Wood Board of Education. Mr. Aker, would you please take the roll call? >> Let's see. Can you hear me? >> Okay. Um Jeff Bennett, Gerri Brown,
Elizabeth Callahan >> Meredith Higgins >> here, >> Bimal Capita >> here. >> Will Meer >> here. Millennia Naar,
Dyanna Sacket, Gable, Paul Stefen >> here, >> and the student reps, Panel Shapiro and Scarlett Stroggov. Okay, we have a quorum. Uh, please stand if you are able for the Pledge of
Allegiance. I flag United States of America and the government of one nation under >> adequate notice of this evening's meeting was sent from the office of the secretary of the board on May 26th, 2026
to the Maplewood and South Orange Township clerks and the editors of the news record. Oh, hey Casey, could you just mute your my feedback, brother? Thank you. Uh, and the editors of the news record, Star Ledger, Tap into Soma, and the Village Green. Uh, this is a
special meeting, not one of the board's regular meetings. Uh, we're holding it for a few separate purposes. Uh, originally, this meeting had been scheduled uh for celebration of our retirees. However, that was moved to uh last month. Uh we are this evening sitting down in an executive session
with the superintendent to present him with his annual evaluation uh which was a very uh thorough and comprehensive process among all nine board members. Uh prior to that however we will be addressing uh a couple uh time-sensitive
action items that uh we're having on uh rather than have them wait until our uh regular monthly meeting. uh and we will have a public speaks opportunity. I know there are uh several folks here uh to speak to the board and we are uh eager
to hear what you have to say. However, the first piece that we will be doing is uh tackling our uh HIV and SSDs presentation uh with Dr. Gilbert and Dr. Wable. Uh so I'm just going to turn over to the superintendent for any uh
preliminary words and then we'll turn it over uh for that presentation. We were looking for you, Dr. Wable. Hello, Mr. Morgan. >> Tech needs two minutes. You got it. >> Our tech needs two minutes. So if we could all be patient.
Last presentation was done January >> January February. Okay. So, we're going to kind of wing this thing a little bit, get started without the video presentation if that's okay. >> So, I introduce Dr. Wable, director of data research, planning, and evaluation.
Uh, and also, uh, Paul Morgan, our director of school and community safety. >> Thank you all. So tonight we're presenting the annual report for student safety data system, formerly known as the VNV or uh commonly known as violence
and vandalism report. They changed the name a few years ago. >> Um >> Mr. Morgan, can I ask that you just keep that mic a little closer to you? >> Sure. >> If you're able. >> I was intentionally trying not to be heard. >> Okay. So, um, by law, the state, uh,
requires all public school districts and charter schools to report this information twice a year. Um, reporting period one is September through December. Reporting period 2 is January through June. So, what we're presenting is reporting period one September um
through December of 2025. >> Oh, they don't have slides. >> Just pretend to say next slide. I can pretend to say next slide. All right. So, uh, normally what we would do is present you with a explanation of the terms on the screen. Um, we're I'll just go into the vandalism part, which
sometimes is a little tricky. Uh, in this presentation, vandalism includes arson, computer trespass, uh, damage to property, false public alarm, as well as theft as well as theft. um that isn't counted in our
report or the state report, if there is no person responsible for those those incidents. So, if there's graffiti on a school wall, but we don't know who's responsible for that, the state doesn't require us to commit that um submit that. And part of that is because sometimes schools are rented out over
the weekend, some damage might happen, and so we don't know who to attribute those things to all the time. Uh the next uh we'll talk about the an analysis of the school data for the entire uh district
from uh period 1. And what we have is uh 15 incidents of reportable incidents at Columbia High School, five at Maplewood Middle School, one at uh South Orange Middle School, and three at Delia Balden.
Um right now I can go into the categories for each of those uh totals. So like I said at the high school there were 15 totals and those are broken down into four incidents of violence or what is categorized as violence and then there were 11 incidents of substance.
And something to note about those 11 instances is that seven of those occurrences was one in one incident. So, there was maybe a party or something where kids were doing something they shouldn't have been doing, but there were seven kids in that in that area.
Um, for Maplewood Middle School, the areas of vi one violence, one vandalism, and then four hip confirmed. Um, the next one is South Orange Middle School. Again, that was one incident of violence.
Go to the next one. Um, is Delia Balden. They had three incidents and that was it for the elementary schools for a total of 24 total reportable incidents. Go into each category for substances.
Total 11 for the district, nine incidents of violence for the in uh for the district and uh vandalism for period one one and uh hip confirmed four. We'll do incident by uh type and grade
level. And so there are approximately 7,041 students in our district. And of those 7,041, we have 24 incidents. And that doesn't mean 24 students, there's 24 incidents. And as I explained before,
some of those incidents have more than one reportable um infraction. So there were 24 incidents out of these 7,041 students here. Uh by grade again, uh the high school 1,934
students and 15 incidents. The middle schools, 1565 students and six incidents and the elementary schools 3,118 students and three incidents. So overall
pretty pretty good comparisons there. Totals by grade. Um we've already gone through this but you guys can't see the graphic is really pretty. So we did it again. A little bit of redundance but I thought it was great. So, uh, we'll move over to the
data trends over time. And what we did was compile the, um, incidents over a 5-year period for period one, not for the entire year. And something to note, which is really impressive for our district, and I'll say we do a really good job here, is that less than.1% of
students were involved in incidents at the elementary school level. less than 1% of students were involved in an incident at the middle school level and less than 1% of our students were involved in an incident at the high school level. So, we did really well there.
Um, our incidents of substance may be a little skewed, may be under reportported from a previous period because there we had a sack that was out at the high school. So, um there may be some laps in reporting. So, uh and you will see that
data in a moment. Oh, you'll hear that data. So, data trends over time. Uh, and I'll just read them off because they're not on the screen for you. For in 2122, there were close to 50 50 incidents total uh in the district. And
this year, we're down to 24. So, 24, I'm sorry, 25 period 1, 24 incidents total. So, that's down from 50. We'll go by category now over the last five years. So um
we'll go total from 2122 there were 12 incidents and at the end of period 1 for this year we were down to nine and that was for the um what is green that was total for the districts
and I'll say that again in 2122 period one there were 12 this year there were nine um we'll speak of just in terms of the high school in 2122 period 1 there were seven incidents. This year there
were four. So uh each school in each grade is trending downward. Um and I'll just give you the best of the best. Uh in our elementary schools in 23 24 there were eight. This year there were two.
So we're trending in the right direction. I really wish you guys could see these graphics. She did a great job. So vandalism over uh the last 5 years from 21 22 until 2526.
Um and again remember that these are only reported if we have someone who can be responsible for these incidents. So at the high school uh last year period one there was one incident that was reportable. This year there were zero
for period one. um a significant trend at the middle school. Last year there were zero for this period. This year there's one. Right. So we're back to the substance area and um we'll start from 2122
and we'll go to this year. So um in 2022 there were 17 reportable incidents districtwide. This year there were 11 district wide and remember seven of those was one incident. So
again in terms of actual physical incidents we're trending down and we're doing really well. As far as weapons, um we'll start from 2223. Um the high school had one weapon
reported in 2223. This year, period 1 zero. Um I'm going to go overall and green. So overall uh in 2322 uh 2324 overall there were three incidents of
weapons that were recovered or reportable. Um this year there are zero again trending in the right direction. when we speaking about other incidents that led to removal. Um these are incidents that are not into a specific
category within the SSDS reports but are infractions to the code of conduct. So we call that other incidents that could be for anything that's an infraction. And at this point um I'm going to try to see if I could pull up the totals. Um
last year at this time uh 24 and 25 we were at the high school we were at three. This year we are one. Last year uh 24 25 at the middle schools we were at two. This year at the middle
schools we are at zero. We can go to the elementary schools. Uh 23 24 there were two. This year there's one. So again we are trending in the right direction. Um we're going to go to confirmed hibs
or HIVs. um over the last 5 years. So uh we'll start from 2122 and we'll go with the total. So in 2122 there were 17 confirmed HIPS. Uh this year for the
total district period 1 reporting there's only four. So again uh the stuff we're doing is working. Do I need to go into this? >> No. >> So, let's talk about the alleged HIVs or
alleged HIPS. I'm just going to go from um 23 and 24. And the reason I'm going to do that is that seems to be a year where there was a spike in reporting. Uh 23 and 24. I wasn't here so I don't know what that spike is, but I can show you the significance from 23 to 24 until
now. So, I thought that was interesting. So we'll go we'll start with um the high school in 23 24 there were 15 alleged this year in reporting period one there three um at the middle school there were
in 23 24 there were 21 this year it looks like we're at 14 elementary school in 23 24 which is really high uh there were 61 1 alleged and then this year which number is a
second is that at 14 so I I'll repeat that and these are alleged but unconfirmed in 232 24 there were 61 period one and now there are 14 and then overall >> just a reminder for the board and those
new people is we were not doing preliminary determination so if um you know someone had another eraser thrown at them and a parent was concerned about bullying, that case would have been investigated. The principles now uh determine those as to
not warrant an investigation. >> So we'll go with the district total from 2324 reporting period 1 close to 100. >> Is that right? >> So there were close to 100 overall for
the district in 23 and 24. This year reporting period one, we're down to 35. The state also requires us to report the professional training and student programming. And I'll read off the professional learning that we've done so
far that we've accomplished. Uh we've done HIV staff training, restorative justice training, uh restorative justice tier 2, SSDs training for administrators, actually showing them what should be reported in
the SSDS numbers. Um suicide prevention, suicide protocols, how to address that. uh suicide ideiation, mental health, and team response, school climate, teen training, support, supporting student behavior, social emotional learning in the
classroom, which we've actually worked on this week. Uh we've explored some curriculums for social emotional learning this week. Uh some of those include wayfinder, uh the New Jersey bar anti-bullying curriculum, health and PE, and there's a litany of things there.
And then uh media studies including digital citizenship which we know is a really hot topic these days. Uh parent school and community collaborations. We couldn't list a whole bunch of stuff but we did list what we thought was the most significant our safety and security town
hall. Uh something we were really proud of the stop it online and NJ stop it anonymous reporting system. Um I think we may have put that on another slide, but what we're doing um in September is we're actually going to put those applications on to student uh student
devices. So when they open up their computer, they will actually be able to report something anonymously from their from their desk. Um we're not sure, but Carrie and I are still talking about of we're going to start with freshman or sophomore. One way that it will be
available to the students. We've also worked on our HIB letters and then uh we we talked about areas to support in the future and we're talking about uh substance abuse at the high school level with the 10 reports. We figured we'd address that. Um decrease
talking about the uh decrease in violence in period 1 which was significant. Uh areas of possible success overall decrease in confirmed HIVs which we just showed you and a decrease in incidents with weapons which was down to zero this year. So we're not
going to brag but we're very proud. um just some areas to for success. I think it's really important when we're doing SSDs to acknowledge where we need support and you know work over the year to really hone in on those certain areas. Um and so this year um just
implementing uh safe um uh stop it was was really important because it's an another opportunity for our families to communicate when when their students need help. um the restorative justice professional learning. We have we have been a restorative um part of
restorative justice for many years. Um but uh when Dr. Gilbert came in, we realized that um we needed to um really strengthen that um the core belief and really implement it um and really start
talking about what does that look like in the classroom to build communities. We've done a lot of work around that and this year some of our teachers are stepping into what does it mean to have that next level conversation um when two students may be struggling with each
other or um you know you have to talk about something. So really it's that first level of community building that's been so important and now we're continuing to build on that. Um we're really excited that our sixth through 8th grade is continuing to use Wayfinder. Um, and we are continuing
into our se we've continued into our second year of collaborative proactive solutions which is an evidence-based traumainformed uh model of care when students are struggling with difficult concerning behaviors. Um, and our uh administrative
teams and INRS team uh NJTSS teams are getting coaching for that. Um, so that's been really wonderful. So continued planning um as Mr. Morgan was saying we are overtime going to roll
over uh roll out uh stop it um on district devices. We are doing which we'll talk about in the next presentation uh a marked uh push for digital literacy across the schools. um expansion of our restorative justice
professional learning will now go to the high school next year and we're looking at social emotional uh learning supportive resources at the elementary level. Um, and just a little bit uh on what we're doing for freshman academy
specifically is that year two focus is going to be around social emotional learning um and dialogue because those things will continue to help show a decrease in incidents over time. Right? If kids learn to talk to each other
respectfully, if uh children are learning those positive decision making, uh interpersonal relationships and also self-regulation that does decrease what we're seeing uh you know behavior- wise.
So those are some focus areas. Okay, next slide. >> Fun stuff. Any questions? So we're at the question part. We are concluding that part of the presentation and looking forward to hearing from you guys.
>> All right. Are there any questions from board members? >> Board member Higgins. >> Um first of all, thank you for putting that together. That's my first time seeing an SSDS. So, um my questions are kind of more just learning how this gets
reported that period one, period two. So, um, the fact that we've been down over five years was really exciting to see that in general there's this really long trajectory of reducing all of these things. So, that that was a very helpful slide. So, I guess when thinking about
period 2 um because period one is September to December, we're going to next get um January to June. Are we is the goal to look at the impact of like the professional learning and the student programming and how that's sort of um being what the impact is of period
2. Does that make sense? Like all the programming that you're putting in place is that part of like the tracking. >> So it should have an effect on period one for next year, right? >> Okay, makes sense. >> Other questions? Well, I remember
Calling. >> Great. Thank you both. Um, so I think that was really helpful. Um, I also really appreciated um, the context you provided at the outset of the presentation. Um, that these data reflect kind of a relatively narrow set
of incidents because they're defined by the state. I think that's really helpful. Um, especially given some of the concerns that we've heard from students and families throughout the year about school culture and climate. think it's important contextualize that ahead of kind of presenting the data. So, I appreciate that that was done. Um,
but I wonder if we could maybe spend just a touch more time helping the public understand what is and what is not kind of captured in this criteria. Um, specifically like are there climate concerns or behavioral incidences or other issues that might be addressed or
kind of on people's radars that wouldn't necessarily be reflected in this report. Um, I think you gave an example of vandalism that resonated, right? because we often hear about that, but then to look at this data, I think there might feel like a little bit of a disconnect. So, I just think if you could kind of help fill in that gray area a little bit
more so the community can understand a little bit why this might feel slightly different than maybe what the perception is. >> I also wonder I wonder >> they can go to slide three. >> Yeah, slide three. >> Uh I just want to show the >> yes >> all the things that are included and
aren't. I think it would be helpful. So, this is the slide that has the explanation of SSTS terms and it it'll show you what's included um even by category. >> Can I just mention >> Yeah, >> I think it's also important to to note
that um not every bullying incident is is reported to us. So things like that if something isn't reported um and and that does happen, right, for various reasons for various different students, right? So, if something is unreported um and we don't investigate it, then it
wouldn't be on this list. Um you know, one of the things we've done is gone to focus groups with families and students this year and what we've heard is some of these are not being reported because a student does not feel like like they um would be supported or or for whatever
reason, right? One of the reasons why stop it's going to be on everyone's computer, right? So, there's another avenue to report something like that. um and also bridging the gap and really honing in on um some of our curriculum so that students know where to go to get
help and we're doing that in various forms um because I think that too sometimes um you know it that's where that comes from. >> Thank you. So if you take a look at your screen or your screens you can see the
um the explanation of terms and um under the first category um you see violence. So violence, most people think it might be, you know, obvious, but it isn't always obvious. Sometimes um a push can be violence. Uh certain kinds of threat
can be considered violence. If you move up to weapons, who is the person determining what is really a weapon, right? So um a hammer's used in a certain context can be a weapon. Um a shoe could be a weapon in a certain context. So it depends on how that item
is used. As far as substances, it could be um tobacco. That's a substance. It could be beer. So um substances are kind of broad. If you move over to um the vandalism, theft, and trespass, again,
we don't report it if well, the state doesn't require us to report it if there is no person responsible for that. And again, if there's no responsible person, it may not be related to our schools. So they don't really want that information. Uh is that was that thorough enough?
