thank all right good evening everyone we're about to begin um please stand stand for the flag salute i aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands one nation under God
indivisible with liberty and justice for all please stand for a moment of silence you may be seated in accordance with the open public meeting act adequate notification of this meeting has been provided by advertising in the record and posting
notice to the board of education administration building and filing notice with the city clerk i hereby call to order the regular public meeting on Thursday April 24th 2025 in the Hackinack High School Media Center at
6 6:16 6:16 p.m miss Sing can you do a roll call please thank you um Miss Al Balutra present miss Amir Hamsa is not here as yet
right no okay uh Mr carol is not here miss Kurt Alton here miss Gilmore here mr martin here miss Pringle present miss Harris
present mr stein present we have a quorum excellent all right uh so for this evening we don't have a student presentation or report um but we do have presentations for the Governor's Educator of the Year Award and the
Educational Service Professionals of the Year Award so I would leave it up to Dr mcbride good evening again everyone it is an absolute honor to stand as the proud superintendent of Hackinack public schools and recognize the exceptional
educators receiving the governor's educator of the year award give them a hand already today we celebrate not only your skill and dedication but the spirit with which you serve our children each and every day you are the ones who see the
potential even before it's spoken who like the path when others see obstacles in classrooms filled with questions you offer patience in moments of struggle you offer hope and in every lesson every
conversation every small gesture you shape the future this award is more than a recognition of excellence is a reflection of the hearts you've touched the minds you've opened and the lives you forever changed so let us remember that your work is not
measured in only in test scores or lesson plans but in the courage you instill the dreams you ignite and the love you give unconditionally since April is poetry
month I would like to leave you with a short poem in your honor the builder they may not see your hands at work or how you shape with quiet grace but every mind you gently stirred
becomes a better and brighter place you build with wisdom brick by brick you plant with hope and water truth and what you grow within a child becomes the souls of fearless youth so
congratulations once again you are not only educators you are architects of possibility and so we're going to begin our evening with Nelly K parker and we'll have principal interim principal Dr
galliano recognize first miss Jane Kim for the teacher of the year and Denise Valet Lucero for educational service professional of the year good evening everyone um thank you for
having us here today thank you to the board families colleagues and most especially for our honored teachers today it is my great pleasure to introduce this year's Governor Educator of the Year for Nelly K parker mrs jane Kim come stand next to me Miss Kim so I
can see you mrs kim is truly a dedicated educator whose love and commitment to her students have shown brightly throughout her luscious career here in the Hackinack Public Schools mrs kim consistently goes above and beyond to create a nurturing and inspiring
environment where young learners feel safe valued and excited to explore the world around them and to learn to their fullest potential her passion for teaching and her genuine care for each child's growth make her incredibly deserving of this well-earned honor as
we all know kindergarten teachers play a critical role in laying the foundation for a child's educational journey as well as their love of learning every day as I walk into Miss Kim's class to give them a little love I bear witness to her students beaming faces and large smiles
as they hone their phmic awareness skills practice isolating sounds segment difficult words and learn about those dreaded consonant diagraphs in addition to this Mrs kim students also learn to excel as friends as she
develops their social and life skills such as sharing caring cooperation and empathy at this time I'd like to read the nomination that was submitted by a parent of a child in Miss Kim's class which ultimately solidified this honor for Mrs king so this is from a parent
who uh submitted i am thrilled to nominate Mrs jane Kim for the governor's educator of the year award as an exceptionally skilled and dedicated educator at Nelly K parker School after a challenging start to his two 2024
school year my son was found in Mrs kim's classroom not only a place of learning but a community where he feels celebrated and valued mrs kim's dedication to each of her students has renewed my son's joy for school and she has gone above and beyond already to
help him feel safe supported and understood despite his challenges in connecting with other children Mrs kim's nurturing and inclusive approach has allowed him to thrive and to come home eager to share details about his day mrs kim's influence extends beyond the
classroom as a former student of hers and later as her student teacher in 2014 I witnessed firsthand her inspiring ability to foster a love of learning in students of all backgrounds and abilities not only does she demonstrate leadership and innovation in her
teaching but she also shares her expertise through her successful teacher pay teacher store filled with resources that benefit countless educators miss Kim is deeply respected by students parents and administrators and her colleagues as well her impact is evident
both within Nelly K parker School and throughout the community where she tutors and supports family across all over Bergen County it is a privilege to see her inspire my son just as she inspired me years ago this is good
and that was submitted by Jessica Cruz who's also a teacher at the middle school but her son and I did get permission to to read this her son who's in Mrs kim's class so congratulations Mrs kim and Mrs sette will um come up to honor Mrs vay
thank you thank you Dr galliano we are so pleased to honor Mrs denise Valier Lacero for the governor education of the year program educational service professionals for 2024 miss Balier consistently
demonstrates a level of dedication and skill that sets her apart over the past two years I have been able to observe her excel in our ABA classroom where she has shown great ability and supporting students with various developmental needs miss Valier consistently seeks out
opportunities to enhance her skills and knowledge always with the goal of better serving those around her in the classroom Miss Valia's patience and gentle demeanor are truly remarkable she naturally redirects students in a positive positive manner always
maintaining a calm and supportive presence i'm just going to share one of her nominations that was special to us because it was by a fellow colleague i am pleased to nominate Denise Valero as a dedicated par educator in the special
education ABA classroom she is exceptionally skilled at inspiring students of all abilities to learn and thrive miss Valia Lacero demonstrates remarkable leadership and innovation in her teaching practices creating an inclusive and supportive environment for
all students she's highly respected by students parents colleagues and administrators and her active involvement in both the school and the local community highlights her commitment to making a positive impact mrs vier your Nelly K parker family
would like to thank you for your service to students and dedication to their success again congratulations on receiving the governor's education of the year program for educational services thank you so much next we will have Principal Montasano to
acknowledge Miss Lisa McVicker for the high school Hackinac High School's teacher of the year good evening and congratulations to all of the winners tonight um at the high school we were very fortunate because we had such a large number of nominees this year uh and it was probably the closest
year in my 15 years as principal um of a winner but it was great because most of our nominations actually came from our students uh which I think is phenomenal because that's where they have their direct impact every day and I would just like to read a little excerpt from um our students nomination mrs mcvicker is undoubtedly
one of the most beloved teachers at Hackinack High School as many of her current and past students can attest to she works every day to make sure her students are provided with the materials they need to succeed in her classes and continues to work after hours to ensure that the extracurricular activities that
operate under her watch are cared for as well for these reasons I believe that she is more than deserving of the title of Hackinac High School's educator of the year anyone who has taken any of her classes can tell that she is unafraid to voice her thoughts and criticisms when necessary picking apart her students
performances until they fulfill the potential she knows lies within them all which I think is phenomenal it may be sometimes frustrating but her tried and trueue methods have consistently produced favorable results since her return as Hackath High School's marching band director and I'm going to take a
little pause we had was that four years ago where are you right here four years about three four years ago uh she retired from being the marching band director i was standing at halftime of one of our football games and I think
there was 12 kids in our marching band um I said to myself "No way we have a school of 1900 i need someone back." And uh I begged and cried and held on to her leg and eventually she said yes so it worked out uh but now I mean our
marching band really is phenomenal there's about 75 students in it we had a concert the other night Tuesday night uh and our stage is pretty large and it is actually with our construction it's actually larger than there ever was and it was still barely enough room for all the students that you know are
underneath her oices so it really is phenomenal to just conclude learning and performing under her instruction has helped me grow as both a musician and a person beyond that she has provided countless opportunities for her students including myself to really spread our wings from invit invitations to perform
around the school to town hosted performances to even having the opportunity to play at Rockefeller Center she comes in seemingly every day with a new opportunity for her students to get out there and experience the world through music her efforts help each other each one of her students individually yes but they also help
bring them together united by the share of love for the craft that she has fostered within us i was going to write something there is no way I could write as well as this student did so I just said "Let's go with what they wrote because honestly it was phenomenal." Miss McVicker congratulations on being
