Good evening. I would like to call this meeting to order. May I have a roll call, please? Miss Capiello, present. Mr. Cohan, here. Mrs. Kaki, here. Mrs. Faria, here. Mr. McDow, present. Mrs. Ben, here. Mr.
here. Miss Santana, Mrs. Scott here. Tonight we have some special guests that will be leading us in the flag salute from Miss Brownspire's class. Our lovely prek students. Um board, please stand up
and guess. Good evening. Please rise and join us in the pledge of allegiance. Wait, hold up. Stop. I'm gonna say right hand up, hand salute. After I say salute, we do it all together. Okay. Okay. All right. Here we
go. Mr. Always. Okay. Good evening. Please join us in the pledge of allegiance. Right hand up. Hand on our heart. Salute. To the flag of the United States of
America and to the for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
[Applause] Miss Brunmeer, um please tell them that we are so grateful that they did that for us. I know that you do that every year. Um but to tonight is um especially important for because this is our first meeting in our new Township of Union
Library and um I couldn't I don't think that there's any better way than to um do the flag salute than here tonight like with the students. So, thank you. Board member Miss Faria, would you
please read the mission statement? The mission of the Township of Union Public Schools is to build on the foundations of honesty, excellence, integrity, strong family and community partnerships. We promote a supportive learning environment where every student is
challenged, inspired, empowered and respected as diverse learners. Through cultivation of students intellectual curiosity, skills and knowledge, our students can achieve academically and socially and contribute as responsible and productive citizens of our global
community. Thank you so much, Miss Furia. Miss please read the open public meetings act statement. Good evening. In accordance with the provision of the New Jersey Open Public
Meeting Act, the Township of Union Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be published by having the date, time, and place there of published in the Star Ledger and Union County local sources. posted in the administrative building of 2369 Mars
Avenue in Union, New Jersey, filed with the township clerk, then mailed to all persons, if any, who had requested said notice. The board of education offers members of the public an opportunity to address issues regarding items on the agenda or on any issue. Individuals need
to identify themselves by name and address. Public comments are limited to three minutes. Issues raised by members of the public may or may not be responded to by the board. All comments will be considered and a response will be forthcoming if and when appropriate.
The board ask all members of the public to be courteous and mindful of other rights of other individuals when speaking. Comments regarding students and employees of the board will not be responded to by the board. Thank you so much, Miss The board
will now go into executive session to discuss personnel and legal issues and action will be taken. May I have a motion to move into executive session? So moved. Second. Well, thank you. I'm trying to figure out who moved it first, Mr. Cohan
or um Mr. Cohan. And is there a second? Second. Miss Mani discussion. This motion has been properly moved by Mr. Cohan and seconded by Miss Mani. Can I have a roll call, please? Miss
Capiello. Mr. Cohan. Yes. Mrs. K Mackey. Mrs. Fia. Yes. Mr. McDow. Yes. Mrs. Beni. Yes. Mr. Nasa. Yes. Mrs. Scott. Yes. Miss Carbonel. Yes, thank Thank you.
[Music] S good evening everyone. May I have a motion to move back into
public regular meeting? So moved. Second. This motion has been properly moved by Miss Scott Hayden and seconded by Miss Faria. Can I have a roll call, please? Miss Capio. Mr. Cohan. Yes. Mrs. Maki. Yes. Mrs.
Mr. McDow. Yes. Mrs. Mr. NASA. Yes. Mrs. Yes, Miss Carbonel. Yes. May I have a motion to approve the following minutes? So move. Second. Second.
Roll call, please. Miss Capiello. Mr. Cohan. Yes. On May 13th, abstain on May 20th. Mrs. Mackey. Yes. Mrs.
abstain on May 13th. Yes. For May 20th, Mr. McDow. Yes, Mrs. Mr. NASA. Yes, Mrs. Yes. Yes. Good evening, everyone. I would like to
take a moment to thank you for being here tonight. As we begin the public comment portion of this meeting, I want to remind everyone that we value your input and appreciate your time and effort in sharing your thoughts and concerns.
We ask that all comments be respectful and constructive as we aim to foster a productive dialogue that benefits our community and the work we are here to do. Each speaker will be given three minutes to address the board.
Please remember that while we are eager to hear your perspectives, we are unable to engage in a discussion during this portion of the meeting. However, your comments will be carefully considered by the board and if necessary followed up
on. With that said, I invite our speakers at this time president. Thank you so much. Superintendence report. So, Madam President, first we're gonna before I get into my report, we're going
to hear from our uh wonderful students. So, we look forward to hearing our jazz band. Bow tie. The bow tie big band. Here we go. [Music]
How do we do? [Music] [Music] [Music]
All [Music] [Music] right. [Laughter]
[Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Laughter] [Music]
[Music] [Applause] [Applause] How about a nice uh keep the applause going, Dr. Grener leading our bow tie big band.
[Applause] And Dr. Grener, can I just ask you one question? How long have you been working with the kids? Second year. That's awesome. Thank you so much. So, thank you. It was uh it was awesome. Uh board president, Madam President,
anything? I'm speechless, but what a perfect song. tonight because we all got to smile a little bit in light of everything that's going on. So, thank you so much. You were true professionals and exceptional. Proud to be here in
Union. Thank you again. So, next up we have Miss Hannon in the choir gonna present. We're going to do a little switch. Thank you again, everyone. Oh, I got to fix that.
Hello. Oh, hey, I'm live. All right. Thank you for your patience. U Mrs. Hannon, this is the UHS concert choir. Um I just want to introduce them really quick. We just um competed in Orlando and this is actually a small
sample of our group. We have like 50 kids in the choir. It's a pretty big group. Um but we had a great showing. They won second place with a superior rating. Um and our soloist, Grace Lano. Um what outstanding soloist
[Applause] Comeather people [Music] around you have grown and accept you'll be drenched to
[Music] If your saving or you'll sink like a stone for the time they are changing. through the land.
[Music] Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command. if you can't ache. [Music]
The line is drawn. The curse is cast. Now later [Music] the order is rapidly [Music] now. [Music]
The first one now will later be last. The first one now will later be last. They are a change. [Music] [Music] Times they are changing.
[Applause] Sam, thank you for all you do with the students every year. You keep amazing us on uh how much you do with our students
and how awesome they sound. Madam President, um I'm never at a loss for words, but that that touched the soul. Um you sounded so angelic. Um congratulations
to you and your students um and to the district. That was beautiful. And Grace, you you know that I'm a fan. I you perform at the library opening at every town actually event that we have. Um, so I see you going
far, but the rest of you I can see you going just as far because that was just beautiful. Congratulations and thank you. Thank you very much. So, Madam President, while we're switching over to the projector, I want
to invite up Esther Armadi. Where's Esther? So, every year the Rotary um does a contest. It's a essay contest that uh our students compete in. It's one of the best if those that haven't been to the
Rotary. It's one of the most exciting uh nights uh for me during the year to hear our students um you know share uh what they uh they wrote about and then to make it to the finals. Esther did win
this year. We had some uh four people uh uh that they highlighted at the Rotary dinner and uh Esther was the finalist. All of them were amazing um as they are every year. So Esther's going to share her uh um her speech. And do you want to
just share a little bit about what the Rotary asked you guys to uh create this year? Okay. Um good evening everyone. My name is Esther Amadi. Um and I'm a junior at Union High School. Uh the essay prompt this year was what was the magic of Rotary?
How do we share that in our communities and in our everyday life? So this is my speech. Bibbidity bobbidity boo. Those are the words they say to change mice into horses, pumpkins into
carriages, dreams into something you can hold. They say magic is in spells, wishing wells, wands, and magic. No, magic is what Houdini does. Being able to guess the card behind my back
disappearing in an instant. Now, that's magic. But that can't be right. Because according to my parents, magic isn't real. It's an illusion, a facade. Magic is fake.
But that also can't be right because I've seen magic. real magic. It's the lives in the quiet moments of our everyday life. It's the unexplainable spark that brings us all together.
It's the courage to show up, the strength to keep on going. It's the heart to care when no one's watching. To me, magic is connection. It's the way a kind word can rewrite someone's whole day. It's when you show up for someone
who thought no one would. It's giving. Not because you have a lot, but because someone else has less. And that that's the magic I've learned through Rotary values. Not through fantasy, but in action, compassion, compassion, in
unity. As a high school student, I live this magic every day. Through play Unified, I built deep friendships with students who remind me what this magic really looks like. It's in students like John Munos whose smile isn't just the sunshine but the sunrise itself. It's also in Adriel
who never forgets to say hi Esther in the hallways. It's a Vanessa whose quiet storm has turned into a beautiful ray of sunshine. It's inir whose quiet calm can can calm any storm. It's in Christy. It's in Ava. It's in
Vanessa. Sudan Bobby. All of them a universe of light. I see them and they see me. But not everyone can see that. That's what ROI looks like to me. Not tricks, not illusions, but relationships that remind
us love needs no explanation. I see it on the track field where someone who usually stands back decides to join in. Encouraged not by pity but by the sense of belonging. I feel it in the hospital walls where I volunteer, where I deliver water, welcome visitors,
and even answer questions. And sometimes all someone needs is a smile to show them that they matter, to feel seen. This kind of magic doesn't need to be loud to be powerful. It grows quietly in the moments that matter. This magic is
fueled by service, but it grows through collaboration. When we come together with our ideas, our hope, our time, we don't just make change, we create meaning. It's easy to think you need power to make a
difference. But sometimes all it takes is presence. Being there again and again, I've seen how service inspires others. I've hosted meetings where laughter became healing. Planned events that unified people through joy and music. I've taught dances that make
people feel bold and beautiful and proud. I've led, yes, but more importantly, I've listened. And that's where the magic live. And through that, we don't just create change. We inspire it, we sustain it, and we become it.
