All right. Good evening and welcome to the Tuesday, December 16th, 2025 Montgomery Township Board of Education meeting. We appreciate you all coming out on this chilly evening. At this time, I'll entertain a motion to reconvene and open session. >> So, moved second. It's
>> been properly moved and seconded to reconvene and open session. Any questions on the motion? >> All those in favor say I. I >> I >> I >> All those opposed same right in the extensions. We are now back in open session. Roll
call, please. Mr. Taliano. >> Dr. Dwang >> here. Mr. >> Ding, >> here. >> Mina, >> present. M >> Harris, >> here. >> Mr. Nora, >> here. >> Mr. Todd, >> here. >> Thank you. >> At this time, please rise as we salute
the flag. 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. We do not have our student. At this
time, we'll have our superintendent report and presentations. Superintendent McGloin. >> Good evening, everyone. On behalf of the Montgomery Township School District, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to our three board members, Michelle Dowling, Joanna Felac,
and Ana Walle Jernigan as they complete their terms as board of education members. Each of you has given your time, energy, and thoughtful leadership and service to our students, staff, and community. Your commitment to make informed decisions and guiding the district has had a lasting impact and we
are deeply appreciative of the countless hours you dedicated to serving the district both behind the scenes and in the public service. As you conclude your service, we want to thank you for your perspective, collaboration, and dedication you brought to the board throughout your term. Your contributions
have helped shape the direction of our schools and strengthen our educational community. Although your terms might be coming to an end, the positive impact of your work will continue. We wish you all the very best in your future and thank you again for your service to the district.
As we move into winter break, we are excited to embark on our annual winter traditions. At Montgomery High School, we have our world-class instrumental and music concerts tonight and tomorrow at 7 p.m. On Monday, the chamber choir will delight staff and students across all buildings with the district's annual uh
the annual district-wide carollet. We will conclude 2025 with our inschool winter concert on the final day of school in December. As is tradition, we will be entering a homework free break. Winter sports are in full swing. Please check out our athletics web page for daily schedules and visit the MHS Cougar
Den for updates. At this past weekend, 71 students were involved in the cast and crew of the production Beauty and the Beach Jr. Thank you to the staff who made the students shine. We hope all who attended enjoyed the show. On December 5th, 115 students and staff took the
track took to the track to participate in the second annual Jingle All the Way job for Special Olympics. The students in our unified PE class advertise and help plan the successful event. As a school, S raised $3,235 with a portion of the funds coming back
to the school to support the unified programs. On December 9th, 25 students sat for the preliminary round of the spelling be. 10 students are advancing to the final round in January. At the end of November, the robotics team attended the local first Lego League
competition and performed well. and the club adviser was named mentor of the year. Congratulations. As the holiday season settles in, LMS is joyfully balancing learning and celebration. They held the first ever student ed camp on the half day before
Thanksgiving break, giving students and staff the opportunity to connect with others who share similar interests. It was a fun-filled and energizing launch into the holiday weekend. December opened with festive spirit as the fifth and sixth grade orchestras and band filled the building with beautiful
music, delighting families and setting a cheerful tone for the season. On Wednesday, December 10th, LMS proudly hosted its first ever virtual Jingle All the Way 3K. More than 150 students and over 50 staff members participated, raising nearly $10,000 for Special
Olympics, 2,000 of which will directly support the unified program at LMS. Those not participating in the race enjoyed a cozy morning celebrating inclusivity with viewing of wonder at the assembly's schedule. During the assembly schedule, LMS looks forward to growing Jingle all the way into a
beloved annual tradition. The fourth grade band one and band two held their first concerts of the year last Thursday and Friday, respectively, for their parents and fourth grade peers. Band students showcased how much they've learned in just three short months. It was incredible. It was an incredible
performance and parents were left in awe. Their next school day concerts will be in February in preparation for the first evening concerts at the EMPAC at the high school. The 31st annual Young Scholars Institute holiday service drive concluded today. Students in each class
collected school supplies and purchased gifts for a special young scholar assigned to their classroom. The family of each young scholar will also receive a grocery card for the holidays. Gift card for the holidays. First graders at Orchard Hill are spending part of their time this month traveling to neighboring
classrooms as part of their holidays around the world activity. Each teacher on a team takes a different holiday and classes rotate through lessons on various winter holidays like Los Pasados, Christmas, bansa, Hanukkah, and even winter's solstice. The school's
seal focus for the month is empathy. As students across the grades learn what it means to have empathy and do so via various books, songs, and conversations, I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday. Enjoy time with your families and friends this winter break. I would
now like to invite the district's unified team to share a little bit about the program and their accomplishments and accolades, including the outstanding unified school award that was presented to them. Please show everybody.
Get them. Okay. >> Yeah, they can pick your All right. Thank you. I'll send it to you. >> Thank you for showing me. >> Good evening. Um I am Meredith Strada.
I'm a special education teacher at Montgomery High School. I am the play unified um adviser as well as head coach for our unified sports programs. Lisa Fiorretti is my counterpart at the high school. She's not able to be here tonight, but I could not do all the
things without Lisa. And um Joe Bassford is our unified PE um teacher who is phenomenal and instrumental in our success. This evening from the high school, I have two um of our students who are unified leaders, Grace Kowski and Kylie Kuzi. I'm going to let Grace
go first. She's going to share a little bit about her experience at um Montgomery High School with Unifi. unified at Mos High School. It it it
means I get to build and make relationships with teachers and friends. I get involved in doing sports activities like basketball. I enjoyed
and I love being a part of Unifi at Montgomery High School because I like staying connected with friends and teachers. I am involved in
sports and activities with unified teammates and peers. I feel comfortable and comfortable in a big group and working together.
