Good evening. It is Thursday, June 19th, 2025, and I'd like to welcome you to the meeting of the South Brunswick Board of Education, and call the meeting to order. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance 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. I'd like to read the statement of advanced notice. The New Jersey Open Public Meeting Act, NJSA
104-6, also known as the Sunshine Law, was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings of the public bodies at which any business affecting the interest is discussed or acted upon. The
primary purpose is for board members to discuss and vote on board business. In accordance with this provision of this act, the board secretary has caused notice to this meeting 48 hours prior, including date, time, and location to be
posted in the South Brunswick public library and board office, filed with the township clerk, and communicated to the home news and the star ledger. It is also posted on the district website. Roll call. Mr. Palowski.
Miss Julie Ferrara, present. Miss Alicia Khan, Mr. Raja Krishna present Mr. Mike Mitchell present Dr. Smith Raj Mrs. Lisa Rogers present Mr. Rajes Sony Mrs. Deeparth
Miss Lauren Hernandez here we have a quorum may I have a motion and a second to approve tonight's meeting agenda Miss Rogers and Mr. Mitchell. All in favor? I. Now I need approval of the board
minutes, approval of the May 1st executive and board minutes, and approval of May 8th executive and board minutes. Mr. Mr. Raja and Miss Ferrara. Does anybody have any question about the
board minutes? Okay. All in favor? I I Okay. Uh, our next order of business is a report of our student representative. Yes. Is she down there? She's not down there. Is she down there? She She Okay. So, we're pretending that
she's down there. She's not down there. Okay. Oh, I thought the old one was going to be here. Oh, so she's not introducing Oh, she's not here. Oh. Oh, you know what? Well, that's okay. We're getting a new one.
Yay for us. Well, honey, before you get out there, let's Yeah. You want to, Mr. B? Oh, here's Oh, here she come. Okay, so let's retract. The old one is here. Yay.
That's really nice. Should I sit or should I say Hi everyone, good evening. So, for those of you who may not know me, my name is Samira and I had the incredible honor of serving as the board of education rep for the 2024 to 2025 school year. Before
I introduce our 2025 to 2026 BOE rep, I'd like to say a few things. This past year, I had the privilege of attending the board of education meetings where I gained a firsthand look at the decisions, discussions, and the behindthe-scenes efforts that shaped the
educational experience for every student in our district. From the late night budget updates to the potential redistricting planning to recognizing the amazing achievements of our students and staff, it was truly amazing to see how how much thought and care goes into
every choice made on behalf of our schools. Serving this role was not just about representing the student voice at our high school. It was about listening and learning. I witnessed the dedication of our board members, administrators, teachers, and community leaders, all
working together toward one shared goal, creating a better, stronger future for our schools. It has truly been an honor and a privilege to represent my peers and to be part of such an impactful space. I also want to give a special shout out to Mr. Federer, a wonderful,
wonderful superintendent who worked as an educator for 34 years and served as our superintendent for eight. Somehow, he found a way to make even a simple snow day call something we all looked forward to. Whether it was a creative
twist, a funny pun, or just the excitement in his voice, he managed to turn a routine announcement into a moment of joy, which will forever be a core memory of not just my childhood, but also for the thousands of students in our district. Thank you for the role you have played in the community and I
wish you a very happy and relaxing retirement. Thank you for trusting me with this role and thank you to everyone who supported me along the way. It has been a meaningful journey I will never forget. Now, without further ado, please welcome Novia Jane, a rising junior at South
Brunswick High School and a deduc dedicated student leader. She serves on the student council and is actively involved in DECA, the debate club, and FBLA. Nia will be our board of education rep for the upcoming school year. Thank you everyone and have a good night.
Um, good evening everyone. Starting off with some school news. Student council celebrated Pride Month with a schoolwide spirit day on June 4th, followed by the torch run event on June 5th. On June 12th, we held a throwback Thursday spirit day and on June 18th, we had a
beach day. We closed up the school year with our annual schools out for the summer day on June 26th. Additionally, class council and student activities hosted our very successful annual senior sunset on June 17th where much of our senior class enjoyed free food trucks
and ice cream. Additionally, there was henna face painting and DJing. Seniors also had a great time dancing and eating at the senior prom at the Merryold on June 6th. With the school year coming to the close, we are excited to remind everyone that graduation is coming up on
June 27th at the Cure Insurance Arena. We have a graduation practice for the graduating seniors on June 25th. Congratulations to the class of 2025. Now for athletics, our spring sports team had an outstanding season. The boys tennis team was crowned GMC champions
and also secured the red division title. The girls spring track team won the NJIAA Central Group Four Championship, the GMC Championship, the GMC Relays Championship, and the Red Division title. That's all I have for everyone tonight. Thank you.
Good job, honey. Good job. Here. So, every year we um swap out our students and uh Samira's last day, so we do a really cool thing. We give her a pen.
because she needs another pen. That's a special pen. But um so Myra has been a fresh sound in our meetings. She gets to start off our meetings. I hate having to follow her. Um and welcome. So next year, you know what? You're going to get
a pen. Um but really, Samara, thank you so much for doing this. Um sometimes Samara does have to go do homework. So, she does this, then she goes and studies, does does her homework and uh but you know, it's funny, and I don't know if people realize this, but the state of New
Jersey passed a law, and the law requires districts to have a student rep at a board meeting. If you guys knew that, it's a law. South Brunswick had always had a student rep already. So, that law meant nothing to
us. We already valued student voice and having a student speak on behalf of the students. That's what you've been doing. Thank you. Congratulations. Here you go. And now I'm still going to hand it over to Mr. Feder. Stay there. I know you could have just stayed there. So my
report is is pretty simple today. Um, tomorrow there's no school and I don't have to make any calls to to to do it. I just there's no no school. That's it. There's no school. Uh, we're honoring Junth in the state of New Jersey. Some people are thinking, why are you not off
today? You know, Junth, but um state of New Jersey calls it for Friday. So, we just honored it that way and do that. It is it is more convenient for the calendar, I will say. But, uh, it wasn't about that. It was about honoring what New Jersey asked us to do. Tonight we have a pretty packed house and and the
reason we have a pretty packed house is because that group of people over there and the these are people we're going to hear a little bit more about tonight. But this is the night where we honor our retirees um for amazing service. I don't know how many years it's been since all if we added all their years up. Do we know
that? Like at least 50, right? 1100 1100 years of time. So that's pretty amazing. But um I'm not going to talk too much uh tonight. We have business later on in the meeting where I'll add some more.
But um as you heard Samar say, we have graduation next Friday. Um there are move up days and there are special days all during next week. You should know, you know, where where you're going for your child's event. Um but personally, thank you all for all your service for
doing all this. And it would be inappropriate if I didn't just say Murf, are you here? All right. Good. Uh wi with that I will turn it back over to uh President.
Um okay. So we are so honored to honor this special group of people here that have worked diligently for years to be part of the village to raise our kids in South Brunswick and to send them off into the world as wonderful
representatives. Side note, I'll be there next year. But so we are here to honor you and to thank you and to know sometimes your job is not as thankful as you absolutely
deserve. So from the board of education I would like to just say thank you for all you do and we could not do it without any of you. Congratulations. Go about your business. Travel the world. Sit on the beach. Do whatever
you're going to do. Enjoy your life because we know you have earned it. And with that, I am going to bring up Miss Suzanne Borne Luck. Thank you, Miss Hernandez. Good evening, everyone. It is so nice to be here and it is an honor to certainly
congratulate these retirees that sit here before us who are in attendance. I want to begin by sharing with you our program for this evening. Um there were QR codes out in the lobby here and up here if you
want to grab that to follow along. Um, included in that document are excerpts from the testimonials that were written on your behalf. Retirees, today you will receive a personalized testimonial that colleagues and administrators here wrote
on your behalf as a tribute to your years of service. We're going to hear from our Crossroads South Vocal Ensemble. We're going to honor the retiree class of 2025. And you can see there's some other
hidden special touches um to wrap up our evening. So each of our retirees as I read through their testimonials has been present for the students, families, and colleagues throughout their years of service in the South
Brunswick School District. And our theme this year reiterates your purpose within our system. At this time, to help us welcome our choir board members, I'm going to ask you to find a seat in the front row to
listen. And if there isn't space, um those of us that can stand on the side here, um it is a packed house tonight. I'd like to welcome Miss Forman's South Vocal Ensemble. They have prepared
two selections for you this evening to honor you on this momentous occasion of your retirement. So, Miss Foreman, we'll have you come to the front. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Good evening everyone. My name is Miss Foreman. I have the pleasure of serving as the choir teacher over at Crossroads South. And this is our vocal ensemble,
which is our audition group of students. They have had a very successful year. Thank you to all of you for your support and helping us make that happen. We have two pieces for you this evening. The first is purely for fun. It's a medley of Beatles songs and we know that many
of you in the audience will recognize them. So feel free to join us in singing. And then the second piece is for recognizing all of the people who have dedicated so many years to the district and we appreciate it so much. That second piece is titled for good, which is also appropriate with the
second Wicked movie coming out soon. And that's dedicated to all of you and your hard work. So thank you so much. [Music] [Applause] [Music] You know I love you.
Oh, I want to hold your hand. I should be yesterday. There are places Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Maybe there
[Music] [Applause] Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Don't be satisfied. [Music]
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music]
said [Music] that people come into our lives for a reason. We must learn to those who help us to grow if we help them in return.
I don't know if I believe that's true. as it passes halfway through the world. You can say I will change for because I knew you.
I am a change for you. [Music] Every is made of what I on my heart. I know you have my shant
[Music] because I knew you because I have been changing. [Music] [Music]
[Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] You can't say I change you. [Music]
Heat. Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat up here. returning to their seats. Um, I'm looking out at our retirees and I I'm
thinking that many of you are recognizing some familiar faces there that may have crossed your paths through the through the years. Um, Miss Foreman, um, perfect song choices. Um the Beatles medley certainly brought
um smiles. Um thinking about sunshine, thinking about friendships, thinking about relationships. And our profession certainly is one of making connections. And that last piece just leaves us with something to think about as you begin
that next chapter. So, I want to highlight a little bit about this year's retirement class just to kind of put in perspective um who is here being recognized tonight and those that were not able to join us. Um 51 retirees.
