Evening everybody. Welcome to this evening's meeting. To start with the open public meeting statement. The New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice and to attend any
meetings of public bodies at which their interests may be discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the provisions of this act, the Hamilton Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be published by having the date, time, purpose, and place thereof
published in the Hamilton Gazette, Press of Atlantic City, and posted on authorized premises. Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Baronado, >> here. >> Mr. Dphano >> here. >> Mrs. Donio >> here. >> Mrs. Fallon >> here. >> Mrs. Geraldo >> here.
>> Mrs. Hunter >> here. >> Mr. Fulia >> here. >> Skola >> here. >> Mr. Thomas >> here. >> Mr. Fuya >> here. >> And we'll note that Mr. AB Mr. Lions is absent. And >> Mr. Lions will be excused. He's got some
traveling delays. >> And Mr. Donia >> here. Okay. All right, all rise for the pledge of allegiance 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. All right, we have a lot going on tonight. Uh, first we're going to start with the 2025 Cooper Levenson holiday card artf contest with a winner of
Elanor Fallon in fifth grade. [applause] You all can come up. >> There she is. >> Miss Fallon can even join. >> Oh, okay. >> I have a little little presentation for you, Elanor. Good evening, everyone. As you may know, my name's William Do.
Congratulations. >> Okay, >> let me do my stuff. >> And uh I want to congratulate Eleanor for winning our 2025 uh Cooper Levenson holiday art contest. Um, every year since 2008, we have invited area school
children to submit designs for our farm's holiday cards and then we send those cards in lie of uh gifts or anything to our to our clients. This holiday card contest is just one element of the firm's efforts to show our commitment to community especially children to support the arts and schools
and to help raise awareness of our chosen charity. Also featured on the card and we'll go over the card, trust me. Um, our charity is Let Us Eat, Please. A charity originally formed by our founding partner, Jim Cooper, when he learned from his daughter, a New Jersey teacher, that she had students in
her class who reg regularly went hungry, especially in the summer uh due to food insecurity. So, let us eat please helps ensure that local ch children who depend on school meals get enough to eat when school is not in session. And it's sad
and it's increasing that there are more children whose main source of nutrition are the meals they receive at school and uh food insecurity is a big issue especially in southern New Jersey especially in some of our more poorer counties or more rural counties. Uh this year we chose five card designs from
hundreds of entries and we had we had and so we're happy that one of them was created by Ellanar Fallon a fifth grader at Warren East Elementary School. So, we have a plaque for you. Congratulations again.
[applause] And Miss Reader, your teacher, we have a plaque to hang in your >> room. And we have a $50 gift card for you. >> Okay. And a $100 gift card for you, Miss Reader. Buy art supplies.
>> Um, the art is so important. There's a reason why it's called Steam, right? There's a reason why it's included in that. The arts are so important and this is one of multiple winners we've had from Hamilton. So that's a testament one to the great kids we have and two to the great staff we have which I'm sure we're
going to hear more about a little later on. So uh congratulations again. I have cards for you and let's take some pictures. I have photographer right here. >> Oh but one last thing. what's going on in your garden? Describe it for us. >> Um, I think I really focus on the winter
magic and added like all these winter festive decorations. And I also put Santa on there. He he's really had he's really like he he's really
I don't know how to say like he >> Oh, he really >> really important. Yeah. How about how about how you kind of just popped him in there, right? Just see his hand in there coming down with those some gifts coming down, right?
>> Yeah. >> Congratulations. [applause] Great. Thank you. >> [applause] >> All right, thank you for that, Miss Fallon. Next, we're going to have our athletic
director, Mr. Chris Sako, is going to uh present a special award for a special athlete here at Hampton High School. [applause] Thank you. Good evening everybody. Uh tonight I'm
here to present the Cape Atlantic League fall female athlete of the season to Gabrielle Childs. Uh this is an award [applause] This is an award that's given to the top female athlete across all fall fall sports in the Cape Atlantic League. As a four-year member and senior captain of
the field hockey team, Gabrielle finished her career with 55 goals and 34 assists while being a dominant presence on both offense and defense. She received first team all Cape Atlantic League honors in 2024 and 2025 along with second team all South Jersey and
all group three recognition and played in the senior all-star game this season. As a member of three Cape Atlantic League championship teams, Gabrielle's leadership, work ethic, and dedication to her teammates helped shape the program success. She's also a member of the National Honor Society, plays on
varsity lacrosse team, and will continue her field hockey career at Wagner College. At this time, I'd like to bring up uh Gabrielle and present to her the 2025 Cape Atlantic League fall female athlete of the season. [applause]
Yeah, everybody come up. Take some photos. [applause] >> Parents should be acknowledged, too, because I'm pretty sure they had a pretty pretty big deal in this. Thank you. >> Thank you.
>> Thank you. [applause] All right. Thank you, Mr. Sako. Uh, next we'll have a quick presentation of the 2024 2025 audit by Mr. Chris Bedcker Hullman, Fina, and Allison. The
audit the audit snip snip >> synopsis I'm sorry and corrective action plan are available for the public as required by NJSA1823-4. >> All right. Well, thank you for having me. That was pretty close. Chris Bodecker. >> Yeah.
