Welcome to this public meeting of the Princeton Board of Education. The board is an elected unpaid group of 10 citizens who set policy and make decisions on educational, financial, and personnel matters for the Princeton public schools on behalf of all residents. We're always pleased when members of the community attend our
meetings. The board and the school district operate under applicable New Jersey laws and under regulations of the New Jersey State Board of Education. Each meeting includes an opportunity for those attending to comment on items on the publish agenda or other matters of interest to them. The board reserves a
right to limit the time allotted to public participation. Law limits discussion of individual personnel and confidential matters. We hope our meetings provide useful opportunities for communication between the board and the community. Thank you for attending. >> As required under the open public
meetingings act NJSA 1046 adequate notice was given for calling this meeting. It was authorized by the board of education and forward it to the municipal clerk Princeton packet and the times on April 4th 2026 and distribute it to the schools and others on the standards distribution list. The board reserves the right to enter into
executive session during all meetings of the board of education. Board policy 0168 recording devices requires that we inform those attending this in-person meeting. The proceedings are being recorded. This meeting is being livereamed. The representative of the sending district is authorized to vote on such
matters that affect sending district students or affect the governance of Prince public schools as more specifically designated in NJSA 18A 3881. Sending district votes pertaining to personnel actions refer to high school, central administrative, and districtwide staff only. Votes otherwise are considered abstensions in the event
that NJSA18A 3881 is amended, the law should take precedence over this bylaw. >> All right, roll call. >> Thank you, Mr. Harris. Yes, please. >> Adam Beerman, >> Maria Francesky >> here. >> Ellen Hubard >> here. >> Ari Meiselle
>> here. >> Erica Snider >> here. >> Susan Caner >> here. >> Daffendell >> here. >> We have quorum. >> Thank you, Mr. Harris. Um, welcome everyone to our meeting. Uh, this was a special meeting uh tonight to um approve
some referendum projects. Um, but it has expanded. So, we have a couple things on the agenda tonight. Um, Dr. Lassusa, do you have anything you want to talk about? >> I do have one thing before we get into
the business. Um, a couple of months ago, I think it was, I was in the middle school, uh, main office and I ran into one student who I knew uh, from an interaction earlier in the year and I'll talk about that maybe in a couple of minutes. Uh, but the students were on their way to do something that I thought
was pretty neat and I talked with Mr. Burr about maybe having them visit one of our meetings and Mr. Burr and I have been going back and forth about which meeting would make sense. And like you said, Miss Kendall, because this was something of an impromptu meeting that had a lean agenda, uh he and I thought
this might be a good time to uh have our students come in and just talk a little bit about the program uh that they're involved with. So, I'm not sure who I should turn it over to because Mr. Burr is not here yet. Um but maybe Miss Steel, whoever wants to come and introduce the the group that's with us in the back of the room and talk about
what they do and then um we'll go from there. >> Thank you. I believe all the students are here, right? Is that >> right? Okay. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Good. Good evening everyone. Uh thank you Dr. Lusa and board members for
having us on this evening. Um my name is Camila Williams. I am the secretary at Princeton Middle School as well as the advisor for Black Affinity Club. Um we are a group that shares in and celebrates black experiences, black
culture, and also the uplift of our school community. Um, and so as the adviser, I've been adviser for the last two years. Um, it was a goal of mine to find ways to get our students active um, and more involved. And so when coming up
with ways to, um, make meaningful impact, um, the kids and I got together and we came up with reading to the elementary schools. Um, so last year we went during Black History Month and Women's History Month, excuse me, and we
read at Riverside as well as uh Johnson Park. And so this year we expanded on that idea and collaborated with Miss Steel here and she recruited some of her students and we visited with Community Park and Johnson Park. Um, so I'm going
to hand it over to Miss Steel and she's going to tell you a little bit about our project and introduce our students back there. Um, hi, I'm Heather Steele. I am one of the counselors at Princeton Middle School. And like, um, Miss Williams said, we partnered together, I partnered
together with the Black Affinity Club and, um, Miss Williams, who really is the leader of this whole project. And, you know, credit where credit is due for this. and I just kind of stepped on and recruited some of my students and also
um supervised them when they went to um I took some students to community park and then she escorted the students to Johnson Park to read to the second graders um there. And really this was focused on um building community confidence and a
commitment to service as well as leadership and a love of reading from our middle schoolers back down to our second graders. And um now it's time to hear from some of our amazing readers. Um I would like you to please join me in welcoming um Amaly White, McConn, and
Aada Sarpong. Um who are all students at Princeton Middle School who participated in this project that we are calling the Pawsome the Positivity Reading Project. Um and then they will each share a book title that they read at Community Park in Johnson Park along with their
experiences of being a part of this project. So, first up we have >> Hi, I'm Omaly and one of the books we read at CP and JP was Testing on Ice by Sharon Robinson and Kar Nelson.
>> Hi, I'm McConnie and another book we read was Last Stop on the Market by Matt Deopena. Hi everyone, I'm Asa and last week we read the book The Old Truck by Jared and Jerome Murphy Humphrey. Oh, sorry.
