I call to order the February 3rd, 2026 meeting of the board of education. In accordance with chapter 231 public law 1975, this public meeting of the servil board of education has been established by sending a copy of the public meeting notice to the home news
and tribune and to the star ledger. In addition, copies of the announcement copies of the announcements of this meeting have been sent to the burough clerk and a copy of the notice of the meeting has also been posted on the bulletin board outside the office of the secretary of the board. Let's rise for
the pledgece to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Roll call. Mr. Pashetta.
>> Hey, Mrs. Bloom. >> Here. >> Mr. Callahan >> here. >> Mrs. Towski >> here. >> Mrs. Hernandez >> here. >> Mrs. Meldonado >> here. >> Mrs. Nolitano >> here. >> Mrs. Pabone >> here. >> Mr. Smith >> here. >> Mr. Fernandez >> here.
Can you summarize exe executive session for us? >> Yes. The board met in executive session this evening for student matters attorney client privilege and negotiations with the administrative association.
>> Is there any correspondence of note? >> None. >> I'd like to entertain a motion for to to approve the the minutes from the January 2026 both the regular and executive session. Second, >> guys, don't take so long next time in
seconding your motion. All right. >> No, seriously, we enthusiasm. >> We love the enthusiasm. >> Yeah. Yeah. This is great. >> All right. We got a roll call. >> Mrs. Bloom. >> Yes. >> Mr. Callahan. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Trowski?
>> Yes. >> Mrs. Hernandez? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Maldonado? >> Yes. >> Mr. Mrs. Lolitaano, >> yes. >> Mrs. Pabone, >> yes. >> Mr. Smith, >> yes. >> Mr. Fernandez, >> yes. >> And now for one of the absolute best
parts of every meeting. >> Miss Coun. >> Good evening, Board of Education members and administrators. My name is Morgan Coun, SWMHs Student Council Board of Education Representative. I would like to begin with clubs and activities.
Students in the new music and recording arts program visited the Universal Music Group, the largest record label in the world and home to legendary artists including Bonjovi. Students had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion and question answer session with industry
professionals from across the labels departments followed by an exclusive studio tour. Matthew Wank Mueller and Joe Brawn joined the staff band Afterburn during Friday morning live. Matthew impressed everyone with his outstanding vocals while Joe showcased his incredible
guitar playing. Cadets from the AFJOTC program visited the Picatin Arsenal where they saw how military equipment is designed and tested. The program combines leadership education with aerospace science,
helping students connect what they learn in class to real world real world STEM work. The cadets had the opportunity to test virtual reality headsets connected to real engineering systems. Our incoming freshmen got a preview of the high school life at the freshman tip
off by exploring the different courses the high school has to offer and signing up for clubs, activities, and athletic teams. Students from these clubs and sports did a great job in explaining and encouraging the eighth graders to get involved. The class of 2030 also enjoyed
a high school varsity basketball game along with performances from the cheerleaders and step team, giving them a nice feel for what the high school atmosphere is like. Moving on to sports. Congratulations to the girls basketball team for winning the Greater Middle Sex Conference White
Division Championship with three consecutive wins over Highland Park, JFK, and Madawan High Schools. They are now 113 on the season. Congratulations to Cheetah Chakura from the boys basketball team for becoming the second all-time leading scorer in Sarville
history. Congratulations to the following track and field athletes who medal during the Greater Middle Sex Championship meet. Angelia Lri, third in the two-mile and fourth in the one mile. Anna Ginska, fourth in the pole vault and Dion Oay,
third in the 55 meter hurdles. The girls bowling team tied St. Thomas Aquinus High School. The boys bowling team beat New Brunswick High School in the preliminary round of the Greater Middle Sex Conference Bowling Tournament. The wrestling team beat
Emerson Burough to earn their seventh match victory of the season. Congratulations to the boys swim team for becoming white division champions for the first time ever and qualifying for the state tournament. Furthermore, we congratulate the following swimmers who meddled by placing in the top eight
at GMC's. Nathan Oliver in the 50 freestyle, Michael Wisenko in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle, Morgan Coun in 50 freestyle, and Emma Smith in 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle. Last but not least, we congratulate Nathan
Oliver, Justin Frier, Sebastian, and Michael Wisenko for breaking the boys 200 freestyle relay school record at GMC's and meddling for third place. Thank you for your time and support. >> Thank you, Miss Coons. If I can just ask one one question,
there's a great number of amazing students that would accomplish a lot, but every meeting it seems there's one name that keeps coming up over and over again. I'm wondering who's this Morgan Coun person that you're talking about. >> It might be me. >> She talks about herself in the third person. >> So, first, congratulations.
>> Congratulations on the all honors. >> And and the the boys team, they they they swam great on Monday, but unfortunately, they came a little bit short. Mhm. Very It was a very close meet. >> What a terrific season. >> Now, was there a track meet indoor track meet last weekend?
>> No, >> that may have been GMC's. >> Okay. Yeah, I didn't see it posted, so Okay, I have to look for it. Great job, Morg. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> One last question. Did you go on the trip to the uh the studio, the music studio? >> No.
>> What a cool trip that was. >> It probably was cool. >> Yeah, >> but I was not there. All right. Great job, Morgan. >> Thank you. >> Any other questions? >> No, but I do want to say Morgan, you're a very good role model for all the students in Seville from the little kids
all the way up to the top. So, keep it going, girl. >> Absolutely. And now, another exceptional role model, my favorite Callahan. >> Still love you, big guy. >> Good evening, Board of Education members and administrators. My name is Samantha
Callahan, Sarville Middle School student council board of education representative. Going into the sixth month of the 2025 to 2026 school year, we have many events going on throughout Serville Middle School. The SMS PTO hosted a successful pockup bingo last Friday. Thank you for
all of your donations and support. The PTO will be hosting a family funday on Friday, February 27th. Please join us for pizza and prizes. The student council will be selling carnations during lunch to support the NJASC state charity crisis response kines. All carnations will be delivered
on Friday, February 13th. The community service club and student council members will attend the pathway to leadership conference in February in Long Beach. They're looking forward to collaborating with other middle school students. Students are decorating coffee sleeves for random act of kindness week in February which will be given to the
Bummers Beyond Cafe and kindness week pencil grams. They're making val Valentine's cards for veterans and the elderly. The community service club will be hosting Chipotle and Dave and Busters fundraisers in February and March. SMS peer leaders will be presenting an anti-bullying lesson to fourth graders
on February 13th. The SMS wellness fair will be taking place for students during their advisory period on February 11th. This fair fair will include coping skills demonstrations and mental health resources. SMS FB FBLA is currently collecting pet
items to donate to Sami's Hope as part of their community service initiative. They also donated over 100 kindness cars to the guidance and ESS department for students who may be having a rough day. The students are preparing for their competitive events next month at King University for the state leadership
conference. Now under the serville middle school winter athletics. The serville middle school blue and gray girls basketball teams would like to recognize their eighth graders and wish them good luck in high school. Kelly Ericson, Lily Hamida, Callie Mitchell Quent, Madison Squa, Zia Shaw, Tay Yan,
manager Sophia Solano, manager Sarah. Both blue and gray girls teams are finishing up their seasons this week. Blue plays their last games on Tuesday the 3rd and Friday the 6th, and gray plays their last game on Thursday the 5th. The Bombers wrestling has finished their season with the overall dual record of
five to five. They competed at the GMC tournament where they finished fourth in team standings. They had one champion who is still competing is on track to make it to the Tri County Championships. They also had several other places including 32nd, 1/3, 34th, and 1 sixth.
This past weekend, both several middle school cheer teams competed at Saucus High School at the East Coast Championships. Both teams placed first in their division as well as grand champs. We would like to thank our parents and fans who also took home the judges choice for best crowd. Please join us on February 18th for the season
showcase in eighth grade sendoff at SW MHS main gym. The all music team will be competing on February 22nd at the NJCDCA state championship at Brookdale. Game day will be performing at the unifi basketball game in March.
Any boy or girl interested in trying out for middle school track should Google Classroom for more information. Any questions, see Coach Joya, Coach Lavic, or Coach Anderson in the gym. The classroom code is TLP5D OZW. The legendary SMS floor hockey club is
back. Meetings will take place starting on February 9th, 2026, and run through championship day on March 5th when families can attend. Meetings take place until 4:30 on scheduled days and until 5:00 p.m. on championship day. See the Caval Rock Center website for signup information or see Mr. Cous and C13 for
further information. We will meet in room C13 immediately after school on club days. Thank you very much for this opportunity to speak on behalf of the students at Cerville Middle School. >> Great job, Sam. And you're part of the competition cheer team, correct? >> Yeah. >> Congratulations, honey. Thank you.
