everyone and welcome um to the Lawrence Township uh board meeting um sorry. Okay. Uh Gerald will be filling in for Tom this evening and and Vanessa will be filling in for Robin this evening. Um
Gerald, can I have a a roll call, please? Yes, Miss Bose >> here. >> Mr. Clark >> here. >> Miss Evans >> here. >> Miss Grover >> here. >> Miss Kelly >> here. >> Dr. King. >> Miss Martinez >> here.
>> Miss Pascalo. >> Miss Vanheis >> here. >> We have a quorum. >> Student. Oh, you have quum. Student member. Excuse me. >> Student representative is not here yet. >> Okay. >> Okay. Welcome everybody. The open public meeting act authorizes the board of
education to meet in executive session under certain circumstances. Uh this evening uh the board of ed is uh going to be meeting in exec session specifically uh to discuss hib um matters which if discussed disclosed
would constitute an unworn invasion of individual privacy. Um formal action will not be taken. Exact session is expected to last approximately 25 minutes. Um on all in favor I >> I
>> so moved. We will go into exact session until 7 o'clock. >> Thank you. We are the Lawrence Middle School Select Ensemble, an advanced jazz band made up of dedicated students from LMS. Tonight, we per will be performing a piece from
our upcoming concert entitled Jazz Police. We've been working hard to prepare this piece a month ahead of schedule so that we could share it with you this evening. We hope you can enjoy our performance. Sure. That's it.
Heat. Heat. Come on. Yeah, down. Hey, hey, hey. Woo! Excellent job, Cardinals. >> Can we have them every board meeting?
No, thank you so much, Mr. Kilgore. You guys sound absolutely tremendous. Beautiful job. >> I think we have a request for you to come to every meeting. >> Thank you guys. We won't be offended if you leave.
>> Thank you moms and dads that came and brought them. Wow, that really gets you going. >> Wait till seven. Yeah. >> Yes. >> Mhm. I don't think Hello. Okay. How are you? Good evening
everyone and welcome to the Lawrence Township Board Meeting. The New Jersey open public meeting law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon as required
under law. Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided via email andor facts to the new the times the law ledger the tronian the public library and has been filed with the municipal clerk. This notice was provided prior to the 48 hours required by the Open Public
Meeting Act. The board reserves the right to limit public discussion of personnel items and other matters as defined in the law. And we'll do our flag salute. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic
for it stands one nation under God indivisible liberty and justice for all. >> Okay. Okay. Welcome everyone. We have a nice full house. We have some wonderful things happening tonight. But first we start out with our student
representative and peer leader report. Good evening everybody. I'm Pa Sesi Kumar, a senior here at Lawrence High School. I'm excited to share a little bit about the character education assembly that we recently led. It was where our team performed a short skit and focused on the importance of patience in our everyday lives. We
showed examples of the situation where it was really important to maintain patience. After the skit, we organized a series of activities. These activities were designed to teach students how to make patience a habit. And after the activity, we um had reflection about the
speech that we did. And our goal was not to just teach patients, but to create an experience that students could take with them outside the classroom. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good evening. My name is Riley Herna and I am a senior at Lawrence High School and also the editor-inchief of Tangent,
which is Lawrence High School's literary and creative arts club. We recently had a very successful fundraiser in collaboration with Terune Orchards. The club raised over $800 from club and community members, helping us gain a head start on fundraising for our annual magazine. Additionally, we received a
very generous grant from LTE to support the club in our efforts and the cost of this year's magazines. With these combined efforts, we will be able to afford and share this year's and next year's magazine with the Lawrence community. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Hi, my name is Hope Listian. I am a
senior here at LHS. Um, as we fall as our fall sports come to a close, our girls soccer team is going strong through the state run. The girls won their sectional semi-final game against Freehold Burough today and now com now plan to compete against Northern Burlington on Saturday.
>> Um coming up soon the start of our winter sports which include girls and boys basketball, wrestling, winter girls and boys track, ice hockey, and boys and girls swimming. Registration closes this Saturday, so get your physicals in. Thank you and have a good night.
>> Thank you. Hi everyone, my name is Ria Kisa and I'm a senior at LHS. I'm going to be talking about Challenge Day which I had the special opportunity to participate in. Challenge day was an event at the high school that was run by the Challenge Day organization and the organization goes around the United States visiting
different schools to run the program. Throughout the full day, they took both students and teachers through activities and discussions that promoted vulnerability and supportiveness. It was a really unique event that every that had everyone talking about their emotions and comforting each other. We look forward to implementing more events like this in the future as well. Thank
you. >> Great. Thank you so much, student peer leaders. You can leave if you would like. Have a great night. Um this evening under recognition and acknowledgements, we have something extra special. Um we have our Lawrence
High School theater production, a few of members of that group here. Um, and they're gonna do a little teaser for the upcoming play which is on the uh November 13th, 14th, and 15th starting tomorrow night. Uh, Pride and Prejudice.
Come on up. The floor is yours. Why should you pretend love and marriage and all that is a joke? It seems very real to me. That's because you are far away from it. When you're closer to the prospect, it becomes much too frightening and you
must laugh so you don't cry. Playing games keeps one sane. When the stakes involved threaten to drive one mad, stop filling your head with foolishness. Not a game, Lydia. >> Isn't it? There are rules, strategies,
wins, losses, and it is theoretically done for pleasure. >> How do you know if you found the right match? Well, I shouldn't tell you, but yes, you know you found the right one when
>> yes, a lightning bolt shoots down from the sky, fries you like an egg, you probably decide he's your perfect match just after your mama has finished counting his rich, sickly relatives and your papa has called on his bankers.
These things are all arranged above one's head, Lydia. It's complicated, dear, but I imagine you know when you've met the right person. Well, first there is a liking and then you behave appropriately, of course. But eventually there is a
perfect understanding between souls, wordless and faultless. Oh, now who's filling her head with nonsense? What novels have you been reading? >> Well, what do you really think, Elizabeth?