As a member of the Black Affinity Club at Princeton Middle School, I had the opportunity to read to second graders at Johnson Park Elementary. Every month, our club does a service project, and this time we visited second graders to read to them. The books we chose were written by black authors or featured
black characters and expressed important messages about kindness and believing in yourself. We wanted to give back to our community and show that volunteering isn't scary. It's actually really awesome. We we also wanted to be leaders at PMS
and show younger students that giving back to giving back makes Princeton a better place. What made this experience so special was seeing how excited the second graders were. They smiled, asked questions, and really cared about the stories, even when some of the books
were a little long. Watching them connect with the books reminded us that small actions can make a big difference. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught us the importance of serving others, and this project helped us do just that. Thank you. Reading to the second graders at
Community Park School was an experience that I truly enjoyed and found very meaningful. It was not only a positive experience as an eighth grader, but also for the students we read to. Second graders were able to see what students in the middle school are like, and it helped show them that older students are kind, approachable, and not as
intimidating as they may seem. I think it also creates a stronger connection between younger and older students in the community in the school community. In addition, the activities we planned such as drawing pictures and writing inspiring words really benefited the students because they were allowed to
allowed them to stay engaged. Overall, it was a rewarding experience for everyone involved and showed how reading and interactive activities can make learning both fun and memorable. I'm a part of the Black Infinity Club as well. I read I read to students at
Johnson Park Elementary School along with Amaly. At first it felt scary because we would be taking on the role of being a teacher who was reading to a class. But when I actually read read the kids were very attentive and asked good questions about the service project. The
kids were overall amazing listeners through this project. It taught me the importance of volunteering and giving back to the community. Not only does it help others, but it creates opportunities for all in all all involved. I'm hoping that some other middle schoolers will be able to do
these types of service projects in the future, and they continue to be welcoming. Thank you for having us. >> So, Mr. Burr, Miss Williams, and I would like to extend our heartfelt thank you to the student leaders for sharing their experience as part of the positivity
reading project. their voices, reflection, and leadership have truly helped bring this initiative to life and inspire others. You know, and as a token of our appreciation, the positive reading project at Princeton Middle School will be gifting a copy of Testing
the Ice and the Old Truck to Community Park, Johnson Park, Littlebrook, and Riverside. This donation will include a signed copy of Testing the Ice by Sarah Robinson. Because of the positive and welcoming experiences we've had at Community Park and Johnson Park, both of whom we are
extremely grateful for, we are excited to continue building on this momentum by collaborating with Littlebrook and Riverside starting in the 2627 school year. We look forward to expanding the positivity reading project to all elementary schools in the district and continuing to foster a love of reading,
commitment to service, and leadership at every elementary school as a part of PPS. that we thank you all. Sounds like a great um program. >> Yes, kudos to the student leaders and all the other students who've been
involved in this. Um, I can tell you that the day I was over there and and was and they were getting ready and assembling in the main office, they were so excited, uh, and they were proud of what they were doing. I want to thank Miss Steele and Miss Williams, and I see Miss Williams, I think, all over the district because she's so involved in so
many activities. So, thank you both. Um, and I do want to just say a quick thing about Asa because he he might be the first middle school student I met this year. And it was back in September. There was like a fall festival uh after school thing on a Friday afternoon at
the middle school and I walked over and it was a beautiful night, 70 degrees. Uh it was packed. I mean it was just students everywhere, staff members, um booths and food and uh games on the playground and in the field. It was a
terrific event on a beautiful night. And when I was in the back of the school through the cafeteria uh in the playground in the back where all the food was, the number one hit was something called elote. And if you don't know what elote is, it's a piece of corn
on the cob that's like got a stick in it or a skewer or something and it's cooked and then it's dipped in cheese. So the cheese melts on it and then it's sprinkled with spices. And as I'm standing there in the in the in the courtyard or on the playground, there are just people streaming from the elote
booth. It was like the hottest ticket in town. And one young gentleman comes like face to face with me and he's just grinning with this elote. So I said I said that looks that looks really good. And he goes, "This is number five." And
so and so I h I didn't see him again until January or or whenever it was that that I ran into him and and I said, "Jason, who is who's this guy? I remember him. He's a he's a great kid." Um, so you you you guys embody what it is to be a student leader and it's
important for our youngest students to be able to look up to students that are in middle school and high school and see role models. So, thank you for being part of the program and being such good ambassadors to the other students in the district. >> And I I want to second what's been said
about the program and also give a shout out to the second graders involved. It sounds like they were great, gracious, courteous, and welcoming hosts to their middle school guests. Um, so they did a good job, too. Thank you. >> Did you have anything else?
>> Yes. So, um again, just the the primary uh purpose for calling this meeting because it was not a meeting originally scheduled was to approve um various referendum projects that have been um vetted by our council at this point so
that we don't have any delays in construction or groundbreaking. Um so, the majority of the agenda that that we have tonight has to do with uh awarding bids and getting contractors on board. Uh we do have a conditional resolution
for our middle school project because there was uh a contested uh one of the other contractors contested the bid that we that our council believes is the um successful bid. Uh so we'll be uh approving a conditional resolution and
uh if the emergency stay that is in place right now that prevents the beginning of construction is lifted, we'll be able to proceed without having to wait for another board meeting. Um I also want to just recognize on the agenda um two personnel items. The first is Susan McGrevy who is the
