1st 2026 uh school board meeting. Uh Miss Ikeo, can you please take the role? >> Uh we are going to do flag salute first. Everyone please rise. America stands nationy.
>> Good evening everyone. Notice of this meeting has been provided in accordance with the open public meetings act NJSA 104-6 by the board secretary. A written notice was posted in the office of the board of education filed with the township clerk and sent to the designated official
newspapers at least 48 hours in advance of this meeting. The notice the date, time, and location of this meeting and to the extent known the agenda to be discussed. The New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice and to attend the meetings of
this board except where specifically exempted by law at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the provisions of this act, the board of education has caused notice of this meeting to be published by having same advertised in the ledger aka NJ advance
and the record. Also, notice of this meeting has been mailed to the members of the board, the burough clerk, all elementary schools, the middle school, the high school, Hornblower Early Childhood Center, and posted to the district website. Also, this meeting is being televised via the district's
YouTube and Facebook pages. Roll call. Trusty Grow >> here. >> Trusty Gillis. Trusty Munoz here. >> Trusty Pacheco >> here. Trusty Santana
>> here, Vice President Misagia >> here, and President Leon >> here. >> We have a quorum. >> Thank you, Miss Ikeo. Uh, can I please have a motion for the approval of minutes for December 15th, 2025 close session and public session minutes?
>> So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor? I >> uh we're going to roll call. Trusty Garrow. >> Yes. >> Trusty Gillis is absent. Trusty Munoz,
>> yes. >> Trusty Pacheco, >> yes. >> Trusty Santana, >> yes. >> Vice President Misagia, >> yes. >> And President Leon, >> yes. Uh, can I also have a motion for the approval of minutes for the January 5th,
2026 reorganization meeting? >> So moved. >> I second. >> Trusty Garo, >> yes. >> Trusty Gillis is absent. Trusty Munoz, >> yes. >> Trusty Pacheco, >> yes. Trusty Santana,
>> yes. >> Vice President Majia, >> yes. >> And President Leon, >> yes. All right. Thank you. Uh, we're going to be moving on now to our student government organization representative. We're going to up next is our high school representative, Jasine Sepu.
>> Good evening, everyone. I hope you are all having a wonderful start to the new year. Firstly, I would like to congratulate all staff and students being celebrated for their achievements tonight. I would also like to issue a warm welcome to our new members of the board of education. In old news, on
December 22nd, Beville High School student government organization hosted a blood drive with the American Red Cross. Over 50 students and staff donated throughout the school day, successfully saving countless lives. On the January 6th, Belleville celebrated Three Kings Day with a lively event hosted by
Belleville's recreation center. The event featured reenactments, candies, and of course, presents. On January 20th, Belleville High School's girl bowling team won first place in Essex County Bowling Tournament. The team's captain, Ross Amadovar, won first place
overall and the individual high bowler series with a score of 5'11. Congratulations to all coaches and players. Recently, Belleville competition cheer team won first place in the Cutter Classic and CD cheer competitions. Congratulations to our
talented cheerleaders. In new news, on January 28th, Belleville High School student government organization will be hosting a bingo night in the high school cafeteria. Tickets cost $6 each and students are encouraged to buy tickets if they want a fun night full of prizes. Check out Belleville High School's
website to access monthly letters with school news information, updates, and events for students, staff, and teachers. Thank you. >> Thank you for that report, Jasine. Uh we are now moving on to items to be presented by administration. We're going to start off with superintendent Dr.
Erica Fonsel's report. >> Good evening everyone. So as we move through the month of January, id like to share some important updates and highlights. So first I want to inform the board and community that the county office will be visiting our district
next week as part of the QAC process. CUSAC is a quality single accountability continuum. That's how we get assessed as a district. It's a state's comprehensive accountability system for evaluating school districts. It is partially comprised of our district self- assessment conducted across multiple
operational and instructional domains in conjunction with the county office and other state determined indicators. Our last QAC was a 2223 school year. So according to the cycle, we're up this coming year. I would also like to acknowledge an incident that occurred in on January 9th prior to the start of the
school day when a couple of seating towels fell in one of the classrooms in school 4 due to water damage and from the accumulated snow. So I first of all I want to thank our maintenance department and school for administration staff for their prompt and effective response. The maintenance crew
immediately secured the classroom. The principal was notified. He notified the teacher. The teacher was reallocated and the students as well to a different classroom. Our maintenance team worked around the clock over the weekend and was able to have our environmentalists clear the classroom to be approved to open on Monday. So kudos to the
maintenance team and B&G crew. Great job. On another note, I would like to congratulate our middle school choir and Dr. Webb for their performance at the MLK flag raising at town hall. Uh it sent chills up everyone's uh spine. It's it was amazing to see the talent that we
have growing in our middle school. I would like to congratulate our girls bowling team. As Jas mentioned, as his county champs, that is no small feat. And I would also like to acknowledge, which we're going to be acknowledging later on in a little bit, our gifted and talented students who competed at the county competition. They did extremely
well. Additionally, this month we launched our aspiring leaders academy. We had approximately 40 staff members participate in this kickoff session, and this reflects our commitment to developing leaders and investing in our future within our own staff here in
Belleville. So we're very excited to continue that program. I want to give a special thanks to Dr. Lash, Miss Ikeo, and Dr. Leah for joining us and for contributing also to the session. The future is definitely looking bright in Belleville.
We also launched our district AI task force which is focused on responsible, ethical and effective use of artificial intelligence. as we know it is here. It is real and we need to embrace it and really educate ourselves on this ever evolving topic. So Mr. Cook is going to
be spearheading that task force and reaching out to staff members and certain individuals to become part of this task force and again it's continuing education for our educators for our leaders and for our students and staff overall. Finally, I would like to acknowledge our district's participation in the future
of education technology conference. And I would like to especially recognize Mr. James Cook and Dr. Leah for their critical contributions to our presentation. It was a full house. It was standing room only. Uh and it was uh again as far as AI leadership and the
next steps to move forward in this monumental transition in education. So this work holistically showcased the innovative practices taking place in our district and brought Belleville excellence to the national stage which is something big that we need to we're really pushing here to make sure that we
get our name out there and Belleville excellence is the brand that we're pushing out there. And lastly before closing I would like to reiterate as I've done previously a disclaimer that social media is not an approved method of communication with the district. Any concerns should always
be the right to school principles or central office so they may be addressed appropriately. I want to thank our board, our staff, and our community for our continued partnership and support. Together, we remain focused on progress, leadership, and excellence in every
student in district. Thank you. >> Thank you for that report, Dr. Alonso. Moving on, we are now going on to the recognition of student and staff members of the month for December 2025. Can I have our wonderful principles uh come on up to introduce uh our
acknowledge staff member and student of the month, please? Good evening everybody. Um, I'm Mrs. Gilligan from school five and tonight we're going to be recognizing a fabulous child in our school, Michael Gallick. Michael, can you come on up for a sec?
[applause] Congratulations, Michael. Michael's one of these kids that just lights up a room when he comes into the room. Um he's one of our um standards for this for December student of the month was kindness. So Michael's been recognized for his kindness. And I
just want to read a little bit about one of his teachers said that Michael's extremely hardworking student, but more importantly, he's an an amazing friend to his classmates. He's always ready to help others, including teachers, and he loves to cheer on his friends. Miss
Sojan says, "Michael is truly kind and thoughtful and a thoughtful member of the School Five community. He consistently shows respect to both his classmates and teachers, and he's always willing to help whenever someone is is in need. Michael puts in tremendous
effort in everything he does, even when a task is challenging. He never gives up easily and always tries his best. I've seen that myself." Right, Mike. His positive attitude, strong work ethic, and caring nature make him a wonderful role model and a joy to have
here at school five. Congratulations, Michael. [applause] >> [applause] >> Hello everyone. I'm Charlie Jaceti, Belleville Middle School principal. Tonight we're we are proud to recognize our teacher of the month, Dr. Webb, our incredible music uh middle school music
teacher. Dr. Web's classes are some of the most popular in the school. He has an amazing way of connecting with his students, making music come alive, and creating a space where kids feel confident, challenged, and inspired. His passion for teaching is obvious the
moment you walk into his classroom. His holiday and celebratory concerts are legendary. These performances don't just happen. They are the result of countless hours, high expectations, and a true love for what he does. Dr. Dr. Webb brings out the very best in his students
and turns hard work into something joyful. Thank you, Dr. Webb, for your dedication, your energy, the heart you bring to our school every single day. We're so lucky to have you. Thank you. [applause] [applause] There's the main guys at every concert,
too. Thank you everyone. Um I am deeply honored and humbled to accept this award. I'd like to thank all the board trustees. Like to thank all the administrators, all the teachers,
all of the staff members, and every student that I've had the privilege of serving my time here in Belleville. I consider >> [applause] >> He shows up when it counts, huh? Right for picture time. That's awesome.
