to the Canden City District Advisory Board of Education's May 5th, 2026 public hearing on the school year 2026 2027 budget. It is 6:00 p.m. The meeting is now called to order. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act was enacted to ensure the public's right to receive advanced notice of and to attend meetings of public bodies where any business affecting their interest is discussed. or acted upon. In accordance with the New Jersey Open Public Meetings
Act, adequate notice of this meeting has been published in the carrier post posted on the district's website at www.camdenscityschools.org displayed at the administrative offices filed with the city of Camden clerk and mailed to all individuals who requested
notice in accordance with the law. Please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and will be broadcast on the district's YouTube channel at a future date. Roll call, please. >> Janette Alvarez, >> present.
>> Gabriel Kamacho. >> Derek Gallen Shaw, >> present. >> Wanda Garcia, >> present. >> Cameron Hudson, >> Danielle Jackson, >> present. Karen Meram
D Nelson, Maria Perez, we do have a quorum. Thank you. At this time, we will begin our budget presentation. We're giving our BA a moment just to get down to the podium.
Good evening and thank you for being here with us this evening as we present our 2026 2027 district proposed budget overview. Next slide. As we prepared our budget, this is the
overview that we will go over this evening. We'll talk about our budget process, historical summaries, proposed revenues, proposed tax levy, proposed appropriations, and budget highlights. The budget process occurred as follows. Next slide.
We conducted administrative budget planning sessions. We had meetings between supervisors, department heads, and the business office. We presented and reviewed the preliminary budget including proposed increases, reductions, and strategic initiatives with key stakeholders.
At this time, I'll turn over the presentation to BA McDonald. >> Okay. Good evening everyone and welcome to the public hearing for the Camden City School District 2027 budget.
The school district 2027 budget was due to be submitted to the Department of Education for review and approval by March 18, 2026. Despite receiving notice of the amount of state aid just about one week before
this due date, the district was able to submit a balanced 2027 budget on time. After several weeks of review, the DOE approved the budget as submitted. This
evening, we will be providing an overview of the details of the 2027 budget submission. Okay. The 2027 school district budget submitted to and approved by the New
Jersey Department of Education totals $476 million 9117,733. The district budget is comprised of two funds. a general fund or operating fund, which is primarily supported by state
aid and local taxes. And it also includes a general um a special revenue fund for programs supported by grants uh federal, state, and local grants and other contributions to the district.
The district general fund budget for 2027, the general fund budget totals $427,892 892,155 and this includes all district general fund expenditures.
And if you look at them, the operating uh district funds from this total of 427 million are just 192 million. There is 235,000
or 55% of the budget that goes directly to charter and renaissance schools leaving about 45% of the budget to be operated within the district. Okay.
And so we've pointed out that charter and renaissance schools now account for more than half of the district general fund budget of 236 million. We see that the trend has been for the funding to
charter and renaissance to increase significantly each year as more and more of the public school students of the city of Camden are enrolling in charter and renaissance. We know that over the past two decades enrollment and in
charter and renaissance has greatly increased while district enrollment has greatly decreased. In this chart, we see how enrollment has decreased from 2014 to 2027
from 11,660 students to 5,515, less than half. This decline puts extraordinary stress on in district funding.
And as can be seen from the next chart, we can see in this next chart where um we see how much of our actual audited district funding has gone to charter and renaissance schools over the past 12 years from 2024
through 2025 school year and the cost is still growing. Next, um, of the indistrict expenditures, 81 million uh, goes directly to support
of the 16 school-based budgets. With um, of the 81 million, the Title One federal grant contributes 4.8 8 million, leaving a net contribution required from the general fund of 76,958,279.
And next, um, busy chart up there. You might not be able to see it too well, but this is the general fund again. Okay, it's good to have some yellow highlights there. The general fund budget of $427,892155
includes if you look at the second yellow line from the bottom that's a total above that we have the charters and the renaissance as well as the tuition to other out of district providers which in
total that is 200 hold on 251 million some dollars which is close to 60% of the budget going right out in tuition.
If you look at the yellow line above where there's a a heading called operating budget before tuition expense, it's 175.9 million or about 40% of the budget
remains within the operating control of the district. Now at the very bottom to break that down of the 175 million 85.9 million goes towards salaries 37.3
million to benefits and all other costs which includes facilities technology par profofessionals anyway uh the other costs are 52 uh.6 six million. Uh that's
one way of looking it at it. How much salaries, benefits, and other costs are in it. But then also at the top area, we see that um instructional costs for regular programs are about 25% of the budget.
Special ed another 15% of the budget. You look at transportation um at 12% of the budget and Anyway, we have a lot of costs identified there. Okay. Um, let's see.
Yeah. So, once again, I'll repeat this. Looking at the general fund appropriations by category, instructional costs for regular programs 24.8% instructional special ed 15.2% 2%
benefits 21% operations and maintenance of facilities 13% transportation 11% and attendance social work etc 6% okay
um all right so that's that um next okay within the general fund as well the district has budgeted capital projects in the amount of1,667,000. The majority of the 2027 capital budget
is allocated to support critical technology needs. Funds have been allocated for HVAC repairs for network closets uh in the amount of 50,000 wireless
access points 392,000 public address system upgrades for Veterans York and HB Wilson schools and 750,000 has been allocated for the district's
hypercon converged infrastructure, which is a foundational technology investment that supports operations of all core systems, including phones, data storage,
network security and firewall logging, active directory, print management, content filtering, and student information system, which is Genesis. These systems are critical to instruction safety, communication, and
compliance, and their availability directly impacts the school's ability to function each day. Sustaining this infrastructure ensures essential services remain
secure, sa stable, and consistently available to students and staff. Next, the district is pleased and very fortunate to receive significant grant
funding. The budget includes 50,821,000 in special revenue grant funding. State funded projects include the district's preschool education program at 32.3 million, SDA emergent grant funding for
facility projects of 1 million and state aid for non-I non-public schools within the city. within the federal grant funding includes various ESSA grants title one two three and four
which together total about 10.5 million about half of this uh of which is utilized to help support fund 15 the school-based budgets ID the IDA grant funding is used to
support the district's special ed population and is budgeted at about 3.4 million. Perkins vocation Perkins grant is a vocational aid grant which is budgeted at 149,000.
Um in addition to the special revenue in addition the special revenue funds also now include student activity funds and local grants. Okay. And next, the local tax levy helps support the
general fund budget, which the whole budget being 427 million. Local taxes are not a big impact. It's primarily state aid that we depend on. But at any rate, the 2027
budget submitted to and approved by the Department of Education proposed a tax levy of $17.7 million. Since submission, the district along
with the city of Camden have proposed reducing the LA tax levy by 528,400 to 17,171600. In 2026, the district uh a 32% increase in health
care cost enabled a maximum tax increase for the district of $5.8 million. The district utilized just $490,000 of this allowable healthc care adjustment.