>> We got two superstars here. >> Two wonderful role models for our Absolutely. students, especially the girls, and they need good role models. So, thank you both. >> And a great presentation, too, Sam. Awesome. >> Thank you. >> Yeah, if I can just echo what um Miss Bones eloquently said, you're both of
you are not only excellent role models, you're excellent individuals of our town and and of your peers. And a big thank you to your parents and your family because excellence like that doesn't happen by accident. So, Mr. Kalan, Mrs. to the Coons family. Um, thank you and
both of you are are absolutely amazing. So, thank you for for everything you do. >> Now, go do your homework. >> Okay, no me anyway. I'd like to take a moment to highlight a few recent events that highlight our students, our community, and everyone involved that
shows the strength of Saraveville. On January 22nd, the Bombers Beyond Cafe held an open mic night. It was a packed audience, standing room only with incredible energy. If you weren't there, shame on you because it was it was such a great event. Uh the
community came came out and forced to to to support the happiest place in town. There was an impressive lineup of talent singing that night, including our very own John Walsh and Mr. Bazini. Him and his band came out. They were absolutely fantastic.
And we also had a special comedy night hour by our very own mayor. No, not that mayor. Big big Mike. Maya Mayor Mike. For the for those that don't know big Mike, he's called his his personality, his enthusiasm, and his warmth have made
him our mayor ma mayor for life in town. So, thank you to to them and all the performers. And thank you to the Bomber Cafe for everything you do for our community and for all of us. You've given us so much and brought so much unity and warmth to our community that
you have no idea the value that that that you bring to us. You and your colleagues who who work at the Bomber Cafe are shining example of what's best in this town. The we also have amazing students who went
on. We we had uh several amazing students who went over to the Universal Music Group in New York. Universal Music Group is the largest recording label in the country, but more importantly, they're the home of Sarah's own John
Bonjovi. Our students had an opportunity to sit with an industry panel of professionals from many departments and behind the scene tour of the facility, gaining real world exposure. This innovative program is a shining
example of how our school prepares our our students for the future and how we set ourselves apart from other districts. A big thank you to Principal Glusky and and Mr. Sanford along with Dr. Labby, Dr. Agles, and our and our entire staff for making this happen. This isn't something that just happens
at at every school. Just like our Bomber Cafe, you don't see that anywhere. And I think with all the different questions that we get over the years and and ballot questions, I think this needs to be highlighted because nobody else does this. So, thank you to all for for
giving so much to to our students. The VFW also held their 80th annual gala. Miss Bloom was there in in in attendance as well. We had we had a great time and you had lovely shoes. Um the the event honored several several of
our hometown veterans who've given so much to all of us um and and our entire community and our nation. And our school partnership with with with our veterans groups is long long-standing and and it brings a value and support to our shared
community that that words can't express. We also had several boy scouts who who achieved the Eagle Scout rank. Elijah Oakley Anderson, Josiah Riley Anderson, Tyler Vincent Mlean,
Oliver Fischer Drill, and Leonard Michael Mcush. I apologize for for my pronunciation of that. And with that, thank you all. And again, a special thank you to the B to the Bomber Cafe for for everything you do.
Miss Miss Maldonado. Thank you, Eloy. Um, several comments. Um, number one, um, I'm not going to go over Morgan's congratulations. I had some of those on my list, but, um, congratulations to all those individuals she mentioned. I also wanted to say
congratulations to Sebastian Veles, um, from the Sville War Memorial High School boys swimming team, who was named Tap into Rarit and Bay athlete of the week. I also wanted to give a reminder to parents of incoming preK and kindergarten students that registrations open on uh, Monday, January 26th. Um and
you can access the um uh district website for the application and the registration link. Um and lastly, I just wanted to share that today I had um the pleasure and the opportunity to attend a climate change education advisory board meeting
alongside district leadership, teachers, students, and community members led by Mr. Howard. The group discussed year 2 goals, teacher feedback on curriculum and program implementation, and upcoming resource planning. We also received student led updates on several projects and an update on the planning status of
the Earth Day summit. Mrs. Bird provided an overview of the climate change education grant, including budget and expenditures, project updates, and the needs assessment process. I want to commend Mr. Howard and the entire team for their thoughtful and effective use of the grant from curriculum development
and field experiences to strong student and community engagement. I was especially impressed by the level of insight, professionalism, and participation demonstrated by our students and just wanted to give a heads up. The next advisory board meeting is scheduled for May. That's it for me.
>> Thank you, Madam Vice President. Now, on to presentations. >> Thank you, Mr. Fernandez. And of course, we are going to resume reviewing and discussing our 2026 2027 budget with three very very important
presentations. And to begin our evening, I'm going to ask Mrs. Burns and Mrs. Magistro to uh join at the podium so that they can present the project before preschool budget. And just a reminder, board of education members, the budget they're going to reference is not um our
school district budget. It's the budget that they you um develop through preschool expansion aid. And also um I'm sorry I didn't mention Mrs. Schlayine is here too. Thank you for joining us. All righty.
>> Okay. All right. Let's try this again. Good evening everyone. For the thousands of viewers at home watching, if you do not know who I am, my name is Audie Burns and I oversee our district's preschool program. Before we dive into tonight's presentation, I just want to
take a moment to give you a snapshot of who we are and the scope of our program. Project Before serves 675 preschoolers. We have 48 preschool classrooms across
six buildings supporting a diverse group of learners and families. Our focus at project before is providing highquality inclusive early learning experiences that support the whole child and set a strong foundation for future
success. With that overview, I am pleased to turn things over to Miss April, our Cheesequake principal, who's going to provide a more detailed look at our program. Unfortunately, Miss Nina is unable to be with us this evening, but
as Dr. Labry mentioned, we are joined by our wonderful early childhood supervisor, Miss Carara. So, I'm going to hand the baton over to Miss April. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. And hello everyone. My name is April Magistoro. I am the principal
of Cheesequake Project before at Cheesequake. So nice to see you all today. >> I'm going to begin with our curriculum and instruction piece of this presentation. >> Our curriculum consists of three areas.
We do use our tools of mind. We have age of learning and we also >> dabble with our fonts and panel. >> Oh, there we are. >> Yes, we're there. Thank you so much. So,
now I'm going to go back. So, Tools of the Mind, every year we have our new teachers. Anytime we have a new teacher, we have our Tools of the Mind trainers from Grow NJ. Growenj kids come and train our new teachers for tools of the mind. We also have new teacher trainings from NTI. So every
year when we have someone new they are able to absorb the curriculum just like everyone else. So we have many years of experience with tools of the mind and anyone that comes in new also has the opportunity to absorb it just like everyone else. So that is definitely a plus. Grow NJ kids takes care of that.
Um this year we had tools of the mind trainers visit preschool classrooms observing and offering hands-on support to teachers and pair professionals to implement the curriculum with fidelity. So we also get visits from tools of the month. >> We're you know telling her what their
plans are and repeating it back to her you know in English and then they'll repeat it back in Spanish. So it's it's incredible to watch. The teacher and para are absolutely phenomenal. And if I don't, if you don't mind me jumping in. Sure. Um, Miss Burns and Miss Mistro
asked me to come serve the class. >> And I had expectations, but they were blown away. Um, there there's only maybe two or three kids in there that speak Spanish fluently. Um, but they were all
speaking Spanish fluently. Um, they were going back from English to Spanish, Spanish to English throughout the entire lesson. Um it it was just truly amazing. But it if you know the research, the research, you know, is very conclusive
in terms of how we learn language and what part of our brain we learn language in up to the age of seven. And the more languages you can expose to a child up to the age of seven, the less chances of them when they acquire a new language
transferring over from one side of the brain to the next to translate. Um so to be in that room where the two professionals and by the way the teacher is absolutely amazing but the paraprofessional is also equally amazing
the way in which they interact with the kids and they all go back and forth from English to Spanish. I didn't hear anybody speaking Tamil but I would love to hear that one point. It inspired us so much that Audrey and I were immediately thinking about what if we
piloted this in another grade level, kindergarten, and so forth. It was that inspiring of of a 45minute class observation that I saw. So, it really is unique. It really is amazing. And if you
ever are interested in observing the class, I'm sure that Miss Burns, Miss Magro would love to have you over. And just to conclude with that, it's not just, you know, when we really thought about doing this in the preschool, it was something that I was passionate about and it was also, you know, a lot
of our parents are young parents and then we have a lot of, you know, Spanish-sp speakaking families and if these are first generation and we wanted those parents to be part of the preschool program, we wanted them to feel comfortable coming to events to
coming in to read a story where I felt that you know if you're not speaking the language you're somewhat you know you're intimidated you're not showing up to read or participate in school parties and etc. So now we have a lot more parent involvement. They're part of the community now. And
>> so it's been and >> it's funny because I was talk talking to some colleagues about the class and they're like, "Oh, it's a bilingual class." And it's not. >> The the objectives are totally different. In a bilingual class, you're speaking, you know, Spanish and English or or another language in English for the purpose of teaching that person to
eventually learn how to speak English, right? That's not the objective in this class. The objective in this class is to teach the kids to use both languages. um and effortlessly and seamlessly and and it's they're doing such a great job of it. Uh again, far exceeded my
expectations of a dual language classroom. >> Yeah. >> How many kids have I'm sorry. How many kids we have enrolled in the Well, >> it's 15. >> 15. >> So, it's um a mixture of half and half, like eight and seven. >> It will be great. >> And we did it with all foury olds
>> so that we um they were a little more mature and ready for it. truly truly an amazing job by everyone involved. Um and I'd like to take you up on that offer to come in and and and seeing that classroom. >> And just out of curiosity, I can't imagine there's many if if any other
districts that do this. This is we've really got to be one of the few. Correct. I I think there's only a handful, but I know Luis from tools of the mind said that there are other school districts that are >> other but um he was very impressed with the teacher in the parah in the
classroom that he had asked them to do a workshop for other districts and this is a team that just started in September. So that's itself. >> We're so blessed to have them. >> They are they're absolutely incredible. Miss Indeloo's and >> Miss Lily I couldn't remember.