I I want to be more involved and include more and unified because I like to show respect and include something like being responsible
to stay or close with peers and classmates. My favorite part of unified at Montgomery High School is
making relationships with teachers and friends. I want to I want to make them feel more included and comfortable. And because Grace won't brag for
herself, Grace um last year was on the statewide youth activation committee which is part of our play unified um program through the state. So Grace was one of about eight unified leader leaders throughout the state who met periodically through Zoom calls to plan
statewide activities for unified programs to bring um throughout the state. So, she's being very humble. But next up, um, Kylie Capuzi is going to share a little bit about her experience with Unified as well. >> Um, a little bit about my experience
with Unified. Um, I joined sophomore or junior year. Um, and I got involved in unified basketball and that was such an amazing experience. I mean, we got to win the championships on the first year that I joined, which was pretty awesome.
Um, and just like walking into the class every day is just like it makes me very happy seeing the kids cuz they are all so happy to see all of us and doing new activities every week. It's awesome. Um, and doing basketball this year, like I
got to be co- captain. Um, so that was pretty awesome like being a co- captain for my last year. Um, so yeah, it's just been an overall great experience being a part of five. Awesome. And Kylie is also being very humble.
Kylie uh we had a youth summit that we went to in October um where we invite we were invited to Special Olympics New Jersey for their corporate sponsor lunchon. So they hosted a lunchon for probably like 30 to 40 of their top corporate um sponsors and Kylie was
asked to be on the panel um to share her experiences. So once again very humble but amazing youth leaders that we have at the high school. Um, so a little bit just for folks if you're unfamiliar with what Unified actually um really encompasses. Um, it
is a program that comes from an initiative with Special Olympics which promotes a socially inclusive school climate where acceptance, respect, and human dignity is the norm. We equitably support students through education and sportsbased strategy powered by engaged youth that increases athletic and
leadership opportunities for all students. All of our students can be inclusive leaders and athletes within our school community. The goal is to ensure that each student feels challenged, supported, and connected. In order to be considered a unified, champion school, you must fulfill three
components, which I know my colleagues from the other schools will share about um a little bit as well. So, the three components that we all um do on a daily basis is we offer sports, youth leadership, and whole school engagement. So, at the high school level, we um
fulfill the requirement for sports through unified PE. We offer that as a co-taught class where we have our students with and without disabilities participating in a PE class together. Um and that class is infused with specific lessons on inclusivity, disability
awareness, leadership, belonging, and more. Additionally, we have our unified basketball which um runs this typical season for your similar to your boys and girls basketball team at the high school level. We run from November to March. Um, we have games and competitions, practices scheduled throughout the
season. We have a roster that gets put on nj.com. We put our stats in after every game. We get powerpoints. Our stats are there all going into um final competition and um play at the end of the season. And like Kylin mentioned,
last year we actually um won the 2025 Unified Cup Basketball Competition at Princeton University, which was super exciting and fun. The second component that I mentioned was youth leadership. So at the high school level, we do that in a variety of ways. We have unified club um after
school which meets two times a month where we can provide social and recreational activities for our students. So it might be things like crafts or board games, sports, karaoke, just dance. It's a chance for our students to collaborate and have fun together. Our students are leaderships
with are leaders within that as they plan the activities that are coming through. As I mentioned, Grace was on the statewide youth activation committee, which was a very exciting and big deal. Um, and then additionally, we uh take our students to the youth summits, um, which are offered at
Special Olympics New Jersey, where our students, um, get specific training in leadership topics. Some topics that we've had recently included women in leadership, teamwork and action, and leading with social media. Lastly, we have our whole school engagement
component which we fulfill at the high school through spirit weeks. Right now at the high school level, our unified club has partnered with student council to do a spirit week leading up to the winter break. We're featured on the school social media morning announcements. In the winter spring pep
rally, our basketball team is featured alongside all the other teams that are um running at that time. So, pretty cool accomplishments that we um came across in the past year is in spring of 2025, we applied to receive a national banner
from Special Olympics North America um which was first that reviewed by state program staff at Special Olympics New Jersey and then was sent to a national certifying body of key educational leaders. Um so in addition to having those three components to be a unified
champion school in order to receive the national banner recognition we had to um actually hit 10 standards and we did receive that banner um this fall. So we have that at the high school. Um we are hoping to do a banner ceremony in the spring or late winter of 2026. So we'd
love to have any of you folks join us at that um where we can celebrate our achievement through that. Additionally, um we out of 11,000 unified champion schools, um Montgomery High School was chosen as just one of 33 to be
recognized on ESPN's unified champion school honor role list. So, we got another very exciting award through that. And then Miss McLaclin um shared out we did receive in November, just a few weeks ago, the um outstanding uh school of the year through um Special
Olympics New Jerseys night champions. Kylie and Grace were there with me along with Coach Basser and Miss Ready and some staff from the high school um to receive that award. But we take a lot of great pride in all of our accomplishments of our students and our programs and we really appreciate all
your continued support. I'm going to turn it over to our crew who can brag about the amazing things that they do over there. Hi uh my name is Erikica Paulo and I am the school psychologist at S and also one of our unified leaison. Um I work
really closely with Erin Kovalears who is our PE teacher and oversees unified PE and without her dayto-day organization and contributions we also wouldn't be able to have our unified program at S. So I just want to give her a shout out. We are really fortunate at
to not only have unified PE but also to have had unified electives for the past few years. This year we have unified art and music which our students will talk about. Um and we also had the unified global leadership last year which was a great opportunity for our students to be
integrated and have experiences that they otherwise wouldn't have. Um, and those experiences wouldn't be possible at S without the support of our administration and our wonderful teachers who really go above and beyond and want to create these experiences and opportunities for our students. So, um,
without further ado, we have two students here from who we're going to talk about their experiences. My name is Grayson and I'm a part of unified PE at S. We have over 30 seventh and eighth graders in unified PE, art,
and music. In PE, we helped everyone participate in sports, be more integrated, and make new friends. We also help helped with PE at Orchard, and we help run the week of inclusion where our goal is to build acceptance and
