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Board of Education meeting happy St Patrick's Day will you all please rise for the flag salute I pledge aliance to the flag the United States of America all right this meeting has been posted in accordance with chapter 231 PL
1975 Mr Paladino thank you Madame President truste Gillis here trusty Leon here trusty munise here trusty msia here trusty
Pacho here vice president daro here president benini here Madame President we're in Quorum the New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend meetings of this board except where
specifically Exempted by law at which time 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 a bevel times also notice that this meaning has
been mailed to the members of the Board of Education the burrow clerk all elementary schools the middle mid school the high school Hornblower Early Childhood Center and posted on the district website also this meeting is being televised via the district's YouTube and Facebook pages thank you Mr Paladino can we have
an approval for the minutes a motion for February 24th for the closed session and public session so move is there a second second all those in favor I okay and let's start tonight with uh our student
gu government representative candy dong you have a report for us for this evening yes I do thank you good evening everyone and happy St Patrick's Day my name is Candy dong and I'm your student board representative first I would like to congratulate all the students who be recognized tonight for their academic
achievements in old news on February 26th BHS hosted Keith bushan who came to speak about the film he wrote and produce called till Mr bushan shared his experience research of the Emil case and a screening of the production crew
behind the scenes filming on Tuesday March 11th the Belleville Education Association sponsored the 36 family literacy night where parents and their children explore various Hands-On activities led by our wonderful Beville teachers last Friday Beville High School
hosted a Pi Day event where students completed various activities about pi and math related activities at various stations and at the end they were able to enter a raffle prize winners were received prizes in new news this
Wednesday March 19th the all-around Philippines organization will host a kokei night for BHS students in the auditorium from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on March 20th the junior class will host a basketball tournament at the Beville high school gymnasium from 700 p.m. to
9:00 p.m. on March 25th the senior class will host a volleyball tournament at Beville high school gymnasium from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday March 27th there will be a fashion show at the auditorium from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
additionally there will be a dodgeball tournament from 700 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on April 8th check out and follow the journalism Club on Instagram at bille Buccaneer to access Beville High School's monthly newsletter of information updates and events of
students staff and teachers if you're looking for a place to do your homework or receive extra assistance from the National Honor Society Kasa is here for all students grades 7th through 12th the location is at 522 courland Street and Beville New Jersey Monday through
Thursday from P from 5:00 P pm to 8:00 pm thank you very good thank you very much all right and items this evening by our superintendent Nicholas perado thank you madam president uh first of starting off
that we' like to call upon Mrs demov will make the presentations to our gifted and talented students are celebrating fale inventors good evening Mr parpado members of the Board of Education and members of our Belleville Community I'm always so happy to stand here before you
when our students are ready to present so this evening we have representation from school number five and they did some projects we have have one fourth grader oh I'm sorry we have one fifth grader and we have three fourth graders who are going to talk to you a little
bit a bit about women's history since March is women's history month so at this time I'd like to invite Miss Daniela grow are you in the audience yes there she is and her talented and gifted students who are going to present for
you this evening good evening everybody my name is danela grow I teach first grade at school number five I'm jacqulyn pomino I teach kindergarten at school five over the past couple months our gifted and talented students have been doing
extensive research that they're very very proud about so here they are tonight to share with you all first we'll have AJ a fourth grader I'll hold you so my name is AJ Guido and for my
project I did Maran Donovan she made the usable diapers she secured a total of 20 passions she was recognized as one of
the most prominent female inventors in 1946 she created a reusable diaper cover she invented diapers in 1951 she was inducted into the national inventor Hall
of Fame in two uh 2015 and now we have fourth grader Antonella hi my name is Antonella Donis and today I'm going to present my TNG project inventions by woman so um The Invention I chose is the Barbo and it
was invented in March 9 1959 Barbo teach kids that they can be whatever they want to be Barbie do improved people's lives back then by becoming a symbol of EMP empowerment we
still use Barbie do to make things with the Barbie theme like t-shirts or even museums and you can collect them too Ruth Mariana handle was the first inventor to make a Barbie though though and the company is
Mattel uh 5 facts one Ruth Marian and handle chose Barbie Barbie and Ken to name their their doll because those are the names of their children she was born on November 4
1916 in in dner Colorado three she invented Barbie do because her daughter preferred to play with paper dos more like adults than baby do number four she invented Barbie dos when
she was 43 years old in New York number five she died in California on April 27 20 2002 of the age 85 she helped woman to became to become more Rec recognized
to be able to work on anything they want and this is a picture of the of the first Barbie though and a picture of the Creator beautiful and now we have fourth grader Sophia hello my name is Sophia Cruz and
the invention that I chose is the first modern electric fridge uh by Florence parpart she was born in 1976 and grew up in a time when women's contribution to science and technology were often
overlooked the first electric fridge cost about $500 to $1,000 then now a refrigerator cost about $5,000 to $12,000 that's a big difference but it really depends on the size the electric fridge utilizes a
refrigeration cycle involving a compressor condenser and evaporator to remove heat from the inside keeping the food fresh and cool with its userfriendly design families found it easy to store
pressable Goods the a availability of chilled food options became a daily con conation and now we have fifth graders Zayn and Gideon hello my name is
Gideon my name is Zayn um our project is the feeding tube invented by Bessie Blount it was invented April 24th 1951
um we still we use this invention today because people who are in hospitals and cannot eat who need to eat with assistance need feeding tubes to deliver n nutrition into their
body Bessie blown did a lot for women such as being a role model for young women what does the invention and how is it important for people the feeding tube delivers liquid from a flexible tube
that goes in through your nose or into your stomach or a small intestine improve people's lives by providing food for them if they could not eat normally five facts about Bessie
blown hold it the American Academy of physics therapy honored B in 1990 the next fact is that she was punished for writing with her left hand so she learned to write with her teeth in
feet she trained and worked at Scotland Scotland Yard in 1977 reportedly first ever africanamerican women to do so she invented a disposable card bosen
eminis Bas her father left at a young age thank you thank you great job from our talented and gifted group at school number five would anyone like to come down to help distribute the
certificates parents as soon as the certific ific Ates are distributed we'll have the students line up over here and you can come down and take a few pictures fifth grader Zane ramal I'm sorry I then I'm doing it okay
I'll be all right I'm sorry here you go Gideon ajab Go's next we have anthonella ordones Heredia grade four sure take your posters up with you so your parents can take a picture of
you with your poster as well Antonio Guedo grade four he has your honey and grade five Sophia Cruz and just one more thing ladies and gentlemen I would be remiss I didn't know Miss palacino was going to join us
tonight she is also a talented gifted teacher at school number five thank you so much students you did an amazing job thank you and thank you teachers thank you for listening have a great evening all right at this time we're going to be
recognizing the 2425 Governor educator and Educational Service professional of the Year each each principal will be called up to a give this recognition to the staff member that was in their building so
first we' like to start with the Hornblower Early Childhood Center Mr Miss shy something yeah yeah good evening can you hear me okay good evening horn blowers uh
20242 Governor educator of the year is Miss Madison Vergara it is difficult to believe that Miss Madison Vergara is only in her fourth year of teaching as she exu exudes tremendous talent in a calm humble
manner Madison truly does not know how good she is Miss Vergara arrives daily at the building with a smile ready to welcome her students and the day with the same positive outlook her enthusiasm extends to everything that she does she is a true team player volunteering on
numerous committees Miss Vergara plans and implements lessons that engage her students in a fun creative Manner and supports their individual needs she is masterful of providing tiered multisensory interventions for her students and positive behavioral supports Miss regar is extremely
nurturing and caring fostering an overwhelming warm culture that you feel every time you enter her classroom she's a dedicated hardworking educator and we are truly fortunate to have her as a member of our Hornblower family Hornblower educa Educational Service
professional is Mr Joe truko Mr truko or Mr Joe does so much for Hornblower that I have difficulty framing where to begin Mr Joe not only keeps our building safe and secure as one of our valued guards he is a constant presence of help and support
throughout the day Mr Joe consistently brings a smile to the faces of students staff and parents with his caring personality you might see him dressed up as Cat in the Hat last week during our arrival in our car Lane welcome mean parents and students today he was the
leprechaun testing out traps in each of our classes that the students created Mr Joe lends a hand throughout the day with whatever is needed he is a true asset to Hornblower in our building we would not be the same without him from the horn blower community and staff thank you Mr
Joe for everything that you do next School number three Mr Steve Puglia good evening everybody uh our 2425 Governor's educator of the year for school 3 is Kim maros so while Kim and I never crossed
paths uh in my previous roles in the district uh her reputation is a well-known districtwide as a sixth grade teacher Kim doesn't just teach she inspires not only her students but her colleagues and myself Kim has a unique
gift for connecting with each student making them feel seen heard and valued in the classroom Kim creates a learning environment where each and every student thrives beyond the classroom Kim is always ready to lend a hand whether it's assisting with bus Duty providing
