[Music]
good evening everyone we're going to get started welcome to the April 2025 Hoboken Board of Education meeting thank you all for being here if you're joining us this evening to speak on agenda or non-aggenda items please use the signup sheets located at the podium miss
Sullivan can you please read the statement of compliance sure this meeting is being held in conformity to the Open Public Meetings Act NJSA 104-6 proper public notice of the meeting was published in the local
papers on January 14th 2025 and January 16th 2020 if any board member or member of the public is in attendance believes that the meeting is in violation of the open public meetings act the hope board of education requests that they make a
statement at this time the board wishes to make those in attendance aware that this meeting is being recorded on video and will be broadcast by the board at a later date on CATV channel 77 and FiOS channel 46 the full meeting recording
will also be ma made available on board docs which can be accessed through the district homepage the hope board of education is committed to preserving the decorum of the public process and is mindful that we live in the electronic age of computers cell phones and other
electronic communication devices nevertheless we respectfully request that all meeting participants kindly silence their electronic devices during the course of the meeting and if use of the device is necessary we ask that you please leave the meeting room if you need to conduct personal business thank
you Miss Sullivan please rise with pledge of allegiance i aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and
justice for all miss Sullivan can you please call the role sharon Angley here milani Kadamatori here sheila Delara here alex Delator
antonio Grano here gitali Kana here thomas Clfell here leslie Norwood here ailen Mcgherk here [Applause] thank you Miss Sullivan as usual we're
going to begin the evening with our recognitions recognizing our March students of the month i will turn the meeting over to Assistant Superintendent Sandra Rodriguez [Applause] Gomez thank you President Mcgherk and welcome to the student recognition
portion of the meeting we are excited to honor our students tonight and curious to learn about their current accomplishments and those that they will aim for and surely obtain in the near and distant future i extend a heartfelt greeting to the members of our board of
education superintendent Dr johnson our administrators faculty community students and of course their families it is always such a pleasure to stand before you and introduce our inspiring principles as they come up to the podium and share detailed information and
anecdotes about the students being honored here tonight as the students of the month for March we all realize that it is quite an accomplishment to be honored by your school and district community and if you're one of the students being honored here tonight
please don't ever forget this day and let it inspire many more winning moments you are role models and peer mentors to the students in your classrooms and to those you pass in the hallway every day thank you for inspiring others and continuing to thrive in school and
beyond we are also very proud of each of you and can't wait to hear about your academic journey tonight we will begin with vice principal Pon of Hoboken High School as their honore is tutoring other students for the SAT and needs to make
her assignment in time once Mr bon con concludes he will call Mr bartlett from the Brand Elementary School mr bartlett will then introduce the Connor's principal Miss Addie and then she will follow this pattern introducing our next presenters principles Shannon and
Sorphine of Wallace and Hoboken Middle School respectively each will celebrate their school selections and pause for a very important picture opportunity again thank you for your attention and for being with us this evening and with that I would ask Vice Principal Pon to take
the podium [Applause] thank you good evening it is my absolute honor to recognize and celebrate an outstanding individual who truly
embodies the spirit of excellence at Hoboka High School please join me in congratulating Hannah Mley our March student of the month hannah is not just a remarkable student she's a role model she approaches every task with
dedication every challenge head-on and every moment with kindness whether she's in the classroom on the stage or leading her peers hannah consistently demonstrates integrity intelligence and initiative in the classroom Hannah is a
star student mr mr toascaret stated "She is always open to feedback and uses it as a tool to grow her contributions to class discussions are thoughtful and impactful what truly sets Hannah apart is her remarkable passion for learning
she embraced a rigorous course load including several AP and preAP classes miss Nell Hannah's chemistry teacher stated "Her ability to thrive in such demanding courses is a testament to her determination and her unwavering
commitment to personal growth." But Hannah's brilliance doesn't stop in the classroom she is a cornerstone of Hoboken High School's theater and music department whether she is singing acting or playing the saxophone Hannah brings a level of talent and hard work that
elevates every performance hannah's also made her mark in the world of debate and public speaking she has participated in model UN model Congress and mock trial experiences that have sharpened her critical thinking and communication skills mr huggin said "As a mock trial
lawyer she not only writes and delivers arguments but also helps lead her team with clarity and poise her leadership doesn't stop there as treasurer of the AAPI club Hannah plays an essential role in planning events and handling responsibilities with a level of
maturity and professionalism way beyond her years everything she does is thoughtful precise and carried out with great care throughout her high school career Hannah has earned consistent recognition of her achievements she is has earned high honor role every
semester since her ninth grade year she's named the overall student of the month and was also a runner up in the prestigious New York Times writing competition her freshman [Applause] [Music] year most recently she took home first
place in the musical theater ensemble category at the speech and theater association competition a well-deserved recognition of her artistic excellence uh Miss Tank stated "Hannah is the kind of student every teacher dreams of every peer respects and every community is
proud to have she is truly destined for greatness." Hannah thank you for all you bring to Hoboken High School we are incredibly proud of you and can't wait to see all the amazing things you'll accomplish next congratulations on being named Hoboken High School's March student of
the month you absolutely deserve it and at this time I would like to call Mr bartlett uh Brand School Elementary [Applause] Principal good evening everyone good evening members of the board dr johnson assistant superintendent Mrs rodriguez
Gomez and our guest tonight at this time I would like to ask Ver Kapoor to come join me at the podium [Applause] congratulations to Ver Kapoor our Brandt School student of the month for March ver was nominated by his second grade
teacher Mrs spano mrs spano said "Ver understands the feelings of others he treats everyone with respect and care he offers support to classmates whether academically or socially and emotionally he listens to others without judgment and with full attention ver motivates
his peers and he celebrates them he remains calm and understanding even in difficult situations he welcomes and includes others ver appreciates diversity in backgrounds opinions and abilities and is always willing to learn and participate in class with a smile as
principal let me just say that Ver is an example of how we all should be he is kind and never judges he starts his day with a smile and leads others throughout the day with his kindness mrs spano went on to say that Ver is an absolute joy to be around his presence makes everyone
smile he makes funny jokes and knows how to make people laugh he loves to contribute to a peaceful and safe environment he makes unique contributions and is dedicated to his academic growth his enthusiasm for learning and commitment to leading a positive school community is so very
palpable his willingness to help others and inspire his peers is admirable and his drive to succeed and his ability to collaborate effectively makes him a valuable part of the school enhancing both its academic and social social environment
prior to being honored here tonight Ver was the classroom spelling bee winner and he also won the music award great work achievement award physical education award award and world language award at our most recent academic pep
rally his favorite subject is family because he loves to dance with them ver loves to play basketball and wants to be a professional basketball player when he grows up when told he would be honored here tonight Ver said "Brandt school is a good school i really like my school."
