the voting for The be taking place earlier this month however prom is also very expensive to fund and our class officers have been doing a wonderful job preparing to make the event as best as it can be they held an ice skating night for the ewrsd community at the Mercer County Park rank which took place tonight beginning at 6m another event that has been the result of much excitement in the school is the student versus staff volleyball tournament taking place March 1 students can pay to enter a team and compete for a chance to play against the St te we applaud the class officers and advisers for their preemptive planning and are certain that prom will be a success in June as we mentioned in our last meeting the Asia student council organized an orientation for the incoming freshman class we are happy to say that it went smoothly and our Rising freshman had an amazing dayed activities led by our schools for ambassadors and PGC students we are excited to see how they take on the new role at HHS a problem that many of our are facing is decision day being pushed back in case you are unaware there were difficulties with BSA being opened very late this year being released to students on January 1st as opposed to the usual October 1st due to this and a few lingering problems with the form colleges are extremely delayed in receiving our financial data many colleges have already pushed back their enrollment deadline from May 1st to later which in turn is delaying our decision Day activities some colleges such as Penn State and the University of Maryland date to May 15 While others such as Ruckers have moved their deadline June 1st our counselors and administration are continuing to support us during this uncertain time and we will keep you all updated on how everything turns out in regards to the suggestion box we received a suggestion regarding adding a Spanish portion to the graduation ceremony such as a speech or another similar accommodation for Spanish speaking families though we have not come to a final decision with ad Administration yet we are working towards and that implemented on the day of graduation that concludes our report for tonight thank you for your time thank you very much that was very informative I'm also very curious if the um for the volleyball game if the high school administrator teacher team has been picked because that could probably that could maybe get more people to sign up um does anybody have any questions then we will move on to our 2023 Governor's educative of the Year award so I say good evening I'm uh Mark Daniels a very proud superintendent of the winter Regional School District uh it's always an honor and pleasure when we have the opportunity to celebrate and uh uh really kind of cheer on the amazing Educators that we have uh in our school district so each year across the state of New Jersey um school districts are encouraged not not they don't have to they're encouraged to participate in the governor educator of the Year recognition program uh the way that it works is obviously we're looking to highlight bring to the surface and make sure that we acknowledge rightly acknowledge those individuals who go above and beyond in their craft uh to meet the needs of their students but also to support their peers and colleagues and also families um the way that the uh recognition has been designed in recent years uh school districts are to select a teacher uh and educational support person as well uh for the recognition so um uh very pleased tonight in terms of um having the opportunity to have you all here to to celebrate these individuals the process is typically uh individuals have an opportunity to nominate folks who they think should be considered at each school there is a panel that's put together uh that panel uh their responsibility is to review the individuals that have been put forth determine the criteria and their level of uh worthiness I guess you could say in terms of being recognized so um it's a pretty painstaking process and from that we identify individuals who are then um put forth we then also put those individuals forth into the system uh at the Department of Education those individuals are also eligible if they so uh want to pursue a county recognition which is actually coming up shortly so that process I just talked about concluded at the beginning of December obviously we celebrated those Folks at the building level tonight serves as kind of that District Board of Education recognition um just to put some icing on top so some of our folks tonight are looking to move forward to be considered for that County recognition and I'm definitely uh rooting for them so the way this is going to work is I'm going to get out of the way I'm going to call principles up here to the podium principles are going to read uh a testimonial kind of uh highlighting what this individual brings to the table we're going to provide them with a a small plaque in in in celebration of this service and uh we're going to ask them to to step aside do we need them to sit down at least or they going to stand to the side for a picture when when it's over you're right here okay all right so so what we'll do is once you once you get your award we'll have you move over here and then we'll gather Folks at the conclusion uh of this recognition for a brief picture I have the Board of Education uh president uh Nicole here with me who will be handing out uh our our plats to our worthy recipients so with that said I'm going to call to the podium the principal of e mcnight School Nicole F call it is my honor to recognize Mrs Kelly cinski as em K's Governor Governor's educator of the Year Mrs cinski is an exceptional educator whose dedication passion and commitment have truly made an impact on our school Community one of Kelly's most outstanding quality qualities is her Readiness to assist her colleagues in her role as technology teacher she often serves as the first line of defense for technology issues she works proactively to address any issues to help prevent disruptions in the teaching and learning process her adap ability and professionalism shine through with her willingness to step up when classes need to be covered her eagerness to help when necessary speaks volumes about her dedication to the success to our school while the previously mentioned qualities demonstrate that she's an extraordinary educator perhaps the heart of Kelly's Excellence lies within her classroom Kelly strives to meet the needs of all her students her dedication to learning how to speak Spanish on her own demonstrates a commitment to be able to effectively communicate with her bilingual students she also works hard to adapt her learning environment and lessons for students with special needs her students are always excited to come to her class which is a reflection of her nurturing supportive and engaging teaching style Mrs cinski is an invaluable member of the emk teaching staff we are fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated educator working with our students she is truly deserving of this recognition congratulations on this outstanding achievement just want to interrupt I I would be remiss if I did not mention first of all congratulations K but I forgot to share that in addition to the plaque from the district the respective associations are also providing a gift tonight as well so I want to make sure ewea and Arissa are here to do that so I just wanted to make sure I didn't leave that out all right can I go I'd also like to invite up it is my honor to recognize the exceptional contributions of Kate Murphy em K's Educational Services professional of the Year Kate is a dedicated professional who goes above and beyond for students and staff in her time at emk Kate has had a positive impact on our school Community as an EA Kate is assigned to work with specific students however her commitment to our students extends far Beyond this as she readily lends her expertise to assist others and actively seeks opportunities to enhance the learning environment for everyone her Proficiency in working with students of all ability levels is evident in her interactions with those in our special needs program highlighting her inclusive and compassionate approach to education one of Kate's most outstanding qualities is her ability to connect with our students she knows each and every one of their names and has built a strong rapport with them creating an atmosphere where students feel comfortable seeking for guid and support whether it's in the classroom or the lunchroom her presence brings joy and comfort to our students making her a true asset to our school as an EA Kate has touched many lives of students we are fortunate to have such a dedicated caring and inclusive educator at our school congratulations on