Good evening. Good evening everyone. I would like to welcome you all to the Tuesday, April 28th, 2026 board of education meeting. We are calling the meeting to order and it is now 7:04 p.m. If everyone could please rise for the
pledge of allegiance. Thank you. A reading of meeting notice. The New Jersey Open Public Meetings Law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings of the public bodies at which any business affecting their
interest is discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the provision of the act, the Verona Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be published in the Star Ledger and also can be reviewed on the public of the on the public on the board of officials
website. Legal notices for the of the New Jersey public entitles will be accessible at the New Jersey Department of State's legal notices website on uh wwnj.gov.state statewide legal notices. Copies of
tonight's agenda and resolutions have been made available to the public via the Verona Board of Education website. Dr. Riley, if you could please call attendance. >> Mr. Waka. >> Mr. Pera. >> Here. >> Miss Kenotic.
Mr. Frisco >> here. >> Mr. Boon >> here. >> We have a qu. >> Thank you. I'm going to start with our superintendent report from Miss Diane Dazi.
You >> The main purpose of tonight's meeting is the annual budget hearing and the board vote on the 2026 27 school budget. Um, I want to begin the budget discussion by acknowledging that this is my 15th budget hearing and
it's the most difficult one I have been a part of. Before I discuss the broader context of the fiscal situation we find ourselves in, I want to address directly why many parents, students, staff, and community members are here this evening. Many of
you are here because you care deeply about Verona's programs and you've heard and read the district is cutting or eliminating such programs. I understand why emotions are high. These conversations involve people, programs, and experiences that are
deeply personal. Students and families form strong connections with teachers and programs, and those connections matter. The concern being expressed by our community reflects the value Verona places on its schools. But I also believe it's important to separate and understand concern from mis
misinformation. Tonight's goal is to provide the clearest and most transparent explanation possible of how we have arrived at this point, what the district did before recommending staff reductions and how we approach those reductions in ways that protects core instruction, maintains current class size trends, and
preserves as many programs and opportunities for students as possible. The question many people have asked or are asking is how did we get here? The answer is not a single decision, event or circumstance. Verona public schools like many schools uh districts across
New Jersey is facing a structural fiscal cliff created by a combination of capp revenue and rapidly rising required costs. Let's start with the school funding reform act. This is the formula used by the state that determines how much state aid each school in New Jersey school
district in New Jersey receives based on factors such as enrollment, student needs, local property wealth, and community income. In theory, the formula is intended to ensure that districts have the resources necessary to provide a thorough and efficient education. In
practice, however, many districts, including Verona, are not actually receiving the full amount of aid the formula says we need. Verona is underfunded by more than $700,000 annually under the school reform act formula. This means the
district is already beginning the budget process without the full level of state support the formula identifies as necessary. This underfunding further widens the gap between what schools are required to provide and the revenue available to support those obligations.
With regard to revenue, since 2010, New Jersey school districts have operated under a 2% tax levy cap. That cap limits the amount of local revenue a district can raise each year. While the cap has helped control property tax growth, it has also created a long-term imbalance
for school districts because many required costs increase by far more than 2% annually. Districts like Verona rely much more heavily on the local tax levy than districts that receive a larger share of their budgets from state and federal aid. As a result, the 2% tax levy cap
has a greater impact on Verona's ability to respond to rising costs. When required, expenses increase by far more than 2%. Verona has a limited flexibility because of the majority of its revenues is constrained by that cap.
Districts with a higher percentage of state or federal aid may still face serious budget pressures, but they are not as dependent on cap local revenues as their primary funding source. A useful way to understand the district's fiscal challenge is to compare it to a household budget. If an individual
receives a 2% salary raise salary increase with no bonus and no other new income, that household must live within that limiting increase. However, if the cost of gasoline rises to more than $4 per gallon, as it currently is, um, food
prices continue to climb, electricity and heating cost costs increase, insurance premiums rise, and property taxes and other required expenses grow at a faster rate. That household cannot simply keep spending the same way and expect the budget to balance. It must
make difficult decisions to review every expense, reduce or delay purchases, renegotiate costs where possible, use savings only when necessary, and ultimately decide what it can no longer be sustained. School districts face a similar reality under a 2% tax levy cap.
When the district's primary source of local revenue is capped, but required costs rise well beyond that cap, responsible budgeting requires the district to examine every line item, preserve essential services to the greatest extent possible, and make painful reductions when revenues cannot
keep pace with expenditures. That imbalance has become much more severe since the pandemic. Districts are now managing the lingering effects of post-pandemic inflation, rising health benefit costs, increasing special education costs, transportation increases, substitute shortages, and
other mandated or unavoidable expenses. These are not discretionary items. Veron schools has a lean budget, which is never easy, but last year we really began to feel the impact of the fiscal cliff. In fiscal year 26 budget, the district faced a deficit about a million
dollars. To close that gap, we made pre-staff related cuts and then were for we were forced to reduce two central off administrative positions and two teaching positions. This year, the challenge grew substantially. Veron Verona entered the 2627 budget process with a projected expenditure exceeding
the anticipated revenues by $3.2 million. A major driver of that gap was a 20% increase in health benefit premiums. A 20% increase in one of the largest areas of a budget simply cannot be absorbed with a 2% revenue cap without significant consequences.
Health benefits are among the clearest examples of the structural problems school district face. In 2011, Governor Christie signed Chapter 78, which required school employees and other public employees to contribute significantly more toward the cost of their health benefits. Those
contributions were tied to a percentage of the health insurance premium. So when premiums increased, so did employee contributions. In 2020, Governor Murphy signed a law called that we refer to as chapter 44, which changed the structure for school
employees by moving contributions back to a salarybased model. Under chapter 44, employees contribute a percentage of their salary rather than a percentage of the actual premium cost. As a result, when health benefit premiums rise much faster than salaries, as they have this year with Verona's 20% premium increase,
the employee contribution does not rise at this with the same rate as the premium. The district must then absorb the difference creating a significant and re reoccurring pressure on the operating budget. It's also important to note here that while um our health
benefits went up by 20%, we were one of the lucky districts in the state in that we had the lowest increase. Um state health benefit plan went up 32%. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield for school districts went up 27% and I believe Etna went up tell me 40
>> one in one >> 61%. Special education costs have also increased significantly and are among the most difficult costs for school districts to control. School districts are legally required to provide the services and placements identified in the students individualized education
programs. These services may include specialized instruction, related services, one-to-one aids, nursing services, assisted technology, behavioral supports, evaluations, transportation, and in some cases out of district placements. These costs can change quickly and unpredictably. A
small number of new placements or an additional uh required services can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the district budget. Out of district tuition, specialized transportation, contracted therapists, support, legal evaluation costs can increase and do
increase by significantly more than 2% annually. Unlike some discretionary expenses, districts cannot simply reduce or delay legally required special education services when costs increase. This creates a major budgetary challenge. Districts must meet every student's
legally mandated needs, but the revenues available to support those services are still constrained by a 2% tax levy cap. When special education costs increase sharply, districts must absorb those increases with the same limited budget, offering off often requiring reductions
in other areas. Transportation costs have also increased significantly. Much of much of our transportation is tied to mandated services, particularly for students with disabilities who attend out of district placements or require specialized transportation. These are not optional
expenses. We also transport students for athletics, music competitions, and other school-related activities, but the largest pressures are connected to the required transportation services and the broader post-pandemic transportation market, including driver shortages and increased vendor costs.
Unfunded and underfunded mandates place significant pressures on New Jersey schools, school districts, because they require districts to implement programs, services, reporting systems, training, compliance procedures, and operational requirements without providing the necessary resources to pay for them. Even when
these mandates are well-intentioned and connected to important goals such as student safety, special ed, mental health, curriculum standards, staff training, etc., Um the financial responsibility often falls back on the local district. For a community like Verona, this is especially challenging
because revenue is limited to the 2% tax levy cap. New Jerseys expanded sick leave has added to the pressure. In 2023, Governor Murphy expanded the allowable uses of sick leave for school district employees. Employees may now use accumulated sick leave not only for
their own illnesses or injury, but also for family care, bereavement, certain matters related to domestic violence, and attendance at a child's school-related conference, meeting, function, or event. These are understandable and often important uses of leave. However, combined with a
substitute teacher shortage, they still create real replacement costs for school districts. When a staff member is absent, the district must provide coverage. Because of the ongoing substitute shortage, districts can often not secure a daily substitute. In
Verona, for example, substitute costs a dayub across costs $125 per day, while internal class coverage costs $46 per period. Teachers typically teach four, sometimes five periods a day plus a duty
period. So the cost of internal coverage is almost twice the cost of a daily sub. Therefore, even though the law supports employees legitimate family and personal needs, it also increases the number of circumstances under which paid leave must be used. Without additional state
funding, districts must absorb the cost of coverage within already constrained budgets. Post-pandemic inflation, I'm going to skip that because I already said that. Um, in short, district revenues are capped at approximately 2%. And while we do have some some leeway in
some years, not all years to to raise the tax levy do uh by using waiverss, which we'll talk about um as part of this budget. Um we are facing a very significant fiscal cliff. Dr. Raleigh and I entered the fiscal year budget um
uh process with a $32 million gap. Before recommending any staff reductions, the district worked aggressively to reduce that gap. We conducted a three-year spending analysis to right-size budget accounts based on actual historical spending. We reduced technology, general supplies, and other
non- salared accounts. We reviewed consumable materials and K8 math, science, and English language arts. We renegotiated several vendor contracts. We joined additional purchasing cooperatives. We required a greater use of those co-ops and state contract vendors to secure better pricing. We
used available fund balance, which is similar to your savings account. Um, we used some reserve accounts that are um, legal and appropriate. We also applied the health benefit waiver. These steps reduced the original projected gap from
$3.2 million to approximately $1.2 million. That very important work came before staffing reductions were recommended because our goal was to protect student programs, students programs, and employees to the greatest extent possible. The remaining gap, however, could not be
closed through non-staff reductions alone. Salaries and benefits make up the largest portion of a school district budget. Once we exhausted the non-sary reductions that could be made responsibly, the district had to review staffing. The review was not done by choosing a
program and cutting it. It was not done by targeting a department. It was not done by assigning value to one program over another. The process was based on several guiding questions. How do we preserve core instruction and maintain current class size trends? How do we
protect as many student programs and opportunities as possible? Where do enrollment patterns, course requests, certifications, and scheduling structures allow us to reduce positions while still maintaining student access to those programs? How do we minimize the number of students directly
affected? And how do we reduce the fewest number of staff positions necessary to close the remaining budget gap? Administrators reviewed course requests, enrollment patterns, existing staff, certification areas, and program needs.
At the middle school, the structure of the schedule and its instructional delivery helped inform what could be done and what could not be done there. At the elementary level, the district has already been working for more than a year on revisions to the elementary schedule, and so that worked in form
options available to us. The plans were adjusted repeatedly. Each version was reviewed against the same priority, preserving student access and protecting core instruction while closing the remaining deficit. In some areas, that meant reducing staff while keeping the program. In other areas, it
meant changing the way the program is delivered. And still other areas, it meant assigning staff certified staff across multiple courses or grade levels, which is a common and appropriate staffing practice. As a result, while staff reductions are
proposed, the district is maintaining many of the programs our community values. We're maintaining elementary reading intervention, math and English language arts intervention at the middle school, K12 library, visual and performing arts, business education, technology, engineering and design um
technology engineering and design counseling services, investment, um I'm sorry, instrumental music lessons, grade four band, middle school music, high school band and choir, athletics, extracurricular activities, and advanced learning opportunities including honors, AP, dual enrollment, and accelerated
coursework. Regarding questions of transparency, I think that was one of the uh questions that we uh had to feel most often um over the past few days. When a budget includes potential staffing reductions, the district must be careful and
responsible in how it shares information. As staffing scenarios are developed and revised, we often have to work through multiple proofs of concept to determine whether a reduction is operationally feasible, whether students can still be uh student
whether schedules can still be built, whether certification requirements can be met, and whether programs can continue in a workable manner. Until that proof is established, it would be premature and potentially harmful to share tenative staffing scenarios publicly.
Once a staffing plan is viable, affected staff members must be informed before details are shared with the public. The fiscal year budget timeline was very unusually compressed. State aid figures were not released until March 12th. For districts like Verona with the November
election, uh proposed budgets were due to the executive county superintendent by March 27th. That left us approximately two weeks to incorporate final state aid, complete required state budget calculations, revise revenues and appropriation assumptions, test staffing
and program scenarios, and submit a proposed budget for county review. We received county approval on April 9th, returned from spring break on April 13th, and went on working went to work on creating a plan to inform the VA leadership of the of the reductions,
meeting with affected staff who would be told they would be no longer working uh or no longer offered employment in the upcoming year and meeting with other staff who would be impacted by the rift in some other way. These meetings took time.
when uh we completed the last staff meeting on April 22nd and we informed the information went to the commu community that day. The budget is this budget is painful. There is no way to reduce staff without affecting people and without creating an anxiety in the community. But it's
important to understand that the recommendation recommended reductions were made after significant cost-saving measures were already taken and after repeated analyses of how to protect the student experience as much as possible. The fiscical year 27 budget includes
reductions across several categories reflecting the budgetary both budgetary constraints and programmatic or enrollment based needs. Although this list represents 15 positions, several staff members will be reallocated to open positions across the district, reducing the number of
employees directly impacted. First, the district is reducing several administrative, operational, non-classroom positions, including the director of curriculum and instruction, the human resources manager, maintenance staff members, and stipenbased technology coordinator positions.
Second, budget, the budget includes reductions in classroom and student support positions due to budgetary constraints andor staffing efficiencies. These include element, one uh position of elementary art, element, one position of elementary music, one position of
elementary social work, one position of elementary world language, um one position of well a portion of a position of elementary library, the enrichment uh position, and two classroom positions at the
elementary level and one high school math uh position. Finally, the district is making several reductions tied to programmatic needs and enrollment patterns. These include a part-time English teacher at the high school. These are all due to enrollment, one high school music position, and one
middle school French world language position. These reductions are distinct from purely budget- driven costs and reflect current student enrollment and course request patterns. The proposed budget reduces two music positions. I know that's why many of you are here tonight, but the district will continue
to offer a full complement of music programming for students. K3 music cycle will be pro provided, albeit in a different scheduling format as the elementary schedule is changing overall. Grade four band will continue. The middle school music program will remain essentially identical to what is
currently in place. At the high school, we will continue to offer concert and marching band and chamber and concert choir. The district is not balancing this budget by eliminating programs. We are balancing by restructuring staffing, consolidating where certification enrollment allows, reducing non-sary
spending, using available strategies, and making personnel decisions that only only after other options were exhausted. I know that does not make the loss of any staff member easier. Our employees matter. These people whose positions are affected have contributed to our
schools, our students, and our community. We should acknowledge that directly and respectfully. At the same time, the board's responsibility tonight is to adopt a budget that allows the district to remain financially stable while continuing to provide a strong educational program for students. Given
the con constraints created by the state funding structures, the 2% tax levy cap, health benefit increases, etc., etc. There is no version of this budget that avoids difficult choices. The question before us is not whether the budget is
perfect. It is not. The question is whether this budget is responsibly addresses a $3.2 million gap, preserves core instruction, maintains current class size at uh current trends, keeps as many programs intact as possible, and positions the
district to continue serving students well into the 2627 school year. I believe that it does. I also believe the larger conversation cannot end tonight. Verona is facing the same structural pressures that many school districts in New Jersey are facing. Local boards of education and local communities are
being asked to solve problems that are increasingly shaped by state level funding decisions, statutory requirements, health benefit structures, and mandated costs that grow faster than the revenue available to us. Verona's budget challenges are part of a much larger statewide pattern across New
Jersey. Um, districts are cutting staff, consolidating schools, closing buildings, increasing class sizes, redistricting programs, I'm sorry, reducing programs, adding participation fees, and seeking tax increases simply to maintain basic operations. These examples include Cherry Hill,
Collingswood, Washington Township, Lakewood, Ocean Gate, Jackson, Jefferson Township, Middleton, Middletown, Hackinack, Robbinsville, Montlair, and many others. While each district's circumstances are different, the common theme is the same. Capp revenue is not
keeping pace with fixed rising costs. I'm sorry, rising fixed costs and state aid does not fully address the structural pressures pressure facing many communities. We will continue to advocate for solutions at the state level. We will continue to examine our
own spending carefully and we will continue to communicate with the community and we will continue to make decisions with students at the center. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Um, moving on to um Dr. James Riley for the public budget here.
>> We might want to board might want to go sit up there so they don't have to turn their head. Good evening everyone. You hear me? Okay. Normally I'd present this standing at the podium and present it to the board, but good manners dictate that I should
face you all. and um I think that's uh that's deserved in this situation. So I apologize for sitting but I think it's more important to face you. This is our statutory public budget presentation for fiscal year 27 tonight.