>> Okay. >> So if I can actually just follow up on that and >> this presentation is is interesting because of course you are required by law to make reports uh to us under the statutes that require both of these
programs. Right. And so we've talked every time we have an HIV conversation we talk about not every bad thing that happens in school falls under the statutory definition of an HIV. So it may be a something else. It just can't be defined as an HIV. And similar with SSDs,
uh you know, we have very few instances of vandalism reported here because you have to sort of catch the student in the act of vandalizing and much more commonly we're seeing it after the fact and there's no proof of who did it, right? So I guess the question is this
is helpful data and it's required by the state data. Um, is the district keeping track or otherwise trying to focus on the larger instances of the things with the terms as we commonly use them, right? Vandalism more broadly than when
you have a specific person, right? Do we track that and act on it separate from this data? >> Yes, we keep the data 100%. So if you check with um our incident reports, central office incident reports that that's always part of what's submitted.
So yes, we do keep track of the data although it's not reported to the state. We know that it's happening. >> Great. Thank you. Any other questions? >> Okay, Callahan. >> Um I think the multi-year trend data was
interesting. Um, again just to pivot back, you know, we've talked a lot this year about HIP process. Um, I think you mentioned Dr. Weeble the principal determination piece. Could you provide some additional context around the implementation of principal determination and how it relates
potentially to the data that we looked at in that 5-year trend? Um, and then specifically like what kind of safeguards are in place to ensure that concerns are appropriately re reviewed and referred for an investigation when warranted. Um and then if there's any operational benefits like you know
improved st like increased staff capacity um since that process was was implemented I think it would be helpful to kind of understand because that there is like a very kind of distinct kind of difference in the data year to year when you see that go come into play. >> Sure. So um I think it was in 23 20 so
we have had principal determination uh since about probably 2012. So what that means is a principal looks at um an incident a parent calls a teacher calls and says there was an incident I think it might be bullying and a principal
before 2022 can could say that's not bullying I'll address it in some other way code of conduct student conflict something like that um and in 2022 the law shifted to provide um some more
accountability to that piece but we eliminated eliminated altogether in 23 24. What we did see was a stark increase in alleged uh offenses and not a sharp increase in confirmed. Um what we saw
was that um there was a lot of retal retalatory um uh HIVs. So if someone put an HIV on someone then someone else would do it back kind of thing. Um, and we also saw
some about literally throwing an eraser at someone because a kid was being um, you know, goofy making a bad decision and we would do a 10-day investigation on an eraser being thrown. Um, it was it was taxing, which is fine if it had
gotten good results, but it did not. So, the board then uh, we took some data on it um, and we undid that. In 2022, the state changed the HIV law, which now requires um the central office, the superintendent, which Dr. Gilbert does,
to review, um each preliminary determination and evaluate if that principle, uh if we're in line with that decision. And so, um it's not just one person making that decision, but we're also saying, okay, we agree that that's not bullying. It's something, whatever
it is, right? And we're going to talk about that in the next presentation of it might not be bullying but it is something. Um and we address it that way. And so we do approve or deny them and we do send a number back. Um we're like you know what and and if we feel we
maybe should then we do right that's kind of where we're at. Um we do look at a three-prong test um to see if it um you know if an if an incident hits a possible motivation like there might be some specific characteristic for the
student um if we believe there might be substantial disruption or if the student was insulted we kind of if they hit two out of three of those we move forward. So that's um how our program moves um helps us make the determination and our online program helps us with that. um
and it gives us a confidence score on whether we should investigate or not. So that's been really helpful too. So it's a it's a more um accurate way to look at it than just a gut feeling which we don't want. >> You're welcome.
>> I wanted to elaborate on my response to you, Mr. Meyer. um some of the graffiti is um if it's biased graffiti, it isn't reported to the state in the SSDS numbers, but it is sometimes reported to police if it's biased, right? And still
doesn't go into the SSDs datab bank, but it is reported to the police if it's considered biased. So, just clarity. >> Thank you for that clarification. Uh any other questions on the specification? >> No. Okay.
Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Uh >> you don't you can you can hang. >> I got kicked out of here. >> No, stay stay with me. >> Okay, >> we're ready for the next one
>> and we went to part two. >> We're part two. >> Very good. Okay. So, um, so just as so for just as a reminder and for new board members, I always find this really confusing to explain. So
every year we end the school year and what we do is we kind of re-evaluate how did we do on bullying intervention and in September of this year we did a
self assessment. How'd we do? Okay. And that self- assessment has a rubric that's many many pages long that the state puts out and each climate team for each school has to review that. I then show you
that presentation before October 30th. It has to be into the state. The state then takes it, reviews it, and then sends us back the grades. The grades are the exact self- assessment
numbers that we have provided them. So a lot of this is I did add a few slides but it is literally a copy and paste from what we showed in October. What we've done over the past uh three years is we've included four HIV goals every
year so that we can identify where we need some more support and how we work through them. just because showing you something beginning or after doesn't show you how we're trying to help our students. Um so that's what you'll sh
what you'll see here. Um next slide and one more. So the self assessment again which is done in September. So you're going to see me back up here in September. reviews these um areas and in each area
there are some subgroups. So there are a total of 26 indicators that we can grade ourselves on and you'll see a little bit more about that in a minute. Next slide. And this is just a timeline because I find that this process is a little
challenging to explain. So it shows that the September, October through May, you know, the whole process. Okay, next slide. I did I normally don't provide data, but um we liked Paul's slides, so I I
thought I would copy it. Um so, just a look at um the amount of students in each school. And then there's a a tiny um there's a tiny gray number that shows how many incidents we investigated last
year and a tinier blue number for how many HIVs were founded. Now I do want to remind everyone that what we just said in the last presentation is this is not every HIV that happens in this district, right? It is the reported HIVs that we
are able to investigate. The other slide that I I we did show with the with the families at our um parent seminar was just the motivate sorry next slide. The motivating factors um and so many of our HIVs that we
investigate um are around no identifiable nature which would mean they're not HIVs. Our next biggest is appearance. Um, and you'll see continuing they don't equal the number of HIVs we investigated because sometimes someone's being mean
about appearance and gender. So that there's more numbers than there are HIVs. Um, but just to show motivating factors. Next slide. So just a reminder for the legal definition, an H founded bullying
incident has to hit five categories. Something has to have happened, right? verbal, written, uh, social media, something. It has to be motivated by a real or perceived characteristic. It can occur on or off school grounds, which
means anywhere. Um, it has to substantially interrupt or disrupt a student's education, which has a a you know a specific threshold. And then it either has to be insulting, create a hostile environment or uh cause physical
or emotional harm. So that is the standard that all of our anti-bullying specialists have to measure each incident on. So they gather their information and they identify if it hit all five categories. Um and and I think that's sometimes
where there's a disconnect and what we're really trying to explain um you know because obviously when families come to us with HIV or bullying they're very concerned as they should be right and so next slide we want to show them
just because something is not a founded HIV does not mean it doesn't get taken care of right and that's really important so just for you all um it can an incident It might fall under code of conduct which means it um it goes
against our code of conduct and a principal or administrator would uh address it in that way. It could be a founded HI and they would address it in that way or it might be a student code of conduct uh sorry a student conflict. A student might be mean to another
student. It doesn't rise to code of conduct but it's a mean moment and then we address that as a conflict. Next slide. Um and just just as um information, what do these three mean? The goal for the
intervention is always to stop whatever is happening. It is to support the victim or the student. It's to identify any skill gap that a student might have and teach the student to do better or
make different choices, right? And so to support both sides, right? And so I show this because it's important to to identify that we do have a number of uh bullying incidences that aren't actually bullying, but that doesn't mean we don't
take them seriously and we want everyone to know that. So next slide. And these are just some examples of how we support the victim, how we support the offender, and how we um try and rebuild the relationship if both if both
parties agree. Um and that would be in um in all three instances. And that does not always happen, right? Not all parties want to reconnect and that's okay. But no matter what, the kids will get what they need. Next
slide. So un uh and one more sorry. So to understand the self- assessment scores we used uh a zero to three scoring process. The rubrics are very specific. So our team either gives uh
one of the indicators a zero, a one, a two or a three. Over the last several years, we have worked really hard on identifying the steps we need to give a three because it's not just about the good grade, right? Although I do love it, uh, you know, a good grade, it's
more about what is behind that three. What program do I need to support my kiddos with? What training do I need to provide for my teachers? So, it's really about what is something that we're missing that we can really move forward with and help our our students. Next
slide. So, this is a list of our schools and scores for last year. And it says self assessment. It is also the grade because it's both, right? Same thing. And next slide, my favorite slide.
Um, so this shows really how we've gone um over the years. So, we have identified a number of areas where we could improve over the last um five years. Um the two in in green uh uh dark
green didn't change, but I don't know, they still got the top score, so I felt that they they should also have a color. Um but really, all of the schools did a beautiful job and and we're very proud of them uh for all the work that they're doing. And we still have more work to do, right? So, it's not over.
Next slide. And not shown, but the board has it. Individual schools are all broken down. You are welcome to to see that. That should have been in your packet. Um, and also these are all posted online. They were posted online at the
end of May for all families to see on our bullying website. And one more. And if you can just hit it down because it just keep clicking. Keep one more uh two more
and one more. Perfect. So we identified four goals in the beginning of the year of what we could improve on uh for HIV. Um we wanted to add more lessons around digital citizenship. We wanted to expand
uh training for our staff around social emotional learning and what to do when uh students enter into negative interactions with each other. We wanted to expand opportunities for families around digital citizenship and we wanted to build additional supports for
students who have initiated negative um interactions with peers. So if you go to the next slide. So I will tell you normally these are all green. Um and just keep clicking. Uh there should be four.
So goal one we found was a really large process and we wanted the summer to really dig our our teeth in and have uh teachers and social workers do curriculum writing. uh we didn't feel like the time that we uh had during our
professional learning time was enough to really get all the digital citizenship lessons that we wanted. Um so this goal is going to continue. You'll see it again next year. Um and so that's why this is in process. Um next slide.
Goal two. Uh we did expand training for our teachers and staff around social emotional learning. Um we did uh created resource support manual. We provided uh professional learning around NJTSS
tiered interventions. Our teachers um got a new part of the manual was developed for them specifically this year. Um tiered support for challenging behavior. We talked about collaborative proactive solutions in our la last presentation. Um and we included a one
district one response. Um, we've started to train all of our staff, um, including lunch monitors around that process. Um, and we've also had, uh, restorative justice and equity training across the district, which helps this as well. Next
slide. So, this was completed um, and one of them was ongoing. So, this is expanding opportunities for families around digital citizenship. This will not be done even though we completed what we were looking to do minus one. So we did
have parent seminars around bullying um and have short videos around it and a social media campaign. Hopefully some of you liked our Instagram posts on digital citizenship. Um but we do want to create communication for every digital citizenship lesson that children have so
that that goes out to the families. Right now, we do have um we do have letters for each HIV lesson and that goes to families with table talk conversations. So, we're proud of that. And then finally, um we have build additional supports for students who
have bullied. This is an ongoing process, but we do keep putting it on here because sorry, next slide. Um we think it's important to really make sure that our students who make uh poor choices around bullying have a lot of supports. So, we continue to build
our resources very specifically. If a student um is bullying someone around race or around someone's hair or anti-semitism or um uh gender, LGBTQ, we want specific resources that are going to target that specific behavior and
thought process to disrupt that. So, we've been continuing, the anti-bullying specialists have been continuing to compile resources for that. Um, that's it. Thank you. Any questions?
>> Thank you so much for that. Questions, board member Brown. >> Um, yeah, thank you. I appreciate the data that you added. As you know, I love data. Um I would just suggest to the points made earlier
um by board member Callahan and and President Meyer, it would be helpful I think when you're presenting data to not only show total number of incidences and total number of founded, but if there's a way to also provide total number of
code of conduct violations so that parents know to your point that just because something doesn't meet the HIP criteria which is extremely difficult to meet. That doesn't mean that nothing is done. >> And I think kind of showing those numbers might help with that messaging,
too. >> Okay. >> Thank you, >> Board Member Higgins. >> Um, thank you so much. And also, thank you for the trainings that you gave us new board members. Uh, I think it was last month. It was very, very, very helpful. Um, I had a question about when
I was looking at the different schools, it seemed like element seven investigation procedure stood out as being like the 11 out of 12 for a couple of the schools. And I was just curious like what is if you could give me a little bit about the investigation procedure? What do they feel like they
need to improve upon? >> So, if they have one HIV that was more than 10 days, they don't give get to give themselves full points. Um, and a lot of times if students are absent on your last day of investigating, that does happen. But we do make sure that
they, you know, dock themselves at point because it's really important for us to keep a timely timeline. >> Great. Thank you. >> You're welcome, >> Board Callahan. >> Thank you. Um, to piggyback on uh, board member Higgins, I think it might be helpful for the board, I know we we just
had a training which was really helpful for us. Um, in terms of how this scoring happens, it might be helpful to review what are the criteria, how how do you assign those to these, just so we have a little bit more context as we're kind of viewing the data in in a presentation
like this, just to know like exactly what you just said, this is what would kind of ding a school if they exceeded the timeline, things like that. Um, I think might be helpful for us in in just understanding. Um, that'd be great. And then I had a followup on um the areas of focus for next year. So in looking at
the report seems like the most frequently identified motivating characteristics were appearance, race and ethnicity and gender identity and expression. So could you share how the strategies that you're proposing um I think it was addressing inappropriate cell phone activity with elementary
school specifically fourth and fifth grade strengthening our social emotional learning building relationships social awareness skills uh kind of providing more effective responses to negative interactions. How are those how are you working to tailor those to address those specific areas um in terms of the
motivating factors? >> So we didn't in that particular area we recognized middle of 24 25 that this was going on and so specifically our middle school where we were seeing um kind of where those areas were hitting. We
created four lessons specifically around um racism, uh LGBTQ, um anti- uh Arab and Islamophobia as well as anti-semitism. We created lessons specifically around those areas um because we were identifying some some
upticks in those. So we did that in the middle of the year to make sure that we were hitting that. Um and so that's a that's a process that'll continue. Um, so we didn't have a goal in it because we we were very proactive but reactive immediately.
