WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=16z0Z4kJLzg

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: 16z0Z4kJLzg):
- 00:04:55: Meeting Open, Roll Call, Flag Salute, Executive Session
- 01:36:09: Return to Public Session, Public Participation Begins
- 01:56:19: Public Comment 1: Special Services Issues
- 02:00:27: Public Comment 2: Special Services and Superintendent Contract
- 02:02:02: Public Comment 3: Concerns About Special Services Director
- 02:05:18: Public Comment 4: Special Services Director - Contract Non-Renewal
- 02:08:42: Principal's Report: Student Recognition and Achievements
- 02:16:56: TSA Recognition and School Safety/HIB Data Report
- 02:28:19: Student Report: AP Students and Upcoming Events
- 02:30:20: Committee Reports: Special Needs Safety Initiative
- 02:32:04: Superintendent's Report: Wagner Stadium Naming, Enrollment
- 02:35:16: Superintendent's Report: Residency Update and Fiscal Planning
- 02:38:37: Agenda Items 1-12: Employment, Contracts, Resignations
- 02:40:30: Education Agenda Items 13-24: Field Trips, Programs, Awards
- 02:42:15: Business Agenda Items 25-36: Finances, Reports, Donations
- 02:43:49: Agenda Item 37: HIB Incidents Approval
- 02:44:23: New Business: Sherman School Events and Announcements
- 02:46:06: Public Participation Opens for General Comments
- 02:46:24: Public Comment 5: Summer Technicians Approval
- 02:47:02: Public Comment 6: Special Education Climate Concerns
- 02:49:33: Public Comment 7: Special Services Director Non-Renewal
- 02:50:57: Public Comment 8: Motion Reconsideration and Special Education
- 02:55:05: Public Comment 9: Budget Concerns and Board Appreciation
- 02:58:04: Public Comment 10: High School Spring Concert Announcement
- 02:58:59: Public Comment 11: Exit Surveys for Departing Staff
- 03:00:35: Meeting Adjournment


Part: 1

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Let me just make sure you're >> Okay. So, let me know. >> Yeah, I'll let you know. Is there anybody online? >> Notice and meeting. This meeting is an open session of the Rosal Park Board of Education being held in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act of the

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State of New Jersey. Notice of this meeting was sent to the Star Ledger Local Source, the Home News Tribune, the Burough Clerk, School Offices, and the District website. Roll call, please. >> Christian Camillo. Vice President Mark Fernandez, >> here.

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>> Lucy Figerito, >> here. Z and Fonte Z Infante. He's here. Dr. Brittney Kirkland, Jennifer Mano, >> here. Gregory Policowski,

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Constance Quintella >> here. >> President Michael Lan Regan >> here. >> Let's move to the flag. >> Let's move to the flag salute. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the

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republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Executive session resolve that the Rosal Park Board of Education meeting hereby convenes to executive session for discussion of the following topics.

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Personnel matters, attorney client privilege, student matter. It is anticipated that the executive session will take approximately 90 minutes. The board may take action during public session. The board shall return to public session following executive session at approximately 7 p.m. The

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minutes of the executive session shall be released to the public when the reason for the executive session no longer exists. Motion to go into executive session. >> Motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> We are now in executive.

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I got to do more. May I please have a May I please have a motion to return to public session? >> Motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I >> I >> We are now in public session. Public participation agenda items only.

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Each member of the public may speak a maximum of three minutes. Please state your name and address for the record. You would think I would know how to turn this on at this point. Um, I'm going to just I want to make a comment about agenda items one and two. So, please

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bear with me and I hope you hear me clearly tonight. Um, good evening board members and members of our community. I'm here tonight because I believe we must confront a systemic issue within our district. one that directly impacts our students, our families, and our

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staff. Our district motto is children come first. But for many of our most vulnerable students and families, that has not been their experience. The decision regarding the special service director is simply not about one individual. It's

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about leadership, accountability, and the culture being created in our schools. Over time, staff and parents have described an environment of intimidation and fear. Families advocating for their children should feel supported instead feel silenced,

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discouraged, and exhausted. When educators and support staff continue to leave, we have to ask ourselves why. When parents no longer trust the system to support their children, we have to

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listen. And when student outcomes are not improving despite all the promises, we must be honest enough to acknowledge that something is not working in our district. This is especially concerning in special

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service services where compassion, collaboration, and trust are essential for every student. The families served in this department are are often navigating some of the most difficult and emotional challenges imaginable.

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They above all deserve to feel respected, heard, and partnered with, not dismissed or intimidated. Litigation and conflict should never be should never become the standard relationship between administration and families.

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This is bigger than one contract renewal. This is about whether we, Rosal Park School District, are willing to look at ourselves honestly as a district and ask, are we truly putting students first? Because if we are losing

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dedicated staff, failing to rebuild trust and build trust with families, and creating a culture where fear outweighs collaboration, the answer is no. Real improvement starts at the top. Culture starts with leadership.

