hello Hello Hello Hello Good evening Pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act NJSA 104 through10 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 Verizon Fios Channel 24 and by filing such notice with the Township Clerk This meeting was scheduled for Tuesday March 18th 2025 The board will take formal action of payment of bills and other
agenda items Mr Right now 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 record public board meetings using audio or video recording devices provide that the active 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 Dunn here Francisco here Girardano here Jori here Mazone here Slade here Solowski here Benitason present Danuno here We have a quorum Thank you Can everyone
please stand for the pledge I pledge allegiance Thank you Christina can you do the code of ethics please The board member will carry out his or her responsibility not to administer the schools but together with fellow board members ensure that all are
wellrun Thank you We have our district goals and our board goals Uh we took the approval and minutes off That's Wait a minute Okay Um this report from the student rep Good evening Good evening everyone The
students of Obridge High School had another great month Since the last meeting many seniors went on our class trip to Disney We had a great week and want to thank our class adviserss administrators nurses and chaperones who made it possible Last Saturday the Air Force JOTC won six trophies in the
Washington Township Drill Competition Last week in school juniors took their NJGPA testing Also FBLA had their states competition in Atlantic City They had multiple top 10 qualifiers and se several students will continue to the national leadership
conference The winter sports recognition ceremonies were held last week as well Spring sports have begun and our athletes are preparing for successful seasons This past Saturday indoor percussion took first place at their competition This week Play Unified is
hosting events for neurodeiversity celebration week to showcase how we all think move process and communicate in different ways The spring musical 42nd Street will be this Thursday through Saturday at 7:00 Just a reminder all tickets must be purchased online We are
heading into the fourth mark period at the end of this month and we are looking forward to finishing the year with lots of fun activities and events Thank you very much Can I have a motion for recognition please Motion
Second Francisco will second Matt would you like to do the retirements Would you like to do the retirements Okay Would anyone That's right I I thought it was something you enjoyed doing I apologize I'll I'll take it over That's fine I'd
like to congratulate Miss Sangel Miss Zentman and Miss Mailor for their uh hard work and their dedication to Old Bridge We've got 73 years uh between the three of them And so we congratulate all three of you on your retirement and wish you the
best of luck and thank you for your service [Applause] Any other discussion on the recognition Okay Roll call please Dunn yes Francisco yes Gerardano yes Jori yes Mone yes
Slade yes Solicowski yes Vanitason yes Dantino yes Resolution one for recognition passes Thank you very much Mr Sadinino would you like to do a superintendence report Absolutely Thank you very much
Um working with instructional counsel they provide information that I've I've been doing each year now giving the board and the public um at least 30 days to ponder and think about because it impacts families differently and
definitely has an impact as you plan your educational and social events So that is the 2627 calendar Uh board members will see in their packet three choices um that were presented um that have the support of
the administration in varying forms Uh they're all in draft There's a purple a red and a blue I'm alerting the public that if you want to see them you don't have to all get at once There is a QR code in the back uh
that has access to them You can take a look at them Um there's not going to be any action taken tonight So it's not like you have to get there because the board's going to vote on it tonight and you want to know what they're voting on But these are the the information that the board will look at Um one we have
181 instructional days uh contractually with our instructional staff here in the district We have two built-in emergency snow days three professional days and that equates to 186 days that we have to um fit in our educational platform
within the months of September through the month of the months of June Um some things you have to know the staff and the students cannot start before September 1st That's contractual the election day in June uh is uh calls for
a primary and it falls within the school year It's one of those situations that's kind of new to us We've always dealt with the one in November as an election day but the law has changed Whereas our our security staff which we rely upon is not you know a private security company
They are sworn officers to this uh bridge township They do a fantastic job our police department protecting our schools But as part of that legislation they are a uniformed officer is not allowed to be at a polling place within
100 ft of the polling entrance So while it wouldn't make a large difference to let's say place high school Carl Sanberg um at our smaller elementary schools it would be difficult and you couldn't have an officer at the schools Um so making the the primary and election a date in
which we have to um look for using it for either inservice day or what have you because we cannot have school that on that day So all that being said um it feeds into the end of the school year too where we have a large high school
anywhere from 600 to 750 students graduate We need a large venue and that is is close by because a lot of our families are tra challenged being traveling on that day So we transport our students to the PNC art center in
Homedale and the parents picked them up there after a beautiful event But as you can imagine that that venue is not open every day for us Um I always joke that once Wednesday through Saturday come around Eddie Money and Oreo Speed Wagon
kind of take the wheel and we're only left to Mondays and Tuesdays So we kind of have to have our graduation with within Monday or Tuesday Um so those are some of the restraints we look we look at So if you see um the purple calendar
the purple calendar it's a challenging school year and we get we we it's cyclical you know we get this all the time Uh whereas Labor Day is late Labor Day is not until September 7th in 2026 Uh if we waited till after Labor Day for all staff and students it would
really push us to the last day of June Um so in all three calendars and this was devised um and suggestions coming from a committee of teachers parents um administrators and so forth um recognizing that it's not feasible to
not begin the PE um professional development days prior to Labor Day So in calendars purple calendar the red calendar and the blue calendar the inservice days for staff all begin before Labor Day on the 7th
The exception is that on in the blue calendar the students don't come in until a Monday after Labor Day In the purple and the red calendar the students come in on Thursday and have school on Thursday and Friday Both early dismissal days as we've come accustomed to the
first two days of school There are other nuances in this year's calendar that are kind of diff different and more difficult One is this is the time when Rajaashana I mean Easter and Passover do not line up Usually they do
line up within a week of each other and it makes it easier to pick out those holidays uh and and address them Um in this particular calendar they're a month apart So if you have um a holiday for for both then it becomes very very
difficult And one of the last things I I wanted to to address to address and this is something this Mr Vanitas has let me know is very important to him as a board member and his community that he speaks to is that he wants inclusiveness in the holidays and we wanted to give that as
an option too So you see that in the red calendar it in includes uh Eids and includes uh Lunar New Year and so forth Some of the holidays we don't have Again I never want to take that away from the board not let you have that decision to
support your um taxpayers and your your community citizenship So those are the three choices I will have um it's already on the website We didn't didn't unlock it yet for you to everyone want to see it by tomorrow All the whole community to
be able to see it Um they can look at it for a month Come to the agenda meeting next month give their thoughts and opinions The board's this board I I trust you'll have a month to look at this and see what best represents the community for you and your opinion and
we can have a decision about this at the uh April meeting Okay Any questions from the board I would really like to hear the public's opinion once you guys hear about it because the the calendars are I mean I want to say very different but they're
not like a week here versus like a few days here I I definitely want to hear the comm the community's opinion So please let us know next month Thank you very much Uh there is one uh holiday is missing that's for the festival of lights Diwali but we can work through it
offline I can send you some information about it It may be that that's on a Saturday Okay let me look it up I have not seen that far yet Thank you I believe I believe that I asked about that as well and it fell on a Saturday this year Okay thank you Thank you Um any correspondence Mr White
Yes there are several And Chris you may have to start the timer for something Yes you are subject to the fiveminute limit like every other public speaker Okay Correspondence one is from Mary Jane Santiago Hello I had every intention of attending the meeting held
on Tuesday evening However my grandson who I am raising wound up in the emergency room It's been a rough couple of days but all is good now I attended a recent meeting and spoke on behalf of Mr Citadino Since I don't do very well speaking in front of an audience maybe this will better convey my feelings Dave Cidadino is a class act I met him many
years ago when he first came to Jonas Sock Middle School Mr Papovich was the principal at that time My older daughter had already graduated from JSMS and my younger daughter was still attending My younger daughter had some issues so I came to know Mr Cidino very well He always made time to deal with anything
that was going on He was always diplomatic and kind no matter the issue The kids loved him even when they had to be reprimanded my daughter included As a parent I appreciated him more than I can ever put into words If Mr Cadinhino's contract should not be renewed I honestly believe that it will be a great
disservice to our children to our and to our grandchildren He knows Old Bridge Township and the kids know and love him It's not fair to him and most of all and certainly not fair to the children of Old Bridge Township Public Schools Please put all personal issues aside as they have no place in this decision
Please look at this realistically and make the correct choice It is time to make the right choice for our children That choice would be to renew Mr Cadinino's contract I have no doubt in my mind that many many others in our township would be in total agreement I respectfully request that you consider this with an open mind Put all personal
issues aside Look at his track record That speaks for itself Thank you for your time and for your consideration in this matter Respectfully Mary Jane Santiago Okay Second correspondence is from Katie Chung Dear board of ed board members I
hope this message finds you well I am writing to express my strong support for the renewal of Superintendent Citadino's contract Our district has faced significant financial challenges and it is critical that we continue to rely on stable leadership to navigate those ongoing difficulties For the past seven years our district has been seen a
steady decrease in state aid being designated as an S2 district Each year the loss of state funds has only increased And with this impending financial crisis it is not the time to change leadership Superintendent Citadino has demonstrated the experience and dedication needed to guide us through these tough times and it is
crucial that we keep in place to us moving forward In addition to the financial burden of hiring a new superintendent which includes search firm fees advertising and relocation expenses it's important to note that superi superintendent Citadino does not
currently take health insurance which saves the district $35,000 annually which will probably increase increase with inflation If we were to hire a new superintendent the district would incur an additional $35,000 in health insurance costs on top of their salary further straining our budget
Superintendent Citadino has been an active and visible leader frequently attending events and engaging with the community not just sitting behind the desk His leadership is well respected and his commitment to the district is unwavering In these challenging times we need a seasoned and dedicated leader like him to ensure that the continued
success of our district Please make a responsible decision and renew Superintendent Citadino's contract His experience and leadership are invaluable to our district's future Sincerely Katie Chung OB parent Correspondence number three is from Michelle Man Dear Mr Widell please
read the below email allowed at the Tuesday March 18th board of education meeting Dear board of education members I am writing to express my support for the renewal of Mr Cadidino's contract As a parent in this district I am deeply concerned about the financial challenges we are currently facing With the ongoing loss of state aid and additional budget
cuts looming now is not the time to change leadership I believe replacing Mr Citadino at this time would be both disruptive and costly Hiring a new superintendent is not a quick or inexpensive process Between search fees advertising possible relocation costs and a new salary including an additional
$35,000 for health insurance that Mr does not require We would be adding unnecessary expenses when every dollar should be going to our students and schools Even appointing an interim superintendent would come with costs and a steep learning curve for someone unfamiliar with our district Superintendent Citadino has constant
consistently led with dedication and stability and we need his experience to guide us through these difficult financial times Renewing his contract is the fiscally responsible and right decision for our district and our children Sincerely Michelle Man Correspondence four is from Stephanie
Mammud Uh Stephanie Field Dear members of the board Mr Cedadino has done so much for the kids of Old Bridge and has a has had a positive impact on the school district Period My daughter participated in a full day pilot program at Gryom under Mr Cidadino's leadership which later led to a successful full day
program for all students Over the past 11 years my daughter has become a high honor student involving involved in numerous activities including the National Honor Society French Club youngest VP of French Honor Society a honors tutor for the district orchestra and a violinist all while in mostly
honors and AP classes I thank Mr Cidino and the teachers for my daughter's academic success This is why his contract should be renewed This shouldn't even be a discussion You are trying to sell me on the fact that earth is flat when it is clearly proven around Dave is a proven winner and champion for
our kids Is he perfect No But neither is anyone else on the board or any human being We are perfectly flawed imperfect people but our flaws and imperfections make us better people Those very unique aspects of ourselves actually help us make better decisions and choices for our future which has been demonstrated
for the last decade by Dave The man has brought joy to the children and he has molded our district to stand out He is beloved by the beloved by the majority of the township People have flocked to Obridgeidge because of the success of our school system We have recovery from CO loss under his him despite a lot of
false info to the contrary My daughter is a prime example of that recovery She was a sixth grader when CO happened never returned until late in seventh grade She has been comp completely successful as I stated in the above My daughter only has one year left and I want other parents children to have the
same opportunities and success as she did under that same leadership I'd like to now provide factual informations in regards to being fiscally responsible to our school system after listening to the last several meetings and research For the past seven years our district has faced continuous reductions in state aid
as an SU district with funding cuts growing growing each year According to our business administrator we have exhausted all available options to address those deficits Last month Trenton just announced at least a 3% cut to our budget in the uh amount of $730,282
And there are alarming predictions of even deeper reductions ahead Last year alone the district lost 12 million in funding and this year's cuts are expected to be even larger Meanwhile operating costs salaries healthcare school security and essential services continue to rise just like household
expenses impacted by inflation At this critical moment changing leadership would be a costly and asine mistake Superintendent Dave Citadena has the experience and institutional knowledge to guide us through this financial crisis Why on earth does getting rid of
a superintendent who doesn't receive health care like others and is in fact lowest paying superintendent of this district size and wants to be here Hiring a new superintendent is a lengthy process It's typically taking 9 months to a year It is also expensive with costs extending beyond salary to include
search firm fees advertising and possible relocation expenses totaling more than $50,000 Totally not responsible Furthermore Superintendent Citadino does not like does not take health insurance as I mentioned saving the district $35,000 annually Any new hire would will require this additional
cost on top of their salary Even an interimm superintendent would come with significant expenses including salary benefits and the challenge of leading a district with 14 schools and hundreds of staff without prior experience with our operations A breakdown of hiring costs includes search firm fees 13 to 30,000
plus Advertising cost to attract top candidates relocation expenses if the hire comes from the outside the area salary and benefits varies by district and experience Additional costs background checks contract negotiations and onboarding With severe budget cuts looming this is not the time for an
expensive and disruptive leadership transition Retaining Superintendent Citadino ensures stability and experienced leadership during this financial crisis As for those actively working against him your actions show a lack of respect for our students and the leadership that has brought stability and success to our district The audacity
to challenge a man with decades of experience dedication and the credentials to lead effectively is astounding Based off my Is that it or is that a minute One minute Based off my re research you will you all will cost us money we don't have Also keep in mind
majority of this township stands with Mr Citadino That is a fact Thank you for your time The keyboard warrior a patriot and swan civil servant to America Stephanie Mimmude Stephanie Field I'm gonna take a breath for a
second I need some water Water You need a water We got a water Thank you There's two more That was on the mic too All right here we go Number five Uh this is from Scott Misella Dear
board of education members for the record I just want to thank the board of education for continuing allowing the people from this town and beyond to practice their first amendment right to speak As those of us who attend those meetings know it's no rare thing to sit sometimes for hours allowing everyone a
chance to speak That podium is a powerful tool that can deliver news of achievement victories and hope from around the district But the podium also allows some time or some to bloateate gaslight stretch truths or out light ri lie It is my sincere hope that the board
does not take into consideration any false or misleading comments from the public when deciding the fate of our superintendent As I've said from the podium in the past David Citadino is a superintendent of many but cares as deeply for the individual as he does for the district as a whole We have heard
