to order. May you all rise for the flag salute. I pledge 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. >> Thank you all for joining us on this wonderful brisk evening. Pursuant to the Open Public Meetings Act, adequate notice of this meeting has been provided as follows. By having the time, date, and place of the meeting
posted on the bulletin board in the administration building on January 8th, 2025. By sending a copy of the meeting notice to the Star Ledger newspaper in the local source on January 8th, 2025, and by filing a copy with the Township of Hillside and Hillside Public Library
January 8th, 2025. Roll call, please. >> Okay, roll call. Mah, >> present. >> Mr. Estra, >> present. >> Hard, >> present. >> Miss VP Horton Given. >> Dr. Howard >> here.
>> Mr. Kai is absent. M. Parks is absent. Mr. Shapiro >> here. >> Madam President, that's >> present. So um bear with us as we have a missing person up here right now. So we what we're going to do I would like to ask
for um a motion to change the order of the agenda. >> Motion to change the order of the agenda >> discussion any discussion. >> Okay. >> Can you just confirm the public the uh what the change will be? >> That's what the change.
>> Yes. So the change will be us um appointing an acting superintendent for the district. >> Motion and second. >> Okay. All in favor? >> I >> I >> Okay. Now I would like to ask for a
motion to appoint our acting superintendent as Dr. Gretto Perez. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Second. >> Okay. All in favor? >> I >> Well, welcome.
>> We should have done a roll call just so everyone could have gave our But it's okay. Welcome, Dr. Perez. Would you like to um have any opening words? >> Just comment that the acting position
has been approved by >> and just so everyone is aware that the acting position acting superintendent position has been approved by the county executive superintendent. >> Well uh well good evening uh bonis buenas no
it's an incredible pleasure to be able to serve in this acting role. I am certainly looking forward to continuing to work to support not just our educators and students but certainly the community. Um I do hold this uh opportunity in high regard and I'm very humbled by it and I do look to stand on
many of your shoulders so that I can bring the district forward and I thank you humbly uh for the opportunity to serve Hillside. So thank you very much. >> We welcome you with open arms. So next um we will actually have a
presentation a presentation by the NJSBA New Jersey School Board Association, Miss Jean Clearary. She will give us some insight on um the actual process of searching for a permanent
superintendent. So I will turn the floor over to Miss Clary. >> So much. Is it Matthew Pa? >> Is that on? Yes. Thank you. I'm sorry to have my back to you all. First, I'd like to just start by congratulating um Miss
Perez for taking this position for this time. Um just for the benefit of the community that's gathered here. I I just want to explain that I was asked to come out to provide information for the services that New Jersey school boards
provides for a superintendent search. So right now Dr. Perez is an acting superintendent um and the board has a responsibility to um consider its options and how it moves forward for um the permanency of the superintendent going forward. So what
I'm going to share tonight is just the services that we provide um and the board will then make the decision of what they feel is the appropriate next steps to take. Okay. So, one of the questions when we look at the options for that we provide for
superintendent search are why would you want to consider using New Jersey school boards um for that search if you go in that direction? Well, we are a statewide partner. We have done over a thousand successful superintendent searches um
backed by not just myself as a consultant coming in to do this with the board but because our association provides um legal label labor and policy services um that back up the what we provide um to the board as they go
through this challenging process. We are missiondriven. Um our mission is to actually support the good governance of public schools throughout New Jersey to ensure that um the students of each district are receiving um everything they need to be successful. We believe
in our process that it's important to um have community centered results. So we um work with the stakeholders throughout the community um to get their input in um you know to provide that information back to the board to support their
decision-m going forward for looking for a permanent um person. Um and we of course have um our relationship with school boards throughout New Jersey. I am the field service representative that's assigned to provide resources and
ongoing training and support to them. Um so it doesn't end after the hire or um putting anyone in that seat. We have this ongoing relationship and we continue that. So when we provide um assistance with
superintendent search, we really stress that it's the board's search. It is your search for your community to find that educational leader. Um we are providing guidance to help you along that path which can be challenging. Um, we focus
on board-driven focus so that the board is really leading every decision. We ensure that there's a smooth, structured, um, and efficient search. We customize it to your district. We work with you to make sure that we're
reflecting the board's priorities and your community's values. And we get that information from the community stakeholders through our input sessions. um and we assure a confidential and professional process. So with our protocols that we've been using for many
years um we feel very um well positioned to make sure that we maintain the candidates's integrity um as well as the board's credibility because confidentiality is incredibly important for search to ensure that um people's
privacy is protected and we're not interfering with people's livelihoods. Um, so we have a structured process, but we really focused on bringing to you personalized outcomes based on what Hillside is looking for.
