ments of our students and staff with the support of our community. It is my hope that we can continue to learn from each other and forge a path forward that instills confidence in our community. Spartan characteristics
include discipline and dignity. And we must consider that this evening. Consider that this evening and be reminded that we are here to serve the students now and for the future of the Ocean Township School District. Thank you,
>> Superintendent RCL. >> Thank you. Good evening everyone and happy new year. It's our first formal meeting since uh the new year has begun. Um, I would like to just acknowledge that January is board recognition month
and um, it's important that uh, we recognize the work that board of educations do. And I'd like to just personally thank our board of education for all of the volunteer time that you give and the hours that you take away from your families to help uh, our school district succeed and and we will
have a more formal recognition for you later in the month. Parents and families, I'd like to inform you of a few upcoming events that we have going on. We have our OTHS winter chorus concert tomorrow night at the high school, 700 p.m. A reminder that the
entire district is closed this coming Monday, January 19th. We will be having our TOIS spelling bee finals this I'm sorry, next week, January 21st. Our WAMASA trivia night is coming up on
January 22nd. and our high school students will be sitting for their midterm exams later in the week starting January 23rd. Um we have had a number of spelling bees and our geography B this this since we've returned to school. It's wonderful
to see our students competing and uh showcasing all of their hard work and the teachers who helped get them there and we will recognize them at a future board meeting. And also, I'd like to just bring everyone's attention to the latest edition of Community Magazine.
Our boys bas varsity boys basketball team is featured in that latest edition. I did not get an imprint copy yet, but um I think it probably will be coming any day. So, keep an eye out for that. Um and there is an online version and a very nice article about our boys
basketball team at the high school. Okay, that concludes my report for this evening. >> Mr. Hastings is this administrator's report. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Um, administration is continuing to meet with u uh our principles, our
supervisors, managers in creating the uh 2027 budget. Uh, believe it or not, we're already at that time of the year where we start to look towards next year's budget. Um, we have got no indications of any changes to our formula. So again, we are anticipating
our funding to be based on enrollment and be enrollment driven. Uh we are meeting with the county superintendent and the county BA later this week and hope to get some guidance from them in terms of what we can expect uh moving forward. Uh the budget calendar is out for the year. Uh the district is
required to adopt its tenative budget on March 19th. Uh we have a board meeting scheduled for the 10th of that month. And then the final budget with the public presentation uh must be done between April 24th and May 7th. And the board has a meeting scheduled for the
28th of that month. So we'll be updating the board as we move forward over the next uh two months uh with our progress and and um uh and lots of other details in terms of uh needs and wants and and things that we want to move forward with
for 2027. Um a uh another item that's on the agenda uh relates to our annual school budget uh audit. Uh each year public schools are required to undergo an independent audit. Uh the annual
comprehensive financial report follows our fiscal year from July 1 through June 30th of each year uh and must be uh conducted again by an independent auditor and upon completion it's to be presented to the board. Uh tonight we have Mr. Paul Kua, who's a partner at
Wilcox & Company, who's here to present the results of our audit ending uh the 2025 school year or January 30th of 2025. Uh later in section 9, we'll have a resolution uh for the board to accept
the audit uh as is required by uh regulation. So with that, I'd like to turn it over to Mr. Kua. Uh we have Mike here for you, sir. Uh who could give us a brief uh review of his process and and um outcome. >> I just want to start off by thanking uh
Mr. Cass, Mr. Hastings and her staff for assisting me in the preparation of the audit this year. A lot of the audit is not done the way it used to be. A lot of it done by emails, texts, and so and so so on. Uh we also use our portal to get a lot of information inputed here. Uh we
spend maybe personally here about three or four weeks here. So um with that said everybody should have received two reports a annual comprehensive financial report was the large one and then the small one is the uh auditor's management
report on administrative findings financial compliance and performance. The larger report pretty much has everything you want to know about the district for the year ending June 30th 2025. Uh the most important part of the
report, the one that the the board should really look at and and see how you did for the fiscal year 2025 is C1. C1 shows your original budget, shows transfers plus rollovers from the prior year and the final budget. It also shows
the actual revenues and expenditures and the excess um or deficit in each line item. So, it's good to look at that because then you can get a feel for when you do this year's budget, how much you should appropriate. At the end is a recapit recapitulation of the fund
balances. Uh we are very well funded in our capital reserve. We actually were able to put some money in there this year uh through excess revenues and unexpended appropriations of our 202425 budget. So with that said, we have we
wound up with like $8 million in our capital reserve. Now that can be used for a numer numerous capital projects, but you know what you want to do is you want to use it not spend it all at once. You want to use it sparingly. You want to be do projects that you really have to do and
spend it wisely. Uh this will keep you from going to the bond market because it's more of a pay as you go method of funding your capital projects. So that's that's the way you really want to do your capital reserves. You also have a maintenance reserve that's funded adequately and then you have um regular fund balance and excess surplus equal to