translation for meetings which I often need um Kim truly embodies what it means to be a team player and her dedication to our school 3bs is unmatched it is clear that Kim is more than just a teacher she is a mentor a role model and a friend to
so many she's built a reputation for caring deeply about each student's success and well-being and her positive influence reaches far beyond the classroom walls on behalf of everyone here thank you mros for everything you do you truly deserve this recognition
congratulations and now for our 2425 Educational Service professional of the Year miss Liliana Peña so when I first learned that I'd be working alongside Liliana in my new role I was beyond thrilled knowing the reputation that
Liliana has and the wealth of EXP experience she brings to everything she does I tell her this all the time Liliana is truly the backbone of school 3 while she may be quiet she was always 10 steps ahead every day every day uh everything personel related whether it's
providing Comfort to our students supporting parents or stepping uh in to help her colleagues uh Liliana is always there she's a calming presence but she's a strong reliable force in everything that she does her colleagues adore her and I know I'm certainly one of them I
always tell Lily that I'd be lost without her and I truly mean it she has made an impact she has made such an impact and I couldn't think of anyone more deserving of the Educational Service professional of the Year award Liliana congratulations you're the best School Number Four Miss calo
sorry had to give out hugs good evening everyone welcome and congratulations to all of the Educational Service professionals and Governor's teacher congrats um I just like to bring up Jessica Peralta as our Educational
Service professional for school for come on up Jess you weren't going to get away with it come on I met Jessica Peralta wow a long time ago when I first got to number eight you remember that long time ago and Jess was
a force to be reckoned with when I met her um you have uh definitely grown and developed all through the years and it makes me so proud to work with you you are you are just incredible the way you
handle our children our staff your colleagues our parents no no no no you cry I cry and it's over so don't do it don't do it um it just makes me really proud to work alongside someone like you the way you
train other other teachers from other universities sometimes you walk into Jess's room and you don't know there's children there's adults there's all kinds of people in there and you just keep going and that's amazing so that's exactly what every parent would want for their child
is you so congratulations thank youate that no crying because no crying you got a PL no we take a picture you got to take a picture um and our Governor's teacher
for school 4 is our Jackie Medina come on up oh my Jackie okay well my Jackie she's one of the strongest women that you'll ever meet
she really is um no no that's the no no I'm not doing no no don't let it h school for don't let it happen don't let me cry um yeah so Jackie is um one of my uh one of my first grade and she she
teaches our special students they are the most amazing group of children but more amazing is Jackie she's motivating she's calm she's peaceful when she comes in she knows every student what their
needs are where we have to go with it and believe you me she fights for every single one and that to me is just
incredible I am very blessed to have Educators like this with me and all of our parents are just as blessed your passion your dedication goes beyond words so I can't even think
of anyone else that deserves this more than you so and I mean that okay I love you I love you thank you grug it's gonna happen it's just School number five Mrs Gilligan good evening
everybody our Governor's educator of the year at school five is Melissa masion meliss up Melissa so many of your colleagues were thrilled when they heard about you receiving this
recognition after the announcement a number of teachers came up to my into my office to share how much they all agreed with you deserving this honor your colleagues and I had so much to say about you meliss that I it's it took me more time trying to cut this down than
it did to write a few teachers mentioned how they see you at lunch working just as hard as you do in the classroom one said it's clear to see how deeply she cares about the quality of her work her schooly classes are a perfect reflection of her commitment because of the design
and attention to detail to make navigating easy for students your peers also spoke highly of you as a true innovator meliss always at the Forefront of new teaching strategies using data driven approaches cutting age tools to enhance student achievement you
keep up with the latest trends in education and are an outstanding team player always ready to share your ideas and resources with everybody another colleague wrote what I admire most about Melissa is her dedication adaptability and unwavering
commitment to EXC Excellence you have a unique ability to make learning not only meaningful but also fun and relevant your students truly appreciate how you make every lesson something that they can relate to and grow from meliss we were grade Partners in the middle school I was a little
intimidated I'm not going to lie especially when I saw when I was a new teacher and we had our we had lunch together and I opened up my grade book and I thought I was doing pretty good in September with like two grades and then when masion opened up her book and had like 12 I closed my book and ran
upstairs and I'm like I I have to up my game and that is a true story so you were like you were a force in that Middle School um you were an inspiration to me and when I found out that you were coming to school 5 the first thing I thought about was am I going to help Melissa with right but then I thought I
have an autopilot coming to the school and I was very excited um last thing I want to say about Melissa is sometimes I have uh teachers new teachers you know sometimes we love our kids but sometimes things can be challenging right especially in the sixth grade and uh and fifth grade and sometimes teachers will
walk by and they scratch their heads are like why are they working so hard for Melissa are they different kids they're so quiet and they're working so hard and they did come and ask me Mason's class is no joke I'm like it's not if you want to know just walk in I'm sure she'll welcome you so Melissa you're an
incredible teacher and this recognition is a true Testament to your outstanding work thank you for everything you do your impact is immeasurable and we are all so lucky to have you as part of our educational community Janice okay the Educational Service professional of the year is Janice Gian
Grande for school five Janice come on up please it's a true pleasure to celebrate Educators tonight who go above and beyond um their job description for all of us every single day Miss Gian Grande our Educational Service professional of the year is someone who continually is
recognized for her dedication and her gentleness with our students Janice's dedication to her work is nothing short of inspiring her colleagues speak of her perfect attendance year after year a true Testament to her commitment and reliability she is known for her
kindness and compassion particularly working with Children of special needs whether she's leading small group reviews with patients or arriving early and staying late to ensure her Student Success Janice always goes above and beyond her job description in fact she's so dedicated she's often forced to take
breaks um but as we all know Janice manages to never quite do so on a personal note and I hope I don't embarrass you too much I want to acknowledge that Janice's compassion extends beyond the walls of school 5 she's always there for others caring for
those who can't always care for themselves are offering a helping hand to somebody who's sick Janice you are truly a beautiful human being and it's my privilege not only to work with you but to know you as a person your tireless efforts your caring heart your unwavering dedication
make this world and our school a better place congratulations Janice on being the Educational Service professional of the year you deserve it more than I can say I love you guys too love you School number seven Mr Mr Belton good evening everyone I would
like to call up school number seven's Governor's educator of the Year Miss Sharon stali and just starting off with Sharon savali she is truly one of the most amazing people who work in our building and we're blessed to have her around every
single day at school number 7 it is both a privilege and honor to stand before you today to celebrate someone who has made such a profound impact on our school and our students over the course of the last seven years I've had had the
privilege to work alongside Aron closely and it's without a doubt that she has established herself as a true leader within our learning community at school number 7 mavali embodies all the characteristic characteristics that
contribute to the success of our school through her dedication to her craft she ensures that every student receives the support they need to thrive not just today but throughout their future her passion for teaching is
unwavering and it is that very passion that fuels her exceptional instructional practice as our resource teacher at school number seven her students are privileged to have her as the teacher She lays a strong Foundation of
skills and support that will guide them through their entire educational Journey her impact extends far beyond the classroom as she had volunteered for countless roles as our skip team advisor safety team union rep and more
importantly our RTI coordinator which I know her heart stays in she previously did win our educational service provider as the we year because of this m valali is always there to ensure that the needs of the students are met in all areas and
that with a caring and a sense of precision within it thank you for your unwavering dedication and passion and your incredible contributions to our school and congratulations Jen for being the teacher and now for our Educational
Service professional of the year um can I please get officer Pete valard please come on up to the front please this is somebody I model myself after for being such a great individual in person it is with great honor that I
stand before you today to celebrate a truly oneof a kind individual one whose kindness dedication and presence makes an immeasurable impact on our school Community officer Pete our security officer at school number 7 is not just a
protect of our students and staff he is in every sense of a word a hero to each and every one of our students from the very first moment our students arrive in the morning officer Pete greets them with a warm smile friendly fist bump and setting the tone for positive and
welcoming day ahead but this role goes far beyond just ensuring the safety of our school whether he's playing football during recess with the kids drawing up plays from his old playing days or just throwing in a button hook to make sure
that they could catch it he offers words of encouragement to those who need it Pete's ability to connect with our students is unmatched it is no surprise that the kids gravitate towards him Pete genuinely gen
genuine kindness approachability and sense of humor make him someone that the students trust and admire he is more than just a school security guard he is a mentor a a role model a coach and most importantly a friend to each one of the
students he comes across with that for everything he does to create a safe positive and welcoming environment for our school Community it is my honor to announce Mr Pete vardi as our educational service provider of the
year School number eight principal Mr otand it is with great pride and admiration that we celebrate Patricia jury as this year's governor educat of the year for school number eight Pat is not just an outstanding teacher