there next we will hear from Hackinack Middle School as they uh recognize Miss Joanna Beck for teacher of the year and Miss Kiana Rodriguez for the educational service professional of the year good evening uh my name is Daniel Sass
i'm the principal of the 78 Academy at Hackin Sack Middle School uh thank you to the board for creating the space tonight to honor so many incredible educators we can do a round of applause for that that's a big deal i have the honor tonight of recognizing
Miss Joanna Beck um and and yeah come on up okay um what what stands out most uh and I've only known Miss Beck for a year i'm still new to Hackinack and and uh seeing her in action is is magical um what what
stands out most to me is the way in which Miss Beck's classes and performances capture the the essence of Hackinack um at her winter concert in January uh there was a student soloist
from Ecuador and another student soloist from right here in Hackinack they sang in English they sang in Spanish they sang in Zulu um they tackled a Puerto Rican-American singer songwriter Lin Manuel Miranda um and then they tackled
France Gruber an Austrian composer from a couple hundred years earlier and then they pivoted yet again and sang a South African hymn called Sia Hamba which literally translates to we are marching and it was such a poetic moment because
the crowd was quite literally marching they were marching together they were side by side um in a political climate where uh divisive rhetoric feels like it is everywhere uh Miss Beck put together an event that brought a community uh
together students teachers families uh from such a diverse cross-section of ages and races and language and ethnicities and nationalities uh they came together for a night um the comic community was was one singing and
laughing and dancing um the joy was was palpable in the room um and it was it was truly magical um Miss Beck is one of the the hardest working most driven people that I have ever had the pleasure of working with and she has shown shown me and shown Hackin Sack what what unity
looks like uh in the classroom and in her performances um she breathes and lives the school values of pride passion and purpose in in everything she does and I can think of nobody more deserving than Miss Joanna Beck uh to be
recognized tonight for the Governor's Educator of the Year award at Hackin Sack Middle School we still have Good evening Hackinack good evening you know there's a beautiful play out by the title of Wicked and one of my favorite
songs in Wicked is because I knew you you know those words well some of the lyrics are I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason bringing something we must learn and we are led to those who we who help us most
to grow if we let them and we help them in return well I don't know if I believe that's true but I know I am the better today because I knew you and when I think about Miss Kiana Rodriguez and the
role that she plays at Hackinack Middle School we are the better because we know her she is a light at our school she is one of the bees in our social media beehive if you enjoy any of our reals if
you enjoy the posts it is her creative genius that allows that to happen and so what I've learned as an instructional leader is that there's always something to be learned from someone else and that no one at our school is too little to
teach too little to give too little to contribute because everybody makes Hackinac Middle School Hackinack public schools the place that it needs to be and so Kiana has to be doing all kinds of crazy things i'm singing I'm dancing I'm
twirling in the hallways she's like "That's what idea okay would you be willing to do this okay and it's very hard to tell her no because of her spirit and so uh one of the teachers Miss Calman had these words to say about
her she is a par professional who works with our special needs children however her positive influence on the entire school is felt by all she goes on to say that she is personally motivated to make our school better by organizing assemblies with the goal of inspiring our students on spirit days Miss
Rodriguez never lacks enthusiasm she personally participates but joyfully organizes and softly bullies others and colleagues to join in and then the teacher that she works with uh Jessica Cruz said she
consistently shows up to help our most vulnerable students she does not wait to be invited for a seat at the table but she takes her seat where she belongs with grace and conviction and for these reasons I find her worthy of this
acknowledgement so Miss Rodriguez you are an absolute positive force at Hackinack Middle School you are an example of pride passion and purpose in everything you do and it is our hope that you continue to thrive continue to shine and bloom where you have been
planted because you are a gift congratulations on being the education i got so excited I knocked your glasses off sorry and next we will hear from principal Guang who acknowledges Miss Shauna Hall short Shauna Hill Short Ridge for
Fairmont School as a teacher of the year and Mr robert Inone my Ayana Cole my apologies i know he's going to do that all right um good evening uh members of the board
of education colleagues families and honored guests um about almost three years ago I was gifted a teacher whom I knew nothing about unbeknownst to me I was getting one of the best teachers I've ever had the opportunity to be
around uh it is with great honor to stand before you this evening to recognize an amazing pillar woman and educator in the Hackinack school community someone who embodies all the best attributes that defines a highly
effective educator please join me in welcoming the one and only Mrs shauna Hill Short tonight we are here to celebrate a true educational luminary Mrs shortridge Fair
Mount School's 2024 2025 Governor's Educator of the Year to enter a room to enter room success as her students and she calls it it is to enter a space where high expectations are matched with even higher levels of care
creativity and commitment mr shoridge has spent over 20 years cultivating not just academic excellence but confidence resilience and pride in every child who walks through her door she embodies the very essence
of servant leadership whether she is mentoring new teachers leading professional development or guiding students through meaningful realworld lessons she always leads with her heart and an unwavering moral compass her
integrity and professionalism set the tone not only for her classroom but for our entire district mr shortri stands as a modern-day standardbearer in the proud lineage of African-American educators like Fanny
Cop and Jackson Mary McCloud Bthoon Charlotte Foron Grimkey and Nelly K parker and Linian Whitaker like them she understands that
teaching is not just a profession it's a calling her work goes beyond the classroom she is a curriculum writer an equity champion a DAT committee member a new teacher orientation facilitator and a leader of our Black History and Herit
and Hispanic Heritage Month programs she leaves with both intellect and empathy always going above and beyond to serve our students our staff and our greater Hackinack community i'm I'm I'm trying to be strong right now
it's so hard to to be concise when you have the blessing to brag about two goats two champions um exemplars in this work collegial dependable and deeply respected she is a
mentor a mother a wife a sister and a fierce advocate for equity and excellence through all her many roles she has remained constant always focused on ensuring that every student has the
opportunity to succeed mr shoridge you are not only a cornerstone of Fairmont School and Hackinac public schools but a shining example of what it means to educate uplift and lead with grace
congratulations on this welldeserved honor this is her second time winning this and almost wins it every year thankfully for being a blessing always raising the bar and always being dependable it has been an honor working alongside you
congratulations as Fairmont Schools 24 2024 2025 Governor's Educator of the Year right so again we have another dynamic individual um that I'm so honored to speak of
another champion um and a goat in this work that we do it is with great honor to stand before you again to recognize a truly remarkable individual someone whose dedication heart and unwavering commitment has made
a lasting impact on our school community please join me in celebrating the one and only Mr robert Ayana the gentle giant at Fairmouth School our educational services professional of the year just had the pleasure of meeting his mom and hearing
the history and now I know that this man has come from a good stock mr ayon is not only a cornerstone of our school but a lifelong member of the Hackinack family born and raised right here in Hackinack he is a proud graduate of of Nelly K parker Hackin
Sack Middle School and Hackin Sack High School class of 2001 forgive me from your age his roots run deep and his love for this community shines through in everything he does with 19 years of experience as a par profofessional in
Hackinack public schools including 18 incredible years at Fair Mount School Mr ayon has consistently gone above and beyond to support our students staff and families his calm presence patience and genuine care create a positive
environment that helps every child feel seen supported and safe beyond our school walls Mr continues to give back he has dedicated 26 years to the Hackinack recreational department and serves as a supervisor for the YMCA
afterare program at Fairmont School whether it is helping a student through a tough day or organizing a community event or being an amazing onetoone power professional for all of our students even though he has one responsibility he's always working with a group mr conn
is always there showing up with kindness reliability and an infectious sense of pride in his hometown mr ayon your dedication inspires us all you embody what it means to be a true educator role model and a community
leader thanks for everything you do for your years of service your unwavering heart and the countless lives you've touched along the way congratulations on this welldeserved honor we are so proud to call you one of our own congratulations Mr
edward thank you and next we'll hear from Dr sodto who'll be presenting the teacher year of and the education professional services of the year i can't speak at the moment of the four pillars come join us good evening
everyone good evening board trustees colleagues family friends and my new little friend Nora hey Nora we've said hello about 1500 times tonight so she had to make my speech i am Dr stood a
humble and inspired principal and I am here to um congratulate and celebrate our two award recipients for the governor educator of the year award i'm here on behalf of my assistant principal Mrs madden who is
