Meeting call to order. Time now is 6 p.m. Public meeting begins. New Jersey open public meeting law was enacted to ensure the rights of public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or
acted upon. In accordance with provisions of this act, the business administrator board secretary has caused notice of this meeting to be published by having the date, time and place thereof posted at the municipal building communicated to the Herald news the record and filed with the clerk of the
burough board. Roll call, please. Joseph Carr >> here. >> Alexo is absent. Jennifer Aranch absent. Abigail do >> here. >> Erica Multicolson. >> Anthony Paloo >> here. >> Lisa
>> here. Vega. Marco Taro >> here. >> Please rise. 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. >> Thank you. >> All right. Private session. We resolve that the board of education convenes executive session to discuss exempt matters pertaining to a matter rendered confidential by federal or state law. We have further resolved that it is
anticipated the executive session will be for 45 minutes of duration and that the public action may or may not be taken. But be further resolved that the minutes of the executive session will be made available upon a determination by the board that the disclosure of the minutes will not detrimentally affect
any right or interest of the board and the need for confident confidentiality no longer exists. Motion to go into private session. >> Motion >> second. >> Motion by Mr. Seconded by
Mrs. Goff discussion roll call please >> Mr. Carr. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Goff. >> Yes. >> Mr. Paloo. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Phone. >> Yes. >> Dr. Vega. >> Yes. >> Mr. Tatara.
>> Yes. meeting regulations. During each regular meeting, two opportunities are provided for citizens to act, ask questions, and to make comments. During the first opportunity early on the agenda, the meeting is open to the public for the purpose of addressing items listed for approval on this agenda only. The second
opportunity occurs just prior to adjournment when citizens may address any subject matter that is pertinent to and are directly related to the operation of the school district. Persons wishing to speak must upon being recognized rise state their name, address, and subject matter. Comments
and questions shall be addressed to the board president or presiding officer shall be limited to five minutes per person. The board may or may not respond to issues raised by members of the public at the time they are raised, but will provide a response if and when appropriate. The board asks that members
of the public be courteous and mindful of the rights of other individuals when speaking. Please note that the board will not respond to comments regarding students or board employees in light of the privacy rights held by those individuals. Moreover, the board discourages comments about such
individuals and will not be responsible for such comments. Members of the public who choose to speak during the public session should carefully consider their comments since they could be held personally liable for any statements that they make. Finally, please note
that in accordance with district policy, the board will not officially comment or respond to any matter mentioned unless it can confirm that the matter has first been brought to the attention of the appropriate school personnel and attempt to resolve this issue. Public be heard.
Agenda items only. Seeing none, approval of the minutes December 16, 2025 regular meeting, public and private, and January 6, 2026, reorganization meeting. Motion >> second. >> Motion by
Mrs. Kho and seconded by Mrs. Goff. Discussion roll call, please. >> Mrs. Goff, >> yes. >> Miss Multipolson, >> yes. >> Mr. Paloo, >> yes. >> Mrs. Bone, >> yes. >> Dr. Mr. Vega. >> Yes. >> Mr. Clar. >> Yes.
>> Mr. Club. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Art. >> Yes. >> Mr. Taro. >> Yes. >> Correspondent. Okay. Moving on to reports. The student council representative report. Jonathan Barbara.
>> Good evening. I hope everyone had a good winter break and long weekend and start to year. Of course. Since we last met, HS has been continuing fundraising for fundraising for and celebrating various holidays and preparing for our upcoming
days January 22 to January 27th. For sports within the past few weeks, HS Sports have been in full swing. Indoor track and field has attended the NJSA relays on June 15th with the bus
returning home from Tom River almost around midnight. It's crazy. Our competition cheerleading team has attended their first competition of the season January 13th against Caucus and Lyus in their first matchups group. The
AG bowling team has been busy network with matches at lanes almost every day. The boys and girls basketball teams are equally busy bringing home many victories and more and more fans attending dresses. Wrestling has found much success across all of the classes,
having numerous medals, having numerous medals with a collection ever growing as we approach the end of the season. Finally, our town hockey team has brought in many supporters from each game. In the meantime, fans are also eagerly awaiting the hockey team senior
night for the last 26 players with some of the first on the team since the program was introduced a few years ago. They're now seniors. clubs with the time period with the time with the time period since we last met
being broken up with winter break. Clubs have been busy at work spreading Christmas cheer before the break and continuing their festivities after the break. The Italian club has organized a lavaon bake sale which happened January 8th which was a considerable success compared to the previous year with
various Italian baked goods for sale, candy available to send and of course laers have started the production and filming of their annual PSA project to present at the safe county team summit meeting toward the end of the year. If our
school's PSA wins along among a plethora of other schools projects, their PSA will be played in pre in the previews recorded for the movies at AMC theaters in county. Moreover, with along with our performing
arts, arts clubs performance at the state county senior center. They performed at performed at the first winter concert before break to end the year. Finally, the student council is running a for sale. Orders are finalized and being
sent every month. If you're interested in ordering, you can email Miss Hansen. You can find her email media center. With the new year starting, the HHS media center has launched many in library and crosscurric activities regarding various events such
as Muslim American Heritage Month, International Hall of Remembrance Day, King Day. The center offers numerousformational posters displays morning and afternoon instructional instructional materials and social media posts. Along with this,
the center is also still hosting book club for students every Wednesday afternoon. So they are focusing on fantasy fantasy fiction for the month and the lunchtime facing not quite dead yet by Jackson.
In all, HHS continues their year strong, implicating new and returning strategies to keep spirits high as we swiftly approach empas for the year. I thank you for your time and attention and wish you all a great rest of the night, week, and month. Thank you. >> Thank you, Jonathan.
>> Moving on to our superintendence report. >> Good evening, everyone. Let me start by [clears throat] saying welcome to 2026. As I reflect on my first seven month seven months as a member of this district and as we reach the fivemon mark of the school year, I'm incredibly
proud of the work taking place across the Hawland school district. Every day I'm reminded that we have an amazing community and an excellent school system, one built on the dedication of the staff, which we have members of uh our staff here tonight. The leadership and support of our board of education
and the continued partnership of our families and community members who are always there to support our schools and most importantly our students. I'm grateful for this partnership and generally excited for all that lies ahead. I'd like to thank everyone who came out to the middle school 1A parent night and the high school dual
enrollment night. These events reflected our commitment to transparency, collaboration, and ensuring families are well informed about the opportunities available to their children. For those who are unable to attend, the presentations have been posted on the district website for your review as we encourage you to reach out with any
questions. like to add on to John's report about um athletics. Our winter athletic programs continue to represent Hawthorne with pride, demonstrating growth, competitiveness, and strong sportsmanship across all teams. Our girls basketball team continues to show steady improvement
during two recent wins and finishing third in our annual holiday tournament. Boys basketball had an outstanding showing in the holiday tournament, finishing second after a hard hard-fought championship game against Ridgefield Park. The team also celebrated celebrated [clears throat]
senior night this past Friday where we recognized our senior athletes for their dedication and contribution. Bowling continues to compete strongly in league play and earned an impressive victory over Pompton Lakes. Cheerleading competed in their first competition the season and performed very well in their
first outing. The team looks forward to continued success throughout their league and county competition schedule. Hockey will be competing in the county tournament against Clifton. Our four senior players continue to play at a high level and provide strong leadership for the team. Wrestling had an
exceptional performance at Battle of the Brooks tournament, finishing fifth out of 26 teams. Hugh Shortway and Kenny Callahan each placed fourth in their respective weight classes. Jack Lurer won the tournament at 132 pounds,
earning most outstanding wrestler honors. Jack was also recognized by NJ.com as an NJIC wrestler of the week and recently celebrated signing day committing to Johnson and Wales University. Very impressive. Um, as part of my midyear report, I'm going to
report on SDS. um that is our school safety and security initiatives and that's ongoing efforts to maintain safe learning environments across all schools and our continued collaboration with local and state partners. Uh in terms of HIVs, we
had five at Lincoln Middle School. Um actually a total of six. Five were determined to not be and one was determined to be an HIV. Four, we had five at high school, four uh not founded, one founded at Washington. We had two total. both of which were
confirmed, one at Jefferson, which was not confirmed, and none at Roosevelt. And then two incident reports at LMS, and one at HHS. Okay. So, on top of it being GOI night, it's also board of education recognition month. So, I have the opportunity to
speak about these wonderful individuals for a couple of minutes. Um, January is Board of Education Recognition Month. And I'd like to take this opportunity to publicly thank our Hawthorne Board of Education members for their service, leadership, and commitment to our school district. Serving on a board of
education requires an extraordinary investment of time, thought, and dedication. Our board members volunteer countless hours reviewing policies, budgets, curriculum, facility planning, district initiatives, and while keeping student learning and well-being at the
center of every decision. It's a hard job. They do it very well. Their work often takes uh place behind the scenes, yet its impact is felt daily in their classrooms, programs, and school community. It's now my pleasure to read the board resolution included in
tonight's agenda. The New Jersey School Boards Association has declared January 2026 to be school board recognition month, a time when all residents can acknowledge the contributions made by our local school board members. The Hawthorne Board of Education is one of
581 local school boards in New Jersey, which sets policies and oversees operations for public school districts. Hawthorne Board of Education embraces the goal of high quality education for all New Jersey public school students.
