WEBVTT METADATA Video-Count: 1 Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=4KDRArTtiWU Part: 1 1 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:55.120 Folks, >> good evening and welcome to the Tuesday, July 21st, 2026 business meeting of the Wall Township Public School District Board of Education. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the 2 00:08:55.120 --> 00:09:16.000 United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Mr. Smite, Sunshine announcement and roll call, please. >> Yes. This is the Wall Township Board of Education meeting for which adequate 3 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:31.279 notice under the Open Public Meeting Act was provided by a notice on the Wall Township Public School District's website, by written notice to the clerk's office and all Wall Township public schools, and a posting of the notice in the board administration office on March 5th, 2026. 4 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:48.080 Take a roll call. Miss Adams >> here. >> Miss Barbieier >> here. >> Miss Bby >> here. >> Mr. Buffa >> here. >> Miss Dioani >> here. Miss Lawler, Mr. Smith >> here, >> Mr. Wandra, 5 00:09:48.080 --> 00:10:02.880 Mr. Mouth >> here. >> At this time, I'm going to ask for a motion to go into executive session for those items indicated on the agenda. >> I'll make a motion. Mr. Buffa >> second. >> Mr. Giovanni. All in favor? Hi. 6 00:10:02.880 --> 01:21:41.360 >> We will we uh anticipate returning to public session at 700 p.m. Good evening and welcome to the public session of the Tuesday, July 21st, 2026 business meeting of the Wall Township Public Schools District. Uh please stand 7 01:21:41.360 --> 01:22:01.639 for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 8 01:22:03.600 --> 01:22:22.719 >> Uh, Mr. Smith, roll call, please. >> Roll call. Miss Adams, >> here. >> Miss Barbier, >> here. >> Miss Bby >> here. >> Mr. Buffa >> here. >> Miss Diovani >> here. >> Miss Lawler, >> Mr. Smith >> here. 9 01:22:22.719 --> 01:22:39.280 >> Mr. Wandra, >> Mr. M >> here. Thank you, Mr. Smite. At this time, we're going to open up the floor for our first public comment session. This is on uh any school related uh comments. The board requests that those individuals speaking will be courteous 10 01:22:39.280 --> 01:22:54.480 and mindful of the rights of other individuals when making comments, specifically comments regarding individual students and school personnel are discouraged and will not be responded to by the board. Students and employees have specific legal rights afforded by the laws of New Jersey. The 11 01:22:54.480 --> 01:23:10.080 Wall Township Board of Education bears no responsibility, nor will it be liable for any comments made by members of the public. Speakers should consider their comments in the light of the legal rights of those affected by or identified in their comments and recognize that they are legally 12 01:23:10.080 --> 01:23:31.517 responsible and liable for their comments. And we please ask that you observe our policy of three minutes per speaker. We have microphones on either side. Please come up and identify yourself if you wish to speak. >> [clears throat] 13 01:23:31.920 --> 01:23:48.639 >> All right. Good evening. My name is John Reno. I'm a proud father of three boys who attend Old Mill. First, like to congratulate Dr. Blakeley for his appointment as superintendent of Wall Township Public Schools. I sincerely wish you the best in your new role. Like many parents, we have high hopes for the 14 01:23:48.639 --> 01:24:04.400 future of our district and look forward to working with you to continue making Wall a great place for our children. Tonight, I'd like to share a personal experience that has left me in serious concern, not about any one individual, but about the culture of our district. As mentioned, my boys who attend Old 15 01:24:04.400 --> 01:24:21.600 Mill, all three received special education services. Back in March, I happened to be at Old Mill around 9:15 a.m. in the morning to help with the PTA assembly in my role as treasurer of the Old Mill Home and School Association. A staff member approached me with a concern because my boys had not arrived 16 01:24:21.600 --> 01:24:37.679 at school. That was when I learned something that shocked me. I was told that their small bus had been arriving approximately 15 to 20 minutes late almost every single day for nearly three months. To be clear, I I want to 17 01:24:37.679 --> 01:24:53.360 publicly thank Mrs. Bond and Mrs. Barrosi. Once I contacted them, they acted immediately and within just a few days, the transportation um was corrected and I truly appreciate the responsiveness. But for me, that wasn't the biggest concern. I'm in Old 18 01:24:53.360 --> 01:25:08.880 Mill at least once a week. I know many of the teachers and staff personally, and they know me. Yet, somehow, it took nearly three months before I became aware that my children were constantly missing instructional time every single morning. That raises an important 19 01:25:08.880 --> 01:25:26.080 question, why? The conversations I had afterward left me concerned that some staff members may not feel comfortable raising concerns directly with parents or speaking openly when they observe issues affecting students. Whether that hesitation comes from fear, uncertainty, or simply the culture that has developed 20 01:25:26.080 --> 01:25:42.560 over time, the result is the same. Important information isn't always reaching the families. I want to be very clear. This is not criticism of the teachers, the par profofessionals, the bus drivers or support staff at Old Mail. I think they do an amazing job every single day under challenging circumstances and I appreciate 21 01:25:42.560 --> 01:25:57.360 everything they do for our children. My concern is whether we have created an environment that where employees feel empowered um to speak up when something isn't right. As a parent of children with special needs, that concerns me deeply. 