##VIDEO ID:sTZl-4nPefg## something e e e stand for the SP flag of the United States of America and to theic for which it stands Nation God indivisible liy and justice for off kindly remain standing for a moment of silence for Miss lilan Whitaker our beloved principal of n Parker please be seated in accordance with the open public meeting Act njsa 10 4-6 adequate notification of this meeting has been provided by advertising in the record and posting notice in the Board of Education Administration Building pavano education center and filing notice with the city clerk I hereby call to order the organization meeting of the hackin saac Board of Education Wednesday January 88th 2025 in the hackin saac high school media center at 6:21 p.m. so the next order of business is to um get our new board members the newly elected board members um sworn in part of that is um reading their votes so candidate Jennifer myy Harris 7,830 votes Eugenia Gilmore 7,048 votes Leela Amir Hamza 6,693 votes congratulations to the three board members who were victorious welcome next um is the swearing in ceremony the newly elected board members will be sworn in by The Honorable assemblyman Mr Wimberly who also served as head coach of our very own football team the Comets at the hackin high school good evening hackin comment uh as as commissioner Martin noticed I did wear my blue and gold tie regardless all of my sons three of my sons graduated from Hack and Sack so we always will be connected to the comments uh at first before I do this saring in I want to give my deepest condolences on the Lost Miss Whitaker she was a steady everywhere I went from cookouts to events anything Miss Whitaker was here in hacken sack and I extend my deepest condolences at this time is Harris the Bible right I forgot your phone I guess we yeah I guess [Music] is that yeah okay we're getting it together this a dry run here done it 100 times we we got it all right okay I state your name who Solly swear or affirm wholy swear or affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States for the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and Allegiance bear true faith and allegiance to the same to the same and to the governments established in the United States and to the governments established in the United States and this state and this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people so help me God so help God I state your name I Jennifer Mory Harris do Solly swear swear that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law for the office of member of board of education for the office of member of Board of Education and I am not disqualified as a voter and that I am not qualified as a voter pursuant to rs19 semicolon 4-1 close as a voter pursuant to rs19 semicolon 4-1 nor disqualify due to conviction nor disqualify due to conviction or of a crime or offense of a crime or offense listed in njs listed in njs 18a 188 semicolon semicolon 12-1 12-1 and that I will faithfully and that I will faith faithfully and partially and partially justly performed and justly performed all the duties of office according to the best of my ability of the office according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God congratulations in here I state your name I Eugene Gilmore do solemnly swear or affirm do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and Allegiance and I will bear truth faith and allegiance to the same to the same and to the governments established in the United States and to the governments established in the United States and this state and this state under the authority of The People Under The Authority of the people so help me God so help me God I say your name I eugina Gilmore do somly swear or affirm do Solly aswear or affirm that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law for the office of member of board of education for the office for member of the Board of Education and that I am not disqualified and I am not disqualified as a voter as a voter pursuant pursuant to RS R pursuant to RS 19 semicolon 4-1 19 semicolon 4-1 nor disqualified due to conviction of a crime nor disqualified due to the conviction of a crime or offense listed or offense listed an njs and njs 18a 18a semicolon semicolon 12-1 12-1 and that I will faithfully and that I will faithfully and partially and partially and justly perform and justly perform all due ities all duties of the office according to the best of my ability of the office according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God congratulations and when I worked at hackin saac Miss Mary was the boss I don't know if anybody else knew that no offense to the superintendent or the principal I just knew if I needed something I had to see Miss Mary that was it yes yes yes yes at this time we have Leela go you're gonna hold on his side sorry I'm just for you got it okay I state your name I'm your H do solemnly swear or affirm do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and Allegiance bear true faith and allegiance to the same to the same and to the government established in the United States to the government established in the United States in this state in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people so help me God so help me God I state your name do solemly swear or affirm do solemnly swear or affirm that I possess the qualifications possess the qualifications prescribed by law by law for the office of member of Board of Education and that I am not disqualified not disqualified as a voter pursuant pursuant to RS to RS 19 19 semicolon 4-1 semicolon 4- one nor disqualify due to conviction of a crime disqualify due to conviction of a crime or offense or offense listed in listed in njs njs 18a 18a semicolon sem 12-1 121 and that I will faithfully fath and partially and justly and justly perform all duties that the office according to the best of my ability perform all duties in the office according to the best of so help me God so help me God congratulations thank you you need at this time I will do um our roll call miss Amir Hamza Mr Carol is absent Miss Gilmore here Miss Harris Mr Martin present Miss Pringle present Mr Stein here miss Ciro Alton present uh we do have a quorum so the next order of business um I will take nominations for the board president I like to nominee uh Jennifer Harris trusty Harris uh truste Harris uh do I have a second do you don't need a second for we don't okay all right you don't need a second just a nomination okay so trusty Harris is nominated by K Martin do I have any other nominations seeing none um I will do a roll call um all the those in favor of truste Harris being the board president say I you do a roll call yeah I am sorry I will do a roll call I'm not just I miss am Hamza yes Mr Carol is absent Miss Gilmore yes Miss Harris yes Mr Martin yes Miss springle yes Mr Stein yes Miss cir Alton no um I declare that our new world president is Miss Harris congratulations welc okay um so now take over me yes all right thank you thank you so much to my H fellow Trustees for having faith in me and for um having um giving me this honor of being the president of the hack Board of Education thank you so much um so at this time uh we will now entertain nominations for the vice president of the haak Board of Education uh do we have any nominations I nominate Mark Stein okay so we have a nomination for Mr Mark Stein do we have any other nominations no okay I'll do a roll call um miss Amir Hamza yes Mr Carol is absent Miss eugia yes Miss Harris yes Mr Martin yes Miss springle yes Mr Stein yes Oh I thought you were gonna say no but miss Alon no okay so um the vice president is Mr Stein so nominated and okay um so now that we've done all this hard work um can we now par take of our Refreshments we have some refreshments like Refreshments um so being that we have a an audience I was thinking that we could go right into public comments okay and after public comments we can do a refreshment and then go into the presentations yeah sure okay so at this moment we are going to go into public participation um I'm going to read this is it two parts hello so at this time we're going to have public comments uh participant must sign the signin sheet and be recognized by the presiding officer which is me and must be perace and must perace comments by