We're going to start the meeting. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Adequate notice of this meeting was
advertised in the Asbury Park Press and the Beacon on January January. Yep. 2025. and was amended on August 14th, 2025 and posted the posting of the notice in the Fork River and Lenoka Harbor Post offices and by filing a copy
of the notice with the Lacy Township Clerk as requested by the POP public open Public Meeting Act. Roll call, please. Mr. Armato here. Mr. Peters absent. Mr. Bell here. Mrs. Armato here. Mrs. Walker is absent. Mr. Conny is
absent. Mrs. Claus here. be resolved in executive session be convened for the purpose of discussing confidential student matters including but not limited to harassment intimidation and bullying, confidential legal matters including but not limited to the current case load and confidential personnel matters. The
subject matter of these discussions will be disclosed to the public when the reason for confidentiality subsides. The length of the executive session is estimated to be approximately 60 minutes after which the board shall reconvene and proceed with business at 7 p.m. action may be taken. Motion motion second.
All in favor? I Okay, we're going to resume the meeting and we're going to start with the superintendent report. Thank you, President Claus. Okay. All right, so um we typically report out on our board goals and district goals
from last year. Um I'd like to share our overview of our progress on the Lacy Township School District's 2425 district goals. This past year, our district focused on key areas: student achievement, district ranking, financial stability, and board development. In student achievement, we made significant
strides. Our K12 students showed mixed results on the ESL platform, but we were encouraged by the high performance in our early elementary grades. Most notably, our preschool students exceeded expectations in language development with over 83% of them scoring in the
higher performance range. and we saw similar good uh improvements uh especially at the lower grades. We successfully integrated our NWA science assessments and the New Jersey released items to better prepare our students for statewide testing. Our efforts to
improve the district's ranking yielded positive results. We saw notable improvements in standardized test scores with a significant increase of 8.7% our eligible one NJSLA scores. Uh for our ninth grade cohort, our SAT scores remain above state average and we
projected an increase in our graduation rate up to 95%. We've also increased student access to AP courses and our passing rate on AP exams rose by an impressive 13%. And to enhance our community engagement, we launched a new district website and reestablished our
social media presence using Facebook and Instagram. Regarding our financial goals, the district updated our long-range facilities plan, diversified our revenue stream by expanding our co-op sports programs, increasing enrollment at the OCC Academy, and we secured grants for key projects.
Finally, the board of education successfully achieved its goals. We earned board certification through the NJSBA's board member academy program, and we collaborated with the community to pass a fiscally responsible and balanced budget. We want to thank our students, staff, and community for their hard work
and support in these milestones. So, what we do in August, excuse me, in September, we haven't set the date yet. We'll have our next board goal setting conference. It'll be a public event probably media center. Uh probably in
late September. We'll set our 25 26 year go uh goals, which we are working on right now. Now that everybody's coming back to work, we'll have our teachers and everybody back as well. So, that's next step. We'll also October is our big report out date for all of our scores
whether it's AP SAT. So that's usually in October and we'll do that with good detail then even though I gave you some highlights here. Thank you. Okay. Um next thing I want to talk about and I do it once a year. We talk about our random drug testing program that we operate at our high school and our
middle school. It's a longstanding program. We are one of the few districts in the state that does that and it costs us some money. So, we report out on it once a year. I give you some of the information. I can't give you all information because obviously a lot of that is confidential. We performed 484
random uh drug tests. 423 were negative, 56 were positive. That's an overall positive rate of 11.57%. That's remember those numbers are interesting because we don't test everybody. It's a random program and a lot of those tests and you'll see the
numbers in a minute are people that get tested again. Okay? Okay, so that was when they get retested. See if they're improving. See if they're getting better. You're getting all the raw numbers here. Okay. High school conducted 435 tests. The middle school conducted 49 tests. The middle school
program is voluntary. High school program is mandatory. If you play a sport, if you're in a co-curricular club or have a parking permit, you have to be in our random program at the high school. It's a very large pool. Probably over 900 students are in that pool. Middle school pool is a lot smaller
because it's voluntary. Okay, grade, this is no surprise probably grade 12 had the highest positive. Grade nine had the lowest positive. Grades seven and eight had no positive results for any drugs. Okay, follow-up tests, we saw a positive rate with some of the follow-up
tests, but the if you take all the random tests together, our positive rate of people tested is 6.63% which is below the averages that the country sees. that and more states have better programs, excuse me, expanded
programs than New Jersey does. Okay? So, other states see over 7%. Usually, we're under 7%. That's a good sign. It's a good sign that we don't have an over 7% positive rate in our drug testing program. So, that's the yearly report on that. That's very good. Okay. I don't post those results. I'm not allowed to. Okay? So, you hear it
here and that's it. All right. Because we spend money on it, we like to report out on that. All right. Um and then I'll do this uh in my second comment period. I'll talk this. Okay. Good. All right. Okay, we're going to move on to public comment. Any audience member wishing to make a comment will raise his or her hand and when called upon state
their name, address, or affiliation and intention to make a statement. Comments will be addressed to the board president. Comments will be made one issue at a time. Comments will be limited to five minutes. No audience member shall be recognized twice until all who have wished to comment have been recognized. This portion of the meeting
is for public comments only and there will be no questions answered. The purpose of this board meeting is to perform our business in public. Everyone is entitled to a public comment. If there is a question for the board, there's an established chain of command. Would anybody like to have a comment?