Last year we were in the 30s to put that in perspective. Um some of our retirees have as many years as 36 years of experience. Um and as Mr. Feder said earlier he was he was questioning how many years of experience
collectively are within this room this evening and of our retiree class there are over 1100 years of South Brunswick service and I think that's important to distinguish that South Brunswick service is different than service in other
districts or in other states um through through the journey that you've all had in in this career path of education Um we the there are drivers among us, custodial and maintenance workers,
support staff, classroom teachers, subject area teachers, um and leadership. Um we wish that the moments you take with you are of the happy times that you've had here in South Brunswick.
Many of this year's retirees have already started to enjoy their retirement. Um, a number of them when we we'd recognize everybody um in June, some folks let us know in June that they were going and may have already started
retirement in September, October, maybe December. just in the audience right now, if you are one of those retirees that have already begun this journey of retirement, just give a little wave.
Yeah. Look right. Their faces look a little different, don't they? And then the others in the room are um watching that countdown maybe with some bitter sweetness um as the last days of
um the school year come to a close and and some will be leaving us during the summer months. So this year I'm sharing with you a slide. Um, there are three here because not all retirees could join us, but I wanted them to have their moment so we
could see who those individuals were and where they're retiring from. So, this is our first list. Um, starting with Rhonda there at the high school and ending with Judith at Crossroads South. I'd like to just draw your attention to the one that
is bolded with with that note of immemor memor memoriam. Um, Brenda Evans was a custodian at SBHS who started her retirement earlier this school year and we received the sad news that she passed
this month. And so um, I felt it was important for us to just recognize her contributions to the system and um, acknowledge why she was unable um, to be here to celebrate with us this evening.
Our list goes on. [Music] So glad you're all here safe in the building with us. Uh keep the fingers crossed the power
and the AC stay on. Um, so again, uh, Carl, uh, custodian at Crossroads South all the way down to Vicki Sika from Crossroads North who was a secretary. And you can see the others in between. Um, nurses, art teacher,
athletic trainer, um, paraprofessional are just some of those listed on this screen here. And our list continues. Counselor, art teacher are just some of the people listed on this slide.
Those that are not in attendance are going to receive something in the mail as a as a a reminder and acknowledgement of the retirement. Um, and now we're going to move on to celebrate those that are able to join us today. And so here tonight, um, many of our school leaders
are here, um, to help celebrate, uh, retirees, for those that have worked closest with them. And so when I call individuals to the front, if there's a leader here that would like to stand with their retiree as they are recognized, please do so. It's always a
great opportunity for that one candid hug or a photo. Um, for my retirees, we're going to line up in alphabetical order and you don't know where you all fit in that line right now. So, if your
last name is B through let's say B through Oh, let's let's go and do it right now. F B through F, if you could line up here um to get us ready to recognize you, you'll be our first group. And Miss Hernandez, if you can help with
um our gift bags, that would be awesome. You know, that's why I picked up, right? Just get it out of the way for Scott. So, Ellen Bloom, come here so we can talk about you and all of your contributions. So, Ellen has actually
retired after driving special needs students for the district's transportation department since November of 1999. Known for her start known for her preparedness and a tough
cookie demeanor. She treated every student as her own. Her presence will be greatly missed by her colleagues and the students you transported each day. Congratulations, Ellen. Jamie Bulmer.
Jamie was a dedicated me member of the South Brunswick community since 1992 and retired in 20 in December of 2024. She excelled as a health and physical education teacher and coach guiding
numerous students and student athletes. Later, as an assistant principal and director of special projects, she brought innovative solutions and technological expertise to various initiatives, significantly improving
school procedures and supporting critical districtwide efforts, implementation of the Genesis student information system, and managing we might have some SIS here. and managing protocols during the
COVID pandemic are just two of many highlights. Congratulations, Jamie. James was unable to join us this evening. Custodian throughout our district.
Next is Mike Denah. Come on down, Mike. Mike is retiring after dedicating I hope I have this right 26 years. 27 here, 43 overall. Wow. And in your time in South Brunswick, you were part of the counseling office. And
throughout your tenure, you profoundly impacted countless students, staff, and families by offering support for mental health, college planning and career guidance. Mike, known for his calming
presence and ability to connect with everyone, will be greatly missed by the school community that he has served. Congratulations, Mike. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome. Wow. Look at Look at the O's.
I think you're featured on many calendars if I do remember. We didn't pull from there. So, we all know Scott. Thank you, Marian. Um, Feder is retiring in August of 2025 after a long career in
education, including serving as the superintendent of schools in South Brunswick since 2017. During his leadership in South Brunswick, he oversaw preschool expansion, enhanced school security, navigated
budgetary challenges, right? We can recall all of the testimonies and and someone who really can explain it so that we can understand how S2 funding has impacted our district and prioritized student and staff well-being. Um, during Scott's tenure
here, we have increased the supports that are available for students and staff in that area, especially during that pandemic. Federer leaves a legacy of high standards, a culture of excellence, and
a commitment to empowered decisionmaking. And he will be remembered for his compassionate leadership, wit, humor, and is the go-to expert for any foodies
in the audience. So, congratulations, Scott. I know it's premature, but congratul Bye everybody. Actually, [Music] Dom, I think you're the perfect one to follow that. Come on down, Dom.
Dominic Ferrara is retiring after after an impressive Do I have this right? 27 years. 27 years. 27 years. See, it says on that right on the back of the shirt. Um, you should have just 27year career here in South Brunswick.
He began as a roving custodian, then spent 15 years in the grounds department ensuring campuses were safe and clean. And in his most recent role as the male courier, Dom became known for his reliability, professionalism, and
cherished sense of humor, leaving a lasting impression of hard work, heart, and laughter in the schools he visited each day. As someone who traveled around the district, I would always enjoy passing Dom or seeing him entering
schools or leaving schools. And you always left uh the office staff with a smile um and encouraging words. And so congratulations on your retirement which has already started. Okay. So, I believe we've gone through
all of our Fs. Let's have G through O come line up. G through O. It's like the perfect brain break to get up and move around just a little bit. Um, I don't see Teresa Foster.
So, Teresa Foster was unable to join us tonight. She is a um classroom teacher at Brunswick Acres School. So, we're going to begin with Francine Gardner. Francine. Thanks you guys.
Okay, Francine is retiring after serving as a paraprofessional in the SLLD classroom at Greenbrook, bringing a wealth of experience from her prior career as a high school math teacher, middle school. She consistently arrived
with a smile, fostering connections and showing immense love and care for her students. Fran's warm heart, passion for teaching, and ability to make learning fun will be greatly missed by both students and
colleagues at Greenbrook. Congratulations. Amazing. Morning Hartman. [Applause] Crossroads North. Wow. My bad. We couldn't claim her at South. No.
Crossroads. And you know we should know because that's the people you surrounded yourself with when you sat here tonight. Crossroads North. My apologies. Uh Moren Hartman is a true master teacher who has dedicated decades
of of years to this profession here in district. Uh Moren's classroom has always been a child centered space where everything is done with intention and purpose. Students who struggled
elsewhere thrived under her guidance. A testament to her unique ability to connect and empower. She serves as an inspire inspiring model for all educators, demonstrating a deep commitment to
student success. Moren has been involved in a number of committees, mentoring many new new teachers. Colleagues praise her generous and caring nature, noting her selflessness
and constant effort to uplift those around her and her colleagues at Crossroads North are going to miss Moren's presence. Congratulations, Moren. Okay, Joette.
Joet JGO Crossroads North, right? in her one of your last roles was as technology teacher. Correct. Yeah. So Joet Jgo embodying Winston Churchill's quote, "You make a life by what you give
has profoundly impacted her school community for many years. Starting as a substitute and then a library par professional, she became a technology teacher, demonstrating adaptability and a can do
attitude. Beyond her teaching, which is important in our profession, it's it's a lot about what happens in the classroom and beyond. Joet passionately promoted breast cancer awareness with a pink day and consistently supported colleagues,
leaving an indelible mark of kindness, empathy, and a strong work ethic on the school's fabric. Joette was one of the ones that retired earlier this year and is enjoying and settling in and I know that your
colleagues still continue to talk about the impact that you had during your years here. So congratulations Joan K. Louie. That mean that means you've kept like the same ID badge since you've been here. Come on over.
Um, Joan is retiring after three decades, three decades as a revered kindergarten teacher at Indian Fields and back in the day school, right? Where she created a
consistently magical and highly engaging classroom environment. Her effortless teaching stemmed from an unparalleled work ethic and meticulous preparation, ensuring every moment was intentionally
designed for student growth. Remember kindergarten. Beyond her classroom, Miss K Louie significantly shaped the entire kindergarten experience, flawlessly coordinating activities and
generously sharing her expertise, leaving a lasting impression on countless students and colleagues within that Indian fields community. Congratulations. We will be thinking of
you these last few days for sure. Paul Keller. How are you? Good. Thank you so much. You're already enjoying retirement, right? Yes. Yes. It's good so far. All right. Um more than 35 years as a
custodian across our South Brunswick School District. Most recently at Greenbrook School. Correct. Yeah. 30 years at Greenbrook. Wow. Consistently you've been praised for your friendliness and helpfulness. Paul ensured a clean, safe, and
welcoming environment for all, often going above and beyond his job duties. He's also known for his love of baking. Yes. And generously sharing his delicious creations with
colleagues. Paul has shown us that when you're part of a school community, it is so much more than what your job description says. It's about embracing what it's like to be a part of a team and a
family. So, congratulations to you, Paul. Kristen Laskin is one of our supervisors who is unable to be here this evening, but she is retiring um and leaves behind um multiple departments for which she was
responsible during her time at South Brunswick High School. Scott, I think it's your turn. [Applause] Come here. Come here. She's going to cry again. Cry if she cries.
All right. I was going to try not to. You've got her, right? I got you. So, Maryanne Murf, as affectionately known throughout the third floor, retired after 28 years in the South Brunswick School District. Seven driving me crazy.
