[Music] one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all thank you real call please yes president Pang here vice president Romano here Mr shei Miss White here Mr Mohan Patel Mr beel Patel here Mr Schneider here Mr R Mr Vel Batel you have a COR thank you opening statement please yes in accordance with the open public meetings ACT public law 1975 c231 Sunshine Law copies of this public meeting notice were sent to the home News Tribune and the starred Ledger on January 3rd 2023 and December 1st 2023 members of the public May participate at regular meetings in accordance with the bylaws of the board and applicable state regulations thank you Mr to yes Mr Rivera is on the day noted than you okay in accordance with the open public meeting Acts chapter 231 PL 1975 the Addison Township Board of Education will adjourn to confidential session for the purpose of discussing confidential student matters Personnel matters health insurance contract dispute land purchase former staff and student litigations so we're going to move to close session we're expected to come out at around 7:00 okay thank you thank [Music] you [Music] glory kingace on Earth and mercy and Sile Jo all ye nations join the tri of the with [Music] angelim glory to the new king Christ th highest Heaven Christ the Everlasting [Music] lordus theal Angels Sing glory to the [Music] K [Music] of alls heal in his wing [Music] glory to Sons of Earth to [Music] give the angel sing glory to the newborn king [Applause] [Music] everywhere [Music] [Music] sing [Music] ding [Music] [Applause] ding [Music] B [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] la [Music] [Music] mid Frosty wind [Music] made water like a stor had fallen [Music] s [Music] [Music] mid angel angels May haveed [Music] the [Music] his worship the Bel with the K what can ior I [Music] am I were a sheer I would bring I were wise I would do my part what I can I give [Music] heart [Music] [Music] [Music] o thank you so much for having us the meeting um reconing to uh um open session we first have a recognition our attendance officer Miss D Ramos Dr I think at this time we'd like to call down Mr McGrath principal of Herbert Hoover Middle School good evening I would like to thank Dr Alder relli Mrs Pang our board president and the entire board of education for allowing us the opportunity to honor Mrs Dora Ramos Mrs Ramos is a recently retired attendance officer and Community Advocate who diligently served our school Community for the past 28 years for the next few minutes I will do my best to convey to her the appreciation and gratitude of our entire School Community however before I begin talking about our beloved Mrs Ramos and all that she has achieved in her professional career I would like to begin with her greatest accomplishment of all her family I would like to invite Dr Christopher Ramos a graduate of John P Stevens High School Princeton and Columbia University Who currently practices medicine as a gastroenterologist in Texas to join us on screen cool it's awesome welcome back Dr Ros we are all very excited to see a product of our school in such a successful position joining us to honor such an amazing person so welcome thank you Mrs Ramos and her husband Jimmy who is a recently retired security officer officer here at Essen High School are leaving a legacy of commitment service and care that will live on in the hearts and the minds of the children parents and educators of our school Community as I prepared for this evening I realized Mrs Ramos has achieved the highest possible level of respect and notoriety whenever you say the names Bano Bruce Madonna and most recently Taylor there's an immediate understanding everybody knows exactly who you are talking about like those I just mentioned within Edison and the surrounding communities if you say the name Dora everyone knows exactly who you are talking about and that is the reason we are all here tonight unlike the celebrities I just mentioned Dora was never motivated by fame or Fortune what motivated Dora was providing families the resources they needed to live a safe and dignified life enabling children to thrive in school and Beyond early in her career Dora leveraged her access to teachers principles and parents by simply asking what the children needed then going out and finding ways to get them what they needed to be successful book bags school supplies clothing food and whatever else was needed as word of her efforts spread it be became clear that she could help more people if she formalized this work through their creation of a Bonafide charity Dora did exactly that born was Community Action reaches everyone AKA care this apptly named volunteer army was led by D and comprised of any and all who were willing to serve the children of our community in time care grew to become a model charity that provided all the best when life seemed to be at its worst in time our community helpers police fire and many others would call Dora sometimes in the middle of the night when families were left in need sometimes social workers would call asking Dora to help families who were facing housing insecurity and Educators would call each and every day when parents needed the supplies tutoring and support for their children to thrive as care evolved so did Dora she found herself at the helm of an ever expanding organization facing endless needs and limited resources Dora just kept working harder and longer all for free arranging fundraising walks that attract attracted tens of thousands of people from all walks of life wine tastings food donations clothing drives anything that brought the resources that were so desperately needed to our community Dura somehow did all of this while raising her family and working full-time Dora thank you for all you have done for the students