include everybody. This year, we had 109 people participate in the S jingle jug. We raised $3,235 for and special Special Olympics New Jersey. My favorite thing about Unified is having fun, helping the kids make new
friends, and all of our PE trips. My parents, I am a part of music at UMass. We also have your mask art and and you find music. We sing, dance, work
with friends. We even >> write our song. We will be talking taking a trip to see >> We will be taking a trip to see a
>> sensory >> sensory and music >> show >> and you find we have to >> participate >> participate in >> the gym
>> in the gym. our peers. My favorite thing about me is that I get to see my friends and play basketball. >> YEAH. Good evening and thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak tonight. We are
here to share the incredible work happening through our unified programs at the lower middle school and the positive impact it continues to have on our school community. I would like to introduce two of our amazing unified
leaders that will tell you about the program. This is Ja Patel and Beth Hoffman. Hi, my name is Jaya Patel and I'm Beth Hoffman. At LMS, we have a unified PE program where students in the special
education classes are partnered with general education peers. Together, we work together on developing PE skills while also building meaningful social connections. This program promotes inclusion, confidence, teamwork, and leadership for all of us involved.
We also have a unified morning meeting which brings together general education and special education peers to participate in greetings, games, team building activities and communication exercises. These sessions create a space where we all learn side by side,
celebrate each other's strengths, and form friendships that carry into the rest of the school day. In addition, we have a unified club which meets weekly for eight weeks twice during the school year. This club gives students even more opportunities to collaborate, socialize,
and engage in inclusive activities outside of the classroom. The enthusiasm from all our peers and teachers continues to grow each year. This year, our entire school community supported our unified efforts in a powerful way. Through our whole school,
our whole school participation in the Jingle All the Way 3K for Special Olympics New Jersey, we raised over $10,000. A portion of these funds support Special Olympics programs statewide and another portion will direct benefit directly benefit our LMS
unified programs by allowing us to purchase materials and resources needed so we can continue improving and expanding what we do in our school. For me, Unified has been the best experience I could have asked for. Being part of this amazing community, making
friends, and honestly, just having fun is the best part of being in Unifi. I was part of Unified last year in fifth grade, mostly because I had one friend that I knew was going to be it. We weren't very close, and I was excited to spend more time with her. Not only did I build an amazing relationship with her, I also grew so many friendships with
some amazing people. Miss Clark and Miss Romano um have made Unified a safe, inclusive, and fun environment. Now, as a sixth grader, Unifi has meant even more to me. Especially since I've gotten injured, I've seen just how happy this program makes everyone. I've been I have
not been able to do many of the activities because of my injury. But the club is always so much fun, even just to watch. Seeing the happiness on the kids' faces makes it all worth it. To me, Unified is a special a positive environment that holds a special place
in my heart. I'm insanely grateful for Unified as I have made so many new friends to talk to and wave to in the halls. Unifi has taught me so much about friendship, kindness, and teamwork. I look forward to going to it every day. I didn't know that something during the school day could change how I view the world so much. It has shown me what
inclusiveness, respect, and a safe space looks like. Last year, I joined Unifi not knowing much about it, but it soon became my favorite activity and became such a huge part of me. I met some very kind, fun people that I'm so happy I got to know. Something that makes Unifi so special to me is that it brings people
together and creates relationships that I will never forget. It is a place of inclusivity where everyone can be themselves and feel welcome, including me. I want to say thank you to Miss Clark and Mr. Romano who is who have made this program for the amazing one that it is and for always making everyone feel loved and welcome. Unified
isn't just a club. It's more than that. It's a community that I'm so proud and grateful to be a part of. The unified program at LMS is more than activities and events. It is a model of what true inclusion looks like. It strengthens our school culture, empowers all of our students, and helps every
child feel seen, supported, and valued. Thank you for your continued support of these programs and helping us ensure that inclusion remains at the heart of our school community. Thank you all for that. Um to the staff, thank you for that amazing program and mostly to the students. Um I just remark
to Superintendent Maki that the theme that I got out of that is these students um have developed friendships and I think that is so important. So again, let's give them another round of applause. All right, next up and yeah, Superintendent McLac will
remind me that those in unified uh program do not feel obligated to stay for the rest of the meeting, but you're sure more than welcome to stay. Next up, we'll have representative reports starting off with MTA reports, Mike Rosi. And good luck following that,
Mike. It's a little bit away. I know. >> Maybe in 2026, I can go before the amazing reporters that way, you know, they can pick me up from the valley. We'll work on it. I appreciate that. All right. In the MTA world, uh we're still
doing the winter clothing drive that's continuing on and we're going to keep it going. We've been having a lot of clothes being dropped off. The events we've run have been really well attended. So, we're going to try to keep that going into the new year. Uh we're also going to try to start doing our readalouds. Last year, they were extremely popular, especially with our orchard and village population. So many
kids attended and a lot of people volunteered to do the books. So, our pep and fast chair right now is looking at what books to select and we're going to always have like a little book to go with it and a toy that represents what's going on. So, we're going to have that going. And then we're getting prep for Music from the Heart. If you don't know about Music from the Heart, it's a
production that we put on as the MTEA. We partner up with the band, some students, and we run a full play. So, that will be coming up again in May. They're already starting to get things ready. I'm not allowed to say yet what show it is. So, we'll have an announcement for that. And then with all the money raised, we take gift scholarships to the students. So, thank
you very much. >> Mike, you held your own. Do we have any board member delegate representative reports this evening? >> Uh yes from uh NJSBA delegate assembly. Uh so I will I was able to participate in as an observer. Uh I provide a
summary tonight. So NJSBA delegate assembly meeting was held at the conference center at Mercer County College on November 22nd. Delegates across New Jersey attended to conduct business review resolutions and elect new officers. Um so 16 staff positions
added to support district directly uh strategic focus or content connection advocate advocacy and there were some professional development initiatives that was discussed. Uh there were three resolutions reviewed. Um one got
approved uh that was universal free school meals from Clipton BOE. The other two was postponed. Uh and last assembly concluded the installation of the two uh of the new officers, the president and VP for
legislation and res resolutions and the closing remarks. >> Any questions? >> Yeah, we're going to just pivot real quick. We now have our student rep. Um you're up. >> Sorry guys, offensing me. Mostly Montgomery did not win, but it's okay.
