A roll call. Mr. Calivita. Dr. Genevacy here. Mr. Kapadia here. Dr. Lilon here. Mr. Peters here. Dr. Resnik here. Mr. Slottman
here. Dr. Stilliano here. Miss William Scalliano here. We do have a quorum. Thank you. The New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to
attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the provisions of the act, the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be published by having the date, time, and place thereof
communicated to the Hopewell Valley News and the Times on January 7th, 2025. This meeting notice was also sent to Comcast Cable and Verizon FiOS. The board does reserve the right to enter into executive session during
all meetings of the board of education. The meeting is being recorded for the purposes of board review, future reference, preparation of the minutes, and viewing on YouTube, Bulldog TV, and the school district's website, www.hvrsd.org.
Members of the public who intend to participate in public comment, we remind you that when you approach the deas that you um prior to speaking, you sign in and this will assist us with our recordeping.
With that said, please join me in a flag salute. United States of America and to the stands nationy andice for all. Um just one general announcements to the
board um and anyone using the mic. We are of course recording and if you do not pull the mic directly in front of you um the um system won't record and pick it up. So we will be pointing to you if you're not uh following the
guidelines. Um but just a quick reminder and also to the public when you approach the um podium. Okay. I need a first and second to approve the minutes for April 28th meeting. So moved. Second. All in favor?
I. Any opposed or abstaining? With that the minutes are passed. We're going to move on to our favorite part of the meeting, which is our CH uh HS student, Miss Aaron Lee, who will be
giving us her last report of the year. As the school as the school year comes to a close, many exciting events have taken place in the high school this month. AP exams were administered at the beginning of May and officially wrapped up last Friday. Students have been working hard and are now looking forward
to the end of the academic year. It's been a strong season for our sports teams. The boys lacrosse team won the CBC tournament for the second year in a row, and the boys volleyball team celebrated their senior day with a well-earned victory. In the arts, the HBCHs band program held its final spring
concert last week in collaboration with the Timberlain Middle School band. And finally, today marks my last day as board rep. I want to thank everyone for this incredible opportunity. I've learned so much over the past few months and truly appreciate being a part of these meetings. But don't worry because
starting tomorrow, my adviserss and I will become begin interviewing new candidates to take over this role next year. Thank you. Thank you so much for your commitment throughout the year. I know this is um we benefit from it immensely
and I hope that it has been a great experience for you as well. I want to also have you uh just quickly announce you are going to be going to Northwestern University next year.
All right. I'm from the Midwest, so just know you can come back this way if after you do that. But congratulations um on that. And we do
have a small gift for you. Thank you, Erin. [Applause] I don't suppose the boards has any questions for Erin at this point. Awesome. As always, please feel
free to stay, you know, just for old time sake. Wonderful. Okay, we're going to go ahead and move on to um superintendent report. Um I just wanted to say a few words to thank those folks who came for our tour today. We had a very nice turnout um for
folks to check out uh our Timberlane space. Our last tour of the high school will be next year in September, ne next school year. Um we'll start the year uh with our first meeting board meeting in the high school. Our last board meeting, unfortunately, is the same night that
the high school will be having senior awards. Um, so I didn't want to have a conflict there with the senior awards and us trying to have a tour in the building. But we will kick off the year with opportunities to see uh the high school and we'll run many opportunities for tours of all of the buildings um
that will be hosted by our principles and we'll try to attach those to events that are already going on in the building so that if you're going to be out for a parent night or some event, you can also get a tour of the building and see the state of what's going on uh uh to date. We're going to be talking a
little bit about the um yes, we're going to be talking a little bit about the um referendum tonight uh in finance and facility. Uh we are going to um I am going to table the rest of my speech because we have our retirees here tonight. Um and we
have a very distinguished group and I'm not going to steal any of Miss Smith's thunder. Um, but I'm looking forward to give to celebrating our retirees this evening and then also welcoming our green team and our uh green committee, our sustainability committee of the board, climate action committee of the
board that will share a report on all of their efforts this year. So, thank you for all of our guests that have have attended today. And with that being said, I'll pass it off to Miss Smith. Good evening, members of the board and our community members and families who are joining us this evening. It is both
an honor and a privilege to present the 2025 class of retirees to the board of education this evening for recognition. Together, these individuals have dedicated an impressive 490 years of service to the Hopewell
Valley Regional School District. Yet, beyond the numbers, what truly stands out is their unwavering work ethic, deep commitment, and outstanding professionalism. Throughout their careers, they have consistently supported our students, staff, families,
and the broader community with integrity and care. Each of our retirees will receive a certificate and a gift that reads the following. In recognition of your dedicated service and commitment to excellence, we extend our heartfelt
appreciation for your hard work and professionalism throughout your tenure. Your contributions have greatly contributed to the success of our district. Congratulations on your retirement. When I call your name, please come forward to receive your
gifts. Anna Benvites [Applause] Ken Bilada, also known as Stanley, but
he goes by Ken. Jeff [Applause] Cobb, Christine Diro,
[Applause] Britt Murray Dominic [Applause]
Pam Edwards Denise Elliot. [Applause] Barry Freriedman [Applause]
Michelle Hamilton. [Applause] Lori Leah Party. Anna Lopez.
[Applause] Joanne Maru. [Applause]
Lisa Miller. Janet Mills. Terry Nelson. Amy Parker. Claudia Scotty
[Applause] Yavon Vasquez and Donna Weidman. On behalf of the administration and the board of education, thank you for your
dedicated service to the district. As you embark on this next chapter of your life, we hope it's filled with joy and fulfillment. May you always take pride in the many lives you touched and the lasting impact you've made during your time in Hopewell Valley. We extend our
heartfelt best wishes. Congratulations to all of our retirees. I'm getting a little choked up. I'm sorry. Um, we would like all of our retirees to join us out in the hallway so we can just take one last picture of our class of 2025.
There's one more thing. opport I think perfect. How are you? That was a lot of people. Everybody's good. Everybody's good. Everybody here. I think he's still in the hall.
Then just like step Okay, I know I did that already, but this time I mean it. We had to wait for Dr. Patel to come back in. We we yes we are gonna go a little out of order but we want to get to the
kiddos and so you are on sir. All right. Thank you everyone. Welcome. Uh it was such a such a good great evening. Always great seeing the uh the retirees and the over 400 years is just something uh spectacular. So uh certainly uh some faces we're going to miss in Hope Valley Regional School District. Uh but again,
thank you for this opportunity uh to present a summary of this year's Hope Valley Green Week to the Board of Education. Uh we are Carolyn McGrath and I'm Scott Patell. Uh and we're fortunate enough to be joined this evening by a number of students that you're going to hear uh later this evening about the
Green Week events in our schools. This year we celebrated our fifth week year of programming for Green Week. Our mission remains the same, to enrich and support the already robust environmental work being done in our
schools, our towns, and our region. The focus of Green Week this year was hope is a practice. Excellent. Thank you. Go for it. Thank you. Hi, I'm Miss McGrath and I co-chair the climate action committee with Dr.
Brattell. Oops, a little too close. And I'm also the advisor for the Youth Environmental Society. We have some students here from that. So, Green Week is um a big collective undertaking. It's organized by student
green teams. We have some representatives here tonight and their advisors at the elementary, middle, and high schools with support and coordination provided by building principles such as Dr. Patel and others
who are here this evening. So, thanks to everybody who helped put this together. Next, please. Thanks. You can find more information about Greenw Week uh including presenter
information, lots of resources and more on the Greenw Week website at bit.ly backhp greenweek and that updates each year with with our
programming. Green week took place next please. Green Week took place on April 21st through 26 throughout all schools in the district. And now we're going to turn
things over to our students uh for green teams in each building. Hello, I'm Devon Brown and I'm a junior at the high school. I'm a leader of CHS's Youth Environmental Society and I'm very happy happy to be
speaking today. Um, at Bear Tavern Elementary School, students participated in Earth Day scavenger hunts, games, and an escape room created by the fifth graders. There were two tree planting ceremonies. Um, the red oak trees were provided by Hope Valley Gardens. This is
on the next slide. Um, for wildlife and hope. These tree plantings took place at every school throughout Green Week, which we're very proud of. Hello, I am Tessa Goodman. Um, I am a junior at the Hope Central High School
and I'm also a leader of the Youth Envir Environmental Society. Um, during green week, Bear Tavern students also planted vegetables in the garden throughout the week and helped to clean up trash outside. Hi, I'm Avery. Hi, I'm Avery Wolf from
Hopewell Elementary School. At Hopewell Elementary School, students participated in an oak tree planting ceremony. Hi, I'm John Despotto. I'm a fifth grader at Opel Elementary School. Students also worked with Sour Sourand
Conservancy to do plantings at St. Michael's Preserve. Hello, I'm Teddy Carter. There was a big walk/bike/roll to school event in Green Week at at Hopewell. And in Green Week,
students got to meet Dr. Lauren Madden from CCJ who talked to students and answered questions about climate change. Um, hi, I'm Shria Ashuk. Um, at Stony Brook Elementary School, students helped with cleaning up the courtyard,
collecting recycling for Terraycle, and taking part in Green Week home challenges. Many students had a great time participating in walk or bike to school day. Hi, I'm Michelle Nora from out of I'm a fifth grader at Sony Brook Elementary
School and Hope Valley Gardens for Wildlife and Hopewell Township supplied an oak sapling for a tree planting ceremony and the whole school community came together for an outdoor sensory walk for autism acceptance. Hi, my name is Aya Freckle from Tate Grammar School and At Tollgate
Grammar School, students participated in a grounds cleanup, Earth Day activities, and a tree planting ceremony. Here are more photos from the tree planting event. Hi, I'm Alice Pier and I'm a student at Toggate Grammar School. The
big event at Tollgate is the Green Week Student Expo where the whole gymnasium is filled with student presentations. that show a wide range of environmental topics. What grade are you in, sir? I'm Chris Turble. I'll be playing the
role of Timberlane student this evening. Um, but at Timberlane during Green Week, students did participate in a trash pickup around the campus that was very successful. And they also helped to plant another red oak tree right out front on our island. And here's another
planting photo. Students also worked with staff members to create a video of the poem Earthrise by Amanda Gorman, which was played for the whole school during the morning announcements. Hi, I'm Nikita Ogarwal, a sophomore at
CHS. Um at the high school, the youth environmental society organized and participated in a series of eco lunch and learn events. Dr. Trish Shanley from Ridgeview Conservancy shared her experiences in ethnobbatany working in the Brazilian
Amazon while Ben Jobeck be from the climate action revolution guided students to find their climate action. Another highlight of the week was the Earth keynote speaker, internationally recognized climate and disability justice advocate Daffhne
Frizz. Other student led events included the last of the six tree planting ceremonies and an introduction to the practice of visible mending. Can we just go back two slides real quick? So, I just wanted to say uh
we have the student alumni here. Mac who um created a portrait of Daphne Frius in my class a few years ago. And this was such a fantastic opportunity because Mac
was able to give the portrait to Daphne. This year, Greenw Week featured one event for community members. Philadelphia artist and community organizer Shie Hirs offered a workshop on sashiko, which is a Japanese style of visible
mending. Participants got to mend a clothing item of their choice. But the most fun was being together in the community at the end of a wonderful green week. Green Week was also featured in some of our local
publications. The April edition of Mercer Me included an article on the fifth anniversary of Green Week. Photos in from Green Week will be included in an upcoming Express. So again, at this time, we certainly would like to thank Miss McGrath, our
building principles, our each building's green team, and certainly the support um of our district administration, as well as the board of education for its continued support of greater sustainability in our schools and our community. So, thank you again.
[Applause] What a wonderful experience to see all of you um be able to share all of that you did and accomplished and just hear from all of the schools across the the
district. So, thank you all. Are there any questions? All right. Okay, we're we'll just give the kiddos a few minutes. You all feel extra spar away now. Feel
free to move up if you would like. Okay. Um, moving on to the agenda. Um, we have a wonderful opportunity as a school board. Thank you. Yay. Folks moved out.
Um we have a wonderful opportunity on occasion to uh make declarations and statements um called resolutions for most boards. And so we're going to take one of those opportunities this evening. I just want
to take time to acknowledge I'm going to read the resolution and we will vote on it as a board so you understand the process. Um but later in our meeting we are going to also be discussing in the
personnel um committee notes um something called the comprehensive equity plan. And so sometimes it's difficult to understand how the resolution shows up in policy or in other areas that we um as a school
district or as a board um think are important. And this is one of the ways that I just want to connect the dots for you all um as a community. And we'll hear a little bit more about the comprehensive equity plan later in the agenda.