>> Um you guys obviously have a lot of other exciting stuff going on tonight. I'll be really quick. U so my name is Chris Bodecker. Uh thank you guys for having me here tonight. So I'm here to present the audit. So there's two pages right in the beginning that I'd like to point out to everyone. Page one, the letter of transmitt and page 19, the
management's discussion analysis. So these two reports are prepared by management in conjunction with us, the auditors. And they're our best efforts to make all those other pages behind it a little bit easier to understand, a little bit more digestible, a little bit for people who aren't familiar with the
numbers. It kind of makes a little bit more concise and gives a better overview of the entire district. Within the audit, there are three what are called reports. So the first report is on page 13. It's the independent auditor's report. This is where we have our opinion. We have what's called an unmodified opinion. That is the cleanest
opinion that we can render for school district. It means that the um the financial statements were presented and with no material differences from uh no no material differences. Um the only thing I want to point out in that report is there's this thing called an emphasis
of matter paragraph. So this year, Gazsby uh came out with a new rule that had to do with compensated absences and how they are presented. So there's no effect on the district's actual financial statements, but if you compare last year's report to this year report, you'll see this emphas emphasis and
matter in this year's report. I don't want anyone looking at be like, "Oh, what's this for?" It's in every report. Everyone has it. So it's it's just something I like to point out. Um, next in the back of the report, there's another report called our a report on internal control over financial
reporting and on compliance. So, we don't give an opinion on the internal controls of the district, but we do test them, we do review them, we do walkthroughs, we evaluate them, and we had no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses or any compliance issues to note on internal controls of the district. Lastly, there's another
report that's called something very similar. to report on internal control over financial reporting and compliance of major programs. So, this has to do with your grant money. Um, if the district spends over $750,000 in either federal and or state, we're required to
do what's called single audit. So, single audit is just kind of a more granular look at specific programs based off a calculation that we do. So, for state this year, we looked at your state a public and for federal, we looked at your bipartisan safer communities act grant. for both those grants and for
your major programs as a whole. Again, an unmodified opinion and no control deficiencies to report. Last thing I'll talk about, the only numbers I'll bore you with the entire night is the bottom of your C1. That's the only numbers that anyone ever cares about because has to do with your fund balance and your budget. So, your total fund balance as a
district is 15,367,000, but that's broken down into different pieces into different reserves and different restrictions. So, of that 15.3 2.8 8 is in your capital reserve. 2.5 is in your maintenance reserve. About
350,000 is in your emergency reserve. About 540,000 is in is in your unemployment reserve. You have excess surplus of 4,551,000. That number is required to be utilized in your 2627 budget. Your excess surplus
designated for subsequent years expenditures. I know it's a long fancy term is just it's was used in this current budget, the 2526 budget. your excess surplus from last year. Then you have assigned for incumbrances of 113,000 and then unassigned of 1,691,000.
This number is based off the district's total expenditures and then there's some adjustments to it and then it's a 2% calculation. So like I said, those are the only numbers going to bother you with. The most important thing, unmodified opinion, no comments, no findings, no corrective action plan necessary for the board to take action
on tonight. Um lastly, I want to thank Mr. Ramsey. I want to thank Mrs. weeks even though our time didn't cross over very much during the audit. Uh and I want to thank Mrs. Crawford who I don't see here tonight because uh audits are difficult. We ask a lot of questions. We're trying to do we're asking for a
lot of reports all while everyone in that finance office is trying to do their job at the same time and everyone here was incredibly helpful and um I just want to say thank you to everyone. So if you have any questions tonight, I'll be happy to answer them. If you have any questions in the future, if you look through it and you want to reach out to me, I'm always available. So
thank you again for having me. >> I have a question. Thank you. Thank you. Does anybody have >> Sure. Shoot. Sure. >> On page 19, the top says town of Hamilton School District, but the first sentence says the section of the Plum Plumstead Township School District. So,
I don't know if this is just a typo. >> That is definitely a typo and I will make sure that that is corrected immediately. And >> so, page 22 and 23 are in fact Hamilton and not Home Plad. Let me look at the numbers to make sure. But yes, they should absolutely be
Hampton. It should just be a typo. >> Yes. >> Y. So, >> I'm sure that could be reviewed and uh revised. >> That will be revised tomorrow. I promise you that 100%. >> We thank you for that. We also thank you for your hard work and
we thank our business office for their all hard work as well. And Marjorie Crawford um this is not an easy task as you all know it's it's a lot of numbers not necessarily words but numbers. So
>> all right thank you very much. >> All right. Thank you very much. >> Thank you very much. >> Have a good night everybody. [applause] All right. Now, we will have our building principles up to present our
teachers of the year. Uh we'll start with Hamilton High School's, Mr. Matina. Please come on up. Good evening. Um, Kristen Saraso graduated from Gloucester City High
School in 1990 and earned a Governor's Teacher Scholarship to pursue her passion for teaching. She went on to earn a BA in English with honors from Ruckers where she received the prestigious Nancy Higgins Door Award for outstanding
student teaching. Kristen began began her teaching career in 1994 and has been a valued member of Hamilton High School since 2002. Over her 32-year career, she has taught grades 7 through 12 across multiple
levels, including AP, honors, and college prep courses. She has also mentored new teachers, led professional learning communities, contributed to curriculum development, and served on numerous school comm uh committees. Beyond the classroom, Kristen's
dedication to students shines through her involvement in extracurriculars. She chaper owns dances and trips, supports student clubs, has attended every high school musical since 2003, organized a one book high school program, and participates in school events from
family game night to spirit days. Kristen's unwavering commitment to education, mentorship, and school community make her an integral part of HHS. Her passion for teaching and student success is evident in every aspect of her work and she truly
embodies the spirit of Hamilton High School. Kristen Saraso is definitely the type of teacher that I would want teaching my own children and we are also proud and thankful to have her here with us. So, can we welcome Kristen Saraso? [applause]
Hi. Um, I owe so much of who I am and the great joys of my life to where I went to high school. Gouster City High School is where I played sports. It's where I took all the academic classes I could jam into my schedule. It's where I made all
my best friends that I still have today. And it was in the ninth grade there at GHS where I got matched up in a national honor society sponsored Valentine's Day computer fundraiser to my best friend and husband for 28 years. Uh it's where
my wonderful son Nick with the phone back there. Um it's where he went to school. Um and that's where it's led him currently to be doing he's real doing his student teaching right now as a physical education teacher. Uh, my high school also is where I owe
my choice of my career. I didn't ever really even consider being a teacher, even though I love school. But Gloucester High is where I met my incredible guidance counselor and friend, Mr. Joe Gorman. In one of his many, many talks with me, it was he who
