Welcome everyone to uh the Lawrence Township Board of Education uh board meeting this evening. Okay, Tom opening. Miss Bose here. Mr.
Clark here. Miss Evans here. Miss Kroger here. Dr. King. Miss Martinez here. Miss Pasculi here. Mr. Vanheis is absent. And you have a quorum. Great. Thank you so much. Uh the open public meeting act
authorizes the board of ed to meet in executive session under circumstance certain circumstances. Uh the open public meeting act requires the board adopt a resolution at a public meeting to go into a private session. Um this evening um in exact session we'll be
discussing uh matters which if publicly disclosed would constitute an unwarranted invasion of individual privacy and specifically this evening we will be discussing HIB. No formal action will be taken. Executive session is expected to last about 20 minutes and
then we will be um back out for the public section. Um can I have a motion to move into exec session? to introduce our performers this evening before we start the board meeting. Thank you very much, Dr. Clim. Good evening. Good evening, board. Good evening,
assorted community members. Thank you very much for joining us this evening. Uh this will be our uh final uh student art spotlight of the 2425 school year. On behalf of my uh secondary arts supervisor colleague,
Miss Sarah Foster, and myself, I'd like to thank the board for having us to the meetings every uh month this year to uh have to spotlight a different element of our arts program throughout the district. Tonight, we have from Ben Franklin Elementary School, Miss Laflame
is directing our third grade uh recorder uh recorder group, and they'll be performing two numbers for us tonight. Love. [Applause]
Good evening. We are third grade students from Ben Franklin. Parents, you can come up and take pictures if you want. You can come up from Should we go have them turn around? want them to turn. We are going to play two songs for you tonight. Oh, okay.
Thank you. Then the parents, you may know our first song, Hawk Cross Buns. One of my favorites, but you haven't heard it like this before. [Music]
Hot crossuns. One a penny. Hot cross buns. Hot cross buns. Hot cross buns. One
a cross buns. [Music] Hot cross buns are a thing of beauty.
You can eat them plain or extra fruipor. [Music]
Hot cross buns. Hot cross buns. One a two a cross buns. Hot cross buns. Hot cross buns. One a two a hot cross
buns.
[Music]
Hot cross buns are a thing of beauty. You can eat them or extra fruipor. Hot cross buns. [Applause] Our last song is Perry the Sheep.
Thank you for having us to perform tonight. The sheep fell asleep. Did a sheep sleep and ate a record. Now he talks like this. Now he talks like
this. Oh the sheep [Music] fell and say hello. [Music]
the sheep fell asleep. Did a sheep sleep and a record say I'm hungry. [Music]
Oh, the sheep fell asleep. I made her say I'm [Music]
happy. Oh, the sheep fell asleep. Say goodbye. Say goodbye. [Applause]
Thank you very much. Thank you, Miss Leaf. Flamelain, and thank you, Ben Franklin, third graders. We have one more uh component to our art spotlight this evening. Uh Miss Scarupa. Oh, actually before I introduce Miss Garupa, uh the art that you saw on the way in this evening, uh are some examples from
our Ben Franklin kindergarteners. And we have a few of our student artists from Ben Franklin with us tonight to share their thoughts on what their art means to them and their future. So, Miss Scarupa, would you bring your students up, please? Good evening everyone. Thank you for
having us tonight. The artwork over here was created by our kindergarteners. All kindergarters artwork and we discuss the different ways that we can change the world, how we can be kind and others. I have
five, [Applause] Alex. And we have some future world changers here. What would you like to tell everybody? What changed the world? the captain the animals.
Be kind to everyone. Take care of the little kids. Be kind to people in your community. Take respons take responsibility for other people. [Applause]
You got to get pictures of that. [Applause] Yes, we've been upstaged. Thank you so much, friends. That was
beautiful. Change that world. Okay, thank you again to all of our student performers. That was wonderful and we look forward to seeing you guys next year. Okay, welcome everybody. Um, the New Jersey open public meeting law was
enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend 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
and or facts to the Times, the Lawrence Ledger, 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 by the law. We do our flag salute of the stands nationy and justice for all. Okay, great. Um, first we'll have our student representative report. Come on up. How are they going to follow up
after those kids? Where's the recorder? Hello, I'm Joseph Fam and uh I'm a senior here at LHS. Um some important things coming up is that we have AP testing throughout this week and next week in including the following week a little bit. Um and also, uh LHS senior
prom is on June the 5th. Thank you. Thank you. Hi, I'm Nick Bonkevage. here to talk about our baseball team. Our baseball team has been doing extremely well recently. They won their division three years in a row and this Friday they have a game against Trenton at 4 p.m.