currently at Hillers we have a STEM night so she's there supporting our students and family and my entire Hiller school staff to honor these two amazing educators miss Castellnik can you wrap up please so it is my absolute pleasure to
recognize this year's Governor's Educator of the Year award recipient Miss Castelnik clap nora you are one of our amazing kindergarten teachers at Hillards miss Castelnik Miss Castelnik's commit hey
Nora hold on this is just not working for me i'm sorry hi that's okay that's okay i may break out in song i've been waiting i've been waiting all my life for this i think it is can everybody hear me
okay so and please forgive me i typically like to speak to the recipients so I'm not ignoring anyone else but this is your moment so I'm speaking directly to you miss Castelnik your commitment to providing instruction in a variety of ways ensures that each
of our precious stars shines brightly your creativity dedication and ability to meet students where they are is truly admired but what truly highlights your passion is your love affection and your unwavering advocacy that you show for
every one of your students your heart is in everything that you do and it makes me incredibly proud to call you a part of our school team congratulations Miss Castelnik you are so deserving of this honor we're going to hand flowers that I
was hiding i said "Don't look at the flowers it's a surprise those flowers have been through it so this everyone is Miss Khan and today I have the honor of recognizing someone truly exceptional our education support
professional of the year Miss Khan she is our dedicated behaviorist at Hiller School miss Khan selflessly you selflessly volunteer your time to train teachers and everyone should know that p.s miss Khan is very shy so this is
probably very difficult for her she loves this not you train our teachers equipping them with the tools they need to support our students with care and confidence your commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of every child is truly
inspiring despite holding one of the most challenging roles in our school Miss Khan you approach each day with a smile and a level of positivity that lifts everyone around you you work tirelessly to help students regulate
their emotions during very difficult moments always offering patience support and compassion you have volunteered a lot of your personal time to train teachers over and over
again and I want everyone to know that thank you Miss Khan for your unwavering dedication and your incredible and the incredible difference that you make in our school community you deserve this award and we are so proud to have you
did you all see how she came in for the hug she wanted me to stop so but on behalf of our entire Halo School community I want to take a moment to congratulate all the award recipients you are superstars and we are honored to be here with all of you thank you
thank you thank you and next we'll hear from Principal Moran from Jackson Avenue Elementary all right good evening everybody my name is Chris Moran i am the proud proud principal of Jackson Avenue School i want to
congratulate everybody here yeah I Well the problem was I don't want to call out what the problem was over here we're good i think it was obvious i want to thank all the board members uh the pre the president vice president and all the
trustees thank you for outstanding evening of course Dr mcbride um for your leadership and to all the families you too made the sacrifice with the dedication and service that is put into being a high highly effective and a
quality loving and caring educator you know what it looks like you know the dedication they come home late and they're talking about the kids and then they're talking about what they're going to do tomorrow and then they say "Oh I got to go to bed." So you I know the commitment and it's just I'm proud of
every one of them and I think you all should give yourselves a round of applause so I did promise my superintendent to honor the time frame here because I don't want to get longwinded up in here so but I want to just say this our uh teacher of the year
and our par educator of the year have worked together for 13 years and it's amazing on the year when uh Miss Rios decided to pursue a different venue after 30 plus years of in education she felt it was time to
spread her wings and take on a different role in our school so this dynamic duo who've been through everything and I love them and now I'm going to get lose it because everybody knows me i can get a little mushy so So my point is this
it's rare that you get this kind of combination for that long you know this is like one of those Super Bowl runs and I prom Andrea I won't go crazy with my sports analogies okay i promise but it's a run it's like and I hate to say it
it's like the the New England Patriots or Tom Brady run so I want to congratulate them for their ability to work together and lastly I'll say this as the group when I have the kids come from the high school for future teachers of America and they're dealing with the
prek it's not something generally they're looking to do as educators that's the first stop on the on the list because I said everything you need to know you're going to learn in their classroom you're going to find in their classroom architects
horiculturists future chefs engineers lawyers because they argue with me let me tell you they're going to tell and they they embody this and they build them up and they build structures that's part of their engineering they literally
build structures they have planted potatoes they go out into the great lawn as we call it and they collect leaves and they circle them and color them in it's amazing so I just had to honor them together because that's how I always say them
together now I'll go one by one Miss Rios okay so it's kind of interesting that um Dr mcbride's speech when I heard him talking about building it kind of falls in line with a little bit of what I have written down here tonight we honor an
extraordinary educator who has laid the very first building blocks of learning for countless children as a pre kindergarten teacher Miss Rios has sparked curiosity nurtured kindness and shaped the very foundations of lifelong love of learning with end endless
patience and creativity she has transformed her classroom into a place where every child feels safe seen and supported and with that I'll add she has the greenest of thumbs in Hackinack if
you ever come to H uh Jackson Avenue I call it the great lawn and with her vision we are expanding our garden every year and she said "Mr ran this will be our lasting legacy where children of years will come to what will be grown
into a real nurturing environment so I want to congratulate you and thank you Miss Rios Miss Robbitai this is somebody who works tirelessly behind the scenes doesn't look for the glory but will bring the
children into the office the little post office people to pick up the mail because they teach him how to do that job there's no job that they don't teach him right although I don't know if they want my job on Sunday but Miss Robbitai is always there supporting Miss Rios
what do you need anything you need I'll do it for the children I'll do it i'll bring them to to wherever we need to go if they need to go to the nurse I'll take them don't you worry and I I'll I'll make sure they're okay the love that she exudes for her children is
visible every single day every single day so this is a beautiful moment to recognize Miss Robbitai as Jackson Avenue's prek power educator of the year receiving the support staff Governor Educator Year award is a big deal
it highlights the heart and hard work she pours into early childhood education very often behind the scenes not tonight it's your night it's all right and last but not least we have Mrs
donna Petron Wall who will be announcing the award recipients for ECDC thank you um I feel like I'm a little shorter maybe than Mr [Music] moran am I good okay thank you um my name is Donna Petra Mal i'm the
building administrator for ECDC and I do want to say thank you for everyone um honoring the governor educator of the year award winners um specifically at ECDC we have a lot of amazing teachers but tonight we're taking the time to
acknowledge Miss Bianel Mena she actually started off as a PAR educator and is currently a teacher at ECDC um she is an exceptional member of the preschool staff she consistently demonstrates professionalism competence and a deep commitment to her students
her passion for education is evident in her thoughtful lesson planning engaging in the classroom environment and her meaningful connections with each student uh Miss Mena is an ABA teacher at ECDC and there are some students who have many varying and different needs and she
meets all their needs and spends probably half of her paycheck on buying materials for students to meet every need that they have um she also shares with her colleagues uh those materials she is collaborative she is supportive
um she particularly works well with all of her PAR educators um in addition to that she implements individual education plans she invests her time and of course her money in innovative strategies resources to enhance the academic and more
importantly social emotional learning in her classroom what sets apart Miss Mana is her genuine care and dedication anyone knows her knows that her heart is extremely um large and she is kind to everyone she approaches each child with
empathy patience and intentionality creating a nurturing space where students feel valued and supported she also does the same with their families miss Mena's impact on our school community is profound and her commitment to excellence continues to inspire both
students peers and myself thank you and congratulations so um the other person who is our school social worker at ECDC unfortunately she was not able to make it tonight she is Miss Cindy Florencio i'm going to say a only two little paragraphs about her uh
Miss Florencio has a unique ability to deeply connect with children offering them a safe space to express themselves most of our students call her Miss Cindy she is a trusted presence in the classroom whether through play um calm companionship or emotional support
during moments of crisis she is a steady and compassionate guide for our students she fosters strong relationships with families and her approachable warm demeanor and dedication have earned her the respected honor of both the staff and families alike thank you
and that concludes our awards portion of our evening again congratulations to all our recipients amazing job thank you all for what you do every single day thank you okay um so before everyone leaves I just want
to thank all the family that came out tonight thank you for your support everyone who received an award i'm sure um the rest of um the board members will have something to say at the end and unfortunately you guys won't be here but um congratulations uh it's it is a huge
honor and I am honored to be in your presence all the amazing things that all of your leaders have said about you um I've seen it i know most of you i've had the pleasure of having my children um um be in your company and I you guys are
