Moving on to second and third grade. Our first place winner is Arav Parmar. Come on up. Alright, next we have second place winner, Avery McCongo. Third place, Olivia Donahue. All right. And also our fourth fifth grade category, we have Mahit Parmor.
Amira Austin, second place. Well, Amir, you gotta show your poster since you brought it with you. There you go. All right. She did Pearl, baby. Alright, and Gabrielle Dozier Barrett. Alright. Alright, for our 6th and 7th grade, uh, this, we had close to a dozen, uh, sixth and 7th grade entries, so it was quite competitive. Uh, first place winner is Isabella Williams.
Say hi to everybody. Here we go. We have Nina Sibley, our second place winner. All right, we have Catherine Hentes, our third place winner. And Jocelyn Harris with a tie for third place. There we go.
Stevie Wonder. For our 8th and 9th grade division, our first place winner could not be here. That's Juliana Epstein. Our second place is Spencer Axelrod. Third place, Alicia Solomon. Now moving on to our 10th and 11th grade category, our first place winner was Nimdy Turant.
Second place, Tanishka Parmar. And our third place could not be here, Leah Park. Alright, and moving on to our 12th grade category, uh, our first place winner cannot be here, Alexis Rovner. And our second place winner, Lavana. This one I almost had it. Almost had it. I was practicing.
Wow. Right. Uh, so once again, nice round of applause for our winners. And we'll we're headed back to the Apr. So parents, if you want to meet us back towards that area, we'll go from there. All right. Thank you, everyone.
Thank you so much, everyone. It's always a special night. We really appreciate you being here. Good job, parents, and family members. Next on our agenda is my other favorite thing, which is our student representatives, Dr. Braddock, are we starting with High School West? No!
I'm never gonna get it ready. High School East. Dr. Braddock says it's you, and I believe him because I don't think I've been right once. If he says so. Starting with academics, parents and juniors attended college night on February 4th to gain valuable insight into the college admissions process. With the course selection deadline approaching freshmen, sophomores, and juniors attended East 1st ever electives fair on February 11th and February 12th to learn about the various wide-ranging electives East offers.
Sure. Um, moving on to activities on February 9th, East Student Government hosted a successful ice skating event at the Cooper River Park for all students to attend. East Ethics Bowl team competed another successful season, with one team reaching the finals and the other reaching the corner finals at the Delaware Valley Regional Ethics Bowl at the beginning of February. The African American Culture Club ran a joint dinner and show on the evening of February 7th to celebrate Black History Month. Students and parents both attended the night of celebration. East debate team competed at the University of Pennsylvania on February 7th and 8th, with four debaters winning awards.
The Spanish, French, and Chinese honor societies held a joint potluck on February 11th. Members from all three societies prepared and shared their respective traditional foods. East Student Government hosted its annual Hot Chocolate Day on February 13th, as they started their day, students who brought a mug to school received free hot chocolate. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine's Day, and it's still a heightened sense of pride and love throughout the halls. East Model UN attended the Philadelphia Model UN conference from February 19th to the 22nd with three delegates winning awards. Thank you to the Class of 2028 SGA for hosting sophomore Cotillion during the evening of February 19th, with the theme of Paris, hearts and candlelight decorations arranged by the class of 2028 Student Government, along with artwork from the art clubs, set a Parisian tone as students move between the dance floor.
Photo booth and ice cream bar. On February 26, the Muslim Students Association will be hosting a Ramadan celebration after school. We wish all Muslim students a happy and fulfilling month. moving on to athletics. Congrats to the girls swimming team on capturing the Group A South Championship on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The girls will be competing at Rutgers for the state championship. The boys swimming team also claimed the Group A South Championship, extending their winning streak to 17, and fought hard in the state meet. leading the girls basketball team, Dylan Crashman reached two milestones with 100 three-pointers and 500 rebounds.
The Chair Hill East Hockey team comprising players mostly from East and some from nearby townships, will be competing in the league championship this Friday evening at the Flyers Training Center, where they'll look to keep their local and national streak of hockey success alive following the wake of Team USA's Olympic wins. East Boys basketball team has continued a successful season with an overall 21-3 record, but the first round of the playoffs against Toms River North occurring this Thursday at 4pm. Each girls basketball team has also posted a strong season with a 14-13 record, with the first round of their playoffs against Atlantic City occurring this Friday at 4.30 p.m.
And finally, with arts, Footloose, the spring musical, will be playing on Friday the 27th, Saturday the 28th, and Sunday the 1st, as well as the next weekend, Friday the 6th, Saturday the 7th, and Sunday the 8th. Tickets are currently available online, so be free to check it out. They will also be sold at the door. That is it for us this month. Thank you. Wonderful. Thank you so much, and moving over to High School West. Good evening. As for our extracurriculars, West Robert E. Hanson National Honor Society chapter held its induction ceremony for the 2025-2026 school year. Congratulations to all inductees.
The AACC Club held a walking museum titled On My Block in recognition of Black History Month, displaying the aspects of Black culture. It was open to elementary schools on February 5th, West staff and students on the 6th, and the community on the afternoon of the 6th. Thank you to everyone who came out to support and our AACC Club for creating such an informational and wonderful display. Our Asian Culture Club hosted its annual spicy Noodle Challenge fundraiser open to students and staff on the 19th during lunch, where students raced to finish spicy noodles the fastest. Of course, milk was provided, and the turnout was amazing.
Our Arab Culture Association had an incredibly successful Dubai chocolate cookie fundraiser. Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered and enjoyed. West Student Government held their blood drive in the auditorium on the 18th, partnered with the American Red Cross. It went very smoothly, and we thank everyone who donated. We held our annual senior troop meeting open to both parents and students on Thursday, February 12, th at 6:30 in the theater. The turnout was a success, and we count down the days until the senior trip. On February 13th, our West staff put together a Lions Love Day, where each student received a ticket to get free ice cream on Friday, followed by a craft room filled with.
Bracelet making and kindness letters. The positive vibes were unmatched, so thank you to our Cherry Hill West activities team. Latinos at West had carnations with Spanish love poems open for students and teachers to buy and send to their loved ones. Our class of 2028 held their sophomore Catillion on February 19th at the Haddonford Knightley in Haddonfield, with the theme of Golden Hour. On February 19th, we had our junior college parent night at 6 Pm. In the West Auditorium. It was open for both students and parents with representatives from Rowan, Rutgers, Monclair, LaSalle, Ryder, and more.
NJGPA testing for juniors will be held from the 16th to the 18th of March. This is a graduation requirement for juniors, so make sure to be prepared and try your best. Take advantage of the review sessions our teachers are hosting. We finished up our 8th grade Shadow days on the 29th of January and February 4th. We are confident that these students will choose West. Our junior junior ROTC program had their annual inspection and received positive ratings. Congratulations to the program. West girls basketball team is having their NJSIA tournament group 3 first round playoff game this Wednesday versus Cumberland. Good luck, girls. West Wrestling finished off their season last Friday with a win against Penn's Grove.
Girls swimming made it to the semifinal round of the Group B playoffs against Shawnee. Re Sports team advanced to the state semifinals competition at Georgian Court University. Great work! Our girls and boys track team took sectionals at the bubble on February 14th with our boys Carlos, Jill, Oliver, and Rex taking home a new school record for the 4x4. This makes it West's first time to qualify for states in the 4x4. Supreme left as a sectional champ for high jump. As Rex additionally made it to states for the 800-meter race. Congratulations to all the runners for a good winter track season, and to the ones who advanced.
Stuff's rehearsals are going great as opening night approaches. Get your tickets to see Supps on April 10th, 11th, 12th, 17th, 18th, or 19th on curate.com. The Subs crew, cast, Pitt, alongside U.S. History 2 classes, received a presentation from the Alice Paul Center for Gender. gender justice. They'd learn about Alice Paul and other vital suffragettes. Our winter play, Inherit the Wind was a huge success. Thank you to the community for showing up and everyone involved for putting on a great show. the West Jazz band competed recently on February 20th.
Nate Tarkett and Walter Marinovich were recognized as outstanding performers, and George Callahan won the Outstanding Soloist Award. Congratulations to all. Our mixed a cappella group Wavelength competed at the ICHSA acapella competition in Bayonne on the 31st, rehearsing their set during lunch during the lunch period for West students and staff to enjoy. Our whole music department is performing our annual Pops concert, mixed with our band ensemble, choir, and a cappella groups. This concert is available to watch either tomorrow, Wednesday, or Thursday at the Trejo West Auditorium, starting at 7 p.m. With tickets $10 each. And that would be it.
Thank you so much. Lots of exciting things going on at both high schools. Love it. Looking forward to the spring musicals. So now we are moving on to our project update provided by Mr. Shen. Okay, thank you. So just diving in, a little bit different, as we are actually progressing and getting close to ramping up some of our upcoming projects for.
2026, we have some work actually commencing at Beck, as well as at East over spring break, as long as spring break, so… remains intact with these snow days, so, uh, working around that challenge as well. We'll get into a little bit about the security vestibules and office renovations at Barton Kingston, Johnson, and Sharp. uh, progress updates on the East Auditorium Renault, the west lower level team room locker room renovations, as well as the site work that we'll be doing at Kilmer Knight, Johnson Mann, as well as playgrounds at both Stockton and Mann as well.
So, Rosa, not much, unfortunately, to report at Rosa. The weather has not been cooperating really for the the new cafeteria outside with the masonry specifically. But it was commencing up until the most recent winter storm. So that'll get back on your way shortly, hopefully. Like I said, last meeting, the main office of vestibule Areas at Rosa are both complete and are operational. We're just waiting on. Some of the more specialized furniture we had to order, because the space itself is a little bit different than… what they're accustomed to, so we just had to order some… some… a little bit of specialized furniture for the office area.
punch list on the main office area and security vestibule is at about 80%, and we're still waiting on, as you can see on this picture here, we're still waiting. On the new lettering for the new main entrance there at Rosa. I'm told now that it should be complete by the end of March. Uh, we also have new media furniture, new media center furniture, which is on order, and we're just waiting delivery on that as well. These are just a couple pictures, very similar to last month, as we don't have… Any updates really there.
And then you can see some of the progress on the masonry. of the new cafeteria addition, as well as the stage area in the picture below. continuing on. Obviously, Rosa is scheduled to be fully complete by the school year beginning in September. So we'll be undertaking. Uh, the abatement renos in the existing cafeteria, uh, serving area, A wing, and then the media center as soon as the kids let out in June, and that work is scheduled to be wrapped up by the end of August.
So we'll be officially complete over at Rosa. Right now, we have a remaining allowance of about $188,000. Original allowance amount was $287,000. So doing well on that front at Rosa. Uh, Karusi. uh, work continues, obviously, on the interior renovations. As all of you know, we do have students in temporary classrooms to work over at Carusi continues throughout the school year. We're in phase 2 of 4 total phases.
Right now, the abatement reno of the B wing along with C wing between cafeteria and gym are still ongoing, and that should be wrapped up before school lets out in June. You can see the yellow and blue areas there. These are just some pictures on the interior. over in the B wing, so the flooring and vinyl code base has been completed in all of the B-Wing classrooms, which is good news. Painting of B-Wing is ongoing. I believe most of the classrooms and corridors are actually complete.
