Oh, I must. Okay, welcome everybody. Um, all right. Tom, we have a quorum. >> Attendance, please. >> Miss Bose >> here. >> Mr. Clark, >> here. >> Mr. Caparata
>> here. >> Miss Evans >> here. >> Miss Groger >> here. Miss Kelly >> here, >> Miss Martinez, Miss Pasculi, Mr. Vanheis >> here. You have a quer. >> Thank you so much, Tom. Um, welcome everybody to our board meeting. Um,
uh, the open public meeting act authorizes the board of ed to meet in executive session under certain circumstances and the open public meeting act requires the board to adopt a resolution at a public meeting to go into exe in private session. Um, it is necessary to meet in executive session
to discuss certain items involving matters which if disclosed publicly would constitute an unwarranted invasion of individual privacy. And specifically this evening we will be discussing HIPP. Formal action will not be taken. Um, and exec session is expected to last
approximately 30 minutes. Um, can I have a motion to move into ex? >> So move. >> Second. >> And all in favor? >> I. >> Okay. So moved. We will be back at 7:00. [ __ ] One day, one day. We need a day. I'm okay.
Thank you for asking. So, the art department is proud to spotlight Lawrence High School and Lawrence Intermediate School this evening. On display in the back of the room, we have works from Miss Danielle Davis's students at Lawrence High School. And Miss Clark is here with her
orchestra students from LIS. Woohoo. >> All right, Lis friends, take it away. Take the walk across. Take an instrument. Our next piece is Mythos by Shaun Ollin. Halleluah. Halleluah.
Heat. Heat. Woo! These are all my sixth grade. These are some of my sixth graders. So, got Max on the base. Wave. >> Yeah. >> Margo and Owen. Hello. What what's the difference between a
viola and a violin? And obviously the cello and the bass I can see, but what's lower? ELare very long time ago. So that was my very first go in There's just not enough of us, you know.
>> We're going to do a piece that we do every winter concert. Sure, a lot of you will recognize it. So, we're gonna have to start us off. Cheers. Hallelujah.
Hallelujah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. So beautiful. Beautiful. Thank you. That was wonderful. >> That was awesome. >> Thank you so much for coming and great job in the January concerts. They were
all beautiful. >> A little delayed, but we got it. >> We working on new music already, right guys? Thank you again. Appreciate all of you. Thanks for coming. >> Okay. Welcome everybody 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 attend meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interests is discussed or acted upon.
the as required under the law. This meeting has been provided via email and or facts to the times, Lawrence Ledger, the Trentonian, 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 do the flag salute. To the flag of the United States of America to the stands one nationice
for all. >> Okay, great. Okay, student representative peer leaders, the floor is yours. >> Hello there. Um, my name is Christian Gallinoff. I'm a senior and I'm a cheerleader of course and today firstly
I'll be talking about the boys swim team. They are currently competing in their sectional finals in the local tournament. Um this is the first time they've achieved this in nine years. >> Yay. Congratulations to the boys. >> But of course this came from all their hard work that they did. They beat many records this year including some that
date back since the early 2000s which is a long-standing record. So very proud of them. >> Similarly I want to talk about the Interact Club which is a club that you're not familiar with. They provide uh volunteer opportunity services for uh people in the school uh and they provide back service to the community.
Currently, they're working pretty closely with the senior center down at Lawrenceville like down the road. Um they usually only host a prom night for them which is happening in late May, but this year they are also giving opportunity to have a Valentine's Day themed event that's happening next week.
>> Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Great idea. Hi, my name is Schneia and I'm a junior. Um, I'm a part of the track team and DECA. So, tomorrow track is on its way to sectionals where athletes have the opportunity to compete at a high level and qualify for states. Our meet is at
the Tom's River Bubble. Similarly, DECA is also preparing for their state conference. Students who qualified will compete for compete for placement at ICDC, which is an international conference that will take place in late April in Atlanta, Georgia.
Hi everyone, my name is Diana Victoriaiano and I'm a junior and part of the student council and hope squad. Student council has been brainstorming ideas to make the high school experience memorable. This is why we initiated class wars. Class wars is designed to bring students together as one while competing and having fun motivating
students to earn points by participating in activities like spirit week. One of our recent and most exciting activities we have done is well of hearts where we cut out hearts and wrote their names on them placing them in the hallways. Each student felt seen and loved since everyone was excited for their adventure of finding their hearts as well as
trying to find other classmates and friend names. We plan on brainstorming more activities like these to show pride. I'm also a part of hope squad which not only serves as as a club but also serves as an emotional support. This is also an example of what I meant with the wall of hearts, which each each
class has their own separate colors and they have their names on. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Hello everyone. I hope everybody's having a good night. To finish off, us peer leaders have been assigned to do a freshman seminar every sing it's like
every two months. So in these freshman seminars, we usually do games, but we also help out the freshman. Our last seminar was this Tuesday. We did um scheduling. So we helped our coming sophomores do their schedules and then we helped them guide through what
classes is best for them and where they fit the most. We also explained to them like the senior the requirements for you to graduate. We told them like hey like you're missing this, you'll be great in this. We also help them explore what
classes would be best for them uh futuring them. So if they want to go into business, we have a lot of business classes and many opportunities in like DECA. So that was our last meeting for a freshman seminar. And yeah, have a good
night. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you so much peer leaders. You can stay or you can go, whatever works for you tonight. >> Thank you. Have a great evening. >> No running.
>> Um recognition and acknowledgements. Um this evening we're going to just take a few moments to um acknowledge and send our consolences to the family of Max Riley who was our um superintendent approximately 25 years ago. And Pepper
and Tom are just going to say a few words on behalf of board and our community um and send out our deepest um compassion to his family. Were you going to go first? >> However you wish to go. >> Okay. I want to acknowledge the passing
of Dr. Max Riley, former superintendent. I remember him as a physically imposing and somewhat unckempt in appearance, a presence that could be intimidating. As his obituary noted, he was a polarizing figure. He held ideas that at the time
struck many of us as radical, and I regret that I didn't yet have the frame of reference to fully appreciate just how forwardthinking they were. As an elementary school parent, my kids directly benefited from Dr. Riley's vision. He reduced first grade class
sizes to 15 students and invested in upgrading playgrounds across the district. Changes that made real tangible differences in the daily lives of children. More importantly, he partnered with Fred Vin to pursue new ways of closing the achievement gap for
our socioeconomically challenged students. Together with Fred Vine and the Edgurts Crossing community, they launched a teacherup supported after school program that grew into every child valued work that later earned
national recognition for strengthening school family connections and created generational change, a partnership that continues to this day. Now, I didn't work for Max, but um I was a parent while he was serving as superintendent,
but uh retired operations manager Lana Mueller asked me to read. Gloom overtook my day when I learned of Max's passing. I worked closely with Max for 5 years and saw a side of him that most people probably did not. He had high
expectations and was challenging. Yet, he was patient, kind, intentional, ever mindful of the end goal. Max focused his leadership on helping others learn no matter the age. He often focused on underserved children, pushing for
possibilities initially not seen by many. Max was a giant of a man. Picture this. Kindergarteners sitting on the floor, eagerly awaiting his arrival to their classroom. You should see their faces as he entered the room. I thought
of Max often after he left the district, albeit with controversy. I recalled a referendum that he and Tom Eldridge led, came across sports initiative, reports initiatives that Max drafted, and gratefully thought of ways in which he
impacted my life. I appreciate and am pleased the board of education is recognizing Max. >> Thank you, Pepper. Oh, >> I think you're going to see themes through this. One of the last things that Max imparted,
excuse me, was the notion um of reverence and um he very rarely ever spoke about himself. Um he would typically talk about reverence for all those who
came before him and what we can do with that. reverence being the notion of respect but in awe. And so I just so happened today to walk through the uh the foyer of the administration building and for no reason whatsoever I saw a
large bound book and I went and I picked it up and it was a 200 I believe three um letter on the cover from Max to the Slackwood kids um on their 100th anniversary I believe it was. And oddly
enough, reverence is what I thought of. And then there it is there. As he said, here are some pictures from 1905 until today. 2005, it was rather 2005. And he said, I want you children to understand
that um your 100redy year anniversary um contains um the legacy essentially of teachers that you've never met. And he was planting that seed in them. and how proud they should be to be in a place like Slackwood. Um so even in that he
was talking about the idea of reverence. Um he was in his his obituary he was called a lightning rod. Um it was u noted by the American Association of School Administrators and for suburban superintendents and I think Pepper
echoed some of that tonight um in what she said maybe pulling from that and he was intentionally a lightning rod. that was by design. So one of the things he felt was a sense of urgency and the urgency he felt was that a child
only has one chance, one time. We only have now to serve them. I have absolutely no time. And I remember him meeting me in Camden County, New Jersey. We were at an Italian restaurant after he just interviewed all the people that um he needed to talk to before he made
me an offer. And he said, he said, "We're going to have the chance, if you take it, to walk in the halls of greatness, meaning the people before him." And he said, "We've got to make a decision as to whether or not we're going to leave footprints."
