The June 18th, 2026 meeting of the Woodbridge Township Board of Education will please come to order. Roll call. Mr. Secretary. >> Miss. Anderson. >> Yes. Here. >> Mr. Coughlin. >> Here. >> Mr. Mohamd. >> Here. >> Mr. Triboser. >> Yes. >> Miss Bourdan. Here,
>> Mr. Secretary, as required by the Sunshine Law, please read the notice of meetings. >> Thank you, Madam President. The New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings of public bodies of which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon. In
accordance with the provisions of this act, the board of education has caused notice of this meeting to be published by having the date, time, and place thereof posted as follows. on January 15, 2026, emailed to the Home News Tribune, the municipal clerk's office, posted in Ros Street School number 11,
and the board of education administration building, also published on the school district website. >> Doc, Dr. Masamino, please introduce our student representative, Alexa Marcato. >> Alvarado, >> Alvarado, sorry, I I only saw the Marcato part at first. >> From Woodbridge High School.
>> Thank you, Madam President. Alexa is an exceptional 12th grade student at Woodbridge High School who currently ranks 13th in her graduating class while maintaining an impressive 4.13 GPA. Throughout her high school career, Alexa has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to academic
excellence, leadership, and service to her school and community. Alexa has devoted countless hours to volunteer work and is actively involved in numerous clubs and organizations. She is a participant in Letters for Rose, Save Our Strays, and Heroes and Cool Kids. In addition, she's a distinguished member
of several honor societies, including the National Honor Society, RO Kappa Social Studies Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, and the National English Honor Society, where she has also taken on leadership roles. Despite her rigorous academic schedule and extensive extracurricular involvement,
she also works part-time as a dental assistant, demonstrating remarkable maturity, responsibility, and time management skills. This year, Alexa was honored with the Unsung Hero Award, a recognition that speaks volumes about her integrity, intelligence, loyalty, humility, and dedication to others. As
someone who consistently leads by example, she has earned the respect and admiration of both her peers and faculty members. In the fall, Alexa will attend Ruters University, where she plans to pursue a double major in neuroscience and chemistry with aspirations to become a neurologist. Alexa, thank you for
being with us here this evening. >> Thank you. Today I'll be reading the community-based learning projects yearly summary report. The Maui Street School number one prog project focused on the inclusion of multicultural clubs, honor societies, and teams from WHS visiting our
classroom to share information with regard to different heritages. Additionally, members of the school number of school one student council collaborated with members of the school 27 student council where they compi completed a collaborative project that
discussed similarities and differences amongst the school's student populations and cultures. The Avanel Street School 4 and 5 project saw students, teachers, parents, and community members collaborate to create a school cookbook emailed to all families that highlighted
the diverse cultures represented within the school community. The Port Writing Avenue School 9 project focused on improving literary literacy by fostering a love of reading and increasing exposure to diverse pieces of writing. Our goal helped create create a
school culture that celebrates reading and liter literacy while valuing the cultural representations of our community. The Ros Street School 11 project centered around growth in the community. A greenhouse initiative to promote healthy living hosting a have a
heart walkathon recycling crayons for various school hospitals and a pen pals program were just a few of those growth initiatives. Our grow guided reading on wheels, carts, little red library outside of our school, and annual book exchange helped
to grow more confident readers as well. The Indiana Avenue School 18 project focused on creating a more inclusive and welcoming community. Through this project, students explored diverse cultures from around the world, learned about different abilities, individual
needs, and celebrated the unique qualities to make each person special. The Menlo Park Park Terrace School 19 project, the caring clo the caring closet was inspired by a student and parent who wanted to find a meaningful
way to support those in need within our school community. First grade students and members of NEHS enthusiastically organized a donation drive collecting essential items such as school supplies, socks, coats, and warm clothing.
The Claremont Avenue School 20 project centered around all aspects of the Ronald McDonald House and collecting items necessary for the house to serve children and their families. Claremont Avenue students designed pop tab houses for both indoor and outdoor spaces. They
even designed one to be utilized at the local Ronald McDonald's house. Using the indoor house for collection, Claremont students collected 38 pounds of pop tabs, which the house recycles and uses to proceed to help fund their efforts.
The newly designed outdoor house will be utilized by the Woodbridge community to continue these efforts in the future. The Oakidge Heights School 21 Project paired fifth grade students with kindergarten and first grade during their hour of lunch in recess in order
to model positive behavior, teach how to include others, make good choices, and solve conflict in peaceful ways. The Linress School 22 project focused on college and career readiness by helping students explore careers, colleges,
skilled trades, and military pathways. Through hands-on experiences and research, students learned that there are many paths to succeed and that education is key to achieving their goals. The project expanded students awareness of future opportunities and strengthened the connections between our
school, families, and the community through a schoolwide career day. The Woodbine Avenue School 23 project titled Making a Positive Impact in Our Community focused our hometown and school community. Students completed a
variety of projects old and new, including a cultural Thanksgiving feast and various holiday food drives. The Kennedy Park School 24 project centered around the theme of inclusivity demonstrated in storytelling. This
resulted in students learning that language and communication are often demonstrated in a variety of ways, ultimately causing our students to understand that a story may be made up of the same words but can be told in different ways for all to enjoy.
