Okay. All right. Good afternoon everybody. Good evening. Um, notice is hereby given that in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act, chapter 231, the laws of 1975, notice of this meeting has been sent to
all school offices, officially designated newspapers, filed with the township clerk, and posted in the board of education office 48 hours in advance of this meeting. Roll call, please. >> Certainly. Mr. White, >> here. >> Mrs. Asuror, >> here. >> Mrs. Pinterelli,
>> here. >> Mrs. Austin >> here. >> Mrs. Leler >> here. >> Mr. Rosini >> here. A flag salute to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it
stands one nation under God indivisibley and justice for all. Um, so with regard to my report tonight, um, there isn't, uh, that much to report and I think the, uh, the bulk of, uh, what's
going to be reported because I just came out of a finance committee meeting will be later on. Um, and I'll just, uh, wait until then, until that's that's done. Um, and I'm going to move on to otherwise the uh school year is going along well despite all the the cold,
right? We don't have any frozen pipes, >> right? So, because I know other districts are suffering from that and other people and and even just in our own lives, um, we have frozen pipes. So, luckily the school has been moving along nicely and um, I don't think it's going
to be an issue at least for the rest of the week. So, um I'm going to move on to the committee reports, buildings and grounds. Mr. White, >> nothing to report. >> Communication and policies. Um anything for that? >> Uh no, not for tonight. Thanks.
>> Curriculum and technology, Mrs. Austin. >> Nothing to report tonight. >> Finance, Mrs. Pinterelli. >> Uh yes, as Mr. Osini said um mentioned, we did have a board me um a finance meeting tonight. Um, first I just want
to remind the board about important budget dates that are upcoming. On March 10th, the governor will deliver her state of the state address. Um, and then about 48 hours after that, I guess around March 12th, state aid numbers should be out. Um, so we'll know more
about what we're getting back from the state. And then on March 17th, um, at our March 17th board meeting, we will, um, approve a tenative budget. Um secondly, um we have a tough budget
that's um that we're facing and we're going to have to come up with some creative and tight ways to address the budget. Uh two areas of concern. Um health benefits are up 1.8 million from
last year. That's 1.8 million. um and outof district tuition um has increased approximately 22%. So that's about $480,000. So that's a lot of money that we need to
um find. So um Kelly, Miss Balito, and the administrators are very busy researching creative ways to help balance next year's budget and also keep future budgets healthy. Um, Miss Abelito will talk a little bit more in her board
secretaries report about some ways to um, address the budget. And that's all for tonight. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, I have nothing to report with regard to negotiations right now and Mrs. Asuror personnel,
>> nothing to report. >> Okay. Please take a look at the committee meeting schedule down below. Take note. Um, and then I'm going to move to public comments on agenda items only. That is agenda items only. Later on in the meeting, we'll have an opportunity to make public comments on
non-aggenda items. And the following rules that I'm going to read also apply later on with regard to the non-aggenda items in the public comment section. The Riverdale Board of Education is committed to encouraging the citizens of Riverville and employees of the Rivervil
School District to speak directly to board trustees. In order to facilitate this communication, residents and employees are requested one to sign in before speaking, two to maintain an appropriate sense of decorum, and three to limit their remarks to no more than
five minutes. The board will also take under advisement the written comments and opinions of non-residents that are submitted to the board secretary being mindful of its responsibility to maintain the orderly conduct of meetings. The board retains the right to rule on such matters as the speaker's right to address the board as well as
the appropriateness of the subject being presented. The board's decision in such matters is final. The board also reminds all members of the public that while it subscribes without reservation to the principle of keeping the community informed by policy and law, it cannot allow public discussion of personnel
matters. Nor can trustees comment on any current or pending litigation. If a matter concerning an employee of the Riverville public schools is of interest or concern to a resident, the matter should refer to the responsible building principal or the superintendent of schools by telephone, letter, or email.
Um, I'm opening the meeting to public comments on agenda items only. Um, at approximately 7:10 p.m. Anybody want to make a comment on an agenda item? Okay. Seeing no one who wants to make a
comment, uh, it's closed with regard to agenda items at 7:10 p.m. And I'm going to move on to the superintendent report. Mrs. Senori. >> All right. Thank you. Good evening, everybody. um want to just update you guys on some of our academic goals this
year. I did send a detailed report to the full board um a couple weeks ago, but I do want to just kind of share uh some overarching initiatives uh for the public. Okay. So, all of our district goals can be found online on our
district website, but tonight I just want to really highlight some of our academic ones. Um this is always a good time for us to sort of pause and reflect. You know, we just passed the midyear point. I think it was last week we might have passed that midyear point. So, the first goal, our academic goal is
to cultivate an innovative and inclusive learning environment that adapts to diverse student needs, equipping every learner with the skills and support necessary to thrive academically and achieve their highest potential. So, what does that really mean and how do we do that? Right? One of the things, as
you guys know, uh, on the board, is that we've really been focusing on authentic differentiation the last few years and making sure that we're using student data to drive instructional learning plans. And so, some ways we have been meeting that this year is um, teachers
and administrators. We've been using our professional development days. We have been using our faculty meeting days and embedded um those DDI periods, the datadriven instructional periods to analyze multiple data sources and then plan targeted standardbased instruction.