Having held so many different roles from a par professional to a principal secretary at the high school to the assistant to the superintendent. You survived that. Super. you survived that
Murf um when she left us in December and and leading up to that moment, we knew that she was leaving behind a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge. Um the binders and organization of what she
passed on as she left was remarkable. Um obsessive tabs upon tabs. to see this. Yeah. Murf was the go-to person for all essential information schedules, leaving a
significant void upon your departure. Beyond her competence, she was cherished for her heart of gold. Always caring for colleagues. This is what it looked like on her last day. I was there. It was every day. Maybe
looking. You're right. I think right. Um ensuring everyone's milestones were celebrated. Mur Murf was the one that really helped to bring the BHL community together. She wanted to make sure we celebrated things. She wanted to make sure that that the individuals that
worked in that that building were seen, heard, and appreciated. And so, Maryanne, congratulations. We know it's been hard, but we know you are enjoying this message. Murphy. I'm going to ask while we bring up this
next person, Maria O'Donnell, if the rest of our alphabet for retirees could line up. So that would be where are we starting? We're starting with P. all the way through W. So, if you could line up and get ready, that would be fantastic. So,
you were the one that used to help me plan this. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And you left me. She left me. Sorry. I know. It's okay. It's okay. We're still friends. So, Maria retired.
She's another one that celebrated in December of 2024, the end of her career here in South Brunswick. Um, she started in 1999. Is that correct? January 99. Yeah. I want you to change the picture. Oh, we're tired of loving Maryanne. Okay.
Sorry. Thank you everybody. Um, that's when I started. Was that in 1999? Um, her first assignment was at Cambridge Elementary School. Over the
years, she's held various roles within our system, paraprofessional secretary, and most recently worked closely with me as my administrative assistant. In that time, Maria was instrumental in managing student information,
registration, state reporting, and was highly valued by her colleagues for her expertise, mentorship, and willingness to assist. As we prepared for Maria to leave us in
December and her colleagues had opportunities to talk about how she had influenced and supported them, it was clear what an impression you had made on our system. You put in countless
hours making us look good and making sure that our reports were topnotch, including helping Mr. profer make sure that we were closely watching enrollment over the course of his time here. And so we we thank you for your years of
service and you are missed each and every day. Merryill Orlando. I can't believe I'm saying it. What? That you're actually leaving. Yeah, I know. So, Maril and I have a history. Um, when
I was working at Constable School as an administrator, our paths crossed and we've we've known each other since then. And so Merryill is retiring after decades of service to our profession. Many of them spent here in South
Brunswick. Yes. What is that total? Well, somewhere in the 40s. I don't really know anyone. I think you lose track when it's something you love and it's just part of who you are. Yeah. So, in her years at South Brunswick High School, she profoundly impacted
countless students as a family and consumer science teacher and head of the Little Vikings Play School where she groomed future educators. And I can speak from experience because she had my own daughter and has steered her. Look, look at the nods in the head.
She's she has steered many high school students towards this rewarding profession. She was crucial in developing future educators through the field of study experience program and f and fostering a positive learning environment. When you
walked into that room when the little students, the threes and fours were there, magic was happening. um they would celebrate the Olympics with spirit and and move through the halls and just um you embraced everything that working
with young learners and high school age students. You know, a really neat um mix. Um in addition to her teaching responsibilities, she also spearheaded the SBHS mental health fair and advised various clubs enriching students lives
through extracurricular activities and community engagement. And I know stepping away from this is not easy, but do so knowing what a mark you have left on your colleagues and the students of
this community. Thank you. [Applause] James Jim Phillips. Come on up. It's nice to have you here with us this evening. Um Jim is retiring after many
years. Many how many? 17. 17 years as a dedicated um service here in our community. Um he is known for a strong work ethic, always assisting colleagues and supporting students and staff. You
know, I noticed something while watching you here, celebrating your colleagues that you've watched and worked with over time. Jim's kindness and laughter will be greatly missed. and he leaves behind
a legacy of significant contributions to our high school and for that we thank you for your service. Thank you. Chra Chetra Ravage Chandran looks like
um works at Cambridge. Have you spent your whole career at Cambridge? The entire career at Cambridge Elementary School in the role of library media specialist. In those years, you have absolutely redefined the role
transforming the library into a vibrant vibrant hub of learning and community. And I and I know this because when I visit the Cambridge Library, it just it screams at you to like sit down, pick up a book, look at some of the things that
are on display. She spearheaded numerous schoolwide initiatives from read across America to black the black history museum that you do with the upper grade students significantly enriching students educational experiences.
Chetra's professionalism, integrity, and passion for education made her an invaluable mentor and colleague, leaving a lasting impact on all of the students that you have influenced and the staff
members that you have worked with during your time here. We want to congratulate you and we hope that you enjoy this next chapter of your of your life. Oh no.
So unfortunately Karen was not able to join us this evening but she was a par professional at Greenbrook Elementary School. So that brings us to our last present honore. Please don't be shy if I forgot
somebody. Okay. All right. Awesome. Marsha like a cat. Teaching does that to you? Marca Walker is an elementary gifted and talented teacher. And our paths first crossed when she interviewed with me as
a supervisor for elementary gifted and talented. And I I was lucky enough to bring you from Mammoth Junction um to a itin an an itinerant position where you traveled across all seven elementary schools. She began her career in South
Brunswick in 2001 and eventually joined the elementary DN G&T team of um the team of three in 2014 where she provided small groupoup instruction and technology education across multiple schools. She's passionate about nature
and science and she has ignited similar interests in her students through STEM challenges and most recently participation in the Thomas Edison pitch contest. Marsha is highly collaborative,
flexible, and a staunch advocate for her students. What's impressive is when she comes to the table with data to talk about students, um, she's able to recall where they are at in their grade level, what building they're at, and when you travel to multiple schools, that's
that's impressive. She consistently displays a can do attitude even in challenging teacher environments. So, what you may not know about itinerant staff is that they don't necessarily have a dedicated classroom. And so you you go wherever they tell you
their space. And Marca has probably taught in some of the most creative spaces here in our district. And and did so with a smile. The closet was the best. Yeah. Yeah. But you you really have provided our students with an
outlet to explore their creativity and their passion um beyond the academics. And I want to thank you for your contributions to our district. It's been a pleasure. So, one of the traditions we have in South Brunswick is to continue passing
on that legacy of our retirees. And so our library media specialists work to identify a book to place in each school's library in honor of the retirees. And and for today, I'm showing
you the titles that will be placed with a book plate um and retirees in the respective buildings. So just for example, Mike and Merrill, your book will be in the high school library. Mr. Feder, yours will be in the high school library. Um, Chetra, the media center at
Cambridge will have one in your honor. Um, but all of our retirees will have their name recognized and attached to a book. And our media specialists are fantastic. They used what they knew about each employee and kind of made an appropriate selection. So, I thank them
and those books will be available for the students of South Brunswick to look through for years to come. Another one of our traditions has been to listen to some voices of our students. And this year, Mr. Ratine, our
director of special projects, worked with all of our schools to identify students that would give some words of wisdom to our retirees. So perhaps you'll see some familiar faces. I think what's important to note is this
represents preschool up to the high school in terms of students that are offering some words of wisdom to all of you. So, thank you, Reggie. [Music]
When you're going to do a different job, you might come back or you might not come back. I'm never going to work here again and I want to go to a different job. They can like relax
and such for the rest of their day. Um, it basically means to me just like having fun at the end of your life. When you give like everything to like what you do and like you just can't do it anymore, it's like you got to like step down. I think letting go and having fun like after a lot of hard work, being
allowed the chance to like take a break and finally relax. It's it was it's time since you have aged and it's time for you for stop working. They're going to a different place where they um walk there for a long time. when you've made enough
money that you're able to live your life comfortably and you don't have to work anymore. Um, that means you old. Like I feel like that means you're old and like you're like achieve like your career uh through stuff. You know what I'm saying? They've
worked enough in their life and now deserve a break. It's a kind of relaxing period. Retirement is like you're done. You're basically like free from the world. No more worries, no more stress. It's like you get to do whatever you want to do at whatever time you want to do. You can eat sir for dinner. You can
eat dinner for breakfast. Doesn't matter what you do. Go to the beach. Like take a break and get some sleep to play Santaas. Go back home and maybe throw somebody into the pool. To go to one of
those retirement homes. They should teach another school when they're retired. Maybe don't want to stop. Go on rides like a roller coaster. Just have more fun and don't worry about like work and stuff. Sleep.
Maybe go skydiving. Definitely make slime because that's the best thing you could do. Climb a mountain. Um, make sure like you have like enough money. enjoy your retirement and uh the money that you made back back
when you did have a job. Maybe like try out new hobbies. Enjoy life. Enjoy good time with your family and friends. Go to the beach to have good luck in the future. Go on vacation. Don't go partying too much. Don't spend too much
money because then you just need to go back to your job. Enjoy the butterflies. Enjoy all the moments you've had. Don't regret it. And just keep living life. I'm hoping they have a good life. And I hope they still remember us. They did a good job. That's why I'm tired. Thank
you for all of your help and thankful for um teaching us everything we do. Um, thank you so much for putting your time and effort into making our community so much better. Uh, thank you
for being at our school and I hope you have a great retirement. Thank you very much. I'll miss you a lot and I thank them for basically putting up with like a bunch of people. Just thanks for your work. Thank you so much for being so kind and helpful. Thank you for
everything they've done. and I wanted to thank you for this over these years for your service. I just think it's so commendable um going through a whole career helping people, helping people learn. Uh it's like yeah, just thank you everyone for what you've done and enjoy
your life. Thank you very much for doing your work. Thank you for everything that you've done, helping everybody here. Thank you for teaching everybody your strategies and how you've done everything. Thank you. [Music]
[Music] A night like this would not be possible without a collective village to pull something of this magnitude off. um for our retirees. Mashios provided a reception before tonight's meeting. So,
we're grateful for for their service and their contributions. When you look at our program, there is um student artwork featured. Uh Ariana, one of our high school students, uh uh gave permission for us to use that
piece. I found her piece at our tremendous art show, you know, walking around taking pictures and I was like, this one spoke to me and I thought it was appropriate for us and she graciously allowed us um to feature her artwork. to the Crossroads South Ensemble that performed tonight, to the
media specialist for the books, to our ed board of education for supporting and allowing tonight to happen to publicly recognize the work of these individuals that sit here before us. to the South
Brunswick leadership team who provided um the support for the gifts that are in your bag and for their support with writing the testimonials that you have as that personalized scroll in your bag. To the colleagues of the retirees, there
was so much celebration and cheer as your your your teammates and your colleagues came forward. So, thank you for supporting them. To the friends and family members of the retirees, we we know that you shared your loved one with
us for a period of time and for that we are grateful. And to our retirees, you have our heartfelt appreciation and admiration for dedicating your life to serving students specifically here in
the South Brunswick community. And for that, we thank you. So, Miss Hernandez, I will turn it back to you if you have anything to add. You're old. You're old. So, you know what? I I
always say that before there are lawyers or doctors or accountants or plumbers or electricians, there are teachers. And with those teachers, nothing would happen without our support staff, of the
custodians who do all that hard work, of the bus drivers that get our babies to us, of the administrative assistants that put up with people like Scott and keep everything in decency and order. So, thank you. Go do what they
said. Go to the beach. Go spend your money. Go enjoy life. go on that shopping spree. So, congratulations to all of you and thank you for everything you have done. Thank you, Miss Hernandez. I I really
needed to You said support staff and you made me think of something that I neglected to say up there. Um, I want to thank my assistant Cibil, who is brand new in her role, who helped to pull this together with me and keep me organized. So, thank you.