So on this slide, I'm just going to go over um we offer three different levels of search services. Um, this slide is really uh listing the core services that would be included for any level search and we'll look at the different levels
next. So we provide legal pro protection to ensure that we have a confidential, legally sound and legally defensible process um that's really criteriadriven um to protect your district and candidates. We there are laws about
hiring and the and the uh interviewing process and things that we have to be aware of um and we bring that to you to ensure that that is happening. We work um with the board for criteria development to identify um by working
collaboratively what are the um criteria that you feel are really important in your next superintendent. And um we help then design the advertisement that will be used to go out to encourage the the most qualified
people that meet those criteria to apply. And um we customize interview questions by working with you um based on what it is that you would like to um really learn from the interview process. We have a secure technology um program
that we use to ensure confidentiality. So, um, applicants know that when they're looking at these positions throughout New Jersey that we are a source that provides, um, an ability for them to apply and it's not going through
unsecured means, right? Emails and things like that. We have a secure portal. Um, we also provide confidential secretarial services and we're transparent in the tracking of those materials. We also help you with the
interview preparation so that you are prepared for that interview process, what it looks like. We deliver um a pool of applicants. So all the applicants who apply and we provide a ranking for them according to how they get ranked is um
compared to the criteria that you have set up who's who seems to be the best matches. But you do have access to all of the applicants. Um and we offer transition support which is um regarding the contract so that you understand what
you need to be prepared for in that contract. Um a transition workshop to help you as a board um really ensure that you're welcoming your new superintendent onto that governance team. Right? We recognize the superintendent is a non- voting member
of the board um and is your educational leader. So, we want to make sure that we're putting everything in the path for you to be successful as you grow that relationship. So, now we'll take a look at the three program levels that we offer. Each one of these includes everything that I just
spoke about. The premium program is really ideal for boards that are seeking a top level involvement and long-term planning. So, it includes all of those things. Um but we also as your consultant I would be doing preliminary
uh brief um virtual interviews with all applicants um and bringing that information to you as part of what you would use to consider. We um provide talent acquisition through an external educational consultant who can actually
um reach out to uh those people that they feel um really should would be interesting to you and should apply for the position. Um in this program it includes the three R strategic planning. Strategic planning is uh the way that we
work with the community to um plan out a five-year set of goals that are going to guide the district forward over the next couple of years and what the focus will be for decision- making. Um we also provide a policy review of the job
description for the superintendent and we do the uh social media background check. So there's a lot included in that in that premium um service. The next service is the advanced program and basically it's exactly the same as the
premium program except we take out the strategic planning module. Um you may not feel that that's necessary at this time and that can always be added on later um if it's decided that's that's something you would like to embark on with um your community. The standard
program is really best for boards that are comfortable managing this process um of interviews and such and uh just having us there to provide that backend and advisory support as you go but we're not present for the interviews um that
are occurring. So with all of that, each level also includes input sessions with community members because that is vital to this to really make sure that we recognize it's the board's responsibility to seat a new superintendent. But there's also a
responsibility for the board to be um aware of input from your community, from your stakeholders, and use that information in your decision-m. Um we do training with you on um how you would go about appropriately conducting um the
reference check for your finalist and we provide um we can arrange if it's agreeable to your finalist for um an in district visit prior to actually being appointed. That's not always possible
because um of needs for confidentiality depending on who you have. Um and the full board has ownership of the application materials. So a very important part of any search is to have a really strong comprehensive
advertising strategy. You want to attract um the most qualified individuals to apply for the position while you are creating your criteria so that you can really count on matching the right person for you. Right? There
may be many people who are qualified, but we really want the right person who's going to be the best match for you and the direction that the district is going in. So, we have a digital presence between our website and our social media presence. We get over 8,000 hits monthly
um providing continuous visibility for your search. Our professional network um consists of our strategic partnerships with our business um officials, superintendent association, the
principles association, nearby colleges and uh county um offices, the department of education county offices. We also do targeted outreach. So for the the over clearly over a thousand people that have