truly truly amazing amazing people congratulations once again um be it resolved that the Hackasack Board of Education determines it necessary to meet in executive session on Thursday April 24th 2025 to discuss legal personnel student related
matters HIV reports negotiations and other confidential matters and be it further resolved that these matters will be made public when the need for confidentiality no longer exists can I have a motion to go to executive session so move okay motion by Trustee Stein can
I have a second second second by Trustee Pringle all those in favor say I anyone opposed thank you and we will We need one more oh there bring it up the rear
microphone check okay good evening um at this moment um I need a motion for us to extend our meeting past 10:00 can I have a motion please so moved okay motion by Trusty Stein can I have a second i'll second second by trustee Amrahemsa um
all those in favor say I i anyone opposed no no okay and we will go back into executive session um please give us at least I would say about 30 more minutes thank you okay good evening everyone it is
10:55 p.m um can I have a motion to reopen to public session please so move okay motion by Trustee Stein can I have second by trustee Pringle miss Singh can you do a roll call please yes
i think this is where we say all say I but we we do have new board members who um you don't need Miss Austin present mr mayor Hamson present miss Kira Alton
here miss Gilmore here mr martin here miss Pringle present miss Harris present mr stein here have a Okay excellent um we're moving on to approval of the minutes be it resolved that the Hackinack Board of Education approves
the regular meeting minutes of March 19th 2025 and the executive meeting minutes of March 19th 2025 can I have a motion to approve the minutes motion motion by Trusty Fringle can I have a second a second second by Trusty
Gilmore um all those in favor say I i anyone opposed i recuse myself okay so Trusty Cordero out and recuses and moving forward all right so now we're on to our presentations and
business reports um first thing is our 2025 2026 budget presentation good evening President Harris members of the board of education staff families and members of Packinac community thank you for joining us tonight as we present
the proposed budget for the 2025 2026 academic year this presentation represents more than just numbers it reflects our collective priorities values and unwavering commitment to providing all students in Hackinack with an exceptional and equitable
education as superintendent I am proud of the progress we've made together expanding academic opportunities investing in student wellness supporting our dedicated staff and modernizing our facilities this proposed budget is designed to
build on that momentum while remaining fiscally responsible and responsive to the needs of our community we understand the importance of transparency and collaboration in this process and tonight's presentation is an opportunity to engage in thoughtful dialogue about how we
allocate resources to best support teaching and learning in every classroom the mission of Hackinac public school district is to challenge all students to excel along their own personal learning continuum and become responsible civic-minded global citizens of the 21st
century we inspire and challenge students to be active learners who can think critically engage in complex problem solving communicate effectively take pride in the work they produce and contribute to making a positive difference in the world around them our
schools strive to personalize learning to meet the needs of each student in partnership with parents and the community our schools will maximize academic achievement and develop competent students who are accountable for their ongoing learning value initiative and diversity and who are
able to contribute meaningfully to the everchanging global society we believe our students will be effective communicators quality producers self-directed lifelong learners community contributors collaborative workers and complex
thinkers we believe all students are entitled to opportunities to maximize their talents and abilities we believe our ethnic and cultural diversity is one of our greatest strengths and prepare students for success in a global society we believe setting high expectations for
students teachers and administrators ensures that our students successfully meet or exceed New Jersey student learning standards we believe parents are essential partners in the education of their children we believe maintaining a strong partnership with the Hackinack community
is integral in student success we believe understanding implementing and responding to current trends in digital learning is intrinsic to success in a global 21st century society we believe in ensuring that the district has a well-trained
highqualified and competent staff we believe in maintaining a safe and secure learning environment the underlying values and principles that drive our mission and vision are personal responsibility a strong work ethic collaboration respect for others
honesty integrity and the firm belief that every child can learn it is my pleasure to begin this e presentation by providing an update on the capital projects that have recently been completed throughout our district these improvements are the results of
thoughtful planning collaboration and a shared commitment to creating school environments that support the academic and social success of all of our students each project reflects our board's focus on strengthening the infrastructure of our schools while remaining fiscally responsible and
transparent in our use of taxpayer dollars tonight I will walk you through the amazing progress we've made and highlight how these investments are already helping to provide safe modern and engaging spaces where students can thrive thank you for your continued
support of our schools and of the vision we share for Hackinac public schools i would like to begin this evening by communicating about the Hackinack High School roof solar panels and the solar canopy funded through EIP
high school phase one west wing is completed and operational high school phase 2 east wing is completed and operational as well the Hackinac middle school roof solar panels were funded also through EIP the middle school is completed and
operational at this time there is a new security vestibule at Nelli K Parker Elementary School which we are excited about and will be hosting our grand opening on April the 30th at 2 p.m the contract value is
1,37,300 that was funded through our capital budget um it provides a new secure entrance to the building there are new CCTV cameras being installed and new access door controls being installed again solidifying our priority of
security and safety for our scholars there have been new system upgrades at the Hackasack Middle School this year as well that have a contract value of $5,598,321 that's also been funded through our ESSER funds that provides new electrical services new unit
ventilators with heating ventilation and air conditioning in all the classrooms there's also building maintenance system work that was done that controls all the unit ventilators in all classrooms uh the there also been some new auditorium renovations at the Hackinac high schools that we are truly
excited about that have a contract value of $3,300,742 this was funded through capital budget funds the new auditorium offers brand new seating new audio visual and video sound systems new theatrical production lights new heating
ventilation air and air conditioning systems and we have already put this beautiful facility to use hosting our very first Black History Districtwide event this year there have also been some new system upgrades at Fairmont Elementary School with a contract value of
$2,367,791 that was funded through ESSER funds the you new unit ventilators provide heating ventilation and air conditioning in all classrooms the BMS control units are also identified in all classroom as well
the students and the staff are very excited about the cafeteria upgrades at Hackinac High School and Middle School they have a contract value of 3,645,68 that was funded through enterprise funds the new renovations include new kitchen equipment at the middle school
new makeup air unit and fire suppression systems at the middle school new dining hall at the middle school and a brand new dining hall at the high school future capital projects include new boiler replacement at Fanny Meyer Hiller School for the 2526 school year and
that's also funed through capital budget good evening during the 2025 2026 school year the district will engage in a multifaceted approach for professional learning the focus will be on data analysis and tier one instructional
response to support optimal student learning in math and reading so that students meet grade level expectations differentiated professional learning opportunities to meet the needs
of all staff will also be provided finally teacher-led professional learning opportunities that align to our district's comprehensive equity plan will be provided at all schools
hi everyone I'm Jen Laneski and I serve as the executive director of curriculum and instruction i'm excited to share our district's plans for the upcoming 2526 school year focusing on how we will continue to strengthen our curriculum and classroom instruction to support student success in literacy mathematics
and overall academic growth let's begin with our efforts to strengthen K8 literacy in the coming year we will continue with the implementation of HMH into reading for K5 students and HMH into literatures for students in grades
six through eight the HMH resources are designed to help our students connect with a complex text in a meaningful way while also building the critical reading writing and thinking skills they need to succeed whether our students are just starting their learning journey or advancing through middle school we're
committed to providing instructional resources and curricula that meet their needs and prepares them for the future now as we continue to focus on strengthening core subject areas math instruction is another key priority for us at the elementary level we're entering into year three of reveal math
while at the middle school level we're continuing with year four of illustrative math these programs are rooted in problem based learning helping students build critical thinking skills and a deep understanding of mathematical concepts and we're not stopping there illustrative math is also entering its
third year of implementation in algebra 1 providing a seamless bridge between middle and high school and setting up students for future academic success to ensure that all of what I just shared is impactful for every student we are continuing our work leveraging