And I want to thank Lordis who helped me with some of the special touches that did happen at the reception before as well. Thank you, Miss Hernandez. Okay, so we are going to take a break.
Yes, you are so welcome to stay if you would like. Oh god, you didn't even let me finish that statement. Holy cow. And you are very welcome to leave. Congratulations to everybody. We're going to take a fivem minute recess.
Okay, we're going to bring this meeting back to order and go on to our next part of business. um at not the last meeting but I think the meeting before um I talked about replacing Mr. Federer here and the
process in which we're going to do that and we've already begun that process. Uh the first part was we had a cohort team that interviewed superintendent search firms and then we have a timeline of exactly what they're going to do. So, we
have two out of the four people from our search firm here today that's going to do a little presentation, give us a little um uh timeline here. So, I would like to bring up Mike Cooer and Vincent Deluchia
and they are from the search firm's strategic exemplary alliance. Woo. Thank you, Miss Fernandez. Um, too bad Samira left. I want to just thank her.
Uh, one for her service as a student rep to the board, but also her comments on Mr. feder because now we have characteristics such as we need to find a superintendent who's going to make fun snow calls and entertaining as you. I
also want to let her know that not all snow calls are universally loved and accepted. So whatever you're doing, it must be real special. So my name is uh Michael Cusher. I'm the uh uh I guess principal of the firm. I started it 12
years ago. Um, we've been uh in the search since 2012. Previous to that, my partner and I worked for another five years with a uh a nationwide search firm out of Illinois. And then we went on our own for the past 12 years. We've done
over 50 searches in New York and uh New Jersey. In New Jersey, we've done a large and high performing districts such as Edison, Fort Lee, Madison, Pasak Valley Regional, Riverdale Regional, Belleville, Wall Township, Delran, just
to name a few. The consultants that will be working with me on the search. Um myself I want to tell you a little bit about um I am a current superintendent of a special education public school
district. Uh we're called the South Bergen Jointure Commission. uh you probably work with the Morris Union joint commission and we solely work with uh children with special needs and do a lot of uh support services like busing
and uh outreach services for over 20 school districts. Uh previous to that I was superintendent 12 years of a K to 12. I've been working 15 years at Satan Hall University in the doctoral program.
Was past president of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators and past chair of the Middle States Association Accreditation for Secondary Schools. I share that not to that I'm being proud or so forth. and I share it
to show the wealth of experience we have that helps us network and recruit uh good candidates. Uh with me on the search, not here tonight are two people. Uh Dr. Brian Zakowski. Uh he is
currently the vice president for community engagement at Kain University. If his name sounds familiar, it's because he's been a long-erving superintendent in a neighboring district, North Brunswick. Ironically,
Dr. Zakowski is leaving Kain University to go back to North Brunswick as an interim superintendent uh July 1st. We also have with us Judy Ratner. Judy is former superintendent of Berkeley
Heights. She is the assistant director uh at New Jersey Association of School Administrators. Like to have uh Vince introduce yourself. Maybe the next slide.
Okay. Well, good evening. Well, my name is Vincent Deluchia. Um I have a long history. I'm a retired educator. I currently am providing graduate work and other guidance through Rutgers through Lasal University and also through Trent State or the College of New Jersey I should say. However, in truth uh I have
an extensive record and experience in this district. As a matter of fact, the last time I was in this room, it was a shell. Um after a defeated referendum, we finally got it passed. And in my work in South Brunswick, um it's been significant. I've served in every role
in the middle school and also when I left this district I was the assistant soup to to Sam Stewart. What's also important though is what this district stands for. This district stands for excellence. It stands for innovation and
it also stands for serving all kids. And I say that with uh with pride but I also say it because I have a stake in this. I have two grandkids in this district. classes of 29 and the class of 31. And my two sons are extraordinarily
successful, the classes of 1997 and the class of 2000. But I also know the other things that have done this district has done that very few have done. You may not realize or know that this school was one of the very first three middle schools in the
United States. the superintendent and the principal at the time, uh, Fred Nadler, uh, secured a a grant from the US Department of Education, one of three in the nation, to develop a true middle school climate and and formula. They started doing professional learning
communities in the 1960s, which didn't take hold until almost 2000 in the rest of the nation. But it's also important to know that this district has a long history of serving all students. Some of you may have seen the white two classroom building in the back of this
of this building which you may not know. That building was built as a part of a construction class for South High School students. Kids built that some 40 years ago. I also have an antique with me. I found
an old crossroad staff shirt. Why? this this building, this organization and those who preceded us and those who continued had an important impact on my career. The educator I am today is
directly because of my experiences in this district. So, it's really I have a lot of gratitude for that's what's happened and I also know that we have a secure future. as a former mayor of South Brunswick, as a parent, as a grandparent, um, as I said, I have skin
in the game. And I will share with you that one of the things that dismayed me, what I learned from the board subcommittee, uh, that the practice that we began in the early '9s to have the board of education have a seat on the planning board, um, is no longer in practice.
um that that's a detriment to the district, but it also shows the skills and the talents of this district and the leadership in order to continue to address the development, the growth pains and the similar things that that has happened.
I went a wrong way. A significant task, a significant responsibility is the hiring of the chief school administrator. You know from your successes with Mr. Feder, how important it is guiding a district
through difficult times, the S2 funding disaster, and not to mention the continued growth and evolution of South Brunswick, and with each day there are new challenges. The the person that you choose
has a huge legacy to continue from Dr. Mr. Federer to Sam Stewart and others, but must have that forward-looking belief system. And that I'm going to suggest to you is what's significantly important. The responsibility is huge.
Jim Collins going from good to great. When you think about what's happening in this process, you know that you've had success. The process that we use is is ensuring that all voices are heard. It's ensuring
that the community, the staff, the kids at the middle and high school in particular, support staff all have that voice and the community as large as well. And there'll be opportunities even next week for the community at large to
participate in that process. South Brunswick deserves the best. Okay. Thank you. So, as Mr. Deluchia said, next week, Monday will be a virtual forum for the community. It'll be listed on the
website tomorrow. The link 7 o'clock on Monday on Thursday right here in this auditorium will be an open community forum in person. We want to hear from all stakeholders because what we're going to do is we'll get have a survey
where you can provide input to have the community forums to provide input and then all four of us will work together put together a profile of the candidate share it with the board of ed make sure the board is in agreement then we will
actively recruit for that profile because that's the way we're going to get the right person in the right fit by one knowing what we're looking for than actively recruiting. I shared with the board I'm an old high school principal
and people used to always say kids are lazy. They don't want to get involved and they're not involved because they're lazy. I'm like no that's not true. In all my years as a high school principal and I've asked a lot of kids to get involved whether it be Join the
wrestling team. We need this weight class. We need runners on track. We need someone to help with yearbook. Not one child turned me down when I asked them to get involved. That's the same thing with a superintendent search. Once we
know what we're looking for, we'll actively recruit to that individual and have them think about it. So that's really important that we get your input, that you take the survey, that you share your thoughts of what's strong about the
district, what are the areas the district has to grow, and what are the characteristics the next person needs to do to take the baton from Mr. Feder and keep it going from good to great and even better. We lost a hundred years
tonight. 50 people, a hundred years. And what we all are doing, as Mr. Fred Rogers, my hero, said, anybody who does anything to help children is a hero for
me. So, we need to find a hero like Mr. Feder that's going to take the district and support our students. The work that's being done here is incredible. Being an outsider, listening to middle school students sing a medley of the
Beatles songs to be followed up on better because of you. Mindblowing in perfect harmony. And these are middle school students that are just getting their voice. Impressive to say the least. So, we're excited
about this search. You have a great district, great stability, and because of that, you're going to you're going to attract the best, and we're going to bring you the best. Our collective goal as Search Consultants is to give your
board members who are volunteering their time in community service. We're going to give them a hard time because we're going to make it too difficult to choose. And that's when we know we've done a good job. when when it's hard to deliberate because they're all so good.
So that's our hope. We're thrilled to be here. We are thrilled to work with you and we promise you we're not going to stop till we get the right person on the bus sitting in the right seat. So thank you all. We look forward to working with
you. Thank you. Um can I just ask one question? Can you just give a quick rundown of the focus groups that you've already met with? Sure. Vince, help me out here if I forget any.
Like days are blurring. Okay. So, we've had two groups of middle school students, group of high school students. We had a virtual meeting today with faculty and staff. We met with uh central office administrators,
central office uh uh support staff. We met with did I say the unions? Not yet. Yeah. Okay. We met with the unions PTA and we have the community forums coming up. And did I miss any? No. No.
Okay. Thank you. I just want to know. Thank you so much. Thank you for everything. We appreciate it. Any board members have any? You know, I should have asked you. I'm so sorry. Do any of you guys have any questions for them? No. Okay.
