of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Melissa, could you call roll, please? Mr. Andre? Here. Ms. Cristobal? Here. Ms. DiGiovanni? Here.
Ms. Holmes is absent. Ms. Calderon? Here. Mr. Sher is absent. Mr. Stampone? Here. Mr. Holmes is absent. Ms. Lotspeich? Here. Okay, notice of the April 27th, 2026 meeting of the Board of Education was emailed to the clerks of the boroughs of
Essex Fells, North Caldwell, and Roseland, and to the Township of Fairfield, and the editor of the Progress on January 8th, 2026, and the Star-Ledger on the same day. Okay, tonight we're going to begin our meeting with the uh presentation of our
2026-2027 budget. Oh, just bring my phone over here. Okay. I'm going to I'll face you. Good evening, everybody. Um again, we're here for another school year's budget, so
exciting stuff. All right, so our 2026-2027 budget maintains all existing district staff, academic offerings, extracurricular activities, and regular transportation. Uh this year we will be continuing with
the classroom renovations in the high school. We'll be doing five classrooms and additional security cameras. And it meets the increases of salaries and benefits and all operational costs. So, a breakdown of the budget. The total general fund budget is 51,389,533.
The total special revenue fund is 242,000, and the debt service fund is 467,963 for a grand total of 52,099,496. So, this is a breakdown of the uh budget and the spending. I obviously will not go line by line, but as you can see,
it's just broken down. The top is regular programming and special ed programming. That is um salaries, and then beyond that is services. So, you'll see we have the extracurricular activities, athletics, tuition, the attendance
office, the nursing office, guidance, child study team, our instructional staff training, which is also our supervisors, media library services, general administration, school administration, central services and
infotech, operations and maintenance, transportation, employee benefits, capital outlay, charter school tuition, special revenue, and debt service. I will get into the overall like percentage increases in a second. I'm sorry, it's a little blurry here.
It's better by me. Um this is an overall just a pie chart. It will be on the website. I don't know why it's so blurry right now, but you will be able to see. It's just has a nice breakdown to show you exactly where
the like the spending is. Okay. So, the tax levy increase this year was 2.5%. I will say we are the lowest in Essex County um at 2.5.
Our tuition increase for revenue, this is our special ed tuition that we receive for programs that we run. Other districts can send their students there. We have an increase there. Miscellaneous revenue, that is paid to play like the student activity fee, the paid to play
fee, um uh rentals, Chromebooks, all that kind of like miscellaneous stuff that you don't necessarily realize. Uh interest, state aid, we did get an increase again this year, 6% increase. Budgeted fund
balance, so we are using more of our budgeted fund balance this year, um which is having excess surplus available to us, and we are using that this year to balance our budget. Capital reserve this
year, so we are withdrawing $625,000 through the budget for capital projects. So, the capital projects that we will be using the money for are bidirectional antennas, which is to improve all radio communications for the
district-owned owned radios as well as police radios, and installation of cellular antennas, because we do know that there are a lot of dead spots in the buildings where you have trouble getting coverage or you really like need
stand out a window. So, we are um doing that this year with our own money. Um maintenance reserve, we're withdrawing 150,000 this year. Again, we are renovating five classrooms. That includes any asbestos abatement, floor replacement, new ceilings, new lighting,
paint, sheetrock, etc. That goes into renovating a classroom. Um encumbrances, that's just when we end the year, you'll just see a difference there that there's nothing there. That's done through the audit. So, right now there's no encumbrances rolling forward.
Uh and then federal grants, we don't know what we're going to get until we apply in the summer, so right now we're hoping to get about 242,000. You could see this year they handed out a little bit more money. There was a lot of talk in the in the summer that there was going to be a lot
of federal funding cut to schools. I we did not experience that, so we were okay. Um but we're hoping, you know, we just don't know, so it's the unknown. And the debt service, which is our bonds, our bonds are dropping. They are on a decline now, so they that went down uh
$1,300. Again, a pie chart with just where do our revenues come from? Okay, so this is a comparison of the two budgets. So, you'll see that the first column, the 20 This is our current year budget. The total general fund is
49,133,531. Revenue special revenue fund is 272,000. Total debt service fund is 469,263 for a total of 49,874,794. The tax levy that we raised was 43,654,880,
and the debt service was 469,263. So, the overall total for that was 44,124,143. The 2027 budget is 51,389,533. The general The special revenue fund is
242,000, and the debt service fund is 467,963 for a total of 52,099,496. The tax levy is 44,746,252, and the debt service is 467,962. And the overall tax levy budget is
45,214,214. This next slide we just show you. So, cuz a lot of people are like, why why are your your expenditures are so much higher than what you're levying? I mean, we do get revenue from other sources, right? We get state aid, we rent our facility, there are different things.
Our our student activity fee, which I will talk about in a second, Chromebooks, um so, that will all and interest from our bank accounts. That all contributes to the actual other revenue. So, our overall expenditures again 52,099,496. Revenues from outside sources 6,880
885,282. The tax levy is 45 million 214,214. I do want to just say the activity fee we will be raising the activity fee $25
per student in each building. We haven't touched that in 2 years, I believe. It's been 2 years. And before that it would have been like 10, right? If I I just want to make sure I'm right with my timeline. So, we are going to raise it. It will be 175
per um student in the high school at the high school level, and $150 per student at the middle school. There still will be a family cap. The family cap will be 350. So, it it just went up the $25. Um before I get there, I don't want to
get to tax and back. I do just want to let you all know. So, this budget year, obviously, we all read the news. We know what's going on in districts surrounding us. So, this was a tough budget year. Our health benefits went up 16%
prescription went up 55% dental went up 0%, student accident 5%, our bonds, um which is they you have to bond out myself and the treasurer because we cut checks, so we're bonded God forbid something happened. That's 5%. Excess insurance,
which also cover covers cyber liability, went up 23%, and um 8% for our overall insurance coverage for the district. Um so, all the costs are rising, and districts are held to a 2% cap, so it it you know,
it is a little bit harder to get our budgets done. Um I am so thankful to have all of your support, the admin team support, because it it is really like a balancing act when it comes to do a budget. Um but, you know, I'm grateful, I'm happy we
were able to keep everybody intact, all positions intact. So, again, thank you before I move to the tax impact per town. Okay. Here's the tax impact per town. Now, please, this is a guestimate. This is not a
definite. So, you know, we just do this so that you guys everybody could see. So, you will see Essex Fells' percentage share of students sent here increased this year. So, these numbers, the 2025-2026 column, are based off of the
October 15, 2025 reports that we the business offices we all submit student counts by town. So, that number was based off of that report. Um sorry, August 15, 2024. The 2026-2027
column is based off of the October 15th report that we just did this past October. Um so, Essex Fells, their percentage share went up. Um and you will see that their average increase per average assessed home,
which their average assessed value is 952,600, their increase for the year is $304.34, which is approximately a $25.36 increase per month.
