all right So for those of you who know me or don't know me I'm Will Zinsky I'm the acting superintendent of schools here for the Lacy Township School District We're going to go over a couple of rules of the road Uh because this is not your average board meeting Okay This is a workshop session of the board Okay
If you are in this room and I know that we have some overflow going on in the auditorium If you're in this room while they're having discussions at the first part of this there is no talking Am I clear on that Okay You are here to listen You can take notes Okay If you
have to go use the bathroom go out the back Okay All right We're trying This is a workshop session The board the board is here as a group They're going to work on things as I always do We will do a short presentation Um and then they have their discussions They'll be they might ask me
questions I may ask them questions They may ask each other questions There may be a lot of things discussed up front here but there is no talking in this room Yes Okay Now it is a little bit like a regular board meeting and that after Miss Claus President Claus opens the meeting okay and we do what we have
to do We will say the pledge which you can all do You can talk for that one obviously All right But at the end of the meeting they're going to rotate probably rotate back to their seats that they normally sit at And then there is public comment Okay It's not question and answer It's public comment okay And
anybody can come up and make that public comment If you're in the auditorium and when we get to the public comment section you can make your way down to the lecture hall line up in the hallway and then after this room is done we'll take people in the hallway Although and
and this has happened before I don't want anyone to be shocked by this If we get really deep into the comments me many hours or an hour plus there may be a moment in time when the comments are a bit the same Miss Claus may say "We hear
you loud and clear We do have a board meeting tomorrow night Okay you can come at that moment and make extra public comment We might not be able to hear everybody tonight." Good I can answer a question right now Any rules of the road questions Okay I'm going to turn this
over to President Claus and she's going to open the meeting All right Please rise for the pledge 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 on the Beacon on Thursday uh April 10th 2025 and by posting the notice of the Orchid River Post Office and by the Lenova Harbor Post Office and by filing a copy of the notice with the Lacy
Township Clerk as required by the Open Public Meeting Act Roll call please Mr Armato here Mr Peters is absent Mr Bell here Mrs Armada here Mrs Walker is absent Mr Cony here Mrs clause here Um I
I'd just like to um just kind of repeat what Mr Zalinsky said Um this is a meeting that we have to have um open to the public So if there's more than three of us meeting we have to open it up to the public So um the purpose of tonight is just so the board all gets the same
information um together and we can ask questions to each other Um hopefully have some good discussions It might be five minutes it might be 45 minutes Um so this is why we're here tonight Um okay We're just going to get started
with your report Okay Thank you So um and and again I apologize I'll be addressing the board tonight because it's their workshop I My back may be to you I I'm sorry for that All right So um I was asked So the first thing that we always want to discuss and we've always
talked about here is that we are all there's we're all in a really tough spot right now in Lacy Township Those of us who attend our board meetings we know that there's a lot going on There are many many many many sides to this issue and Miss Claus has asked me to put together a little bit of a slideshow Uh
this is a very brief one and it's as I always do It's here to spur discussion We do this at our other workshops We've done it usually in the media center Today we just happen to be in the lecture hall and we have a little bit of an overflow crowd probably in the auditorium as well Um so this is a
budget workshop There's no action will be taken tonight So it's here for discussion and discussion alone Okay And of course we already talked about there will be uh public comment afterwards Okay So budget workshop um what I did in formulating what to to
spur the discussion on for the board is to put this timeline together of what's been going on Okay March 18th uh we met as a full board uh to adopt our original tenative budget um which is required Um we attempted to do so um at a time when
the state continued to not give us the state aid that we really believe that we needed So it was a very difficult uh tenative budget to put together The we uh as you guys know um we also have people that we answer to in the county office We have a county superintendent
We have a county business administrator So I'll refer to them a couple of times as well On March 21st the county office rejected our tenative budget because in that tenative budget we included a $6.2 million land sale Okay It we did not have an appraisal We continue not to
have an appraisal for that amount Um so they rejected our tenative budget At the same time as all the board members know the state of New Jersey decided that they were going to open up a special application that was going to allow districts to raise property taxes past
the statutory limits Okay which are 2% but there's also some waiverss Okay our original tenative budget put that number at 3.15 I'm I'm looking at Miss Storms to make sure I'm right as always Okay at 3.15 um that would have was our original
tenative budget with the $6.2 $2 million land sale to plug that hole which is the the reference that we always talked about On April 9th we attempted at a special board meeting Uh it was a um we had to schedule that because there was a time frame involved to pass a revised
tenative budget to include a tax incentive application for a balanced tenative budget that would have that tenative budget would have raised Lacy taxes 14.24% Okay It was voted down by the
board Okay But unfortunately the deadline to apply for that special incentive was April 14th That has come and gone Okay So our application didn't go in uh because of the vote on April
9th On April 14th that decision um uh that that that came and went Okay There's two other deadlines in there that we've always talked about The May 7th deadline which is our meeting because we have to post the final budget is May 7th And then there's a deadline to notify the town for whatever our tax
levy will be And you guys know this very well We don't collect the taxes The town does it for us Okay We don't have the mechanism to do so So we have to tell the town what will the tax levy be Okay May 7th So here's a couple things So
we have given our budget to the county office As you guys know the county does believe that well I'll get into it in a minute Okay So those those are the deadlines in there uh and what's going on Um but we can't move to May 7th As
you guys know we can't move to the May 7th meeting because we don't have a tenative budget We have nothing to move into a final budget adoption at this stage of the game So we are in a little bit of a limbo Okay We've missed as a board and as myself with them because
I'm part of the board Okay We've missed the statutory deadlines to pass a tenative budget and we will not be able to move on a final budget because we do not have an approved tenative budget I'm saying this all right against Miss Ormsy I know I've said it a couple of times So
what have we done All right We have submitted our what I always believe and I'll get into it a little bit and what Miss Ormsby believes We've submitted what's called a thorough and efficient budget to the state We've given it to them Okay They verbally agree with us
Our county business administrator has said "You have submitted a proper budget to me." Okay However it doesn't include a tax increase Okay That's her state at all Huh Not the 2% or the No it includes the original
3.15 is the budget that the state has in their hands right now Okay So they have our our tenative okay is in their hands Excuse me What they have in their hands is the one with the $14.24 When did we get that No the other one
They only have the tenative Thank you Right So they only Yeah they only have the tenative with the $6 million hole in it which she says is inbound The one that we approved in March Correct Correct When did they get this stir their own efficient budget They got it right after March 18th That's when she rejected it She got it on the 21st And
she said no You just submitted because we didn't have a tenative budget You submitted what you feel believe a thorough and efficient budget to the state That's the March 18th budget March 18 Oh that was March 18 And that was denied Okay Right Well the money the money is the same That's the TN So the
money is the same amount Okay That's the T& part of it We just weren't able to fund that TN part of it Am I saying that right Because we don't have we don't have land Yeah Since Since it was denied the 3.15 didn't go to Yeah nothing's gone through It'll be the 2% that we're
going to have to submit to No it's nothing right No but 2% is just the basic standard anyway though No it has to be go to the county No understand up to 2% Doesn't matter We normally take 2% 2% we can submit So right now do do we have anything that we can send to our
township committee or what wherever our township to say that we want we are going to raise taxes the 2% and that No No So zero No Well we we we will communicate with them but at this stage of the game we can't tell the town anything That is correct They accept a tenative
because Yeah Because the county office hasn't accepted not coming through They're complaining The other one too Thomas Yeah Anytime anyone on the table wants to commit trying Okay All right So right As of now we have a
zero increase is a zero It's not not zero Don't call it a zero Right now you have nothing Right now according to to the county office we have nothing approved nothing to move forward with because we missed the deadlines and we don't have a fin
and we don't have a balanced budget to submit anyway Correct So that's why we our the balancing of it would require 14.24 increase in taxes That's correct Just to be clear what we approved in March was with the proposed land sale of
the 6.2 million that she told us Mhm You guys put in put in there Correct Okay But keep keep in mind as I've said before that was prior to the state opening this additional application but
prior to and she might have thought and I'm not going to put words in her mouth that we had 600 million to sell We just don't But we didn't know that She didn't know that She denied it Because remember we did get an appraisal later on but it's much less One of them Yeah Much
less What did it appraise for The Leno Harbor property appraised for 2.1 million if you find a buyer which we don't have So it's contingent on a buyer when you enter it into a budget or can it be put onto a budget like when you buy a house and it's contingent on me
selling my other house So that's a good question We've asked our county business administrator her name is Cindy We've asked her that question She said "We cannot put into any budget right now until you've got a contractor sale." She says "You can't even use that appraisal right now." So she backtracked that of
what she got to do contractly She did We're still short that money So should we let the public know that right now that she just did Oh you just did But I mean Tom's River have a contract on Hooper App when they put it in theirs
Uh I don't know what Tom's River had Uh ultimately Tom's River did end up selling that property for I think like $16 million and they needed 14 million for this year So they did ultimately get that done Could we ultimately get that done over time Yes But again 6.2 versus
2.1 we still have a gap We still have a gap Still have a gap I have a question If we sell it for 2.1 and we have I mean we're getting a survey now We don't know the survey looks like We don't know what the deeds look like We still don't have all the answers to any of our properties right now that we may or may not use in
the future Was the Did they have it for literally for sale Because we don't have this for say for sale for right now Correct We do not So is that the difference They had it for sale We I don't know I don't think they had it for sale at the time either Yeah I don't know the particular throwing it in there That was kind of the same way it was presented to us It was presented to them
Do you have property to sell Yes If you can sell it sell it Right But now there's the waiver So do we have any bites at all on that property We're We don't have a proper survey yet We We're still waiting on the survey to be done when school lets out next week He's coming in to do the close surveys because we didn't want to meet our kids
So they're coming in next week to finish it up It'll probably take them another week beyond that And that'll be the start of being able to put the I saying let's put the for sale sign on it right And I agree with that because we are in a in a budget deficit certainly and and the back of Mil Pond from what I
understand I think you've said it on numerous occasions we can't sell because there's a water issue back there Uh that's what the appraiser said He said that behind Milondon would only be interested to very particular parties and you probably wouldn't be able to put house away It's not worth a lot of money You can still sell it if anybody's
interested in it but they're not going to put it again until I see a survey and then Mr Max Span which is his name sees a survey He's not even sure because he was estimating value especially behind Lenoka He just divided it up to lots He divided it by square footage He said
going rate So he's not even sure based on access and how that would look He just gave us a good faith estimate Okay So 2.1 million might be generous I don't know He didn't give us a good faith on Mil Pond right He gave us a zero on Mil
Pond actually Okay It's fine Let me know Okay So is that that's We're not Are we looking at the board office or did we even ask them to look at That's all part of the survey It is It's on there Yes of course it is Well not to sell the board I got to be I got to live somewhere
Well the kids think it's my house We'll get a price there I don't know about that We'll see what happens with the board office Okay Fighting on the board I need an office We'll fight We're managing We're managing Remember we're managing you know a lot of money out of one office
All right So this is just the detailed you guys have all seen this Okay this is exactly what we're describing Okay it shows you um you know if we we've passed this now So this slide's a little bit old as you guys know So the tax levy incentive is gone We can't apply for
that right now but the hole still is there Okay Right That's 6.681867 If you're looking down the line here that's the money we do not have right now Understand Go ahead I'm sorry to cut you off You're not coming off Um let me
listen Let's say we come up with the 6.681867 million How Let's say we do I'm I'm take speaking hypothetically right now That 2% will then never be increased will never be added that tax levy of the
2% look at that on that one No you're well So it would be added back into the budget if we had a budget to balance Help me I'm not sure You understand my question You want to submit It's always there Yeah that's that's on top of Yeah Yeah Okay Thank you That's all I wanted
to question So if we took the 2% and the 1.5 out that right 68 could be approximately another million more or so I think it was a million three million four for what
you're saying taking out the 2% and the waiver it's approximately a million dollars or so yeah 2% is like a million one well let let me let me just be clear we go top to bottom of the lines here though so you've got you know this and the health waivers's right there right
you we need you need all these monies right for next year% including the 2% 1.1 you need that adds to the property levy of 59 million Okay we get the debt service Okay that's also what we charge the town because
that's our mortgage basically Okay that's actually gone down because remember we didn't approve the referendum in any way So our debt service number has dropped 24% That that's actually mitigated some of this tax increase a little bit We we need from the town a health waiver
because our health benefits went up so much 3.1 million So that's 1.4 million there's some bank cap that we can add to the tax levy and then the tax levy incentive which we did not vote for last week is the $6.6 million So that that just does all that does if we get that
money is it allows us to open the doors for 2425 no for 2526 Yes Meaning that there's a good possibility that next year around this time we're sitting at the day is talking about another tax increase Absolutely I just want the public to know Absolutely
100% that's agreed to by everybody because what what to make us whole we need 20 29% Yeah I'll get to that in a little bit I I don't have like all the numbers there because remember this is a workshop I didn't go into depth but see you just keep asking questions I know you can All right so what does that 6.6