For the 2027 school year, the taxes on a home assessed at the at the city average of 57 point 57,700 are estimated to increase from $540
to $561, which is an annual increase of $2053 a year or a$1.71 per month. And next,
and here we have a quick overview of the 2027 budget and how it is funded. Once again, the district submitted a budget totaling $476.9
million funded by 431 million of state aid, 14 million of federal aid, 17.7 million from taxes, and 1.6 million from miscellaneous revenue.
and 12.5 from fund balance which is funds available from the preceding year. Um after the budget was submitted the district superintendent met with city officials and agreed to reduce the
tax levy by 528,400 to the 17,171600 seen above. With this difference being offset by an increase in miscellaneous revenue budgeted, DOE has been advised
of the planned revision in revenue composition and is prepared to accept this change within the next 10 days or so. the by May 14th, the district is responsible for certifying the tax levy
for the 2027 budget. And that's all I have. So, okay. >> Thank you. >> I'll go that way. We will now turn the meeting over to our board solicitor for the public comment
session on the 2627 schoolyear budget. >> Good evening. The Camden City School District welcomes the attendance and comments from all members of the public at its meetings. This comment period is your time to present your comments to the board and the state district superintendent on the 202627 school year
budget. Each person who signed up to comment will have three minutes. You'll be notified when your three minutes is up and you cannot yield your time to another person. When it's your time to speak, please state your name and address for the record. Please address your comments to the state district superintendent or interim board
solicitor. Please be courteous to your fellow community members and keep your comments within the time allotted so that everyone has an opportunity to speak. At the end of your three minutes, the microphone will be silenced and your comments will have concluded. Please conduct yourself in a respectful manner.
The first amendment is not absolute and the board can prohibit language that is inappropriate in accordance with board policy 1121. We may interrupt, warn or terminate your statement, question or inquiry when it is too lengthy. If a member of the public speaks out about a staff member, interruption may be
necessary to c to caution the speaker of the danger of slander. For anyone whose comments or actions harass, intimidate, or threaten the safety of any other person, we will provide you with a warning or immediately end your comment time. We may request any person to leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum. We may
request the assistance of law enforcement officers in the removal of a disorderly person when that person prevents or disrupts a meeting with an act that obstructs or interferes with the meeting. We may call for a recess or adjourn the meeting to another time when a lack of public decorum interferes with
the orderly conduct of the meeting. Finally, we may wave any of the rules when necessary for the protection of privacy or to maintain an orderly operation of the board meeting. After the public comment period is closed, the state district superintendent or his design may address your questions to the
extent provided by law. I'll now call the list of those who have signed up to speak during public session. Um, I apologize in advance if I mispronounce anyone's name. Uh, first up to the podium is Arthia Brown. Good evening, superintendent uh board members and the me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me
me me me me me me members of our community. As we discuss the budget, um I respectfully ask that the school food facilities be viewed as a central district infrastructure, not simply kitchen and or cafeteria space. Camden School Nutrition is more than a meal
service operation. And we support many food access and food distribution activities, not limited to our traditional meals program and community farmers markets, Saturday brunch and school gardens, hydroponics, and student career readiness opportunities. Every
one of these programs depend on safe, functional, properly equipped facilities. When our kitchens are outdated, when refrigeration or freezer space is limited, when serving lines are not designed for student flow, or when cafeterias are not welcoming and
efficient, it directly affects students. It affects food safety, meal quality, participation, compliance, staff productivity, and a district's ability to maximize federal reimbursement. Our kitchens and cafeterias matter. For many
students, the cafeterias is one of the few places our students experience every single day and should reflect dignity, wellness, pride, and care. Students should be able to move through the line without long delays, receive a complete meal, and have enough time to sit, eat,
and feed, and feel valued. This is also about compliance and safety. School food programs are federally regulated and our facilities must support proper temperature control, handwashing, sanitation, receiving, secure storage, pest prevention, and food safety
standards. These are not just extras. They protect the students and our staff and the district. During the pandemic, we saw clearly that school nutrition is emergency infrastructure. When families needed food, school nutrition became a
lifeline. That responsibility continues through our distributions and other family support services beyond the school day. And I'm asking about the long-term facilities plan and budgets. Includes a dedicated school nutrition facilities review. This should include
kitchen modernization, refrigeration, freezer capacity, dry storage, serving line improvements, cafeteria flow, equipment replacement, food safety upgrades, garden hydroponic spaces, and emergency feeding capacity. I also ask that the school nutrition be included in
early in every construction, renovation, and or building plan conversation. Once a kitchen, cafeteria or loading area or storage space is designed incorrectly, it impacts for years. This is not just about the equipment. This is about
access, dignity, health, learning, compliance, revenue, workforce conditions, and community support. If we want Camden students to eat well, learn well, and feel cared, let then let our facilities must match the vision. School
nutrition must be built in a district's long-term plan because food is not separate from education. It supports education every single day. Next we have Canthor Calvente. Hello, my name is Calar Calvente. I'm a
senior at Creative Works and my mother works in school nutrition. She was recently laid off her job yet again. Um, so yes, not only an hour ago, I found out that my mother's my mother was laid off from her job once again. First time
it was due to $91 million deficit. However, I'm curious why she's getting laid off again now along with a hundred other jobs that are getting laid off. I'm not going to stress about it because I know God is my
provider. But yet, I still have a lot of questions and issues with this. This was never brought to our attention that people were getting laid off. The transparency isn't there yet again. Another issue is being brought up that no one was aware of.
I'm really just tired. Um, this is fresh news to me. Like I said, I learned about it an hour ago. I should be at home studying for my AP exam I have tomorrow morning. However, I'm here because I'm committed to my district. I know we have a beautiful school. We have beautiful
schools and I'm committed to making sure our district is better than what it is now. From a student's point of view, this is stressful beyond measure. This result this results in a few questions I have like where is the money going to? How
will this affect the next school year? What is the purpose of the layoffs? and what would you do to ensure that the trajectory of our next upcoming school year won't be affected due to the major changes also where is the transparency what um where is the support and what
are the reasons for actively breaking the bones of our district one by one school nutrition and many other programs have provided things like internships farmer markets and most importantly jobs so yes what is going to happen to the
farmers market are the jobs going to be replaced? Are they going to be erased? What what is going on? What is going to happen? Also, like I said before, where is the money going to? And lastly, how will this benefit the school's community and
how will this put students first? That's all I have today. Next, we have Jose Delgado, please. Uh, good evening everyone. You know, I find it rather almost comical if it wasn't so tragic that the
meeting begins with reading from the open public meetings act. The very act that says that advisory boards are not public bodies. So the public open public meetings act does not apply to this advisory body. It's it's like we're
we're fools and we don't know the law. So we were made to wait half an hour for a quorum over for of a body that has no control whatsoever over the budget. Only the superintendent, the state appointed superintendent gives a last
recommendation uh to the commissioner to u approve the budget. Um, so I also find it rather distressing that there's no television uh of for this
meeting and um uh I I really don't have much to say because after reading the uh handout and listening to the very excellent presentation, it's really very difficult to know exactly what the budget the
priorities are of the budget. The budget is the most important policy statement of the district because everything that flows from it is funded by that budget. So we should be able to look at a budget and say what the priorities are, where
the district is going, where it's pulling back. I understand the food service has been cut back. Um that's what the present the first presentation was all about. Um, I'm wondering, uh, when we were talking about the Renaissance schools and the charter
schools, 55% of our budget is, um, is an understatement because on top of that, you've got to add the transportation cost that we have to pay for transporting the Renaissance and charter school kids to their schools. Am I right? Correct. So, it's more than 55%
of our budget goes to Renaissance and charter schools. So this this is where we are right now is what happened when our mayor, the assembly people, our assembly people, our state senator voted
to the Urban Hope Act, which is what we're working under and the state took over the district. This is exactly what they intended. It's written. It's a document. It's called the portfolio portfolio management plan and it states it clearly. The district will be
reduced. So from portfolio manager to a mayor provider. That's a quote. So what we're seeing here, this is not an accident. This was calculated and done by politicians, some of them who we elected and were supposed to represent
us. I hope everybody understands that this is a tragedy, not just a budget hearing. Next we have Karen Belli Luke, please. Good evening, Karen Belli Luke, Brim Medical Arts High School. I'm here tonight because there is a serious
disconnect between what was communicated and what is actually happening in our district. We were told very clearly that the elimination and the reorganization of positions downtown would not impact union members and would not directly
affect instructional staff. But that is not what we are seeing. The reality is it has impacted us. It is impacting our schools and it will impact our students. So I need to ask plainly and directly
who is conducting interviews now because the individuals who traditionally held those responsibilities the players have been eliminated and if those structures are gone then what is replacing them?
