Well, good evening everybody. We're gonna just get started. We have a packed meeting. So, let us get started on time so we can get to the good stuff. All right.
This meeting as well board of education is open to members of the public to be physically present. Members of the public that attend will be asked to follow the same procedures as all other visitors to our school. Those procedures can be found on the agenda page of our website. Additionally, the board meeting
will be livereamed for viewing purposes only. Anyone wishing to mute the meeting may do so via Zoom. Webinar ID for this meeting is 8464464 3234 and the required password is 315674.
I call this meeting to order. Roll call, please. Is your motion? >> Mr. Dilva, Mr. Miss Mar, >> Mr. Cop >> here, >> Mr. Gab >> here, >> Miss Dav
>> here, >> Mr. Hughes >> here, >> Mrs. Hansen here, >> Dr. Morphy >> here. Adding a notice that the agenda for this meeting has been provided to the Ridgewood News and the record specifying that Board of Education will meet on May
20th, 2026 at Bonaf Medical School, 160 Ridge Road, MA, New Jersey. A copy was filed with the township. Uh our salute this morning, Mr. I aliance to the flag of the United
States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. uh we do not require an executive session at this um at this time. So we
will go to not here. Okay. So we will continue to our superintendence report this evening but agenda question. Um all right so uh at this time we will have um agenda questions now. Wow this is going to be
like testing my memory. Please limit your questions at this time to resolutions under business on this agenda. As a matter of fairness, you're asked to limit your questions to no more than one and your remarks to no longer than three minutes. If you are here representing a group, presented by yourself, the group, and your position
in the group. If you're here as an individual, please give us your name and address. This section, public participation will be limited to 15 minutes, but that's okay. Um, all right. So, who should open the meeting to the public? Mr. Marcy, second
by Mr. Hughes. All right. are officially open. All right, seeing no we come forth at this time. Motion to close the meeting to the public. Mr. Kazmar and second by Mr. Hughes. Now we'll move on to our superintendent report this evening, Dr.
Dora. >> Good evening everyone. Welcome to this year's retiring ceremony as we come together to honor an extraordinary group of individuals whose dedication has helped shape our school community for decades. Little aside, I love to give the total number of years of all of our
retirees such a famous shock. Dr. Fair won't give you that uh that information, so he's going to have to ask, but be prepared. Uh tonight, we celebrate not only their professional accomplishments, but also the countless lives they have touched along the way. We thank each of
our retirees for the legacy they leave behind, the wish of happiness and fulfillment, and the exciting chapters ahead. Thank you. Can we have all our retirees uh please stand for us?
>> Thank you. So, um collectively our retirees have devoted an incredible 307 years of service for the district. So the years were filled with leadership, compassion, mentorship, and a lasting commitment to students and colleagues
alike. Uh we're about to show you a retiree farewell video uh to all of you uh which will be followed by Dr. Toro and I invited each of you up to receive the following. Um it's a it's a ma tradition. We give a a mala marble apple
to signify education and their time here. And we've actually had one of our woodworking students actually make the base of the apple. His name is Miles Cody. He is our introduction to uh to woodworking over at our high school. So
a big thank you to Mr. Katzone and Mr. Co for also coordinating uh the creation of the wood base. And each retiree will have a note that has been handwritten by one or a few of their students. Uh three of our dedicated retirees were
not able to be in attendance this evening because they had prior commitments. Uh Joanne Scano from the business office, she works in accounts payable. And two uh two of our teachers who are actually also MA residents, Kathy Dolan, a teacher at Joyce Kilmer,
as well as Mr. Kushi who is a special education teacher over the bridge. So before we push play, I just want to share a little bit about what goes into the creation of these farewell videos. Um what I can tell you is that we ask
students to speak. Uh they very much spoke from the heart. Essentially what we do is we approach students in the hallway and we say can you please speak speak about this particular staff member. So, you're going to hear a lot of great things from
colleagues as well as our students. Um, you'll see a cameo from Mrs. Sherwood's cat. You'll see Mr. Hergoian's head in one of the corners cuz I believe when we were working in the pond area in the
outdoor classroom, he he was keeping uh Nancy the roads. And also we have students who were in the video who came to the country not knowing a word of English and because of our staff members
uh they did so they communicated quite successfully on the video. We also had a student who was in a group shot with a bunch of other athletes and he actually asked uh the staff member who was filming can I share just a note alone to
Mr. Pascal. So you'll see a lot of great things, but I thought it was important for everyone in this room to see kind of what happens behind the scenes and how it all be collected. So we'll push play and then uh we'll honor all of our
retirees. Congratulations, Andrea, on such an amazing career. When I think about what makes you such a special teacher, I think about how you connect with your students. I think about you advocate for some of the neediest kids in the building. All the students know that you're there with them. the biggest
cheerleader while also making your quest so much fun. It has been such a pleasure to not only be your colleague but also your friend. I wish you the happiest of retirement with so many days of your chosen sand on a beach somewhere.