Fairfield had a student enrollment um Oh, I can't see. Oh, that's actually Sorry, I flipped my numbers around. They did have an increase as well. I'm sorry about that. Um I put my numbers backwards. So, they went up. Their average assessed
value is $531,420. Their average increase per year is $129.34, and the per month increase is about $10.78. North Caldwell went down. They had a decrease in student enrollment. Their
average assessed home value is $804,900. Their annual increase is $25.04, and their per month increase is approximately $2.09. And Roseland had a decrease in student enrollment as well. And they are their
tax um Their average assessed home value is $640,236. Their annual increase is $170.46, and their approximate per month is $14.20. And that's all I have.
So, thank you all [applause] for your support. I appreciate it. Does anybody have any questions for me? Thank you. Do any board members have any questions? No. No. You did a great job on presenting that. Thank you. We're going to open it up to the public if the public has any
questions regarding the budget. Anyone? No. Okay. Um then we will move on to adopting the budget. Item one, adoption of the 2026-2027 school year budget will will be voted
upon in one motion, and I so move. Are there any questions? Mr. Andre? Yes. Ms. Criscuolo? Yes. Ms. Di Giovanni? Yes. Ms. Calderon? Yes. Mr. Stanfield? Yes. Ms. Wajewicz? Yes. Um I just wanted to remind everyone that
at our next board meeting on May 11th, we will be presenting a detailed overview of our upcoming referendum. The meeting will be held at 7:30 at the high school auditorium. All are welcome to attend, and if you can't attend, um we'd love to have you
join us if you can, and if not, you can um view it on YouTube channel. Uh this evening on the agenda, we will be accepting the retirement of Ms. Trinidad. Uh she's been a dedicated teacher of our district for 17 years. She's taught world language. Um
She's throughout her time has uh made a lasting impression on our students and our staff, and we are truly grateful for her commitment um to our district, and we wish her all the best in her retirement and her future endeavors. Um I also want to mention that on October 15th, I attended the academic
achievement day at the high school alongside some other board members. Uh this is such a special event because it celebrates the accomplishments of our students, particularly their induction into their specific um or various honor societies. And um you know, we sat there
through the induction ceremonies, which was an honor to see how many students we actually have who um you know, are inducted into the uh into the honor societies. So, we just want to congratulate them on their dedication and commitment to their studies
um and their future academic journeys. Um the other thing I want to mention was that um I just wanted to remind the board members that on May 14th, we have our last Essex County School Board's meeting. It'd be nice if we can all attend because it will be here at the high school.
It'll be in the high school auditorium. Um so, if you plan on attending, just let us know, or you can register or Melissa can register us, but um it is the last one of the of the school year, and it'll be held here, so it'd be nice for everyone to attend. And um that's all I have. Thank you, Mrs. Wajewicz. Um
Good evening, board members, staff, members of the community. Um I'm just going to echo some of the thoughts that um Ms. Wajewicz had mentioned. Um we do have a valued member of our faculty, Ms. Ada Trinidad, uh retiring after many years of service to
the district. As a Spanish teacher at the high school, she has enriched our world languages program and inspired her students. We're grateful for her commitment to the district, and we wish her all the best in her well-earned retirement. Um as we move through April and May, we
recognize the many dedicated professionals across our district who support our students each day. While specific appreciation days highlight individual roles, every staff member plays an essential part in creating a positive learning environment. So, we thank all of our
staff for their continued commitment to our students and families. I'm pleased to share some highlights from across our district. Um as Ms. Wajewicz mentioned, at the high school, we proudly celebrated two outstanding events that recognized
student achievement. On April 14th, we held our National Honor Society induction, where we honored a remarkable group of students for their scholarship, leadership, character, and service. The following day, academic achievement day provided another opportunity to
celebrate the hard work and success of our students. Later that week, our middle school students took the stage for their spring musical, High School Musical Junior. The performances were exceptional, and I want to commend our talented students,
our dedicated stage crew, and staff for delivering a memorable production. On April 23rd, we hosted our annual bring your child to work day. This event continues to be a wonderful tradition at West Essex. Staff across both the middle school and
high school created a wide range of engaging hands-on activities, from STEM projects and physical education to arts and collaborative experiences. The day was a tremendous success and a reflection of the strong sense of community
that defines our schools. I extend my sincere appreciation to all of our staff, administrators, and our partners at Pomptonian for their contributions. Looking ahead, we continue to make steady progress with our referendum planning and community outreach.
A comprehensive presentation is scheduled for May 11th at the Board of Ed meeting, where we where we were we will provide an overview of the proposed fall 2026 bond referendum, including project scope, state aid, and facility
needs. And as Ms. Wajewicz uh mentioned, that location will be in the high school auditorium. Finally, we're excited to welcome our presenters this evening. Ms. Lisa Swanick will provide an overview of our fine, practical, and performing arts programs,
and some of our West Essex High School students will showcase their independent study projects. We have Ava Simenetti here and Julia um Zampano, along with their teachers, uh Mrs. Clark and Mr. Shay.