And he said, "We're going to do so much in the next few years, but I can guarantee you that I won't make it." He goes, "Because people aren't going to stand for the change that I'm going to bring with the sense of urgency that I'll bring." And he said, 'You may not
make it, but you might. And he said, "This will be a chance of your lifetime." And he says, "What do you think? Do you want to do it?" Um, so just to give you some ideas of some of the things he would say, he wasn't without humor. He was pretty
funny. So I remember read across America and the quote that Ben Franklin student said to him as he looked up at Max who was probably about 6'4 65 maybe 325 and the student looked up at him and said so you're a super in kindergartener
and so we would laugh about those things. We talked about the fun things but I can remember some things if you wanted to get a flavor for him and a sense of urgency. I remember some words and I shared some with Robin today on my screen of things he would he would he would say um and it was challenging all
the time. He would look and say the trouble that we have is not coming up with good ideas but choosing which ones we don't have time to do. >> And so that's no different today than it was then. Right? But what he was focusing on was the sense of urgency.
what he was saying is um we need to cause things to happen and do less. Do only what you can do. And I can remember him saying to say this one is we're not paid to do what we like to do, but only what we can do. You must
delegate the rest and use all of your talent to move the ball ahead. We have very little time with these kids who are in the class right now. Make it count. And so I could go on and on and on. Um, and with that though, the result of that
was the other corollary. You're going to have to accept small failures if you're going to have huge strides because you can't stop everything from happening and be everywhere at one time. So, I was laughing about these types of things and it sounds as if this would be a top-
down person, but he actually believed in decentralization. put the right people in the right places, the principles, try to clear the road for them and let them go and do what they need to do and let them thrive. And so, um, the idea of
those things that I said were echoed in what he said, I believe. Um, and but but I wanted to bring you some of his words that still echo now. And I remember him, and you said he was kind. I can remember walking into his office one time during
budget season and I missed something. I forget what it was. It was probably several $50,000 of something. I forgot the budget. And I walked in and I went, "I screwed up." And he says, "I've been waiting for the day you come to me and tell me that." And he said, "What did
you do?" And I said, "I forgot to budget this." And he looks at me and he goes, puts his glasses down. He goes, "Damn it." He goes, "That was dumb." And then he immediately looked at me and he goes, "Okay, what do we do?" And I thought, "Wow, that was classic Max, you know,
okay, what do we do?" First thing is all in with here we go again. So some of the things I just wanted to say in that time, in that day and age, and I'll stop soon, but I want to give you an idea of what was happening back in that day.
He said, um, oh, he also poked fun at me. Um, so and and Robin hears me echo these things and Jill hear it all the time. And he said, "So I can sum you up like this." He goes, "How do I know what I think till I hear what I say?" And I
was, "Yeah, I need to hear it out loud before I know if I'm okay with it." Um, and that's apparently um a statement from someone who's quoted that in infamy about writing. How do I know what I think till I see what I write? >> Um, so he was teasing me about that. One
of the things that I wanted you to hear of some silly things but some fun things. So visionary things were things that I learned um on Thursday mornings at 7 a.m. we would all have to show up at the diner and do tea and dreams.
So I'm not sure if this was a play on clouds in my coffee. Um but tea and dreams were you'd have to go and the only thing you could do was talk about you were never allowed to talk about what you were currently doing. It had to be new things that you could bring to the table. to serve the kids for
urgency, but you had to be very careful what you said because if it was a good idea, he'd tell you to do it. So, you would wind up having to roll with this. So, um, but there were many things in there and I'm sure they'll be talked about by other people. Um, but I wanted
to give you some words to give you an idea. And I think to some degree he anticipated you sitting here today because he knew that he would be here just a short time and he had confidence that he would pass it off to someone who would carry the torch
>> and he had faith that that would be done. Um, and in 25 years from now, I think we act in the same manner, the same hopes. And so that's what people were thinking 25 years ago, amongst so many other things. And thank you for your time.
>> On my last day with Max, as I was saying goodbye, I said, "Is there anything you would like to take with you from Lawrence to your next job in Randolph?" And he said, "Yes, Tom Eldridge." >> That's sweet. Well, thank you so much, Tom and Pepper
and Salana for all those kind words to remind us of so many of the great people that come through this district and continue to contribute to the success of our students, our community, and our teachers. Um, I think some of the things I didn't know, Max, I was not even in
this in Lawrenceville in 2000, but um, I see and hear things that resonate with what we're doing now. And um I hope we continue to do this in the future. Um so that was beautiful. Thank you so much.
Okay. >> Um if they want they can say something right now since we're doing a tribute. If you'd like Chris, you can come on up. Sure. Those are remarkable words. And I have to say
that um one of the first things I remember Max doing when he came to Lawrence was to hire Tom Eldridge who was um very young and um >> was and uh I remember working on the first
budget uh for the district and Tom was so sick he shouldn't have been anywhere near work and he worked with fevers and >> uh sleepless nights. um and got that budget ready for the board uh in his
first year. And uh so uh kudos to Tom and kudos to Max for seeing it this uh dynamo in this young man who was yet untested. I have to comment on one other board member. Um Max had a challenge
pretty early on where a group of moms who wanted um they were called the preschool moms and they were I thought run by this woman that I didn't met named Pepper Evans and um they wanted to from what I heard now you can correct me
if I'm wrong but from what I heard was they wanted to coordinate the preschool curriculums with the kindergarten curriculum so the kids would be ready when they came in and you You know, most people go, "Oh, I got so much more to do than Max." No, Max took that on right
away. He was so excited about it. He said, "This is exactly what we need." And I have to reflect back and say, "Look, where are we with preschools now? >> Here we are." >> Yep. >> So, another another example of that sense of vision. And >> Max was a visionary. >> I was a visionary. >> You were a visionary.
>> Yes, you are. >> And Max was a visionary for understanding how important you were. But he was a visionary and he was mission driven. And when you say he's a lightning rod, there's, you know, there's a lot about being missiondriven and being a lightning rod because when
you're missiondriven, you don't have patience for uh holding up. And Tom spoke to his sense of urgency and that was true about Max. Um his guiding principle uh and his guiding mission was uh extraordinary learning for all. And
the operative word in that mission um you might think was extraordinary learning and it and it was important but the important word was all. And so Max believed that children facing the greatest challenges deserve the strongest advocates and he worked tirelessly to ensure that these children
were seen, supported and valued. Uh his leadership was not abstract. It was personal as Thomas said. Uh it was rooted in the conviction that equity in education is not optional but essential. Um one of the most powerful expressions
of that belief was his partnership with Fred Vine who's here tonight who I always speak before Fred because no one ever wants to speak after Fred. >> I learned that lesson the hard way. >> Right. >> Uh Fred was the founder of Edgar's Crossing Village and together they set
out to support the education of some of our town's most socioeconomically disadvantaged children. what began as a simple afterchool homework program um full of volunteers mostly teachers and and and psychologists and social workers
and staff members from the secretaries from the school district um grew in 19 into in 2010 into its own 501c3 every child valued who you and you're well aware of that uh like Max's original mission the mission of every child
valued is bold and compassionate it's to motivate the young residents of Lawrence Township. That's the important operative word. To reach their highest potential as educated and fulfilled adults, to strengthen families, to combat racial, cultural, and socioeconomic isolation,
and to build a community, in keeping with Max's belief that every child valued serves all children while ensuring that our most vulnerable children have access to support right in their own neighborhood. That vision didn't fade, it flourished.