This magic is not something I wear. It's something I live. And I'll continue to live it as long as I have two hands, a voice, and a heart ready to serve. Thank you. Thank you, Esther. Great job, Esther. Madam President, um
you keep um providing me with the microphone, Dr. Renaquista, but I think my board members will also like to say something. Actually, um I met at the Rotary dinner and I see Mr. Armenia here and I just want to give him
a shout out because that was truly exceptional and you do it every year. you honor our students and this year we also had one of our teachers being honored there and it was you know when I listened to Grace's speech and she talks
about collaboration and just being that is really all the magic that we need and our students need to belong but our staff and our community also needs to feel the same way. So um I thank you Mr.
Armenial to you and your board for delivering a beautiful program, but also putting our students and our staff first. So, thank you to Esther. I did not write like that um at her age.
I'm totally embarrassed. Um that was beautiful and I will say that she could be she could publish something in in her future years. Um it was a moving speech and it's truly humbling because
in today's day and age in our global society and I know that you all watch the news where there's so much going on. I think we need to be reminded of our humanity and that speech from all the students on what is magic is really what
that resonated with me. So, thank you so much, Esther, to you, to Rayu, to Enetchi, and to Isabelle, which to Isabelle, I have a special mention. I'm still trying to figure out my dance. Thank you.
Um, any other board member? Thank you. So, next uh we have uh Miss Garcia and Miss Hutchinson and Dr. Rodriguez. Uh do you want to take the mic? We're going to highlight our students. Uh you could explain the bilingual.
Good evening everyone. Um, tonight we're here to honor 23 of our high school students, our seniors who have earned a very prestigious award called the New Jersey Department of Education Seal of Biiteracy. This award is granted to students who have demonstrated
proficiency in English as well as a second language. So, the state officially recognized them recognizes them as bilingual um citizens going out into the workforce and college and careers. This year we're very honored to be able to present the seal of bi literacy in
five different languages, Spanish, French, taglog, Polish, and Haitian Creole. Um, it really represents the diversity of Union and how dedicated our students are not only to um their studies in language learning, but also
in their culture because a lot of them um they're studying languages or they're working on second languages that are their home languages for a lot of their families. Um, so we really wanted to make sure that we recognize them. Um, so I'm going to hand it over to Miss
Garcia. She's going to um read aloud the names and we're going to ask our seal by literacy candidates when you hear your name please come up um and then after you get your award if you could just stand off to the side we'll take picture. Okay. Thank you.
Good evening everyone and this is a great honor for me um to honor these students for the seal of literacy. Thank you so much. So um Agnes Elena
[Applause] Oh yes. Williams Auasa. [Applause]
Okay. Awesome. [Applause] So, some of our students are not here, but we are still going to mention their names. Okay. Then we have Jason Artega,
[Applause] Arian Beet Betes, sorry, Angelavaria. [Applause] Shaina German. Germaine
Yoselene Gomez, [Applause] John Gawe, [Applause] Rayu Javante, [Applause]
Damian Kissol, Shayla Matthew, Julian Maluin, Bonia, Leo, Banzas,
Pierre, Isabella Rodriguez, Dorian St. Germaine, Steven Sanabria Melgar, Sarah Tahir Rivera, Louisa Tabone,
[Applause] Amanda Verdugo, Kanani Sorita, and that concludes our seal of biiteracy recipients.
[Applause] Louisa Tobin and then uh Miss Bosard, I know you're here. They're high school students. Come on up and get a picture as well. Madame
President, Madame Vice President, board. Congratulations. Congratulations again. Congratulations. Congratulations. Congratulations. I don't want to walk [Music]
Congratulations everyone. Um before you leave students to the students and the parents that are here tonight, I just want to say congratulations. This is a very big accomplishment and all the literature
and studies show that students that know more than one language engage in cogn cognitive flexibility. So kudos to you. I hope that these numbers increase. And Miss Garcia and Miss Bazer, thank you so much for taking on
this initiative. We're very happy. Much gracias. Yes. So, Madame President, next we have our uh as we've been doing the last I think starting in February, all our principles were presenting with the PTA uh presidents or members of the PTA and uh
our our wonderful uh uh Connecticut Farms and and Franklin are left. Uh not It's last but the best for last. Right. So, up first is Miss Drayton and Miss Estz. And uh Miss Drayton, I'll pass over to you.
Good evening to everyone, to the board, uh to Dr. Benista, to our teachers and our students that were honored and that presented this evening. You were wonderful. Thank you all for being here this evening. Um I am here um solo today
because my partner um has a little illness going on. So I'm we're going to just keep rolling on with the show though. Um I'm the principal at Connecticut um Connecticut Farms Elementary and um well something private about me is I'm a preacher. So you're
going to see that I have five points and they all start with P. That's just what we do. Uh so um so the I'm going to talk about uh some preparation some of the grants that we received uh programs the programs that
the grants came from and produced the progress with those grants and throughout the year. I'm going to highlight some things from the PTA and our PBSIS and community things that we did at Connecticut Farms this year.
go get those grants because the more money we can get, the more things we can do. Uh, so we have uh we had three teachers that went out for the educational foundation grants. Miss Patrico went for Scholastic News. Miss Corsin went for super STEM. Miss
Carheart went for super stem as well. Also a reflex frack math fluency grant. Miss Patricico, Miss Corsen, Miss Higgins, and Miss Corazin for Kids Who Plant Garden grant. We want to make sure that we're doing everything we can to
get um differentiated and diverse things into the school so the kids can learn in more ways than just through the books that come in and the curriculum that we have. We just want to add on to it the product Scholastic News and Super
STEM. This is what this looks like. The kids get this. they get to read on the back or within there are actually activities or questions that they can actually utilize. Excuse me if my back is to you um during my presentation. More programs we have a program called
Girls on the Run that a lot of the other schools want to do as well. It's something that helps the students actually young ladies uh come out of their shell be more productive be more confident in themselves. So there are a lot of things that they do and then the end of it is a 5k run which or walk
which I participated in the walking side of it which was wonderful. It was a wonderful event and it's huge across the state of New Jersey. It's called girls on the run. Uh we have art we had art club this year. So elementary we really don't have a lot of clubs that go on on
the elementary level. However um Keen University now when you have a student teacher they have a a project that they have to come with. So, we had an art teacher and we had art club with our fourth graders who are going to do an installation that will be installed on our second floor uh that did a
collaborative in installation and our book club, our librarian. We still had listen aid out of lemons, right? So, we did not have a library this year, but we we chose our our hallway to be the library and our balcony to be the library
because we have a reading initiative. We want to make sure that our our kids can read. And Miss um I'm just going to shout her name out. Miss Jackson, she made sure she made sure that we still had a book club. If we had a closet, she was in it.
And she was she just gathered around and made sure that that the show still went on because we still work on we still work with what we have. That's what we do. One of the other grants was Reflex. Reflex is a a um a math fluency program.
It helps the kids with their basic facts. It's the foundational things that they're going to need with every math that they do. Uh so when you strengthen the foundation, you can build very well and keeps testing them and keeps going through it. And that's what uh reflex
that's one of the grants that we did. They started off and let me because I can't see that. I know it's 23%. That's how they started off on their fluency and they ended up that's an 83% in the green. That was the
end result or what the result from at this point is 81.6. So, so when you give them foundations like that, they go far. Um, it's also um we can go to the next slide as well. This
is our I Ready growth report chart. Now, only one of the first um diagnostics came out for me, but the red represents diagnostic 2. The yellow represents diagnostic three, and you can see how much they've grown. We have some
students that grew one whole grade level. We have students that grew two grade levels in one year. So to be able to put all of these other things together to collaborate into what they're learning to get them what they
need this for this to be at the end of the year it's great. I put my finger rub that was a mistake but that's okay. So PTA so I'm a new principal in the in the uh in the elementary school. So it was important to get the community comfortable with the new principal. So
we had to meet the principal at the beginning of the year. Most all of the PTAs have a tricky tray which a wonderful event. We hosted a winter fest outside. It was extremely cold but extremely fun. Uh we had a ball. How many of you guys showed up? Yeah, we had
a ball. Those are all the people that were in my picture too. You're up here. So, um we had a readathon as well. Yes, they made us sing. Uh we had a readathon and it was the most successful readathon
ever. We raised over we raised $16,000 through the PTA through the readathonathon. The students had to read the books. The parents also um funded and then the end result was they got to pie a teacher and there's a lot of different things.
There's a picture of that in here too. We are our pers here today? Yes, they are. Yes, they are. Such great sports. But it it's really a great uh a great incentive for the students to be able to read. We'll do whatever. What'sap dance? Uh, get pies thrown in our faces. We
just want to make sure that our kids can read. And then the PT PTA actually also um sponsored scholarships. US a uh senior that attended CFES Connecticut Farms received God bless you received a
a scholarship this year. And in addition to that, fourth grade um essay winners. I believe we're choosing how many? Eight. That's wonderful because I I'm Yes, that's wonderful because I have to choose them and it's so hard.
So, eight of our um fourth graders will receive a um a scholarship, a small scholarship to move on to Central 5 and enjoy after they've written their essays, which are very, very good. Oh, one more.
Awesome. PBSIS in the community. And this is one of my this is part of my heart here. Um for PBSIS, three of our pillars are self-control, respect, and kindness. And every day we talk about selfres self-control, respect, kindness,
self-control, respect, kindness. And then it dawned on me after five people coming into my office, I don't know if they really know what kindness means. So let's show them what kindness means. So we began to every month after I got that
revelation, they start we started doing something in the community and showing them how to give back. What does kindness look like? How can you be kind to others? We know how we want people to be kind to us, but we don't always understand how we can actually give it out to someone else. So
we did a food drive for Connecticut Farms Church. And then I found out that we have a um a food bank in the township. Union Township has their own food bank. So, we also have food for them that they'll be picking up tomorrow. Uh, our Connecticut Farms teachers did a voluntary donation
through it all and they said, "We want to give um something to the the food bank as well." So, they did that on their own. Um, we had penny wars for pets. We gave money to a um a pet um adoption um shelter to make sure that
they um were able to um fund their um their wants. And then we have a secret teacher which is an in in-house kind uh in in-house kindness which we don't even know who we are yet. So we don't know who we are yet. This week we'll be revealing who we are to each other.