the okay congratulations at this time I'd like to call to the podium uh principal of Walter SE black School Miss Heather rowski I'd like to call up Aaron Hallet our teacher of the year okay Ain howlet is the music teacher at the Walter SE black school she is truly an outstanding educator her classes are Dynamic and captivating Aaron skillfully incorporates music and dance from diverse backgrounds into her lessons reflecting the demographics of our school Community last year Aaron orchestrated grade level performances featured dances from around the world outside on on our playground the performances were recorded using a drone and iPads she then used the footage collected to create a music video to share with our entire School Community it was really quite outstanding Erin is committed to sustainability she secured a $5,000 Grant from pepsic Co to promote recycling efforts at our school she has created instructional videos and initiatives like Dale's water bottle challenge recognizing and rewarding students for their envir enironmental efforts Mrs how's impact goes beyond the walls of her classroom and the Walter SE black school is a better place because of her congratulations Ain do I give her something okay moving right along I'd like to call to the podium uh the assistant principal from pero drill School Miss Tracy Perez come on up good evening Miss mades was selected as the educator of the year for the per School congratulations Miss madus was selected as the Perry L Drew educator of the Year miss madus is a fourth grade teacher at Drew and has been teaching in the East Windor School District since 2016 and the nomination letters from parents and colleagues the following qualities were noted she is extremely kind and caring she cares about the students learning and growing academically she provided my son with positive reinforcement which which helped him succeed she responds to parents in a timely manner she cares about teaching she is a true professional she connects with her students on a personal level her students Thrive and grow throughout the school school year she is an extremely DED dedicated educator these are just some of the positive qualities she brings to the classroom and to the perel Drew School Miss mad Miss Madness is well respected by the students parents and colleagues during her evaluations and her interactions in the building she is a dedicated ated and nurturing professional who will do anything to help her student succeed being selected educated educator of the year is welld deserved and it is my honor to recognize her tonight Renee flager sorry Miss flager was selected as the Perry ELD Drew educator of the Year miss Flagger is an educational assistant working in a third grade classroom atre in the nomination letters from students parents and colleagues the following qualities were noted she is very positive she is attentive to her students and listens to us she makes class fun and she is always kind and caring these are just some of the positive qualities she brings to the classroom and to the school Miss Flagger is well respected by the students parents and colleagues she is always smiling and willing to help whenever she is dedicated and caring and will do anything to help her students succeed periel Drew is lucky to have such a dedicated professional working with our students being selected educator of the year is well deserved and it is my honor to recognize her tonight don't go okay at this time I'd like to call to the podium the principal of Grace and Rogers School Miss Lori Emerson Lauren L please come on up Lauren is our Governor's educator of the Year Lauren L is an exceptional educator whose unwavering dedication passion and tireless advocacy for the ESL student she teaches is admirable Lauren is always learning and apply applying new knowledge to her practice she prepares authentic learning experiences to ensure that her students are not only learning English and receiving curricular support but also gaining knowledge in American culture Mrs L's commitment to her students extends Beyond classroom instruction she possesses a remarkable ability to connect with students and families from various cultural backgrounds by fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment where every voice is valued and heard her Innovative teaching methods genuine empathy and belief in the potential of every individual has transformed the lives of countless G&R students empowering them to embrace their unique identities and Achieve academic success Mrs lobu also generously shares her knowledge and materials with any teacher who may be in need on several occasions she has provided valuable professional development on how to support ESL students in a nonl classroom setting she frequently provides examples materials and resources to staff and is always available to brainstorm with any teacher for those reasons and so many more I am proud to recognize Lauren lobu as G&R Governor's educator of the Year congratulations Mrs L on this welld deserved honor and thank you for your unwavering commitment to ex to the students of the East Windsor Regional School year next I'd like to invite Diana Torres who is our Educational Services professional Diana Torres is an extraordinary school psychologist whose dedication and compassion for supporting our youngest Learners is inspirational she is a pre in the prek program I'm sorry I lost my place oh Diana's unwavering commitment to our students their families and the preschool program has ensured that hundreds of students are provided with the Ed education and support services that they need to thrive in school and in life Diana's impact extends far beyond our school her genuine care and expertise has provided invaluable support to our students families and staff alike through her thoughtful guidance during child study team meetings she helps families navigate the new and often overwhelming process of getting an individualized education plan for their child her knowledge and her patience along with her ability to address their questions and concerns puts families at ease Mrs Torres is also a support for her colleagues on the child study team and the teachers in the preschool program if she's not in her office it is likely you'll find her in a classroom working with students or supporting a teacher who has asked for her help she is available during arrival and dismissal to help get students on and off the bus and can be found playing with students during play time her colleagues value her expertise and she often mentors new team members or provides ideas and solutions to issues that arise in preschool not only does Diana serve as a support to the children but she often makes time Beyond her contractual duties to support parents Diana's dedication to fostering student growth and well-being in our preschool Community serves as a testament to her unwavering commitment to helping our youngest Learners Thrive congratulations Diana on this well-deserved recognition and thank you for your tireless efforts in cheaping the foundation of our children's future okay now to represent Melvin H KPS Middle School like to call to the podium Mr Samantha feter principal good evening I'd like to take a moment just to congratulate everyone uh on these wonderful recognitions tonight can I please have Alva Alvarez come join me Mrs Alba Alvarez is the MK uh sorry is a Melvin H KBS Middle School specialist of the year she embodies all the characteristics of an outstanding staff member Alba Works closely with some of our most struggling students as AED as a dedicated member of the mhk staff in her role as an educational assistant she supports students to ensure they are getting the modifications and accommodations they need to be successful in their classes in addition she is a team player and loves children she can often be found translating for Spanish speaking students to ensure their understanding of directions currently she is a onetoone support for a student and she goes out of her way to make sure that student feels comfortable and is cared for and it is a pleasure to watch the interactions between Miss Alvarez and her student they have a beautiful and very special bond further Alba has the respect of all the students she comes in contact as well as the staff within the building as nominations for Specialists of the year started coming in I was happy when I saw one for Alba knowing how hard she works however she didn't just receive one nomination Alba received three nominations it is a true Testament to a woman that cares so very much about the students of mhk she is very deserving of this honor congratulations Alba Melvin hrbs Middle School is lucky to have you supporting our students and uh last but not least representing heightstown high school we have