>> I have no desire to find out. One of you will have to marry to save the family from ruin for all none of it. Well, you don't mean that. >> I know myself, Jane. I shall never marry, for the state is fundamentally flawed, as far as I can see it. It is
all too much. I would, however, make a lovely maiden on. So, do hurry up and make the necessary arrangements with this Mr. Bingley. Bells. >> Bells. They never will ring if they are
made imperfectly. You know, weak metal, careless manufacturer. They never shall sound as they should. But if they are made of stronger stuff, quality, you ring them once and you just can't control the vibration, can you? And whether they are sound for alarm or benediction, they cannot be ungrung.
They ring and they ring until the energy is spent where they crack. >> They ring to demand. Attention must be paid. Something is happening. Something beyond our control. Something arranged over our heads has changed. >> In vain, I have struggled. My feelings
will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. >> I I love you. In spite of all my endeavors, in spite of the absolute unsuitability of this match and of your own conduct, you have
ens snared me. >> Your mother taught you well. Yours entirely, Miss B. You win. >> No, Miss I do not need you. >> If I could feel gratitude for your
declaration, sir, I would thank you for it. But I have never desired your good opinion. >> You cannot be serious. >> I am. I am. I actually am. And I am so far from trying to ensnare you, Mr. Darcy, that I have openly decreed you
the most univil of men. And scene, thank you very much. Thank you. Miss Baldwin, did you want to say anything about the production or >> Oh, no. >> Okay.
>> Oh, gotcha. >> Well, thank >> tomorrow night, folks. >> Yes. At the high school, >> good job. Thank you so much. That was wonderful. What a tease. >> Okay.
Okay. the um adoption of the minutes. Can I have a motion to adopt the executive session and regular session minutes from the 108 meeting? >> So moved. >> A second. >> Second. >> The motion and a second. Tom. >> Miss Evans.
>> Yes. >> Excuse me. Mr. Clark. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Miss Kroger. >> Yes. >> Miss Kelly. >> Yes. >> Dr. King. >> Yes. >> Miss. Martinez. Yes, >> Mr. Vanheis. >> Yes. >> And Miss Post.
>> Yes. >> Motion car. >> Thank you. Um, superintendent report. >> Well, I want to thank the Lawrence Tajup Theater production, that nice little teaser tomorrow night. We're very excited. I will be going to the show, so I'm excited for opening night. And I also want to just extend my gratitude to
Mr. Kilgore, um, newer to LMS leading the jazz band this evening. So, I think that was a a nice refreshing start to the board meeting. Um, yesterday was Veterans Day. So, on behalf of Lawrence Township Public Schools community, I want to thank you all that have served our country. Your gratit your courage
and sacrifice are deeply appreciated. Here in the district, we have many to be honored um and celebrated. We are so proud to announce our LMS teacher Janette Capriti. She just received the prestigious Milkin Award. And for those of you out there that don't know what
this is, it's honestly it's a it's a Grammy award for an educator. It was the most magnificent experience for all of us. Um she was the sole recipient for all of New Jersey for this round. So we are so proud um of our teacher over at LMS. In addition, we're celebrating
three other outstanding LTPS educators who have been named the 2025 exemplary educators by the New Jersey Department of Education. Mark Row, Dana Williams from Lawrence High School, and Jillian Tessa from Lawrence Middle School. We're
on a hot streak, guys. I'm excited as we enter this month of gratitude. I'm especially thankful for being a part of such an amazing district with all of you educators who go above and beyond every single day. So, I want to say thank you. These recognitions just are a reminder for how fortunate our students are to be
in your classrooms shaping and caring for them um as they move through their learning experiences. I'm also excited to share that LT um the Lawrence Township Board um of education and the Lawrence Township Public School Administrators just struck a five-year
contract. So, they ratified uh last month. That makes our third collective bargaining agreement successfully settled, which I do believe is a testament not only to the collaboration amongst the administrative team, all of the units um that we serve, of course, our educators, but it is a shared
commitment across the district from the board of education and myself. We want to say thank you. Now, I'd like to welcome LTEF President um President Miss Gigglio is back there to come up to the podium to award the fall grants.
Thank you. That's a tough act to follow. I'm not gonna Okay. Um, so good evening. My name is Bonnie Gigglio. I'm the executive director of the Lawrence Township Education Foundation. Um, as you know, we raise money and then give that money right
back to teachers through grants. So, we just held our fall grant cycle and we are happy to say that we are funding 23 grants for the total of $42,418 this cycle. So, I'm going to start reading the multi-school grants. I'm going to pass
it to my board members so you don't have to hear me talk. If you are in the room, please stand up so we can cheer for you and then we'll keep going. So the first grant we want to highlight is Growing Green Thinkers which was awarded to all the elementary schools and it was
written by Kristen Burke and Leah Ryan. This grant will bring more environmental awareness to our youngest learners through creative age appropriate signage and display near the climate change learning corners and refillable water stations around the building. By surrounding students with visual and
interactive opportunities, it will foster early reading reading curiosity and responsibility for keeping our earth clean and beautiful. Um, our second grant is Chomp into Steam, a safe tool for young makers, which was awarded to all elementary
schools and Lis. Sorry, I forgot to tell you the cost. $1,500 that was awarded to Gene Musey, Julie Schmidt, Monica Pontter, and Julia Lee. over. Uh, this grant will provide funding to equip each of the four
elementary schools in LIS with a chomp saw, which is a safe, kid-friendly cardboard cutting tool designed to quickly and easily allow our imaginative um, LTPS kids to cut, build, and engineer maker space materials into incredible creations.
And the last one, Little Lions Literacy Decodable Books for all elementary schools for $6,636 awarded to Amanda Prettyman. So, this grant will fund the purchase of a decodable books through Little Lions Literacy. These books will be able to be
used by classroom teachers during small groupoup instruction in conjunction with the ISMS phonics program to provide supplemental support for striving readers uh through targeted phonics topics. All right, we're very excited at Ben
Franklin School. We have the Ben Franklin Outdoor Explorers for $1,000 awarded to Kim Ole and Terry Chrysac. This grant will provide materials to create an outdoor sensory area for all students at Ben Franklin that will infuse learning into sensory and gross
motorplay. We also have movement matters for $3,093 awarded to Carly Simmerelli and Katie Jaggerinski. This grant will provide teen to adult-sized tricycles for the adaptive PE classes at Ben Franklin Elementary
School. This project will benefit these students in a myriad of ways, including but not limited to their physical, social, and emotional well-being. Bike riding is a skill that will impact these students well beyond their years at Ben Franklin School.