New Jerseys local school board helps determine the educational goals for approximately 1.4 million children in preK through 12th grade. New Jersey's 5,000 local school board members who receive no remuneration for their
services act as advocates for public school students as they work with administrators, teachers, and parents for the betterment of public education. School boards strive to provide resources necessary to meet the needs of all students, including those with special needs. Boards of education,
district to the public, and they convey to school administrators the public's expectation for the schools. New Jersey can take pride in its schools which rank among the nation's best and key achievement indicators such as national assessment of education progress scores and the preparation for college through
advanced placement offerings and SAT assessments. Now therefore, be it that the Hawthorne Board of Education does hereby recognize the services of local school board members throughout New Jersey as we join communities statewide in observing January 2026 as school
board recognition month that the Hawthorne Board of Education urges all New Jersey citizens to work with their local boards of education and public school staff towards the advancement of our children's education. on the behalf of the Hawthorne community like to thank you for your service and congratulate
you on doing an awesome job here. So, WELCOME. [applause] OKAY, at this point we get to the fun part, which is why everybody is here tonight. I appreciate you coming out. I encourage you to come to more board meetings. Um but uh this is the really exciting
part that we get to every year, which is recognizing the staff members that go above and beyond to support our students. And being new, um my first interactions with some of these individuals was actually going to the school, surprising them, and handing them some balloons. Um, so it was both
exciting and in just the quick couple minutes that I got to know them, I could recognize why they were um the chosen individuals to be recipients of this really prestigious award. Um, so just a little background this evening, I'm honored to introduce our GEOI
recipients. The GOI program recognizes outstanding educators and school specialists who exemplify excellence in teaching, leadership, service, and dedication to students, schools, and the broader school community. The selection process begins at the school level and includes nominations from both staff and
members of the community. Educators and school specialists are nominated based on exceptional professional practice, commitment to students, and positive contributions to school culture. Nominations are reviewed by each school and one individual is selected to represent that school as the DOI
recipient [cough and clears throat] from the teacher pers perspective and from the school specialist perspective. These individuals then move forward for district recognition and celebration. Tonight, we're proud to recognize this year's GOI recipients and celebrate their commitment to education excellence
and the meaningful difference they make each day to our students, families, and Hawthorne community. So, at this point, I'd like to invite our board president and our board's vice president to come forward. President of the teachers union, Miss Fatten, and then for the building administrators for your
building, I'd like you to come up and uh congratulate uh our recipients. So, we're going to start with Hawthorne High School >> and if you have the opportunity to put together a really great slideshow which gives you some insight uh on the interest of some of our uh recipient
which I think is kind of fun. So to start I would like to recognize and when I say your name please come forward. Um this is Amy Tan Tennis [applause] Tennis is an exemplary educator.
You can see it right [laughter] there. In her 23 years at Hawthorne High School, continues to go above and beyond for both her students and colleagues. Alexa mentor, former department lead, current mentor to a firstear teacher. She is a true leader in the mathematics department. Mrs. Tannis creates an
engaging thinking classroom where students collaborate using whiteboards and hands-on manipulatives to bring abstract concepts to life. She consistently applies innovative strategies learned through professional development and adapts her instruction to support multilingual learners. Her
commitment to student success is evident in her geometry honors students achieving 100% passing rate on the 2425 NJSL. [applause] In addition, Mrs. Tannis played a vital role in high school math PLC, helping strengthen curriculum alignment and
datadriven instruction. She's widely respected for her dedication, professionalism, and lasting impact on Hawthorne community. [applause] Put together a frame over here for you and your flowers.
>> Thank you very much. so much. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> And then Yeah, taking a picture as we go through. Thank you. [applause] Next, we have Miss
[applause] invaluable asset to the Hawin High School athletic program. He consistently demonstrates exceptional professionalism, communication, and leadership. She works seamlessly with our parents, coaches, administrators, and medical professionals to ensure the health and well-being of student
athletes. And her organizational skills and parent outreach, including leading multiple well-received presentations on physicals, and registration, reflect her commitment to keeping families informed and engaged. In her clinical role, she excels in injury evaluation,
rehabilitation planning, and recovery monitoring while maintaining clear communication with all stakeholders. She's also a leader in injury prevention and emergency preparedness, playing a key role in developing and maintaining the athletic [clears throat] department's emergency action plans. Through her expertise, dedication, and
compassion, Miss Wy consistently goes above and beyond for our students and is truly deserving of recognition. [applause] Yes. [applause] >> Okay. Now we're going to move to Lincoln Middle School. to start recognize Miss Victoria
Sappino, our teacher of the year. [applause] LMS is proud to award Mr. Cory Sapino teacher of the year for LMS. Miss Vap Sapatino is caring, compassionate, and motivated educator who has shown remarkable growth and confidence over
her nine years at LMS. She has become a trusted leader in the special education department and an invaluable mentor to new teachers. As a special education science teacher, she consistently puts students first and ensures every learner has the opportunity to succeed. Her
classroom is a model of engagement and differentiation with hands-on lessons designed to meet diverse student needs. Miss Sabatino is also an outstanding co-teer who collaborate seamlessly with colleagues to create meaningful learning experiences. Beyond the classroom, she demonstrates strong leadership by
developing resources, offering thoughtful feedback and introducing creative strategies that benefit the school. She's deeply involved in school community through after school clubs and schoolwide events. Miss Sappino builds strong relationships with students, families, and colleagues through her
professionalism and teamwork. Her dedication, leadership, and positive impact make her an exceptionally deserving teacher of the year recognition. [applause] [clears throat] Right. Four, two, three. >> [applause] >> I'd like to invite up Mrs. Wendy Fowler,
our service professional of the year from [applause] with great pride that Mrs. Fowler has been selected for the service professional of the year for LMS. Mrs. Valor is an exceptional care professional whose dedication, compassion, and commitment to students
at LMS truly set her apart. She consistently goes above and beyond her role making a meaningful difference in students daily lives. Mrs. Fowler genuinely cares for all students and has done remarkable work this year with her assigned student. She brings a calm,
steady demeanor and strong expertise in running programs that support both individual learners and the life skills program as a whole. Her student centered creativity is evident, such as when she has designed goldfish themed tokens for behavior boards to motivate a student she knows well. Mrs. Fowler's dedication
extends beyond the classroom, including turning a disappointing field trip into joy by creating a pumpkin patch at LMS. Her kindness and initiative created a memorable experience students will soon will not soon forget. She supports the life skills program with unwavering
commitment and contributes daily to making LMS a better place for students and staff. We are so incredibly proud of Mrs. Fowler and she's well deserving of this award. [applause] I really step up.