Today, Every Child Valued continues its work under an award-winning executive director, Kaia King Green, alongside three dedicated Lawrence Township School teachers, 14 talented and caring ECV staff members, community committed volunteer board of directors composed of business
and community leaders, and countless gen generous volunteers. programs were a homework program are now a breakfast program that has increased student attendance by 40%. A robust afterchool support uh program supported by Lawrence Township teachers
and dedicated ECV staff. An evening science, technology, engineering, art, and math program serving students in grades 6 through 10. a summer enrichment program that reduces learning loss while providing health and fitness cultural opportunities to children who might
otherwise go without. A thriving scholarship outreach initiative. Thank you, Miss Martinez. >> With 13 students applying this year for national and state affordable housing scholarships. And for the first time, we got a direct
invitation from the Women's Club of Lawrenceville for our students to apply for that scholarship. We're thrilled. We're deeply grateful to the Lawrence Township Public Schools, the Lawrence High School Administration, and the guidance department, and PRD management for partnering with us to help these
students pursue their post-secary dreams. Oh, one more thing. We now have in the works a cultural travel club which we've already raised money to to support expanding our students horizon beyond the uh what many people thought
possible. But this legacy does not belong to Max alone or Fred alone. It's been sustained and strengthened over the past 25 years by superintendents and boards of education who followed him and most especially by this current board of
education, this superintendent and her administration, the faculty and staff of Lawrence Township Public Schools, the dedicated staff of Every Child Valued, and hundreds of volunteers who give so generously of their time and hearts. Your partnership, your compassion, your daily commitment to our youngest
learners. You ensure that Max's belief that every child deserves extraordinary learning continues to live and breathe in the classrooms across the district. You are keeping his vision alive in the most meaningful way possible. And as we
gather in this building to look toward future construction, let us remember that we build upon foundations that Max helped lay. It's under his tenure that Lawrence High School was last modernized and rebuilt.
We are quite literally surrounded by the results of his leadership. The walls around us, the opportunities within them, and the continued growth of Lawrence Township and its schools stand as a living evidence to his vision. As we move forward with new construction
and new chapters, may we remember that we are the beneficiaries of his work and of his life. Thank you, Max, for your courage, your clarity of purpose, your unwavering belief in our children.
And thank you to this board of education for and administration, faculty, staff, and community for continuing to grow this extraordinary legacy. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Fred. >> Your turn. >> Thank you.
Good evening everybody. Um, it really gives me um great pleasure to come here and talk about Max. I'm sorry that he has he has left us. at
I can say at such a young age. Uh I met Max after he was employed as superintendent of large school district. At that time I was manager of Vegas Crossing Village.
We had started an afterchool program for a number of reasons. Our children from the village were falling behind in the schoolwork, not catching up as they moved from grade to grade and eventually being placed in special education
classes. management with the board and large nonprofit housing inc sponsors of Ekers crossing village started an afterchool program after two years with two parents running
the program there was not much progress then along came Max Peggy Hush who was the president of our board at the time and had a She she and I had a meeting
with Max about our situation. During this time, the test scores for the district were low and our students were contributing to them. Soon after our meeting with Max,
we had a meeting at the village where Ma Max Max brought his administrative staff. I have to keep reading because I can't when I lose a space a place I lose my
place. We had a meeting at the village with Max when he he brought his whole administrative staff and and and and told them he told us the process that he was going to he wanted
us to implement and that process was to uh that teachers were going to come and do the tutoring in our program. And he said, "How?" He said, "How are we going to we're going to do this?" He
said, "We're going to give you the money." He said, "Uh, it's not cash money, but you're going to submit vouchers." And I think that process is still going on now. He said, "You're going to submit vouchers. You're going
to keep record of of the teachers coming in." And he said because actually I don't know whether I I can say this now but I'm going to say it. He said actually you can pay you'll be paying the
teachers less than what we pay because if if we employ the teachers to come down you're going to have to u we'll have to pay uh union wages and you won't have to pay union wages.
But the other thing that that happened, we got the teachers who really wanted to come. We got the teachers who who felt a need to do something in our community because we still had a stigma attached
to us at the village because of of what egg crossing used to be when I was a kid. you know, it it was u not uh the people were good, but the environment was bad. We had we had um you know, dirt
roads, pig pens, outouses, and we were separated from the rest of the town by railroad tracks. So that that and that stigma was still carried over into Edgar's Crossing Village.
And so we got the teachers who really wanted to come and it wasn't long before that that program just took off. Much good was derived from u that program. the after school
program. After school year, none of our children after one year, our children were not in special education. Uh classes,
seven out of eight third grade graders enrolled into the afterchool program pass state assessment tests that and on skills and knowledge. and the EC parent parent teacher conference attendance in
two years went from 30% to 86%. In 2005, we received the national civic star award from sex section school services for our dynamic school community partnership
with Lawrence Township Schools. And Max even took some of us to California to receive that award. You hear that, Madam Superintendent? That, you know, and that that was
uncalled. I mean, not uncalled for, but that that was something new in our life. Max took a lot of heat for what he did. He took fun funds from our related social programs to find what
to fund what he was doing in ECV. I particular remember one board meeting where a parent made the remark, you don't need to help them. And I put
emphasis on them, meaning us, the the African-American community. They've been have they have been like this for years. And this was said at at a at a regular board meeting.
I later told Max, "By working with us with the black community, you are putting a target on your back." He said, "Fred, it's the right thing to do." It was not long after that he told me,
"I can't stay here. These folks are not ready for me. Somewhere Max Rowley and Peggy Hush are smiling down on us and telling us
to keep up the good work that they started. Now I have um I'd like to leave folks with something. How many of you have seen got a copy of this little green book, The History of Vegas Crossing?
>> You all have it? >> You don't have it? >> Paul's new to the board and McKenzie, you're new. So, >> okay. And um Thank you ladies and gentlemen. >> Thank you. >> Thank you so much.
>> And we are also doing a large nonprofit is doing a strategic plan. Um, and um, we're we're working with the new mayor and we're um, we're progressing
>> and we're hoping to to get something started with the new center real soon. >> Thank you so much. >> Okay. Okay. Um, adoption of the minutes. Motion to adopt
the executive session and regular session minutes from the 12126 meeting. >> Second, >> Tom with a motion and a second. >> Sorry, I lost my place. >> That's okay. >> Mr. Caparata? >> Yes.
>> Mr. Clark? >> Yes. >> Miss Evans? >> Yes. >> Miss Groger? >> Abstain. >> Miss Kelly? >> Yes. >> Miss Martinez? >> Yes. >> Miss Pasculi? >> Yes. >> Mr. Vanise? >> Yes. Miss Bose. >> Yes.
>> Thank you. Uh, superintendent's report. >> First off, thank you, Mr. Marine and, uh, Dr. Woolly for your comments this evening. Definitely a lot to reflect on the last couple of weeks since his passing, and a lot of stories have come forward, which is nice to hear. Um, so I'd like to begin with thanking our
Lawrence High School students and our L string musicians for the wonderful demonstrations this evening. um they are were greeted with the artwork in the back here and you got to hear our lovely musicians um playing for us this evening. So, February is Black History Month and across the district,
our schools have been engaged in meaningful learning and reflection. I wanted to especially highlight our upcoming district-wide celebration on February 28th at Lawrence High School. That is where staff and students will come together to honor black history, culture, and contributions. There's lots
of performances and displays and shared experiences. It really is a fun time for the full community. We look forward to celebrating together. I also want to remind families and community members of our community conversation coming up on February 18th. We invite the entire
school community to participate and learn more about districtwide reconfiguration. The contract uh the contractors will be there, our architects will be there. you can learn about our construction projects and our phasing. And for some of our younger families, our K6 families, we want you
to come earlier and enjoy the K6 curriculum fair. So, our office of instruction has been very busy. Our supervisory team will be there and a lot of our teachers highlighting the good work in our curriculum department. Um, food and child care, I should note, will also be provided should you want to go
to both or one or the other. Um, and most importantly, we want to hear your voices as we plan for the district's future. Finally, last week was school counselor appreciation week. We extend our sincere thanks to all of our school counselors across the district. We could
not do this without you. We understand that academic, social, and emotional learning go hand in hand, and you make a lasting difference in our schools every day. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. And just um in regards to the curriculum
fair and the community conversations, that's both here in the high school. Correct. >> Correct. So the curriculum fair will be in the commons. Um that's our high school cafeteria and it's sort of a walkthrough gallery get to learn um maybe have some hands-on and discussions. U Mr. Desai is leading that
initiative as our assistant superintendent and our director is here this evening. They're planning that with the supervisory team and that's about 45 minutes to an hour and then you're going to come down with some light fair. We figured we would conol you with some food. So you grab some food and a bite
to eat um while your kids are taken care of and also fed and we'll be in here for the community conversation. We will have our um contract our construction manager will be here, our architect. We're going to have some slideshows and an open dialogue about where we're at with phase
one of the construction. So exciting stuff. It's all happening on February 18th. So, if you get one night out of the house, this is the night to be here. Thank you. >> Great. Thank you. I know I'll be there. Um, board secretary report. Tom,
>> the first item on the agenda under this report is the audit. Um, also known as the annual comprehensive financial report. It's a lot of words to say an audit. >> So, that audit was sent to you, or should I say that report was sent to you. Um and uh a brief synopsis of that
is that our auditors came to the district and they did various tests using statistical sampling to uh verify the accuracy of the records that you approve every month when you approve the board secretaries reports and the treasures reports and our other reports.
