compliance with chapter 231 public 1975 entitled open public meetings act notice of this meeting has been provided as specified in the act. Proper notice of this open public meeting was provided in the notice of January 6, 2026. Said notice was posted on the entrance of the
board of education offices sent to the Nutley Township clerk sent to tap into Nutley sent to district newspapers on January 15, 2026 and posted on the district website. Will everybody please stand for the flag salute? >> Where is it? >> Where's the flag?
>> I don't know. [laughter] >> [snorts] [snorts] [clears throat] >> 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. [snorts] >> Thank you, Mr. Ba. Mr. Dvito, roll call. >> Mr. Balsamo >> here. >> Mrs. Danchek Martin. Dr. Dia >> here.
>> Mr. Delpiano, >> present. >> Mr. Fragginel's >> here. >> Mr. Gilbert >> here. >> Mrs. Quirk >> here. >> Mr. Scotty >> here. >> Mr. Ferraro >> here. Any correspondence? >> No correspondence. >> Okay. Approval of the minutes. Can I get a motion?
>> Make motion. >> All in favor? >> I. Anyone opposed? >> Okay. We're going to move on to our presentations. Uh, Mr. Bea, the ABC History Fair winners. Um, I'm very thankful for the academic booster club running uh every other
year, the history fair and science fair. Once again, we had a tremendous turnout for the history fair and I invite uh Trisha McKini up to present awards the winners. Thanks for coming out tonight. >> Hi everybody. We'll try to make this pretty quick. Mr. Bane is going to help
me hand you the trophies. Um so for those who don't know, this is the Nutley Academic Booster Club. Every other year we do the science fair or the history fair. This year was the history fair. It's for kids from Nutley K through sixth grade. They all present to a panel of judges. They all present on topics uh
related to history. Some of them wore their costumes again today, which is amazing. So, we have all the winners. Uh some of them couldn't make it, but uh most of the winners are here and we're going to give them trophies. So, I'm going to start with kindergarten. And what we're going to do when I call your name, come forward and stand in front of
here. And then we'll hand you your trophies. But don't go anywhere. We're going to take some pictures and then you can go back to your seat. Okay. So, for kindergarten, we had a big tie for third place. There were a lot of third place winners, so I'm just going to read them in no particular order. We have Anisha
Agraal who did a a project called My Town Nutley. Uh Nev Gupta, who did Louis Braille, I think Nv's not here, right? You're not here, Nev. So, he's not here. >> No, that was on gave me the wrong one. Sorry.
Uh then Julia Aguad Zelner who did Casa de Freda Kalo. There's Julia her name on it. Okay. Sorry about that. I didn't give him good instructions. Um Daval Shada for TV story.
Dval should be right there. Uh, Benny Zu for dinosaurs. Is Benny? Yeah, there's Benny. Don't go away, anybody. Keep your trophies and stand here. Jeremy Thomas, who did the history of race cars. What a great project.
And Chris Patel, who did the history of chess. Aren't these great projects for kindergarten? Amazing. These are our third place winners. You guys stay here. Now, in second place, we had a team. I think one of them couldn't make it today. I'm not sure. Uh, so our team was
Arabia Zavi and Shia Sha, whose project was called The Brick That Changed the World. >> Okay. And then first place in kindergarten also went to a team. This is our biggest group of winners and that was Anukica Rothy and Raina Chararma and
their project was called Telephone History. Oh, Anukica is the one who couldn't come today. Okay, so that's Raina. Okay, congratulations to all our kindergarten winners. Miss OA is going to take your picture. And parents, kindergarten parents, if
you could do it real quick, come on up and take a picture and then we'll move on. And if you're in first grade, get ready cuz you're next. Okay, first grade. Good job, kindergarten parents. Okay, we ready? This is the biggest group,
but look at all what they did. Telephones, Lego bricks, Louis Braille, chess. Amazing. Amazing. Great job, guys. Okay, now you guys can go back to your parents. First grade, you ready? You know how this works. Now, in first
grade, we're going to start with our third place winner, Kavir Saxina, for a project called Space Race. Stay here, Kavir. Our second place winner, Vha Patel for Statue of Liberty.
And our first place winner in first grade was Arjun Kotion for the history of timetelling. More amazing projects. And that's our that's our first grade. made a much faster. >> First grade winners, timetelling, Statue
of Liberty, and Space Race. Amazing. [laughter] All right, second grade, you're up. You ready? So, in second grade, our third place winner was Anna Joseph for Saka Jia. Is Anna here?
I don't know if she's here. Okay. Second [snorts] place went to Avan Mahajan for monuments of American history. Good job, Avian. Stay right here. And first place in second grade went to Myra Patcha Buena
for Marie Cury, radiant scientist. Anna's not here, right? Anna Joseph. Wonderful job. Second grade. Okay, third grade. You know the drill by now. So, third grade. Third place was Leo Capone who did a project called Ellis Island.
Second place went to Aiden Patron for the history of Pez candy. You could do a project on the history of anything. I love Pez. First place in third grade went to Adam
Jernick for a Native American artifacts. Is Adam here? All right. Well, so now we have our third grade winners, Adam. Um, Aiden and Leo for Pez and Ellis Island. You want to take a picture? >> I'll take the box.
The box was my fault. All right, good job. Third grade, we're halfway there. Fourth grade, you're up. Third place in fourth grade went to Timothy Conklin for newsboy strike of 1899. And look, he's wearing his Newsboy
outfit. Second place was a team. They're also wearing their outfits. I see Ella Santinkaya and Amelia Heindman for Katherine Johnson computer in heels. And first place in fourth grade went to
Ella Pooie for a project on Kingsland Manor. We all got it. Amazing. All right. Fourth grade. Okay. Fifth grade. Third place in fifth grade went to Ryan Canaldi who did a
project called Poland in World War II. Second place went to Arv Rothi for history of cricket. And first place went to Arnav Mahajan for the history of vaccine development. These were very impressive.
Fifth grade is where it gets serious. Great. All right, we got it. Fifth grade. Fifth grade. Excellent. [applause] Here we go. sixth grade. This was the last year these kids could participate in either our history or science fairs. We will miss them very
much. Uh third place in sixth grade went to Ayanch Agraal for Thomas Alva Edison. Second place in sixth grade went to Avy Malimoth for Roman aqueducts. And first place went to Nunio Provenzano
for Napoleon Bonapart. Several of these names were winners in every or almost every year of the science and history fairs. They do great. They're going to be amazing. We're really proud of them and we will miss you. Um, that's it for us. Thank you so much.
And next year's a science fair. >> Mr. Ba, Mr. Ba, >> can we have all the students uh we we'll come down as the board take a picture with everyone? >> Sure. Can we have all the winners come up for a picture with the board? We'll try and organize. Thank you. Well, congratulations to all
our students. Thank you. >> So, we're going to transition to our next presentation. I'm going to invite up Miss the board down to the seats and also if the students want to leave, now's a good time to leave. Uh our next presentation's on our program review.
>> What's that? I've learned. >> I'm gonna invite the board down to the seats, please, for the presentation. Yeah, I did say that. And I noticed the exact same thing. Good evening. For our second presentation tonight, um we're going to
have Mrs. Lokan Solo, Mr. Vicarillo, and Mr. Dwire present uh the work pending from the program review um in their departments. Uh the program review is a five-year cycle um that culminates uh with um this a presentation like this to
the board as well as it's a renewal cycle where it begins a process to better our programs. Um each department undergoes it every five years. Um and we're happy to listen to the work that's gone on throughout this year. So I want to start by introducing Miss Julo, our
director of curriculum instruction for the district. Thank you. Thank you all for joining us tonight to learn more about the district's five-year curriculum renewal process and specifically about this year's work that was done with social studies and fine
and performing arts. [clears throat] The presentations you're about to see tonight would not have been possible without the tireless work of Joe Dwire, our social studies supervisor. [applause] and Vinnie Vicarella, our fine and performing arts supervisor.
Thank you both. They both oversaw this process um this past year for their respective departments and I want to thank them both for their hard work to make the program review such a success. Thank you both.
Next slide. So, New Jersey public school districts are required to review and revise curricula every five years to maintain alignment with New Jersey student learning standards and with state monitoring requirements through CQAC. Uh
according to code, local districts are responsible for the review and continuous improvement of curriculum and instruction based upon changes in knowledge, technology, assessment results, or new legislative mandates.