an announcement of his or her name Municipality of residents and group affiliation if applicable each statement made by a participant shall be limited to 3 minutes duration during the public session all statements questions or inquiries shall be directed to the presiding officer and any questions or inquiries directed by participant to another board member shall be redirected to the presiding officer who shall determine if such statement question or inquiry shall be addressed feel like I just read the same thing um on behalf of the board or by the individual board member and all board Andor superintendent responses to questions or inquiries shall be held until the end of public participation public comments shall be accepted in the following order inperson oral comments first second remote oral comments and then third in-person oral comments of those who have already spoken okay at this time public comments is in session anybody would like to anybody would like to come up aine gains hackensac hackens saac Education Association proud president um first congratulations to the new trustees um on behalf of the association we wanted to to mention and certainly give our condolences and say that we share in morning Miss Whitaker um she was a tremendous instructional leader of this district and a pillar of this community and I want to note that her instructional leadership began really when she was a teacher she was so celebrated in the paper if you go back and look she was celebrated for donating money for people in Haiti for being a music teacher who was an OM coach for bringing people into her home for opening her wallet opening her heart um all while she was a teacher she was not someone who cared much about ego even though she had a very large presence in the community um but she is truly someone who had an open door policy who listened to everyone who was a safe space for everyone student parents if you wanted some of her time she made some time for you um she is an amazing example of what it means to be from this community and what it means to be a comet and she graduated from here and I do have to say it is quite disappointing to me that we are honoring and celebrating Miss Whitaker just a few weeks after a very um sad bad display in this room where someone who fancies themselves an educational leader sat at home and toiled over a PowerPoint presentation to do public evaluations of Staff members to say who they thought was good and who was bad and Miss Whitaker failed to make the list of good people on that list tearing people apart is not what this community is about saying I like this principle and not that principle of this school is not what this community is about it's about togetherness and what I think is saddest to me is it wasn't just the comments of one individual because there was a PowerPoint presentation loaded by a tech team there were people on the deis that could not stand and applaud today when people were sworn in but St stood and applauded that presentation that was degrading to staff members degrading to the community and was divisive and represented the worst of what we are the absolute worst I can't even imagine Miss Whitaker calling and texting all of her friends saying don't worry we have taxpayer funded food come on down and watch the show watch me talk about the staff and try and make new news to degrade the district that is shameful that is not who we are it is sad it is small it is embarrassing we are so much better and so much closer than that that is what it means to Bleed Blue and Gold to understand that it doesn't matter what your title is it doesn't matter how many degrees you have it doesn't matter you didn't do any of this alone that was a presentation of me me me me me look what I did look what I did look what I did and there wasn't a thing in that presentation that was about students it was about boilers and buildings it was about facilities it was soulless soulless and it was hurtful and insulting to the staff and to have no one stand up and stop it people have reflecting to do that is not leadership that is cowardice that is small on behalf of the staff thank you hi Anthony Ziza I'm a parent at Parker uh school um and first I'd like to also congratulate uh the new board members uh I would also like to reiterate sort of the sadness about the passing of Miss Whitaker as a parent at Parker um it was always so joyous uh to go I've known Miss I knew Miss Whitaker for a long time first through Odyssey of the Mind as a student and then in my capacity as a parent uh I had the privilege of living around the corner from her um and one of my Fondest Memories was just walking around the block with my son uh and we just so happened to walk by and she was there and um you know she waved and she said hey hey Bennett how you doing and I remember him going she knows who I am I'm like she knows who all of you are because that's that's who she was you know she knew every student in that school building every student that came through that school building I'd see students show up a couple years later remembered every single one of them and um what it meant to my son to know not only that he was seen um but that he was loved I mean that's something that that can't be replaced so um I don't know how to say goodbye in that way but I just want to thank her um and I hope that I hope that that lesson is taken by everyone who operates in a capacity to touch the students lives thank you any more public comments is there anyone online one good evening my name is Bridget Rucker sorry I couldn't be there but Gina so proud of you my girl now I'm just hoping that you will make sure as you are helping other children that you remember the African-American Community children because they need a lot of your help but I did listen to uh Mr gains just speak about that presentation that happened at the last um of the Year meeting what the shame was is that your sitting members did not come and they were not there for the children that's where the shame actually happened the presentation that he gave showed the cowardliness of the people who send out emails to a person talking about someone's disability that's where the shame lies and as far as myself who placed something on a social media page and then to have someone take it down because they thought it was disrespectful well let me tell you guys you don't scare me you can't bully me I'm not the one maybe those are that are blue and gold are I'm not blue and gold I tell I talk truth and I tell truth when I research I make sure that I have all my facts and as far as Miss Whitaker yes she was a woman of conviction a woman who stood her ground so my thing is you should take a page out of her book because some of you need it some of you are just Mindless and for me uh Mr Stein I remember someone said to me years ago you said if you want to hire black teachers you wait till you become president you might not remember Mr Ste but you said it and as far as Kenny Martin goes when you can't even stand on your own feet and think for oneself that's a shame to us as a people so when you have to follow the leader then you keep following the leader because like I said the blind leading the blind you both will fall into the ditch okay but Gina once again I'm so happy I'm so proud of you we all are okay thank you and have a wonderful night anybody else online anybody else in yes Andrea parchment a resident of hackensac an employee in this district and I could not and I will not sit here and not acknowledge principal Lillian Whitaker I want to congratulate all of the board members but I stand here to honor a friend a woman of God a role model a matriarch in this community and a woman who strive for excellence every day I I work side by side with her she is to be acknowledged respected and what she's done has spoken for her I love her and Lillian we are going to miss you thank you good evening how are you trustees I hope that you are enjoying this evening congratulations to the new additions to the board um as hassa president Nicole Adams I look forward to working with you um I look forward to our collaborative efforts as we go forward and um I would like to thank um Dr McBride and central office for inviting the union leaders um to the board to discuss um along with the assistant superintendent