If everyone can start taking their seats, we'll be starting shortly. Can everyone please take their seat so we can get be started? Good evening. Thank you all for coming. I know you're all here to see our Halloween costumes, right? That's why I volunteered tonight. Um, okay. to get
started. Pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act, NJSA 10 4-10, adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by advertising such notice in the Home News Tribune, the Asbury Park Press, the board office, the
schools, and on cable vision channel 118 and Verizon Fios channel 24. and by filing such notice with the township clerk clerk. This meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, October 28th. The board will take formal action on payment of bills and other agenda items. Mr. White,
>> the 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 record public board meetings using audio or video recording devices, provided that the act of 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. >> Thank you. Roll call, please. >> Mr. Dunn, >> here. >> Miss Francisco, >> here. >> Mr. Gardano, >> here. Miss Jri >> here, >> Miss Mazone >> here, >> Mr. Slade
>> here, >> Mr. Solicowski, >> Mr. Vanitasen >> here, >> and Miss Danuno >> here. >> We have a quorum. >> We all stand for the pledge and remain standing afterwards. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag.
Please remain standing. Move the board of education to acknowledge the death of Maryanne Aluko, retired transportation secretary, and express sympathies to her family and friends. Thank you. Please be seated.
Phoenix, can you do the ethics, please? The board member will uphold and enforce all laws, rules, and regulations of the state board of education and court orders pertaining to schools. Desired changes shall be brought up about only through legal and ethical procedures.
>> Thank you. I wanted to take a moment and discuss with the board um something that we should also be updating with the public on a regular basis for some um just wanted to go over our district goals and our board goals. Uh excellence in
education. We want to ensure benchmarks are in place for all students to rise to raise the bar to improve academic and educational growth for all students. Financial resilience. Continue to investigate ways to optimize education efficiencies. the whole child.
Investigate making facilities more inclusive for all students and develop measurements of progress in performance performance of all students. Um I know with the financial resilience we have been working with the long range plan and definitely working on that and
the other board goals. Uh non-conlicted members um we did not the CSA evaluation because we did not need to this year. Uh review and revise bylaws and policies through the
development of a schedule for review, improve board synergy, team building, professional development, and engage in a professional development to achieve board certification and work to understand the district budget through professional development from the business administrator and possibly the
NJSBA. So we have been definitely taking David work more and working on us with the the district budget and take our shirts or energy for tonight. Thank you. Um approval of minutes
motion please. >> Jano motion second. >> Any discussion? >> Roll call, please. >> Miss Francisco. >> Yes. >> Mr. Gerardano. >> Yes. >> Missry.
Yes, >> Miss Mazone. >> Yes, >> Mr. Slade. >> Yes, >> Mr. Spicowski. >> Mr. Vanitas. >> Yes, >> Mr. Dunn. >> Yes, >> Miss Dantun. >> Yes. >> Resolutions one and two for approval and minutes passes.
>> It's time for our student rep. >> Hold on. Push the little green button on the on the microphone. Okay. Hello. Okay. Hello everyone. I'm Jordan Rosenthal and the last time I was here, not as many of you guys were
here. So, it's definitely different and a lot has happened in school, too. First of all, the student senate hosted a bingo night for our freshman and our sophomores who were unable to attend the homecoming dance. However, they made the most of it. And speaking of homecoming,
our adviserss, Miss Fuentes and Mr. Post, as well as our staff, did such an incredible job making it a night to remember. It was also that time of the year when the German exchange students visited our classrooms. It is always so interesting
to learn about our peers from across the world. Coming up, we're hoping that mother nature is on our side and doesn't wash away our Halloween movie night this Thursday, but it's not looking too good for us. Our school's fall comedy, Rumors, is November 20th and November
21st. We hope to see you there supporting our drama department. We are thankful for the return of late buses on Wednesdays, which allows for our clubs to flourish and increase in student participation. Speaking of student participation, our
fall sports teams have had arguably the most successful seasons in a decade. Boys and girls soccer are both in the semi-finals of the conference tournament. Boys and girls cross country entered the state championships after a great GMC performance.
Girls field hockey won the red division for the first time in school history. Way to go ladies. The football team enters the state playoffs at 8 to1 while the girls volleyball team won the GMC conference tournament.
Historic. Truly, girls tennis won their first matchup in the state tournament and finished over 500 on the season. And finally, girls gymnastics finished with an impressive third place at the GMC Championship. Continuing on the theme of success and
excellence, we get the chance to celebrate a new chapter in Oldbridge tonight, a new superintendent, our beloved principal, Dr. Sasso. [Applause]
Yep. Yep. Into the mic. Yep. Okay. Yes. [Applause] Yeah. I can't cry. I can't. I can't cry. I can't cry. I can't cry. All right. All
right. Don't make me cry. Don't make me cry. Okay. Okay. Where even was I now? Oh my god. Okay. Woo. There is nobody else like Dr. Sasso. And what he has done for the students of OBHS, he will surely do for this whole district. Stop.
He loves his faculty. He loves his students. And he loves this town. As the student representative, I can confidently say that we love Dr. Sasso. and we are so excited for your new journey. We really are. We will miss you
so much, Dr. Sasso. And there is nobody else better than you to finish off the announcements. And as always, go Knights. [Applause] I don't know how to follow that. Um Matt, you want to do the retire?
>> Okay. Under recognition, we have three retirees. Uh Dion backto back trainer High School business 11 years. Uh Don FC Bellour supervisor uh 22 years at Carl Samber Middle School and Sheree Becker
Carl Samberg Middle School mathematics a total of 32 years and a total of 65 years for all three of them. Congratulations. On behalf of the board, we wish you much much luck. >> As you can see on the agenda, one of the things we want to recognize is is one of
our staff members. And we move that the board recognize Glenn Preschool Parrofessional Erica Cortez. Erica, are you here? If you're here, Erica, come on up. If you're not, we're gonna recognize you anyway. Um, during lunch on Thursday,
>> come on up. Erica, come on up. >> During lunch on Thursday, October 14th, an incident arose which ended with a student choking. Luckily, we have Miss Cortez, who was part of the Code Blue team, and was able to respond
immediately. Miss Cortez, with her quick reaction, began providing the Heimlick maneuver immediately on the student. resulting in saving his life. Miss Cortez is an extremely hardworking and dedicated member of the Glen team, and we're extremely happy and grateful for our life-saving efforts and to have her
on our team. Congratulations and thank you. >> Thank you to all of our staff members. Can I have a moment? Um, Francis Phil. >> Yes. So, um, I'd like to personally congratulate Mr. Trainer on her
retirement, 11 years, quarter of them with me in accounting one, two, and three. I got the college credit and she's led myself and others um, pour a lot in their accounting careers. I'm currently a senior tax associate and that foundation was set by her. So, very
important of our career in technical education. we have here. So, I just like to thank her person. Thank you. >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Gerardano. >> Yes. >> M. Do >> Yes. >> M. Mazzone. >> Yes. >> Mr. Slade.
>> Yes. >> Mr. Solicowski. >> Yes. >> Mr. Venites. >> Yes. >> Mr. Dun. >> Yes. >> Miss Francisco. >> Yes. >> Miss Danuno. Yes. >> Resolutions one and two for recognition passes. >> Dr.
>> Thanks, Mr. Danun. I'll keep this um somewhat short because I know we have a an important thing on the agenda. I just want to say publicly to this board of education and and to the community that I was selected to be an interim superintendent here for a period of time and uh it's been a great experience. We
have a great school system. We have great staff. It's been a pleasure working with this school board. You'll find later on in the agenda that there's a an end to my time here on December 1st because of bigger and better things coming shortly thereafter and which I'm extremely happy and proud of. But I
wanted to thank everyone for the my time here. It's been an absolute pleasure and a joy to work with all of you in this community and um as I said once before, this school board helped me transition back to New Jersey and I'm forever grateful for that. And I would hope at
some point um when you appoint the new superintendent that you allow us I don't know six, seven days to overlap and and maybe to help with the transition. Thank you Mr. Redell. Any correspondents?
>> We do have a few correspondents tonight. Okay, first is a letter to the board of education from Fran Parino. Please read this email publicly during the board meeting on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. I would greatly appreciate it if you can confirm that this email was received.