Our curriculum and instruction team supports teachers in implementing the most up-to-date instructional practices. A large part of this work is ensuring our curriculum is up-to-date and reflects what we know to be the most innovative approaches to teaching and
learning. The curriculum renewal cycle begins when a new curriculum is written in year 1. And this graphic um I'm just going to walk you through each each part of the cycle there and just tell you a little bit about each section. So in year one, a new curriculum and materials
are implemented. In year one, a new curriculum is fully standardized and implemented. The curriculum may include new instructional resources as well. Professional development is also provided to teachers to support curriculum and updated standards.
Year two and three implementation and updates are made as needed. So near in year two and three, the approved curriculum continues to be implemented with fidelity. Our content supervisors and I continue to support teachers through professional development and
these two years often include the development of common assessments. Most of these assessments are being administered through our online assessment portal performance matters which allows for more detailed data analysis in year two and three.
Adjustments to scope and sequence may also be made as supervisors gain f valuable feedback from teachers on pacing of specific units and that sort of thing. Year four, the program review is really our focus for tonight. Although program
review is year four in the process, this step is where the planning begins for curriculum adjustments and possible instruction shifts. It really is the heart of the process during a program review year. Mr. Bea and I work closely with supervisors who take a detailed
look at a specific content area. This includes analyzing the current curriculum, ensuring alignment to standards, and researching best practices in neighboring districts. We may also consider larger programming shifts
during program review to move the district forward. The program review ends with rewriting curriculum in a draft form. Year five is implementation of draft curriculum and the pilot of materials if needed. So after the program review is
completed in year five a draft curriculum is developed that summer. The draft is piloted in year five allowing time for teachers to provide valuable feedback on how the curriculum is structured, if materials are appropriate, if new materials are
needed, and how to adjust instruction to meet the needs of specific populations. Next slide, please. This next slide shows where each content area lies currently in our five-year renewal cycle. This system allows, as
you can see, for dedicated time to assess and adjust each content area. However, when new standards are adopted, the NJDOE typically provides one to two years of a phasein timeline for districts to adopt and implement new
curricula. So, there are times when a content area may be moved into program review and revised sooner than it was scheduled to be um to ensure that we're always in compliance with the New Jersey student learning standards. So, based on where we are currently in the cycle, you
can see in year four tonight's presentation of social studies and performing arts. Um next year, for example, English language arts will be in program review. The following year will be math, health, and PE and so on.
To summarize our year four program, next slide, I'm sorry. To summarize, our year four program review process, which you'll hear more about tonight, includes looking closely at student assessment data within
specific content areas and subgroups, researching best practices, neighboring districts, attending conferences, roundts, and other forums to gather information on what other districts are doing well and what we could improve upon. gathering and analyzing input
through surveys from a variety of stakeholders. So, you may have seen an email come through from our central office for community feedback. We also get feedback from teachers and from students in grade five and above and exploring staffing and infrastructure
that may advance the programming. At this time, I'd like to turn the presentation over to Mr. Joe Dwire, who will share information on this year's social studies program review, followed by Vinnie Vicarella, who will share fine and performing arts program review
information. Thank you. >> Hello everybody. Pleasure to be here. Um, this is an important process as Janine described it. Um, you know, I have an obligation to make sure that this is a highquality, consistent social studies education that's provided to our students. This is about our students and
and all the work is worthwhile um because it's for them. And uh I wish few of our social studies kids would have stuck around today, but uh that's okay. You know, we'll celebrate their awards once they cycle through the high school. Um all right, next slide. Yep. Okay, so just a quick history. This is my second
program review. Um, I've been in this position as supervisor uh for nine years now. I've been in district for 20 years. So, I've spent the better better part of my life l literally thinking about social studies and specifically about social studies in Nutley. Over the past 15 years, we've gone on a shift in
social studies instruction that's existed and occurred throughout the state where there's been a shift from focus on content, students just remembering things to students being able to apply what they're learning and also being able to develop skills uh
over the course of their learning. So, our teachers have gone about this shift. They found a really great balance between content and skills and it's been in the best interest of our students and in their development. The prior program review was in 2020 and when I gave this presentation, we were in the middle school gym. We were socially distanced
and it was those days, right? So, uh, this made for a very different program review process. It was able to really get into the face-to-face conversations with a lot of stakeholders, um, and carry out those conversations and gaining valuable information. When we made recommendations um, in 2020, we
could see those that were listed here. I'm going to touch on some of those in this program review to to see the extent to which we've carried through on those early goals and how we're going to build upon them um moving forward. >> Next slide. Ry, we could Yeah. Okay. Just in general, what do we value in our
social studies program? Um what are sort of the um kind of flag poles that we we hang our hat on? It's uh that we're aligned to standards. That's very important to the process. It's critical for any curriculum that we're standards aligned. We are inquiry focused, meaning we want students uh exploring critical
questions in the discipline. When students are exploring questions, they're able to better organize the information that they're learning. They're able to better utilize that information they're learning. So, it's an active learning process rather than something that's passive. We want it to be balanced between content and skills. The reason that's so important is
because social studies, while it's important, it's all that that I'm here for right now. Um and it's the most important thing for me instructionally, right? uh we know our students are doing other things. We want the skills that they're developing in social studies to be transferable. So if they're able to make a claim, if they're able to support
that claim with evidence, we know that that's going to benefit them in science as well as an ELA, maybe even in math, right? So that's important to us in social studies that they're developing those things as well. Um lastly, we want to make sure that they're exposed to multiple perspectives. That's an important part of our present. It's an
important part of our past. And uh it's important that they are uh making real world connections to the to the extent that they're able in what they're learning. Applying past to present, making sense of what they're seeing around them. Want to touch on dual enrollment. This is something that's really important to
to our department. Um it's something that we think is a really wonderful opportunity for students and it's something that we've committed to since the last program review. The last program review, we we put forth a concerted effort to grow our elective offerings. And it's in our elective offerings that we're often able to offer dual enrollment credits to students.
What this means is that students sit for a class, they have a Nutley High School teacher, but because of our partnership with a local college, they're able to pay for at a reduced rate college credits for that class that they're taking here in Nutley without having to travel off campus anywhere and
accumulate transfer credits by the time they get to their undergraduate education. We have an array of courses in social studies alone that are dual enrollment opportunities and we're expanding that next year with our uh newly developed military history elective. We ran military history for
the first time this year as an elective and next year it's going to also qualify for dual enrollment. So we're excited about the way this is growing. It also makes us um oh Randy H uh go to um No, no, I'm sorry. This two more two more. I'm sorry. This one this one right here.
