##VIDEO ID:kUorZqw3pZI## for e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e Christmas Miss Peterson will you please introduce yourself hello my name is Peterson and I'm here to interpret any public comments in Spanish to English thank you can we make sure that mic is turned up for the next speaker welcome to everyone here and those of you joining us virtually to this December 10th Dober Board of Education meeting for those who wish to provide public comment remotely a Google form was posted on the district website at 6:30 p.m. and those remote comments will be addressed in the second public comment section this meeting which is hereby called to order at 6:31 p.m. is in compliance with the notice requirements of the law public notice was posted in the office of the Board of Education and communicated to the municipal clerk and daily record on January 9th 2024 can we please rise for the flag salute I pledge allegiance fled States Mr sabahu may we have a roll call M ESO Miss DS pres Mr Miller here miss nting here miss Phillips here miss penales here Dr Senor present miss sones here miss mandz here miss nuty I didn't give you advanced notice but will you please read our mission statement sure working together as a community our mission is to Welcome All and provide opportunities for our students in a SE and accepting learning environment to become creative empathetic resilient and to choose to make an impact thank you Miss nting um we're going to start off our presentations this evening uh Mr Heyman do you want to um kick us off tonight I ask that we hold a moment of silence for a longtime educator in do Shirley Jerome Miss Jerome began her career in do Public School schools in September of 1961 having retired on June 30th of 2015 Mr Ron's career with do spans over five decades while she had a few breaks in her service to do she dedicated over 40 years of life to the students of do public schools and truly significant achievement as we hold a moment of silence for Char Jerome led us reflect on her incredible contributions celebrate the Legacy she left behind and carry forward the spirit of compassion and Excellence she brought to our district our thoughts are with with her their family friends and all those lives they touched let us share in a moment of silence thank thank you um we're going to skip over my farewell address and we're going to go to the um unsung superhero award Miss Peterson will you please join us thank you so much for the opportunity to be here tonight it really is a privilege when a district you know takes the time to honor one of their staff and you know this is called The Unsung superhero award because sometimes we it's those staff that helping us behind the scenes do the work to be able to accomplish the great things that we can do for our students so tonight it is my privilege and pleasure to be here um to offer congratulations to Rosemary chamber imz for being selected um as the New Jersey school board association's 2024 unsung superhero and education award in the area of cafeteria and Food Service um and this award program like I said um celebrates the invaluable contributions of School District staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure their school runs smoothly and provides a safe and nurturing environment for all students so when this award you know opportunity came forward it was your superintendent then um who who nominated Rosemary so we were so excited to be able to receive this nomination and to be able to acknowledge her um so some of the things things that were shared um in the nomination is that Rosemary is known for being a welcoming presence in the middle school for all students and staff and always smiling every day that was my favorite part um and said that Rosemary is a positive approach to problem solving and never hesitates to help anyone in need she boost Morel among staff and students people that she comes across every day so on behalf of New Jersey Schoolboard Association it is my privilege um to present rosem Marie with the 2024 unsung superhero award and to express our thanks for her dedication to the students and the staff of the Dober Public Schools sounds like you have definitely deserved it right thank you yes thank you yeah I was gonna ask if we could if we could get a picture for for our school board notes okay that would be perfect yes go ahead Y no you're gonna go up there [Applause] Mr Hyman thank you to our unsung heroes to the incredible staff and unsung heroes of our school district thank you for your unwavering dedication and tireless efforts your work often goes unnoticed but it is the backbone of our success and the foundation of our students achievements whether in classrooms offices cafeterias or behind the scenes your contributions make a profound profound difference every single day you inspire support and nurture our community and for that we are deeply grateful thank you for all that you do you are truly appreciated so thank you and now for the moment I have been dreading my Farewell Address so good evening friends Neighbors and my beloved Dover Community three years ago we made history together you placed your trust in me electing me as the first openly transwoman to serve in public office in our great state of New Jersey but that moment wasn't just about me it was a testament to the power of possibility and the strength of our shared vision for a brighter future two years ago we made history again this time you my fellow board members unanimously entrusted me with the role of president of the Board of Education together we embarked on a journey filled with growth triumphs and overcoming barriers throughout it all we stayed true to our mission to create a learning environment where every student can Thrive every family feels seen and every staff member is empowered to shape the Next Generation together we achieved incredible milestones we approved hundreds of curricula designed to prepare students for a future filled with opportunity we maintained a balanced budget without compromising the quality of Education we implemented policies focused on equity inclusivity and student achievement we fostered a culture of transparency accountability and inclusion we celebrated thousands of students walking across across the stage at graduation we came together at school events that brought joy and unity to our community and we ensured our Educators and staff had the resources to inspire and guide The Leaders of Tomorrow John Quincy Adams once said if your actions Inspire others to dream more learn more do more and become more you are a leader it has been the honor of a lifetime to lead this board and I hope that my time as president has inspired all of you to dream boldly to learn Without Limits and to become the best versions of yourselves to our students the world may try to bind you to systems and structures that make success seem unattainable but you have the power to break free you can become inventors lawyers doctors teachers or even president of the United States education is your greatest tool to shatter barriers and rewrite the rules so please use it boldly to our trans and non-binary youth the despite the messages you might hear in the media or from those with agendas know this you have power You are Loved You Belong you deserve save spaces to run play grow and Thrive I promise to never stop fighting for a world where your life is valued and celebrated and if you ever need a community a safe space a family Edge New Jersey is your home at Edge New Jersey our mission is to respond compassionately and responsibly to those living with HIV those at risk and the lgbtq plus communities by providing