starting their CVC tourney journey and hoping to get back to the final. Thank you. Great. Fantastic. Hi, my name is Danielle NeAs. I'm a junior here at LHS. I am a part of the early childhood development 2 program and upcoming we have the EPS field day
as well as the Ben Franklin field day that we're looking forward to and peer leadership is also going to be helping out at the L field day which we're all really excited for. Thank you. Wonderful. Thank you so much guys. You're welcome to go home if you want. You don't have to stay. Thank you
cheerleaders. Thank you so much. That was a very long game yesterday but it was awesome. Well done. Is the Trenton game home or away? It's home. Good to know. Okay. Okay. Um, recognitions and
acknowledgements. Dr. Clint. Okay. So, for a year, we have the gentleman that has sat with us at the Deis, uh, Mr. Edison Ryan. And we have a very special thank you gift. You're probably wondering why are we giving it to him tonight? because June will be his
official final board meeting, but we're giving it to him tonight with the hopes of introducing the new student rep who will be in the audience and we'll give them a chance to really pass the baton. So, on behalf of the board of education, I want to thank Edison Ryan for his service to the board. This is his
student representative recognition award. You're the first recipient of this award. On behalf of Florence Township Public Education and the Board of Education, we want to Thank you. Um, and if the rest of the board can join us
up here, um, I think Miss is going to take a picture. Stand up. Yeah, probably. Yes. Come on, Tom. Thank you. Congratulations. Thank you. You set the bar high. Yes, you did.
Okay. Um, adoption of the minutes. Oh, yes. I have a motion to adopt the executive session and regular session minutes from the 49 2025 meeting. So moved. Second. Tom with a motion and a second.
Mr. Clark, yes. Miss Evans, yes. Miss Groger, yes. Dr. King. Yes. Miss Martinez. Yes. Miss Pasculi. Yes. Miss Bose. Yes. Motion carried. Thank you. Uh reports to the board. Superintendent
report. First, I really wanted to start by thanking Ben Franklin and giving my gratitude to Jen Scrupa for the beautiful um artwork display this evening and Miss Laflame for the lovely recorder musicians. I think I speak for all of us. That is a very different hot cross buns than I remember. um very
cool, very innovative, and the kids look like they had a great time. So, thank you for sharing your musical gifts and your artistic gifts with us this evening. Your performance all year, um has really been something that's been coordinated by Dr. Barrya and Miss Sarah Foster, um supervising the arts and
music, and it's really just added such a nice flavor to our board meetings and really set the tone for a nice evening for all of us. Um I wanted to note that May is mental health awareness month. It's always a reminder of our commitment to supporting the emotional well-being of all of our students. Fostering mental
health is essential to creating a safe, inclusive, supportive uh learning environment. Today is also school nurses day, so let's not forget how deeply grateful we should all be to our strong nursing team for their daily care, compassion that they provide our schools. They're often on call for
medical and and emotional needs of our students and we want to thank them because oftentimes the nurse's office is the safe place to go. So, special shout out to Bry Kalin, Rebecca Don, uh Dardy, Allison Lai, Lorie Wilson, Juliana
Gallo, Diana Bridgeforth, Cynthia Rean, Rachel Shalier, and Janelle Jones. I'd also like to share this month I'll be communicating with families regarding a launch of a new residency verification program. Lawrence Township Public Schools has had a has not had a
consistent district-wide residency verification practice in place for many years. Implementing this program is a proactive step recommended to all districts to help ensure accurate enrollment numbers. It plays a critical role in supporting our budget process, staffing decisions, and the overall
efficiency of our educational programming. So more information will be forthcoming. And finally, it is teacher appreciation week. On behalf of the entire district leadership team, I want to express our deepest appreciation for the excellence. And believe me, I'm not naming them all, but you are all out
there. Um, and we do appreciate you. Your dedication, skill, and care is the foundation of all things that we do, and we are so proud and grateful to all of you. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Clim. Board Secretary report. In the interest of saving time, I'll defer to the
finance report. I think everything is captured there. Yes. Okay. Thank you. Um board president report. I don't really have anything to report this evening. Um as you can see, we are down one board member, um Amanda Santos. Um I just want