>> Sure, that makes sense. I guess to follow up to that, I think if we're seeing some of these pieces kind of crop up as kids, it sounds like fourth and fifth grade seems to be kind of a point at which we're seeing a little bit of it come up and then in into the middle schools and you guys were like you said responsive to this. Um curious if
there's um there's any thought around how do we back this up so that kids are entering middle school having contacted some of this kind of trying to like you to your point kind of shift a little bit from being responsive to being proactive by backing up some of that that was provided this year in that way. >> Yeah. So the summer curriculum writing
um will be mostly dig digital citizenship, but we are going to look at so this isn't this year's data, but we'll have this year's data by the summer. Um and so we'll be identifying if there's any additional um data points that need additional lessons and we'll put that in. Most of the lessons we're
creating um because we we feel fairly confident in our uh New Jersey Bar Foundation for K3. It's really fourth, fifth, and up. um which is uh kind of developmentally when when it starts to happen. Um and so that's where we'll see
some of those additional lessons. Um and we also are looking to add more uh tier one supports and lessons across the board at the elementary lesson level for SEAL and we think that that'll also help.
>> Great. And then just one last followup. Sorry. Um curious, you know, I think we talk about this, you know, like this is part of our school community, but it's certainly us as caregivers have have a piece to play in this. So curious if there's any thought behind how we're inviting families into some coaching,
training, development around like how do we have some of these proactive conversations with our kids at home um around particularly as we're looking at it like these kind of uh motivating factors um conversation supporting families in having some of those difficult conversations and how to be an
upstander and addressing some of these um issues at home too. >> Yep. So, one of the things we did this year, which um which we're really proud of, is we created an HIV toolkit for families. Um it has been advertised mildly, but we're going to ramp it up
next year, but it does have uh conversation starters and how to talk to your children about bullying. Um and we also look each year to parent seminars. This is the first year we've done two, right? But each year we identify what are some things that our parents need to
know. And a lot of our parents don't necessarily know the ins and outs. So I always give that first what is an HIV, right? That'll happen every year. But then for the second one, what will that look like? Um and two years ago, we did around um how to interact with your
children, how do you talk about this, things like that. So that's something that we can always bring back. Thank you. >> Any other questions or comments? Board member Stein. >> Could I ask you and and maybe if we could put up the slide seven that has
the motivating factors. I wanted to ask because you've raised anti-semitism a couple times. >> I'd kind of assume that would be under religion, but I don't see that as a category here. So, is it under a different category or >> No. >> Could you clear that up? >> Well, rel it would be under um religion.
It can also be under ethnicity. So, these aren't all the categories, right? So um you can be found it could be affounded bullying if it's a perception of so if I look like a particular uh
religion sexual orientation something like that um that can be part of an HIV um it can be uh ethnicity it can be background or uh immigrant status so all kinds of categories these are just
examples um but there's a long list and and there's two sets of lists. There's protected classes, so protected under federal or state law, but also um like someone's weight is not a protected class, but it al that would be in under
a motivating factor. Someone's wearing glasses wouldn't necessarily be um someone's height, something like that. >> See? All right. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Any other questions? Okay, thanks very much for your time tonight.
>> Thank you. >> All right, we've got a couple next orders of business. First, I want to note for the record that we have been joined by our two student representatives and we have news hot off the press that we've been joined as well
by our elected 2627 school year representatives. So, big congrats Scarlet and Pat. CONGRATULATIONS. >> I didn't know I got to break that news. That's very exciting. >> And I listen, I This is what I've been told. I'm not guaranteeing anything, but
congrats. Um, okay. We are going to move in just a moment to public speaks. Uh, and I want to just highlight a couple of things. Uh, because we have more than 20 people signed up for public speaks. uh the provision in our policy is triggered that uh changes the public speaks time
from three minutes down to two minutes. So please be advised we're going to have two-minute clock for each person speaking. Um right before we get to that though I know there are a number of speaks that are on a few different topics. We received emails on those topics as well. Uh and we always want to
make sure that we're all working with the same information. So I know Superintendent Bing wanted to share just a few comments before we get started. So, I'll turn the mic over to you. >> Thank you, Board President Meyer. Thank you, Dr. Wayel. Thank you, Mr. Morgan.
Appreciate the presentation. Uh do want to thank uh everyone who turned out for our end of the year budget recap on Tuesday. >> Tuesday, uh June 9th. We had about 111 folks turn out. Uh we know this time of
year is very busy, so the fact that you took time to attend the meeting are truly appreciated. We also want to thank you for all of your thoughts, um your concerns, your thank yous, uh your advocacy, and also your best wishes regarding our 2627 budget as well as our
2728 budget, which uh we will start developing probably within the next month or so. Um, as we noted at every board meeting over the last few months and, uh, through the many memos, uh, phone calls and postings
on our website, um, we're at the point this year where we couldn't rely on our savings anymore in regards to balancing our budget. Uh, we also could not rely on federal or state funding in regards to the pandemic funding that has dried
up since 2019. We are currently sitting at about 4.6 million in our capital reserve about 3.7 million in our fund balance. Um even if we attempted to utilize our savings, we would not have enough to close the
budget uh the gap in the budget for the 26 and 27 budget that was just approved by the state and the county. Uh so we're at a point right now where we have to have some very difficult conversations moving forward as we start
developing the 27 and 28 budget. Uh these conversations have been avoided for the last 15 years. Uh as noted, the district has gone into its savings to avoid such conversations.
Uh we're at the point right now where we we can't avoid them anymore. So, as you've read in newspapers, if they still have newspapers online, you have seen the devastation happening not only across the state, but in particular
around our neighbors, uh, including the reduction of athletics, reduction of staffing, reduction of transportation, the closing of schools, uh, and those are our closest of neighbors.
We have wished them the best and also have provided support for them as well over the last few months as those districts had to go through a very very difficult time. Um so our budget cycle goal uh since we've
started which is been less than two years uh was to protect the classroom. That's what we've been trying to do for the last two years. Uh I think we've been pretty transparent around that. We've been utilizing really and lying
relying heavy on the strategy of uh if a position is vacant due to retirement, due to non-renewal, due to resignation, uh we will try to fill that position through transfer within the district. If we cannot fill that p position within
transfer within the district, uh then we need to go out and post. Um that is a new strategy for this district. Um for the last 15 odd years if there was a vacancy the district simply posted. They did not have a PCR a position control
roster. Uh last year we had developed we developed the PCR. We now have a position control roster and we're utilizing that as we make some of these decisions. Um we're also utilizing data that we're seeing from our schools. Uh
an example of that would be probably at our high school. Uh for the last two years, we've had a variety of teachers that have not had full schedules. Uh we have been utilizing them as pseudo power professionals, meaning they had maybe three courses to teach and the other two courses we've been putting them in with
another full-time adult um and not necessarily in their content area. We can no longer do that. We can't do that as a public school. We wouldn't be able to do that as a small business. We wouldn't be able to do that as
Google. Uh we cannot have personnel who do not have full schedules or full loads. Uh we are past the point of being able, as I noted, to use pandemic funding or to go into our savings to run a class of 12 students. We can no longer
do that. This year we had 22 staff reductions. Us utilizing the strategy that I just mentioned, um we were able to get that down to eight reductions in staff. Um
moving forward to the 2026 20 I'm sorry, 2027 28 budget. Keith, if you could pull that up. Oh, you do have that. Um, so one of our main goals moving forward is to address our structural funding
gaps. So if you look at a historical audit of our budgets, this district is averaging about anywhere from a 5 to8 million gap every single year for the last five years. uh that ties closely with the fact that
the state initiated a new funding formula five years ago. Uh they have started to fully fund that formula as of two years ago. However, we are not receiving what we
should be receiving from that formula. Uh for my two years here, we are at about close to $3 million of funding that we were supposed to receive, if you calculate the formula properly, uh that
we did not receive. We have gone down to Trenton. We continue to meet with our assembly people, our senators, our representatives around advocating to change the funding formula. Um it is our understanding at this point
uh our new governor Cheryl has undertaken that task and is working on that funding formula. Um for those of you who attend board meetings, Jeffrey has spoken many of times about the about what's broken in the formula
and how it's impacting uh South Orange Matewood School District. So we will continue to advocate. you will find on our website within the next couple weeks uh numbers to call, avenues to send emails to as we start moving forward and formulating our 2728 budget and our 28
and 29 budget. Part of our work when we first came into the district um was a fiscal audit. Um and we've publicly stated this many of times when we we came into the district, our fiscal
software was not being utilized. We were still back in the 20th century of using carbon copy papers, POS written on papers and everything was siloed relatively two people. We've changed that over the last 18 months. We've
instituted a new uh electronic system. Uh we've put some checks and balances in place so we don't have POS out there that we have no idea that are out there. And when we're looking at our budget lines and it says 10 million, that 10 million is actually 2 million because we have POS out there that we didn't know
about. So we have now put systems and balances in place where that will not happen moving forward. And for those of you who are have followed districts such as Monontlair, uh you will notice that was one of their biggest issues. Uh a lack of checks and
balances in their fiscal system. If you take a look at uh our slide, these are the slide decks that we shared uh with our folks on Tuesday. Again, big thanks to everybody uh for coming out. We have made projections uh for the next
few years. You will see currently uh our 2027 28 budget, we are starting with an $ 8.8 million gap. I want to repeat that. We are starting with an $ 8.8 million gap.
Uh I am looking at everybody in this in this auditorium. We have gone line by line and reduced. We have looked at everything that's non-personnel. We are past that point.
There is no longer meat on that bone as of this current budget. Ergo the eight reductions in force for 2728. We are anticipating an even worse year. If the state funding formula
doesn't change, if the federal funding doesn't change, we are anticipating an even larger impact, similar to what you are seeing in districts around us. So, I want to emphasize that we are already starting with an $ 8.8 million
gap. That is not anticipating a boiler breaking down in one of our buildings during the upcoming school year. That is not anticipating a possible rise in healthcare costs and energy costs. Um for us as we work through our
numbers, we utilize a pretty strict formula. For every million, you're looking at about 12 to 13 staff members. Um, if you're looking at 2829, we're anticipating a $13 million gap. If we push out to 2930, we are
anticipating a $17 million gap for our budget. This is taking in consideration that we have a 2% gap, a 2% cap. We've been advocating that the state change that. This is taking consideration
uh the increase the normal increase in energy costs uh in personnel costs, transportation costs and this is taking consideration utilizing the current state funding formula.
Go ahead, Keith. >> Did it move? No. >> Oh, yes. >> Oh, it didn't move on my screen. That was a delay. I'm using the live. >> Yeah. >> Oh, there you go. Thank you. I'm using the live footage. Bit of a delay. Um, so
I want to really closely take a look at what we utilize for the 26th 27th in order to balance that budget. We >> slide it down. >> Oh, you go back in three second delay.
>> Yeah, >> that is not the Oh, yeah. Go. So in order to balance our budget for the 2627 budget that is the upcoming year, we had about uh 8 to9 million
budget gap if I am correct. uh you will look on the right side column you will see what we put in place to reduce uh that budget gap. This is posted online by the way along with all the memos that we've sent out that have
detailed these reductions. Uh we had a one-time health uh healthc care waiver gap of 5 million. I want to stress one time that waiver will not be available as we're developing the 2728 budget. Uh we corrected the prek projection
numbers for our special education students saving us around half a million dollars. So that should carry over to our 2728 budget. We eliminated elementary security at a cost of $300,000. We went back to preandemic
uh the way our buildings were prior. Uh our schools never had our elementary schools never had security guards. Uh they were funded through pandemic funding. Currently, all of our elementary schools uh are getting up upgraded video cameras and they all now
have safety vestibules due to the uh capital project that was just completed. We tiered buses. We also put new school start and stop times. And we also eliminated prek courtesy busing at a savings of around $2 million.
uh we transitioned out of the state health plan. For those of you who have been uh keeping tabs of what's going on on our side of the coin here in the education field, you will know that the state state health plan that many districts have been in for for years,
including South Orange Maplewood School District, uh the rates went up around 31%. Uh and they are going up double digits midyear next year again. uh the prediction is around 12 to 13%. The district was able to get out of the
state health health plan and self-insure. Uh we still uh received the hit of health insurance uh cost which was around 11 to 12% uh but we did not have to take the hit of 31 32% which
would have devastated the district. So I want I do want to thank our associations our ASCA as well as our SOMA for working collaboratively around getting us out of the state health system. Uh private contract rebids as many of you know
99% of our services are privatized whether that's custodial whether that's transportation um whether that's security u we are privatized. Um we wanted to be better stewards of our taxpayers money. So, we decided this year to really do a robust uh request
for proposals and rebid uh many of those private services to see if we can get lower bids uh that came in. We also uh utilized uh one of the best uh practice formulas for custodial using square footage instead of the old formula the district had been using for about 20
years. Uh those bids are currently coming in. We have we are now uh reviewing those bids. Um budget freeze. So we froze the 2526 budget in November.
That is not a best practice. That is not something we can continue to do. We cannot continue to freeze our budget in October, November every single year. It makes absolutely no sense. Uh that is something we did in 2526.
Shared staffing model. We are moving to sharing staff. um whether that's between our buildings, we've also been having discussions with districts such as West Orange, Livingston uh and many other districts in our in our immediate area around sharing staff because we are all
in the same place currently fiscally. Uh as noted previously, we've been using the strategy of not filling vacancies due to retirement, resignation, uh or non-renewal. Uh we had eight riffs uh saving the
district around 2.5 million. Uh and the line by line that I previously discussed brought in about 6 million worth of savings. >> Go ahead, Keith. You're live.
