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Write ups. Yeah, I want to see the write ups. >> Hello. Good evening everyone. At this time I'd like to call this meeting to order. Roll call, please. >> Mr. Aramondo. >> Present. >> Ms. Barelli. >> Present.

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>> Mr. DiBello. >> Present. >> Mr. Ruccello. >> Present. >> Ms. Ainello. >> Present. >> Ms. Rolloff. >> Here. >> Ms. Torbic. Mr. Verso. >> Here. >> Ms. Addarelli. >> Here. >> At this time I'd ask you like ask you all to please stand for the pledge

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allegiance and remain standing as we would like to take a moment after for a moment of silence to acknowledge the passing of one of our former board members trustees, Peter Ladika. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to

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the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. I would just like to say a couple of things. After graduating um Pete ran for the Board of Education.

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He was one of the youngest trustees. He will be greatly missed by all that had the pleasure of knowing him. And I just want to thank you for acknowledging him. Adequate notice of this meeting has been sent to all members of the Board of Education and to the Bergen Record in

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accordance with the provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act, Chapter 231, 1975. At this time, please be advised that all cell phones and electronic devices are to be turned off. Student representative reports. >> Yes. >> Carol. >> Last one. >> Last one.

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All righty, starting with the high school. As the school year comes to a close, it is hard to believe how quickly the year has flown by. From exciting events to unforgettable memories, our school community has had an incredible year. First, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Mrs. Rippas, Mr.

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Napoleon, and Dr. Osborne for their dedication and commitment to our students. Their leadership and positive influence have left a lasting impact on our school community. Congratulations to Mr. Garvey on being named teacher of the year. Mr. Garvey has inspired countless students through

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his passion for teaching and his ability to make every student feel capable, confident, and successful. Personal Personally, he has always made me feel smarter and more confident in my abilities, and I know many students share the same appreciation. Prom was truly a night to remember.

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Congratulations to our prom court, and thank you to everyone who helped make the evening such a memorable celebration for the class of 2026. The senior awards night was another wonderful event recognizing the accomplishments of our graduating seniors. Thank you to our generous scholarship donors for supporting our

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students' futures. We would also like to thank everyone who prepared and served food for the event, as well as our custodial staff whose hard work helped make the evening run smoothly. Our seniors recently enjoyed their senior day trip to Six Flags. Thank you to the teachers and chaperones who accompanied us and helped make the day

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enjoyable and safe. A special thank you as well for the bagels provided before leaving, a great way to start the day. Looking ahead, senior sunset will take place on June 18th at 7:30 p.m., giving the class of 2026 one final opportunity to be together and celebrate the

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memories we have made. Graduation practice begins on June 19th, this Friday, and seniors should be sure to attend all required rehearsals. Please remember that beginning Wednesday, June 17th, today, through the last day of school on Tuesday, June 23rd, the school will follow a single

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session schedule. Students are reminded that class absences remain unexcused, even if no final exam is scheduled and may result in loss of credit regardless of class grade. Finally, we look forward to celebrating the class of 2026 at graduation on June

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23rd at 7:00 p.m. on the Cedar Brook High School field. As the school year comes to an end, we want to thank our teachers, staff, administrators, parents, and students for making this year so special. While we are excited for summer, we know the memories, friendships, and experiences

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from this year will stay long with us after graduation. Have a safe, relaxing, and wonderful summer summer, Falcons. Middle School. On June 4th, our 8th graders enjoyed their class field trip to Rocking Horse Ranch. Students had a blast participating in water sports,

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horseback riding, and a variety of other fun activities. A huge thank you to Miss Sharp and Miss Summers and all of our dedicated middle school teachers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this trip a fantastic success. Middle School Field Day was an absolute

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success. There is nothing quite like a perfectly sunny day of team competition, teacher trivia, and school spirit to wrap up the school year. A big shout out to Mr. Shamoney and Miss Wickersham. Organizing an entire field day with multiple rotating stations and matching team shirts is no small feat. It takes

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an immense amount of planning, logistics, and patience to pull off so smoothly. A huge thank you to all of our middle school faculty and staff. Your hard work truly made this day a fun-filled and memorable event. Miss Coffee met with our principal's cabinet students today. They brought incredible

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ideas to the table focusing on boosting team spirit and getting our middle schoolers more engaged for the upcoming school year. We can't wait to get started. Middle School Promotion Ceremony practice begins on June 19th. It's hard to believe we've reached the end of another school year. Our 8th graders have some exciting days ahead as

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they look forward to their special breakfast and getting their yearbooks. The promotion ceremony will take place on Monday, June 22nd at 6:00 p.m. We can't wait to celebrate this incredible milestone with our students and families. Now finally at Washington School.

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As the school year comes to a close, Washington School is excited to celebrate several special events with our students and families. This month we are looking forward to desserts with dad, a wonderful opportunity to honor the father figures and special role models in our students lives. We are also excited for a visit from a petting

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zoo, which is sure to be fun and a memorable experience for everyone as we wrap up the school year. Most importantly, we are preparing to celebrate our school graduates. On behalf of the entire Washington School staff, we would like to congratulate our graduating students and wish them the very best as they transition to

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kindergarten next year. Watching them learn, grow, and flourish has been a privilege and while they are more than ready for the big schools, they will always hold a special place in our hearts. We are so proud of all they have accomplished and cannot wait to see all the amazing things they will do in the future.

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We would also like to thank our families for the continued support throughout the year. We wish everyone a safe, happy, and relaxing summer filled with wonderful memories and quality time with loved ones. Thank you. >> Thank you, Zizi. Now I will share the

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updates for our elementary schools. Starting with Long School, this past month at Long School has been filled with activity and excitement. Our third through sixth grade students took the NJSL assessment and staff and students did a great job navigating the new platform. We then wrapped up May with

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our highly anticipated field days. Our fourth, fifth, and sixth graders embraced the thrill of friendly competition competing against their peers from the other two elementary schools. The major highlight was getting to play on the high school field, an experience that clearly sparked a lot of

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school pride. Thank you to Mr. Muñoz and the physical education department for conducting these days for our students. On June 3rd, we had a wonderful spring concert showcasing our fourth, fifth, and sixth grade band, choir, and Orff ensemble. Thank you to Miss Grodos for a

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memorable evening. On June 5th, our sixth graders attended their camping trip to Fairview Lake as a district-wide annual event. That was a great day for all. Our fourth graders had their science fair, sixth grade hosted market day, and our gifted and talented

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students held their cardboard carnival. As June unfolds, we are looking forward to celebrating two special milestones: our sixth grade moving up ceremony on June 18th at 5:30 p.m. and our kindergarten celebration on June 19th at 10:30 a.m.

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We wish the entire Solebury community a wonderful relaxing summer. Next, at Smith School. The final weeks of the school year have been a whirlwind of energy, achievement, and celebration throughout Smith. Recent highlights include two exciting field days, educational field trips for

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several grade levels, a beautiful spring concert, an engaging kindergarten cultural event, and a creative fourth grade performance about the Boston Tea Party. We are now looking forward to celebrating our youngest and oldest learners during their upcoming

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kindergarten moving up ceremony and sixth grade promotion ceremonies. Thank you to the entire Smith School staff and our supportive families for collaborating to make this school year a success. We wish everyone a wonderful summer and encourage all of our students to continue reading and practicing their

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math skills over the summer. And finally, at Franklin School. It has been a busy and exciting month at Franklin School as we head into the final stretch year. Our band and choir students delivered a wonderful spring concert, and after weeks of preparation, they truly shined and we are so grateful

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to our music teacher, Mr. Harder, for all of his hard work in preparing them. Also, both of our field days were a great success with our K-3 and 4-6 students enjoying a day of fun, teamwork, and school spirit. Our sixth graders also had a memorable trip to Fairview Lake.

