I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you.
>> Okay. And uh welcome to the South River Board of Education regular meeting of March 23rd, 2026. And in compliance with the Open Public Meeting Act, chapter 231, laws of 1975
as revised by chapter 72, laws of 2025 of the state of New Jersey. Adequate notice of this meeting of the South River Board of Education was provided in the following manner. On March 9th, 2026, the notice was delivered to the
office of the South River Burough Clerk and posted at the Board of Education Administration building. On March 9th, 2026, the notice was posted on the district's website, sriverj.org, org and delivered to the Department of
State. Notice has also been provided that as of March 1st, 2026, all future meeting advertisements are posted on the district's website, sriver riverj.org, and are no longer advertised in physical
or online newspapers. Mr. Rosa, would you please call the role? >> Mr. Basa, here. >> Mr. Butudson, >> here. Mrs. Bush >> Mrs. Bush has been excused. >> Mrs. Lao >> here. >> Mr. Nielson >> Mr. Nielsen has been excused.
>> Mr. Hudaway here. >> Mrs. Saddowski >> here. >> Mrs. Youngo >> here. >> Mrs. Orbanic >> here. >> Shiza Hussein >> here. >> Okay. Thank you very much. We will move into our meeting. And the first item on
the agenda, we do have minutes. Mr. Rosa, >> nothing. >> Okay. So, board members, we have the regular meeting minutes of February 26, 2026. What is your pleasure on these minutes?
>> Move the minutes in accordance with the board. >> We have a motion by Mrs. La. >> Second. >> We have a second by Mrs. Saddowski. There are no questions. All in favor? >> I. >> Thank you.
Our next item are the use of facilities. Mr. Rosa, >> no items. >> Thank you. Board members, what is your pleasure on the use of facilities? >> The use of facilities according to board.
>> We have a motion by Mr. Bezac. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Second by Mrs. Saddowski. All in favor? >> The use of facilities is approved. Uh, at this time we're going to turn to Mrs. Le for our financial report. >> Thank you. Be it resolved that the board
of education hereby certifies that it is in receipt of the financial report which indicates that no major account has been overexpended and that sufficient funds are available to meet the district's financial obligations for the remainder of the fiscal year. The finance committee recommends that the reports of
the board secretary and the treasur of school monies from January 2026 be approved. And I We have a motion by Mrs. L. >> Second. >> We have a second by Mr. Buden. All in favor? >> Thank you. The financial report is
approved. At this time, the meeting is turned over to our superintendent of schools, Dr. Zer. >> Yes. Thank you, Mrs. Manic. Um, two items uh under my agenda this evening. 3.2 is the approval of a confirmed PIP
uh for the board's review and action tonight. And then in my superintendence report, um the most critical item on our agenda this evening is um the tentative approval of the preliminary budget um
for school year 2627, which will be submitted to the county after your action this evening. The budget that was developed is highly focused and addressing the academic and extracurricular needs of our students. Uh this year we did receive some
additional state aid. um and some additional prek aid. These were not um significant increases in comparison to the additional funding that we need for salaries, healthc care costs, and just a regular operating budget. Um but we did
balance a budget that does not reduce any staffing or any major student programs. Um so we are submitting of course a balanced budget to the county. Um which was reviewed by our finance committee as well. Uh the public hearing
uh for this 26 27th school year budget will be on April 30th and um our budget presentation will be posted on our district website the following day. At that presentation, I will be going into detail about um the budget itself, uh
the new programs and opportunities that we're able to introduce for the upcoming school year, as well as what the tax impact will be for our community members. Um, also on my report this evening, just reminding parents that um, we do have a calendar update. We are
using those builtin snow days this year, so please be mindful of that. Um, student attendance, we do ask parents and we we know the spring is coming, which brings with it um, allergy season and and so on. Um but we do ask parents
to really be mindful of student attendance. Um and if attendance is being impacted for um as a result of illness, allergies and so on, please consult with our school nurses who can provide parents some guidance, some support in keeping our kids healthy and
in school. Um we do ask parents for assistance in getting the children to school every single day. uh absences do contribute to chronic absenteeism numbers which also contribute to our overall district data um and performance
data. So we ask parents to please work with us to get your kids here to school. They have valuable things to learn and we want them to have every opportunity to do so. Uh warmer weather is upon us. Maybe not exactly tonight. Um, but in general, uh, we've been seeing some
warmer weather and with it really comes the use of our school grounds. I do want to remind the community that our playgrounds are locked after school hours. We've had some previous incidents unfortunately of vandalism and we do need to preserve that equipment. So,
these areas are monitored via camera footage as well. They are fenced. They are secured. Um and their main use is um for the school day and um and school activities. Our turf field is also for district use only at this time. We do