and the families of Edison Township Public Schools everyone here today and those watching at home know that you will never be replaced and that your work can never be replicated Dora the impact of your work will live on in the lives of those you helped and the example you set will guide us all long after you retire to the comfort and love of your family in closing Dora please accept this token from Dr Al elderi and the board of education on behalf of Edison Township Public Schools and the count children and families that you have [Applause] helped Chris do you like to say something can you hear me of course you can awesome um yeah I would love to thank you so um first of all thank you uh to Brian for organizing to the board of ed uh to superintendent um to the township of Edison for for providing me um with an education that that put me where I am today um I think uh all things have to align and come together um for for me to receive an education use it and get to where I am and hopefully impart that on my children so um you know thank you to everyone in that room uh for being a part of that obviously it's it's a little hard to miss school when your mom is the attendance officer so that also had a little bit of role um in the process too but um you know I think everyone I think everyone is in that room everyone's cognizant of the fact that my my mom has a gift um it's a it's a gravitational pull um and that gravitational pull it's hard to put into words but she she sucks people in um to her cause and that cause is is based on what she sees as a problem I think her job gave her the unique ability um to identify needs around her and then reach outside of her job to to uh to jump on those things um that doesn't go unnoticed when you're a kid and uh I think that pull affected everybody it affected her friends it affected people that didn't know her clearly affected the the recipients of all of her actions and everyone's actions right everyone deserves the share and and the the credit for for everything that was done um and obviously my dad uh was always the first guinea pig right so he he also benefited from all this too um by being a part of that but um you know we're we're also very grateful uh for that career I'm even more grateful for the example that was set because I think um the uh the example of volunteerism um it's not just about going to school and coming home and doing your homework it's about the bigger picture right it's about the community it's about what you're doing about it um because that is the community that you're living in right and and how you treat that and I think everyone that's in that room right now recognizes that I mean yall are in the positions you're in because you have this effect above just the words that are being spoken in a classroom right so um knowing how important that is um you know I took that with me and I had a hard journey to get to where I am but it it's I'm I'm where I am because of everything that pushed me here and my mom was a huge part of that and and my dad was as well because my dad taught me responsibility so um I think you know now uh it's funny as you get older you get your own space right but then as you have your own kids you get pushed out of that space so you can see behind me I got a little candy Christmas tree and then I'm I'm kind of I got relocated from my spaces tonight but um so uh but I'm here because I have you know I have two little girls that I have a lot of lessons to teach and uh I'm excited because I I can now have uh my mom's undivided attention to uh to teach those lessons to to her grandchildren and and uh we got a lot of kiddos in the family now that uh that could benefit from everything that she's imparted um uh to the community so so on behalf of all of us uh me the girls all the girls and uh and and uh you know everyone my friends also which always saw what she did um thank you we're proud of you we love you and uh and we can't wait to to have you down here in Texas and um and most importantly I think I hope and pray for that um that everyone has has Adora in their life uh like a gravitational pull um that pushes them to be greater and pushes them to to do more and care more um so I I I hope that for everyone as well and um I'm I'm sure they'll miss you and and thank you again for letting me be a part of this love you love you Brian and Sandra I would never forgive you for this but I still love you both oh my Lord my gratitude to everyone that has something to do with this recognition this is the most difficult part for me that I this is the most difficult for me that I not that asking Jonathan to to for money and that was very tough for me so uh I think it's it's from the bottom of my heart I don't I don't know what to say uh but to the board members some of you I know for many many years before I became board members uh some of you doesn't know me that well but anytime that I ask for support and every single one of you I found that support because you knew that that support was for the students and for the parents in our community and I thank you from the botle of my heart and to Dr Adell for his tremendous support in any emergency that I have uh every got in a family with the students he was always there for me day and night and I kind of uh was blessed in the little bit of time that he's been in the district and I spent working with him uh my gratitude to him because no matter what I asked him he was always there for me and for the families and I also wanted to thank him because he always care about the little people in the district and that's something that I really really appreciate from the bottom of my heart and I wanted to thank my husband also for his support and always always be there for me day and night and his love for 42 years uh when I used to go