So, we look forward to highlighting their work and celebrating the many accomplishments across our district. Okay. I'm going to start with juniors because juniors always want something. Um a lot of juniors were asking if they can get permission to park their cars in
the senior parking lot after they leave um in May. Um that's that for juniors. And then a lot of kids are still I said flag football before, but a lot of juniors I think are pushing for it cuz they want to play for their last year of high school.
So, it'd be pretty cool to have that next year if it's possible. And then there is a new policy with the NJ SLA where kids need to get a four to be able to leave up into higher classes for their next year's schedule. And I
know a lot of kids were struggling to kind of be happy with their schedule for next year because because of their past grades, they didn't really get fours maybe threes maybe twos and a lot of kids are kind of struggling making their new schedule um just because of their past grades and
maybe that new policy can be looked over again. Um and then a lot of children were asking for more language classes like Latin, Arabic just things like that. Um but that's it for the high school pretty much. Thank you.
Thank you so much. Um we can move on to we can do the I want to do the independent studies next. Yeah. Okay. We'll move on to the independent studies. Is it Ava? Ava, you can come up to the podium. >> [clears throat]
>> Okay. Good evening. As most of you know, my name is Ava Simonetti. I am a graduating senior of the class of 2026. I had the pleasure of working with Miss Clark on my independent study for fashion.
Um I'm going to be work um continuing my studies next year at Marist University. Um I also got inducted into the National Art Honor Society. Um as I said, I had the pleasure of
working with Miss Clark for my third year. Um she's helped me so much with my knowledge on fashion design and the industry. She's um she's also helped me with my college portfolio cuz I was considering
um doing a like doing um fashion design as my major before I switched to education. Um she's helped me become vice president of fashion club and I've had the honor of being on um the board of that for 2
years. Okay. This is my first project. My first project is a technical flat. Um so basically what I was doing in this um thing for my first portfolio, I had to design like um
a piece of like a set of clothing. So I had to be like a top and it had to be pants that match. So I had to come up with a pattern. I had to explain why I chose that pattern and why I picked a certain color scheme and what was unique about it. And I said basically that the
pink and purple kind of stood out to me and I wanted to incorporate that in um the clothing of what I was making and how important it was for me to really nail and perfect my technical flats for
my portfolio. Oh wait, sorry. Um my second project was researching um about different colleges cuz at the beginning of my senior year when I was uncommitted, I was very unsure of like where I wanted to go like what I was
going to do um and stuff like that. So having Miss Clark to help me research what the requirements were if I went into fashion, what would I do if I minored into it like researching all those little things about the schools like
these were my top three um and like figuring out like what school would work best, what plan and path to really get to success that I wanted um and I was very grateful to have her guidance. This was my third project. Um so I had
to come up with three different cultural um artwork for my portfolio like three different things. So I came up with like mood boards. Um those are my inspos and I incorporated all the color scheme and all like artifacts about like each
different culture in the drawing. Um it was very like challenging but also like very cool for me to um kind of replicate it a little bit because it made me learn a lot about different cultures like history and the re um and
like why they do certain things, why they have different traditions and really the research and the thought I put into this was really a fun project. Okay. My um this was a replica. So I had to pick a piece of like fabric like
whatever kind of fabric I wanted to do. I had to show inspo photos and I had to think like how could I pair this piece of fabric to a clothing? Like what could I do with clothing? Um so I came up with three sets of clothing. I did one was
like a denim jacket and denim um pants and then one was a denim skirt with like a classic black top. Um another was like a class uh short classic black top but um long jeans like wide jeans. Um I
basically wanted to show like what was trending through that piece of fabric that I researched um and how I really took the time to design and research the seams for all the fabric and the
time and technique and stuff like that. Okay. I designed my own clothing line. Um this was a fun project because it really had me thinking if I had to design a clothing line, what would I put in it? So it took a lot of research. It took a
lot of inspo but really I it came up with some good things. Um I came up with a business casual look which um I did like some checkered like pants and a white button down and then I
did um a for streetwear, I did a jersey and then I did jeans. And then I did a pink top with like a denim jacket and jeans and basically I wanted to show how each style is unique regardless if it's
business casual, streetwear or just casual. So it was really fun researching that project, pulling together different looks that I could incorporate and being able to show that through my drawing. Um okay. These were my portfolio pieces.
Um so I had to design through like my prompt was how does fabric move through different everyday to day life. So I had to come up with something that was fancy, something that was movement like active related. So I
picked dance and figure skating and basically I chose to do all of those and when I was reach uh researching it basically taught me like how all like wh- whatever you're walking or even the slightest bit of movement, the fabric moves. It doesn't stay. So um that was
very much impressive um in my opinion and just learning how like the different how it takes shape, fabric takes shape. Um and basically incorporating that in my work and
showing that is really was hard but creative and I had to think of like some clever ideas. And that is it. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Ava. That was a nice nice presentation. You can see
>> love and the enthusiasm you have for what you know, designing the clothes and everything you're doing. So I wouldn't >> future. Yes. >> Thank you. I wouldn't have done it without Miss Clark. So thank you. >> [applause] >> Julia, okay. I'm here to intro Julia. I'm going to be your hype man.