encouraged me to apply for the New Jersey Governor's Teacher Scholar Program that Mr. Matina mentioned. Um, it was because of him that I won that scholarship. Um, and it paid for everything for college for four years,
as long as I taught in New Jersey school for four years. So, I said to myself, well, I guess I can teach for four years and then I'll figure out what I really want to do. Little did I know that teaching was the thing that I really would want to do. Um, I had to decide what I wanted
to teach. Um, I liked all kinds of school. I was a big nerd, got A's in all kinds of things, and I was like, what do what am I good at? Um, there was a lady, her name was Mrs. Dorothy Senitis, and she was the head children's librarian at
the library that was literally on the corner of Bergen Street where I grew up. Um, I love the library. It was my happy place. I went there. I did all the programs, you know, I did everything that they could do. At one point, I had read every single book in the children's
section that was the entire length of the library. So, I was like, "All right, I guess I'll be an English teacher." Um, at Ruckers, I was blessed to be placed as a student teacher under the wise instruction of a lady named Sheila
Holston. She was knowledgeable, she was kind, she was patient, her students loved her and I loved her. She let me try anything and everything. Um, and after my very first day of teaching there at Carl Samberg Middle School, I knew that teaching was what I was meant
to do. Um, and I've been teaching for 32 years and here I am right here. Um, I've been here since this new building we're sitting in uh, started and my son was 7 months old. So, my first teaching job was actually at Edgewood Junior High
School and I took over for a veteran teacher who succumbed to cancer. Uh, it was really sad. I got hired like two weeks before school started. I went into her classroom. It was jam-packed with all of her things from teaching for 25
years. I was overwhelmed. I didn't know what I was doing. I'm sitting there by myself. And then there was a knock on the classroom door and four young teachers came in. I'd never met them. They walked into the room. They introduced themselves. They started throwing trash away. Two of them had
like the bulletin board all up in my room already. I didn't even know their names and they just had everything done. Um, and one of those teachers was Kelly Yates who was teacher of the year here herself and she just uh retired after 30
years of teaching. So, in my time here at Hamilton, um, I've officially mentored seven teachers. I run the new teacher group. I work with new teachers because it's a way for me to kind of extend the kindness that other teachers have shown me. and helping other
teachers isn't a way to positively impact and reach more students. So, whenever I help a new teacher or whatever I have a teacher learn to do, it gets passed on to their 125 students. And that's just that year alone. Um, I'm extremely glad that I decided to
interview here at Hamilton. I was actually on maternity leave when the job came and I was like, I'm interviewing. Um, there's so many things that I love here about Hamilton and I think that are special to this particular community. Um, I love Hamilton's small town pride.
I love that it's a close-knit community with its own identity. I love that it takes care of its own people and that the people who were born and raised here want to stay here and raise their families here. Uh, it's similar in that way to Gloucester City where I was born and raised, where I still reside, except
that Hamilton is much more Italian, which I like. Off the top of my head, I've personally taught at least 12 of my current fellow teachers, members of the guidance department and the nursing staff. What a pleasure it is to get to see the
students that I knew as young adults want to make the decision to spend their careers here in our district and for me to get to learn from them and work with them. Um, I also wanted to just real quickly share some of the best things that I get to experience daily as a teacher to your children. Uh, as a teacher, I have the power to make sure
the students know and feel daily that I care about them. I get to talk to them about how they're doing in their sports teams and their activities and their jobs and their life in general. Um, I get to reward them with extra credit, candy, you know, anything for working hard on their assignments. Um, I get to
decorate our classroom. It's full of incredibly creative, colorful student projects, paintings, poems, drawings, lifesize sculpted characters based on what we read. Um, I get to ensure that in our classroom we get to dress up. We get to act out what we're reading. I
mean, it is just I love like seeing my students faces light up when they walk into their classroom and they see something bizarre up front and they kind of just smile and shake their heads at me and they're like, "What are we doing in here today?" Like, I guess you'll find out in a bit. Um, I love including
all kinds of things like geography, math, science, history, sports, mythology, animals. I love any getting any of that into anything that we're reading or writing about. I love that my students give me book recommendations. They share their books with me. Um, as a teacher here at Hamilton High
School, I've gotten to and still do get to do a lot of really amazing things because I teach here at Hamilton. Um, I got to fill my classroom with hundreds of compelling new young adult literature in a reading ladders classroom library that I designed thanks to the grant that I was awarded by the Hamilton Education
Foundation. Um, I got to select an array of very challenging young adult book literature because I was part of that one book selection committee for seven years. That morphed into me being the co-coordinator of the summer reading committee. Um, as Mr. Matina said, I get
to dress up for theme days. I get to do spirit weeks, pie cookie, soup making competitions, wellness days, book club, secret Santa. I get to chaperone so many cool dances, competitions. Um, I get to interact with the current teachers, um,
and future students and current students and members of the community with the family game night, the high school reading social that we're having in a couple of weeks here at the poetry cafe. Um, I have seen some amazing musical and theatrical performances. I get the
privilege to help students understand and remember what they read better. It's a real life skill that they need. I get to help them write a paper that's going to earn them an A in college and even better score five on an AP test that's going to get them that extra college credit and earn them a college scholarship. Um, these are all the
privileges I get to partake in here at being the teacher at Hamilton. Um, in my 32 years of teaching, I've taught in my classes over 4,000 students. And that number doesn't include the other 800 students I've had in home room and the 450 students I have had in study hall or
the countless students that I encounter. in the hallway or my bathroom duty or the sporting events or plays that I've attended. It's not only the students I get to interact with, but the teachers, the aids, the administrators, the secretaries, the hall monitors, the custodial and maintenance staff that I
have the chance to learn from, but also be a blessing to. I am a Christian. It's what guides my thinking and my behavior. And the second most important commandment Jesus teaches is to love your neighbor as yourself. My neighbors here at Hamilton are my students, their
parents, my colleagues, the students in the school who I don't even teach but with whom I get to interact with in a daily basis. I'm always thinking about how I can help, what I can make easier, what I can make more fun and pleasant when I talk to the students I teach and the parents I communicate with and the
colleagues with whom I interact. I want to be a Mrs. Darthy Stitis, a Mr. Joe Gorman, a Sheila Holston, and a Kelly Yates for my students and colleagues. and I can't think of a more fulfilling way to spend the last 32 years. Thank you for welcoming me and allowing me the
privilege to have so much fun doing what I love as a teacher here at Hamilton for the past 24 years. Thank you. [applause] [applause] Right. Thank you very much. Next we will have our middle school.