So um this this suggests that that dual enrollment in net is going really well and this is a testament to uh Mr. V and what he's going to discuss next as well in his department. Our expansion of these dual enrollment opportunities makes us very competitive and and I would suggest outpacing most of the rest
of the state. This is data from the past two years that's available. This data for 2425 will soon be released. This data suggests that our dual enrollment opportunities for students uh is is growing in comparison to the state and at this point almost double what is
being offered many many other places in the state. So this was a commitment from our first program review. I'm happy to see that it's kind of carrying forward in this way. Okay. I just have brief cherrypicked data from our surveys that were administered. Janine mentioned surveys that were sent uh put out to
stakeholders. We survey students in grades 5 through 12. We survey parents of K12 students. We survey teachers in grades K through 12. Um so this is a really robust process of of gathering input from people who are willing to complete our surveys. Um this was a
question we asked students about whether students feel like they have the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the next grade level when they're passing from one grade level to another. I put up I put up this data not to suggest this is an overwhelming success. I I think this is very strong data from students that they feel
prepared to get to the next grade level. We have a bunch of students here. 21% of student respondents said neutral. So this is a kind of target area for me of of what progress from one grade level to the next looks like for our students. How can we maybe find ways to better prepare them or to give them confidence
in that level of preparation for the next grade level? I think part of that is in common assessments, which I'll I'll speak to as one of my recommendations for this process. I think another part of that is one of the shifts that we're undertaking as a district, moving the sixth grade up to the middle school. I think that's making us increasingly mindful of what this
looks like and how do we really guarantee that we're handing off students who are feeling confident to move from one level of social studies to the next. This is kind of constantly on my mind and it's something that I want to make sure is an area of focus for this program review. Um Randy, can you go back to that first
survey? Thank you. Okay. Um, this is another one that uh I thought was important to discuss briefly. This is a question we ask students about um whether they learn new material in their social studies classes. This is a overwhelming positive for me, especially in light of what our our 2020 program
review focused on. One of the efforts that resulted from the 2020 program review was redundancies in some of our courses in Nutley. For instance, in grades seven, grades 10, and maybe at least one other time, students were learning similar content about the
causes of the American Revolution, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, if you're not careful, I'll start teaching you about it, right? I get really excited about this. We wanted to make sure we clean some of that stuff up. So, when we asked students this, are do you feel like you're learning new material? This gave us some confidence. Of course,
not this data set alone, but it's at least part of what gave us some confidence that yeah, right, we're making sure that the shifts that we put in place with the previous program review are bearing fruit and making sure our students are learning new material. History is uh always being added to,
right? Like every day that passes, we have more that technically we should be responsible for teaching our students. So, making sure that we're not redundantly teaching them is critically important. And and to this this data set shows that we've made that progress. Okay. Right. Um, okay. Just two pieces of open-ended
feedback. At the end of our surveys, we offer stakeholders the opportunity to share open-ended feedback. And, [snorts] uh, we got these pieces that I'd like to touch on because they became part of the areas of focus for the recommendations in this program review. Firstly, our students requested additional learning
about contemporary events, meaning students want to learn more about the present. Of course, most of what our classes do is teach them about the past. We do try to bake in some connections to the present. Meaning, hey, listen, you're learning about taxation in in history. You know, we do some of that
today and we want you to kind of make those connect those dots between past and present. Of course, because of the way our state standards are written, sometimes it's difficult to always make those connections while still progressing through what we're required to teach as per the state. So, one of
the ways that we do that is in our growth of our electives because we do give students those choice opportunities to have those more contemporary learning experiences. I'd like to stay committed to growing our elective offerings here. Um, and it's nice that our students want these learning experiences as well. Our
students also request more AP course offerings at Nelly High School. Um, I'm going to speak to some AP data tonight, which I'm hopefully everybody's very excited about because I know I am. And uh I think that we are in a place as a district to grow our AP offerings. I wouldn't do that off the cuff. I think
that there needs to be a reason for us to commit to a decision as important as that growing an AP class and bringing another AP class in. But I think given what I'm seeing in front of me, um we have the uh place to do that in in at the moment. Excited to talk about that
in a second. One of the other things that came out of our parent survey is that they requested maybe some more memorable moments in the content area. meaning like maybe students aren't coming home often enough and sharing what they learned in social studies. And I think I have a way hopefully as we progress through the next five years
that we can add some of those exciting opportunities for students and families as well. Okay, I'm not going to read through all these numbers, but what I do want you to notice in each of these charts, I'm going to cycle us through each one of our AP social studies courses. at the
bottom is uh data from the past program review to the present. So each of these charts takes us from 2021 on the bottom to the the nearest data set we have in 2025. Students just sat for the 2026 AP test this year. We're hoping the data
replicates what we've seen in this progression over the past five years. What you'll notice, we're increasing our students who are in our AP classes, which is one of the external metrics by which our district is assessed. So that's one thing that we're very proud to say we're increasing the number of
students who are feeling confident to take these classes. Along with that, however, we are not seeing a dip in performance. We're seeing continuous strong performance or improved performance. One of the things that we look at when we evaluate uh each year of our AP scores is how our students
measured up in their average score to the global average. And you see we're right there, right at that level. AP macroeconomics is a exceptionally difficult test and for our students performance to be at this level. This is something that we've seen considerable
growth. We're very proud of this. You'll notice something very similar in AP government and politics. Again, the average score of our students is improving as is the number of students seated in this class. The last column as well is is a sort of telling national metric, international metric of the
percent of students who are scoring a three or higher. Those numbers are also trending in the direction where we'd like them to be. AP human geography, similar trends. Again, maybe a little bit of blips back and forth, but but on the balance, our student employ student performance is
improving and we're keeping our student seats at a considerably high level. AP US history, the only thing that that is different about AP US history is this course also satisfies a graduation requirement. So, AP US History tends to be one of our more populated AP courses.
And to see this level of performance from a typically more populated course is a testament to our students. Firstly, it's a testament to our teachers and the hard work they put in to prepare our students. But overall, what I'd like to say about these AP scores, it's not just
the AP class. AP student performance is a programmatic success story. Right? Our students don't succeed in AP classes just because of what they picked up in the 10 months in that AP class. They succeed because of a program that prepares them as early as it possibly
can. And and what I will say is that our middle school teachers and now we're being we're adding to our middle school, which is super exciting about this. Our middle school teachers do a fantastic job of layering in AP skills that students are going to need to succeed once they take these tests when they're
juniors and seniors. They're working on those skills starting in seventh grade and starting next year, we're going to start those skills starting in sixth grade, right? And I and I look forward to a day where we're maybe even dropping that down to fifth grade because I think we have the potential to do it. So, this is very exciting and I think it's a testament not just to the AP classes
themselves, but to the entire social studies program. Okay, so the recommendations, this is uh this is the exciting part, right? This is what I'm here for and hopefully this is what everybody's here for. Okay, reviewing our common assessments. We think that reviewing our common assessments will help us with the
handoff of students from one grade to the next, giving us a little bit more pertinent data to have that student confidence that hey, I'm ready to move to the next level. And then when we hand them off, have our teachers with some confidence of maybe where those students need to work and what things and what
content they're already doing and knowing. Well, right, we have these in place now. I'd like to expand these into the elementary level and provide support in expanding these in the elementary level. I think the more data that we have here available to students, the better. But I also think we could do this in in a way in the elementary
schools that is hands-on and creative to provide some of those memorable moments. Right? I'm not going to walk you through an example of that tonight because I don't know if this is the the time and the place to do it. But one example of that just for if anybody's familiar with old 1990s TV, one of our third grade
units is about economics. And I think we could have a unit assessment for students in third grade that is based off of Supermarket Sweep, which is a favorite show of mine that I watched with my grandparents. So like that's the kind of things I'd like to see happen with these common assessments over the next five years to give us that data,
but also to make sure that we're having students doing some more hands-on exciting things. Recommendation two, we are in a place, as I said, with our AP scores and we have a confidence in our program that we can add in an AP course. Now, what's different about this, and as far as I'm aware, this is something
that's never been attempted in Nutley before, but I believe we have the groundwork to do it. I'd like to offer AP World History to freshmen. The thing about this is we're not going to rush into this because we are undertaking a massive shift as a district and moving our sixth grade to the middle school.