The Lafayette Estate School 25 project entitled Energize to Engage focus on helping students stay active throughout the school day to improve focus and learning. Students designed and participated in movement activities in an effort to understand the importance
of healthy habits and routines. The Robert Masenic School 26 project transformed an outdoor area into a gu into a rain garden that promotes environmental stewardship and beautified our school outdoor area. A bench
dedicated in me memory of Angel Sodto honors a cherished member of our school family and provides a place for reflection. The project united students, staff, family, and community members while creating a lasting tribute and
educational resources for future generations. This is a place where anyone in our community can come and come to sit and reflect in a quiet, beautiful area. The Pennsylvania Avenue School 27 project focused on promoting wellness
throughout our school and community. Through initiatives such as our brighten up our school walls family event, wellness corner resources, and morning music, students explored ways to create a more positive, welcoming, and supportive environment for all. The
project's impact extended beyond our school walls in the form of donations to a local shelter and volunteer work at a community senior lunchon, demonstrating how small acts of kindness can make a meaningful difference. The Matthew JGO school 28 project turned
our hallways into an international traveler's paradise. With each classroom designing a door to highlight a a different country's culture and its traditions, students explored each wing of the school representing a different continent and explored other countries
with their classmates, learning exciting and insightful things about each nation represented. The Oak Tree Road School 29 project was based on the results from the student school climate survey in which the blacktop area used for recess was identified as having the most student
conflict as a result of lack of activities. Our NEHS students and the staff from our MCE team work together to plan, stencil, and spray paint various activities on the black top to provide a
recreational safe spa safe area for both the student body and community at large. The Avenel Middle School and John F. Kennedy Memorial High School projects involved students and staff from AMS and JFK who came together and teamed up with
the CJCC to create a day of rest restorative action. The teams from AMS and JFK made met thou met throughout the year and connected through various community building activities such as paint chip pottery, restorative circles
and creating a mural. These activities serve to help our students understand the power of speaking their truths and listening to others in an effort to improve their schools and greater communities at large. The Colonial Middle School project
focused on bullying prevention, peer leadership, and creating a more positive school culture. Students participated in a student-ledd discussions and activities centered on how to make positive choices in difficult situations both in and out of the school.
The project empowered students to take on leadership roles and build stronger peer connections through meaningful peer-to-peer conversations. As a result, students develop strategies for handling challenges with confidence. The Ford's middle school project
launched a building community connections initiative featuring studentled events throughout the year designed to foster leadership and celebrate the diversity of our school and local community. The initiative focused on two key areas. Strengthening the FMS community and
supporting the broader Fords and Woodbridge neighborhoods. This project strengthen bonds between students, families, and residents while promoting social emotional growth and civic engagement through tangible improvements to sh to our shared spaces.
The Iselin Middle School project, redefining what matters, focused on creating a school culture where students are valued for who they are, not just their achievements through activities that promoted connection, inclusion, wellness, and student voice. We work to
help every student feel seen and supported. Our project helped students in our school connect with each other and feel more supported by encouraging kindness, empathy, and inclusion throughout our school community. Our students learned that small actions can
make a big difference when making our school community feel more inclusive. The Woodbridge Middle School project had the Woodbridge Middle School Diversity and Equity Council in partnership with Trim Music Honor Society and the 8th grade concert choir prepare an assembly
to present to Maui and Ros Street schools in March of 2026. This presentation featured performances from our annual multicultural night events. A series of songs were performed and in between each selection, students volunteered
to student volunteers spoke on how each selection represented a cultural group in Woodbridge Township. This project allowed WMS to expand the to expand the reach of their multicultural night and meet the youngest learners in their home
school. Additionally, it allowed our student presenters and audiences alike to better understand how the performing arts contribute to our own senses of identity and belonging. The Colonia High School project saw students continue their outreach program
at CMS. The students did an excellent job building relationships with their younger peers and mentoring them on how to make CHS a better place. The focus the focus of the program was on strategies for being an upstander and
strengthening the school community. The students of CHS led discussion groups and activities focused on how to address bullying and conflict in school settings. And lastly, the Woodbridge High School project entitle titled inclusive PE plus
was designed to encourage belonging and meaningful engagement between the adaptive PE students and their peers. To achieve this goal, students met one to two times per month for authentic and engaging activities. The biggest impact on our school
community was presumed competence. Specifically, the connections established magnified the belief that everyone has the ability to think, learn, and understand. Thank you. That was a lot. You did a great job. And we want to thank you, Alexa, for your
detailed report. And thank you, Mr. Osborne, principal at Woodbridge High School, for supporting your student this evening. You are both invited to stay for the remainder of the meeting, but we will not be insulted if you have other things to do. >> Yes. Um I do have to gradu um I have to
decorate my graduation cap today as I have no time in the weekend, so I will take that offer. >> Understood. That's a that's a big project and I can't wait to see it on Tuesday. Congratulations and congratulations to all of your accomplishments. And I do remember meeting you at the unsung hero event. Um, that's a big one. Good to see your
parents out in the audience as well. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Um, I just want to say thank you to Mr. Ali. Um, all of the projects that Alexa read tonight are um, under the student access and engagement uh, umbrella and
the culmination is that that evening that we all get to see the uh, the projects that the students have worked on all year. And I encourage everyone to make it your business to come next year to these um to these evenings. They are incredible to see what the students do all year. So, thank you, Mr. Ali. We
appreciate everything that you did with the kids this year. Um now, Dr. Masamino, please introduce Miss Camille Monaco, our district supervisor of reading and writing for K5, who is here to recognize a group of educators from around the district, some of whom are here with us this evening.