We've been just giving small gifts to each other just to encourage each other all year long. It's just something small to be kind to say you matter. I see you. You matter. Keep going. And
these are our photos. I I love the the one in the middle is the pie in the face. Those are that's Miss Weinstein and Miss Blanco sitting there getting pied. It was a wonderful event. Our book fair by the PTA. We have a safety patrol
of our fourth graders that they were able to get our little ones around. Our doors are extremely heavy, so they're able to help them around the inside of the building. Our girl girls on the run. That was the day of the run while we were still energized just before we went out and ran. And then that's a picture
of us at the Winterfest after they made us sing and uh the train ride, which was very fun. We want everyone to come out next year. Please, everyone. It doesn't matter what school you go to, come on out and party with us. We like to party.
All right. Thank you so much. Thank you, Miss Drayton. That was awesome. Board of Ed comments. straight and thank you for that. Um, I'm currently the lesson on Connecticut Farms Elementary School and I just want to say how phenomenal you are as a
leader of that school. I love the energy, the collaboration between you and the PTA. I was able to walk through the schools and just see the richness of the children floating through the school. the commitment to our students with disabilities, the wholeheartedly I know you take it home with you every
night, the commitment of the teachers and everyone associated with Connecticut Farms. We say thank you. We see you um and continue the amazing work and I hope to be a part of you guys next year. So, thank you Miss Drayton. Thank you so much for such
a great presentation and I love that you are incorporated community building working with your staff and it's a pleasure to see you all here tonight because I believe they were the recipients of a lot of the Township of Union Educational Foundation
grants. And one of the things that I took back from that day as we sat in the board office chatting it up is how much you love what you do and how much you love your children. So, it's nice to see that at the leadership level that is reflected as
well. I wish you all a phenomenal summer, restful summer, and a great school year next year. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Drayton. Again, that was awesome. And next up, I would like to uh introduce uh Dr. Kira Baskerville
Williams and her uh Miss Moore. Is Miss Moore here? She's not here. her vice principal as well as Miss Davis uh is going to help you present or all right yeah you two wanted the floor by yourself here you go Dr. basketball. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[Applause] Good evening. Uh so I am not a preacher, but I am here today and I at first first of all I want to just thank you for allowing me the time to present Franklin Elementary School. It's a school that I
hold dear to my heart. I love Franklin Elementary School. And I also want to shout out my teachers because I believe I have the best teachers in education. and my teachers show up and they show out every day. Uh, so this presentation is a video. So when I point to
Christian, that means pause the video. Okay. Okay. Okay. I'm I could do that. All right. Let's Okay.
So, this is our theme song that we play and it's about Franklin Elementary School and it encourages us to really really shine in the sort of greatness. So our Sunday system, that's a program that we implemented two years ago. That
program is a an AM program. One of the things that we noticed is that we had to improve our literacy. That became not only a passion of mine, but a passion of the school. So in um step one, we created what is called Sunday. And wait
one second, don't pause that. Yes. Okay. So the Sunday program takes place Monday through Thursday and it's 30 minutes a day and we have teachers who are committed to doing that program and that has increased our literacy.
So the other program you can keep going because I'll catch it up. So the other program that we do that you saw was beyond the bell. So that's our afterchool program that we do at Franklin and we do that twice a week and that program we focus on literacy again and also building our math fluency and
our math skills. Um what we use is we use a program called hands to mind. The hands to mind program and Moby Max program are for the math components of the afterchool program. The literacy part of the program is IMS which is institute for multiensory education.
That is something that we began a couple of years ago and it has created such enormous gains in our literacy. It is unbelievable. You can keep uh oh okay I'll keep moving. I'll keep it
going. So Oh, Lord. Okay. So, I'll I'll just keep it I'll just keep it going. So, after the uh title one program, which is our afterchool program, we also have the a math challenge program that we created.
We started that this year. The math challenge program takes place on building fluency. What we do is we call it drop everything and do math. And what we do is we go around to each of the each of the classes and we test on math fluency. And what we have found is that
we are able to get a lot of information in terms of what students know and it helps to inform what we do next. So, what we are gearing up for next year to build on our math fluency is that we will have a math bowl which will have
students competing on on their fluency. You want to try it again? Okay, you can pause for this. So, she's not doing anymore. Okay. Okay. So if you look at if you saw that
last slide, that was isme. The IMSSE program at Franklin was what I said before was a program that started a couple of years ago. What we did is that we started with a second grade class and we piloted the class to determine whether or not it was successful or not. What we found is that it was very
successful. In fact, it led the district that year in I Ready Diagnostic three scores. So what we did is we started with our second grade. We piloted one class, then we rolled it out with second grade and we trained that whole grade. The
half the latter part of that year we trained our first grade teachers and now they are completely trained. This year we trained our third grade and our kindergarten teachers. Next year we'll train our fourth grade teachers. We also trained our ESL teachers and our ICR
teachers so that everyone is all hands on deck making sure that everyone is is engaged in the literacy process. So what we found with our data this year is that our first grade uh team tied for top of the district for diagnostic 3 for I
Ready and our second led the district in in Ire diagnostic three scores. So we were very very proud and excited about that. What we are also doing is um we we are intensifying our literacy
component. We're doing things with the book club. We're using our house system to incorporate reading and literacy challenges and and writing. We're also inputting writing heavy into the curriculum utilizing a program called simplify writing to make sure that our
kids are not only reading but they're also writing in the way that we know that they need to be able to do that. The um we've also implemented a house our house system which we're so excited about our house system. The house system has the four houses and through the
house system we incorporate PBSIS through that and they have challenges. They have they have a lot of uh success parties when we look at data and when they earn the points. So that has created a a beautiful climate and culture in that building and we're
excited about that. The um when we talk about the places that we will go we are looking at bringing touch math into our tier two and tier three next year. So we've already started the training process for for our math component. Now we have our we have a solid literacy
foundation. So now we move into a math solid math foundation. So we are very excited about that. The um the other thing that we have implemented is called fit Franklin Institute of Teaching. So every Monday is volunteer. We don't make teachers come, but every Monday we we do
structured um literacy, all types of training on instruction and SEAL for teachers to strengthen the instructional practice in the building. Um, and if you look at the community things that we do with PTA, we've we've done um many
things such as the funday. We've done um ice cream socials. We've done we've done talent shows. We've done things that has um that really show the collaboration between the school and the PTA. Uh and then the final thing I'll talk about is
the um clubs. So, we do Girls on the Run as well, which I didn't do the 5K run, but I didn't do that. But um the kids really really enjoyed that. We have the garden club that the kids really really enjoy
taking part in. And we have um we have our which we're developing is is our special uh choir for next year as well that we are looking to do. But thank you for your time and I think I covered everything in that presentation.
Thank you Dr. Vasville. Um um I really appreciate you working out the kinks as we transition to this new space. Board members, yes, I think they're eager to say something. Oh, Madame Vice and then Mr. McDonald. So,
good evening. Um as the board liaison to uh Franklin School, I'm so excited to hear all the wonderful things that are happening. Um always honored to be in the building seeing some of the things that are going on when my schedule allows me to do so. um was honored to be part of your STEM fair just to see the
enthusiasm on the students faces and the parents to engage in the activities around the house system that I was so uh incredibly inspired to see during the night with the PTA and the board um getting to know one another and finding out uh what collaboration really looks like between the staff and the PTA as a
whole. Um just like the mayor was even intrigued. Um I think we was robbed out of first place. Sorry, Miss Boster, but we were um love you dearly. But um the system itself, just to see how our students um really take to it and watching the students who were competing that night at STEM, the sister and
brother team, watching them interact and answer the questions was just phenomenal. Um I'm interested to see the fit program. I heard you say it happens on Monday. Um my schedule this summer is a little bit uh free right now before you end school. So I don't know if you're going to do it this coming
Monday, but I would love to um come and see. If not, definitely next year if an invitation is open, um isme, great things happening, drop everything and do math. Um incorporating the PBSIS with the house system, phenomenal. I'm just inspired to see and um also to you, Miss
Drayton. I didn't give comments to that. I know you outside of the um educational arena, but I would like to say as a um first year elementary um principal, kudos to you. Kudos to the staff that you work. We have amazing educators across the board from certified teachers to our support staff in the township of
Union. Our students would not be who they are without them. So, thank you to them as well. Mr. McDonald. I just want to say that I am so glad that you both of you love your schools, you love your teachers, and more
importantly, you love your students. I'm I I I the program you talked about gardening. I was talking to Mrs. Boser just yesterday uh about the garden that she's doing there. So the elementary students will be able to carry that over into the high school. So I I think all
three of you and I think all our principles and vice principles are uh the right people at the right school. So keep up the good work. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much. Miss Baskerville, I just want to say
that was an amazing presentation. As an instructional leader, you have taken care to really understand the programs that are being implemented in the school. I love hands to mind because it's not also a math program. It also introduces the children into the
engineering process. um which is something that foundationally all students need to understand ma math and science. So thank you to you for that. The Sunday program I'm glad to see it working. Um as we
know and this is your big initiative Dr. Benquista working with your leadership and the staff literacy is really the throughline of everything that we do in education. So in you
really focusing on that effort, you will not only assist students in ELA but also science, social studies, math and every other content area there is. So thank you to all of you tonight and um we
really appreciate these presentations. Thank you both again. That was awesome. just to sharing a little bit. I know there's so much more you could stay up here and share more. Next, I would like to highlight our ESPs of the year. So, I'm going to call your name. Come on up. Um, Miss Watson's going to help me uh
give you a little gift. Then, we'll get a group picture together. But, um, I wrote a little something. Our educational support professionals are the heart of our schools, working behind the scenes to ensure everything runs smoothly. their dedication, care, and commitment to our students success and
well-being make a lasting impact every single day. And um this is our ESPs that were selected this year. Um the way it works is you get nominated by
your your own staff in your buildings and then uh you know we select the winner. So, Patricia Griffin, Battle Hill, if you could come up, [Applause] David Castanada Bernett,
and just stay up here. Yeah, stay up here. Mr. Watson will help me with the gifts and then we'll take a picture. Madam President, if you two and vice president and board want to start coming around. Ronnie Clark, Franklin Elementary School. [Applause]
Gracie Sersa, Hannah Caldwell, Sabrosa, Anthony Benena, Jefferson, Susanna Graca Kowami, Deja Neil Livingston, [Applause] Annie Branco, Union High School,
[Applause] I know her daughter's I think you said no baby yet but about to give birth so that's understandable. Elizabeth Alivera Washington and Connie Ordonas districtwide IT
and then we got to get together Paris or ESPs. Oh, we're going to go up on top. Nice job. I get to stand. Congratulations. Thank you for all everything you do for our children.
