like to call the meeting to order in accordance with the provisions of the New Jersey open public meeting Act of 1975 the audabon Board of Education transmitted notice of this meeting scheduled at at 6:30 p.m. in the aabon Junior Senior High School library media center to the retrospect newspaper and the burough Clerk and by postings on the utaban public school district website and at the Maine and Pine Street entrance of the Junior Senior High School may I have a roll call Mrs rones please James blumenstein here Alison Cox here Andrea Robinson here Amy Davis is absent at time Steven Wilson here Tara petria here Alison lipsky absent at this time Mark Gaddy here Bill Wilson here Jonathan Maxon here thank you oh and Monica Monica AB sorry thank you Mrs Ron Kings uh whereas while the senator Byron and their open meeting meetings Act njsa 10 4-10 Etc requires all meetings of the audabon Board of Education to be held in public njsa 104-112 B sets forth nine matters nine types of matters that may lawfully be discussed in executive session that is without the public being permitted to attend and whereas the audabon education has board of education has deemed it necessary to go into closed to discuss certain matters which are Exempted from the public as indicated on the agenda may I have a motion to go into executive session motion second okay all those in favor any opposed all right thank you we'll be approximately 30 minutes all in favor any opposed all right once again I'd like to call the meeting to order I'd like to thank Mrs Cox for opening it my absence um and I'd like to invite everyone to stand for the flag salute United States of America One Nation God indivisible with liy and justice for all um for those of you that were not with us at our reorganization meeting a few weeks ago I just wanted to introduce some new faces that you might see at the table this evening um we have Mr Wilson who is a recently elected board member so we'd like to welcome Mr Wilson officially uh and also we have Mr Maxon with us Mr Maxon is going to be the uh representative from the man from Board of Education so we welcome both of you gentlemen uh happy to have you with us all right um um our student representative Monica do you have anything for us this evening excited to have a new Junior rep joining us soon we did send out applications so we should have a new Junior rep in the February meeting hopefully hopefully um nothing much going on in the actual School everyone was really excited about the snow day it was very fun um yeah a lot of seniors are getting ready for to finish deciding on their college applications and deciding where they're going so everyone's looking forward to that great thank you very much all right on to arguably a major highlight of our meeting we'd like to welcome all of our students of the month and their families and uh we are going to proceed with that recognition right so if you haven't been here before student reps there's a couple time couple things you get for the parents there will be pictures up there too so if your students your child's up there and you want to turn and take a picture that's great we're going to call up a board member we'll call up your child um that's the camera so we'll get them here you can get in front of everybody and take a picture and more than walk to do that at the end I'll bring up all the prek through 12 for a group picture over there which is always fun so without any further Ado spotlight free kindergarten student of the month river [Applause] Avalon River loves to come to school she practices mindfulness by always using her words when she needs or wants something from her peers or teachers river is always encouraging her classmates and her teachers and practicing safety and respect by always listening carefully and following directions she often volunteers and participates in classroom activities River achieves her goals when she continues to work on writing the letters in her name she always works together with her classmates to clean up centers even if she was not playing there she is an amazing role model when it comes to kindness friendship by including everyone in the class and learning new things we are so happy river is a part of our preschool classroom Community conratulations kindergarten student of the month Catalina La Palo Catalina is nominated as the kindergarten student of the month her teacher says Catalina is a kind and caring friend to all of her classmates she is respectful to her teachers and peers and always eager to lend a hand Catalina is very responsible and a hardworking student she puts forth effort into everything she does she is very plight is a good role model to her classmates we are so thankful to have Catalina as part of our kindergarten school family [Applause] congratulations our first grade student of the month is Abigail Mosin [Applause] Abigail has been doing a wonderful job in first grade Abby is always putting forth her best effort participates asks questions when needed and is respectful to her peers and teachers not only has Abby been working hard in all subject areas she is a wonderful friend to her classmates she is a great role model and a leader showing ways to be safe and responsible in and outside of the classroom her teacher says I am so proud of all of her efforts congratulations [Applause] Abby and our second grade student of the month is Corey pernik Corey has been working so hard this year in second grade Corey exhibits all the traits we are trying to instill in our teacher his teach in in our students his teacher says he is safe respectful and responsible at all times the main reason his teacher is nominating Corey is for his genuine kind nature and acceptance of all students Corey goes above and beyond to include his classmates in activities and shows patience and kindness when dealing with students with special needs congratulations [Applause] Corey the fourth grade student of the month I'm sorry the third grade student of the month is Emily Ro [Applause] Emily Roth is nominated for third grade student of the month her teacher says Emily shows respect by quietly raising her hand in class and listening to others when they speak she is respectful to her classmates and teachers she takes ownership of her learning by being attentive during instruction participating in class discussions and asking questions she completes assignment on time and takes pride in her work Emily shows achievement by putting her best effort into her assignments and projects finally she shows responsibility by working hard and staying on task during group work the teacher says we love having Emily in class and she should be very proud of herself now the fourth grade the fourth grade teacher of the month is Cecilia McAn [Applause] CC has exemplified Ro expectations in the classroom she shows respect by always lending a helping hand to classmates in need and repeating directions for a given assignment she takes ownership for her learning by participating in class discussions as well as staying focused and engaged during lessons in addition she is not afraid to seek help or ask a question she shows achievement by giving 100% into all of her assignments by presenting her work neatly and making sure she uses all of the strategies she's she has learned finally she shows responsibility by always turning in her assignments on time and is always prepared and ready to learn each day CC's teacher says CC Wars every day all day long and is very deserving of this award congratulations C [Applause] Mia D'Angelo is nominated as the fifth grade student [Applause] of Mia is a pleasure to have in the classroom she's a role model to her peers as she goes above and beyond to follow the roar expectations each day she's always on task respectful to others and a friend to all she strives to do her best each day and is always willing to lend a helping hand she is passionate about her education and her future as she is involved in many activities including safety patrol and helping pause she is extremely deserving of the fifth grade student of the month award for the month of December [Applause] congratulations Reagan gouty is nominated as the sixth grade student of the mon um her teacher says we're recognizing Reagan for being an active and involved member of our Mansion School Community Reagan's enthusiasm about school is evident in her involvement in a variety of activities whether she is cheering on classmates as part of the spirit committee writing engaging articles for newspaper club or patrolling the Halls as a safety Reagan is a dedicated role model to her peers that same level of Engagement carries over to her academics in the classroom she's an advocate for her own learning when things get hard she perseveres and keeps a positive open-minded attitude she accepts feedback and applies it to raise the quality of her assignments Reagan demonstrates Roar behavior on all she does in and out of the classroom we look forward to watching Reagan continue to display her mountain lion pride to end this school year and [Applause] Beyond Zachary Thompson is nominated as the seventh grade student of the [Applause] month Zach is recognized for his outstanding achievements in seventh grade he has seamlessly adapted to the school schedule and is excelling in his classes Beyond academic success Zach actively engages in class discussions showcasing his enthusiasm for learning he consistently demonstrates kindness and courtesy towards his peers fostering a positive and inclusive classroom environment notably Zach goes above and beyond by researching additional facts for the class's fact of the day showcasing his dedication to academic enrichment moreover he embodies values of respect compassion and assistance to others in need making him a commendable role model Zach consistently displays a positive attitude Good Conduct and puts forth full effort