing the tax dollars. We're being respectful to the tax dollars that the community trusts us with. And we're we're really creating an
efficient district um and trying to produce excellent results from that efficiency. So again, you can see uh I think in a lot of Ocean County districts right now, uh part of the issue with S2 is they're losing enrollment. Barnett and certainly is not in that situation. Um they're
increasing enrollment. A lot of that enrollment, even though it doesn't seem like a big number, is coming from special ed. Um and so there's additional costs that come with just even 50 kids that you might be increasing for special ed. Um, also the homeless students, uh,
Barnagget, uh, is about 130 homeless students right now. Uh, that represents a couple million dollars between transportation, uh, tuition contracts between us and other districts. Uh, we're seeing a a significant rise in LEIP students, uh, students with a
second language, and then, um, you know, alternate uh, stu alternative students. The Pause Academy, it's a fantastic program for Barnett. It actually saves us a lot of money. It's very great, good for the kids. It's providing a lot of success, but we're actually seeing a huge rise in number of kids that are
being placed in pause. So, um, again, that has to be accounted for in the budget. So, all right. So, budget challenges, enrollment increases. So, um, when you see those enrollment increases, even though it's not hundreds, it still represents classroom needs, more desks,
more chairs. Um, when it's in special ed and you have caps of six students per class, you're talking about opening classrooms and staffing, long-term planning. I mean, we talk about budgets. We're talking about parking lots, roofs, HVAC systems that the district's going to need ultimately. Rising utilities
costs, aging facilities. These are all things that we understand the community is experiencing in school districts not exempt from those as well. Uh special ed, again, district and out of district placements. Uh where's our capacity when we have limited class sizes and space.
Um an increase in support services. We're seeing an increase in uh the need for oneto ones and the increase in nurses and um you know again that comes at a cost also to make sure our staff is trained and needs to be where they need to be and specialized transportation. So
u making sure we have the appropriate uh vans and buses that can accommodate some of these needs and wheelchairs and backups and and things like that and transportation costs. So while it is an area where we are saving money and we become more efficient, we're still obviously seeing rising fuel uh fuel
costs, rising costs for parts and labor, uh the state keeps raising the tolls. Uh we do have capacity issues there and in DOE um as they keep doing to us is changing regulations. So next year we anticipate some additional costs and
things we have to do to be compliant. So that brings us to uh the tax levy. Um the last couple years the state has done different things regarding going from the 2% to where districts need to be to
prevent to produce a balanced budget. Um last year the district at Barnagget uh stayed at three. So we went from two to 3% where other districts in Ocean County were reporting at 9.91 1432. Uh so last year we were able to be at
three. Uh this year though we did present a budget where we felt we had to be at five and that was uh due to the healthcare uh adjustments. So how did we kind of like overcome some of our challenges? Uh again admin
supervisors thank you very much. They went in they jumped in got very creative with school schedules to maximize the current staff we have. Um we are bringing back some out of district runs. We are still continuing when we can to do these homeless bus runs. It's a it's
a huge cost saver and we're reducing our reliance on co-ops where for transportation where you're paying admin fees and kind of some of these uh bus companies are charging a absolute fortune facilities you know I think sometimes
when budgets get tough you tend not to do the preventative maintenance I think it has to always maintain a priority so you don't end up with bigger issues down the line um so so we are always focused on doing the little things so we don't have the big things coming back and
shared services. So, um again, I feel like we keep saying transportation, uh but transportation as we bring more out of district routes in um I feel very proud because we're able to actually provide transportation to other districts. So, it's bringing revenue
into our district, but it's also saving um peers, you know, in in Ocean County a lot of money for us to be able to do it. So, it's a dual purpose and and it's a good thing for the county, but it's a great thing for our district. Uh we continue to maximize our shared services
for technology. Uh we are continuously looking for tuition in students and this year we have definitely um gone after uh an opportunity for some advertising. Um so that's where we're at. So school tax levy, how does it affect