So, next up is our administrator of the month. Every month for our administrator of the month, we really look for, you know, a characteristic or something that stands out from our administrators and never ceases to amaze us that something always
occurs that really just highlights one of our administrators. So, I'm going to say it was a month ago, Mr. Puglia. Was it a month ago? Yeah. So about well first off Mr. Steve Puglia come on down. He's our
administrator of the month. [applause] So I get a call from Mr. Puglia 7 something in the morning. He goes, "You're going to hate me." I'm like, "What's up?" He goes, "An electrical line fell on top of a school bus. It's
live right in front of my school." I'm like, "Oh, wow. Okay." He's like, "Listen, uh, staff's here. They're helping out. They're out in front. Um, PD's on the way. Fire's on the way, etc., etc. Um, by the time I get over to the school, everything's contained. He
gives me a full report. And besides the logistical and operational part that he had nailed to a tea, it was to see how much of the staff showed up and was outside all hands on deck helping students cross the street.
It just we had a delayed opening for this particular event. So some families received the notice, some didn't because it was so late in the morning. And just to see how the staff rallied behind Mr. Puglia and behind the school and the
students for me is just a true mark of leadership and that servant leadership and that all hands- on deck. He was out there. He was out there. He was speaking to PD, briefing, checking in on the teachers, see if they needed anything. uh celebrated them as soon as he got back into the building, made an
announcement over the intercom and it was just an honor to be there to experience him at work and just, you know, talking to a couple of the teachers within the building that like, oh yeah, he's awesome. This is who he is. This is what he does. Um, and I've
never seen someone someone brand something like Buzz Buzz like Mr. Puglia has. If you know school three, you know Buzz Buzz. Every morning he gets on the intercom, he says his morning message, says buzz buzz. And if you're in the
main office, it almost vibrates in the building. You hear buzz throughout the entire building. Then he does his walkthroughs to every single classroom every single day. Does his buzz buzz to every class, and the students know he's present, the staff knows he's present, and he makes sure to always check in
with everyone, which is what really set him apart. And this particular incident just highlighted the work that he does every day. So, Mr. Puglia, congratulations, and thank you. >> [applause] >> say something. Not really a one for speeches, but um
thank you Dr. Alfonso. Thank you Dr. Dia. Thank you to the board. Um I'm honored to receive this award. Um but as Dr. Alfonso said, it's really it's this isn't about me. It's about it's about the staff, it's about the teachers, uh it's about the students. Uh, we have a
great environment at school three and I'm fortunate to be the principal. I really am. So, anybody from school three, buzz buzz. Thank you. [applause] >> [applause]
>> And last but absolutely not least, we've been acknowledging a community member who really stands out and is uh contributes to this Belleville excellence brand that we have. So, I would like to invite our uh coordinator of community engagement, Miss Evelyni, to come up and
give her give her flowers to the person that is due. [applause] >> Thank you, Dr. Alonso. This evening, the Belleville Public Schools Board of Education is proud to recognize an individual whose dedication, generosity, and leadership
have made a meaningful difference in the lives of our students and families. Miss Joyce Donnelly, co-president of the Women's Club of Belleville. Through her steadfast commitment to our community, Joyce has been a tireless advocate for
Belleville's children. Her leadership in the annual winter wear drive has helped ensure that students are warm, comfortable, and ready to learn during the coldest months of the year. She has also played an instrumental role in leading the women's club's beloved
poetry contest, which was held last evening, providing students with a creative outlet to express themselves, celebrate their voices, and build confidence in their talents. These efforts along with
many others reflect Joyce's deep belief in supporting the child and strengthening the connection between our schools and the greater Belleville community. Her service embodies the spirit of collaboration, compassion, and commitment that helps
our students thrive. Joyce, thank you for all you do. [applause] I just want to say that I appreciate this very much that I'm being recognized, but I'm just one of 41 women in this town who give their time,
volunteer, their efforts, their skills, and their energy to the community all the time. We're we're in business 104 years. We hope that we're going to go on for another 104. Okay. So, thank you very much for
recognizing us, but please recognize all these women who sit here with me. Could you please stand up, ladies? [applause] >> [applause] >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Dr. Shanklin, there you are hiding from us. Dr. Shanklin, come on down. She's
going to recognize our county G&T athletes. If we have any principles or gifted and talented teachers, you can come down now and and help administer the certificates, please. I know I saw a few.
Okay, so tonight I have the privilege of recognizing several scholars for their efforts at two different gifted and talented competitions. The first recognition is from our problem solving competition. Belleville brought 14 fifth and sixth grade students from across the district to solve challenging problems
in a team setting at the county level. I was able to attend and although it was a friendly competition, the students were very competitive. All of our students who competed did a fantastic job, but one student in particular stood out and helped her team to secure a third place
victory. It is my honor to recognize Jerlin Azerkati from school number eight. Jerlin, please come up. [applause] So tonight we will also be honoring students for the forensics tournament interpretive reading.
We have six junior varsity, fifth and sixth grade students and six varsity, seventh, and eighth grade students who participated in the gifted and talented forensics interpretive reading tournament. This competition took place on January 7th at St. Elizabeth University. This was also a county level
competition. Due to a large interest at the elementary level, we hosted a local Belleville district competition first. There were over 20 fifth and sixth grade gifted and talented elementary participants. The students we are honoring tonight are those who advanced to the county level. For this
competition, contestants were required to read a published piece between four and five and a half minutes in length and were critiqued in the following categories. Suitability of the selection. Effective interpretation and communication of the author's mood and meaning. Use of vocal variety and pace
to define character and/or create atmosphere. Appropriate use of facial expressions, effective eye contact with the audience, and clear pronunciation and annunciation and effective voice projection. This was my first time attending the
competition, and I have to say I was honestly impressed. It is not easy to go up in front of judges and people you don't know to compete, especially when you're in elementary or middle school. And they all did it with poise and
confidence. Without further ado, I will now call up the students. When you re receive your certificate, please stay up here until all the names are called for a group photo. And Jerine, you can be part of that photo as well. Okay. from school number four, Rivera.
[applause] School number five, Gideon Ajab. [applause] I didn't see her, but she might have snuck in. School number seven, Andrea Gapo. >> [applause] >> Also, school number seven, Savannah Rivera.
[applause] School number eight, Emily San Martin. [applause] School number nine, Mia Rosales, [applause] Belleville Middle School. Ammani Aladda, [applause] Natalie Guamman,
[applause] Abd Robin Elba, Cassie, [applause] John Lucas Reyes [applause] and I don't believe they are here but I do want to also recognize them. Ariseli Rosario and Mia Miranda.