to congratulate her on her appointment to town council. Um I'm sad for the board and our community. She was a amazing board member for us and um I want to wish her a lot of luck in whatever she does and our town is lucky
to have her. Um we will miss you dearly on this uh board um and in our district. Um what that means for the public is we will be accepting resumeumés and letter of intent if you're interested in being on our board. Um, we probably will start
um interviewing in the next couple of weeks. Um, but we will be accepting any resumeumés as soon as possible. We will be posting the position and how to apply for it. Um, but think about it and if anybody in the public is interested or has questions, feel free to reach out to
myself or any of our board members. Um it's a it has been a really amazing opportunity for me personally um as we celebrate teacher appreciation month month is it the week week I apologize
week um and nurses uh week um I I would be remiss if I I didn't say how much the teachers and the people that work in this school have meant to me personally um and it has been an honor and pleasure to serve on this board and to serve our
community. Um, so I hope that sounds like something people out there want to do if they've had a great experience and want to give back. This is a pretty special board. Um, it has been really amazing for me to work with them and with Dr. Clim and Tom and our
administrative team. Um, so I'm just trying to get the word out there. If anybody's listening and knows somebody who might be interested, please come forward. We welcome you. Um and the only other thing I want to say is as you can see on the board agenda this evening uh we have a board
discussion and work session and we will be discussing the 2526 budget which is different from how we've done it in the past. Um but we now have to do it this way due to legal requirements. Um and I think that's all that I have to say this
evening. Um and we'll start with our liaison reports and this will be your second to last liaison report Edison. So floor is yours. All right. Thank you. Good evening everyone with the main focus of the last month being preparation for this and next week's AP
exams. I haven't received much feedback from students. That being said, we've had a successful first couple days kicking it off with biology, microeconomics, and chemistry to name a few. Uh, regarding the feedback I did receive, numerous students have voiced uh that overhead speakers are a little bit too loud in bathrooms um especially
during morning announcements and are requesting for the output volume to be reduced to a more comfortable volume if possible. Um, additionally, as with most months this year, students have continued to express frustration about the number of blocked websites. This was something that I sort of voiced earlier in the year and it's sort of stopped
bringing it up because it was so consistent but it's been a consistent concern um which is particularly prevalent for websites that have direct application for classroom or uh curriculum activities and I believe much of the disconnect here is due to students being unaware as to why websites blocked by default are
necessary as to why websites are blocked by default which is necessary for Kappa and FBA compliance and as a result I've attempted to notify the student body of the reasoning behind website blocking in attempt to create understanding and awareness. Um, that's all I've got for this month. So, thank you for your time. This concludes my report. Thank you so
much. Um, Lawrence Township Education Foundation. All right, I'll roll everything in. LTE did meet. Um, the Lawrence Has Talent was a huge success. Many thank you. Many thanks to all that
participated, donated to make the event so successful. We're looking forward to the VR event at LIS on May 28th due to a grant from LTE. Um, also LTE is looking to have a student intern for next year. So, more
to come on this. You set the example for us and we all want the same. So, thank you. Um, upcoming events next year, September 6, will be a fun runwalk for those that would prefer either of those. Uh it'll be a 5K November 14th handbag
bingo. So put that on your calendar. Also, personally, many thanks to all those who have volunteered at LTE to make this school year such a huge successful one. The amazing grants that they have funded have really made our
district shine and and we thank all that have been involved with that and look forward to starting it all over again next year. uh direct link did meet. Many thanks to our Jen Buldeseri for organizing and scheduling our Direct
Link meetings throughout the school year. At this meeting, we met um we got to meet some new faces and learned about outdoor education programs and sites for an array of programs and events that will be happening throughout our area.
