formal action may be taken The public will have an opportunity to be heard as shown on the agenda Can I have a roll call please Mr Halenbeck here Miss Joyce Mr Krishna Murdy Mr Major here Miss Shaw here Miss Smith here Mr Tuma here Mr Sai
here Mr Carpetier here Uh can you please stand for the pledge of allegiance I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands One nation under God indivisible with liberty and
justice for all And Dr Chase I believe you have a few items for your superintendent report I do Um good evening everybody The first item I want to start with is that we have our principles here this evening to recognize both our educators
of the year and our education specialists of the year Uh but before I turn it over to Miss Schober who's going to begin and then we'll follow with Miss Kry and then Dr Stanton and and Mr Derfinger I I just wanted to thank all of the educators and and that includes
educational specialists and everybody who works for our school district over the years Teach teaching I always often say is more like engineering You're literally assessing the needs of the students in the class You're making decisions in real time uh about how to
redesign things to meet all of those needs and you are it's a lot of work and um to we we all do a good job here in the Branchburg district and we have some people who because the state department of education has an educator of the year program we have this evening to
recognize them but I I can't say thank you enough to everyone who educates our students um it's really important work and I appreciate every single second that you put into doing everything you can for the children here so uh without further ado I'm going to kick it over to
you so you could speak more specifically to each person each recipient And we have these beautiful plaques here that you could hang on your classroom And I I see many of these as I walk through the building So congratulations everybody So as Dr Chase shared this is a very exciting night that we get to
honor our special staff with these certificates So I'm going to begin with our teacher of the year and ask Miss Palco to please come on up Miss Palco has earned the recognition as our teacher of the year for her exceptional dedication tireless work ethic and remarkable patience Throughout
the school year she has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to both her students and the wider school community Miss Palco possesses a unique ability to connect with students from all backgrounds and abilities Her patience is unparalleled always taking
time to ensure each student fully understands the material no matter how long it takes She fosters an inclusive supportive environment where every student feels valued heard and motivated to succeed Her gentle encouragement helps students build their confidence and reach their full potential In
addition to her excellent teaching skills Miss Palco goes above and beyond by spending her time outside of school hours with students Whether she is attending the school's PTO events or cheering students on at White Oak Park she is always involved and willing to
lend a hand Her generosity and commitment to contribute to the school's success are truly inspiring Furthermore Miss Pelco is a collaborative team player consistently working well with colleagues parents and administration She is always approachable and ready to offer guidance
or share ideas with peers creating a positive and cooperative atmosphere within our school community For her outstanding contributions and dedication to her students remarkable teaching skills and strong commitment to collaboration we are beyond happy to
honor Miss Palco as our teacher of the year She is a true asset to our school and deserving of this honor Congratulations [Applause] Thank [Applause] you And our ESP is Miss Stewart Please
come on up Miss Stewart has earned the recognition of educational service professionals of the year for her outstanding work as a school counselor and her unwavering dedication to supporting students In her position Miss Stewart works closely with parents
oftentimes if or when students are experiencing a difficult situation and need some support and guidance When families reach out to the school Miss Stewart immediately takes action addressing the situation to ensure that students feel safe are happy and provide
them with skills to support them now and which they can use in the future parents shared what really impresses them is how she listens to students speaks with and includes other students when appropriate and how she makes a point to check in with parents keeping them informed of the actions taken and the steps and
strategies she is implementing to ensure that their students can grow Beyond just handling situations Miss Stewart also provides for follow-up check-ins with students to make sure they feel supported and comfortable Her consistent care and empathy helps students to become confident and trustworthy of the
school community because students feel heard and understood which makes all the difference for students social emotional learning Miss Stewart brings a positive attitude and this year has created and runs the peer leader program and the Hudin Holler whole school assembly program to honor students for making
good choices through our white and all stars She is not just a counselor She is an incredible listener and a source of reassurance for both students and parents Her ability to connect with students provide support when needed and follow through with care and compassion
is something that truly sets her apart We cannot thank Miss Stewart enough for the positive impact she has had on our students For her dedication kindness and unwavering support Miss Stewart has earned the ESP of the year honor She's an invaluable asset to our school and we
are happy to honor and celebrate Miss Stewart [Applause] Congratulations Why thank you Hello everybody I am going to start with Stony Brooks educational specialist Mrs Miss O
I am very honored to be here to recognize Miss O for the difference she makes in the lives of the members of our school community Her unwaving unwavering dedication kindness and commitment to student well-being can be seen by all From the moment you see her you are
greeted with a smile Um but the impact goes far beyond that greeting and serves us well in welcoming students to the school each day in providing support during parent meetings or helping to celebrate our amazing students She doesn't just help address academic
challenges but she deeply cares about the emotional and social needs of our students She is a constant source of support and I know when any member of our community has a concern she is there ready to help in any way she can Her ability to work with a wide variety of
students and their needs is nothing short of amazing She collaborates with teachers administrators and parents to create a truly supportive learning environment Miss O works to provide invaluable lessons for our students that encompass po important life skills through programs such as lunch bunches
guidance groups and afterchool clubs She fosters inclusion cooperation and understanding among our students creating a sense of community that resonates through our halls Miss O has worked extremely hard over the last two years to create an environment where our
students feel safe and supported and know they can turn to her for guidance in navigating any situation The trust and connection she has built is truly special Thank you Caroline for everything you do The incredible impact you have on our community will not be
forgotten You help make our community a better place to learn and grow and we are very lucky to have you here [Applause] We're twinning And now I would love to welcome Mrs Neeshma up as Stony Brooks teacher
of the [Applause] year I am very happy to recognize Mrs Neeshma as Stony Rook's teacher of the year She exemplifies kindness patience and dedication to all aspects of her
work She goes above and beyond to ensure the success not only of her students but also her colleagues Colleen works tirelessly to form deep connections with every one of her students and their families She is constantly offering support communicating openly and making