Um we're supporting this by observations and conversations we're having during pre and post uh meetings with with teachers and even ourselves when we meet administratively as a team. We also look at all of this. We've been using data from linkit dibbles which is our new
literacy assessment that we've been talking about uh as web big ideas which is our math program NJSLA data from the previous year unit assessments to form uh instructional groups we set personalized goals and then we really
monitor progress. The teachers are doing a wonderful job doing this for their classroom and like I said I I'm really fortunate to have a strong admin team that also does this for their schools. Um, we've built structures like the DDI model which is embedded in everyone's
schedules. Um, we're looking at formative assessments, summitive assessments. We try our best to have push-in support whenever possible with interventionists into home rooms to help support some of this work. And we have also had literacy and math consultants
that are providing ongoing coaching, professional development. We're building lesson bank resources aligned to identified skills and standards that we're noticing through our data. Hopefully, we're supporting our staff the best we can. They're doing a lot of progress monitoring for us and using
progress monitoring tools that we've given them. And then their big task this year, which has been um a new curveball for us, is transitioning to the NJSLA adaptive, which will be this spring's standardized test. So, we've been um trying to look at that and and make
predictions about what that will bring us in the in the spring. So, that's some ways that we've been trying to meet that goal um so far. The second big academic we go um goal that we have is to adopt and integrate updated curriculum and resources to deliver engaging standards
aligned learning experiences that meet the New Jersey student learning standards and prepare our students for success. So, again, what does that really mean? what does that really look like when you're um implementing it? So, we've got a comprehensive plan basically underway to align and implement revised
mathematics curriculum across all their grade levels, working with grade level teams to refine units of study. We're unpacking the updated standards. Again, we're trying to embed the NJSLA adaptive type questions. Um that was sort of a we had to kind of pivot there and switch
and add that in when we found out that was changing. again really using targeted PD to support the classroom application and once again in collaboration with some of our consultants, our supervisor of curriculum, our regional coordinator, and of course our teachers. We're really
trying to strengthen our math implementation um by using some of the link data, the benchmarks, the evidence reports from last spring um and working in in a coaching model in some areas as well. and then looking at that from a
school perspective and then a district perspective as well. So really starting in the classroom and then taking that bird's eye view. We've also implemented in vocabulary um in our grades three through five which will hopefully help support conceptual vocabulary
development. We've launched HD words in grade three to to with the hopes of strengthening foundational literacy skills. And then we're going to continue to progress monitor those two new programs to make sure that they have the intended impact that we want. We're also in year
one of implementation of grade seven spiraled science curriculum. We've been doing that. We did sixth grade and seventh grade and then um we'll go to grade 8 in the 26 27 school year. Um so it's a lot. And so when I say you know you can have these big lofty goals and
they can sound nice and whatever, but you have to make sure that you have targeted ways you're going to meet them. And then you have to make sure that you're pausing a few times throughout the year and checking in and making sure that we're supporting our teachers and that we are making sure that the kids are getting the benefits that we intend
them to have. So again, if you want to really see a list of all of our goals, which include social and emotional board goals, we've got operational goals, we've got technology goals, we've had huge communication goals um with our website and our Instagram pages and our
new app. That's all up on the website, but I just kind of want to highlight some of those academic goals for us. So, um, I think we're doing great. Like I said, I'm incredibly proud of the admin team and how they work with me. And then, of course, our teachers, they're the boots on the ground that have to
really implement this stuff every day. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. That sounds really like a lot. I mean, it's a lot. No, but I mean in terms of you mentioned the teachers being the boots on the ground and having to implement it. It's it's
it's encouraging and it's makes uh I think the district better that the teachers are, you know, doing this. It's just it's just terrific. Um now I'm going to move on to the uh board secretary report. Mrs. Epilo.
