e e e e e notice is hereby given of the regular meeting of the Board of Education of the town of Westfield in the county of Union New Jersey at 5:30 p.m. on the evening
of Tuesday March 25th 2025 in cafeteria B of Westfield High School 550 door Oran Road Westfield New Jersey the board will move immediately into private session to discuss matters rendered confidential by state and federal law including harassment intimidation and bullying the
public portion of the meeting will resume at 700 p.m. 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 231 of the
public laws of 1975 entitled the open public meetings act the Westfield school board on Thursday March 20th 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 setting forth the time date and location of this meeting Patty have a roll call please rob bachio here Kent Diamond here Brendan gallagan here Charles J here
Leila melli here sonel Patel Kristen Sonic schmeltz Julie Steinberg Mary wickens uh Kent would you lead us in a flag salute please sure there is a flag in here it's on the painting we'll take it um I asked the
board I move the board to approve the following resolution resolve that the Board of Education move into private session for the purpose of discussing matters rendered confidential by state and federal law including harassment intimidation and bullying incidents and be it further resolved that any
discussion held by the board which need not remain confidential and the results of the discussion will be made public as soon as practicable do I have a second second Kent second you can do this by Voice vote all in favor any opposed any extensions we are in executive session
returning at 7 e e e e e e e e e
e e e e e e e e e e e
e e e e e e e e e e
e e e for e e e e e e
e e e e e e e e e e
e e e yeah we's see yeah we're going to try to get started and we got some folks who are uh who have some places to be so if you're going to grab a seat
grab it now thanks very much um so the board was in private session uh we are back in regular session we are going to start with uh recognition of uh of a number of our teams which is fantastic um before we get started since I have a room full
of athletes um I want to announce something uh something positive um especially for those of you who are going over to the town council meeting later uh at this meeting our board simultaneously with the Town Council is going to be passing something we've been working on for a while which is a shared
services agreement with the town um to uh start work uh jointly maintaining and upgrading the field at Roosevelt School this we are hoping to be a start of what will be a lot of future shared services and a lot of Field improvements going on
on um you know as much as you know we understand what's going on with the fields we know that we can't sit on those anymore so uh we had quite a great response from the town and and a partnership with them so um we're going to see which one of us gets to pass it first um you know we'll we'll call the mayor and see if we can beat her to it
um but if when you get over there just please you know know that the uh the town the mayor and Town Council very much in support of this and uh we're going to we're going to get this started and kicked off uh again hopefully the beginning of a lot of positive cooperation between us in the town um and with that thank
[Applause] you well that was good I don't know trying to see if any other good news I can come up with that'll work um so uh so let's get to the to the fun stuff um so it is with great pleasure that we're Gathering here tonight to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our winter
athletic teams uh first I'd like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to our state champion boys hockey team where are they there we go go uh this season has been nothing short of historic marked by a record-breaking Journey culminating in the program's
first ever state championship title your dedication perseverance and outstanding teamwork have not only brought Pride to our school district but have also set a new standard of Excellence tonight we honor your extraordinary accomplishment and look forward to hearing more about your incredible season from coach
bertuchi uh but first let's get you up here uh when I call you up an alphabetical order please accept your certificate of recognition from Dr Gonzalez and proceed on to the stage to a way to photograph Aiden Allen or
Alan Alan right all right come on up you can come up he's over there you're it's hard to be the first guy come gotta give him a break all right Nicholas Benson [Applause]
Tyler Bergman Jackson chakola Troy Conover Jack Conrad Ryan drowsky Liam Duffy bro esler Luke Fitzgerald Jack argula Austin
howerin Andrew lisn Daniel mcdevit Luca McLaren Robert patara William Reid Joshua singer Christopher smoke Aiden Wilson Blake
wowski and coach Brendan hickey coach Spencer trusel and head coach Joe beri coach bruchi would you like to say a few words about the team's success absolutely uh we had a few guys that couldn't make it tonight they have National Hockey tournaments they have
lacrosse they got a couple things going um but we want to thank you for having us here tonight it is an honor to be here with so many great coaches and and teams that achieve so many great things throughout the year uh this year our hockey team went 21 and4 we won our County tournament we won our league we
won our League Cup we won a sectional title and for the first time in school history won a public school state championship um as all of you know playing a high school sport takes a lot of commitment a lot of hard work a lot of sacrifice and that's not just over one year it's over many many years and
you're not often rewarded with the state championship The Way We Were this year um so all their hard work all their dedic dedication is is much appreciated and in the way and what they've accomplished this year and to be uh you know celebrated by the town the way they were over the last couple weeks was
tremendous um what I'm most proud of not only as the accomplishments of these kids but who they are as people up there uh as as coaches we want to use the sport of of hockey in my my instance to create good upstanding kids and that's what I'm most proud of of the kids that are in front of you today um hockey is
just going to be a small memory uh a huge memory actually after this year in their life but they it helps shape them to be you know great great people they're going to do great things in the world so that's what I am most proud of to be here in front of you today um they wore the jersey so proudly you know They Carried themselves with such you know
passion and and honor and you know if you were in the high school you saw them wearing their suits and ties on game days so they're really a special group um but I want to thank everybody for being here tonight this is an honor it's my first time doing this hopefully many more to come um uh I want to thank the board of ed for all their support Dr
Gonzalez for all their support um Mr danaro for his support and the entire W Westfield Community like I said the way they've been celebrated over the last couple weeks was something special I do want to leave off on on one final note though um a lot of these kids learned how to ice skate and play hockey at the
Westfield Rank and and I think that it's important to recognize all all the people that contributed to that Rank and and and the support that we got for that rank because uh who knows if we're not if we're here today without that rank so all of you that supported that rank we really appreciate that it goes far into what they were able to become um but
thank you for having us tonight we appreciate you okay wait am I [Music] [Applause] Hey Joe Joe
all right I know hockey's heading over to town hall thank you very much for joining us and thank you for the inspirational [Applause] performance next up uh another historic
first uh proud to recognize our girls winner track and field team who made history this season as the north two group four sectional Champions we do one more time this marks the program's first ever
indoor track and field sectional Championship your commitment perseverance and teamwork have set a new bench Mark for excellence in our Athletic program congratulations on this incredible achievement we look forward to hearing more about this historic Victory again as I call your name in alphabetical order please come forward
to receive a significant a certificate of recognition and proceed onto the stage to await a photograph start with Ashley Cunningham quinland Dy Emily drenan Bridget Garrett Scarlet Goldman Anna
kyes Vanessa Lin [Music] Kira lenser Maya Aire Jada petara Lily P Lily Petri sorry Emma Frankie Alexis Ray Darby
revok Olia Reyes Isabelle rasoli Morgan [Applause] samit Claire sewald Olivia thoron Lydia Wright Anna Yousef
Jessica ziao and a number of coaches coach Eric Anderson coach John Preston coach maanna banck coach Sam Heyman Coach Ricardo [Applause]
Johnson coach Jenner priori and last but not least head coach Joe barardi who I invite to the podium talk about the team's amazing season so uh thank you members of the board Dr Gonzalez uh all these great teams out here and coaches um I just
want to thank you this is a great historic year um I do want to kick it over uh one of my assistants wanted to say a couple words so uh just want to thank you guys but uh going to kick it over to coach heon to say a few things about this team all right um I'm really up here because
I got the biggest mouth so um really want to say a few thank yous first thanks to the board obviously for the for the recognition um coach of Sno he's always going to be coach at Sno to me um moving in the athletic department
um a lot of support from him as always and I want to thank those young ladies over there uh and especially the coach because they allow us uh to thrower some gym time uh whenever we can get it and uh it's appreciated very much appreciated uh so
thank you ladies and congratulations um as far as this group of young women go um I guess when you do something for the first time uh I guess there's a lot of reasons for it and why it never happened before um the best way
I can sum this up for those of you that really don't understand about how a how a track season Works kind of people all over the place uh the throwers practice at the school the runners are outside the throwers go to different meets during the year really the only times
that we come together for meets are really the Union County uh Championship meets and the state meets um so the best way I can sum this up and hopefully this is going to bring a lot of Pride to you parents uh and you community members is
you got an awful lot of young women over there that assumed a lot of responsibility um and as young women I think and as young people that's a really important characteristic to have they assumed a lot of responsibility uh and this was important