>> Thank you, Madam President. Um before I introduce uh Miss Monaco to the to the podium, uh I just want to let everybody know we get as as superintendents, we get uh briefings, research from um our legislative liaison. You know, everybody
in the county gets them. Um this month we received one from the content network um early learning success. It's a consortium uh PhDs from some you know of the universities around our country um of education centers and their focus and
I'll hold it up is early literacy instruction. I thought the timing was perfect. Um they work off of grants from the department of education. Uh I'll read you real briefly just because I I I think this sets it up better than than I could hope to.
This brief brings together the science of reading and the science of learning development to highlight how explicit foundational skills instruction, oral language interaction, play, inquiry, and meaningful engagement work together to support highquality
PK through 3 literacy instruction. Uh, one of the focal points of my administration has been early intervention. We have dedicated resources in this area. uh we were able to have Miss Monaco be our our district supervisor and really
you know we talk about leading something um and then there's leading it and taking it to the next level which is something I I believe she has done so she will be humble when she comes up to the microphone uh there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes this is not something you know it's PK through3 so they don't take a state test this is
one of those things that you make the investment early with the understanding that later on it's going to pay dividends and by later on I mean later on in their academic career, elementary, middle, high school, but also ultimately in in their life as as lifelong learners um because literacy is something that that we need for for the duration of our
life. So um it is my pleasure to bring up Miss Monaco. Um she's going to explain the letters program, recognize a group of educators. We invited uh our academic coaches, interventionists. Obviously it it's uh towards the end of the summer, everybody's busy. So for those of you who could make it, we
appreciate it. Uh, but they did complete a two-year letter program. That is not easy. Um, so without further ado, I'd like to call our district supervisor for language arts, Miss Monaco. >> Good evening, uh, Madame President, Superintendent Dr. Masamino, members of
the board of education, administrator, staff, and community members. I wanted to come here tonight to recognize and celebrate an extraordinary group of educators. Some who are here with us tonight. Our academic coaches who are our reading interventionists at our schools, some of our kindergarten
teachers, and some of our first grade teachers. These educators has successfully completed two years of intensive professional learning through the letters program. Letters, which stands for language essentials for teachers of reading and spelling, is one of the nation's leading professional
development programs grounded in the science of reading. This coursework is not simply another initiative or workshop. It is deep research-based learning that equips educators with a comprehensive understanding of how children learn to read and how to
provide effective evidence-based literacy instruction. Over the past two years, these educators have dedicated countless hours studying topics such as funological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, language comprehension, and
structured literacy practices. They engaged in rigorous coursework, collaborative discussions, application activities, and assessments, all with one goal in mind, improving outcomes for students. What makes this accomplishment especially meaningful is that this
learning has not stayed inside of a textbook or on an online module. It has transformed classroom instruction throughout our district. Through letters, our teachers have fundamentally deepened their understanding of how the brain learns to read. Instruction has become more
explicit, more systematic, and more responsive to student needs. Teachers are now better equipped to strengthen tier 1 core instruction while also designing targeted tier 2 and tier 3 interventions that truly support struggling learners. This professional learning has also
inspired many of our educators to continuing advancing their own education. Completing the letters coursework can translate into up to 12 graduate level credits and several of our teachers are now pursuing master's degrees as a direct result of their letters experience. Their commitment to
lifelong learning reflects the dedication and professionalism they bring to our students and our district every day. Combined with the implementation of UFly and our MTSS framework, this work has produced measurable and meaningful results for students across our district.
Districtwide Dibbles data now shows fewer students scoring below benchmark across all K2 grade levels. More students are performing at or above grade level expectations, and literacy achievement continues to show strong systemwide growth. Our end of the year
proficiency rates reflect this progress. Kindergarten students reached 66% at or above benchmark, demonstrating strong foundational literacy growth. First grade achieved 74% at or above benchmark, making it our highest
performing grade level with the greatest increase in advanced readers. Second grade reached 69% at or above benchmark, showing steady and sustained movement into proficiency. And perhaps one of the most significant indicators of impact is
at the end of the 2025 school year, 76% of our second graders left second grade below benchmark. And this year that number dropped to 31%. That is a 45 point reduction in students leaving second grade below benchmark. That kind
of growth does not happen by chance. It happens because of dedicated educators who were willing to learn, reflect, grow, and transform their instructional practices to benefit the children. Letters representatives themselves reached out to me to congratulate our
staff members on the remarkable growth demonstrated from pre-est to post- test results refle reflecting substantial increases in educator knowledge of the science of reading and they quoted that they've never seen that in any other district before. Tonight we celebrate more than the completion of coursework.