[applause] So let's do one big one final round of applause for these 12 students who competed at the county level. [applause] >> [snorts] [applause] >> Congratulations again to all tonight's award winners. Uh we're going to make a motion for a quick
fivem minute recess session. Uh you're more than welcome to stay for the meeting if you'd like to work your way towards the to the towards the doors and get home. uh we would prefer right now that be the time uh but if not you're more than welcome to stay for the uh the very interesting details of the rest of
this meeting. Can I please have a motion for a quick fivem minute recession? >> So move second. >> Misso, please call the role. >> All those in favor? >> I I >> I
>> I >> Any opposed? Is Can I please make a motion to reconvene the meeting? >> So moved. >> First. >> All in. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I >> I >> I
moving along. >> We are now on going to move on to the report from our business administrator and board secretary, Miss Ikeo. >> Thank you, President Leon. So, I have quite a few updates tonight. Um, I'm happy to report that the majority of the site work for the school 10 HVAC project
was completed over the winter break, minimizing disruption to students and staff. The project is now moving along to the startup phase, which is scheduled for the coming months. Unfortunately, we can't actually start up the condensers and test them until it reaches at least 70 degrees. So, I think we have quite a few weeks for that. Um, but that'll
that's already scheduled. We'll be first on the list. Uh last week the district completed its CQAC uh facilities inspection and rece received a score of 100%. I want to publicly commend our facilities and operations team for this achievement. This is not the result of
last minute scrambling for our team but rather the outcome of consistent daily practices focused on safe, orderly and well-maintained school environments which is exactly the the the nature and uh spirit of QAC. In additional good news, the middle school boiler replacement project has been completed, ensuring improved
reliability and efficiency for the remainder of the heating season. We also have completed the painting of all hallways in school 5, further enhancing the learning environment for all students and staff. So, that's some behindthe-scenes stuff our our B&G guys really take care of. Um, speaking of our BG team, I also want to extend them a
sincere thank you uh for their many weekend and off-hour efforts uh related to snow removal and winter weather responses. Their dedication ensures that schools remain safe, accessible, and operational operational for all students, staff, and the community.
Uh, our electric vehicle EV chargers, uh, the district has now installed 20 across the district. I believe two at each of 10 sites. Uh, we are in the final stages of working through the logistics and operational details and anticipate them being ready for public use in the near future. I'll have updates on that at future board
meetings. As part of the district's ongoing commitment to transparency, I would like to report on the legal services expenditures for the latter half of the 2425 fiscal year and the first half of the 2526 school year. For the period of January 2025 through June
2025, the district incurred $136,89810 in legal fees. For the period of July 2025 through December 2025, legal fees total $226,13710. Of those amounts, costs specifically attributable to legal work associated
with fulfilling OPER requests totaled $8,2624 for January through June of 2025 and then $12,630.72 for July through December of 2025. So, one of the resolutions you'll see on
tonight's agenda uh is in relationship to bond refunding. So, the first reading of the bond ordinance, this is sort of a procedural thing. We have to do it. Uh but really, we're working with our bond council and our municipal adviserss at Phoenix uh to
monitor interest rates and identify favorable opportunities to possibly refund a portion of our outstanding bonds. This is a proactive step uh that will directly relate in taxpayer savings. Um, it's not something that we can refund the bonds and put it back in general fund. It'll directly go back to
taxpayers. Um, we can't pull the trigger on that bond refunding unless we reach a minimum threshold by statute of 3%. So, as we go through that process, if we reach it, I'll be uh updating the public on that as we go. Finally, I want to
welcome Jeff Bliss and Brooke Abson of Lurch Vincy and Blitz, our audit firm. uh they're with us tonight to present the district audit findings from uh the school year ending June 30th, 2025. Before they begin, I just want to point out that both the ACFR and AMR reports
will be available starting tomorrow on our website if you click on our district business office and then audits in that folder. The whole documents will be there. Thank you everyone. And that concludes my report and welcome to our auditors. >> Thank you. Uh good evening everyone. Uh
thank you for having me here tonight to present the audit uh for the year ended June 30th of 2025. Uh one of the main uh responsibility we have after we examine the books and records
um is to express an opinion on your financial statements. Um our opinion on the financial statements were unmodified. Unmodified means it's a clean opinion. Means the financial statements are
fairly stated. They're prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and there were no scope limitations in performing the audit. Um an unmodified opinion on a financial statement um is essential in
any financial uh statement audit and uh again the district has achieved that unmodified opinion. We also are required to express an opinion on your compliance with uh federal and state grant grants. Um our
opinion again was unmodified a clean opinion meaning you complied in all material respect with the requirements of those grants. Again having an audit of compliance of grants uh an unmodified
opinion is also a must. Uh just in summary, we had four findings uh related to the 2425 year and I'll go into them specifically later on. Um two were reportable instances of
non-compliance, one of which was a significant deficiency in internal controls and then we had two general comments with respect to the fund balance of the district. If the board wants to follow along, if they have their comprehensive annual financial
report, uh, on exhibit C1, which starts on page 71, ends on page 73, is the probably the most important schedule for a board member. Um, it's the budgetary cons
comparison schedule of the general fund. It's a line by line accounting of the revenues and expenses of the district for the year 2425. Um, if you ever want to know how much money you spent on teacher salaries,
health benefits, how much taxes were brought in, how much state aid you received, uh, the C1 schedule would be the place to go to find that information. Um, at the end of that schedule on page 77
is a summary of fund balance. And uh, as board members, uh, you're going to start deliberating to prepare for the 2627 budget. Um, 2526 budget, I'm sorry. Uh,
no, 2627 uh, budget. Um, and you go on to know how much funds you had on hand and what are those monies for. So, at the the the last page there, page 77 gives you a summary. Um, overall
fund balance was 12 million24 214071. Um, it's up 2,250,000 over last year, but the full amount of that increase was funds that were committed and assigned to specific
purchases. So, they weren't available for future spending. I'm going to go through the categories of fund balance, explain what they are, uh so you have a clear understanding when you start that uh
25 26 uh uh 2627 budget process. Uh you will have a clear understanding what those funds are for. The first item you'll see is capital reserve $4,500,000. And these are funds that are set aside
by the board to fund capital projects in the long range facility plan. The full amount of this 4.5 million was designated for use in the 2526 budget. Therefore,
um those funds are in the 2526 budget to fund the project which I believe is uh the renovation of the former college. If those funds are not used for that purpose, they will revert back to the
capital reserve as undesated funds that will be available for future use. If you spend all $4.5 million in 2526, uh the capital reserve, you will have zero in the capital reserve account
until you in June do a resolution to transfer additional funds in there if you desire to. Overall capital reserve uh decreased about 500,000 from the year before was roughly
uh 5 million in the beginning of the year. A maintenance reserve you had 1,417481. These are funds set aside for maintenance of school facilities projects. Um the the full 1,417481
is undesated, meaning it's available during this fiscal year as well as future fiscal years to fund school facility projects. Um both the capital reserve and the maintenance reserve uh cannot be used for operating costs. So
you can't draw from them to pay teacher salaries, health benefits, tuition cost, transportation cost. they remain in these reserve accounts if they're not spent um for future use for those purposes.
Next item is unemployment compensation reserve $169,062. Um the district is selfmployed for unemployment claims. Uh many many years ago, the district as well as many other
government entities uh opted to go on what's called the reimbursement method. Meaning you will pay dollar for dollar every claim that you receive for unemployment uh versus the contribution method where you deduct
money from employees pay. You contribute money and you send it all into the state. Um, under the reimbursement method, you retain the funds. Uh, there's money that's employees money and then there's your money that you've
contributed which is the 169062. Our experience over the years is that uh the reimbursement method is a more costly a more uh uh cost-saving method of paying unemployment case. So, it's a
good thing for the district. um this this reserve increased uh roughly $3,400 over last year. So it built up a little bit. The next two items uh year-end incumbrances of 2,61880
and 964149 represents open purchase orders at the end of the year where the district has already committed these funds and assigned these funds to specific purchases. Um, these funds are not available going
forward for future expenses because you already earmarked them for specific expenses. Um, in all reality, these these purchase orders roll in to the 2526 budget. As the services are
rendered and the goods are received on those purchases, we make those payment, liquidate those purchase orders, um, and pay and pay and expense those items. Um at this point in time of the year probably all if not 95% of those orders
have been paid um and liquidated. Um so that 2,6180 and the 964149 in year end incumbrances is not available for future expenses. Next item under under assigned is
designated for subsequent to your expenditures $8,671 represents the fund balance the district utilized to balance the 2526 budget. Um it's a very small amount. It's actually
a a good thing uh because when you start to prepare for the 2627 budget, when you look at the revenue side of the budget, you only have $8,671
of fund balance to make up. That is an insignificant amount. If that number was a million dollars, you'd have to start the year with a million dollars of fund balance to balance that budget to make it even. where you are. So, uh the use of only 8,671
is a positive financial uh aspect to to preparing uh the 2627 budget. Uh you also had an assigned uh insurance recovery expenditure of 63,060.
represents insurance proceeds you received on a claim where you have not finished uh paying the repairs on that claim. So when those expenses come up uh the the
board can appropriate the six 69,000 to finish the project uh the claim uh work that you filed that claim for. That leaves us with unassigned fund balance. Um, in New Jersey, the maximum allowed fund balance you're allowed to have is
2% of your budget. Um, and certain adjustments for certain unbudgeted uh, aid. Uh, when you ended the year, your run assigned fund balance was 2,472768. It's up roughly 124,000 from last year.