sure everyone feels valued Her commitment to each child's success is evident in the hours she spends researching the best approaches for meeting unique needs all while ensuring they have the least restrictive environment for growth And when something isn't working she doesn't
hesitate to readjust and try new strategies to make sure her students thrive As a co-teer and collaborator she provides support for all Every day she shows up with a positive attitude and a readiness to tackle whatever challenges come her way Her contributions go beyond
the classroom She's an active member of the school community serving on multiple committees participating in the mentor program working tirelessly to support new teachers and she's created opportunities for our students for for enrichment for our students through clubs Colleen we are so lucky to have
you You are an excellent member of the Sony Brook staff and you so deserve this honor [Applause] Oh yes So I just made Miss Nema cry and
I want to explain why because I don't want any it's it's not me So the other day I was stationed in the middle school uh because I wanted to give any staff who had the had any questions to be able to um stop by and ask them of me And one of our friends um
had come up to me and had said to me that Dr Chase you're the boss of everyone right Um I need you to move doc I need you to move Miss Mema up here She's the best teacher I ever ever ever ever ever had And then when I saw the child again he
said "I put a post-it on your on your computer." So it actually says it is the name of the child Can Miss Nema come to BCMS next year Please please please please please please please flip the
note Thank you So I sent Colleen an email I took a photo of this on my phone and I sent her an email and I wanted to tell her about the impact she has So this is part of your award and um just so you know I talked to our team here and apparently this child has gone to Miss Anderson Dr
Stanton possibly even Mr Derlinger So we're going to be transferring you Just kidding Congratulations Thank you Sure I can go first Hello everybody Um
it is with great enthusiasm that we nominate M Deborah Dwaldo for the 2024 Educational Support Professional of the Year [Applause] Award Mr Swaldo's exceptional dedication to her students and her innovative
approach to speech and language interventions have made a profound impact on our school community Miss Swaldo is a master at creating dynamic and engaging lessons that are tailored to meet the unique need the unique needs of her students Her ability to integrate
speech and language interventions seamlessly into the work students are already doing in their general education classrooms speaks to her deep understanding of both her students needs and the broader educational landscape While students may think they are simply
enjoying a fun game or an activity with their peers Miss Dwaldo has intentionally crafted these experiences to target key academic and social communication skills Tricky tricky Even the middle schoolers don't
know it By making these interventions both enjoyable and purposeful she ensures that her students not only engaged are not only engaged but progressing toward their speech and language goals In addition to her direct work with students Miss Swaldo has gone above and beyond by forging strong
partnerships with other school staff to create authentic opportunities for students with significant support needs These opportunities for students are carefully designed to provide real world experiences helping students build valuable skills that may not only support their current educational
journey but also lay the foundation for future independence especially for those students who may not pursue a traditional post-secary career Beyond her professional expertise Mr Swaldo is a kind compassionate and genu genuinely caring individual She
consistently demonstrates a deep commitment to her students always going the extra mile to ensure they feel supported and valued She works tirelessly to ensure her interventions are relevant and aligned with classroom instruction regularly collaborating with colleagues to ensure a cohesive and
effective approach to supporting student development Mrs Just Waldo's unwavering dedication to her students success her innovative approach to speech and language interventions and her genuine care for the school community make her an exemplary candidate for the educational support professional of the
year award It is with great pride that I nominate Miss Jez Deborah Justaldo for this welldeserved honor [Applause] Mrs Gaston All right It's with great honor that we nominated Mrs Kathleen Gaston for our
teacher of the year award Over the past eight years at BCMS Mrs Gaston has exemplified the highest standards of education consistently demonstrating the qualities of an exceptional educator So Mrs Gaston has a profound commitment to her students academic social and
emotional growth She masterfully creates a challenging yet supporting learning environment where students are encouraged to thrive Her dedication to their success is evident in the countless times she has sacrificed her own lunch period to provide additional support to students who need it most She
strives to make every student feel valued and capable fostering an inclusive atmosphere that encourages all learners to reach their fullest potential Her impact extends well beyond the classroom as she arrives early stays late and dedicates her weekends to lesson planning grading and maintaining
open communication with parents Mrs Gaston's tireless work ethic has not gone unnoticed Her colleagues students and their families deeply appreciate the passion and energy she pours into her work Mrs Gaston is not only a dedicated educator but also a respected leader
within the school As a team leader she has provided guidance and mentorship to firstear teachers and student teachers helping them grow and succeed in their careers Additionally she serves as a building representative of the BTEA and has previously been a member of the negotiations team advocating for the
well-being of her colleagues The extra responsibilities she takes on are a testament to her unwavering commitment to the success and well-being of both students and staff She also works to share her own personal passions with our students having on multiple occasions
coordinated with the Seeing Eye program and brought in some adorable puppies to spend the day with us and to teach our students about compassion and how to how to shepherd um puppies into into the
work Mrs Gaston is a friend to all and she is deeply respected by the entire school community Her unwavering dedication to excellence in education and her genuine connections with students and colleagues makes her an outstanding candidate for this prestigious award It is with great pride
that I nominate Mrs Kathleen Gaston for teacher of the year [Applause] Um we're gonna get a photo up here of everyone if you don't mind Hey Mr D How are you
How about all the admins too Miss Landisburg Miss Anderson Miss Yard Tony's gonna fit Yeah they've got me blocked this time Uh quickly on I would just like to say on behalf of the board of education like
this set of teachers up here is just a representative representation of like the caliber of staff teachers or members that we have in this district The way that you support each other is really really special And I just want to say I know I say this a lot but you guys have
the opportunity You could go work in Flemington you can work in Bridgewater And the fact that you decide to come to Branchburg and spend your time and your energy to educate our children we are so thankful for everything that you do We appreciate you And thank you
[Applause] Uh just so I can you all are going to do a lot of work tomorrow So don't please don't feel obligated to stick around Uh go celebrate Get yourself an ice cream It's outside It's warm Go enjoy your
evening Thank you everyone Thank you Get yourself some ice cream Thank you It's ice It is ice cream Feels like ice cream Polar Cub open Probably the one Polar Cubar My goto
What is this It's right there Oh is it So they're going to see me cheating on Gabriel when I go there Tell me about you about [Music] it I've been there twice in the
