e for testing e e e testing e e e e e
e e [Music] okay Andrew are we all set okay the board met tonight in executive session we're now ready to begin the public portion of our program uh we last
met on uh February 25th we've had no public uh communication since that time um it is certainly spring is certainly here um according to our good correspondent Kristen the girls won their basketball game
uh they we had a wonderful student photography exhibited at the train station um two weeks ago which I attended it was amazing um the district has been through CAC I'm sure you'll talk more about that uh and we have our
our administrative team had qac budget all at once um and we owe them a great debt of thanks for getting through that in getting the district through that and coming through it in one piece um with and kudos to U Kyle to
Barbara and all the other District Personnel who participated in that um you may have seen on the news um that the president has said that he will sign an executive order dismantling the United States Department of Education um
that has not happened yet and legally the um only Congress can dissolve the United States Department of Education however it could be hollowed out um by virtue of firings and other things so but it hasn't happened yet so
one of the things that the Attorney General um has recommended the Attorney General of the state of New Jersey has recommended is that we not try not to react just to every news story that we wait until something actually happens uh and probably we wait till something actually happens and then we see if
there are injunctions um that come after that so in as much as um Glen Ridge receives very little State funding uh Federal funding um we are in a reasonable position we don't know how State funding will be
affected uh from the federal government to the state of New Jersey yet and remains to be seen uh but all of our organizations um are monitoring that so that is the president's report superintendent's report good evening
happy to use my space tonight to um share some budget budget information along with Mrs Murphy I'm also happy to start so budgeting is a complex design challenge one that requires us to evaluate needs versus wants align spending with our district priorities
and make difficult decisions to ensure fiscal responsibility while keeping students at the center this preliminary budget does that work it keeps students at its Center tonight's presentation shows how offering a blueprint rather than a fixed plan it lays out where we
are where we need to be and how we can best allocate our resources to aain the high quality education our students deserve just as Architects refine and adjust their designs as they build we'll continue to refine this budget in the coming weeks to balance fiscal constraints with our commitment to
Student Success providing additional level of budget details in our April 29th presentation until that our work remains ongoing we recognize that New Jersey state funding formula does not equitably serve New Jersey districts presenting additional hurdles as we work to fund
essential programs and services along with unfunded State mandates at this time we are contending with Rising costs across nearly all areas of distri District spending from contractual obligations and health benefits to the increasing costs of facilities
maintenance and instructional programming to rising cost associated with Professional Services despite these Financial pressures as you'll see up here we remain committed to sustaining High academic standards ensuring strong academic social and emotional support for students maintaining robust
curriculum and extracurricular offerings addressing critical facilities and infrastructure needs and identifying efficiencies that preserve the student experience while maximizing our available resources as outlined here in this slide these budget goals we're
driving forces and our planning work as we continue refining the budget between now and its final adoption on April 29th we're focused on making strategic adjustments that strive to avoid disruptions to Student Learning uh protect our tradition of excellence and
uh promulgate The Innovation work we want to engage in moving forward this means scouring every available resource prioritizing initiatives that align with our District's long-term vision and ensuring any reductions reflect thoughtful efficiencies rather than programmatic sacrifices our approach is
not just about balancing numbers as you'll hear tonight it's about designing a budget that supports our commitment to high quality teaching and learning and ensures our students faculty and staff have access to to the resources they need to thrive I want to extend my gratitude to the leadership team the
finance committee and most certainly and especially our business administrator Miss Murphy for their long hours and tireless effort in shaping this budget everyone's Collective work ensures that we take a measured and strategic approach to our financial planning allowing us to move forward with both