So, if anyone doesn't know, uh, this month is Universal Human Rights Month and ST students and staff recognized universal human rights month and the official day on the 10th, reflecting on human rights and the importance of dignity, respect, and belonging within
the school community. Also this month, winter sports teams began regular season competitions across all programs. On the 10th was a MHSPTSA meeting and the following day was a financial aid workshop that took place in the media center and provided guidance on FAFSA
completion, scholarships, and financial planning. And on December 13th was the NJBCA tipoff showcase where student athletes participated in a statewide basketball showcase event. And Hanukkah was is was I mean it begins on December
14th and it's a holiday that commemorates the miracle of one day worth of oil burning for eight days and symbolizes Jewish resilience. The remainder of the month includes celebrations, performances, and holiday break. Uh tomorrow is the MHS winter
instrumental music concert number one and tomorrow and December 18th is the second evening of performances. On December 22nd, for our students will participate in district-wide caroling events. And on the 23rd is an early
dismissal and in school winter concert. If anyone's wondering, I'm not going to be here in school. Um, I'm going to California. So, there's that. >> Enjoy. >> And something I think we've all been waiting for is winter recess and the homework free break. Uh, school will be
closed if no assigned homework. And I think we all know what day Christmas is on, but um it's basically a holiday to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. And the first night of Quanza is December 26th, and it's a time where families come to gather the light, the
first candle on the canar, and celebrate unity. And December 31st is New Year's Eve. Also, students shared interest in more exposure to a wide range of career paths. A schoolwide career fair featuring professionals from fields such
as STEM, healthcare, business, trades, and the arts could support students in exploring future options and making informed academic and career choices. Thank you. >> Thank you, sir. >> Thank you. >> All right. Are there any other board member delegate representative reports
this evening? >> Uh I don't for the uh PTA PTO. A quick little note, they would like to thank all the donations and volunteers for our school community who have helped with cider and donuts stock the staff uh
lounge at LMS and as well as the woo woo Thanksgiving wagon. Uh sixth seventh day of school there was a staff surprise um and penguin patch holiday shop at OS and BES.
And um a quick note from the PTSA since the last month there's been an additional 15 um families that have joined. So that's bringing the total to 131 PTSA members. Still a 20% 21% excuse
me decrease from this time last year. Um also they have recently received a few grant requests and they're uh they're partially approved funding for one of the grants. They're discussing other grants now as well. Thank you. >> Thank you, board member Harris. Any
other reports? Hearing none, we'll move to board committee reports. First up, assessment, curriculum, and instruction committee report, ACI, and board member Dian's final ACI report. >> I'm going out with a bang. I have not
one report, but two reports. We've met um we've met twice since the last board meeting. The first time we met was on November 21st, uh both virtually and in person. Um first we heard a recap of the October professional development day um that was held for all faculty and staff.