Because let me be clear hiring is not something you figure out as you go. These are procedures. There are legal expectations. There are contractual obligations. Positions must be properly posted. Interviews must be
conducted fairly. Processes must be transparent and documented. Anything less opens the door to inconsistency, inequity, and complete breakdown of trust. And right now, trust is exactly what is at risk. We cannot continue to
hold one thing and then watch something entirely different unfold. If decisions are going to impact staff, say that. If restructuring changes how hiring is done, explain that. But do not minimize
the impact and expect people not to notice because we do notice and we are paying attention. Moving forward, there must be honesty, transparency, and accountability. Not after decisions are made, but before
and there must be diverse group of voices at the table. People who understand schools, classrooms, and the real consequences of these decisions because when decisions are made in isolation without those perspectives, the outcome is flawed. I am not here
just to question. I am here to be part of the solution. I am formally volunteering to be at the table to ensure that processes are followed, that the voices are represented and the decisions are made the right way, not the easy way because our students, our
staff, and this community deserve nothing less. Thank you, Alicia Figureroa, please. All right. Hi everyone. My name is Alicia from Parents Invincible. with me. I have some parents and community members that are also concerned and want
to stay engaged and informed. Um, I'm speaking on their behalf as well when I speak today. >> My, um, I want to start off by acknowledging the difficult position the district is in and the work it takes to balance a budget under these conditions. I also appreciate the superintendent's willingness to engage in conversation
and make adjustments. That said, I want to speak on behalf of the families who are thinking not just about this year, but about what comes next. As we balance this budget, I hope we are also asking whether these solutions are sustainable over time. Are we setting ourselves up to face the same
challenges again next year? And how are we aligning our staffing and resources with the district's changing enrollment in a way that is thoughtful and stable? I also want to acknowledge the impact on residents. Even with adjustments, any increase, and sorry if I missed this in
your presentation earlier, but any increase in property taxes can be difficult for families in our community. Many people are already stretched thin, and I encourage the district to continue looking for ways to minimize that burden whenever possible. And as these decisions are made, I hope there is a clear plan for the future, especially
when it comes to handling unexpected needs like repairs in the aging school buildings so that we are not put in a more difficult position down the line. Although this may feel like may feel like a difficult and even tumultuous moment, it is also an opportunity an
opportunity to make meaningful change for a community that has too often been underdeserved, undervalued, and overlooked. If done right, this moment could truly change the trajectory of Camden City School District for the better. I'm not here to criticize. I'm here because I
care deeply about our schools and our community. And I believe we all want the same thing. A district that is financially stable and continues to serve our students and families well. And I say all that to say just a little bit more transparency, communication, and parent involvement would go a long
way. And I hope that going forward after some of the conversations that I've had with some of the people on this stage that that is uh honored going forward. Thank you. >> Tariq Wilson, please. Catch your mama.
>> Good evening. Uh I'm a senior at Camden High. Uh my main question is uh how will the cutting of these positions affect the student body and um students day-to-day life in school? And um
regarding the $500,000 uh cut in the tax levy property people paying taxes more taxes is often people don't like paying more taxes, but would why would you cut 500,000 when you
could probably use that to save some of the positions that you're cutting? Um, I would also say just, you know, as a student, we're expected to get to school on time, uh, every day, so maybe our schoolboard members should also get here
on time. Um, uh, I would also like to shout out Miss Brown because, uh, meeting Miss Brown at a prior schoolboard meeting, um, it is clear and evident that she truly cares about the students and that her advocacy
here and anywhere else is not about her, it's about the students first. And she puts students first all the time. Um, that would be all today. Next, we have I apologize if I
mispronounced Sher Loey. Lowey. Okay. Finally, Gary Frasier. Gary Frasier, chairman, Sovereign Infrastructure Authority, Federal Whistleblower, SECT TCR 17757-688909
680. US patent holder number 64,04,245. I'm here to address this board on the fiscal year 2026 userfriendly budget and the life safety emergency right here at Morgan Village School. Our independent
infrastructure audit has documented lead spikes at 8,768 ppb surrounding this district. That is 584 times the EPA action limit. We are standing in a building where the
water is neurotoxic. Your own June 25th own I'm sorry. Your own June 10th, 2025 statement of insurance admits 41 outlets failed. Yet you are offer bottled water a band-aid while the infrastructure
rots. This is a direct violation of your duty to provide a safe and hygienic conditions under NJSA 18 7 18A17-43. You claim this district is facing a $91 million deficit. You just showed us you
just showed us Yo, this is crazy. I can't even believe I I read this. Yo, you just showed us a budget with nearly half a billion dollars. 476,917,733 in revenue. Yet you are laying off $289 staff members, teachers, nurses, and
custodians, telling this community there is no money. Yet your own budget shows you are withdrawing 6,565,428 from the maintenance reserve, a 2.5 million increase from last year. You are finding millions for boilers,
HVAC and PA systems while follow while firing the educators who protect our children. This is a calculated diversion of funds away from my federal patent remediation model. A soul source procurement. You're choosing speakers over teachers and heaters over the
neurologic health of these students. Under NJS3223 filter first, you are mandated to install certified filters. Standard filters do not stop 8,000 ppb spikes. By approving this budget, you are not making a local decision. You are
creating a federal forensic record of misappropriation of infrastructure refer infrastructure reserves while ignoring the public health crisis being being happening right here today. So be advised, this budget mismatch and the documented lead strikes are being filed
concurrently with my federal whistleblower status under SECTCTR number 177576689089. Every board member here is now personally pinned to the to my second investigation for federal financial negligence.
You sign off on this poison tonight and I'll deal with you tomorrow. NJSA18A1743 mandates the board to maintain safe and hygienic facilities. NJS33 filter first requires immediate
remediation of lead outlets. 18 That concludes our public comment section. I'll now turn the meeting over to the board vice president. >> Do any board members have any comments? If nothing more, board secretary, please call for a motion to
>> adjourn. Motion Let's see. Good evening. Welcome to the Camden City District Advisory Board of Education May 5th, 2026 special advisory board meeting. It is now 6:44 p.m. The meeting
is now called to order. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. The New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act was enacted to ensure the public's right to receive advanced notice of and to attend meetings of public bodies or any business affecting their interest is
discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the New Jersey open public meetings act equity notice of this meeting has been published in the career post public posted on the district's website at www.camdenscitychool.org
displayed at the administrative offices filed with the Camden City Clerk's Office and mailed to all individuals who requested notice in accordance with the law. Please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and will be broadcast at the district's YouTube channel at
future at a future date. Roll call, please. >> Janette Alvarez, >> present. >> Gabriel Kamacho, Derek Galashaw, >> present. >> Wanda Garcia,
>> present. >> Cameron Hudson, >> Danielle Jackson, >> present. Karen Merrick >> present >> Nam D Nelson >> Maria Perez.