>> That's amazing. Are both the teacher and the parah bilingual or? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> That's amazing. >> And you can even tell who the teacher of the parro was. Yeah. >> In the classroom. >> That's incredible. It would be awesome to see. >> Let me know >> as that goes. >> Send me an email. Let me know >> and to see it move on to kindergarten
and possibly first grade at some point. >> It's part of the, you know, we talked about during our last meeting about how we're we're we're gonna see if we can better transition kids to school age, which we call kindergarten through uh 12th grade. But definitely one of the things that we've been discussing uh
especially with this group if we could somehow find a way to keep them together um or at least build another dual language classroom in kindergarten and work our way through um I I think it's I I really believe it's the future after seeing this classroom. It really is the
future. Um, obviously you need incredibly talented teachers and pair of professionals that speak, you know, two different languages to do it, but um, it's definitely a look into, I think, the future. >> No, it's awesome because I mean, we honor the bilingual and triilingual high
school students every year. >> Yeah. It would be so cool to see 12 years from now 15 of those kids standing up there getting honored as >> what's amazing is like if you go into, you know, if you go into our Spanish classrooms right now at the high school,
which by the way are 95% immersed in Spanish, um very little English is spoken, but when the kids go ahead and and and go ahead and speak in either in Spanish, um obviously you can see them transferring, you know, from English to Spanish. are translating. >> Mhm.
>> And you can see it going on. You can see you see see them doing it in their heads. With these kids, the most amazing thing is they're just saying it. It's just it's natural. It's there's no transfer. It's just >> with an accent, by the way. >> With an it's just it's hard to explain
without actually seeing it. It's It's the coolest thing in the world. >> Okay. Any other questions? >> Okay. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Okay, Miss Badami, that's going to be a very hard act to follow. But moving along with our presentations, we have
the incredible Miss Badami, who is our amazing director of athletics and supervisor of physical education. Um, she's going to give to you her 2026 2027 budget, which um I've already cut everything from it,
but uh she's going to give it any I'm just kidding. And by the way, Mr. Callahan forwarded me an incredible article that featured Miss Padami in it as being um one of the um uh what would we say the um pioneers
in athletic direction uh especially uh for the incredibly talented females uh in New Jersey and she is certainly one of them who we are incredibly blessed to have in Sville >> and by the way probably the toughest person in Sville too. She and Donna
Sakola are probably the two toughest people in Seville that I just won't mess with. >> You gota, you know. Yeah, it just means I'm old now. That's >> and and I will fight him every way that he keeps funding for at least high school girls soccer. So, >> well, good evening and thank you. And uh
it's always a pleasure uh to be here. Um yeah, I'm going on almost 10 years. Grossman and I came in together. remember sitting in that SGO class the other way and um it's been wonderful to
uh have athletics grow in Serville for coming into such a big district um there was so much potential and we've already always had great athletic programs um and now we've expanded um almost to our
limits we have a few more things I would I would like to accomplish uh I kind of set up uh everything in five years uh branches and um co put a little wrench in it. So I have about one year on that and then I'm into
my next five years. But, uh, we're at the stage where, um, the accomplishments that we've had just this past year, uh, was gaining, um, middle school volleyball and lacrosse teams, uh, and
implementing the final suble of our volleyball and lacrosse teams at the high school with the freshman level. And I got to see the girls volleyball uh, in action uh, for that freshman team, which was just excellent for the program. and uh lacrosse and boys volleyball is
coming up. Uh and we'll see how those three levels work. Uh so with the past five years um we've got to implement so much especially at the middle school level and I know I've kind of repeated myself u if you listen to um my speeches
before but we are growing now to having um pretty much every sport at the middle school and we're almost at two teams of every sport at the middle school which is amazing. Uh it's amazing for our
kids. Um it's amazing for listen it doesn't stop us um from having some programs where there are so many kids. It it doesn't stop us turning away some kids but it does allow us to house so
many more um athletes and to be able to grow. We are in a great position to do this. uh a couple other schools like South Brunswick, um Piscataway, they get to do it as well and it's just amazing for our kids. Um I want to give a
special shout out to Kaylee Fazini. She hates my but she um so there's a a small stipended position that is an athletic aid. It was always to help out at the high school for all the things that we do. Well, we do 72% more uh now from uh
the last 5 years and uh Kaylee is my full year athletic aid and she does everything at the middle school for me. She is at every game. We coordinate, we talk. Um Kaylee loves it as we do talk how she's learned and what a wonderful
administrative role. Maybe that may be in her future, but uh while she was here, I just wanted to give a huge shout out to her. So is that why she's drinking that very very large coffee right now? >> You know, >> about four years maybe used to fill. So
um but I just wanted to say that um yeah that that's where that increase has definitely come. We've uh grown our cheerleading program, flag football. Um we've added the volleyballs, the lacrosse programs. Uh so you know we are
at nearly full capacity. uh for the athletics that we can give at uh Seerville and it's incredible. Um and part of our accomplishments um like I said uh I I I'm big into equal
distribution. Uh they're not built yet, but uh our last big project is uh baseball and softball bullpen. So once this snow goes away, they will be they will be there. Uh we tried to get them in in the fall. Well, it was just uh I
know I know. Um and uh of course just uh keeping on our technology, our resources for our coaching um tools which will show at our signing day tomorrow. We have quite a few athletes that are moving on uh to college. Um so now I
think this works so I can move on to the goals. Um so I use the word sustain. It it you know it's I guess it's you know we could just say just keep getting better. Um but the sustained part of it is is that uh I kind of do a rotation. So the next
rotation of the large items. So last year was bullpens and then the years before that we've bought cheerleading mats, wrestling mats, um you know done different things that way. The the next the next phase is uh really upgrading our um
scoring table in the gym. Uh it's barely wheeling into the gym. Uh, so we needed we need a new one anyway. And I figured this would be the best time to go the digital route of a scoreboard. It has so many bells and whistles that if you then
have a TV, which we already have um outside, it can talk to that. It can show game clips, it can when you announce uh the players that come out, their numbers come on. Something like when Sam and Cheety made their um you know, broke the records, the school
records this year. uh we can have that preset and when they do it, it comes up on the scoreboard. It can even delve into advertising and bringing back some money uh to the district. So it there's a lot of functions with that scoreboard. So that would be the next thing I'm
asking to keep in this rotation of getting something for uh each, you know, each sport every year. Um, and if we don't get that, then I have to wait another year to then get our wrestling mats or keep pushing off those big items
that um that really keep every program at the level uh that it is. Um, and then the other things I'm asking for is just, you know, sustaining our rental fees, making sure that bowling and golf and and swim, they have all the facilities they need to go to, and just a slight
offset because we um everything has increased. Uh so those that's where you'll see in the budget where our our increases have come and then pushing into the expansion. Um so the I'm asking this year to
implement girls wrestling. Now we already have girls wrestling. Okay. Um the coaches, so I say the five coaches, the three at the high school, the two at the middle school over the years have been doing a wonderful program. Um wonderful job
including female wrestlers. Uh we have about eight at the middle school. Um that has been our average. Um and the same at the high school. uh and they have been giving so much of their extra time running an entire boys program and
giving to the female athletes. Female um female wrestling has taken off and it is a program within itself and I feel that Seerville is right at the cusp of it taking off as well. But we're not going
to do that if we don't have a dedicated coach to that program. Uh because a lot of times now it used to be okay a girls tournament here, girl. Now it's the girls and boys tournaments are at the same time and it's hard to split up our our our current wrestling coaches to
make sure that those females have uh every opportunity um to expand, to grow. Uh what's wonderful well I'll get to that next slide is is the is the cost factor of it is the the the best part of my presentation but I'll get to that next and then uh as you heard our swim
programs are doing phenomenal um they've been growing when I first got here right right before I got here it was a it was class there's there's three divisions a red white and a blue division we are currently in that middle white division I believe that our boys could teeter going up to the red at times um and our
girls have as well uh but the blue division as a co-ed division. That's where we started and that's why we have one head coach for boys and girls. I feel that at some point we need to expand to having a boys head coach and a girls head coach um to really make sure they get their individual needs if say
the boys team does need to go up to the red division. It kind of holds that back if you only have one coach because they have they they need to separate and play different different teams. Right now they swim back to back of each other which is wonderful. and the camaraderie and the coach the coaches that are on it
are excellent. So, it has nothing to do with that. I just feel that that's the next phase um of swimming. All right. So, what is this going to cost us? That's what you really want to know. Okay. Um it's going to cost us a head
coach. That's it. Okay. Um minor official fees. We're already swallowing those official fees right now because we do have girls matches and um we've already we have girls on the team. We've already bought them uniforms. They're part of our rotation and there's
absolutely no increase in supply for uh to add a girls wrestling program. So, it's uh at the middle school and high school, it's just going to really cost us a coach um which they need. Um, and I did both of them together. >> And that's it for my presentation.