>> Uh you can go ahead Keith. Uh we did we'll go past this isn't a memo we sent out. We did want to talk about some of the things that we're putting in place next year. Uh we got some good feedback uh from those things uh and new initiatives uh at our meeting. They are
online as well. Go ahead Keith. You can go move through those. Go ahead Keith. You go back one Keith to middle school. You don't mind? Thank you sir. So uh some changes now and what to expect at the middle school.
uh level moving forward in next year. Obviously, the budget uh has affected all levels uh of our schools. Uh so if I am a middle school student going into middle school, I can expect everything to look exactly the same. The only
difference being I will not be provided a choice in regards to choosing related arts. Okay. students will be placed in related arts and through their three years of middle school will hit and be exposed to every related art that that
school supplies. So, we're moving to more of a philosophy that districts like Livingston, Milbour around us have in regards to exposing kids to different related arts uh at our middle school level. Go ahead, Keith.
uh at the high school level uh which really had the most reductions in force. Obviously they are our largest school. Uh they have our most uh employees. Uh you can expect a revamped schedule, a schedule that uh resembles uh Livingston
High School, resembles Milbourne, resembles West Orange. Uh for us it's been a about a three and a half year journey. Uh this work was started by a committee before my time. It was brought up again this year. at the start in September. Uh in regards to its
versatile eighth period option, also the fact that we could alleviate some of the workload on our students moving forward. That was a big issue amongst especially our AP and honor students when we surveyed them. Uh was the heavy workload. Uh so this new schedule will
alleviate that. Students will not have for example five AP classrooms in five APs in one day. We're using a drop schedule. Uh so we're hoping that will alleviate some of the stress that our students express to us in surveys. Uh it also will extend some of our class
periods as well. We also, as noted, we changed our school start and stop times. Uh part of that work was prioritizing uh our adolescence mental health. We've had a couple virtual town halls this year in regards to our mental health issues we've been having uh in South Orange
Mapwood School District. We've brought in uh our municipality as well. We had a nice panel of speakers a few months ago. We will continue our work around mental health. We will be instituting universal screenings starting next year. Optin screenings. They will not be mandatory,
but parents will have the option of uni universal screenings. Uh, however, I I do want to call out the fact that our our screenings this year have skyrock skyrocketed into mental health. Our out of district pl placements for long-term
care for mental health have skyrocketed. Um, the amount of our students that are going out permanently for out of district for more than eight months have more than quadrupled.
Um, our amount of self harm issues have skyrocketed. Uh, as you've all know, this has been a national issue. I can tell you our numbers by looking at them are quite more than the national average and quite more than our districts around
us. So, we have made mental health a priority moving forward. We reduce nothing from our mental health lines. No social workers, no programming. Uh, we want to support our students moving forward. uh mental health, our facilities, which I'll touch on in a
second, and student achievement will be our three main objectives as as we move forward into 27 26 27 2728. Those will be our three focuses. You will see those reflected in our strategic plan, which should be posted sometime in September. We're excited about that. We also want
to thank thank folks who showed up for those work sessions. In addition to uh the revamped schedule, you also note that we have instituted career pathways uh at uh our high school uh such
pathways as aviation and aerospace, auto technician, early education, music technology, health sciences. We also took our other courses um such as our arts courses and we took those and
sequenced those into career pathways. So starting next year students who are in taking film have the opportunity to get an industrial cert industry by the end of their three course sequence. Uh so
we've now arranged all of our courses to reflect 21st century skills and offer students the opportunity to do work-based learning, to get dual credit at the end of their sequence, to take industry based certifications,
um or to get digital badging. This year we piloted some of these. As many of you know, we actually had the opportunity to pilot our auto technician program. Uh fiscally, we cannot afford uh a auto technician lab. Auto
technician labs cost about $3 million. Uh we were able to work with a local dealership and also a national uh auto retail organization uh and have four students who are interested in the auto technician realm
go over to the dealership every day after school uh for 20 weeks, receive training as an auto technician, complete that training, receive $2,000 worth of tools, and now have been offered positions as auto techs when they
graduate South Orange Bay School District. Uh that model will be replicating moving forward. We're hoping to replicate that with HVAC, with electrician, with this, with plumbers as well as we move forward. We cannot afford
uh to rebuild those labs that we did have some 10, 15 years ago. We do not have the funds for that. Um, I did receive a good question today in regards to why don't we use Perkins funding to fund those labs and those programs.
How Perkins fundings work in New Jersey. For those of you who don't know, Perkins funding, that is what many districts use to fund their career and technical education programs such as auto, such as plumbing, such as electric, culinary. In order to qualify for Perkins funding,
districts have to run programs for three years straight on their own. self-funded, supply that to the state. The state looks at uh your student number, your student success, and then qualify you for Perkins funding. We are not able to do that. We do not have the funds to
invest, as I as I just noted previously, to invest in auto labs into a culinary kitchen. We do not have those funds. So, we have to look at alternative ways to bring that to our students who are interested in those things through more innovative through more innovative methods. Go ahead. You
Um just a quick focus again uh we're expanding our Orton Gillingham training K to2. We're having a a really strong focus on early literacy. We've made a change to a new uh reading curriculum. Um we've also made a change to a new math curriculum, uh a new K to8
curriculum. For those of you who have been in the district uh for quite some time, you will know that our math curriculum has been developed inhouse for over 15 years. uh by our own folks. Uh last year we transitioned to a researchbased math
series um and are now moving that into our middle school. So we have a K to8 continuum of a researchbased math series. You'll also see this year we ran the pilot of uh freshman academy which I want to thank Dr. Wable. Is she still
here? I don't think so. who uh really pushed that. Uh and we'll get into the reasoning for the freshman academy in a little bit, but I did want to shout out Dr. Wayel uh and also share some of those successes in a little bit. Uh we were also able to bring in a data
warehouse a couple years ago um Google AI training and also this year as part of our summer curriculum writing uh we'll be integrating civil discourse and digital literacy into our core subjects. Go ahead, Keith. Uh noted in regards to our math, we are
reorganizing the way uh we supervise those subjects. We will have a dedicated person for K to2 math. We'll have a dedicated person for K to2 science. Um for those of you who have seen our achievement scores via New Jersey uh
performance reports, which are linked on our website, uh we have a lot of room for growth in both those areas. Go ahead, Keith. Uh, investment in arts and facilities. Uh, despite staffing adjustments, I I
want to reassure everybody, this district will remain an arts district. We have cut no arts programs. None for the 26 and 27 budget. If you've read any of my memos, uh, you
will see that I used the word yet. uh we are now in the classroom in regards to budget. So for the 2627 budget, we did not have to cut any programming through the list of about 10 strategic moves that we made
to close our budget gap. Uh we did make staffing changes. We had eight reductions in fourth at the high school level. I believe two were English, one uh were art. At the middle school level, I believe art. We also had a media um
uh the riffs that we did do this year. We based on data meaning core schedule. Uh we had to make a few cuts this year in regards to staff who
did not have full schedules. As I noted previously, we cannot run this district anymore uh with staff that do not have full schedules. it's just not possible. Um, every elementary still maintains a
full-time certified art teacher. That remains infrastructure. Uh, as noted that will be part of our work moving forward. Uh, we are moving towards getting a state EIP energy savings plan. Uh, for us that
will focus on LED lighting and solar panels. Um, we have already done the heavy lifting in regards to HAC work. We are finishing that capital project. All of our buildings have updated HVAC and energy efficient equipment right now. So, our focus for our energy savings
plan will be around LED lighting throughout the district uh as well as solar panels. Um we'll also be identifying capital projects that need to be done over the next year. Um that will be done via bonding.
We are probably looking uh moving forward at a 20 to $25 million bond. We have a 20 million bond dropping off the books in 2028. A previous bond that was taken out. Uh this new bond will take
the place of of that one. So our taxpayers should not see any difference uh in regards to impact. But we have to do something with our buildings. Uh part of the strategy over the last decade or so in regards to
balancing this budget aside from taking money from our savings has been taking money from our capital reserves. I'm going to take monies that we need to maintain our buildings. We're at the point right now we can't do that anymore. Not only because we don't have
any money left in that fund, but because our buildings are falling apart. And our kids deserve better. Our staff deserve better. Our community deserves better. So over the next couple weeks, we'll presenting a priority list of uh
facility needs uh that we will be bonding for through the board of school estimates. That'll be shared as well on our website. We'll also be sending information home uh via emails as well. Go ahead, Keith. Uh as noted, you'll see some of the
staffing adjustments that we had to make. uh how staffing works in public schools. Uh we use seniority, tenure, whatever you choose to call it. Uh and seniority has bumping rights. Therefore, we have
to follow uh the state tenure law which often requires bumping of positions and often requires if you reduce and force those uh staff members that are not tenured are the first uh to be reduced. That is state statute.
Go ahead. As we move forward, one of the safeguards we're putting in place, and we talked about checks and balances and making sure we have those, uh we will be having an academic dashboard online, uh and also a fiscal dashboard, uh a live fiscal dashboard that will be in real
time. Um we've been pushing transparency moving through this whole process for the last 20 months. We'll continue to be transparent. uh a fiscal dashboard or academic dashboard will support uh our transparency.
Go ahead, Keith. Uh I've noted this, I think I've said this since my first two months of looking at this budget when I came in uh in early 2024. Uh you know, we can no longer pass the buck on tough conversations. Past leadership
transitions from superintendents to business administrators to board members have pushed these issues down the line to avoid public conflict to avoid this. Going to be very I cannot be more honest here. You've had 10 to 15 years of
people trying to avoid this. We can't avoid it anymore. We can't we have to have these conversations. Um and we have to confront that collaboratively. Right? So, one of the main issues this district has struggled
with, and we've mentioned this multiple times, is I believe we've had one board member that has had more than one term in the last 15 years. One. So, take a strong look at these people
up here. They'll be gone in three years and we'll start over again. putting this in the business. Could you imagine if you ran your business like that? If your board of directors switched over every three years and had new
priorities? That's what we've done for the last 15 to 20 years here. We've been a turn style of administration, a turn style. Mr. Sanchez is one of the first high
school principles that have been tenured in this district for 20 years. That means that has been at that school for more than three years. You've gone through about eight or nine superintendents in about the last 11 years.
We've gone through about seven BAS in the last nine years. In the last six years, you've gone through about five directors of transportation. I could go on. By the way, we have to get this house in order
if we're going to move forward in 26 27 27 28 28 29 and serve these kids the way we should be serving them. And that means some stability. And that means putting checks and balances in
place that will be there forever. So when I'm long gone, whoever comes in, we've got a system in place. We know how this works. We believe we have that or we're getting there. As many of you know, we've been
without a BA for quite some time. Uh we've been very lucky to have one of our consultants step up and help out. Um he leaves July 1st. We've been interviewing BAS. We're down to another second or third round this
week. We're hoping to make an offer soon. Um, I want to thank Frank for all his work. Frank will also stay on and help with the transition as we move forward. Uh, we have broken down every silo in this district. I can promise you that. We
have teams and central office now that are working really well together. Uh, we have admin that are working very well together at the building level. We are no longer doing this in in pockets. You can't run a district in pockets. It has to be collaboratively. I believe you've done a nice job around communication. There's room for
improvement there, but we'll continue our communication and transparency uh with our public as we as we move forward. Go ahead, Keith. Go ahead. Um you know, just a quick I I just want to
give a quick picture of the work we all have in front of us because this is done by all of us. It's not just done by the people and that's disas who I want to emphasize volunteer their time and when I say time it's a lot of time
um you'll see our ELA you'll see our math standardized test scores we should be in the blue we've got work ahead of us we've started that work we've been sharing that work online as noted that's getting new systems new series in
That's training for our teachers. Uh that's training for our admins. We've been doing a lot of good work around it. We put in a multi-tered system of support that the district's not had in over a decade. Uh so we can intervene earlier in the general ed classroom so kids aren't
thrown into our special ed services on a regular basis. Uh we have solid intervention systems right now. We put in place and we're training our staff on. We're doing the work. I promise you. Go ahead, Keith. Uh we are one of the most affluent
districts in this state. We are not meeting the state graduation rate. I want to be very specific right now. I am not talking about the achievement gaps that we've had for decades in this district that we are also working on
currently. This is not our African-American Latino rate, which is also below the state rate. This is every student. This is the entire high school. We are one of the most affluent
districts in this state. And we cannot meet the minimum high school graduation rates of the state. That is work we are currently doing. That is one of the reasons why we put the freshman academy in place.
Go ahead, Keith. We are a district that is now on cap. That is a correction action plan. We are one of the few in our socioeconomic status that has one of those caps for chronic absenteeism. We should be at below 10%. All honestly,
we should be at 5%. If we compare ourselves to our pure districts around the area, we are at 11.2. to we are working on that. We have done work on that. I can prove that the high school was at 18.3
I'm sorry 18.4% chronic absenteeism last year 232 24 and 2425 when we came in we were able to drop that to 13.2%. You will see that drop as we move into 2627 below the 11.2%.
I promise you that through the work we're doing. But there is no way we should be a district of chronic absenteeism. Nor should we have a state cap plan. Go ahead. We're at.5% dual enrollment.
That means kids that are also accumulating college credits while they're in high school. That is part of our work in regards to our pathways. We are increasing the opportunity for students to take classes and also earn
college credits as they move through our system. For us, as we move forward, uh our goal is that if kids that are choose the dual enrollment pathway, they graduate with nine credits, they graduate with 15, they graduate with 30.
One, to make their family's life a lot easier, two, uh to make their life a lot easier. I want kids graduating before four years in college. If we're graduating kids with that amount of credits, they can graduate after three years, after three and a half years.
So that's one of the pathways we're also putting in place. At this moment, we're at about 0.5%. We should be about 25%. That is some of the work we are doing. We are working with Satan Hall. We are working with Syracuse University to put in some of these sequences so kids are
graduating with college credits. Go ahead, Keith. I keep mentioning the freshman academy and I wish uh Carrie was still here. Um we put in a true freshman academy this year and what I mean by true freshman
academy is a dedicated team of teachers, a dedicated team of counselors, a dedicated team of social workers, a dedicated curriculum uh for our kids. There's our data right now. This is comparing it to last year.
So, in comparing quarter 1 of our new freshman academy this year to quarter 1 last year, you'll see a reduction of 37% in regards to cuts and absences. That is how we are able to lower our chronic absenteeism numbers to 11.2.
You'll see that even lowered in our 2627 numbers. That's currently not on the DOE website. Uh total students chronically absent reduction by 6% as compared to last year. fights reduction by a 100% as compared to last year. We now have our
freshman in a certain wing in our high school where we can transition them to Colombia High School. For those of you who have been in that high school, it is massive. As an adult, when I walk into that high school, I'm overwhelmed. So, you could
imagine what an eighth grader feels like who is becoming a ninth grader. So, we made a separate academy for them. 99% of their time is spent in that academy. It is not walking through a building. Uh that is ginormous.