uh principal Mr Dennis Vincent is there someone I'd like to call Vanessa Rosa Vanessa Rose has been serving as a special education teacher at height San High School since February of 2018 her honesty reliability resourcefulness have set her apart as an exceptional educator approaching each day with a smile on her face adapting to the everchanging nature of being a specialized teacher she pushes everyone to be a better version of themselves from having a lively classroom a strong student engagement Vanessa's generally worked to push students towards achieving their Highest Potential Vanessa's tough but fair love comes back in meaningful feedback and some of her students refer to her as their school mom one of her students even said that she should get a Grammy for teaching spreading positivity and motivation amongst her students she engages them to be the best version of themselves Vanessa possesses excellent interpersonal communication skills effectively collaborates with her co- teers in and students fostering a strong relationship that contributes to a positive School culture she uses her vast content knowledge and understanding of the curriculum to help create meaningful plans with her materials Vanessa is extremely generous with her time knowledge and resources be it for the students and her colleagues her passion for Education coupled with her unwavering commitment to Student Success makes her valuable and respected member of the HHS Community Vanessa congratulations height sound High School is extremely proud of your accomplish Elizabeth OA Elizabeth has shown unwavering support and unconditional love for students at height sound High School ever since she started as an educational assistant in the year 2018 she goes goes above and beyond by creating that space of trust and encouragement for not just the students that she works with but those which that comes into contact in the close relationship outside of her classroom her genuine interest in their well-being and personal success is unsurpassed her ability to listen empathize and provide guidance creates a safe space for students to express themselves to her truly committed to creating a positive culture in the heighton high school Community Elizabeth is always willing to translate and communicate with our Spanish speaking population as well which is truly commendable her welcoming nature her approachability makes her not only an effective educational assistant but also a valued member of our school Community she she exemplifies a strong desire for professional growth and is constantly seeking out opportunities to improve her classroom environment and enhance the lives of our students Elizabeth is a vital member of our school Community who has been able to build a cohesive relationship with staff and students congratulations to Elizabeth on this well-deserved recognition okay well uh I think we need to give our recipients a warm Round of Applause let's give it up so just in closing um I will just once again on behalf of the Board of Education just thank uh our uh recipients tonight for their hard work and dedication they serve as a small sample size of the amazing uh things that happen in the school district um by by many committed adults I wish we could you know um do this more often and we probably should in different way so I always like to to think and acknowledge at this point that um the most Valu re resource in any organization is the human resource right and we can't do this without the people so I I need to thank you for the work that you do on behalf of our students uh without you we we we can't do this so I really deeply thank you from the bottom of my heart I realize you could be doing this somewhere else and we need you to be here doing that amazing work so I do not take that for granted so uh continue to do uh the amazing things you do to support your colleagues and our families uh and most importantly our students so uh congratulations again couple of things here so we're going to call you up shortly for a quick picture uh I do want to just thank our principles and assistant principles tonight um for their amazing words and and presenting to our uh recipients I also want to thank uh Dr Zillo assistant superintendent for human resources who was unable to be here tonight and her department for kind of organizing this as well as my Administrative Assistant l gonz to for kind of putting this together behind the scenes so thank you to those folks and with that we'll transition to a a brief picture here all right well thank you okay we're gonna continue we're gonna move on to item four superintendence report okay so good evening again uh just a couple of quick announcements this evening um uh I will'll start by just thanking our student Representatives I I just commended them on their report very detailed very comprehensive and I think it provides a a pretty um how can I put it a descriptive picture into kind of the the life at the high school so I definitely appreciate uh their contributions this year I think they're setting quite the high bar for uh what student Representatives should be bringing to the table uh this week um somehow scheduled a board meeting and also a strategic planning meeting so I know there's some people here probably not quite appreciating that well they they are over there but so tomorrow evening we have the first of three strategic planning meetings it'll be right here uh in this very same place starting at 6 PM um just to refresh everyone's memories that is the process we've engaged in this year to really determine uh where we're going but but to start with where we are and uh I'm hopeful that the three sessions will serve as really the foundation for us to develop um some some board pillars board goals and some action steps that will kind of move the district into um that next phase that I think we we believe will be the best thing for our students so first meeting tomorrow uh Tuesday February 27th at 6: PM second meeting will be on March 14th the third meeting will be on April 17th in terms of just eing a couple of things that that are student representatives and I don't want to be redundant but I do think it's worth just making sure that I Echo that obviously our varsity cheer team definitely want to commend them for their accomplishments our wrestling team I think we acknowledged coach coach Russo a few weeks ago um I I don't always do this but I I wanted to just highlight one student I think our student reps may have done it at a prior meeting but I think we've had the MCT since then so max Peterson this is just a kind of a swim uh recognition Max was pretty impressive as it relates to his individual accomplishments so uh he was merca County's most valuable swimmer this year he won the MCT he broke the MCT record in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly um he's competing in individual states uh 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly events he also broke the following school records which is rather um amazing I have to say he broke the 200 fre the 100 butterfly the 100 backstroke the 50 freestyle the 100 freestyle the 400 freestyle and to kind of cap that all off Max will be attending uh West Point on a scholarship to serve his country following high school so definitely want to commend Max uh on his uh you know amazing Apple accomplishments just to give a a quick plug to our our our varsity basketball team our girls team um we mentioned this earlier tonight they're playing right now as we speak in the gymnasium here at home um they're in the second round of the jsaa championship state championships and they're playing currently Oldbridge I don't have an update on score Mr Vincent do you by any chance we're up to it to half thank you very much so uh wishing them success this evening uh just a quick um refresher I guess I would call it as I've mentioned before the district is in its three-year cycle of going through the NJ qac self- monitoring process um I've talked about the five uh District performance review areas which are instruction and program fiscal governance operations and Personnel the process really entails us providing frontloading as it were to the county department of education a number of artifacts evidence documents that uh fulfill particular criteria that's presented to us that is Then followed up with a site visit actually we had a we had a couple of site visits we had our facility site visit I think I mentioned that at the last board meeting and then last week February 21st we had kind of like the the site visit that focused on reviewing the areas and engaging in discussions and further review uh related to the documents that we provided so we you know the the county team uh led by the ex County Superintendent commended the school district