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Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=5_Fs-LTlJ68

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Welcome to our board meeting um this evening. Uh let's see. Sorry, where am I going here? Yeah. Okay. All right, Tom. Roll call, please. Miss Books

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>> here. Sorry. >> Thank you. Mr. Caparata >> here. >> Mr. Clark >> here. >> Miss Evans >> here. >> Miss Groger >> here. >> Miss Kelly >> here. >> Miss Martinez. >> Miss Pasculi

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>> here. >> Mr. Vanheis >> here. >> You have a quum. >> Thank you so much, Tom. Um, the Open Public Meeting Act authorizes the board of education to meet in executive session under certain circumstances. Um the board of education this evening um

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will be meeting to discuss uh specifically matters involving personnel issues including but not limited to employment appointment termination of employment terms and conditions of employment evaluation or promotion and specifically

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this evening we will be doing the CSA eval CSA evaluation. Um we also matters which if publicly disclosed would constitute an unwar invasion of individual priv privacy and this evening specifically hib formal action will not

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be taken. Exact session is expected to last approximately 30 minutes. Um all in favor I >> I so moved. >> Uh so we'll be done at approximately 7 o'clock. >> Okay.

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>> I'll second that time. It's okay. Oh, sorry. in our exec session meeting. Um, and welcome to our 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

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attend meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon as required under the law. Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided via email and or facts to the Times, the Lawrence Ledger, the Trentonian, the public library, and has been filed with

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the municipal clerk. This notice was provided prior to the 48 hours required by the open public meetings 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.

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Wonderful. Um, this evening we do not have any student representatives. Um, any recognitions or acknowledgements? >> No. >> Well, it's the summer. We give the students off, Joanne. >> I know >> they're out having fun.

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>> I miss them. >> Um, and uh, adoption of the minutes. May I have a motion to adopt the executive session and regular session minutes from the 610 2026 meeting and the regular session minutes from 68. >> So move second.

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>> I didn't even know I was done reading with a motion and a second. >> Who made it? Second, please. >> Kroger first was and I'm second. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> So Mr. Caparata. >> Yes. >> Mr. Clark.

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>> Yes. Miss Evans, >> yes. >> Miss Groger, >> yes. >> Miss Kelly, >> yes. >> Miss Pascali, >> yes. >> Mr. Vanheis, >> uh, yes to June 8th and abstain on June 10th. >> Noted, Miss Bose.

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>> Uh, yes to June 8th and abstain from June 10th. >> Okay, understood. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh, reports to the board. Superintendent report. Okay. Well, I am coming off a pretty um exciting >> trip to Honduras. I traveled with the

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students helping Honduras club here at the high school with our leader, Alisa Catz. Um what a heartwarming, amazing experience of immersive learning in a culture. Um what we got to experience are things that I only wish we could

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replicate here in Lawrence for our students. Our kids were resilient. They were working alongside a community so impoverished that you can't even begin to conceptualize a life um that is as difficult um but

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yet rewarding and filled with love and family. Um I have to say our children worked alongside the masons. We mixed cement. We built things brick by brick. Um you know we were staying in a hostel

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you know no air conditioning. We were invited into the homes of some of the Honduran families and they cooked us meals and we experienced um the culture in a way that is just so life-changing. So I want to just express my gratitude

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for this club under her leadership continuing for 13 years. That means 13 different groups of students have come alongside and gotten this immersive learning experience. And I think my takeaway in talking to my curriculum colleagues is more expens experiential

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learning for our students. Um it is so important. You know we can learn and and and you know sit with our textbooks and and have rich lessons but until you immerse yourself into the experience and show they don't know unless they're

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exposed. Um so that will be something forthcoming that we will be more intentional about here in this district. So, I just wanted to share it was like an incredibly impactful experience. I felt so grateful um to have gone on this trip. Um lots of mosquito bites, but we

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had a great time. Um and it was really just a chance to kind of clear our minds, disconnect from technology and be without and really truly understand how other communities are existing. Um I got a chance to look at classrooms and what

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their curriculum looks like. Um the world is their classroom. They are doing self- sustaining you know avocado trees and coconuts and there were you know melons d the kids were shaking from the trees and I can't even begin to tell you

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the the wonderful time that we had bonding and sharing this opportunity together. So I just wanted to say thank you for that. I also want to let uh the board and the community know that summer programs went off without a hitch. I am so thrilled and pleased to report that

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students were in classrooms on Monday. We are running programs all throughout the district at Eldridge Park, uh, Ben Franklin and the high school. Um, we have outstanding leaders that are running the programs this year. Um, some teacher leaders that were brought in to