22 01:25:57.360 --> 01:26:14.560 If something as significant as my child arriving late every day for months goes unressed until I happen to be in the building, it makes me wonder what other issues parents would not know about. Dr. Blekeley, as you begin your tenure, I respectfully ask that you make building 23 01:26:14.560 --> 01:26:29.760 a culture of trust, open communication, and psychologically safety a priority throughout our district. Our teachers and staff should feel supported in raising concerns and parents should have confidence that issues affecting their children will be communicated openly and 24 01:26:29.760 --> 01:26:48.080 promptly. Thank you for your time and I wish you the very best. Thank you. >> All right, boys. >> Thank you, Mr. Raino. Any additional public comment? >> Good evening. Bob Leech, president Wall Township Education Association. I just wanted to take just a few minutes to put 25 01:26:48.080 --> 01:27:03.840 on the record that uh I just wanted to welcome Dr. Blekeley on your initial board of ed meeting. Your point, your official uh appointment has begun. And um I look forward, you know, look forward to the school year ahead and and beyond. Um I hope to I'm actually in the 26 01:27:03.840 --> 01:27:21.040 middle of replying to Miss Keer's email right now. We set up an appointment. I look forward to meeting with you and uh look forward to the opportunity to openly communicate and collaborate with you on behalf of our our several bargaining units and our employees um and and and uh work together with the 27 01:27:21.040 --> 01:27:38.639 whole board as well. So, thank you very much and uh welcome. >> Thank you, Mr. Leech. Any additional public comment? >> Seeing no additional public comment, I'm going to close public comment at this time. 28 01:27:38.639 --> 01:27:55.520 There is no uh student or uh shaft uh staff showcase tonight. There are no student representative reports. Uh at this time, I'm going to turn over the uh meeting to Dr. Blekeley and Dr. Blekeley on behalf of the board. Uh I want to 29 01:27:55.520 --> 01:28:13.040 officially welcome you to the superintend of the township of uh Wall and uh we w we are very much excited to have you on board here and are looking forward to having a a great partnership with you and uh uh we're looking forward 30 01:28:13.040 --> 01:28:29.040 to great things. So Dr. Blekeley, if you would like to introduce our special presentations. >> Thank you Mr. Maliff and thank you for those sentiments. I certainly share them and I have some additional comments that I'll save for my superintendent report. Uh but for now for the special presentation, I'd like to invite our 31 01:28:29.040 --> 01:28:43.360 assistant superintendent of curriculum instruction, Jennifer McCann, who's going to present two things. First, an end of the year goals report, um a summary of the work that was done in our district based on last year's district goals. And then secondly, she will 32 01:28:43.360 --> 01:29:32.560 present on chronic absenteeism. >> Thank you, Dr. Blekeley. the 2020 25 2026 school year marked the third and final year of our vision 2026 strategic plan. Throughout this culminating culminating year, we remained committed to our five strategic 33 01:29:32.560 --> 01:29:49.040 priorities: academics, wellness, the Wall Township public schools experience, facilities, and communication. Tonight's presentation highlights the progress we made towards each of these goals and showcases many of the accomplishments achieved during the 34 01:29:49.040 --> 01:30:04.639 final year of vision 2026. These successes are a reflection of the dedication and collaboration of our teachers, staff, students, families, board of education, and community all working together to provide the very 35 01:30:04.639 --> 01:30:22.320 best educational experience for our students. This year, we continue to strengthen teaching and learning across the district through the implementation of new curriculum resources, expanded intervention supports, and targeted 36 01:30:22.320 --> 01:30:37.840 professional learning. We enhanced literacy and mathematics instruction, increased instructional time in our elementary schools, and provided teachers with highquality resources and training to meet the needs of all learners. We also expanded opportunities 37 01:30:37.840 --> 01:30:54.719 for college and career readiness through advanced coursework and dual enrollment partnerships. We also reinforced our commitment to datainformed decision-making by strengthening assessment practices, intervention protocols, and the use of instructional data to improve student 38 01:30:54.719 --> 01:31:14.239 outcomes. For our wellness goal throughout the year, we continue to prioritize the social, emotional, and behavioral well-being of our students by expanding district-wide wellness initiatives, and strengthening comprehensive support systems through enhanced social 39 01:31:14.239 --> 01:31:29.600 emotional learning, proactive mental health programming, and student leadership opportunities. We fostered positive school climates across all grade levels. We also strengthened crisis response protocols, increased collaboration among student support 40 01:31:29.600 --> 01:31:49.040 teams, expanded family and community partnerships, and enhanced targeted interventions to ensure students receive the academic, behavioral, and emotional support they need to succeed. for the WTPS um experience. We've 41 01:31:49.040 --> 01:32:05.040 offered opportunities for students, families, and the community to connect, engage, and celebrate the many strengths of our district. Students participated in a wide range of extracurricular, athletic, and inclusive programming. While families were welcomed through 42 01:32:05.040 --> 01:32:21.360 meaningful partnerships, transition events, and educational presentations, we also celebrated our community through district-wide events and traditions, expanded opportunities in the arts and computer science, and strengthened partnerships that support student 43 01:32:21.360 --> 01:32:38.400 success both in and beyond the classroom. Our fourth goal is centered around facilities. This year we continue to make significant progress in enhancing our facilities and infrastructure through the successful management of 44 01:32:38.400 --> 01:32:53.679 referendum funded projects and strategic capital improvements. Major construction init initiatives improved learning environments, safety and operational effectiveness across the district. We also maintain strong fiscal 45 01:32:53.679 --> 01:33:09.600 responsibility through careful financial planning