Regina Regina Descends to Sunset Drive, Sunrise Beach. Just so the public knows, there's only 12 people in the room right now besides the board. There's 28,000 people in this town. Where are y'all hiding? I missed the July meeting, but things are
getting very interesting here. I did finally watch the July 17th meeting last week and I do hope the board took a look at the handout I gave you all last meeting that I attended in June just to let you know how stupid I think that
move was by Mr. Giodano, who is continuing to appeal his ridiculous case, 200,000 in legal fees, and he can't take his punishment like a man. At this point, has the board made any policy adjustments concerning legal
costs dealing with the current and former board members? Mr. Bidnik had recommended that once the insurance policy runs out, that the board member should be responsible for the out-ofpocket costs, not the taxpayers. Has that been put on the policy agenda yet? I see a minor modification to
policy 0174, but I have to compare it to the um former um policy to see exactly what changed. But, you know, God forbid you figure out a way to save real money. That's one way
to do it by stopping or putting a limit on legal fees. And next up is skip. We're waiting to see your outcome. And since that case was levied, there's been more new pending cases. I'm not going to name names, but nice job not helping
Miss Meyer in a timely manner. And extra nice job referring her to the very person that wasn't helping her in the first place during that July 17th meeting. I was almost crying when I saw that meeting. So, I see a new $28 million referendum for roof repair is
being sought. The very last item on the agenda. So, my anti-referendum campaign has begun. Why? To refresh everyone's memory, in 2009, the public was snowed by the at no cost to taxpayers solar
referendum, which we have now paid dearly for and are still paying for through 2029. When a governing body screws up and over borrows $ 8.2 million, do you really think the public is stupid enough to allow this board to
try that again? And after the charades played with the 92 million dollar questions last March, withholding vital public information that the NJ DOE readily gave to me, does this board really think the public will gamble again? I think not. After two 10% tax
increases, this board has to learn to live within its means. I've said it before and I'll say it again. This school district needs to financially revamp itself and get the high school up and out of the 300 ranking that was just reported by Lacy Patch this past week. A
score of 42.7 is an F and that is totally unacceptable. The public is not getting any bang for its buck. How can this district ask for more money when our high school hit the 300 ranking? And who do we have to thank for that? I feel sorry for the students. Miss Claus, I
believe Mr. Bidnik said this to you a while ago and now I say the same. You need to look at the big picture. The school district is not on its own planet. You have to consider the other residents of planet Earth in Lacy Township. And as for the Maya case, when
a board refuses to take action against their administration for failure to act in a timely manner under the law, that is just beyond sad. And as far as I'm concerned, I think you're digging your hole deeper and deeper. and Ashley couldn't be here tonight. A billion
dollars can't fix the inherent structural mismanagement in this school district at this time. And by the way, I don't see any of the district handbooks or manuals listed on agenda item 28 as attachments. Those documents all should
be attached for public review. I would like a copy of the district purchasing manual when I come in for the bill review tomorrow, and I'll be happy to pay for it. You want new roofs? do conventional borrowing. Forget the state debt service aid. It did the taxpayers no darn good in 2009 for the solar
project. Would anybody else like to have a comment? Go ahead. Hello. Um, Linda Miller, River. Um, I know this has been addressed before uh about well, it'll probably start in
October. a teacher um and students of the month that we have um a presentation in here. Um I I myself and some other people have
said before that maybe that could be changed to an assembly. Um especially with the um uh movies that are made um because it does take time to
go through all that. And I did hear you say did hear you say that this is a business meeting. So, um I think the students would get more out of it if they could see their friends getting uh
uh student of the month because the only ones that really show up here are the ones that are getting, you know, getting that award. So, maybe you could cons consider changing it to an assembly. Thank you. Thank you.