million represent in this budget Okay so it it you kind of can work backwards or I work forwards into this What does that represent Okay 6.6 6 million represents this And this is you can you can think of it this way that the money's coming out or we're putting the money back in
but if the money comes out that's what this represents Okay If if we can't fund the district at that 6.6 million more this is what it looks like It's a broad stroke Okay This is over like a 48 hour
marathon session with my team All right to say what possible draconian things could happen Okay the first one is in order the staff cuts that would have to result would result in this We would have to grade
ban all the schools Okay it would not be grades one to five anymore Cedar Creek would be grade one and autism with an average class size of 30 Fork River would be grades two and three and the special ed programs Okay average class size for grade two will be 33 Average
class size for grade three would be 35 grade three if you can believe that an Oklahoma harbor school would be grade four and five average class sizes of 3 to 33 and 34 And how many riffs would we have to do for to get to this Um it's I'm going to it's a little bit of a
guess because remember these are some broad strokes here Overall it's about 20 more staff members But I thought we were not allowed to according to Cindy Cindy well remember Cindy continues to say "Well she actually wanted me to cancel this meeting." She says "There's no
reason to meet like this because you can't go any lower than the budget you've submitted to me." Okay So all these things out here she will not approve either The county BA correct County BA So that's And again the county BA does funny thing Everything with her is verbal And Sharon and I are going to
start to pursue things in writing a lot harder now She's not going to answer I don't know We haven't gotten that far with her yet Okay So I mean that's an accurate representation I think of what's going on So and not and she's a tough cookie I'd say the things that she verbally said she'll sit here and say "Yeah I said it." Okay So I'm not
worried about any of those things So let me make sure I understand just in case it gets to where we have to reduce staff by 20 and we submit it to the county they're going to say "You can't do it." Probably Maybe as of today maybe Remember and I expressed this at the
last board meeting my greatest fear is the state will do nothing for us That's my greatest fear that they will not give us money They will not take it away They will not involve themselves in Lacy and we will have no money But isn't that unethical of the of the county board of
education Let's provide a fair and efficient education to everybody So here's the thing and this is this is just a noteworthy moment According to our county superintendent and county business administrator they cannot in their memory remember any board not passing a tenative budget
So can they ever remember any board raising taxes 19% and and and Linda I will always say that this is a multiaceted issue You're not going to begrudge your comment Not going to be your comment Correct So but even if we we came to this
conclusion where we could eliminate all these things okay we still I truly believe we cannot I I agree 100% I think we all agree But right as of now our our deadline is over So we're not even allowed to enter into that agreement
Correct That was her statement yesterday that we are we are in limbo As of today we are leaving it in the state's hands Just so you're the board is clear It's already in their hands We Yes we have no say And this is where we are because we didn't pass the tenative No we have a
say We just have to do it without the the We don't because we can't tax levy increase We can't submit a tenative budget It's over The deadline is done We have to submit a budget now No it's over We have to submit something She's saying no She's saying no She says no We are on
the same page So we all know because you didn't know that So now we all know every This is our workshop Cheryl So to do what But just so everybody knows the the right information Clear We can't make cuts As of today as of today there will be no cuts That's what Cindy said
Okay Well because there's a firestorm right now in social media that everyone thinks everything's getting cut today And I have an issue We're not voting today It doesn't matter I have an issue with rumors going out to whoever's spreading these firestorms that there's rumors going out that 60 teachers are being cut busing is being cut sports are being cut and everyone is sitting here
If we know we can't do that why are we causing mass hysteria in the public Why was it said that we [Applause] already did Yeah And I have an issue with that I have an issue with people thinking that we're conspiring and that that I feel like the public was misled
and I feel like when I was getting texts today I was uh dear in the headlights because I knew nothing about this So I I don't know who's leaking the information but it caused a lot of issues with people and it's wasting a lot of people's time because there's nothing that's going to be resolved tonight So all these kind people came down here Mother well I disagree with that a
little bit We're not wasting anybody's time The the this the crowd that just applauded behind us like if they don't understand the hole that we're in and the trouble that we're in and I don't think they did based on the crew that came out and I agree with you There was
a social media storm however it started Okay Someone's spreading rumors Okay But but there's nothing we're ting here is a rumor Like this is all real fact of where we are in the budget And that's the problem that we need to face if we
can get the public to call their senator or call their representative or say no more Okay that's what we haven't had yet So now that we've not acted and now it's in the hands of the state of New Jersey if there's no more action on our part I
keep saying it My fear is is that the state will do nothing for us ever Okay like we cannot operate well This is what operating without that money looks like and they might and that's these slots they might come back So it's not fear-mongering by any means You may believe it is but it's not because
here's what's happening I feel like the fight is with our neighbors but the fight is the fight should be with our state not the neighbors So people are ripping each other apart right now in social media And I think that's unjust I I don't think the town I think the town should be united not divided and we're ripping each other apart And there's
nothing any of us can do unless somebody in this room can come up with $7 million and donate it because that's that's about it But that's only this year That's not that's this year And then next year it's another issue So I our our fight is we should get a bus and all these people should be going to Trent and not sitting here in this auditorium because more about how we could work
together No s we're talking here This is Don't address the crowd Talk to us I'm talking this is our this is our meeting S it's our meeting but there was a dog and pony show tonight to get everybody here So but this is this is where we are that if the state comes tomorrow and says we need to make cuts we as a board
need to be on the same page of what we are going to cut and that's why we are here tonight Okay that's okay That's why we're here So let's come up well because they might come back S we are here together Should scare tactic There's no scare tactic Scare tactic Why don't we
put the fight to them Why don't we invest in ourselves That's fine and dandy Let's do it But it's if they if they do nothing if they do nothing we need a plan I can't I don't I'm not a lawyer I'm not an educational lawyer I'm no lawyer But what I do is understand as
a code of ethics And I believe as taxpayers the county this state whatever owes us an obligation to provide an education for these kids in this building They do They us owe us that And to say that they're not going to do nothing I think that's just wishful
thinking They can't We got to stop with the might What we have to do is hold them out to the mat and say "Listen to me You can't tell us you're not going to do nothing when we have an obligation to our citizens in Lacy Township." And that's the fight that we should be taking to them and not just sitting here
letting them dictate what we should do when we're nobody knows our county our town better than us and the people sitting in the stands But even you know as well as I do have to stand up They would and they would fight for us That's why they have a meeting with Mr Alato right now Yeah The
28 alto right just to get a direction of where we can go and how we can fight Hopefully hopefully he has an ear He's new in his position fairly new Maybe he has a whole different outlook and can fight for us Of course he's on the other
side of the table Um but who knows Yeah you know he might have a voice loud enough that he can do something for us But Kim my question is for you So let's say hypothetically we sat here tonight and we made okay this will happen this will be cut that'll be cut we have a plan But what you just both said to us
was that no matter what we present the state it's now in the state's hands and they won't listen to us anyway today If they come back tomorrow and say we need a plan we need to be prepared So I'm not saying they're not going to listen to us You don't know Nobody knows And right as of now Cindy said that it went above her
She passed it above her or Echo And they're waiting for direction So how that direction comes we don't know Uh the state I I don't know who's above Cindy Who's above the probably the commissioner of education of education Yeah Kevin Demer is his name right And then they'll they'll decide Remember
that name Yeah Right So you've been in the state department for a long time Did you guys go over any of those ideas in finance that I don't know whoever Yeah So can you can you enlight us on that Well let's answer the the 800 lb gorilla in the room first Well let's go Let's We need to go ahead Well how about I finish
this Go ahead Time to get on I just I can move quickly too All right Just to continue the continue the same thing This is what $6 million represents And you have to know and the public should know they're here Uh what that looks like You know grade 11 pops out grade nine pops out We always use ELA because
everybody takes an English class all all years from middle school to high school right In the essence of time this is what I could work out in the last 48 hours trying to get this done Okay Transportation reductions Okay All courtesy busing would have to come out That would include on the other side of
Lacy Road on the other side of Route 9 All right That that's how you make up this money And what's the cost of that Uh courtesy busing for all all courtesy busing is over $2 million About a million A million About a million Could you go back to that other slide I just want to take a picture of it The
courtesy busing is only a million dollars is obviously 2 million No one million Oh and that's the two and a half two and a half miles for high school middle school middle school two for everybody else And how much was the um
the bait granning What was that number The which the bait grid banning What would that save Uh it was it was like a million dollars but that's everything included And that includes staff Staff as well That that is the staff Braid banding is
staff Oh okay That's where you save monies Okay So it's all courtesy busing Everyone walks Okay Unless you're that distance away Bamber would not walk Are you talking about elementary Yeah PreK to 5 within
two miles walks If you lose your courtesy bus that's that's the money Okay That's that's where the money would be So that's the conversation that we had the other day of behind you and probably even further south
Yeah Okay Sorry That's okay That's it's a workshop Keep asking questions Wait you missed one What I missed Keep in mind there's there's savings in there too You're not that that'll be a later slide But again you're not running courtesy busing for that You're not going to run sports buses You're not going to run
co-curricular buses All that You're going to idle You'll idle your fleet or part of it about five buses we get idled We figured five or six with everything It was seven Seven buses we get idled Seven contracts is how she phrases it So
it was also pension in finance last week I was um by doing this we'd have to get crossing guards Mhm Mhm Oh yeah Oh they can't keep the ones that they have now
Yeah To five or six of them now Hey they're it's not what they thought it was They can't do it Whatever And it's So we're going to have to hire probably six more Where are we going to get them from
Probably more than six I would say Six 10 whatever it is But that's actually one group I don't have to run We crossing carts But it's Where are we getting these people from Yeah There'll be ch there be just challenges to all this of course Yeah we can Right Curricular materials
The curriculum committee is here The full actually the whole curriculum committee is here Right So we wouldn't be able to buy curriculum materials right We've been talking about now for months Our ELA is expired in grades K to 8 and our high school math is expired because we have online programming with that We have things are not aligned
because we've changed the standards in math and ELA over time All right So teachers will have fewer uh stuff than they had in years Okay and access those materials help as we all know cross probably going to be 12 and then the big one 1500
no people right so $1.2 million right in this that's the big one are we currently doing the pay paid play pay play pay play pay play to pay we are not pay so why couldn't we keep sports
pay to play and then have what we talked about today have volunteer staff and get rid of the stipens are $52,000 if we had that's contractual I think well if we couldn't have it if it had to be eliminated instead of having instead of eliminating and we had I understand
that we have to have qualified people do it but when I was doing some research it had said like retirees alumni people that were in the community that were currently certified in those sports um if they could volunteer I'm just trying to spitball some ideas here because nobody wants you know sports is boring
but there I know wreck is they have a lot of volunteers for wreck and the wreck programs run good and I know it's a public school it's a little differently but as you know if we had the certifications that we talked about and it's you're not you're not going to run a high quality program with volunteers but at least there's a program going on like you're talking about if you I'm just saying if you have
to cut and this is over a million dollars it's it's a solution I'm just trying to get a solution going when we talk about what some of these parents are paying to play AAOU and club ball um I think they would make the invest ment in having their kids play high
school ball And I also believe that paying whatever that cost is for their child to play a two to three month sport does a lot more good than paying 142 14.2% tax increase over their life in
Lacy But I remember last here discussion was to do the paytoplay $150 a uh whatever it was We were picking up balance That is not
the case It's totally out Okay Quick quick estimates over a thousand a kid right Yeah And the people that are on free and reduced lunch would pay nothing So the people that can pay pays for them right They pay they take up the rest of So let's let's talk about that a little bit Let's talk about a solution to that
And I have some solutions to that So let's say we do have to pay $1,000 a player Oh yeah I've lived here now But we've done I've lived here now for 18 years and what I've seen is an amazing support from our business community So
if we had an opportunity to play for sports where families who can contribute help offset cost scholarship options are available for those who can community partnerships and sponsorships from local businesses to support extracurricular activities We do a great
job of that Now if we can raise $650,000 for lights on the football field I think we can duplicate that to save athletics and and the arts and everything else that's at jeopardy right now Fundraising initiatives booster clubs alumni campaigns that help raise money directly
for programs like athletics music and art facility rentals and event-based revenue using school space creatively to bring in income I mean those are some small ideas that can fund athletics for us The other day in financial we asked
the board members to share some ideas Mrs Walker had an idea that simply said let's do a GoFundMe Let's do something If we can't run it regularly if we can't run it right I'm sure there's someone out there that
would raise their hand to run it to help save athletics for for this district So I think what we have is we have many solutions We just need someone to raise their hands and help get it done Yeah I don't we can't do I don't someone in the That's what I just said Yeah And do a