to them um and I think that that's the best way I can sum up the success of this season so thank you again than [Applause]
s all right moving on we are also celebrating our North 2 group four sectional Champion boys indoor track and field team [Applause] who demonstrated remarkable strength skill and determination to capture their
fourth straight sectional title your dedication to Excellence and resilience in the face of competition have set a high standard for all congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment we'll hear more in a moment from coach telski But first you know the drill come forward please as I call your name start
with Sam Braun [Music] Christian bapan Ryan Daly who also won the 800 meter at the Met of Champions Alex Doros Douglas G Andrew
jokas Brenton hatch Jack Hill Liam Morris Mela seway and louu Owen o' Conor Tyler petrovich Charlie prto Luke Romano Noah Rubenstein
Jake stinton Caleb stman Brody toriello Cole Varner Jack Wallen and our coaches coach Sam Heyman Coach Ricardo Johnson coach Mariana banck I got you coach Eric Anderson
coach John Preston coach Jenner priori volunteer coach Kyle Mueller and head coach Chris telski coach you may or may not know you get a chance to speak at one of these meetings I don't know yeah we'll see right all right thank you
so much um thank you for taking the time to to recognize these guys and all these teams and their their achievements um and to have to have so many teams not just in this winter season but um in the fall season too um I think you know we
in in Westfield we can be spoiled a little bit with all the things that our kids accomplished but this is really abnormal like the the the number of the number of championships that Westfield teams uh bring in on a on a yearly basis
uh it's easy to uh it's it's easy to to kind of feel like they're expected but there every single one of them is its own unique story uh but it starts with the support that we get from the community from from our board from our Administration U the the support um that
coach Heyman referenced a little while ago with the support between coaching staff of different sports the relationships that we build um and the things a lot of us work with kids who do a lot of different sports in different seasons over the course of the year and sort of watch them develop over their
over their time with us um we know that it's not just us doing that if they're if they're involved in other sports programs they're learning and developing skills in other places and they're bringing them in uh and they're they're benefiting us because they're spending time uh elsewhere in the athletic department so uh we really uh that it
that also is not normal at a lot of schools I know a lot of coaches at a lot of places who do not enjoy the relationships that that we enjoy here uh both among the the teams kidwise uh and among the the coaches uh as well um uh
this this year's group of kids um you know were were acutely aware of of the number of graduates that we had last year there's a lot of chatter about that um uh not all positive comments that we'd overheard about how difficult things might be um but the you know
never underestimate what what a year of work and a year of progress can get you uh we had a lot of guys uh some of these guys are here for their their uh their 11th season with our program or their seventh season uh with our program in track and field some of these guys up here are up here for the very first time
as a first season guy uh and uh each of them was interested in filling a role knowing that there were going to be some openings that were that were vacated by last year's seniors and knowing that there were opportunities for them to try out some different Events maybe they ended up in events in the state meets
that they didn't really want to do but they did anyway for the good of the group uh and uh in the end uh they have they all have a a championship to show for it and they're going to get numbers up on the b in the gym um and uh they're going to share that forever so um we're
tremendously so proud of them coaching staff a second and none uh the family support that we get is tremendous um so we're we're very fortunate to do we do here uh to work in this town with these kids so thank you so
[Applause] much e e all right one more um finally we are excited to recognize our girls basketball team for their incredible performance in
capturing the north 2 group four sectional Championship program's second ever sectional title through great teamwork and Relentless Drive you've proven what's possible when you come together as a team more from coach mcken in a moment but I'll call each of you up alphabetically we'll start with Katie
kopoulos Kate simbor Marin fer Lyla haer Darby hubner Katie Lane Sophie Lane Megan Logan Molly McDermot Katherine
Olivera Laura olera pton Reed team manager Kate fiser team manager Kayla Rose Reading Coach Brian Simi coach Zach Warwick and head coach Liz mcken coach main the podium is
yours well I was not prepared with a speech uh we also have our banquet tomorrow night and so I'm pretty sure these kids don't to hear me talk for an extended period of time um but I do want to honor them first I want to thank um our parents um we have an amazing group of parents that have raised an amazing
group of young women um their support not only throughout the season but all year taking these kids all over the country um not only to play basketball to play soccer to play lacrosse to play whatever makes them happy and um just makes them tremendous athletes and teammates uh we also want to thank
everyone that has stepped foot into the gym that has come to support us uh girls Sports don't really get the recognition that boy Sports usually get lucky for us uh the basketball program is kept in our family um so we do a good job of supporting each other um this team right
here is something special they were um you know we had a our program had a pretty good year a couple years ago and everyone's like oh you guys are going to stink it's rebuilding Year all this stuff um and we had some Growing Pains last year um but this team everyone
standing here before you um they they fought and they fought hard uh for 10 wins last year and to come back in less than a year and to win 24 games the second most in program history um is admirable um it's because of the their
work ethic their unselfish their unselfishness um just wanting to win for each other and it all starts with our seniors um Katie and kopoulos um has been on this team since she was a freshman she knows what it's like to win this kid is leaving Westfield High
School with five sectional championships and two state championships from two different teams you should clap for that yeah that's th those are team sports that she was a leader for um Laura Olivera has also been part of our
program for four years and has been a tremendous leader both on and off the court um and then not too many teams get this um reward in my mind to have a manager uh Kate fiser she played her freshman
year we asked her to help out when her season was over with um our state championship team and it turned into a role that she has now perfected she's not a kid that just does the stats and keeps the book which is by the way extremely important in a basketball game
um she has taken the role of just owning this team and being a leader um and doing and putting the effort in that most kids you know just want to show up be part of a team maybe get get a varsity letter um but but she earned it um so like I said this team 24 wins um a
sectional Championship that we knew we were going to win but shocked the state of New Jersey when we knocked off number eight Bon um who have 3,000 Point scorers and three three girls going to play D1 basketball uh to beat them on their home court was something special um and as a coach who's been doing this
for many years um definitely one of the proudest and happiest moments I've had as a coach and for them um so again extremely proud of this team girls Sports rule you guys should watch it more um Alabama Michigan double overtime one of the greatest girls
basketball games ever last night I highly recommend more things going on but um everybody should give a round of applause and also thank you to my staff because I'm a unique individual and Brian and Zach do their best to support me and they do a great job so thank you
to them um and thank you to these girls so e e e all right we will move on to announcements we'll start with CJ the Franklin School Community receives a generous Grant from
sustainable Jersey for schools and the New Jersey Education Association in the amount of $10,000 the grant funding will be used to transform an underutilized space into the future Franklin Hub described by Principal Paul Dr Paul Duncan as what will become a vibrant welcoming and accessible Outdoor
Learning and community space excellent Lea I have the one with all the names today so bear with me I'm going to do my best 15 Westfield students were honored by the National College Board recognition program which recognizes
strong academic performances of students who belong to communityto communities historically under repesent under represented I'm rushing under represented on college campuses this non-s scholarship program celebrates High achieving students of
African-American Hispanic and Indigenous descent as well as those from rural and small towns and first generation College families congratulations to the following students for the national Hispanic recognition program Sophia
basaldua Sebastian Cera Jacob Korea Anna Lux singer Nicholas Lucas jorim Doza Gabriella Marcado sha raal Julianne Robinson Andre Phillips
Basquez for the national African-American recognition program Eden Forbes and Kanye netm netm tadera for the national first generation recognition program Madison tacticos and
Matthew Zang and for the national indigenous recognition program Seth Becker uh Mary congratulations to National Merit finalist Garrett gal Garrett joins other high achieving high school students Nationwide being considered for
scholarships by the 2025 National Merit Scholarship program which will be announced over the next few months Ken thank you don't miss the opportunity to nominate a deserving educator or staff member for the road
and optimistic Club Awards the deadlines for nominations is coming up this Friday March 28th details including nominating forms are posted on the news section of the district website and secondly all parents of students in Pre kindergarten through grade 12 are invited to a mental
health Symposium this Thursday March 27th at 6 PM right here at Westfield High School this free event is organized by The District's student assistant coordinators or Sachs if you did not get a chance to pre-register you are still welcome to attend so come on down make
sure to enter through the high school's back door off raway Avenue thank you Brandon yep all Westfield Public Schools will be closed for spring break from Monday April 14th through Monday April 21st not on my announcement but the
