Everyone, welcome September 30th to our special meeting. Would you all please rise for the flag to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation
indivisible with liberty and justice for all. This meeting has been hosted and announced in accordance with chapter 231 1975. Would you please call the role? Trusty Leon
here. Trusty Rodriguez here. Mun here. Trustee Trustee here and trustee president
have a forum. [Music] New Jersey open public meeting law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend meetings of the board except where specifically exempt 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 notice of this meeting to be published by having some same advertised times. Also noticed of this meeting has
been mailed to the members of the board elementary school, middle school, the high school early childhood center and posted on the district website. Also, this meeting is being televised via the district's
YouTube and Facebook pages. Great. Okay. Welcome everyone. I understand Dr. Alonso, you pulled us here because we have some special information and things that we need to get done. Um, do you want to give us a
report or do we want to go right into remarks? Since this is just a special meeting, what would you like to present anything? We can let me give a quick update. So, as far as our leadership academy, the applications were sent out. Applications closed tonight. So, we've had great interest. We have about 30
applicants already. So, we're looking to kick that off. Is going to be great experience. We're actually looking to hold it right in this room. So, be a monthly session. And it's really about the things you don't learn in your educational leadership courses, the day-to-day in the trenches things. So, that's what we're really looking to uh
remediate the learning curve and also grow your own within our district. On the agenda, you're going to see that we are we are appointing a health insurance broker of record. As we know, health insurancees are they're astronomical. They're very
volatile at the time. So, we are looking in the best interest of the district by doing an alternative option to have a lower percentage increase so that way the community, staff, and everyone is not affected by it. Uh lastly, very happy to on the agenda recommendation
for appointment of a new business administrator starting January 1st. We were in the process as you all know the transition in administration. During that process, our business office did a great job of holding it down and really
not skipping a beat. We contacted a business consulting agency to help us with the day-to-day and to serve as a business administrator through that process. It was right under our nose. potential future for Belo. One of the consultants, uh, Tina Ao, she did a
fantastic job. She became a great point of contact and a reference for our staff and our team. Uh, we were very lucky to have her put into the application and she's today being recommended as the business administrator. That is all my great. Did we want to do anything from
the business administrator or consultant or we don't need to? Not at this time. Okay. All right. So, um, actually make a motion to approve last month's
[Music] All right, let's do that. So, then let's uh open for public comment. Motion Miss List. All right. I'd like to start off by wishing every a good evening, but since we're kind of
between afternoon and evening, I'll use the Sheldon Cooper thing and say happy a great evening. Um, also about to wish this meeting happy birthday. Unfortunately, you have to spend it special.
But that leads to my first question. Um, what is the reason for this this meeting? Usually special meetings are for emerging purposes. I don't any crisis situation referenced in this this meeting. Um but uh you are obviously about to hire a VA. So that
leads to the question does this mean that the interim VA as of tomorrow will be no more and the new VA will be our one and only VA? Could you please elaborate what the that transition process is going to be? And the other question I wanted to ask um with the
agenda item 10.1, you're about to purchase three new Chevy Blazers, which should be an electric vehicles for 54,650 each. Um who who will be getting those
lasers and um are those explicitly for board of ed purposes only? I remind you that several years ago, the head of our buildings and grounds committee was found to be using the different vehicle for personal purposes. In fact, some of
our community activists who like to be part-time and private investigators tracked him down all over New Jersey, including Atlantic City, and brought the evidence to Mr. Egan, who then the following day fired him. So, I just would like to know, I'd like some clarification so the history doesn't
repeat itself. Who's going to have access to those vehicles and are will those vehicles behind only I just want to say uh even though this is a first time if you're having a meeting in this room I I do want to comment these seats are so much more
comfortable on you can anyway replace those with these appreciate it at least bring one in and let me have it thank you all right thank you Mr. Sheldon. Yes, we we have some answers for you. So, Mr. Sheldon will be a January one start date.
I'm sorry. It'll be a January one start date. January one. Yes. Okay. For the DPA. Yes. Correct. All right. And as far as the vehicles, we have some vehicles that are literally running on fumes. So, we're replacing vehicles and as well they're only business vehicles, only
fishery vehicles. There's no name attached to any of those vehicles. Thank you. We have a motion to close public participation. Second. All right. We're ready to go through our agenda items. So for personnel items
suggested by the superintendent resolution 7.1 to 7.7. Do we have a second? They won't turn over here. You want to do roll call?
Yes. Trusty Leon. Yes. Trustee Rodriguez. Yes. Trusty Munes. Yes. Trustee. Yes. Dr. Yes. Vice President. Yes.
President, yes. Motion carries. All right. On board action and board policy items suggested by the superintendent, items 9.1 to 9.6. for her birthday. Trusty Leon.