been applicants in our system and engaged with our system, we um proactively send out to them um information about your posting uh to gain more interest and more reach. We're also very proud of our partnership with
the National Affiliation of Superintendent Searchers. We use um a a portal called Revelis that is used by 14 other states and basically what that means is anyone going on any one of
their states um to look for uh postings about openings have access to seeing it. So it's reaching people beyond just New Jersey. An important thing for your search, if you embark on a search, is to um really
have an understanding of all of the steps necessary in that so that you can um understand when you want to seat a new superintendent permanently and all of the things that have to happen as part of that process. Um so the first
one, please don't worry too much about what's in red. Those are just this is just a sample search timeline that could be adjusted. But it basically gives you a sense of what the steps are and how much time you should allow between them. Okay. So the first thing is to decide if you're going to embark on a search and
if you are if you're going to partner with New Jersey school boards and at what level you would like to do that. Um, assuming now that we're going to go ahead together, I would um be working with you uh on creating the
advertisement which is going to garner the support and um cause people to want to put in their application for the position. So, we want to inform them about all of the wonderful things here in Hillside. We also want to um set the inter the um questions on the
application um get that started. we have um a span of time where we want to open that search and close the search. It can be um around two months so to give people a time to see it and to apply to it. During that time I would be working
with you on um the input sessions so that we are having individual input sessions with different parts of the community staff administration students um the broader community who may not have children in the schools. Um the
advertisement would then close and at that point we start to compile that information of all applicants and rank them and deliver the pool um to you so you can decide who you would like to interview through the interview rounds.
Generally there are three interview rounds. The first one consists of somewhere between depending on how things work out 10 and 12 people to be interviewed. That means that you know if you can do two or three a night, how many nights you're going to need for
that process. Um, and go through round one with the intent of finding who you want to know more about. Bring them back for round two. Round two allows you to work with them um, and get to know them on a deeper level um, and see how um,
specific things may match up that you want to hear more about. Um, and sometimes districts find their finalist at the end of round two. Sometimes they're between two last people and bring them in for round three. Um then you select your finalist. Once you se
select your finalist, you move into the phase of negotiation. So your board attorney would represent you as a board. Um they will have their attorney and you you know they will be doing that once there's agreement on the contract. Of course it does have to go to the
executive county superintendent for approval. um you have to wait on that. The that process is beyond our control and can take um up to a month at at a minimum. They say to plan in for a month before the executive county
superintendent is able to actually review that contract and get back to you. Um finally, when you have that approval, you can appoint officially your new um superintendent and introduce to the community. The next thing that
you we have to recognize in timeline that we don't control is what that person's exit clause may be coming out of where they are. So if they are sitting superintendent, it's common to have a 60 or 90day exit clause. So from
the time that you officially hire them, they give notice. They have to have that time passed before they can start in your district. So, this is just uh a visual of most recent searches. We've done many more than this. This is just for Union County
just most recently. I don't think anyone needs to see a million dots on a page for all of the years that we've been doing this, but we've been um happy in our partnerships and seating successful superintendent. So, why we feel confident that our
services work for boards is that we have proven results. We have trusted partnerships um with the services we provide to boards towards governance. Um we've done successful placements. We have been um noticed and recognized as
being able to maintain that confidentiality which gives a certain level of confidence to candidates who are applying. Um we provide continuous support um comprehensive onboarding and you know post hire assistance really to
help the board develop that relationship and moving forward together always keeping an eye on student um achievement and success and New Jersey school boards really has deep expertise. You know we are um unmatched in knowledge with um
education. This is really the world that we live in and what we do. um and we are backed by experts in school law and board governance to help um with this process and with your transition. So that's really the presentation of the
three um different programs that we offer. I have left with um your president um a packet just to share with you. I know that the board will have some discussions and work and questions. I am reachable to answer any of those
later, but this is just my presentation for this evening unless you have something you'd like to ask now. Okay. Okay. >> Did you do my scatter search? >> Um I >> Which package did they use?