>> [applause] >> Next, we will be recognizing our teacher and educational specialist, Jefferson. >> Miss Godfrey, if you come up and join us. >> YEAH. >> [cheering] [applause] >> JENNIFER GODFREY, A first grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary School, is
highly deserving of recognition for the Governor's Educator of the Year Award with engaging, creative, and developmentally appropriate instruction. She has a profound impact on students during their formative years, fostering both academic growth and a love of
learning. Mrs. Godfrey creates a warm, welcoming classroom environment enriched with student work, inviting literature and hands-on experiences that promote curiosity, responsibility, and excitement. She strengthen strengthens literacy through daily journaling and
student authored books while actively partnering with families through consistent communication, inclusive classroom traditions, and weekly newsletters. Her dedication extends beyond the classroom, reflecting genuine care for students as individuals, even attending their games and their outside
activities. As one student shared, Mrs. Godfrey is the best teacher ever. She's the kindest teacher in the whole entire world. She makes learning fun. I love being in her class. Mrs. God's commitment, creativity, and passion make
her an exceptional educator and a truly deserving honor. Congratulations, >> [applause] >> Thank you cards. Here we go. Ready? She's so cute.
[applause] would have been there. >> Next, we have Mrs. Carrie Parker. [applause and cheering] Carrie Parker is a highly deserving recipient of recognition for her outstanding service for the Haward School District. With more than 10 years
of experience as a behavior consultant, Mrs. Parker consistently goes above and beyond to support student, staff, and families, particularly within preschool and ABA kindergarten programs. She implements current researchbased practices, trains teachers and pair of
professionals, consults across special education and general education settings, supports program intakes, and leads professional development. Miss Parker has played a key role in launching new ABA classrooms, ensuring smooth transitions to kindergarten, and guiding staff through the adoption of a
new ABA data collection system through her collaboration, creativity, and dedication to bridging school and home supports for students with significant behavioral needs. Miss Parker exemplifies professionalism, compassion, and leadership, making her an
exceptional asset to the district and truly deserving of this honor. Congratulations. [applause] >> [applause] [applause] >> Thanks for Roosevelt. [applause] We'll
invite up Christ. [applause] [cheering] >> Mrs. Christa Haskam has dedicated her entire to career to Roosevelt Elementary School. [applause] Serving the Hawthorne School District with distinction since 2007, beginning
as a special education teacher and later transitioning to art teacher in 2014. She brings a deep understanding of differentiated instruction and inclusion to every aspect of her work. Holding multiple New Jersey certifications, Miss Hascup skillfully integrates inclusive
practices into her art program, ensuring all students can access, participate in, and succeed in meaningful creative experiences. Beyond the classroom, she's dependable and innovative colleague who artistic and vision enhances school climate through events, displays, and
schoolwide initiatives that build pride and community. A respected leader on school and district committees, she also strengthens family engagement through social media, community events, and the celebration of student achievement. Miss Haska's passion, creativity, and
leadership make her richly deserving of recognition as an outstanding educator and recipient of New Jersey Governor's Educator of the Year Award. Congratulations [applause] jokes on them. I think it's most of us. Everyone,
[applause] next we have Mrs. Monica Moss. [applause] Mrs. Moss is a dedicated pair professional at Roosevelt School whose impact on students and staff is truly exceptional. As a onetoone pair for a student with unique and challenging needs, Mrs. Moss has proven to be a
dependable and invaluable presence in the classroom as well as a resource and trusted colleague. Monica Monica consistently goes above and beyond, arriving early and staying late to ensure she's fully prepared and continuously seeking out new strategies to better support her student. Her firm,
consistent, and loving approach allows her student to thrive while also enabling the classroom teacher to effectively meet the needs of the entire class. Through her creativity and resourcefulness, Monica adapts material so her student can fully access the same learning opportunities as peers.
approachable, reflective, and often leading by example. Her dedication, professional professionalism, and passion make her richly deserving of this recognition. Congratulations. [applause] >> [laughter] >> Take a picture. You want to hold it next to
[laughter] his head. >> [applause] >> And last but not least, WASHINGTON. [applause] >> I'd like to invite up Miss Claia Rossy, our governor. [applause] It is with great pride and excitement that we celebrate Miss Claudia Rossi as
a recipient of the Governor's Educator of the Year Award. An exceptional first grade teacher at Washington Elementary School, Miss Rossi brings warmth, dedication, and professionalism to her role each and every day. She begins each morning by warmly greeting her students,
setting a positive and welcoming tone that carries through her classroom, a place where students feel safe, valued, and eager to learn. Claudia is deeply committed to meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of every child, approaching her work with patience, compassion, and an unwavering
belief in her students potential. Lifelong learner, she continuously seeks opportunities for professional growth and generously shares her knowledge with colleagues to strengthen instructional practices schoolwide. Her commitment to excellence and genuine genuine care for
her students make her truly deserving of this honor and we are proud to recognize her tonight. CONGRATULATIONS. [applause] >> Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Okay, thank you. So, our last recipient for tonight, I was unable to make it unfortunately, but
I did want to recognize her because she's Miss Lisa Surles. [applause] [applause] >> It is an honor to recognize Miss Lisa Sles as the governor's educator services specialist of the year and to celebrate her outstanding contribution to
Washington Elementary School. For more than 20 years, Lisa has served with the Pawthorne Public School District as a dedicated, highly skilled behaviorist, providing invaluable support to students, staff, and family. Her leadership and expertise has been instrumental in the growth and success
of our steps program, which has expanded under her guidance to serve 36 students across six classrooms. Lisa works collaboratively with both special education and general education teachers to develop individualized effective behavior plans that support student success and well-being. Our innovative
partnership with Columbia University has further strengthened our program by bringing aspiring behaviorists into our schools to support students and staff. Lisa's professionalism, deep expertise, and unwavering commitment to our school community make her truly deserving of
this recognition, and we're proud to honor her this evening before the board of education. [applause] >> So, I just wanted to say congratulations to all of our recipients. I mean, you you hear all the words that we had to share tonight about how exceptional they are, and they really make our district
as great as it is. So, thank you for all that you do. Um, I'm not going to expect everybody to stick around for the rest of the board meeting. You're welcome to do so if you'd like to. What we're going to do is take a short recess. What I'd ask is all the recipients to come up so we can take one group picture and then if you'd like to leave, you're welcome
to do so. But congratulations to all. [applause] All right, moving on. Committee and liaison reports. [clears throat] >> Legislative Mr. Park. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, let's see.