I think that's it. So, I'll just go through the rest. I'll go pretty quick. I know we have a long uh these board meetings are long so I'll go quick. We did start up the TUS Hall of Fame. Uh so many initiatives come from discussions at the board table and
this is another one that came out. I'm so excited to start this. November will be our first group selection. You can nominate. There's a link. Uh it'll be on this will be posted. You can nominate. Please those that know people that deserve to be considered to be recognized, please nominate. Uh uh and
it's it's the township of Union Public Schools. It could be anyone that made a lasting impression uh in anywhere in our district or community. Uh obviously our newsletters come out. Please check that out. Um there's a a prek one as well. Um
we have to report on our self assessment uh for determining our our our own grades. um our schools uh get together and and got to follow a format that state puts together and these are our scores. It's out of 7 uh8 the total
score. So don't think it's out of 100. Um but if you look at our scores, there is one I'm I'm looking into because uh the score we submitted is not the same as what uh came back to us. So there's one I have to we submitted a 73 at Battle Hill, but if you look at the
scores uh and it's just making sure you're you're doing everything that the requirements for uh the the HIB initiative. Um and we do a lot throughout our our our district. So there's all our scores. Uh again, it's not out 100. I don't want people to
think that. And there's one I have to look into as I have to do monthly. Affirm the the HIP for May 21st to June 10th. There was one founded at Union High School and then not not founded or inconclusive. Four, three at Union High School, one at Franklin. And then next
we're going to have to affirm uh or report I mean so reporting nine found it. Uh Union High School, four Bernett and Kwami two each and Franklin one inconclusive or not found it. Uh six and it was uh two at Union High School,
two at Kwami and then one at Battle Hill and Connecticut Farms. So, just a a uh we're going to be putting together um a a walkthrough of two zones at Hannah Caldwell. The building is coming along.
It's amazing. Um but I just wanted to highlight some of the the pictures. Um there's a lot of new thought on uh since we had to rebuild pretty much the whole building, we did things a little different. Uh what
you'll see is it's not two paint colors because I do worry about obviously uh the upkeep of our buildings as well. Um that's FRP. It's a a more durable material. So when the hallways are getting mopped and and waxed, what we
learned is a lot of times that water will get absorbed if it gets through the base uh rubber base molding. So we we took a different approach uh where it I believe it it will be lasting at a h much higher level. Um so we put this uh
you'll see it in hospitals in in uh you know professional arenas because where there's a lot of traffic. Um so we don't think they'll the walls will will stay up at a uh where the paint gets gets marked up and chipped. This shouldn't.
Uh this is going to be like a a an essentially what I think will be a model for how we uh uh do redo our rest of our district along the way. So as we're redoing bathrooms, you know, our we're going to have RF uh the FRP I always
want to say RFP FRP in the bathrooms again much easier to clean, much easier to keep up. Doesn't hold in the smell of sometimes you you get in a bathroom. So, we there's a whole different concept mindset to when we we're we're fixing
things around this district. Um, all new ceiling tiles, lighting. I could go on and on. I'm excited for the walkth through. The number one thing before I could put out anything on the walkth through and we're going to highlight two zones while they're still working in the rest of the building. There'll be a punch list at the end that we got to uh
get done, but the building will be open. I want to make sure everyone knows that. for the new year, for September. Uh we'll have an open house at some point when it is completely done. We'll have a brand new open house where the whole community could come and whoever wants
to, but I do want to allow parents the opportunity to walk through uh just to see all the new stuff that's going on. All new uh fire uh safety code, all had to be updated. Um uh like I said, new ceiling tiles, some of the floors had to
be redone. uh our walls instead of just insulating, we they did the spray foam insulation. The things that you wouldn't expect were done were done. I could go on and on. The ba all the bathrooms were again new plumbing fixtures. Um it it uh
all the brick work on the outside so water will not come in. Uh a lot of that brick facing was was never touched in a lot of years. Had a lot of cracks. Uh they had to pull it out. Uh you you could definitely identify it when you're going by. They matched it as best they could, but I think it looks actually
better. It's like almost like a a facade above the windows. So, um, a lot of people put a lot of, uh, thought and energy into it, and I just I I can't wait to, uh, show it off to the community. Uh, thank you to the board. Uh, we went through a difficult moment,
but in the end, I think it's going to get us ahead. Uh, and you always got to grow through through difficult times. So, that, uh, uh, is my, uh, presentation, and thank you very much. That will conclude it. Thank you, Madame President.
Madame President, can I make a couple comments? Of course. So, I I just wanted to thank Dr. Benquista for his leadership in in moving through this Hannah Caldwell rehabilitation. I had the opportunity to tour the facility a
couple of weeks back and what was most eyeopening for me was the level of need that that building had and it illustrated uh some needs that this board and this
administration will now make certain 100% certain that we will address moving forward. We're going to have a maintenance inspection schedule once we get our five-year facilities planned. We will start to take a look at buildings
and do regular upkeep, regular maintenance so that we don't end up with major problems over time. Uh and and I was most pleased with the fact that, you know, for all intents and purposes, this is going to be a new school in September. As Dr. Benquiston noted there
are a lot of new uh new systems that are being installed including a brand new HVAC system. Uh we spoke with the I spoke with the site manager uh and even though he he he indicated that even
though some of the unit ventilators were serviceable and could have been reused, they made the recommendation and we decided to replace every unit ventilator in every classroom so that they will be ready to go.
And I agree with Dr. Benquista 100% that this will provide a model for us as we start to take a look at our new building our other buildings uh as we start to reconstruct and rehabilitate those. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Mr. Kohhan. Um, first of all, I want to say thank you for being here tonight to everybody that's here. Um, first and foremost. Um, but before we continue with the the meeting,
Madame Vice and I, we want to acknowledge something that happened to in our school community to one of our community members, one of our students. Um on Saturday we went to Cammy's wake which was one of our
students and before um I addressed this in public I did ask permission from her parents um to do so. It is, you know, I I believe that there's a saying that says you should
not outlive your children and um it it is sometimes one of the hardest things that any of us as adults will ever have to experience and it is the loss of a child. So with that said, I'm going to pass the baton to Madame Vice so that we
can observe a moment of silence. On behalf of the township of Union public schools, the board and the school community, we offer our sincere condolences and we send love and light to the family of Cammy Dudik. May her memory be a blessing to all who
knew and loved her. Requesting a moment of silence. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Vice. Also, um I I believe that um I also need to give a plug to the library committee
and everyone involved from Senator Cryan to Mayor Mayor Bowser and all the township staff for this beautiful library that it is going to be the beacon of hope for our community. Um,
it was truly breathtaking on Saturday, June 7th, to see so many children, so many adults just enjoying these spaces from the Blackbox Theater to the art gallery and beautiful art by
the way. I wish I could afford it. Um, to the creative labs, to the learning labs, to the study rooms. It every detail was thought about and it
really prioritize learning and learners whether you are a student, a child or an adult. It will really really support lifelong learning for our community and we cannot be
we cannot express how grateful we are as a board of education. So thank you I Mr. Steven Lee to you and to the rest of the community leadership. Thank you. Um, and before our exceptional school professionals leave um, this space, as a
former 26 year in the city of East Orange, I just want to say first and foremost, um, thank you to the superintendent and his leadership team for even acknowledging you guys because if you don't know, behind the scenes, I'm always pushing and fighting for our ESPs. Um, making sure that you guys are
taken care of, that you have professional. You're not alone, Madam Vice. That's unique. I'm not, but I'm always at the forefront speaking to make sure that we are doing things equitably, to make sure that you are included. So, I want to say to each and every one of you, congratulations for what you do
every day for our students, for public education as a whole. But I also want to say that I saw you and now they see you. So, thank you. And last but not least, this is the last meeting of the school year, so please bear with me, but I will be remiss if I
do not give a shout out to my colleagues tonight. Um you may not believe this but um initially when we all decided to serve um we didn't really understand the full scope of our responsibility
and it is not about sitting up here once or twice a month. I mean, most of us, this past month, we've been in one or two activities every night. Um, because what we do is important because the we believe the children are important and
because we believe that the staff here in the district is important along with the lead leadership. Um, if you will permit me, I promise that I will be respectful and listen to you as you get up on that microphone, but I do
expect the same from you. Thank you. one of the most difficult things that we have to come to consideration um with and I excuse me because I am speaking to you tonight from the heart. I know that some of you
are very concerned about negotiations that is the elephant in the room but it it it does not say it does not reflect the appreciation and respect that we have for you. One of the hardest things as an educator, as NJA representation
staff that we have to do as a board is take every single stakeholder into account when we make decisions. And that is not always easy. I promise you it is not easy.