in all areas making him a well-rounded and exemplary student at aabon Job [Applause] Zack Lauren Hagen is nominated as the eighth grade student of the [Applause] month aabon proudly recognizes Lauren for her outstanding achievements in eighth grade her exceptional qualities make her a standout student and a joy to have in our school Community she exudes positivity with her everpresent smile creating a welcoming atmosphere wherever she goes Lauren is not only organized and dedicated but also incredibly helpful to her peers her work is consistently turned in on time showcasing a level of neatness and precision that reflects her commitment to academic Excellence Beyond her academic achievements Lauren serves as a commendable role model for both her classmates and younger students her kindness and dedication to her studies makes her a shining example of the values we hold dear at oton Middle School congratulations Lauren on being named student of the month wel Annabella galdi is nominated as the ninth grade student of the [Applause] month Annabella is recognized for her outstanding commitment to academic excellence and personal growth she consistently demonstrates exceptional dedication to her studies actively participating in classroom activities and going above and beyond her role as a student throughout the month of November she exhibited remarkable progress working diligently to her full potential Annabella consistently completes all assignments and homework showcasing a strong work ethic and diligence in her academic Pursuits notably Annabella has taken a serious and structured approach to enhance her standing within the school despite being an exemplary student from the beginning of the year she actively sought opportunities to settle into her role recognizing when to seek extra help and engaging in conversations with multiple staff members to create a more challenging schedule for the upcoming year her proactive attitude and high level of confidence are commendable attributes that set her apart as a truly exceptional student congratulations Annabella on this well-deserved recognition your well-deserved honor reflects your outstanding character and [Applause] achievements our uh sophomore nomination is Colin Philip [Applause] philippy Colin Philippines nominated as the 10th grade student of the month teacher says Colin has truly earned this recognition with his remarkable achievements and pos positive contributions to our school Community Colin has consistently demonstrated exceptional qualities in the classroom throughout this Academic Year his commitment to understanding the material is evident through his unwavering effort and active engagement in class discussions Colin's proactive approach is reflected in his willingness to seek clarification when needed and assist his peers his contributions both in terms of answers and explanations greatly enhanced the overall learning experience for the entire class Beyond his academic uh academic achievements Colin stands out for his remarkable respectfulness friendliness and welcoming demeanor he's he has cultivated positive relationships with both classmates and staff creating a harmonious and supportive learning environment it is genuinely a pleasure to interact with Colin on a daily basis in the penhouse and I look forward uh to further getting to know him throughout the year Colin is undoubtedly deserving of the student of the month recognition a testament to his outstanding character and dedication to academic [Applause] excellence Abigail tol is nominated as the 11th grade student of the month you can do it professional awesome okay so Abigail is proudly recognized for our outstanding qualities and contributions to our academic Community Abby consistently brings a positive and enthus enthusiastic attitude to class setting an exemplary standard for her peers her wor e her work ethic is unparalleled and she serves as an inspiration to others with her commitment to Excellence aby's vibrant personality and unwavering positivity create a welcoming atmosphere in the school making her a true pleasure to have as part of our community despite the challenges of a demanding schedule she excels academically and maintains a constant smile showca showcasing her resilience and dedication Abigail tol is not just a student she is a role model embodying kindness respect and hard work oton High School is fortunate to have such an exceptional exceptional individual as part of its student body congratulations Abigail on this well-deserved [Applause] recognition good evening everybody El Martin is nominated as the 12th grade senior student of the [Applause] [Music] month her teacher says real her teacher says Ella is a true embodiment of sunshine in human form Ella's caring and considerate nature coupled with her genuine Spirit set her apart as a remarkable individual in every interaction Ella effortlessly lifts those around her fostering a comfortable environment where everyone can Embrace their true selves her infectuous optimism radiates through the school making her a bright light that positively impacts the entire Community Beyond her warm personality Ella exemplifies respect kindness and friendliness she consistently puts forth exemplary effort in class actively seeks clarification through thoughtful questions and serves as a source of encouragement for her peers 's ability to create a a happy and welcoming atmosphere is truly commendable I am grateful for the privilege of having her in my classroom this year and I'm confident she will achieve great things not only within our school but also in your future endeavors Beyond High School [Applause] congratulations this little piece of paper [Music] SM thank youy we thank you all for joining us this evening congratulations again to the families and students you're always welcome to stay if you'd like but we certainly understand needing to get home and and get to bed thank you [Music] the educators of the year if you want to come in and take a seat get a little closer [Music] hey guys there how are you how are you all right next it says District reports and superintendence reports we're skipping we're skipping we're going right into educators of the Year par Professionals of the year figured we were going Administrative Assistant arguably our our next highlight of the of the meeting yes yeah so District reports and the superintendent's reports will hit them during the the the normal session of the board um I just want to say how fortunate we are to have so many wonderful Educators support staff uh professionals administrative assistance uh when I came on board the the district had uh student representatives for the uh students of the month really for the junior senior high school and I asked the question why aren't we looking at our pre K through sixth grade students and that picture right there was perfect we had the prek student with the the 12th grader precious perfect true we are prek through 12 but it's what these professionals do that really make the difference um the board does a lot of work administrators do a lot of work the support from the teachers our administrative assistant and you're going to hear a little bit about them [Music] um we brought on in 1819 the teachers of the year as well as the power Professionals of the year and the Ed uh service professionals we realized a couple years in what about our maintenance folks our buildings and grounds and then we brought them in and then this year we brought in our administrative assistance because anybody who knows anything about what happens in a school or any really organization those administrative assistants do a lot to keep the schools running so I'm proud to say in my tenure we've now recognized and will be recognizing seven different folks and tonight we're going to go through it's really about um their dedication to education is how they're looked at their backgrounds and abilities their leadership in their different positions um they have the respect and admiration they are nominated by their peers and reviewed by their peers it's not a popularity contest it's a contest of traits that make you exceptional and then many of them take an active role in the community and I think you're going to hear a little bit about it we're going to go through the presentations um the way they are on the agenda so I'm going to ask Miss Binger to come up so she can present to Kyle chman good evening I'm Noel Biser I'm the supervisor of special education for the district um I have to start off by saying that I don't know anyone else who has the level of energy that Mr Kyle shyman has each and every day of the school year if he isn't running around Mansion Avenue supporting students as a school psychologist you'll find him running around supporting children on the baseball and soccer fields of aaban Kyle is a true pleasure to work with you can't help but admire his enthusiasm and of course his dedication to students and their families Kyle brings a sense of humor and a genuine investment in every child's future his positivity flows naturally and even on the most challenging of days you can tell he has a passion for his work and to help kids being a school psychologist is highly demanding of problem solving adjusting plans coordinating with multiple staff and these are all standout strengths for Kyle he is certainly a knowledgeable patient and caring Advocate that our school Community respects and admires for all of these reasons and so many more Kyle is deserving of the educational services professional of the Year award [Applause] congratulations well we have the par professional of the year so uh we'll have the fortunate this smelzer is going to come back and forth back and forth but here you go they almost had a [Music] sweep thank you for sure the uh mountain lions are well represented this evening so um good evening everyone and I am so grateful