Um So Julia started her uh STEM career at the high school taking foundations of engineering architectural design her freshman year. Sophomore year she took engineering graphics, 3D modeling and prototyping. She attended a Rutgers summer camp
called the Governor's School of Engineering Technology last summer. She's been an active robotics club member since her freshman year which also includes engineering and architecture. And she's been an active participant and member in the Women in
STEM club that was founded just this year. Next year she'll be going to Northeastern University honors program studying mechanical engineering and design. Over the last 4 years I've gotten to know her well. She is smart, driven,
personable, creative and has a great problem-solving mindset. Uh just to name a couple of her traits. I have no doubt that she will make all of us proud in the near future when we claim that we knew her way back when she was a West Essex Knight. So without
further ado, here she is. Hello. Next slide, please. Oh, yeah. Okay. Hi, my name is Julia Zangrillo and my independent study was on 3D printing and design. So, my main focus point in this
uh independent study was the TSA project. And this is the Technology Student Association's competition, which takes place every year at TCNJ. And my specific category or project focused on engineering in the in three dimen- three dimensions with CAD Inventor, which is
the application that I used. And this year's prompt was to create safety devices for um electronic bikes. And since there has been a significant rise in popularity in electronic bikes, and unfortunately as well a rise in crashes
and injuries. So, I began taking ideas and researching into certain safety devices already in the world, like motorcycles that have regulations in the states, as well as other items like uh like your
run-of-the-mill um bike safety devices like a helmet and reflectors. And as well as coming from my interests like Formula 1, which they use a halo, which is around the car. I believe it's a titanium rod or a very specific hard metal that keeps them
protected at all times if there's any crashes, which I used these ideas to then further into my brainstorming. So, I started looking at specific devices that could be implemented into the bikes on a universal standpoint. So, I looked at different ways to fasten the
devices onto the bike, whether it be the rods in the bike itself where the seat is or where the handlebars are, things like that. I also looked at how to include green sustainability, whether it be solar energy,
etc., and how to prevent falls and more. So, I began designing it in Inventor. So, these were some of my first designs. I started off with a box to hold either these items or other personal items, as well as the
side mirror for the bike and reflectors. And then I just continued adding detail to them as you have the reflector in the top right corner, which you would fasten it to the wire of the bike, and then screw in the circle piece so it stays, as well as the
top to the box that I had, which is a solar panel, which would help when you're either parked or biking, it would be able to take in the solar rays and use that to convert it into energy to then power your bike if need so. And then I started working on the both
the horn for the bike and the headlight, which is in the middle. And I just continued working on both pieces again. I added hinges to the box for the lid, and then I continued adding the buttons and the solar panels on the
horn {slash} headlight piece of it. In the bottom left corner, you can see the actual application that I would be using on a day-to-day basis and exactly what that looks like with all the buttons and such. And that was when I was creating the top of the box and
creating the spiral wire for it to connect to the bike's battery, as well as the pins that would be used into the hinges of the box and its lid. And then to I guess go the extra mile, I made a bike itself so that you could put
the devices on it to instead of just having all the devices just floating in a poster, you could have it actually on a bike that was kind of blurred out. So, this is me starting that project or part of the project. That was
also part of that. And then these are the colored-in pieces, since when you're turning it in, you obviously want it to contrast the actual bike itself. I colored them all in. And then these are it on the bike, which are also reflected in the poster that I
submitted to TSI. And these are This would be how it would be laid out on the handles. You can see the side mirrors, which also move a little bit, and the horn in the middle with the light, and the box on the post of the seat, and the reflectors on each
wheel. And that is my project. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Amazing, Julia. Thank you for coming up and presenting to us. It's amazing, yes. I I would love to have everyone stay, but the independent study students can
leave if you like. You can take your take your departure. Thank you very much. Good evening, members of the Board of Education, Superintendent Mr. Machozi, and members of our school community. My name is Lisa Swanick. I'm Supervisor of Fine, Performing, and Practical Arts,
and I have the honor tonight to speak with you about how our Fine, Performing, and Practical Arts Departments advances the district goals of college and career readiness, while also strengthening our climate and school culture. At the center of this work is student
engagement, not just attendance or compliance, uh but active, invested, and curious learning. Engaged students don't just complete their work, they create, they take risks, and they make meaningful connections. Our arts programs uniquely cultivate
this engagement. Students become creators, designers, performers, and problem-solvers, applying critical thinking in authentic ways through music, theater, design, arts, engineering, and more. This directly supports college and career readiness by developing essential
skills like collaboration, communication, creativity, and adaptability. Students regularly give and receive feedback, revise their work, and persist through challenges. Just as importantly, these experiences strengthen our school climate. When students feel seen, valued, and
successful, they feel connected. The arts provide meaningful and multiple pathways to success, especially for students who may not thrive in traditional settings, fostering belonging and confidence. Ultimately, these programs can create learning experiences that are relevant and
meaningful, helping students prepare for their futures while finding purpose in the present. And this year we've seen that impact in action. On April 15th, we inducted 48 students in in the National Art Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, and the
International Thespian Honor Society, recognizing scholastic achievement while building leadership and school community. We also proudly brought back the Senior Citizens Breakfast for the first time since the pandemic. This event highlighted student works in dance,
music, culinary arts, and culminated in a shared performance of Sleigh Ride, where students and senior citizens created a meaningful intergenerational experience. We look forward to continuing this tradition next year on December 17th, 2026, and we will get that word out
early and often. In our visual and performing arts and our culinary program, excuse me, in our visual and culinary programs, students participated in the No Place for Hate initiative and explored identity through projects like the cultural jar. This was celebrating diversity and personal
expression. Additional highlights including our Art Club calendar fundraiser, the Memory Project. We have projects in studio art and digital photography. We also have projects in fashion design. We did a prom dress drive. I know they just left.