Dear Board of Education members, I am writing this letter on behalf of Dr. Raymond Payeyton, whom I worked with during my tenure as assistant superintendent for human resources. I've always found Dr. Payton to be a valued staff member of the Old Bridge Township Schools. I can attest to the confidence and enthusiastic manner in which he
carried out his professional responsibilities. Dr. Payne has established himself as a highly organized administrator who is truly committed to provide the best programs for the children in varying degrees. All students in his school have always shown improvement. As can be expected in any
effort or involvement with human beings and probably much more so when working with children, there are many inherent factors which can make the process of prediction complex. However, Dr. Payton maintained a genuine concern for education by working with students, teachers, and parents to help students
develop their individual potential. Being a school administrator, Dr. Payne sought out programs and innovative speakers to broaden staff and student interests. He has always fulfilled his obligations with confidence and dispatch and always maintained pride in the
teaching profession. Dr. Payne was willing and anxious to take on added responsibilities in helping our administrative team. He has always set high standards for himself, students, and staff and worked hard to see if they were met. I believe this melding of personal and professional qualities
would continue to be an asset to the Old Township schools and community. Respectfully, Francis M. Bino. Second correspondence is from Car Carmen Spatali. Dear Mr. Widell and members of the board, my name is Carmen Spatali and
I am a retired sergeant of the Oldbridge Township Police Department. I currently serve as a class three school resource resource officer SRO at Memorial Elementary School where I have had the privilege of working under Dr. Raymond Payne's leadership for the past 11 years. I am writing you again because
it is a horrible feeling to know that Dr. Payne who has served this district with distinction and integrity for over 21 years has never had a single complaint or grievance filed against him until now. At the very moment he sought the opportunity to use his knowledge and leadership to serve the entire district.
His long record of professionalism, dedication, and positive impact speaks for itself. Unfortunately, a narrative that has been portrayed publicly can easily diminish the truth that Dr. Payton has committed himself wholeheartedly to serving the Oldbridge Township public schools. It is
disheartening to see his years of leadership and service question in this way. As board members, you routinely ask important questions about items on the agenda to ensure transparency and accountability. I respectfully ask that you bring that same level of inquiry and
fairness to Dr. Payne's situation. After 21 years as an administrator in this district, I urge you to ask yourselves a simple but powerful question. Why now? It is deeply disappointing that hearsay has been allowed to cloud the public's perception of such an accomplished and dedicated leader. I have seen firsthand
how Dr. Payne's high expectations and unwavering dedication have elevated Memorial Elementary's reputation across the district. The school's success and positive climate are a direct reflection of his leadership. As someone who has dedicated a lifetime to protecting and serving this community, I can personally
attest that Dr. Payne's top priority has always been the safety and well-being of his students and staff. His professionalism, loyalty, and commitment to excellence are beyond reproach. The leadership of Dr. Payton is deeply missed at Memorial Elementary School. His presence brought stability,
direction, and a sense of pride to the entire school community. His impact continues to be felt each day through the culture and values he helped create. For all those reasons, I strongly urge the board of education to reinstate Dr. Raymond Payne to his position as an administrator in the Oakidge Township
Public Schools. His record, reputation, and results speak for themselves, and his leadership is vital to the continued success of our schools and community. Respectfully submitted. Carmen Spatali, retired sergeant, Obridge Township Police Department, class 3 school resource officer for Memorial Elementary
School. And the final correspondents for tonight. Dear members of the board of education, my name is Jessica Demino and I am a proud alumni of Obridge public schools, a current educator at Obridge High School and a parent of two children who attend McDivet Elementary School and
Carl Sanberg Middle School. I am writing to commend the board and for the appointment of Dr. Vincent Sasso as our next superintendent of schools. There is truly no more one more deserving or better suited for this position. While I may not agree with every board decision
made over the years, I can wholeheartedly express my full support for this district and for the direction this appointment represents. Based on my love for and roots in Oldbridge, I'd like to share why I believe Dr. Sasso is an ex exceptional choice. Growing up here gave me wonderful memories with
friends and family, but at that time pride in her high school is missing. I was involved and successfully academically successful academically. Yet, I didn't feel that sense of love or belonging that many of my college peers felt toward their own schools. That changed when I returned to OBHS as an
educator and had the privilege of working under Dr. Sasso, then my vice principal and department chair. Dr. Sasso transformed the culture of OBHS. He fostered pride, respect, and genuine love for our school community. Students become began returning for events like
the Thanksgiving pep rally, proudly wearing purple and celebrating their connection to Old Bridge. He welcomed every student, whether top of the class or a struggling athlete, with the same openness, time, and care. His leadership made goss and do the right thing more
than a slogan. It became a living, breathing part of our community. Beyond his leadership, Dr. Sasso is incredibly generous and always finds ways to support students in need, whether financially, mentally, emotionally, or academically. He ensures that every student feels seen, valued, and cared
for. That compassion extends to the staff as well. Under his leadership, he has built a special culture among the faculty, one grounded in unity and support. We rally around one another, lift each other up, and share a deep sense of pride in being part of OBHS.
When Dr. Sassa became principal, that same energy only grew. As a special education teacher, I faced many challenging situations, but his positivity and guidance have always helped me find the best path forward. He treats his staff with respect and compassion, always making time for
collaboration and support. I often tell colleagues across the state how fortunate we are to have him. His leadership is unmatched and his focus on ensuring every child has a meaningful educational experience is always top priority. As a parent, I chose to send my kids my children to schools because
leaders and educators like Dr. Sasso. While I recognize there's always room for improvement, I trust no one more to guide the future of this district and the education of my children. I simply want to express my full and enthusiastic support for the board's decision to hire Dr. Vincent Sasso as superintendent.
Thank you for selecting a leader who has already proven his dedication, vision, and heart for Obridge. Jessica Deino, Obridgeidge High School, class of 2003, special educator, teacher, Obridgeidge High School, proud parent, McD Elementary School, and Carl Sandberg Middle School.
[Applause] And that concludes correspondence. >> Does the board have any special committee reports? >> I do. >> Um I just wanted to talk a little bit about um we had a tag meeting on October
8th. Uh the in the CPAC meeting was basically preparing parent conferences. Um they provided a lot of really great resources. Um you can either go on the CP Facebook page or you can contact me if you want them. But um they talked
about um especially for first time parent teacher conference. It's a lot there's a lot of mixed emotions but um they did provide a lot of worksheets and things like that that you can use to prepare. They also talked about the role of um CPG liaison. They're trying to
institute in all schools. Right now there's one in four and um she spoke a little bit about her role that she's worked through a lot of issues with administrators. They're solutions focused and they talked through a lot of things and she's learned a lot. She also spoke about um
Dr. Rico as your new principal and he said she said he was amazing and very supportive and um Dr. Rico also spoke a little bit about the benefits of having a CEAG um at school. So if anybody's interested in having a CEAG in their school, please contact Stephanie Babage
and um she can address. That's it. After that we had an open for discussion last >> during um we had a food service committee meeting on October 16th. Um during this meeting we spoke about early results uh
17 operating days in September. We've seen an increased daily revenue of 15% uh number of students taking lunch that was an increase of 8%. Uh we spoke about how they were buying ingredients that they would be proud to serve. Uh we had spoke about the national school lunch
program, a pasta station back at the high school. uh our pizzeria pizza on Fridays which is uh every school on Friday gets pizzeras from local pizzeras pizza from local pizzeras. Um what else
did we talk about? Spoke um the tiring of drivers and the high turnover. Um we spoke about how the lunch ladies care about the students and go above and beyond as if they were their own. Um there's a lot of things
that go into the food committee and that the public doesn't see. And I think by people showing up, it just it reiterates what we see on our side. Um, these workers, they work their butts
off, man. They really do. And they come and they advocate for our kids and they they they make sure that our kids are fed as if we were feeding them. So, we have to actually give a round of applause to all the food service people. please. Um,
Tomonian has some things to fix on their end and I suggested monthly meetings, at least one rep per schools to meet with Tomonian so they can go over communication, they can go over recipes, uh, lunches that are good in some schools, not good in other schools. Um,
so we're looking forward to that for this year to see where we can go with school service. Another board. >> Yes. So, we had our long range and strategic planning meeting. Greg Tom Jen went over the districtwide capital
improvement plan and capacity study. And um as a board, we're going to have to go through the following funding sources. Um we can go for a referendum. We can go for rod grants, state energy grants, the county school construction financing program, and these purchase agreements.
