Testing. Testing. One, two, three. [Applause] Testing. One, two, three, four, five, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A
All right, we're going to get started because it's going to be a long night. Pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act, NJSA 10 4 through10. Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by advertising such notice in the home news trabune, the Asbury Park Press, the
board office, the schools, and on cable vision channel 118, Verizon FiOS channel 24, and by filing such notice with the township clerk. This meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, May 20th, 2025. The board will take formal action on payment of bills and other agenda items.
Mr. Right. The Old Bridge Township Board of Education acknowledges that the law of the state establishes that members of the public, including members of the board, have the right to to record public board meetings using audio or video recording devices, provided the actor recording does not interfere with the business of this public board
meeting. Therefore, the board makes it known that any such recording is to be considered the private recording of the individual and in no manner represents the official record of this board. The board therefore takes no responsibility for such private recording and completely disavows any future use.
Roll call, please. Done here. Francisco here. Giardano here. Jodri here. Mone here. Slade here. Solicowski here. Benitason here. Dan Tuno here. We have a quorum. Thank you.
Can we all please stand for the pledge? I pledge allegiance. Thank you. Miss Mazone, can you do the ethics corner, please? The board member will refuse to surrender his or her independent judgments to special interest or partisan political groups or to use the schools for personal gain or the gain of
friends. Thank you. Miss Redel removing the minutes. We are going to be administer removing the minutes. Uh now that budget season is over, I can get back to doing my minutes as regularly scheduled. Um so that I'll
take we'll try to get to the March ones. We have to do the March 18th and I'll try to get to the April ones for next month. Thank you. Okay, Mr. Anapana, all yours. Good evening. Last night and this morning were the class of 2025 senior
recognition and scholarship awards. We would like to thank all the benefactors who generously contribute and make the event possible. A special thank you to all the board members who graciously attended to support the graduating class of 2025. It has been an extremely busy month at
OBHS. Many of our H A AP students and their a have completed their AP exams during the first two weeks of May. Our spring band and orchestra has a concert and Unified had their end of the year party. Today, the high school had a mental health fair in the courtyard
during lunch. Our spring sports are finishing up their regular season and GMC tournament games with state playoffs starting for many sports next week. Volleyball just won the GMC Championships an hour ago. Good luck to Good luck to all our spring athletes
as they finish up their seasons. Coming up at the high school, we have state testing this week for freshman and juniors with senior activities taking place. The junior prom will be held this Thursday, May 22nd, and the senior prom will be Friday, May 30th, at the Ocean Place Resort in Long
Branch. We will have our annual battle battle of the classes on Friday, June 6th. Graduation for the class of 2025 will be on Tuesday, May 23rd at the PNC Arts Center. It's hard to believe that the school year is almost over. On behalf of the student body at
Obridgeidge High School, we would like to thank the board of education and central administration for all their support. We would like to thank Dr. Sasso and the Obridgeidge High School administrative team for their leadership and making Obridge High School feel like a family. Thank you for creating an environment
that makes every student feel important and cared for. We would like to thank all the teachers, coaches, and advisers for preparing us with the knowledge and skills and tools to be successful and as productive citizens in our future. Mr. Citadino, thank you for your many years of service as superintendent. We
appreciate all the love and support you've offered the students of Old Bridge. On behalf of all the students at Oldbridge, we say thank you and wish you the best in your future. It's been an honor to be able to give the student report and I want to thank all the board of education members for making me feel comfortable and welcome every month. I
tr I am truly grateful to have grown up in our town and privileged to be graduating with the class of 2025. Thank you. Great job. Great job. Congratulations. Okay, under recognition, move the board. Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Um, thank you for all your hard work and
dedication and sitting through us at the board meetings. Um, we're going to before we do recognition, we're going to move up the superintendence report. Thank you. It's an honor to share the microphone with you, Joseph. So tonight is one of my favorite
meetings that we will ever have over the course of a school year. And we see a full house like this. Sometimes it's not for good things. Sometimes there's some public uh discord and you know concern about something going on in the school district. But tonight it's something special. Tonight it is the honor of
recognizing the great support staff and the great educators who are in our schools every day giving so much of their own time, commitment and dedication that takes so much away from their own personal families to give what is the best educational product to the outcome. Our 12th graders by the time
they leave and you see what a fine job you are doing when you have students like Joseph so eloquently speaking to a summary of what's going on in the high school. You've done that. You've become part of that legacy. And tonight is an awards
ceremony that I always say is better than the Oscars, better than the Tony's, better than the Emmys. And similar to the Screen Actors Guild Award because it starts with being recognized by your peers, your peers in a crowded craft of people who are excellent professionals
in what they do. And who better to know how amazing each of you are than those people who are professionals in that craft. And I want to thank our instructional council um led by um Rachel O'Neal and uh Anita Keeler for
their hard work with the entire instructional council put this program together tonight. Um it is very uh painstaking and a lot of information goes into getting that. But something the instructional council has done a few years ago was then open up the
selectioner process for the for the teacher of the year and ESP of the year to the public to the parents to the families to the students and I think that's even made it even a greater process and more inclusive. So tonight we're going to turn it over to that
group in just in a few minutes. But there's something that's even more satisfying as a superintendent of schools is when a community comes together to support those educated professionals in those classrooms. And that is something that our education foundation has begun to do over the past
few years. They've brought it back and they award grants every year. And tonight we start with the awarding of grants um from our ed foundation to those educators who are working tirelessly in the classroom every day. So at this point before we go into the
um teacher of the year ESP of the year nom selection and recognition um can I have the members of the ed foundation go to the deis and announce the grant recipients for the 202526 school
Thank you, Dave. Uh before we get started, I just wanted to thank uh the foundation board and its trustees. Um something that was mentioned last night during the scholarships. It's a lot of the behind the scenes that go on that people don't realize you guys are seeing the finished product tonight. Uh but a
lot of work goes in uh to raise this money uh from a flea market that we did last week. um the one love t-shirts and hoodies that we sold. Um casino night, lucky charms. Um so we
put a lot of work into it. Um I know I didn't get a free t-shirt out of it. So uh it's a lot of work goes in. None of us did, but got something out of it. Um and then more importantly, I also want to thank the people who make the contributions, the people who give money towards the foundation. And again, just
to review, what the foundation does is we raise grant money to give back to teachers. Um, it's a process. Uh, grant applications come in, we review them as a board trustees, and then we pick. Um, who's not everybody can get, but um, we appreciate all the applications. Last
year, we gave away about $10,000 in grant money. This year, we're giving about $8,500 worth of grant money to our staff. Um, so it's a great cause. Um, so without any further ado, let's give some money away. Um, we're going to
announce the teacher, um, their project and even how much they're going to get and the school and the school and we'll take turns to Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Share the wealth. All right. So, the first uh grant is going to Allison Tuckman from
the Oldbridge High School. $500 for a weather station. Allison picture. You don't take a picture. It didn't happen. Where you want to go? I don't know. First one.
Thank you very much. Okay. Next grant goes to uh is from OBHS. $1,000 for sewing machines for Jillian Ki. Sorry. Wow.
[Applause] The next grant goes to Susan Nath of the Oldbridge High School. 77
$744.95 for a Cricut machine. Susan, congratulations. Okay, next is Colleen Kenny and Clarissa Morabal from Gryom School. $1,000 for Adventuring Across America.
[Applause] The next grant goes to Moren McCarron from McDivet School. [Applause]
$661 for Unity in the community. [Applause] Okay, next is Sarah Monahan and Natasha Rivera and Taran Robertson from Sanberg School.
$858.32 for science experiments. [Music] The Next grant goes to Kathleen Donovan and Megan Lynel from McDivet School. $927 for novels. [Applause]
Next grant goes to Amanda Jensen, Shira School, $800, Outdoor Sensory Initiative. Sensory path initiative.
[Applause] [Applause] The next grant goes to Kimberly Moscarello from Sandberg.