Supportive Services housing opportunities prevention strategies and education to enhance the community we serve to our staff you are the backbone of this District to the administrative team in the Belmont building thank you for keeping the district running to our principles thank you for your unwavering support of staff and students to the cafeteria workers and janitors and security guards thank you for making our schools welcoming safe and and functional to our Paras and teachers thank you for equipping our students with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate an Ever Changing World excuse me I talk a lot um your dedication seen and unseen makes all the difference to my fellow board members serving alongside you has been the privilege of a lifetime thank you for your trust and partnership as my time as president comes to an end I am confident this board will continue to protect public education uplift our most vulnerable students and families and uphold the values of equity and inclusivity to Mr Miller and Miss Phillips I could not have asked for better vice presidents your leadership and friendship have been invalu and I am forever grateful for your support thank you Mr Hime the future of this district is in good hands always stay true to your integrity remain steadfast in your commitment to our students and always make decisions with their best interests at heart and to the Dober Community thank you for the privilege of serving you though my time on the board of education is ending my commitment to this community is far from over I am excited to serve in new ways and invite you to stay tuned for a very special announcement so as we close this chapter and look to the Future let us remember our work is not finished but together we can continue to dream more learn more do more and become more Michelle Obama once said the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work hard for them so thank you do thank you for believing in me actually thank you for believing in us let's keep making history together thank you [Applause] thank you we still have a meeting to do okay um so we're going to move right along into public comment and this portion of public comment is on agenda items only the board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on school matters to ensure fair and orderly expression of such comment each statement shall be held to a time period of 3 minutes public comments limited to items on this agenda shall be entertained for approximately 30 minutes upon the discretion of the presiding officer please understand that public comment portions of our agenda are not structured as question and answer sessions but rather they are offered as opportunities to share your thoughts with the board the board may or may not respond to public comments however all comments are considered and will be investigated and addressed as appropriate please be courteous and mindful of the rights of others when providing comments comments may not be abusive obscene threatening or irrelevant please understand that students and employees have specific legal and privacy protections the board is not permitted to respond in public to comments about students or employees please be advised that you are commenting at your own risk any public comments that are directed at a particular individual or individuals could subject you to Legal liability for defamation with that public comment is now open is there any member of the public wishing to speak on agenda items only seeing none public comment is now oh I'm sorry I'm so sorry he's coming his hands are full all right good evening John kigo 24 Taylor toown Road monville tacted tacted is The Knack of making a point without making an enemy a very special quote from Isaac Newton that means so much to me I have used this quote as my personal philosophy throughout my professional career to get my message across to those who I'm talking to about challenges we face as Educators being respectful and listening tonight as we celebrate the exceptional efforts of Miss nutting and Miss Mendes I reflect back on that quote once again I sincerely appreciate the time and effort it takes to be a member of this board of education I always feel that we conduct our do meetings in a respectful and cordial man manner these two individuals exemplified that notion and served their community in a fierce but kind way and they most certainly have the tact that Newton so eloquently spoke of Miss nutting your devotion and dedication to our students to our staff to our community and to our do family as a whole is greatly appreciated over the past few years you have graciously volunt ered your time for all of us you pushed through the covid-19 pandemic as a member of this board with many of us in this room and I can say with 100% certainty that your Poise and Leadership on this board will be missed thank you so very much Miss Mendes your leadership skill set knowledge base and control over our meetings is something we will all truly miss you are 100% all class and your calm but strong demeanor is something that all leaders should strive to be I can tell you in the years since you have been president of our board I have received countless messages from members who have been eternally grateful for your presence and Poise as our president as a matter of fact I just got one that said she's making me cry we have been so proud to have you represent our district I hope that our next president is able to carry on in the same manner you have set the foundation and blueprint for what every board President should strive to be in this era of Education being a good listener not dominating the conversation being fierce but kind and having that tact without making enemies for that all of us in the do education Association are thankful for you and thankful for Miss nutting tonight and [Music] always can I just add one quick thing okay um so I remember at one of the meetings you were talking about your experience as a student and how um it was difficult for you to open up to teachers sometimes because you didn't know who was your ally who would speak to um so our staff has started some we just got these cards in that say I'm here in support of um lgbtq plus and um we're starting to wear them on our lanyard so that students know that we're here for them and we're allies for them and I just wanted you to know that because I know that it was very important to you and as you exit know that you made a difference and that our students um you know they mean a lot to us and we're here for them so thank you so much thank you [Applause] Mr thank you care care be careful thank you Mr kleo any other member of the public in person wishing to speak seeing none uh this portion of public comment is now closed we're going to move right along um approval of minutes is there a motion to approve the minutes from November 19th so moved second we have a motion by Miss nutting a second by Mr Miller is there any discussion seeing none we have a motion in a second Mr saahu may we have a roll call vote please miss STS yes Mr Miller yes Miss nutting yes Miss Phillips yes Miss penales yes Dr CER yes Miss sones yes Miss mandz yes we are moving along to Communications um the whole board Communications I am aware of are from Miss shower on November 20th with a followup and thank you in reference to a safety issue and Miss Dowling on November 27th with a followup in reference to traffic concerns are there any that I missed no we're right along to the student bread report Mr Lei good evening everyone and happy holidays I hope everyone here had a great Thanksgiving break and I hope everyone is excited for