The day included topics covering contentbased work and districtwide initiatives. LMS covered schoolwide climate and SEAL initiatives. OES hosted character strong which is uh which helped teachers to have consistent language around behavior issues that may
arise. The other buildings covered topics including core curriculum data and universal design for learning UDL. The district was notified this past summer of the early literacy state mandate and conducted universal screenings for kindergarten through third grade. The district has been
conducting universal screenings for years, but had not previously reported the data to the state until now. Students were assessed in multiple early literacy skills, including phonics, phmic awareness, and comprehension. All parents received student reports in Genesis prior to this Thanksgiving
break. We were also given an update on the NJSLA and NJGPA adaptive testing as announced by the D New Jersey Department of Education. These scores will not be shared with districts. Spring assessments of the adaptive uh assessments will be administered in mid
March and late April. The PSAT was also administered in October. The district funded this test for all juniors, allowing for equity and access. Sophomores were also invited to take these tests. Overall score was $11.99, 610 on the math and 599 on verbal. Most
juniors, use these to prep for SATs. The PSATs are also necessary to qualify for merit scholars. Over 150 people, both students and parents, attended the admissions game and an inside look into the college admissions process. The financial aid
presentation was also well attended with 60 participants. Both were recorded and posted on the website. Mental health screenings take place annually in December and January for students in grades 5 through 12 with parent consent. First round of adviserss were trained
for the hope squad emphasizing the importance of making connections and developing leaders and being proactive rather than reactive. Unified PE was recognized as you just heard on ESPN honor role for Special Olympics Unified Champion School for the East Coast. Currently,
MHS and LMS participate with the newest edition of a dance class in the high school. ESY update. The extended school year um update was given at the uh ACI meeting reminding us that ESY is based on retention of skills. criteria before
and after breaks during the school year are used to assess students for the program that runs in July. Then we met on December 12th, which was a shorter meeting. Mr. Brooks uh reported that new network access points at OES are being worked on and will be the last school uh
in the refreshment cycle. There are licensing renewals on all district school access points. We used to be in a yearly renewal cycle, then we went to a three-year renewal cycle, and now we're at a 5-year renewal cycle um for licensing. Uh and that's because of best
pricing. Wi-Fi 7 is the newest version. OS usage is lower than at MHS. So, there is a possibility of placing the newest version in a wing at the MS uh sorry, at the high school building and taking the current high school access points that
are 2 years old and installing them in OES. They are working with the vendor to ensure the optimal roll out of this. Miss Borland then reported that the new student learning standards are coming. The state develops and adopts these standards. Then they go through their own vetting process with public hearings
included in the process. Later, a school district writes a curriculum in order to accomplish the outcomes the state mandates. The teachers assess the students and then create lesson plans based on those assessments. Right now, there are several content areas under review that will potentially be ready
for adoption next school year. These content areas include career readiness, life literacies, and key skills, science standards, computer science standards, visual and performing arts standards, and world language standards. There will likely be work done on standard
alignment and minor and major revisions throughout the disciplines. So, listen up board. The discip the district is budgeting for major planning revisions, but final determinations will be made once the standards are released by the state. Counseling updates included a
FAFSA workshop was held at the high school. A mental health screener at MHS and LMS uh with parent consent was administered. Elementary and middle school counselors are running counseling groups oops focused on social skills and classroom lessons on regulations, coping
strategies, stress management, and healthy relationships. Special education updates included Miss Darmer reported on the success of Jingle All the Way at LMS and that was a fundraising effort through Special Olympics. The district raised over $12,000.
MSEPta had a presentation on school safety led by Tom Wayne. The district is bringing in all is bringing in allin uh as a professional development in kindergarten and first grade to promote least restrictive environments and specially designed instruction within
the classroom. A video of the dance class was shared and as we saw earlier uh at this meeting we had a presentation by the unified and that's any questions or comments? >> Oh I would like to make a comment to the
November ACI report. So in September I know the board we discussed about the hope squad program and in November I was able to ask for the clarification on the relationship between the mental health screening and this program. So I appreciate administration clarify the
screening and the hope squad or separate initiatives and the screening was not used to select students for the hope squad program. So I share this just to emphasize the importance of open-minded conversations. board members bring diverse perspectives. While I would I
respected the majority decision uh not to table that topic for ACI discussion back in September, conducting board business effectively requires clarity and openness to different viewpoints. So this approach is similar to the past
curriculum discussion where approval process benefited from the committee discussions that ensure all the board members especially newer more uh newer members were informed and engaged and I appreciate in December's uh meeting uh you mentioned about what's coming for
the major revision for the curriculum. Thank you. >> Any other questions, comments? Hearing none, we'll move to operations, facilities, and finance committee. Remember Nerdy will be reporting today. >> Operations, facilities, and finance
committee met on December 9. Uh, off committee got to hear from Mr. Will Ross and Keith Salt from Peret Somjen Architects about the long range facility plan and future referendum timelines.
Most recent report was shared with the committee after their touring of each facility and their meetings with various administrators and custodians. Each part of the project will be outlined with project costs and sketch. This will be a
living document with regular updates. Future referendum work is in progress. The various timetables were presented and it was understood that November 2027 is most likely the public vote. The
impact studies are being worked on and the public should be on the lookout for a public forum dates to learn more about the projects and the costs. There will be an ad hoc committee formed to evaluate which projects are listed in
the architect's report should be included in the referendum. At this stage, the committee is not ready to report specific details of all the projects listed in the report. Next, Mr. Eric Zimmerman and Mr. John
Swisser from Sly Clooney auditors were present to let us know the audit report. will be ready to be presented in January. It could not be ready at this meeting. They informed most of the areas of the audit
report is good except one area which needs attention which is the cafeteria operating cost. This was due to the equipment which was purchased but was not delivered by June 30th. Therefore, the balance in June 30th was higher than
the allowable limit. This will be fixed in next year's report. At this moment, I would like to take a moment to thank our offcom committee president, Miss Joanna Filac, for her dedicated service to this district and
her exceptional mentorship to the new board members. She will be truly missed at this committee. We hope she continues to be part of this school district. We wish her the best. Happy holidays and a very happy new year to you all. Thank you. Any
questions for board member Nardan regarding your hearing? None. Uh VP Spina, do you have anything for PCC as a member? >> May I ask about question for the refer you mentioned like I know uh not much details can be shared at this point. Is
there any plans like uh when can we have more update on this? >> All we discussed um in the off committee was the there was a huge timeline. So uh the referendum has a lot of deadlines
and every stage there is a deadline and within the deadline there is deadlines again. So it was like a cumbersome a big time sheet time table. So we kind of got to know a little bit about that. So looking at that we felt the 2026
November will not be a good time because we don't have enough time to prepare everything. So I think that's why when the committee thought that November 2027 could be a possible date but the details we will come to know when we are at a
right stage to let the public >> one thing that might help the board is once as Miss Noran said the ad hoc committee for the referendum is formed then they will be able to report out like our other committees we're just at the preliminary process so there's really no actual substantial information
to share out. But when that committee is formed in 2026, then they'll make regular presentations to the board as information is available. So that's coming soon. >> Thank you. >> Any other questions? >> BP, do you have anything for PCC as a
member? Uh no, the only thing that PCC did meet briefly um and the only uh things that were discussed were the um previously read uh policy updates that we will release tonight.