home and I say okay let's go we got to go here we got to go there uh so he says again so we used to go back uh to bring something to each of the families that need our support and in my life story uh my son gave me a notebook and he called my life story and in there I'm going to be able to tell my granddaughters that AA aella means Grandma receive a recognition for helping others and that would be an inspiration for them to do the same so I wanted to uh leave with this my dear friends inside and outside the district thank you for walking me with me when I needed support thanks for walking ahead of me when I need guidance thanks for walking behind me when I needed someone to wash my back God bless you and Fel na that to all thank you I think they want you to take a picture okay miss you okay now next we have another recognition for board member Jerry she and MIM Patel will be right back all right if I can call down uh Mr Patel Mr mohim Patel he back in one second he'll be back in one second so I'm not going to call him down I'm going to call down board member Mr Jerry she would you come on [Applause] down so so as I begin my tenure as a superintend ten here in Edison Township one of the things that I think that um I would be remiss in doing is thanking um Board of Education members for um their level of service and volunteerism um to the to the students and staff in the community of Edison Township um whether you're on the board for one year three years or in this case 10 years Mr sheay I think there should be definitely be an acknowledgement and it's a a tradition that um I would like to start um as we um kind of pass the Manel from old boards to new boards um to be honest with you m Mr shei has been on this board of education for 10 years um unbelievable accolades and support for the things that he has accomplished in this time frame and most particular his uh his his unbelievable uh characteristic of of really not forgetting anything an unbelievable memory and a gift for finance um and his volunteerism and always supporting the students staff here in Edison Township this right here Mr she is just a small token of our appreciation currently right now I think I speak on behalf of the entire member of the Board of Education as well as the staff here in Edison Township and the community we thank you so much for all that you have done for us and me personally I want to thank you it's been an absolute pleasure to serve with you hope to see you in the future at Board of Education meetings and I thank you very much thank you come on you got got this you should hold that the volume czy one [Applause] more thank you so much thank you Mr Shay thank you and now okay I'd like to call down Mr mohim Patel your music will be good you requested it yeah that's our Mo I think Mr Patel's entrance speaks for himself um Mr Patel although um a short a short time on the board three-year term um I can tell you that your passion uh flavor and and uh and dress have been not gone unnoticed um we thank you so much for your efforts in all of the Committees that you've served on and um always being a beacon for um the student staff and uh Community here in Edison Township it has been an honor and a privileged to serve with you I'm going to miss you on the deis and I thank you so much for everything that you've done small token of our appreciation here on behalf of the Board of Education as well as members of our community [Applause] here thank you ladies and [Applause] gents thank you now we have our student council representative from Edison High School Shi hello Board of Board of Education members and public I'm charie pabani the student council president and student representative from Edison High School a few weeks ago High We conducted our annual hallway decorating contest which takes place between all grades students from all grades had fun staying at school late and engaging with peers in a contest to win points for the end of the school year Battle of the classes competition our winter sports are starting strong and prosperous boys wrestling had a fantastic win against Woodbridge last Friday we started our winter spirit week this week to get students engaged in school spirit Deca is preparing hard for their upcoming competition at ke University which they hope students will move on to the next round to State there are currently no student issues but as an update to last week the student council board is currently in contact with mashos regarding the food at our school we're working hard to gather a focused group of students from each grade interested in representing our students thank you thank you next we have H student representative from JP Stevens Miss what naad Williams hello everyone hello everyone my name is Nathaniel Williams and I'm the second vice president at JP Stevens recently student council held our yearly talent show called JPS Got Talent with first place going to a dancing act by aan Shake second place going to a pole acrobatics act by Shrea poenar rusa karney and a perva chowdery and third place going to another dancing act by Andreas Hernandez student council also conducted a giving thanks campaign where we sent out thank you cards to every teacher and faculty member in the school for our monthly Act of community service a student council and its executive board partnered with Toys for Tots and the Edis Police Department to donate toys to kids in our community we've also held spirit days for Thanksgiving Pajama Day twin day and sophomore class CLE day this week is our spirit week and Monday was supposed to be a holiday sock day today was holiday pajama day tomorrow is white out day where you wear all white Thursday is a color block day where you can wear either all red green or white and Friday will be Festivus day where you can wear any holiday