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kind of help, you know, our leadership team support the learning efforts of the kids. We um are appreciative of our summer crews who have moved boxes and vacuumed rugs and cleaned doorways to make sure that the classrooms were warm and inviting. Um I can't thank our

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maintenance and custodial teams enough. Um under uh Wilson and of course Tom Eldridge's um leadership. We have a safe and welcoming um start to school planned. We will have new staff induction over the summer for some of our new hires. And I also want to report

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in on our construction project. We are closing in on some final details of the Lawrence Auditorium, which remains our phase one piece of the project. We'll be moving to phase two, hopefully breaking uh ground on the two-story edition either late summer or the fall. And I

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really just want to express my continued support of, you know, all of my team. We are at meetings for hours making really awesome decisions for the next 50 to 75 years of this district. So, thank you. >> Thank you so much, Dr. Prim. Uh, board

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secretary report. >> I I think that just about covered it, so I'll defer to the chairperson. >> God, the one time I remember to just go straight to you. Right. Um, first I, you know, uh, you know, on the on behalf of the entire board, I want to thank all of our staff, um, who

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have continued working throughout the summer to support our students and prepare for another successful school year. We appreciate the dedication and commitment that make Lawrence Township Public Schools a great place to learn and to grow. Um, and we were reflecting

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today on um, Dr. Clim's past year with the district and our community. And I just want to say um it is overwhelming to me the amount of work that our district gets done. Um it starts with a tremendous leader, but it also comes

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from an amazing staff um and people who are really committed to our students every day. um whether it is uh preparing our classes and cleaning them to providing the materials they need to the amazing teachers and educators that we

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have. Um when I reflect on this school year, um I am always blown away by the commitment that the Lawrence Township Public School community has to our kids.

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So, thank you to everybody and the config reconfiguration and the middle school project is so tremendous. Um, that along with our prek expansion are two of the things that are going to make this district really shine in the

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future. Um, and I do feel very uh blessed to be part of it. It's why I continue to do this. Um, and getting paid a lot of money, too. you know, as a board. No, I'm kidding. No pay for the board members. Um, but you know, I walk

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around our schools and I see beautiful buildings filled with beautiful people and I don't think we could ask for more for our students. Um, so thank you to Robin and to our leadership team, to every teacher, aid, custodial person,

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our tech team for making Lawrence a really special place. Um, and I I look forward to our summer breakish and a big September. >> Um, okay. Uh, Leah is on committee reports. We don't have a student board

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member yet here today, but next couple of weeks. Um, LTE Olga's not here, so we'll wait till our next board meeting. New Jersey School Board. Real quick, you ready? Joe, you're up. um they had the

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uh voting session before legislation teams go on their summer recess. So there are only really one or two that affect us. There are other ones that we don't participate in. So I'll just kind of go over the ones that I think will affect us. school-based partnership for

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access. Um it establishes a pilot program and the purpose of the program would be to connect students who have been identified as requiring longerterm mental health care or those who have high acuity behavioral health needs with

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the Spark pilot program navigator. Um this will provide uh various support services and that one was passed. one other one or actually two other ones um that really I think deal with us renewable energy contracts affordable

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power purchase agreements extension act s the seniority service credit for ESP and that's United States Department of Veterans Affair to be eligible for federal veteran benefits and the rest of them are on the desk and they're still

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batting them around so I'm not going to go over those and If you want to look for some. Okay, as you get up there, I'm going to just make >> a very quick announcement about public announcement. Um, the board of education recognized the value of public comment

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on educational issues and school matters of community interest in support of this position. And the law establishes a period of public comment at every board meeting. Individuals wishing to speak must state their name and address. Comments are limited to 3 minutes duration, but an individual may speak a

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second time after all others who wish to speak on the topic have been heard. The board may require that individuals register to speak prior to the beginning of the meeting. Participants may submit written materials in support of the position. All statements shall be

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directed to the presiding officer and no participant may address or question board members individually. All speakers are requested to express themselves in a civil manner with due respect for the dignity and privacy of others whose legal rights may be affected.

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Good evening. Um, good evening. Jim Cle, 158 Copperfield Drive. Um, I've been wondering how you people are going to begin to absorb all these uh

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students that must going to be coming your way. But besides that, I'll try to talk fast. I at last council meeting I was asking about pilot programs because my recollection about pilot programs were

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that they were things like for um hospitals and and prep the private school that kind of thing and I didn't realize that there's a lot of them for and and more of them coming now for just

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plain developments and so because I was clearly ignorant the township manager was kind enough to send me something that he had sent a while back to to the uh council describing

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how wonderful a thing it was for the council because that they got that they got all the the payment in lie of of uh of taxes and except for 5% going to the

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to the uh county and of course you people don't get anything. >> Uh and uh and and he goes on to say that most of the time they were for retail or development or commercial or or uh seniors, lowincome seniors that didn't