>> Hi Edward, congratulations on your retirement. I just wanted to say thank you for the 29 years you gave us service here at Mar High School. It was an absolute pleasure working with you during that time. Uh I love the 11 years that I've got to work together on the
sideline uh that I was the athletic trainer and it's been terrific working with you in uh this capacity as well and thank you for everything you've done for our student athletes, coaches and staff for the better part of three decades. Thank you and good luck. Every
congratulations on behalf of our high school community, our retired students that have student and our current students Kate Storms. I'd like to thank you for many, many years of service to our students and for assisting us with
any medical needs um that we may have um with students. You always go above and beyond to help students and families and I appreciate that and appreciate working with you over the last 27 years. Congratulations.
>> We miss you already so much. >> We miss your energy. We miss your creativity. this news in the hallways and I know that one day hopefully we'll see you around these buildings soon. >> Yes. And I I miss the talk to have that
that deep connection you had and always just kind of bringing that energy of family right to everything that you did and your commitment to kids and how focused and dedicated you were to making sure that they had everything that they need. There might be that advocate when you saw something was missing. You
filled that gap. When you saw something needed to be done, you did. And those are the kind of things that of course we miss here outside of not just those your friendship and your kindness and and the way that you we're so open and honest with us all the time. We really appreciate and value who you are. Uh we
miss you so much but we're happy that you're enjoying your retirement and we definitely hope to see you around here at some point soon. So thank you so much for everything you've done for us this love and have a great happy time. Enjoy yourself. >> We miss you. I love you and your family. Bye.
Tonight we celebrate three people who have meant so much to Betsy Ross. Laura Lens can't ever be more than Laura. Your positivity and sense of humor have always played a huge part of what makes Betsy Ro special. You care so deeply about your students and their patience
and energy has helped so many children feel successful and loved. You always live in the field in every situation and people are naturally drawn to that. I hope retirement earns lots of golf, lots of laughs, plenty of time with your family, and meaning ground. Jen, your
dedication to students has always stood out. You are someone who truly puts kids first every single day. Your patience, compassion, and commitment to helping students grow has made a difference for so many over the years. And whether it's in school, outdoors, or through your
work for ENT, helping people is just who you are. A little retirement gives you more time to enjoy the outdoors and continue doing the things you love. Lori, you have always brought so much care, humor, and heart to get to us. Your students absolutely adore you because they know how much you care for
them. You have always been someone's staff, bringing support, humor, and genuine commitment to advocating for others. Being you can't stand that you are. Retirement now means you can attend the Yankees World Series parade this year. God, thank you sir. Oh Lord,
thank you Laura, Jen, and Lori for everything you have done to the students, families, and staff at Ross. You have each left your mark on this school in your own special way, and you truly will be missed. Congratulations on your retirement.
Congratulations, Miss. >> Hi, John. Congratulations on your retirement. I just wanted to come on um and just let you know how much you have meant to me over the years, not just as a principal, but as a friend and often
times my biggest supporter. When I think of all the major milestones in my life, uh, at home and in the classroom, I have celebrated every single one of those field. I appreciate so much everything you've done for me as a mentor, as a
friend. Every time you've stopped by my classroom, to check on me, to cheer me on, to give me encouragement. All of the little things that you have done for me and with me throughout my career. Uh you've been an incredible mentor and source of support and I just I
appreciate these past 25 years always having you in my corner. I never had to question that and um you are going to be so dearly missed. I miss you already. I wish you all the best. Um thank you for everything John. Thank
you. I love this video and all the fun activities you can learn. Sorry. Uh and they plan to learn and many
but now you get to play tennis wherever you want to be with you. Welcome to the hall. We miss you. art and we miss your style. Um,
we're going to miss your energy here at GW. Um, we can adore you. Um, pass you are our TWW. Attend all the social events in school and
we always have the money so um so you make it to the point of sports working lot. Um, thank you for teaching me
a lot of stuff and thanks for everything we did. And I really want to thank my friend. >> Hi. >> Congratulations,
incredible leaders. When we first met, we knew your passion to use staff at GW. Your dedication beyond the classroom to making sure that students have the best possible experiences each day programs that you suggest such as practice
challenges and everyone's favorite GW. That's probably one of my favorite things and I think I miss most watching you with the master of ceremonies where you are also a cheerleader, a coach, um a choreographer. Um and it's amazing
just to see kids go up there to that truly is I know you're going to enjoy your time with Jeff, Alex, and Tyler. And to everyone on the courts, consider this your way. Mrs. Mason is now entering with a fulltime competitive training
system. So beware, Mrs. Mason, thank you again for everything you've contributed to our school. We will forever miss you and we are forever thankful teacher. You're the best teacher.
I hope I hope I'll have a great >> My favorite thing about religion is her stealth sense of humor. Both people know her as smart, kind, sought and future. She is all those things, but
I got to know her on a different level. She is hilarious. Her one lines are priceless and they keep me laughing every single day. She's always my go-to person if I have a math related question. Sometimes I even
tell the kids I don't know I need to I need to go ask her. I enjoy our lunches together, party and even outside. Your actions is going to leave a big void in this school and I miss you so
much. But nobody deserves this retirement more than you. 30 years of dedication to kids, colleagues, and the craft is beyond commendable. I hope you were able to hit some of the things on your bucket
list and enjoy being at the store. As you remember, well, our last retirement part of this theme was before. So, I think I'll end with this. Congratulations.
Hi Nancy, just wanted to take a moment to wish you the best of luck uh with your upcoming retirement. It's a bigger student for us here at the wonder you for us here.
