in session of the Roosevelt Park Board of Education being held in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act of the 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. Mark Fernandez here. Lucy [Music] Figero, ZM Fonte, here. President Dr. Brittney Kirkland here. Cindy Mego here.
Jennifer McCor here. Chris Monroe. Constance Quintella here. Vice President Michael Leanne Rean here. Please stand for the flag salute. Executive session resolve that the Rosal Park Board of Education meeting hereby
convenes to executive session for the discussion of the following subjects. One, personnel personnel matters. Two, attorney client privilege. Three, student matter. It is anticipated that the executive session will take approximately two hours. The board may
take action during public session. The board shall return to public session following executive session at approximately 7:30 p.m. The minutes of the executive session will be released to the public when the reason for the executive session no longer exists. Can I have a motion to go into executive
session? Is there a second? Great. All in favor? We are now officially in executive. Hello everyone. Can I have a motion to return to public session? Motion. Is there a
second? All in favor? Great. Public participation agenda items only. Each member of the public may speak a maximum of three minutes. Please state your name and address for the record. Thank you. I want Can I repeat myself? Jackie
Garcia, Rosel Park, agenda items 19 and 20. I wanted to take a moment to express my deep appreciation that has brought us to this point where the board is considering the approval of field trips to the sensory friendly park on Fetuit Avenue in front of Aldine Elementary
School. What began as a conversation about whether the friend a sensory friendly park was being fully utilized turned into an opportunity to reimagine how that space can serve all the children, not just those children with different abilities. Parents made it
clear. Parents made it clear that they didn't want the space removed. They simply wanted a better understanding of its purpose and potential. And tonight, through your approval, we take a step forward with that clarity and commitment. A survey conducted by the
Rosa Park CPAC group resulted in majority of the parents supporting moving forward with hosting inclusive play events and programs in collaboration with the school district. creating opportunities led by occupational therapists and early childhood professionals to build
engagement and reinforce the park's purpose. Agenda items 19 and 20 is a result of months of thoughtful coordination between the Rosal Park special education parents advisory group, the director of special services, Miss Gil Gallen, the occupational
therapist, Mr. Robert, the Aldine elementary PTO, and the families across the district. It is truly a community effort. By integrating field trips to the sensory friendly park, we are giving our students the chance to experience
inclusion in action to understand that this space exists for everyone. It's not just a quiet corner in the fifth ward. It's a simple uh it's a symbol of belonging, understanding, and equity. I just wanted to thank you all for your consideration tonight in approving
agenda items 19 and 20. Thank you. Okay, seeing no one else, I'm going to close the public participation section on agenda items only. Next, we're going to move into our principles report. And first, we'll hear from Miss Costa.
Good evening, everyone. Thank you. Thank you for having myself and Mr. came here uh this evening to talk a little bit about the high school in the spring. So, we just want to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of our students during this past spring. It's been a season filled with achievement, creativity, and
school spirit. And there is so much to be proud of. I want to start by um recognizing our technology student assoc association at the state conference at the College of New Jersey. Last month, earlier this month, our students competed in over 20 events including
music production, software development, fashion design, flight endurance, virtual reality, just to name a few. Um, their hard work paid off in a big way with several of our students advancing to nationals in Tennessee this summer. Um, I want to thank the board personally
for making again, um, that a priority in our budgeting. It's it's a phenomenal experience for our students. Um, and it leads to many of our students coming back and continuing to be involved uh in the high school, coming back as teachers, coming back as mentors. Uh, we took first place in the drone challenge.
So, in all of New Jersey, our high school students, Little Rosell Park built the best drone and won. So, that's pretty amazing. Uh, second place in architectural design. We're competing against gigantic state-of-the-art uh, schools where STEM is the number one
thing in their curriculum. Um, and we took second place in architectural design in the entire state of New Jersey. Uh, third place in 2D CAD architecture. Um, and that architecture teacher is a student who was in one of the first classes to be involved in the
technology student association. Uh, she went to I forget where they went. U, but she won first place in wherever they were, Orlando, um, as a student and now she's back as a teacher. Um and we took third place in robotics and fashion
design. Uh so to support their trip, the TSA students hosted a color run this past weekend. I want to again thank you for all of your support with that. Um many many runners participating. A great community event that I know will blossom uh into an just an excellent fundraiser
for this group. In the arts, we've reached a new milestone. Multiple students have qualified for the state teen arts finals this year. That's something that we have never had before. We we have students in art. Um, but this is the first time in school's history that we've had band members um and
dancers qualify as well. So, they will proudly represent Union County at the state showcase on June 2nd. So, think about Little Rosel Park High School. All of the schools in Union County go and we took first to be able to go on to the state um against all of the other
counties. So, it's truly tremendous what we do in the arts here. Um, I also want to speak about our band. that's here for our marching band who earned their highest score ever, placing fifth out of 33 bands this year. A true testament to their commitment and teamwork. In our media, RPTV is looking better than ever.