in terms of its level of organization in terms of providing um detailed documents ahead of time which diminishes the need for an extensive inperson meeting however it's still healthy to engage in a sense of how things are progressing the meeting was framed around kind of an introduction in terms of a a brief overview of the district's strengths and challenges and then we engaged in kind of breaking out into um respective groups to kind of revie some additional documentation so um the way the process works obviously we want to be scored as high as possible in those areas uh we did not get official scores that day I was told that to be patient in terms of awaiting those however I was informed that u based on the information that was presented thus far they did not anticipate any concerns regarding um the five DPR categories that I just talked about so I would just you know commend our district as whole because although that's more of a central administrative meeting that meeting reflects the work and commitment of of the broader team uh here within the school district so I just want to make sure that uh I had an opportunity to thank all the individuals who contribute to that little reminder in terms of uh what's in store um I'm always in the the uh the mode of promoting the art so in that vein next month March 2st March 22nd March 23rd and March 24th we'll have the the High School Musical which is SpongeBob uh the musical this year um so that should be interesting um let me see is there anything else oh yes um tomorrow this is budget season we've been having some conversations regarding budget if you recall we talked a little bit about when the budget season started here in the district uh late fall early winter um we kind of find ourselves in a position where the governor will have his budget uh addressed tomorrow at 2 pm we are anticipating um state aid that is comparable to what we've received in recent years and if you recall um based on S2 legislation which was trying to honor the funding formula for school districts you know Eastman Regional School District pre five years ago was underfunded and it been underfunded going back 10 plus years so in an effort to try to equalize that the governor indicated that uh based on the calculation districts that were historically underfunded there would be a process to incrementally um make up for those losses now what would occurred is that some districts ended up losing out um which is unfortunate so created this Dynamic where districts like ours who benefited but really were ultimately entitled to some payback I guess you could call it um we've appreciated that obviously in terms of uh being able to fund our program and you know engaging in conversations about how we can continue to build program continue to upgrade facilities and continue to support staff so um remaining optimistic that tomorrow uh our state should be uh comparable to like I said what we've received for the past two or three years and if that is the case uh that enables us to continue to move forward in a way that um sustains a successful and effective program here in the district I'm not sure which board meeting we're going to be doing our formal budget presentation that second one in March yes so I believe you we'll be presenting um the proposed budget to the board I believe at the second board meeting in March but I'll confirm that in short order and I believe that concludes my report this evening thank you thank you Mark does anyone have any questions for Mark nope so we will move on to first opportunity for board member comments are there any board members who have any comments yes hi no I actually just wanted to mention when we talked about the Arts that there was a musical festival chorus Festival hosted by the high school and it was amazing students from plld from crebs from G&R and the high school came together and it was a night of musical Bliss I I was almost in tears it was really nice and to see um how the the students it was so organized and there was a lot of students so it was well organized and School sang a song and then they all came together and sang another song together and it was like straight out of a movie it was really beautiful um if you guys got a chance to see it I I think it might even be online if you guys ever have a chance to look at it it was really nice that was a any other board members I just wanted to say um again to uh Echo marks mark marks remarks that sounded um just congratulations to all of our athletes um your hard work and perseverance pays off um keep it up and keep having fun um and congratulations to all our governor education of the Year award recipients we appreciate all you do for our students and you should be very proud for your hard work and this accomplishment that's it I just had one thing since we were talking about the second meeting in March possibly being the budget presentation have we identified the March meeting where Miss small would give a updated presentation weal we talked about it being the second one okay so we can do two in one our budget presentation is not thank you else i' would also like to um second what Tina said congratulations to the wrestling team the cheer team the basketball team and um a special congratulations to all the governor educator of year recipients if there's no more board comments first opportunity for public comment is there anyone from the public who wishes to speak no one then we will move on to the interviews from for the Board of Ed vacancy seat sure so for those that are not familiar um one of our existing board members um rich and fores has resigned so that leaves us an extra seat um this this term will run through the end of the year and then at the end of the year if the person who fills the spot wishes they can run for a one or threeyear term um following the candidate package that you submit in July so I believe we have two people who are going to interview for the for the the spot yes we have two candidates for tonight we until earlier today we had three but one of the candidates uh dropped out um so tonight we have Mr B and Miss callia who will be interviewing for the board seats um Mr ball if you'd like to step up please just to let everyone know um the summarize um the procedure we'll be interviewing tonight we'll be conducting two interviews in public session we will go into executive session to so the board can conference and discuss pros and you know the strengths of the various candidates will come out of executive the board will nominate and vote one of the candidates into the position the position will be for the remainder of this fiscal year so this will serve until the end of the 2024 year which the candidate is can if they would like and register and run for election the next seat will be up for two years and then after that two-year term and then I'll go back to the normal three-year term as everyone else's terms are so that is the agenda for tonight can I just also say that hi thank you so much um so we have a list of questions the questions will be the same all of the board members are going to ask a question and they're exactly the same for both candidates J you want to start thank you hi um I'm doing question one just two parts okay first tell us about yourself and why you are interested in becoming a school board member part one and part two is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the board of education sure so hi everyone uh for start is my name is adala I am a senior here at heightstown high school I've been at High School for the past four years I've been at the district for the past 12 years and I've been a resident of East wior for the past 18 years um at heightstown high school I have taken a diverse array of courses uh whether it be business electives honors courses and even AP courses I've also immersed myself in the different offerings and opportunities that heon has to offer um including being the class president for the past four years uh being the president and then liutenant governor for Key Club and even founding the best buddies Club to facilitate and Foster um social emot Learning and Development for those with special needs outside of my clubs and activities I also am involved in different athletic sports like cross country track um and Lacrosse um now through these experiences I have witnessed firsthand the challenges that my peers and students face um and through these roles I've been able to advocate for changes in my school community and witnessing the positive impact that I was able to have on my peers and those around me has inspired me to run for a position on the board where I'm able to positively impact thousands of students and community members in our district as a whole um and answering your second part of the