Uh, now we have expansion of the stream feature streamkeeper project for $1,400 awarded to Colleen Chancer. The Ben Franklin streamkeepers are citizen scientists, and this grant will fund additional tools and clothing to
help them learn more about the stream. The students at Ben Franklin School continue to be curious, enthusiastic, creative, and eager learners. and they've been taking care of and observing this stream in their own backyard for over 15 years. >> Now we have Lawrenceville Elementary
School. We have sensory supports for success, $1,170 awarded to Kristen Burke. This grant will provide sensory tools, equipment, and structured supports for preK through three students at lees in
order to help them regulate emotions, increase focus, and fully participate in classroom learning by creating designated sensory opportunities and access points. Students will have the tools they need to feel calm, ready, and confident in their school environment.
Next we have at Eldridge Park Elementary School, Windows and Mattering for $842 awarded to Kim Menchu. This grant will provide time for all children at Eldridge Park School to explore and play with multicultural and
multi-ability dolls in order to see themselves through play. And we also have Slackwood Elementary School. Slackwood shines, sewing hope in nature every season. And this was awarded to Ebony Latimer, Stacy Moore,
and Kristen Hopson. This grant will fund Slackwood Shines, an innovative hands-on gardening program designed to engage students in writing, math, and science through the natural cycle of planting, growing, and harvesting. Guided by a professional gardener in partnership with certified
teaching staff, students in K3 will participate in daily sessions integrating the New Jersey student learning standards in authentic and real world real world context through planting vegetables, herbs, and flowers, maintaining the garden beds and recording observations. Students will
strengthen their academic skills while fostering environmental stewardship, collaboration, and healthy living habits. And now we have Lawrence Elementary School. Hi, >> I'm Kathy Bulaceri and I'm gonna read the grants from LIS, Lawrence
Intermediate. First one is Connecting with the Stars Daily. That was for $390 awarded to Dan Brennan, Janice Axenroth, and Andrew Sensei. This grant will provide funding for Star Date, a daily program that will en will
enrich and engage fifth graders at LIS in order to inspire curiosity and wonder. Stardate provides knowledge, events, and history of the universe and our solar system. Students learn interesting facts or even places to look in the sky for anomalies. The show will
air on the morning hoot for the whole school on Fridays. And then we have seats for success building language together 2,662 awarded to Katie Coaches.
This grant will provide flexible and engaging seating for ELLL students in grades four through six at LIS in order to promote language development and collaborate collaboration skills. Next is LIS sensory lending library for
$1,500 awarded to Elizabeth Mayo, Karen Cleger, and Tracy Duckenro. This grant will allow the LIS lending library to continue to operate by replacing the various items like fidgets and kick bands to open to to be open to
all students at LIS. The LTE originally funded the LIS sensory lending library in 2013 and replenished some of the items in 2018. Bloat for kids for $1,000 awarded to Gabrielle Caceri, Paula Hootin, and
Stacy Moore. This grant will provide audio books and ebooks for all students. It will particularly assist ESL students as many texts are available in languages that can be hard to obtain in print.
Step up with positivity at LIS for $755 awarded to Sharon Reo and Tori Hart. This grant will fund the sixth grade hallway, the sixth grade stairway project, which will engage all 266th graders who will work collaboratively
within their home room to design and select uplifting quotes and artwork for the central stairwell at LIS. Inspired by the character pillars of the LIS house system, students will create or choose meaningful messages to share with the school community.
And finally, the theater effect enriching student lives for $2,000 awarded to Best Cloner. This grant will provide LIS students with the opportunity to attend performances by local professionals. This will give them greater insight into
the various performance opportunities they may wish to pursue throughout their lives as well as expose them to theater and music making to elevate their understanding and appreciation for creating. >> Hello, Charles Snellings here. I'm going to take you through LMS and LHS grants.
Uh, first we have at LMS a multi-purposed heat press for $1,200 awarded to John Eric Stamaltos. This grant will provide valuable hands-on experience in design, printing, product creation, fostering essential
skills for career and college readiness for both seventh and eighth grade class at LMS in order to foster creativity and design, technical proficiency and problem solving and collaboration. Next we have books for belonging for
$500 awarded to Shannon Lucarelli. This grant will give middle school students the chance to learn, reflect, and build empathy through curated library collection on disabilities. During disability awareness week, these books will inspire schoolwide projects that celebrate
inclusion and understanding. That I'm going to move on to LHS. First here is the Laorenian Wix website subscription, $460 awarded to Cameron Foster. This grant will provide funding for the
Laurenian newspaper Wix website subscription which will support the efforts and talents of student journalists in all four grades at LHS allowing these students to maintain a digital portfolio of their articles as well as to spread awareness of the
newspaper to other schools in the district and the community at large. Next, I'm a supplies and registration for LHS robotics team for $499 awarded to Shiloh Veter and Dawette
Tessum. This grant will fun this grant will fund the up andcoming robotics team at LHS by funding additional supplies and registration for upcoming competitions. The team will be able to compete in several in this season, giving the
students here an opportunity to foster engineering and programming skills, creativity, and teamwork in a competitive setting. Next is the additional advancer shelves for $2,372 awarded to Alexandra Hulma.
This grant will provide six advancer kiln shelves for pottery classes at LHS in order to enhance the quality and efficiency of kiln firings, improve durability and longevity, and support the growing number of students in the pottery program.
Moving to tangents magazine printing cost for $850 awarded to Cameron Foster. This grant will provide funding for the printing and distribution of physical copies for this year's magazine uh the
Lawrence High School Tangent Literary and Creative Arts magazine for the student writers and artists currently in all four grades at LHS. This project will allow these students to hold in their hands a portfolio of their creative pieces as well to spread awareness of the organization to other
schools in the district and the community at large. LHS Quest Gardens for $2,000 awarded to Anthony Sol. Um, this grant will provide for a garden for the Quest program for grades 9
through 12 at LHS. This program provides students in the Quest program an opportunity to grow their own flowers, herbs, and produce. will also enable the students to learn hands-on STEM sustainability as well as foster a love for nature and healthy living.