Anything from our application for state school aid to a various other uh areas and all of that is listed. Um, tonight there's also a handout here that we have. It's called the audit synopsis. I do not I don't find it very helpful. It's a state prescribed form. >> If you really want to get a good flavor
for the audit, look at the audit itself. There's a statistical section in the back that reads a lot like USA Today and gives you 10 years history. Um, but nevertheless, the audit is there along with the manager's report um from Robin myself and the auditor's actual written
report. uh we will post it online and you'll find online u as a matter of transparency that our audits go all the way back I believe to 2002 online so you can look at anything you'd like uh there were no audit findings which means that there were no material defects in what
we did um and our processes and our processes go beyond just me by the way they off they also audit some of what happens uh in the office of student services um they off they audit some of what happens in the audit of instructional services. Um, and so they
look at various things having to do with student counts and things of that nature, not just the books. Um, so it really does go across uh our department. So at this point with the permission of the board uh chair, um, my
recommendation based on what we know according to our audit procedures are that we have to open it up at least for this time to the public if they have any questions. >> Absolutely. So, >> so at this time we'll open it up if there's any uh questions from the public. Feel free to come up to the
podium. One thing I would just want to point out and I want to say is if you look at the first page and Tom did say it, but it bears um repeating is that there are no audit recommendations. And um that just speaks to the wonderful job that just speaks to the wonderful job that Tom does and the district does in
that Tom does and the district does in following um protocols and procedures following um protocols and procedures that we have in place and I'm not that we have in place and I'm not surprised. Um but I would like the surprised. Um but I would like the public to just note that is pretty public to just note that is pretty spectacular. So thank you to spectacular. So thank you to >> and of course you extended that to
>> and of course you extended that to everyone and they really do. So Gerald's everyone and they really do. So Gerald's not here and Jill is here or Ed Black not here and Jill is here or Ed Black who you saw the other day. Yep. And um who you saw the other day. Yep. So Michelle got to come in and watch us proof the position control roster against the budget. She saw the team >> sitting there and it really is a team. >> Yes. And >> so we're blessed with fantastic people.
So thank you for your comment. >> Thank you. >> Okay. >> So it'll be noted that there weren't any questions at this point. If you do have questions when you do look at it, just forward them and one question asked question asked by one will answer to all. >> So some things that we want to bring to your attention. We talk about the
referendum, excuse me, the referendum a lot. Can you bring up the Gant chart, Joey? Um, so the Gant chart is our chart to say where we are on any given day. So we're right on track. What this essentially does is the task activities are down the left and we said that we would report on this from time to time.
Um, we are right on time with the uh auditorium. Things are going very very well. We are on budget. Uh we have some really um uh and this is just an idea where we are talk about the qualitative things while this is there. We have some change orders that we may have, but they're all change orders that we asked
for. So, it's kind of minor things. Um, there is nothing material standing in our way that we know of. And so, we're on time in terms of our progress and we're on budget. We um on this this evening's agenda. Um, you'll see some
awards Pepper will talk to them later that will benefit us going into um the main body of work that we're planning for. Now, when I say the main body of work, I mean the the brick and mortar, go from the ground, dig footings, and start to see a building move towards the
sky. >> Um, so we expect to see some of that happening, at least some signs and fencing by the end of the summer. So, we're on track for that also. >> So, all of that is really good stuff. Um, and so, thank you for all your
support and thank you for visiting the site. Um, I watched the eyes of the construction workers as uh Michelle, Pepper, Robin, Jen, Jill, myself, Mendy, um, along with their construction
company superintendent walked the site and I could tell that they they looked happy when you saw their eyes because someone was taking an interest in their work and I got the sense that boards of education don't always do that. Um, so it made me feel good to walk in there
with our team knowing that this group of of individuals is working hard to make us happy and they really we do have a good contractor that's doing that. >> And I don't want you um I watch them. I want you to know that I saw that in their eyes. >> Um, and that's meaningful. So, thank you
for that. Um, >> um, two things. We we did look cute. I'm not going to lie. So, we brought a smile to their face. But I also want to encourage the rest of the board if you want to maybe next month some a different group of people go in. I do think it's important for us to see it. I
think it's important for the contractors to see our presence there and it is a huge project and I it's mindblowing to see the work go in person. The pictures are great. Thank you, Jen, for all the pictures. But it does feel different
when you go in there. Um, and you get to wear a cool hat and a really great vest, climb a ladder. Um, >> steel gerder >> my name, >> but it is, you know, something that's not going to happen again. So, I would like to encourage board members, you know, to to continue um and when it's
over, of course, we'll all get to see it. But the one process >> when Kevin and I when they were redoing the pool, we actually were walking on Remember that, Tom? The bottom of the pool. We had no water in >> the bottom of the pool. >> Remember that? So yeah, >> you look really small at the bottom of the pool. I have it. Yeah,
>> I'll send it to you. >> Great. Thank you. >> So there's some other things that we that the the finance committee asked that I bring to your attention and that was what's happening at Slackwood School in LIS. No, I will not steal your thunder. Um so we did not um many people have a
misconception that because we're doing referendum work at the middle school, we're not doing things at other schools. I can tell you that I spend more time talking about Slackwood than I do the middle school right now at this point in time getting ready for all the things that are happening at Slackwood and then
the intermediate school also. In fact, when we have job meetings with the architect, half of the job meeting is for the intermediate school um bathroom renovation that we're doing and installation this summer as well as Slackwood. Um, so at Slackwood, the
board is fulfilling a promise it looked at years ago and uh we have a great architect who can make it happen where we're going to put a ramp behind Slackwood so that if you were to park in the in the parking lot where parents use the back door as the main entrance because it's closer to the parking lot
and there's no parking lot out front. Um, we're going to put a ramp that runs the length up the side of that building so that grandparents, parents with mobility concerns or just students with mobility concerns can come in right at the ground level at the main office
using the real main entrance which is at the back of the school. Um, we'll also uh replace the steps at the front of Slackwood. Um, and some other things. If you haven't been to Slackwood and you go into the foyer, you're going to see we spend a great deal of time there through the beginning of the school year with
recarpeting the the foyer. We've done painting in the foyer. We have um over the break or the summer, we will put the the little rubber covering over all the stairs like you'll see at Lawrence Elementary School. Theirs is green. Slackwood probably be blue. You know
that we just did the gym floor at Slackwood last summer. It's a absolutely beautiful floor that's there. Uh we are going to next month it'll be on the agenda where we'll um I'll bring before you a motion for about $130,000 to replace most of the ceilings in
Slackwood. Our staff right now over the evenings is retrofitting Slackwood with LED lights. The reason they're doing that, they're doing it on overtime. They're putting in all the LED lights, which is what these are, with no tubes in them. They're efficient. They're
great light. And what they're doing is they're dropping them down here, but they're making it so that when we take the ceiling out, which is similar to this at least, those lights can stay. The contractors can come in, put the new ceilings in, and our guys just drop the new light in. >> So, we're doing that right now. You don't actually have to wait for the
summer. And then I think we're also carpeting or redoing eight floors in Slackwood. So, Slackwood's going to look a little different when it opens up uh next school year. It'll look even more beautiful than it looks now.
So there's an ADA concern that we have there capital project but there's also things that we're doing every day at the intermediate school there has been uh you had a community conversation multiple community conversations but one in the middle of
the day where we sat in the round with parents just like this and whether it was Dr. Fischer. Um, I believe she led that along with Mindy that day and asked the parents what they'd like to see at the middle school as changes. The only thing we didn't deliver on at that point
was a door next to where the existing teachers lounge is, which we couldn't actually go into the courtyard because of a a step off problem. But the last piece was the lavatories. So, we are out the bid right now for five
four laboratories plus a shower. We talked about the visionary ideas of Max. Well, that's not lost on anyone. We're still visionary people. So, what we're trying to do is build capacity. We're satisfying the ADA concerns that we have, but we're also building capacity
to say if students want to come back to the intermediate school, we have the right type of toilet facilities for them. >> We have a shower area similar to what we'll have at the middle school. And we'll also put laundry on the other side
where the locker rooms are. Vanessa Robin was pushing hard for this very thing. Vanessa's engaged in it. The whole team is still looking into the future. for what happens for our our serving in resources that's happening.