past It's very She's next Yes I don't really think this game from the gym [Applause] Good night Bye Thank you
[Applause] and also the board uh evaluation process So without further ado thank you and thank you for having me tonight I love to see when we when schools recognize teachers Uh it's I'm so glad I went after them because they
really do deserve the prime focus for all that they do for our students Uh and um so thank you for that Um to this will be I I looked at um you I think you did training for CSA evaluation two years
ago So I know you have some new members Uh the process hasn't really changed in in two years Um our our tool is somewhat it gets tweaked every year but tonight we'll just go into Whoops there we go um
you know the the legal guidelines for uh doing the evaluation uh the process itself and the evaluation tool that that we have I you see the reminder there If you are a board member that has a family member that works in the district you
are considered conflicted and cannot take part in any step of the evaluation process and that's just you know for with many things I mean one of their your prime duties is um to have
accountability for the effective management um of the school district And the best way for that to happen is for uh you to evaluate the superintendent based on uh the goals and object the goals and objectives of the district And
then a second part of that is assessing their leadership standards Uh the legal guidelines Whoops All right Uh it's it's statute that you do the superintendent's evaluation every year that um it's done
in writing and that the board majority will meet with the superintendent to discuss the findings and that it be based on the goals and objectives and responsibilities of the the district of the super of the superintendent Uh the
code states that it must be done by July 1st of every year So that's that's why there's a time crunch and that the uh evaluation include areas of strength uh areas that may need in uh additional
growth and any indicators of student success and that the summary conference be um attended by a majority of the total board membership It is also monitored uh or uh looked at during the CUSAC monitoring of a
district uh under the governance indicator Uh if you don't do it by July 1st you could lose 13 points on the governance indicator You can only lose 20 points on any indicator before you fail that indicator So 13 is a pretty
big chunk of that There we go We do provide a tool to boards Um and that's primarily what I'll I'll talk about However you don't have to use our tool Uh it's it's there as a a service to boards As long as the tool
that you use is agreed to between the board and the superintendent uh you can use anything And quite honestly our tool we we tripping over my tongue We provide the compilation Uh if you were to use any other tool uh the board president
would have to do that compilation I I've had boards do Google Docs and then they send it to me I'm like I I don't have you know I have 80 districts I don't have time to um to to do that If you use ours it's all computerenerated
Um again it allows for full participation of the board It is it is an electronic It's online and I'll in a little bit I'll show you where you can find it on our website Uh and the other thing is that we worked with um the superintendent association to come up
with a an evaluation process that we both felt represented uh the actual duties and and of of what your superintendent does And and because it's the same one every year it allows you um you know you
know comparing apples to apples with superintendent I this talks about making it seamless updating your census I checked your census is updated Your business administrator already entered your board president into the um into
the evaluation into the our census So that's all done So we can skip through that This is an evaluation calendar It's it's meant to help you get to the evaluation by um July 1 There is a copy
of this in your um packet because this is hard to read Uh and even even when I you know you can if you send out the the uh PowerPoint to board members So it's in there And really the goal again is to
get you to the July 1 um to to the July 1 deadline I mean generally we look at recommending that you set your district goals over the summer when things slow down and and um that's done collaboratively with the board and the
superintendent And then the superintendent um develops the action plan on how they'll actually achieve that goal No went the wrong way There we go And and this is just another way of showing it uh in boxes You know you you start
with the um the the um district goal setting Uh they we recommend progress updates throughout the year from in at your public meeting and also it keeps everybody on the same page uh on knowing
where you are uh in those goals Sometimes the goals you want to achieve in year in a year and sometimes something happens and it's not possible to achieve that in a year So if everybody if there are you know progress updates throughout the year then
everybody's aware of what's going on and um we'll go with that the evaluation process There we go We do recommend um that there be a pre-evaluation conference just so everybody starts on a level playing
field between the superintendent and the board and and that would really take place in executive session that's not for public discussion Uh and that just kind of give a baseline on where things are with all of these you know with the district goals uh whatever student
progress there may be and allows the board the opportunity to ask any questions for clarification uh before you get into the actual superintendent process I'll get this down yet No I will not There we go All right
the the district goals assessment and and I saw you do have district goals um and and we generally recommend three to five that's manageable If you if you have more than five then your superintendent and administration are spending their time doing going towards
the goals instead of what you've paid them and hired them to do which is run the school system So the as I said it's a collaborative process of setting the goals That's the how I'm I'm sorry That's the what the board's like this is what we want to accomplish The action
plans developed by the superintendent are how how they're going to accomplish that All right So if on our website this is where you can find the um assessment the CSA evaluation process Uh it's if
you go down from the our homepage all the way down you'll see the um where it says CSA and BSC board self-evaluation uh click on that and you can get into the evaluation page The whole process
starts by the superintendent doing their their self-evaluation inputting the district goals doing their self-evaluation um towards those district towards progress towards those goals and uh inputting any data or any evidence links
they want you to consider as as you go through that uh when they get to the leadership standards which we'll go into a little bit um they um they don't do a self assessment They put in any evidence links they want you to consider toward
that leadership standard Uh once the superintendent inputs their data uh and hits submit uh there there's a 48 hour grace period where the superintendent has the opportunity to go in and make any additions add uh make any
corrections whatever they might want At the end of that 48 hours the board will uh our system will generate uh an email to all the board uh with a link to that the the self-evaluation and and once you get to that um once you open that you'll
be able to do in enter yours You won't so you'll only see the superintendent self-evaluation Anything she input that you won't see any other board members um when when they uh input that All right So this is just a sample of
what the district um goals assessment looks like As I said the the superintendent will input the description of the goal Um and um anything that they would like you to consider during your assessment you will
see that And then underneath um you will be able to put and they'll you'll see what they assess Um there's three three options achieved satisfactory progress made and little or no progress made And the hope is that there will be evidence there The expectation is for you to to