Uh individual students failing courses we reduced that by 53%. As compared to last year courses failed reduction of 78% as compared to last year. We're now getting quarter four numbers which will be posted on our website. The this is live data. It's on
our website. I did just want to share the work we are currently doing is working. It's moving us in the right direction. Uh I receive emails on a regular basis. Why are we restricting electives uh for
our ninth graders? This is why we're restricting electives for our ninth graders to get these results. We believe our ninth graders should be taking as many academic core graduation requirements as possible so their
schedule is freed up their sophomore, junior, and senior year, which will enable them to do work-based learning, to take internships, to take those three course sequences we talked about to earn industry certifications,
to go over uh to an auto technician shop, and learn skills that will enable them to do that. Go ahead, Keith. I noted this previously. This is one of the main objectives of why we're putting pathways in at the district. Currently,
we're at about 0.1% of students earning industry certifications and things of that nature. So, that is really an impetus of one why we're doing it. Second, we asked our kids. You know for a fact every adult in
there, we're not uh survey shy here. You probably had six surveys just last week. We are not survey shy. We are not survey shy with our kids. Our AP kids are telling us our workload is too much. Okay, so let's change our schedule so that workload isn't too
much. Our AP kids are telling us uh every class we go to grades differently. Okay, then let's systemize the way we're grading, which we're doing that work right now. Our kids are telling us what their interest areas are
and about only 15% of our classes that we offer are hitting those interest areas. airgo. We're going to introduce pathways, pathways that not only tie into their interests, but also tie into the New Jersey Department of Labor projections for over the next five to 10 years of
what uh careers will be most fruitful and available and needed. So, if our kids choose to graduate high school and go for that job, they have the industry search to do that. if they choose to go to college, they know maybe I should major in this because I I I got
some of this in high school and I liked it, so I'm going to major in this or, you know, I took these two classes around this career accounting and I hated it. So, I'm not going to waste any money and major in accounting moving forward. Uh, we want to make our seniors
better consumers moving forward, no matter what they choose to do, whether it's military, career, uh, or or college. Go a Keith. Uh I I did want to put an extra focus because I answered some uh emails this week and I do want to thanks thank folks
for reaching out to me. Um as many of you know uh we have a tendency in this community to go to social media and take that as Bible truth. Uh when you reach out to us, it's truly appreciated.
Uh and maybe what's on social media is true. I'll I'll tell you it's true. Uh it's been my experience here for the last 20 months that about 85% of what's on our social media is not true. So feel free to shoot me an email, feel free to call me. I will get back to you within
24 hours. Promise you that. Um so as I noted previously, there are no cuts in the arts program programming. None. We'll be running the exact same courses as we ran last year for 2627. I cannot tell you what's going to happen in 2728.
Those are conversations we're going to have to have collectively. But for 2627, we we made no cuts uh at our high school level. We made no programming cuts at our elementary level. We made no programming cuts at our middle school level. 2D 3D art will
still be offered. Um, as with some of our courses at at our high school where we combined the content, we were able to do that as well at the middle school level. So, kids will still have 2D art, 3D art in one course, the exact same curriculums.
Go ahead, Keith. This is our current dashboard again available online available on our website available on the NJDO website here. Here here is our visual and performing arts dashboard. So when we're talking about utilizing
data, we are utilizing data. This dashboard has actually increased from the year previously. As we get our new dashboard for next year, I promise you, you will also see these numbers uh remaining the same or
increasing. So, we're not hiding anything. We are not secretly trying to get rid of art. I think I read that quote somewhere. Here's the public data. I'm showing it to you. This is an arts district. We are
not tearing down the arts. Hi, Keith. As I noted previously, our reduction in force work, our division, our decision framework was driven by our budget, data, enrollment. If courses uh were not enrolled, uh those courses were
eliminated from the program of study. Right? So right now at the high school we have a minimum of 17 in classes. Hey you want to run a class uh at the high school it needs to be 17 kids. We cannot run classes of eight anymore. That is
impossible for us to do. As I noted previous as well, any moves we make are dictated by New Jersey strict statutory laws. Uh especially around the tenure laws, uh program protection and fiscal reality. Um we noted this as well. We've been trying to
protect the classroom. We did it last year. We did it through taking savings and making some cuts and moves uh using transfers. In fact, last year through transfers, we saved about five and a half to $6 million.
Again, that's not filling vacancies that are due to non-renewal, resignation, attrition. Instead, we looked inhouse and found people with the appropriate search, God bless, and move them into those vacant positions. When we couldn't do that anymore, we then posted and
hired. Uh, we already talked about our future outlook. Anything we do will be done collaboratively. We are implementing that dashboard to be more collaborative. We are holding these town halls to be more collaborative. Uh we are doing these presentations to be more
collaborative. Uh we have found that our virtual presentations team seem to get a lot more people. We've increased those this year especially around the budget and programming. Go ahead Keith. Um
you go move Keith. that it all right. Um, so we've got a lot of work ahead of us. I hope that's the message that everyone's taking from this. We're not at the point of choices
anymore. Uh, where, hey, let's utilize this grant. Let's utilize this federal grant. let's utilize uh our savings to balance the budget. We're we're not there. We're past that at this point. I'm so I am
trying to be as transparent as possible. I know I overload your inboxes with an obnoxious amount of emails uh and memos. I completely understand that. But I rather overcommunicate than undercommunicate about our situation.
Uh, I've worked very closely with the West Orange soup, the Montlair soup, the Livingston Soup, the Milbour Soup. Every district I've mentioned had had risks this year. Some of them for the first time. Others double digits in the 50s,
60s,7s for a second year in a row. We're trying to avoid that, and mediate that. And that's only going to be done collectively and together. So, uh, we'll continue to be transparent. will continue to hold these meetings um moving forward. We are starting work on
the 2728 budget literally within a month. Um so what you will see over the next month or so um those dashboards should be posted especially the fiscal side of the house. Uh you're going to see us going out for a bond to make sure
that our buildings reflect our commitment to our students. Uh to make sure we don't have ceilings falling down. That's also an email I did receive. Let me touch on that very quickly. Uh, as many of you know, at our Maplewood Middle School during break, we had a small portion of our ceiling fall
down. Um, in our second floor wing, that was not an infrastructure issue. Uh, that was an adhesive issue. And what I mean by adhesive is that plaster that was used 35 years ago lost its stickiness.
and one of the four ceilings that is up there fell down and caused the other ceilings to also fall down. Um, I want to thank uh Henry, our director of facilities for getting on site within
20 minutes. Um, and we're able to fix that within five days. Um, kids only missed about three days of school. Um, so I want to thank Henry tremendously. uh that was not an infrastructure issue. I know that is floating around on social
media as well. That is a ceiling that was put in in around probably 1970 and then was covered by another ceiling in 1985 and then was covered by another ceiling in 1998 and the adhesive on the ceiling in 1980
or 1970 lost it stickiness and fell. So, part of our work in regards to the bond we're going out to will be fixing such such such issues as our ceilings in our schools, uh our flooring, our boiler issues that we're currently having. Um
it'll fix um for Seth Bdon, for example, uh our gyms and issues we've been having, especially around our main gym, which is not only an interior issue, but an exterior issue, uh which will will require a lot of uh work around the
building. Uh part of that bond will be trying to make our school safer. For many of you who attend schools such as Marshall, Seth Bdon, um you'll know that pickup and drop off it ain't the safest. We're working with the police around that. Uh we were able
to make some changes at MMS around that, at the high school around that. We'll continue trying to make those changes to ensure our kids are safe. Some of those changes will involve some investment. Uh we will be very transparent around uh the issues uh and items from the long-range facility plan that we are
prioritizing for that bond. Uh we will share those with you. I'm hoping to have that prioritized list within the next week. We'll be able to share that with you. We'll be able to share it with our parents council uh both of our associations and our other groups uh and make some decisions of what we want to
move forward with. We will continue the good work. I promise you that. Um this work will not be perfect. There will be mistakes along the way. Um we will take ownus of those mistakes, but those mistakes will be made with our kids in mind uh and trying
to put them first. So um look for uh work to start around a 2728 budget um over the next month. Um we are continuing to have our community community action committee uh for our budget. So for those you don't know we
have a budget action community uh committee that is made up of about 37 community members that applied that help us develop our budget. We run everything by them. We did the same with transportation for this year. Um once our board gets our new routes, uh our
transportation action committee will get those routes so they can put eyes on them and give us some feedback about, hey, the bus can't go this way because there's a steel fence that blocks the road there. Uh so we're getting some good feedback from our folks. So I do want to thank those members again who are doing and putting in these hours for
no pay just because they want the best for our kids. Thanks, sir. We have now arrived at our hearings of individuals and delegations. Thank you for your patience and thank you for coming in person and joining us online this evening. We value public comment at
our board meetings and while we cannot engage in a dialogue with you, your comments uh are very serious and we take them seriously. Your input will inform our work. Our comment period this evening as advertised in our agenda was limited to 30 minutes. We are going to have some flexibility there. We would
like to have as many folks heard as possible. Each speaker, as noted, will have two minutes of time. Uh we're going to start with our student speakers. Please begin by saying your name and your town. Uh and note that this is a single public speaks this evening. Uh
our first student public speaks, and I apologize, I'm having trouble with the handwriting. It's last name, Martinez. and please make sure to turn the mic on before you speak. Thank you. >> Hi, good evening. Uh my name is Matteo Martinez. I'm from South Orange. Uh I'm
currently an 11th grader rising senior um at Columbia High School. Um I'm advocating for the arts this evening. >> Matt, just get a little closer. >> A little closer, sir. Um, uh, my friend and I run the music industry club of Columbia High School.
We put on events like Beatfest, which happened a couple weeks ago, Live at the Library, a couple other studentr run events. Um, I found in my time at Columbia High School, a lot of students similar to I have drifted towards the arts. Um, I feel like this is the reason because we have a very important
community and a very um, vocal community about the importance of the arts. However, now we're facing uh issues in um like assigning students to the arts. Um I find that most of the alumni from CHS are from the arts and uh the
majority of them are take part in some sort of acting, painting, music, everything like that. Um I find that in this world full of the rise of AI, it's very important to uh not cut the arts or not reallocate the arts as humans are,
you know, obviously very important. Um and it's a very important outlet for creativity where people can fully express themselves. Um the arts are incredibly important to CHS and the arts usually attract many minority and underrepresented communities which other than the arts do not receive much of a
voice. um the cutting of the arts or excuse me not the cutting but the uh change in how the ninth grade are perceiving the arts where they are no longer allowed to take uh specific classes is in my opinion
ludicrous as it's the point where students are most impressionable and where their brains are most developing into finding what they are interested in. Um, I see many of my teachers relying heavily on uh pocket spending to help
their classmates or help their students and to do what they are passionate about. >> Thank you, Matteo. >> Our next public speaks will be Sam Cooper. Uh, my name is Sam Cooper. I'm a junior at CHS. I live in South Orange. I'm a
musician going to college for music production. My first my first exposure to this field was taking music tech one uh in my freshman year taught by Miss Vite. After that class, I started making my own songs. After that, I realized
having making making my own songs that I really loved it and I wanted to make a living off of it. So, from that point on, I started to dedicate my personal time to uh uh develop these skills.
And in that regard, being able to start my freshman year was a very significant uh benefit to me because uh for someone as young as me, a year is a long time. And I got to get very good
experience uh making music which is going to be important for building a portfolio. Something very instrumental for getting into colleges and finding scholarships as well as finding paid work which I can attest that I have.
Freshmen are not getting this opportunity because they are not getting this class. Uh this is also relevance to other classes like uh computer graphics
uh and photography and I think the districts should re-evaluate the classes that they are not allowing freshmen to take because uh uh if they are going to pick these
fields uh this is automatically a year of self-guided time uh they could be using to develop their careers taken away from them. So yeah, that's it.
>> Thank you, Sam. Our next speech will be Eli Groner. >> Hi there. My name is Eli Groner. I'm a South Orange resident and I'm here today to talk about the proposed block schedule. I have spoken personally to a multitude of students I have spoken personally to a multitude
of students and teachers who all disagree that this is a beneficial idea to us. Not only is this a or sorry, pardon me, I along with classmate have a petition for over 450 signatures who all disagree that this is not a good idea in
any way, shape or form. And I ask you, who is it beneficial to? It is definitely not to the students who have employment outside of school and rely on the fact that school normally ends at 215 as it has for the past, I don't know, let's say 10 years, if not more. I will lose my employment over this
actually and so will many other students, which I'd like you to take into consideration. Student athletes as well will suffer major major loss of class time as they are forced to leave for games and matches at closer to 1:30 or 2 o'clock, meaning they could be missing almost an hour and a half of
class time if you were to end school at 2:55. The amalgamation or a block schedule as you call it, uh, lacks structure, no matter how many ways you may describe it. And even having six periods, 60% of your classes will still be the same
amount of time as they are now in this current schedule. And yet we are still losing two classes a day. I myself, as an art student, lose access to important studio time and work that can only be done in a classroom. I myself have painted a mural in our school and cannot
do that when I do not have class time. And one lunch period for almost 2,000 kids plus teachers is just unrealistic. Have you ever solved that problem yet? I do not know because it hasn't been communicated to us. We have lacked complete communication for both our school and the school board. Have you
notified local businesses that going down to one lunch period will impact their economy? I do not know. We haven't been communicated this. We have yet to receive clear communication to these problems. So, I'll ask again, who is it benefiting? If not the students or the teachers or the businesses, who are you
truly thinking about? Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Next we have Z Hunt. >> Hi. Uh my name is Z. Um I'm graduating next week and I'll be studying fine arts at Pratt. Um I'm lucky to have taken many art classes at Columbia, art two
and three, AP Studio Art, Photography, and Ceramics. These classes were vital to my artistic development and helped me create a portfolio that allowed me to get into college with a scholarship. It saddens me to hear that Mrs. Poke will no longer be teaching AP art. She was an instrumental part of your team and now
there's a vacancy supposedly to be filled by Mr. Katrona and Dr. Stewart who is already teaching three classes. I don't see how this can be a comfortable transition for them to make. Mrs. Poke is being let go due to low enrollment that is a result of freshmen only being able to take art one, TV production,
dance or music for their elective. Meaning that Mrs. Mrs. Pulke's drawing class and others like ceramics and photography have had low enrollment this year. Um, it's frustrating that you are letting someone go partially because of circumstances that you created. Um, another thing I've seen too many people
rely on artificial intelligence for countless assignments. They cannot even write a simple one paragraph journal entry themselves. It's getting ridiculous. I believe if more people were given the chance to create that they would feel more confident in their own work and their own voice. For these
reasons and more, I hope you will support the next generation of CHS artists by protecting arts teachers and classes in the future. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Next, we have Marggo McGawan. >> Hi, my name is Marggo McGawan and I'm a citizen of Maplewood. You might look at
at me and assume that because I am young, I don't understand how the district operates. However, however, I am here to share facts, real student experiences, and a perspective that deserves to be heard. Please listen to
me. I am here to represent Maplewood Middle School. Next year, my favorite teacher, Sarah Miller, is moving schools to teach at Tuscan Elementary School without a say. I'm here to fight that. Miss Miller is such an amazing influence
for middle schoolers. She helps us learn amazing life skills alongside art. Why should we force her out of her position when over 240 students signed this petition? Whoa.
Um, this situation is unjust and unfair. How would you all feel if your favorite teacher, most supportive teacher, and a teacher who has never failed to show up for you was being forced out by your school district after just your first year at middle school? Because I know, I
feel like it's unfair and rushed. Our art class at MMS next year will just be art. Not art 2D, not art 3D, just art. We could be left with no program out at all because our other art teacher is retiring when I'm in eighth grade.