Okay. Next up is new business. Mr. Palowski, you want to talk about um a potential vacancy? I got that. So, at this point in time, we have Lisa Rogers speaking. We We were
going to do that now. Yeah, you guys. Thank you. President Hernandez, Mr. Feder, and staff. First, I want to say what a wonderful celebration for our retirees. Uh there was a tremendous amount of love from
everyone in this district and I think they felt it. So congratulations to the administrative staff for doing such a beautiful job in celebrating our retirees. So serving on the South Brunswick Board of Education for the past seven years, two of them as president, has been an
honor and privilege. It has been a journey that requires passion and conviction. Public service should not be about seeking a claim. It is about embracing responsibility, navigating challenges,
and standing firm in the pursuit of what is best for those that you serve. Through every moment, I have held steadfast to my principles and an unyielding dedication to the students and families of South Brunswick. I have
never hesitated to speak up, believing that constructive disagreement fosters progress when mutual respect and understanding remain guiding principles. Democracy flourishes when voices are
heard, when perspectives are challenged. As Edward R. Muro so wisely stated, quote, "We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty." End of quote. My advocacy has never been about self-interest. It
has always been about ensuring that every decision reflects what is best for our students, our educators, and this district. for over 15 years through challenges from standardized testing and funding shortfalls to evolving enrollment needs
to my work on the PTO's. My work has centered on ensuring quality education and in broader efforts champion championing the rights of marginalized communities including minorities, immigrants, veterans, the elderly, and
LGBTQ individuals. Now it's time to step away. With my children, excuse me, having completed their college journeys, my husband and I have decided to leave South Brunswick, a community we chose 26
years ago because of its values. These values are what I hope every student carries forward as they carve their own path. May we all continue to respect and value our differences,
build bridges, and focus on what truly matters, educating and empowering the next generation. To the South Brun community, to our remarkable teachers and those that just retired, all staff and administrators, I
offer my deepest gratitude. Your dedication, passion, and unrelenting commitment makes this district extraordinary. Every day you give your best, and in doing so, you shape futures in way that words cannot capture. I will truly miss
you. As the kids sang tonight, because I knew you, I have been changed forever. Those are truer words I cannot speak more. To the students, families, and community members who have stood alongside me,
some of you here tonight, thank you for your trust. Thank you for your encouragement and your unwavering belief in the mission of education. To the class of 2025, I wish you much success as you close
this chapter and start your next. Always remember, once a Viking, always a Viking. To the current board members, I appreciate when we stood together on issues and when we didn't agree. I
appreciate when you took time to help me understand your perspective and allowed me to share mine. Be kind to each other and to this town. It is your home. to future board members. If you care
about the ideals of education and are motivated to volunteer in your service for your community, run for a board seat in an upcoming election. With the support of people who trust you with their family's well-being,
serve honestly. Serve in the interest of the entire community, and you won't regret it. Just remember, it's not as easy as it looks. to past board members who have moved on
but look took time to show me the ropes. Thank you for your patience and wisdom. I learned a lot from you and you were right. It wasn't easy. To Evelyn, to Kim, to Suzanne,
it has been an honor. Excuse me. It has been an honor to know you. Your professionalism and work ethic is unmatched. To Dave, I will miss your humor.
Yes, folks, Dave does laugh and also your patience and your friendship. To Scott, I have no words. How about that? I have no words, but you know how I feel about you. I
wish you, Jen, and the girls only the best. And finally, to my husband, Bob, who's here, and my kids, thank you. I know it's been tough over the years, but your support has meant the world to
me. Now I can make dinner on Thursday nights. So with that, Superintendent Federer, Board President Hernandez, and members of the board, please accept this as my official resignation from the South Brunswick
Board of Education. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Better. Thank you, Representative. So, at this time, I'm going to put a motion um on the table for uh an acceptance. I'm going to call for a motion to accept uh Mrs. Rogers's
resignation from the South Brunswick Board of Education. Mr. Mitchell. Thank you. I have a second. Um, I'll second it. Thank you. All in favor? All comments. Um, any
discussion discussion before we even move on? Do we have any discussion from the board on this? Okay, go ahead. It's uh it's very difficult day today when we've had a public servant who dedicated her life for 7 years to leave
prematurely because of conflict in this town. Um I've tried to remain neutral. Uh I find that there are difficulties on both sides
uh that spilled over into our our school and um she was a great public servant and she went through a lot in the past few years with the funding and trips to Trenton. Um, I'd like to say no, I don't
accept your resignation because sometimes in social media, we're so busy that we say things we don't really mean. And this is how this all got started.
And if we could only show a little compassion to one another and a little respect, maybe we could solve this whole thing that took place in the past few weeks. Uh but it it saddens me that Miss
Rogers, who was a great public servant, a great board member, is collateral damage and that she didn't have the opportunity or the chance to serve her term out till November. Okay, Lisa, I've got no words.
So, God, I hope I can get through this. When I decided to run for the board of education, I have educational experience behind me, but I've never done anything like this. So, I had no idea how to do
this. And Lisa not only helped me, Lisa was the one that reached out to me to help me and guide me through what I needed to do. So you thank the people that came before you for showing you the
ropes. So I just want to thank you for showing me the ropes. Now Lisa and I, if you guys have not noticed, are both um very opinionated. And Lisa and I don't always see eye to
eye on things. And you know what? That's okay because I respect her right to have her views and she respects my right to have my views. So it is with um discomfort.
It is with sadness. It is with sheer gratitude for how much you have done, Lisa, that we stay here. I know last year when she was going down to Trenton, I'm like, "Oh my god, I can't do that, Lee. I can't do that."
And she's like, "You don't have to. This is my thing. You don't have to." And the time and the energy that went into that that most of you have no idea of what happened there. So, um, this is so bittersweet. I respect your
decision. Um, I will honor your decision on this, Lisa. Thank you. Because to your husband, what he deals with, because I know what my husband deals with, and we don't even have a little
bit of what you guys have, you know, and and what goes on behind the scenes in our homes and the energy we put into this and the time we dedicate to this. And it is more like you said, it ain't
easy. It's not even close to being easy. So, I honor you for everything that you have done. And I thank you, Lisa. Thank you. I thank you to to the board members that are here tonight to honor our retirees and to
those that chose not to be here or couldn't be here. I hope you are prepared to fill the shoes of someone who will advocate for this district outside of this room. No offense to anyone. That's the only person that's done it.
I honestly hope someone's going to fill those shoes. So, you have big shoes to fill in that specific area. This person came out day after day to advocate for this district. No personal gain whatsoever.
I hope someone else is going to do it when the next thing hits cuz it's going to hit. So, I don't know which one of you is going to do it. It's not going to be the people that aren't here. Probably didn't come on the night of retirees. Some of them only called minutes before
the night. You don't even know why Lisa's here. You people don't even know why Lisa's here. You know why Lisa's here tonight? Because a few minutes before the meeting, a board member decided I wasn't going to come tonight, which means we couldn't have had the
meeting. So, I made a call. Lisa, can you come tonight even though you're resigning from the board? Yep. I'll get dressed and be there. Where is the other person? Where's the
person that chose at 6:00, 6:30 can't come? can't come. Would have ruined it for all these people here that came tonight to be honored by this board of education, this community. Who's going to fill the shoes? Anybody out there willing to really fill the
shoes? I don't mean pretend. I hope so. It's a bad night for South Brunswick. I have about 30 emails. I want to read everyone. I'm not going to. Pardon my French is a bunch of BS.
Done for what? To deflect from the real issue. I hope you're up here tonight to talk about that because I'm ready as well. What a shame. Glad I'm leaving. Okay, with that, we're
going to go to our agenda uh consent agenda review. Let me let me do um I have to separate do all I want to do a roll call because it is a res resignation from the board. Okay. Okay. So, Miss Julie Ferrara.
Yes or no? No. Mr. Mike Mitchell? Yes. Mr. Roger Krishna? Yes. Mr. Laura Hernandez? Yes. Miss Lisa Rogers? Yes. Motion carries. We have a vacancy on the
board. Appreciate that. Exactly. Okay. Now, do we do the consent? Yep. We can do the consent agenda. Okay. We're going to do the consent agenda agenda review and walk through. Um Mr.
Palowski, uh this e for this evening's consent agenda. Uh ladies and gentlemen, we have 85 items on this consent agenda. I provided in the update um all of the different motions uh a lengthy table
with a motion, a description, and the um service provided. This consent agenda uh renews all of our contracts. It renews with vendors, with private service providers, uh with special services. Um,
it is a it is a bear of a consent agenda. I'm hopeful everybody read the update. Does anybody have any questions on the consent agenda? Consider it reviewed. All right. Roll call. Mr. Powski.
Roll call on the consent agenda. Miss Julie Ferrara. Ex. Accept. Except for 1.61. Uh, Mr. Roger Krishna, yes. Mr. Mike Mitchell, yes. Mrs. Lisa Rogers
for the final time. Yes. Mrs. Laura Hernandez. Yes. Motion carries. Okay. So, our next order of business is public comment on any topic.
The board of education recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on school matters of community interest. Complete copies of policy 0167 which govern this portion of the meeting
are available to the public at the auditorium entrance online or by contacting the board office to permit the fair and orderly expression of comments. We ask that the participants are recognized by the presiding officer and preface comments
by announcing his or her name, place of residence, and group affiliation if appropriate and by completing the sign-in sheet. Please print legibly or we may not be we will be unable to document your name for the permanent records.
Each statement made by a participant participant shall be limited to three minutes. No participant may seek more speak more than once on the same topic. Mr. Palowski will indicate when you have 15 seconds left. All statements shall be
directed to the presiding officer. No participant may address or question board members. No discussion between a participant or respondent shall exceed three the three minute time limit. And we will have a 1 hour total. So after 1
hour they're cut off. And before we go into that, it is our plan to listen to members of the public. Once all questions and comments from all members of the public are made, the board of education may respond or respond via email in a most timely and efficient
manner. All questions and comments made will be noted. Before I go on to this, I'd like to make a statement. As always, comments from the public are welcomed. What will not be welcomed are threats, insults, or unruly behavior.