donation But even but even the donations So I know the town was very torn apart about referendum and about the taxes Um so the people that can afford to to increase their taxes that that were okay with the $1,000 a year or the $4,000 a year there's nothing that stops people
that they can donate They can donate to try to help Well I'm just throwing that that out there So I mean there's a lot of spitfire going out and if people can afford it some people can't Some people are very strapped and some people aren't So if there are people that aren't strapped and they can donate then there's nothing that says
people can't donate I'm just saying every little bit can help I'm just trying to have some ideas I know it's not going to come up at $7 million but I know sports is a very important program So I don't think we have to top it I think we can see if we can find these volunteers something else Well so we
just don't just don't underestimate what as a as a secondary guy that I am when I taught and of course was a principal you know you can't you just can't underestimate the amount of kids that we bring in who parents wouldn't pay or they come in because they can come in
for free To to fund $1.2 million year after year after year through donations is is probably unlikely Like let's just be clear about that Like that Yeah you could fund some volunteer coaches Thousand here a thousand there And I know they do that now in some cases but
again you said it like $7 million is next to impossible But it's more sustainable than having someone's tax increase $4,000 as a base and then have them stay that and then every year go on from that You're talking about a 29% increase That would put homeowners 29% plus a 10% You're talking 40% based on
their current tax rate If so if people have the money to even do a fraction of that that's a lot that's a lot less than the $1 million that you're talking about I'm just saying you're asking a lot on the other end you're asking for such a heavy information I get it but I'm just playing devil's advocate with that Of course and I said multi-sight and an
investment in athletics is only two to three years four years whatever amount of time that they play that sport or involved in that program whereas a tax levy is for the life of the time they live in this town So I'd rather invest in my child
$1,000 than have to pay $1,000 extra for the rest of my life that I live in Lacy Township and probably get raised again down the road because when we start next school year there's a possibility that we're going to be having the same conversation But what about the family that came
That's where the donations and everything else comes in I mean I'm sorry I look at the football field and I look at how many banners are around that football field This community is involved This community cares They're involved
and they're already paying So to But they're paying for football We're trying to save sports I get that And not everybody plays football I get that But they there's banners not just on the field They do soccer I know We need bigger corporations I mean that's why Sharon's idea was tell us
our the media the the marketing guy that you were talking about We uh met with a marketing company that could come in and do the signs for us Um like in the high school gym in different areas in the school even everywhere you can do it everywhere they dopor the
softball field the gym the anywhere we want Did he give an estimate Do naming rights Did he give an estimate of what he thought it might or he or she thought it might bring in revenue-wise or they've seen in other districts Uh he gave an estimate after the fact of 80 to $100,000 Okay A year That's it It's
annual Yeah Tom's River makes just barely over 100,000 They're the big dog It's just not that much money It's enough something But it's something It's something more than what we have right now Then where would that go It would have to go to clubs divided It goes to it goes to fund the solution But that's
you know that's the drop in the bucket of things right So we get 12 companies to do the same thing to make a 1.2 You know make Yeah 1.2 would be a challenge All right keep going All right I think I have um just last slide So just a lot of thoughts of mine and then we'll leave it
to you guys um and then move on Um there's the calculation that the state's using I want everybody to know this number and it's it's just it's poignant and it's it's not any judgment of anything The state by their standards by
their calculations claim that we should be spending as a school district 17 million more They claim that's their number not mine More Okay More than we do now That would make Okay If I if we did the 6.6 that we need then for this year you're down 11 million Just that's
the math Okay Of this I'm just curious to get to that number What What is that 29% 29 29% Mhm Yes The boss And we're not having this conversation No No I just I just want to put that out there It's 29% I believe it is 29% I believe it is And we
don't have these conversations anymore next year right Yeah But right that plan that's even of course your tax rate is you know is what it is then right a month for your life in lacy no a lot more a lot more than that it would be a lot more than that you were going
off it could be a lot based on your assessments it can be a lot right yeah okay not that it's an option I'm done no no but it's important for people to understand that or myself to understand that as well all right so we have some data and I would like Mrs to share the data about
how many actually attend the school and don't attend the school And what we're asking for those that don't have children in the school district we're asking them to fund the district 14.2% more well 29% more in reality right And
I think it's somewhere in the area of 14% make up or is it 28% I wanted to ask you what do you know the percent is it about how we have how many students exactly about 3,700 Is it about 4,100 About 4,000 Okay So we have about 29
29,000 residents in this town about 31 So what 31 So what's the math on that Like 13 15% somewhere What's the the percentage of of families that are But that's only it's not including children I don't
believe I think it's just families Residents I'm just trying to figure out what the households are Like it's about Do we know the percentage of that Is it about Do you know you know what I'm saying How many how many% I've never done that math I think I know what you're asking I've never done that math Exactly Well the reason I'm saying is
because that's the implication of when you're when we're looking at these huge tax increases We have to understand the schools districts are extremely important But that's why I was trying to say instead of constantly trying to raise taxes if we could try try to do some sort of donations for the people that can do it when you currently have
the kids in the district So you wouldn't put some of those seniors in such disarray of of increasing their tax levy and having a new base Just we're just trying to I'm trying to think outside the box There is a there is a tax freeze There's tax I think two online that they can fill out The tax freeze doesn't it's
not applicable if you own like a if you own a second house and also if you're let's say hypothetically your tax is 8,000 then it's going up to 15,000 I think from what I researched they still have to come up with that money and the state reimburses them Not everybody has that money to just to come up with that money So there it's not as cut and dry
as we we all would think it would be Um so I'm just trying to think of ideas as to not always let go of teachers not cut things and not constantly raise taxes Um a few things that came up um from the
public um that I'd just like to talk about a little bit Um questions are being asked about early retirements Um just to be clear we cannot offer early retirement It's against the law Correct No Tia The
everyone's in a state pension uh if they're full-time employee here Okay So they're they're subject to the state not the town Okay Can't offer incentives or anything No it's all state stuff They're either in PERS or they're in TPF if they're full-time employees It's all state controlled We have nothing to do with it Other than the contributions
that employees make and we make a a contribution as well I'm trying to Okay But it's not like it's not like uh Squib you know I'm going to give you an early retirement if you get out right It's not like that I don't know why I thought of Squib They're just old school New Brunswick company All right And uh just
so we're all clear we are not allowed to start a GoFundMe but the public can and make a donation Yeah they do they do the snap raises now every day all the time for sports I've know that But I mean like the education foundation that did that was private and it was still part of our district but it wasn't that
that's really digging deep the old education foundation But that was a non educ that was Yeah that was a 501c back in the day But that wasn't us That was not us Can that be done again if someone started Yeah you can start a 51c for education foundation The reason I was thinking because I was writing some notes and I was like donation versus tax hike You know donations are one time
involuntary and tax hikes are forever So if we could have a foundation started it might be something that Yeah I'm not saying it's going to raise $7 million overnight but it could be something that could build every year So so I know that the Lacy Township Basketball Association has been trying to get a meeting with
Mrs Belento They've been unsuccessful They want to donate a lot of money These are the same people who run Lacy Socca that raised their own money put a synthetic turf field on a hockey field in in Gilly Park They just have to call Sharon that she does the
donations Have them call Sharon and that that's how it go We approve it on the We approve it Yeah If if it's a donation they put in for Township sock design and his and his board they've been trying to give you guys some money and and they can't get anyone to take it First I'm hearing of
it Yeah Call Sharon We'll follow up We'll follow up Um are we currently doing any rentals to the public Yes Sure Okay All right I'm just do it every month All done What happened with the naming rights We're doing naming rights Anything come about with that No So that goes back to the uh
the marketing guy Yeah we put it out twice Nobody Nobody Nobody B Does the marketing guy work Is he want to work on commission or does he want to get paid Commission 30% 30% Oh but I mean nothing up He doesn't want money from us upfront He wants Okay All right No I just want to make sure that we're not having to
pay money to people if it doesn't work We sell something and we make some Okay So are we thinking about doing that as a board What do we What's the next step Considering Yeah Okay Because I think we should take the considerations very seriously Correct me if I'm wrong Um he he he's able to bring in some fivestar
he says he can bring in some five star he says right he says yeah that's why I rephrased it also bring in some fivestar uh donations from some corporations bigger automobile companies in the town correct part had
also talked about doing the um donations and the business donations that you brought up before for the PTAs and the boosters whoever it is Mhm Okay So this guy's going to hit him to put a banner up for x amount of dollars He thinks
he's supporting the school district but now post boosters or performing arts they're going to go to the same place but for fundraising because we need donations because they But it's already done like that It is already like that
Well Anony's gives a check to everybody I've seen football Anthony I've seen basketball anony's He sponsors my That's a $200 banner out there This guy come in for $7800 business I do what I can and there's a lot I can't do I used to be able to do a lot more years ago The
economy is way different than it was years ago I can't No I'm just I'm just letting you know when you can do it you do it As a small business you have to say yes You have to say no And it's it's heartbreaking when you can't do it But there's a lot I can no longer do Well the sports and everything are going to have to rely on donations That's what
our town said But what I like about this for marketing is it's you can't go off to large corporations The Home Depots the Lowe's the Kohl's the ones that tell us corporate all the time that we can't get to That's what I do We have an alumni association still Not that I know of
They they've started and stopped a couple times A year It was some It was a crazy number They had one early on Yeah And uh I think it just cost money so they ended that How about some of our alumni who have gone on to do some amazing things and and reaching out to
them and offering some help with either fundraiser just to get their name out there I tried two years ago I I I brought to Dr Pereira's attention uh Chris Fleming He wanted to come back and I said to him you know maybe we'll we'll
we'll retire New Jersey I mean this is a guy who went to Lacy and still holds the record for most points scored in a four-year career high school career Who's Chris Lemon Because a lot of people I don't he's an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls He was the Pat Riley of the
European League Um and he went to Lacy High School He went to Lacy High School and I called I somehow managed to finagle his cell phone number Had a great conversation with him and it went nowhere And and I know I don't know um coach Villa I don't know if he's here
tonight but I'm sure that he can reach out to Keith Elias and and um get paid um what's his name Terrell Smith um who who's become a very successful business owner in Lakewood come back and and offer some assistance $6 million be nice
right No but we have to chip away at this We're not going to get the $6 million The only alumni sitting here in here's been a if you want to call it a great time but I don't know This is all great to build on What
are we going to do if the state comes back tomorrow Solutions have been offered years before We're not acting on anything right So we need someone to take action and and well that would they the boosters could reach out Yeah I mean yeah but then we've discussed this and
we even had this discussion in finance this is all great Okay these are discussions that yes you should be having over time but we have a hole that needs to be filled It's not getting filled this way And that's got to be that's the reality of our situation That's the reality of talking about it
in a workshop style Um and to give everybody the information that we have right now and not not being as transparent as I know you talk about all the time That's what part of this is So we're trying to be transparent about where we are where the board is where everybody is where we're landing in this
Okay those things the 100,000 here the 100,000 there it's not filling what ultimately is an academic hole But this is my call for help some of the people who may be a lot more better situated to make a dent into our budget than I am
able to do But the call to help where we have call legislators out there who represent Lacy Township Okay that's got to be part of the call of course Okay I've made the calls I know President Claus has made the calls Okay we're the action is what we're missing right now
All from all fronts We're missing action Okay the Toms Rivers of the world the Jacksons of the world the New Egypts of the world they're all missing action right now Well they all Okay where they've all voted for the application we didn't vote for That was our choice Okay But now here we are And a little bit of
this and a little bit of the warning is that we are in the hands of the state of New Jersey right now with this budget in front of them And the warning shot to so to speak is I don't know where it's going to land as your acting superintendent So we have to all be
aware of that going down the road which is coming very quickly That May 7th May 19th deadline is coming very quickly Whether the state lets that go or not I don't know I don't have those answers because even the state in our conversation with them she'll tell
she'll be the first thing saying I don't have the crystal ball on this one It's never happened before Okay So she's she's being honest and then I'm being honest back here I'm very proud of you for taking this stance
I'm very proud of you for doing I'm trying to dig in my heels with the state too Right What I need you is to stop fighting this on your own and ask everybody to get involved like you did tonight and get everybody involved in the fight with the state not with the school board Although we are local
politicians and we have to handle some of the brunt and and some of the responsibility of the situation we're in today this 14.2% tax increase was not something that the school board wanted to do but what the state mandated us to
do No that's not true Yes it is They said "You know what Here's how you can fill your budget You can Not true Raise your We're going to give you an application to raise the tax levy to 14.2% 2% because we're giving you no money But let's take Mr Pinto's spreadsheet out and look at who got