the testimony of so many who have spoken of the good good work Dave has done here The outside world too has noticed his leadership The county has awarded him for it and has even placed him on vital committees hoping to expand his brand of leadership beyond the borders of our town He has united the district with his
creative in invocations at the start of each school year He is out and about throughout the school the district all school year long often with Daisy at his side helping kids with anxiety or just connecting with students and stakeholders He has also shown ingenuity warmth and a keen ability to connect
with students and their families from the time they enter the district until the time they graduate at the PNC We are fortunate to have him here So now it's your turn about to make one of the most important decisions you'll make as a board member A moment that will be remembered You are forced to make the decision about our superintendent just
as budget setbacks are predicted to be even worse than this this year than last A decision that comes as our ability to plug holes in our budget has largely been has been largely exhausted from previous years The costs to run the district keep going up The funding from the state has proven unreliable and
unsustainable Fortunately you have the chance to keep our acclaimed superintendent at a reasonable salary as compared to his peers avoiding a costly search for a replacement who may end up costing more in the long run given potential relocation and medical benefit costs It makes little fiscal sense to
throw the baby out the bathwater out with the bathwater For a board that often takes talks about fiscal responsibility it would be baffling why you would go down a road that makes things more difficult and more expensive for the district in the future Make no mistakes this vote is about more than
just renewing a contract This is a vote that decides the entire trajectory of Old Bridge Township Public Schools As we continue to navigate a tren of financial storms do we want an experienced proven captain at the helm or not As most of those affected are our children I hope
we would Consider your choices extremely carefully We're running out of nav navigable navigable water And this storm is not going away anytime soon The longer David Citadino is at the
helm the better it will be for all of us Thank you Scott Miselle Okay last one here is from Ilia Hemlin Mr Widel please read the email aloud at the next board of education meeting To all this matter concerns I am
a lifelong resident of Oldbridge and a graduate of the school system I've had the privilege to be a part of the first class when Miller School reopened as well as when the high school unified under one building I'm writing to express my objection to any decision at this time to replace Superintendent
David Citadino It's an objective fact that in New Jersey property values are anchored by the school system The Old Bridge School District is a jewel of the community It's why so many families including mine moved here originally It's why I chose to move back here to start a family of my own And it's why we
constantly hear from people referencing that they're from Stan Island South Jersey or anywhere else with a substandard school system It's also why especially in the last five years Old Bridg's property values and appeal have skyrocketed compared to our neighbors Removing removing Superintendent
Citadino would not only be disrupted to our children to our district's stability and leadership it's a full hearty attempt to save money that will end up costing us exponentially As numerous people pointed out Mr Cadino's salary is in line with his colleagues in terms of district size and performance And frankly anyone who
thinks his salary is too high should try to and find someone in any industry willing to manage hundreds of employees over 8,000 highv value clients and juggle complex state and federal regulations I assure you whatever we pay him it's a steal to speak nothing of the
cost involved with hiring executive search firm or the added cost of convincing someone to come to a district where they're subject to the political whims of board members The options will be to either pay through the nose or find someone without the relevant experience Anyone
who has worked in large organizations knows about the chaos that comes with a leadership change especially when the organization is operating effectively The idea that a superintendent should be arbitrarily removed to shake things up is a further example of certain board members being woefully over their head
in understanding the operations of an organization with the size and complexity of Old Bridge School District I urge the board to stay the course and not make any rash decisions that will the town financially Thank you for your time and consideration Sincerely Ilia Hemlin
That concludes correspondence Job well done Thank you Uh special committee reports Yes we had two finance meetings one on February 20th and one on March 6 to discuss the 2025 to 2026 school year budgets We went over the revenues and
expenditures and due to the executive part of it that's all I'll be able to say Is that correct Miss Widell Any other words you like to say or that covers it That does cover it Okay Thank you um C CPAC had a meeting on um February
25th Uh basically they talked about building partnerships in IEP teams collaboration student involvement um building strategies for communication during an IEP meeting and starting team meetings by sharing positive information
about the students and ways for parents uh and family members and educators to do that Um they also provided a really great resource document with links to guides and tips information about facilitated meetings as well as New Jersey state
docs for parents and for families that you can get on the um special education parent advisory group Facebook page or if you're not on Facebook feel free to email me and I'll send it to you But it has a lot of great links on it and a lot of great uh resources for parents and
families The next meeting will be on Wednesday April 30th at 7 p.m It's via Zoom and you have to sign up for it Did we cover the student life meeting last meeting I don't think so Right So
we had the student life meeting I think that was February 27th um that now encompasses uh athletics extracurricular um DEI and care that we had last year So
I was late because I was on a a video call Well not me personally as part of a group with the uh state attorney general on all the changes that were going on So I missed part of it So Marjorie can can fill in on part of it as well And Kieran I believe you were there right Um but Mr
Demino from the athletics department went over title nine which is uh the equalization with uh genders and sports and you know if this sport has it then the coordinating you know gender sport has to have all the same equipment and
things like that So you know where we are with that and you know any improvements that we need to make and long-term goals with our athletics extracurriculars We went over the number of clubs in each school Do you have those numbers Marjorie You're usually awesome with your notes I was so late to
that mean because of a phone call I apologize So yeah Where where did you end up Extracurriculars but go ahead Um I have to look at my notes How many clubs we had Yeah
but that's all right Anyway we have an awesome amount of clubs from elementary middle and high school that our students can partake in it Um and that was kind of the majority of the conversation that we had at that meeting Any other meetings that have happened since last
one All right Cool All right So we are going to open the mic for the hearing of the residents on any agenda item only This will include Mr Citadino's contract There is a binder on the table So sign in there first before we speak And then
um just nicely form a line And as you do Mr Barton has a few words Yeah obviously there are a lot of people here tonight Please know that everyone's going to be held to that five minute time limit You'll get a beep at one minute to go Please allow each other to speak Uh it's
not going to improve anything or clarify anything for the board members uh to hear booing and talking over each other Uh and keep in mind please as uh board members have said before this is a classroom So let's model the right behavior for students but we want to
hear everybody So please line up and tell us what you think Mr Barton am I correct in saying that they should be directing their um comments to the board All to the board president All comments uh are directly to the board president and uh this is not a question and answer
period This is our time to hear what you have to say and this will be your only time to speak on any agenda item including Mr Citadino's contract right behind you at the table For those that are interested in speaking you start signing in now if you
want and then approach the mic Also if you want to speak if you can make a line okay what I'm about to say is not intended to be disrespectful It is just an observation Please just state your name first as well Sure Dr Anita Greenberg Belli resident of Bulbridge
After watching the March 11th board of ed meeting I felt it was necessary to speak and I find it unfortunate I have to do so The superintendent sets the tone for the district not only the students but all the employees 12 years ago when Mr Citadino became superintendent he was advised to get his
doctorate I'm curious why that did not happen Does he not value education Mr Cidadino has the opportunity to set an example and he did not How many courses per year would Mr Cidadino have had to take over his 12 years tenure to achieve
his doctorate There are multiple multiple principles in the district that have the dedication and commitment to achieve their doctorate and multiple administrators Why does the superintendent feel he should not achieve this level of higher education as he was instructed to do so in the
beginning of his tenure Mr Citadino should set the example to inspire and motivate to be the best you can be We have much talent amongst our teachers and principles It is because of them we have schools in our district recognized as schools of character Schools with
smaller districts have superintendents that have doctors Just to name a few East Brunswick Monroe Perth Amboy New Brunswick etc The principles that have doctorates could set up to be step up to be superintendent without any disruption in the district What goals has Mr
Cadidino set for the district and have these goals been met What was Mr Cindadino's last evaluation The valuation of the superintendent is of is one of the most important things the board of ed does and on the board to perform this activity When was the last
evaluation performed and are these evaluations made public on your website Mr Cidadino has not been forthcoming When closing the Cheesequake School a blue ribbon school it was under the justification had structural damages
Were the repairs done before um renting Cheesequake School to a preschool That question has never been answered Leadership is important Managing a school district stresses education and efficiencies which is very vital The state just announced that they are
cutting another $700,000 from the district School funding is down another 3% when the cuts start to happen My question is how can the state think this is fair to do this to bridge First of all when the first started did the did
the superintendent invite the governor to come to Brbridge and witness what is happening in this district We are a town of 42 square miles and cutting after school buses is not fair to the parents with this and this is all coming from
the top Did the superintendent go to Traton and advocate for us Did he ask the governor to come here No at that time he did not Please do not reply to comments Have we ever had an an accounting of the CO money What was spent And are all the students caught up
to and to speed um with lost learning after CO The emphasis should have been on lost learning instead of um bill 5756 and a controversial health district I wish Mr city in the well but I do feel it is time for change and I feel there
are a lot of principles in this district that could step up Thank you and have a nice evening Hi my name is an I live in Old Bridge I have three children in Oldbridge Um my experience with Superintendent Citadino is just from sitting here and watching on YouTube and
getting your lovely phone calls so it's not that extensive but from what I've seen and heard he's the calm in the storm He is the voice of reason and logic when things go sideways Stability and leadership matters Changing superintendent during a time of academic
and graduation rate progress will disrupt any improvements we've already seen Removing an award-winning superintendent would be a loss to our schools but even worse hurt our children and our teachers I'm just wondering if people know his resume And if I say anything wrong just tell me because I
got it in the newspaper But it said that 1997 to 2005 he was a teacher and then a disciplinarian in the Elizabeth school district Could couldn't have been easy From then he came straight to Oldbridge and he's been loyal to Old Bridge ever since He started at Jonas Sock He was
assistant principal and he must have been very competent because six months later he was principal He then became principal of Oldbridge High School He went on to be assistant superintendent From assistant superintendent he accepted his current role in 2013 He has extensive experience Anyone
who says that he needs to have a doctorate is just making up an excuse This man could probably teach the doctoral program He has so much experience and knowledge There is nothing in New Jersey that says a superintendent is required to have a doctorate They need to have a master's
The superintendent is offering a two-year deal with a lower raise each year The money he's offering to save the school system could go to the students if you vote if the board members I know certain board members last time I know Marjgerie Jennifer I
know I heard Jay if I missed anybody I'm sorry They said that they they wanted the two-year with the lower raise I think the board members should have to say why they didn't want the two-year raise and why they're stealing money from the students who are in way too
large a class sizes the students who can't do afterchool programs because they don't have late buses I think they need to explain themselves You were voted in there and you should explain yourselves to the people that voted for you or did not vote for you Um I had
something else to say Sorry Um I have a child in high school I have younger children I don't know one parent of a current student that does not support Superintendent Citadino I don't know where these people coming up here are talking They obviously don't have
students in the school system I just think each board member needs to make their pro and con list because the pros are going to far outweigh The only sane decision is to keep Superintendent Citadino for as long as he will tolerate us Thank you
[Applause] Can I start there Hi my name is Maro Wix Before all of you vote on Dave tonight I want to address this critical decision facing our BOE The potential of a non-renewal of our superintendence
contract or one or two-year renewal This decision carries significant financial implications and could profoundly affect our school system in town Our district has been losing state aid for seven years We're losing 700,000 this year and a possible 23 million or more next year Add to this loss additional cost for
salaries health insurance school security and other expenses which continue to rise each year This is not the time to change leadership We need Superintendent Cenado's valuable knowledge expertise and direct experience to navigate this budget crisis Hiring a new superintendent takes
9 months to a year and that's if everything goes as planned It involves significant costs as we heard before about 13,000 If we're looking at transition costs relocation expenses that could exceed 50,000 Dave does not take health insurance which we know is about 35 a year A new hireer is going to
ask for the health insurance And if you look up the articles it's predicted an increase of 7 to 14% in health insurance premiums alone for the upcoming year Even with an interimm acting superintendent we're going to get the same cost of salary healthcare and knowled the loss of knowledge unfamiliar
with our 14 schools and staff Based on current public stats if you Google it and check it out a new superintendent is going to ask for 5 to 15% more in salary that they are currently making Plus they're going to ask for additional health insurance So if we look at it based on the math it's
$265,897 plus 37500 which is at 7% rate not 14% During a dire during a dire budget aid cut period a new superintendent will most likely ask for a higher salary adding to already financial burden Maintaining Dave provides financial stability and
continuity for our district to focus on long-term goals avoid turnover costs for the next two years while we weather these major state aid costs A two-year term at 2.5% equals to about 5 to 6,000 a year If you do 6% at one year you're talking
about 14,000 in one year anybody that comes after him is going to want that salary at the 6% So that will equal 520,000 in two years Um must we must forget that we have no late buses So think of that money when you come to vote Our school system impacts the
vitality of our town and home values In case people weren't aware changing leadership and financial uncertainty is going to cause chaos for parents students residents homeowners taxpayers because high schools are driven property values They attract the home buyers and foster
community engagement Home buyers prefer areas with highly rated schools Our schools public perception is going to influence homeowners who buy in Oldbridge So this is going to create a cycle where the reputation of our public schools become directly tied to our home prices and home values Don't know about most but I've been here 45 years I would
like to keep my value Selecting a new superintendent during this BOE climate is going to set up a failure in the long run When you look at personnel potential new clients are new candidates are going to see these meetings and interactions thus leading to frequent turnovers in our superintendent short-term focus It's
going to it's going to affect our infrastructure when it comes to our schools It's going to result in future candidates commanding even higher salary demands to stay here Again we don't have late buses We need to make sure there's money in our budget next year because if you recall the grant was not renewed for
Play Unified Stability and leadership is crucial for us to navigate budget constraints effectively So renewing his contract for two years at 2.5% is a financial sound decision ensuring stability continuity and retention of valuable district and budget a cut knowledge This approach is critical to
managing the district's resources effectively and maintaining effective financial accountability transparency and leadership as our elected BOE members If new leadership is desired at the end of his contract then take the time of the two years to vet properly a new
superintendent instead of removing Dave without a plan These are not just our kids These are all of your kids in our school district So ensure a smooth transition Allow Dave to transfer his invaluable knowledge navigate through the next two years And during this uncertainty maintain stable leadership
for us to mitigate the impact of state cuts prevent our town from being thrown into financial chaos I do want to thank you as you go to vote your cast tonight Do I have time left Okay 30 seconds Just to add last time at the meeting I
discussed the superintendence 24 out of Middle Sex seven do not have doctorates Two ahead of him that make way more money don't have a doctorate Keep that in mind As far as the Esser money I don't know about everybody else but as a parent with three kids kids went to Esser summer school went to preschool
not preschool prehomework club for Esser out of the funds They also did homework club after so I know the funds were there And as what was I going to say As far as the cheesequake school it was 750,000 to maintain the school for whatever was wrong with it So instead of spending 750,000 we get 500,000 for the
next two years accumulating $5 million Thank you [Applause] I'll make sure to sign in Uh and bear with me for a minute I thought that there was going to be three opportunities to speak so I'm trying to
merge two of them uh at the same time Good evening Andrew Lewis OBA I'm addressing a few points in the agenda in particular the ethics corner the proposed tenative budget and the superintendent's contract I want to take a moment to remind the board the ethical responsibility that comes with holding a position of public