>> Wow, I have to follow that. Congratulations, Kristen. Congratulations to all our amazing teachers of the year. This is a great bunch. Um, it's my absolute pleasure to introduce Hamilton Middle School's teacher of the year, Miss Kimberly
Valardi. I remember when Kim was born in the 70s, I think it was because our fathers worked together at the Hamilton Waste Treatment Department for many years. I liked her name right from the start and liked her immediately upon meeting her. Kim always makes a great
first impression, one of the friendliest people you can meet. If the encyclopedia or Google had a picture of someone who embodies school spirit with a positive nature, it would be a picture of Kim. The same goes for
our Philly sports. Kim is truly the biggest Philly fan I know, and she is instilling a love of all things Philly to her very cool son, Rocco. I enjoy hearing about all their amazing sports adventures that she takes him on.
Rocco's one lucky kid. Kim's nomination is long overdue. She's been a teacher in our district for the last 25 years. I worked with Kim when she was a teacher at West Elementary School in the early 2000s before she arrived at the middle
school. So, we go way back, I would say. And I've gotten to work with her now again these last three years. Kim has been involved in so many years. I mean, so many things, it's difficult to list them all. In the words of her peers who nominated her, she's been a coach, a
club advisor, a mentor, a summer excel teacher, a supervisor of programs, and a cancer survivor. All while continuing to teach at the highest level and being a pillar of the community. Not only is Kim
so actively involved in all things middle school, Kim has been serving our community as a member of the Lions Club since 1999. Just like a true Philly fan, Kim has that fighting spirit.
Her journey to beat cancer began in 2007 and inspired my cancer journey, which happened a few years later. I want to say thank you to Kim for her example of being a true warrior in 2007. My sister also fight cancer like a
warrior, so I looked up to both of them. They paved the way for my fight. Kim is a true survivor. You can see her positive attitude and how her spirit uplifts everyone. She demonstrates the power of positive
thinking. She uses that spirit and attitude to be the best teacher and role model she can for our students. As you know, Kim's father, Sale Valardi, was a board member here for many years. He was a true Hamilton icon. Like him, Kim
bleeds blue. His legacy continues. I know through his wife Kathy Kim and also his son Mike, who I also have the pleasure to work with. One of my favorite memories of Kim and her brother Mike is both of them sharing the stage
at a variety show a few years back as Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. As they were singing and dancing, their performance was only something a would do. I was thinking they'll happily entertain our student
body and school community whenever the opportunity presents itself. Like Kim says, she is not shy. Thank you for always rising to the occasion and representing that Valardi spirit. Kim will always be the reigning
queen of the middle school lipsyncs. Lastly, I always tell my story of Kim. The morning after the Eagles won the Super Bowl in February of 2025, one year ago, as parents arrived at 7:25 a.m. in
the morning, she ran up and down the car line as parents were dropping off, asking them to beep their horns, holding up an eagle sign, shouting. We were all singing, not shy at all. We all had fun that morning laughing and sharing the
victory together and it was contagious. Our middle school parents arrived beeping horns and cheering with us. Kim bleeds green as well. That's who Kim is. She does everything wholeheartedly. She spreads good vibes. Congratulations,
Miss Kim Valardi, HMS Teacher of the Year. [applause] Got the crying out of the way now. It's good. All right. [clears throat] Some of that ironically Kim think alike. I got some of that stuff in my speech. For those of you who know me, there are
not many situations where you will find me at a loss for words. However, it is quite challenging to express the range of emotions I have felt since the teacher of the year announcement was made this past December. Even as I stand
here before all of you tonight, it is still very emotional to reflect back and to try to put into words the journey my life has taken both professionally and personally. There is truly no place I would rather be in my 25th year of education here in
Hamilton, teaching at Hamilton Middle School, teaching eighth grade language arts, and because I'm a tiny bit partial, working with the very best administration and staff, and working in the very best building in the district.
This is where I always wanted to be. And what I always wanted to be as a second grade student in Mrs. Piper's class. It was then I knew I wanted to be a teacher and I wanted to be a teacher in my hometown of Hamilton. I grew up here,
went to school here, wanted to teach here, and someday wanted to raise my family here. It sounds cliche, but dreams really do come true. Each morning, I leave my house and take a short 4-minute drive to drop off my
son, Rocco, to Barney Soy Junior Elementary School. then drive another two minutes to Hammond to Middle School to start my workday. Some may hear this and think the best part of this whole thing is the super quick drive. But for me, the absolute best part is that my
son Rocco is going to be a Hamilton Blue Devil for life, just like his mom. My first four years of teaching, like Kim said, my career began as a sixth grade teacher at West with Christy Tagro as my building principal, Kim as my vice principal, but Hamilton Middle School is
truly where I was meant to be. The best thing about Hamilton Middle School is who I get to share the hallways with. I'm so very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the most wonderful staff and faculty year after year. It truly is a blessing to come to
work each and every day and be in the presence of so many amazing people throughout the entire building. I'm forever grateful to those I have the privilege to not only call my colleagues, but for those who I now call forever friends. Being a teacher at HMS isn't just about
the inside the classroom stuff. It's also about the everything else and all the in between stuff. Kim did mention a few things. It's true. That's all the icing on the cake and what kept it fun for me for so many years. The lip sinks,
the eighth grade cruises and dances where I may be in the middle of the dance floor. Uh the numerous eighth graduations, the Phillies World Series, the two Eagle Super Bowls, and last year when Kim let me run around up and down the sidewalk in front of the school at 7 a.m. while doing Eagles chants, high-fiving students, parents beeping
horns during morning drop off. Thanks, Kim. It's all true. It's truly incredible to think of the sheer number of students I've also cross crossed paths with as well as an educator when you have been teaching for
25 years. Some students have now become colleagues. Some are lucky enough to call on as friends while some are fellow moms and dads. Because yes, when some of your former students have children the same age as your own child, or better yet, when you're teaching children of
your former students in your classroom now, years and years later, it makes you feel very, very old. Through it all, my years of teaching, I've welcomed the opportunity to be someone who has made a difference in so many lives. To have made an impact on future goals and
dreams, to be someone who is there for students beyond the classroom, to be a mentor, a motivator, or even a role model for hundreds and hundreds of students. I've been lucky enough to have had that chance to do all that and more for 25 years.
My teaching career and professional journey through life turned into quite the roller coaster on December 5th, 2007 during my seventh year of teaching when I was diagnosed with all leukemia. It was during that time when Hamilton Middle School, the entire school
district, the town of Hamilton, and everyone rallied together and did all they could to help me battle cancer, beat cancer, and become a survivor. It is something I will truly never forget and my story is something I still share with my students year after year.