Christmas coming up so I want to start my report by letting everyone know what events we have coming up at the school so we are hosting our annual do holiday wrestling tournament this Saturday and Sunday December 14th and 15 here at the gym which I will also be participating in on Saturday and recently we also had some scrimmages yesterday for girls and boys basketball and our first wrestling match here at our school gym and next week on Monday we are starting Spirit Week leading up to our pep rally that will take place on Friday December 20th and some things going on around the school is our PBIS program also known as our catch a tiger program this program has been recognizing students that go above and beyond in the school students are nominated by teachers and a new student is chosen every month each student will be will be chosen and entered into a raffle to win certain prizes this program has started since October and since then we have recognized about 52 students you can see the list of these students chosen in the main lobby so recently the district also had taken a survey to see what type of pathway students of grades 7 through 11 are interested in the future from the survey it was highlighted the top fields that students were interested in which was medical engineering business and finance arts and media and computer science with this information going forward it's going to be very helpful to us at the high school as it will help create a two to threee plan for the district and help the high school look for New Opportunities like dual enrollment classes with universities or businesses and work-based learning programs with these universities and or businesses and also to wrap up my report I want to say thank you Miss Mendes for everything you've done here and you too Miss nutting I know I haven't been here very long but I appreciate everything you guys have done for us thank you thank you Mr Le are there any comments or questions based off of his report seeing none we are moving along to administrative reports Mr haime good evening everyone I'm going to kick off with our media center at Academy has been completed as we had all the furniture uh delivered and Academy's uh Media Center is now complete with the furniture that has been installed we are thrilled to see the vibrant new space come to life and look forward to our students and staff enjoying it enjoying it uh we had just recently in November uh we had our Latino Institute parent Workshops the Latino parent Workshop was a tremendous success with over 70 parents participating in informative sessions on important topics such as immigrants immigration status uh Stress Management and dangerous social media for our children the event was both educational and Community centered featuring a distribution of 30 turkeys and exciting Raffles that included air fryers TVs microwaves food baskets and toys the meaningful and engaging evening not only provided valuable resources to our support in our families but also strengthen the bond within our community uh on our new website we have we have a new announcement to make we're excited to announce that a new addition to our website has been added you can now explore the board members Bio Section where you will find detailed profiles of our of our dedicated board members and learn more about their backgrounds expertise and commitment to serving our school community so I advise everyone to please visit our website and check out uh the information of the individuals working to support enhance our District's Mission uh we had at northover and hosted at northover but it was a contribution with all the elementary schools our multilingual learner Awards evening which was the first we've had and it was a great celebration of the incredible value of being bilingual emphasizing the importance of the community support as as children adapt to a new culture uh the event was uh resounding success with an incredible turnout that filled the entire gymnasium at North do uh um I had the honor of also being invited to speak where I also shared my personal uh Journey as a ESL student reflected on sacrifices that our families make that provide a better opportunity for our childrens and the sacrifices right that even my own mother made coming to this country uh it was a heartfelt evening with highlighted uh the strength and resilience and potential of our multilingual Learners and their families uh School conferences uh we have school conferences in November and I would like to extend an heartfelt thanks to all the schools staff and parents for making this year's parent teacher conferences a tremendous success your active participation and commitment to fostering strong Partnerships between between home and school are invaluable in the growth and success of our students these conferences play a vital role in strengthening connection between our families Educators providing a platform to discuss student progress celebrate achievements and identify opportunities for further support the collaboration and open communication demonstrated during these meetings highlighted our shared dedication to academic and personal developments of every student our dual language committee has kicked and our committee met and I want to make take a moment to express how sincerely uh grateful I am for all of their commitment and collaboration as part of our dual language commit uh committee uh their active participation and thoughtful contributions will highlight an importance work that we are doing to strengthen and expand our dual language program to benefit the students of our community uh midyear uh parent Forum uh I've already sent out the Flyers and I'm going to be Distributing them out for the next couple of weeks so what I'm looking to do is host another parent for year on January 29th at 7 p.m at the Middle School uh Media Center uh this will be an evening to engage our community in conversations about our current goals address any concerns related to Du language explore other critical School related topics and of course once again the community invite you to be part of this insightful evening and share your ideas as it's invaluable that we work together to enhance our school communities I want to speak a little bit about our sixth grade addicts we are currently working to exploring the most cost effective and sustainable Financial options for moving forward with this project our goal is to ensure that the sixth grade Annex aligns with both our budgetary priorities and needs of our school community and we are committed to making thoughtful decisions that will benefit our students and staff for years to come uh the Santa shops have been working uh all um for the last couple of weeks now at the elementary level so I it's great to see the S Shops going up and the ptas are running those for our students so thank you for our ptas uh winter sports are kick uh kicked off so look out for schedules online and come out and support our students and coaches uh instant decision day at Dober High School counseling department uh would like to thank all the students and staff who helped make our instant decision day a success we had nine colleges uh interviewing students over 85 acceptance and 146,000 awarded in Merit Scholarships congratulations a class of 2025 do high school also will host a three three College fairs earlier uh host also host sorry three College fairs ear this year and another schedule for sophomores and juniors in March and our witer concerts are on Way Winter concert season has started North Dober had their Winter concert uh last week which was tremendous success and I want to thank uh the DHS Administration uh