funded and who didn't get funded and I bet you that would piss everybody off in the stands when they take a look at it You know what else I find interesting s too and and to to build on that a little bit What I also find interesting is when you follow whatever papers are out there today from the patch to a to nj.com we
never make the papers Never Isn't that interesting Well it's time I find that interesting all the time You know it's just this our it's it's us It's the local here But then we don't make the papers I just find it interesting It's a commentary You call them to come in I have called them but I don't call them
like to like turn ourselves in I go "You might be interested in a board meeting You might want to come." And I still don't get a lot of response Very interesting Very interesting Cuz I think this would be good headlines You would think something about what the state's done and where we are And as somebody said here tonight it's ripping us apart
I think that you Okay And I agree with that I when I testified before the state was it early this year we went When I testified before the state that was my opening comment Okay And the guy's taking feverish notes going "Really?" I go "Yeah you're ripping our community apart by the speed of where you're
taking away state aid based on this formula." Okay Whether it's wealth of community whether it's formulatic or whatever it's going to be That was my exact testimony before the state of New Jersey to the to the T Somebody filled me And what did they say about Wait hold
on Linda's go No go ahead Yeah just pass the mic around so they can hear us in the other room No I was just asking what uh what the county superintendent said about Lacy Oh Lacy can afford it Was that her words Yeah In a roundabout way
the residents of Lacy can afford it They're they're remember they're basing that remember as state employees they're basing that number on that below adequacy The last number I put up here Yeah Everybody has a number Okay we we actually looked at it briefly today according to the state how many
districts they consider below like us It was like 150 The rest of them are either equal and some are overfunded Okay But they say they say that our we that we should be paying more of that share That's why those comments I think came
out True or not it doesn't sit well with us because of commentary you've made That's a big tax increase 9.9 plus 14.24 That's a huge tax increase Do we know of any districts that turned it down like we did No we're the only one according
to the state So actually that's good because I for once I'd rather be a leader than be a lagard behind I I think we need to take be the lead in it And part of this is to know everyone to know that that's what's occurring Great So somebody asked about the
uh email that Cheryl sent in regards to different or anybody I don't know Could you ask for Yes I'm not sure since I never heard but this is you asked what you had Um so one of
them some of these hard contract negotiation topics So so I don't know how So if we can't do those and that's fine right now but I'm just saying that's the the big money though Yeah It's so now six period stipened Yep
Benefits Shared services Well shared shared services or um actually it depends It depends on depends We do shared services now with the the town and with others And that does save us money in the long run Saves everybody money You opt out buy back
right Save money for B I feel like if the benefits didn't go up $3 million I think we'd be in an okay place The benefits increase is destroying us Yeah Because $3.2 million in one year is destroying us If we did the B if we put 3 million if the 3 million came off
which it's not but all through contracts like however that works We could put in the land sale couple cut a couple little things closer We're getting there Yeah Yeah So to renegotiate so it's really about this what you said with the three what was the 3.2 2 million benefit
increase The benefit increase Yeah that's just the increase and that's not the liability And understand every district in New Jersey saw the same increase Okay That is not unique to us Correct Every every feel that the electric feel we I mean honestly we
can't sustain living in New Jersey anymore Like this is where we are But it's heavily taxed Heavily taxied So all right So moving forward what about now What do we agree on disagree on If they
said tomorrow you have one more opportunity to pass a tenative we have to They haven't done remember but we have to pass something We can't not pass something So right now right now no until I can negotiate with them to say but we don't have an agreement So I don't I don't I So when I go back to her
on a we've actually we've talked on a daily basis at this point Okay I'm not sure about the the week we're off but certainly tomorrow we will have another conversation They're closed Friday They're closed Friday So tomorrow we'll have a conversation with them I continue these conver and Sharon as my point person as our point person Okay
Continues these conversations almost twice or three times a day like where are we What can we do How can we solve this problem So that's our work that we just continue to do on on a regular If they tomorrow said something we call a special meeting We do what we got to do We make agreements We do what we can
Right now she's telling us we're not there Okay Because of the deadlines that have been missed Let me rephrase your question Yeah Can I help me Jeff So if they call tomorrow and they have all the answers and we he to approve a tenative
budget and whatever was present here tonight is it are he in agreeance to approve a tenative budget on that or no Because that's it It's it's going to happen Boom Boom boom boom boom because everything that we've been talking about is long-term stuff It's
not they call tomorrow and we need to approve by Tuesday or Wednesday next week what are we doing Honestly I would so I would have a very hard time getting rid of anything for the kids and in terms of
their clubs their athletics because we had we had a very rough rough year last year and if we can leave the kids out of it as much as we can I think that's number one goal Um million dollars we have to I know from somewhere else So I
have a question for you guys So where is that Can can we transition though to volunteer coaching model Can can we do that I'm asking it's contractual contract it's so this is contract with the so contract negotiations we got to we got to we got to but this hasn't
happened like yesterday I understand that it's future looking long term actually but it's still something we really have to talk about because it's still $52,000 I I I'm sorry I've been in business for a long time and I've never negotiated or
had a budget this large However I truly believe in my heart of hearts that if a county BA sees that we're working towards negotiating with the LTEA we're cutting this we're cutting that we're doing this we're doing that I I can't for the life of me
think they're going to say "Well we don't want to hear about it." Well wait that was a Tory deadline right Or miss So we failed as a if you were doing that September meeting At the end of the day we still need to have a budget that
Yeah but the state has you needed to have a gone So for now for now it's gone I'm not saying it's over forever and that's a good point for all of us to debate here I'm not saying it's over forever but as we sit right now our opportunity to give the state balance is
gone But the but the state Yeah But the state asked us to complete an impossible task The only option they gave us was to raise was to complete an application to raise taxes 14.2% And I understand Kim you're gonna say that that was just tentative but let's face it if you voted yes for tentative they were going to
come back and say "Well you voted yes for tentative and this is the only way to balance a budget budget." So how do you say no after you said yes So that was a noation because it gave us more time It gave us another month to to put in the land sale because that wasn't in there It was 6 million but now it's
actually 2 million There's other things that can go in there Cheryl And not only that let me finish Let me finish that We had a a meeting We had a finance meeting S filled in for Skip Jack and myself and we sat there and said "What can we compromise on What could we what could
we do last minute to get this tenative budget approved?" Because we had that day Jack called all the board members and said "What would you guys do What can you agree on?" Nothing came back I did 17% I didn't say 17 but you said seven If it wasn't 14 it was seven And I wasn't wanting to go I know you weren't
Yes but that's I get it but I'm just saying Let me finish Let me finish Cheryl But the thing is we didn't compromise We as a board put us here to not have a tenative budget approved and that's just the matter of fact So now we're leaving it up to the
state I agree I don't want my taxes raised 7% That was the number will needed for us to get it passed Everybody was asked So don't keep saying 14% It could have been seven and this would have been off the table So get get the numbers right If it could have been
seven then why do we present 14.2 too because that was the first time when we didn't have the other in we didn't have all the information then we denied it then we came back for a second shot understood but we did sit here last year everyone on this board I know won't do
it again 9.9% well I I get it but I'm saying as a board we failed we didn't pass it correct we have we have to take some responsibility I will not take responsibility for not passing taxes on my neighbors that is well we have an obligation to these kids I understand that but but obligation to the kids'
parents Exactly The kids parents can't afford to live in school These kids are here for a reason They Listen a lot of these kids depend on us keeping them here after school They depend on their marching bands They depend on all the clubs And you know what When these kids apply for college they're going to see one two three years in a row The fourth
year it's going to say zero You think that helps them for their future No Play It's not It can't be done today Why not We had an option to because we can't right away start asking parents to pay their way to prison Not all kids can afford it This is a public school I'm sorry sir Why can't we at least try We
can try We will do it Yes But it's contractual That we cannot solve We got to start saying we can We have to push the envelope instead Well then go to negotiations That's your job You're on the committee Okay This is where we are today We need to just face the facts What are we going to cut If we have to come up with $6 million this is where we
are Can you very easily say that you can approve 14.2 I didn't say 14 You did last week No you did So you did so in this you absolutely did you wanted a 14% I did not want 14% I wanted the application cuz I'm responsible to do
what the same deadline that we have now We had 6% on the table and nobody nobody said yes Yes we did You were in that meeting Yes you were All you said was and I'm going to say verbatim You said I can get by with 7% That is
right And I said to Jack and call me a lot if you want I said "Call all the board members and take a straw Paul on what they'd be willing to do." Not as great We'll need 7% See where they'll go I had Sharon figure out Yes Three four
And what did they come back with Nothing Zero Zero So but my point is it's not 7% Not Not 14% It's It could have been seven That's it That's all my point is Stop saying 14 Whoa Let's say 7% but
busing would have been gone sports would have been gone teachers would have been gone I didn't I didn't fully work that compromised solution There would have been a compromised solution in that That's what me and Jack like you were crazy% you still got to cut all these
things Way better than a final less than 7% would have been 2.44 44 and we still had to cut all cutting the busing and we would have made some moves to limit the losses Correct Move some things around But guys we have to compromise at some point But at nothing we were we're
not so now we're now it's in the state's hands So just so we know where we are We don't have a say as of today Gotcha Okay So I think we just need to go home and think about what we're all willing to do if we have that opportunity again And that's it I I will tell you right now to
raise taxes again I will not raise taxes on my neighbors We don't know We don't know We don't know And and Linda just asked a question When will we find out Yes That's that's the limbo of this We don't know Correct Okay We call them every day I promise that I promise that to everyone here We call them every day and we're looking for answers We
continue to call Senator We we have a meeting with him set up Uh to make sure that we plead our case plead our case Um you know and uh we just keep going that route Um and keep going that route We're we're we're we don't want the things
that are occurring but we also need the things to to I got to ask you a favor Okay And I'm not going over your head I apologize if I am Okay Um we have a unique opportunity tonight with people in the auditorium in the hallways in the
stands Tonight we have a unique opportunity to ask them for help So yeah Can you turn around and ask legislation Well that's what I'll do I'll post up all the people I'll post it up online tomorrow I'll post up all the places of where they can go to I'll do that research in the morning Can you draft I
have the old letter Yeah I'll pro the old letter from last year Yeah Actually there's one letter from two years ago as well when this all was going on So I'll give them a draft copy They have to do their own and I I'll do that tomorrow Do you have the county commission What are they called now They used to be the freeholders Free uh they are
commissioners now Commissioners Are they on the list I'll put them on the list I think they have a chairman I mean we have an ex board member that's a commissioner Uh he is for now I believe Uh Commissioner Quinn right He's not a He's off now Oh he's not What is he I think he's retired I believe Uh he just
got another job Tax something maybe Oh he's off Yeah he's off that completely still right Okay So we do have to transition to public comment Yes An hour deep Yes Is that all right I think that's better because they'll come up to the mic Can we move this
You're not gonna No I can't I can't even get the next [Music] How'd you hit him I wish I could do that Take two The auditorium
wants I said hello All right If anybody wants to go now is your opportunity to leave before we transition President Claus will transition to public comment She has you have your thing Yep I'm ready We have the clock of doom Clock of doom Okay Okay Um for those who are in the
auditorium I know that um our guys here just asked the question Um the way that this is going to play out and then Kim will read uh President Claus will read the rules Um we're going to do this room first Okay If anybody from the auditorium wants to make a comment they're going to come down towards the
lecture hall and line up Okay but I caution them Okay that this room goes first Okay we'll go like well President Claus does it Okay if you if you could if it's kind of like at the end of your day after you make a comment and want to leave that kind of relieves this room a little bit Okay we are a little crowded
in here but those in the auditorium if they are interested or anxious to make a comment please come down uh to the lecture hall but very neatly you've got a line up in the hallway That gets out of hand we're going to close proceedings On their way They're on their way already Okay Okay The other end of this
too for anybody still listening in the auditorium if they're not on their way down we do have a board a regular board meeting tomorrow night If there's things that are unsaid after we cut off board comment Okay We have tomorrow night's time So we're gonna put a cut off time on it tonight Um yeah What time is it
It's 7:09 We're going to do an hour We'll do 8:15 1 hour Yep 8:15 Okay So we're going to get through as many as we can till 8:15 because we are meeting again tomorrow night and all volunteers up here Okay That's going to be the way it's going to go If you want to come back tomorrow night we will open the
floor again Okay So you have to read the rules and then we'll go on this room first and then we'll take outside They stay outside until we call them one at a time All right An audience member wishing to make a comment will raise his or her hand and when called upon state their name address and 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 a comment have been recognized This portion of the meeting is for
public comment 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's a question for the board there's an established chain of command And and and Miss Orms you just brought up a good point If there's groups of you that want to speak
together if it's if it's kind of the same thing of a group come up together okay Because the same thing being said over and over again may not get us down the road too far tonight All right I'm sorry Okay Go ahead You can start Just state your name All right My name is Jayen Elini Can you speak in the microphone Thank you All