and investment management while continuing to evaluate long-term enro enrollment trends, facility needs, and operational efficiencies to support the future growth and sustainability of the 46 01:33:09.600 --> 01:33:27.199 district. And last but not least, our communication goal. We continue to strengthen communication and engagement with our families, staff, and community by expanding outreach opportunities and enhancing the ways information is shared 47 01:33:27.199 --> 01:33:44.639 across the district. New communication tools, including the district AI chatbot, improved accessibility and responsiveness, while consistent updates through board presentations, newsletters, the website, social media, and referendum communications kept 48 01:33:44.639 --> 01:34:00.159 stakeholders informed. We continue to refine internal communication systems to better support collaboration and employment engagement, employee engagement. I just want to take 49 01:34:00.159 --> 01:34:15.920 a brief moment to mention um if you would like to I don't know Chris if you can click on that um there is a full document that will be posted on the website that goes into full details 50 01:34:15.920 --> 01:34:32.239 to support all of the things that were just mentioned in the presentation but it is all of um the nitty-gritty details of the activities ities to support each of the goals. At this time, I'd like to thank our 51 01:34:32.239 --> 01:34:48.960 teachers, staff, students, parents, and community members for your dedication and support in making 2020 vision 2026 um a success. We have much to celebrate, much to be proud of, and an even 52 01:34:48.960 --> 01:35:23.199 stronger foundation on which to build. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our students and for helping make vision 2026 a reality. Thank you. Um, at this time, uh, we'll transition 53 01:35:23.199 --> 01:35:40.719 into talking about chronic absenteeism. Um this past school year the uh district um had implemented a chronic absenteeism plan for multiple schools within the district and we will continue with that 54 01:35:40.719 --> 01:35:55.520 for the upcoming school year. So before we get into all of that, what is chronic absenteeism? Um, a student is considered chronically absent if the student misses 10% or more of the school days in session for which the student was 55 01:35:55.520 --> 01:36:12.560 enrolled. Um, so for us that's 18 or more days. Um, the student absentee rate is determined by the number of days present divided by the number of days present plus the days absent. And school chronic 56 01:36:12.560 --> 01:36:30.560 absenteeism rate is the number of the day chronically absent students divided by the total number of students enrolled in that particular school. Every year the state requires us to look at our um absenteeism rates in each of 57 01:36:30.560 --> 01:36:46.480 our buildings and if we are considered um chronically absent in any of the buildings, we are then required to create an action plan. Um this current school year we had four schools that 58 01:36:46.480 --> 01:37:03.600 were on action plans um that they enforced throughout the course of the year and their plans included um problems and barriers to school attendance. They talked about recommendations to address the problems, communication strategies, protocols on 59 01:37:03.600 --> 01:37:22.159 informing and engaging parents, and a review of the school policy. They also needed to solicit input um from the parents via a survey which they all conducted in the beginning of the school year. Um the schools then needed 60 01:37:22.159 --> 01:37:39.800 to engage parent um organizations in identifying some of the causes and having conversations. and then their corrective action plans were presented um at this time last school year um at a board meeting 61 01:37:40.800 --> 01:37:55.520 when they're creating their creative their corrective action plans. Um these are some of the items that they take into consideration um in order to uh make sure that we address um the needs 62 01:37:55.520 --> 01:38:17.280 in each of the buildings. So for the end of the year, um I am proud to uh announce that um a number of our schools are no longer considered chronically absent. This current school year, Allenwood was at 4.4%. 63 01:38:17.280 --> 01:38:34.159 Central School reduced their absenteeism rate to 9.6%. Old Mill also reduced their rate, although they were not on a corrective action plan. They implemented all of the same strategies that we incorporated into the schools that were implementing 64 01:38:34.159 --> 01:38:49.199 a plan. They are at 5.9%. West Belmar is at 9.8% while intermediate reduced their rate to 8.9% and high school is at 13.2%. 65 01:38:49.199 --> 01:39:05.280 And at this time, I'm going to turn the presentation over to Mr. Davis to talk specifically about the high school. >> Thank you, Miss McCam. Um, so you can see in front of you the high school numbers and and I want to start um you 66 01:39:05.280 --> 01:39:21.199 know, certainly at the high school, we were uh disheartened to see that our number had increased. Um, but I I do want to point out um that despite the increase, um, I don't want to lose sight of the fact that there is a whole lot of work that goes into working with 67 01:39:21.199 --> 01:39:36.960 students to try to get them into school from counselors, case managers, teachers, uh, administrators, support staff. Um, and sometimes those, you know, those efforts fall short for a variety of different reasons. And the numbers that you see on the screen were 68 01:39:36.960 --> 01:39:52.800 retired. We're were required to report and each one of those numbers represents a student. Each one of their stories is unique and different and their reasons for missing school are unique and and very different. Um but what you don't see in those numbers is that many of those students their attendance did 69 01:39:52.800 --> 01:40:08.800 improve uh by the end of the school year. And so as Miss McCann was explaining, the chronically absent student, if you think of 180 school days, if they miss 18 days, they're chronically absent. Once they hit 18, we don't give up on them, right? So, we keep calling home, we keep meeting with 70 01:40:08.800 --> 01:40:24.400 them, we keep talking to them, and by the end of the year, we