trust The school ethics act is clear No one should use their position for personal gain Yet when board members use this platform to discuss their own family members as a means to evaluate the district they're crossing that ethical line Personal stories may feel
compelling but they do not belong in an objective evaluation of our schools our staff or our district leadership For years we've watched as one board member has mastered the art of self-serving politics while serving as the undisputed pioneer of nepotism in this district We
cannot allow this blatant disregard for our district to continue unchecked We need a board that values transparency equity and the future of our students not personal gain It's time to call out the corruption for what it is and demand that the board puts
education first not political favors Another concern I must raise tonight is the repeated effort to paint our schools in a negative light right here in these meetings As a recruitment tool for private alternatives when individuals stand before the board and declare how bad our schools are and that we're
indoctrinating our students we must recognize the true intent behind these words This is not constructive criticism meant to improve our district It's an advertising campaign designed to pull students and their funding away from our public schools Let's be clear Every time
they speak at a meeting and use it to recruit students it impacts our budget Fewer students means fewer resources fewer programs and fewer opportunities for the children who remain We cannot allow our district to be smeared and uses a marketing tool for schools that don't answer to this board or this
community Public education is a shared investment one that requires us to stand up for the integrity of our schools And as we enter budget season a time that will test our resources and our resolve we must stand together not divided We cannot afford to weaken our district from within when we know there are
challenges ahead As of 3:30 today the budget on the agenda was blank No numbers no details no clear plan It's unacceptable It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone on this stage that our budget situation is dire It's not just numbers on a spreadsheet It's a
reflection of our values our priorities and our commitment to providing a high-quality education Yet we're being asked to trust a process that kind of keeps us in the dark We need answers We need to see where the money is going what cuts are being considered and how decisions are being made Educators and families should not be left guessing
about the future of our schools Transparency is not a privilege it's a necessity We demand clarity We demand honesty We demand a budget that truly supports our students and the educators who serve them Our focus must be on weathering this storm as a united front protecting our students our staff and
the quality of education our community deserves I also want to address the superintendent's contract I'm not going to speak for or against Dave This is about common sense Right now our district is facing a $17 million almost $18 million deficit a financial hole
that will have serious consequences on our students our staff and the quality of education in our schools In times like these we have to make responsible strategic decisions that put the district in the best possible position to move forward There's a motion on the agenda for a one-year extension A
decision that gives the board time Time to evaluate time to plan and time to act with the full financial reality in mind A one-year extension is not a long-term commitment but a practical one It allows stability while we focus on the bigger crisis ahead For months the sport has
played games dragging out the contract negotiations wasting time and squandering taxpayer money All while holding our district hostage For what We have a qualified experienced superintendent who has served this community with dedication This isn't leadership It's dysfunction You've made
it clear that experience and commitment don't matter And on top of that whoever steps into the role will inherit a budget that's a mess with no real plan from you to fix it So I asked this board who would want to step into a $17 million deficit Who is eager to lead in a situation where it's hard choices that
will have to be made Stability is the short term not just reasonable it's necessary This board owes our educators our students and our community better than this The people who trusted you to lead deserve better than this Let's set aside personal opinions and focus on what's best in the best interest of the
district Approve the motion for one year and let's tackle the real issue the financial crisis that threatens our schools and our students Do your jobs put politics and pettiness aside and start putting our schools first Last call Anyone speak Sorry for trying to have everyone line
up so it was more continuous I I'll I'll sign in when I'm done I'm a real follower Uh Kelly Ellis Foster an old bridge resident and taxpayer Um I had a a bunch of things I was going to talk about here today Mostly the accomplishments that have
been uh made in the district over the last couple years that Mr Citadino and the administration have been here Uh but also many people who either wrote in or spoke um spoke about that Um I do just I
I I can't let it go about the an accusation that nothing was done when there were budget cuts coming down And there's nothing further from the truth And these are the things that take us and divide us when we should be working
together There were multiple times uh there were uh meetings with the state legislators with the governor with the commissioners um at me at committee meetings I I called into meet uh t talk to the governor and it got us in with
the commissioner we've met with the commissioner's tax staff so to indicate that for the last seven years this administration the boards the the people in town have done nothing is a disgrace
So it leads me to say "What the hell happened to us as a community We used to work together We would disagree but we would work together You could treat people with respect even if you had differences of opinion." And this is
where we are now We're fighting over are we going to take a one or two year for Mr Cadino I can go through things he's done You've heard it the things he you don't see that he has done behind the scenes helping families supporting them in
times of crisis in t times of children struggling But you may not see that because he doesn't talk about it He doesn't stand up there and say "Look at me." He does the work that needs to be done to keep this district going I look around this room and all I see are
people who care about our children who care about making sure every child when they leave in the morning gets here safely has a day that's fulfilling that they learn that they're engaged with their peers that they feel welcome that
they feel included We're a diverse group not afraid to say the words that people are scared of because that's who we are as a district We're diverse We're beautiful we're different and we should accept everybody And that what is what this district continually focuses on and
works on So we can get back to being a community that works together to say we have faced another challenge with our finances We can sit here and point fingers at each other and say it's your fault I didn't do anything You're the one who did it We should be working
together on fixing it Why don't we do that Why do we have to say I don't like what you think about how somebody lives so therefore you're a horrible person This is not what we teach our children So why would we get up here and speak like that We just the district just went
through the reertification for the character.org It's something we all should embrace and values we should all live by It's not that hard We teach this to our children We expect it of our children We should expect the same for our leadership Um and everything I know
about Mr Citadino he has that character He will help any student who needs help He will help any family that needs help He has a plan B and a C for every issue that's coming up So I know my words may
not impact some people on this board but I think um it's really important to remember where we have come from And one other thing I'll I'll call out that again maybe some people don't realize but back in 2019 when we were in the financial crisis Mr Citadino had a
contractual uh increase in his um contract He donated that money back to the district to student support services Who here would have done that who here when they've got sorry a relatively large family and kids going to college they give their money back
because the school and the district was in crisis So it's really a matter of what are our values and who do we want to be as a district You all can determine that and your actions will make it clear where you stand Thank you
Madame President I love saying that Um I don't know if you know why I started coming here Just uh state your name please for the record Terresa Burns Okay Um kindergarten my son was denied access to an event and I swore then I would
never let another kid ever have that uh I don't care about their color their class ability whatever Um I started coming here and you were invited to accepted meeting Do you remember that meeting And your opening line was I heard you wanted to talk to me and
everyone spoke to you and I believe that that was the moment that you had a learned behavior that you then unlearned and then relearned from the parents that you were exposed to After that you had started I don't know if you had done this previously but you were going to MD
classes and um really speaking to parents not just speaking to them but listening to them and implementing what they were saying and to hear uh inclusion diversity and equity was in my
opinion not there Is it perfect now No But have we come a long way Yes And I want to know how is the board going to evaluate if they choose a new superintendent their ability to have a learn behavior unlearn it and then
relearn it Thank you Darren Esatuli Opra's resident I'm just going to ask everybody a quick question All right We lost a lot of money But I actually called Senator Gopal and asked him that
question And you know what he said to me about the school funding And this is the senator mind you who makes the school funding allegedly Ready So we're here fighting budget cuts I can imagine what it's like for all of you to have to make that decision I know it's very difficult
I've been coming to these meetings for three to four years and I can see how challenging it is for a lot of people here even for myself But when I called him you know what he said to me I said "I need to speak to you about something." I told him I was the councilman of Obridge New
Jersey The chief of staff called me back and I asked him about the funding Ready He said "Your home prices went up 40% You can afford to pay for it." So then I turned around and I said "Really How many people do you know that
their paycheck went up 40%." Anyone Nobody You know why The state funding is fuzzy No one even knows exactly how it's done All the S2 districts allegedly got
clipped for their money Why How come nobody in Trenton can answer that question Has anybody got that answer on the board yet Has anybody been there Every week what we need to do as parents board members and people in this
town every week we need to let the government know we're getting destroyed There's other towns that are getting 40,000 to one per student I think we're getting what 17,000 to one give or take How do we
operate How do we live We raise taxes to 10% When will it stop Let me know because it's not sustainable I I'm not looking to fight anybody here I've been around a long time fighting But I see exactly what it
is I've done a lot of research and all you parents and everybody the citizens of Obridge do some research Call the office and see if you can get an explanation of the funding That's where we need the fight The fight is in Trenton
100% And I compel anybody to find out what it is because there's no reason why Obridge should be short 12 million 700,000 5 million How do we live Tell me The government their budget was 36 billion I think in 2000 I think it was
18 possibly It's up to 60 billion now You can't help out a school district SEPTA a great program in Obridge has to fund raise for money because we can't get money to take care of our special needs Is this
cool It's not Ladies and gentlemen the lady was right We've been doing a lot of fighting against each other That's including myself But I know where the fight is now And that's where we should put our effort All of us We should get other
towns other superintendents other board members other parents to get together and not one time go to Trenton We need to go to Trenton send emails have real conversations because guess what We're just going to lose more and it's never going to end unless we stop and we stop
them in Trenton So please if you can just make some phone calls and do some research see if you can find the funding cuz it's very fuzzy But I do appreciate everybody here today and I do appreciate the job that you all do I didn't see it until I
got on council and I know it's very difficult So um God bless you all I mean that sincerely Thanks Anyone else Okay we're going to close the mic Um few things I'd like to respond and
then the board can respond as well Um the comment was made asking when Mr Citadino sent goals The board sets the goals and the board did evaluate Mr Citadino late in the fall Um the superintendent did go to Trenton
multiple times and the COVID grant money has been shared and allocated to the board and to the public Um I was on quite a few of the character.org or um state level phone calls and interviews It was the same message over and over
from community members from students from staff from parents It's not just a pitch phrase It's the culture here in Oldbridge You know those pillars of character Um and Mr Asatulli if you want to I I've tried to work together and see if the town council and the school board
can get together and whether it's fight Trenton do something We serve the same people If the council and the school board want to come together I'm all for it Let let's fight the same fight We serve the same community So if that invitation's open I'd like to accept it and invite any of my fellow board
members to join the conversation with me Um Mr Cedadino is talking to the assembly on April 25th I'm talking to the Senate on the 26th anyone who's welcome to meet us down there and show the support as we speak asking for this
fuzzy formula and asking for the state aid So we are going to Trenton Uh I guess that's next week already Come join us Come stand next to us as we as we have the conversation So to answer those questions All right Anyone else on the board would like to address any of the
comments made I have a comment Um obviously we're in all agreement that Trenton is a problem and that there's a convoluted formula that about state funding Uh I know the podium was set to have comments about Dave's contract but
since we're all in agreement that the state funding is off and we're losing money Mr Ced Mr Citadino and the administration team is using the funds that they have available The guy doesn't make the rules the guy doesn't he didn't he didn't personally do any state
funding cuts Um the administration is using the funds that that have at hand So when you hear about what is he not doing what is he not getting at He's not going down to Trenton He's not inviting people You know when I have my house budget I spend what I have I don't spend
what I don't have So um I think the administration's done a great job in the budget system Last year I sat in with the budget We were 12 million short Yes we lost we lost uh late school buses but we kept the district intact and early on
we're in part of the 20 526 year and again they're coming up with creative ideas to try to keep the district intact So the administration and Dave leading it does what he can to uh keep the district intact He cannot control what Trenton doesn't give us So
thank you Anyone else Okay Can I can I address a few things Sure Um let's let's talk about the doctorate Let's let's start there Um I want to be clear I was never instructed to get a
doctorate It's in a it's in if I was instructed or directed to do something it'd be in my contract That's not language in my contract Any requirements of being a superintendent here in Oldbridge are are contractual It's not there what is in my contract which I negotiated was an
incentive and I am the only employee in the district who would get a 100% reimbursement for getting it No one else would get that So when I did do my doctoral work and I did all of my coursework with a 4.0 and there was a tragic situation
with my uh committee chair it was a setback Things happened Things happen personally in my life Things happen professionally here and I I didn't go to it That's me That's my decision But all the c coursework was done And if I couldn't commit myself to it
because of what was going on then and what's going on now I um you know I didn't want to commit to the impact it would have on the district Could be $80,000 that you'd all have to pay And I want to make sure I'm committed to it I've thought about
going for and I've talked to Mr Parton about this I've thought about going to law school You know there's nothing in my even my contract that says a doctoral degree A doctoral degree is a jurist doctorate I could start going to law school right now and you'd have to pay for it But I want to make sure I'm ready
for that Maybe I'll join my son in law school He's getting ready to go Maybe we'll go together when I retire But I want to make sure it's the right time and it's the right place Um board evaluations I I don't I don't know like
if you're not paying attention or just it's been discussed at Nauseium I didn't receive board evaluations for three years I got my first board evaluation this year I hold that as a reason as to you know I'd like to have them because if you're not going to have me it's nice to have evaluations when you go on an
interview because that's what they ask for They want the last three years over the last three years of evaluations Do I want to make the district look bad and say "Well they didn't evaluate me because it makes me look bad." So no I'd got one this year and I was happy to get it I'm hoping for
some more glorious ones Um I guess information about closing Cheesequake it's just misinformation Cheesequake was evaluated not only by administration was evaluated by an independent resource that came in and did a structural an evaluation of
all of our schools Based upon that information the decision was made And I don't know how many times I have to say it I don't make the decisions for this board of education I don't make this decision I am one person They ask me what could we do just like the budget every year My
team comes together with varying scenarios We call it almost like a restaurant buffet We got column A column B column C You want a little column A you can do that a little column B And that's the way the decision was made based on information We used our
architect's information We used a um information from someone who looked at our enrollments future enrollments and that's the way the decision was made And I think I was very fortunate I called a district that was about to
close with the Middle East County I mean I'm sorry Newark Arch Dasis on a rental of another property and I talked them out of that property to rent our property to get us $5 million in revenue on a property that's only worth $3 million and now we still own the property at the end of the contract So I
think that's someone should be rewarded You know I'm the only superintendent that I've known history of this district that's brought in $15 million in revenue That's more than my administrative team will make while here serving in this district
Um Trenton I mean if you don't know how many times I've gone to Trenton you're not paying attention It's well advertised It's advertised It's advertised everywhere I don't post about like you said how I help families or anything I post when I go to Trenton It's all it's all over the place Um I
think to this point I've been to Trenton at least five times I went to Keenway before they even enacted S2 to fight before they even started thinking about doing S2 Um I went there um with uh Senator Thompson I asked him to be my
liaison to get me in the meeting that you couldn't even get into and we went together drove down together all the KE's way before they enacted S2 Last year I formed a coalition with superintendents that were impacted by this and helped superintendents work
