e she hope that the Fairfield the Board of Education hereby convenes no we're coming out of executive session public has been public has been duy informed hold on public has been duly informed to this meeting in accordance with chapter 231 of the public laws of 1975 by posting at least 48 hours in advance a notice on the bulletin board in Stevenson and Churchill schools a notice to the Township Clerk and a notice to the pic Herald news and the progress now please join us for the Pledge of Allegiance Pledge algi to FL United States of America stand indivisible andice for all hello everyone at this time we'll take public comments on agenda items only anyone comments okay I'm GNA turn it over to Kathleen hi good evening everyone um in the absence of Dr selli I'm just going to go over her side of the agenda so under Personnel um employment um approve um maternity leave of absence with Laurel asman um replacing Jennifer deia um number two is is accept two resignations one for Jennifer Russo Dori um whose last day will be January 30th with regrets and best wishes and appreciation for her 18 years of service the second one is to accept the resignation of Gina rybaki last day will be February 5th 2024 with regrets best wishes and appreciation for her four years of service to the students of Fairfield um on page three movement on the guide for Kyle sylvestri from a ba to ma effective February 1 um under non-certified staff on the same page approve um malagos Rodriguez of Churchill School from one day per week to five days per week effective January one the second is to also approve Grace Rafa as a cafeteria playground aid from Churchill School to Stevens Stevenson School effective January 1 2024 approve part-time job description for registered nurses two under substitutes and employment approve the two substitutes is listed Anthony rubinetti and Rose wallik can I have a motion please under personnel and recommendations motion discussion second second discussion second someone has to second second I just want to say uh in reference to the resignation um Miss Russo doy um I had personal experience with her with children in her class she did a fantastic job I'm sure she did a fantastic job for many other students uh and families in Fairfield and I just want to personally thank her for her service uh to the district over the last 18 years motion Miss alai yes Mr Egan yes Mr feedi yes Mr de Pasqual yes Mr jandoli yes on page four of the agenda professional development approvals um approve as listed on item a of the agenda um most of them are through the entitlement grants approve the safe return revision um this is done every six months uh and it revised and sent to the state department approval of Fe field trips normally this was approved in August because it passed the question it's on the agenda this evening as well as the approval for the clubs motion second roll call um alai yes Mr Egan yes Mr feedi yes Mr D Pasqual yes Miss jand DOI yes okay um the middle of page five under policy Hib investigation um number one was confirmed Hib number two was confirmed and number and B under number two was confirmed not to satisfy the ABR Mo motion second roll call uh Miss alai yes Mr Egan yes Mr feedi yes Mr D Pasqual yes Mr Dan doly yes okay under the business section on page six I'm asking the board as a cons resolution pending um questions to approve a am minutes from November 16th 2023 public executive um B under Finance bills and claims for 126 2023 for 1214 20123 and for the payroll as of November 30th item C Is transfer of funds D is treasure report for the month ending November 30th a is accepting of the um audit with notation that there were no uh audit recommendations under contracts approve the remediation at um Churchill School in the amount of 11,840 to the lowest quote for first onset Property Restoration item G and item H um roof Replacements at Winston Church Hill um there is a correction on the resolution it's final eligible cost so instead of PE it's FEC and the amount of 130,000 the state share is 52 and the local share is 78 under architect professional fees this was already approved in November however we neglected to listen that it was darara Rabino and it has to be publicized in the newspaper on page eight for the um PA system upgrade this is paid through a partial is paid through the NJ S Grant in the amount of 2033 so the reward share is $1,197 JCT Solutions will get a um a purchase order to execute that uh Jay is legal services for Cornell marlino mckever and Osborne Jeff Marino is going to represent the board in terms of negotiations um building use fee or building uses applications as listed on the bottom of page eight and can I have a motion motion second dis discussion also uh just to be clear so uh just to make sure everyone everyone's clear the um total roof projects are um almost a million dollars and the architect fees are based off of that not of the final eligible cost of [Music] 130,000 thank you Brian camera roll Co Miss alai yes Mr Egan yes Mr feedi yes Mr Pasqual yes M jandoli yes at this time do we have any old business to discuss I have old business I just want to say thank you to the parents and the students that came out to the Fairfield Municipal Alliance Recreation Winter Wonderland I want to thank Dr Celli for sending out an email blessed we had the best turnout this year uh by our residents and our children that we've had in the past and it's it's truly a wonderful