HVAC equipment and controls are installed, complete, and just waiting for startup. Uh, each installation of the HVAC registers, radiant heat cover, so on and so forth. It's also complete within B-Wing. Uh, all of the roofing… has been complete, along with the metal trim work and the roofing manufacturer inspected and accepted all of that work, so good news. On that front as well. Future work at Karusi, which will be beginning. Begin this summer, the Phase 3 work. uh, abatement and Renault of a portion of the D-Wing Music Suite cafeteria, and then the remaining C-wing space you could see there. So that'll start up in June, and wrap up in May, June of 2027.
Phase 4, obviously, then we'll finish the building, but not until summer of 2028. So dewing will continue through summer 2027. On that project, Karusi remaining allowance balance of $144,000 out of original. 400, but where we are as far as the contract work goes, we're still in good shape. Uh, at Karusi as well. Just jumping into some of the upcoming projects. So Beck interior renovations that was actually awarded.
Back in November to D'Andrea, total contract of about $11 million. Phase 1 will be commencing as soon as the student's let out in June. We've actually had, um, I believe we're up to two, uh, pre-construction or construction meetings to date. So everything is progressing well on that. Beck is one of the schools slated to have some work done in some of the gang bathrooms over in the first phase. of that area. So we're working with the contractors on some of these snow makeup days to ensure that that work can still be completed prior to them really diving in in June.
East and west auditoriums, I mean, those projects were awarded together, but as you all know, the East Auditorium is being renovated first to that contract, again, was awarded to TN Ward about $13.7 million for both. schools that was awarded in November. Um… We have continued meeting on a bi-weekly basis there, so we're still scheduled to get work started in April, so the… the auditorium will be coming offline shortly.
security vestibules. So, like I said, we'll be doing Barton and Kingston, Johnson and Sharp. Both of those contracts that they were both bid separately with 2 2 packaged projects. Barton and Kingston was about 2,050,000. Johnson sharp. was about $1.86 million. Both of those contracts were actually awarded, um… To D'Andrea. Actually, D'Andre was awarded on 210. The next meeting will be awarding the the other project as well.
West lower level locker room, weight room. Still in the design phase, so the architect is working through finalizing those designs. It's made its way through our athletic director. I believe it's also being shared with the principal and other administrators over there. So working to complete those plans and get that out to bid shortly as well. Um, site improvements, so like I said in the beginning, we'll be doing the parking lots and ADA accessibility upgrades at Kilmer and Knight. That will actually be awarded this evening, and we have the bid opening.
for Johnson and Mann, that will actually be… well, the bid opening is on Thursday the 26th. So we'll be presenting an award. hopefully on March 10th for that project. The East administrative lot that will be phased, or the the full East parking lot and site improvements are going to be phased over several years. Unfortunately, because it's going to overlap with the F wing renovation. So we have to be careful with the new parking lot. So we'll be starting on the administrative side of the building. Bids are scheduled to open on March 26th for the east side improvements. I believe last meeting I shared some of the site plans for each of those, so you've all seen the parking lots and things that we have scheduled.
We're also in the final phases of design on the playgrounds at Mann and Stockton. Both of those will be done through the co-ops. I believe I heard earlier today that we do have principal sign-off. I know we have principal sign off at man. I think we're still waiting on Stockton. Um, so we'll be getting those, uh, projects. We won't be bidding those again, they'll be going through the co-op, similar to our other playground, uh, projects. So those will be getting done as well this summer. So like I said, every month we have a lot going on. We have a lot more coming up. But everything is progressing well. Everything is on time, and.
more specifically for these upcoming projects. They've all been close to or within budget as far as the bond work goes, so. All good news. Thank you, Mr. Shen, for your updates. Does anybody have any questions? on the bond projects. I see no questions. Mr. Schimp, you were so thorough that nobody has one question for you. Excellent. We have a lot of work ramping up here shortly. We do. I just want to thank you again for all the work that you've done on this, and continue to do. I know it's a lot.
So thank you. All right. We're moving on to first public comment. The public comment section for action items only. So there will be 2 opportunities for public comment this evening, and the first public comment session is for Board action items only. If you wish to speak on any topic other than what appears on the agenda, you may speak during the second public comment, and speakers must provide their name and municipality. If you are a student.
You may comment on any topic during first public comment period by identifying yourself as a student that's either at the microphone here in the room, or if you're online, if you put an S after your name, I will recognize you as a student. I will call in your first to make your comment. We will alternate between speakers in the room and those wishing to comment online, and each speaker has 3 minutes to speak. There will be a timer on the screen to indicate the amount of time remaining. All statements, questions and comments should be addressed to the chair, and your inquiry may or may not be addressed by district administration at the close of the session. So we are going to start in the room for 1st public comment. This is our custom. Is there anybody?
Um… Let me just have. Let's put up the 3 min timer, and then you are ready to go, Miss Einhorn. Okay, and Einhorn, Cherihoo, New Jersey. Um, first of all, congratulations to John Kafagna item 15.8. I don't understand, John. I said you keep getting younger, and my gravity has just floated away, so… I hope you're always on the uprise. On a more serious note, policy 0174, which is item 16.4. It doesn't really show a maximum dollar amount for all the legal issues which I do understand, because it's policy. But at some point, if Mr. Shimp or Dr. Morton could let me know.
What our current budget 2526 allows for a maximum dollar amount for all legal issues, I would certainly appreciate it. 14.3. I really was disappointed to see this added almost last minute in my eyes. Because it was not discussed in the DNF minutes. It was not discussed at the board work session. And… How can we comment on something if we don't know how the board feels on this particular item?
Okay, it really was a big surprise to me, and I usually think I'm on top of things. Um, I would also like to know what fund is going to support this particular project. in its inception. The other issue that we have is that we have first public comments for action items, and the superintendent's report before we hear what the Board of Education has to say on this item, and I find that very defeating and disappointing because it might have changed my mind on even commenting on this subject.
So if you're going to continue to value transparency and information to the public, in this instance, I think you have failed me in particularly miserably, let alone the rest of my community. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Einhorn, for your comment. So just so you know, Mr. Schimp and I, we were communicating right before first public comment on whether we should say something about it prior to first public comment, and we decided to see if there were community comments, which there were. So I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Schimp to discuss exactly what you've been raising.
Mr. Shimp, please take it away. So the resolution that we have this evening is simply the board allowing. us to utilize, um, competitive contracting as a procurement method to obtain proposals for a company to run a parent-paid summer camp for preschool students. There is zero expense to the Board of Education, it's no different than the services being provided to our preschool families.
for before and after care, which is, uh, um… which is being run by a private company right at schools. This is just outside of the original scope of that Rfp. Which was issued, I believe, 2 years ago. So this is just a solicitation of proposals to potentially have a summer camp for our preschool population that will be run by. a private provider. Again, there is zero expense to the Board of Education, just as there's no expense for the before and after school programs for our preschool population now.
Thank you for that clarification, Mr. Schimps. Moving to the line, we have a caller. It's the phone number ending in 788. It's your turn. Please unmute, give us your name and municipality. Oh, and the action item. My name is Jeff Podowitz, and I live in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and it's about 14.3, what they're talking about, uh, contracting of preschool summer camp services. Right now, we are told that it is not. With any cost to us. But already, it is a cost, because you're spending resources and time, and employees' time to do all these things. And in the future, it will be.
If anyone read Senate Bill 3910, they'll tell you that this. Is what the state wants. They… they want… A summer school or a summer camp, whatever you want to call it, for the kids, because the bottom line. Is preschool, and this is about child care and the economy. And that's the name of something that came up on an article on NJ Spotlight News. This is Steve Abedado, um, and he runs a blog, and it's Dr. C. Paprivato, and he's talking about.
Dr. Potowitz, I'm going to ask you to come back around to the action item, please. I'm talking about… This is the action item. 14.3. Okay, thank you. I told you what it was. It is the action hiding, as you interrupt me. But that's beside the point. All right? I believe, because the school intends to, if the super… if the… if the state superintendent of schools says. says that we want… Summer camp or summer preschool. He's allowed to do that, and that's exactly what this is the precursor of.
And you are going to spend time, and you will spend money. All right, if you see that article, TRICARE and the Economy, you'll talk about people talking, um, one person talking is, uh, is a CEO of Business in New Jersey Business and Industries Association. And this is about this… And what they want is childcare. They all want childcare from the very beginning, from birth, to toddler, this is what they're looking for. Just look at that article. Child Care and the Economy, NJN, Steve Abedado. That's exactly what's going to happen here.
And it's gonna cost a fortune, and this is the precursor to it. And that's what they're going to do. That's preschool. That supposedly costs us nothing, but it's costing us a fortune, too. The first year, we got funds, it totaled $1.1 million. Not what they said, $3.4. And I looked at all the other districts. All those districts didn't get… almost all those districts didn't get the money they should. Same with this. It's going to start out this way. In the end, when the superintendent of school says it, so vote no.
Because you want to know what? The cost is going to be prohibitive. And you got another things to worry about besides preschool, and spending time on it. How about the kids with disabilities? How about the kids with learning loss? And you're spending your time on this. Thank you, Dr. Padowicz. Thank you, Dr. Padowicz, for your comment. Going back to the room, is there anyone else who would like to make first public comment this evening?
please approach the microphone. Give us your name, municipality, and the action item on which you are speaking. Jim Neary, Cherry Hill, I believe it's 15.8 for Dr. Cafania. I just wanted to say how thrilled we are to have Dr. Fanya joining us at East next year. very pleased with that decision. I felt compelled to come up and tell you how pleased I was with that after the email you received from me earlier today. I felt like something positive needed to be said.
Thank you. Thank you. We always appreciate positivity at the microphone. We appreciate everything at the microphone. Next person is a wider bridge. It's your turn. Please unmute and give us your name, municipality, and the action item on which you are speaking. Alani Aris, Cherry Hill, I believe it's 14.6 and 14.7. The east and West graduations at the Leah Corps Center. I'm not opposed to having graduation in Philadelphia in a place that has a large parking lot, does not limit tickets for graduation.
Um, I just want to make sure that the board has read through the contract with the amount of snow that has happened this year. We've now used up our three, not necessarily built-in snow days, and in order to reach 180 days for students for the year, um, we'd have to add additional days to the end of the school year. What does the contract say in terms of. Needing to add days to the end of the school year and changing the graduation date. I know that it's possible to petition to the state, um, for a waiver for seniors to graduate, but it's not necessary that that will be granted, and I don't want Saturday school to be the option as replacement as that prohibits some people from being able to attend with chronic absenteeism. So I just want to make sure the.
was read by the full board before it's approved that we are graduating at the Leocor Center on June 18th. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Going back to the room, is there anyone else for first public comment this evening? Hello, please approach the microphone. Name Municipality an action item. Good evening, Kim Freidel, Cherry Hill. Just want to make a brief comment on 15. 8 Dr. Cafanya. I just want to say what a wonderful person and leader Dr. Cafanya is. We had the pleasure in my family of him being the principal of Karusi with my oldest daughter, and I'm sure he could laugh and tell some stories.
But he always led with kindness, compassion, and also some accountability and really took a lot of pride in Karusi, so I think East will be in very good hands pending your approval. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. We appreciate it. Going back to the line, I don't see any other hands raised online, so I'm going to go back to the room. Is there anyone else in the room for first public comment? I don't see anyone in the room. I'm being told there's somebody online, but I do not see it.