Some good summer programs, too. Great ideas were shared, questions were answered, and using info@ltps.org or was pointed out as the most accurate site for any questions or information anyone may want or need. It was
reiterated that social media is not the place to gather your information from, but instead go to info@ltps.org. Uh, Project Graduation met is it last night? My nights were all blending together. This will be the 36th
year for this event, which is pretty exciting. um alluding to June 5th as the prom coming up. The senior breakfast is always held in the morning of the prom. At this breakfast project graduation will be explained to all the students
that plan to attend what the rules are to keep them safe and that there will be no surprises. They'll know what they can and can't do. Then after that, the students move outside for a simulation of a crash site. Students will then move inside to review the legal processes of
an accident and responsibilities if found impaired while driving. This is really important. Uh June 25th beginning 11:00 in the evening. This is an alcohol and drugfree program, Project Graduation. It allows our seniors to get
together for their very last time to enjoy food, activities, friendships they've made throughout all of their school years. It's an important thing. And I hope that the kids realize what it is and how you really don't all get together again. Um then also for a
little side note, we need volunteers desperately to chaperon this event. We have enough pretty much for the first half of the evening, but the second half of the evening is not filling up. And that means people may have to stay the whole time. So if you're thinking your
kids won't want you to be there, think again. You don't even see them. They're having such a great time. So, please sign up. It's a great night for the parents. It's good music, good fun. It's a good time. Um, another fundraiser will be a raffle for VIP seating at the Cure
Arena for graduation. They're looking for the raffle to begin May 19th. So, please jump on that. There are only 20ish lawn signs left for graduating seniors. So, if you didn't get your sign, they're running out. So, quick,
please do that, too. Uh, New Jersey school boards, I'll jump on to that. Sorry. Delicate assembly is this coming Saturday morning. I'll be there from 8:30 to 12. Uh, three resolutions are being submitted. One, resolutions about esports and participants earning varsity
letters. Second resolution is about school nurses and required credits for them to earn their certification. The third one is excused absences for students to attend trade union union tradings or meetings. And I'll update
you after that meeting Saturday. Monday here at Lawrence, not in this room, but at the commons will be the last Mercer County meeting for our school year. Um the county association is going to award several
certifications recognitions all will and also the teacher of the year Nicole Hamlet from Trenton Central High School will be honored. The executive director Timothy Pernell will be attending this meeting. Um it'll be an opportunity just for have conversation one-on-one with
New Jersey school board people. So please make sure you come. Um, if you're interested in attending in person at six o'clock, 6:45 for those that would like to attend virtually, reminder workshop, October 30th through the 23rd, the
theme, your ticket to big ideas and bright futures. And that's my those are all of my reports except for personnel. Thank you so much. Um, student services. Student services
meeting was held on May 5th. In attendance was Vanessa Bicaria and myself, Arendelle Clark. Items to highlight. Um, school testing, as mentioned before, advanced placement testing is taking place this week at the high school when makeup's available. Um,
next week, in two weeks, the high school will start the NJSLA testing. ESY and Connect staffing, planning, and preparations are complete for ESY and Connect for the 2025 summer session. Finalized information will be sent to
parents as we approach the end of the year. This week uh is teacher appreciation and national nurses appreciation. We're thankful for our teachers and nurses with everything they provide and overcoming the challenges that are presented to them every day as they deliver the best quality and
education to our students. Thank you to the High School Quest program for reading to classrooms in Ben Franklin and the LMS MD program for reading to students at Eldridge Park. This was a wonderful way to close out the month of April celebrating autism
awareness. A proud moment to mention for our district is the feedback that we received about autism awareness month. not just the events that occurred in our respective schools, but also the cross involvement between schools, putting into action acceptance and inclusion in
a way that shows anyone can achieve greatness if we just allow ourselves to be there for one another. It was done in a way where inclusion wasn't about making exceptions by by making everyone a part of the process. What makes this exceptional is not so much the
reflections we have on on ourselves as a district, but the feedback that has been relayed from outside the boundaries of this district as well, impacting the hearts and minds of others, not only in schools, but other professions, too. The public is amazed at the display that an
entire district body can accomplish when we work as one. By providing the baseline we've encouraged discussion among those who have witnessed our accomplishments. How can one improve or how one can start could be one of those potential questions that start the
progress towards inclusion for many. Lauren should be very proud of the example we are setting and the impact we're making on our communities near and far. Sense member. Thank you so much. on the
uh review of communications. Okay. Uh first opportunity for public input. Hello. Please state your name and limit your comment to three minutes. I hope it's three minutes. I actually don't know. And welcome. Thank you. It's
your first time. It's my first time here. Well, Amanda Santos for anybody who didn't know. Um, forgive me on fire today. Okay. Um, I I wrote some stuff down just so I can get
through it. Uh, good evening everyone. I want to begin by saying thank you for the privilege to serve on the Lawrence Township Board of Education. Uh, being part of this board has been one of the most painful and fulfilling experiences of my life. It has shaped me, challenged
me, and deepened my commitment to public service in ways I couldn't have imagined. Tonight, with mixed emotions and technical difficulties, I wanted Is that it? Good. I wanted to publicly announce my resignation from
the board effective yesterday, May 6th. This decision comes after being appointed to the Lawrence Township Council, a somewhat unexpected but nevertheless humbling opportunity to continue serving our community in a new and different capacity. To be honest, this decision has not been easy. I care deeply about
this district, about our students, our families, and the work we do together. Uh, if I'm being honest, I've wrestled with feelings of guilt and concern about the timing. But I truly believe that stepping into this role allows me to continue advocating for the very same
values that brought me to the school board in the first place. Inclusion, transparency, and the deep belief in the potential of every child. This is the worst part. I'm grateful for the friendships and partnerships I formed here and for the
collaborative problem solving and shared commitment to what's best for our students. I'm especially thankful to the administration and to my fellow board members for your dedication and for all the time, heart, and energy you pour into this work. Although I'm stepping away from
the board, I'm not going far. I hope to serve as a bridge between the district and the township and to be a resource and advocate for the needs of our schools from a new vantage point. I'm almost done. Thank you again for the trust you've placed in me. I'll carry this
chapter with me always with pride, gratitude, and respect. Thank you. Thank you. your absence will be felt by all of us. Um, and as I said before, thank you for all that you've done and given us, and we look forward to continued partnership
with the town council. Um, and know that you will represent Lawrence Township Public Schools wherever you go. So, we feel very um appreciative for that. So, go get them. We'll see you. We know where you live.