November 13th, we had A2 A333 and S3713 pension curriculars that were code. Uh what would have changed would have required extra pay for extracurricular duties, performances, athletic clubs, competitions, for example, uh to be counted as pensionable compensation for
teachers under TAP. Current law, pension compensation generally includes contractual salary, not additional pay for extracurricular temporary duties. The governor's rationale cited concerns and the importance of consistency across state administered pension systems which currently prohibit including extra
compensation for work beyond the regular day and year. Uh the statuses will bill will not become law unless two of both senate and assembly override the veto. There's a conditional veto on S4608 and A5847 school audit delay. Uh this would have
extended the annual audit deadlines for school year 2025 [snorts] into January. Uh this is the governor's rational is point to exist existing requirement for the NJ DOE to evaluate the impact of extensions. NJOA recommend maintaining current statutory deadlines setting the need for timely audit data
for budgeting and early identification of potential fiscal distress. The governor's recommended revision now to the legislature to accept is to remove the extended order for 2425 require districts to make financial books and records available by two
orders by July 1st. Districts that fail may raise may face reduced QAC scores. Allow the commissioner to grant limited case by case flexibility for hardships and direct the NJ do DOE to evaluate technical changes that could enable earlier data collection. Next steps on
this will be to return to legislature for simple majority votes to concur with recommendations. Uh some committee activity affecting school districts single-use utensils bill S3195. This was initially held due to operational cost and safety concerns. Schools were included as a food service business
later advanced after an amendment to exempt schools from the requirement as reflected in the update. Water quality quality notification S94A1400. This will require public water systems to immediately notify municipalities and school leaders when water quality standards are violated and to provide
suggested remedies. Key boxes for school security S440. S440 requires installation of exterior key boxes at school buildings by June 30th, 2027. sub subject to state appropriations as described in the public in the I'm sorry as described in
the update includes possible exemptions for equivalent plans and state varying costs with uh reimbursement provisions artificial dies in school food s16 this would restrict certain substances at dies in school food with school food provisions effective August 1st 2028 as
per the update uh therapy drug pilot program A1 1165 S 1253 this would establish a three-year pilot program assessing student academic and health benefits, elementary school wellness programs. And last, bills that were signed into law December 25 and January 2026,
student internet enabled device policies. This would requires the NJ DOE to issue statewide guidelines. Districts must adopt policies beginning school year 26 and 27 to prohibit non-academic use during the school day. The staff uh
staff epilepsy and seizure training. This would require staff training every That was signed January 12th, 2026. And the student internet enabled device policies was signed by the governor January 8th, 2026. That concludes my report.
>> Thank you. Finance administration, Mr. Kio. >> Thank you, Mr. President. The finance committee met last Tuesday. This year's committee is made up of myself, Andy Blues, and we welcome Lisa SP. Um topics on the agenda were the were an update on
the 2425 audit. We're shooting for a February presentation from the auditors. Uh at that point we'll know what the final numbers for the previous year's budget was. Uh we also discussed the food service audit. Uh as we're made
aware, every three years there's an audit uh that needs to be done for uh food service. This year's audit [snorts] will take place at Jefferson School between March 10th and March 12th. Uh we also discussed there was a need for pulling a fund from the maintenance
reserve account as noted on the agenda in F3 of $200,000. is going to be withdrawal from the maintenance reserve uh for uh repairs and upgrades that were not necessarily budgeted for. Um the uh 2025 [cough]
2026 budget [snorts] is being developed and we should have an update on that next couple weeks. That's why [snorts] I have that report. >> Thank you council leaison and personnel. Miss Archer. >> Thank you Mr. President. I did meet with
the board the on the council councilwoman Amarie Sasso and the council sent us their congratulations to our board president vice president and our new member Mrs. so they wanted to wish us a
good year and they're looking forward to working together a few updates from the town the town welcomed new business administrator Vincent Caruso they are looking forward to several new projects that will be updating the
municipal pool complex this year. And they're also continuing to support the neighborhood preservation program for local businesses. So there will there will be some updates and upgrades to local businesses and they're encouraging
us to shop local and support our local restaurants in the community. So that concludes my report for council liaison. And regarding personel, we All right. Thank you. [snorts] C9. Mr. Scott.
>> Thank you, Mr. President. The committee on curriculum instruction met last week. Uh the first topic of discussion discussion was the title carryover. So we are entitled to title one funds which is a federal funding that is uh computed by the amount of low-inccome families
that the district has. So the fiscal year of 2025 resulted in an $80,000 carryover. So this is over the allowable 15% which resulted in a waiver being submitted showing how we would use the funds. The county said that the funds from the car
should minimally be put towards salaries which is what we normally would have done. So Dr. Trabona and his team uh generated a list of things to use that money for. The first of which was something known as teacher toolbox which is a supplement for i which is our new benchmarking system for both ELA and math. The second thing is something
known as brain pop which is a gamified uh review for students in through. Uh and the third thing was a part-time ESL teacher for Washington um that we are proposing. The next topic of
discussion was the new courses. So in addition to the new courses that I discussed last month, um Dr. Jima shared with us that for the 26 27 school year, they would be proposing three new AP courses. AP cyber security which replace
our regular cyber security course and will be offered to students in grades 10 through 12 AP pre-calculus which will be dually enrolled with FDU offered to our top tier pre-cal students and to prepare them for AP calc and support and enhance work towards SAT prep during the year.
This will be offered to students in 11th to 12th grade. And the third and final will be AP business and personal finance which is designed to help build the p the business pathway offered to students in grades 11 through 12 um after different prerequisite uh sequences and also would meet that that personal
finance component that is required by the state. With the addition of these three AP courses, this brings the sophomore high school total of AP course offerings up to 22 AP course offerings, which is awesome. the most we have ever had uh in my 14 years on the board. I can say that this has been an ongoing uh
commitment from the board and the administrative team to to increase the number. When I came there were six AP courses. So it is amazing to see. Uh some of the other new courses are rock band two which is a progression uh to rock band one which was added a few
years ago. Dance four uh progression based on the success of the program where you currently have dance one two and three. One a math uh six 1 a math 7 1 a science 6 1 a7 7 science 7 1 a science 8 uh 1 a social studies both at
67 and 1 a language arts 67 and 8 and those are those uh advanced track middle school classes that we we've been discussing throughout the committee. We also discussed multicultural night bulletin boards that are in each building. So there is a
bulletin board that is um a tree and a flag behind it. On the tree there are 22 different flags representing the the different I'm sorry 24 different flags the 24 countries that have committed to coming to the multicultural night. Uh there is the same strong roots many
branches one hawthorne on each of them. which is a lovely saying and these bulletin boards are displayed toward [snorts] the front of each building, the front entry of each building. Um, additionally I wanted to say back about the courses there are also some revised
current courses that will be uh created for next year. Foundations of economics and investing principles which will be replacing investment strategies one and two which I had mentioned last month. New names have not been finalized but the that's the gist. Spanish honors is
in need of an update. Uh so that will get revision and K through five math courses are currently undergoing um right now they're looking for the adoption of a new resource, a new book that we have a team of people that are that are on that. So we will report when
that is chosen. Um the multicultural night meeting was this evening right before this meeting at an alternate location and multicultural night is on February 20. 8.
>> No, 25th. >> Okay. 25th. Currently, we have, as I said, 24 countries represented. Many more families, some multiple families per country. Um, some highlights are Costa Rican professional dancers, Circasian professional dancers, and
henna artists. Um, uh, the 1A followup, uh, Chris, Dr. Traona, and and Mr. presented to parent parent population. They had a very large number of people attend. They said there were more than 60 people in attendance. When [clears throat] we drilled down more, we
heard that there were parents as young as who have first graders who were attending. So, seems to be of interest to a very large population of people, not just those on the cusp of entering middle school. It seems to be the elementary population is interested in that opportunity and I'm very happy [snorts] to hear that parents did attend
in large numbers. We also reviewed the calendar which is on the agenda for this evening 26 27 calendar. Uh that is all. >> Thank you >> madam vice president NJSBA and PCSBA. >> Thank you Mr. Vice President.