Or we could have a teacher that does not understand how to connect with middle schoolers the way that Miss Miller does. This isn't just about art. It's about our best, favorite, and most genuine teacher leaving our school. So, please think about it, talk about it with each other, but don't ignore the voices of me
standing before you. Thank you. Have a good night, and please consider keeping Sarah Miller at Maplewood Middle School. >> Thank you, Marvin. Next we have Ellie Tamir. Ellie Tamir. >> Hello. Okay, it's on. Okay. Hello. Hello, my name is Ellie Tamir Hone from
Maplewood and I'm here today to discuss the dissipation of the arts in the South Orange Maplewood School District. If there is one adult at this school district who changed my life, it was Sarah Miller, art 2D teacher at Maplewood Middle School. When I was struggling socially and mentally, she took me under her wing and made me feel
powerful and welcomed through the power of art. She has since recently been removed from the middle school, placed at Tuscan Elementary despite having one of the highest student satisfactory rates in the district compared to her peers. I'm here to attest to her meaningful impact and to assert that her place at Maplewood Middle School should
be restored. It is detrimental not just academically but to the social interweaving of Maplewood Middle to remove her. Furthermore, the district asserts that they are expanding and augmenting the arts education of students at the SMSD school district. However, they willingly took away the artistic autonomy of the students at
Maplewood Middle School by combining the arts program into one class which is actively diminishing the arts foundation of the students. As the daughter and sister of full-time artists, fellow artists myself who write signs for a multitude of local businesses, and graduate of Miss Mholdra's computer graphics program, I can wholeheartedly affirm that the arts program and the
option to choose augmented by interest in the arts has allowed me to consider had allowed me to continue pu pursuing such outside of school. The chain of choice is one that has allowed me to flourish and allow my small artistic passion to blossom. I share this anecdote with you to reinforce the
reason behind the power of art. However, not only has it affected many students, including myself, in an artistic way, but mentally, despite such a particular move, the district consistently bolsters hospitality toward persons of all races, gender identities, sexual sexualities, religions, backgrounds, and nationalities. Arguably the most
important way to explore our underders emotions and feelings lie in the power of artistic expression. This leads to the recent event, to my knowledge, that have led to psalms without an art teacher. Not only was their autonomy stripped away, but that outlet that augments social emotional learning was stripped away. Therefore, you cannot, and I quote, broaden middle school
related arts exposure to inform high school tracks. Meanwhile, you are cutting an entire arts. Do not interrupt me, please. >> No, l we'll let you finish. You don't have to go so fast. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> You referenced Milbourne and Livingston earlier and your communication with them. However, their academic progress
surpasses ours substantially due to their academic rigor, which we notorious lack notoriously lack with heavy grade inflation. On an economic note, you gave administrators an 8% raise and teachers less than 1%. So I urge you to stop playing the blame game and take accountability for your own economic failures. The arts has a place at PS not
just CHS. I would like to finish with a quote from Deadpot Society. We do we don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race and the human race is filled with passion and medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary
to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. While I could go on, I will end by urging you to please leave the arts alone. >> Thank you. >> Next, we have Laya Raport. Sorry, one sec.
All right. Hello. Uh, my name is Lyla Abaport and I am a CHS student from Maplewood. I'm here to talk about the importance of the arts program in the district. Um, the cut in staffing to the arts program in the elementary and middle schools especially is appalling.
For many students like me, um, a good art teacher is the most important and memorable part of school. Art teaches kids to express themselves in ways that they can't in any other subject and is pivotal for early development. Um, even if you aren't cutting programs, cutting
staffing places strain on the remaining art teachers, decreasing access to and quality of arts programs. Also, as I said in the last meeting, I would like to ask you to fix the water in the high school dark room. Um, because the dark room is inoperable without running water
and the water has been broken for many months. Um, the dark room is a pillar of the Columbia Arts uh programs and has been producing award-winning photographers for years under the guidance of Richard Katrona. Um, and he's a teacher who um will his his
workload will be overly increased because of the firings of his colleagues um having to do with the staffing issue. So, please fix the darken water before next school year and remember that cuts to the arts um staffing hurt the whole
arts program. Um, thank you. >> Thank you, Laya. Hey, Ila. Ila, you're talking about the sink in the in the dark room, correct? >> It's sink. Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you.
Our next public speak will be Bianca Silver. Good evening. My name is Dr. Bianca Silver. I teach AP environmental science and dual enrollment anatomy and physiology at Columbia High School. I'm also an 11-year South Orange resident and the parent of two children in the
district. I'm speaking tonight as both an educator and a parent who cares deeply about access, equity, and academic quality in our schools. I want to address a serious concern with the proposed CHS schedule for the fall. The removal of the additional class meetings
currently provided to AP science courses. This change reduces instructional time for AP science students by 36 hours, which is the equivalent of seven weeks of school. This is not a small adjustment.
AP science courses require students to master a large amount of College Board content before the May AP exams while also developing the lab, analytical, and problem solving skills that make science education actually meaningful. These are
not courses where teachers can simply move faster without consequence. This is especially concerning for students who are newer to AP level coursework. The students most likely to be harmed are the ones we say we want to
encourage. Students taking an AP science course for the first time or students expanding their academic horizons and students who need more time with their teachers in order to succeed. Removing instructional time makes AP
science less accep access accessible in practice even if your enrollment increases on paper. Just two years ago, AP science courses met seven periods per week. Last year, that was reduced to six. Under the proposed schedule, AP science courses would not even receive the equivalent of
five full periods per week. At the same time, enrollment is increasing and student needs are becoming more complex. Reducing this time while increasing expectations creates a serious mismatch between what we are asking students to do and the support we're actually giving
them. Thank you. Oh, I do now respectfully urge that the board and district leadership restore at least one additional weekly class meeting for AP science courses. Thank you. >> Thank you.
Next we have Lexi Kirsten. >> Hello, my name is Lexi Kirsten and I'm here today to speak to you about the importance of the arts, particularly the AP studio art course within our school system. I completed all of my grade schooling in the South Orange Maplewood School District. From kindergarten to 12th grade, I was a part of this community and I had the privilege of
taking a myriad of art related courses here. It is because of these courses that I am where I am today. I've just graduated Sumakum Laad with my bachelor's in art and design education and painting from Pratt Institute and will be returning in the fall to get my master's degree. Thank you. I've just completed my senior thesis on the
importance of physical process-based artmaking in the K to2 setting. My research has culminated into one finding. Making, viewing, discussing, and critiquing art establish new neural pathways in the developing brain and enhance academic performance across multiple disciplines like math, science, and language arts. The more neural pathways created, the more
neuroplasticity the brain has, which enables children to become more dynamic and critical thinkers. In essence, art makes you smart. And at a time of increasingly short attention spans and literary crises, we need art in our schools now more than ever. My investment in our art programs is not only clinical, but personal, too. I owe a lot of my success to two of my high
school art teachers, Kate Dodd and Kirk Maynard. I took AP Studio Art, and it gave me the tools to build a beautiful portfolio, and I would not have made it into Pratt without that class. It was their guidance and their mentorship that got me there. I worked with them one-on-one during all of that class time. And that is why I am accepted into
Pratt and how I'm going to get a master's degree next year. To eliminate this course from Columbia High School would be doing our community an immense disservice. We are a community of creatives, actors, musicians, and artists. This is something our district prides itself on. Our commitment to the arts and their implementation into our
education system is the reason so many families choose this district. It was why my parents chose it. to ask AP Studio Art from the program takes away the opportunity for students to take a one-of-a-kind course that allows them to dip their clothes into the collegiate level art making. It was my absolute favorite class that Columbia offered and was incredibly influential in informing
my life path. To take it away would be a tragedy. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Next, we have Rana Martinez. Hi, I'm Rosanna Martinez. I'm here as a parent, as an artist, as an art
advocate. The students speaking today are the best messengers and proof that arts are essential. Their message is clear. Our classes should be available to students all four years of high
school. As a parent of a junior going into his senior year, over the last three years, I have witnessed how he and his peers have benefit immensely from the arts at Colombia High School. The art electives for ninth graders must not
be reduced. Reducing art classes minimizes students exposure to art and their growth. They affect class enrollment. They strain teachers. The benefits of our classes are plenty.
There are sto studies and statistics that show how students acquire important life skills when they are exposed to art. Some of the skills that I have noticed as a parent, self-identity, self-expression,
leadership, entrepreneurship, creative problem solving, emotional intelligence, confidence. Additionally, exposure to art reduces academic stress and boosts
performance, motivates students, brings equity and social justice to the conversation. Students learn about the world, politics, what is around them through a different perspective.
For students who are going to purs who are not going to pursue an art career as an adult, exposure to art creates experiences and appreciation for the arts and culture for their entire life.
A few examples of what our art students at Columbia High School have shown in these amazing events. An art history festival, a fashion show, befest and live at the library, art exhibitions at
the Bear Center in South Orange, our murals throughout the school. I hope that you reconsider your decision. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Next we have Heather Harrington.
Before the clock goes, I have to see a technical You can't hear it. >> Not only a couple of weeks ago, we >> No, but we can take your comment though >> that the incredible AP studio art teacher was just cut >> discussing this decision with our fellow
peers. >> I'm just just so that I'm clear, this is generally speaking, this is a comment from an individual. Can you >> this is I'll did My name is Heather Harrington. >> My name is Heather Harrington. I'm the parent of a CHS sophomore who so wanted
to be here tonight. She couldn't. She's in a dress rehearsal. She's academically and artistically inclined and I promised her I wouldn't talk. I'd let her talk. So, this is a recording. Sorry for the technical. >> Understood. Thank you for explaining.
at Columbia High School and today I wanted to address the fiscal crisis that Hi, my name is Lauraai. I am a sophomore at Columbia High School and today I wanted to address the fiscal crisis that is happening and how the arts are the first to be targeted. Not only a couple
of weeks ago, we had just discovered that the incredible AP studio art teacher was just cut. Discussing this decision with my fellow peers had made us realize how little the people making
these cuts prioritize the arts. Not only after hearing that we had lost the ceramics teacher, it was shocking to hear that we had come from eight art teachers down to six. As a student, I
feel like my opportunities are only being limited. If we keep choosing to cut wonderful art teachers, and if we continue not letting freshmen, a quarter of the student population, not to take 10 art electives, of course, the
enrollment in art classes will decrease. In a time where students creativity is vulnerable with the rapid expansion of AI and platforms like ChatGpt, we need the arts to thrive. And if anything, we
need the arts to expand. To whoever is making these cuts, it is clear that you do not care about the future generations. You are not listening to the students or their interests and you do not care that
school is meant to be a place for students to pursue their passions. So in all, you must listen to us. Let us help you. Let us guide you. and certainly do not cut the arts in the future. Thank you.
>> Thank you very much. >> And I have to say that for freshmen, wood shop and aviation were open. I don't know why they were open and the 10 art electives weren't because then it's
almost like students are steered into these classes and then it's pointed that there's low enrollment. But it was manufactured. Low enrollment. >> Thank you. >> I don't know where we're going with this.
>> Thank you. >> Next we have Thank you. Next we have Sarah Wickliffe. >> My name is Sarah Wickliffe and I am a Marshall K parent and a South Orange resident. Tonight, uh, I'd like to speak about our mandatory Chromebook policy
and what it means for our budget, instructional efficacy, and our children's digital privacy. In 2024, we spent $500,000 on a three-year contract. In 2025, nearly 200,000 on I Ready.
That's almost a million dollar for just two programs, not counting it, Chromebooks, or carts. Does that value equal to what a million dollars could buy in teachers, in human beings? We know too much screen time harms our
children. So, we must ask, does this value outweigh the cost? On the research, zero randomized controlled C trials show I Ready improves learning. The most positive data comes from studies partnered with its parent company, Curriculum Associates. For
edtech overall, the evidence is even more damning. Recent New York Times studies directly link onetoone device use in school to declining test scores. Faces a class action lawsuit for tracking students keystrokes, answers, and browsing, then selling that data to
Google. Claims parents consent simply by allowing use in school even when it's districtmandated. The the suit is unresolved, so tracking continues without parental consent, and our district has already suffered data breaches in the last year. I will state
publicly here and now that I do not consent to my child's use of edtech. I understand edtech helps teachers quiet a classroom when they're underresourced. It benefits big tech by turning kindergarteners into lifelong consumers. It benefits administration with easy
data points. But why in the hell does my six-year-old need a Gmail address to learn how to read? I asked Superintendent Bing and the board, "What if we offered a onetoone device opt out for students who learn better with pencil and paper? We could gather new data from these outliers who
thrive the oldfashioned way." Many have asked my six-year-old son the question, "What is your favorite subject in school?" His response is always one word, Chromebook. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next up, we have Lindley Schaefer.
>> Hello, my name is Lindley Schaefer and I am resident of Maplewood. I have two children in the district. My daughter Fiona, who will be graduating from Tuscan Elementary School next week, wanted to be here tonight. Sorry
to read her letter, but she felt too nervous. Um, so I told her I'd speak on her behalf with her consent as what I'm sharing is deeply personal and vulnerable to share publicly. Fiona will be starting middle school at
MMS this fall in the IEP program. I also have a son graduating from MMS who will be attending CHS. Fiona struggles with school avoidance. And I want to be careful how I say this because it's so often misunderstood. Fiona has PDA, pathological demand
avoidance. It's a profile of autism that means her nervous system experiences demands even ordinary ones as a threat. This is not a child who won't go to school. This is a child who cannot. Her nervous system
experiences demands, even ordinary ones, as a threat. Her nervous system makes it genuinely physically painful. This year, she missed a significant amount of school. As a mother, I can tell you that watching your child suffer. This type of anxiety, the kind
of collapse in self-esteem, is heartbreaking in a way that is very hard to put into words. Our class is often the thing that gets her there. It's where she feels capable and seen and like herself. And Miss DeFino, the new beloved art teacher at Tuscan who's not retained for
next year, was very instrumental in this. Art should not depend on which school you attend or how many teachers survive the budget. It's not a privilege. It's a right. When you cut these positions, you're cutting off access to safe people for the kids who need it most. the different learners,
the anxious kids, the one whom a single class can mean the difference between a really bad day and a really good day. These have real life implications for families like mine. >> Thank you. >> Next, we have Olivia Welsh.
Can we deleted? Can we like >> my writing deleted? Can we rearrange the order of people? >> That's fine. We'll we'll call you later. Okay. Thank you. >> Yep. >> All right. Next we have uh uh Freya
Balmer. >> Good evening. I'm Freya Balmer, a CHS parent, Chis Mipa board member, a co-organizer of Beatfest. You saw our letter this morning. Superintendent Bing, and Mr. Sanchez replied quickly, so thank you. I've seen tonight's budget
slides, so let me be clear. We're not asking you to spend a dollar. Just the opposite. We support the Freshman Academy. The drops in failures, suspensions, and hip incidents are real, and nothing we're asking would undo
them. You just put music technology on the screen as one of the district's five career pathways. Future ready, handson, and I agree completely. But the same program you are showcasing tonight has been closed to 9th graders. By the
district's own numbers, entry enrollment has fallen from the high 60s to 31 and sections are dropping from seven toward three because enrollment is too low to run them. So, we're building a career pathway while closing its front door.