I'm going to give it one more minute. If there's anybody online who would like to make first public comment this evening. if you're… if it's iPhone, I see, I think, who raised your hand. First public comment is for action items only. If you're looking to make a comment on something that we are not voting on this evening, that second public comment, which is at the end of the meeting. Just going to give it one more minute. iphone, if you can unmute, if you'd like to make a comment, please give us your name, municipality, and the action item on which you're speaking.
Hello, this is Rick Short. Fairy Hill, New Jersey. I'm speaking on 14.5. Can you hear me? We can. Thank you. Well. Not too much information on 14.5. Does the board members even know what? What schools this is for, I don't believe it says so. These are safety items for, I think, pedestrian safety.
And we have no idea. You're voting on something. I mean, I don't know, I didn't see it in the description of actually where it is, or what it's doing. So the question is, is, why would you vote on something? If you don't know what safety is going to be used for. Again, we have a… Architect. that. Didn't even know.
where to put the stadium lights. So, is it the same architect that's recommending? the flashing lights of what school it's gonna be at? And then again… Last time I checked… Zone Ppa was in charge of the bus drop safety pedestrian safety. So what the zone… did Zone PTA recommend the flashing lights, whatever school it's at?
So we're bored again. I… I mean, I don't know, I mean, why would you vote… why would you vote yes on something you don't… You have no idea what what what it's for, so… Thank you for your comment. Is there anyone else in the room who would like to make first public comment this evening? I don't see anyone going back to the line. Is there anyone else for first public comment this evening?
I don't see anybody, so I'm going to close first public comment. and move on to correspondence. Mr. Schimp, is there any correspondence to share with the board this evening? We do not have any correspondence. Thank you. And moving on to our superintendent's report. Is there a superintendent's report this evening? Okay. Hi, Dr. Morton. Yes, there is, Miss Werner. Good evening. Good evening. How are we doing? I'm sorry I'm not there, and I'm sorry my camera's off. I've been under the weather today. Uh, but I do have a few items to share. Uh, first and foremost, I just want to say thank you to our buildings and ground staff members, all maintenance staff, custodial staff as well, for their Herculean effort to help to get our schools prepared and opened up today.
I know many probably don't realize, but our team takes the full responsibility for ensuring our buildings are cleared, and there's a tremendous amount of pride in doing that. Staff spent a night in the buildings overnight Sunday into Monday to make sure that they went out hour after hour. Uh, to chip away at the 16 inches, or whatever the final count was that we received. Um, so… just thank you to everyone for their efforts. Um, Mr. Steve Nicolela, uh, thank you, and thank you to the full team.
So in reference to the comment about our calendar. There were 3 days that the district has been officially closed, and we've had to make up. As reflected on our approved district calendar, the first make-up date was on the 16th of this month. Uh, two additional days that will be made up as reflected on the calendar are the 30th of March and the 31st of March. So, with those days being made up, we'll still be well within our. 180 days at this point. Knock on wood, we do not have any additional inclement weather days and we'll be fine. We won't have to necessarily add any days to the calendar.
Congratulations as well to all students that were awarded tonight as part of the SHACA poster essay video contest. I'm always marvel at the students' interest and take an opportunity to celebrate African American culture. Thank you to Dr. Turant and Toshaka for continuing. This awareness and the recognition of African-American people. just a couple things as we look ahead. Next month is a big month for us. First and foremost is Women's History Month.
It's definitely an opportunity for us to honor the legacy and the impact that women have had in our society. I guess you probably realize that in our district, we are predominantly women that, you know, that work within our district. And it's important that we recognize the efforts and the long-standing fight for rights that, you know, that we've had to go through. that have been provided today, so it's important we maintain, uh. This level of empowerment quality for women today and next month. And as we move forward.
Also, one of my favorite times of the year has to do with our celebration of literacy. and love for reading. So this next week is Read Across America Week. Miss Winters, I know this is a favorite time for you as well, where we have opportunities to go out to schools and read with kids, but just to celebrate reading as well at home with our family. So definitely something. that we want to lean into in the time we want to lean into as well. And then in closing for me, I just want to mention, uh.
We are rapidly moving into the budget planning process. Now, typically, the governor's address scheduled to take place on today, actually, the 24th. However, in years where there is a change in governor, the governor, new governor has an opportunity to push that date back two weeks. So the governor's address will take place on March 10th. Now that's important for us because state aid.
numbers are released 2 days following that. So State Aid figures will be released to the district on March 12th. And we'll be processing and working to put together, along with Mr. Schiff and his team, to put together an initial budget presentation. The board has added a special budget meeting. to discuss obviously um to start the discussions around budget for March 19th. And then the initial budget presentation will take place March 24th. As Mr. Schiff has indicated, this year we definitely are anticipating a tough budget year. So I'm putting the dates out now, just encouraging everyone to stay tuned, to participate in the conversation, to provide us with feedback as well.
Thank you so much. I hope you're feeling better soon, Dr. Martin. It's been a rough season with everybody getting sick. Just to reiterate what Dr. Morton said, we are adding an additional meeting in March will be advertised. It will be on March 19th. This is an additional committee of the whole meeting for the Board to discuss the budget after we have release of the numbers, and prior to our vote on the initial budget submission, as we were required to do by law, which will be the following Tuesday. at our regular meeting. So there will be an extra board meeting just for budget discussions.
Moving on to old business. Is there any board members who have any old business to raise this evening? Dr. Dreisen. Thank you. Just a quick personal update in prior meetings. I've always abstained from payments to Beata and any bill list due to a conflict of interest. I recently started new employment. My last day at Beata was February 16th, and I started new employment on the 17th. I checked with Board Council. And so since I'm no longer employed by Bayata, I will no longer be abstaining from those bill lists. I just wanted the community to be aware. Thanks. Thank you, and congratulations on your new position.
I think you are the I think I put in my email. You're the third or fourth board member to get a new job in 2026. I don't know what's going on, but we are moving onwards and upwards here in the board. Any other old business before I move on to the action items. All right. Moving on to our action agenda. I'd like to make a motion to approve the appointments. Those are action items 11.2 through 11.5 this evening. Do I have a second? Ms. Palmer, does anybody have anything they wish to discuss on appointments?
Seeing none, Mr. Schimp, can you please open the vote? Motion carries. Thank you. I'd also like to make a motion to approve our minutes. These are from the organization meeting on January 5th and board work session special at special action meeting minutes and executive session on January 13th.
12.2 and 12.3 as presented. Is there a second? Mr. Fain, are there any questions? Anything to discuss? Mr. Schimp, can you please open the vote on the minutes? Motion carries. Thank you. And on to CNI. The superintendent recommends and I move the following agenda action items 13.2 through 13.4, inclusive as presented. Is there a second?
Ms. Cummings, is there anything anybody wishes to discuss on the CNI agenda this evening? Seeing no discussion. Mr. Shinff, please open the vote. Motion carries. Thank you. Moving on to the business and facilities agenda, Mr. Greenbaum. Thank you, Superintendent recommends, and I move the following action agenda items 14.2 through 14.10 as presented. Do I have a second?
Dr. Braddock. What do I do here? All in favor? Is there any discussion? Is there any discussion? Mr. Fain. I was just hoping for maybe a little bit more clarity on 14.3, and why that became a topic of discussion. Like, if there's any background information of why we're looking at that now. Sure, I'll take a turn. There's some internal board discussions. There are a number of questions about what this is. This is very similar to the SAC summer camp options that have been offered for years. This happens to be for our preschool program.
Um, this is an RFP, or a request for proposals to see what the marketplace is like to offer, potentially offer the service to our preschool population. Tentatively beginning summer of 2027. There's no board action to approve. launching the program, but it would be parent paid, just like sex summer camp. This is not expense in expense to the district. It's something that parents pay for if they want to participate. My understanding is.
This is just seeing what the bids look like and what it would take to put it together. Anything else to add, Mr. Schimp? Dr. Mahan? Nope. I was going to say I would just want to remind the board and the community that when we implemented preschool we were proud and very excited to say that this is the 1st year that we've been able to offer before and after care services for our families at the preschool level. So again, this would just be extending the service and complementing what we already offer for K-5 at the preschool level. Families are asking for, you know, consistency in.
programming throughout the summer months, because they no longer have access to, you know, other programming, so that is why we would like to explore this opportunity. We have been asked numerous times by parents, just like we were asked 18 months ago to provide before and after care, which the board made a decision to move forward with. Thank you. And it's my understanding is if proposals come in that are viable, and there's a plan to move forward with it, there will be additional board action to accept a bid and move forward with that at some point in the future.
That's correct. I would just add that there's actually specific statute that allows the use of this competitive contracting process for this type of program as well. Thank you. Thank you for your question. Are there any other discussion topics? If you don't mind, I'll just throw out the question around 14.5 14.5 is not authorizing any projects for the district to conduct. It's simply a courtesy by the township that they've extended to us to participate.
on their… in their co-op, in the event that this type of work may be required by the district. Obviously, if there were projects that we would be undertaking, the board would be aware and taking action on that. Thank you very much for that clarification. Any other discussion topics before we move forward? Okay, seeing none, Mr. Schimp, please open the voting.
Mr. Schimp, on agenda item. 14.2. I'm sorry, I should have had that in front of me. I need to abstain, uh, on the payments to Bancroft on bill list number 3. Due to a conflict. Abstention noted. Motion carries. I'm sorry, Mr. Shimp. I also just going to recuse on bill list number 3 to avoid a conflict of interest.
Noted. Motion carries. All right, moving on to HR. Ms. Stern, can you please move the HR agenda? Yes, Mrs. Winters, the superintendent recommends and I move the following 15.15… 0.2 through 15.11 inclusive. Do I have a second? So I'm getting used to it. This is Winters. Do any board members have any questions that they've or items they'd like to discuss?
Seeing no items, Mr. Schimp, can you call the vote, please? Motion carries. And with that, Dr. Kafania. has been approved for the high school east principal.
Dr. Puffani, would you like to come up to the microphone? Thank you, we're very excited. to be appointed as a principal of Cherry Hall High School East. I want to thank the students, my colleagues, families, board members who have taught me so much during my 27 years in this school district, serving as a principal, teacher, coach, and father. I'm eager to utilize that knowledge and the new things that I will learn to help guide our next chapter. I look forward to providing operational stability.
being the wellness guardian for our students and staff, honoring our great traditions, and leading us as we move forward together as one East, one community and one vision. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Gaffania. We're thrilled for this exciting next chapter for High School East. Moving on to the P. And L agenda. Miss Palmer, can you please move it? The superintendent recommends and I move action items, agenda items 16.2 through 16.5 as presented.
Can I have a second? Miss Manzano, are there any issues that other board members would like to address? Any questions? Okay, seeing none, Mr. Shin, can you open the vote? Motion carries. Thank you, and we have no action items for governance tonight, which brings us to new business. Is there any new business to be raised by members of the Board of Education this evening?
I have a new business item. Um, we had received correspondence from Dr. Podowitz. It had included an article in which Cherry Hill was referenced, as well as some other information about. a resolution that had been passed by the West Orange Board of Education. I wanted to see if the board had any thoughts on that, and also if the board would be interested in doing such a resolution here in Cherry Hill related to the budget. So you all have the information. Just really looking for direction here on what you would like to do.