right My My name is Jayen Elamini Today I'd like to talk about like school sports People think that they're not important but they're really important to kids like me where it gives us something to have fun
and compete in and improve on our skills to make us better at the game And sports also teach you teamwork discipline and how to handle wins and losses That stuff helps in real life too not just on the field Sports also keep
you active and healthy which is a big deal especially with how much time we spend all spend sitting in a classroom and on screens Plus being a part of a team gives you a sense of belonging You meet people make friends and you feel more
connected to your school And if you're into goals or challenges sports help you set your own goals so you can be an overachiever and make yourself feel good It it's a confidence boost And when you see yourself getting better so yes
school sports are important not just for the game but they teach you why and to enjoy yourself and teach you how to shape yourself Thank you very much [Applause]
Just a reminder for students if you are a student you can just say student You don't have to say your name name and address Okay Thank you Go ahead Hi how are you Uh my name is Cara I have um two children that go to the district and one that'll be in the district very soon Um
uh the first thing that I wanted to bring up is like so I'm a senior financial analyst um by trade I've worked in state budgets for many years So like I've done lots of diving and like spreadsheets like on all of these numbers So like I've even dumped into um
like where the calculations came from from the state and like how they were um put together Um and like one observation that I found is that um because we had the power plant for all those years our taxes were much lower for all those years So if you look at your house you
know what it's worth in any other township it might be $2 $3,000 or more a year in taxes because we had that power plant So I'm like hm I I really doubt they used that information when they put together um the calculations for each township So I was like you know what is
there any other power plants in New Jersey I Googled that I found an Aloay Township is the only other one in the state So I was like just to kind of back up my theory let me see where they land on the list In the 24 to 25 um school year they were on the top 10 list with
Lacy of the largest cuts across the state So I feel like somehow someway the fact that we had all those millions of dollars put in from the power plant is what is causing us and Alway Township to be hurt so badly And there has to be a way to get that put
into the calculations And um because the calculations are really just based off of how much our houses are worth compared to um how much taxes we're putting in They're not putting in that huge piece from the power plant That's where it's that's why we have that huge
$17 million no whatever it is the 29% of our that we're missing Like that's where the huge chunk is missing And like I like I've called the senator I have the governor I sent my findings my spreadsheets and just no one responds So like I really feel like somehow we kind
of have to look at it Like I really feel like that's where this huge disconnect is And I don't know how this isn't getting put up onto the financial desk at like a high level Um so that was the first thing I wanted to just kind of like bring up And if you want to call me
um Carol Lopes you know my number is 732-621-4213 I I will do volunteer any of my time to help with that portion of it I'm nervous [Applause]
Um secondly all my kids play sports You ask my son what sports he plays he'll name six seven I'll be paying I'll be the one paying $3,000 a year for him to play every season that's fine you know Um but I feel like all right we have a $1.2 million budget we need to fill for
the sports That's what I'm here 95% of the people here tonight are for the sports and extracurriculars in this town Um $1.2 million It might sound like a lot in a $80 million budget It's really not You You can find the money Even if we had to fund half of it that
would only be $500 support for us Now we have $600,000 left to fill Take 200,000 from three different places that's nothing 200,000 is nothing in that budget Get down So I feel like we don't have to look at it as 1.2 million or nothing You can
divvy that up You know we can spend 250 a kid or 500 a kid and then the difference 200,000 in three different areas will be nothing Like I do this all day for work Like we it doesn't have to be 1.2 million or nothing Like we can we can divvy it out I just have to caution
you there Okay We've been going through this for seven years of cuts Yeah we've done all that work Believe me I believe me I know We have found turned over every rock for the money you're asking for I just want to caution you a little bit This has gone through multiple business administrators multiple reviews
by the state of New Jersey We've turned over all those rocks The numbers that I presented tonight are hard numbers No I understand There isn't anything else left under a rock And then if we had like a I don't know like a with a 14% tax increase I really hope that 1.2
million has that you know that difference brought down Okay now we're down to 700,000 from there Like I said if you could divvy it out just take 200,000 from I mean 12 employees alone would make up that 1.2 million I know that's 12 different lives
but this is compared to 3,000 lives of students You know what I mean So I think we can find 12 employees to replace it I could tell you 12 employees you can fire it No I'm just kidding But um no but I'm saying like yeah 1.2
million is a lot but it really isn't It really isn't You can find it Like it it could be found You know what I mean And all these it will change all these people's lives 3,000 students in here It'll change their lives for just a couple little changes Sorry I think I went way over my five minutes but Thank
you That's five minutes [Applause] Hi I'm sure you remember me from last year You're a student Yes I'm from I'm a
student I'm in 11th grade Um a little bit about me I am the captain of Lacy Color Guard and have almost been the captain for three years now I'm also an active member of the drama club and the thespian society You might remember me from last year as the girl who created a
petition that got over 1500 signatures Um Mr Zalinsky you said that none of our news outlets have covered our story Well that's wrong because last year I created the petition to save our teachers and I made headlines with Logan Edgeworth Um
we got attention Maybe if we involved some of the students um that affects that this affects we could help the budget cuts Please include us My hard work along with the people besides me all worked too hard for this to be crushed again Last year was talk about
removing the performing arts teachers and more Now you're moving busing teachers and all sports I did not sit in Trenton for over 6 hours for this happened again I am extremely tired and as an upcoming senior I would like to have a regular high school career My
brothers are freshman and are just beginning their high school career To watch their hopes and dreams get destroyed just crushes me It's not about how I feel anymore It's about how my brothers will feel and everyone else in this room fighting with me tonight Last year I spoke about how this would affect
our mental health And this will greatly affect our mental health again if you decided to vote yes I hope tonight when you look into my eyes and the other students that you know that you're going to be destroying our lives This school cannot get tossed around any longer Please hear us and do not vote yes to
cancelling everything tomorrow No we're not voting honey There's nothing we're voting on This is just a discussion Well yeah there's no vote There's no vote about any of this tomorrow We will let everybody know if there comes to a vote Okay that's all Thank you You're welcome
Hi my name is Kelly Brener and I'm from Fort Good River I have one kid that is currently in school and one that will be attending next year Um I have a large concern with overcrowded classrooms Overcrowded classrooms create serious and immediate safety risks In an
emergency evacuations become more difficult and dangerous supervision is compromised and students are more vulnerable to accidents injuries and health hazards due to lack of space and resources If we have to combine and have the class sizes go up with lack of
teacher support it's not that long ago that we had to impose social distancing There have been unfortunately so many safety concerns that have happened to multiple schools If that happens in Lacy and we
have four kids in one classroom and one teacher that poses a huge safety risk Not only with the poor teacher that has to then try to handle 38 kids in one class also the younger children How can
you safely deal with 30 plus kids who don't know how to control their emotions and can inflict that on somebody else We need to really strongly put the safety of our kids first and not overcrowd the
classrooms or put the undue burden on the teachers to try to keep them safe while they're at school Thank you Thank you Hi my name is Lena Bolair I'm in 11th grade I'm going to try to make this quick My phone's on 10% I spent a lot of the meeting revising to make sure I had
all my numbers correct So I'd like to begin As recorded in 2023 29,714 people live in Lacy Township Approximately 3,684 people are in the Lacy Township school system or roughly 12.34% of our population We can assume that if each child has two parents or guardians then
that would add up to 37.02% of our population 22% of our town's residents are above 65 If they are above 65 many of them may not have lived here their whole lives Some of them who don't even have children or grandchildren in the school system and they obviously don't have much of a reason to want tax increases including new residents and
middle-aged people whose children are not in the district That number is likely not higher than the minimum 37.02% of people who will be affected by these cuts By the time we reach these estimated numbers which includes others who may live in the district that simply cannot afford these tax increases it
becomes clear that there is a reason for the board's cut choices Does anyone want to pay more money for any or want to pay more taxes Obviously not Everyone wants more money in their pockets I mean especially us here in Ocean County in which a major majority are Republican voters sorry I lost my place
Um are in favor of tax cuts And I wouldn't doubt a majority of the board stands behind those principles as well considering a majority of them were elected as a Republican candidate And if they want to stay elected and further on reelected they have to stand by their principles As to not make all of us who have gathered here or even those who are
watching at home or even those overcrowded in the auditorium seem like just a number It must be known that this issue is not a matter of party principles This issue digs deeper than any tax cuts could into anyone's pockets As a junior of Lacy Township High School I'm in two sports and over 10 clubs I play on cracked up tennis courts a golf
course that we pay by for our own fundraising with student bought materials and I'm also a part of multiple clubs that were tried to be cut such as Surf Rider a club in which I'm the president of and the performing arts And although I'm not a part of bands specifically which was at risk of being cut last year I'm the costume manager of the theater which has done incredibly
well this year profiting $20,000 before the door so we can continue displaying students hard work continuing our program Not only do I turn to these clubs to keep a positive mindset but also for something far more important which is furthering my education During my excellent AP language and composition class yesterday we were working on a
synthesis essay that is based on a prompt on how the generation of those who are currently aged 0 to 35 are dumb The plain simple word dumb and how this trend will continue and how this trend will continue to get worse So why wouldn't the educators of this generation and those on the board want
to work their hardest to inspire the bright minds of the future and send them off to further education According to United States Census Bureau 93.2% of those aged 25 years or higher have graduated high school in this town But only a shocking 32.6% have created completed a bachelor's degree Now I
understand that higher education is not for anyone It's expensive and a lot of people in this town especially want to go into vocational school or pursue entrepreneurship but what about those who want to go to college I know that one day I'd like to be at the level of a PhD and become a marine conservation politician There are some this town who
want to do even more become life-saving doctors and nurses lawyers genius scientists and engineers that will change our world How do you expect us to do that Learning in class sizes of over 30 to 40 with no extracurriculars and most especially no sports Sports can be considered for for many the backbone of the school Multiple students who are
seniors this year are receiving full ride scholarships to college because of divisional offers Some students use sports just as somewhere to keep their mind off things and to feel good at something And furthermore the solution some of you proposed which was playing club sports is the most preposterous idea I've ever heard Because as ridiculous as the suggestion for $1,000
per player payto-play sports the even more ridiculous suggestion which is turning to club sports is worse Club sports cost $3,000 or more per year This is unattainable for most in this town but a tax increase can relatively be much more affordable In general why are
clubs and extracurriculars put first on the chopping block It gives many students a reason to go to school even when they are feeling down or like they simply cannot cope with the unimaginable situations that some of us are put through Why would we want our attendance to be lowered especially for those who only show up to school for sports I'm sure you all know of our district-wide
attendance rates being incredibly low I know some kids already can't access busing which stagger stagnates at our um our attendance because they are charged a substantial amount of money per year to receive a bus if they live within 2 miles of the school And if it's below
freezing or raining they can't make that 45minute walk or find a ride so they can't go Some people simply choose not to go And the solution is court dates and fines But the subject of busing how the students of the high school let al how are the students of the high school let alone the elementary school supposed to attend without proper busing I know
it's one of our largest expenditures costing millions of dollars per year but cutting the big ticket items should not be the solution We already cut dozens of teachers and we might need to cut dozens more You have all heard some students or former students from last year's incredible speeches about teachers impacts on our community So it can go on said as is incre as it is incredibly
obvious that losing over 40 teachers would be a detrimental loss to the well-being and education of our district I'm sorry I Thank you Thank you [Applause] Hello everybody John Pinto Fork River
Uh the past week I've been called racist I've been called uh I hate children I got that one last night So I just want to I want to make some stuff clear Obviously something was put out on social media that caused this frenzy It
was the sports cut for sure the extracurriculars Uh for the record I stand firmly against it I don't think that that should happen I have said that the education system in a town is the lifeblood of that town I've said that right here So I don't know where people
think I hate kids Total opposite I've been trying to fight for the kids teachers and taxpayers at the same time which seems to be an impossible task All right So last week this school district
was mentioned uh as the Titanic a sinking ship Uh even one of the board members said he was the violin member He's just going to watch it go down So I have a question the Titanic when it was going down Who were the first people
that were prioritized to save Women and children teachers and children are that you can kind of correlate that can't you We've reached the precipice here I Everybody wants to lower the taxes or
not raise the taxes In the end the reality is something's going to have to get raised Okay We can fight the state all we want You know I want to fight the state I'm down for it Let's go All right I'll be standing in Trenton with you But
we're out of time That's what it comes down to We're out of time I don't know what you guys can and can't do I posted a poll today I know it's just a stupid little poll on Facebook but it got about 230 or 240
people that voted And the end result of that it was an eight hour time okay that it went less than 50% of this town wants to cut sports extracurriculars busing and all that stuff The other 50% combined in different categories for