Give me a high five on that give me a fist bump on that i am very kind and that's why I am student of the month ver if we could bottle up your kindness and sell it we'd all be millionaires please join me in congratulating our brand school student of the month for March
Ver Kapoor at this time I'd like to welcome to the podium principal Addie from Thomas G connors Elementary School [Applause] at this time I'd like to call up Kylie Olivier the Connor's student of the
month good evening tonight I have the absolute joy of recognizing our student of the month Kylie Olivier from Miss Hall's third grade home room class kylie we are so proud of you for earning this special recognition what makes Kylie
truly special miss Hall describes her as someone who brings a positive loving attitude to school every single day her tremendous effort in everything she does and her incredibly kind heart shine through in all her interactions when asked about her
favorite subject Kylie had to think hard because she loves learning so much eventually she chose social studies because she enjoys reading about people and different cultures around the world she's constantly reading biographies and even quizzes her teachers on fun facts
some of her favorite people to research include Rosa Parks Maya Angelou and Zenaia kylie especially looks forward to Women's History Month and Black History Month in fact for Women's History Month she chose to write about someone very
special her mom who she describes as the most incredible person and the best mom in the world her classmates adore her too janie shared "Kylie is a very good student who pays attention and is very nice in class if somebody doesn't have
what they need she will give them what they need." Miss Initari Kylie's math teacher tells us Kylie has a fantastic love of learning she's eager to practice new skills and always does her best she often seeks challenges once she's
mastered something new and she's quick to help her peers when they're stuck kylie is truly a great role model miss Hall shared that when Fy when Kylie found out about this honor she was surprised she thinks she earned it by being a good role model and friend and
by always giving hugs to those who need them her classmates were thrilled for her especially her good friend Josie who said "Kylie definitely deserves it because she's been a very good friend she does really well in class is very thoughtful and very kind." Miss Courtney
Kylie's ELA teacher shared that Kylie has shown exceptional growth in reading and writing she consistently demonstrates strong comprehension skills participates enthusiastically in class discussions and is always eager to share her writing ideas her dedication
recently showed when she scored 100% on her novel comprehension reading check when Kylie grows up she wants to be a teacher because she loves learning so much she said "When I am a teacher I can show my students everything I learned in school maybe I can work here because
Miss Hall and all of my teachers inspire me well Kylie the truth is that you inspire us kylie embodies everything we value in a Conor's Koala trustworthiness care good citizenship responsibility and
respect please join me in congratulating our extraordinary student of the month Kylie Olivier keep shining bright Kylie we know you can be anything you want to be [Applause] at this time I'd like to call up Mr
martin Shannon the principal of Wallace Elementary School good evening we are here tonight to celebrate Isabelle Sakansky for receiving student of the month for her exceptional academic dedication and outstanding social behavior isabelle's
passion for learning curiosity and perseverance shine through in everything she does she eagerly participates in class discussions supports her peers and serves as a positive role model in her classroom her kindness and empathy create a warm and welcoming environment
for everyone around her a reliable and dedicated student Isabelle often assists the teacher with classroom tasks and encourages her classmates in all subjects her caring nature and strong friendships have made her a beloved member of the school community excelling
in both math and Spanish Isabelle approaches challenges with determination and enthusiasm her love for reading is evident when she confidently reads aloud bringing stories to life for her peers isabelle's creat uh contagious enthusiasm for learning inspires her
classmates to stay engaged and motivated she celebrates others successes offers support during difficulties and fosters fosters a spirit of kindness and encouragement beyond the classroom she actively participates in school activities making Wallace Elementary a
brighter place in her free time Isabelle enjoys drawing reading stories dancing ballet and spending time with her family her favorite subjects are ELA where she loves creating stories and math which she enjoys for its problem-solving
challenges miss Yapz had this to say of Isabelle isabelle's kindness and patience make her a joy to have in class she truly makes our school a better place and enriches my teaching experience mr debadetto also added "Isabelle is a fantastic listener and an
outstanding science student her curiosity and enthusiasm make a joy to make her a joy to have in class congratulations Isabelle keep shining and inspiring those around you let's hear it for Isabelle our Wallace School student of the month
at this time I'd like to welcome Principal Sorin of the Hoboken Middle [Music] [Applause] School good evening everyone please
welcome to the podium Hoboki Middle School student of the month for March Stefan Jobski [Applause] stef Stefan was nominated by his ELA teacher Miss Nodine miss Noddine describes Stefan as an outstanding student in ELA his dedication to both
classwork and homework demonstrates his commitment to academic excellence when he shares when he shares his thoughts in class it's evident that he has reflected deeply on the topic beyond academics Stefan shines in the mo in the theater balancing his studies with his passion for the performing arts most importantly
he is a role model of kindness and respect greeting everyone with a warm good afternoon as he enters the room mr schultz shares that he has been a pleasure it's been a pleasure getting to know Stefan in preap world history stefan's positive attitude is contagious he always walks in the class with a
smile and a cheerful good morning he asks insightful questions and takes the initiative to follow up on his work ensuring he continues to grow as a student his responsibility and determination are especially inspiring miss Liv highlights Stefan's dedication to the music department as a strong
leader in chorus he goes above and beyond to improve his musical skills his devotion is unmatched musical skill his devotion is unmatched volunteering at every fundraiser performance and opportunity to support the music program despite
juggling work theater and music he has managed to earn a lead role in this year's district show Newsies stefan not only excels as a performer but also as a supportive peer always looking out for his fellow students and making his teachers lives easier with a kindness
and enthusiasm mr benson recognizes Stfan as a true asset to the Hoboka Middle School theater program his talent and hard work have earned him a special honor which I'm going to announce to you and everyone else for the first time tonight stefan has just been nominated