And our next meeting is going to be next month in November and the board will come up with a plan by then. And back to the food service meeting, it was great to see all those food workers standing up for their children and Dr. Stassa was there too, you know, demanding better conditions for the employees and it's
it's really invigorating to see our principal and all the staff members that help make our students lives better standing up for students like that. So, I appreciate it. Thank you. Good evening. Uh we had an operations meeting and some people may not know
what operations includes includes buildings and grounds and maintenance and transportation. Uh we had the meeting on Thursday, October 16th. It was very well attended. It was one of the first buildings and grounds and transportation meetings that we've had as a committee in some time and we had a
very large agenda that we did discuss. Uh first uh we had Ernie Chonei, director of facilities at the meeting and he gave an overview of all the incredible things that his staff is doing. A very small staff. I would like to mention that. And uh he's doing his
best to try to get everything done. He has over 700 work orders in the system. Obviously, we have a lot of teachers here and a lot of administrators and we know that there's a lot of work orders out there and he's doing a remarkable job in trying to get that work done. He's has a backlog. He has 30 days. He's
trying to get things done within 30 days. He prioritizes his work orders. So, um the maintenance division is working tirelessly to get things done. We've talked about uh his staffing issues, whether or not we can hire more staff instead of outsourcing because
outsourcing tends to cost us more than have employees. Uh we discussed janitorial and custodial operations. Uh you know, there's been some complaints about cleanliness. So we wanted to make sure that we broached that topic. It we spoke about snow removal. Um we also
spoke about uh capital project for the coming coming year. Uh we did speak about also the wonderful things that occurred during the summer, new paving, painting, things of that nature. And another topic that we discussed and the majority of the board was unified in
this conversation who attended about getting air conditioning at Glenn School or all-purpose room. It's something that is uh very close to my heart. We've been trying to do this for many many years. Uh Glenn School's auditorium or Glenn School's all-purpose room is the only
all-purpose room in this district that does not have air conditioning. So we owe it to uh our our community in that building and the board seemed very uh unified in possibly getting that done. The second phase of our meeting was transportation. Uh as we know
transportation plays a very critical role in our everyday operations in our school district. Debbie does a fantastic job with our team. Uh as you know our transportation uh is renowned for their efficiencies and for their hard work and
dedication to our district. Um there were a few topics that we had to discuss and vet. Obviously we discussed about the possible late bus reactivation. Um obviously right now we have Wednesdays as a day that we are having a
late bus. There was a vibrant discussion about adding additional evenings um to uh the schedule but that's something which the board will consider. We need data. We need to understand all the dynamics because it will cost us money.
Uh so we want that information. Um also we spoke about uh outsourced routes failure to perform. A lot of times uh our routes our outsourced companies don't perform. They don't show up. So our staff has to fill the void. We
talked about fleet condition and renewal. Uh and also one important area is board of education driver and aid retention. Um as some of us may know it's very difficult for the transportation division to find
qualified CDL drivers. And part of that problem is that our drivers and aids are among the lowest paid uh within the county and in the state. So we need to find avenues of retaining and also uh
recruiting because we need drivers and it seems that our transportation division picks up the pieces for the failures of the outsourced uh divisions. So I just want to just reaffirm that we must never forget um sometimes we forget about the behind thes scenes employees
such as the bus drivers and the maintenance workers. They do work very tirelessly and they do uh a great job for this district. So that concludes my uh committee report for buildings rounds transportation operations. Thank you. >> So to continue on with um committee
reports, I did ask Tomonians to uh do a presentation tonight on what's included in a school lunch and also to introduce themselves to our district. >> So at this point, we'll wake welcome Ponttonian up. There is going to be a presentation. So, the board members and
and those on the stage can go down and uh sit in the front row or so. Um and we'll set up the the laptop and get the presentation up and going. Movie night. Hello everybody. Uh the board asked us to come and talk a little about who we
are being new to the community and also to talk about some important uh things about what comes with a meal and stuff like that. So we thought we'd show a a brief video and then uh we'll do a very brief presentation. Remember my parents dedication to bringing
quality food to school lunches. >> My mom and dad started Ponttonian Food Service in 1959. I remember my parents dedication to bringing quality food to school lunches. >> Our motto is to underpromise and overd deliver. Ptonian structure is very different than a lot of the other companies. Our people are food people.
We handle a lot of the paperwork. our cafeteria operations in our back office and allow our people to excel in the kitchen, making sure that they're proud of the menu items that they're producing each day. And this pride shows >> 60% of students do not consume enough fruits and vegetables. And at Pmptonian, we are looking to bridge that gap.
Ptonian's farm to tray program is unique in the sense that each month we highlight one local fruit and one local vegetable from surrounding farms. So we came up with the farm stand concept. It gives them a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. And lots of studies have said that if you can choose what fresh fruit and vegetable you want to eat, you
have a better chance of the children actually eating that. >> Students have a variety of choices. Delhi station like Subway, the kids just love that type of concept. When you look at Whole Foods, Panera, Wegman's and Chipotle, Pmptonian is trending with
these kind of concepts and the kids love it. >> So we do everything from waffles to omelets. We do sushi promotions and recently we just brought on street taco promotions along with doing ramen. The idea of being able to pick out their toppings, it actually helps kids try new things that they actually wouldn't have
tried before. Honestly, next thing you know, they come back around and they're asking, "When are you coming back? Are you coming back tomorrow? Are you coming back next week?" >> Ponttonian has decades of experience fostering highly dedicated employees. Our people love the kids. Our people love working in the schools. They can't wait to show the students their creation
for that day and bring them in to the cafeteria in a warm, welcoming environment. To ensure our leadership position, we're constantly training our people. >> We want to make sure that our employees are using the best safety practices. Food safety is number one for Pompson.
We customize our service to meet the individual needs of the communities we serve. Our award-winning menu design results in higher sales, and that leads to economic efficiency. It's a very competitive field that we operate in, but when you take the time to service the customers and design menus that are appealing to the students and to the
parents alike, we have been able to enjoy unprecedented customer retention. Palonian is very proud of the recognition and awards that we've received over the years. In fact, Pmptonian has the most nutrition awards in the state of New Jersey. One of the awards that we're the most proud of is for our invention of the farm stand.
>> Ptonian Food Service is known for treating your kids just like they would treat their own kids. We invest more in quality ingredients to bring the highest level of quality to our school food. Village is a way to highlight recipes that meet strict nutrition guidelines, use wholesome ingredients, and
incorporate scratch prep cooking. >> Ptonian has earned its reputation over the years by never resting on our laurels. Whether they're a new customer or whether we've been serving them for over 50 years, our commitment remains to meeting and exceeding the expectations of students and their parents. >> My mom and dad taught me that family
comes first. We love the kids and we love the communities that we work in. We treat our employees, our students, and our parents as family. >> Thank you. So, uh just brief introduction. I'm Mark Vidovich, president of Pmptonian. Uh, and I
brought with me the team, uh, including my son Matt, who's our director of client relations, my boss, Candy. Uh, and then we have Annette, who's uh, our food service director here in the community. Uh, we have Tony Bowman, our
director of nutrition services. And we have Christie, who's um, al also assistant director here in the community. So, this is everybody. Uh, we talked about uh, in our thing what normal plan is for a district. I want to talk a bit little about the specifics
uh and what the board was looking for when they were seeking a new company. They wanted a company focusing on quality, promoting nutrition for the students, adding a nice variety for the students. Um and in we also introduced here our awardw winning farm stand that
you see. And it was very important to the board for us to come out and explain what's available each day so you can help your children uh making the right healthy choices. So the farm stand is a wide variety of fresh fruits available on a daily basis that comes with every meal. Uh we would encourage your
students uh to partake of that and each month we're f featuring local produce from farms in the area. Um we the board member also mentioned that we are proud to feature local pizzeria in the schools and we're working with I
think probably every pizzeria in Old Bridge. Feels like it takes a lot of people to feed this many students. Um we also another important element to the board was increasing uh the um number of vegetarian choices and and salad variety
which we've also done in the schools. And uh another very important element was the breakfast program. This is now available in all of the schools. We've been doing an outreach to make sure everyone's aware that there's a breakfast program available and that if a parent or a family qualifies for free
and reduced price meals, the breakfast is also free and reduced and is very important to promote good nutrition for the uh students we serve. Uh so that's in all the schools. Um another thing as the board member said that's really important is the people. we can come up
with these great plans, but it's a group of people that care about what they're doing each day that makes it work. And when we first met with the staff here in Oldbridge, there was a level of enthusiasm for the students that I had never seen them doing this 38 years uh
before this. And they they're very much dedicated to the students. It is hard work. uh they will tell you when we hire someone new, they usually last about five days because it's we're on our feet, the kitchens are hot, we're doing heavy lifting. So, they're a great group
of people to work with. Um I asked uh Matt if he could tell you more about the specifics. I'm more of the numbers guy, Johnson and Wales graduate, so he could talk more to the menu design. Hello everybody. I think this is the first time I'm on local TV. So, hello
for the people watching at home. All right. So, uh I'm here to talk to you about some of the improvements that we made uh to start the year, what comes with a lunch, and then some of our future plans. So, at the high school and grade nine center, uh a lot of the
students in the building might be noticing uh that there was uh more more stations open, more variety. Uh, as my dad said, we are working with local pizzeras and they're doing an awesome job, especially Jeppes, uh, who put up a beautiful sign for us and really let you
guys know where the, uh, pizza's coming from. Uh, what's great about local pizzeria food is it gets students into the cafeteria and gets them excited. The ultimate goal is eventually to get them to try different meals, different options, and different healthy items.
