Fair lawn community. Thank you all so much for being here. We are um we're really looking forward to our celebrations this evening. It's so incredible to see so many members of our community present to celebrate our
incredible staff and all their incredible years of service. So to get started, let me give Mr. The public hearing of budget adoption of
April 30th, 2026 was reconvened at 7:46 p.m. and called to order at Memorial Middle School Media Center, 1200 First Street, Fairine, New Jersey. I'm gueststimating here that there are about 75 members of the public.
>> Can I get a roll call? Present. >> Miss Brown. >> Present. >> Mr. Leah. >> Present. >> Mr. >> President. >> M. Corina. >> Present. >> Mr. >> President. >> Mr. Rosenberg.
>> Here. >> Mr. Santana. >> Present. >> Mrs. >> President. The New Jersey open public meeting law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings of the public bodies
at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon in accordance with the provisions of this act. The Fairone Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be published by having the date, time, and place thereof distributed to the persons on the approved list, posted in the
board of education administrative office, and sent to the Burban Record and the Herald News. The announcement for the public hearing budget adoption along with the date, place, and time thereof was initially distributed in February 27th, 2026. Please join me in the flag.
I pledge to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Okay. Can I get a motion to reaffirm
policy 0164? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Dr. Bertini. Yes, >> Miss Brown. >> Yes, >> Miss Leia. >> Yes, >> Miss Velvich. >> No,
>> Miss Coriva. >> I apologize. What are we voting for? >> The reaffirmation of policy 0164. >> No. >> Missy? >> Yes. >> Mr. Rosenberg? >> Yes. >> Mr. Santana?
>> No. >> Mrs. Man, >> yes. >> Motion carries. Good evening. It is so great to see our students reps here. We have Ezra Fineman, Fairlon High School
student rep. Sam McGelman, TJ Middle School student rep, and I apologize. Can you pronounce your name for me? Vignes Wrath, Memorial Middle School student rep. Thank you so much. Uh Sammy and Vignash, why don't you start? Just
please make sure to press the button. >> Get ready. Memorial and TJ NGS season here. We're going to kick things off with science for grades five and eight. Then we move to writing, reading, and math for all. I get it. It's not quite spirit week level excitement. But this
is our time to show off our skills. We plan to bring the focus, confidence, and a whole lot of middle school pride. Middle school pride. We've got this. TJ kicked off autism awareness month in April with a special buddy bench donation to the stepping stones classes
at West Morland Elementary. Thanks to the effort of our peace for peace members who visit the stepping stones classes at West each month for plates. This bench has found a home in their atrium somewhere under the rainbow.
Donated in memory of Miss Deag De Aglio's father. Our hope is that is that this bench will be a space where students visit to remind each others that you've got a friend in me. Memorial and TJ's eighth grade Chinese classes
took a trip to the scholars garden where textbooks turn into real life. They experienced culture, history, and design up close. This tr this trip was proof that some of the best learning experiences can happen outside of the classroom. The Young Entrepreneurs Club
at both Memorial Middle School and Thomas Jefferson Middle School are excited to host their upcoming marketplace events. Memorial's Marketplace will take place on Wednesday, May 7th in the gymnasium, followed by TJ's Marketplace on
Wednesday, June 3rd in cafeteria 102 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. Across both events, students in grades 5 through 8 will showcase their creativity and entrepreneurial skills. Products will range from handmade items such as
magnets, soaps, and greeting cards to 3D printed fidgets as well interactive experiences like creating your own Lego figures. Yesterday, Memorial's NJHS induction center ceremony celebrated students who go above and beyond. And this year, that
included 27 new inductees. These students have shown excellence in the classroom and a commitment to leadership, service, and character. They don't just meet expectations, they raise them. Congratulations to all of the newest inductees. We can't wait to see what they do next.
>> Our thanks to Miss Cosby, Miss Baronova, Miss Silverman, Miss Bowen, and Mr. Kirk for arranging visits by our orchestra, band, and chorus to Mils, Redburn, and Warren Point to promote our performing arts program. This group will be leading our middle schoolers to perform to per
to performances at Bergen Community for teen arts on May 29th and spring concerts on May 18th and May 19th. >> To all of the educators being recognized tonight, this evening is about celebrating you. Even though we can't stay long, homework is calling. Our
gratitude our gratitude must come first. Thank you for the impact, your dedication, and your heart. Congratulations. >> Thank you both so much. Ezra, the floor is yours. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. I
have some exciting updates to share with you all tonight. First up, election season has commenced with applications for all interested in running for a student council or SEA position open now. The elections will take place on May 21st and candidates will have the
opportunity to give speeches to their grade if they're running for class council or to all grades if they are running for an SGA position. Election season is always a fun but stressful time of year for our candidates and we wish them all the best, including
myself. Thank you, Miss Casoy. The junior class council just held the night in Manhattan themed junior prom featuring a DJ, food, and extensive decorations. The junior prom committee met every Thursday from 7 to 9:00 p.m.
to work on the decorations. And we were so glad to see our hard work finally pay off, which as the junior class president, looked pretty good, if I do say so myself. Very good. Very extravagant decorations there. And junior prom was a huge
success. All our juniors had a blast and it was great to see our junior cutter community come together. Staying on the topic of student government developments, digital payments have been successfully launched at the high school through our spring apparel sale, senior
class bagel sale, and a freshman class bake sale. This modernization of our payment system has greatly improved the purchasing experience for our students and will make our future fundraisers more successful. It has also greatly
reduced the number of I forgot my cash excuses to a historic low. Thank you again for your support of digital payments. Switching to academics, all of our honor societies have finished their inductions and we are so proud of our high
achieving students. Thank you to all the board members who attended. Your support is greatly appreciated. Speaking of high achieving students, Jo Subzac recently went to nationals for the academic decathlon and won a few
medals. His neck is now reportedly heavier than before he got there. Congratulations, Joe. >> That's everything for tonight. As always, thank you for your time, >> Ezra, Vignesh, and Sammy. Uh, thank you
guys for being here. Vignes, as you said, there may be a bit of homework waiting for you at home. We'd love to have you guys stay, but please know that it is absolutely okay for you guys to quietly excuse yourself, take a cookie on your way out. At this point in time, I will be
deferring the floor to Dr. Dianio, who will be recognizing our honores for the evening. I apologize that my back will be to some of you. Um, this is one of my favorite nights of the year. Um, I love our
students and it is always difficult to follow Ezra Fineman, especially after his uh oneman show that he tends to put on once a month. Um, but we do love our students and and we love to celebrate them. Uh, but tonight is an evening that
we all look forward to very much each and every year. Not because it is ceremonial, but because it is true. We gather to recognize colleagues whose work day after day in classrooms and in
hallways and in quiet conversations shapes who our students become. The educators we honor here tonight come from every corner of the district. From Edison School to Fairlon High School, from preschool classrooms to
multivariable calculus. From a paraprofessional who knows her students better than anyone to a literacy coach who lifts an entire faculty to a guidance counselor whose warmth steadies a building. Different schools, different roles, different
children in front of each and every one of them. But the same essential thing, a belief that every child deserves to be seen, to be challenged, and to be believed in. I've said before that our schools are not just buildings made out
of brick and steel. They are made up of the people who are inside of them. And tonight you will meet some of those people. So I encourage all of you to listen closely to their stories. You will hear in each one of them what
schools could be when we are at our best. It is my honor to begin at Edison School. Melanie Loa has been a dedicated music teacher at both Edison and Mils for schools middle mils schools for the past
three years. She is widely recognized for creating joyful sensory richch musical experiences that foster student engagement and support developmental growth. Melanie is patient, committed, and exceptionally creative in her
approach to teaching. She builds strong, meaningful connections with her students, collaborates closely with colleagues, and uses the power of music to cultivate an inclusive and nurturing learning environment. Please join us in
celebrating Melanie for leaving a lasting impression on students and families. I should have prefaced it by saying we're going to invite each of our candidates to come on up for a token of
our appreciation uh and also uh a photo. Is Melanie here with us tonight? She's not. We will make sure that she gets her award. Another round of applause for Melanie at Edison School. Greta Mirholes has
been a valued par profofessional in the Edison school preschool program for the past four years. Prior to stepping into her current role, she served as a substitute teacher, including time as Edison's buildingbased substitute.
Greta is widely recognized for her exceptional commitment to supporting students and for helping to create a warm, inclusive classroom environment. She is known for being dedicated, patient, and deeply compassionate in all
that she does. Please join us in congratulating Greta for ensuring that every child feels seen, valued, and capable. You're welcome. At Forest School, Chelsea Scott is an outstanding third grade teacher who creates a supportive family-like
classroom where students feel safe, valued, and excited to learn each day. She excels at differentiated instruction using thoughtful small groupoup learning to ensure every student is challenged, supported, and engaged. Her clear expectations, consistent routines, and
warm, positive approach create an environment where students thrive. Chelsea's passion, dedication, and heart make her truly deserving of teacher of the year. Congratulations, Chelsea. Chelsea was unfortunately unable to make
it uh this evening. At far school, Francesca de Janeiro is an exemplary educational specialist whose dedication and commitment to student success sets her apart. She maintains a calm, solution focused approach in even the
most challenging situations, creating a sense of stability for students and staff. Francesca is also a lifelong learner and someone who actively seeks new strategies to support diverse student needs. Her professionalism, compassion, and pursuit of excellence
makes her an invaluable member of the school community. Congratulations, Francesca. At Linrest, Diane Castro, our multilingual learner teacher, uh creates an welcoming and engaging learning environment where students build
confidence, develop language skills, and feel truly supported as individual learners. Diana extends her impact beyond the classroom by partnering closely with families, providing translation, connecting them to resources, and ensuring equitable access to all
district services while also enhancing our school community through creativity and artistic contributions. Please join us in celebrating Mrs. Diane Castro for her dedication, compassion, and meaningful impact.
at Linrest. Uh Miss Carrie Callahan could not be with us this evening, but we want to celebrate all of our uh recognition honores this evening. Uh Carrie is our licensed clinical social worker and anti-bullying specialist. She creates a safe, supportive school
environment where students feel heard, valued, and empowered to grow both socially and emotionally. Carrie extends her impact beyond individual support by collaborating with staff to promote mental health, equity, and a positive school climate throughout Linrest. and
her wellness Wednesdays messages have built strong following across the school district, uplifting staff with timely and meaningful insights. Please join us in celebrating Carrie Callahan for her compassion and expertise
at West Morland. Jackie Laduletta, a second grade teacher, creates an engaging and inclusive classroom where every student is supported, challenged, and inspired to grow as a reader using her expertise in phonics and the Orton
Gillingham approach to meet individual needs. Jackie is a dedicated mentor and collaborator who supports colleagues, contributes to her grade level team, and strengthens instruction across our school community. Please join us in celebrating Jackie as the teacher of the
year. At West Morland, Ally Tolman, district literacy coach, empowers teachers by strengthening literacy instruction using her expertise in phonics, reading, and writing to support teachers and ensure all students grow and succeed. Ally is a
trusted collaborator who analyzes data with teams, provides meaningful professional development, and consistently follows through to support schoolwide success. Please join us in celebrating Alli Tolman as West
Morland's Ed Specialist of the Year. at Warren Point. Julia Short has been a third grade teacher for the past nine years. Julia has become a mentor and role model not only to her grade level team, but to all staff. This year alone,
she is supporting both a new teacher and a student teacher. Julia is creative, inclusive, and kind. She embraces new ideas and brings a sense of curiosity, wonder, and adventure to her classroom every day. She consistently goes above
and beyond and is always willing to lend support, to help problem solve, or simply offer encouragement. She is truly an asset to Warren Point and this is why she was named teacher of the year. Congratulations. In the Warren Point tradition, Cindy
Bustos has been a professional at Warren Point for the past four years. There is no one that has a better understanding of their students academic and behavioral needs. Cindy is patient, collaborative, and solutions focused.
She takes initiative and ensures the best possible experiences for both students and staff. Cindy has strong positive relationships with students, colleagues, and families. And she is always willing to help wherever she is needed. And this is why she is the
Warren Point Ed specialist of the year. Congratulations, Cindy at Mils. Kendall McCarthy, a third grade teacher, creates a dynamic and inclusive classroom environment where students are actively engaged, supported in their individual growth, and encouraged to
reach their full potential through thoughtful and innovative instruction. Kendall's leadership and commitment extend beyond the classroom through her work on the equity leadership team on the skip committee character education committee and the no place for hate
initiative as well as her dedication to supporting students through afterchool learning academy. Please join us in celebrating Kendall McCarthy as Milan's teacher of the year. Sumain creates a supportive and nurturing learning environment at Mils
where students feel understood, encouraged, and empowered to succeed. Consistently demonstrating deep compassion as she meets the individual students needs and fosters meaningful growth. With more than two decades of experience, Sue's impact extends beyond
the classroom through her commitment and past contributions to FLACE and her role as a trusted collaborative partner to teachers and staff to strengthening programs that support diverse learners with care and empathy. Please join us in
celebrating Sue Main as ED Specialist of the Year. At Radburn, Maria Galloway creates a warm and engaging first grade classroom where students feel safe, valued, and inspired to grow skillfully. supporting individual needs while fostering strong
partnerships with families. Beyond the classroom, Maria is a cornerstone at Radburn School, generously opening her home each year for the cherished friends giving celebration, strengthening connections, and building a true sense of community among colleagues and
families. Please join us in recognizing and celebrating Maria Galloway as Radburn's teacher of the year. Toby. Kobe Corbin provides exceptional support to students through her calm, compassionate approach and extensive experience, creating an inclusive
learning environment where children with diverse needs feel understood, supported, and empowered to succeed. Beyond the classroom, Toby is a dedicated and reliable member of the Radburn community, consistently going above and beyond, most notably arriving
early to provide additional reading support and offering assistance wherever it is needed. Please join us in celebrating Toby Corbin as Radburn's Ed Specialist of the Year. at Memorial Middle School.