for the Foxy Award for outstanding performance by a middle school actor just been nominated for the Foxy Award for outstanding performance by a middle school actor for his portrayal of the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland this year's middle school
production so that's a huge honor congratulations beyond his performances Stefan is kind helpful and reliable watching him grow as both a person and a performer has been an absolute joy beyond his teachers praise Stefan's peers also admire him ma and Annie both
shared that Stefan is someone who is always there he is fun to be around and always brings a positive energy to those around him they also shared that Stefan is hardworking and always focused on his goals as for Stefan himself he was excited to learn that he had been named
student of the month stefan shares that he was found a home he has found a home in the theater music the theater and music programs at Hoboka Middle School something he didn't have at his previous school in addition to his involvement in junior thespians and chorus he enjoys
watching TV movies and of course theater while he's not yet sure what the future holds he's excited to take the ne his next steps at Hoboken High School this fall we are so very proud of you not just for your achievements but for the way you carry yourself each day you
bring a sense of self wherever you go and Hoboken Middle School is a better place because of it i am excited that you are attending Hoboken High School and I really look forward to seeing you light up the stage as a Redwing please join me in celebrating our student of the month of March Stefan
Jonowski [Music] congratulations to all our students who were recognized tonight we are so very proud of you and keep up the great work through the through the end of the year and as you continue your academic
careers now we are going to hear from our student representative from Hoboken High School Miss Jenna Syriio [Applause] good evening my name is Jenna Serio i'm the Hoboken High School student government representative and thank you for having me this
evening march 3rd through March 5th students from Hoboken High School participated in ReadAcross America reading children's books to students of Brandt Wallace and Connors recently on March 18th a member from the Charity Quest team visited members of the National Honor Society discussing a
contest in which the volunteer groups who can lock the most hours will win a prize of $1,000 march 21st Hoboken High School celebrated our honoral ceremony honoring students with high academic and athletic achievements from marking periods 1 and two march 31st to April 4th the student
government Best Buddies and Heart of Hoboken held jelly bean guessing competition all proceeds benefited Miss Civo and Miss Alt's memory book april 7th the student government held our annual blood drive in the gymnasium sponsored by our health and wellness committee together we will we were able
to get 47 pints of blood donated thank you to board member Pelator for passing by and supporting the blood donated on to clubs the math club held its last competition on March 18th our spring sports jam was hosted by Best Buddies and Heart of Hoboken on April
3rd from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m thank you for all of those who attended and finally for sports there are so many sports accomplishments thus far for the spring season we'd like to highlight the girls flag football team for having its first game in program history this past week
the girls secured a 6-0 victory over Union City High School thank you so much for this opportunity to speak and we look forward to seeing you at our events and as always go Red [Applause] Wings thank you so much Jenna there's
always so much exciting stuff happening at Hoboken High School and we appreciate you taking the time to uh keep us all in the loop cuz good lord it certainly is a lot uh Dr johnson do you have a superintendent report this evening i do i have a brief superintendence report uh
good evening so we are entering the spring season with so many exciting things happening across the district um we actually have a group of over 50 students and staff members participating in our classroom without walls program
at Hoboken High School um they just landed in South Africa early this morning ready and eager to embark on a educational journey so we were happy about that i received some videos and some pictures this morning so it was uh
really exciting to to see and they seemed to be happy and a little tired but um excited about being there um yesterday we had a team from Grant Elementary School um who uh attended the
New Jersey Department of Education's Promising Practices statewide conference at Ruckers University uh they were selected as a New Jersey Promising Practices District um or school and they
presented on the individualized learning um pathways period and it was really exciting to see because uh we had the principal and two teachers um you know g get up in a uh large setting of over uh
I think 40 districts and and present out a best practice model for uh flexible grouping and um explaining why uh some of their practices related to mathematics instruction um results in
resulted in um uh some really good student achievement especially after the pandemic and uh I was very proud to see our teachers and and our principal uh Mr bartlett um just in front of a group of
stellar educators from across the state uh it was it was just really wonderful to see um and what was great about it was um after the conference Ruckers did a really great job um setting the conference up and coming back and having
a an extremely robust conversation with uh our assistant superintendent Miss Rodriguez Gomez this morning about how we could actually replicate the concept of promising practices in the district and this concept of a fishbowl lab um
type concept of inviting other districts from across the state to uh the Hoboken school district next year possibly once a marking period uh to present out some of these promising practices uh next year for uh really dynamic professional
development across the district so I'm excited about about that um also happy to report out that our athletic teams are off to a really good start not only at the high school um but also at Hoboken Middle School for those of you
who don't know uh we started a uh full uh uh middle school athletics program so um our spring sports are really off to a great start but um something that most people might not know we have an allnew
Hoboken High School girls flag football team um and they've played two games so far this year they're one and one and uh we have one of our flag football players sitting in the audience right now um and
uh so it's it's it's been really exciting and we can't wait to see how we do the rest of the season and next year girls flag football will actually be an NJSIA sport so it's really uh an exciting thing uh to see girls athletics
expanding uh across the state and and within the NJSIA um but not only athletics uh also our fine and performing arts program uh across the district is is really um growing and expanding i want to let you
know a few important dates that are coming up and things that are happening across the district uh this week we're engaged at the high school level in the teen arts festival and as you know our district musical Newsies is going to be taking place soon uh May 16th through
the 18th uh so mark your calendars and the middle school and high school spring concerts are also coming up um at the end of May and in June so I'll remind you of those dates but um the middle and high school concert is on May 28th and