>> Okay. Um, just a reminder to the board that your ethics forms are required to be completed. So, please, if you could get those filled out if you need any assistance, contact my office. We'll be happy to help you. In terms of mandatory
training, there are some of you that have to. Hopefully, you've already been signed up. So, again, mandatory training is is on task. In your folders, there is a travel accident policy and beneficiary
form. Please take that home, fill it out, bring it back to me. It stays in my office. It's not going to go to the insurance company, but there are some benefits that you're entitled to. Please fill it out, take it home, and read it. And if you have questions, reach out to me or my office and and we'll be able to
help you. In terms of our budget, as Mrs. Pinterelli has just informed you under her report. We are and you've if you haven't seen it all over the news, we as
a state and as a country have been experiencing increased health benefit costs and um yes, $1.8 million over last year. As I said at my last meeting that if you were
to look at what the board's first level of 2% cap eligibility would be, you are entitled to grow your budget by $512,000. So just round it $500,000 1.8. You're
$1.3 million over cap just in health benefits. So that is a tough nut. We also have an increase of special education students that have needs that are beyond what we can support here in our school
system. So they attend out of district placements. We have grown from 20 last year to 24 and those placements are rather expensive. So our budget is up 22% there. So that adds to the 1.3.
That does not include salary raises. That does not include any additional utilities or any other increases in the budget. So um the finance committee, Mrs. Signori and the admin team, we are
all committed to being creative to looking at everybody is going to have to look at their budgets. We're all going to have to make compromises. One area that is on the agenda tonight is that we are rebidding the Halddram
transportation routes in hopes that we can bring those transportation costs down. Every little bit helps. So those are the types of things that we're doing. We're also looking into the possibility there was a new law that
came into place in July 2025 regarding nonCDL licensed drivers that if you were a non CDL licensed um person individual with certain criteria you would be able to drive a district vehicle. We're looking to purchase a
district vehicle and to put that in place so that we can help to transport some of these outofd district placement students. It is from home to school. It would have been nice had we been able to use it for athletics or other field trips, but you cannot if you're a non
CDL licensed person, you can't drive that van from uh anywhere but home to school. So, that's a little precursor to what we're doing. And stay tuned. We'll keep everybody posted as to what we're
continuing to do. We won't have any definitives in terms of our final plans until we receive our state aid. And as Mrs. Pinterelli stated, the governor's address is going to be on March 10th. State aid shall be released on the 12th.
The board will have to approve a tenative budget on the 17th. And the budget needs to be submitted to the county office by the 19th. So, we have some tight timelines to adhere to, but as we've always done it, we will continue to do it. So, that is all I
have to report this evening. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Epipelo. And um thank you for working so hard on this. Um moving on to generaliz resolutions G1 through G3. Uh may I have a motion, please? >> I'll move G1 through G3.
>> Second, please. I'll second >> any uh Thank you. Any questions or discussion? Anyone? Nope. Roll call vote, please. >> Certainly. Mrs. Austin, >> yes. >> Mrs. Lefner, >> yes. >> Mrs. Pinterelli,
>> yes. >> Mrs. Assor, >> yes. >> Mr. White, >> yes. >> Mr. Rosini, >> yes. Moving on to business resolutions B1 through B12. Would somebody please move it? Move them. >> I'll move it. >> Second, please.
>> I'll second. >> And discussion. I'm going to note that just on B9 that we're trying to get um bids for uh more different or or lower transportation services. again.
Hopefully we find that because because of our the finances and it may help to save a little bit, but I'll notice I'm just drawing attention to B9. Anything else? >> Nope. Roll call vote, please. >> Certainly. Mrs. Pinterelli,
>> yes. >> Mrs. Asuror, >> yes. >> Mr. White, >> yes. >> Mrs. Austin, >> yes. >> Mrs. Leler, >> yes. >> Mr. Rosini, >> yes. And moving on to personal resolutions P1 through P6. May I have a
motion, please? >> So move. >> Second. >> Second. >> Discussion. >> Anything? Anyone? Roll call vote please. >> Certainly. Mrs. Assaur. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Austin. Yes, >> Mrs. Leler. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Pinterelli. >> Yes, >> Mr. White.
>> Yes, >> Mr. Rosini. >> Yes. >> Okay. Now, I'm moving on to public comments on general items. Uh, the same rules apply as to the agenda items only section of public comments. Um, please
take note of that. Um, and I'm going to open the meeting to public comments at approximately uh 7:24 p.m. Would somebody like to make a comment on a general item? No. Okay. Then I'll close it at 7:24.
Old business. Anyone? I just wanted to thank the RVA for um at our last meeting they presented us with um a beautiful platter of um chocolatecovered pretzels and everything for board appreciation
month. So I just wanted to make sure they know we're very thankful for that. >> Yeah, that was really nice. Thank you. And do it during the board meeting next time so that way everybody can see it. Um anything else?
No. Okay. Um, old business, new business. And are we going into close session? Okay. >> Yes. >> So, may I have a motion to go into close session, please? >> Motion ends are closed. >> Okay. Second, anybody? >> I'll second.
>> Okay. Thank you. Um, we are done with the meeting for tonight. We're not coming back out. We are going into close session. Thank you everybody for coming and um, good night. >> Thank you. >> Thank you.