Ms. Palmer. resoundingly, yes, I think in this climate, given the fact that I see no future relief coming from the state of New Jersey, continuing the downward spiral of their investment in public education, I think. It would… be irresponsible of us not to say something publicly, whether it does anything or not. I think it's important that we take a stand. So there we are. Thank you. Other members?
Ms. Stern. So the article that was provided to us by the community member or. via the community member that we subsequently had a chance to read was very compelling. Um, I think, um, you know, there's, um, the funding formula is the funding formula, um, and I think in. I would say last budget year, it really felt very shocking and challenging to be. told and hear, well, Cherry Hill's property values have gone up, or, you know, as… and… and um.
the average income has gone up. So therefore, um, we're going to, you know, decrease your, um, your stabilization aid, your, you know, the amount that the state puts in. So. The article… the main point, the sticking point for me was the recommendation or suggestion that rather than go by average income, which could be have great variability in a town where there could be. you know, very disparate earners on both ends of the spectrum, rather than instead just go the actual mean if if I'm.
doing that right. So anyway, just, you know, kind of like the, um, kind of what is the middle income that is, that encompasses? Median income. Median income, thank you. Mathematic, it's been many years since I sat in a math class, I apologize. The median income, the smack-in-the-middle income. Um, for… which to me made so much sense, so… Along those lines, I think it makes a lot of sense to, um… uh, you know, write a letter as well as this other district did, and perhaps it's something we can organize a little bit more with some other districts to go back to the State and say, you know, there's a tweak that should be made, given that the possibility of the level of disparity, especially in some.
districts like ours. Thank you. Other board members? Mr. Fain. I wasn't forced to raise my hand, so sorry that I stole your thumbnail. I'm sorry. My only comment is, at this point, I think that anything should be on the table, and it's our responsibility to not just sit here and argue with each other what we can do to fix a terrible situation. Clearly, this. issue is much bigger than just Cherry Hill. So I'm in support of any action that we can take to try to help our situation.
Miss Cummings. So, yes, I absolutely agree that we should lend our name to this. Our voices are always stronger and louder when they're heard together, and, um, you know, the more we can do, the better. We have all gone and advocated year after year. at the state level and with the NJDOE last winter to suggest changes to the funding formula. So I think this is definitely a step in the right direction. And again, like, you know, voices.
together louder, stronger. It can't be a bad idea. Mr. Greenbaum. Thank you. I will reiterate what some of my colleagues said here. Thank you very much to Dr. Potowitz for bringing this to our attention. The article was in West Orange Patch. If you're interested in reading it, it's called New Jersey's School Funding Formula is shortchanging West Orange by 25 million. Um, in the article, it says New Jersey school funding formula is also shortchanging Cherry Hill, and the crux of the article is talking about what goes into calculating equalization aid, of which we lost all of it last year, and it's based on property values, it's based on income.
Uh, and the article focuses on income, not necessarily being the right measure of a community's ability to pay more of their local share. I'm definitely in support of passing a resolution to advocate for this meaningful change. So, thank you. Thank you. Other board members. Seeing nods and seeing thumbs up. So, for me, I think… you know, the. The president of the West Orange Board of Education did two things. He wrote an op-ed piece, which was what was in the patch. It wasn't an article, it was an op-ed piece, um, in which Cherry Hill was directly referenced, because it was a similar situation to what happened with us losing our equalization aid. Their board also put together an actual resolution, which the board then voted on in the meeting.
And that was presented. publicly as well. And just to let everybody else know, there are other advocacy efforts that we're working on. We are part of a South Jersey cooperative group that's working on this spearheaded by Haddon Township's board president. They have asked for us to join them in a meeting where there will be the majority leader there to speak about the budget issues. Ms. Palmer is going to represent us at that meeting on behalf of the board. We are… I am also going to be in a meeting with the mayor and representatives from the township to discuss the budget issues. So we are working on this from every angle. I think this was an additional angle that was brought to us through the correspondence from.
Dr. Padowicz, I want to thank him for bringing it to us, and it sounds like the board is in favor of moving this forward, so I would recommend that this move through the P&L committee. Um, and BNF jointly, that we can put together a resolution that reflects Cherry Hill's situation, and then bring that forward to the full board for its consideration and a vote in the future. The near future, because as Dr. Morton said, budget season is upon us. Ms. Palmer, I don't want to belabor the conversation, but if it's valuable to also reconvene the Communications Committee, I'd be happy to lead.
A strategy discussion with Miss Barati around a potential op-ed and some other avenues that we might pursue to kind of amplify what we do with the resolution. Definitely, the Communications Committee, it does still exist, since we didn't abolish it. I just didn't appoint it this year because we were focusing our ourselves on rebalancing for the beginning of the year, and I felt like that was the the salient issue that we need to focus on. But if there is a desire on the board to reconvene communications and reappoint that committee. I can reappoint that committee, and then we can move forward with a strategy. I'm also going to ask, um… For some direction from Ms. Gilfilen, as well as NJSBA on what I can do as far as writing some sort of an op-ed.
piece and what that looks like to make sure that I'm coloring within the lines, um, for what I am and what I am not allowed to do as board president speaking for us. Dr. Braddock. I'm sure this discussion will be had later, but I'd like to join the Communications Committee again, as I was last time we had it. I want to work with Bridges. I love it. I love all the volunteering. Dr. Dreisen. Just in terms of the time sensitivity nature of this, we do have a committee of the whole on March 19th. So if something were to be able to be drafted, then it sounds like we already have board support. So that might just be another avenue versus going through both committees and then having to bring it back to the board.
That's a really good idea, Dr. Dreisen. Thank you. And I definitely think so. We will have committee meetings next week for the first week in March. I think we will collaborate with each other and see. I would like the committees just to discuss it in those venues as well, because I think you'd have the expertise of Pnl in the drafting, the expertise of Bnf for the actual budgetary piece. and then bring something forward, um, to come to a full boat. Ms. Guilfil and something like this, does it need to go through two readings by the board if it's a resolution like this? It does not. It's not about… it's not an actual policy. It's just a straight resolution. Resolution. I didn't think so. That's how it works in the legislature, too. So we wouldn't have to go through the two reading process. It would more just be using the committees as a venue for discussion, and then bringing a resolution forward to the full board. It would be one vote for us to pass it, and then we would transmit it.
to whichever parties that we wanted to, whether that's our members of legislature, legislative leadership, budget leadership in the legislature, we can talk about who that goes to. This is a mechanism that we used a lot when I worked for the legislature, um, just to give a sense of. the board moving forward and our common voice, Mr. Fain. I was just going to suggest, um, if it's easier for, especially since this is very time sensitive, we can use the governance committee as a forum for any other discussion. We have an open seat that both of you, Dr. Braddock and Miss Palmer can easily.
sub into, too, if there… if we don't want to go through the whole process of redoing additional committees, just throwing it out there. Yeah, we can. That's another way of doing it. We can definitely discuss on how we want to organize ourselves. But I think the biggest thing is that we do it quickly, and we make sure that we get it together, because budget season is upon us, and I think this is an additional avenue by which we can advocate for ourselves. In addition to the work that's being done with the South Jersey Cooperative group, in addition to work that's being done collaboratively between us and the township. And any other opportunity that comes our way, I'm sure we will be there. So, thank you guys all for giving me your sense of that, and we can work to move that forward for committees next week.
Is there any other new business? If the board would like to raise. All right, well, we've set ourselves in marching order, so we'll be working on that. We are moving on to second public comment. Give me one minute. Give me one minute, I just have to read through the… public comment thing, and then it'll be your turn.
And I am sorry, my computer is not behaving. Public comment is an opportunity for members of the community to provide input to the Board of Education on educational issues, and the Board welcomes diverse opinions on relevant matters. However, statements that are abusive, obscene, or which demean or are defamatory to any individual or any group of individuals will not be tolerated. As such, comments are disruptive to the orderly operation of this meeting. Speakers wishing to provide the board with information which is not relevant to the district operations may communicate directly with the superintendent and the board president via email or other alternative means. So we're now going to start second public comment. Mr. Schimp is going to start the timer for 3 minutes. You just need to give us your name, municipality.
And then as long as it's directly relevant to the district, to go. Hi, my name is Mindy Norleon. I'm from Cherry Hill, and I am currently in the presence of a few of my bosses, since I work at Karusi. Few of them are here, one left. And I am the building rep for the ed assistants at Karusi, and they all kind of like pushed me forward and asked me to come here tonight to see if we could find out if there's a way in the future.
to incorporate snow days into the schedule so that we don't have to utilize our. days that we had already planned on taking vacations and everything. Um, and I was told to ask this, uh, as someone who has… I am a graduate of the Cherry Hill School System, my children are graduates of the Cherry Hill School System. Um, I've been, you know, here for a long, long time, since 1966. And, uh, back then when I was a student here, I don't remember when we had snow days that we would have to.
take off from other days. Um, I know it's probably difficult because we have a lot more days that we have off than we did back in those days, um, which kind of takes away from school days. But I'm just thinking that maybe the same way when we have these horrible snow days that we had this year. And we have to say to the people, including the children, the students, and their parents who also have made plans that you have to come back to school on the 30th, you have to come back to school on the 31st. I think the single days are not a big deal, but the spring break one is a big one.
Um, even if we could add a day in the beginning of the school year and a day at the end of the school year, and let's just say we don't have snow days, so we could easily say that we will end the day early, or something to that effect. I just know everyone's. all up in arms, and I said, okay, I'll come to the school board tonight and talk. So that's the only thing I need to bring up. Thank you, I appreciate that. And I would just add that the calendars are collaborative between the board through the LMC process, so that might be another avenue. Excellent, perfect. Then you know all about it.
going to the line. It's the person with the phone number ending in 788. It's your turn. Please unmute, give us your name and municipality. Okay, my name is Jeff Potowicz. I live in Cherry Hill, and I have to… I switch totally what I was gonna say. Um, two things. One, it's aggregate income, if I remember correctly. Two, uh, if you go to NJ Education Aid blog, you'll see a whole bunch of things about this. He actually is a big proponent of this. In fact, who do you think sent me the article? He did. I mean, NJ Education aid, the person who writes that blog, sent me that article, and so I passed it on to you. Um, he's big on that with aggregate income, and um… And it's worthwhile to read what he says. I'm more big on equalized valuation, and I think we're overtaxed at that point, too.
what I wrote, this is on School Finance 101, March 3rd, this is 2012. Um, here. Stated with the rest of IRA is supposed to be state aid equal target funding minus local revenue requirement. I'm simplifying, but at NJ chocolate funding is called adequacy budget and local revenue is called Local Fair Share. These numbers are calculated in state aid is supposed to be calculated as per the simple formula. However, school districts like Cherry Hill.
That state aid was capped based on the previous unconstitutional funding formula, SEFA, we never received our direct state aid to education as per the formula. We are tens of millions of dollars over our local fair share. We as a community have not gotten that much richer, honestly. No one in this community feels rich. And yet back then in 2013, we were $30 million. over our local… over our local fair share. 30 million bucks. Now, all of a sudden.
We're losing our equalization aid. Something's cockeyed with the changes that were made in the formula. All right? That's to say they shifted more of the burden of funding onto local property taxes, and that's from 2013. This, in large part, is the reason that we in Camden County have the largest median effective property tax rate in New Jersey, and the 9th largest in the country. That's 2.7 countywide. Our tax rate in Cherry Hill is greater than the county average. Well, the bottom line is this. Right now, we're number 3 in the country. Cherry Hill has the third highest relative tax rate in the country.