event event so I just want to take a second and recognize the municipal Alliance the leaders on the municipal Alliance everything they do for this event it's it's truly spectacular and Recreation for co-chairing it um I also want to touch briefly on the superintendent search committee I know I spoke about it in the past so I just want to give you a little bit more details to the public um this is going to be a committee that's formed by two parents from Stevenson and two parents from Churchill as well as two individual ual from the community that uh do not have children in the district but are in the district for a minimum of five years some of the things that this committee is going to weigh on is to decide whether or not we are going to use a search firm to evaluate the needs and assessment for planning assess the current state of the school district and its future needs a search committee can be limited to input not required to include participation in the interview process due to confidentiality concerns the members should consider the time commitment because it's going to be great and some of the things that we're going to be looking for are individuals with leadership experience whether in education business or Community organizations members should have experience in decision-making strategic planning and organizational management communication skills members should possess effective communication skills as they will be interacting with the community school board and potential candidates members should be able to handle confidential information responsibly and seek individuals who can work collaborative as part of a team so once again we're going to be choosing two parents from Stevenson two parents from Churchill and two community members and if you're interested please email uh board fpsk6 [Music] to people after the new year and I would just like to um second Anthony's comments about the uh Municipal Alliance um Winter Wonderland um Anthony our board member some former board members um some of our vendors were involved in this the town Municipal Alliance Police Department Fire Department Public Works Recreation they did an absolute fantastic job um our District's children's our to children's obviously are the main beneficiaries of this um they were um the whole event was fantastic and they were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous afternoon evening um and uh I just can't thank them enough for the effort that they put into pulling off such a fantastic event thank you Anthony and thank you everyone else that was involved thank you okay now we have any new business I have a couple things on your new business so I just want to spearhead this before uh public comments yesterday Community parent member reached out to me in regards to the West cesic music program mini concert and why our sixth grade class wasn't attending and uh after doing some resear research and speaking with our superintendent it turns out it was uh nothing more than just the communication issue between faculty and administration that has been resolved and our sixth grade will now be attending the mini concert up at West essic so uh I'd like to thank Dr Catelli for for uh responding promply and and and taking care of that it was it's very important I also want to touch that after speaking with the the board attorney in 2024 we're going to launch a social media site that the board of education is going to use to pass information out to the community uh it's not going to be a for where it's going to be a give and take it's just going to be used for informational purposes where we can promote things like the HSA we can promote the Fairfield Education Foundation we can promote any school events anything that the teachers have going on and basically a direct line of communication between us and the general public so we're very excited and we're about working on that and and and working out the details and lastly I just want to touch you know what I I'll save this for for buildings and grounds and the one other thing other than that nothing else on their new business okay committee reports I have two um the curriculum committee met on November 27th Anthony and I had a chance to meet with Dr Celli Dr Trabuco Mr Santana and Miss cfone um some of the key points of that came from Dr Trabuco who's also the director of curriculum and instruction sharing that we are not only in compliance with the standards and curriculum but our district is serving as a model for surrounding districts as well he also shared that Katie prawl who is a reading specialist at Stevenson formed a group for intervention teachers from nearby towns where they have the opportunity to share ideas research best practices and how to help struggling Learners and also Shar that we're proud to be ahead of what many other towns are still working through um the special ed committee well we not committee but the special ed parent advisory committee held a meeting on December 11th Anthony and I were also in attendance for Miss Cullen's parent presentation um she reviewed what CPAC is and strategies that she plans to implement to grow the parent base and keep the committee active the plan is to have wide openen engagement with the community and parents to hold meetings above the state mandated amount she reviewed the current program shared ideas for future CPAC meetings and topics to be covered and at the moment miss kone's looking to form an