Anybody else? Good evening. Uh Richard Bidnik, Lacy, Citizens for Responsible Government. Uh the recent US News and World Report rankings of high schools across America gave Lacy Township a very poor rating of 42.7
across the board, which in my view is totally unacceptable numbers on all accounts, especially now with the huge tax burden we have all been inflicted with by five members who sit on this board. We're now paying more and more
and getting less and less and nobody seems to care or even worse take any accountability for the district's failures. Only in a government entity could you get away with this. As I said in the past, if the Lacy Township School
District was a business, it would have gone out of business a very long time ago. If it wasn't for the taxpayers who've been on the hook year after year to bail it out, it would no longer exist. The sad part of all of this is we probably would all be a lot better off
if it didn't continue to exist. Again, the board majority needs to start applying for the state regionalization grants and start negotiations about regionalizing with other districts. Things may be even worse next year. It's
unconscionable for us to continue on this current projectile. There have been many comments about Mr. Zalinski on social media asking why he is still in the role as acting superintendent. For the life of me, I can't imagine that
there were not some highly qualified individuals who applied for that position with some very good ideas on how to improve and fiscally manage our district. but for some reason they were overlooked. Maybe the idea of reforms was just too
unpalatable to some members of the board. But if this is the best we can do, we should just prepare to close up shop and look at the alternatives. In the end, a school district is only as good as the board that manages it. It
appoints the superintendent and the superintendent puts in place the administration who then sets the tone for the entire district. It is totally unfair for the taxpayers to continue to bail out a poorly performing school district because of a poorly functioning
board. The state can't be blamed for that. And even if this district had a hundred million dollar year budget, nothing would change because of the inherent structural flaws that exist. The vote on the budget should be rightfully returned to the taxpayers
where it belongs. Committee meetings should be opened to the public. A citizens committee on the budget should be formed and employment contracts should be renegotiated with performance evaluations attached to student achievement. And we can no longer afford
the lofty health insurance plans that allow us to cover the family members. If an employee wants that type of coverage, they can have it, but at a price they need to cover the premium for their family members. It isn't my fault or the
taxpayers of Lacy's fault that the health insurance costs have skyrocketed. But at this point, the district is spending all of its monies on salary and benefits and can't even afford to maintain its structures. Something has got to give. Desperate times require
desperate measures. The Lacy Citizens for Responsible Government will again oppose the proposed $28 million referendum. You already got a 20% tax increase from all of us. You need to start using that money for your structural repair issues. Take out
short-term loans and prioritize each project one by one. I would also like to know what the tax savings will be for each taxpayer if the referendum fails. This number needs to be supplied to all of us. And on another note, I've been in
contact with Miss Ashley Meyer and she has revealed to me the contents of her latest email to the entire board about the issues with her child. It's a sad state of affairs when a parent such as Ashley is so desperate for help that she
has to reach out to a citizens group for advice and guidance. What we are doing here is not working. And I don't care what kind of ridiculous spin you try to put on it. Parents such as Ashley should not be treated in such a way and something has got to give. How long are
you going to let this go on unresolved? And I can only imagine the legal bills that this is costing the district. I have other comments, but I want to make sure I don't go over my fiveminut time. How much time's up? Okay, you can sit and we'll call you
back up if someone else has a comment. Would anybody else like to have a public comment? Go back. That was quick. Okay, Richard Bidnik part two. Um, this is something I thought about for a
while. Why don't we put C uh cameras in the classroom? And the reason why I bring this up is a for security purposes. Uh, if there was an issue in the classroom, uh, for it could be covered and it would be videotaped. You
know, there could be a student who attacks another student. There could be a student who attacks a teacher in a high school. We don't know. These type of things can happen. But also on an administrative level, it would also help because they could check in on the teachers at any time to make sure that
they're performing at the highest level and teaching at the highest level, which I think is really important. And I think Mr. Bnick, that's the exact point why the education association opposes cameras in the classroom. Well, who cares? I'm sure they oppose They would sue the district over it.
And for what reasons, sir? The There's many reasons. I could talk to you after the fact about because that would be tanamount to an evaluation and an observation that are governed by statutory rules. So the NJA would oppose it on those grounds. Yes, of course they would. Anything that
would give the accountability for the board as far as their employees, they're going to object to. Again, as I said, the unions are the big problem with all of these things. The other thing that I wanted to ask was we had when Mr.