Being selected as Hamilton Middle School's teacher of the year is the absolute highlight of my educational career. After my name was called and I made my way down the A-wing through the clapping and cheering of students and teachers all while trying not to ugly cry down the whole hallway.
Not only were not only were Kim and Justin waiting at the end to present me with flowers, balloons, and my golden apple, but my brother Michael, a seventh grade social studies teacher, was there waiting as well. That was a moment I will always treasure. And once I got
home, the celebration continued with my son, Rocco, and my mom, Kathy. Got to do this. The only person who was not there missing in all the celebration that day who would be crying here today as well. Okay.
And the person who's missing here tonight is my dad S. He was the first person I thought of when I heard my name announced that afternoon. And he's the person I'm missing the most
as I stand here tonight. He was so proud to sit there with all of you, most of you, as a member of the board of education for 19 years. And what made him even more proud was that both of his children were teachers in the Hamilton School
District. If he were here tonight ugly crying like me, okay, he [snorts] would be beaming with pride to say not only was his daughter a Hamilton Middle School teacher, but his daughter was now a Hamilton Middle School teacher of the year. Thank
you. [applause] Thank you and congratulations. Next we'll have our uh Warren E Soy Tro. >> Good evening. Like to congratulate all of our teachers of the year. It's a
great group. Very special people. Uh Warren Soy Elementary School is pleased to announce Miss Danielle Galleta as our 2026 teacher of the year. Miss Galleta graduated from Rowan University in 1998 with a BA in
elementary education and sociology. She's been teaching in the Hampton School District since 2001 where she began as a kindergarten teacher. Since 2005, Miss Scalleta has taught fifth grade and she currently teaches both English language arts and social
studies. Mrs. Galetta goes above and beyond every day to inspire her students, foster a love of learning, and create an inclusive and nurturing classroom environment. Mrs. is creative, compassionate, and dedicated to the success and well-being of her students.
Consistently planning innovative lessons that bring learning to life and engage students in the joy of reading and writing. As the adviser of our fifth grade student council, Miss Ketta inspires leadership, teamwork, and school spirit among students. Her guidance helps
students to make a positive impact within our school community. Students learn responsibility, empathy, and the importance of service. All life lessons which will stay with them long after they leave the elementary school. Beyond the classroom, Danielle is always
willing to take on extra responsibilities, including curriculum work that helps ensure our instruction remains engaging and effective. She has volunteered her time helping with family reading night since its inception. And she has also volunteers as a student
mentor where she builds meaningful and trusting relationships with students offering guidance, encouragement, and a steady presence they can rely on. Miss Galleta is not only a talented teacher, but also a loyal friend and colleague. Always willing to help others and share
ideas, resources, and strategies, fostering a spirit of teamwork and continued growth among staff. She brings heart, benevolence, and an expertise to our school. Scalleta has lived in Hamilton for 20 years. She is the wife and mother of two
children, Mia and Mason. Outside of school, she can can be found cheering her children on during their field hockey, softball, baseball, and flag football games. Any free time she has is usually spent doing something creative or baking delicious treats, which I
received some Regala cookies today. They were excellent, by the way, for her family and friends and colleagues. Congratulations to Mrs. Galetta on being named our 2026 teacher of the year. [applause] I started at the glasses.
>> Good evening everyone. Um, I'm truly flattered for and grateful for this honor that I've been given. Um, I'd like to begin by thanking the board of education, Mr. Ramsey, Dr. Tro, who has been by my side for the past 25 years,
and I'm so grateful she has been. Um, my colleagues in the West Building, especially my amazing fellow fifth grade teachers that I could not get through the day without. They are amazing. and of course my family.
I spent about half my life teaching in the Hamilton School District and from the very first year here I realized just how special this district is. Over the years has become my second family. As a teacher at some point we're all asked
our why. Mine is simple. I love it. I love walking into the building each day and seeing my work family. I usually started off by looking in the front office and saying good morning Mar to Marcel Conway who I've also known since my very first day. I had her daughter
Lauren in my very first kindergarten class. So again, Hamilton is family. Um I've been incredibly lucky and fortunate to work alongside so many dedicated, passionate, and supportive
people. And I know I always have my West family in my corner. I love my students, my work children, I call them. At one point or another, they'll all say to me, "You sound just like my mom. That's how I know I'm doing something right." I
love creating lessons, not only to meet the curriculum, but spark curiosity, challenge minds, deepen understanding, and still manage to be fun. I love making my students laugh, sometimes even at my own expense, and showing them that
making mistakes is okay, because that's how we all learn. I love seeing the spark in their eyes each day or knowing or that knowing nod when they finally figure something out, something clicks, or something makes sense to them. I love
building connections with my students, hearing about what they did last night, how their game went, what they're doing this weekend, or anything that they want to share with me, so they know they're heard and that they matter. Over the years, I've taught roughly 1,300
students, and I love seeing them long after they've left my classroom. They always ask, "Do you remember me?" And I love seeing the adults that they've become, many now with children of their own. and I always feel such pride knowing that they were once one of my
children. Thank you again for this incredible honor. It is one that I will cherish always. Thank you. [applause] >> Okay, last but certainly not least, we have the EC and Miss Sole. >> Good evening everyone. Congratulations
to all of this year's wonderful teachers of the year. And I am very proud to introduce ECE's 2526 teacher of the year, Miss Carrie Fischer. You can clap.