Thank you. At this time we will begin our special presentation. Next slide please. The question is often asked how do we get into this situation we are in today? Next slide. You saw these following two
slides in the budget presentation which shows the city school district with decline in enrollment since 2013, 2014. In 2026, 2027 were projecting 5,515
K12 students. A slight decrease from the current enrollment of 5,659 students. As enrollment decreases, our budget continues to flow in a different direction. Next slide. You'll
see that enrollment decreases, it increases in our city partners, charter, and renaissance cost for tuition increases. And you can see how high that is. That's an audited number for 2024, 2025. $217 million that leaves the
district and does not support the students in the public schools but does support the students in the in the city of Camden. So to explain some of the staff and a actions that we had to take, I've asked Terresa Ree and Nick to help us out with
the presentation. So please u make your way down to the podium. Thank you, Superintendent. Good evening, everyone. Joining me tonight is Dr. Nick Pillsbury, who will be co-f facilitating this portion of the
presentation. The next few slides will speak of of the people and FTE full-time equivalent C impact related to the 2026 2027 school year budget that was just
approved. These decisions are by no means easy and these decisions are not taken lightly. They are however necessary to align our
resources with current and projected student enrollment, maintain financial stability, and continue to prioritize students in every decision we make. Next slide, please.
This chart shows this chart on your screen show represents the reduction of staff included in the 2026 2027 school year budget. I absolutely must emphasize that these
full-time equivalency counts do not include the potential impact of the central office restructuring. The district reduced staff by approximately 18%
of the 2025 2026 school year. By the 2026 2027 school year, the total reduction reaches approximately 24% from the original baseline in the school
year of 2024 2025. The current staffing for 2026 school year is a result of several conversion factors that have unfolded over the past several months.
Factors such as budget shifts and changing program requirements requ create create a dynamic environment, making it necessary for the district to continually adjust staffing
levels to best support our schools. A significant contributor to the 2026 2027 FTE count were the results of an analysis that was recently conducted. The district conducted this anal this
realtime district-wide enrollment analysis to verify the accuracy of student counts across schools. This process involved a physical classroom byclassroom level count
to confirm actual attendance and enrollment of students while ensuring compliance with required staff levels and class size ratios. This analysis identified discrepancies
between projected and actual student enrollment and provided information that was that informed student staffing decisions reallocation of resources
and ma and maintain and to maintain regulatory compliance. By conducting this analysis, the district strengthened its ability to support instructional needs and ensured equitable staffing across all schools.
Next slide, please. Good evening. Uh so this slide represents by position category the number of full-time equivalent FT positions that were reduced in the 202627 school year budget.
80 82% of these 95 FTE positions are vacancies that were removed from the staff from the staffing roster following a comprehensive review of district needs, enrollment trends, and budget constraints. The remaining reductions represent
positions held by staff. Next slide. So this slide represents a summary of the staff impacted by the reduction in force for school-based related positions which also includes some early childhood staff.
19 staff members were impacted as a result of the 95 reductions. Of these 95 FT reductions, 90 allocations were eliminated from the general fund and five allocations were reduced from the early childhood's grant funded positions.
From the 19 reduction and force rift notices issued, seven were due to early childhoods FTE reductions and 12 resulted from the general fund FTE reductions.
And lastly, as you can see, five of those 19 staff members were reassigned to their previously tenured teaching position. Next slide. As we indicated, these decisions we do not take lightly and we try to provide
as much support. We will si provide as much support to staff as we can. And one of those avenues to offer additional support is that the department of talent and labor relations is actively working with teachers impacted and affected by
the reduction of for inforce across pathways that will expand their c their current certification in high needs areas. These options allow educators to use their current credentials and to earn
targeted endorsements that will fill critical needs and staffing gaps within the district. The district has established partnerships with those programs and educational institutions that are shown on the screen to help
staff through this transition. Thank you so much for your attention. Thank you. For the second portion of the presentation, I will review central office restructuring. Next slide.
As part of a broader effort to strengthen and streamline operations, we're currently undergoing a central office restructuring process. focusing on aligning functions to school and student needs, clarifying roles or responsibilities, ensuring
organizational coherence and accountability. And we want to build a system that is better supported of teaching, learning and student outcomes. The scope of the impact in the staffing changes impacted 75 central office staff
members. Next slide. Of the 75, 26 of these employees have the ability to be reassigned into a new position. 49 do not have a prior position to fall back
into. These counts will change as positions are posted, the process is followed for interviews, and we hire back staff who are qualified for the positions under the new restructuring design.
We're committed to conducting a fair and equal and polished, thorough process for staff hiring. We're going to have new revised organizational charts that match job descriptions that will be posted. All of
our impacted staff are encouraged to apply for the positions that they are interested in and qualified for. We're going to make sure that we provide opportunities for continued service and we're going to make sure we select through a process that's fair and
transparent based on qualifications. The new organizational structure, the updated roles are aligned to the district priorities, NJ DOE certification requirements, clear reporting structures and
accountability, and consolidated and streamlined areas of responsibility. We're going to move the organization towards a more coherent, efficient, and student focused system. And we're building on the current structure, but also refining it at the same time.
This work is necessary. We need to eliminate overlaps and fragmentation in central office functions. We have to align staff into the enrollment realities that we heard in the budget presentation and at the start of my presentation. We also have
to make sure that we're in compliance with state certification requirements, operational expectations, and that we are positioned for long-term sustainability. We heard comments earlier about what happens the year after and the next year. So we want to make sure we are
sustainable. Our guiding principles include students first. You hear from our teachers, from administrators, and from our central office staff every day. Every decision needs to be tied towards student impact. Equity. Our resources need to be aligned
to the needs of our students. Accountability. clear ownership for the work and for the outcomes and efficiency maximizing the resources that we have to support our schools. The impact on school, the restructuring
is designed to be more aligned and responsive for school operations and instruction. We want to have clearer communication, clearer timelines, and avenues to make
our decisions. We're going to improve coordination across instruction, operations, facilities, student services. We want to take some of the pressure off the schools so the focus can be on teaching and learning.
Timeline. Next slide. I'm sorry. Keep going. There we go. I apologize for not saying next slide. This will be on our website tonight, so you'll be able to review it one more time. April 30th, staff notifications were
completed. May through June, job descriptions finalized and they will be posted by June 1st. We're going to be making hiring decisions. We're expected to be substantially
complete by that date with a July 1st, 2026 start date with that new structure. Next slide. This work is difficult but it's necessary. It's designed to strengthen the
organization from central office out. We need to improve services to schools. We need to ensure long-term stability of the whole organization and difficult decisions are needed to be made now. But
our commitment remains to support in our staff through this transition and build an essential office that fully supports student success while acknowledging that this is a very difficult time for many of our colleagues.
At this time, we're going to switch into public comment. All right. The Camden City School District welcomes the attendance and comments from all members of the public at its meetings. The public comment period is your time to present your comments to the board and the state district superintendent. Each person who signed up for comment will have three
minutes. You'll be notified when your three minutes are up and you cannot yield your time to another person. When it's your time to speak, please state your name and address for the record. Please address your comments to the state district superintendent or interim board solicitor. Please be courteous to your fellow community members and keep your comments within the time allotted so that everyone has the opportunity to
speak. At the end of your three minutes, the microphone will have silence and your comments will have concluded. Please conduct yourself in a respectful manner. The First Amendment is not absolute and the board can prohibit language that is inappropriate in accordance with board policy 1121. We may interrupt, warn, or terminate your statement, question, or inquiry when it is too lengthy. If a member of the
public speaks about a staff member, interruption may be necessary to caution the speaker of the danger of slander. For anyone whose comments or actions harass, intimidate, or threaten the safety of another person, we will provide you with a warning or immediately end your comment time. We may request any person leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decor. We may request the
assistance of law enforcement officers in the removal of a disorderly person when that person prevents or disrupts a meeting with uh with an act that obstructs or interferes with the meeting. We may call for a recess or an adjournment to another time when the lack of public decorum interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting.
