Good evening. I call to order the May 12th, 2026 meeting of the Matuchan Board of Education. Please stand for the flag salute. I pledge allegiance 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. >> Mrs. Alvich, notice of the meeting, please. I hereby make this statement to indicate compliance with the open public meetings act known as chapter 231 of the public laws of New Jersey 1975 which became
effective 90 days after enactment January 19th 1976. Notice of this meeting was given by providing location time and date of this meeting and posting of the same on the board of education offices by delivering copies of the Burough Hall and the Matuchan public library the home news and tribune and by filing a copy with the burough
clerk as prescribed by this law. >> Thank you. Roll call, please. >> Mr. Scott >> here. >> Miss Jet >> here. >> Mr. Derlinger >> here. >> Mr. Glber >> here. >> Dr. Johnson Marcus. >> I'm here. >> Okay. Miss Colleen here.
>> Ms. Michaels Lamort is not here. >> Mr. S >> here. >> Miss Zimmerman here. >> Thank you so much. At this time, the meeting is open to the public on any topic. >> Is here.
>> Oh, yes. All good. All good. Take your time. >> Don't trip. Lots of wires. >> Lots of wires down there. >> Looks like we have some takers. >> All right. All right. As you come to the microphone, just introduce yourself. Give us your name and street address.
Sure. Um Tanya Hickeyi, 259 Main Street. All right. Wonderful. Heather Deleó, 16 Ker Street. Rachel Peron, 77 Vmiran Street Avenue,
>> Elizabeth Weatherbornne, 70 Charles Street. Thank you. >> And Johanna Weatherbornne, 70 Charles Street as well. >> All right. Thank you. Welcome. >> Hi everyone. Um we're actually here um
for our boys who play football and we've heard that the current coach has resigned. Um, so we just want to get some answers for the upcoming football season and we haven't really been able to. >> Yeah.
>> Yeah. Um, there's been um, emails sent by various parents and Kathgar is just not responding or being very evasive. Um, he says that there is a post looking for a head coach, but there is nothing posted anywhere for a head coach that we
could find. Um, even if there is no head coach, something should be in place if they're planning on having a season to at least get these boys conditioned and mentally prepared because as of now with one coach and then one coach resigned, now
he's back. Uh, these are grown boys that have been coming home in tears. >> Yes. So, we're just um >> yeah, basically we're just looking for some kind of a communication and and to know what's going on with the upcoming season. >> Well, thank you for coming. I'll let Dr.
Caputo address this concern. >> Dr. Johnson Marcus, thanks. If you just send those emails to me, I'll get you an answer tomorrow. But what you say is true. Coach Lightner has resigned and we are in actively looking for another coach for a head coach. Um, and hopefully there'll be some people that'll be on the staff from this
current year next year. But if you send me those emails, I'll make sure either I reply to them or Mr. Cathkart replies to you tomorrow. >> So, there's a current open posting >> there. Yes, there's supposed to be a posting. I don't I don't know where it is right now, but >> we couldn't locate it because we have interest from somebody used to a
player's former college coach who knew somebody who coached for St. Joe's was willing to drop his current gig and come here. They he has said that he's also reached out to Cathgar because he needs to know ASAP and Cathgar has not gotten back to him on that either. So, >> we're in the middle of spring season maybe.
>> So, are you looking for a coach? Are you collapsing? >> 100 100% looking for a coach. >> Okay. >> And I'll answer that, you know, email to tomorrow and I'll make sure Mr. Kathart gets back to whoever's reached out to him. But yes, uh we're looking for a coach and any interested applicants should send their resumes to or at least
reach out to Mr. Cathkart, let him know they're interested. >> Well, apparently they are, but he's not getting back to them. And that's part of the concern. And again, we all knew when coach Lightner honestly was hired, it was in the interest of his nephew. That wasn't a secret. They knew this was coming. All the boys knew it was coming. All the parents knew it was coming. There should have been looking for a
head coach a lot sooner than the end of May. >> We only got a resignation letter very recently. >> That I understand. But Kathgar definitely knew. Trust me. Everybody knew. It wasn't a secret. Okay. >> He told He told >> it wasn't a secret. Yes. Yes. >> Yeah. So everybody should have known
from there. Yeah, >> thanks for coming y'all. I appreciate you elevating this to Dr. Kabuto, and I'm sure he'll get back to you very shortly. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Of course. Thank you. >> Um, any other members of the public have comment at this time?
>> All right. Seeing none, we turn to a very novel portion of our meeting. Uh this is uh something we either haven't done in a very long time or perhaps are doing it a little bit different way. Um we accepted last meeting the resignation of Dr.
Spner and so therefore we find oursel in the position of uh being able to appoint a new board member. Um what we did in our process was that we developed questions to share with the candidates. We had an open call for um candidates.
Uh they submitted their information to Mr. Harveier. We sent questions out to folks and we today get to hear from those folks the three of whom I see here. Um and we'll kind of go in alphabetical order actually uh to kind
of keep it together. So what you'll hear audience are the candidates response responses to questions that we'd shared with them. Um where they're going to be sharing information about the district and their understanding of the district, their motivation, their excitement about
wanting to join the board, um their vision for joining the board as well. So they'll be responding to those questions. We will be responding in real time with our evaluations and you will see us motion to go into executive session where as a board we
will deliberate on the candidates and we will then return to the public session where we will announce the findings of our process. Sounds good. All right. Now we'll start with Dr.