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We are grateful to partner with the Salisbury Police Department for their LEAD program for our sixth graders, along with their e-bike presentation for our fifth and sixth graders. Our student council also led a change for change drive to help to purchase a new presentation screen for the gym. A

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wonderful example of student leadership in action. Looking ahead, we have an exciting close to the year with our sixth grade moving up ceremony and kindergarten celebration. Sixth graders will also enjoy their picnic and clap out as we send them off to middle school. Thank you as always to all of our staff,

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students, families, the PTO, and the Board of Education for your continued support. Thank you. >> Good job, girls. Thank you, girls. Thank you, Suzy. You know you're not going to be here next year. Thank you.

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Okay. Um superintendent's report. Okay. So, thank you everybody for being here this evening. We are going to follow the order. I'm going to give my report while I have everybody here. Strategy. And then we are going to follow the order of the presentations on the agenda. So, we are going to present our student reps with their

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certificates. We're going to do the Seal of Biliteracy certificates, and then honor our retirees, following with our Teacher of the Years. And then after that, we will take a short break, so that way with those with young'uns that need to get home are able to do so. Okay.

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I'm going to start with congratulating Suzy. She is graduating this uh this year in a couple days. >> [applause] >> And thank you to Suzy and Mia. Mia is going to stay on with us, and we are currently interviewing for next school year for another uh student

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representative representative to the Board of Education. Okay. Our strategic plan for the district, we are entering our fifth year, and it was a five-year strategic plan. So, that means we are going to start a new one. So, in thinking of long-term down the road from today, in few years, what what

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want for our district. So, one of the items that continuously comes up are the CTE programs, career and technical programs, which are those trades that we always talk about. So, we I will be sharing out a survey to our parents and some of our students as to what trades they would like to see in our building.

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It's not a promise it's going to happen. It's going to assist us with planning, but in order to be able to effectively plan, we want to make sure we're planning for the right program. So, those surveys will be going out shortly. I also want to share that we are continuing with our referendum. There's new tables

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um outdoor tables by the fields house, and just today they installed the Falcon decal on the press box. So, we are still finishing up those finishing up touches touches are still happening. But, we also have projects planned for this summer and next school year. I'm stealing Mr. Carotti's thunder for a

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moment. We are using capital funds and grant money for many of these. Um but, here at the middle school high school, really excited. We're going to rip up the rug in the media center and lay down flooring and paint it. So, we're very excited to kind of update our media center. And

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then also the nurse's office. Apparently, the nurse's office is one of the original items, I believe, from this building. So, we are going to do new flooring and painting in our nurse's office in this building. At Smith School, we are going to be doing new flooring and painting downstairs behind the media center, those back steps.

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And then at Franklin School, where actually their media center is so large that we're going to take maybe about a third of it and we're going to create three rooms, a conference room and two small group instruction rooms, so that because we're running out of space there. We needed some more some more space at Franklin School. Also very excited to share that each K

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to 6 building will be getting a new playground, scheduled to be installed over the summer with the new matting for the for the bottom and new playground apparatus. And then we're also going to be completing Washington's playground as well. The other thing with the grant that we are we're using grant funds for are new

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line monitors and communication. So, the new line monitors are those interactive displays. And we have one one just about every classroom. By the time we finish this installation, every single classroom will have one. We ordered a few extra. And then we also are ordered monitors for placement around the buildings. So, for example, here at the

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middle school high school, might be two two in each cafeteria, a couple in the hallway, the principal's office are going to have them. And it's really to display messaging. Um so, we can just we have the ability with this program to display the same message across every Newline device. We can do different messages across

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different Newline devices. We're going to have one for the athletic Hall of Fame that we're starting. So, they'll be So, we're very excited just be able to start sharing out communication um across the building to all our staff and students. All right, next. A couple of um honorees

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that are not in the audience, well, not all of them are. But, our director of Oh gosh, what's her title? Student data research and evaluation, um Mrs. Jenkins. She's being acknowledged the end of next week um by Women in Motion as a community leadership honoree.

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There's a luncheon next Friday. This is through her work as past international vice president of Alpha Omicron Pi, if that's how you pronounce it. I was not a Greek lady. Jane Ellen has a strong connection and passion for the Arthritis Foundation's mission and impact. So, really proud to have Jane Ellen Jenkins

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on our team. I also want to share that our director of curriculum, Nicole DeBonis, she was honored with a Friend of Guidance Award for her role of supporting our school counselors. Um our school counselors nominated her for this award, and so with appreciation to them and also for Mrs. DeBonis for all she does for our district. I was honored to

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be able to attend with her. We also Mrs. DeBonis attended with me. The district received the Lighthouse Reward from the New Jersey Department of Education for excellence in increasing equity in dual enrollment. Only nine districts in the state of New Jersey received this award. And to put that in

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perspective, there's a total of 590 operating school districts in New Jersey. So, Mrs. DeBonis joined me. We attended a state um Board of Education meeting, and we were honored there presented with a plaque. It was really nice. I >> [applause] >> Thank you.

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Only a little bit more. The New Jersey School Performance Reports are out and really proud to share that our chronic absenteeism went down to 6%. Um it was up at 13.4% I believe at one time. So dropping down to 6% is a huge accomplishment. Thank you

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to our families. Thank you to our staff for following up making having our students wanting to attend school and to our leadership team and our principals especially for really doing a lot of the legwork on this. It is appreciated. This means that we um no longer have a CAP a corrective action plan for attendance in

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any of our buildings this coming school year. So that's very exciting. And also our test scores are increasing. They're higher than the state in each category, math, ELA, science. They're really moving on up. So we're really excited. A more thorough public presentation will be in the fall, but I just wanted to share if you wanted to start perusing

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the New Jersey School Performance Reports are published. We have our sixth grade promotion tomorrow night, kindergarten promotion on Friday, uh preschool on Monday, middle school Monday evening, and then our high school graduation is Tuesday evening out on our athletic field. All

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are invited to join us and um congratulate our graduates on this achievement. Okay. So now I'm going to start the presentation part of our meeting. So excuse me. Hopefully I don't trip.

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>> We'll catch you. We'll catch you. >> Okay. Thank you. So if you don't know me, my name is Toni Violetti. I'm the Superintendent of Schools here in South Brunswick. I'm honored to be part of this district. And our first presentation is going to be presenting

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our student representatives to the Board of Education with their certificates. So, I do have a resolution here for each of them. I'm not going to read the entire thing, but I am going to just share that each of them is being honored for serving with distinction on the South Brunswick Board of Education for this entire school year. They're honored

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for their leadership, for contributing to the community, for their commitment to fellow students in the school district, maintaining professional decorum at board meetings, um advancing the education of all students, and putting the word out there. These two did a fabulous job with their

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Instagram accounts and really connecting to the entire student body. So, definitely want to thank Zuzi and Mia. Please come up FOR YOUR CERTIFICATES. >> [applause] >> OKAY, NEXT I'M GOING TO CALL OUR DIRECTOR of curriculum, Mrs. Nicole DeBonis, up to present the Seal of

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Biliteracy certificates. >> [applause] >> Okay, so >> [clears throat] >> we had an incredible number of students who qualified for Seal of Biliteracy. Um what that means is that students take an assessment to show that they can read,

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write, speak, and listen in a language other than English. Um So, we have some students who are here tonight to get a certificate from us, but before I call up who is here, I just I'm going to read through

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the list of students. Um so, please hold your applause till I'm done, and then we could do applause for the students that are here tonight. So Yamilet Alvarez for English and Spanish, Victoria Balock for English and Polish.