Uh, it represents the full 2% of your budget, which is roughly 2.3 million. Plus, you were able to add an additional 750,000 to that number of uh unbudgeted extraordinary aid and unbudgeted
non-public school school transportation aid. Uh the significance of that additional 750 you added to that on a side 2% is that the board during the 2526 year, the year we're in can
appropriate that funds to the budget without requesting county approval. Um, if you have an unbudgeted tuition cost, an unbudgeted transportation cost, if uh you can draw from those funds uh without
seeking county approval, the only time you need county approval if you appropriate it to construction services. Um so overall unassigned at the max with with 750 in adjustments. Uh you have the
4.5 million capital reserve. Uh if you spend it all, you'll be down to zero. You'll probably want to, you know, put some money in that reserve and build it back up. Uh maintenance reserve, you're at 1.4 million and did not near mark any. Uh that reserve can go up to 2.8
million. So overall, uh you're in pretty stable financial condition. Um I know the upcoming budget for the uh 26 27 year there'll be significant pressures on that budget specifically with health
benefits. Uh state health benefit plan is going up anywhere from 28 to 32% depending on what uh plan the employees in. uh those type of increases will
create a tremendous amount of pressure on the budget as it as it will for every single district in the state of New Jersey and every municipality in state of New Jersey. Um which will also cause tuition
tuition contract expenses to go up, transportation contract expenses to go up. So it's going to have a significant impact uh in your 2627 budget. Uh with respect to findings uh again we
had four findings um which is on page 14 of the smaller report. It's the auditor's management report. First finding was under financial planning accounting and reporting. Um we are required to do what is called
a single audit of the federal and state programs. Uh you rotate the programs every year. The uh state program we audited this year was the preschool education aid program. Um and in auditing uh that program uh we
noted um that the private provider who was providing preschool education aid services uh did not meet the enrollment marks uh it's called the 1514 rule. A classroom of 15
uh which is the max you can have in preschool. You have to have a minimum enrollment of 14 kids. Once it goes below 14 uh students uh you have to reduce the amount of uh aid you or payments you make to them
under the contract. Uh in reviewing under the private providers we noted uh that they fell below that 14 uh student enrollment per class and therefore uh we uh need to obtain a refund which my
understanding is we did. we are crediting their bills on a monthly basis. Uh so our recommendation there it is recommended that the district review and monitor preschool private providers to ensure enrollment adjustments are calculated and pay payments revised in
accordance with the private provider contract term. Uh this was an area of non-compliance as well as an area of significant deficiencies. uh the enrollment has to be monitored on a monthly at least quarterly basis and
payments adjusted accordingly. Under school purchasing we had two recommendations. Uh the first one uh involved uh several items. Uh one
dealing with resolutions. Uh the resolutions awarding contracts that exceed the bid threshold uh did not indicate in every instance uh how the items were procured. Meaning were they bid? Were they purchased through a local cooperative? Were they
purchased through a state contract? Were they professional services? So in auditing those contracts, we could not determine how the district procured those items. Uh New Jersey has a tremendous amount of uh uh regulations
and statutes regarding uh purchasing procedures um that we was part of our audit of compliance and we were unable to determine on uh several of those contracts how they were procured. We also noted a contract purchased through
a national co-op uh where the the required procedures of doing a cost savings analysis obtaining the uh contract award information and and uh advertising a pre-awward uh notice in
the paper was not performed. Uh we also noted uh we had some in instances where quotes uh were not obtained. Um purchases that are over 15% of the bid threshold. You have to get at least at least two quotes um before you
make that purchase. Uh we noted one instance where contract was reduced without the board's approval. Need the board approval. So our recommendation there uh was internal control procedures over purchasing be reviewed and revised to ensure all
contract awards and p purchases which exceed the bid threshold and quote thresholds are made in accordance with the requirements of the public school contracts law and state procurement regulations. Uh that was also an area of non-compliance
uh with state aid. Item three is a repeat recommendation uh regarding purchases made through local cooperatives. Uh local cooperatives or other government entities that go out and bid
for goods and services. The district is allowed to piggy back off those bids. Um, however, when you award those contracts, the district needs to obtain the uh contract information from those uh
co-ops. Get that price list, compare it to the amounts being charged to you to ensure number one, a contract is in existence, and number two that they are charging you in accordance with the contract.
um in reviewing uh the contracts made through co-ops, either the contract price list was different than what you were being charged or the con contract price list was not on file. So
our recommendation there is that the district implement appropriate procedures to ensure amounts invoiced by cooperative purchasing program vendors are in accordance with the brew contract awards. Um this is something that is not
unique to Belleville. Um we see this continuously in uh government entities. Uh there was just there was a report last year by the controllers's office regarding this. Um and we really got to tighten up purchasing as well as our
procedures over the cooperatives. Our last recommendation revol uh is under transportation revolving the DRTS which is a report basically a census report of students transported.
Um, in reviewing uh special ed students that were listed in the uh DRTS report, uh we noted uh the students IEPs did not indicate that transportation was a requirement.
Um and if they didn't meet the remote mileage requirement, then they should not have been added on that report. And then we had special education students uh that met the remote remote mileage
requirement but were certified as regular stu school students rather than special ed students. So our recommendation there is that internal control procedures be strengthened over the reporting of in information on the
DRTS to ensure students transported can be traced to the class registers and are reported in the proper category. Uh those are our four recommendations. Uh if you have any questions be more than happy to answer them regarding findings
or fund balance. Any discussion? >> Okay. Thank you very much, Mr. Bliss, for that. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Bliss and Miss Absson. I just want to point out just one point of clarification uh regarding the multiple
quotes. I believe it's by statute there's two, but our policy says three. So, we actually do more than that. So, um we go above and beyond our due diligence here. Thank you guys so much for your time. Okay, moving along. Uh, can I have a motion to move on to remarks by citizens
on agenda items only? >> So moved. >> First, >> second. >> Miss AKO, please call the role. >> The first. >> Thank you. Trusty Gar. >> Yes. >> Trusty Gillis. [snorts]
>> Oh, I'm sorry. Absent. My apologies. Trusty Mos. >> Yes. Trusty Pacheco, >> yes. >> Trusty Santana, >> yes. >> Vice President Majia, >> yes. >> President Leon, >> yes. Okay, we are now open for public comment on agenda items only and limited
to three minutes. Uh, first up is Mr. Michael Mong. Good evening. Michael Monon, 387 Union Avenue, Belleville. Um, so I didn't I didn't have a chance um during the uh reorganization meeting to first off, you
know, uh congratulate each and every one of the new candidates for a really hardfought uh campaign. So, I want to congratulate you all for that. Also want to welcome you to our Belleville board of education. Um it's it's it's a pleasure to have you all on board. And
then lastly, I want to thank you guys all for your commitment. >> Mr. Mion. Yeah. Is this about the agenda? >> Uh well, you know, the new board members are on the agenda. >> No, it's this this is the the section of this meeting is for the agenda items. >> I understand that, but I didn't have a chance to do it on the organization.
>> I understand. We just have to treat everybody equally and this is the section of the meeting with respect to the agenda items only and the general public. >> Okay. >> Well, thank you guys. I just want to thank you. Sorry about that, but I will be later on speaking about the relationships that we have in this district. >> Thank you, sir.