Country. Which means, how the heck did we lose all of our equalization aid when? We actually are paying more in taxes relative taxes than we did back then, you know, 12 years ago. And this is where you look at that. You should know that all these apartment buildings go towards equalized valuations, increases in these are equalized valuations. Right? And the income, because it's aggregate income of people in those apartment buildings goes to our… grow aggregate income, so as a result, we lose aid. The more you build.
Thank you, Dr. Padowicz. I'm sorry, your 3 minutes is up. Thank you so much. Um, going back to the room, is there anyone else you'd like to make second public comment this evening? Go ahead. Sarah Daly, Cherry Hill. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Sarah Daly, and I'm a parent of 2 children at Woodcrest Elementary. I'm here to formally address what I believe to be a state of crisis regarding school safety and instructional integrity. Well, I've communicated these concerns according to the appropriate chain of command to school leadership, along with Mr. Guy and Dr. Morton.
The frequency and severity of behavioral incidents at Woodcrest have reached a level that I believe requires board-level intervention. We are witnessing weekly physical assaults on students and staff, including biting, kicking, punching, and throwing of objects. These behavioral incidents are frequently triggering Code E elopement. encode our regulation protocols, necessitating regular classroom evacuations and relocations. The environment is not merely a physical and mental safety concern. It is a direct threat to the educational mandate. The resulting loss of instructional time impacts the entire student body, and it is particularly detrimental to our most vulnerable learners, those with IEPs and 504 plans.
Including my two children, who are often disproportionately affected by the constant overstimulation, fear, and lack of instructional time. For many students and staff, the school day has transitioned from a learning environment to a dramatic event, where teachers are being told to remove all throwable items, which includes classroom essentials like pencils, books, and math manipulatives, and children are being told to move their bodies to safety. With the onus being put on those being assaulted to correct the situation. I am not here to assign blame to individual students or staff. Our educators and school administrators are working tirelessly within the constraints of current resources, pulling resources from other areas where they are also desperately needed to fill these gaps. However, it is clear.
that the status quo is insufficient, and the changes being implemented so far to address the situation are not working. I am pleading to this board to prioritize the following actions on your agenda for your next meeting. One, establish an ongoing crisis team. We need a dedicated multidisciplinary team involving behavioral interventionists, psychiatrists, and social workers to provide immediate interim support, while long-term IEP and code of conduct procedures are being processed. And in the case of lack of guardian support.
Two, hire on-staff one-to-ones. We need a trained on-staff one-to-one that can be utilized when needed during a behavioral crisis at school, or while waiting on the applicable Iep and code of conduct procedures to be processed. Ideally, there would be more than one, potentially at a district level, so they can be moved accordingly between schools as needed. Three, implement an interim safety plan. We require standardized, transparent procedures that prioritize the physical protection of both students and staff during acute behavioral events and are communicated effectively to parents.
For advocate for legislative support. If current district resources are exhausted, I urge this board to work with parents to advocate to state legislators together for the emergency funding and behavioral health resources necessary to stabilize our schools. We need transparency and commitment to expedited evaluations and interventions. We can't wait 6 weeks or six months for these behavioral supports while daily assaults occur. Please work with us to ensure Woodcrest can once again became safe and functional environment for every child. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Listen, I know 3 min is quick. We have a lot to say, so feel free to email us your statement. Okay?
going back to the line, the next person is Sarah Jocelyn. It's your turn. Please unmute and give us your name and municipality. Sarah Joslin, Cherry Hill. I wanted to bring to the attention of the board the new leadership of the New Jersey Department of Education, Dr. Lily Locks, and the statement for our immediate release from February 5th, 2026. In which she states her priorities. I want to specifically point to the priorities that, of course, are advancing public education, addressing the teacher shortage. And in that same paragraph.
working with as a leader to modernize and stabilize the state school funding formula to promote equity, transparency, and long-term fiscal stability of school districts. In addition, there, she notes her championship of preschool and implementing programs that are to connect students and families to critical services, including mental health. I think this is an important change in administration and comes at a timely point as we are preparing for the funding under the new governor. And I did want to make sure that you are aware of her statements of priority.
So thank you today. I appreciate the work that you're doing. Thank you so much for your comment. Going back to the room. Is there anyone who would like to make second public comment? Good evening. My name is Stephen time, and I live in Cherry Hill. My sons were both graduated school here. I'm a graduate of Philadelphia. schools and. I am proposing a program to implement online school stores. I don't know who I would have to speak to to work that out. It will be no burden upon the schools, and we will give… I don't know how to word this so it doesn't come out wrong, but we will give a rebate.
to the individual schools, whether it be for. athletics, certain programs. The company I'm with is called… Empire program promos were in Belmar, New Jersey. I've been doing this since I'm 25, which is a very long time ago, and I… Having my kids graduated school, I think it will be great with school spirit. for kids to have t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, hats, and everything would be… I actually put together a Karusi program because of Mindy, and I would love to set up an appointment to show it to the right person.
And I hope you can direct me in the right direction. That brings me on to another subject, listening to the person about Woodcrest, and I… this wasn't on my topic tonight. But it's a matter of dress code. I see the way some kids go to school, whether it's elementary, middle school or high school. And when I went to school, I couldn't go to school looking like a slob. My son, my older son went to school in shorts. One day, my father wanted to kill him. He had to wear pants. I really believe in my heart, the school district has to implement a dress code.
I lived in New Jersey Shore for a long time. Certain school districts implemented. Whether it be golf shirts or pants or khakis or whatever, I know that goes against the grain of most people, but it's a sign of respect. I hate to see girls walking around with midriffs, or, you know, really short shorts with their butts hanging out. Uh, the boys walking around with their pants pulled down, or the hats on backwards. I really believe in my heart this will implement a sign of respect on both sides. The teachers will have more respect for the kids, the kids will have more respect for the teachers. Thank you.
Thank you for your comment. Going back to the line, the next person is Iris Abreu. I hope I said your name correctly. Please unmute and give us your correct pronunciation of your name and municipality. It looks to me like you're still muted. Iris Abreu. If you're having trouble unmuting, I'm going to go to the next caller, and then we will come back to you before the end. So I'm going to go to Meredith Levin. Meredith, if you can unmute and give us your name and municipality, you'll have 3 min.
Meredith has disappeared. I'm gonna go back to Iris one more time. Iris. No problem, it's your turn, go ahead. Oh, hello. Sorry, I just was taken away from the room for a moment. Um… So, um, my name is Iris Abrew, a mother of two Woodcrest Elementary School students. Um, I, uh, one of my children has an IEP, um, and I am here to, you know, further and support the discussions brought up by Mrs. Daly regarding the concerns. Um, that are happening at the school. Um, I, along with other parents, have communicated these concerns to the school leadership, including Mr. Guy and others, um, and I, um, I first and foremost deeply appreciate and believe in the important work of public schools, and I think that we could do better.
And there are a lot of evidence-based treatments and programs that are available and helpful in matters, and I would like to propose consideration of something like teacher-child interaction therapy, which, you know, where teachers, you know, are trained. Um, to, uh, use, um, certain skills in classrooms to increase, uh, you know, to decrease behavioral interruptions. Um, and, and these are things that could be systematically implemented, um, within the system to address.
ongoing issues in terms of behavior that, you know, we are seeing more and more, not only in Cherry Hill, but, you know, and all over the country in terms of, um, you know, uh. Difficulties in regulating, you know, emotions and in classrooms and helping teachers in adapting to challenges. Um, and in a way that could foster positive learning environments for all students.
Um, and a positive environment for all teachers as well. Um, thank you. Thank you for your comment. Going back to the room. Is there anyone who would like to make second public comment? Please approach the microphone. My name is Elizabeth Prinema from Woodcrest. I'm here tonight to express my concern for the physical and emotional safety of our students and support our school district in the best way possible, or try to to provide classroom environments free of physical injury and emotional trauma.
I know that Cherry Hill Public Schools mission is to build open-minded thinkers with strong with a strong academic foundation and strong interpersonal skills to prepare students to succeed in the world. I believe we all share this goal in common. However, I am here tonight because. The current environment at Woodcrest Elementary School in specific is taking a toll on students. aggression towards staff and students occurs regularly in the classroom, and as a result, our students are unable to meet their potential.
My own child has accepted as fact this year that she is in an unsafe classroom environment and she is far from alone in feeling that way. I bring this concern to you after addressing it individually with my child at the classroom level, at the school-wide level, and also with attempts to communicate these concerns at the district level. More support and more communication is needed. Instructional time is being lost on a daily basis. Children are stressed, which we all know affects their ability to learn.
Children and staff are being physically injured daily. Students know it is their parents' job to keep them safe at home, and when we put them in the hands of Cherry Hill Public Schools, it is your job, too. I believe that in order to achieve the basic goal of safety and move on to higher goals, like working towards the mission of the Cherry Hill Public Schools, we must work together. Parents have received limited information on how the district is supporting Woodcrest classrooms that are in need of support. I want to trust the district in handling this situation in the way they see fit, using their expertise.
However, this has gone on since the beginning of the year, and today my child had a math textbook whipped at her face. This is both unacceptable and also a regular daily occurrence. I have to send her back to school tomorrow, and I speak for myself and for other parents who could not make it today. When I say that we need an intervention at our school right now. We need better communication from the district. We need our public schools to provide better mental health services and supports in Cherry Hill and across the nation.
We need to know how Cherry Hill is working at the state level to secure these supports as well for all students. We also need to know how we can work with the district in being a leader in areas like classroom safety and mental health. Again, meeting these basic student needs are necessary measures to achieving any and all district goals. We need to work together, and these needs need to be met now. Thank you for your comment. Going back to the line, the next person is Mark Ianarella. Mark, it's your turn if you will unmute and please give us your name and municipality, you'll have three minutes.
You can't hear you. Make sure that you're unmuted. Now I can hear you, thank you. Can you hear me now? Yeah, I apologize. So, my name is Mark Honorello. I'm from Cherry Hill. I'm a Woodcrest parent. Um, I was… I was not gonna comment today, because I'm still a little bit, um, aggravated that today is the second time in three weeks that I had to pick up my 7-year-old daughter from school while she was assaulted. Um, she is now afraid to go to school.
Uh, she was also hit with a math book today. I was also met by a despondent principal who does not know what to do. Um, she was physically shaking when I spoke with her today. She thought I was actually going to be angry. It is beyond her. I know that she is doing her best. They are trying to keep them safe. I know that a one-on-one was assaulted last week, and I just ask everyone in there, we need an expedited answer. in Woodcrest School as soon as tomorrow. Our kids are afraid to go to school.
And I just don't think that that's acceptable. Try telling your 7-year-old daughter. That it's going to be okay. And that tomorrow might be better when you don't believe it yourself. and that's that's really all I have to say. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Going back to the room. Please approach the microphone, give us your name and municipality. John Bailey in Cherry Hill. The school in its current state is consistently failing to meet the standard and expectations of safety in the classroom.
We have unfortunately reached the point where both students and faculty are getting physically assaulted on a daily basis across multiple grade levels. Children are fearful to walk into the buildings to start their day completely dysregulated when they were chaotic environment that is being allowed. This is severely impacted the school's ability to provide a free and appropriate public education to all students. Primary teachers are frequently forced to pivot from classroom instruction to crisis management, resulting in significant drain on the instructional time all students are entitled to by law.