I would love for you to poke poke your heads in the studio. Uh we have a brand new broadcast desk. Uh it's a desk that goes the full um length of the studio. It's handcrafted by our advanced wood students. So for our students to come
in, build a desk, make it fully functional. Um but more than that, it's ADA accessible. We have a student in RPTV that's in a wheelchair. We're able to lift that desk up so that he can fit right under it. Um so it's just um amazing teamwork um crosscurricular and
our um and a big congratulations to RPTV member Maya who was named a finalist in the emerging screenwriters competition uh through Mont Clair Film that happened in the beginning of May. Um, our talent show is coming up at the end of May. It's an it's uh put on by our arts um M
honor society. Um and our spring concert will take place on June 4th. And finally, let's not forget about Matilda the musical. Thank you to everyone. A lot of teachers here that came out and supported Matilda. Uh we sold out uh almost every single show. I think the ones the one day we had like two rows
total left. Um, so just incredible work of our cast crew and everyone behind the scenes. Finally, I don't want to keep going, but it's fun. It's been a fun spring. Uh, we also want to recognize the powerful assembly we experienced earlier today. Thank you for approving that um at past board meetings. Uh, we
had the power of life and death with Jason Leman come in and it was made possible by the Rosell Park Municipal Alliance and the Burough's opioid fund. It's just amazing when um the town can give to the schools and our students benefit. It was a really good really
good assembly today. It was really it was about the importance of wise decision making. Um and our seniors will be experiencing it tomorrow before they head off to prom. Um so it's the perfect assembly before we set them free for prom. So it's been a remarkable year in academics, the arts, and leadership, and
we're so proud of our students at the high school who continue to raise the bar. Um, at this time I'd like to turn it over to our assistant principal of athletics, Mr. Kaine, who will share ath uh highlights from our incredible year of Panther sports. Thank you all.
Thank you, Miss Costa. Good evening to our members of the board of ed, our superintendent, Miss Goyce, Miss Mau, colleagues, and members of the Rosell Park community. This has been an incredibly exciting recording year uh rewarding year for me personally for Rosel Park athletics as a whole. As my first year in this role, I approached
the position with a philosophy rooted in two guiding principles, respect and observation. Want to take the time to learn the unique culture of Rosel Park to appreciate the strong traditions already in place and to understand how I could best support continued growth and success of our student athletes and our
athletic programs. Rosa Parks is a district with a proud athletic history. Our coaches, families, and communities have long taken pride in our programs. And that pride is reflected in the way our students compete with integrity, dedication, and heart. At the core of our athletic philosophy is the belief
that winning is a byproduct of doing the little things right, controlling the controllables, being disciplined and committed to the process. That belief continues to guide all that we do. This year, we had a robust participation across all three sport seasons. 346 student athletes in the fall, 28 in the
winter, and 279 in the spring. What's particularly impressive given the size of our district is how many of these young men and women are multisport athletes. Not only does this give them a chance to train year round, but it also allows them to grow physically, mentally, and emotionally through their diverse experiences.
While our spring season is still underway, I'm proud to share that Rosell Park has had has teams have already earned five conference championships this school year with our most recent title coming this past week in
softball. It's very good. Across the board, 12 of our athletic programs, we offer 14, qualified for the NJSAA postseason play. And as of today, boys and girls track and tennis are still competing. Notably,
softball, still competing, is currently ranked number one in central group one. And that's an incredible accomplishment that speaks volumes with dedication and hard work. And if that stands through through the cutoff tomorrow, it means that the road to the state sectional championship will have to go through
Rosel Park's fields. Even as I have spent much my much most of my year observing and learning, I'm proud to say we have launched several important new initiatives in collaboration with our athletic staff, our administration, and our community.