Alil. Dr. Nla also. Um I'm sure you're used to that being your name starts with an A. Uh so if you can uh take the podium and you will respond to our questions. I wonder if it would be in the best interest to read the questions for the public. For the public because
the public doesn't have these questions. Um so just for public reference our first question is why do you want to serve on the school board and how do you view the role of the district in educating children especially considering the required time training
and ethical commitments involved. >> Um first of all I want to thank you all for giving us this opportunity and this public forum and giving us the questions. Um I am Najula. I am a mom and a scientist and a hopeful candidate
for this open position. Um why why do I want to serve as a member? Um because I want to give back to the community and the school district that's given my children so much. Um I moved around a bit before we are now
setting roots in Matuchin. Um before when my husband and I were both trainees, um we were in upstate New York and then we moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. Um we have two boys. Um and what we saw in other school districts does not compare to what we found here in the
Matutachen School District. Um the district is very engaged with the community, which is a stellar huge plus. Um the teachers are highly qualified. We did not see that in other school districts that my son attended. Um, and my son is thriving and I give credit
completely to the teachers and the school district. He won first place in the science fair this year. He is on the high honor role and I completely give credit to the awesome educators that really helped him um, reach his potential. Um, and that's just the beginning. And so when community calls,
I want to answer. I want to give back. Um, an opportunity like this doesn't happen too often. And so I want to take it when I can. Um, and I want to put myself in a position where I can help. Um, so we are setting roots. We're now
in a position that we have long-term, not training positions anymore. Um, we are serving as assistant professors in Rutgers. My husband is tenure track. Um, and so we are setting roots in this amazing community. I think you can all agree that Matuchin is a great place to um, set roots and call home. Um, and so
this would be the great opportunity to give back. Um, I know that it is a time commitment, but I can I I can tell that everyone sitting on the board right now is busy and has um a lot of things going on, but you made the time to show up, and I'm really inspired by that. Um, you
believe in the educational mission. Um, the school district is really the heart and soul of community. Um, if the school district is thriving, the community thrives and vice versa. Um, and so I want to be um, part of this team that is um, contributing to the community and
uh, making the time because they believe in the mission. >> Thank you. All right, our second question, pardon me. What specific skills and community experiences do you bring to the board? And can you provide an example of how
you maintain teamwork and handled feedback when making an unpopular or difficult decision? >> Great question. I thought about it a lot. Um, I can say that first of all, I'm a mom. I have two boys, one currently in the school district at Edgar Middle School and one that is soon
to be um, a student at Moss Elementary. Um, and as a mom, I bring that skill set of multitasking, time management, efficiency. Um but also we are engaged in the community. I volunteer in the schools. Uh my husband is a volunteer coach for the floor hockey and the
baseball teams. He was also a volunteer judge at the science fair. Um and so we saw firsthand how the community is engaged, how excellent educators educators are. Um and so we do want to be able to serve as well. Um I am also
an assistant professor and a board-certified clinical lab geneticist. And so I oversee a clinical diagnostic lab in the Ruckers, New Jersey Medical School. I'm the lab director there. And so there's a lot of intricate lab operations. Um I lead a team of lab
technologists, lab supervisor, collaborating pathologists. Um and so I bring that skill set. It includes education, science education, which I am deeply passionate about. It includes mentorship. It includes leadership. So a lot of skill set that I think can apply here um directly applicable to serving
in a school district. Um and then I outside of my professional role I am also very passionate about science education and I serve as a member of the education committee in a national professional organization the cancer genomics consortium. I as a member of the education committee with the cancer
genomics consortium. I organize webinars that are international. Um so I know I know what it takes to organize high stakes um large organizational um teams and international teams. And that kind of skill set I think is important because we really try to do things that
are not only scalable but sustainable things that can last a long time and have a meaningful impact. So I do hope to bring all of those skills here. Um thinking about a little bit about conflict resolution and that part of the question. Um when I joined the team at um Rutgers New Jersey Medical School um
I started something that we call like the team huddle. We meet once a week um every morning on Wednesdays and we talk about what works and what doesn't work and what's not working. Let's brainstorm together and let's solve it. Um and I can tell you that has been so
transformative for me and for the team. I learned so much. Entry-level text gave me impactful really beautiful ideas. And so I think transparent communication is always helpful. Um it's a large team. We're not always going to agree. Um, but that's okay because as long as we're
listening and we're learning from each other, it honestly has been I I look forward to it. I know they're going to come with grievances, but I look forward to it because they also come with solutions and when we implement them, it is always um really impactful and always really helpful.