Finally, we may wave any of these rules when necessary for the protection of the privacy or to maintain an orderly operation of the board meeting after the public comment period is closed. the state district superintendent or his designate may address your questions to the extent provided by law. Once again, I'll I'll call everyone's name who signed up to speak. I apologize if I
mispronounce anyone's name. are Lethia Brown. Superintendent Yano, esteemed advisory board members in the Camden School District community. Thank you for your leadership and for allowing me to serve this district for over 30 years.
I come before you during a serious period of transition. And I come not only as an employee, but as someone who grew up in this district, was educated by this district, and has dedicated my life to serving our community.
Camden School Nutrition is the largest food provider in Camden County. We are not just a cafeteria operation. We are a daily student support system, a federally regulated food access program,
a farm-to-school and local procurement engine, a student leadership platform, and a trusted bridge between the district and our families. A food service management company can assist with food production and service, but it cannot replace the district's
responsibility to students, families, compliance, partnerships, and community trust. This department carries major monitoring responsibilities through the national school lunch, school breakfast, summer meals, at risk dinner, fresh fruit and
vegetable program, TFAP, commodities, and farm to school. These programs require district oversight, documentation, claim accountability, corrective action, and integrity. Without strong internal leadership, the
district risk more than meals. It risked funding, compliance, partnerships, and trust. Somewhere along the way, we lost our way as a district. A $92 million
deficit does not happen overnight or in one year. As previously discussed, it reflects years of mismanagement, gaps in accountability, and decisions that did not fully protect our students, staff, or our community.
I grew up here. I was a little girl in Camden schools, shaped by Camden educators and leaders. I'm still growing here, learning, traveling, and bringing back best practices, and expanding what school meals can mean for children and
families. During the pandemic, while many were working remotely, my team and I were here in the field five to six days a week. We served more meals during During a from during a traditional school year, we delivered groceries. We
fed families, not just students. We built partnerships that still support this district today. We have created career pathways for students, expanded nutrition and agric agriculture education, built a sustainable food
system, and strengthened community access through our farmers market and our Saturday brunch program. Ask 6ABC. They're in the room. Ask PBS Table for All. Ask Food Inc. 2 where
Camden was shown as a beacon of hope. Ask our community farmers markets families, Campbell or Our Full Futures and Alliance for Healthier Generation who recognized this work through a Halo award. We have built trust in this
community and trust is earned. Please do not dismantle what has not been fully studied. Take time to understand the full scope, compliance requirements, partnerships, student opportunities, family support, and human
connection behind this department. This is not just about food. This is about our students, families, dignity, access, and trust. Together, everyone achieves more. school. That's what we are. Let's
bring that concept back, rebuild the district together, and show our community that they can trust us because we are in this together. >> Pamela Clark, please. Good afternoon,
superintendent and board members. Here we go again. I stand before you tonight with serious concerns of equity, transparency, decision-making in our district. First, I just want to say, and I said
this yesterday, I shouldn't have learned about the 24 people who were impacted through layoffs through word of mouth. That reflects a lack of transparency and respect for my union and the professionals that we have in the room.
Secondly, the loss of a guidance counselor is not a minor issue. The American School of Counselor Association recommends 200 to 250 to1 student ratio uh counselor ratio. Reassigning
counselors in that building at Camden High to help another counselor creates inequity for our students at Camden High. It undermines priorities that were um put in place prior to you coming
here. Third, staff are receiving rift letters without your signature. Um, superintendent. I'm just trying to find out if that's valid or not. Additional I don't represent central office staff but I must point out that
some of the positions being impacted such as affirmative action office displaced le li leaison director of facilities director of health services is disrupting the roles and could place the district in out of compliance. We also have bus drivers and security in
the room that will not have or may not have the supervisors that they had prior. This creates instability in essential services that are critical to the safety and daily operations of our school. At the same time, we are being
told that there are f fiscal constraints. Yet, the new business administrator is making more money than the last business administrator when I was told that it was a cap of 180,000 for people who interviewed. These
decisions have raised serious questions about priorities and fiscal accountability. Respectfully, the restruction plan feels rushed and poorly thought out. The impact on students, staff, and operations is real, and it cannot be ignored. I'm asking for
transparency. I'm asking for accountability. And mostly, I'm asking that the decisions be made in the best interest of our students and the people who serve them every day. Thank you. Karen Blli Luke, please. Okay, moving on. Terrence Venturi,
please. I have documents to provide that I know have provided notice of. Do you want them now or later? I have documents that I had emailed notifying the district or the board, excuse me, uh that I was prepared to
file this. Um >> Okay. Thank you. >> I am not I'm not sure if I have enough copies and I apologize in advance. Good evening. My name is Terrence Venturi. I'm an ESL teacher
currently with the Rowan Aspire to Teach program. I am here to formally request that the board table the vote on my non-renewal tonight. This non-renewal is built on a
procedurally void record. I have a pending request for a statement of reasons which I have not yet received. Voting before I can review this statement and prepare a defense is a denial of my due process. The administrative record reflects a
systemic failure of oversight. My primary evaluator is the author and distributor of the district ESL curriculum. Yet, she negligently withheld the curriculum from me until
after grading my observation for not using it. I was effectively penalized for the absence of materials the evaluator herself failed to distribute. Furthermore, I was scored on an administrative software without being
provided the mandatory training required by state law. You cannot judge a teacher's performance when the district denies them of the very tools, curriculum, and training by the New Jersey or excuse me required by the New
Jersey Department of Education. Further, I was not provided a new teacher or orientation or the name of the district mentor coordinator if there is such a position in the district. In addition,
the state mandated the statemandated logs required by NJAC 6 colon 9C-5.1 are a curated narrative. They strategically omit hostile encounters on
November 21st, December 23rd, and January 13th. I have text summons from leadership for the November 21st meeting where I was verbally reprimanded for correctly identifying software errors. I also have written confirmation by my
building union rep for the December 23rd meeting which was procured under false pretenses as a mentoring meeting but turned into a hostile interrogation. These missing dates prove the record before you is not a professional log but
a curated narrative of bad faith. Finally, the timing of this is legally precarious. Following a metal disclosure on March 18th, I was subjected to a performance
blitz of observations and deadlines compressed into a 30-day window. The non-renewal notice was issued exactly 17 72 hours after my formal section 504 request.
I am now providing the board secretary with a signed audit demand and physical evidence of these emissions. I feel like I'm being targeted because I am not a union member. I ask the board
to honor this role, its role as an oversight body and table this vote until a full audit of this record is conducted. Thank you very much. Marlene Coleman, please.