Our agenda will include a description of the budget process and its development, the educational and operational initiatives, a detailed view of the revenues and appropriations and the tax levy impact. My hope is that uh this presentation
will not only answer many questions but give some education and some understanding in terms of the budget process. It includes a sequential procedure that begins with detailed meetings from budget managers that include a thorough
review of our current financial position as well as projections for future years. So immediately upon my arrival in mid December, these meetings with our budget managers and administrators uh began where we were reviewing proposals, staffing needs, capital expenditures,
basically a presentation of needs and wants throughout February. uh the presentations uh turn to discussions at the committee level with the board uh in finance committee throughout March. The
board uh approved the preliminary budget. The budget was submitted to the county superintendent. It was approved and now here in April, we've got the statutory requirement to do our presentation tonight, its approval. And then there are several
little procedural things after the final approval in order to um substantiate the budget. So in terms of that's that's our timeline as you've heard the budget with with regards to the budget goals. So
sorry. So in terms of for the broader audience who who you know doesn't live in the budget world every day um it it just behooves us to have a cursory understanding of what a budget really is and it serves as our financial plan. It
guides the allocation of resources to support um that which we have as far as revenues and that which we spend our money on. Um it guides student achievement and operational needs. That's the outline that we that we
function from. These goals are are insured to our are fiscal responsibility, transparency, right? Many of these are uh statutory requirements. Our goal is to maintain academic programming and student support as you've heard the misspies
address. Our goal is to preserve co and extracurricular programs and maintain our facilities while maximizing our efficiencies. As you've heard from from the address earlier,
we are not immune to this this budget situation in Verona. This has not been an easy budget. And in light of these inflationary and unsustainable cost increases, um the previous three years budgets, no matter in what in no matter in what district, have not been easy. We
are not we are certainly in Verona not immune to that. As districts navigate this fiscal cliff brought on by expiring COVID relief funding, exacerbated by exorbitant increases in healthcare benefits, transportation, utilities, and
the inevitable failure of chapter 44, this budget, as as discussed, is forcing difficult and difficult decisions not only here, but for our neighbors and across the entire state. in terms of some of our academic
initiatives. Um, Mr. Jeppi will talk specifically about um some of the improvements to tier one instruction, the use of data to form the instruction and um differentiation. So, we have been working um really since
2023 on improving um tier one instruction and ultimately that improvement will reduce costs because the more uh we focus on tier one instruction and improving that across our district, the fewer students get referred to special services and um and
intervention programs, which special services, as I mentioned, are very expensive. Intervention programs are also very expensive. So um we have been working to tighten that alignment between standards, learning targets and success criteria in our classrooms which provide a more clear instructional
pathway for students. We are also um uh increase um increasing the use of high impact instructional strategies monitoring and modeling sorry modeling and monitoring for student learning. Um we are looking to strengthen
collaborative planning and coaching to ensure consistent core instruction across all grades and courses. Um we we were not efficient at using data. Uh so we are looking to really bring that what where we were efficient at
using data prior to um my joining this team was to have administrators look at data. That's not who should be looking at data. teachers should be looking at data and using that data to differentiate um within the classroom. So we are working with our teachers to
really ground them in how to use data to inform their own practice and their own instruction. Um we are building regular data review cycles at the classroom team and school level and we're using student performance trends to adjust pacing reteing and intervention plans. Um,
we are looking to really focus on those students that are approaching the ability to manage a standard, those student students that are ready to manage that standard and students that have already achieved that standard and need to be pushed. Right? We're not
necessarily doing that across the board in all classrooms. That is our goal in within terms in terms of um academic review of what we do in our classrooms day after day. So what's in a budget? Um the budget at
it at its foundational level is comprised of revenues and appropriations. Right? revenues uh for a school district budget are comprised mainly of the advalorum tax levy. The state and federal aid received and
then other local sources um tuition. So so we have tuition uh paid facilities use grants things of that nature all go in to that that which money we take in in revenue. On the appropriation side,
um our largest costs are are described here. Salaries and benefits, materials and supplies, maintenance and utilities, transportation. So there are principal components that that comprise the appropriation side. So, in terms of the 30,000 foot overview
of the fiscal 27 budget, in terms of the general fund, um it is at 47,415,216. Special revenues, those are grants, $67,192. Fund 40 is our debt service. So, uh, capital projects that have been done in
the past that are levied much like your mortgage over over in many cases 30 years, um, we carry just under $5 million in debt service. A portion of that is is tied to uh the tax levy for a
total budget of 52,918,88. So rather than um rather than drown us in in numbers, I think this is a a really smart way to take a look at um both a revenue and appropriation side because it gives you
a truly uh a truly a good understanding of of what the picture looks like. Um you can see from this representation that the blue piece of the pie is the advalorum tax levy. That is the largest portion of the revenue. Right? Those are
the revenues raised through taxes. smaller. Um, going counterclockwise are our tuitions, our miscellaneous revenue and interest, budgeted fund balance, which is a prior year surplus that's uh that the board
has allocated to offset current year expenditures. extraordinary aid in SEMI, which is a a portion that is refunded from the state and to help offset um extraordinary costs for special education. And then
categorical aid, those are those are our uh aid from the state. on the appropriation side. Again, um this is a a pictorial representation of that which we spend money on. And here
important to take a look at is on the the largest piece of the pie as it were, the general education side on the top your top left on the blue side. Uh that encompasses general education, tuition, uh payments, staff, uh delivery of
instruction. It's 14.4 million. It's a sizable portion of the budget. In addition, the lower right hand corner, the purple slice, is the benefits, and that represents the greatest increase year-over-year, and that's currently uh
at 9.3 million. You see also working around special education, facilities and plant management, business and administrative services all the way back around the purple the the pinkish slice on the top your top right the
transportation at 1.3 million. So of the largest increases to understand and appreciate for this budget year-over-year health benefits went from 7.6 6 million to 9.3 million. By
comparison, the advalorum tax levy, the statutory tax levy allowed by law at 2% is $799,000 already without any other considerations. Right there, we we face ourselves in a in a in a deficit between our revenues
and expenditures. transportation as well. We're going from just about a pinch over $1 million in total transportation to uh one point just under 1.3 million in in transportation. So these are some of the
the larger increases in costs that we're facing. I'm sorry. I'm going to I'm going to give the whole question. I'm going to give the whole presentation and then we're going to have uh public comment after. So in terms of the the specific
headwinds that we're facing on the left hand side, the decreases in revenue that were faced as we started here include lower extraordinary aid and that was current year as well as as budgeted
for next year. Decreasing interest rate, right? We're in we're in a decreasing interest rate environment and that is a portion of of our allowable revenue and unfortunately um we're in a decreasing we're in a decreasing environment as as we all know right the Fed funds rate has been cut several times this year it's
progress projected to be cut again. Additionally, we also lost some federal funding. We lost all of our title one funding. So, these are all headwinds in addition to uh on the other side of the of the equation, the increases in
appropriations. And again, here I'm I'm I'm outlining for you and I'm highlighting the major increases that that created the biggest headwinds. Salaries and benefits represent in our district 78% of the total budget. Incidentally, that's less than most most
districts, right? many districts uh salaries and benefits comprise well into the 80 you know 80 somewhere between 82 and 87% of most most districts budgets. I talked about the healthcare increase of $1.4 million.
Uh a 3 and a.5% increase in transportation. These are these are costs that are beyond our control, right? So transportation costs are leveraged to uh the consumer price index. Anyone who's looked at your electric bill over the last couple year or last couple of months understands the
increases that we're all facing in utilities. We share the we share that same pain here in with nearly a 10% increase in utilities. Not to mention increases in tech contracts um that we've worked to
renegotiate special education costs as well as as we all know uh other inflationary costs of of of you know general supplies and and costs. So, in terms of our work um that's already been discussed tonight to
balance this budget, the initial run of the budget resulted in an imbalance of $3.1 million. Adjustments in revenue included the increase in projected increase uh in projected incre despite this declining rate environment. So, initially when I ran the budget, I I
projected uh I projected X for an increase in in uh interest conservatively and I raised that increase in state aid. We were very fortunate to receive an additional $184,335
in state aid as well as the application of the allowable healthc care waiver and then the incorporation of the fund balance. All those things worked to help um tighten the gap as it were uh and brought us to a remaining gap of just
under 1.2 million on the appropriation side. Um a decrease across the board of between 5 and 20% in all supply lines. Um and that's that was based on a three-year
analysis of spending um and actual cost projections. Adjustments to scheduling as discussed already tonight, retirements and other attrition resulted in staffing efficiencies. Um the examination or renegotiation of assist uh existing
contracts, software platforms, maintenance contracts, uh healthcare contracts were all leveraged before considering reductions in force. Despite our best efforts, as I said, we were still $1.2 $2 million away from
being balanced, which results in the in the conversations with regards to reduction in force. And those reductions in force have have uh been described. They're going to be described. Additionally, this is information that I already gave
in my uh in my update, but I put it up here as a visual. So, um, just what we did, we worked aggressively to reduce the budget gap and really just having Dr. Riley go through the 900 lines in our full budget and uh, do a three-year
um, uh, spending analysis, right sizing those accounts to make sure that we are only budgeting what we're spending uh, rather than over budgeting. Um, reduced in technology areas, general supplies and other non-salary accounts. um
reviewed how we purchase and utilize consumable materials for our elementary and middle school uh core programming. Uh as Dr. Riley said, we renegotiated several vendor contracts that yield yielded a pretty extensive savings. Um
we joined uh at least one additional we we actually were already in a lot of cooperatives but we did join another cooperative um that is netting us some savings. um required the use of cooperatives and state contracts to
reduce what we're spending on items and um used both available fund balance and reserve accounts and then applied that um that state aid and and the health benefit waiver. So again,
we did this with once we realized we were going to have to do staffing reductions. These were were what guided us. Then how do we preserve core instruction and maintain current class size trends? How do we protect as many student programs and opportunities as possible? Um where do enrollment
patterns, course requests, certifications, and scheduling structures allow us to reduce positions while maintaining student access to what those positions provided? Uh how do we minimize the number of students who are affected by staffing reductions? and um
how do we reduce the fewest possible number of staff um that we can to close that gap? And um this is what we did after we realized we were not going to reduce the entire three uh million dollars um
without staffing. We reviewed course enrollment patterns at the high school. We looked at the middle school and elementary new elementary schedule to see where we can um address uh staffing there. Um we adjusted plans repeatedly. I was sitting in a room with
the high school principal, the director of school counseling and our supervisory staff and um running a proof of concept and realized this this reduction we can't make it. We can't there was no way we were going to be able to reduce that particular. So I went right into Dr.
Riley's office and said, "We got to look at this plan. This is not going to work. We're not going to be able to schedule our students with this reduction." So, we had to go back and look at we need that reduction, right? We need that that that revenue or not revenue that um that
cost savings. And then we had to go back to the drawing board and see where else we could find a cut that was not going to impact students to any great extent. Um yes and so um these are the uh reductions that we have already
mentioned and um in the center and classroom student support the elementary world language library enrichment and the two class elementary classrooms and high school math position. These are position reductions but not staff reductions. So we were able to um reduce
those positions without uh losing the staff members associated with those. Thank you. In terms of what this means uh from a balanced budget perspective on a tax le on the tax levy in impact uh on the left
hand side you see the levy increase of the statutory 2%. The allowable healthcare adjustment yields uh based on the average home value of $74,600 uh an annual impact of $483
or $4025 per month. Again, just to reiterate, um I will tell you that no stone was left unturned at all at any time and countless hours that were that were put in um in into
creating this budget. I do want to publicly thank um the budget managers um some of our administrators, some of whom are here tonight. Um this was not this was not easy. Um this is not a budget that any businessman administrator wants
to present to the public. Um th we are not in a good situation in New Jersey with regards to uh the fiscal cliff and again many of these cost increase are are out of our control. um rising health
care costs and chapter 44 are mainly the driving factor for us and many other communities around the state. With that, um
we will open the uh the public comment section. Um I believe that Mrs. Prrisco will address this um and in an orderly fashion. Okay, excuse me for one second. Can I
have everyone's attention? Should I if I could have everyone's attention for a moment. The board of education values public comment. Excuse me. Can we have your attention, please? Thank you.
The board of education values public comment and encourages community members to share their perspectives on school district matters. To ensure a fair and orderly process, speakers must approach the podium and state their name. Each speaker is limited to three minutes for
comments and individuals may not yield their time to others. Speakers may address multiple topics within their time but cannot speak again on the same topic until everyone has had the opportunity. The total time for all public comment will not exceed 1 hour.
The board attorney or board president may interrupt or end comments that exceed three minutes or are inappropriate or a disrupt disruptive and may take necessary steps to maintain order. As a reminder, public comment is
the board's opportunity to hear from the public. However, this is a listening session. As such, the board will not engage in a back and forth dialogue or respond to questions during this time. We will do so towards the end. If a specific question is asked that
requires a followup to this, our superintendent or business administrator will reach out to you directly after the meeting. Thank you. Please state your name. Hi, my name is Megan Walsh and I have three
daughters that ha are either currently are or have gone through the Verona school systems. My daughter Kelsey is in seventh grade. My daughter Molly is a sophomore and my daughter Kayn graduated last year and is a freshman in college and all have benefited greatly from
Verona's music program. When I attend jazz night, when I listen to the national anthem at the 911 remembrance, when I watch my daughter perform at Carnegie Hall, when I witness my daughter transform on stage into another person in MMA Mia, surrounded by a packed, supportive audience, I turn to
my husband and my mom who's at every event and I say, I am so grateful that Verona values music because we do. But this budget does not. And this budget will weaken the music program's foundation and will lead to its ultimate
decline. Please, please do not pass this budget in its current form. I totally recognize that you have hard choices to make, but I feel like there is an undue burden on the music department. According to emails received and
according to the presentation tonight, these decisions were made based on enrollment. And a chart of class requests for VHS has been emailed around to parents. But I find the chart confusing because it's comparing semester courses to full courses and
it's not apples to apples. Um lessons um student lessons occur with music. You have differentiated learning with different instruments. So, I find the data that's being given confusing and maybe needs more clarification if that's how you're making your decisions. I also
want to take note that CO had a huge impact on the music program. So, the kids that are currently in the high school, these are kids that had to virtually learn things. So, it doesn't accurately reflect the numbers that are coming. So, who's coming to the high school? There are currently 328 active
members in the music department in grades 5 through 8 at HBW. That's 47.6 6% of the middle school population. 47.6% of the middle school population gets up early before school to participate in
the music program. That shows a level of dedication. There are there are 110 students in fifth grade. There are 95 kids in sixth grade and there's 70 in seventh grade. A wave is coming. And if you're basing your
decisions on enrollment, then I'm very confused with these decisions you're making. And the reason why this program is thriving is due to its dedicated teachers, Mr. Molowski, Mr. Weiss, Mr. Halpern, and of course also the foundation that is set in fourth grade,
which is crucial. The fourth grade band program has practically 100% participation. I can count on one hand how many students do not participate in it. And I know you're saying that the ban program is still there. They have student access is the term that's being
used, but again, you're asking one teacher to do the job of two jobs, so something will give in the program. It is a huge burden on teachers. And is the current staff able to teach band? They might have certification, but can they teach all the instruments? Will students get an instrument in their hand? Will we
go back to recorders? The long-term effects of this will be horrible. Please consider holding off your vote. Let's come up with some ideas. Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. >> Thank you. >> Hi, my name is Maria Ki and I'm here to
speak about the teacher uh reduction in the music program and question why music? why of the eight current music teachers, we're losing two, which is a 25% cut to those teachers at the high school. I know that one of the rationes for the staffing decisions has been the
music enrollment numbers, as Meg mentioned, but those enrollment numbers alone do not reflect the true workload of the music program. In addition to the ensemble classes, students receive individual instruction. I know you know that. and the small group instrument and
vocal lessons during the school day. These lessons are not an extra. We speak frequently, we even spoke tonight about differentiated instruction. These lessons are differentiated instruction in their purest form. Teachers work
one-on-one to address the unique demands of each instrument and to correct technique, posture, tone production, and reading skills in real time. This cannot be done effectively in a large ensemble. When staff is reduced and workloads increase, these lessons are going to be
the first things to go. Without them, struggling students will fall behind. Advanced students will stop being challenged, and ensemble rehearsals were turn, excuse me, will turn into basic skill correction instead of musical
development. Even a part-time choir director, the way that the high school had it in years past, would help to alleviate these concerns. at the elementary school where, as Meg also mentioned, the vast majority of fourth graders participate in the
instrument instrumental music program. The elimination of the dedicated fourth grade instrumental teacher is an even greater concern. This program is the foundation that prepares students to enter the fifth grade band at HBW ready to play. Students don't just see
instruments. They learn how to hold them, assemble them, produce a sound, and select the right one for their abilities. Replacing this hands-on instruction with a basic overview delivered by already fully scheduled coral teachers is not going to be a
substitution. It removes the foundation. Instrumental instruction requires specialized individual guidance that cannot be absorbed into an already full coral schedule across four buildings. The result is predictable. Students are
going to arrive at HBW unprepared, frustrated, and likely to quit. The middle school band becomes remedial, and within a few years, the high school program feels the impact through lower enrollment and weaker ensembles. I believe that this is a false economy.
These positions and reasonable workloads are not extras. They are the foundation of a successful K through2 music program. I urge the board the board to vote no on the current budget and request an alternative plan be brought
forward. Thank you for my time. >> Hello, my name is Will Bassesby. I was president of the HBW Music Parents Association for seven years up until last year. I have a freshman at BHS who is in band and track and a junior in college who was a band member and a two sport varsity athlete at BHS.
My first question uh and I think it kind of gets to a perspective that a lot of us share is would we ask the girls soccer coach to coach the boys football team in the high school? And the answer is no. We would never do that. Teddy is one of the most successful coaches we've had in this school system in decades.
And of course, we would immediately recognize though to move the girls soccer coach away from the girls would deprive the 40 or so girls enrolled in that program of their expert tuition. It would also deprive the 40 or so boys enrolled in the football teams of access
to expert tuition. We wouldn't dream of doing it. So why then are we saying that the kids currently learning an instrument in the fourth grade do not need the same expert tuition? Why are we saying that the kids enrolled in vocal music at VHS don't need expert tuition either? We have been told a lot that
these programs are unaffected are continuing. But would we say the football program was continuing if the girls soccer coach was taking over that program? We absolutely would not. And I say this with huge respect for the general music teachers in the elementary
schools, Mr. Lynch and the soccer football coaches, but they are not experts in each other's fields. Given a choice between losing their jobs or saying yes to a restructuring, it's understandable that they haven't been able to articulate this clearly. Music isn't an add-on. It's one of the few
things other than being in nature and playing sports that has been scientifically proven to increase health, happiness, and academic grades. Nor is music a niche activity in our town. We currently have over 600 children participating in this activity, dwarfing any other activity other than
core subjects in this town. And yet we are propo proposing to cut that program by 30% of staffing which is completely out of whack with any other cuts we're seeing proposed across the town. Um
eventually I mean as Maria said this is going to lead to us having the conversation of well do we really need instrumentation in fourth grade? Right? The numbers are going to drop the quality is going to drop. The kids experience is going to drop. It's going to lead to a decrease in music in the middle school. We're going to in three years we're going to be sitting here saying, "Well, do we really need two
teachers in the middle school?" We will have then we will then have the conversation which I've had with some of you before of do we need a band in the high school? I've had that with the administration in this town before. Right. You would be literally destroying one of the absolute gold star programs that makes this town what it is and
leads to a huge amount of success, property value, and love for this town. So, I urge you if you don't vote no, at least delay it and have a bit more conversation with community. Thank you. >> Good evening. Uh my name is Brendan Walsh and I live at 95 Fairway. Um I
want to start actually by by thanking the board and the administration. Uh I'm here with a tough message, but I I I do recognize what a difficult hand you've been dealt. Um, and I I understand that it's it's not necessarily because of decisions that you've made. It's it's at
the federal level. It's at the state level. It's at the municipal level, including our our town council, and that you don't necessarily have control over everything. Um, and that you disagree with with a lot of those decisions. I I get that. Um, I I understand that tough
decisions need to be made and I don't envy the responsibility that you carry. I I understand how hard it is. Um, and I know all of you care deeply about our students and want them to succeed. Um, that said, uh, I don't believe that
the proposed budget aligns with the community, uh, with the community's values, especially as it relates to music education. Um, and I also don't believe it it uh aligns with the administration's own stated goals for this with this budget process. Um, one
of the things that we saw tonight and that was presented in the last two presentations, um, the first goal was to ensure transparency that a budget should guarantee. Um, the second was to maintain academic programming and student supports. Um, this budget and
the process undertaken to get to the this point I believe fall short on both of those fronts. Um, first it's it's difficult to accept that academic programming can be maintained in the music department while eliminating two talented and dedicated music teachers.
These are not marginal reductions. They're cuts that materially affect the quality and breadth of instruction available to the students. And while I understand that that cuts need to be made somewhere, this proposal places a disproportionate share of those
reductions on classroom educators, particularly in the music department, rather than distributing those burdens more evenly. I've asked for a more detailed line by line version of the proposed budget in order to better understand what alternatives might exist. That request was denied. without
that transparency and especially a after those discussions were held I believe that could have been that could have been uh uh disclosed. Um it's a very difficult for us to stand here and engage constructively or to
suggest specific alternative cost-saving measures. But at a high level um the budget raises at least two significant red flags for me. Um the first is that I see that athletic costs are actually budgeted to increase. I know it's a it's a nominal increase, but they are
increasing at a time when two music uh teaching positions are being eliminated. I'd like to understand that more. Um and secondly, at the same time that um classroom salaries and benefits are going to decrease, administration
salaries are increasing by 1.6. I would like to understand that as well. >> Thank you. Hi, good evening. My name is Keith Pjonis and I'm the Verona Music Parents Association treasurer. Um, I want to echo what Brendan just said. I don't envy the position that you're in and
have a lot of empathy for the fiscal situation. Um, that being said though, I think there was an acknowledgement that at the beginning of the year there was a $3.2 $2 million shortfall that was recognized, but at that point there was no engagement with the community. And I
think you see so many people here tonight because we feel like we're at the 11th hour without engagement from a community perspective. So ultimately, I think what we'd like to understand is is there a time to start working on other
solutions? So last year I attended one of the budget meetings and I saw that there was about a $600,000 maintenance reserve and I understand that once that's created it can't be used for anything other than maintenance. My question is is there
anything in the operating budget that is going to maintenance that could be funded through this reserve process with an understanding that it shouldn't be used as a captive investment vehicle throwing off interest. should be used for maintenance purposes. So, I'm not
asking you to fund the music program by using something that can't be used for it, but you should use the maintenance reserve to then extend these positions. It's ultimately about working with the community and trying to find a workable solution. Um,
asking Mr. Lynch to do coral instruction is like hiring a master carpenter to service your furnace. It doesn't make sense. You can do it, but it doesn't make sense. I think you you see why we're all here
and it's because we want to work with you. So, I'm asking you to please delay or to vote no against the budget and engage with us. The Verona Music Parents Association is a backs stop to the program. Our fundraising
funds transportation. It funds dry cleaning. It funds sectionals. It funds We picked up a $1,000 off of the Boston trip, right? So, we have resources to help with fiscal responsibilities around the music program. We're asking for
engagement. There's been none. And it feels as though our back is against the wall. So, I appreciate you listening to my comments and look forward to working with you. Thank you. Hi, my name is Dana Bichon. Um, I also want to start with acknowledging I know that you've put a lot of time and effort
into this. I know you are up against many, many hurdles at the state level. Um, we appreciate what you do. Um, and we just are hoping, we're not asking you to do any more leg work. we're asking you to allow us to have a little bit of time to just try to help out and see if
there's something else that maybe you haven't considered that we can collectively find an answer for. So, um, with that being said, I'm hoping that you're going to say no tonight. Um, I would like to bring up a topic that falls under probably the material and
cost aspect of your appropriations, um, which is like your second highest cost. Um, I'm I've been a Hold on. All right. As an alter alternative to your proposed cuts, I'd suggest looking
into cutting certain software systems such as Atlas Curriculum Mapping, which I now I know everybody has printouts. My phone's gone confluent mapping, which I've been told is like for submitting lesson plans. I looked up
um possible costs for that program and it can be up to like $25,000 a year and most um districts use like free resources like Google Docs to submit lesson plans. So I'm wondering why that hasn't been considered. Um also Rover
and Red Rover and Frontline Education which are also two costly programs possibly $25,000 each. So that's over collectively about $75,000 of savings for programs that could be used in other ways and that I've that are not being
utilized at the district level. So it seems like wasted money. Um so I urge you to vote no tonight. Um give us some time to look at some things and then we can hopefully revisit it and preserve our program. Thank you.