Christopher Kof Francesco has been a health and fizzed teacher at Memorial for the past six years where he creates an engaging and supportive environment that meets students where they are and helps them build skills, confidence, and a strong sense of belonging. He has a
natural ability to connect with students, encouraging them to step outside their comfort zones while supporting their individual growth both academically and socially. Beyond the classroom, Chris leads the pingpong club and plays an active role in shaping the
traditions and experiences that make Memorial feel like home. Consistently modeling the school's motto, enter to learn, go forth to serve. Please join me in recognizing Chris Kof Francesco for
positive impact as teacher of the year. at Memorial. Nicole Gds is a devoted par profofessional in the middle school bridges program where she brings nearly two decades of experience to supporting students with diverse learning needs through patient, compassion, and a deep
commitment to growth. Nicole creates a welcoming and inclusive environment where students feel safe, understood, and confident as they develop both academically and socially. Beyond her direct work with students, she is a trusted and dependable colleague who
consistently supports staff and contributes to a positive student- centered school environment. Congratulations, Nicole, on being ed specialist of the year. at TJ Middle School. Jazelle Aguila is a Spanish teacher who works with students
in grades 5 through eight. She has been teaching at TJ for 12 years. She is recognized for excellence in instruction, leadership, and a commitment to her students and colleagues alike. Miss Aguila is described as being a creative and
thoughtful teacher. Her lessons are vibrant, culturally rich, and carefully designed to immerse students in meaningful language experiences. She differentiates with clarity and compassion, ensuring each learner, regardless of background or ability,
feels capable and supported. She's also the co-advisor of the World Cultures Club, where she plays a key role in providing students with opportunities to explore and appreciate global traditions and perspectives. She also serves as a translator during
IEP meetings, a role that requires remarkable sensitivity and accuracy. She's a collaborative, resourceful, and uplifting colleague, and her unwavering dedication to her students ensures the success and well-being of every child.
Congratulations, Jazelle, as teacher of the year. All the way. Let me see. Let me see. at TJ Middle School. Dawn Canestrino, guidance counselor, has worked at TJ for
seven years and 20 years overall in education. Dawn is recognized for her professionalism and kindness, consistently exuding warmth, empathy, and understanding that are truly rare. She helps guide students through their challenges while also supporting
teachers with the utmost care. She prioritizes the well-being and success of her students, ensuring that each one receives the individual attention and guidance they need to thrive. She shows compassion, and engages in meaningful and helpful conversations with parents.
Her background as a flex teacher gives her a wealth of experience, deep empathy, and invaluable insight in her work as a counselor. Dawn participates in many professional development opportunities, whether related to district initiatives or curriculum or mental health advancements.
She is an extraordinary guidance counselor whose dedication, professionalism, and unwavering compass compassion make her an essential pillar of the school community. Congratulations on Ed Specialist of the Year. And as we round up this part of the
awards ceremony, uh, closing it out before I turn over the microphone to our leadership team for the the rest of the awards this evening. We are at Fairlon High School. Victoria Velasco has been an outstanding mathematics teacher at
Fairlon High School for over 21 years. Currently teaching advanced placement calculus, both AB and BC, and multivariable calculus, Vicki empowers students to tackle incredibly challenging problems, instilling in
them, as one student said, quote, a sense of confidence and fearlessness, end quote. Vicki tells her students that the worst that happens is that we, me included, make a mistake. And a mistake is an opportunity for
learning and for growing. Outside the classroom, Vicki advises our senior class, National Honor Society, and Math League competition team. She also serves on our scholarship committee, school climate committee, and no place for hate
initiative. We are proud to recognize Victoria Velasco as the high school teacher of the year. And our Fairorn High School ed specialist of the year is Uritza Yens, an LDT TC learning disabilities teacher
consultant who has been practicing at Fairlon High School for the past four years. Uritza is recognized for the services she offers to students and staff alike, helping teachers meet the needs of their learners and students achieve in their classrooms. As their case manager,
Uritza is committed to serving others with compassion and purpose. She was called to her career in education after having worked in the private sector. And we are lucky that she chose Fairlon as her professional home. Now each day she
strikes to make a difference in the life of every student, empowering them to believe in their own potential and achieve more than they ever imagined. We are proud to recognize Yuritza Yens as the ED Specialist of the Year at Fairlaughn High School.
It is an honor to have recognized the amazing educators that were chosen this year on behalf of all of our schools. Um, let's give them another warm round of applause. And at this time, we're going to transition to the next part of our recognition ceremony uh with Mrs.
Keller, Mrs. DeFranco, and Mr. Cruz. Good evening everyone. I have the pleasure of announcing our retirees in the district. Although it's going it saddens us to see uh our staff leave, we're really happy for them and for the next chapter of their evening. I'd like
to start with Ruth Austin Ferrara. After 19 years of dedicated service to the Fairlone School District, Miss Ferrara retired earlier this school year. She began her journey at Fairlon High School as a paraprofessional where she spent eight years assisting in a wide range of
classes. After years of working closely with the child study team, she obtained the position of CST secretary, a role she would hold and love for the next 11 years. She was also president of the Fairlon Education Assoc uh Fairlon Association of Educational Secretaries
where she acted as a voice for all of our district support staff. Please join me in wishing Ruth Ferrara the very best in her retirement. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Give me a hug. >> Thank you.
>> Anyone wanted you want to take a picture? Carol Bon Pastori. Miss Bon Pastori is being honored in her retirement of a dedicated classroom par profofessional whose years of service have had meaningful impact on the high school community. Throughout her tenure, she
provided consistent and thoughtful support to students in world language and science classrooms. Much necessary support. Thank you. She has helped to ensure that all students access instruction while fostering student engagement and growth. Most notably, she took great pride in supporting students
as they develop confidence to believe in themselves. We wish her all the best in retirement. Thank you. Don Edner. Miss Ebner retired at the end of September from an extraordinary 32-year career dedicated to teaching,
coaching, and leadership. Her journey began as a substitute teacher before she officially joined the district as a part-time health teacher at Memorial Middle School. Just one year later, she moved to Fairlon High School. Miss Ebner taught primarily nth grade health and
physical education, shaping countless students understanding of wellness, teamwork, and self-discipline. Beyond the classroom, she poured her energy into coaching and mentorship by serving as the JV and varsity girls soccer coach, freshman and JV girls basketball coach, and national honor
society adviser. She also led her colleagues as fleet president. Please join me in wishing Dawn Edner the very best in retiring. >> She's not. >> She's not right. Okay. Michelle Francis. After more than 21 years of inspiring
students and shaping minds in the Fair Lawn School District, Miss Francis is retiring. She began her journey at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, where she spent 13 years teaching sixth and eighth grade English, including enriched English. For the past eight years, she
has been a valued ML teacher at Fairlon High School, supporting multilingual learners with an unwavering belief in their potential. She considers students the heart of the profession and the greatest joy of her work. Please join me in wishing Michelle
Francis the very best in her retirement. >> Thank you. Michelle Gaffne. After 26 years in education, a decade of which was spent at Fairlon High School, Mrs. Gaffne is saying farewell and stepping into retirement. For 10 years, Mrs. Gaffne
has brightened the sea sea wing as a bridges teacher, guiding students with patience and love. With a total of 26 years in education, her career from an ear uh early age, Miss Gaffne knew she was meant to teach. Playing school, she
played school as a young child. And that childhood joy grew into a lifelong calling. And what motivated Mrs. Gaffne every day was simple yet profound. Her students, their families, and the Fairlon community. As the as the recipient of this school year's FL
starfish award, Mrs. Gaffne prides herself on her on her classroom being a place of trust and love. One of her fondest memories is the annual Unplugged Show where she and her students sing, dance, and perform together. Miss Gaffffne has served as an inspiration to
all who have had the privilege of working alongside her. Please join me in wishing Michelle Gaffne the very best in her retirement. >> Thank you so much. Thank you. Eileen Gutharts. Eileen Gutharts is
being recognized as we honor her retirement as a dedicated par profofessional whose 22 years of service to Fairlon Public Schools have left a lasting impact on our school community. Throughout her tenure, she has demonstrated unwavering commitment to
supporting students and staff, most recently through her valued work in the Bridges program at Fairlon High School. Over the past nine years at the high school, she has played an integral role in fostering growth, independence, and success of students with special needs.
Her compassion, professionalism, and dedication have made a meaningful difference in the lives of countless students, and her contributions will not be forgotten. We extend our sincere gratitude for her years of service and wish her health and happiness in her
retirement. Kathy Manaheen. After more than two decades of inspiring curiosity and a love of science in her students, Miss Manaheen is heading into retirement. Throughout her years at Fairlon High School, she was recognized as a teacher of the year, having taught a wide range
of science courses, including honors, CP and AP biology, environmental science, and horiculture. Always challenging students to see biology as a meaningful and relevant to everyday life. Beyond the classroom, her impact was felt
through her life, her long-standing involvement in extracurriculars. She advised the environmental club and bio league for 24 years, the chess club for several years, participated in the strings orchestra, and helped to develop and lovingly care for the school
courtyard. Please join me in wishing her the very best in her retirement. Thank you. Thank you. Nicole Rios. After 25 years of inspiring curiosity and a love of science in the Fair Lawn High School District, Miss
Rios is retiring. Since 2001, she has bought taught both middle and high school students, including chemistry, AP environmental science, always challenging students to see science as engaging, hands-on, and relevant to everyday life. Beyond the classroom,
Miss Rios has made her mark as TJ's assistant play director, advisor to the Science National Honors Society, and a member of the Chemical Hygiene Committee. Some of her most memorable moments include the fun and chaos of hands-on experiments, teaching AP
environmental science, the class she calls her comfort place. Please join me in wishing her the very best in her retirement. Keith Stag. After 16 years of dedicated service to the Fairlon School District, Mr. Stag is retiring at the end of this
month from his role as the beloved culinary arts teacher and assistant wrestling coach. Having transitioned from a demanding career in food service, he discovered his true calling in education. He fondly recalls his role as an assistant wrestling coach for eight
years and notes memorable highlights like competing in his last wrestling match at 66 years old and winning a world wrestling title in Poland. He encourages them that's pretty that's pretty good.
He encourages his students to take chances and embrace life's adventures just as he has throughout his own journey. Please join me in wishing Mr. Stag the very best in his retirement. Katherine Straw Bell. After 21 years at Fairlon High School and 30 years in
education, Miss Strawbell is retiring. Since arriving at Fairlon High School in 2004, she has taught honors biology, biology, CP, environmental science, CP and honors, and research and biology, and spent 15 years developing and teaching AP biology. In conjunction with
her AP biology program, she became a Waxman Institute fellow through Ruckers University and brought that scholars program to Fairlaw High School, giving students the opportunity cons to conduct molecular biology research in partnership with Ruckers University and
earned publication credit through the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Wow. Her service to the school community also included roles on the n on the science national honor society and national honor society
faculty councils as well as advisor to the premed club. Throughout her career she was recognized as a Columbia University teaching fellow and the recip and the recipient of te of the teacher of the year award. Please join me in
wishing her the very best in retirement. Congratulations, Donna Zisman. We proudly recognize and honor the retirement of Donna Zisman, a dedicated par profofessional whose 23 years of service have made a meaningful and lasting impact on the high school
community. Throughout her career, she has provided consistent and compassionate support to students in small groupoup math, science, and history classrooms, helping to create an environment where all learners could access the curriculum and experience success. Her commitment to working with
diverse student populations coupled with her collaborative spirit alongside teachers and staff has enriched the educational experience for countless students. We wish her all the happiness and fulfillment in retirement. Thank you,
Annie Blair. Annie Blair retired from teaching on June 30th, 2025, and her TJ family misses her dearly. During all of her years at TJ, Miss Blair cared deeply for her students and was committed to making French fun, which is essential for fostering engagement, boosting
confidence, and creating a lasting love for the language. Madame Blair's classroom was a joyful, interactive, and culturally rich environment that created a memorable learning experience for all. Please join me in thanking Madame Blair for her years of service and wishing her
all the best in retirement. John Jaresi. During his time with the Fairlon public schools, John Jaresi was and still is a highly acclaimed teacher and director recognized for his exceptional work in the field of musical theater. Under his
direction, Fairlorn Musical Theater has achieved statewide recognition for the quality of their productions and the depth and diversity of artistic leadership. Mr. Jesi's commitment to ambitious programming with sophisticated and diverse work has set a national
standard for musical theater. We thank Mr. Jeresi for his dedication to using theater as a means to challenge and engage students over the years and wish him the best of luck in his retirement. Thank you. Jerry Lasala. We celebrate the
retirement of our exceptional, gifted, and talented teacher, Jerry Lasala, whose impact has been felt across both our elementary and middle schools. Through her passion for enriching learning experience experiences, she has inspired countless students to think
critically, explore their creativity and reach their fullest potential. She has been instrumental in revising the gifted and talented program in Fairlon, working tirelessly with the team to ensure that identification and programming align
with the needs of our students. Thank you very much, Miss Lala. Cheryl Cashion. Miss Cheryl Cashin has been a member of our school community since 2019, beginning at Warren Point and continuing her time at Memorial
Middle School since 2001 as a lunchroom aid. In her role, Cheryl supported the daily routines of the cafeteria and helped promote a safe and orderly environment for students during lunch periods. We appreciate the time she has dedicated to our schools and the role
she has played in supporting student supervision. Please join me in wishing Miss Cheryl Cashin all the best in her retirement. Kathy Cortez. Kathy Cortez has been a dedicated par professional in the Fairlon public school since 2003,
beginning her career at Edison and West Morland before transitioning to Memorial in 2022 in order to support students in the middle school setting. Throughout her career, Kathy has made a lasting difference in the lives of her students, helping shape their confidence, guiding
their growth, and often changing their outlook through her steady encouragement and care. She is known for building genuine connections with students and serving as a role model while also being collaborative and being a collaborative and trusted colleague who consistently
supports student and staff. Please join me in celebrating Miss Kathy Cortez for her extraordinary impact and wishing all the best for her in her next chapter. Thanks Kathy. Congrats. Congrats.
It's my Edison Fantastic Four. Next, Janet Demise. Janet Demise began her service in 2004, working briefly at Warren Point Elementary School before finding her home at Edison School, supporting preschool students. She is known for her strong support of the
classroom teachers, her thoughtful guidance of students, and her ability to help create a positive and productive learning environment. Janet's warm demeanor and caring approach have made a lasting difference for the students and staff of Fairlorn. Please join me in
congratulating her on her retirement. Congratulations. Thank you. Congratulations. Thank you. Lisa Ice. Miss Lisa Ice began her service in 2004, supporting students in the preschool program at Edison School
and the LLD program at Radburn Elementary School. She is known for her unwavering dedication, genuine care, and the positive connection she builds with students each day. Lisa's warm sense of humor brings joy to her classrooms and leaves a lasting impact on the stu on
her students and also colleagues and Fairlorn. Please join me in congratulating Lisa Ice. Congrats, Lisa. Congrats. Thank you. Connie Min. Connie Min began her journey
in 1999 as a lunch at Memorial Middle School and soon found her true calling at Edison School, where she has dedicated her career to working with preschool students. Her patience, kindness, and unwavering care create a nurturing environment where young learners feel safe, supported, and ready
to grow. Conniey's gentle presence and genuine compassion leave a lasting impact on every child she works with, making her an invaluable part of the school community. Please join me in congratulating Connie on her retirement. You've
been talking Michelle Sony. Miss Michelle Sony began her service in 1994 as a lunch at Forest School before becoming a par profofessional supporting students at Warren Point, Milan's Elementary, and Edison School in the Stepping Stones
programs. She is known for her deep compassion, strong work ethic, and her collaborative approach with colleagues to meet the needs of every student. Michelle's dedication and care have made a meaningful and lasting impact on students and the staff of Fairlon. She
also run runs our sunshine committee. So, we're very grateful for that, too. Please join me in congratulating her on her retirement. You want to do this one? You want me to come or do you want to rip it off? >> Sunshine.