and his team how we could collectively work together um to honor the legacy of principal Whitaker and also to support the staff the teachers the administrators and the community all of which are really hurting right now and doing our very best to show up um for our students and for our families um I would like to say that one of the many lessons that I learned from Principal Whitaker was that in leadership you always put service above yourself so if you are a leader of a classro or if you happen to be a supervisor you always put the needs of the people who you are entrusted with serving before you and that act of service is one that requires humility is one that requires selflessness and it's one that requires for each individual who is blessed enough to serve as a leader in any capacity to diminish to shrink a little so that they can give air and oxygen to the group that they are charged with lifting up it is my hope it is my prayer that the board the district the leaders um who are charged at every level with servicing the families in a community of hackin sack lead with the spirit of principal Whitaker and serve with the intended purpose of putting others before themselves thank you are there any more public comments anybody in the room okay seeing that there are none at this time we will close the public comments portion um so at this time trustees we are going to read the New Jersey School Board Association code of ethics that is on page three of our agenda I'll read the first paragraph and if we could just gooll around the room so we'll just start um chusty Martin I will have you read number one but I'll read the first part do you have it uh it's on our agenda January reorg agenda page three at the top you have the agenda I'll start reading the members of the Board of Education recognize that they hold Authority not as individuals but as the members of the board in order to make a clear publicate statement of his philosophy of service to the peoples of the district the board adopts as its own the school board member code of ethics Pro prom what promulgated promulgated thank you I'm a Spanish teacher promulgated by the New Jersey School Board Association on May 10th 1975 and reproduced below Mr Martin could you read number one please I will uphold the and enforce all enforce all laws state state bo rules and regulations and court order pertaining to school desired changes should be brought about only through legal ethic procedures thank you number two is uh number two I will make decisions in terms of the educational welfare of children and will seek to develop and maintain public schools which meet the individual needs of all children regardless of their ability race Creed sex or social standing Miss be Gore I will confine my board action to policym planning and appraisal and I will help to frame policies and plans only after the board has consulted those who will be affected by them wle Stein I will carry out my responsibility not to administer the schools but together with my fellow board members to see that they are well-run number five I will recognize that Authority rests with the board of educ ation and I will make no personal promises nor take any private action which may compromise the board number six Miss uh trusty Pringle I will refuse to surrender my independent judgment to special interest or parti part partisan partisan political groups or to use the schools for personal gain or for the gain of friends number seven trusty cardera Allen I'm I will hold confidential all matters pertaining to the school which if disclosed would needlessly injure individuals or the schools but in all other matters I will provide accurate information and in concert with my fellow board members interpret to the staff the aspirations of the community for its schools okay back to Justin Martin number eight I will vote to appoint the best qualified person available after the consideration of the recommendation of the chief administrative office number n the number nine I will support and protect School Personnel in proper performance of their duties and number 10 trusty Gilmore I will refer all complaints to the chief administrative officer and will act on such complaints at public meetings only after failure of an administrative solution right that is it thank you very much truste uh so at this time that is it for that part okay so at this time we will go into a quick recess light refreshment for about 10 minutes um and then we will continue the end part of our reorg meeting thank you we need to no because the meeting's Kenny's not here so at this point we are going going to go through our resolutions on the consent agenda for the 2024 2025 school year um the consent agenda are for items 01 there is just a minor typo it should be 01 through3 so that's Pages four and five okay uh can I get a motion to approve consent consent uh consent agenda items 01 through 03 a motion okay motion by Miss Pringle second five I'll second trusty Stein Miss saying roll call please may yes just one clarification this is the consent agenda item but is not include any vendors R this correct yes um m yes M Harris yes M Martin yes M Pringle yes Mr Stein yes M no thank you um at this time we will post board comments for our reorganization agenda um trusty CA outn I'm sorry can you repeat that board comments we're on board to I'm sorry with regards to uh regarding the reorganization me we're on this agenda oh no comments thank you thank you uh trusty Pringle no comments thank you uh truste Martin I want to just congratulate our new board members welcome aboard looking forward to working with you um I do give my Condon to miss Whitaker I've known her for a long time time I worked with her in the trenches uh we talk constantly um I know uh what direction she like to see our district going into the future and I uh do plan to carry our of wishes thank you thank you trusty EMA good evening and happy New Year all um congratulations to my fellow newly elected trustees trustee myy Harris now Madam president congratulations and truste Gilmore and congratulations to our new vice president Mark Stein um it is a huge honor and privilege to serve on hackin sack's Board of Education uh one I do not take lightly I look forward to working with my colleagues on the board as well as Dr McBride um and all of our administrators Educators and staff to address the needs of our students and their families and ensure that all students receive the best possible education here in hackin sag um I would like to thank everyone who supported trustees Mory Harris Gilmore and I um I was extremely proud to run alongside them um and I know that like me they are committed to working hard for our students um to everyone who supported us our neighbors friends family members of the community your support is greatly appreciated and now the hard work begins um while reorganization is a hopeful time for the board today is obviously also Bittersweet um as our school community and the sack Community continue to mourn the loss of our beloved Nelly K Parker principal lilan Whitaker I want to extend my sincere condolences to her family and to all who knew and loved her the outpouring of grief love and support across the district and city in the days since her passing is a testament to the impact that principal Whitaker has had on our schools and our community rather than finding the right words to say the best way we can honor her her is with what we do uh following the example she set as a dedicated educator who served this community for nearly 50 years uh principal Whitaker always put our students first understood the importance of teamwork and respect and led by example let us hope that we can do the same and make her proud thank you trusty Gilmore uh good evening I just want to uh say thank you to everyone um who supported us um in the in the Sun in the heat uh as we campaigned but those were some really good times we got to you know um meet with people along the community that we you know ran into and they spoke to us and I think that matters that we took the time to walk and knock on doors to understand the needs of the community so I'm very humbled and honored to be S serving on a board um where I was born and raised so I hope do my best and I hope to make you proud thank you you um Mr