NCAA signing days, they were held twice this year to honor our student athletes continue continuing their academic and athletic journeys at the collegiate level. These special events were generously supported by the dad's club who hosted a celebratory breakfast for our athletes and their families after
the event was held in the gym. We had eight total signed to move on and continue their academics and athletics in college next year. We launched a new athletics Instagram account to better highlight the achievements and of our teams and our players and keep the community better informed. That you'll
be seeing pretty soon. Coming up is how to register, sign up for fall athletics, the whole process, checking family ID, and then I'll get ahead of myself. We began offering inschool sports physicals during the winter in addition
to our traditional spring offerings in partnership with Care Station. This initiative increases access for students across the district and ensures more are able to participate safely in athletics. We hosted an eighth grade athletics assembly at the Rosell Park Middle School to build excitement for high
school sports. Every varsity coach introduced their program and encouraged students to get involved. To maintain that momentum, I created a Google classroom that includes all eighth graders, their families, and our high school coaches to keep the lines of communication open and engagement high.
This year also marked a first for our track and field team as we officially introduced the pole vault event. With the support of the business office and our coaching staff, we procured equipment and trained athletes. And I'm thrilled to report that Rosel Park scored points in this event at the Union County Conference Championship for the
first time ever. We've also created a partnership with the Rosel Park Tap into and that we've connected many of our writers in the newspaper club and I've had to write a couple myself but articles that can be
posted to highlight our students and our teams posted on the tap into Rosel Park. So, as you see things that are being posted there and pictures, that's a collaboration with RPTV, with photography students, with newspaper students that are writing articles, that's coaches sending uh season recaps
and season previews to these uh to our writers who are generating these articles, getting credit for the publication as a student writer, and being published online for the tap into. Looking ahead, we're also embracing technology and innovation to enhance our athletic experience. We are now officially a
huddle district. This partnership will allow us to film games, stream events for free, analyze performances, create recruiting highlights, manage ticket sales digitally, and even open doors to financial sponsorship through advertising. It's a game changer for our programs and our
visibility. Beyond athletics, the Rosel Park High School administrative team is gearing up for an exciting end of the year. Tomorrow evening, as mentioned, our seniors will celebrate their prom at the Sapphire Grand Banquet Hall in Woodbridge. Just last night, right here, we honored the newest members of the National Honor Society. And believe it
or not, there are only 29 days until graduation. In closing, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the board of education, Superintendent Goce, and Miss Mau for your support throughout this year. Also want to thank Miss Costa, Mr. Foy, for the mentorship and encouragement. Made a tremendous difference and helped me feel immediately like I was part of the team.
Finally, to our families and community, especially those involved in athletics, thank you for welcoming me with such a warm partnership. I'm excited for what lies ahead and looking forward to year two. Thank you very much. Okay, I'll say the names and then Pete will hand them out. That
way we get everyone. So, we have our students here um to recognize for recognition from the athletics throughout the seasons. I want to start with girls basketball. Sydney Smith scored a thousand points um adding her name to the wall. Second team, all group
one um led New Jersey in points per game at 33.1. So you have to come up here students and then you have to stay up here. Okay. So after you get your certificate just go you can stand right off to the side right there and then I'll pull you back
up. In boys basketball Garcia Valley first team congratulations. He was one of our students at the signing ceremony. FDU FDU. I remembered uh in bowling. Michael Martins's first
team all group one 300 game second team all state and the Union County runnerup going to school will be bowling in college are you wearing your shirt right now we going yeah okay um Camila also in
bowling Camila Cruz Cordderero Union County runnerup state qualifier girls wrestling. Jasmine Feneraga, first team all Union County Conference, Union County Champ 132.
Also in girls wrestling, Ava Forstonhauser, first team all Union County Conference, state qualif state qualifier 152. Also in girls wrestling, first year of the program, uh recognizing three of these athletes, uh Luchia Reeri, first
team all Union County Conference. All Union County Conference Female Wrestler of the Year, Union County Champ 120 pounds. Third, New Jersey. Third in New Jersey at 120 pounds. North Region Champ 120 pounds.
Congratulations. Did I say it right? In boys wrestling, Angel Lopez, first team all-American division. What did I say? Hey, did I say all American division? It's all mountain division. Yes. I'm sorry. I heard the ooh and I was like, I did it wrong. I
knew I did it wrong. And uh Maxwell Griffin, also first team all mountain division. Diego Osario, first team all- mountain division. And our fourth boys wrestler, Anthony Cena, first team all- mountain
division. Great job by our athletes. Great job by our students in the arts. Um, great job by the high school students this spring and this year. So proud to be your principal. And thank you board members for your constant support of our high school programs. Congratulations to all of the
students. Now we are going to move into our student report. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the board for their involvement in the National Honor Society induction ceremony yesterday as well as prom that is tomorrow in our athletics department.