the local taxpayer? So this year without the debt uh service it your the five uh% tax levy is a 3% uh increase. Uh with the d with the um debt service it goes from 1.45 to 1.49
um based on those ratables that we were given. Um and if you go to the next slide it'll give you the do dollar amounts for the annual impact for the community. So annual and monthly. Um, but at the 5% we have no staff
reductions. We have no cuts to sports or extracurricular activities. We have no uh cuts to after school busing. We have no cuts to um about $200,000 of safety repair issues that we need to address within the schools. And we're able to meet our healthcare obligations. Um
again, we're proposing 5%. If you look comparatively at the neighbors who are producing a similar program, Stafford is having a budget hearing for 9.63. 63 Southern 8.86 Pineland 7.82 Manchester 8.81 Central 6.98 and Lacy 7.1 and those
numbers are with cuts. So um again super proud of the admin for becoming creative because we're proposing five with none. Um every other district is coming forth with those higher tax levies and cuts. Um so that's all from me. I'm going to
go sit down. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Fantasm. >> All right, with that, um, I guess we don't really need to open a public session, but if there's anyone from the public that would like to speak, your opportunity to speak on the budget itself, that's this portion is all
about. You may, Mr. Deputy Mayor Rubenstein. Mr. President, Mr. Superintendent, members of the board, neighbors, I'm not here as the deputy mayor. I'm here as Fred Rubenstein, 34y year resident of
Hickory Circle in Barnagan. Uh, it's a tough job, a budget, tough job. I did it when I was township administrator in a different zip code and I participated in here. But several of the hot buttons that were touched on, they're hot
buttons to me where you might might be able to realize substantial cost savings. One of them is transportation. That's my background. Uh it is proven. In fact, first of all, I'm glad I was told secondhand. Scott,
is it true that the purchase of electric school buses was uh rejected by the board? Is that true? >> Um it has. Well, it hasn't been gone through. You have not We have not done it. So, no, it hasn't happened. >> Well, good. I hope you don't do it.
>> Cancel. >> It has been cancelled. >> Don't need to waste any more >> time on that. But good, good move. They're they're not yet ready for prime time. >> And it wasn't for buses. Uh just so to make you feel bad was going to be for small vans.
>> Small vans is another thing. Buses, they barely hold 80% of the charge. And you're tied to communist China for parts. Correct. Good move. Uh, as far as the other transportation factors go, I'm glad to hear that you have computerized route building
systems. There are many from Litics to Sam Sarah to uh, Fleetmatics. There's a whole bunch of them. One thing I would like to see you consider, you may already have it. I don't know. Uh, have you heard of a system called Bus Patrol?
>> Uh, no. We're using Transfinder now. >> Okay. If in case it's not the same thing, what bus patrol is is it's a closed circuit system that's installed on the arms and the blinking stop lights that come out of the side of the bus. It's probitative evidence. They record
any cars who violate the law and pass these vehicles. Uh it pays for itself and it's transmitted right out over the air on cellular frequencies. Works very well. Bus patrol. Second of all, and actually third of all and last is the
actual transportation system itself. Uh, everybody likes in-house. It's nice home rule. But there are different companies, MV Transportation, First Student, and others that will come in, give you a price, take over your entire uh, busing
system to include personnel. I'm not saying they're the better mousetrap. I am saying I think they're worth a look. If you need contacts, let me know. I have them for each of them. Uh and they'll come in and assess. There's no there's no charge. But other than that,
well done. >> Thank you. >> Oh, no, it is not. Uh as far as the budget, as you know, last year there was a little controversy attached to it when we at the town posted charts at the tax collector's office showing what portion
of your tax dollar went where. It was accurate. It was unrebuted. Uh are we considering again? We are. Thanks. >> Thank you as always, Mr. Rubmany and being transparent with the public. There's nothing wrong with that at all.
Um, anybody else like to c >> Can you post the other uh schools tax levy just as a little aside? Can you post that one slide? >> I know. >> We're and we're proud of our budget, so we have nothing to hide. So, put it out
there. Um, anybody else? With that, I guess we'll close our public session. >> Well, motion to end the public hearing. All right. Can I get a motion to end the budget public hearing, please? >> Second. >> Roll call.