[Laughter] So, okay. Um board discussion and work session. Um this evening during our work session, we will be um conducting our public hearing on the 2526
uh uh budget. Um, can I have a motion to conduct the public hearing on the 2526 budget? So move and a second. Second. All in favor? I. Okay. Tom, the floor is yours.
Robin, you want to begin? Okay. I guess I'll begin. Thank you, Joey. So, this is the official budget hearing. The hearing is uh the first hearing that we had or at least presentation anyway was meant to inform the board of education as to what
it was that they were taking action on and submitting for the initial review by the state of New Jersey and we did that a couple months ago. What we're presenting this evening is identical to that. There have been no changes. Um we have been steadfast with what we proposed. We stick by it. This
discussion this evening or presentation is the official public hearing and we've changed the way we are doing this. As you may have noticed, we just opened up by formal motion to conduct the public hearing. We're going to open the floor to the public um and asking if they have
any questions about the budget that we present. Uh that is also an agenda item that you'll see. And so essentially what we've done is we've formalized what we've always done. And so the sequence is the same. Uh it just has a WS number
for work session. Um that's the first change I've seen in our agenda in my entire time here that we have a WS uh section. So um here we go. So the strategic plans and goals are as you see them. Uh you're well repres
these are represented by the board's goals, the superintendent's goals and those again have not changed. you see them and you talk about them in all of your committees for the public. This is what drives our focus. So we set goals, they're not easily changed, they are not
easily attainable. They are stretch goals if you want to call them that. And the goals are as you see them. I won't read them completely to you, but the first goal being the preschool expansion, which you know uh we are almost doubling in size for the 2526 school year. In addition to that, we
have a community component where we have four classrooms on the other side of town um uh to to have a presence in the community, not just in our neighborhood schools, but even where we don't have schools. So, Lawrence Day School and the Lawrence Township Board of Education are
collaborating on an effort. Um and we are also opening five classrooms within the district. So, that's nine classrooms altogether. Four at Lawrence Day School, five within the district. Goal two, college and career readiness. Um you'll find that throughout our
budget. You'll see what we do uh that in our schools today. Um and so that's represented in any number of things uh across the the uh the appropriations. I will remind some folks that you shouldn't be looking just for an
appropriation. Our budget is primarily made up of salaries and benefits. When we move a focus, we move our focus of our professionals. our professionals focus um doesn't cost us anything more. What we s simply say is we're going to
look to do the things that we do today not with a new set of goals but with an emphasis in a different direction. And so one of the things that our staff would like to have and of course we all do is the knowledge that what we're doing today is exceptional. Um, and we
believe that what our staff does in teacher appreciation week being the week that we recognize that is indeed you're doing exceptional work. We want you to keep on doing that and look at these things as well in terms of what you're doing with emphasis community engagement and stakeholder engagement through the
district reconfiguration. Um, you'll see that we have a liaison role on our school board agenda for the ad hoc committee for our reconfiguration. Um, we're working through that as well as other things as we embark on our referendum. We talk about community
engagement. We're looking at things like our community conversations that we had. We're also talking about things that we're doing right here, right now in the form of a board meeting, representation u at project graduation. Many of the things that Joanne Grover had talked
about and many of the things where uh Dr. Clim spends her time whether at a baseball game or a community event. I was at the softball game today. It was amazing how far some of these kids can hit. Um so showing up is
important. Our initiatives um those were pretty much captured in what we said a moment ago, but those are emphasized here um through the expansion of the uh preschool, the CTE program, the public service academy. uh
whether we're looking at data teams to make decisions. You heard a database uh data rather decision-m um what we've also done is uh maintain or our police presence in our school. This is important. We couple Amanda Santos was just at the podium talking about
building bridges between the township and the school district. This is uh important. We have a great relationship with our police department and our town council who want to maintain that and they want to maintain that as well. It's one community and the police presence is
uh exceptional. In fact, uh one of our officers was just deployed and the response that he received in terms of his going away was exceptional. Um that was something that people were nervous about and now our whole school community embraces our officers as we expected.