So with that said, I will be uh reading the resolution and then we will take a vote. Okay. The resolution reaffirming HVRs commitment to diversity, equity,
inclusion, and accessibility. Whereas the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, HBRSD, is committed to cultivating a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible community where every individual is valued,
respected, celebrated, and and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, immigration, or citizenship status, religion, gender, sexual
orientation, gender identity, or expression, ability/diversity, and socioeconomic status or other protected characteristics. And whereas the district recognizes that
every child residing in Hopewell Township, Pennington Burough, and Hopewell Burough has the right to receive a free and appropriate public K through2 education in an environment where they they are safe, supported, and
empowered to reach their full potential. And whereas the district upholds federal and state civil rights laws including the New Jersey law against discrimination NJS NJSA 10 colon 5
through 1 um which prohibits discrimination and bias-based harassment based upon actual or perceived characteristics and recognizes the guidance issued by the New Jersey Attorney General affirming legality and
importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts in K through 12 education. And whereas the district recognizes that diversity is not merely the presence of differences, but an essential strength that enriches
learning environments, strengthens our community, and prepares students to engage thoughtfully and compassionately with the broader world. And whereas the district affirms that equity means prohibit providing each student with the specific resources,
opportunities, and encouragement they need to succeed and to thrive, recognizing that treating everyone the same does not always result in fairness. And whereas the district is committed to fostering inclusive
classrooms where every student feels seen, valued, and empowered to be their authentic selves and where all contributions are celebrated. And whereas the district affirms that accessibility is a fundamental a
fundamental right and is dedicated to ensuring that every student regardless of ability has equitable access to educational opportunities, resources, facilities, and supports necessary to participate in the school experience
fully. And whereas the district is committed to supporting educators, students, and community members through evidence-based practices, professional development, and recruitment efforts that embrace diversity perspectives, diverse
perspectives. And whereas the district will continue to implement policies and practices that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion for all students, ensuring that every learner can engage fully in high quality educational
experience. And whereas the district policy requires the board of ed to ensure all students enrolled in the schools of this district shall be afforded an equitable education opportunity. And now therefore, be it
resolved, the board declares the district to be a safe space for its students. Meaning that the district is a place for students to learn, to thrive, and to seek assistance, information, and support free of harassment,
intimidation, discrimination, and bullying. And be it further resolved that the board will make every effort to protect the rights and well-being of its students and their families to the greatest extent
possible. With that said, um I need a motion or a second or comment um regarding this amazing resolution. Any comments first? All right. Seeing none, I need a
first and second to move. Motion second. All in favor? I. Any uh abstaining or um opposed? Thank you. Wonderful. Okay, the resolution
passed and thank you all for um a very healthy discussion on what should be in this conversation as we um just continue to affirm our students and our community um members at large.
Just to point out to the rest of the community on TV and here in the audience, there is the full resolution is posted on board docs for anyone who wants to read it. And as um President um Williams Scallaniano stated tonight, we will be actually adopting and it's something
we've worked on for two years. And I need to give some accommodations to Miss Smith and her department who have worked very hard as well as my assistant Martha, the policy committee members because we have been on a bad flurry to adopt, update, refresh the thousands of
policies that we needed to do in order to submit this to the state. Um so thank you for all of your work. I know that we still have to a couple to go through tonight. Um, but I know it's been a lot of work and then we can start that all over again here very soon next month. But thank you for all your efforts.
All right. I just wanted to to make a quick comment if it's possible. Absolutely. Absolutely. Thank you, Board President Williams Galliano, for reading the uh resolution in full and uh thank you to the board for for passing this. Uh, I want to speak tonight in my
personal capacity and not on behalf of the entire board. I want to speak as someone whose life is deeply tied to this district and community. As someone who has spent years fighting for marginalized people in Hopewell and as
someone who is especially proud to see this resolution pass. My parents immigrated to this country from India in the 90s and made the deliberate choice to settle here in Hopewell Valley. They believed this was
a place where my older brother and I could thrive. Not only because of the beautiful preserved space or the charming main streets in downtown Hopewell and Pennington Burough or the proximity to Philadelphia and New York
City, but because of our schools. My brother and I went through this district from Stony Brook Elementary to the Central High School, often as some of the only non-white students in our classrooms. And yet, we were nurtured
here. This community shaped us. This school district gave us lifelong friends, coaches, and mentors. And for that, my family is eternally grateful. But we can't ignore the present moment.
We live in a time when marginalized communities across our country are under attack. Under attack from political leaders who stoke fear. From unconstitutional actions that undermine
civil rights and from sweeping policies that target the very values that public education should stand for. Let me be clear. The Trump administration has systematically taken a hatchet to our education system, to
our fundamental freedoms, to our core values. And I think it's important in times like these to remember that these are not abstract federal politics. These are executive policies that have real
consequences here at home. Just a few weeks ago, ICE agents detained members of our community right here in Hopewell. Familiar faces were removed from our community. Families were torn
apart. Students in our district were directly affected. This is the lived reality of our neighbors, of our students, of our parents, of our community members. And when I hear these stories, it makes me think about two people.
Makes me think about my parents who became naturalized citizens after more than 10 years of navigating our nation's arduous immigration system. And I often think, what would they have wanted to
hear if they were still seeking citizenship? What would they have wanted to hear if they still had young kids in the district? What would they have wanted to hear if their due process rights were no longer enforced?
And at a minimum, at a minimum, they would want to hear that the leadership of our school district is willing to stand up for families like mine. So for me, this resolution is not symbolic. It is a reaffirmation of our
district's commitment to stand firm in the face of cruelty and discrimination. It's a promise that our schools will remain safe, equitable, inclusive, and accessible to all students, regardless of where they come from, what they look
like, how they identify, or what languages they speak at home. Above all else, it's a reassurance to my parents that the community they traveled thousands of miles for will continue to
be a sanctuary for people like us. I'm deeply grateful to my colleagues on this board for passing this resolution because it sends a clear message that Hopewell Valley, we do not bend on our core
principles. We defend the dignity of every student and we do the hard necessary work of making sure all of us belong. Thank
[Applause] you. Thank you. Anyone else? Okay, seeing no other comments from the board, we're going to go ahead and move
into our first public comment on any interest. Members of the public are invited to address the board on any matter for a maximum of three minutes during this portion of the meeting. when using a virtual
format. Oh, sorry. That is not usually in here. Um, little copy paste there. started. Okay. You are asked to state your name, address, and municipality. In response to your comments, the board of education
may respond or direct the superintendent to do so. The board may also opt to take the matter up at a future meeting so that the matter is researched by the district administration. Some directions for the timekeeper. Hi, I'm your friendly timekeeper. Um,
for those of you who may not have done public comment, you have three minutes. At 2 minutes and 30 seconds, I will hold up the yellow indicating you have 30 seconds left. And then at three minutes, I'll hold up the red. Okay. Um, I have to get to a concert that started 18
minutes ago. So, Heather Irish nine large court. Um, as many are going to be talking about pay to play. Um, mine is band and indoor percussion, which my daughter
participates in both and has already started. So, there's that. She started. Does that where are you gonna where are you gonna throw that in? [Music] Um, as of a week ago or so, my daughter
and her friends brought up that there were 23 band members. I'm sure most of you don't go watch the band. That's half. That's about half.
I can't even imagine what's going to happen when you get your money. So, the problem I have here is when she left this school,
um she came out of her shell. She found the drums and this has done a wonder for her. She's out of her therapist, which she would not want you to know, or the world. But my daughter is
happy. If this falls through the fingers, it this is going to be bad for her. And not for any of you, but it's going to be bad for a lot of them. You know, the MTPA has been
incredible and it's a small group that never gets recognized. I appreciate you're going to do that in September. I appreciate that you said something, especially correcting herself when my daughter was not a color guard member sitting there. Um, I appreciate all that
and I appreciate that it's going to happen, but she's 16. Um, I'm not 16, you know, like you're not 16. She doesn't get that, you know, like she just was angry girl. Um, so I am so nervous about what
this is going to do. And if any thought was put into it, this isn't football. This isn't cheerleading. This isn't not even cheerleading. This isn't baseball, soccer, this isn't any of your sports. The fine arts are going to suffer big time. and the kids are
talking about it amongst themselves that they're going to have to decide what they're going to have to choose. That is sad. No parent's going to go to some of these principles. They're going to have to be able to come to you. I I'll cry
poor willingly, but you know, I do know people that are not going to go go to their principles. That's that's really sad. And then my last thing, and I'm not going to get upset. I want to know if special ed's included in what you just decided
on. And I think you all know why. Hello, my name is Marissa Enroth. I'm at 511 Tuxford Court. Please bear with me because I didn't have a lot of time to prepare my remarks. Um, I recently took up ballet as an adult and I love the
arts. They're dying across the country because they're not as well supported as things like STEM and that's a real shame because it makes a well-rounded person to know about the arts, to learn about the arts. I have three students in this district. I'm very proud of them. I'm
very proud of the district. Um, my oldest child is in the marching band. And I don't know if the school board members are aware of this, but there isn't just the band. There's the marching black and gold, there's parade band, there's jazz band, there's
symphonic band, there's indoor percussion, and there's jazz band. She belongs to several of these. And my other daughter, my middle daughter, is in cheerleading in two seasons. So, I'm not really even clear on the costs that
will be involved with these fees. Will they be by school year? I know there's a cap on the family, but what if your child does four different bands? How does that get calculated? As it is, when we go to band competitions for marching black and
gold, these kids work their butts off. And it is embarrassing to see how few resources are put into our band program when they do so exceptionally well at competition. And has nothing to do with
how wealthy our school is or the size of our schools or because there are other schools that are smaller and poorer and have far more resources, better props, more members, nicer uniforms. And as a result, the band fundraised to have new
uniforms. And even then, the money that they've made is is somewhat held against them. Even as athletics, gets so much more money. It's a shame to me that they're not even allowed to sell any kind of items at the concession, not even hot chocolate, which people
routinely ask for to raise more money. I think being in the arts, in all the performing arts, not just the band, but also plays in music, is a way for students who are not traditional athletes to show off their talents, to
be recognized by colleges, to be more attractive to recruiters for marching band programs at colleges. And the beautiful thing about the arts is that you can do it your entire life. I can't do the sport that I did in high school
because of injuries, but you can always do something in the arts until you die. It's a shame that you are considering removing faculty from the performing arts program because these students deserve and it is an equitable
thing for the students to be recognized just as much as athletics are and they need to have a path for them to flourish just as much as the athletes do. So, thank you for listening to me and please consider what I've said.
Hi. Uh, my name is Kate Elliot. I live at 46 North Greenwood Avenue in Hope Burough. I'm not going to be talking about activities fees tonight, but I might be back next meeting because certainly on my mind. Just as a little background, I have been president of the music theater parents association for
the last three years. I have three kids who are either in or graduated from our district. I have a fourth grader at Hopewell Elementary, a freshman at Central High School, and a recent graduate. All three of them are heavily involved in the performing arts. Also, I
am a former special area teacher, a librarian at Hopewell Elementary School, and I'm intimately familiar with all of the unique challenges of that particular position in a school. Over the past few years, I've been approached by multiple
I'm so close, aren't I? Sorry. It's okay. By multiple parents from outside of our district who were interested in our performing arts academy track that we offer. They had all heard about our reputation and our strength with the performing arts
community. We see our faculty and our students being recognized for this level of excellent excellence throughout the state regularly. In fact, tonight we have a whole group of teachers and students up at the Foxy Theater Awards in Montlair. This reputation is bringing
paying students into our district through that performing arts academy. But that reputation does not just magically happen. Yes, we have talented students, but that talent is able to shine here because of two things. Our
phenomenal performing arts faculty and our continuum of arts curriculum from preK through 12th grade. So many of our families feel this. our special education students who have found that K12 the performing arts classes are
those when they can actually mix with their gened peers and find a group who welcomes and encourages their gifts. Our kids who have gone on to be accepted in to prestigious college performing arts technical theater programs or found
careers in the arts after high school. and most importantly of all our students who have felt safe and found their homes in these programs. Right now though, our performing arts faculty feel stretched
thin, pulled in way too many directions, and some of them are having their programs and therefore their livelihoods cut. Class sizes are going to continue to increase at the elementary level. And as I noted in the beginning, every kid
in home room goes to special together. So those kids that get pulled out, they come to special. This is one of the reasons I was so delighted when my fourth grader came home and told me they had a special dance teacher during music class this year. I reached out to Gabby Cook to ask her what was going on and
she shared with me the pilot program that she had developed. This is exactly the kind of innovative programming that we need to be encouraging to help keep our performing arts robust. It provides critical support the to the elementary
school music teachers. The kind of co-eing experience that I know can feel like a lifeline during a jam-packed school year. Um anyway, this is not the place to scrimp and save and make cuts in a program where our staff are to give above and beyond. Hello, my name is Mac Carcell. I live in
Hope Township. I put the microphone down. Uh, hello, my name is Mac Carcel. I live in Hope Township. I'm non-binary. My pronouns are they, them. I was the club president of Spectrum, CHS's Gender and Sexuality Alliance for three years, and I'm currently interning at the Bard Rustin
Center for Social Justice over in Princeton. As my dear friend Robert Martin frequently says, the most important thing about us being here is for those who couldn't be here with us to see that we were here, to see that we are celebrating these wins and continuing to fight for people, even
those who may not look like us. I'm here tonight to thank the board for reaffirming HBRSD's commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. In the wake of this current presidential administration, many children and young adults are feeling hopeless, afraid, and unsafe. On
November 6th, the Trevor Project reported a 700% increase in outreach to their crisis services. Let Valley Regional School District be a place where students don't have to carry this burden with them. We are only five months into 2025 and there are already 5
75 anti-LGBTQ bills moving through state legislatores across the US. Nine of the 10 bills that exist in New Jersey target student and educator rights. Harmful legislation like this breeds hate, but I know the Hope Valley
community is strong enough to fight it off. Let Valley continue to be a place where students can trust that their administrators will fight for this to not affect their ability to flourish and learn. I'd like to thank the board and Dr. Trice for aggressively and unwaveringly
supporting students. Your efforts to create an environment that is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible do not go unnoticed. As a student, I was allowed to be my most successful self by the use of a 504, something people are beginning to question the necessity
of. I have witnessed firsthand the way teachers and staff fight for students to succeed in the classroom in this district. The world will grow around us as it may, but we will find ourselves in the middle of it. We get to choose who we are in this world. Let us at least so the seeds
for the growth to be loud, joyful, creative, and kind. Change doesn't happen all at once, but it can start with small communities of people working together to do better. May this community come together to protect all those who call it home and those who
come to us seeking support. Thank you. My name is Jack Elliot. I live at 46 North Greenwood Avenue in Hop Burough. Uh, and I'm a recent alumni of Hopo Valley Central High School, currently attending Syracuse University. At Syracuse, I sing in a competitive ac capella group. And I am also a broadcast
major, putting skills I developed during my time in the HVRs arts program to use in front of the camera at the New House School for Public Communications. I wouldn't be where I am today without my experiences in performing arts, and I'm sure many of my peers would say the same. My interest in the performing arts
began in elementary school music class with Miss Alfred. It was always a favorite of mine, and so I joined the before school choir, which led to other extracurricular choirs. I certainly wasn't going to be an athlete. I talk about the sports, I don't play them. And while I liked math and science and I like to read, choir quickly became a
home for me. This continued in middle school with multiple choirs with Dr. Jenkins. And I also found my other love, which was theater. In high school, my love for the arts really fully blossomed. I joined absolutely every single thing I could, often against the advice of my mother. Uh, and I loaded my
schedule with multiple ac capella groups, two shows a year, choir, and of course, the performing arts academy. I grew up in these programs, made lifelong friends, became comfortable in my own skin, and learned leadership and public speaking skills that are instrumental in what I do today. I owe so much of that
to the faculty who gave me these spaces to grow. Obviously, my choir and theater teachers are those that I'm closest with, Dr. Jenkins, Miss Schubin, Mr. White, and Miss Roshan. But I also got to watch Mr. Kelly help teach all my friends how to become amazing technical theater students and direct my senior year musical. I got to travel to
Nashville with Mr. partying and experience all the amazing musical history of that city. And I tested every single ounce of Miss Cook's patience, and she has a lot of it, uh, as she taught me how to dance. Looking back, I'm struck by two things. The consistent strength of my performing arts education
and the genuine care put into every single aspect. Uh, let me start with some facts. As the Foxy Awards are tonight, we are four years almost exactly removed from winning best play in the state. During my time at the high school, choirs and groups I was in took home first place awards at the Roxbury
Choir Festival and the National Jazz Festival. The fact is, our programs win awards and bring people into the district. Our performing arts staff is not just warm and welcoming, but superior technical instructors at at the top of their game. These teachers touch individual lives at every level and
deserve full support. Instead of cutting uh programs and teacher hours and adding participation fees to their after-school clubs and activities, we should be looking for ways to expand and encourage the amazing work these teachers do. It's a minuscule amount of money overall for a massive effect on hundreds of students
just like myself. Thank you. [Applause] Hello, my name is Ariel Croner and I'm a sophomore at the high school. I have taken dance for two years in a row. I've danced in both winter musicals. I'm a teen arts state winner, co-founder and
co- captain of the Hopo Valley dance team, and a performing arts academy student. I am a product of the Hopo Valley performing arts program. Miss Cook is my teacher, my academy adviser. She has coached me through my first musical, supported me and my fellow
captains in our inaugural dance team year, and served as a mentor to me and countless other dancers. I would say that I'm more than qualified to speak on the incredible work that Miss Cook does. She has built a community around dance and created so many amazing opportunities for her dancers. I've
watched as middle schoolers found a love for dance that they were able to pursue through high school and as academic essential students were welcomed into dance classes and performances. Students like myself who weren't sure how they would fit in to dance in their high school lives found a love for dance
again. Miss Cook goes above and beyond for each and every one of her students. Whether that means filming audition videos or offering support and guidance when needed. I have yet to see a teacher that is more involved or willing to help their students than Miss Cook. She has
built a beautiful dance community around inclusivity, allowing every student a safe space to be creative and express themselves. Just like many sports programs that are respected and supported at Hopewell, dance is an anchor of physical and mental well-being
for so many athletes at our school. Miss Cook is that anchor. She is one of few teachers that students are able to have for all four years of their school. Forming similar bonds as athletes do with coaches. Making Miss Cook a part-time teacher would jeopardize the
entire Hopo Valley dance program as she is the backbone and lifeline. The dance program has taught me and my fellow dancers resilience, determination, and hard work. And there should be no question about whether the next students at Hopewell should get to experience the
same incredible lessons from the same incredible teacher. I urge you to consider the importance of what Miss Cook does for both me and countless other students who don't know what their high school careers would have looked like if not for Miss Cook's incredible hard work and mentorship. Thank you.