Vice President Markin thank you Madame President as this year begins I've been told I am starting my 27th year as an elected official of the city of hackensac wow I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve my community for so many years after having graduated from hackin SEC High School just a couple of years ago I'm truly grateful to hackin sack voters for their confidence in me I was recently told that between the school board and the city council I have won more local elections than anyone in our City's history if that's correct I believe I have earned voters trust by following a simple formula which I continue this day I make every decision based on what I believe is in the best interests of our city and our schools and of the people who live here and work here those interests have always come ahead of political considerations and always will last month I raised the concern that some members of the board had injected politics into certain actions of the board as I was verbally attacked for it I stand by my concern the quality of our students education is far too important to be guided by anything other than what is in those students best interest it seems that thousands of ainc voter shared my concern and chose to replace those members with others who have PL pledged to protect from any political influence I look forward to serving with them and working with them with this new board to make sure that hackin saac students leave here here with all of the tools they need to be successful in whatever course they chart for their future I am hopeful that with the new ad composition of the board the personal attacks by members will be replaced by a spirit of cooperation which our students and our staff deserve and expects from us we need to lead by example to show that there is no limit to what we can accomplish when we are all pulling in the same direction I want to congratulate our new trustees trustee Harris on her Landslide re-election it speaks volumes about what our community thinks of her service on this board I know that she will continue her fine work I want to thank the residents who attend our meetings and off offer us their thoughts and suggestions throughout the year we can't succeed without the input of our residents parents and staff who keep us informed and better able to to do our job in closing I hope for a very productive 2025 for the hackin saac public schools thank you trusty fine okay didn't miss anybody Perfect all right I would like to thank the voters my family my running mates um you guys were the best team I could have asked for we walked mild and miles and hills and Hills um and met hundreds of community members and many fur babies all over town Leila and Gina you will do amazing things on the board and I look forward to all of us working together to my family thank you to my husband my kids my brother my parents my cousins friends near and far for all of your support for walking with me for joining me in this this journey for all the endless support I couldn't have done this without you thank you for having faith in me and supporting in all of my Adventures la to my fellow board members thank you again for trusting me to be your president and always putting our students first on December 31st 2024 we lost we lost a beloved pillar of our community Miss lilan Whitaker the principle of what she proudly called the greatest School in the world she left a lasting mark on all of us my deepest and sincerest condolences go out to her family friends and all those Lives who she touched during her time in hackin sack I had the privilege of knowing her both as a parent and a trustee one of the many things I admired about lilan was her unwavering presence in her building and the way she spoke so highly of her students and staff you couldn't convince her otherwise unless you'll get the raised eyebrow from her she loved every student who walked through her doors no matter their abilities or challenges a few years ago when my son attended Nelly Kay Parker we faced a difficult situation Miss Whitaker not only offered guidance and support but she also cried with me when things had settled I thanked her for being there for me she simply said I love all my students as if they were my own if they hurt I hurt that was the essence of who she was a true educator a fierce advocate for students and a comet through and through our district is in morning but we must carry forward the Legacy she leaves behind this Friday our community will come together in celebrating the life of an extraordinary woman Miss Lillian Whitaker we hope you can join us in person or in spirit to our parents and Guardians especially our Nelly K Parker family losing someone who inspired and uplifted hundreds of students and staff and I mean hundreds of students and staff leaves an imme immeasurable void if you or your child are struggling with this loss or a recent loss in the family please reach out to our guidance counselers who are there to support you or a trusted friend you are not alone we are here to support one another rest in peace Mrs lilan Whitaker your light will continue to shine in the hearts of all you loved thank you very much um at this time we will entertain a motion to go to Executive session in order to discuss matters of personnel yes okay do I need to say that or you just said it I just said it we're on the right go ahead perfect thank you okay motion by Miss trust emmer Hema seconds by I'll second it ladies first ladies first Justin Gilmore sure all in favor all in favor I perfect thank you okay um just so the public is aware we will um be an executive session it is 7:40 uh so um give us about an hour we should be back by 8:40 okay yeah um I I do apologize we do have some certificates that Dr McBride would like to superintendent report oh superintendent report that's perfect okay my apologies we will go back uh to Executive session thank you so much e e e e okay we are back um I would like to motion to adjourn executive session and reopen public the public portion of our meeting I'll offer thank you so motion by truste Stein can I have a second I'll second second by trusty ammer Hema all those in favors perfect thank you all right so we will now begin with our December agenda do we need to do a roll call no no we do not okay uh so we went to Executive session um superintendent report uh we need to approve the minutes correct the minutes from November okay so be it resolved that the hackas Board of Education approves the regular meeting minutes and executive session minutes of November 20th 2024 do I have a motion a motion okay motion by trusty Pringle and a second second second by trusty Martin for the roll call not to include trusty for not yes thank you thank you um har she's this is with the with with the um um amendment that we had yes with the amendment with the Amendments that we had uh yes Mr Mar yes mle yes Mr time yes Mr no you have oh it has to be Extensions by which they don't count the ones that we still need a majority of of the board which is five and have okay do yeah doesn't pass okay so we'll move on move on okay we'll move on um so on to the presentations there are none uh superintendent report good evening everyone good evening happy new who said that yet happy New Year everyone hope everyone had a great time with their family and friends and got a little rest uh I want to start off by saying congratulations to our our to our wonderful new additions to our team job well done I like to say also congratulations to our new president and vice president look forward to working with you all to ensure we're providing the best quality education for our Scholars and our families uh I just want to start off just by saying thank you to all of the individuals who have offered support support to our teachers our staff and our students during this very difficult time and the loss of our beloved uh Mrs uh principal lilan Whitaker the outpouring of sentiments uh the hugs given the tissues provided have been helpful uh so we know that during this time it's extremely important that we cling to each other in order that we also pay homage and honor to such a phenomenal leader and woman so again thank you to all of those who reached out and continue to reach out uh because we understand this is going to be a difficult