administrative assistant to the superintendent has announced her uh retirement. Uh I I Susan is someone who has shown me personally a lot of kindness this year and has done a lot I think to pro promote teamwork and a sense of camaraderie in this building
that we're all sitting in right now. Uh so I want to thank her for everything she's done for me personally and also wish her all the best in her retirement. Uh and then we have uh another uh retirement h in the form of the little brook principal Luis Ramirez. Uh Luis
and I found out we share a common bond and that we both began our careers as teachers in middle schools in Philadelphia, probably less than a mile apart from one another. uh and I've enjoyed working with him as well this year and wish him all the best in his uh next phase of life. Uh we have uh posted
advertised for that position. The advertisement closed on Friday. Uh we've received 47 applicants total. Uh Angela and I uh have scheduled about 20 uh individuals whom we will be interviewing uh for an initial screening uh this week
and Monday I think is the final day uh next week. And uh then we will uh prepare a slate of candidates to come in and meet with an interview committee uh on May 1st, which is a Friday. And that will put us on target for an appointment or a recommendation to the board for
appointment uh at our May 19th uh board meeting. Uh so I wish both Susan and Mr. and Luis the all the best and we are uh doing what we can so that we have someone in place um on a on a appropriate time frame
>> and who's on the interview committee not names but >> sure uh several uh administrator administrative staff uh several individual uh individuals from the faculty at Littlebrook. So teachers >> uh three teachers and you
>> uh who has >> Yes. an alum >> um and that's I mean that's the bulk of it. It's about 10 pe 10 people total >> looking forward to it. >> Yes. >> Great. 47
>> come here. >> I did. >> I mean um and that's that's it from my from my report. Um, hold on. Uh, so first, uh, Chris Pots. >> No. Okay. Are you a student? >> All right. We let students jump the
line. >> What school? Just tell us your name and what school you're at. >> I'm Alexander Wayne and I'm a freshman at Princeton High School. >> Sounds good. Alexander. >> So, my name is Alex Wayne. I'm a freshman at Princeton High School. As the captain of the Princeton High School freshman team and a soccer referee, I've
seen firsthand how sports can bring the community together. Um, I'm here today to ask for help for Joseé Lopez, who worked as a landscaper for the same company in Princeton for more than 30 years. His four daughters were all boarded Princeton. They were all
attending public elementary schools and his daughter is a fifth grader currently at Community Park. On July 24th, he was detained by ICE on Harrison Street at 7:30 in the morning with the rest of his landscaping crew and has been deported. I would like to ask for your permission
to host a soccer clinic for students at Community Park Elementary School on May 22nd, a half day with all the district with all the proceeds being donated to the Lopez family. Early dismissals are a logistical logistical challenge for households with
two working parents who need to uh afford or coordinate child care. If the district approves for this fundraiser, they can help working families secure affordable child care and health and support for the Lopez family financially. Thank you guys for
your consideration. >> Thank you, Alex, for coming. We appreciate it. And because we're, you know, the government, we have lots of rules. >> Yes. Um, but Dr. Lassusa and Mr. Harris uh can help you um figure out how you
would be able to host an event. Um, there's some requirements, right, that have to be met. Um, if you give me your email, >> okay, >> um, Mr. Harris will be in touch with you. Okay. Um,
Thank you. I think you said it all. We can >> Okay. >> You know, interact and see what how to help facilitate that. >> Great. But thank you, Alex. We appreciate you coming down tonight. Um, next up is Chris Pototts. Um, just uh your name and the street
live on in three minutesish, please. >> Great. Yes. Thank you. Chris Pototts and I live on Po Road and uh I'm here tonight to talk about Little Brook Elementary specifically uh in light of the resolution to accept Mr. Ramirez's
resignation. uh and really because I care very deeply about uh this community and the strength and the long-term stability of our elementary schools which provide the foundation uh that those middle schoolers that we saw uh can actually um draw from and become
great middle schoolers, high school high schoolers and ultimately citizens in this country. Um Littlebrook is the crown jewel of our elementary school system. I think it's uncontrovertible that that's true. It is the national >> three other elementary schools that might take issue with it.
>> I I appreciate that. >> Those are fighting words. Just want to say >> I appreciate that we have four excellent elementary schools or that we hope to. Uh we do have one that has won a blue ribbon national blue ribbon award three times. Uh it's the only one in the
county that has won multiple times in the history of the county. Uh and it's the only one in Princeton that has ever won. Uh and the reason it has won I think uh is manyfold but in large part is the consistency of leadership
specifically uh Luis Ramirez and the teaching staff that has been built up over decades at Littlebrook. Um, we have teachers at Littlebrook who have been there for 20 years and and longer. And unfortunately, um, right now I think we are seeing a
pattern of declining morale at the school amongst the staff. Uh, which is then translating into students. Uh, we see that with I have four students at Little Brook. I like to say we're a power user of the school because we are. Um, we're there often. uh even this morning had my uh my one of my
kindergarteners uh uh parent teacher conference this morning and I think it's it's very clear what we see of uh of these highquality teachers that are feeling uh restrained and essentially neutered in their ability to teach uh
the way they know how to teach. Um, and that's due to, I think, uh, you know, a large part of the curriculum that's been set forth this year, uh, and specifically in English and language arts, uh, in the arts and letters program. And I I know there's I'm not the only one here tonight to talk about this issue. Uh, it's going to be a
little brook heavy night of the of the parent comment, I think. Um, but, you know, when we see uh, you know, a high number of turnover in any organization, whether that's a Fortune 500 company or a public school system, that's not good. And when we have a school that has
performed objectively and subjectively at a extremely high level over decades, uh to see it sort of regressing into turnover is not a good sign. It should be a red flag for this body to investigate and understand what is
happening at Littlebrook uh and what is causing uh this very high turnover amongst the staff, specifically staff that have been there for a very long time. Um so additionally with increasing class size I know the fourth grade class and the fifth grade class is collapsing
next year. Um you know it that that is a problem uh specifically uh you know as the fourth and fifth grade is really that transition year to being uh to middle school education and to higher education. Uh that is when we need smaller class sizes not larger. I know