$1,000 music technology and tools. [Applause] Okay. And last but not least, Stephanie Nun, Southwood School. $940.3 for departmentalized math and
science. Thank you. Uh, and just before we cut, um, another farewell and thank you to Dave Cidadino, um, who's on the our board as well. Just yet another feather in your cap, Dave, of something that you did on your
free time. But thanks again, Dave. Thanks for your efforts on the board for the foundation. And uh thank you everybody else for coming. Thanks for your donations and keep the money coming in. Thank you. Take a picture. Okay. So, can I have a motion for or the
recognition? Motion. Francisco will second. Okay. Matt, would you like to do the retirements? Yes. Okay. Uh, move the board approve the retirement. It's on. I guess it's not
loud enough. Is it loud enough now? Yes, it is. Uh, move the board approved the retirement of the following staff members with deep deep appreciation for their many years of dedicated service to the district. Jennifer Wesless and with Carl Samberg Middle School ELA 26 years
and Kathleen Kennedy administration executive secretary 25 years with a total of 51 years. The board wishes you a great retirement and thank you for your [Applause] service. Before we go down uh to start the teacher of the year presentation,
some of the board members wanted to say something. I'll go first. Um, first off, I would like to congratulate all of our teachers and ESPs on this amazing and well-deserving award. I would especially like to congratulate Miss Tranchina, Gryom's guidance counselor, who came
into the school this year and captured all of the Gators hearts on the first day. Um, and thank you for personally helping my kids out daily. So, congratulations. You guys all deserve it and you guys make the schools what they are. So, thank you.
Anyone else want to speak before we start? Yes. I would like to congratulate all the teachers that are receiving the award tonight. Uh you did a great job and I thank you for being there for all our kids.
[Applause] Same thing for me. Thank you so much. We really appreciate you um and all you do and we know your job is sometimes thankless and it's a tireless job but we really do we know what goes into your jobs and we really appreciate it. So
thank you Rich. Go ahead. Thank you. Go ahead Rich. So, a lot of people in this room know that I'm married to a teacher, which is, you know, a uh very difficult uh task for me because she's always up and down.
There's a lot of emotion. There's a lot of responsibilities. And quite frankly, people don't realize what teachers go through every day. It's a 365 day a year job. People think it's just 180 days, but it's not. You know, people forget about lesson plans. they forget about,
you know, phone calls, emails, and things after hours because, as we know, during the day, you guys don't have the chance to do it. People think that you have some um spare time in your day. It's not. You're filling in for people who may be out sick. You may lose a prep because there's not enough coverage.
There's uh lunch coverage, and there's other things you need to do, child study teams, meetings. There's a lot of things that go into your day. And people don't realize that, you know, to be a teacher, it you have to be a special person. And quite frankly, everyone in this room is
a special person because you give up a lot of your time, a lot of your energy, your own money. And quite frankly, if it wasn't for the teachers in this room and all the educational staff that we have here, our school district wouldn't be what it is today. This is why we are a very high excelling district. That's why
people want to come to Obridgeidge. It's not because of the Obridge public schools. It's about the people. It's about the teachers. It's about the staff. It's about the administration, the school board. Everyone plays a role. But without the teachers and the staff who make a difference in this district,
we wouldn't be a district of high caliber. We're very pleased to have such wonderful people in this district. And again, I recognize it. I'm sure the board recognizes your your your abilities and and and who you are. So, I just want to say I want to congratulate
all the teachers of the year uh and all the special support staffs who are being recognized this evening for a job well done then and this district is doing well because of you. Thank you. So, tonight we celebrate you the art of our schools. Your passion, dedication,
and tireless efforts shape our students minds and futures. From inspiring lessons to behind the scenes support, you make learning possible and our community stronger. Thank you for your unwavering commitment and for being the heroes of Oldbridge. Thank you.
I would like to congratulate all of the teachers and education service professionals that we are celebrating tonight. You should all be so very proud of your accomplishments as educators. Our students are beyond lucky to have you guiding them through their learning. While all of our teachers here
tonight are shining stars, there's one or two in particular that I would like to say a few words about. Mrs. Veronor, you are a special soul. Only one of my daughters had the privilege of having you as their teacher. However,
there are two people in my house, my younger one, um, who had the honor of actually being in your class, um, and that other person is me. I was present in your classroom or my dining room, um, for the majority of the 2020 2021 school
year. You handled one of life's biggest challenges with grace, compassion, and a ton of patience. There's no one like you. Thank you for all you have done for Olivia and all the children that you have served. Thank
you. Also, I would like to um thank Mrs. Wakeum. Um my older daughter had the privilege of being in Mrs. Wake's class and has always spoken so highly of you. Um middle school is a whole other beast.
So, I admire you very much for taking all of that on and I haven't had the opportunity to really get to know middle school teachers as much because teenagers kind of go and do their own thing. Um, so I just wanted to say thank you and thank you to all of you here tonight. Okay. Um, I tell my daughter every day
she leaves the door, you know, go change the world. you guys, you know, not only the 20 teachers being uh celebrated, teachers and staffs being celebrated tonight, but all of our staff. We're lucky to have all of you and thank you for being changing the world. On that
point, um I'm going to as a board and as a stage, we're going to empty out and hand it over to Mr. Lewis to celebrate start. Okay, you're taking Hello. Good evening. Good evening.
Thank you. I like to be acknowledged. I'm a teacher later. Not yet. Well, good evening and thank you for attending the Old Bridge Township Public Schools Teacher and Educational Service
Professional Recognition Program. I am Anita Keeler and on behalf of the instructional council, I welcome you to our award ceremony this evening. The instructional council is an advisory committee comprised of teachers, a paraprofessional, and central
administration members. Our members this year include Rachel O'Neal, John Daly, Mike Matasa, Brittany Fuentes, Sally Fazio, Nancy Cogland, Tim Goffred, Stacy Winters, Shauna Rosenbomb, and Andrew Lewis. The instructional council
oversees the teacher and ESP recognition program. Congratulations to everyone being recognized here tonight. Tonight we gather to honor the outstanding achievements of our educators and support professionals in the district whose dedication and passion embody the spirit of one love
and who have made a significant impact on our students and community. Investment in people is the most important investment one can make. We can say as a community, it's not a book, it's not a program, it's not a
computer that makes us significantly better as a school district. It's our investment in humans, how we treat our staff, how we engage our students, that makes for better learning opportunities. Now, that impactful insight, as much as I would like to take
credit for it, I cannot, it comes from Mr. Citadino whose words remind us what really matters in education. He also stated that our students are going to perform better if they want to be in school and if they want to come here because they have trust and have built
relationships with their teachers. Nothing is going to improve student performance better than teachers who care for their students and work hard to build those trusting relationships. Well, we couldn't agree more, Mr. Citadino. So tonight's awards recognize the exceptional commitment of
the individuals who go above and beyond and go above and beyond to build those relationships to create a positive learning environment for all reflecting the unity and support that one love represents. This year we received a
total of n 399 nominations from across the district highlighting and recognizing the dedication of Obridge teachers and staff. We'd like to share some of the quotes. I'll just read a few from the nominations about the phenomenal staff in our district which
we have taken directly from colleagues, from parents and from students. I won't do it in different voices so bear with me. Children in the special education classes and general education classes just gravitate towards her because of her calm, funny, caring and kind
personality. He is more than just a person in a classroom. He is a mentor, a coach and a leader. Her strength lies in her knowledge of the students she works with and her ability to effectively partner with the faculty members in her
classroom. She knows exactly how to focus my son, grab his attention and interest in the topics they're discussing and makes him feel great about himself. No matter how hard the day, her smile is still there to greet her
students and make them feel better and so welcome. She is the backbone of our school. She has transformed my daughter's love for learning. She has been an invaluable partner in my child's education this
year. And now a few from our students themselves. He relates to real life situations and how you can and how you can use what he is teaching to solve problems in the real world. She always makes me feel comfortable talking to
her. He makes learning fun and always helps us understand even the hardest stuff. He motivates us to be better and do our best every single day. And finally, she became like a mother to
me. The 19 individuals we celebrate this year embody the boundless dedication to the Obridge spirit of one love that lifts their students, colleagues, and the Obridge community. They've provided an educational experience that motivates, encourages, and bolsters
maximum student achievement. We'd like to thank the educators we honor here tonight for inspiring the children of Obridge and for your incessant dedication to our students and the Obridge community. I'd like to also further highlight something that we found in the instructional council to be really exciting and that is that tonight
14 recipients for teacher or ESP of the year are either community members from Obridge or former Obridge graduates showcasing our community's strong ties to education. They come back home all the time. And as Mr. Citadino stated, "We
are a district of the best, and tonight we're honoring those who were selected as the best of the best, the creme de la creme." Tonight's recognition will include a PowerPoint spotlighting the 2025 teachers of the year and the four educational support professional recipients while we share some
highlights about each recipient. We ask that all honores please make your way to the center when we call your name to be celebrated. At this time, will our administration and our board members please join us in the first two rows right here in the auditorium.