different solutions This top next category is a concession from the teachers union and a t a temporary tax increase to get us through another year I don't know if that's possible That's on you guys But I think all parties need to come and work together That would be
the taxpayer and the teachers union Let's try to let's try to close that 14.2% gap a little bit for the taxpayer Um I've been told that by someone today
you know that uh the seniors are vulnerable in the community and I get that and and we need to look out for them too But in the end it's a lot easier and I know people aren't going to like this but I'm gonna say it anyway It's a lot easier for a senior to sell their home and move to a more affordable
place than it is for a family who might be tied here to a job that have kids in the school system and everything like that And that is the reality that Governor Murphy made this state He made it hard to retire in He made it hard to stay in Uh the consequences of cutting sports
and extras and even more teachers are far reaching Sports played a huge part in my childhood Learning how to be part of a team lessons learned discipline the list goes on and on And how does this look for the prospective families that want to look to move to Lacy A school system that doesn't have a sports
program where it has to be pay to play I'm sorry I'm not on with that What about the kids that can't afford to pay to play No The societal norm that we have had for decades upon decades is that we fund public education for the next generations to come
We need to keep doing it but we need to fight as well because what the state has done is criminal I have personally filed a civil rights complaint Okay I you know I've been emailing senators You know I've been doing all this stuff
Um and I understand the people that are struggling with the taxes I do In the end something's got to give And in the end I can stand here right now and tell you I'd be willing to pay the tax increase instead of cutting all that the full
14.24% I'd be willing to donate to your causes that you said I've mentioned that I've said that here too Let's start some GoFundMes Let's get something going whatever Maybe but I don't know what the tax implications are of that We would probably have to set up some type of an organization In another long shot today
and I know this is a big long shot but I'm going to continue to work at it We have two massive billion-dollar corporations that have locations in Lacy Walmart and Home Depot Okay I sent emails to their CEOs today and I am going to continue to
badger them and harass them until I can get somebody to talk to us because $6 million to those two companies is nothing And maybe they'll contribute Thank you I'll take it
Thank you Ready Okay So my name is Cooper Mick I am the junior class president and next year I will be the senior class president here at Lacy Township High School And my name is Tatiana I'm going to be serving as the executive board president next year So we come here today as the student representatives here at Lacy Township
High School Next year we will be serving on the board down there at every board meeting um starting in September And we want to talk about the impact that this proposal will have on our building and the thousands of students that attend our schools and that me and Tatiana represent today The elimination of extracurricular activities would
permanently weaken our district leaving students to fend for themselves to find activities and opportunities that align with their interests You are not only getting rid of sports and clubs you are taking away vital organizations to our town that would have a detrimental impact on our school For many students
they look for sports not only as a way for them to spend their free time but as a way for them to get ahead in life So many Lacy students have gone on to play college sports and have been offered scholarships based on their athletic performances Without these sports you are stripping these young adults away from their futures and leaving them in
the dust Not to mention the absolutely necessary skills that sports teaches you Teamwork and dedication that students will fail to incorporate in their lives without being exposed to them So many students have looked to sports as a way to cope with their various struggles in their lives The amount of friendships
bonds and interactions that Lacy Sports has given the students in this school and over the past decade is endless This proposal will also harm our various clubs and organizations in our school Our Surf Fighter Club which Lena mentioned before is one of the most active chapters in the Surf Rider
organization in the state of New Jersey and likely along the eastern seabboard of the United States promoting the preservation of the Jersey Shore and a sustainable ecosystem for our state's marine life Our Interact Club has been working for years to give back to the community donating thousands of items to local food banks and community groups
for those in need Over the years Interact has provided hundreds of students volunteer opportunities and crucial life lessons on giving back to the less fortunate Our student government association has been organizing our homecoming battle the classes proms and other schoolwide events that have helped students have a
sense of purpose and belonging at this school Our DECA team have sent students to compete at the state and national level helping students practice entrepreneurship while they are still in high school There are so many more opportunities here at LTHS that help students get involved with our building expand on their interests and help them
learn more about so many different fields of education If you cut these extracurriculars you will be restricting our students from their futures simply for monetary reasons which I understand However it does not outweigh the benefits of doing this I strongly encourage you to reconsider the I excuse
me As board members you are responsible for providing students with opportunities to benefit them not take them away I strongly encourage every single one of you to reconsider the tenative budget for next year The effects that this will have on our town is enormous On a personal note I would like to thank President Claus for stating that the m the main priority is
the students of the school and acknowledging the accountability of the board of education in this time of desperate need If the board fails to act I would like to remind you as you have seen tonight that the thousands of students you will be impacting have a voice one that they are willing to use and advocate for our school no matter the cause Thank you very much And I
would like to pass the mic on to Tatiana real quick All right So when I first picked up an instrument I didn't just learn how to play music I learned how to listen to lead and to collaborate When I joined volleyball the volleyball team and later the track and swim team I discovered
what it means to push to push myself to my limits work as work to be part of a team and show up even when things get hard These aren't just extracurriculars they're life-shaping experiences But now because of budget cuts programs like these are on the chopping block And it's not just about losing practices or
performances It's losing opportunities to grow to belong and to shine Without band I might have never found my confidence Without sports I wouldn't know discipline and strength that come from early morning practices or tough losses These activities provide not only
temporary opportunities for us but they also serve as a stepping stone for our future If you don't believe me think about how many people in the school alone depend on sports scholarships to go to college colleges they want How many students have used these activities to prepare for their jobs I mean I I was
on the Liy Township High School swim team and that encouraged me to get my job as a lifeguard and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had and I would have never even gotten there if I didn't know the opportunities if I didn't have the opportunities provided to me by the swim team We often hear
that budget cuts are necessary but we must ask at what cost When we cut the arts and athletics we're not just we're not saving money We're losing future leaders innovators and teammates We're telling students that their passions don't matter We can do better I'm not a
Lacy kid from birth but I did transfer here in seventh grade and I was in awe of the sheer amount of the sheer amount that this school district offers Many students including me depend on extracurricular activities either as an escape or as an opportunity to be a part of something that is bigger than
themselves Thanks guys Thank you Okay Thank you I'll take Apparently you'll be back at board meetings next year right Thank you Okay And lifeguarding was the best job I ever had I just want to make that note I I
work with Oh I'll wait till I tell Go ahead Hi Spiel Katana Fork River talked about insurance Obviously insurance is a big part of New Jersey and the increases are extreme So you mentioned the increase this year was
$3 million So I don't know if we're able to do this but some type of insurance concession made by the teachers still give them coverage put them in a in a in a lesser plan or right off the bat you're saving $3 million maybe even more Now I don't know
if the state is allowing that but obviously the state's not helping us So we're putting it in the state's hands We put this back to them and say "Give us the money or we have to make these concessions." So that's $3 million right there I know it's still not getting us
there but it's it's money So I feel like the board should look into insurance and put it out to the teachers as well See if they have any thoughts Obviously they're not going to lose jobs this way but they'll lose the coverage Maybe only eliminate go to just family members take
them off and just keep the teachers Um but these are options that desperate times we're in that we have to present to everybody Thank you Let me let me grab this Give them Hello my name is Donovan Meta I'm in
12th grade And yes you may think that I shouldn't be here cuz I'm a senior but I'm the president of anime club the secretary of fishing club and an officer of selecting club The reason why I'm here is because I'm here to protect our uh our after school clubs and sports With my four years of being here and
with how many clubs I have been in and people that I've I've some met some amazing people that have changed my life and have made a great impact on it as well With you guys getting rid of sports it will look very bad for those upcoming seniors because the first three years they have played sports And with their
last year having no sports being played most of these students here in this lecture hall and in auditorium I'm watching right now are going to college for for sports or to try and get a scholarship in that sport I am also here to protect this high school uh for my younger sibling of mine so she can have
an amazing high school career if not an even better one than I did And there were so many teachers here that have made high school so much fun for me to hear to for me to be here and have helped me when I was feeling a certain way Thank you Thank
you I'm going to go for a parent And just so we know at about uh 10 of we're going to invite them to come in and uh have their public comment so it's equal time So if you don't need to use your whole five minutes you just be quick
Hi Lisa Flores Forkid River Um I just would like to suggest I don't know if it's something that's been put out there before organizing a ch a trip to Trenton with the town Um maybe it's something that we could all pay some money to pay for the gas and the bus driver to have
school buses take us there That'll get media coverage I'm sure plenty of people that are willing to show up here would be willing to sign up and pay their part to go to Trenton and make some noise and help get that eye on us and help with that Not just by reaching out but making
a bigger wave in doing that So just so that comes up again I don't mean to interrupt you because I've been to Trenton Sure You need to get an audience Absolutely So if Well that's a big deal Just walking around outside of Trenton which I've done with our school gets you nowhere But that's also part of the
school bus audience and get a bus of people to go testify That's the trick and that's the hardest thing to get Sure Okay So just taking buses randomly and going there I've done that I've done that with Tom's River It's ugly I'm saying that might help get the news coverage though that you were saying
that was then I caution you You got to get an audience Okay Okay Um I'm sorry That's okay Um I would also like to point out that here in Lacy we do have some fantastic educators And I think that it's absolutely unreasonable to ask the educators who are here for a job to
earn money for their own families to take concessions in order to maintain their job They are here to put food on the table for their [Applause] families Asking them to take cuts in insurance Insurance is one of the few
things that they get as a benefit as an educator when they are severely underpaid If they had a similar job most teachers have at least a bachelor's degree if not a master's degree or higher education And if they were in any other field they would be making way
more money than they do now Yes they love our children I have three children in the district myself I have the benefit of seeing their impact on my kids' lives Sorry But they are ultimately there to serve their families and provide for their families So asking
them to take any cuts is absolutely unreasonable and that's why they have those negotiations in place So I would also like to move on to class sizes Class sizes over 30 as a teacher is absolutely untenable It is not an option
These kids cannot learn These teachers cannot manage We have seen over years how these especially since covid those things are getting better but how behaviors and social emotional well-being of everybody teachers
students staff has been impacted and having these large class sizes over 30 35 40 anything in those numbers is astronomical and asking a single adult to manage 30 third graders or 30 high
schoolers love you all But it's a lot okay And it's not reasonable to do So finding a way to manage those class sizes is super important I know most people are here for the uh sports and club so I will get to that very quickly
You guys have heard it from them You know I'm not going to spend a bunch of time on it Studies have shown that students buy in by getting involved in these activities It's important It gives them a sense of belonging and importance and a reason to come to school they make that much more clear than I need to So I
will move on Um I also love the idea of having student involvement some grassroots efforts from the students like they suggested They want to get involved have them get involved Let's open up more pathways to make that available to them Um
lastly I will finish by saying we have a very knowledgeable town in that we have a lot of different people with a lot of different expertise Yes Ultimately you are the board Yes ultimately the decision lies with you but don't forget that there are people here I'm not
saying myself but plenty of other people I I do not claim to be the smartest person in the room but there are plenty of people here who might have expertise in areas that guess what You guys have looked at it 500 times A new set of eyes might not hurt to look at something and find that little bit that we can pull
from here or that little bit that we can pull from there or a new suggestion that hasn't been brought up just because you guys have been hashing it over so much I greatly appreciate all that you guys are doing and trying to resolve this It's an impossible task that I do not wish upon
any of you but I am grateful that you're taking it on Thank you Hi my name is Asend Delro and I'm a freshman here at Lacy Township High School Starting off my year with my favorite sport in the world field hockey was the best thing ever Starting with my coach Miss Winkle She has been there for
me in so many ways besides my coach and still is I also made connections with the girls at practices and even meeting people who are my best friends today is the best feeling I also participate in lacrosse here as well The lacrosse coaches and girls lighten up my day after having a bad day Their support and
love is all I could ever ask for The this these two sports have impacted me in a positive way My confidence is higher than ever and made me come out of my shell When I'm out on the field I forget about all my problems Hearing about the possibilities of sports being cut hurt my heart My coaches have made
me a better person Most importantly their dedication and time after school for these sports really mean the world This time and effort show that they want to teach us and help us to become better is true worth ethics and dedication that can easily be thrown away by this choice Some people cannot afford for clubs or