Um, good good evening. Uh, my name is Farley Kinan and I am the MPA co-president with Mariel McHugh representing the Veron High School Music Program. We work tirelessly to support the music program at a high level all year long. First, I want to thank you for your time the last few days
responding to many, many concerned parents and emails. I know the decisions you have to make are not easy decisions and you're trying to balance the budget deficit and what is best for the children in the school and the program. I realize the budget was discussed the past two board meetings without public comment. It's unfortunate that we did
not get involved sooner to partner with the board to avoid such drastic proposed changes to the music program. Regardless, we're all here tonight to ask you to either vote no or delay the vote so we can come up with creative solutions rather than the pro proposed cuts and adjustments.
The proposed elimination of Mr. Fle's position, a man that has taken these children to Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall in the last few years, is a disservice to our children and the future of the program. To consider asking Mr. Lynch to absorb teaching high school choir on top of his already
stretched schedule is not only unfair, it's absurd and a disservice to our children. There's simply no bandwidth for Mr. Lynch to do the job of two full-time teachers on top of the assistant band director position that he has already absorbed a few years back. We urge you to postpone the vote tonight
to give us more time to partner with the board for a more viable solution that doesn't impact the music program to the extent you're proposing. Thank you for everything you guys have done. Thank you for your time tonight and allowing me to speak. And we hope to see you Thursday night at the spring concert at 7 o'clock.
Hi, my name is Mary Ellen McHugh and I'm co-president of the Verona High School Parents Association along with Carly Krin. And to echo everyone else, I just want to thank all of you for your hard work on this budget. I know it you were not probably looking forward to tonight. Um, I also want to thank you for all
your thoughtful responses to all of the emails, Diane, particularly. Um, and also a thank you to all of the Verona Music parents and students who are here tonight to support the program. It's testament to how important it is to all of us. Um, I have three sons, two
seniors in college and a senior in high school. Uh, they're all they all played a major role in uh, band, choir, all of the music program since fourth grade here in Verona. I'm also an eight-year parent volunteer with the Verona High
School Music Program. Our three sons have all benefited beyond words from the district-wide music program. Our sons learned musicians, musicianship, creativity, self-expression for music, but also discipline, respect for others, perseverance, dedication, leadership,
teamwork from music from their music teachers. Jimmy played the trumpet for 10 years because of Mr. Mortyn, his fourth grade instrumental teacher, all the way through high school. Jack earned an almost full scholarship to college because his choir teacher here at BHS
believed in him and encouraged him. Michael found his voice in the chamber choir. He smiles ear to ear when singing for Mr. Flood. They all do and they sound incredible and I'm not going to lie, it breaks my heart that we are
losing Mr. Flood. But these are just our stories. Every Verona music parent has their own. The alumni presence and outcry over these cuts is a testament to the legacy of this program. Additionally, the Verona High School
music program is public-f facing. The music program performs at almost every school and community event in Verona. the 911 ceremony, Veterans Day, the Memorial Day parade and ceremony, fair in the square, senior nights for
many of the athletic teams, football games, pep rallies, back to school night, graduation, TEDex, the list goes on. I'm curious, how do you factor all of those events and that public service and community service
into your enrollment numbers? The teachers are at all of those events and they prepare the students and have rehearsals outside of school hours to prepare them for that and it's amazing and you all go to all of the events. So, I know that you know that. So, we're here tonight to ask for
transparency. I did email you this afternoon. I appreciate the thoughtful response, Diane, but I would like to ask some of the questions here publicly. So some of my question is how do you raise as a budget person myself finance I love numbers how do you look how do
you increase your revenue how do you decrease your costs just like all of you have been doing for months have you considered let me just ask one have you considered alternate funding such as paytoplay for sports I know it's been successful for for other districts in New Jersey
so we urge you to postpone tonight's vote and also share the detailed line item budget and find the somewhere else. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Liam Holland. I'm the president of the HPW Music Parents Association. First, I want to
thank Diane D. Jeppe for her responsiveness to emails from myself and other residents. I do appreciate that. And also Dr. Riley for your presentation of the budget tonight. My focus tonight is transparency. At this time, the public has not been given access to the full proposed budget in a way that
allows for meaningful review. The materials that have been shared, the advertised budget and the presentation provide only a highle summary. They do not allow residents to see how funds are allocated line by line or understand how the decisions were made. And that
matters because without that level of detail, the community cannot clearly see why specific positions were selected for staff reductions. In Verona, we already have a model for transparency. When the township develops its budget, residents can review the full document and privacy
is maintained by using position numbers instead of names. That same level of transparency is possible here. To my knowledge, there was also no direct outreach to groups that would be most impacted by these decisions, including music parent organizations. This is done
by the town when they do their budget. We also see neighboring districts take a more open approach. In Montlair, their board has scheduled an additional meeting after tomorrow's one to allow time to consider public comments and for revisions before the state deadline in miday.
Ms. DJeppy, you stated in your communication with me that the board does not need to vote yes tonight and that a no vote would mean that you need to revisit the budget. So, I want to be clear about what the community is asking. This is not about misinformation. This is not about
misunderstanding the situation. We understand that the music programs themselves are expected to continue. What we're concerned about is the reduction of staff and the impact that it will have on the students and the program quality. It's also important to note that prior meetings did not clearly
identify which positions were being considered for reduction. That meant residents could not fully understand what was being proposed until very recently and now we're being asked to comment and move towards a vote without having had the opportunity to fully review the complete budget. This is not
a transparent process. The board of education exists to represent the residents of Verona. And based on the turnout here tonight, the volume of emails that have been sent, and the student response, it is clear that this matters to the community. So, I'm asking
for you to do three things. First, release the full proposed budget for public review so we can go line by line. Second, clearly explain how decisions were made regarding the staff reductions. And third, vote no tonight or delay the vote to allow time for
proper review and community input. You have that option and the community is asking you to use it. Thank you. >> Hi, I'm Sophia Stucker. I'm Diana Holland. The two of us are sixth graders in HBW. We love music so much and we
could not imagine a Verona without the teachers that taught us. The anger we feel about the cuts in our wonderful program is very strong. We met in the summer of 2023 before 4th grade. And you know how? Through Verona summer music. The amount of friendships that we have built around Verona's music program are
too many to count. Taking away any part of this will strike a cut that nothing can hear. As much as you might think that taking away a few teachers from different schools may not affect that many people since there aren't too many participants anyway, but that's not true. Hundreds of people do band in chorus and that's just in the middle
school. Taking away any part of the program that we have worked so hard to perfect would be taking away too much. We understand that you aren't taking away the actual program, but you are taking away the people in it. Think of the music program as a family. Your mom, dad, siblings, and you. You're in
financial trouble and you cannot support anyone. So, one of the family members has to go away so you'll have enough money. Your family is now not completely gone. But is it ever going to be the same? Are you ever just going to replace whoever got taken away because you didn't have
enough money and pretend like nothing happened? Now put it back to the music program. Think of it like that. What if what if instead of taking away one of the people, the family decided to cut down on other things?
Then everyone would be able to stay. The loss of a material or service is much easier to deal with than the loss of an important person. Now, let's talk about our beloved teacher, Mr. Thomas Wise. He is such a huge part of our life here at HBW. He does the fifth grade band, the maroon band, sixth grade, and
jazz band. If you take him away, not only will his students be heartbroken, but the teachers will have too much on their plate. Mr. Wise has taught us so much that we couldn't have gone without. He is too valuable to our community to lose. Cutting Mr. Wise might even lead to the band, music, and chorus in the
schools just going away. Middle school, for most band kids at least, would never be the same unless we can convince you to stop. We understand that it's not that simple and that Verona is low on money. But please don't cut the band teachers and chorus teachers because they are too important to let go. Verona is known as a very musical town and with
all the school, summer, and private programs we have, it really proves that claim. But if it's okay to lay off teachers who worked as hard as everyone else, then sooner or later it will also be okay just to get rid of other programs. One step can determine the future of an entire community. So ask
yourself this question again. Do you really want to take the break that made the entire wall fall down? Finally, the cuts in the Verona music program are unfair, unjustified, and they undo everything we have worked so hard to build. Thank you for your time and have
a good night. >> Hello, I'm Adelina Bergios. I'm a sixth grade student in HBW and I would like to share my opinion on the excessive budget cuts that are happening to the music program in Verona, New Jersey. I've been a part of the Verona music program since
fourth grade and band and chorus has become a big part of my life and I feel like these budget cuts need to be changed. When me and my friends heard that Mr. Wise, Mr. Flood, French in the middle school and Mandarin elementary schools, etc., are being laid off because of budget cuts, I knew I needed
to change something. So hopefully I can change your mind. In the elementary schools, younger students may not get the same opportunities we had to learn and grow through music and language. Band and music teachers make a longlasting impact on kids' childhoods.
Many people, including my own parents, always told me that they wish they played an instrument, but when they got to the middle school, it was too late. It's never too late to learn an instrument, but starting sooner makes a stronger and more advanced musician. And either way, it's never too late to start playing an instrument. Yesterday,
I interview I interviewed my friend. She said, "I don't think it's fair that and they don't deserve to be laid off and the teachers and they teach the kids and teens amazingly." She also said, "The subjects are important to a kid kid and
teens life because they need to learn about what the subject is so they can know and learn more." As you can see, even my friend believes that that's not fair to stop important subjects and teachers in the school day. Also, with French and Mandarin, kids can start
earlier learning a language they want. Either way, if they don't want to learn learn a language, knowing the basics of a language is a good and fun experience for kids. In the end, I believe that these subjects are an important part of a school day and of a child's academics
and knowledge. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your time and have a great night. Hello, my name is Audrey Cypriano and I am a sixth grade student at HBW. I have been part of the Verona music program since fourth grade and Mr. Wise has been a major factor in my becoming the
musician I am today. I am here to convince you that he should not be laid off. Mr. Wise is many things. A teacher, a mentor, an incredible musician. In just two years, he has won the hearts of all middle school band members. He is a crucial part of our school, and we don't
know what we'd do without him. He makes learning music as fun as it can be and helps unlock the potential inside every young musician. He inspires kids to love music and to use their creativity to create art with their instruments. Mr. Wise is such a vital part of our music
community, HB at HBW, and we refuse to let him go. at H at HBW. Music is a big part of who we are and Mr. Wise is a big part of our music. He inspires us to love what we do and gives us the courage to test our limits. He teaches us how to
become better musicians and in turn teaches us how to become better people. Mr. Weise taught me most of what I know about music. He helped my bandmates and I elevate our skills from an amateur level to having the ability to learn and play challenging music. He has aided my
musical journey in numerous ways. From teaching new playing techniques to demonstrating complex rhythms. Mr. Wise pushes us to try new things and take chances. From performing an improvised solo to switching to a new instrument. He supports us every step of the way.
Shows even those who are unsure about band the joys of music. Each time we arrive to band in the morning, he has a smile on his face that gets us ready to learn and makes even the dreariest of days seem more bearable. Removing Mr. Wise is not only a bad decision, it
would be heartbreaking to every single student in band as well as any student that has had the joy of meeting him. He is loved by the school and creates a band community where everyone can belong. Thank you for your time and I hope you will take my words into consideration when you make your final
decision. Good evening everyone. I am Genevie Marshall, sixth grade student at HPW Middle School and proud member of the Maroon Band, jazz band, and acoustics choir. Uh my opinion about the budget cuts has no logistics, no percentages,
no amounts of money, um no numbers to show you, just my belief and my experience as a student that's being affected. Although these cuts are affecting many people, my teacher, Mr. Wise, is who I came to share about. To start, he is an
incredible teacher. He's helped me and my fellow band members master different techniques, practice effectively, learn our instrument better, and so, so much more. Every day, he teaches us new material, and lets us blossom into greater musicians. He does so much for us in our band, and I simply can't
imagine school without him. In his time at the middle school, he has already gone over the moon for us, building lasting relationships with each and every student he teaches. He inspires us to try harder, practice more, and develop our musical skills. Personally, I would not be where I am today without him. Every little thing, every comment,
every correction, they all result in the incredible music we have today. Mr. Wise is such a vital part of our school, and it would be absolutely heartbreaking to not have the privilege of his teaching next school year. I can't even begin to explain what a loss it would be to have him laid off. In addition, I know that
no amount of speeches and stories you hear today can fix the budget problem and that saying yes to to us it has more complications than it seems. But may I suggest a solution? Fundraisers. Before you think that they won't work, let me tell you, I know many kids at HBW. Many.
Many parents, many bandarants, lots of people. Together, the community of not just HBW, but Verona can come together and raise all the money we need. In fact, I believe that some amazing people have already started collecting donations. It's not impossible to raise this money.
To conclude, I believe that the budget cuts are an effect of a college that we have time to change. Little time as it may be, but for our wonderful, beloved teachers, I believe we can make it work. I wish that you take my opinion and that of my peers into account. Thank you for your time.
Hi, my name is Alexandra Bernoya and I'm here as a parent of two elementary school students in the district and I want to speak about what these proposed reductions actually mean to a family like mine. On paper, this may look like a list of positions. In reality is it is
the loss of experiences that shape how our children learn and see themselves. My daughter was chosen through elementary enrichment by Miss Capalana to compete in a countywide geography beat. She placed in third place and it gave her real confidence. Without
enrichment, we lower the ceiling on what children like her are encouraged to explore. Because of Mr. Halburn. My daughter was inspired to teach herself the first four notes of Taylor Swift's Love Story on her flute. My first grade
son wanted to watch Stranger Things, but our rule was simple. You have to read A Wrinkle in Time first. He ran to his librarian, Mrs. Walker, because for him, the library is where curiosity is built and worlds are opened. These experiences
show that these programs are not extras. They are how our children grow. I understand that the board of education's response is that these programs are not being eliminated, but they are being preserved in a different form. Respectfully, for young children, structure matters. Continuity matters.
Relationships with their teachers matter. The same number of minutes on paper is not the same as educational experience in practice. Young children do not benefit from fragmented exposure. They benefit from routine and regular connection to music, art, language,
library, and enrichment. And while I hear the point that the budget process was discussed publicly, many families like mine did not understand the real impact of these changes until very recently. And honestly, even after tonight's presentation, I'm still not clear on
what impact the elementary school reductions will have on my children. Legal notice is not the same as meaningful transparency. Decisions that affect children's daily experience in school deserve not just compliance, but clarity and real
community understanding. Families should not feel like they do tonight reacting after the fact. I understand that budget constraints are real, but all of these priorities are choices. And as you can see by the attendance here tonight, these choices do not reflect what your
constituents priorities are. I urge the board to reconsider these reductions and to vote no on the budget presented here this evening. Thank you. >> Good evening. My name is David Burstein. I live in West Orange and I run price.com
which benchmarks professional service contracts across New Jersey school districts. Um, as the board considers staffing reductions tonight, contract pricing data becomes especially relevant. Um, last school year on June
12th, 2025, uh, the board approved a board certified behavior analyst um, contract authorized at $150 per hour, uh, which is $25 above the Essex County median. Um this is one example of the
kind of variation that becomes visible when you look across districts. Thank you. Hello, my name is Emily Pulitzy. My daughter is in fourth grade and my son is in first grade at Brookdale Avenue School. I'm also a school counselor at an elementary school in West Caldwell
just down the road. My understanding that in spite of the numbered changes, cuts, and reductions in force proposed in the Verona school's budget for the upcoming school year, the district is not eliminating elementary music, elementary world language, elementary library media, or elementary enrichment.
Rather, they will be delivered differently. But tonight, I ask, what does that look like? And more so, how can the budget possibly go to a vote tonight if the board is still working through scheduling models and has not yet made the determination as to what these integral elements of the elementary school experience will look
like for the 2026 2027 school year? What will elementary students do in lie of art for the trimester they don't have that special? I understand you're looking at the same number of minutes come June, but for that trimester, what are the students doing when they don't have art? What does that look like? Same
question for general music. What will elementary students do in lie of music for the trimester? They don't have that special. The minutes may be the same at the end of the school year, but what are students actually doing during that trimester? They don't have music. What does it look like? And if there is no
longer a dedicated band teacher at the elementary level, is the current general music teacher expected to and able to teach instrumental music? It's not being eliminated. But what is happening to instrumental music in the elementary schools? What does that look like? If
the academic enrichment teacher has been reassigned to teach fifth grade math and science at the middle school, but academic enrichment at the elementary level is not being eliminated, what does that look like? And because it's relevant to me both personally and professionally, how is a single school
counselor going to be split among four schools and meet the social emotional needs of all elementary school students in the district? What about classroom lessons? Running small groups, individual sessions, assisting in crisis. How does this work when the counselor is only at each school 1.25
days each week? What does this look like? If the answer to what does this look like cannot be given tonight before the vote, and if it can, I and my fellow parents and students present tonight are listening and waiting for a response, I implore the board of education to either
vote no or table the vote to approve the proposed budget for next school year until a solid plan has been developed, schedules have been finalized, and every question posed tonight can be definitively answered and transparently shared with all stakeholders. Thank you.
Good evening. Um, thank you to each of you for your service to our town. Uh, I'm Jed Dinnerstein, a Verona resident and parent of three. Uh, my oldest is a first grader at Brookdale. My key point tonight is that substance cannot be separated from process. If the
board wants parents to support a budget that cuts services from their children's schools, they need to give us a meaningful opportunity to participate. Notice is not a procedural checkbox. It is how a community partners with its board to make hard decisions better. I suspect that one of the reasons this
room is so full tonight is that parents feel deprived of the chance to partner in their kids' education, the thing that brought many of us to town in the first place. I'm not going to spend time pushing on the substance of the specific cuts because frankly I don't have enough information to know if I fully support them. Instead, I'll focus on three
specific process moments when I think the board missed a chance to earn our support and trust here. Moment >> so moment one when the administration knew it faced a meaningful budget shortfall but didn't share that with the town. The administration pointed to
March 12th, 2026, the day it received state aid figures as the start of the cascade for these cuts. But that's just when the more exact amount was known. The district knew well before March 12th that it was headed into a hard budget cycle. The moment Verona had high conviction it was facing a sevenf
figureure shortfall, even without knowing exact numbers or specific proposed cuts, residents should have been made aware. If the final results deserved a townwide message, the moment we knew we were headed there deserved the same treatment. Earlier communication means earlier partnership
and ultimately more belief in wherever we land. Moment two, when the administration declined to show its work, the administration conveyed that before any staffing reductions were recommended, a significant review was completed. I haven't seen that review
with any detail and it matters because these are not technical accounting decisions. they are priority decisions and I think that's a significant thing that we've heard tonight around support for the music program. I agree with the superintendent that no decisions and reductions are painless, but the right
answer is one that reflects this town's priorities and does the most good for the students in this town. Without the board showing its work, residents cannot have confidence in these conclusions, even if they turn out to be correct. It's a poor outcome for everyone, including this board. Moment three, last
Thursday's townwide email was not as soon as possible. While I understand that actual state and county calendars feel compressed, it doesn't mean Verona can't build a different internal communications process. It's a floor, not a ceiling. We have to solve our own problems here, even if the county and
state don't make it easy on us. A townwide email four business days before the hearing doesn't create the feeling of collaboration and trust that this board should strive for. My two asks for tonight, table the budget vote. My understanding is you don't owe approval to the state until May 19th. Use the
next three weeks to publish a spending review, alternatives considered and rejected, and the reserve analyses and give residents a real chance to weigh in. Second, learn from the three missed moments this time in the future. When once a meaningful budget gap is identified, the town hears about it.