with legislature to write write a legislation that helped us out of this problem last year That was all discussed by all the board members at a meeting in Trenton this year at the Department of Education They talked about how we worked together how we got we got that done
Um to Mr Aley's point I agree with 100% I've been saying it No one's Sometimes people don't listen but I've been saying it I don't care if your house values went up 400,000% 400% We don't have access to
it We only we're capped at 2% We give this as superintendents we give this joke If a mega millionaire one of those people who buys the tickets won a ticket who lived in Oldbridge God bless that person But it would destroy our schools
because our school funding formula is based upon two major things Home property values and income When one person's income goes up by that much they'll assume that it's not it's not on the aggregate that the everyone's income that just based on the average
and our it will impact us But we're only can get 2% even if 30 people in this district won the mega million We can only get 2% of their mega million of 2% not 2% of the mega million 2% of what last year was So 2% on top of what last
year doesn't matter how much money you're bringing in Don't know how much It's a broken formula And I can tell you that the formula is fuzzy The formula is corrupt I've said that before too because I know districts that were S2 districts Now they're not S2
districts because of connections that they have in legislation It's not the first time I'm saying it I said it loud and clear last last week Until there's accountability and transparency in that funding
formula we will continue to be the whipping post And it is obvious to me when you look at the first S2 districts ourselves Tom's River Jackson um we all have something in common I'm
not going to say where that in common is but we all have something very much in common And we don't get that You know have I asked the governor to come here Yes I have I don't get a response for that because I'm from Oldbridge Have we talked on his committee Yes we've talked We've had various we've had various
people reach out and no So have I had meetings with Senator Gopal I had three meetings with Senator Gopal last year alone Got the same answer you have received Um so all of that to address that the co money I mean it's a public
document where the co money the estster funds go It's on the website Last year's is there The year before is that's there It's in the library If you want to find it all you have to do is open a open open a book open a computer It's there So thank you
I would like to say a few things Um so you know the the board members um up here we don't have to right not required to respond in in any way but I do think it's important I try to be as transparent as I can So I would like to respond to a few of the things I I often
take notes I know some people are like "What are you writing up there?" And I'm you know vigorously jotting down some notes because I take the time to listen and reflect Um so and forgive me if I'm not directing at the exactly the right person who may have said what I would like to respond to Um so I believe Mr
Lewis um you brought up you know personal issues Um I'm going to say that I have zero zero um personal issues with Mr Citadino who've never had one Um my children have I've never had an issue with my children in the school system Um
I think that I hope and I hope that people see it have done a good job of remaining objective and keeping the emotion out of my decisions Um and basing it on simply on my observations and my experience with people Um so I just wanted to say that um a lot of
people talk about I think Miss Alice Foster you talked about um division and you know perception is reality right and how we view things is is is really what we believe and um I don't really see it as division um we have a lot of board
members who are asking a lot of questions and I know that in the past maybe I don't know maybe that wasn't really the case we hold each other accountable we hold admin accountable um and I I don't see it as division Um division isn't inherently bad Um it's actually essential It's essential for
change and and it's essential uh make the world go around I mean it's literally what we teach our children in the classrooms that you know diversity and differing opinions is essential So it's not any different up here Um and then I just want to go back
to uh what Mr Asatulli said and even Mr Sadino just said you know we can all agree We can all agree on what he just said I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that everybody in this room or listening agrees that we should all be working together but a lot of you in this room couldn't even bring yourself to clap after he spoke So I'd like for
you to ask yourself why that is And it again it brings me back to that to that educator experience and being in a classroom and how we should be treating each other the way that we teach our children to treat each other in the classroom And it's okay to disagree It's okay to disagree wholeheartedly on
certain topics but it's also okay to agree on different ones So if we can't show that we support each other when we do agree even if we've disagreed terribly in the past what kind of example are we setting So I just want you to think about that Anyone else
I have something as I'm thinking and it's probably a sore subject but I'll bring it up and I don't know if this is the place to do it Um Mr Lewis talked about board members that are here that are bringing up their family members in reference to Mr Citadino and his
contract And it's only he brought it to our attention We didn't dig in and find personal attachments to board members families and how they were treated by Mr Citadino Um I know Mr Dunn has a conflict so he can't vote because he's
got a family member that works here And Mr the part Maybe you can answer this but wouldn't that person have a conflict as well or is conflicted if he's using his personal family agenda that he brings up constantly in reference to Mr Citadino's contract Wait just interrupt
you Matt never mentioned his he never mentioned his granddaughter Okay Granddaughter or anybody Okay He has an executive center He talks No he's mentioned her in the past No he has not Yes he has I can bring it up I can I have instances when he has All right let
me answer your question Okay so the conflicts are pretty well defined under the school ethics act Mr Dunn and actually I was going to clarify this a couple pages down the agenda But Mr Dunn can't participate at all He cannot comment He cannot engage in the debate
If we go into executive session we go without Mr Dunn So he is strictly out He has a spouse who is an employee of this school district Uh the other situation was until recently anonymous um is not as clear Uh there are
connections between every board member in this school district They have varying degrees of personal feelings Uh if you don't feel personally about the school district get off the board Uh but you can't use that directly I have spoken to board members since last week
about that There is always the claim There is always the worry that there are personal feelings or that there are personal feelings that go over the acceptable line We are not at that stage right now other than the one clear conflict at this time You have eight board members who can participate in
this question and in this answer uh one who cannot So that's where we stand legally at this point Anything Yes I I just want to respond to that um briefly too Um I speak for myself while I keep my
emotions to my to the best of my ability out of my decisions There are a lot of people who have gotten up um over the last few months and spoke in favor of Mr Citadino and used very emotional stories to get their points across Some of them that brought me to tears um clearly some
deep connections that you've made with people But then the second that possibly one of us do it then it's frowned upon and it's a double standard So I just wanted to say that That's right We'll leave that All right Let's move
on on to curriculum items one through Hold on There's a few pages of this one Go ahead So uh not to interrupt you all but as we get into the agenda it's going to become increasingly challenging to not become
involved We ask you to try really hard because we're going to get to some extraordinarily important agenda items So please bear with us and let the board members try to do their jobs to the best of their ability Jodano motion So this is item curriculum items 1 through 16 Mr Gardano Thank you
Dun will second Madam President Thank you Any discussion S separating five through 15 for voting And I would like to separate number one for voting curriculum Okay Can I
[Music] um So S was 5 through 15 for voting Yep And Christina was one for voting Okay Can I ask why the separation just so I know what
So well that's what I was I was going to say like let's have discussion um we can discuss everything 1 through 16 and then we'll go into the voting part So go ahead Elena Can I discuss Gohead So on on 5 through
15 I know we've had some conversations in finance and looking at the budgetary items Would it behoove because you don't have the ability to do it but I have the ability to do it would behoove the board if just until we figure this out Is it the will of the board to
administratively move those so we don't have to see where we're going there Um so on action just uh can I do a stroke poll my yeah I mean you can do this on either side of the equation you can administratively remove it as superintendent or board members can make
a motion to table it has has the same effect but you can do it agree just based upon that I'm going to administratively remove five remove 5 through15 temporarily okay from tonight can I just can I just ask Mr Wel I know we talked
privately We talked in finance the whole 5 through 15 like you could address the public I know we talked about if we don't pay for it now we got to pay for it next year with running the risk of paying more for it next year Um how it fits into this
year's budget as opposed to pulling money out of next year's budget Right So based on um the request to advance the timeline um typically uh curriculum writing is done over the
summer it's paid for in the that school year So if it's done over the summer July it gets paid through the summer months for this because we advanced the timeline up Uh and it says specifically in the motions in the resolutions that
it would be completed by May 1 of 2025 So we had already paid for a curriculum writing that was done this year earlier this this summer being that this would be done pushed up the timeline being that this would be done for May 25 we
would essentially be approving that to be paid in 2425 school year So essentially what that means is and again it'd be a conversation with the OBA but as these teachers were to be do doing this work and completing it by May one they would submit their time sheets because they're
doing work within this school year period So if you put all these together I believe it's the 99 some thousand we would be paying that in 2425's budget meaning that when that those paychecks are made
or those uh stipens are paid out of that account line there would be short that money So in if we were to continue with this we would have to find money within the 20 current 24 25 expenditure lines and appropriate that sum of money to that line through a board transfer which
is a typical um motion that we have just about every month There there's board transfers that are made So if this were to be approved it would be being paid in the 2425 budget which there is money available It have to it would result in
a transfer Um but again pushing it down the road does inflate costs for at a later date Um but I think there's just a question as to if they're required or not I know that was questioned but if this were approved it would be paid in the current
2425 school year So that account would be essentially two years in one and we'd have to transfer money into there but it would be you know we would be able to do it um within the 2425 budget Even though even though they're removed can we still discuss it or now that it's
removed it's removed No it's still under curriculum so you can still discuss Um so I'm going to kind of go off of what Jay Jay said Like so this year there I mean there's not money but there's a little bit more wiggle room than
potentially next year's budget at this moment with no additional funds coming in So like I said in the biggest thing with our budget this year was our reserves that we had in prior years to fund our budget have been depleted and we don't we haven't been able to
replenish them So in 2425 at this juncture in time the least amount that you spend if we stopped all spending right now you know that helps us when we get our audit done and it helps a subsequent year budget because you could take any un
unexpended lines and put them into your your surplus build your reserves up So if it's something that this board feels is important to do and it can just get ahead and be on that fiveyear cycle we can do it in 2425s I will have to
transfer money appropriately and it can be done However if there's a concern of it's not necessary or you know we want to save that money to build up our reserves and to use potentially for a subsequent year budget then yes we can do that But again speaking to those
reserves we we've kind of learned that's a one-time fix you know when you keep having these expenditures that are are growing exponentially and you only can only go up 2% and you're just relying on reserves and which I say is your your savings account you know you will always will never be able to catch up So it can
help you by not doing it in regards to when we get audited and it helps your surplus But if we do find the need and want to do this to keep our curriculum freshened you know the n the money is available in the 2425 I would just need to transfer appropriately If I can add a
comment Uh I think in our discussion Dr Tui pointed out that if not this year next year we need to do it and also I'm not sure if this will make us go out of compliance with NJSQA So I like to hear about that as well If not this year anyway next year we have to do it The same monies has to be spent again you
know next year as well But at the same time will we go out of complaints for this year from NJSQA So in the past two years we've rewritten past four years we've rewritten both math and ELA twice Um in part because the standards change in 2020 and then
again in 2023 for math and ELA All of the standards from the state for all of these subjects are still from 2020 There has been no updates So because there has been no updates it is not a mandated
component to redo all these curriculum However if you go back five years when a lot of these curriculum guides were written it was a much different time much different technology and much different era So yes would it help to refreshen our guides Probably However at
you know with the non-necessity because the state has not provided us with updated curriculum standards Um at this time out of the 99 guides that are on here there's really only one which is a new course that
would be um necessitated for next year and that's I think number 15 which is the new math course which again we can discuss whether it's ready or not as we transition into the next part of the conversation Dr Tui um you had mentioned one time that some of the courses are on
different um fiveyear cycles to be reviewed Which ones of which one of the which of these courses are would be would come up next year for the mandated five-year all of them So what the got the standards were approved in 2020 You
get one year to implement So we adopted all our because of our old uh model of adopting curriculum over the course of the summer It was all adopted in the summer of 2021 So we are effectively re-upping the 2020
standards one year early where you can get to 2026 and probably be comfortable enough to see if the state ends up changing the standards that they would be um adjusting So we this on a five-year cycle this would be the five years because the curriculum guides usually
are updated by then The state has not provided any updated curriculum guides for world language business um a lot of the CTE courses they remain the same They are still the same on the state website Again using math and English as an example those have been updated now twice uh since I've been in this
position and we've had a revise or um rewrite twice for those two subjects Another question So if the state does revise some of these standards right and then we have to go ahead and revise a curriculum next
year do we run the risk of doing it this year and then needing to do it next year being required to do it again next year because they've updated the standards I'd hate to see us have to do that twice two years in a row Yes that's what happened with the English and the math They changed those in 2020 and then they changed them again in 2023 Although they
were minor changes but we did have to rewrite uh excuse me revise uh last summer And that's those were the guys that were approved upon uh last summer um over the course of uh I think it was August September maybe And you said we get up to five years to
implement it or we have one year from when the new standards are adopted by the state Okay So we are late for some of them that we didn't promptly update it earlier looks like Uh no we're we're fine for all of them Um it's just we would have a five-year window that we would have to relook and revise our
curriculum guides even if the state doesn't update the standards So waiting one year wouldn't necessarily be an earthshattering decision Okay Any other discussion on item 2 through 4 and
16 Okay Mr Mr Odell can we have a roll call on items 2 three four and 16 please All right Two three four and 16 Correct Yes And we had a motion by Gordano and a
second by Dunn Correct Yes Okay So here we go Giardano Yes Jri yes Mazone yes Slade yes Solicowski yes Vanitason yes Dunn yes Francisco yes Dan
Tuna yes All right Resolutions 2 three four and 16 for curriculum professional development passes Okay Any further discussion on item number one for the field
trips Okay Roll call on item number one All right Girardano yes Jri yes Mone no Slade yes Solici no Benitas
yes Dunn yes Francisco yes Dan Tuno yes Resolution one for curriculum professional passes All right on to finance item one Oh Jen we're removing
we have to make a motion Dave administratively removed it and removed indefinite or might bring it back next month We'll see what their financial we just want to get a better picture of something that's non-mandatory right now
Okay As you talked with Mr Tessy microphone We were looking at you know part of our conversation with Mr Dank Tyson is looking at the must haves versus the you know this is not a must have right at this moment So finance
item 1 through 16 Can I have a motion please Miss on a motion Second Jody second Any discussion So 1 through 16 of finance right That includes the 15 budget
Yeah So so Mr Videl I think here the proposal is like we have discussed in the executive sessions on the finance committee We are looking to seek help from the New Jersey Department of Education as a loan or an any any other
alternate funding source for the deficit of $17 million Right Correct Thank you and just separating 11 for voting Okay 11 is sec separated by jordano for
voting Okay well I just also want to add a comment here Um we have been also working on how to solve this although we're going to scream shout like all we discussed so far with Trenton but we're also trying
to look at how we can get better at efficiency or optimize our resourcing and uh you know make some improvements here so which will be ongoing while what we understand is this is something that will be submitted to the county irrespective of we say no or it does not
matter this is not a final budget but It is our process here to move this forward to the next stage which is like in April I think we have to send it to the county middle sex county and then wait further uh about in a month I think so while we also do help scream shout to Denton and
we we work on the efficiencies okay correct so uh just for clarity uh tomorrow is the official day a bud the budget is due to the county so once it is uh submitted tomorrow they have until I believe it's April 21st to approve
that Now within that month-long process they review um they pose questions they ask questions they ask to meet uh based on you know this budget we anticipate having multiple follow-up conversations with them uh to go through that process
We'll be meeting with we have meetings set up with the board as well to go through that process So this is essentially the first step in just trying to get a budget submitted to the county that is balanced Um and then there is there is work to do and we have to have follow-ups Um but this is again