Um and our we're getting ready to submit our final uh rendition of the yearbook for print. Uh all reinforce creativity and inclusion. We're also proud that one of our students, Sophia Saccone, received an honorable mention at the Art Administrators of New Jersey 38th Annual
Art Show for Emerging Artists, and she was selected as only one of 10 students statewide. Our music department continues to be a point of pride. For the 12th year, we were named as one of the best communities for music education by the National Association of
Music Merchants Foundation. And this year, students participated in several adjudicated festivals. We were fortunate to host five festivals here at West Essex as a member of the North Jersey School Music Association. Our students also work side-by-side with college directors, area musicians, and
composers, and continue to earn placements in regional and all-state ensembles. To promote recruitment at the elementary level, we continue our annual tradition of having our marching band travel to our sending districts for Halloween parade. We host a winter concert assembly in December and our music buddy
day in January. Our instrumental music teachers travel to the elementary schools in June to assist with instrument fittings for our beginning musicians. While I could be here all night listing our students' accomplishments, I was notified today that six high school students were selected for the all-state
choir and will perform at both the New Jersey Teachers Convention and the New Jersey Music Educators Association State Conference in Atlantic City next February. This year, our ensembles also performed at a New Jersey Devils game. We launched a new annual percussion festival
sponsored by the Percussive Arts Society. We expanded our our offerings to offer a second jazz band, and we're in the process of planning a band trip to Nashville next spring. I'd like to invite you all to our spring concert series held this week at West
Essex High School Auditorium. I also want to advertise our marching band open house scheduled in the auditorium at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6th. Our dance program has grown from 3 to 23 students now performing at basketball games and other community events
including our senior citizens breakfast increasing visibility and school spirit. A special thank you to Miss Sarah Blake and Miss Gia Mayon for all their efforts in recruitment and providing dancers with an inclusive environment where students can feel connected to their schools. There's an interest meeting scheduled
for Thursday, May 28th for interested dancers. Theater. Theater continues to strive at West Essex and thrive. This year high school students in our choir and theater programs attended a New York City Broadway workshop with cast members of
the show Anne Juliet and our middle school students attended a production of Come From Away at Paper Mill Playhouse. We held a fall and we will be holding a spring cabaret. Save Hamlet was our fall production for our master's program where our students were able to work directly with
the playwright. We had a very successful spring high school musical, Chicago Teen Edition, where we've introduced a new choreographer to our staff. Um I'm very excited to announce that we had
our second uh high second middle school musical, High School Musical Jr., which actually featured uh in addition to roughly 12 staff members that got involved with that production. I'd like to thank Miss Angione, Mr. Martin, and all of the um
faculty and staff who actually were in the production who were able to attend. So, it was it was very cool to see them get involved. Um while every staff member is important in their own way, I really wanted to highlight the outstanding efforts, support, and guidance of Mr. Jerry DeAnton. He
actually worked on uh set construction and design for all three productions, the fall, the spring, and the middle school production. And I also wanted to recognize Mr. Michael Galliotto, in addition to his directing role in the high school, was also in charge of the technical theater aspects for the middle
school program. In culinary arts. Students utilized our recently renovated facilities, again thank you to the Board of Education for um supporting that project. We were able to renovate two culinary classrooms. They
were able to support nine major events this year. In addition, 151 students earned the ServSafe Handler designation through Culinary 1 and Food and Sports Nutrition and 17 uh students in the Culinary 2 program earned
ServSafe certifications for the Food Manager program. Um many of our students also participate in community service projects through Cooking for a Cause. Last Thursday, our culinary department was very instrumental in the Take Your Child to Work Day. My son actually was very
excited. I have a picture of him holding up his cupcake. It was uh it was it was a lot of fun. And today our culinary students went on a field trip to the Pequest Trout Hatchery where they discussed farm-to-table uh best practices. We're proud of our continued recogni- Actually, we'll go one more. We're proud
of our continued recognition from the New Jersey Technology and Engineering Educators Association as part of the 100% Club. The 100% Club reflects our educators' commitment to professional growth and excellence. This is the sixth year of that recognition, which recognizes 100% participation by our
teachers and supervisor, yours truly, um as part of being part of that organization and it's really designed to support uh subject areas that really um are often an island in their school districts. Um in our STEM 8 course, under the
direction of Mr. Gabe Maffey, uh the course addresses both climate and culture and career readiness. As teachers in the middle school build they have to build something useful for their classrooms, the students partner with the teachers to identify uh you know, a
design challenge, then they actually go in and they talk to the teachers. We also have a Mr. Ashworth works here sign. Uh shout out to Mr. Ashworth. And uh they get to meet with teachers to get um details, take measurements, and actually color schemes. It gets the whole building talking and excited about um
being involved with these projects. Tomorrow students in our engineering design and robotics program will be visiting the NJIT School of Design to explore college and career opportunities in architecture, engineering, and other STEM disciplines. And finally, our Women in STEM Club,
founded by two sophomores, Samantha uh Waltman and Sophia Perillo, has grown to over 40 members. Through hands-on projects and partnerships such as the Women in STEM Town Hall we had this year uh with engineers from Picatinny Arsenal, students are getting exposure to real-world STEM careers and building
confidence in a growing field. This is another event that we uh plan to hold annually. And a true measure of our impact is seen in our alumni. Sarah Blake, class of 2018, shared her experiences in dance and her theater arts class shaped her into a
professional choreographer and arts administrator, ultimately leading her to work at the American Ballet Theatre. She now returns to our district as the dance team coach and our middle school choreographer. And Nicholas Stampone, class of 2020, reflected that his experiences drum
major and being an active member of the music program helped him to develop the leaders- leadership skills that continue to guide his work as a music director today, crediting the district and his music teachers for shaping the way he leads and serves others. He has returned to the district as the communications
officer, who also works closely with our arts department to publicize our many events. And finally, in addition to the uh spring concert series, I'd like to invite you all to our night of the arts. Three events that night feature our art, culinary art, technology education,
theater, and jazz programs. Uh district art show starts at 5:00 p.m. in the high school media center. The spring cabaret will be at 6:00 in the middle school in the high school auditorium, my excuse me. And then finally, the district jazz concert at 7:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium.