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Accountability starts with administration. We cannot continue as a district to accept dysfunction and call it progress. Our students deserve better. Our families deserve better. Our staff

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deserves better. Tonight, I urge the board to make a decision that reflects the values this district claims to stand for. If children come first, it is truly more than just a slogan. Then it is time

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for leadership that reflects that commitment in both words and actions. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comment. Good evening everyone. Edward Gate Hamilton please. H first I want to thank is the nice lady for her words. Very

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very nice. Second, I want to speak about the agenda item number one, the contract renewal for uh Dr. GZ. I want to ask why one year um and

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approved by the county executive. I didn't see that in the renewal of the superintendent contract. She got easily five year. The the meeting was really interesting with an winter storm.

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And I think I was not allowed to get in even on Zoom to speak. There was no link. There was no invitation. Um I believe Dr. GZ I met her two times. Great personal personality and and very

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knowledgeable um very educational, polite and and and respectful. She came two times to get me from downstairs from the lower level to the to the meeting room. is very very nice of her and uh I saw great

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leadership. She's planning to do something. Hopefully we give her support and power. I think one year is not enough. That's not enough trust and for her. We should give her more trust than this. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good evening. My name is Michelle

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Schmidland, 804 Prospect Street. Um, I am reading an email um from in from Julia Vicki Domini, uh, who cannot be here tonight. >> Dear board members, >> I'm sorry. Sorry to interrupt you. Just

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can you talk about which agenda item this is about, please? Um, special services director. Sorry, better. Okay. Dear members of the board of education, I am writing as a parent of two children who have require special services within Rosal Park

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Schools to express my concerns regarding the potential renewal of Heather Gilgen's contract as director of special services. I would also like to make it clear that I currently serve as a co-leader. Although I serve as a co-leader for CPAG, I am writing solely

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on behalf of myself and my family, not on behalf of CPAG or its leadership. My son Nicholas has received special education services in Rosal Park for approximately eight years. During that time, our family has worked with many dedicated and compassionate

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professionals who have positively impacted his educational experience and development. However, during Miss Gilgalan's tenure as director, I have become increasingly concerned about the level of turnover within the special services department. Over the past several years, many highly

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valued professionals who worked closely with my students and families have left and families have left the district, including occupational therapists, BCBAS, case managers, and other support staff. While I cannot speak to the individual reasons behind each person's

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departure, the volume and frequency of these departures in a relatively short period of time has been noticeable and concerning to many families. In our famil family's experience, we have had previously seen this level of turnover. We have never seen this turnover within

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special services. The loss of experienced and trusted professionals significantly impacts continuity of care, student progress, family trust, and the overall stability of services provided to vulnerable students. Additionally, last summer, my family

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experienced significant difficulties while attempting to secure appropriate diabetes related supports for my daughter Sophia after her type 1 diabetes diagnosis. What should have been a collaborative and supportive process instead became an

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exhausting series of back and forth communications, repeated advocacy efforts, and unnecessary resistance before appropriate accommodations were ultimately put into place. As a parent navigating an unexpected medical diagnosis for a young child, I

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entered the process hoping to work collaboratively with district administration to ensure Sophia's safety and equal access to education. Instead, I often felt like my concerns were delayed, minimized, or treated as obstacles rather than legitimate needs

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requiring prompt and compassionate attention. Some of the concerns I experienced included >> delays and resistance. >> I'm sorry, the the time is up. Thank you. But thank you for your comment. >> So I hope you take this into consideration because it's not just one

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person experiencing this. Hello, I'm Jessica Nash from 433 Bender Avenue and I'm going to speak about agenda item number two. 3 minutes is not enough time, so I'll give you an overview of why Mrs. Goan's contract should not be renewed. She suspended my son based on his disability, which is

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illegal. She spent over a year using district funds for legal fees to try to put my son in a program he did not belong in, but she recommended. Not only did he not go in the program, but he proved he needed additional supports costing the taxpayers more. She insisted

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on having a particular one-to-one parah that was not equipped to deal with my child. I told her at every meeting that this person was not a good fit, but because she would not take the parental input into consideration, my son also needed a certified RBT. That means she paid two people to do the same job. And

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at the end of the year, that parah did not return. That was an additional cost to the taxpayers. She did not have a proper program in place when moving the fourth and fifth grade autism program to the middle school. So, some of those students were not able to have gym outside their classroom. This self-contained classroom

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is located in the basement. It has no windows. And that is where my son spent the entirety of his day because there was no adaptive gym program in place. The fourth and fifth grade autism class at the middle school does not have a thoughtful inclusion plan. These students are put into the fourth grade

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classes at Robert Gordon when the weather permits them to cross the blacktop. If they have trouble dealing with being in the large gened class like my son with sensory issues does, they are kept in a windowless classroom at the middle school. This is not proper inclusion plan and inclusion is something that Mrs. Goggen claims to

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champion. She is failing. She does not communicate in a timely or effective manner with parents, which recently caused student distress. When confronted about it, she did not display good leadership and took no responsibility or accountability. The only thing she's taking is your taxpayer dollars as a

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salary. Recently, she was made aware of a dismissive procedure violation that she claims is important for the safety of the children. While I don't dispute that, she was made aware of the issue and let the violations continue for over a week before implementing the protocol. So by her standards, she allowed the

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shoot children's safety to be at risk. All she needed to do was email building admin to ensure protocol was being followed. Many parents have spoken to me about poor leadership and either contentious or non-existent communication from Mrs. Gilgalan. Most are afraid to speak up for fear of

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retaliation against their children. I know the board gets its information from the superintendent, but it's time for you to know the whole story. Listen to the parents who are speaking to you tonight. Thank you. We now close the public portion. Moving on to the principal's report.