>> Um I have not I haven't met since our last meeting to give an update. So I do want to let every know everyone know that for um NJSBA don't forget to
um do your any work you need to do. So orientation as we reminded earlier and also the form that Sandy sent us >> that disclosure form is due um and it
pro it will it has got kicked back to us a lot in the Don't give up. Just keep trying. Um for PCSBA, um our next meeting is February 9th, which is coming up. Uh that'll be virtual. It's 6:45 to 8:30. And the
topic is fostering student achievement insights from district leaders. Uh the meeting after that will be in May and that one will be hybrid. So you have a choice of in person or virtually. Um and then March 25th is our Heroes Awards
which we um like to attend. They haven't picked a place or a time yet. It's um we're waiting. So I don't have that information but as soon as I do I will get it back to you. Um and January 30th is a board of directors for NJSBA. Sorry that out. That's it. Thank you.
>> Thank you Mr. Blues. Have CPAC PTO's. >> Thank you Mr. President. I will uh start off with the high school because staff just mentioned it. It is February 25th, multicultural night. It's the second annual multicultural night. Strong roots, many branches, one
Hawthorne. It's celebrating the many cultures that come together to make our uh our school communities strong and vibrant. Um over to Roosevelt PTO, there is a fund I'm sorry, a fun pasta fundraiser.
Say that a couple times. Fun pasta fundraiser. Um, I think the forms will be available. Um, it may only be till tomorrow or the 27th. I'm not sure. I apologize for that. But, um, it's not just pasta. There's fun shaped pastas,
organic, lowcal, protein pastas, tomato sauces, soups, chilies, macaroni cheese, um, and a lot more. You can find a student at Roosevelt that has the order forms or you can go online. Again, I get a lot of my information from the Facebook page. So, Roosevelt PTO
Facebook and you can find the order form there. Uh, LMS PTO presents Tasty Pizza Giveback which is tomorrow. Um, January 21st. It's an all day event. It's takeout or
dine in. Uh, just mention LMS PTO when you are making your purchase. And February 1st, uh, LMS is hosting a paint and sip event. It's a fun night out. Bring your friends, family, neighbors, etc. for a memorable night filled with laughter, painting, and
great company. The link is also on the Lincoln Middle School deal page. I believe it's $50 per person for all the painting and sipping that you need. at CPAC. Again, I'll just round it off with uh my monthly update that CPAC is
preparing for the 8th annual 5K color run walk on May 3rd. Put it on your calendar. Early registration begins April 18th. Um it's really one day and then the price will actually increase on the 19th. So, you should get there and
um register in per, you know, uh online on the 18th. And if you want to register the day of the event, you can, but it's cash only. And [snorts] anyone who's attending, please bring non-p perishable food items to donate to the local food pantry. Also, there's a $200 award for
the school district uh the Hawthorne District School that uh brings the most registered staff. So, encourage your staff to participate and you could give $200 towards your school. >> I love that. Yeah, that's very expensive. >> Definitely. And again, it's it's
hawthorne.nj.pacgmail.com if you are interested in being a sponsor. >> And that concludes my report. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Vega. Building grounds and policy, please. >> Okay. So, buildings and grounds, we met
on January 13th, last Tuesday, and the fi following items were discussed. um updates on current projects as well as the discussion of future projects such as prioritizing the districtwide security um you know including additional CA cameras, visitor
management uh systems in each school and other security enhancements. Uh we also discussed the possibility of upgrading the main entrance of the high school. Um with regards to the barricade, we discussed renewing our lease with the
current location um the rental location where the bear case is situated for a term that is longer than a year at a time. So that is in discussion at the moment. Um and we also spoke about uh introducing the concept of a possible
2027 referendum and what that might mean for the district and the community. With regards to policy committee, we did not meet this meeting. >> Thank you. >> All right. Uh curriculum and instruction
action items. Mrs. Scott. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Pursuant to the recommendation of superintendent of school for committee on curriculum instruction recommend the following resolutions. CI1 on page five carried on page six, CI2 through CI7 on
page six, CI 8 through CI2 on page seven. On behalf of the committee, I still move. >> Second. >> Second by Miss Art. Discussion. >> Yes. >> I just wanted to um say how much I love
[snorts] today. We're approving one of the things firstly, sorry, Abby listed was trips. So, I didn't I just found this out, but our high school dance team uh dance I guess three dance class three you call it are going to each of the I
just want to point that out for the board and people watching um to perform for them and I just think it's another great chance for our elementary kids. I believe they're also going to the middle school but anyway to show them what
they're doing and get them involved and it's just another way to connect our students in the district and I love that. So, um I was very excited to do that to approve this tonight for our students. That was all. Thank you. >> Anyone else?
>> I had a question, Mr. President. Um, so for CI6, CI 7, uh, CI 8, 9, and 10, um, I think I'm just unclear as to the way
that it's written as far as, so for example, take CIA because I'm looking at it right now. It says that there will be a maximum of three hours monthly not to exceed $2,300 and that's for the next five months. >> So is the 2,300 for the five months. So
we don't know the hourly. >> Well, so this is a student that we're currently looking at a district placement. >> Okay. >> Um so I think that's the top amount that we spend over the course of the school year. Three hours isn't going to equate to 23, >> right? That that's what I was trying to
figure out. I took that number and divided by so the next five months and then you know so 15 I took that number divided [snorts] by 15 and I'm like well that can't be the hourly rate >> right >> that's an insane amount of money so how are we arriving at 2375
if we're not do you know what I'm I mean I'm not asking >> over the course of five months [snorts] three hours per month right >> if you do the math that's an expensive >> that's exactly so maybe that's not the best example I know some of these So you think this is probably weekly. Have you
ever seen a student that only gets three hours a month >> a speech? No. >> No. So I think it was probably weekly. >> I'll look into it. >> Yeah. >> But I think my question is more like that. >> They are all written like that. And I tried to do the math in my head because I know the flowing rates of some of these things
>> um just because that's what I do daily and it's all of them seem very high to me. Yeah. So, I just don't know if it's that we have we have a very high hourly rate or maybe I'm just not factoring in something like I think I'm just confused only because this I know a little bit
more about this than the general population. >> So, maybe it would be clear if we didn't. I don't know. And I'm I'm not suggesting to change it. I just for my own identification, >> I think these seem exorbitant, >> right? And if that is a service that
we're [snorts] paying that level of money for, it's something we want to look into. Sure. And I understand that the nature of these special placements can be exorbitant. >> So this this is certainly not something that we typically see at these rates, >> right? So I'll look into it and I'll
report back. >> Um is there a minimum or maximum for ESY a number of days? Because I noticed I just noticed and I apologize that we're starting in June this year.
We usually start in July. I'm sorry, CI-4. CI4. >> It's approval of ESY dates. >> The specific we did move it up. Okay. As per a suggestion from our director of
special programs. >> Um, and we are still fulfilling the specific amount of days that we're required to offer ESY even when we're moving it up a week. And the idea is like a continuation of their educational experience rather than having a gap and
then >> right which I totally understand because we don't want them to lose what they've learned. It's not teaching new skills. It's so that >> and I know you know this for the public >> so that you're not losing the skills you did have you did gain. But I think I
don't I think we're offering more because we're starting early >> and yet we're still ending [clears throat] on time, right? So, I'm fine with more, but um I'm pretty sure the minimum is 19 days. And I do love that we're off Friday because a lot of
districts. >> All right. I was just curious if there was a reason that we were starting early this year, but that that's all >> that was the rationale was just to keep the kids in flow of being in the building. >> Okay. >> Roll call, please.
>> Miss Multien. >> Yes. >> Mr. Poo. >> Yes. Mrs. Phone. >> Yes. Oh, wrong person. Sorry. Mrs. Phone. >> Yes. But I'm going to recuse myself from CI6 to CI 10.