This is a direct result of a lack of resource allocation, a problem that has a solution. measures are being put in place to solve this growing crisis. Measures that, frankly, completely underfunded and inadequate to date. We are no closer to solving this issue than we were at the beginning of the school year, and frustration has started to boil over. It's time for transparency and community collection.
So our individual students IEPs. My purpose here today is to formally ask the school board to investigate and remediate the staffing-to-need ratio and behavioral intervention plan at Woodcrest Elementary. A school without adequate one-to-one support for dysregulated children and. rather than proactive environment that is in no way conducive to learning. formally trained one-on-ones need… are needed in multiple classes at Woodcrest, which has been documented with every behavioral crisis. The fact is, many of these issues did not occur in previous years when adequate support was in place.
That brings many questions to the forefront that need to be answered internally by all of you. Why were some of these supports removed? Why is it taking so long to get them back? Why is there no emergency plan or funding in place when the safety of our children is compromised? We spoke with Mr. Guy about the scarcity of resources and limited availability of trained. The fact is, inadequate resources cannot be legally quoted as a reason for failure to enact support for a child in need. We spoke about the complexity and built-in delays with the child study team evaluation. You are the elected officials entrusted to speak on our behalf. Are you doing everything in your power to support these children? Are you comfortable with the barriers and failures in the system? From the outside looking in, there are major flaws on all fronts.
that can be addressed. Expedited valuations would be a good start. I am not here asking for expulsions or demainstreaming dysregulated students. I am asking you to use all of your resources to fully support them, to set them up for success. This is not a hard ask. It should not be a dividing point. I am sure it speaks… to why all of you got involved in this job. Mr. Daly, I'm sorry, your time is up, but thank you so much for your comment. And again, if people have additional comments that do not fit into 3 minutes, we really encourage you to email the entire board your comments, that way we have them in full, so we can understand.
Going back to the line, the next person is Meredith Levin. Meredith, if you can unmute and give us your name and municipality, you'll have 3 minutes. I'm sorry about that. I put my hand down before the unmute button came on. You guys hear me? We do. Okay, cool. My name is Meredith Levin, and I'm one of the leaders of the special education parent advisory group. Our mission is to support any parent of a special education student. Our special ed community and the district in any way we can. At this time we would like to invite any parent who wishes to share their experiences at any school, and specifically at Woodcrest.
To connect with us through via our email. Our goal is to gather thoughtful feedback so we can continue working collaboratively collaboratively sorry with the district. administrators to move forward in a productive and student-centered manner. We have been in ongoing communication with the district regarding this matter, and we appreciate that several of our suggestions have already begun to be implemented. Cpag is here to listen, to support, and to partner with families and the district so that our… so together we can strengthen our schools and ensure all students feel supported.
We highly encourage any of the parents who are talking tonight to please reach out to Cherry Hillcpag@gmail.com and share your experiences with us as a way for us to continue to gather information and have productive, proactive meetings. with the special education administration, and at certain points, even the top cabinet administration on how we can proactively move forward. They have contacted us on your behalf, and it is a very real situation, and they are paying attention, and we are paying attention, and we're here.
to work as a whole community for everyone to move forward and to feel safe in school. So please reach out to us. We are here. It's not just me. There is a large group of us now, so please reach out. We're here, Cherry Hillcpag at gmail.com. Thank you for your comment. Going back to the room. Next person for second public comment. Jim Neera, Cherry Hill, and just as a precedent pre-statement, I am not here speaking on behalf of Chasepta, and I am not here on behalf speaking.
for the family support organization from Camden County, both of which I sit on the board of. Madam Chair, rather than let this dog and pony show continue all evening. Please, can you make a commitment to these parents that you will talk to Dr. Morton, the one employee that you oversee, to take a meeting with them? That is my request. That is their request. At this point I've now seen several parents requesting the same thing. We are bordering on a FERPA violation.
Because it wouldn't be hard after all these parents speak tonight to figure out which child in the classroom they're talking about. Imagine being the parent. I have a special education child. Children like mine. who have hit people who have bit people. hearing all of their classmates come up and speak knowing they're talking about your child. And now not to discredit any of these people because their concerns are real, because my children have also been on the other side of that. My children have been hit at school.
My children have been severely bullied at school. Rather than making these parents pour out their personal stories in a very public forum, please. take your power. speak to your employee, Dr. Morton, the one employee you oversee and ask him to take a meeting with his parents. So that they do not have to publicly humiliate the parent of the special education child any further. Thank you. Thank you for your comment.
Going back to the line, the next person is Jen Nadio. Jen, please unmute and give us your name and municipality. We can. Thank you. Hello, uh, can you hear me? Thank you. This is Jennifer Nadio, and I am a resident of Cherry Hill Public Schools, and I am not here in the capacity of Cherry Hill Special Education Pta. I am here. As a parent whose child who is now 22, was aggressive and had parents like this come up and talk about him, and it is heartbreaking to hear.
I believe that this absolutely has to. go to a meeting with Dr. Morton, where a discussion on how the school and the administrators in the school are going to ensure the safety of their children. But also, at the same time, come up with a plan to end class evacuations so that they can, um, they can learn at the same time, but at the same… but at the same time that I'm talking to you.
I ask the parents and everyone in that room to please honor the young people who are struggling and need assistance. I understand that all children in the schools, and it's not just Woodcrest, right? We have this in a lot of schools. I understand it is heartbreaking and hard and and difficult. And I'm asking that we… we stop talking about specific incidences because it is against the children.
And they… they are disabled, or maybe they have an emotional, um, like a behavior-emotional support need, whatever that may be. Maybe they don't, maybe they just had a bad morning. We don't know. It's none of our business, and it is teetering, as Jim said, on a FERPA violation, and I don't think anybody wants to be a part of that. So, you know, I just… I have to say it, because.
My… I've dealt with this myself in both ways, where my son had bit someone, and someone bit him, and I get it, but I do truly believe that we… we need to. Find ways in a private meeting to figure out what we can do for the entire school. Thank you so much. Thank you for your comment. And just to be clear, just to take the temperature down here a little bit.
I, as chair of the meeting, want to honor and respect every single person coming to the microphone. I am listening very carefully to make sure that we are not saying students names, because that will be unacceptable. But that has not happened. And I understand the concerns that are being raised about FERPA. I am trying my very best, and Kate will help me out here if we feel like it's crossing the line. But I also want to honor and respect the parents who have come to this meeting and have called on the phone to try to speak to the Board of Education. So as long as all of us here are mindful of that.
I am absolutely doing my level best here to respect all sides of this very important conversation, and I have Ms. Gil-filman by my side here to let me know if things begin to go in a direction that we don't want them to go. So I thank you all for your continued patience and respect of one another as we navigate this. Please approach the microphone, give us your name and municipality. Hello. I'm Rebecca Sternbath. I live in Cherry Hill. Both of my kids go to Woodcrest, and I just want to share before anything, I'm going to occupational therapist, someone else that's focused on occupational therapist. I work with kids all day with special needs. My daughter is one of the kids at the school that has a 504 and other special needs.
This is in no way to call out any one student. I have been on the other side of it. I've called that my daughter has hit people. So I just want to share. I'm sorry. I know what all of you are going through as well. This is happening in not just one classroom with one kid at all. This is happening in many classrooms across the grade and is not just affecting one classroom is affecting. all of the classrooms and the school. Um, I went a little out of water just to kind of address that, and, um, to say sorry for any of the parents that feel that way. I have started a support group myself for parents with neurodivergent kids that is free. Um, so I am.
by no means putting that out there. I just want to share that I understand what parents feel on all sides. Right now, our kids are their emotional, physical, educational needs are not being met. The current environment is taking a toll on our students. And when… These occurrences are happening regularly without a standardized protocol. The educational day stops. This isn't just a distraction. It is a loss of valuable instruction time that our kids cannot afford to lose. The most important thing is we are seeing anxiety and concern occurring in the students of the classroom.
I just want to be clear that I don't think the students that are having difficulty. I don't think their needs are being met either, and we feel for the students and their families more than anything. Just want to make sure that that is noted. We are concerned that resources are being stressed so thin that are going towards this incident that is taking away. From the kids that do have IEPs and 504s and are vulnerable. And we are seeing staff go from one room to the next, um, that are not trained to be doing this type of work.
Uh, families have been diligent. We have followed every protocol, and trust me, this is not what we want to be doing. This should not have gotten to this point, and that is sad for everyone involved. This situation has just reached a point where it can no longer continue. We are asking the board to help and speak with the superintendent to help us with a plan immediately. We need a standardized, clear, transparent procedure that protects both the teachers, the students, and the students that are having difficulty.
Alright, I know I'm getting towards the end, but thank you for your time, and I just want to reiterate that that is not what we are intending. I appreciate that. And if you have additional comments that you weren't able to get to in 3 min, please make sure to email the entire board so that we're aware of your concerns. going back to the line. I do not see anyone with their hand raised currently. So I'm going to go back to the room and see if there's anyone else who would like to make second public comment this evening. Mary Cherry Hill. I wasn't originally going to comment this evening. The board had already received our thoughts and sentiments earlier this evening.
However, upon hearing these parents. And having endured what my family has endured. Since my oldest, who is now an 18 and in college. What I can say is they are absolutely clearly in dire need of supports in that school and others. You're not going to like what I'm going to say next. Clearly, what you have is a failure of leadership. They are telling you this isn't one room. This is multiple classrooms in a building. That's a problem. That's a huge problem.
Children are being educated, they're not feeling safe. Their parents are here, they're upset, rightfully so. The children that are struggling, needing additional support. I'm sure their parents are upset, and it's not going to be fun. But we have to, at some point step back and recognize Houston. We have a problem, and it's not. I don't know, first, second graders who are struggling to cope. It is a very big problem, a much different problem.
and can't fix a problem you're not recognizing that you have. and we have to start. Because it's only going to spread. But to hear this many parents, and then to hear… It's not one classroom. I think we have to look at it. People don't need to suffer, kids don't need to suffer. They need to be able to go in school and feel safe. That trauma is real. Doing studies on chronic absenteeism. I think we could set that aside. I think we have the answer.
I don't think we need to spend a lot of time on that, and a lot of calories or money to figure it out. Trauma equals avoidance. So, as my husband indicated earlier, I think it's something that does need to be rectified immediately. We've come to meetings. We've asked for professional development. I don't believe words, I don't believe actions, I believe patterns. And I'm seeing a repeated pattern. My children saw it at Rosa. That went away last year. I think you know where you need to start. Thank you.
Thank you for your comment. Going back to the line. I don't see anybody with their hand raised. I'm going to continue in the room. Is there anyone else you would like to make second public comment? My name is Adam Sternbach. I'm from Cherry Hill. Good evening, my name is Adam Sternbach, and we are here tonight as concerned parents from Woodcrest Elementary. We are here because we have seen a persistent and significant breakdown in the stability of the educational environment in our school, a situation that has been going on for several months without resolution.
We want to be clear that this issue is not a surprise to the administration. It has been communicated to the school leadership in the district multiple times. While we fully support our teachers and our principal, they have shared that they are operating at their limit with the resources currently at their disposal. Despite these many conversations, we have seen no meaningful change. It is now evident that the building level staff cannot fix this alone. It requires a direct and immediate commitment of resources from the district. As it stands, the student's right to a free and appropriate public education is not being met when classrooms are in a constant state of disruption, instructional integrity is lost for everyone.