the elementary concert is on June 4th so that's something we want to make sure that we we don't miss uh the high school music program um and the middle school music program are also going to be competing um in a music in the park statewide competition this is something
that's really um uh great for our program because this is a competition that the choruses and our strings ensembles and bands actually have the opportunity to compete in and they're adjudicated um uh at at both the middle
school and the high school level so the kids really look forward to going to this uh competition on both days um but one other thing that we're really excited about this is the first time the city's cultural um affairs um or
cultural arts program um has invited all five of our schools choruses and small instrumental groups to perform a concert at the shipyard um on the water on June 9th um this is going to be a 1-hour
concert um at no cost to the community so mark your calendars for that i'll also remind you in May um about this um and also uh at our meeting in June uh the kids are already starting to prepare for this so it's a a concert on the
waterfront and like I said we've had opportunities where our kids have performed on the waterfront but this is the first time that all five of our schools in one night will be performing uh you know on the water so it should be
a really fun night um and lastly our high school theater department will be heading to the University of Indiana to participate and compete in the uh International Thesbians Festival from June 23rd to the 27th so um we have our
athletics department that's uh off to all kinds of competitions and and games and and our theater arts and our music department is as well um over the past month we've also been preparing for a range of summer offerings in the
district this summer um we're going to be running our ESY program um which is something that we do every summer we are also going to be operating our YWCA summer camp program along with our bridge camp program for four-year-olds
who are rising to the kindergarten level um but in addition we're also going to be running a splash into literacy and splash into math program for students in grades 1 through 8 we will be running a
summer algebra readiness program um at the high school and we're also going to be running our traditional high school summer school program but this year our summer programs are actually going to be ending at uh the end of July like the
last uh day of July um usually we kind of run over a little bit into August but this year we're going to make sure we end right at the end of July giving our custodial crews enough time to ensure that uh they have time to clean and and
organize and get everything ready in our buildings this also gives um the opportunity for the city's recreation department to um get into the high school and utilize the pool and set up any kind of um recreation type uh learn
to swim or open swim programs in in the pool um throughout the month of August so instead of trying to squeeze some things in at nighttime um throughout just the month of July they'll actually have the entire month of August to run
whatever kind of programs they want so I have met with the recreation department um personnel already and let them know this um to give them ample time to plan for any kind of summer program that they programming that they wish to have um
and finally I'm proud to announce that we're just about finished with the college and university um application season and while you're going to hear a whole lot more about this from now until the end of the school year uh tonight
I'd like to report that our 158 seniors have been accepted to uh 156 uh four and two-year colleges and universities not only in the United States but in four other countries as well um and in
addition to that I'm very proud to announce that they have earned um over uh $20.1 million in college and university uh academic uh scholarships um to attend these colleges and
universities this is all merit-based scholarship money so this is the highest amount that they have received um in uh the past 10 years plus so um really proud of the kids and um you'll hear a
whole lot more about it between now and the end of the school year so uh that's all I have for tonight thank you Dr johnson we'll now move into committee reports oh yes and for any of you here with young children if you would like to
leave it is okay we will not be offended because it's important to get home for bedtime and schoolwork and all that sort of good stuff see if I can there she called
me how was the flight long she said she Yeah she Thank you she didn't sleep very well but Yes thank you but uh they they got there and they ate then they went back to [Music]
sleep so they left last night at 9:30 about 11:45 there [Applause] [Applause] stand out and a bag negotiations like jumped on his email or
[Applause] [Music] [Applause] All right we are now going to go into committee reports miss Sullivan do you have a business administrator's report this evening uh just an update on the budget um budget was that was approved by the board at the last meeting was
submitted to the county and the county superintendent has approved that um so we will go ahead and advertise on April 30th and then we'll have the public hearing on May 6th thank you Miss Sullivan we'll now turn to Miss Norwood and curriculum thank you
the curriculum committee met on Thursday April 3rd in attendance were Dr johnson Miss Sandra Rodriguez Gomez Miss Angley Miss Katamanto Miss Connor and myself there are four curriculum items on the agenda and the committee recommends all for approval 9.01 is the approval of a
Hoboken Middle School assembly and it's a academic game show type style um uh event 9.02 is acceptance of a Project Lead the Way computer science expansion award in the amount of $10,000 9.03 03 is the approval of a
variety of field trips and 9.04 is the approval of off-site PTO events the family math night originally scheduled for April 5th was rescheduled to Saturday May 3rd from 3 to 7:00 at the high school we look forward to many
families being in attendance there's a number of teacher professional development items including um 13 participants across the district continue to participate in Google educator certification programming the district reading specialists are currently engaged in
dyslexia screenings 129 K to8 students districtwide have been identified for screenings based on their DRRA scores or their link scores and those students if flagged may be referred to intervention and referral services or potentially the
child study team kindergarten teachers are engaged in integrating financial literacy into the social studies committee and curriculum blanket C administration is being held starting yesterday through April 11 the Spanish dual language program will have its
lottery for seats on April 9 which is tomorrow and finally cursive writing instruction is returning to the curriculum in school year 2526 for grades 2 through 8 thank you very much
thank you Miss Norwood and I will say when I mentioned cursive in my home it was meant met with a giant groan i think it's a fabulous idea we will now turn to facilities and Mr grana thank you Miss uh
McGarth good evening everyone this is a report on the facilities committee meeting that happened on April 3rd of this year in attendance were Miss Delara Dr johnson Mr caligie Miss Angley Mr clubfell and