she has a huge heart with kindness at the core of everything she does she creates a classroom where every child feels seen valued and inspired her dedication goes beyond lesson plans and grades she Fosters love for learning builds confidence in her students and ensures that every child knows that they
are capable of greatness whether she's offering extra help lending a listening ear or simply greeting students with a warm smile Pat makes last lasting impact that extends far beyond the classroom what truly sets Pat apart is her unwavering care for people students
colleagues and families alike she understands that education is not just about academics but about building relationships and shaping Futures F her compassion and patience make her a role model for both students and fellow Educators Pat embodies the very best of
what it means to be a teacher and we are incredibly fortunate to have her as part of the schoola family congratulations Pat on this well-deserved honor it is a privilege to recognize Michael Diaz as school late's Educational Service professional of the year
as our dean of students he is a dedicated support system for our entire School Community his commitment to fostering a positive and respectful learning environment is evident whether he's assisting Administration guiding students or providing support to staff he goes be he goes beyond to ensure that
every student feels safe valued and encouraged to succeed his ability to connect with students solve problems support teachers makes him a crucial part of our school Mike truly cares about the well-being of everyone at school number 8 and we are grateful for his dedication support congratulations
congratulations Mike on this well-deserved and earned recognition principal School number nine Mr Royal thank you good evening everyone happy St Patrick's
Day I'm honored to present Mrs Caris atur our school n Educational Service professional of the year come on up Cara Cara stands out as a beacon of excellence in our school community constantly going above and beyond to ensure Student Success Through
Innovative teaching strategies and targeted interventions Cara has been able to reach even the most challenging students helping them overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential she also tutors on Saturday night and rescues animals 247 she's a true
superhero congratulations Cara I'm thrilled to present Mrs Melissa batti as our school nine Governor educator of the Year Melissa is a shining example of excellence and education constantly creating a dynamic learning environment
where every student feels valued and motivated to excel Melissa's positive impact extends beyond the classroom as she is actively involved in schoolwide initiatives and programs that benefit the entire School Community she wears her heart on her sleeve every day and I
wouldn't want her any other way congratulations principal School number 10 Mrs Calhoun okay I have a suggestion I think one of these meetings we have to start with school number 10 first because everything has been said but so I'm going to start with our um
Governor's Educational Service professional of the Year miss Wanda Rio and the kids know her as Miss Wanda I'm going to call you up here first come on Miss Wanda so for those of you who don't know her she's our service professional in our preschool
classroom this is yours you're taking that home um so miss Wanda Works in unison with Miss Veno who I don't know if she's here today she might have not been able to make it but she's the class Miss V is the classroom teacher Miss Wanda is her power professional her her
assistant but she's basically exactly like Miss V and a lot of people take for granted that Miss fe's classroom runs without a hitch she has 15 threeyear olds in the room if you've ever had 15 three year olds in a classroom at the same time you know it's not an easy feat and so miss Wanda is there she's as
everyone said every single person here that was nominated and won this award is kind and dedicated and makes everyone in the classroom feel special I have often used Miss Wanda as my translator because like Mr Puglia I need one um you know she's the day wouldn't run without her
she greets the students in the morning every single morning downstairs brings helps missv bring 15 three-year-olds up the steps um sometimes I hear crying and by the time I'm out of my office which is right next door everything's fine everyone's smiling everyone's good to go
Miss Wanda is hugging the kids or she has to scold them she scolds them so she's an amazing human being I do not know how you do it you're absolutely a saint anyone as Miss cavalo has already said would love to have a child and this woman's classroom the day cannot run
without her the she's only absent maybe twice and it was terrible the kids were crying Miss V looked frazzled so it really makes a difference when you have someone in the classroom with a lot of little kids that knows exactly how to manage them but love them at the same
time be kind be passionate and I have a lot of parents out here who have experienced Miss Wanda in the classroom and know that she is irreplaceable she's amazing and you truly deserve this honor and we love you thank
you now miss mosika who is the next up Miss mosa come on up come on up so I was told I wrote too much I'm going to try to you know say less here we go but miss mosa is a kindergarten
teacher at school 10 for many students she as is the first face they see when they start school she's the first person who helps them build a love for learning she is the first person that welcomes them into a school setting I'm in awe of everything you do every single day um
similar to the preschool classroom sometimes I hear crying and the second I'm in there everyone's smiling and happy and I don't know how you guys do it I need you in my house um and so I asked the parents to nominate people this year I mean we ask them every year
but I had had an abundance of nominations for these two individuals Miss mosa one of the things that a parents said is Miss mosa is the best out there which I agree always willing to step up for the kids and also for the parents I was doing the yearbook last year and she went out of her way to send
pictures that we needed my kids adore her so do I although I would be extremely surprised this is again from a parent if she was if she never won before which she has she absolutely deserves to win this award Miss mosa is incredibly passionate about her work the children genuinely adore for her she's
ambitious she's full of creative ideas she loves teaching and entertaining the kids I have learned a lot of dances and songs that I've never known before um you know I wish I had a teacher like you who welcomes the kids and as a principal I couldn't agree more with everything that was said about Miss mosa she does all the things she goes to school dances
she paints faces she participates in fundraisers she greets our kids in the morning she waits for them at then the day she's the last face they see if anyone's ever running late because she does our late pickup um she's firm but kind that smile is always on her
face I again don't know how um somehow she manages 24 24 process that 24 5-year-olds in one room and although she does have a par professional this year she didn't have one last year and she still did it and kids still learned and
um I mean I can keep talking about you to forever so I'm probably going to stop because everyone wants to go home at some point but I'm going to switch it up because we are the last school to go and you all have sorry middle school high school whatever you'll get your turn but if the school if the school T parents
and families Miss mosa family can you guys just come up and take a picture with her because you all came out here come on come on come on come on you all came out here to celebrate her I do truly appreciate you guys get in there Step than
that's great name our Middle School principal Mr Gad good evening everyone I'd like to congratulate all the teachers and Ed service professionals uh being honored tonight our Belleville Middle School Governor educator of the year is Ms marar please come up M
marar oh thank you teaching is more than a profession it is a calling it requires patience dedication and an unwavering commitment to shaping young minds and guiding them toward a brighter future I'd like to congratulate Ms mcar as the Beville Middle School Governor educator of the
Year Ms mcar embodies all of these qualities and more Miss Mard demonstrates a passion for Education an ability to inspire students and a willingness to go above and beyond Miss mcar has demonstrated Innovation and compassion her colleagues admire her leadership parents respect her
dedication and students Thrive under her guidance we're lucky to have Miss marar as a member of our school Community congratulations miss marar our Educational Service professional of the year is m tartaglia I'd like to congratulate Miss tartaglia
as the Beville Middle School Educational Service professional of the Year demonstrating unw an unwavering commitment to Student Success and to support our teachers Miss tartaglia has touched the lives of countless students teachers and parents making an immeasurable impact on the future of her
students winning this award is well deserved of the hard work vision and dedication that Miss tartaglia has consistently demonstrated we're grateful for her service to Belleville Middle School on behalf of Belleville Middle School congratulations Miss tartaglia High School principal Mr rhods
Mr Dar good evening everyone the Belleville High School Educational Services professional the Year this year is Michelle MCD Michelle come on up throughout Michelle's career she's inspired countless students earn a deep
respect from both staff and students for her professionalism perseverance and unwavering commitment to her craft that's evidenced by everyone from her Department who showed up tonight and her family who is here on St Patrick's Day Michelle consistently engages her
students in Creative thought-provoking lessons one of my favorites being the Dante's Inferno project that I believe everyone's working on right now that's a a great time to walk around her classro and really take a look at how students visualize the novel her classroom Blends warmth with high expectations creating
an environment will students Excel academically and personally Michelle's contributions to Belleville High School and her deep care for her students and their success make her a beloved and admired member of the student and school Community embodying
the best qualities of a teacher congratulations Michelle we had UC ational Services professional of the ER Buel High School is Miss Jane Holzman Jane is an invaluable asset to the Health and Wellness Center of Beville high school she's a guiding force not only for students but also for
her colleagues interns pretty much everyone that she really works with throughout the years Jane has been there to support students and staff with unwavering dedication to the department and fostering a positive and supportive environment which truly make her truly
deserving of this honor tonight and for the first time since I've uh been coming up here for the last 10 years in honoring our Educational Services professionals and teachers of the year uh someone else wanted to speak on behalf of Miss Holzman as well and that is her supervisor Dr Sylvia Pastor so
I'd like to call her up here it is with such great pride that we recognize Jane Holzman as as the governor's Educational Service professional of the Year Jane's journey in the Belleville School District began 25 years ago as a crisis counselor for
the entire district and over the years her role and the incredible team alongside her has grown to meet the evolving mental health needs of our students and true to her nature even in receiving this award Jane did not want
any attention she deflected the spot light answering all my questions by choosing instead to highlight the dedication of her team the unwavering support of her Educators families and community members and most importantly