Thanks, Michelle. Cheryl Schultz. Miss Cheryl Schultz has made a lasting impact through her unwavering commitment to student safety, her nurturing presence, and her dedication to supporting each child's individual needs. Throughout her 23-year career, beginning at Edison and
concluding at Mills, Cheryl created a warm and welcoming environment, treating students like her own, offering a listening ear, and consistently guiding them with kindness and care. Please join us in congratulating Miss Cheryl Saltz in her retirement.
Thank you, Cheryl. Thank you. >> Thank you. Lann Swast. Lann Swastas made a positive impact on the school community through her flexibility, organization, and willingness to support both students and staff whenever needed during her year of
service from September 2016 through June 2025. Beginning as a lunch at Radburn and transitioning to a clerk aid at Mils, Lannne helped create a smooth and welcoming environment while also val volunteering as a parent with the Radburn PTA as a pizza day and photo
coordinator and assisting in the library. Please join me in honoring Miss Lannas. Congratulations, Patty Nolan. For 38 years, Patty Nolan has been far more than a physical education teacher. She has been a steady
presence, a mentor, and a source of inspiration for generations of students and staff. From color games to kickball, her unwavering dedication has shaped not only strong bodies, but confident, resilient individuals who can not only tie their shoes, but will carry her
lessons far beyond the gym. Decades may have passed, but her passion for teaching and her belief in the students have never wavered, making her legacy one that will continue to echo long after the final whistle blows. Congratulations, Patty.
Brenda Brower. Miss Brower retired in December 2025, concluding a remarkable career in the field of special education. Brenda began her work as a special educator at CTC Academy before coming to Fairlon. Serving students at both Warren Point and West Morland
schools. Brenda's exceptional skill and ability to differentiate instruction for each learner was truly remarkable. Kind, calm, and brilliant in her lesson delivery. She helped students build confidence in them in themselves while ensuring they made tremendous growth. Congratulations on your retirement,
Brenda. not here. Okay. Maria Rehea. Miss Rehea has has faithfully served West Morland School as a paraprofessional for the past 25 years, providing dedicated support to students across all grades and levels.
Throughout her years of service, Maria has supported students academically, socially, and emotionally. Whether by simplifying and differentiating tasks, reteaching academic skills, or assisting during unstructured times such as lunch and recess, she has given our students
not only her expertise, but also her love and care, forming meaningful bonds with each child and family she has worked with. Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement. Congratulations. Congratulations.
>> Thank you. All right, I'm going to continue with uh these these folks that I'm actually uh going to welcome up um are the folks that kind of like make uh our district operate. They ensure that our our students are uh invited to a warm and
welcome uh learning environment. I'm going to start with uh Jeppi uh Seraniano. Uh since since beginning his career in 1987, Geppi Seraniano has made a lasting impact on our school community through
his dedication maintaining a safe, clean, and welcoming environment for our students and staff. most notably at the high school in his final years at Linkrest. Throughout his career, he has always uh he could always be counted on
to get the job done. Routinely stepping in as head custodian when needed and uh is known for his work uh strong work ethics, reliability, and even uh his present smile. Always willing to lend a hand. Please join me as we celebrate
GSP's 39 years of service. Next we have Warner Gerald. Uh Gerald. Uh Mr. Warner has been a dedicated employee for the past 33 years. He started in the district in 1993. As a custodian at the high school and
later became a groundsman with the buildings and grounds department where he worked for 25 years. While working as a groundsman, he got his CDL and began driving sport buses from throughout the district. In 2020, he became the f a
full-time bus driver in the transportation department. His hard work and dedication has been um his hard work and and dedication um driving for uh in the driving force throughout his career. Um in his uh uh we want to welcome him
now as he now could enjoy the next milestone in his career and in in on this rewarding retirement. Please join me as we congratulate Warner Gerald on a well-deserved retirement. Now, I would like to present the man,
the myth, the legend, Robert Greco. when Robert Greco retires this winter. So, we're we're actually, you know, just uh getting a ahead of ourselves, but we wanna we want to get ahead of this. Um he will have worked in the Fairon School
District um and specifically in the business office for 25 years. During his tenure, Bob has worked with six assistant business administrators, eight business administrators, four superintendent, and has been the cornerstone of the business office,
ensuring that the office has continued to operate smoothly without issues during each transition. He worked his way from a um the title of data processor to business aid and assuming many responsibilities over the years to ensure that the district's
financials and recordkeeping is audit ready each and every year. Bob is always checking in on his co-workers to ensure that everyone is fairing well and ensuring that we all celebrate birthdays
with lunch at Jalapenños. While while we will definitely miss him, um we know that he will move uh have more time to devote to his beloved New York Yankees and the New York Giants and will
be have more time to cruise around the world. So, please uh join me as we welcome Bob Greco and celebrate his retirement. This is yours. Next we have Lori Rockanova. We we proudly
recognize and celebrate a remarkable career of Mrs. Lori Rakonova, director of transportation for the Fairlorn Public School District, as she retires after 20 years of dedicated service to our district. Lor's legacy is one of
service, integrity, and deep care for the children of Fairlon. On behalf of the board of education, administration, staff, and the entire Fairon community, we thank her for her two decades of ex uh exceptional commitment to our students safety and excellence. We wish
Lori all the best in her well-earned retirement. May it be filled with health, happiness, and time to enjoy all those moments um that and that she actually has time for. So, congratulations, Lori. Thank you.
Next we have Thomas Schmoutz. Today we recognize and celebrate Thomas Schmoutz Skillsmason locksmith as he officially hangs his hat after 31 years dedicated service to Fairlorn public schools. Tom began his career with the district in
1994 as a custodian. After several years, he earned the opportunity to join the maintenance department as a carpenter and mason. Throughout his uh dedication and his strong work ethics, he continued to grow in his role and was eventually promoted
to carpenter/h locksmith. Tom has always been a committed and dependable member of the team. His contribution has made him a great asset to the Fairlon School District. His retirement is truly welld deserved. We wish Tom happiness and very
good luck in his retirement. Congratulations, Tom. All right. Good evening everybody. My name is Claire Keller. We have two final retirees to highlight. So from Memorial Middle School, Miss Genevoke has been a dedicated member of the Fairone Public Schools, spending many years at Memorial
School, where she helped create a warm, nurturing environment for students in the Bridges classroom. Through her kindness and care, Jenna built meaningful connections with students, often sharing her talents of gardening and cooking to teach valuable life skills that extend be well beyond the
classroom. She has also been uh she has also been a thoughtful and supportive colleague contributing to the positive family-like culture that defines Memorial. As she begins her retirement, please join us in wishing Miss um Jennivote all the best and thanking her for a lasting difference she has made in
the lives of our students and staff. All right. And our last retiree of the evening, I know, is I'm pretty certain, is not here because she's in South Carolina. Um, Miss Kathy Tobin. Uh, she retired this January after 20 years supporting Fairlon students and staff for all things related to technology.
She was our director of educational applications. Kathy was part of many initiatives over her tenure in Fairlon, iPad, Genesis, e-reader, one-to-one student devices, interactive classroom panels to name a few. Prior to Google being so prevalent in education, Kathy
spearheaded the initiative in Fairlon public schools. She has a deep passion for ensuring that our staff and students had access to what they needed and that they were prepared in how to use technology. So congratulations Kathy. We thanked everybody for their patience. We have one round of people to
congratulate and that is for those who have served 25 years in Fairlon. So, starting off at the high school, I'd like to speak about Matt Beloo. He is a dedicated physical education and health teacher at Fairlon High School and a proud graduate of the class of 1993.
After earning his degree from Montlair State University in 1999, he returned to Fairlon the following year and has since primarily taught junior and senior courses. Mr. Bello is passionate about teaching project adventure, encouraging students to step outside their comfort
zones while building teamwork and confidence. He has contributed significantly to curriculum development, helping to revamp the social dance unit and writing, bless you, the majority of senior health curriculum. In addition to teaching, Mr. Bellow coached the Ferlon
boys lacrosse from 1994 to 2015. His connection with the school is long-standing and has been part of the Ferlon High School community since 1989 as a student, coach, and educator. So, congratulations on 25 years, Mr. Bello. All right, Miss Julianne Foco. Miss FCO
is being recognized for 25 years of service to the Fairlon School District. She has taught a wide range of courses across all grade levels, including both core courses and electives like criminal law. Moreover, she has supported students in both AP US history as a teacher and was selected to serve as an
AP reader. She has spent many years as an adviser to Fairlon's varsity law team, helping students build strong analytical and communication skills. Her consistent dedication to her students and the school community has made a lasting impact. So, thank you, Julianne,
for 25 years of service. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Our final high school teacher who is um being honored with 25 years, we already heard about from this evening. um Miss Katherine Menigan. Um she is a teacher
of biology at the high school who made meaningful relevance to the the subject of biology beyond the classroom. She was heavily involved in extracurriculars and made many lasting impressions on her students. So we'd like to thank her for 25 years as well as her retirement. So
congratulations Kathy. Congratulations. All right. from TJ. Melissa Coyle um has dedicated has dedicated 25 years of service to Fairlon Public Schools at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Prior to the reconfiguration of middle school to include grade 5, Miss Coyle was
invalable invaluable in her contributions to the grade 8 math team. Since their arrival, she has been instrumental in providing leadership to the grade 56 math team, most of whom are new to the building and middle school life. Over the past five years, Miss Coyle has worked with grades five and
six math team to help students achieve our highest math scores in those grades to you to date and more importantly make a smooth transition to a bigger and new building. Please join us in congratulating Miss Coyle on achieving this incredible milestone. During her 25 years in district, Deborah
Kersh has served as both an ancillary and special education teacher at Fairorn High School, Milins Elementary, and in her current role at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. In her work across all grades, Miss Kirch is adaptable, patient, highly organized, professional,
and a professional who combines specialized instructional techniques with mathematical knowledge to support diverse learners. She is a strong advocate for her students who works to ensure their needs are met in all facets of daily middle school life. Please join us in congratulating Miss Coyle on
achieving this. I'm sorry, Miss Kurt. Congratulations. As a 25-y year veteran of the Fairone Public Schools and Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Alexandra Phillips has taken great care to provide students with instructional scaffolds to support deep learning. She collaborates with
colleagues including ICR co-teers to differentiate instruction and has an amazing rapport with students. In addition to her work in the classroom, Miss Phillips has been involved with a variety of town-based committees and was recognized in 2024 by the Fairlon Sunrise Rotary with Service Above Self
award for her work with anti-bullying campaign and programming for our special needs students. Please join us in congratulating Miss Phillips on achieving this incredible milestone. Congratulations. After 20 years at Forest School, Susan Quinland um packed her bags and left the
place to grow with Miss Gruntman to plant new seeds across town at TJ. For the last five years, Miss Quinnland has promoted a love of reading and writing in her classroom, and students respond with enthusiasm, engagement, and great literacy development. TJ Middle School is so fortunate to have Miss Quinnland,
and she has brought her extensive elementary literacy background to now support middle school students at the highest levels at our fifth graders have ever achieved. Please join us in congratulating Miss Quinnland on achieving this milestone. >> A so nice. Congratulations. Thank you.
In her 25 years as a social studies teacher at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Renee Tamina has been highly effective leader among her peers. Miss Terramina is passionate, innovative, and deeply invested in the developmental needs of her students. In the classroom, Miss Tamina models empathy, and fosters
a collaborative culture of belonging where historical content is connected to real world issues. By fostering trust and focusing on the hearts and minds of her students and colleagues, she is viewed as a role model by all. Please join us in congratulating Miss Tamina on this milestone.
Congratulations. Right. We have four teachers at Memorial who also achieved 25 years. So, first up, Mr. Craig Cohen has dedicated 25 years of service to the Fairlon School District as a science teacher whose enthusiasm for learning is truly contagious, creating a classroom where
students are engaged, curious, and eager to explore the world around them. Craig has a remarkable ability to meet students where they are and guide them to higher levels of understanding, building them um helping them build confidence while developing a lasting appreciation for science. His impact
extends well beyond his own classroom, inspiring students throughout the building and sharing his passion, especially his unmatched love of birds, with anyone who will listen. Please join us in congratulating Mr. Craig Cohen on 25 years of service. All right. Mrs. Colleen Dunn has
dedicated 25 years of service to the Fairlon School District as a French teacher who creates an engaging and supportive classroom where students feel comfortable taking risks and building their confidence as language learners. Colleen has a natural ability to connect with students, meeting them where they
are and and guiding them um for their appreciation of both skill and language and culture. Her impact extends beyond the classroom to her positive presence and collaboration with colleagues as the co-adviser of Memorial's World Culture Club, helping to foster a welcoming and
inclusive school environment. Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Colleen Khan on 25 years. All right. Um, Mr. Henry Han has dedicated 25 years of service to the Fairlon School District, spending much of his career as a valued elementary classroom teacher before bringing his
passion of science to Memorial Middle School when fifth grade transitioned. Since then, Henry has created engaging and meaningful learning environment where students are not not only build scientific environment um where it connects to their and see how it connects to their everyday life. One
parent recently shared things he teaches spill into everyday life all the time and we are so grateful for him. Please join us in congratulating Mr. Han on his 25 years of service. Miss Claudia Leon has dedicated 25 years of service to the Fairlon schools as a Spanish teacher who creates a vibrant
and engaging classroom where students build confidence and have a genuine appreciation for language and culture. Claudia has a natural ability to connect with students while also serving as a yearbook adviser, teacher mentor, supporting supporting both student experiences and growth of her colleagues. Known as an outstanding
colleague, she brings positivity and energy to everything she does. Truly spreading sunshine wherever she goes. Please join us in congratulating Claudia. All right. It is an honor to recognize and celebrate Diana Marinelli for her 25 years of service to Fairlon. She began
her career as a professional where she spent three years supporting students with care and compassion. In 2003, she became a teacher in our ABA program, a role in which she made profound and lasting impact. Over the years, Diana has shared her talents across multiple schools, including Mils Memorial and
currently Thomas Edison. Throughout her career, Diana has been in the embodiment of dedication and patience. She brings a calm and thoughtful presence to her work each day. Always focused on meeting the individual needs of her students and helping them reach their fullest potential. One of Dian's greatest strength is her ability to build
meaningful connections with families. She consistently bridges the gap between home and school by working closely with families to foster trust, communication, and collaboration. Please join us in congratulating Diana. All right, Miss Dolly Bomb Bombo is not here tonight, but we'd still like to
highlight. Um, she is affectionately known as Miss Dolly for the Forest community. She's a paraprofessional in grades 2 through 4 LLD classroom for the past 25 years. She's recognized for going above and beyond to support her students by reteing and reviewing lessons in both small groups and
one-on-one. Each year, she gravitates to the students with the most needs and takes them under her wing. She is caring, gentle, and patient with each of the students and truly cares for their well-being. Her colleagues describe Miss Dolly as loyal, hard-working, forgiving staff member who always supports her
students and learning their needs. Congratulations, Dolly. If you've ever attended a concert or performance by Christine Nitel, you know her talent for working with students of all ages is truly unmatched and remarkable. She ignites a passion for music and in even our youngest
kindergarten students, teaching them to tap, dance, clap to the beat of the catchiest tunes. That love for music and performance is nurtured over the years, growing in the hearts of our students as they progress through school. Even the most reserved children come alive in Miss Nitel's stage, smiling, singing,
and captivating audiences in ways that often earn standing ovations. She also plans meaningful events at Forest and West Morland that foster cultural understanding and celebration. Her holiday concerts and endofear music festivals including Tangle Wood and West
Palooa have become beloved community events not to be missed. Congratulations to Christine on her 25 years. >> Congratulations. So wonderful. Congratulations. Congratulations. All right. Maria Galloway has dedicated
25 years of exceptional service to the Fairlong public schools and she is currently an elementary school teacher at Radburn. She leaves a lasting impression on generations of students and families throughout her passion for early childhood education. Throughout her career, Maria has created nurturing and engaging classrooms where young
learners feel safe, valued, and inspired to reach their fullest potential while also building strong partnerships with colleagues and the broader school community. Please join us in celebrating Maria on her wonderful milestone. All right. And our last person that we
are recognizing for 25 years is Fervadus Ivas, affectionately known as Phyllis by her colleagues. Phyllis has been dedicated um has been a dedicated part-time bus driver for 25 years. She has been an exceptional employee who has transported special education students with kindness and care. Please join us
in congratulating Phyllis on her 25 years of dedication. And our last award of the evening goes out to Michelle Gaffne. The Starfish Award. The Starfish Award is given to a staff member who makes a difference in the life of a
child with special needs. Just relating back to like the Starfish story. This award is given by the Fair Lawn Association of Special Education or FLCE. To reiterate what was said earlier, Mrs. Gaffne exemplifies what it means to be an exceptional educator. Her
impact extends beyond the classroom, touching the lives of students and families in our bridges program and also as a mentor and leader to our student services staff. I can think of no one more worthy than Mrs. Gaffne. And just
as an aside, um, Mr. Cruz just said this award is kind of like what, the Oscar or the Grammy? It's It's the Grammy because of Autism Unplugged. So, here's your Grammy, Mrs. Gaffne. Thank you.