>> And yes to everything else. >> Yes. [clears throat] >> Dr. Vega. >> Yes. >> Mr. Carr. >> Yes. >> Mr. Clubho. >> Yes. >> Miss Art. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Goff. >> Yes. >> Mr. >> Yes. Personnel
Miss Arantra. >> Thank you, Mr. President. The following resolutions are pursuant to the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. P2 Oh, P1, sorry. Uh, through P7 on page 8,
P8 through P17 on page 9, P18 through P28 on page 10, P29 through P36 on page 11. On behalf of the committee, I Second
>> second by Mrs. G. Discussion. >> Yes. >> Um so I know a couple of these dates have passed already that we're approving for like chaperones for tonight. I know January is wonky. [snorts] Yeah. >> To begin with. >> Um
when we approve them past the date um and kind of playing catch up with the holidays and stuff. If if like let's say a chaperone didn't actually chaperone on on one of the dates that already passed, would we have to then take it off the agenda or would we just fix it with
payroll separately? >> I believe and I'll let Mali speak to this also is the retro individuals that are listed on here, right? We're putting them on because they didn't make a previous agenda if that makes sense. >> Like ideally, this is what what we've
been working in terms of agenda deadline. We really not be retroing often, right? >> The majority should be approved at least in the previous 14, >> right? But what I'm asking is because because it's retro if it didn't actually take place.
So, let's say a chaperone didn't actually chaperone on that day. >> Is that something they're vouchering for? So, it really wouldn't matter, right? We wouldn't be That's what I'm asking. >> Um, and then I just wanted to mention I saw Erin Brown on here.
10 who um is a Hawthorne alum. >> Yes. >> And a parent in town and was at the volleyball game at Roosevelt. Um so I'm very h I I love seeing the lum Hawthorne that you know born and raised in Hawthorne went through. She was like a bear to the extreme. We were in band
together graduate together. She was Aaron Hayes then. But anyway, I just want to say congratulations to her and I'm so happy to um be approving everyone on here as a hireer tonight. So thank you. That's all, >> Mr. President. >> Yes. >> Um, I would like to thank the
administrative staff and and the board for their pending approval of P1, which is increasing the sub pay to $130 a day. Um, I happen to be witness to Bergen County conversation on a Facebook page that I'm on where they were talking about the going receiving in Burton
County. This seems commensurate with with Bergen County districts. Um, and I think we'll do nothing but benefit our students because subs are so integral in everyday functioning and this is going to just really benefit us and I'm very thankful
that we figured out a way um to do that. I'd also like to just congratulate all the people that are getting their longevity day on here. It's so nice to see that so many faculty members have stayed long enough. I know we've been doing that incrementally each each time, but I forgot to mention it until today
um to to be uh in receipt of longevity, it means you you really have sucked it out. We are appreciative of that long-term commitment that you made to the district and we really really appreciate everything that works here. But all good things on this agenda, >> I'll make the comment, but kind of kind
of to piggy back off what's already been said. First, welcome to the new hires to the district, as I always like to welcome them. And again, like Abby just mentioned, congratulations to the teachers who received those longevity increases and we're grateful that you're
here for those milestone years with us. Congrats again. >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Paloo, >> yes. >> Mrs. Phone, >> yes. >> Dr. Vega, >> yes. >> Mr. Carr, >> yes. >> Mr. Clehjo, >> yes.
>> Miss Arantra, >> yes. >> Mrs. Goff, >> yes. Multi. >> Yes. >> Mr. Tatara, >> yes. >> Finance administration. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Action items pursuant to the recommendation of superintendent of schools. The committee on finance and administration recommends
the following resolutions on page 12 F1 through A2 page 13, A3 to A5. On behalf of the committee, I so seconded by Mr. Carr. Discussion. I'm sorry.
Yep. Yeah. Um, for F3, I I know we I was just curious what the funds are actually being allocated for like a, you know, not specific, but a brief overview of what the money we're withdrawing for maintenance.
>> Um, so I'll start and Mali if you want to add in. So, uh I think that we've been [clears throat] keeping the board up to date in terms of from especially from the buildings and grounds committee the number of um maintenance based projects that we had to do this year in
terms of some of the boiler issues that we ran into um the classrooms at Roosevelt and with some of those items it turned out that there was an upcharge that was associated because you dig in and you find a larger problem. So, as part of that process, our maintenance
reserves certainly took a hit for the first half of the school year. Um, all good things though because we're putting in a district in which we're ensuring that kids are safe and their buildings are warm and attended to, but just to be completely um certain that we're going to be in a good place for the second
half of the year. Mrs. by Cali and I sat down and discussed that it would be important that we would have funds in place because being that we're only in January and we have a whole second half of the school year that would be appropriate to to take $100,000 out of maintenance reserve to make sure that we
get through the rest of school year. Um, so there's no like big project it's going into or a certain school like a I know we did roof repairs recently >> and roses on a couple. >> No, these are not capital [clears throat] projects. It's just maintenance everyday
um repairs that we need to do in the district. >> Okay. Because I also know that we had some referendum money left that was could go to >> each school like um we had made like a you can't use those for If it's something that was on the referendum,
>> if it's on the referendum, we're using it. But these are not projects that I apologize. >> If something was on the referendum, >> like a boiler for example, and then [snorts] that needs repair, which I mean it should be brand new, but you know,
things happen. We've seen whatever. I don't know [laughter] the terminology. >> Can we can we use the referendum funds >> where we've been able to? we have but these are projects that wouldn't fall in the right >> because like for for example security
and security cameras I know [snorts] is a goal right but that I'm 99 and I wasn't on the board then but I'm 99% sure that that was part of the referendum >> which is the plan for the the referendum remaining funds are going to go directly
into security because they were relational to the >> right but also additional additionally this is going to go in as well meaning F3 into security and security. >> No, >> no, no. >> This is this is just for maintenance reserves. So, for example,
>> uh at Jefferson at the end of the landing, I think I've shared this with some of the board members, we have that area that collects water and freezes over, right? >> That would be an appropriate job for us to use maintenance funds to to fix that piece of it. Um but anything security
based we're we're um we're in a good place that we have leftover funding that we're able to upgrade >> more and it's related to the original referendum which it makes that money allowable. >> Okay. And correct me if I'm wrong but moving something from a reserve account
it's like moving from your savings to your check. It's there >> to use. So the possibility exists that you don't we don't use all 200,000. >> Correct. And then we put it back. >> Yes. >> Okay. So it's it's just moving it to so that if they need to fix something urgently and
>> I think I understand. >> Yeah. >> Um and then so my last question is can you use maintenance uh reserve money to for like new projects? >> No. >> No. No. >> What if you wanted to look into a new
project? Could you use the money for that? Like let's say uh the architecture. >> Are you answering my question the audience? Thank you. >> Sorry. So you couldn't pay an engineer to do something >> out of that money.
>> Oh, that's what Okay. >> Yes. Facilities, >> right? The maintenance of it. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. >> No problem. >> Mrs. SP. >> Yes. >> Dr. Vega. >> Yes. >> Mr. Carr.
>> Yes. >> Mr. Pigo. Yes, >> Miss Arantra. >> Yes, >> Mrs. G. >> Yes, >> Miss Multicolson. >> Yes, >> Mr. Paloo. >> Yes, >> Mr. Taro. >> Yes. >> Mr. Carr. [clears throat]
>> Thank you, Mr. President. In accordance with NJS682 23-2 column 11B C3 and C4 CLI approval January 2026 build list is recommended the board approve the bill list for the month of January 20 26.
