Um, the New Jersey open public meeting 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 interests is discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the provisions of the act, the Kennelan Board of Education has caused notice of this
meeting to be published in the suburban trends on December 28th, 2025, posted in the Kennel Public Library, filed with the burough clerk, and posted on the district website. Caitlyn, would you call the board, please? >> Yes. Mr. Eisenhire >> here. >> Mrs. Gazer >> here. >> Mrs. Leonard
>> Mrs. Minister Myers >> here. >> Mr. Pepe >> here. >> Mrs. Pella >> here. >> Mrs. Donaldson >> here. Okay. No close session at this time. Miss Nina, please stand for the pledge of allegiance. Right. Routine matters. Approval of the minutes. We have um approval of the
minutes for May 19th regular meeting and executive session. Could I have a motion to approve? >> Second. >> Okay. Discussion on the minutes. >> Okay. Seeing no discussion required, can you please uh pull the board, please?
>> Mr. Eisenhire? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Geyser? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Leonard? >> Yes. >> Mr. Myers? >> Yes. >> Mr. Pepe? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Pella? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Donaldson? >> Yes. >> Thank you. There is no student representative, so we'll go with the superintendent's update. >> Tonight, what I have for you is our
endofear report on the 2526 district and board goals. And just for those who are here tonight, I promise I won't bore you. This information has been sent out to the public multiple times. uh you could see it in our BOE highlights, particularly in the February public
meeting and um any of our board meetings when we're just discussing board and district goals. So district goals are how superintendent are evaluated throughout the state of New Jersey. Boards of ed, the elected officials are required to develop goals over the summer. We're already in that process
here and we will have our 26 27 district and board goals up for approval at our August meeting as we typically do. The board goals are how boards of ed judge themselves uh based on community input and based on issues or concerns that are uh happening throughout the district on
an annual basis. The idea for any goal is that you want it to be a continuum and cyclical in a cycle. So each year they kind of tell the story and play off one another. So uh again much of this information has been discussed so I don't want to take a lot of time on this nice June night that the rain has passed
but here we go. So district goal one financial stewardship and student retention and uh by June 30th 2026 the district will have a coordinated plan for implementation between PRM and KHS for the 2627 calendar year through and we
looked at adjusted start and end times a day consolidation of transportation sharing programs multi-use of staff and determining a possibility for relocation of the eighth grade. We did the the theme here is we discussed relocating eighth grade solely. We discussed
relocating eighth grade just for elective cycles as part of retention and um and then we looked at seventh and eighth grade alto together. So there were many discussions, many meetings, much out there. Um one thing for sure and we recommended this for approval in
February. It'll be official in August with the new student handbooks, the adjusted start and end times of the day. So by consolidating our routes and by um creative bargaining and the collective bargaining agreement with the Kennelan Education Association, we added 20
minutes a day to the PRM time to meet and mirror the high school. So these are our new revised start and end times districtwide and um that steers into transportation routes. So now we've consolidated students in grades six
through 11 will all be on the same transportation routes together and buses. Seniors uh all of our seniors typically drive the second they have their license at the same time. If there is a family or two or multiple or a parent says, "Hey, you're not driving to school this year. It's just the way it
is. Whatever their their personal information is, that's fine. Uh but if they need a a passenger seat, we certainly could could accommodate." So we condensed all of those routes uh thanks to Mr. Mongan and Mrs. you tell and our transportation department as
well as Mr. Shivus and that I added the element to Stonybrook and Keel as far as their coordination and also their start and end time. So finally the district will be within an hour of each other whether they be on a a full day schedule
or a half day schedule will be within an hour dismissal of all of our buildings which is a positive thing as far as function. There was some small savings there. Uh not as much as we originally anticipated once we consolidated K5 a little bit more.