Stardup was the um superintendent, he put a spreadsheet of all employee salaries and b employment costs including health benefits, pension costs, social security costs, and unemployment taxes listed for each employee. And since almost all of the
money now from our district is going toward employees, I'm requesting that that is reposted as it was in the past. We have a right to know. We hear the union crying all the time. I think it's time for that information again to be
made public like it had been in the past. We are paying all these benefits and we have a right to know exactly how much it's costing each one of these employees as we're paying the price for that. And another comment I wanted to make was numerous homes have been going up for
sale in our town. In fact, my two neighbors, one across the street and the other next to me, have put their houses on the market. They've only lived here three and four years, respectively. They both talked with me about this. The taxes, they just can't afford them.
Okay? The taxes are driving them out as our town is no longer affordable. The district's poor ratings affects on all of our affects all of our most valuable asset which is our homes for most people. Families don't want to move to
towns where the district is poorly rated and this has a drag on all of our home values. This is another terrible effect the school district has had on our community. I've noticed that many homes have had to reduce the sale prices to even find home buyers. In fact, my
neighbor next door had to reduce the price on her house. So, the ripple effect is very evident and in full force. I warned the board about all of this to no avail. Instead, they just raised our taxes instead of making the
drastic reforms that are needed. With 70% of the households not having children in our schools, this is a very serious problem. I don't know how our local families are making ends meet with high mortgage payments, car payments, property taxes, and putting food on the
table for their families. The Lacy Citizens for Responsible Government will continue to speak out on these issues, especially for the many individuals who feel they don't have a voice and that no one cares about. We care and we will
continue to do what we've been doing, which is holding the fire to our elected officials and making them accountable. I might not have all of the solutions to all of our problems, but I have given this board and many times over
proposals. You have not instituted one of them. What you keep doing is like repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. And the outcome is screw the taxpayers because we don't want to do our work. We
don't want to make the reforms. We don't want to do anything. And the fact of the matter is the burden should not be on us. The burden should be on you. We elect you to make these decisions to make it a livable community for all of
us. And if you're not doing your job, then somebody else needs to step into the place to do it for you because it's a disservice when I see people leaving. And I'm seeing more and more houses go up. I walk four to six miles every day.
This board has made serious economic damage decisions to our community, the majority. And somebody has to pay the price for that. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. All right, we're going to move on.
Um, let's do board committee reports. Mr. Peters, you have two. Um, the finance and if there's anything with referendum. Absolutely. Thank you so much, President. First, I will start off with the referendum
uh on July 3, I'm sorry, July 31st from the architect engineer about how to promote the referendum. Uh, the fee is being approved tonight. The website is being updated and modified for new questions and hoping to be live in the
next two weeks. Let's move on to finance. Uh it was myself, Mr. Connie, Miss Claus, Mr. Zinsky, Miss Ormsby also present. We had the township committee members with us. Miss Laorray, Mr.
Laorray, Mr. McDonald, and we had Owen Little Associates there. um township leaz liaison trust. Mr. Sinsky thanked the committee for the financial support in the trust program. The committee commented on how well the 2024 2025 trust program ran. the
roadway. Um, we had a issue with parents dropping off at on Harbor School and there was one way in and one way out and the problem was, correct me if wrong, Miss
Winsky, the bus were coming up and the parents come off to drop off and they're interfering with each other. Yeah. Once the bus has gotten a loop, there's no there's just a loop, one way in, one way out. It's a big circle. So, what we did, if you drove by, we did a cut through the middle of that island. So, now
parents can drive up and cut through that island, drop off and go, and the buses go up at the school to eliminate all that chaos up at the school. The township worked with us and our uh members and uh graded uh we moved the
sprinkler lines, electrical lines, and uh the township came in and and paved it for us. So working together is working out great uh with the teamwork and I believe that was your idea, wasn't it, Mr. or was that Mr. Brewer's idea? I did. Thank you. Um we updated the committee on our land
surveys. Good news. Uh Mr. Zalinsky provided the committee with good news. The referendum Mr. Zalinsky updated the committee on November referendum and provided committee with a copy of the approved question. The committee suggested the board attend Lacy Day in
September, which already were, and discussion followed. Crosswalk likes lights. Mr. Laorray brought up the need to make sure the cross work crosswalk lights in front of Mil Pond and Cedar Creek are working before the start of
school. Discussion followed. Um, the RTU's Gro Grod grant. Miss Ornsby updated committee on the status of the project. The district had the initial meeting where we learned of the 13-week lead time for the units. A land
survey update. Owen Little Associates reviewed the survey maps with the committee and will make some minor revisions to provide the district with updated maps. Discussion followed. Knockhall update. Mrs. Armsby led a discussion on the status of NAChall
issue. NACA did an on-site visit August 5th, 2025. that is we had the high school painted years ago and um there's been some uh formalities with the paint and uh we've reached out to the company about a warranty about repainting the
building and they're we're looking into it. So that's what that is about. People are uh questioning on that. Um Miss Ormsby reviewed the quote from September architects for the November election. The approval of this quote will be on the August agenda. Discussion
followed. playground at the Milondon School. Miss Armsby led a discussion on the quotes received at the playground at the Milondon School and discussions with the architect about the project. The district is awaiting architect's review and recommendations on this project. Discussion followed. Finance grants
update. Miss Arms reviewed the grant document kept by the district. Discussion followed. Defense at Mil Pond donation. Miss Armsy reviewed the fence donation by the Milton Mil Pond PTA. And thank you. This donation will appear on the August agenda for approval.