>> Oh man, >> I'm sorry. Which package did they >> Thank you so much for that presentation for coming to visit with us. >> Wish you all the best and um I am available for this or anything else that's a word towards it. >> Thank you.
>> Thank you. Thank you. We'll be in touch for sure. Um, am I okay? That's yours, right? You want to say anything? Okay. Say something real quick. Is that okay? >> Not yet. No.
So, um, we do not have a presentation from the schools this evening, but what I did want to bring to everyone's attention, which I'm sure everyone may have seen in either on social media or um in the um in the school emails,
that our district uh was recognized for dual enrollment success. And I just wanted to give a round of applause to everyone involved in that because that is something it's it's it's it's awesome for our school to be recognized. I mean
it shows that we are doing great things and just to have the ability to start college and actually have already certain amount of credits. It's a help to everyone the families. So just wanted to give um kudos to everyone involved in
that. Um, at this time, if our superintendent, do you have any words to share? If not, we can move forward. >> Not at this time. >> Okay. She's going to have an action-packed next month. Don't worry. I've already talked to her. Um, I would
like to ask for a motion to go into public comments. >> Motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Okay. Residents are requested to state their
names, addresses, and subject matter in the event. It appears the public comment portion of the meeting may exceed 15 minutes. The presiding officer may limit each statement made by a participant to three minutes duration. Issues raised by members of the public may or may not be
responded to by the board. All comments will be considered and a response will be forthcoming if and when appropriate. The board asks that members of the public be courteous and mindful of the rights of other individuals when speaking. Specifically, comments regarding students and employees of the
board are discouraged and will not be responded to by the board. Students and employees have specific legal rights afforded by the laws of the state of New Jersey. The board bears no responsibility, nor will it be liable for any comments made by members of the public. Members of the public should
consider their comments in light of legal rights of those affected or identified in their comments and be aware that they are legally responsible and liable for their comments. And before um anyone comes up, I did you have a report for us? I'm so sorry.
Usually Oh, you is it. Can we just have um the student rep come up? Can you please come up? I'm so sorry. We were just so excited tonight. Please give your name again for
everyone. >> Good evening everyone. >> Good evening. >> My name is Jada Ferrer. I'm here as Hillside High School student council board of education representative. I'm happy to be here tonight to share some of the wonderful things happening
in Hillside High School. In October, Hillside High School Student Council raised $1,300 for the Cooperman's Barnabas Breast Center and we
we are proud to formally donate those funds this month. Hillside also hosted SAT testing sessions on Saturday, November 8th, which was open to Hillside students, hillside students and neighboring
communities. On November 10th, we had our teacher parent teacher conference and were pleased with the strong turnout of families who came to check in on their students progress and speak with the teachers. Our JTC program has been especially
active this month. They visited Ola Edwards on Veterans Day to present colors and deliver speeches, including remarks from their senior army instructor, Colonel Drakeford. They also helped welcome Ruby Bridges to Ola
Edwards on November 12th and proudly marched on Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day parade on November 14th alongside our Hillside High School's marching band. This upcoming Saturday, November 22nd, our performing arts club will host an
their annual winter vendor fair in Hillside High School's cafeteria. The event will showcase a wide variety of local crafters and small businesses, giving families a great opportunity to begin their holiday shopping while supporting our community and our
performing arts club. A entry a $1 entry fee includes two raffle tickets for a gift giveaway. Students are also excited for the return of student council's annual Potterpuff game. The on November 25th, especially
after last year's event had to be cancelled due to weather. The Hillside High School's performing arts club will be presenting their fall play Radium Girls on December 4th and 5th at 700 p.m. Also on December at 3:00
p.m. In the auditorium, tickets are $5 in advance and $8 at the door. Information on how to purchase tickets in advance will be available shortly. So, keep checking the Hillside Public Schools
websites and social media channels. Finally, I want to highlight our inschool food pantry. We are currently collecting snacks, canned goods, and other selfstable shelf stable items to support any Hillside family who may be
in need. We especially want to thank all staffs and most importantly Mrs. Reedan and Mrs. Loftton for helping to coordinate this important effort. Lastly, on behalf of Hillside High School Student Council, I want to wish
everybody a happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for your time this evening. >> Thank you. Do we have anyone for the p from the public? >> Good evening. >> Good evening. >> Sharina Del Ros, 63 Clark Street. I just
wanted to get up here and thank this board for participating in our community trick or trunk to help the children to celebrate whatever they celebrate, but you did a great job and I see why you sit up here because you care about your
thank you for that. Also, I know you're going to say she always asking for something, but it's not just for me and it's not about me and it's not about you either. It's about the children, right? Okay. So, we're going to have our Salvation Army um toy drive starting