I can't thank you enough for the work you have done with our individual students who know you feel this is comfortable relaxed um and just create a learning environment and allow them to take risks. So you will be missed tough
shoes to fill for sure. We love you and wish you the best of luck. Please don't visit. Thank you for helping me. Do you know I like when you call me
read sometimes. I will miss you so much. You are the best teacher for ever. I am lucky to know you know. >> Congratulations Nancy. We are so excited for you. Not for us, but excited for you
to step into retirement to into this new grandma era of Aurora. Uh she is the most happy grandma ever. Um when I was thinking about what I wanted to say to you, my head was flooded with just so many amazing experiences seeing you advocate for our kids, trying to learn
their language, but always circling back to the number one language of love. Uh you have poured into our kids every single day and we appreciate you. We are going to miss uh your energy in this building. Now I'm actually standing outside because I brought some friends
with me to share how you have impacted their lives in at Meadows and they said they wanted to come outside because they said Mrs. Meredith gives us the vibes of Sunshine. So I want you to remember that and take that with you to retirement. You have impacted every person in this
building and we are better because of you. So, here's all right. We really love you. We really felt fun with your granddaughter and thank you for helping us free and give us ideas to
write. I hope you have a good retire and I hope you stay safe and don't forget your answers. I hope you have a good time with your granddaughter and I hope um you won't
forget about this. >> We love you. >> Bye. >> I think you all sh but she's been contributing to me. She's inspiring so much to our
lives. Now equations from V to yours with V2. I have a question for the last question for you. Having factor 3 is 9 + 3 Andre has had an incredible impact on
the lives of so many of our career students over the years. Um she's always understood the importance of holding students accountable while working with love, compassion, and support. Uh how she's doing her invest expectations and always provided the
encouragement and care that they needed to sustain um her patients with positivity, her genuine belief that her child is inspiring. Uh it created a learning environment where students felt safe and respected and capable of
anything and um her balance expectations with um kindness is a gift that is countless lives and inspiring colleagues including me. Um Angelina will be deeply missed here at the Ridge. I particularly miss our daily check-ins in my office
and also her uh willingness to always go on an online field trip with me as a never really appreciate that. Thank you. We miss that. Um and you know her her impact here for so many years. I
wish Andrea endless happiness, relaxation, joy and excursions to fabulous destinations in her retirement. Um knowing that she leaves behind an amazing legacy of compassion and excellence and heart.
Love it. We just wanted to say that we miss you here at George School. It is definitely not the same. And we are just so grateful that over the years we've had such a great blast with you and so much fun and we've
developed such a great friendship with you and we miss you hardly. We know at our school that we miss you. Congratulations, John. I just wanted to thank you for all of
the support that you gave me this year. Uh, one thing I'll never forget is coming to my very first competition here in the district and the first person I saw student
and I found out who worked there that day. um which is typical um I would later called out a party um you do everything for yourself to the school um to the students you show up for them uh
you can feel safe and supportive and you didn't take years back. So thank you for years of showing what strong leadership kind leadership leadership looks like. Um, it's been a privilege working with
you this year and to all of us. How are you? So, we're going to be playing our retirees up individually. What you just heard on video through uh a few messages from our people are is
all the great work all of you have done. And what Dr. before what I wanted to do was obviously provide you with you know a physical gesture of our appreciation but also to just mention briefly the legacy all of you have left or will
leave behind. So first we'd like to invite Dr. up. So our position, he was integral in
assisting us through the hell of the pandemic and what he has taught us is just the importance of a team approach. it was we use Dr. Schlam's information
to collectively and cohesively work with our nursing team. Um, and we're we're better for it. So, Dr. Shan, thank you. Our next hire is Missy Love. Miss, Miss Loveman or Just Loveman or
Momma is uh genuinely loved by JK for her commitment to the students, whether you see her in the front office, in the cafeteria, in the classroom, you can see her commitment to the students and JK and she will absolutely miss. So, thank
you so much for your years of service. Thank you so much. Our next retiree is real Mason. You can stand for us. What leaves behind is an authentic love of GW school uh as well as the yearning
to make sure that every student feels included and belongs. And I believe that Ro if I know Ro and I see that it's she has a few words which we would love for you to share. >> Thank you. Thank you.
>> Okay. >> Good evening. First, I'd like to thank the board and administration for recognizing my 19 years of dedication to the students at George Washington School. I also want to thank the teachers and my colleagues at GW. Your friendship, guidance, and support have
made me the teacher I have always wanted to be. I was happy to serve on the paraprofessional advisory council and be a member of the MBA par liazison. And I'll just mention a few of the initiatives that I have brought to PW. I
started the walking club as a way to get students active. With a generous donation of the Coplin family, they donated a bunch of uh pedometers for the kids to wear. So, we counted in our steps and walked from New Jersey to California.