The first student cohort that I'd like to have the opportunity to take world history as freshmen with that additional layer of preparation are our sixth grade students. Right? So, we're going to phase this in slowly over the next five years, right? Where the students who will be incoming sixth graders next year
will be hopefully the first cohort where we're able to offer them AP world history as freshmen. Now, what does that mean? That means that our students in social studies will have an opportunity to take an AP course as freshmen instead of the first opportunity for that being by the time they're juniors. And we already saw how strong our student
performance is by the time they're juniors. If they've already had that AP experience a few years earlier and they're able to build upon that by the time they're juniors, I think the sky's is the limit for our students, for our teachers, and and for our student performance if we're able to kind of move in this direction, which which is where I'd like to see us go in the next
five years. Um, I'd like to continue expanding our elective offerings. Something's working. We have those dual enrollment opportunities for kids. We have that opportunity to offer them more of those contemporary connections. I'd like to to do more of that. I'd like to grow our elective offerings even more because what we're doing right now is
wonderful and I think we could provide even more for students. Um, I want to address these uh in a I want to end with the social studies seal. So, I'm going to do these last few out of order. Number five, a database for student research. This primarily came out of our teacher recommendations,
especially in the era of AI. As most of us know, many of us and our students as well, it's too easy for them to default to what is provided by AI on a quick Google search. We ideally want to provide our students with a academic researchbased
toutelage here while they're at Nutley High School. That's what's going to be expected of them, especially those who go on to higher ed. And we'd love to have a research database that we can subscribe to as a district that can provide students with that experience to conduct that research while they're
here, while they're being guided by our teachers, so they can do so and build upon that with confidence by the time they get to the undergraduate level. In the 2020 program review, one of the massive shifts that was undertaken, which you might remember seeing in that list in that earlier slide, was a
integration of a social studies curriculum resource for our elementary school from K to 6. That was a significant shift in district. Prior to that, we did not have a consistent highquality approach to social studies education. Our teachers were doing their
best. They were working hard to come up with social studies materials, but without that consistency for them, it was always difficult to make sure that we were really moving kids in the right direction. That social studies resource has been a wonderful thing as I see it for teachers, for students, for consistency in learning social studies
across the district. I'd like to see us keep that social studies resource. And it's especially paying benefits because in our grade six shift, our grade six teachers will have the benefit of that social studies curriculum resource. So that a lot's changing for our students and for our teachers as we move to grade
six. To have that consistency in that learning resource is is very valuable and and it's a recommendation that we maintain that curriculum resource. The seventh recommendation before I get to number four and I will sign off from there. Our curriculum revision timeline. Typically the curriculum revision
happens immediately after this process. The state of New Jersey is in the process of finalizing new social studies standards. They have not been released yet. So, it's entirely possible and just want the board and all stakeholders to be aware the curriculum revision will likely not take place until next summer
or at least not until the fall. So, usually we write curriculum in the summer. The timeline's going to be buffered a little bit, if you will, as we await the state's release of the new social studies standards. And lastly, in in line with those memorable moments, something that I'd like to see happen
here at Nley High School as a culmination of students social studies learning in district and we saw our youngest social studies learners and and kind of the things that they're choosing to go off and do on their own. I'd like to see a social studies seal. And what I mean by that is uh Randy, if you go to
the next slide, uh slide after this, sorry. The state of New York has a seal of civic literacy. So this the state sponsors that. We have no such thing in New Jersey. Whether we should or not is is not what I'm here for. But I'd like to have something like this locally to recognize high quality student
achievement in social studies. It would have a knowledge component and a participation component. This, as I see it, and as I envision it, and we're just really in the in the early stages of this. As I see this, we would not require students to do this, but we would provide students with an
opportunity to pursue this, right? if they wanted to demonstrate that they have the knowledge and has also participated to the level that should get them additional recognition for their social studies achievement. I'd like to have something in place at Nelly High School that recognizes that. Again, this is going to take more work. It's
going to take work from uh parent stakeholders, student stakeholders, teachers, and other administrators, but I'm excited about having something else memorable in place for students when they culminate their social studies learning at Nelly High School. Thank you for your time. I appreciate that. looking forward to continuing this work
together. >> Good evening everyone. My name is Vinnie Vicarella. I'm the supervisor of fine and performing arts here at the Nutley public schools. Um I'm going to t briefly touch on all of our programs as well as educate you on some of the items that we have found within our data
collection as well as our recommendations. Mr. Dwire is a hard act to follow up but uh I will try my best. So [snorts] in the Nutley schools K through 12 we have the opportunity to offer our students music and art. So fine and
performing arts is exactly what it is fine and performing arts. So in the elementary school our students receive elementary art instruction once a week, elementary general music instruction once a week. students have the opportunity to enroll in select choir as
well as band and orchestra in the middle school. Our students uh currently in seventh and eighth grade have to choose their elective path. So currently they either have to choose between lit media, art, music, uh as well as engineering.
So when we move our sixth graders to the middle school, that looks a lot different and that will also lead our trajectory possibly in a different pathway. Currently at the middle school, we offer art in seventh grade and eighth grade and music ensembles. Here at Nutley High
School, we have a robust offerings a robust offering of art courses as well as music ensembles and a general music uh elective courses as well. with the offerings that we have for our students here at Nutley High School
elementary schools and our middle school. We have four full-time staff members in the art program as well as our general music program. So with th once again those students that is one class a week depending on if it's the
month of November or not. Um, as well as for instrumental, we have one traveling orchestra director and one elementary band director. Those students receive pullout lessons once a week. Those students are pulled from various
courses. They are responsible for making up their coursework that they may miss. If a student is in an academic class and they are currently taking a test or an assessment, they are to finish that test or assessment and then reschedule or go to a different lesson. They will not be
missing their academic test before going to a lesson. [snorts] At John H. Walker Middle School, we have one full-time art staff member. They teach grade seven fine arts and grade eight advanced fine arts. All our
courses once again are electives. Classes do not need to be taken consecutively. So a student in eighth grade does not need to take an art class in grade seven. Our art classes are not currently leveled. Our music courses, we have two traveling
staff members between the middle school and the high school and one district traveling staff member. Our course selections offer seventh and eighth grade band which is leveled as well as zero period band to offer our music to music conflict.
We have grades seven and eight choir which is debonires and concert choir and seventh and eighth grade orchestra as well as zero period orchestra to once again offset our musictomusic conflicts. All music classes are electives. They do
not need to be taken consecutively. And band and orchestra students received one pullout lesson a week during their fizzed or health course at John H. Walker. Once again, we offer a
robust amount of art courses here at Nelly High School all the way from intro level to exploration to foundation as well as portfolio and AP. Anything that has an asterk next to it means that it meets concurrently. So
there are a number of our courses that meet in the same period but are running two different courses at the same time. In our music courses, they are the same. We have the opportunity to offer two general music course here. Two general music elective courses here. One is
survey of popular music and the other is music theory one and two that run concurrently. some of our courses that did not run this year unfortunately due to staffing due to low course requests. Um there are courses that cannot run. So some of
those are the ones that you could see up here. We do offer AP art studio classes. You saw that in the slide before. 2D drawing and 3D. AP Art History is a course that is offered to our freshman
art students, but due to course low course requests that did not run. Um, as well as AP3D. In music, we have a number of courses that did not run due to either low course requests or lack of staff due to
traveling. As Mr. Dwire was speaking upon our dual enrollment opportunities for our students, I I have to give Mr. Dwire uh the credit for turning the art department onto the dual enrollment opportunities that our students have
through uh project acceleration at Satan Hall. Any of these students could earn their dual enrollment credit while here at Nutley High School. At Nutley High School, each student needs to take a minimum of five graduation require credits to graduate at Nutley High
School. All of our courses are five credits. The only courses that are two and a half credits are our halfyear studio courses that are coupled with each other. In our data collection, just as Mr. Dwire was talking about, we surveyed our
students in grades 5 through 12, our our community members as well as our teachers. We have seen enrollment significantly increase within our art program. Since 2022, our art numbers have been
thriving. In past years, our teachers have taught a sixth period to keep up with the demand. Not everyone is aware of the acronym FPA. Uh there were many elementary folks who said, "I wish my students were part
of those courses." So um we will be making sure that FPA fine and performing arts is known more with that acronym at the lower grades. We do not offer dance. Dance is a big request from a number of
students parents at the high school level. We do touch on some of our dance requirements and standards within our fizzed courses. Not all elementary schools are hosting buildingwide art shows. Scheduling
conflicts are a prime reason why students are unable to enroll within fine and performing arts classes. Concert cycles were to be considered based on interest and best practices. Some curricula need revision. We had a
smattering of information from students here at Nutley High School for the implementation of a 3D sculpture course, staffing concerns, of course, new instrumental method books for our elementary and middle school students, and meaningful professional development
was from the staff. Our recommendations, most of our curriculum documents are up todate. Some need some restructuring in regards to formatting as well as interdisciplinary connections.
As Mr. Dwire was talking about the seal of uh I'm going to say it wrong, social studies seal. Uh we've been discussing the opportunity to build upon the pathways here at Nutley High School. Creating would create a rigorous process for our
students to be able to excel through their fine and performing arts courses while graduating here at Nelly High School with something more than just their diploma. graduating from the Academy of Fine and Performing Arts. In art, we are looking to level grade
eight art so that if a student takes art in grade seven, they are not with beginners or students who didn't take it in grade eight. So, currently, as I said earlier, if a student takes art in grade seven, they can take it again in grade eight since it is a different course. Or
if a student takes it in grade seven, they don't have to take it eight. or if I take engineering grade seven and I want to take art in grade eight, that two-year art student is in the same course uh with a lot of differentiation from our art teacher. Um so that's why
we're looking to do that addition of a course as well. I said elementary schools, each elementary school to host their own art show, secondary art students to digitally portfolio all their artwork in Artsonia.