like you said that first step Any other discussion Roll call on items 1 through 16 with the exception of 11 please Okay Jori yes Mone yes Slade yes
Solicaski yes Benitasan yes Dunn yes Francisco yes Gerardano yes Dan Tuno yes Resolutions 1 through 10 and 12 through 16 passes Okay Any more
discussion on item number 11 Yes What are we paving I'm sorry We should give it out There there is a list that we're putting together um with Mr Triccomi It's usually areas within uh
the school district or schools that such as their blacktop Uh last this past year we did memorials Um there's other areas such as masonry or blacktop that um is is has potholes or anything like that So it's a a first a liability to insurance
Um but also you know we're looking to improve those areas where some areas within the schools you know the kids are playing on that surface every day And when you have there's some head shaking there you know uh whe whether there's puddling or or pooling um you know it
helps you know in some of our schools that that's their they don't have that big grassy area You know they're playing on the asphalt So we're trying to clean up as most of those areas as possible I know it's something that principles across a lot of elementary schools have asked for Um when it comes down to it we
h the only funds we have available for that are within our capital reserve um funding which I'm assuming is why Mr Giano had separated this out Um but again it's something that the principles have asked for We're trying to make it as as clean and useful as or for our
children to play Um what's difficult is you know you're using funding and and asphalt can only have a useful life of so long So you know you do have to routinely kind of manicure these over time They they wear out Um but when it does come out you know I think Memorial
can speak to it It comes out very nice and and the kids are very happy So we're just trying to find some other areas to improve on Um we we'll get a list a full list together for the board um that we've been working on And um obviously what's difficult about it is we we
earmark a set of funds that you know are budgeted right now and then the price of fuel goes up in in summer and asphalt prices go up and what you thought you could do for for that amount um is a little bit less But for right now we have you know an idea of what we want to accomplish with it And uh that's what
we're looking forward to to put forth at least for right now There were some other items that were going to be on this but um I took them off because of one the amount of money that would have been going to our capital reserves that is important to keep and two they have to be on our long range uh facilities
plan and some of the items that we are looking to do have not been fully added yet So all all these uh items as doing asphalt and masonry are on our long range facilities plan and are able to be used uh our capital reserve funding to and make those improvements So yeah I
just had concerns because like for example the town and like a lot of places you go there'll be a pothole and instead of fixing just a pothole they'll redo everything for no reason And that same company Whit Lombardi when they sent us the original blueprints for what they wanted to do and their rationale behind it they showed little nicks in
the track little nicks in the field turf field and we ended up redoing the whole thing So I I like to see it It's highlighted so it's new on the agenda So that's just my concern Understood And um again this is it's a item that has to get included on the budget submission It
doesn't have to be the final uh thing that's approved with the budget but that was what we have tenally in our budget That's what we are appropriating with those funds And again when you have one pothole and one student or one teacher does trip a lot of times that means
workers comp payments or or you know lawsuits to the district that Mr Parton sometimes works so dullly on as well Um so again we're trying to cover our basis on that but again the biggest thing is you know giving the the kids a space that they can fun have you know play and
have fun and uh that is safe So Mr Widell just uh just convince the board and the public or advise that this money is not coming out of the general fund This is not going to be you know taken away from the children It's coming from our capital funds which are utilized for improvements such as this So this money
cannot be coingled So the money is sitting there and necessary to be spent and and cannot be utilized for educational or general fund purposes Is that correct That is correct This is as uh Miss Dantino has uh eloquently spoken in the past this is a kind of a separate bank account We have our capital reserve
funding That uh funding can only be directed toward capital projects In order to have a capital project it must be what's on your LRFP your long range facilities plan So I confirm with our architect that all asphalt paving and masonry work is included for every
school on the funding plan Um and that is why we're putting forth uh that that item uh for the agenda or for the budget rather Any other discussion on item number 11 Just one clarification there Right Maybe it does not come from the tax levy If
that's the difference we are trying to make I agree But still it is a resource that is accessible for the community for the community's improvement right it is just not that coming from the tax levy if I'm correct Mr That's what the
general community can use the the property and I say community for the schools I mean for the students or for improving you know plans like this it's still a resource that is accessible to make a betterment of the community needs and it's a community again school district correct like the the capital
reserve can only be used to improve the the community and the capital like buildings exactly yeah but it has to be part of so to be clear it has to be part of the capital improvement plan for the district so can it go to salaries no can it go to school supplies No it has to be
part of something that's part of your capital improvement plan for the district which is going to fall under property and improvements of property Perfect Thank you It's just a large amount I want to see it before I approve it That's it Okay
Okay Any other comments on item number 11 before we roll I'm sorry One more thing Madam President I'm sure that uh once we have a buildings and grounds committee meeting that will be vetted through the committee so that the committee can make its recommendation to the full board Correct Yeah we will do that as well Very well Thank you Mr
Modell And uh Mr Judan if you remember correctly just you know like we did last time with the track where we may not have all the board may not have all agreed but I made time to schedule a date for you to walk around the facility and have the person show you what they
thought the concerns were there We could do the same thing with the playgrounds and the potholes and what have you as well Yes No like I said they'll do what they have to do but then I'm afraid they'll try to convince us to do more than what's necessary There's always an upsell in life We have that jurisdiction
to say yes or no Okay I think we're definitely at the point in our budget where we're trying to get as many projects done with you know the cost but it's it's good to have the concern All right Any other comments on item number 11 One comment I think for the people that are will watch or are watching um
when Mr Wedell explained what the improvements were going to be half of the more than half about threequarters of the heads in the audience were shaking yes and saying that that they they were really necessary improvements Thank you for sharing Any other comments on item number
11 Roll call on item number 11 please Jori yes Mone yes Slade yes Solicowski yes Vanitason yes Dun yes Francisco yes
Giardano no Dantino yes Resolution 11 for finance passes Okay Thank you very much On to non-certificated We don't have anything for athletics So non-certificated personnel office item number one Can I have a motion please
Okay Any conversation discussion Okay Roll call please Slade yes Solicowski yes Venitas yes Dunn yes Francisco yes Gerardano yes Jori yes Mazzone yes Dan
Tuno yes Resolution one for non-certificate personnel office passes Non-certificated personnel operational item number one Can I have a motion please Jo you'll move it Francisco will second Thank you Any discussion
conversation Roll call please Solicowski yes Venitas yes Dunn yes Francisco yes Jigardano yes Jodri yes Mazone yes Slade yes Dan Tuno yes Resolution one for
non-certificated personnel operational passes Okay Non-certificated personnel other items one through three Can I have a motion please There's all motion Francis go second Any discussion Roll call please Vanitason
yes Dunn yes Francisco yes Gerardano yes Joyri yes Mone yes Slade yes Solicowski yes Dantino yes Resolution 1 two and three for non-certificate personnel Other passes Certificated personnel item
1 through 10 Can I have a motion please There's all a motion I got a second Joe second Okay Any discussion Can we separate number one Okay For voting and discussion or Yes
for voting Madam President Okay Okay Any Let's start on discussion Well any discussion on all of items one through 10 Why don't you do Well they said they said they were only
separating it for voting so I was going to do all discussion Okay So we'll do discussion I apologize Discussion for items two through 10 Any discussion Roll call please on items 2
through 10 Items 2 through 10 Dunn yes Francisco yes Gerardano yes Jri yes Mazone yes Slade yes Solicowski yes Benitason yes Dan Tuno yes
Resolutions 2 through 10 for certificate personnel passes Okay I don't So just just for clarity I wasn't under the impression that there was you're asking for a discussion amongst the board but that's news to me
Well there had to be consensus for us to put it on the agenda No no And we did that So what were you asking amongst the board You said you wanted us to discuss something No like because the public came and basically trying to convince us one way
or the other So if any board member is changing their mind I would like to hear their opinion and then go back and forth on that And if there isn't the five votes then we should go into executive session to discuss legal ramifications
and a way to plan for that Any other conversation discussion Okay Roll call please On item number one Okay Uh item number one Done He can't vote Cannot vote He's going to abstain
Francisco No Gerardano Yes Jo Yes Mazone No Slade Yes Solicowski No Benitason No Dan Tuno Yes
All right We have a 44 So hi This is a personnel appointment with eight eligible which is always a challenge That motion does not succeed So at this point you do not have a new contract for the superintendent Uh under the
uh and this is public information We may go into executive session if that's the pleasure of the board for attorney client or personnel But the public aspect of this is that there are now two boxes that are next in this flowchart Uh the board does have the right to non-renew the superintendent That would
also require five votes among the eligible eight The board having not renewed this or not accepted the new contract And if it does not non-renew then as of April 1st because there's a three-month notice period
there would as Mr Ganiano said a little while ago be an automatic rollover contract This is the same thing that happened in 2022 It would be a three-year deal with all terms of the contract remaining as they are So those are your options at this point If there
are questions on the process most of those will be answerable publicly So we're really still under certified staff and we can continue this discussion if board members have questions If we drift into an area that is protected by
executive session privilege I will tell you that or a board member can make a motion If you have specific attorney client privilege or personnel issues you wish to address um I have a comment Go ahead
Just to further what S was discussing and it's news to me just as of now but we had a straw vote to come up with this one-year contract that I believe that was the majority of the board to to
agree upon We had the attorney draft a contract manh hours It cost a taxpayer money to do that went to the county superintendent I believe to get that approved So I'm I'm sure the board's not required but I guess what Sal's alluding
to I think the public should know that or hear from board members where we went into the executive session to decide on a one-year contract and those who said yes to the one-year are saying no So just just to clarify that Mr
Um we're not naming any individual names but the fact is that we did send a contract to the county superintendent for approval So the board directed that that be sent Doesn't matter who but that means I'm just that's news to me that
I'm just I'm just clarifying that we're not talking about what happened in specific but the result is public and that was the result Okay So I just I would think that the public who pays taxes have the right to know So news to me but we were we had two
options and some of us wanted the two-year but the remainder of the board wanted the one year So that's what we went with And in good faith we sent that we sent that contract then but like S said I think that the people who now
turned around and voted no without even talking to the rest of us because we should be a united board should explain why they voted yes to end it But now no I agree So
[Applause] well we don't know We don't know how they voted because it's in executive session so no one knows That's why I wanted to That's why I want to go back and discuss it more That's why I think the conversation should happen in public for the transparency Elena you were
ready to speak Uh yes I was I would like to make an additional motion um to put on here and I would like for us to vote for a non-renewal That's my motion Okay That that is a proper motion because we are in a regular board meeting So uh it's just a motion at this
point But Mr Parton before we do that I'd like to have a discussion about why the votes were changed Uh you you have a motion on the table So let's get a second and then we will reopen discussion for the really the entire issue So is there a second Second Okay
Okay So there's been a motion Hold on Absolutely unacceptable He's not able to vote and he's telling what to do Yeah M Mr Dunn you gota I I know just like the public going to ask all of you except the eight board members to not not speak You don't need to hear it I
heard it Okay So we Miss Francisco made a motion Miss Mone seconded Um at this point we can have discussion on the motion on the floor So I'll jump right in on that So if there if there's a motion to
not renew that's why I'm thinking out loud So we're not going to renew his contract So his contract will end June 20 of 25 Yes June 30th of this June 30th of 25 Okay And again I hopefully this is an open discussion and we're not
hiding but Dave has been navigating us through the budget last year's budget and this year's budget If this guy does not get renewed as of March 30th how much heart and soul is he going to put into the navigation to get us through
this year this year next year's budget this year So I think it's financial suicide even if there's nothing personal You got to keep this guy here for at least a year to get us through next year's budget and also the following year's budget But to have somebody jump
in on July 1st and take over the mess that that we have is financial suicide for the district So I would love to hear rationale that you're not looking to renew at least the two board members who made a motion and second why you want to
not renew him in for at least the one year that's on the on the curriculum on the agenda Would either one of you like to give rush now your motion Okay Um I would like to have some conversation
Hold on Hold on Hold on They want to hear it Just like you said just like you said last week that a lot of people a lot of people that write into you their opinions doesn't matter That's how I feel So I don't have to explain anything That's my right and I don't have to explain anything But let's be honest
even if we did explain even if I sat here and I really went through everything realistically logically um we're going to ask the audience to keep commentselves and let the board speak please Thank you Um it really wouldn't matter I mean let's be honest it wouldn't matter I could stand here and
stand on my head you know and again we go back to the double standard So we said for so long that you know Mr Citadino changed his mind He did right I can feel a lot of different ways about something and and still want to move forward in a certain way I can change my mind I can have a lot of different
perspectives And here's the thing you know it's so hard because you can all sit there and say "Oh she's just making it up." I have spoken to so many people staff members parents community members past parents current parents who will
never get up at that podium who will never send an email because they are afraid They're afraid for their families And we all know it's very difficult to get up there And you can you can have whatever reaction you like That's okay We all have reactions You can laugh You can chuckle It's reality And I could
never ever break the confidence and trust in the people who confided in me So yes I have that stuff in my head too That weighs very heavily on me I take all of this very seriously and and if you don't agree with it that is okay So
yes that is my explanation because a lot of you aren't hearing those things I actually asked a couple people today can I please beg them can I please share The answer is no Okay I'm not breaking their confidence So whether you want to believe me or not is up to you That's fine But I still have my reasons and
that's it All right Then I have something else to say I have something to say Go ahead So Elena when Jen asked you to explain a term you were using just based on change You said you felt very blindsided that she was asking you
that and that you weren't prepared and you didn't know how to respond to it But that's exactly how we feel now because you could have approached us as a as a cohesive board but you didn't You you talked about one thing when we were together and then you came here and did
something totally separate and you didn't even give us reasons I'm not even talking about the public I'm talking about us your fellow board members It feels very insulting So I can't talk about what we said in executive session like Mr Harton said on who was saying what But it was never that you were
gonna that you were going to vote Well there you're you're kind of giving away executive session which I think that some of us are are Well Dave's already given me permission to talk about what the but what the different um choices were So and how we voted Okay I also
have a comment So with the fact that we're not that it's not confirmed but you're not looking to renew his contract whoever is deciding that maybe at that point or at this point tonight someone could share with me what your game plan is for July 1st if you could at least do that So you could tell me that you're
looking to hire an interim superintendent whatever that process is you're looking to get somebody new July 1st to inherit this district So maybe you could if you don't want to share your notion because you're going to get shot down If somebody could share
with me what the game plan my kids are in the school I'd like to know what going forward July 1 is going to look like So I have a a few thoughts One just because it's on my head to clarify we technically had three choices
regarding Mr Sedo's contract You had we had the choice to non-renew and not waste people's time and money um pushing the contract forward As was said the one-year option and the two-year
option we could not have done anything that we did as far as sending the contract without the majority of the board without at least five of us saying that we wanted to do it Elena when the public spoke earlier
you called out that we're allowed to all have opinions and respect each other's differences And I think you know the board you know We've all called each other out on trying to be a more cohesive board and it didn't feel cohesive There was
tension Like I I I had phone calls this weekend Let me tell you I I said I was glad this weekend I didn't pay for cell phone minutes cell phone by the minute because my I would had an economical bill this weekend but you know rumors of of board members calling people and saying "Hey would you be our interim?"