If it was up to us, we will give you the world. But we also have to consider the 17 or so percent of senior citizens that live in our community on a fixed income. The 55%
students and families on free and reduced lunch. And the parents and families that have to work two or three jobs to make ends meet. It's a delicate balance. But I promise you, and I'm sure you've heard that we have reached an
impass. I do promise you and give you my word that whenever you want us at that table to figure this out, we will be there. So, thank you. And we will be here during the summer as well.
We are willing to keep the lines of communication open so that we can make this happen because you deserve that much. And what breaks my heart is that I know I have met enough teachers here to know that many of you and staff members
do go over and above and all you want to do is get paid and go home to your families and that's what we want for you. So you tell us when and where and we will be at the table with you. Thank you.
the portion of the board meeting. And I will also be remiss to say every year on on May 19th, every district in New Jersey receives a notification that of what how much funding they will receive in the following year from the
federal government. This year we were advised to plan moderately because we might only get 70%. It is June 17th. I believe we have not heard a single word from the
federal government about the millions of funding that we would normally receive. We This is a delicate time and please understand it's not a reflection of how we feel about you. It is just there's a lot of mitigating factors that we have
to consider. Now, moving it along. May I have a motion to approve the strategic plan, mission, and vision statements? So, move. Is there a second? Second.
Any discussion, Madam President? Yes. So, I'd just like to share with with the public uh both here in in the room and watching from home that having been involved in this school district for many many years,
there may have been documents that have existed in the past that were called the strategic plan, but I have never seen as comprehensive a document as what we are about to adopt on behalf of this community. It lays out in very distinct and clear language what our targets are
over the next three years. And it's going to make it much easier for the leaders and the staff in this district to understand what our goals are, what our benchmarks are, and how we seek to to achieve these goals. And um I'm just
very gratified at at Dr. Ben with Dr. Benquista's leadership and the rest of his team in formulating this and putting it forth. Uh he told us last week that he had many voices make contributions to this. The board actually made a couple
of small tweaks last week and uh I couldn't be happier than to be able to vote in favor of this when you call the vote in a few minutes uh because I believe it's absolutely the right course for the district. Thank you so much Mr. Cohan and I do
really concur Dr. Venquista thank you so much for the presentation on the strategic plan putting education first facilities staff and overall security um at the forefront of what we will be seeing and doing in the next five years.
So thank you very much. This motion has been properly moved by Miss Scott Hayden and seconded by Miss Mani. Can I have a roll call, please? Miss Capiello. Mr. Cohan. Yes. Mrs. Kaki. Yes. Mrs. Maria. Yes. Mr. McDow. Yes. Mrs. Mani. Yes. Mr.
Nasta. Yes. Mrs. Scott Eden. Yes. Miss. Carbonel. Yes. Next, we will have the Education and Student Discipline Committee, Mi Chairs, Miss Mania, and Miss Faria, to present the resolutions that will be voted on tonight.
Good evening, everyone. I just want to highlight some of the resolutions that we're approving tonight and really to highlight the ways in which the district is really trying to go above and beyond to get additional resources for our district. So being approved tonight is
um approved Knack free virtual tutoring. This is going to be able to provide tutoring for our middle school students. It's going to be supported by Kane University students and this is at no cost to us in the district. So we're going to be able to give this information out. It's a great support system for all of our students. Um,
additionally, we had uh previously approved a grant for computer science in the total of I want to say about $46,000. The district actually went back and was able to acquire another $22,000 for a total of $62,000 in 700. That is money that we're being given to support
computer science initiatives in the district. Um, also want to talk about uh the Rackspace Foundation technology. This is to approve the acceptance of funds. This is going to allow for $35,000 to support STEM work and
work-based learning initiatives both at Union High School in Jefferson. We're one of the few schools that are receiving this money. Um, and once again, this is money that's coming not from taxpayers, not from our budget, but additional funds that we're getting that through outreach that's going to support
our students. Um, try to see what other ones Uh there's also additional applications for grants that are going to be uh put forth for additional money for our district. That is for the Department of
Justice Cops grant as well as 21st century community learning grant. And also um for those of you who have kind of the the highlight of the night really strengthening or talking about the strength of literacy in our elementary schools, for those of you who may be
aware, New Jersey has passed um a new code where it's really requiring that universal screening for early literacy. Um and so we have received the focus grant that's going to help us to administer um a a universal screener to kind of get a sense of where our students are and how we can support
them. So you'll see on tonight's agenda, it's the approval of the receiving of that those funds, but also then the programs that we're going to be using for that screening process. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Faria.
Okay. So upon recommendation of the superintendent of schools, the education student discipline committee presents the following supports consideration. E1, E1, E1A, and E13 were approved at our work session last week.
And E6, thank you. No, that's not No, that's um it was E6 was July 2019. So, we have E11 from superintend
which is for um uh reporting purposes only. E2 approve in lingua translation services. E3 approve knack re virtual t tutoring. E4 approve acceptance of additional funds expanding access computer science high
school course grants. E5 approve annual school plan 202526. E7 approve acceptance of funds Rackspace foundation technology grant. E8 approve unified physical education class for scheduling at Union High School. E9
approve affiliation agreements with Kain University. E10 accept um approve acceptance of funds for 2025 2026 approve application for grants. E12 approve HMA Amira inerson
coaching. E14 approve submission and approval of comprehensive equity plan. E15 approve NJSIA membership and DAJ membership. And I just wanted to um add that um very happy
and we're very fortunate to have Mrs. Skakuza uh for our grant writer. Many of these u grants come through her efforts. So I just wanted to give her a little shout out. Second.
Any discussion? This motion has been properly been moved by Miss Mani and seconded by Miss Faria. Can I have a roll call, please? Miss Capiello. Mr. Pan, yes. Mrs. Conte Macki,
yes. Mrs. Faria, yes. Mr. McDow, yes. Mrs. Beni, yes. Mr. Nasta, yes. Mrs. Scott Heden, yes. M. Yes. Next, we will have the fiscal and planning committee chair, Miss Cohan. Mr. Cohan, I
apologize. I apologize. And Mr. McDow, to present the resolutions that will be voted on tonight. Thank you, Madam President. Um so in addition to the standard motions that we offer every month regarding the
uh treasures secretar's report and certifying those reports uh and appropriation transfers, state contracts and and so on. Uh we we do have a couple of resolutions that I'd like to
highlight. Uh specifically F-15A, F-15B, and F15 C. Each of those uh motions are to approve the transfer of funds into reserve accounts. And you'll note the capital reserve account uh
authorizes an amount not to exceed $5 million. The maintenance reserve authorizes an amount not to exceed $1 million and the emergency reserve is an amount not to exceed $100,000. And while
that does in fact add up to $6,100,000, we don't have those funds right now. So these are uh statutoily required resolutions that the board adopts in order to establish these funds. In the event that we do get supplementary uh appropriations in the state budget that
will be adopted over the next couple of weeks hopefully uh then we will have some resources available to put into those funds. But at at the moment, we are uh not able to fund anywhere near those maximum amounts. And you know, I'd
like to note that we take our our fiscal responsibility very seriously to ensure that we deal with the capital needs of the district as we learn a tough lesson this year with Hannah Caldwell. We need to make sure we do have reserves in the
event that there's other emergencies moving forward. Uh we need to have a reserve for the maintenance account. so that as our our staff identifies things that are in need of repair, we have the funds to be able to do them on an emergent basis. And we never know
whether we're going to have any kind of an emergency. A district this size with all of the facilities that we have and all of the um personnel there just any number of unknown factors that could present themselves to the
administration and the board. We want to be responsible in a position to be able to meet those needs as they emerge. With that, I'll defer to Mr. McDow to go through the resolutions. Thank you, Mr. Cohen. Thank you, Madam President.
The fiscal and planning committee presents the following resolutions. I'm sorry. Uh, upon the recommendation of the superintendent, the fiscal and planning committee presents the following resolutions for the board's consideration. And I think that uh Mr. Cohan has done
an excellent job going over uh the meat here. Uh so I would madame president uh wish to uh p uh uh make this resolution in bulk from uh not including F7,
F9A, uh and F19. Those were already voted on last week. uh in our NF30 possibly. I'm sorry. Uh
yes, F30. So, with the exception of those four resolutions, I'd like to move F1 through F30. No, I'm sorry. F31 31. Second
discussion. This motion has been properly moved by Mr. McDow and seconded by Mr. Cohan. Can I have a roll call, please? Miss Capiello. Mr. Cohan. Yes. Mrs. Conte Mackey. Yes. Mrs. Faria? Yes. Mr. McDow?
Yes. Mrs. Mani? Yes. Mr. Nasta? Yes. Mrs. Scott Eden? Yes. Ms. Carbonel? Yes. Madam President, I would just like to say that uh FATty is forformational purposes only and uh a vote is not required. Thank you so much, Mr.
McDonald noted. Next, we will have the legal committee chair, Miss Antana and Mr. Cohan, to present the following resolutions that will be voted on tonight. Thank you, Madam President. Upon the recommendation of the superintendent, the legal committee presents the
following resolution for the board's consideration. L1 approve a settlement agreement and release uh between MW and LW on behalf of MW versus the board of education. Thank you so much. Um is there a second?