And if you want to stay abreast of all the exciting things happening in our department, please follow us on Instagram. And in closing, when we invest in student engagement through the fine, performing, and practical arts, we're investing in the whole student. Their skills, their confidence, and their
sense of belonging. These programs do more than enrich our curriculum, they bring it to life, preparing our students for success beyond the classroom. As we continue advancing college and career readiness and strengthening school climate, the arts remain an essential
part of that mission. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Hi, good evening everyone. Thanks for having me again. Um it's been a pleasure to be here now for a little bit of time. We're looking almost at the two-month mark, so we've had a lot going on over at the middle
school and a lot to look forward to. Uh our music department, especially choir, has been extremely busy. Uh Miss Rizzo worked with uh students as Emma Fink and Vanessa Stefan- Stefanaxis. Um she represented the West Essex Middle School in the North Jersey Intermediate
Region Choir Festival where they worked with about 200 students. Um from auditions in Feb- February, only had five rehearsals. She actually had one of the uh region choir members come back and do a workshop with our choir department today um to just, you know, kept them
getting prepared for this year, but also to help them just gain their skills moving forward. Uh we had some interdisciplinary learning, which we have, you know, quite often, but one I just wanted to highlight was um Miss Jing worked with Miss Nash and brought learning to life in their seventh grade English classes
by partnering with AmeriCorps, the New Jersey Watershed Ambassador uh Jason Peralta. He came in and did a hands-on activity uh talking about science, the environment, and water, which lend us to a Long Walk to Water, which uh is a novel that they were working on. They just finished recently in
in English class and it was really awesome to have our science and uh English and gifted and talented program all really work together. And we've seen a lot of that since I've been here, a lot of interdisciplinary learning um and more to come, but this was just a really awesome lesson to even
bring in a guest speaker. We started our program called WES S. So, if you've seen um we brought in a learning We've had our We've had our lunch program and now we've brought in a little bit of a break, wellness break as you would like to call it, um to promote
some student wellness, increase opportunities for them to socialize, get out and move their legs, whether it's outside or inside, just to give them some unstructured time to decompress, but also um get outside and play and move around. Um we're going to see how it goes. It's
been about a month and after that we're going to get a do a survey, gather some feedback from the students to help them drive how it's going to move forward, whether it's something we keep or make some significant changes, but everyone has been super cooperative to us from our staff to our students
uh to really make this to to to begin and then to see it grow. Um it's really just been great. And of course, the day we started is when it got cold again, so hopefully as it gets warm, people will be outside and taking advantage of it, so I don't think it's seen its full potential until it starts
to really warm up. As As Miss Swanick said, we also had our high school musical performance. Again, it was incredible. Um from the preview even to Friday and Saturday night, I couldn't believe how many people showed up. I thought we were going to have like a stampede at the door. I couldn't
I really just couldn't believe it on Friday how many people came and how many staff members, just not even those in the play, um that helped uh get the tickets in, have people come to their seats, but showed up to support their other students and staff members. Um
shout out to all those who par- participated and assisted. I mean, Miss Rizzo did a great job with the performance, Miss Aiello, Mr. Krakower, Miss Torres, Miss Blake, Mr. Gallieto, Mr. DeAntone was excellent. And then a shout-out to Christie Priore cuz she just showed up and performed in both
shows and the Sorrentinos. Mr. Sorrentino has been our awesome mascot both as the knight and a wildcat lately. Um, but they really did a great job in the show and um even leading up to it on Friday, we had our wildcat out in our freestyle Fridays participating and and pumping up the
crowd. So, it was incredible every night and the preview. I can't say enough about what an incredible job they did. Bring your child to work day was really an awesome experience here. Uh, we had such a large turnout. We had about 60 students 60
children come from other from our families here and our staff members. And then on top of that, we really worked together with our students that were in school whether they helped do tours or ran some of the activities. Uh, and we have to give a big shout-out to Pomptonian for providing breakfast and lunch, but our especially all of our
teachers who helped make the entire day such a success. It was awesome and and I think every kid that was there really was able to experience the day in a different way and we tried to vary our activities from those for you our young children to
you know, higher levels. It was an awesome day to just experience everyone kind of coming together. I really I truly felt like the hallways were electric and a such a high energy exciting vibe and we really enjoyed it. We had TREP$ this past week. So, TREP$ is a an activity or a club
where students can partake in entrepreneur activity project-based learning and then creating some and I a business of their own. We had quite a number of students who participated. I think this is something that's growing now since COVID, it's really coming back and I really hope to
see it grow even more as time goes on. Each student's idea was very um, individual and they were passionate and excited about all their things. Now, I know next time to bring more money I ran out. I was so excited to buy everything and now it's great to just have it in our classrooms or I've been
able to share with everyone um, to bring this their businesses to life and they really had great business models and materials to share and sell. Some upcoming activities we have during testing NJSLASS testing starts on Monday. We're going to have SEL testing
day activities to break up the monotony of the testing, give them some breaks whether it's um activities we'll have planned whether it's in the classroom together as a group uh, to you know, break it up have them be take you take it all in and be with
different people that they maybe wouldn't be with um, and keep them excited and motivated to show up each day with a charged Chromebook ready to go. We have our spring pep rally that'll be happening May 8th. Hopefully if it's nice, we'll be doing that outdoors. Our Special Olympics is tomorrow. We are also bringing back field day on June
11th. We're going to be doing a full day of field day which we're really excited for and our PE teachers and Miss Lombardi Rosie have been really working hard behind the scenes to bring that to life. And last but not least, we're going to be bringing back the 8th grade semi-formal. That's going to be on June 16th to
celebrate our 8th graders. The theme was just picked by a survey through the students. It will be Hollywood theme and that permission slip and all that information be rolled out to the parents shortly. It's going to be at Ravello's from 6:00 to 9:00. So, thank you. >> [applause] >> Good evening.