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have and there were no students involved. Well, now there's a lot of them going on. Well, there is going to be students involved. 31 31 Princeton Pike is one outstanding example, but there's down Texas Avenue and uh and

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ETSs and uh and I'm just really wondering how in the world they expect the board of ed to cope with this. I I

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don't it what what are you I I know you aren't going to be able to answer this, but it seems to me that the only thing you can do is raise enormous taxes on the people that already are paying taxes because the new ones you're not allowed

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to tax. Um and that's my which I just find so appalling and unfair. >> Thank you. >> Um Mr. Clique, if um you care. Uh in my other role, I am actually special

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counsel to the township and I'm working on the ETSs and the pilot agreements and those types of things. If you want to have a discussion about that, I'm happy to do that offline. Um, I think for the public and for the the the benefit of my involvement on the township side is that

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I'm trying to bring that and certainly Robin and Michelle and the administration know that I'm actually available and I've actually had to been in meetings and kind of clarify my role is on both both ends, but we are um, you know, on the town side, we are working to meet our constitutional obligations

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for affordable housing. that does have implications and will have implications to the board and we are working through those right now. But the board um and clearly our administration have been having those conversations with the township so that that both sides are

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able to keep in communication and plan for long term both for the growth and then what the implications are going to be for the district. Mhm. I mean, I know that the the mixture of affordable and ratable, that's what's required. And I I don't think well, I guess everybody

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always says not in my backyard. But in reality, if you're fair about it, you know that this is that's not to me that's not the issue. It's just like how in the world are do they expect this the school in in this kind of

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situation to absorb a lot of new kids that they can't get any revenue for? >> Yeah. Selfishly the the courts have looked at the municipality has an obligation to constitutional obligation to meet the needs of all of its

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residents including the lowest income. And the courts have separately looked at and said and the school district has an op obligation constitutional obligation to meet the needs of the students that acrew from that. So the courts it's a court-driven process and the courts look

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at those separately and so the town will meet and we have a plan to meet the obligation which is a good thing for the town because if you don't meet that obligation it gives builders the ability to actually dictate how that obligation will be met. And similarly, the district is well poised to to meet the

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obligations long term. >> I mean, I know you can't keep on, but I mean, I would think if there wasn't any affordable housing at all, and if it was all ratable, whatever it is, if if you can't get any revenue, the board

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from new students, you follow me? >> The the district so the pilot revenues and this is again, we can have a much longer conversation offline. Yes. The reality of it is that that the board will set its the budget. We set the district budget and it will be funded.

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So the pilot revenue, it's it's a misnomer that we're not going to receive the revenue that's necessary to meet our obligations. So the pilot revenue is a whole different structure and and that's a much longer conversation. >> Good to hear.

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>> Yes. >> I'd love to hear. >> Okay. Thank you. Okay. Board discussion and work session. Nothing tonight. No. Uh board discussion and action items. Personnel committee report and

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personnel action items. >> Okay. Personnel met July 1st 8:15 a.m. via Google Meet and in attendance was Shan Fry, Arendelle Clark, Mackenzie Kelly, and myself, Joanne Kroger. Uh we discussed vacancies including Slackwood

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Elementary School nurse, middle school math, high school physics, and Lawrence Elementary third grade position, which you'll see on the agenda. We've taken care of quite a few of those. We'll be recommending Lawrence High English

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personnel, Ben Franklin special ed, Slackwood and K um kindergarten position, and an athletic trainer. We discussed early childhood job description and the position. If you look on uh P35, you'll see that that's

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on our agenda tonight. Also on the agenda tonight, approval for transfers, correction of dates, few resolutions, one being the the P35. Um and I don't know, do we want to recognize or wait till later that the >> Yes.

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>> Okay, you may second. >> Yes. Um, an Angita Parado, we're moving her uh job title to director of early childhood education once it's voted upon, and we thank you for being here. The U presentation that we received last

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board meeting was phenomenal. So, thank you for the hard work and dedication. And once we vote, we'll then celebrate. Little putting the the cart before the horse, but I just couldn't miss saying that. Um, we also looked for uh staff

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members. You'll see on the agenda for staff members for 2627 school year along with EDPs the same school year. School nurses for summer hours. Staff for jump start program and substitute staff for extended school year program. Uh

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security monitors. Uh nurse paid for unused vacation days and staff members to attend a pilot program. leave replacement, salary adjustments, unpaid leaves, and one paid leave of absent absence. Um, certified and non-certified

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staff to work athletic events for the high school and middle school. With all those listed above, I'd like to move P1 through P44, please. >> Second, >> Tom, with a motion and a second, please. >> Mr. Caparata, >> yes. >> Mr. Clark, >> yes. >> Miss Evans,