Second. Mr. Nasta, any discussion? This motion has been properly moved by Mr. Cohan and seconded by Mr. Nasta. Can I have a roll call, please? Miss Capiello. Mr. Cohan? Yes. Mrs. Conte
Macki? Yes. Mrs. Faria? Yes. Mr. McDow? Yes. Mrs. Beni? Yes. Mr. Nasta? Yes. Mrs. Scott Hayden? Yes. Miss Carbonel? Yes. Next, we will have the operations and
technology committee chair chairs, Mr. Nasta and Miss Conte Mackey, to present the resolutions that will be voted upon tonight. Madam President, just a few words. Of course, Greg Nasta and I chair the operations committee and I would be
remiss not to express the concerns that we have in terms of funding for our district. As we know, we haven't received word from the state or the federal government if we're going to get additional funding. I am deeply concerned because our buildings are aging, which houses all of our staff and
our students and community at large. As we sit here, we go to each operation meeting with Miss McKenzie, facilities, security, IT, and now transportation. And we listen to the challenges that we face with our buildings, with our roofs, with the infrastructures. If anything,
we haven't learned with Hannah Caldwell is that our buildings do exhibit problems with them that each of you respectfully work in and that our children are all a part of on a day-to-day basis. During this summer, I continue to advocate and we all must advocate as a community in terms of
getting the resources and funding needed for these buildings because all of the educators in your you work in these buildings and you make a way around it with what we have. But we have to have a deep commitment and we have to think that the cost of it when we budget and
look at the budget and the constraints operations is not where we would like it to be and it's always a challenge for Greg and I to hear what the money is allocated for our operational cost as we look at our transportation. Those of us who have our support and know the buses,
they're aging and with that we need to get resources and funding to build that up which cost with our technology. I don't think we put enough emphasis on the fact that technology is just not about a Chromebook. It's also about the cyber security and protecting your data and also enhancing our district to the
21st and 22nd century so that we have adequate technology in place for our students. When we talk about security, we all hear the stories. We all see and we all pray and hope that we're never in that place. And I'm confident and have
wholehearted confidence in the team members that we have keeping our students safe. But funding is needed to enhance that across the board. So when we're all talking, there's a need across the district in multiple layers. Please, please, please keep in mind that the
operations of our district is extremely important and should also be considered when we're having the conversations about the greater good of our community. And I'll defer over to my co-chair, Greg Nasta. Thank you, Miss Con.
Thank you. Upon recommendation of the superintendent of the schools, the operations and technology committee presents the following resolutions for the board's consideration. 01, approve security drill bus evacuation reports.
O2, approve disposal of equipment districtwide. 03 approve rental fee schedule. 04 approve to renew award or permit to expire. 05
05 approve request from Township of Union Department of Public Safety. 06 approve agreement with Living World Church. And then T1, approve recycling of equipment. T approve items to be added
to the list of equipment. Did you say did you mention T2? Yes, I did. All right. I apologize. And that's all we have. Thank Thank you so much. Is Is there a second? Second. Any discussion?
This motion has been properly moved by Mr. Nasta and seconded by Miss Conte Mackey. Can I have a roll call, please? Miss Capiello. Mr. Cohan? Yes. Mrs. Conte Mackey? Yes. Mrs. Faria? Yes. Mr. McDow? Yes. Mrs. Beni? Yes. Mr. Masta?
Yes. Mrs. Scott Hayden? Yes. Miss Carbanell? Yes. Next, we will have the personnel committee chairs, Miss Scott Hayden and Miss Santana, to present the following resolutions that will be voted on tonight. Good evening. The personnel committee
met on June 10th. Um the focus of the meeting was to discuss open positions, personnel matters, legal um obligations, um provide updates on where we were and hope to become the 202526 school year regarding staffing and programming. We
will continue to focus on hiring and attracting the most talented educators to have in our district and before our students. We know that the commitment to our students, staff, and community remain our focus and a priority. We want to wish our retirees a happy and healthy
retirement. Um we appreciate what you have done for our students here in the township of Union. Um, also we know that we have a lot of challenges before us as we look to um implement new programs and bring in staff. But I will be remiss if I didn't say um that we must be doing
something right here in Union. I was in a place um in a meeting and my mother called me and said, you know, um some I met a young lady who you trained um in another district and she's applying for a position in union and she's so excited. She spoke to se several educators here and what she got was the
um collaboration and just the camaraderie that exists here in Union and she was so excited to have the opportunity to even interview in our town. So I can say we are doing something right and to my educators um that's a that's a um tribute to you as
well because that's who she highlighted the people who and she is yes she is actually being approved tonight and excited to be part of the township of union. So we welcome her. Um and with that um upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools, the personnel
committee presents the following resolution for the board's consideration. And without objection, madam president, I would like to move them and block. Thank you. So that would be P1A all the way to P13.
Thank you. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? The motion has been properly moved by Miss Scott Hayden and seconded by Miss Mani. Can I have a roll call, please? Miss Capiello. Mr. Cohan. Yes. Mrs.
Conte Macki. Yes. Mrs. Maria. Yes. Mr. McDow. Yes. Mrs. Mani. Yes. Mr. Nasta. Yes. Mrs. Scott Heden. Yes. Miss Carbonel. Yes. Next, we will have the policy committee chair chairs, Miss
Mania and Miss Faria to present the following resolutions that will be voted on tonight. Thank you, Madam President. Sure. So, policy one u was approved on June 10th. So, upon recommendation of
superintendent schools, the policy committee presents the following policies um for the board's considerations. Final reading and adoption. Policy 3212, attendance for teaching staff and policy 2A uh policy attendance for support
staff. Regulation 1 3212 for teaching staff and regulation two which is for uh regulation 4212 attendance for support staff. Second
discussion. So I just wanted to if you don't mind Madame President um of course for the regulations there there have been um there was a little update and it's just really outlines the attendance data uh reporting and
improvement plan counseling um recording the steps in recording attendance um there's definition of the the terms used for absences and the procedures to be followed for staff members with chronic and excess excessive absences.
So, that was all outlined in the new uh regulations. We're both they're exactly the same for teaching and um support staff. Thank you. And I I want to for for the public that doesn't understand why attendance is so important, not just
staff attendance, but student attendance. Um Dr. Vanquista, can you tell them a little bit about a I believe is um daily averages, attendance daily averages, and how that's reflected in our school performance reports. So, um
the state uh is now uh making schools that have 10% or higher in in student absences to fill out a a plan of how you're going to impact that. We had to do it for nine of our 10 schools this year. Uh so we'll reflect on the data at
the end of this school year and you have to create it every year as long as you're at 10% or higher. So obviously attendance in all fashions facets make a difference. If our students are absent x number of days and our staff is absent
and it doesn't coincide. it could possibly be where a child doesn't get uh because we know when when the teacher is not present, the child's not getting the same education obviously. Um so we need we need to work on everyone being here
and and making sure that uh we're providing the opportunities for our students to to grow uh not fall behind. But yes, it's a new requirement. It's in part of CUSAC. So we you have to have them uh approved by the board the plans uh and it'll be annually and it it's
also part of our annual school progress report right as a district. Um but more importantly than than accountability um we know that when children are not here they're not learning um at least the foundational
knowledge that they need to be successful. So that is one of the areas that we are going to really prioritize for next school year. Correct. Yes. Yes. Thank you. Um this motion has
been properly moved by Miss Mani and seconded by Miss Faria. Can I have a roll call, please? Miss Capiello. Mr. Cohan. Yes. Mrs. Conte Mackey. Yes. Mrs. Faria. Yes. Mr. McDow. Yes. Mrs. Yes.
Mr. Nasta. Yes, Mrs. Scott Hayden. Yes, Miss Carbonel. Yes. Moving it along, we will have the residency committee chairs, Miss Mani and Miss Faria to present the following non- voting resolutions. Okay. So, um these are just
forformational purposes only. So, upon recommendation of super superintendent of schools, the residency committee presents the following resolution for the board's consideration. So for the uh information we have um eight students removed and uh 21 students u removed
voluntarily transferred voluntarily. Thank you so much Miss Mani. May I have a motion to approve the bills list? So move. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? This motion has been properly moved by
Miss Scott Hayden and seconded by Mr. Nasta. Can I have a roll call, please? Miss Capiello. Mr. Cohan. Yes. Mrs. Conte Mackey. Yes. Mrs. Maria. Yes. Mr. McDow. Yes. Mrs. Beni. Yes. Mr. Nasta. Yes. Mrs. Scott Hayden. Yes. Miss.
Carbonel. Yes. Unfinished business. Mr. Cohan. So, I'm not sure whether this is unfinished business or new business, but you you referenced the opening of this building uh earlier, and I'd just like to make a couple of comments. Um I
agree that walking around on Saturday, June 7th, and looking at the smiling faces was very gratifying. As a former member of the library board of trustees and the president for quite some time of that board, I remember the old library
facility and how we fought years ago to try to get the uh the capital necessary to maintain and to improve that building. And um I left the board and the governing body in its wisdom decided to find capital to build this
magnificent facility. And um I couldn't be happier. I couldn't believe the the smiling faces because there was just such joy throughout the building. But I want to just highlight one other thing that I think is kind of cool. And that is I wonder how many members of the
community know how comprehensive the services are of this building. They have something called the library of things where you can go and borrow appliances, garden tools, and god knows what else. I
asked if they had a catalog and um the staff member at the desk said we do, but it's being updated and revised, so we don't have it available yet. So, I look forward to getting a look at that document once it's completed. And then finally, I'd like to make some comments
about this theater. I can see in the audience that there are several people who knew Douglas Michael Krueger. And when his mother asked me to do his eulogy, it was the most difficult thing I ever had to do in my life.
I've said said this over the weekend at the dedication that this is not hyperbole. He might have been the finest human being I ever met because he was so well-rounded, so bright, so talented, so handsome and
so kind. And I told a story to people who had never met Doug that I think perfectly encapsulates who he was as a person. The last night I saw him alive was Christmas night four days before he
passed. We were at our neighbor's house across the street, his aunt and uncle's home, sitting around the table playing cards, and Doug was playing along with all of us, and he lost his money. And he said, "All right, well, I'm going to go out with my friends now." and he
got up and he walked around the table and he gave a hug and a kiss to all of the women, my mother-in-law, my wife, and his aunt sitting around the table and off he went. 15 minutes later, he came back. He said,
"Mr. Cohan, I forgot to say good night to you." And he stuck his hand out and shook my hand. Wow. That's who Duck Krueger was, and I will never forget him. So, on a more positive note, to change the subject, I had the absolute delight
to attend the Hannah Caldwell kindergarten promotion ceremony this morning. And it was such a joy to watch those children cross the bridge to first grade. And the the you know just like any
school and any group of kids the differences among their personalities and their their reaction to the to the experience. Some kids walked across the bridge as fast as they could and wanted to get back to their seat. Some kids weren't quite sure what was
going on. And then there were others that wanted to ham it up. There was one kid that stood at the top of the bridge and went like this. Another one went like this. Some gave the heart symbol. Uh it was just a real real joy. And I
want to just I've always believed from my time uh as an educator and visiting schools that kindergarten teachers are the most special people in our district because they have to do a lot. Yes, they are.