myself um on the consent agenda 1301 is the approval of fire and safety drill reports these have been reviewed at administrative and a board level we submit them to you for approval 13.02 is the approval of facilities
requests um a few a few details here because questions have been asked uh the committee sent you all a detailed information about um the use requests um the one thing to note is
that we do have a request process so all of those requests that come through they go through the administration they end with Mr caligie that presented to the board uh the board then reviews and approves um the priority will always be towards uh facilities use by the Hoboken
school district um we do have a couple of umbrella organizations which are the PTO's um so one of the thing that we've discussed here is that from a liability perspective um our carrier will no longer cover unless we uh consider our
PTO's as umbrella events but all other events when they go through this approval process have to have official sponsors and proof of insurance coverage so there are events that have not been improved and this is not for any lack of
desire or intent for these activities to happen but they lack a formal sponsor and they lack insurance and liability which our district cannot cover so I would like to make a note for for just for for the record which we are now
required to do that their Hala school PTO and the middle school PTO have been approved for three different events um per this agenda and we recommend 13.0 through for your approval um couple other quick date updates at the high
school um the boiler replacement is underway the weather is cooperating with us um and we should be able to continue the work and hopefully um progress make significant progress
during uh during the break um and second is the locker room replacement at stadium um the lockers will be shipping on March 22nd installation will occur promptly that is my update thank you Miss McGurt back to you thank you Mr
graia we'll now turn it over to Mr clul for finance thank you the uh committee met on April 4th uh with me were Mr del Torres uh Mr brana uh Miss Mcgherk uh Dr johnson Miss Sullivan and uh Miss
Lopez uh the board uh the committee did review all agenda items and recommend all for approval uh I just want to point out a couple of things 1110 is approval of a revised food services contract we approved it at the last meeting uh this
one uh upon review removes a certain uh item and this uh will cost about $10,000 less um so this new contract uh replaces uh the previous uh the handful of items
uh appoint our interim business administrator uh Miss Sullivan as uh sort of formally appoints her as a board secretary public agency compliance officer and qualified purchasing agents all all vital roles in her office and uh
by 1116 I have to acknowledge um $84,500 $100 donation from the Hoboken Public Education Foundation uh for some supplies at the high school family math night and the mathnasium program thank you
thank you Mr clipfell miss Katamatory do you have a governance report for us this evening yes I do thank you um governance committee met on Thursday April 3rd in attendance were Dr johnson Miss Norwood Miss Mcgherk Mr cleel and myself committee discussed the agenda and
recommends all agenda items for approval um this month's agenda contains approvals for typical items including appointments resignations leave requests modifications compensation and statement approvals as well as approvals for volunteers for various events and programs workshop approvals approvals of
walking tours and the appointment of substitutes there are a few items um and one correction that I'd like to highlight on the agenda tonight 10.14 is the approval of qualitative merit goals for Danielle Miller in connection with the creation of a coaching orientation
program that was um very successful 10.17 and 10.18 cover the annual appointment of certificated administrators and staff for the 2526 school year 10.19 requests approval of the proposed calendar for the 2526
school year note that this proposed calendar includes an early spring break which mirrors the calendar for the current school year and ends the day before Junth to avoid coming back to school on the following Monday June 22nd subject of course to whether you know we need to make up snow days or any other
unavoidable closure days um 10.21 21 approves a sidebar agreement to the current collective bargaining agreement between the board and the HA covering the addition of the positions of various coaching position various coaching positions in connection with the growth of our sports program offerings at the
middle school level 10.22 which currently says it's between the board and the HA should actually say it's between the Hoboken Board of Education and the Hoboken School employees association um and that uh sidebar
agreement cover approves a uh well approves a sidebar agreement between the board and the HSA um regarding the operation of a program to recruit train and comp compensate cohorts of our par profofessionals as registered behavior technicians um
annually and we'll replace the previously agreed upon ABA differential in the existing agreement between the board and the HSA um and oh one more a couple more things um 10.23 covers the monthly HIV report for each of the schools in the
district you'll note there is one confirmed report at the high school level and I would like to make clear that this incident was actually a complaint made made against the Madison against Madison High School on behalf of our Hoboken High School on behalf of the
Hoboken High School for incidents that occurred immediately following the section 2 group 2 varsity basketball finals on March 8th which reportedly included the use of racist slurs and other insults directed towards our players as they left Madison High School
as well as social media posts aimed at our students by what are believed to be Madison students which were also very racially charged these types of posts and behavior are strongly condemned by the board some of these posts were screenshot and an HIV incident confirmed
um as an aside uh the district has requested that the Madison Player School um superintendent apologize to our students and high school and we have thus far even as of today heard nothing from the Madison school district whatsoever regarding these incidents um
lastly you'll see a policy under item 701 um is the approval of district policy number 5111A covering access to education student privacy and immigration enforcement enforcement which is on for second reading tonight and that is my
report thank you Miss Katamatori we'll now turn it over to Miss Delara for wellness thank you uh the wellness committee met on Wednesday April 2nd in attendance were Dr johnson Miss Mcgherk Mr delator and myself um as previously
mentioned on Monday April the 7th the Hope High School held a boat drive during um normal school hours on May 1st the school-based youth services will hold its first ever mental health event at Taglurry football field um it will be set up just like an outdoor expo with
tents in the turf area different vendors from around Hoboken and Hudson County where they focus on physical and mental health as well as aspects of the students life um there'll be about 25 different agencies there with um nutrition family therapy services and