[Applause] My name is Kait My name is Caitlyn Tulie and I am a student at Hope Valley Central High School who is a participant in the dance program. Outside of school, I'm a competitive dancer and at school I participate in the winter musical. I'm a
member of the performing arts program and a dance team captain and I'm about to be inducted into the National Honor Society of Dance Arts. I feel so lucky that these opportunities are supplied through school because I believe it is a great prep. It is great preparation for my future in majoring in dance.
Additionally, my past dance students have chosen to I mean my past dance past dance students have chosen to continue on with college and the with dance in college and we have a graduating senior who is planning on doing this this year as well. About a week ago, I was given the news that the middle school dance
program was being cancelled and as a result, Miss Cook will be receiving part-time pay from the district rather than full-time. I believe this is completely unfair to students and Miss Cook because not only is dance at the middle school great introduction to the high school dance program, but Miss Cook is the most supportive and kind teacher
I have ever had. Her kind heart and love for teaching motivated me to work hard in the dance program. She loves having the opportunity to teach us and the younger students at the middle school and the elementary level. I find it extremely upsetting that she is being moved to considered as a part-time
worker in the district because she spends the mornings with her students, her lunches helping the Hopewell dance team. She teaches at all the schools in the district and she is a teacher for the performing arts program. Additionally, she single-handedly choreographs the school musical, causing her to be at school for additional
hours. Although she is sacrificing time she could have to herself, she chooses to spend it teaching us how to be amazing dancers and even better people. Miss Cook also cares about our well-being. She always tells and she can always tell if we have something on our mind and is willing to listen to us vent
to her about our busy and stressful lives. Without hesitation, she opens up her free time just to talk to her students and help solve problems we are facing. Although this seems like a small gesture, she has been such a huge impact on our lives. Her pos positivity and bubbly personality allows me to remain
motivated and happy throughout the school year. For example, this year she put together a list of universities that I can possibly attend that fits my needs of double majoring. My concern is that moving her to part-time could jeopardize her staying in the district and changing the quality of the dance program. Miss
Cook keeps the dance program running smoothly and she also supplies us with two dance performances during the school year where us students have the opportunity to collaborate with our peers and create elaborate dance pieces with her guidance. These privileges have allowed me to become a more diverse dancer and gain an even deeper
appreciation for the arts. I understand that these are budget that there are budgets in the district and sometimes things must be sacrificed, but please consider my point of view. The entire dance program can agree that Miss Cook is an amazing, powerful, and hardworking woman who has earned her spot in the district for 10 years. Thank you.
[Applause] Hi, my name is Charlotte Kimi. I'm a freshman and I have been in the dance program for two years now. For reference, I've been dancing for 11 years at a studio in Pennington and five years competitively. On top of my dance outside of school, I've decided to take
dance in middle school last year. I'm very happy I took this class last year because it benefit benefited me in so many ways. At my studio, we are we follow very strict schedules which sometimes took the fun out of dance for me. I struggled to find lots of ways that made me want to keep dancing. Last
year, Miss Cook inspired me to find my love for dance again. The way she taught allowed me to express myself in in my way of dancing, something I wouldn't be able to do at my current studio. This program allowed me to choreograph my own pieces and work with different kinds of dancers and teachers who expanded my
dance knowledge. I have benefit in I've benefited in many other ways by joining the dance program last year. First, I've gained lifelong friendships in the program that have continued on this year. Second, I gained a lovely teacher who has been there for me. She's made her studio such a safe space for me and
other students. Lastly, taking dance in middle school has allowed me to want to continue dancing at school. It has introduced me to the high school and many other students there. After coming to the school for shows and some classes last year, I felt that that I knew the high school better, which made my
transition into high school easier and less stressful. I also like to add that I am so incredibly fortunate to dance outside of school. But for some people in our community, they're not able to do that. Dance classes can range anywhere from $40 to $75 per class per month, which is
why having dance, the dance program at Timberlane is a great tool for people who are not able to dance outside of school. Dance is a great way for kids of all ages to express themselves. It reduces stress and exercises their minds and bodies without an extra cost.
Students who may have different learning styles can also find an elective that fits for them. I felt last year and years prior that a lot of electives electives require students to sit in a classroom and learn skills they might not be interested in. I felt the opposite when I came to dance the dance
program at the middle school because it allowed me to collaborate with others and move my body after sitting in classrooms. Dance also focuses a lot on social emotional learning which is something our district focuses on a lot. When dancing you can learn how to better express your emotions which is good for
your mind and your body. I know I've only been in the program for two years, but I seriously think it has benefited me as a person and maybe a better dancer as well. Thank you. [Applause]
I'm actually just going to adjust this and make it short because I know you've heard all these amazing comments from people from the Performing Arts Academy. My name is Nancy King. I live at Three Bailey Drive in Hopewell Township. I've been a parent and an active volunteer in the district for the past 18 years, PTO's various schools, raised four
children here. Uh my youngest is now a junior at the Central High School and I love this district. I love all our teachers and I love everything about it. Um, and I've never actually been to a board meeting and felt so passionate about something, but the performing arts is something that I really, and as much
as I stressed with my kids, you know, academics, everything, but performing arts is a place where these kids find their light and their love and their family. And so I'm actually going to change the speech as we go just to make it quicker for all of you, but because they've hit so many of the points, but we have so many amazing teachers in the
performing arts performing arts academy that have made such an significant impact that we actually bring in students from other districts who want to be here. If you have attended any of the theatrical performances, the dance performances, any of the performing arts academy performances, you would see the
talent that we bring into this district and the money we bring into this district by having such an incredibly strong program. by cutting the district, but by cutting the the funds at the performing arts academy, it will have there just this small change of of her
halftime salary for Miss Cook will have such a dramatic and and terrible impact on the performing arts academy. And so I really am begging you to cons reconsider and find a place for Miss Cook because as you can see the impact these that she's had on these kids. My son my son
doesn't even dance. He's in theater, but being part of the theatrical performances, he has learned to dance. He has been part of the choreography and I see the impact that she is making on these kids. And so I I just I feel so strongly when I see a teacher that is really putting the effort and the energy
in that we need to support these teachers. So I I'm just begging you. I know that the the budget is tight and that we need to find ways to do things, but it's such a small portion and by cutting Miss Cook's time, it will make such a negative impact on the Performing Arts Academy.
[Applause] Good evening, Kate Ham, Popel Township. President William Scaliano, I listen to you read the district's resolution this evening. And Mr. Capadia, I listen to you share your positive accolades for such resolution. I would like to share
or repeat for those who are unaware that not all families have the same experience you have had, Mr. Kapadia. Many students and families who should be protected under your diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility resolution in this community have been judged,
humiliated, swept aside, and under the rug due to comments and/or actions of staff and students within this district. Our marginalized students need protection, not ridicule and humiliation in public within our schools. As many of you know, my love
extends in many directions of my life. But since my daughter was three, now 17, Special Olympics New Jersey has been a place of acceptance for us. I share this plug for all of you and everyone in the audience to know that you have an amazing opportunity in just a couple
weeks. On June 6, the opening ceremonies for Special Olympics Summer Games kicks off just down the road at TCJ. And if you're on Route 31 earlier than that, you'll see the law enforcement torch run running down Route 31. Some of those are
our athletes here in this district. Sure, hundreds of athletes around the state will convene at TCJ, but many of our HBRSD students, past and present, will be competing. I encourage you to take time on your own or with your family to attend this weekend of competition to
support our athletes. There's no cost to attend, but I guarantee you that should you attend, you will leave with a heart full of love, joy, and [Applause] happiness. Any other I need starting to need bif focals.
Maybe I can't even see my own computer here. Okay. Uh good evening everyone. My name is Kristen Broadick. I'm a 90 Crusher Road, Hopewell Township. I am a mother to children
within Hopewell Valley Regional School District and I am a licensed family therapist in the states of Massachusetts and New Jersey. I am grateful to be given the opportunity to formally apply as a recognized Hopewell Valley Regional
School District PTO. We intend to have part of our application in Dr. Trees's email by June 1st. So keep a lookout for that. And until then, I wanted to uh just say that we will continue to be
clear in our conversation that we are not a recognized Hopewell Valley Regional School District PTO. We really value your co-c collaborative approach to education and look forward to what lies ahead in such
a potential partnership. Lastly, um I am uh kind of speechless for tonight. I I came in thinking that, you know, it was going to be just a board meeting that I've always
attended, but this was clearly a much different um meeting. And so I'm not fully able to articulate everything I'm feeling. But um I I'll just say that, you know, I
heard music, dance, uh environmentalism, a sanctuary, belonging, all of these things. Um ECOP PTO, we see these possibilities everywhere. We see them every day within
Hopewell Valley Regional School District. And we thank you for these opportunities. My question, which doesn't necessarily require an actual answer, is how can
we more regularly integrate the most upto-date research that tells us that all of these items listed tonight not only improve academic success, but also improve the health and
well-being of all of our youth and build community resilience. So again, my my question that doesn't necessarily need to be answered is um using what has been talked about
tonight as an opportunity to continue pushing forward in integrating um these topics within the school day every day. Thank you. Don't know what the rest of that is on here about. So, this is my first board
meeting I've ever attended and I've attended because Heather reached out. Can you share your name? Lisa Springer of Hope Elboro Burough. I have two children in the high school, a freshman and a junior. It has been a fantastic experience within the Hopewell school
system. So, I just want to start there. I have a question about the clubs and how the monies that would be charged since that's happening during the school day are the teachers who are giving up their planning period and their or their
lunch to facilitate those clubs which do a lot of community service within the Hopewell Valley. I just think it's kind of a double dip for you guys to then charge the students who are actually doing things that are making them better
human beings. Um it's the teachers that do those support clubs, whether they're um a diversity social club or one that's doing seeds to sew and making things, they're teaching our kids a valuable lesson. And to put a price tag on the
students to participate within those clubs just sounds wrong. Um, and I'd like you to reconsider that, especially when it's happening during the school day, unless the teachers that are actually taking the time out of their luncher planning period and are being compensated
directly as they should be because now they're doing a double job. You know what I mean? They're they're doing their school district job and then they're also doing that volunteer component, being that mentor for our kids, which I'm incredibly grateful for. So, I just want you to kind of rethink that whole,
you know, structure of fees and if it really is the right thing to do. I realize the school needs help, but maybe if there's another way that we can motivate, you know, PTO's or parents to help supplement things in a different way. Um, I I just would like you guys to
reconsider, especially those groups that help our community. That's all. Okay, seeing no additional uh comments, I will Yes, I'm going to start with the last one first because my understanding and I'm going to ask Mr.