Okay, so I want to say congratulations to our third marking period ShopRite stars. We have Eliana Gattis for academics, Brooke Belzano for athletics, Miles Schmidt for the arts, Samantha Van Ness for leadership and Kayla Felix for service to the community. I look forward
to celebrating them and acknowledging them later in the year I believe in our June board meeting. Um, as mentioned earlier tonight that we had the honor of um, acknowledging our National Honor Society inductees at the ceremony on April 14th. I want to give a
little special shout-out to advisor Danielle Collabelli. She really organized a beautiful event. There were 101 juniors inducted that night and that just speaks to the the work, the academics, the the work ethic of our staff and our students and just the
culture of the building to have that many juniors inducted into the National Honor Society. The following day we had our academic achievement day. That was eight different honor societies for the world languages, social studies, math, science, English, art, music and the Thespian
society. Um, that was a total of 271 students inducted that day into those specific honor societies and I just want to again acknowledge the advisors of those ceremonies. It was a beautiful day. It just one of those days where you walk away exhausted but you come out and you're
like, we do good things, right? It was just it was really nice to see all of the students being celebrated and acknowledged for their hard work throughout the um, their their time here. Um, I know Miss Wanek had mentioned that West Essex Regional School District was honored with Best Communities for Music Education um, and it is so well
deserved. We are only one of 999 school districts in nationwide who earned this and one of 69 school districts in New Jersey. So, that is an impressive award to receive. >> [snorts] >> Um New Jersey high school voter
registration week was April 13th to 19th. So, I want to say thank you to the League of Women Voters. They joined us um, just this past week to register any eligible 17-year-olds and 18-year-olds. When I say eligible 17-year-olds, that means they will be 18 at the time of the
next election. Um, and so it's just you know, it's nice to see our students um, engaging in a non-partisan registration and kind of preparing themselves for their their civic duty. For climate and culture, we had our Bring Your Child to Work Day. We had 75
of our staff's children in the building on that day. Um, I have to say thank you to all of the teachers who volunteered to host sessions in their classrooms for the students for the children. Um, Melissa Rowan, they did a STEM activity with her
family. Steve Thompson, our librarian, did um, a paper airplane pandemonium. Tim Shay did a penny boat challenge, some STEM activities. Elena Amaris did this really cool fire demonstration and then the kids made um, bird feeders. They got very sticky and dirty and it
was fun. I was just like, don't touch me though. Um, Don Winslow on the PE department hosted kickball and um, paddleball. No, pickleball. Pickleball. Pickleball. Uh, Rob Ecker and Mike Della Paz were in the culinary room making cupcakes, fried Oreos. My daughter said it was the best
fried Oreo she'd ever had. Um, Mia Faiella hosted social media interviews and she was asking the the children like questions about their parents and like, you know, would you want to be a teacher and what is your what is what is what do you what does your dad really do, right?
And it was just really fun to see the the kids' responses. Um, I'm sure there were also some conversations in the car ride home following those interviews. And then thank you to Steve Saragusa, he hosted a Mario Kart tournament for the older kids in our e-sports room. So, it was a really fun
day. Um all of the staff who had their children here with us the next day came in and just said their children had a phenomenal time here. It was a great experience. My children came as well. They want to come to West Essex High School. They're like, this is where we want to go to school. I said, not a
chance. Um, just I was anyway, I was it was a really great day. They both my children did too on a funny personal note told me they neither one of them wants to be a principal. They said, absolutely not. You have to deal with too many problems. I said, we didn't even have any problems today. There were no problems. There
were no problems today. Um, but it was it was a great time overall and it just adds to the culture and climate of the building too when we get to sprinkle in some of our personal life with our professional life. Our April Noble Knights, Mr. Joseph Cardinale was selected um, he's one of
our business teachers and he is recognized for being a respected colleague who makes every lesson meaningful and relevant. He teaches AP Economics and um, he's crushing it in those courses. Miss Diane Gray, one of our English teachers, she was selected
for representing the best of West Essex modeling a strong work ethic and teaching students to think deeply without shortcuts which is ever important in this today's society. And Mr. Bill Humes, biology teacher, he was um
selected for offering valuable advice to colleagues and student while consistently upholding high expectations. So, this April we acknowledge our Noble Knights and their contributions to West Essex High School. And then upcoming, we have our spring concert series this week. Band is on
April 28th, orchestra on April 29th and choir on Thursday the 30th. Our AP testing is coming up May 4th to the 15th. Miss Vernacola is ready to go. We are we are all set and ready to go. Um, we have teacher and staff appreciation week the
week of May 4th to 8th. We look forward to celebrating and acknowledging all of the hard work of our staff. Um, NJSLASS testing is coming up grade 9 May 18th to the 20th and grade 11 science at the end of that week. And then um, on May 27th, we have our district art show, Masker's
spring cabaret and the district jazz night. So, we look forward to all the exciting things coming up uh, towards the end of the school year. And that concludes for the high school. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you to be have any comments from the board members?
Do you have any Okay. >> going to say just echo everybody's comments. I went to the spring musical for the middle school. The students knocked it out of the park. I mean, they they did a tremendous job. The place was packed. Um everybody was so excited. The kids in the audience were just screaming and
yelling. It was It was really a great performance and they really did a great job. And I'll be attending the spring concert series this week. So, I'm looking forward to that. Okay. Thanks, Frank. Anyone else? Do we have any committee reports?
Um the ad hoc committee met Perfect. The ad hoc referendum committee met on Wednesday, April 22nd. Um all ad hoc committee members were in attendance in addition to our PR representative and our architect.
At this meeting, we um reviewed all of the slideshow presentation, which will start going up on the website shortly. And um just, you know, tweaked a few things. You know, everyone I have to say the architect and the PR people have been
very cooperative and overwhelmingly accepting everything that we bring to the table. And we all bring something different because we all view West Essex differently [cough] and what we want to see there. And they've been they've been overwhelmingly
um very good with incorporating all of our ideas into the website. So, we're hoping that everyone will be able to partake and look at the studies and everything that we're um going to be presenting on May 11th. Mr. Chochi, Ms.