right after we come back from the Thanksgiving break. And you can bring the toys to Ola Edwards and put them under the tree and they come and get them. Last year we did 842 toys, clothes, whatever. And they picked
it up and it was wonderful. And Dr. Perez, I know you're going to do an amazing job while you're sitting in that seat. So congratulations to you and everybody have a wonderful Thanksgiving and be blessed. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> The age group the age
>> is from birth until 18. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> I have a question as well. >> We have another question. >> Do you want the toys wrapped or unwrapped? >> Unwrapped. >> Unwrapped. >> Everything unwrapped. No used blankets,
none of that. >> I got stuff like that last year. I couldn't give it to them. >> Yeah. >> Take cash as well. >> No. >> Unless Unless you want me to go get the gift for you. I can do that and then give you back the receipt.
>> Okay. All right. >> And clothes. You said clothes as well. >> Clothes, hats, gloves, scarves, dolls, whatever you got. >> We'll take it. >> Thank you. Thank you.
>> Anyone else? >> Good evening. >> Good evening. >> It should be on. >> Oh, no. Press the little switch. >> Certainly. Oh, okay. It's working. Great.
Uh, good evening. Hi. Hello. >> Hello. Um, hello. >> Congratulations to you, ma'am. I'm very excited for you. Um, my name is Amina McKithan. Um, oh, sorry, I didn't say my address. 1310 White Street, um, Hillside, New Jersey. Um, I have been a
resident of Hillside for over three years. I moved here in the winter of 2022 after having my first and only child, uh, believing this would be a strong community to raise him in. I love Hillside. Um my son is now 3 years old and he recently began attending Abram P.
Morris Early Elementary Childhood Center. After transitioning from New Jersey Early Intervention Services, um where he received support for developmental delays. Um in May of this year, my son was diagnosed with autism. He has significant social emotional
speech and sensory needs. And upon entering AP Morris, he was given an IEP that states he is to receive an hour and 30 minutes of speech therapy each week with most um I'm sorry of therapy each week with most of that time designated to speech therapy. And I was optimistic
about the services that he received in early intervention um and optimistic that they would continue seamlessly when he entered AP Morris. However, despite what was written in his IEP, by midocctober, which was many weeks after he already began school, my son still
had not received any of those services. Uh, no one informed me of this. I only learned of it after questioning staff myself. I received no phone call, no email, no message. According to his IEP, services were supposed to begin as soon as he started school. Yet, it took an
additional three weeks after my inquiry before he finally received even one 30-inut session of speech therapy. For context, his neurologist recommends a minimum of 6 hours of speech therapy per week. He is at school for 30 hours a week, and there is no reason that he
should be missing even one single hour, which he's legally entitled to receive through the district except for a lack of staffing. I am speaking to you today um with kindness and gratitude but also with a plea because it is clear that my child did not receive the services that
he's legally owed due to a shortage of speech therapists in our district. Um the most recent public data shows that there are about five 480 so let's just say almost 500 disabled students in our district which account for about 15% of
our school population. Um, so with numbers like these, adequate and consistent staffing I would assume would be a top priority. But when a child waits even weeks for one 30-inut session, it's evident that the district just doesn't have enough speech therapists to meet the needs of its
students. Now that my son is being seen, however, inconsistently, I am concerned for both the quality of his therapy and the well-being of the therapist providing it. An overwhelmed therapist with an unsustainable case load is not going to be able to give children the
support that they need, no matter how dedicated they are to the children because I'm sure that you all and they are all very dedicated. It's just difficult for them and I fear that they are experiencing burnout. This is not the fault of the staff. This is not the fault of his teacher. This is a
systematic problem, one that falls on district leadership and staffing and those that are responsible for funding and managing these programs. And I want to address the lack of communication because I did not receive any official notification about my son
missing any services until November 14th and only after I had raised concerns. Families in Hillside deserve transparency and we shouldn't be left in the dark about who's available to help our children, disabled children. We should not be left in the dark about
who's not in the position, how long the position will remain vacant, etc. Without this communication, we won't be able to establish trust between families and the school district about who's committed to fulfilling these positions and ensuring compliance with IEPs. So,
I'm here not only for my child, I'm here on the behalf of all the families that I've reached out to and spoken to who may not know how to advocate or may not have the time to advocate um or ask hard questions because these are difficult conversations. So, I really appreciate you all opening up this space. Um,
children shouldn't have to go out go without services, quality services for any longer. A school district is only as strong as its support for its most vulnerable learners. And right now, Hillside is not meeting the standard that it should for its disabled students
because it's not meeting basic legal obligations. So, I'm asking for this board to please take specific action. Please address the chronic understaffing of the speech therapists in this district. Please ensure transparency with families about missed sessions.