Like that's against our ethics code like we're supposed to I I'm not verifying I'm just saying it was stories I heard Like everyone else's phone was ringing this weekend You know I can't say I was surprised by by Sal's question because
you know I heard things But we're trying to respect your your thoughts and your opinions and try I think there is ways to say that there's concerns without giving away someone's confidence But I can't come to someone else's side or or
respect someone else's side if I don't have any information So I'm going to echo the call of my fellow board members and say "Hey if if you have an issue that maybe I can join your side fine tell me Give
me the opportunity to hear your side." But to just say you may you change your mind Yes you're entitled to change your mind but I can't join you in your change mind if I don't know any reasons So those are my comments Any other
conversation Yes On the motion Yes that's what I was uh told last year I changed my mind Okay Mr Citadino his his contract he was at a frozen salary at 218 or 2020 or whatever it was And I sat down with him
I said "Look well here's what we'll do We'll give you the increase up to $250,000." We went along with He was supposed to leave at the end of this year with the $250,000 Then he comes up to me He says "No I changed my mind I want more."
Again everyone's entitled to their opinion I don't know if it was wanting more money or thought he had a board that he could work with And you know even if it was different opinions different sides you know we had said the end of last year and the beginning of this year we were coming together you
know people were asking administration questions people were getting the answers maybe that's why a's mind was changed because he thought he had a board that respected him and you know he could work with to facilitate any change that people wanted That's going to be my
opinion Any other comments I want to add some comments and I want to clarify why I voted no Uh definitely the time when we met it was about 3 weeks back I think roughly 3 to four weeks back maybe since we had the conversation but I learned a
lot in the last four weeks especially when we sat down to discuss about the finances and uh that does not give me a good feeling and it I did raise you know quite a bit of questions and thanks to the administration you helped me to understand as much as know you can but
I'm more forwardlooking this is not about the past right everybody speaks great about Mr considered you know and I do speak great about him as a person and for what he has done to the community that's hands up you know definitely but I'm more forwardlooking again imagine
you know this position this is the chief superintendent or the chief administrative officer of the school district for 11 year tenure we need fresh ideas and we need growth like somebody said here in the podium we have so many oddworking
principles we have a 10 superintendent in the line how do to give growth to people right And soon or other we we'll run out of fresh ideas This is a problem to solve both to increase our proficiency in education as well as as
well as financial stability Nothing to complain again on Mr Sedino personally But what I really think is we miss the boat to set forward a future vision We know about S2 cuts back then like 8 years ago We have been taking this year
by year I don't see any active plans of how one would have solved this problem for three years to come from now from for five years to come from now So this does not help me comprehend to make a decision to continue uh with M Mrino's contract Nothing again personally with
him All I think is we need some fresh ideas here The great smart people across the board across the school districts and this is becoming a single point of failure Look at the crowd here right This is becoming a single point of failure It shouldn't be a single point of failure Things should move on Things
should continue in in presence of such an administrator or in not in presence of that administrator That's how a business or organization should exist and continue We should not have such a huge dependency on a given person It's again not about his skills It's again
not about his proficiency He's done a tremendous job But some of these things do not comprehend for me And that's the reason I'm looking for a change uh somebody who can come and set for set forth a bold vision you know uh all the financial strain that we have bring in some innovation around some of this
there's nothing new that this is nothing new and it's not the only district that is suffering we do have other districts um you know suffered or come out of this situation or having other plans to get grants or whatsoever so we need fresh
ideas here to move on thank you Kieran I have a a question for for the comments that you had made um all for change all for fresh ideas Uh part of the one-year conversation was that would
give us time to do a complete and correct and thorough superintendent search So in my opinion the one year was more bard serving than community serving to nonrenew right here and
now And this is no offense to any substitute teacher but you're essentially putting a substitute in the chief administration chair July 1st for an unbeknownst amount of time
It's someone that is not handpicked by a certain member of the board It is someone that is a collective board decision and the process has to be done correctly We have to do a correct search for an interim superintendent It's not a a a store thing that we just go and and
click on the Amazon box Um so if you're wanting that efficiency and fresh ideas how are we going to get that July 1 with essentially a substitute in that
chair That's my question Okay And then I would also like to add that whether it's one year or non-renewal the search is going to happen regardless So I'd rather keep the current superintendent and conduct the search It
any other discussion Okay roll call please All right What are we voting on So we have a motion from the floor for a non-renewal
uh motion by Francisco seconded by Mazone So this is a motion number this is resolution number 11 for non just to just to clarify a yes or no
A yes is to non-renew I like I said I think we should go into executive session again to discuss the legal ramifications Are you moving I'm not Are you making a motion to go Yes I am I'm not I'm not I'm not voting on that until I know everything and we could discuss as a
board Anybody want to second that motion I'll second I'll second Okay All right All right So we have a motion from Jerano to go into exec at 9:07 and we have a second by Dan
Tuno and we need five votes to go into exec Correct Yes Just to clarify Mr Dunn you are eligible to this vote Uh but you will not come into executive session but you can vote on whether or not the board goes into executive session
Will the vote still be in public Oh yes Yes The vote will still be in public All right So this is a motion to go into executive session Done Absolutely Yes Francisco No
Gerardano Yes Jodri Yes Mone No Sel No Solicowski No Benitason No Danuno Yes So you are not in executive session We can continue the discussion now Mr
Gerardano if you have questions that are protected by attorney client privilege I will tell you that Uh if they are protected by Mr Citadino's personnel privacy rights I will tell you that Otherwise ask away
Okay I I would like to discuss his qualifications in executive session So I can make a better decision on whether to nomure or not So you want to make another motion for executive session for matters of personnel to discuss Mr Cidino's
qualifications Yes Anyone care to second that motion I'll second that motion Mr discussion on the motion if any although it's just a question of whether or not to go into executive session Yes Done
Yes Francisco No Gerardano Yes Jri Yes Mone No Slade no Solicowski no Vanitason no Dantino yes
Okay No it does not pass to go into executive session to discuss to discuss Mr Cadino's qualifications Resuming discussion So I'll just go ahead and ask your questions No I'm just
saying if if it's 44 which would be the opposite of what we just did then the contract rolls over for three years Yes And I do not want that to happen But I do want to keep Mr Sid you know for another year But it appears it appears the option is an
additional three years or none Correct That that's what you're voting Can we No but like we can discuss we can discuss that in public We can discuss that in public Okay So the motion that's before you right now is still an open motion
for non-renewal If that motion passes we have non-renewal effective July 1st 2025 Mr Citadino could assert his tenure and seniority rights He is a tenure assistant superintendent principal and vice principal here in the Oldberg
School District Uh so there could be bumping effects there but the his time as superintendent would end on July 1st Uh if that vote is not successful whether and you said 44 if it doesn't get five no matter what it
gets if it's less than five then if nothing else happens between now and March 30th you do have the rollover contract for a period of three years a board
member who voted against and stay with me now who voted against the one-year extension contract could make the decision to make a motion to reconsider that decision At that point if you approve
and I'm not making this up if you approve the motion to reconsider we would then reconsider And that would be a fresh vote And it could be 44 again It could be 62 or 26 but you could revisit the
issue because you're right Otherwise you have a three-year deal coming to you by courtesy of a state statute not by your own decision So that is the update on the flowchart at this time And we haven't fully discussed as a
board since we made that consensus agreement So I think we should reconsider discuss it again and like I said I I I do not want three years Like I said I'd rather do a year now and then do a proper search There's a motion on
the floor though So what happens at at this point Uh Sal I understand your point but you cannot make that motion yet because there is still a motion So motions to go into executive session were appropriate but at this point we have to kind of finish the action on the non-renewal motion and then at that
point we would determine what the board's pleasure is to do next Okay I was going to say for clarification So if five votes choose non-renewal does not mean Mr Citadino
has to exit the district July 30th for June 30th He could choose his tenure rights and still stay in district in another position Yes Wait Mr P could you clarify that Yes please Uh the way it works with almost
all the positions in this school district and any school district in New Jersey is that you get tenure after four years It used to be three Um that is true all the way up to assistant superintendent of schools but since 1996 it has not been true of superintendent
Superintendents get contractual tenure which is why we talk about three four and fiveyear deals because that is the universe of options for a superintendent The reason we have a one-year extension possible is that the underlying contracts three it would become four So
if a superintendent is non-renewed in his or her capacity as superintendent that person still has tenure rights in other positions that they have held in the school district Mr Citadino is as he sits here now a tenured assistant
superintendent a tenur principal and a tenure vice principal So he could choose and it is his choice to assert those tenure rights in which case on July 1st he would be the next position in which he could bump meaning have more
seniority than somebody else on the rungs of the ladder before where he finds himself right now Okay thank you And that ju just to clarify uh I know there's always Monday morning quarterbacking on this type of thing and understandably so That's
pursuant to a state statute and a decision out of Asbury Park actually that says exactly that that's what happens Any other discussion Roll call on the mo on on Elena's motion please All right So this is for non-renewal This is roll call on motion
11 for non-renewal Moved by Francisco seconded by Mazone And just just to clarify yes means non-renewal A yes vote will mean non-renewal Done Abstension Yep Francisco
Giardano Yes Joy No Mazone Yes Slade No Solici Yes Vanitason Yes Dan Tuno No
So five votes yes for non-renewal Motion 11 pass This is a slap in the face to your employees It's not about Dave It's about the people you employ And we've had enough So there are five Please You already
have issues stopping your security Security So we have Kathy you're gonna have trouble getting subs tomorrow [Music] So we have we have five votes for non-renewal
Based on the board's action Mr Citadino is n renewed as of July 1st 2025 Mr Parton now since now since the vote has occurred am I free to speak Uh unless any other
board member has any other action on the superintendent's contract that we want to move or discuss Anybody But you you just you just said he would have the rights to be at that same level of assistant superintendent
to be an assistant superintendent He would have if he chooses He doesn't have if he so chooses He could he could remain as an assistant superintendent with the salary that goes with assistant superintendent and that's why I want to go into executive session So like I said so we could discuss that plan It's not
our plan to make Our job is to give him a contract or not give him a contract And if he chooses to walk away July 1st he can If he chooses to say you know what I'm sticking around He can And
all that information was given to the board before their their vote No but No it wasn't Yes it was Is there do you have questions Mr Jerdan
Yep Like I said I didn't want to involve the public in these questions It's something we have to discuss as a board together and that that was the that was the condition of my vote Can you make a motion You you can you can make a motion to go into executive
session to talk about the the legal implications of what just happened No because that that was condition on my vote because we had the 44 Well we didn't have anything We hadn't voted yet No we voted The one year was 44 right
The contract was 44 Yes Like I said and I I do not want to give the automatic three-year extension but our choice and the board the board cho the board chose not to go into executive session to discuss the recourse and that's their right to do
The board does not have to think Our choice was to essentially let him go July 1 or say "All right well we can't agree on a one year we'll we'll just stick with three year three years and make the best of it And those were our
two choices and that's the way we voted And like I said I wasn't going to give him the extra three years And you chose not to And that's that's your opinion and your vote to give But the result of that vote is July 1st we will have an interim superintendent
Do you have attorney client questions that you want to go into executive session for now Would you like to go into executive session again Yeah because that that would change that would change my vote Yes Are we still permitted are we still
permitted to make a motion for to put one year back on the table Yes Well it depends who it is Hold on Hold on Um first of all we have a motion to go into executive session but just someone made the motion S didn't you
just make a motion Yes Okay I apologize Then I will second sal's motion 920 Any discussion Okay Yeah we'll wait for we'll wait for Elena to vote So we have a motion at 9:20 for
Jardano to go into execed by Dano Dan Tuno to discuss ramifications of the decision Attorney client privilege Attorney client bridge and we will wait for the vote until Miss
Francisco is back So Miss Francisco we are Miss Francisco we are now entertaining another motion to go into exec session for attorney client privilege but we're waiting until all board members were present So back to you Mr Widell Okay So this is a motion by Jardano to
go into executive session for exe attorney client privilege Uh motioned by Gordano seconded by Dantino Done Yes Francisco Was there any client privilege for what I'm just trying to understand what we're trying to discuss to discuss legal
ramifications of the decision to non-renew Is that fair to say Mr Dana That is your motion Okay Sure Yes Francisc because the choice of nominee because you said as superintendent
So if he does have the rights to be lowered to assistant superintendent he would remain in the district and as the interim would come in he could assist the interim in that position until we find a suitable replacement in a search if he chooses He does not have to And
that's would I'd like to discuss Right And that that was the condition that was the condition of my vote Okay So yes Okay So Girardana was a yes Yes Jodri yes Mazone yes Slade no Solicowski yes
Bank of Tasonation no Dan Tuno yes All right We're in executive session Executive session And you will go to the conference room Are we all joining you I think it's just Mr Partner and the board Correct That's okay Is that okay
with you You don't want to be part of the conversation I think Mr Sio should be in the room for that No Yeah Dave Dave is an extra official member of the board So let's at least start out that way
All right You guys will be going into executive session as of 9:24 We will see you back in a little bit Yes Okay welcome back Thank you for um hanging
around Um any more discussion on item number one of certificated personnel Yes After going through executive session um the condition of my vote was