assessment data to support individualized learning our universal screening assessments in both ELA and math will continue across grades K through 12 giving us valuable insights into each student's strength and needs this allows us to personalize
instruction track progress and make adjustments to ensure every learner is getting what they need to thrive and with that I'd like to hand it over to Donna Petron Wall who will be taking us through the next part of our presentation for the 2025 20226 school
year the preschool expansion will be PA funded we will have professional development with Apple education and also iPads to enhance our units professional development will be provided by Montlair State University focusing on the pyramid model and social
emotional learning in addition we will also have small groupoup instruction our three-year-old program is projecting seven classrooms with 105 spots for students in addition our four-year-old preschool program is
projecting 15 classes with 185 spots for students good evening my name is Darius Petbertton senior the director of special services in Hackinack and I would like to let you know that next year there will be at least one full
child study team in every building we will continue to support the RISE program for grades 5 through 12 we have added additional behaviorist support we have purchased additional communication devices for our students with
disabilities we have various work-based learning opportunities and we have added additional ABA and preschool with disabilities classes next we will hear from assistant superintendent Miss Rosemary Marks thank
you this is Rosemary Marks assistant superintendent of administrative services this slide highlights how the budget will support social emotional learning at the elementary level we will continue to have a dedicated school
counselor or social worker supporting students with classroom lessons on the SEAL competencies the budget will also support 50% funding for each of three full-time social workers hired through
the schoolbased mental health services grant and two full-time social workers hired with funds reallocated from vendor services these additional full-time social workers will provide for a dedicated clinician at each level in
grades 5 through 12 funding will also continue to support implementation of the action plans that include activities for kindness week student assemblies professional development and other
mental health student resources here now is Alex Binder executive director of technology good evening this is Alex Blinder Hackinac's director of technology our 2025 to 2026 technology
initiatives include the following device and technology refresh chromebooks at the Hackinac Middle School will be replaced with new models to enhance student learning as needed new staff devices to support instructional needs advancing digital learning AI tools will
be integrated into the classroom experience complementing the use of existing educational technology continued investment will be made in instructional technology to ensure a smooth and effective digital learning environment infrastructure and security
improvements the district will focus on improving its digital and physical infrastructure to provide a stable and reliable learning environment security enhancements will be made to safeguard both the digital and physical spaces ensuring a safe environment for
all users good evening my name is Lydia Singh as the business administrator of the Hackinack School District I have the responsibility of preparing the annual
budget for the 2025 2026 school year it is a lengthy process which requires the participation of all the stakeholders in our district it requires that the budget be prepared in accordance with the state
of New Jersey guidelines it was thus prepared and county approval was obtained as is required shall we begin with revenues revenues determine what we can spend in
any given year for this school district there are two primary sources tax levy and state aid in this slide the revenues for the 2025 2026 school year are listed
along with the prior year for comparison purposes for the 2025 2026 school year the total operating revenues are 153 million176,800 while total revenues
are 163,326,62 note that the distinction between the between operating revenues and total revenues is that operating revenues do not include grants the total operating
revenues increased by 3,133,383 this is due to an increase in state aid and tax levy this increase is offset by a reduction of 5,253,170 in the revenues from grants
the explanation for this reduction is twofold one grants are usually budgeted at a lesser amount from the prior year and two the tail end of the co grants which are included in the 2024 2025
special revenue line ended here is a pie chart showing total revenues by source tax levy is 60% of total revenues and state aid is
26% followed by grants at 6% having explained revenues now let us look at the appropriations side of this equation simply put
appropriations must be equal to revenues as I did before I am showing the school year 2025 2026 numbers in comparison to 2024 2025
looking at the budget categories please note that the increases are in areas relating to instruction while there are significant decreases in the administration lines of the total
appropriation $74,775,615 are allocated to direct instruction instruction tuition and student support services continue to receive more of the district's limited resources this shows that our budget is
in alignment with our district goal of providing to our kids the education they deserve a further breakdown of instructional expenses shows the increase in each area
the biggest increases percentage wise are in special education bilingual education tuition and also our alternative education program
in order for us to provide the best education for our kids we must hire the best qualified staff of the total amount $99,57,971 allocated to salaries and benefits
63,84,129 are allocated to instruction while 22,868,289 are allocated to benefits facilities maintenance and upkeep in this budget we are proposing
the following for Nelly K parker Elementary window and panel waterproofing stairway thread covers replacement Hackinack High School roof repairs and brick pointing bleachers for
the lower gymnasium hackinack Middle School cafeteria roof repairs driveway for the 56 school fairmont Elementary main entrance VCT tiles and
also a playground fanny Meyer Hillers Elementary roof repairs front entrance improvement this slide addresses capital improvements budgeted for the 2025 2026
school year the total amount of which is 2 million78,312 major portion of this is for a boiler replacement at Fanny Meyer Hillary School budgeted amount $1,675,000 we've also budgeted audio
equipment for gymnasium for the Hackinack High School $100,000 security camera surveillance districtwide $100,000 lock replacement for Fairmont Elementary High School $120,000
safety and security continuing the security initiative of upgrading all locks and hardware districtwide as a goal one location at a time we have completed Jackson Avenue School Fanny
Meyer Hillary School and Nelly K parker last year and this year fair Mount is scheduled for the 2025 and 2026 school year also portable walkie-talkies were upgraded this year
districtwide and repeaters for Fanny Meyer Hiller School is budgeted for the 2025 2026 school year now we come to one of our most interesting slides the district is
allowed a tax levy of a total of 98,872,763 so this number comprises of the following bank cap available for use in the 2025 2026 school year plus a tax
base adjustment for increase in enrollment plus 2% allowable tax levy plus our tax base for 2024 2025 school year adding all those components
together brings us to that total of the 98,8772763 now these numbers are given to us i did a breakout of it so that the public can see and understand so having looked at the
allowable tax levy now let us address this slide which really is the most important one the actual school tax levy for the 2025 2026 school year is 97
million236,974 and it is indeed less than the allowable amount by 1 million635,789 this comparison shows a decrease of.58% from prior year also take note of
the unused bank cap of 1.6 million which is being carried forward to future years based on the average home assessment value of $321,25 the school tax per average
household is calculated as $4,410.14 this is a $70.92 increase this final chart shows the school tax rates per
$100 of assessed valuation over the past six years for 2024 it was $1.35 for 2025 it is $1.37 there is a
2 increase as I conclude please allow me to acknowledge and thank each and every one of my staff for all their hard work and diligence you are a great group of
people and I love you all very much thank you right so so at this time we're going to have the presentation for the student safety data systems um for the school
year of 2024 2025 midyear reporting thank you for this opportunity uh as you see here um I'm for you today for the midyear report for the student safety data uh report or the 2425 midyear report so what is SSDS the student
safety data system as we refer to SSDs is used to fulfill the state and federal uh reporting requirements those are the incidents of violence vandalism harassment intimidation or bullying known as HIV any weapons offenses substance offenses and any other
incidents leading to student removal from our districts six schools this data is collected and reported to the New Jersey Department of Education via this portal uh referenced as SSDs all HIV trainings and programs and other information are collected and
reported uh to the state utilizing this So when is the information reported so the SSDs reporting uh year is through September 1st to June 30th uh there are two reporting periods uh the first period when we reported to to this board
uh was the September 1st to December 31st and as we have this second reporting period through January 1st and uh June 30th so what is reported uh incidents again right that meet the incident type as we were speaking about incidents that occur
on the school grounds while in school session including arrival times and dismissal times as we have students that do travel via bus and at school sponsored functions that'll be like our athletic events basketball events and any other function uh incidents of
harassment intimidation are and bullying HIV that occurred off school ground as well so these are some of the definitions and incidents that are reported use utilizing the SSDs uh mandated system as you can see there we
have arson assault computer trespass damage to property false public alarms biting HIV alleged HIV confirmed kidnapping restraint robbery extortion um and as you see there that's right sexual assault sexual contact substant offense
theft threat criminal uh threat simple uh trespass weapon offense other incidents leading to removal this next slide is Hackinack Public Schools reporting periods for September to December 23rd um if you