Our academic and elective programs uh due to the difference between PRM straight block and the KHS rotation. We didn't have a clean break. Uh we looked at all different angles and opportunities and and solutions. Mr. uh Dr. Suda had a good idea, a positive
idea and outlook on it. Um, but at the end of the day, we just felt it was too much. And really, from some of the conversations had with the HSAs, the idea was if in the future, if I say again, if Stonybrook were to go, then you do what you have to as far as
seventh and eighth grade, but no sense in just pushing it. And really, our numbers, and I don't have it right off the top of my head. I know I sent it to Mrs. Pella and Mrs. Donaldson last week, but I want to say that our numbers this year, I think there's something like 12 or 13 students max from PRM that aren't
attending, which are typically a lot that's that's less than where we've been the last six years, seven since 2020. So, uh, I'll take that sharing of staff. We continue to share staff and that was another one of our goals. You want to maximize teacher certification and especially in a
district our size, we're not that big. You know, we have 1,600 students total. That's an averagesized K12 district. So for a district our size, we wanted to consolidate staffing. And you see from here, especially now with the start and end times at the high school and PRM and
the such the uh this the proximity. We have eight staff shared throughout the day, KHS and PRM. Four between KE, Stony Brook and PRM, and two between Stonybrook and KE. Relocation was not recommended. We discussed it multiple times. I share I
touched on it quickly here, but we're moving away from that. District goal two, student achievement. By June 30, the district will have a 26 27 calendar year plan of action for implementation at KHS in the following areas. Implementation of freshman
academy. Mrs. Alawal and her team are still uh revising and working on that with central office. So that's still in progress. That will be in play with the student handbook for this incoming freshman class. Uh development of a junior high community wasn't recommended as part of any kind of move with the
seventh or eighth grade. Uh potential potential schedule changes for grades 8 through 12 not recommended. District goal three finance facility security. We have five subgroups here. Uh determine the effective gains for
potential implementation of the 2627 calendar year. We have uh financial impact and enhancement of the elective programs in Stonybrook. uh facility upgrade assessments, culinary arts, auditorium upgrades right here in this very room, and athletic infrastructure
project. So, I'll take you through all of them. We did an analysis on Stonybrook, and again, I don't want to get lost in the weeds or get people upset that may, you know, that have that emotional attachment or nostalgia to Stony Brook, especially if it's not happening. But we did do some uh
background obviously and the annual cost of just shuttering for a year. That's our annual cost operation 522710. Key note there is the district enrollment. What does it look like? Folks were always asking and we wanted to give that
to them. So if it ever came to be, this is what you would be looking at. Cisco would be a prek as it once was before the then Governor Christiey's cuts. Uh, KE would be a 13, PRM a 46 with plenty of room to spare. And I would say probably for the first time in well over
two decades, the high school, although 712, would just be hitting in the 700s. So you would just be getting there. That'd be the first time in over 20 years. That's what it would look like. And quite frankly, that's what it would have looked like in the start of the
2425 school year if Stony Brook School if we couldn't have the mold remediated in the time frame that we did because there was the only way to have school in session was to move and relocate our students and staff. And that's what would have happened. So, uh, I didn't come out with it at that time because I
was keeping my fingers crossed. But the plan was already in play due to the space and so what grades does that impact and you could see there but that was all based if we did move so that's always an everchanging
theme grade level realignment without Stonybrook and what are challenges so this would be no matter what advantages cost effective efficient use of staff safety security, transportation, revised consolidation, one less student building for transition, and honestly, one less
building to take care of, which is a big cost and always a concern. Uh, streamline focus on campus facilities and maintenance upgrades. What are some changes and challenging parking, use of keel grass, sixth grade time adjustment, fifth and eighth grade traditions? You
know, many questions came through the HSA there. uh KHS rotation versus the traditional eight period day and then traffic flow which really is only the start and the end of any school day. And again, honestly, you could travel into any one of the surrounding towns at the
