Esther Kim, Good evening everyone, I would like to welcome welcome you to our Tuesday Thursday May 14 2026 Board of Education meeting we are calling the meeting to order it is 7 oh 9pm and if everyone could please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. The reading of meeting notice. The New Jersey Open Public Meeting Law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advance notice of and to attend the meetings of 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
closed notice of this meeting to be published in the Star Ledger online and also be viewed by the public on the board's official website, VeronaSchools.org or the legal notices of New Jersey public entities will also be accessible at the New Jersey's Department of State's legal notices at www.nj.gov. Copies of tonight's agenda and resolutions have been made available to the public via the Board of Education website. Dr. Riley, if you could please call roll. Mr. Walker. Mr. Perma. Ms. Knodig. Here. Mr. Trisco. Here.
Mr. Boone. Here. We have a quorum. Thank you very much. Moving on to our agenda, I need a motion to approve our minutes from our confidential and regular session meeting on April 28th and our confidential and special meeting of May 5th, 2026. Motion. Motion by Mr. Wacca, seconded by Ms. Knodick. Any discussion? Dr. Wiley, if you could please call roll. Mr. Wacca? Yes. Ms. Knodick? Yes. Mrs. Frisco? Yes. Great, thank you.
Moving on to our superintendent's report by Ms. Diane DiGiuseppe. Good evening. I just want to give a shout out to, we've been talking obviously about the budget for the last several meetings, and what I neglected to do is thank not just Dr. Riley, but the administrators that really dropped everything to sit down and go through class counts certifications we're still still doing that still looking at whether or not we need a kindergarten or not and whether we can make do with the number of sections that we have but they really it
takes a village and for something like this where you're looking at that kind of a budget deficit having the cooperation and collaboration was really very helpful to dr riley and me so just an update on testing This is the mad rush of the testing season. We are finishing the advanced placement testing tomorrow, is the last day at the high school. NJSLA, Math and ELA have been completed at our elementary schools, and we are finishing NJSLA tomorrow at HBW. We are beginning NJSLA on Monday at the high
school. So it's a long testing period for kids. We're looking forward to having that completed as well. Staffing update, we are still looking for two special education teachers at the elementary level, one at FN Brown and one at Lanning, and we are in the process of interviewing. We are also interviewing for two elementary candidates at Forest Avenue, one tenure track position and one leave replacement for next year. We are looking for kindergarten at FN Brown, that one is I think they've concluded the interviewing at the school level and they're sending me a
finalist. I'll be interviewing the finalist tomorrow. We had an opening in middle school math and science fifth grade at HBW and you'll see someone is on the agenda this evening. We are still interviewing for health and physical education at the high school and we are just advertising for a part-time academic enrichment. We talked about that over the past that those retirements allowed for us to add that half-time position back in, because that really was
the one area that that program would have been significantly impacted, trying to do it without a lead. We also need a full-time and part-time custodian, and we are currently advertising. Upcoming events, tomorrow is Music in the Parks. Middle school kids are getting on buses and getting on the bus, going out to, I guess it's Great Adventure. I was going to say Dorney Park, but it's Great Adventure, right? Yeah. Yeah. It depends on where your school is. Some of them go to Dorney. Capstone starts tomorrow or Saturday, depending on
student programs. So the high school gets very quiet now until June. About that. Sure. Hope I can answer. Does Serena and myself need to abstain on that agenda item since both of our sons are part of that? I would, yeah. Will we have a core? Do we need the majority of the full board? No, not for this. All right, very good. National Honor Society induction is next week on Thursday night. This is a district homework-free weekend. Sorry,
for next weekend or Memorial Day weekend is a district homework-free weekend. We are closed on the 24th. I didn't realize I scheduled meetings on the 24th, and people have to tell me. We're not open that day. I said, that's why everyone's schedule was open. I saw a day on the schedule, nobody had any meetings. I'm like, I'm taking it. But it's just it falls so early this year, Memorial Day. We have an all elementary band concert at the high school on Tuesday the 25th, and senior awards will be on the 28th. And I can't believe we are talking
about the end of May. I mean, I know June comes the same time every year. It just feels like it gets here faster. That's my report for tonight, thank you. Thank you, does anyone have any questions or comments for Ms. DiGiotepe? Ryan, you're working for the Essex County Courts? How did that come about? It's great. You could answer and then go into your report, Ryan. Yeah, okay, so I mean, Dr. Tambor recommended me a judge, a man who happens to live here, so he's a native Rona resident and his family has read all about, and yeah, I have
I begin Monday and I have orientation tomorrow, which is really nice. Thank you. All right, with my report, so good evening. So in athletics, the girls track team had once more shined at the county championship with senior Gwen Neal, as always, winning the 100 meter, and sophomore Natalie Aloia winning the pole vault. And she also happened to take second place in Javelin as well. And Morgan Rossi, who finished fifth in high jump and sixth in the 400-meter hurdles. And last Friday was girls'
softball senior night, in which they struck a win against Bayonne, and two nights ago was the boys' tennis senior day versus Cedar Grove, in which they won 4-1, and senior Nick Sci reached a record of 50 wins. Similarly, boys' baseball senior Charlie Pepe scored his 100th career hit last week. And both seniors Sean McElroy and Emerson Garrett were presented to the Karen Fuccello Scholar Athlete Award for their outstanding representation of VHS and their community. And in the world of performing arts, sophomore Molly Walsh was nominated
by the Paper Mill Playhouse for an outstanding performance in a female identified supporting role for her role in the production of Mamma Mia. And furthermore, next Wednesday, the 20th will be Chamber Night, a selection of student-run groups performing chamber music and Creative Arts Night will be taking place on the 27th where students will show off their art with live music accompanying the art show and then we'll be having the subject honor society induction ceremony
Tuesday, June 2nd at 6.30 and that's my report for tonight. Thank you. Thank you. Does anyone have any questions or comments for Lyon? Moving on, there are no committee reports for this evening. Moving on to public comments on any agenda action items, anything we will be voting on. If you would like to speak upon, please come to the podium and just state your name and you'll have three minutes.