to be in the position to be able B to recognize Robin Quinn as the power professional of the Year Robin and I have worked together now goodness eight years perhaps um at the enin and Robin has moved from position to position and has done so with amazing finesse you know for a long time she served in special education as a power professional there working in small groups and in some cases one to one and this year you know and we've talked before you know i' really like to teach I'd really like to do more teaching and there was an opportunity to move from one power professional position to another at Mansion this year and now she is an instructional assistant in basic skills and it has been Flawless both places that you've been and over the years the amount of time effort and energy your creativity your sense of humor which we very much appreciate it Mansion Avenue I think has been the whole package to help kids both in the special education realm and in the basic skills realm really reach their absolute potential at Mansion so from the bottom of my heart thank you so much for everything that you do your steadfastness did I say sense of humor um we appreciate all of those things about you congratulations what a well-deserved [Applause] award [Applause] so now I have Mrs ledard coming up to present Maria mccut yeah we're going to get jumping in the air too thank you thank you um I have a good fortune um to share with you a little bit about Mrs McCutchen this evening who welcomed me in immediately when I started in oton and has I have just relied on her so heavily since so to you personally I'm very thankful for you um this year's Governor educator of the Year award was especially um meaningful to participate in we had a great deal of nominees the letters were thoughtful and meaningful and really student centered focusing on the skills that our educators spring and our committee really sat down and um there were a large group of us and we really spent time talking about the depth of what our Educators do as well as you know the wide reach and and how that impacts our building and hands down um what I can say to you is that when Mrs McCutchen is not in the building trembl a little we all get a little nervous um and and it's not often that she's not there because she is so dedicated to us but we all unilaterally agreed that when she is out we feel the absence of her in our building um and the the providing of support and nurturing that she gives our children so um a little a little bit about that um as as prek to children and even older so many barriers to education are often not academic right they they're other things that get in the way and so to be able to remove that and allow children to get back to the very hard work of learning is what Mrs McCutchen does for us every day in both of our buildings um some examples of that would be her quick little 3 minute meetings in her office um her disarming humor how much she enjoys the true nature of what it means to be a child um she is the keeper of snacks and fidgets you will often see her hosting dance parties at lunch recess um greeting families at arrival in the morning and the list goes on and on in addition to inrs 504 PBIS character education um as far reaching as an impact as we could have at the preschool and at um Mrs macachin is definitely um we're just proud to to nominate and and recognize you for all the work that you do for us we appreciate you we love you thank you for everything that you do government educator here for thank [Applause] you all right bringing Mrs smelter back for Katie [Applause] Huber you're a master teacher you are a master teacher you have The Knack and the talent that brings out absolutely the best not only in the students that you serve the teachers that you work with and me and I appreciate that sorry you're the person I turn to what do we do we have this issue we have an instructional concern we have an old always we have an opportunity to talk discuss bounce ideas agree sometimes disagree and I love that about being able to work with you for the kids of aabon you again your talents in instruction your kind yet firm accountability with them helping them learn and grow to become more and more independent the older that they get are all invaluable skills that you have a talent in teaching them and so for 10 years I have learned from you and you aren't afraid to ask the difficult questions that make me go home and reflect and say I got to think about what's really best and come back and keep that discussion going I appreciate that from the bottom of my heart just like to Robin to you for your time your dedication your talents your instruction your question wondering it's been an amazing journey working with you this this award is so welld deserved congratulations our educator of the Year from Manion Avenue [Applause] School parent group picture perfect so I'd like to invite Mr Leb up so he can recognize Mr [Applause] Marino good evening everybody I'm Jeff Le principal High School start off by saying a couple of things that other principles set up here um our our selection this year we had a large number of nominees I think I think we had 10 nominees this year which is awesome um and the same thing before our selection process was challenging because so many great Educators not just in the high school but Mansion havin um everybody it was a challenging process but um I think we got it right this year um and Mr Marino is an amazing amazing teacher um you can see it in the hallways you can see with the kids um going back to a lesson I I went in and observed earlier this year I was very very into it because of my high school chemistry teacher um but also as I just noticed this picture as you can notice in his picture that that like his why don't you look like that now he's got multiple IDs um Mr that um but I'm in I'm in this chemistry class and he's talking about all all the chemistry and all the stuff's going on and these kids are super excited these high school kids are super excited about chemistry and he takes out these MREs that these kids are going to open up the next day in class and they're talking about what's in them and how they're made and how they work and how they last so long all this other kind of stuff and the kids start to argue and fight about who's going to eat what and I'm going to take yours and you're going to take like these kids are so excited about learning um and that's just what he does with with all the kids in his class I also learned something because if you walk past this CL every day there's always a new fact on the outside our days are getting longer every single day cuz 600 million years ago there was only 21 hours in a day it's a fact because it was on his board so it's fact it's factual um our DIY conversations help a little bit too with this so we have some good DIY conversations um but I'm was going to take a second I was going to read a letter that Mr Marino has provided for the um teacher of the year I think it sums up pretty well is with great pleasure and admiration that I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you on being named the oton high school teacher of the year you're remarkable achievement is a testament to the passion dedication and Excellence you have consistently demonstrated throughout your lusterous teaching career which began in 1995 over the past 28 years your commitment to education has left an inedible mark on countless students and colleagues alike your ability to inspire motivate and instill a love of learning is truly extraordinary you have created an environment where students feel valued encouraged and inspired to reach their fullest potential your longevity in the field speaks not only to expertise but also to your adaptability and resilience in navigating the evolving landscape of Education your willingness to embrace new teaching meth methodologies and Technologies showcases your dedication to providing the best possible educational experience for our students as teacher of the year you serve as a shining example of the positive influence that Educators can have on the lives of their students your colleagues look to you as a source of inspiration and your students carry with them the valuable lessons and encouragement you have provided this well-deserved recognition is a reflection of the countless hours you have invested in shaping the minds and futures of the Next Generation your passion for teaching coupled with your genuine care for the well-being of your students has set you apart as an outstanding educator once again congratulations on this prestigious honor thank you for your unwavering dedication to the field of education and may your continued journey in teaching be as rewarding and fulfilling as it has been for all those fortunate enough to be part of your classroom thank you [Applause] I'll wait for the flip the the next educator of the Year par professional of the Year building's maintenance and grounds is Robin Jones she couldn't be with us tonight um she actually has resigned from her post and has an opportunity down in Florida uh Mr Rudder has been running crazy uh with ice and snow and he wasn't able to be here tonight but I do want to recognize I miss her I missed her tonight as we were setting up and getting ready for the the board meeting um she has served in the district um she worked uh for nutr serve she's been a um custodian for four years and she moved quickly up the ranks to become the the lead KN custodian and she will be missed and Robin if you're watching Miss last but not least we're asking M smelter to come back up again we have Sher [Applause] Kan is it fair to say that there there's not one person in this room that hasn't had an interaction with Sher [Music] Kane I don't know what to say this is like you you're amazing when I first moved to Mansion I thought your middle name was knows everything