election is April 15th uh so if you're going to be away please request an absentee ballot Kristen congratulations to the cast crew directors and parent volunteers who worked so hard this year in the spring
musicals the Edison and Roosevelt Theater departments presented Trek the musical and Rock of Ages respectively while the Westfield High School theater Department presented smile each performance was well attended by enthusiastic audiences including members
of The District's golden Pass Program for residents 65 and older all Productions provided students with opportunities to grow in roles both on stage and backstage and sorry and I'm very I'm actually very
excited about my announcement because I got to see um smile and I just want to say we have unbelievable talent in our schools so the next regular public meeting of the Board of Education will be on Tuesday April 29th in cafeteria B at
Westfield High School beginning at 7 p.m. the meeting will be live streamed via the district YouTube channel which viewers can access access on the board tab on the district website the complete agenda will be available on Friday April 25th also on the board tab we look forward to wel welcoming and celebrating
our talented intermediate and high school musicians I actually have one it is just 21 days until the April 15th vote on the bond referendum an additional spending proposal for the 2025 26 District operating budget we'll hear more from Dr
Gonzalez in a moment but make sure to check your email inboxes for his weekly up dates and visit the budget and bond portal at westfieldnjk12.org vote on the district and school websites for all the details also as the April
15th vote occurs during spring break a date selected by the state please be sure to apply for a mail-in ballot and return the application to the Union County Clerk's Office no later than April 8th the ballot and additional instructions are available on the how to
vote page on the budget and bond portal and with that we'll move to a report by District administration great thank you very much uh before we begin I'm going to ask uh Miss Ramos uh if she has any updates to the agenda this evening yes there was one revision to the agenda to
note um in item a for under governance one Hib was added it is incident 28788 FES 02052020 and it will it's noted as item five
okay thank you uh before we jump into tonight's presentation on the annual operating budget and the final Bond referendum questions I I want to use the opportunity um to share uh some Reflections on the journey that's brought us here um to this moment in
2021 I joined the Westfield Public School District an exceptional district with a proud tradition of excellence and as a new super intendent I asked myself how can I add anything to this already established Legacy and help to propel
the district forward and what followed was an incredible partnership between the board the administration and the community to tackle some complex challenges many of which were centered around really defining our goals and aspirations as well as establishing a
financial future in my first year we faced the fiscal cliff head on when our expenses outpaced our revenues forcing us to make some pretty difficult budget cuts it was a wakeup call and a moment of resolve
for all of us where we committed to never have to do that again that's when the board made the thoughtful decision to return to the annual budget vote in April and return the opportunity to partner with the
community ensuring that all taxpayers could once again have a direct voice in how we fund our schools but our efforts didn't stop there together we embarked on a year-long strategic planning process which culminated in the board's adoption
of a 2023 to 2028 5-year strategic plan this plan rooted in input from over 3,300 students staff parents and residents established our Collective goals and aspirations it became our road map for
advance ing the Westfield education's future with Innovation sustainability and inclusion at the core since then we've made tremendous progress we've prioritized student wellness and academic achievement by adding counselors
academic support teachers and enrichment Specialists we've reinvested in our school safety with increased security uh with increased security Staffing as well as the upkeep of our facilities by the addition of buildings and grounds
Personnel we've launched a coordinated approach to curriculum development instructional resources professional development and assessment to assure alignment that meets the needs of all Learners we've expanded access to
educational technology while developing a multi-tiered system of support to meet every student's need in a comprehensive and holistic way these aren't just isolated initiatives they are our steps in a larger deliberative
effort to fulfill our strategic plan which brings us to tonight the operating budget being voted on this evening and the two Bond referendums going to uh Bond referendum questions going out to voters on April
15th represent our shared commitment to the long-term success of the Westfield students as outlined in goal five of the Strategic plan we pledged to develop annual budgets that support our priorities we pledge to ensure ongoing
investments in facilities security and technology and we pledge to pursue a bond referendum to address critical facility needs and program expansions including full day kindergarten we are now at the threshold of fulfilling that
promise the bond referendum includes two questions to address significant overdue Capital Improvements across our schools including HVAC restroom upgrades adding an additional instructional space and more
we also added a second question to introduce and sustain a path to finally bring full day kindergarden to our community an opportunity that reflects the strong desire of our families and the ability to join the rest of this
state in offering this opportunity to our earliest learners this is not a simple undertaking it takes years of planning dozens if not more of community meetings and presentations advisory groups surveys thought exchanges and
countless hours of collaborative work what we are presenting tonight reflects what this Community Values and what our children deserve I am proud of the transparency the engagement and the shared Vision that have guided us to
this point while this is our final public board meeting before the April 15th vote our work is far from done we have multiple Community engagement events scheduled along with informational print and digital Outreach
efforts that will lead us up to April 15th all we ask is that the Westfield Community continues to stay invested stay informed and make your voice heard while the timing of the April 15th vote isn't ideal we are fully committed to
doing whatever we can to ensure the greatest voter turnout possible thank you for your ongoing support trust and partnership it's a privilege to lead this district with you now let's transition to the formal
presentation of the 2025 26 operating budget and the upcoming Bond referendum so we're going to begin the presentation this evening to debut uh publicly at a board meeting the referendum video that has been compiled
and shared through each of our community engagement experiences uh in the early stages of our community engagement presentations this was a draft V video because we didn't have all the data necessary to complete all the slides uh so instead we had placeholders in the in
the video but we would walk through and talk through those uh experiences this video is now complete it's posted on our website was included in the latest uh Community update and we'd like to share it this evening with all of you
e e e collaborative spaces that support new projects student research Club Gatherings and other activities at Westfield High School the auditorium will receive a complete
makeover with new seating electrical lighting and sound systems and with modernized restrooms improving our learning environments would make our schools more functional and support better experiences for students we also need more instructional space to
effectively serve current and future students like many school districts in the country Westfield has an increased need for the kind of one-on-one or small group instruction that helps students catch up keep up or get ahead
academically we already struggle to find appro individualized learning some of it happens in hallway mils former coffee rooms or converted Supply closets we need more space for these services in now we must also prepare for more
learning space as current families grow and new families move into town Westfield needs additional classrooms to accommodate Rising enrollment and to meet the goal of expanding our kard program over the past two decades State academic requirements have steadily
inreased making it harder for our half program to include exploratory play and other unstructured time that's so important for Social Development nearly every school district in New Jersey already provides full day kinderg crit when compared to full day programs Westfield half day provide
students with about 180 few hours of instruction in core academic subjects with a full day program M being 32 hours and language arts would gain 95 hours of instructional time per year social studies with more than double for
our youngest students and those with different learning needs expanded instructional space means the opportunity for a strong Foundation establishing proper learning environments for students with special needs aligns with that
commitment our plan includes renovating spaces to better serve those students in some cases programs would move to entirely new classrooms designed and built for individual Liv Lear Westfield cannot expand to full day
kindergarten without more classrooms which is a key component of the bond reference we would also need more teachers we will ask voters to fund Staffing for full day kindergarten in a future budget proposal Westfield uses several
financial planning tools and a bond referendum is one of them that's because selling bonds would provide upfront funding for long-term improvements like building efficiency it can also qualify Westfield for a special kind of state
[Music] aid the state of New Jersey has committed millions of dollars in financial aid toward these proposed projects continual repairs and Renovations are always part of our annual operating budget but we don't get
this kind of aid for projects accomplish through that budget that's why Bond funding is the most EC way to afford large and necessary Capital needs such as Heating and Cooling improvements and restroom Renovations and this debt servicing
comes from the state's annual budget the funding source every taxpayer already pays into that's right the critical advantage of state aid would bring taxpayer funds back to Westfield investment in long-term Solutions can ensure safe modern learning spaces that