Yes. Trusty Rodriguez. Yes. Trusty Munz. Yes. Yes. Trusty PCO. Yes. Trusty. Yes. And Madam President,
yes. Motion carries. All right. Resolutions purchasing and business services suggested by the superintendent item 10.1. Is there a motion? Motion. Second. I haven't been doing any discussion. Is
there discussion on this? Who's getting this vehicle? I do want to mention that it is a tremendous cost savings for districts. Not only do we qualify for the New Jersey clean energy grant, we also qualify for overburdening status. So
that is an additional cost savings to the district. And part of the reason that it was on decision specifically is because the grant uh bodies decided to last put a deadline for this grant which was a rolling grant. So we had to embrace the opportunity as soon as we
could and today is the deadline as well. Not on purpose. As long as we're ahead of the township purchasing electric vehicles. Yeah. And we have recommen All right. Call the roll. Trusty Leon.
Yes. Trusty Rodriguez. Yes. Trusty Mun. Yes. Almost. Trusty. Yes. Trusty. Yes. And trusty.
All right. And uh resolutions for finance item 11. Is there a motion? Yes. Second. Second. Any discussion on this?
Hearing none. Please call theusty. Yes. Rodriguez. Munz. Trusty Jo. Yes. Yes. And trust. Yes.
Okay. We're going to open for remarks by citizens on anything. So, do you have a motion to open? Second. All those in favor? All right. We have Michael Sheldon. Good evening. Michael Shelton 47 Street.
In the U aftermath of last month's meeting, I had submitted Oprah uh for more information regarding the uh $8,850 being appropriated to repair the floors at 335 Union Avenue. Um, that open
request was submitted on September 17th. Just before this meeting got underway tonight, Miss Luna said that she tried to send me the response to that open request yesterday, but apparently there was some glitch. Uh, they might somehow district my email typed incorrectly. I don't know how that
be the case considering the number of open requests I've submitted over all these many years. But in any case, when I before leaving my home to come to this meeting tonight, I checked my email once again. I did I still didn't have anything but Miss then told me uh shortly before you guys entered the room
that um she had just sent me the open request response once again. But if I if I still don't have it when I get home tonight, I'm going to email you guys directly, let you know that there's still an issue with it. But I I I still have um uh another question to ask is
regarding this uh matter with 335 Union Avenue. According to the lease, which doesn't expire until June 30th of next year, um you have to give uh Mr. Melum at least 90 days notice whether or not you're going to continue the lease or
not, but you're you're pairing the floors at this point in time. So, is it safe to conclude that you're already kind of made a decision that you're pulling out from this lease that you don't have any intention of renewing it? Because, you know, just look at the scenarios. If you were going to stay in
the property, why would you be taking the time, spending the money to repair what has been described as cosmetic problems? You were planning to be there for another five years. Why repair the the scratches as the superintendent described at the last meeting? Um, but
if you were planning to terminate police, then according to the terms of it, you would have to repair any minor infrastructure damages. So, I you know, maybe you can't comment at this point, but I mean, it really does sound like
you're you've made the decision to exit 335 Union Avenue well before the the 90th day uh period commences. The um the last thing I love to if you could clarify that I would appreciate the last thing I wanted to
mention to you. Um if any of you are following what's going on in Garfield, but Garfield had its monthly meeting last night and um one of the agenda items I think it was 8.12
8.21 just left uh Scott Panco attempted to hire Mr. as a business consultant for $125 an hour for 25 hours a week. He was overwhelmingly defeated by the board
members. He also tried to he's been trying at every turn to recreate the same slew of highpaying administrative jobs that he managed to create his nine years here in Bel. Point out that when he started as superintendent, he had under 500 people on the payroll in
February 2015. when he left in in June of last year, it was almost 900 Mr. But I I would encourage you to take a look at what's going on at Garfield and I think that give you some inspiration to make some of the changes I think our district desperately needs as well.