Sher knows everything Kane um because you were just so gracious in a transition for me um when I think about Mansion Avenue School school and you being the face of the front office and the professionalism you show the patience the dedication The Knack of of really bringing down emotions that are happening around us and problem solving and it it's it's like it's like it's effortless effortless for you it's like you were born to do what you do at Mansion Avenue School school for the children they love you they love saying hi every morning they miss you when you're not there staff loves you I love you you have without a doubt been the rock of foundation the person that keeps everything running make no mistake she keeps everything think running I can't thank you enough for everything that you've done for all of the years that you served here at the high school and then at Mansion Avenue School and the hundreds and hundreds of kids' lives you made better because of who you are and what you do congratulations this is a well-deserved award so we might well get the group shot we take all the Educators the here come [Applause] on [Music] Mir [Music] [Music] [Music] do [Laughter] [Music] can congratulations again to everyone thank you for coming uh you also are welcome to stay for the rest of the meeting if you'd like to but we also understand the need for you guys to go home and go to bed you want me to get a picture of the vi area look at [Music] that we're gonna take a five minute recess Board of bed members right next on our agenda is we have our annual board ethics training uh Miss Garen our counsel from Parker McKay is here to uh present us with just some of the things that we are held to as board members just a few things just a few just a few um for everyone watching at home my name is Amy Garren I'm an attorney of Parker McKay I am joined this evening by my colleague Steven Holmes we are both members of the school Law Department and we are just some of the attorneys for the board um I know this is really the highlight of your evening uh and that you were all here for the ethics training um I don't want to disappoint you but this is largely the same information I delivered to you last year your o around ethics have not changed there are a few cases we will highlight uh new cases we will highlight during the course of the presentation um but largely these are your same ongoing obligations that you've had since you've undertaken service on the board sorry um I always start now I realized can any can you read that is that okay because I'm starting with the interactive exercise let's read the actual code of ethics that you are B to uh and I thought if we could there I forget how many bullets there are it goes for a couple of slides but if we could just go around the table and each one of you read a bullet um I think it's not a silly exercise I think it is helpful to actually know what the words are of the law you are being held to so if Mr Wilson and I can impose upon you to kick us off uh I will confine my board action to policy making planning and appraisal and I will help frame policies and plans only Bo is consulted those who will be affected by I will carry out my responsibility not to administer the schools but together with my fellow board members to see that they are well run I will support and protect School personnel and proper performance of their duties I impressed and also dist I mean all right how about if all that's okay I will refer all complaints to the chief administrative officer and will act on the complaints at public meetings only after a failure of an administrative solution thank you I will uphold and enforce all laws rules and regulations of the State Board of educ and ersing I will make decisions in terms of the educational welfare of children I will seek to develop and maintain public schools that meet the individual needs of all children regardless of their ability rce Creed sex or social standing I'm trying to because I can barely see um I will recognize the authority rest with the Board of Education and will make no personal promises nor take any private AC that may compromise the board I will refuse to surrender my independent judgment to special interest for partis political groups for schools or personal game or the game of friends I will hold confidential all matters pertaining to the schools which if disclosed would needlessly Ure individuals or the schools in all other matters I will provide accurate information and in concert with my fellow board members interpret to the staff the aspirations of the community for its school I will vote to appoint the best qualified Personnel available after consideration of the recommendation of the chief administrative officer so those that's it those are the words um that's what you're being held to and the rest of this presentation is going to be an overview of some quick tips as well as a review of some cases that may sound familiar um that outline how those duties and responsibilities play out in real time as you serve so under the New Jersey Administrative Code there's certain requirements um which we're satisfying this evening um we have an annual discussion of the school ethics act at public meeting um adop policies a training on school on school EIC School EIC and provide documentation I believe these were the forms that Debbie had you sign at all right so the code of ethics in practice um you can read I I'm not in the habit of reading to you but I think some of these uh weren't just being ticked off the list so in practice you refer complaints to the school administrator you keep the community informed you do not violate the chain of command and if few children in the schools I recognize that is a very hard one to follow do not make promises or help active complaints until they reach the board level you are members of your community you are active in your community I know people come to you all the time asking questions seeking help um but you you can't uh step in and help them they must follow the chain of command do not bend the rules do not make personal promises and when it comes to the administration of schools you must consider the recommendations is the chief School administrator particularly when it comes to the hire and determination of personnel you are only authorized to act upon the chief School administrator's recommendation you do not become involved in the day-to-day running of the schools and you do not publicly critize personality so those are some of the the highlights and quick tips of how it plays out all right now on to uh some decisions U made by the school ethics commission um this one might be particularly relevant um this has to do with disparagement of an employee through social media by a board member um the commission indicated that greater care should have been taken um this is more of a private action which board members should not engage in in a blog social media or any other public for uh such as that so the general rule of come when you're posting on social media is that you must always include in this labor that you are speaking for yourself not in your capacity as a board member and that you do not represent the board as a whole um that responsibility um now that you're a board member follows you with every public statement every public post you make um but the point of the decision that Stephen was just talking about is is also you have a separate duty to not criticize your personnel in the proper performance of their duties so if you don't like someone you don't it up on Facebook and if you think somebody has violated a rule you're not going to make a Tik Tac about it there are proper channels for raising all of those concerns which you are all obligated to know okay whitre V Jordan um in this one there was a certain school policy in which uh the bathrooms were locked in in between Class periods um think of that what you will but obviously a parent may think of it I believe the child was under Ians care and needed un limited B use uh the parent made complaints to Administration and then went above Administration and went to board um and filed a complaint with the school ethics commission against the board members for not taking action however the school ethics commission found that the board members acted appropriately and allow the administration to handle it the general principle of this is that board members should not interfere with duties that have been delegated to Administration it's not their place expanding a little bit on your duty not to administer the schools these are two popular questions that come up can you can a board member participate in employee exit interviews the answer is no um you cannot that is um part of administering the schools and supervising even if it comes down to an exit interview um and it gets you directly involved in day-to-day functions an interesting note is even just being present to observe so if you promise to sit in the corner and just look not say a word your presence creates an influence in the room and your presence um sends a message and that's an activity you should PR pray from um in the same vein can you participate in Personnel interviews no it's the same reason and logic that administration of schools your role in hiring Personnel is to act in a board meeting upon the recommendation of the superintendence okay um this uh is a decision you might remember from last year I presented it um this was sort of like the case study in everything not to do as a board member um this was a particular board member who did not like her superintendent who went around telling people that the super endent contract was going to be terminated and offering the job to other people and she took a whole bunch of different unilateral actions from hiring a business administrator that the superintendent didn't meet her interview issuing