the students who Inspire her every day she sees this honor not as a personal achievement but as a testament to belleville's commitment to prioritizing mental health congratulations to Belleville
she has ensured that no student has ever faced a challenge alone Jane your passion your leadership and selfless dedication have left an undeniable mark on this district and we are all Beyond grateful for all that you do and as
Helen Keller once said alone we can do so little together we can do so much thank you Jane all of tonight's Award winners for reminding us that the power of teamwork compassion and unwavering
commitment to our students well-being you all have left a mark on our lives thank you once again congratulations to all the 24 25 Governors teachers of the year as well as the educational uh service
professionals congratulations we'll take a few minutes while let people as Refreshments outside if you'd like to stop in please do so e e e e
okay we're going to continue the meeting uh last portion will be of course congratulating the recognizing the students of the month for February want to congratulate all the students from all the schools and that concludes my report okay as we continue to meeting uh
just wanted to reann again the sign up sheets if there was anyone that was expecting to speak tonight tonight and would like to sign the sheets I'm going to send them down there for a minute or two and then we'll collect them
again um so moving on um do we have a report from Mr Paladino you want me to give the SAT you want to do the SAT go ahead uh
Mee gracias thank you okay so moving on to a report from our business administrator Matthew Paladino thank you Madame President uh first of all congratulations to all the educate the governor's Educators and Educational
Services professionals the year job well done uh and also congratulations to all the students recognized for the month of February 20125 uh couple of things uh before I get to what everybody's probably still here for uh um after five or six long
years we finally received uh the two electric buses they are on the road and being used within uh the city limits of Belleville um there was a training done for all of the bus drivers last week and we are
looking to schedule a little bit of a ribbon cutting SL press release uh in the next week or two the co-op is progressing uh there's a resolution on the agenda to approve uh um boiler maintenance and repair RFP that was done
uh the 11 10 or 11 members of The Coop are currently starting to use some of the vendors that were awarded so hopefully either this quarter or next quarter we should start generating uh some of the revenue that is within the
rfps all right on to the the budget so there's a lot of uh rhetoric that's out there and normally this time of year uh think it's best to set some of the record straight about what's out there on social media first of all some of the
fiction that's out there uh number one this is not the final proposed budget uh those of you that have been coming to board meetings that are on the board for a long time now I've been here for eight years there's always a tenative budget that is presented in March and then
there is the final proposed budget that is presented at the end of April this right now is the tenative budget by Statute it is required that an imbalanced budget be submitted to the county office by uh Wednesday March
19th um for their technical review from tomorrow uh when the administration will be meeting to start looking over the budget that's myself Mr perado Mr Egan and Dr deia until April
28th which will be the date of the public public hearing we will do our best to whittle down what is being presented this evening to get to a more amenable budget that the board agrees with uh that will work for the 25 26
school year there is not a $600 increase which is being posted on Facebook there is not a 12% tax levy increase which is being proposed on Facebook it is false that the Community
cannot use clareman field Community the gates are open the can walk the track can use the field you can do whatever you want if somebody is encountering an issue with using claremon field please let me know so that I can address it well it's locked when it's locked but
let me know okay it is it is open uh Sunrise till sunet Monday through Friday and it is open on the weekend the board notified me of that last week I had a conversation with Mr petta and Mr wedling it should be open on the weekend as well it should be open seven days a
week from Sunrise until sunset again if it is not please let me know it should be but it's it should be if it's not please let me know I will take care of it Matt it's not open okay all right all right I will have that addressed thank you I will have it
addressed it is also in accurate that the rec center cannot use our facilities they use all of our facilities whether it's um the Athletic Facility or all of our schools more than anybody I have the use of facility forms
to show you how often they use it so that is a fallacy it is also a fallacy that we're not using the pizza oven the pizza oven does get Mr Rose can testify this he's sitting back there the pizza oven does get used for lunch and for anything during the Spring the summer
and the fall the only time we co close it is when it is way too cold outside for masio staff to stand out there and for the kids to go out there to get pizza other than that it is constantly open that's the fiction the fact this is only a tentative preliminary budget that
is being presented to the board and to the community tonight tentative Again by Statute it's required a balanced budget is required to be submitted to the county office by this Wednesday March 19th for them to
review for for everybody's edification there is a number of costs that are driving this our budget the way that it is uh the cost of Transportation right now we're looking at about four to five and a half four to
five excuse me$ four to5 million in outof District transportation costs I would love it if we could bring all that back in District the problem is I can't find bus drivers I also if I saw bringing it back in I also have to buy more buses so
there is a little bit of a give and take but right now that's what I am looking at out of District transportation cost or between four and5 million and going up I am at their Mercy what's in District in District about one and a half to two we have roughly 65 special needs
students that we send out of District um their costs are going up they're over the 2% I have no control over that that's just their their tuition talk yes and and and some of their Associated CS don't let me forget
that too um substitutes the the the cost of substitutes is uh increasing exponentially can't find teachers to cover all the classrooms we have to bring in Subs health care I know we switched out
of the state's program but something I want you to all keep in mind currently right now as of today the state of New Jersey if we stayed in the state of New Jersey's plan their estimates for January 2026 they are telling everybody that
there is going to be an increase of 25 to 30% in health benefit costs 25 to 30 I kid you not etno right now is giving us a proposal a estimate of half of that they're estimating anywhere between 15
and 20% and then lastly our salaries all the negotiated salaries roughly right now all the salary increases for next year are $2.8 million else hold on I got more for
you 2.8 2.8 million every every employee all no all the negotiated contracts all negotiated contracts doesn't include the cians is that who you said you have I have a budget in there for them okay right now the April board meeting
is scheduled for April 21st in speaking with the finance committee and the operations committee last week we're going to cancel the April 21st meeting I will put out a public notice and reschedule it for April 28th which will be the public hearing on the
budget that date again and you all know this because you've been here with me for eight years the April 28th public hearing is when the final proposed budget gets submitted for 2526 and again starting tomorrow morning
myself Mr parado Mr rean Dr deia are going to sit down we're going to start looking at where we can start making cuts and then uh Mrs benett me is going to talk to the board uh see where they want to come in and we will get to a number that again by April 28th is more
amendable for everybody something to keep in mind and I know I'm going to have an argument with him when he gets up here we are still as of today with this budget the way that it is being submitted to the county office still
$112 million underfunded that is not me pulling a number out of a hat that is not anybody up here just coming up with a number that is the state's calculation in their funding formula okay still $12
million underfunded does anybody have any questions up here or you want me to address them later okay thank you that's all I got for you thank thank you Mr Paladino for your explanation um do we have a report from
the state monitor or no it was wrapped into my report okay all right thank you all right so with that said we're going to move on to remarks by citizens on the agenda items do we have a motion to open public
participation so Mo second all those in favor y all right and with that we'll start off with Michael Sheldon could you please come up to the podium good evening everyone Michael Sheldon 47 Floyd Street um deal with budget matters probably during the
second public session since time is so limited here but I did want to point out putting aside all of the rhetoric from Mr Paladino with his denial that the budget the tax increase wouldn't be $600 with all the the nonsecretors he uttered
he never gave us the actual number for what the tax increase is but I'll come back to that during the second session when I have a little bit more more time instead I want to uh use my limited uh two minutes and 30 seconds to ask some questions about agenda items and section
12 firstly um the 121 and 122 your uh appropriating uh 50 well nearly $6,000 for plumbing and bathroom repair work at 333 Ralph Street this is next to school number nine when those properties
333 and 335 were purchased by the board a couple years ago we were told then and there that both one one lot was already clear of old dilapidated house but both Lots were supposed to be cleared and the whole double lot was going to be merged into one and become a bus depot so we would no longer be leasing space at St
Peters so now apparently that's changed I want to know exactly what's going to be of Ralph Street and if that's going to be become usable office space which would allow the board later this year early next year to uh vacate 335 Union
124 and 125 uh Nursery uh purchases from our local Nursery here Alpine uh this is again 50 $5500 I'd like to know more specifically what's being purchased since you're just putting some foliage around uh welcome signs at the the middle school and school number 10 Gabby
and I are both uh very Avid gardeners so if you could give us a little more explanation about what's being planted I appreciate it uh 126 you are uh going to uh appropriate nearly uh $5,500 to repair water lines in the stadium uh I
brought this up in previous uh years the municipal Stadium technically belongs to the town hall it doesn't belong to the board of ed so again why why is the board taking care of repair work that the town hall should be uh pay paying for 128 you're uh putting up two flag
polls at school number five and school number seven for well over $20,000 did a quick look this afternoon to see what typical flag pole cost is they're typically around $800 each so why $20,000 the only way you get to that is
if you buy flag poles that are 200 feet high and can withstand you know you're going to put them off of K Cape Hatteras North Carolina to deal with regular hurricanes so I don't understand how you can be spending this much money on flag