And we're really excited to see that students are already migrating towards pasta, the pasta station, the deli station, and the station that we're most proud of, which is the AMP station. So AMP is a an idea that we've been working on that actually we're really excited
that the district when they put out for their proposal, they wanted to have scratch prep meals cooked. Uh we took it a little uh farther than that by trying to remove some of the additives that we don't want to see in food. So more the food is more uh what it should be off
the farm and less less processed items. Uh and we're seeing haresa honey haresa chickens selling really well. We're doing burrito bowls that are that are working really well and we're also working on some recipes uh coming down the line. Uh and I'll I'll talk about that uh or at least our thought process
about that in a in a bit. Uh we have a build your own salad station and and we're even had students selling parfait bars uh going really well and the farm stand station which uh I think you guys will be very happy the
parents in town to say to hear that I have never seen students take more fruits and vegetables in any district besides yours. So, uh, really good job on on teaching the kids, but we go to a lot of school districts and and to
convince a kid to grab a fruit or a vegetable that comes with a meal, uh, is usually pretty hard for us to say it nicely to them. Uh, but here they're taking it voluntarily. So, uh, it's really cool and really encouraging to see. At the middle school, uh, we we
added some more options as well. And, and we tried to start in the middle school by letting the students know that there's there's a new food service company in town. Uh so we started that with fresh a fresh waffle promotion and from my understanding uh in those buildings that the students and the
staff could smell the waffles uh cooking in the building and and it was really just an exciting way to get things going. At the elementary school, we also expanded the choices. We added vegetarian items uh to all levels, but we're seeing the vegetarian items at the elementary school moving really well.
Um, we also introduced the bento box which we're really excited to see is is moving really well. The students are really excited. Two of the most popular ones obviously pizza uh build your own pizza uh is going really well. But uh
more more surprising is the fruit and cheese uh bento box that we're that we're selling that the kids are grabbing. So again, really cool to even see the youngest kids in in town uh in the community grabbing fresh fruits and
vegetables voluntarily uh is very fun. When you build a program uh in any district, there's no cookie cutter approach. There's no there's no um one-sizefits-all. And what we're really excited about is meeting with the community and talking with the
community. I sent out emails to most of the principles um on the first and not even 12 hours later almost every principal responded to me which was very surprising because I I send emails to principles all the time uh in many districts. Uh but the response rate was
awesome and we had a lot of great meetings, a lot of productive meetings but the overwhelming uh consensus with the meetings was the food quality is great and the students are really enjoying the new options. And one principal went as far to say, "It's as good as it's ever been since I've been
here." And I said, "Oh, hopefully you've been here for a while." He said, "Yes, over two decades." So, so I was very happy to hear that. Um, another thing that we're going to be doing soon is uh nutrition advisory committees. Um,
anytime I build the menu for a school district or we work with our dietitians or we look at what works in districts nearby, uh, it's never exactly the same. Like I said, there's no cookie cutter approach. The nutrition advisory committee meetings will let us sit down
with the students, the parents, and and even the staff in the building of every grade level and ask them what their thoughts on the current service, what can we change, what can we add to our menus, maybe what can we alter in the continues to to make the um the program
a little more exciting. Um so we're really excited about that coming up. Uh we also sent out an opening newsletter and um one of our main focuses this year is promoting breakfast. Uh so Annette uh
was at McDivet School for a PTA meeting. She dressed up as a bee uh which was which was quite the site and uh was testing out honey overnight oats. Um, and last I'll talk about what comes with a meal because I think that's why we
originally asked here. So, I'll wrap it up real quick. So, what comes with a meal for students is a fruit or a vegetable that you have to take with your meal. Uh, as I said, the farm stand is a great way to encourage students to take that. Um, but one of those has to
come with a meal. A dairy product like a milk uh would have to come with it. a grain, so a bread of any kind or rice. And finally, a protein item, uh, which is, you know, your chicken, your chicken patties, your chicken tenders, uh, the chicken that goes on your salad or
anything like that. So, if there's any questions you have or I know there's students back there, if there's any questions that you ever have about what comes with a meal, feel free to ask any of our food service directors. I see you back there. Uh, or ask any of the staff and they'll help you out. Thank you so
much. only want to also briefly mention uh good news is the number of students with food allergies is declining nationwide which is encouraging but if you do have a student with a serious food allergy uh through your district website you can
contact Tony and her team and they'll develop a custom menu for your child to ensure their safety. The results from these things sales are up sales are continuing to grow. We're going to continue to and incorporate community feedback so that we uh offer the best
service. We've been in Cedar Grove since 1962. We're still listening, improving, and customizing based on the changing preference of the students. Really want to thank the board for having given us the opportunity to uh serve your community this year and also the opportunity to talk to you as a
community. So, thank you so much. Okay, at this time I'd like to open the mic up for a hearing of the residents on any agenda item. If you're coming to speak, there is a binder in the podium. Just make sure you sign in. Andrew Lewis, OBA, not trying to delay
this any longer, but one quick thing. Under curriculum number three, I had spoken to Dr. Tui yesterday. Want to make sure before the board voted that the Southwood was corrected. Thank you. >> Was it curriculum item three? >> Anyone else?
We're closed hearing the rest. >> There's no siphoned amount next to Southwood. We just need to add in the $500 each. Thank you. Um, superintendent search update item one.
move the board of education to approve the 2025 to 2030 employment agreement with Dr. Vincent Sasso as superintendent of schools expected December 1st through 2025 through June 30th 2030 pending approval
by the executive county um superintendent. Uh I have a motion please motion second. Any discussion roll call please? >> Mr. Done. >> No vote.
>> Epstein. >> Francisco. >> Yes. >> Gardana. >> Yes. >> Joey. >> Absolutely. Yes. [Applause] >> Miss Mazone.
>> Without a doubt. Yes. [Applause] >> Mr. Slade. >> Yes. >> Mr. Mr. Salowski. Yes, >> Mr. Venitas. Of course. Yes. >> And Miss Dan Tuna.
>> I do want to say Mr. Dunn couldn't vote due to conflict, not because he didn't want to. So, I do want to clear the air for the air for Mr. Dunn, but absolutely. Welcome to the theme, Dr. F. [Music]
[Applause] Dr. Sasso, one second.
>> One second. [Applause] >> I I do have to formalize it. Resolution number one for Superintendent Serge carries. Congratulations, Dr. Sassa. >> Without further ado, Dr. Sassa, the
pleasure. >> Thank you. >> I'd like to ask Pontonian to come back up for a second because I know everybody hungry. I I mean very humbled. Thank you. Thank you. I
want to begin by thanking the board of education for giving me the incredible honor of leading and supporting our amazing faculty and staff and most importantly the incredible students who make Oldbridge such a special place.
[Applause] This board of education has been through a lot and they have never wavered to do everything they can for you students. To everyone here tonight, I love you guys. Really, thank you for being here. It
means so much. Means so much. And to those who couldn't be here, thank you. Your encouragement and support means so much to me. For the past 20 years, this community has been my home. I've seen the pride, the heart, and the strength of Obridge. And I can honestly say
there's no place else I'd rather be. From the moment I started my career in education, my mission was simple, to help every student and every family. And that is the same here today. My mom and dad are here today. Thank you. My wife Sherry.