misguided based on the advice I had So I would like to ask if to change my non-renewal vote to no So are we re voting He has he's making a motion to we need a second Yeah You you're making a
motion to reconsider the non-renewal decision Yes Okay So we need because because the board into discussion Let's go into Right Go ahead and explain Yes Well you you can explain what you're trying to say sir The the board denied
me my ability to get legal counsel about this question which was the condition of my vote So we have you have a motion to reconsider I was affect I was like I said I was put on the spot and based on this information I'd like to change my vote Okay Can anyone second Has to be a
certain party Um okay So there's a motion at 9:54 by Jerardano to reconsider the non-renewal vote Is there a second Slate a second Roll call please Well any discussion
So just because it's 10 o'clock at night what's the yes means what No means what This is this is an important discussion No Okay No This is to revisit It's just to return to the discussion
No no no My my vote should be changed because I wasn't Hold on We have right now are your motion is to do a re I'm sorry you're saying something different And it's
a given our recent history together it's an extremely important difference We are during we are still in an active board meeting Mr Gerardana are you changing
your vote on a motion that was placed before the board Your own vote Yes And what vote do you want to change My non-newal vote So we had a vote on non-renewal of the superintendent and I
know all of you were here but I'm saying this for the record because this is going to become important So at 8:54 we had a motion by Francisco seconded by Mazone for the non-renewal of the superintendent effective July 1st
2025 And Mr Girardano you voted yes on that motion Is that correct Yes And you wish to change your vote Yes Mr Widell and Miss Tori when you get this uh can you please change the minutes to reflect
that Mr Gardano has changed his own vote We are not reconsidering the issue We are changing a board member's vote Okay So as of 957 on motion number 11 which was the
uh vote for nonrenewal we are changing Gordana's vote from yes to no That is correct which in effect puts the result
at 44 That is also correct Can I ask a question So this is the first time I've seen this happen where you just request to change your vote Is that something we could always do on any vote How long after the fact do we have to change a vote You have until adjournment of the
meeting at which you cast that vote yourself And that that's why I went through what I just went through because you can change your own vote To reintroduce an issue for discussion by the full board requires a successful motion for reconsideration because you're trying to convince somebody else
If you are simply changing your own vote you have the right to do that within the confines of the active board meeting And that's what Mr Gerardana has done Yes And now I would like to make a motion to reconsider the one-year
extension Did you vote against that I voted yes for that You voted yes for the one-year extension Mr Jeran So you cannot introduce a motion to disturb that result because you voted
for it and it did not succeed So the only people who can vote to reconsider the contract extension vote would be the people who voted against it which is Miss Francisco
Miss Mazone Mr Silicowski and Mr Venites So Mr Let's put it back on the table for one year extension I do Mr Silicowski you wish to make that motion Yes I do Miss Do we have discussion Hold on Okay So at
9:59 we've been reduced to pure scribble at this point Not a motion paper 959 a motion to put uh I have one question though Hold on We've got to just get to this point then we're going to have discussion Just bear with us for one second Moved by Solicoski Motion to
reconsider the personnel certified personnel item number one Moved by Mr Mr Silicowski seconded by Miss Mazone Yes At 9:59 So now discussion on that motion I'm sorry Mr Yeah No I'm just trying to
understand where are we at this point Just before this motion right Where are we at this point We there were four fours for one year and then a motion was moved for non-renewal It was 54 but No
Mr Yeah Mr Um s came back to 44 now So it's 44 right now Correct Yes So what happens with that with both being So now the non-renewal vote has failed Okay
So now we're just kind of back in the board meeting and now Mr Silicowski is making a motion to reconsider the original vote on the one-year extension So it's back to square one and then we're it's almost like starting from the fresh That is a fair thing to say Okay
Thank you So any further discussion So just to be clear Mr Parton on the table is the original contract and if it goes to a 44 vote again then the rollover contract applies Just want everybody to
understand where we are That is correct Yes Is this a motion to reconsider or this is the reconsideration This is No this is this is the motion to reconsider If successful this will reopen discussion on number one So Mr Solicoski has Miss Mazone has So a
yes means we are willing to revote on that is correct Correct Yes No it's not not yet because we have to reopen that discussion That's because changes vote that this is different than an individual changing
their vote Again sorry for all the procedure We're saying yes to revote Okay So if the so that everyone understands the ramifications if we don't revisit it if we vote no to reopen
the voting we're stay at a 44 Correct Yes Correct Okay So uh for clarification for the Mr Go ahead Yeah For for clarification if if the Not too much He's been kind to us Yeah
I've been pretty good about that please Oh yes Thank you Um this is a motion to reconsider Uh it is not the actual motion This is a motion to reopen discussion So if this motion is successful we are returning to the vote
on the one-year extension No Are we ready Done You will abstain Abstension Francisco Yes Gorderano Yes Jori yes
Mazzone yes Slade yes Solicowski yes Banketason yes Dan Tunino no Okay we uh have eight yes or seven yes and one no So the motion to reconsider
number one has been passed That is correct So we are back to certified personnel item number one Miss Antonio Okay let's Any more discussion on item number one Wait can I Why did Can I I
mean you've been asking Yeah you're welcome I can ask right I'm going to ask Why Why vote no Unless I'm confused like because if we stayed at 44 he stayed for three years That would have been my preference Okay All right Can we please any more
discussion on item number one Yes extending it for one year making him the de facto interim and doing a search is the correct way to go Facto interim Oh I'm going to call on the regular superintendent for a year but sure Of
course Yes All right Any more discussion Roll call please So I am now adding this as motion 11 12 13 14 I think No all the executive session motions are separate
So this this is really a a an authorized recall on certified staff number one So recall on number one revote on number three hours or Okay And we had the mo moved by
um that was Mone and Joy Wait you did No not no Originally the motion was moved by Marjorie and Joy The original motion Okay So so we're returning to that Are you comfortable
making that motion Miss Jod do you second that I second it Mone Jedri revote on one Are we ready Ready Done You will abstain Absolutely Francisco yes Gerardano yes Jori yes
Mazone yes Slade yes Solici yes Venitas yes Dantino yes Motion for a revote on one to pass Mr Sadinho's contract has passed by a vote of seven or 820 Yes
And now I I' I'd like to direct the board president to start the process of a superintendent search for the beginning of the next year Can I recover a day or two from today and then I will start the process Thank you very much All right Anything All right So now we're on
to non-certificated personnel Congratulations for saying great I think Congratulations I don't know where we go with that one but we'll try Thank you all for hanging around So now we move on to
transportation Um item number one Can I have a motion Slot Any discussion Roll call please Francisco Yes Gerardano
Yes Jodri Yes Mazone Yes Slade Yes Silicowski Yes thank Yes Dun Yes Dan Tunino Yes Resolution one for transportation passes Okay Supplies equipment and services items 1 through
eight Can I have a motion please Motion Done Will second Madam President Any discussion Roll call please No Gardano yes Jodri yes Mone yes Slade
yes Solici yes Benitason yes Dunn yes Francisco yes Dan Tuno yes Resolutions 1 through eight for supplies equipment and services passes Miscellaneous items 1 through 7 Can I have a motion please Motion
Can I have a second please Second for miscellaneous Can I have a second please Second Thank you Any discussion Roll call please Jori
yes Mone yes Slade yes Solowski yes Benitas yes Dunn yes Francisco yes Gerardano yes Dan Tunino yes Resolutions one through seven for miscellaneous passes Any board secretary and board business
None tonight Okay Is there any um hearing of the residents on any district item Again please sign in on the binder Go ahead Teresa Burns I had had some questions
that were luckily addressed during the uh chatter One about the tenure pay if Mr Citadino had um chosen to take a place in the district It was answered by Mr Parton Um our time here is also valuable I would
appreciate it if the board could be more uh cohesive in what they bring to the agenda because I was blindsided by the no renewal for the rest of the year It's just a courtesy to us the taxpayer to
make sure that we use our time efficiently making sure that we can ask all of our questions um here when we're we have the time at the mic because I don't think it I don't know if anybody else felt that way but um yeah it was
definitely upsetting Thank you Yes I just had to bring up when you talk about um I'm sorry Could you just just for the record can you state your name again Sure Dr Anita Greenberg Belly So when we talked about the cutting of funds to the school board I think it's atrocious also But I think it's also
atrocious when the Democratic Senate and the council when Senator Henry put a bill up which is anyone can look at it Senate Bill 3076 If they supported that no money would have been taken from the school at all And that would have been the best
thing Instead they passed where you can increase the taxes to 10% to the residents That is not sustainable for anyone who lives here And for go pal to be talking about that the value of our houses have gone up Is anyone selling their house to pay for their kids to go
to public school I don't think so That's a little bit absurd So when you look at that in all the context that's when I mean the governor if he has to take money from this town I think he's targeting us for a different reason And if you just look at the other districts
that he did we have the lottery We have online betting We have so many different ways that they waste money that he went from $36 billion to nearly $60 billion That's more than $2 billion a year and he sees it fit to take away from schools
districts It's unconscionable But then that brings me back I just I really want to say that I watched the la the uh March 11th meeting and I do have to say it was truly an eyeopener I am for education For the board of ed president
to call achieving a doctorate a piece of paper is unbelievable Although I strongly believe in the trades and there are many successful people without degrees it is appalling to diminish a doctorate degree to nothing more than a piece of paper I would hope anyone
sitting on this board especially the board president would think higher education is important and knowledge is power Finally I have to say it was disgusting and appalling to hear board member Mr J Slade talk about a clown car in reference to the public speaking It
is obvious you have no moral decency and use foul language when you're sitting up on the deis is unacceptable You are currently not a role you are certainly not a role model for students and have no respect for the residents Thank you everyone and have a great night
after everyone else has had a chance to speak Hi it's Maria Kamo Wixs again So in regards to bill 3076 if anybody had technically looked at it they would have seen the money that was pulled to be pulled from 36 was actually coming from community organizations that was helping
out So for example the Domino's Club was not about playing dominoes It was organization that helped people within the community for food shelter and everything else they need So the money that came from there was actually taken away from other places In regards if we talk about the elephant in the room
again I've been here 45 years The elephant in the room we have not been assessed for 30 plus years which is why we keep getting hit It has nothing to do with Democrats and Republicans no more It's the way our tax system works in Oldbridge So when it came to last year I'mma throw it out there It was taking
the lesser of two evils 300 extra a year to pay for the school tax or an additional 6,000 that would have came from the state It's like you created a Pandora box Stop shaking it We should all be working together Been doing this too long in this township All this division of stuff needs to stop Thank
you for renewing Sadino for at least a year I'm sorry to say after he goes because his feet his shoes to be filled is going to be hard But as far as this whole back and forth stuff it needs to stop We know what the elephant in the room is Thank you
[Applause] I know everyone panics when I come up here Scott Misella public relations coordinator and teacher at S U Mr Pardon I was wondering if we could all apply for credits for the law lesson we all got tonight for the way we all went back
and forth Is that something we could all apply for and the town will reimburse us No we don't have any money We don't have any money That sounds good I just want to be the first person at the podium to congratulate Mr Citadino You and the country next year are going to have a very big year 250th
anniversary of America and your last year Let's make it the best one Let's get to work Old bridge Let's do this All right Thanks Anyone else Okay Go ahead Oh that's right I apologize You did have the rest of your time
Um I would actually be remiss if I did not uh thank Mrs Francisco for saying um we all are here to work together I um I thank you for that reminder I did want to add a comment about the doctorate Um
I personally don't have a doctorate I don't have a master's I don't think I I I brought the comment or or thought it was more about inherent worth but I do think doctorates do bring more value of
words So when we speak about masks vaccines things like that those doctorates hold more weight than others Does that make sense So I appreciate uh that discussion and thank you
Okay Uh my name is Brooke Richards Patterson Um a lot of this was going to be touching on stuff that's kind of already been a moot point Um but I just did want to you know touch on some things because you know going out for I guess the final year and then
considering everybody that's coming in um it is important to touch on some of the things um I guess to piggyback off of last week some parental comments some teachers union you know board member comments and then uh board of ed members
Um contrary to what uh anyone says um any concerns expressed are not little things Um closing down a blue ribbon school blue ribbon school is not a little thing Not considering the consumers during school shutdowns is not little We literally got emails to do
in-person tutoring at the YMCA when our tax dollars pay for uh township schooling Uh not little Um there was no transparency with parents as far as uh sexualizing uh curriculum uh that was being presented to young innocent
children Not little Um despite some fake news remarks Planned Parenthood anal and oral sex masturbation were all just a few topics that had no business being you know planted into our children's heads Uh yet this was something that was announced um by not our administration
Um you know every child should be tested for in the state uh for state and Il testing Um no faculty member should be recruiting friends nor family members without full transparency um and a resume detailed with
qualifications Every faculty member should be able to feel safe to come forward um to any and all up upper admin concerns and upsets without feeling like they will be retaliated against This is not little Every um paris should not be
injured um at work by consumers due to not being offered the appropriate training that other districts offer That's not little Um I'd like to know if admin has access to the board of ed emails and if so why Um where would a facult faculty member go for help
regarding admin conflict Why are so many parents and faculty members afraid to speak up I campaigned for board of ed last year Um the superintendent actually wasn't even on my radar's priorities believe it or not Um but so many people came forward um as I campaigned and
expressed their upset and live in fear of retaliation So uh I mean even yesterday a complete stranger messaged me um talking about her her children um and fear of retaliation a faculty member a prior faculty member talked about you
know discrimination and every you know these people are just afraid um I've tried to encourage them to come and talk because otherwise you know just one or two people is just going to you know be perceived as bitter you know you have these people go on and um you know say