Um so you don't hear about those things very often. That will happen this summer. Blackwood's ramps happen this summer if you wanted to know and uh you will have to award all those projects or contemplate awarding them. Hopefully it'll come in under budget and we'll have them for you in the next couple
months. So I hope that uh that is what you asked to talk about I believe. >> Great. Thank you. So, y >> you're not forgotten if you're not in the referendum. >> Great. Thank you so much, Tom. >> Uh, board president report. Um, on
behalf of the Lawrence Township Board of Education, I'm pleased to announce um an exciting and important opportunity for our community. As we shared in our last board meeting, we are launching a strategic planning initiative and inviting our entire Lawrence community to be a part of it. You will hear me
talking about our at this at our next two board meetings as our first session will be on April 15th. Um so I just want everybody to mark their calendars to make sure they come on April 15th. Um this process will be facilitated by the
New Jersey School Boards Association and will bring together neighbors, families, staff members, students, community leaders, and any interested residents to help create a shared vision for the future of the Lawrence Township Public Schools. Strategic planning is more than setting goals. It's about listening.
It's about reflecting on our district's strengths, identifying challenges we face, and discussing how we can work together to address those challenges. Most importantly, it's about ensuring that our plans reflect the hopes and aspirations of our entire community.
Everyone's voice matters in this process. We will hold three meetings, one a month for three months, and participants are welcome to attend any or all of the sessions. The more perspectives we have present at the table, the stronger and more representative our shared vision will
be. We are encouraging our staff, our parents, guardians, students, and community members to join us and contribute their ideas as we plan for the future success of our student students. Um, I will repeat this until we do this. So, I'm going to say the
same thing because it is so critically important that we have as many people part of our strategic planning as possible. and hearing from all facets of our community both in the school and within Lawrence Township. So, let your friends know. Um, let your let your
friends know because we really do want students to come and um help plan for our future in Lawrence Township. Um, and that's really the only thing that I have to say tonight. Um, next we'll do the leazison committee reports. First, we
have our student board member report. Uh, Redeema Pandy, the floor is finally yours. >> Okay, so good evening all. February has been especially energizing at Lawrence High School in particular. So, as we
have moved into the second half of the school year, there has been a very noticeable increase in student engagement across academics, extracurricular activities, and school sponsored events. Students and adviserss have demonstrated pride, leadership, and enthusiasm through the planning and
execution of a lot of different major schoolwide programs such as the upcoming Black History Celebration that Dr. Clim was talking about, large sporting sporting events and competition clubs. In addition to this, the majority of extracurricular activities are preparing
for the upcoming freshman openhouse that we have in a few Wednesdays. This annual program highlights the depth and breadth of opportunities that are available at Lawrence High School. Our club's athletic programs and student organizations have all expressed
eagerness to connect with incoming students and share their experiences at Lawrence High School. Uh a special thanks to our student council's recent initiatives to increase togetherness such as the hearts that were being talked about. Um and due to these things, students have expressed an
increase in school spirit, knowledge about upcoming events, and a desire to be more involved. In addition to this, since the first semester has come to a close, us seniors are g gearing up for our last few months of school, and we have expressed gratitude for events such
as the upcoming casino night that helps with project graduation initiatives and just helping us get ready for the next stage of our lives. At Lawrence Intermediate School, the student council and community is hosting its first hoodies fund fair on February 26th. This
evening event is designed to promote community connection, positive school culture, and student engagement outside of the school day. The fair's variety of interactive games, encourages participation and teamwork. In terms of the elementary school, despite an
challenging winter weather conditions, the last few weeks have been very productive for all of the different elementary schools. Reports show that students have demonstrated perseverance, resilience, and continued academic progress across all grade levels. Instruction has remained aligned to the
district goals, and students are very excited for the future things to come. In addition to this, there are new menu items in many of their lunches. Eldidge Park Elementary has continued its commitment to service-based learning through schoolwide efforts that support
our local food pantry while also providing an applied learning opportunity for the kindergarten students. Collected canned goods are incorporated into accounting activity on the 100th day of school which reinforces math along with a realworld application
of it. So altogether it's been pretty exciting to see the energy across our schools and students have continued to learn, lead and support each other. Thank you. >> Great. Thank you so much. Any board members have any questions? >> I did. >> Yes.
>> How do you measure this increased uh increase engagement spirit? Yeah. >> Um okay. So basically the student council started their class worst thing this month and along with some student representatives who are grade based we
basically do like monthly surveys on how students are feeling and based off the percentages we try to keep it consistent and get the same amount of students participating in the surveys each month. So that's how I kind of measure it. >> Excellent. >> Yeah. And it's been increasing over the years.
>> Fantastic. That's great. >> Thank you. >> Thanks for that report. We love having our student representative here. Thank you. Um, >> thank you. >> Lawrence Township Education Foundation and um, you'll also report on EBC Olga.
>> Hi. So, I have LTE is gearing up for the spring grant cycle. Grants were due today and we received an amazing 38 grants applications. Grant day is March 6 and the LTE will be here at the March
18th board meeting to let the board know about all the amazing grants that were able to fund. LTE is also holding the third annual talent show and auditions are next week, Thursday the 19th and Saturday the 21st.
Audition signups are open. Winners will win $1,000 cash prizes. Please consider signing up if you have any talent or if you want to share >> if you have talent. >> We will have an art contest as well with larger cash prices this year. Details to
come. Thank you. And ECV was reported by Dr. Woolly. >> Yes. Thank you very much. Um New Jersey School Board Association. Okay. We um I had a Zoom meeting with the county leadership on February 7th,
9:00 a.m. and discussions were had pertaining to how best to communicate with legislative members for the best outcomes for our districts. The big recommendation from the legislators that were in this meeting along with us was to meet in person. Yes, you can email,
you can send letters, but it usually goes to the aids and sometimes it might be counted on a tally sheet, but they're not really going to see it. They also suggested that if we have an issue that is really important to us that we have other board members join a
superintendent or possibly the mayor and that will give you more uh clout and time with a legislator. Um, they also talked about a website that you can follow certain bills so that you can watch them progress because they do change numbers as they're moved along
and modified. So, if there's one you particularly want to follow, which I just learned at that meeting, you can do that. Um, they did some research as far as uh the funding school funding whether the new governor will follow the current
funding formula or modify. We'll find out towards the end of this month. Uh they also talked about the pilot program, the funding, and it has move it's moving through the Senate. Lots of discussion about this uh avenue for more revenue. Uh Mercer County, New Jersey
School Board's meeting will be held at West Windsor Plainsboro North and it's the unsung hero. It's March 19th. If you've never been to it, this event is so moving because it's students throughout our county that are recognized for being outstanding members
of the community. These students are giving loyal students that usually go unrecognized. Typically, these students are not the outstanding athletes or the top of their class, but they are very supportive for others through kindness, hard work,
dedication to their families, their school, community, township. Each school in Mercer County selects a student to be recognized at this event. And it's really an exciting night if you can make the time. It's it's you can register through New Jersey school board's
website and Lawrence will have a representative for our district. And that's my report. >> Thank you so much, Joanne. >> Um, we don't have anything from reconfiguration. Tom covered that. Student services. >> Student services meeting was held on
February 4th. In attendance, Vanessa Caria, Mackenzie Kelly, and myself, Arnold Clark. Items to highlight. We have a resource fair coming up on March 7th. Currently 24 vendors have RSVPd including um but not limited to uh
mental health, summer camps, dentists and uh outside services such as speech and counseling and many more info has been sent out to families on the third. ESY and connect information has been sent out also on the 3 uh for staff uh
to start applying teachers, child study teams, etc. ESY is scheduled for July 6 through August 6, Monday through Thursday at Ben Franklin and LHS. Connect program dates will be determined. Um the ranging times for
these programs are between 8:15 in the morning to 12:30 in the afternoon. Applications are also being accepted for nurse assistant position currently available at LHS for those interested. Uh the district is currently exploring
specialized reading programs for special education students to produce a potential pilot program. More information to follow as information is gathered. This ends my report. >> Great. Thank you so much. Um review of
communications. Nothing. Um first opportunity for um public comment. Seeing none, we're up with our board discussion and work session. Come on down, Mrs. Musey. >> So, Miss Musi is just going to get set
up. I think she has some materials to pass out. Miss Mie. Oh, okay. She's not ready yet. >> Into it. This a this a preamble. >> Okay. Anyway, um good evening. Thank you all. I am going to speak about professional development. Um, I I hope
you don't mind if I tell you one quick Max Riley story because I know Tom, you know this story. I was a first grade teacher when he had mandated 15 students in a classroom and because the initiative, which was a bold initiative,
um, it was important to him. So, he was constantly coming >> to visit the classrooms. So it was around end of October, early November, he unannounced and all by himself stepped into my first grade classroom
and he was such an imposing figure. Like he was so larger than life and my little guys were all over the place and he belined right over to the carpet where three little boys were laying on their bellies and flipping through books. And he leaned all the way down and he's
like, "Hey, are you guys reading?" And one little wonderful kid looked up at him and said, "Reading? We don't know how to read. No one in here knows how to read. We don't even know what we're doing." And I got so afraid cuz he stood
up and he had like like a blank look and I was petrified. And in my brain I'm like, "I'm getting fired, Terry." But he turned around, he walked straight toward me and we like kind of locked eyes and his head went back and he
laughed in such a huge way and then he put his huge hand on my shoulder and said, "Carry on." So he did come back in June and he sat with every one of the kids and he had them read to him. So anyway, that's my
Max Riley moment. So, but I really am here to talk about professional learning. Um uh it's great to talk about everything happening in the district because so much is going on and sometimes professional development is not as exciting. Um it has to happen each year.