>> Questions? >> Questions? >> I have a few. >> Let's go. >> If you don't mind. >> Yeah, go ahead. >> Um, with regard to the the wrestling, so I'm not a wrestler. Mr. Callahan might be able to help with this, too. How many wrestlers do you actually what would the
would the weight divisions be similar to that of the boys and if so how many different divisions would there be so that we would know how many girls we would need to field one team >> okay so I believe it's 14 weight classes
right at the high school and it's what similar maybe a little less at the middle school uh girls are close to that I think There are 12 weight class um at for girls. Uh currently the GMC
um we are in the white division for girls wrestling and they have a red division and white division. A red division means they have um a full set and can have at least one for every weight class. Uh those schools have
between 10 and 25 girls consistently on the program. Um we have about seven eight girls on the program. We can't quite uh fill every weight class. So we are in the white division currently. Um and we get to participate uh against
other white division teams who can't fill all of those white classes and move on independently in the GMC. >> Do you foresee the potential of going into the red division because we can go ahead and fill all those spots at both the high school and the middle school level?
>> Yes. and and and so that is why it's so important to have a dedicated coach to the girls team because right now the girls that and like I said those five coaches the three at the high school and the two at the middle school have been
so excellent with the girls. Um I just feel that the girls need a dedicated program to grow the numbers of the sport. I feel more we have u the younger levels right now wreck and we're getting more girls at that wreck level and uh I
feel that more girls are going to come out when it is a dedicated sport that we can say we have girls wrestling. We've been trying to say we have girls wrestling but it doesn't feel real. So I want to say that we have girls wrestling
with a girls wrestling coach and I bet our numbers will double by next year. And then my last question is, are there enough schools in the GMC as well as close by in New Jersey that you can go ahead and compete in a regular schedule?
>> Yes, the GMC alone and I I I wish I would had prepared these numbers better, but I believe have >> it'll be in your evaluation. >> 8 to 10 full at least eight red division teams already. And there's about seven, six,
seven white division teams already. So >> So about 13 matches, which is similar to what the boys are doing. >> Yeah. So we Yeah. So we would have So there is a there's a good amount that we're going to grow. Um and all the all
the GMC schools um are pretty much jumping in on it. And >> and I just have a comment now. Um you continue to amaze me. Um I I when you mentioned that this was your 10th year, it brought me back to when you started and where we were
um in terms of athletics and the number of kids participating in athletics and how that has exponentially grown is all because of you. And we've talked about this board of education members many many times.
The key to the success, one of the keys to the success of our students, especially at the secondary level, is involvement in the total school program. Making sure that outside of just their classes, there are other reasons why
they're going to school, whether that be athletics or a club or or or any type of co-curricular activity. And the fact that I think you I think you gave this data a couple years ago that at the high school alone
there are I think there were 60 to 70% of kids playing at least one sport and then there were almost 50 to 60% of kids playing more than one sport. Um to me that's amazing. Um and to me it's all
because of you. So, we are blessed to have you and we can't thank you enough for all that you've done for the district. >> Well, well, thank you. I want to say that yes, these are all my brilliant ideas, but they do not happen without all of your support. Um, I'm glad I can
make those suggestions. I'm glad I have the opportunity to grow Seville and I'm just glad that it's uh, you know, we're all working together to make it happen. So, >> it it it has been amazing to see having a daughter who's involved in athletics,
the addition of middle school sports that transition on to high school sports, the confidence it builds in those kids, the bonds it builds between those those girls and how better off they do in their
academics and everything because of the confidence that they have has been absolutely incredible. anyone else? So really excellent job and that 60 to 70% is an absolutely amazing number. And to your point, Dr. Lavyby, I think when we include other programs, I think we're I think one time you said it
was 90% >> 90 we're over 90%. >> That is absolutely an an amazing number. >> And I just wanted to comment real quick in closing. I think um you know I remember your report last year and I remember how incredibly impressed I was at how you have formatted the budget for
sports to this five-year cycle you know and each and you know each year looking at one major item that needs to be you know replaced or repaired and then in another you know five years that comes around again when it needs so that cycle of managing the budget for the athletic
program where the equipment is regular ly addressed, replaced, repaired is very impressive because you had the vision for what you wanted to do with this program and then you also brought your administrative skills into it to say, okay, if I'm if I want to build it to what I want to build it to, I want to,
you know, have it be a program that doesn't fail because of a lack of equipment or faulty equipment and it's just very impressive. So, congrats to you for just having done so well with that part of it. >> Well, thank you. Thank you again for all your support. Anything else?
Have a great night. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Badami. Okay, our last presentation is from my good friend, Mr. Ner, who's going to provide to you the 2026 2027 special services budget presentation.
But before he actually gets to his presentation, he has an even cooler presentation planned. But I won't steal any more of his thunder. >> What's the chance Dr. Lobby will praise me like he just did Miss Padami and Miss Majestro. >> Minimal >> minimal. So thank you Dr. Lavy. So on
behalf of the several um special services department Dr. Cynthia Deffina our supervisor of secondary special education, Mrs. Alexander Dico, our supervisor of elementary special education and Mr. Andrew Vanderbeck, our supervisor of transition services, as
well as our child study team members, related service providers, which includes speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, our par professionals, our special education teachers, and our special education parent advisory group. We do thank this board for allowing us a
few minutes tonight to share with you some highlights from the current school year, as well as our goals for next year and the corresponding budgetary implications for those goals. But before we do so, we do have two very special student presentations. Beginning with a
concept that was born down at the most recent school boards, New Jersey school boards in October in which we came across a call for entry to the Garden State film festival. I actually think Mrs. Bloom pointed out the uh booth that they were in at the back of the uh exhibit hall. So I came back to
district. I shared the information with Mr. Vanderbec asked him, "Do you think that Obama's Beyond Operation would be a good um suitable location, suitable topic for a potential film entry?" And
Mr. Vandere then went to Mr. Taylor who is here in the back. Um Mr. Taylor is our digital video production teacher at our high school and he said, "I have just the student." Enter stage right Kate Burns. Come on up, Kate. Come on,
Nick. Who given a scant seven weeks for production and a robust budget of zero dollars from some very difficult studio studio heads, the studio heads being Andrew and me. Um, Kate Burns wrote,
produced, cast, directed, filmed, and edited a five minute short and entered her film. We don't say movie anymore. Those of us in the business, we say film or flick, but she entered her film in the Garden State Film Festival. And the rest, as they say, is show business.
Kate was Kate's film was promptly selected to be screened live in March. I think it's March 29th or March 29th at the Berkeley Hotel in Aspbury Park. So, it's one of the student selections to be screened. Um I think once you see her
film, I think you'll you'll um join me in saying that she's probably going to win. Um but regardless, before I turn it over to Mr. Taylor, I do want to say directly to Kate that um not unlike Genevie Turner, Lena Dunham, and Greta
Gerwig, who are filmmakers who started out on the film festival circuit, you are no longer an aspiring filmmaker in my eyes. You are now an accomplished filmmaker with this entry. And what I say to that is bravo.
Okay, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Taylor served as um Kate's mentor and technical proficiency advisor and he was given the same se seven weeks that Kate was given and you'll see what they did with those seven weeks.
>> Thank you, Dr. Nelson. >> Hello everybody. If you don't know me, I'm Nicholas Taylor. I'm the TV production teacher at the high school. Um as a video guy, I always get requests for videos and you know, Mr. Taylor, you have a student, something like that. uh
lately the last year or two uh I don't even let them finish the question because the answer is Kate Burns. So Mr. T Kate Burns. So that is the confidence that I have in her. I've been teaching video now for 15 years and I can truly say that she is the most talented
student that I ever taught. So um like I said, I had nothing to do with this. This is all her. I just set up her going to Bombers Beyond. I was just a go-between. But I had nothing. This is all on her. So, um, Kate, please
introduce your video. >> Um, so my video is named Bombers Beyond: The Happiest Place in Town because when I got to visit the Bombers Beyond, that was truly the message I got. You know, there was no other thing that I saw. When I wanted to create this short, I
really wanted to capture that. I wanted to capture the community. And I will say, um, I work on the Bombcast. I've done all these other short films. This was the hardest thing I've had to make. It's such a process to make a documentary, you know, because you're given the story. It's not the story that
you can create. So, when I got to interview all the lovely staff and students, they really showed me how much they bond and rely on each other. And honestly, I had such a pleasure in making this project. And I hope you all enjoy it. I'll take questions at the
end. You guys should watch it first. The Bombers Beyond Cafe is not only a local coffee shop, but a proud opportunity that shows education goes further than a classroom. And it's located right in the heart of Sarah. Bombers Beyond is the best thing that has happened to Sarable. The kids are
wonderful. I've known most of them since they were much younger and it's great to see how they've grown and matured and see them excel in everything they do. >> Bombers Beyond is a community-based program that we developed as a school
district to support our students who are 18 to 21 years old who are going to remain in school for an additional 1 to 3 years. The purpose of that is to teach our students the strongest possible independent living skills so they can go on and be
productive, meaningful citizens following high school. >> We needed the community to accept us as a whole. But then we realized that the community also needed us. So we kind of worked together and it's a two-way street. Behind the counter, not only is
coffee brewed, but inclusion, connection, and confidence take place, creating the most welcoming environment for everyone in town. >> We have a superintendent, Dr. Richard Lavy, who is a fierce and prolific special educator in support of students of all abilities. So, he charged the
special services department with building out a program for our 18 to 21 year old programs. So, we started with a cold call to a realtor in the heart of town in Ter and we tried to explain that we're looking for a concept like a a Main Street USA type
program and he said, "Be honest, we actually have a storefront available right now on Main Street in Sarah." So, we went over and looked at the space and we thought it was perfect for a cafe or a small coffee shop and the rest is history. We built out the program. It's
a great thing for the community as well as the kids that work here. It teaches them how to be self-reliant, self-reliable, teaches them job skills, teaches them life skills and and it's good for the community. It's a nice gathering place for the community as well as the kids. >> This year we have venues.