>> All right. Thank you, Miss Manon. Uh, next up, Michael Sheldon. Uh, good evening everyone. Michael Sheldon, 47 Floyd Street. Um, um, it's always a pleasure each year to see Mr. Bliss. Um I did have a quick question for Mr. Bliss. It's very difficult to of
course follow all the numbers. By the way, usually all the previous years, previous boards, there would be copy copies of the caffer and AMR appear so that those of us with an interest could follow along, but this year nothing nothing here. I'll have more to say about the posity of information being
generated by this board in recent times later this evening. But my quick question for Mr. uh Bliss, and I don't want his response to eat up all of my time here. He said during his presentation that there's a $4.5 million capital reserve. And if I understood him correctly, he said that most of that
money was allocated last year to renovate the former Eastern International College, the building that this board purchased back in 2022 in connection with that uh bogus $12 million shared service bond ordinance negotiated through the town hall. uh
when that bill when that uh purchase was made, the board spent $5 million and I remember I can almost quote Dr. Tomco what he said prior to that purchase was that that building was in excellent condition. It was ready to move in that he said he was shocked that they we wouldn't have to do any renovation work
at all to begin using it. So now what $4.5 million is going to have to be spent renovating it. Doesn't make sense. But if Mr. Bliss cares to talk about that later on, he can certainly welcome to do so. A couple uh quick questions about the actual agenda items. 119, Miss
Iio spoke about the refunding bond ordinance. I understand this is largely what amounts to a refinancing of a home mortgage. Uh under state law, uh 18, title 1824-61.2, the board is required to have a public
hearing and you have to answer questions at that time. But I guess it's premature now to ask, you know, what sort of savings are you hoping to achieve? you know, I have all the documents for all what happened back in 2017 18 when this referendum was first approved. So, I'll be sharing that with everyone, including
the community. Uh 10:30, uh the uh you're changing a uh resolution to allow the Bush Law Group to to uh uh spend upwards of half a million dollars. Again, I as I asked last month's meeting, uh what what is the reason for
all of these huge increases in law legal expenses? Bush firm to our fortunately has only charged us annually about $200,000. Now it's 500,000. So I I would like some clarification of that. Uh 9.21. You're having first reading of a bunch of board policies. Included in
there is 5516. I assume that this is in compliance with the uh bill that Governor Murphy just signed into law the the bell to bell cell phone ban. Something that our teachers have been uh asking this board to do for the last few years. So, I would like to know how
quickly you expect to implement that policy. And then lastly, uh with just a second to go, 7-Eleven, I noticed that your physics teacher is uh resigning. So, I want to offer freely, charitably as a community service. If you ever
should need anyone to help teach AP physics or AP calculus for that matter, I'm available, no charge. I've taught these courses at this level and much above at Stevens Institute for many years. So, if I can be of any help to our students who are collegebound and
they need help with AP physics. >> All right. Thank you, Mr. Sheldon. >> I'm here. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> I would appreciate some some answer of my questions and just don't ignore me. >> Thank you. >> Mr. Sheldon, I can speak to the bond refunding. Um, we did uh meet as a
finance committee with our bond council and Phoenix adviserss. Um, they did give us some very rough preliminary savings. um I don't have the numbers in front of me. Uh so I I'll be able to speak to those but it also is a moving target right so they gave us a number at the 3%
threshold which is what we're even hoping for right because this is a big if uh but who knows we may land at 4% or four and a half percent so um certainly as we move forward to future readings I can share the the potential savings um I just don't have that with me you know and and like I said it is a moving
target so >> and with respect to questions directly to the auditor Mr. Sheldon, if you have a specific question about the audit, you can direct it to the business office and the business office will respond. Okay. Thank you. >> And just a brief update on the as far as policies. One of the things we did, uh,
we contacted Straw Sm, which is a company we use for our policies, and we asked them to perform an audit of any policies that were updated that were outdated. So, they performed the audit, and these are some of the policies that they recommended some actions on. So, they're send the recommendations and this is what the first reading is. Just an update of a lot of the policies plus
some of the new ones and new legislation that's being passed. Can we please have Arlene Shore walk to the podium, please? Thank you. Arlene Shore 75 Rosmore. Um I attempted obviously and I'll use
the word attempt to read all the information regarding to the bond ordinance. Uh it's overwhelming. Uh I thought that the original figure was 48,536 and now the proposal was 38 million.
It's a big difference. Um my it I couldn't find in the reading with this particular the purpose of the bond was this for the parking building the parking lot building was this designated
the only reason I'm saying that it's designated because anyone who had purchased in effect the bonds they had the right on or after September uh 1st 2025 five
to cash in or reimburse. That was confusing. Uh the other thing is is that obviously the board is aware that this is not a general vote. This requires a twothirds vote of the total um of the majority of the board. And
once the resolution is approved, uh according to the wording, it says it's effective immediately. So, I'm bringing up those concerns because that's what I I did cover. I also would like to
recognize the fact that we have two resignations in math and physics, one in the middle school, one in the high school. My biggest concern is at this time of the year, I hope we're not covered by a general sub for the benefit of our students. I know it's hard but we need
very quickly to find some certifications there so that our students can continue to improve. Um and also I noted that there were three locations for uh sixth
period uh I believe they they were in in the high school and again one was fizzed the other one was uh for inclusions and I could understand that but again I hope that we we hire and appoint someone uh
for that. My other my other thing was 81 that we have a a K12 um curriculum revision review. Um that's all it says. We don't know what's being
I think I think the public the parents would want to know what those curriculum revisions were. Was it generally across the board because we needed to meet a designation of a title requirement or did we
actually have other stuff involved? Generally, it's a broad coverage uh for this date and the policies. Obviously, I tried to go through the policies. It's it very very hard and user friendly. I
want to I just want to state that I realize that Dr. Alonso and uh Miss Ao are ba you came in in July. So, you're faced with a very heavy hit and I could
see that based on the agenda and >> Thank you, M. >> That's all I want to say is it was overwhelming for you to even attempt to cover it. >> Thank you so much. As we'll briefly touch upon the resinations, it's always our priority to
fully staff with certified uh personnel and then ultimately if not then you know the sixth period option is utilized with a certified personnel hopefully and then the last resort will be a substitute teacher but that is always temporary. We're consistently posting we're
consistently recruiting. We've actually reestablished some very good partnerships with K University Monontlair Rampo College and C and Hall. So, we're tapping into their gra January graduates and hopefully there's someone from those graduate pools that we can
recruit. >> I just want to touch Thank you for your questions, More. I just want to touch on um the the bond refunding. Um that amount is is not to exceed and please understand again this is one of those moving target things and I think someone made a relationship to a mortgage. It is
similar to a mortgage when you refy your mortgage, but it is different in that um however many years we have left, we don't refy it and add more years on and go for another 30. However many years we have left, we keep that number of years. So even if the um total amount of the
debt is going up, it's enough of a percentage savings that we're still acrewing savings. We actually cannot, we would not, but we actually cannot by statute refinance unless it relates to direct taxpayer savings. So we wouldn't be able to do it anyways. it wouldn't
pass. Thank you for your questions. >> Thank you Dr. Alonso and Miss Ikeo for uh answering those questions. Can we please have Daniel Vera please come up? >> Good evening to everyone tonight. Uh my name is Daniel Vera and I would like to
begin by thanking you board of education uh for the opportunity and the space to be to talk to you. Um I'm here to speak for um the project adante is something that
make me um someone that that became more professional in some >> Mr. Vera I'm just going to pause your time for a second. Is this relate to an agenda item? I didn't understand what you said. You this the reason you came to speak to is about what? I just want to make sure it's at the proper part of this.
>> Project Adantes from Kin >> Project Atlante. And that's on the agenda. >> It's not >> It's not on the >> No. So, >> it's not on the agenda. >> I know this is frustrating. I know it was frustrating for another speaker as well. I understand. We have a section of the meeting that's designed to talk about specific items on the agenda,
which is this. And then in a couple minutes, we're going to get to the public portion where you'll be able to speak about anything. >> So, I'm going to ask if you don't mind, just like I did before. Um, and I don't think you're on the other agenda, but we'll actually you were and his name was crossed. So, we're going to leave you on the other portion, so you can speak as
to this issue in a little bit. Okay. It's just part of our process. Thank you very much. >> Thank you for understanding, Mr. Vera. Uh, can I please have Juan Sebastian Palano uh come up to uh the podium on a
>> is it the same issue? Okay, we'll put your name on the next list. Thank you. Uh, can I please have a motion to close public comment? >> So moved. >> First, second. >> Miss Ikeo, please call the role.