I also ran penny boards fundraisers to teach the students the importance of giving to others in need. We raised money for cystic fibrosis and the special Olympics. In addition, Deep Dean Manan and I ran finest challenges and we made up a song to thank the lunch ladies
for their hard work. The children sang together in the lunchroom, much to the joy of the lunches. I have also delivered holiday decorations with Amy Pala, my friend, and the kids that the kids made to an assisted living community to brighten
their day. Last but not least, I ran everyone's favorite GW talent. It's a way for the students to show off their individual very special talents. My focus has always been on the students, instilling in them a sense of
confidence, a passion for learning, and being good citizens. I leave knowing I left my heart at GW with my students. Thank you. Our next fire is Laura Lansman. Miss Lansman is such a warm presence in
classroom that she steps into, whether she's supporting students in the classroom in a small group, um the ability for her to teach our students how to read and all the essential things. I just want you to realize how much Mala truly appreciates um your 24
years of service here. Our next retiring is Jen Harber. So I believe Jen was once a math expert and then she pivoted to read it and she has given students the gift of reading.
What I've learned in terms of her legacy in speaking with Mrs. satisfa what she said is that what Jenny does is if she has a goal for kids she will do anything in her power to make sure that they achieve that and um we know that that
has been who you are and that's how we learn. So thank you Jennifer. I want to thank you several negotiations. I want to thank my supervisor.
Um my supervisor was amazing. during my 21 years here and I'm proud of those who lost most of all Christians. Our
next retiree is Mrs. Gloria Breman. Where do I begin? Um, Miss Breman, what I can say about Miss Bron is the passion and the love that she has for her children. It starts at arrival at Betsy Roll School. If anyone's ever been to Arrival, the
energy there is second to none. She really makes her kids, whether the kids in her class or the kids at the school, uh, truly feel special and and it's it's an experience for them, their parents, and even a dog or two. Uh,
feels special for Miss Brandon. But that love starts at arrival and it doesn't stop until after the hours at the end of the day. And what I can say is she advocates very strongly for everything that she believes in whether it's her students whether it's her colleagues and
uh we greatly appreciate the positive impact that you made on Mala for the past 37 years. Thank you. >> Oh my god. All right. All right. All right. I don't even need this. I don't even
want it. >> I really didn't even want to speak. I I Leaving Ma is the hardest thing to do. I am so excited to retire, but the the anxiety of leaving, it's hard. This is
my home for 37 years. And every person who works in Malawa, I cannot say enough about all of you. It's your incredible teachers. and to keep doing what you love because I love teaching and I am
not going to stop. I told you I'm looking to I want to advise student teachers and I want to keep my feet right there in the water because this is what I do. So, thank you for 37 amazing years in Mama. Thank you.
Absolutely. >> Our next winner is Nancy Mer. has been in the district for 24 years. Uh she serves as our ESL teacher. In the video that featured Mrs. Carrera
out by the playground, the blacktop. Uh the three students there knew no English and because of Miss Marian's work with them, uh she provided them with that huge gift and that sort of legacy lives on for a lifetime. So Nancy, thank you
for everything you do. Thank you for your kindness. Um always thank you. Our next retirees is Morgan Shatner. This gentleman has served in mama for 39
years and I have to say 15 years ago I when I started at choice summer school I quickly appreciated the impact of this chapter made on her students. Um she works with our students who um are in
advanced math class. She works with our kids students and she is constantly challenging our students each and every day. Um I got a chance to see her whether it was working with a student as I said in math but the mock trial and the things that they did in class are
second to none. So what I can say to you is please understand that our students are better because of you and we greatly appreciate all that you've done here in Mal. Next, did you find you guys find her?
All right, our next retiree is Andrea Samini. this school year. Everyone who meets Andrew loves Andrew, but what I can tell you is what she leaves behind is she is able to connect with every single kid. She can use tough
love to connect with a kid, but what she can do is connect with any kid no matter what. And that's something that not every teacher can do, but you do it often and you do it really well. So, thank you. We we appreciate it.
Our last retiree is Mr. John All right. So, Mr. Pascal um has been here for 36 years. Started as a chemistry teacher, then as an assistant principal, and now as a principal. I'm going to be a little
selfish and I'm going to talk about Mr. Pascal's impact on my life as a brand new principal in Malawa as a brand new principal period 15 years ago. What I can say is he was instrumental in my growth as a leader here in Mala. When I get a chance to see John each and every
day, what I can tell you is he leaves a heart. He connects with everyone and he is a part of our community. Whether it's in school or the community at large, the legacy he's going to leave behind is showing up. He is at every single event, often times
multiple events in different parts of New Jersey on the weekends. Mrs. Pascal, I can't thank you enough for sharing him with us. Um, and knowing that, um, what he did here in Malaw is truly special.
Um, I don't know how he's not going to come in on in September uh to on a birthday, but John, there's so many things that I want to say to you which I will say in the future, but just understand that mom is better because of
you. So, thank you for all you've done. Congratulations to all our retirees. This is kind of surreal for me. I've spent 56 years of my life in a high in a school building, 39 of them as an educator. And I have to tell you that I have loved every member of it. First and
foremost, I'd like to thank my family, uh, my wife and my best friend, Andrea, who has graciously supported me throughout this journey and allowed me to fully commit to a leadership role that I have loved.
Being a high school principal is a 247 job. Um, even on Monday, last week, my daughter was graduating with a master's from Monontlair. My daughter's in the car. My wife is in the car. Dr. Puro texted me. I said, "I have to call the
superintendent." Nobody talked. >> I didn't know he was at all. >> Serving the students and families in the community of Malaw for the past 36 years really has been the greatest joy of my life. What began as a profession quickly
became a calling and a ministry for me. And the high school became more than a workplace. and became a community that I've been proud to call my home. Throughout my time here, I have had the privilege to work alongside extraordinary educators,
dedicated staff members at from every building in every department, a board of education that is very supportive of its students and of its staff, and an outstanding team of administrators and supervisors.