see a lot of improvement from those students, whether it starts in the winter or it starts in the spring, but once they hit 18, they're one of our kids that's chronically absent. We can't go back and change that, even if they don't miss another day of school for the rest of 71 01:40:24.400 --> 01:40:40.320 the school year. So, you know, the numbers don't tell the whole story and the whole picture. Um, and I do just want to point that out. Um, and another thing as you look at this and you think, you know, what jumps out at you, what jumps out at me was the 42% from our seniors. So, obviously we want to work 72 01:40:40.320 --> 01:40:56.320 hard with our seniors to make sure they're coming to school. But what that also tells me is that next year they're not here. Um, and so when you look at the rest of our group and I looked at the eighth grade numbers, um, we go from 118 students who are chronically absent to 94. Um, so if we just take 8th, 9th, 73 01:40:56.320 --> 01:41:12.000 10th, and 11th here, we're at 94 students. And if we can improve that by eight students or more, we get down to under 10%. So if we can go from from 94 to 86 and our population stays about the same, uh then we'll be under that 10%. 74 01:41:12.000 --> 01:41:28.639 So I think that's definitely a very attainable goal. Um and furthermore, when you when you go a little bit deeper, um so 18 or more absences for most students if they had 180 school days is chronically absent. half of that 94 75 01:41:28.639 --> 01:41:44.639 had 18 to 23 absences. So, we just have to get them here one to five days more, right? It's it's very doable. Um, and so it's something that we're going to continue to work very hard on. And that's what I'll go over in the next few slides. You know, what what's our plan? What are we doing? What have we been doing? Um, and and maybe some things 76 01:41:44.639 --> 01:42:01.440 that we can do a little bit better. So, going into the data, um, we also looked at some groups. So they're groups that are disproportionately represented in in this group of 118 students. And for us at the high school, um we saw that we had, you know, 41% of those 118 77 01:42:01.440 --> 01:42:18.800 have an IEP. 35% are economically disadvantaged, which is disproportionate with the percentage of our school. So that's something for us to look at and I'll talk a little bit in our slides as to what we do, but certainly one thing we do is that, you know, case managers are involved. So for those students with IEPs, they're aware of this and it 78 01:42:18.800 --> 01:42:34.400 becomes a part of their meetings and their focus when they meet and talk to parents and those students. Um and and as counselors get involved in in meeting with these students and I'll talk about what we do with them um in terms of if students are are dealing with economic challenges, are there barriers that are presented there that we can assist with 79 01:42:34.400 --> 01:42:52.400 that that we can help get them into school? Those are things that we would take into account as well. problems and barriers that we have found through our survey and I and I think we have to do another survey too. So, oh, we don't. Okay, perfect. So, we have found in our survey um number one reason that kids miss school that's reported by 80 01:42:52.400 --> 01:43:08.719 parents and that we see all the time is is illness. Uh that's not excused by the state. So, if your child is sick, u it does not matter what the illness is. Surgery, um that counts as an absence that counts towards 18. There is no excuse for that. So, um that's something that we try to continue to educate 81 01:43:08.719 --> 01:43:24.800 people about about that. But but you also can't have a a sick child coming to school. Um travel is another one. Students with they go on vacation, they're traveling for sports teams, whatever the case may be. Those are obviously not excused by the state. Those count towards those chronically absent days. Um we have students that 82 01:43:24.800 --> 01:43:39.600 are dealing with mental health issues who might be missing school because of that. Um school refusal. Um we have an excellent program here at the high school, our RISE program where we've seen significant gains with kids, but again once they hit that 18, they're chronically absent. But we do have a program in place for kids that are that 83 01:43:39.600 --> 01:43:58.320 are um you know dealing with school anxiety or school phobic or school refusal. Um and we've seen a lot of great success out of that program. So part of our plan that we've that we've had and that will continue is increased parent communication that involves letters, phone calls, even home 84 01:43:58.320 --> 01:44:14.719 visits in some cases. Continuing to educate our parents and students on district policy and the importance of being in school. We do that through one-on-one meetings with students through group meetings. Um we'll broadcast it at at uh back to school night letters, newsletters. Um but really the the meat of it is especially 85 01:44:14.719 --> 01:44:30.080 with the one-on-one with those parents and kids that are struggling to get to school, educating them on why it's important. Um and then also trying to coordinate with them. Is there anything that we can provide them with through the community resources that will help them to get their kids to school? Um there are parents who who will reach out to us say to us, "We're doing our best. 86 01:44:30.080 --> 01:44:46.239 We're trying, but my son or my daughter will not go. They don't want to leave the house. they're not they're not getting on the bus, they won't get in the car with me. Um, and so we try to connect them with community resources who can help them in those more serious situations. Um, and then always trying to reduce the spread of illness. Um, we have a great school nurse here at the 87 01:44:46.239 --> 01:45:06.480 high school and and just making sure that kids, you know, when they can't be in school that they're that they stay home, but if they can be here to get them here and we want to keep them healthy and safe while they're here. So some of our current practices in regards to that communication um every student, so all those 94 students I just 88 01:45:06.480 --> 01:45:22.880 mentioned, eighth graders, so rising 9th graders, 10th