it'll still meet the state standards but this is Princeton public schools. We don't strive for state standards. We pay the highest taxes in the state for a reason. It's because we expect more. So, we would like to see this board address uh and reverse the decisions to collapse classes next year. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Dr. Lassusa. If you could just speak to um what's going on at Little Brook, and I know I know this, but I forgot. So, you just remind me. >> Well, I can speak to the co the the
collapse of the class sizes. Um right now we have 80 plus students in the fifth grade I think. Um we have about 62 in the fourth grade. Uh 62 really equates our standard would be three sections. >> So I'm sorry. So forgive me. So we have
four sections right now in fifth grade. >> We have four sections in both fourth and fifth grade. >> Fourth and fifth grade. There's 82 students >> in fifth grade. Moving on to the middle school. >> Okay. And then the cohort coming up in fourth grade is 62 students. >> Right. So even though we have four
sections of 62, >> yes, >> that's disproportionate compared to the sectioning we have across the district, right? >> Uh at that grade level. >> So we're going to move the 62 to three sections. >> Yes. >> The current third grade has three sections. They will continue in three
sections as they go to fourth grade. >> How many children are in third grade? >> Uh about 60. I don't recall the exact number. Um, but we have at JP right now three sections of 24 in fourth and fifth grade. And I think as we all know pretty well, we have two sections of
kindergarten at CP with 22 uh a piece. So if we're going to address class sizes, it's going to be in the lower grades, not the upper grades. >> Right? And if let's say 20 kids move in over the summer and go in fifth grade, what what are you going to do? >> Then we would hire another teacher. >> Okay? So
>> but that would be the case in any of the elementary schools. >> Okay? So, uh, we're just trying to be, uh, prudent stewards. Uh, I remember when my kids were in fifth grade, I think it was about there were a lot of kids. Uh, I think like 90 when my son was in fifth grade. There four sections
and then so anyway, it's not unusual. Um, and Mr. Pots, I don't is he? Yes. Hello. Thank you for coming. Um, you know, you're absolutely right. We don't want to meet state standards. We want to exceed them. And uh although you put fighting words down, we we value each
elementary school um you know equally. They all have their their their they all have their uh uh followers and uh so um you know we um
the philosophy of the board is uh you know we want to make sure that we we are providing uh an A+ education and we understand that smaller class sizes are important but what the administration has proposed for the school year uh of
21 per class in fifth grade seems to fit into those parameters. So, but thank you for coming tonight. We appreciate it. Okay, next up is um Joe Tardio. >> Good evening, members of the board,
administrators, fellow parents. First to members of the board, thanks for your dedicated service. I've been on similar boards before. Takes a lot of time and a lot of dedication and appreciate all of your effort um and for the opportunity to speak tonight. So, uh my wife and I
have a daughter Maline in kindergarten at Littlebrook. So, it's a Little Brook uh speech uh as well and a three-year-old son, John, who will soon follow. Uh we had the ability to choose anywhere in New Jersey to live. We chose Princeton, not just specifically
Princeton. We chose Little Brook. And the reason why we chose Littlebrook very much for the same reasons Mr. Pots alluded to is that's the only elementary school um multiple time national blue ribbon award winner, the only in Mercer County. So I think it is fair to put it
in a different class than the other schools in the district, but I'll say that for um for myself and move on. Um, but the reason why we chose it is because of its long-standing reputation for excellence, stability, and strong partnership between educators and families. I promise this is within three
minutes. So, um, but don't worry. Um, so it's because that reputation that the recent developments have been concerning, and I'll go through a few of those more concerning developments here. We absolutely support progress and recognize that standards and curriculum
must evolve. Uh but when change is introduced without sufficient clarity, support and collaboration, it creates uncertainty and that is exactly what a lot of families in the L Brook community are experiencing right now. Uh for example, recent curriculum changes including arts and letters appears to
have been implemented without adequate support for teachers. In many cases, only a small portion of teachers are confident in teaching this material. This will likely lead to inconsistent classroom experiences and leaves us feeling very unsure about what children
are actually receiving. At the same time, we are seeing departure of many experienced educators and school leaders. Some turnover is always expected, but I think the level we're seeing raises legitimate concerns. Many parents are trying to make sense of
what is driving these changes and how instability will be addressed. Some families who chose this community specifically for Littlebrook are now considering or have already made the decision to leave for private school options due to the serious uncertainty
that we're talking about. There is also a growing perception that decisions are being made at the centralized district level without fully incorporating the day-to-day experience and professional judgment of teachers. We're also concerned that maintaining the strong sense of transparency and
partnership that have historically defined Littlebrook School. Open communication and parent engagement have always been strengths here and we cannot lose that. To be clear, this is not about resisting change. It's about ensuring that change is implemented
thoughtfully and successfully. This is our livelihood. We cannot afford a five-year experiment of employee turnover, test scores, curriculum changes, and assessment changes. So, my
ask of you all is simple. We respectfully request that you all continue to strengthen communication, more deeply involve teachers and parents in meaningful ways, ensure adequate support for curriculum implementation,
and prioritize stability and consistency for our students to ensure that Littlebrook retains its reputation for being a stellar learning environment. Thank you. >> Thank you. Hi everyone. Kathy Gto in North Harrison Street.
>> Good evening. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight in support of the special education funding at Princeton public schools. I want to ground my remark in data. According to the most recent public data, approximately 14% of
Princeton students receive a special education services under the IDA, which is comparable to the national average. Re research consistently shows that students with disabilities who receive appropriate services are significantly
more likely to graduate from high school, pursue higher education or vocational training, and achieve greater independence as adults. Importantly, special educational services are not limited to one-on-one instruction.