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Miss Keruga. Good evening everyone. I'm looking for the clicker. Today we're here to celebrate and recognize our middle school students for our annual board recognition. RPMS students have shown Panther Pride

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throughout the year. This year, the middle school has continued its focus on increasing Panther Pride with our core values to create school environment that celebrates our diversity. Through perseverance, respect, integrity,

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determination, and empathy, our students being recognized tonight have stood out this year for exemplifying our core values. For perseverance, these students have demonstrated Panther pride by exemplifying it. They have worked

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diligently throughout the year and have shown their work ethic through persistence. They are students who never give up and who are willing to go the extra mile. Khloe Adams Alessandra Morales Breto, you can come up if you're here.

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Indira Jadhav. The following students have demonstrated Panther pride by exemplifying respect throughout each and every day. These students have demonstrated respect for staff, students, and the overall school community. They show kindness and empathy in their actions on a daily

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basis. Isabella Duko, Sha Thomas, Austin Mulford. The following students have demonstrated Panther pride by exemplifying integrity. They are responsible and reliable, demonstrating honesty in their day-to-day activities. They are students

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who can be counted on at all times. Sophia Rodriguez Ruvo. Valerie Rodriguez Alcantara. Josephine Chadelene. The following students have demonstrated Panther pride by exemplifying determination. Through their hard work

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and diligence, they have continued to strive to grow and learn in their classes. They are students who do not give up, giving it their all in order to succeed. Kenzie Huges, Cassandra Dea Cruz, and Megan Bonitez.

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The following students have demonstrated Panther Pride by exemplifying empathy. They have demonstrated true dedication to their day-to-day activities and interactions with others by understanding that everyone has different experiences. Stella Deammansky,

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Cole Kenyon, and Leila Hines. The following two groups of students are commended and recognized as students who have demonstrated overall efforts to strengthen our school culture and promote kindness in different ways. These students have demonstrated overall

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pride in our community by being inclusive of students, persevering to succeed throughout the year, whether in academics or extracurricular activities, and demonstrating determination to keep growing and learning even when faced with obstacles. Their kindness towards staff and students has not gone

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unnoticed and is something that makes them stand out as RPMS Panthers, demonstrating Panther pride. Jana Mills Alyssa DeLeon, Enzo Hidalgo, Ethan Moss, Kylie Brener,

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Lakshmi Vargas, Santos, Andrea Schmidlin, Angel Dea Cruz, Gavin Rodriguez, Audriana Reyes. Carlos Hernandez Brian Batista and Emily Msalam Casio. Congratulations to all of our Panther

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Pride winners of this year. Can we take a picture and Congratulations. Tonight we also have our TSA recognition of achievement. This year the following students under the direction of Miss Greco and Mr. Pearlman

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competed against students from schools across New Jersey. These students placed in their respective competitions and received awards in categories including computer aided design foundations which was first place, children's stories third place and promotional marketing

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third place. Congratulations to Aiden Matthew, Adoran Sola, Alyssa Bolin, Haley Castillo, Josephine Chadilene and Naria Corentang Barnes. Congratulations to our TSA winners of

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this year's competition. I'm also here to report on our school safety data from the period of September 1st, 2025 through December 31st, 2025. Good evening board members, superintendent, and Rosal Park community

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members. As per the New Jersey Department of Education, schools are required to submit student safety information twice each school year to the New Jersey Department of Education. Additionally, as the anti-bullying coordinator for the district, it is my responsibility to report on harassment,

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intimidation, and bullying data to the board of education. This report is for the reporting period of September 1st through dece December 31st of 2025. Each school in the district has their own anti-bullying specialist who along with each school principal address

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harassment, intimidation, and bullying concerns in their building and conduct investigations as required by law. The anti-bullying specialists for the reporting period were Andrea Kazido at the high school, Chelsea Murphy at the middle school, Dena Miwad at Robert

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Gordon, Selene Sutton at Aldine, and Jamie Halpern at Sherman. For this reporting period, there were a total of 30 investigations initiated as possible cases of harassment, intimidation, and bullying. After the completion of thorough investigations, it was

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determined that 12 out of the 30 cases met the criteria as set by the New Jersey Anti-bullying Bullying Bill of Rights. In order to be confirmed, cases must meet all of the criteria. Projected on the screen, you will see the breakdown for each school. At the high

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school, there were was one confirmed case and two alleged cases. At the middle school, eight confirmed cases and eight alleged cases. At Robert Gordon, two confirmed cases and two alleged cases. At Aldine, zero confirmed cases,