And last is our revolutionary voices from the American experiment. $3,650. This is awarded to Priscilla Taylor, Jeet Clark, and Dan Wolf. This grant will fund a collaborative
project honoring the 50th anniversary of America and provide four live performances for American and African-American history students at LHS and middle schools or the middle school. The interactive performances provide unique experiences
for the students with professional reactor reactors reenactors sorry from Philadelphia's esteemed American historical theater who can betray real participants living during the time of the American Revolution. Thank you.
Some pictures from uh Grant Day when we tell everyone they get money. Um, so thank you so much for listening. Um, we are very excited. This was a really fun cycle. There were some really fun grants that we got to read. Um, and we are we have the big check to take pictures. But
we just wanted to say thank you so much to all of our supporters, all of our donors, and we are looking forward to reading them again in the spring. So, thank you so much. Thank you. So, if all of our award if our recipients can meet us down here with the board and Mr. Josiah, Miss Pars, if you can join us as
well with your checks. look forward to future grants. Okay. Uh I think we're all here. Uh okay. I think we're all back. All right.
Okay. Thank you. Have a good night everyone. Okay, let's just wait one more minute. >> Very noisy. >> I can't. >> Okay. >> All right, Tom. The board secretary
report. >> Uh, yes. Thank you. The um there are many things on the agenda tonight that are important, but I'll leave those for the uh the finance committee when Mr. Vanheis does his report. I wanted to bring up a few things to you though, just so that um Thank you. That's the
little check that makes a big check. >> That's the big one. >> So, um the uh Okay, back to the agenda. Um >> the the middle school uh the middle school, we are no longer referring to it as a referendum, but the middle school construction project. Um the referendum
has passed and a wonderful thing. We expect to see construction on or about December 10th after the events happen in the auditorium at the middle school. As soon as they've concluded for their performances, the following days will
start to to begin uh construction there. And of course, we're talking about the auditorium, which is the phase, the first phase. And so, we'll begin to seal off that area. I don't mean the hallways, just the doors. Um, and you'll start to see construction fencing uh go up around Gaines at the corner where
Gainesboro and uh uh Princeton Pike are, but it'll be closer to the building. It's not going to extend all the way out there. And the first things that you can expect is is demolition to start to happen. And of course, it's all interior. You're not going to be able to see what's actually happening, but to give you an idea, there'll be
contractors there taking out the seats, u removing some of the ceilings. And so what they'll be doing is I imagine first they'll be uh removing some of the lights. Um again taking out seats so they can build a temporary floor. Um and from the temporary floor they'll come in
with their uh their scaffolding and start to take the ceiling out. Um when we did the air conditioning project at the middle school uh that was approved shortly after 2018, we had about four different asbestous abatement projects,
maybe five. We will have an asbestous abatement project over the winter break. Um we will not be doing that while students or staff are present. Um so just to if you if you haven't been uh with us through one of those projects,
it's something that we do through most of our construction work that happens at the middle school. So sometimes you'll see us do these things over long weekends. In this case, we're doing it over the break. And so you'll see signs. Um, we'll communicate that out far in advance. Um, it'll be within the next 10
days. We'll send a communication out to staff, parents, and then they'll we'll see signs on doors and things of that nature. As always, as was the case through all the previous uh construction projects. We'll post the results and anyone who's interested will have my
cell phone number. You can call me. I'll tell you where things are. Um and of course we'll always be doing testing in around and there'll be someone there uh throughout all of us so that we open school back on time. Uh you can expect the communications to go out through the
school. They'll go out through uh the principal of the school. Dr. Molowski will send those out. Um and of course we'll have a hand in crafting those. Um and we'll keep everybody informed. And if you want more information, we'd be happy to give you uh whatever it is you
ask for uh if we have it. At that moment, we'll also be putting the Gant chart. Uh the board knows it as the Gant chart. Um we're uh almost ready for that for show purposes, so to speak, for the public where they'll be able to follow what our progress has been from the beginning of
the referendum straight through construction. We had a look at that. Um Jill's been working on that to to make sure it's presentable. Prior to that, it was just for internal use. It's a real document. And what it does is it says what's going to happen next in sequence. uh what we can expect to the extent that
we know the dates we say the dates. If we don't know the dates, we say hon or about or to to be determined. Um and we don't have every everything that we do in there, but we keep what we call our critical path, our milestones, things that we have to achieve. We do
this before that. And it's also graphical so that you'll see a bar go across a calendar that reads from left to right. And you'll see us go out years. and where the bars are overlapping one another, that's where those tasks are happening at the same time concurrently.