truly support the needs of students and staff the Westfield public school district will hold a bond referendum and budget vote on April 15th every registered voter can cast a ballot by mail or in person mail and ballots will be extra
convenient for this Bond and budget vote the vote date of Tuesday April 15 is during the school district spring break voters might be out of town and school might be out of mind it's never too early to send in the application for a vote by mail ballot but there are
deadlines that make it too late to get sent to you be sure your application for a ballot is in the county clerk's office no later than April 8th the deadline is a little later if you want to submit your application in person and you can even get a ballot fill it out and turn
it in all at the same time the legal steps to put these questions on a ballot are complicated because of that the county won't be able to send vote by mail ballots to Westfield residents until the first week of April be on the lookout for yours and act quickly to send back your ballot it must be
postmarked or placed in designated Drop Box by April 15th and cannot be brought to an inperson po to vote in person no which location is your assigned fing place and make a plan to get there on Tuesday April 15th whichever way you plan to vote be sure you start by
learning about the issues on the ballot the website is full of information and visuals and it has a schedule of multiple inperson and remote opportunities to learn more you'll see forms and deadlines for how to vote with links to the ma application remember the
ballot includes different funding tools used strategically to best Meet The District's needs the district operating budget for the 2025 26 school year will maintain our current educational standards and daily
operations Bond funding would modernize existing facilities and add instructional space for current and future Westfield students Westfield enrollment is growing and educational needs are evolving the 15th vote includes proposals to meet this moment
with the opportunity to bring tax dollars back home through an approved referendum this plan represents what Westfield is all about making sure all students have the resources to reach their full potential each and every day we want to continue building strong
foundations for the Bright Futures that every Westfield student deserves [Music] [Applause] yeah Kent and I both noticed you had your Westfield tie on I didn't even notice it the first time I saw
it thank you for noticing itic so we've been talking about this referendum for for for several months now uh we've been discussing it we've been presenting it um so we figured this
would be a great way to summarize it all uh in the final uh steps before April 15th so our presentation this evening really is just going to highlight the the key points uh in addition to the video that we just uh saw the key points being that on April 15th that the ballot
is going to include four important decisions the first is going to be a vote on the additional spending proposal associated with the annual budget for the 2025 26 school year then we'll have two questions related to
the bond referendum the first will be uh consist of all the items associated with the large scale facilities improvements that includes upgraded HVAC systems restrooms additional or renovated
instructional spaces as well as uh looking at media centers relocation of main offices uh for some schools as well as the refurbishment of the high school school um Auditorium we also have on the ballot um
the election of Schoolboard candidates as well so four big decisions that this community is going to have to weigh in on regarding the budget as mentioned previously but also to recap everything
that I described in my opening comments really highlight all the work that has been uh taking place over the last several years as we've continued to re build our programs and our supports and services for students through the allocation of funds each year and the
approval of those funds by the community those funds then become our new base allowing us to create a more sustainable future for our school district and the initiatives that we have in store so the 2025 2026 operating budget allows us to
continue those programs and initiatives in alignment with our strategic plan it allows us to continue our current Staffing model to make sure that our programs and offerings are consistent from this year to next we are also looking to implement new master
schedules at the secondary level and this budget allows for that to happen and then we look at how we use our existing operating budget as well as our Reserve accounts our maintenance and capital reserve accounts to continue to
provide needed maintenance uh and enhancements to our facilities and all of that continues to be included in each of the um the questions that you'll see on this page so in our base budget um the base budget will not exceed the 2.9
uh 2% tax levy uh cap which includes any allow allowable uh adjustments as Patty has uh shared over the past several uh board meetings but all of our curriculum writing our professional development all of the resources associated with our curricular uh and academic experiences
can continue to be funded and are included in that base budget we also have the addition of two drivers we've talked about the uh the purchase of uh Vehicles Transportation vehicles uh in the forms of two large buses now this budget will include the drivers for
those two buses the continuation of our uh furniture replenishment that started last year with a line item that allowed us to upgrade uh and replace all student and staff Furniture in first grade now is continuing uh into the second grade
and if we can keep this pace up and if the full day kindergarten uh question is approved by the time our full day kindergarten comes online all of our Elementary classrooms will have received new upgraded Furniture uh and classroom
refreshes again all through strategic Bud budgeting and planning and then as mentioned the cafeteria equipment um and Furniture necessary to implement the second schedule and especially here at the high school where we' move to a single unit block lunch so what does
that mean it means that everything that's included in that uh base budget can accommodate everything that we need and what spills over then becomes the additional spending proposal and in this case the additional spending proposal which will be voted on in April 15th
includes everything that we saw plus the additional two elementary teachers one intermediate teacher and then health benefits for those staff members so again the base budget will be approved included everything that I just said and the additional funding proposal only
includes the three teachers and their benefits so I'm going to hand it off to Patty to talk about the tax impact okay so what does that now equate to in numbers the the estimated tax impact for the base budget which the board is voting on tonight is
$27 based on an average assessed home in Westfield of $826,000 once that's voted on tonight it will become final it won't go to the the voters that's the final vote tonight the additional spending proposal which is the
$327 34 which is Dr Gonzalez said stated represents three staff members and their health benefits equates to an annual tax increase of $33 for an average house which is only $3 a month for that so the next slide we go to shows our um
bar graph that we've been showing over the last couple years since we've moved to the April vote so as Dr Gonzalez said the blue represents our base budget it's the state's 2% cap plus our allowable adjustments which we got one this year for health benefits the additions in the
red are that 302,000 we'd also like to highlight as we have in the past that when we received the additional state aid this year we took that extra $500,000 and applied it to the additional spending proposal we didn't look to spend any more money we just
looked to reduce the tax levy for for residents with the additional funding that we received now we get to the actual ballot language question uh this one's not as bad as the uh the referendum ones but it is required Language by the state so it
does specifically State the retention of the teachers and their health benefits uh it is important to note that nowh on here Does it show the estimated tax impact the monthly cost it's just the total dollar amount the taxpayers will vote on and it has to state that
the taxes will result in a permanent increase to the tax base so that next year we're basing our 2% off of this 3.18% combined instead of just the 2.92% and then the last statement is just that we cannot put any mandated
cost into the additional spending proposal so the last statement says that we C we have not done that that everything that is required by New Jersey student learning standards is in the budget at cap so now we move on to the bond
referendum um since the last meeting uh we actually have had a lot of progress um the district finally received our um PEC letters which is the official New Jersey Department of Education um project El ibility costs that identify
what portion of our projects would then qualify for state aid and we are pleased to report that up to$ 57.5 million in uh Debt Service a was was identified and you'll see that breakout across the two questions in a few slides um we continue
to uh engage in our voter education campaigns through um in-person as well as virtual presentations and information that is shared uh through a variety of means including and and I'm thankful to our Media Partners who have also engaged
in uh conversations uh to help us get the word out to our community so thank you uh We've also continued to update our um Westfield portal online um with additional details that uh include all the final uh financials that I just
shared uh the tax impact estimators have also been added so that individuals not only have the ability to look at the average impact but you could also look up your assessed home value and the key is assessed home value not your Zillow value not uh any other value that that
you find online other than the assessed home value um in order to determine the estimated impact uh on you as an individual we also have added school by school project lists the ballot language that we're reviewing this evening as
well as additional explainer videos and information on how to vote and we're continually adding to our frequently asked questions um Resource as well based upon ongoing questions that we've received over the course of of this uh Journey so as you've heard
multiple times and I will continue to add to the um to the chorus uh please apply for your mailin ballot if you do not um expect to be around on April 15th uh which falls during spring break so this slide uh has been added