take a a moment to glance on the columns as on the left you'll see the schools where it represents and we go to the right you'll see violence and uh the numbers that it represents vandalism substance weapons HIV confirmed uh SSDs
incident totals other incidents leading to removal and then again our HIV alleged if we look at the column second to last other incidents leading to removal uh we can focus on the hack sacks the number 77 reference to the
middle school uh we're going to see a reduction um in the next slide regarding those numbers give me one minute to lock that up thank you for that minute um so the these incidents in this reduction led to
58 less incidents reported uh of of needed removals of students in in the um other incidents leading to removal column so that's you know we're moving in the right direction in regards to um our incidents and um and the
administrative staff dealing with them how is our district responding to the data uh restorative practices for the 2425 school year trainings for all district anti-bullying specialists administrators were provided this year each school climate and culture
committee under the leadership of a building administrator meets to review code of conduct data and trends in order to create an action plan to improve the district's anti-bully coordinator meets with the district anti-bully specialists
to review HIV data to to identify ways to improve and address problems problem areas the SAL team through the mental health screener grant completed mental health screening of the students in grades 7 to 12 in schoolwide classrooms
social emotional lessons are taking place in grades K to 4 we are able to add an additional support with one new grant funded social worker at the high school and through social work internships each school has created a cultural climate goal to respond to the
data that has been presented how is our district responding to the data you know central office administrators provide support to all the schools by offering professional development opportunities to enhance the cultural and climate in each of our schools and here if you can see again
column left represents our schools uh the trainings are com completed and then the programs are completed and with that thank you for your time for providing this second court all right thank you Mr ruiz uh at this
time we have our superintendent report dr mcbride good evening everyone happy poetry and autism month so we'd like to start by commending Miss Jessica Cruz and all the educators at Hackinac Middle School for presenting a
phenomenal women of worth celebration earlier this month where they honored all the amazing women in leadership throughout the district our wonderful board trustees in our central office who are some of the recipients of that so great job to the Hackinack Middle School
for acknowledging their worth like to congratulate Fairmont School on being awarded a 10,000 grant to advance green initiatives and a special thanks to the green team led by Pedra Delvecio congratulations to the girls flag football team who was in their
second season are ranked in the SFC top 25 hackinack High School middle school music student Martin Roas Ortiz who's a junior has been selected as a finalist for the New Jersey Shut Shout Down Drugs contest he needs our votes to help him
win so we're asking that everyone visit the district social media channels for the link and vote him up today was to today was take our daughters and sons to work day so we had lots of curious young visitors in our district who we were excited about seeing um and as yesterday we
acknowledged our hardworking administrative professionals and early in the month our phenomenal assistant principles librarians and bus drivers this is a jam-packed month um May is May is also a month of celebrating so I'd like to recognize our
principles teachers and nurses all of whose special day will occur before our next meeting so we're giving them some advanced love and appreciation um and we're asking and all are invited to attend Hackinack's 33rd Arbor Day celebration at Nel Parker
School tomorrow at 9:30 a.m where Mr stein and myself and some other people will be planting a tree in honor of uh Mrs lillian Whitaker um and we ask that you join us for the grand opening dedication ceremony there and finally um everyone is also
invited to join us for the grand opening dedication ceremony of the newly completed Vestabba Nelly K parker Elementary School on April 30th 2025 at 2 p.m the city will also dedicate the street sign during the ceremony as well
to Mrs lillian Whitaker so now I will transition to my actual superintendent report uh our total enrollment as of today is 5,34 students we have a attendance percentage of 96.95 which is
wonderful um for our residency report we in March there were three cases received we had 26 to date um there were zero residencies verified during the month of March and there are 10 to date there were three inhome visits unverified we
have 17 to date we have zero parent provided updated in district proof of residency in March there was zero and to date there is eight and students withdrawn as a result of residency investigations in March was zero and there's one to
date so for our uh harassment intimidation bullying report these complete investigations were from March 15 2025 to April 11 2025 uh as there were four that were founded
there were six that were unfounded there were 10 total there were seven pending and there were three with the preliminary determination of not HIB and that concludes the superintendent's report thank you just in case you didn't hear
me all right so we're on to public comments uh public participation shall be governed by the following rules one if in person a participant must sign the sign-in sheet and be recognized by the presiding officer and must preface preface I'm sorry comments by an
announcement of his or her name municipality of residents and group affiliation if applicable two each statement made by a participant shall be limited to 3 minutes duration during the public session three all statements questions or inquiries shall be directed
to the presiding officer and any questions or inquiries directed by a participant to another board member shall be redirected to the presiding officer who shall determine if such statement question or inquiry shall be addressed by the presiding officer on behalf of the board or by the individual
board member and four all board and/or superintendent responses to questions or inquiries shall be held until the end of public participation at this time public comments is now open is there anyone here in the public that would like to speak okay I see none is there anybody
online okay at this time public comments um is closed moving on page four of our agenda which are our committee reports and resolutions and we are going to start with personnel which is um the
chair personnel which is trusty Amar Hansa thank you so much um we have um for to offer for your consideration um personnel items um A1 through S uh and I do just want to highlight um that
included um in the committee agenda um is um the the um approval or consideration of um four additional school monitors two at the high school and two at the middle school um you know
really um in an effort to um continue our our um dedication to school safety and security across the district um also just a note that um there is a
resolution uh with item S um involving a consolidation a request to consolidate um both um HAOP and HA unions um so I would just like to offer um items A1 through S okay thank you so that is a
motion from trustee trustee Amar Hemsa can I have a second this is personnel so we discuss that's why we discussed it in executive session didn't discuss it in executive so I had a question with regards to it
should have been brought up to the union does that happen in executive session you can contract matter under the law ask for post session moving on moving on
yeah um so can I have a second second second from Trustee Gilmore okay miss Sing can you do a roll call please miss Al Valuch I'm abstaining from A4 but yes to everything else A4
Miss Amir Hamson uh yes to all Miss Kieran so no to A7 R and S yes yes to everything else and those
are A seven and S R R and S and S to all miss Gilmore yes to all mr martin yes to
all miss Pringle yes to all miss Harris I have to recuse on S and yes to all mrs stein yes to all so
have one two three abstensions from motion passes okay excellent on to policy which is the chair uh trusty Pringle okay so for policy I'd like
to highlight policy 511 um mandated and being revised to comply with updates to state code this policy provides guidance for non-resident
certificate certificated and non-certificated staff who may be interested in enrolling with children in the district and specifies that tuition will be charged with policy 5701 academic integrity is replacing the
existent language of plagarism and defines examples of forbidded acts that violate the standards of academic integrity the revision for policy 5710 provide more details regarding the student grievance process and now
requires written documentation to support the grievance and includes timelines for policies yes that's it okay thank you all right so we have a motion from Trusty Pringle can I have a second please a second second by Trustee um
Martin so late um Miss S can you do a roll call please yes miss Alston Boocher yes mr mayor Hamza yes miss Gadier Alton yes miss Gilmore yes mr martin yes miss
Pringle yes miss Harris yes mr stein yes motion passed excellent moving on to curriculum and the chair is Trusty Pringle um in curriculum I would just like to highlight C11 um we are proud to announce that
Fairmont School was awarded a $10,000 grant from Sustainable Schools to develop an outdoor classroom excellent nice okay that's it thank you so we have a motion from Trusty Pringle
can I have a second please i'll second second by Trustee Stein missing roll call please miss Alston Buchcher yes mr mayor Hamza yes miss Federo Alton um really quickly I just wanted to ask when
will the board be briefed on the most recent trip that was taken for NGA to Texas well no one went to Texas who went to Texas or where where was the NGA atlanta atlanta
would we be briefed on that hold on so we have a motion out and we have a roll call sure and I will give the answer once I get that answer because that was two months ago when it was stated that we would be briefed on it and it's curriculum so I'm just wondering when
that happened so what I have no idea what you're talking about they went right yeah we went yeah so when are we It was this month it just happened in April right so I'm asking when will it be we will talk about it today it was not discussed today which was why I was asking but thank you so I look forward
to the followup um and so yes I agree to everything on curriculum miss Gilmore yes mr martin yes miss Pringle yes miss Harris yes mr stein yes
motion passes okay and we're moving to finance we are on page nine of the agenda finance is trusty Stein yes um I'm proposing uh under finance D1 through