the prior year's excess surplus. The rest of the report the a section I call it the uh super gap section general accepted accounting principles. Uh it has information regarding the debt outstanding the liabilities outstanding. It has pl property plant and equipment
which the other sections don't. The B the B section is just regular general county principles. doesn't have your fixed assets and your your debt outstanding and your pension obligation liabilities outstanding. With that said, I just want to briefly talk about your OPED liability. Well,
it's not your liability, it's the state's liability. The TPAF liability, which the state has to pay. Those numbers are quite large. So, your proportion share of those liabilities on the OPED side is $109 million. On the TPF side is $146 million. So, as you can
see, the state's got a problem with those those particular uh line items uh paying them. The OPED is the healthcare, just in case if you don't know what that that is. You're responsible for PES liability. Um your district liability proportionate share based on for the
retirees is 13,719,000. Now, we don't have to cover that money all at once, so don't panic. That's pay as you go. So, we get a bill from them every year and we pay it. uh it's going up a little bit every year and just like everything else in the budget goes up every year. So as long as we don't have
to any big drastic changes there, we should be okay. Uh the smaller report that has the enrollment information in it and we audit the enrollment information every year we're required to audit that. So we audit that the state of course it's it drives the revenue so they want to make sure that the count's
right. Also on this report is your excess surplus calculation. I don't know if you're familiar with excess surplus, but you're not allowed to maintain more than 2% of your expenditures in excess surplus. There's a few uh items that come out of there. All your your pension and your FICO payments come out of
there, but uh basically it's 2% of your net expenditures. So, you have you have exceeded that by uh I think it was four 4,334,000. So, that money you have to appropriate in the 26 27 budget. Okay. You also have
amount that was carried over from the prior year that's being budgeted this year is the same amount. So that that being said, um just wonder if anybody has any questions on these two reports. >> Anyone have any questions?
No questions. >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you for your presentation. Okay. Thank you for letting me uh to deal with Are we allowing people in the public that might line that might have questions? >> Nobody has said anything.
>> Were we asking? >> No. >> Sure. >> Does anyone uh in the queue? One second. Oh, >> I think Mr. Hastings. >> Mr. Hastings. Does anyone have any questions on the audit? >> Sorry.
Doesn't look like I I just have one person that has a public comment regarding an agenda item, but I don't know this. >> No, they sent. >> Okay. Thank you. All right. Well, then let's move on to public comment. >> Second. >> If I may, just quickly, I'd like just
like to thank Mr. Hasting Hastings and Mr. Cass for all of their work in supporting our auditor. that is a a giant project that really does overtake their office and uh I just want to thank them for their time and all their staff conscientiousness in in putting that together.
>> It's a lot of work. >> Okay, moving on to public comment. Board of Education recognizes the value of public comment in on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on school matters of community interest. Public comment is not a question and
answer period. Specific questions can be directed to the administration. The superintendent's contact information is on the deas and also on the website. We encourage you to contact her with any questions. Public participation shall be governed by the following rules. Each
statement made by a participant shall be limited to 5 minutes duration. No participant may speak more than once on the same topic until all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard. The presiding officer may request any
person to leave the meeting when the person does not observe reasonable decorum. We don't have anyone in the room, but do we I know we have some people online and in the queue that may have a question. >> Miss Hayes, go ahead.
>> I think it's actually >> I was >> I wasn't first. >> Oh, Miss Telerico's first. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. Thank you. Uh, Miss T Mrs. Mrs. Tarico, go ahead, please. >> Hi. >> Hi.
>> Yes. >> Oh, perfect. >> Oh, perfect. >> Grace Wayside. >> First, I want to President and Vice Vice President and their new roles. Um I want to come on the
case for counseling which are just I just want to mention as I have therapist from New Jersey from Mammoth or Ocean counties just for knowledge of local resources and
referrals. And I did want to ask if this company will be doing online presentations for parents and if so that a local therapist um provide these services. So thank you and best of luck this year.
>> Thank you. Appreciate your time. Who do we have as next? >> Alex. >> Miss Hayes, go ahead. >> Hi. You can hear me without that feedback, correct? >> Oh yeah. Yeah. >> Okay. We couldn't hear on the first
commenter because it was like double or triple. So, I just wanted to make sure my time was not started till I verified that you guys could hear me. Um, okay. I just wanted to thank Miss Weldon for meeting with me after the last meeting in December. I do appreciate um our back and forth and thank you so much. It was
very helpful. Um, I do want to reiterate my opinions that I hope we do get rid of block scheduling at the middle school. Um, I hope it really can be done. And I think it can be done if there's a lot of hard work to be had um among staff and administration administrators to try to
collaborate and make that a thing. Um I have some random comments and then I'll get a little serious. Um uh I wanted to um mention that Justin's yearbook has sent me 32 emails since September. 32. I realize I can
unsubscribe, but there's a meme out there somewhere that just says, "Please make it stop." It's a little bit ridiculous. Um, I know I can unsubscribe, but for all the emails we get from this district, getting inordinate amount from the yearbook company is kind of crazy. Um, Mr.