poles next 1226 you are going to uh spend over $117,000 for a paper cutter could you please explain why that amount of money for a paper cutter most paper already comes pre-cut
1228 um you're going to appropriate nearly $5,000 for a beam detector at school number five for those that don't know a beam detector is a smoke detector again I took a look this afternoon to see what the current prices for brand
new industrial strength beam detectors they're under $1,000 you're going to pay $55,000 for a repair work why not just buy a new one and save the district at nearly $4,000 is anyone checking these numbers before Mr Paladino puts them on
your agenda so with that said Mr Paladino before we get to second second session could you please tell us what the um tax impact is going to be on the meeting assess home last year when you gave your cryptic apocryphal numbers prior to in last Mar I did the quick
back of the envelope calculation and I uh told our community that it looked like it would be $400 plus two nights later Miss Bennett meie got you to tell the community what the exact number was and you said 416 so I was pretty much right on the Mark again I I'll go
through the the details the numbers in the second session if I'm cut off now but right now you told the state last October with the user-friendly budget that the uh tax levy for Beville was uh 48,2 42,1 33 in the table that you have
in this budget you're indicating that you're going to collect from Belleville taxpayers 54 million 54,7 180 that's a difference of $ 5,812 uh 12 6 and 64 5, 82,6
647 rule of thumb in this Township because we have about 10,000 ratables every million dollars of tax costs the median assessed home about $100 so since your own numbers are indicating that bille taxpayers are going to have to come up with almost $6 million in
additional tax levy next year that would become about $600 I asked you Monday thank you Mr Shon I I know where you're I know where you're going more seconds I asked Mr Paladino very politely Saturday morning to please either confirm or deny so that I I would I would know exactly
what was going on of course he ignored me because he wants he wanted me to go forward in the P to the public say hey we may have another big tax imp impact so that he could then tonight try to ridicule me before the community Mr Sheldon doesn't know what he's talking about just as he and TOMCO did to me
last year with the setup about the public hearing for the budget so I'll have more to say about the budget during the second session but I hope we can get get an actual meaningful answer from Mr Paladino about what does it's a preliminary budget it's preliminary budget a preliminary budget last year
and he told us after you insisted that it would be 416 with the preliminary budget after the preliminary budget went through the normal mations yes it got brought down to under Mr Paladino the initial starting point last year you want to start over I'll wait I'll wait until he's done yeah I'll wait until okay thank
you do you want to just simplify I'm sorry it's a preliminary budget sure it's it's not $600 it's $358 3 next we like to call nelsie Diaz to the podium
hello good evening everyone St Patrick's Day happy St Patrick's all right so I wanted to address the agenda um 12.1 and 12.2 so Mr pelino you said that you're
strapped right tight on budget but I'm just confused why we're spending 6,000 on Plumbing for Ral street so that just needs to be elaborated a little bit more I'm under the impression that that's been used
for what administrative meetings so do we really need tiles new tiles we can't just do paint job I think every dollar here counts I think every money should be accounted for and there's many items
in here that are just way over what our cost should be so I think everyone here in the board should really look at each item and make sure that we're using our money wisely really because that's just
doesn't make sense for me and I think that the public needs to know why why are we spending 6K on Ral Street when none of our students are using it it's just for meeting can you elaborate on that are those all your comments or for
this part of the agenda yes Mr Paladino do you want to uh do you also want to explain our procurement process and the bidding and you know you have to get three quotes and you have to have your proper paperwork business okay first of all the r many vendors right so
we don't have to use Atlantic but I'm just questioning why the tiles why can't we just if there needs to be done possibly Plumbing sure because that has to be functional but tile for 4,000
doesn't make sense every penny here counts it's our invested you know or like it's it's we're homeown owners every little penny counts here and we're a majority of us here are homeowners so I think that we should really thoroughly
look at every agenda and every item that we choose to work with in terms of vendors and what they're charging us for it but we don't need tiles that particularly one just just kind of a red flag for me so go ahead Mr pelino if you
have a moment are you finished though or because yes okay thank you don't want to take too much time that was just my one question for that particular item yes go ahead wait wait a minute do you have other questions on other items and
this agenda no okay I will go for the second session yeah so I just want padina to answer that question I'm sorry it's up to rather you answer now because I still have my five minutes I'm allowing you to use it it's up to
you sure so I've had this conversation before with the community the board knows this very well been here a long time this this board prior boards Hold Us hold our feet to the fire
there is no red stamp there's none of that uh this board knows every dollar that got spent they know the purchasing rules that we go through and the purchasing laws that we go through they know the auditing standards that we follow uh the rhetoric out there is
wrong that uh 333 335 Ralph Street was going to be one complete parking lot that's wrong the well I didn't go into any of that respectfully I didn't go into any of that that was yeah if I could just if I could just say just stop all alt together okay so first of all
you have three minutes it's not five um second of all um when the board president asked if you were done it's because they don't want the back and forth dialogue we want to hear what you have to say that's very important to us but that's why you have the three minutes and you have five minutes if you said you want to speak later as well but Mr Paladino is going to answer your question but that's it you said told the
board president you were finished so I want to make sure that that's clear because this isn't intended to be a back and forth 100% I don't want that to be a back and forth so let me just interject then so that I have there's no interjecting that's it you can come back for your next part but you said what you were going to say the board presid asked you twice and he's going to continue but
sorry go ahead if you can finish your sentence thank you sure the rhetoric that's out there that that would be one complete lot is wrong the intention from the Geo when we purchased the property I don't remember how long ago it was now two years ago
was that the house would stay as an office for the transportation department the bathroom that's in there is completely unusable they'll be 15 or so bus drivers going through that building there'll be about 15 or so power uh bus AES excuse me that'll be
utilizing that facility uh there'll be a transportation coordinator uh there's the possibility that there could be offices upstairs I don't know yet um but the bathroom that's currently there that has been there is completely unusable and needs to be renovated for use I
can't have a structure uh an office space for 50 or so employees that is going to have a bathroom that doesn't work if it's the priority of the board uh or the direction of the board excuse me that
they they want to reject 121 that's fine I don't have a problem with that um but I have a bathroom there that is unworkable that needs to be renovated before I start putting staff in there so that's what's being presented to the board again this board previous boards I
think Mr stus can speak for that I think even though we we have an argument back and forth I think when Mr Sheldon knows that when he was on the board Mr Barrera can also tell you that when he was on the board the board holds the superintendent the former superintendent the current interim superintendent and
myself as the business business administrator accountable for every single dollar that is spent if I if one of us proposes something that they don't want to do that's their Direction we'll pull it and we won't do it um but this is what's being proposed at the moment if they vote no that's fine I don't have
a problem with that but again mention mention this in committee I have a building that we're trying to get up and running that is close to being ready for usage that for 50 employees has a bathroom that's unusable um so that's
what's here tonight no I appreciate your elaboration on it um thank you Mr Paladino thank you so much for your time and for elaborating and answering the question um so Ruben Rodriguez I think we you said you were finished right yeah
I'll be back for one thank you Ruben Rodriguez C the Hill Avenue it's nice to see everybody again happy St Patrick's Day um Mr Sheldon like literally asked every single question I was going to ask oh I didn't get M Mr Paladino what's your
Facebook burner account so I know so I could follow you with me your your Facebook accounts since so you're following along and since you're so up to date um but uh he literally asked every single question um and since you did bring it up schoola is not open and
if it is you're going to say it will be open then please let us know who we can email to get it open um because I could tell you I was at tryouts this week and every single parent there said it was not open all winter that they could TR out I was there Saturday and Sunday my
my kid tried out for both travel teams and there wasn't a single parent that agreed that it's open so and Mr mun lives down the block so I will send pictures to you every day if You' like and we'll get it open together um Mr Rodriguez just if you could focus on on
night of on the agenda and then obviously you come back that he spoke about it in the in the in his report is is technically an agenda item no the agenda items are the ones listed on the agenda it's okay we want to hear it just wait for the right session to talk about it okay business administrative report board secretary that's on the agenda
technically we're going to get technical um so as far as the uh can we get an answer on why it's $3,500 for the plants and then second again I didn't hear an answer for uh I guess what I really want
to know is your on on record right now you're saying that the numbers uh your numbers are saying it's a $353 tax increase that's where we're starting 315
58 okay so we're starting at 358 because last year we started at what 453 I believe the uh the the beta Beville maila said when they accused Tracy Williams of uh of uh voting on the 30 50
$458 that she wanted a tax increase and then it ended up being $415 right give or take it got down to 6 and a half% right was that 10 we went down to six okay so we can expect it to go way down under
358 okay that's all we want to hear because when we don't have the information like I tell my kids if you don't tell me the information we we make it up okay you know we try to do the best with what we have and um it is locked I am going to say it is locked
and for the record you did buy pizza last week you did buy pizza last week okay I'll reiterate this again because I've been here a long time now with with passports and this current board what
has always been presented and you can go back and watch the videotapes what has been presented at the March meeing has never been the final budget it's always been the tentative budget to go to the county office for a technical review the