They include a specialized teaching strategies, speech, language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavioral support, and collaborative classroom models. These services are delivered by highly trained professionals who ex whose expertise
directly affects a student outcomes. Princeton Public School has a reputation for excellence, datadriven decision and a commitment to serving the whole child. Supporting strong special education programming aligns directly with these
values and it ensures that students are not defined by their challenges but supported in reaching their potential. This is why I chose to come to Princeton and especially because the special ed team could see not only my kids'
challenges but also their strengths, capabilities, and willingness to learn. At Little Brook, she can now go to the cafeteria and order her ice cream on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is apparently a very small task, but for an autistic kid who did not speak until
after four years old is a very challenging one. It also shows her dependence and her level of comfort for Little Brook. Yeah, this is a little bit different but still a little Brook story. This is also the Princess special ed that I know
today and I will continue to advocate for as a voter organizer and as an engaged parent. I understand that you have a difficult choices to make with respect to the budget. I did see the newspaper as well as information that was there. But I do
implore you to not make any budget any make to make up not to make up any budget shortfalls on the backs of our most vulnerable students. Please sustain the level of investment or resourcing that has made the Princeton school system a magnet for
parents like me. I want to close by recognizing the professionals who deliver the services every day. Their work is evidence-based, highly skilled, and absolutely essential for student success. They translate data into individualized instruction and policy
into practice in supporting special education funding. You support their great work which delivers the best outcome for our children. Thank you. >> Thank you, Katherine. Is there anyone else right now for
public comment? Come on up. Just say your name, the street you live on. We're all friends here, but you know, not everyone might know you. >> Hi, Abby Kach. Um, Orchard Circle. And yeah, I'm often here for various. >> But you're not here for Little Brook.
>> I am not here for Little Brook. I'm here actually to help Little Brook in some ways by maintaining and strengthening CP >> so that the students don't go elsewhere. >> All right. So, the board members are a little happy that because a little one-sided. So, now we're going to CP going to CP. Um, I would like to call
out Erica and I don't see Chris here tonight. Um, sorry um for thank you you guys for uh your service and everybody else for your service here. Um, thank you uh Dr. Suaz Lua um for uh surveying
the teachers uh CP and for sending out the survey to the parents um this past week. Um, I ask that you send out the survey as a standalone email or ask that um, the principal send that out because um, like I for one haven't been able to
access it yet. Be like I can see the email but like it's a very it's multiple clicks to get to it. There's a lot of friction to do the survey. I think the survey also should be sent out to the entire district because there's many students uh many parents who have left CP because of the dual language program
or the inability of the dual language program to fully support all kids um with different learning needs. So, it'll be great to send that out to the district because that's also putting on my CPAG hat for be um CP. I every person I've um I'm working with on the CPAD
committee um has a CP story of either trying to be there or not being able to get the services. And again, the special ed services are wonderful in this district and being able to figure out how to get it into the school um would be great into the classroom, which I
know you guys are working on. Um but uh the dual language program is one of the reasons that many people come to this um town and choose a CP district um for zoning. It would be great if all the Spanish speaking teachers in the
district could kind of congregate in CP until all the um holes for teach all of the um opportunities for teachers is satisfied. Uh we don't have enough Spanish-sp speakaking staff in that school. um the administration really needs to be dual
language if it's going to support a dual language school and a dual language population. Um a lot of the um Spanish- speaking um parents in this district have been told not to come to the school because they're not it's not as supportive and there's a Spanish
speaking principal at another school, but our principal doesn't speak Spanish. So, it's not welcoming to encourage Spanish speakers who want to learn English through an immersive program like we have at um CP. Um, and that's we have many wonderful educators at CP and
many wonderful um specialist teachers, but they and I want them to go to a different like stay in the district, go to another school, but please like bring in Spanish speaking people to teach art, to teach music.
Um, and also to if we're starting to have um different tracks in the school to have um a single classroom for the Spanish. Uh, my daughter who has ADHD has worked so much better in one classroom all day where they go
transition between the languages. Um, there's always more to say, but I can say in the survey if we can get the direct link in an email, please. Thank you all for your service. >> Thank you. >> Is the link not in the email you sent out? Oh,
>> I think you did that on purpose. >> Okay, >> Dr. I think that's a case of TLDDR and so maybe you should have like a little brief, you know, too long, didn't read. So maybe you just have to put a little summary on what's in the email so that people will read to the bottom.
Something to think about because you do write a lengthy email. >> I mean, I always read them soup to nuts, but you know, I think uh you know, we're the the next generation likes some summaries. All right. Um, is there anyone else for a public comment right
now? We have another one later on, so if something occurs to you, you can come back. All right. Um, so moving on now. >> Would you want me to respond to any anything? >> Would you like to respond to anything? >> Well, I I'm going to start making Tik Tok videos instead of uh writing emails.
>> Um, yeah, I'll I'll just I'll just kind of go >> I think that would be really great. >> Thank you. >> Shouldn't have said that. Um I'll I'll just go in order, you know, gener generally speaking.
Um I I share and I think everyone who who is at the table here and my colleagues here in the throughout the district share uh the goal of commitment or share the commitment to partnership
with uh our staff and parents. And when there is change uh including curricular change, we want to ensure that it's done thoughtfully and in a way that does not jeopardize uh our relationships and the stability that uh has been built over uh
many many years. Uh so we we share that commitment. Uh two of the speakers raised the the issue of English language arts and arts and letters. Uh I think my first exposure to arts and letters may have been last May when I was just visiting. Um, but I attended a Little
Brook PTO meeting and sat actually in the in the room with uh Dr. Tu who couldn't be here tonight uh and others and listen to her and uh Sarah Moore talk about the process over the course of many months last year in selecting
the materials in gathering input from staff members. I believe there were a dozen different teachers who piloted various programs. Uh and the district went with the program that 11 of the 12 piloters uh chose as their number one
choice. Uh so there was a a I think I wasn't here at the time but I think there was a very careful and deliberate process for the selection of those materials within the context of the changing landscape of literacy instruction not just in New Jersey but in the United States and a move towards
what many people refer as the science of reading and away from readers writers workshop which had been discredited uh out of Columbia University >> and and I'm sorry and disbanded because not everyone knows but Yes. So my point is only that at least
even though I wasn't here on the ground um certainly what was relayed to me was that there was a significant amount of input from um staff and probably from from parents as well. Uh this year it's never easy, it's never perfect to roll out a new program. ELA K5 is the biggest
program we can roll out. There's nothing bigger, not even middle school math. No offense, Mr. Burr. Um, and so it's a it's a process. Uh, Dr. Tu and Miss Moore and um, Miss Samara and other people throughout the district have been
doing what they can to work with our very talented teachers and our teachers association that represents our very talented teachers uh, to try to uh, implement the program uh, with fidelity and in a way that um, is recommended to
us by the publishers of the program. and at least on the first couple of passes in terms of data year-over-year, we have seen very positive results from uh the program. It's not to say we're perfect, not to say we've communicated perfectly. Um but we will continue to work at it
and I will of course relay all of this to Dr. 2 in the morning and um certainly our commitment is to ensure the strongest possible elementary program at all four of our schools. Uh terms of special education uh we have not made
any budgetary reduction related you know uh to special education. Uh we continue to invest any way we can in special education. We've been trying to hire a second behaviorist in the district which is a critical need that we've been trying to secure really from the
beginning of the year. Uh next year's budget continues to make investments in special education. I noted at the last meeting that our special education classification rate of about 14.9% is actually below the state average and as a result we've been penalized by the
state in our funding uh which is really unfortunate. Uh I actually have a meeting with the commissioner uh like a two person on one meeting with the commissioner on the 27th of April. It's an issue that I'm going to bring up with her uh because she's new. She's from
Texas. She's not familiar yet probably with our funding mechanisms. Uh but securing as much funding as possible uh for our special education students and staff is absolutely paramount uh to to being successful as a school district.