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Sorry, there's a lot here. Zuzanna Bubianko for English and Polish, Sabrina Bonet English and Spanish, Mia Cajela English and French, Haley Cajo English and Spanish,

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Alexander Calderon, thank you. English and Spanish, Stephanie Carballo English and Spanish, Lorena Carmona Lopez English and Spanish, Stephanie Gantes Nunez English and Spanish, Samuel Godoy English and Spanish, Katie Han English

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and Spanish, Natalia Derecki English and Polish, Manbir Kaur she is trilingual in the state's eyes, Punjabi and Spanish and English, Jiaqi English and Chinese, Karolina Kopek English and Polish,

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Alexander Lada again trilingual Polish, Spanish and English, Justin Martinez Spanish and English, Natalie Pena English and Spanish, Lenabel Pena Castro English and Spanish, Claudia Pietraszek

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English and Polish, Annabel Pimentel English and Spanish, Amina Pomerantz English and Russian, Shirley Rodriguez Suarez English and Spanish, Angel Santo Martinez English and Spanish, Eduardo Tovar English and Spanish, Matthew Vera

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English and Spanish, Sandra Tomczyk English and Polish, Sophia Silva English and Spanish, Camilla Rosario English and Spanish, Leslie Fabian Acosta English and Spanish, Mahmoud Ellissy English and Arabic,

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Paula Egan English and Spanish, Key Fang Chen English and Mandarin, Joanna Bach English and Polish. That is everyone. So, that is everyone. That's an incredible amount of students. >> [applause]

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>> So, tonight we have a couple of students who did come out to be recognized at our board meeting. One of whom I just want to say a couple words about. So, this student came to our senior awards and at the end of the awards came

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up to me and said, "Mrs. DeBonis, I know that I qualified for Seal of Biliteracy." And then I got an email from mom and dad and cuz I had completely forgot about it after the the night's event. And I'm like, "Yes, she did." So, I reached out to the Department of Education cuz what happens is they send

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us a download of these certificates once we send everything to the state and they had forgotten hers. So, that night at the senior awards, she did not get to receive it. So, I asked her to please come tonight so I could give it to her and not only is she getting that one, but she's also getting

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the one from us as a school district. So, Yamilet Alvarez, please come up. >> [applause] >> Okay, so here with us tonight Susana Bubianco. >> YES. >> WOO! >> [applause] >> UH HALEY CAJO, I believe is with us

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tonight as well. No, not here. Okay. Stephanie Carballo? No. Erica uh Paula Egan? Okay. Samuel Goodway Manbir Kaur

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>> [cough] >> They are they are S.V.P. yes. Stephanie Ganda Gantus Nunez Anabel Pimentel And last but not least Sophia Silva There you go. >> [applause] >> There you go.

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Okay. Okay, moving on to our retirees at this time I will invite Mrs. Burkenberg up to say a few words about Robert Calcaterra Custodian at Washington School. Mr. Bob Can you hear me over there?

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Did I tell the custodian? All right, it's an honor to thank Mr. Bob Calcaterra or Mr. Bob as he's affectionately known in preschool for all of his years of dedication to our school and our district. 42 years I just learned, right? To be

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exact 42 years. The longest standing employee of our building by far. Mr. Bob knows it better than anyone else and has taken great care of it for many years. Although he started at Smith School as the night custodian in 1984, Mr. Bob has quite literally held us together at

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Washington School for the last six and is the unsung hero of our building. He's the first one to show up in the morning and make sure that the building is ready for the bustle of the day as our air conditioners or heat turned on for us so our rooms are comfortable for us to arrive. Ice is cleared from our

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paths and gates are unlocked ready to welcome our students. Not to mention the countless events that he has set up and broken down over the years. There are a lot in preschool. Mr. Bob is basically a first responder in our school. Whenever there is a mess or something is broken, which happens quite frequently

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in preschool, he responds immediately to save the day. He's not afraid of glitter, glue, stickiness, spills, or worse. And we appreciate him for that so much. I can't even count the number of times I've said, "Call Bob." over the last 3 years.

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He's simply been my go-to for so many things. What makes Mr. Bob truly special, however, is not just what he does, but who he is. He's a gentle soul whose kindness touched countless lives. For our students, Mr. Bob has a warm and welcoming presence each day.

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Whether greeting children in the hallway, offering a smile, or lending a helping hand, he has made our school feel like a place where everyone belongs. Mr. Bob was always willing to help whenever assistance was needed. No task was too big or too small, and he was always eager to respond with his

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characteristic good nature and positive attitude. Many of us will fondly remember hearing one of his favorite catchphrases, "Living the dream." A lot of the work that Mr. Bob did happen in the summer months or after hours when staff has left and no one else is around.

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I've seen him work tirelessly to ready the building for a new year, cleaning, scrubbing, moving furniture, and then moving it again when I got a different idea. Sometimes he's worked so hard that he actually has made us nervous. But he always met the deadlines and worked under pressure to get the job

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done for us. When I first started in district almost 4 years ago next month, I'm sure Mr. Bob didn't know what to expect. But he handled my ideas well and usually just laughed and gave me that funny look where I knew it all right, he was going to do it, but not necessarily going to love it.

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But that's Mr. Bob. He's a good sport. He's been doing this for longer than any of us, so he's earned this retirement for sure. Mr. Bob, on behalf of everyone at Washington School, we thank you so much for your many years of service. We wish you all of the best and nothing but relaxation, good health, and peace in

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your retirement. And as you would say, keep living the dream. Congratulations. >> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you. It should be noted that Washington School is a preschool building. And I just want to say I had the honor of working with Bob as principal at Franklin School when I first started there. He was our

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custodian, and he is truly one of the best. No matter what was asked, he would just go, "Okie dokie." Just do it. So, Bob, you're truly appreciated. Next, we I'm going to ask Mr. Mice to come up to say a few words on Dino Napoleon. >> Dino, of course he came in late. I was

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like, "Is he even coming tonight?" I literally texted Tony when this started like, "I thought Dino was coming." So, it's my honor to present Mr. Napoleon with this uh recognition for his service to Saddle Brook. He was a chemist, long time chemistry teacher, and club advisor.

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Um what I really liked about Dino was that and I and I said it to him, too, is that Dino's an old school pro. Not old. All right? But that old school pro meaning they don't make teachers like Dino anymore. You know, he'd get he'd get involved in everything that we were

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doing. Pep rallies, dressing up as a crazy scientist for Halloween, or just a lab. Helping out in the hallways, he didn't just hide in his classroom, and always making things fun even if it was his own version of it. If you walked by his classroom, whether

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it was first thing in the morning or at 7:00 p.m., yes, 7:00 p.m. You would hear music blasting out of his room. And that was like throughout the day, unless of course he was teaching. And two of his favorites being Doo Diddy and Mellow Yellow. Those were two of your your ones I always heard playing when I

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walked by your room. And speaking of late nights, and again to Dino's commitment he usually had to be thrown out by the custodians. That's how long he would stay. So, and I everyone most people here do know this about him because he was prepping for his class or

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dealing with his very apparently high-maintenance fish that were in there. >> That's going to be Zuzi. >> And actually fun fact about Dino, as I'm like just kind of roasting him here. Uh the most most custodial complaints I got about Listen, he gave me a hard time. >> This is my time.

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>> Um They were most of my custodial complaints were about him because they either couldn't get him to leave. There was one year before winter break that I had to stay with him cuz they were like, "We're leaving, and he's got to go unless you stay." Or he would really show up when he

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wasn't supposed to, including after he retired when he really wasn't supposed to be here. As a union as a union person, we certainly had our fair share of fighting, but my favorite memory with the departmental pictures a couple years ago. What was it that you were doing? What

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was it the thing that you Igniting magnesium. I don't know if you guys know this, it makes a really nice flash. It also makes a lot of smoke. And on a freezing cold raining day, because he was trying to one-up the math department in their department picture, we had to go out for a fire drill.

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A real one, it wasn't a drill. Thankfully, it was the end of the day. And I'm I'm teasing him, but that's the things that I'm mentioning were the things that I loved about Dino, and I think that we're going to really miss the most. Uh he he cared about his students, he

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cared about his colleagues, and he cared about the school. He brought passion into everything he did, and he kept it light whenever he could. And I and and he kept it light with some crazy things going on, and that's what made him such a great teacher, and those are the things that I think we're going to miss the most. On a personal note,

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I'm not going to be too mushy. I'll say the one thing that I really I'm going to remember the most about Dino is how much I looked up to him as a father, as a husband, and as just an overall human being. Anyone who knows him knows just you know, how good of a person he is. There's not many people could compare to

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him. So, Dino, I'd like to just say congratulations on your retirement. It's well-earned, and we're going to all miss you. >> [applause] >> That's what we're going for. >> [laughter] [applause] >> Next, Patricia Gramignashi.