South Bonduk is my home and is the home of every board member here and the majority of people sitting in the audience. All are welcome in our home. But please remember that when you visit someone's home, respectful behavior is
expected. Tonight in our home, that will absolutely apply. As we continue our night with public comments, we will do so with decency and order. If not, I will ask for a motion to adjourn tonight's meeting.
Differences of opinions are always welcome. Disrespect will not be tolerated. Before we begin, please note that interruptions, name calling, insults, or out of control behavior will end this
meeting. every sitting member on this board that is here and that is not here with the exception of Mr. Sony who is new to the board and not in attendance tonight voted to adopt the policies of the board
and with that vote adopted policy 0169.02 board members use of social media by voting to adopt policy 0169.02 O2. Each individual member agreed to
abide by that policy. When a board member votes in favor of a policy that provides guidelines for board members on how they will interact with the public either at a meeting or on social media, there's an expectation of a board of the
board as well as the community that each member will adhere to that policy. At the last board meeting, the board voted that a policy was indeed violated by a board member resulting in removal from committees. That decision was voted
on by the entire board minus Mr. Mitchell due to his absence from the meeting. That decision stands. Nothing will be added and nothing will be deleted. With that being said, as far as Miss Carix's acts as a board member, she has
dedicated her time and energy for the past four years to serve the board community and most importantly the students of South Brunswick. As a board member, she has operated on multiple committees and has done so with an open
mind without indicica any indication of prejudice. Her decisions on the board have always been for the good of all students. Miss Caric has not been removed from any leadership positions. She remains not only on the board but
also as the vice president of the board. Mr. Palowski, do we have anybody registered? We do. Is there uh Karthnik here? would also would also note to the public we will um not um or we we will monitor
uh double comment. So if you're up to restate the same thing uh that a previous speaker already stated uh we will u move to strike that. So that be that be noted. Good evening to the board and good
evening fellow neighbors. Um congratulations to the teachers uh who are retiring today after life dedicated to creating generation of uh future leaders. Congratulations also to all our students as they complete yet another year of academic training and the
seniors take wings and fly high. We move to such a community where hopes are seated and dreams are nurtured 13 years ago. A community where the American dream flourishes, the American way of life cherished, a town where the law of
the land is respected, governance a given. In the recent past though, I wondered if that is true any longer. When an angry mob lands in this very same hall, calls my wife, Mrs. Deepak Karthik, names, angrily gestures
even as this very same board watches. Yet in the same very next meeting, the president of the board reads out the need for propriety. Why wasn't that called out as people were harassing and outright intimidating a member of the board previously?
In fact, these kind of sentiments were mimicked by Mr. Feder just a while ago. I think we should read out the rules to him as to what is propriety in this forum. Students are encouraged by willing adults to corrupt the corridors of the schools with hateful rhetoric, harassing
my children directly as well as digitally. When I write to the board with my viewpoint from 10,000 mi away, and point out the improper behavior of the superintendent, I received an audacious and condescending revert from the superintendent, not a word from the board that I voted for and addressed the
mail to. The board went ahead and stripped my wife Deepa of her committee position apparently or allegedly because public trust was breached. The board president spoke about consulting community leaders. What is your definition of community? When select people's first amendment
rights are made more important than my wife's to practice her religion and express her thoughts, was the board attorney consulted in determining public trust was breached? Because that attorney would have pointed out the establishment clause under the first amendment expressly expects any
government entity all public schools are government entity should be neutral in matters of religion neither flavor favoring nor disfavoring any particular religion or religion in general in the middle of all the emotional turmoil for the family our friends in South
Brunswick and beyond stand Paul you have 15 seconds here in South Brunswick we are reminded why we chose to make this our home. I hope the board finds in themselves the professionalism to introspect on these events in a candid and unbiased fashion, including my wife.
As you move forward finding a new superintendent, I also hope the board understands their role includes governance of the superintendent and the administration, not to be led the other way around. Thank you for your comments. I have a I have a second registrant
that's here to speak tonight. Is it Tina Slesinger? Do we have Do we have sign? Sunship. Hi, I'm Tina Slesinger from Mammoth Junction. Um, I'd like to get up to express my deepest gratitude to Lisa
Rogers for her many years of dedicated service on the board of education. Lisa's unwavering commitment and passion have made a profound impact on the children that attend South Brunswick schools. For countless hours, Lisa devoted her time and energy to ensuring that the children of South Brunswick and
across New Jersey receive the quality education they deserve. Her dedication has not only shaped the lives of countless students, but has also set a standard for excellence for educational leadership. Lisa's thoughtfulness and insight have been invaluable in navigating the challenges and opportunities that have
come our way. Some of the big things that come to mind when I say this are, and this is just a very short list of Lisa's impact. Um, the first one that comes to mind is a fight to keep a charter school from opening locally in our town. Um, second one, a challenging
time with a prior uh, superintendent. And then the third one is the biggest one, school funding, which will likely be an issue for the rest of time. Um Lisa has made so many um countless strides in all of those areas for our
district. Um personally, my husband and I have known Lisa for 17 plus years. Um and she has been a volunteer in our school district for the entire time starting with uh the Mammoth Junction PTO. She hasn't stopped advocating for our children in the entire time we've
known her. Lisa has consistently demonstrated a profound understanding of the needs of our children and worked tirelessly to advocate for their best interests. Thank you, Lisa, for your remarkable service and for being an inspiration to all of
us. Your legacy will continue to impact our community for years to come. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Hi, Chris Resident Kendall Park. Lisa's leaving is an enormous loss, one
deserving of a few minutes to recognize. In 2010, a South Brunswick mom became extremely concerned about budget cuts being enacted by Chris Christie. Did she complain that somebody should do something? No. Lisa Rogers knew even
then that she was the somebody and that it was up to her to do something. So she became one of the founding members of Save Our Schools, an all volunteer statewide organization that works to ensure our children's education is not compromised due to political or
ideological objectives. Prior to running for the board of ed, Lisa spent countless hours in Trenton speaking out to our elected officials about charter schools and the precious dollars they would take from our budget. along with other South Brunswick res
residents. Lisa was successful in helping to keep valuable dollars within the district and that charter school closed. Mrs. Rogers also spent time in Trenton speaking vehemently on behalf of our children regarding park testing and the
harm of using park as a graduation requirement because she and other somebodyies did something. It's no longer a requirement. When the district was in the throws of difficulties with a with a superintendent, two community parents,
one of course being Lisa Rogers, took it upon themselves to find out exactly what was going on in regards to unexplainable line items in the school's budget. Inappropriate spending and construction within the district that didn't make sense. You would think that board members at
the time would have stepped up or at least paid quick visit to the board office to take a look, but that didn't happen. So, these two moms simply paid a quick visit uh simply because what was happening was
wrong and not healthy for our schools, spent time in township to gain access to signed blueprints, searching for answers. It's because Mrs. Rogers and her friends saw a wrong that was detrimental to our schools. And because they gathered and presented hard facts
to the board of education, South Brunswick was able to hire a better suited superintendent for our district. When first elected to the board of education, Mrs. Rogers went right to work advocating for our children's educational opportunities. She worked to adjust prerequisites
needed to gain access to certain honors and AP classes so that more of our students would be able to take advantage of them. 15 seconds. And they sure have and we have Mrs. Rogers to thank for that.
Lisa Garden of Princeton Law. When CO hit us, Mrs. Rogers was a seeming minority in discussions about when to send everyone back into the buildings. Her thoughts were that the door should reopen after rather than before the November and December holidays. There was vile behavior from many in the
community even then who disagreed with her, some even resorting to threats. She lost the vote of the board, but her minority opinion became reality when wave after wave of illness kept the school doors shut. They were finally reopened in mid January, which is
exactly when she had recommended. No apologies and few acknowledgements were forthcoming. Being on the board can be a thankless responsibility, but it did not stop her from continuing to speak out and work for our kids. Lisa Rogers worked tirelessly and it seems never
endingly as the rest of you did against the detrimental state budget cuts that have damaged our district for so many years. When that annual war was lost each year, she didn't give up, but worked with you guys and state representatives to get funds in any way
possible. And some funds were found each year to help us get through. Mrs. Rogers has been instrumental over and over again in somehow creating a working annual budget that did not lessen our children's educational experience, even as the funds shrunk exponentially each
year. The massiveness of this endeavor cannot be overstated. As an outspoken, steady advocate for every one of our children, Mrs. Rogers has consistently and proudly supported all state policies associated with protecting our LGBTQ
plus students. This advocacy has created and maintained our schools as a safe place for every child, sometimes the only safe space they have. She is a model that all board members could follow. For these reasons and so many
more, Mrs. Rogers fellow board members have chosen her twice to be the president of the board. That's quite a public show of respect and trust. Mrs. Rogers resignation leaves a painful hole on our board, one that will not easily be filled. And I encourage our remaining
board members to reflect upon why you wanted your seat, what your priorities should be while having the honor to sit on the deas and to be an example to our community of all that can be accomplished when we focus on our common
goals. We need that example desperately right now. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Hi, my name is Desi Narasaman and I'm a resident of Monmouth Junction. I want to again begin by acknowledging the contributions and services of our retirees. We take this
opportunity to salute you for your services over the years and in helping shape several generations of future leaders. I would also like to thank the board for accepting Miss Lisa Rogers's resignation from the board as she has taken responsibility for her incendiary
and reckless posts. I applaud your willingness to uphold standards of accountability and ethical conduct and applying them consistently. That said, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what this moment means for our district and what lies ahead. We must
recognize that the past several weeks have been extremely stressful and unproductive. These episodes set a dangerous precedent. When elected officials are penalized based on the content or tone of their past social media posts, however distasteful, we risk creating a chilling effect on civic
engagement and public service. We must be careful not to build a culture where fear of online outrage silences participation. The school board in particular should not be drawn into the validation of every viral comment or be seen as capitulating to mob psychosis
and sustained campaigns of intimidation and fear. Let us be mindful that emotional reactions to social media posts are not always a sound basis for administrative decisions. More importantly, we cannot afford to continue diverting energy and precious tax dollars towards matters that do not
serve our students. Especially now when the district faces a budgetary shortfall that runs into millions of dollars. Every dollar and hour spent on political theater is a dollar and hour not spent on our children's futures. We must put their interest back into the spotlight. This is the time to refocus on what
truly matters and re redirect the board's attention to its core mission and objectives. First, academic excellence. While the South Brunswick High School ranks well, we still have a long road ahead of us to make it to the top dile of high schools in the country. Staffing proposed cuts
of up to 5% in teaching and custodial staff will directly impact the learning environment. We must ensure that teachers and support staff are properly funded and staffed. Leadership. With the upcoming retirement of our superintendent, we need a transparent and forward-looking plan, which we heard tonight, to find the right successor who
shares our district's values. My father used to say that some people bring happiness wherever they go and some people bring happiness whenever they go. I will let Scott and our community decide which category they want to put him into. Curriculum and infrastructure.