We celebrate the commitment, the perseverance and the professionalism of educators who embraced challenging learning in order to better serve our students. And most importantly, we celebrate the impact this work is already having on children, helping more students become confident, capable, and
successful readers. I would also like to share that Andrea May from Letters unfortunately could not be with us tonight, but she expressed how honored she was to work with a dedicated and committed group of educators. She has quoted that Woodbridge is one of her faves. She sent along certificates and other goodies to recognize your
accomplishments. And to our teachers and our interventionists, thank you for your dedication, your countless hours of work, and your unwavering commitment to literacy instruction and student achievement. Your efforts are changing outcomes for students and strengthening the future of our district. So, please
join me in congratulating these outstanding educators on this incredible accomplishment. Thank you. Thank you. Miss Monaco, thank you so much. We appreciate the time that you spent with us this evening. And to the teachers and every more than that are in this room,
and there are plenty of teachers in this room representing uh letters um and what they've done. We appreciate the work that you put in every day. Um our students are obviously much better for it and that's pretty incredible numbers. So, thank you.
again doing. All right, Mr. Tree Bosser, please read the close session statement. >> Thank you, Madam President. Compliance with the Sunshine Law, the board must go into close session in order to discuss subjects exempted from the public portion of our meeting. The discussion to be held in close session will be regarding personal matters and privacy
interests. In addition, there will be discussion regarding a student matter. Any information regarding the closed session discussion will be released to the public when the reason for discussing the matters in closed session no longer exists. I make a motion for the close session statement. >> I have a motion by Mr. Treeoser. Do I have a second?
>> Second. >> Second by Miss Anderson. All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Carried. >> Please rise for a salute to the flag and a moment of silence. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Do I have a motion to reconvene? >> So motion. >> Motion by Mr. Treeoster, second by Mr. Delipro.
>> All in favor? >> Any opposed? >> Carried. Roll call. Mr. Secretary, >> Miss Anderson >> here. >> Mr. Coughlin >> here. >> Mr. Delipro >> here. Mr. Mohamd >> here. >> Miss Perez >> here. >> Mr. Toss here >> here. >> Miss Bourdan >> here. Will someone make a motion to
approve the minutes of the previous meeting? >> Still motion. >> Second. >> Motion by Mr. Delichro, second by Mr. Treeasser. All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Carried. Mr. Secretary, please state for the record a notice of bids received by the board.
>> Thank you, Madam President. On June 3rd, 2026, we received RFP 2702 for elementary language arts co arts coaching and consulting services. Also RFP 2703 for aftercare program services.
Also RFP 2704 for math MTSS intervention instructional coaching and professional development. and also RFP 2705, comprehensive cloud-based educational software platform and related professional services. On June 5th,
2026, we received RFP 27-06, athletic streaming services. >> Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Dr. Masamino, please state for the record the superintendent report for the month of May 26. >> Thank you, Madam President. I present the board the following reports for the month of May 2026. the student registers
in the fire drill report, suspension reports for elementary and secondary schools, bomb threat reports, and reports of the attendance officers. >> Thank you, Dr. Masmino. The Woodbridge Township Board of Education welcomes and encourages active, productive, and respectful participation by members of the public and seeks to protect the
First Amendment rights of those who engage in the exercise of free speech at this board of education meeting. Members of the public are requested to express themselves in a civil manner with due respect for the dignity and privacy of those whose legal rights may be impacted. The public is now invited to
speak regarding the agenda items being presented this evening. When you come to the microphone, please date provide your name and the section of township in which you reside along with the specific agenda item number you wish to discuss. As per regulation 1100D, comments must be limited to no more than 5 minutes. No response will be given until you have
completed your opportunity to speak. Anybody for the agenda? Nope. Moving on. Superintendent's agenda. Dr. Masamino, do you have any recommendations? >> Yes, Madam President. I have 14 items to present to the board this evening.
>> Make a motion for the superintendent's agenda. >> Second. >> A motion by Mr. Treeer, second by Mr. Delipro. Are there any comments or questions from the board? >> Roll call. Mr. Secretary. >> Miss Anderson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Coughlin. >> Yes.
>> Mr. Delipro. Yes, >> Mr. Mohammed. >> Yes, >> Miss Perez. >> Yes, >> Mr. Treebasser. >> Yes, >> Miss Bourdain. >> Yes. Communication policy and planning. Mr. Coughlin, >> Madam President, communication policy and planning committee on recommendation of the superintendent of schools presence the following four
recommendations. I move adoption of the program. >> I have a motion by Mr. Coughlin. Do I have a second? Second by Miss Anderson. Are there any comments or questions from the board? >> Roll call. Mr. Wolferman. >> Miss Anderson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Coughlin? >> Yes. >> Mr. Mr. Delipro. >> Yes. >> Mr. Mohammed. >> Yes.
>> Miss Perez. >> Yes. >> Mr. Treebasser. >> Yes. >> Miss Bouan. >> Yes. Curriculum, extracurricular activities and technology. Mr. Tosser. >> Thank you, Madam President. The curriculum and extracurricular activities and technology committee on recommendation of the superintendent of schools and the assistant superintendent for curriculum instruction presents the
following 29 items. I move for the adoption of the foregoing. >> Motion by Mr. Treeboster. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Second by Mr. Delro. Any comments or questions from the board? >> Roll call. Mr. Wolferman. >> Miss Anderson. Yes, >> Mr. Coughlin. >> Yes, >> Mr. Delipro. >> Yes, >> Mr. Mohamd. >> Yes, >> Miss Perez.