The district has a legal obligation to provide an accessible and stable learning environment for all students, and right now, that obligation is being systematically unfulfilled. The request for. We are asking tonight for more than just an acknowledgement of the problem. We are requesting a thorough review of the conditions in the school, and more importantly, adequate communication regarding a formal plan to provide the necessary resources, including additional support staff and behavioral specialists, to restore a productive environment. We need to know exactly how and when the district will provide the support that our students, teachers, and principal have been asking for.
We are here because we value we value our school and want to see it thrive. However, we cannot allow another several months to pass without a solution. If a clear plan and timely remedy are not provided, we will be left with no choice but to file a formal complaint for review with the New Jersey Department of Education. Our children are legally entitled to the full benefit of their education in a stable environment. We will take the necessary steps to ensure the state intervenes if the district will not. We look forward to receiving a timely update on the district's plan to support Woodcrest. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Going back to the line. I see a hand raised. The name is, and forgive me if I do this incorrectly. Chandra Das Chowdhury.
Please unmute and give us your name and municipality. We can. Hi, good evening. Can you hear me? Okay, thank you so much for allowing me to speak. Um, my name is Chandra Das Chaudhary, and I am also a WordPress parent. I want to help you at Woodcrest and another one who will be at Woodcrest within the next two years. And I'm just here to support the other parents because. Like them, my child was also being impacted daily. She is noticing that her friends are not in class, she is noticing that her peers are not there.
The learning is constantly being disrupted. She has a constant fear of going into class. She has a fear of using her emotions. She has a fear of speaking out, and at the end of the day, it's harming her self-esteem. This is the prime time that our kids' brains are constantly evolving, and you are telling them that you just have to protect yourself, you have to save yourself. As a parent, I can't protect my child when they are in school. That's your responsibility. And we are just advocating as parents.
Please stand up for our children. To please give the support that they so strongly need, and they so strongly desire. This has not been an ongoing problem for the past week. This has been going on since the beginning of the school year. And while we focus our efforts on anti-bullying and all of these other things, please, please, please give us the support that we need. Please, I'm urging you to please. look at us and support us. That's what we really need.
Please make some action. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for your comment. Going back to the room. Is there anyone else who would like to make second public comment this evening? Anne Hunter Hill, New Jersey. I'm speaking on behalf of the 218 signers, parents, caregivers, and advocates who signed an online petition calling for a truly independent special education audit in Jerry Hill. And given tonight's conversation, we should probably be moving really fast on this. Here is the point of the petition. Clearly, families are asking this district to commission an outside independent review that produces specific findings, specific recommendations in a public corrective action plan.
Not general reassurance, and not another internal review. We've always we've already referenced Haddonfield independent audit as a model because it shows what an external reviewer can do when it is structured, neutral, and transparent. It can examine systems, identify patterns, and translate concerns into actual steps with timelines and accountability. That's what this petition lays out. So that Cherry Hill can examine across multiple areas that families experience directly evaluation, eligibility, timelines, IEP development and implementation placement and inclusion patterns. Delivery related services, progress monitoring, staffing and caseload structures and internal.
site systems. In the comments section really matters, because many of the signers included short-term descriptions of why they sign, and this were inconsistent services, confusion about decision making, and absolute breakdowns and follow through. Those comments aren't just anecdotes. They are data points. That single patterns worthy of independent review. At the last meeting, the district used a key word, guardrail. If special education is truly a guard rail, then it must be operational. Visible in planning documents, staffing plans, and measurable commitments, particularly to the children, not just measured, not just referenced as a principle.
So tonight, once again, on my own, and with others, we're asking for one concrete step. Issue a request for a proposal. We're an independent special education audit with a defined scope, a clear timeline, and a commitment to public reporting. a corrective action plan. That's how you build trust, and this is how you show a guardrail means something in practice. And as a side note, CPAG, no one knows who you are.
Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Going back to the line. The next person is Michael Nussbaum. Michael, it's your turn if you please unmute and give us your name and municipality. We can. Can you all hear me? All right. Good evening, Michael Nussbaum from Cherry Hill. Just continuing after Miss Anne Einhorn, especially after listening to all the Woodcrest parents. I actually went to Woodcrest myself. And, uh, yeah, I want to connect directly to everything, especially echo with what Ms. Einhorn said that, you know, we need to think about facilities expansion, rebalancing, and possibly redistricting, because these decisions.
are not only about building and boundaries, they're also about service delivery. When you shift enrollment, reassign schools, or expand program, you change staffing needs, scheduling, placement, and whether IEPs can be implemented consistently across schools. At the last meeting, the district said special education is a guardrail in planning. So tonight I'm asking, what does a guardrail mean in practice before decisions are finalized? A guardrail is not a slogan. A guardrail is a set of requirements that the public can see and measure. Here's what guardrail should look like as you move through rebalancing and redistricting.
Um, so an independent audit now. So issue a request for proposal, define the scope, publish the time, and commit to a public corrective action plan. And second is a written service delivery capacity plan tied to rebalancing and redistricting caseload targets, staffing ratios, and a clear plan for how related services will be delivered after enrollment shifts. protect related services minutes. So post-COVID staffing is real, but the solution cannot be missed services. The guardrail should include a plan to contract out or use alternative providers when hiring falls short, so students don't lose time.
And this is especially relevant considering all the parents that spoke up this evening. Transparency with measurable indicators. So vacancies, service delivery rates, compensatory services owed, evaluation timelines, and how the district will reduce delays. Clear accountability for implementation, who monitors IEP implementation, how problems escalate, and how repeat breakdowns are tracked and corrected. And here's the funding point. If the funding, if the district is using bond proceeds to expand and restructure, then the district must show clearly how resources will be allocated so special education or other ancillary services that have been mentioned this evening.
Um, and their delivery is not compromised during expansion and rebalancing. And again, it's all the more relevant right now. Guardrail means you protect what already exists while you build what's next. And also, we have to deal with what's going on now. So thank you very much. Thank you for your comment. Going back to the room. Is there anyone else who would like to have second public comment this evening? Please approach the microphone.
Rick Short, Cherry Hill. Thank you, Miss Past President Einhorn. Past President Einhorn just pointed out that there are systemic problems. I mean, this is 20 or 30 years of systemic problems of handling special ed, and. Uh, Dr. Morton obviously can't do it. Obviously, he hasn't fixed it, and it just keeps getting worse with 218 signatures. Um, but this board will defend him.
I feel bad for the Woodcrest parents. It is a effect. I mean, you have a superintendent who writes a note out to the community that don't go to school at certain times, uh, because, uh, it's not safe and doesn't put up a fence around the school. This is the logic of Dr. Morton. Continuing on, uh, Dr. Morton totally ignores the bus safety after a student almost dies at Karusi, totally blows it off. There were over 12 parents that came to him and asked to improve it. So who do we leave it to? We leave it to the.
PTA zone to fix our bus safety genius idea. You know, this is the constant problem you have with. With Dr. Morton, he is a disaster and I'm so glad that Miss Neary came up and said that you have a leadership problem because obviously you have a leadership problem and it all goes back to Dr. Morton. Dr. Morton needs to either resign, or he needs to be fired. Do you understand that? I keep saying this over and over again. He… Dr. Morgan can't even define what, um… Simple hate speeches. He defended hate speech. And it's okay with the board to defend hate speech, that it's okay to come into a, it's now okay for a school board member.
to call someone a modern-day Nazi or a… I mean, it's totally unbelievable that this man still has a job. Um, let me continue on. Mr. Short, I'm just going to warn you that your comments are not privileged, that you are subject to the defamation laws. I'm just pointing out facts. The fact is, is that providing you with the necessary. Okay, sure. Dr. Morton puts out a statement that. Don't go to school at certain times when you should really just put up a fence. So… I don't… and Dr. Morton also said that, you know, the whole hate speech thing that we keep debating for back and forth, um, he blames me that I'm causing, uh.
hate speech, and I'm not, I'm just telling you that he defended… time is up. Going back to the line, the next person, it says Rosen. Please unmute and give us your name and municipality. You'll have 3 min. Hi, my name is Mindy Rosen. I live in Cherry Hill. I just had to come. Miss Rosen, we can't hear you. Can you speak into the the phone a little bit clearer? Oh, sorry. Sorry. You're here now? Hi, Mindy Rosen, Cherry Hill. I just had to call in.
Miss Rosen, hold on one second. Let's see if we can turn up the volume a little bit. I don't want to miss your comment. Can you turn up your microphone just to… and we'll restart the clock. I turned it on… it's all the way up. There you go, Ms. Rosen. Now we can hear you. Mr. Shinff, can you please restart the timer for 3 minutes for Ms. Rosen? Okay. Thanks so much. Mindy Rose in Cherry Hill. I just had to call in because this meeting is just so upsetting. And also, I'm calling in agreement with Anne Einhorn and Michael Nussbaum. I hope that you will agree to this, um.
This initiative for an audit, because we need it. We need it desperately at every meeting. There's always something about special education in our community. And tonight is also very frightening. And I thank everyone for calling in and for speaking. But I don't think that these parents need to go through CPAG. or anyone, I think tomorrow you all need to meet with these parents and work it out. This is not. This is this is really, really important.
So I think we can do better. We don't need intermediaries. We need you to meet with these parents, Dr. Morton, and… Members of the board meet with them tomorrow. This can't go on like this. This is… This is horrible. So, as someone who has fought for special education, my. for 35 years to hear this still happening is just so… troublesome. So, I hope you'll meet with the parents in Woodcrest from Woodcrest tomorrow, and I hope you will.
agreed to this. independent audit that Michael and Anne spoke about so eloquently tonight. And… That's all I really have to say. It's very upsetting. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Going back to the room. Is there anyone else who would like to make second public comment this evening? Please approach the microphone at this time. I don't see any more takers for second public comment in the room. I'm going to go back to the line.
Is there anyone who would like to make second public comment this evening? I do not see anyone online. One last time in the room. Is there anyone else? Okay, I'm going to close second public comment for tonight. And just before we move on to board member comments, I just want to let everybody who came to the meeting know the process so that you understand when you come and make public comment at a board meeting, it is not for the board to go back and forth. If this is your first time at a meeting, it may seem like, why aren't they reacting?
maybe it's that they don't care. That's not what this is. And in the meeting. We are taking your comments, and as you saw, we are all taking them seriously and writing them down. The administration is also here to listen to your comments and write them down. So you're not going to get some formal, direct, like, yes, this is what we're doing at this exact moment, because that's not what the meeting… that's not the process in this kind of a meeting. We are listening to you. We did take your information, and we will be following up. with your concerns. So please don't take our lack of response to you tonight to be a lack of caring or concern for the issues that you raised. I do encourage you, as I encourage everybody, if you have comments that are specific, detailed, do not fit into 3 minutes, any kind of comment.
The best way to communicate with the Board of Education is via email. We do not see your Facebook comments, especially if they're in closed groups and we're not allowed to comment on Facebook as well. So I really encourage you, I know that email is a little bit out of fashion for those of us who grew up in the 90s, we still remember it, but… If you're trying to contact the board, email is really the best way to do that. That way, we can all see your comments, you can write it out the way you want. It's documented, and then there can be a proper response through that channel. That's the best communication channel with us. So I hope that clarifies. I just don't want anybody to feel like.