>> Thank you. HRC met on Monday, December 8th, 2025. Uh we discussed the establishment of a security coordinator substitute as a new position at the request of security director Tom Wayne. Currently, there are security coordinators in all the buildings and when a coordinator is absent, someone
from another building must provide split coverage. Establishing a security coordinator substitute would allow full coverage for each uh building when the coordinator is absent. The recommended pay for this is $35 per hour. And she's not here. Assistant Superintendent Kelly
Madison said, "I was conflicted for applying for this position." Additionally, we discussed the uh personnel uh budget calendar in December and January. Budget managers submit their requests for any changes or additions to personnel and provide justification for the requests. The
meetings were slated to start taking place the week of December 8th. And that was all that was discussed HRC. Any questions? Hearing none. At this time, I entertain a motion to approve the November 18th, 2025
executive session minutes and November 18th, 2025 business meeting minutes. >> So moved. >> Second. >> It's been properly moved and second. Any questions on the motion? Hearing none. All the roll call, please. Mr. Tiana.
>> Dr. Wang. >> Yes. >> Mr. Allen. >> Yes. >> Mina. >> Yes. >> M. Harris. >> Yes. >> Morgan. >> Yes. >> Mr. Todd. >> Yes. >> Thank you. motions. Gary, >> thank you. At this time, the board acknowledges the correspondence to the board just prior just prior to the
action agenda items public comment. Um, the board is proud to announce that we have reached a tenative 5-year agreement with the wheels of change, which represents the bus drivers, the bus aids, and the dispatchers. Um, more details are to be followed. We're just
working out some of the language. I want to give a big big shout out and thank you to the new union. uh president back there, Mr. Mrea. You can take a bow. You see Kathy and everyone, we appreciate it. Uh to my board member uh
committees, uh Bonita and Michelle and our board attorney, Vic, um great job and it was a great process and we certainly appreciate it. Action agenda items, public comment. The board of education welcomes and encourages input from the public.
Members of the public are allotted one opportunity to address the board regarding the action agenda items only for up to a maximum of three minutes per speaker. All comments must be directed to the board. Before you make your comment, please state your full name and address and enter both on the Chromebook
provided. Being mindful of privacy rights regarding students, board employees, and board members and to avoid any liability on the part of the speaker, the board discourages defamatory and discourteous remarks. The public comment portions of the meeting are not structured as question and answer sessions, but rather are offered
as opportunities for the public to share their thoughts with the board. The board may need to refer an issue to the superintendent if the issue has not been handled through the appropriate chain of command, usually starting at the school level. Responses may be provided at the end of this session. Any public comments on action agenda
items? Any comments on action agenda items? Hearing none. Public comment portion is closed. At this time, I entertain a motion to approve action agenda items 1.1 through 4.4.
>> So moved. Second. >> It's been properly moved and seconded to approve item action agenda items 1.1 through 4.2. Mr. Taliano, roll call, please. >> Dr. Wag, >> are we having a discussion?
>> Discuss. I apologize. Discussion. I apologize. >> Please. So I have a question to agenda item 2.5 um educational research project. I wonder um why this one ask for the board approval
is that because get involved into human subject it like we are serving kind of like IRB department school district. It's the middle school social studies teacher who has a >> yeah grade seven social studies teacher
>> who based on our policy policy >> it's just based on the policy >> we always have to approve >> so like uh for the few I know we added in AP seminar and research uh if they conduct study they will also ask for approval too but that's different
>> this is a research project >> it's for his his uh >> degree. Degree. Yeah. It's not it's not a course. This is for the not for the classroom. No. Okay. Gotcha. Okay. Thanks. >> In AP seminar is a course.
>> Yeah. Okay. This is for this teachers. >> Correct. >> Teacher. >> Okay. Okay. Gotcha. Okay. Thank you. >> And policy 3245. It's just all research projects by staff members and our formalities just to improve. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Now I get it. I got confused with the classroom uh you know
research project. I have a question at 2.4. >> Okay. >> Um I'm just I'm just wondering um we are trying to approve some um COG 80 to this
identifies kids for gifted and talented for 34,226. I was wondering did we have a program like this before and now we are renewing that software or whatever. >> It's to Yes, we've been using it.
>> We've been using it. So now we are renewing it for this year. >> Yes. >> Do we have to like it's kind of like a brand store. We pay them annually for the fee, right? To buy the license or something like that
>> for the I would have to get back to you. I don't know if it's annual. I would assume it is, but I don't want to misspeak. >> We can research that and follow up with you, but it's a program that we use, practice. >> Yeah, we we've been using >> for a while. That's what I understand. >> Well, the GT program, I think the one
that's one of the measurements they use to uh identify the kids for the GT program. >> Correct. >> Yep. >> You have to renew it just I don't know if it's >> a license. I'm just curious because these kind of
licenses we sometimes we buy for one year, sometimes we buy for 3 years because it's cheaper to buy 3 years, right? >> Um but then when it's expiring, do we budget that for the year which is expiring or it just comes up like this?
Did we budget this 34,000 in this year? >> Of course. >> Yes. Yes. So it's already budgeted. >> This is remember it's not to exceed 34. >> Okay. Different licenses expire at different times. Not everything always renews on September 1st or July 1st, right?