Thank you everyone. Another round of applause for all of the recipients tonight. At this time before we take a very brief intermission, what we are going to do is invite all of the recipients this evening. Uh if you would like to be in a group photo, uh with members of the
administration and the board of education who would like to be in the photo as well. So, uh we ask everybody to stay. Uh Mrs. Vote is going to take that picture and we invite everybody on up. Uh you can leave your awards with you there and we're just going to cram them all on in there. Thank you all. If everyone who is
staying would mind joining us up front and taking a seat. Um we are going to continue with our agenda. Um can I get a motion for resolution 1N honoring autism acceptance month 10
honoring Arab American heritage month and one P honoring seek awareness and acceptance month. >> So moved. >> Roll call. >> Comments. Discussion. >> I call I said a roll call. We're moving forward. Roll call. >> Discussion. >> Dr.
Point of Port of order. >> Discussion before we have the vote. >> Excuse me. >> Council, can we have discussion before the vote? >> Mr. Santana, you need to be addressed. Excuse me. We had already started a roll call. >> Why are you rushing the meeting? Why are we watching the meeting?
>> It's 9:30. >> My answer is yes. >> Yes, I heard my name. >> Miss Brown? >> Yes. >> Mia? >> Yes. >> Miss Felovich? >> Yes. But I have a point of clarification. >> You have not been identified. >> Point of order. Excuse me. Point of
order. Madame President, please respect the rules. >> You're not respecting the rules. >> It's a roll call. >> It's a point of clarification after the roll call. Can I please get that? Miss Coriva, >> Mr. Mrs. Mahan, >> roll call.
>> Miss Cass, >> point of order. >> Continue, please. >> Yes, >> Mr. Rosenberg. >> Yes, >> Mr. Santana. >> Follow the rules. Yes,
>> Miss Coraliva. >> I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do right now. There was way too much. This is >> so can you clarify what the vote is for? >> 1 N 101P. >> Yes.
>> Mrs. Mayan. >> Yes. >> Motion carries. >> Point of clarification. >> This portion of our board meeting is a >> secretary. Please secretary. My vote is yes. >> Agenda items. >> When speaking, please state your name
and municipality of residents. Specify which remarks you are addressing, if applicable. Limit your remarks to three minutes. State law prohibits board members and administrators from discussing personnel matters, student discipline, or other confidential issues. Please note that
this is not a dialogue or a Q&A session between speakers and the board. While we may not respond immediately or to every comment made tonight, all input is carefully considered and helps inform our decisions. Responses may come through emails, reports, board statements, website updates, or after
the comment period closes. Thank you for your participation in our community's governance. Please note this is now for any item agenda and otherwise. >> Point of clarification. >> Floor is open. >> Do the
>> Excuse me. She just made a point of clarification. Can you please be kind to a fellow board member? >> We meet attorney. Excuse me. attorney understand the the rules for the public. Unif minutes. Do they get 12 minutes? How what are we doing? Each of them has
to have six minutes per >> Good evening. Thank you so much for providing your name. Please make sure you sign this information and you're welcome to get started. >> Oh, thank you. Okay. Um I don't have to give my address, right? Just my name. Okay. My name is Lissa Mendes Downs. Um
my municipality is Fairlon. Um first I wanted to say thank you to Dr. Donio for his detailed um oh there you are for his detailed superintendence column um in March breaking down the budget and the $2126
month per month increase to our local taxes for the board of education. I don't think that there could be a better example than tonight for how well uh those monies and any increase is spent. those teachers, those um staff
members. Um it is amazing and a privilege to have our children being taught by them, especially when I look at what where our federal tax dollars are going to fund the military-industrial complex and to underwrite Jeff Bezos's yacht
maintenance. I am grateful that locally it serves to support wonderful staff and operations of a school district that's the envy of many others and administered by a wonderful administrators like yourselves and the dedicated teachers who genuinely care for the te for the
kids that they're teaching. In fact, I wish more of our tax dollars would go to care for the vulnerable than to villainize them. But that's for another time and place. As you know, if you know me, I would happily go on and on about that. But for tonight, I want to underscore that the portion of my
taxes going to the town for education are just that, for the education and welfare of our students. At the February 2026 meeting, Miss Fyelovich mentioned the importance of student centered priorities, which indeed I completely agree with and should be the northstar
of any education board. But the meeting itself was the very antithesis of that. Miss Felovich went on to spend um >> amount of time their members names are not supposed to be singled out during discussion during public comments.
>> Please sir, >> you can't interrupt public comment. They have a first amendment right to speak as long as they don't use foul language, incite riot, etc. We cannot interrupt them. >> Okay. Questioning antihistamine
medicines, their distribution, and even a spelling on the agenda item. Um, Mr. Santana, you spent part of that time interrupting various board members and the board lawyer reclaiming your time to the second and then more time was spent um discussing the publication of board
meetings in various papers and publications. Mr. Santana, you wondered if not publishing the names more broadly was what caused poor public attendance. I think obviously tonight everybody knew where to go and it's not that. I really think that meetings are not are poorly
attended because the bickering, the yelling, and the questioning of every non-ite item for the sake of just questioning it. It's downright depressing. Getting to the agenda item three hours after a meeting starts isn't a good way for anyone to spend their
time. Anyway, you and I have actually spoken face to face, Mr. Santana about community engagement and you told me very movingly that you genuinely cared about all kids in the district and I believed you and appreciated you for reaching out. But what I see every time
I either attend or watch his meetings is anything but. The role of the board is to set policy and provide oversight and yes to ask questions but to ask them to serve to clarify misunderstandings or to um ask that the agenda be moved forward. >> Thank you, Miss DS. I apologize.
>> Thank you. Oh, all right. Good evening. My name is Danielle Sandler Ela Terrace. I have two kids in the district and my mother who's here tonight taught in this town for nearly 40 years. We chose Feralone because of its reputation for excellence. I'm here tonight because that reputation is at
risk. First, I want to acknowledge board president Maym and trustees Casoy Rosenberg Berlini, Elliot, and Brown for passing a preliminary budget that protects students and staff while respecting taxpayers. Thank you for doing your job. Now, I need to talk about what happened at the last meeting.
In previous meetings, Miss Coroliva presented SSDs safety data to alarm this community. She called the numbers pretty substantial after admitting in the same breath that it was only for a half year. That is not advocacy. That is misinformation. State law requires two reporting periods because halfyear data
tells you nothing on its own. Violence in SSCDS uh data includes minor altercations and verbal disputes. High harassment, intimidation, and bullying numbers means staff are reporting and investigating. That is compliance, and that is exactly what we want. She also questioned why
Holocaust educator training would include LGBTQ content. I'll answer that in one word, history. The Nazis put gay men in concentration camps and forced them to wear pink triangles. The Nazis did this with, and this is not my I'm not speaking with a political agenda. It
is a documented fact. New Jersey law requires LGBTQ plus inclusive curriculum in our schools. It is not optional. It is the law. And yet trustees Favllovich and Coriva voted no on P2422 statemandated curriculum updates. You do
not get to decide which students deserve protection. Every child in this district deserves to feel seen and safe. Every single one. And then there are the no votes as we saw tonight on HIPP investigations. Let me be direct. That is an overreach and an abuse of this boy board's role. Trustees are not provided
the confidential records from interviews conducted by the district's anti-bullying specialist. That information is appropriately protected. The board's function is to support the superintendent's recommendation. A parent who disagrees has the right to appeal in close session. That is the process. That is the law. Voting no on
uncontested HIV investigations isn't independent thinking. It's an interference. It's micromanaging professionals and undermining the very system designed to protect children. I've been an educator for over 25 years. I know what a good superintendent looks like and Dr. Dianioio is exceptional. Do
you know how rare that is? I don't think you do. We are in a teacher shortage. Administrators have choices about where they work and my colleagues, people who have dedicated their careers to this profession are pulling me aside and asking what is wrong with Fairon's board of ed. That question should terrify every person sitting on this day because
if this board continues down this path, the best teachers and leaders will leave if they aren't already looking. And our kids will be the ones who pay for it. This this community deserves better. Do better. Okay. My name is Kirk Shaw. I'm a
lifelong resident of Fairlon. I've had four kids go through the school system. It's a great school system. I have nothing bad to say about it. I'm here for that for a small ask and I'll get to that and be concise at the end. A little background information. I know we've sent you emails and I know the
superintendent has gotten an email also. My son is a junior at Fairon High School. He plays ice hockey. He's the assistant captain of the ice hockey team. After hockey season was over, March 1st, he withdrew from Fairon High School to take a a Celis online 16-week
uh advanced placement program. Reason for that, the courses, the AP programs were not offered to him at the time as a junior was not offered to him at that time. It was into his junior year. He went and visited the University of
South Carolina, University of Clemson, Clemson University, and Tennessee. He spoke to admissions. Besides your grade point average, you had to have you had to challenge yourself with AP classes. Being in the middle of his junior year, you weren't able to reset yourself and
take AP classes. As we now now know how hard it is to get into college and how people are getting weight listed, your grade point average never mattered so much. As well as student loans and the amount of money you're going to get from a college is very different now, as of
July 5th, I don't know. I'm sure you all have parents. You're all parents. You have kids. Some of you have kids in the school system. How much money you're able to receive now from a parent plus loan is $20,000 a year. It's capped. $65,000 maximum per student the whole length of the loan. Other than that, you
have to take personal loans. The average college is $60,000 a year. That's on the low end. There's no possible way all these kids will be going to college outside of this state. Even in this state, it's not cheap. Uh couple more uh couple more uh
points here. Uh the NJSIA who governs ice hockey, governs sports, um when you transfer from school to school, and this is considered a transfer. Uh if if your if your district
doesn't allow homeschool students, and I'm not asking you to change the board policy. I'm asking for a one-time exemption or exception, not because we're special, just because of the needs. I don't think this is going to be a ongoing thing for other students. But
I'm just going to read the the NJSI rule real quick. It's considered a transfer. If a homeschool student moves at homeschooling to a high school, from high school to high school, choosing a student's home district board of education policy that permits homeschool students participate will be exempt from
the pen the sitout penalty. he'd have to sit out 30 days of his senior year to play ice hockey and that would kill him. Uh he was gonna be here to speak for himself and advocate for himself tonight, but he chose to go play ice hockey at the last minute. If necessary, he'll come back and advocate for himself next meeting. I strongly encourage you
to voice your support to the the superintendent on a one-time exemption or exception, whatever the proper wording is. All right, you all have the email and I can follow up with you. Thank you very much for hearing me. Thank you, Mr. Shaw.
Good evening, Marcy Ree Fereralon. Just want to congratulate all the 25-y year honores. You started working at Ferlon when I graduated, but you all look like you just started. Happy teacher appreciation week to all of my fellow teachers. You're appreciated more than you could ever know. Happy early
mother's day to all the moms in our community. Special congratulations to Mr. Jaresi on his retirement. Um he teachers like Mr. Daresi, having his support going forward in my career and having him as a student really gave me a
lot of fond memories and teachers like him are what make our district so great. On Sunday, April 19th, I, as the only member of the public, aside from the NJSBA rep, attended the board's annual retreat and policy committee committee meeting of the whole. And let me tell you that we're not in for any special
treatments here. The hostility carries over even more in an informal setting. And still, not everyone could agree without being rude to each other. Several six board members voted against adding student achievement to the board meeting agendas. And while I know firsthand just how lengthy these meetings tend to be, I don't think
anyone would bulk in an additional 10 minutes celebrating student achievement. If the town council can hold proclamations honoring teachers and students alike, the board can similarly honor students. I personally really enjoy hearing our high school and middle school student representative reports, but unfortunately we don't get to hear much from our six elementary schools or
from Edison. The turnout we had earlier this evening we should have at every meeting. On agenda item one I, I'm really glad to see that public comments have been moved earlier on the agenda as this will allow more of our residents to come and speak since they don't have to wait until 11 p.m. However, with the
combination of public agenda comments, public and agenda comments, will residents now only receive a total of six minutes to speak. Previously, they were allotted two three-minute comments under agenda items and the same for public comment for a potential total of 12 minutes. It looks like that's been cut by three quarters. There have been
minimal policy meetings over the last two years, and the last meeting was just an hour with little progression made on updating policies. Who will be working on policy updates, as many are far behind where they should be? Perhaps there's a company that can be hired for a nominal fee to bring our policies up to date. I also want to note that I was disappointed the last meeting was
adjourned before board public comment. The meeting was not even running as late as past meetings had, and it was adjourned at 11:30 p.m. Most of the board members were voted for by the public, and we do want to hear what our board members have to say. During the taste of Fairlon, Mr. Rosenberg made it heard loud and clear to many of the
residents that attended that if meetings went past 11 p.m. he was going to make sure to end them. I imagine he'll do that by making a motion to adjurnn. Can one board member speak for 9? It certainly looks like he is trying. If you took the time to run for board of education and you have since made the commitment to sit on the board, make the
commitment to see the meetings through until the end. I have a few other things to say, but definitely not enough time to say them. So, thank you. Sorry, I kind of feel bad having my back to the audience. Um, good evening everybody. My name is Bashana Tchinsky.