and it has been used consistently in order to really summarize in a single visual what the scope of this referendum includes everything in the orange represents everything that will exist in question one the HB vac upgrades the
restroom Renovations The increased space uh necessary for small group instruction or expansion as well as additional multi-purpose rooms that would be necessary at both Franklin and Jefferson because of the size of their enrollments
we're also looking to relocate the main offices at Jefferson and McKinley to be more closely uh situated near the front door and then as mentioned in previous um presentations and the video looking to renovate and modernize our media
centers at the middle schools and high school we've also included an update to the whs uh Auditorium here uh We've recently updated the auditoriums at Roosevelt and Edison so this would complete that
um that renovation process here at the high school and then the second um list of items are all the items that would appear in bond question two and those are all the items necessary to renovate and construct the classroom space
necessary to bring full dayk to Westfield now one item that we've mentioned before and we want to make sure that we continue to uh be as transparent as possible is that as it relates to full Decay we want to make sure that people understand that this is
a commitment that requires a two-step approval the first step is to construct the actual space necessary to provide uh the classrooms to accommodate all the students that wish to uh attend a full
day program in our district so we are projecting based upon our first grade enrollments what our kindergarten needs would be and we want to make make sure that we could accommodate every student who would uh need a seat but in order to actually operationalize full day
kindergarten we not only need space but we need people we need staff members who would teach in those spaces we need staff members who would be able to provide the necessary supports to those teachers in order to uh accommodate the increases to all of our schools so when
we look at our operating budget down the road a future operating budget would require uh an additional vote in order to accommodate those staff so I just want to make sure that people are aware of that and that people understand that committing to one requires a commitment
down the road so our ballot uh question framework which we shared before and which I just summarized shows all of those items listed in the first referendum question for a grand total of $188
million um as a total cost and then Patty will break down what that means uh when you apply The Debt Service Aid and what that estimated impact would be so everything I talked about in those orange dots on the second question are those construction and Renovations
associated with implementing full day kindergarten at a total of $37 million so when we break that down as a tax um tax impact uh based upon each of those questions Patty will walk us through
okay so here's the the tax impact for the average assessed homes in in Westfield for each question as Dr Gonzalez mentioned each question is Standalone they're not linked together one can pass without the other it's also I'd also like to highlight that your ta
the taxes will not increase next year if this gets voted on if it P if both questions pass in April this money only the tax impact Only Hits when we start to issue the bonds the year after that actually so when we issue Bonds in a
let's say another year year and a half the following year would be the first year of payments back where your taxes would then increase and it would be the first year would be a lower amount then it would go up so these numbers are averages over the course of a 30-year
Bond estimated at a 4.15% interest rate and as Dr Gonzalez said we did receive a uh $57 million a guarantee from the state of up to 40% of of the costs their costs on the projects and I'll get to that in in the next slides so what that
equates to in bond question one since it has more of the renovations it's $55 million in debt service Aid this is one of the few times that Westfield can get money back from the state to do work there's not many opportunities for this
in a town like Westfield so what that entails is when we issue the bonds each year when we get state aid in February there's a separate sheet that comes on the end and it tells me The Debt Service aid for the year based on projects that have been done in
the past so for this year for instance in our fund 40 our debt service fund we have Debt Service Aid of 600,000 that's from prior Bond issuances so every year they're guaranteed to give us that money and we get it each February to pay the principal and interest for the following year so for Bond question one the
estimated annual tax impact is $785 which comes out to be roughly $65 a month for the full day kindergarten which is $37 million The Debt Service Aid is$ 2.1 million now that's a lower percentage on that and that's because
full day kindergarten most of that question is additions and not Renovations and the state funds Renovations at 40% of cost additions are at 40% of $143 per square foot actual construction costs for additions are
$700 a square foot so the tax impact for question two is 196 the annual is $196 for the average taxpayer which equates to $16 a month now when we go into the next slides we get to the legales the real
Rob's favorite term that I've been using at every presentation the legal ease um this first part it's multiple slides for each each question the first slide shows that for question one of the bond referendum that we're adding 47,9 66
Square ft of additions and the renovations to all the schools that are included in question one and it states that the projects are valued at $188 million that's the maximum amount of bonds that I can issue when you go to the next slide now this is where it
starts to get more interesting then the state takes that $188 million and as I said they only count new construction at $143 a square foot so this next slide shows that the state says the final eligible costs are
actually $138 million it's state math so they they knocked the cost down to $138 million and based the state aid off of that number that's why we're not getting 40% of 225 million we're getting 40% off
of their eligible costs so there is that is something that I if you have any questions please reach out I've been asking everyone because that there is there will be some confusion in reading this if you just walk up to the the ballot that you know you go to vote that day and you don't understand what's
behind it so the state has committed The Debt Service percentage Aid will equal 40% of the final eligible costs on the projects in question one the only part of the project that they did not allow was $999,000 and that is the drop off loop
at the front of the high school that was the only thing they excluded from the projects from the 40% so now we go to question two and you'll see the first slide is very similar to the first one it shows the square footage of the additions and the
total $37 million that we're going to spend for the full day kindergarten the next slide we get into um the final eligible cost and this is where you can really see the dramatic Difference by counting it at $143 a square foot since question two is
preliminary Edition is mostly additions it goes from $37 million to their eligible cost of 5.5 million or $5.3 million and they based the 40% off of that $5.3
million it's also important to note in question two because these questions are Standalone if question one was to fail and question two passes for full day kindergarten we couldn't put some things in both questions like hallways there's you we couldn't add it into both it
would inflate the cost so those hallways and different connection C like that are in question one so if question two passes and question one doesn't we will need to use $5.5 million from capital reserve to build those items so that is noted in this ballot proposal also
everything has to be there it I also like to note in our presentations that we can only do the work that's in these projects so if the moon and stars aign and instead of 225 million we go out to bid and it comes in at 200 million or
175 million we can't come back to the board and say hey we got some great other projects we'd like to throw some other things in there we can't do that all we can do is what's been specified in these projects to the state we cannot add anything else but what the taxpayers voted on the money if we did Issue bonds
that we didn't need for cost would be given back to the taxpayers in future budgets so then we have the interpretive statement which is also very clear I mean that's just clears up every every matter which does show the 225 million
but then does become confusing again because it says the total cost of the project is 225 million but the final eligible costs are 143 million so again that's the state math of the $143 per square foot and as highlighted at the we've
highlighted everywhere we can that we're getting 40% of those eligible costs because we always want to if these questions don't pass and we need to save up money in our capital reserve fund and do these projects on our own we will be paying a 100% of the
cost the taxpayers of Westfield there is no Aid when we do capital reserve projects that's why we try to do projects that are middleof thee line things smaller projects these large ones it makes sense to go to the state to go to bond on this and get the money
back now the estimated tax impact so this next slide shows our operating budget and the bond referendum so you can see everything all together so for the base budget which is being voted on tonight like we said it's $27 the additional spending proposal is
$33 for a total operating budget of two increase of $240 to the average taxpayer Bond question one is $785 for the average taxpayer and question two is $196 as Dr Gonzalez said it's important
to go online and use the tax estimate C uh calculators that we have up because a lot of people don't have homes that are valued at 826 thou I mean the average home is but there are a lot of people that live in Westfield that don't have that and we've been hearing that in our presentations when they come up and they
said oh I ran it and it's much different for me my house is not valued at that so it is important to to go on there and check your your home so just real quick to to recap on this slide what you'll uh recall is that um the budget vote and bond referendum
while they're both voted on April 15th uh they do run parallel uh processes uh both of which uh result in the Board of Education voting to approve the amounts and the language which will happen this evening and both will be voted on on
April 15 so it's amazing how this uh this slide has evolved over time um at a point it didn't seem like things were moving because it was just taking forever to get the information but we finally got the release of state aid we