need to preserve the condition and lifespan of that field. Um we did invest greatly in in getting that field um placed uh where it is and we cannot open it to the community right now for use. the current the the field is currently
used um it's for softball, it's for baseball, for soccer. We use it every day for elementary school recess where we have hundreds of children using that field on a daily basis. We also use it for uh middle school and elementary school PE. So that field is getting a
lot of use and as a result of that we do fence it um and we do have to preserve it so that we can continue to use it for as long as we can to meet the needs of of the school children. Campus cleanliness. We've been asked by some residents to please remind our
students and families to just keep um the area uh on our school campus and also the surrounding streets clear and clean. We do have garbage cans all throughout our campus. We've added several garbage cans as well. So, please
let's work together and keep those grounds clean. And electric bikes. Um, New Jersey did recently enact new regulations governing the use of electric bicycles and under that law, ebikes are treated similarly to
motorized bicycles uh requiring uh riders to be at least 15 years of age, have a driver's license to drive those uh bikes and um and have the proper credentials to do so. So with that
expectation and with the fact that that will begin um to be enforced July of um 2026, we do expect that no student uh in our elementary or middle school will be using an electric bike um because really
if it's for 15y olds um it's really for our high school students uh and so on. So that's what we expect to see in the next coming school year. So, we just really want to say thank you to our families for working with us to ensure our campus is clean, safe, and it's
ready for our children every single day. And so, concludes my report. >> Thank you, Dr. Zer. >> Thank you. We will now move on to our first open public session for the reception of visitors. At this time, the
public may address agenda items only. There will be a section uh and a time later on in the meeting for the public to address any concerns they have for the board event. But for this session, this is so that the public may address
agenda items only. State your name and address and please keep your comments to a threeinut time limit. And this is on first call and on second call and on third call. Seeing none for the
public, we will now move on to our committee reports for athletics and extracurricular. Mr. Buzzen, >> there's nothing on the agenda, please. >> And could you also continue with our
buildings and grounds? Also, there is no pending on the agenda for this month. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh over to our finance chair, Mrs. Le. >> Thank you. I would like to read um 8.1 at this point uh for the tentative
budget. So 8.1 approved revised tentative 2026 2027 budget for submission to the executive county superintendent. Be it resolved and the finance committee upon recommendation of the superintendent recommends that the tentative 2026 2027 budget be approved
for submission to the executive county superintendent for approval in accordance with NJSA 18A 7F-5 and 18A 7F-6 and ISO.
>> Thank you. We have a motion by Mrs. L. Is there a second on that? Second by Mr. Bezac. >> Are there any questions? >> Would you please call the role? >> Mr. Bezac. Yes, >> sib. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Laauo. >> Yes,
>> Mr. Woodway. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Saddowski. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Youngo. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Urban. >> Yes. >> Pass. >> Thank you, Mrs. Glow. Would you please continue with your financial report? >> Yes. Thank you so much. So, a quick
summary of everything in finance. Uh, the agenda includes discussions and approvals of financial, grant, and service related items. Multiple contracts were considered for technology, nursing, mental health services, staffing, and student experiences. And in there was also some
facility and equipment upgrades that were being addressed. So, the finance committee after reviewing all items on this month's agenda and upon recommendation of the superintendent recommends approval of items 8.2 through 8.19 with additional items 8.20 through 8.28
28 on the agenda as listed, including routine members. >> Okay, thank you. Any questions on any of the finance committee items? Seeing none, would you please continue with the instruction committee? >> Yes,
coach does. Uh I have a small summary from Dr. Trasana's report. So, he reported out that the high school juniors participated in the New Jersey GPA, which is a graduation uh requirement assessment. And across the district, teacher leaders analyzed student performance data using linking,
allowing for targeted instructional adjustments and collaborative discussions on strengths and areas of growth. Uh PD focused on integrating artificial intelligence into classroom instructional planning with continued training uh plans to support
multilingual learners. And the district is also preparing for major community events including the South Afric service, the curriculum fair, the art show, and the wellness fair showcasing student achievements and programs at their
instruction committee after reviewing all items on this month's agenda and upon recommendation of the superintendent recommends approval of the items 9.1 through 9.5. Five with no additional items on the agenda as listed including routine items and that's all I
have. >> Thank you Mrs. Low. There are no items under negotiations on Mr. Anoway our policy and legislation chair. >> There are no items on the agenda for this month. >> Okay. Thank you sir. Mr. Bzac or human resources.