So, we'll talk more about that and and you'll be able to use uh that when you talk uh about the project with other people and other people will be able to go right to the website and see it themselves. So, the 2627 budget is well underway. Uh
we have uh a November 15th deadline internally for ourselves. Um the budget calendar itself that we have on a tenative basis is on the agenda tonight for your consideration. Uh that was not discussed at finance. So I feel okay I'm not stealing your thunder. Um and the
reason we have it approved is not for anything formal. We get QAC points if we get it approved um before they put it on that QAC test. You never saw that calendar. Um so there it is for tonight. Um and then finally the board would be interested of course and and all the uh
welcome back to the board members who are reelected and our new board member would be of interest. This will be of interest to them. The reorganization meeting is a statutory meeting and I've listed the dates there for you. This is from uh the Department of Education's election calendar and if that should
change then I'll I'll bring that to you in the meantime. Soon we'll be setting the board uh dates for next year. And so when we do that, we'll look at uh all calendars, holiday calendars. Um this is the one board meeting that is
constrained according to statute. And so we have to get this in. Just so happens to be that January 7th is a Wednesday. >> So that works um if it works for all of you. But we'll send something formal out. That's all I have for you tonight. >> Thank you so much, Tom. Um, also I would
like to just congratulate Pepper and McKenzie for their win. Um, continued service to the board and welcome Paul in in the new year. Um, and I did want to say thank you to Michelle King. You have another board meeting
with us. So, but I'm going to just say it. You have been an instrumental part of our board. It has been an honor and a pleasure for me personally to know you and to serve with you. Um, you have taught me so much. um in the in the many years that you've been on the board and
we really all have appreciated you. Um we're sad to see you go, but know that you made a big impact in this town and this community. So, thank you. Thank you. And um I found it extremely
gratifying to be part of this organization fulfilling personally, professionally, Thank you. Um, now we have the board president report. Um, and first I want to just thank Tom for
all of his hard work and his support that he has given me personally. Um, I've learned a lot about all things finance. Many things I didn't want to learn, but I've learned them. So, I start off, it's November. It is a time when I am reflecting on people who have
impacted my life positively. And um in terms of our school, Tom comes to mind first and since he talked about all the things we are doing, I've learned all about that stuff. Um and I really appreciate it and I hope that it helps
me serve our community better every day. Um as board members, we all bring our own perspectives and experiences to the table. As a social worker, I'm especially mindful of the needs within our community. Needs that have only grown during this difficult time of food
insecurity. My heart goes out to the families who have lost access to their SNAP benefits and are struggling to make ends meet. In these challenging times, I have been moved by the compassion and action of our district. Dr. Clim and her team work tirelessly to bring together
community partners and coordinate support for those affected. I along with the entire board am profoundly grateful for the generosity, collaboration and care that has emerged from this effort. The resources are now um have been put
together and are now available through our district's uh website under links and resources and within our schools. I know there are families who are struggling right now, but please know you are not alone. If you or someone you know needs support, I encourage you to
reach out to your child's guidance counselor. Help is available and our community is here for you. For those who are able, please consider donating pantry items, whether through your child's school, dropping off at the main office, or by contributing directly to
one of our local pantries. It is truly inspiring to see our schools and our community come together to care for one another. This is what Lawrence is all about, neighbors helping neighbors with compassion and heart. Thank you to all who have helped and supported those in
need. Um, I'm always moved so greatly by this community. Um, when people need stuff, we pull together and I know that from this board to our administration as well as to many community members out there. Um, so thank you very much for
that. Um, and that's really all I have to say. uh the liaison and ad hoc committee reports our student board member report uh redeem the floor is yours. >> Thank you. Um let me get closer.
>> Um thank you. Um okay so good evening. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. So this month I attempted to gain as much insight as possible in terms of the events that were happening at different schools and how students just
generally felt about the school district as the first marking period ended. So students at Lawrence High School generally had more positive feelings about the school and its environment than they did last month, which most of them attributed this to adjusting positively as the school year
progressed. And as the first marking period came to a close, students expressed satisfaction with the academic environment, course offerings, just how comfortable they felt with their teachers and their classmates. And the new grading system continued to spark
discussion, but it still was kind of a 50-50 split between the people who liked it and the people who were having a little bit of difficulty with it. There was also a noticeable increase in the use of school resources, things that the school offered in terms of helping out
students. And so this is something that helped with the adjustment that students experienced. And this was both done through teachers giving assignments and offering these resources and independent student experiences. Um, meanwhile,
student council continued efforts to enhance student representation throughout the school and kind of hear everybody out by recruiting additional representatives from each grade level who are going to help me as well in terms of understanding their classes and
providing actual data about how students feel. In addition to this, fundraising efforts are in full motion for all classes. One additional thing is that Naman Perk, a sophomore at the high school, expressed a desire for school closures on the Voli. So, just a thank
you to Nan, Dr. Clim, and Mr. Desai for helping to put this initiative into action. The students at Lawrence Middle School are satisfied with the way that school has been operating for the last two months and particularly enjoy all of the events that bring students together more. In the past month, students
enjoyed their fall dance and additionally were able to give back to their community through their soctober donations which promoted generosity. At the intermediate school, students feel extremely well adjusted and welcome in their environment. The Lawrence intermediate student council organized a
fall festival which brought the Lawrence community together. In addition to this, they plan to keep the fall spirit going throughout November with spirit days and food drives for the community. So, if you would like to donate, Lawrence Intermediate School is one place to do so. At Sackwood Elementary School, the
second grade garden keepers created Sackwood seasonings from herbs that they harvested and dried themselves, which built on last spring's climate lessons. Continuing with this environmental theme, the students there enjoyed their first slackwood Saturday, which were nature hikes at Colonial Park with their
teachers. Lawrence Elementary School students focused on belonging in September and inclusivity in October. They read the colors of us and celebrated what makes each person unique, kind of tying into those themes. And ales furthermore celebrated the week of respect, as did all of the other
elementary schools with themed spirit days. And ales had a superhero parade of respect where each grade showcased masks, capes, and shields of respect joined by their dragon mascot, Leser. As a whole, students in the Lawrence District have felt more engaged and
extremely supported throughout this month. and all of the events and activities that occurred and they plan on keeping this momentum going for the rest of the school year. Thank you for listening to these updates. >> Wow, beautiful. That was very thorough
and very good. Thank you so much. That was great. Do you have any questions or any comments? >> I love hearing from all the schools. I'm sure all of you do. >> Thank you for getting the student voice to >> Well, thank you. We always want to hear from our students and it's hard as board members because we don't really unless
we have a child in the school, we don't really get to hear all this stuff. So, thank you. >> Okay. Um, LTEF. Okay. You can see are the uh results of hardworking, dedicated LTE members reading the grants, deciding
how to spread the money that they have equally. The grants that we heard about tonight are pretty fantastic. Um, both Neil and I attended the November 3 meeting at 8 am in the tech center. Uh, we talked about preschool expansion, the
AI parent meetings, the data team meetings. We talked about the, uh, community being invited to the middle school to talk about the construction and listen to questions and concerns that parents brought up and community members brought up. It was an excellent
event. Um, and LTEF members had a few questions, too, which was great. Um, I'm not sure if there are any tickets left for this Friday night, but you know that hand. They are none. It is sold out. >> So, you didn't said don't mention it.