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Is she present? No. Okay. Um Mary Ellen O'Shea is LDTC. She is not present today. Um Kathy Rippas is retiring, middle school high school English. I do not believe she is present this evening. She's watching. She's watching on our

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YouTube channel live. Hi, Kathy. Now I'm all speaked out. Um number Then we have Barbara Amory. Is Barbara here? No. Okay. I want to see who's in the so it's hard to tell. And I know Fran Genda is here, so at

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this time I'm going to ask Mrs. Colli to please No? Mrs. Colli and Mrs. Winder, director of special services and principal of Helen I. Spiff School. >> We are excited to honor Fran Genda. Fran came to us in 2018.

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And I remember distinctly having her join us and being excited about her previous experience as she was getting settled and joining our staff. She immediately adapted. She has worked in our self-contained rooms for most of, if not all of the years that she was there.

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I distinctly remember Fran coming back during when we were all masked up and making sure that her students were being taken care of and monitoring them as well as supporting them. One of the things that Fran came to my office almost like 2 years ago saying

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she was thinking about retiring. And I said, "Oh, you You really sure? Let's Let's put it off." So then she came about 6 months later. "Okay, what about What What do I do if I want to sub?" And so it took us about 2 months. I kept pushing her off a little bit longer, and then she did leave us a few months ago.

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Fran has always taken her students on as part of who she's, you know, part of her family. She takes care of them. And that is why I think she kept holding on and not wanting to leave is cuz she didn't want to leave her students. She's worked tirelessly for them. I looked back at

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some of my old observation reports, and the words that pop up is a team player. She's open, patient, honest. Provided stability and is always there to help her students, whether she was in the small group room or going with them out into the the specials lunch recess. Her

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job was always to make sure that her students were accepted and were part of and in the mix. Fran is very dedicated and we miss her, but I just heard tonight she's going to look into subbing. So we're very excited. She'll get to come back and visit. Um Jillian,

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anything you want to add? >> I would just say Fran always had a smile on her face and was always willing to do anything asked of her. It was never a question asked. You would say, "Okay, where do you need me? What do you need me to do?" Always always always and we so appreciated that. So thank you for that. >> Thank you for all the time and

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dedication you've given to Smith School, our students, our staff. We appreciate you and it's so lovely to see you back tonight. Come on up. Congratulations. >> [applause] [applause] >> Okay, we are going to move on to our Teacher of the Year Honor Awards. Um

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they were already um presented with an award from the district, a token of our appreciation, but tonight we are going to have their supervisors speak about them. So the first one is Jamie Cavallo. She's a school counselor at Helen I. Smith School. Before Mrs. Wonder comes up,

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Jamie, we just want to say as a district, thank you. Um whenever Jamie is covering for Mrs. Wonder at Smith School, she'll call me, we walk through situations. She's extremely professional, caring, it does not go unnoticed. We appreciate it. So, Mrs. Wonder, please come up. >> Okay. Hello again.

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Um my name is Deborah Wonder, and I'm the principal of Helen I. Smith School. It is my sincerest pleasure to honor and speak about our teacher of the year, Jamie Cavallo. Not only am I thrilled to honor Mrs. Cavallo tonight, but it's a special treat for us to see her, as she's

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recently had her second child and is currently on maternity leave at home with Luciano and Francesco. So, it was very special to see her walk in this evening, and I went running. So, it's lovely to have you here. As I was sitting down to write this blurb over the last week or so about Jamie, I was

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overwhelmed with how many different things I could share about her role at Smith School. Her role is ever-present, and it often feels like she is my other half. No one really understands the importance or necessity of a school counselor like a school principal,

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especially when you are without one. While looking over the different reports, observations, and more, I found one line that I wrote during her first maternity leave, which summarizes best. Jamie, we are truly better when you are here.

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With many different nominations, I think it's important to share some of the feedback from staff, students, and parents. So, here are some of the comments. Although her title is counselor, she is truly an educator in every sense of the word, consistently delivering meaningful

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lessons that support students' social, emotional, and mental well-being. Her dedication extends far beyond students. She is always willing to support staff members, offering guidance, encouragement, and a listening ear whenever needed. She understands

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that a strong school community depends on the well-being of everyone within it, and she actively contributes to fostering a positive, supportive environment for both staff and students alike. Mrs. Cavallo has built strong, trusting relationships with parents. Her communication is thoughtful and

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effective and she works collaboratively with families to ensure the best outcomes for their children. Parents know they can rely on her for support, guidance, and advocacy. Her positivity is contagious and she always has a smile on her face

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even while managing the many responsibilities that come with her role. What makes Jamie truly remarkable is her willingness to go above and beyond. She is consistently the first to step in and help whenever and wherever needed. Whether she's greeting students in the

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morning on the car line with me, assisting with breakfast or lunch duty, or supporting in classrooms. In addition to these daily responsibilities, she manages the many critical aspects of her role including counseling students, supporting NJTS initiatives, and

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addressing the social and emotional needs of the entire school community. She does all of this with grace, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to students. Jamie truly does it all. She does it with heart. Her dedication, warmth, and

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commitment to every member of the school community make her more than deserving of this recognition. Above all, she's an incredible person. Kind, compassionate, dedicated, and genuine. Her positive impact is felt throughout the entire school community.

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She embodies what it means to be a counselor. For all of these reasons and more, she is a truly deserving of the teacher of the year recognition. Before wrapping up my thoughts about Mrs. Cavallo, I wanted to reflect back on when she was hired as Miss Jamie

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Ferrara. She was in a pool of 87 applicants who were then interviewed virtually which was not a common thing at that time because it was June and July of 2020. As a finalist, she came to Smith School

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all masked up and she walked the school grounds outside with Amy Abate, Franklin's counselor, and me. Even though we were socially distant and masked as we walked around the outside of Smith, Amy and I could instantly tell and feel her

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genuine warmth, presence, and we could even see that smile. Jamie, you have become my other half. You truly anticipate my needs and approach to school matters. You are the good cop to my bad cop. When needed, your heart is always in the

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right place and you are so dedicated to our school. As I was finalizing the hiring process in 2020, I called several references and one reference said, and I quote, "She is utter perfection. You could do no better."

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Well, that was spot-on. It is a true honor and privilege to name Jamie Cavallo as our Teacher of the Year. >> [applause] [applause] >> Next we have Mr. Joe Stapleton and before I call his current principal down, when I was principal at Franklin,

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I had the honor of working with Joe. And the last two times I observed him, he says it was not planned, but he teaches math basic skills right now and I observed him and both times a student would write on the whiteboard, I love math. He says he did not tell them that.

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But I will share that when I first started at Franklin School as principal, the day Mr. Stapleton came into my office and said, "You know what? You're doing a really good job." I'll never forget it. Thank you, Jeff. Mr. Robinson, please come down. >> Good evening, everyone. Great to see you all.

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Um I, on behalf of the entire Franklin School Community, I am honored to present our Teacher of the Year award tonight to Mr. Stapleton. Joe, I have to be honest with you. You are a man who's always running around to help whoever needs you that day or reworking your schedule a million times

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over, always to make it work best for your students, but tonight I'm asking you to do something that might be difficult, which is stay in one place and let me make this about you for a minute. I know it goes against what you stand for, but you've earned it. Joe Stapleton is an exceptional educator, but he's also one of those

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rare people who quietly makes everyone and everything around him better. He has spent years as the heart of math instruction at Franklin and before that and other schools in Saddlebrook, and there's a reason teachers, parents, and students all light up when his name comes up. Here is what makes Joe so special. His

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students actually love going to him. They love it so much that some of them get genuinely upset when they've improved enough in math that they no longer need to see him. He's so good at his job that his reward for success is a student being mad at him for not needing him anymore, and that is the Joe Stapleton effect.