executive committee quickly so they can begin meeting after the New Year there was also a Q&A session with input and suggestions from parent parents about what they'd like to see um about things that we may not currently have and also discuss the possibility of collaborating with other cpacs from sending districts and I believe a Google form has already gone out looking for volunteers to serve on the executive committee and just a brief update in regards to building and grounds recently Joe fi and I had an opportunity to meet uh some of our Administration members at Stephenson school and since then in an effort to secure our budget for next year it's been decided that we're going to be moving our Board office back to Stevenson school so that'll be a huge saving for the district and and hopefully we can use that money to to put towards the programs and and the things that have been taken away in the past so hopefully you you know that that's something that'll go a long way it's not easy we're still working out the details but it's it's been decided that that's the action that the board's going to take so with that being said we're very excited that we can free up some of that money in the budget and put it to better use I have any other committee reports okay at this time um does anyone have any public comments on non agenda items only oh wait sitting in the front little bit good evening my name is Jen Valente and I am Vanessa mayor we are co-presidents of the Fairfield Education Association we would like to start by thanking the Fairfield Community for passing the public questions in November that will allow us to reinstate many staff positions and Student Activities for the remainder of this school year but we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge that our work has just begun the passing of public questions one and two is a necessary first step to addressing the many challenges that we are facing and that are further impact in our students we are speaking tonight in an effort to shed light on some of the issues that continue to plague our district because of the children of our community deserve better one of these issues is teacher retention while it is true that many districts are experiencing difficulty attracting and retaining staff the current climate and culture in our buildings is driving staff out of our district at alarming numbers these are teachers with 10 15 even 20 plus year invested in our district the most recent changes to our staff by number are as follows two the number of teacher resignations on tonight's agenda six the number of teacher resignations since the start of this school year 12 the number of teach teacher resignation since 2021 20 the number of teachers and Par professionals that have left the district in that same time frame these are seasoned professionals that our students have lost the years of experience too many to even count these are staggering numbers teachers are leaving whether it be for higher salaries better working conditions or the need to be treated with the respect they have earned and deserve they are leaving this Exodus is having a direct impact on our workplace environment which in turn affects our students learning environment yes two public budget question pass a positive first step and for that we are thankful but again our work has just begun we stand before you tonight as partners in education we both want what is best for our students let us unite in our commitment to creating an educational environment where our teachers Thrive and are trusted to do their jobs an atmosphere that enables us to inspire generations of Learners and to contribute to the continued Excellence of our schools thank you [Applause] thank you oh I know somebody else wanted to come up public comment hi Alison miaso 7 South anthon Drive I feel like my timing is a little bit interesting because this morning at four o'clock this morning I was scrolling social media I Was preparing myself for the day and I happen to notice something trending that was called educator inspired and it really resonated with me um I reflected back on the many experiences my children have been afforded while being in the district I'm a parent of three children someone in Churchill two in Stevenson and I've been blessed with amazing Educators who have really given of themselves their time their heart and have created nurturing wonderful environments and I thought if I sat here I could write Pros upon pros of the various stories and ways that they've had impact in my children which is therefore encouraged and supported my house and I wanted to really speak tonight and just Express on behalf of what I hope is many parents in this room and the community as a whole just our recognition and our gratitude towards the teachers and the broader staff that support our children every day I think there's a lot of awareness that there are challenges in our district these are complex issues I Echo the sentiment that passing the budget items was truly just a first step a necessary First Step but a true first step in what will hopefully be a longer Journey towards us building back what we need in this District but I wanted to take just in this season of gratitude and this season of the holiday spirit an opportunity not that I wanted to individually single out any one teacher but just really to express my genuine gratitude for the continued commitment and the engagement that each teacher brings