all these nasty things online just because you're a parent expressing yourself um and I'm a parent I'm going to say you know what I want to say Um I'd like for the schools to stop pretending that we are excelling in advance with test scores and circle back to the younger core kids still you know
in the school since the shutdown I know I asked for two years of help and it was actually Mr Citadino was the only one that helped me and that took two years after being rejected by multiple faculty members including the assistant superintendent um administrative decisions uh combined
with nepotism on the board of ed have led to a movement and um you know people are just looking for change Uh we are consumers everybody should be working together taking action Last week I was interrupted from speaking Um and it was
and then I was followed by a conflicted board of ed member whose wife is in the system overshadowing and attempting to invalidate my concerns with rude unprofessional and out of line commentary towards me a district parent Um Mr Dunn despite not being a voting member on the contract matter attempted
to influence and persuade both the board of ed members and general public while trying to shame me as a parent Um I just want to say the same with Mr legislative curse at the last meeting called residents in town clowns This needs to stop Uh the board of ed should create a
a bylaw to prevent um faculty members that are conflicted um you know related to members for board of ed It's unethical It's opportunistic and a waste of time and money This could have been voted on one way or the other already if we didn't continue to vote in conflicted
you know board of ed members They're not being transparent Um Mr Dunn invoked a doctrine of necessity in 2019 so that five five conflicted board of ed members could vote This is dishonest It's not transparent nor ethical Um so I
encourage the board of ed to uh abolish having this ability for for invoking um the doctrine of necessity and also having um conflicted board of ed members Thank you for your time Anyone
else Okay I'm closing the public portion Any board member with old business Madam President go ahead U Mr Parton uh there was accusations that were just made uh towards me invoking the doctrine of necessity for a board vote You know
as well as everyone on this board that never happened And quite frankly I'm getting tired of the misinformation that is being out there So have I ever invoked that Well does it matter if it's there or not Because it never happened The answer is that no board member has ever
invoked the doctrine of necessity The board invokes the doctrine of necessity when it doesn't have five eligible voters So that has happened in the past Uh it's not happening currently We only have one conflicted board member right now but it happens It happens elsewhere And unless the state law changes you're
going to have conflicted board members who are ineligible for certain things and doctor of necessity can occasionally come up And the other question about um people reading board emails under the open public records act anyone could access board emails So it could be anyone in
the town state anyone anyone anyone has access So be careful what you send us I can assure you we're not looking through your emails We have our own No I'm No but I'm saying it's not an administration thing It's anyone has access It's a it's a public it's a
public record Uh I'm going to address the doctorate comment Yes I did say it's a piece of paper and I do think it listen everything's a piece of paper right Like the constitution is a piece of paper It doesn't mean it doesn't have meaning Okay But at time of interview yeah a doctor
can make a difference But I also think we get to a point where your experience and your work ethic and your work performance make up for a piece of paper So I didn't say it wasn't worth
anything Christina called me out on it and I thanked her for it and said "Yes you're right It is a lot of hard work Hard work I didn't do and others did Congratulations Great job I you should be proud of the educational level that it is but I don't think that piece of
paper has to be your end all beall for the rest of everything So that's where I stand on the piece of paper Jen in addition um Dave stated that he did the coursework So he in effect didn't get the paper because he didn't defend his dissertation but he did the coursework
Yeah Um any new business I have something just to bring a lighter note to this meeting Um we have that Lucky Charms campaign Uh we raised over $700 in grant money but I I want to read
some of the responses I got from these are from the teachers So you you know the impact that it had So one of the notes was "I received the most wonderful lucky charm today And when I saw it from you the biggest smile formed on my face You truly made my entire day and my
whole week This gift is so special It means the world to me I hope you're having an amazing year in high school and I can't wait to visit your class in the next few weeks Thank you again for my incredible lucky charm You are the best I got a few more that came I am the
best Right Anyways I got more Thank you That made my Monday extra special That's very cute Thank you I love you girls I'm crying Thank you for sharing Have a great weekend This is so sweet That's adorable Can I donate Oh I love this
Thank you so much for sharing Uh it's nice to be appreciated I enjoy working with all my students So just just another small reminder that the teachers care It's and they love to hear from the parents and students how much we appreciate them So in addition to us
raising money it's a nice karma between the students and uh the staff So thank you Can I say something Yeah go for it So I was going to say something and then I wasn't and now I changed my mind now that we've lightened it up But talking about um it's nice to appreciate I just
wanted to say that um a lot of times people families from the district contact us with problems with issues they're having with um you know um situations Um but I have to say in every single situation that has to do with
this person um no matter what the problem is no matter what the issue no matter how difficult something has been if they've had anything to do with Miss Edenfi um they always say nothing but wonderful things about her they can have any kind
of problem or any kind of issue but no matter what it is people always mention how well she listens how empathetic she is how much she cares And I just wanted to to thank you and bring that up Any other new business Yeah I want to
add one thing So as probably some of you know SEPTA is working with the Wbridge Township Department of Special Services Dr Tui Dr Terti Miss Adinolfi along with the principal of Orbridgeidge High School Dr Sasso on a
multi-classroom renovation initiative Um it's probably all over the place on the social media I encourage people to please support this initiative Um they have a donation link as well as uh their objective is to collect about
15,000 and there are about 23% right now and there are about 100 days left So I encourage uh the community to please contribute Thank you Anyone else new business Yes Okay Okay So um what happened before I'm glad
I got more information about the tenure law I had a misunderstanding So I'm glad we went to executive session to discuss that and that was the reason for my vote change Despite my stoic demeanor that vote did c it did catch me off guard And so that was my mistake to vote based erroneously without
knowing all the information I'm glad I got all the information We've had murmurss in the audience and some board members considered a waste of time So whatever time we spent uh I I will compensate the board attorney instead of putting down the taxpayer You know we'll discuss that later And I'm glad we got
to do this search and we're going to find a suitable replacement and the public could be assured everything will be fine And it was mentioned that someone was trying to convince me and no one tells me how to vote and that's why I'm in the position I'm in now Unfortunately if you know you know But
I'm glad we got to come together and now we could move forward Thank you I think what S is saying is he'd like to buy us all dinner Go ahead Did you want to speak Yeah I wasn't sure if you were talking about um so I had two things that I did want to touch on
and um see the end on a on a good note Um so I do feel that it is you know it's been addressed tonight so just going to say it again because I had planned on saying it anyway Um you know I feel it's my responsibility as a board member to address some of the comments that were made last week Um being a board member
is a privilege to me and I take my role very seriously um to be respectful and open and listen and reflect on what everybody says because everybody's voice matters And I was a little embarrassed
last week um by a couple comments that were made and Miss Antuno you apologized for what you said I felt like it was a a heartfelt apology I understand what you were you know trying to say but the point is that you apologized You acknowledged it and so I respect that Um
but I do feel like and again I'm just trying to you know all night we've been holding each other accountable right And that's our job to do So I I didn't like the negative dialogue um from Mr Slade towards a group of people who come and advocate for children
Whether you agree or disagree everybody's voice matters And to say the things that you said like it's you know an show you know we're supposed to be treating this as a classroom and we don't say those words in a classroom Um you know that your opin opinions don't
resonate with me You have no credibility here for just for the controversy Um I don't get moved by your little speeches up there And then to insinuate that they came in a clown car Um as if they were a joke and that what they said is less than what other people say because
that's certainly how it felt when you said it Um it's not okay for board members to behave um in that way and to say those types of things So I think it would be nice to you know hear from you and and have a possible apology because that's not how we should be treating our
people of our community Um and then I was going to mention um SEPTA and the great work they're doing Um Karen has already done that so I'm not going to go through it again but honestly if you can if you can donate um it's truly going to help our students in this district So thank you
Yeah Oh yes Their meeting is this Thursday the 20th It is virtual Um right It's not actually there They're using You go ahead You go You You got it No you go You go You have all the details Well um so SEPTA is having a
having their um meeting on the 20th at 6:30 It's via Zoom this time because they they're hosting the Ark of New Jersey and they're going to talk about uh transition to adulthood So that's you should go on their website and register You have to register to join and then
you'll get the link and um it's it's going to be a good session Yes I'd like to speak You wear me down Um because my wife did yell at me when I got home when I said the sh blank tword So I will apologize for using that
language Uh in reference to my opinion I'm here four years when I isolated and again I wasn't even planning to speak that night but when I and and I'm standing behind it because I think these board meetings should be about
positivity celebration Yeah there's going to be some controversial topics but I'm sorry when you got the same five or six people that only show up when there's controversial topics They're not here tonight you know So maybe my job
was mission accomplished But um you I never see them here when it comes to positive things I don't see them here when it comes to celebration of things So I will apologize for my language because I got yelled at when I got home
Um and Elena just yelled at me Um so I apologize for that but it's my perception It's my opinion of what I see And I I mentioned this a while ago about the podium I'd love to bring back positive news I mean it seems like I mean I'm here four years Every meeting I
won't say the sword Every meeting is a show So I don't know There's got to be some positivity that we could bring back I know when Scott brings up things and he tries to turn the directions of the meetings I think we need more of that So no you did You did You did You did No
no that's good But I'm so So yes I apologize for my language but I just don't like when I see just just negative vibes and just just I don't know I just don't like it My opinion I brought this up last year Can we have like a shout out from a school each month of like hey
like these are cool things whether it's the student council president whether it's you know I don't care if it's a custodian like every voice in that school matters like I'd love to hear something you know we have the high school rep so that um I want to thank I
know some members did it last week I was waiting for like the regular meeting uh for the classrooms that had us in for read across America I think all of us board members that partic participated had a great time Um whether it's a preschooler sitting on my lap or you
know a fourth grader making me read Pirates Love Underpants you know it it was a fun week Um and I you know I know most of us really enjoy going to the classrooms I think there's a few Q andU weddings going on this week and stuff like that or this month So um those are
some cool things that are going on in the district and thank you for inviting the board Madam President I'd like to say a few words before we adjourn So a few things real quick Um number one I I'm very proud of the board tonight Honestly uh I think that
uh we came to our senses uh even though I was excluded because trying to uh fill the shoes of the superintendent at this point in this juncture of our situation would have been a travesty to our district and our children and our teachers and and I I see that the board
did take that into consideration and went back and deliberated and make made the right decision Um and you know I just want to you know say thank you and um just to make it known I wasn't trying to influence a vote I saw that Sal was a little concerned He was a little
confused and I said to him you know very clearly and it was heard by Elena do the right thing Don't let your heart be troubled And that's what I said So with all transparency I wasn't trying to do anything that was inappropriate I kept my mouth shut this whole evening Uh I'm
very outspoken Uh and uh you know I I will tell you as it is I don't hold my punches back but I just do want to say to the board that thank you You made the right decision this evening Uh one year is going to get us into a better position to understand our budget crisis And you know David and the
administration that's here now they know the pitfalls they know how to piece together the puzzle here to make this district continue as it is And uh I just want to applaud you know everyone here who changed the vote and made this happen And uh I sincerely thank you and
thank you everyone Have a good night Any last comments Because this one I'm a lot lost All right Motion to Wait no I'm sorry I here for another year
I obviously I want to thank the board and the people from this community the schools you know every one of the staff Um you know I've been with you guys for a long time It's wonderful working with each and every one of you I always feel that you know I've always said that
unity is our our strength So over the course of next year and the continuation of this year we have so many good events coming up You know I always like aside from the budget which has never been easy I I for the S2
districts that we've pointed out the falls of S2 districts and I'm happy to get town council members here with us now because it's not our first year It's not our second year and each year I've been pointing that it's a funding formula problem It's a transparency problem But having people coming
together if we can work towards that together we'll be a better community If we can work towards uh coming together on some of our differences it'll be better because the spring is the best I mean you have the graduations the moving up ceremonies retirement
dinners This is a great time for all of us to get together and celebrate um show that one love that theme that we have this year and um affords me one more year to give you come up with a theme and I don't know what did you say before There was something one of you guys said
before I thought that would be a great theme Um but we'll see We'll see You can watch it on tape Um that's true But there you go I'm very proud to work with every one of you and work with the comm community members and we all do it for
the children and they can't be the uh the voices that aren't heard So unity is the strength we need and let's do that together for the rest of the school year and next year And I only want the best for this for Old Bridge and uh each and every one of you and your families So thank you very much
Last call for stage comments Okay I believe we are not going to executive session I was going to say I believe we are not going into executive session We have a meeting scheduled for next Tuesday We will use that Maybe one question to Mr Widel actually Sorry I
try So I know we spoke about uh uh working through the finances and the budget So when is the next plan when we will meet again next Tuesday He just said the 25th The 25th 7:00 is an advertised committee the whole budget meeting executive session only Perfect
Thank you 25th at 7 Yeah See you there All right Motion to adjurnn Jano motion Francisco will second All in favor I motion journ