Um, as I prepare to graduate on the 18th, I want to express my gratitude to RPHs for everything the squad has done to prepare me for the next phase of my life. I had a wonderful college signing day earlier this month where I celebrated with my classmates the colleges and careers we'll be pursuing
after graduation. We have multiple students going to very prestigious schools such as Princeton University, Ford Ham University, and Cornell University. There are also multiple seniors who are going to attend school on the full ride scholarship. I will be attending Howard University in
Washington DC majoring in political science on the pre-law track. [Applause] I want to thank RPHs for the memories and for preparing me for the future. Some of my favorite memories include
singing the tree song the other day with Miss Costa and a couple of my other classmates, as well as participating in the school's powderpuff my junior and senior year, as well as being able to participate in new in the New Jersey
Scholars program my junior year. As we come to a close on the year, we only have a few major events coming up. We have prom tomorrow at the Sapphire Grand in Woodbridge. Try is also hosting a talent show on the 30th, allowing students to show off their talents. Then the seniors have the senior banquet on
June 17th and graduation on the 18th. Thank you for everything. Thank you, Jana. And now we're going to move into committee reports. I will start from my right and we can work our way down. There we go. This mic works. Mic check. Mic check. Uh, thank you so much,
uh, Superintendent Goce and, uh, President Kirkland. Uh, I just I wanted to reiterate what Mrs. Costa had said about the musical, I was able to and I know a lot of us were able to attend. Um, and just to acknowledge the incredible collaboration between our arts and our arts and athletics
communities. I think the more that we work together, the more that we see uh how athletic dance is and how uh musical uh you know uh a a bowling ball can be, you know. Um, and just seeing the
connection that we're building and and the growth that we've had this year is uh incredible. Uh, so again, congratulations to those students and uh, thank you. The special education committee met on April 10th and May 15th. Um, our next subcommittee meeting will be held on
June 12th. Okay, great. Um, and now we are going to move into our superintendence report. Good evening everyone. As we enter the final stretch of the school year, just three weeks away and about 19 days left, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on
the incredible pride I feel for our students, our staff, and our schools. Tonight, I'm happy to share a few highlights that showcase the excellence, dedication, and the heart of the Rosal Park School District. In celebrating our inclusive education and excellence, I'm
thrilled to announce that Rosell Park School District has been selected to present at the summer inclusion leadership conference at K University on June 6th. This is a tremendous honor as only select districts from across the state are invited to share their best
practice in inclusive education. The following team members will be presenting and representing Rosal Park School District. Miss Baglia, middle school special education teacher. Miss Howell, middle school ELA teacher. Miss Becker, Robert Gordon, CST member. Miss Gilgallen, district special education
director. Myself, and Miss Kaduga as the middle school principal. This recognition speaks volumes about our district's commitment to creating learning environments where all students can thrive. Congratulations to our special education department, Robert Gordon CST, middle school special
education team and administrators for this outstanding achievement. I am so humbled to be part of this amazing team and to present side by side with them. And we have a spotlight in the NJA review magazine. We're very proud to share that Miss Pasano from Robert
Gordon School is quoted in the last edition of the NJA review magazine page 18 for you guys to read. The article discusses solutions to the ongoing special education teacher shortage and Mrs. Pisano is highlighted
as one of the success stories from the NJCTL teacher of students with disabilities endorsement program. Thank you. This recognition further reinforces the talent and dedication of our staff and the impact they're having both within and beyond our community.
And yesterday morning, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the 40th annual Union County Scholars Breakfast where two of our own seniors, Jeffrey Lynn, who is heading to the University of Virginia, and Georgelli's Javier attending Forom University were
recognized as top scholars in Union County. Joined by their families, educators, and county leaders, Jeffrey and Georgie were celebrated for their academic excellence and inspiring futures. It was a beautiful reminder of the incredible talent and potential nurtured in our schools. Later that same
evening, I attended the Rosell Park High School National Honor Society induction ceremony. It was a truly special event that honored our current NHS members and welcomed new inductees. This cere this ceremony beautifully highlighted the core values we uphold in Rosel Park.
Scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Seeing our students beam with pride, supported by their families and teachers, reminded me once again why our school community is so special. A heartfelt thank you goes to our families and staff. Your continued support makes
all these moments possible. A special thank you to Miss Lumpky and Miss Burke who co-advised the National Honor Society and for putting yesterday's program together. The May superintendent newsletter has also been printed and is available alongside tonight's agenda for your your taking as we celebrate the
many accomplishment happening across our schools. I hope you'll take a few moments to read and share in these highlights that reflect success and the spirit of our students. From April 8th to May 20th, our residency investigator completed 42 residency verifications, all of which
were found to be in compliance. One pending investigation involving a student found to be doiciled in Roselle was completed and the matter is scheduled to be heard before the board. The residency investigator also supported prek registration efforts for the 2526 school year. During this process,
one application was denied due to the student residing outside the district. In total, 12 surveillances involving five families were conducted to ensure the integrity of the our involvement process. This continued diligence helps ensure that our resources are supporting the students and families who rightfully
reside within Rosel Park. And I thank our residency investigator and registration staff for their thorough and professional work. As a reminder, schools will be closed on Friday, May 23rd and Monday, May 26th for Memorial Day weekend. I hope you all find time to rest, reflect,
and enjoy time with your loved ones. Let's continue to support one another and finish these final weeks strong. The work we do every day makes a lasting difference and together as one district and one family we truly achieve achieve more. Thank you and wishing you all a
great [Applause] night. Thank you for that wonderful report. And now we are going to move into our agenda starting with personnel. One, staff appointments. Two,
substitute. Three, personnel appointment revision. Four, leave of absence extension. Five, paraprofessional change of assignment. Six, technology department transfer. Seven, staff resignation. Eight, maternity leave
change. Nine, maternity leave replacement extension. 10, maternity leave. 11, home instruction. 12. Fall sports physical personnel. 13. Summer camp
2025. 14. Summer 2025 child study team personnel. 15. Extended school year program. 16. Summer credit recovery program 2025. 17. Proctors for year 2024 and
2025 spring concert. and 18 chaperones and school nurse. Can I have a motion to approve the personnel section? Motion. Is there a second? Great. Any discussion? If not, roll call, please. Mark
Fernandez, yes. Zfonte, yes. Cindy Meo, yes. Jennifer Macar, yes. Chris Monroe, yes. Constance Quintella, yes. Vice President Rean, yes. President Dr. Kirkland, yes. Motion passed.
And now we're moving to the education section 19. Standard field trips 20. Field trip approval 21. Can university intern agreement 22 practicum experience 23 administrative experience
24 ESS professional services contract for par profofessional. 25 professional service contract extended school year 2025. 26, Club Activity for GSA. 27, New
Jersey State Teen Arts Festival. 28, Garden Enhancement Grant Award. 29, Occupation Day at Robert Gordon. 30, Rosel Park High School Technology Student Association Nationals. 31, Bilingual Program Waiver 2023 2024. Can
I have a motion to approve the education section? To make the motion. Second. Great. Any discussion? If not, roll call, please. Mark Fernandez, yes. Zean Fonte, yes. Cindy
Mego, yes. Jennifer Macar, yes. Chris Monroe, yes. Constance Quintella, yes. Vice President Rean, yes. President, Dr. Kirkland, yes. With an abstension from number 19. Number 18, I'm sorry. 19. 19.
Okay. Motion passed. Great. Moving to the business section. 32 monthly certification. 33 approval of bills. 34 treasury reports. 35 disposal of lighted art table. 36. Rod grant
projects. 37 technology district contracts for 2025 2026. 38. Try out for hockey team. 39 use of buildings and grounds. 40 professional service contract
business 2025 for 2026. 41 2025 2026 food service contract renewal. Can I have a motion to approve the business section? Motion. I make a motion at table 4C. Are you
doing that? Is there a second to that motion? Second. All in favor? I I I I Okay. And we need a second motion on the
Yep. And so we need a second motion for the approval of the business section. Motion. Second. Okay. Is there any further discussion on the business section? If not, roll call, please. Mark
Fernandez, yes. Zefonte, yes. Cindy Mego, yes. Uh but a step abstension on 39B. Jennifer Macccar. Yes. Um with a no to number 41.
Chris Monroe. Yes. Constance Quintella. Yes. With absention to 39B. Vice President Rean. Yes. President Dr. Kirkland. Yes. Motion passed.
Okay. Harassment, intimidation, bullying incidents. So, agenda item number 42, harassment, intimidation, bullying incidents. And can I have a motion to approve the harassment, intimidation, and bullying incident section. I make the motion. Great. Is there a second?
Second. Okay. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Vice President Rean, yes to all. Mark Fernandez, yes to all.
Ze Fonte, yes to all. Cindy Mego, yes to all. Jennifer McCor, yes to all. Chris Monroe, yes. Constance Quintella, yes to all. President Dr.