see why they rated themsel in that When you go in you'll then choose whether you feel they've achieved it whatever whatever you feel that they've done And then there's an area for you to make commentary And it really is most helpful
to the superintendent that no matter what um rating you select that you have some commentary so they understand why you rated that Uh in in addition all the comments are anonymous Nobody can see who made what
comment uh or what rating that you gave It's that I can't see that either Um it it it's it's designed by it's designed that way uh and any commentary that you make there's no name next to it And if you're the first one to input if you're
the first one to go through the evaluation um your comment isn't always the first one uh on everything Even if it's even if it's the first one in the data it it mixes them up So the only way anybody will know that it's uh your
comment is um if you tell them and there's no expectation of that It really is meant to be um an overall uh uh opportunity to just put what you truly feel There we go So so this is a sample
of what the compilation report looks like Uh you'll see up above there's the um what the goal is what the superintendent's comments were uh and and then um and then what the board members comments were and what the
overall ratings were You'll see what the superintendent rated and then in this instance seven members said it was achieved one said satisfactory progress made and the uh one said little or no progress made And so that will happen for every
district goal The second part of the um CSA evaluation assesses on leadership standards Uh and this and the next slide will show you what those standards are It's standards that we've we've taken from the professional standards for
educational leaders because we feel that they best reflect the qualities that are necessary um in your leadership to help uh your students achieve and be successful Um and this um also helps you
in identifying where there are strengths and where there may be need for um professional growth the there are six leadership standards and these are the six standards Um they didn't quite fall on line on the slide
but these as I said these are what's felt best reflect what is necessary in your leadership uh to um with the goal being student achievement and student success And so you'll assess um each one
of these uh leadership standards the superintendent and they'll go to the next one now All right This is what a the standards assessment portion looks like Uh in uh this one is for um the mission
vision and core values So it starts with the standard and then it it um it starts with the name of the standard Then it inputs what that standard is And underneath you'll see there are there's a rating scale That rating scale the
definition of what exemplary is changes per leadership standard Um so it's not always the same Um and then you'll see underneath that uh is where your superintendent can put in any links to evidence or sources
they'd like you to consider There's also a listing already there of different things that you might different uh resources you might review So between the two hopefully it gives you a good idea of of um how how it is that you
would like to um to evaluate your superintendent You'll see underneath where it lists the indicators So this standard has two uh two indicators Some standards have four or five indicators
So you would assess on each of that Uh and again it it the using the definitions of what exemplary is per that standard Uh the compilation report you'll see um where uh how where board
members rated your superintendent and then um underneath you'll see the overall rating for that standard based on that uh that board member And again it's highly recommended that uh you provide any written commentary on why
you rated that the way you did I mean the whole evaluation process as as you know for anybody is really to help them grow So this is what hap this is the compilation of the standard that um will be available once you're you've
completed the evaluation Um and it just this way uh this this is a different standard This is standard two uh about effective leadership Um and there are as I said there are seven different standards here indicators And
so you rate each one and the compilation will show you how many board members rated uh under whatever the rating scale was for each Um and if there are any board members comments they will show here as well It's just the page wasn't
long enough for this Um you would think I'd get this by now going the right way Anyway so so um in in the the report um is a majority written piece Um so you
need at least of the nine member boards you need at least five members to complete it Ideally as all the non-conlicted board members it is your responsibility as a board member to um um you know for accountability to monitor the the the the effective
management of the district Uh and so as I said it the the comp the you have the compilation report and the report we have also has a page of a of a charts to show you um where things fall Again the the the written summitative evaluation
is a majority written piece So if there are any minority voices uh they won't make it into the report and that's by that's by code It has to be written by the majority Um but when we get when you get to the actual um conference the
summit of conference that would be an opportunity if anybody has a minority thought um for them to express that because that really will help your superintendent to hear all the different perspectives uh in moving forward
Um so okay so when you get to um the annual report uh once the board is is finished um and and I I don't get an email when you're finished I check um but I if if
Mr Carpenter can also check as board president and and so um if you see that they're done you can always shoot me an email I don't take any offense check Don't worry Yeah Um and so I'll I'll release the the
compilation report to your board president Um and he generally can make copies or pre send it to everybody uh and go from there Uh you generally have uh one executive session discussion um
for the board to review and to come up with the majority uh written uh document Um your president will write a draft be hope generally we'll write a draft but because you've done this before I see you're shaking your head um write a
draft for the um and then you'll agree or I disseminate it then everybody agrees or disagrees I update whatever we want and then once we come to a majority it's done Yep Yep And and that's really the best way to do it Um and then that
compilation that that summit of the written evaluation will be discussed at at another um executive session Both times you have to write the superintendent Uh there I gave you a copy of Rice notices but I'm sure your BA has has all that information uh
available Um and then uh it should as I said all the board members uh non-conlicted board members should participate and please allow time for anybody that has a differing thought or differing opinion to um to express
that we do provide a template um that you can or cannot use uh for each of the um district goals Um it it's just helpful Um some boards just choose to do a whole narrative What whatever works
best for your board is really what it is Um and then the the leadership standards again uh the um you know the compilation and any supporting documentation that you may have uh is
available to put in Oops And again a template that um that that you will that you will do on on the overall strengths and growth areas of the evaluation As a board member you can check more than one box
in each area that you see as a strength or or um you know anything that might need additional growth You don't have to just choose one Um and again please provide any supporting documentation that you make that you that supports
what it is that you that you rated So the annual summary conference again by by July 1 and I looked at your you only have one meeting in May and one in June Um so you know a lot of times boards will work on
um when um the process on when they should get started or superintendent based on your your meetings Doesn't mean you can't call a special meeting We usually hold a special meeting if they could do it that way Yeah I I mean it varies by board quite honestly Um just