The best part of being the high school principal really for me has been meeting and collaborating with the countless families who've entrusted their children to our care and working with students to develop intellectual curiosity and
prepare them for their postsecary experiences. More importantly, I have been continually inspired by the Thunderbirds who walk through our doors each day. Their energy, their talent, their kindness, and their potential
remind me time and time again of why this work matters so deeply. Together, we have celebrated achievements in the classroom, on the stage, in athletic competition, and in countless co-curricular activities that define Thunderbird pride and spirit. And
through it all, I've been proud to be part of a team, a systemic team that always puts students first. I'm deeply grateful for the relationships I've formed during my time here and all that I have learned. Watching generations of
Thunderbirds grow and graduate and watching graduates come back to our district to take on positions in all areas of education has been very meaningful to me. I have to admit I'm a little bit sad. I
feel like the cruise is almost over. But as we bring the flagship to the final court of fall on June 25th, I'm equally as excited that the flagship will be repositioned with its new captain, Don Young Wood. I look forward to watching the continued success and growth of the
Mala Township public schools in the years ahead. Congratulations. Okay. You know, every year um during this meeting, we really get a chance to appreciate uh the commitment of our educators and the impact that they've made. And I love the the way what Dr.
Fair put together in the video was truly priceless. Hearing from colleagues and hearing from students, it's my hope that our retirees understand what you have genuinely done for our students here in Holl. So, I know you might not understand it now.
You might not understand it after the school year's over, but I'm hoping in September when your alarm clock doesn't have to go off so early and have that extra cup of coffee, you can take us, you know, lean back and understand that you truly made a difference here in
Malawa. We will miss each and every one of you. Please know you have a home here. And just remember, once a thunder, always a thunder bird. So, thank you for all you guys. Now we have the rest of the board meeting. You're more than welcome to
stay. There's some new things. But if you do not want to stay, I understand now's the time to escape. All right. Uh again, congratulations to all our
retirees and thank you for your dedicated years of service uh to the district uh to the students uh who you have impacted uh so tremendously. And uh
for for some of us very personal to see some of the these retirees uh go but again we uh wish you all the best and enjoy um retirement. Congratulations again.
All right. Um let's see. Dr. Fair, do we have any other report this evening? Tremendous retirement uh send off. So thank you very much. Um and um it's very much my reporting.
>> Okay. So on to my review. Um and um I'd first like to introduce uh to the board um Melissa Droso who is our new NJSBA field services representative for Burbank County. Um she is going to
introduce herself and uh talk about the CSA evaluation process. I'm going to turn it over. Thank you, Miss Delas, for coming to our meeting. Appreciate it. My pleasure. Okay, everybody can hear me, right? Um, so I just wanted to first introduce myself, obviously. Melissa,
you have my business card there. I am a new uh field service representative for B County New Jersey School Board Association. Um I know a lot of you are seasoned um board members. So uh even
though we're all new, I have a background as well of city. I was a board member for nine years. Um and I've gone through all the training school. Um
and basically I just love this job. So, what I want you to understand for my role in this job is if you need anything as a board member, that's what I'm here for. I'm here to support you, not just in training, but if you have any questions or you're not sure of something, you have my business card
there. Don't hesitate to give me a call. Reach out to me. If you need any information, don't forget >> um and fight. So anyway, the point is as you are doing this um job that you get paid so well
for and um and it takes so much of your time. I want you to understand that if you have any questions as a board member, you just need to reach out to me. Whether you make a phone call, you send me an email, if you want to research something, we have a great website association, but when you get on there,
you probably go down a rabbit hole and it can take you a long time. Don't waste your time. Reach out to me. my problems. We get a team faster and I'm happy to do it. Um, you'll get a a response very quickly. I will get back to you within 24 hours and if you don't want to hear from me within 24 hours, don't hesitate
to call me back. Um, so anyway, that's what I want you to know about what I do. My job is to support your you. Um, and that's what I'm here for. So, I'm going to run through this CSA evaluation presentation. And I just want you to know you don't have to take notes. You
have everything you need in that booklet. Everything we cover here is in that booklet. And once again, if you need anything, you just need to pick up the phone and give me a call. Okay? And if you have any questions while we're going through this, don't hesitate. Ask me while we're going through it. Don't
wait till the end. Okay? Yeah, we won't. Okay. So, basically the superintendent evaluation tool is just that. It is the resource that you're going to utilize and the tool you're going to utilize to evaluate your superintendent. It's probably one of the most important roles
that you have as a board member. You just finished one of the others, I'm sure, going through your budget process. Um, so we know we're on to the next fun. And um, but seriously, this is really important because you're evaluating your superintendent and that is your way of evaluating the direction your district
is going in. Okay. Um, so we're going to talk about the legal guidelines, the evaluation process, and evaluation tools. Uh just a reminder, if a board member has a relative that works in the district, you may not take part in the um superintendent evaluation process. So if
that's the case, um do not open the email if it comes to you. Um or reach out to me, let me know and I can stop that from happening as well on my end. Okay. Uh the evaluation of the CSA is the board's means of oversight, appraisal, or the effective management of the
school district. Um, as I mentioned, it's probably one of your most important roles that you will be doing. Um, there the legal guidelines, just so that you're aware, you are required annually as a board to evaluate your superintendent. It's actually right in
statute. Okay? And just a couple of criteria around that. You need to do it once a year. You need to do it in granny. You need to meet with the superintendent and the board to discuss the findings. Okay? you're evaluating on the goals and objectives of the district
and responsibilities of the superintendent. All right. The other piece of this is um it should be done by July 1st. Okay. Uh so that's another thing to make sure you're setting a timeline up accordingly. The reason for that is in
order to get those lower little points on QAC, it's a pretty easy couple of points there, right? 13 points super easy if you just meet the July 1 deadline. Um, okay. Using the schoolboard evaluation tool, it is not required.