>> Good evening. Going to try to do this in three minutes. Um, as a response to the Rice letter emailed to me on Friday, May the 1st at 3:59 p.m., I am respectfully stating
in public what I feel in writing. I am unable to speak from the heart because it's broken. This is not a form from which I am familiar. And I wish to state for the record that I have and always have been an advocate for students in
the Kansas City public schools, particularly those with special needs. My introduction to the Kansas City School District was in October of 1990 when I began as a clerk in the office of communications. There I was able to grow and flourish under the outstanding
leadership of the communications director. From there, I moved to the office of the of the assistant superintendent for whom I am forever grateful for her leadership prowess and her ability to know her staff and their capabilities to lead departments in
schools. From this assignment, I moved back into a communications role, reporting directly to the superintendent of schools. This was a great fit, and I learned a great deal about educational administration. I have reported to at least three superintendents in my tenure here in the
district, all of whom were very capable of leading the district under this constraints of polit political infusion. From 2010 to 2013, I ran the office of communications as a
manager alone until the until the official stakeover state takeover in 2013. With the entrance of a new superintendent and the staff brought with him, including a new director of communications. Under the new appointed
director of communications, staff was, in my opinion, gentrified. all staff of color either resigned or transferred. In my case, I was told in August 10th, 2015 that add a one-on-one review that I
would be transferred. Five days later, I was administratively transferred to the Office of Special Services. My question was simple. Why? My answer, because they need the help. With no other questions, I was placed in my current position with
no background on what to do, no job description, no help whatsoever. For the first three months in this pro in this position as a manager, I sat at my desk doing a newsletter for special services. It was not until November of the same year that I began to search my desk
station and grow go through the mail and papers to see what needed to be done. The position was vacated by a former colleague due to retirement and there's no guide as to the job duties. I simply made it up as I went along after discussions with staff members and a
retiree for whom I was able to reach out to. By December of that same year, I handd delivered a $300,000 check to one of our tuition vendors who had not been paid for months. In 2017, the district began the move to central office from
Front Street to Washington School between September 2017 and 2018. I coordinated all efforts to pack all special education records to deliver to RICO for digitizing with some help from temporary staffing.
I see my time is up. Um, I will spare you of all the other stuff that I've written. Um, but I'd like to just um I just like to say I'm my heart is
broken and um what I would ask is just to continue my current position at the same salary and benefits to be allowed to retire in December of this year. This would allow me to prepare our office for the move, if it's truly a rumor, to
Morgan and determine my next steps after CCSD. The alternate would be that once the new job postings descriptions are posted on the district's website as of May the 11th as promised and everyone and I mean everyone has an opportunity to apply for any job, I will need to
tenure my resignation on May the 15th to be able to retire June the 30th and left with no benefits, no salary, no possible appointments for pension in 2027. Thank you for your time. Um,
respectfully, Marlene Coleman, Karen Vidal, please. Good evening, members of the board of education, members of the Camden City School District administration. My name is Nurse Vidal. I'm here to provide a brief overview of health services in Camden City School District
and over the years show you how health services has been disproportionately affected by reductions in force and restructuring with no fulfillment of positions when nurses have retired. Before I do that, I want to wish thank you to nurse the teachers because it's your week to be recognized. It's also
the nurs's week to be recognized as well. And I have to say offscript that when I saw all of the the written things of who was losing a position, once again, health services was not noted at all. That's because that we worked so
efficiently under nurse w um Renee Wickerstein. We um oh my goodness the her model worked. It allowed us for proper onboarding of new nurses. It ensured compliance with immunizations,
physicals. We supported audits, maintain emergency care plans, individualized health care plans, and safe administration. Due to the structure that nurse workers set up, Camden City achieved some of the highest immunization compliances within all of Camden County. Three Camden City
preschools were awarded New Jersey hot shots for tots recognition, the first in the city's history. Things began to change. Staff were not replaced when they retired. Two years ago, ECDC was forced down to go to one nurse due to low enrollment to switch around and in
less than a month, we had to scramble to find coverage to meet state mandates of how many students per nurse you were going to have. Last year, seven nursing positions were cut, eliminated without consultation from anybody in a nursing realm or the
supervisor of health services. For non-medical personnel, this may seem like a cost-saving decision. For the students of Camden, it's been devastating. Today, we're not sure if you are aware if a nurses is absent, there is no nurse in the school building. Nurses are required to leave
one school and respond to another. Meaning students in both locations go without adequate care at different times. Every minute a nurse is in another building, they can't handle it with a student without their nurse. Our previous staffing model wasn't just a
substitute nurse coverage, as what has previously been stated. It supported operations, compliance, proper onboarding for new nurses. We lost a nurse this fall. I was the nurse who was forced to cover two buildings. I worked two positions at the same time from
January up until spring break of this year. Early childhood was just notified. We are losing another position. And then we find out that our beloved supervisor, nurse wickerste has also been dealt the blow. And then she was also received one of these forces. What's going to happen
when we have our retirements coming up next year? What's going to happen? Because there's two, early childhood and a building. Is it going to be similar to this school year? Are you going to have nurses covering multiple buildings? I thank you for your time and I'm the first nurse to speak. The other nurses
are going to speak on the system gap, the legal gap, the equity gap, and the importance of having a health services supervisor who is also a certified school nurse. Thank you. Robin Kogan, please. >> Good evening. Excuse me, I'm a little
horse. My name is Robin Kogan and I'm a CCSD nurse finishing my 25th year. The decision before this board tonight, thank you. Is not a staffing decision. It is a decision about whether the children of Camden City will have a
coordinated functioning school health services system or not. Camden district schools now serve over 5,000 students. As we know, as families with more resources and options have moved to charter and renaissance schools, the
students who remain in our district schools represent a higher concentration of children with complex health and social needs. These are our children. They are managing asthma, diabetes, seizures, severe allergies, and mental health conditions, often without
consistent access to health care. The supervisor of health services is the person, the one person who designs, coordinates, and evaluates the health system that serves every one of our students. She ensures that clinical
protocols are consistent across every school, coordinates individual health plans so that every nurse in every building knows exactly how to respond when a child with a chronic condition is in crisis. She ensures that emergency
medications like epinephrine and Narcan are not only up-to-date but accessible in every building and turns constantly changing public health guidance into clear consistent procedures that protect students and staff. Without that
position, each school is really on its own. Protocols will become inconsistent. Training will be uneven. And the protection a a student receives will depend entirely entirely on which building they happen to attend, if there
is a nurse or not. The school nurse supervisor position is not overhead. It is the structural backbone that keeps more than 5,000 students medically safe every school day. Eliminating it does
not trim a budget. It dismantles a system. for children whose health cannot be left to chance. That is not acceptable. I urge this board to keep this position in place and replace this the nurses that have been removed over
the last few years. Thank you. >> Karen Calderon, please. >> Good evening. My name is Karen Calderon. I'm a school nurse with the district at the Camden High complex. I wanted to speak tonight with the board about what disappears legally and practically when
the supervisor of health services is eliminated. This position serves as the district's health focus 504 officer. That means ensuring that every student with asthma, diabetes, a seizure disorder, cickle cell disease, or a
mental health diagnosis has an appropriate plan in place. that staff are trained to implement that plan and that the students rights under the section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act are protected every single day. When no one at the district
level holds that responsibility, those protections are at risk. Not because people stop caring, but because no one is charged with making sure that it happens. The supervisor also ensures compliance with immunization laws,
mandated health screenings, medication administration regulations, and document documentation standards. These are not administrative formalities. They're legal obligations. They require coordination, monitoring, and accurate
reporting across every school in this district. Without district level oversight, deadlines will be missed, procedures will drift, and documentation will be incomplete. After a nearly 20% reduction in nursing
physicians, our school-based nurses, we are already stretched beyond capacity. We cannot absorb the system level responsibilities this role currently carries. Policy development, staffing, training, data collection, quality
insurance, and regulatory compliance. on top of the direct care we are providing to the students every day. That is not a staffing inconvenience. It's a structural failure waiting to happen. The gaps that follow also will not be invisible. They will appear in missed
deadlines, inconsistent care, and students whose legal protections are not met. They will appear in complaints, investigations, and liability that this district will not will be left to manage after the fact. Maintaining this
position is not an expense. It is infrastructure that prevents far greater costs to students, to families, and to this district. I urge you to please preserve that. Thank you. Eileen Kog, please. Good evening. My name is Eileen Coyle
and I'm a school nurse in the Camden City School District. I want this board to understand what equity looks like when the system behind it is gone. Equity looks like a child with asthma participating safely in gym class
because her action plan is current and her nurse is trained and her inhaler is where it needs to be. It looks like a student with diabetes going on a field trip because someone in the district level made sure that the
protocols travel with him. It looks like a teenager in mental health crisis finding a calm, prepared health office because the supervisor coordinated the training and the resources that made that possible.