We ask them their name and we tell like restaurants, we tell them what what they want and we come back to the cafe and make the order. My experience at Bomb Beyond has been
quite nice actually. Everyone is super forgiving and willing to learn what they what they can do, how they can help. And everyone that comes to cafe cafe is really nice and really helpful.
>> Um, Bombers really benefits the students in so many ways. It gives them some real life skills, working skills where they're making money. um they're learning how to run our small business, but they're also learning how to get along with each other in a work setting,
um outside, in the community setting. It's it's a time where we really can focus on what the students can do, not what they can't do. And then we kind of enhance those skills, help them find where they might end up later in life. >> Bombers Beyond has reached its goals and
even more. Serving as a community hub and a learning experience displays the best of both worlds within the most embracing coffee shop. >> I have been learned that have confidence in in um for example making making
coffee. >> I've been doing the cash register with the teachers have been helping me with the money and the change. But every day you see them learning something new and something uh big changes in their life. And that has been the biggest takeaway for me is that I found joy in teaching.
I found a light that I was missing for a little bit. And it's all because of the crew that I have now that really just made life better in all different ways. And I think it's really cool that we can create whatever kind of program we want to to meet the needs of whatever students come up. So if they are interested in libraries, we go to
libraries. If they want to work in a school, we find a spot in a school. If they like food service, we connect them somehow with the food service, you know, area where they can work on. So, it's just really individualized and unique to meet their needs so they can be successful. So,
>> Bombers Beyond has gone beyond, forgive the cliche, what we could ever have imagined. It truly is the heart and soul of that public town. Um, it's been embraced and loved by many and it is the happiest place in Sab. We've been coming
here since it opened. We followed the kids that work here. Somebody graduated already. They still come back. They know us. They've got to know everybody by name. We've seen them grow without a doubt. Everybody's welcome without it's
you can't, you know, you ask for a nicer bunch of people. Thank you. >> Yeah. >> The Bombers Beyond Cafe is not >> again. >> Um, so I'm open to any questions if anyone has them.
>> I I just have one. Um, when this is over, can I get your autograph because it's going to be worth a lot of money real soon. >> I'd love to. amazing job. You are spectacular. I I I'm I'm I'm speechless. Um just just an extraordinary job of
reflecting 100% of what that program and that place is to say and most particularly to me. So wonderful job. >> Thank you. >> I have a question. Um, I would like to know, so have the programs at the high school, the video
gra, you know, all those types of programs, the media classes, have they helped you get as good as you are today? Have has that built you up? Do you feel like it did anyway? >> I do. Um, I started with my interest in movies and stuff in seventh grade and
last year was my first program. Um, I was in TV3 and it really did help bring me into the structure of everything and to have an advisor to lean on and be like, "Hey, you know, even though I'm learning how to build everything on my
loan and rely on myself, it's incredibly grateful to have Mr. Taylor to help me check over my work and be like, "Hey, do you know where I could get free music from?" You know, stuff like that. So, >> and do you see yourself doing this as a career in the future? >> Yes, I do. I think you'll be successful.
Good luck. >> Thank you. >> You I I have to compliment you because you did an amazing job editing and putting together in five minutes what probably could have been a half hour worth of and you probably you probably
shot hours worth of material in there. So I you did an amazing job with that. Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> And with zero budget, right? So, I mean, if you did this with zero budget, I can just imagine what you have with a couple of thousand dollar. So, >> zero budget. >> Yeah. Amazing. Amazing.
>> And Mr. Smith comes from the business, so that compliment is from the heart. >> Kate, you know, I'm your biggest fan. You brought a tear to my eye. But less is more, and this was wonderful. You gave us all we needed to know, and you
didn't bore us at all. Wonderful. >> Thank you. He did give me the most detailed description of his dayto-day. It was actually the best part of it because if I needed to be like, "Oh, hey, what are they doing this day?" Guess who told me his schedule every day. It was perfect.
It was perfect. >> Thank you, Miss Burns. That was an incredible job you did. You obviously have a very uh incredible future in front of you. And to Mr. Taylor, thank you for developing such such great talent. I again, we couldn't have asked for for for a better instructor and a
better mentor. And you're an incredible example of our community and role model to all your other students. And I'd be remissed if I didn't go back a minute and I want to give a shout out to Dante as well. You sang at that open mic night and you have such an incredible voice.
Um, have to really point out to you. It's really, really, truly amazing. That's it. >> Thank you. >> Thank you >> once again. Once again, Kate, thank you. I'm going to share a quick note about myself that I probably shouldn't, but
I'm sure you noticed that I'm a rather stoic guy. And my wife and at home, Laura, and my work wife, uh, Audrey Burns, will tell you that I'm probably don't get tearary and probably haven't cried in in decades, but when I saw your film in my office, I actually got a
little moist. So it was incredible. So I appreciate it. Thank you for sharing your art, your talent, your vision. >> Oh no, Mrs. Pavone has ammo against me now. Okay, so moving on to our next um very special second presentation of the
night. Um we know that this board has supported the Bombers Beyond operations for four years now. Actually five years when we built it out that first year. um this board and also prior boards. And we we we really think that you should see the fruit of your labor by viewing our
annual profit and loss report that any small business would do. Um who's up and running. So tonight we have a very special guest. We have Chris Kirk and and Dante who are going to share with you. Um but before we do that, I'm going to pull up Mr. Vandervak. He's going to go through the financials with you and
then we'll have our students share with you the highlights. >> Yeah. So, welcome. Um, hi, I'm Andrew Vanderbec. Is it on? Yeah. So, uh, can we just jump to slide six on this? Um, to pull up the the journey for us. Um, for anybody who has isn't aware of our
journey, it's a four-year journey we've been on. Uh, going for the bombers beyond and it's been quite a uh one more slide if we can. Um, yeah, right here. So, uh, we started off with five students in our program. We were at the high school. Um, we kept being promised
this perfect location which ended up being in this amazing location on Main Street, which we got to. So, that's where we started uh last year. But before I go any further, while the journey's up here, I do want to give a quick shout out to the staff that's come tonight. I This is This is the backbone of the program. Uh, par profofessional
Christine Falconee, Cindy Bco isn't here, uh, Kayie Fazini, and Alyssa Garnett. um they're they literally are truly the the backbone in how we get to where we are today and everything that we do. So um along our journey uh we we've gone through everything. We've
we've expanded. We're up to 12 students in our program. This year we have 11. We went down one student just based on enrollment. But our main add-on due to um the board of education, Dr. Labby and Master was the uh the van that we added this year which has been pivotal to our
program. It's given us the opportunity to add three hours of community- based instruction time on our daily basis from um two hours in the morning, an extra hour in the afternoon for our students to get out into the community and and be with the the kids uh with the community.
So um if we go to the next slide, please. And this is our financial report. Um that gives the backbone of where what we've done this past year. If you could see, uh, this year we're on pace to to
be a net benefit of about $177,000. Um, so we've plateaued a little bit because our enrollment is no longer going up. We've kind of come close to our we can handle about 15 students, but our, uh, our number right now is 11. So,
um, this just takes into account every factor that we could possibly think of as an expense into the program. and then we factor it in, forecast it out, and that's the number we have. So, before we get to the real winners of tonight, I would like, does anybody have any
questions about the budget? >> Good. All right. Well, I really want to introduce these guys. I've been excited for quite some time to get these guys up here. So, tonight we'd like to show the real shining stars of the night. Um, Chris Kirk and Dante Rios. Come on up,
guys. They're going to tell us about >> Good evening. My name is Christopher Kirk and I'm a crew member at the Bombs Beyond Cafe. This is my second year working at the cafe and some of the things I enjoy the most community trips, helping others, and washing the cafe
dishes. Tonight, I want to tell you about some of the things the Cath crew does throughout the year. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them answer them at the end. The crews split into two groups each
week. One man, one group manages the cafe while the other group goes into the community for most of the day. Some of the community businesses we have partnered with this year are Bubba 33, Isabella Fitness, Rustoon's Pizza and
Cafe, SE public library, SE historical society, PTO's and schools and districts. At Babas, we set up for their lunch shift, clean tables, and measure out pastas and tater tots. Isabella Fitness.