time and it's going to take some time and we're going to Le to lean on each other so thank you again uh with that said I would start uh with the superintendent's Report with the attendance uh we have a total of 5,39 students and a 93 93.8 5% attendance rate for our district as relates to our res residency report the number of cases received in November was four our year to date was 13 residency verified in November was two year to date was five in home visits unverified and November was three year to date was nine parent provided updated in District proof of residency in November was two our year to date was five and students withdrawn as a result of residency investigations for November was one and our year to date is is one uh for our Hib completed investigations from November 16th 2024 to December 13th we had a total of five out of those five five were unfounded we have six pending and two preliminary determinations are not HIV for the district and just uh as before I conclude as you may or may not know January is School Board recognition month and so we understand that uh sometimes a very thankless job being a public servant so we want to pay homage and honor our public servants who are serving our district and so I want to give you a small certificate of appreciation that reads certificate of appreciation presented by hackin saac public schools to now say your names um of the hackin saac Board of Education and recognition of your dedicated service to the children of our school Community presented during school board recognition month January 2025 so first I'll have Miss lezette cadero thank congratulations I want shake your hand but I can't thank you missani Pringle Carol is not here Mr markstein Martin thank you so much is that the end of your and that concludes my report awesome all right so being that this is the second part of the December for the December agenda uh we will continue with public comments so the public participation shall be governed by the following rules if in person or partic a participant must sign the sign-in sheet and be recognized by the presiding officer and must preface comments by an announcement of his or her name municipality Municipality of residents and group affiliation if applicable each statement made by a participant shall be limited to 3 minutes duration during the public session all statements questions or inquiries shall be directed to the presiding officer and any questions or inquiries 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 all board Andor superintendent responses to questions or inquiries shall be held until the end of public participation um I now open the floor for public comments anybody in the room okay I see that there are none uh at this time are there anybody anyone online none okay thank you very much so we will now close the public comment section of our meeting um onto our committees and resolutions and we will start with Personnel by trusty Pringle okay we have resolved that the hackas saac Board of Education upon recommendation of the superintendent approves the following Personnel uh Personnel actions I'm Sorry Miss trust is the yeah move it closer to you thank you I need to start over did everybody hear me do I need to say it again I don't need to okay okay so like to a motion to approve Personnel A1 through a removing okay so trusty Pringle made a motion who um I need a second second okay by sign okay missing roll call please yes miss Amir hamson uh yes to all except uh B7 yes to all except E7 is it is um missar same yes to all except for B7 Miss Harris uh yes to all and no to B7 Mr Martin yes to all except for B7 M Shan Pringle yes to all no to B7 Mr Stein yes to all note B7 m c uh yes to all with the exception of H4 except h okay so motion passes except for B7 okay thank you um on to policy Rusty Pringle thank you there was no policy oh there was no policy for the month of December perfect thank you uh on to curriculum but before we we start in curriculum uh C1 row five and C2 Row 8 will be removed um do I have a motion to amend motion to remove motion by trusty sign can I it is C1 row five and C2 row8 will be removed okay okay so it is a motion to amend motion by truste sign second by second by trusty Pringle now we can go into okay so missing vote please yeah and and we're voting on the amendment two we're on the amendment yes you're voting on the amendment to delete the items as sent forth by the board president yeah okay do all right miss Amir Hamza uh yes to amend Miss Miss Gilmore yes to amend Miss Harris yes to amend Mr Martin yes to amend Miss springle yes to amend Mr Stein yes to amend Miss C Alton yes to amend okay motion passes okay thank you so now on to curriculum uh trusty Martin yes um I'd like to motion C1 through C13 hiding highlighting uh C7 to approve the participation of the Haack high school girls and boys swimming program in the njsiaa girls and boy swimming Cooperative sports program with Teck Public Schools the term the term of this agree shall be from July the 1st 2024 through June the 3 2025 the agreement shall renew annually unless terminated in writing by either or both parties uh what that mean is basically our swimming team here in hackers saac we short on students and that's because of the um we don't have Maywood participating anymore uh um in our district and they were the backbone of uh the swimming team so um and uh what was decided is that if um tenek and hackin saac come together as one team and um and participate uh um with all the other schools which already has started so I think that's um a plus for both districts uh Under One Roof their uniforms was still sa one side was say to wait wait let me make sure I believe the uniforms were SA hackas saac te neck swimming team and they both have two separate coaches but uh they will practice here because we have the swimming pool tck will be transported here with their coach and they would practice together and and become one big team so I think that's a great um that um uh they'll be under the comet roof and uh and both the highway and the comment come together on one roof and and unite and that's what life is all about uh also I like to highlight C9 to accept the mental health screening in school mhss gramp peror two from the New Jersey Department of Education to implement mental health screening in grades 7 through 12 in an amount of $683 198 uh also highlight 10 to accept the school based Mental Health Service sbms sbm HS Grant period three from New Jersey Department of Education to support the recruitment placement hiring the res the retention of school-based mental health professionals in the amount of 375,000 and highlight C3 oh no that's it I'm sorry okay that's my report all right excellent thank you to Martin so we have a motion from trusty Martin can I have a second a second okay from trusty Gilmore um missing roll call please yes mrir Hamza yes and congratulations to our swimmers and Grant M Miss Gilmore yes Miss Harris yes Mr Martin yes Miss Pringle yes Mr Stein yes Miss ceron yes motion pass perfect thank you uh just we need to revisit back on to Personnel uh the items should say 8.1 a dash a through T yeah a through T so do we need to amend do we what do we need to do what was the official motion the motion was a through was A1 through a s I think I believe I should do another roll call yeah do another roll call yeah so just to confirm just to confirm yeah um I'm sorry just to confirm the C on the yes it's just it's just not included in the typing of it but it's it's at the end of it if you look at personal it's attached to the end of it got it yeah I'll bring it over ex sorry for the reach got it yeah okay okay thank you okay so miss thing we'll do another roll call yes um roll roll call for A1 to a t you need a motion in a second okay so can I have a motion to amend another roll to do another on it a through a one one through a through S you did s last time right but does that include the amendment that we made the last vote that was our curricul curricul that was that curricular right that's a little confusing okay um so roll call for A1 to 18 so we need a motion okay motion from trusty Pringle so we need a second I'll second second from trusty amema now we do a roll call okay ready yes missa yes to all except B7 okay uh Miss Gilmore yes to