[snorts] >> Just a point of clarification, we just need a motion and a second. We don't need a first and a second. Trusty Gar. >> Yes. >> Trusty Gillis. >> Oh, I'm so sorry. absent. Trusty Moz, >> yes. >> Trusty Pacheco, >> yes.
>> Trusty Santana, >> yes. >> Vice President Misagia, >> yes. >> And President Leon, >> yes. Moving along to personal resolutions as recommended by the superintendent. Resolution 71 through 727.
Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Brenda. Miss Io, please call the role. Trusty Garrow. >> Yes. >> Trusty Gillis is absent. Trusty Menoz, >> yes.
>> Trusty Pacheco, >> yes. >> Trusty Santana, >> yes. >> Vice President Majia, >> yes. >> President Leon, >> yes. Do we have any discussion? Okay. Hearing none. Seeing none. Miss uh can I have a motion?
>> So moved. >> Second. >> Are we on curriculum now? Second. >> No. >> So, we did roll call for personnel. Are we are we on curriculum then? Okay. Curriculum instruction. No. And no questions or discussion.
>> Okay. So, Liz second or Liz first, Brenda second. Thank you. Trusty Garrow. >> Yes. >> Trusty Gillis is absent. Trusty Menoz. >> Yes. >> Trusty Pacheco. >> Yes. >> Trusty Santana. >> Yes. Vice President Majia. >> Yes. >> President Leon.
>> Yes. >> Moving on to board action board policy resolutions as recommended by the superintendent. Resolutions 91 through 924. Do we have any discussion? >> Hearing none. Seeing none. Miss uh can I
have a motion, please? >> No. [snorts] >> Second. >> So moved. >> Second. Miss Ike, please call the role. >> Trusty Garrow, >> yes. >> Trusty Gillis is absent. Trusty Manos, >> yes. >> Trusty Pacheco, >> yes.
>> Trusty Santana, >> yes. >> Vice President Misagia, >> yes. >> President Leon, >> yes. On to purchasing and business services resolutions as recommended by the superintendent. Resolution items 101
through 10:32. Do we have any discussion? Hearing none. Seeing none on. Can I have a motion, please? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Miss Ike, please call the role. [snorts] >> Trusty Garrow? >> Yes.
>> Trusty Gillis is absent. Trusty Moz. >> Yes. >> Trusty Pacheco. >> Yes. >> Trusty Santana, >> yes. >> Vice President Majia, >> yes. >> President Leon, >> yes. On to finance resolution. Resolutions
111 through 1110. Do we have any discussion? >> Hearing none. Seeing none, can I please have a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Miss Ikeo, please call the role. >> Trusty [snorts] Garrow. >> Yes. >> Trusty Gillis is absent. Trusty Mos.
>> Yes. >> Trusty Pacheco. >> Yes. >> Trusty Santana? >> Yes. >> Vice President Majia? >> Yes. >> President Leon? >> Yes. Moving on to remarks by citizens on any issue. Can I please have a motion to open up public comments? >> So moved.
>> Second. >> Mr. IO, please call the RO. >> Uh we don't need a roll call to open. >> Okay. >> All those in favor? >> I. >> Okay. >> I. >> Any opposed? >> Okay. We are now open for public comment
on any issue with a fivem minute time limit. Uh Mr. Michael Mong. [clears throat] Good evening. I'm here tonight in the company of our BEA rep council representing our close to 500 district teachers, counselors, nurses, and child
study team. Our leadership team is taking time from our families tonight because we are very concerned with the direction our district is heading. The lack of relationship building on the part of upper management is sending our great school district back 15 years.
The message we are here tonight to deliver is basic. The success of a school district hinges on labor management relations. These relationships are built on three fundamental traits. Number one, trust,
meaning do what you say you're going to do. Number two, respect, meaning recognition of one's position, regard for one's well-being, admiration of one's achievements, and then three,
communication, meaning discuss, inform, collaborate. We can say with all sincerity that our present relationship with management is dismal and to no fault of ours. On October 28th, the BEA leadership met
with Dr. Alfonso, Dr. Dia, the chief building of grounds officers, the assistant chief building of grounds officer, and the district environmentalist. We spoke about a variety of health and safety concerns throughout the district. At the conclusion of that meeting, we all agreed that in the event work was being
done during the school day, the staff would be informed of the process through the building administrator and the BEA leadership would be informed by upper management. Fast forward to Friday, January 9th. I arrived at school 4 around 12:30 for our
BEA bimonthly communication with our building members. It's called the listening hour. I was met at the door by a member who assumed that I was there because of the partial collapsed ceiling in room 200 that
occurred prior to staff reporting time. I came to find that the ceiling fell through the ceiling tile onto the teacher's desk. On my way to see what was transpiring, I followed the trail of dusty footprints to room 200, which was sealed off with
plastic. Dust was evident throughout the hallway on the floors. At this time, it was over four hours since the incident occurred and no contact and no one contacted the staff or BEA leadership with any information.
What occurred? Are the current conditions safe for staff and students? Is the air safe to breathe? I immediately called the chief building and grounds officer, assistant building and grounds officer, and the
superintendent of schools. All three calls went into voicemail. I then proceeded to email the superintendent of our concerns about air quality in the building. The weekend passed and I received no contact or information on
the matter. On Monday, the following Monday, the building rep approached the building administrator inquiring about the results of the air quality test. She was informed that the results would be posted on the district website on Friday, four days later.
Um, and that the chief building and grounds officer gave the okay to occupy the room. Needless to say, after an entire weekend, the room was not a adequately cleaned as layers of dust were inside students desks, on backpacks, hanging from their chairs,
and all over the shelves. I have pictures if anyone wants to see them. What message does this process send to the staff and BEA leadership? One, we can't trust management. They failed to make good on their
promise. Two, they lack respect for us, giving no regard to our well-being nor recognizing our role in the district. And three, they are not willing to communicate. We were uninformed. There was no discussion and therefore no
collaboration. At this point, the labor management relationship in our district are non-existent. And it is the responsibility and challenge of this new board to foster a culture of trust,
respect, and communication starting from the top. We can only hope that this will be a priority to this new board so together we can move this district forward. Thank you. >> Thank you, M.
So, I'm going to clarify for the record. The room was immediately removed from service. The building principal was notified as well as the affected teacher and the class was relocated appropriately. The matter was addressed through established safety protocols.
The district does not accept this characterization of unsafe conditions because that's not what it is. And upon our two-hour meeting with our environmentalist, he said, "We went above and beyond and we went case by case scenario as far as what was required notification and what wasn't to
the fact that the BEA had several concerns about several specific incidents that the environmentalist debunked and said that is not a matter that needs to be notified about." And he did, and I quote, say that our buildings and grounds department goes above and beyond all the required compliance and
regulations. and he has never seen documentation like the one that he has seen on our site and I quote above and beyond. Also, administration notification protocols are role based and operational. Unit leadership does
not hold the same notification role as administrators. No contractual provisions required to do so. On the other hand, the contractual provision required to do so is to notify the superintendent when you are leaving the assigned building. And you're saying that you go in for these listing hours
that I have been informally made aware, but I am not officially made aware of. So, I had no notification on your end that you were at that building as your contract states that you should be notified me. So that is something that needs to be
addressed also because you brought it up and it's something that has been slipped in conversation here and there and I haven't fully understood it until you mentioned it now. So there are fully established listening hours that schedule I request please be sent over to myself as per the contract requirement and if you're ever going to
a different building that needs to be notified to the superintendent as per the contract. As far as notification again building administrator was notified, the teacher that was affected was notified. our environmentalist was notified and our administration who's responsible for the air quality
buildings and grounds and facilities did all of the compliant work. So this narrative that there is no communication, there's thorough communication, but the required provision that the BA leadership has to be notified of every single incident is
false and it is not contractual and it is nowhere stated and the environmentalist confirmed it as by case by case scenario. So, I just want to clarify that for the record. >> Thank you, Dr. Alonso. Uh, can I have our next speaker, Mayabel Va, please
approach the podium? >> It's that's not the way it works. Every >> um actually, Mr. Mongol, with all due respect, with all due respect, you've spoken. You've had your opportunity to to address the board, and now we're on if if Miss Rivera would like to speak, she has five minutes to do so. able to
give her time away. That's >> this is sir, she can't and this is not the United States Senate. You don't just pass your time on to someone else. I appreciate it and we heard you. >> Okay, >> if you want to say something else, you're always listen comment is not the sir, sir. >> Public comment is not the only time to
address a board of education. You can send emails, you can address in inerson meetings. There's lots of ways to do this. And I understand that you tried to, you know, you spoke, you took almost all of your time. Um, but at this time, Miss Rivera signed up. She can speak.