Dalton, um, in your words after you, you know, kind of assumed the king's chair at the last meeting a week ago, um, you you'd never mentioned the word parents, the physical word parents or the physical word children, except when you were, you know, quoting like two other
things that you were reading. Um, you did me mention a commitment to progress, a commitment to support administrative staff and the community, but you never mentioned parents and students, and I find that quite sad, and maybe that's something to reflect upon
as that was a huge part of your speech's comment. Um, I was kind of hoping there would be a lot more people um, posting or talking about the social media comments. So, I was hoping I didn't have to, but um I feel like I need to
reiterate some comments what people have come to me and said. Um first, I'll talk with the Chromebook. There's a lot of Chromebook YouTube usage going on at the middle school. I appreciate a parent saying that um how we can find out what our kids Chromebook usage is, but um I'm
hoping the district can verify this as a question. And do you all have some sort of way to callull how many hours like the biggest offender students are on their um Chromebooks and YouTube in particular? Um I have some comments about the governor's cell phone ban. Um
but I'm going to wait and first talk about the comments made by a schoolboard member. Um and this is the one that I thought more people would be here for. The comments by Mr. Schneider after the horrific and tragic death of
Renee Nicole Good by an ICE a member of ICE in Minneapolis were vile and disgusting. They might not be illegal and sadly only the school ethics commission can weigh in, you know, on the ethicality of all of it all and of course I defend his right for free speech. Um, but the
comments are an extremely poor taste for an elected representative serving kids, families, and taxpayers. To publicly state that you are pro ICE in January 2026 means that you are not just anti- undocumented residents, but you are anti- minorities. I have no faith that
you would, Mr. Schneider, vow to protect undocumented students or frankly any students that were born outside the US. if their parents were born outside the yes outside the US or frankly if students simply aren't white. I think we have seen fear being provoked in this uh
community because of these district because of the one school board member's comments. They have made folks in town question whether this board truly supports all students and parents no matter what the legal status is. Frankly, all minority students, not just
in our town, but in the state, in the country, they're fearful right now. They're afraid to go to work. If you're a 16-year-old Latino, if you're a 17-year-old black student, when I asked months ago, what are we doing about ICE? What are our policies?
What do we have toward cooperation? How will we protect and safeguard students emotional health and physical safety should ICE come knocking? Whether or not they come knocking or not, or even if students fear that they will be coming or knocking, will frontline staff call the police? What is the board of
education's reactions to parents being irate? I know Mr. Dalton mentioned some of this, but it would be nice to hear from others. Despite our political differences in the past, I really did have some uh positive reactions to Mr. Schneider rather shockingly um to myself even over the past two years, but these
comments brought things back into perspective and it's utterly disappointing. The fact that this board isn't issuing a statement saying we will not allow ICE into our schools is telling because I think you can but you won't. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Miss Hayes. Do we have any other commenters in the queue? Okay, let's close public comment at this time. Moving on. Okay, bear with me. Approval of minutes. Uh,
Mrs. McGovern. >> Um, move to approve um 7.1 through 7.3, which includes the work and executive session for December 9th, the regular meeting for December 9th, and the reorg meeting on 16. Can I have a second? >> Second. >> Wow, it's a lot of seconds.
>> Hope so. >> Item 71 through 73. Mr. Brady. >> Yes. Uh, Mr. Goldberg, >> yes. >> Mrs. Dam, >> yes. >> Mrs. Gilman, >> yes. >> Mrs. Uh, Mr. McCarthy, >> yes. >> Mrs. McGovern, >> yes. >> Mr. Schneider, >> yes. >> Miss Stevens, >> yes. >> Mr. Dton,
>> yes. >> Carries. >> Mr. McCarthy, can I ask you to take personnel for this evening? >> Absolutely. Move to approve items 8.1 through 8.13. >> Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Hastings. This is items 81 through 8.13.
Mr. Brady, >> yes. >> Uh, Mr. Covert, >> yes. >> Mrs. Dan, >> yes. >> Mrs. Gilman, >> yes. To all recuse from 8.7 Spring Baseball head coach. >> Thank you, Mr. McCarthy. >> Yes. >> Mr. McGovern,
>> yes. >> Mr. Schneider, >> yes. >> Miss Stevens, >> yes. >> Mr. Dalton, >> yes. >> It carry. >> Financial management and resource services. Mrs. Dam, >> move to approve items 9.1 through 9.6. Second.