more there will be also food and drink vendors um for our students to sample um and our students will visit this event during their regular school hours of lunch and gym um we were also informed that an
interest survey was sent out to our middle school um sixth and seventh grade families which will be next year 7th and eighth grade um the form was just to kind of gauge um the number of students interested in um our our sports for the
fall um the results came back and they're uh pretty high which means that our seventh and eighth grade um upcoming students are very interested in all of the sports that our middle school has to offer based on these numbers Dr johnson determined and let the committee know
that we will keep a similar structure to what we've been having for the last year or so where seventh and eighth grade will participate and we'll have sixth grade students participate in clinics um further discussion was had about clinics being held during the week versus the
weekends um and just making sure that the club enrollment at HMS um the numbers of those don't um dip when students are participating in sports um Dr johnson agreed that this is something that she needs to look at and
perhaps an overhaul of the clubs um for next year and lastly um I'm happy to inform that the district has its first therapy dog his name is Georgie he finished all of his coursework he is now a certified therapy dog um Georgie took
part in six months with her classes um Georgie is going to start at the high school with our older students the life skills and transition students um he'll also make some visits to our elementary and our middle schools um and the district's goal is to have um a therapy
dog per school so happy to end on that note thank you thank you Miss Delara and thank you to everyone for their very robust committee reports this evening it leaves me crossing out sections of my my president's report and I'm totally okay
with that uh first off I'd like to welcome our interim business administrator Miss Sullivan to her first Hoboken board meeting we're very glad to have you here um and we hope you find this a a great place to serve as an interim VA it's really hard to believe
that we've hit the end of the third marking period and we're sitting here on the cusp of spring break and as Dr johnson mentioned it's a very exciting time with college acceptances scholarship talk spring sports and if you're not following the district on
social media and you need a mood lift I know when I sit down to take a look in the evening and I see all the various teams winning what seems like everything I realize they do lose some things now and again it just makes me personally so proud of all the hard work that's going
into all of these sports and activities that uh Hoboken public school district students are involved with as Dr johnson mentioned rehearsals are in full swing for newsies and if you do not have your tickets I would strongly advise getting
them soon uh they are going very very quickly and this seems to be a uh a musical that people throughout Hoboken are really excited about being able to see put on here locally as Miss Sullivan mentioned uh the budget has been approved by the county office and we
will be having our public budget hearing here on May 6th at 700 p.m right here in the Dearest Auditorium we invite the entire Hoboken community to come and join us to learn more about the budget for the 2025 2026 school year and
finally on the topic of our uh strategic planning process which we are working through a community survey will be released on behalf of the board of education tomorrow it's rather similar to what had gone out to parents and this is in support of our new 5-year
strategic plan this survey is an opportunity for the broader Hoboken community to share with us their thoughts their dreams their visions and everything they would like to see in the Hoboken public school district and with that I will conclude my president's report and I hope that everyone has a
very safe spring break and that our high school students have a wonderful time in South Africa and make it back to us safely we will now go into public comments on agenda items do we have speakers signed up one person Patricia
Waiters as a reminder before we open for public comments over the years and most recently the board has been asked why it does not prohibit or stop comments about school district employees from individuals who speak during public comment portion of our meetings the short answer is that the law prevents the board from censoring comments made
about district personnel the board does not condone nor is it a party to comments as such however just because the speaker may have the right to say what he or she feels it does not absolve the speaker from any liability for comments that could be viewed as defamatory by an employee should
speakers say something that subjects them to a civil suit the responsibility falls squarely on the speaker and not on the board board policy requires that all speakers please state your name municipality of residents and business affiliation if any speakers are allowed 5 minutes and Vice President Angley will
quietly motion when there are 30 seconds left please address all comments to the chair board policy states that the board welcomes comments on matters of interest to the board but this is not an opportunity for dialogue or debate between speakers and board members or the superintendent good evening Miss
Waiters thank you Patricia Waiters that what you just said that long speech would be helpful if you had a public audience so nobody's here but us i'm glad people watching um first of all two minutes before Madame President came I asked you about a rights notice council
so when she said in her statement about me being an employee I'm speaking today as an employee slash resident slashmom/hoboken taxpayer okay so I just wanted to clarify that cuz I want this placed on the record in this agenda I'm
speaking on agenda items matter of fact and it's so funny that the facilities director Mr ground this is part of the agenda y'all public reports right your reports is part of the agenda okay so
approval of the facilities um can they clarify it when I finish i'm just putting this on the record so you can answer later with the approval of the facilities it's a cost you said it was a cost if it's not for school purposes or
whatever back in 2022 2023 I was the union president and the facility was used for the NJA according to them with the permission of Tim Caligie said that they could use the facility so I guess that don't include then you can rectify it
later with respect to the public using the uh facility cuz I incident escalated this huge and you mentioned liability and whoever allowed them to use that facility should be held liable that's my opinion and the NJ the Hoboken Board of
Education Foundation this is a lot of money here everybody know that Mr he's not here today um Tori sits on that committee president of the committee whatever it is I think that's the hugest conflict of interest with that when I see these numbers I've been saying this
for two years every time I run against you guys this kind of money here need to be justified to members of the public because it look like simply pay to play this is a lot of money i hope you agree Mr finance uh Coke Comfort because you
mentioned that about this money okay now all approval of the appointments for I see you guys are working wonderful now with the NJA when I was the president never none of you guys wanted to work