The district is declining to run music tax sections for lack of students while barring the freshmen who would fill them. Our request costs nothing. Let interested ninth graders take the open seats in music technology 1 and intro to music theory next year without
displacing a single upperassman. Where a section wouldn't otherwise run, freshmen are how it runs. And a true pathway should be reachable by every student, not only those who can afford private lessons to teach AP theory. On a night when every line is under pressure, this
is the rare fix that costs nothing, protects something you've already paid for, and just puts the students on the front page. Let's make that pathway real. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next, we have Angela Matusk.
Hello. Hi. Um, I'm Angela Matusk from Maplewood. I'm the mom of Z Hunt, who you heard from earlier. Um, I want to just take a moment to name check a few of the incredible teachers that have shaped Z's success immensely. We have Miss Chilus, the middle school music
teacher who basically saved our kid during the pandemic. Dr. Candace Stewart, who goes above and beyond to teach that art history is world history. And Mrs. Peloki Z's wonderful AP studio art teacher without whom our kid would not have had the portfolio that got them
into the most competitive BFA programs in the country. But now I want to speak to you as a professional. I work in brand marketing and the entertainment industry and frequently hire and mentor young creatives. I know when the board of education is faced with making tough decisions, you consider what skills the
students need to be successful in this world. I can say with certainty that thinking creatively and being able to express yourself through the arts, whether that's performance, visual, or music, has never been more crucial to success or our society. 61% of Gen Z
value the arts as the most important part of school. And 83% say that creative creativity positively affects their mood and mental health. Um, through my work, I've had the opportunity to talk to some of the most successful artists that have come
through our time, especially those here in Soma. And one of them is globally renowned artist Kiki Smith, who asked me to share this statement with you. I know for myself and many other artists, she writes, "Having had the support and the resources and equipment in public schools were fundamental to us becoming
artists. Most importantly, when studying arts in school, one discovers the potential powerful internal landscape of self-impression expression. The arts are fundamental to creative thinking which is fundamental to culture. Students learn when they are
part of continuous world history and find community close at hand and a connection to the greater world. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next, we have Shawn Cooper. Hello, I'm Dr. Sean Cooper from South Orange. Uh, thank you for your efforts
to make the budget tenable. It uh obviously isn't easy. Uh, I have two current CHS students and one CHS alum and uh, music technology and Miss Vite have been important parts of their educational experience. Uh the alum is
studying music at the collegiate level and the rising senior is uh sure to follow suit. Um the culture that Miss Vite has fostered is very palpable. When you attend any of these events, Beatfest, the clubs, etc. I see it
growing exponentially each year. The energy is is palpable and um her work and music technology being offered freshman year has been an important u part of my kids experience. So, please bear that in mind as you make your decisions. Thank you so much. Thank you,
Sean. >> Next, we have Stephanie. >> Oh, sorry. Next. Stephanie Ben Svena. Am I Please correct me. >> Ben Sheena. >> Close. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Not the first time, by the way.
>> Um, good evening. My name is Stephanie Bencha. I'm a South Orange resident and I've been a Seth Biden parent for seven years and will be continue to be one for another five. I'm here in reference to the district's announcement that some district administrators will be a reassigned to better match them with
their strengths. As can be imagined with this announcement came a lot of speculation. And I'm here to ask for more details on these reassignments, specifically the rumor that Miss Shannon Glander, Seth Bdon's principal, will be replaced by the current MMS principal or
possibly the Tuscan principal. If this is a real possibility, I wonder how this is a match of strengths and how this can benefit Seth Bdon. If the goal is to relocate admins who are not a good fit elsewhere, moving them simply pumps the problem to our school.
I hope you all have had the privilege of walking the halls of Seth Bdon and witnessing the culture of respect and kindness that defines our school. Seth Bdon has a unique soul and unique needs, and Miss Glander is central to the support and the magic delivered to our
students, staff, and families every day. If the district intends to reassign Miss Glander, I request a formal explanation as to why this is the best move for the district, our school, and Miss Glander. Our principal has consistently shown up
for our children. Why risk that stability for administrators who may lack an elementary background or pro a proven track record of success in in without a proven track record of success in this environment. Thank you so much
and I look forward to hearing from you. >> Thank you. >> Next we have Verna Hulcom. >> Hi, I'm Vera Hulcom. I live in South Orange. A few months ago, I came wondering what questions we ask to ensure the staff who are supposed to be
protecting our children are actually protecting the ones who need it. Tonight, I come wondering similar things. Our middle school families were told that they could enroll their children in the advanced math courses, but they would have to amend their
child's IEP to remove the in-class resource support for math. Not because the accommodation is no longer necessary for a free and appropriate public education, but because there would no longer be ICR sections for those
classes. That's not how the law works. What questions are we asking to ensure we are properly and legally supporting our students? There are also rumors, as we just heard, about principles being redistributed
throughout the district. Seth Bdon's principal, Glander, who has made amazing progress at Seth Bdon, is one of those rumors. What questions are we asking to ensure that one person's need for additional training and support, does
not destabilize an entire body of students, including both of the district's elementary age uh emotional regulation classes. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next we have Ben D Basowitz.
Good evening. My name is Ben Doitz and I am a resident of Maplewood, a parent of a kindergartener at Seth Bdon, and the parent of a future public prek student. I'm here to reiterate safety and facility maintenance concerns at Seth Bdon that have been raised repeatedly throughout this year with leadership in
the district. Two weeks ago, I shared many of these concerns with you in an email that was co-signed by more than 60 members of the Seth Bdon community and urged this board to take action. Seth Bdon, led by the incredible Miss Glander, is home to an incredible community as well. Unfortunately, there are many facility issues and safety
concerns. The playground is not being properly maintained. One small but serious example is a missing bolt that secures a rope bridge to the structure that has been missing since last summer and for the entire school year. A short list of other exterior issues. Hole in
the roof around around holes in the roof around around the auditorium. Paint is peeling from the building. Poison ivy covers the ground. And the school buses and bike buss which had 145 riders last week ride through very large potholes in their way to to school.
We are still without specific dates when a gymnasium would be available at the school after delays in initiating repairs in the upper gym. These conditions did not occur overnight, and I highlight the safety concern of not replacing a missing bolt on a playground rope bridge for a year for a reason. I
struggle to understand how there can be justification, including budget concerns, for not making sure that the playground in an elementary school is as safe as possible as quickly as possible. In my limited time, I'll reiterate one change that I believe that you should consider that would help improve transparency. The board should receive
and present the community with regular reporting on maintenance metrics by school, including the number of work orders completed, the number currently pending, and the age of outstanding work orders. This data would help identify where maintenance is deferred and where delays lead to more costly repairs,
better informing the hard budget decisions and discussions that we need to have incl uh around facility and staffing investments. Thank you for your time and attention. >> Thank you very much. Next we have Anna Dunar. >> Good evening. My name is Anna Dunar and
I'm the parent of a seventh grader at MMS and a fourth grader at Seth Bdon. I'm here tonight because I want to speak about something that cannot be measured by test scores, budgets, or spreadsheets. The heart of a school community. Having been involved, having been an involved parent at Seth Bdon for
the past eight years, I'm here to say that our principal, Mrs. Glander, is the heart of Seth Bdon, I've spent my fair share of time in the office for a variety of PTA things and have witnessed a lot. I am constantly blown away by the level at which Miss Glander knows our students. Not some students, not many
students, but every student. She knows every student's name and most of their parents' names. And in a school filled with children from diverse backgrounds and with diverse needs, she has created something extraordinary. A place where children feel seen, valued, and safe. She has been the stability and the
consistency that a building needs to flourish. As parents, we entrust our children to this building every day. We want them to learn, of course, but even more fundamentally, we want them to be known. We want them to be encouraged, and we want them to feel like they belong. Our principal has made this
happen. She is kind, attentive, and genuinely invested in our students success. She listens to them. She seeks their input. She teaches them that leadership is not about power, but about service. She models empathy, kindness, and respect every day, hoping to shape not only strong students, but strong
human beings. Her impacts extend far beyond the classroom walls. Under her leadership, our school has embraced innovative and meaningful programs that enrich our children's lives. Our governor's award-winning stepping artist residency program has given students opportunities to build confidence, teamwork, and cultural appreciation. Our
school became a pioneer in composting and has cultivated a vibrant garden culture and teaches environmental stewardship and responsibility. These programs did not happen by accident. They happened because she had the vision, determination, and collaboration skills to make them happen. Her partnership with the PTA is unmatched.
Just as importantly, she has built an invi uh she has built sorry, she has built an amazing partnership with our assistant principal, Mrs. Davenport. Together, they complement each other's strengths and create a leadership team that is collaborative, respons responsive, and deeply committed to our
students. Strong schools depend on strong leadership, and our school is fortunate to have exactly that. She is present and approachable. She advocates for our children. She understands the unique challenges our students face because she takes the time to know them. I have more to gush about her, but I
will say good night. >> Feel free to email us. Thank you very much. >> Next, we have Amy Bizuchi. >> My class is first. Good evening. I'm Amy Basuchi. I'm a 29-year veteran teacher, um, a science
teacher, and have spent the last 16 years in this district. I'm also a parent. When I began teaching AP Bio at Columbia High School, there was only one section with 15 students. Through intentional efforts and increase um to
increase access and remove barriers, next year, we're going to offer five sections of AP Biology. I'm proud that students from a wide range of backgrounds and academic abilities are now finding success in my challenging course and others across the
board. My concern tonight is that under the new Bell schedule, all AP science courses will lose 36 instructional periods. Let me be clear, the science department does support the rotating schedule. The issue is the significant
loss of instructional time in courses that already have extensive curricula in rigorous laboratory requirements. The district has encouraged more and more students to enroll in AP science. But how do we continue to serve those
students effectively when we have less time to complete the curriculum and offer the individualized support many students need to succeed? It is exactly that individualized support that I offer to students in class and conference that
sustains their success. The district already removed labs from nonAP science courses a few years ago. Taking away AP labs now may look equal on paper, but it's a huge disservice to our students.
I worry that we will be forced to prioritize coverage over learning. Science education is not a script that gets delivered. Real learning happens through inquiry, experimentation, discussion, and reflection that teachers carefully curate and execute with our
students. Without adequate time, we will be pushed toward teaching to a test and assigning more work outside of class. That is not equitable. The science faculty stands united in seeking solutions. Please work with us to find a
solution that preserves engaging science instruction and ensures that all students continue to receive the rigorous opportunities our community expects, our country needs, and our students deserve. Thank you. >> Thank you.
>> Next, we have Jane Conrad. Is Jane still here? >> Oh, good. Okay, we'll circle back to Jane if she comes back around. Next, we have Jessica Miller. Is Jess still here? Okay, we may have her online in a
minute. Next, we have Maggie Tui. All right. Am I on? I'm on. Thank you. I'm Maggie Tui. I'm from Maplewood, a 31-year resident of Maplewood and a kindergarten teacher at Seth Bdon. Some of you actually were in
my classroom this year during Look Force. So anyway, um I didn't intend to speak tonight, but as I heard more conversations of moving principles, I felt like I needed to come and speak. And so I'm speaking now um from the
heart and from something that I know a whole lot about. I've been in connected to Seth Bordon Elementary School for 20 years. I began working in the garden in the year 2000 when it just was beginning with Marilyn Davenport. Uh in 2005 my
oldest daughter started at Seth Bdon and all four of my children went to Seth Bdon Maplewood Middle and uh Columbia High School. I've been a volunteer. I was then the garden teacher for many, many years and then fortunately I
started as a kindergarten teacher inside the building three years ago. Um I can easily say that I've been in that building every week for 20 years and I have seen a lot. Um I
I'm extremely um sorry I could say without hesitation that Shannon Glander is um the strongest principal that school has had. I've been there for five administrators. She uh she understands the community.
She has built trust with families and with students and with teachers. She has c created an inclusive, joyful, strong learning community. She understands child development and she understands and she knows what children need to learn and feel good in their learning.
Seth Bdon needed this. It needed it desperately when she came and she built it. This school that is grow this school is growing strong smart children who feel seen by her and supported by her to switch this administration would be
harmful to her and to the teachers and to the families in the community. You're talking about stability. You you spoke about stability, Mr. Bing, and um this is a case where she has created the stability and the environment and we
need to keep her there. Thank you. Thank you. Next we have Ash Hendon. Uh hello. Um my name is Ash Henden. I live in Maplewood and South Orange and I go to Maplewood Middle School. Um, first
I would just like to state that I am confused when my school seems to claim that they prioritize our students well-being over smaller things such as I don't know whether someone stands up during lunch
at their table. But when me, my friends, and other LGBTQ kids are being bullied for who they are at the school, being called slurs, all that really seems to happen is a forced apology and a call home. Everything is blamed on poor education
when that is not the issue. The issue is homophobia and intolerance. I don't know what to believe whether my school I don't know what to believe should I believe what my school claims
to do or what their actions state. Secondly, I um it's beginning to be more and more difficult to discern what qualifies as
bullying versus a mean or um infavorable action because some things that seem very important and large issues to me feel like they're being treated as a misunderstanding or a
small bicker. Whereas small issues feel like they're being treated as preposterous, something that no one should ever do to another human being. I don't know anymore and I want to know how my school can change this. These are
all genuine questions. My email is stated on the form. Uh thank you. >> Thanks Ash. Next we have Christy Frank. Do we have Christy Frank? No. All right. Uh Olivia Welch.