Kita, and Ms. Wajewicz will be presenting the slides and all the renderings for the people to see. In addition, we have a proposal for in the next week. There'll be 17,000 postcards being mailed out to the communities
starting to put out all the communication that's necessary for the referendum. Um we know it's difficult to get to every different, you know, organization and every different level of people within the communities. You know, we have
those who have attended West Essex. We have alumni. We have senior citizens. So, we're hoping that this first mailing will at least put the interest out there and get everyone involved going forward. Um we're really very excited about this.
Like Ray had said about the middle school, you know, putting on their performance. When they put on their performance in the future, it's going to be in an extraordinary auditorium. Um and it's just going to be amazing what
it's going to be bringing to the middle school and everything out there that is going to highlight all the great things as um Mary and I did attend academic achievement day and you see everything that these students do and you just sit
there and you're like and every time we listen to an independent study here and I think to myself, "Oh my goodness, these children are just they're just they have so much to offer and now we're going to make a facility that's just going to highlight everything that we
can do with students. So, I'm hoping please put the word out there that May 11th, we're going to have our song and dance routine in the high school and we're going to bring everything to the communities and share what we're just so excited to look
forward to in the near future. Perfect. Okay. Anyone else? Any board committee reports? Okay. Uh we'll move on to public comment. We'll open the floor for public comments on agenda items. Do we have any public comments?
No? Okay. Then we will move on to our um agenda. Uh Deb, do you want to take finance, please? The following finance motions are made at the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. Anything placed on this agenda item 1 through 7 will be voted upon in one motion.
Second. Any questions or comments? I do want to say I wanted to say I'm sorry. I should have said it when Melissa made her presentation. I don't know if everyone's been reading and we all are seeing what school districts are
experiencing in the state of New Jersey. Health benefits are just going off the charts and you know, there are numerous districts in our county alone that are looking for cuts up to staff. And I just
want to applaud Melissa and administrators and, you know, Mr. Chochi and all of you who have given your time and effort to help this budget. Um we I mean, I as a board member and I think this whole board feels great about the percentages that we're able to offer the
communities and it's all due to the fact that, you know, we have a BA who is very considerate. Of course, you know, he's not You know, go down the hall to Damian and say if she says no to the money, you don't get any money. So, you know, but at the end of the day,
that's what matters, what we can do for the community and being fiscally responsible. So, I just wanted to say that after you did your presentation. I you know, I'm very grateful because there are so many districts out there that are suffering because of what's going on. I mean, even this is so bizarre, but my like health benefits for
my my pet went up 18.97%. You can only laugh. I'm like, "Oh my gosh." And they're like, "Because you live in the state of, you know, New Jersey." So, it's like affecting every aspect. So, I'm very grateful that we were able to do this for the communities.
And And just to piggyback off that, we should have said it when we had the I do agree. Melissa, thank you. You have you you got down to every single penny to get us to budget that we could present to the public. I feel confident about Yeah. Feel confident about it. So many other districts have gone way above
that 2% and some um school districts are struggling with uh millions that they don't have. So, we appreciate um your fiscal responsibility here and thank you every penny that you pinched for us. Thank you. Thank you. Um okay. Can you call the roll on finance,
please? Mr. Andre? Yes. Ms. Cristobal? Yes. Ms. C. Giovanni? Yes. Ms. Calderon? Yes. Mr. Sampone? Yes. Ms. Wajewicz? Yes. Ray, do you want to take personnel, please? Can we have buildings and grounds?
Oh, I'm so sorry. Oh, yeah, buildings and grounds. Uh Phil, do you want to do buildings and grounds? Please. Sure. The following building and grounds motions are made at the recommendation of the superintendent of schools.
Anything placed on this agenda, item one, will be voted upon in one motion and I so move. Second. Any questions? Mr. Andre? Yes. Ms. Cristobal? Yes. Ms. C. Giovanni? Yes.
Ms. Calderon? Yes. Mr. Sampone? Yes. Ms. Wajewicz? Yes. Okay, Ray. Now, can we take personnel, please? Yes. Uh the following personnel motions are made at the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. Anything placed on this agenda, item 1 through 6, will be voted upon in one motion.
Item number six is a walk-on motion and it's to to approve the resignation of the following staff member, Crystal uh Cremaroli, uh guidance counselor uh from the high school uh with the uh retirement or leave date of 6/30/2026.
Uh so, I will make the motion. Second. Any questions? Okay. I'll call the roll. Mr. Andre? Yes. Ms. Cristobal? Yes. Ms. C. Giovanni? Yes. Ms. Calderon? Yes. Mr. Sampone? Yes. Ms. Wajewicz? Yes.
Uh Ruth, do you want to take curriculum, please? The following curriculum special education motions are made at the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. Anything placed on this agenda, items 1 through 4, will be voted upon in one motion and I so move. Second.
Any questions? Comments? Mr. Andre? Yes. Ms. Cristobal? Yes. Ms. C. Giovanni? Yes. Ms. Calderon? Yes. Mr. Sampone? Yes. Ms. Wajewicz? Yes. Lila, will you take miscellaneous, please? Yes, ma'am. The following
miscellaneous motions are made at the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. Anything placed on this agenda, one and two, will be voted upon in one motion and I so move. Second. Questions? Comments?
Um just to put it out there, just to let the community know that we just approved um to give back We had one snow day left. So, we're giving that snow day back on Tuesday, May 26th, 2026. So, um just adding that to the calendar.
Any other questions? Comments? Mr. Andre? Yes. Ms. Cristobal? Um yes to one, abstain to two. Ms. C. Giovanni? Yes to one, abstain to two. Ms. Calderon? Yes.
Mr. Sampone? Yes. Ms. Wajewicz? Yes. >> All right. We'll open up the floor for public comments on non-agenda items. Do you have any public comments on non-agenda items? Ray, do you want to read this out? >> Sure.
There being no further business before this Board of Education, be it resolved public meeting be adjourned at 8:45 p.m. I'll make a motion. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Perfect.