Kvita, our board secretary and BA to look at a couple things. One is the layers of band and choir. I'm not I don't believe that we're charging separate for each one of those, but if you could take a look at that, we'll take a look at that. Um, and also clubs that are the teachers are volunteering
and there's no stipen for and they're doing that during the day. Those also should not be part of the ECA fees. So, I'm going to I'm going to uh respond to all of these at once. I know someone said earlier, you know, if you guys had thought about this, we have thought
extensively about this for for two or three years where we've been battling to balance our budget every year. This year was particularly bad. We were about $5 million in the hole when we started budgeting this year. And so we have to look at a lot of things. One is making sure that we fulfill our first
obligation which is is academics teaching those new New Jersey learning standards that we're required to trying to maintain class size as best we can. Special ed is mandated and those class sizes are capped. So when we have students that need to be in a special needs class whether it's a small
replacement class or it's an inclusion class that caps. We have to add a teacher when we reach certain numbers. And in this district, we have a very high classification rate. People come to us because we just do such a phenomenal job, and that is an obligation. So, as
we're trying to balance our budget, 80% of our budget is is staff um salaries. We had to look at all of the things including our extracurricular activities. This district did have a extracurricular activity fee when I got
here years ago. um we took it away because we were able to eat that money and do what we needed to do so that we didn't have to charge folks for that. However, it costs us hundreds of thousands of dollars to run the the extracurricular programs we have. That's
buses, uniforms, instruments are very expensive, the teacher stipens, travel, the district absorbs a lot of that cost, the sets that we build, the the staff to crew, all of those things are very very expensive. So what do some schools do to
make sure that districts do? They cut sports from the middle school. They take away whole programs. So as we were grappling with this as as a finance and facility committee and board, it was better to go to the community and say, "Could you help us with this than to just cut programming, which a lot of
school districts do. They just take middle school sports." Now, in terms I can't talk specifically about any one employee in front of the whole good of the order, but know that all of our staff has been maintained. All of our programs at the high school have been maintained. Something we will not do
moving forward is run under subscribed courses. So a course that's that the kids register for and there's only one hand, right? I can't run those courses anymore. So those courses will not run if they're under subscribed and that will cause us to adjust staff
accordingly. If courses are full, we are not cutting those courses right now. But we are also not cutting our media specialists in every building. We're not cutting STEM, although we had to tighten up. We are not cutting music, although we had to tighten up. We are trying to maintain everything that you already
have. And we need your help to do this because we cannot afford all of these things. So, I know that folks are saying, "Please don't cut this or that, but we're we don't have anything else to cut. That's where we are without going deep." And some districts have done that. They've cut 60 student uh
teachers. They've cut and closed whole schools. They've gotten rid of whole programs. We haven't gotten touched yet. And to some of the points that were made today, we're probably going to lose about another million dollars coming up pretty soon whenever the dust settles
from all the federal mandates that are coming down. We haven't heard what's happening with our federal funds. If that happens, I don't know what else we're going to lose. So, I know this is painful. Understand that programs are still maintained. However, we cannot run unsubscribed courses. So, if something's
not running at the middle school, that's because not enough students signed up for it. Um, so that that's that's where that is and we'll do our best um to keep these things in place, but they do need to be subscribed to hopefully we'll be able to maintain these things moving forward. And if things fill up and
there's more need for it, then we can certainly look at expanding. Um, but right now we're lucky to maintain what we have. Um, I think I that covered most of the public comments. There were a couple of com uh comments about um the um Special Olympics events that are
happening June 6th through the 8th at the College of New Jersey. Thank you uh Mrs. Ham for the invite. Um every year we have staff members that attend that. We will try to make I'll try to make myself available too. I know last year was a conflict for me. Um but we do our best to try to go to all the activities
after school. Uh it's tough to be at everything, but we do honor and recognize all of the great work that our students do and our teachers do with the Special Olympics. We thank you uh TCJ for hosting that uh for the community and um thanks uh thank you uh Matt for coming and and shouting us out again. Of
course, we are here for all students and we're going to continue to fight the good fight as long as we're all here. So, thank you for all your comments. Did I miss anything? I think I covered everything. And Bob, so the Eco PTO, yes, and the application should be in from the EcoPTO soon. We're looking forward to your
application. So, I mean there are various fees for uh arts programs, uh color guard, percussion, but there is a $300 maximum per student. So, um and the $600 family
cap. So, if someone is doing um a lot of activities, they're they're going to get through probably with a with a waiver at the end. They'll they'll be capped. $300 per year. Yes. and we'll take a look at the layers of band and choir. So, let's take a look at that though.
We'll take a look at that. And Dr. Theres, if a family feels like they can't afford the activity fees. Yes. So, we know some of the families that we need to tap and we do that because I know some families won't come forward. But please, if it's something
that you that's really a hardship for your family and it can't always go by, okay, I'm I'm I'm living in this big house. We know things are happening. People get laid off, things change. on there situations. Please do not ever feel embarrassed to tap the principal, your school counselor, your CST member.
Let us know and we will take care of that for you. Any other comments from and something that we said at the last board meeting, but I feel like it should be said again is we also are proactively reaching out
to families that we know are in need so that they don't have to reach out to us. Thank you. Okay. Is there another comment? Yes. I'm going to make a comment um on the general conversation. I'll be the
grumpy old man. Um because I think I am actually today with Mike being out. Um so um it's not appropriate for me to comment on the specifics on of staff decisions, nor do I know enough to
comment on them. Um but I will say that it irks me a bit at the surprise that is being expressed as to what's going on. Um I got
pillaried for standing up at our town hall um just about a year ago when we were talking about the referendum and saying that we're facing a real chance of this district looking very very different.
Right. The district will must of course go on. We can't not have a public district, but it will be a very very different district because of the financial constraints. We were very open about all
the various areas that we would have to cut going back to last year. All anyone had to do is go and look at the board communications. It's not in a fine print. It's was always right there in
the slides. We are making some very painful decisions regarding extracurriculars across the board. We're making very painful decisions about courtesy busing. We're making very painful decisions about staffing that
are I have to say to the credit of the administration are significantly less painful than they are if you were to just go on Google as to what on what's going on in school districts across the state. Um it's there
um in our presentations going back into last year. This is not the end of the change. This is the beginning of the change. For those of you who care about the extent to which this change is going
to impact and change the district, I urge you to pay attention to what we're saying in the board meetings about the financial state of the district, about the constraints that we're on, about the realities that we're
under. We um will be discussing the referendum, but I'm just going to throw a couple of numbers out there. There is a
myth that we have uh hidden a stash of money somewhere um in the tens of millions. We're not telling anyone about if that is true. I certainly don't know where my share is. The reality is we do
keep a couple of millions of dollars in the reserves. For those of you who did the tour today, you heard about all the problems that have been pushed down. Um right, we had a well fail in Timberlane last year. Each one of these costs a
couple of million dollars to fix. If we don't have money in the reserve, we will have to shut the school down, right, for weeks or for the rest of the school year. It would be irresponsible for us to not keep at least one or two emergency projects wise
um amount of money in the reserve. That's really all we keep. In fact, Bob keeps going on about how uncomfortable he he is with how little there is. Um, in my mind, every time we meet in a
finance committee, I have an approximate figure, every $100,000 is a staff member. Every $100,000 that we that we decide to spend on something other than a staff salary is a staff member that we have to
take because we can't raise your taxes any more than we're doing. Even if we wanted to, the state caps us. Forget about the fact the the discussion as to whether this community can bear higher taxes. The state caps us. We have a
finite amount of money. So every $100,000 roughly is a staff member. We are we're going to be talking about a referendum where just the the I don't want to call it capital
improvements because it's not improvements, it's capital maintenance is on the order of $60 million. You do the calculation as to how many staff members that equates to. It's a scary number. And so it's not that we don't
hear you guys. There is pain and there is pain. This is not the last group of folks that I expect coming in here and saying you're cutting something that is extremely important to us. We're trying
to cut as little as possible. I know that it pains Rosetta personally. I know she's trying to be as equitable as she can possibly be across the various types of programs. If you want to limit the amount of
pain, you need to start paying very serious attention to what the board is putting out and not what's out in the social media. Thank you. Okay. Uh we're going to go ahead and close out public
comments and move on to uh any old business items about special ed. We weren't cutting any special ed. I think I think we always do that. I'm not sure the question. Okay. I think we
got to move on. Um, we can't we can't from the audience is I mean we've already breached the back and forth once if she made an effort to answer what she thought your question was. You can touch base after the meeting. All right. Any old business items?
Seeing none, I may need a first and second for consent agenda items. First, second. All in favor? I I I. Any opposed or abstaining? Okay, consent agenda items
are passed. We're going to go ahead and move on to all of the committee updates. Um, starting with finance and facilities. Thank you, Madam President. I appreciate it. Is there a way that I can like leave this permanently turned
on? Okay. Thank you. It'll stay on. Just remember, thank you. All right. Thank you. Um, so I'm going to break this into two different sections. Uh, the first section is just going to be reviewing what we talked about as a committee, which will be an update to the board and the public. And
then I I believe the second section is going to be a discussion around uh the referendum which uh thank you uh Dr. Resnik for your comments prior to this uh sets the stage well for that discussion uh unfortunately. So let's talk about the committee meeting that we had this month. First of all, thank you
to Dr. Resnick for his help and stepping in to do the notes for this. Um, as always, it's a bittersweet moment when Tom Quinn speaks because many of us don't want to hear about things happening in the buildings. Uh, and when we don't hear about bad things happening
in the building, we get excited. So, there were no new issues to report here, which is great, but there are some ongoing projects that continue to be uh, remaining within the district. Uh, the boiler demo was completed at the high school. Uh, we are waiting on pricing for sewer holding tanks uh, at Bear
Tavern. Uh we also continue to have uh severe air conditioning issues at Bear Tavern and that issue is only growing. Um we are working through that with portables and some other items. Again, Tom's team just does a terrific job to do what we need to do internally to make that happen. Um we know what the costs
are going to be there. Uh and uh if we were to do it, it would occupy everything we needed for a full month, which is challenging. So, at the end of the day, uh this is just continuing to push more and more of why we are going to referendum to be able to address a lot of the building issues. One of the
other items that was discussed again related to the referendum, which we'll talk about in a few minutes, had to do with the potential for updating the demographers report um which allows for us to get a better understanding about what Hope Valley is going to look like into the future uh when it comes to our enrollment amongst other items. Uh so
I'm assuming uh as we get to part B of this conversation um we'll probably talk a little bit about that. Um and then we also had a nice visit from the climate action committee. Uh we talked specifically about the food and waste portion of the report. Um there was some discussion unfortunately I wasn't be able to part of it but uh there was some
lively discussion about composting and various ways that we're able to do that and implementing some efficiency and reducing some of our costs to do it. Um, I know the committee uh had requested to have a further conversation with some experts on that, more specifically about potentially launching a pilot program on
site composter to understand how this could work at scale in our environment amongst the district. So, we're looking forward to hearing more about that. Uh, before I jump into the second section, can I just do I need to do anything? Okay. All right. So, let's jump into the second section, which I think has to do
with the referendum. So, go ahead. You go there. Uh, a quick comment. I think you kind of skimmed over the good news. It's always good news when Tom comes in and says, "I have no new issues to report." I shared it, but you but you didn't highlight it, right? I'll thank
you for rehing to report with our infrastructure. Only working on previously existing ones. Fantastic. Thank you. Okay, so let's get to the second part of the part of the conversation, which is the referendum. I think I'm going to use this time to
update the public and update the board as to where we stand regarding our conversations with the three parts of the government. Uh and then obviously talk a little bit about what the committee talked about referring to how we're going to potentially position questions on the referendum if and when we decide to do it. So let's start kind
of where a state of the state of where we are. Um I am not going to mince many words here. I have continued to echo the same sentiment that I've had for the past five months of this process if not longer. Um, where we stand today, uh, as many of you may have seen in the media,
um, regarding the lawsuit between Hopewell Burough, Pennington Burough, and Hopewell Township, Hope Burough has made the decision to be able to drop that part of the lawsuit and look to a more long-term sustainable part of a plan with us uh, to be able to get the district into a cohesive working order
with whatever the demographers report says, which is good to hear. Um, as many of you may or may not be aware, the township did put a resolution out uh several months ago stating that so long as this lawsuit was no longer on the table, that they would be able to provide us the $16.1 million as a part
of uh reducing the overall referendum dollars specifically to uh building the extension on Bear Tavern. Um, however, uh, it is unfortunate that I have to report this, but I want the public to be in complete understanding of what's
going on. Um, as of right now, we are not able to obtain that money. Pennington Burough has continued to make the decision that they will move forward with their section of the lawsuit. So, we've had some really good meetings with them and we appreciate meeting with them. Um, as an individual governing body, they can make the decisions they
want. Uh but unfortunately we are now in a position that we're going to have an open dialogue here about having a referendum number that's going to be many many millions of dollars more than what what it once was. Before we get to that with the committee recommendation, I will just reemphasize the following.