>> Second. Second by Mr. Kho. Discussion. Roll call, please. >> Dr. Vega, >> yes. >> Mr. Carr, >> yes. >> Mr. Clego, >> yes. >> Miss Arantra, >> yes. >> Mrs. Goff, >> yes. >> Miss Multicolson, >> yes.
>> Mr. Paloo, >> yes. >> Mrs. Phone, >> yes. >> Mr. Taro, >> yes. >> Dr. V, buildings and grounds, please. Pursuant to the recommendation of the superintendent of schools, the committee of on buildings and grounds recommend
the following resolutions. BG1 uh starting on page 13, continuing on page 14. On behalf of the committee, I so move >> seconded by Mr. Paloo.
Discussion. >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Carr. >> Yes. >> Mr. Yes, >> Mrs. Art. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Dodge. >> Oh, yes. I'm killing it today. >> Missy Coulson. >> Yes,
>> Mr. Paloo. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Bone. >> Yes. >> Dr. Vega. >> Yes. >> Mr. >> Yes. >> Dr. Vega. Again, uh policy, please. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Um the action items pursuant to the recommendation of
the superintendent of schools. of the committee on policy recommends the following resolutions PO1 on page 14 on behalf of the committee I so move >> second >> seconded by Moff
discussion >> roll call please >> Mr. >> yes >> missro >> yes >> Mrs. Goff >> yes >> Miss Multicolson >> yes >> Mr. Paloo >> yes >> Mrs. Spe >> yes >> Dr. Vega >> yes >> Mr. Car >> yes
Yes. >> Public be heard. At this time, members of the public may ask questions or make comments on educational issues or school matters. [clears throat] >> Not a dialogue with the board. >> All right. [clears throat]
>> Name your license, please. >> Citizen Rich. [laughter] So, I am here tonight to give you guys an update on the Athletic Hall of Fame, which we've been working on for about a year now, a little more than a year now.
But, um, you may have seen our post, our recent post on social media, but I wanted to come and give you a formal update and kind of tell you where we are and what the plan is going forward. So, first of all, we are very excited uh to announce our inaugural class, our class
of 2026. Not an easy decision. There are many, as you can imagine, many uh deserving uh former athletes, coaches, teams, and special contributors that we consider. Uh the great news is this is just year one, so we have many years
ahead of us to induct uh many other candidates going forward. Just to give you a quick uh a quick update of who the our inductees are for this year. Our athletes being inducted are Terresa Dembeck from the class of 79, Robert
Foy, class of 64, Margaret Hagen Gorman, class of 1987. Sandy Haran, class of 1976. Ethan Ramos, class of 2013. Rusty Reed, class of 1994. Caitlyn Salbury, class of
2016. Michael Patrick Teresi, class of 1971. Those are our athletes. Our coaches are coach Ed O' Conor, former phys teacher and coach and coach Julie Zimmerman and also former phys teacher. Our three uh teams that are being inducted really there's four teams, but
we're kind of doing two uh together as one. Our 193536 boys soccer teams, our 1970 football team, and our 2001 girls volleyball team. And our three special contributors are Alison King. As you know, you've seen the name on the field down there.
Uh and then William Rhodess and Henry Van Ry or Hank Van Ry. You've probably seen their names down by the field on the snack stand. So that that is our inaugural class of uh 2026. We're very excited. Um as I said, very tough decision, but we feel very good about
the group that are being inducted uh this year. So really excited to share that. Um, our dinner is Thursday, March 26th, 2026 at the Brownstone starting at 6:30. Uh, we [clears throat] are just beginning to share all of our ticket and
adbook information. A matter of fact, our social [snorts] media guru, Megan Neper, will be posting our ticket and adbook information on social media. I asked Mr. Minielli to share uh all that information in the school's weekly reports. I appreciate your willingness
to do that. Thank you for that. going to be speaking to the mayor by having him share to his uh his announcement as well. So, looking forward to getting that information out, but it'll be out uh as of probably next couple days, you'll start seeing it on social media. Um and of course due to school's week
reports. Um I do want to mention just for those of you who may be watching, hopefully some people are watching, uh we have two social media accounts. Our Facebook account is is Hawthorne HS Athletic HOF.
Hawthorne HSTICH HOF. And our Instagram account is HHS Bears HOF. HHS Bears HOF. So, you'll you'll see uh that information about our tickets and book information on those sites. The other thing I just want to mention, I'd be
remiss if I didn't thank the Booster Club and really more specifically the [snorts] Athletic Hall of Fame committee. So, we do have a committee that have been meeting and I just want to share who they are because they've been putting a lot of time in and I appreciate all the work they put in. So, our our officers are myself as the
chair, Bob Pasqual is our vice chair, Gus Shell is our secretary and Chris Warner is our treasurer. Our other committee members are Mr. Tom Deo senior, former phys teacher on my high school football coach. Uh Lisa Rodomacher, former phys teacher, John
Marlo, Margaret O'Hagen, Art Mazaka, John Pazaro and Megan Neper. So that is the committee that has been working very hard to not only collect the nominations to discuss the nominations and now work on uh putting the dinner together. So
just want to thank those guys and uh you know hopefully we will see some of you at the dinner. We're really excited about this. This has been a long time coming. It's been a kind of a personal project for me. Um, and as as soon as I retired, I jumped in with both feet. So,
looking forward to March 26. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Anyone else? >> Seeing none, we'll move on to general comments. New business or old business? Uh, please make sure you state which one it is as we go down the line. and we
will start off with Mr. PL. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Uh really just want to congratulate all the teachers of the year. Um I came in. It was nice to see everybody here [snorts] and um I was a little disappointed because I was hoping to see Lisa Sles. I haven't seen
her in a very long time. Um my son was three. He's going to be 23 this year. So um and from what they said, she was here for 20 years. So, um he was one of the first people that really helped us um learn, you know, how to how to take care
of him and and move forward. Um uh it it's again we a lot of them we have dealt with over the years, but I was hoping to see her. Congratulations to everyone, you know, for the future. [snorts] That's all I have to say. Thank you, Sarah.
>> I have a general comment. Um it's an unusual one. Um, >> no, no, no, no. It's not it's not a funny unusual one, but I wanted to um take a moment to remember one of mine
America's classmates who passed away this morning. Um, getting upset because he was a friend. Um, Jason Poland who graduated with us in 2002. Um, some people know him of course.
He may have had some physical limitations. Um he was in a wheelchair our entire time um in the Hawthorne school system, but he was actively involved in so much in our district. And I think um I mean
anyone who knew him loved him, but I think it's also a testament to our community. He was I mean we're talking 30 years ago, 25 years ago when we graduated or so. Um, but he was so warmly embraced and always welcomed and
included and I think that goes um to say just a lot about our community. Um, I'm grateful to have kept in touch with him. Every time I've run for an election, he's had my signs up and he's just so proud of being classmates with with both
of us. Um, so it was upsetting to hear today because he has been sick for a while. But just wanted to remember someone who was really a big part of our our time here now. So
>> that's all. >> Um I would I guess this is I don't know this is what kind of comments it is. Um I have two suggestions. Uh, number one would be potentially to the best of our
ability, um, basically prohibiting anything else in the district from happening on nights of board meetings. Um, I would love to see more public participation at these meetings and that includes bringing in members of the community to honor them.