I just have a question actually around the budget that was passed and just having a view on what passed, what's being cut, what are the highlights, just I looked for the meeting notes. So I know it's for agenda items. Is there a place where I can speak otherwise in the agenda? I'm sorry, no worries, thank you. Thanks. Anyone else on any action items that we're voting on? Is this something we're gonna be voting on or is it okay? Thank you.
I believe it's agenda item B14, but first let me introduce myself because you asked the question. My name is David Burstein. I live in West Orange and I wouldn't expect a school district to know how its contract rates compare across 600 other school districts in the state. That data just doesn't exist in one place. And that's why I started collecting them, pricereflect.com. I wanted to bring a particular contract to your attention. I believe it's Summit Home
Healthcare, agenda item B14. In the proposed contract, Verona would pay Summit Home Healthcare $80 per hour. The same provider charges South Plainfield $65. since the contract is for next school year, perhaps there's still an opportunity to revisit the rate with the provider before finalizing it. Thank you. Thank you, we'd have to compare whether or not they're providing the same services. Yeah. Yeah, thank you for bringing that to our attention.
Moving on to any discussion items from new business or old business. Seeing none, any correspondence, Ms. Giuseppe? Thank you. Moving on to our action items on agenda items. I need a motion to approve our personnel resolutions A1 through A15. Motion by Mr. Boone, seconded by Mr. Wacca. Are there any discussions? Being done, Dr. Raleigh? Just for what it's worth on A4, I'm just thrilled to see Doc Siegel coming back into the fold a little bit. So
he's a wonderful addition, or re-addition to this. Happy to see. Great. Dr. Raleigh, if you could please call roll. Mr. Raleigh? Yes. Ms. Knodig? Yes. Mrs. Frisco? Yes. Mr. Brillo? Yes. Motion passed. Thank you. Moving on to our resolutions. for education, I have a motion to approve resolutions B1 all the way through to B22. Motion by
Moot. I'll second. Motion by Ms. Knodick, seconded by Mr. Boone. Are there any discussions? Seeing none, Dr. Riley, if you could please call roll. Mr. Wacca? So I'll have B1 through B21, yes, and then B22, I'll abstain myself. Thank you. Ms. Conoda? Same with regard to the abstention for B22, I guess. Thank you, Mrs. Trisco. Yes. Mr. Bloom. Yes. Thank you. I'm actually, I'm gonna make one quick comment. I'm
excited, I have three Capstone students starting with me on Monday. Yeah, I'm very excited. Moving on to athletics and co-curricular, I need a motion to approve resolutions C1 through C3. Motion by Mr. Wakka, seconded by Ms. Knodek. Any discussion? Dr. Riley, if you could please call roll. Mr. Wakka. Yes. Ms. Knodek. Mrs. Prisco? Yes. Mr. Boone? Yes. Moving on to facilities, I need a motion to approve resolutions D1 through D2. So moved. Motion by Mr. Boone, seconded
by, seconded by, seconded by Mr. Konodik. Any discussion? Seeing none, Dr. Wiley, please call roll. Mr. Wiley. Ms. Konodik? Yes. Mrs. Prisco? Yes. Mr. Boone? Yes. Thank you. Moving on to finance. I need a motion to approve E1 through E13. So moved. Motion by Mr. Boone, seconded by, seconded. Ms. Knottak, are there any discussions? Seeing none, Dr. Riley, if you could call roll. Mr. Walker? Yes.