>> Second. Oh, sorry. Third. >> This items 91 through 96. Mr. Brady. >> Yes. >> Mr. Cover. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Dam. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Gilman. >> Yes. >> Mr. McCarthy. >> Yes. >> Mrs. McGovern. >> Yes.
>> Mr. Schneider. >> Yes. >> Miss Stevens? >> Yes. >> Uh, Mr. Dalton? >> Yes. >> Items carry. >> Mr. Brady, can I ask you to take section 10 this this evening? Section 10, instructions, education and student activities. Motions to approve sections 10.1 through 10.6.
>> Second question back here. >> This is 10 1 through 10 six. Mr. Brady, >> yes. >> Mr. Cobbert, >> yes. >> Mrs. Dam, yes. >> Mrs. Gilman, >> yes. >> Mr. McCarthy, >> yes. >> Mr. McGovern, >> yes. >> Mr. Schneider, >> yes.
>> Miss Stevens, >> yes. >> Mr. Dalton, >> yes. >> Adam Carry, >> thank you. Appreciate your support. Mr. Hast things. Do we have any old business for this evening? >> I think um Mr. Dalton, I need we need to bring up the calendar.
>> Thank you. >> You want to talk about that again? And you want motion? >> Sure. Um so we talked about motioning down uh to one meeting um for the months of June and July. And Kelly was going to take a look at that. Did you did you even have
>> I wasn't sure if that was what the full board wanted what wanted me to do. So I just was looking a motion. Do we have a second? Yeah, I >> go ahead. >> I'm sorry. I just want to add on the same topic. Um, for so many years we've had a reorg meeting the beginning of
January where we've just come in and sworn people in and done nothing else and then gone in. So this month we have three meetings. So I didn't know if the board would be also be okay to amend in the calendar that the reorg meeting we would have a reorg and then we would do a working meeting on the back of it. So we are only here two nights in January
next year. So I just wanted to make sure. So >> second >> two two items together >> January >> January of next year but also June of this year >> if that's I mean if if I may if you would just give us a little time to look
at June versus August. >> So two months going down to one meeting I think that's but of of the summer months June July and August but I just want to make sure because we do recognize our retirees in June and a few other business items that I want to make sure we still have room for in the
calendar. So if if you're flexible with June and August, we will reduce two summer months to one. >> Okay. >> If if this carries. >> Sure. >> We have a second. >> Second. Second. >> Okay. >> So just a point of inquiry. So the
motion on the floor is that uh we we will reduce two months of June, July and August to a single meeting and we will and we will reduce January to two meetings including an order meeting. Yeah. >> Is that correct? Do I have that? >> Correct. Thank you.
>> And just for a little history, a lot of districts do their reorg and then just jump right into the meeting. So it's one less one less night and a little less confusing that maybe for the public as well. So, >> you're good. >> We're good. All in favor?
>> Opposed? >> Seeing none. Thank you. >> Any other old business? >> Any new business? >> Um, I just wanted to um identify the district contracting with Hazel Health as being really, really positive for our
students to have access to mental health services. Um, working with the family, um, the family's insurance company. I'm sure that our kids are going to have access to those things because it's it's becoming very difficult for our families across the state to find um whether it
be taotherapy or in-person therapy. So, I I commend the district and and Kelly for reaching out to Hazel Health. I've had experience with them as well and um I think it's it's a good it's a really positive thing for the kids and our families. >> Thank you for saying that. And if I may, I I just want to credit Mrs. Kazuba and
Mr. D. Pasqual for connecting with Hazel Health. Actually, Hazel Health was the recipient of a fairly large grant and reached out to us. So, this is coming to us free of charge for our families and our students. Um, and we we have a
robust relationship with county resources. Often when I am at county meetings, they reference uh the c the compass counselors reference how much Ocean Township utilizes their services. Um what we liked to enhance what we do is
that Hazel Health has far more counselors who can provide translated counseling. Um and we do struggle to meet the needs of our multilingual learners and we are hoping that this partnership will for the whole district. This is a a process for the whole
district uh opportunity that this will expand our offerings for families who are multilingual. We are not breaking any relationships with county counselors and in-person counseling first and foremost, but when we don't have any other options uh to meet the needs of our families, this
this is now a resource that we will have access to. >> Thank you for that. Anything else from anyone else? >> Yes. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Um I wanted to thank everyone that wrote in and spoke uh regarding my comment. I heard you and
I understand your concerns. I believe we all can agree that we want tragedies like this to come to an end, but how we go about it matters, especially if you're in the public trust. I'm going to spend more time reflecting on all this because the weight of these moments and the points made deserves it. My
commitment is to listen, learn, and keep working towards solutions that protect and serve all of our children. And finally, I want to thank everyone uh for caring so deeply about our schools. >> Thank you. Appreciate that. Anyone else?
I have a motion to adjurnn. >> Motion. >> Second.