question on um a part that I believe is important to me um mental Wellness is something that I noticed was a huge issue in our youth when I first entered heighton high school and has been something that I've been advocating for for the past four years um and it's something that I continue I want to continue advocating for on my time on the District board uh when I came into the high school I worked with Miss Howard to initiate a mental on the suicide prevention campaign um and that is turned into an annual uh campaign we also reestablished the mental Wellness day here at height sown and then eventually turned that into a townwide kindness initiative uh to advocate for a need that thousands of residents in our community have and to positively influence thousands of members in our community thank you Hi how are you tonight um so my question is um what is a school board member's role and responsibility um or how like what is your perception of that and how does that role differ from that of the superintendent or other Administration sure so I think the biggest role as being on the board um is providing advice on policies that we are able to enact um and change that will influence the thousands of students in this District um in comparison to administrator's roles or the superintendent himself um they're more so overseeing the day-to-day operations of our school while we are providing more oversight and advice on how we can improve our community um agenda preparation and time for professional growth in the areas of board governance and K to2 education sure um so in my previous leadership roles and activities that I've been involved in um time management has been a skill that I have learned um over the past few years these past few years I've never been as busy as I was so managing my time has been essential for me um I've learned to use calendars and communicate effectively between the different organizations that I'm involved with to ensure that I'm able to commit my time and build places and prioritize different aspects of My Life um being on this board would would be a priority to me so when I go off to college and my school activities now I would definitely put an emphasis on attending all board meetings as as necessary and communicating with those that I'm working with and collaborating with to ensure that we are on the same page and able to work together thank you um you kind of already answered this a little bit um if you just want to elaborate I know that you did go into detail are there aspects of your education or experience that will essentially that will especially be helpful in preparing you to serve as a member of the school board sure so I kind of talked about my experience here as a student but outside of being involved at heighton high school specifically um I'm also super engaged civically outside of school um I've previously served as the intern for the office of Senator Cory Booker Congressman Andy Kim and currently serve on the New Jersey legislative youth Council where I communicate the issues and challenges that thousands of our youth and residents face to advise on policy changes that will go on to impact millions in the state of New Jersey um through these experiences serving the state I have learned how to communicate the challenges that our constituents face and learn how we can use that and turn that into advice to create tangible change in our policies that will go on to affect those residents um additionally I am someone who has been involved in the system and I'm a product of the system so I think that I will be able to provide a unique lens to um the ch challenges that our district faces and how those will continue to impact our students in the future this is a two-parter as well so the first question is how would you as a board member work with the superintendent and other board members when there are differing opinions on needed actions and the second part would be to give an example um where you had to make a decision that wasn't well received by your colleagues friends neighbors family um and how did you handle their feedback so I think one of the strongest Parts about heidan high school is we are a school that has a very diverse Community now this means that there are a lot of people that have different experiences and different opinions which is extremely important when you consider making important decisions um on the board I think the biggest characteristic that I think is is super strong for me is that I'm extremely open-minded and I'm I always listen to other people before I come to my own decision I think serving on the board where we represent the thoughts of thousands of students and community members um we need to be open-minded and listen to the ideas that other people have especially the people that I'm working with in order to come to a well-informed decision so when it comes to working with those on the board um if there are differences I would listen to those um and the ideas that they have um do my own research and understand how we can strive to achieve the most positive change for the entire residents and Community as a whole um now for a specific example of a challenge that I faced um when I first took over Key Club last year um we were still dealing with a low turnout rate due to covid and I initially wanted to start out with this huge mental Wellness campaign The Suicide Prevention campaign that I mentioned earlier however my adviser was a little hesitant because we did have that low turnout rate um and he advised that we start out with smaller um more involved um projects that would support mental Wellness so I took his feedback um and we started out with doing some smaller local um mental Wellness education groups and then we turned that into a wider mental Wellness campaign um that we received huge immense positive feedback on um and eventually turned that into a townwide campaign so even though he did have a different opinion than me I was able to use his inputs and Lead that into a well-informed decision that eventually went on to lead to hundreds of members in being involved in Key Club and positively influencing the thousands of students here at heighton high school hi all right so my question is how would you handle public CRI ISM and pressure from interest groups I think that it's extremely important to understand that as a board member we serve the community as a whole and not one specific group so if elected I would make sure that I put the needs of the entire Community above the interest of one special group um I think people are always going to give their opinions no matter what whether it's criticism or positive comments so I think it's important that we take their criticism and use it as constructive feed back um and work with the other board members to understand how we can Implement those changes and see how we can positively influence the entire body as a whole hi thank you for being here what is your vision for education in this community so I think that something that height sound has done really well is we offer a diverse array of programs whether it's academics or even extracurriculars so in terms of Education here at Heights High School I would want to continue supporting the um diverse programs here at heightstown um while I was able to take many rigorous classes these classes include business classes that are offer me perspectives to learn about my own interests but being involved in other extracurriculars clubs and sports has also developed me as a person and allowed me to further explore my interest so I think in terms of Education I want to promote and Foster um involvement in not just academics but also programs outside of the school so that students are able to express themselves and explore their own interest so that they can become the most developed um person when they go and leave heightstown and go on to be at College in the future um what areas do you believe are our District's greatest challenges and strengths sure so I'll start off with our strengths I think one of the biggest strengths that our district has is that we Embrace diversity I think diversity is extremely important in today's climate when it comes to being open-minded understanding the perspectives of others and making well-informed decisions I also think that we have a very supportive climate where we offer a multitude of classes and activities and organizations and I think that this allows students to explore their own interests um and find out what they want to do in the future however one thing that I would say is a challenge for our district is um providing students and faculty with the necessary resources they need um while the district district does offer a lot of resources to our students and faculty I think that providing students with