start or end of a school day for 10 or 15 minutes. It's always madness. I don't care what school district you're in. I don't care if you have transportation, you're a walking district, a combination. Go visit somewhere. You can go to Butler, you can go to Riverdale High School, no high school. There's always chaos. That's just the mechanism
of school and this would have been the voting if we were to do anything but again was not recommended capital projects and improvements future for 2627. This is what we have planned and actually we passed in the budget the paving and walkway uh electrical and AC
window units at PRM and uh culinary arts here phase uh for phase two that's happening already that that kicked off last week. Relocation of the art room. There's you could see out in the hallway here. We have plenty of uh framework out there. The boys and girls bathroom renovation, total renovation up at the
the uh cafeteria that's happened last week. the outside cafeteria space. We're working on that. The one thing we didn't get through was the scoreboard. I'm hoping to work something out with maybe the boosters and the HSA to work with the board in the future for a new scoreboard. We did approve the flag
pole. Uh the walking path behind the snack shack and the locker rooms and practice field. That was all approved. That'll happen this summer. And right in here, phase two of the KHS auditorium upgrade, electric and lighting. that won't kick off until early September,
October as it did last year. We have our planning now in July and August. Uh but in here, that would be the next phase. Then the third phase and final um short of us blowing up the roof and spending quite a bit of money that uh we we didn't want to move in that direction would be the seating, would be the
color, maybe the stage, so on and so forth. So, we'll continue to work with our arts folks in music facility assessments. Uh, we had meetings with the district architect. It felt that nauseium. It just continued on throughout the year, even today through
email. Uh, we updated our LRFP at our November meeting and we'll do it again this or next November, this coming November where um our BA will present uh, Miss Lawler, our LRFP and our updates. And then the EIP energy
savings program with um PSEG that's in play still and that essentially we're waiting on them meaning PSENG to let us know if we can start to move forward or not and that'll give the board a pathway as a yes or no as far as our boilers,
electric, lighting because that's a 6040 split between PSCG and the school district. So anytime we could save 40% as we did on the roof replacements a few years back at Keel and Stony Brook School, we'll do it. So we're we're kind of in a holding pattern and why we
pivoted and did some other projects and also taking advantage now of the summer. Our culinary arts program, as I said, we're we're flying through that. That's that's been that room is totally ripped open. Started last week on Monday.
Multiple meetings throughout the year as you can see. and Mrs. Trumpeta that was we how many students did we have to turn away for that program like over 50. So yeah that was a that became very quickly
without it even taking place yet a very popular program for our electives along with our wood shop uh with Mr. Lechman in here we discussed the auditorium acoustics. So uh we did phase one that ended
officially in March of this year this calendar year and phase two is about to start. The turf project we had a joint committee meeting with the uh with the township multiple as you could see right there. Our last one was in May. We're looking at now the possibility with our
architect and engineers between the two uh boards, the possibility for a multi-use turf field at PRM and then a girls and boys softball baseball field and cleanup of the practice field down on Kolan Road. I don't know if any of
that will really happen or not. Um we do have our bank cap that we did not touch this year in this budget cycle at all and just stuck to the 2% but we also have those facility needs. So if something falls through and we don't add another turf field, we have other things that we could use that money for
efficiently. Our board goals, the Leo program, this is actually a two-year process, Miss uh Mrs. Portman. It's funny that you're walking in here, former board member Mrs. department and Mscala in front because the two of you
really opposite ends but on in committee and NCAC and now Mscala is our board representative for the following school year with the library. Um really ran forward with this with the elementaryaries into the middle. So there's a lot of work to be done. I want
to thank everybody on those committees. You could see the work and the uh the progress that we made districtwide. So next year I know PRM will come into the phase fiscal strategy for uh courtesy busing and I have to remind folks that it's
when you run to social media sometimes and you put some of our board members names on there it kind of really isn't appropriate. If there's an issue that you have, you could always have it with me, but I would prefer not our board members. And I know on this one in particular, some of our board members um