rights notices of the superintendent and others hiring a behavioral specialist the superintendent had never met hiring a nurse that the superintendent had never met um making decisions about allocating resources and funds um she even went so far as to HDE to own her board minutes um to it that the superintendent was kept in the loop on those things there's a there's a whole list of stuff on the slide I'm not going to read it all to you but if you ever want some good bedtime greeting and to educate yourself on um what not to do I would say this is the one case you should have on your list suffice to say don't get involved in the day-to-day administration of schools you are in partnership with your Chief School administrator he takes all the action you consult with him he technically is the only a new supervisor of any authority over um and all uh all else should follow proper procedure going to that point of you not supervising certain employees uh in the matter of Charles Fisher this decision uh had to do with a board member calling a I believe it was it was not the business it was not the business administrator was whoever was direct it was direct the business administrator was the supervisor of this employee a board member went Rog um looking for uh Financial reports uh the reason wasn't very clear and the board member did not make it known to any fellow board members why the request is being made or whether the request was being made at all the board member threaten the employee for the reports obviously don't threaten employees whether or not you have super supervisory authority over them um and do not take any private actions um without disclaiming right so the moral is the board member took private action that could compromise the board and the not support s Personnel in the performance of their duties this this case I think also lends itself to a nice discussion of what like how do you how do you get information right so this is a case about a board member that wanted Financial reports and started calling an employee at home if you want information what is the proper way to go about it um and each board that I've worked with was found a proc to strike a balance if your Administration spends all of its time responding to information requests that means they are not doing the job you hired them to do at the same time you need sufficient information to make educated decisions when you vote on the matters before you so you need to find the balance uh of that in addition individual board members cannot make demands of administration if you want there's a difference asking a question and getting clarification and saying I need a report of this or I need a report of that if if the reports start becoming voluminous my recommendation is have the board vote if a majority and not necessarily A a vote or at least have a majority voice their opinion this is information that we want is it useful is it worth taking our administrators away from their daily duties to provide if the answer to that is yes and a majority agrees then yes your Administration provides that information but sing individual board members should not be requesting voluminous amounts of information um from school personnel and taking away from their from their duties um this is um another case about acting beyond the scope Derek's versus Shia Vine um this actually was appealed from a school ethics uh the school ethics commission made a decision this was actually appealed with appella court and the appella division affirmed that uh you have to comine board action to policym planning and and Appraisal um this was a guy who had a job in the HR field and he uh had a certain amount of expertise in recruiting personnel and asking appropriate questions to make sure that you got the best qualified candidates so when it came to some hiring decisions he prepared a whole list of documents like this game plan about what to ask and who should be there and how you and he created rubrics for the evaluation and he distributed he distributed it to District administration as a tool they should use and and POS it in a way of this is my area of expertise that I am affording to you while it may have been well intentioned it was clearly Beyond uh the scope of his authority as a board member if there is expertise you bring to the board you use that in your board decision making roles and responsibilities not to you Ser the roles and responsibilities of your hired staff quite a lot of cases um okay so Percy V Wasa uh this is pretty simple um and it was appointed uh the school ethics commission use this to clarify that only a board president or a majority of the board May Rice uh superintendent um a board member went rogue did not consult with any other board members nor the board board president um even went as far to avoid the business administrator and went to the business administrator's assistant secretary to sign the rice notice just to get it out there um s commission clarify that only board president majority of the board may rise a superintendent and you should not be ring individual employees that is the superintendent's role to determine which individual employees get RIS I'm just how are these people doing these things you would be surpr walking into the office and saying your assigns I me they haven't been advised well about school ethics and seriously I mean what strikes me when we do this look at the dates of these decisions 2011 the one um the one that um we just talked about is um 2017 that we're not talking about ancient history this is you know under the category of that actually happens in daytoday board life right so um it's it's worth our while to even though some of this may seem obvious um and I and I don't want to stand up here and pretend like we're lecturing the board on obvious things the truth of the matter is these are things that are actually happening in recent time okay our next highlight uh is Stephen is going to tell us about some of the more colorful decisions that came out last year okay so in one a board member violated uh the school ethics act when they sent an email from their District email account to members of the legislature and to a member of the public expressing their personal views about the mask mandate and encouraging action for the legislature and others according to school ethics commission the board memb personal views could be re could reasonably be interpreted as being endorsed by the board and had the potential to compromise the board because they seem to support a call to action against the m in schools this uh goes towards disclaiming I believe uh and another a board member violated the school ethics act act when they voted to approve a new employment contract and a superintendent at a time when their spouse was actively employed in the district you're going to speak about confence of Interest so get into that then um and finally whether a board member's social media activity May violate the ACT will always depend on whether based on the substance of a speech a reasonable member of the public can perceive that the board member is speaking in their official capacity as a board member if your social media activity cannot be viewed as being offered in an off in an official capacity or on behalf of the board then disclaimer is not required although it's recommended however if a reasonable member of the public could perceive your social media activities offered an official capacity or pursuance to your official duties a violation of the ACT may be established at the fing party whoever brings a complaint can prove the allegations asserted in other words board members must always consider the public lens through which their social media activity will View and consider whether despite their intention it might be viewed as being offered in official capacity we do we're going to social media next um social media next this is um a case and you know what the the complaintant was a person named day but I don't have the date on this one the the gist of it is that um a board member was up late one night admitted he says it was like 1: in the morning and he was just upset over things that happening in school and and the superintendent seemingly not taking his concern seriously so he made a bunch of postings online he made a generic post about people seeming like terrorists and he didn't use the superintendent put a picture of the superintendent up next to his post so it was obvious to everyone that he was saying the superintendent was a terrorist um and this was and I don't remember the date of this one but I remember what made the comments especially egregious before the commission is that it was not that long after 911 so essentially what the school ethics commission found is that board members are always regarded as people who have special Insight you have more information than the general public so when you make public statements your comments are given more weight and a higher consideration than if Joe Mo off the street made a similar comment um and they found um SCH commission found that this particular individual uh was was acting not in the best interest of the school and against actively against the interest of the superintendent by posting something that essentially said superintendent was a terrorist um so you know again be mindful of your social media post it I I do want to say you do not give up your first amendment rights when you become a board member you are allowed to disagree with each other you are expected to disagree with each other you are expected to disagree with administration at some point you are expected to disagree with the majority vote at some point that's all fine that's part of being you know officials in public office but it's how you express that disagreement the disclaimers you use and the language you use and the manner in which you go about it you can't disparage