There's been a lot of great moments, but none better than sharing this one in our life together. our amazing four kids, Hannah, Vincent, Carlo, and Thea is here. My greatest joy. My mother-in-law, Carol, who planted
this seed in my heart 20 years ago. Uh, and it just proves never stop chasing what you believe in. His timing is always perfect. Our new chapter begins now. Together, we will protect and celebrate the traditions that make our community so
special while also having the courage to push forward, to innovate, and to reach for even greater heights. The work ahead won't always be easy, but our students deserve nothing less than our relentless effort, our passion, and most
importantly, our love. Thank you for believing in me, for inspiring me, and for letting me continue this journey with you. Let's get to work. Old bridge. It's time. [Applause]
Dr. Dr. Sasso, if you could join us up on stage, the boys would like to take a picture. [Music] You guys can take a picture with Dr. Sasso here. And we ask that you please at the conclusion of this meeting, don't run
away because I'll have you sign your contract. So [Music] Mr. Dunn, you haven't been able to speak on this. So now you are able to. Go ahead. >> Yes. I would like to say a few words.
I'm free to speak my mind at this point. Is that correct, Mr. Parton? >> Yes, that's correct. >> I appreciate I finally got the okay from our attorney who's been reminding me all the time to keep my mouth shut because I would be in conflict and I could be
brought up on ethics charges. So, I just want to sincerely thank this board of education for making the most rational and most proper decision for this district. We all know that Vincent Sasso has been a real benefit for this
district over his 20 years of service. Vinnie has been one of those members of this community who has really cared about our students. He has gone the extra lengths. He has done what was in the best interest of our students and this district. There is no better person
to lead this new school, this school district into the future than Vincent Sasso. I can tell you that Vincent, Dr. Sasso, has been an incredible, incredible educator here in this district. I've served with him being on
the board previously for 10 years. He's always been a remarkable, caring, loving, a very humble individual and he was the one who I would have picked and I just want to thank my colleagues for
making the right decision. I sincerely appreciate the process and I want to applaud the board of education all eight members who unanimously decided that Vincent Sasso Dr. Sasso is the leader of the future for the old bridge board of
education. So Vinnie from the bottom of my heart thank you and I'm looking for grand grand things from you and I'm sure we're going to be in great hands for the next decade under your leadership. Thank you so much.
No pressure, no time obligation. Yeah, just grant things. Thanks very awesome. Um, okay. So, to move on to the next part of our meeting, uh, policy. Can I have a motion? Is there a motion? >> Francisco
second. >> Any discussion? >> Roll call, please. M do >> yes >> Mr. Mone >> yes >> Mr. Slade >> yes >> Mr. Stocowski >> yes >> Mr. Vanipason
>> yes >> Mr. Dun >> yes >> Miss Francisco >> yes >> Mr. Giri >> yes >> Miss Dantino >> yes >> resolution to abolish policy and regulation 5117 passes. >> Thank you. >> Moving on to curriculum and professional
development items one through five. Can I have a motion, please? >> Don't move. Madam President, >> Francisco will second. >> Any discussion? I have a question. On number three, uh the two schools, Cooper
and McIT, who don't have any advisors for Unified Club, how do how does unified get taken care of in those schools that there's no advisor to advise? We'll continue to look for someone to oversee those programs, but it's a
volunteer position, so it only takes we really can't hold someone to it, >> but somehow it will be in. >> We'll do our best. >> Right. Okay. >> Any other >> And again on on uh item number three, we will add the $500 each for Southwood as
Mr. Lewis pointed out. So that'll be administrative correction there. >> Roll call, please. Miss Mazone, >> yes. >> Mr. Slay, >> yes. >> Mr. Solowski, >> yes. >> Mr. Venites, >> yes. >> Mr. Dunn,
>> yes. >> Miss Francisco, >> yes. >> Mr. Gardano, >> yes. >> Miss Joy, >> yes. >> Miss Danuno, >> yes. >> Resolution 1 through five for the curriculum and professional development passes as administrative corrective. >> Thank you. Finance items 1 through 10.
Can I have a motion, please? Motion >> Slater will second. >> Any discussion? Roll call, please. >> Mr. Slade, >> yes. >> Mr. Sicowski, >> yes. >> Mr. Venitas,
>> yes. >> Mr. Dunn, >> yes. >> Miss Francisco, >> yes. >> Mr. Gerardano, >> yes. >> Miss Joy, >> yes. >> Miss Mazone, >> yes. >> Miss Dantino, >> yes. >> Resolutions 1 through 10 for finance passes. Athletics item one. Can I have a
motion, please? >> Judge, do you move it? >> Second. >> I got Jared Denim. >> Any discussion? >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Solicowski, >> yes. >> Mr. Vanitason, >> yes.
>> Mr. Dunn, >> yes. >> Miss Francisco, >> yes. >> Mr. Giri, >> yes. >> Miss Jori, >> yes. >> Miss Mazone, >> yes. >> Mr. Slate, >> yes. Miss Dantuno. >> Yes. >> Resolution one for athletics passed.
>> Non copisticated personnel office items one through three. Can I have a motion, please? >> Second. >> We do have an administrative correction here on item number two. Um, currently it is moved the board approve the res reassignment of Jennifer Betterman
effective November 1st through Octo uh June 30th. Uh the change will be the effective date November 1st will now be October 28, 2025. >> You want to change it to 2026 >> and and June of 2026 as well.
>> So October 28, 2025 to June 30th, 2026. >> Any other discussion? >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Vanitas. >> Yes. Mr. Dunn, >> yes. >> Miss Francisco, >> yes.
>> Mr. Gerardano, >> yes. >> Miss Jori, >> yes. >> Miss Mazone, >> yes. >> Mr. Slade, >> yes. >> Mr. Solicowski, >> yes. >> And Miss Dantuno, >> yes. >> Resolutions one through three for non-certificated personnel office as
administrative corrective passes. >> Thank you. Non-certificated personnel operational item one. Can I have a motion, please? Done. Will >> move madam president. Jordano second. Madam President, >> any discussion?
>> Yeah, I have a question. Um, especially Can I Sorry. Yeah. Okay. Um, just trying to correlate this with our longrange planning and the HVAC maintenance uh issues that was highlighted, right? So just curious how
does this kind of fixes or the repairs tied to the longrange HVAC issues that came out of the assessment. Um so is this going to help us step by step to fix certain things in this case? Uh you know I don't know for which particular school is this uh Hback fix?
>> This position is replacing a staff member who left the district. >> Oh okay. So this is not necessarily maintenance. >> It is through the maintenance department. Um but an existing position that's someone left that we hired any >> okay so it's employment of brand the
position itself not the HVAC maintenance okay thank you >> right it's routine maintenance work that these gentlemen do for maintenance workers that so as they get work orders through our system they're checking uh different units the the what we had in the HVAC in the long-term facilities that's going to be major you know
facility upgrades and and and replacement so these these gentlemen are keeping the the uh you know systems currently running as best as they can so >> so the tecraftraft is probably a person name the T graph written in the >> Yes, correct. >> Okay. I thought that is some kind of a T transfer or something some system name.
Thank you. >> Yeah. >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Dunn, >> yes. >> Miss Francisco, >> yes. >> Mr. Gerardano, >> yes. >> Miss Jori, >> yes. >> Miss Mazone, >> yes. >> Mr. Sed,
>> yes. >> Mr. Solicowski, >> yes. >> Mr. Vanitasa, >> yes. and Miss Dantino. >> Yes. >> Resolution one for non-certificated personnel operational passes. >> Thank you. Non-certificated personnel other items 137. Can I have a motion, please?
>> Jordan motion. >> Francisco will second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. >> Miss Francisco. >> Yes. >> Mr. Geodano? >> Yes. >> Miss Joy?
>> Yes. >> Miss Mazone? >> Yes. >> Mr. SL? Yes, >> Mr. Solowski. >> Yes, >> Mr. Vanitason. >> Yes, >> Mr. Dunn. >> Yes, >> Miss Dantino. >> Yes. >> Resolutions one through seven for non-certificated personnel. Other passes.