>> Great. Thank you so much. All right. Question three on vision and priorities. What do you believe the district's most significant strengths and greatest challenges are? And if you had the ability to change one thing immediately,
day one, what would it be? >> Um, another great question. Um, I will say that's something I've been thinking about even before this opened up, this position opened up. So, I'm happy to have this platform so I can talk to you about some fun ideas. Um, so I will say the greatest strength is the community,
community engagement. um and the just really highly qualified teachers. They just didn't exist in other school districts that I districts that my son was was in. Um one of the things that I think as an opportunity for growth in the Metan school district um are a
couple of things. I really think that science education is really important. I would love to contribute there and communication more efficient communication with the community. Um to we talked a little bit about the science fair and my husband was a judge. Um and what we saw is that the Matuchin
Education Foundation puts on a wonderful event. Um students are really engaged. They're really happy. Um but we saw that the lower grades are really engaged and really happy to be there with a lot of the lower grades um really contributing to the science fair. But then like we got to seventh and eighth grade and it
was like a handful of eighth graders and it was kind of sad. Why aren't there more eighth graders um really joining and and happy about science fair and doing experiments? And um when my husband was a judge, he saw that maybe there is some opportunity for growth in terms of the scientific method. And I
thought, you know what would be really fun next year if you do a workshop and you give the students like a 101 scientific method 101. What's a hypothesis? How do you test your hypothesis? How do you collect the data? How do you put the conclusions together? And that could go handinhand with the science fair. And it could up engagement
and hopefully it could also sustain curiosity for the higher grades. We could make it fun. my son's project that won he presented it here in March. Maybe you guys remember he talked about basketball angles and how that can um and it can be a lot of fun. Um and so we hope to put on a workshop and get
students engaged in that kind of fun scientific um scientific uh questions and answers. Um in terms of communication, I think the district does a fantastic job in terms of emailing, in terms of social media. Um but I do think it's fragmented. It would be great to
have things kind of unified. Uh maybe we can have a communications intern. One of the social media savvy Matuchan High School students could serve in this position. It would be win-win. Um we would give students an opportunity to have some real life experience. Um these kind of internships are don't come don't
come by a lot. So we could give them that real life experience and then it would also serve the community. um they would have kind of that point person um that would be kind of uniform for all of the different schools um if they had any questions and then that person could kind distribute to the different um persons that it's it's related to.
>> Wonderful. Thank you so much for those very thorough answers. I really appreciate it. >> You're welcome. Thank you. >> Of course. Uh are there any questions from the board? Clarifying questions. Mr. Glasburg, you looked very ready. Okay. Any questions? Any clarifying
questions? All right, wonderful. Thank you so very much for your time and your thoughtful answers and responses to our questions. Um, I'm going to give myself like a second or two to actually finish my evaluation. Uh, so you can take a seat if you want. Um, and then we'll
call you right up. Um, Dr. Dougl, >> thank you so much. >> Thank you. Alrighty. I think I am ready to rock and roll. Does anyone need a minute? Are everybody good? >> No, give me a minute. >> You need a minute? All right, no problem.
>> Dr. John, did you explain what we're doing now to them? >> I did. >> You did. Okay. >> Right. >> Did I not? >> You did. >> Okay. Just for the record, for those of you at home who are like, "What are they doing?" We're just completing our uh real time evaluations of each candidate
as they proceed. Some of you may know that in my day job, I'm a professor of human resource management. So, I'm going to run this process like that. Okay, Mr. S, are you good? No. >> Nope. Still typing? All right, no worries.
What if I put something in the wrong box? >> No worries. >> Moving it to the right box. >> Good. Okay. >> Awesome. Everybody else good, right? >> All right. Wonderful. Okay. Dr. Delgado. And for the good of the order, I'll just
read the questions again just to make sure everybody's on the same page. All right. Welcome, uh, Dr. Eileen Delgado. Um, we're going to start off with question one on motivation. Pardon me. Why do you want to serve on the school board? And how do you view
the role of the district in educating children, especially considering the required time, training, and ethical commitments involved? >> Education changes lives. Let's start with that. As both an educator and a parent of two children, I understand how
deeply school districts shape not only academic success, but also confidence, identity, opportunity, and a sense of belonging. You know, we moved to Mituchin about 10 years ago. Um, and we've never felt so
more welcomed. Uh, we came from Florida, from Miami, Florida, and then we moved uh to Matuchin. So coming from Miami to Matucha was a big culture shock for us and it was amazing to see how good this community came together. Matuchin is a community that values
learning, diversity and civil respons civic responsibility and I would be honored to help protect and strengthen those values. Professionally I've spent many years working in education supporting multilingual learners, families and teachers. That experience has shown that strong schools require
thoughtful leadership, collaboration, transparency, and empathy. I care deeply about our children and I believe my experience can help contribute positively to the school district. I believe that we must place students at the center of decisions and I fully understand that the role of the board is governance and not day-to-day
operational management and that effective boards work in partnership with the superintendent, administration, educators, families, and the broader community. As seen earlier today, I believe in good leadership begins with
listening, learning, and working together respectfully for the benefit of our children. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Question number two on experience, etc., what specific skills and community experiences do you bring to the board?