When the supervisor of health services is eliminated, that coordination disappears. services become reactive instead of proactive. Students with the greatest needs are the most likely to fall through the gaps,
not because anyone intended it, but because no one is left whose job it is to see that the whole child matters across the whole district. We know from research that strong school health services reduce absenteeism and
improve academic performance. When health systems are weakened, students are sent home for conditions that could be safely managed in school. For many Camden students, the school nurse and the system behind that nurse
is the only reliable connection to care that they have. Eliminating the leadership of that system does not just affect health. It affects attendance. It affects learning. It affects the future of children who are already navigating
more than any child should. Camden students are resilient, but resilience is not a substitute for the support they deserve. I urge this board to maintain the supervisor of health services position
as an investment in equity, in health, and in the future of every child in this district. Thank you. >> And Mick Vanl, please. >> Good evening, everyone. My name is Anamik Funlar and I'm the proud school
nurse at Cooper Point School. Um, I'm here tonight to speak on behalf of our health services department as my colleagues have done before me and specifically to urge this board to reconsider the proposed elimination of our health services supervisor position.
Camden City School District serves now less than 6,000 students across about 14 schools. These are children who come to us every single day carrying not just backpacks but health challenges, chronic conditions and barriers to care that
many of us never see at home. Our school nurses are often the first and sometimes the only health care professional these students encounter. We identify undiagnosed asthma, vision problems, hearing impairments, diabetes, mental
health crisis, and so much more. We're not a luxury. We're a lifeline. But none of that work happens in a vacuum. It is coordinated, guided, and protected by strong leadership. Our
health services supervisor is not simply an administrator. First and foremost, she's also a nurse. She is a licensed professional who understands the New Jersey nursing practice standards, the legal and regulatory requirements that
govern school health services and the policies that protect both students and staff. She ensures that our department operates in full compliance with state law, including medication administration protocols, individualized health plans for students with special needs,
mandated health screenings, and emergency response procedures. Without her oversight, the district assumes enormous legal and clinical risk. She has been the person who answers when a nurse calls with a complicated student
situation and needs guidance. She has been the advocate who ensures that students with complex medical needs receive appropriate accommodations under the law. She has been the professional who keeps our entire department aligned,
accountable, and effective. Eliminating this position does not eliminate the work. It simply leaves it undone or pushes it onto nurses who are already stretched thin managing the daily health needs of hundreds of students per
school. I respectfully ask this board, what is the cost of a student whose seizure disorder goes unmanaged because no one updated the emergency action plan? What is the cost of a compliance failure under state nursing regulations?
What is the cost of losing the institutional knowledge and leadership that holds our schools together? The health services supervisor position is not overhead. It is infrastructure.
It is protection for our students, for our nurses, and for this district. I urge you in the strongest possible terms to preserve this position and invest in the health and safety of every child and
staff member in Camden City. Thank you. Selena Coington, please. My name is Selena McDonald Coington. I'm a alumni of the Woodro Wilson High School. I'm also from the community. I sat there
and I listened and I listened and I asked God, "What should I say?" Because I was going to change what I was going to say. But after listening to Miss Coleman, I got so full with sadness for her. But there's a saying that the that the world may say. They say karma is
something, but the Bible says you reap what you sow. So I'm praying that the Lord do what he said he's going to do for her and bless her. Nevertheless, I I also listened. I'm thinking back to last year this time my sister friend was here
and she she's yet battling cancer and she was rifted last year. And what was said to her, we're going to look out for you. We're going to help you. We're going to do this. We're going to do that. But it was all a lie. Yeah. I'm glad I got your attention cuz you
weren't looking at everybody else. But I declare and I decree that this is the season that God said, and I'm saying it because I'm going to be who I am. That I pray that the wind of God blow through here because you said reconstruction, but what I see is dismantling.
And so my prayer is that we uni get unified as the I'm praying for everybody in here in their position because I don't have tenure. I'm not up here trying to get a job and say that can I stay because Jesus is my provider. But I'm going to say to the believers that
know better. My prayer is that you wrap yourself together and be careful for nothing because the Bible says whatsoever a man seweth that shall he also reap. So, I'm praying to my fellow sisters and yet brothers that say they
are believers in Jesus the Christ. But we're sitting here and we're looking at the people sitting here and this this this district, not only the district, but is being dismantled. But I declare and I decree the season of manifestation
is getting ready to hit here. Uh-huh. I'm glad I got y'all attention because the Lord said not many days hence. There's going to be some reaping coming and it's coming from up above. So if you're doing wrong, I'm encouraging you
to do right because the Lord is Uh-huh. The wrath of God is on its way here. See, some people lost their jobs and it's okay because Jehovah Gyra is going to provide for you, my sister friend. Jehovah Gyra is going to provide for
Miss Coleman. But most of all, he going to provide for the children of this community that we I see don't have your attention. And that's okay because I know my season is up in this district. I'm not up here trying to worry about a job because God has me. My son is also a
product of the Camden City School District. He went to creative arts, the school that you trying to also do behind back. He went to creative arts saludiatoran and went to Cornell. Works on Wall Street. That's all I have to say. Sherry Lowry, please.