Uh in terms of community park, Dr. Tu and I actually met just today for about an hour with uh principal Guchez. I just want to be clear uh there would be no DLI program at all if it wasn't for Miss Grass because she was the only principal
nine years ago or whenever it was that volunteered to take on a program like that. So she is without her there is no DLI. uh and she has been committed all year long uh and has not been shy about talking to me
about ideas about ways we can strengthen uh the program that we're running. Uh we are currently exploring, considering, talking about uh different ways of implementing the program as we transition with construction to a model
that is able to accommodate DI and nonDLI sections at the school. I'll talk a little bit more about that actually at our next meeting on the 28th when we adopt the final budget. Um but we we are surveying and get and get and you know taking the temperature of the staff and
families uh specifically so that we can incorporate their input and and under and have an awareness of how they're feeling uh when it comes to our decision-m um so that that's all in motion and uh I think as many of you
know I'm attracted to a dual language instruction program but we do have some challenges within the current program that we have that we hope to uh improve upon. So, it's I guess my my summary of all of that long-winded answer uh like my and by the way, we have had about a
hundred responses from parents already. Uh I'd have to consider whether or not I want to send and I did send it to the entire district. uh whether I want a standalone email. I like to stay away from standalone emails because I get a lot of requests from parents and others to send standalone emails and I don't
want people to stop reading uh what I send. I prefer to have more of like a periodic uh checkpoint and maybe I'm too wordy, but uh that's just my style. Uh so all that is just to say we're trying, we're uh listening uh to to the input
and feedback and we will keep on striving to make this district as absolutely spectacular as it can be. >> Thank you, Dr. Okay. Uh moving on. Uh we're not going to have board committee reports because this is a special meeting. Um and we're
moving on to action items, which they're action items. They're not part of the consent agenda. Are we just calling them? They're okay. Consent items. So, uh, we are going to have a, uh, summer school. Uh, oh, sorry. Summer school. My computer is the
agenda disappeared, but it's back. Um, never mind. So, um, we're going to have summer school education option for high school students to recover credit. It's going to be $250 for five weeks. Uh, moving on to personnel. Um, Dr. Lasusa is new. We usually talk about the
retirements when we get to this section. So, just so you know. Um so we have six uh employees retiring uh with 9 uh2 years of experience. Um and it is bittersweet. Um uh three of them 29 21 have been here
over um 20 years. Um Susan McGrevy as Dr. Lucas mentioned uh has been um uh a mainstay here uh as we had a few superintendents and uh we'll miss her. She's I don't know who's going to
coordinate the Halloween uh party, but that's on your list to do. Um so we wish Susan all the best uh in her retirement and uh hopefully there'll be a cake. >> Okay. Um uh Mr. Ramirez um his uh I was
on the committee that hired him and my daughter was in fifth grade when he began in the district. um he took over for um Annie Kosk who was here for 12 years and Angela I was going to ask you but before that was Kathy right how long
was she here I think a number of years and then before that was Bob Ginsburg so I I think probably over the past hundred years we've had four principles there right all right maybe hundred years maybe 50 years but Um we've been
really fortunate to um have stability at uh Littlebrook and it's something that we want to and we will continue um to see that that occurs. And then finally, Barbara Young um is retiring. Barbara is a special education um English teacher
at the high school um and she will have completed 29 years in the district. Um she was she is a graduate of the Princeton public schools. Um she has taught students here for 29 years. Her
son is a teacher at the middle school. Is that right? And her daughter-in-law is um the principal at Johnson Park. So uh it's just really um it is a family affair. And uh we wish Barbara all the best. And I would like to say let's go
Mets. But for those Mets fans, I think Barbara's got to find a new team in retirement. Um, but we wish her all the best. Okay. Anyone else? All right. Now, I monopolized that. All right. Moving on
out. Uh, resignation and C business. Um, so I might ask some questions here because I just want to make sure that we all understand. But we have the award of the contract, Princeton High School renovation. Yay. Uh we have the award of contract um Princeton Middle School
additions and renovations. This is the one that's conditionally authorizing. This is the one where um the nonwinning bidder uh filed a challenge in court. Uh the court found in our favor. They
appealed and the appeals court issued a emergency stay. Is that right? And so, um, by conditionally authorizing this, in the event the stay is removed, we'll be able to begin right away. And of course, the most important thing is that
we begin on this construction to ease the your flow, Mr. Burr, at the school. We're trying. Um, next up is Oh, then we have additions and renovations at Littlebrook. This one is all good. Yes. So, that one's going to
go forth. No problem. Then we have uh award of the HBAC equipment replacement at Princeton High School. Uh this one is also this one. >> Uh and the and the material deficiency was they didn't sign it and it was
unsealed. And this is all statuto. No, this is not this is about the shy. This was a shy. So this is the one where so state law requires assurityity bond right because whoever we hire we want to make sure and the state wants to make
sure the project is completed and so we're taking the second lowest uh bidder here because the the lowest bidder did not comply with all the requirements. >> Great. Thank you. I appreciate your patience with me. It's a lot. Then we have um the solar purchase agreement.