PreK teachers too, I assume. Uh but I want to just uh compliment the the teaching staff that worked with those children today. They performed for us and then they had their their promotion ceremony and it was an absolute delight. It made my day. Thank
you, Madam President. Thank you so much, Mr. Cohan. Um any other unfinished business, new business? Well, I I do want to give a shout out back again to the Rotary
Club and the beautiful evening that we share with the students and staff. And if you will permit me, I had her name uh Dr. Benista, the teacher's name that was honored. Sandy Manga Manga
Mangorella. Thank you so much. It's been a long night. Um, when I met this lady, um, you could tell that she was special even in what she wore, dynamic. And, um, I I want to give her a shout
out tonight because there were four students honored from our district. And when they went to say thank you, in addition to their parents, they thanked her. That said a lot to me about that teacher. Um, so
then she proceeded to get up there and say her speech and and I often um as a student I I I was a difficult student and it was those four or five teachers that really saved me. I like to look at educators and say do I want to
be in that teacher's class and she was definitely that teacher that I would have loved being to be in her class. So congratulations to her. Um, and thank you to the Rotary Club for honoring her. Um, in addition to that, I want to give
a shout out to the Township of Union Education Foundation. Thank you, Miss Livstein. Some of the guests that we have here tonight did receive um the grant from the foundation to purchase um the
Scholastic Science and STEM magazines for their classrooms. and um at a time where resources are limited, it is organizations such as that that help complement what we do as a district. So, thank you, Miss
Lipstein. It was a pleasure to meet you, Joanne, Barbara, Kathy, Mike, who um are all have all retired from education and now continue serving and giving. And
last but not least, I want to give a shout out to the Bernett Middle School graduates. We attended their graduation last night and many of them received awards for different academic accomplishments and attendance. And I would be remiss if I didn't give
Mr. Clark a shout out for perfect attendance. So, thank you, Mr. Clark. And that's all for me. Now we will go to comments from the public. Good evening, Miss Christine Zurka. And
please let me know if I mispronounce your name. I try to be very respectful about that. Good evening. Good evening. I am here for the third time to urge the board to give us a raise.
I am very disappointed that it seems we are not valued enough as township employees to get a livable wage. Lately, I can see the low morale at my school
because we are overworked and underpaid. It is very sad that we cannot reach a mutually beneficial agreement. This is a very stressful situation for the employees. So, please consider
returning to the table and negotiate in good faith. Thank you. Thank you so much, Miss Zurka. [Applause] Thank you.
Mr. Pet Peter Leon. Leone or Leon? Leone. Leone. No, no. I want to get it right. Thank you. Good evening. Good evening. Uh, Peter Leone, KMS Grade 8 social studies
teacher, UTA 6 to8 at large representative. There are over 850 dedicated, hard-working, loyal staff members employed by this district. Dedicated staff who work tire tirelessly
with the students of our district to provide an excellent education, a positive experience, and a love for learning. A staff who goes above and beyond providing help after school, before school. staff who attends
sporting events, art shows, school musicals, winter concerts, spring concerts, all on their own time. Earlier tonight, everybody here witnessed firsthand. If it wasn't for the dedication of the staff members, that
beautiful those beautiful performances would not have happened. Even tonight, we saw an example of educational growth with the gains in I Ready scores. Throughout the school year at various board of ed meetings and other meetings,
I have repeatedly heard from board of ed members how union has the best teachers. As a veteran teacher, I agree. I couldn't agree more. We do have the best staff. We have staff that has been loyal to
stay in this district for their entire career. And for many of us, it's over 25 years. Some of us are pushing 30. I won't say who. Staff members that have stayed here for so long because they enjoy teaching in this
district. the many things that our district has to offer that when I talk to people from other towns, they wish they could be here for the diversity, for the programs, for what this town offers. They've been here for so long that they
teach entire families of children. As a matter of fact, one board member told me, "I cannot retire until her kids come through Kami." Hopefully, that's sooner. I'm only kidding. All right. Why do we do this? because we care.
We do this because we want the best for our students. I grew up in this town and I remember as a young kid, I saw a sign that said, "What helps youth helps students?" as like a 10-year-old kid. I didn't know what that meant. I was like, "Okay, whatever." As I'm riding my bike through
town. As a young adult working for the recreation department, I saw the playgrounds open up for our students to have a safe place to play. As a teacher, I understand the gravity of what that means.
After all, what better way to help youth than by hiring and maintaining the key word being maintaining excellent teachers. And how do you do this? You compensate them fairly and equitably for their time. Excuse me. Your time has
expired. Okay. No light. I asked. We're going to purchase one. Actually, there's some more. Thank you so much, Mr. Leone. Miss Lynn Cornakia. Oh, I got it right. Oh, thank you. Was
stressing about that one. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening, Dr. Benista, Madame President, and distinguished board members. Tonight, we honored our ESPs for the school of the year. Those of us who work with the ESPs see the dedication and
nurturing that they provide for the students that they assist and it shows in the jobs that they performed. Now, in 2023, I was honored as the county USC USP of the year and this is my award. And I bring it here tonight to show you
that this award means the world to me because it means that I was noticed and I am recognized. And those of those of you who know me know the dedication and commitment that I have for my students and the town. Just come by Livingston School every morning and you'll see me
dancing as I open up the car doors. I love that. Uh the assistant superintendent saw me. However, I will say that I am disappointed by the lack of willingness to come to an agreement for our
contract. How can you honor us and not make a reasonable offer? How do I tell my colleagues not to look for another place of employment but to stay here? Now, mind you, we didn't come here to work for the money. We came here because
of our love for the students. But we do expect the board that we voted on to show us their same respect and come up with a contract that is equitable to the job that we do. Thank you very much. Thank you so much, Lynn. And
your words are felt and heard loud and clear. I wish I could provide you with more detail, but when in negotiations, we have to maintain confidentiality. So, please understand where we're coming
from with that. Miss Jeff, Virginia Jeff. Excuse me. I do believe there are other people that are I'm sorry. Miss Jeff, are you speaking to me? Um, Virginia Jeff, 236 Brighton Avenue,
East Stars, New Jersey. Uh good evening to all in attendance. My concern is about the policy policy number one 511. Why is this policy not posted for the public to be able to comment as required
under the open public meetings act? It's been removed. Two, the version of this policy posted at the June 11th, 2025 work session had many color-coded parts, blue, green, and purple, without a guide or key for anyone to follow or dates they became
effective. Three, the version of the policy posted at the June 11th, 2025 work session had numerous strikes which were also colorcoded black, green, purple, and red without dates effective. And then number four, the citation of
sites citation of state statutes. A, some are erroneous within the body of the version of the policy posted at that June 11, 2025 work session. B, some delete the word guardian. And C, the order of statutes are batched incorrectly out of order and numerically
at and D, the citation to the state statutes and administrative code are not listed separately at the end of the policy. Seven, the current policy 511 that's posted.
A, the question is, will this version of the policy posted that the June June 11, 2025 work session replace the current policy in place? And B, why are there so many omitted citations in the state statute on this current policy?
Eight. There are at least two different policy versions with the revised readopted adopted date of April 4th 20 April 24th, 2024. And why are the other final readings adoptions published
on today's agenda? Also, what persons are designated to have the authority to file a criminal complaint to charge any non-custodial person with a disorderly person's offense under your policy? And will this
information be posted on the district website? Also, I have a thing about the the an OPER request building records for the board attorney ter law group. SBA Yolanda provided an estimated bill detailing the cost to the district. K O
N Co. Thank you, Excuse me. To this B. This bill included fees for clerical work, her hours on the request, and the Taylor Law Group for a total of $2,62.51. Oprah rules prohibit farming out work to
fulfill a request. Oprah rules stipulate the conditions if there are to be any extraordinary charges based on the lowest level employee, clerical, staff only. Obviously, the SBA is in potential violation of the law. The Taylor Law Group is not is not allowed to charge
any monies in regard to OPER request. Please finish your statement and thank you. Your time has expired. I I didn't see I'm letting you know your time has expired. Thank you. And can I come back? No. No.
All right. The rest of my I'm sorry before I finish the rest of my The rest of my comment that I'm not allowed to that my time ran out. Emiled emailed. Okay. Thank Okay.