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I want to share a few words that his colleagues submitted about him. One colleague wrote, "There are not enough words to accurately describe what an unbelievable human and educator Joe is. He sees their potential and their positives. He has this way of connecting with his students and making them feel

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comfortable, comfortable to make mistakes, learn, ask questions, and be themselves. His students love going to him. Whatever it takes to make sure he sees every student, Joe finds a way. An assembly, a special activity, a test coming up, he always reworks things so no one misses

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out. He is invaluable to the school community and I'm honored to call him not only a colleague but a friend. Another colleague shared, "Mr. Stapleton celebrates every small victory with his students while turning hesitant learners into confident mathematicians. Every student wishes they get to work with him

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when they walk into the room. He provides all of his students with support and allows them to have fun while progressing in math." One of the things I admire most about Joe is that after all of his years of experience, he has never stopped learning or growing. This year he volunteered for our

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district instructional rounds team. I use the word volunteered loosely. Joe came to me after I asked him to join the team and he said, "Jim, tell me about this instructional rounds." So, there I was making my best pitch, explaining the whole initiative, really selling it, and Joe listened patiently,

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let me finish, took it all in, and then simply said, "All right, I'm in." He was not about about to give up a single minute with his students unless he was sure that it was worth it. But, once he decided he was, he was all in. He participated in visiting classrooms across all three all schools to study

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and strengthen math instruction for our district. Here is a veteran master teacher with years of experience who still chose to sit alongside his colleagues, talk about new approaches, and then bring bring them right back to his own classroom. And he did not stop there. After our rounds, Joe asked me to come observe his

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room because he was implementing some of these strategies we had discussed in rounds. And that is exactly the kind of teacher leadership that makes our whole school and district better. And he does it without ever seeking credit. He supports our students at concerts and events. He mentors our newer students with patience and

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kindness. He presents at staff meetings. He's always willing to jump in wherever he is needed and stays late to be ready for the next day. When he has a concern about a student, he's the first one to quietly give a heads-up so we can all begin to work towards helping that student.

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And the first time I actually met Mr. Stapleton was when I was living, I was here in Saddlebrook and going to college and part of the preparatory program at my college. I was observing teachers around Saddlebrook and one of the teachers that I got to observe was Mr. Stapleton and this was at a time when I

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wasn't positive if this was the right path for me. So I was observing teachers and getting a feel for it. Um and after observing his classroom, I had never seen a teacher do what he did and I walked out of there knowing that I wanted to be a teacher. So Joe, your expertise, your dedication, your humility, your passion, and your

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endless willingness to help others are truly inspiring. You're a cornerstone of Franklin School and Saddlebrook Schools and beloved by everyone in the building and around the district. We are incredibly fortunate to have you and we are all better at what we do because of you. Thank you for everything you do, our Franklin School Teacher of the Year,

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Mr. Joe Stapleton. >> [applause] [applause] >> Hi, next we have Jen Cannon. So what I've learned about Jen Cannon over the years, she's a social worker at Washington School, um is she's very humble, quiet, and I had no idea everything that

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she does or does did and does for our for our school district. So every and every now and then I'll say to Brooke, "Oh, that's really nice." She's like, "Jen." I'm like, "Oh, I love this." Jen. >> [laughter] >> But you would never hear it from Jen herself. Um so Jen, thank you for all you do for our district and I invite

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Mrs. Hanenberg up to say a few words. >> All right. Tonight, I'm so honored to speak in recognition of Miss Jen, Mrs. Cannon, Washington School's Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Cannon is our school social worker. She's a school social worker for the district. However, we are lucky enough

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and proud enough to have her as our school-based child study team member, which means we get her most of the time when she's not having to to travel around the district. So, as such, Mrs. Cannon case manages students who come to us from either early intervention or via parent referral due to a concern maybe with

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some sort of developmental delay. So, our youngest students in the district, um, who are coming to us with some sort of a concern. She's because of that, she's the first point of contact for worried, scared, nervous parents who have never sent their child to school

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before. And she puts their mind at ease every time. She's comforting, she's patient, she's knowledgeable, she's caring. She is so beyond thoughtful in her practice and always seeks to ensure that her families, our families of Saddlebrook, are well informed and taken care of when

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they're transition to Washington school. As the building principal and the supervisor of special services, having Mrs. Cannon be the entry point to our district also makes me feel at ease. For our building and our students, Mrs. Cannon goes far above her child study team duties on a daily basis.

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She serves on our I&RS committee and is the first to volunteer her services for counseling or behavioral support for any student who may need it, extending well past her caseload to any student in our school. She offers valuable insight into the social emotional needs of our district's youngest learners, and that is not

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something any of us take for granted. But not only does she prioritize the social emotional needs of our students, she does the same for the staff. Mrs. Cannon is always looking for ways to celebrate others' accomplishments, birthdays, retirements, pregnancies, you name it. She's always making sure everyone feels

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included, seen, and heard. Mrs. Cannon loves our school so much that she can frequently be found with one or two other staff members gabbing down the hallway to my office to pitch one of her new ideas, an event decoration program, or way to involve families in our school. In addition, she offers hugs when she

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can sense I'm having a hard day. Jen, we're so beyond grateful to have you as the heartbeat of our building. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for all you do. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition. [applause] >> [applause] [applause] >> All right. James Garvey, Mr. Garvey is

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an absolutely amazing educator, very professional, and every single time I go into his classroom, the students are engaged and they're doing something interactive, and he's walking around and it's just teaching at its very best. Students love Mr. Garvey's class. Um I

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can't even say enough great things about James. So, thank you for being part of our team. We really value and respect you. Mr. Meish, please come up. >> I barely made it through there. Where's Al? All the way in the back, of course. So, Mr. Garvey, Mr. Gravy Garvey, that's

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how he answers the phone every time I call him. A fellow TCNJ grad, which obviously makes him even more special. James teaches English at the high school, and this year really actually you you really did 9th through 12th this year. Um so, he does it all.

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And I know you guys probably don't know this, but he actually has, you know, again all the wonderful things he was selected as teacher of the year for a reason, but he actually has probably one of the hardest teaching loads, if not the hardest one in the high school. This year, he was teaching basic skills,

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English 10, he's teaching AP English to the 11th grade and to the 12th grade, and he usually has an English 11 honors in there as well. So, Mr. Garvey's course load is like no one else. Mr. Garvey is also the kind of teacher

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who makes a massive impact, but kind of does it quietly. I don't know how to explain it, but that's like the best way that I could describe it. You know, it's it's obviously not that quiet because we're here singing his praises tonight. But, you know, his room is hidden away in the corner down there.

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He doesn't make a big fuss. He's pretty low maintenance about stuff, and he just handles his business. So, in that way he's quiet, but he's honestly one of the most consistent people I've ever had the chance to work with, and it's honestly like I feel like it's almost we take him for granted because it's just the norm that Mr.

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Garvey is just operating at a high level all of the time. And that's something that it's hard to beat that. As an educator, there's not many people who can hold a candle to what he does. His numbers in AP English 11 and 12 make up more than half of the school's overall AP enrollment. So, from

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a school ranking standpoint, he's actually making the biggest impact of in the school. His AP numbers are significantly higher than the honors level courses, which is honestly never the case. And that just goes in that, you know, he's the X factor there because his

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reputation precedes him, and students know that they're going to have an amazing experience in his class, and he's going to get them ready not just for the AP exam, but for life after Saddle Brook High School. Mr. Garvey also, and again, speaking of like kind of a quiet thing that he does,

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he sets up an alumni panel every year. And it's honestly one of my favorite events of the year where he brings back former students. I think every senior in there benefits from it. And again, this is just something he's just doing as part of the his his normal his normal year routine.