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four alleged cases. And at Sherman, one confirmed case and two alleged cases. Preliminary determination was not used in any cases during this reporting period. Consequences are applied on a case-byase basis. Consequences for a

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student who commits one or more acts of harassment, intimidation, and bullying may range from positive behavioral interventions up to and including suspension or expulsion. Also, consequences for a student who commits an act of HIV are those that are varied

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and graded according to the nature of the behavior, the nature of the student's disability, if any, and to the extent relevant, the developmental age of the student, and the students history of problem behaviors or performance. Remedial measures are also part of

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consequences that can be applied. Our goal is to always use situations as learning experiences. So counseling for the offender and at times the victim is required. Additionally, consequences may include parent conferences, education on the district HIV policy, schedule

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changes, detention in and out of school detention, suspension, student monitoring by a staff member, and or police involvement as warranted during this reporting period. We also had the following programs or training sessions that were held at each school. At the

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high school, we had the crisis center training, week of respect, community tree, positive inspirational quotes, therapy dog sessions, monthly stall ledger, and training in various areas such as Mckin Vento, HIV training,

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school safety meetings, and also in nth grade lessons on suicide prevention. At the middle school, there were suicide prevention lessons as well. Sixth grade meet your counselor activities, advisory meetings and lessons, Panther Pride lessons, week of respect prevention

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links lessons, HIV lessons, school violence awareness week and trainings in McKenna Vento, HIV policy policy, suicide prevention, substance abuse inclusion and the use of positive reinforcement and language. At Robert

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Gordon, they had the lead program, World Kindness Day, Easy Ride Assemblies, Respect Lessons on Understanding Cultural Differences, Respect Week, Walk to School Week, Hispanic Heritage Month, Start with Hello Week, Student of the Month, the Did You Know series, and

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training on HIV, as well as Mckin Vento inclusion and School Safety Teams. At Aldine, they participated in peer conflict versus bullying lessons, world kindness day, character council, lead program, digital citizenship lessons,

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respect lessons, safety patrol, morning meetings, has Hispanic heritage month, start with hello week, HIV policy training, as well as trainings on HIV characteristics, early childhood prevention care team, and the school

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safety team meetings. At Sherman, they had the fifth grade HIV assembly, student council activities, World Kindness Day, Easy Ride, Respect Week, social skills lessons, safety assemblies, Hispanic Heritage Month, HIV

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policy training, as well as peer mediation, inclusion, and the school safety team. And for preK, they had lessons on sharing and taking turns, lessons on using kind words, seal stories, social stories, and lessons on empathy and perspective training taking

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with trainings on HIV policy as well as inclusion. At the district level, staff members participated in programs including suicide prevention week, week of respect, school violence awareness week, start with hello week, and red ribbon week. trainings included monthly

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anti-bullying specialist meetings as well as other various staff required trainings throughout the year. The goal of our anti-bullying specialists and school safety teams and administrators is to continue to create schools with positive and accepting environments where all members of the school

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community feel safe and supported. Finally, the last piece that I need to report on this year is our selfassessment for determining grades based on the 2024 2025 school year. And

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I'm trying to open it up, Mr. Devidio. He's here. Thank you, Miss Mau. That would work. I apologize. It is not opening. However, it is posted on our district website.

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Mr. the video. It's already on our website. At this time, I will present on the self- assessment for determining grades under the anti-bullying bill of rights as required by the NJDOE. The scores were presented to and approve approved by the board of education at

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the October 14th, 2025 meeting. The NJDOE recently approved and released the official scores which have been posted on our district district web page for public review. The report is based on last school year 2024 2025.

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It is a rubric that is completed by the school anti-bullying specialists in conjunction with their school safety teams and reviewed and approved by the each building principal. The rubric is used to help assess how well each school is meeting the responsibilities and

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requirements of the anti-bullying bullying bill of rights. The schools use the results to focus their efforts and resources to address bullying concerns and to continue to foster positive school climates in their buildings. The grades are out of 78 points. The rubric is very specific with eight core

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elements, each with ratings of one to three for each indicator with one representing partially meets requirements, two representing meets all requirements, and three representing exceeds the requirements. This is not a passing or failing score. Rather, it is

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a self-reflection to determine where there is room for growth and improvement in our programs. At this time, I will review each school's individual scores, which would be projected on the screen. The overall assigned rating to the district was a 70 when taking into

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account all of the scores combined. This is four points higher than the previous school year. At Aldine the total score out of 78 points was 71 that is projected on the screen and you can see the different core elements and

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how they were scored by the school teams. Next at Robert Gordon the average score was a 71 also out of 78. At Rosel Park High School the score was

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a 74 out of 78. Rosel Park Middle School, the score was a 72 out of 78. Rosal Park Preschool, the score was a 59 out of 78. And at Sherman, the score was a 72 out

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of 78. When combined, the state gave the district grade a 70 out of 78 points. Again, four points higher than the previous school year. The report will continue to be posted on the district website and any questions can be directed to me as the anti-bullying