finally received the um the the um the budget uh preliminary approval as well as notification of Debt Service aid for the bond referendum so that we've made it to the finish line of this process um
the board will vote this evening on their final basee budget their additional spending proposal as well as the bond referendum uh ballot language that will all be included on April 15th and then on April 15th we have officially handed off this uh decision
making to the community so uh I again want to thank all members of the board of education for their support their communication their commitment I want to uh thank all members of the administration and and the school Community who have come out to help uh create a proposal that truly
reflects the needs of this community the aspirations of this community and the opportunities for our students to continue to um move our tradition of Excellence uh forward so over the next few weeks 21 days I think was the the
latest count uh we will continue our efforts to inform the community through our ongoing presentations uh our our informal uh Gatherings uh we'll be at Lincoln tomorrow doing a superintendent coffee again just to be able to meet people where they are to be able to
answer their questions uh we will continue to share information through weekly Bond and budget updates through our principal's uh Community newsletters through our social media feeds really encouraging everyone to stay connected and stay informed and I am also going to
deputize everyone who's watching this evening as well to make sure that they become the Goodwill ambassadors to help get this message out there to um let your voice be heard on April 15th we we encourage everyone this is a big deal this is a big decision we want to make
sure that the entire Community weighs in on that so uh with that subtle last slide uh we will conclude our presentation this evening uh and certainly open it up for any uh questions by the board
go for it okay I I mean I'm just going to say thank you again to Patty and Ray I'm I don't have any questions I've not that I don't love it but I've heard it about like 10 times and um but thank you again and thank you again for going out
so many so often in the community to get the word out there I think that's been really great um in addition to saying thank you I also want to say I'm very excited for this I don't even have kids in the school system here anymore but I'm still very excited to see this uh come to
fruition I I'll add a a word of thanks as well um and Dr Gonzalez went through a whole list of of things that have been going on that got us to this point that doesn't happen without the right team in place um and I want to say thank you to Dr Gonzalez and his team uh many of whom
are in newer roles than than from even when Kristen am Mary and I first started on the board three years ago um there's been a lot of change um and we were talking about this just a three of us the change in education people say happens very very slowly um this board has challenged that um because of the
Litany of things that have changed both from curriculum from how we're doing our budgeting from how we're doing community outreach years ago we weren't doing Road shows you know we weren't you know we were thinking about our budget in a reactionary way you know what do we have to do what do we have to fix now what
are we going to plan for the future you know we weren't partnering with the community as much we were trying to find different ways to get things done kind of within ourselves but now I've decided to expand out to be true partners with the community tell us what you think vote on this stuff give us the opportunity to work um there really
isn't an area of the district that hasn't been touched and improved in some way over the last few years and that just does not happen without the right team in place so uh I am very hopeful to see um you know that that this team gets out out again and and and and comes together again just as we have been um
to get this uh get this you know hopefully out to the public and to encourage them to come out and vote um I'm very much hoping to have this team together to implement all the rest of this because we're we're talking about all this great stuff but um if all of it passes in April we've got a lot of work to do um and I'm certainly looking
forward to it and I hope everybody else is here as well so thank you all for the support thanks to everyone uh every one of you for the support and thanks to the community for coming out and with that um James the high school student report good evening this past
weekend the cast and crew of the theater Department put on three amazing shows of smile this was a lot of our seniors last performances in theater and they all did an amazing job all three nights were filled with great acting singing and dancing also coming up student government and community service Club
have been continuing to plan for um our week of service along with starting the elect election process for next year all of the toiletries generously donated are being packaged and delivered to home rooms so that students can assemble them before they are sent to those in need sgaa would like to thank all those who
contributed to our Amazon wish list for these supplies students will also be writing cards to senior citizens and service members despite the wish list closing there are still ways for members of the whhs community to get involved in the week of service we'll be holding a book drive the week of April 7th with
donations being made to the bridge of books foundation and the Westfield Memorial Library overall Westfield is very excited for the upcoming week of service and spring break ahead thank you thank you uh next we'll go from report by curriculum instruction and programs
Kristen good evening sip met on Monday the 24th So Yesterday um to discuss several important topics regarding curriculum and opportunities for students the meeting began with a presentation by the assistant superintendent of curriculum and
instruction Matt Bolton and our K through2 director of Cal counseling Fallon bisone um and it was on the Westfield High School's College colle connections and Pathways program this presentation highlighted the dual enrollment opportunities currently available at
Westfield High School which allows them to earn college credit while still in high school and dual enrollment courses also provide the district with key enhancements to course curriculum and professional development for our course instructors currently the District offers dual enrollment courses through
cane University with our Holocaust and genocide studies course and the University of Delaware through the entrepreneurship course the district is expanding its stool enrollment offerings and was recently accepted to the Syracuse University project Advance
which is also known as Supa beginning next year the entrepreneurship course will transition to being offered through through Supa and the district is exploring additional Innovative courses from supa's catalog for future implementation additionally Mrs balison
and Dr Bolton provided an update on the district's Research into developing a partnership with Union College to provide students with future opportunities in college coursework and their certificate programs following this presentation the K through2 language arts supervisor Liz Riley
reviewed several recently revised High School language art curricula the updated courses reflect a strategic scope and sequence designed to develop students as thoughtful readers writers speakers and critical thinkers while also engaging with contemporary issues
in a meaningful way these updated curricula will be on the April Board of Education agenda for formal adoption Liz and her team are currently refining the documents to ensure alignment between course objectives English skills English English skills development and unit
descriptions this evening the board will ALS will vote on the adoption of the new K through 5 Social Studies curriculum which we reported on last last month um and then finally the committee reviewed and approved an overnight field trip
request for three members of the Westfield High School Deca Club who have qualified to compete at the DECA national competition in Orlando Florida the next meeting for sip will take place on April 26 28th excuse me at 6 p.m
thank you excellent um Brandon for report on finance and Facilities y finance and Facilities met on Friday uh we talked about the budget uh I'm not going to mention any more about that tonight we've heard
enough um we were able to review the uh prelimary award letters from the state uh and what took the state 150 days I was able to figure out an hour before the last board meeting and I was only off by one half of 1% so I'm going to
Pat myself on the back for that one um final ballot language is on the agenda tonight uh Finance item number one uh number two sorry uh Finance n number one is approval of the budget uh for submission to the
county um we have advertised uh POS available positions for bus drivers now that we have two buses our bus was delivered on St Patrick's Day so we're calling it The Patty wagon um and the last item of note on the
agenda or on the finance agenda for tonight is that uh Rob Dr G and Patty have met with the town several times concerning shared services agreements and we have that shared services agreement for the management and maintenance of Roosevelt
Field uh as the town already maintains Clark Park their equipment will already be there it was a very logical first first step for for a shared services agreement so uh the Town Council is voting on that tonight as well so we'll see who gets to vote first but that's it
for finance report any questions I'll just add to that very briefly that so I talked about all the great things that this board has started to do together but one of the things really that that I want to highlight is taking stuff that's been talked about for a long time and bringing it to action and
this shared services is one of those things um in addition to talking about this particular agreement that's going to affect Roosevelt we also discussed a number of other items with the town that are in discussion phases um part of the shared services is also going to be the town assisting in maintenance with some
of our vehicles um I think gas as well if I'm not mistaken or maybe I'm off on we get our gas from them we get our gas from the town too so you know tax we talk about taxpayers and tax dollars right but you know from from our perspective it's what what percentage of of a tax dollar is is under the board's
perview what percentage under the town's perview from a taxpayer perspective they just know it's their dollar and what they want to make sure is that the different governing entities are using that dollar in the wisest possible fashion so shared services is yet another way we can do that we're talking about bringing things in house from a