Um and I think if you look at the last five years coming back from um the pandemic, we um rolled out a lot of initiatives here in Lawrence. We brought in an comprehensive um elementary math
program with bridges. We needed a lot of training with that. Full days were provided to the bridges training. We um rolled out um the Orton Gillingham IMSC the last few years. Again took a lot of our PD time. There was secondary
curriculum um initiatives, technology programs. Uh the high school uh rolled out the huge AI grant. Um, and we definitely accomplished a lot, but it was very much curriculum based, which it had to be because we were bringing all
these new programs. Last spring, um, probably little less than a year ago, we across the buildings really started having conversations and it was an epiphany that we really needed to realign some of our professional
learning opportunities to more instructional, not curricular needs. And so we started really brainstorming some ways that that could happen. It had with all the curricular initiatives, some of it was disjointed and buildings were
doing different things. So one of the things we wanted to look at were ways to really build out more coherent professional developing programming across K to 12. And in order to do that,
we wanted to move, as I said, from separate initiatives, but really to a multi-threaded system of professional learning that can be embedded and in just grown over time. We wanted to create consistency, clarity, collective impact. And we
started talking about this as an LTPS ecosystem of learning for all levels of educators in our um district. developing that common language, high impact practices and researchbased solutions
that really are proven for student outcomes. Um it matters a lot because in the last couple of years we are looking to reduce that initiative overload and confusion that exists. Um building collective teacher efficacy, eliminating classtoclass or schooltoschool
variables. um ensuring equitable access to high quality learning and the consistency for students year overyear and meeting students needs in a culture of mattering. And I believe last year when Alicia Dorenzo came into our
district spoke a lot about that word mattering which was beyond just belonging. Um one of the um important things she kept encouraging us to look what we have here. what we have, what we need is actually in Lawrence already.
So, we were really working on a few different things and by talking to teachers, talking to principles, um talking to some of our novice teachers, um there were three buckets that kind of
developed over time. You all know about our data and assessment initiative. We needed some strong professional development to have that grow. Differentiation to meet all. I think um Fred had said the word all or or Chris
Willie had said all is the important thing there. Um to make sure that we're meeting our kids' needs. And then our responsive and restorative communities. How do we create the culture, the environment for kids to actually do their best work? And as I said, Alicia
Dorenzo said, "Look inwardly." And as we were planning these initiatives, building out who leads these things, how do we get them off the ground? And well, we um developed the first cohort that we
called leaders in learning. Um these are teacher leaders who applied for positions. Last summer, we had a robust uh professional learning experience for them, a training program where we created the professional development
that we ended up rolling out for the 2526 school year. We onboarded 19 teacher leaders, three at each of the elementary buildings, um four at LMS and really
came together to say how do we, you know, these teachers grow the professional learning capacity in our buildings? How do we do it with coherence and how do we do it in a long-term vision? So, um, over the summer they came together and we
developed three modules, as I said, that would be delivered on three PD days in three-hour blocks. So, no matter where you were as a K6 teacher on the September PD day, October PD day, and November, you received three hours of
coherent professional learning on one of the three buckets. And by November's PD day, every single K6 educator had experienced the same learning. So it was really important to kind of solidify
this format. This flexibility of three hours also gave all other initiatives three hours in the PM so that we could still have our writing PD um you know child study team members can still meet
uh special education, ASI. So having three-hour blocks coherently, a lunch break, and three hours specialized training gave us a lot of bang for, you know, our buck. And um these teacher leaders did amazing work. Uh it was a
lot of round up the usual suspects. They're uh respected in their building. They are talented. They are knowledgeable. We had great expertise in these areas. And it was really wellreceived. We did surveys in
September and November. Our next meeting for our PD day is March 20th. And we're actually starting March 20th day with a survey to ask um teachers who have had this coherent, you know, blocks of PD,
where do we go from here? How do we grow this to to make it better moving forward? how do we cultivate more leaders in learning to be able to drive this um learning? And so really quickly um one module was data and it really
focused on the district's shift in how we understand and use student data. It was a lot of training on moving to the lexile and quantile uh framework how to meet our students needs and really get the high impact strategies to move the
student learning uh differentiation was the next block and I think it was really important the way we approached that with teachers. It's not something extra. It's not a thing. It's just how we enhance our instruction and build out to
meet our kids needs if they are achieving above grade level, need support, or just need those solid foundational skills. Um, and then finally, responsive and restorative communities uh really focused on
creating the spaces that are safe and inclusive and responsive so kids can actually do their best learning. We spoke about um the management of the class in a proactive way, how to use logical consequences, teacher language
which could be very inconsistent and now it is really um primed into one area and we actually did this session for classroom assistants as well. Every classroom assistant had that same training. We also did a differentiation
session for specialists. So instead of like having an articulation day, uh PE, art, music, librarians all came to learn about differentiation as well. Now down the block at LMS, they were using a
different framework that was connected to the same buckets that we were talking about the data differentiation and responsive communities. Rigger is a um researchbased uh instructional framework by researchers um you see over there
Fischer and Fry. They've done a ton. Uh we actually Mindy and I were in Seattle last summer for um the NAESP conference and we saw Fischer and Fry which was where she was like this is the this is the thing that takes what we're doing at the elementary level and really brings
it one step up for LMS. You can see those uh rigor is an acronym for relationships, instruction, goals, organization, and relevance. And um Dr. Molowski in addition to her four leaders in learning, she actually brought her Slack, which is the school level
assessment coordinator who's her data person into the team as well. So she had a five member teacher leadership team leading the PD in the building but also presenting at faculty meetings um you know coaching their peers in classrooms
at the elementary levels leaders in learning are offering their classrooms as laboratory classrooms or covering so other teachers can come in and see the work. um really looking again instructional coherence across classrooms, really reinforcing high
expectations for all students and strengthening tier one instruction. So, um I'll hand out my uh packet not only has the three modules that you look at, but on the back is the
LMS. Thank you. >> Uh immediate steps. This is really in infancy if that makes a lot of sense. We want to continue the focus and alignment in each of the K8 buildings. Um we we really keep reflecting on how to do this
better. We're going to individuals. We're going to >> I'll take one. >> Thank you. um the analysis of classroom implementation. It's great to have PD and provide it to teachers. How do we
make sure it's getting into the classrooms? How is the implementation coherent? Um really going to schools to individual teachers as a district and going back to that same thing of if we're building this ecosystem, we need to nurture the eco ecosystem so it can
continue to grow. And this is where we kind of head into the future. What we're calling anchoring and architecting. 2526 is the beginning. K8 leaders in learning focus on data differentiation and community building. 2627 we are going to
grow our leaders in learning continue to focus on data for student achievement. Bring in additional teacher selected sessions. You know we we blocked these threehour kind of this launch three-hour blocks. next year as we kind of target
what teachers want and need. PD is not something that's done to teachers. It's done with teachers. And so if we find out how what needs are we actually meeting, it may be two 90 minute sessions every single PD day. We'll we'll see. Um we want to expand into
K12. Our 9 to2 friends are interested in creating their teacher leadership group. Um they were really involved in the AI grant this year. So this is their opportunity coming up. Dr. Molowski has ways to um expand hers and then
incorporate these modules into new staff induction. We have new people coming into our district. This is the baseline. This is the foundation in the three big areas that we're expanding. If our novice teachers, you know, brand new to the district, maybe just out of school,
we need to make sure they understand these are the big chunks, the big coherent pieces that Lawrence Township is focused on. Be beyond that 2728, we're looking at PLC centered focuses. So now we really get into that deep
expertise, expanding those liss, the leaders in learning, and then beyond. You know, Robin and I have talked, you know, perhaps there's more of like an individualized LP, like a learning plan for teachers or some sort of credentiing, some certificate programs.