all except for B7 uh Miss Harris yes to all and no to B7 um uh Mr Martin yes to all except for B7 Miss springle yes to all no for B7 Mr Stein yes to all no to B7 Miss cir Alton yes to all with the exception again of H4 okay so motion passes perfect thank you um on to finance since uh trusty Carol is not here trusty sign yes thank you thank okay start the beginning okay um we we will be voting on D1 through D7 uh just to call to everyone's attention D5 um every year the um coral and ban have a uh an event at uh various uh Bank Halls uh again this year uh they will be having their senior performance art banquet Awards event at Elon in uh I believe that's Loi yeah yes um other than that uh [Music] d7p for um nothing else so we're voting on D1 through D7 so we have a motion from trusty sign can I have a second second from trusty Martin and missing do a roll call please miss Amir Hamza yes to all Miss Gilmore yes to all Miss Harris yes Mr Martin yes Miss springle yes Mr Stein yes M cardo Alon yes motion passes on to buildings and grounds press the sign uh yes um I'm offering uh E1 through E3 E2 I'd like to call your to your attention to um right now uh we're hiring DMR according to this resolution uh to come up with a uh partition a brick partition wall to separate two classrooms um and right now that's what has been requested uh the architectural drawings will cost $112,500 okay so that is a motion from trusty Stein can I have a second question on sure or B2 say two separating two class separating one class is there GNA be two classes corre why we said to separate right now it has a temporary wall they want to put up a permanent wall because with a temporary wall if one teacher is teaching something and you have inter with the two classrooms so that's all the wall is already in place they just want to put up a solid a solid wall thank you for the clarification perfect any other questions great all right so we have a motion from trusty Stein can I have a second please second okay second by trusty Pringle roll call please miss Amir Hamel yes Miss Gilmore yes Miss Harris yes Mr Martin yes Miss Pringle yes Mr Stein yes Miss cardoon yes motion passes excellent all right so we are done with our agenda items moving um actually there's one part here that is missing new business that I would like to add good but and oh you know what's also missing the community relations committee right we you the request was made like when I prepared this agenda originally I was told that I needed to go back to policy 0614 so this agenda reflects that I had to go back rename and rechange everything to confirm to that agenda which was so the ones that we I was following before okay under the new that the old president this one I was requested to change it correct so that is why it doesn't have for example it doesn't have the student body represented on this one because the 0164 doesn't have that I actually do have the 0164 someplace if you want to look at it you'll see um but however if you want to add it change it please let me know um well yes that's 64 just so you know yes but as board president chair you can you know make whatever adjustments amendments you're in charge of the meeting um so I know it's not on here but I do want to add the community relations uh committee so do I need to make an amendment or just it's part of your comment comments really I mean or how are you okay I'll do a part of my comments that's fine part of your comments that's fine we'll we'll move on yep that sounds good thank you uh all right so at this time we now have board comments uh trusty C outon yes uh good evening everyone thank you for everyone who is in attendance today online and in person um I would like to reference that there were several individuals this evening throughout the course of the night that made comments in regards to poor behavior um yet I found that no one commented on the dereliction of duties of this board on December 18th you can comment about how very inappropriate a PowerPoint is but you have nothing to say about the children that that impacted you can comment about how greatly we respected a matriarch of this community for the work and the dedication that she put into her every day but yet no one commented about how this board could not come to do the business of the board because there was a lack of quarum due to the fact that members of this board willfully and purposefully did not attend even after it was acknowledged by not only the njsba our legal councel as well as the executive County Superintendent that this was not an illegal board meeting but yet no one that came up here today discussed that no one that came up here today discussed how we're now needing to do board business from December that has already jeopardized this district for a month we're not talking about how on November 20th certain trustees had the audacity to review for everyone the ethics policies and yet they willfully did not follow what they were elected to do it's very disappointing it saddens me I will move on from it I hope that we all do I look forward to working with this board because I saw signed up for a job to help this District had I not showed up today this board would not be sitting here right now you required my presence just like we required your presence on December 18th where you willfully chose not to participate not to support your Administration not support your students that performed here that we're excited to perform instead it was requested that we tell these students who had gotten their hair done new outfits Nails it was requested that we instead tell them sorry go home it is insane to me that I actually have to sit here with the same people and that will be the answer to why I could not vote for a president or a vice president for the simple fact that you did not take your public responsibility to this community and to these students seriously enough to show up and now this District absolutely faces legal ramifications of this potential lawsuits and further grievances that's why today at the 25th hour there was an agenda made to add business that was not handled in December it is so unfortunate to me but yet I still showed up today I still allowed because that's actually what I did I allowed this board to elect new trustees new president and new vice president with my presence because it matters more to me that we do the business we were assigned to do for the community that I am a longstanding member of 31 years I have raised and continue to raise comments despite the fact that I may not be one it is disappointing to me and I hope that this never happens again I really do it's it saddens me that I'm part of a board in a history where this took place thank you again to all the supporters I appreciate it I've been inundated with emails texts and phone calls since 6:30 this morning my Village is strong I appreciate you and I want you to know that I will continue to do my very best as I have done for the past 2 years thank you and have a great evening trusty Martin yes go ahead uh again um I'd like to congratulate our um new board members welcome AB Bo again and uh to our president um I want to congratulate you I know you do a fine job that's why we um voted you in um you um have a lot of insight you are in the trenches with the teachers you are in the trenches with support of people you have a lot of knowledge to bring to this board and um collectively um I like to believe that's why we uh put you in that position we truly believe that you will do very well um without a doubt and um you have everyone's support so just call on us when you need us and we'll be there to our vice president uh um you have a lot of history here you have a lot of knowledge within the city and within this District I seen you at work when I was assigned to year schools I watch you and the other board members watch how you kept the board members together and and United and you guys you guys then got things done I'm looking forward to working with you and the both of you in those position because um I can see the same reflection that's going to happen here uh throughout this year in storm uh with the knowledge and the work that uh and your leadership with the both of you together it's a match it's a Nob brainer so um again you have our support we'll be there for both