My municipality is Fairlon. In April 2025, I was running for the Fairlon Board of Education with my team because we believed our district needed greater transparency, accountability, and protection of parental rights. During the campaign on April 1st, 2025,
I was directly contacted through Facebook Messenger by Mr. Michael Gotsman who identified himself as the founder of the New Jersey Public Education Coalition based out of Wayne, New Jersey. In his message, he explained that his organization creates and
distributes like-minded candidates list for the Board of Education elections across the whole New Jersey and that they were considering candidates for endorsement. He provided a list of ideological requirements for candidates that had to
meet in order to be considered including positions on DEI policies, school curriculum, school choice, religion and schools and other political issues. I will read the DM message um later if I have time to speak again. This
established direct outside political influence in local fair board of education races by an organization whose leadership does not reside in Fairlon. After receiving this message, I raised these concerns publicly in the Fairone Billboard Facebook group where Mr.
Godsman commented on my post himself providing information that raised concerns. During our review, we found that Mr. Gasman maintains information on board of education candidates across New Jersey, multiple districts, and a private database that is not publicly
accessible without direct request from Mr. Michael Godsman. His website also includes a section called report questionable activities in your district, encouraging outside political monitoring of local school matters, where he builds lists regarding right-wing extremism, BOE candidates,
and use of dark money. We also found public references connecting New Jersey Public Education Coalition to another entity called Education Truth Project which appeared connecting connected to the original funding of his website. Education Truth Project is a Republican organization that tried to file as a
pack on elect in 2022 and was not approved and is now a defunct. According to Michael Gotsman, entity searches showed New Jersey Public Coalition referenced both as a nonprofit as an LLC structure while Mr. Gotsman reportedly confirmed it was operating as
an LLC. Clear IRS nonprofit filings were not readily available. Mr. Gossman also publicly identified certain feralone board of education candidates including Miss Julie Casoy, Mr. Michael Rosenberg and Edward Elini as being on his like-minded candidates list. These individuals were either
serving on or later returned to the Fairlon Board of Education. At the same time, residents had serious concerns regarding the transparency and fairness of the of the board vacancy process involving Miss Julie Casoy and the overall appearance of coordinated outside influence and local governance.
Thank you. I will come back a second time. It's quick. Good evening. My name is Shannon Lions. I'm a resident of Ferlon. I have three children, two of which have already graduated Fairlon High School and a sophomore. I have long been involved as
a volunteer in our schools and came this evening to thank the board of education for approving a permanent athletic director, Mr. Mel Escalante. He has been the acting AD for the last nine months, nine plus months, and our parent community is so excited to now
have him on board as a permanent part of the high school administration. I also want to congratulate all our retirees being honored at this meeting, in particular, Miss Patty Nolan, who I have known for many years and who always supported
our PTA activities at Warpoint School. We wish you all the best. Hi, my name is Erica Rupert. I'm a resident of Fairlon. Uh while I do not have children in the school system, I am a taxpayer and a firm believer in the value of public education
and my phone is closing. As other districts are requesting large tax increases, cutting teaching staff, and facing large deficits, this board has managed to present a budget that preserves all current teaching positions,
maintains class sizes, and keeps the tax increase we face here in town relatively small. Nobody likes a tax increase. A small one is the best we can get in in this financial situation.
Also, I want to recognize that this was accomplished despite three board members who consistently put on shows of demanding fiscal responsibility, but appear more focused on obstructing meetings, interrupting speakers,
grandstanding, complaining about rules and procedures, and making personal attacks on other board members. I appreciate your ability to have gotten the budget done anyway and thank you all for the work that you do. >> Good evening. My name is Adam Reef. I've
lived in Fairlon for more than 45 years. I grew up here. I'm a product of the Fairlon school system. So is my brother. My son, my kids are both products of the school system. My son is studying aerospace engineering at Purdue University because of the education he's received here. My daughter is currently a junior in this district, benefiting
every day from our teachers and staff. I'm here tonight because I've been paying attention to recent board meetings and what I found is something every voter should understand. Over the last three regular meetings, January, February, and March, three board members have consistently voted together as a coordinated block. Miss Favvelich, Mr. Santana, Miss Carla. In February, they
voted together on almost 80% of contested items. In March, that number rose to almost 90. And we saw tonight the three of you voted no on a motion to allow public comment at the beginning of the meeting instead of late at night. Perhaps you can help me understand why anyone would oppose such a motion. Then on March 26th, the three of you cast it
your most con consequential vote yet. You all voted no on the preliminary school budget. the same budget that funds teachers, classrooms, special education, transportation, and buildings. Now, let me be clear. I'm not saying that every budget should be rubber stamped. Asking tough questions
matters. Oversight matters. Voting can voting no can be appropriate. But we have to look at the pattern. In January and February, Miss Favvelich and Mr. Santana made her seconded 10 motions together. Only one passed, seven failed. Two were ruled out of order by the board's own attorney for violating basic
procedure. That's roughly a 10% success rate on motions that consumed hours of meeting time. Meetings that ran past midnight. While teachers waiting on staff while teachers waited on staffing decisions, parents waited on programs and administrators stayed here into the early morning. This isn't careful over
oversight. It's constructive descent or sorry, it isn't constructive disscent, it's obstruction. And and I'm not sure I understand why. The voters of Fairlon deserve to understand what they're witnessing. I urge parents watching tonight to read the minutes, watch the meetings, and decide for yourselves
whether this is the way this is the work you elected this board to do. Thank you. >> Dr. Disio, is there anything on the Google doc? >> Yes, there is. Tara Walsh, Fairlon. My name is Tara Walsh and I am a Fereralon resident of
over 30 years. I currently have two children in the district, ages seven and 10, one with an IEP and one without. I am incredibly grateful for the education they receive in Fairlon. After being raised in this community and graduating from Fairlon School District, it was an
easy decision to choose to raise my family here. What I loved most about Fairlon, in addition to its excellent education, is the small town feel despite the town not being small at all. I have had the pleasure of building strong relationships with like-minded parents and fostering a sense of
community that my children continue to flourish in. So, tonight, I would like to start by saying thank you. Thank you to those of you who sit on the board and continue to work hard to maintain what so many of us love about being a part of Fairlon Public Schools. Over the past few months, I have watched the recorded
board of education meetings and cannot believe the behavior displayed by some of our board members. I am writing tonight to let you know that Mr. Santana, Miss Coraliva, and Miss Favllovich do not represent my voice, nor do they represent the voice of many other parents that are proud to be part
of the Fairone Public Schools. I feel it is important to communicate this fact so that the remaining members know that you are appreciated and we hope that you'll continue to put in the work for our children. Mr. Santana, you have commented publicly that the fair that
Fairlon is a failing district. By what standards? Through what measurements? It's irresponsible, reckless, and wildly untrue. I certainly don't feel represented by a board member who speaks so poorly of our school district. You sir are an educator and should be able
to see how lucky you are to have the dedicated teachers, administrators and staff working in Fairlon. Miss Favvelich, your grandstanding with topics like itemizing costs of ink cartridges and toner is not fiscal responsibility. It's a railroading tactic and a waste of board board
meeting time. It is my understanding that a board of education is to adopt policy and procedure and you have gone so far off the mark it is shame shameful. Miss Coraliva, in the few months that you have been on the board, your observed behavior appears to be that of someone who wants to argue and
run interference, not work as a team to better our district. So, which is it? Foster growth or contribute to derailed meetings? With that said, the behavior of some members of the board have the ability to set a chain reaction that will have lasting impacts on our children. When prospective educators
come looking for employment in our district, one glimpse at the current climate of our board of education will send them running for the hills. Moving public comments to the start of the meeting is the only way for more of our voices to be heard. Thank you for empowering the community to communicate their distaste for trajectory that this
board has been on lately. We hope that those called out tonight will reflect and reset so Fairlow public schools can continue to be a place where children can learn and grow. Next comment, Erica Muly Hawthorne. Good evening board, staff and members of the public. I would like to take a moment to
express my sincere gratitude to the PAR professionals who are retiring. Janet, Michelle, Connie, and Lisa. Each of these individuals has dedicated many years of service to the Fairlaw Board of Education and most importantly to the special needs students at Edison School. Their commitment, compassion, and
unwavering support have made a lasting impact on our school community. Congratulations to Diana Marinelli on reaching an incredible milestone of 25 years of service. This achievement reflects a remarkable level of commitment and passion for education. I would also like to extend my
congratulations to Miss Greta Mirh Holse on education specialist of the year. Greta is a certified special education teacher that I have the privilege of working with every day. Her dedication, kindness, patience, and deep understanding of early childhood development are evident in the care she
provides to our students. Lastly, congratulations to Melanie Loa, educa uh Edison music teacher on being named the 2026 educator of the year. This is a well-deserved recognition of her talent and dedication. Next comment, Joseph Bald Baldski
Ferlon. I want to recognize the many retirees that were honored tonight. Hearing so many familiar names retire makes me feel like I might might not be as young as I thought. Thank you all for your commitment to our students and enjoy retirement. I
especially want to recognize Miss Nolan on her retirement after 38 years of service to our district. It is hard to imagine our district without her. By the time I started at Warren Point in 2002, she was already a legendary figure. Generations of students knew her,
respected her, and were always on their best behavior when she was around. Thank you, Miss Nolan, for your years of dedication and the lasting impact you had on so many students and Fairlaw families. Next comment, Gail Rottenstrick. I am
absolutely disgusted by the appalling behavior of members Felvich, Santana, and Corala. Their actions seem intended only to disrupt meetings and make it impossible for our public schools to function in a rational way. Fairlon public schools have had an amazing
reputation for years. These members seem determined to tear down. Fairlon residents won't let that happen. We support the board of ed members who are working to improve our schools, support our students, and keep them great. Next comment, Zana Manila.
My name is Zana Manila Fereralon. I am proud parent of three wonderful children who have been part of this school district since 2016. Currently attending the elementary, middle, and high school levels. In 2016, my family made the difficult decision to sell our home and
leave our previous district. Along with several other families, we faced ongoing challenges with the board of education regarding the quality of its autism program and the treatment of our children received as early as kindergarten. The process was both emotionally and financially exhausting
and ultimately we chose to relocate for the well-being of our children. We came to Fairlon after it was highly recommended by a trusted early interventionist and it proved to be the right decision. Because of our past experiences, I will admit that I am a
helicop helicopter mom when it comes to my children's education and I embrace that role fully. That said, I cannot express enough how grateful I am for this district. At every grade level, every teacher, paraprofessional, and administrator we have encountered has
consistently demonstrated a genuine commitment to my children's success. They have gone above and beyond to support them, challenge them, and help them reach their fullest potential. They adore my kids. For this, I am truly and forever grateful. Tonight, once again, I
feel compelled to address what I believe is disruptive and unethical behavior. demonstrated by certain members of this board, three to be exact, Mr. Santana, Miss Favvelovich, and Miss Coraliva. Their conduct cannot and should not be allowed to continue. I know I am not
alone in this sentiment. Many parents share a growing frustration and concern. As I have said before, if your actions are not guided by what is best for all of our children, then this role may not be the right one for you. Our school community expects and deserves
leadership that is focused, collaborative, and student centered. Our children, all of them, depend on this board to work together in their best interest and for their future. We cannot give them back lost time. There are no doovers in their education. Serving on
this board is not a platform for personal agendas. It is a responsibility, a responsibility that calls for partnership between parents, board members, and administrators. Together we must create and m maintain an environment where every child has the
opportunity to learn, grow, and truly truly flourish. If you are not looking to be part of this important journey in their lives, their parents of Fereralon do not want you here holding these positions and wasting our children's time. You can resign respectfully.
The next comment, Gilla Dobbler Ferlon. I've been here since third grade, so went through the school system as did my husband and three and three daughters. Our excellent school system played a big
part in our decision to stay in Fairone. I just want to thank the administration and board members who take the time to do what they were hired, elected, and appointed to do. Thank you Dr. Gianio and the entire administration, Mrs. Maym, Mrs. Brown, Mr. Aaliyah, Dr.
Bertillini, Mrs. Casoy, and Mr. Rosenberg. There was a public comment at the last meeting that has been on my mind since then. The community member mentioned that there are only three members who are active and working while six board members just sit quietly at
meetings. That cannot be farther from the truth. The truth is that six members I thanked do the work they are supposed to do, attending committee meetings and properly preparing for these meetings. Mr. Santana, Miss Favvelvich, and Miss Coriva are under the impression that
people do not attend these meetings because they are unaware of them. So notices should be published elsewhere. That is not the reason. The reason is that these meetings have become painful to watch even from home. Mr. Santana does not stop talking, often out of
turn, and does not comply with meeting guidelines. Miss Fialvich is rarely prepared, says she doesn't understand, and also speaks out of turn, while Miss Coriva is still learning, but also unprepared. They all complain about attorney costs, but their behavior must
be part of the problem as meetings are longer than they have ever been. Basically, I am here to ask Mr. Santana, Miss Fialovich, and Miss Coroliva to stop this behavior, come to meetings prepared and get the work done with their fellow board members. They are
doing a disservice to our students with their disruptive behavior. Their no vote on continuation of conduct of board meeting policy 0164 demonstrates their unwillingness to work together. Please do better. If you are not here to find common ground and serve
our students, please resign. We are lucky to have our administrators and teachers and it would be terrible to lose any of them due to this behavior. >> That concludes the comments on the Google doc. >> Sorry. Okay. If any would like to speak
again for another three minutes, um, now is your chance. >> Thank you. Hi again, it's Bashanki. Municipality is Fairon. What we are witnessing here today is a clearly coordinated political attack on the three board of education
members which undermines the public trust and it's vile. Board of education is supposed to be nonpartisan and it became so deeply into politics that it's appalling and you can keep commenting and you can keep singling everybody out.