We always look to engage our our families and we'll continue to do that and of course we'll look to refine our practices and change and we have to do that because our students change and so we're always moving. The referendum is going to be a lift that you're going to hear for 5
years. We'll bring more information to you on a regular basis about that. We'll keep doing it trans in a way that's transparent um where the board members get to see our notes. So if you sit in the audience and you wonder do the board members know what the administration is
is doing and uh are they following and being adherent to the goals? Our board members have our actual notes on our meetings that we have. Um and so as if they would were there actually virtually in the room um and sometimes they will
be the economic influences are are relatively unchanged from what they've always been. um our salary increases and the cap that we have our salary increases are market driven uh long ago um they were CPI driven but we haven't
seen those days in 25 years um so supply and demand governs uh our teacher um recruitment benefits and insurance are also part of that uh factor in terms of our recruitment and retention and
benefits as you know are going up uh at some in some cases is uh our prescription costs are going up in the 20% uh where our medical costs are somewhere in the 7% to 12 and that is in keeping with what's happening in the economy at large. Our pension costs are
uh around 17% for the public employees retirement system. Uh the teachers pension and annuity fund is funded through the state of New Jersey. our transportation costs. Uh we are renewing tonight on the agenda. You'll see a multi-page in addition to the many multi-page tables that you have. You'll
see a table there for our transportation costs and they are flat. Um that is the majority uh on the agenda tonight are the to and from transportation for general education. We'll address special education uh which we also anticipate being flat at the June agenda. tuition
and contracted services um have uh increases. Those reflect uh they're significantly less than what we see with respect to our medical benefits and more in line with inflation. Um hovering somewhere around 5% in that range right there. Although I will remind the board
that it's not just inflation that changes things, but it's student needs. So as students come into the district, if you see an increase in our budget in certain areas, it may reflect changes in needs and not just inflation. So what we do is we lay out our budget for you and we give you what
we have here as a USA Today overview where we show you the uh current year's budget. We compare it to the proposed budget and the changes and you can see where those are. I won't read those to you aloud. It's driven by general education and special education than employee
benefits. It would be more uh intuitive to say that these benefits are spread out amongst all these programs um is how it really works. So you could prorrate them out and they would be in proportion to what you see here, but they have their own categories. So they stand alone. But of course these are actually
spread out among gened, special education, support services and so on. And the pie chart there shows you where we are in terms of how much we spend on our budget in proportion and overall budget. We're seeing a an increase uh in
this area and a small decrease in this area, but it's been it's floated uh either way over the course of years. We don't see a trend. The advertised appropriations, this is what we found. Something similar to this. We've taken out a full page,
maybe two-page ad in the electronic newspaper these days, of course. Um, and so we have copies of this in our office. And there's something similar to this on the agenda this evening. You'll see that what we provided for you for the first time this evening is a multi-page
budget. And that is a requirement that was handed down to us uh from the state through the county uh asking us to change the way not just Lawrence but the state presents uh school districts present their budgets. And so what you'll see is something that represents
this. Again, once more, if you look at our salaries, tuition, transportation, energy, uh and things of that nature in terms of just those items alone, it's roughly 92% of our budget. We called this out simply to say that most of our
budget is core program and not necessarily as some people would see as discretionary. Supplies can vary and in this uh we'll call it a bucket right here. This category ranges from support supplies to uh direct instruction. Same
thing with services. This is our proposed revenue for the school year. Of course, it equals at the bottom the same as our proposed appropriations. And the changes that we see here are an increase in state aid and we have an increase in tax
levy. Um so we were fortunate enough to see some of additional money in our state aid. We have a small decrease here in some federal funding. Um that is not the result of anything happening uh at the the federal level. This was uh underway long before the uh current