Discussion followed. OP opioids funds for trust. Miss Armsy reviewed the tangent funding for the trust program for the 2025 2026 school year. The funding will appear on the August agenda for approval. Discussion followed. Budget freeze. Miss Army informed the
committee that the current year budget will be frozen as of September 1st, 2025. Standard operation procedures. Miss Ormsby reviewed the SOP with the committee. The SOP will appear on the August agenda for approval.
Purchasing manual. Miss Ormsby reviewed the purchasing manual with the committee. The manual will appear on the August agenda for approval. Food services. Miss Ormsy reviewed the food service on the committee. The SOP will appear on the August agenda for
approval. By security plan. Miss Ormsby reviewed the biocurity plan with the committee. The plan will appear on the August agenda for approval. Snack prices for catering. Miss Orange, we reviewed the pricing for the committee. The pricing will appear on the August agenda for approval. Curriculum, nothing. Human
resources, nothing. Security, vape detectors. Miss Claus spoke about vape detectors with the committee. Discussion followed. Technology, phone purchase. Miss Armsy led a discussion on a phone purchase due to an upgrade for the phone carrier is conducting a March 2026
which will render our 13-year-old phones inoperable. This will be the subject for resolution on the August agenda. Discussion followed. Transportation handbook. Miss Armsy reviewed the transportation handbook with the committee. The handbook will appear on the August agenda for approval.
Upcoming BOE meetings. Use of facilities. Professional development. Nothing to report. District handbooks. Mr. Linsky led a discussion and updated the handbooks for each school. They will be subject to resolutions on the August agenda. Discussion will follow.
Board goals. Mr. Sinsky led a discussion on board goals which will be discussed at the August meeting. Discussion followed. We closed the meeting at 5:49 p.m. Thank you. All right. Thank you. We'll move on to policy uh with Dan. Would you
like to read our notes? Thank you. All right. And the policy meeting meeting was uh held on August 6th at 4:15 at the board office. Um members present, myself, Jack Connelly, Linda Walker, and Mr. Zinsky. Uh new policy
and regulations for review or andor discussion. U P8350 records retention revised to include AI researches. Policy 8350 will govern the way that the district treats records
that are related to internet searches that are aided by artificial intelligence. All AI searches will be retained uh maintained, disposed, and destroyed in accordance with the proper records retention schedules. Uh R5516
uh cell phone regulations revised. Regulation 5516 is being revised to include changes made by the high school that will be implemented in the fall to include consequences if cell phones are used without permission during
instructional time. Uh P 0173 duties of public school accountant revised policy 0173 has been revised to update the responsibilities and requirements of the accountant and the board. P1000 or 0174
legal services revised. Policy 0174 is being revised to include minor revisions which require school districts to establish policies and strategies to minimize the cost of legal services. P 0177 process professional services
revised policy one 0177 is to reflect minor revisions to the awarding of contracts for professional services. Policy and regulation 1570
internal controls revised. Policy and regulation 1570 is being revised to update the district internal controls as a requirement to receive state aid. P1620 administrative employment contracts
revised. Uh policy 1620 is being updated to reflect the correct practice of submitting the contract to superintendent, assistant superintendent and b business administrator to the county for approval. uh policy and
regulations 6111 are being updated to reflect requirements of every district to maximize their participation in the special education Medicaid initiative program. Uh policy and regulations 6220
are being updated to reflect the current district practice of assigning the yearly budget process to the superintendent and the board administrator. Uh policy 0143 is being updated to outline the rules that a board of education must follow when file filling
a vacancy on the board. This policy outlines the process if the board of education fails to appoint a new member within 65 days of vacancy. Policy 1636.01 is being adopted to outline the
procedures for advertising both internal and/or external job opportunities. uh policy 1648.15 is being abolished due to the it being a COVID era policy. Policy 2422 is being updated to reflect
the statutory curriculum requirement which mandates instruction on the history and contributions of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. Uh policy 5339.01 01 student uh sun protection policy
5339.01 is being adopted to establish a policy and procedures to allow students to wear sun protection when going outdoors. Uh co-curricular uh nothing to report at this time. LTASA uh nothing to report at
this time. Uh district handbooks all district handbooks are being approved tonight. Uh 2425 district goals results. This will be presented during the superintendent's report already done. Uh, next meeting, Wednesday, September 10th, uh, 2025 at 4:15 p.m. at the board
office. Thank you. Mr. Armato, would you like to read uh, curriculum notes, please? Thank you. Um, our meeting was held on August 4th, 2025 at 2:30. Present was Mrs. Walker, myself, Mrs. Amato, Mr.