And I feel like sometimes they're they're split, there's games, there's other meetings. We had another important meeting this evening and I I don't think it's fair to have that them choose. Um, if we can just get the get the calendar out. I mean, we've approved the meetings
already ask respectfully that the athletics department and all the buildings respectfully do not put anything on those those nights. Um, we also have been traveling to different buildings and I think which is great and letting
parents come in and see. Um, but I I know other districts that do that that board meeting nights are board meeting nights and there's really nothing else that can happen on those nights for a number of reasons. We want people to come to these meetings and if they can't come, which we understand, we've made the commitment to have them live
streamed. So, uh, you know, letting them watch the meeting from wherever they can watch the meeting, but not having them choose have to make the choice of attending an event or or coming to a board meeting if we can. Um, additionally, I think that it would be lovely if we could have middle school
students. Um I know we have a few teams here. I I don't know all the current teams. Soccer, track, um basketball. If they could play one of their respective sports at the high school, like make it a night where they
come play basketball in the gym. Make it where they I'm assuming they do track. But anyway, um again, as we've said, get into that building tent. Love that building. Just getting them into that building and their families. Families will come watch
them participate in these sports. So, just an idea. Um, you know, we we've said a couple of other things in inviting all middle school students, giving them a free ticket to the play. They come for free. Um, getting them into that theater to see the play. I was
so impressed by the play that I saw and I know there's the musicals coming up. So just just things that we can do to really get students and their families into the high school I think would be great. We're doing a great job of getting high school students into the middle and elementary school. You can
hear it was a cool peer [clears throat] leaders. Um >> all of those other things, the dance, as you pointed out, the dance field trips going down. Now I think we need to do the reverse. Seeing if we can get those students into the actual building would be really great for them.
>> That's all. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um, and I'm just following up. This is not this one not part of my original comment, but like we do get have like spend a day at the high school for our kids. I forgot what it's called. >> Yeah, shadow. >> Thank you.
>> Um, but not everyone knows about it. The parents, not all parents know about it and they have to obviously like sign their child up and >> actually they don't. The students signed themselves up. >> Well, I signed my child up. Okay. my friend >> and let let the teachers know they're
not going to be here. They have to, you know, we have to schedule it, find the mentor that they're going to be with for the day. So, there's a process. But, yeah, we're we're not just We are sending them down and I understand why it's easier. Yeah. Right. Um, but it is a good idea to have a dance. Maybe it
could be a dance there. I don't know. maybe if they can't do a sport because I feel like it's already scheduled and the schedules are so tight and there's so many sports going on. But I know like this middle school PTO is rocking it this year which I'm not surprised. Um so
they have a dance coming up again already on the 30th. Um, and that might be an idea to have a dance and so that they're in I mean, you know, not free roaming the high school, but in the high school to experience
that that feeling because it really is such a gorgeous placement as soon as you walk in there. >> And the parents would appreciate the pickup at the high school. Easier to pick up from the high school. >> That's for sure. Um, so anyway, that's a I think that's a great idea. Maybe we could build on that. Um, so I just want
to say congratulations to the um, Governor Educator of the Year recipients tonight. Um, once [snorts] again, always so happy to see power professionals, behaviorists, special education teachers. Um, it makes my heart happy. Um, and art, we have art
teacher tonight. So, it was a nice mix. Um, I got to see the the dance uh, team perform. Um, and I already mentioned they're now going to go to our K to2 students in the elementary schools. I think Anthony mentioned this, but the barricade lunch is on the 30th.
That's always exciting. Get your pre-orders in. Um, I also got to part or not participate, cheer on to my fellow board members as they uh played volleyball against parents. Um, it was staff against parents. Um, they did a
great job. Um, the high school cheerleading competition. A couple people posted their performance on Facebook and it was amazing. They looked so good. Um, >> this Thursday Harrison. >> Yeah. Say it louder. >> Thursday Harrison.
>> There you go. Same thing with the wrestling. I have um a couple friends who's actually one of them. Callahan, Kenny Callahan, I think you mentioned tonight in your report or you did one of you guys, but his mom posted the match and he is out of this world. So, their
home match is going to be on the 24th at 9:00 a.m. in the Hawthorne High School gym for wrestling. Um, Jan, there's so many things going on. January 28th is open mic night at the high school. I will not be going for
singing, but what a cool event. I don't remember us doing that that I was aware of. Maybe no one told me about it, but that seems great. Um, and then lastly, I brought this idea up before. I just wanted to bring it up again. I noticed our p our own Facebook page, we haven't
posted anything since like, I don't know, December 8th or something and it was to congratulate our educators of the year recipients. Um, I would love to see our students do something maybe if it's within their class. So, we have business
classes, we have computer design classes, we have marketing classes that could be in any one of these areas where they're posting and writing and it's giving them career readiness skills. And obviously, there's an educator to approve it so that they're
not going crazy on our website or Facebook page. But I just always anytime we get life skills, give life skills to our students and they're giving back to us. So I just think it's a great idea even if it became a group like after
school for example how the yearbook is I don't know maybe we have social media group already I don't know >> but we do have a number of pockets >> okay >> in which they represent like the um like our culinary uh uh group they have their
own social media page where they're posting regularly but I think one of the things you're also pointing out is like the level of awareness that there are these social media pages that exist I didn't know he had a social media group. So that's a perfect example. >> I didn't even know that. I'm on the
board. So there is so many things going on. But no one knows better than our high school kiddos, right? Like so if they could be involved and benefit from doing it and designing things and you know I I just think it'll >> can lead.
>> Did you just volunteer? >> I think he went anyway. Thank you guys. I appreciate that. >> Okay. >> Thank >> um I just want to say that I am really honored to be given this amazing
opportunity to be um a member and to thank everybody for like welcoming me so warmly. I really appreciate it. And there is no better night than tonight to have my first official meeting recognizing all these amazing teachers.
Um I really didn't think I was going to cry at my first board meeting, but I did. >> [laughter] >> So, um I just want to say thank you everybody. >> Dr. >> Um I just wanted to say congratulations to all the teachers that we honored here
tonight. Um I mean the teachers are it's the heart of our district. So, thank you to every single teacher that was um honored here tonight and every teacher who is in our district. Um [clears throat]
Thank you. Uh this is welcome. >> Thank you. And uh tonight was an awesome night. Uh we have an unbelievably special group of educators in this district. And I'm sure we can name 50 governors educators of
the year hands down easily without value. So to those who won this evening, I congratulate you. Thank you so much. Thank you for the district and thank you to all the teachers and district and aids, par professionals, all the educational staff. Thank you for what
you do. It does not go. >> Just general comments just echoing on the uh on the wonderful night that tonight is it almost feels like graduation. Such good energy just kind of pigment Lisa saying it is a treat to be part of this team in some
capacity. So yeah, it's definitely a special night. And the other comment that I just want to thank our president Marco for the committees together and uh you know turn over time getting us uh on track for this year coming up.
>> Uh general comments as well. Uh echoing off of everybody else. Uh congratulations again to all the governor educator of the year award recipients. Um again truly special night. Uh this is the first time that I've been to one with the capacity uh
that this room was filled with. I mean it was pretty amazing and uh you know real testament to all of the honores and uh great great to see it happen. Um and other than that I will also thank Dr. Sprito for coming in tonight and uh
sharing a little bit about the [snorts] athletic hall of fame. looking forward to seeing how that takes off and uh supporting the the mission that the group has uh put together for such uh amazing and talented uh recipients from
our district right and the team. So with that that's all I have on that note [cough] to [clears throat] adjourn. >> Motion second. >> Second by who is that? >> Me. >> I'm so sorry. I know. I'm trying to my
head. I have a big head. >> Discussion. >> Blocks. You guys >> roll call please. >> Mantra. >> Yes. >> Mrs. SC. >> Yes. >> Multi. >> Yes. >> Mr. Paloo. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Dr. Vega. >> Yes. >> Mr. Carr. >> Yes.
>> Mr. >> Yes. >> Mr. >> Yes. Good night everybody.