budgetary perspective to save but now you know shared services and and having a great working relationship with the town is another way to do that um also part of that meeting um was a discussion about different pilot funds that are coming online um certainly the aid with the help with
Roosevelt is going to come from some of some of the existing pilot dollars that are here uh and we also have a commitment to discuss future pilot dollars to Aid in in operations at the school not just operations but potentially as offsets for the bond re referendum as well uh obviously you know a lot of those things are still under
discussion but you know we really have gotten a commitment from our town leadership as well to work together and that's the best possible thing we can ask for our taxpayers uh next we'll go with policies personnel and governance I think it's Mary okay the policy personnel and
governance committee met on March 19th from 3:45 to 5:15 in attendance were board members Lila melli Mary wickens Brendan gallagan Robert bachio along with uh administrator Dr Gonzalez the committee began by
reviewing several Central off off job descriptions to ensure alignment with current responsibilities and expectations position positions reviewed included the coordinator of professional growth and development assistant superintendent of special programs and student Support Services assistant
superintendent of curriculum instruction and programs School business administrator uh board secretary Director of Human Resources and coordinator of school and community relations the committee recommends the review of the superintendent job description at the April meeting taking
into consideration feedback shared with committee members and comparisons to other districts it was agreed that these job descriptions be presented to the board for approval simultaneously the committee also reviewed a draft on an updated District
organizations chart the revised chart provides a clearer visual representation of the district structure with more defined lines of authority responsibility accountability and support while no action was taken the committee agreed that continued discussion is warranted at the next PBG
meeting to further refine the chart although there were no new policies for review at this time the committee was informed that regulation 5600 student code of conduct is currently undergoing its annual administrative review this year's review
also includes an evaluation of language regarding participation in athletics and extracurricular activities a revised version of the regulation is expected to be presented to the committee in April or May the committee also discussed the approach to inclement weather day give
back options for the 2526 and 2627 school calendars traditionally unused snow days are returned around Memorial Day Weekend weekends starting with Friday then Tuesday and Wednesday the committee explored three possible alternatives for the next 2 years
maintaining that traditional path pattern reclaiming days at the end of the school year to support the early start of summer construction or using a combination of both strategies while no decisions were made the committee recommends further exploration of these
options in light of potential referendum related construction a request to back to school night dates on the district's academic calendar was also reviewed these dates are traditionally set by the administration and have been standardized as follows intermediate
schools on the first Thursday after the start of the school after the start of school elementary schools on the second Thursday the high school on the third th Thursday and Lincoln School on the 1 Thursday in October the committee supports the recommendation to officially include these dates on the
academic calendar moving forward in response to parent and Community concerns regarding vehicle idling in front of schools the committee discussed the idea of crafting a board resolution addressing the issue it was agreed that a draft Revolution resolution will be
reviewed at the next PPG meeting lastly board members are reminded to review the updated Westfield board handbook by April 2nd and submit any suggested changes to the PPG committee additionally members are asked to complete the njsba board
self-evaluation by the same date those needing assistance with their njsba login are encouraged to contact P Patty the next meeting of the PPG committee is uh tentatively rescheduled for April
23rd thank you thank you uh lastly we'll have a report by the ad hoc uh referendum Communications committee sonel yes the referendum Communications committee met virtually on March 12th 2025 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in
attendance for board members myself Mary wickens Kristen Sonic schmeltz and Rob bachio as well as administrators maryan McAn and Dr Gonzalez the meeting opened with an update on the community Communications advisory committee during their most recent convening on March 10th The Advisory Group discussed the
release of state aid figures and how it supports both the district's General budget and the bond referendum planned updates to the online portal were reviewed with the group and they previewed the full 8-minute informational video video which you saw earlier tonight along with shorter clip segments and is being used across
various platforms to educate the community as in past meetings advisory members continued to offer questions and thoughtful feedback to support ongoing messaging efforts a recurring point of emphasis has been finding effective ways to reach families of young children who are not yet in the school system as the
referendum proposals will have a direct impact on their future educational experiences the final meeting of the communications Community Communications advisory committee is scheduled for Monday March 31st uh the committee also discussed a draft of a letter to the editor intended to represent the full
board the letter to the editor will also serve as a companion piece to four weekly Community updates Dr Gonzalez will send directly to school district families a copy of the letter was distributed to the full board for review and feedback prior to publication to local media Publications including tap
into the Westville leader and the patch in addition the committee reviewed a new board and Community Communications resource document that compiles key messaging points referendum facts by the Numbers useful links and a collection of social media and multimedia assets this tool is designed to support consistent
messaging and provide readyto use content for stakeholders who are helping to share accurate and timely information with the public the resource will be distributed to the full board Administration advisory committee members the parent teacher Council and Community Partners the committee expressed appreciation to all the work
that has taken place to ensure every every segment of the community is informed and engaged in advance of the referendum no additional meetings of the ad hoc committee have been scheduled thank you uh now we'll move to uh really what's going to be the public budget
hearing uh and an opportunity to recognize the public on agenda action items only during this portion of the meeting District residents and staff are invited to address the board of education on agenda action items only 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 the specific action items they're commenting on and ask that all remarks be directed to the board president or designate not to individual members or
staff the board asks that members of the public be courteous and mindful of the rights of other individuals in 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 3 minutes in duration seeing no one approaching we will uh close the public portion of the meeting uh and move to board action uh
we'll start with uh a motion uh I will make a motion to approve the minutes of the March 4th 2025 regular board meeting and executive session do I have a second second for Kent we can do this by Voice vote all in favor yes any opposed any extensions all right that carries uh
next board action items on governance sonel I'd like to move item a under the governance section of tonight's agenda is there a second thank you Kristen all right Patty Rob bachio yes Kent Diamond yes Brendan gallagan yes
Charles jinus no Leila melli yes sonol Patel yes Kristen Sonic schmeltz yes Julie Steinberg Mary wickens yes all right next we'll move to the Personnel items on the agenda Mary
okay I'd like to move items a through R under the Personnel section of tonight's agenda uh I just like to highlight that item R is a sidebar agreement with the wssa to add bus drivers to their contract is there a
second Kristen oh sorry Brendon any discussion that's right so this evening I do have uh several retirement comments that I'd like to share um begin with Cecilia
lopec Cecilia has dedicated over 30 years to the Westfield public schools with exceptional devotion and passion as a Spanish teacher at Edison Intermediate School always willing to go the extra mile cilia has been a reliable presence whether stepping in to cover additional
classes or lending her insight ites to the inrs committee Cecilia is cherished by students colleagues and administrators alike for her culturally Rich lessons that broaden students worldviews she's passionately utilized authentic materials to boost cultural
awareness and was instrumental in establishing The Day of the Dead hallway display at Edison Intermediate School a beloved an annual tradition she pioneered with her fellow Spanish teachers Beyond her classroom contribution Cecilia was pivotal in shaping the inter intermediate World
Language curriculum actively participating in its revision and presentation to the curriculum and instruction panel her enthusiasm for education and unwavering dedication have left a lasting imprint on our
district Antonio or Tony kukuro has been an outstanding mechanic in the backbone of the maintenance department for 38 years Tony has been the go-to person for any job combining his exceptional mechanic tecal skills with a Readiness to assist in any capacity needed his
leadership and willingness to help have not only made him a pivotal member of the team but also earned him the respect and admiration of everyone in his Department his vast experience and dedication have been invaluable assets to the district and his presence will be greatly
missed Anthony Tony pericolo has been a member of the Westfield public schools for the past 15 years most recently serving as a district mechanic Tony has been a tremendous employee consistently Dependable uh reliable and an invaluable
member of our team his willingness to assist in any capacity has made him a pleasure to work with and a vital asset to the maintenance department Tony's Cooperative spirit and Readiness to help have significantly contributed to our operations earning him the respect and