And can you provide an example of how you maintained teamwork and handled feedback when making an unpopular or difficult decision? Fun question. Um, so, uh, throughout my career as an educator and a school district administrator, I've worked
closely with diverse families, um, like I've said before, and these experiences have strengthened my communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills. Um, I am very solutionsoriented and ensure that all stakeholders feel respected during difficult conversations. I serve on the Edgar
parent advisory committee or parent advisory board. Um, it allows me to stay connected to the perspectives and needs of families in the school community. And one example of maintaining teamwork and handling feedback um involved implementing changes to our student programming and scheduling that were initially met with a lot of concern from
our staff. Um, I work for another school district and um, I focused on listening carefully and developing a team. With that team of educators, they felt heard and we were able to put the students at the center of what we needed, making the
decisions based off of what the kids needed, what the data showed, and how we were able to implement it realistically speaking, budget-wise. Um, and then we were able to move forward. We piloted, we adopted, and everybody loves that new resource. Um, I'm not going to name it
now, but it was a great resource. Um, and and the kids really really liked it. They like using it. The parents really love it because then they see their kids speaking into this program and they're learning English and they're implementing this. And I believe effective leadership is just that. It's
effective preparation. It's effective respect with all stakeholders, right? Um, collaboration, the ability to make these thoughtful decisions for our kids and positively support them. And then the best part is seeing them seeing the kids just love something that everybody
put together just for them. And that's the type of love that we have in Matuchin. >> All right. Thank you. All right. Third, thirdly, the third question. What do you believe are the district's most significant strengths
and greatest challenges? And if you had the ability to change one thing immediately, day one, what would it be? So like many districts, public education continues to face challenges that are related to student mental health, challenging uh changing academic needs,
staffing demands, financial pressures, and balancing innovation with long-term sustainability, realistic sustainability. One area I'd prioritize is to continue to strengthen the communication and partnerships between Matuchen School District and our community. Matuchen is a high-erforming small district that
manages growth and modernization at exponential rates. um the budget and tax planning, the energy facility upgrades, like the HVAC systems. Thank you for installing that because those buildings were hot. Um the new high school gym looks fantastic. Um we went to that um
that event with the um the basketball players. I'm forgetting the names right now. >> The Wizards. >> The Wizards. Thank you. And it was fantastic. Like you should have seen my daughter's face. Like she wanted to play basketball for Matuchin. And that was like the coolest thing which kind of turned me into wanting to run for board
as well. Um, the proposed energy savings plan, which I've heard other districts do as well, and that's a really good idea, I think. Um, mental health, the HIV compliance process is excellent in this district. Um, the AI readiness, the robotics clubs, the competitions. Um, I
think the multilingual family engagement was great as well. And the strong enrichment commun student communities like the cultural heritage night that we did, um, that was excellent do. And it and it was great and it was put together very very well by our teachers. Our teachers are amazing at putting these
things together for our kids. And so I believe Matuchen's greatest strength is its strong and engaged community whether you live here or don't. Families value education. Educators are highly committed. Um the schools strive to create environments where students feel supported, included, and academically
challenged. So my initial approach would not be to come in focused on making immediate changes because that's not what makes Mituchin great. What makes Mission great is the data, the research, and the processes that are in place that to make those changes. Um, I'd rather listen carefully to families and then build that trust, build that
transparency, build that collaboration with my uh uh board members, right? My fellow board members and support this meaningful community um with open communication with the families so I can feel connected to the district goals and the decision-making. Schools should
prepare students not only for academic success but also to become thoughtful, ethical and globally aware citizens. Okay. Thank you, Dr. Delgado. Are there any questions from the board?
Clarifying. All right. Wonderful. Thank you so much. Thank you everybody. All right. And uh community, we are going to take a moment to make sure we reconcile our notes. Um we're going to wait for Mr. us. Of course, just kidding. Just teasing you.
>> It's fair. >> Yeah, slow and steady wins the race. >> I'm okay with that. I would rather you take your time and get it right. The slowpoke is done, by the way. >> Okay, >> I'll be the slowpoke this time. No worries.
All right, let's see. And I need one more here. Okay. Okay, I'm ready. Everybody else ready? Was I the slow poke this time? >> All right. No, you're not ready.
>> Okay, fantastic. All right, Mr. Nurav Patel, come on down. >> Good evening. >> Welcome. Oh, I start. Yeah, that's me. I >> I can I can start if you want. >> Sorry. Apologies. Okay, starting with the first question.
Uh, why do you want to serve on the school board and how do you view the role of the district in educating children, especially considering the required time, training, and ethical commitments involved? >> Sure. My motivation is straightforward. I have three kids spread across the
district. I have a junior here at MHS. I have a eighth grader at Edgar and a third grader at Campbell. Between their experience in the school and the work I'm already doing as a MHSPTO president and the Matuchin Youth Basketball League president, the Matuchin schools are really a part of my family's daily life
>> and serving the board would be um a natural extension of that engagement. >> On the issue of timing, I think there's real value in joining the board. Now, I think the hardest budget work of the cycle is already behind the board. So this gives us the runway to do the
onboarding, the NJSBA training and the learning curve properly. So by the time next cycle comes around, we're not um still finding our footing. Um I spent time at what neighboring districts are going through and the discipline the support has shown over the last several years. This is exactly what's kept
Matuchen out of those situations and I'd want to help protect that. on the role of the district. I think our job is to make every kid have a place where they can pursue what they love regardless of their family's financial or social circumstances. That's the test I'd hold every decision
against. And within that, I understand the board's role is governance. We set policy and budget. We don't run the school's day-to-day. But the distinction matters when you're sitting in a meeting trying to decide what's a board decision, what's an administration decision. On the issue of time commitment, I'm
self-employed, so I build my schedule around my kids' activities as every parent does. Um, I've sustained leadership roles for the PTO and for the Metan Youth Basketball League over the last few years. Um, alongside my career, I tend to thrive in high demand roles. I
graduated uh from Stevens Tech with three degrees, two bachelors and a masters in four years. Um, I've co-founded and run a startup through acquisition while my kids were being born and growing up as toddlers. Um, I know what the board service requires and I'm signing up for that deliberately.
>> Thank you. Second question, what specific skills and community experiences do you bring to the board and can you provide an example of how you maintain teamwork and handled feedback when making an unpopular or difficult decision?