>> Uh hello. My name is Olivia Welch. Um I'm a graduating senior at CHS. I'm here because I'm deeply concerned about the future of arts education in our district. Whether or not you say you are trying to tear down the arts program, while courses may remain on the
schedule, us students are losing an education with teachers who are equipped to teach the classes that they are being told to teach. Offering our education in school is not about students getting a brain break, even though that's how it seems to be being treated. It is an
absolute necessity for students to have access to proper arts education. At the beginning of my sophomore year, I developed a severe anxiety disorder. Going to school every day felt like a living nightmare. I missed so much school that if it had happened any later
in my school career, I honestly do not know if I would be graduating next week. Uh, I used every single resource that the school made available to me. I met regularly with the social work intern. I got a 504 plan. My teachers, my counselors, everybody knew what was going on and they did what they could to
personally support me. But none of those changed the fact that simply walking into the school building triggered debilitating panic attacks day after day until I got home. Then during the second semester of that year, I started taking ceramics too with a teacher who knew
what she was teaching and who was dedicated to sharing her passion with me and the rest of her students. Suddenly, there was one period in my day where I felt like I could breathe. For 50 minutes, the anxiety was gone. I don't know exactly why or where it went, but I know that that class was the only
resource that the school could have ever given me that would truly help me survive what what I was going through at the time. It truly became one of the only reasons I was even motivated to go to school. And I genuinely do not believe, like I said before, that I
would be graduating on Wednesday if I didn't have the art classes throughout my time in this district. And I know that many other students feel this way. As we know, it is impossible to know what students are carrying with them when they walk into school every morning. Art gives students an outlet
when words fail and it gives them confidence when they feel incapable. It gives them a space where they feel like they can conceive be themselves. I am begging you to remember that art is not an extra. It
should be a top priority and for many students it is a lifeline. Thank you. >> Thank you, Olivia. That concludes our in-person public speaks. We do have, I believe, three individuals left possibly online. Uh do
we have I signed up. I don't have >> I signed up as well. >> Oh, do we have another sheet out there? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> All right. Thank you. I apologize for that. >> All right. Next, uh, Izzy Sandival. >> Hello. Hi. My name is Izzy Sandaval and
I am about to graduate at Columbia High School. I'm from Maplewood. Um, I want to start with saying that I am the president of music studio club, the club at CHS that runs be best, the biggest music event of the year. I am a soontobe college freshman at Bard College,
minoring in sound engineering. I have been more I have been in more than half a dozen bands throughout high school with an EP coming out soon with my band, performed at Beatfest all four year years and organized Beatf Best three years. And absolutely none of this would have been possible without my exposure
to music technology freshman year. Like, and I cannot be more genuine when saying this, most if not all members of music studio club are exposed to the club through music tech freshman year. And it is just so vital
for us to be able to take that class, especially when we're, you know, trying to figure out what we like or not. For me in particular, music tech was a place where I could, like Olivia said, express myself without the need for words and is going to be now a part of what I hope to
be my career. Um, next I want to talk about some of the contradictory policies um, within music tech. We have just moved into a bigger room with more space, more computers for our students, which is wonderful. But now with the restriction for freshmen to be able to
take this class, it doesn't really make any sense why we need would need more equipment if our size is to be restricted and therefore lowered. And it is also contradictory for to have a Grammy nominated music teacher to be teaching non-m music classes. Like are
are we serious right now? And just I I cannot stress enough how important these now to be seven semesters of classes that you can take have been to me and have been to many people in this community. And to restrict freshmen to
take this class is to restrict so many more people like me and so many more careers to have been built. And it would be a tragedy for future students to not have some of the rights to the incredible opportunities that I have been presented with the music tech program.
Thank you. Uh, Alexis Francois. >> Hi, I'm Alexis Francois. I'm a South Orange resident and a parent at SMS. I wasn't planning on speaking tonight, but so I'm going to read the email that I already sent to Mr. Bing on Monday. Um,
I'm here today to um discuss the uh rumors regarding the principal positions throughout the district being reassigned. While I understand that staffing decisions are complex and made with the district's broader needs in mind, I wanted to share my strong support for Mr. Mason and his continued
leadership at South Mountain. There's a significant contingent of parents who believe that Mr. Mason has been an exceptional principal and has helped create a school environment where students feel safe, supported, and able to thrive. At a time when many districts and even some elementaryaries within our own districts have grappled with
challenges relating to bullying, racism, and anti-semitism, and student behavior, SMS has benefited from Mr. Mason's proactive and thoughtful leadership. Mr. Raisin has consistently addressed concerns before they escalate, setting clear expectations for student conduct,
and fostering a culture of respect, accountability, and inclusion. He's been proactive in nipping undesirable behaviors in the bud and cultivating community where students can grow, learn, and feel safe. As parents, we greatly appreciate his visibility, responsiveness, and commitment to
maintaining a positive school culture. While no school is without challenges, many of us feel fortunate that SMS is not experiencing the same level of angst and concern that parents in some other elementary schools in our district have expressed. We believe much of that stability is due to the leadership Mr.
Mason has provided. For that reason, the prospect of losing a principal who is succeeding in his role is deeply concerning. When something is working well, continuity matters. Removing a trusted and effective leader from a thriving school community would be devastating for many students and
families and staff members. Similar to other parents here this evening, I'm concerned that rather than addressing deficiencies at other schools were moving them to a new home. SMS is the largest elementary school with nearly 600 students in two campuses, which is a
large responsibility to manage. Mr. Mason knows each student and each family. He walks the campus each morning and greets us daily. I respectively respectfully urge a district to concern to consider the tremendous value Mr. Mason brings to SM and the strong
support he enjoys among parents. We hope that we he will be given the opportunity to continue his important work that he started seven years ago, I think maybe eight, and to build upon a positive culture he's helped create. >> Thank you. >> Thanks. Um,
hi. My name is Sun Jackson. I'm a junior at Columbia High School and I'm extremely passionate about the arts here at Columbia. I actually just got here from an a capella concert. So, while being a tour guide for upcoming freshman last week, I found myself sp I found myself spending most of my time talking about my passion, music. I showed the
kids our music rooms along with the many murals on the wall and discussed our musical classes in the clubs I have personally been a part of. While talking, I could see the eagerness of the students and I found it ironic that I was discussing our artistic amenities while they were actively being pushed away. These teachers that I praise were getting budget cuts or getting laid off
and our artistic classes were getting cut. It made me wonder, what is CHS without art? The alumni we consistently brag about, Siza, Lauren Hill, only exist because we have fostered that love of art in the past. I myself am a privileged artist with access to music technology and art supplies at home. But
some of the most creative people I know do not have the same access and cannot thrive without what our school has to offer. Recently, one of my friends came to me sobbing about how her guidance counselor said she suddenly had to choose between two art classes that happened to meet at the same time. It wasn't until we talked to one of the art
teachers at Colombia who told us no one really knows the schedule yet that we realized she didn't actually have to choose between those two classes. It was just one of many instances of guidance and administration making it look like our students aren't naturally artistic that we chose this. My teacher, my friend later reached out again and her guidance counselor said she was right.
The classes actually didn't meet at the same time. I guess my point is most of us are naturally artistic and we always will be. When I think about my school, I don't think about STEM or sports regardless of how great we are in those fields. I think about our incredible musical performances, emotional plays, the cheers and love felt at special
dance performances, the emotion felt in Guildcript magazines, and the vibrational heartbeat of the murals on the walls. I think about the teachers Columbia High School doesn't deserve right now, such as Miss Ve, who has left a musical legacy behind here at Columbia through BeatFest, music tech classes, music studio club, music industry club,
etc., and has suddenly heard that music tech might no longer be available for freshmen and has to now teach a class that has nothing to do with her specialty, music. In a time of political tyranny, when books are being cut, free speech is being silenced, and our neighbors are being taken away by ICE, our artistic freedom is one of the only
things we have left. Please don't take that away, too. Thank you. >> Thank you, son. We will now be moving to online public speaks is Alicia Humphre. Okay. Uh, next, Max Kravitz. >> Maxwell Kravitz.
>> Hello. >> Um, >> hi Max. we can hear you. >> I'm okay. Uh I'm Max Kravitz, CHS class of 23, member of the Maplewood Arts Council, uh and founder of Beatfest at the High School. I'm here today to enthusiastically voice my support for
the music technology program at the high school in the arts department broadly. Uh last month, I had the pleasure of attending the fourth annual Beef Fest. Uh I and it was a wonderful night seeing two town's next generation of performing artists and reconnecting with all of the
alumni. Um and I want to thank Matteo Martinez for highlighting the original intention of the fest providing performance opportunities to those who are not served by the district in uh orchestra, chorus and band. Um, I just have a couple of things that I want to
bring up today. And one of those is I want to thank the superintendent Bing in the I recall that when I was like currently when I not currently when I was in the district, there was a sense of that leadership was very nearsighted. And while I am not as in touch as I once
was with what is happening, um, his stewardship from afar has been a breath of fresh air. Um, just again some things to highlight. Emily Vite Grammy nominated um and she runs the only musical or Beatfest is the only music
festival run by students in the state. It is essent it is incredibly important that we retain talent in the district. Um I recall as a student it was deeply upsetting when teachers such as Greg Tuttle, Joshua Eny left the district when they felt that they weren't being
respected. Um, assigning teachers courses outside of their subject. They were hired to teach can be upsetting to them. I have two family members, an aunt and my father, who were who were and are public school teachers who were on the receiving end of this and it just leads
to more prep work. It makes them busy and it makes them less enthusiastic about their work and students suffer. And I understand and I think everybody watching virtually or in the room understand that things have to be done to balance this budget. Um I was cons
deeply concerned. I didn't know about the projections but I ask that please keep the music technology program in mind while you're putting together the budget for the next two three four years. And yeah thank you.
>> Thank you Max. Uh, next we have Jessica Miller. Good evening. Um, I was a math and science student who wanted to go to art school. I attended a high school who only valued traditional academic subjects or music. I felt so unsupported
when my high school counselor told me, "We recommend for students to go to community college for a year to build an art portfolio." I was fortunate enough to have parents who could fund art classes outside of school. I sought a school district for my kids that would support whatever whatever path they
chose. One that one that doesn't lump arts together and treat them as fluff. one that gives freedom and exposure to explore new fields without being hammered about career readiness. From the moment we moved here, we have a few
traditions. Always attend the CHS musical and whenever we're in CHS, visit the art gallery. I know that there are budget constraints and that we need to be having difficult conversations, but I don't actually feel as though those conversations are being had with
district parents and students, but rather simply being handed to us. I didn't know that when certain courses or elite programs were being added that we were sacrificing art instruction. I didn't know that we would be riffing our award-winning AP art teacher. I'm not
confident that the downstream effects of limiting middle school and freshman offerings are being fully considered. As the mom of two kids in the district, I feel like much of the war wonderful programming we look forward to is falling away before my kids even get
there. I work in a creative field, and while AI can reassort all of the thoughts and creations that brilliant minds have put out into the universe, it will only continue to recycle the same thought pool without new material. Our students and school districts should
know that the world is already sick and tired of the lifeless AI slop offered up up to us on the regular. The skills of authentic expression are what we should be honing. That's what art teaches. I pushed my freshman to choose his single
elective with very limited choices wisely as I wanted him on a track to be able to take more visual art. Not because he'll be an artist, but because the skill set to express oneself visually is an important component to so many fields, but also creative
expression is essential for being a successful human being. Giving our students the room and skills to dream as they plan their lives should be our goal. Thank you. >> Thank you, Jessica. That concludes our public speaks for this evening. Uh and we are now going to
turn to the action portion of our meeting. Uh we have two different resolutions uh on the agenda for review tonight. Uh resolution 4983 uh in two portions approving uh summer
employment and summer curriculum writing for summer 2026. and resolution 4984 approving a uh the corrective action plan that was required as part of our most recent uh audit and b a resolution
rejecting uh the bids received for par profofessional services. Uh so we're going to move on those two resolutions first as a consent agenda. Do I have a motion? Board member Callahan. Do I have a second? Board member Bennett. Uh any
discussion on these items? Okay. Hearing none. Uh, Mr. A, would you please call the role? >> Board member Bennett. >> Yes. >> Board member Brown. >> Yes. >> Board member Callahan, >> yes.
>> Board member Higgins, >> yes. >> Board member Capita, >> yes. >> Board member Meyer, >> yes. >> Board member Nar, >> yes. Board member Sacket Gable.
Uh board member Stefen. >> Yes. >> All right. Motion passes unanimously. Uh next we're going to take up resolution 4985. Uh this is a resolution affirming the South Orange and Maplewood School District's commitment to LGBTQIA plus
inclusion and recognizing June as Pride Month uh 2026. Do I have a motion? Board member Callahan. Do I have a second? Board member Bennett. uh discussion. I'd like to ask first uh I I had uh first uh Vice President Callahan read the last
resolution. What if we could have second vice president Naar uh read our Pride Month resolution into the record tonight? >> Sure. Thank you. And I'm honored. Um whereas Pride Month celebrated in June commemorates the 1969 Stonewall
uprising, a pivotal moment in the gay liberation movement. The uprising occurred after a police raid on the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, sparking six days of protests. The first Pride march was held on June 28, 1970, the one-year anniversary of the
uprising. And whereas the South Orange Maplewood School District is home to a diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, interex, and asexual, LGBTQ, AAI plus community along with allies whose contributions enrich schools and
strengthen our district. And the district remains committed to supporting dignity, equity, visibility, and belonging for all members of the community. And whereas the board recognizes that LGBTQAI students are entitled to equal education opportunity,
freedom from discrim discrimination, and access to school environments in which they are treated consistently with their affirmed identity in accordance with New Jersey law and further recognizes that LGBTQAI plus students, families, and staff may hold multiple identities and
experiences including race, ethnicity, disability, language, religion, and socioeconomic status requiring ongoing attention to belonging and inclusion across our school community. And whereas despite advances towards the equitable
treatment of LGBTQAI plus individuals, many continue to experience discrimination and bias, particularly transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive individuals, making it essential for schools and communities to demonstrate continued commitment to
inclusion, respect, and support. And whereas the board recognizes its ongoing responsibility under New Jersey law, including the anti-bullying Bill of Rights Act, to maintain safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments free from discrimination, harassment,
intimidation, and bullying. And now therefore, it be resolved that the South Orange Maplewood Board of Education hereby recognizes June 2026 as Pride Month and celebrates contributions, resilience, and diversity of the LGBTQAI
plus students, families, staff, and community members. And it be further resolved that the board reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that all students have access to learning environments that are safe, welcoming, inclusive, and free from discrimination, including the
continued implementation of board policy 5756 and related district policies that affirm the rights of transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive students to be treated with dignity and respect in accordance with New Jersey law. And it be further resolved that the
district will continue to enforce anti-discrimination policies, support LGBTQAI plus students through studentled affinity groups, professional development for staff, and visible affirmations of support. ensure that LGBTQAI plus identities, histories, and
contributions are accurately reflected in curriculum, school libraries, and the classroom learning and experiences in accordance with New Jerseys LGBTQ plus inclusive curriculum law, and work collaboratively with LGBTQI plus
community members on shared goals related to education, equity, inclusion, and visibility. And it be further resolved that the board encourages all members of the school community to continue fostering a culture of dignity, respect, understanding, belonging, equity, and inclusion throughout the
year. >> Thank you. Do we have any further comments or discussion on this item? All right. Hearing none, Mr. Akin, would you please call the role? >> Yes. Board member Bennett? >> Yes. >> Board member Brown?
>> Yes. >> Board member Callahan? Yes. >> Board member Higgins. >> Yes. >> Board member Kapadia. >> Yes. >> Board member Mayor. >> Yes. >> Board member Nyar. >> Yes. >> And board member Stefan.
>> Yes. >> Motion passes unanimously. Uh that concludes the action portion of our meeting. Uh we are now going to move into executive session to discuss the superintendent uh evaluation. We will be
uh adjourning immediately after that point. So this will be the end of the public portion of the meeting for the night. Uh no formal action will be taken in executive session. Uh do I have a motion? Board member Stefan. Do I have a second? Whereia? All in favor? Show of hands. It
is unanimous. All right, folks. Uh that concludes the public portion of our meeting at 9:42 p.m. Have a good night.