Zalinsky, and Mrs. Amos. Um, the meeting ended around 3:30 p.m. on August 4th. We discussed uh district board goals. Mrs. Zillinsky reviewed the board of education goals results for the 2425 school year. All of the goals set were achieved except for the LL goal, which
was only partially achieved. You can refer to the superintendent presentation for more details. The trust program. Mr. Mr. Zalinsky shared the details of the trust program which stands for together rising upon successful transitions and operated as an alternative program for
high school students to find success in their high school courses. We are confident that the program will again be funded for the 2526 school year and I believe it was all field trips were shared with us. Uh the handbooks were
well the Zalinsky shared all applicable handbooks for the 2526 school year to include the preschool, elementary school, middle and high school staff and student handbooks. The technology handbook was shared as well as the transportation handbook, substitute handbook and a power professional handbook and all these will be the board
approved at that meeting but there'll be a handbook for that and a handbook for that and a handbook for that. Chromebook protection plan. Mr. Zillinsky shared the Chromebook protection plan with the committee. We collect the fee from all students who have a onetoone Chromebook which covers one breakage each year as long as it was not negligent on the part
of the student. Programs of study. Mr. Zalinsky shared the two programs of studies with the committee for an upcoming school year. Both the middle school and high school program of studies is a detailed description of the courses offered by each school and a sequencing related to those courses. The
program of studies also details grading policies and graduation requirements for each class each school year. Curriculum text materials. Mrs. Zilinsky linked the current curriculum and text materials list for the upcoming school year to be
approved by the board tonight. Special education. Mrs. Zillinsky shared the district supervisor Ms. Kruovski is planning on running a professional development series for all par professionals that she has named a skill of the month. Each month she will hold
meeting with the groups of par professionals and engage them in professional development. In technology, Mr. Zinsky shared that the dem Desimos application which is an online calculator is renamed amplify and it will be changed in the curriculum and
text materials personnel. Mrs. Lencia shared that new supervisor of guidance is Melissa Frenzosi who was replaced by Leah Prauri. Did I say that right? Poparide and other land surveys. Mr. Zalinski described some of the work that
went into the land surveys of Mil Pond Fork River and Lenoka Harbor properties. The surveyor will present these findings to the finance committee which Mr. Peters discussed earlier. Next meeting for us will be scheduled for September 8th, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. Thank you for
your time. Thank you. That's that. Okay. Mr. Pinsky, would you like to follow up on any comments? Uh yes, please. Just u just the one just I want um to acknowledge you know when when we talk about student matters that the board and by extension myself we are
unable to con comment ever on student matters. They are confidential and they are protected by law. So it's very easy for people to stand up here and make commentary of how we're dealing with an individual student matter. However, we are completely forbidden from discussing
that in public. I just want everybody to know that. Okay. that we are we have certain rules that we have to follow that obviously public comment doesn't have to follow all the time. Just keep that in mind. Mr. Spe, can you just add we also cannot respond to that email from that parent? We we're doing all the responding for
and we as board members respond. That is correct. We we do that administratively. And you've been instructed by council. Correct. Correct. And we have responded. So there's a lot of that out there, but that's not for us to discuss. Now, on a much better note, okay, I'm very excited. This is kind of like the kickoff meeting because school will
start before our September meeting. So 2526 school year. Here we go. In just a few days, we'll start classes on September 4th with a full day of school. Like to remind everybody that we don't do half days in the beginning of the year. Uh we're going to welcome over 4,000 students back to our schools. This
is my 32nd time doing so. I can tell you that the excitement of a new year new school year never gets old. Contrary to what some people think, our district was bustling all summer long. We had nearly 300 students in our extended school year program and we've already started our back- to-school orientation programs to make sure everyone is ready for a great
start. It's proof that our dedication to our students doesn't take a bummer break by any of our our staff. Before we go any further, I also want to take a moment to give a huge thank you out to our incredible administrators, custodians, maintenance, and grounds crews. They've been working tires tire tirelessly to get our buildings and
fields looking spotless and ready for our students. We truly can't do this without them, and we all know that. I want to recognize the great partnership Mr. Peters talked about a little bit that we've had with the township committee this summer. They've been a huge help on the project to improve the traffic flow at the Loka Harbor School.