>> Thank you Mr. Mayor. The human resources committee after reviewing all items on this month's agenda and upon recommendation the superintendent recommends approval of the items 12.1 and 12.7 with additional item 12.8 on the agenda as listed including routine
items. >> Thank you for our safety and risk management committee. Mrs. Sowski. >> Thank you. Safety and risk management committee after reviewing all items on this month's agenda and upon recommendation of the superintendent
recommends approval of item 13.1 with no additional items on the agenda as listed including the team items. Thank you. >> Thank you. And our residency chair is Mr. Cha. >> Thank you. The residency committee after reviewing all items on this month's
agenda and upon recommendation of the superintendent recommends approval of the item 14.1 with no additional items on the agenda as listed including routine items. >> Thank you. Uh at this time we are going to approve these items under a consent
resolution. If there are no further questions I just want to ask are there any abstensions or any items that need to be read separate? >> Yes, Mr. Yes, sir. >> I will be abstaining on finance item 8.18 and human resources item 1.3.
Yes. >> Okay. Does anybody want anyone of these to be read separate? Seeing none, is there a motion on the consent resolution? >> Motion to move the consent resolution. >> Motion by Mr. Bezac. Is there a second?
>> Second. >> Second by Miss Young. All in favor? >> I. >> The motion passes. Thank you. >> At this time, we are going to continue with our meeting and we are going to um
hear from our PTA leaison, Mrs. Saddowski. >> Thank you. I do have a couple of updates at for the primary and ELC. PTAs, they are hosting book fairs. Um at the ELC, it'll be March 30th to April second. Primary book fair will be April 27th and
May 1st. There is also planning for funday and a teacher appreciation week coming up. And this Thursday, March 26th, they are hosting McTeer night at the McDonald's. That's on Racetrack Road. Um and I believe 15% of the sales
do go back to PTA. some music. Um, for elementary school PTA, they have a ongoing popcorn shop fundraiser that will end on March 31st. And again, planning for funday is ongoing and your
books are also on sale for all schools. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. And our public library liaison is on, Mr. Goodson. >> Spring book sale is April 20th through 23rd. And the walking club continues Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday at 1:00 p.m. Monday is gentle and yoga. April 2nd is adults craft night. April 9th is the mindful breathing exercises. That's all I have. Thank you. And now,
if we can hear from our student board representative, Miss Husan. >> Thank you. Um, I just wanted to say that I'm really excited now for all the fun school activities we're having coming up in the spring like the NHS induction, all these little school fairs at the elementary and primary school lab. And I
just want to say thank you so much again for doing so much for our public school district. I'm so excited and just so grateful for you guys again for making school honestly be so much fun. Something I look forward to every day. >> That's it. >> Well, thank you. If it weren't for you being here, we would not be here. So,
thank you. Okay, thank you. Is there any old or new business to come before the board at this time? I have a new business item. Um, I did want to say thank you to the BMR. Um, they came over to our preschool
program and they taught the children how to make dessert and um the kids practice being a chef. It coincides with one of their units about um that's in the curriculum about food um selecting
healthy food, making food. Um it was just very nice uh for BMR to come out, spend time with our kids um and be able to do such a nice interactive activity. >> When was that? >> That was just last week, a week and a half ago.
>> Nice. Very nice. >> Okay. Any other older new business for the board? >> Yes. I just want to thank the uh superintendent Johnny and every and the whole entire team put together the 2026 2027 budget. I know a lot of hard work goes into that and it was a job very
well. >> Thank you. At this time, um Mrs. Le, payment of bills. The finance committee recommends that all bills presented having been certified by the school business administrator ordered and secretary be
paid as listed and ISO. >> We have a motion by Mrs. L. >> Second. Second by Mrs. Saddowski. Any questions on the bill list? All in favor? >> I. >> Thank you. Pay the bills. And now at this time we are once again going to
open up the meeting for the reception of visitors where the public may address any concern or comment they have for the board. Please come forward, state your name and address and please keep your comments to a 3minut time limit on first
call and on second call and on third call. Seeing no public, we will now u commence with the journment of our meeting. Is there a motion?
>> Motion by Mr. Basak to adjourn. Is there a second? Second. >> Second by Mr. Buden. All in favor? This meeting is adjourned. Thank you.