We are in a scenario where the school board continues to be played pawn with regards to what's going on. I have said this to every mayor that exists, including my own, and I will continue to say it. As we think about the community and what we are, typically, especially
in the state of New Jersey, the school district is the backbone of that community. We have been fortunate enough, as we have heard from former students and current staff about the great things that we continue to do for them as they move on in their life, that we are now in this conundrum. And the
conundrum that exists is that we are going to go to you, the voting populace, with a number that we're not happy going to you with. And we are going to ask for your help with the long-term problems that exist in the district buildings, amongst other things, to be able to help support the efforts that we need. I
don't do this lightly. I don't think anybody on the board is going to do it lightly. I've joked in past meetings, raise your hand if you like to pay pay property taxes, and I don't think I see a single hand ever. But it's the reality of where we live. It's the reality of what we expect for where we live and the
taxes aren't enough which is why we now have a referendum. Second, I've also been very outspoken about the fact that this is not a hope problem. This is not a pass forward problem. This is not an administrative or past administration problem. This is a systemic issue in
Trenton that needs to be addressed. So when we think about how we address that, how do we do it? We figure out ways to be able to make sure that we can continue to fund critical parts of these communities, districts and school districts being the top of the top in a way that doesn't a make people broke
because of property taxes and b alleviates loopholes. Some of those loopholes include things like the pilot programs that exist, right? And that is not only just the only thing, it's many of them. So, I would encourage any of you who are upset about this, when you
hear about it, when you hear us talk about our budgets being bad, when you hear Dr. Resnik talk about things that it's only going to get worse, we're not crying wolf. Like, we are not crying wolf. This is the reality of where we stand. If you go on Google News, you're going to see districts around us that
are cutting 50, 60, 70 teachers, right? We asked the administration to accomplish a goal this year with our budget, and they did it. And I give them kudos for it. Minimize disruption. But this is year one. We're only the beginning. There's going to be more disruption. And with that going to
become disruption and a need to address our schools. The school dollars and cents, which is the large majority of this referendum, needs to get done. There's no ifands or buts. I am somebody that personally am cheap. I don't like spending money. Ask my wife. She will
tell you that. But we need to spend this money if we want to continue to bring the types of new residents to Hopewell Valley that we expect. Why? Because a quick anecdotal walk around Hopewell Burrow or Pennington Burrow with new families, they're going to tell you, "Hey, why did
you move to Hopewell Valley?" Most of them with young kids said, "Hey, I wanted to leave Brooklyn because I wanted to go to a good school district." Or, "I wanted to leave this part of the country because I wanted to go to a good school district." We need to be able to continue to ask the elected officials in
our governments within Hope Valley to prioritize the schools. Why? because many of us have benefited from it. My house in Hope Burough increased 45% in value in five years. Right? As much as I love the
preserved land, as much as I love HVA, at the end of the day, that's because of the schools. People are willing to move here and spend more money. And a lot of that has to do with the school system that exists. So, we stand today in a situation where the original goal of the
board, the finance committee, the administration was to bring a referendum to the community that allowed for us to be $16.1 million at minimum less than the number that we are now going to likely have to go to if we elect to do it. And it's because our three forms of
government can't get their act together and sit in a room together. We need to fix that. And I would encourage all of you to speak out whether you live in Hopewell Township, Hopewell Burough or Pennington Burough about it. It's important. So with that all being said and as I step back off my soap box, one
of the conversations that the committee had was around what do we do next with regards to the referendum questions. And I think there was really four options and I'm going to talk about those four options and then talk about the recommendation that the committee ultimately gave. So option one would be
that on the actual vote in November, there would be one ballot question combining everything. For us on the board, we know what that means. That's combining a lot of the things that we've seen in the tours plus the extensions on the two buildings. The second option would be that we have two separate
questions. Question one would be all of the issues within the buildings to fix, which would include part of that coming from state aid. Question two would be the building of the extensions on the two additional schools which would not have any state aid. And in order for
that second question to pass, we would need the first one to be voted yes. That's the second option. The third option would be we decide as a district that now is not the right time to pursue making any of these buildings any bigger and we would only put question one on
the actual referendum itself. And then the fourth option, while drastic, would be a decision that we would make that we would say that we would not do a referendum, which I think we all believe would have significant second and third order of effects over the next couple years. And I don't know if anyone is
favorable to that. Not to sway anybody's opinion. That being said, I want to open up the floor now for some discussion uh around those four options. I know I said them rather quick. Um, I know we're not voting on anything as a board today, but I think this is a part of the dialogue that I hope we can have out loud as we're talking a little bit about the
direction we want to go. Um, Mark, it would be great if you could because I know the number is bigger um even without the additions. So, explaining um why we did take out some
things from it. So, what did we take out and why is the number bigger knowing that we took out items? I think it's important for the public to know. Yeah, thank you. Thank you, Jack. So, I think the the two things I'll say to that is item one, um, we heard you loud and
clear in the public about certain items in the referendum to begin with, mainly one of them being the turf field. Um, and that was completely removed from the referendum this time around. Um, there were some other smaller items that were removed as well. the challenge with removing them and also from the timeline
by which we started this process. It was several years and I think everybody in this room is aware of the fact that um inflation is measured a certain way and then there is that the inflation that we all see every day as consumers whether it be going to the grocery store whether
it be uh building a new building um those numbers continue to be significant and uh majorly impactful. So while you may be thinking and thank you for pointing this out so eloquently that that number is going to be even less than the previous number uh that number
unfortunately has been impacted by the current inflationary situation and we are doing our best to keep it low but it's not going to be a drastically lower number. Okay. Yep. Sure. And Mark just to add to that and not to state the obvious but the longer we wait the more
those costs will go up right. So going back to the question of, you know, option four, which is don't do the referendum at all, we would find ourselves in a much much worse financial situation than we're already in. Yep. Thank you, Dr. Wilson.
All right, I'll I'll I'll make the comment. So So hold on, Alice. I think John was gonna go. Okay, go first. Go because otherwise I'll talk. All right. Well, I'll just explain why I personally support the second option
which is two the what option uh which is two question one we talk about the improvements that are needed that's in the 60 something million range with every single one of those projects
eligible for state offset of about 40% now what that means for the public we still have to ask you for 60 million However, when the impact of that goes to be reflected in your taxes, which is
when we have to pay for debt service, if the state continues to to support things the way they do now, the impact will only be 60% of the full amount. The state will pick up the 40%. Um, I think we that is that to me is a critical
question because there are many many items there that I consider to be of critical need in the sense that if they fail, if things that are in there fail and we can't fix them quickly, we run
the risk of having to close a building down and then go to remote learning for the rest of the year. Right. The two building additions are then then become a second question. Um they are important
for us to maintain anything like the kinds of class sizes we are able to do right now at the elementary level. Otherwise the class sizes across all four elementaryaries will go up. And that's important for everyone to
understand. It's not just the two buildings that need extra space. It's going to be all four elementaryaries. We are going to maintain equity um in class sizes across the four elementaryaries, but it's not catastrophic. And so to me,
that's um that's more of a question that goes back to what kind of a district do we want to have as opposed to do we actually have an open school? Um so that's why to me I'm in favor of separating that
question out. I know the 80 the total 80s something million dollar number is very uncomfortable for a lot of the folks in the public and so at least they have an option to support the the critical need at the 60 million.
Hi. Let's try this again. So I heard four options. I can think of a couple other options and I'm wondering if you've considered them and if so where you ended up on them that one would be, you know, it seems like we're splitting strictly between what gets state funding
and what doesn't. I mean, I think that's just a a kind of a concrete way of of looking at it. Frankly, I think the the building construction to me is just as important. I've heard from, you know, families all over the township on how important the especially Bear Tavern,
that addition is for them. I think they would tell you that's a lot more important than you know roofing or some of the other things. So I'm just curious if there's a So couple other options that I might you know suggest you consider. The one would be you know not
maybe making instead of being 60 and what maybe there's some of those projects that could go along with that addition as well. So you know kind of you know even out the price tag a little bit. And then the second thing I would I would ask if you've considered is I know we're talking about you have to pass one
to get two. Is it could could it be either or? Could could you give folks you know because if one doesn't pass and you're not going to get two as it is. Is there is there a are we allowed to do it where it could be you pass one or you pass two? I don't know the answer to that question but just thought I would
raise that. Thanks. you you can um separate the questions and make them not dependent. Um that is not the recommendation of the board the I mean of the committee. Um and the
reason is that the um those items it's it it is a the simplest way to say is the 40% is those things getting state aid is is in one bucket but that's not why they were
put in that way. It was really about the risk of clo having to close a school if any of those items fail. So that puts the priority um keeping our kids in school and safe and
all of that um is the priority and um ultimately that's why that bucket is what it is. Um, regarding the splitting the two questions, I don't know if you guys want to talk about it
more clearly, but the there was also a lot of discussion about how many questions, right? It it we didn't just say, oh, you know, choose the right number. really the the committee looked at the possibility of a number of
configurations including splitting buildings and um into separate two separate questions. And and the reality is is who do we as a school district want to be in community,
right? As it relates to the community, those two additions are tied together. you can't put one in front of the other as a priority because we need space um in both cases.
So um there there were a number of things that were considered that happened in discussion and brought us to these four different examples, but it wasn't simply because the state aid, it was priority and risk to closing of
schools. No, I understand. I wasn't I my I guess I was suggesting from a prioritization standpoint, you know, having been to the building tours at Tollgate and Bear Tavern that I I those students deserve, you know, those those facilities and construction, you know, I
think that's every bit as important as as the roofing and the HVAC and everything else and and the you know, the entryway here and all the other issues. So I just, you know, I from my perspective, I I think those are those are equally as important and, you know,
we should we should agree figure out a way to make sure that they're not sort of seen as sort of a Yeah. second choice here. There wasn't a sense of deprioritizing question number two. It is simply
about failing, right? failing um issues and in in pick any of those if you have you know flooding or you know roof you can't just can't patch them anymore. We've got already have aging
equipment that you can't buy parts for anymore. So there's there is some complexity in the list of fixing items um that may not be obvious like if you if you um kind of try to pick them apart. So, anybody want to we would ask
to put together the items for the referendum, John. Um, and it's good for the for the for the community as well to hear this. We were asked to pick the most critical projects that we have. These are not all the projects on the referendum that we need to finish in the school district. We plan ahead for projects um as best we can. And you know
what it's like in your own savings. You save for new siding on your house. If there's a sewer problem or your pump fails or the the heater heat goes in the middle of winter and that's the only money that you have available to you is what you put aside to save for something else, your sighting is going to take a
back seat to the to the pump, the heat pump, right? So that's the situation we are. We we put these projects on the back burner and it was like what are the ones that are going to fail and cause a catastrophic failure that's going to close school. So, when we say we need air condition, that means we're in
jeopardy of a system failing and me sending your students home. They will not let me, the state of New Jersey will not let me keep students in school when we hit certain temperatures if we don't have heat in the wintertime. If we don't have air conditioned in the summertime, if we don't have water running in the
building, if we don't have operating bathrooms, if our if our um water fountains aren't working, right? Those things we if we have a major leak and we have to shut down rooms, that's a problem. So these are things that we have to fix. Is do I think that it's
also equally important that we have the additions and that we don't have kids piled on top of each other. Absolutely. If I had my choice, I would put it all in one question. But this community has to decide if that to to um Dr. Resnik's point. We have to decide what district
we we want to have. I know that these other items, these other projects we can't put off anymore. We absolutely can't. And the additions are absolutely important, too. But I have to leave that to you all to decide if that number is too big or not. And if it's important to
this community, then both will pass. And I have faith that they will. Um, other districts around us have had uh referendums this year pass larger than ours. And they're we're all in the same spot. Um, but if we value these things, we need to have them. But I what I don't want is additions to pass in question
two. Question one doesn't pass and then we have additions under construction and then I send your kids home because the air condition failed because a roof caved in on one side of the building. We closed the pack. We're talking about performing arts. Some of the leaks we have that are in the roof are right
above our major equipment in the pack. We have to fix these things. Um, so I'm in favor of question two all I mean option two as well because all of it's important and um I might as well ask you for all of it but split it in a way that the community will decide um what they
can what they can bear. John, I would just say this too. I think the way that I'm thinking about this, by the way, I think the way you're thinking about it makes complete sense, right? Um the way that I'm thinking about this and not to get grim, this isn't going to be the last referendum we do, right? And I
think about the other districts that are doing it right now around the state and we've all talked about this as individual board members. There are some districts that are passing referendums every other year. I mean, it's just ongoing, right? So, I would imagine that we're going to hear from the public, however we do this, about how they think
about question one and question two. And uh if one passes, it doesn't mean like another one's going to happen. And I would imagine it's going to given the demographers report and some of the other things going on. Unfortunately, I had a a quick clarifying question. So, uh, obviously right now we we don't have
an official, uh, MOA from the township for the $16 million. They've, you know, reiterated a couple dozen times at this point now, both in the press, to us individually to in public meetings that they would be supportive of of sending the $16 million to the district for the
the Bear Tavern expansion. Um, that that lack of an MOA is because of the Pennington Burough lawsuit right now. Correct. That's correct. So, what's the timeline for if we were to get an MOA from the township for it not to be
reflected on the referendum, that $16 million? Because I think a fear that I have uh and talking with a lot of community members is the sticker shock that they're going to see when they go to the the ballot box. Um and and I'm just curious, you know, if we if it, you know, we get the MOA in say September,
is it still going to say 80 something million on the on the ballot or is it going to have 16 million? September it will if we I think we have until June the July the 1st of July to to to get that answer for them to not put the question out. Now say we put the question out and it comes through in
September they can still after we bond everything out say it passes pay down the debt for that 16.1 million. They can still give us money after the fact to to defay the cost and the taxpayer impact even after the fact. Even if they wanted to give more than 16.1 they can do that after the fact. We would need to bond it
all out at that point. But by July, if we haven't had an answer, we need to go ahead and and get our questions set. Yeah. Because my concern is not that the township is whether or not they're going to give the dollars. I I I know they will, and they've been incredibly supportive of the district. I think my concern is just at at this point, the
the feasibility in the election because I think a lot of voters are going to go to the ballot and they're going to see, well, we had 87 million last year and it's going to be what, roughly the same, if not a little bit more, because of inflation, because of the projects that we have. So that that's my concern. So there's a it's July 1st is really when
ideally in in a dream situation Pennington Burough would drop the lawsuit and the township would be able to commit those dollars and we would be able to take that 16 million out of the total. Just to just to clarify based on the rep the the the way the
um the doc the agreement so far has been written it it qualifies it. So there is there are other ways for this to get handled, meaning you don't have to qualify your 16.1, but that's how it's
been chosen and that's how the um the resolution was written. The the resolution was written that way because it commits them. the the mechanism they were going to use commits the board their their board for the entire length
of the the bond issue. If we do it a different way, it only binds them a year at a time. So, it was a a way for us to bond money then have them support it for the entire length. This puts a little bit more ambiguity into it if they're going
to fund us on a year-to-year basis. Just a clarifying question probably for Bob. So I heard July 1st. I previously heard our next board meeting which is June something. So there's a twoe
difference there. Which one is it? I I got to clarify it with George. I think we we can postpone it until the July board meeting, but we'll obviously confirm till the July board meeting. So that would be mid July. So I think that's important.