administration. the tax rate, what does it translate to? Uh well, if it boils down, we have here at the bottom. So, we're roughly $150 uh more, a little bit less than that for the average assessed home at
$285,767. And again, once more, for transparency, similar to what we have with the referendum, you can find all of our documents online. You'll see there's a folder now that says 2526. This information is already posted there for
people who would be interested. You see our agenda and you notice that those tables are so tiny because we're trying to fit it on the agenda. The full budget is on the website for your your use and your scrutiny. And so this is the budget hearing. After this meeting, if there
are no changes, we will contact the county office tomorrow morning, let them know that there have been no changes and uh certify taxes shortly thereafter. Um are there any questions from the
board? Um so, um if this isn't readily available, we can you can get back to me, but is there a way to direct the public to information by school? So this is district based, right? This
is districtbased. Uh we do track data by school. Um we do that because that's part of uh ESA requirement and so we have that information. Um some categories of our budget are not by school. Um but many of them are and so
we can provide that to any interested parties. We don't have that on the um the website uh because it's not a requirement that we report that way. Um but we can make that happen with just a a few keystrokes if you're interested. If you
do ask for that information, it's important to know that you should probably ask for enrollment figures as well. um because it's not uh really fair to compare a school the size of Ben Franklin against one the size of Eldridge Park. So the total expenditures
are going to be different. You'll see similar categories, but then what you really have to consider is well what does that break down in a per pupil type of scenario? And we can do that for you and for anyone who would ask. You have to open the floor. Any other
questions from the board? Okay. Um, there's an opportunity for public input. If anybody has anything they want to ask or comment on, please feel free to come up to the podium, state your name and address.
Okay, seeing none, um motion to close the public hearing on the budget for 2526 and resume regular business. So move. Second with a motion and a second. All
in favor? Okay. Board discussion and action items. Uh personnel committee report and personnel action items. Okay. Personnel met April 30th 8:15. In attendance were Dr. Robin
Clim, Sean Fry, Kevin Vanheis, Arendelle Clark, Paulo Martinez, and Joanne Groger. We discussed vacancies for 2526 school year and are actively interviewing for preschool positions. We discussed staffing for next year,
reviewed our projected movements. We discussed leaves the policy 3125.2 as well as a new job a few new job descriptions for CPIs and PIRS
positions on tonight's agenda. And if you looked at it's lots of pages, I would like to start out with honoring a few of our staff members who are going to retire. I am going to list them all and then we can um honor them
righteously. Judy Akita, parap parap professional at Eldridge Park Elementary School. She served 19 years. Patricia Murray, special education teacher at Eldridge Park. She also was um sometimes
too. I had the pleasure of working with her which was a joy for me. 37 years. Erica Smootz is another one who started her career with us at leases. Um she was has spent most of her time at Ben Franklin Elementary School for 31 years
total service. Sharon Sevel don't know if I'm saying her name correctly. Slackwood Elementary School 23 years teaching sweetly little ones the kindergarteners. Um Luchiana Marti someone's gonna help me with her last
name. Lucy Marti. Marty, I appreciate that help. I tried it so many times to break the syllables. An office assistant at Lawrence High School, 16 years. And Patricia Nalbone, who I also had the honor to um spend some time with, a library assistant at Eldridge Park
Elementary School, 25 years. Each and every one of these amazing educators and support staff members, they've given their time, their energy, their love to reach each and every one of our students. We appreciate their dedication, their passion for education,
and the time they've spent in our family at Lawrence Township Public Schools. We wish them nothing but good health, lots of joy in any future endeavors. You all have earned our adoration, and we thank you. Let's give them a round of applause.
[Applause] Okay. You will also see confirmation for appointments due to clearances, secretary and subsecary positions, regular nurse, unpaid leave. Uh what do I have here? Staff approvals for 2026,
non-tenured staff for 2526. um LTEA non-certifi certificated staff, secretarial staff, custodian m maintenance staff, lapa staff support hourly staff.