apparel two weeks ago regions auditions were held at JP Stevens with great success from all of our music programs choir sent over 33 students to region choir and the Band program had 30 students who were accepted and five of them received first place Orchestra had eight acceptances to re to Regions Orchestra and one received first chair two students were chosen for the young Arts 2024 award that being Hong Chang for clarinet and on Wang for guitar last week choir band and Orchestra also all held their concerts which all went successfully we had our seal of biliteracy tests recently with with 44 students taking the exam for Spanish and one taking it for French Edison High and JP Stevens held a bowling game last week with JP Stevens winning a score of three games to one last Monday financial aid information night was held at JP Stevens for both students and parents this month JP Stevens wished all of its families a happy Hanukkah K Quanza and Christmas as part of the holiday spirit the music programs have been carolling around areas like elementary schools veterans homes and hospitals and on the 22nd music programs will be going around classes during teachers times to be able to spread the holiday cheer through songs and whatever performances the music programs have in store finally on the 21st the National Honor Society will be hosting a staff breakfast thank you thank you for our student Representatives um your excuse if you know have other things to do I'm sure you're busy or you enjoy the the break don't run too fast they can't wait is a race to the end yeah next we have our um Administration report Dr R okay uh good evening ladies and gentlemen I hope all is well um I want to wish all of you a u a happy and healthy uh upcoming winter break uh as well as uh the wonderful holidays as we celebrate at this time um uh on another note too I'd like to um just thank uh personally all the members of the uh JP Stevens uh Community both staff students uh and parents alike uh I know yesterday was a little bit hectic in relationship to the flooding that was in front of the school I want to um obviously not an ideal situation and if I can control the timing of the weather it would probably be even easier but I I I do want to uh commend not only the building principal but as well um uh our our staff members that did a wonderful job in mitigating those circumstances to ensure um that students were transported um back home safely at that time so um I do want to thank you for your cooperation in that um as far as uh resolutions are uh concerned we have our uh you know regular reports it's a light agenda this evening for uh curriculum and instruction we have um our regular approval of field trips we have uh resolutions that deal with our professional development opportunities for our staff to engage in um learning experiences that improve class practice and student achievement we have our pupil and special services reports which uh outlines our outof district student placements um and we also oh and I skipped um one of the uh uh the settlement agreements in which uh the board has en currently engaged in and uh just to Echo the sentiments uh I do want to thank uh both uh board members um who are entering their term shortly for their service to this community um it has been an honor and privilege to uh serve alongside of you and I I I do thank you for everything and I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors um and with that I will turn over the business administrators board secretary's report to my colleague Mr John thank you very much uh item one up is the uh standard monthly reports nothing new there that's our uh bills list board secretary report traditional Financial items item two we have our contracts uh something to note we have a contract going out to SSP Architects for 1.1 million that's for the schematic design and bidding and construction Administration for the EHS um classroom Edition and Renovations that I did a presentation on with Dr aldarelli a couple months back also a contract going out to DMR for 1.5 million for the John Marshall classroom Edition um and Renovations uh for schematic design construction Administration and bidding uh and that was the the other part of that um presentation I did I think it was back in October um we have a contract to Academy construction that's 540,000 that's going to be for the new gym floors at our new gym at woodro Wilson and John Adams um and we also have a contract going out to Nickerson um for woodro Wilson and jams for the new bleacher systems that will be installed at those gyms uh item three is authorizations to use competitive Contracting that's a procurement method we're going to be using to secure uh tutors um I item four we're uh disposing of some fixed assets pretty standard for this type of year end of the year uh item five is our non-public report as you know we uh have to manage the non-public in our area their their funds so those are the contracts that were submitted to us that we're going to be formalizing and improving tonight and we have our transportation Report with uh some some contracts uh only one tonight a little light but that's it thank you all right um I have now I have public public comments for resolution only see now motion to end the public comments resolution all all in favor I okay thank you now I have motion to approve the Personnel report motion second Mr Vel Patel yes Mr Brian River yes Mr Schneider yes Mr bra Patel yes Mr Moen Patel yes Miss White yes Mr she yes vice president Romano yes president Pang yes motion carries thank you motion to approve Administration curriculum instruction P service special P special service report motion second same time Mr Vel Patel yes Mr River yes Mr Schneider yes Mr B Patel yes Mr Mohan Patel yes Miss White yes Mr