Although although verify that yeah although I will say you realistically having been present in the many conversations hopeful township although it's in their power to just say we're going to give the
district the money they're not going to do it unless the lawsuit goes away and Pennington Borrow is convinced of um that they're in right on the lawsuit and So it is very unlikely that by July or
August even uh this is going to resolve itself when we're going to be stuck two sides and I want to aortion any kind of merit. We're just stuck between them. I'm sure they both have good reasons for
doing what they're doing. That doesn't help us. Um, I just want to make one comment um only because um I was very moved by all of the students that were talking earlier in public comment and I want to
urge you. So, first thank you for coming out, but I also want to urge you to make sure that you're registered to vote because this is your school district. This is your community. Um, and so being, you know, having a
voice in the referendum is important. So I encourage you to talk to your fellow students, um, and get them to come out and vote however they feel. Awesome. I just wanted to kind of droo what you're talking about in terms of concerns. Um I think just in terms of
having kind of a a transparent pros and cons here the we're all we are I think all in agreement that these are all things that need to happen at the school right these are not wish lists these are right bare minimum um and are very concerned of course given last year's
referendum of what will happen this year um can we hear a little bit um kind of what are the pros and cons from having a two question, which right probably makes it potentially if something gets passed,
there's more in it that gets passed, but also increases the sticker price compared to doing something like three where we would risk not having the money to do enough of the projects. Um, but less likely to get a straight no on everything. Um, and
there's no easy answer here, but just in terms of what what do we feel as a board or kind of pros and cons of the different approaches? Well, for me, the the pro for having all the critical projects together is I do not want to ask people for money. They say yes, and then we have a critical
failure for something that we took off. Um, that's why we're here now. They took things off the last referendum, should have stayed on there, and now they cost probably four times what they would have cost it with inflation. So, it's it's going to come back, right? In terms of the additions, the parents at Bear
Tavern and Tollgate um and the parents are aligned that they want they want this. They didn't want us splitting apart and saying Tollgate one question and Bear Tavern one question. They feel those those parents at those two schools that they're all in this together and it's all of our kids. Um so they did not want to split the two questions and I
agree that that would not be the right thing to do. Again, I do want it all in one question, but I think we do need to split it so people can decide. But are we going to turn right back around and come back and ask for their additions later? Probably, right? Because if it people's classes start filling up and
they start feeling it, we're going to be brought back and and then we're going to be asked that question again. And then we can look at that maybe later. I'd like not like to look at it later because it's going to be more expensive later. And then the timeline of building is going to be a problem as well. And just to clarify so people know
because I know not everyone is up to speed on referendum, you cannot spend money on different things. You literally tell them exactly the project you are doing. So even if we had a catastrophic failure
for something else, we are not allowed to move money at all. So that's like really important for people to know. Yeah. And um Dr. Styliano just to add to that I think you know Dr. Trice did want
the one question just to just to back her up on this. But I think, you know, we did a lot of listening to the community after the last failed referendum, right? We said, "What went wrong? What did you need to see done differently?" And I think a lot of us heard it was just too much money. And so
we thought we need to find a way to break this up to give the community more choice, right? And so we can't go out and do this in the same exact way and expect a different result, right? So, we need to think about this a little bit differently. And I think that's why we
landed there. And I don't think any one of us in good conscious could put the school district in a situation where we are funding an expansion, an extension, and we cannot deal with critical infrastructure failures. We hear it
every single month on the Finance and Facilities Committee. We can't do it. We can't do it. And so, that's how we landed there. I'll throw two quick things out there. I was just going to say just to to kind of summarize it. So what I'm understanding then is if let's say we
took all the critical infrastructures and broke it up into two questions and right middle school roof is on question one which fails and question two passes and then the middle school roof collapses. Right? Even though that referendum two question
passed, we cannot use that money to fix the middle school. So you're it's kind of like right roulette here which which is going to happen first. Exactly. Um in which case we would have to use reserves and or current budget which
means laying off staff. Those would be the only options, right? And our reserves would be limited to pay for that. And so then it would be lays laying off staff in order to get a building operating and running. Is that kind of the decision process? Okay, thank you.
Good summary. Uh I'll just add two other things here. I think the first one is just speaking bluntly. I don't think the community is ready for one more question again at the number that it would be. Um I think we the conversation is great around thinking about how we're splitting it up, but I would tend to
agree with the rest of the committee about it. The second thing I'll throw out there publicly is I really hope that if pilot programs continue in Hopewell Valley that these forms of government contribute long-term dollars to us above and beyond what they have and I would
hope that Township as these other pilot programs continue make a decision consciously to do that with us which could help us with potentially uh future referendums for what it's worth. So just an update for the board. The last referendum last year, we approved
the question in July. So, we would have to approve this question in August. We approved it at the July board meeting and we had it in September. So, there Okay. Thank you everyone for really healthy conversation. I think it was
important. We agreed that it was important to share with the public all of the kind of um levers that are involved in making this decision and um we'll continue to incubate with um as
people think through more questions make sure you know you get them to the finance and facilities committee of course and I'm sure you know the general um community feel free to email um if you have questions about this and make
sure we can get them answered for folks. Um, this is obviously something we obviously take seriously without question, but we do want to make the best choice for the community. Understanding that we um are
up against a wall in terms of making sure the quality and the safety of our kids is the thing that we're sharing with you um first, right? like we need to let you know what the conditions are of the school. That's our responsibility
and how they get paid for. So, we'll continue to do that um in this next couple of months and we're committing that um your input is important and um you can email us
uh through through um our HVRs uh email addresses. All right. Is that a wrap for you, sir? All right, move on to the next one. Uh, which is personnel.
No, we must have flipped the order. We must have flipped the order. Okay, education. All right, Dr. Resnik. Sure, I'll do ATCOM. So, I'll start with a small apology for those of you who read my notes carefully. They start with uh uh
with a heading of summer reading approvals. Those are not approvals for summer reading. Uh we approved two books. One to be used uh in AP literature during the semester. The other one is going to be used in uh
middle school in a book club. Again, guided study during the semester. Those are not summer reading books, but we discussed both briefly and approved them. Um we discussed the PLTW program when we discussed the specific uh topic
of the prerequisites for um taking introduction to engineering in eighth grade. Uh so just for context um uh we've partnered with project lead to develop our engineering program. We
did that a long time ago uh before I was on the board. Um the introduction to engineering is a kind of a entry level course which is designed to be usually
taken in ninth grade. We offer it to our eighth graders. Um when we originally instituted the program um al uh uh PLTW uh had algebra 1 as a prerequisite.
They've backed away from that a little bit. They recommend it but don't require it now. At the same time, we've now made a this change in the district where
most the majority of our nonsp specialed math kids are now in this algebra A, 7th grade, algebra B, eighth grade track, which basically takes algebra 1 and teaches it to the kids in middle school
over two years. So going into eighth grade they would have had about half of algebra one not the other half. So the question is do we want to um then um allow kids who who
successfully completed algebra A in seventh grade with a good enough grade to take introduction to engineering in eighth grade if they're interested. It's an elective. Um there's going to be some kids who are interested. Um so we raised
the question in the committee and the administration will go ahead and study it and come back to us with um their recommendations at some point. Um so there's going to be no change going into
um this upcoming academic year because that would not be feasible. Uh but this is going to be a topic that we're going to be pursuing uh uh next year. Uh Latin and so um Alex just I'm
sorry to interrupt you. Um I but I feel like I have to. Um I would say a majority of our kids do that regardless of whether or not they have IEPs. Um because many of our IEPs have nothing to do with math skills. So I I would I
wouldn't qualify it with just qualify it student wise, right? What I meant is so specifically as it pertains to math is is is what I meant, right? um we probably out of the total student
population let's say about 40% wind up in that algebra AB track or somewhere there um Latin so we talked about um a program um that uh proposal that uh Miss
Leaporte who is our Latin teacher um is planning on running and it's an enrichment program in Latin for our elementary school kids and it would be run by her high school students.
Um it's based on um on lessons and curricula that are developed by an by an organization called Aquafora for that specific purpose. So there is material, there's lessons plan for the high school
kids to build on and then they would go to um elementary schools and basically drive the enrichment uh program there. Apparently we have a lot of kids who were very interested in doing this. The committee thought this was a win-win
win to triple waste. So uh we gave our blessing to Miss Leaport. Um we were given an overview of our EA uh program uh both the enrollment and
how the program is doing. We've uh brought in um a dedicated EA uh teacher for the elementary school starting last year. We've also been we've also made a lot of changes in how we talk about qual
or how kids can qualify for the EA uh program in terms of um putting somewhat less weight on on on standardized testing, giving giving more weight to the teachers who actually have
observations with those kids etc. And um kind of looking at um one of our goals was we felt that there were certain populations of kids who were just um
not really being well eval evaluated and potentially excluded out of EA programs when they belonged there. It looks like we're seeing some improvements. I personally think one year is too early to judge, especially when the numbers
are very low. Um, but I at the very least we're seeing some changes, some positive changes uh going into this year. Um, so we discussed some continuous improvement opportunities for the program. Um, and and and making
parents in the district understand exactly what EA means. Um, I keep bringing up the fact that I I think there's a substantial sufficiently substantial portion of parents that tends to confuse EA and advanced level programs at the
elementary school. Um, so I think it's important to for people to understand what EA means. I think it's important for people to understand that kids that um um who are twice exceptional might actually be really good candidates uh
for this kind of a program. So, we talked about all of this and it's just something we'll continue monitoring. Um and then we uh talked about uh we got a readout of the TMS uh math enrollment
numbers. um the sort of the split between the math six, math seven, um math eight track, math six, algebra A, algebra B, and then was it pre-alggebra algebra 1, geometry, or algebra 7,
geometry A track. Um, and those numbers are consistent with what we wanted to see when we made the changes uh for how kids qualify. Um so that change that we've made seems to be doing seems to be
having a desired effect. And then last uh we discussed u a couple of overnight trip approvals. Um these tend or these sometimes come with uh non-significant cost to the district. The the two
particular trips that were on the list are no cost to the district. So the committee said okay it's a no cost to the district. Um and and and the trips made sense otherwise. So So we said, "Okay, any questions on this?"
All righty. Awesome. Thank you, Dr. Resnik. Now we're moving on to personel. There we go. Okay. Round two. All right. So, as normal, we met as a uh personnel committee right prior to this meeting.
um typical type of discussion around some of the actions we're taking, some of the extracurricular appointments, as mentioned earlier by Madame President and Superintendent Dr. Theres. We talked a lot about our comprehensive equity plan, which I know uh Tana and the team spent a lot of time on over the past
year to be able to get to the position that it is right now. So, thank you for that. Um I would encourage you guys to take a look at it. It's a lengthy read, but it does reinvest in the message from earlier on tonight, which I think is great. Um lastly, I think uh something that the board is excited about um is the fact that we were able to uh after
an exhaustive search figure out that we have the correct person for the new VP at the Central High School jobs. So very very excited that David Wilson uh will be appointed tonight in that new role as vice president at Central High School. So congratulations. Thank you. And well
deserved. So, welcome aboard. Um, and other than that, uh, that's about it. Any questions? Okay, on to the next. I just Oh, yeah, that's right. Roll call. I always forget that. Can I really quickly just add motion in the second? Motion in
first and second. I'm sorry. Mr. Wilson was my physics teacher and he was phenomenal and I'm very excited for what he's going to do in this new role. So, I'd add that. All right. And if I can add, I need a physics teacher. So, if anybody out there teaches physics, All right, we need a uh first and a second.