some people were not very kind online for whatever the reason because again, if you go to Stonybrook, if you go to PRM, even here at the high school, I don't understand at the cost of us as taxpayers in this town, buses, transportation, and fixed contracts, why
parents would drive their children to school unless it's an emergency or hey, it was just an off day. put them on the bus. That was the evolution of courtesy busing because if we're not going to fill the buses, then why are we paying for them? And then all of a sudden, some folks
wrote some not so nice things. So, I just asked, please, you could not be nice to me. That's fine. Just don't do it to the board, but it's not recommended. And then the strategic roadmap. We did a presentation um and we discussed in
executive session the strategic plan. We're flying through that. That was last October. That feels like a lifetime ago when we did that presentation and talked about it and I'm sure that'll be on the docket again next fall uh again to to revise because believe it or not, we're moving through it. So uh at at a fast
pace. So those are the board goals, the district goals. I hope I didn't bore anybody. I don't know. Does anybody have a question about anything anywhere? Jay. Excellent. Okay. All right. Well, then that completes my portion of the update,
Mr. President, and to the board. Thank you for a solid year of work together. Again, >> thank you, Dave. Okay. Uh committee reports. We did not meet um since last uh two weeks ago. Since our last meeting, we will be
meeting on the 8th. Is that right? July 9th, right? July 9th >> for the committee meetings. >> Oh, July >> July was our last. >> Yeah, July 8th is our next round of
committee meetings. Okay. So, moving on to petitions and hearings of citizens for agenda items. If anybody has anything for agenda items, more than welcome to come up. Anybody? No. Anything online for agenda? No. Okay. All right. So, then what I'd like to do
is a motion for a roll call on a block vote. for agenda items A, B, C, and D. Can I have a motion for a roll call on a block vote? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Okay. All right. So, discussion items for agenda items A, B, C, and D. Anybody
have anything they want to discuss? >> Yeah. Um, can we just discuss the flag pole for a second? >> I'm sorry, I can't see. So, it's the quote was 31495, but there's a discount 4,500 bucks. >> A slight one. Yes, they provided a
discount. Um, sometimes the vendors try to get the boards to like respond quickly. So, they're like, "Oh, we'll offer you this if you promise the work." And they're a co-op vendor. We received two quotes at least, if not three. Three is the standard. We at least contacted
three vendors. Yeah. I And And how much does the boiler fix? >> The boiler is about 65,000, but we're fortunate that it was the Cisco boiler because that's our smallest building. If >> um you know, obviously it was an
emergency repair. So again, we were fortunate it was our smallest building. But if you know, we're constantly maintaining the boilers. >> Yeah. Yeah. I I guess I is this um were there three bids for this for the flag pole? >> Yes, they're not on the agenda, but we keep it with our supporting
documentation. >> This is also um came up in committee about the specific um like dimensions of the flag pole. This met the requirements. >> Yeah. No, I I got off finance and facilities to take on ED, so that's
fine. So, I wasn't at at that committee discussion and stuff. So, and I'm not pounding on you. >> No, I know. I know. You're just asking. >> Yeah. Yeah. Um >> questions. >> Yeah. So, I Yeah. If if that's part of the agenda, if we could pull that to be
a separate voteart from the block just because I I'd like to discuss that more and if we're going forward, that's that's fine and good. Um, it's just I I'm thinking like we've got the boilers and we've got a roof now and some other stuff and it's like it's a it's
definitely a want like flag pole. Like there's no question about that. It's just that now we have now we have needs and it's like so that's where I'm kind of like on on the flag pole. Right. So, when we discussed what we're going to do for capital improvements this
year, um the Cisco boiler was not an issue. >> Uh oh. >> Do you mind if I just clarify for that? So, the flagpole was a maintenance project. So, it was not part of our capital reserve. and the flag pole I mean sorry the Cisco boilers we used unexpended funds for the 2526 capital
reserve withdrawal for culinary arts so that bid came in lower so we happened to have the funds so we just reallocated them after discussion with our auditor so that didn't so when we were budgeting what we were going to do because we were trying to budget things we had to do
with some things we like to do like to make things look good so we're always trying to balance like something that's pretty with something that's behind the scenes not really visible like roofs and boilers and lights and
things like that. Um other things have to be done like the resurfacing of the high school gym floor had to be done. Um those things and surfacing the PRM floor was it PRM or Stony Brook? Stony Brook.