Not everybody is a liberal here. Okay? We need to coexist together and we need to work together. And this is appalling. It's it's s serious issue. And as I say that, I'm going to continue about Michael Godzman who is influencing our
fair elections. Meanwhile, he is out of Wayne, New Jersey. His company is registered as an LLC and he's fronting as a nonprofit. He's saying that he's handling almost no funds. He's holding
workshops about fascism in high school and charging a fee which goes to defense for democracy. I would like to know h how his database operates. I would like to see those likeminded candidates and also I would like to see the lists of
the candidates that do not align with his political ideologies. Why is this man involved in our elections? I demand accountability and transparency especially after he publicly said that
Miss Julie Casoy, Mr. Rosenberg and Mr. Edolini are like-minded candidates and we already had the issue of the vacancy before. So when an outside political organization is influencing board of education
elections, maintaining private candidate databases, selecting preferred candidates, collecting data and funds through paid events, operating under unclear organizational structures and publicly identifying candidates who later return to our board. The public has the right to ask questions. We're
asking for full transparency regarding relationships, endorsements, financial disclosures, candidate coordination, and any connections between outside political organizations and fail on board of education governance. Where and where answers cannot be obtained
locally, these matters should be reviewed by the appropriate state and federal authorities. Public trust and education governance depends on it. Our Feralong community is watching. Thank you. Hi, my name is Allison Curley. I have
two kids who are at Thomas Jefferson and I just wanted to get up and return the conversation to something relevant. I want to just thank the six members of the board who are here doing the actual work of the board. We see you. We
appreciate you. And on behalf of all of the other parents in in Fairlon who feel as I do, thank you for your patience and your professionalism and your kindness. We see what the three members of the board who continue to be
disruptive and unethical are doing and we are very much opposed to it. So I just want to call everyone's attention to the slew of retirees that we just had tonight and remind everyone that we have
a massive teacher shortage in New Jersey. And my concern is how are we going to get high quality professional teachers to come to this district when they're seeing board meetings with the
hostility and the disrespect that I have seen watching the past board meetings. So, I just want to again thank the six members of the board who are doing the work and call on the three disruptive members to
remind themselves that they're supposed to be working on behalf of the children and not on their personal agendas. Thank you so much. Marces Fereralon um back again and I just wanted to comment on some agenda items tonight. Um on agenda item five,
enrollment, Edison school shows 82 self-contained students but no preschool students. Are they not included in the total? Isn't the school being used for both preschool and special education? Are our special education students in the least restrictive environment meant for them? Agenda item AF,
salary adjustments. If someone can please explain the difference between a human resources generalist and a human resources specialist and why it negates an $8,700 addition to their salary 7 weeks before the school year ends. Is there a place on the website to read job descriptions for positions throughout
the district? Agenda item 12A, policy P0142.1, policy on nepotism. No relative of a board member or the superintendent of school shall be employed in an office or position in the school district except in item two where it says the district may employ a relative of a board member
of the superintendent provided the district has obtained approval from the executive county superintendent. Such approval shall be granted only upon demonstration by the district that it conducted a thorough search for candidates and the proposed candidate is the only qualified and available person for the position. As a member of the public, this looks like a major conflict
of interest and should not be allowed at all unless the employee was an employee prior to the board member becoming a board member as outlined in item one. My final agenda comment is on item 6F, the approval of Fereralon AI plan supplementing district policy 2365 authorized use by grade level. K to4
should be teacher use only. It is already problematic that the learners of this generation are falling behind. And I'm not saying that this is a fair loan problem. This is a nationwide problem. It's imperative that our K to4 learners can grasp and master the basic foundational skills that they will need for the rest of their lives before
allowing AI to interfere. I would also like to know who will make up the leadership team mentioned under administrative approval and review procedures in addition to the technology coach and educational technology coordinator. Some non-aggenda public comment items that I have at the October meeting and many times since I've asked
to know who makes up the community leadership council committee and how we can find this out or be a part of this group. This information is not available on our website and six months later I'm still waiting for an answer. Why has TJ not posted their honor roll lists when Memorial Middle School and Feralon High School have? I don't have students in
TJ, but I've had a lot of people ask me to ask about that. There's also a number of parents still waiting for an answer about testing for kindergarten readiness and this is something our district should implement. And my final comment is where does Fearlong currently stand on policy 5767? without taking some kind of action. The district is opening
itself up to lawsuits as other districts in our area have already had legal action taken against them. If clarification is needed, I do not believe that transitioning should be done behind a parent's back or without the proper support. Institutions should not be teaching children to keep secrets from their parents, but we should be
supporting all of our students in the best way possible. Thank you. Anyone else? Okay, the floor is closed. Justice. >> Motion. Motion to make a motion.
>> Great. I'd like to make a motion to to discuss prior minutes. Um approval of prior minutes. >> Second. >> Can I start? You didn't recognize me. Good evening. I want to publicly express a concern
regarding the handling of my personal information. A document containing my personal information, including my home address, my personal email address, and my personal phone number, was circulated by board counsel and board president in
connection with board materials. Despite that information not being necessary for board action or public discussion, I do not know the full extent of who who uh of who this document was shared with. I specifically raised this question regarding the distribution of these
materials to the administration and those questions were not answered. I also raised these concerns with the board president and I did not receive a response. I find it this deeply concerning and unsettling as a board member who routinely receives documents
such as resume, bills, and other records in which personal information including addresses, phone numbers, and email address are commonly redacted for privacy purposes. That makes it even more troubling to me that my own personal information was circulated
without similar protection or redaction. No individual should feel that their personal identifying information may be unnecessary distributed in a manner that creates discomfort, intimidation and fear of retaliation. I believe this question raises a serious concern
regarding privacy protection recognizing under the New Jersey law, including the principle established in the court case Bernard versus County County of Bergen. In this case, the New Jersey Supreme Court recognized that even when information exists with government
records, there still there must be a balance of public interest against an individual's reasonable expectation of privacy and the potential harm caused by disclosure of personal information.
This situation have left me violated, harassed and intimidated. It also raised um broader concerns regarding privacy, professionalism and handling of sensitive personal information. My purpose is to raise this issue not to create conflict but to emphasize the
importance of maintaining an environment where individuals are treated respectfully and where personal information is handled with appropriate care and discretion. I believe this concern deserved serious reflection to ensure trust, fairness, professionalism and proper government's practice. Moving
forward, I would also like to uh express concern regarding the accuracy and the completeness of the executive session minutes of April 19th. Under the open public meetings act, public bodies are required to maintain reasonable comprehensive minutes,
presenting the uh presenting the subject discussed and the action taken during a meeting. Accuracy means are important because they become part of the official board record. After reviewing the executive session minutes, I have concerns that the records may not be accurate and completely reflect what occurred during the meeting.
>> Thank you, Miss Favalovich. >> U Mr. President, can I can I address uh Miss Favalovich's comments? >> You may. >> So, I think what you're referring to are uh executive session minutes which are not revealed to the public. And I think what you're reveal you're concerned with
is that there was a document that was attached uh allegedly with your personal information. What the public should know is the document that was attached was provided to the district by the executive county superintendent. It was
an open request that you served on the state for Mr. Dianio's Dr. Deniso's employment contracts from Verona, from Ramapoin Hills, from here. You also
sought the employment contract of the Ridgewood superintendent thing and that was sent to the executive county superintendent who sent it in. So for you to claim that you had some privacy right, you're the one who disclosed it to the state and to the executive county superintendent and it was sent back here. That was attached to an executive
session minute. So this board hasn't disclosed anything. The only person who disclosed your personal information was you by an Oprah request that you served on the state and it was served on the executive county superintendent seeking information about Dr. Dianio. That's
what you're talking about. So the public should understand exactly what you're accusing people of because you're the person who revealed the closed session the the your alleged personal information that you feel so violated about. You're the one who exposed it.
Thank you. Point of clarification, >> Miss Corva. >> Uh, from what I'm understanding that the board members are not allowed to make open requests. Is that what you're stating? >> I didn't say that. Are you just I guess you guys didn't listen to everyone who spoke. >> No, no. Board members can actually make
open requests. But when you make an OPE request under the law, you have to identify yourself. You have to provide your email. You have to answer three questions as to why you're seeking them. And it's public information. An Oprah request itself is a public document. So
when you fill that out, you wave your right to any type of privacy. >> So for Miss Favlovich to get up here and say that the legal counsel, I understand what attorney client privileges. I understand what close executive session minutes are. But for her to suggest that
either myself or the board president reveal confidential information, that is patently false. But board members can make open requests. But you do so knowing that you're making it and you're disclosing your own personal information. That's >> point of clarification. Has Miss Feelovich made that in her capacity as a
board member or her capacity as a private citizen? >> She made it I believe in her capacity as a board member because then because >> your interpretation >> Oh, no. I think that that's I think that that's not only my interpretation. I think that's your executive county superintendent's interpretation who then
revealed it advising that a board member made this request. Okay. >> Thank you so much. Mr. Santana, >> just a general comment on this topic. I think we should find peace among
ourselves as a board and agree, excuse me, point of order and agree to disagree and perhaps we we need another board retreat. the board retreat that we have, we did not conclude the agenda items and perhaps
>> kind of we are still talking about the um motion. >> Yes. So in regards to that to that motion, I think the the root of the root of the the problem is we need to work together. Agree to disagree, but we need to work together. And the problem is
we're not working together. Okay? We need to work together, agree to disagree, and we have our differences. And we have to respect our differences. I know what it feels to be discriminated in this town as the only person of color
on this board. And I know that irritates some people in the community. And it it makes me really sad. It breaks my heart um as a father, as a teacher, as a board member that people who are educated
cannot tolerate that there are people that have genuine different points of views. And just because people don't agree, that doesn't mean you're not working together. This is an oversight board. An oversight board is supposed to
act a certain way. and we have a code of ethics that ban us from any partisan uh influence. So while I welcome >> Mr. This motion is on the discussion of previous minutes please.
>> Yes. So in terms of the in in terms of the the previous minutes going back let's agree to uh have a meeting of the minds and have another board retreat. I I will propose having another board retreat to try
>> We're talking about the minutes, please. Minutes. >> Thank you. >> Anyone else? Miss Favvich. >> Also, for the record, the executive minutes do not share who was present when the motion went in to become uh part of the executive when the motion
ended to become those are required by NJSA 10 col4-14. So we are violating OPMA. >> Thank you. The floor is closed. Can I get a roll call, please? >> Motion.
>> Call roll call. >> And then after that, >> we're roll calling the minutes. >> Dr. B. >> Since I made a motion, don't we have to vote on it? >> No. Roll call. >> There was you. You made a motion to discuss the minutes. There was no motion that was actionable. Roll call. >> Dr. Bolini.
>> Yes. >> Miss Brown. We're We're approving the minutes as is. Yes. >> Ma, >> yes. >> Miss Vlovich, >> no. >> Miss Coraliva, >> no. The record does not reflect what
actually occurred in the meeting. >> Just vote, please. >> Miss Kasoy, >> yes. >> Mr. Rosenberg, >> yes. >> Mr. Santana, >> no. >> Mrs. May, >> yes.
This agenda item provides an opportunity for committee chairs to present brief summaries of proceedings from their most recent committee meetings. These reports are forformational purposes only and reflect activities that have already taken place. This is not an appropriate time to introduce new business items or
engage in extended discussions on topics that should be addressed through proper channels. Committee chairs are reminded to keep reports limited to three minutes max based on written meeting minutes. Focus only on key actions and discussions from the most recent meeting. Reference when the next meeting
schedule is scheduled. Avoid introducing any new business that has not been properly vetted through the committee. Submit any written summary reports to the superintendent and board secretary for inclusion in the minutes. >> Point of clarification. When are we going to go back into exec?
I'm trying to get through stuff so then we can talk about actual items. >> Well, yes, >> committee reports. Does anybody have a committee report? >> I do. >> I do. >> Dr. Berlini. >> Okay. I'm in the chair of the education small committee. We met on April 16th at
6:15 p.m. Present was Miss Keller, Dr. Dianio, myself, Anthony Leah, Lunil Corva, Michael Rosenberg, and that's everyone that was there. Uh we discussed a lot of policies. is we'd spent most of uh this the early months in uh 2026 with
the budget and now we're back into the regular parts of the education committee. So, Miss Keller provided an overview of policies that we had to develop or or modify. All policies were developed by Strauss Strauss Esme who we all know uh who translates new changes in the law to what we need to do in a
school district. Most school districts in the state uh use um Strauss Espay the policy 2365 was talking about AI which is obviously a very serious topic of interest to all of us. Uh it's been adopt or it's going to be adopted either
tonight or the next meeting. Uh and uh the important part that this main discussion was giving up the authority of the board uh to Dr. Dianio and the administrative team. However, it's clear that the uh information uh is consistent
with uh policy and regulation 2361 and 56600 which is student discipline. Uh and then the final approvity while the superintendent develops the plan and we certainly obviously support our superintendent. uh Strauss Esme recommends the board approve it after uh
the superintendent develops it but the bottom line is it's our job to oversee but it's the superintendent and the administrative team's job to put everything in motion and then next thing was social studies course that was discussed as part of the budget uh we
are moving um world history to junior year and US history 1 US history 2 to sophomore year that was a discussion from the uh the social studies department it was much time was talked about this by the the administrative team at the high school. Uh and we
certainly I agree with the decision even though I I wouldn't mind keeping it the way it was. The third major topic of that night was the school culture survey and Fairlon will I'm just reading what the minutes say. Fairone will participate with the Rutgers University School climate transformation project in
collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Education to administer the survey to parents, students in uh grades 3 to 12 and our staff. So, we'll be doing that soon, but Miss Keller is working on those uh plans. And then I
guess the the same thing with the survey. Uh each year a superintendent actually twice a year gives a state of the schools presentation uh regarding uh issues in our district and again as you all well know it is a long presentation actually for Dr. needs to provide us uh
twice a year and there were may there were other topics that were on the agenda but obviously we spent a lot of time on these three policies uh and we'll move the next meeting which I believe I can't look at my phone is June 11th so I have all my schedules in my phone and I don't have it off the top of
my head even though I'm not did I take three minutes >> Miss Favllovich >> oh my god I never >> good evening at the recent finance committee meeting held on April 16 2020 uh6 from 6:15 50 to 740. Several oper um operational and budget related matters
were discussed. For the record, I was not consulted regarding the development of the committee agenda. >> Please focus on the minutes. At the same time, it will focus on the >> to the rest of the board. Topics discussed including Please do not interrupt me. I don't interrupt you. You don't interrupt me. It's called
courtesy. The topics discussed including the plary budget advertise process, anticipating county approval of the budget, and the decision of the advertise the budget on the district website rather than the uh newspaper, resulting in an estimate saving of $800.