final one does not get presented and proposed until the end of April that is the statute that is the requirement that is the process year after year after year so what is being presented tonight is not going to be the final budget okay
I can't stress that enough you can put it on Facebook you can put it on Instagram you can put it on social media what is being presented tonight is not going to be the final budget the higher you no the higher you
start the lower you end you have to you we've done this every we've done this every year we have always presented everything thank you Mr Paladino we're going to move on do we have a motion to close public part uh participation so moved is there a second I'll second that and all those in
favor I all right we're going to move on to our items for approval um motion for Resolutions suggested by the superintendent on Personnel items 9.1 to 9.33 do we have a motion to
approve so moved is there a second second is there any discussion on these items for personnel hearing none Mr Paladino would you please call the role trusty Gillis yes trusty Leon yes trusty munise yes trusty
msia yes trusty Pacho yes vice president daro yes president benini yes and there's nothing for curriculum and instruction so moving on to board action and board policy we have items 11.1 to
11.28 do we have a motion so moved is there a second second do we have any discussion hearing none and that was 11.20 sorry uh Mr Paladino please call
the role trusty Gillis yes uh trusty Leon yes trusty monise yes trusty Mia yes trusty PCO yes vice president daro yes president benami yes uh items of purchasing and business services
numbers 12.1 to 12.36 do we have a motion so moved is there a second is there any discussion on these items for purchasing or business services yes I just like to get some
clarity around the flag polls uh and the need for them and what's what's doing I guess Mr Paladino can maybe shed some light about that first who was the second I didn't hear whose voice that was was second I'm sorry it was a second
it was a second no who was it I didn't hear who it was PCO oh miss PCO sorry so that's the cost for the flag poles that we currently have throughout the district I I can't buy an $800 flag
pole or a $1,000 flag pole these are I mean you guys drive around all our schools you see the size of the type of flag poles that we have that's what the cost is I mean if you want I guess the question is are these replacing bad flag theying ones that have to be replaced
yes I I have a question just kind of go back into this conversation about the floors because this is something that I do very often so I don't find this number to be an outrageous number especially when you're for for item I for for
the for 1221 the 6,726 42 cents to replace the floors in rooms 1 2 and three at school number 7 um we're we're we're essentially looking at a three $321 three
$321 per square foot totaling 6 $ 6,426 42 plus the freight of delivery um with another $300 totaling $672 642 and this is this is the cost not
just of materials but this is the cost of materials and installation materials only our maintenance staff will do the installation and this is commercial grade tile work not something that we're putting in our house correct okay so like just because this is my background and something that I deal with on a
regular basis the only reason why I'm talking about it because on average when I do a renovation when I do a project I'm spending about on about 221 to 280 a square foot on tile work that is going to be used inside of a household maybe
in my house for example used by six people if you're going into a place that's going to have hundreds of people uh stepping on this tile work you're not going to be paying $220 to $280 a square foot for tile work you're going to be paying upwards of $3 to5 for
the same commercial grade thicker quality and high traffic material so do we need it of course we need it it's not just about being broken you have stuff that outside of broken and chipping and faded and falling apart
that's one scenario what what is your when when if we're going to discuss um something lifting and falling apart is very different most of the tole work that we have here is all tole work that when you go and you start ripping it up you're ripping it up a glue a glued down surface once you start doing that work
you're going to naturally you're going to start lifting up all the work around it so it's not just as simple as hey you know what these five are bad so let's just replace these five it's once you start picking up on this floor you're going to start affecting the area around it and you're going to have to you're you're going to have to fix it and it's either you fix it the first time you fix
it once or you readdress the matter later on and then you're not just fixing the five that damage you're now having to before you end up knowing it if you're you're spending the money twice and that's not even including the fact that labor is involved in this as well which thankfully our staff is is is able
to do this work we don't have to sub a lot of this work out so when when I'm just addressing it because the the the statement of looking at every item and knowing what we're looking at and understanding why it's important is something that it's act actually happening this is one of the areas
that's why I tend to be involved in operations because of the fact that I tend to deal with this more often in my daily life but I definitely don't feel like this is an inflated number I feel like this is pretty accurate honestly I would have expected this to be more than more between 5 521 a square foot and
this isn't something that you're going to Floor and Decor this is something that you're you're you're getting commercial grade um tole work put into these spaces thank you thank you Louis for your comments All right so Mr Paladino if there's no other comments hearing
none trusty Gillis yes trustee Leon yes trusty monice yes trusty msaga yes trusty Pacho yes vice president daro yes president benini yes okay and moving on to
finance that's items 13 to 13.8 is there a motion so moved second which one any discussion on finance I have something to say Madam president okay I understand that it's part of the
process um but personally I feel that the proposed budget is still high and I believe that they're working together starting tomorrow we we will definitely find something that works for everybody very good y Penny thank you
madam president uh I do understand this is a a preliminary budget um and we do have to get something into the county on Wednesday uh I understand there's a process and hopefully whatever number we start with today will be cut down
considerably but to continue to ask the town to keep footing the bill okay and I don't think that we should be using ex unexpected cost because right now this is a unexpected cost to the Belleville residents and we all have to budget our our
you know we have our own budgets that we have to deal with personally I just think that you know for today I'm going to go with with pushing the preliminary budget but I really do hope that we do a good job of cutting it
down thank you you're welcome thank you Mr Leon trusty Leon U truste Dar so of course I'm not only on the school board here I'm also a homeowner and I also pay a mortgage and I also get the escrow which also increases with this so it's
of course it's of prence to me uh let me preface this as a caveat before I even vote there was there was no way I would approved these numbers as the final budget ever would I have liked these numbers to come in even lower to start with of course I would have uh I don't
want anybody else making this decision for us in the absence of uh of a decision first of all uh after today it's really time to for everybody here on the board and for the Administration staff to take out the or sickles if you want to use that terminology to to these numbers chop off wherever we can we need
to keep the district running but uh we can't burden our taxpayers we cannot do it anymore uh so we really need to be cognizant of that when we're making this and we got you know a month to go we really got to start uh sharpening the iron and getting the getting this the uh knife out there and getting that stuff
cut down there's no way we could do it as it is thank you thank you trustee Daryl any other trustees want to make a comment or question
okay okay trust you PCO yeah last year I was against this budget and I know this is not the real number but still was last year was higher this year is still higher and the S the number is still not
clear and certainly I'm going to be say no I'm to wait for the real numbers and make decisions about against that thank you okay thank you anyone else okay hearing none Mr
Paladino thank you madam president trusty GIS uh no to 13.6 and yes to all everything else uh trusty Leon yes trusty monise yes uh trusty
massaga yes with the understanding that this is is a preliminary budget and that we will work very hard over the next month to make sure that we can do everything we can to save the taxpayers as much money as we
can while still providing the best possible education that we can for the kids and and do the best that we can with the money that we have thank you uh trusty Pacho
no no no no to all the resolutions is just no to the one oh yes I'm sorry yes no one no one to the so yes to all no Clarity say U Mr
P you know it seems that that Brenda's yes on everything with the exception of the budget and cor thank you uh vice president daro uh I don't have to go into reiterate what I just said I do have these strong feelings here and I'm only doing it because of these strong
feelings and we better we better do what we can to get this budget down but I am going to invite yes and president benam me did you get Mr the trustee munes um yeah I I voted yeah okay um so yes with the um knowing that this is a
preliminary budget and that uh you are having a meeting tomorrow and we are going to discuss uh what comes out of that meeting um and understanding that uh this is an exceptionally tough year for uh school districts across the state
of New Jersey um but I I have faith that that we can do much better for our residents so yes to all okay so moving on to remarks by citizens on any items Michael
uh do we have a motion to open public participation second all those in favor all right Michael Sheldon please come to the podium uh good evening again everyone uh before I discuss the budget I just want to encourage all the board members do
your own Google search of school flag polls and confirm what I said earlier tonight you can get highquality rust proof School flag polls for under ,000 and if you are having trouble finding those links just uh contact me and I'll
give you I'll give you the same information that I have uh in regard to the public hearing that is tentatively scheduled uh for the budget on April 28th would the board please instruct Mr Paladino to make sure that both the revenue and appropriation
uh uh documents in excel's format are made available to the community at least four days prior to that meeting and not as has happened a few times over the last nine years the afternoon of the the meeting giving us absolutely no time to look at the details so you owe that much
to make sure that those those budgetary details we all acknowledge that this is just the introduced tenative budget the real Rigo is going to be at the end of April but we all need to see the details well in advance of the hearing for that that meeting and I hope we are given
extended time to talk about a budget that has a thousand line items more than five minutes to ask questions about that um was hoping that Mr Regan would be here tonight but you know I guess considering it is St Patrick's Day it's a high holy day for those of us who are