Congratulations. Um Susan has been working on this a a long time. Conditionally off. So this one is also conditional. Can you remind me what the issue was with this? >> This is just conditional because we're waiting on paperwork. >> We're waiting on paper from the state.
>> But there is there was no competing bid. >> There was no competing bid. So we're we're hopeful this will start in due course once the paperwork approval comes in. if the paperwork comes in.
>> So if anyone maybe when you go to the state you can talk to people in the whatever department approves that. >> We don't expect any issues with receiving the paperwork in a timely fashion. >> Great. >> Okay. Thank you. And then that is it. So
those are that's five, right? >> There's one more. >> No, no, no, no. I'm talking about the bids. >> That's it for the bids. >> That's it for the bids. So five bids. Three are conditional. Two are conditional. >> Two are conditional. Great. All right. And then we have a special services
agreement. Uh we're moving on now. We have our second public comment. Come back. Just remind us your name. >> Orchard. Sorry. Orchard circle. Great. Yeah. We don't want to come over. Abby. >> Nope. Although you all are welcome.
>> Thank you. Thank you. >> Whenever you want. Um, so I just wanted to clarify two things. Uh, one is a standalone email. Fine. We don't need to have it. I It would be great for our principal to send one out. Um, and I'll also include it in the CPAG email this month if that's okay for
everybody. And if um I also heard somebody could not um fill out the form as a parent of a kindergartener. She had to claim an a different child of hers. So just double check that. I haven't again I haven't gotten to the form yet. Um, and I also wanted to clarify
something that's been misconstrued a number of times um, when I've spoken that we need to have um, a bilingual principal in a dual language school. This is not a personal opinion. Um, this is a professional opinion of a developmental neuroscientist. Children's
brains are wired for languages and every child irrespective of almost every single developmental disorder can learn multiple languages if they're properly immersed. However, last um at kindergarten orientation this year, we were told by
the principal that learning a second language is really difficult and it's it's going to be the hardest thing that your kid does. Um and that's yeah, it's difficult. It's taxing to learn something new. However, it's been 10 years and you know, it's
difficult as parents or as adults to learn the language. I've been trying to learn Spanish for the past couple of years and I'm now at the point where I don't get screamed at by my children for having the wrong accent for saying um Olaf. Okay, don't try much else. So, I can't stress this enough like children's
brains if you can put them into an environment that's immersive and where they walk into the school and they say and you hear olaas like it just it is around them. the posters and whatnot are in Spanish and
it's around them. Um, I think she's done a great job. I am so grateful that she's she stood up and did the dual language immersion. Um I think um like because no one else did it, but now it's time to find a bilingual um principal. And I
hear that there's a school in the district that is searching for a new principal and would benefit from one that knows this district well and that's exactly what principal does. She knows this district and she's a wonderful principal. It's a wonderful
school. My child, my third grader when she was in third grade thought it was the best school in the um in the country. No offense to Little Brook. Um, this year she hates the school and it's been a horrible gainer out of bed a lot of times because of the difficulties
there with the language um, and doing stuff. And so I can speak more on that, but you guys have heard enough of me tonight. Um, and I appreciate your time. Um, but it's really nothing against the principal like she's a wonderful person. This is strictly from a developmental
biologist neuroscientist point of view. Like these are prime circuits to learn second languages, third languages. And um thank you for your time. Thank you Abby. Anyone else for public comment? Oh, you're coming. Well, you know, I think we might have to have a All right,
you can talk. >> Just just >> we have no we have you can repeat. Yeah. >> Yeah. Go ahead. >> Chris Pototts, Po Road. Um, just on the arts and letters, just one point of clarification or just to make sure it's clear because I don't think I said it earlier, but I think what a lot of parents are seeing and as myself as I
have a fourth grader, a second grader, and two twins that are in kindergarten, uh, I think at the higher grade levels, it seems like it's a really great program. I think a lot of the challenges that parents are facing is in the K in one area. uh specifically the rigidity
for the teachers not being able to deviate from the two sentences that a kindergartner is expected to write every week and I know the teachers have to email it into um to to uh Susan Moore or else they get yelled at. I it's the
rigidity uh at the earliest of education levels that I think is causing a lot of the issues for the teachers which is then causing problems for the students and parents. So thank you. >> All right. Thank you. Well, I just want to share that I have a niece in first grade at Littlebrook. Um,
she began the year um below grade level. My sister, I think she'll be fine if I'm sharing this. Um, no one tell her. And Arts and Letters has been really good for her and now she's above grade level, so not even a full academic year.
So, I understand there's problems with um there's always there's always bumps in the road when you implement a new program. And what I was trying to get Dr. Lassusa to say was that we it was not an option to continue with teachers college. Um right, it was disbanded.