[applause] A lifelong resident of Hamilton, Miss Fischer resides in town with her husband Ronnie and daughter Veronica. A graduate of Stockton University, Miss Fischer is currently in her 23rd year with the Hamilton School District, where she currently serves as a first grade
teacher. Miss Fischer brings a calm, steady presence to the ECE that students and colleagues have come to rely on. I'm sure all of her colleagues sitting here would tell you if they had to call someone at 3 in the morning for help,
they would call Miss Fischer. She's known for supporting students who need extra care, mentoring colleagues in a natural and unassuming way, and stepping in wherever she's needed. It's not uncommon to see Miss Fisher Fischer talking quietly with a student in the
hall or in her classroom, offering reassurance when it's needed most, and guiding them to do their best. These are things she does daily behind the scenes. Whether it means offering her time, her resources, or simply showing up when someone needs support, Carrie does so
without hesitation, without seeking res uh recognition. Several years ago, when a staff member at our building was seriously ill, Miss Fischer made an enormous difference in that person's life through her kindness, her generosity, and giving of her time
on a daily basis. It was an inspiration to see the impact she made on our whole building going through a very tough time. Moments like these, often unseen, speak volumes about Miss Fischer's character. Beyond the work in her first grade
classroom, supporting both her students and colleagues, Miss Fischer has served on ECE's schoolwide planning team, on our school's threat assessment team, and on our mentoring program. Not surprisingly, she's also contributed her talents over the years by assisting with
lighting for the first grade play. Miss Fischer supports school events such as family reading night, and she's often behind the scenes attending to the thoughtful details that help our school feel welcoming, including making sure families are
greeted by the beautiful flowers at events such as our annual back to school night. We thank Miss Fischer for the countless ways she supports our students and staff and our school community on the daily. And we pr proudly
congratulate Miss Carrie Fischer on being named ECE's teacher of the year. [applause] Good evening members of the board of education, Mr. Ramsey, Dr. Cle, colleagues, family, and friends. Thank you sincerely for the incredible honor and for the opportunity to stand before
you tonight. Education runs deep in my family. My grandfather dedicated much of his life to the Hamilton public school district. My parents followed in his footsteps. I'm so proud to continue that legacy. As a lifelong resident, a former student, and now a teacher in the very district that shaped me, this
recognition means more to me than I can fully express. [snorts] Teaching first grade is truly a gift. It is a year filled with curiosity, growth, and meaningful connections. Being part of that journey, watching students gain confidence, discover their abilities, and begin to see themselves as learners
is something I treasure every single day. I am grateful to work in a community I care so deeply about. I feel fortunate each day to do the work that I love alongside colleagues who are dedicated and inspiring. >> [snorts] >> Most importantly, I want to thank my family, my parents, my sister, my
husband, and my daughter who love, encouragement, and belief in me have brought me to this moment. This acknowledgement is one that I will hold close to my heart. Thank you again for the tremendous honor. >> Thank you. Congratulations. [applause] >> All right,
Congratulations to all the teachers of the year. Um, we have Chief Fel here from the Hamilton Education Foundation and I would like to call them up. >> Good evening. First off, just let's have
a hand for our winners. They are amazing [applause] [applause] members of the board of education, administrators, and of course, teachers. Uh it's an honor here to be representing our Hamilton Education Foundation along with our vice president and trustees
from our organization. We were formed in 2004 with a sole purpose to raise funds to distribute through grants that enhance the education of our students in our Hamilton public school district. uh through fundraisers including we've done
collection central, our new thanks for giving gala, uh taste of the town, uh we've been doing dine to donate at local restaurants, our blueberry bush, and the recent one that we had our winter warm-up. We've been able to collect
funds which we've been able to give through grant process to our teachers of our district. So far, we have been able to raise over since 2004, we have given out over $670,000
in grant projects [applause] and 44 of these thousands of dollars have gone to teacher of the year awards. Um, it's just remarkable. As each of the teachers came up here tonight to speak, what pictured in my mind is that saying
of saying that to to teach is to touch the future. The butterfly wings of the small gratitudes that you give to children, the mentoring, the mentoring of other teachers has expounded exponentially throughout our school
district. And that's what our school district is famous for being so wellrounded and working together and as a family. Um so uh what I would like to do is call up each of our teachers of the year. Uh madame vice president if
you will help me. Uh we will call up each of our teachers of the year from our buildings to give them a grant uh which is in the amount of $500 that they can use for their classroom in any way they see fit. >> Excellent. anybody's families would like
to come up take a photo at this time, you're more than welcome as well. >> Okay, we have Mr. [applause] U, Miss Kimardi, you want to have the principal [applause] in the Miss Danielle Galleta
[applause] and Miss Carrie Fischer. [applause] Zoom chat over here. >> Put the t-shirts in the middle. There we go. >> Right. >> Two on that side. >> Are we too big or
two? teacher first. You can't see me. I can't see you. >> Come on in. There you go. Great. Right here, two leg. next to your mom.
>> There you go. >> Other daughter >> right here. One, two, three. >> Hold still. Jack, may I ask you to look out? >> Coming in. >> Come on. Come on.
>> Miss Shabilia, please. [laughter] Please smile. Come on. There we go. >> And one last thing that have to put out there, as I said, we have over $670,000
in grants we have given out. Please, teachers in our school district, we have an open grant application going right now. Your grants, any proposals you have, have to be in by March 27th. If you have not received an email, you can check with your building principal or
contact us at the Hamilton Education Foundation because we love to help our school district. Matter of fact, we have been recognized by the Atlantic County Friends of Education Award. So this March, we are going to be attending a
gala recognizing our Hamilton Education Foundation, the work we've done in our school district. [applause] We generally appreciate and thank the Hamilton Education Foundation for everything they do and their extreme generosity here at the Hamilton High
School. Thank you folks for all your time that you put in to make everything a success for the Hamilton School District. We truly appreciate that. Uh with that, we're going to have a five minute recess right after Miss Baronado >> Oh,
everyone. And congratulations to everyone. Job well done. I always say this, you know, to be recognized by your peers is the greatest thing. You know, it's one thing to be recognized, but when you have your community recognizing you, that is so wonderful. So,
congratulations. My breaking news is uh just a few minutes ago in our gymnasium at our wrestling match, Vinnie Palmo scored 100 wins. [applause] >> Congratulations.
>> So, congratulations to him. Congratulations to all of our teachers of the year. Thank you all for everything that you do. We appreciate every staff member we have here at the school district because they're all amazing and the best. We're going to have a fiveminute recess and we will continue with our regular meeting right
after return. Thank you. She had a history. >> Was it Darthy? Was it red? >> Darthy. We're going to call Tam Darth. She's got her red shoes on. >> Smile. Wait. That's all. >> That's all. I'm good. We already do that. >> I get that.