Just wait. I didn't want it to come down on their head. Wait, I'm glad. Thank you. Are we good? Excellent. I can't see any of you, so wish me luck. Michael Prada, M. Scott Carpenter Elementary School.
Come on down. Mr. Peroda goes the extra mile every day. Whether it's for the students or to help staff, he is always energetic and greets everyone in a positive manner throughout the day. Mr. Prada is always finding the teachable moments through humor and real
world examples. Justine Heredia Leroy Gordon Cooper Elementary School. Mrs. Heredia's ability to foster an environment where children of all backgrounds and abilities can express themselves through art is remarkable. She has an extraordinary gift for
transforming any space within the school, filling it with vibrant student created artwork that celebrates the diversity and creativity of the entire student body. Dr. Kimberly Costello, John Glenn Preschool. Dr. Costello possesses a genuine warmth
that allows her to connect with both her fellow students and teachers on a personal level. Her patience and understanding have helped many students overcome challenges and achieve their goals. [Applause]
[Music] [Applause] Jessica Tanchina, Virgil Gryom Elementary School. Mrs. Tanchina has brought a calmness to overwhelming situations, a perspective where one may feel clouded,
and an emotional feel of safety when one feels alone. She is compassionate, empathetic, and kind. She volunteers her time, is supportive, and shows her dedication to Gryom School. Alyssa Lenning, Madison Park Elementary School.
Mrs. Lenning, Miss Lenning has established a strong rapport with her students characterized by her kindness and patience. This has earned her the admiration and respect of her students who respond positively to their to her guidance. Both staff and students recognize that they can rely on Miss
Lenning for support and collaboration. Thank you for waiting. Jacqueline Pepe, James A. McDivet Elementary School. Mrs. Pepe goes above and beyond on a daily basis. She takes time every week to priv to provide families with
snapshots and previews of the learning that will be happening in the classroom. She has created a learning environment that is not only fun, but is also filled with lots of learning. [Applause]
Mariana Dennis, Memorial Elementary School. Miss Dennis consistently goes above and beyond to create a classroom environment where students feel supported, inspired, and challenged to reach their full potential. She's an educator who truly embodies the spirit of what it means to be a dedicated,
passionate, and impactful [Applause] teacher. Jessica Bomia, William A.
Miller Elementary School. Miss Bow exemplifies the best qualities of an educator through her unwavering commitment to fostering meaningful relationships with students, parents, and staff at Miller School. She takes the time to understand each child's unique needs, learning styles, and
interests, ensuring every student feels seen and heard. [Applause] [Music] I can't
see. Helena Roner, Walter M. Shurah Elementary School. In her classroom, Mrs. Roner fosters a nurturing learning environment, offering additional support to students who may be facing challenges. She maintains strong relationships with her students,
parents, ensuring open lines of communication. Linda Naspo, Alan B. Shepard Elementary School. Mrs. Naspo is an absolute joy to work with. She is such a positive person. Her students absolutely love her and are excited to work with her daily.
She's a wonderful advocate for her multilingual students. Justine Heredia, Southwood Elementary School. Mrs. Heredia is an amazing artist and educator. She is kind, always generous, and is always willing to help her colleagues with art projects they
may need assistance with. She possesses so many amazing qualities and is always a team player. She provides positive praise to all her students and encourages them to enjoy art in her class. Bravo Kristen Nepuzo, Vorhees Elementary School.
Miss Auzo is not only an amazing teacher and colleague, but a huge asset to our special education department. I have witnessed firsthand the extraordinary commitment, skill, and passion she brings to the classroom every day. Miss Puzo has consistently gone above and beyond in fostering an inclusive,
supportive, and empowering environment for students with diverse learning needs. Gina Simon, Jonas Saul Middle School. Mrs. Simon is energetic, enthusiastic, passionate about teaching and wants her students to be as excited as she is. Mrs. Simon finds a way to
connect with each of her students. She goes out of her way to find a commonality with them. so she can reach each of them. Valerie Wake, Carl Sandberg Middle School. Mrs. Wake has a great connection with students and teachers and always helps them with their
needs. She helps everyone in the school community be a better person. We are truly grateful and appreciative of Mrs. Wakeum's tireless efforts in bringing the best out of her young scholars. Kimberly Hopping, Ellen McDermott, grade nine center. Mrs. Hopping brightens the day
of all her students and makes sure that no one feels alone. She gives up hundreds of hours of her time away from her husband and children to help her students coach the varsity girls soccer team and be an awesome friend. Nicole Mandano, Old Brbridge
High School. Mrs. Mandano is is not just her students teacher, but their cheerleader, shoulder to cry on, supporter, guidance, voice of reason, and motivator who strives to make sure she supports students both in and outside the classroom by helping them find their
home at school. She goes out of her way to create a safe space through her themed classroom filled with positive affirmations, bright colors, and places to practice mindfulness or de-stressing stations. Her classroom kitchen table exemplifies how she creates an
environment where students feel welcomed and supported. Jennifer Ramos, elementary educational support professional. Mrs. Ramos takes great pride in knowing each of her 279 students by name, ensuring that every
child feels recognized and valued. Whether it's volunteering to solve problems or lending a hand with daily tasks, she's always eager to help make the school environment more efficient and positive. Zna Stson, elementary educational support
professional. Mrs. Stson is one of the most hardworking individuals I have ever met and is a wonderful power professional. She truly cares for the students she works with and goes above and beyond on a daily basis. Narupa Patel, secondary educational
services professional. Mrs. Patel approaches situations with kindness, sensitivity, a polite demeanor, thorough communication, and unwavering focus. Her actions exemplify what it means to be compassionate and dedicated.
Last but not the least, Connie Shamus, district educational services [Applause] professional. Mrs. Shamus is a very energetic and dedicated employee. She works with staff and administration for
various assignments. She is always learning and always working on a new project, all with a beautiful smile on her face. Her bubbly personality puts staff at ease whenever they have an inquiry. We do have one more special recognition to share. It's unusual,
however needed. This year, Kelly Education selected Jordan Solomon from Shira Elementary School as the as the national pareducator of the year. Jordan has been instrumental in
helping to educate the students in her classroom. In her role, she has instructed individual students, taught small groups, managed behaviors, and followed through with behavior interventions. As a result of her strong relationships, children have become actively engaged in the learning process
and self-motivated learners. Congratulations, Jordan. Thank you to Steve Kajooki, Susan Walsh, the students in the TV production program for facilitating this produ this presentation. Thank you to Adrien Klein and the photography students as well. We
want to thank each and every one of you, the building administrators for their support throughout the teacher of the year process as well. Ladies and gentlemen, let's have one round of applause for your teacher and ESP for Obridge School District.
Thank you to everyone. You may now join your families in celebrating and the board may make its way back up to the stage. Thank you. Yes. Roll call, please. Congratulations to all the recipients. Okay. Roll call, please.
Okay. Done. Absolutely, positively. Yes. Francisco. What am I? Recognition. Yes. Yes. For Francisco. No. Giardano. Yes. Joel with great pride. Yes. Mazone. Yes.
Slade. Yes. Solicowski. Yes. For our everyday heroes, our teachers. Thank you. Venitation. Yes. Dan Tuno. Congratulations to all. Absolutely. Yes. Reco resolutions one, two, and three for recognition passes.
Perfect. Um, any special committee reports? I have one. fire away. Okay. On May 14th, we had a policy curriculum meeting. Uh it was actually
action-packed, a lot of information. Um some of the takeaways that I had from it. Uh for the policy meeting, we had uh Dan Demino discussed our new spectator policy. Um that's going to affect that's going to be and we'll be uh voting.
We're going to have the first reading tonight actually. uh policy 9163 which basically surrounds the uh attendance to football games and the behavior uh at the games. It's pretty much going to be a four strike rule. Uh
first offense, two home game suspensions. Uh second offense a four home game suspension. Third offense uh suspended for the remainder of the season. Uh fourth offense an indefinite suspension. Um, so we've had a few instances, especially at the football
games. Um, so a policy actually is now going to be enforced um through the NJSIA. Um, so that pretty much stood out. Um, we have some policy updates um that again we're having a first reading.
Um, some of the standouts was uh public participation. Uh we're looking to lower that to three minutes at the podium instead of the current five minutes. It's on the on the block.