Currently, our students are current are creating their personal portfolios. Artson Sonia is a free platform that allows students to house their artwork all the way from seventh grade through grade 12. It gives the teachers the opportunity and the students to pull
from that as well as the teachers to be able to go back and look at the artwork from previous years. also exploring and implementing new steps to roll out an NHS art academy in music. The performance opportunity in
grade 5 has been a struggle in regards to the data that we have found from different districts statewide because of a number of factors. Um students in grade five will now have the opportunity
to either enroll in either choir, band, and orchestra. And that's will be their performance opportunity in grade five. There will not be a grade level choir concert. This will be taking place of that
removal of performance practicum honors. This is a course that has had no enrollment for the past five years. Working with Mr. Materia over at John H. Walker School Middle School as well as Mrs. Lokan Solo, curriculum curriculum
instruction director on looking at ways and exploring scheduling alternatives to make sure that we are exhausting every option to put grade six music back into the school day. Currently, next year at Giant Walker Middle School, students in
grade six have to take music as a zero period. explore and implement new steps to roll out an Nutelli High School Music Academy. Also exploring options to implement a dance program here at Nelly High School.
Currently, our resources and technology are ones that the district has been using for a number of years. Our Adobe suite houses everything for our art courses as well as our CTE TV studio. Replacement of new digital cameras. We
are coming into the age where our items are becoming obsolete or ancient and we need to get up with the times of mirrorless cameras and get away from the mirrors. In music, we are looking to
implement a new method book as well for orchestra and band as well as ensemble books. These are the best practice for pedagogical teaching. Um as well our teachers had the opportunity to explore
many different books resources that they uh landed on these as being the best for students to learn from. Continuation of music play is something that our elementary music teachers use. Replacement of new orph
instruments. So if you've been to elementary concert or an elementary classroom, the mallet instruments that they play, some of them are beyond repair. Some schools don't have them. It's not equitable across the district. Continuation of maintenance on our
instruments, our materials here. Um additional re resources for our ukulele students. Currently, ukulele is offered in grade six. With sixth grade moving to the middle school, ukulele will now be offered in grade five. The last two
items are big art items. The installation of a kiln at Spring Garden School, which has been something that we've been working on and looking at for a number of years. This is a product that has been purchased by the NEF that we continue to work our way through so
that our students are able to use it. Lastly, I'm going to speak on staffing. Um, just like everybody else, staff is always the answer and the key, but um, we are requesting and going to be recommending for to hire a full-time
orchestra teacher. As I said, we have currently one orchestra teacher that services seven buildings. Um, we are also looking to hire another art teacher to expand our off art offerings here at the high school as well as travel
between the middle school and the high school. And lastly, with the impu with the hopes of an implementation of a dance program, the addition of a dance teacher here at Nutley High School. >> Uh thank you. So this is our
presentation to the board. Uh Mr. President, do you want to take questions here based on the program review at the >> Okay. Um we'll open up to the to the uh meeting for questions on the program review. [snorts]
>> Are the music theory currently for the AP music theory? >> Uh currently >> currently we do not offer AP music theory. um we haven't offered it. We've explored it. The issue is staffing at
the current moment. Hence why we have not imple implemented AP music theory. >> Thank you. Other questions? >> Good. >> [snorts] [clears throat] >> credits. Yeah, I mean I could
I >> I can share my experience um teaching AP science. A lot of courses were Satan Hall. Um they worked if you went to Satan Hall. If you were a non-science major, they seem to be accepted more universally. Each school to my understanding has a reciprocal clause
how many credits they'll take and in what capacity they'll take it. Uh that that was my experience what I used to advise my students. U Mr. Dwire, you may have more information. >> I think that still stands really. Uh, Satan Hall is reputable credible institution. Uh, you develop a trans you develop a transfer transcript. So,
you'll leave here, not the high school, with a Satan Hall transcript that you could send to the university of your choice that you choose to enroll at as an undergrad. Um, to Mr. B's point, if it's your major, understandably, they're maybe going to be exercise more discretion, right? They want you to take
their classes. It's your major. But a lot of times from my findings they'll work with you to maybe find an elective for you if in fact you can't use it for your uh for your major. So most university registars will work with students and and they have pretty good experience. I will say we work with
several universities um you know in the sciences we have the Rucker health um allied health um program which you can earn up to 25 credits I believe and you know for for students in that pathway in that program they really want to understand if they're going to Rucker somewhere else and how how those credits
apply usually junior senior year you have an understanding for the schools you're looking at so I would encourage those families to reach out to those schools to see what the the transfer policy is uh the courses are rather cheap compared to the college price uh so it may be very worthwhile to take
those those credits. Um, >> does the ELA program offer courses present that are mandatory that are based on nonfiction readings similar to like the AP lang course?
>> Are you talking elective courses >> that allow students who would like to have more temporary world, you know, kind of stuff. >> Yeah. >> Are you talking about elective courses
or Yeah. >> on non-fiction? >> I I don't believe I don't believe we do solely on non-fiction to my understanding. I I believe it's a mix. Jess, would you have any more information? >> Yeah. um at high school. Um so I teach
language and composition. Um so that is what we don't we don't have >> I'm sorry the answer >> but all of our curriculum is like a balanced approach. So in every year whether you're in freshman year or senior year you're getting fiction and
non-fiction mixed into the >> Is it closer to 5050 or is it like every throw in a >> It depends on the year I would say. um sophomore year and junior year we we have you know almost like I would say half of the year is devoted to like non-fiction but then freshman year I
think it's like period >> yeah I thought you were looking for universal fiction non-fiction and Jess is the best answer >> go for >> um is the 21% students that found skills neutrally transferable
>> um did you find that those kids were spread throughout grades or did you find like that specific demographic in a level or grade fell? >> No, it was it was an even even dist distribution throughout. Yeah, which is why I wanted to kind of focus some attention on it.
>> Yeah, that makes sense. Um >> um can you just explain the the numbers on the AP? Was it personal geography? What was that? >> Human geography. Yeah. >> Um what's up? I mean the numbers were huge. Like what's what's going on? >> Enrollment. Enrollment numbers. numbers are just really high. So,
>> yeah, I mean, uh, it's a it's a fascinating class. It it does tap into, um, an array of interests, meaning like our students who are science kids find that that's an accessible social studies elective, AP elective for them because it talks about sustainability,
sustainable cities, like it it cuts kind of across, it's a very interdisiplinary course. So, it's a high level of interest, especially for students who might not be the government type kid, the econ type kid. So, so I think that speaks to why we get those enrollment numbers. We also happen to have a fantastic teacher teaching it and and
she's a draw. She's a draw for our kids. So, yeah. >> Yeah. Some some districts do it as freshman. We we don't but >> question about the seal of which I find really cool interesting. Um
>> so what you're describing right now is this idea that like >> with the right kind of um offerings. You can get a lot of kids from different places to come to the to to to congregate in a social studies environment and really offer something. But the way you described the social
studies seal was almost was you know was was almost closed off in the sense like listen we want to highlight the you know and I can't >> I understand what you mean. Yeah. Yeah. So I don't want to make it exclusionary. Not at all. I don't want I also don't want students to feel pressured.
300 of our students who are enrolled in the freshman class. I don't want them to feel pressured. I have to pursue this. I wanted to be open to all students to be able to demonstrate achievement either in participation in knowledge. And again, a lot of this has to be fleshed out. At no point if I had said it that
way and that's that's the sense we got. That's not how I'm envisioning it. I absolutely envision it as open to all students who want to pursue it. >> Yeah. question that is um could it be possible um I know the kids like are very much
interested in dance like is it possible that we open up um dance instruction as extra activities um you know uh before or after school as a way to gauge um interest and you know
is that possible? So currently here at the high school we have a theater department. So there are a number of students who are in dance that are a part of the theater department the spring musical. We also do have a dance team. Um but those don't fulfill the curriculum requirements through
reporting. >> Any more question any more questions from from the from the room? Uh, thank you so much. We're going to transition back to stage with the rest of our meeting. Thank you for being patient and thank you Janine, Joe, and Vin. Great job. Thank you so much.