Thank you. We'll call Michael. Okay. Good evening. Mike Mongon, 387 Union Avenue. All right. So, I want to bring to your attention today uh three three resolutions at the uh at the September 15th board meeting. Um and
have an over overall theme of the three three resolutions I'm going to bring up and they have to do with this book right here, which is the agreement between the board of education and township of Belleville and the Belleville Education Association from July 1st, 2023 to June
30th, 2028. So that's our present contract. So um in your resolutions um it was right around the 94 was was a middle school resolution and then you had the elementary resolutions before that. So we resolved um a lot of these u
these positions that were stipened and are in our contract book like yearbook for the middle school, sign language for the middle school. Then we have a couple new ones percussion ensemble, chamber ensemble. We have a bunch of elementary
uh um uh uh clubs that were prior to this were approved in previous board uh minutes like the computer club um which are also in the middle school and high school art club. So there's a bunch of clubs, right? And they're in this book. They're in this and they're in this book
as a stipen position generally around 2,800. But yet in the board minutes, okay, it was it was agreed upon by all of you as a $60 per hour rate. So, okay, we've already gone to many of the of the
administrators about this and they agreed that they made a mistake and we were able to resolve that. So, there's no issue with that at all. Um, and we're thankful for them that they did that. But here's the issue. We have two other lines of defense so that checks and balances so that this mistake doesn't
get passed. That's our superintendent who needs to know this book and that's all of you who need to know what's in this book. So if the administrator makes a mistake, which everybody makes mistakes, I make mistakes. We have a second line of defense and then we have the third line of defense so that I
don't have to be the fourth line of of defense and be up here on a Tuesday evening pretty much wasting my time because this should not be an issue. Okay, so that's number one. That's only one contractual issue. We have our second which is our sixth period um sixth period for our guidance. So we
have a contractual language. Oh, and by the way, the contractual language for new clubs in here, I want to read that to you real quick. It says, "If the board approves a club proposal presented by the superintendent, the position shall be added to the co-curricular grade and the stipen will
be agreed upon mutually by the board association. I didn't meet on any of these clubs." So, whatever was put out there $60 an hour didn't come from it. So, I don't know where the mutual part is misunderstood. Then we go to six periods
which we approved that we're going to take a guidance counselor that's on leave and we're going to take their um case load and we're going to split it amongst the rest of the guidance counselors for no pay increase. when we have in here
in our language [Music] where it says if a guidance counselor picks up another guidance counselor's case load they will follow the guidelines for a sixth period teaching. Right? So we're not looking for a workaround on this. Right? We're not looking to work around this and say,
"Okay, we're going to work around what we agreed on in the contract and say, "Okay, we're going to we got them now. We'll just disperse them out evenly to the rest of the to the guidance and insult to injury, not even pay them for it." Again, this got past the
superintendent who should know this book. And this got past all of you who should know this book. Okay. And lastly is the seventh period which according to your resolution says I quote confirm the following high school teacher to teach
an additional seventh period paid at the rate of $60 per hour. It's my favorite part as per the 2023 2028 Bell Education Association guide. There's nowhere in this book that talks about seventh period. Nowhere. There's not doesn't
exist yet again. Should that have come to the leadership of the BEA and been discussed prior to you guys agreeing on that? Yes. So, I don't know where the disconnect is that I need to be up here on a Tuesday morning or Tuesday evening, sorry, talking about this stuff. This is
contractual stuff. This is concrete. If it's in here, it should it should be easy. Miss Miss Bened, our our PRNR sent you a level three grievance. Her response was, I have to see our attorney. Well, we have language in here
that says a level three grievance goes to the board of ed. I don't know what you need advice from counsel for. Hear us out. Make a decision. Now, the decision you make might need to go to uh your attorneys, but the fact of hearing us out is just a mutual, you know,
respect for each other. I'm going to end on this, okay? And I know my time is up, but I'm going to end on this real quick. You guys as a board of ed, I don't blame for any of this. I don't. I blame all of you, okay? Because how is he supposed to
respect the Belleville Education Association when you guys didn't even have the respect enough to allow Belleville Education uh leadership to sit in on the superintendent screening? Okay. So, you gave the message out as a board that we don't really care about
and the respect for the leadership of the teachers union, so don't worry about them. They're secondhand. Okay, that's the message you gave out to him. So I don't blame him for saying, "Oh, I'm going to bypass the the contract and do things on my own free will." Okay, these
are the repercussions for us just having a laxidical relationship. I really hope that improves. Thank you, Mr. Mayo. Tina, good evening. Tina, here appointed business administrator. I just wanted to
thank the board um for the opportunity um to serve as your future business administrator. I'm super super excited. Um I've been consulting here as you know for a few months now. Uh there's unprecedented spirit in these halls. Um unbelievable passion. Uh a leadership
team that is full of energy uh wants to collaborate, wants to do great things with children. And I just can't wait to be part of it, frankly. So um as I step into this role, things I really want to focus on strengthening communication, building that collaborative nature, um
and ensuring transparency in everything that we do, just constant talking. Um my focus will also be finding additional sources of revenue, identifying cost savings, and maximizing efficiency so that our resources can be directed where they should be, which is at the children
um and the schools. So I'm excited to continue all of this work with you, and again, thank you for the opportunity. Welcome. Thank you very much. We're excited to have you. Okay, we have a motion to close. Second. Yes.
Yeah. So, one quick thing I want to add to the public. I forgot. We are actually going to launch this year our first middle school sport. So, we're going to having middle school volleyball for boys and girls. So, it is a big undertaking that we've been trying from day one and we're
going to be able to kick it off and this season we'll be having them both there. Next season we'll have additional sports there as well. Very good. Just before we go, do we have a motion to come back into Just so you know, no action will be taken. We're just going to come back out
and close. So, thank you all for coming out tonight. Have a good evening.