>> Miss Churnney. >> Yes. >> Miss Continanza. >> Yes. >> Miss Jeie? >> Yes. >> Mr. Hearn? >> Yes. >> Mr. Pizaro. >> From the hearing. >> We'll just close the hearing. Oh yes, >> Mr.
>> and Mr. Sarno. >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Motion number two of the budget hearing is motion to approve the 2026 2027 final budget. >> So move. >> Second.
>> And roll call, please. >> Miss Jurnney. >> Yes. >> Miss Compton. >> Yes. And I would like to thank um Miss Vanassel and our superintendent and the board for working together to uh get together this uh budget for 2026 27. And
I'm a yes. >> Miss Genie? >> Yes. >> Mr. Hearn? >> No. >> No. >> No. >> Okay. Mr. Pizaro? >> No. >> Miss Tarnowski? >> Miss Sarn Mr. Sarno? >> Yes.
>> Motion carried. Thank you. All right. With that, item number 16 on our agenda is public session. Can I get a motion to move into regular public session, please? >> So move. >> Second.
>> Roll call. >> Miss Churnney. >> Yes. >> Miss Continza, >> yes. >> Mr. Fed, Miss Genie, >> yes. >> Miss Hearn, >> yes. >> Mr. Pizaro, >> yes. Miss Terowski. >> Miss Washburn. Oh, sorry. She's not
here. Mr. Sarno. >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> We want to read the >> Yep. Sorry, I had to go back. The Barnett Township Board of Education appreciates and welcomes public comment, advice, and suggestions, especially when it's intended to assist the board of
education. Please feel free to speak to the board during public session. Comments and discussion will be limited to one fivem minute period per individual unless requested by the chairperson to continue on a point of clarification. Public comment at special meetings of the board shall be related to the call of the meeting in accordance
with the board of education policy. Each participant must be recognized by the presiding officer and preface their comments by the announcement of their name, address, and group affiliation if appropriate. Your anticipated courtesy to the members of the public and the board is appreciated. >> Thank you. And with that, is there
anyone like to address the board on any topic? Seeing nobody, can I get a motion to close public session, please? >> Motion. >> Call. >> Miss Churnney, >> yes. >> Miss Continanza, >> yes.
>> Miss Genie, >> yes. >> Mr. Hearn, >> yes. >> Mr. Bizaro, >> yes. >> Miss Terinowski, >> Mr. Sarno, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Item 17 on your agenda is finance committee motions. We have motions one through seven. I get a
motion to approve those seven, please. >> So move. >> Miss Churnney, >> yes. >> Miss Continentza, >> yes. >> Miss Genie, >> yes. >> Mr. Hearn, >> yes. >> Mr. Bizaro, >> yes to everything. I'm standing on two.
I did not get a copy of the bill list. >> It was attached to the agenda. We're not going to explain it, but go ahead, >> please. >> Miss Serinowski, >> Miss Wash, Mr. Sarno, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Item 18 on our agenda,
buildings and grounds motions. One motion. Can you get a motion to approve that? >> Still moved. >> Second. >> Roll call. >> Miss Churnney. >> Yes. >> Miss Continza. >> Yes. >> Miss Genie. >> Yes. >> Yes.
>> Mr. Yes, >> Mr. Bizaro. >> Yes, >> Miss Terowski. >> Yes, >> Mr. Sarno. >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Item 19 on your agenda is education committee motions. Motions one through five. Motion is to approve those five,
please. >> Second. >> Roll call. >> Miss Churny. >> Yes. >> Miss Continza. >> Just confused. They took that one off and then they replaced it with the one that's on there.
>> Yes, Miss Genie. >> Yes, Mr. Hearn. >> Yes, >> Mr. Bizaro. >> Yes, >> Miss Terinowski. >> Yes, >> Mr. Sarno. >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Uh item 20 on the agenda is education committee information. Just
two attachments there information for the public to review. Item 21 agenda is health safety technology committee. There is just one motion there. Motion to approve that please. >> So moved. >> Second or goal. >> Miss Churnney.