>> I get that a lot. I just >> Sorry. >> Sometimes they wave with just one finger. with a recognition from the ACCO GIF >> by our business administrator, Mr. Terry Weeks. >> So, the Dream Insurance Fund that you
guys belong to um annually recognizes school districts at all different levels for um filing claims on pri on time and for being uh having low loss ratios. So, Hamilton and two awards
um both of those and um we received a check for $3,500. So really good job from the 2425 school year. So just wanted to announce that. Um congratulate everybody that was involved in the safety committees and in keeping the school safe
>> so that everybody knows the GIF is our basically >> our insurance >> insurance. >> Yes. >> Okay. All right. Thank you for that. Next, we'll go to board member and or committee reports. And I'll start with
Miss Donio. >> Nothing to report. >> Nothing to report. Okay, Mr. Thomas. >> Nothing to report. Mr. Dphano, >> congratulations to our teachers of the year. And nothing else to report. >> Thank you very much, Miss Hunter.
>> Uh, we wanted to thank Dr. Beski. Uh, the middle school staff and the chorus and band students for coming to perform for our Waterford students. All the kids enjoyed the performance and appreciated learning about the programs that'll be available to them when they hit seventh grade in the middle school. We also want
to thank uh middle school for hosting our sixth grade leadership group. It's a great program that allows some of our students to meet their peers, see their new school, and learn valuable leadership skills. And finally, a thank you to the Hamilton Education Association for allowing Woodford and
Falsome staff to participate in the incentive program for educators that attended their recent uh event. One of our fourth grade teachers, Paige Pton, was awarded a $250 grant for her classroom, and we thank them for that. That completes me.
>> All right. Thank you, Miss Hunter. Mr. Pia, >> I'll be very brief. vice president. Uh the middle school girls basketball team finished the season in the Cape Atlantic League play undefeated. So we like to give a shout out to them. Um just a couple things. Uh Mr. Sako, our athletic
director, asked me to just let everybody know that all of our stuff for the athletics is on hambluedevils.com. wwheamblues.com. So anything you want to know is out there. Uh, the high school play this year is Sister Act and it's March 12th,
13th, and 14th at 7 p.m. Tickets are available online only, blueevils.booktix.com. It is reserved seating, so you have to go and buy your ticket before. And lastly, uh, recent small snowstorm we had. Uh, I'd like to commend our our
entire departments headed by Rick Cody, Frank Lassaso, Tony Maza, all of our bus drivers who came in and cleaned the buses. Our grounds department, our janitors, you know, we were opened when a lot of schools were not open. I'd also like to thank Mr. Kuya. He was here most
of the evening that night. And Mr. Caperryy who was here with his team also most of that evening. So without these guys volunteering and and our staff, we could never ever be open as quick as we are. So and then in the days after the storm, they were out there over and over
again cleaning up, doing everything that had to be done. So I'd like to thank him personally. And that will conclude my report. >> All right. Thank you very much, Miss Baronado. >> Okay. Um as you will notice on your uh
agenda, there are six retirements. Um We wish them well in their retirement. And um we are also we have the school calendar for next year on our agenda this evening. There
will be uh summer hours um proposed and uh we have a wonders program and uh teachers to u to uh look at that and see what effects that will have on our new curriculum.
And um we are going to make the part-time string position a fulltime position. Um many children are involved in that program. It's a wonderful program at such an early age. It's it's unbelievable. And um the governor as you have know as
you know uh before he left office implemented uh cell phone policy. We are having our updated policy. We're waiting for that to see what that entails. And of course, we have the ability to modify the policy to meet our needs and there's
going to be a lot of thought and process that goes into that. That's all I have. >> Okay. Thank you, Miss Skull. >> Good evening. Um, I don't have a report, but I just wanted to say congratulations to all the teachers of the year. Barb
beat me to it. I was going to say congratulations to Vinnie Polarmo for making his 100th win. Um, super proud of everybody. And that's all I have. >> Okay. Thank you, Miss Fallon. >> I don't have a report. I just wanted to underscore how excited I am that our
strings position will be from going from part-time to full-time and really just happy to be serving all of these kids and and having giving them the opportunity to play a string instrument. Um, and I also just wanted to underscore the um just my gratitude for the the snow
removal efforts. I think every year we say thank you. Oh, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Pepper Perry. Thank you, Mr. Hoya. Thank you to our staff. But really the magnitude of that snow cleanup, like we just I I I will say I would take it for granted because it's something that has to be done and we do it and we do it well and we open and we just go about
business. But if if it's huge and the fact that we don't have to budget extra for it or have to hire independent contractors, it's hundreds of thousands of dollars of savings to our district and it's just I think this year it really just kind of hit me like wow this is really amazing. So I just want to
thank everyone involved, our staff, our frowns guys, Mr. Koya, his employees, Mr. Caperry his employees. It's just it really it was just it just hit me this year how what a what a grand scale that is and how what you did did to open and open in a timely manner. So thank you
for that and congratulations to our wonderful wonderful teachers of the year and um yeah that's it. >> All right. Thank you Miss Fallon Miss Geraldo. >> No report but I want to reiterate of course the congratulations to all the teachers of the year. Not only have I
had the privilege of being a student to most of them, but of knowing them throughout my entire career as a student at Hamilton, and it just speaks volumes to the staff that we have here and the way that they treat their students. So, I'd like to wish them again a congratulations. >> All right. Thank you, Mr. Donio.