Irish um uh he's not here tonight I'm glad that Gabby and I are both wearing our green um some of us some people have asked me are you really Irish and I was been joking with them now I was actually in the city this afternoon trying out for Alpha uh but uh you know I I'll I can if you want I'll sing Uh define
gravity for you later tonight if I'm giving a few extra minutes uh the budget matter uh despite what Mr Paladino has said tonight I want to bring to the board's attention and please all of you take careful note of this because I'll be talking about it at length through
social media and especially in April 28th uh already the state has announced nearly $2 million of extra state aid for Belleville a lot of districts got cut back but we we're getting uh close to2 million and more the state Loan in 2015
when uh a year before Mr Ean came to bille was assigned to Belleville in May of 2014 uh in 2015 the state gave Belleville a $4.2 million loan to make us solvent once again because the previous board had screwed things up so badly but the last payment for that loan
is supposed to be made this month so that that means that starting July 1st that's a savings of $420,000 a year the ECI loan when I was on the board back in 20 9 uh I led the effort to get the $3.6 million ECI loan 3 million of which went to the claremon
field renovation project that was to be repaid in five years roughly $720,000 a year uh that the board was obligated to to pay in one form or the other that's now finished and that's another 720,000
U per year savings uh last July both Mr Egan and Mr Paladino and it's on the video record if anyone wants to check when they were talking about the change in the health insurance situation leaving the state health benefits program and going to Etna both Mr
Paladino and Mr Egan separately said that according to their initial calculations and projections that that change was going to save bille taxpayers at least one million dollars a year starting with this next academic year so where's that savings oh Suddenly It's it's gone it's evaporated un unbeknown
complications have developed this is exactly the same crap that TOMCO uh has pulled in Garfield where he he tried a couple months ago to switch Garfield's teachers and staff from the health benefits State Health program to Etna as
well and he said exactly the same thing to them hey we're going to switch and Gonna Save Garfield upwards between 800,000 and a million dollars and they have people there that are Insurance experts and completely refuted Dr TOMCO and said that that's ridiculous you're wrong but anyway you know you see what's
going on in Garfield uh you know they're ready to burn TCO at this at the stake uh before things go too much longer I only have one minute left so I want to say one last thing thankfully you guys are starting the official search for a superintendent but I need to make sure
that you're all aware of the following because we have a state monitor you collectively do not make the final decision about who the next superintendent is because we have a state monitor if you look at the State statue I have plenty of copies of all of this
item number four the state monitor has the authority to Fire and terminate every District employee the superintendent is a a district employee you can go through all of the time the expense of trying to find a new
superintendent and when all is said and done if you do find an ideal candidate Mr Egan can say not so fast people I'm using my authority to overrule you I'm hiring my own person and if you don't believe me I have copies of newspaper
articles Asbury in Asbury Park in particular they went through the same scenario they found a new superintendent their monitor overruled them and brought in as her own person so don't be misled into thinking that you're the final say in the superintendent and the way things
are working out here it's not outside the real of possibility that come the end of June you want to see the new superintendent July 1st the way things are going in Garfield I wouldn't be surprised if at the end of June after you find a great new candidate Mr Regan
says you know what I don't like your guy I'm bringing back TOMCO so just be warned thank you Mr Sheldon lady andaro evening everyone lady Empire 57 Fairway have uh first of all I would like to say
that what an honor it was to be here in the same room as the award is for the Governor's educator and Educational Services professional of the year the teachers really do so much for our kids and are such a blessing to the students I can attest to that I have two that was
taught by Mrs musika she's amazing I don't know how she does it it truly takes a special person to be able to do what they all do having said that um where do we stand with um the dismantling of the Department of
Education um how are the students and the teachers going to be affected with this uh what changes are we going to be expecting uh how about as taxpayers will the budget change if it so happens that
the doe be successfully dismantled prior to the end of the year um I mean I got to admit I don't really know how much exactly our district get from the federal level so it would be great if um the board can shed some light into that
please yeah those all your comments yes okay great um you know it's still still too early to know exactly what the impact is of the you know alleged uh shuttering of the Department of Education um this is of course the fedal
Federal Department of Education uh in New Jersey so much of what you do is dictated uh at the state level and so to be honest at this moment I would say it would have very little impact uh the shuttering of the Federal Department of Education it would have more of an impact in states that have uh less
oversight by their State Department of Education but here in New Jersey as you know and a lot of your fellow residents know at least the ones who've been involved in the school board for many years there are many directives from our State Department of Education there's lots of over site there's many employees
and much of your funding if not almost all of your funding comes from State resources additionally uh two pieces one the alleged uh you know shuttering of the Department of Education has been done now by executive order only and
executive orders are only valid to the extent that uh a court will allow them to fall within the uh constitutional uh you know confines of the president's Authority so it's possible that the shuttering of the Department of Education is it worth the paper that
it's written on from an executive order standpoint um it's also possible the Congress could act and that would give it statutory effect because the president theoretically with controlling both houses would sign that so it's hard to know but even if it were either determined to be legal through the
executive order Authority or through statutory Authority um it would have very little impact uh number one and number two there hasn't yet been um a specific allegation that funding would diminish it would just be reallocated in other words if the Department of
Education were to shutter the the suggestion by some in the Washington world has been that the same monies would just come from other sources another department for example would take over for some of those uh funding sources but like I said to you earlier
no one really knows anything clearly some of this is for a performative effect to ensure that people understand that uh you know there's a there's a new sheriff in town and there's some concern over some the federal government but there's not any real specific concern I would have as a parent in this District
related to this board's ability to function if there was a federal uh action taken maybe in other states you know and maybe in places where there's more Federal money coming through and even with the federal money it may just be coming from other places okay thank
you yeah thank you Ruben Rodriguez how you doing um I want to thank you for uh bringing the paper back out later in the thing I uh I do think that it should stay up here until the opening of public
comments um I've been asking that for months and I guess last month kind of proved that we needed that um I also want to point out something because of last month had nothing to do so I went back watch a little video
from I'm going to say February 23rd 2023 um Mr Bush you were not there that night it was H somebody else I guess you your replacement was there somebody else was there uh we were down the hall in the cafeteria think it was play weekend
or something and I was up signed up to speak and I was ready to speak and uh uh two parents of a girl that I previously coached in Bel uh came up to me and they told me they had an issue with the board because
the from what I remember the young girl was threatened by a parent inside one of our schools they didn't sign up they couldn't speak I actually gave up my time and let them take my time and I said they wanted to speak and I allowed you to say hey they
can speak and nobody spoke up and said all right you could speak and let them speak in fact Mr darl actually that's how I remembered because Mr Daryl messaged me later on that night and said thank you for uh doing that it was very nice of you to allow someone to speak so
it seems like when it was a bullying issue we didn't want to reopen public comments or against a signup sheet but when it's you know what it was last month and everybody wanted to get their 5 Seconds of air time um we opened it up to everybody and we could have
been here all night long so it just seems like when you know and and again I watched I watch you know I'm here I've been here for the last five years I've been at a lot of these meetings and I got to tell you at the last five years I never seen once where public commenting
was reopened by vote not once and if I'm wrong please and uh in addition to that when I look back on the minutes from that night the minutes just said I passed it didn't say I gave up my time to allow a bully to someone talk about a bullying issue because they weren't allowed so I don't
know who writes the minutes but I just I just really need to point that out to you and that's why I was so upset last month and I'm still upset because we can't pick and choose what we let people talk about if that was if if if with all
due respect if last month Mr Sheldon got here late and wanted to or tonight Mr Sheldon got here late and wanted to rip into you about the budget there's no way you guys would have let him speak last month after you closed public commenting not there no way if it was me Mr Sheldon Mr
Friend an Tony that sometimes comes to rip into you about money there's no way you would have reopened public comenting okay so and if you'd like to it's it's and God bless it's all available on YouTube you can see all of these you know that I know that every body out there knows that so February
2023 feel free to go back and watch um other than that uh other than that have a happy St Patrick's Day and I will be sending you pictures of school 8 um and I'm excited now that it'll be open although now it's kind of a little too
late because the rec center is going to be in night in the volleyball team in the softball team so but have a good month and if I can Mr Rodriguez just to address his comments and you know not not Mr Rodriguez specifically but to the board and I think to the public um you
know I think that that this board works really hard to try to make sure that there's no Viewpoint discrimination that goes on here that no matter who wants to speak whether you like to hear it or not that's up to you and that's your own opinions as board members but uh it's important that no matter who's speaking
that you treat everyone consistently and with respect to the allegation of the February 2023 as Mr Rodriguez pointed out I wasn't at that meeting although I don't remember exactly what I was doing that particular night in February of 2023 a bald guy it was probably David okay well anyway um my my whole point