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>> yes. >> Miss Groger, >> yes. >> Miss Kelly, >> yes. Miss Martinez, excuse me, Miss Pascouli, >> Mr. Vanheis, >> yes. >> Miss Bose, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. CIAD report and um student

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service action items. >> CIP do not meet. We are meeting later in the month. And so that Thank you. >> I can't hear you. >> With that, I'll make a motion uh for OAS1. It's a travel log. OIS2 motion to

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approve a physician from Princeton Medical Group to cover LHS home football games. Motion to approve um orthopedic, is that how you say it? Uh for LHS home football games. Motion to approve uh student athletes to attend sportsmanship

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summit. There's also um New Jersey learning acceleration program high impact tutoring grant for motion to approve that for the summer and a commissioner approved activity option for highly effective educators from 2026

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to 27. Uh and that involves a change taking advantage of a waiver in regulation. Motion to approve Ryder University's radio broadcast request and a motion to approve the renewal of LinkedIn data warehousing for the amount

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of $46,000390. >> Second. >> Thank you. >> And also can you do OSS1? >> Oh yeah, I was just um there's also motion to approve OSS one and two for outer district placements and the HIV.

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>> Second. The motion in two seconds. Just leave it up. >> Great. >> Mr. Caparado, >> yes. >> Mr. Clark, >> yes. >> Miss Evans, >> yes. >> Miss Kroger, >> yes. >> Miss Kelly, >> yes.

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>> Miss Pasculi, >> yes. >> Mr. Vanheis, >> yes. >> Miss Bose, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Uh, finance committee report and school business management >> action items. Finance met July 1st. Our

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in in our group were Paul Caparada, Diane Cully, Kevin Vanheis was absent. Um, thank you. And joining us were Jill Yubri and Jen Baldeseri. Tom Eldridge

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was there and as well as me. Um, our first order of business is always breakfast. Uh then we moved on to Edgar crossing 206 intersection. Tom reported that he met with the township manager and other

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township officials regarding alternatives to students crossing at Route 206 and Edgar crossing road. Various crossing and busing alternatives were discussed. Uh we talked about LMS construction being on time and on budget. We have minor change orders on

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the agenda. talked about hiring a demographer uh a specific to make a specification ready for competitive proposals within the next 30 days. We talked about Ryder. Tom reported that he does not see any

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foreseeable problems from the DOE or legal regarding a uh leasing a residence hall from Ryder for the purpose of housing a life skills program. We had no new business and no policies on your agenda.

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You'll see bills list budget approving uh school money second >> um with a motion in a second, please. >> Mr. Caparata, >> yes. >> Mr. Clark, >> yes. >> Miss Evans,

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>> yes. >> Miss Groger, >> yes. >> Miss Kelly, >> abstain. >> Uh, Miss Pascoli, >> yes. >> Mr. Vanheis. >> Yes. >> Miss Bose. >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Um so next opportunity for

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public input. >> New business. >> Yeah. >> Okay. You will find a new business. We have a leave replacement counselor for the middle school substitutes, summer testing approvals, and location adjustments. And with that, move NB1

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through NB11. Please >> second. >> Tom, with a motion in a second, please. >> Sorry. >> Okay. >> Mr. Caparata? >> Yes. >> Mr. Clark? >> Yes. >> Miss Evans? >> Yes. >> Miss Groger? >> Yes. >> Miss Kelly?

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>> Yes. >> Miss Pasculi? >> Yes. >> Mr. Van His? >> Yes. >> And Miss Bose? >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Um, and before we adjourn, I just know we would like to say a little something to >> Ignita. Agnita, if you want to. >> Yes.

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>> Welcome, director Partardo. Congratulations. >> So proud of you. >> Thank you for your hard work and grit in launching a program. It is no fault small feat when you put together 17 classrooms in one year. Um we're growing

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a little bit slower next year. We got two classrooms, but when we reconfigure, we anticipate almost doubling the amount that we're serving now, which is an incredible opportunity for children. We talk about closing learning gaps before they even start. This is the ultimate

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form of equity, and through your vision, we will continue to do such great things here in this district. So, welcome officially in your new role. And we were very fortunate when you made your presentation um for the full board to really see all

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that has gone on. Some of our board members are newer and have not been around since the inception of this and how much hard work went into getting us to where we are today. and um we all attribute it to your hard work um and

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commitment to this district um and working well with so many people in our district to get us to where we are. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Great. And with that, I will have >> motion to adjurnn. >> Motion to adjurnn. >> Second.

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>> All in favor? I I >> Okay. Thank you everybody. Have a wonderful evening. >> Thank you.