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coordinator for the district. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Q. We're now moving on to our student report. Good evening, everyone. Um, on behalf of Miss Costa, we would like to congratulate all of our AP students at Roso Park High School for their hard

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work and dedication throughout this year's AP testing season. During the first two weeks of May, students participated in over 18 different AP exams that we offer here at the high school. And some students even challenged themselves by independently preparing for and taking exams outside

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of their coursework. students tested in a wide range of subjects including AP statistics, AP calc, AP English lit, um, AP US history, AP chemistry, and many more. As an AP student myself, I know it wasn't easy, so we would just like to congratulate these students, and we are

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proud of everyone for making it through. We also want to recognize our underassmen who are currently completing their state science, language, arts, and math assessments right now. And by the end of tomorrow, testing season will officially come to a close. and we are very looking forward for Friday's

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half-day spring pep rally hosted by student council which will feature games and annual uh volleyball matches between classes as we head into Memorial Day weekend. We are also excited for upcoming events including prom on June 4th and our sports awards ceremony also

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taking place in June as well. In addition, congratulations to all our students who were inducted yesterday at the National Honor Society yesterday on this astounding achievement. And finally, just a reminder that the Rosal Park High School class of 2026 commencement ceremony will be on June

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23rd at 7 p.m. And finally, as we head into the final weeks of the school year, we encourage everyone to take the most of these moments and enjoy a great time during their Memorial Day weekend. And this concludes my student report. Thank you. >> Thank you so much.

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Um, moving to committee reports. I'm going to start from my right. Does anybody have a committee report? Good evening. Over the past few months, Rosal Park Police Department in collaboration with parents and the community stakeholders have been working on an alopment and special needs safety initiative focused on improving law

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enforcement awareness, response, and communication with families. A parent survey was developed and distributed to help identify gaps in current practices, officer training, and emergency response considerations related to alopement involving individuals with special needs. The initial presentation and

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findings have already taken place and the information gathering is now being further reviewed as part of an ongoing development of potential policies, procedures, and training considerations from a law enforcement perspective. Early feedback highlighted important themes including communication challenges during crisis situations,

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hesitation to contact law enforcement, and the need for increased awareness surrounding how alopment uh behaviors may be present. We appreciate all parents, caregivers, and community members who contributed to this feedback and insight throughout this process. If anyone has any questions regarding the alopment or special needs considerations from a law enforcement perspective,

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please feel reach feel please feel free to reach out to me directly. Seeing no more committee reports, we move into the superintendent report. Good evening. Before I give my brief report, I just wanted to um present to the board and to the community um in

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accordance with board policy 7250, school and facility names that I respectfully bring forward to the board of education consideration a request to name a designated section of the football stadium in honor of Mr. John Wagner. On May 12th, 2026, a formal

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request was submitted to myself and members of the board of education by a committee formed to explore appropriate ways to recognize Mr. Wagner's legacy within Rosel Park District. The committee thoughtfully considered various options and ultimately proposed naming a section of the football

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stadium, a space closely connected to Mr. Wagner's years of service in impact. Mr. Wagner served the district with distinction as a teacher, football coach, and vice principal athletic director. Throughout his tenure, he demonstrated a deep commitment to

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students and student athletes, leaving a lasting and meaningful impact on the school community through his leadership, mentorship, and dedication. Policy 7250 authorizes the board of education to name school facilities in recognition of individuals who have provided

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outstanding service to the district. This recommendation is presented as aligned with the intent of the policy honoring the traditions and values of the Rosel Park community. At this time, I recommend that the board of education review this proposal for first reading

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and consideration pending board discussion and any desired input. This item may be brought forward for action at a subsequent meeting. Thank you. I am pleased to share an update on student enrollment across the district,

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which has remained strong and relatively stable throughout the school year. Our total enrollment increased from 1,921 students in September to 1,981 students in March, reflecting consistent growth across our schools. As of May,

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our current enrollment stands at 1,974 students, representing a slight decrease of seven students since March. This minor fluctuation is typical for this time of the year and reflects overall stability in district enrollment. Current enrollment by building is as

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follows. Aldine school 280 students. Robert Gordon School 318 students. Sherman school 357 students. Middle school 45 students. High school 551 students. Preschool 333 students. We

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have seen increases across most buildings since the start of the school year. Just to give you an idea, Aldine started with 270 to 281, now at 280. Robert Gordon 305, 321, now at 318.

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Sherman school 348, 357, remains at 357. Middle school 431, 439, now at 435. High school remained relatively steady at approximately 550 to 551. Preschool went up from 27 to 33.