Just as a heads up, it is a tool for boards to use, but the superintendent and the board can choose any other type of u evaluation tool that you like, but it must be done in writing. I will give you a little bit of
background that the evaluation tool was created in combination between New Jersey school boards and the NJASA which is represent superintendent and New Jersey school board representing board members. It was a 2-year process and
just recently um the superintendent association has been speaking to New Jersey school boards about kind of tweaking it. Okay? Because obviously everything can get better. Um, so I just want you to know that it is you are required to do the evaluation. You are not required to use the go to school
association tool. The also the key to our tool is the fact that you are able to do it anonymously um as board members individually and when we get to the end we get to the report information. just you know every
time you pull that report it's randomized with the comments and everything else. So if you're looking at this and you're you pull the tracking report and you see who finish their part first and who finish their part last. Don't assume that the comments line up because every time you pull it's
randomized. When I pull it I send it out to the board president um and put it into a PDF to avoid that and keep changing over for them. Okay. Um most of this is done so I'm not going to go down this road. Everything in the census is
updated. So, we're skipping through this. I'm going to assume you have an evaluation calendar already planned out. You know your dates. Okay. Um, we did all that. Census correct. I already know that. Um, this is a sample evaluation calendar, but you're good on
that. Um, I just want to say something on this. The evaluation process itself is cyclical. It is not a oneanddone deal. It's actually a full year event, right? And it starts with your district goal setting process. Um, which again once you get pushed to the district they go down that go started all over again,
right? Um, the other important thing is you should be getting regular updates on your district goals. There are districts that don't do that. It's really important so that no surprises comes before the evaluation and just before the evaluation usually in February. Um,
that should be the last update up here. You'll see it as a superintendent evaluation pre-conference. It's really your last update on how the district is doing on the goals. And that's usually occurred just before your superintendent begins their portion of the CSA
evaluation. All right. So then the superintendent goes in, puts in all the evidence and uh self-ealuation and goals and comments. When he is done, it moves forward to the board. The board then completes individually your portions
from there. Once everybody is done, we will download the report which will be a compilation that I with the board onto your board president. Then the board will meet in executive session. Your superintendent will be Rice and that's where you will go over that compilation
and review and figure out your majority opinion. Okay. And it's really important to understand that um there's seven nine sorry very well tonight. Um so there are nine of you and that is nine individual
voices looking at this in different ways. So this process is trying to get one voice and one majority. Okay. So that's what comes across at the annual summary. The annual summary is the written document of what the compilation
majority required as she says you also have the opportunity and required to sit down with the superintendent as the board in executive session once again the superintendent will be Grace where you will go over this report right this
um summary uh I will also say that a few days before you do this your superintendent will have a copy of that again we believe no surprises at the table your superintendent will have the opportunity to review this prior to your sit down when you sit down. Um, again, I
think majority opinion is what is in there. If you have a dissenting opinion, and when I say dissenting opinion, it's not necessarily a negative opinion. We, you know, you might be thinking it's hitting out of the park and everybody else is saying it's proficient. You have that opportunity to voice that opinion
um in that meeting and you know that that is your opportunity to be heard. Okay? And then at the end of this, your board president and your superintendent will sign this document and then it just becomes a personnel record. Your
superintendent also has the opportunity if um he disagrees with some of this or wants to add information into there, he has an opportunity as well to do that at that time. Okay, any questions through some of these available? Um,
this is now what? Okay. All right. So, this is what it looks like if the ship intended puts everything in and then it's doing so. I apologize.