of you just let us know what you need and we'll all be there um in reference to December the have presentation that was given um I listened to it after the fact and uh was a little disturbed by it only because one I had no idea of any the uh things that were said uh to the uh past president and written about him um I I too conf that uh it's an outrage that you the letters that he presented uh shouldn't have been written to about him and his family that you know you know what was showing is um something that we trying to eliminate here in this district with our students so but with that said um I'm also um stunned because it wasn't sto when it should had when he put up a um warning sign if you would that this is going to be uh disturbing to some individual and as well to our kids right there someone the board members that was present um administrators our attorney someone should have stepped in and said B on that what you about to show and the message you put up we should we uh we think that uh you shouldn't go any further but it was and I think that um we need to conduct investigation and find out why was that not done uh anyone speak up I think that we should look into that Madam president and uh find out why uh something like that was carried on when it shouldn't have been based on what the past T put up with the warning sign and it should been stopped there um other than that um this is going to be a good year this is going to be um uh uh a board that's going to be um transparent it's going to be a board that um going to give our residents an opportunity to come up to the mic and we're going to hear you regardless the names you call us the names that you say good or bad we going to hear you we want to hear you we want to hear your your the things that you have to say because that's the only way that this board is going to operate who voted us in and and we going to listen to you we hear and I heard in the past always for the kids for the kids L we all know that it's for the kids but it start with you the residents the taxpayers you advocate for the kids and that's where that come in so by you advocating for the kids you the voice for the kids so we're going to listen to you and uh and uh we're going to be transparent but we're going to be as transparent as much as we can but we can give you everything because some things are confidential so I just want you to be sh on that uh teachers come up tell us what's going on in the trenches we not there and and and uh your administrators is not in the uh trenches with you you are the churching you know what's best for your classroom your students and and and if you come up and let us know we can assist whatever we can and and and and and question if if something's not right right and if a decision was made and we think it's right we'll let you know that that hey this decision was right and that and we need to move forward with it so please do not hesitate step up to the mic do not be afraid you don't have to be afraid anymore to come to the mic I don't care who you are what title you are whatever we want to hear from you you are residents you are tax you are Navigator uh at that on that note evening right thank you trusty Martin Jennifer excuse me yeah I'm sorry so I was just sitting here um and I was thinking I think I owe the board and a public unapology and the reason why I'm saying that is because I didn't speak out earlier um and I wasn't going to say anything just now but I started to reflect on a conversation that I had my last conversation with um Miss Whitaker um I'm not going to share exactly what that was but I do know that um that I need to be more outspoken I just really miss I'm going to miss the way that she spoke with me um I'm not good with stuff like this um Leila and Gina thank you for um Coming on the board um we need your support um take your time congratulations to everyone um Mark Jennifer um I know you guys are going to do good um I have a mixed feelings of emotions right now um and I think some of the frustration anger and hurt allowed me to First uh get out the heartfelt pain for Miss Whitaker's family and friends and especially for her granddaughter like really my heart is heavy for lenee um I hope going forward with this board because people know I do not speak much when I come out here I'm not going to sit here and be reprimanded um we work together as a board we don't bring each other down as a board um I think we should go forward to try to be United regardless to what disagreements we have um stuff like this should not happen in public I would rather for people not understand because we know why we weren't here I would rather for people to hear our silence and have their own thoughts on why we weren't here than to turn around and talk about the reason why we weren't here the same way people are saying why we weren't here or assuming why we weren't here if we don't stand for anything we fall you understand so I hope that people respect that we have a village too and our village is really strong as well so going forward hopefully we all work together with Dr McBride we had to get down to school business these kids need us the teachers need us it's time that we get stuff done in 2025 happy new year God bless thank you thank you trusty Pringle um trusty Gilmore hello oh yeah thank you nice having tech people well I first want to say I made it through my first board meeting yeah um but seriously I'm I'm really excited to be here um I have a lot to learn but I'm not afraid of hard work and um I'm here um for the community for the kids for the administrators um I want all the kids to have the same opportunities that me and my son had um so that's why I'm here uh I you know don't want any of the drama I want us to work together and be United and move this District forward and bring it back to or bring it where it needs to be because Hack and Sack anyone who knows me knows how much I love hackin sack um every opportunity I get I let people know there's no place like it so I want everyone to have that same sentiment so um thank you thank you all right um vice president trusty Stein oh thank you um oh I apologize I'm so sorry let him go ahead no no no um yes ladies first uh trusty amema I do apologize sorry sorry about that um thank you again to those of you who remained here for the duration of both meetings um and you know to those of you who may be watching from home um also I just want to reiterate my congratulations um to both Gina and Jen U Madam President and Vice President Stein um I would like to just uh reiterate you know my my appreciation for all of those who supported us um and you know really one of the first things that helped me to decide uh to call hackin saac home uh over 25 years ago when I came when I came to hackin saac uh to work at New Jersey citizen action a Statewide nonprofit which at the time was located on Main Street above the tennis Outlet um was the sense of community here in hackin saac a Big Driver of that Community the heart of hackin sack was and remains our schools um and that is uh demonstrated um Again by the outpouring of love and grief and support for our beloved principal Lillian Whitaker um and um you know when I uh started volunteering here uh in as an ESL teacher as part of our adult bilingual program uh 10 years ago um it was easy to see why so many other families also wanted to call hackin sack their home our schools and all of our Educators our administrators and staff have always been welcoming to our students and their families regardless of where they came from regardless of whether they are lifelong comets or new to the district um principal Whitaker was always extremely welcoming to our new families um and who participated in our adult um ESL program uh there are obviously a lot of different needs and challenges that arise and impact a school district but as long as we work together uh to solve these problems and support one another we can work on Positive Solutions um there has been a lot of discussion of respect um we are all here to serve the district most importantly our students and their families and the voters who elected all of us uh we won't always agree but each of us has been elected to serve by voters of hackin sack um I hope that uh those of you watching whether you are members of the community