Budget analysis prioritization gets shared, not just referenced months later. Thank you. Your time, and the public information cascade starts as early as it can. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening everybody. Um, it is so good to be back in a place with so many of the people I love and
miss and who have Italian last names. Is this thing on? Oh, here we go. All right. Uh my name is Paul Salerno, a graduate of the class uh the VHS class of 2014 and former Verona music teacher. Um I'm here for the mascot actually.
No, no jokes. Okay. Um the news I heard about this district last week uh saddens me. It worries me and it angers me. Um I'm here to speak um for and in support of the community that made me who I am. Um, and of course my kiddos, my judkis,
and uh, folkaronis, big and small. The deterioration of anything happens ever so slowly and then all at once. The work of my former colleagues, my former teachers, myself, and the students past and present is being destroyed with what seems like one fell
swoop. While it is a shame about the other specials and how the specialists are being cut and reallocated today, I can only talk about the music program as it is my area of expertise. Um, it may be presented as something different, but these decisions by no
means save or preserve a functioning program, which I'm so happy the community members really do realize. At the elementary level, we're talking about condensing three full-time positions into two, and at the high school level, two full-time positions into one. Before we even get into details, we are talking about severely
adding to the load of the music teachers who remain in the district. The workload was already challenging, but this will push many over the edge and make Verona an undesirable place to teach. Um, in the district released fact sheet, it is stated that one out of three
elementary instrumental music positions is being cut. Um, that that is not true. While an NJ music educator certificate allows them to teach all music from K through 12, whether it's band, choir, orchestra, general music, music tech
classes. Um, it ignores a crucial part of each teacher's experience in their education. In the same way, there are teachers who specialize in history, English or math, music teachers specialize in instrumental or vocal general music. It is possible for an instrumental specialist to teach vocal general and vice versa. But I'm sure you
wouldn't want your psychiatrist moonlighting as your child's oncologist. So, for example, if you're a teacher who doesn't understand the changes in a freshman boy's voice, how it changes day-to-day, you can end up severely hurting them and doing irreparable damage to their voice. Um, the proposed
changes to the elementary specialist schedule allow for the is retaining a music program box just to be checked off. But what is proposed isn't really retaining a music program. A rotating trimester schedule robs the children of a music program as well as adequate access to the other specials. Music,
art, library, world language, and PE have never met every other week. Um, from even before I was a student at FM Brown, the students have had each of those classes at least once a week. Kids had music classes twice a week for 30
minutes per class. Having two trimesters of music is detrimental not just to the musical development of the students but their academic development and success as well. Admin wants the same concerts and performance throughout all of this. How will that even happen when not all students will have a regular music class?
>> Have any of these program changes been thought through? >> It was said that these changes were two years in the making. But where was the transparency? >> Why wasn't the music staff or the Verona Music Parents Association? >> Three minutes interrupt. Why were the professionals and experts in this field not consulted about the programs they run? Why aren't the
invaluable resources you have at your disposal not being used? Surely the music staff is capable of coming up with a solution that doesn't decimate a legendary music program. It seems my time is up, but there's a lot more to be said. Thank you
for your time. Good evening everyone, members of the board. My name is Christine Neville and I'm here as a member and an advocate for the high school coral program. Um, for many of you that are new to the district, um, I held this position starting in 2021 and left unfortunately
due to many myriad of circumstances that occurred shortly after that. I will briefly touch on today. When I started in 2021, I started as a part-time oral music person at the high school. My predecessor, Lauren Dimpiio, would like to extend her congrat to everyone as she
could not be here tonight, but she too wanted to advocate for this program. When I started in 2021, the coral program was 14 students before school and 12 students during the school day. As a part-time coral expert, I was given the opportunity to get to know the
students, the program, and see the potential of what this program could do. I created opportunities to bring this into a forward- facing perspective. Fair and Square did not happen until I showed up. And the students and the community knew that vocal music was back at VHS.
Prior to me, there was a slew and onslaught of part-time position teachers that would come and go and wouldn't stay because they felt that coral and vocal music was not respected at the high school level. But I believed in it. At the end of my first year here, the
interim superintendent, Dr. Finari chose to believe in myself and the assistant band director Zachleski who unfortunately could not be here tonight but would like to have his name mentioned as he stands with this department. At the end of my first year as a part-time employee, the program
grew 100%. both of my ensembles doubled and I believe that with the support of the board to look at the numbers and crunch the things and have the conversations I do believe that there is a way to keep a vocal expert at the high school level.
I'm not here to speak about anything else but as a coral teacher in this field I could tell you that if Mr. Lynch is left alone. Excellence cannot is not a singular person. It is a team. And if
position disappears, the choir that we have worked, Mr. Flet and I have worked so hard to build is going to diminish and disappear. And you will go back to the rotating door that doesn't exist. And those students will choose to pursue other opportunities. And the once proud
vocal music program here in Verona, especially vocally, is going to disappear. Please reconsider your choices. Thank you for your time. >> Good evening. My name is Titus Holidayiday. I am the Verona High School Chamber Choir vice president and bass
section leader and four-year member of the choir program. Many tonight have spoken on the impact that removing the VHS coral director position would have on personal lessons and individual growth. I would like to show that this fear has been realized in this school before. Three years ago, VHS removed the
position of assistant band director, placing the weight of the music program on the backs of only two, Mr. Lynch and Mrs. Neville. As each took on more classes, they had few fewer periods to devote to private lessons. What had once developed my vocal technique every week became every other week. For those in
the band ensemble, even less often. The toll it took on the remaining music teachers was easily visible. Now you seek to combine two teachers worth of packed lesson schedules into only four periods under one man. You expect him to have consistent,
impactful lessons with members from concert band, concert choir, jazz band, jazz choir, and four other ensembles all within four periods. You assure us that this board is not balancing the budget by eliminating programs. The choir
classes will continue, but at what cost? Without time for the these personal lessons, the technique of those in every ensemble will suffer. Without a director trained in the field, Verona singers cannot develop their songs beyond knowing pitches and rhythms. I
understand that significant budget cuts place the board in a difficult position. But with such tight cuts, you have to separate wants from needs. You have further told us today that every budget decision was made to protect as many student opportunities as possible.
I tell you that removing the VHS coral director position would eliminate the technique that brought us in the choir to Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall. The technique that brings the town to ask us to sing at memorials, at ceremonies, and at speeches. You would eliminate the growth and excellence of
the Verona Coral program. I know that every decision you have made h has been made with the intention of acting in the students best interests. I hope that you can see now in which program the interests of the student body lies. I
trust that your decision tonight will reflect the needs of those students. Thank you. Hello everyone. Good evening to the Verona Board of Education. My name is Victor Zayn Stucker and I am the student body president of HP Whitehorn Middle
School. I come to speak to you today representing the interests of myself and my fellow students on the issue of the proposed budget cuts to various school programs that are to be discussed at today's meeting. Like my fellow students, many of whom who have come to
this meeting for similar reasons, I believe that these changes are unjust and negatively impactful and that different measures should be taken to stabilize the budget so that no teacher will lose their occupation and that no student will lose their participation in a class or program. These changes will
impact two main areas of curriculum, music and world language. And I will try my best to suggest why this should be reconsidered. Personally, I myself have been a member of the music department for several years and have come to understand its importance to Verona's
culture and to the minds of students. Such changes to this area of education could harm this cultural community and harm the music teachers who are respected by and significant to the students. With this, I urge the board to keep in mind the community that could be
strained if any musical teachers lose their occupation or if any programs are eliminated. Also, a problem that could arise from these reductions would be with the world languages. It is proven and supported that learning another language is significantly useful to
being a world citizen and dealing with many life situations. The language of French is spoken in 28 countries and is very useful for students in the global community. Mandarin, though only spoken mostly in one country, has over a billion speakers and is useful in
international relations. Both the elimination of French in HBW and the elimination of Mandarin in the elementary schools is a negative impact for lingual diversity and puts additional stress on other language teachers. And even though it is the unfortunate truth that French does not
have many students, a chance should be given for those numbers to increase. In addition to this, other programs are also likely affected and this can go against the educational health of our town rather than for it. Again, I emphasize that I am speaking in the
common interest. I know that the financial problem here cannot be ignored, but I am asking for a different stance. Events such as fundraisers and financial requests have shown growth in the past and there is a lot Verona can do to repair its educational economy. My
main point is everyone that the board should not act rationally and that there are different ways and many things that we can do to solve these problems without harming the systems that make our town and us who we are. Consider that everyone and thank you for letting me speak. I will now take any questions
that board members may have for me. Okay, thank you again. And I ask you to listen to as many other speakers as possible tonight as they all have different perspectives and opinions about this. Good night.
Hello. Can you hear me? My name is Joanna Gagas. Um I'm a resident of Verona. I would like to just first share my the experience of my two kids. I have two HBW students, one in seventh grade, one in fifth, uh, girl and a boy, and they both have quite literally found their voices through the the music
program in Verona. What the music program is an absolute gem in this town, and this is a testament to all the parents who understand it brings together kids of every type. It's the athletes of every kind. It's a socioeconomic equalizer. It's an absolute u growth tool. It helps kids
learn. I can speak for as a parent of kids with learning differences that it's an absolute critical piece of their learning environment. We are no longer in the elementary schools, but I can tell you it played a very big a very important role. And that repetition throughout the week, not just in a
chunked period of the year, uh was really important to them. If you ask my kids who their favorite teachers were who had the greatest impact, they would say Mr. Salerno. But but they would also tell you it was Mrs. Lustig, the school counselor, who got them through some really, really critical struggles that they went
through. And they would also tell you it's Mrs. Freda because the library time is so important to them and something that they look forward to every week. And now I have a couple questions that I hope you can respond to when the public comment period is over. A revision of
S2, the school funding formula, allows some districts that have lost funding from the state. And I know we're on the the gaining side of that formula, but they do allow some districts to go out to a referendum to the community and ask if they would like to increase their tax
levy. We heard Genevieve Marshall talk about fundraising. We heard some of the parent associations talk about fundraising. Have you considered a survey polling this community to ask if they would be willing to raise the tax levy to cover the cost of these programs? By my math, if you look at $1
million divided by the rough estimate of residents we have, that comes to about $70 a household. Is that something you have considered? Um, I also want to ask why did we lose Title One funding and is that something that could or would be restored? What's the communication with
the state about that? and you said you would advocate at the state level uh to restore funding. I wonder what that advocacy looks like and with whom you're having those conversations. But I would really love to hear that if you've reached out to the board of education in New Jersey to ask if we could increase
that tax levy beyond the 2% you you list you listed that as a reason for uh the shortfall over and over again. Thank you. Hi everyone, my name is Leah Bon and I am a current VHS senior. Rather than listing the many ways I've been involved in this program over my years in Verona,
I will tell you that currently I hold a leadership position in every aspect of music this school has to offer. I am aware of how this program works to its entirety and I cannot stand by and watch as detrimental cuts are made to our program. To place instrumental and coral duties on one teacher in the high school
and elementary schools comes with consequences that I don't believe are being taken into consideration. The workload is simply too heavy and teachers will not be able to take all that on by themselves. By placing too much work on these teachers, the programs will lose their integrity and their appeal. Less students will enroll
in the music program in fourth grade and less students will continue into high school. In a matter of years, the program across all the schools will have such low enrollment that it will be cut entirely. Being a senior a senior this year, I am not fighting for myself. I'm fighting for all my many underassmen who
are sitting in the back that I have watched grow over the past three years. I am fighting for all of the many students I have watched grow in Verona summer music that are sitting next to me. I am fighting for all the many community members who love this program deeply and look forward to its many performances throughout the year. As I am aware, these cuts were based off of
enrollment, but Verona Music extends so far past its current members. The community support for this program is wildly overlooked. In just six days, a petition has reached nearly 2,000 signatures in favor of protecting the music program from budget cuts. The town of Verona truly would never be the same
without Verona music. What would a football game look like when the marching band staff is stripped too thin to bring the band to games? What would town ceremonies be like when the choir's trademark national anthem cannot be sung because there's no time in Mr. Lynch's pack schedule? What would the holiday season be without VHS carolers going
around town because Mr. Lynch has to prep all his other groups for the winter concert? If these budget cuts are approved, I'm fearful that we will find out. I know that I speak for all of Verona music, its students, teachers, parents, and many, many supporters that are here tonight when I say please vote no on the proposed cuts and allow us
time to at least search for another solution before you take away what we love most. Thank you. My name is Oliver Zebert and I want to apologize in advance for the for the velocity of my talking as I have a lot to say in three minutes. I want you to look at the students in
this room. We are in the most academically intensive stretch of our year. We are tired. We are stressed and we have halted our studies to come to come to an otherwise boring administrative meeting. 1,800 people from rivaling schools, neighboring towns, and families who have felt the resonance of our pride in this auditorium have signed their names in
less than a week to stop the precedent that the music program is a resource to be scavenged from. The proposal to place the choir under under one instrumental teacher is, with all due respect, a colossal misunderstanding of our art. It is like asking a physics teacher to lead the entire Spanish program because their words use the same letters.
Look, Look, Mr. Lynch is an extraordinary and overachieving educator, but this plan is a trap. You're placing him in a position where excellence is fundamentally unachievable. And I am sure that you that you may believe you're preserving the choir because it still has a place on your spreadsheet, but you are diluting it to a husk of its potential
because we are not an expenditure on a paper. And the educators who built this program are not passion and the passion they have built are not line items. As a result of the circumstances I will not burden this council with, last summer I was at a crossroads. I sat in my basement with a piece of paper and literally wrote a pros and cons list to
decide whether I should stay at Verona High School. I looked at that paper for a long time. There was only one thing in favor of staying. One single reason that outweighed every struggle I was facing and what felt like to me was the only truly irreplaceable thing this school had to offer. That one item was the Vona
music program. I want to be clear. I want to be clear about the nature of the art Mr. Flood creates with us. It isn't about learning notes, but rather the pursuit of a unique a unique kind of musicianship. There is a specific undeniable power felt by a group of by a group of students bound together by
their passion for music and their program. for 50 minutes every morning before we begin our reluctant endurance of the school day. We can be part of something built on the belief in our cap in our capability and our love for our art. We are when you aren't when you're talking about consolidating these rules. You aren't just removing a name and a
position from the payroll. You are dismantling a sanctuary for us. For many of us, those mornings aren't just another period on our schedule. They are the only time of day we can exist in a high pressure demanding environment and still feel deeply connected to our work and the people around us. And the worst part of all to me is that I have seen in
many of your faces in our auditorium before. You stood for our musical. You praised our jazz nights. You have enjoyed the fruits of our labor time and time again. I don't understand how you can sit here and vote to salt the earth on which we grow that very fruit. I want you to know that if you vote for
this cut, you are telling the next student sitting in their basement with a pros and cons list that the one thing keeping them present is disposable. I am here because this program and the two men who lead it prevailed when nothing else did. When you are casting your vote tonight, I want you to ask yourself one
question. Do you care more about a quick fix to a budget problem? Or do you care? Or do you care more about the students you are meant to be working for? Thank you. >> Hello. My name is Michael McHugh and I'm a senior here at VHS. In my four years here, I have been in marching band and concert band for four years, concert
choir for two years, and chamber choir for three years, and various other performing ensembles for up to four years, as well as a varsity athlete for four years. I have seen firsthand the type of people that are forged by the incredible music educators and programs here in Verona. I have seen the people who go through this program become the
kindest, most hardworking, most intelligent people you will ever meet. From the very beginning, From the very beginning. In fourth grade band, students are taught how to think differently, how to be themselves. That continues through middle school and high school, where students are constantly challenged and pushed, learning more
than how to play their instruments or sing the right notes. They learn independence, persistence, trust, teamwork, and so much more. The incredible music education offered to students in Verona is unparalleled. Several of the best musicians I've ever witnessed are products of this district.
These students truly found their place here in the VHS music program. The teachers here, Mr. Lynch and Mr. Flood, as well as Mr. Oblesky and Miss Neville before their departures, provide students with the tools and perhaps more importantly, the passion necessary to succeed on whatever path they embark on.
It is not only wrong to eliminate the position of high school vocal music teacher. It is unethical. The proposed budget states that the same music classes and programs will be available but taught by a smaller number of teachers. In the case of VHS, only one. This is simply not feasible. The
proposal claims that the budget was created, quote, with the goal of protecting the student experience and preserving the programs and services that matter most to Verona families. End quote. I believe this claim to be false. The administration often says how much
they adore the music program. Often though, they neglect to realize how much the students adore it as well. This is truly disappointing that the board of education is attempting to hinder the success of the music program at the high school and throughout the district, a program that already relies on donations
and scraps. The recent lack of support says otherwise. Many on the board of education were chosen because it was believed that they cared about the well-being and prosperity of the students in the district. By voting yes on the proposed budget, you will be
negating any claim that you care about the students. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Andrew Acriman and I'm a senior here at Verna High School. For a second, I would like you to put yourself in my shoes right now. There are about 10 separate assignments waiting for me at home. I have a
mountain of content of content I have to review for my AP tests next week and I have scholarship applications due very soon. So why am I here when there's plenty to be done tonight? Well, it's the exact same reason as every other student, alumni, and person here who
cares about the music program. This program means the world to me. I believe I can talk on behalf of the students when I say that our commitment expands far beyond music alone. For many of us, this program means dedication towards a skill honed since the fourth
grade or younger. It represents a constant in our lives. It represents friendship, collaboration, and hard work. It represents one of the most open and positive environments this school has to offer. I know students where this
is their first year doing music entirely. I also know students who have been playing an instrument since diapers. Verona Music prides itself on openness to newcomers. A cut to this program means cutting one of the most accessible
programs this school district has to offer. However, by far the most important part of this program are the people. As vice president of the student body, my job revolves around the people. People who I have a responsibility to
advocate for. Members of the board of education, I come to you now advocating on behalf of the students. advocating for equal opportunity for our students. Under the current plan, we find that the music program as a whole will not be given this equal opportunity. By cutting
the choir director position at Vera High School, not only do you create an environment of unequal opportunity for the kids involved in that program, but you simultaneously take away opportunities from the students involved in band by overloading the job of the current band director, who will have a significantly higher workload pushed
upon him. Members of the board of education, I urge you to please consider the people, your students. Consider the effect that cut director position have on your students and vote no on this proposed budget. But thank you
Uh hello Daniel Franklin, Veron resident and alumni of RTZ cadet. Um upon hearing about the cuts to various programs at VHS, especially the music program, I was very much concerned about the budgetary situation. I spent the last few weeks extensively researching budgetary solutions that raise revenue and lower costs. Due to time restrictions, I can't
talk about how much I love the music program or um and I'm only going to go over three proposals out of eight that could save hundreds of thousands of dollars for the school district. Um, number one, shared initiating shared services with for special education from Cedar Grove and other towns to cut back on the massive costs that we pay for out
of district programs. This can include other K through6 programs like North Caldwell, Essex Fells, and the other West Essex districts. We currently pay 60,000 80,000 up to hundreds of thousands of dollars per student because we have to pay for out of district placements which our district cannot provide. If we partnered with
regionalized services like Cedar Grove or Essex Fels, we could provide this for significantly cheaper. New Jersey admin code 6A col23A-2.5 explicitly encourages this type of arrangement and it would make us eligible for a $200,000 LEAP grant next year to initiate the process of doing
that. Um, number two, going solar. New Jersey schools are ranked number two in solar usage nationally due to our generous incentives. If upfront costs are an issue, Piscatoaway funded their entire district-wide solar projects at no upfront cost to the town due to a power purchase agreement over 15 years. The price per kilowatt right now in New
Jersey is 23 cents per kilowatt hour, but under a PPA it's 11 cents through 17 cents per kilowatt hour. Um um and um we would likely land on the lower side of that because we're a school district and not a residential community or a residential home. Other districts like Newark, Belleville, West Cola have
already gone solar. We are literally losing money. They pay upfront and we would be saving hundreds of thousands of dollars which could make Mr. Wise's position. It could pay for Mr. Flood's position and plenty of other things. Not to mention the environmental positives. We are literally giving up free savings.