>> I will try. >> Let me start with skills experience and then I'll tell you a story. >> All right. Uh what I bring is a mix of professional and community work that translates well to a board service. Professionally I co-founded and ran a tech startup through acquisition. After that I spent several years as a senior
engineering manager um leading distributed teams across the US, Canada and Romania. So I'm comfortable with coordinating across time zones, different cultures, different working styles and competing priorities. I then moved on to a director of innovation role where I led cross functional
initiatives, managed budgets, partnerships, and worked through complex stakeholder decisions. So, reading documents, financial documents, asking hard questions, and trying to get alignment is pretty much what my last two decades of my career have been. On
the community side of things, I this is my third year as the high school's PTO president and this is my third year as the Matuchan Youth Basketball President. And before that, I served a term as the parent teacher council secretary. And before becoming the MIB president, I
spent two years on its board. So I'm embedded in the MUTN schools community for a while in the roles that I've had to fund raise. And I had to fund raise, manage budgets, build sponsorships, and most importantly make sure that every kid regardless of family circumstance was able to participate. That was like
the the vision for at least the basketball and for the PTO as well. And that's the last part. That's what I carry in my decisions for uh coming into the board. >> Mhm. >> So for a specific story um in terms of how I handle issues with teams and
whatnot um in the summer of 2022, my team at my former employer was facing a workforce reduction and I had been leading the highest functioning team at the company in the engineering org but that wasn't going to save us by itself.
This was also a time when AI was coming about and I had strong convictions that the company needed to be invested in generative AI. This was right before Chhat GPT became a household name. Company leadership was an AI forward and didn't think technology would resonate with our customers. I disagreed and I
held the line. I made pitches to executives across multiple departments because I knew this would be something that would need broader support than my current management would require. After getting two senior leaders to back it, my team built a working generative AI tool, the first in market, first to
market in our space. And even after showing that, getting a demo of that, um the engineering teams, the product teams and the design teams were initially reluctant. So we kept iterating, kept demoing, kept bringing sales, legal, customer support
crossunctionally trying to get alignment. That product now is a pretty much a standard functionality in every product you would see today for every competitor that we that we have. And my team was preserved and we moved into an innovation function rather than getting broken up. So what I want the board to take away from that story is how I
handle disagreement. I don't try to win by being by volume or authority. I build coalitions. I bring people along through demonstrated work, not pronouncements. And I'm patient through reluctance when I'm confident the direction is right. That same disposition, listening,
building coalitions, holding the line when I'm confident is how I approach the harder decisions in the PTO and the MIP as well. I think it fits well in how a school board actually works. Thank you so much. All right, the third question on
district vision and strategic priorities. What do you believe are the district's most significant strengths and greatest challenges? And if you had the ability to change one thing immediately on day one, what would it be?
>> Great question. Um, so I think Matuchin's biggest strength in my view is that we don't have a single focus for excellence. We built a community where excellence shows up across the board. So whether it's through the arts, through music and drama, academics through our AP offerings, special education, through
our genuine dedication to students with diverse needs, our STEM programming, the robotics, all the sports and inter murals that we offer, and all the clubs at all the other schools, MHS, including MHS, every kid has a place to pursue what they love. And that's what I'd want
any board decision to protect. The other strength I'd point to is less visible, but just as important. The board's been making disciplined, consistent decisions for years. Modest tax levies increase each year rather than skipping a year and catching up with a single hike later. Strategic use
of capital reserves to absorb construction inflation on the referendum without having to go back to the voters. Careful management through a difficult health care environment. None of that makes headlines, but it's exactly the kind of stewardship that protects everyone else when every everything we
else we value in the district. So the greatest challenge I see is mostly financial and mostly external to our control. Healthcare premium growth is hitting every district in the state. State aid for towns is capped at 6% under the current formula. The
referendum still has work to be complete in construction with inflation costs haven't stopped climbing. None of these are new problems and the board has been managing them well, but they're not going away. And then what I'd really be cautioned against, having watched what happened in Edison and East Brunswick this year, is
letting politics drive financial decisions on the short cycle. The districts that ended up with the deepest troubles are the ones that prioritize holding tax levies flat to look politically convenient. The state's formulas then read that it was overfunding and clawed back. The result was a single-year crisis that hit
teachers, families, and programs all at one shot. Muchen has avoided that trap by being willing to willing to make small unpopular adjustments year after year. That's the approach I'd want to defend even when it's comfortable. Long-term stability is the goal. Short-term political wins are how you
lose it. Regarding the one thing I'd want to change, it's more of a strategic priority and not a board mandate. I'm going to go back to my technical AI background. I push for thoughtful integration of AI into how kids learn.
I'll caveat that upfront that the real questions are about how to do this responsibly. Academic integrity, screen time, equity of access, those concerns deserve serious thought before any commitments. But what we can avoid, the careers our current juniors and seniors will graduate into are going to look
fundamentally different from what they planned freshman year. The kids in Campbell today will enter a workforce where AI literacy matters the way computer literacy managed mattered in my generation. And if we wait until we're certain about every single detail, it'll probably be we're preparing them for a
world that doesn't no longer exist. Um, I've been working with AI for a long time. I'll talk AI all day long, but uh um I've seen the curve unfold. Used well, AI can transform the pace and depth of student learning. And the used well part is the work done carefully
with input from teachers and parents. Eyes open to risk. That's what I want my touching to do to lead and not follow. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. Patel, thank you all three of you for your very thoughtful responses to our questions.
Um, at this time we will I have to move, right? >> Can we >> You can finish your typing. Yes. So, we will do our evaluation right now and then I'll move. Let me know when you're ready for me to move. Mr. Sus, >> I'm actually a pretty good typist.
>> I believe you. I do. You're just being thorough. >> You good, Alicia? >> Sorry. Yes. Yes. It's not going into the either. That sounded like a definitive I'm done. >> Sounds a definitive I'm done.