Ms. Knottak? Yes. Mrs. Pusco? Yes. Mr. Boone? Yes. Thank you. And just onto our governance and policy resolutions. A motion to policies F1 through F2, please. Motion. Motion by Ms. Konodik. Seconded by? I'll second. Seconded by Mr. Boone. Any other discussions? Dr. Riley, if you could please call roll. Mr. Watkins? Yes. Ms. Konodik? Yes. Mrs. Prisco? Yes. Mr. Boone? Yes. Now we will open
it up to public comments on any items that you would like to speak on. Please state your name and you'll have three minutes. Thank you. Yep, this is it. Thank you. Sorry for that earlier. No, no, my Robert's rules are all out of whack. There was a lot of public support and sort of people coming together for the budget and my question is ultimately around where do we see what passed, what was
good, there's a new scoreboard, what happened in terms of cuts to programs and teachers. I look to see the minutes, I know they were just approved in this meeting, but how can we find out an accounting of what was passed? In the minutes, first of all, I can do a quick run through of it. It's really what we talked about, it was on the RIP that was on the agenda. So it is one elementary counselor was reduced, one elementary library media teacher, one elementary art teacher, one elementary music teacher.
The academic enrichment was ripped down as well, but as I mentioned earlier, we're putting a half-time position back in. We did not fill retirements, so we had a math teacher retire at the high school that was not being filled. We had two elementary teachers that their retirements were not being filled. So that equates to two elementary reductions. One bubble section at the elementary and kindergarten is being condensed into one class at grade
one. So that's another elementary position. I'm trying to think if I'm getting along with it. because I don't have it in front of me right now. No, I get it. So I'm just wondering when that will be published. It was in the minutes for tomorrow night. For tomorrow? Tomorrow. That'll be on the website tomorrow. They were approved tomorrow. Okay, they were just approved here. My question was also around the, I'd raised this in the public meeting around the maintenance reserve. Is any of the maintenance reserve being used? for the budget next year? Yes.
I don't have that number in front of me though. Okay, Dr. Riley, do you have that number? So the maintenance reserve is not being used for next year. If we're getting into a back and forth, I would really caution us against a back and forth discussion on items. But no. I showed up in your office a few weeks ago to try to understand that and you weren't available so here in public to I would welcome you to make an appointment and I'd be more than happy to meet with you personally. Okay. I did. You weren't there. I
think a pipe burst or something. I was called out on an emergency. I understand. Okay. Thank you. I look forward to seeing the minutes. Thank you for taking my question. Sure. Thank you. Any other comments from the public? Hi everyone. Ms. Frazella. My comment is actually nothing to do with friendship finance. So we're going to move away from that topic. It was just simply, is there, and I've looked in the
policies in the handbook for the high school, is there a policy about when grades have to be published on the gradebook after an assignment is due? Just to give you a background, I kind of keep track of where my kids are. I don't go into their Google Classroom and find them, but I will look a few times to see where they are, especially towards the end of the semester. And everything looked good. And then all of a sudden there was a drop, because in tests that was taking the second week in the marking period had
not been put into the gradebook. So we were unaware, or I was unaware, that there was some concern or some issue with that subject and we weren't able to get additional assistance. So is there a policy? If not, is it possible to think about putting a policy in place or some sort of guidance so that teachers don't wait until the night before grade to do to drop grades? Thanks. You're welcome. I agree. Thank you. There is not currently a timeline. There should be
for that reason. And also, when you're looking at an online grade book, grades impact in the beginning of the marking period much more significantly than at the end, right? Because you have more points, it's less of an impact. But what also should be happening is if the teacher is aware that a student had a poor grade, a phone call should be made. We shouldn't rely on the parents always checking into gradebook and when we go to electronic grade books when school districts were going to electronic grade books back in early 2000s that became kind of
commonplace where teachers stopped reaching out to parents because you have access that should not stop as educators we should reach out and we will make that part of our culture as well it's also an interesting question like just the the idea can a can a board make a policy because this It would be a school district operational question. So it would be your discretion, right, about how you want your schools to internally work. I think it's a really good
question you brought up. Can a board even make that policy, which is, you know— We could, but it's not necessary to have a board policy. It could go into our faculty handbook. It could go into our procedures. It would also—would it not also— responsibility too on the building administrators to remind their particular teachers. And yeah, I mean to Superintendent Giuseppe's earlier comment, as a former helicopter, extremely helicopter parent myself,
I found myself probably driving the teachers insane with some of the questions about submissions, but it did get to the point where if something was missing, it would be giving me a heads up at that point. But yeah, there is a lot of push-pull in there, as Ms. Verzala indicated. I agree, Mike, and I like the idea of the faculty handbook being probably the doctor for something like that. Thank you. Does anyone else have any public comments? Seeing none, then our next
scheduled public meeting is Karen Hollweg, Thursday may 28 beginning with confidential at 6pm public session at 7pm and the wrong high school learning commons I need a motion to adjourn our meeting motion by Mr waka seconded by Mr boone on favor. Karen Hollweg, It is 732 and we are adjourning the meeting, thank you all and have a.