The only reason we were the board was going to do it in 2013, but the only reason we didn't is because the roofs weren't in good shape. And we passed the referendum in 2019 to replace all the roofs. We have no excuse now. All right. Number three, better coordinating services with the town. I know we're not very friendly of them
with them right now because of the pilot money controversies, but is there any chance of a combined IT contract bidding with the township? We both use Google, right? We're both Google based. We can do licensing through that manner. There's 16 different types of software we pay for as a school district according to this year's budget. Is there no overlap? Potential savings can
be made on things like shared asset tracking, identity management, joint bidding on HVAC. Right? There's all those things that this town uses and the school district uses that you can go off of. The board of ed could also save money on transportation costs by asking the township to share the senior citizen bus that we use. It's only used from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30. It could be used for
special ed transport in the mornings and after 3. I know that um President Prrisco is also working with the township um recreation department. We can make this happen. It could also be used for small clubs or small athletic teams later in the day. We have these resources. Let's put them to you. Let's let's put them to use. Let's do integration. Um these are just a few of
the ideas. And um I also have other ones that have a more immediate thing like a healthcare dependency audit, right? It's been proven to show $400,000 for many different school districts. Like this is significant savings and I have more on that doc. I just don't have time to explain. Um, those are some of the few districts I have that would improve our fiscal position. Please look over my
other ideas because I personally put a lot of work into it and more importantly, it could save people's jobs and also help our students which is why all of us are here. All of you guys were elected. All you guys get paid and why Ryan's here also, right? So, thank you for listening to me and I really appreciate your time. Please look over
at them. >> Hold on one second. Um I just Daniel I just want to say you should go to Washington DC. You should leave here right now and go to DC. Um we are past
our 100 one hour mark. However, if um board approves going further and letting whoever is the last person online, I'm I'm okay with public participation up until the last gentleman back there if
um I could get a motion from my board members to Oh, okay. We're good. Okay. So, I just wanted to We'll go. That'll be the last um public participation, but thank you. Great. >> Hi everyone. My name is Laura Reineer
and I am a town resident. I have three daughters kind of on the younger end. My oldest is in sixth and my youngest is in prek. So I think we're the sort of future of the Verona music program. Um I have actually I I came here with kind of one key tactical request. Um but before
I say that it's funny because I actually advise global companies on sustainability and I think the roof solar thing is actually very much worth looking into. Many of my clients are doing that. So um in any case uh my my comment today was actually I think all of the comments you saw today were and
just the turnout itself suggests like there is so much value in this program right and the value goes beyond enrollment it's social it's environ it's um rather emotional it's academic its contribution to the richness of Verona and so I guess my tactical question then
is how can we better reflect that value in decision criteria right I appreciate the overview of decision criteria that you outlined. I think that was that was well appreciated and and useful to see. Um it is highly focused on numbers, right? And it's difficult to find ways
to effectively measure value. Um what I would ask is that you take some time um that you delay the vote and that you look at how can we better reflect the true value of the music program and of the specials in the analysis and the criteria that you apply to inform the
decision. Thank you. First off, I want to say walking down here, you have thousands of Verona students who are here to speak on this doing their homework literally as you walk down. That's how passionate these kids are. So, my name is Olivia Tedesco.
I'm a 2022 VHS graduate and I'm also speaking on behalf of my brother Luca Tedesco, a 2024 VHS graduate. and I would like to share something with you about the Verona music programs. Both my brother and I were introduced to music through the Verona schools through the fourth grade. That's where it all
started for us. I'll be the first to admit I wasn't the most musically talented, but I did continue with the VHS color guard. And through that experience, I became a part of something bigger than myself. It wasn't just an activity, it was family. The educators
didn't just teach, they supported me. They believed in me, encouraged me, and helped me grow, not only with the guard, but outside of it as well. As you know, I'm not alone in that. Anyone here who has an experience with the Verona music program understands that is more than just music. It is community, mentorship,
and belonging. And what's happening here isn't unique. As you guys all just said, it doesn't make it right either. Research from the Center of Education Policy shows that nearly half of school districts have reduced arts programs to focus more on tested subjects. But at the same time, organizations like the
National Association for Music Education emphasizes that music education is directly linked to stronger academic performance, higher student engagement, and improved social and em and emotional development. But beyond that, programs like the music often are the first to go
because they are because they matter le not because they matter less, but because they are easier to cut. Sports programs often have larger funding streams, stronger visibility, and community pressure to maintain. Music, despite impacting just as many students as you see today, often as seen as
expendable simply because it wasn't as visible or as prioritized. When I looked at the proposed budget, which I did take a picture of just as many other people did, I can't help but notice something else. There are cuts listed across administration, classroom support, and program areas, including music. But
nowhere do I see athletics being affected in the same way. And that is and that is not hard to ignore because it raises the question, why is it that programs like music are being the ones reduced while others are left untouched? My brother, Luca
Tedesco, is now studying music and business at Sacred Heart University where I just graduated from. And I can say that with complete certainty, he would not be on that path if it weren't for the Verona Music Program. That program helped him discover his talent, his passion, and ultimately his future.
Now, I understand the program itself isn't stopped in its entirety, but what is proposed and the proposed budget means that in terms of staffing is disheartening. To see the program being dismantled and dismissed is not disappointing. It feels deeply disrespectful to every student, both
past and present, both who have found a passion, a purpose, and a family throughout music. This isn't just about classes being cut. It is about taking away future opportunities, identities, and futures. We wouldn't be having this conversation if it wasn't about an assisted coach. I urge you to
reconsider. Thank you. My name is Hannah Krinan and thank you for extending your time for us to speak about this issue. I'm here to speak on the vote of the reduction of the music program in Verona and I sincerely appreciate all your hard work and efforts to make this budget and I
completely understand the difficulties the board faced when making this decision. So I understand your hesitation to make changes. However, when I found myself wanting to fight for this program that I hold so dearly to my heart. So, when I was talking to my mom about this and what I could possibly do,
she said, "The strongest thing you can use is your voice." And it struck me that my voice alone may not be enough, but with the support of others, we may just make a difference. So, today I come with the voices of others. And you might have a glimpse of the heart and soul of the people in the Verona music program.
I ask students, what does the Verona music program mean to you? And here are some of the responses. Everything. Without this program, without these people, I wouldn't be anywhere near the person I am today. Zack Ki. Mr. Flood brings energy and passion into
our early 720 and chamber choir rehearsals and shows intense direct passion to the music we make. Juliana. Being a part of something so magical has made me feel like there's always a home I can run to. There's always a place to improve. And there are always people who will support me and my achievements.
Elena Spang. It gives me something to look forward to every day and it's helped me build confidence, connect with people, and has made my life me lifelong friends and memories. Sebastian, the music program is an escape for me and something to wake up to every day. Deanna, this program pushes students
beyond what they thought they were capable of. It helps them discover new strengths and confidence within themselves. Gaia, it is a family that provides each and every student involved with a safe space to do what they love most. And for me, for me it means the reason I
get up in the morning. It's the reason my best friend is attending school for theater. And it's the reason we met. It's the reason I work so hard. Represents my ambition and my desire to succeed. Please reconsider your decision on this topic. Thank you.
Hello, my name is Sophia Calderon and I'm a current HBW student. I'm currently in chorus and I've been doing Verona school chorus since fifth grade. I moved here in fifth grade and it was such an impact on my life. and chorus helped me
a lot to get through the tough times, helped me make new friends, and it's helped a lot. It's a stress reliever, and it's improved my grades. It also has helped some of my other friends relieve
stress and take a take a break every now and then. Choruses chorus and band is only as strong as the time and dedication as the teachers put into it.
Having Mr. Flood like laid off um is not the best idea because as much as Mr. Lynch can help. It's a lot more on
his schedule and he can't put as much time and dedication into every single chorus class and like and band class. This can impact the students a lot more and it could it could infect the kids
grades overall because chorus and band is a huge part all together. It is a family and it helps a lot. I've been doing chorus since fourth grade. When I moved here in fifth grade, that is when I started
doing course. It was a huge change and it's hard to make a change moving up to grades and chorus and band can help a lot with that. It's really hard to move
into high school without about having some sort of stress reliever. Chorus and band is like sports for some people. Sports help relieve stress. Sports help with a lot of things. So does chorus and band. I also want to thank you guys for
letting us all speak here today and help us let us contribute ideas into course to letting people continue doing the things that they love. Although you guys
are keeping majority of fourth grade band and chorus, it is the structure of all. It helps prepare them for middle school and overall it helps the middle school teachers for
chorus and band build up more confidence for their students. It helps structure them more and it helps them for high school. Thank you so much for letting me speak here. >> Good evening. My name is Julia O'Reilly and I'm a senior at Verona High School.
I have been in the music and manner programs throughout my whole career at Verona schools. Music shaped me from a young age, helping me find a community that I love and want to preserve. Manor provides diversity and fluidity throughout the community, allowing students to learn more about cultures
and find a way to learn, find more ways to learn. The high school choir has specifically grown has grown significantly in the past two years, including performing at Radio City and Carnegie Hall. These are two of the no most known places for someone to perform
at. Cutting the position of coral director at the high school and the instrumental fourth grade teacher is destructing the foundation of the program and therefore causing a deficit to enrollment. I personally am involved in two varsity sports, multiple honor
societies, and lastly, music. Sorry. Many music students are not only involved in music, but in things around the school, showing them as extremely well-rounded students ready to participate in many different school activities. I ask you to vote no. not
only for myself but for my classmates and the Verona community as a whole. Thank you for hearing me today. >> Good evening. Uh Tom Ostendor, resident uh 16 Howard Street here in Verona. I've got two young kids, both at uh at Forest
A. Uh we came here two and a half years ago and are are so lucky to be part of this community. Uh first I want to just acknowledge the uh the passion and eloquence of the students that have spoken tonight. Um wildly impressive.
>> It's a tough act to get up here and follow. Um but uh what what I wanted to acknowledge which a lot of people before me have is um the the challenge that you all have. Uh I want to acknowledge that $3 million deficit is a $3 million budget deficit. There are no easy
answers to this. No matter what you all decide, there's going to be people up here at a podium that are upset with what you're doing. So, I think it's important to to acknowledge that. Um there's harsh realities. Uh there are going to there's no cutting corners here. I acknowledge there's going to be
deep cuts someplace, right? Um but what uh and I also I understand I heard there's you know the hours that have been put through. I believe that the analysis have been put through. I believe that that no st no no stone has been left unturned. I heard earlier I
believe that I believe you have put in the work. But as I sat here and listen to my neighbors and fellow members of the community, I I initially didn't plan to get up and make any comments. Um but I I was inspired by what they had to say and I thought it was important to to
maybe reframe the question a little bit. Um, when we moved here two and a half years ago, we we looked at a lot of different areas and there's a lot of different towns where people talk about the community and the families and the parents and the schools and there's a lot of great towns, but we heard Verona
was special and uh I I think the what I've heard tonight is a confirmation of that. The the passion and the interest and the dedication of the parents and the students uh is is truly confirming that this is a special place. But what
that also means and what I heard is I can't help but think that the changes that are being proposed are going to fundamentally change the students experience and it has the potential from what I hear from everybody else tonight to fundamentally change the the
experience and the character of of the town. Now it's up to the residents to maintain that. It's up to the residents to maintain that and it's a special group of people here in town. You all are a part of that and I have no doubt that people will
pull together and keep this a special town. But this makes it a lot harder and it's a big responsibility on you all to make these decisions. I'm acknowledging that. But I think there are a couple of important questions that in my request
at the podium that you at minimum pause the vote or table it for further consideration. Uh the first question is do you agree with that? Do you agree that the changes you're proposing fund will fun have fundamental changes on the
student experience and the residents and families of this town? And I I think you'd be hardressed after hearing everybody tonight to say otherwise. Number two, if you do agree with that, are you comfortable voting tonight to implement that change with the current
budget as proposed? And number three, well, before I get to number three, if you're not, table it. Table it. Listen to the voices in this room. Listen to the questions. Provide answers. Because number three, if the
answer is we do agree it will fundamentally change the town, but we need to vote on this tonight. We need to adopt this tonight. I think the people here tonight deserve an answer as to why and transparent answers as to why their questions can't
be answered. Okay. So, look, you're public servants. >> Sorry, your time is up. >> I'm going to wrap up and just say I know you're public servants. uh the public uh needs to have faith in in the people in these positions and I think we do and I
ask that when you have 15% of the town sign a petition in 48 hours it should give us all pause. Thank you all for your time. >> Good evening. My name is Ariel Perez and tonight I would like to talk about the proposed bud budget cuts to the Verona
music department. I am currently a junior at Verona High School and I've been a part of the music program since fourth grade. This program has given me more than just musical opportunities. It has given me a sense of belonging. Growing up in the Verona school system, you start to notice something very clearly. Social groups divide us. Even
though we are encouraged from a young age to include everyone, those divides still exist. But for me, band changed that. I joined band in fourth grade and by seventh grade I was already labeled a band kid just like many of my peers. At that age you begin to find your group and in high school those groups tend to stick. Going into high school was
intimidating being surrounded by older students who seem so much bigger and more experienced. But very quickly I realized something. This wasn't just a class or an activity. It was a family. The culture within our music program makes it easy to connect with people across all grade levels because we share
something meaningful. Those connections have had a direct impact on my success, not just in music, but academically and personally. The advice, encouragement, and leadership I've received from bel fellow band members have helped me reach goals that I once thought were out of reach. For those outside of band, it can
be hard to understand this culture. There have been times when we have walked into football games and been laughed at, blocked from walking through on purpose, or had music blasted over us. Even our director, Mr. Lynch, has faced ridicule for this passion. I don't say this say this to blame anyone. I say this because it reflects a larger issue,
one where music is often treated as less important. When sports need early dismissals or acted or access to facilities, it is rarely a problem. But when ban asks for the same, it can feel like we are asking for too much. The lack of respect trickles down and now we are facing facing the possibility of
losing parts of this program entirely. What happens then? What happens to the students who rely on this program for a sense of identity, for community, and for support? Without it, where do they go? This program has taught us discipline, courage, humility, and teamwork. It has shaped us. It has
shaped who we are. People like me and so many others would not be the same without it. You guys talked about focusing on attemp on attempting to maintain programs while removing positions seen as accessory. But how is there to be a Verona music program with only one staff member to run it? The answer is it's not possible. Mr. Lynch
has been the backbone of this program, instilling in us core values, pride, passion, and intensity. Those aren't just words. the they define everything that we do. But even someone as dedicated as Mr. Lynch cannot carry this program alone. The addition of Mr. Flood has been essential. He stepped in to support choir and marching band and he
became an important part of our community. Removing him would rem would mean removing a vital piece of what makes this program work. Without this program, I truly don't believe I would be standing here today speaking with the confidence and purpose. I fear for them I fear for my senior year and the years
to come after if this budget is passed. I think of my little sister who has h who has a passion for singing and music. She will be in fourth grade next year and I wonder if she will have the same opportunities I had to thrive in this program. Additionally, I would like to address the point made about success criteria and learning targets. I would
urge you to take a deeper look into the effectiveness of these tools. I would urge you to think back to your time in school and then put yourself in the position of us going through the policies you have deemed necessary. Personally, my peers and I have had to bear the weight of robotic school days that no longer make learning something
that we strive for, but a check mark on a a check mark on a box or a grade to add to a statistic. I ask you to consider not just the numbers in the a budget, but the students behind them, the lives being shaped, and the communities being built. Thank you. Hi, my name is Lauren Ramaka. I'm the
parent of a kindergartenner at Forest Avenue Elementary. Thank you for the presentation tonight and your efforts to limit the impact to our students. I understand the need to make budget cuts given rising costs, but I'm asking for more detail on how these decisions were
made. Can you share the cost per student at each level? And how does this compare to other districts? That context was not provided. And it's important. From what I've seen, the elementary level appears to be disproportionately affected.
Like others who spoke before me, I'm unclear about what art, music, and library programs look like at the elementary school level. It feels significant, like a significant reduction at a critical stage. Also, I understand with health care
costs increasing, were multiple proposals explored or we did do we just accept this increase? Lastly, I've been so impressed by the courageous students who came up here and spoke this evening. It's an incredible
reflection of our school system and our community. Thank you. Good evening. I would like to thank you for your time today, but I'd like to express my concern. I understand that budgeting is difficult, but the amount being taken from music programs across
the district does not present a fair or balanced situation. Music isn't just an extra or just an extracurricular. It's an essential part of many students education. For some of us, it's the reason we come to school. It teaches
discipline, creativity, teamwork, and confidence. These skills that carry into every subject and every future career. If cuts truly have to be made, they should be shared more evenly, not placed on one program that has so many that has
many students depending on. This program has been the one constant in my life. In this program, we enter as strangers and come out come out with people that feel like family. Please reconsider these decisions and protect the opportunities that help students grow, express themselves, and stay connected to the
school. Please vote tonight. Please vote no tonight and take everyone into consideration. Thank you. Good evening board members. My name is Zachary Bomeo and I'm a current senior in VHS. a current senior that also got his start on trumpet in fourth grade.
However, in lockdown, I left band until sophomore year. In that gap, I kept my friends that I had made in the band room, and today they are individuals I consider blood relatives. I saw the marching men perform at the football games freshman year, and I was enamored. I joined that summer and for
the past three years I have been a devoted member going from the last chair and now being section leader inspiring other players the same way I was when I was scared and felt out of place in that first rehearsal in June 2023. And that is all thanks to the dedicated
guidance and love from not only Mr. Lynch but from the students that shared that love and that mindset. A love he could only give because he had the stability to as the sole band director. across the same three years. I cannot
thank Mr. Flood enough for giving me singing lessons and facilitating my performances on that very stage. A stage I now call home and one I won't watch slowly have less and less wonderful performers on it. I will soon be attending school for engineering and
minoring in theater arts and a school I can say with certainty I only have the opportunity of going to because of this program. I'm not the only student like this. What about the politicians from here who have learned to speak fearlessly about what they believe in as
they perform from the bottoms of their heart? What about the soloists who turned into a PhD student and learn to stand on their own with the weight of a thousand eyes staring at them? You act based on enrollment, but you must bear in mind that the sound of our shared melody goes beyond any number you can
put on a page. Thank you for your time. Good evening. My name is Charity Dy. I live at 74 Fairway Avenue and both of my daughters attended Verona Elementary School, Middle School, High School. One has graduated and one is currently in high school. And I don't
need to give any testimonials about the quality of the outstanding programs. We have so many people here to do that. But I want to focus in on two things. One is the slide with data about the budget and how the budget's made. And data always tells a story. And there's a missing
element of that story for which I'm asking that again we table this vote. And I'm going to ask because Verona is a close-knit community and everybody talks. Um, we have the power to talk for
good, not for bad, to cause positive action. So, I want to draw everyone's attention to the fact that last week the town council voted for, you know, a payment in lie of taxes. That's pilot as
it's known. And that allows the latest in a string of developers to come in and not pay taxes for the 28 units that are being put in to Verona. Now, the board of ed along with all the educators who
are faced with these budget deficits work on behalf of students. Educators work on behalf of students. The board of ed makes difficult decisions, but this decision, that pie chart could look very different if you
put in the missing piece of data there around what is the tax revenue that would be there if a developer with deep pockets wasn't allowed to not pay taxes. So what I am proposing
is that our town council come and meet with the board of ed because as we know how people talk. The first thing I heard about is how the two town council members who voted against pilot
have children and children in Verona schools. The three members of the town council who voted for this pilot this tax loo do not have children nor are they in Verona public schools. One of
which, one of which is the same mayor who opposed putting the orange light on the town hall against students shot by gun violence. Our mayor, who's
also a staff member here at Verona High School. So I think this story because stories always have lots of details that are hidden below the surface until you explore and really look at what the true
facts are. The town council here in Verona needs to be accountable at a meeting like this, not in the back room. And we need to ask the serious questions
about why we are giving some people a pass when other people's taxes went up this year tremendously. None of us get a pass. >> Thank you, Miss Dave. I'm sorry, your time's up. Thank you. My final my final comment is my student
who's now in college. She sat this year at a top institution and was the one and only non-Asian non-native speaker to be exempted from the language
requirement in Mandarin. And that is because both of my children went to elementary school where the language program has Mandarin. And I would I would challenge us to look at the data
because the AP Mandarin shrinks every year. >> You're well over the three minutes now. Please wrap up. >> Okay. This is my final point. If you look at who sticks with Mandarin through high school, there are one or two, you can count them on one hand, that joined
in middle school. It needs to stay at the elementary level where their love of learning is first fostered and cultivated. Thank you. Hi, good evening. My name is Tova Copan. I'm a parent of three boys in fourth, sixth, and eighth grade. All have been
or are currently involved in the music program. I echo all of those who have thank you for your hard work thus far and encourage you to continue to work more. Um, I also share many of the concerns that others have raised about the transparency and the budget cuts to
the music program. I do wonder what came out of the March 2025 board of ed town council meeting and does the board of ed have a process to present its needs before cuts like these are made. As was just mentioned, um, as my friend Katherine said and everyone here has
said, cutting the arts affects every resident in our town. Um, I'll be honest, I sent an email and I did not plan to speak tonight. In fact, I'm here because my sixth grade son insisted that he needed to be here and we both hustled up here after the FM Brown vocal concert
tonight that was very well attended. Um, I texted him that I was going to speak about Mrs. Walker and he texted me, "You've got this." Then he said, "Although I think you should also talk about music and mainly Mr. Wise, he can't go." So I say that on behalf of my
son, Alexander. Each of my boys have had a varying degree of interest in reading and books. Despite that, they all loved library in elementary school. Because of her, they loved books before they could even read. They have especially loved Mrs. Walker.