>> All right. Wonderful. Thank you so much, Mr. Sus. We are going to go ahead and I'm going to make a motion to go into close session. Is there a second, Mr. Glassber? Do I say all in favor to All in favor? Yes. All right. Good. Good. Forgive us. This is newish for us. So,
we'll see you all back shortly. Thank you. Well, let me not say shortly. I don't know. We'll we'll be back. We promise. Four memories of a different time. So I opening Okay.
>> Do I just say >> Brandon's ready? >> Brandon, you good? All right. All right, folks. I know you've been waiting with baited breath. I appreciate your patience uh while we have been away. Um we are open for public comment on the
process and the c well on the candidates but I don't see anyone who does not work here or is a candidate or with the candidates. So I think if it's okay I will close that section of the meeting and I um I did want to start by saying
that we all unanimously are so delighted that you took time out of your days to come and speak with us and to answer our questions and put yourself forward for a position like this. Um, having all of us having served in these roles, we
understand the time commitment it is and we are grateful that you would be willing to do so. And we were gone for quite a while, but that's because you were all excellent. We really struggled. Um, it's really difficult when you have
great people on board. And folks at home watching, I hope you got an opportunity to see the quality of folks that we have in our community that are willing to serve our community. Um so that said we did land eventually
um and we are delighted to um inform Dr. Naja Alil that you will be appointed as our new board member. So thank you so much for coming out. Thank you to Mr. Nar Patel Dr. Eileen
Delgado for coming out and participating. I I saw you all bonding earlier. I love that you've all bonded together. You look so very delighted. Uh so tell me uh who is administering the oath. Mr. Dr. Caputo will administer
the oath of office to you. >> Thank you so much. Oh, sorry. >> We have to affirm it with a roll call vote. Thank you, Mrs. Alavich. Okay. Do we need to do a first and a second?
>> I love how you asked me that. >> Do you need to? Yes. >> So, I'm moving. So I move that the board appoint Dr. Naja Alil to the vacant position at this time on May 12th, 2026. Is there a second?
>> Second. Do >> Mr. Derling, I just gave you a doctorate. >> Um, so it's you know what time it is. >> Mr. Derlinger seconded. So roll call please. Mrs. Ali Evit. >> Wonderful. Mr. Bot. >> Yes. >> Miss Cheetum.
>> Yes. >> Mr. Derflinger. >> Yes. >> Mr. Glasber. Yes, >> Dr. Johnson Marcus. >> Yes, >> Miss Colleen. >> Yes, >> Mr. Sus. >> Yes, >> Miss Zimmerman. >> Yes. >> Motion carries. >> Wonderful. Thank you so much, Mrs. Alavich. Do y'all need a microphone for your
>> Yeah, just >> sorry. >> Oh, >> thank you. Uh, Dr. Johnson Marcus. So we're looking at the required oath for schoolboard members pursuant to NJSA 18A 12-2.1
and NJSA 41 colon 1-1 and13 and this is the required oath. So we'll um we you can read this. Yep. I Najala Alil do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of
the State of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States under the authority of the people. So help me God. I, Naja Alil, do solemnly swear that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law for the office of a member of a board of
education and that I will faithfully, impartially, and justly perform all the duties of that office according to the best of my ability. So help me God. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Oh, thank you.
>> That's okay. And then do we let do we have our seat? Is there space? >> Is there space? >> Yeah. >> You literally >> you can actually join us right next >> literally get seated. >> We did not mean that figuratively. >> It happens. >> And can you pass this down to her as
well? >> All right. What a eventful evening. Okay. So, thank you, Alicia, or sorry, thank you, Miss Galen. I I can't keep anybody's title straight right now. >> All right, Miss Ellie, I bet you're
good. >> I was just getting her last name so I put her on the list. >> I figured I wanted to make sure you were good. Wonderful. >> Okay, >> everybody settled? All right. Wonderful. So, Dr. Kabuto, at this time we're supposed to have a bunch of presentations. >> Yeah, I think um in the interest of
Yeah, I think in the interest of time, we'll reschedule, if it's okay with you, um Dr. Herszog's presentation, our annual mental health presentation. This began with the November 2019 uh second question which provided funding annually to support our um our
clinicians, our school psychologists, additional programming um and we've pledged to the community every year and we've done it every year to present and Dr. Herszog's done a wonderful job. But I think in the interest of time tonight when more people will be watching next week, we'll do it on the at the board agenda for uh May 26th.
>> Wonderful. >> Thank you, Dr. Herzog. >> Thank you. Thank you for that. and thank you for always making sure that we are attentive to the mental health needs in our community. All right, I shall move us on to the president's report. At this time, I have none. And Dr. Caputo, I imagine
>> nothing tonight. >> All right, wonderful. >> Congratulations to our new board member. >> Yes, indeed. Welcome. Um, we have not had any committee meetings since last board meeting. However, I know do Mr. Glberg often has a construction update. Do you have any or
>> uh just that? Sure. There's uh still a lot of punch list items as I mentioned before going on. Uh the work here in the uh cafeteria edition is continuing which is converting it back to a cafeteria from the board offices.