Thank you. Bye-bye. Thank you so much, Miss Jeff. Next, Mr. David Armeno. Good evening. Good evening, David Armeno, 1032 Woodland Avenue. Uh, first of all, thank you very much for the kind
words about the Rotary Club. Uh, they all they're all about service to the community. Secondly, the 250th committee that I've been talking about for a couple years, we've been doing projects. We just had one today with the senior
citizens at BCB Bank. We 110 senior citizens came there and had a lunch and looked at the pictures and we talked to them about Union and Union's past. So we are continuing and more to come
especially in 2026. And uh lastly the summer reading program is in effect now. So all the parents at
home get your children to the library to sign up for the summer reading program. There are prizes, there are different kinds of awards, and it's all to, as you talked about, to increase literacy of
our children. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Armenio. [Applause] Next up, we have Mr. Steven Lee. Lee Thank you, board members. Um, thank you
for your remarks with regards to the Yugan Public Library opening and I and I wanted to come up and say thank you. Thank you to the entire board and to the entire district for being an integral part of that youth parade that really highlighted the amazing diversity of our
town and just the unity um that that our community has when it comes to investing in important services like a library. Thank you for this board for coming to that um art center opening Friday night and as well as the library opening
Saturday morning. Saturday morning as well. So, it's it was a busy two days. Um, welcome home. Welcome home to this space. And I think it's a marvelous symbol of the great partnership that the
township and the library and as well as the board of education has have all together uh collaboration and investing in the arts. Um, and this is a symbol of that collaboration. And I very much credit to you all for
um, highlighting that spirit tonight with these performances from from the jazz band to the choir to the Rotary Club winner um, and highlighting the talent that we have in this town. And that's the purpose of this theater as a
safe and comfortable space for anyone to share their talents and to nurture those talents and to to encourage that creativity. So, thank you for being part of it. Thank you for continuing to be a part of it. Welcome home. And just lastly, I do want to give a shout out to
Sandy Mangarella, who is my 12th grade English teacher. Um and on that Saturday, yes, on that Saturday, um when I was um being the MC of the the ceremony and providing a speech and going through the program and uh knowing
that she uh was uh honored at the Rotary Club, uh she was the teacher that um without her I wouldn't be able to do public speaking in a way and actually um many years ago got honored by the Rotary Club when I was a high school senior. So, I want to pay homage to Sandy
Mangarella, um, an incredible teacher and who still leaves a lasting impact u for our students and in our community. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much, Miss Elaine. Miss Ann Margaret Shannon.
Good evening. And Margaret Shannon, 2591 Spruce Street Union. And I want to first start with a bunch of thank yous. And I think Carlos left, but talking about people Oh, there you are. people who do things above and beyond. Mr. Cohan, I don't believe you knew this. Maybe you did, but Carlos built the Hannah
Caldwell Bridge. So, thank you, Carlos. [Music] Don't don't clap so much. It's my time. Uh, I want to thank the board for acknowledging the education support professionals, but I do want the community to know that it was the UTA
that started the recognition about six years ago and we we spoke about it and we were uh we agreed to have the board handle it. But we do want you to know how much we do appreciate the ESP members. I also want to thank the students for the beautiful performances
tonight. But as you look around the room, I also want to thank the UTA members for helping and shaping these students to shine. All the kudos our students receive are a credit to their hard work. But there are enough kudos to go around to all of our employees who help them achieve their success. When
educators collaborate with students, magic happens. And UTA wants this magic to continue. But we want it to continue with a new fair and equitable contract. We wanted to be recognized by filling vacant teaching and supervisor positions which directly affect the students and
the staff. Not filling positions because people retire or they leave. This hurts the students. When vacancies are not filled, class sizes increase and students most more importantly get closed out of electives like world languages. We just tonight honored
bicultural biiterate students. So, we need to increase the number of world language teachers, not decrease them. But the board says there's no money. Well, we know there's money, but they did speak tonight about putting it into savings. We are just asking that maybe we split that and we use some of that,
some in savings and some on the educators. The UTA wants to know, how can you not fill schoolbased vacancies like I just mentioned, but this past year you have found enough money to create at least two central office positions. So I think
when we leave vacancies on the school level, it's really a disservice to the whole town. And I want it to be perfectly clear, there is no elephant in the room. It is perfectly clear that the UTA is not happy with what's going on. And I'm sure
you guys aren't happy either, but there's no elephant. It's out there. We know it. It's a problem. The UTA put the last offer on the table and then we were uh, you know, asked to come back. We had a meeting on June 2nd. We wanted the board to give us a counter offer. But on
June 2nd, you made it clear there would be no counter offer. And that's why we're an impass. Finally, the UTA wants the board to acknowledge that Union is not competitive in Union County. We are losing employees to neighboring districts with higher salaries. We need
a fair and equitable contract to keep our amazing UTA members in union. Thank you. Thank you. Perfect. [Music] [Applause] Thank you, Miss Shannon. Go, Madam
President. Yes, you go. Madam President, Christian Ripple if I said it correctly. I'm not sure. Thank you. Good evening. Good evening. Hello everybody. I'm a tened English teacher at Bernett
Middle School. I'm going in my eighth year at the school. Uh, I think we're all moved tonight by the performances of the band, the choir, Esther speech, the presentation of the students bilingual accomplishments. And I think it's appropriate that we started tonight with student accomplishment. Ultimately, students are what make any uh school
district great, and they're what make our school district great. Um, during performances, I saw students not only connecting with their parents out here, but connecting with teachers who they recognize from the past. Uh, the band after the performance, Dr. Penaguista, you actually asked the band director how long he'd been working with those
students and he replied only two years. Uh Madam President, you said that you were speechless after their performance. Uh that's the power of passionate teaching. That is what we bring to the table. The admiration and the congratulations for these students was deserved and evident. Um I am not
comfortable speaking in this capacity, but I have to practice what I preach. And I tell my students that they have to take agency and empower themselves and take charge. So that's why I'm here. Uh I'm not blind to the needs of others. I just feel like my colleagues and I want to resolve the blind eye that's being
turned towards us. The stress over the contracts has led many of us to feel like our contributions to our community, while praised in words, is marginalized in wallet. It's not the nature of any educator to give less than our best. But
it seems like the path forward is more tenuous than it's ever been before. Uh, as an ELA teacher, I always force my students to focus on the end of their essays. A great essay with a bad ending ultimately is a bad essay. We've worked hard for the last 10 months. Some of us
have worked hard for the last 10 years. Uh, I'm not there yet, but you know, we'll fight the good fight, guys. Uh, ultimately, it feels like we're headed towards the bad ending of this school year. I know that there's been a lot of work done by the board. I know there's a lot of work done by and Margaret and
there's a lot of work done by our UTA representatives in our buildings. I don't want this tenuous process to affect our students. I don't want it to affect our children at home. But we want what's fair. We want what's right. And we hope that we can work together on this. Thank you for your time.
Mr. Restrele, you spoke just fine. And thank you, Dr. Elbert Smith. [Applause]
Hello. Good evening. Uh, succinctly put, uh, I've been known to be a little bit more gregarious than I need to be, but what I want to say is that I echo everything that's been said today tonight. We purposely are here for
a number of reasons, but the ultimate reason is for us to work together. As you know, uh, with some of you guys who are board members now, uh, I am on the negotiations team. It's a pleasure to have met you. Some of you guys who have not met before,
it's a pleasure to meet you. Now, succinctly put, I think that we can work together and get things done for the betterment of all of us. I indicated to you guys when I first walked through the door that we
possess too much high quality intellectual capital to just have it be thrown away with anger antipathy and bitterness being the endgame being the end story the period at the end of all
of our effort I don't believe that for some of you guys who I met just briefly and I've worked with you from October to now. I appreciate your work, your effort, your concerns, but I appreciate us too.
I appreciate us, the teaching body, the pair of professionals, and everybody from the from the custodian because I used to be one from the custodians to the superintendent. I'm Dr. Smith. I had an opportunity to
meet some of our teaching staff because I go from class to class. And I go to them and I say, "Look, if I was a sophomore or a eighth grader or a senior, I would have loved to have you be my teacher." And I told them that in
front of the teacher with all the students present. with the quality of work that we deliver that we deliver every day. We are obsessed by committing to our students, our staff nothing short
of excellence. Period. So the only thing I'm saying succinctly put is let's do this. Let's work together because I know of a whole lot of folks who would just love to work in union.
they come to and and some of you guys have already told this. I used to board I used to be the board of education member in my town where I live in Hillside. I was there for nine years. I helped to build what is called the early childhood center there. It's a lot of work. I've worked on both
sides of the table as a teacher, as an administrator. Orange, East Orange, I know what this is all about. We all know what this is about. But let's capitalize on our intellectual capital
and harmoniously get it done. Thank you, Dr. Smith. I want to say, you know, getting to know you during negotiations, it has truly been an honor and a pleasure working with you. And I will say it one
more time. There's no elephant in the room. We are willing to go to that table because nobody wants to do this whole impass thing. Unfortunately, that's a that's a process that takes a long time and
really doesn't accomplish what you yourself are saying this professional capital can accomplish. At the end, what will we have? Your version with all the percentages that you offered. our version with all the percentages in a document that everybody
can read, but it doesn't guarantee that we will be on the same page. So hopefully we can take this opportunity to just open the lines of communication again so that we can solve it within the union family and not with some outsider.
So thank you so much is Ladies and gentlemen, thank you once again. I I know that you're disappointed um with us, but I promise you we will continue to keep the lines of
communication open um on your behalf. Um it's not over. We can do this. Um the board will now go back into executive session. It's a long meeting tonight to discuss personnel and legal issues and action will be taken. May I have a
motion to go into to move into executive session? So move. Second. Second. I believe I heard Miss Scott Hayden for the motion and Miss Mani for the second. Any discussion?
This motion has been properly moved by Miss Scott Hayden and seconded by Miss Mani. Can I have a roll call, please? Miss Capiello. Mr. Cohan? Yes. Mrs. Conte Macki? Yes. Mrs. Faria? Yes. Mr. McDow. Yes. Mrs. Beni. Yes. Mr. Nass.
Mrs. Scott. Yes. M. Carbonel. Yes. quick session. All right. Second. Second. My second Mrs. Faria. All in favor? Roll call. Mr. Co. Sorry. Roll call.
Miss Capo. Mr. Cohan. Yes. Mrs. Conte Maki. Yes. Mrs. Faria. Yes. Mr. McDow. Yes. Yes. Mr. Nasta. Yes. Mrs. Scott Hayden. Yes. Miss Carbon. Yes. Motion to adjurnn. So moved. Second.
Who's my first? Roll call, please. Miss Capello. Um, Miss K Mackey first. Um, second. Mr. Anastas. I apologize. Those hyphenated names are still tricky. All All in favor? I I have
a nice evening everybody. Get home safe.