for allowing our North D sty students to use the auditorium which was filled to capacity with enthusiastic families the evening featured a delightful performance by the band showcasing classic Christmas music that brought holiday cheer to our audience additionally all 12 chor singers delivered an outstanding performance captivating everyone uh with their talent and dedication uh and the next four winter concerts are tomorrow at Ed uh September December sorry December 11th Academy next week December 16th DMS December 17th and do high school on December 18th and that is all I have thank you thank you Mr hman are there any comments or questions based off of his report seeing none Mr sabahu good evening everyone uh on the agenda in finance section item nine is for our emergency generator at our high school this project is planned to be done during the summer break where at the final stages for the specs and the design from the architect and then we will start biding process also on in finance item 10 as Mr him mentioned is our for our for our sixth grade Annex we're trying to find the best financial route to go with this project using some portion of our capital reserve funds is also something we are considering uh we are working on improving our S pump systems at Academy Street Elementary School both pumps will be replaced and pits will be upgraded to a commercial grade size received a proposal from a CO vendor in the amount of $ 28,100 and finally I want to uh I want to also thank Miss Mendes and Miss nting for their services to the board this concludes my report thank you Mr sabahu are there any comments or questions based off of his report seeing none we're moving along to Bo reports Mr Miller any updates from the Morris County Education Services Commission they meet tomorrow perfect thank you Dr serer legislative report thank you Miss Mendes on Thursday nove November 14th the assembly education committee reviewed testimony from invited guests regarding the New Jersey educator evaluation review task force report the task force created as a result of legislation from earlier in 2024 produced the report and submitted it to Governor Phil Murphy objectives from educator evaluations ensuring teachers have the supports they need and implementing a working group in consultation with the NJ dooe to expand on the work of the task force to create actionable recommendations for districts um remote public meetings um um A1 1858 would allow a public body to conduct a meeting and public business by electronic means under current law such flexibility is permitted only during a state of emergency Public Health Emergency or state of local dis state or local disaster emergency this bill would make the flexibility permanent under the bill any meeting conducted electronically would have to be made open to the public consistent with state law um the counterpart in the Senate has not yet moved um that is all there is more more information of my report which will be in our shared folder thank you thank you Dr serer uh Miss DS the Morris County njsba report good evening the MS mcba meeting was held at mortown high school on on December 4th um I attended in person and the topic of uh the night was effective board culture and it was there's many Pres a by different boards um they also congratulated the Mine Hill Board of Education for receiving the Carol e Larson Master board certification um which is earned in a two-year period sorry um it requires 10 more hours of training over the 16 regular required for the bir board certification so conrat ulations to them um in the program they mentioned retired uh retiring board members which included Miss Mendes and Miss nutting um and they also posted in the program incoming board members in Morris County which included Miss shower and Mr mccort the next meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday February 5th at 6:45 if you on attending please be sure to register this concludes my report thank you thank you Miss STS um we're going to move along to administrative approval is there a motion to approve items one and two under administrative approval so moved second second moved by Miss nutty second by Mr Miller Mr Miller yes yes is there any discussion Dr Ser um I had a question regarding the bus event evacuations is it a requirement that our bus drivers have cell phones there were multiple buses at each School in the district where the cell phone was not present when the bus draw was held the the cell phones that they're using are their personal cell phones and they are required to have with them in case of an emergency or crisis uh but that's something that we can follow up on any other discussion seeing none we have a motion by Miss nutting a second by Mr Miller Mr sabahu may we have a roll call vote please Miss STS yes Mr Miller yes Miss ning yes Miss Phillips yes Miss pelis yes Dr CER yes Miss sones yes Miss manes yes we're moving along to Personnel Miss nutty I would like to make a motion upon the recommendation of the superintendant that the board approves the following Personnel resolutions 1 through 12 I have a motion I need a second second we have a motion by Miss nutting a second by Miss Phillips is there any discussion seeing none we have a motion in a second Mr saahu may we have a roll call vote please miss STS yes Mr Miller yes Miss ning yes Miss Phillips uh I'm going to abstain from number four and yes to everything else Miss peles yes Dr sener yes Miss sones yes Miss mandz yes we're moving along to negotiations Miss nutting so for negotiations we met with the daa on December 4th they have a upcoming meeting in February so good luck with the next committee and speed okay that's it thank you Miss nning we're moving along to governance Mr Miller uh the governance committee did not need to meet however there is a meeting next week a new school board orientation and I trust that the handbook that the governor committee put together will be copied and and Bound for the new members next week along with the Architects uh report on our buildings thank you Mr Miller so Mr saahu did you catch that we're going to send over um all the information he has it already oh you have it so we can print out for new board member orientation on the 17th perfect uh so uh with that I um moving uh first second reading uh one of our bylaws which is just uh indicating the um committee's um memorialized um in the bylaw I have a motion by Mr Miller is there a second second Miss downs we have a motion and a second is there any discussion seeing none we have a motion by Mr Miller a second by misss Mr sabahu may we have a roll call vote please miss STS yes Mr yes Miss ning yes Miss Phillips yes Miss peles yes Dr sner yes Miss sones yes Miss mandz yes we're moving moving along to student achievement and curriculum Dr Senor thank you the student and student achievement and curriculum committee met on December 3rd um we discussed the very full December 2024 professional development schedule which include as Hime already mentioned the Dual language committee meeting um a gifted and talented committee meeting Ela coaching um the SLA committee which is um making sure that there's continuity between what is happening in our Ela and our SLA and creating a homegrown program that meets the needs of our students and the SEI sheltered English instruction cohort um the second of those will finish this month and with that we will have a total of 50 teachers trained in shelter sheltered English instruction for which we should be very proud of our teachers for taking that on to make sure they meet the needs of our bilingual population um we learned about um programs that um move our