We helped to keep the gym clean for clients while learning about the difficult equipment. At Rustoonies, we help make pizza boxes, grease pieces, grease pizza pans, and we even helped to stir their delicious sauce. At the library, we set up for the
toddler's day and play and collect books for the preschools. We have worked at numerous events for the historical society and the active adult center. We also help with the PTO's with their events and we help
teachers in the classrooms with copier jobs and boarding meetings. These opportunities has given us valuable work skills to help us in our future. We are so grateful that we have our van to transport us all into the opportunities
especially our mobile deliveries. Some of the changes made at the cafe this year include table service, ordering sheets and receipts, fresh pressed juices, new inventory jobs at the barber shop, awesome new name tags
and crew member le tours for our school districts like Hlet Mowan JB Stevens and North Brunswick to name a few. These skills have helped us build our communication skills, teamwork, and
organization skills. Come on down Monday to Friday 8 to 12 to see our growth this year. Thank you so much. And now Dante would like to Dante would like it Dante would like have a moment
to take a few words with you. Thank you guys. My name is Dante Rios Kerrion and I'm in my final year of my Bombers Beyond Cafe. I have loved my time here and I am disappointed that it's coming to an end in June. Next year I'm hoping to find a job at a restaurant and use the skills I have learned from
working at the cafe. This year we have made it our mission to give back to the community. We are proud of our community service projects which include helping at the Messiah Lutheran Church and OV food and clothing pantry, collecting a lot of toys for toys for
tots, five full boxes, collecting supplies for local animal shelters for a friend from the cafe. This is happening now if anyone wants to donate. We helped a customer with a coat drive as well. We also help our local senior
citizens with shop right trips and light yard work. Our crochet club has made winter accessories for a giving tree, which is free to anyone in need. Through our pink apparel sale and night event donations, we are thrilled to provide a monetary donation to Mary's Place by the
Sea in June. This year, we have hosted a variety of night events to provide our community with new opportunities. So far we have hosted Halloween bingo, learn to crochet night, a book club, open mic night and
CPAC meeting, the serave holiday parade and photos with Santa with the varsity boys basketball team. We were happy to host these events at the cafe and the community hub at the Bomber Shop. Mark your calendars as we have some exciting upcoming events in the month of
February. Art Popup on February 5th, karaoke night for our students and friends on February 19th, and American Sign Language Night on February 26th. We hope you can make one of these upcoming events to see how special the happiest place in SEO really is.
Finally, I would like to talk to you about some exciting things that have happened this year. We have seven students registered to take a culinary arts class and four registers for a commu for computer skills program at Middle Sex County College. We went to orientation last week and we are excited
for this opportunity to go to college. We also met Mr. John Banjovi and we hope that he will be a returning customer. That's it. Now at this time we would like to begin our Q&A. Any first question?
Christopher Dante just mentioned the class the culinary class at Middle Sex County College. Have you started that class yet? >> Oh, that's going to happen in around March 23rd to Mar to April 24th. >> Are you excited to participate in that
class? >> Yeah. >> Why? Because a few weekends ago, I helped my mom made my my breakfast like twice in a row. Those were being chocolate chip pancakes and bacon.
Awesome. Any So, next what what type of job are you looking to get um in the culinary field or are or are you looking for something totally different? Well, um I'm planning to make
one of my favorite dishes at Middle Sex County College. >> What's that? >> Um chicken parm, >> which is my number one favorite. >> That's my favorite, too. >> Yeah. >> Christopher, can I ask Dante a question? >> Sure.
>> Dante, are you too looking forward to the culinary class? >> Yes, we are. And in the community, where are you working? Outside of the Bombers Beyond Cafe, where in the community are you working right now? >> Oh, I'm working at a school bus assistant helping kids on the bus with
seat belts. >> That's amazing. Is that something that you'd also like to do once you graduate from the program? >> Yeah, >> that's fantastic, Dante. >> Thank you. >> I'm so proud of you, Dante and Christopher, for an amazing
presentation. The two of you rock. If I could just make a comment, I want to Mr. Ner, Mr. Vanderbeck, Miss Alyssa, Miss Fazini, Miss Falconee, and Miss Bco, thank you for everything you do for the Bombers
Cafe and for our students and for making my personal favorite place in town. Everyone has their own local bar. Mine is the local coffee shop. Uh, I proudly call myself Norm there. Um, truly truly an an amazing place. And to Dante and
Christopher, I've been on the board now for five years and I've sat through a lot of presentations o over the five years. And by far the two of you are the best presenters I've ever I've ever sat with and I want to thank you and thank you for everybody
to do. Thank you. Thank you guys. Thank you, Mr. Fernandez, >> I have one more question. What day is Dixie Lee Day? >> It only happens on Wednesdays. >> Wednesday. Tomorrow. >> Make sure to buy them. >> I'm going to come tomorrow.
>> They're here on Wednesdays through Fridays. >> And what time do they get delivered? At 8:00. Are they there for opening? All right. either my group or in Dante's group go to Dixie Lee so early in the morning and they come here and they they put the donuts down and whoever's on job
on Wednesday has to put them in trays. >> Wow. >> And uh >> I have a feeling that um someone might do it. I'm guessing Michael. >> Well, I'll be there tomorrow. So,
>> all right, Chris, >> get make sure you get your donuts. >> Christopher and Dante, what else is tomorrow? It's my favorite day. >> Home day. >> That's right. >> Mrs. Paban, since you mentioned Dixie Lee, for the public, that's celebrity chef David Burke's bakery, and he has
been very good to our kids. He's given them lessons. His staff treats them very well and we can't thank David Burke enough and his staff for for treating them like like they do. >> That's very nice. I've been going there since I'm like four years old and I'm quite old now. So, it's been almost 60
years almost almost. But I love Dixie Lee and I'm glad that they are taking care of our bombers beyond. >> It's in Keith. >> Thank you every Thank you all. Thanks for having me here. >> Kate, Dante, and Chris. I I recommend
that you scoot out now because my slides are going to be very boring compared to what you just did. >> And once again, thank you, Mr. Taylor, for coming out. >> Thank you. >> And for those with gluten allergies, the
Bomber Cafe now is gluten-free treats. >> We're in the black and whites. I think the best part of the presentation was watching the group of people over here that work with the kids every day and seeing the pride and the happiness in
their eyes as Chris and Dante were presenting that there was a glow coming from that corner of the room and I think that that just speaks to the entire community. >> Do you think any of them were moist? I >> I am absolutely not going to use that word.
>> Thank you. Although I did tear up during the video too, Mr. Nast, cuz I've never seen it and it was amazing. >> I just couldn't resist that. You >> know, it's hard to work under these conditions. >> And and Mrs. Burns just shared with me
that Kate is Sha's younger sister. So Shawn was the board representative a few years ago. And I was like, what an amazing family. I wanted to give a round of applause to the service. My mom is the preschool teacher. >> It's amazing. My goodness,
>> I remember him. >> Very well spoken. >> That's his sister. >> Yep. >> In the interest of time, >> talent runs in the family. >> Okay, so >> I'm going to conclude my >> Now 9:00, uh, we need Mr. M. Nash to begin his incredible and riveting presentation.