>> Good evening. My name is Sheree Larry. Um I um work at in in the district at the high school. I worked at Camden High. I work at East Side. I am one of the teachers that I got with um I'm okay with it. I know how the budget works. I know that I mean tenure um not to be
funny to say okay is that I teach business. So I teach my students the first thing they read in my class is who move your cheese. So if I teach them that why will I sit here and cry later on because I told them stay prepared. That morning I came to work I just want
to let you know that um I had a PD in my room. PD I had some teachers. I had a English teacher and a CTE teacher in my room learning Notepad LM. It was that's what I was so happy about. My stress level was down and that has that has
been a a very big issue for me um since I've been coming to the school. I I'm nervous about saying this because I want to say that I am a board member so I know how much the board has. I have to hold myself accountable. I do understand
curriculum. been six years. I understand finance six years. My son, I live in an Abbott school district. So when I leave here, I go to the same SD district that gets the same funding as y'all. My issue is as a teacher, I know I can get another job. I I have
certifications. That's not a problem. This is New Jersey. You always getting ripped. I have an issue because um if I was a board member, if I was a superintendent, how can I say this? If I knew what was going on in these schools, I would want to make a change. And I say
not that. I don't think you went farther than enough. I don't tell you the truth. Some of the things that's going on in these classrooms, in these schools, please be accountable for all the money. I I don't speak to a lot of teachers because when you get paid my my
co-workers, if my son was in these schools and my son is in the average school district, you are not allowed to get paid for something you didn't do. All right? We have principles who don't come out until y'all come around and both and I only told you the two schools I went at. I can't speak for all of
them, but that's not right. These kids, remember all those members you know about your principles and stuff. Next, we have shadow districts. I mean, teachers who don't even have classes that are in these um things. If you getting paid to do any kind of club activity, you need to be giving that to
them because that's right there is not fair. You wouldn't do that to your child. Treat people kids like they yours. So, I wouldn't take money. That's stealing. And I think we all know that's going on, but we don't say anything. So, please keep doing what you have to do. Make us accountable. And you tell these
teachers this too. if you are getting paid for it, you should be doing the work because there is something called you can lose your pension for that. That's called theft of services. You will lose your pension for that. So, I just wanted to say that. And um that that's about it. Um I just wanted to
make sure I didn't go off because I want to give a shout out to this right here. I did a breakfast club. I did SATs, wonderful breakfast program. I have pictures you the community loved it. Um the kids, that was a wonderful program. And I want to say there's a principal out there that toes down, she's all over
it. And I I wish I had a chance to work for uh Mr. Shayquay. I won't have a chance to, but that woman is on top. Jose Delgado, please. Yes. Hello again. Uh, I want to just say respectfully the
district did not lose its way. Our district was stolen and I covered that before. Uh, and there's no coming back because legally they did it legally. Um, and I just wanted to just say that
coming here and saying pleading with the an advisory board, you're not it's got nothing to do with the advisory board. The advisory board has nothing to do with the budget at all. At all. It's the superintendent and the commissioner. If you want to
make an impact, I'm sure he's going to talk to the commissioner and list many of the things that you said that will impact on children. But if you want to talk to the person that's the commissioner, uh, let me see if I can get it straight. Why we're here. There's
no money. Where is the money? This year about $6 million from last year in addition from last year went to the Renaissance and charter schools. $6 million right off the top. That's not counting
transportation costs. And at the same time, the New Jersey Department of Education is increasing the number of students that can attend individual Renaissance and charter schools. They're increasing the number that they can take
away from our district. From our Yeah. From our district. They're not We're not cutting the fat anymore. We're down past the muscle into the bone of this school district. Do they care? Let me you know the the old saying that the difference
the opposite of uh love is not hate it's indifference. So we this there's a lot of indifference that I feel in my heart and I get and I want you to know this is not normal. This doesn't happen in other communities. I hate to say the BR word.
This is racism at its highest low uh level. Why do you think that the only districts that are taken over in the state of New Jersey and in the whole nation happen to be black and Hispanic districts? Is that a coincidence? What a coincidence.
And when we cry and we say it's going to affect our children, their health of all things, their health, the superintendent hears you, but they said this is how much money you have. See how you can do what you can do with this
amount of money. He doesn't print money. They give him the money. And the money they take away from the ren to the renaissance in charter schools, he's got to make up in other ways like cutting this department and cutting that department, rifting that person. And by
the way, the board better not get involved in personnel matters. A word to the wise, you have no authority to get involved with them. But anyway, we we must come together and and the only way that we can do it
is to speak to the correct person. It's not the advisory board. It's the New Jersey Department of Education. It's the legislators that created this situation. It is not the superintendent. It is not the people that work here. It is not the children. It is not your fault. It is a
system that is designed to produce this result. They said it. They put it in writing. I don't know how many times I got to say it. So when you leave this meeting, please understand we are talking about a situation there is no
money. The money is going is being siphoned off somewhere else. Overif 60% of the money is going somewhere else. Coming here arguing about what you're doing with 45%, am I right? 45%
of the money that should be here is ludicrous. Think about it. Thank you. Finally, we have Kelar Calvente, please. Hi, my name is Katherine Cavalente. I'm up here again. Um, I go to creative
arts. I'm a senior at creative arts superintendent. You were at my school I believe I think last week and you know we were given incentives and everything was so happy. Haha. However, we were not informed about the things that are
happening right under our feet, which is why I feel lied to. I feel like we aren't I feel like our opinion doesn't matter cuz I've come up here many times to speak about what's going on in our
district. However, it feels like I'm not being listened to. It feels like, okay, like you're a student. these things we can't control. Like these are the things that I've heard since my junior year, which last year we were we spoke to the superintendent last year
to speak about the layoffs they had. And basically what she said was like we kept the critical conditions. So what judgment do you have that these positions that are being laid off aren't as critical or what makes them not important or what
makes like nurses? How do why how do schools not have nurses or how are we not going to have nurses though mind-boggling anyway with our recent or from last year our staff cut offs I feel my opinion is
students weren't able to reach our full potential with these cut offs these are the backbones of our schools how will we meet bare minimum kind of that's basically what I have to say also So
we didn't have enough money last year to support the staff that we needed this year. How do we not have enough money this year to support the support the staff that is critical for the schools to stand for the schools to stand up? Where is this money going to? How how
will we know that next year and the years after these positions are available? these positions are secure because me being transparent as a student, I do not feel secure in this current district. This
every year there's something new. Last year we got staff cut offs. This year we're getting staff cut offs. We were I felt threatened recently because we were told our schools were getting closed. It's something new every year for a student to stress about every single
day. We can't focus because these things are happening to us. At least personally, I can't focus. Like I said before, I have a AP exam tomorrow morning and I'm here speaking about this because I'm so frustrated with our district.
How are we completely sure that history will not come? Oh, how are we how are we sure that history will not repeat itself? How are we how are we completely sure that your plan that you presented to us will actually work? I understand that certain positions,
sure, they will be reassigned. However, certain positions will not. How do we know that these things will actually work to make sure that students are first, that these schools will stand up and that public students will not keep transferring to Renaissance and charter schools, which more than half of our
money is going to. superintendent, how having integrity, even if it meant risking your own job, do you care enough for the students to make sure that we feel secure in our district? That is my main concern because like I said before,
as a student, I do not feel secure in my district. I feel, like I said before, over the years, there's something new every single year. And I understand that Renaissance Schools is due to our attendance. we're under state control, which hasn't worked
in other districts. Um, back to the integrity thing. How are you going to make sure that these schools will be funded for? And how it's like I'm going in circles here,
but it's because I'm frustrated. More than half of our money goes to Renaissance schools. What are you doing to protect our money? What are you doing to care? and this feels like I keep coming up here and it's it's
that's concludes our public comment section. I will now turn the meeting over to our board vice president. >> Does any board members have any comments? I do actually want to acknowledge everyone that came out this evening to
speak. Please know that your voices are are heard. Um and to every single teacher and staff member um from Camden City District, um I just want to say thank you um for giving these students the best education in a safe
environment. Um, and to all our students, um, I just want to say that, um, we're going to continue advocating for you and that you are our priority. Thank you. I will turn the meeting over now to our interim board secretary.
>> Oops. Be it resolved that the Camden City Advisory Board of Education upon the recommendation of the state district superintendent of schools enter into a close session to consider the following matters. Personnel staffing actions for
approximately one hour. Is there a motion to go into close session? Second. >> Second. >> All in all in favor? >> I I >> Any opposed? The board will now go into close session
for approximately one hour. Okay. Um okay. Um returning from executive session, be it resolved that the Camden City Advisory Board of Education upon the recommendation of the state district's
superintendent of schools return from close session to the public session. Is there a motion to reconvene? Is there a second? >> All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Okay. Um motion carries.
Superintendent. Um, I present the following board agenda items to you for approval and personnel actions as listed in the board agenda as well as approval to adopt the 2027
budget as approved by the Department of Education but revised for taxes and miscellaneous revenue. And let's see. >> In accordance with
sorry, in accordance in accordance with powers vested in me as the state district superintendent according to NJSA1 18A735. I hereby approve the board agenda items. If nothing more, board secretary, please call for a motion to adjurnn.
>> Is there a motion to adjurnn? Second. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Any opposed?