CTE programs forward Miss nutting shared in information from the njsba workshop and we compared the recommendation from that Workshop um session to what we're doing in do and we are um um following their um suggestions for successful CTE implementation we learned about possible um Partnerships with Morris County vocational school um for programs that our students could attend there um as Mr Le Rec um mentioned we um had about a thousand students respond um between grades seven and 11 regarding the um fields that they're interested in um so that is being used by um District administration to plan our further CTE programs and everything that we are offering including electives um we heard about new course recommendations that the board will see um in the future will'll have to approve those um lots of those are in the fine and Performing Arts and um the dis the high school administration is using um Genesis to ensure that students get the classes they want and they will start scheduling early so that students will have opportunities um um to make sure they get the classes they want and if um classes aren't going to run make a secondary Choice um we learned about Dr Nunes Miss Sarno and Mr Carl attending a panel discussion in the AP language and um composition class um where they talk to students about their careers in education um and we learned about Partnerships a potential partnership with CCM um that concludes my report um I would like to highlight for board members um the amount of PD that we're offering um as item number two and with that move that we approve items one through five under student achievement and curriculum second we have a motion by Dr serer a second by Miss Phillips is there any discussion seeing none we have a motion and a second Mr sabahu may we have a roll call vote please M DS yes Mr Miller yes m n yes Miss Phillips yes Miss felis yes Dr sinner yes Miss SES yes Miss mandz yes uh we're moving along to community relations but miss ASO was not able to be here this evening is there a member of the committee miss solinas good evening everyone the community relations committee met yesterday December 9th at the public library memb Solen pinales aavo and Phillips along with six members of the citizen advisory committee were in attendance the meeting went well and there are a few questions that require followup as for our next meeting we are still coordinating schedules due to the New Year we will notify everyone as soon as the day is finalized they also said they appreciate the highlights of the week that are in our district website that's it thank you Miss solinus uh we're moving along to policy miss peles good evening the policy committee met on December 3rd we discussed policy for we have policy for second reading for second reading we have policy 2423 on bilingual and and education changing the terminology for multilingual instead of ESL students we have the following job descriptions to be revised orne director of Safety and Security director of special education a school Community lion lead Community lion counselor spe for special education and a special education teacher we also review policy 233 has discussed and um advice to us in our past meeting on homework with that I would like to make a motion to approve policy items one to two on their policy thank you Miss peles uh is there a second second we have a motion by Miss pinales a second by Miss nutting is there any discussion seeing none we have a motion in a second Mr sabahu may we have a roll call vote please miss DS yes Mr Miller yes yes Miss ning yes Miss Phillips yes Miss peles yes Dr cner yes Miss SES yes Miss mandz yes we are moving along to finance and Facilities Mr Miller yes the finance and Facilities committee met on November 26th um we talked about a number of projects uh we did talk about a spatialization plan for another property potentially IND over uh we talked about HVAC upgrades um the high school gener um Academy Street sub pump and a lot of these projects are very complicated uh so appreciate uh the team that's uh working on all of those uh we had the East over hallway uh painting project completed and uh the playground equipment that was installed um you know and funded by the Jets I know that's a project that's ongoing to remediate some problems on the playground right now so it's closed hoping that will be open uh very soon um and um I think that concludes my report and I would like to move items uh one through 15 second we have a motion by Mr Miller a second by Miss nutting is there any discussion Mr Miller then Dr s uh I just wanted to thank uh Maria barard uh who there was a donation of $450 from the class of 20 14 for the scholarship fund that was my son's class so I know them very well so I want to thank them for that Dr s I have two questions and a comment um C can you please explain the transfer from the facilities acquisition and Construction Services line I can see that $4.1 million was moved out but I can't see where it went uh uh that went from F2 to fun 30 uh because of the rod Grand projects okay thank you and we are purchasing a generator for the high school part of the reason for the generator purchase has been to make Dober High School more accessible as an emergency facility in the case of a town emergency what efforts have been made to share this cost with the town uh they had a conversation uh and they fully support it but we didn't talk about the financial okay thank you um additionally I would like to thank Ms chuning for applying for the Laura Bush grant for books for the DHS media center and Dr Kina for applying for the Tri-State blue schools Grant um and tremendous amount of extra work on behalf of our students so thank you to both of them thank you any other discussion seeing none we have a motion by Mr Miller a second by Miss nutting Mr sabahu may we have a roll call vote please M DS yes Mr Miller yes Miss ning yes Miss Phillips uh yes with an exstension to payments to vendor 1950 Miss pelis yes Dr CER yes Miss SES yes Miss mandz yes we are moving along to informational items so upcoming meetings January 2nd is this board's reorganization meeting um with a snow date of January 3rd um upcoming trainings Dr serer um a lot of trainings uh you'll see in the chart in the agenda um I would like to highlight all the train that is required for returning members or newly elected members that you will have to complete um pretty quickly um once it starts so there are dates up um through February that you can plan um to complete those mandated trainings thank you Dr serer uh facility requests we have the teacher student talent show um sponsoring group Dober Education Foundation and Academy Street School PTA um then we have an annual banquet for students uh do band boosters is that the spaghetti dinner no the students have a band banquet at the end of the year to celebrate all of their achievements okay let say did I miss something because I don't want to miss the spaghetti dinner um okay we're moving along to Old business are there any items of old business seeing none we're moving along to new business Mr Miller yes I attended the uh New Jersey school boards Association delegate assembly this past Saturday um there was an address from Dr Pernell who's the executive director of New Jersey school boards and the what he focused in on is really the mission of New Jersey school boards and he focused particularly on content connection and advocacy so in the the realm of uh content he uh talked about the New Jersey school board's website was refreshed so if you go to that site you notice it's it's different it does look better more navigable um and in January they're going