confidence and Clarity with that I'll turn it over to Miss Murphy who will walk us through the details of the tentative budget good evening everyone thank you for joining us as we review the proposed budget for the upcoming school
year so each year we're committed to a transparent and open budget process we review our budget development process in a public meeting and make this presentation available on our website ensuring that the community is informed about the timelines and key deadlines
for the upcoming School Year's budget throughout the year we meet regularly with our finance and Facilities committee and we review our financial position and refine our budget additionally our budget calendar which includes all critical dates are PO is
posted on our website key dates such as the tentative budget adoption and the public hearing are published on our website and it's and advertised in local newspapers before the public hearing the detailed tentative budget is also advertised in the Star Ledger to further
promote accessibility and awareness our administrative team me meets throughout the school year to assess academic personel Supply and facility needs ensuring that the budget reflects reflects District priorities today the preliminary budget
is being presented for board approval once approved it will be submitted to the county for review and approval the finance and Facilities committee will continue to meet and on April 29th the public hearing on the budget will be held that evening the
budget will be presented and the Board of Education will vote on the final budget once approved it will be submitted to the county our revenues our Revenue comparison the budgeted fund balance that we're using to support this budget
remains largely unchanged from last year we'll be utilizing $400,000 in a maintenance Reserve withdrawal to fund necessary Paving repairs at lyen Central and Ridgewood Avenue schools we are also withdrawing
$81,300 support various capital projects which I'll I will outline in detail on a different slide later our local tax levy is projected to increase by 3.5% the increase is necessary to help offset Rising costs particular
particularly in health benefits also we are currently in negotiations with the Glen Ridge Education Association which represents over 90% of our staff while we do not yet have finalized salary figures we must consider the current
High County average salary increases as part of our our financial planning in addition to salary pressures we are facing a 14% increase in health benefit costs these two substantial increases have put considerable strain on our
budget requiring us to make some difficult reductions there are a few allowable exceptions to the 2% cap on tax increases that all ow districts to exceed a 2% increase without requiring voter
approval one such exception applies to health benefit premium increases Beyond 2% we have been granted this exception which allows us to increase taxes above the 2% cap by $521,500 tuition Revenue remains larly
largely unchange this year we see a small increase in miscellaneous Revenue primarily due to higher interest rates and additionally we are pleased to welcome a 6% increase in state aid in the amount of
$142,900 this additional funding will help us fund our salary increases Revenue breakdown so the pie chart illustrates the composition of our District's Revenue sources the majority of our budget you can see is the tax
levy at 84% state aid makes up just 6% of our total revenue our budgeted fund balance accounts for 4.8% and the remaining 5% comes from withdrawals from capital and maintenance
reserves as well as tuition Revenue this breakdown highlights our continued Reliance on local tax revenue while also incorporating state aid reserves and other funding sources to maintain Financial stability and support our District's
operations our tenative budget Appropriations comparison so this slide compares the current 2425 budgeted expend expenditures to the proposed 2526 budget budgeted expenditures highlighting key changes and overall
Financial Outlook salary increases almost all the account lines included include salary increases which contribute to the overall budget adjustments regular education instruction is the largest expenditure
category which is 14, 332,750townhouse at 2, 95,000 this category reflects continued support for special ed programs instruction other is basic skills and bilingual education this account shows a 133% increase due to an
addition of a part-time multilingual teacher in 2425 enhancing our support services co-curriculars and Athletics a modest increase here primarily due to salary adjustments for staff involved in co-curricular activities in
athletics tuition to add a district placement sees a slight decrease reflecting our ongoing efforts to manage tuition costs for specialized placements support services this includes categories such as health services related services such as speech
OT PT extraordinary Services guidance child study team library media and teacher staff training there's a slight decrease in expenditures Administration this category remains stable with no significant changes
expected for the upcoming budget cycle not clicking oh there we go maintenance and operations we see a significant increase of 19.8% and that is driven by the $400,000 allocation for Paving repairs at lyen Central and