Um we had Mr. Januzelli discuss artificial intelligence. Um the good, the bad, and the ugly of it. Um you know the good use we can get out of it. um plus the monitoring and the supervision of AI being used um you know for I guess
glorified cliffnotes uh for when I went to school. Um so that was discussed. Um under curriculum um Mr. Yanazelli was there as well uh discussing um the use of our devices. Um obviously under the budget situation
um they do have the ability to clean up and reuse um the devices that we currently have. Um they've got to be updated. I think they're on I could be quoted Windows 10 and so they're actually physically cleaning the devices
and um updating the software uh for for that. Um we also had um Miss Stacy Winters, super supervisor of mathematics and Cheryl Bakuda, the uh math coach um discussing um the
elementary uh math pilot. Um envisions is coming to an end or the end of our 10-year contract which is in 2016. And Mr. Tui, jump in whenever you think I need some correction. um the pilot program they're going to be taking
volunteers um for upcoming uh software they're going to be using for the uh math program. And then finally, which was also a pull out was and we're going to be discussing this tonight as well. Um due to the feedback that we got about
summer school, um we're actually consolidating uh the summer program into one school. We currently had them at both middle schools, Samberg and Sulkq, and now that's going to be consolidated to just
Samberg. Um, saving the district about $24,000. Um, in addition, we're going to be discussing uh parents, I guess, supporting a portion of the of the summer school program. So
some of the ownership going on onto the parents which have should have a multiple purpose of motivating parents, motivating their children um if they've got to you know chip in towards summer school um maybe an extra set of eyes. Um
and that's on the agenda as well tonight. Uh did I miss anything? And I think that was it. Thank you. Thank you. Any other committee reports? Yes, I have one. Um, on April 30th, we
had a CPAG meeting, the Oldbridge Special Education Parent Advisory Group, and I'll just go through a summary of what we talked about. Um, the presentation was on funding, finance, and budgets. And first, um, we discussed nationally the impact on student
outcomes, budget scrutiny, um, spending trends nationally, this is all still nationally, and recommendations for improving special education. Um there were some really great resources and there's um the presentation is on this website and there's a couple of QR codes
on there. Um the you can also go to the CPAG uh Facebook page and all the all the uh resources are there as well. Then we talked about what is happening in New Jersey, special education programs and things like that. Um, again, all this information is on the website and then
we broke it down to what's happening in Oldbridge and she gave um a link to New Jersey school performance reports, local special education profiles. Uh, there was a really great link for a special education placement dashboard and the
she also included the Oldbridge strategic plan. Um, what can the BOE do and she gave some um suggestions uh for things that the BOE can do. But it was a great meeting. Um, I really encourage you to go to their website and look at all the different uh links that she gave
because there's so much information on there and if you have any questions, they always would like to hear from you. Thank you. Any other committee reports? Okay. Hearing of the residents on any agenda item, Andrew Lewis,
Oba. I really wasn't going to speak tonight until I looked at the agenda. Uh tonight, I want to express my deep frustration and disappointment, not only with the content of the policy under consideration, but with how it's been handled and what it signals about transparency, equity, and public voice.
Policy 167 deals with public participation at board meetings. The first reading of this policy was not made publicly available on the website until I personally requested a copy this morning. That alone raises red flags. How are members of the public supposed to engage meaningfully in the process if
we don't even know what's being discussed. Access to proposed policy changes should be automatic, not something that we have to chase down. And now in this moment, complex budget decisions, the search for a new superintendent, and entering into what are sure to be emotionally charged
discussions about consolidation and redistricting, you're considering a policy that would limit the time that the public has to speak at these meetings. This is not the time to limit voices. This is the time to invite them in. This is the time for more transparency, not less. More openness,
not restrictions. Board members regularly take the microphone multiple times a night at length and with prepared remarks and I absolutely respect your right to do so. But why should that right stop at the edge of the stage? Why should those of
us in attendance, parents, staff, students, community members be told to make it quicker? You tell us you want participation. You say you want to hear from the stakeholders. But then you consider a policy like this. a policy that contradicts your message.
Participation isn't just a talking point. It's a cornerstone of public education and democracy. If you truly value the voices of our community, don't just say it, show it. So, I'm urging you not to silence the very people that you claim to serve. Don't shrink the space
for public input right when we might need it the most. Reverse course on this policy and instead encourage dialogue and actually live up to the values that you profess. Because in the end, your credibility isn't measured by how many times you speak from the deis. It's
measured by how well you listen. Any other residents? Okay, we're going to close the mic. policy. The um first reading is here. No, no. Moving on that curriculum
professional development. Um can I have a motion for items 1 through 10, please? Jan motion. Miss second. Any discussion? Yes. I just wanted to We're talking about one through nine, correct? 10. 10
is added on the back, right? Um, did I leave anything out, Jim, with the consolidation of the schools? Nope. It was 24,400 some odd dollars was the savings for this year. Um, by having um consolidating some of the teachers um
and reviewing the cost from last year, we felt we could do it in one location. Um, and it also consolidates on a nurse because we use the ESY nurse uh for at Samberg uh where the ESY program is. So, and I also just want to bring to uh the
public and uh parents awareness that starting summer of 2026, um if your student has to go to summer school, there will be a tuition payment of $250. Um so there wasn't, you know, there's no charge this year because we're consolidating and there's a
savings to the district. Um but when we're looking at finances and trying to stretch our dollar further, um the summer school starting 2026 will have a tuition payment. So that's something to keep in mind uh for this coming school
year. Any other discussion? Madam President, I just had a sidebar conversation with Dr. Hoger. As we know, Title One is a big part of our summer summer program. So, I just learned that title one may not be in place because of
the cut of federal funds. So, you know, there's two avenues that summer programs took, right? It took the title one programs which helped our children who needed additional help from uh underprivileged communities and and
areas within. And then we had summer school. So, we need to make this very clear where we're at because it's not clear because I was even confused when we're talking about summer school monies and no title one possibility this year. So, could we have some more elaboration on that so people understand where we're
at with title one summer programs and summer school? So, there's three programs that in the past have run in Old Bridge. Uh, a couple years ago there was four. Uh so we had when we received federal funds for ESSER, there was an ESSER program, a title one program, uh the middle school
summer recovery program for students who had issues with absenteeism um andor poor grades and ESY. So this year uh or excuse me, last year we had the title one summer middle school summer school program ESY. Uh this upcoming year due to an anticipated 20% uh decrease in our
federal funds through title one which is anticipated from what Mr. Mr. Widell has been told by his fellow BAS in the county and the state um the summer school program is as of right now not going to run. Uh the for the title one so the now the title one schools I believe it's uh Cooper uh was at
Memorial and Shepard is where the title one programs were being held. Um so the title one students were um included in that. Um if there is a change and the funds do materialize as part of um a reallocation by the federal government
um then the before and after school programs uh could be extended through the uh school year um and that would allow for the funds to be expended in appropriate amount of time and providing the students with support. Mr. Tui, do we know how much that costs for title
one summer school? It depends on on the students and the amount of staff that are hired. Um I don't have the number off the top of my head but um we can get that for you please because you know we need to ensure that the children who need the extra help obviously title one is very important to our kids in the
summer school some some students need that additional learning to help them go into the new school year. So, I know that monies are being cut, but let the board be educated. If it's $100,000, if it's $70,000 or $50,000, we should know
what that price is because you know what? If we're losing that funds, but you know what, that program is very meaningful for those schools and those students. Maybe we can find a way to try to make it happen at maybe a reduced direction. I don't know. So that's why I
want to know how much the programs cost so the board can evaluate and determine if that's something we want to fund. One of the issues is when we get the allocations, you know, we don't get them. It's almost June now. Um and outside of the state of New Jersey, the only slower department is the federal
government. So um at this point, uh we don't have an allocation. We don't have allocations for title one. We don't have allocations for IDA. Um our idea funds were cut last year. I do anticipate a cut in IDA funds this year which is going to have an overall impact on our budget. So I think it's an you know and
when we get those funds we make an educated decision on how we can best educate the kids. If we can run a summer school program we certainly will. Um but I can get you those numbers so you have those and I'll provide them to the board in terms of the overall cost for the title one program um anticipated for what it would be from last year. When is
the anticipated notification if we're getting funds or not or are they going to stay silent like the state of New Jersey staying silent? I I don't work for the federal government, Mr. Dunn. I don't know. I can't tell you that answer this historicals, you know, when we get notified. So, is there It's
usually June. Okay. June, July. And that becomes the issue to be able to staff the programs. We don't know h what the cut is. We don't know how much money we'll have and we can't hire and staff and run a program if we don't know what we have. And it's frustrating to us as
well. But looking at other avenues, how do we service the students would be potentially once we do know what our funding is is to extend those programs that run during the school year. We were told to budget at least a 75% of prior year allocation. So essentially
25% less um than than previous year, but again that allocation it it comes from the federal government to the state and then to us. So we wait on the state to get that allocation to us. But usually it's sometime in June, which is behind the eightball already. And I believe
it's usually run for four weeks. Is that the the title one program usually runs for four weeks? And if we had to cut and run it for two weeks, weighing the option of do we run and again we can't staff it because we don't know what we have. Would it be more productive to
extend the programs during the year than rather than do two weeks over the summer um without the proper information in a timely fashion? if we can get the dollar amount that it costs so that the board can have the information and discuss it with the administration to see if that's
something we may want to do or not. You know, I'm just saying that, you know, we can consider it if it's not a lot of money, but that's something which once we get those numbers, we can determine. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Sorry, I'm missing through. Uh,
Gerardano, yes. Joy, yes. Uh, yes to all except number eight. Are you voting no on number eight or abstaining? Voting no or abstaining on number eight? No.