Okay. So the first portion of it is the goals and that's the district goals. Mission superintendent will put in commentary on that. He will put in um evidence to prove what's been accomplished. And as you can see on here that's compilation. So you
can see there's a the first column is it should be the rankings or ratings. The second one is the superintendent self evaluation. In that one where it said achieved and then as you go to the end that's the board member. Seven board members said the chief one said satisfactory progress and one said there were no progress made by two two
opinions obviously there. Um but the summary report will show that it was cheap based on that majority. Okay. Then you go on to the standards portion. There's two sections to your uh CSA evaluation
and these are the six standards and again this was agreed upon between both groups. Um, you got the mission, vision, core values, governance, ethics and professional norms, operations management, curriculum instruction, assessment and school improvement,
community and care, equity and family engagement and professional capacity. community um school district personnel. I apologize. This is what it looks like. So you'll see at the top is a standard and the first one with the mission, vision
report. And then you have the ratings and they're defined there. Make sure you understand them um and read through them. That's why they're I think they're defined on every page, right? So then you have um the resources there. Take the time to look at the resources. My
first year doing this, it's kind of hard to see it if you're not looking for it and you totally miss them. Um and I think this is the evaluation that I was using, but it is really important. Your superintendent takes a lot of time putting this together and it's valuable
information for you when you're doing this. Okay. Okay, next thing you do is you go down and there's a list of indicators as you can see there. This is where it gets a little repetitive and a little bit um I guess ownorous right for board members
and I understand that and as a board member I would feel the same way. But what why this is important is the indicators are to try to keep everybody headed in the same direction and looking at that standard in the same way. The
indicators are indicators that show if that standard is being met. And it's really trying to keep get nine different mindsets all on the same page so you're all traveling in the same direction. So when you go down there that's going to
give you the at the bottom you're going to give a final rating for this for that standard. Okay? That's to help you get there. That's the point of it. um at the end it is the bottom
um rating that you record the game. Okay. This is a sample of the compilation. So this is what you will get at the end and you'll be able to see the various um breakdown of all board members. So this
particular one as I'm looking at it right you're going to find out again it's proficient. the one that says exemplary that says area but the majority of the five say proficient and that's what what the majority opinion is. Okay. Um once you get that compilation
you're going to figure out the majority opinion you usually meet in an executive session and go through those comments and go through that and make sure everybody's on the same page. I recently had a question. What happens if there's no clear majority? What if you're all
over the board? That's when it's the meaning of the minds and you really need to have a conversation and understand where everybody's coming from and get that majority opinion. It's a good time. Could agree three, but sometimes it could be, you know, you just still spread out randomly and not
have a true majority. That's an important time that you're going to need to discuss that. Okay, this is where we show this same thing to you 50 different ways. Um, this is the template that you use for the summary.
That's usually the role of the board of president to put that together unless they give it to somebody else. And again, that's a template. Just as a heads up, too, you are giving the
summary template to your superintendent. you are not giving the backup to that and there's a reason for that. Okay. Um and reports do it differently. You can choose to do it the way you want to do it. But if you're giving the backup,
right, it it negates the whole point of doing a summary um of a one voice type of um evaluation, right? It's it it doesn't matter what the dissenting opinion is, although you will have the opportunity to speak to that. But the
point is to give a summary of what the overall voice of the board is. All right. So this goes through what you do with that. You superintendent. You share the evaluation. And again, as I mentioned, you're sharing that prior to the conference as well. Um the majority
of the members should be there for it. Minority opinion may be expressed. Remember also if there's anybody conflicted, they are not involved in this. And the minutes of that executive session should reflect that the end of the superintendent summary conference was held. That is your documentation
that we'll be using for your Qat. And I think this will be covered as well. This is really what we're doing. This is really important. Who keeps a copy? You're going to have two copies when this is over. One thing I'm going to tell you, you should shred your
compilation. Board members should not save these documents. Um there are some boards that will hand it out numbered and take them back. This is a personnel record. It is extremely confidential and it shouldn't be thrown around out there. Just as a heads up. So you need to treat it
accordingly. You're going to have one final copy signed by two two copies. One for the superintendent, one for the board president. The board president should give that copy over to the board attorney. That's who usually holds them. If you switch board attorneys, that file
gets transferred. And for the superintendent, you should keep a copy of it. I recommend you keep it at home. I don't recommend keeping it in the office. The point of this is it's it's confidential personnel file, right? And nobody else in the district is above the
superintendent and therefore they shouldn't have access to it. So you might have confidential secretaries that can have access to it, but they shouldn't. And that's why I say that. So, but the key thing This is super important. Each one of you should have a copy at the end of the year. It's
actually getting January the following year. We delete everything from our files. Completely delete it. We don't hold on to it. They are it's personnel information. We don't want it. I don't keep it on my file either. Even when I send the compilation over, it will always go on one file. I delete that
file. That's really important because we always get the request from somebody to say, I don't have it anymore. Can you get it? I cannot. I also will never see the final summary as as the FSR that is not my my role when I'm sending that final final summary. I don't open it if
you do. I delete it. Um that again is a personal record. So I wouldn't even have that to give it to you if you needed it. Okay. So just an overview. Remember it's not a once a year event. It's a cycle that goes throughout the year. Um you you're going to review the performance over the full year. You should make sure