so that you get to the um the the conference by July get it filed by July 1 So that that I mean that's really the big opport big big goal Um and it you know it's it's a majority uh opinion
piece Uh and there were minutes of that meeting should just simply reflect that the uh the evaluation conference took place not not specifically what went on just that it took place All right So as I said we will send uh a link um to the
board president uh with the compilation report I went through all this stuff already um you know about writing the report and all that other stuff Okay So here comes the ne you know the next big question is who keeps a
copy of the evaluation report We don't because it's a personal document We can't and our system is actually the evaluation system is wiped clean just uh at the end of the year Uh so if somebody calls on January 1 and asks for it it's
gone Um but we do say that um the superintendent keeps a signed copy and that your board attorney um can if that's what you do can keep a signed copy All right just some things to think about Uh you know we really do encourage that boards and superintendents have
ongoing discussions uh whether they're at a board meeting during progress towards district goals or whatever Um and that as many board members can participate because it really is important It is a big part of what um your responsibilities
are Yay I got it right at the last slide Um I that's a lot of information I did put in there a pack in your packet a sampling um I see that you have it of the evaluation that shows all the pages uh of the evaluation um of what you'll
see online Um any questions What do you recommend that new board members do if let's say they have not observed a an action taken by the superintendent for instance New board members um can only evaluate the superintendent from the
time they were sworn in not before They can't it's not fair to evaluate the superintendent on anything when you were a private citizen So they really will only have a couple of months to do it Um but they really should still do it um
just based on that time My question Okay Yeah I mean again dude's not a third option but and I'm guessing new board members aren't allowed to see prior years New board members aren't allowed to see prior year evaluations
Um it it that really is a board decision on on whether to give um prior year evaluations of of the super We don't keep them Uh and we really have no recommendation on that Uh it is whatever um is comfortable I would say mo most
don't that that you know even even if you see the evaluation from the prior year uh before you were on the board you have no frame of reference for why that was a you know why things were selected and why they were evaluated that way So
um that frame of reference comes uh when you become a board member and have access to that information I'm not quite sure it would be legal We'd have to confer with I'm just curious I know your is your board attorney still David Rubin It is sure is he's fabulous
He was the board attorney when I was here and and he's uh I encountered him He's in Piscataway too Um I did an ethics presentation in conjunction with him for a new board member I'm like yeah you just covered it all David I don't need to do but yeah that that is a legal
question Um but again your frame you don't have the same frame of reference So it it really ultimately is not there Okay Do you want this for You have one board member not here I think for now We'll take it We'll take it Yeah I'll leave it Thank you very much You're welcome Thank you Thank you Thank you
Miss Reese Thank you Okay Sure Thanks Tony He came back to the side Okay Uh the final part of the superintendent's report is uh we have Dr
Stanton and Mr Derlinger here today from BCMS And uh Dr Stanton is here to speak to you about some of the program updates she has for BCMS in the 2526 school year and just uh you know this is ambitious and I I want to commend Dr Stanton for putting this together because you've
been in the role for maybe 20 it's a month and like two days a month and two days and she hit the ground running and she has ideas and I'm going to turn it over to uh Dr Stanton who can take this mouse Thank you
Okay I didn't do that That's why I'm touching it Can you Can you uncclick it There you go Tonight we'll learn how to use the calculator Okay Um good evening Thank you for having me tonight Um I'm excited to be
presenting about um potential programs that we're building for BCMS Um but first I wanted to give a little context as to why we're building out these programs Um so when I had the meet and greet with our school community and I've
also shared this with the staff at BCMS um there are some things that I have in mind as a vision of where I would like to um see BCMS go Um just some things that I've noticed that are really important to the development of our
middle school students Um you know through looking at where they currently are and and what's important at this age level Um so one of those things is that sense of belonging at school So this helps with um feeling like they belong
feeling like they want to be there Um this is impacted by their relationships with peers and adults in the building Um and basically you're able to learn better if you feel like you want to be there And that's really important to our
students Um I think also middle school is a time where they need opportunities to explore their interests and their talents Um this is definitely not a point in their life where they have everything figured out but some of them are ready to dive deeper into where
their passions are And this goes back to helping build that sense of belonging because at this age level when they start finding peers who enjoy the same things that they enjoy they're building that sense of community and and further belonging Um I also think at this age
level it's really important that they start developing their voice their ability to plan their ability to lead in the building They are so much more capable and they have some fantastic ideas um and we need to build out some opportunities for them to share those
And then I also think at this point we are still working on building some of our foundational academic skills Um but that's also encompassing the executive functioning skills that are so important So you know we talk about at the elementary school they're learning to
learn and then at the upper grades they're getting deeper into that content But I would argue they're still learning to learn kind of just learning how to organize their learning They're getting an onslaught of more challenging information more challenging demands on
their time um more challenging academic demands and they need to know how to function with that And they're really developing those skills at this age level So the programs that I'm going to be talking tonight are really going to be addressing the first three of these
bullets Um next year we are looking to build out um some more options for our students when it comes to encore classes because I think that having choice in the
programming that they are coming to that they are experiencing when they come to school helps build that sense of belonging again because they are going for their passions they're finding students with mutual interests and they're building that community with it
Um they feel a greater voice in their school community because they have this choice in terms and direction of their education Um and then they have opportunity to explore different things So right now the structure at BCMS is
that we have a pre-programmed um encore set where students have four different marking periods in encore and they have four different courses that they cycle through one per marking period Um we're going to keep that
consistent for sixth grade for next year because I think that a lot of the sixth grade classes really build some foundational skills that you need for these upper level courses And we've also just updated some of these sixth grade courses including um this is the first year that we launched our information
and digital literacy course um and that we um shifted to our world language cultures course So sixth grade we've already done some work on and um you know they are getting used to the middle school let alone into implementing a lot