>> Certificated personnel item 1 through 14. I have a motion, please. >> Joe, do you move it? >> Second. >> And I believe we have um at least one of our new hires, if not both. Um, Miss
Crower, >> come on. >> Um, where's that? I can't see. Sorry, I can't see anything. These lights are like sliding. >> We'd like to take your picture. Thank you. >> Come on up the stage. >> Is Mr. Misera here? >> We'd like to welcome two new staff
members this um certificate of personnel and uh you're going to >> you have to come on the stage if you Karen, would you like to pick? Oh, you're both here. Thank you. Uh, so you're going to the
high school and you're going to Miller, correct? You're going to the high school and you're going to Miller. Come on up. [Applause] [Applause] Just for clarification, you'll see it on the next agenda in November. Miss Brster
is actually going to be teaching STEM um as one of our elementary teachers. So, we're hiring her and we're making a movement of inter an internal movement. um she'll ultimately end up in the STEM position. >> Thank you. Uh any other discussion on
our certificated person? >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Gerardo, >> yes. >> Miss Joy, >> yes. >> Mone. >> Yes. >> Mr. Slade? >> Yes. >> Mr. Solicowski? >> Yes. >> Mr. Vanitason?
>> Yes. >> Mr. Dunn? Yes, >> Miss Francisco. >> Yes, >> Miss Dantum. >> Yes. >> Resolutions 1 through 14 for certificated personnel carried. >> Non-certificated personnel transportation item 1 through five. Can I have a motion, please?
>> Motion second. >> Any discussion? Roll call, please. >> Sorry, it was Joy. Correct. Okay. Miss Joy, >> yes. >> Miss Mazone, >> yes. >> Mr. Slate,
>> yes. >> Mr. Solici, >> yes. >> Mr. Vanitas, >> yes. >> Mr. Dun, >> yes. >> Miss Francisco, >> yes. >> Mr. Gerardano, >> yes. >> And Miss Dantuno, >> yes. >> Resolutions one through five for nonivity personnel. Transportation passes.
>> Transportation item 1 through three. Can I have a motion, please? >> Move transportation. will second. Any discussion? Roll call. >> Miss Mazone. >> Yes.
>> Mr. Slade. >> Yes. >> Mr. Solowski? >> Yes. >> Mr. Venitason? >> Yes. >> Mr. Dunn? >> Yes. >> Miss Francisco? >> Yes. >> Mr. Gerardano? >> Yes. >> Miss Joy? >> Yes. >> Miss Dantino?
>> Yes. Resolutions one through three for transportation passes. >> Thank you. Supplies, equipment, and services items one through four. Can I have a motion, please? Francisco will move on second. >> Any discussion?
Roll call, please. >> Mr. Slade, >> yes. >> Mr. Solowski, >> yes. >> Mr. Venitas, >> yes. >> Mr. Dunn, >> yes. >> M. Francisco, >> yes. >> Mr. Gordino. >> Yes. >> Miss Jri, >> yes.
>> Miss Mazone, >> yes. >> Miss Santuno, >> yes. >> Resolutions one through four for supplies, equipment, and services carries. >> Miscellaneous. Items 1 through 11. Can I have a motion, please? >> Second.
>> All right. So just um confirming and clarifying for everyone our next meeting for our agenda meeting will not be on Tuesday. It will be on Thursday. It'll be on Thursday, November 13. Any other discussion? Um on number nine,
I just want to say thank you Jen and your family for the donation of 54 surf portable lap desks and three surf storage racks for the classroom teacher furniture. So thank you for that. Any
other questions? >> Yep. Roll call, please. >> Mr. Solicowski, >> yes. >> Mr. Bankot, >> yes. >> Mr. Dunn, >> yes. >> Miss Francisco, >> yes. >> Mr. Gordano,
>> yes. >> Miss Joy, >> yes. >> Miss Mone, >> yes. >> Mr. Slade, >> yes. >> And Miss Dantun, >> abstain on nine, but yes on the other. >> On nine. Resolutions 1 through 11 for miscellaneous passes.
any uh board secretary and board business. >> Sorry. No, no board business. >> So, we're going to open the mics back up. Uh hearing of the residents on any district item. >> Andrew Lewis, OBA, kind of disappoint everyone left, so I'm starting off with
a joke. I thought Dr. Dr. Sasso would have six or seven votes, but he had eight. On behalf of the OBBA, I want to extend our congratulations to Dr. Sasso on his appointment as superintendent. The high school's loss is truly the entire district's game, and we look forward to working with you in the years ahead. I
want to take a moment to thank the board of education. Selecting a superintendent is the most important responsibility that you have. We recognize the amount of time, care, and deliberation that went into this process. The OBA appreciates your commitment to finding the right leader for this moment in our
district. We hope that tonight marks a positive turning point, one that strengthens strengthens the collaboration among the OBA administration and the board. We work together in partnership and with that mutual trust, our students benefit the most. That is and must remain at the center of all that we do. We look
forward to working with Dr. Sasso, building that partnership, supporting your success, and working collaboratively to move Old Bridge forward. Thank you. Well, now it's congratulations to Dr. and congratulations to our new staff
members. Um, I also want to um immediate, but um today's first responders day and I wanted to um honor the dedication and sacrifice of our um firefighters and law enforcement law enforcement paramedics emergency medical
tech and um our 911 dispatchers in Oakidge and thank you for protecting our families and communities. And on a personal note, I wanted to thank fire commissioner Marty Ruain because he came to my house at 5:00 in the morning when we had to make a call
because we smelled something burning and we couldn't figure out what it was. And he he came and he um helped us solve the problem. And um we got um it was a it was a a dehumidifier that the motor was burning and um he was able to um help us
and we were able to um you know the situation before anything serious happens. So, thank you very much to firefighter Wayne. >> Madame President, I'm sorry. I just want to echo what board member Judgery had to say about the national Georgey, I'm
sorry. Um it is National First Responders Day and uh we need to realize and recognize that a lot of our first responders here in Ober Township are volunteers. Uh and I
know um Martin Ruain very well. Obviously he's in my fire department and also he is a driver for the Oldbridge Board of Education. Um volunteers come in all different types. They come from different avenues. They
come from different professions. They volunteer and they give their time back to the community because of their love of the community and also its residents. So, I just want to wish the police department, the firefighters, the first aid, um the dispatches, everyone who
acts in the capacity of a first responder because you have to be a special person to be able to put yourself out there as a volunteer and a first responder. You are subject to a lot of different situations, a lot of difficult situations, and you have to be
a special person to be able to do that. So, with that said, happy National First Responders Day to everyone who serves their community. Thank you. >> Um I Yeah, go ahead.
Um, some of the community members were asking a question about uh last week's uh one of the items we approved that was for about 350k uh for MRN national I think MR international for the Chromebooks and we clarified on the decision that it is for
our sixth graders and nth graders. Uh but I worked with Mr. Videl to get a little more insight over the week to maybe communicate better. Um uh it's about like 225 right for each Chromebook and we are trying to purchase about 300 Chromebooks
in total. So then calculate pretty much the cost right and on top of it you have license cost uh I know personally you know Google is probably free for us but as an enterprise when we come for an organization like school we do need to pay a license fee so that adds up and then you need to tag these uh
Chromebooks as assets and introduced into the system so that adds up again the cost and then you know the service to have it set up integrated to our networks and you know the system adds up as well right so these are all the cost going into this so I just want to give that clarity as to you uh this is something being vetted through and
another uh important element that I understood part of this uh discussion was the New Jersey Department of Education recommends to only go with three vendors to begin right and then you know we got the quotation from all the three and then we picked you know who was the uh least priced uh you know
in in this right so that's kind of the process here just wanted to clarify on that whole business item thank you >> I wanted to share with the public. Um, most of us went to the schoolboard convention last week uh in AC. I think we had some great classes. I personally
attended uh one on you know the state funding budget and you know as much as you know we know most of the numbers there's two multipliers that the state keeps to themselves. Um so that just kind of confirmed that. Um I also attended a class on celebrating our multilingual learners and came out came
out with some really great ideas. I've already contacted Meler and just want to get a few ideas rolling. So, I thought that some of those classes were really cool. Um, I also wanted to thank the municipal alliance. They are here, they were here today, this morning um in the
high school with the black poster project for some of our students. Uh, some of the board members got to see it yesterday at the National Honor Society. It was really touching. um it was focusing on addiction and how addiction can you know one one moment can change
you know not only that person's life um but everyone's life around them so I just wanted to thank the municipal lines for their partnership >> new business >> just to add thanks for reminding about the school board conference because I was the same person last year I asked
this question uh you know what happened in the school board conference and what did we learn etc Right. So this is a first time opportunity for me to join you know the colleagues over here on the school administration. Uh yes you know we did a lot of gambling. You know we had a lot of drinks. Come on. No not at
all. Uh there are several sessions right. Uh to be serious there are several sessions jam-packed sessions all through the day just like any technology conference or wherever in my professional life I go to. It's kind of the same kind of a setup. Uh you have to really pick and choose you know what kind of session you can attend. The time
is so small. The sessions are like so many. I think there were like about what 30 50 rooms uh you know with building across the you know state with all the uh you know school board members and the administrative staff. So it was very very busy four days in my opinion and uh
yes you know we did get some uh breathing rooms you know we we had some vendor sponsorship based on that we had some dinners to be just clear it is not on the taxpayers monies that you know the dinner was on right somebody can think by because we did share you know the joy and you know the learnings we
had on social like Facebook etc I don't want somebody to think that we are had some you know time on the taxpayers money uh thanks to Mr. vital to find some sponsors for us. So, you know, we had, you know, good time on, you know, some vendors sponsorship. Uh yeah, overall, you know, it was a good session
for the whole board to, you know, uh get connected and know each other a little more. Uh I did, you know, spend a little more time with uh J. Thank you. Uh so, yeah, that's that's exactly what happened. I just wanted to share, you know, since some people might have these questions, you know, hey, they went to Atlantic City, they would have done just
gambling over there. Not at all. Thank you. And thanks to Mr. Mr. Vital who really took care of us start to finish and thanks to uh Mr. Vital's staff you know who have been emailing us about the you know the plan the schedule and lot of paperwork involved in this to submit uh to the schoolboard association and uh
again you know thanks to the ent administration for making it very seamless for us you know the whole experience start to finish uh we had no trouble and uh thank you again >> thank you >> um I have a few things um first uh again congratulations to Dr.