with me didn't provide the resources I need instead a hit was put out on me to remove me and replace me this is very disturbing seeing 10-17 10-18 10-21 and whatever else the chair of this committee mentioned on this agenda
it's like a smack in my face in the audience which I don't care i'm just saying everything tonight to place it on the record cuz it will be brought to justice okay so that brings me back to my report that I want to put because it's in is in the same category with
this i have an affirmative action report about the incident that happened with me in the union and all of these items you mentioned tonight with the union i want to see the board of education's contract okay i want to see the bargaining agreements and how you working with this
new young lady which was a false election you working with this new young lady which I have a statement from where they lied on me to have me removed but you're working with her and I'm quite sure all of this is going to get approved so I hope the new business administration is taking an earful i'm
not smiling and I'm serious and I want this addressed with respect your kids is in this district just like mine was and I have nieces and nephews in the district now I'm asking you with respect these things that I circled on the agenda Madam Chair Madam President I
will share with you okay so it's about professionalism i don't care who's not my friend i want action to be taken okay i need this affirmative action to be answered seriously and I'm wrapping up with that every agenda item I mention could you please address my concerns
thank you [Applause] so Miss Waiters we are not at liberty to discuss um ongoings of the HSEA and the it's we are the board of education
what happened between anyone and the parent union is really up to taking it to that union i kept So Miss Waiters you you you wanted an answer from me you have to let me finish [Applause]
the collective bargaining agreement is an agreement between the board of education and the union it is not an it is not an agreement between the board of education and Pat waiters the board of education that's what I said it's here 2022 yes in
the union president so I do have something to do with I'm not now but the act is already committed what you're saying but I the act is committed all right i was part of the union you were absolutely part of the union not going to not going to
argue with you on that at all now getting back to the donation from the Hob Hoboken Public Education Foundation i want to be abundantly clear about what the Hoboken Public Education Foundation is up here is the board of education the
Hoboken Public Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization it has 501c3 status and no one who sits on this board is on the board of the Hoboken Public Education Foundation you
and no one who is on the board of education Mr delator included none of us serve on the Hoboken Public Education Foundation we can after this meeting we can happily sit down and go to their website you can pull up who their leadership is do many of us attend their
events their fundraisers when they have them yes we absolutely do what the HPF does and I want to make sure that it's clear for you because I don't often get an opportunity to speak this freely on the matter is that they fund raise for
things that we would not be able to offer our students so what that looks like Miss Waiters is it looks like taking students who've never been on a college visit and taking them to see colleges including H.B.CU it looks like making sure that every single student
has access to SAT prep courses which is not something that existed prior they do incredibly good work that is important that ensures equity in this district and frankly it is an organization that you should be proud of and and looking to
assist because they are doing so much good for this community especially for our underrepresented student population okay the way you just explained that with all due respect if I knew about the organization which I am going to do my homework it was told to me I made things
Mr you'll talk three terms in yourself okay and I always stand here and ask you this question we spoke last week when you brought that here the money looks the like the money like I told you I'm going to stop you right there
because this is not a back and forth between you and the chair but that is not what it looks like to anyone except you standing here and calling it a back of play to play you are one member of the public Miss Waiters you were standing here speaking on your own behalf when I communicate we
serious so I thank you for explaining to me and for the people that's watching thanks for explaining to me but I don't feel that we need nothing but fairness if my kids benefit in this district especially the struggling kids of course I'm going to be happy to hear that all right wonder if you find out cuz
everything in this town you know is very politic and I don't mind saying thank you miss Sullivan do we have anyone else signed up for comments on agenda items no all righty we are going to move to
our consent agenda motion is there a second second miss Sullivan can you please call the role sharon Angley yes milani Katamatori yes sheila Delera yes
antonio Grana yes kataly Kana yes thomas Kubfell yes leslie Norwood yes ailen Mcgherk yes thank you Miss Sullivan we will now move to comments on agenda and non-aggenda
items [Music] [Applause] patricia Waiters i mean you getting permission yes patricia Waiters i'm next oh okay patricia Waiters 15 Church towers um I have here with me and I need to be
properly introduced to the business administrator so I can call her by Mrs whoever addressed her but I'm addressing the whole government body tonight this is my affirmative action for the record report 16 pages and I know council being
that I turned it over to the attorney general that I can't say but much okay but what I am saying and I'm not and I just wanted to show that it's signed and sent what I am saying is I'm asking again for professionalism i don't want friendship from anyone especially
someone I can't trust i need this to be entertained and address you cuz you work for this body okay Mr blet please and this is dated and timestamped from January 27th day it was a Monday at
1:38 and the conversation took place with attorney general this is for the new business administrator that conducts the business of the Hoboken Board of Education her name is Dana Sullivan dana Sullivan thank you Miss Sullivan now
here my three contracts if you notice it's a a cut in one of the contracts madam chair this is for you and you can address the board in its entirety all three of these is contracts for me and I'm doing it in a public portion this is the letter addressed in
the equal rights department in this contract you will notice 2021/2022 school year contract for Patricia Waiters and I clearly signed my signature there on June 14th 2021 at 11:00 a two-year gap is between this is
when the harassment intimidation bullying so on the list goes on to remove me with a hit that was put out on me to remove me from my union two years later now this one is for February contract up to 2025 which was
handd delivered in my office by Lisa Cruz in my office at 130 this look like and this is the contract for now so all I want you to do is what I just displayed on this public portion Mr director Garliardi Council