out of school sports and school sports is their only option It is important for these sports to be here to connect with people and better yourself mentally I also participate in drama coming after school school and spending hours with the people who have put their hard work and dedication to these plays brighten
up my day I love acting and singing with a passion I dedicated my life to drama for five and a half years and the thought of this being cut hurt cut off hurts my heart These clubs impact people in a positive way and make and people make connections and find a relationship
with their directors Drama has become a second home to me and many people in the in the community My dedication to this will never leave The drama club have spent hours and money for these plays and for it to possibly be gone in less than a year is truly unfair Some someone
sitting in this room right now with these clubs and sports is their esc es escape from their home life or their school life I hope you understand and please consider this battle we are fighting Thank you [Applause]
This will be the last one for this room Um if if there's ext if there's extra time we can come back in but it's only fair to the people You don't have to leave Just we're going to call the outside They've been waiting Yeah Um go ahead Good evening ladies and
gentlemen the board Michael Ryan president of the LTA I just want to start off by saying how proud I am of almost every student in this room that's somehow related to me or whether I've had it through honor society as a student Karen student whatever I'm really proud of you guys tonight Great job So I'm going to start off saying
some things that as a board um are not going to go over well You may not like my comments tonight but I think it has to be said and I think you need to hear it Being a math teacher numbers stick with me They resonate my head all day long And some things I've been hearing over the last budget meetings and sit
down with with administration and the board members The last slide that we saw at one of our budget presentations and I want to hit this because it was mentioned multiple times that the average tax increase over
a 10-year period was 1.58% I'm going to say that again because I want that to resonate because even my kids that weren't great at math will get this Over a 10-year period the average tax increase was 1.58 including
the 9.9 that we got hit with the sticker shock of last year And I get it We have responsibility our taxpayers but we also as board members our first responsibility is to our students When you were sworn in it's to keep our schools going I've been around 20 years
I've seen tons of different iterations of this board I think in this room maybe two are the only ones that have been here as long as me Okay And I want to say this It is a tough decision to make and I realize that I understand we have grandparents here We have parents here
We have alumni in this on this board and it is a tough decision to make to look at your neighbors to look at your friends in town and say "Hey listen We have to go another 14.24." I get that But keep in mind the state has given us options They have cut our funding but
they have given us options I have students in here that I went with Trenton last year that we spoke Okay And part of that res part of that resolution was we are going to allow the district to go above the 2% Which got us to that 9.9 And yes 29 is a huge hill to get to
The problem is that we have not gone to our guaranteed 2% from the years that that went into place And it's simple math Exponentially we are not there We will never get there which is why new legislation went in as guard rails moving forward to say that no district
will lose more than 3% Okay I know we missed the deadline for that application but I don't care what we need to do We need to get on that phone this week and say "Hey we need to fill out that application There are other options in there." Being the only district in the county I get it We're upset at the state
We're bad at the state Guess what We are not strong enough in Lacy Township to go up against the state Where our numbers and safety lies in is joining with other districts across the county There are other districts that are very similar situations than to ours and we need to address that There were some things that
were brought up here during tonight that were great at the workshops Some things that we've talked about before I'm watching Maurica's clock of doom up here We had and I'm going to address it We talked about donations That is a great and phenomenal way to raise money We
have tons of benefactors on our signs on our sports on our fields It is great Unfortunately that is not enough That is not sustainable That is just a drop in the bucket And I understand that going up another 14.4 is or 24 is going to create a new
baseline But again if we're going to get anywhere with the state they're going to come in and say "You're not doing your fair share." That's what it comes down to No matter how much we ask for their help or what they're going to say they're going to say "We've given you opportunities." Legislation allows you to go above the 2% We've given you
opportunities with the guardrail system that went into place We don't like it I get it and rightfully so But this is the only way that mathematically we can catch up because if we don't we can sell off a piece of property That's a band-aid We're never getting that
property back We're going to continue to be in this boat year after year after year And I heard Jack said it at our last meeting right We are not getting any closer to where we need to be And that's unfortunate These students that are here we know these cuts really didn't want to make these cuts but this
is the only way we survive So as I finish up here I'm going to leave this to you Do you want to be known as the board a year from now two years from now five years from now because like I said I've seen a lot of boards okay Do you want to be remembered as a board that saves some people some money or do you want to be the board that's remembered
for changing the landscape of this district and not for the better I want you to resonate with that tonight I want you to think about that because it is a hard decision to make but we have to make the hard decisions and that's where we're at And I want to keep in mind it cannot come off the backs of staff We've
lost 150 staff members in seven years We are at our bare minimum We even have our grounds guys that are on the chopping block right now and that is insane Thank you for your time Thank you [Applause]
Mhm You can raise the podium to say if you're a student and then you can start your five minutes How y'all doing Uh I'm a student here at Lacy Township Oh my bad How y'all can y'all hear me now Yeah Yeah Um how y'all doing tonight I'm Devin Uh I play lacrosse
football and those are the main sports I play Now the reason why I'm up here speaking to y'all tonight is because I use athletics as a way to get out of um the environment that I'm from Uh I'm not from here I'm from Cincinnati Ohio Uh growing up on the road side of
Cincinnati we use athletics to block everything out We use music athletics and friendships Now athletics it's taught me a lot of things Discipline being one how to be a better person and how to get along better in the community
Now when I read the message this morning uh that they're cutting all athletic sports I'm not going to lie to y'all I started crying Uh I'm a junior this year so next year's my senior year Um I've had a lot of things going for me athletically Uh my sophomore year I
started at my old school for varsity and then I blew my ACL out That was a you know a damaging injury to me And I've just used my senior year as like a comeback Um you know I've always wanted to be the star of the school and everything And you know when I heard
that the athletics was getting cut out again like I said I started to cry And I just I want to um like help you all understand like some of the kids here we use athletics as like a way for us to you know like I said get away from our
environment Some kids don't want to go home after school because they don't have a good home environment You know uh again like I said growing up in the rough side of Cincinnati you know athletics was the main way we blocked everything out And so when you know I fell in love with Lacy the day I got
here and everything Uh it's a great school You know last year our athletic program was going through a rough spot but that's okay We can make it through it And cutting them I don't think it will do the you know the citizens of Lacy any good You know everybody who
plays athletics here at Lacy we wear the Lacy pride We wear the Navy and Cardinal and you know we enjoy it But taking that away that takes a sense of purpose away from some of us students And um especially me you know being an athletic
and a scholar you know athletics also help with college I want to go to college and I need athletics as that help It gives a way better report for your college If you have four years of athletics I'm actually applying to
colleges now And if I have to tell them oh I didn't play my senior year because of budget cuts they're either going to laugh in my face or you know be like well I feel that Um and you know I understand there may not be much for y'all to do but I really hope that like
the speech has reached y'all And you know if there is anything we can do um I heard during the meeting y'all said $1,000 per per student to play maybe Um that just that won't help us any because you
know not everybody has $1,000 they can just throw to play one sport Some of us play sports spring fall winter summer And you know a lot of us I I see some of my fellow teammates in here We've been putting in work in the offseason every
Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday And I don't want all that work that we've put into the weight room and stuff and the training just to go to waste Um like I said I understand there may not be anything for y'all to do about it But I really hope that y'all can find something out to do because you know
like like I said it won't help the citizens of Lacy and the students who go to this school Again mental health is a big thing and a lot of students including myself use that to deal with some of the stressors we got going on both in school and at home You know the
I read an article the students nowadays have the same mental capacity of uh mental asylum patients in the 1950s and athletics is one of the number one ways to express and change everything
that's going on Um I see my time is running out so I just want to say thank you And do you all have any questions No Thank you Y'all have a good time [Applause] Good evening everyone My name is Ryan
Conland I'm currently a sophomore in the STEM Academy Today I would like to talk about the possibility of sports and activities being cut entirely from our district This seems like an outrageous possibility to me as well as many of my peers Due to my sports and activities I have learned to improve and grow in such
extraordinary ways Something that may not appear visible from the outside is that three years ago I didn't have the strength in my legs to walk I didn't have a voice to be heard I was a small boy who felt trapped Through my guidance in both wrestling and band I've built
myself up both in a physical and mental aspect Additionally I would like to stress the point that these two activities can be compared to as vastly different worlds Yet I am changed for the better because of both Both of these activities and sports can be seen as two
completely different places of extracurriculars to go after school and a place of sanctuary for kids to feel safe and develop their personalities I guarantee that there are kids out there right now in Lacy who have had similar struggles to me and will continue to learn and grow through
these extracurricular curriculars that they decide to join The alternative option to this leads to these children not developing their disposition and place in the world They will go on and remain silent without ever knowing they become more Furthermore the bond students make with each other through these extracurriculars is greater that
one is found just in classes These friendships are what keep people alive and in check This is excellent example of how it helps for mental health and keeping kids alive and making sure that they feel like they have something to live for and feeling like they belong Having a friend that also
performs with you or has similar goals to you will help push you in a positive direction As said in Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron so one person sharpens another." This phrase is significant in the fact that it shows how throughout his history people need to work with each other and form these companionships to
succeed We see this in major league sports divisions We see this throughout college We see this throughout elementary And I'm sure all of you have made a friend through a sport or activity that you'll never forget and have pushed you to succeed I know that for sure I wouldn't be able
to get where I am without the support from my section in band or those that I partner up with in the wrestling room Whether I was marching in a scorching hot field with sunsickness or walking through the snow to a cafeteria with a couple of mats and teammates I knew I supported and felt
accepted To conclude my statement I just want to share with you all that the thought for some sports weren't always a lifelong passion For some it unexpectedly saves them and transformed them into a person for the better someone who would have hidden stayed silent in a frail body and become can become an individual that grows the
confidence to present their thoughts to their community Thank you for your time and consideration Thank you [Applause] John Tom junior junior class Uh I don't really have a planned speech or anything about that but um I want to say I'm
ashamed of these sports being cut and everything else being cut you know and I feel like I appreciate everything you've done but I still think there could be more done I think I have a perfect idea Why don't we get all these kids on a bus and send them to Trenton to protest Governor Phil Murphy for not giving us
any money It's an idea I'm here to support everybody I'm here to support everyone's enrollment No sports everybody's going to leave We're going to lose everything This is not what our school district wants This is not what anybody else wants We want to
be here And as I'm going to be a senior next year I want to be a captain of a team And I bet you $10,000 that there are many more captains that are about to get ready to go up and be a captain of their sports team They want to feel that I want to feel that
And as a vice president of my junior class hopefully senior class I'm here to support them and support everybody else in this district We have to do more I'm asking everybody to go on social media Go after the governor Go after every
person that you can to get us money and get us in the right spot because right now this direction is not a good direction It really isn't And I again I'm not going at you going at the governor I appreciate everything you've
done But this idea of sending people on trend on buses to protest is a incredible idea and I think everybody else in this crowd would agree with me We need to make a voice I understand that you're that you're
doing everything you can to get your voices heard and you want us to get involved This is the top way to get everybody involved Get everybody there everybody to make a fight happen because we need we all need to fight because if we don't our school district is going to fall apart and it's
getting there soon I appreciate everything done I thank you for the time for letting me speak tonight Thank you Thank you everybody [Applause] For the
record of school president we're just going to follow Thank you We're Go ahead Go ahead You can start You You can start As we all know by now school sports teachers jobs and so many more
activities will shut down due to Lacy Lacy Township's budget cuts Since seventh grade I've been playing and making progress with three sports field hockey basketball and track Although I could come home some days and say how much I wish I could take back joining
sport sports play a big part of my life Sports clear my mind as well as so many others along with clubs and different activities as well The reason for the speech right now is to spread awareness and show that there is there is or could be another way to fix this For personal
experiences and a breath of reality some families do not have enough money for wreck teams travel teams outside clubs and so much more I cannot express how grateful I am for these past few years of school sports Students doing fundraising for sports parents donating
is the biggest help for each team We risk not losing just the programs but the valuable lessons they teach us Sports teach teamwork resilience and dedication Qualities that extend far beyond the field or court including the
talent you have They provide a sense of community and belonging helping students to form friendships and connections that can last either a lifetime or a short time Let's not forget the impact on our mental health Engaging in sports and activities can be cru a crucial outlet