Yeah, for the appointments. Second. Thank you. Dr. Genevacy, yes. Mr. Kapadia, yes. Dr. Lil, yes. Mr. Peters, yes. Mr. Slottman,
I Dr. Stilliano, yes. Miss Williams Galliano, yes. Motion carries. Marvelous. Thank you. All right. Um, we are going to move on to community relations. Do you
have Are you covering those, Dr. Trice? That's me. Oh, hi. Oh, right. I don't know what my brain said. Mike, that was last year. My apologies, Mr. Slotman. I'm thrown off now. I forget what I was going to say. But anyway, I'm your community
relations chair. Nice to see everyone tonight. And we did have a meeting on the 13th last week. It's a it's a quick turnaround from the last board meeting. So we did meet last week and naturally like much of the rest of the discussion,
we spoke at length about the upcoming referendum and our possible strategies by which we hope to get ourselves out to the community. So, a lot of have a a pretty strong calendar we're working to put together with a lot of different
opportunities for folks like us to be out there and and you know, extolling not extolling the virtues, providing the facts about the possible referendum that we'll be seeing in November. So that was the vast majority of the hour that we
spent together and many of those many of those ideas and concepts will be revealed in the future and we'll be we'll be grateful for just about everyone around this table's participation as we get closer to to the date in November especially once the school season school year kicks off
again in September. So anything that I missed Jackie or Drew or Dr. from that particular meeting. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Slottman. All right,
moving on to SEAL. Dr. Genevese, that's me. Um, so we did not talk about the referendum, but we did talk about some amazing programming that is happening throughout the district. Um we are
continuing our nurtured heart um trainings. There were three 90inut sessions in May. I think the last one's this week coming up. Um so we're just about done those for the year. Um as a
parent who actually participated in those trainings, I encourage other parents to do so. Um they're really great trainings. Um, we also talked about the tier 2 interventions that are going to happen next year. We're going to be piloting them in the elementary
schools. Um, and so looking forward to piloting that. It's a part of the character strong curriculum. Um and then we also celebrated um and saw some amazing pictures of um our different schools
celebrating um the inclusivity of diverse learners um which is uh April is inclusivity month. And so, um, really taking a look at all of the different schools and all
of the different activities they had around inclusivity. And, um, it was nice to see our middle school students and our high school students reaching down into our lower schools and
working with each other. Um, and so it's always a a great sort of a thing to see what the different schools are doing and the different teachers and how they're supporting us. So that was really nice. Any
questions? Okay, seeing none, we will move on with um government relations. Mr. Capadium. Uh the government relations committee met on May 15th to continue advancing its mission. Uh the committee has taken
several steps to advance local government engagement since its creation. Uh following up on uh last month's updates, we successfully scheduled a meeting with Mercer County Executive Dan Benson to discuss opportunities for cross-d district collaboration aimed at combating
segregation. Um, as I've talked about in previous meetings, Mercer County is one of the most segregated counties in the state along racial and socioeconomic lines. Uh, and it's especially bad in our schools. Um, this presents us an opportunity for joint initiatives such as a countywide field day or coordinated
curriculum programming to foster integration. Um, and the committee is aiming to meet with county executive Benson next week. Uh, in terms of state level advocacy, the committee has officially submitted an FY26 budget request to the 15th legislative district
delegation. Uh, as a reminder, the proposal is requesting the state legislature to appropriate $125,000 for an ADA accessible playground at Bear Tavern. The current playground is not ADA compliant and will need to be replaced as a result of the
planned expansion to Bear Tavern. Um, in order for this funding to go through, we need uh either our senator or assembly member to introduce the budget resolution on our behalf. Uh, this is the first time uh HBRSD has ever submitted this type of request. It's
also unfortunate timing because of the nature of the state budget this year and the uncertainty coming from Washington. Uh, the window for legislators to submit these budget resolutions is actually currently open. It opened on last Friday and it's going to be open until the end of the week. So, for any interested
community members, uh, I would be happy to share a template of an email to send to our legislators advocating for them to sponsor a budget resolution for Bear Tavern's Playground. Um, this is really a community effort and, you know, it's going to take some it's going to have to take some momentum for us to get it in
and obviously just getting the resolution submitted is the first step of a long process, but um, you know, that's this is what we can we can hope to advocate for. Um, we also finalized language on the DEIA resolution which was passed earlier tonight. And, uh,
just as some more background, this is a resolution that was passed by neighboring districts and peer districts across the state. Um, so I'm very happy to to see our district fall in line with them. Um, so next steps include following up with LD15 legislators on our FY26 budget request, meeting with
County Executive Benson to discuss school segregation Mercer County, and seeking legal insight on establishing a standing government relations committee. Thank you, Mr. Kabadia. Um, and just uh I know the you had shared the letter
template and all of that. If you can make sure Gina and Bob have it, they can make sure it gets connected to the agenda and if you all are looking for a copy then you can find it on the online agenda. Thank you. Any
questions? All right, seeing none, we will move on to policy. Dr. Lston, thank you. So, the policy committee met on Friday, May 16th. We reviewed two policies and one regulation with revisions up for first reading today. Uh
so we have policy 5512 harassment, intimidation or bullying which we call HIB and policy and regulations 5111 eligibility of resident non-resident students. Uh we also had a special guest, Miss Rut, our supervisor
of counseling, join us for the HIP policy review. Um, so I have a motion and a second to bring policy 5512 and policy and regulation 511 up for first reading. Motion. Second. Thank you.
Okay. So, first up we have 5512 which is our HIP policy. So, this policy provides a definition of harassment, intimidation, and bullying, and provides a framework and examples for the district's response to these behaviors, as well as setting out expectations for
reporting, investigation, and involvement of parents and law enforcement when necessary. This policy was last revised by our board in November 2022. Um so if you want to follow along in the policy in bold are required revisions to
the policy that integrate provisions from the uniform state memorandum of agreement between education and law enforcement officials. So, um, these concern coordination of HIB and criminal investigations in particular and provide
guidance around when a school district must pause a HIV investigation in order to allow law enforcement to conduct their investigation. The committee also recommended a few additional revisions and you can see those in track changes. So, I'll just highlight a few here. Uh
so we integrated revisions throughout to indicate that restorative justice practices will be prioritized as a response to HIP incidents whenever appropriate. And this is really to highlight the district's movement towards use of evidence-based
restorative justice. On page 15, we're recommending that language be added to ensure that when a HIB report comes before the board for a hearing that the board will be given a full redacted copy of the HID form with sufficient time for review prior to the
hearing. So, that's already been in the policy. We just want to make sure that the time frame is sufficient for the board to review and to digest the information in advance. And then on page 13, the board has a decision to make. So the board has
to decide whether the district should investigate all HIP reports or whether the principal in partnership with the anti-bullying specialist should do an initial screening to determine whether the reported incident is in scope for a
hip investigation first before reviewing it to investigation. Um so the committee did have a nice discussion around this and uh along with a discussion with Miss Rut and we are recommending that we choose option one which is that we
investigate all hip reports. Um there's a couple different reasons for this. Right now we have a relatively high hip confirmation rate. So, it's usually between about 30% and 50% which really indicates that we're not receiving a lot of frivolous reports that we're spending
lots of resources to investigate. I think in addition to that, there's a recognition that these issues can be complex and that the principal might not always have all the information that they need on initial review to determine even whether it is in scope for a HIP
investigation. And then last, we just want to ensure that should there be any legal action, right, we have gathered all the information that we need through an investigation at the time. So, I'll stop there and ask if my fellow committee members have anything to
add. Okay. Does anybody have any questions or concerns about these policy revisions? Good. Okay. So moving on, we have policy and regulation 5111, which is eligible eligibility of resident
non-resident students. So this policy and regulation really lay out the requirements for students to attend school in our district free of charge. So these include people between the ages of five and 19 who are residents in the district. and it lays out procedures
related to their providing proof of eligibility and expectations around tuition for non-resident students and particularly children of non-resident staff members at the school. Um so we are given a few different choices in this policy about who can be permitted
to attend school in our district if they are a non-resident with payment of tuition. So we're just going to walk through those. Um, so the first are children of teaching and non-eing staff members who are non-residents. So on page five here, you
can see that we're recommending that with approval and payment of tuition, children of non-resident staff members be permitted to attend school in the district. Um, we are also recommending that we adopt this same policy for
non-eing staff members. So same for teaching and non-st teaching staff members with approval and tuition that they be permitted to attend school in the district. The second option that we have really concerns students whose parents move into the district partway through
the school year or out of the district partway through the school year. So, for students moving into the district, we're recommending that they can attend school in our district for up to six weeks with tuition and approval prior to their date of residency. And for students moving
out, we're recommending that the student can attend the school for the rest of the school year with approval and with payment of tuition. And then there's one last category, and this is related to students on F1 and J1 visas. So these are both categories of um students from
foreign countries. F1 students are participating in a full-time academic program, usually working towards a degree, whereas our J1 students are those who are participating in more of like a cultural exchange or educational exchange program. Um so the committee's
view was that these types of programs really do enhance the experience of our students and expose them to different cultures. And so we're choosing um or we are recommending that we permit these students enrollment with board approval. So I will stop there. Any comments,
additions from policy committee members? I would like to add because this is a an important change for the district and I have kind of been dragging my feet so we can get to the end of this year and and let me just couch this and none of the superintendents are really pleased with this this change. We have had something
we call sort of senior privilege, right, across districts where if a senior, as long as they were enrolled in our school districts in the fall, um we could permit them based on superintendent discretion to the end of the year without paying tuition. We can no longer do that. So if a family moves somewhere
during the year where and we've kind of honored that for for the terminal grades for fifth grade, we've let kids sort of finish the year. For eighth grade and seniors, we can no longer do that. So, while I can and it's no longer my discretion, I would need to bring it to the board and that family would have to
pay tuition. Another thing we would do um as a courtesy to folks that were moving into the district if you had a house under under contract or under construction, but you couldn't move in at the beginning of the year, we would hold a check for you and give you sort of a six week grace period for a tuition and as long as you moved in before that
six weeks was up, we would didn't cash the check. No longer can we do that. you can we can give you permission to come early, but you have to pay tuition from the first day that your child is here. Um, so this is not something I have discretion on. I hear that there might be some way to negotiate uh to the
tuition for the senior. Um, so I'm hoping that we can do something with the executive superintendent so it wasn't so such a cost strain to the family. But I just want to make sure that we're very being very careful once this goes through second read that I'm communicating because this is kind of the way we've operated in New Jersey for
many years and it's a change. So I just wanted to point that out. Thank you for that clarification. And just to clarify, you can't do that because of the board policy or because of state policy? Because of the state. State policy. We actually have to change the board policy to meet the state
policy. And and when we talk about tuition like let's say the first six weeks, right? Yeah. Am am I correct in assuming that it's prated? Yes. Okay.
And the same thing would happen if the student was here and it would be prated for the rest of the year. Any any information as to why the state would change this policy? This
seems this seems like one of those things that should be left to the districts to decide. Any no rhyme or reason? Okay. Why does Jersey only pay 47 cents a mile to talk to Trenton about? Right. Any other questions or comments on these
policies and regulations? Okay. All in favor say I. I. I. All right. Any opposed or abstaining? Okay. So, up for second reading, we have three policies. We have 2416.01 postnatal accommodations for
students. uh 4421.13 postnatal accommodations for support staff and then 3421.13 postnatal accommodations for teaching staff members. Uh the committee received no comments or edits from the
board on these policies during our first reading. So I'll just open up now to say does anyone have any additional questions or comments before we move it to a roll call vote? Okay. Uh, roll call. First, second.
Uh, Dr. Lilis. Yes. Mr. Peters. Yes. Dr. Resnik. Yes. Mr. Slottman. Yes. Dr. Stilliano. Yes. Miss Williams Galliano. Yes. Dr. Genevacy, yes. Mr.
Kapadia, yes. Motion carried. Awesome. Okay. Um, any Oh, so I need a first and second to approve calendars for May and June. Motion. Second. We always do the easy one first. June
16th, six o'clock for personnel. Okay. June 9th for finance facilities 8 o'clock. Yes. No. Good Vicki. I'm flexible. So
other members. Yes. I can do either. 13's better. You sure you want to do Friday the 13th? It's also community relations. You want that? Okay, that works. Can we
do that on the um on the fourth pick and policy on the six at the same time? So, let's get rel I can do anytime or even after that I think you need Amanda does that
policy. You got and relations June 10th. We good with Okay. All in favor? I Any opposed or
abstaining? All right. Calendarers are passed. Um any new business items? I have I have new business. So um two things. Uh, I was been talking with the architect. So, a September
election carries a 60-day period of time to get to the clerk. A November election, unfortunately, is a 75day gap with the clerk. So, we need to approve in July to make sure we don't get an extra month.
So, no extra month. We have some hard conversations over the next 60 days or so. Anyway, um this is the time of year we announce um schoolboard candidate information for the election on November
4th. We have three seats that will be open on that date. We have two terms um two three-year terms from Hope Township and one one uh one three-year term from Hope Burrow.
Um, petitions are due July 28th at 4 o'clock PM. What's that? What's that? Two threeear terms. One year. Petitions are due on July 28th to
the Mercer County Office of Elections, not um the board office. You can pick up petitions um at the board office. And attached to the agenda, there's a link to the uh New Jersey School Boards Association candidates kit if you want more
information on becoming a board member in the state of New Jersey. So again, we have um openings that will be on the board um for J July 28th. Please take a look and if you're interested. Okay. Any other new?