While I'm sure she will excel as a librarian in the high school, and I'm selfishly a little happy that my kids will get to have her in their lives again. She brings magic and joy to the elementary schools. She was a lifeline for so many families, including ours during CO, especially those first few
months before there was really a plan in place. So many brave students as young as sixth grade, have come here tonight to share their concerns. My ask is that you show them that their voices matter by tableabling the budget vote, sharing
your financial analysis with the town as in all of our residents, and let the community be a larger part of this process. Thank you. Hello. Uh, my name is Justin Mayor. Uh, thank you for this opportunity. I have two kids in FM Brown, fourth and first
graders. Uh, I missed the presentation because I was at the concert at FM Brown where my son, the quietest kid in class, had a solo which he surprised us with and blew us all away. Um, and I was probably inspired by him to come up
here. Um, please consider the generation of kids that are coming up into these grades four through middle school, high school. These are kids who born 2016, 2017, 2018. They started school in 2020. Some of them, the first
thing that my son learned in preschool was how to use the mute button on Zoom. Um we were worried about him for years about uh social development, physical development, academic development. The arts healed him. Uh the arts heal
um these these kids who have already gone through so much and they don't even realize it at this point because they were so young. They've had things taken away from them that they never knew they could have had. Uh one student mentioned like a fiveyear gap between starting trumpet and picking it up again in high
school. Please do not take anything else away from these kids that will help them recover from some of the hardest years of their lives that they didn't even realize that they were going through. Thank you. >> Hello, I am Leila Yilderum and I am a freshman at VHS. I am in both concert
band and marching band and I have been a part of the music program both band and chorus since fourth grade. I'm Julia Freeman and I'm in the eighth grade at HBW. I'm in gold band and marching band. >> I fell in love with my instrument back in fourth grade and so did so many other children. We don't believe it is fair to
lay off the precious band and choir teachers in the high school and middle school. Mr. Flood has done so much for us as a choir director. By firing him, you are denying my peers of a qualified instructor as well as pushing double the amount of responsibilities onto just one person who is already doing individual lessons and many other ensembles. Music
is truly the heart of our town and I believe that there are better ways to go about the budget cut. >> When I first started doing band in fourth grade, it kind of changed my life because I got to experience playing a new instrument and trumpet. As I've moved forward towards middle school, I
switched towards the flute so I can try out new in different instruments. Me and Ila have become friends through the program. Starting we both played flute together in gold band and growing through marching band. The music program in the all three levels is much more
than just enough. >> Based on the amount of people who showed up today just shows how much people care about our beloved music program here at Verona. Our speech might be relatively short, but we feel the need to at least express our opinions on this topic. As
we hold Verona music very close to our hearts, we urge the board of education to vote no or at least to postpone the budget cuts to f further reverse independence. >> Thank you. >> Last but hopefully not least, my name is
David Greenberg. I know it's been a long night. I didn't prepare a statement beforehand. I have three quick comments, questions that have scribbled onto my phone. I'm the father of three children, a first grader in Brookdale and two more who will be on the way to kindergarten in 2027.
I'm concerned that the vast majority of these cuts are to the elementary schools. Why are these cuts so concentrated on the elementary level? Music, art, enrichment, counseling are all being reduced. The board is being asked to vote on this budget without us the parents knowing what these programs
will look like next year. These are young children mine who are hopefully in bed who are just be who are just beginning their education. In contrast and you know as others have mentioned there appear to be no cuts to athletics. I understand the board is facing a difficult financial position and this is
due to many factors outside its control. But I also agree with the prior comments that the public communication for this process was simply inadequate. It seems clear that for months, if not longer, the district knew was facing a significant deficit. Even if the exact
numbers were not clear and the board had not decided what specific staffing actions to take, the community should have been notified about this about this significant deficit earlier. not by a post on a BOA on a BOE website that 99% of the public doesn't monitor, but an
email to the community issued more than a week out from the budget meeting. Finally, and I realize this is more technical, this is a more technical question that honestly I don't know the answer to and I could be missing or or misreading this, but you know, it's been
emphasized that health costs rose 20%. The district also received a health waiver to allow an increased 3% 3.7% levy for healthcare adjustment. So, and again, I could be missing something. Why are healthcare costs being declared a justification when the district received
a waiver for this? Thank you. Thank you everyone for being so courteous in all of your comments. Um, right now we are going to close our public comments on the budget hearing and we're going to move on to our agenda. So, moving on to our routine matters. I need a motion, please, to
approve. Do you want me to answer some of the >> Oh, do you I'm sorry. >> That's okay. Do you want me to speak to some of it? >> Yeah. Okay. >> I'm sorry. Sorry. So, um, as quickly as I can and as thoroughly as I can, um, not knowing what your questions were are necessarily going to be ahead of time.
Um, I love this document. We we already do a lot of it. So, um, I could check off most of what we are already doing, but great work. Can't believe the level of research that went into this. So, just want to give kudos. There you are. I didn't know where you were. Um,
>> yeah. Um and and just with the solar thing, the roofs were not replaced during the uh referendum. They were slated to be replaced. They were not replaced. So, we're in that same situation. Um that um I wasn't here then, but I can talk to
about the referendum um because it happened during COVID. The all of those factors that affected cost pricing and and services and supply chains. a lot of what was in that referendum was not completed. So, um and groups were one of
them. Uh a lot of you asked about fundraising. Um and I'm going to defer to the actual um legal um to our our attorney, Mr. uh Mr. Trent. Fundraising cannot be used in the way that um I think we're all hoping
we could raise money and use it to pay for salaries. Um if you could speak to that. >> Sure. So, uh, the district can accept gifts and donations and it does so very greatly all the time, but you can't build that into a budget since this would be a recurring cost. Um, so, so
you know, again, you could fund raise and you could donate in the district and use that to offset other costs potentially. But in terms of a a line item matching up the uh, you know, fundraising amounts to the the salaries of staff, that's not something the district would be able to implement.
uh regarding questions about how and uh why we lost title one funding. Um that has to do with the calculation and how um the state calculates enrollment. So we still qualified for
title one funding based on the number of students that um are so econ um in the category of lower socioeconomic um um category. The problem was they used the 2024
census to calculate total enrollment and that's an estimate and they estimated our student enrollment at much higher than act than it currently was. So I appealed I sent all the documentation uh to the um to the organization that does
these calculations for the state and we were denied. um it is that we were told that it is the same calculation they use for every school district in New Jersey and so it's it's like a level playing field. So that money is um not coming to
the district uh next year. Um we will still be getting some of the title monies but those are limited in what we can use them for. We can use them for um uh some of our English as a second language program and we can use them for some professional development. That's
that's about it all. Um, so there was questions about whether or not um we can transfer monies from our maintenance reserve account, take some of the maintenance out of our budget. That was done. That's what I was referring to when we talked about using
fund balance and maintenance reserves. So that was done. Um, in regard to our technology programs and some of the uh, I'll give you an example. Atlas Red Rover frontline was mentioned. Um, Red Rover um, actually saves us money. It's a cost-saving
measure because if we didn't have Red Rover, which is our absence management, we would have to employ a staff member to do sub calling and to arrange for substitutes around the district. Red Rover is an automated service that does that. Our subs lock in, they pick up jobs, and they get assigned to different
schools, eliminating a staff position that would be needed to do that. Um, Atlas is more than just lesson plans. It is a compliance program that allows us to stay compliant with regard to what's called the quality single accountability
continuum or QAC monitoring that happens in our district every three years. Um it is a tremendous again uh really saving a staff member position because somebody would have to manage the 300 or so district curriculum documents to keep
them compliant and up to date if we just used a Google docu which we were using up until several the I guess the year I started maybe 2022 uh is when they added Atlas. Um and Frontline is also how we um track our individualized educational
programs. So um that's something again not just compliance but something that is required um to to handle the magnitude of the special education needs within our within our district. So um where we could cut program um and and
trim those technology platforms we did we did a thorough examination of all of the technology used by the district. Um and a lot of that we started using um I'll say you Verona started using during the pandemic when it was free programming and that went away after the
pandemic stopped requiring virtual instruction and a lot of those uh companies started charging. So we have looked at the usage how many staff members are using those programs how effective are they being used and eliminated programs that are not being
used to the greatest extent um to the sugar of the teachers who are using them of course. Um we have we did banter around a second question. Um a referendum is different than a second question. A referendum is a much larger process that requires more
planning. And so um I want to just >> yeah the second question is is problematic for a few reasons. Uh one is a matter of timing. So there are limited times when a when a school district can go out for a second question. Those are uh September, November, December, uh
January, and March. But in order to get a um second question on the ballot, you have to put it in I think it's either 60 or 90 days in advance. So, I looked at this for another district to get the second question on for the March ballot, they would have had to have submitted the second question by I believe it was January 9th, which means for a board
that organizes in um uh the following November election, uh that would mean that the board would be seated and have to put the second question on the ballot basically the the first week. Uh it's risky because it's costly. The the district is the one that bears the costs for uh presenting a second question. I
believe Montlair paid somewhere in the tunes of $60,000. Uh their estimate was $23,000 for pole workers and $40,000 uh for printing ballots. So it's a substantial cost right up front that that eats up a lot of the the potential um monies that you'd be going for. So
it's it's again you can you can pose it to bigger questions, smaller questions, um but there are risks associated with it. Um, so it's explored, but it's not a magic wand. And ultimately, if the voters vote it down, the district loses the ability to provide whatever the second question was being provided for,
uh, in its entirety, which is also not desirable, obviously. >> Thank you. Um, there were questions around shared services. We, uh, we already have, uh, shared services with our, um, township and at quite a level. And I know there's been talk about pilot
funds and I understand um the disappointment around that. Uh we feel it as well. Um but I do want to uh give point out that the township does provide us with a lot with regarding uh regarding cost savings to the district.
So go on record by saying that and we meet regularly. Uh Dr. Riley and I met within less than two weeks ago with the township manager and the assistant township manager to discuss upcoming um the upcoming um building uh of new town homes and apartments and and pilot
funds. So um we have not gotten a commitment regarding pilot funds at this point, but we are talking about that with with the township and we have been talking about it. My predecessor talked about it way back when Anna Lofts was being built. So um
we've been talking about it. I know Lisa Presky mentioned it uh 100,000 times in the time that I was on the board with her. Um, so there was a question about um the health benefit waiver. Even though we can we can address health
benefits with the waiver, that is by no means a total offset of what those those costs went up. They it helps, but it's not it doesn't replace the increase that we're getting from health benefits. Um, we also do shop uh a health benefit uh every year. We have a broker that shops
us out to different health benefits. Uh we are very lucky as I said earlier that our health benefits were went up the least of any of the um providers in New Jersey. Um and uh we are in it's more complicated but we're actually in a trust. So we don't have our own
experience rating which makes it more difficult to go to a new um u provider. We would have to go into the state health benefits plan for two full years before shopping a new provider. and the state health benefit plan is ridiculously unstable right now. So,
that's not a good idea. So, we we have looked at all of this. I know it's hard because you're not involved um in those in that deep dive and and I'm not even sure to be honest with you how a community would get involved with a deep dive into all of the things that run a
school district. I I certainly have been doing this for many years. This is my 34th year in education and my 15th as a superintendent. So, um, we looked at every stone was overcharged. Yeah.
Oh, yeah. So, um, I I can give you an example of what a family benefit package costs to our district. Um, this year, a family benefit package cost the district $42,000. >> And yes, and yes, and we have to set by
law. So when we talk about next year's cost for health care, that same family benefit package is going to be closer to $50,000. And because of Chapter 44, the percentage that our staff would normally have paid into to help us offset is
extremely uh limited. Um and which is why chapter 44 was not a good idea and is uh really contributing to our our healthcare um problem. Can can can we take a beat, please? And I know um Dr. Riley spelled
out the chapter 44, but can you articulate it one more time just so everybody understands Yes. what we're really talking about? >> Sure. So, in 2010, this is a year before I started uh the explanation before, Governor Christie mandated that um teachers and school employees, school
staff had to pay 1.5% of their salary into the district budget to help um u cover healthcare costs. the following year they realized that that's not equitable. Right? So you have a person making $52,000 who has a full
family plan and they're paying significantly less to that plan than someone who is at the higher end of the guide and has a single plan. Right? So they recognized that salary based reimbursements or salary based uh contributions uh were not equitable and
were not helping the district. So in um 2011, Governor Christie at that time passed what we call chapter 78, which um on a sliding scale had um employees paying. So the more you make, the higher your salary, the higher
the percentage you paid into the actual benefit cost, the actual premium cost of the plan that you're taking. Um and that was working in Verona. We did freeze those salaries in 2017. I wasn't here then. Not sure. I think I would have
advised them not to, but it it is it happened. So, that kind of hurt us a little as well. But then in uh uh 2020 2020, uh Governor Murphy passed a law that we refer to as chapter 44, which
takes us back to that salary based um contribution. So what happened at first just the new teachers and it was mandatory for any new staff member to a district or anyone that changes a district once people started realizing that the
that it was better for staff members to be in chapter 44 than it was to be in chapter 78 because it's cheaper for them more people moved into that during open enrollment. So, we went from having the majority of our staff in the chapter 78 um category to having the majority of
our staff now in chapter 44. We do have some people that hung out into chapter 78 because the plan is better, but for the most part, when you're looking at your salary and how I can make more money, I can make I can bring more money home if I'm on chapter 44 than if I'm on
chapter 78. So all of these things happened relatively recently over the past several years that have that have like contributed to this situation that we're in. And I'm not sure the only other question I think that um would be difficult
without like a visual is how our trimester schedule will be working at the elementary school. Uh we did do a proof of concept. Um my scheduling savant Mrs. Zachman who's here tonight. Um uh
and do you want to just kind of speak to it or no? Like how we can provide I think the question was how can we provide um I didn't art was
oh I okay okay I'm looking for the person who asked the question even know where your voice is coming from. So, in order to avoid our our staff from having to go to four schools for those areas that are going to one staff member
in in um elementary cycle course, we're doing a a a two trimester based um cycle for like for art. So FN Brown may have art in uh trimesters one and two.
They will have that for a greater period of time rather than a 30 minute period. Well, arts 45 minutes, but so world language will have a 45m minute period rather than a 30-minute period. So they meet fewer times. They only meet over two trimesters, but they're meeting the same number of
minutes because it's a longer block, a 45m minute block. So, um, Brookdale may not have art in trimesters 1 and two. They may have, um, seal or they may have, um, library media. So, we are
staggering what's offered at each school so that teachers are not forced to go to four schools every week. And yes, this is where I need and this is why I need help. >> Yes. Thank you so much. Um the other Yes.
The other thing uh that we we are aware that um because students may not have library for all three trimesters, they will have the ability to check out books all year. So that is something that we are also ensuring. Um
I I think for now uh off the cuff I hit the the question. Oh pay to play. We did look into um into putting a payto-play system in. Um there are certain things that we want to keep in our pocket because this isn't the last
year that this is going to be a problem. like we're we're facing thinking about last year for those of you that were engaged in the B budget um conversation that was occurring last year. Uh Mr. Cruz was very clear at last year's meeting budget hearing that this year
was going to be worse. He was correct and we are hoping that with the work Dr. Riley is doing to shore up our budget um that we can mitigate any uh really potentially bad situations next year. But it's
the state has had has no answers for us right now. So um we did think about paytoplay. Um we we felt that it doesn't give us what a salary does. It really would may offset
some transportation costs for um our our trips and our um music and athletic buses, but it's not substantive substantive uh regarding if you think about those that those benefit packages and salaries packages, right? The
majority of our teachers are on the if you if you have an opportunity on our website, our contracts are there. Take a look at the teacher salary guide. They're in the back of the contract. Most of our teachers are on the right side and top part of those of the salary guides which means um they are at the
higher end. So when we look to reduce the reduction a reduction of force um guidelines or statute statute law um say that we have to do the least senior so
non-tenure teachers first. non-tender teachers generally are lower on the guide, which means we're cutting more people to get that same benefit of of money back into the budget to balance. And it's also important to note we are not getting money back into the balance
to buy more stuff. We're getting money back into the balance because it has to be a zero balance. It has to be zero uh difference between expenditures and revenues. So, um, it was very difficult when you're when you're looking at newer
teachers to the district that are making less. It's always going to cost more. There's also questions about why it's seemingly to impact elementary at a greater level. That's going to be true across the board when any any school district does reductions because at the
middle and high school, it's money. you you you you're reducing a piece of a teacher here and a piece of a teacher there and a piece of a teacher here because teachers teach kids have different teachers for every subject. So the complications that occur when you're looking at a reduction in force in order
to balance a budget elementary schools are always going to be um easier to to reduce. Now, having said that, the two classroom positions that we are reducing at one at Brown and one at bar uh one at Brown at one at uh Brookdale um are
increasing class size obviously, but they were very tiny sections to begin with. So, we're we're increasing class size to the level of the other class sizes in our elementary world. And um the only the only caveat that I will say
is we don't have an option to reduce teachers at the elementary world anymore. Our classrooms are not big enough to continue to reduce in that area. We we have class sizes at at um at HPW that are very large. HPW is busting
at the seams, right? So cutting there was there was nowhere to cut there. And then at the high school, you have the problem of credits for graduation. And so what do we do with kids if we were to reduce teachers at the high
school? Where do we put those? We have a as I mentioned earlier, one of the riffs that was planned at the high school would have had would have affected 150 students. Where do we put them? Right? So, and those are students that are taking those courses for graduation
requirements. This was an incredibly complex process. We looked at everything several times. And um I I do agree that we probably could have been um more informative um
with the budget process and I I'll take that one and apologize for that. >> Um Mrs. De just said there's maybe two themes that I heard that um and I don't know you or Dr. Riley can can address.
Um there there's a perception here that unfortunately uh the arts is disproportionately bearing uh the brunt of the hit and uh you know as you just said we you know we
looked at everything there is. How can our community um look at the budget in a way to see where the impact is on our sports programs? Um because there are
there are impacts on on the travel on ability of the uniforms. But even if they're looking at that budget, those those impacts, if you will, do not easily show up. So, how can we help? >> I'm going to defer to Dr. Raleigh because he's the one that went through
all of the budgets and made those cuts. >> So, each line item was was examined, as I mentioned earlier, um and all supply an analysis was conducted over a three-year average based on actual spending, not
proposed spending, not budgeted spending, actual spending. and looking at each one of our athletic programs specifically, every single team was scrutinized and right-sized. So, what that means basically is some came from
one area, some went to another. Um, here's the challenge. The challenge that we have right now is that um we as a district had a practice of paying for certain things out of certain line items
that um should have been distinguished elsewhere. So the difficulty in my sharing um more detail with regard to that is that once I rightsize that for example transportation what you're seeing when you look at the
advertised budget right now and you're looking at the line item for function code 270 which is transportation is not a complete and accurate picture in the current year because some of that funding was appropriated out of um
program 402 forth athletics should not have been done and moving forward it will not be done. It will all be done out of 270 in in a designated account so that we can track it better. All that to say that
the the the piece of the pie remains the same, right? And and it's why we use a pie chart. The slices of the pie are changed inside. Okay? So what you're seeing year-over-year is not
an applesto apples comparison because right-sized sum of those expenditures. Transportation is being put back where it belongs, not pulled out of uh out of the athletic accounts. Now, all that to say is that when I closed the budget,
when we closed the budget in January, discretionary spending was stopped. what you were what you were what is not shared publicly is the amount of denials that have happened since then and how that is going to be handled moving
forward. So um I can tell you that several several requests for expenditures have been made and and they were denied. what happened there uh not in a public forum, not in public session, but was um
similar to that which you suggest this evening um parent organizations, other organizations came forward to offset some of those costs that's being done in the in in the current year. So whereas
certain expenditures were denied because we don't have the money, parent organizations came forward with donations in order to uh support some of that. So So that's the current year. Moving forward, um the challenge
is that the budget will be right sized and the the correct spending will be done out of the correct lines. It's not an applesto apples comparison year-over-year. Yes, I'll give you three. Um, so so with regards with regards to the scoreboard,
um, even there, um, the we are going to have naming rights associated with it that is going to help offset the total cost. So to the scoreboard, the the family the family whose name is on
the scoreboard. So, it's it's currently CTO Field and the CTO family's made a donation in order to maintain and have that name um move forward on the new scoreboard a portion of the cost.