>> Yeah. I also want to congratulate all of the teachers of the year. I mean, this is a great slate this year. Um, but I do have one other thing. If you haven't already seen or heard, student council is fundraising alongside Falsam for the St. Baldrick's Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research. Uh, and a portion of
that money will go to a Hamilton School District student currently battling cancer as well. Uh, I'm proud to report that we've raised over $1,500 in the first week and a half of opening up the fundraiser. Uh, this gets added into the grand total with funds from
Falsam. Uh there's still plenty of time before Falsam's annual head shaving event on March 27th, which our student council volunteers will also be attending that day to help. Uh recently, I publicized our goal, which is to raise $5,000. And you may have seen if we
reach that goal, I'm going to Falsam to get my head shaved on March 27th. >> All right. >> And um it's our first year doing this. I think it's been a major success already. Uh me and my vice president Katie Warren went to a meeting in Falsam about a week ago. They've been doing great with their
fundraising too. Um I know they're really happy to have us joining them this year. Um it's a great partnership we've created and uh we're proud to be part of such a great cause. So you'll see a lot of events coming up uh and some more information go out on social
media in the coming weeks. And that's all I have to report. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Sorry I forgot two things. >> No problem. You mentioned that Cody. I just wanted to say when something happens and we need something done, it's not like a matter of time. I was
concerned about the um handrails in the gymnasium. They're very loose. I went there the other night. They all have new bolts. They're all tight as could be. I mean, he just does things overnight and it's so rewarding and so
encouraging that we have staff, you know, that turn out like that. The other thing is I think we need to revisit the town to the forest street that those potholes are resurfacing in front of the school. I know that you know I kind of got in touch with you and you know another thing and it happened overnight
but I guess just the wear and tear they were empty again. They're just these big holes again and I know you can blow a tire that you know you don't want anybody to do that. So we can address that again. And I guess with the uh >> what is it? Fourth street
>> snow for right in front of the uh west. You can see where they look like they kind of just opened up. >> That happens from the you know the rain and the water everything gets in in there and then it freezes and it pops the asphalt out. But >> yeah, we'll definitely let them know.
I'm sure they'll >> Thank you. >> be out to fix that up right away. Uh for my report, I'd like to also thank all of our grounds crew for their diligent roundthe-clock efforts to get our campus open in a timely manner. The minute the
snow started falling on uh Sunday, they were out there alongside some of my own guys, Mr. Caperryy himself and his crew. I also like to thank Mr. Caperryy for years of completely donated snow removal. It's just amazing. I can tell
you I know what the financial burden is of snow removal and that's tremendous that Mr. Caperry has done this for so many years. It's because of our diligent snow removal that we're able to open Tuesday after the snowfall. It's not a oneperson decision. Uh Mr.
Ramsey consults with people on the ground, our transportation department, the county, surrounding school districts, and the decision to open, close, or delay. School is always made with the safety and well-being of our students as top priority. Our job as a
district is to educate kids. And if we've got and we've got to be open in order to do our job. I want to thank everyone including the town of Hamilton, our road crews who made it all come together to open up for our kids.
We're also dealing with uh water coming in as the ice melts on multiple roofs. We're addressing it until the ice completely melts off the roof. We can't really get people up there to fix it. We've taken some re remedial measures
and have narrowed down as to where it's coming in. We appreciate everyone's flexibility and would like to thank again Rick Cody for his amazing team and his amazing team for being on top of things regarding that as well. Uh the ECE construction project is on
time to open for the 26 school year and we're staying on budget. Thank you to Rick Cody for doing a fine job of managing that project as well. During our committee meetings, we are discussing new traffic patterns for the
EC drop ECEC drop off and pickup. We'll be looking at we will be looking into this more, especially when the new wing in the ECE opens this fall as there will be increased traffic. In the meantime, we appreciate everyone's patience,
especially navigating around the snow. We're looking forward to better weather, but are thankful for everyone doing their part getting us through the winter months. I'd also like to again congratulate our teachers of the year. I know my committee is building in
buildings and grounds and that's mainly what I report on, but the teachers are the heartbeat of our schools and I just want to say I appreciate everything that you all do. So, that is all I have for my report and
With that, we will go to one the first of two public comments. I don't see anybody here. So, we will close that and we will look at finance items number one through 31
and we will take a motion. >> Motion. >> Miss Fallon. Mr. Leah second. Motion carries.
>> Oh, roll call. I'm sorry. Does anybody have any questions? >> Okay. Roll call. >> Mr. Baronado. >> Yes. >> Mr. Dphano. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Donio. >> Oh, sorry. Yes.
>> Mrs. Fallon. >> Yes. Mrs. Geraldo. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Hunter. >> Uh, yes. To Waterford items numbers 1 through 23, but I'm going to abstain from three. >> Mr. Pulio, >> yes.
>> Yes. >> And Mr. Mr. Poy. >> Yes. Motion carries. Next we have personnels number 32 through 74.
>> Mr. Baronado. >> Miss Hunter. >> Roll call, please. >> Mrs. Baronado. >> Yes. >> Mr. Fuya. >> Yes. >> Mr. Dano. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Donio. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Fallon. >> Yes.
>> Mrs. Geraldo. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Hunter. Yes to Woodford. Items 51 through 74. >> Mr. Flea. >> Yes. >> And Mola. >> Yes. >> Okay. Motion carries. Next is program students and
miscellaneous number 75 through number 85. >> Miss Bernado. >> Second. >> Mala. Miss Fallon, >> that was >> MCola. >> Me.
>> All right, guys. Move too fast. >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Fonado, >> yes. >> Mr. Dphano, >> yes. >> Mrs. Donio, >> yes. >> Mrs. Fallon, >> yes. >> Mrs. Geraldo, >> yes. >> Mrs. Hunter, >> yes. >> Mr. Cle, >> yes. >> Missola,
>> yes. >> Mr. Qua, >> yes. Motion carries. Next we have an addendum or do we have finance? >> That's addendum. >> Addendum. Finance numbers 86 through
number 88. I'll accept the motion. >> Motion. >> Miss Fallon. >> Second. >> Miss Skola. >> Roll call, please. Meronado, >> yes. >> Mrs. Mr. Dapno,
>> yes. >> Mrs. Donio, >> yes. >> M. Fallon, >> yes. >> Mr. Geraldo, >> yes. >> Mrs. Hunter, >> yes. To Woodford, items 86 and 87. >> Mr. Pulio, >> yes. >> And MCola, >> yes. >> And Mr. Cleo, >> yes. Motion carries.
Last, we have personnel number 89 through number 90. I'll take a motion. >> Motion. >> Second. >> Roll call.
>> Mrs. Fonado. >> Yes. >> Mr. Dphano. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Donio. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Fallon. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Geraldo? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Hunter? >> Yes. >> Mr. Fo? >> Yes. >> Molo? >> Yes. >> And Mr. Fu?
>> Yes. Motion carries. Next we have our second public comment. Not seeing anybody, we will close that portion and we'll look for a motion to
adjourn. >> Motion. >> Miss Baronado first. Miss Hunter second. Meeting adjourned. Thank you everybody.