>> Very quickly because I know it is late. Um, our highlights from this current school year focus center around intervention services in conjunction with Mrs. Burns and Mrs. Gman's learning acceleration program. We did service just under 550 students this summer. We also providing onetoone and small
groupoup instruction for our students with disabilities. I've said many times I can't imagine a more valuable service than one-to-one time or small group time with our certified teachers. For our resource program, we are fully up and running, fully implemented the Sunday system program that this board supported
the purchase of and the professional development in four. Um, and that's in grades K through eight. So that that's a a district goal that was accomplished coming out of last year. Another district goal this year is to to um begin to implement the math 180 program
that this board has supported as far as curriculum purchases, materials purchase, and then um professional development. So that's up and running um with the initial implementation in grades four through eight. For a multiple disabilities program, um we did pilot a program called Central Reach
under Mrs. Dico's supervision at Orleith. I shared at the last meeting when I think it was Miss Pabone who who asked the question that it's centered around the principles of applied behavior analysis and allows our teachers to observe record data on behavior and then develop and and
implement instruction to target those behaviors that were um observed. Um and then we also um increased our board certified behavior analytics supervision at Arlith this year with the expansion to seven classes of students with multiple disabilities at Arlith. We
thought that it was important to have somebody on site um at least for three hours in the morning or three hours in in the afternoon every day to either cover arrival or or dismissal and then also to provide program supervision while they are there. And then for our 1821 program, I won't comment on that
because you just saw our presentation, but again, we we um continue to operate both the Bombers Beyond Cafe and the Bombers Beyond Apparel and Community Hub. As far as our goals for next year, they all center around student achievement. This board
has spent um several years working with us to build out researchbased and evidence-based programming. Um, so we feel like for this year and probably next year, we're just going to focus on um using those programs with with fidelity and really focus on student achievement. So we will continue the
intervention services that I just mentioned. We'll implement math 180 in grade three. Um, that's not necessarily a budget item next year because we're able we were able to repurpose funds this year. Um, and we're going to go ahead and purchase those um very shortly and then have our initial training for
our teachers at the June professional development day. Um but it is here as a as a as a goal for next year. Um we also are looking to identify, pilot, and potentially purchase a new alternative math program for resource centers in grades K through two. That's another district goal um by June of 2027. Um we
may not need to do a separate program. I think the program that the general education um side of things just purchased and is looking to implement might meet our needs because it probably it does have a corresponding intervention program to it. but if not, we'll go out and see if there's anything
out there that we think is suitable for our youngest learners. We're asking the support to support the renewal of our central reach software um and also to pilot another software program called Autism Helper. This was also a question at um the last board meeting in which um
we talked about autism helper as a um teacher resource for printables and developmentally appropriate materials which differed from central reach which was more the ABA data tracking system. Um Dr. Deffina has is in the process of
rolling out or expanding our unified um offerings to electives at the high school. Um I'm sure you're aware that most districts um have unified sports. We were able to move the unified sports program and expand it to unified specials at the middle school last year
and this year Dr. DeFi is bringing unified electives to the high school. I think she's going to target tomorrow's teachers and the current students who are taking our unified PE class as students who we think would be really interested in taking this class, taking these classes um I think beginning with
September. And then family engagement. This is not really a budgetary item, but it is a goal of ours. Um we had for many years some very dedicated parent leaders, Mrs. Rhonda Padmmore Davis and Mrs. is Vicky Haney um who from the time that their
children were were younger um all the way through the beginning of high school served as our special ed parent advisory group leaders for obvious reasons they stepped aside um we were fortunate enough to have somebody um step forward last year Valentina Erogo Korea to
become a parent leader for us and then this year she recruited Miss Kristen Rell and also we have Miss Lady Maldonado who serves in a dual role as a parent and a board member and they're really looking to to really bring some um um really regular highquality
programming and meetings for our parents. Um so that's that's one of our goals and probably one of our most important goals and obviously we want to continue our bombers beyond operation um as it was just explained to you. So with that I will conclude the special services presentation.
Any questions for Mr. Nasser? >> Great job, Doc. Mr. Nasser, as always, you and your team do a truly truly amazing job. No one cares about our students more than you,
>> Dr. Livey's close, but >> of course, of course. Thank you, Mr. Panz. But I I do have to highlight Dr. Defina has been with me since I first became an administrator. She moved up with me. Mr. Dico came just a few years later and then Mr. Vanderbeck when we developed the Bombers Beyond program and
they really are the boots on the ground and they they're responsible for pretty much everything that we do in in the department. >> Absolutely. You have a great team there. Um and that's not by coincidence but but thank you to the three of you and and everyone who helps in in in all we do. Thank you to each and every one of you
for everything you do. Appreciate it. >> So if there are no further questions, Mr. Fernandez, that concludes our presentations. >> Yay. All right, we move on to board discussions. Uh, governance, Mr. Npalitano.
>> All right. Still got a my sniffles from being a little teeyed. Anyway, um, the governance committee met on January 27th and re we reviewed several updates. We discussed and revised bylaws on nepotism and re revised policy on the employment
of the chief school administrator, both of which are being updated to align with changes in a statutory language and administrative code. We also reviewed the new sexual harassment policy for staff that includes investig investigation procedures under the title
IS >> nine. Okay. um and will replace the existing sexual harassment policies that are being abolished. We covered legal updates including possible future legislation requiring schools to install physical lock boxes with keys and maps for the emergency responders and also a
newly signed law signed by Governor Murphy prohibiting internet enabled devices in schools beginning in the 2627 school year. The NJ DOE has issued guidance and additional policy updates will be required before the school year begins. And then finally, we reviewed
the district calendars for the 27, 28, and 28 29 school years. That's it. >> Thank you, Mr. Palpatan. >> Welcome. >> Now, we move on to student achievement, Miss Bloom. >> Okay. Good evening. Um, several of the
things that we discussed in student achievement have been covered here tonight. So, I'll just give you a quick overview. Uh we looked at the curriculum approval for foundations in math and you're going to approve that tonight hopefully. Uh we also looked at the
change that had to be made in the quarters uh because of the snow days. So there's a a little date move there. We reviewed both calendars 2728 28 29. And then Miss Burke gave us her wonderful
overview of our staff development. We are starting a sparkle gallery to showcase what they have learned. There was a session on January 2nd uh for the first, second, and thirdyear teachers which was a followup to their new staff
orientation and the feedback on that was very good. uh staff members are going to blend their information and that's part of that sparkle gallery where they're going to share with one another what they have learned. Uh we also then moved on to grants which
of course Miss Burke is amazing at grants. The EA 26 update is that they are working on allowing us to carry over funds. So that's in the process. uh Perkins grant
now needs needs to have a needs assessment. That's a double needs. Uh so she that is also being worked on. We are also uh have a connect safely grant which is
to enable the students to understand and their parents to understand how to use the internet safely. Not safely but safely. And there will be a presentation on February 12th in the high school library at 5:00 pm so that parents can
come and see how that goes. And then Audrey did discuss the transition with the preschoolers and into kindergarten. So they're working on combining both curriculums of tools of the mind and fontis and panel to see how we can better help the
students transition from prek into kindergarten. And that's it. >> Great job, Miss Bloom. Any questions for Miss Bloom? Miss Bloom, you did such a great job at that. How about you also give us the Middle Sex County School Board one? >> Middle Sex County update. Uh, tomorrow
night is the meeting. This meeting is virtual. So, if you haven't signed up, you can um 6:30 via Swaggo, I think they use. So, and hopefully I won't have trouble with it because I got a new computer and
so I'm having trouble with everything. Don't let Joel Don't let Joel use it before you do. >> Turns the speakers off on you. >> No, no, the speaker's always on now because it's part of the screen. So, there's no can't turn the speaker off. Well, you can, but I you know, I'm always check now before I go on because
it's right there on the screen. So, everything is good. Okay, so that's it. Uh oh, also I I almost forgot. Um, I think I mentioned it before, but the unsung heroes banquet for Middle Sex County is being held here in Seville.
So, that comes up in March, and I will give you updates closer to the time, but we're very happy to be hosting that here this year. >> Thank you, Mrs. Bloom. Any questions? >> No. >> I will now open up to the public for for
questions on agenda items only. Seeing none, we'll close the public session. >> Dr. Levy. Okay, I'll be >> I'll be as brief as I can. Let's start off with finance and infrastructure, there's only one on page two, number one. And speaking of grants, uh, and
Miss Burch, she's been hard at work applying and submitting uh for the next step of the high impact tutoring grant. Remember, for the past two years, we've received monies from the federal high impact tutoring grant. We thought it went away, but it's back and we're very
happy about that. And we have the potential of getting up to $160,000. So, um that has been submitted um with your approval and we're we have our fingers crossed that um you know, we'll we'll get a good amount of money for that. But kudos to Miss Bert and and her
work with Miss Gman and Miss uh Burns on writing that grant. Any questions on those on that item or anything else on finance and infrastructure? Okay, student achievement will begin on page eight. Number one, we are unfortunately asking you to approve a
long-term suspension. Um, number two, which you can find on page nine, again, as Miss um Mrs. Bloom mentioned, we're asking you to approve the grade 6 to8 foundations of mathematics curriculum guide, which was revised. Number three,
again, as Mrs. Bloom mentioned, we're asking you to approve a change to the marking period calendar um for kids in grades 6 through 12. Because of the snow day that we had on the 26th, we're asking you to move the end of the
second marking period to June 2nd. And that means report cards now will be issued on June 9th. I'm sorry, February. My goodness, I'm thinking already. It's been a long cold winter. Yes. >> February. February 2nd is the end of the marking period and February 9th report
cards will be issued. I was actually going to try making sure that you're staying with me, Mr. Moving along to governance. Uh let's begin on page 11. As was noted by Mrs. Npalitano, we're asking you to prove the
2027 2028 and the 2028 2022 school district calendars. Number four, which can be found on page 11, we're asking you to approve those new um and revised bylaws and policies and regulations that Mrs. Npalitano mentioned before for a first reading.