of the selection component But when they get to seventh and eighth grade um we're working on building out more pathways for them to take and more options within those pathways Um and this is really this is a I've had a month on the job
ability to build this out Um my goal is that for next year we can expand these offerings as well Um but this is the the work that we've been able to accomplish so far So in green the courses are the
ones that are the required courses So every seventh grader will take focus on the future which is a like a career exploration um course It's highly guided by some of the standards that are required at the middle school level um and really gives our students a chance
to think about possible pathways um that they can experience and what what it takes to get to those pathways So that's a excellent practical course that they take Um and then in eighth grade the required course is going to be financial literacy And again this is one of those
courses that is heavily driven by our standards that are required at the middle school level but also grounded in really important skills that our students need for life success Then they're going to have the choice of they
they will pick three um options So um those one per marking period So right now um students in seventh grade currently take an engineering course which is the the design technology
course They take a general music course and they take a visual art course So what we did was we expanded out that there are options alternate options but you could also if you want to take two technology type courses because that's
that's your jam and you really like technology then you get two marking periods of technology if that's really where you want to go with things So we're adding in the technologies in the 21st century course Um or if you'd prefer you can take more music courses
we going to continue to offer the general music class or we're offering a beginner guitar class Um or if your passions are in visual arts there's a visual arts class or there's a visual arts intensive for seventh grade So again you can take multiple or art
courses or multiple music courses if that's where your passion lies Um we're also building out a student leadership course for at each of our grade levels So right now you can see that there's some courses that are um the same between seventh and eighth grade That's
because some of our eighth graders have never taken student leadership one So next year the goal will be to build out a student leadership too which will be the next level course Um just like next year um where you see technologies in
the 21st century there will be an advanced technologies in the 21st century course So that'll build upon what they've already done in seventh grade but right now we're kind of at the base level for things Um and then we'll also build in a theater arts option um
for our eighth grade students And the only reason that's not offered for seventh grade also is just availability of personnel in the current schedule Um so they're really going to have a lot of different options that they can choose from So what I put together is a um kind
of like a program of studies but it's really just focused on this on the Encore courses that's going to be sent out to both parents and students tomorrow So that way they can read through all of these um options and then we'll start the course selection process
next week Um and I think that that'll also give us some really good data on where our students where they really want to go with their passions Um so that way that'll be information that we use for the following year as we build out further information
Question Yeah If one of these courses is by far the most popular Yeah and it tops out how's that all handled Who gets in who doesn't and what happens to the people who don't have it They have fallbacks that they list Yeah So on the on the course selection form that I'm going to put out I'm not just going to
have them just pick three I'm going to have them rank all of their options because some of the courses really do have a cap on it We only have so many guitars you know that kind of thing Um and then same thing with our constraints around the theater arts course and the
student leadership course I can only run so many of those sections So I'm going to give priority first to our students who put that as their top selection Um and then um kind of work my way through there Right now it's a experiment in
faith on my part because I'm I don't know exactly where they're going to pick on some of these things Um but I do have availability within it Um because I can see that some of these things are going to be very popular and we've made contingencies um for that So follow up
on that question Yeah Let's just say guitar lessons Everyone everyone picks that as number one Where's the cuto off Is it whoever gets it in first Is it No I'm not doing this as a first come first serve because I feel like that that puts people at a disadvantage You know if I
send this out at 5:00 p.m tomorrow the parents who are working at night automatically you're at at a disadvantage Like I'm I'm not I'm not working What's the solution there So the solution there is I'm going to be looking at um the the holistic picture
of where we're where we're getting this information from Um I'm also going to if the need arises I'm going to um confer with the teachers so that way they can see you know I've noticed that this student has expressed an interest in
this course or in this they've had a passion in this course or they excelled in this course when they were in seventh grade or in sixth grade um and they've really like that opportunity to continue to do so um or you know for some of our advanced intensive we have students who
already they're seeking out opportunities to be in ceramics club after school and and participate in those things So they've shown a real passion for it in the past and we know that this is going to really be beneficial for them So if I have to fall back on those things that's where I will
Um I'm I'm hoping it all sounds awesome That's what I'm saying It does It does sound awesome And if I really need to I I could probably fit in at at least half the student body if I if I did it that way because we do have some flexibility
since we have multiple music teachers um in the building So we do have some flexibility but um we'll see how it goes See how it goes Yeah it'll be interesting It'll be interesting But I the other component of it though is that we have more staff members teaching at
each of these grade levels So I think that that's going to help with the we're we're dispersing how many students are taking each thing Um and on my side is that next year's eighth grade class is one of our smaller groups of students Um
so just the general population is smaller So you know I'm not trying to fit 200 students into these courses I'm trying to fit 140 students into these courses So and one thing that stood out to me when we had this conversation the person or the curriculum and instruction
committee was that it was kind of re-energizing to some of the teachers too because I'm sure it's not like you don't just choose like DJ and music mixing You don't choose that unless you have a passion for it right So it's probably awesome for that teacher to get to to design curriculum around that course So that's exciting Yes absolutely
And I know like specifically in our class um you know there are so many students who have shown a passion in those areas and just wanting that opportunity to spend more time and be and get to work with them on a more intense level is really going to be
fantastic in those areas They really produce some fantastic art that we see at our teen arts celebrations and and um other competitions too Yeah So looking ahead um something that's going to hopefully facilitate this moving forward
is that our big project that we're working on over the course of next school year is going to be an evaluation of the middle school schedule We've been running under the same middle school schedule for a long time now I don't know how
many years Um and it all schedules have benefits All schedules have limitations to them Um so we're going to do an evaluation of is this schedule really the perfect fit for us or the best fit for us or are there other options out