graders, 11th graders, 12th graders, they will get a letter from me next month um letting them know that they were chronically absent last year. Uh this is how many days you missed in school. Here's why it's important, why you need to be in school. Here's who you can reach out to if you need help getting your son or daughter 89 01:45:22.880 --> 01:45:39.199 to school. Um, and then in addition to that, um, we'll have one-on-one meetings with each one of those students. So, they will be meeting with either a case manager, counselor, or, uh, dean of attendance or an administrator. Our deans of attendance are teachers. And I'll explain that a little bit on another slide as to what they do, but 90 01:45:39.199 --> 01:45:54.719 they have onetoone contact with those students who we've already identified have been chronically absent in the past, and we'll continue to try to set goals for them and help them. Um, and obviously we'll we'll continue to talk about the importance of of attendance to school in our newsletters, back to school night presentations. Anytime that 91 01:45:54.719 --> 01:46:16.400 I can get parents into a room, um, we'll we'll try to hit that beginning the year. Not sure where I'm pointing this. There we go. Wait, did I miss one? Yeah. All right. So, a little bit deeper into what what we do with these different folks. So, our deans of attendance are teachers um 92 01:46:16.400 --> 01:46:32.080 who essentially use the duty period um to [sighs] to spend time meeting with kids one-on-one who we see are struggling with attendance to find out from them, is there something that's going on? Um is there something that we need to be aware of so that we can try to help them and assist with it. U we also use those 93 01:46:32.080 --> 01:46:47.600 folks to make phone calls to parents as we see that students uh numbers are starting to pile up that they're missing school. So early in the year, we we set a bench benchmark number for marking period one and then again going to marking period two and we identify kids and they're bringing those kids down during the school day. Try not out of 94 01:46:47.600 --> 01:47:03.360 class, but if they're in a a study skills or gym class or even during lunch and meeting with them, sometimes with the counselor, sometimes not. Um but having those conversations with them about why it's important to be in school and finding out if there are barriers, what can we do to remove those? Uh we're also making phone calls to parents. So whether that's through the deans of 95 01:47:03.360 --> 01:47:18.159 attendance, whether it's through counselors, case managers, administrators, or sometimes all of us as it begins to escalate. Um we make those phone calls to parents home again trying to identify their barriers. What can we do to try to assist you? We need to get your child back in school. So we engage parents that way mostly through 96 01:47:18.159 --> 01:47:33.679 it's really through phone call um and reaching out and trying to talk to people. Um and then community partnerships. Um what can we do to try to incentivize kids to come to school? Um, one of the things we're going to try to to look to do and um and increase this year is provide uh incentives or 97 01:47:33.679 --> 01:47:48.880 prizes to students who who do have positive attendance and maybe try even to work in their improved attendance. So, it's not just for students who have who have been coming all year, but kids who were struggling and then turned around and approved um some incentives for those kids as well. Um, so those are some things that that are that are in 98 01:47:48.880 --> 01:48:38.400 our plan that we hope will will make a difference in terms of getting that number down to under 10% for next year. And I think that that is it. So thank you. Thank you, Mrs. McCann and Mr. Davis for those presentations. 99 01:48:38.400 --> 01:48:54.560 Very informative. Uh, Dr. Blekeley, your superintendent's report. >> All right. Thank you, Mr. Maliff. So, the last time I spoke publicly at a board meeting, I was standing over there at that microphone and it was February and I had just been appointed and I made 100 01:48:54.560 --> 01:49:10.480 some statements at that point thanking the board for placing their confidence in me. Uh, and I want to reiterate that point and some others that I made that night. You know, that night I talked about how I had learned so much about the wall community going through the candidacy process and how, you know, I 101 01:49:10.480 --> 01:49:27.199 found this community just to be a really rich community with strong traditions and a proud history. Uh, and at that point, I was really excited about joining this school community as uh the superintendent. I can tell you that I am certainly grateful that I was appointed 102 01:49:27.199 --> 01:49:42.719 back in February and I had that four and a half months or so of leadup time. It's been about five months now since I've been appointed and I can confirm that uh the last five months have 100% validated uh my thoughts about this community 103 01:49:42.719 --> 01:49:58.480 entering this position and I'm just even more impressed uh by the the the school community but the greater Wall Township community which I've learned so much about and I intend to continue to learn much more about in the coming months. On July 1st, I sent a letter to the parents 104 01:49:58.480 --> 01:50:14.080 of all of our students uh sort of introducing myself to the school community. That letter included a link to the superintendent's website and there is a PDF document up there with my entry plan uh that I had presented to the board and now is available to the 105 01:50:14.080 --> 01:50:30.320 public. I just wanted to speak briefly about that. You know, the first phase was the pre-entry phase and I alluded to that earlier. That was the time from when I was appointed in February till I took the seat on July 1st. Again, I'm grateful to the board that I was appointed and had that much lead time. 106 01:50:30.320 --> 01:50:46.400 I'm grateful to Dr. Handerhan when she was here and Mr. Scarano when he was here that and to the board that I had essentially full access um to to be on site as much as possible. You know, I'd like the public to know uh that I shared with the board, you know, I feel I took 107 01:50:46.400 --> 