Notice is hereby given of the reorganization meeting of the board of education of the town of Westfield in the county of Union, New Jersey at 700 p.m. on the evening of Tuesday, May 6th, 2025 in Cafeteria B of Westfield High
School, 550 Dorian Road, Westfield, New Jersey. The purpose of the meeting is to transact the regular business of the board and to transact any other business to come properly before the board. This is to advise the general public and to instruct that it be recorded in the
minutes that in compliance with chapter 2 231 of the public laws of 1975 entitled the open public meetings act the Westfield school board on Wednesday April 30th 2025 caused to be posted at the office of the board of education
located at 302 Elm Street Westfield New Jersey and delivered to the Westfield leader the star ledger the Westfield library town clerk of Westfield. Tap into Westfield and patch.com a meeting notice stating forth setting forth the
time, date, and location of this meeting. We have the flag salute. Rob, you want to lead us Okay, now we have the results of the school board election. At the annual election held on April 15, 2025, Robert Bonacio, Kristen Sonic Schmeltz, and
Mary Wickens were all elected for three-year terms. Um, I just want to note, uh, I did include the official ballot results for the board members, and there was almost an even split between the in-person voting and the mail-in, but the mailin was slightly higher than the than the inperson. So
now we're going to do the swearing in of the board members. So if I could have we'll do Rob, Kristen, and then Mary come up into the middle here. All right, please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I state your name.
I, Robert Bonacio, do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey. and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey. And that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. and that I will
bear true faith and allegiance to the same. and to the governments established in the United States. and to the governments established in the United States and this state and this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people. So help me God. So help me God. I state your name.
I, Robert Bachio, do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law for the office of member of a board of education for the office of member of a board of education and that I am not disqualified as a voter and that I am
not disqualified as a voter. pursuant to RS19 col4-1 pursuant to RS194-1 nor disqualified due to conviction of a crime nor disqualified due to conviction of a crime or offense listed in
NJS18A12-1 or offense listed in NJS18A12-1 and that I will faithfully impartially and justly perform and that I will faithfully impartially and justly perform all duties of that office all duties of that office according to the best of my ability. according to the
best of my ability. So help me God. So help me God. Congratulations. Sure. Okay, let's do it. All right. I state your name. I Kristen Sonic. do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United
States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and allegiance and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments to the same and to the government established in the
United States and the state established in the United States and this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people. So help me God. So help me God. I state your name. I, Kristen Sonic Schmeltz, do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law
that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law for the office of member of a board of education for the office of a member of the board of education and that I am not disqualified as a voter and that I am not disqualified as a voter pursuant to RS194-1
not pursuant to RS19 194-1 nor disqualified due to conviction of a crime nor disqualified due to conviction of a crime or offense listed in NJS18A12-1 or offense listed in NJS18A12-1
and that I will faithfully and part partially and justly and that I will faithfully impartially and justly perform all duties of that office perform perform all duties of that office according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability. So help me God. So help me God.
[Applause] Congratulations. All right, Mary. Okay. I state your name. I, Mary Wickens, do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I
will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and allegiance and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same to the same and to the governments established in the United States and this state and
to the governments established in the United States and this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people. So help me God. So help me God. I state your name. I, Mary Wickens, do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law that I
possess the qualifications prescribed by law for the office of member of a board of education for the office of member of a board of education and that I am not disqualified as a voter and that I am not disqualified as a voter pursuant to RS194-1
pursuant to RS194-1 nor disqualified due to conviction of a crime nor disqualified due to a conviction of a crime or offense listed in NJS18A12-1 or offense listed in NJS18A12-1 and that I will faithfully
impartially and justly And that I will faithfully impartially and justly perform all duties of that office according to the best of my ability perform all duties of that office according to the best of my ability. So help me God. So help me God. Congratulations.
[Applause] Thank you. Okay. Okay. So, now that we have everyone on the board, we're going to do a roll call. So, Rob Bonacio here. Ken Diamonds
here. Brendan Gallagghan here. Charles Galinus here. Leila Morelli here. Sonel Patel here. Kristen Sonic Schmeltz here. Julie Steinberg here. Mary Wickens here. Okay. And now we're on to the
election of the board president. So I will take nominations at this point. Uh the nomination does not need a second. I will gather all nominations and then we'll vote on them in the order that I received them. Leila, thanks. I would like to nominate
um Robert Bacio for president of the Westfield Board of Education. Rob's first term as a board member was impressive. Not only did he sit on each committee as well as co-chair both finance and curriculum, he served first as vice president and most recently as president. He has been actively involved
in his three years and is an active liaison to the schools he has assigned and has contributed greatly to the passing of the budgets in the referendum. Rob is committed to transparency and communication with the community and is an eager participant in all Westfield school related events. In
his roles as both vice president and president, I have found him not only approachable but thoughtful and reasonable. His governance has been organized as well as compassionate and it is clear that he values all stakeholders and considers all perspectives. He has shown a great deal
of self-reflection and growth given feedback and and genuinely has a bird's eye view of the district. Rob's experience in all aspects of the board makes him the perfect candidate for this leadership position. Do we have any other
nominations? No. Then I will um do a roll call. Rob Bacio. Yes. Ken Diamond. Yes. Brendan Gallagghan. Yes. Charles Galinus. Yes.