people when you go about disagreeing with policy um the next thing is just a quick reminder about the open public meetings act um all of your business is conducted in public um there are certain requirements of the public meetings act it's why you announce how yours are adver IED at the beginning of every meeting it's why you announce your topics for executive session on the agenda before every executive session and the only things you can talk about in a close session are the specific things enumerated in statute so and and that's quite frankly part of my role here is to remind you if you start having a policy discussion in an executive session I always speak up and say that is not an executive session topic that is a public matter that you can resume out in public um likewise if you have something on that specific list legal advice Personnel matters confidential student information labor negotiation strategies all those things um are on the specifically enumerated list of items that are he confidential for good policy reasons you cannot divulge your executive session conversations with anyone not with your not with your kids not with your neighbor not with your dog not with anyone and that is a duty that follows you after your board service has concluded just because you are no longer on the board it does not mean you can start divulging confidential information and the open public meetings act does provide for certain penalties for individuals that violate that we have slides out of order I apologize this is about our prior decision um again um about posting on social media and your comments um being given greater weight than those of the general public should I torture them like you with this read every single one no okay com of of PR self-explanatory you shouldn't be gaining anything from this nor using your official capacity as a board member to get anything um if you the general guidelines if you suspect there may be a conflict of interest there probably is and it's really unclear you should reach out to me or am and we can advise you on it um I don't know if I want to spend much time read slides yeah I I don't think we need to read to you um the statute we did put it in the presentation because what it goes to is it delineates where conflicts of interests exist and it's largely when you are acting in a manner that would benefit a relative or or something you would personally financially benefit from um and the definitions of who constitutes a family member is something that's laid out in statute and and there are different degrees of it again I think um it's a lot to read to you what the statute actually says um and but there is but I just want to draw your attention to the second bullet on this page um which kind of um sums up you should not solicit or accept any favor loan political contribution service promise of future employment or other thing of value upon me understanding that it was given or offered for the purpose of influence um I think that kind of sums it up for you or a member of your family and I think sometimes there may be confusion that it's only a financial benefit there can be other advantages and benefits that someone can use gain influence um it's all bad absolutely all right so conflicts of interest took up a a few slides um immediate family members or relatives this gets into a little bit more detail about where your conflict of interest interest May lie um immediate family member is pretty clear sparse it the statute still says civil union you know we have um um marriage equality these days um or domestic partner as defined in statute or dependent same Hol where things get um sticky is when um you talk about relative because different statutes that pertain to you Define relative differently in different circumstances for um the large part um we go by what is in regulation relative is your spouse civil union partner domestic partner but it extends to the parent child sibling Aunt uncle niece nephew grandparent grandchild son-in-law daughter-in-law step parent stepchild step brother step sister half siblings uh or the individuals or the individual's um spouse domestic partner etc etc um or domestic partner by Blood marriage or adoption that is a really broad list of people especially when you start getting into Aunts Uncles cousins nieces and nephews it didn't say cousins forgive me um it did not say cousins it said nieces nephews uh aunts and uncles so cousins are okay well cousins I would say let's let's let's depend on the circumstance um I'm going to skip the next slide and go to and go to this chart I think this chart is the most helpful chart there is um and and and I know this is difficult to read we can get copies of this distributed to the board if you want but there essentially and this came out um got to be five or six years ago now that school ethics commission came out with it there were a whole series of different School ethics decisions on individual conflicts right people had sought advisory opinions and then there were actual cases and controversies that were brought before the school ethics decision commission for decision and so what we had was a mishmash of in this this circumstance you're conflicted in this circumstance you're not this person counts as a relative when you're doing Union contracts but they're not a relative when you're focusing on the superintendent and it it it really was quite confusing and quite frankly it was hard for attorneys to provide advice because you had you know you know a dozen decisions all saying slightly similar things So eventually in one decision the school ethics commit commission actually put out this chart this chart is in the decision itself this is not something we created uh and it tells you who the relationship is uh and what uh under what circumstance you are conflicted or not conflicted and under what circumstance you can participate in a vote um listen we're in the middle of negotiations right now so we have had conversations about you know people on the committee who's conflicted who's not uh when it comes time to vote on contracts we have conversations about who's conflicted who's not um that has been uh an involving conversation I don't know that we need to spend a lot of time on it except to make you aware that the definition of relative is extremely Broad and that there are dozens of decisions out there on this topic um but that this chart is going to be your most useful point of reference for figuring out who is conflicted and who is not um regarding volunteerism I believe Amy spoke to you guys at the most recent meeting or yes we we talked so I'll keep this short but um you know volunteering Z was frown upon that there are certain instances where it should be avoided this includes volunteer roles that would give you an active presence in the district uh increase the likelihood of developing relationships with staff that would impact the official duties of board member respect to Personnel matters subject the board member to direct supervision from or over District employees or cause the board member to blur the lines of personal/social interactions as a colleague with official responsibilities to board uh and one time infrequent passive volunteer activities are permissible um rather than you know consistently volunteering in such a role um examples include reading to A Class during read Across America day chaperoning a school trip in which the board member's child has participated provided that the board members cleared activity with superintendent and relevant staff um or serving as a Home Room parent so and I think we've said this before we'll say it again you are active members of your community the school ethics commission anticipates that you're going to be active Volunteers in your schools it's the nature of what you do and who you are um so volunteering is not frowned upon or looked down upon but the KE point to remember is you can never be in control in a position where you are directing your control room staff or giving staff directed and you can never be in a position where staff has to direct you um and if you can avoid those two circumstances n times out of 10 your activity is going to be perfectly fine and and we don't want to discourage that so that was our super duper quick extra expedited recap of Ethics with highlights from the last year does anyone have any questions for us well thank you so much for your [Applause] time thank you to both of you for that presentation um can we have that made available to us sure awesome especially considering that last chart that sure wrote down on the pieces thank you very much all right we are going to move on now with approval of our board minutes um can I have a motion to approve the minutes from November 30th public and executive session and uh December 6 public and executive session motion second roll call please Andrea Robinson yes Bill Wilson stepen Wilson yes Mr Wilson will yeah Mr Wilson will need to um havea Mr Maxim that that Mr will yes uh Jim bloomenstein yes Tara vria Alison Cox yes Mark Gaddy abstain from November 30th and yes to December Alison lipsky yes Jonathan Maxon Amy Davis yes motion passed thank you all right moving on to public participation Board of Education recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on school matters of community interest in order to permit the fair and orderly expression question of such comment the board has set aside two portions of this meeting for public comment on any school or School District issue that a member of the public field may be of interest to the residents of the school district for the first portion public comments are invited on matters pertaining only to the agenda for tonight's meeting for the second portion at the end public comments are invited on all matters pertaining to the school district participants should announce their name address and any