Kirkland, yes to all. Motion passed. Great. Is there any continuing business? Is there any new business? Yes. Um, it's more of a question. So, I don't
like to normally repeat rumors, but there is a rumor that the parking lot across the street that our students and staff use will be the parking lot for the apartment building. So they won't be able to use it anymore. Has anyone heard
that? It's not It's a rumor. It's not true. That why I wanted to ask here so it clears it up. Oh, we we are trying to get the students and the town to get some signage to have
the parking lot during the day for student and teacher parking only. But it is a municipal lot. Yeah, we're working on that. Okay. Any anything else for new business?
Okay. Okay. I have some new business. So, first of all, I want to say congratulations to Dr. Britney Kirk Kirkland's. On May 15th, Dr. Dr. Britney Kirkland was honored with the community excellent award by the Rotary Club in recognition of her outstanding service
and dedication. This prestigious award reflects Dr. Kirkland's lifelong commitment to public service, educational equity, and community empowerment. Congratulations, Dr. Kirkland, on this well-deserved recognition. Thank you very much.
I also was going to mention that event because I wanted to highlight the Roosevelt Park student that they acknowledged Kenisha Patel. She received a scholarship from the Rotary Club of Rosal and Rosel Park. So I wanted to give her a shout out and say congratulations
again. Um now I have some liazison reports. CPAC met in hybrid format on May 8th. TJ Gavor of BCBA and CPI instructor gave an informative presentation on behavior and crisis intervention. The next CPAC
meeting will take place in person at Sensory Park on June 12th. It will be the annual end of year celebration. I hope to see everyone there. Sherman March was Youth Art Month, a national celebration of art programs in
our schools. Every March, Sherman School participates in youth art month at county level and selects only three pieces of art to represent our schools. The students selected this year were kindergartener and I'm really sorry if I butcher somebody's name. I do apologize
in advance. Charles Pobans, second grader Yamila Salamanca, and fourth grader Ezekiel Moda. These students had their artwork exhibited at Liberty Hall Museum in Union, New Jersey. From this show, only seven pieces of artwork from
the entire county are selected to go to the state youth art month exhibit. I am proud to say that our kindergarten students in KM Charles Pobans had his artwork selected as one of the seven artworks to go to go to the state youth
art month exhibit held on at the grounds for sculpture. Charles was recognized for his achievement at the grounds for sculpture on March 29th. In addition to the county and state youth art month shows, the state also holds a youth art month design contest. This year, third
grader Elliot Washington participated and represented Sherman School. His artwork was also on display at the Union County Youth Art Month exhibit. Union County Dental Poster Contest. Every year, local dentists hold a countywide poster contest for fourth
graders emphasizing the importance of brushing your teeth. This year, Sherman School had two finalists, Haley Acasta Conpion and Savannah Toro. Both students were honored at a ceremony at Casad del Soul in Union in March. New Jersey
Performing Arts Center exhibit. The Art Educators of New Jersey sponsor art exhibits in the Victoria Theater lobby of NJPAC three to four times a year. The exhibit is a jured art show in which only 30 pieces of art are selected statewide from grades K to 12. So far
this year, the following students artwork have been selected to be part of one of the exhibits at NJPAC. Fall Eloise Delaney and Emmen Torres. Winter, Bailey Wilson. Spring, Evan Wenzel and Milin Montalanos
Rosas. Sherman's um some events for Sherman. Um Sherman spring concert was tonight at the middle school. Their buy one get one book fair May is May 20th and 21st which is today and tomorrow. Sherman school will be participating in
the town Memorial Day parade on May 26th. Field day is May 28th. The color run is also May 28th. Sherman carnival is June 4th. PreK field day is also June 4th. Fifth grade lunchon is June 6th.