Leila Morelli. Yes. Sonel Patel. Yes. Kristen Sonic Schmeltz. Yes. Julie Steinberg. Yes. Mary Wickens. Yes. And now I will officially hand the meeting off to our board president, Rob Bonacio, to do the election of the board
vice president. Congratulations. So, thanks very much to the members of the board for uh the faith in me. We have a lot to get done. We have referendum projects to to get moving on. We have curriculum to continue to improve. And we have a district to continue to be proud of. So, um,
couldn't think of a better people to do that with. So, looking forward to it. Thanks. Um, now let's get ourselves a vice president. Um, so I will That was about 30 seconds, right? Not too bad. Um, so, um, I know. So, um, I'll open the floor for nominations. Uh, for vice
president, we'll utilize the same process for president. So, uh, I'd like to nominate Kristen Sonic Schmemells. Do I read this now? Okay. I'm pleased to nominate Kristen for the position of vice president for the
upcoming term. Over the past three years on the board, Kristen has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication, and insight. Her collaborative spirit and unwavering commitment to both our students and this board make her an ideal candidate to help guide our district into its next
chapter. I'm confident that Kristen will continue to serve with integrity and excellence in this leadership position. Any other nominations? Seeing none, Patty, can we have a roll call? Rob Bonacia,
yes. Ken Diamonds, yes. Brendan Gallian, yes. Charles Galinus, yes. Leila Merlli, yes. Sonel Patel, yes. Kristen Sonic Schmz, yes. Julie Steinberg, yes. Mary Wickens, yes. Congrats. Congratulations,
Kristen. All right. Next, um, in front of each of our board members is the, uh, code of ethics for school board members. Uh, and it's tradition here that we, uh, at our each reorganization meeting, read each of the, uh, the tenants of that. Um, so I'll start with number one and then
we'll kind of do a circle around here, Kristen, too, and kind of rotate back around if that's all right. Um, and that sticks me with two of them. So, I'll I'll spare you guys from that. Um, so number one, I will uphold and enforce all laws, rules, and regulations of the state board of education and court
orders pertaining to schools. Desired changes shall be brought about only through legal and ethical procedures. I will make decisions in terms of the educational welfare of children and will seek the to develop and maintain public schools that meet the individual needs
of all children regardless of their ability, race, creed, sex, or social standing. I will confine my board action to policym, planning, and appraisal. And I will help to frame policies and plans only after the board has consulted those
who will be affected by them. I will carry out my responsibility not to administer the schools but together with my fellow board members to see that they are wellrun. I will recognize the authority rests with the board of education and will make no personal promises nor take any
private action that may compromise the board. I will refuse to surrender my independent judgment to special interest or partisan political groups or to use the schools for personal gain or for the gain of friends.
I will hold confidential all matters pertaining to the schools which if disclosed would needlessly injure individuals or the schools. In all of them in all other matters, I will provide accurate information and in concert with my fellow board members interpret to the staff the aspirations
of the community for its school. I will vote to appoint the best qualified personnel available after consideration of the recommendation of the chief administrative officer. I will support and protect school personnel in proper performance of their
duties. And finally, I will refer all complaints to the chief administrative officer and will act on the complaints at public meetings only after failure of an administrative solution. Uh with that, um it's time to open the floor for public comment.
During this portion of the meeting, members of the public are invited to address the board of education on any topic. As a courtesy, allow current students and staff of the Westfield public schools to speak first. The board requests that individuals sign in and state their name, municipality of residents, and group affiliation if
applicable for the record, and ask that all remarks be directed to the board president or designate, not to individual board members or staff. The board asked that members of the public be courteous and mindful of the rights of other individuals when speaking. Specifically, comments regarding personnel matters are discouraged and
cannot be responded to by the board. Students and employees have specific legal rights afforded by the laws of New Jersey. The board bears no responsibility, nor will it be liable for any comments made by members of the public. If a matter concerning a district staff member is of interest or concern to a resident, the matter should
be referred to the responsible building principal, superintendent of schools, or the board of education either by telephone, letter, or email. Although the board may not respond to items raised during the public forum, all public comments will be considered. Please note that if any member of the public becomes disruptive during the
meeting, the board president may terminate the participant statement. Continued disruptions may result in removal from the meeting or adjournment of the meeting. Each speaker statement will be limited to three minutes in duration. Seeing no comment, um we will close public comment and move to the uh
agenda. The action items for the agenda. Uh, first are the reorganization items for the agenda. Uh, I will move items A through double P on the reorganization section of the agenda. Do I have a second? Kent. Um, just for public edification, the reorganization items
are uh are matters for the uh that keep the school district running essentially. Um, you know, how they're funded, appointments, um, fees, etc. Uh, one thing I do want to highlight is we're actually adding this year uh to our varsity sports uh, girls flag football. So they've uh they've completed their
probationary period. So I want to thank the coaches for bringing that about and all of the participants who've uh who've brought that program to where it is. Um so we have a second. Okay.
Rob Bonacio. Yes. Kent Diamonds. Yes. Brendan Gallagghan. Yes. Charles Galinus. Uh yes to all except N. Uh no for N. Leila Morelli, yes. Sonel Patel, yes. Kristen Sonic
Schmeltz, yes. Julie Steinberg, uh, abstain for N. Yes. To all others. Mary Wickens, yes. Uh, last item on the agenda is, uh, personnel. I'll just square that away. Um, so I'd like to make a motion to
approve items A through L on the personnel section of the agenda. Do I have a second? Second. Brendan. Any discussion? Patty. Rob Bonacio. Yes. Kent Diamond. Yes. Brendan Gallian. Yes. Charles Galinus. Yes.
Leila Merlli. Yes. Sonel Patel. Yes. Kristen Sonic Schmeltz. Yes. Julie Steinberg. Yes. Mary Wickens. Yes. Okay. Uh that closes the action items of
the agenda. Um with no other items on the agenda, may I have a motion to adjurnn, please? Motion Brendan. Second. Second. Kent. All in favor? Any opposed? Any abstensions? We are adjourned.