you have that on your annual calendar. Um your superintendent will develop a system to retain the evidence so that physicians got better all at the same time and that's part of those updates. Um progress updates and two-way communications are critical responsibilities of all eligible members
to fully participate. So I did not know as a board member that you could choose not to do this and really you can't. It wasn't until I came into this role that I found out that there are boards that some board members don't do it. Not because they're not conflicted, just because they choose not to do it. I highly recommend that every board member
do it. I consider it to be a critical piece of your role and responsibility in this position. And I know it's hard and sometimes you don't have the best time. I know it's a little tedious, but I really really you need to take the time to do that because that is your big part
of what you do. you evaluate and this is the way you do it. Okay. The other thing I want to tell you uh also to think of when you're doing goals um and you're reviewing these things happen throughout the year. This is why those regular updates are so important. Um things can
change and derail goals not because they can't be done not because it wasn't capable but outside factors can change them and that's okay. Goals can be fluid. Um, I always recommend you go back to thinking about CO and take that under consideration when you are
assessing your superintendent. Okay? I can guarantee you that the majority of superintendent did not hit their goals the year that we had uh co, right? But I'll also tell you, I would bet 99.9% of
them stepped up in a way they never expected they would have to, right? So that's the stuff you have to take into consideration when you're doing this evaluation. Don't be so critical to the point to say, "Well, that wasn't done and and and that was impossible." Take the whole picture into consideration
when you're reviewing this. Give it the time and thought that it deserves. Okay, any questions? >> Wow, that was easy. >> I told you. >> Yeah, pretty. >> All right. Thank you very
much. >> Thank you so much. You're the new guy. Yes. >> There's all the chippers. >> Oh, no. All right. Thank you again, Mrs. So very appreciate it and and it's interesting
to talk. I didn't get a lot of the evaluations on this. So it was informative. All right. Um let's rewind because again we have a lot more to cover. Uh board committee reporters. Uh
what do we have to see? Mr. Galla. Sorry. I just have um three things I want to report back on. Um you know, every once in a while we'll be talking about the bond issue and as we get deeper and deeper and there'll be more happening. Right now we are in the process of the district and our legal
council are preparing the bond what I call the perspective that they have but they have another name for it to sell the bond that is on schedule to go out to the market at the end of June and the cash will be deposited in our accounts in mid July. We also have other aspects
of the referendum that are more directly related to getting the projects off the ground that is contract plan um the design work and construction bid documents and all that stuff and that is well underway as well. And the last item which is um really a feather in our cap
to especially to Greg Romero, our supervisor buildings and grounds. We persisted for two years to get a a grant to plant 80 trees in the district. And I've been just noticing again it's all more nooks and crannies with new shrubbery and trees that have been installed. So thank you to Greg and
thank you to the trees for schools grant program for getting those 80 trees in district. So thank you Uh thank you Mr. Gallagher. Do we have any other reports this evening?
Uh okay. On behalf of um construction curriculum um oops just a couple of updates um from our main meeting. Um we did receive a curriculum uh AI curriculum update um
from uh Miss Craft. Um this is the uh committee that they have ongoing um coming up with um uh points of um how they're proceeding with AI in the curriculum. Um this piece was very interesting because they spoke uh with a
range of students um across various schools JK the ridge and high school um and they posed several questions to them and they took feedback from them um and again I think it's So interesting for students perspective. So um one of the
things that came out that um basically there was conversation about JP students you know feeling maybe it shouldn't be taught at our elementary should be used so much said it's a tool for academics um and
model high school students were quite steadfast that um in their opinion about it being taught um at the ridge they wanted clear guidelines they want teachers to know that um they're using AI that they're doing it responsibly. Um
and uh so it was just it was kind of interesting. I think the student perspective is very important. So that was one there was um an update uh from Mr. Shay regarding our AP staff. There's a new textbook and we're doing new
curriculum writing for the AP stats curriculum. Um there's also um quite a lot of uh curriculum writing that's on uh the agenda for tonight as well and that will be through the summer. All right. So that was our main All right.
Do we have any board member remarks this evening? Okay. Um All right. Let's take business 17 A and B. Uh this is from our April 29th meeting. I made a motion on the
floor. Mr. Second by Mr. Mr. Marcy. >> Yes. >> Mr. G. >> Yes. >> Mr. Houston. >> Yes. >> Mr. Hughes. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Hansen. >> Yes. >> Mr. Cofflin.
>> Yes. >> Dr. Abstain. >> All right. Our next state of 18 new business we have a through a through um a motion on the floor. Mr. Marcy
second roll call please Mr. Marcy. >> Uh yes myself and check two 3717 >> Mr. G. Yes, except on 18. I'm uh
abstaining from check number 123605 and 12374. And I'm abstaining on 18K. >> 18 K >> K with Mr. Houston. >> Yes. >> Mr. Hughes.
>> Yes. >> Mrs. Hansen. >> Yes. >> Mr. >> Yes. >> Dr. Yes. All right. Now, let's take new business personnel. This is 19. We have A through T. I need a motion on the floor to this
side of the table. Mr. Coplin, Mr. Houston. Second. Thank you. And roll call, please. Mr. >> Mr. Marson, >> yes. >> Mr. Gler, >> yes. >> Mr. Houston, >> yes. >> Mr. Keys,
>> yes. >> Mrs. Tansson, yes. Mr. Coughlin, >> yes. >> Dr. >> Yes. All right. Public questions or comment public participation at board meetings is in accordance with Bill 0167. At this time, members of the
public may ask questions or make the condo on educational issues or school matters and community interests. It's a matter of fairness. You're asking your questions to no one and your remarks to no longer than three minutes. If you are here representing a group, please identify yourself, the group, and your
position in the room. If you're here as an individual, please provide your name and address. I need a motion to open the meeting to the public. Mr. Chris Marski, second by M. Jansen. We are officially open to the public. See forth at this time. Motion to close
the meeting to the public side of the table. Mr. Plet, seconded by Mr. Houston. Thank you. We I do need a motion now to recess to executive session by Miss Tans and second Mr. Hughes. Um and then we will be uh
adjourned from there directly. Thank you for the time.