Sherman awards are June 9th. PreK and kindergarten graduation is June 11th. Fifth grade clapping is June 13th. End of year class parties are June 17th. And I also want to say that I did have a chance to go to Sherman's school in
April. And I actually went there on the day that they had their second grade um wax museum where the kids dress up as characters and you push the little red button and they tell you all about their character. It was amazing. The kids did a great job. So, congratulations to all
the people whose art was displayed at these amazing events and great job. I just want to congratulate the new high school PTO board. Uh Wendy Lulick will be the president. Frank Agliardo is vice president. Vanessa Kuchi is the new
treasurer. And Leah Guano is the secretary. So, if you guys have any problems next year at the high school, those are the people to reach out to. [Laughter] Great. Is there any other new business? Uh yeah. Uh Jana, I'm not sure if this
is our our last meeting with her. Uh but just a huge shout out uh to your work and and showing up here at every meeting. And I've seen you in the musical. I've seen you uh seen you advocate for your your peers and uh I I think I can speak on the board's behalf
and say how proud of you we are and how much we look forward to uh keeping our eyes peeled on your journey. So congratulations [Applause] again. Great. Okay. And now we are going to move into the public participation
section of our agenda. Each member of the public may speak a maximum of 3 minutes. Please state your name and address for the record. Franko, sorry Frankardo. Uh I just want to take an opportunity first to say we just
celebrated teachers appreciation at the middle school and it will be my last teacher appreciation week uh at the middle school. Yes, at the middle school. Um I'll be definitely missing uh doing it there. Uh but be
happy to bring it to the high school. Uh thanks to all the parents that helped out and donations to that we received to appreciate these lovely teachers that we have directly behind me. Uh I just want to take an opportunity to also that the uh picnic for the middle school is on
the 4th, 5th or 6th depending on rain. Uh we are looking for mini bottles of water or ice uh pops that are in those like bags. So, please, if you're willing to donate, uh, just reach out to myself. What's that? Yeah, the flavored ice. I
don't know what they're called. Uh, uh, just reach out to me. Uh, and again, I'm happy to take on the high school. Uh, I was only gone a year, so uh, thank you guys. John Street, Southampton, New Jersey. I
don't think I need representing the NJA. Uh I obviously But with that, I will say we did not as I know you folks are that we have a memorandum of agreements and as you can see from this
audience we are brief but I personally want to thank the board. I want to thank the administration in particular superintend. Patty Mic. So, thank you very much.
I just want to say thank you to Ted and to the union reps because this was a process, but we are very happy that we're able to come to a memorandum of agreement. Lauren Beski.
Um, and my bodyguard Nick Agolia. Um, I I usually am not at a loss for words, but um, Miss Superintendent Goce, Dr. Kirkland, Miss Mau, Cindy Z,
Mark. Am I forgetting somebody? No. Well, those were the negotiating people, right? I got that. Okay, good. Thank you. And the rest of the board, thank you so much um for allowing us to come to an agreement. Uh
yesterday at Sherman, we planted a tree um for Bernie. I don't do Okay. For Bernie Schultz, Bernardine Schultz. Uh she was the chairperson for negotiation for years. Um, Miss Mau, you w worked
alongside of her and while we used the golden shovels that you guys were harboring at the board office, um, to plant that tree, which was special, um, I thought to myself, what better day to get a phone call and to have this be
what we need it to be. Um, if I ever met a person who had a spirit of collaboration, of shaking hands, of giving a giant hug, um, I don't even think I'm worthy to talk about all the good things that Bernie brought to uh,
Rosal Park. But this whole thing ending so close to that uh, really means a lot to my Sherman family. um my RPA family and I'll leave Nick to talk about the Rosel Park family.
Nicolola, excuse me, 120 Dalton Street. Uh I did grow up in town, so I've always wanted to do that, so I do apologize. Um, first of all, I can't thank you enough, uh, Superintendent Goce, uh, for everything she's done to support our staff, the people behind you, and in all
the buildings. Uh, Miss Mau, we've had tons of conversations over the last year. Uh, I want to thank Z, uh, Dr. Kirkland, Mark for coming on, and I especially want to thank Cindy. She's been there since the beginning. Um, it hasn't been easy. Uh, we we've all
stomped out of there at times, but we made it work. Um, I can't thank you enough. Normally, I know this is a place where there's a lot of criticism that comes across this podium, but tonight we celebrate uh what we received from you and what we agreed upon. And we can't
thank you enough. And I can't say enough that they deserve uh they are good people. They work hard, probably a lot harder than I do, uh, being out in the field. But, um, I do want you to realize that these people go above and beyond
every single day. Um, I watch teachers chase kids down the hall. They work with kids with special needs. They make sure they're getting. And one of the things that I want to highlight, you know, um, Miss Moradana and I had a conversation last week and she shared with me some of
the schools that our seniors from Miss Costa's building is are they're going to, and they are remarkable. They are make me so proud to be Roseell Park alum, class of 95. Uh, but thank you
again. I can't um we're looking forward to it. Hopefully, you know, we will uh make you proud and thank you again for everything you've done. These people are [Applause] great. Dr. Kirkland, I'd like to say a
few words. Um, so as as the chair of the negotiation committee, um, it was a pleasure to work with the union, um, and all the teachers on the other side of the aisle. Um, but my personal feelings for my teachers at Robert Gordon, uh,
for the hard work that they do, um, you are seen and the parents love you. So to all the teachers, thank you. Uh, sorry my bias is to Robert Gordon, but you know, uh, just again, thank you very much.