Okay. Slade? Yes. Solowski? Yes. Benitas, yes. Dunn, yes. Francisco, yes. Dan Tuno, yes. Resolutions 1 through 10 for curriculum and professional
development passes. I apologize. I should have asked the board, is there any discussion on the policy part of the agenda? The first readings of the policy. Okay. Sorry. Finance. We have items 1 through 16. Can I have a motion,
please? Then we'll make a motion, Madam President. Finance 1 through6 or not. Any discussion on finance items 1 through 16? Okay. Roll call, please.
Jori, yes. Mone, yes. Slade, yes. Solicowski, yes. Bankot, yes. Dunn, yes. Francisco, yes. Gerardano, yes. Dantino, yes. Resolutions 1 through 16 for finance passes. Okay. We don't have anything on athletics tonight. Uh
non-certificated personnel office items one and two. Can I have a motion please? Francisco will move. George second. Any discussion? Okay. Roll call, please. S. Yes.
Solowski? Yes. Benitas? Yes. Dunn? Yes. Francisco? Yes. Girardano? Yes. Jri, yes. Mone, yes. Dan Tuno, yes. Resolutions one and two for non-certificated personnel office passes. Non-certificated personnel operational
items one, two, and three. Can I have a motion, please? Motion. Second. Francisco will second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Solicowski, yes. Benitason, yes. Dun, yes. Francisco,
yes. Gerardano, yes. Jri, yes. Mazone, yes. Slay yes. Dan Tuna yes. Resolutions one, two, and three for non-certificate personnel operational passes. Non-certificated personnel other items 1 through five. Can I have a motion, please?
Francisc will move. Joe second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Benitason, yes. Dun, yes. Francisco, yes. Gerardano, yes. Jo, yes. Mazone,
yes. Slate. Solicowski, yes. Dan Tuno, yes. Resolution one through five for non-certificate personnel. Other passes. Certificated personnels, we have items 1 through 29. Can I have a motion, please?
Jody, you'll move it. Miss second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Dunn, yes. Francisco, yes. Gordano, yes. Jori, yes. Mone, yes.
Slade, yes. Solicowski, yes. Bank of Tasonation, yes. Dan Tuno, yes. Resolutions 1 through 29 for certificate personnel passes. Non-certificated personnel transportations items 1 through eight. Can I have a motion, please? Motion.
Done. Second, Madam President. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Done. Yes, Francisco. Yes, Gerardano. Yes, Jodri. Yes, Mazone. Yes, Slay. Yes, Solicowski. Yes,
Venitas. Yes, Dan Tuno. Yes. Resolutions 1 through eight for non-certificate personnel transportation carries. Okay. Transportation items one and two. Can I have a motion, please? We'll make a motion. Transportation items one and two, Madam President. Francisco will
second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Francisco, yes. Gerardano, yes. Jo, yes. Mazone, yes. Slade, yes. Solowski,
yes. Benitas, yes. Dunn, yes. Dan Tuno, yes. Resolutions one and two for transportation carries. Supplies, equipment, and services items one through five. Can I have a motion, please? Miss on a motion.
Done. Will second that motion. Madam President, any discussion? Roll call, please. Gerardano, yes. Jori, yes. Mazone, yes. Slade, yes. Solicowski, yes. Benitas, yes. Dunn,
yes. Francisco, yes. Dan Tuno. Yes. Resolutions 1 through five for supplies, equipment, and services passes. Miscellaneous items 1 through 11. Have a motion, please. Francesca will move. Mone will second.
Any discussion? Roll call, please. Jri, yes. Mone, yes. Slate, yes. Solicosski, yes. Benitason, yes. Dunn, yes. Francisco, yes. Jerano,
yes. Dan Tuno, yes. Resolutions 1 through 11 for miscellaneous passes. Any board business or board secretary? No, I do just have an update. Um, as you all know or those have been following,
we have not received any official word from the state yet in regards to our budget. Um, as far as the letter, we have been advised that we can expect a letter perhaps by June and to carry on our budget as it was adopted. We have submitted all the budget through
statutory deadlines. We have certified our A4F which is essentially our our tax impact and sent it to the uh the board of taxation in the county. Um so we are operating as though we would have approved our entire budget and the even
though it is still pending. Um the state has not received or or has not gave us a letter for approval or denial yet. Um but to expect one potentially in early June. So once I hear an update, I will provide further update. Thank you Mr.
Wedo. Um I just want to make a comment on that. What happens the second week of June that just accentuates this whole thing as a political stunt? Well, it's it's elections, but that's correct. So, the state of New Jersey is
playing this game with us and with other other school boards who are waiting to hear about their funding. It's a game and I hope this board recognizes it because if we get noticed after June 10th, that tells you everything we need to know as a public what the state of New Jersey is playing
here. But to your point, Rich, what as a board choice do we have? We couldn't not approve our budget. No, no, I agree, Madam President. I'm just making a statement because the board, you know, we're at the mercy of the state of New Jersey and we're to realize and like we
we have action like we can do something. We can't do anything. You know, we're at Trenton. Listen, we understand that, but we need to make the public aware of the games that Trenton's playing. The public, the voters are the ones that elect these cronies and these these
people into office. And you know they're the ones that are making the policies that are making our job more difficult and they're using our children as porns and it's just frustrating that this is occurring. It happened during co as well. We've had these conversations and that you know we are elected by our
community and we should have the statutory responsibility to do what we feel is right. So we're always in the middle here. So, I just wanted to make that comment because it seems like the state of New Jersey always leaves the school boards on alert because of the games they play. So, I just wanted to
make that known. That part I get when but when you were saying like, you know, for the board, it made it sound like we could do something about it. So, no, we can't. But we could we can we can make a unified statement saying that, you know, this game that the state's playing is unfair. But obviously, you know, that's something which we'll have to deliberate to discuss. But it was just a point
because it seems like everything is politically motivated based upon dates and times. It was just a comment. I just wanted to make sure the public understood that. Thank you, Madam President. Agreed. Thank you, Mr. Dunn. I have a question, Mr. Widel. So, the state tells you to continue as if the
budget was p the budget was passed. Now, what if we do that and the budget's not passed? Then what happens? Well, the the budget has passed, but I believe the only thing that would be left is certain lines within our budget might not be approved. I get the sense
that um we would use that funding and you can just turn it into a different again, that's the guidance I don't necessarily have, but um we have been told to operate as though the budget was was approved. So, you know, as of next week, you can really start doing your
orders or even people once you start doing your orders for next week or next year already. So, that's really what school districts have been operating on because those orders have to get out, you know, as soon as possible to get in for over the summer. So, got it. Okay. Go
ahead. Did you um It's new business. So, uh, hearing of the residents on any district item, anyone last? Oh, we have somebody. Hi. Do I have to sign it? There's
nothing to sign. No, I got it right there. Okay. still say your name in Brook Richards Patterson. Um, I just wanted to say thank you for considering some of
the things, you know, um, I know I sent like a long-winded couple of emails recently. I'm thrilled to just find out that we're at least making some, you know, headway in saving some money, um,
such as consolidating the summer school. Um, I was curious just because it came up in conversation uh not too long ago. There used to be a night school for Oldbridge. Is that like a a revenue maker? Is there, you know, is that
something to maybe consider to help us, you know, in the other direction uh make any money? Um, and that's really it. I just also wanted to thank again Dr. Tuy because I noticed
I just I didn't with the mob of people in here, I couldn't find the uh the meeting minutes for tonight. So, I was looking on the website and I noticed the curriculum meeting right on the district website um as soon as you open it up. So, I'm thrilled to see that there's committee
meeting minutes now on the district website because I know I couldn't make it and I want to know what happened and you know a lot of us feel that way running around. So, thank you Uh to your question about the night school, we used to have what we call we
used to open it up to the public where people would volunteer and uh set up a course in the evening time and they would get uh participants to come in from the community. I don't know if they I don't know. Do we have that anymore? I don't think they volunteered. No, no, we didn't volunteer. I got paid when I did.