01:51:03.040 full advantage of that and I was on-site quite a bit uh in individual meetings with various folks within the school and the community, lots of group meetings. I did school visits at every single one of the schools and met a number of staff and students. Um spent a lot of time with the principles. I attended some 108 01:51:03.040 --> 01:51:18.719 community events. So, I did immerse myself as much as I possibly could in that pre-entry period while maintaining uh my responsibilities in my former district. Uh so, that was the pre-entry plan and uh that that went according to plan. So now that I'm in the seat, uh if 109 01:51:18.719 --> 01:51:35.199 you take a look at the entry plan that I have up on the website, the next three phases are this first phase in the seat is essentially engagement, spending much more time listening and learning, having a lot of conversations, really a continuation with some of the focuses of the pre-entry period. Uh so, you know, I 110 01:51:35.199 --> 01:51:50.239 have a full plan over the next several months uh to spend a lot of time in the schools and meet with community leaders. I've already begun that. I've had some meetings over the month of July so so far. So, uh, I I'm excited about learning, uh, much more about this community over the next few months. As 111 01:51:50.239 --> 01:52:06.000 we transition into the fall and the early part of the winter, you'll see there that my focus is really then on doing a deep dive into the data. At that point, you know, through anecdotal evidence that I will gather through my conversations and my experiences in the 112 01:52:06.000 --> 01:52:21.840 district, I'll sort of have a lot of qualitative data. Um, as we progress through into the winter, you know, I tend to spend a lot of time with our leadership team really getting into the quantitative data. What are the metrics that matter to us and what do those metrics tell me about where the district 113 01:52:21.840 --> 01:52:38.159 is at? And I feel that at that point I'll be in a really good position to synthesize those two, right? What am I hearing? What am I seeing? And then what is the data telling me? And that will position me and our larger leadership team really well as we enter the the 114 01:52:38.159 --> 01:52:54.080 late winter. I'll call it if you look at my entry plan you'll see and this is the entry plan just to be clear is not meant to be read as black and white on this date you know this period starts and ends on that date uh the dates and the areas are just sort of general ranges of broad areas of focus that will occur uh 115 01:52:54.080 --> 01:53:09.679 during the arc of this upcoming school year but certainly as we enter the late winter and early spring the intention is to engage the entire school community in the next strategic planning process as you just heard from Mrs. McCann vision 2026 which was an obvious success for 116 01:53:09.679 --> 01:53:25.920 this school district. Um that was written essentially to carry the district through this past June of 2026. Uh so as the board knows and our leadership team knows, you know, the charge for the upcoming school year is to remain faithful to those district goals that we've already committed to 117 01:53:25.920 --> 01:53:41.679 and just really ask ourselves what would be the incremental next steps if we were continue to to make advancement uh consistent with the spirit of those goals. and that will serve as the bridge to the strategic planning process that we'll engage in this this spring. So, I'm super excited about that as a new 118 01:53:41.679 --> 01:53:56.560 superintendent. It's a real opportunity for me uh to facilitate a strategic planning process that engages the entire community uh and fully intend by the end of this upcoming school year, you know, we're presenting to the community our next strategic plan which will guide our 119 01:53:56.560 --> 01:54:12.159 work into the future, say the next the next five years. So that's my uh entry plan in terms of what's been going on in the district since the last board of ed meeting which was back on June 9th. Uh this is the first meeting. So I certainly appropriate to congratulate 120 01:54:12.159 --> 01:54:27.360 the graduates of Wall Intermediate School and Wall High School. I was able to attend the Wall High School graduation. It was a beautiful ceremony. Bit windy uh but other than that it was a beautiful day and a beautiful ceremony for the families, the students and our staff. Uh, of course the summers are 121 01:54:27.360 --> 01:54:44.400 much quieter in the schools, but they're not silent. We do have programs that began a few weeks ago. So, in particular, our extended school year programs at Allenwood and Wall Intermediate School and then our summer night academy program. I had the privilege of visiting the extended 122 01:54:44.400 --> 01:55:00.800 school year programs this morning. As a matter of fact, uh, that's part of my entry plan. Get out there and and talk to staff and and visit with students. Uh, it was wonderful experience. So, I appreciate uh the the staff over at Allenwood and Intermediate inviting me in to see that the kids were clearly 123 01:55:00.800 --> 01:55:17.520 having fun and also learning along the way, which is of course important. In early July, we held our three-day leadership retreat. So, that's myself and the other administrative members in central office uh leading the entire group, many of whom are here with us 124 01:55:17.520 --> 01:55:34.639 tonight. uh through a series of activities that compel us to reflect on the previous year and really look forward to that's the main focus look forward to not only next school year but you know what our real purpose is as professional leaders I can tell you that 125 01:55:34.639 --> 01:55:50.560 again my pre-existing sort of sense about the leadership team here was confirmed and validated I found that to be really stimulating uh professionally to the quality of the conversation that the leadership team was engaged in, the 126 01:55:50.560 --> 01:56:06.320 ideas that they were generated there uh was really exciting and really refreshing. So, that went super well and I'm looking forward to the continued work with the district leadership team. Looking ahead uh to the opening of schools in September, parents, you can expect