Maybe they create a way to show what they have learned as a teacher leader and beyond. So, um almost there. uh we will know we have been successful that we are successful when that common language expectations and understanding
exists across every school in LTPS especially in those focus areas. This is our real challenge that the systems in place are solid. They support all the experiences of our students. The data is
analyzed through the LNQ framework providing a path to guide growth across subjects and grades and consistency. And I want to point out that that is not cookie cutter. We are not asking teachers to be you know doing the same
thing or follow a uniform script or anything like that. Consistency is using high impact practices effectively and it will be across all classrooms. support the vertical articulation really begin to craft, you know, deep learning
experiences for our kids. And I know if you're an educator, you probably have seen this quote from Dylan William. And if we create a culture where every teacher believes they need to improve, not because they're not good enough, because they can be even better, and
there is nothing that will stop us from achieving that. So, I just want to show you one more thing. Um when we were with the leaders in learning all summer, this was one of the graphics that we kept coming back to. It's great to set enormous goals and we want to like you
know Max was bold, right? But if we can't reach them, we need lots and lots of little rungs and keep moving this along. So this is year one of a coherent professional learning system. And I think as we realign the district and
start making a lot of decisions like you know Tom was talking about you know Robin was saying and Michelle it is about doing systemic things better and really rooting them so that we keep improving them. So that is professional
development 2526 in a nutshell and if you have any questions I would love to or if anybody wants to come and talk to me or see me or whatever you know >> add. Yeah, go ahead. >> You want to add? >> I just want to say, you know, just for
the public's ear, this is uh Mrs. Musiey's second year as the director of student achievement, equity, and opportunity. We feel fortunate every day that we brought her into central office. As you'll recall, she was a our Slackwood principal, and you are you've done a phenomenal job, and she is
absolutely a visionary leader, and she is cementing some really, really amazing things here in the district. So, I wanted to say thank you. And just one other thing, you know, I also feel the same way about the board. And one of the reasons why we're going to have, you know, Mrs. Musei here and other people
in the in the district come and talk to us is because I want to bring the board along on this journey. And while this could have been something done in CIAD, it is more important that the entire board gets to hear this. Um, and we're going to try to do this when there are things that are so impactful. And for me
personally, I've always believed in this idea. So, I mean, I loved it. I'm not going to ask any questions, but I know Diana has one, but thank you so much. That was fantastic. >> Diana, you might remember the model of leaders learning was like 10 years ago
was the achievement coach that the New Jersey Department of Ed did. And it really was like using, you know, the we have a lot of experience. We have a lot of knowledge. We don't have to look for it elsewhere and buy it. We have it in house. Got to capitalize.
Um well so to that end just one if we get to all whenever you invite us to meet with you I I want to meet with you um but >> and I think to everything Dr. Clem said like this is brilliant and I really
appreciate it Michelle's point like because I think what I heard was so many things that connected our different committees. >> So comments and questions as always. So one, I wanted to reflect back to something because I think sometimes when we use like as a parent, we talk about
coherence. I'm trying to think like what does that mean for my kids now? And I was want I want to say it back and you can check my understanding. So when we say we're focusing on coherence, like to me that means that when my kids are
changing schools or when my kids go from grade to grade, they would be less likely to have um kind of more disparity in the classroom of achievement because you know they had
the same lessons. So like sometimes right now in the same grade we have kids doing entirely different units. hypothetically and not I guess I'm not that happened to me growing up. So I think and then the next year if some if
if one class went really deep into I don't know ancient Rome and another class went really deep into ancient China and now that next you know social studies teacher is has to kind of catch up one group of students and um not bore the other group of students. Is that I
mean is that what you're thinking about coherence like when we move especially into what will be third grade or we move into fourth grade. >> You're saying two things there. It is definitely like the example of Rome in China. That's a curricular decision. We should be following pacing guides and those are established by the supervisors
really well. But when I say like coherence in like differentiation or data practices or responsive classrooms like I'm sure your and all of everybody who's had kids go through Lawrence um I can give you an example of my child who
when he talked too much was put in the hallway. Okay, that's not a good practice. Okay, and that was before I even knew it was a good practice, you know. Um so coherence is yeah we don't do that anymore. Okay, we do use teacher language that solves a problem by
uplifting looking at asset base. So there's a lot of things that we can just do for all of our classroom communities to improve it and that's also with instruction. We know how to differentiate better. You know, it goes back to and you know again we have researchers here and stuff. If you know
something works better, let's do that. Don't keep doing the things that you know I again we we talked about walking around and I if I see a word search I lose my mind. I see a lot less word searches than I used to. So when you know better you do better. >> That's really helpful.
>> I also appreciate the fact that you're including the specialist. You're including the classroom assistants. I saw that big change when we did responsive classroom and I could see that grow throughout the school. The students started their morning on the
same footing. So this I see as a natural extension. >> The assistants were so appreciative >> of being included. They were at our opening convocation. Then they went into sessions. They were with teachers. They
were with their peers. Again, if you if no one ever teaches you how to respond to a child, you know, having some, you know, like big feelings, as we say, >> how you don't know. And so we did a lot of training on that. Um, and they want to support their teachers. They want to
do a great job for the kids. Let's bring them in. Let's make sure they're having that. >> No, teacher leaders get stipens, right? >> They're stipend. And it's awesome. And but also in my mind as parent and taxpayer. I think it's important like
what you're doing is leveraging the expertise that is down the hall as opposed to bringing someone outside. >> We have what we need right here. and how accepting were the other teachers. You know, here's Amy Reef teaching about
reading data and her peers know she's an expert >> and they are so open to that and you're a lot more likely to show your vulnerabilities like you know Amy, I really don't know how to do that. Can you show me as opposed to going into an
administrative driven session where they're paying experts from the outside. So um it was really it was warm, it was supportive, uh feedback was good. As I said, our big step now is March 20th. The leaders in learning will be running a session called POPS, which is just
problems of practice. And the leaders in learning are a little nervous because they don't want it to turn into like, you know, the the you know, the venting, >> but that's important and it's a safe space. They can vent. Um, but we'd like to really get what are the things we can
solve together and also we're going to do this survey that will you had the opportunity to create a PD experience for next year what >> they have ownership. >> Yeah. And if you don't again it's not done to them it's done with with us all.
Mhm. >> And then I guess in preparation for the strategic plan and next year's goals, I think one request question I have is related to the urgency that we talked about to honor the passing of the former superintendent. I think it would help me
as a board member if we found bite-size student data points to be tracking throughout this because >> I fully understand the importance of focusing on PD goals and and input but >> thinking about even though we're going to see things in the long term what are
our kids are here now so what are we going to see each year that in the classrooms and our students doing >> we spent seven days not seven minutes it felt like seven days was that an hours doing data yesterday and what we can
track like as we're getting better and and learning lectiles and quantiles better and our teachers are that's a huge shift I mean we were going from those very generalized normbbased bands of approaching almost there you
know so close you know like and now we can really look at quantiles and say, you know, for a first grader at the midpoint of the year, these are the skills that they need to be stronger. That's almost prescriptive. It and we
even said about looking at the data, I think our in old data, we used to like dread, you know, the park data was coming or, you know, oh my god, the good teachers, bad teachers, you know, um data not being used as a hammer. Data
use of flashlights. If you just get the flashlight every teacher's understanding. >> Great. Okay. >> Uh Jean on >> last question. >> Last question for me. >> Last question for everybody. You're
representing the group. >> So on our agendas, we always have the professional development that teachers are choosing >> or doing. Will that change? >> I think that it will not. No, I but I can't say that. Well, would
I I don't see I don't envision sending teachers out for responsive classroom train you know training for example which we used to do with everybody then it was less and less um it's not equal to responsive classroom training but we
have really boiled down the most essential pieces that actually impact classrooms and we're doing that now in house >> but specialized you know training you know, uh, health and physics. >> Yeah. Or algebra teachers going out for
this big, you know, they'll still have to do that. There's still literacy initiatives, which is again why when you look at our PD hours, >> three hours for leader and learning, our coherent plan, and three hours for other things. We're balanced out.
>> Plus, the the professional developments are your peers giving you. >> Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Okay. But Anybody wants more information, reach out and we can You're always welcome to >> Thank you. >> I was kidding. If somebody has a question, feel free to ask it.