And as an annual thing, we're asking you on numbers five and six, which you can find on page 11, we're asking you to approve the submission of the uniform state memorandum of agreement between education and law enforcement, as well as the approval of our law enforcement
units. and and that's a a really big deal. Obviously, we've been doing this for many, many years, and it's so important that we have a tight partnership with law enforcement, and that includes the local Sville Police Department as well as the Middle Sex County Prosecutor's Office and even the
state police. and that we recognize that there are certain members in our staff who are what are called law enforcement units that helps us um more seamlessly
communicate with law enforcement because of those law enforcement units. Eric, I don't know if you want to add anything to that. >> No, that pretty much covers it. that that is our internal infrastructure between school administration and our law enforcement partners that um allow
us to to move information freely within the confines of the memorandum agreement um and act quickly uh for the needs of our students. >> Thank you buddy. And number seven, which you can find in the addendum on the addendum number seven, we're asking you to approve two sidebar agreements with
the Saveville Administration Association. One is to incorporate binding arbitration into the 2023 20228 collective bargaining agreement and the other is to incorporate the special security stipened into the same collective bargaining agreement. Any
questions on those items or anything else on governance as well as student achievement? Do you have any questions from student achievement? >> Microphone. >> I'm sorry. I thought I did. It's also bridge police department that we're
working >> because cheese. >> Cheesequake. Yep. >> Okay. >> Yep. Good question. Yeah, we have to have two. One with Saraveville um and one with Obridge. >> And what kind of information of our students share? If if you can explain
that. >> It's very limited actually. So, the MOA pretty much spells out um when law enforcement can share information with us and when we can share information with them. Um emergencies are typically what it is. If uh students in crisis or if there's a threat to the school
buildings, um someone has a a criminal matter that they're charged with on the outside. So those high-profile items where either school staff or law enforcement need to move quickly, um the MOA basically covers that and allows us to to move forward with our existing
partnerships. >> Thank you. >> And the key is to go ahead and move quickly before whatever it is becomes a school record because once it becomes a school record, it takes a judge's order to get it released. Okay, moving along to personnel. I'm
gonna we do have a retirement, but I'm going to move beyond that for now. So, numbers five and 17, like we always ask you to do. You can find it on page 13 and 14, as well as the addendum. We're asking you to hire new non-certificated staff for this school year, as well as number six and 18, which you can find on
page 14 and the addendum. We're asking you to prove the transfer of a non-ertificated staff member, um, more than one non-ertificated staff member for this school year. And finally, we do have another one of those bittersweet moments. We're asking you to graciously accept the retirement of Jean Emperado.
She is a cafeteria worker, longtime cafeteria worker. Um, and that's effective March 1st, 2026. And if you don't mind, I'd like to read a little bit about Jean. After more than 20 years of dedicated service in the cafeteria, we celebrate Jeanie Emperado. She has
been the heart of countless meals throughout the Saveville School District for those 20 years. Her commitment, reliability, and warm presence made every day better for every co-worker, staff member, and the students that she
served so diligently. Through early morning and busy lunch, she always served and cooked with care, pride, and a smile. Her impact will be felt long after the last tray is cleared. We wish Jeanie a joyful, well-earned retirement
filled with relaxation and of course new adventures. And on behalf of the Saraveville board of education and administration, we can't we can't thank her enough for her impeccable service to our school district, our students, and the greater community. And then I do this every year. I just want to give a
shout out to our longest lasting employee, U Victor, a custodian over at the high school. um who is he just completed his 49th year in the district and we also mentioned that he's not here right now but Mr. Coleman'sburgger and
Mr. Coyle are are a close second and third as well, but Victor was hired in 1977. I was a fourth grader when he was hired here in the district. So, yeah. So, shout out to Victor. We can't thank
Victor enough of uh for all the hard work that he's done um for the many many years he's been with us. So, that includes my superintendent report. >> Thank you, Dr. Lavy. And I actually I think Chris and I both remember Victor when uh we were walk these halls or the
halls of the high school many many many many years ago. So now we just over here a second. >> Yeah. So now I ask for a motion to to to approve. Move.
>> Second. >> Right, >> Jeff. >> Roll call. >> Roll call. >> Oh, is Alison? No, >> he's you. Yeah. Can Can we get a roll call? >> Mrs. Bloom.
>> Yes. >> Mr. Callahan, >> yes. >> Mrs. Studkowski, >> yes. >> Mrs. Hernandez, >> yes. >> Mrs. Melonado, >> yes. Um, except on item number eight under finance on page three. I abstain
to that one. Everything else is yes. Yes, >> yes, >> Mr. Smith. >> Yes, >> Mr. Fernandez. >> I have to abstain on item number eight in finance and yes to everything else. >> Carries.
>> Motion carried. Now I open up to to any questions from the public, >> comments, >> comments, >> comments. >> Uh I don't have any questions. I just have a comment. Uh it was very nice to
hear from all those presenters tonight. They did a tremendous job. Uh, on a personal note, I work with April and Carara and uh, Jen, and they're super people, so we're in good hands in that regard. So, I I personally went out in the hallway and thanked them for that.
U, but I guess the highlight of the night is knowing that Victor is going to retire because Victor and I came in at the same time. >> Oh, he's not retiring. I just I always say how many years he's been He hasn't He's not retiring yet. >> Oh, he's not? No. No. Okay. He's not.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. My bad. >> All right. I misinterpreted it. >> No, sorry. >> But with the 77 is what caught my eye or my ear. >> That's when he started. He started in 1977. >> Yes, I know. So did I. So we started together and came in. So it's it was
kind of interesting to hear that. So hopefully he's retiring soon. Um >> that's crazy, right? >> Which means an opportunity for you to still come back, coach. >> Well, uh Mrs. Bowman was for 50 years
the principal at Wilson School. >> She retired after 50 years. So that's a an amazing feat to begin with. But I would also like to thank all of you for all that you've done and all the service uh that you give. We spend a lot of time thanking teachers and administrators,
but uh you guys do a good job too. And we do appreciate that that you're interested, that you're there for the kids, and you're there for the teachers. So, uh, thank you as well. So, I'll give you a hand. >> Um, and Mr. Nester, I guess this is I
should tell you this. Um, uh, Steinard High School also has a program kind of like, uh, we do. And my, uh, nephew attended Steinard as a special education student. And, uh, he has a job. So, you
might want to look into this for when I heard about Dante putting buckling kids in. and he has a job at Jersey Shore Medical, he's a patient transporter. And just as the gentleman that uh Eli mentioned is the mayor of Seville.
>> Yeah. Big Mike. >> He's the mayor of Jersey Shore Hospital. Everybody knows him because he's joyful. He moves those patients. And you know, I see that same character in some of these gentlemen. Uh so I would say uh that's something you might want to look into uh
if he has that desire to be that because they do hire those people. >> That's a good lead >> to help out. All right. So that's that might be helpful. So thank you again and have a great night. >> Thank you, coach. Have a good one. >> Thank you. >> Anyone else in the public? We're online.
Seeing none, I'm I'm closing uh public session. Any comments from the board? >> I have a comment. Um, I have been approached by several concerned parents about this snow. Okay. Um, in Morgan, I
know the police are taking the snow seriously because I got three tickets for not moving my car and many other people in Morgan also got three ticket. Uh, three tickets. If you got a ticket, you didn't get one, you got three. Okay. So, I know the police are concerned about the safety of the cars or the
road, but I'm more concerned about the safety of the children that are stuck standing in the street waiting for their bus because the town does not feel that the corners need to be paid as much attention as the parked vehicles. So, those corners are still loaded with
snow. And I know that's not a BOE responsibility. However, it is our buses and our children's lives that are being threatened. So, I fully expect and hope that our Department of Transportation will direct the bus drivers to identify any areas that are still in a uh bad
condition and making um you know, dangerous onboarding for our children. And I think that's something that should be given just as much attention as those abandoned vehicles due to the snowstorm. So, please, Dr. Labby, um I hope that you take these parents concerns seriously. I've seen them with my own
eyes right on my own corner. The kids can't eat. They're they're literally in the street. So, if we could do something about that, and I'm sure that Morgan is not the only corner, though. It's on Woodland and uh R Woodland and uh Norton. So, I'm sure that that's not the
only corner that we should be concerned about. And I think that as a BOE liability and and just our buses alone that we take this seriously. >> Yeah. And I did I did speak to Mr. Scarzinski, the Burough Business Administrator, about this issue. Um,
basically what he explained to me is our bus stops are generally on sidewalks at corners of streets and sidewalks are the responsibility of the homeowners. >> Well, the >> so they have sent they they have sent out their code inspectors to all the
homes in which the sidewalks haven't been cleared. Most of which, by the way, are elderly people um that are unable to go out and and and clear that. Um but they have gone out to them and issued them warnings and they will be finding people if at some point or another they
don't clear their sidewalks particularly the sidewalks where our students gather for their bus stops. >> Yeah. But the sidewalks are not just the issue. The fact is is that the snow was not pushed over enough or removed. So the kids are actually in the street not
just because of the sidewalk but because the corner has not been done properly. So that's really what the burrow should take care of. that's their responsibility to make sure our bus stops are clear and free of snow and not hindering our students.
So, if we could do something about that, I'd appreciate it. >> I'll make a phone call again tomorrow. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Pone. Anyone else have any other comments? Seeing none, I'm sorry. >> Want to remind everybody that I won't be at the next meeting
>> because it's my birthday. Oh, well, in that case, we should just cancel the meeting. >> I'm going to cancel the cake now. Loose, >> please feel free to proceed without me. >> Is it on? >> They'll have the party. >> There'll be a lot of moist eyes that night. >> Yes. >> Can I file an ethics violation for that word? >> David, you're never going to live that
one down. >> It's very difficult to work under these conditions. >> I know. I know. >> Don't worry about moved. >> All right. >> Now, we know under that hard exterior So move. No.
>> All right. So a trigger word for me, David. >> So our next meeting is Tuesday, February 17, 2026 and Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026. At this time, I'd like to entertain a motion to adjourn. >> So moved. >> Second.
>> Oh, and don't forget there is no >> All in favor? I >> All right. Motion passed. We're closed.