communications from the school 127 01:56:06.320 --> 01:56:21.920 principles with important information about school opening coming up uh in mid August. For elementary school parents, you may be interested that summer school summer summer supply lists or supply lists for the start of the school year, I should say, are already posted on the school websites. Uh so no rush on that, 128 01:56:21.920 --> 01:56:38.320 but for those that want to go out and get that shopping done, uh those lists are available on the school websites. And that concludes my report. Mr. Maliff, >> thank you. Uh Dr. Blakeley, just a couple things uh I want to mention. First of all, I've had a pleasure of 129 01:56:38.320 --> 01:56:53.760 having the opportunity to meet with you a few weeks ago, and I know it's uh was part of your uh initiative that you're going to meet individually with all the board members, and I'm sure I don't know if you've concluded that yet, but I'm sure that's something that uh you won't be wanting to uh to do uh shortly if you 130 01:56:53.760 --> 01:57:10.080 haven't done it already. Again, thanks to Mrs. uh McCann and Mr. Davis for the uh for the presentations tonight and also for uh as we have on our uh agenda tonight. We are uh as you know we are 131 01:57:10.080 --> 01:57:27.679 upgrading our Naval Junior ROC program and we have two new uh uh gentlemen coming in military men who will be taking over that program and we're very very excited in that. We also have a a new supervisor of instruction uh that's going to be uh on the agenda tonight as 132 01:57:27.679 --> 01:57:45.920 well. Uh uh I also before we uh finish I want you know we're we're really meet coming to the end of our referendum uh projects here and uh I want to just make sure that the the community knows uh the 133 01:57:45.920 --> 01:58:01.360 tremendous amount of work that all the administrators have have gone through but in particular Mr. Smite, our business administrator and board secretary, uh for really staying on top of all the projects and making sure that the uh uh the contractors and the people 134 01:58:01.360 --> 01:58:18.560 that are are doing the work are fulfilling their obligations to the district and to the to the taxpayers of the community to the fullest extent. So, uh the board greatly appreciates the work that you have been able to do uh in that for us. Uh we had a great uh day 135 01:58:18.560 --> 01:58:35.040 for the intermediate school and high school uh graduations a few weeks ago and uh as Dr. Blinky said it was a little bit uh windy. I just want to uh defer for just a couple of minutes to Mr. Buffer who is himself a facilities manager and is has to deal with things 136 01:58:35.040 --> 01:58:50.080 like this. Uh so he has great insight. So Mr. Buffer, would you just like to talk a little bit about uh what went into our graduation ceremonies? >> Absolutely. Thank you, Mr. Maliff. So, I mean, um, for anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to attend a, uh, Wall 137 01:58:50.080 --> 01:59:05.440 Township, um, high school or intermediate school graduation, um, it really is just a, um, it's it's just a showcase of how everything comes together almost perfectly uh, right at 138 01:59:05.440 --> 01:59:21.280 the right at the right moment. So, this year in particular, um, Dr. hand uh and was pretty set on making sure that we were going to graduate on the on one of the new turf fields. Um and you know 139 01:59:21.280 --> 01:59:37.760 with the timing of the project um it kind of was cutting it. We were getting there right by the skin of our teeth for lack of a better phrase. But um we did it. We we got to the point where we could set some things up out there and and and we figured we would be walking 140 01:59:37.760 --> 01:59:51.920 out and there was going to be a lot of dirt. There was going to be a lot of dust. There was going to be just, you know, it was but it was still going to be on our on our new field. Um, but I will tell you that when I arrived um to the middle school graduation uh for my 141 01:59:51.920 --> 02:00:09.760 son's graduation, um I was beyond impressed with how well the entire um the entire setup was from uh parking in the parking lot to you know being directed by every probably 50 ft or so 142 02:00:09.760 --> 02:00:26.080 there was a member of the operations team there to direct you which way to walk. Um, security was there with carts in the event that somebody needed a cart to get back and forth. They were, you know, making sure that people were parking in the right places. Technology was was doing their thing out on the 143 02:00:26.080 --> 02:00:43.040 field. Um, and then, you know, the fact that when you walked in, you really couldn't even tell that we were in a halfway built high school athletic stadium um was really impressive to me. Um, then you get out there on the field 144 02:00:43.040 --> 02:01:00.880 and the wind is blowing 35 miles an hour with probably 50 mile gusts. And as we're sitting there and we're watching the guy, the operation team set up chairs. They set up 15 rows and then the wind came and blew all 15 rows down again. Um, but without a second second 145 02:01:00.880 --> 02:01:15.920 hesitation, they were back out there setting them up again and and and doing their thing. Uh, tech guys holding on to speakers to make sure they didn't blow away. Um, but as the kids started to process, nobody was out there and everything was perfect except for I I 146 02:01:15.920 --> 02:01:33.760 believe it was Mr. Davis and um Mr. Bender kind of making a blockade to prevent the the chairs from blowing over um for the middle school graduation. Um so really my it was really a beautiful event. Um, you would not have known that 147 02:01:33.760 --> 02:01:48.639 you were in a stadium that, like I said, didn't even have threequarters of the sidewalks that were supposed to be there complete at that point. Um, really at the end of the day, the technology team, the operations team, security, um, the 148 02:01:48.639 --> 02:02:06.159 kitchen staff, uh, as well as all of the administrators that sat on the stage in the heat and the wind. Um, it was really a a good sendoff for both schools. and um definitely a proud moment for you know me as a member of FNF and the board 149 02:02:06.159 --> 02:02:23.199 of education but also as a a parent um in Wall Township. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Buffer. Well said. Uh at this time, uh were there any comments that any other board members would like to add to the meeting? >> I do have one more. I didn't I had 150 02:02:23.199 --> 02:02:40.320 something else to say after that. So, um, I just wanted to say to echo your sentiments with the teacher and the hard work of, uh, Mr. Scorano, Mr. Davis, and Mrs. McCann, uh, on the ROC teaching staff, the fact that we have two and we're growing this program. Um, that's 151 02:02:40.320 --> 02:02:58.159 that's huge. Uh, and I also just wanted to um say, and I'm not 100% sure of her title because I don't have that part of the agenda in front of me right now, but I'm really happy to see Miss Galvary uh back in the role of I believe it's the seven mindsets coordinator. Um, she's 152 02:02:58.159 --> 02:03:14.080 done a fantastic job. Uh, and I'm I'm happy to see that she's back at it again. And I do hope that we have a few um presentations from her throughout the course of this school year coming up. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Buffer. 153 02:03:14.080 --> 02:03:29.040 Again, any further comments from any other board members? Okay, seeing none, uh committee reports are uh available on the agenda. And uh at this time, we're going to open up for our second public comment. And 154 02:03:29.040 --> 02:03:51.280 this comment is uh should be directed to items that are on tonight's agenda. Is there anyone who wishes to comment on tonight's agenda? Hi, my name is Colleen McCormack. I have uh two children in the district, one in his final year in elementary and the 155 02:03:51.280 --> 02:04:07.040 other heading into second grade. First, I want to welcome Dr. Blakeley and echo much of Mr. Rainho's previous public comments concerning the change in culture in the Wall Township public school community regarding staff feeling welcome to voice their concerns with 156 02:04:07.040 --> 02:04:22.639 upper admin and open, honest, and frequent communication with parents. As I sat here listening to Mrs. Macan's presentation on the district's strategic goals, I couldn't help but notice goal number two, which focuses on cultivating wellness and supports focused on 157 02:04:22.639 --> 02:04:38.800 physical, social, emotional, behavioral, and technical development of students, staff, and parents and guardians. While I feel the district has addressed some of these issues, the very first one listed is physical, which seems to have been neglected. Physical education 158 02:04:38.800 --> 02:04:55.040 classes at the elementary level were significantly reduced last year to just two days a week. How does reducing time with content specific certified staff help with this goal? Dr. Dr. Blakeley, I encourage you to view the public comments from the 2025 159 02:04:55.040 --> 02:05:09.760 May and June board meetings on YouTube where many parents, students, and community members spoke out against this multiple times, especially after receiving too much conflicting information from upper administration. There's even a social media group 160 02:05:09.760 --> 02:05:26.159 consisting of close to 200 or sorry 600 community members supporting a shift back to more physical movement for our students taught by content specific teachers meaning health and PE teachers. As a health and PE teacher myself I'm wellversed and aware of the importance 161 02:05:26.159 --> 02:05:45.440 of physical education not just phys physical movement. This is something I look forward to seeing addressed in the new strategic planning for the upcoming school year. Thank you. >> Okay. Okay. Thank you, Mr. McCorm. Are there any additional public 162 02:05:45.440 --> 02:06:01.920 comments? Seeing none, I'm going to close that uh public comment. At this time, I'm going to ask for a motion to approve tonight's consent agenda. >> Mr. Buffer, 163 02:06:01.920 --> 02:06:20.400 Miss Diovani. Roll call. Mr. Smith, please. Take a roll call. Miss Adams. >> Yes. >> Miss Barbieier. >> Yes. >> Miss Bby. >> Uh, yes. With the exception, um, I abstain from item 16B. 164 02:06:20.400 --> 02:06:36.079 >> Noted. Mr. Buffett? >> Yes. >> Miss D. Giovani? >> Yes. >> Mr. Smith? >> Yes. >> Mr. Mal? >> Yes. Uh before we adjourn uh before I ask for 165 02:06:36.079 --> 02:06:53.119 a motion for adjournment, Dr. Blekeley would just uh ask to be recognized again for a few moments. >> Thank you, Mr. Maliff. Yeah, I wanted to take a moment to congratulate now formally and introduce to the board and the community, Miss Stacy Camarano. Stacy, if you would please stand up. Uh 166 02:06:53.119 --> 02:07:12.639 Stacy uh is Yeah, [applause] Mrs. Camarano will be joining us as a new supervisor. We're very excited to bring her on board. Um, in terms of her background, Miss Camarano comes to us from the Robinsville School District where the last 16 years she's worked as 167 02:07:12.639 --> 02:07:29.360 a teacher and instructional coach and most recently as a supervisor of elementary curriculum and K12 ESL programming. Uh, so that was one of the things that certainly made her application attractive to us, the ESL component. We are super excited about 168 02:07:29.360 --> 02:07:46.159 the passion and the practices that she will bring to our ESL programming and our world language programs more broadly. Um we are also excited about you know we view Mrs. Camarado as somebody that has the capacity be to be an effective supervisor across all content boundaries. So uh that's a sort 169 02:07:46.159 --> 02:08:02.400 of asset that we're looking to bring on board. Uh so I welcome you as the superintendent. We are very excited to have you join our team. I think you'll find very quickly, as I have learned very quickly, that it's a very supportive group. It's an extremely professional group, very capable people 170 02:08:02.400 --> 02:08:20.560 that are passionate about doing great work for kids. So, welcome aboard, and I look forward to working with you. [applause] >> Thank you, Mr. Cameron, and thank you for being here tonight so that you could meet us all. Thank you. At this time, I'm going to ask for a motion for 171 02:08:20.560 --> 02:08:35.079 adjournment. >> I'll make the motion, >> Miss Pap. Any Mr. Diovani. All in favor? >> All. Any opposed? We are ajourned.