>> That's what she said. She had two left. So, if they want to fight for the two, they can do that. Um, both my husband and I are going to be there. He's going to bart. I mean, he's going to take care of refreshments. Uh, it'll be a good time had by all. Um the uh should I go
into New Jersey school boards for you? Okay, course. Uh legislative updates. If you go to capital watch for on New Jersey school website, it'll give you everything uh all the bills. The last time we met, I went over those. Um I'm attending the delegates assembly, not
this Saturday, but the following Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Um I am representing you, the school board members. So, I'm just going to give you there are three um uh resolutions that are being pushed forward. I'm going to give you a brief overview. If you have
any input, any questions, let me know. Otherwise, I'm going to go along with what New Jersey School Board is saying. They are supporting all three with change of language. Just so you're ahead of that, Delran School Board, Burlington County, posed a re resolution requesting
New Jersey School Board support a limitation of the period of time in which a board member and charter school trustee criminal history can be reviewed. Um, it supports the language that will consider the nature of the crime committed before a board member or charter school trustee could permanently
be disqualified from service. Second one, Clifton School Board. Purpose of this new language is supporting the belief that there should be universal free lunch meals for all preK to 12 students in New Jersey. and Bridgewater.
The third one, Raritan Board uh of Ed again change of language supporting the belief that science, technology, engineering, mathematics education should be integrated into all aspects of preK through 12 curriculum for all New Jersey students. Um so again, if you
have any you want any more clarifications, let me know because I'm representing you on the votes. Um, last bit, uh, Mercer County School Boards Association meeting will be November 20th at the Trenton Board of Ed admin building. This will be both in person or
virtual. Topic is school finance pressure points, healthc care, and state aid. We'll begin the first 20 minutes or so with a brief overview about what the budget process is and the importance for schoolboard members to understand the
process. Um then the second half is going to be a panel discussion. I'm going to moderate it uh if time permits. At the end we'll have questions. But the the true happy point for me is we're going to have our own Gerald Truheart who also is the president for Trenton
Board of Education and our um assistant uh BOA not BOA BA. He'll be sitting on the panel. So he's going to be representing um so stop by virtually or in person. I'd love to have you just register at New Jersey school boards.
That's my report. >> Thank you so much. >> Um, student services. >> Student services had its meeting on November 3rd. In attendance is Vanessa Caria and myself, Arendelle Clark. Um, two items to point out. Um, with the
leave of there were open leave of absence positions. Uh, they have since been filled for the position of guidance counselor and nurse. And then the second point would be on December 2nd, we will be holding our next CPAC meeting. There will be flyers uh that'll be sent out
shortly uh in addition to other information. So keep an eye out for that. From our last meeting, 10 families had attended. That meeting took place on October 28th and it focused on the importance of routines. That ends my >> great. Thank you so much.
um reconfiguration ad hoc is going to present. >> Since our last meeting, the reconfiguration committee hasn't met, but we did support the district's October community meeting, which had a great turnout. At the meeting, we
gathered lots of questions through surveys, table discussions, and a larger group. All questions that weren't answer already answered on the district's website will be added there for easy access. Key topics included updates on the
middle school auditorium construction which begins in December. Neighbors and families can expect to see uh fencing and signs soon. We also discussed timelines and plans for the next five years. The meeting received
mostly positive feedback, especially about the roundt format. We got a few suggestions on how to improve future meetings, ensuring everyone feels their questions are addressed. We are also looking for better ways to keep elementary school parents informed
beyond the website and to customize information for different community groups. The next community meeting on this topic will be in February. Thank you. >> Great. Thank you so much, Olga. Um, review of communications.
Seeing none, first opportunity for public input. Okay, seeing none, uh, we don't have any board discussion and work session items. Uh, but board discussion and action items, uh, personnel committee report. Okie dokie.
Personnel met November 5th, 8:15 a.m. in attendance were Dr. Robin Clim, Sean Fry, Kevin Vanheis, Arendelle Clark, Olga Martinez, and myself. We reviewed current staff vacancies and will be advertising for the Supervisor of
Humanities position this winter. We discussed LTPS MOA agreement, which will be on tonight's which is on tonight's agenda for approval. Uh we reviewed projected retirements and changes to staffing for 2627.
We also were in the process of completing our staff budget for the upcoming years. Um, no changes were necessary for the policy 3141, uh, 3144.1
and 344.3. Um, and you'll see those for the first reading. On tonight's agenda, you'll find a resignation, a retirement of Jose Santos, the director of facilities,
property, and for the entire district. He served in the position for four years, has done an outstanding job. He attends meetings with smiles, ready to find solutions. Um, I know we'll miss him a lot. We wish him well in any new
endeavors he begins, and he better enjoy his retirement because we're going to miss him. Um, you'll also see appointments for leave replacements, pending background checks and clearances, uh, substitute assistance, extending hours, uh, leave replacement
dates, destination coaches for ECV. There are approvals for staff members, salary adjustments, athletic homework centers, EDPs, substitute teachers, volunteers, transfers, student technology, student appointments. Um, and is Jamora here
today with us? Ah, there she is. I wasn't sure if you ducked out or you stayed. Uh, we would like to just take a pause for a minute. Um, after approving tonight the personnel minutes, she will be serving as our secretary to the assistant superintendent for the office
of curriculum and instruction. And we couldn't be happier to have her join the team. Congratulations tomorrow. Welcome and congratulations. Um, and don't be too surprised.
Wow, what a beautiful bouquet. Welcome. Oh, yes. Get in there. Oh, yeah. He's so shy. Love it. Congratulations, All right, back to the agenda. Welcome. We're happy you're here and the flowers
are gorgeous. There are a few amendments for start dates, unpaid leaves, and also um account numbers. You'll see adjustments for also uh percentages and the MOA between the board of NLTPS, which we discussed earlier, is also on
this agenda. And um with all listed above, I'd now like to move P1 through P32, please. >> Second. >> Tom with a motion and a second. >> Mr. Clark, >> yes. >> Miss Evans, >> yes. >> Miss Kroger,
>> yes. >> Miss Kelly, >> yes. >> Dr. King, >> yes. >> Miss Martinez, >> yes. >> Mr. Vanheis, >> yes. >> Miss Bose, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. And congratulations and welcome. Now it's real. Okay.