Oh, you said volunteered. They get they got paid and there was a principal of the night school, right? Do they run this anymore? Yeah. All right. Hold on. Let me close. Do want anyone else? All right. We're
going to close the public portion. Um and I know we did talk about the in the long-term strategic planning part of it was possibly bringing back the adult high school and and things like that um as a revenue. Um, that's been part of the long-term planning
meetings. All right. Any other comments you want to make? No, just to uh finish on Mr. Silicowsky's comment. Yes, the uh district did run one out of the Browntown school. Um I think I don't know if you were on the board when the the board sold that property to the Yes,
I was. And so that was a uh an opportunity where that the the difference was that they didn't charge anything for anyone to attend that school although they did pay the staff to do that. So it wasn't a
money maker at that time. Um and you had actually um New Jersey residents coming to it and getting a diploma from Old Bridge High School. People were coming from as far as Bergen County and not paying any tuition for it. Um, so I know my
administration in in past years has made proposals to bring back a version of the night school using some of the same uh online platforms that we have here, but there wasn't uh support for it. So maybe in the future the the board could could do that and bring it back as a source of
revenue. We we had quite a few people running courses. Uh I I thought that for about two or three years. This was back 20 25 years ago. And uh we must have had 304. We did it right at the high school
here. So pe people would write up a curriculum, it would be approved and they would come and teach it and we would wind up uh I don't know what they were paying tuition, but we were making money on it back then. Hopefully we can bring it back. We'll see.
Okay. Any old business? Any new business? Oh, I had Gordon M question. I guess mine's old. You want me to go? Should we just go down the line and do old and new together? Is that easier for everybody? As long as you just state for the
record, old or new? Okay. All right. We started that way last time. So, let's start this way. Kieran, any old business first and then Sure. Uh, this probably is old and new. Um, okay. This is about long range. No, one or the other. Got it. So this is about
long range planning maybe new um good you know we chose the vendor through which you know we want to establish this planning um I think there was an email about when to schedule the next follow-up on this Mr. provid suggested that I prefer to have this early in June
with the intent that we meet with that vendor. I would like to see some kind of a project plan because this is very critical for this district for all of us here. I would like to really be very close to it. We could even have one or few I want to volunteer. I want to really be very very close to this right. I want to really look at you know what
is the project plan what is the activities they're planning to do given summer is out and staff and you know we all not going to be here. So we want to see what we can do in the month of June until the school ends and then what is in store for the remaining months come
September we're expecting this plan to be ready. See I don't know if you know um the vendor will be allowed to go and inspect the schools when the school is closed. So these are some things running in my head because we are having a commitment here to end this in four five months the whole planning the report to
be published in four five months. So I want to see you know how we can accelerate this and make sure we are on time to deliver that report. That's the commitment we are giving giving to the public and then we will have October, November, December to really plan all of us what we want to do out to redistrict
or whatsoever. So these are some thoughts I have and I think we need to really actively work on this and there's one more um maybe new business. I think I sent a note to Mr. Widel and Mr. considered you know Old Beach Soccer Club is um you know one of the sport uh
you know groups that are really very successful. I see a lot of you know students participating. So I would want to really appreciate you know all the efforts put in you know by Mr. Nazim and others from the old soccer club. As part of that they're also changing their jerseys. So they offered to uh donate or
give away uh they have about 400 jerseys uh which you know we could uh leverage to use for our field days or for any other activities within our school system. Uh so that's another topic I just want to share broadly here. That's about it. Thank you. I'll just speak to that because it's
very generous offer from the soccer club. So one of the things I would do is maybe take that information when you say for field day is put that in touch with the PTAs. Um the schools, you know, I know they like to have school shirts that say the school name on it. So like
that. Um if the jersey from the soccer club, I haven't seen it yet. If it has any advertising on it, which a lot of Okay. So there's no like um you know, okay, then soccer club, it would have to be like Soccer Club is a nonprofit though, so that that would be fine. It
just can't be like a if they're receiving funds from let's say uh a sponsor, we can't have we can't give them out um in that way. So just if you have them send us a sample and we'll put it out to the PTAs and see where we go from there. Thank you. Thanks Mr. Sa.
Just if I could comment and for the record for the board, we had at the last long-term strategic planning meeting at the very end of the meeting um it was discussed and I know June can be tough, but there was a proposed date for long-term planning of Wednesday, June
18th was a the meeting that was proposed for that. I believe at 6:30. Um, but it was Wednesday, June 18th, and that's what we're going on. Uh, it it seems like Mr. Fenitason has requested or tried to get that meeting closer up. I know that starts you start
looking into your calendars, all your color codings of all the activities coming up, but right now it was slated for June 18th. I know a couple of members of the committee did confirm that um if June 18th one if you want to do earlier than June 18th I can look into some possible dates but as of right
now we did have it slated for June 18th. I do have to advertise it but please just confirm whether it's the whole board or just the committee if June 18th would work. I know a couple in the committee did agree and say that that date was available. So please do confirm
other board members that want to attend. Just to add to that um Mr. vital. Uh what I was looking for is more of the Oh, sorry. You want to finish up? They were just Yeah, they were just confirming there was long range strategic planning meeting. Uh just to add to that, Mr. Vital, what
I was more looking for is uh you plan to introduce them to us, right? Correct. So, we don't have to wait for that one more month to get introduced and to discuss with them. Rather, as a small committee, we could meet with them and understand what is the plan here. Right. Understood. So I have a a meeting set up
with Pratt Samjun just with uh my architect and their their team leader on it. Um once I have that meeting which is next week I will then go over some dates. Um so if you you guys want to if if just the long-term uh strategic planning committee the four members want
to reach out early June to to get potentially their availability. I can set that up and then bring them to the whole whole board as well on on June 18th as well. So I will I will give you more information I believe next week. Uh and then we'll we'll get some dates from
there. Thanks Mr. W. No problem. Yes. Uh I would like to talk about the comm committees. Years ago we had a video camera set up in our conference room that disappeared. I don't know what happened. Then after a while kids used
to come in and videotape it and everything would be put on YouTube. So, I propose that we put a video camera back in our uh conference room. So, when a committee has a meeting, all they have to do is press the button and it's videotaped and then a week or two later
it'll be viewed on on YouTube. I mean, it's an investment of $150 or $200. I mean, let's be transparent, a little more transparent for the public here. That all disappeared. I don't know how. So over the last 20 25 years that I've
been on a board, the camera was installed twice and it disappeared twice. My proposal was to put a camera up in the conference room for a couple hundred so all the committees could be recorded. I agree with Mr. Silicowski. Uh but I
believe that I guess got cut short because because of COVID if I remember because we were doing committee meetings up into COVID and then all of a sudden for two years everything went out the window. So, but I agree with Mr. Silicowski that transparency is important and committee meetings are important because a lot of discussions
are occurring there which are very important. So, yeah, I would echo Mr. Sukowski's request. I mean, it's difficult for a board member to cover whatever happened at a committee because some of the meetings are two hours long. If somebody wants a view, they can watch
it on YouTube. Okay. I think that really benefits everybody, too. Not only the public, but us as well. I mean, when we can't come to committee meetings, you know, I'm reading the minutes, but um it'd be great to be able to just watch it back. So, so if the board approves it, we'll put one up. Thank you. Just a reminder that
that is a board function. It's not administrative function. So, if whoever was the board president at the time, if they stopped doing that practice, then that's when it stopped. So, no, I understand. I understand. So, let's get back to that routine so we can be a little more transparent with the community. Thank you. I would also probably support adding a
Zoom function to it. You know, if you want to have public participate as well. Something to think about. I know one way is more easy to do, but two way needs moderation. We don't know who's online and how to moderate that. But something I think as a board, I think we can think about it, how to expand that. The
technology is there. You can hang a camera up in the ceiling and it's going to cover everything. And I think that we may need a policy change if we're going to zoom um live uh committee meetings, but that's something which we can deliberate and discuss. But it's a very good idea, Mr. Silkowski. I think we had
a lot of transparency back then and if we move forward with that, then at least, you know, people understand what we're talking about in committee meetings, such as the policy change regarding um public comment. So, it would be good. I think you were on a board when we taped a lot of them. Am I right? Many years ago. Yep. I know.