>> [snorts] >> Randy, can you put the lights on a little bit too, please? [snorts] >> [clears throat] >> Uh, thank you for those presentations. Uh, Mrs. Loans Solo, Mr. Dwire, Mr. Vicarelloo. We're going to move on to our superintendent report. Mr. Beña,
>> good evening and thank you, Mr. President, members of the board, staff, families, members, and other community. Before I read uh what I written for tonight, I I want to address probably the most pressing issue we have in district right now, and that's the HVAC in some of our buildings. Uh with the heat we're seeing over these couple
days, it's really drawn attention to an ongoing problem that we've been trying to address through engineering firms and holistic uh building level fixes that aren't coming fast enough. Um, I do want to say we started installing window units um in some of the some of the
rooms at Washington School and that will continue throughout this week. Uh, we know this is a topic many of you might be here to talk about. I know I'm getting emails. Um, but I do want to say um, you know, we have to fix this for our students and staff and uh, I know
Mike Mr. DV is going to speak about a little more. Um this is our biggest priority in district right now as we go through the next couple days. While we may not have something for um you know until the end of the week we are going to address this. So next time it gets very hot we we don't go through this
every single time. Thank you for your patience. Mike will talk about that a little more in his part. Um tonight I would like to continue u by recognizing the reappoint agenda uh before the board this evening. The agenda reflects the dedication and commitment of the
outstanding staff members who serve our students each and every day. I would also like to acknowledge the many teachers and staff members who will be transferring to our middle school as we continue planning and prepping for this transition to our new grade level structure. We appreciate their flexibility, their professionalism, and
their willingness to embrace new opportunities in support of our students and district goals. I want to thank uh Karen and Ian Bemeister for helping us with the reappointment agenda. It's a huge undertaking. Thank you guys. I would also like to recognize an incredible community event that truly
showcased the pride and spirit of Nutley and the recent Dupris concert was an overwhelming success with more than 450 tickets sold in support of the Nutley Educational Foundation and the Fine and Performing Arts Department at Nutley High School. The event raised more than
$15,000 to support opportunities for our students. Uh this event was a wonderful example of what can happen when our community comes together in support of education and the arts. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Lorine Kazinski and the Nutlely Educational
Foundation, Ian Vmeister, Advarella, Sal Scarpelli, and the Music Boosters and of course the Dupre themselves for an unforgettable evening. Made my mom happy. Tell you that much. A special thank you goes to Tom Petrillo, a proud Netley native whose support and
connection to our community made the evening even more meaningful. I'm also pleased to share that the board has received notification of the award of a grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs earmarked for renovations to High-5 Hill at Rackliff School. This project will
help preserve and improve a beloved part of our school community for future generations of students and families. I was actually up there today part of lunch at Radcliffe School. It was um it's a nice place and the basketball court's going to become a little nicer. I want to thank Mr. Al Pakora and his
grandson for bringing this opportunity to the attention of the district and board of education. I also want to recognize Ian Vmeister for his work in helping apply and secure this grant funding. We appreciate everyone involved in making this project possible.
As we move further into the spring season, we also look forward to several outstanding district events taking place on the Oval and throughout the community. Tomorrow morning, we'll host wellness day, which which continues to promote healthy lifestyles and positive wellness habits for our students at our high school. On Wednesday morning,
Raider Fest will once again bring excitement, school spirit, and community engagement to our district. And next Friday, we look forward to our annual Junior Olympics, a long-standing Nutley tradition that celebrates teamwork, perseverance, and student achievement. I would also like to share that the June
Board of Education meeting, the district looks forward to recognizing our retirees as well as our governor educators of the year. These recognitions provide us with an opportunity to celebrate the dedication, professionalism, and lasting impact of so many outstanding members of our
school community. I would also like to recognize a resolution on tonight's agenda approving the placement of Victory Town for its role uh a plaque uh for its role as a revolutionary route uh destination connected to the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary celebration. This
designation highlights Nutley's important historical significance and provides another opportunity for our students and community to connect with our nation's history in a meaningful way. Finally, I would like to recognize the appointment of Antonet Franic Colola as
principal of Lincoln School. Since stepping into the role as interim in February, Miss Mrs. Franicola has done an outstanding job leading the school community Lincoln school community. Her dedication to students, staff, and families along with her extensive experience and commitment to
the district has already made a tremendous impact. We are excited to officially welcome her into the leadership role and look forward to her continued success at Lincoln School. Before concluding this evening, I would also like to remind everyone that this Friday will be a half day for students. Schools will be closed on Monday in
observance of Memorial Day and classes will resume on Tuesday. On behalf of the district, I wish everyone a safe, enjoyable Memorial Day weekend as we remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Thank you, Mr. President. >> Thank you, Mr. Bña. Mr. Dvita, our
business administrative report. >> Thank you. Uh, honor for approval at tonight's meeting is the renewal of our food service management company. Uh, through April, uh, the district has seen a return of over $71,000 through strong sales and program participation.
Uh, also on for approval is a resolution that will be sent to elected officials in the state regarding the rising health care costs. Uh, we understand and appreciate your frustration, especially when classroom temperatures affect the comfort and learning environment of our students and
staff. The reality is that much of the district's HVAC infrastructure is well beyond its expected life cycle. While our maintenance team continues to make repairs and temporary adjustments whenever possible, the current system is failing more frequently and replacement parts are increasingly difficult and
costly to obtain. We are actively evaluating long-term solutions, including repair, replacement, and potential capital improvement options. However, the cost associated with replacing or significantly upgrading these systems is substantial and must be approached reasonably within the
financial limitations of the district and the impact on taxpayers. We are monitoring classroom conditions and implementing temporary measures where feasible. We are also continuing to work with our engineers, facilities professionals, and administration to determine the most practical and
sustainable path forward. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Dvita. Uh, Miss Quirk, would you do academic committee report? >> Yes, Mr. President. Is this song? Yes. Um,
the academic committee met on May 6th. Uh, in attendance was Lisa Danchek Martin, myself, Mr. Ba, um, Miss Loans Solo, Mr. Materia, Mr. Pyro. Mr. Pyro joined the committee to discuss fundraising in the athletics department.
Mr. materia joined the committee to discuss the middle school program of studies, including the sixth grade uh course descriptions. The committee discussed the reappoint agenda. The committee discussed updates to job descriptions. The committee also
discussed the program review cycle. The committee discussed a student matter and also discussed technology questions from the board. And our next meeting will be on June uh Monday, June 10th. Thank you, Mrs. Clerk. Mr. Bosaml,
administration. >> Yes, Mr. President. The administration committee met on May 6th. Uh, the board conference room. There was myself, Mr. Scotty, Mr. Mr. Ba, and Mr. Vmeister. Uh, the committee discussed the reappointment agenda. Uh, the
committee also discussed updates to the d job descriptions. Uh, we reviewed the advertising on school. We reviewed advertising on school property and are developing a process for vetting applications. Uh the most recent policy alert from Strauss Esme uh was was
distributed to the policy committee uh and the committee discussed its review. The next meeting of the administrative uh committee is Monday June 8th. >> Thank you Mr. Bosamo Mr. Fragginals. Finance. >> Thank you Mr. President. Finance
committee met on May 12th. In attendance was myself, President Ferraro, Janette Makus, Superintendent BA, Michael Dvidita, and Michael Pariji. The finance committee discussed fundraising for the athletic department with the third half club. We received an update on facilities projects including the media
center punch list, the class, the middle school classroom conversion. All is progressing well and the demo is finally complete. The digital signs at the high school, we are waiting a price for the concrete work. the Washington and Lincoln school HVAC. We're meeting with engineers for recommendations for the oval bleachers. Work is currently in
progress and at the lockers at the middle school the purchase order has been sent out. We've also discussed placing historical pack plaque for the township by the oval. We received a monthly update by our health benefit insurance claim for on our health benefit insurance claims. We discussed the food service management company
renewal. We discussed a tuition contract for a staff member and the staffing for next school year. Next meeting date is scheduled for June 9th. Thank you, Mr. President. >> Thank you, Mr. Fragginals. Uh before we move on to our hearing of citizens, um I have a statement that I'm going to read on behalf of the board. Uh uh tonight,
the board will consider a resolution addressing one of the most significant financial challenges confronting school districts throughout New Jersey, the rapidly escalating cost of employee health care, and other mandated expenses that continue to place extraordinary pressure on local school budgets. Over
the last several years, districts across the state, including Netley, have experienced unprecedented increases in health insurance and employee benefit costs. For the 2026 2027 budget cycle alone, our districts experienced an approximate 18% increase in health
insurance and employee benefits with health care costs representing more than 20% of the district's total operating budget. At the same time, districts are also confronting rising special education cost, increasing out of district placements, transportation
expenses, utility and energy increases, and higher liability and property insurance premiums. These are largely uncontrollable costs that continue to grow at rates far exceeding cap increases, state aid increases, and the financial capacity of local communities.