Columbia University is not supporting it and a lot of Lucy Hawkins research is being criticized now, right? So, we had to make a choice. We had a very Dr. Luso he was kind of here but you know he was like walking around but we had a very um
>> you just don't want but we had a very um comprehensive uh trial like a whole year um teachers of Little Brook were included. I wish Dr. she was here, but this was a special meeting um and she had plans, but we don't we didn't take um and maybe Elanor
could speak more to it because she was also um on SAC the student achievement committee and so we don't you know we um we care very much about you know there's things people would say there's a right way the wrong way in the Princeton way and some administrator makes some
bristle but it's true and we all um appreciate we embrace that right that's why we pay the high some of the highest taxes, right? Um, so we want to keep the special sauce that's there. So I don't know if you want to speak about what we went through in trialing the program.
Yeah, I mean it was a little quicker than you're saying because because of the time constraints with the sort of the collapse of um of the teachers college program that we had used um it was an accelerated process. So the there
was a a review of um I mean there was work over the summer, there was a review of possible curricula in the fall and then arson letters was piloted um in the spring. >> Okay. >> But I think it was as thorough as possible um under those you know with
the time constraints that we had and I wholeheartedly believe that um Dr. to and Sarah Moore, you know, felt like they're picking the the curriculum that they would pick for their own kids um that they really would have wanted their own kids to have. I know it's a heavy
lift um for everyone to learn the ins and outs of a new curriculum. Um and I know it's hard as a parent, you know, to see your kids being in that first year where there's inevitably going to be bumps in the road. I have a fourth
grader. um you know it's a it has to happen though it has to happen um at some point and we are seeing really good results in terms of student learning um so I think that as we go forward like I think you know there are very um very
committed uh very thoughtful um people leading um you know leading the curricular issues in this district uh and I think it's only going to go up from here >> can I respond real quickly Joe Tardio Liban. So to Dr. Lassuza's
point and and everyone's point here, I don't think any of us are advocating against the arts and letters curriculum against the the body of work that has been shown that it's effective, you know, when implemented correctly with the proper level of support.
>> So I think I don't want that to be misconstrued here. What we're hearing from many teachers, without putting names out, but teachers who are well respected, who have been in the district for a long time, are saying two things.
One, it lacks the flexibility, especially at the Kin1 levels to to to customize it to each child's need. It's a it's a much more rigid curriculum than there was before which maybe there are pros to that. Maybe there are cons to that.
>> But then that being said, there needs to be a lot more support given to the teachers because this is a very different methodology of how to teach um especially at the lower grade levels. The other thing that is really coming
back to us as parents is that the teachers are not being listened to. They're being dictated to. And so that concerns us when decisions are being made by Miss Moore and Dr. 2. Fine. We understand policies are set at that
level, but there has to be a lot of difference to the people actually the educators in the classrooms that know the kids the best. So those are the points I wanted to make. >> We absolutely agree with you. Um we have um you know this was a new program for everyone even with the trial. Arts and
letters has had their um Dr. Chu and and Miss Moore have brought out the representatives I think on two occasions. Um and um actually the union has raised some issues. We were at another meeting and they've just raised it about the rigidity and we spoke about
you know ways to make it more um flexible and I think that's being undertaken. So I just I understand um people don't like change and it but it's I can assure you if there was a curriculum in this district that the
teachers didn't like they would be at this meeting right now and they're not. So, I just I just I know um it's this is a heavy lift. We all know it's a heavy lift, but we believe this program is in the best interest of kids, and that's
what we're trying to do. And Dr. 2 um and Miss Moore, again, I trust my own family uh with whatever they recommend. So, we understand the concerns, but we want you to know, first of all, we're taking them very seriously.
Okay, >> I'll just I can finish it off just by saying that none of the concerns expressed tonight are ones that I'm hearing for the first time. Uh these are all concerns that we've heard over the course of the year at different points, not just at Littlebrook, but at
different schools. We are working to address them. Um, I talk weekly to your your question about, you know, retribution or being uncomfortable sharing feedback. Um, that's why there is a teachers association and they
represent the hundreds of teachers that are in the district. I regularly am in contact with the um, presidents of the association. I was in contact with one today about a separate issue. I talked with both of them yesterday morning at 7:30. We have like a drive-in call that
we do. Uh so I can say definitively that we understand what the concerns are from a range of our educators from K through five and that uh our principles and our other staff are all working toward getting to a place where everyone feels
better about what they're doing and how the program is going. >> And if I could say just one more thing, I think some of the issues with rigidity um are have a lot to do with novelty. Um, so for example, like if I'm making a recipe, you know, if I'm trying to cook something that I've never cooked before
in a cuisine I'm familiar with, right? The first time I make it, I'll follow all the instructions, right, to a tea because I don't know what the what the things are for and I don't know how the ingredients interact and stuff. And then for things that I'm comfortable with where I actually understand how they
work, right? That's when, you know, I change things up or I I feel I feel like I can take liberties, right, that I wouldn't necessarily feel in a novel situation. My understanding is that some of the issues with arts and letters have to do with this novelty and that as our
teachers become more familiar with it, and I think next year will be much easier than this year. um you know they will feel more comfortable um you know doing it with their own special sauce uh and they'll know they'll have a better idea of what's critical and what's less
critical and how they can engage all the students best. But we do take it seriously. That's why we're engaging in this back and forth tonight which we ordinarily don't do. Yep. Uh anyone else for public comment?
No one. Even the third time. No. Okay. Um, moving on. Now we are going to do the consent vote. Can I get a motion, please? Mara second. Ari, >> I know. >> Adam Berman, >> yes.
>> Mara Francheski, >> yes. >> Ellen Hubard, >> yes. >> Ariel, >> yes. >> Erica Snder, >> yes. >> Susan Caner, >> yes. >> Den, >> yep. And motion passes. All right, good job.
All right, now can I get a motion to go? We have to go talk about >> boring contract stuff. So, could I get a motion to go back into close session? Erica second. Ari, all in favor. All right. So, we are uh closing close
session right now at uh 8:13 and we're going into close session again. So, good night everyone. Thank you for coming.