>> Both had to be re just resurf they didn't have to be stripped. they were just recoded. Um, so we're trying to balance out something like that. Um, but that's right. I forgot that we had came the culinary arts came in under bid. So we had that extra. So that's where
that's where we're getting the money for the Cisco boilers. So it's not coming out of anything that we hadn't budgeted for. >> It's just Yeah, the reallocation. We were kind of fortunate that we didn't have to do an additional withdrawal. >> Yeah. I just wanted to say too that we received multiple emails this year on
that flag pole and that was why it kind of came to our attention. Um actually that wasn't a board initiative that that we received emails on that from uh just some parents that felt like you know you couldn't really see it from the field and at the games. Um and then when we were talking about doing the new signage
at the high school, it became part of the aesthetic that we were just going to do those two things in the front of the school. >> And we're firming up the quotes on the signage. That's not up for approval yet. >> The quotes for this signage outside.
>> But when we did the scoreboard, what we decid that's not with the flag pole is because we wanted to do a bigger scoreboard that also was um you could use it for all sports. So it has like
quarters. It also has periods. Like so if it's lacrosse, you can have you can see the time when they're in penalties and and all of that stuff. Yeah. And the shot clocks, which actually isn't going to be in lacrosse because they voted it down, but um we do need that for
basketball because that was approved this year. Next year coming in next year, but um we decided not to do it because that scoreboard became over a hundred. It was like 300 grand, right? Um it was around 200 >> 150 to 200
>> and then we were like well we could do that was also if we wanted to do video so you could do a playback. There was a lot of things we started and kind of became too big and too expensive. So we thought that like Dave said might be something we could partner with either a booster or the HSAs where maybe they
would split it with us or even to some degree the town because the town does use the um turf field. So, we tabled that one and didn't recommend that from the committee. Um, so we kind of decided, all right, well, the flag pole was less than 30 grand. We thought that
would work. >> Yeah, just above 30. It's right around that. >> But it came but Oh, so it comes in. >> It's at 31,000. Yeah, >> with the discount. Yeah, >> discount. >> But we budgeted 31,000.
detail, but it's all >> It's going to look like Fetty Ford on 46. >> Okay. Any other discussion on any of the other agenda items? >> No. Okay. >> Are we separating out that resolution?
>> You could vote no on that. >> You can just vote no. Yeah. However. >> Okay. >> Okay. Um >> Yep. Please pull the board. >> Okay. Mr. Eisener. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Geyser. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Leonard.
>> That's why including the flag >> A through D including the flag. >> You can vote. You can say yes for >> Yeah. Break it out for >> Yep. Okay. U Mrs. Geyser. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Leonard. >> Okay. Uh, Mr. Myers,
>> yes. >> Mr. Pepe, >> yes. >> Mrs. Pella, >> yes. >> Mrs. Donaldson, >> yes. >> Thank you. >> Okay, >> Mrs. Bordero in the back. Congratulations. >> Welcome to the big house up in the main
office. >> Okay, where are we? >> Okay, we have committee of the whole. Nothing for committee of the whole. Oh, okay. Unfinished business. Does anybody have any unfinished business? No new business
correspondence. All right, we do have some correspondence. So, had a couple of emails um regarding the parent bill of rights. We have uh Mr. Brantley um had some comments uh minor
comments. Uh I will refer these to the committee because we are meeting again before we vote. Um but he brought up some interesting points for the committee to consider. So thank you Mr. Brantley. He does approve does support the parent bill of rights. Um we have
Caroline Panella supports the bill of rights. Melissa Musa supports the bill of rights parent bill of rights. Dana uh Fior is that Fiorino or Florino? Fioro.
um supports a parent bill of rights and then Miss Danielle Krauss would like us to vote no and does have quite a lot here as well um which we will give these comments to the committee so they can look over some of the comments. We have other comments too from previous
meetings and the committee will review those comments when we look over that because um normally we would approve it at a next meeting but because the meeting was only two weeks and there were a lot of comments Dave and I decided to postpone it for to allow the
public to have a full like six weeks to look at it um till the July meeting. The June meeting was early because of um we were doing two meetings because we do student recognition before they graduate and then we have other business that we have to do by the end of June such as
some of this other stuff. So that's why we actually do two public meetings in June. So we're going to review that in committee um July 8th and then we'll bring it to the board for a vote on July 14th. 14th. That's our next public meeting.