Thank you. Yeah, you can revise your policies and your bylaws to do that. You you did used to do it for a long time and it stopped with CO. Uh as of right now, you can't zoom your board your regular board meetings, but it is legal to do so. So that can be something that the policy
committee can get back into if that's the pleasure of the board. I would just recommend that you don't make a quick decision on that and you think about there's some positive to it but there's also experiences we had as boards holding Zoom meetings when people
from outside the country outside the state would enter our Zoom conferences and say very hateful things to the public using very uncolorful language and posting very uncolorful things not anybody
particularly in the meeting just It becomes it becomes a target when you open up your public to the world and what you have to do you can't just say only people from old bridge can attend the zoom meeting once you make it a public meeting you have to open up to the world and then that world has very
bad people out there whose only target is to want to bring chaos into situations you can go online and watch hundreds of videos like that where it's happened and that's why everyone stopped doing it well can we do something like what we do with these meetings like instead of it being a zoom
their like streams onto whether it's YouTube or whatever. So when when you said like that's a board thing and I guess my next project like what what's the format like how does that work? Like so the comedian the committee way the committee meetings ran was they were
videotaped and then within a few days um the TV studio would post them to the um to the YouTube channel. That's fine. It's moderated. It's protected. It didn't have the opportunity for outside
participants to come in and and add voice to it. When you open something like a open channel Zoom or any other that where anybody can log in, it creates a different level of a
meeting in which it you know it could cause you cause you litigation um that things are stated about people and so forth um within the community and public and meetings. So I just caution you to be careful. Don't just say, "Oh, that's great. Let's do it." You know, there was
a great line in Jurassic Park where they said they did it because they could and they never stopped to ask if they should. Right. That's a good one. And I guess to that point, like I like the idea of giving more access to the public, but I think of some of the
meetings that we've had um like the DEI meetings and things like that where some topics are more sensitive. I don't know if it would prevent some of the public from coming and speaking. um because they're worried about being on camera or saying something that
they're experiencing and don't want, you know, everyone to know like so I I'm cautious about that part because I have been part of some meetings where people have talked about some sensitive experiences that they've had and I don't know if they would be as comfortable doing that. I like the idea
of giving the accessibility to the public, but I'm just cautious that part. So, Madam President, we'll deliberate as a board with consultation from the administration to determine what the cost of action. I agree with Dave. You know, if we go to Zoom, you know, we don't want every Tom, Dick, and Harry out there being able to participate.
But, however, there are parameters on Zoom where you can limit people from logging in and being involved. So, the the the administrator can lock out, you know, the comment portion. You have to raise your hand and you have to be identified. So, there there are ways of doing it. So, we as a board can
deliberate with with Dave's help or whomever on the administration to determine what we're going to do, but I think more transparency is important, but we need to also protect ourselves. So, Dave brings up a lot of great points. So, but let's just deliberate and talk about it, right? And and what's
different from what you're saying about a Zoom that you may take place in work, not everybody has the address to and join in that. So when you're open having an open public meeting, you can't say you can't join because I don't like what you might
say. It's like saying to someone coming up to deas, oh you back there, number five standing in line, you can't speak because in the past you said something that we didn't like. You you know when you have an open public meeting on the record on a Zoom type of thing,
everyone's welcome until they're not welcome anymore. I would like to separate the Zoom from the video camera and the conference room. Okay, that's another thing. But let's just get the video camera going, please. Thank you. Yeah, like I said, I don't think I'm opposed to like like what we do here at the meetings, tape
it, and if someone really wants to come to a meeting and has something to say about that, then they'll make it a point to come to that committee meeting or write in an email or or whatever. But like Mrs. Citadino said, you open it up as a Zoom to the public, you're going to get people from all over and right. So yeah, I think one way communication at
least is better than nothing today. At least we can report on stream. There are a lot of working parents, you know, with hard hours and everything. Not everybody can come in today and really observe what's going on. This is another avenue for them to at least receive the content, we can take a call at should we even allow birectional at a later point,
right? So if somebody wants to see it and can't at that time, then they watch it later on and then they either come to a board meeting or like I said, you write into an email, you write into a board member or whatever and discuss it. Then this is something we could discuss a policy. Um and I think it's a good idea. So we'll we're going to discuss
it. I think discussing it here like we talk about being more transparent, have the discussion as a board, not Oh, no. Absolutely. But we're not going to make a determination tonight, Madam President. No, I know. I'm just saying if we're going to have the conversation that even helps us like you know all of us most of us up here have kids that are so that are involved and we can't make
every meeting and there's there's like like you like you always like there's like meetings that I can't attend to that I don't know what goes on. So at least if I can go watch it later on at least I can do that and if I have something to say which I probably would then say it. So I I don't I'm not opposed. But I I I do think that that's
a better way than the Zoom. That's just my opinion. Any other comments on it? Okay. Jay, any older new business? Um, no. Uh, just um,
Marjorie, I didn't take her stenography and use it. I abbreviated it. My voice. Those are my words. Those were my words. Those were your some of your words. Um I just wanted to congratulate over the last I guess 24 hours between yesterday
we were here for the scholarships for the students tonight uh teacher of the year the foundation grant money. So the last 24 hours have been um a nice celebration part of being the a part of the board. Um so this room was filled
with a lot of um good stuff the last 24 hours. So congratulations to everybody. Oh, one more thing. I attended this morning uh McDivet school. They had a helicopter, state trooper helicopter come in from Trenton and there was 500
kids. You you the excitement and the electricity in the air when it came down and took off. It lasted about an hour and a half and the troopers they answered a lot of questions. So each class they came up with one I believe she has four sections from kindergarten
right through fifth grade. Am I right? So each class they had questions and it lasted about an hour and a half. It was fantastic. I really enjoyed it. Christina, um, one I have a question. Um, have we heard about the fourth option yet for the calendar or are we
still waiting on that? I believe it's coming next month because with the budget there was and the teacher it was just an elongated meeting. So that's my understanding is it's next month. Okay. Uh again, I just want to congratulate all the teachers, all the ESPs that did win uh teacher of the year this year. Um
again, I think every teacher deserves to be um celebrated and it's it's it's even more uh validation when you get that award. And you know, you guys really do run the district and you guys really do help our kids and in in everything, not not just
with school. you know, some of these teachers become second parents and, you know, to to all of our kids. So, again, thank you to all congratulations to all the winners. Um, I think that's all I have for today, Mr. Dunn.
Thank you. A couple things. All right. Fine. Then go this way. Fine, Elena. All right. Um, so just a couple of things I wanted to say. There are so many invitations coming in
for the board and I just want to say thank you to everybody who invites us to come out to stuff. Um we have directors, um building administrators, teachers that are, you know, just inviting us to be in the schools and it is my favorite
place to be. So I just want to say thank you to everybody that asks the board to come out. Um I will do my best to come to as many things as I physically possibly can. So, keep the invitations coming. Um, I just wanted to say that last night was awesome. We had scholarship night. And it was really
amazing to see all the families of the graduating seniors come together. And like Jay said, it's just been 24 hours of um, you know, just joy. And I think honestly, my hands actually hurt from clapping so much. So, that was pretty awesome. Um, I wanted to just quickly talk about um, Civil War Day at Samberg.