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Outside of the classroom, Mr. Garvey has just as big of an impact. He was on a committee to hire the new vice principal, and he's an association rep at the union. He teaches CPR to our staff and our coaches, and and we always reference the office scene with the CPR scene, which is one of our very few If

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you've never seen that, it's worth the watch after this. We're constantly He's an EMT, and we're constantly calling on him and as a member of the code heart team, and I'm going to just like you can't understand how valuable that is for, you know, me as a as a principal to have

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somebody like James on the staff because when something happens, we're usually deferring to him. Uh and if we If somebody gets sick, we're calling him, and he's with the nurse a lot of times making the final call on what we're going to do. Uh in fact, and this was kind of,

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you know, ironic, on the day of the teacher of the year luncheon, we had our prom, and during prom, we had somebody who got sick, and Mr. Garvey was the first responder and went in the ambulance with the student. So, talk about somebody's impact. At the end of the day, Mr. Garvey, he's

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the ultimate team player. He's a fan favorite among the student body and for good reason and with the staff. So, the in In a lot of ways, this this year was such an easy selection for the committee. If you want to chat about something, catch him in the hallway or the office

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or his classroom. You want to see an amazing lesson? Like Miss Violetti said, stop by anytime. If you need something or you just or you need support, you could always count on him. Mr. Garvey, it has been an absolute pleasure working with you. This is well deserved. Congratulations.

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>> [applause] [applause] >> All right, next we have Joe Munoz. So, who doesn't love Joe? His children have been quite patient this evening, so thank you. Um Joe always always just has his students engaged. You walk into that gym, the

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music is going, they are having fun. It is a really good time. And the students love him. He plans an excellent field day, collaborates with the other teachers. He's extremely professional. Uh just one of those like amazing staff members that it's hard to find anything

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to say because it's all so good. So, um What was I going to say? Oh, I know what I was going to say. One of my favorite things to do is to go into Joe's closet, where all the balls are facing the same way, and you just take one and you slightly turn it. It's amazing.

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>> [laughter] >> But Joe, thank you for everything you do for our district. Really appreciate it. And at this time, I'll ask Mrs. Mansfield to come on up and say a few words. >> Thank you, Mrs. Parlady. I don't I don't dare take a ball for recess No, from that closet. >> [laughter]

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>> Knowing it will definitely be noticed. Um tonight I have the honor of celebrating Joe Munoz. When we look through the nominations for this year's Teacher of the Year, the outpouring of love from families and students made one thing abundantly clear. Mr. Munoz goes above and beyond

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for our kids. To his students, he's a true hero and a role model. To our families, he's a dedicated, highly qualified professional who always has the students' best interest at heart. He's an asset to Long School and a constant source of support and

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encouragement. Mr. Muñoz has created an engaging, unique physical education classroom where children learn and grow as young individuals and as athletes. His role is uniquely challenging. To the students, phys ed is the fun special.

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Yet, Mr. Muñoz must always maintain structure, ensure fairness, and model good sportsmanship all while carrying out a planned lesson. And very impressive how they clean up. There could be a gym full of balls everywhere. Within a minute, every kid has everything cleaned up, color-coded,

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all organized. Impressive. >> [laughter] >> Day after day, year after year, he shows up with a smile on his face, full of positive energy, patience, and a readiness to give students a meaningful experience. From his innovative and creative

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lessons, like making real-life world connections with his now-famous Winter Olympics that had students constantly talking about and so excited for, to the everyday games, he turns physical fitness into unforgettable experiences.

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He inspires students not just to be active, but to believe in themselves. He has an ability to maintain Wait, to building I'm sorry. He has an ability to build meaningful connections, making every child feel seen, valued, and confident.

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Families shared that their children have core memories from his class. They are learning the value of being a team player, being kind, and being helpful. He boosts their confidence by crowning a class MVP or handing out Infinity Stones,

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which during lunch and recess, every student is so excited to tell me they got an Infinity Stone from Mr. Muñoz. And the kids notice the little things. One student shared that Mr. Muñoz is always fair, whether it's a high five, a compliment on a shirt, which was a shark

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shirt, and they shared that love of sharks, or an open door when a student needs to talk. His heartwarming nature speaks volumes. He is the definition of a team player. He's always ready to participate in student and faculty planned activities, whether that means organizing an

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unforgettable field day, which I know how much hard work, collaboration, and planning goes into that day, and not one student mentioned he was complaining about it. And there was a lot that was entailed, and he did it with a smile, and I know how exhausted he was, but you would never know.

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Or graciously allowing himself to be duct taped year after year to the wall for a sixth grade fundraiser. And today, he was the highest bid in the sixth grade auction to shadow Mr. Muñoz for the day. Lot more money than they paid for me.

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>> [laughter] >> Um parents also shared that their kids absolutely love him, and he's so deserving this honor. He brings energy, enthusiasm, and genuine care into our building every single day. He teaches our children to work hard, reach their goals, and treat each other

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with respect. Joe, for your kindness, your dedication, and the impact you have on the lives of our students, congratulations being our 2026 Teacher OF THE YEAR. >> [applause] [applause] >> THANK YOU.

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I'LL BRING THE KIDS UP. BRING THE KIDS UP. >> YEAH, get the kids. >> I want that. >> Ms. Arellano, at this time, you want to make a motion for a 5-minute break? >> Second. >> I. >> Okay, thank you. So, at this time, we'll

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take a 5-minute break before we reconvene for the regular board meeting. >> Thank you. >> Just reconvening the meeting. >> I'd like to reconvene the meeting. Motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? All of all of us,

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except for Sylvia, who's chatting away out there. Okay, at this time we're going to do the business administrator report, Mr. Violetti. >> Mr. Violetti. I'm like, what the heck? So say he's happy he's he's absent today, yeah.

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Well, let me tell you, Mrs. Violetti did such a great job on the projects that it just sounded so much better. Anyone else hear me talk about it, you can listen to Monday's meeting, but Mrs. Violetti did a wonderful job, so I'm I'm not going to report anything tonight. >> right? You're the best.

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>> Thank you, Mr. Violetti. >> [laughter] >> Only kidding. Um we did the presentations. Um I'd like to open the meeting for public comment on agenda items only. >> Motion. >> Second.

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So, agenda items only. Does anybody wish to speak? Motion to close to public. >> Motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Okay. Oops. Sorry. Board action items. B 2526.43

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through B 2526.49. Motion. >> Motion. >> Second. >> That is the second. >> All in favor? >> Unanimous vote. >> Oh. So, I reviewed this I reviewed everything on the agenda Monday night at Monday's meeting, but if you have any questions you still have any questions

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you want to ask, please let me know. I will say the point 49 that's the year two of the CEP that we were talking about during training this evening. Everything else is pretty much mandated. >> Roll call. >> Mrs. Adorelli. >> Yes.

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>> Mr. Armondo. >> Yes. >> Ms. Barrelli. >> Yes. >> Mr. Mr. Tibello. >> Yes. >> Mr. Richello. >> Yes. >> Ms. Ainello. >> Yes. >> Mr. Verso. >> Yes. >> Ms. Rodolf. >> Yes.

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>> Education and curriculum. >> Ms. Barrelli. I'm so sorry. I just came to the table here. I'm just finding where I am. Ah, there we go. At the recommendation of the superintendent, I make a motion to

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approve the following items. E 252668 to E 252672. >> Second. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> The field trips are the extended school year field trips.

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>> Roll call. >> Mrs. Adorelli. >> Yes. >> Mr. Armondo. >> Yes. >> Ms. Borelly? >> Yes. >> Mr. DiBella? >> Yes. >> Mr. Richello? >> Yes. >> Ms. Ainello? >> Yes. >> Mr. Verso? >> Yes. >> Ms. Roloff? >> Yes.

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Budget and Finance, Mr. Raccomando? >> Okay, at the recommendation of the superintendent, I make a motion to approve the following items: BF2526.123 to BF2526.144. >> Second. >> Second.

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>> Any discussion? Roll call. >> Ms. Odorizzi? >> Yes. >> Mr. Raccomando? >> Yeah, um yes, but I need to abstain from a check, I believe. >> Yep. >> Check number 68737. >> Yes to all the rest, correct?

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>> Yes, sir. >> Ms. Borelly? >> Yes. >> Mr. DiBella? >> Yes. >> Mr. Richello? >> Yes. >> Ms. Ainello? >> Uh yes to all, but in BF2526.123, I'm going to abstain from check numbers 3150

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35 19 68727 then in BF2526.126, I'm going to abstain from that item. >> Mr. Verso? >> Yes. >> Ms. Roloff? >> Yes. Facilities and Operations, at the

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recommendation of the superintendent, I make the motion to approve the following items: F2526.14 through F2526.17. >> Second. >> Second. Any discussion? >> No. >> No. >> Roll call.