there Um so right now um this is kind of our projected timeline for this Right now we're gathering together um a committee to work on this project You know I met with our um PTO representatives today to get some parents involved in this We have
teachers who we've already talking who have already talked to who are excited to be on this committee um and just assemble that committee of of staff and students and parents um to come together and we're going to kind of figure out
what are our goals what's what's our what's our hope for this schedule um and get gather some input on it Um over the summer I'm going to be researching some scheduling models to get that accumulate that research together for the committee
to be looking at Um in the fall we're going to be looking for some schools with some different options for us to explore that we can then go out and visit and see different models in action because a lot of times things look good
on paper and then the actual imple implementation can look different Um so we're going to do some visits We're going to analyze some data on these potential schedules Um and then by the spring we'll hopefully have a new draft that we can then gather feedback on Um
because we want to make sure that it works for everybody and also identify some professional development needs of you know where will our staff need support you know especially if something is a big change you know if we if we move to block scheduling or something like that where it's an 80 minute period
well that's an adjustment for our teachers going from 46 minutes to 80 minutes That's an adjustment to your instruction So we would need to identify some professional development that they need That's just an example not something I necessarily have in mind but an example of those PD needs that we
might have hopefully that we will have be able to allocate some of those half-day time professional development times in June So that way when we're ready in this in September we can hit the ground running of the following year Um just as a big picture outlook of
where we're we're looking for this just to see is is there something better out there Right that's all I've got Any questions Again thank you Dr Stan I know you've been in the job for a very short period of time and just so to remind the board
the the actual exploration of the middle school schedule is something we have in our visionary action plan So this is going to be something that Dr Stanton takes the lead on now that she's in the role Okay Thank you Thank you very much Thank you I think that is officially my
longest superintendence report So with that I'm going to kick it over back to you Mr Carbier All right Um so next up is public comment on agenda items only The board of education recognizes the value of public comment on educational
issues and school matters of community interest in support of this position The law establishes a period of public comment at every board meeting Individuals wishing to speak must state their name and place of residence Comments are limited to three minutes per person for a total of 30 minutes An individual may speak a second time after
all others who wish to speak on the topic have been heard Please understand that our public forums are not structured as question and answer sessions but offered as opportunities to share your thoughts with the board All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer and no participant may address or question board members
individually All speakers are requested to express themselves in a civil matter with due respect for the for the dignity and privacy rights of others who legal's rights may be affected Please note while it's not the board's intention to stifle comment on matters of legitimate concern to the school community the public should be aware that if their statements
violate the rights of others under the law governing defamation or invasion of privacy they may face personal liability in the injured to the injured party If speakers are uncertain of their legal of the legal ramifications of their comments the board urges them to seek guidance beforehand from their own legal
adviser Anybody You're like a seasoned ticket holder man All right we'll move on to governance Um we I have no report We have some voting items We have one approval of minutes Two approval of HIP investigative report
Three approval of HIPP findings report Four approval of 2025 2026 school district calendar Five approval of 2025 2026 holiday calendar for 12 month staff A six approval of summer calendar for all for all district
offices Can I have a motion to move those Motion Second Any questions or comments Uh question just uh for Dr Chase for the school calendar approval I think the last time we reviewed the draft was it last meeting March 13th Is
that right We reviewed the draft Got it So from that and you you outlined a few areas where you were trying to obviously listen to the community feedback and see where we can uh make some improvements I'm just curious as we are approving it
today if you've gotten any feedback from anyone in the community since we discussed that draft a month ago No I actually didn't get any on specifically on the calendar However um I did get somebody who responded to the communication that that I sent this past
week Um and that person had commented on their appreciation for us for reducing the number of single session days Great So that was pleasant to hear So at the last meeting what there two options we were between There were two options and the which one was the education committee chose to go with the option
where students would not be in session on January 2nd but it would be PD day for our staff So we're lowering the number of student days from 181 to 180 So we still meet the state requirement Okay that's great So no negative feedback then from the community No negative feedback on the calendar We'll
take it And lastly real quick the number two those are things that were gone through today during exact uh Yeah So we might not be able to vote on number two yet Yeah Yeah Because we haven't gone through them yet No Yeah Yeah
Um the 24th meeting it's not going to meet the timeline So what you could do is you could take the findings and if you because you're just accepting the report you're not accepting the status of any of them You're just accepting that there was a report given to you So we could give you the report and then if you have any
questions you can email me and then you can accept the final findings because we're on a tight timeline with the HIP statute We'll get to review the findings before the next We're we're going to stay after because we did not get to do that yet Okay So then you want you want
the motion to hold on item two Can we hold it and then vote an exe So you're asking for an executive session at the end of the meeting tonight We need an executive session because we haven't gone through the HIP findings earlier in executive session because we didn't have time Okay But that's contradicting what
Dr Chase had just shared with you Just want to make sure I'm understanding what we're going to do So you have two you have two options We could either have an another executive session where you review them and then we reopen for public and then you would vote on this motion or you could just accept the fact that I've given you the report and then
if you have because you're not accepting any of the content in the report You're just accepting the actual report which you've all been given a hard copy of So you could accept that you've been given the hard copy of and then you could vote on it and then you would actually at the next board meeting be upholding the
findings of those that report I prefer option one just so that we can do our due diligence on all of the Okay if that's okay with everybody else I know it's going to take a little bit of time but so we're gonna hold that one Miss Shaw and Miss Desai are you in agreement
to hold on number two for your motion Yes Okay Yes So it's one three four five and six Yeah Let me just No it's the third Number three That's the third one the one that we would have to hold on to