>> Because it's expiring now. So, we buy this now. Okay. >> Any other questions? >> Roll call, please. Mr. Jelly. >> Okay. Dr. Dwine. >> Uh, yes. >> M. >> Yes. >> Mr. Spina. >> Yes.
>> M. Harris. >> Yes. Um, can I abstain 4.1 4.2 4.2? And yes to everything else. >> Yes. Yes sir. >> Noted. Thank you. >> Yes. >> Mr. Todd. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Motion's carry.
>> Thank you. New business from the public. The board of education welcomes and encourages input from the public. Members of the public are allotted one opportunity to bring any new business to the board for up to maximum of three minutes per speaker. All comments must be directed to the board. Before you make your
comment, please state your full name and address and enter both into the Chromebook provided. Being mindful of privacy rights regarding students, board employees, and board members. And to avoid any potential liability on the part of the speaker, the board discourages defamatory and discourteous remarks. The public comment portions of
the meeting are not structured as question and answer sessions. The board may need to refer an issue to the superintendent if the issue has not been handled through the appropriate chain of command, usually starting at the school level. Responses may be provided at the end of this session. Any comments from
the public? Any comment from the public? Last call. Any comment from the public? Public comment. Session is now closed. Any new items of discussion from the board? I have some questions. I was reading the
uh board member manual and said November December we do district performance re review and is that something for our board to review or >> so the district performance are you referring to CUC? >> Oh
either that or we just did the state assessment performance assessment last month. So we submit it to the state to review and that's not something for the board member you know with something right >> I I don't know what you're referring to
>> uh like the files everything you submit to state they like open to the board to review or no it's just submit to a state >> no I mean from that handbook I don't know what that is referring to it >> seems like she's referring to CQ >> like if that's for QAC I actually shared
that for the first time at Montgomery I actually shared that with the board and the board had to approve that we went through a district uh performance review process. >> Oh, that's the process you >> and then I submitted that to the department of education before the November 15th deadline and I actually
shared uh all the uh files with the board in a spreadsheet. Is that >> I think I don't think they will the board will get to see what they have submitted to this the the county >> say if if the QAC needed a say personal
file or something like that that we don't see that >> I think they will submit that to county and then the county will see that and then they you know and they give the grades >> so we don't get to see the class >> I share the template basically because I
was asked to to give the board an idea of what that goes on in the process and what is review >> and what board member Bernorggan said that is an accurate assessment for what the process is. >> Thank you. >> This thing
>> yeah that that question >> and um I do have a question for um lawyer too is um So since uh I was talking a lot about the um enrollment data and uh the number
of the students withdrawal and then uh that one is actually school have to report that through the school exit withdrawal code uh via the NJSLDS system. So if that's been submitted to
the state and uh and this request are consistent with the NJSA 18A- uh 36-9 and uh uh 18A uh 11-1 which entitles member to assess
the records meaning for the governance. So I wonder if if to align with that uh statue like uh if board member request that information um should school provide that? So just give you some background on the
request. The request is for a document that was submitted to the state >> through the portal NJ sleds like all of the student data goes through there. Confidential student data confidential personnel file data certification NJ sleds that's not a public document. It
goes right to the state. Well, um I'd have to I'd have to look at the the document itself to see what you know when you you um at some point in time is there a way to like reproduce what was submitted.
>> The the one thing I'll add to that New Jersey sleds is a data collection software from the state just there are various different reports for personnel and student data that get uploaded to it. So, I don't know what that statute is off top of my head, but there's various different ones like and I can't
speak to which ones are confidential and which ones aren't, but there's many different things. That's just like a clearing house that holds the different reports. >> Yeah. I mean, I think I would have to look to see if you can if there's So, let me put it in the context of someone making an Opra request. If that was
something that was accessible pursuant to an OPAR request, then that same document would be accessible to a board member in the same manner, right? But if that's something that's not accessible pursuant to a request, unless there's a matter before the board that someone would be voting on and they needed they
need that information in order to to vote, then it wouldn't be something that's ordinarily accessible. But I'd have to take a look because you can potentially access as board members, excuse me, confidential data if in fact it's necessary for voting on something.
So, for example, if you're voting on a personnel issue and there's something that's part of that employees personnel file that uh would normally be provided um in the context of executive session to a board member to review before voting, that would be fine. But if there's something before the board, then
it wouldn't necessarily be accessible. Again, that's something that would be subject to the open public records act. So, I have to take a look at exactly what that report looks like, but it may be subject to access. So I I just don't know what it looks like without I mean in the grand scheme of things in the
concept yes it would potentially be accessible but assuming that it's otherwise accessible to the public >> and also a lot of the student data that's probably protected by Furba and a lot of the personnel data that's probably protected under personnel procedures because you could identify
different personnel by the report and that's confidential information. >> I want to be explicit. This is just talk about the number of the students withdraws by the school exit withdrawal code. It's not about any student ID. Nothing at I identifiable level. It's
about number. So >> email us the specific report that you're referring to and we'll research it and get back to you. >> Email. He's asking for a specific report that you're referring to. You just ask for raw data. >> Email. We have to have that specific.