some more support such as tutoring one-on-one tutoring before and after school um would further allow for them to expand on their knowledge and work on themselves academically and outside of academics thank you thank you hey um last question how do you plan to measure the success of your tenure on the board of education sure so I think measuring success can't be measured by just one number um for me being on the board is an opportunity for me to learn um when I go to college next year I plan to study politics so this is a step in getting engaged civically and will teach me what it means to advocate for those that I represent and allow me to actually be involved in the decision-making process when it comes to enacting policies so being on the board would allow me to learn different aspects of Civic engagement and if I'm able to take away even just one thing that is a win to me um moreover apart from me if I'm able to influence other students and show them that we as a youth can make change even if we're still young and even if we're just students that is also a win to me I think it's important that students um especially as they transition into adulthood understand that it's important that we be involved civically um especially when it comes to policies and being engaged in our own District itself thank you so much thank you hi thanks so much for coming I don't know if you heard but so we have um we have nine questions it's the same questions that we asked the other candidate and we're all going to ask we're going to go around asking questions thanks hi I'm assign question one uh it's a two-part question uh tell us about yourself and why you are interested in becoming a school board member and part two is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the board of education so I'm Paula CIA I do know I think almost everyone here um I have been a resident of e swinger for 20 years although you will tell quickly from my accent that I am not a new Jersey and I'm from New York I have two children in the district my son Brandon graduated in 2021 and my daughter Angelina is currently a High School freshman I am employed at refresh mental health which is assumed to be integrated entity of United Health Group as the HR operations manager so dayto day I am dealing with processes improvements complaints lots of headaches um I also um for fun uh we'll teach I teach math over at merca Community College as an adject Professor Jo everything from remedial up until calculus I am very passionate about math that's one of my main passions I have my Master's Degree um in math from NY and I think I did I share with all of you my resume with my background um can you tell us what your perception of a school board member's roles and responsibilities are and how does that role differ from the role of superintendent or other Administration so as everyone knows I did Run for the school board back in November that was a close third um but um so I'm am well versed in what a Schoolboard member can do versus the administration so school board members are here to enact policy and the administration Mr Daniels and his team are here to run the schools um question number three how will you manage your time to address the following board commitments two monthly board meetings committee meetings time for agenda preparation and time for professional growth in areas of board governance and K through2 education so since my son was in kindergarten I have been reading the board agenda before anything was ever your televisor or anything before every board meeting I would read the agenda in detail so it's something I already do it's part of what I commit to um and I also read all of the minutes so that would not be any change in my commitment my kids are also older now so I have more time to commit to um the committee meetings the professional development and so forth so this you already answer some of this but if you want to library are there aspects of your education or experience that will be especially helpful in preparing you to serve as member of the school board so um I am not a teacher by trade so I don't have that that background except for teaching over at Marc Community College but that's very very different than a teacher teaching k through2 um but my back my professional experience is going to really um help so as an HR operations manager I can see the details but I also see the bigger picture and I make decisions that people do not always like um but I can see what's benefit the bigger benefit so some of the things that I have done already for the school um is with another parent um we provided data and information to Mr Daniels about the high school ranking and how it was onfair and I did that even though the ranking system benefited my son um because he was ranked very highly so it benefited him and it could have also benefited my daughter but I saw the bigger picture of how unfair that system was to most of the students in the district I also um and I hope that we never have to use it and that my daughter would never need it but when I realized that naram was not available in all of the schools it was only in the high school and with everything that has been going on you hear about people overdosing um I lobbied Mr Daniels to have a place in all of the schools so my experience of seeing the bigger picture not just what's in it for me or my children will really help me as a board member this is a two-part question uh first part is how would you as a board member work with the superintendent and other board members when there are differing opinions on needed actions um and then can you give an example where you had to make a decision that wasn't well received by your colleagues friends neighbors or family um and how you handled their feedback um so Mr James and I already have a relationship um he's always been respected to me even when we disagree um I believe we have mutual respect and as a board member that would continue um just every day at work I have to interact with people who have different opinions um and how I handle that best is listening it's not just my way everyone has something to offer and it's listening that helps us achieve something um today we had um at work a reorganization that was not well received at all so um I had to Rally my team together um and tell them about it and try to improve their morale and keep it up so it's just something that I do every day guys in my career hello I have number six how would you handle public criticism and pressure from interest groups I wouldn't pressure Furniture groups just I have to focus on the what's best for the district as whole I have a very thick skin and I said that today when I was making an announcing to my team um you can come complain I can handle it I do not mind it but it's not going to change how I'm going to react react I base my decision based on the data and what's best for everyone hi thank you for being here what is your VIs for education in this community so one thing you'll know is that I always come prepared to everything and I did think of that question today because it's not an easy one what the vision would be and I came up with um four points that I see could vision for this District it's inclusivity Excellence Innovation and collaboration so inclusivity that every student feels valued and supported regardless of the background abilities or circumstances Excellence provide the high quality education to all students that is not just academic success but that um provides them for the challenges of the modern world everything is changing um even stuff you know the cell phones is just different so we want to provide students not just with an excellent education but how to be fruitful citizens um that do well Innovation um the district as a hub of innovation and creativity where students are encouraged to not just get the great grades but they should be encouraged to think critically solve problems and explore their passions and finally collaboration is one person's Viewpoint is not going to make anything the importance of collaboration and community engag right question number eight uh what areas do you believe are our District's greatest challenges and strengths thank you so I think the the greatest strength and challenge is both the same thing so the diversity of this district is a great um benefit a strength the different opinions different um people and so forth but it's also one of our greatest challenges because we have such uh diverse needs and the district is so large and trying to bring them all together and figuring out the way that's the right thing to do for everyone is the biggest challenge thank you and how do you plan to measure the success of your tenure on the board of education well hopefully if elected I will have