>> Yes, >> Mr. Tree Bosser. >> Yes, >> Miss Bordain. >> Yes. Finance and insurance. Mr. Treeasser. >> Thank you, Madam President. Uh, the finance and insurance committee on recommendation of the superintendent of schools and the business administrator, board secretary presents the following 77 items. I move for the adoption of the
foregoing. >> I have a motion by Mr. Treeboster. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Second by Miss Anderson. Any comments or questions from the board? I do have one thing, Madam President, uh, for the public. If you notice that the administration made a very, uh, smart decision and they took all financial
matters and moved them over to the finance and insurance. So, if there's anything that relates to dollars and cents, you can find it in one spot easily so you don't have to research the entire agendas anymore. >> Thank you for pointing that out, Mr. Toser. >> Thank you. >> Roll call. Mr. Wolferman.
>> M. Anderson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Cathler, >> I'm seeing on item number 11. Yes to all items, >> Mr. Delipitra. >> Yes, >> Mr. Mohamad. >> Uh, Madame President, I abstain on item number 73 in the name of Rutgers University and yes on all the other
items. >> Miss Perez, >> I will also be abstaining on item number 73 in the name of Ruckers University. Yes to all other items. >> Mr. Tree, I abstain on item 11. Yes on all other items. >> And Miss Bouad, >> it's a yes on everything for me.
>> Dining and transportation agenda. Mr. Muhammed. >> Madam President, the dining and transportation committee on the recommendation of the superintendent of schools and business administrator board secretary presents the following 49
items. I move for the adoption of the foregoing. >> I have a motion by Mr. Muhammad. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Second by Miss Perez. Any comments or questions from the board? >> M. Roll call. Mr. Wolferman. >> Miss Anderson. >> Yes. >> Mr. Coughlin. >> Yes. >> Mr. Japro. >> Yes. Mr. Moham,
>> yes. >> Miss Perez, >> yes. >> Mr. Dwiser, >> yes. >> Miss Bordan, >> yes. Personnel agenda, Mr. Delipro. >> Thank you, Madam President. The personnel committee on recommendation of the superintendent of schools and the assistant superintendent for human resources presents the following 40
items. I move for the adoption of report. >> I have a motion by Mr. >> Petro, second by Mr. Treeer. Any comments or questions from the board? Seeing none, Mr. Wolferman. Roll call. Miss Anderson, >> yes. >> Mr. Coughlin,
>> yes. >> Mr. Delipro, >> yes. >> Mr. Mohammed, >> yes. >> Miss Perez, >> yes. >> Mr. Tree Basser, >> yes. >> Miss Bordan, >> yes. Mr. Bush, do you have any recommendations? >> I don't at this time, Madam President. >> Thank you. Is there any old business that should be brought to the attention
of the board? Is there any new business that should be brought to the attention of the board? Uh before we move on, I just want to say graduation occurs in uh just a couple of days and I want to congratulate all of our seniors from all of our high schools um on their graduation. Uh I take it
personally this year as I do have somebody graduating. Uh and I want to thank everyone for a a very successful school year uh show uh proven by the uh the report that you were given earlier today. Um I just want to say congratulations to
everybody. We made it through another year. Madam President, I would also like to just real quickly um Miss It's Miss Oberger's birthday today. Oh. >> She's going to be really mad at me after this meeting, but I do want to wish her a happy birthday on the record. And I hope she has a wonderful weekend.
>> Happy birthday. >> Are we supposed to stand up and sing? >> We'll wait till after though. >> Stacy. Yes. Yes, ma'am. >> Well, happy birthday. We've We've given you a day off tomorrow. Um, we will now open the meeting for
public comment. If you wish to say something, please come to the microphone and provide your name in the section of the township in which you reside for the record. Again, members of the public are requested to express themselves in a civil manner with due respect for the dignity and privacy for those whose legal rights may be affected. Please limit your comments to no more than 5
minutes in accordance with regulation 1100D. No response will be given until you have fully completed all of your comments as to not interrupt your five minutes opportunity to speak. Good evening, Paul London Plan. Um, I was going to be prepared to be, you
know, a little bit of a a critic today, but I have to acknowledge, you know, going from 76% below benchmark at K to2 level uh to 31% is remarkable. I mean, we got to be able to applaud that and be happy that we're moving in the right direction. I spoke to the teacher on the
way out. I asked her, "Have we finally gotten back to the fundamentals when it comes to literacy?" And that's phonics. Because for many decades, we kind of moved away to something experimental called whole language learning. And I won't ask by a show of hands who's familiar with the difference because you
all are in the game and and you're probably well aware of the difference. What I would like to be critical of is how long it took to get back to the fundamentals. My problem with the government school monopoly and centralized planning and the loss of
home rule is that you become an experiment that has to be implemented and imposed across the entire system. And as a result, we've suffered. Our standings in the world have gone down to 40 among developed nations. And that's
assuming we're not cheating in our statistics. That is tragic. So while I have to applaud the little successes along the way, that's just a small, you know, a small win among a major loss over a long period of time. Uh, I am concerned about
having a lack of school choice, especially when we have $49 million budget for this coming school year and we're still below or underwater when it comes to proficiency. As a whole, at fourth grade level, we're at 40% reading
proficiency. And when I say upside down, I mean that means 60% of our kids at that level are not reading proficiently. however they define it now, cuz I'm sure the standards have slipped. You've all heard the word dumbing down the curriculum. That's not just a madeup
thing as an excuse to complain about stuff. There's a genuine dumbing down of curriculum. If you ever seen the primers 150 years ago, 250 years ago, what kids were expected to read then, the classics, now I don't think they're being exposed to the classics as they
should be. So, I want to ask a couple simple questions. Um, what decisions affecting our children's education are actually made by this board and what decisions are controlled by the state, federal government, courts, contracts, and bureaucracy?