They came, they spoke for 3 minutes. And then we moved on, because that's that's just the way the meeting is structured. I hope that was pretty clear. I'm going to move on to board member comments. This is the portion of the meeting where board members can discuss what they've the activity they've done since the past meeting as board members, similar to community members, board members will have 3 min. Are there any board members who would like to make board member comments this evening? And I'm going to start over here with Miss Manzano.
I was lucky enough to attend the High School West NHS induction. Our two students from sitting to my right, Lacey and Milana were great at all of their announcing and. I'm speaking about NHS. Something that was really cool to me that I just wanted to share with everyone is they have this book on the stage that every student signs, and it has every NHS member since 1983 from High School West, and I just think that's a really, really cool anecdote to have. So I just wanted to comment on that.
Thank you for keeping that tradition alive. Last week, last week? Yesterday? I didn't remember when it was last week. Mrs. Cummings and I attended the, I don't want to get the title wrong, third grade inventor Gazette Publishing Party at Woodcrest, and it was just amazing. It was so cool to see, um, the authors read their bios. Have the kids excited to show us and come see what they had written. So a really, really fun event. Chris Cummings wants to add anything to that, but thank you so much. Thank you, Miss Manzano. Any other board member comments? Miss Stern.
Um, so before I talk about Board of Education in our schools, which is what I want to talk about tonight as our as our activity in the schools. I just want to make a comment that I think, you know, very powerful public comments tonight from a community. Um, I know all of my fellow board members are very strong hearts and are highly dedicated volunteers that spend a lot of time to try to make sure we oversee our schools are run well, um, and that all of our students feel safe coming to school every day.
And I think there's more for us to discuss on that matter. Regarding, um, the Board of Education and schools. It was an opportunity for the board, several of us were able to spend two full days visiting. We got to 17 out of 18 of our buildings, which was pretty big, which was a pretty big feat. I really want to thank Ms. Verati. helped along with Dr. Morton to organize this, and this is my sixth year on the board. We have never done anything like this, and it was fantastic. It really gave us a chance to, um.
see, um, you know, some amazing things that are going on in our schools to learn a tremendous amount, um, and also to see some areas where, you know. Maybe we could make some… we can make some improvements. I want to specifically mention we got some deep dive learning from multiple leaders in our school buildings and grounds. Um, I really want to, um, shout out to them. Um, Steve Nicole talked in depth with us about some of the significant changes he has made, uh, to running that department.
to ensure that our buildings are well kept, um, that our staff and their needs and the students needs along those that are second, you know, that are part of what the staff bring forward, um, that our buildings really meet the needs of our students, which. It's really important, considering we're making this $363 million investment in our buildings. And, you know, the budget efficiencies that he's put in place was really remarkable, and his commitment to his staff, which is also really important staff wellness.
We got to see many of our special education programs throughout the district, um, and as a parent of a child who went through special ed in Cherry Hill, um, as a chair of the CPAG of our… I'm sorry, CPAG, the special ed, um. committee. It was nice to see the level of commitment we have, and our preschool, of course, which is our. true special education intervention. So, um, I'll leave it there. Um, it was… it was a great day, and, uh, thank you.
Thank you. Any other board member comments? Dr. Dreisen. Yes, I just wanted to go on record to echo Miss Stern's comments at the beginning for the community's awareness. I also am a Woodcrest parent. Thank you, Dr. Driesen. Anyone else? Miss Palmer. So, first of all, I do want to thank everyone who spoke tonight for your engagement. It is heard, and it is appreciated. I also want to thank the many, many faculty members that we met with as we toured our schools during that BOE and our schools day.
different things work differently at different levels, and a little bit differently from school to school. Each each community is unique, but what really stood out to me is that we center the students and the well-being of the students in everything that we do. I appreciate that deeply. In terms of board member engagement since the last meeting, I had the opportunity to go spend part of a morning at Cherry Hill West the Friday before Valentine's Day for the annual Character Education Breakfast, which was.
Absolutely a highlight for me. For those of you who have not been there in the past, it's an opportunity to recognize the students who are making a difference in their schools. outside of the classroom, beyond academics, and some of those intangible ways that they're really making an impact and making their mark. So that was incredibly inspirational for me, and happened to be there at the same time that they were doing the, uh, the… was it Lion's Love Day? Um, which was just cool. On my way out of the building, I was able to stop by, see the kids coming up, engaging, getting their ice cream, doing their crafts.
Just a nice, feel-good kind of break, break in their morning. So, kudos to the team at West that put both of those events together. And I think that is it for me for this week. Miss Cummings. Thank you, and thank you for all of your comments this evening. As far as board member engagement goes, as Miss Manzano said, we did attend the… 3rd grade inventors, publishers, Gazette, or is that right?
Inventors Gazette publishing party. It was fantastic. It was in their little Apr. And it was just a great way, a great extension of learning and really to see… It's great to see the students take ownership of their project. In addition to that, I think two weeks ago, I attended International Night at Sharp Elementary. So I typically attend this event as a parent and a community member, but this year I attended as a Board of Education representative.
Which was pretty exciting. So we saw about 400 people in and out of the building at this event this year. And it was really exciting to watch this event grow from what it started as when I was running it. 8 or 9 years ago, um, to receiving 400 people and being in two different spaces. We had our APR, we have our brand new APR, where we saw a flag parade represented of 21 different countries with children and students.
in traditional cultural dress, and then we had, I think, upwards of 8 to 10 performances, lion dances, um, all sorts of cultural dances, but the best part, and I think what people talk about the most when they come to this event is the food. And, like, for any board member who has been there previously, you know how much food is there. Did she remove the food out of the hallway and into the the old Apr, which is now the lunchroom. And it was, you know, easy to navigate, and it was pretty exciting. I tried Vegemite for the first time.
And then we'll leave it there. But anyway, it was really great to see this event grow in the way it does, and I share this because, like, now more than ever, it is important to remember that, you know, our differences don't divide us. They enrich the world in which we all live, and by continuing to create spaces where every culture is valued and every family feels welcomed, we strengthen that unity, and we help our children grow into thoughtful, empathetic, and globally aware citizens.
Thank you. Dr. Braddock. I usually don't speak without having notes in front of me, so you'll forgive me if I'm winging this, but I just wanted to the Woodcrest parents, not just thank you, but commend you because this isn't easy. It didn't seem easy. And I know it's not, and the way it was described by those at the mic, both sides of the discussion. Very difficult to do, and I, as the father of two very young daughters who would be going through the Cherry Hill school system was moved by everything everybody said. And I can't speak for the board. I can't speak for others, but I I really did take to heart what everybody said, and I hope that we can.
have this discussion among us moving forward as well. I know we always say that you're heard, but I can only speak for myself to say. I don't get moved much, but I was moved tonight. I'm kind of a… I got a cold black dead heart, and today you guys woke it up. So thank you all. I commend you all, and II hope we can take this discussion forward. That's nonsense. He's really the board softie. Don't listen to him. Only with respect to my daughters and my dog, and my wife. Your wife first. Good save. Anyone else?
Anyone else? All right, I'm going to talk a little bit about Boe in our schools, which was 2 days. The second day was secondary level was middle and high school, and the thing that I want to talk about was that at both high schools we saw great examples of student leadership and students growing programs that are meaningful to them at high school east. We saw the Speech and Debate Club, which has grown from just a few kids a few years ago into a huge cadre of really wonderful students who are competitive and active and winning all kinds of awards. It was something that was built off student interest and is really successful at East. You can see the enthusiasm among the students.
I asked a question about how do you think this activity will help you in your future? And the answers I got were amazing, like people saying, well, I want to be a doctor one day, and communication is important, or I really want to express myself politically, and this is a good training ground for that. So it was really neat. At High School West. We got to visit the AFJ ROTC program, who many of you will remember who were on the board a couple of years ago when there was conversations around the budget and the viability of that program, because it was really struggling. We came to a meeting, and there was an emphatic plea from students and parents and people in the audience to come before the board and say, this is something that we really need, we believe in, it's important to us, please help us. Well, I will tell you that the people that are in place there now have grown the program and exceeded their growth targets.
There are over 50 students now participating in that valuable program. It's a legacy program at High School West. So I say this to commend the students in that program for believing in their program, for continuing to grow it, and to help it really thrive and come back as the program that it should be. And also to say that, you know. It is very difficult to come to a board meeting, come to the microphone about something that's important to you. I also think that the advocacy can sometimes bear good fruit.
In the future. So I guess that's… That was one of my takeaways from the VOE in our schools among the many takeaways that we have. Any other board member comments. All right, seeing none, I'm going to move on to Superintendent's comments and Dr. Morton, I will turn it over to you. Thank you, Miss Winters. I just want to make a couple comments. First and foremost, congratulations to Dr. Kathagna on his official board approval. The recommendation as principal for high school East. I've known Dr. Confining for a very long time, and he is truly an outstanding human being.
As was expressed multiple times this evening as well. I also want to echo Dr. Braddock's statements about the families from Woodcrest who have come out. Definitely takes a tremendous amount of courage to do so. And you know, clearly. We recognize that all that spoke tonight are speaking out of concern for their children, and to ensure the safety of their children. We absolutely share those those same goals. And I also believe it's important to echo.
some comments that we heard tonight that it's important that we do not single out students at all. And I don't believe that was necessarily the intention, but what can happen, the way things land, is that it could point to specific students. The appropriate manner to address the concerns would be to, you know, continue to work with the administration. I know that Mr. Guy has been involved in his role as director of elementary education. I'm aware that he's worked very closely with Mr. Mccartney. I was the principal at Woodcrest, as has Miss Mallory and members of our team as well. Addressing student needs can be complex. The idea that the district is withholding.
supports is really counterintuitive to the goals and the vision that we have for have as a district. to just be factual, Woodcrest actually has more supports provided in the building in terms of manpower, probably more this year than… well, definitely more this year than any year within the last 5 years. But again, addressing student needs can be complex, and it's important that we do so in a way that provides. safety for all kids involved, and I acknowledge that wholeheartedly. Uh, we will be reaching out to the families, and we'll continue the conversation, we'll continue to work on the situation, and we will ensure that things improve, they improve quickly.
And improve dramatically. But I do not want there to be a message that is a lack of acknowledgement, or there's been a lack of effort this year, because that… that… that is… that's not, uh, definitely not the case. Um, and then in closing, Mr. Short shared a few comments that there have been comments that have been echoed quite frequently. The meeting of the Board of Education is just that. Board meetings are meetings of the Board of Education, where our Board of Education.
Does their work in public. The superintendent does not have jurisdiction to censor. community members for making public comments. If an individual comes up and makes a public comment, as we see frequently, our board solicitor or our board president will, you know, provide some comments if the… we'll provide us. Some comments to reframe if there are concerns with the comments that are being made. In reference to.
a statement about changing start times of schools and offense and parents reaching out to to me. That's just not factual that that has never happened at all. Um, and with that, I will close. Thank you once again, everyone, for their comments. Thank you for a very good meeting. We'll continue to work hard to improve. And to get better. Thank you. And with that I am going to make a motion to adjourn the meeting. Do I have a second?
Ms. Cummings, all those in favor? The meeting is adjourned.