Uh the administration has moved up to that new board office space. Um there's a lot of plantings outside things going on uh that have taken place. Uh we've gotten some good feedback on that from the and useful feedback on that from the public. And uh the district is also
planning continuing to plan for events so that the public will be able to get into all these different spaces that we have. Uh and we are meeting officially next week. Next Monday is our next meeting. >> Is it a public or closed? >> That is closed. >> Okay. Thank you so much. And
unfortunately due to the hour I believe we have lost our student board member at this time. >> Yes, she informed us that she go and study and sleep. >> It is 9:48. That is perfectly reasonable. Okay. Is there any old business at the time from the board?
Is there any new business? Congratulations, Dr. Hall. >> Thank you. I'm so happy to be here. I am really excited about all the fun things that we will accomplish together. Thank you so much for this opportunity. >> Wonderful. Thank you. We're glad to have
you. All right. At this time, I would like to move to approve the April 28th, 2026 special business meetings one and two and the board meeting. Is there a second? Miss Zimmerman. Uh any comments or
questions? >> All right. Roll call, please. Oh, just >> just as a reminder, um, in terms of voting, any board member can abstain any time, um, if you don't feel like you have that. It's always an individual decision, though, if you don't have enough information to vote. Um, but it's
up to the individual member. >> So, don't feel pressured to vote at this moment because you're like, whoa, >> I have seen. >> Not yet. Jen will tell you. Sorry, Miss Zimmerman will tell you. We just came the first name session. Now I'm in the
Okay, I'm back. All right. >> She's going to be the first one I call because of her last name. >> Oh, that is true. Okay, so she's already abstained. Okay, so roll call, please. >> Okay, Miss Oswel, you're abstaining. Okay, thank you. >> Dr. Osw has abstained. Uh, and then we
are going to Mr. Mr. Bot. >> Yes. Perfect. >> Yes. >> Back on track. >> Miss Cheetum. >> Yes. >> Mr. Derlinger. >> Yes. >> Mr. Glber. >> Yes. >> Dr. Johnson Marcus. >> Yes. Miss Colleen, >> yes. >> Mr. Sus, >> yes. >> Miss Zimmerman,
>> yes. Motion carries. >> Wonderful. Thank you so much. The meeting is open to the public at this time, but I imagine at 9:50 Nolan's running down here, so I'm going to close that section and move to the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools. Oftentimes, it may appear to
members of our audience that the board of education takes action with very little comment and in many cases unanimous vote. Before a matter is placed on the agenda at a public meeting, the administration has thoroughly reviewed the matter with the superintendent of schools. If the superintendent is satisfied that the matter is ready to be presented to the board of education, it is then referred
to the appropriate board committee. The members of the board committee work with the administration and the superintendent to asssure that the members fully understand the matter. When the committee is satisfied with the matter, it is then presented to the board of education for discussion before any final action can be taken. Only then is it placed on the agenda for action at
a public meeting. At this time, I'd like to move personnel items A1 through A15. Is there a second? Miss Khen, are there any questions or comments on the personal items? Mr. Sus,
>> very, very quick question. Um, item 13, is that the list of all the teachers that'll be moving as part of the uh rebalancing of the schools? >> That's correct. >> Okay. Thank you. >> That's tenured and non-tenured staff as well. Some of those non-tenure staff are also in number 12 as being reappointed
and in 13 that's all the folks that have been moving will be moving from one school to another school for the 26 27 school year. >> Thank you. >> Thanks for the question. Uh any other questions or comments on the personnel items?
>> All right, seeing none, roll call, please. >> Dr. Oswiel, >> I abain. >> Abstain. Okay, no problem. >> Mr. Bot. Yes, >> Miss Cheetah. >> Yes, >> Mr. Derlinger. >> Yes, >> Mr. Glassber. >> Yes,
>> Dr. Johnson Marcus. >> Yes, >> Miss Colleen. >> Yes, >> Mr. Sus. >> Yes, >> Miss Zimmerman. >> Yes. Motion carries. >> Madam President, before we move on to the next section, item number 10. Uh, part under personnel, the board just
accepted a retirement of Carol Gaffne. And for the past 26 years, Carol Gaffne has served the students of Mo School in multiple roles, including library and art, enriching the educational experience of generations of children through her creativity, compassion, and commitment to the arts. Through her instruction and her coordination of
co-curricular enrichment opportunities focused on art, and culture, she introduced more than 3,000 students in Matuchin to an appreciation for artistic expression and cultural learning. Beyond her work in the school community, she has been a valued community member through her role as a founding trustee
of the Matuchin Education Foundation. Her lasting impact on students, families, and the broader Matuchin community will be remembered for years to come as we thank her for her remarkable years of service and wish her the very best in retirement. Thank you, Miss Gaffne. >> Wonderful. Thank you so much. >> Congrats.