although David won't like hearing me say that um but but uh my my whole response to that is that every board is entitled to decide what it wants to do and frankly each night the board can decide what it wants to do all though you don't want to be too confusing because you
want to give a general consistency to the public so that they know and they're aware of what the requirements are I'll say two things one um the board as long as within the same night it gives the same right to everyone else to speak that's my primary concern which is why I can be such a
jerk sometimes admittedly with respect to the timer I do it because not because I like to stand up here and stop people from talking I like to talk a lot myself but I don't ever want to this board to be accused of choosing to hear one
person versus another more that's a big deal that's that's potential violation of someone's First Amendment rights we take that really seriously so that's the first thing I want to say and two I've been informed on not committing for the board that the board is in the process it's policy Committee of of considering a change in policy you know it's a the
the signup sheet is something that the board has done for many years well before my time on this board I think well before everyone's time who's on this board right now and so the board is consider ing a change to that and in the process of doing it the board can decide what it wants to do on any given night that's the chair and the and the rest of
the board's decision and it just I guess struck uh the board president and the board that night that there seem to be people here who maybe were not regulars the way some of you are um and when someone wants to address the board when possible I think the board want to make that more accessible I can't speak directly for them on that but that's the
impression I had um and and I can certainly be available to answer questions with respect to any potential change in Poli the board is considering at this point thank you Doug has lots of hair so I'm not sure and it it was it was only uh an
opinion so I'm okay with it um so we have a motion to close so moved and a second yes all those in favor I it's not but we'll reopen public who may
who okay hold on hold on who who made the motion let's is the board looking okay would you m Massi would you be willing to withdraw your motion would you be willing to withdraw your motion to close I will withdraw my motion okay the motion the motion to withdraw has
been excuse me sorry can't late here the motion to um to close has been withdrawn and it sounds like there's somebody else who wants to address and the board is exercising its authority to to listen just name just have Nel sign in Nel see
Diaz sign in can we just get that sheet so Ju Just to kind of reiterate because I I if you don't mind me mentioning it Maggie I mean Gabby um part of the reason why we we're looking at this policy and want to change this policy is this is another very good
example um and and it seems to be working for the for the township where everybody raises their hand next person wants to talk everybody goes up so we're looking to adopt something like that and bring that back to get rid of this list this terrible list um I want
to get rid of it as well U we've been talking about it all together and yes last month was a perfect example again now this month is another perfect example so we're hopefully moving to a process where if you want to speak you just put your hand up and we call you forward and if no one put puts their
hand up then we move on from it thank but Mr munz the the point was is that we've never allowed anyone to do that and I think if I asked all of our past presidents including you if you've ever done that before pretty sure you have thank you that's all okay I definitely
have yes thank you board members for reopening up Liz thank you um I think that's something that we should definitely have because there's a community that kind of doesn't know the rules and so it's good to give them that um
way I just wanted to go back to 12.1 12.2 um going back to the plumbing on Ralph Street very quickly I really hope that um it's not set in stone and you guys look at that thoroughly again the tile
situation I'm GNA go back to that Louis you're in real estate there's many of you guys that have done projects in your homes and that does not warrant that big amount so Atlantic procurement group Frank maresi I think he's the CEO of
that company he oversees that project and I'm sure that we have good lawyers in place and a good committee to renegotiate that if that's something that needs to be done I get it we need to do plumbing we need our staff members
in there to have that system that works but a tile we could just do a paint job we really need to be tight on the amount of spending I just want to very quickly because I know I don't have a lot of time obviously I'm here to ask you to
vote no on increasing budget okay our economy is at a verge of recession just talk about that companies are being laid off downsizing and our community were 70% in need of financial assistance we
are no capacity to increase at all as stakeholders homeowners too like you it is in your best interest each and every one of you because you guys are all homeowners that should be like an automatic
no me managing a billion dollar Hotel portfolios I manage hotels I meant it Hilton Marriotts I understand that there's a need to spend to get a return but in this instance having money in reserve
which we have and the capacity of theard members we all elected you guys have the capacity to find other ways with grants with State funding cutting on items removing
licenses that we currently have signed up for that our kids and our teachers are not even using cutting salaries we do do we need three it technology hirs I don't know you have to find other lines to come
back but nothing in what we have said today warrants at all an increase I just want to go into positive so I just want you guys to think about that think about that as the board members that we elected what that
impacts our community that again 70% of this community is struggling financially what that will do to them and you guys as homeowners so I really would love the elected members to take a look of
each items and cut down down to like the last scent because we have Surplus that we could use we have a lot of different lines that we have allocated money for that we're not using and and Paladino
you're the treasurer of of County you have a good board member here that supports you and that I know that you have respect for are listening to and our and Trum superintendent we all need to get
together to make sure that we TI up that budget but really there should not be anything any increase so very quickly um I also wanted to congratulate all the amazing teachers awarded today I
particularly wanted to thank Cara if you're listening still um Caris sator who I've gotten to know at GR a great length she's not only an amazing teacher but a great authentic person and does give back a th% to our kids I also would
like to give Meritt and great thanks to Mike um Daryl me meanie good I say um Lis mun eson um Jean you've also been part of
our HSA events I think it's very important for you guys to show space and I appreciate the role that you play I think we have a really strong board members and I really honestly think that your hearts are in the right place maybe
we need to have a strong pick out who is our good Finance person to kind of go through those items very thoroughly um but I think that we have a good team and I think that you guys will make the right decision in making sure that that
our items are type one last thing thank you P Paladino for letting us know um we can reach you on the weekends but how do we reach you through cell phone through emails how are you available
um we want to make sure clearan field is open because my kids are little and we need access to that and I do sometimes go and I want to play baseball I'm a single kind of single mom I do things with my kids and I try to find things in our community so thank you again I
appreciate your time um please look at everything thoroughly and tying up the budget and I don't none of our community we don't have the funds really to have any other increase so I thank you for
your time thank you Mrs Diaz thank you okay do we have a motion to close public participation so moved there a second second all those in favor I great would any of the trustees like to make
any comments tonight I would no thank you may I yes trusty I just want to congratulate um all of our award winners for tonight uh it's incredible to see our kids uh be recognized but also our our staff and
our workers um it is they do work very hard and you know it's just it's nice to see them get recognized as well so um I just wanted to uh congratulate them and and thank everybody who made that happen thank you uh any other trustees
um I also wanted to congratulate Mr and Miss bille for this year also as well the participants the energy in the auditorium on Thursday was incredible it was heartwarming to also see the friends cheer each other on and also they had pretty amazing
judges and literacy night was fantastic event that brought everybody together and I'm also excited to see that on the agenda tonight some of the schools will be celebrating schw day to continue the love of reading um a quick shout out to the gifted and talented program at
school 5 for their presentations on the female inventors and a big congratul sorry congratulations to the teachers of the year and the ESP who were honored they contined to inspire us and their children so we really appreciate them and that's it and if I don't see
everyone before April 20th make sure to rest and enjoy your spring break very good yep any other yep just just real quickly uh had the opportunity to uh participate in the read Across America at maybe four or five of our our
elementary schools I had a blast it was fun reading uh I think I got better as I went along the first class probably had to deal with me uh whatever a little bit by the end I was an expert on Dr Seuss I think and some of the other ones around that so I I it's great time of the year
I love to do that I I was glad I was able to do it uh I work remotely now until April anyway so I was able to get the time to go to these schools and it was a fantastic experience so if you ever next year whenever you have an opportunity to do that and you can read to our children it's great it's a great
experience I do like to thank everybody for coming out tonight uh all of our award winners they're all amazing people they all deserve the accolades that they're getting and even if not more uh they do a fantastic job with our kids thank you and have a great
night thank you vice president darl and uh just one last thing I do want to thank all of our uh Governor educator teachers and professionals um we appreciate that you're part of our Belleville family and we also appreciate that your family share you with us so
thank you very much um and it was a very fun month there were a lot of events I I saw a lot of folks at at all the events um so with that said thank you all very much for coming out tonight thank you for speaking thank you for listening
um you want to go ahead you can yeah you mention all right go ahead go ahead Mr truste munes so I just I just wanted to give a heads up um our bevel PBA is um I just wanted
to uh let the community know our bevel PBA is having a commedy night on on uh the 20th um in on Washington Avenue the the Mansion La Manion um if you can support them or our police department does a lot to help our school district
and they look out for us constantly and our kids so this is an opportunity to look out for them and uh help support their causes that's going to be this Thursday at um sorry I just had it
up La Lon yeah uh L Lon yeah it's on Washington Avenue Lon it's uh at 6 PM doors open at 6 pm and it's on the 20th okay great and can we have a motion
to close go moved all those in favor I okay everyone have a good night