because two is to approve last week's Yeah Okay Last meeting Thank you Charlie 1 two four five and six is what you're very confusing I know two was talking about because it happened between the 13th and the 2nd Number three is the one that you guys reviewed last board
meeting Yeah we are holding two Yeah I think it's you're holding two but you're we're voting on three correct No it's the findings because the number three is the findings So that was Oh yeah So we go back to the original amendment to
hold number two and approve 1 3 four five and six Yeah that's correct Yeah I'm pretty sure the Yeah the the investigative report here Yeah right Okay everybody on the same
page I think so We run a clean meeting around here Uh any other questions or comments Uh can I have a roll call please Mr Holl Mr Holland back I need to abstain from number three approve one four five and
six and then hold on to as discussed Mr May yes Miss Shaw yes Miss Smith yes Mr two months abstain on one
three yes on four five and six Mr Side yes Mr Carpenter yes okay next up is policy Mr Side do you have a report um yes a short report we met on March 27th um our lawyer do uh Mr
David Rubin was in attendance of that meeting We actually went over the hip policy We made a few amendments to the policy just because of the verbiage on the Strauss as recommended by Strauss Esme Um and then we just kind of discussed our handbook and code of
conduct in correlation with the HIPS as well And so we're just kind of cleaning that up making it more accessible and clear to parents faculty and students Yep Uh can I have a motion to move that one item Motion Second Any questions or
comments about that Can I have a roll call please Mr Holl Yes Mr Mater Yes Miss Shaw Yes Miss Smith Yes Mr Tuma Yes Mr S Yes Mr Carier Yes Next up is curriculum instruction Mr Hack do you
have a I did but Dr Stanton and Dr Chase have covered everything So thank you You want to repeat it Yeah Right Um but we did have a meeting on March 20th which everything's already been discussed and we have another upcoming meeting on May 1st Thank you very much sir Uh we have voting items We have one conferences and
travel two approval of fundraiser/service project Three approval of student teachers Four approval of acceptance of grant funds And five approval of 2024 2025 out of district programs Can I have a motion to move those Motion Second Any questions
or comments Always thank you to the BF for all of their generous donations We appreciate you Can I have a roll call please Mr Holland yes Mr Mayor yes Miss Shaw yes Smith yes Mr Tuma yes Mr Sai yes Mr
Corpier yes Next up is personnel Miss Joyce is not here Um we had a meeting I believe it was last week We met with Miss Yard He went over some things she's doing to try to recruit new teachers Um and the rest I
think was confidential in nature Uh we have voting items We have one approval of personnel Two approval of substitutes Three approval of recision Four approval of resignation Five approval of revision of personnel Six approval of retirements Seven approval
of revision of leave Eight approval of leave And nine approval of transfer Um can I have a motion to move those motion Second Any questions or comments Good question The bus driver it says subject to deliberate documents under
the name What's that about So um there are certain criteria that we have to make sure that our bus drivers have fingerprinting criminal history check So that is uh Miss Yard is once that once that all comes in then we will allow the person to actually work on site So she's just anticipating that Total standard
paperwork Total standard paperwork m much of which is deter dictated by the state Right Quick question about the program that didn't run Uh number three I guess Is that right It didn't it didn't run It
also actually we had a conversation this morning Miss Yard and I uh it actually didn't run last year So it didn't run again this year So it's one of the things that Dr Stanton and I are going to be talking about to see like why it is in fact not running Um I don't think there was a lot of interest So how do we gain more interest in it because it's a
really good program Yeah Okay Thank you Question on and I know I have to be careful what we could share but if there's anything in terms of the uh regarding the resignation since that always so I so I am legally prohibited um from commenting on why an employee
chooses to resign However I could tell you like I had set out a presentation formerly We are doing exit survey interviews We are seeing just across the state because of the teacher shortage a lot more movement for staff because historically staff who had been tenured in a district um when they would go for
a new position it would be difficult for them to get into that new district because they were on the higher pay scale and there were more teachers who were available at the lower pay scale Um that is actually something that even when we are hiring we are hiring very experienced teachers So there is
movement of staff um sometimes because they're closer to their house sometimes they move out of state Uh but you know I I will present to the board again after we do more exit survey interview more of that data Great Thank you Anybody else I'd just like to say thank you to
our teachers who are retiring Miss Hall Um thank you and I can say I've met a lot with Miss Miss Maggie Ryan She was just fantastic and she is going to be very very very very missed by the district So good luck to both of you in the future and thank you for your
service to our school district Those are big shoes to fill I was going to say good luck to us for big shoes Big shoes Can I have a roll call please Sure Mr Alenbeck Yes Mr Mater Yes Miss Shaw Yes
Miss Smith Yes Mr Tuma Yes Mr Cassad Excuse me Miss Dad Yes Mr Carpenter Yes Um finance and facilities Mr Tuma No report will meet next Thursday Okay Thank you very much We have voting items We have one bill list and payroll Two
approval of software license agreement with systems 3000 Three approval of revision of agreement for out of district transportation For approval of donations Five acceptance of 2023 2024 audit and auditors management report Can
I have a motion to move those Motion Second Any questions or comments Again thank you for everybody who donates things to the school district We really appreciate you So thanks again Can I have a roll call
please Mr Helen Yes Mr Bader Yes Miss Shaw Yes Miss Smith Yes Mr Tuma Yes Mr Desai Yes Mr Carpetier Yes Next up is public comment on any item Seeing no movement
I'll close public comment and move on to the board ladies on reports First up is Somerville Uh no No No report Cool Uh PTO Uh yes Uh second and third graders looking forward to the me and mind dance this Friday Grade level events for
second fourth and fifth will be happening in the coming weeks The PTO is busy planning a celebration for teacher appreciation month Thank you very much Um Somerset County Ed Services we had a meeting yesterday I was not in attendance unfortunately Um so I have no
report Uh New Jersey school boards Um just a reminder about the October conference that we can register for Thank you very much Branchburg Township No report No report Uh BEF I have a report from that if you give me a
second Okay So BF update So there's a readathon So during the BEF's annual readathon students will raise donations for reading as many minutes as possible Uh registration is currently open and the actual fundraiser will start on April 19th Families should refer to the
information provided in BEF's Facebook page for additional details BEF is also looking for local businesses to sponsor this fundraiser So if you're interested in doing that um just shoot them an email We also have a spring party/ peeps adoption event at Hummingbird Studio in
Ryarden on April 9th from 5 to 6 or 6:30 to 7:30 Um additional information including registration information is available on the Hummingbird Studio website And lastly our favorite event Pocketbook Bingo Ticket sales are officially open for BF's Pocketbook
Bingo event on May 3rd at RBCC So be on the lookout Okay next up is CPAG I have no report Um can I have a motion to close public comment or public session so we
can move into our second executive session Motion Second Thank you very much Thank you Jeff See you later Thanks Tony