>> Yes. Congrats on your retirement. All right. Turn to Mr. Sus for the finance items. >> Yes. I'd like to move items B1 through B9 as listed on the agenda. >> Thank you so much. Is there a second? Miss Gene, are there any questions or comments on the finance items? Mr. Sus,
>> so I'd like to comment on item number two. Item number two is the uh busing fee for the 2627 year. It is going up to $690. Um I know that is a substantial increase but um you know we've now absorbed
another bus route. Um the board it's $1.91 a ride I believe. >> Um but you know the the school district was subsidizing 44.8% of the bus fair in the this year and next year we're still subsidizing
42.69%. So given all the changes I we we know it's tough. Um but um it it's fair. >> I appreciate that uh comment, Mr. Sus. I think it is important to highlight our
commitment to busing and to making sure that we have that opportunity available for our community given that we don't have to offer busing given the small size of our community. that we still do offer it is really important and I think it's fiscally prudent the way that we
are proceeding to do so so that we are able to continue to offer the busing while offering it at Moss as well as Campbell and Edgar. So thank you for your work and and obviously Mr. Harveier for doing the the lifting and the finance committee for working through
that to make come to this recommendation. It is a an increase, but indeed the bus routes every year we go out, they increase, the price increases, and we're adding a tier. So, I appreciate the hard work that went into making sure that it didn't jump even further. So, thank you to all of those
involved in this hard work. Appreciate that comment. Thank you, Miss Zimmerman. >> Yeah, I have another comment on the the busing. So, first of all, um I am thrilled we have a MOSS bus route. I think that was a huge huge accomplishment. I think it's going to benefit our families, our students. Um,
anybody who lives near Moss is going to appreciate those buses. Um, and I know that this finance committee has been hard at work and and Mr. Sus and I have been in communication about the increase this year. Um, my personal opinion is that this is not the year for the district to take a step down in the percentage contribution. So, it was
44.85 going down to 40.42. I I realize that in some cases this is probably small potatoes, but we are looking at an $80 increase this year. Previously, last year we had a $60 increase. It's 140 over the course of two years. Um I just I think that it's
it could be a hardship for some families. Um so I just want to acknowledge that. Um that said, I do think we we are doing the right thing in in getting the busing done and having three routes and and bringing this to the table. Um so I do I want to appreciate that. But um I also want to
acknowledge that there are perhaps opportunities to to look at how um we can make busing if it's possible a little more affordable for families. >> All right. Thank you, Miss Zimmerman. Any other questions or comments on the finance items?
>> All right. Seeing none, roll call, please. Mrs. Alivic. >> Dr. Azil. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Mr. Bot, >> yes. >> Miss Cheetum, >> yes. >> Mr. Derlinger, >> yes. >> Mr. Glasper. >> Yes. >> Dr. Johnson Marcus. >> Yes. >> Miss Colleen, >> yes.
>> Mr. Sus, >> yes. >> Miss Zimmerman, >> I want to vote no on item B2 and yes on everything else. >> Right. Thank you very much. Motion carries. >> All right. Thank you, Miss Ellie. At this point, I'd like to move policy item
C1. Is there a second? >> Don't all jump at once. >> I raised my hand. I know, but I kept looking this way earlier, so I try to look another way. >> Mr. Chair, I'm sorry, Mr. Dair. >> Any questions or comments on the By item?
>> Seeing none, roll call, please. >> Dr. Oswel, abstain. >> Thank you. Mr. Bot, >> yes. >> Miss Cheetum, >> yes. >> Mr. Derlinger, >> yes. >> Mr. Glasber, yes. >> Dr. Johnson Marcus, >> yes. >> Miss Colleen, yes. >> Mr. Sus,
>> yes. >> Miss Zimmerman, >> yes. Motion carries. Mr. Derlinger. >> Yes. Thank you. I'd like to make a motion to move items D1 through 4 as listed on the agenda, please. >> Is there a second?
Miss Gene, are there any questions or comments on the curriculum items? Seeing none, roll call, please. >> Dr. Azil, >> abstain. >> Thank you. >> Mr. Bot, >> yes. >> Miss Cheetum, >> yes.
>> Mr. Derlinger, >> yes. >> Dr. Mr. Glasber, >> I'll take it. >> Yes. >> Dr. Johnson Marcus, >> yes. >> Miss Colleen, >> yes. >> Mr. Sus, >> yes. >> Miss Zimmerman, >> yes. Motion carries. >> Wonderful. Thank you. At this time, the
meeting is open to the public, but public, it is 9:58, so I'm going to close that section of the meeting, and I'm going to turn it over to Miss Zimmerman for announcements. >> We're going to be quick. We know it's late. Um, the school climate improvement survey is out this week. The deadline
for Moss and um high school parents to complete the survey is this Friday. Um, and next uh May 18th through June 1st, the survey is open for Campbell and Edgar families. So, just wanted to flag that to everyone. Um, Moss School, there
is a rising first and second grade parent orientation on June 11th. Campbell School, there is a rising third, fourth, fifth grade parent orientation uh this coming two uh sorry, next Tuesday, May 19th. Um, MEF, we
haven't talked about this today. Turn up the volume campaign. Do you want to talk about that at all, Dr. Caputo? I don't know if you I don't spot the um for the for the auditorium. Do you Yeah. Do you mean? >> Sure, I can mention it. Um the MEF um is
initiating a turn up the volume campaign to um have an additional fundraising opportunity this year. Uh as you know, they've committed to a huge uh donation for this space for a whole new sound system. And um so they're opening up
their um their fundraising again to support the um that this program and to be able to fund smaller grants as they do. So look for um look for an opportunity to turn up the volume with the MEF. >> They also have a huge matching uh grant
as part of this as well. So somebody has donated money to to match a large amount. Um so consider contributing to that. >> Yes. >> Great. Wonderful. Thank you for highlighting that. >> Yeah, no problem. Um the PTC wants to thank everyone for coming to the parents
night out fundraiser this past weekend. Um, and the project graduation 50/50 raffle is this coming Thursday, May 14th at JR's pub. So you can come out and support that. Uh, and the next board of ed meeting is Tuesday, May 26th. >> Wonderful. Thank you, Miss Zimmerman.
That was two minutes. Well done. All right. So, at this time, I'd like to move to adjourn the meeting. Is there a second? Mr. Derlinger. All in favor? Good night, everyone. 10 o'clock.