CIAD report and student services. Uh first I'd like to thank the community for supporting me in my fourth bid. It's the second time I've run unopposed. And I tell you if you're going to run for a position, running unopposed is the way
to go. >> And not during a presidential election. And I'm very happy to have McKenzie back with us. and I'm looking forward to having Paul join us, too. Uh, CIAPD met yesterday at 8 a.m. in the district
board office. Joining me were Michelle Bose, Michelle King, McKenzie Kelly, and Neil Desai. The meeting focused on monitoring district-wide progress toward instructional and data related goals. discussion centered on how the district
measures and tracks its own progress, including review of the district data goal rubrics. Participants also reviewed policies scheduled for first reading, including the section 504 plan policy and accompanying regulations. Additional updates highlighted progress on the
preschool operation plan for 2627, as well as ongoing work with the early childhood advisory council. Looking ahead, the district will continue fostering community engagement through upcoming initiatives such as the reconfiguration and referendum conversation and an artificial
intelligence family workshop scheduled for January 2026. Um, with that, I would like to move uh on the agenda you'll see um field trips and PD OIS1 through 4 and OSS1 which is
tuition. I'd like to move OIS1 through4 and OSS one >> second. >> Tom with a motion and a second. >> Mr. Clark, >> yes. >> Miss Evans, >> yes. >> Miss Groger, >> yes. >> Miss Kelly, >> yes. >> Dr. King, >> yes. >> Miss Martinez,
>> yes. >> Mr. Vanheis, >> yes. >> Miss Bose, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Oh, finance committee report. Yay. Our reports are a reflection of how busy the staff are because I was writing
a book. Yes. I summary, but uh we'll go quickly. Um we had uh uh our meeting on Friday uh with Pepper, Joanne, uh Diana, uh Tom, special guest Neil and myself. Um we started out with Tom's normal um
request as he does starts with every meeting of uh asking how he uh and the administration can can help and what can they do better. Um and in typical fashion we have nothing to add but it it's a great way to start and it is a reminder um that they are really there
for the district and Tom kind of really started off saying uh in the customer service role for instance they routinely meet with neighbors just on the routine things. So while everything else is going on um sometimes neighbors uh you know start raising questions about traffic patterns, drop off pickup um and
they do meet that and try to be proactive um in addressing all the concerns not from just from our parents and school children but also from the neighbors, our community members. Um the other thing of interest that uh was brought out is that uh they are beginning to use um AI tools uh to try
to heart chart out where students will be located during our realignment. Um which will enable us to actually get ahead of communications and plot out because as every person was a parent uh everybody wants to know where their students going to be, when they're going to be there and those types of things.
And so um we are actually implementing the AI tools to actually help plot that out. Um, we also had the referendum as we're now calling it the LMS project update which Tom uh had filled you in on the exciting news. Um, it is we are actually going to start seeing visible
signs. So, all of the work is going to lead up um to the actual excitement um that that we will actually be able to see um progress. There'll be some of disruptions as Tom talked about, but the messaging will continue to go out. We will continue to have communications uh
both to the general community and specifically to LMS and and LHS for anybody that will be uh impacted by that. Um, as a side note, um, just for the board members, um, our construction manager, Greyhawk, uh, Tom was singing or praising that they have been very
very responsive. Um, and it's great to to know when we award these contracts um that we get the level of service back that that not only that we demand but but and and expect but uh we actually have providers that are actually meeting and exceeding those um obligations which
actually bodess well that they're being so responsive at the very beginning of the process because they're really going to be partners um throughout this project. Um, as Tom had indicated and on tonight's agenda, uh, there was work on the comprehensive maintenance plan. Uh,
this is a state requirement. Uh, we always meet and exceed all of our, uh, maintenance requirements, and that is a testament. Um, uh, just even in my travels, I've heard, you know, people, visitors to the buildings that they always marvel at the facilities that we have here. Um that's certainly a
testament to Tom, his team, our custodial and maintenance staff, uh and the work that goes into um especially considering the age of our buildings. Um how how fantastic they are. Talking about the facilities maintenance, uh as Tom had talked also alluded to, uh work
is being done for Slackwood Elementary School. Uh, and in his words, we're showing them a lot of love uh this month with uh our agenda uh improving uh over $300,000 worth of worth of investment um in there. We're doing things like floor
replacements, ceiling replacements, uh lighting uh upgrades and improvements uh and that has been scheduled and staged. So even as the lighting uh is going in and the students and staff are benefiting by uh new brighter uh LED
lights there uh they were also planned uh with the ceiling replacement. So as the lights go in uh it will actually make it very very easy for the ceiling replacement. So uh again kudos to staff and uh for taking that taking care of that uh and then doing it in a very
methodical way. Um we also have on tonight's agenda custodial outsourcing with some of the uh changes in our custodial staffing. Uh it gives us the opportunity to continue our uh practices of trying to look at increasing efficiencies and reducing costs to the
district. Um the so we do have on there this has uh enabled us to actually outsource an evening shift uh over at Ben Franklin Elementary School. This is a continuation of a program that we have been doing for about 15 years. Um, the greatest part about this is that it
allows us to keep our staffing levels up when we go to contracts because if somebody can't be in, we do have coverage uh that gets uh taken care of and we do this. There have been no layoffs. There have been we protect our staff um which is great. But as personnel changes occur, we have
retirements and leaves and that sort of a thing. It really enables us to actually look at uh does outsourcing make sense? Um and if so, we have the ability to implement it. Um the pricing on this has actually been better than expected. So we'll be able to do that through the uh end of the year and then
we will go out for uh bids as we get into next year. Uh on the positive side looking to generate income uh we have SRE for our solar renewable energy credit uh sales will occur next month. Uh we are hoping to receive um hopefully
a couple hundred,000 worth of revenue which is great. Um, this is again another ongoing long-term project for the district. We are ending uh the ability to actually generate new revenue, but the nice thing is about solar and renewal renewable energy. Um,
it is a a gift that kind of keeps on giving. So while uh we probably have probably about one more sale left um but beyond that we will still continue to see reduced energy cost because we are actually uh putting money into the
energy into the grid which it allows us to get a credit going forward. So uh that has been a a I still remember when the district was proposing that uh even long before I got on the board. So that has been a very uh lucrative and very successful project. Tom said the
electric meter was running back >> backwards. Nice. >> Can you do that at my house? Wait a minute. I think I need that at my house. >> Yeah, Tom may have been running backwards next to the meter going. Um, but uh we're not allowed.