The committee also discussed that the overall increase for the 2026 school year is 6.91%. It was stated that this increase would not be explicitly advertised and that the members of the public could independently calculate the increase by comparing last year's budget with the uh
proposed 202627 budget. Questions were raised regarding whether the budget book constitute a public record and which portion of the budget book are cons considered public records. The administration stated that legal counsel would be consulted regarding this question. To date, I have
not received a response. The committee also reviewed the district approximately 125,000 tree grant including bids for procurement and maintaining of the street uh trees um district schools. Um uh also um the
administration said the contract is being reviewed by the le uh board council. Um I when I had the when I asked but questions on the agenda it was told that we don't have a contract banking and interest earnings were
discussed including possible movements of district funds to higher yield inst institution and the estimate financial impact associated with the interest. Additionally discussions include non-affiliate staff salary increases. During the discussion, a board member raised that administrative union
contract reflect an increase of uh increase averaging approximately 3% while non-affilian staffs were being recommended for 3.2 increase. Supporting calculations related to the salary schedules were provided with the minutes. Additional topics include a
long range facility plan of days associated with the budget and the cafeteria pricing. For the record, on April 20th, 2026, as a chairperson of the finance committee, I submitted the committee minutes to the board within the timeline outlined in policy 015. The following date, a separate version of
the minutes were distributed by the administration. Based on out uh outlook records, the submission minutes were accessed prior to distribution of the separate version by the two board members and staff. Thank you, >> Mr. J. Kobe, did you have something to
say? before what I was saying, you're the chair of the of the meeting as the president. You run the meeting. If a board member is saying something that could be deemed out of order or evaluative of personnel, you have the absolute right to interrupt them as the
chair. And it's your job as the chair to conduct an orderly meeting. Um, and so people have to, you were elected as a president, so we all have to honor that. And, uh, Miss President Mayan is the person who will be enforcing Robert's
rules of order. >> I think you wanted to on the 6 a through. >> Okay. Any other reports? Okay. So what we will do since we do have members of the pres public present, I would like to take a motion for 6 A through F so that
we can um approve the budget while the public is present and then we will be going. >> No, we had board comments. You said we will have board comments later on. >> No, you said board comments on the agenda. >> If you would like to if you would like to asked you that. You said yes. You said if you would like to discuss
something, now is your opportunity. >> Okay. So I'd like to move 6 A through F. >> Yeah. Okay. Thank you. >> Um >> we are moving 6 A through F. >> You have to get a second. >> So moved. >> Does anybody have any comments?
>> Any comments on 6 A through F? >> And just for clarification, how many minutes do we have per because I don't this is a new way and I'm trying to understand so I follow the rules. What how many minutes do we have? >> Three minutes. >> Okay. So we have three minutes. >> Oh, Mr. Mr.
You're you're you can go. >> Okay. I would like to bring to attention several concerning uh regarding district spending transparent data. Over the past two months of uh past two months of this um over the past two months of service,
the board attorney built the district approximately $63,000. Again, $63,000. the amount excluded approxim uh 10,000 charges this month alone by the special education attorney. To put this in
perspective, this is comparable to an annual year salary of a veteran teacher. The board various conducted an RFP process with the exception that it would help reduce legal cost. However, instead of decreasing the attorney's fee uh have
increased significantly instead of decreasing the it has increased significantly. In fact, the proposed budget allocates an additional $50,000 specifically for regular attorney fees, bringing the total to legal budget to
approximately $200,000. I want to take um now I'm confused. Hold on. I also would like to address the district healthc care cost. The district utilize a healthcare broker. I believe it is important for the public to understand
how a broker compensate structure operates and whether the district is consistent receiving the most effective op uh option available. In addition, a commission associated with the insurance fund, the broker also charges the district an additional $25,000.
So besides a commission, the district also pays another $25,000. Additionally, account number 1-0000-230-610-00003501 supply superintendent office increased from approximately 4,647 to 11,91
representing an increase of more than 550%. When I asked this question on a book, it was says to buy um furniture. The budget book also states that the district is purchasing math journals with home links for kindergarten students. However, to
my understanding, kindergarten students do not uh currently receive a journal, math journal or home link. I'm therefore unclear on what exactly the taxpayers are paying for. Um I also I also I'm disappointed to see
that the playgrounds I have been advocating I've been advocating for our new playgrounds and I'm excited that we are actually getting new play. Uh however it includes very limit limited activities for children with disability. The proposed activities appear to include a spinner, a seating chart, a
seating in the rocket structure and interactive panel. Although swings are planned for West Morland, to my understanding they will not be handicap accessible. All children should be able to actively participate on a playground. And as a district, we should advocate for
children ability to have opportunity to pay that uh play that are comparable to those children without disabilities. >> My my point of order was we were only on items 6A through 6F. Respectfully, Miss Felic,
>> yes, the playground talked about the budget. >> Miss Corva, >> hi, good afternoon. Thank you so much. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate all the ret um the amazing people that we had here. It was very great the retirements. Um some of these
teachers I knew when I was in school. Um when it comes to the budget, I just want to make sure that everybody understand that last year we had almost 11 thou 11 million. Four of those were using this year and $6.99 million were put into a
capital of improvements. Once that money is put in capital improvements, it could only be used on capital improvements. Currently, we have $32 million in capital improvements. It all started with M Mr. Narcia wanted to build a technical school. Great idea. I don't know if it's happening or not, but $32
million that we are asking taxpayers to raise the same $7 million that we are put last year into an account that we no longer touch unless we're using them. Um when it comes to the AI plan, we need to
understand that we are not giving the parents the full picture. The language in this plan is first on foremost taking the oversight of this board. It's giving full autonomy to the administration. It's g the
teachers the not the teachers the administrations will take and determine whether or not the AI plan will be used properly. Um at this point the budget even though I do support each and every single teacher
the money that is being asked for we had that money each and every single year. We put millions and millions of dollars into a fund that could only be to allocate to fix our gym. Currently, the logo is cost that supposedly cost us $20,000. We're probably close to a
million because now we have to replace floors in the gym with the new logo. We have to replace billboards. All of that money could be allocated towards our children. That where the money should be allocated, not on the gym floors. Thank you so much.
Um, Miss Brown. >> Um, I just wanted to congratulate all of the retirees. Um, especially Mrs. Dunn. She was, uh, my oldest son's math teacher when he was here at Memorial. And, uh, she was instrumental um, in
helping him find his love of math. So, I just wanted to thank her. Um, it was great to see all of the other teachers that have touched my uh, family's lives at some point. So, it always makes me um, choke up. So, I just want to thank
you for everything. Um, also I wanted to >> Mr. Santana as the president. I run the >> It was Mr. Rosenberg. >> It was Mr. Rosenberg. >> Mr. Rosenberg. >> You just show your bias towards me. >> He spoke. You automatically think it's me.
>> You often interrupt. >> You show your bias. >> Mic was on. >> You show your bias. >> I was not speaking. >> Mr. Rosenberg. >> Apologize. >> My apologies. You usually interrupt Mr. Rosenberg. >> Are we doing board comments now or
>> No, we are talking about A through F. >> Anyone has comments on A through F? >> Yeah, that's it. I have these are my comments on A through F. >> Oh, it's on. I'm sorry. >> Those are >> Thank you. Um I just wanted to um commend and thank
the administrative team for the exhaustive hours and days that they took on this budget. Um, everything that is on this budget was extensively discussed at committee meetings that most of us were at and I really appreciate the time
and effort it took to answer our questions during those committee meetings um to adjust and course correct when we asked you to um you know for our students and I really appreciate that. I am also really really excited to see the
refinishing of the gym floors that happens on a regular basis every year because it gets worn down and disgusting by the end of the school year. I'm excited to see that every gym floor is going to be refurbished the same way that it does every year with the
budgeted money that we have. And I'm also excited to see the new logos that will be placed concurrently at the same time that the gym floors are being refurbished. I really appreciate your time and effort, especially Mr. Jobs and his team who make who take tireless
effort to do a lot of the work that they do over the summer to save us money so we don't have to contract out for that. I really appreciate his wealth of knowledge um and his team's wealth of knowledge in order to be able to do
that. Um and I am proud to serve on this board and I'm proud of the administrators. Thank you, >> Mr. Santana. First of all, I would like to congratulate um on 6A
uh the individuals that are retiring. Combined, they have almost 100 years of uh experience and dedication to our children. Um I'm going to explain why I'm voting no on the budget on 6B, although I support a lot of what's in
it. And we have to exercise active listening. I listen to the public and I'm going to reflect and um internalize your constructive criticism. Okay? I promise you that. Please listen also to me. Um
the budget has a 6% increase annually. Okay, we that's the school tax. Okay. Uh although I am a socially liberal in in social issues, I am a fiscal conservative when it comes to money. Okay? Because money
doesn't grow on trees. Okay? I am not one of the very wealthy members of this board. I'm one of the I'm a I'm a blue collar person. Okay? We have 6% annual tax increase. Okay? That's a school tax. Then we have the open space tax. We have
the library tax. We have the county tax. We have the municipal tax. Okay? We have the state tax. We have the sales tax. We have the payable, the federalable, the social, Medicare. I am happy to contribute to the education of our children and I would not take a dime out
of the classroom because I'm a teacher, but I'm a conservative, too. So, I know that doesn't make sense to people who can't see multi- multi multi dimensional. Okay? Please, I I don't question your sincerity and I would like my sincerity
also to be respected. uh we have huge I understand we have huge uh health care cost increases. Okay. However, I feel that the district have not done its due diligence when it comes to positions
that have nothing to do with teaching or learning. We have many positions that don't have anything to do with teaching or learning. And before I look at you in the eye who are retiree on a fixed income, okay, empty neester, single mom, I was raised by a single mom by divorced
mom. I want to make sure that we did everything possible to lessen the burden and we have not. We have many positions that have nothing to do with teaching and learning and those positions are still there. Many districts did cuts. Why they did cuts? because they thinking
about the people who cannot afford the mortgage payment or the rent and the the our district is very very lucky that we did not make those tough decisions. However, we do not have to pay for positions that have nothing to do with
teaching and learning in an era of affordability. People cannot afford to buy food and groceries. So, we did not do the proper due diligence according to my opinion. I need to go a second time. We will not be going a second time
because you will have the opportunity to speak three minutes at each agenda topic. Thank you, Mr. Rosenberg. Dr. Dianio, can I ask you how much the tax the tax increase just the tax
increase to the residences? Not not the budget increase, the tax increase. Point of clarification. I thought the all the questions have to go at the end, right? >> No. Okay. Just making sure. >> You're done.
>> Anyone else? >> No. Oh, I'm not done. I'm sorry. I'm not done. Um I I understand that. Um, people might think that
putting the logo on the floors of the gyms are um not right to do right now with with the budget, but you have to put the logo down when you're going to refinish the when you're
going to refinish the gym. That's the way to be responsible. So, some of the gyms have to be refinished. refinished like wear and tear. Go and look at our gyms. Look at the Memorial the Memorial Middle School gym. Look at
um the high school A gym. Look at TJ's gym. These gyms have to be have you might as well put a logo in. And you know, a lot of things have been said about this logo. What about what about I
know I'm trying I'm trying but I I don't want to you didn't stop anyone else >> budget >> I am talking about the budget >> focus >> you know anyone else miss soy >> um I I don't usually opine on these
things but as a as a finance specialist as a budget specialist professionally Um, it's very hard to call out in random times individual items from a budget. Things work together
as a cohesive unit and a budget exists to we predict our expenses for the year and we budget accordingly. So if things go up, it's because that's what our expectations are and we are doing our best to accommodate so we don't go over budget.
I truly think this has been a herculean effort on behalf of this district to we are one of the biggest towns in Bergen County. The healthc care percentage increase alone has hit us so much harder
than if we were a smaller district. So that we can't forget that that is what a huge chunk of this increase is about across the board across every institution everywhere from corporate to higher ed to public education everywhere. The
healthc care increase is killing us. But that is the we have done our best to make sure that the teachers stay in class and the teachers have support. Teachers by themselves cannot make the schools function. support staff is necessary so that teachers can continue
to do their jobs. Otherwise, teachers are doing not just the job of teaching but also all of the other jobs that go into the district. The support staff is critical. So cutting all of that means the teachers can't be effective in what they are doing. So again, we can't look at each individual item in a budget and
say yes, this or not. I mean, we can we have we have spent hours and hours and hours of time going through a budget book that is 12 in thick. And everybody sitting at this table, most people sitting at this table have taken the time to truly go through
all of those items and sit in meetings hours long and talk and discuss and understand. And it's very hard to I'm sure it's hard for the public I know to say you're increasing the taxes and that's hard and that's hard for
everybody right now. But know that there has been so much effort, so much thought, so much work that has gone into keeping that number as low as we possibly can. And no board members have access to the financial records of any
other board member, so no one can say who's rich or who's not. Okay, I'm sorry, but it's been said way too many times, Julie. I I can't anymore. Um, so it hurts everybody and we recognize that that we will do whatever I will do whatever I can to make sure that
everyone in this town is supported in every way, but our teachers are our priority. Our schools are our priority. That is why we are here. And I think that this budget does that, and that's why I'm voting yes on it. >> Anyone else? Well, Uh, two comments. One, uh, I'm just
reinforcing what Mr. Rosenberg said. Uh, I've obviously been in schools for a long time. I was superintendent. I was principal. You don't redo put a logo on a gym floor that's in perfect condition. It's just not financially feasible. You don't take a brand new floor and say, "Oh, we have to put a logo on it. Let's
throw, you know, not a lot of money at that school, this gymnasium." So I don't think again in our budget you look we did a walkthrough the other day at our retreat and we saw I saw pretty firsthand that those gym floors need need work and the time to do the logo is
uh during when you refur a gymnasium floor. So I have a lot of experience with that. Uh I'm very proud of this budget. I'm involved in other school districts as you probably know and our increase is smaller than almost all
increases in Bergen County. We had a 39% health increase which is I think $5 million worth I think was 5 million $5 million. So we had a fine somehow but we were able to do it and again credit to our business
office to our administrative team through negotiations during our committee meetings. The bottom line is no teachers have been let go because of cutbacks. We were able to keep the budget slightly. There's a tax increase. There's no doubt about it. But we are
not releasing any teachers uh that are in the classroom. And that's something that was mentioned before. But we're not going to we're not going to let go our maintenance staff. We're not going to let go our custodial staff. We're not going to let go our bus drivers.