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While there have been slight adjustments in recent weeks, the overall trend reflects sustained enrollment growth since September and continued stability across our district. Residency update and collaboration with our residency officer and through our centralized residency review process, we continue to

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ensure that all enrolled students meet district residency requirements. Between April 15th and May 16th, the residency officer reported the following activity. 73 residency verifications completed with 68 found in compliance and five requiring additional documentation. One

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residency violation investigation currently in progress. One residency violation investigation completed which is pending a board hearing that occurred tonight in executive session. Five additional residency matters pending further documentation or investigation. This ongoing work supports accurate

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enrollment reporting and helps maintain the integrity of our school community. We will continue to monitor enrollment in residency closely and provide updates as needed. Just a little update on fiscal planning and staffing update as the district continues planning for the

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2627 school year. We remain focused on balancing educational needs with increasing operational costs particularly in the area of employee health benefits. This year the district experienced significant increases in insurance related costs including 41.83%

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83% increase in health insurance premiums, 35% increase in prescription coverage costs, and 3% increase in dental insurance costs. In response to these financial pressures, the administration has continued to review and continues to review staffing,

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enrollment trends, and operational needs across all departments to ensure long-term fiscal responsibility while maintaining strong educational programming and student support services. As part of this process, the district issued non-renewal notices to 10 staff members across various

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departments, not just teaching staff and nine parrofessionals. While these decisions are difficult and never taken lightly, it is important to recognize that over the past three school years, the district has continued to invest in staffing and student support. 24 new

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staff members hired in 232 24, 31 new staff members hired in 2425, and 32 new staff members hired in 2526. This reflects a total of 87 newly hired staff members over the past three years, not including par profofessionals.

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The administration will continue exploring all available avenues to ensure fiscal stability while prioritizing student learning, support, service, and the overall strength of our school community. We will continue to monitor enrollment, residency, and budgetary factors closely and provide

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updates as needed. I would also like to thank our building principles and central office administrators for their continued collaboration, creativity, and dedication throughout this budget planning process. Their commitment to doing what is best for our students while thoughtfully managing district

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resources has been instrumental during some of the fiscal challenges. We remain committed to transparency, fiscal responsibility, and maintaining the high quality education experience our students and families deserve. As always, we value the continued partnership and support of our board,

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our staff, our families, and our community. Thank you for all for your continued partnership and support as we work together on behalf of our students. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Guy. Uh, we are now moving into our agenda items 1 through

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12. Agenda item one, employment employment contract assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. Two, reconsideration of staff appointment due to board member request for error in last meeting voting. Three,

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substitute. Four, MLESY summer program coordinator. Five, technology department summer interns. Six, staff resignation. Seven, in-person sports physicals. Eight, middle school and high school

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additional classes for teachers for 2526. Nine, summer camp staff 2026. 10, summer credit recovery program 2025. 11. Home instruction. 12. Garden enhancement grant award representative.

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A motion to approve this section. >> Motion. >> Anybody second? >> Second. >> Um, any discussion? >> Roll call, please. >> Vice President Mark Fernandez.

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>> Yes. >> Lucy Figero. Yes, but no to number two. >> Z Infante. >> Yes. >> Dr. Brittney Kirkland. >> Yes. >> Jennifer Mano.

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>> Yes. With a no to number two. >> Gregory Picowski. >> Yes. >> Constance Quintella. >> Yes. With a no to number two. President President Michael Anne Reagan. >> Yes.

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>> Motion passed. Education agenda items 13 through 24. The superintendent recommends 13 field trip approval. 14 education program 15 conference attendance requests.

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16. Garden enhancement grant award. 17. Termination of tuition. 18. Continuation of contract magnolia consulting group link. 19. Specialized programs curriculum writing development and leadership.

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20. Rosel Park High School Technology Student Association Nationals. 21. Rosal Park Rotary Club 2026 Award. 22. Robert Gordon event 23. My face the wonder

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project assembly 24 field trip request. May I have a motion to approve this section please? >> Motion. >> Second. Any discussion hearing? None. May I please have a roll call? >> Vice President Mark Fernandez. >> Yes.

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>> Lucy Figero. >> Yes. >> Z Infonte. Yes. >> Dr. Brittney Kirkland. >> Yes. >> Jennifer Mano. >> Yes. >> Gregory Picowski.

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>> Yes. >> Constance Quintella. >> Yes. >> President Michael Anne Regan. >> Yes. >> Motion passed. >> Business agenda items 25 through 36. 25 monthly certification.

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26 approval of bills. 27. Treasury reports. 28. Approval of minutes. 29. Disposal of retired broken athletic equipment. 30. Donation. 31. Scholarship for Aldine school.

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32. Use of building and grounds. 33. Updated athletic travel form. 34. 2026 Rosal Park summer camp setup and operation. 35. 2026 Roosevelt Park summer camp staff discount

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36 2026 ED data contracts. >> May I have a motion to approve this section? >> And a second. >> Any discussion? >> Okay. Roll call, please. >> Vice President Mark Fernandez.

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>> Yes. Lucy Figerito, >> yes. >> Z Infante, >> yes. >> Dr. Brittney Kirkland, >> yes. >> Jennifer Mano, >> yes. >> Gregory Picowski, >> yes. >> Constance Quintella,

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>> yes. >> President Michael Anne Regan, >> yes. >> Motion passed. >> Harassment, intimidation, bullying incidents. Number 37, harassment, intimidation, bullying incidents. Motion to approve.