D1G um the one thing I'd like to uh again highlight um Miss Singh's department did a wonderful job in preparing and presenting the budget
um it's nice to see that that they put in a lot of hard work and it showed on that slide presentation so again D1 through D1G thank you Trusty
Stein can I have a second please i'll second okay second by Trusty Amber Hemsa missing roll call please yes miss Alustin Balapucha yes Miss Amir Hamson yes Miss Kieran
um I am saying no to D10 i don't find also that it was issued publicly in time so I have issues with that but I guess I understand that the decision was made sometime late
yesterday with regards to auditors um and I approve everything else okay miss Gilmore yes mr martin yes miss Pringle yes miss
Harris yes mr stein yes motion passes okay excellent we are on page 14 of the agenda moving to buildings and grounds and that is Trusty Martin i like to motion E1 E9 highlight
E6 um the municipal election will be held on Thursday the May 13th the polls open at 6:00 p.m and close at 8 our schools will be hosting six schools will be
hosting will be Fanny Hill School and it'll be at their gym nelly K parker School at the art room Jackson Avenue School at at the gym Fairmont School cafeteria middle school auditorium and
the high school on the first street First and Beach East Wing Gymnasium uh that's all I have okay thank you Trusty Martin can I have a second second second by Trusty Pringle
miss saying roll call please miss Alton Bucha yes miss Emson yes miss Kirton yes miss Gilmore yes mr martin yes miss Pringle yes miss Harris
yes mr stein yes motion passes okay thank you on to F which is community relations and that is Trusty Gilmore okay so the community relations committee met on um April 8th and we had a guest speaker who was an Hackinack
alum Brandon Cobb who is the founding pastor of Eden Church um he provided us with some background information on what services and um input he has provided to the community um more importantly he
secured a $10,000 grant for the Hackinack middle middle school STEM camp which is pretty impressive um and he also has uh future plans um that he would like to see um implemented in Hackinack and Eden Church has adopted um
Hackinac Middle School to mentor and um just engage with which is fantastic um also we we landed um on having a health fair as uh a committee and uh we have
some fantastic ideas our next meeting on May 8th we will begin the planning and we've been invited to have a table at the upcoming Junth celebration to start promoting our um district-wide community health fair which I'm really excited
about um and uh our next meeting um is May 8th that's it excellent thank you um other committees we have none anything for new business okay moving on on to our second public
comments individuals may address the board on agenda and school matters of community interest for one minute is there anyone from the public that would like to speak i see none anyone online okay one minute please
hi good evening everybody uh my name is Tony Jackson a teacher Hackin Sack a Hackinack parent as well i just wanted to congratulate all of the educators and ESPs of the year um and I wanted to just point out hopefully this uh will not
keep happening but um in addition to Autism Acceptance Month uh poetry month it's also ArabAmerican Heritage Month um I know that we missed it last year as a district to recognize it um so just wanted to recognize that tonight thank you
there anyone else online okay so at this time the second public comment section will be closed on to board comments um start with uh Trustee Austin Balutra
i'll be brief um I just wanted to say thank you to the different organizers of events that I've attended recently the Women's History Month event at Hackinac Middle School was amazing i also caught the play at the Good You're a Good Man
Charlie Brown at Hack High School also amazing the auditorium was very comfortable and beautiful um and just acknowledging Autism Acceptance Month as a parent with a child on the autism spectrum i just want to shout out the work that we as a district are doing
from Dr mcbride to Mr peton to all the staff in general educations special education inclusion out of district programming for our students to make sure that Hackinack public school is producing students who will pay taxes and who will have jobs
and who will play baseball and who will go on dates thank you thank you Trusty Gilmore um just want to thank uh Jessica Cruz um at the middle school for organizing the women of worth um uh event it was truly amazing um to
see so many uh powerful women in our district being recognized for their service and congratulations to all of the teachers in Paris who were recognized and received awards tonight listening to the principles um read um
the nominations and their view of the winners was absolutely amazing and makes me that more honored to sit here um and to represent this district um also uh Leila uh excuse me Trusty
Amaraza and uh Dr mcbride and I went to the National School Board Conference in Atlanta earlier this month and it was absolutely amazing uh to attend workshops with uh trustees from across the country and to listen to how they deal with situations in their district
and to um and for me personally just to uh connect with Dr mcbride on a more personal level was um very um you know welcoming so I enjoyed it thank you
excellent uh Trusty Pringle everything that all my other trustees said and that are going to say thank you god bless good night trusty Cadero out and that's a great one uh yes so I would like to um give all
the honores that were here present this evening a big congratulations uh Mr ariana specifically uh holds a very dear place in my heart i've probably been knowing him for just over 15 under 20 years met him when he was through the
wreck program and he was my son's camp counselor through the WCK program my son is now 25 and he is still to this day an individual that has impacted his life even at that very young age that he was when I first met him so uh it's not that
I didn't appreciate everybody else but he did get a standing ovation from me and a hug uh because he is such a dear dear human being and I appreciate that he's being recognized in our district for the person that he is uh Lydia I I
felt horrible the last time that I was here there was a presentation that you had given and and you provided us with some numbers and I was remiss for not acknowledging you in that moment and I'd done it from across the way um but I didn't say it publicly in my comments
and so I would like to again because I know I do it already but really remind you how much you are appreciated and thank you from the bottom of my heart and I'm sure many others for the things
that you do the way that you do them and I mean just based on comments that you made tonight the things that you will continue to do um and not expect more from anybody else that you wouldn't give and you give a lot and uh your staff and you came through yet again with the
budget and I'm so very grateful that you do work for this district and that you love it as much as you do um so I wanted to make sure that I said that to you this time publicly um to the community members there are going to be several things that you will watch tomorrow if you
weren't here tonight that you noticed I said no to and the reasons why I said no to them is because there are certain things that I don't believe we as a board are being fiscally responsible with in example changing the auditors i say that because I did not know that we
had any issues with the auditors that we currently have otherwise I know them to have been praised for the work that they've done and the things that they found or didn't find but the main fact that we've yet to have an issue with the state because the auditing team that we had was doing the job they were supposed
to we now have a new set of auditors and it's all out there publicly for everyone to review and we're paying them already off the top an additional $9,000 for what i don't know for what because I didn't have the opportunity to
ask and nobody advised me but I would be interested to find out from whoever it was that made that decision are we getting better services what was our old auditor doing that decided we needed to get RFPs out for an auditor that the
district had several years back i don't even know anybody on this board except for maybe Mr stein who might remember the auditors when they were the board uh auditors so we can have that discussion i would greatly appreciate it i don't understand why we would pay more for
comparable maybe service uh so I take issue with that auditors weren't the only thing that went up in price so did the attorneys so we have to really take a look and evaluate exactly why if we're
not receiving better best or greater service especially when they're doing what they're supposed to do for the district and more importantly that the people who work with them directly enjoy working with them those are the people that we need to satisfy in addition to
our teachers we need to make sure that our staff is getting everything they need as easy as they can get it because this district is not easy as you saw those numbers up there this evening that takes work that takes effort that takes
hours to put together and present in such a manner and I would like to better understand how we thought spending more for potentially less would be better i asked a question earlier with regards to personnel the reason why I asked that
question is because I'd like to understand how removing executive from someone's title which is out there for everybody to see it's not news makes a difference as to how much they get paid but it seems really funny to me that
everybody was not okay bringing someone in at 175,000 again not a secret but yet we now allow them to go back into the union and potentially earn not even potentially they will earn watch
the numbers they'll earn 20,000 more almost 20,000 more because they're in the union not only do I think that that was a wrong decision because she was great for the job is great for the job as she was hired as the executive
direcular director of curriculum but I have a problem with the fact and the reasons behind why the title change took place i won't bring it up again but I do bring it up now so that the community is aware and so that
you pay attention i've thought about resigning i intended to resign today i planned it out several weeks back but I've decided that I need to be here i've had community members tell me
that I need to be here so I'm going to stay on and do as best as I can and what I will always do is be honest and if you have questions or concerns again nothing I'm telling you here is private or not publicly
disclosed or ready as of this evening what I cannot do is continue to be disgruntled about it so I'm getting it out i'm letting it go and I'm moving on unfortunately though I'm pretty sure there'll be more to talk about next