Awesome. Moving on to public comment. Members of the public are invited to address the board on any matter for a maximum of three minutes during this portion of the meeting. You asked to state your name, address, and municipality. In response to your comments, the board of education may
respond to the direct uh or direct the superintendent to do so. The board may also opt to take the matter up at a future meeting so that the matter is researched by the district administration. Members of the public who intend to participate in public comment, we ask you sign in prior to
speaking. This will assist us with our recordkeeping. Public comment is now open. Uh, my name is Mac Carcel. I live in Hope Township. Uh, I am non-binary. My pronouns are they, them. And as I stated earlier, I was club president of Spectrum, CHS's gender and sexuality
alliance for three years. And I wanted to bring to your attention something I learned today that uh you guys next fall will be charging fees for students to participate in extracurriculars. And um from my experience as club president of Spectrum, many of the
students in that group, their parents didn't know they were part of Spectrum for various reasons. Whether it be it wouldn't have been safe for them to come out at home or they just didn't feel comfortable. And I wanted to make you aware that by charging fees, this could
cause students to have to out themselves to their parents or for parents to find out on their own. And I understand that for every student, their home environment is not safe. Their home environment is not welcoming. Their home environment does not permit them to
express themselves. And so I wanted to hopefully bring this to your attention and allow you to discuss this maybe with more nuance. I I understand budget cuts and changes. I know that everybody's facing hard times with that right now. um especially as
somebody who works for an LGBTQ focused organization. Um but I just I wanted to share that. So thank you Emil backis hope. Uh so it sounds to me like just uh hearing to you guys talk about some of
the changes that have been made to this referendum that there have been some cuts to the referendum but also due to inflation the the price point is essentially back right where it was. My question is the reason why
people uh voted no on this referendum was not because there was an addition of a turf field. The reason that people didn't vote on this referendum was that they thought that it was too much of a burden, a financial burden for their families. So, how what are plans for you
guys as a school board to make the general public understand that the changes that the referendum will go towards addressing are necessary and outweigh the financial burdens that families will have to address. And uh
following that um since the last board meeting obviously and the reason why a lot of people were here was uh some of the cuts and some of the price increases for clubs and extracurriculars. I was wondering if the referendum
passes will there be any changes to uh these uh extracurricular fees and and and and cuts that have been made? Thank you. Hi, I'm Luis Martinez, Hope Township. I uh I have three kids, one in Hope
Elementary. It's actually my first time here in the this building. So, you know, one, I wanted to just come in person and uh just into the audience here and specifically see how things are going with the referendum. Um, so first I want to say that I think we can save some
money here with some smart thermostats because it's extremely cold and I know things it's really hard to see when things are always breaking and you're trying to address like the immediate actions. But I do think that I do wonder like how much is working that maybe we
can make more efficient. I recently did that in my house and it made a huge difference and I know it's a very small thing you know but I you know we have a lot of schools and there's a lot of things that we can do and here we have you know pretty vocal audience trying to
support a particular program and we're talking $100,000 you know is equivalent to a teacher and I'm thinking you know how much could we save in things like this so um I only have um two points um in regards to some of the discussions one was a follow up to the student fees.
I think you know somebody else also talked about this whether it was equitable to us families um to pay for some of these activities. And I'm just curious um how transparent it is for us in the public how much these students free fees
bring to the district and whether that's something that is easily available for us to understand. um you know just I I think it'd be important if we're asking for the public to to you know supplement essentially how much are we talking
about you know because I think it's important for us to figure out how do we raise funds but also like is it really making a dent in the large scheme of like what you're actually trying to achieve um so I think that's important and then the second one was in regards to the referendum um one I want to
remind everyone that is here to support certain program that we do need your support. Um I have a different maybe opinion than some of the discussion today on the referendum and the different options and I'm just curious.
Um I personally feel that looking at the statistics of the number the participation rates of the referendum that it was to me it wasn't so much about you know what why did they vote the way they did to
me there just wasn't that many votes so it was very easy for us to be swayed one way or another so you know out of 18,000 registered voters only 4600 really voted. So if you have a strong vocal
group of, you know, 3,000 people in the township that voted no, that's that that's the that's that's a very easy number. So to me, it's about supporting our community and making those changes um happen. So to me, it's about mobilizing the the voters to actually
come out. So whether it's A or B, it doesn't really, you know, to me, I thought the first option was better. So thank you. Hi uh Sylvia Kosus Pennington New Jersey and um I guess my my question one of the questions that I have or the only
question is um a while back when we were talking about uh the referendum in the building the idea of universal prek came up and I'm just curious if we were to take universal
prek out of the agenda for three to five years, would that change the need to build at the the overwhelming concern about building at Bear Tavern and Tollgate.
Um perhaps tonight a lot of people talked about maintaining the programs that we currently have and if we were to table prek for a while would that give us some breathing room? It's just a a question and maybe something that you
could answer. Um my second comment is I thank you Mr. Peters for your comment about the pilot program. Um, just to remind people and why Pennington is perhaps holding out is that the pilot
program, remember for year 1 through five, the program only collects 66% of the taxes that they normally would. And for years five through 10, only 75% of the taxes that they usually would. This
is the one over on Scotch Road. So there is inequity in this. And I was at the meeting when Harvey Lester and when John Edwards came and both former mayors brought their pie charts and kind of
gave the district a heads up that this program was going to be a really big issue and now we're here. Um I would like to thank Mr. Kita. Um he did include in his
report to the state um in item 18 in his notes to the basic financial statements on tax abatements. and he said, "Excuse me, um, if the county or
municipality entered into a tax abatement agreements, those agreements will not directly affect the school district's local tax revenue because, and he quoted the state laws, the required amount so forgiven must
effectively be recouped from other taxpayers and remitted to the school district and the township keeps saying that that's not the case that that they all phrase it in a way that eliminates
this idea of that the other taxpayers have to pick up the difference and I'm thanking him for that tonight that he put that in his report. Thank you. Kristen Brderick, uh, 90 Crusher Road, Hopewell
Township. So, ECOP PTO was born out of the youth environmental um, I'm sorry, the youth mental health crisis and the environmental crisis and the interconnection of the two. And um I
feel like I was really able to embody more tonight about the public education crisis that um you all have the struggle and privilege to be part of
um much more than I say the general public. So, what I'm um what I'm trying to say, I guess, is to quote Bob Dylan, who's one of my favorite um poets and singer songwriters and very instrumental
in social and environmental justice. He says, "Money doesn't talk, it swears." So my question is there's been so much discussion around finances rightfully so
but how are we thinking about some of these topics issues yada yada yada um aside from just the financial part of it. So, in other words, how can we how can we or what are you doing to to
really critically think and creatively think about ways to um have the community support you are not just financially focused? Thank you. Any other comments?
Okay, seeing none, would you like and I'm gonna start with Miss Broadick first so I don't forget you this time. Um, we are constantly thinking about ways and in eliciting our public to do things that that don't cost money. Hopefully, a lot of that was featured tonight in our
green team production with our students. Um, you know, it was brought up tonight about Spectrum, which I believe is still a volunteer club and so it shouldn't fall under that category, but we'll look into that because, uh, Matt's point is is is right about that club. So, we'll
have to examine that and make sure that we're not, um, are they is that, if I might, uh, there have been a few questions um, regarding certain clubs. Trish, we'll have to go back. Profess Principal Riley and I are looking at that right now. There may be some that
are pulled off. Yes. So ask ask uh puts uh spectrum down there as a question too just as a question. Um so we'll continue to look at those things. Um unfortunately money is is where we are right now as we we get into budget time but most of the year we do spend speaking about other things and I'm I'm excited to get back to those
conversations. Um to um Mrs. Kosis' question. Uh universal preschool is not the driver for the the um need for the additions. The need for the additions is one to get students out of trailers outside of our buildings and the changing weather conditions and all of that and in the way school security is
is is now. Um we need those spaces. Universal preschool we're exploring other buildings that are already exist with preschool programs and not necessarily in our space because even with the additions, we can't we don't have enough space for that. Um so that's the work we're doing right now. I'm going to pass it off to Mr. Nardo. It
looks like you're reaching to share some of that information. Yes. And um if the Department of Ed does decide to um post this grant for universal preschool, we will apply for it. It is a five-year
grant and that is where the funding will come from. Um and then the pilot, again, we can't control what the municipalities do. And I know that the former mayors came and told the school district what was going on. There's nothing we can do to stop the municipalities for availing
themselves of this pilot, which is a legal mechanism that they can use um for expansion. Um we have been in communication since we found out with the township. We are in communication with the other two as they explore possible pilots of their own. Um and
those are very much in the air. There's nothing planned yet for the burrows, but I know that those are options that folks are looking at. Um we would hope that they would collaborate with the district. What Bob is saying is that if the lawsuit is successful and the monies
are redistributed amongst the three municipalities, that does not change the amount of money that the school district gets. It just m it just changes the impact on you all across the different municipalities. That does not give me money to fix the things that I need to
fix. Um, one of the students asked a question about um if we pass a referendum, will that change our general budget? No, it will not because those are two different pockets. And the referendum is paying for major facilities needs that we have and it's
neglect from not having the money to fix these things over the years from underfunding from Trenton from the state. So, we couldn't spend money to fix things and we kind of put things aside. We planned, we fixed things as we could, but the we're running out of money to do that because we're we're not
properly funded. Um, so yes, we would still be required to to deal with our general budget even if this passes. It gets worse if it doesn't pass though because now we have something breaking. I don't have any money to fix. Um, there was a question about the um the control
the smart thermostats. We have put them around the B district. We are trying to pick them off. Cafeteriums are very tough in an old building like this. Um, but this is one of the things that's on the on the uh referendum for a project is to deal with these spaces, these very large spaces here in the middle school.
So, the reason why it's cold back there is because the um system is broken up here. So, we turned on the air colder back there. Yes. To get it to blow up here. Yes. There's no nice way to do this right now. Um and then when it gets
hot, it won't work at all. So, we'll just be hot. So that's where that's that is which we were earlier. Um so did I get everything? Did I miss anything? Think we got the pilot referendum and budget. Um tuition. So there was a question about the amount of money that
comes in on the tuition for the VPA program. Was it student fees? Oh, I thought you were asking about that. So it's we we estimated right now somewhere in the area of 225 to $250,000. Okay.
Yes. So, um, yes, we could have had a larger turnout for the number of voters that were out. Enough showed up to say no and enough of our parents showed up to say no. And as we go around on our listening tour and um, Mr. Martinez is on our communications committee. So, thank you for that. I think you're one
of the ones that are helping us with that. Um, a lot of it was misinformation that was coming through social media. So, as Miss Dr. Resnik asked, please pay attention to the district's communications moving forward. Um, immediately after the referendum failed, we went out on a listening tour. We
heard that the turf field was a problem for some some of our folks. We heard that the the accessible bathrooms concession stand was a problem for folks, so we took that off. Um, we also heard that people said, "Well, if we made it fail, then the township would give us money and then it would be
better." Well, that's not the case. We're still in the same place and now the referendum number is the same even though we've taken things off of it. So, it's not going to get better with time. And immediately after it failed, people were like, "Well, what are we going to do?" And and they wanted me to immediately go back out for the
question. And that cost the district money. So, I'm hoping this time people educate themselves. They get into our buildings, especially some of the folks that don't have children in in our buildings anymore. Um, some of our our seniors in the community, their kids weren't in the buildings when we had
STEM labs or we had special programs for students or universal K for students full day. We didn't have that when their children were in school. It's not appropriate anymore to have 30 35 kids in a classroom if if we can at all avoid that. So, some of those things uh they
can't see unless they come in into our buildings. Uh what we are going to do and we talked about in communications committee is we know everyone can't physically get here to make little videos and put and post them and get them out there of our principles doing tours and doing things like that. Um to
really get the information out there. I'm willing to go anywhere and share the information. Um but this is really this this school district is what makes this community what it is. It makes your houses valued what they are. And if we allow the school district to sort of
unravel, that's not going to make this the kind of district that people want to move to. Um so, um we're going to continue to um try to get the word out. Hopefully, uh folks are are are listening this time around. We can't sort of fight it out on social media, but we certainly we can get that
information to volunteers who can post that information and bring you back to our website. So, um anyone want It seems like you wanted to add something. I'm itching. So, I'm going to put it this way. Um, and I want to thank you, Neil, for asking the
question and you go. So, there were two things that I learned since we started talking about the referendum. So, it's been an education for me. The first thing that I've learned is apparently we as a board
are not allowed to advocate and kind of make sense. We're supposed to put it in front of the voters and educate the voters, but the voters decide. So you asked what are we planning to do to go out there to advocate? We're not going
to advocate. We're going to educate as best as we can as a board under the constraints that we have. Right? And so as Dr. said, "What I am hoping for is that more people come
to the board meetings, more people look at the information that we're putting out because we are in this whole conversation that happened last year. We we're the only organization that are legally obligated to only put
information out there. Not opinions, not rants. Although this is kind of a rant, not messages, just information, right? The more people come look at the information, ask questions, understand the the information, share it with those
who can't make it to the meetings, I think the better off we're going to be. So for folks who are looking to do something, that's what you can do. Uh, Miss Cos, what I learned in response to your comment. Uh, so I wasn't I don't think I
was on the board yet when uh Mr. Edwards came to speak about the pilot originally and stuff, but when I did join the board, the issue was kind of there. And to me it was a reasonable assumption considering the cornerstone that the
school district is for what a community is in New Jersey and how important the school district is to why people come to live in a community that at the end of the day our municipalities would come together and
figure out a way to do right by the school district in a way that's fair to everyone. I've learned since that I was naive in assuming that. Um, and again, we're somewhat constrained at what we can do
because we have no legal standing and anything that's going on between them. Um, I think we've been more outspoken as to the impact that all of this is having on the district. Uh, and I don't know what else we can
do, but at least I've learned that I was was wrong in some of my assumptions. Awesome. Thank you um, everyone. And that will close out our public comment, our second public comment. And with
that, I need a first and second to move us into executive session. motion. Yeah, we will. And just to be clear, I need to legally say that we will be discussing harassment, intimidation, and
bullying matters, HVA negotiations, HVPA grievance, and um oh, student matter as well. Um and also superintendent evaluation but no
decisions. But there will be no decisions made. So I need a first and a second. Motion second. All in favor? Any opposed or
abstaining? All right. Thank you. Thank you all community for coming.