group they may represent if applicable the board reserves the right to limit public discussion public discussion of a topic will be limited to 15 minutes and individual speakers will be limited to 3 minutes no participant may speak more than once on the same topic until all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard please reference bylaw number 0167 of the aabon Public Schools Board of Education manual the board uses the public comment period as an opportunity to listen to citizens not all issues brought to a board meeting will be resolved at that particular meeting complaints stated or actions requested by the public may be taken under advisement by the board for investigation discussion action or disposition at a later date or time the public comment sessions are an opportunity for citizens to share their opinions and remarks with the board it is not a question and answer session board may or may not respond to public comments at the time they are made and is under no obligation to do do so the board does not endorse public comments nor will the board be held liable for comments made by members of the public any individuals who may be the subject of public comments including District employees shall retain All rights against defamation and slander according to the laws of New Jersey is there anyone in the public who wishes to make a comment on agenda items [Music] only all right seeing none I will close that session of public participation and move on to governance I like to recognize Mr bloomenstein not Mr bloomenstein shoot I would like to like to recognize miss lipsky my apologies Miss lipsky it's all good because I didn't know it was official yet until this this was decided so I was like maybe it's the handing of the torch I um so under governance I the first thing is we have a little bit of a change up so do I need to go into the details of the change okay so number one is just the uh the chairs and who are the committee members and so in governance me you um in operations Miss Cox woohoo uh education I have to WooHoo for everyone now I can't just woohoo myself um education Andrea Robinson as the chair woohoo and in Human Resources our esteemed president Amy Davis is the chair and so and then we are all on different committees which is excellent and so at this time I don't believe we have another governance meeting schedule but I know that Dr Davis is planning to get that out to us so that we can get that all together and I look forward to working with Mr Wilson Mr Gaddy Mr Bill Wilson I know how about Mr Bill can I just call him Mr Bill oh no Mr Bill Mr Gaddy and once again with Mr glenstein and of course with Dr Davis well and thank you Miss lipsky for um being willing to chair the committee we appreciate that um any question questions comments or discussion on any governance non-agenda items the only thing I just wanted to just remind everyone about is our Retreat on Saturday from 9: to 12 uh with Refreshments beginning at 8:45 in case you're interested yes just wanted to thank the governance committee last year I learned a lot on policy I think it was an excellent U opportunity for me to learn that and all generally first year people so Mr Wilson you're going to learn a lot as well um but I think it's a good standard to have moving forward I think it's been I don't know how long it's been that way in the past but I just wanted to thank my fellow governance members and I look forward to joining the operations and the en committees this year thank you anyone else all right then may I have a motion please for item number one under governance motion any questions or comments for item number one all right seeing none may I have roll call please Bill Wilson step Wilson yes Jim blumenstein yes Tyra petria Alison Cox yes Mark Gaddy yes Alison lipsky yes Jonathan Maxon yes Andrea Robinson yes Amy Davis yes motion passed thank you for operations I'd like to recognize Mrs Cox thank you Mrs Davis uh We've not had a meeting since our last meeting um but with the new committee assignments I'm sure we will be having a meeting turn out real soon so look for on the agenda because there's been some movement to make sure we know where you know who's who's going to meet when um on the agenda tonight uh we do have um our October board secretary report Reconciliation Report and transfers we have the bill lists for November December and in January and the safety drills as listed for the four buildings we also do have an addendum um which is number 11 it's the health and safety evaluation of the school buildings and the check list the school buildings checklist with this uh we will be approving the statement of assurance for that so that's all I have Dr Davis do you have any just under number 10 you'll see the dates for um the coral student the February date should be February 4th and February 17th um any questions comments or discussion items on non-agenda items for operations all right then may I have a motion on items 1 through 11 motion second any questions comments on items 1 through 11 okay roll call please Steven Wilson yes Jim blumenstein yes Tara petria Alison Cox yes Mark Gaddy Alison lipsky yes Jonathan Maxon yes Andrea Robinson yes Bill Wilson Amy Davis yes motion's passed thank you um for Education I'd like to recognize Miss Robinson I did that one correct um the education committee has not met since reorganization but tonight we are approving some field trips that I thought it was very ambitious to go to the Philadelphia Zoo on January 10th um but they went um there's a bingo night meet and greet I'm just highlighting some that really stood out um for the aabon senior citizens and the intergenerational club um an ancient civilization trip to the Pen Museum exting and then we're also approving some conferences looks like some counseling conferences some music conferences and some tech um conferences and then also there's two revised calendar um things that should probably be highlighted January 16th school was closed and February 16th has been changed from a full day in service to an early dismissal day so there is school that day I think that is it Jam do you have anything to add just uh make sure I'd bring everybody's attention to the addendum with the additional uh trips on under number five just in case you didn't check the other pieces for uh the the agenda itself is under number two the student statistics for January 2nd should be 2024 not 2023 it's this January not last January and then under number three there is a change in date up at the top for the Philadelphia Art Museum trip with Jen Mullen Mel it's really January uh 2nd 24 1224 a post approval okay all right um any questions on agenda items under education all right then may I have a motion for item number one motion any questions on item number one all right roll call please then Jim bloomenstein yes Tara betri yes Allison Cox yes Mark Gaddy yes Alison lipsky yes Jonathan Maxon yes Andrea Robinson yes Bill Wilson Steven Wilson yes Amy Davis yes motions passed thank you and can I now have a motion on items uh number two through n motion any question on the item number 2 through N9 yes regarding the February 16th changing of the date how do you communicate that up to the the how you communicate that to the parents so they can make adjustments in their schedules on on the January 2nd Date no the February 16th moving from a no school to oh tomorrow I'll send out a blast I'll send out a blast with the new calendar great thank you quick question to about voting procedures for student statistics for example all of these dates were from December since this is just a number uh statistic we can bu correct number which number which one you y to just that they yeah they saw the information on the addition we we added that specifically so board members would be able to know really good for this Ron case and myself to know what our student counts are that and there's no legal requirement that you vote on statistics it's just an informational Lem okay SE Mr Bill here Mr Stephen um Mr Stephen I in past years on the public school calendar that's on the website it usually has like certain days we'll say like um snow day number one which yeah which will give you the indication that that's going to go if we have a snow dat that it will change so you kind of get a heads up which you know if you kind of look at it in the beginning of the year so that also is kind of a heads up to ER okay where was I I had a motion right okay roll call please on items two through nine tarria Alison Cox yes Mark Gaddy yes Alison lipsky yes Jonathan Maxim yes Andre Robinson yes Bill Wilson yes Steven Wilson yes Jim bloomenstein yes Amy Davis yes motions passed thank you all right on to uh Human Resources before we go any further just please note the addendums uh number 16 there's an additional uh staff member uh volunteering to chaperon for the senior trip uh that would be uh like I said item number 16 item number 22 there's a motion to approve tenure track teacher of mathematics contract for Miss Willy item number 23 is a motion to approve part-time tenure track for Christina Miller at havland and then um there's an additional item number 24 motion to approve unpa leave of absence or mis Chism at the havland Avenue School okay um Human Resources met last evening our topics for discussion we reviewed any of the open positions that are still in the district we also reviewed a lot of the multifaceted staff movements that seem to be happening in the junior high math department um Dr Davis provided us with a graphic which was very helpful um we discussed Council for um Special Education cases and uh Dr Davis and Mrs rones are going to look into that for us we reviewed the administrative assistant job description document some of the updates that were implemented to reflect current Technologies we reviewed items um on this evening's agenda and um we