Ridgewood Avenue schools this expenditure will be fully funded through a withdrawal from maintenance Reserve there are no significant changes in the transportation budget and that remains steady employee benefits the total employee benefits increased by
12.5% largely due to a 14% rise in medical benefit premiums and a 20% rise in prescription premiums each year we check our options for health benefit providers to see if there are any potential Sav savings but unfortunately this year health benefits
cost increased overall and our lowest cost option Remains the school employees health benefit plan capital outlay is set to increase by 132% reflecting the withdrawal of
$81,300 in that budget we had allocated a approximately $2 million for the high school HVAC upgrades to add air conditioning to the second floor sometime after that budget was adopted
we received a grant of $811,000 from the New Jersey clean energy for that project so when the Project's completed all unspent funds are returned to the capital reserve account so these funds are now being withdrawn to support current projects outlined in this year's
budget the general fund and tax levy the total general fund including Capital outlay increases by 6.1% the tax levy increase is 1,245 N5 or
3.5% this budget reflects our strategic efforts to manage expenditures while maintaining essential Services the budget breakdown by category so salaries and benefits make up 78% of our budget this is typical for New Jersey
school districts the salary costs are distributed across all categories except for tuition capital outlay and benefits here's the breakdown of our budget by category regular Ed instruction 34% special ed instructions
7% Capital outlay 3% employee benefits 16% Transportation 3% maintenance and operations 9% Administration 10% Support Services
11% tuition 5% co-curriculars and Athletics 3% instruction other 1% the allocation ensures that the majority of our funds are dedicated to direct Educational Services and support for students while maintaining necessary
infrastructure transportation and employee benefits our capital outlay and projects our proposed budget includes the following key capital outlay and project expenses prometheum boards
72,000 copier Replacements $3,456 musical instrument for $8,000 Ridgewood Avenue School basement flooring $142,200 High School HVAC upgrades
27,2 48 that is for um the classrooms to the right and left of the of the high school principal down either side of the hallway on the first floor uh High School partial roof replacement $288,200 that is for a roof that is
between the two gyms High High School offices flooring an abatement is 61312 that is for the main office and the principal's office uh the high school Jim bleacher
replacement $244,425 and then the good old assessment for Debt Service on SDA funding that they make us pay every year $242 41 so these projects reflect our continued investment in maintaining and
improving school facilities enhancing educational technology and ensuring long-term sustainability of our infrastructure so our year-over-year budget increases overall the budget for the upcoming year reflects several key increases salary and benefit costs
represent the largest increases in our budget electric utility rates are anticipating a significant increase in costs due to Rising rates inflation impact overall we're seeing a general cost with we're seeing general cost increases over various categories as a
result of inflation new additions we're adding a onetoone nurse to ensure enhanced student support and care and we will be using a withdrawal from our maintenance Reserve to fund much-needed parking lot repairs year-over-year budget decreases
the budget for the upcoming year reflects several key decreases staff reductions due to the rising costs of salaries and benefits we are implementing staff reductions totaling $199,000 644 while still ensuring the continuation of essential Services there
will also be some reductions in the six period stiens and curriculum resources these budget adjustments reflect the ongoing challenge of balancing rise and costs with the need to maintain quality education and services for our students the tax impact of the general
fund and Debt Service tax levy on an average home assessed at 6749 $10 is projected to increase by $42.42 a year or $34. 37 cents per month
this increase reflects the adjustments necessary to fund the proposed budget while maintaining essential services and our public hearing on the budget again is scheduled for April 29th at this meeting the budget will be presented in more detail and voted on
for adoption thank you Barbara um board members any questions of Barbara before we go to public uh questions and comments Heather I'm just for next year yes so we have uh budgeted
for three sections of 20 students one in each school and then at Central there's an additional pre- disabled but we don't receive funding for that any other questions and there's also included in that Heather is also there's a handful of non-resident