>> Thank you so much. >> Can I say one thing? >> That was it. You were done. >> I was gonna say, >> one more thing to share. >> Like amazing to me. Through the magic of AI, um, Notebook LM took the PowerPoints
that our teacher leaders make and they Amazing. Those podcasts tell an overview of each of the sessions that the teachers led, but it's like two people talking about LTPS. >> You did that. Yes.
>> So, if you have like I think they're closer to like 15 minutes. If you have 15 minutes and you're in the listen to the podcast. Okay. >> Great. Thank you so much, Jean. >> Okay. Phew. That was awesome. Great. Okay. Um board discussion and action
item, personnel committee report and personnel action item. Okay, before I start, if you all probably received this new leaders update, our um Gerald Truheart is in there. He's on page 31,
so make sure you look there. Also some 14 things school board members wish you knew about them. Some interesting things, all kinds of good. This is probably one of my favorite um copies that has come out for um school leaders. So, don't just toss it on the copy
table. Pick it up and read it. It's a good one. Okay. Now, let me get myself back up here again. All right. Personnel met virtually February 4th, 8:15 a.m. In attendance, Dr. Robin Clim, Sean Fry, Michelle Bose, Paul Caparada, Arendelle Clark, and me,
Joanne Groker. We've uh discussed openings for supervisor of humanities and health office assistance uh assistant. We are interviewing for the director of facilities and good things are happening. It's going very well. Uh
we discussed state updates to the NJFLA. We reviewed our staffing meetings at building level and we continue to collaborate with leadership team to finalize our HR budget and no changes
were recommended for policy 1620. On tonight's agenda, you will find a resignation approval for leave replacement, substitute teachers, salary adjustments, and I'd like to pause for the next agenda item. Someone is going
to retire. That's very special to me. And I never knew her middle name was Marie, so I had to put that in there. Amarie Ta. She served in the main office at lees assisting Jane Tom show for the past 23 years.
I've kn only known her to be extremely professional, helpful, a can do person. She'll be retiring at the end of the school year. And I know I speak for everyone at least. She'll be missed profoundly. And an I have to thank you for your years of dedication and the
beautiful smile that she presents to everyone who enters the front office. We wish her well. >> Moving back to the agenda here, um you will see uh unpaid leaves, EDPs, staff for Eagles and destinations
programs, confirmation for appointments, corrections, amendments, adjustments, and one termination. With all the above, I'd like to recommend moving P1 through P22, please. >> Second. >> Tom, with a motion and a second, please.
>> Mr. Caparata? >> Yes. >> Mr. Clark? >> Yes. >> Miss Evans? >> Yes. >> Miss Kroger? >> Yes. >> Miss Kelly? >> Yes. >> Miss Martinez? >> Yes. >> Miss Pasculi? >> Yes. >> Mr. Vanheis? >> Yes. >> Miss Bose? >> Yes. >> Motion carried.
>> Thank you. CIAD and OSS. So, the CIPD meeting met on February 3rd and Michelle Pepper, myself, McKenzie, Dr. Fischer, Allison, um
I always mess up and Neil met for the curriculum committee. Sorry. And uh and we talked uh we just Dr. Dr. Fischer presented on the mental health and student support uh presenting information about our risk
assessment uh data and highlighting some work with the hope squad in the high school. We also reviewed uh two policies including the school visitor policy and class size policy. And we are referring the school visitor policy to the finance
committee for further review as it relates to our school uh security processes and making sure um they all align that our general visitor policy is aligned with um our other facilities and policies. So looking forward to
continuing that conversation. We uh now always uh will receive updates on superintendent goals and monitoring and that's in a conversations um we've had with the board over the last year of just making sure we're um all kind of up
to date and getting um ongoing updates which uh Superintendent Clim has met or is on track to meet all of those goals. And actually the presentation from Mrs. Musey directly relates to a lot of the goals. So that was really helpful to
kind of put those two together. >> And finally, our main um final update and discussion was about our preschool access and enrollment. Uh we this might be a little outdated. So just in general um preschool enrollment is ongoing and
we were briefed on the outreach efforts designed um to promote equitable access and community awareness. So, we know that there's been outreach um to different organizations in the in the community and just want to make sure those numbers keep going up for
preschool enrollment since that's why we're doing this. Uh and then uh our next meeting is March 10th and we're going to look forward to some hearing about some of that data and getting some midyear benchmark information. So with that, um, I'll make a motion to
move OIS1 through three. You'll see a travel log and a grant and motion for two field two field trips. >> Second. >> Okay. With a motion and a second do that. >> Um, and then do I have to do I have to
do O can I do I do them all together or do I have to do O SS? >> I can do them. Okay. I'm sorry. I'll add OSS1. I'll second the amended motion. >> Tom, >> got it. >> Sorry. Mr. Caparado, >> yes. >> Mr. Clark,
>> yes. >> Miss Evans, >> yes. >> Miss Kroger, >> yes. >> Miss Kelly, >> yes. >> Miss Martinez, >> yes. >> Miss Pasculi, >> yes. >> Mr. Vanheis, >> yes. >> And Miss Bose, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Finance committee report and school business management action items.
>> Finance committee met on January 30th. Uh joining me were Paul Caparado, Diana Pasculi, Kevin Vanheis, uh Neil Desai, Jen Baldiseri, Jill Posni, and Tom Eldridge. Uh we talked
about changing the format of the how we present our minutes. So Tom and I aren't fighting for equal time or redundant being redundant. Um LMS auditorium project is on time and on budget.
Anticipated change orders are small in dollar value. The main project consisting of additions and renovations will be bid in phases. First the main building renovations and addition. Next the athletic fields followed by the parking lot behind LHS. The
environmental consultant proposals have been received for design and monitoring work associated with the project. This will be awarded in February. The class of 1976 Vietnam War Memorial will need to be moved. Tom and Joel have met with
the American Legion and the Eagle Scout who renovated the memorial for the purpose of relocate relocating the monument. Jill and Tom are arranging to meet with the families of the soldiers honored by the memorial. New custodial management services
contract is out to bid. This contract will replace the existing contract for Slackwood, Eldridge, Lawrenceville Elementary, Ben Franklin, and Lawrence Middle School. Uh, the district will take an alternate bid for LIS, but LIS will only be
awarded as staff retire. And it's worth repeating that we don't we're not terminating anyone or ending anyone's employment. We're only waiting for them to leave. retired. Um, so the 2627 draft budget is
being constructed. Our estimates with the information we currently have is that we are slightly over cap. Our actual position relative to budget cap will not be known until state aid numbers are released in late February. Tom noted that the administration is
beginning to increase the technology and maintenance budgets that have been held flat over the last several years. Increasing these budgets has been a challenge during times of limited resources. Resource deployment is prioritized to serve instructional programs first.
Audit is complete and there were no findings. Uh Tom discussed the two classroom expansion of pea adjustments to the pea program and how the district manages the contract with
pea at Lawrence day school. Committee reviewed changes in the business office staffing for the coming year as well as changes in business processes. All changes were the purpose of finding efficiencies and streamlining workflows. Robin and Tom met with bond bond council
concerning the remaining proceeds for the 2018 bond referendum. These proceeds will be used to further the intent of the bond sale purpose security and HVAC. There are no objections to proceeding with these projects
and that's all I have. I would like to move SPM1 through 12. >> Second, >> Tom with a motion and a second. >> Mr. Caparado. >> Yes. >> Mr. Clark, >> yes. >> Miss Evans, >> yes. >> Miss Groger,
>> yes. >> Miss Kelly, >> yes. >> Miss Martinez, >> yes. >> Miss Pasculi, >> yes. >> Mr. Vanheis, >> yes. >> Miss Bose, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Uh um last opportunity for public input. Seeing none, uh new business.
>> Uh we have a few uh new business items on the agenda. um switching a fund for self-insured dental cost. Uh destinations approval. Um we have an approval for the disposition of surplus property and and some of the property that's beyond its useful life. Field
trips resignations. Um we have some substitutes and staffing additions and also approving a nursing services contract. With that, I will move SB or I'm sorry, NB1 through NB8. >> Second, Tom with a motion and a second.
>> Mr. Caparado. Yes, >> Mr. Clark. >> Yes, >> Miss Evans. >> Yes, >> Miss Groger. >> Yes, >> Miss Kelly. >> Yes, >> Miss Martinez. >> Yes, >> Miss Pasculi. >> Yes, >> Mr. Vanheis. >> Yes, >> Miss Bose. >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Thank you. Um, can I have a motion to adjurnn?
>> So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Thank you very much, everybody. Have a wonderful evening. Woohoo.