Please provide a clear public plan for restoring full compliance with IEP mandated services. And please ensure that the speech therapists that are providing these services and all all the therapists, the physical therapists, the occupational therapists, please ensure
that they have manageable case load so that they can provide quality support. Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. We we've definitely received our m our marching orders and I think she's explained exactly what needs to be done
and I'm sure our superintendent will be able to assist further. Yes, we will certainly look into this right away. I will uh reach out to you at some point tomorrow to see what the next steps are going to be. >> Madam President, may I >> Yes.
>> So, first, welcome to the community and welcome to the school. Um, welcome to the school family. I'm sorry that your entry um was less than ideal. I think we all share that and and as Madame President and the acting superintendent said that they're going
to um assure that we work assiduously to address your specific case. With regards to the broader issue though, um there is an item on this month's agenda on tonight's agenda specifically to address the um the staffing and the shortages and to ensure that we're providing um
not only the legally required but as far as we can go to make sure that every single child has the support that they need. Um for those of you who are looking, it's item 8 under education. motion. >> Okay. >> Okay. Are there any other
members of the public that would like to come forward? No. If not, I will take a motion to close public comments. >> Motion. >> Is there a second? I
>> All right. Thank you. >> Now we will have our committee reports. Madame Vice President, >> thank you, President Best. Good evening to everyone. >> Good evening. >> Good evening. So, now we're going to do our committee reports. We're starting
with finance and I'll ask board member Shapiro. >> Yeah. The finance committee met on this Monday. I think that was November >> 17. >> Um, we had robust conversations about agenda and non-aggenda items and I
expect those conversations to continue. >> We'll move on to buildings and grounds and we'll have board member Euiti. Good evening. Um the buildings and grounds committee met on Monday, November 17, and
we discussed the approval of the form M1 maintenance budget amount worksheet along with detailed expenditures for the 2025 2026 school year for the submission to the New Jersey Department of Education. Thank you.
>> Thank you, board member. Now, education. We're going to ask doc Dr. Howard. >> Good. Thank you, Madam Vice President. The education committee met on Monday to discuss items 1 through 11. Paramount of
those were superintendent's recommendations and as board member Shapiro rightly pointed out the addition or the at least the attempt to correct some of the services that have been bereft here before. >> Thank you Dr. Howard
>> and labor. We'll have board member Harrren. >> Good evening. The labor relations committee met on Monday um November 17th and we discussed items 1 through 28. We had a very robust discussion on items 1
through 28 on the labor agenda. >> Thank you board member Hardra. There we go. >> Thank you, Madam Vice President. Now, I will take a motion to go into executive session. >> Is there a second? >> Second.
>> All in favor? I >> be it resolved pursuance to the open public meetings act that the board of education meet in close executive session at this time to discuss matters relating to personnel any pending litigation or labor contract negotiations. The board will reconvene
in public session at the conclusion of the close session. The matters discussed in close session will be disclosed to the public as soon as the need for confidentiality no longer exists. Thank you. We will return.