Um so, two more uh cheerleading mats. I outright denied cheerleading mats in part because of the exorbitant cost of shipping and uh it was agreed upon with a parent organization who came forward with a
donation to help offset that cost. Um track uniforms. I denied track uniforms because they were not they were not made in a timely way and there was not sufficient funding in in order to provide uniforms for uh the entire
teams. Well, you asked for an example. So again, I you asked for an example. >> Wait. I I don't think we're My microphone is not working. Can you hear me? Is it my
microphone? We're not doing we're I'm sorry but we can't do the back and forth questions. I think Dr. Riley was being kind enough to give just some kind of an explanation. Um so we'll have the next public comment if you want to come up and ask more questions at that point. Okay.
If we don't have anything else, u unfortunately I do have to interrupt our little normal agenda here to harp about a few things because I think it would be remiss for me as both a student board leaison and a member of the Rona music program uh not to speak on behalf of this very important matter. Right. I
firmly believe that the music program is a quintessential pillar among the mast many other extracurriculars of Rona school's renowned educational institutions and it is simply astonishing the impact that it can have on students from elementary, middle, and high school. It is an understatement to
say that the music program has shaped the very foundations of my life among many other people and brought me the opportunity to pursue new avenues and meet some of the people I call my closest friends. Those who have made the hardest times in my life easier.
Music in Verona has trained many disciplines, fostered community and family alongside the appreciation of artistic expression. I firmly believe that I could tell you something about every single student in this room. By cutting the music program, especially the choir at the high school, I feared that I would detrimentally detrimentally
undermine the that experience, one not only educational but also holistic to the development of the person as a whole. Over my four years here, the Rona Choir has made several profound and impressive accomplishments. The choir regularly performs for the township, has performed at Disney, the Claramas
Medical Center, several conferences, Our Lady of the Lake, Carnegie Hall, among opening for the New Jersey Devils, and the Rockets at Radio City Music Hall, and many others. Those are all things I mentioned here. Despite all of this, my four years here have also seen two music
staff let go, with one more potentially on the chopping block due to a reduction in force. While we may not retain Mr. But in the district, we must retain the position of choir director at the high school. Without someone who specializ in specializes in vocal music and is dedicated to coral programs, it is
increasingly possible that the choir program would not be sustainable and may not exist in the near future. By requiring someone else from within the district to teach choir, choir is no longer a priority for any teacher, and the implications of whether they can handle all of that are put into great
question. To me, I fundamentally believe that Verona is not Verona without a thriving music program. And a thriving music program is not thriving without the high school choir. Though the district may be in a budgetary deficit, I think cutting the music program is not the right course to take in terms of making fiscal compromises. I hope all of
this demonstrates among the most organized and largest show up uh to a board meeting I've seen during my tenure along with a school walkout, something that I've never seen at Rona High School. Uh shows how important music is to this township. And I believe that the responsibility for this is split along
uh many facets. Some by the township's reluctance to provide necessary pilot funding to the schools to uphold its programs uh but also by the board today as we adopt the final budget. I know this this is definitely a tough decision and but there are definitely right decisions that we can make right now
that can better provide for a better future for the children here. And please note that I do understand how tough your decision is as I too have set through sat through uh many a few budget presentations and money can't appear out of thin thin air. No uh no matter how
hard you pray or wish but I dearly urge you and for the last time to reconsider this vote for today to table the budget and consider alternatives to protect the experiences of our students. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Ryan.
>> One more thing um before we move on um and it's a a bit of potential um positive news. You'll notice when we go into the regular agenda, we have a retirement on the agenda and I um received informal notice that we'll be
getting a second retirement. um depending on what's called breakage, which is the difference between someone who is resigning or retiring and what we can hire in, there is some wiggle room to put potentially a part-time position
back into the budget at some point. Um now, we will not know what for a couple of probably a couple of months more toward the end of the year because we also on a flip side of that may need to add a kindergarten depending on enrollment. our kindergartens are very
large um next year. This year they were not large. Next year they're large and depending on um uh enrollment that inevitably comes in between now and August um we have to take a look at that. But barring having to add a
kindergarten at one of our schools, um we will have some flexibility to add something back into this budget. We just need to sit down and look and see what that what that looks like and where it goes. uh at risk of making you repeat
yourself. Um when when we say um sometime and you said it won't be a couple of months. Um what kind of projections do we have right now on what our kindergarten enrollment can be? What metrics do we use to that so that we can
>> Oh, we we look at births um that occurred in this area in Brona um five years ago. >> Yeah. We don't really have access to any more specific data. Um, and we put out a lot of communications for people to talk
to their neighbors and let them know that we're having uh kindergarten registration and we try to get that done early enough so that we have those numbers. But this is my fourth year here and every year we have people to say, "I didn't realize. I didn't I didn't know." And for those families that don't have older children, they don't necessarily
get our communications. We put it in newspaper and we talk about it and ask other people to talk to their neighbors. inevitably there are kids that move in and we are also in the process of screening our students that qualify to be screened for um multi- language
services and so once and that can't be done until April so we couldn't even start that until April and so um we are looking to see how many students are going to be required to be in our ESL program in kindergarten and that's going
to depend on where they attend. So, um, those are all things that we are considering and working through and, um, it is, listen, I said it before, nobody wants to make cuts. Nobody on this board, nobody on this administration wants to make cuts. Um, I myself am am
going to take, I took on the science supervisor role last year. I'm taking on the director of curriculum role and the human resources role next year. So, um, if we didn't have to cut those positions, I'd be a happy camper. We didn't have to cut the the teaching staff positions, I'd be ecstatic. But the reality of it is 3.2 $2 million,
$3.1 million is a lot of money and we have to have a balanced budget. So, having said that, I think um I'm going to turn it back over to Mr. Frisco. >> Do I need We're going to close the public um budget hearing comments. Do I
need a motion for that? >> Motion to close public budget hearing comments. >> So, move. >> Motion by Mr. Pererna, seconded by >> Second. >> Seconded by Mr. Boon. Okay, now we're going to move on. Oh, sorry. Dr. Dr. Riley, if you please
call roll. >> Mr. >> Mr. Pera, >> yes. >> Mrs. Trrisco, >> yes. >> Mrs. Mr. Boon, >> yes. >> Carries. >> Moving on to our routine matters on the
agenda. I need a motion, please, to approve our minutes from our April 16th, 2026 meeting. So moved. >> Motion by Mr. Boon, seconded by >> Second. >> Mr. Pera. Are there any discussions? >> None. Dr. Riley, if you could please
call roll. >> Mr. Pera. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Priscoll. >> Yes. >> Mr. Boon. >> Yes. >> Carries. >> Thank you. Um, Mrs. DJeppy, superintendent report was done in the beginning of the meeting. Um, oh, oh, sorry. have one thing because I wanted
to talk about the budget early on, but um I just want to briefly speak about last week's TEDex for those of you that were in attendance for that. Mrs. Ansalone. Yeah, absolutely. >> Mrs. Analone who is teaching public
speaking I think for the first time this year and um kind of worked with um uh Mrs. Peter and and wanted to make that course her own and decided that um getting her students involved in the beyond autopilot uh TEDex would be a
great opportunity for them. The program featured a thoughtful and compelling um student talks on a wide range of topics including you don't need a stage to inspire do it scared build more of a resume I'm sorry build more than a resume don't
give the voice the mic now pay later the price of consumerism and a promise and a pair of bag pipes and while not they were all phenomenal that last one because the bag pipes was really really cool each student demon demonstrated exceptional preparation, confidence, and
authenticity, offering what can only be described as exemplary models of public speaking. The event was further enriched by student performances, including baton twirling, which was amazing. Um, VHS jazz band and the and the uh VHS choir. Overall, it was an excellent showcase of
student voice, creativity, courage, and talent. And the next night was our one act bands. I had a prior commitment. I did not get to see the one act bands, but I heard it was wonderful. So, uh, that's my mini superintendent attended.
>> So, any questions or comments? Um, Dr. Riley, do you have a business report? >> No report for tonight. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, Ryan, do you have a student report? Thank you, Ryan. >> U, good evening again. I'm actually at this point I'm not really sure if I
should be saying good night or not because it is uh we're up in it's almost 11 p.m. if you can believe that but last Wednesday uh the Vona High School concert band had the pleasure of performing a concert at the uh Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in New York
and our program had featured a guest soloist Mr. John Paluchi and guest conductor Dr. Thomas McCauley from Monontlair State University and furthermore Uh furthermore, uh the Rona music program will be hosting our annual spring concert this Thursday, April
30th. Uh the spotlight players production of the minutes was nominated for five Moner State University Theater Night Foxy Awards. Uh Mr. Steven Munos, this is starting to remind me of the State of the Union address, but um Mr. Steven Munos for an outstanding
production of a found foundational play. Uh, overall outstanding achievement by an acting ensemble in a foundational play. Sophomore Luke Glass for outstanding performance by feature found actor Molly Walsh for an outstanding performance by a supporting actress and
senior Courtney senior Courtney Cruz for an outstanding achievement by a student costume designer. Uh the International Thespian Society will be hosting the cabaret this Friday night in the auditorium. A collection of various solos and ensemble pieces from Broadway to the theme of wants, hopes,
and dreams will be performed. James Shorton, a 2023 graduate of Rona High School, was presented with the Robbie and Mary Booty Memorial Award in Art by Wagner College for recognition of exceptional scholarly work in art. And the DECA team is competing at uh the
DECA Nationals down in Atlanta, Georgia. And in sports, a 22-year-old Rona girls track record for the distance medally relay was broken by 20 seconds by the quartet of Sienna Griffin, Caitlyn Scalfo, Morgan Rossi, and Gwendo Neil. And the same quartet will race at the
pen relays, a prestigious event, being the oldest and largest US track and field meet. And the team was also able to achieve a third place medal. And both track teams will be competing in the varsity relays at the New York School Stadium. Finally, but not least, this Friday, May
1st, will be decision day for this class of 2026. And that is my report for tonight. Thank you >> as always, Ryan. Thank you so much. And at least there was a lot of people here tonight to hear your wonderful reports. Okay. Um committee reports, they will be
reported out at our next meeting. There are none. Moving on to public comments on any agenda action items. So if there is anyone that would like to come to the podium, again, same rules as prior, just please state your name. If it's already been talked about, um if it's something
different, you can come up and as long as it's on something we're voting on. >> Hi, Dana Bon again. I just want to say it on the microphone. I'm just wondering legally what our rights are as taxpayers to see the full lines of the entire budget. I know it's a long document. I
think you said 900 lines, but um I think people would feel comfortable being able to see the entire thing and getting a clearer picture. Uh Daniel Franklin resident. I know that um I was talking to um superintendent DJI and you said that the roofs were not
repaired um on the school board or in the on the roofs. But my question is they were repairs made because I saw in the Verona 2022 master plan that it said uh like verbatim the Verona public schools 5-year strategic plan was
completed in 2018 after a process of collaborative with input from students, parents, staff. The plan includes facility upgrades that were put to referendum in 2019. The referendum was passed allowing the schools to repair roofs on all schools, improve playgrounds, and install air conditioning systems among other improvements. >> I can't speak to what happened before I
started here. I just >> But this was in 2022. This was the master plan. It was approved by the planning board of like the township. >> I'm not arguing with you. I'm just telling you I can't answer because I don't know. I wasn't here then. >> I'm aware. >> I know that we are. >> So, you said some roofs were like replaced. >> Some roofs were repaired. They were not
replaced. >> Okay. Does that make them suitable for solar? >> I I I'd have to have an assessment done to make sure, but I do know they were not replaced, although they were slated to be replaced. >> Okay, that's my only question. Thank you. >> Okay. >> Hello. Hello. I would just like to talk
briefly about uh the changes to language uh in the Verona school system. Um so currently uh Andrew Acriman. I'm a currently a senior. I'm in AP French language and culture. Um, it's one of my favorite classes. I absolutely love it and hearing about the changes really scares me. Um, as someone who has been
taking French uh since start in middle school, I can already say that, you know, there's probably no amount of um preparation for that exam that would make me feel comfortable. However, I think um by limiting the amount of uh time that students would have to you
know prepare for this exam uh you severely limit uh success and additionally by starting students in high school they'd be starting at a French one level which would mean that in a normal progression they would not be able to
even take the AP French exam as they would only be placed into French 4 by their senior year assuming they even continue with the language. Um, also French is one of the uh currently has some of the lowest rates of uh students who are involved in it. And I think by, you know, making it only accessible at
the high school level, you're going to just only lower that, killing the the French program entirely. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Uh, hello, my name is Nicholas Sai. Um, I'm a senior here at VR High School. Uh Andrew did echo most of my questions that I had, but I am wondering um because I'm really concerned about the
French program in that uh if you're starting at the French one level, uh is there even going to be the opportunity for students to take AP French that are not uh coming into French with a like fluent level speaking? as I know uh for my entering class uh we were split between students entering French 2 like
myself because I'm currently an AP and students who were at um French one who are now uh the farthest they can go without taking extra courses is French four honors and that prevents them get from getting potential AP credits in college. Um I'm wondering is there a uh going to be like a method in place for students who potentially want to take
French and want to go far in that language to uh reach the AP level and take the exam? All good questions and I will say that um there are many middle schools across the state that do not offer French or German or Italian in the middle school and kids get to AP but starting in high school. So um we
certainly can look uh at this point and I want to say that the French um elimination of French in the middle school was a self-fulfilling proc prophecy that was enrollment based strictly enrollment based um and it's been happening for a while um we um we
certainly can look at what's called curriculum compression so that you you compress curriculum and you make sure that every students are getting enough to get to the AP level by senior year. >> Okay. Thank you so much. >> You're welcome. Thank you.
>> Uh just a quick question about the maintenance reserves. It was said that maintenance reserves were used. How much of the maintenance reserve was used and does it fully offset all of the maintenance that is in the operational budget? >> I'm going to defer to Dr. Riley on that one if you don't mind.
>> Uh it does not fully offset in that if we if we use the entirety of the maintenance reserve. Our our challenge is our ability to create surplus in the current year to replenish that reserve. So we have to be very thoughtful and careful about what we allocate from
reserves in order to replenish them. >> But there's no statutory requirement for you to actually maintain a level of reserves. It's only once you have the reserves then they can only be used for a stated purpose. Right. So you don't actually have to u replace those
reserves. That's that's discretionary on the board's part. >> It is. It would be foolish not to though given the age of our buildings. That's why they that's why this board years ago generated uh both capital and maintenance reserves because our
buildings are are all 100 years old including this one. It doesn't look it but it is. >> No. Got it. >> Yeah. >> Thank you for that. So I just echo what uh Dana Bon said. We'd love to see the line item view of the budget and the audit from last year as well
>> on our website. Okay, great. >> It's on our website. The difficulty with our budget is it's not a paper document. It's a to log to a a platform. So giving access to that platform where there's, you know, salary and personnel information in it is very difficult.
>> Okay. Well, we could talk after the meeting. Okay. >> I'm in it. Happy to help. Hi, I just have a quick followup um to what they said. Uh I took a look at Montlair. They have the entire general ledger. You can see every check they ever wrote this year on their public
website. And the Mountain Lakes uh district also published a 177 page document PDF style. It doesn't have to be a login. You can just see what's what's there, what it's being spent. And our document is very short and it's very high level. It's a rollup of what you're
spending. So, we'd like to see the detail. Thank you. Thank you. We're going to move on to any discussion items. New business or old business. Does anyone have anything on new business or old business? Seeing none, moving on to uh
correspondents. Are there any correspondents? >> Yes, you have um um Mr. Walka and Mrs. Cotes. >> Yeah, Riley. >> Dr. Riley, >> Dr. Ryan. >> So, I'm reading in uh statements from
trustees that were unable to be here this evening. Uh this from Mr. Watka. First and foremost, I deeply regret our work obligation will prohibit me from being in attendance at tonight's board of education meeting. With that said, I do wish to make a statement regarding the
recent cuts, the reasons that these cuts are happening, and the concerns that some members of the community regarding have regarding said reductions. The two main driving issues behind these cuts are unprecedented increase in health care costs and the fact that our township has continuously decided to
share 0% of payment in lie of taxes funding with the school district. These two circumstances have made it so that our revenues and our expenditures could not meet a zero sum without reducing the size of our district's workforce despite the fact that this board has elected to
increase our local school levy to the maximum extent allowed by law. In fact, if we could raise the school tax levy even more in order to avoid these cuts, I would be eager to do so. Sadly, this is not an option that this district has. This is not the first time that our
district has had to reduce the size of its workforce. In fact, last year we saw reductions in some of our elementary school sections, and quite understandably, the parents whose children were most impacted were highly concerned. This year, the scope of our reductions are wider and will impact
more programs, including the music program. Although reductions in any area will undoubtedly have a negative impact, I understand that the administration has to make some very difficult decisions and that people most directly impacted by these decisions will have concerns about the quality of programming in the
future. I still believe that despite these reductions, Verona will still continue to shine academically and that students will go through the Verona School District will still continue to excel and go on to highly respected and competitive colleges and universities upon graduation. I emphasize with
everyone that is impacted by these cuts and I wish that things weren't the way that they are. I am skeptically hopeful that our town council will finally see the benefit in sharing at least some percentage of its pilot funds. For the next 23 years,
Cedar Grove will continue to send $1.2 million checks to its board of education as a negotiated share of the condo development pilot funds on Fair View app. This sort of cooperation between the municipality and its school district is a sort of model we should look to
aspire towards in Verona because right now we have students in our Verona school district that are not receiving any or which we are not receiving any local tax revenues from because the town has decided to keep all those revenues. We may not have all that much control
regarding the shockingly high increases in employee health care costs, but we do as a township have control as to how we share our pilot funds between a municipality and the district. If we continue to see zero share between the township and the district, then situations like this are more and more
like likely to occur when we revisit budgets each March and April. Thank you. This from Miss Kenotig. Dear community members, I deeply regret that I cannot be there in person to hear the public comment tonight as I know how much our families value the programs
currently under discussion. I've read all of your heartfelt emails and I want to speak directly to those concerns. I hear you and I share your pride in Verona's music and arts programs. Although known more for their athletic participation, each of my four children has benefited from
participating in Verona's music programs via fourth grade band, middle school chorus, and high school stage crew. So, I can appreciate how incredibly painful these decisions are because they affect educators who have made a lasting impact on our children.