Every week we see another school district somewhere in New Jersey facing serious budgetary issues and being forced to eliminate programs, reduce staff, defer initiatives, close buildings, or scale back opportunity for students. Unfortunately, this is
becoming the new reality for public education throughout our state, and it is a reality that cannot continue and be ignored. This board has already implemented more than $13 million in budget reductions over the past two years, primarily through staffing adjustments, operational efficiencies,
and program restructuring. We have also utilized available levy adjustments to provide temporary relief. However, the reality is that these measures are not sustainable long-term options and solutions. As we look ahead to the 2027 2028 budget cycle, the board is
proactively exploring all available budgetary remedies and long-term fiscal strategies in an effort to preserve the educational programs, services, extracurricular activities, and opportunities our students deserve. Our goal is to minimize any impact on the
classroom experience while maintaining the district's long-term financial stability. As part of that process, the board has notified the collective bargaining unit that we will be evaluating requests for proposals for certain positions and services. While that notice has been
issued, it is important to note that issuing an RFP does not guarantee or necessarily result in cost savings. Nonetheless, the board has a responsibility to fully explore all available options as part of its fiduciary duty to the taxpayers and to
the district. We value our staff tremendously and recognize their dedication, professionalism, and care they demonstrate every day in supporting our students, our school community. Their work is deeply appreciated and respected. However, the board is faced
with the reality that there are limits to what the district can continue to absorb financially. The district remains constrained by the statutory 2% tax levy cap. While uncontrollable costs continue to rise at significant significant
rates. At the same time, we cannot rely upon waiver adjustments and additional burdens on local taxpayers as a permanent solution. Our residents are already facing significant financial pressure on their own. And we have the responsibility to balance the needs of our school district with the impact on
our taxpayers who support them. If the current cost trends continue, the district is projecting that it will be necessary to reduce the 2027 2028 budget by in excess of $5 million. Such a reduction would have significant
operational and programmatic impacts across the district affecting staffing, academic offerings, extracurricular activities, and student supports. For that reason, the board has an obligation to evaluate every available option and
potential cost-saving measure to help preserve the district's long-term financial stability and protect educational opportunities for students. In addition to adopting this resolution, the board will also be forwarding a formal letter to the governor of New Jersey. We discussed at our prior
meetings and we have also voted on uh drafting that letter which has been done has been reviewed by our attorney and will be sent to the governor's office along with the resolution that is on tonight's agenda. This letter and this resolution outline
the same concerns and urge meaningful action at the state level to address the unsustainable growth and uncontrollable cost and the broader fiscal pressure facing public education. The res the resolution before us tonight is not about assigning blame. It is
about advocating for meaningful meaningful action and long-term solutions at the state level. We are joining school districts throughout New Jersey and calling upon the governor and legislature to address the unsustainable growth in health care costs and to pursue meaningful reforms to the state
health benefits and school employees health benefit systems. We are also asking for continued review of the broader school funding structure and the growing disparity between rising mandated costs and the limited financial flexibility available to local districts that rely heavily on property taxpayers
to fund educational services. Our goal remains unchanged to protect the quality of education our students receive, support our staff, preserve important academic and extracurricular programs, and maintain fiscal responsibility to the Nutley residents. These are
difficult conversations, but they are necessary ones. We remain committed to approaching them with transparency, professionalism, and a continued focus on what is best for our students, our staff, and our community. Thank you. We now come to the portion of our
meeting where we allow members of the public to address the board. In this section, we allow questions or comments on reports, resolutions, and all school related matters. Our board regulations number 0167 allow 20 minutes for these communications. Each person shall be
limited to three minutes and we ask that you try to stay within this requirement. Speakers may speak more than once only after all others wishing to speak on a topic have been heard. All statements will be directed to me as the chairperson and no one may address board members individually. Please be reminded
that if your statement is too lengthy, abusive, obscene, irrelevant or redundant, your participation may be terminated. Please remember to state your name and address each and every time you address the board. Does anyone have any questions? Good evening members of the board of
education and Mr. Bea. I'm a paraprofessional in this district. I'm also a parent who has lived in this district for 30 years. My youngest son, who's autistic, started his educational journey right here at Lincoln School. He
wasn't just another student. He was a child who needed understanding, patience, and specialized care. Because of the devotion of our in-house pair of professionals who cared for his
needs and who worked tirelessly with his teachers, that young boy is now a 31-year-old independent young man who's part of this community. This is why I chose to give back to this
community 24 years ago. I wanted to give this district what they gave to my family. I continue to be grateful for the opportunity to do so. And for that, I want to thank this district for the past 24 years of being
able to work with students who are differently aabled. Recently there's been a lot of talk about outsourcing the pair of professionals and it's been noted that when we do this you lose continuity
and the emotional long term stable relationship is ruined by a carousel of different paras. It erodess the safe space for our students. You then lose instructional knowledge that comes along with long-term
investment staff. Oh boy, our paris staff, they have a deep understanding of our students and you know since co the emotional well-being of our students, it has evolved.
Our pair of professionals, they know the culture of our schools and of our students. Please do not sacrifice our students well-being. These outsourced third-party agencies,
well, they often have a high turnover rate and they're not invested in our special studentpecific population. I've served this community for 24 years because I truly care about our students
here. Please do not replace partners who live in this community and care about its future with temporary workers that just might not care as much. Our students, especially those with special needs, well, they thrive on consistency.
students and parents both, they need to know that their par profofessional is helping them with IEP goals and that the same person will be there tomorrow, the next month, and even the next year. So
pleased for the sake of our students and for the reputation of this awesome district that I have the privilege of working in. I'm pleading with all of you to keep our pair of professionals in house. We know things are hard. We know
that you're paying out too much for insurance. We're all suffering that consequence. But please recall the phrase of Oxford scholar Robert Burton. Pennywise, pound foolish. Don't sell out our
children, their support systems for a shortterm unsustainable savings that'll cost all of us in quality and in care. We know you have a lot of decisions to make and it's going to affect quite a bit of us in this community, but I hope
you remember those who are vested in our children. I really want to thank you and I appreciate the time that you took to listen to me. Thank you. >> Thank you. Hello. Um, my name is Jessica Mabel. Um, I'm here tonight to represent uh these
wonderful members back here, the EAN. Um, our address is 337 Pose A. Um, so I was going to do a whole big speech about how great pair of professionals are, but she did such an amazing job. Um so to echo Mary and all her hard
work. Um but again I really just want to stress right the privatization threatens the stability right. So when the district outsources right students who rely on that consistency um have you know strangers coming in and that
instability hurts learning. So just want to kind of echo what she had said. Um I also want to talk about um our custodians grounds and maintenance crew. Um so the same is the true for them. They are are in these buildings and they
know them better than anyone. They identify safety hazards before they become emergencies. They respond during floods, storms, power outages, crises. They greet students in the morning. They help staff throughout the day. And they take pride in maintaining schools that
are clean, safe, and welcoming. Um, I'm sure all of these teachers can talk about a time where they had someone's phone number, right, a a neighbor in the community that also works in our schools and they were able to call and they were able to fix something for them right away. Um, when these services are
privatized, the people maintaining our schools are no longer members of our district family. Instead, they become employees of a corporation whose primary responsibility is not to our children, but to its bottom line. Let us be honest about privatization. It comes with
higher turnover, lower morale, reduced accountability, weaker relationships, and diminishes services for students. Public education works best when we invest in people, not when we replace them with contracts. Our paraprofessionals, our custodians,
grounds maintenance crew are taxpayers, neighbors, parents, and community members. They they attend school concerts, volunteer at local events, and care deeply about the children they serve. They deserve dignity, fair wages, stable employment, and the respect that
comes along with being recognized as essential members of this education team. I ask the board tonight to think not only about the next budget cycle, but the long-term health of our schools. Thank you for your time, your consideration, and your commitment to public education. Thanks, guys.
>> Thank you. DOES ANYONE ELSE have any questions? >> Okay, seeing none, could I have a motion to close the public comment portion? >> Make a motion. >> We have a motion. Correct. We have a second. >> We have a second here.