tuition yeah um it was the pre prek numbers actually actually it might be a combination of non-resident tuition I think some somebody's graduating too but other questions from board
members okay um it's now time for public comments and questions on agenda items only including uh the budget presentation um for those of you unfamiliar with our protocols uh if you have a question or comment uh please
step up to the lecturn uh sign in tell us your name uh confirm your Glenridge uh affiliation uh if you represent a group let us know about that if you have a written text please give it to Mrs Murphy so that she can include it in the record
and the time limit is 2 minutes those of you who are familiar with us know that we also have another public comment period at the end but please if you have a question or comment uh please step up okay um we will continue with uh the rest of our agenda then it is the first
meeting of the month so uh I realize that some of you may not have had meetings with your committees or Lea's on assignments since our last meeting but um let's go around we normally would start with our student rep who may have gone to the basketball game instead of
being here uh so uh let's start with Ray uh the only uh the only liais on report I have uh since we last spoke the uh Central School HSA did not meet however um they will be they have just announced their art fundraiser at Tierney's Tavern for
April 10th uh tickets are on sale as we speak okay Heather uh curriculum hasn't met since I last reported out Finance did meet last week but you've pretty much heard what we've talked about in the presentation okay
Darius none for me all right Anthony no committee report Joselyn sure the rwood H and School Association will be meeting on March 14th and uh they're selling tickets currently for the Ridgewood
casino night which will take place on March 21st um Grace the Glen Ridge Association for special education is meeting next on March 26th and I believe they had a book club meet up on Friday morning last week um for those who could
attend um and negot iations committee is continuing to have conversations with the G Representatives um our next meeting will be on the 18th all right thank you Trisha the middle school high school um HSA meeting
was cancelled for February the next scheduled meeting is March 28th um the last Friday of uh March um I attended the London HSA um for Kristen and the
not are as follows um Mr caraval reviewed capturing kids heart a presentation um which was really nice he went through like everything which the kids are doing in the school um very well received March is packed
with a lot of different events uh they have uh a pro promo so to speak going on um got caught reading whereas if you see your child reading um to share it with the staff and they will acknowledge them in
school um they had their Arthur day this month uh athon is on March 17th the book fair is March 27th and 28th and then um parent conferences are this month as
well um their Earth dat cleanup um for The Learning Garden is on April 22nd they're doing a uh fundraiser sneaker recycling program right got that right which starts U March 24th so you
have any old sneakers um or shoes that you want to recycle um of your kids ship them over to London um they're doing a lendon stock y'all know what that is it's like wood stock thank you for telling me that Rachel without the mud though yeah that
event will take place at Freeman Gardens in um June where they have yoga meditation all different kinds of things sounds like so much fun um and they have HSA positions over there are um 19 HSA
positions open for the 25 26 school year um the nomination the nominating period began on March 7th so if you know anyone who is interested in um filling any of those positions uh please please reach
out to the Rachel over there basically and um they're in even though they're starting early they're um with respect to their Spring Fling it's part of the 19 HSA um open positions but looking for co-chair
for their 2026 Spring Fling okay thank you Kristen uh no committee reports okay do allall [Music] yes I have a couple of reports actually um first of all a report out on the uh
Communications committee we met um on February 5th this was a very exciting meeting we were with Maggie and um our student representative as well as five other mostly seniors um all seniors and a junior to um talk about school culture
and climate at the high school um topics range from homework loads and test schedules to time management social media and cell phone use um many of the the students are peer leaders so they're seniors that have a regular class with
eighth graders and um they were able to share their experiences both from their own lives as well as their um experiences working with eighth graders and it seems quite vast the years between uh 12th grade and eth grade in
terms of maturity and like what kids are up to and um they had some strong opinions about um uh cell phones and uh uh use of social media and the consensus
was that um it's very important for all of us uh school and parents to teach um responsible phone use and they urged us as the board to consider students ages and maturity when we make policy came