Our children deserve a curriculum that reflects today's demands and facilities that enable both academic and extracurricular excellence. You have 15 seconds. Class sizes. We must work towards a more favorable PE pupil toteer ratio. Redestricting. I know there is a great deal of focus on that. In
conclusion, let us treat today not as a political victory of defeat but as a moment of rededication to the students, to the educators and to the future. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Good evening. Uh thank you uh
uh board and good evening to all of my neighbors uh here. So um for last few weeks we have seen all this um the uh effects of this um the board's policy 01 uh 69.02.
So I'm really trying to figure out um is this polic you know whether the board is willing to consider this policy because there are some views uh they are personal of course you know some of the views were very ex you know uh extreme
and you know not um not really appreciated and I think uh Lisa Roger has taken accountability for that but my suggestion to the board is these policies are they really helping because the school board the business of this board is to take care of the students
and the future of our kids not uh what you know each member has been expressing their views or her views. So I I really want uh the school to uh the board to be focused on the uh you know taking care of the kids future and uh align the
policies that would really help to take care of uh shape the future of our kids. The next is uh you know uh we uh tried to raise the opera uh to find out uh you know the decision that was taken for the
earlier um uh board member uh for uh Deepa Karthik and uh the response that uh we got on the OPRA that was submitted is there is no documentation that is available from the board uh where you
know what public leaders and where all that uh you know to whom it was consulted. So that kind of really concerns uh us as a community what you know how this board is operating and if we can bring some more transparency and if we are raising uh these public record
access these records actually exist and we just don't get a response from the the board that we consultate the public uh uh you know the leaders of the community and the decision is based on the leaders. So that accountability and transparency uh is expected. So we as a
community and the stakeholders all all of our kids are working you know in this school district we really know what is going on uh in the school and how the board uh makes the decisions. So that that's pretty much I have for tonight. Thank you.
My name is Goroviagi and I live in South Brunswick. Good evening board members and members of the community. So in the I've lived in South Brunswick since 2009. So that would make it 16 years. This is my third visit to a school board meeting in 16 years and the second one
the last couple of weeks and it's extremely sad that you know we have to address the board regarding the issues that have happened in the last couple of weeks. Um and I'm really sorry to see that things have come to such a pass. one of the board members was removed from the committee and the other one has
been collateral damage as was mentioned and I'm pretty sure that if the board knew this is what it's going to come down to if they could rewind things would have been different I truly place the blame for this on the lack of leadership of the board if the board had
taken some time to look at it think as I I think Julie's mentioned that we make comments in the spur of the moment and I think Laura also mentioned after that that even though she had disagreements with Lisa Rogers, they worked together.
If that compassion was visible or somebody had taken a step back and you know showed that same degree of compassion to Miss Deepak Karthik, things would have been a little different today. Leadership is not just because you got elected by a few thousand votes and you happen to be sitting at a podium. Leadership is
ability to do the right thing even when you're under pressure, which is what was lacking. There was pressure yes but you chose to give it to it. It crumbled like a you know pack of cards and here we have this what it is and unfortunately what it means is now that invoke that
obscure 0169.02 2 which is pretty popular in S Brunswick now. Where do we go? What do we talk? Where do we record it? You're going to be held to that standard. Where does this slippy slope end? I think we got to as a committee, we got to figure out, you know, uh what we are going to do and hopefully get
back to the task of rebuilding the community and the school district. Thank you so much. Thank you for your comment. Good evening. My name is Eric Slesinger. I'm from Mammoth Junction. My wife Tina spoke previously. Lisa, I echo everything that she has to say and thank
you for your years and years of tireless service. Scott, also thank you for your service. you've uh directed and guided the school district and through some very tumultuous times. What I really want to address though is the public
misconception of what this board does and I've watched on social media and I've watched for the past 3 years of some of the things that have gone on around here. This board has one job and one job only that is dictated and set by the policy of the state department of
education and the New Jersey State School Boards Association. Their job is solely to ensure the thorough and efficient education of every child in this district who attends South Brunswick schools. That's it. It's not a
political board. This is not a political stepping stone for other uh processes. It's a board solely to establish policy to ensure the proper education of our children in accordance with the state
directed curriculum and the curriculum established by this school district. Nothing else. And yet what I see in social media and the vitriol from this public attacking our board members on political grounds
that are completely unrelated to what their job and what their duties are is sickening. It's offensive and everybody who does it should be ashamed of themselves. These people are volunteers. They do not get compensated
in any manner whatsoever. They spend hours upon hours advocating for our children, ensuring that this district maintains the highest standards to ensure that they get a proper education.
And we see it through how our children succeed. We see it through how this district is attractive to many, many different walks of life. And people come all over the world to move into this district solely because of our educational system.
And tonight that system got a little bit weaker because we chased somebody off the board. Tonight our school system got a little bit weaker because we have a mass a great superintendent who's retiring and he's entitled to retire and I hope
you enjoyed the retirement. But think about what we have lost tonight and why we have lost it. You have 59 seconds. For those reasons I'm speaking tonight. Thank you, Lisa. Thank you for your service. Thank you.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Ashwini. I'm a resident of South Brunswick and I want to begin by basically expressing heartfelt gratitude to all our retirees. Your dedication over the years has helped shape countless future leaders and we salute
your invaluable contributions to our community. I also wish to thank the board for accepting Miss Rogers resignation, demonstrating a commitment to accountability and ethical standards and ensuring that these principles are applied consistently. The past few
weeks, as many people in the audience have already referred to, have been fairly unproductive as we've witnessed the troubling precedent of targeting individual board members and then penalizing officials for various things. Uh, social media records is just one of
them, but as we just recently saw in today's meeting for just not showing up. I'm sure there have been multiple times in the past where people have been unable to make meetings even on important nights like today. So I ask that the same compassion that somebody
on the board alluded to earlier be shown to everybody in an unequivocal manner. The board above all has to be careful to not be partisan or allow emotional decisions to dictate its decisions. Our board's time and taxpayer dollars should be dedicated to our students, not
diverted by such distractions, especially as we have significant challenges ahead. As we move forward, let us remember that diversity and descent are not signs of disloyalty, but strengths that actually enrich our community values that if I remember
correctly, Miss Rogers herself espoused just a few minutes ago. Today, I have heard more than just one board member here speak about respect for discourse, diversity, descent, and compassion. And I want to emphasize the importance thereby of apply applying those
standards fairly and consistently across everybody. Let us honor these ideals as we work towards the good for all. It is time to put this chapter behind us and really focus on what truly matters. Supporting our students, strengthening our schools, and building a brighter future for South Brunswick as a
community. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Good evening, Vanessa Dumbar, Council Park. Um, I'm not prepared with a speech. I was watching at home tonight's meeting on video. Decided to come in to
support Lisa. I had absolutely no intentions of coming to the board meeting tonight for my own personal reasons. But Lisa, I met you sitting at a board meeting
behind you when you were not voted in yet. And I watched you take notes and go through your papers to come up here and give speeches, all your comments. And then you would tag team your husband to get three more
minutes of your time. You fought for the financial line items. You tried to find out what was happening with the money in the district. And for
that reason is why I voted you in. And I have voted for you since. I was welcomed on the committee to help fight the S2 funding. You are so dedicated
in many ways and this community. You have no idea what you just lost. No one will go and fight as hard as she as she did for the funding for this
school district. You talk about classroom sizes. Good luck when she's gone. Good luck. I thank you and I'm really upset and saddened that you are leaving. If you
look at the voting results, you have always had the highest votes on anyone on here. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, hi. Sorry. Uh, my name is Owen Bosker. Uh,
I I'm a sophomore at the high school and I guess I just wanted to talk like talk about a few things when it came to uh the people that are uh leaving us on the board. First of all, I'd like to say, you know, Miss Rogers, Mr. Federer, it's going to be really hard to, you know, it's the board's really not going to be
the same without you two. Uh, you know, Mr. Feder, he gives very, very good presentations about all the like budget crisis we have. Like, I would definitely fall asleep if it wasn't him giving it. And I will I will also say um, M.
Rogers, the amount of stuff you've done uh, especially in in uh, context of the budget crisis, it's really helpful. And I definitely know a lot of like one of my favorite clubs was definitely like at risk of being axed if it wasn't for all
of that um all the things that you did. Um I will say you guys leaving is a bit of a huge issue for our district especially because our state's in a a bit of a fiscal time bomb right now when it comes
to deficit spending on immense proportions. I think it was like $2 billion last year of deficit spending. We're the the Cookie Monster eating through our budget uh surplus right now like it's nothing. And honestly, I don't really see any any new lifelines coming
from the state like we've seen in the past few years. So that really is a big issue. Um I yeah, that's really all I had to say. You know, it's going to we're really going to miss you guys. I hope uh we are
a eventually able to find super a superintendent or any uh board members that would be like even even half as good would be great. But uh yeah, I really appreciate what you've done for my generation, for our schools, and I I
suppose let's just hope for the best in the future. Thank you. Um thank you board. Thanks Lisa for your amazing work for last several years. Uh I've watched several meetings and it's really amazing and the board for taking as I think someone mentioned it's like a
a thankless job. So I know really it's amazing after hours you guys do a job and my two of my daughters they graduated in flying colors and their success is basically uh credit goes to the township. So it's really amazing what township has done to our children.