students um or their families staff administrators or Educators know that your input and participation are critical to making our students and our district drive please know that there is always an open invitation for everyone to attend and participate we need to hear The Good the Bad and the Ugly so we can address the challenges and needs um of the district um and that together we can mourn the loss of beloved members of our community and together we can celebrate our Collective successes and achievements um I would however say that we should limit our our attacks and and criticism and disrespect there is no room for disrespect we shouldn't ever attack families of of board members we shouldn't ever attack our staff our Educators or administrators so I hope that we remember um the the Legacy that principal Whitaker has left behind and we don't just say that we want to honor her we honor her and show her what we do through our actions so thank you again and I look forward to working with everyone here uh with Dr McBride uh and the entire team across the district thank you thank you yes I got everyone yes vice president um sorry that Miss sa has uh left the day uh she talked about lawsuits possible lawsuits the concern that I had and I understand that for the meeting for December 18th um a number of us did not show and I'll give you my reasons for not showing on board policy it states that the agenda shall be posted at least TW 48 hours prior to the meeting I understand there were internal issues where it was not but in knowing policy and knowing that I was getting calls and emails from people saying where is the agenda um I was concerned that maybe on the opposite side there could be a lawsuit because the proper notice time was not given of at least 48 hours that's my only concern I will not take this any further um I appreciate the fact that I've been able to serve this community for so many years you should know that Ruth zuker Stein is graduate of the hecc high school my mother um I was class of 66 not 1866 that um my two kids are graduates one is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy the other one uh decided to go based on a math teacher here at the high school decided to become a math teacher she went through a mathed four-year course in three years um I'm proud of that Legacy I'm proud to say blue and gold as I know know if lilan were here today she'd be spouting blue and gold what I ask is everybody please she was literally a neighbor of mine she lived right around the corner for me we never talk board business I want to get that on the table um but I would always ask her in the later years how she was doing she says we're getting there we're getting getting there so I ask all of you in my closing comments to please keep Lillian Whitaker in your mind and I agree with that we should function showing our actions not just in words but in actions thank you thank you um I didn't miss anybody perfect is it on yes I'll speak into the mic thank you um so I forgot to say Happy New Year to everybody happy New Year everyone 2025 um and also I forgot to mention thank you to assemblyman uh Benji Wimberly for swearing Us in for uh Gina and Lila and I um having a comet uh you know Legacy here is truly amazing and an honor uh to have him it's very rare to find uh I do want to mention for the community relations committee um my predecessor uh had put it on pause for this committee um but good news it is back uh the community relations committee will be back in motion uh those members who were reached out initially back in I believe in September um you will be reached out again once the Committees are settled and we know who will be a part of it and who will be chairing it and and they'll be reached out um and we'll let you know when the first meeting will be meeting um assuming January is a little too close uh keep a lookout for February uh board vacancy so as you know December 18th we had a uh resignation um we have to fill that vacancy within 65 days therefore um Miss sing our board secretary will be posting the board the board vacancy starting January 13 the application process will close January 27th correct which is a two- week window we will then host a special meeting to host interviews on February 5th at 6:15 p.m. here at the media center um and I believe that is all for the board vacancy is there anything else that I needed to add correct correct I'm sorry so the special meeting is specifically for interviews for that board vacancy in public and those of you who do apply will receive more information once we get closer to that date okay um so now I feel that there were just a lot of rumors going around and I I think I need to just extinguish some of those fires that have been going around um for the record um what truste Stein had mentioned policy 0164 conduct of board meetings it says agenda the superintendent shall prepare an agenda of items of business to come before the board at each meeting the agenda shall be delivered to each board member no later than three days before the meeting and shall include such reports and supplementary materials as are appropriate and available policy 0162 also states that we need advanced notice to the public 48 Hours of the agenda which was not done we must understand that as board members we must uphold the policy and just because it was not done before does not make it right we are here to make sure that we are following the rules that are put upon us by our district and by our state statutes that is part of the reason why actually that is the big reason why we did not come we had stated that we wanted the agenda posted ahead of time and it was not I do however look forward for us to make sure that the public is informed that the public does receive the information in a timely matter so that this does not happen again just to be clear I do have a prepared statement as a board we will remain committed to transparency upholding policy and fostering strong engagement with our community now that our community relations committee is back we are able to implement future Town Hall meetings and more community-based events we aim to hear more from you whether your feedback is positive or constructive your voice matters and we are here to listen learn and grow together as a board we hold ourselves to the highest standards of professionalism and respect we will not tolerate disrespect among board members negative remarks about our Educators or our community using School resources for personal gain will not be tolerated our students are always watching us and as an educator our students look to us as Role Models they will one day lead and Inspire future Generations we must show them what respect collaboration and pride in our community truly looks like as a proud hackin High School comic graduate I deeply understand the significance of this community hackensac is more than a place it's a shared experience a legacy of Excellence resilience and unity this District shaped me and I believe it is continuing its greatness being a comet means being part of a family that values each other works together even during hard times and strives for Success it means lifting each other up and never letting anyone question our pride or our purpose if you live in hackin sack if you work in our district or go to school here if you believe in the strength of our district you are a comet don't let anyone tell you otherwise together we will continue to build a thriving respectful and supportive blue and gold Community where everyone feels valued that is the end of my report or my board comment I should say thank you for allowing me to have my very first meeting today um of the new year and like I have a motion so the record is clear the December meeting was 100% legal and in compliance with the open public meetings act the board was provided with an advanced memo to that effect and you were advised that that December meeting was in fact legal and in compliance with all appropriate statutes just want the to be clear we did not receive that information until later much later very later okay okay moving on uh motion to adjourn the meeting move okay truste Stein motion second second from trusty Gilmore all those in favor I comments let's go thank you have a good night everyone yes yes thank you thank you