through loud and clear that message um and the committee hopes to continue these sorts of conversations and to hear directly from the source as we go forward that was was fun um today uh Forest Avenue Home and School
uh had their meeting we had a daytime meeting um Mr Murphy also uh reported on capturing kids hearts and he talked about uh how the program is really hitting its stride um confidence is up and affirmations are up and it's uh it's
going going very well um the school they have activities planned for re across America week as well as women's history month coming up um they're looking forward to a field trip to the turtleback zoo as well as the Liberty Hall
Museum and uh the two the um second grade promotion glow dance will be uh this Friday the 14th um they uh Mr Murphy and the and announced a courage
superhero project where students and teachers will explore what it means to be brave so they're asking students to you draw or um uh talk about what bravery means and because it can really
it go across so many categories and as well the the teachers are going to talk about what bravery means to them what it means to be brave in all sorts of situations so I thought that was that was a creative uh collaboration
uh new plantings will be going into The Learning Garden hopefully by Spring Break and last but not least they are planning a a Spring Carnival on Friday May 2nd and then the last report I have is for the Glen Ridge Educational Foundation which met the day after our
last meeting I think that was like the 26th of Fe February and we uh enjoyed a whole program also on capturing kids hearts in great detail um so uh the that was the the the the meet of that
meeting and so going forward there'll be reviewing um uh requests for for Grants and many grants and we'll hear more about that soon so thank you thank you all right board members in your packet you had minutes from uh February
25th executive session and regular session does anyone have any uh changes Corrections Etc all right Jon would you move the minutes I'll move item M1 I may have a second second second from Ray um since
there are no changes Barbara would you call the role Miss Aken wandi hi Mr Bonnet hi Mr Denard yes Mr D Lorenzi yes Miss gotle yes Miss Graham yes Miss O'Neal yes Dr
yarus Ramos hi Miss Ginsburg hi motion carries okay we have some administrative items um Kristen would you move the administrative items yes I'll move A1 through A4 right may I have a second second
second from Jocelyn any discussion on the administrative items all right Barbara would you call the role Miss Akin wandi hi Mr Bonnet hi Mr Denard yes Mr D lenzi yes Miss scle yes
Miss Graham yes Miss O'Neal yes Dr yarus Ramos hi Miss Ginsburg hi motion carries Personnel Anthony would you move the Personnel item items Excuse me yes I will move items P1 through p7 on the
main agenda and a additional an addition to P1 and item p8 items p8 and P9 from the agenda thank you uh may I have a second second second from Jocelyn in keeping with our rules and the board
members code of ethics Personnel matters are discussed in exact session that being the case before you start there's also an item P10 oh yes there is sorry it's just sitting there all by itself all by uh
we have the the motion the second on uh personal items through P10 including P10 Barbara would you call the role Miss zakin wandi hi Mr Bonnet yes Mr donad yes Mr derenzi yes Miss gotle yes
Miss Graham yes Miss O'Neal yes Dr yaros Ramos hi Miss Ginsburg I motion carries okay um curriculum Heather would you move the curriculum item sure I move field trip listed under
SE okay may I have a second second Tera oh thank you um all right any questions on the curriculum item Barbara would you call the role Miss zakim wandi hi Mr Bonnet yes Mr
Denard yes Mr D Lorenzi yes Miss gotle yes Miss Graham yes Miss O'Neal yes Dr yarus Ramos hi M Ginsburg I motion carries all right before we move on the business items I would like to draw your
attention to the items listed on your agenda under B4 uh gift from Central of schools home and School Association monetary donation of $1,345 for dinosaurs Rock fossil Adventure assembly at Central School I
know the treasurer of that uh group is with us tonight thank you uh Ray uh uh with that um Heather would you move the uh business items sure I'm going to move B1
through B8 and then B9 which is on the agenda okay may I have a second I'll second I'll give it to Anthony this time all right any other any discussion on the business items which of course
includes the preliminary budget all right Barbara would you call the role Miss zakin wandi hi Mr Bonnet hi Mr Denard Mr D Lorenzi Miss scly yes Miss Graham yes
Miss O'Neal yes Dr Yaris Ramos hi Miss Ginsburg hi motion carries all right we've come to the second public comment period for questions or comments on agenda items or any items pertaining to the running of the schools the rules are the same the protocols rather are the
same as I outlined before does anyone have a question or comment for us nothing all right uh that being the case I may have a motion to adjer Jing motion move by Darius or was
over oh move by Anthony all right may I have a second second second