to debut a new board self- evaluation tool uh they mentioned that this has not changed in 15 years and it'll be more focused on individual contributions so look forward to that um and there will be a revamp of the new board member orientation in January so um they'll have more guest speakers I think the the new uh training uh information goes Live January 2nd uh they did stress a need for you to sign up as soon as possible uh January 24th the 26th or February 21st the 23rd um and then they did recognize a growing number of certified boards uh it went from 14 last year to 25 this year um under connection uh there's a lot of Partnerships uh with New Jersey school boards uh to advance public education uh they've been partnering with the New Jersey League of municipalities New Jersey Association of counties uh and New Jersey Department of Education um and they talked about that 60% of New Jersey schools are now part of the Sustainable New Jersey for schools and I don't think that's something that we're involved in at this point in time as far as I don't know we're not okay something to look at um and then I know I mention mentioned this one other time but there's a New Jersey school boards Association connection platform which is like a chat area um blog area for uh or all members uh that are on school boards it's wealth of information so I encourage everybody to take a look at that um they talked about advocacy and uh some of the laws that I I know that you've already mentioned the bill on student literacy um and then there's efforts now to Revis the the funding formula which kind of scares me because I don't know what that means um and they're looking for uh new ways for to connect board members and legislators to try to make things happen in a quicker fashion okay so um and then January is New New Jersey school board's recognition month so they wanted to make sure they put that out there so there were uh six resolutions uh that were put forward uh for the delegates um want to mention that the resolutions came out very late um but ironically the first resolution um which was recommended for approval was approved is changing the bylaws for New Jersey school boards to ensure that they bring the resolutions out sooner so that there would be time that school boards can meet and actually disc disc them ahead of time so that they can come to a consensus on what their voting delegate is going to do when they go a lot of times most of the time they are very late only within a couple of weeks do the the resolutions come out so um so that was voted in favor uh the second um resolution was supporting the publication of board meetings notices electronically rather than in two newspapers to save money Mone so when they make these recommendations and it's their belief that that this should happen it doesn't mean that it's happening right away it just means it's being used as a vehicle to try to get legislation to change so that we can do this electronically in various uh forums as opposed to spending all the money we do on newspapers which really nobody is looking at at this time so that was approved um by school boards 82% of the people were in favor uh the second one was from the keny Board of Education and they proposed new language in res in in their um policy for attendance regulations that should include a state excused absence for students who are completing procedural steps necessary for the enlistment in the United States military so part of the discussion was that the current uh policies for attendance are negatively affecting uh students who are seeking to go into the military so um so they believe that that these regulations should be changed to allow for those students to attend whatever they need for their preliminary training going into the military so there 95% of the delegates were in favor of that uh the the next resolution which was proposed by the Verona Board of Education um in what they indicated is that in all new pilot agreements between municipalities and developers the funds paid to the municipality shall be shared with the school district at the same proportional rate as the taxable property so um this was uh approved 97% in favor uh so hopefully legislation will be passed so that um you know the these agreements will will make it Equitable um with the school district because there are so many other expenses that we have that even though our taxes pay for it it it's a disadvantage to the school district not to receive the extra funds uh the next resolution was from the planfield Board of Education uh this uh resolution um uh was cre additional language uh to to enable uh local districts to develop criteria that are aligned with educational standards that reflect the diversity and distinct needs of all students residing in our communities so in some districts there's a need for different uh types of curriculum um and so that was also voted in favor the the delegates the next resolution also from planfield uh um that uh was not in favor what they were looking for was they were their their statement was basically tasking the state of New Jersey um and the education department to look at every school name uh in the state and if the school name is related to anyone in history that promoted slavery and any other acts they would want the name changed so there was 's a lot of discussion about that and the fact that first of all the belief system for New Jersey school boards cannot tell any entity what to do but second of all that the the belief for most of the folks there was that um the local community needs to make that decision if they want to make changes to their school names and the last um resolution uh also from planfield um was a belief that the local Boards of Education should exercise existing statutory Authority uh to develop criteria curricula that reflects the diversity and distinct needs of all students residing in their communities and supporting State educational standards while allowing districts the flexibility to address student development needs including local history and other community specific issues Into The Learning Experience aimed at fostering academic success social equity and emotional well-being and that was also approved and that concludes my report Mr Miller when we talk about seeing and unseen work um a lot of the work that you do right we don't see it as our delegate so first of all thank you for all of that work because I know you spend sometimes many Saturdays you know all day at some of these assem so thank you but I when I think about this board and an area for improvement I think we um as we move forward we need to truly understand what it is that our delegate um does and also um use that right because that's power I don't think we we have used that power enough um so I think we need to really bolster um that and and that's one of the things that I want to ensure next year that we look at ways to come up with things that would strengthen our ability to educate our students um I know that there are some uh inequities that we have now in in the educational system that we could address and I think that we could sit down and have a workshop for the board to talk about where you find the bylaws I mean there's a lot of email that goes out and a lot of information in training but it doesn't really get into the details and even when you do look at it it's it's not easy to understand um so I definitely want to be in that place where we do have the resolutions out ahead of time so that the board can review them and then can have a discussion so um that's something that we definitely need to do as a board for next year thank you Mr Miller are there