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>> Second. >> Uh, roll call, please. >> Vice President Mark Fernandez, >> yes to all. >> Lucy Figerito, >> yes to all. >> Z Infante, >> yes to all.

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>> Dr. Brittany Kirkland, >> yes to all. >> Jennifer Mano, yes to all. >> Gregory Picowski, >> yes to all. Constance Quintella. >> Yes to all. >> President Michael Anne Rean. >> Yes to all. >> Motion passed.

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>> Is there any continuing business? >> Any new business? business. I have a Sherman school report starting tomorrow. They're going to have their book fair on May 27th. They're having their field day and their color run date

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of June 8th. On May 29th, they're having a glow dance. On June 4th, they're having a carnival. On June 11th, Sherman will have an award. On June 16th, preK and

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kindergarten celebration. On June 17th, they're going to have um the fifth grade clap in, which they do every single year. All the schools do it. On June 18th, they're going to have an Italian ice sale. Uh, end of the year party is

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June 22nd, which is for the fifth grade. And the last day of school, they're going to have a party. No, no party. Never mind. The last day of school is June 23rd. Thank you. Thank you. Any more new business?

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Seeing none, I now open the public participation portion. Each member of the public may speak a maximum of three minutes. Please state your name and address for the record. >> Tom Devido, uh, 139 West Dudley Avenue. I want to thank all of you for approving

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my summer technicians. Uh, they are all Rosel Park students or former Rosell Park students. Uh, and they are several years in college, some of them. and I am very happy you approved them. And it's very not often that you get returning uh

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kids who want to come back to these jobs. So, thank you. And I'm very happy at Rosal Park we have kids who want to come back. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Hi, Katie McDermott Rosal Park. I'm speaking tonight as a private citizen and not an apparent of a child with a

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disability. I'm not speaking in my capacity as a CPAC leader. I am here because I feel a responsibility to the families who wanted to speak honestly but were afraid to. I have been navigating special education in this district for many years. My training comes from the Council of Parent

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Attorneys and Advocates. I'm a Partners and Policymaking graduate. I know the regulations and I've had conflict resolution training. That gives me a real advantage and I'm grateful for it. But most parents do not walk into the process with those tools. What I hear consistently from families across the

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district is that they do not feel equipped, supported, or safe enough to advocate effectively for their children. Silence is not the same as approval. When parents say nothing, it does not mean that everything is okay. It may mean they are afraid that speaking up

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will affect their child's placement, services, or relationships with the people who work with them every day. Fear is quiet. It can look like compliance. It can look like nothing is wrong in special education. Meaningful parent participation is not just good

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practice. It's part of the legal framework. Parents cannot participate meaningfully if they are afraid that honesty will hurt their child. I am not here to point fingers. I'm not here to call for anyone's firing. I am asking the board to take this climate concern

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seriously and invest in closing the gap between families in this district. That means accessible ongoing parent advocacy training. It means anonymous feedback channels so families can share their experiences honestly. It means making documents accessible for the families

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they are meant to serve. And it means being willing to invite outside support or review when trust is broken down. You cannot fix what you will not look at. I've stood at this podium many times. On occasion, I felt bad afterwards, worried that maybe I was a little too harsh. I

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don't feel that way tonight. I feel the weight of the families who aren't here. Families who love their children and just want to be heard. And I'll end with this simple thing, a simple request. Be humble enough to listen and kind enough

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to take these concerns seriously. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Hi, Colleen Bodc. um 14 Sutton Place in Cranford. So, Rosell Park is a very special place to work. When I began working here eight

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years ago, I immediately felt this sense of community that exists here. From energetic parents um well, energetic students, involved parents, and dedicated staff, many of who attended Rosal Park. Everyone I've encountered seems to have the best

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interest of students at heart. And I don't think that's changed in the last eight years. For many people who work in the school district, our jobs extend far beyond the school day. We're not perfect. Um, and we're going

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to make decisions that may not be popular. Right. After learning of the board's decision not to renew the director of special services, I was concerned. Um, it came as a complete shock to me as a colleague of this person. Um, and I was concerned

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for far more than my colleague, but for our staff at large. Um, because if not her, why not me? Why not the counselors that work for me? Why not any of us? That's why I'm here tonight to request that when we have concerns as community

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members, as parents, as board members, that we bring them to the leadership that we've entrusted for the Rosal Park School District and that we allow for appropriate followup and remediation if that's warranted. Thank you.

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>> Thank you. That's okay. You really didn't want to hear me. I get it. Jennifer Juscola Rosal Park. Um I just have a couple questions in regards to the motion. So through the chair to

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either the attorney or Mrs. Mau who made the motion to reconsider this. Which board member made the motion to reconsider agenda item number two? >> I did.

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>> Okay. So just I'm not coming at you, Greg. I'm just I just want to I just looked at this so that we were all on the same page. >> Um, excuse me. You could just stop your time for a minute. I just want to remind everyone that this is not a question and

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answer conversation period. So, the board members may choose to respond after you or anybody else has finished their comments, but it's not a back and forth. So, please be aware of that. >> Absolutely. I'm going back. >> Board members as well, please. Okay. Thank you. >> So, just just so I I pulled this up.