Um, but at this time, your time is is now up. You've spoken for 5 minutes, and it's not one of these things where people just sign up. Otherwise, the whole room could sign up and continue to just give their time, and you'd be speaking here all night. It's again, it's it's a it's a board rule. Everybody has a chance to address the board for
the same amount of time, and everyone is treated fairly. Okay. >> So, should I go to the board? President, >> M. I'm going to go with Mr. Bush's recommendation, but I just want to give a little context here. There's four educators sitting in this deis right here. Me myself and a union rep from the
school that I work for. So to have this narrative or this idea that this board wouldn't take the BEA seriously is a little misleading. Anytime I take it >> wasn't the board was speaking. >> I understand that. I'm I'm answering your question. Every time you come up
here, I take everything you say seriously to heart and I have a conversation with Dr. Fanso immediately right after because as a union rep and as a member of the NGA and WIA, I respect the teachers and the work that you put in. So please, I'm just asking going forward have a little faith in this board. Allow us to do our our our
job and let's see how this this relationship goes forward. >> Okay. U Mr. Leon, I I appreciate that very >> Mr. Minion, your time is done. Thank you. >> I I will extend my phone number to and we can talk. That'd be great. >> Sounds good.
>> Thank you. >> Uh, next up, can I please have >> Okay, I just want to clarify that past president has been because I myself have been privy to receiving extra time from town's people where someone can the
other time. I understand what you just said, which is to let you know that that is past presidents. And I think that I'm going to echo the sentiment that Mr. Molon wanted to say. We are looking to work together with the board. All we
have is the best interest of our students at heart. It is very difficult to work together and build the bridge that we need when there is no communication. our elected union presidents and our superintendent.
When he tells us that he attempts to comm make communication meeting after meeting and he is being ignored, it is very frustrating for us members that have grave concerns. And I'm hoping that there's a new road that's going to lead
to us being able to work together without hostility because I watch the meetings from home and I always sense hostility, not a a sense of an olive branch or there's no sense of trying to work
cohesion alongside with the educators because as I just said, Mr. is our elected union president and he speaks for us. So, I'm hoping that moving forward their lines of communication are more open when he
sends emails that they are addressed and we're just looking forward to not having a repeat because I'm getting deja vu of 10 years ago. I've been here for 25 years and if anyone would like to talk to me aside, I'd be more than happy to.
And like I said, welcome to all the new members and hopefully from moving forward we have better lines of communication. Thank you for your time and for the two gentlemen that came here to speak. It m it makes my heart swell to see our student involved in
speaking and advocating for themselves. Thank you so much and have a good evening. >> President Leon, let's just wait one second while they fix this technical issue. Uh, our next speaker, um, Daniel Daniel Vera.
Well, as I say, thank you for the space and I would like to say that I have the opportunity to speak to to speak for those who started as a group and ended up bea became becoming a
family and a project that for many of us was the first times that someone explaining how colleges work. A program that helped us understand and adapt to the culture or change that many of us like me have
experienced at some point. Connection connection. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Mr. Ver. for amigo to implant. High school.
foreign. So, okay. [applause] So just in short for my non- Spanish speaking uh community uh I commended him for having the courage the valor and
just the how poised he was up there speaking and speaking about project atalante which is a project is a a program that we were running from the high school and it didn't get the approval through the proper channels and sadly we had to cut it short. So, one of
the things he mentioned was that this is the first time he had had experience going to a college and really living that college experience. And I I thanked him for bringing that up to light because that's something that we need to do better. We need to get have provide
these experience for our students. So, higher education is not a foreign concept and that could very it's very feasible. It's just having a clear intented initiative and being intentional in what we do. And by him coming up here and shedding light on that, that is something moving forward
that now we're going to proceed with intention. I uh I commended him and ultimately I said I would absolutely write a letter of recommendation for him because the way he presented himself today uh I'm going to be working for him one day. I'll tell you that some of us in here will for sure. So uh thank you
and congratulations. >> Thank you again, Mr. Ver. Uh, can I please have up next Mr. Michael Sheldon? >> Okay. Uh, good evening again. Michael Sheldon, 47 Floyd Street. One last comment about the audit that was uh, presented earlier this evening. Just
want to make sure that everyone is aware that that's the audit for the previous academic year ending last June 30th and it reflects the management of the district under our previous business administrator Mr. Paladino and our former state monitor Mr. Egan. Uh right
now the history of this board is currently being written and we won't know you know what sort of job you're doing with the finances until sometime early next year. So I just want to point that out. Um I wanted to ask about when the um budget for the 2627 academic year
is going to be introduced. I don't have the DOE um calendar with me. They have strict guidelines timetables for introduction for public hearing and adoption. I if I remember correctly all districts have to introduce their budgets uh during their March meetings,
but I just want to make sure that that's going to happen uh with us sometime in March. Uh Miss Shore had asked uh during her comments about some of the numbers regarding the referendum. Uh these numbers are indelibly edged in my mind because I lived through them. I was on the board when the referendum was
initially being rolled out. But just so that everyone realizes the numbers involved, voters approved the referendum in November 2017. That referendum, the nominal value was 48.5 million. However, because of the cost of borrowing and it was going to be repaid over a 24-year
period through the year 2042, the actual cost of the referendum was $73.5 million. But fortunately, the state agreed to reimburse us one-third. They basically were picking up all the interest payments, but nevertheless,
Belleville residents were on the hook for 48.5 million. And by the way, the interest I have all the details and I think they're also still posted on the district's website, but the interest rate for the referendum bond was uh 3.78% if I remember correctly. So, we'll see
what happens with this refinancing uh matter. Uh let's see, moving on. Uh um I I did have some concerns and this is addressed to the board president, Mr. Leon. uh you uh posted the board
committee assignments and um as board president as we all know you know you're an exofficial member. you automatically sit on all all board committees, but you um took it upon yourself to make yourself the chair of both the finance committees and um the uh uh personnel
committees. Really unusual. Um you know, I have the committee assignment things going back 20 years if you care to see them. I can't find any previous instances where the board president made himself or herself chair of any such committees. Those are the two most
important powerful committees arguably. Um, you've got multiple eminently qualified colleagues here, people who really have more experience sitting on the board than than you do at the present time and are at least as academically qualified or if not, you
know, bring other skill sets. You have a board member here who's an accountant. Um, you know, you've got people who I think would be much better suited to chair some of these committees and you're still on them anyway because of your exeicio status. So I would ask you to to reconsider and properly utilize
all of the the the strengths that your colleagues bring to this board. Um the last thing I want to say with a little over a minute left um QAC information. Uh during the November board meeting there were there was a reference by title only and I had to Oprah the
information and I did receive it the the data the QAC report. I I realize now that that was the board's selfstudy, but what is of really particular concern here is that uh of the five component scores for QAC, the instruction and
programming score, this is your own selfstudy is only 40% out of a possible 100%. Uh under DOE guidelines, anything under 50% is automatically a red red flag. It's an alarm signal and
these sort of things can lead to an immediate state takeover which is what happened back in 2014 13-14 when the uh uh our district's finance score the board at that time reported that their
finance score was 100% and when the state came in it was a they gave us a 44% coupled with the $3.7 million deficit right afterwards Mr. Regan arrived in May 14 and the state took over our district for the next 11 years.
So while that may be a selfstudy QAC report that you gave me and you're still waiting for the state to come in, your own study, your numbers are usually rosecolored and overly optimistic. So if you're giving yourselves a 40% for instruction programming, God only knows
what the state is going to give us when they finish their own analysis. We may be single digit there. So, thank you for your time and I I kind of if Miss Aichio could just confirm that the uh budget is going to be introduced in March, I'd appreciate it. Thank you.