and I have big respect for you big respect to just continue with respect to what you're going to get from me tomorrow from this meeting tonight to look into this matter and I want to take him very serious and please share with the business administration the business administrator cuz I was told that's who
conduct the business of the school she need to be advised of what's going on cuz she was not here today is my first day seeing her and I guess she was already appointed to the board back in February well today was my first day seeing her too but I'm I'll be happy to receive whatever you send me I really
appreciate you you know that thank you if I may Madam President so the other thing I I wanted to mention for the benefit of the board and the benefit of the public lest anyone believe that there's a pending affirmative action complaint that the board or the administration has not addressed uh if
you look in your policies there there's sort of an internal administrative process for affirmative action complaints but any citizen if they wanted to could bring something with the attention of a court or to the state and so the reference made to the attorney
general's office is because Miss Waiters exercised her right to file the matter with the attorney general's office to my knowledge we've not heard anything in the week since it was filed but once it's in the hands of the attorney general there's nothing for the district to do the complaint was not filed with the district it was filed with the
attorney general's office district received a copy as it must and we await further uh reaction from the state to see what if anything the board needs to do but there's nothing pending before the board now thank you miss thank you attorney general only get
involved I told I should understood thank you ma'am thank you madam president miss Sullivan do we have anyone else signed up for yes Manuel El Rivera
[Applause] [Applause] [Music] Solless good evening everyone good evening um Madame President trustees members of the public those here and those who may be watching at home in future time uh my name is Manuel Ria
Soler Hobokin you have my address over there so no need to say it uh just a few questions um as a member of the public um the information that um was given from earlier um members of the public
speaking is greatly appreciated um we might not have all the information or all the little details of as you mentioned a uh fund uh that helps uh students um we would all
um would be better served if we knew more of it if we could contribute more so that more students who are disadvantaged can take ad uh at least some uh uh I wouldn't say I would say I don't want to say use the word help but at least get some advantage of those funds
or that organization it is very important because in these times um things are going to get uh worse before they get better unfortunately uh my opinion only but I would like to ask a few questions in regards to first of
all I want to find out if there's anywhere or any place in the district's um website where you maintain the public and um the parents and guardians of the students in regards to any and possible
mitigation of any outbreaks of measles or any other type of contagious disease or Is that only have to go through the city health department does the board um inform parents either personally or
through the website because um it's not uh reaching our shores um in a great amount but anything could happen so uh members of the public and I'm sure uh many uh parents and guardians would appreciate any information that could be
given whether um via Mixel or any other way that uh the board decides to inform the public also I would like to ask um this is going to go into my final part which is um my final part of my question
or my statement i would like to know facilities were mentioned earlier in the um the agenda but um although everything mentioned is very important um for uh the district but my question is and I've
been asking the question for quite some time even though I was absent and again my pardon for my absence um what is or when is the possibility that we could have some type of a
timetable as to when this beloved and treasured building is going to be repaired and when is the scaffolding coming down uh that's surrounding this again prestigious campus uh is very important because it's been quite a long
time and again it I know it has to do a lot with um the masonry and the historic uh portion of this uh building but it's it's time we need to get it fixed and get the scaffolding out um again my
humble opinion but I'm sure many other people would like to get rid of that um on the building so I know again uh it's a matter of uh time and funds but it's been a long time anyway that was my pet peeve but that brings me into um some of
the questions that you already answered in regards to the budget being that you are going to be presenting this budget um I believe you said May 6th um will members of the public uh in that presentation
um be able to ask further questions in regards to um the different allocations for um your funds um again visav facilities as I just mentioned earlier and uh as well as uh
other projects in regards to the new facility that we might or when I say we I mean the district uh might be renting which will also behoove uh the facility the school I believe not purchase but rent um so will that be reflected in the
budget and again will members of the public be able to get any answers again because this is not an answer right now we're not an answer and uh uh question time but will we be able to pose questions then when you present the
final budget um and again will it be also available on the 30th for the public you're approaching 5 minutes thank you uh would you would it be uh available again on April 30th for the public to read uh in your homes and with
that I yield back if I have time left thank you very much for listening so actually I don't when we advertise the budget on April 30th does the full bud the budget goes out at that point in time right usually in the advertisement the the the ad is a full page ad with
all budget information correct so yeah the budget itself will be available probably in rather small print um because it gets printed in a paper um on April 30th but on May the 6 there will be a full presentation there will be the opportunity to ask questions and the project you referenced where the
district um is looking to rent space there is not a signed or approved lease uh that would not be in effect until the 2026 2027 school year so it's a a little far off in the future still you're
welcome uh we are going to be going into executive session this evening for the purpose of covering uh matters that are covered by attorney client privilege we will not be taking action so will we just be coming back to close the meeting
we will be approximately 30 minutes do I have a motion so motion second miss Sullivan could you please call the role sharon Angley yes milani Counter Mator yes sheila Delara yes
antonio Grana yes katali Kana yes thomas Kfo yes leslie Norwood yes alen Mcgherk yes it is 9:08 and we are just coming back from executive session uh we went out
for executive session at 8:17 do I have a motion to resume the meeting motion second miss Sullivan can you please call the role sharon Angley yes milani Katamatori yes sheila Delara yes antonio
Grana yes chatali Kana yes thomas Clipfell yes leslie Norwood yes ailen Mgherk yes and with no further business do I have a motion to close the meeting
motion second all in favor say I i thank you and good [Music]
evening heat heat