It's a perfect example of what can happen when we work together and we're committed to finding more ways to share services because that does ultimately save us money and collaborate in the future. Speaking of collaboration, I want to do some special thank yous to the many members of our community who've been so incredibly generous this month.
The Seabbze community, they donated over $3,200 in school supplies for our students. The WholeTech International Corporation contributed $6,500 worth of new science equipment for the high school. Um, our own Lacy Township
Middle School, uh, PTA stepped up and donated over $6,000 in books and calculators. And a real special shout out to our Mil Pond PTA. They have funded and donated an $18,000 fence to fence in the lower playground at the Mill Pond School. That support means so
much to all of us. As we look ahead, we're ready for everything this new year will bring. We're focused on helping every student succeed, whether that's through their academic work, their test scores, their accomplishments, test scores, which are going up, by the way, their accomplishments in sports and clubs. We're also dedicated to making sure our staff has as best we can
everything that they need. The year is hopefully going to be full of growth and progress and I'm confident that by working together we'll always make it an exceptional one. Thank you. Those are my kickoff comments. All right, great. Now we're going to move on to board member comments. Um Mr. Armanato, would you like to um say anything?
Nothing really in particular. Just wishing um all our students here in Lacy and and anywhere else that they go all the best in this upcoming school year. May God bless them. May they look forward and may their minds expand and
become the stewards of our future. Thank you, Mr. Bell. Any comments? Nothing. Okay, Miss Armato, any comments? Yeah, I just want to um wish everybody a a well um a wonderful remainder of the summer. Hope you guys enjoy the next week. And I want to welcome everyone
back, the staff and the students back um for another wonderful school year. Thank everyone tonight for their comments. I I like when everybody gets up and I appreciate everything everyone has to say and also thank you for all those donations. We truly appreciate it. That's it. Thank you, Mr. Peters.
Uh I'm going to pass tonight. I have some written stuff. I'll wait the next meeting. Okay. So, thank you. All right. Um I just like to again thank uh Seabbze. It's your third annual stuff the bus. It's wonderful. Thank you. Um I really appreciate just popping in and seeing everybody come in. Thank you
again. Um so I know Mr. Linsky takes the heat up here and um he's been working very hard, I have to say. Um he uh has led this district as um a true leader, I have to say. And um
this year we had 21 OC graduates. Um we had uh what are some some of our accomplishments just under him this year? I'm spilling the beans a little bit. Um, our SAT scores went up a 100red uh points average SAT, which is amazing.
Um, we are actually just 20 points lower than a local private school. Um, and that makes me very proud because their class sizes are much much smaller. So, um, I just want to thank the staff and the kids for working so hard on that.
Um, we also had a, um, significant increase in our AP. Um we had we increased uh 13 percentage points this year alone. Um and 66% of the uh scores were passing and I think that was was that a record for us here?
Uh it might be that's that's significant in any AP program. You want to be 67% is great. Yes. And um our ranking is three uh 300. But we do want to um just recognize big accomplishments and small accomplishments. It did go up 29 spots.
So we're going to take that as a win. Um so I do want to thank you for working so hard and bringing um the administrators together who in turn um really pushed the students for these great scores. So I just what's important in the ranking too has those five elements and in most of the elements we're uh just about 230 out of
the 400 schools. So we have been over 300 if you really dig in. Everyone's asking what are we getting for our money? Um and things are on the upward swing. So, it's just going to take some time and you know, I just appreciate your patience and all the hard work from the staff um really
pushing the kids. So, um that's all I have to say. All right, we're going to move on to new business. Sharon, are you ready? Okay. Okay. A1 meeting minutes. Can I have a motion, please? Motion Peters. Second. Second.
Roll call, please. Mr. Romano, yes. Mr. Peters, yes. Mr. Bell. I have to abstain uh because I was absent. Thank you. Mrs. Armato, yes. And Mrs. Claus, yes. A2, list of bills. Can I have a motion?
Motion. Peters. Second. Second. Roll call, please. Mr. Armato. Yes. Mr. Peters. Yes. After Cruz, myself from uh 18 AVT OCVT. Yes, please.