>> Uh yes, thank you. I And in fact, Mr. Sheldon, I'm happy to email you the copy of the 2026 election calendar which outlines uh type two November election districts such as oursel. Um I do believe on the public annual notice I indicated which one would will be the
public budget hearing. Um, the earliest date we're allowed to have it is Friday, April 24th. The latest date we're allowed to have it is Thursday, May 7th. Um, and I think we're right there in the middle, uh, April 29th. But I'm happy to share the whole calendar with you. As far as QAC or QPR, I like you
mentioned it previously, we were very uh giving as far as our QPR. I'm I'm more of the mindset to be ruthlessly uh accountable and I rather be overly conservative in our numbers than under. Also, that number doesn't account things
that the state controls. For example, our assessment scores and various different things that come from the state level. So that number is no by nowhere near a reflection of what the finalized number is going to be. But I'd rather play conservative than be overly zealous and then have the state say
absolutely not. So that I rather them say no you guys do qualify for that. You guys did meet that and get the point in that manner. >> Well our county execut one of them is actually covering Essex and Pay from my understanding. So we are definitely
reaching out to them to get as soon as possible. They said that this coming this next week they should be popping in. So sometime in the next week we should be seeing them. All right. Thank you. Uh can we please have Arlene Shore come up to the
approach the podium? Uh thank you Dr. Alonso. I heard your comment about the self evaluation and I concur. When we have uh the history of a
downgrade in student performance and programs, how can we do 100%. You're on money. We've got a long way to go as far as concerns for educational
programs performance. There's a a lot to do. But the reason I'm coming up for these few five minutes is in general to address our agenda
and the board when we watch other board meetings which I I guess I don't have a life so I do it. This is in fact I'm back here because some people have said uh you don't care you don't go to the board
meetings. Well I rarely miss them. I'm an 80-year-old watching it on TV. And honestly, I'll move sometimes the arrow up depending on who's presenting what, but I'm here to show uh that I am still
committed. And the problem is, and this is what I've said to someone, why would I come to see the kids? Yes. to recognize the accomplishments of
our staff and our administrators. Yes. But the meat of your voting and your resolution, this is not meant in any way personally.
This precedes you and the BA. There's no dialogue. When a person has a question, the response is to some we'll email you the answers. Consider sometimes the questions though
irritating to you are generic to the rest of us that we would like the answers as well. when the the agenda when you get into certain categories of your agenda, general personnel, it's it's a mix. It's
like going to a sale. You've got your addendums and your resignations and your leaves and all. It's piled together. It's not grouped. And when we do try to follow the agenda,
the average person doesn't know to go to board docs. Come on. What does it take and then to click on? So, of course, I click on curriculum and then it says you're just okaying
account 12 curriculum. The public does care and we are interested in the dialogue. This board historically has been generally a yes board with an irritating no now
and then. The public needs to know. The parents need to know when we hear more about the uniform than the performance levels. when we hear more about the uniform than
the curriculum and out of curiosity when we do see that obviously the bullying report we don't know where not that you can allow it but the talk is there
your elections do not mean that you got wisdom because you're elected it does not mean because you are are shepherds of this district
that you're all knowing. You need you need to hear the roots of the people. We need board policy. It shouldn't be laborious to attempt to click on the
number. It was revised. How was it revised? Did we simply update and renew? We knew it and we're paying Strauss estimate. What are they doing? Why do you have to tell them that they're behind? That's what you're paying them
for. They're supposed to keep your policy up to date. Otherwise, they're not worth the money you're paying him paying them. They're large. They do it for all the districts. And most of the time, the policies in certain districts are identical to the policies of another
district. They'll say they reviewed it. Yeah, because there's something changed in legislation, so they've updated the court case. I'd like to see our board dialogue. I'd like to see that just because you're in
work session, 100% of it is not confidential and doesn't fall into the categories. Why can't >> Thank you, Miss Shore. >> Thank you. Thank you for your time. [applause] and have our next speaker, Juan
Palasios, please approach the podium. Hi, good night everyone. for Juan, sorry I don't want to cut you off. Just take your hand off the microphone. So because it's make Yeah. Okay. >> [applause]
>> Thank you. Okay. for Tomoch. optional. Okay. So, forward. Okay. Thank you, Dr. Alonso. Um, moving on. Do
we have any board member reports from committees, comments, remarks from any of our trustees? >> Good evening. I would like to um congratulate the bowling team,
the cheerleaders, the gifted and talented, all of the uh award winners this evening, the young man from school five, the teacher, the administrator, and the lady, very nice lady from the women's
club, and all of her counterparts from the women's club who give so generously of their time and efforts to help our students. It It really is um every month when we see all of the the
kids that do such an amazing job and everybody that works so hard to support them, the the teachers, the staff, the admin, the community, because it really does take a village and I'm very grateful to be a part of
this village. They see it with my son who goes to Belleville High School every morning. Um, I did attend Sunday morning. Uh, I did attend committee meetings last week and I was sat for for finance and I sat
for personnel and what else was I saying? A bunch of things. So, yeah, there were a lot of things to talk about and a lot of things were presented here this evening. So, Mrs. Sure. I do agree with everything you said. Um, as far as, you
know, we talk about a lot of these things in committee meetings. So, I feel like when we get to um to voting, we've already asked all the questions. So, that's why it seems like there's no discussion because we've asked all the questions already without
realizing that you need to hear the questions we've already asked. So maybe we need to put them back out there or talk about what we've already discussed so that you get that extra information that it's not showing up that we should
should be sharing. So I know for myself I will definitely make sure that I do that and hopefully we'll all be able to do that and make sure there's more information. Um, Sunday morning I did attend a
uh flapjack fundraiser that at Applebee's that was um for to raise money for um Dr. Nton who is apparently a renowned Egyptologist
to come here to the high school. Uh my son is in 10th grade and his language arts uh class is having this fundraiser. They're doing a unit on Egypt. So I attended this fundraiser at Applebee's with him to
raise money to bring Dr. Nton here for a presentation and it was lovely and it was a great idea and the teachers were as enthusiastic as anybody could be. um 8:00 on a Sunday morning in the snow.
But it was wonderful. And I tell you, the teachers just so go above and beyond in their enthusiasm and their spirit for what they do. And you can't miss how much they love the kids and how much they love what they do. And I'm just so
grateful. And I'm I'm I thank them. And I thank everybody who does what they do here. And on that note, I say progress and good evening everybody. >> Thank you, Madam President, Vice President. Um, do we have any other
trustees that would like any comments? Trustee uh Santana. >> Um, good evening. Um, I didn't have anything really to report. Um, but I was um moved to tears um to be part of a
community that embraces these kids that came on and lifted their voice in a language that um is not English. And um I grew up here as a minority in Belleville. I went to Belleville schools
and um when I was their age, I didn't think my voice mattered. And so I am incredibly grateful for the change that we see in our school district, for the leadership that we have. Um, and I am excited about the change.
And um I wish everybody a good night. Thank you. Thank you, Trustee Santana. Any other board members would like to speak. All right. I just like to thank everyone who came out tonight and participated in our meeting. Uh I definitely want to
give um congrats to the award winners tonight and and those who uh received the recognition awards to the two young men that spoke tonight. That took a lot of guts and a lot of g. So uh you know I we heard you. I I heard you and uh you know, if there's anything that we could
do, please feel free to reach out, but I really do appreciate you coming out here representing the community and and and doing your part. You know, nothing's promised, but at the end of the day, it takes it takes a lot of courage to do what you did tonight. Um to the BEA, like I said, we're we're we're here to to work with you. You have four
educators that are here. Uh we believe in transparency. Um please give this board a chance. Um I think that we all work well together. Uh I think we we like each other. Um, just give us a chance. All right, let's we'll work
together, but please let's just have the dialogue and the respect going both ways. All right, let's just give it let's give it a shot. Um, with that being said, uh, can I please have a motion to adjourn the meeting? >> So moved. >> Second. >> All those in favor? I >> I
>> I thank you everybody.