The reality is that we, like the majority of districts in our state, are facing a budget gap primarily due to rising health and transportation costs. Even after exhausting all non-personnel cuts, we were left with a shortfall. While this budget includes difficult
staffing changes, I want to stress that the intention has always been to preserve programming across the board for as many students as possible. This budget is not a reflection of what we value, but a reflection of the fiscal constraints we must navigate to keep the
district stable. Approving this plan is a necessary step to ensure we can continue serving all students this fall. Therefore, I express my support for the proposed 2026 2027 budget and hope that we as a community can continue this
vital conversation. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Riley. Okay, moving on to our action items. um for personnel. Hold on a second. Need a motion, please, to approve uh
resolutions A1, two, A1. Sorry, there's a lot of pages. Motion by >> So moved. >> Motion by Mr. Pererna. >> I'll second. >> Seconded by Mr. Boone. Are there any
discussions? Dr. Riley, if you could please call roll. >> Mr. Pera, >> um before I vote, I just wanted to to make a comment, not so much a discussion. Um I just want to share how proud I am of all the students that came out tonight and had the courage to get
up and speak. Um it re really impressive. Um, and some of you did a really great job on your homework and forming some really good suggestions, not just coming up and um, basically saying, you know, we want this, but
actually providing some solutions. Um, as you've all heard over and over again, this budget was incredibly challenging and really pushed this group um, and a broader group amongst the schools to make some tough program and people decisions. Um, I'm very new to this group. I was just elected to the board
of ed so I joined in January. Um but getting to know them over the last few months it's a really diverse group of people with very different backgrounds. Um and everyone is the one common thread though is everyone is massively invested in the success of the district and the
children um students and children. There was a huge emphasis put on balance and equity and preservation of programs even if that means a change in the delivery of that program. And last year I was actually in a very similar
position as most of you were. I was behind on budget discussions. I didn't realize what was happening. Um my elementary one of my I have a lot of kids. One of my elementary school children was directly impacted by a a cut to a teacher. Um, and I got
incredibly involved as a result of that. Um, so I am sympathetic to how you're feeling. Um, I do have a lot more information now being on this side of the table. Um, but I I know exactly sort of the position that you feel that you're in. Um, I'm really not happy about what we have to vote on tonight. I
feel for the students and the staff both directly and indirectly impacted. But that said, I am confident in the team's work that was done on this budget. Um, the team here, some team members sitting in the audience, um, a lot of hard work
was put into this. It wasn't easy. Um, some really tough decisions were made. You know, people letting go of friends and colleagues is is never easy. Um, but I do vote yes to the budget. U approval. >> We're not at the budget yet. We're we're
still on the personnel which includes the riff. So it's kind of a convoluted. The budget will be in item. Yeah. >> Yes. >> Mr. Pera. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Trrisco. >> Yes. >> Mr. Boon.
>> Um can I comment? Well, I'll I'll hold my um Yes. Motion passes for a >> a >> moving on to our education. I need a motion to approve
the resolutions from B1 to B3. >> So move >> motion by Mr. Boon, seconded by >> second >> Mr. Pererna. Are there any discussions? >> Uh just separately. Um before we move forward on on B1 and and and the like uh
I too wanted to take a moment um I I do want to applaud everybody for the decorum uh and their intense interest in this issue. I also give immense credit to the students who staged a protest uh and I I thank the administration
uh for not opposing uh such an action. Um this is how things are supposed to work. Um, in one of my day jobs, I work as a media law and ethics uh, professor uh, at a college and I talk about the students right to speak out and you
guys, you blew away the college kids I work with. Uh, so um, and I I'm just blown away by the effort. Um, I'm here uh, I'm a longtime Verona resident. I have spent more than half of my life here just like Mrs. Prrisco. uh and um
Mr. Pera, they are uh from the cradle on. Uh but I am honored to be a part of this community. I've watched my children grow. Uh I watched them participate uh in uh the music. I was a part of the
uh pit crew for one year. Uh my children both thrived in uh language arts in the Mandarin program. They literally got to see the world. I am also impressed by the students that spoke here today that I have seen all
the way elementary school. Uh their presentations tonight uh Victor, Oliver, Andrew, Zach, all of you guys in particular. Awesome job. I am very proud of you. I am a proud to be here uh to represent uh the Verona community. In
fact, under my shirt, I'm even wearing a um a t-shirt that has artwork on it drawn by a Verona student uh that came out during uh the COVID years. Uh it it Verona is every part of my daily lives uh my daily life, excuse me. Um I also
uh want to echo a little bit of what Mr. Pererna had to say that this is a budget that was not one that we are happy to have to deal with. Um and I do feel that there was an intense focus on the equity
um that was that it was looked on. Um and it is it's a situation we don't want to be in and it's also a budget that we're looking at not just for this year or this coming year but into the coming decades. We need Verona to be
sustainable for future success for another generation of students. students that have even entered the kindergarten level. That is what we are looking for uh as part of this discussion. Um and it's in that spirit uh that we are um
you know that this is such a difficult process for all of us. This is and where we're at right now feels like a least bad situation. Um which is never where you want to be. But we also feel that is our responsibility to look forward to a uh strong and sustainable Verona. Um so
I know it's not necessarily related to the uh uh B1 and on uh vote, but I just wanted to get that comment on the record. So thank you for the time. >> Thank you, Mr. Boon. Um since Mr. Boon and Mr. Pera have spoken, um I was going
to save my remarks for later. Um, however, I I wouldn't leave if I were the students, students. Um, I
I heard all of you. I heard all your emails. I can't sit up here and with my heart of this town, I cannot
move forward. I know all the work that has gone into everything. I know it. I know what Dr. Dr. James Riley has done and Mrs. D. Jeppepi and the administration. I know
the amount of work they have done. But I also know our students and I know what you guys do and what you deserve. All of our students, whether in your
arts, music, athletics. This community is based off of you guys. You're our community. You are what is making our community thrive. And I enjoy seeing all of you perform
on stage, in the choir, in the band, on the football field, on the cheering teams, wherever you are. Color guard. I have a connection to this town and it's just eating me up right now that I
cannot move forward. I just can't. I will not be able to sleep at night. It might be the wrong decision, but I just can't.
And I will I know we will. There may not be anything we can do. There may not be. There may not. Maybe there is a little more change. Maybe there'll be another retirement. Maybe somebody will give us a big donation. Maybe. There might be.
Right. We can have hope. But I want to try. I do want to try for you guys. I really do. And I think everyone wants to try. I Everyone wants to do the best for Verona.
And I I don't want the applause. I really really don't. I really don't. I don't want the applause. I don't want the recognition. I just This is Verona is my heart, my soul. Everything I do is
for this town and for you guys. You're the future of this town and I really want to do what is best for this town. And if we can find a way to make something work, let's try it. >> I don't know where we are.
It's 11 o'clock. We are >> divergence from the agenda. We're still on education committee. We need to approve those motions before we move forward to finance. >> Actually, athletics and co-curricular. >> Yeah, we got a couple. >> Yeah, we have a couple. >> So, where am I?
>> You are um we're about to call roll >> for education, >> correct? >> Okay. >> Can I have a >> You got motions. >> I got motions. Roll call, please. Sorry. >> On B1 through B3, Mr. Pera?
>> Yes. >> Mr. Prrisco? >> Yes. >> Mr. Boon? >> Yes. >> Motion carries. >> Um, I need a motion, please, for athletics. Uh, C1. >> So move. >> Motion by Mr. Pera, seconded by Mr.
Boone. >> Um, any discussions? >> Can we have roll call? >> Mr. Pera? Yes, >> Mrs. Frisco. >> Yes, >> Mr. Boon. >> Yes, >> C1 carries. >> Thank you. Moving on to our facilities. I need a motion to approve resolutions
D1 through D2. >> So move. >> Motion by Mr. Boon, seconded by Mr. Pera. Any discussions? Dr. Riley, if you could please call roll. >> Mr. Pera, >> yes. >> Mrs. Prrisco, >> yes. >> Mr. Boon, >> yes.
>> Carries. >> Thank you. Moving on to our finance. I need a motion to approve. Oh, okay. So, I So, I'm going to ask for a motion to table E5
through E9. I motion to table E5 through E9. >> Um, yeah, I'll second. Um, can I ask a question of this first? >> I'm so confused.
>> Okay, we go first. Okay. >> And >> um how what what are we looking at in terms of timing? >> Not much. >> I I believe that Mr. Riley confirmed like May 14th is your deadline for for submitting. Is that correct?
>> So the statutory deadline for the public hearing which this this was had tonight. It is May 7th. The userfriendly deadline um is May 11th. And then the deadline
for the last day to formally adopt then would be May 14th. Now there is some there there is some language to consider with regards to the what happens between now and May 14th. It's well documented what what needs to be addressed. So no
other changes outside of what was discussed in terms of in terms of the board's what will be the board's direction for for us to change. No other changes can take place unless they were discussed during this meeting. So the board will then give me direction to
make changes and then the board will adopt the final um we'll have to call a special election to do or special meeting to do so >> and when so for the special election or I'm saying it's a special special
meeting when would we be looking after that date? So Kyle uh just correct me if I'm wrong. That's special special meeting. We're not having another another uh public forum. We don't need the four days. We can do a full day. >> So we have to provide four days.
>> You have to specify >> specify in the notice what what changes specifically remaining. But in 48 hour notice what the special meeting happen. >> Yes. You satisfied the requirement of holding the public hearing today. So you wouldn't have to have to do the public hearing. So when we were saying 48
hours, that would put us >> anytime between Friday and and next week, next two weeks, basically >> Tuesday, >> next week, but I guess it would be the the target, >> right? >> May 7th.
>> May 7th. >> Do we have to schedule that now? >> No. >> Okay. So yeah, >> we have a first and a second. This is first >> Mr. Boon seconded. >> Mr. Pera, >> no.
>> Mrs. Yes, >> Mr. B. >> No. >> So, the motion to table failed. Uh the the vote then has to continue with the um 5 through nine or whatever whoever we
just motion table. They're on the agenda and they need to be voted on. The issue we're going to run into is I believe you need a majority of the full membership to pass the budget if I recall correctly. So, um if Miss Prrisco votes no, the vote would still fail and
we'll be in the same position of having to call the >> which would then create additional time pressures. Correct. >> Same time pressures as if we table the rest of the the rest of the >> So then we need a um for the rest of the
finance I need a motion to approve it E1 through E4. >> So moved >> motion by Mr. Pererna, seconded by >> I'll second >> Mr. Boon. Any discussions? Dr. Riley, if you could please call roll.
>> Mr. Pera, >> yes. >> Mrs. Trrisco, >> yes. >> Mr. B. >> Yes. >> The budget just passed. Uh, that was a Yeah. Yeah. So the the motion to table failed
which meant that E1 through E 15 were was on the agenda uh and voted upon and that motion just passed which means that the budget as proposed passed and there is no need for a special meeting. She she voted yes just now. So she motioned to table first. The motion to
table failed which means she was forced to vote upon the the budget as presented. That vote then just passed to a three. Uh all you require to move forward with a meeting is a quorum, which is three out of the five. The board has a quorum tonight. Three out of five. And three out of five just voted
in favor of the budget. But wait, I didn't I voted at I didn't vote on I didn't vote yes once. >> No, no, no. We >> motion failed. >> Wait, no. >> It failed. That forces her as a yes
vote. >> I didn't. >> So, you can make a motion to wait. I did not vote yes. it. I'm very confused because I thought we were tableabling I thought we were
tableabling the vote for the budget and I voted no. Then I thought we were voting I'll go back and do whatever we have to do because I was voting no for the budget. I was voting no for that. I was thinking
I was voting yes for the ones that were not tabled. >> You're going to need to do a motion to reconsider. If your colleagues still >> already I know you were confused but the motion to table fail
through >> I I have to make a motion to reconsider. I'm not making her do anything. There's There's Robert's rules that we follow. She can make a motion or anyone can make a motion to reconsider. >> Let him talk, please. Right.
That's what she thought she was voting on. We can make a motion. We can We can make a motion to to >> what's it called? >> Recon. >> Reconsider. We can make a motion. >> All right. Can we make a motion to reconsider? Because >> Prrisco, I I'll go ahead and make the
motion to reconsider. >> We're we're re >> reconsidering E5 through >> E15. Are are No, we're >> E. Yes. Now, are we recons are we is the motion
>> for everything? Is the motion to reconsider the table or is it to reconsider E1 through E15? >> The motion to table failed. >> Correct. >> So then after that E1 through 15 was on
the agenda. That passed. >> Correct. >> You could now make a motion to reconsider E5 through E9, which is the budget items. In which case, if you then vote to reconsider and vote no on those items, they would fa have failed. in which case you would have to take action
at a special meeting prior to on May 15th. That was not my understanding. My understanding was it was may maybe did I misunderstand? >> I don't know. But we're we're reconsidering. We're doing that. Yes.
>> So I understand I'm making a motion. E9. >> And then we're only voting on that. >> Correct. >> And for those passes >> to to reconsider, you'd only need a core. >> Well, no, no. Once we get past,
>> sorry, you need a majority of the quorum to reconsider. >> Okay. >> Because you're >> So, let's do that. >> So, two two votes would would undo that. So, a motion to reconsider E5 through E9 >> and vote it negatively on those.
Correct. >> To reconsider and change the vote to nose. >> Well, I thought the first step >> you can do it either way. So, you're doing >> I just want to >> Okay, >> put it back on the table. >> Put it back on the table, please.
So, I I motion for that. Give me give me a second to think through the parameters of this because it's complicated by the the majority vote. >> As you can tell, this doesn't happen often. >> Yeah. >> Because if you if you vote
>> Yes. >> Correct. And then we vote again. So, >> she needs he needs a second to reconsider items E5 through E9. >> We're we're not voting on E5 through E9. We're just putting it back on the table >> to reconsider. Yes.
>> Do you have a second? >> Take a roll call for that. Mr. Pera. >> No. >> Mrs. Frisco. >> He's voting no. >> Voting no to reconsider. >> Right.
>> Mrs. Frisco. We are voting that the board is voting to reconsider those motions that deal with the school budget. You're welcome. E5. E5 through E9. Yes. Yes.
>> Okay. I thought he did, but yes, we are. >> So, I'm voting yes to reconsider my no vote. >> To reconsider E5. >> Yeah. E9. >> And Mr. Boon?
>> No. Hold on one second. Let's recess first. >> Take a five minute re recess. Thank you. So move >> motion by Mr. Pera, seconded by for a motion to recess.
>> All right. So Mike says all in favor of recess I Is this further down the rabbit hole? >> Yes. So, um during the break, um Mr. Trent and um Mr. Boon watched the video. We were on the videotape. It's being
recorded. Mrs. Prrisco did say E1 through E4. So E1 through E4 passed. We have not yet they I can't say we because I'm not a voting member. The board has not yet voted on the budget. Okay. You're welcome.
RIP's passed, but that's easily rescended if if the board decides to um to tell me to do something different. You're welcome. So there's a difference between districts that vote in April and districts that vote in November. We're
just making sure we have the right information for districts that vote in November, which is what Verona is. Just give us bear with us. So so my my recollection was correct that the vote to pass the budget will require a majority of the full membership of the
board even though we don't have a quorum here tonight that sorry even though we have a quorum here tonight we don't have every member so that would mean the entirety all three members would need to to vote in favor of the budget in order for it to pass this evening. So we now need a a motion on the
remaining items of E or you can break it up into multiple parts as you as you choose. >> Okay. So we'll break it up into the budget which is E5 through E9. Motion to approve E5 through E9.
>> So moved. >> Motion. Motion by Mr. Pera. Seconded by Mr. Boon. Any discussions? Dr. Riley, if you could please call roll. >> Can you just just for clarity, sake of overstating
the obvious, what is required for for this to pass? >> Yeah. So you need a majority of the full membership membership of the full board that's pursuant to NJSA18A
22-32 subsection B which applies to the um uh November election uh districts type two districts. So so in this instance where you have three members present your quorum of a five member board a full membership of the board would be three votes. So you
would need all three three members to vote in favor of the budget for it to pass tonight. >> Okay. And I'm getting way into the weeds here. I'm getting way into the weeds here. I understand that we are a November board. Are are we fully a November board from because we switched
from at one point and I just want to make certain clear that we qualify as >> Right. You're either an April board or you're a November board. You're >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you, >> Dr. Riley. If you could please call roll. Mr. Ferna. >> Yes.
Mrs. Frisco. >> No. >> Mr. >> Yes. >> I vote >> Mr. Vote. >> No, I said yes. >> Yeah, but it's immaterial at that point. >> The two one vote in favor which does not
satisfy the requirement of the majority of the full members. And again for sake of clarity I know we haven't closed. So this means we have a another meeting pursuant to meeting this and
>> right but at what point can we discuss how that >> so >> yeah you got to finish this agenda but you basically have until May 14th to schedule a meeting. If you don't, then you have potential issues with the the state and um state monitor, other other issues. Commissioner passing her budget
>> and and and again, for the understanding of everybody here, we do not have to schedule that tonight. >> Thank you. >> Going. >> Now, I need a motion for resolutions E10
>> through E15. So moved. Second. >> All right. >> Any discussion? >> Dr. Riley, if you call roll, please. >> Mr. Pera? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Frisco? >> Yes. >> Mr. Boon?
>> Yes. >> 10 through E15 passes. >> Thank you. Motion. Uh, moving on to governance and policy. I need a motion to approve resolutions F1. >> Motion by >> So move >> Mr. Pera seconded by >> I'll second
>> Mr. Boon any discussions >> Dr. Riley if you could please call roll. >> Mr. Pera >> yes >> Mrs. Frisco >> yes >> Mr. Yes, one passes. >> Thank you. That's the end of our resolutions. Anyone from the public
speaking on any matters, please come up and state your name. And you have >> quick three minutes. Quick three minutes. Hey folks, just wanted to say hi. Um quickly, uh Denise
Fzella in Verona, New Jersey. Um, first I just wanted to say uh this was a very tough meeting and you all handled yourself with utmost professionalism which um having watched a lot of board meetings and attended a lot of board meetings um that is not always the case
in other towns. So I give applause to everybody here. Um it is nice to actually have people usually it's me and me at board meetings. So it is nice. I hope that people come back and get more involved in the board. Um I would
encourage it. It is fascinating how much information is shared at board meetings and if you can't attend you should definitely watch um the videos. Um just to because we talked about pilot a little bit today um for people who don't
know um the Verona Township currently receives approximately $1.5 million each year in pilot funds. none of that money comes to the board of ed as we all know.
Um so there is a new pilot that is proposed and we will see what happens with that funding. Um, I would encourage every person who attended tonight's meeting or listened to tonight's meeting to contact your local state legislature,
your local state senator, to contact the governor's office, to contact your local congressman, to contact the commissioner of education. Those are the people who can change the funding model. The only way we are not doing this every single
year from here on out is if the funding model changes. Even if the township gives us every dollar of pilot funding next year, it still will not fill the $3.2 million hole that we had to fill
this year. So, the only way to change it is to go to the state legislature. And just because I'm a data nerd, people who know me know this. So before coming here, I looked up at what other townships are doing. West Orange is
cutting 75 plus students. Westward is cutting 10 to 11 teachers and administrators. Monontlair currently has 32 teachers being ripped. Livingston 40 staff members. Blooming Bloomfield 24. South Orange Maplewood 23. Homedale 33.
Lake 164, Bernard's Township 27, Cherry Hill 72, Middletown 40, Robbinsville 22, Bridgeport Raridan 29 positions and getting rid of their gifted and talented program. West Milford is still undetermined, but they are closing
another elementary school. They closed one last year. Roxberry, 27 positions. East Brunswick is to be determined, but they are include they are ripping teaching staff, one administrator, two support staff, outsourcing custodial
staff, and charging for extracurricular activities. Lacy Township is uh riffing 39 teachers plus other staff, and redistricting elementary schools, which will increase class sizes in elementary schools to 35, 31 in middle school, and
38 in high school. and oh and also possibility of eliminating AP courses. We're not there. We're not there because of the people up there. So if you want to not be here, you need to act. You
need to contact your legislature. You need to demand that they fix the funding formula. You need to go to the township and demand that they share some of the funds. I understand that two of the township council members voted no for the pilot
funding uh for the pilot program, but not one town council member has ever put forward a proposition to fund to share pilot funds with the with the board of ed. I encourage you all to watch the March 25th 20 25 joint meeting between
the township and the board council. I was the board president then, so I was very involved in it. um where we asked repeatedly for them to share to share $1 and we were told no.
So I encourage everyone to act and don't just come back in two weeks and say what have you changed to go out and act and make um a change. Um and the students you all were great. Um, I know some of you from theater. Um, my husband knows
probably more of you from building sex. So, um, but we were all very proud of you and, uh, look forward to see what you guys will do next. I know I've gone over my three minutes. I am so sorry. Bye. >> We didn't put the timer on. We forgot. We're too tired. Denise, thank you.
Is there anyone else from the public? None. Um, I appreciate you all being here tonight. So, thank you for spending your evening with us for so 11:30 at night. Um, our next scheduled
public meeting will be on May 14th, 2026, beginning with confidential at 6 p.m. It's public and public session at 7 p.m. in the Verona High School Learning Commons. I need a motion to adjourn the meeting. >> So moved.
>> Motion by seconded by Mr. Pa Pera. All in favor? I >> I. It is 11.