appreciation of his colleagues as Tony transitions into retirement we extend our deepest gratitude for his dedication and hard work almost there Victor Reyes Victor has dedicated 29 years to our school district most re recently serving
as a custodian at Wilson Elementary School known among his uh custodial team as both a veteran and an Allstar Victor has consistently demonstrated his dedication and reliability always ready to lend a hand he ensures that every
corner of the building is meticulously maintained and on weekends Victor is especially proactive finding extra tasks to enhance the school's cleanliness and shine his willingness to come in early and stay late exemplifies his role as a
true team player particularly evident during PTO and community events where he goes above and beyond to support every detail Victor's commitment and pride in his work create a clean welcoming environment that everyone in the community enjoys daily his ability to
handle his responsibilities with excellence and professional ISM has made him an indispensable asset to our te team Valerie Williams Valerie has been the heart of McKinley Elementary School as the dedicated nurse for the past 20
years Valerie has not only provided exceptional care to our students and staff but has also played a crucial role in promoting health education within our school Community throughout her tenure Valerie has collaborated thoughtfully with staff and parents to ensure the
health and safety of our students earning the Deep Trust of parents who rely on her to care for their children each and every day her dedication is so profound that the news of her retirement brings her to tears reflecting her passion for what she
describes as the best job in the world Valerie's thorough kind and thoughtful approach to her work has made her a beloved figure among staff students and families alike she truly embodies what it means to be a school nurse setting a high standard for those who will follow
in her footsteps last but not least we honor Joan pensac Joan has been the heart of in Soul of McKinley since 2011 embodying the gold standard for school secretaries with her unmatched professionalism
diligence and dedication as the backbone of the McKinley School Community she has ensured that everything runs smoothly and efficiently always with the warmth that makes McKinley feel like home whether juggling phone calls manages ing deliveries coordinating meeting
schedules arranging substitute coverage or welcoming welcoming daily visitors Joan does it all with a constant smile each year she meticulously prepares for the upcoming school year ensuring all materials and supplies are ordered well in advance her hard work often goes
without seeking recognition yet she deeply cares for everyone in our community as Joan prepares to leave McKinley her absence will be profoundly felt but her impact in the high standard she set continue to inspire our community for years to come we wish our
retirees all the best for a happy and healthy retirement Patty Rob bachio yes Kent Diamond yes Brenden gallagan yes Charles jinus yes Lila melli yes sonol Patel yes
Kristen Sonic schmeltz yes Julie Steinberg Mary wickens yes all right next we'll move to the finance and Facilities items on the agenda Kent thank you I'm going to break this down into three different votes uh I'd like to move item a on the finance agenda
which is the adoption of the final budget the base budget plus the wording and and numbers for question the additional question of $32,000 may I have a second please sonal thank you any comments Patty Rob bonio yes Kent
Diamond yes Brendan gallagan yes Charles jinus yes Leila Morelli yes sonal Patel yes Kristen Sonic schmeltz yes Julie Steinberg Mary wickens yes all right next I'm going to move Item B under the
finance facilities agenda this is the uh the wording for the two Bond proposals questions one and two may I have a second please Kristen thank you any conversation anymore did you want to read those all into the record no I
can't I'll run through the math too perfect Patty Rob bonio yes Kent diamonds yes Brendan gallagan yes Charles jinus yes Leila melli yes sonel
Patel yes Kristen Sonic schmeltz yes Julie Steinberg Mary wickens yes all right and lastly I'd like to move items C through S under the finance facilities agenda uh items of note item I is the Shar service agreement with the
town of Westfield for field maintenance at Roosevelt and the we do have a donation to mention we want to give a shout out to McKinley School fifth grade girl scout troop who are donating $3,550 to purchase a Gaga pit as a Gaga
player I'm I'm I'm enthused about this one uh this brings our total donations this school year to $104,950 may I have a second please thank you CJ all right Patty Rob bonao yes Ken
diamonds yes Brendan gallagan yes Charles jinus yes Leila melli yes sonel Patel yes Kristen Sonic schmeltz yes Julie Steinberg Mary wickins
yes all right next curricul instruction and programs Kristen I'd like to move items A and B under the subsection of tonight's agenda a ask the board to approve the K through five social studies curricula and B asked the board to approve three field trips at whhs can
I get a second sonel sorry and we can vote Patty Rob bonao yes Kent diamonds yes Brendan gallagan yes Charles jinus yes Leila melli yes
son Patel yes Kristen Sonic schmeltz yes Julie Steinberg Mary wickens yes I I'll call the board's attention to the notes for the record uh there was no unfinished or new business submitted for inclusion in this agenda so we will move
right to Liaison reports if anyone has any Kristen I have a a liaison report for the PTC uh I want to thank the PTC for hosting the Board of Education candidates night last Wednesday evening in cafeteria B it was the first in person one since Co so that was very
exciting the special education committee asked us to announce the Katherine E C Cuthbertson a memorial achievement achievement award application um for seniors they're due this Friday March 28th and they can be emailed to
Westfield specialed parents gmail.com also the breaks committee we want to thank them for their hard work in preparing for the upcoming annual crossing guard breakfast which will be held on Wednesday April 30th from 8:30 to 10: in the Westfield Community room
at the municipal building and then lastly a huge shout out and thank you to all of our schools and their P their respective pto's for organizing and hosting the community service events that are happening throughout our schools um throughout the end of ma uh
the end of March this month so thank you uh I have one report that I guess fits best here so uh again talking about things that the board's talked about and are taking additional action on uh Dr Gonzalez and I had the chance before
this meeting to sit down with Assembly women Michelle matsakas who represents this District uh regarding items that have come up really over the course of the past few years that um that address you know some I guess some issues with state law and how they apply to the
board's operation uh ways that the board can operate a bit more efficiently you know and some concerns that that we have all had about you know limitations that maybe laws put on on what we can and can't do um so she was um we I guess we
we talk we we spent some time with our board um really over a few months polling them for items that you know we thought that we were running into that should be addressed with State legislatures we did that with District staff uh and we thought long and hard about questions and comments that the public has made to us with answers we've
had to give yeah that makes sense but we have a state law that says this or yes you're right there might be an easier way to do this but there's a state law that says otherwise um and compiling all those we focused uh with the assembly woman on on really two things uh one is harassment intimidation and bullying
items uh both this board uh our district um and parents often struggle with with aspects of this law that are very well intended and exist to you know protect students but operationally you know have become a little bit difficult
um for both the board for both parents to work with uh and for the district to work with um we had found out that there had been a commission to review the law uh and recommend some changes to it uh and whereas some of the items in that uh in that report were p a lot of the
others many of which address some of the concerns that we're all having had not been acted on um and the assembly woman you know assured us that she would take a look at that law and see if there was a way to partner with us on the future to get some of those other additional items passed the second discussion we had was
regarding overall budgeting um we did not walk in asking to change the 2% cap uh we're gutsy but not that gutsy um what we really were talking about were more innovative ways to handle our budget um because we see a lot of ways you certainly within the district where
we can help manage funds to save taxpayers money um and not keep having to go back to them for for items um one of the suggestions that had come up you know just regarding our technology is we have you know we issued books to students we have significant technology infrastructure here to manage all that
um and those are at this point in the educational time absolutely capital projects yet we can't use our Capital reserves or other budgets to pay for them instead we're coming back to taxpayers asking for 100,000 here and 200,000 there to cover these items which
increases the tax base in and of itself um we had a few items of that nature to speak to the assembly woman about to say maybe there are ways that we can open up the creativity with our budgeting use of reserved funds and use of other reserves to save taxpayers money while allowing
us to build those reserves and plan ahead uh absolutely very receptive to that as well um this was a first conversation and there is a lot more to discuss with it um but it was about time you know that this board uh in addition to managing the things here um you know
take its advocacy role you know uh out there as well and again you know had we not had the feedback from the board and and all the work and the comments that they've made we wouldn't have had this sort of uh subst to talk with her about so thank you again all for that um this conversation will absolutely continue uh
but again we just I want to thank Dr Gonzales as well for taking time today to get this to get this part started um and with that um I will recognize the public for uh comments regarding uh any topic uh that is within the scope of the
Board of Education uh I ask any current students and staff of Westville Publican schools to be allowed to speak first um the rules for public comment that I discussed earlier still apply I here seeing no one I will close final public comment uh and ask and uh I will
make a motion to adjourn do I have a second second Kent all in favor any opposed any extensions meeting's adjourned