all I I brought up the um possibility of creating a procedure for board members who um are no longer serving with us we've had this happen a few times uh in the last couple of years where we've had board members resign for a variety of reasons and we seem to be focused on filling those vacancies that seems to be the the job at hand right in front of us um and I think we've done a a decent job lately of onboarding new board members but I was wondering if we wanted to possibly establish something um to communicate or have kind of like a touch point with board members who leave us for whatever reason and um Miss P brought up the fact that we at one time did an exit interview with board members who left um just might be a nice opportunity to thank them for their service um if they had any questions or input and also to remind them of their um responsibility to hold and keep confidential things that are discussed in executive session that was something that I had assumed we as board members needed to do but actually sought clarification with Miss Garen about that so um I wondered if the board would be interested in maybe setting up a procedure for that to do something like an exit interview for folks that leave us I don't know that it would be a policy necessarily because our our orientation um that we do isn't necessarily A polic it would be more of a practice under that umbrella yes it's not and it's not orientation you have to think of another might help though because someone's exiting they may have some good advice in regards to how supp numers so you think about entrance and exit there's some similarities in regards to what information you get yes for lack of a better term an [Music] umbrella it's an ad hoc committee so no yes and we can maybe that committee can establish you know what those ex what that exit interview would look like for L years yeah all right well maybe that that folks that are on that committee then can can take up that discussion and formulate what an exit interview would look like for anyone that was leaving us okay great thank you for um bringing that up Miss P I had forgotten that that had been a practice um today and I I mentioned this last night at the meeting but today we actually did exchange our initial proposal with the um aabon Education Association and our first meeting to actually begin negotiations with them will be uh Tuesday January 30th and then um just a reminder again that um our information is due to Terry Lewis on January 27th regarding uh the superintendent search and we do have a meeting scheduled with her on Monday January 29th all right any questions about non-agenda items for HR Dr Davis did you have anything to add no um I say no and then I say something probably stop saying no uh you know that hiring folks and getting them in when we have leaves of the absence is you know really important to keep the consistency although I don't like putting forth addendums sometimes they they do come up and we do have some additional staff members that may be coming or going so um we try to do our best to get them on the agenda when it goes out to the public it's really for the board and the public um but try to limit it endons as much as possible okay anyone else questions or comments all right then may I have a motion please for items 1 through 24 under Human Resources any questions was that oh car made the first motion and sorry Mr Patria and Mrs Co second um I have a question about this senior trip yes how many students who are attended I can get you I could get an accurate number right roll call please Allison Cox yes Mark Gaddy yes Allison lipsky yes Jonathan Maxon yes Andrea Robinson yes Bill Wilson Steven Wilson yes Jim bloomenstein yes T vria yes Amy Davis yes motion's passed thank you all right on the agenda under reports we have um our HIV district report nice chance okay all right um then we'll move on to the special program Representatives so um based on the surveys that everybody filled out uh regarding which committees and special programs they would be willing to serve on um Mr Wilson was our volunteer for Education Mr step Wilson was uh our volunteer for Ed Services Commission um I I doubt that you have anything to report since this just came to you have nothing to report I need to figure out when our next meeting us they did reach out to me uh today to get your information so I will that to them fantastic okay um just want to make sure I stick with the order here okay and Mr Maxon actually uh offered to um be the representative for Camden County School boards Association n yeah Nancy and I kind of shared that excited to take on that role but to report right now okay um aabon Education Foundation was uh Mr bloomenstein nothing to report all righty we are just full of information tonight um aabon Board of Education community outreach um once again Miss Robinson nothing to report okay can I make a com sure um so I did not go to list but I out to andess interest work discuss so she sent me a list of stuff that I'll send to you and uh we can take a look at that to some of the things that we've discussed I volunteered for them as a member and there's certainly opportunities I one time was in charge of the park I had no contact so there are there are way and they need help you know so there are six of us could show up and not see each other and be under the direct supervision of thep they have time slots so's plent people I'll I'll out as meeting thanks and that is also an item for discussion at our Retreat on Saturday um just kind of you know looking in at that a little bit how we did last year thoughts Reflections um and where we're going to go with that so there'll be some time for that on Saturday too terrific okay um the oton Mount Ephraim at Hawk committee um Mr Gaddy there are actually several people that volunteered for these committees these special programs so thank you um Mr Gaddy was one who um put his hat in for the uh Auto mounty from ad hoc committee um I doubt that you have anything to report yet I look forward to it yeah um so we'll need to maybe you and Mr Maxon can speak absolutely yeah and because that's usually what um Mrs shille and I did we talked and then she would go back to Mount Ephraim and and get together with them to try to coordinate a meeting date terrific um and then uh board member orientation committee again several people volunteered for this um and Miss lipsky is uh going to be the chair for that so we thank you um um I expect fellow members of that committee to uh get a text or email from me just asking giving a couple dates because I think we need to definitely get that started as we have um couple new board members and we also were talking talking about the mentoring and things like that so possibly doing like a coffee talk or something like that so we'll definitely get that started and underway so be on the lookout terrific terrific um and just so everybody knows Mr bloomenstein and Miss petria were both volunteers for mentors so that will um help inform the board member uh orientation committee teric all right um moving on to board member comments does anyone have any comments Mr glenstein um I just want to on the heels of um nominating and and um putting in place the president and the vice president I want to thank Allison and Andrea for stepping up and becoming chairpersons to those committees um you know those are those are important leadership roles and you and the four of you will be the anchor you know to the sport as a whole you know not just procedurally and optically but you know leading those meetings and uh it's a good team and I look forward to you know working with everyone so thank you for stepping up and doing that and uh I feel really really positive about you know the Slate reorganization not a major reorganization but it's a good one and uh we're all we're moving in the in the right direction thank you yep anyone else all right I note um Mr Burke uh just reached out to me the um Early Childhood advisory committee Council committee committee got it okay e is having a meeting tomorrow evening Mr bloomenstein was going to uh I'm attending Mr bloomenstein was going to be attending as well he's not able to the meetings at 7 o' at the preschool correct um so if there's another member of the board that was able to attend that meeting um that would be terrific you can uh just reach out to Mr Burke and let him know it's it's not a very long meeting no it's not a very long meeting um and show yeah it's a great chance to see uh the preschool um talk to um some of their faculty will be represented as well yeah it's a great opportunity is seven yeah Mr Maxon okay Max and if the public couldn't hear he he Mr Burke was saying how it's it's a it's a meeting that goes over and the systems that are in place but also it's a a nice little showcase piece where you get to see the facility and then they also talk about what we're doing and what we'd like to do in the future too so it's good okay all right moving on to the second public participation everything that I read at the the beginning still stands but this session would be for any comments um on anything it does not uh have to be restricted to agenda items is there anyone who wishes to make a question ask a question comment all right seeing none then I will close the second public participation session um the board is uh going to go into executive session again no action will be taken um um we won't be that long maybe 30 minutes if you wish to stay you can um but otherwise let me make sure that I state that we do have a meeting on Saturday January 20th 9 a.m. here in the media center excuse me for our Retreat and then the next regular Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Wednesday February 21st at 700 p.m. also here in the media session Center uh can I have a motion to go into exec Mo all in favor any opposed all [Music] right