Parents are told that public schools are locally controlled. There's this myth of home rule. But I get the impression that when it comes down to discretion of what you do with your budgets and what you do with curriculum has already largely been decided at a higher level. So my
questions are very simple. Question number one, can the board identify the three most significant educational policies currently affecting Woodbridge students that are entirely under local board authority and not required by state or federal law. And I
know that's probably an easy one. Number two, what percentage of the district's budget is effectively committed by state mandates, contractual obligations, and regulatory requirements before the board exercises any meaningful discretion?
And question number three, before committing $41 million to a school designed around the traditional district model, did the board evaluate lowerc cost educational alternatives? In fact, can it even have the ability to evaluate
micro schools, learning pods, expanded homeschooling partnerships, or shared use facilities? And if not, why not? And lastly, if local control is the justification for local taxation and
local school governance, then taxpayers deserve a clear understanding of how much local control actually remains. Thank you. >> Thank you. You want answers like right now?
>> Well, if you have the time. Are they answerable right now or at least in part? >> Yeah. We'll wait till he sits down. They're not public. >> Should I reread the question? >> No. U we we've got your questions. I know you address it to the board, Mr. L.
And I I'll answer generally on on behalf. Um if you look at the budget, you can see what's dedicated towards salary and benefits. That that is going to take up the majority of of any budget. Um which I I think you know, I think when you look at a place like Wbridge and then you start to look at out of disher costs, I mean our out of
district costs are probably bigger than some small district's entire budget. So, um, you know, I don't I don't want to get into a philosophical debate with you in terms of, you know, what we see as discretionary. Um, you are an educator, right, in a school district. So, you
know, I would ask you, what do you have the freedom to teach in terms of can you go outside of a a border proof curriculum that is dependent on state standards? You know, if if you want to keep your job, the answer is no. You can't. You have to teach in accordance with what the state guidelines give. So,
um, you know, when you look at priorities, that that's going to be debatable. If you asked everybody on this committee, um, would they come up with the same three? Uh, I don't know. You know, we would probably have to really dive down to your question because it did have multiple components. Uh what I would say is if you take a
look at the budget, you can see how much money we really do have uh to spend on things like curricular resources, you know, and and other related items. Like every district in the in the state, we are looking at soaring health costs and
transportation costs, you know, fuel is what it is, insurance costs um across the board. So the idea is we try to provide a balanced budget. Um we put our students first. I I do think uh the things we have invested in both curricular and and outside uh to support
curricular have been appropriate and and we'll continue to look at it and that's going to change as things go on. But um you know I think you know the answer to most of those questions in terms of what fixed costs look like and what we have the opportunity to invest in. >> Okay. Thank you.
Good evening and namaste everyone. Uh my name is Mahesh Shankulkar. Uh I have been resident of Islein for past 15 years. My younger son is a rising high schooler and my elder son Ishan Ankulkar
is currently pursuing his bachelor's degree at Princeton University and I'm proud to say he was also a his class validictorian of year 2022. I'm here with me actually I have here my
colleague Bon Kumar also uh I'm here today representing the Hindu education foundation named as HF this is a initiative of Hindu science savak USA also named as HSS
the HSS is 501c3 voluntary nonprofit social educational and cultural organization with over 250 weekly chapters across the United States.
At Woodbridge, HSS works closely with the township and the board of education on multiple community service programs including our annual sea Diwali food drives, highway cleanups which we do by bimonthly and
weekly community yoga sessions held at Woodbridge main library. For the past 14 years during the teacher appreciation week in May, we have recognized and celebrated the invaluable contribution of our educators
in Woodbridge. Every year we organize an annual event called Guruandana. This year around 30 ed educators from Woodbridge were honored in two different
events on May 14 and May 16. In Sanskrit the guru means teacher or mentor and wandana means offering respect. Together guru wandana represent an expression of a deep gratitude and
reverence towards teachers. So I would like actually my colleague Bonkumar also to add a couple of few words on this about this event. >> Okay. Thank you. So we as part of uh HSS we believe in a system where the society will be glorified when the teachers are
respected and given a devotion. So that's why we believe that teachers play a critical role in shaping not only the economic journey but also the character and uh the future of our children. So your patience, dedications and compassion leave a lasting impact on
generations. In our tradition there is a saying that achara devopha that means which means that teacher is to be rewarded like god. So it reflects the high respect accorded to educators as guiding lights in our society. So yeah I
would like to give my ending words. Thanks po. Yeah. So through the Hindu Education Foundation, we strive to build a meaningful collaboration with the school and educators. On behalf of Hindu Education Foundation and HSS,
I extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of our teachers. Your dedication inspires, uplifts, and shapes the future. Thank you for everything you do. Thank you and namaste. >> Thank you very much.