any other items of new business Mr has one all right um I want to take this opportunity and really thank uh Miss Mendes and Miss nutting for your service to dor public schools and we wanted to really uh just admire all the work that you've done I know that I've only been in the position of superintendent only for a short time um but in the last few years as a principal uh here in Dober and being part of the community and working with our staff I've had an opportunity to really see your work coming in and the changes that we've been making as a whole and uh wish you got have stayed a little bit longer uh to continue seeing the growth that we're doing we're we're moving in a great Direction and we're excited uh so with that we wanted to provide you both with a certificate of acknowledging for all the hard work you've done here for our students our staff and our community [Applause] and after our meeting stick around for some cake yes [Applause] okay any other items of new business I do oh I'm gonna go first okay um so I know that some of the board members do want to say some some things to you I'm going first okay um I'm GNA keep it short there will be no tears okay I was hoping for that um but I really just want to take a moment to thank Miss nutting and Miss Mendes and let you both know how much I have truly enjoyed working with both of you uh Miss nutting our connection goes back long before we sat at this board table not sure that anybody knows this but my son and Miss nutting's oldest son played wreck basketball together in the fifth and sixth grade and my husband was his coach at one point my son is 23 so this was a long time ago and just yesterday we sat together at votch and watched our girls play basketball as well so we've known each other for quite some time and I remember having conversations with you going way back about concerns that you had with respect to just different pieces of the district and the difference is in you didn't just voice those concerns with me right you stepped up you joined this board and you became an advocate for our students and that's not something that everybody is willing to do so I definitely admire you for that uh Miss Mendes our history is a little bit shorter um and to be honest did not start off on the best foot admittedly I remember when you first joined the board I had a conversation with Dr sener where I told her that I would work with you because you were on the board but that I did not like you so now fast forward to a few years later and I can honestly say that you are one of my favorite people you have made a significant difference on this board I believe you have set a very high standard for what it means to be president you never shy away from asking tough questions or sharing unpopular opinions and that courage is something that most people people are not willing to show that is a quality that I deeply respect and one that I believe has benefited this board tremendously I can honestly say I've learned so much from the both of you I will not say that I'll miss you because I'm going to see you on a regular basis but I will say that I will miss seeing you sitting at this table thank you thank you Miss Mr Miller uh well first I want to mention something about Tia and and we've been through a lot together on this board and some tough times but I really appreciate you were always calm always cool and a team player in working together um and I remember one time when you were running for the board and I was also running for the board she came to my door and knocked on and I really appreciate that we had a great conversation on my front porch um it's not about it's not a political thing it's just in people wanting to work with our district and to bring um the best education forward for our children and so I really appreciate that and I've learned a lot from you uh and Miss Mendes um had a great time being your vice president but I've learned a lot from you as well um the team Dynamic that you have promoted on this board has been phenomenal phenomenal I mean we've had so many new board members and to be able to bring everybody together to work well as a team is a tribute to your leadership so I thank you thank you Mr [Applause] Miller Dr Ser sorry I'm right Miss Mendes thank you so much for your three years on the board um you are one of the people that I know puts your heart and soul into this job for people at home you see us for a couple of hours if we're lucky maybe more on a Tuesday night once a month this job encompasses so much more than just the few hours that you can watch us on YouTube um committee meetings preparation for committee meetings um preparation for this board meeting I've never added up the pages because they're all digital but I feel like there must be over 300 Pages for a normal meeting that have to be read digested questions asked thoughts formulated and I know from day one probably M day minus 100 when you knew you were running you've done that work and the respons responsibility as president in coordinating everything that happens behind the scenes in addition to being on the hot seat is not a responsibility to take lightly and adds a ton more time um and responsibility and stress um to your already busy life so I just wanted to say um how much I appreciate that you stepped up three years ago and have worked so hard on behalf of our students and staff Miss nutting I had to write yours I'm sorry oh and I know you're there Tia nutting has been an invaluable member of the do board of education for the last six years as a graduate of do high school and the mother of three do students she has been a tireless advocate for all of our Dober students for much longer than the six years she has served on the board of education Tia has served on almost all of the board committees during her tenure but she has really left her mark on two of them in the curricul committee and at board meetings Tia is a Relentless advocate for our special education population making sure that this group of students is truly treated as equals and that they receive not only the services that they need and are entitled to by law but are truly included in every aspect of Education here in do all of our children and especially our special education students are now better educated thanks to miss nutting Miss nutting has also served for many years on our negotiations committee often considered one of the most difficult committees duee to its intense meeting schedule as well as emotionally intense as the board attempts to reach an equitable contract that supports excellent education while finding common ground with the bargaining unit former board members that I spoke to that worked with Miss nutting on negotiations praised her for often finding the solution that brought both sides of the table into agreement on a personal note I will say that Tia has made me a better board member by always sharing her sometimes differing perspective holding me accountable for doing my best work wherever I sat at this table and by being a sounding board and someone that I could always trust to be available to talk to tell me the truth and make decisions with our children's needs first in her mind our district has been blessed that Tia nutting chose to donate countless hours over the last six years for our students and staff you will be missed [Applause] may I miss miss PES the Miss as a new member I would like to thank you both of you for giving me a warm welcome it gave me a great lasting impression on both of you your open-mindedness and contributions to the D Community um Daniela I'm going to miss your stylish aits um and but most of all your leadership is outstanding