on becoming Old Bridg's newest superintendent. I look forward to working closely with you on all the amazing things you have in store for Old Bridge. Secondly, I I always say that we have some of the best teachers in our district, and I truly mean that. But I would like to give a huge shout out to all the staff at our preschool. Dr. Tui,
Miss Adnafi, and the rest of the admin staff that work tirelessly for our kids, but most importantly, the teachers. They really do such amazing jobs, and I think sometimes they fly under the radar. So, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who take such good care of our littles day in and day out. Um, today to
touch on the Black Poster Project. Um, with the cause of the Black Poster Project hitting so close to home for me, it was an honor to be able to go today. I was able to watch them set it up yesterday. Um, and
the goal is to reach just one person. If you can save one person who's suffering from drug addiction, from alcoholism, from mental illness, then you did your job. Um, so I want to thank Dr. Sasso for the invitation. I want to thank everyone who was able to put that together because that was it really was
an amazing ceremony today. Finally, I think everyone in town can agree with me when I say election season is the worst time of the year. It brings out the ugliest in people. Or does it actually bring out who people really are? That's the That's really the question. The hypocrisy in some of the people in this town baffles me
sometimes. Or maybe it doesn't. Who knows? What's good for me is not good for you mentality is beyond anything. When you have the teachers union president quoting about how this town voted in three candidates backed by a political party when Elena, Matt, and I won, and then turning around to support or endorse who he wants is a little
unsettling. Is this even ethical? I would love to know just how transparent Mr. Louis is with all of his paying members on on their how their union dues are being spent. Out of all the members, who decides which candidates will be supported? Does a survey go out to everyone to decide or do you take it
upon yourself to just make the decision and run with it? I don't know if you heard, but there's a few teachers recently in the news suing their union for spending their union dues on political campaigns. Shouldn't the teachers union be supporting all candidates because in the end, they have to work with whoever wins. All this
nonsense needs to stop. We teach our kids about bullying and respect, but you find it okay to be doing what we teach our kids not to do. What happens to leading by example? Another question, and this is a genuine question because I'm not a union president and I don't know the answer. As the union president, what does your job entail all day? What
are your duties throughout a typical day? I am aware that this position used to be half teaching position as well, and that all changed in recent years when Mr. Lewis took over. As a taxpaying citizen, my taxes pay for part of your salary. And if we want to be transparent, I think we would like to how our money is spent on your position.
Another question, why are the OBBA bylaws not available to the public? I happened to go on your website and when clicked on the bylaws link, I was brought to an NJA page and it had said I had to log in as a member. Is there a reason these policies are not public? Again, another genuine question.
Diminishing the character of any board of ed member or candidate is extremely unprofessional for anyone. I know you all remember that this is an unpaid position. We are all up here volunteering our time for what we think is best for all our students, whether we agree or disagree with each other. I
just stated before how I feel we really do have some of the best teachers in this district, and I believe they deserve a better leader, someone who isn't driven by their own political agenda. Mr. Lewis, I look forward to your email or call for some answers. >> Thank you, Miss Vone. Um, I'd also like
to congratulate Dr. Sasso on becoming the new superintendent. The superintendent search was a very long process. We've interviewed for hours on two Saturdays. We've had a lot of help from HYA in this whole process. So, have the whole state, the whole country.
This is the best that we were have and we're proud of that. The best that we could find is our own high school principal. So congratulations to him and everyone involved and we look forward to his start in December. Thank you.
>> Yeah, I'd like to add to this. U it's a true privilege to welcome Dr. Sasso as the next of our entire board engaged together in a thoughtful and collaborative search process. Through that work, one thing became clear. Dr. Sasso's leadership,
his deep understanding of this district and his unwavering commitment to our students and staff make him the right person to guide Wbridge into the future. Dr. Sasso has dedicated many years to this community leading the integrity, compassion, and a genuine focus on helping every student succeed. He's a
leader who listens, builds relationships, and inspires confidence in those around him. It became very clear and apparent during the interview process especially the super interview process than even the assistant super process to be more clear that we at least I myself I want to talk to myself
I I've told this in the interview sessions as well I became more closer to become aware of what this particular gentleman is about what he brings to the table was so prepared you know coming to the interview he has a vision in his head to solve most of these problems not just by himself but but by working with
everyone that's is the key right no leader just cannot himself or herself can achieve something. Working with everybody. Collaboration was a key ingredient that I found very much needed and valuable not just to work with this board and the school district but also equivalently to work with the township
because we all know that in the last one year or several years we have not really established not trying to point fingers of blame at anybody here but we have not really established a good sync and a rhythm of how we need to solve many of the problems. Right? So these are some reasons you know that went in in my
thought process and I want to thank my fellow board members for the care and professionalism shown throughout this process. Tonight marks an exciting moment for Oldbridge, one that honors our strong foundation while looking ahead with optimism and shared purpose. Congratulations Dr. Sasso. We look
forward to working with you on supporting your vision as you lead our schools and the community forward. Thank you. And I have one more item. So I know we are really celebrating here uh but you know some of my observations
again and a personal incident that took place for me uh over the you know weekend and literally yesterday uh back from the school board uh meeting you know it was a very joyful session you know the superintendent election was a very joyful you know activity uh and
everything but I want to take a moment tonight to share something that has deeply affected me not just as a board member but as as a neighbor and resident of this community. Recently, several residents in my neighborhood reached out to me with questions about rising school taxes and
how our school system is managing its finances. Like many of them, I have personally felt the impact of these increases. In response, I decided to hold a small private Zoom session with my neighbors, people I live beside and speak to every
day to walk through publicly available information and help clarify the situation. At the very beginning of that meeting, I made it clear that I was speaking as a private citizen, not in my official capacity. My goal was to provide
information, answer questions, and encourage civil conversation. The discussion went smoothly until we noticed something troubling. Someone had joined the meeting under a name similar to one of our neighbors,
began posting questions in the chat, and challenged the legitimacy of our gathering. When asked where they lived, they gave an incorrect street name. Another participant also appeared unfamiliar to anyone in our group. It became apparent that our private
neighborhood session had been somehow shared or accessed by individuals pretending to be community members. Later in the discussion, when someone asked for my personal view as a citizen on upcoming elections, I responded
honestly again as a private person. But these outsiders began using the chat to oppose my remark seemingly to influence others and create confusion. That behavior crossed a line not just toward me but towards respectful civic
discourse. In a time when trust and transparency are so important, intruding into a private community conversation under false identity undermines both trust and transparency. It discourages civic
engagement and damages the sense of safety residents should feel when talking openly with each other about public issues. I share this not to point fingers but to raise awareness about how fragile community trust can be when ethical
boundaries are ignored. Whether we are public officials or private citizens, each of us has a responsibility to conduct ourselves with honesty and respect. We can disagree, but the disagreement must come from a place of truth and neighborly integrity.