to the classroom every day and know that we as parents recognize that there's elements that the board need to take forward and we also as parents need need to continue to step up and I'm expressing on behalf of myself many of my fellow members in the community who feel similarly we are going to do what it takes we need constructive Solutions these are not simple problems but we want to work together in Partnership we recognize our role in that process and we want to help create a continued environment where our children Thrive and where the staff feel that they have nurtured careers that they can enjoy coming to because those stories really are impactful teachers come into this profession to contribute of themselves it is not usually salary based it is often motivated by their belief that they can Inspire the Next Generation it is critical for our town it's critical for our society and whatever we can do to support that is going to be necessary so just on behalf of myself my family and hopefully many of us in this room a a message of thanks in advance of the holiday season thank you do I have any more public comments on non-agenda items yes hi Frank lamort for suie Lane uh three quick things first of all I appreciate every you everybody here all the teachers and I think we all feel the same way I do think too that I I said the same thing that passing of the questions was the first step but I just want to ask all of you and I know you know you're committed to our kids we're on our way back to Excellence and I think that we a lot more awareness is out there I know there's a lot of us really talking about it we have a lot of changes coming in the district with Administration so I I like I know you guys have been in a tough situation but I just want you to know I think like we can fix it we're heading in that direction it's just going to take some time but I think with everything transpiring this year and you know and next year I with the new board there's a lot going on I think that it's GNA you know so I just hope you guys can hold out the the good ones I don't want you all to go um that was the first thing the second thing is I know we talked before about job postings and I made a comment last time about where the postings are and whatnot is the board like I just want to make sure I know there's things that the you know the superintendent F you know business administrator handle and the board doesn't really have so much everyday involvement I just want to make sure like I know we've talked about college fairs new hires bringing people in you know like I just want to make sure there's some accountability from the board to the administration to make sure we're really on top of all these opportunities I know there's a lot of college fairs and things start happening I just want to make sure we're really on top of that because as people are leaving and you gave the numbers you know I want to you know I don't want our teachers and our kids now to be suffering because there's people being pulled out of different things and lots of changes and you know I have a kid who you know gets additional help with certain things and I think like those kids like that they have routines they're comfort you know it's like that really is tough on the kids when there's lots and lots of changes and uh and that so that was the second thing and then the third thing is did we look into to uh moving instead of putting the board office into Stevenson did we look into putting them in the trailers and moving the third grade back or what's the I I think you know so Frank uh thank you as always because Frank's on our community outreach committee which uh for many of you know we are going to continue and open it up to a a town hall in 2024 so we can get more parents and teachers involved that want to come and voice their opinions that don't want to do it in a school setting but but want to do it uh so thank you for that Frank and and spirting that as far as the resumés where they're posted that's more of a superintendent business administrator thing so I I can't touch on that maybe Kathleen will but I I have had an opportunity to sit with the administration several times over the course of the last month and a half and it seems like there's a lack thereof resumés uh I know I'm back to school night I had an opportunity to sit down with Dr um Mr Santana and there was two resumés that he had it that he received for for two or three positions and he did say that they reach out to the colleges they reach out to all all the you know sending districts friends in other districts so I know that they are trying I just don't think we're getting the resumés in totality that we have in the past um And in regards to the moving the board office so yes it was explored unfortunately there's no room in church that we we knew that question was was going to come up we actually talked about it uh earlier today uh because of the amount of students in Church Hill there'd be no room to take the students out and if we did we'd have to put them on carts and that's not something that we oh they can't be moved back to the empty rooms at Stevenson like and then put the no there's not enough room no there's not enough room all right thank you thank you thank you does anybody else have a public comment yep no hi curen stery at Kevin terce it's a little loud um I feel like I'm in theme for the evening I was on the website earlier and I noticed that we have 