for stress and anxiety especially for these challenging times Without these programs many students may feel lost or disconnected which can have lasting effects on well-being I understand both sides of the situation but we're all
here to fight for our own Thank you Okay Hello my name is Sophia Capone I play softball and volleyball here and I've come here to speak about how this would affect so many people Not only would this affect me and my team but many other students here at Lacy Township I'm a freshman Also this would affect me for the next three years of my high school
career High school sports clubs and educational programs are very important because this gives kids something to strive for and this helps them achieve their goals in life or even going to college and having a successful future I really hope we can figure out another alternative solution because dissolving
all sports and clubs and extracurricular can impact somebody's life and take away something that's very important to somebody something that they can call a second home and I just think a solution would help us out Thank you for your time Thank you Hello I'm Jersey Simmons and it's come
to my attention that the extracurricular activities in the high school being banned and taken away from the students has been discussed is being considered I see the reasoning for the removal of these clubs and sports but I just can't wrap my head around what this will do to students at the high school I've been a part of the many sports and clubs for our school and schools previous I've seen and showed that these sports and
clubs can help students in so many ways whether it's helping them socialize and make friends helping them raise their athleticism aiming for scholarships after graduation and etc I've experienced firsthand the changes it can make on a person and one of these people includes me These extracurriculars have
led me to want to do more um meet more people and since fourth grade I've taken part in these clubs Yes I've had days where I come home and wish I never did them Then days I come home and wish I had those clubs But there are times during the summer where I'm just pleading for school to start right Because I miss the friends I made during these clubs
Taking that away can and not only will damage students motivation here at the school but it can deter relationships within students and their coaches directors leaders and any other staff Not only are you taking away one of the most vital things in your students in a student's high school career you are taking away the jobs of teachers of
Bailey jobs of teachers who barely make enough asis Without any of those you won't be able to experience any of the normal high school life especially those future Lacy students If you're also concerned with the money that goes into the athletics and clubs of the school why not consider the fact that majority
of the clubs and the sports raise their own money through fundraisers And the only money that goes into the sports is for the football field tennis courts track and baseball field What purpose does this serve Does the purpose for taking a child's occasion to a sport or club and throwing it away as if all that
they've ever done up until now is nothing Listen to your students and their pleas Listen to them and acknowledge that what you're doing to to them is wrong Thank you Thank you He's going to be our last speaker for tonight Um I just encourage everybody to
come out tomorrow night um to our regular board meeting if there's something that you would like to say That's fine That's what a team does Go ahead Yep Hi my name is Brett Brewer I'm a freshman here at LTHS I play football and
baseball I'm here today to represent and explain why we need to keep after school sports and after in other activities After school sports and activities aren't just about playing games and winning It's about growing as young men and women and bettering ourselves After school sports and activities can offer many benefits like it is great for our
health Running around and pra and participating extra activities keeps us in shape and gives us something to look forward to But it's more than just exercise Sports sports and activities teach us about teamwork how to work together to reach a common goal It also helps teach us to win and lose in a good
sportsmanship-like manner It builds character and teaches resilience and determination Plus sports and activities can help us do better in school Being a part of the team teaches discipline and time management We learn how to balance practice games and school While on the topic of discipline after school sports
and activities help to keep us out of trouble Having an after-school activity gives us something to do after school and gives us something to work for So let's keep supporting after school sports and activities They're not just fun They're vital to teaching us lessons outside of the classroom and better
better preparing us for life Thank you Thank you for having Okay we're going to close public comment for tonight Um we're going to move on to superintendent comment So and and again just to remind everybody you know we don't want to
close public comment but you don't all know this but the board's actually been at it since about four o'clock tonight Um there is some time frames that we have to adhere to We do have a regular board meeting tomorrow night We're honoring our teachers of the year tomorrow night but there will be public comment after all is said and done If
there's obviously there's more to be said okay my role here will continue I'm trying to find solutions make compromises get you information and get you answers and I will continue to do that throughout this entire process Um and I thank you for the opportunity And I do as always I've always said it you
know the the town of Lacy is really a wonderful place and you've demonstrated that tonight You'll continue to demonstrate that Um and um everything was well said tonight Thank you very much to all of you Thank you President We're going to move on to board member comments if anybody has a comment No
none for Miss Walker S do you have anything Yes Go ahead Thank you for everyone Thanks everyone for being here tonight I'm speaking to you not just as a school board member but as a neighbor a parent a fellow taxpayer who deeply believes in the
power of community the importance of education and in the responsibility we all share to make the best decision for our future I'll begin by saying this The proposed 14.2 tax increase that we voted down did not come from the school board This
increase is being driven by the state which has failed to fully fund our district year after year Rather than stepping up to fulfill its promises to our students the state is shifting the burden to us our local community We are basically being punished for not
charging more taxes Over the years I've seen firsthand the commitment of our teachers our staff and our families I know how hard they work every day often with limited resources But the truth is this isn't a problem that
should be shouldered by a community alone This is a statewide issue and we cannot let our families bear the brunt of it I think tonight we did a good job addressing all these rumors about us wanting to cut out extracurricular
activities sports We don't It's a scare tactic Okay It's being used because sports has the largest number of student participants and in turn the greatest level of parental involvement By threatening to cut these programs first
it creates panic But this tactic isn't just about fear It's always a way to shift the blame onto the school board instead of holding the state accountable for underfunding public education And that's not fair to our board our community and our students We need to
stop using stair tactics to force tough decisions We need leadership at every level that looks for solutions not scapegoats The proposed cuts must be the proposed cuts may be drastic but without additional revenue or staff concessions
they may become necessary Still they should be the last resort not the first two pulled when the budget is tight There are other ways to to support the programs we value without burdening our families with a 14 point tax uh 14.2 tax percent
14.2% is more than a couple of bucks Okay let's get that clear Let's talk about the options I mentioned earlier today in our our round table Pay to play for sports where families who can contribute these offsets cost and scholarships This is a one-time cost
This is not a cost for your parents for the lifetime and they live here in Lacy If we raise taxes 14.2% your parents will pay for you to play for four years of college for the rest of their lives that they live here in Lacy somewhere in the area of $3 to
$500 a month not a year a month Well that could also mean you can't get the newest and greatest iPhone upgrade It means you can't stream anymore There's a lot of things that a family will suffer with $300 to $500 a month Think about that Community part partnerships and
sponsorships from local businesses to support extracurricular activities I see it everywhere in this town This town is strong It's together And I'm not going to repeat the rest There aren't easy fixes but there's smarter more responsible alternatives
than going straight to taxpayers or cutting the programs our students rely on I know the dedication of our teachers and staff I know our parents are invested I know our community has stepped up before and we will again if we given a clear clear pan plan and
honest leadership We are stronger together this community that has always rallied around its schools its kids and its future We faced challenges before and we've overcome them by standing united Since I've lived in this town this town has never backed down from a
challenge and we won't start now We are more than test scores budgets and political pressure We are teachers who stay late parents who show up neighbors who care We are students with dreams bigger than any deficit The future of our school doesn't belong to the state
It belongs to us Not to fear not to blame but to courage creativity and unity Let's prove Let's prove that when you invest in a community like ours you don't just get numbers on a spreadsheet You get a legacy of pride purpose and people who fight for what's right This
is our moment to lead Let's do it together So tonight I urge my fellow board members to stand with our community not just in not just in making tough decisions but in making the right ones I urge all of us to keep pushing for what's best for our students our
schools and our entire town And I urge our state leaders to hear our call to step up and do their part to fund our schools properly Together we can move forward stronger smarter and more united than ever before Thank you Thank you Miss
Armada do you have any comments Before I begin I just like to tell all the students here believe it or not every single board member was in high school I know that sounds crazy We were all on sports We were all possibly on band I was a cheerleader We know exactly
what you're talking about Um we were we stayed at school sports for our life too So don't think you're up here and we we don't know We we know exactly what what you're going through we know the stresses that you're going through Um and I would I would never want to vote
uh vote to cut any kind of sports I mean sports are the livelihood of a high school student Um but first I want to thank every parent teacher coach student and taxpayer that came out tonight Your voices and your presence matter and we're all here because we care deeply about the future of Lacy students and
our children A $7 million deficit has brought us to the edge of difficult decisions I know I know today social media was buzzing with rumors of cutting 60 teachers eliminating busing slashing sports And unfortunately those might not be
exaggerations They could be real possibilities unless we find a sustainable path forward This deficit didn't start this year It's the result of decisions far beyond this room And it's due to New Jerseys flawed school funding formula And here's the hard truth That formula
isn't being fixed anytime soon And the cuts are not only real they're reoccurring And unless we take strong structural action this will be our annual crisis And let me repeat that annually So we'll be sitting here every year saying we have to raise taxes 14%
And that's not sustainable And the funding is not getting fixed It's not going to go away And I taxing with no end in sight is not sustainable for any parent I hear the kids up here saying that their parents can't afford $1,000 and that's a lot of money Could you imagine And I'm going to read some
numbers to you If we do this to the parents not only will they not be able to afford sports they won't be able to afford food A for a $3,000 home that's $1,98 a year or $91 a month out of your parents budget For $400,000 home that's
$2,818 a year $234 a month That could be someone's car payment or electric bill For a $5,000 home that's $4,538 a year That's $378 a month Those are big numbers
They're not just a cup of coffee And let's not forget we already raised taxes 9.9% last year and that has already increased our permanent base So it's not just a one-year fix Whatever the tax rate that the state wants us to do it's stays It never goes away Another large
increase this year locks us into even higher tax base that never goes away It will never go away Once again the state has managed to do what it does best It pits taxpayer against taxpayer But our fight isn't with each other It's not neighbor versus neighbor It's not
parents versus retirey No a retired person should not have to move out of town that has grandchildren in this town that's lived in this town for 50 years It's not about telling a neighbor to leave because they can't afford it here I'm sorry I I don't agree with that Our fight is with the state and it continues
to underfund our district and forces communities like ours into impossible decisions If you're someone who supports a tax increase and has the means to help I kindly encourage you to consider a one-time donation to the school booster clubs or educational foundations That
money goes directly to preserving the very programs we're all trying to protect without forcing permanent financial hardships on families who simply can't afford afford another increase If they can't afford $1,000 for pay for play they certainly can't afford the numbers I just mentioned And that's
that will never go away That will be always on your tax budget A one time donation is one time and you're not going to have to recur it every year We all want what's best for our kids our schools and our town Let's remember who we are We Let's stand united and not
divided and push for real lasting solutions that don't break the backs of the very people who live here Thank you very much Mr Cony do you have anything you want to add No Thank you Uh okay Um I'd just
like to um just finish up I agree with some things that the board has mentioned in their comments and I disagree with others um it would not have been 14% it would have been 7% The board was asked if
they could do 7% and the answer was no So we are here because the board including myself then did not act Okay Um this is why we're here So I do feel
like we need to come together I do feel like we need to compromise and this is why we are in this position because there's no compromising We have some board members that are a hard no on raising taxes and some will say you know let's do what we can Um you know we are
here for the children of Lacy and we are here for the taxpayers but it's our job to to provide a thorough and efficient education until someone says we can't Right now the state is saying we cut what we can Now they could come in tomorrow and say "Oh nope Now you can
cut." And this is where we are So this is why we had our meeting tonight Um we need to come up with options If they do come back that way they might just say "Nope you guys are going to get increased 14%." You might even hear "Nope they're going to increase 29%." Or
you might hear "They're not they're doing nothing." So if they're doing nothing then we need to figure it out because we need to pay the bills So this is where we are I want everybody to be clear Um again we did not put ourselves here but like Mr Ryan said over the past
10 years our tax increase was 1.58 So um we are underfunded according to the state uh we should be what is it 27% higher 29% 29 and change Yeah So if we don't want to deal with this ever again that's the number we need to go
which we can't We all can't afford that So this is where they put us and this is where we sit So as a board I really would like everyone to compromise That's why we're here to compromise for the kids in this town That's why we're here We're elected on the Lacy Board of Education We're not in the tax house you
know we're in the Lacy Board of Education We need to keep that in mind We just had a course today on our priorities Our priorities are the children Four o'clock That was our meeting Our priorities were were the children So that is why we're
here All right That's all I have to say Mo motion to adjurnn Motion to adjurnn Motion Second Anybody want to second it Motion to adjurnn Thank you All in favor [Applause]