>> Yes. >> Miss Continza. >> Yes. >> Miss Genie. >> Yes. >> Mr. Hearn. >> Yes. >> Mr. Bizaro. >> Yes. >> Mr. Tannowski. Miss Mr. Sarno. >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Item 22 on the agenda is personnel committee motions. We have
motions 1 through 20. Motion to approve those 20, please. >> So move. >> Roll call. >> Miss Churnney. >> Yes. >> Miss Continanza. >> Yes. >> Miss Genie. >> Yes. >> Mr. Hearn. >> Yes.
>> Mr. Bizaro? >> Yes. >> Miss Tinowski? >> Mr. Sarno? >> Yes. >> Motion carried. Item 22 on your agenda is personnel committee information. Again, just information for the public to review. And item 24 on the agenda is
executive session. Can I get a motion to move into executive to discuss HIP personnel and legal matters, please? >> So moved. >> Miss Churnney, >> yes. >> Miss Continanza, >> yes. >> Miss Genie, >> yes. >> Mr. Hearn, >> yes.
>> Mr. Rosaro, >> yes. >> Miss Terrannowski, >> Mr. Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. >> Who knows how long will be. >> All right. would like to call this Barnabation
meeting back to order. Please roll call. >> Miss Churnney >> here, >> Miss Continanza >> here, >> Miss Jeie >> here, >> Mr. Hearn >> here, >> Mr. Bizaro >> here, >> Miss Tarnowski, and Mr. Sarno >> here. >> We have the quorum. >> Yep. Under new business, we have motion
number one. Uh motion to approve the HI report as presented in executive by the superintendent. Motion to pass that, please. >> So moved. >> Second. Rojo. Miss Churnney, >> yes. >> Miss Continza, >> yes. >> Miss Jeanie, >> yes. >> Mr. Hearn,
>> yes. >> Mr. Pizaro, >> yes. >> Miss Hernandowski, >> yes. >> And Mr. Sarno, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Motion number two on new business. >> Motion to approve employee ID number 4267 from part-time to full-time and annual salary of 41,000 effective July
1st, 2026. >> Motion to approve that, please. >> So moved. Second. >> Miss Churnney. >> Yes. Miss Continza, >> yes. >> Miss Genie, >> yes. >> Mr. Hearn, >> yes. >> Mr. Bizaro, >> yes. >> Miss Terinowski,
>> yes. >> And Mr. Sarno, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. >> Item number three under new business. >> Motion to approve employee ID7080 from part-time to full-time and annual salary of $36,769
effective 712026. >> Motion to approve that, please. >> So moved. >> Second. Miss Churnney, >> yes. >> Miss Continanza, >> yes. >> Miss Genie, >> yes. >> Mr. Hearn, >> yes. >> Mr. Bizaro, >> yes. >> Miss Terrannowski,
>> Miss W. And Mr. Sarno, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Item number four in the new business. >> Uh motion to approve the following new um hire. Shauna Lindley as an erra teacher for Donahghue effective September 1, 2026 through July 30th,
2027. Step one, VA and annual salary of $63,89 pending her certification and clearances. >> Motion to approve that, please. >> So moved. >> Moroval. >> Miss Churnney. >> Yes. >> Miss Continza. >> Yes. >> Miss Genie.
>> Yes. >> Mr. Hearn. >> Yes. >> Mr. Pizaro. >> Yes. >> Miss Terinowski. >> Miss Darno. >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> You and item number five on the new business. Motion to approve Patrick F I'm sorry
I'm mispronouncing it Fenetti at an ER teacher for Collins effective September 1 2026 through June 30th 2027 step 1ba an annual salary of $63,89 um pending his clearances and certifications
>> motion to approve that please >> so move >> second roll call >> Miss Churnney >> yes >> missanza >> yes >> miss Jeie >> yes >> Mr. Yes, >> Mr. Pizaro. >> Yes, >> Miss Terowski. >> Yes, >> Mr. Sarno. >> Yes.
>> Motion carried. >> Thank you. A motion to adjourn, please. >> So moved. >> Roll call. >> Second. >> Miss Churny, >> yes. >> Miss Continanza, >> yes. >> Miss Jeanie, >> yes. >> Mr. Hearn, >> yes. >> Mr. Bizaro, >> yes. >> Miss Terowski,
>> Mr. Sarno, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Meeting adjourned. Thank you everybody.