Uh it was very emotional when I saw a lot of familiar faces retiring. So it's a great achievement for all the people and would like to thank all the people uh who do from custodian to uh all the the people in the committees or on the teachers everybody has really done an
amazing job. However, I just want to I was not trying to speak but uh watching the uh tonight's the the whole thing a few things kind of like uh uh bothered me I would say. Uh first of all I was appalled by like superintendent when he
directly uh pointed out some of the board members who were present and he mentioned that when Lisa is leaving and her shoes need to be filled out which is yes absolutely I would think it it would be each and every board member's responsibility. So I found it a little
bit strange when he's pointing it out singling out the people who are not in the room. I don't think that was appropriate and uh that shows the biasness. So I would respect that every board member should fulfill the responsibility of the seat which is
being vacated by Lisa. So with respect to all the board members and that should nobody should be singled out. Uh I don't I I didn't find it uh encouraging appropriate at this occasion also. Uh second thing which I am kind of offended
as a public uh Mr. and he mentioned that there were 30 emails by South Brunswick residents and he publicly called it BS without discussing the merit or without discussing what was in the email. It's a
public South Bonus residents when they are specifying their concern to superintendent that should be heard or that should be talked about it rather than ruling out just a PS. I would say it's a direct insult to public and I would like it to be ratified. I don't
know exactly what email I personally I was not involved in that email but hearing that comment kind of disturbs me that public is taking time to express some concern and is being called BS without addressing what it is. So and also something like I like what Laura
mentioned that all the comment should be respectful. Absolutely agree with that but that applies to everybody public plus members sitting over here. So that's all I would say and thanks uh the board for their wonderful job. Thank
you. Good evening. Hi, good evening. Uh, my name is Sunil. Again, I was not planning to speak but just impromptu I decided to speak based on what I heard. So, first of all, thank you to the board. I know what a selfless service serving on a board means
and and it's almost a full-time job to take care of everything that you have to do. So, thank you. I understand we are all humans and humans as a human we make mistakes and which is fine. Once the AI robots take
over things may be different if and then if and when that happens. I request board to re-review the social media policy because what has happened as we all know social media is kind of
good but it also has a lot of bad things and the influence of social media is only increasing. It's taking everyone so much of time and as we have all noticed we are
spend so many hours discussing a a non thing or non-issue and and this may not end right the social media is only going to increase so we I we should really try to see how clearly we can document those social
media policies so these things can be curtailed right then and there without having to discuss so many things. So that's all I want to say and Lisa, I don't know you personally. I have heard whatever you have done. So thank you very much. I know it's it's going to be
very difficult for anybody to fill in shoes. So thank you. I hope you will reconsider your decision because I feel when difficult times comes we should not take these kind of hard decisions based on certain things.
have a dialogue, discuss and then you come back because as I have heard from everyone what you have done for the last seven plus years is nobody may be able to do it. Thank you for your comment. So thank you. Good evening. My name is Bin Aa.
Resident of South Brunswick for last 20 plus years. I do not recall how many times have I been coming to this room seeing three superintendent right from 2007 onwards. So really lost the count. Most of the time there would be three or
four of us just sitting in one corner and of course most of the time the seat would be full. First and foremost Lisa thank you million times. It's because of you and each and every
person who has chosen to be elected and be our board member and serve our community, our board of education. My heartful thanks to each and every member who has been elected and has been seating over here. What you have done
for our children is priceless and I mean it for every person uh who's chosen to be. It requires lots of guts to be coming here, sitting here and then listening to what our audience has got to say. I will never forget the endless
trips that we have made to Trenton together. And I really wish you know I would have seen this kind of unity when we went to Trenton. It would be just you, me and couple of them. Uh but I'm glad we made those trips. uh we were
able to accomplish something which we promised our children good future because it takes a village to raise a child. Mr. Feder, thank you very much for what you have done for our district. Heartfully appreciate it and we are definitely going to miss you and I
certainly miss your phone calls on snow rays. Hello, good morning South Brunswick. I wish you are going to miss calling us as well. I thank everybody who chose to be here in this room today because it shows that you care. Question is what do we care for? Do we care for
well-being of our students? Uh is everybody even present over here? Those who really care for wellbeing of our students because what's our priority and importance did last few weeks help our students in any way? We don't have to
answer that. today time will tell and the results don't come right away. I'm sure we have uh you know somebody just mentioned it to me that we are a community of 50,000 plus people and I really hope we have somebody as strong as the leadership which we have had so
far to fill in those shoes. I thank each and everybody sitting over here because I travel a lot so I come back to surprises. Somebody's retiring, somebody is gone. But I wish everybody good luck on both the side of the tables and I wish very well for every student child
who chooses to come and live in South Brunswick and get educated. Thanks for being here tonight. I hope goodness, kindness and peace and wellbeing to everybody. Thank you. Uh, good evening everyone. Uh, my name is John Rogers. Uh, my mother is Lisa
Rogers over there of the board. Um, and I wasn't intending on speaking tonight, but uh, I decided I should. Um, and I would like to acknowledge my mom uh on how she has impacted my life as a role model and uh the impact that she has had on this town as well. I know that she
has uh put a lot of um energy and time into helping better this town and that has benefited me and has benefited my friends and uh many people that I know and a lot of people I got to know because of that. Um she put in a lot of time as a PTO member, a board member, a
board president, trips to Trenton and multiple meetings uh every week throughout many years. Um and for as long as I can remember, she was always helping trying to build the education in this town. Uh as I mentioned, I got a great benefit of that. Um I got to go to college because of the education I
received in this town. Um I graduated with a degree in astrophysics just recently because of the education I received in this town. Um, and the I would also like to acknowledge Scott for your uh time and effort into this um and Mr. Feder um
for your time and effort into uh the uh the town and the education that I received. Um the impact that you guys have had will last for has lasted for my time here uh and it will last for many years to come and for all the students that will continue through this
education system that you guys have built. and I know that has been completely for the better. Thank you guys and have a good night. Thank you, Johnny. Hi, good evening. So, I'm here today for the first time actually. I came in the meeting in the
past like last week and today I'm here and I have been observing whatever is going on in the meetings and all. First of all, thank you everyone. Now, today I'm here not to advocate for any particular side to make this political because it is already enough politics.
As someone already mentioned, the board's primary responsibility is the education. I moved from the North Jersey to the South Brunswick especially because of the reputations for the strong academics especially here in the school. But now I
have to ask is the board really delivering these promises or is it getting distracted by the politics? It seems total politics to me. Let me share my personal experience here. Now when my son was in the sixth grade,
the math teacher took the year off for the medical emergency. Completely understandable. But what was the plan? No plan. long-term substitute teacher. Seventh grade, it went relatively good.
Eighth grade, the teacher retired in the middle of the year. The math teacher, what was the plan? A new teacher joined at the end of the year. Teacher like students missed enough already. 9th grade teacher went on the paternity
leave again. That's a math teacher. Once more, no other plan. No long-term plan. long-term substitute only 10 red another unexpected absent due to the accident which happened in the school itself
chemistry teacher again long-term substitute 12th grade English teacher went on the leave extended leave again substitute teacher they don't even know what is to grade and how to grade and how to
teach basically because I don't think They are trained enough. Now these are the six out of the seven year of the discussions in the math, English, chemistry, a core subject that a school future decides. What are the action has been taken? Nothing.
These are just the isolated incident that reflects a systematic failure in the planning and the lack of the urgency in providing the quality academically constitutional. Students are the one paying the price here. Not me or you or the board members or not any parents
only the students. And we are representing the students. We are not representing ourselves. We are failing in that. And on the top of all this, whatever has happened in the last two weeks is simply not acceptable either. The board you
have 15 seconds. The board appears to be the taking the sides of the involving itself in the political biasness rather than staying focused in the real duty of our children's education that is a deeply disappointing and it undermines
the public trust in this institution. Thank you for your comment. Thank you. Okay, at this time we're going to close this portion or not. Okay, last last this is the last comment for
the night. That's okay. It won't take 3 minutes. I'm Bob Rogers, uh Lisa's husband. I'm the quiet one, so you're going to get off easy. Um, I just want to make sure everybody understands that uh the decision to
leave the board of ed was not driven by politics or all the discourse that's been going on over the last few weeks. The sad truth is we're leaving. We're leaving our home. We're leaving
the only home that young man there has ever known. We're leaving the neighbors that we love very much. My daughter laments leaving the house and wondering who's going to take care
of this house. The one that we bought was 20 some odd years old when we bought it. We renovated it, built upon it, made it what we wanted it to be. So what Lisa did as a member of the board of ed, she came in to an existing
structure, one that had very good bones, good foundation, very good views, and she worked to make it even better. And we're leaving our home here, not because we're being driven out or it's
retribution or anything like that. This was a choice made some time ago. So, please make that well understood. And I actually do appreciate that. While I didn't agree with everything that was being said tonight, I thought it was
very polite. I was expecting not so polite. So, I do appreciate that. And for those of you who are really driven with passion, and I did hear it in your voices, please pick up a clipboard,
get the necessary signatures, run for the board of ed, channel that passion in a very good and productive way. If you didn't attend the first half of this session tonight, you missed the best part.
Second best part was the acknowledgement for the retirement of the teachers. Really best part was all the children singing. That's why any of us are in this room. It's for them. If you're in this room for some other
reason, you're mistaken. Thank you. Okay, now we're going to close this portion of the meeting, but I do want to say thank you. Thank you. This is how a board meeting should run where we are
allowed to have our differences of opin opinions, but we are also very respectful in doing so. So, I thank you for that. And at this time, I need my glasses. We have to have a motion to adjourn to executive session.
Be it resolved that the board of education of the township of South Book hereby moves into executive session in accordance with Sunshine Law Chapter 231 of the public laws of 1975 NJSA 104-21
to discuss the following personnel. Be it further resolved that the discussion conducted in exe executive session can be disclosed to the public at such time as the matters have been resolved. Further action may be taken at any
meeting. Please note that the next scheduled board of education meeting is set for th set for Thursday July 24th 2025 at 7:00. Can I have a motion to dismiss the Miss
Ferrar second by Mr. Mitchell. All in favor? We now end this meeting. Good night, South Brunswick.