That's the student access withdrawal code. That's the thing is we talked about the number of students when they withdraw and they have to fill in the form. So our school collect that information and this point just literally want to know like last school year how many students filled in that
form >> and again what is the purpose of this report >> knowing about the information. So I can say more about that >> and just just let me clarify something. So >> there's nothing we're voting on. >> So >> right,
>> if this is not a report, this is data that has to be collected by the district, is the proper way for a board member to make a motion for that for that information and then be voted on by the board. >> So there's so there's two ways of doing it. Number one is they could so if they could if the majority of the board
believes that that's something that should be collected and disseminated to board members, then yes. So that would be done by way of a motion. You can do that. um separate apart from that if it's the document that or if it's if if you can generate a document. So just to be clear under the open records act
normally you get access to records right >> if you could create a record normally we don't create records for open but if you could create a record with a couple of keystrokes right so say like print a report for this um and it's literally takes 10 seconds or 15 seconds to create
it yes that would be something that we would have to quote unquote create right there was a case about that I think it was path versus I forget what school district it was but um that would potentially be subject to access. But again, so long as the underlying document that would be produced is
subject to access under Oprah, then yeah, we could produce that. Um, but I I just I don't know what's in there. I'd have to see like for example, if that's something that that you know your business administrator can run that report saying, okay, this is the information that's being sought. Let me see if I can run that report. If that
can be printed out, we can take a look at that and say, oh, this is doesn't identify any students. This doesn't provide any information that's confidential. Yes, we can produce it. If that's not the case and there's no way to kind of redact it in any meaningful way, then maybe it's not so tax. I have
to take >> May I just ask for clarification though if it if it's just a number that you're asking for in terms of can we not just I mean we've seen the grid of how many students were in nth grade. So can we not just look at how many students are in 10th grade and have a sense of who
left from 9th grade to 10th grade? No, I think that in general just asking general like last school year how many students filled in the how many student parents but legally guarded filled in that information right it's not for the whole school district that's it that's
what I was asking >> I looked into I looked into you you keep asking that I looked into some other school boards agenda there is something called a >> withdrawal report okay and It's every
month it's done and then it is a part of the agenda for the public and then it does not give any information about the student numbers or name nothing. It just says that 11th grade student withdrew and went to uh Princeton High School or
Princeton. >> Does it actually tell you where they went? Because >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Really? Because I I've seen these and they usually do here. So it gives the >> enrollment numbers and withdrawal numbers. >> Yeah. It it just gives the date and then
gives the grade and then it says reason. In the reason it says say some other school district and then it could say withdraw GED that means >> right >> okay and then provided
>> you know like that. So this is a public information. So I guess I don't know whether you are requesting something like this. >> That's exactly. Yes. >> Okay. >> Yes. >> Because I'm looking into other schools like what they do and this is what I have. >> What district is that that you pulled that from?
>> Prespons. >> Do you have other examples as well since >> I just looked at the sponsor because it's >> just curious. >> Okay. So our board attorney said he will look into what um our district has and can provide.
>> That would be great. The only data that I've ever seen is just the state code that says withdrawn out of country, withdrawn out of state, withdrawn to another public school within the state, which means the family >> withdrawn to out of state. >> Even that is great.
>> That's what we have in the system. That may be that you >> can talk about that. >> That would be great. >> Any other new items from the board? >> Hearing none. >> Um >> Oh, sorry. Just one second. >> Oh, sorry. >> Yeah. So, I just want to reiterate what
Superintendent McGlaughlin said um earlier in the meeting. I want to thank you uh board member Ding, board member Felak, and board member Lea Jernigan for your service. >> Board member D. >> Thank you. If I may, one last time at the mic. Um I just wanted to leave uh
with a couple of reflections. After three years of serving on this amazing board, um I wanted to share just a few thoughts of what I believe to be true uh after my experience. Uh number one is that it is evident to me that excellence is always the expectation at Montgomery.
That doesn't mean that everything is excellent, but what I have observed and witnessed point directly to the fact that every person associated with Montgomery strives for excellence. Point number two, a high level of questioning is the norm. Whether as a
full board on committees engaging with the teachers, parents or community community members, asking questions is welcomed and appreciated. To me, it seems like there is a misconception that questions aren't being asked, and I assure you that they are. At times, the
answers are not what we want to hear, but again, the questions are being asked. Having said that, I sincerely hope that moving forward, all questioning will stem from genuine inquiry, hard data, and a desire to help improve what is already a strong school
as opposed to questioning solely to perpetuate opposition, conjecture, argument, mistrust, or doubt. Point number three, people move to Montgomery for the school system. While the modest tax increase was criticized by some, it is critical to point out the
following. No one moves to Montgomery expecting there to be low taxes to start with. It is a given that our taxes are a direct correlation to our excellent school system. And lastly, it is essential for us to trust in the
expertise of our hired school administrators, faculty, and staff. Period. Full stop. Thank you to this district. I feel humbled to have been elected and entrusted with this essential role. I wish the incoming board members all the best as I know
that they will contribute great value to this board. And to the current board members, thank you for three unforgettable years. It has been an honor to serve alongside you. Thank you. I also want to say something for the three departing board members too. Um as
a new board member, I completed my first year. I want to express my sincere gratitude for the dedicated service and meaningful contributions. Ania brought a valuable county level perspective to the board and made significant contributions to policy committee. She also played a
key role in creating the new board member manual uh leaving a lasting resource that will guide both current and future board members. Joanna constantly shared her strong financial expertise and was a step static best
advocate uh for student clubs helping ensure student voices and interests were reflected and Michelle made contributions in the areas of student counseling bringing care insight and commitment to student well-being. Well,
I'm very grateful for their time, leadership, and service, and I want to thank them for their lasting impact they have made on our school district and community. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, board member Wang. At this
time, I entertain a motion to adjourn. So, moved. >> Second. >> It's been properly moved and second. All those in favor say I. I. >> All those post seem right. Thank you all for coming out. Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy holidays to everyone.
Getting home safe. See you next year. And to our incoming board members, >> get ready to work. See you January. >> See you next month.