Technically, they don't educate our students. They don't they clean the buildings. They take care of our bus drivers, our buses. So, to say that we should only get rid of people that are not involved in the classroom is not in in my opinion accurate because we need
all these different people to make sure our schools are clean, our kids get to school safely, and we provide a solid education for our students. Thank you. >> Point of clarification. >> Yes. How do you make a motion? Last board meeting, Mr. Jakumbo told me that
I can make a motion on the budget. >> Mr. Jacobe, >> Jacobe, I'm sorry. Uh said that um I can make a motion on the budget. It's better to do it on the second time. So, what is the right procedure now? >> You have a there's a first and a second,
>> but we didn't we just had comments. We >> No, no, there's first and a second. There'll be a roll call after the comments are done. >> So, okay. in the f in the future. How do I do a motion ahead so that I understand the process? Can you please explain the process? >> We're following the agenda. The agenda,
the board president said we're doing 6 A. >> Someone, >> excuse me, don't interrupt me, please. 6 A through G >> F >> F. Um, there's a motion in a second. That's on the floor. You're having com board members have now commented on it
and now you're going to do a roll call on it. >> Okay. So from the future just to clarify. So when the board president says seven education then you for example then you say motion is that correct? No >> there's a motion when the board president will call on seven items 7 A
through D there'll be a motion and a second comments on the individual items under >> I understand that but if you want to change something >> on something we've been doing this before this way after the comments now it's different. So can you please explain me what exactly is the procedure so I understand
>> we can have this conversation after the roll call. Thank you >> Dr. Bertilini 6 >> F. >> Okay. Yes. Thank you >> Miss Brown. >> Yes. >> Mr. >> Yes.
>> Miss Felovich. >> No on 6B 6 C 6 D 6E and 6F. So suggest 6A. >> Uh I guess yeah. >> Okay. >> And yeah, >> Miss Coral
>> abstain on D and E. Uh yes for 6 A and C and no to the rest. >> Do you want to repeat that? I apologize. >> No, I got it. >> Okay. Thank you, >> Miss Casoy. >> Yes. Thank you, >> Mr. Rosenberg. >> Yes. Thank you,
>> Mr. Santana. No on 6B. No on 6F. Yes. On the rest, >> Mrs. Mayan. >> Yes. >> Motion carries. >> Okay. >> To the members of our community. Thank
you so much um for being here. We are actually going to motion into executive. Can I get a motion? So moved. >> Say how long it's going to be. >> Um an hour. and action will be taken following executive session. So, it's
10:48. We will be back by 11:45 to take action. >> Can I get a motion? >> Thank you for your >> moved. >> All in favor? >> Thank you guys. >> Well, can I have a charger? >> We will relocate to
>> room before. You said you as a charger. So moved. >> Yep. >> Can I get a roll call back into open at 12:22? >> Dr. Bertilini,
>> I am present. >> Miss Brown, >> present. >> Mr. Leair, >> present. >> Miss Favllovich, >> present. Miss Coriva, >> Miss Casoy >> present. >> Mr. Rosenberg
>> here. >> Mr. Santana >> presente >> Miss Coriva. >> All right. Miss, >> it's okay. >> Okay. >> Uh, Mrs. Man >> present.
>> Okay. Motion carries. Can I get a motion for seven? >> I'd like to make a motion. >> I am going to acknowledge you. >> Okay. I'd like to make a motion given the time that we have a consent agenda. >> Second. >> Roll call.
>> Dr. Bini. >> I need you. >> Consent agenda. >> Yes. >> I would like to >> Yes. >> Mr. >> I would like to pull certain items as per Robert's rules. You can't do it until the here the thing is >> consent agenda. You're allowed to pull
through the roll. >> No, we got You're right. First have to get through the >> Thank you, Miss Thank you, Dr. >> Motion on the floor for a consent agenda. >> So rather than vote item by item, they want to vote as a consent agenda.
>> No, that's fine. M >> item seven. >> Miss Casoy. Yes, >> Mr. Rosenberg. >> Yes, >> Mr. Santana. >> Yes, >> Miss Coraliva.
>> Miss Mayan, >> yes. >> Motion carries. >> Okay, >> I'm not I'm not pulling any item from the from the consent agenda. I withdraw that in the interest of time and unity. So, can I just remind everyone that we
have >> Can I say something? >> 12 O added to finance. Um, >> can I have a motion for a consent agenda? >> I have a question. >> 110.
>> I point of clarification. I've been asking what is 11N for the past hour. Nobody's been explaining to me what's 11Nucle >> I'm sorry 11N is a special education settlement agreement that you're approving that's in the office of
administrative lawifications special me is usually something to do with medical so it's like medical examiners I just want a point of clarification we never I never received any kind of I don't know it was prior communications prior meetings >> speak to that
>> I guess Camille is you're you're This is supposed to be discussed and closed at >> Yeah. But you can just say just >> I could I could clarify that without going into >> one went to an OAL judge. The other was as a result of mediation. One is a mediation, one was a due process. You
could correct me if I'm wrong. So that's why there's a distinction in terms of that me is mediation. >> Mediation. >> Got it. >> But they're both special ed related. >> Special ed related. Exactly. So >> can I have a motion to move the consent agenda forward? >> So moved.
>> Second. >> So do we have to any >> I will open it >> to comment >> for comment. >> Anybody like to make a comment? Mr. Santana. >> Yes. Um 7B6.
I appreciate the carnival. However, I don't think students should be attending a carnival during instructional time. I I don't think that's appropriate. I don't think I don't agree with that. Um
plus plus it exposes our children to um risk in my opinion. Um 11g the trees are wonderful but I would like the district to focus on teaching and learning. Trees should be the duty of
the council and the mayor. We cannot do it all. Um these charges by blue coils blue shield are extremely high for 11 11 L. Um
I will abstain on 11N in the interest of time I will cut my comment short for board unity. >> Miss Corva >> thank you so much. I have a question regarding following up. So I'm on 5A
enrollments. 82 self-contained in Edison. Does that mean we don't have any other children there? There is no general education. Uh this was something. >> Thank you. And then it seems that there is a projections that we're losing students. I'm again I'm still on the um
>> Oh my god, I just broke the mic. Sorry. Um it's um uh the last month we lost 40 students. The other this month we're losing 30 students. are are our students leaving or our students being transferred from school to like I mean like clearly 30 students left so I don't
know what and where certain things like 8H1 there is job descriptions that I have no idea what they are and I cannot vote on them I've been asking to get job description for the whole district unfortunately I'm not getting provided with that and it's very hard to make informed decisions when I do not have
full information um all of these laptops that we are disposing are we donating waiting to dispose or we just throwing them out in the trash. This is from 11B because I do know that there is repurposing things that could be done. And then a 210 and again I'm going back
to what was printed to me. So I'm not sure if these changes these were changed. Fair community tuition contract with uh Burke um not Burkin the fencing company uh not the fencing company the fencing academy. Thank you. Uh, so I don't
understand why we drafting this contract because it seems that the I'm assuming this is a camp. Yes, it's a camp, but it's going to be provided off grounds at Rididgewood. So, I'm very confused why it is um part of the community school.
So, like, are they still youth utilizing our buildings? Like, I'm very confused because every single week it's at Maple Avenue and Rididgewood. Like, that's where they moved. Amazing facility. I love it. Um, when it comes to playgrounds, so like we're we're asking for money for
additional playgrounds. I was under the impression all of this was already allocated in the budget. So 11F again, I'm not sure if it moved. It's approval for solution um LRFP. This is the money that we are going to need in addition to what is on the
budget or it is part of the budget. um the where could I find the actual submissions of the 11g cuz you just giving me the numbers but I just want to cuz I was under impression I don't recall who told me this but there is a thing online that we could find them and
right now the last one the last bid is from 20424 I'm not sure um and then thank you you already answer this one and then the last one is the renewal of
food services contract. There was no contract. So I'm not sure what we are renewing. Like are we only renewing that we're raising by 25 cents and the contract I believe by 202 let's say 22 23 cents. So like I'm not
sure what is this being renewed if the contract is actually being renewed or it's only little part of the contract and it's staying as is. It was signed. I'm I'm not even sure because I've never seen the actual contract. So thank you so much. >> Anyone else? Yeah. >> So, I'm just going to say uh I'm voting
no on 11 11g and 11m because no contract was ever provided to me. So I can't vote for something that I don't have of access to um for the nepotism policy uh in the committee when we discussed it there
were two options that the board could take and one option was not allowing in accordance with uh to perde substitute student employees who are relatives of the board members or superintendent shall be excluded from the provisions of this policy.
there was a provision that we can say nobody uh board members children and superintendent children whatever cannot be part of uh our employees and I think that would be the right thing to do at least board members I want to speak as for the board members I think it's wrong
to hire board members children I think it's just so wrong it it just sends the wrong method so I'm asking the board and can I make a motion now or how do I what's the >> explain something >> there were two options we were given two opt understands the law prohibits
board of education members from hiring family members. Can't do it. The law also prohibits the hiring of a superintendent's family member, son, wife, child. Can't do it. The one exception under the law, this is in 188
the legislature passed, is you can do it for summer help or substitutes. That's it. So, it's seasonal or substitutes. Many districts permit that. And why? Because you might have >> I'm going to reclaim my time because my
time is going and I don't want >> Okay. I don't run the time. >> So, I'm going to speak because my time is given up and I need to So, >> uh Well, I'm sorry. This is my time and it's going. So, once you >> time >> many districts, I'd say the vast
majority of the districts permit this. Why? Because you're volunteers and you guys might have a grown son or daughter or you might have a spouse who's a retired teacher and they're willing to substitute. So, it's a benefit to the district because there's a shortage. Not
only is there a shortage of teachers, there's a shortage of substitutes. That's thing. Or, you know, you've got a kid who's in college and you need you have a big painting project and you're looking for kids to help out. That's the only exception. It's permitted by the law and I would say most districts do permit that.
>> Thank you. >> Y >> so the only reason I'm saying this when I was a board member the current board was no longer there. They actually voted for their own child to be hired and I think that was so wrong and such a bad optics for our us as a board members. So I'm asking the board if we can kind I
make a motion or how do I can I do this now correctly Miss Mayan? >> So it's a first reading so we can refer it back to uh committee. Well, our committee discussed it and nobody was really with me. So, can I get the whole board to discuss this? >> You can refer it back to committee. That's our pro that's our protocol.
>> So, we're not going to vote on it. >> This is just being introduced. >> Well, what I'm trying to say is I would like us to discuss having that no board member's child can be hired in the district because I I wouldn't want my child to be hired in addition because
that doesn't feel that to me it doesn't look right. And for me even to vote for myself, for my child, that's even horrible. >> Well, they that's what they did. That's what they did. >> That that >> Well, they did that. So, >> clear if you if this policy passes and
let's hypothetically say that um this man's daughter was subsidy teacher and that was on your agenda, this man would have to herself. She can't vote for it. >> But I also think it also gives them if it was my a board member's child, it gives them a better preference. And I
feel that's unethical. So I would like us to be more ethical. And one way is to make sure that our children for board members, superintendents, whatever. But for board members, I want us not to be hiring our children. >> We can refer back to committee.
>> Anyone else? Miss, >> very quickly, just a big thank you to Melissa Bey for all of the work on getting a grant for the trees. Trees are, as we saw now, 46,000 was the lowest bid, the lowest bid. That's money that the town does not have. that is money that would have come out of taxes.
Instead, this was a grant. A grant is very hard to get these days. Trust me, I know. And um thank you so much for all of your hard work. And when um we do have when we do approve this, then we will have a contract. Correct. >> Thank you. Okay. So, I just wanted to say thank you on that. That's all. >> Anyone else?
>> Okay. >> So, I am going to just let everybody know that we added >> Hold on. R's not coming. I know I have to re >> it's not >> found it. >> I had to stop
>> refresh 7E >> uh was the addition of the um HIV parent hearing can HIV parent hearing >> that needs to be no Correct. >> Yes. Would be to affirm.
>> Yes. Okay. >> Affirm. >> Correct. And we're affirming that. >> Correct. Okay. Can I get a motion for consent? Oh, I already got it right. >> Yes. >> Roll call. >> Roll call. Agenda item se 7 7 through
12. Dr. Bertellini. >> Yes. >> Miss Brown. >> Abstain on 7E. Right. >> Mhm. >> Yes. On everything else. >> Mr. Leia. >> Yes.
>> Miss Felovich. >> Can you come back to me, please? >> Coriva, >> you already you you're good. You don't have to say on that. Yes. >> Okay. Mr. Coriva.
>> Um, seven, right? On >> we're doing we're doing consent agenda. >> So I no on 7D6. >> You said 7D6. >> 7 boy 6. 7 B6. No on 8F. No on
8H1. No on 8K. There is 8 L, but there's nothing in it. So, we're not approving that, I'm assuming. Right. Just for for clarifications. It says personnel, other business. Okay. So, there's no items. Okay. Just wanted to
make sure. Um before I vote on 10B, could I get clarification about the questions? Because I don't understand what I'm exactly why that contract is in there because if it is part of the community school, I'm okay. But if it's not, then I don't understand why it would be in there. It >> is part of the community. >> So it is part of the community school.
So okay. So then I am voting. So 10. Yes. So yes, no on 11 C D E F I M O. And I'm abstaining from 11N.
And then I say no to 12. All all of 12. And everything else is yes. Mr. >> abstain on 7B19 and abstain on 11J and yes on the rest.
>> Mr. Rosenberg. >> Um go to the next person. I just have to look something. M. No, I got it now. >> You got it. >> Okay. Yes. On everything except abstain on 11. Uh 11.
Can't even see right now. H >> H. >> Mr. Santana. >> Abstain on 11N as in Nancy. Uh no on 12A. as an apple.
Um, no on 8 K. Abstain on 8F. No, on 7B6. Thank you, Dr. Donio, for the dyslexia training. I appreciate that,
>> Miss Favlovich. Okay. So, I'm going to vote no on seven uh 11 G, 11 M, C, 11,
11 C, 11 F. Um, I'm also not on all of 12. I'm abstaining on What did I abain on? Oh, and then I'm going uh the 7E. I'm also abstaining.
I'm also uh no voting no on uh 8K, 8F. I need to recuse myself on uh 7 A6 and 789. And then
I'm 07F. I'm uh saying no to that. I also will end up staying on 10 B and 10 and then 11 G and uh and then that's it.
>> Then it was 11F. Did I mess up? No, that's 11F. Jorge, I just Jorge, I need to stain. Uh Oh, you did. Okay. 7E needs to be abstained. >> Okay.
Mrs. May >> yes to everything I'm standing on 70. >> Motion carries. Thank you. Okay. So, I didn't
roll call. >> But, Miss I just wanted to check, but did you uh what's this called? Did you I >> did you acknowledge Mr. >> Yes. >> Everyone else >> Mr. Brown? >> Yes. >> Mr. Leah? >> Yes.
>> Miss Favllovich? >> No. >> Miss Coriva. >> I abstain. I don't know. >> M Soy. >> Yes. >> Miss uh Mr. Rosenberg. >> Yes, >> Mr. Santana.
>> Yes. I hope everybody makes it safe to work and to home. >> Mrs. Mayan, >> abstain. >> Motion carries. >> May 28th, 2026 is the regular monthly meeting. 8:00 p.m. Memorial Middle School, June 25th, 2026, regular monthly
meeting, 7:30 p.m. Edison School, Eugene Med. Motion to adjurnn. All in favor? >> Opposed?