month thank you everyone who is here thank you everyone who continues to show up i appreciate you our teachers appreciate you as do our students thank you and have a great night trusty Martin thanks a lot i'm sorry
trusty Martin thank you uh just want to um thank you our thank our um educators on a job well done with your award that you won um this evening um you know we have the greatest staff
on earth here and um it was proven uh tonight on uh uh when you pre presented your uh received your awards today um I also want to just say that um this board is
transparent uh we we uh we always stay in touch with the community whatever we do is for the best of the uh students community staff administrators we always have our best interest in what
we decisions that we make we just don't make those decisions just because uh I take use myself as an example and I'm sure the others can use themselves i'm retired i have nothing to gain the
things that that I do most people's trying to get to where I'm at retire and uh serving the community so there's nothing that I gain there's no footsteps uh uh steps through that I'm looking to looking for but just to do the best that
I can and with my colleagues here on the board making good decisions so things that you hear tonight uh we we do things from our heart and um we continue on looking for your support
uh from the community from the staff and from our students as well well uh that's that's it that's all I have uh just get home safe everyone tonight it's late and uh get a good uh rest trusty Amra Hamsa
thank you so much um and again a huge congratulations to all of our amazing educators who uh were present tonight uh and received their honors um we are uh really lucky as a district to have you here our students are very lucky to have
you uh and you've made us very proud um and that goes to all of our educators our administrators all of our staff across the district um but a huge congratulations to those who were honored um I do also want to um
acknowledge Miss Singh and her entire staff um and all of central office that really worked hard to put together um the budget presentation that you saw tonight um really reiterating the district's uh dedication not only to
quality education professional development um all of our curriculum and instruction expanding our preschool uh um uh um our commitment to special education um social emotional learning um technology and digital learning um
security and facility improvements um that takes a lot of work and so we greatly appreciate Dr mcbride all of your leadership and everyone at central office and um really just to highlight the especially challenging um time that we're in and what Lydia has been dealing
with um with this budget um you know I'm sure many folks have are aware of of the the huge challenges and threats to um school uh to education funding at the federal level um as well as all of the pass through funding that we receive you
know through the state and other sources um that comes from the federal government um so the fact that you were able to put together this budget and that we were able to you know keep uh the the the tax levy lower than you know
last year uh is a real um is a real accomplishment um and it is still um you know not only shows our dedication to our district but also um our commitment to um taxpayers and voters across the city um so thank you so very much for
all of that hard work um I do also want to just echo um Trustee Gilmore's comments about the wonderful trip that we had with Dr mcbride in Atlanta at the National School Board Association's conference um it's again because of the times that we're in it was especially
important to be able to share um with our peers not only across New Jersey but across the country um about how dis districts are dealing with all of the challenges that we're facing i also want to continue to um thank everyone at
central office that is committed to all of our m multilanguage learners um and the unique challenges that they continue to face oops time's up time's up okay I'll note so thanks so very
much i I'll take the queue i'll take the queue and la lastly just um a huge congratulations to the middle school for such a wonderful performance of Matilda we so many of us were there it was wonderful um and again um for our hosts
at the middle school for the women of worth um celebration was really wonderful so um before we hear another alarm I will turn it over but thank you that was your one minute one minute
all right um Vice President Stein um as many of you know uh the arts is very close to my heart um so is sports but tonight I'm going to keep it to art
um again the uh cast of You're a good man Charlie Brown what a phenomenal um show they put on um great to see um I also attended Matilda Jr and that middle
school uh players did a marvelous job uh two nights ago was the high school instrumental music concert um they continue
uh to perform like no other uh it was just a great concert but one thing I want to call to everyone's attention i attended at um Johnson Public Library
uh sorry to Bergen County Plaza which is the county administration building um Hackinac and the Bergen County PTA have this organization called PTA reflection show and award ceremony it's also
associated with the state why do I bring that up um we have a young man his name is Martin Roass um he has the uh PTSA the
Hackinack High School PTA SA award of excellence he is a guitarist he is a composer um and his one of his comp
compositions was presented at the county where they gave him also an award of excellence he is now up for the New Jersey Award of Excellence and I
understand that Ms jackson has put on our website we get to vote so I'm asking you to look at the website and vote for Martin Roesses he's under
the category of performing arts uh arrangements and he he performed the other night at the concert here what a guitarist and I I at one time in my life
played a lot of guitar he's good so Mark approved so uh yeah I approve my my seal of approval um again to our staff that were honored tonight I wish we could do
it for all of our staff um but welld deserved welld deserved thank you okay um all right guys so last one here right do you want to No that's just the case okay uh so we
definitely had a busy month from between from our last meeting to now um again plays um events they have been amazing so nice to see our students at work and happy at what they're doing and our staff supporting them families coming
out i mean every event we went to has been a packed house so it's really nice to see everybody come out uh today was bring your child to work day it was uh cute seeing uh some videos of teachers and their children being uh teachers or just being in the company of their
parents and thank you to um obviously our building principles for allowing the staff to bring their children in as well and for excusing also our students um if they went to go to their parents' job um today as well uh April is autism
awareness month autism acceptance month um as many of you know uh it is true and dear to my heart my oldest son is a child on the autism spectrum um one of the greatest things and um that I loved about uh today's presentation of the
teachers um and the ESPs of the year is that a lot of them work with our most needed population which is our special needs population and the letters of recommendation came from the families or they came from people who they work with
and they do a lot uh they do a lot that is way above um their title uh working tireless hours um it it's not an easy thing it is truly a whole village um
that it takes to raise a child and I am truly grateful to at least know a lot of the teachers that um have been recognized and um ESPs and there are so many and unfortunately you can only give
one award of each um just like Mark had said um it's it's truly the the work of the entire community and one of my biggest goals as my son he'll be graduating high
school next year um is is to hope that the community will embrace him as he walks outside as he goes to the CVS to probably buy a pack of gum or cookies as he loves um and that if he needs help that they won't just turn around that
they'll help him right because it's about being aware and accepting and helping each other right um that's why it's important to acknowledge the month um I can go on and on about it but I will stop right there um I do want to
acknowledge the women's of worth celebration and breakfast that happened on April 9th um not only was it beautiful to be acknowledged um you know and acknowledging all of the amazing central staff and women leaders here in our district but also recognizing the
students who participated in the essay contest and that they wrote about um a a woman leader that was phenomenal um this is an option this wasn't something that the students had to do um and and they were great it was a very moving moving
day uh this is probably my third year attending this event they probably the fourth year that they've had this event and every year they outdo theirelves every year it just gets bigger and better and this year we had the privilege all the women that were there
um that day we received our pin and it says I'm a leader and it is the cutest thing if you see it please comment on it um but shout out to Mrs cruz who was the main organizer of the event and um I loved how she acknowledged everybody
else who helped her um make this event successful um thank you to the trustees to all the trustees here tonight um who have joined us this evening to vote on the most significant item on our agenda which is
the budget uh your presence reflects our shared commitment to fulfilling our fiduciary responsibility and ensuring that our students and staff receive the highest quality support and services they deserved and thank you to our central
staff for putting together a presentation thank you for making it a video i can only imagine how many takes it took everyone to say their lines but you guys did an amazing job it was very clear the images were clear uh so thank you so much to the central office staff
and also for staying here with us till midnight um last thing that I just want to mention um I understand that tonight was a very difficult night uh for a lot of people to attend um because there are other events happening across the
district please know that it is very hard to schedule some of these meetings there are nine of us um these meetings are scheduled in advance i understand that things happen um things happen also on our end um but we do have a
responsibility to the district and you know this is where we need to be here tonight so we apologize if we couldn't be at a tricky tray or at a school event tonight um we don't mean it we don't It's not that we don't want to be there um but this is our important thing that
we have to get through tonight um and that is pretty much it for me can I have a motion to close our meeting motion motion by Trusty Gilmore and a second second by Trustee Stein all those in
favor say I i anyone opposed have a good night everyone thank you so much it is 12:09 p.m