want to thank you for coming up and and and the kind words you said. Um I I I can speak on behalf of of many of the um central office administrators. You know, Dr. Jackarelli, Mr. Postrino, we we've we've been principles in the building. We've attended your event. Um I I attended your event as a principal, as
an assistant superintendent, as a superintendent. Um and and I can, you know, I know Mr. Ali can probably speak in more depth. Uh but the connection that you have made with our community, the level of of appreciation, mutual appreciation we have for you, you have for our staff, um go goes a long way in
in building the culture of our community and and we also want to extend a thank you to you for for your commitment to our community, our students. Uh it makes a difference. I do think it makes us stronger and we really do appreciate all you do. So, thank you. >> Sure. It's a great partnership to work with.
>> Thank you very much. We appreciate it. Good evening all the board of members. Actually I'm here uh my name is Vina Magum. I'm the mom of 12 and four year kid and he is my husband. His name is Premium Man and I today I'm here to
speak. >> Can you can you just state the the part of the townships that you reside in? >> Uh I live in uh I'm the resident of Eelin but British. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. Yeah. Uh I'm here to speak in support of cont uh continuing the prek
uh program for the three and uh sorry the four key I mean uh the four year old kids for the upcoming school year. Okay. Early childhood is one of the most important period for language development for our multilang uh multilingual learners. Access to ESL
support in prek helps build communication skills uh confidence and readiness for the kindergarten. uh these early inventions can have a lasting impact on students academic success and their ability to fully participate in
the classroom. Uh the pre uh the prek program also helps families connect with the school community and supports a strong foundation for learning from the very beginning of the school education journey. Uh so here uh we are here to
request uh the board members for uh uh to extend the upcoming school year uh prek program. Uh it would help us a lot uh for our kids and the as a parent of more working as a parent of a three four
year kid it would be so helpful for us. uh uh we request uh all of you to consider our uh request for uh for the prek program uh is what my
uh request. Yeah. Thank you for the time and consideration. >> Thank you so much. We appreciate you being here this evening. I think you >> Yeah. All right. Thank you. >> Yeah. Actually uh I already had a discussion with uh Mr. Paul Postrino
last month. So and just we I conveyed or I requested for the same for the continuation of that prek ESL program. Um yeah and uh we were here to just uh still speak about that in front of the
board members and uh thank you a lot uh thanks a lot for giving this opportunity. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you very much. Thank you. Good good everybody. Uh the last uh meeting when I was over here the school board meeting I brought
a thing about the uh certain councilman let's say Kenderson uh every minute when things about schools it talks about how good we do in sports and how we do this and that and I kind of brought it up that they should talk more about academics and I know
there's a good results and smart good academics in this school too. I think what we should do praise the kids not just to do good sports but praise the kids to do other things. I think that should be brought from every from the parents like they try to build them. You got to bring the morale
up. You pay more attention maybe to somebody scores a big points on a football field or baseball field what you call it in so ball. But again every day I'm shooting school you see that some child that blossoms becomes somebody that's a time to catch him on
like in foreign countries I know they picked the student from day one that they think going to be somebody and you go after him and admiring pushing forward forward forward and other time you're going to find that kids like that
are put down not by the teachers but by the other students because this bull them because they call them names. That's got to be stopped. But I think what's some good lessons to be learned look at the foreign students come to this countries and I'm talking there's a
lot of kids with a problems different problems of course the language but when it comes beside the language I believe they're more advanced in the age the most of the our kids and my own experience family that's my kids are my
grandchild now in Africa and the schools are better doing there than we do over here. Mhm. >> Maybe we could learn something from them. Maybe it's their parents. Maybe it's the discipline. Maybe other things that we can catch. Why those kids different or some of the worst which is SL too?
Why some of them so good? One of them so kind of back back besides and back. I think this is what we have to do. Just don't go and take something the project and we're going to do this now for 2 years, 5 years. If it doesn't
work, stop it. Don't follow it. And after 10 years, I don't want to bring it up, but where I grew up on a communist country, they would have a fiveyear budget. And for 5 years, do good or bad, they would follow. And most of them was bad. If it
doesn't work, don't do it. But we do have a kids that we work with. Especially in this country, we got people from all over the world. Kids over there. We see what work, what doesn't work. They tell us that those kids tell us what works doesn't work. So
don't push somebody is something they're not interested or they can't do it or maybe their religion or maybe they're whatever it is you get something you can watch. It's a front of our eyes and I know you do but again I hope uh in the future like Mr.