I hope that as a board and as a community we affirm the importance of respectful dialogue. No one should feel misled, spied upon or politically targeted for trying to share public information with their neighbors in good faith.
Now just to add on during the same Zoom session, the anonymous or disguised person posted in the group chat recommending three specific school board candidates. This raised further questions among my neighbors about the credibility of those recommendations. I want to clarify for the record that
these candidates are widely known in our district as being supported or endorsed by OBA, our local teachers association. As we all may know, OBA is affilated with NJA, the New Jersey Education Association, which is a state's largest teachers union. NGA's NJ's public
filings, official statements and independent analysis have consistently documented the support for certain political party campaigns and causes. You must all know which political party and whatsoever. This is school board. I do not want politics personally and we board members here do not want politics
and professionally. It's important to stress advocacy and endorsements are very every organization's right. However, when school support candidates are promoted or supported by organizations tied to statewide politically aligned groups, it
blurs the essential boundary between education and politics. Schoolboard elections are meant to be nonpartisan and directed by the needs of families, students, and the broader community. Outside political influence risks, undermining our decision-m, shaking
confidence that choices are made in students best interest. Such endorsement practices, just like disruptive behaviors in private dialogue, erode fairness and transparency. They breed mistrust, making residents wonder whether board decisions reflect our community's
priorities or those of larger organizations with more distant agendas. We must stand for a system where every candidate is measured by their commitment, integrity, and record, not by the weight of endorsements or support from politically connected organization.
Let's keep our focus on what matters serving our students and community above all. Thank you for listening and for continuing to value respect and integrity in our schools. >> Madame President, I just want to echo uh
what uh board member Mazone and my fellow board member has discussed. I think that politics does not belong in the board of ed and we all know that. However, we need to make sure that we keep political parties out of this process as well. So, we all
know that the Republican party in this town has gone around advocating certain people for the school board. They've done it last year, they did it this year. They're constantly hanging door hangers for these candidates as well. So, it's just not the OBA, it's also the Republican party doing it as well. So, I
agree with my fellow board members that there should be zero influence and we should denounce as a board to keep politics out of what we do. Okay? I know firsthand. I am like the plague to the
Republican party. I know it. And I'm a I'm a Republican. I'm a conservative. But I don't think the way they do when it comes down to education. So, if we're going to try to push out the OBA, then we also have to push out
the powers to be in the Republican party in this town because you know what? They influence very much the process as well. Thank you. >> Okay. >> Yeah, I have a couple of comments. >> Go ahead, Matt. >> Yes.
>> I would also like to thank Congress. Very, very important. that's been around for millions of years already helping out. Also, today is uh 186th birthday of Statue of Liberty, something that somebody totally forgets about. And Dr.
Sass, I'm looking forward to working with you for the next year. Thank you. Good luck. Oh, also Dr. Braen, thank you for filling in. >> Okay, so I'm just going to chime in. And this isn't personal, so I don't want anybody taking this personally. It's
just facts. And it's like what came first, right? The chicken or the egg. So like this whole thing, and I think I've used this term before, but like everyone is always saying how this race for this board of education is going to be political, and it and it shouldn't, and I agree with you. Um, but it's also like
jumping in a pool and trying not to get wet. Like it's it's almost impossible. Like politics is ingrained in almost everything that we do. And I'd love to see politics disappear from this race, but everybody would have to commit to that. And I'm just tired of the double
standard. Um it's just the hypocrisy is just so staggering in this town. And it's really frustrating to watch when our own union, an organization that was created to support all of our teachers and supposed to be inclusive of
everybody, isn't they're not inclusive of everybody's political views. And not all teachers have a say in who the union endorses and that's just factual. The union the NJA is the largest contributor to the Democrat campaign in the state. So to to think about a local,
you know, politic political group versus the power and the influence that the NJA has is there's just no comparison. Um I would love to also see it disappear. So maybe maybe we can work on that. maybe we can, you know, or maybe our union can be a little more inclusive and stop endorsing candidates and and maybe we
can start there. Um, and again, it's not personal. Um, okay. I would really like to end on a good note. I don't know if anybody has anything more to say about that. Um, but I wanted to just say a few things. I wanted to thank the teachers at the high school. Um, because they just finished up conferences and I know how
conferences can be really difficult and bouncing between so many students. and I had the opportunity to meet with my my daughter's teachers and I was so blown away um by the involvement of these teachers and the communication that they've had um with the parents and their of their children um and the
passion and the love that they have for their subject areas. I mean, I sat in their rooms like in total disbelief of just how um experienced they are and how much they care about the kids and the high standards that they hold for them. So, I just want to say thank you to our high school teachers who um you know
just got through conferences and sharing all kinds of information. Um just to reiterate, I also attended the Black Poster Project last night and today and I have to say I was not mentally or emotionally prepared for what I was about to take in. Um and I think that if
we save one of our students and their mission of that group, it's completely successful. So, I I hope to see that continue at the high school. Um, so I wanted to just share a couple things that I screenshot here. Give me
one second. Stay organized. Of course, I lost it when I need it. Okay, so SEPTA is going to be having their next meeting on Thursday, November 20th at 6:30 in Old High School learning
lab um in the front. So, if you enter through um the high school door one and they would like to share among other agenda items that Dr. Vincent Sasso, our superintendent of Oldbridge Public Schools, will discuss ways to strengthen
relationships among families, educators, and administrators through open dialogue, shared understanding, and collaboration that benefits every student. So, I'm really looking forward to that, and I hope to see everybody there. Um, I know that our student representative went through a lot of accomplishments tonight and there was
just one more that I wanted to add. I think since the beginning of the year or even just in October, we've gotten quite a few emails from Miss N. Um, and the band is pretty amazing. So, I just wanted to share I don't know if these are going to be in the right order, but
there was um one of the first weekends in October, they competed at the Monroe High School competition and placed first, winning best music, best visual, and best effect. And uh tied overall for best visual. Um that weekend after that,
they hosted US bands competition and placed first with a score of 86.1 winning best overall effect, music, visual, and best percussion. And I think it was this past weekend, they performed at the Hillsboro High School band competition and placed first with a
score of 86.5, winning best music, best overall effect, and best percussion. Uh, and next week they're heading to Robinsville and TCJ for state championship. So, I think that really speaks um pretty largely to our performing arts um and band. So, thank you, Miss NE, for sharing and I hope that um all the staff members continue
to share all the great news with us. And I think I'm done. I just wanted to say that this next special services meeting is 10:30 at October 30th at 7 p.m. in the admin building. We hope to see everybody there.
>> Oh, can I make a request? Last time you guys made a request, we end up in costumes and we bought shirts like but that worked out really well. Um, so I think that we've done this kind of here and there and made um What am I? Flyers to advertise our
meetings because I think it's kind of fallen on the committee chairs. Can we maybe commit to making sure we have even if it's a really simple simple flyer with a date and a time that we can get out to the public for each of our committee meetings to advertise be helpful? >> So there is a flyer that goes out from
the district just those of us that like to play in Canva. >> Same because I love Canva. But >> we're making really pretty ones. But >> yeah, we can talk as a board about trying to be more. >> I just I have one thing, a couple three things.
>> Um the Obridge Education Foundation is having their flea market November 9th at the grade nine center in the parking lot. I think we have about 50 55 vendors. Uh so come down to support the flea market. Supports the vendor supports the foundation.
Um, congratulations to Dr. Sasso. Proud day for him, proud date for proud day for Oldbridge. And then, yes, thank you Dr. Brian. Uh, short time we met. You inject a lot of great ideas. Uh, congratulations on your next journey and
it was a pleasure. >> We'll have him next month. >> He's not like, >> "Oh, okay. So, congratulations and happy Thanksgiving." >> Does that mean you're not coming next month? Happy Halloween. >> All right. Um, if no one else, I wish
all the students that celebrate Halloween have fun and safe trick-or-treating. Um, the families that are celebrating enjoy and uh have a good break next week for uh Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for the students. Uh, motion to go into exact
motion. Thank you everyone. All >> in favor? >> I Yes. >> Hope everyone has a safe drive home. Thank you.