and tia special needs um students will miss you and we hope that we can all live up to that um I really admire you thank you both I wish you the best in anything you endeav thank you Miss finales Miss n you have been on the board for two terms that is a large chunk of family time you have been ful team player and an eager student as I recently have witnessed at Workshop um you have offered your opinions on countless occasions and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from your example you should be proud of the work you have done on this board and I hope that you will be able to cherish the remaining school years with your family thank you for your time and commitment mes your commitment was ever present throughout your term on the board as a member and the two years you have served as president you have Pro proven to be transparent dedicated and fair in your work for the entire District most importantly you have been respectful calm and humorous which helped create a cohesive board thank you for pulling through on our superintendent search you did very well with keeping us all on track and I am extremely grateful that you took on the task with such confidence you should be proud of the work you have done on our board I am proud to have learned from you and worked with you on the diver Board of Ed and although you will be missed I wish you much success moving forward thank you thank you [Applause] Miss I would like to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to Tia and danela for all the work dedication and hours you poured into being member of the Dober Board of Education your commitment has made a real difference and your effort will be remembered and appreciated by all of us I special thank you go sud danela for going the extra mile to make us feel welcome and part of the team so thank you both for everything thank you wow that was a unanimous uh that was pretty cool um are there any other items of new business no so seeing none we're going to move along into public comment um the board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on school matters to ensure fair and orderly expression of such comment each statement shall be held to a time period of 3 minutes public comments not restricted to items on this agenda shall be entertained for approximately 30 minutes upon the discretion of the presiding officer for those who wish to provide public comment remotely a Google form was posted on the district website at 6:30 p.m. remote comments will be read by a member of the Board of Education the Board of Education will alternate between inperson and online comments please understand that public comment portions of our agenda are not structured as question and answer sessions but rather they are offered as opportunities to share your thoughts with the board the board May may or may not respond to public comments however all comments are considered and will be investigated and addressed as appropriate please be courteous and mindful of the rights of others when providing comments comments may not be abusive obscene threatening or irrelevant please understand that students and employees have specific legal and privacy protections the board is not permitted to respond in public to comments about students or employees please be advised that you're commenting at your own risk any public comments that are direct that are directed at a particular individual or individuals could subject you to Legal liability for defamation that is one thing I will not miss um with that public comment is now open are there any members of the public in person wishing wishing to speak good evening Susan shower 346 West Clinton Street in Dover and I think for the last time I will be making my public comment here at the board meeting from this side of the table in any case um what a wonderful evening tonight and what a wonderful tribute to both you Daniela and tia I want to also add my thanks and congratulations to both of you for your service to our school district uh as you know it is a a thankless job for as big as those thank yous are it's not ever going to be enough stepping up and serving your students in such a selfless manner is um it's a unique experience not everyone will do it there will be one out of a hundred that try to do it um but not everyone does it well and and you both did it very very well I've always said that leaders come at a time often leaders come at a time when they are especially needed and I believe Daniela you stepped in at the most appropriate time through um through turbulence through change through evolution of the board you had a steady hand and and you truly did set the new tone for the do board and and I appreciate that and uh I'm sure that as all of the board members said they all appreciate it so that's that's a recognition and we see students giving back to their school Maria brard um those proceeds came from the class of 2014 from their 10year reunion that was just two months ago I think um that's amazing Maria valedictorian and Harvard graduate from do high school giving back showing up at their 10year reunion they had such a great time and I think that speaks volumes to the type of students we have here in do our staff uh as Mr Coniglio said our staff is phenomenal um and I am very very happy to see a name that appeared on the agenda tonight Mr Bullock returning to our district um it makes me happy and it makes me proud to see these things happening and I'm I'm so glad that I will be now part of it again and I will do everything that I can Tia thank you for your Steady Hand hand on the board I remember you coming to board meetings um with your frustrations about parking at the middle school and I'm really sorry that that situation really hasn't improved a whole lot but you've done so many more things um for special education for the reading program and special education you really have left your mark so thank you very much thank you everyone thank you Miss Miss Phillips do we have any more comments no no is there any other member of the public in person wishing to speak seeing none uh no other remote comments no okay so this portion of public comment is now closed um are there any final items board members would like to address comment Miss nutty I was going to wait until the very end to say my not a farewell but goodbye and thank you for everything that everyone has has um worked hard it's not just one of us it is a team of us um and I mean a team of us as board members as staff teachers we are a community that works together and we will continue to work together um yes I did come on here a big supporter of special education and I will continue to do that um if you have not seen the last of me because my plan is to hopefully I have some parents out there that will like to get together and start a group when we can talk and know that you're not alone um that you are your frustrations are you have other people to talk to um for our students um that have ipps or any other concerns that you are not alone we can work together that is your your strength and your education to never take no as an answer and to always push forward um so hopefully going forward you will see me around to do different things but still here thank you everyone I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart so for the final time is there a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7 48 p.m. so moved second we have a motion by Mr Miller a second by Miss nutting um all in favor say I I any oppose good night everyone thank you oh and apparently there's cake coming where is it it's in the back the back okay there's cake in the back let's enjoy cake