Um, also becoming one of my favorite things to attend. Um, I know Mrs. Bracking kind of leads that up and she does an amazing job of just bringing history to life in Samberg. So, um that was super fun and my daughter was an eighth grader this year so I got to um you know find her and Margie helped me
embarrass her a little bit. So, it was good. Um Samberg band concert I I went to and I I I like a music genius or person. I mean it's like another language to me, but I mean I really felt like I was listening to a group of high schoolers play. Um Mrs. Miss N does an
amazing job with the kids, especially with the time she's given with them. It's pretty amazing what she puts together. I really enjoyed that. Um, and I know that uh Joseph WFAMA isn't here anymore, but I wanted to uh thank him for serving as our liaison from the board to the students at the high
school. So, great job to him and I wish him the best of luck as he graduates. Thank you. Is it my turn? Okay. um talking about uh Civil War day. Um I went, Alina went, uh Jen and Jay went,
but the weather didn't cooperate, so we had to go into the auditorium. We they did a really nice um like trivia kind of contest and Jay and I sat next to a student and um when the student asked us who we were because he didn't know if we
were with the Civil War day or whatever um we said we were on the board and he got really excited and he wanted to take a picture with us and then he asked and he asked if we would um mention something at the board meeting and what I love about it is we later found out
that his mom is Jacqueline Pepe, one of the teachers of the year for McDiba, but he didn't invoke her name. He didn't write on her coattails. He just did this on his own. And he asked if we would please mention that um he would like as many people as possible to come out to
register for Sirwood South Little League. So, I'm passing that information along. So, when registration opens up, um Brandon Pepe would like you to come out and register. So, how cute. And also, Marjorie knew the answer to every question that was asked at trivia night
day. Every answer. I'm a teacher. It was actually annoying. So, yes. Old business, I'd like to congratulate the recipients of the scholarships of last night and the awards of tonight. So, congratulations to the students and staff members that we have here. New business policy 167
was brought up at the committee meetings. We brought up how especially during the controversial topics, people used the five minutes to basically um pontificate their emotions and we believed we had a consensus that people could state their points succinctly and
concisely in the three minute mark. And uh our email is always open. I respond to every email with questions directed at me that I'm able to answer. And those are of course unlimited. So people do have basically unlimited speech to get
access to all of us. And it goes back to the the the Zoom argument how if you have meetings on Zoom, anyone could come and basically, you know, say whatever they want in a bad way. So just like limiting cutting off Zoom, cutting it off to
three minutes gives people the opportunity to speak, but yet it it keeps them concise, honest, and to the point. But we do have a second reading, so we'll probably get more feedback on that. But that's it. Thank you, Mr. Dun. Thank you, Madam President. Uh,
a few items. Um, number one, board retreat. Have we come up with a plan to meet as a board any I know there was some discussion about that. I think it was trying to figure out with the calendar and we were having a lot of budget meetings. So, we can revisit
that. Yes, please. I think that the synergy is growing on this board. I think that we're working pretty well together and I want to continue that. I think that when we have board retreats, it uh causes more synergy and I think when we become more friendly towards
each other, I think it really becomes a better element um to our discussions and we find common ground and this board has grown over the last year I think because there is respect. there is a lot of good that's happening and we're understanding
each other and I think that's going to be better for all of us. So I would like to you know make sure that we uh look at the a board retreat. Also I think that uh I think board member Mone had mentioned some sort of fundraiser or some sort of sporting event the board
against whomever. I think that's a great idea. It's going to be a a team building event and I think that the more we do uh to to help our um relationship and also relationship with our peers out in Oldbridge I think will go really really a long way.
Um fundraisers I think are important and uh also shared services I know that uh it's been 10 days since we last discussed. Has there been any kind of conversation with our colleagues from this town council regarding Did you put the email request in to make the
meeting? Yes, I did, Madam President. The day after the meeting and uh so I'm not harping on it. I'm not asking I just said I'm not asking Dave for anything. I'm just asking have we reached out to the town council
to coordinate some sort of conversation with them? I worked on a spreadsheet with the township uh BA and we talked about our revenues and expenses as was requested. So, we're working on that. I think the last email I saw was Miss
Dantuno had reached out to you if you had any dates in mind and I don't know there was a response on that. So, no. Uh I did not respond on Friday when I got the email, but I will respond. But my question was if there was any dialogue. Very well. I had I had dialogue with the township BA. Yes. Thank you.
That concludes my few seconds. Thank you, Madam President. Yes. I just want to add that the Kelly Services Power Professional that was recognized tonight, there is a motion on
the agenda that as part of that recognition, this na it was out of all it's national recognition that um the school that she is currently working in in Shiraat also received $1,500 from Kelly Services and the Power
Professional received $5,000 from Kelly Services. So, it was a big deal for their company and honoring and they appreciated that she was able to be recognized here tonight. So, I just wanted to share that. And and you said nationally, she was the one chosen across the nation and she's here. That's
amazing. Yes. And she's here in Old Bridge. That's amazing. That's awesome. I kind of echoing some of the other um comments of thank you for all the invitations. you know, it's trying to fit it all in. Um, as Christina says all the time, I don't know how any of us
have real jobs because we're always attending these, which is good. Um, and the past 24 hours, uh, last night and this morning, um, attending the scholarship nights, uh, I want to thank the Old Bridge Police Department for coming out. They partnered with the
county and they had cones and golf carts and the um DUI goggles uh driving around for the sophomore, junior, and seniors. Um they also help with the car that's parked in front of the high school uh to deter
against drunk driving now that it's prom season. Um so thank you for that for coming for that. And it was great to see the community um come together for the mental health fair today in the high school. Uh watched a lot of students walk around, interact with each other,
interact with different companies. Um and you know, thank you to everyone that supported not only the students at the mental health fair, but the staff as well. So, those are my two cents. Um I hope the juniors have a great time at prom on Thursday. I know the weather is not cooperating, but we hope you have a
great time as well. and the seniors at prom next Friday and for the elementary schools having uh field day this week um and coming up. Hope you guys have a great time. So, anything else? Anyone have anything else? I do. Go ahead. Oh.
Um when I think of great like sports dynasties, think of I hate to say like the Islanders of the 80s. Um I could throw the Yankees in there of course. I think the 26 World World Series championships. um even the football
chiefs, but you have to recognize the boys look uh volleyball team. Uh GMC champions again this year. I don't it might be five years in a row. Um that that's amazing. Uh great coaching and great athletes with the support of their
families. Um one other topic I just want to bring up because it was something Mr. Dunn had stated and it just you know when like certain things makes your hair stand up on the back just what's wrong with that thought? sounds like a great thought of um the title one if we don't know because you know the federal
government doesn't even know where it's going with the department of education right now. So title one funds when are we going to know and is it a good idea for us to support that locally and for those children who would normally get the title one funds supported and I think
already Dr. to is let us know that last year uh title one costs were $77,000. Now, here's the caution and what I'm saying and get legal advice and what you would what that would be because according to the title one
website as soon as we pay for it locally, we take our local funds to support that program, the next year we can't put it back on total one funds because that's called supplanting. Title One funds can only supplement what
we do. So if we had a an a summer program for uh students who fall under the the in the poverty range and that we were paying for locally, we could take Title One funds to do something above and beyond what we're
doing locally. But as soon as we take over funding title one even it's a benevolent idea of the board as soon as we do that in 25 26 in 2627 you can't take title one funds and pay for that program again because you've already paid for it local
funds funds and that that would be their definition of now you're supplanting and not supplementing. So even a great idea of wanting to do better for our to help support our students would be uh a dangerous idea because then we'd never be able to use those funds again. So something to look into and make sure we
have the right legal advice on that. Is it possible for that fundraiser that I was talking about? Is it possible to maybe do something over the summer like after school after all like the hecticness slows down a little bit? Would we be able to do something like that over the summer?
We could do it whenever, you know, not and not have access to the school, you'd have to do like say if you did volleyball you did at like Geke Park, you know, outside to have access to Why don't you like maybe you can like have a shared service agreeing partnership with like the township on saltwater day and
have a dunk tank and uh and we'll be dunking. you can get in there and I if if the public wants to pay to they can choose do they want to dunk the superintendent or they want to dunk a board member and whoever whoever wants
to get dunked more you know the more money goes towards it you know that's where the money goes so I still think like a volleyball game is like the oh boy volleyball game I just see a lot of you might raise more money on that's something I'm saying hey we had a good softball game against the
town council and I believe we beat them pretty damn good if you remember correctly. That was 17 years ago and you were a lot quicker back then. I was I was a lot heavier too, Mr. So, all right. Any last comments?
All right. Um, a motion to go into executive session. Mission. Yes. All right. Thank you all for coming. Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day. Um, remember the reason why we are celebrating Memorial Day. Enjoy your Monday off. And uh the high schoolers
are testing this week, right? Uh 9th and 11th grade. So, good luck to them on their tests. Thank you. Have a safe night. I thought maybe we could have one group picture. Uh I don't think we'll get this set up again. All of us. He wants Scott to take a group picture
on the the stage as is over. We think, you know,