Um the tenur LTPSA staff and a motion to appoint nonrepresentative administrative staff and nonrepresented staff. Several resolutions also appear for PIRS, CPIs, and job descriptions. You'll
see a motion to approve unpaid leaves, resignations, EDPs, um, and a replacement, job descriptions, and several contracts and also a transfer. With all of that listed above,
I'd like to please move P1 through P39. Second, Tom with a motion in a second. Mr. Clark, yes. Miss Evans, yes. Miss Kroger, yes. Dr. King, yes. Miss Martinez, yes. Miss Pasculi, yes. Miss
Bose, yes. Motion car. Thank you. CIAPD report and student service action item. CIAPD met on April 28th at 8:00 a.m. In attendance was Dr. Robin Clim, Mr. Neil
Desai, Dr. Michelle King, Miss Michelle Bose, Miss Amanda Santos, and myself. Steven Apprentice joined us. Later, we went on a field trip. Went on a field trip to Mercer County Technical School campus, uh, which was led by their,
uh, top guys. Administrative team. Yeah. Yeah. Their administrative team. and yeah and the objective was to learn more about their programs andmies in collaboration with the administrators and teachers. We discussed ways we can
support our students who are currently enrolled in these programs or are interested in these career and technical education programs. Um there were years ago we were pushing everybody who could possibly go into the college path to get there and now we're seeing for a variety
of reasons that that is not the best path for many of our students and we're encouraging them to seek out all the options that are available to us and it was really an exciting it was an exciting field trip wasn't much food but other than um we returned to the board
office and Mr. decide discussed feedback from the firstear teachers uh at professional development day on the new staff induction program and a survey was also sent to all staff about the districtwide professional development days. Feedback from staff and
information from the survey will be used to design our professional development programs in the future. Uh Stephen Apprentice, our head of technology, informationational technology supervisor, provided information on two policies that the
committee was looking at. Uh we we looked at the policy 5111 eligibility of resident and non-resident student. And uh Dr. Clim alluded to that some of the changes we're going to have to kind of spot
check people. The roadblock everybody who get a chance to reenroll and uh no items were referred from other committees or board members and we'll continue to monitor progress toward district
goals. And on your agenda, you'll see uh CIAD travel log. Uh I would like to ask to have Amanda's name taken off unless she wants to go to Atlantic City with us.
Um so and um we have uh in the OSS we have HIB and non-public funds. So I would like to move OIS1 through 6 and OSF 1
and two. Second with a motion and a second Tom. So there's a motion for OAS 1 through six with amendment to the travel log built into the motion and OSS one
through one and two. Mr. Clark, yes. Miss Evans, yes. Miss Groger, yes. Dr. King, yes. Miss Martinez, yes. Miss Pasculi, yes. Miss Bose, yes. Motion carried. Thank you. Um, finance
committee report and school business management action. items. I'm reporting for Kevin who's absent tonight. The finance committee met on May 2nd. Uh we discussed the budget hearings which was
tonight uh authorizing uh design development uh the necessary steps to sell the bonds to make the referendum funds available. Again, we talked about the residency and address verification. talked about environmental engineer and
lab tests, the health benefits programs um and school lunches which are going up a little a little bit next year. Um on the agenda you will see uh college scholarships that are being offered at U
student awards night. Uh bonds for expansion uh the bids for recycling insurance lawn care and food services. Um with that I'd like to move finance number one through 26. Second,
Tom with a motion and a second. Made by Miss Evans and seconded by Miss Groger. Yes. And Mr. Clark, yes. Miss Evans, yes. Miss Groger, yes. Dr. King, yes. Miss
Martinez, yes. Miss Pasculi, yes. Miss Bose, yes. Motion carried. Thank you. And it's our last opportunity for public input. Good evening. And I know you know the drill.
Jim Cleats, 7 East Darl Lane. I just wanted to say that I think it's such a shame that Amanda has since I know she has so much spare time that she couldn't stay on the board too. And when I first
saw that she had she and two other people had uh put in their their names why I thought do they know they know what they're getting into because if those of you who go to many council meetings know
that it may be one party but it's been a little bit contentious for the last year and a quite a bit for some time and uh and uh the before Councilman Ryan had to resign for ill health. Why? He was one of the three
the two on everything contentious. And I thought I had visions of those people that the remaining four people who agree on very little have agreed on very little that they would be
two to two votes for forever. Imagine my surprise when she was so impressive that she got these poor people to unanimously elect her. So that's a real tribute
and good luck in bringing back. Thank you. We've trained her well though. She's ready. Yeah. She'll whip them into shape. Yeah. We're not worried about Amanda. Um, okay. New business, Dr. King. Uh,
new business. Um, you will see additionally new staff hires, uh, retirement, Jocelyn Herrera, 22 years in the as lunchroom assistant. We wish her well. uh renewal of bus routes and
contracts for transportation um by parents with by parents of their children's of their child to their out of district placement. Um I would like to move NV1 through
NV15 second. Tom a motion and a second. Mr. Clark, yes. Miss Evans, yes. Miss Kroger, yes. Dr. King, yes. Miss Martinez, yes. Miss Pascouli, yes. Miss Bose, yes. Motion carried. Thank you.
And with that, um, have a motion to adjourn. So move. All in favor? I. Thank you everybody for coming. Have a good night and we'll see you next month.