Dr. Dr. Kirkland, can I add something shortly? I've been hogging the mic all night. Uh, what's new? Uh, yeah, some of you were my teachers. Some of you started teaching when I was still in school, and some of you I I you know, I've only met in the hallways uh of the
schools. And uh you know, we were talking amongst ourselves uh about the value and the worth of our teachers and wanting to make sure that you see how we value you and and as representatives of this community, how this community values you. Um, and while numbers are
one thing, your being, your you showing up every day and committing to uh to these kids, because that's what we constantly come back to on this board is acknowledging whatever our differences are, these kids bring us together. And uh I'm just excited that we we have a
memorandum of agreement so that we can move forward and continue uh to make progress that this is just one step forward. This is just a step forward in many years and many contracts to come that um we hope to continue to be fair and to be uh honest and uh responsible.
So thank thank you. Thank you so much for everything you do. [Applause] I mean, I think my fellow board members have said all the things that I would
have said, but we're just very excited to be moving forward and to have completed this process. And again, just just reiterating how much we value Roso Park, the staff, and how how much you love on the students is seen and greatly
appreciated. [Applause] Seatan Avenue and Aline teacher. Again, thank you to the board. Thank you to the people who sat on negotiations with us,
Cindy, all the way through the summer. It was a lot, but we made it through. Um, a big thank you to Lauren and Nick and Michelle, the other members of the negotiating team. Lauren is our numbers person. I I I think she could go up against any numbered person in the state
and her numbers would be correct 100% of the time. Nick, who was our Nick Island for negotiations, um, and Michelle and I, who were the fact checkers who would go through every line, making sure that everything was the way it was supposed to be. Thank you
to Ted for supporting us and allowing us to speak about our experiences and what we wanted for the teachers. A big thank you to all of the Rosal Park teachers where Rosel Park is a special town. I've lived here my whole life. My children went here. I went here, my husband went
here. Um it's a special place and to know that the board and the community realize that it is a special place with special teachers, teachers that we want to stay and teachers that we want to attract to this town, this contract um is a step in the right direction. So,
thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause] the e about the eighth grade uh parent group. Uh we were able to raise enough money so that every kid would be able to go to the dance completely for free. So I just wanted to mention that one of the
parents is here tonight. One of the parents was here tonight. She helped me out. huge to help me raise that much money to so that all the kids can go completely for free if they wanted to go. So, thank you to all the parents, the eighth grade parents, anybody else that supported us. Thank you,
Drew Williamson. Uh 200 Springfield. So, um, we just got negotiation committees saying thank you. So, of course, I want to come up here, too, and give big thanks as well. I had a whole thing I was going to read before, but you know what? I still I got I was like, I got to speak now. Um, but if you don't know me, of course I'm Andrew Williamson. I've been here nine years now at the here in
Rosell Park. Um, and while I'm not here from Rosal Park, a lot of people might not realize I've actually had a connection to Rosal Park for almost 30 years now. Um, my first ever music teacher was a Rosal Park alumni, Frank Capello, which some of you might actually know out there in the audience. Um, and he was a great inspiration to me become a teacher and just knowing where
he came from, the education he got, it made me comfortable just to even apply to this district. And getting here, uh, great admin, very welcoming staff, you know, the board has always been supportive, the town's been supportive, and just seeing that over the nine years has made it be me very comfortable to stay here and stay a part of this community. There's a lot of other
districts out there, uh, but there's really only one Rosell Park, and just seeing how this community comes together. We just heard from the high school tonight about all the great things our tiny tiny school can do. Um from the sports to the musicals to the TSA to everything we do. So it's it's great to see that we are seeing as everyone said and thank you all so much
for the support that you are giving us, the support you're giving of everyone here in this room and um you know we are very thankful. So thank you so much Okay, I don't see anyone else. So, I'm going to close the public participation portion of this agenda.
So, I just want to mention the next scheduled regular board meeting will be an open session held on Tuesday, January, June 17th at no uh 2025 at 5:00 PM and the board
meeting will be held here in the Rosa Park High School auditorium. So, can I have a motion for adjournment? Motion. I'm sorry. Was there a motion? Motion. Second. Second. And also I said 5:00 PM because executive starts at 5:00
PM to be clear. Um, all in favor? I. Great. This meeting is adjourned. Thank you and have a great night. [Music]