more than just until um the end of December um I am committed to the long term and would' run again so my um I would view success as if someone was to look back and was able to say what the district as a whole not what I did but the district what we did while I was a tene on the board of B and that there were positive things and the changes that came out helped and benefit all students thank thank you so much appreciate you coming so I just wanted to say to the the two candidates so what we're going to do next is um the bo board is going to go to exec session we have a couple items that we need to discuss and we're also going to um talk about the the interviews and then when we come out we will um we'll let everyone know what the decision was e okay the board is back in session um I just wanted to thank Mr Bali and Miss CIA for expressing interest in becoming a member of the East Windsor Regional School District Board of Education and for representing the district and their Community the board had a very meaningful discussion about the candidates and both were very impressive and it was a very difficult decision for the board with that being said um someone want to nominate post nomination um make a motion to nominate Miss Paulo you don't need a second rle hold for Please Mr Dr yes Miss Lans yes Miss Murphy yes Miss boli yes Miss Patel no Miss Suter yes Miss larus yes passes Miss c will be at the next will'll be swor in at the next yes I had a conversation with both candidates um before the meeting that you know we would vote tonight and then they'll be sworn into the next board meeting and I'll contact Miss Kia tomorrow arrange an onboarding session with the superintendent myself and you as well great thank you um moving on to item nine old [Music] business let me just share in terms of tonight we uh initially had the curriculum committee meeting scheduled um however with the 6 PM start for for the uh educator of the Year recognition we decided to um pause on that so typically we would fast forward that to the uh March 11th meeting I'm going to say tonight tentatively that's what it will be but I'm going to follow up I'll have Sandy follow up um in the next few days just to confirm that so we will be looking at rescheduling the curriculum committee meeting to March 11th uh or the 25th um primarily because part of the game plan was to use um the curriculum committee meeting potentially to connect it to the update regarding student achievements so I think we're going to look to try to coordinate that whatever that March date is so stay tuned curriculum committee members okay so Wellness is also on March 11th no so we're going have have to bump something so just stay tuned on that in terms of where we are but but the curriculum committee will definitely take place in March it will either be on March 11th or March 25th and then you'd have to bump policy it's going to create it's going to create a little bit of a bump but okay we want to make sure we we capture March um other old business is the equity audit this just put on here is a placeholder um so obviously the equity y has been complet we're in the process of organizing a uh District Equity team meeting the equity audit presentation has been presented at each uh of our schools actually we have a central office um PD day coming up as well where that the presentation will be um offered again but the next uh lock step for us is uh a meeting with our district Equity team historically that's been only uh comprised of Administrators we do have teacher representation uh and that will be that meeting is scheduled for I think within the next couple of weeks anyone have any questions if not um item 10 second opportunity for board member comments are there any board members who wish to make a comment um yeah Mark I just had a question strategic planning tomorrow is here you said will these back doors be unlocked so people can park behind or we have to enter to the front good question I would actually encourage people to use these doors tomorrow um maybe we'll have a communication tomorrow just kind of reminding folks of that all right my question is my comment is actually in regards to I think there can you elaborate um mark on who decides what courses count and don't count in the program of studies because I've had a discussion with Miss small about the AP science courses in the while the high school students were scheduling recently and I was reading the program of studies I noticed that all of a sudden the AP courses aren't counting towards a graduation requirement it was my understanding that they always but there seems to be a little bit miscommunication on with that but now it's in print so how does that who decides what program what course counts because I'm I'm really concerned that all of a sudden this AP courses in science are not counting to the graduation requirement for the core sciences and then I think we need if they do if Miss small does want that change we discuss that that has to be a Rewritten policy because it does it does fulfill the last bullet of the science requirement in the graduation requirement policy so uh I'm not quite sure what your question is my first question is none none of us do things in isolation here so so so part of the first question is it's kind of like how do how do we make that determination of of the pro right of what course satisfies a graduation requirement in the program of studies guide yeah so so a couple things right so obviously from a state standpoint there's High School graduation requirements that designate that courses should be uh tagged based on specific areas that's that's kind of as a floor you know school districts can go beyond that in terms of what they believe that they would expect from students in terms of that pathway um you know years ago in this District I I'm not quite sure how far back but at some point there was an agreement policy does not reflect it though but it was a practice that uh students were guided towards more of a balance science experience to try to limit you know consecutive years under the same umbrella in terms of science content um right right right I totally understand that they explain that to me and I I understand that's the best practice but what I guess I'm saying is I feel like that needs to be written because it led to a different interpretation agree I completely agree I mean you know if there's something that we're going to expect or something we're going to articulate the students and families in terms of a practice you know it should it should be some um reference point whether it's policy policy is the easiest place for it to live um program of studies is obviously another one but it I think it it it strengthens it if what's in the program of studies is um almost regurgitated in the policy so um that so that's the first answer to the question in terms of the AP coursework you know some AP course has been tagged to electives and that's what created the you know at one point it wasn't articulated in terms of an AP course and being explicit regarding um where it fits in terms of contributing towards a graduation requirement and making sure that it's explicitly known that it's deemed as an elective um and but there's also some interpretation on that I'm going to be quite Frank with you I mean you know districts have kind of moved to some degree because when you're talk about AP course we're talking about college level coursework so there's also a um a change in the landscape in terms of how schools are interpreting how they want those things to be counted as well so I think it's something for us as a district to kind of review and explore and make a determination regarding what we think is one uh obviously in line with high school graduation requirements and then if we're going uh above and beyond or we have an interpretation as a district that we think philosophically is in the best interest of students then we need to make a determination we as a board as it relates to what we think that policy landage should I think one of my biggest concerns was just thinking of how some a PS do count as the requirement but it seems now that it was just the science that are considered well I don't even like using the term elective because there are electives that actually do fulfill requirements that aren't counting and I feel like like apal counts there's AP push counts and I'm concerned the kid kids that are science tracked kind of doesn't it it almost puts them at a disadvantage so I I mean we don't have to have that discussion now but I just feel like that came up when I was reading the program of studies with my kids so I thought maybe that would be a discussion that yeah I think I think I think we're going look to use the the curriculum committee meeting as a