Thank you. Uh Mr. Bell. Yes. Mrs. Armato. Yes. And Mrs. Claus. Yes. A three to four transfers. Uh, can I have a motion, please? Motion. Second. Roll call, please. Mr. Armato. Yes. Mr. Peters. Yes.
Mr. Bell? Yes. Mrs. Armato? Yes. Mrs. Claus? Yes. Uh, 85 to 14, finance and facilities. Motion, please. Motion. Peters. Second. Roll call, please. Mr. Armato. 14. Right.
Yes. Yes. Uh 85 to 14. Yes. Mr. Peters. Yes. Mr. Bell? Yes. Mrs. Armato? Yes. Mrs. Claus? Yes. But I have to abstain for lacy grid iron, please. Okay. Uh page 10 and 11,
A15 to 17. Uh can I have a motion, please? Motion. Second. Roll call, please. Mr. Armato. Yes. Mr. Peters. Uh yes. Do I have to stand on 18? I would recommend it just to be safe.
Why don't abstain on 18, please? Yeah. Yes. Thank you. Uh Mr. Bell, yes. Mr. Mrs. Armato, yes. And Mrs. Claus? Yes. Um A18 to 27, tuition and transportation. Can I have a motion? Motion.
Second. Roll call, please. Mrs. Mr. Armato. Yes. Mr. Peters. Yes. Mr. Bell, yes. Mrs. Armato, yes. Uh, and Mrs. Claus, yes. Um, handbook and curriculum 828 to
33. Can I have a motion, please? Motion, Peters. Second. Roll call. Mr. Armato, yes. Mr. Peters, yes. Mr. Bell, yes. Mrs. Armato, yes. Mrs. Claus, yes. Um, policy and regulations 834. Can
I have a motion, please? Motion. Second. Roll call, please. Mr. Armato, yes. Mr. Peters, yes. Mr. Bell, yes. Mrs. Armato, yes. Mrs. Claus, yes.
A35 Hibs, can I have a motion, please? Moters. Second. Second. Roll call, please. Mr. Armato, yes. Mr. Peters, yes. Mr. Bell, yes. Mrs. Armato, yes. Mrs. Claus, yes. Page 15, donations. And I would
just like to thank everybody again um and your community again. Thank you again. Uh roll uh motion please. Motion Peters and thank you. Second roll call please. Mr. Armato. Yes. Mr. Peters. Yes. Mr. Bell. Yes. And thank you. Mrs. Armato.
Yes. And thank you. Mrs. Claus. Yes. Page 16. Programs and curriculum. Can I have a roll call, please? Uh motion, please. Motion. Second. Roll call. Mr. Armato. Yes, Mr. Peters. Yes, Mr. Bell.
Yes, Mrs. Armato. Yes, Mrs. Claus. Yes. Professional days and workshop travel. Uh, can I have a motion, please? Motion. Second. Roll call. Mr. Armato? Yes. Mr. Peters? Yes. Mr. Bell? Yes. Mrs. Armato?
Yes. Mrs. Claus? Yes. Uh, certificated personnel E1 through 17. Can I have a motion, please? Motion. Second. Roll call, please. Mr. Armato. Uh, yes. And going to miss those people
who resigned from our district. Good people. Mr. Peters. Yes. Mr. Bell? Yes. Mrs. Armato? Yes. Mrs. Claus? Yes. Uh, non-certificated personnel F1 to13. Can I have a motion, please? And we have um an addendum on number
five. There was uh two power professionals added to that motion. Okay. Motion, please. Motion. Second roll call. Mr. Armato. Yes. Mr. Peters. Uh, those two are on this addendum sheet or is that going to be an extra?
Yes. Those two are on the addendum sheet. All right. Yes. Mr. Bell. Yes. Mrs. Armato. Yes. Mrs. Claus. Yes. And we have a walk-on. Yes. Approval of a settlement agreement. Move that the board approve the settlement agreement with respect to the state of
New Jersey Superior Court docket number OCNL0000675-2023 as discussion discussed in executive session. Motion motion second roll call. Mr. Armato, yes. Mr. Peters, no.
Mr. Bell, yes. Mrs. Armato, yes. And Mrs. Claus, yes. Thank you. Motion passes. Um we're gonna actually go back into private session. Uh and um we have something to do for about you have to announce for how long?
Yep. We're going to go an executive session to discuss uh personnel matters, confidential personnel matters for approximately 30 minutes and we will not take action when we come back. We have a motion please. Motion Peters. Second. Second. Roll call, please.
All in favor? I I