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>> Ms. Odorizzi? >> Yes. >> Mr. Raccomando? >> Yes. >> Ms. Borelly? >> Yes. >> Mr. DeBello? >> Yes. >> Mr. Richello? >> Yes. >> Ms. Iannello? >> Yes. >> Mr. Verso? >> Yes. >> Ms. Rullo? >> Yes.

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Policy? >> Okay. >> At the recommendation of the superintendent, I make a motion to approve the following items. P O 2 O L 2 5 2 6.7 is to approve the first reading of the following policies and regulations. P 1

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2 3 0 through P 8 5 6 1. >> Motion? >> Motion. >> I'll make a second. Second. >> Any discussion? Mrs. Iannello will share a policy committee update later, but this is from

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a Strauss mandate Strauss essay essay mandate. Um, they are mandatory policies that are revised so that we are going to be in compliance with Q sack next school year when we get Q sacked. Roll call. >> Ms. Odarelli? >> Yes.

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>> Ms. Raccomando? >> Yes. >> Ms. Borelli? >> Yes. >> Mr. Mr. DeBello? >> Yes. >> Mr. Richello? >> Yes. >> Ms. Iannello? >> Yes. >> Mr. Verso? >> Yes. >> And Ms. Rullo? >> Yes. Negotiations?

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>> At the recommendation of the superintendent, I make a motion to approve the following items. N 2 5 2 6.2. >> Second. >> Second. >> Any discussion? Okay. Roll call. >> Ms. Odarelli? >> Yes.

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>> Ms. Raccomando? >> Yes. >> Ms. Borelli? >> Yes. >> Mr. DeBello? >> Yes. >> Mr. Richello? >> Yes. >> Ms. Iannello? >> Yes. >> Mr. Verso? >> Yes. >> And Ms. Rullo? >> Yes. >> Personnel? >> At the recommendation of the

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superintendent, I make a motion to approve the following items. P 2 5 2 6.82 through P 2 >> Second. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> I'll go through the appointments. We have an um OT number one is an OT for

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the district. Two is a para. Three is high school mathematics. She was actually our one of our clinical interns this past year. Four is the full year leave replacement for the maternity leave at Smith School, the school counselor. Five is a preschool teacher. She actually did a maternity leave at the

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preschool this past year. Six is a middle school high school social studies special education teacher. He was in another district. Seven is a special education teacher for the district. Eight is a kindergarten leave of absence. It's a full year. She was also a clinical intern two years ago. She's She She's completing her

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first year um of a leave position this school year and is going to do another one next school year. Nine is our high school vice principal, um Mr. Shallcross. 10 is a lunch aid. 11 is a special education teacher at Franklin

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School. Then we have our summer custodial help. 14 is a BCBA. Um 14 also did a maternity leave for this full year with us already. Hopefully I don't mess this up. No. Um the stipends are all there. You can see a lot of the

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the counselor summer hours and then all the um fall sports are there. And then some revisions for people that had left mid-year. Under that, so all the ones that are linked, those are revisions to non-tenured staff and then you have all the links that's tenured staff. Um Mr.

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Crotty's contract is on there and revised holiday schedule for the office staff. Also allowing me to make any remaining vacancies for the 2026-2027 school year, which reminds me that I did offer um middle school special education science to an applicant today, but they did want

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to go home and talk it over with their family, so I should hear back by Friday. Thank you. Anything else? Roll call. >> Ms. Autorino? >> Yes. >> Ms. Arcammondo? >> Yes. >> Ms. Barelli? >> Yes. >> Mr. DeBello? >> Yes. >> Mr. Ruccello? >> Yes.

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>> Ms. Ainello? >> Um yes to all, but in P2526.87, I'm going to abstain from item number seven through 28. Then in P2526.91, I'm going to abstain from item numbers

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two and three. Yes to everything else. >> Mr. Verso? >> Yes. >> Ms. Rollo? >> Yes. On to committee reports, budget and finance. Mr. Rock? >> Uh nothing to report. >> Facilities and operations.

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Want to report anything? No. Okay. Negotiation, Sylvia? >> Under negotiations, we just approved to sign an MOA between the Paris and the board for a five-year contract. >> Congratulations.

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Policy. All right, the policy committee met on June 11th to review the Strauss estimate updates. There were some minor changes to made to the standards and a assessment administrative codes so that our policy needs

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to be revised. These are mandates. There was also some changes made as all legal notices and notifications of the BOE meetings are not to be placed online, and the office of fiscal accountability and compliance completed some audits and

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found some minor changes that needed to be made based on the audit report. So, these policies will now be updated and current for the Q-Zac next school year. Thank you. Do we have any liaison reports?

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Anybody? Education? >> The schools liaison. >> Town? >> Nothing. >> PTO? >> Yep. >> Okay. Franklin School? >> Okay. Um Franklin School PTO had their last

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meeting of the year last week. They discussed the success of field day including the t-shirts, pizza, and the DJ provided by the PTO. As they approach the last few days of school, the PTO will be providing treats free of charge

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for all students and staff on each of the half days as well as a pizza party at the last day of school. In addition, the PTO president attended the high school scholarship award dinner last Wednesday night where the PTO awarded

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three $500 scholarships to Franklin's alumni. Have a great summer. See you in September. Thank you. Smith School? >> We don't have a report this time. Just have a great summer. >> Thank you. Long School?

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>> Yes. This will cover the last uh quarter of the school year from April to June. So, thank you to all the families who donated towards Teacher Appreciation Week. The LMS staff treated students to a full week of surprises. Our spring book fair and special lady

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and knight event at Medieval Times was a success. Thank you to all who attended and volunteered. We thank everyone who attended and everyone who donated towards field day. The LMS PTO awarded 500 $500 scholarships to three LMS alumni at the annual senior scholarship banquet which

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was held on Wednesday June 10th. For the remainder of the year, class parties will be held on June 22nd. The PTO will provide pizza and ice pops for all students and staff. Class parents will provide additional goodies and activities. As a reminder, LMS PTO can members can join our Facebook page. All

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LMS families and staff are encouraged to visit our website which is kept up-to-date with all upcoming events, fundraisers, meetings, etc. As we reflect on the 2025-2026 school year, we would like to thank all of our volunteers and chairpeople for your assistance in making these events possible for our wonderful school

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community. Have a wonderful summer and join us please for our first meeting in October of 2026. Thank you. Washington School? >> Nothing at this time. >> Thank you, sir.

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Okay. Any old business? New business? >> Through the chair, if I could. Unfortunately, Mr. Osborne was not here tonight, but I want to wish him the best in his future path as a principal. Um he was always a gentleman and professional in everything

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he did, so I just want to wish him the best in his future. >> Thank you. I just want to say congratulations to the class of 2026 that I hold near and dear to my heart. My daughter will be graduating with that

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class. It's bittersweet. Um they're a wonderful class, great bunch of kids, and uh we're going to miss you next year. And thank you, Susanna, for being here. You were amazing. Anybody else?

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>> I just want I would like to >> Not yet. >> Thank you, Mr. Accomando. I also want to wish Mr. Osborne the best. Um he is going to be very successful. I have no doubt as a principal of a I believe it's a 4-8 building closer to where that he lives. And also congratulations to Mr.

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Shallcross who was able to meet with the Board of Trustees on Monday. And we're really excited to have him on board. He starts right away, July 1, so get ready, Mr. Shallcross. Congratulations to Zuzi and our gratitude to Mia. Very excited to continue with you and Zuzi. We're very excited for you. And I also just

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want to take a moment to thank all the staff I came tonight to support their colleagues. It doesn't go unnoticed. It's appreciated. Dino, I see you're still here. >> [laughter] >> Is it you and Mr. Mychason? No, but I really do appreciate it. It's so nice seeing all the staff members

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that have come out to support one another. So, thank you for that. And this weekend, I believe this weekend is Father's Day, correct? So, happy Father's Day to all the dads out there as well. >> Yep. Happy Father's Day. At this time, I'd like to open the meeting for public comment. Motion. >> Second.