>> Okay. Um any other anything electronically? Nothing. Okay. So, those were correspondents. We can now take petitions and hearings for citizens for non-aggenda items. If anybody wants to come up and say anything about non-aggenda items,
>> thank you. Um Jen Portman, former board member, um parent of two sons, now in college and doing very well, thank you to the Kolan education they received. I'm here to offer comments to support the parental
bill of rights and I think it's great to have provided extra time because we have to consider all comments, all points of view and I think that's what this policy promotes which I think is really important. Uh, one of the things that I love about the policy is the
organization. Surprise, surprise. Um, it takes all the different policies that parents have contacted me over the years on where do I find this policy and puts it in one place with links with parents
in the title that they can click on that link and from there they know how to communicate with the school, what's the proper protocol, what they can do, what they can't do, how to protect their children and family values. And I think
that's um a good thing for everybody. When I listened to last meeting's comments, I thought it was very interesting the paradox um of parents here with some
of their adult children that were students recently working together uh very passionately, very eloquently. but they were working together to criticize a policy that promotes parents to work together for
their children. And if you stop and think about it, that doesn't really make sense, right? Um, in fact, every speaker that came spoke very passionately as a point of view as a parent for their
particular child and the environment that they want their child to be educated in. And there were a lot of point of views and a lot of different takes. And and that's what we need to realize is that every parent gets to make that choice for their child. And
this policy provides a way for that to happen. And um I don't think that there's anybody that's more loving or um protective of a child than their own parent. It's a parent's job to teach
them their values, their religion, their culture, and it's a school's job to teach education with facts, to follow curriculum, and they're different lanes. And a lot of times those lanes can run separately, but sometimes they merge.
And when they do merge, it's important not to handle it secretly, but to provide clear policy, open communication, and transparency. so that everybody involved knows how to
um honor everybody's thoughts. I feel that for me as a parent to teach my children uh the tenants of my faith that include Genesis 127 is not hateful, especially if I do it in
my own home. And it's certainly not more hateful than an atheist who wants to teach their child that there's no creator and therefore no divine creation of gender. They're very different religious views, but they're what
parents teach their children and the school cannot secretly support it or secretly undo it either. So, um, I really think that these policies are helping to prevent those things from occurring and giving everybody a really
clear way to communicate. And I think in the long run that actually provides a better environment and we can model to our students how to handle tricky situations, how to communicate your
personal values or needs, how to honor other people's personal values and needs. And I think this policy is promoting that, not detracting from that. And I think it's great that you're working on it. And I look forward to you passing it. Thanks.
Thanks, Jen. Anybody else? Okay. All right. Um, board member comments. Anybody have anything they want to say? Jonathan, Dana,
>> happy summer. >> Happy summer. Melissa, you're back from vacation. Everybody's getting better. Okay, Frank, anything? Kelly? >> Um, I just want to take this opportunity
to thank our amazing staff. It was a wonderful year. Um, they're here for our students day in day out. They deserve all the praise that's possible. So, um, I know we we really tried to showcase our appreciation the last week of school with bagels, but I think it deserves a
little bit more than that. So, I just wanted to give them verbal accolades tonight and just thank them for all the work that they do with our students, the people that work hands-on with the students and the people that support in the office and administrative ways and also with our maintenance crew. So, thank you. Happy summer, everybody.
>> Dave, you have anything to say? Yeah, I um just I wish everybody a very safe and healthy 250th birthday in 4th of July. It's a great holiday. Uh I remember 200 at four years old down in Ortley Beach
and the parade and uh I don't know where I'll be this year for Fourth of July, but I'm looking forward to it and you know just everybody be safe and God bless America. >> Thanks Dave. Okay. Uh I will see a lot of you soon. So everybody else have a
great Fourth of July and a um wonderful summer. We are now going to need I need a motion to go into executive session. We'll be discussing a personnel issue. Uh no action will be taken or voting or decisions made. So um can I have a motion, please?
>> Do you have some? >> No. >> Who wants to do the motion? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Okay, that concludes the public portion of our meeting. Thank you all.