23 open job positions um I'm in in education myself and I know you mentioned that of the new year starting a Facebook page I think that would be great um in our district WE Post jobs on Facebook on Instagram we even get jobs sent to us through our board set like a secretary will send us job positions opening in other District so I don't know if that's something we could look into here um the other good thing is I noticed that we are going into negotiations this year and I looked at our our contract along with all the surrounding areas contracts and scale-wise you know we could definitely do a little bit better but really maybe thinking about putting longevity in keeping the teachers that we value and show them that they're worth it's not a lot you know and it really makes a difference to those teachers just that little bit and also of adding in I know we took it out a couple years back but now there's a lot of districts are bringing it back non- 10year teachers giving them health insurance for their families and stuff like that because then you're getting teachers with qualifications coming to districts a lot of people won't go into districts knowing that their families aren't going to get health insur insurance for the first four years um so I think that was my own thing sorry nervous um oh and the last one I'm a little nervous about the specials I noticed that I think we lost the stem teacher I know the music teacher is going I'm turn and leave awesome um but I think that leaves just the art teacher for our kids specials as of right now is that correct well I so I just want to say it's hard to speak of teachers you don't know but like Brian said I I happen to know Mrs Dori and I truly feel like the district is losing a diamond in the rough I mean like to replace uh a Mr sorty is it's going to be extremely difficult and regardless of negotiations which is here we want to do everything that we can to to give our teachers what they want in order to stay a positive work environment the tools necessary to be successful but I've said this in on on many different board meetings a lot of the concerns that are being brought up now are truly they're not board issues and when the board pushes to to to obtain information about some of these things like personnel which we have no say in whatsoever you know we're often reminded that that's not in our realm of responsibility so we're as concerned as you are me in particular and for the parents of of students in this District who live here and whose children go here as a parent I feel your concerns and and we want to address this we want to give the teachers everything they need we want them to stay it's just you know from what I understand and from what we're being told it's extremely difficult to get the resumés in to rehire which is why there's so many open positions you know so I'm not on the negotiations committee you know we we have Angela and Andrea and I know they're going to work closely to give the teachers what they need you know to be successful moving forward um but in regards to you know Personnel issues it's it's not something the board is responsible for that's that's the that's the responsibility of the administration the superintendent okay thank you thank you thank you do I have any more public comments on non-agenda items okay at this time um so as you know we have another board member leaving Mr Egan um will be this will be his last meeting um I've been with Brian for 13 maybe 14 years he was on the board when I interviewed to first come on to the board and um he has really been a wonderful addition to this board of bed and um I can't say more great things about him how much time and devotion that he puts in um whether it's at the meetings or not at the meetings or at home or at work um we all work very hard even when we're not here and it's between Pat leaving and now Brian leaving it's just going to be you're going to be truly missed and thank you for everything You' done for this district for the LA how how many years have you been on 16 I think 16 about 16 thank you for everything you've done for the last 16 years we appreciate it and it doesn't go unnoticed because we know what it's like to be on this side and we appreciate everything that you've done we got you a plaque McDonald's employee of the week yes you're on [Applause] fries if I may thank you with great appreciation this plaque has presented to Mr Brian Eagan on behalf of the students Administration staff and fellow board members of the Fairfield School District we extend our gratitude for sharing your experience strength and Leadership with us and commend you for your dedicated service to the children of the Fairfield School District a board member since 2008 presented by the Fairfield school district and Fairfield Board of Education December 4th 2023 thank you Brian [Applause] thank you will truly be missed okay now we have the next meeting be it resolved the next meeting will be held in person on January 4th 2024 moving into a new year Public Work session beginning at 6:30 followed by executive session with public session resuming at 7:30 here at the Fairfield Municipal Building I'd like to take the time to say happy holidays to everyone and I hope you have a great holiday season and we will see you in the new year Merry Christmas Merry Christmas Happy New Year motion holiday second roll call yes yes yes yes yes that's a w Community search I'll send you an email just