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Motion to reconsider. A board may rec re may reconsider a vote if the motion is made by a member who voted on the prevailing side, the side that won. It is usually made during the same meeting or sometimes the next meeting depending

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on the board. The board then votes on whether to reopen the discussion in public. There was no discussion reopened tonight. it was just placed onto the agenda. I'm

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just a little confused. I think we need to look at what it is and look into what it is. I know that's the attorneys, but maybe we could start to look at this. You know, it is what it is at this point. But the other thing I want to say is I've been in this

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district for well over 20 years. I've put two, actually three children through here through special education. I got up here when my middle child was in second grade and said, "I don't understand why it's so difficult as a parent of a

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special education child to get the services that we needed." He then went and he graduated. I stood up before the board. None of these members were here, but again, I got up before the board then and I said the same thing. I went,

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"I don't understand why this is so difficult." When you're a parent of a special ed child, you've got enough going on that this should be such a simple decision and a simple partnership. I've had great partnerships with our teachers over the years. I've

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been a very involved parent. When my youngest son graduated in 2023, I didn't get up and say that because I'm going to tell you the God's honest truth. I was too tired of fighting for

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20 plus years for what is appropriate for my child. And if I'm tired, can you imagine what the parents feel like that don't have the education behind them and

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understand what their child is entitled and appropriate for them. Please take that into consideration when you're looking at the whole Thank you. >> Good evening again, Edward Gade, Hamilton Place, Rosel Park. I know I

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missed the meeting of uh the budget and I have something to say. Um the tentative I think I said something nice about the performance of the financial department in the budget. Uh unfortunately uh I'm shocked you know

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the tentative budget went to the executive office county office to be approved and got approved on April 17. Then it came back it should be final. Now we have four about four million more added and became final. Okay. I don't

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think that's acceptable. The the the tentative should be final. No addition. Uh now it's final. I want to say we got to watch our spending. We overspend. We miss spend. And so many things I see in

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the expenses. Not time to sort everything. Got to review that. We hoping to make some saving. Definitely budget is budget and balance sheet is balance sheet. Hopefully we end up with saving. Uh second uh I want to thank the

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board. Uh uh my email is cleared. My uh baron square is uh restored. Thank you. Uh I never lost the trust in the in the board. As I said in the beginning of the year, I I trust this formation and you

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stood for the truth against I would say the darkness. Everybody else wanted to to to just dump me or put me in misunderstanding. I appreciate your support, your understanding and uh the

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trust. You know me around and you know me very well what I've been doing. I want to thank Mr. Taylor. I will call him a peacemaker. All the attorneys work on troubles. He work on peace. I want to

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thank Mr. Dido Dvido I want to call him the unknown soldier. He is the best. He's really uh promising. And uh tonight I want to remove Miss Darty from my complaint. Uh I met her in April with

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Dr. GZ very she changed it completely in the right direction. I appreciate the people change and and and and figure the problem and get speed up. That's very good. I'm freeing her from any pleasure pleasure I mean uh so she can plan well

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for the upcoming school year with Dr. Giz as he promised to do. I'm hoping 2026 2027 to be a very nice school year. Uh I want to ask what happened to Robert Gordon GT. They never had anything this

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year. They changed the the teacher and and they never also get anything. Uh I see Alen and chairman are fine but troper Gordon you didn't get anything. Um what else I see in okay fine thank you.

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>> Thank you for your comment. Frank Gagardo, 409 Sheridan Avenue. I just wanted to make an announcement for the high school spring concert. Uh it's an arts concert with the music on the 20th. I'm sorry, Thursday. Thursday at 6:30. Uh please

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come out and support the kids. They worked really really hard all all year and uh dance and music. Thanks, guys. >> This this Thursday. >> This Thursday. >> This Thursday. Okay. Sorry. >> Thank you. Hi again, Michelle Schmidt, Rosal Park.

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Um, I would just like to ask the board to implement a policy where we maybe start an exit survey that is not done by the direct supervisor of the person that's leaving. Um because they should also feel comfortable to speak honestly

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about why they are leaving and they should feel that that is not being shared with their direct supervisor. Many of the reasons we have been given for people with special education services leaving has been moving closer

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to home or more pay. Um but we know that that's not truly the case. If someone has been doing this for 15 16 17 years now all of a sudden they need to be closer to home. Um and everyone seems to be need to be closer to home. That just

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doesn't sound kosher to me. So I would request that the board um you know ask for more transparency by using possibly the HR director um when doing an exit interview because it's not fair to ask people to report to

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their direct supervisor and be honest about why they're leaving. Thank you. >> Thank you. Seeing no one else, we close the public portion. >> Make that motion. >> Second.

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>> Say it. You guys motion a motion to adjourn. >> Second. >> Make that motion. >> All in favor? >> I >> I >> meeting is adjourned. The next scheduled regular board meeting will be an open

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session held Tuesday, June 16th, 2026 at 6 PM. The board meeting will be held in the Rosal Park High School auditorium. Have a good night, everyone.