>> All right. Well, >> I was just thinking about can you actually spin them backwards like an odometer? You know, >> no. You might get in trouble. >> You might get in trouble. >> Yeah, just a little bit. >> Um the uh bulk of our meeting was actually and Tom had mentioned it uh on
uh the asbestous change order. Um so as Tom uh indicated that we do know that LMS with the age of that building um has had uh asbestous in it and every time we undertake a program uh we always look ahead to try to remove and abate uh that
and this is it's been several times in the past with boilers and certainly running uh infrastructure lines on it. We've always uh taken care of that. That way it will be uh remedied forever more. And uh the ceiling in the auditorium was one such project. It was included uh in
our initial plans and specifications. Um the change order that's on tonight's agenda is actually for the contractor that was going to do that. We had originally envisioned um that we would be, you know, creating bid specifications and going out and hiring a a contractor specifically to it. Um
but in to facilitate the project and actually schedule the timing uh so that it can be done over winter break. Um our contractor has said that he would be willing to do that. Um so we actually have a change order essentially to change who's going to be doing the work
um so that uh it can actually get done. Um importantly for the committee we actually were discussing a lot of um kind of the logistical steps that go into that and the work that will go into it. So, there will be um some pre-staging work um that will occur
right at the uh right right before the Christmas holiday, for instance, um so that signage will go up and we'll be able to actually get staff on site so they can see exactly what we'll be doing. uh they can get equipment in place uh and and all those types of
things. Um so that uh immediately after Christmas, as Tom had indicated, they're going to be on full steam ahead to get this project um done, remediated, removed, testing done um all in place before students and staff from after
break. So it will be a a fantastic project and then we will never have to worry about that again. Um and as Tom had said really the important thing is um the communication on that is going to start essentially immediately so that uh you know Mindy will be coordinating that
so it's certainly constrained to the one building uh so all parents staff um and students to the extent will will understand what's occurring even though they won't be around when it's actually almost done.
Uh we also had uh conversations uh regarding uh the budget as Tom had indicated uh we are well underway of having that. Um so the calendar is included on this evening's agenda for CUAC points. Um and uh there's also in
tonight's agenda I think it's like the last I don't know eight nine pages of the agenda. um actually is a little PowerPoint presentation of I guess what gets circulated amongst the staff that kind of goes into so you can see the tasks that actually go out to the departments, the schools and what goes
into Tom and Gerald and and the staff in building the budget and the thought process. um even down to questions like have you accounted for the you know increases in in in you know raises and those types of things that go in um because your budget is never going to be
static and so as they start planning forward so um for anybody who hasn't didn't get a chance to read that that is in the agenda packet this evening um uh the PA additional classrooms will also be in the budget proposal that continues to be a very successful project uh in
the district both for enabling us to get the students in sooner, our programming supports for the students uh and also for budgetary purposes um with the state assistance for that program. It turns out to be um very very um successful and
very positive for the residents of Lawrence. Um last two uh items that we discussed uh at our meeting was competitive contracting. there is an item on there that will allow us to continue to use competitive contracting. Uh and that is essentially allowing us
to use a pointsbased or a metricbased system rather than just low bid. Um we want to do that for certain contracts where we can build in kind of quantitative um analysis for uh biders uh that we would not get just by bidding out for
lowest price uh on that. Uh and specifically we're looking to do that for custodial uh services and environmental consultants. Uh the last thing that uh is kind of an ongoing thing but is a good reminder um for the committee is that we always uh continually uh as with personnel always
looking at staffing uh and management changes in order to generate capacity. Um and we do that. So for instance uh in the uh business office there has been a vacancy. It is being temporarily um backfilled. working out great and because of that uh it allows us to buy
us time to actually evaluate the needs of the position if there is the potential for a restructuring or if it's just going to be a fill. Um and same thing in the facilities office. There will be an upcoming uh resignation at the end of the year. And same thing, we're going to take our time to make
sure that that uh position and all the positions in the department are evaluated uh and that we'll match up staffing with whatever our needs are at that time. Um, so with that, that was a very busy uh meeting. >> You said you're going to be short. >> That was the uh Cliff's notes version of
the meeting. And with that, I will move SPM 1 through 19. >> Second. >> Um, with a motion in a second. >> Who is the Oh, Joanne. Okay. >> Pepper. Oh, good. >> Mr. Clark, >> yes. >> Miss Evans, >> yes.
>> Miss Kroger, >> yes. >> Miss Kelly, >> yes. >> Dr. King, >> yes. >> Miss Martinez, >> yes. >> Mr. Vanheis. >> Yes. >> Miss Bose. >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh was our second opportunity for public input. >> Seeing none. Uh new business. Dr. King.
>> Hey, >> the floor is yours. >> New business. Um you'll see on the agenda approvals of resignations for retirement, substitute positions, destinations shine, and eagle program staff. Uh, with that being said, I would
like to make a motion to move NB1 through NB16. >> Second. >> Tom, with a motion and a second. >> Mr. Clark, >> yes. >> Miss Evans, >> yes. >> Miss Kroger, >> yes. >> Miss Kelly, >> yes. >> Dr. King, >> yes. >> Miss Martinez, >> yes.
>> Mr. Vanheis, >> yes. >> Miss Bose, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. And with that, we're done. Can I have a motion to adjurnn? >> So move. >> All in favor? Hi. >> Thank you. >> Have a good night, everyone.
>> Thank you.