>> We do. Yeah. All in favor? I. Anyone opposed? Uh, Miss Miss Makers. Miss Mis, >> you've been here now two years. Um, can can you can you just discuss some of the
financial challenges that you've seen uh in the last two years with with the uncontrollable costs that are escalating? It's it's hard because the letter the letter that you read just about
explained it all. Um we have a problem in New Jersey. Uh that isn't just Nutley's problem. Um, anyone who's read the paper knows uh what we're talking about with regard to reductions in staff
and uh other elements that other districts are facing. Um, Nutley, uh, in the first two years I've been here, uh, Nutley did, uh, cut staff. Uh, not as many as what
is being, uh, talked about in the papers in other districts. Um but they cut staff, they cut all uh they cut the assistant superintendent, they cut administrative staff, uh and try to
limit as much as possible the impact on staff, all staff from custodians and paras, uh teachers, uh and probably administration who got hit the most.
The cost of insurance is um like nothing I have seen in my approximately 30 years involved in the educational process. Uh there's no indication that this is going to change.
There's no indication that this is going to go down. The same is true with special education costs. The same is true with gas and electric. All of you are facing some of these same problems in your home. The district has an obligation
to look at each and every aspect of what makes up the financial elements of the school district. When the district fell on hard times two years ago,
one of the corrective actions that they indicated to the state that they were going to take was to look into privatization. looking into privatization doesn't necessarily mean going that route,
but we would not or the board, I should say, would not be doing its job if it didn't minimally look at whether or not there is a cost savings. We won't know that until we go out with a request for
proposal. It may turn out that it is not less expensive or it may turn out that the cost differential is not worth moving in that direction.
But the board has the responsibility to look into it. Um I'm sitting here to ensure that the board does not overexpend its budget. Um that is my job.
and I work hard at it. I try to work with the board and with the administration. Uh I don't sit in a little at a desk and and make these make decisions lightly.
But I can only say that we would be doing injustice to the program for the students uh if we did not look into all cost possible cost-saving measures. As I said, going out for an RFP doesn't mean going in
that direction. What it means is it gives the board the information it needs to make the decisions that will allow us to keep programs, extracurricular activities and all of those things that have if we had to cut
the number of people in the sitting in the seats would be triple the number of people who are sitting here. what we're doing is not necessarily what we like. What we're doing is being
responsible uh to our students. >> No, thank you, Miss Makus. And I apologize for putting you on the spot, but I think sometimes it's important that, you know, you're here, you represent the state of New Jersey, and it's important for our, you know, our
residents, our staff to to hear from from your perspective. So, thank you. Um I I also like to have our attorney, Mr. McKver. Um, Mr. McKver, if you could explain the process in the sense that I think everyone needs to understand
on tonight's agenda, we are reappointing our staff, but we are looking for the 2027 2028 school budget. So, everybody understands that there's a process for that. It's not something you can just turn around a year from now and say, "We're going to
look at this." So, Mr. McKver, could you at least explain that process? why it's necessary to to do this uh you know now or start looking at this now. >> Yeah, sure. Um, the Perk Act, which is the statute that governs the
relationship between uh management and labor in um New Jersey, requires 90 days notice to be issued uh to the majority representative prior to um soliciting
requests for proposals. Thereby you issue the notice. um 90 days has to tr has to go by and then the board can start that process. So the reality of the situation is under the current
situation you'd be waiting 90 days in order to even begin that process. So, you'd be looking in the fall or the into the winter of the 2627 school year um to determine whether or not this is going to be something that
will help for logistically the 2728 school year because um I think the board will have to examine whether or not there'd be some kind of impact in the middle of a school year. So the notice was issued so that it would align to the
budget preparation as you're going into the next year. So um that's what the act requires. Notices were issued. Um I'm [clears throat] not going to talk too much about conversation I've had specifically regarding those notices, but that's generally what um the what
the process is and what the board could expect. >> Thank you, Mr. McKver. >> No problem. Mrs. Quirk, would you move academic resolutions? >> Yes, Mr. um Mr. President.
>> Um Yes, Mr. President. I move academic resolutions one through uh three as written. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> Roll call. >> Mr. Balsamo. >> Yes. >> Dr. Dia, >> yes. >> Mr. Delpiano,
>> yes. >> Mr. Fragginels, >> yes. Mr. Gilbert, >> yes. >> Mrs. Quirk, >> yes. >> Mr. Scotty, >> yes. >> Mr. Farro, >> yes. Uh, Mr. Basamo, administration resolutions. >> Yes. Mr. President, I'd like to move administration resolutions 123 as
written. >> Any discussion? >> Roll call. >> Mr. Balsamo. >> Yes. >> Dr. Dia, >> yes. >> Mr. Delpo, >> yes. >> Mr. Fragginels, >> yes. >> Mr. Gilbert, >> Mrs. Clerks, >> yes. >> Mr. Scotty, >> yes.
>> Mr. Fria. >> Yes, Mr. Fragginals. Finance resolutions. >> Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to move finance resolutions 1-16 as written. >> Any discussion? >> Roll call.
>> Mr. Balsamo. >> Yes. >> Dr. Dia. >> Yes. >> Mr. Delpo. >> Yes. >> Mr. Fragel's. >> Yes. >> Mr. Gilbert? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Quirk? >> Yes. >> Mr. Scotty? >> Yes. >> Mr. Ferraro? >> Yes. Mr. Scotty, would you move personnel resolutions? Yes, Mr.
President. I'd like to >> second discussion. >> Roll call. >> Mr. Balsamo. >> Yes. >> Dr. Dia. >> Yes. >> Mr. Delpano. >> Yes. >> Mr. Fragginel's. >> Yes. >> Mr. Gilbert. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Quirk. >> Yes. >> Mr. Scotty. >> Yes. >> Mr. Ferraro.
>> Abstaining. Is there any old business to come before the board? >> Any new business? >> Yes, Mr. President. Um, recently I was on social media and I noticed on a friend's page, several posts about the
success of the track track program. Uh, I'm a golf and baseball family, so I was happy to see uh what was reported. Uh, and forgive me if I make any mistakes, but I saw that the girls were second place in the Essex County Really Championship and first place in the
Essex County Liberty to Division Championship. Uh, I saw that we had several members placed on the NJIAA uh, North Group 3 state sectional championship. Um, Ava second in the poll vote, which uh, at 9 ft was a personal
record. Ellie, uh, a personal record in three events. Havana, first place long jump. Uh, she was sectional champ. Uh, Maya second in the 3200. She beat her own school record again. Uh, the girls 4,800 relay of Mia, Lara, Selena, and
Maya. Uh, placed fourth and beat their school record for the third time this season. Uh, with the boys, uh, we had a couple personal records. Jaylen third in the javelin and Marcus fourth in the triple jump. uh and he broke his own school record and so I just wanted to
spotlight it. I hadn't seen it reported out there in uh in any of the media or social media. So congratulations to all of them. >> Yes, congratulations and thank you Mr. Pama. >> Mr. Bña, is there um you know is there something that can be done so that this
can be reported at at future meetings? is I mean we have our athletic uh department obviously they're aware of all of these accomplishments from our students and our athletes so you know it's maybe something that we can do more formal at at each meeting.
>> Um are you talking about my reporting or Mr. Pyro coming to report? >> Well, even if it's something that's prepared for for your reading or you know >> typically I ask Mr. Pyro, Mr. Vicarella for updates to share with the community. Uh to be honest, I was planning on doing that in June because I know a lot of our
sports are still going. some of our sports are still going. Um lacrosse had a game today, stuff like that. But yes, we can. Absolutely. >> Yeah. Thank you. Because I think that would be uh important. It's great that we do it in June, but um it's it's nice to to to get the uh recognition when it
happens. So, thank you. Is there any other new business to come before the board? Okay. Whereas, the board of education will be discussing matters exempt from public discussion pursuant to NJSA 10:4-12. Now therefore, be it resolved that the
board of education recess to close executive session at this time to discuss personnel, contracts, and legal issues. Be it further resolved that the results of the discussions will be made public by inclusion on the agenda of the subsequent meeting of the board of education or when the reasons for discussing such matters in close session
no longer exist. Can I get a motion to adjourn into executive session? >> Thank you everyone. Have a great weekend.