part of that as well okay Miss small is there something you want to add you got to come up to the microphone Miss small right it was really can can I for this is very new to me right now um so you're telling me just like a just an average just explained to me if I my daughter goes in a science track and she call qualifies for the let's see what science courses you're saying it's not counting toward gra graduation let's start with that first which well according to the new program of studies it said AP chem AP Bio AP site um physics and AP environmental science those four will not count towards graduation towards the graduation requirement is that what okay so if for I understand so if I have a daughter who in a major wants to go to that track and she wants to take all these AP coures now this is going to count as an elective is that what you mean possible now so I guess we need to determine who makes that decision on behalf of the dist because we do have qualified students who would be able to participate at this level courses well this is something that we were going to discuss right with the curriculum committee sorry sorry I just need and then I just wanted to also say I just want to ask all the guidance counselors are know what's happening and are aware of what the requirements are for every grade and they're relaying this information to parents and students when they're having their their meetings with the students correct here's what I'm going to tell you I think they should be the counselors are aware they should be but I think that there was you know once again you know if we're going to have a practice it needs to be something that we refer to in writing as a practice that's underg guarded by something that we can refer to so therefore it's not an opinion it's not something that someone told someone it's something that's clearly understood so uh it appears that there was some inconsistency in terms of messaging and that's something that we need to make sure that we we are clear upon all right thank you because my daughter's going to be coming in eighth grade and we'll be going through this process so I would like to know and be informed by the councel right you said for what is happening in its course election it should be a practice that we follow that tears to our policy that what we're practicing so so right so so like I said right now the policy I think the board approved the March 23 in terms of graduation requirements you know that's kind of if you were just to look at that um you know there would be an interpretation regarding what that pathway may be in terms of science courses I'm just talking science coures is currently so uh like I said there appears to have been a practice in the district that was based upon creating a balance science experience for students um and I think it's a healthy opportunity to talk about you know where we're going as it relates to that because it is there nothing that the state is like what I'm talking about right now um that balanced science um requirement or balance science experience you know that's a philosophical approach and it's it's not something that the state is requiring of us so I think when we're asking the question who's making the decision I think you know obviously as I said before the decisions we're making on behalf of students are collective decisions and if that's something that you know that's something that has lived in the district you know talking with Sandy it's it's it's one of those things where um you know we'll use the curriculum committee as a venue to say here are some of the pieces we've done historically that may not exist exactly replicate what the state is asking of school districts and to engage the board in in a discussion regarding where we' like to go is is something that here's why we're doing it and we can have a discussion regarding the benefits or the pitfalls of that um but whatever we're going to do we do need to have consistency in terms of how we Implement that U so that that's that's the the answer for tonight so so to be continued can I just say one other thing because I'm not on the curriculum committee is that going to share out though they're going to share right just so I after talking to miss Ma I totally appreciated and understood the best practice to follow through the different content areas so I guess that also almost needs to be separated from will AP courses because you can still do bio physics you know what I you can still do the correct sequence but why couldn't the AP courses count as long as you have the best practice that that's part of the conversation as well okay that that was my only can we just confirm too that there's consistent messaging amongst all of the guidance counselors in the high school I know especially the junior class and everybody is meeting to to do the schedule so is there consistent messaging amongst that group uh yes okay they should be thank you there any other board member comments any other board members wish to make a comment there's done second opportunity for public comment is there anyone from the public who wishes to make a comment there being none let's move on to item 11 motion to approve routine items by exception having read the materials received I move that the board approve the routine agenda items as submitted a staffing for February 26 2024 B job description updates C HIV report from February 5th 2024 D approve travel and related expenses virtual and in person e approve new field trip sites for upcoming trips F approve donation to Walter SE black from Crayola G accept furniture to Melvin H creps I'm sorry I scroll too far um age approve he toown high school and Melvin H crep Spring sport schedule Spring of 2024 I approval of heightstown height class of 2024 senior trip the dinner and dance Cruise in May of 2024 J technology recycling batch number 44 K Professional Services for students L Transportation uesc m transportation bids n Transportation jointure o professional service contracts P approve use of competitive bid process Q board minutes for February 5th 2024 our report of the board secretary and financial report for November and December 2023 s expense and transfer reports of school monies report for November and December 2023 and T Bill list of February 26 6 2024 second does anyone have any questions I I do have just one question and it might be silly but the um senior crws if something were to happen is it to I mean that's what says but you know I have mbre right if something were to happen does that mean that they that there's enough life jackets and all of that for the students and like the teachers to everybody you know what I mean I don't think there's enough for the super there's not enough for the superintendent I'll tell you that much but uh you know what um yes yes I appreciate I appreciate your your pessimism there there Jean um but no but you know what though in all seriousness though any anytime we we take children on water you know that that is a in in staff as well that is a thing to consider but sorry and thank you Nicole I have a question on B the job description updates I'm assuming because it's updates it's not a new these are not new positions correct they're not these are not new job descriptions they just they just updates in terms of language and consistency regarding some qualifications and layout and that that's not something that's negotiated no no this board decisions um these are exist periodically we review our there's going to be some other job descriptions you're going to see on here as well where we review the language so U one of the things we've been doing is actually an equity review regarding some of the language that may be contained but this was more so just the cleanup as it relates to alignment related to qualifications some and some expectations so nothing that would Veer from any um negotiated expectations regarding terms and the board always uh has the the the opportunity to to um determine what job descriptions entail and we we're not looking to put anything for approval that would Veer from established expectations related to someone's work are there any other questions um no questions I just want to make a comment on R and S and commend the board office for playing catchup on our all financials so we appreciate that hard work I know we short-handed there's no other questions or comments pull the board please miss Drake yes Miss Lans yes um abstain on a just the line items that have my name on there oh I'm sorry not a d oh my goodness okay it's been a long night for everybody huh D with my obstain D for my name thank you m Murphy yes abstain from D Miss boli yes Miss Patel yes Miss Salter yes Miss larusa yes um we don't need a second executive session so motion to adjourn have a good night for