Anderson Council Anderson said, "Well, you know, we had a students who went to Milis College and two of them went going to Harvard next year and want to go to Yale." Well, that's Milles's college. It's not Woodb
Township schools. It's you people you see the flower that blossoms among the kids. Take him under your arms as you help him. maybe will get home from the parents or whatever disability or something but you people
can pick up the students to this they are blossoming and those students will help other students I know my grandson is doing it and my son believe in the schools to do it is to t away from school to do a homework so
this what we do pick up the top of the class encourage them give recognition make you feel important Maybe people put them down. Maybe their parents put them down. You're not good. They're not good. But you see who can do it, who cannot do it. And they just not
just spend the money. Money is not money is not going to do. Yes. Puts the lights on, puts this on, but it does not educate people. It's something that we kind of neglected. We just think, well, you know, we break down, we do something
else. But you the people and everybody should do something like that. But it's a front of your eyes. You can see examples. No place in the world like in this country you can see who's prospering, who is going behind. It's got to be the
reason what's wrong. It's not you. It's not teachers. It's something that we got a different element that you work with. So you just can't put a one to two grade doing good. What happened? Third or fourth. By the time they go to high school, they're so far behind they can't catch up. Mr. Rerk, thank you. That's your time. >> I want Thank you for your time, but and
thank you. >> Thank you. Have a good night, Mr. Mr. Rurk. >> Madam President. Madame President. >> Yeah. Um, >> yeah. I just wanted to um, sir, you you had a concern that you were stating that deals with the municipal council. I just
wanted to make sure that you understood that that concern should go to the municipal council. You stated you stated your first part of your statement had to do with the town council, our municipal council that you should state that when you go to a municipal council meeting.
>> No, no, no, no, no. I don't say that. I'm saying that he brought it up. >> No, >> I know he was talking about me that what I said over here. >> Okay. All right. >> But I would I think what she's I think what she's asking is you just keep anyone on the council on that side and
anyone here on this side. Thank you. anyone in the C don't you don't we understand who he is speaking about the council is what we're here for so have a great night Mr. Thank you. >> My apologies. Uh actually, uh I have a
request like uh we we can speak. I'm so sorry. The rules are that you get to speak one time, but we can speak after the meeting if that's okay. >> Uh okay. >> All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good evening. Uh thank you for the opportunity to address this board. My name is Gerald Maglo from the uh Dolores
Turo Foundation. I'd like to continue on the conversation of um of policies experimenting with children and unfortunately some of the failed experiments which the whole language learning rather than phonics and new math uh rather than learning
multiplication. But my focus is gender affirmation. And um and this is what I I'd like to um actually clear up some comments from a vice pre vice president I think it's Tribeer at a meeting a prior meeting um that he appeared to be
under the um I guess impression that teachers in the district are obligated to comply with the transgender policy. However, teachers do not lose their constitutional right to freedom of religion uh when they come to the school. And this policy violates their freedom of religion. And there have been
about I'll just mention for a VA school district paid 575,000 in a lawsuit brought on by a Christian teacher. California district paid 360,000 and and the list goes on and on. Um, the second thing I comment I'd like to respond to
uh was that uh a comment that they are not this that schools are not pushing gender affirming medications or surgeries and that quote every effort is made to initiate conversations between the child and parents. This indicates that this school district is highly
likely not in compliance with transgender policy. I don't know what the policy number is but the transgender policy which was 5756 um and it should consider strongly strongly consider rescending it. Um the
reason I say that is because the policy requires quote that ensures that the school counselors are knowledgeable regarding issues concerning relevant gender students etc. and these pro and uh regarding also the protocols. Now the
protocols consist of affirming the child's gender identity and transitioning these minors and the policy requires that the school seek professionals including counselors um that prov excuse me provide the support for the students. So these professionals
fail to explore the mental health issues and social factors that contribute to gender dysphoria and they hastily offer interventions uh of gender affirmation and these um uh medications that are used to castrate sex u offenders and
also um procedures that um sterilize children and mutilate healthy body parts. Uh the second one comment that I wanted to uh um respond to had to do with um the counselors uh schools are
advised in terms of working with the parents and schools are advised if the parents differ or the with the child's um gender identity then the student the schools are advised to work with the student and create an appropriate confidentiality plan regarding the
students transgender or transitioning status. Now, being that there's no requirement to notify the parents and the school personnel are encouraged to conceal this information, actively involving parents could be a violation of policy transgender policy 5756. So in
summary, under the current policy and also in terms of working with parents, um the the policy specifically says when the minor disagrees with a parent that uh they are to refer that to the school uh board attorney and uh they also refer
counseling support and that counseling support includes referring to the child abuse neglect uh which is obviously not working with parents. So in summary, this current school policy, schools can work with professionals on a confidential basis without the knowledge
or consent of parents to transition minors without meeting a threshold diagnosis or even appropriate mental screening. And um these transitioning protocols subject these children to very harmful, dangerous medical interventions. Uh, I just wanted to
point out also regarding um the the lad uh you will probably be hearing from you may or may not be aware that New Jersey Westwood Board of Education is being sued. Um the 5756 they're told to to repeal it or they'll be being sued. Um,
you your attorney may may or may not be aware that LAD was never intended. It was only intended to handle employment, housing, and public uh accommodations. Was never a license for school districts to to hide medically and psychologically
significant information from parents. So, um, these lawsuits are coming down in New Jersey. They're all over the country, but in New Jersey, you already have a massive federal complaint against the board of educa education of Hackinack, North Burlington. >> I'm sorry, ma'am. That's your time. >> Okay. Thank you. God bless and thank you
for the opportunity. >> Yeah. >> Good. Entertain a motion to adjurnn. I have motion by Mr. Tree. Second, >> second by Mr. Deliper. All in favor? Any opposed? Carried.