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>> Would anybody like to speak? Okay, I'm going to just read this before you go up. Residents are requested to state their names, address, and subject matter. In the event it appears the public comment portion of the meeting may exceed 45 minutes, the presiding officer may limit

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each statement made by participant to 5 minutes duration. Issues raised by members of the public may or may not be responded to by the board. All comments will be considered and a response will be forthcoming if and when appropriate. The board asks that the members of the public be

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courteous, mindful of the rights of other individuals when speaking. Specific Specifically comments regarding students and employees of the Board of Education are discouraged and will not be responded to by the board. Students employees have specific legal rights afforded by the laws of New Jersey. The

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board bears no responsibility nor will it be liable for any comments made by members of the public. Members of the public should consider their comments in light of the legal rights of those affected or identified in their comments and be aware that they are legally responsible and liable for their

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comments. With that being said, >> Yours. >> Hello, Dawn Kempka. Can you hear me? Dawn Kempka, 193 Evans Place. Okay, good evening. My name is Dawn Kempken and I have two sons. Ryan, who is autistic and 22 years

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old, and Jake, who is currently a senior at Saddle Brook High School. I'm here tonight to address my children's experiences with the Saddle Brook High School I'm sorry, Saddle Brook School District, mostly focusing on the services they each have received. As a

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parent of two sons who have IEPs, I am on many Facebook and special needs parent groups, and I read many complaints about different districts and the lack of services offered to their children. I'm here tonight to express my gratitude

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because the district has provided my sons with every tool they needed to succeed. Both of my boys were given IEPs at 3 years old. Ryan was placed in Washington School for about a month before it was decided it was not a good fit for him.

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He was placed out of district. I was distraught, but after touring different schools, he was placed at Bergen County Special Services in the autism program. Because you allowed him to attend there until he aged out and not bringing him back for budget purposes, he was where

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he belonged. Additionally, the district provided him with home behavior specialist for many years when you were not obligated to do so. His case manager knew my family was in distress and the district stepped up without hesitation.

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I would love to thank and acknowledge Susan Winter and Miss Joyce who took over until Ryan aged out. They have been an emotional support for me and have always guided me in the right direction. Now to Jake, my current senior. Like Ryan, Jake was placed in the

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disabled pre-K full-time to receive speech and occupational therapy. He had fabulous teachers and aides while there. He stayed there through kindergarten where he was provided with the opportunity to spend time with the kindergarten students at Long School

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where he would be going for first grade. This definitely helped him transition there. My biggest fear with Jake going to Long was that he would also be placed out of district because of some behaviors. It was decided to get him evaluated by an outside provider

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at the district's expense. It was determined he had dyslexia and dysgraphia that was causing him distress. You see Jake was a kid who wanted to do well and felt like the stupid kid in class. After his evaluation, he was provided with an aid

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and was placed in resource reading and math. He was also provided with an audio book program, a reading specialist, a behavior plan written by Zier Marah Hadna, sessions with his case manager, and continued speech and occupational services. I did not have to fight or

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even request for anything. It was decided by his team that he needed these accommodations and services in order to succeed. I would like to thank everyone who was a staff member at Long School during this time, especially Ms. Arnold, Ms. Grant, Ms.

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Jan, Ms. Fontana, Ms. Sarmiento, Ms. Carney, Ms. Mazzone, Ms. Martin, and Ms. Jenkins, who never gave up on Jake and provided him and our family with support, patience, and love during these tough years. A special shout-out to Ms. Soroki,

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who was his aid for 3 years. God bless her. And with her tough love, she helped Jake succeed even when he doubted himself. On to middle school. He spent his first year home during COVID, and when he went back for eighth grade, he was struggling in his co-teaching classes. Every

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teacher had followed his IEP perfectly, but it was not enough. It was recommended that he be placed in resource classes for high school. Ms. Nero assured me that the resource teachers in the high school are fabulous and I can't tell you how right she was.

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At the start of high school, Jake had an aide for a few classes and my sophomore year he no longer needed one. His confidence started to build and Jake has thrived with the support of his fabulous resource teachers, Miss Tieri, Miss Arose, Mr. Falegui and especially Mr.

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Barbieri who had Jake for 3 years and Miss Annenson who had him for 4 years for math. Last year Jake felt confident enough to take two dual enrollment classes and he made it to the National Honor Society. Gone was my boy who felt

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like the stupid kid in class and now he is a young man who is confident, happy and ready to make plans to go to college. I'm almost done, I promise. >> I'll keep going. >> Here we are with Jake ready to graduate. Because of the services he has received

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throughout his time being a student of the Saddle Brook School District, he's fully prepared for his journey at Ramapo College. Because of the impact of the district administration, Miss Nero, the child study team, members of the special

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service department, he's planning on becoming a high school special education history teacher. You have taken my son from a frustrated kid with an IEP to a young man who is pursuing a college degree. Thank you so much

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to the past and present board and superintendents for all the services you have provided to my boys over the years. You did not see my children as kids who were costing you money. You have seen them as children who needed help and you had

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provided them with everything they have needed. Thank you for never making me beg, plead, plead or fight. I truly appreciate how lucky my family was to be part of the Saddle Brook School District. Thank you. >> Oh, congratulations to you.

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>> [applause] >> Thank you so much, Ms. Kempner. That is so nice that you came to and congratulations to your son graduating and I was here the other night when he got some scholarships and that was wonderful. Thank you for coming and speaking with all of us. It's nice to

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hear positive feedback from the people in our town. Anybody else wish to speak? You can have the mic. >> My name is Louis Zaid and I'm 3 325 4th Street in Saddlebrook, New Jersey. Um

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My name is Louis Zaid and I am the sister of Youssef Zaid, a senior at Saddlebrook High School. I am respectfully requesting that the board reviews my brother's academic situation and sure that he has been treated fairly and in accordance with district policies, Section 504, special education

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requirements, and all applicable federal and state laws protecting students with disabilities. Youssef has cerebral palsy and has faced significant medical, emotional, and educational challenges during his senior year. He received home instruction for part of the school year due to the documented

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medical concerns and has been entitled to all accommodations and support through his disability related services. In addition, Youssef experienced severe stress related to severe stress related to school during the year. His condition became so serious that an ambulance was called and

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he was transported for medical evaluation where he was diagnosed with severe stress because of the school environment. I'm concerned because grades that were previously reported to me in English and environmental science appear to have changed. I have requested clarification regarding these changes and how grades

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earned during home instruction were calculated and I have not received complete answers. I'm seeking transparency regarding how his final grades were determined and whether all accommodations and supports were properly implemented. I'm also concerned that Youssef may be denied participation

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in graduation activities despite being very close to meeting graduation requirements. Given his his disability, medical circumstances, home instruction, and the challenges he faced this year, I believe his situation warrants careful review and consideration. I understand

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that the current district policy states that students who fail two courses are not eligible to participate in the graduation ceremony. However, I'm respectfully requesting a review and consideration of Youssef's specific situation. At this time, Youssef's grades are extremely close to passing. He has in English he has a 63.85

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and in environmental science he has a 61.2 with a pending final project calculation. So, he is only a few points away from meeting the passing requirement of 65 in both courses. Given how close he is to passing, I'm asking whether there is any possibility for an exception or conditional participation

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in the graduation ceremony. My family has worked cooperatively with the school throughout the process. We are not seeking special treatment. We are seeking fairness, transparency, and insurance that Youssef has been provided every opportunity available to a student with

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disabilities who is working towards graduation. Thank you for your time, consideration, and attention for this matter matter. I respectfully request that the board ensures a thorough review of this matter and provides written responses to these concerns. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you.

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Anybody else wish to speak? Okay. At this time, I'd like to close the meeting. >> Motion. >> Second. Vote in favor. >> I. >> Have a good summer, everyone.