shei yes vice president Romano yes president pen yes motion carries motion to approve Finance reports Mo second whoa close I'm going to give Mr vichel Patel yes Mr R yes Mr Schneider yes Mr beerel Patel yes Mr Mohan Patel yes Miss White yes Mr she yes vice president Romano yes president pen yes motion carries thank you next we have committee reports athletic committee Mr velle Patel hello everyone um athletic committee met on December 12 from 4:30 to 5 attendance in attendance were Ral Patel Shannon Pang Jer shei Brian Dera Thomas Dr Thomas Tui Mr Argie um Mr know Dave Miss Heather and Miss John to update about the high school Cricket the registration messages were sent out to all students with the deadline to respond by early February advisor positions will be posted after Christmas break the administration is coordinating the match dates talking to officials and scheduling tryouts committee suggested having multiple teams um Administration will consider it uh one of the kar is having multiple teams may be limited by practice space update on the Middle School Cricket the plans for intramural Cricket is progressing as planned the administration is working on logistics for the field space the administration proposed intramural season After High School season to maximize space and coaches the committee recommended exploring summer program based on the student interest batting cages the quotes received from the two companies were considered very High awaiting a third code the project will be put out for bid bid if necessary and project is expected to be ready before the season starts outdoor tennis courts EHS tennis courts construction is set to start on May 15 uh update on the sport physical how to make it more efficient the administration is working on establishing a standard operating procedures the meeting within the administration is scheduled on December 14 with nurses and athletic directors and ex also exploring digital solution for sports form submission and reaching out to similar size district for process insights on how to how to improve the process Middle School volleyball uh inter Scholastic sport um in Middle School will have three teams with six players each uh it will be you know tagged as a team B team and C team um the school administration clarified the prot protocol for Middle School volleyball tournaments emphasizing rotation of teams in each game so a team plays a team of the other school B team plays A B team of other school and if it goes to the third set then the C team plays A C team of the other school and and teams are expected to rotate during the matches and tournaments thank you thank you next we have curriculum rep committee reports also Mr Michelle Patel thank you uh the curriculum committee also took place on December 12 at 3:30 p.m. m in attendance were Vishal Patel Beetle Patel Shannon Pang Jer shei binda gromer Richard Cohan Heather Daniel and Dr Thomas Tui uh there was a follow-up item for elementary school standard based reports uh teachers are putting in the grades for the pilot program for the fourth grade Administration will collect the feedback from all the stakeholders uh and Report the feedback before implementing the pilot for all the fourth graders uh follow on Varsity Tutors the on demand program uh Mr Kohan is talking about training on January 5 so the varsity tutor training will be conducted on January 5 for all administrator on January 9 for all the secondary teachers and on January 30th for all the parents and Varsity Tutors will be rolled out uh with on demand 24/7 chat tutoring support to all students effective February 1st 2024 and and I'm going to pause and foot stamp that you know it's going to be offered to all students K22 with 24/7 chat support on February 1st 2024 um roll out of the high dosage program for EHS students using the title I mean EHS Title One eligible students Mr K discussed the plan to get all eligible students to take advantage of 20 hours of one inone math virtual tutoring action and steps were discussed and if not if if if not all students take took advantage so we are we are planning to offer the you know classes to 900 some students and and by you know by chance if all 900 do not sign up we have plan B to leverage the fund and offer the program to maximize the fund basically um follow up on the win programming incorporating on demand chat tutoring and enrichment programs beginning February 2024 into the win period so so as soon as the varsity tutor is extended to all student all students will leverate those program to come up with you know scheduled syllabus for the win period students at the Middle School Mr Cohan gave a preview of win period activity that the district is looking to launch for the next two years through the partnership with the research organization wested via Federal grant Federal grant involving students in reflective self-performing writing exercises um more information to come but but in a nutshell it's a program where we will ask students to kind of resonate on what they did reflect on their actions and then you know set their goals for for next day next week next month and and live so we're going to have more information in coming months Mr Kohan is requesting more specific specifics regarding the data from the West ad uh it will be gathered and it will be researched before we take take it to the next step um follow up on feasibility of offering the AP classes to the Freshman students starting in our school year 2024 2025 AP biology was one of the subject that was being considered uh at this time it cannot be offered due to lack of web vet lab spaces um Administration is considering apcs computer science principles AP art history AP human geography and honors music uh for including in the program of study uh for year 2024 2025 uh n n9th graders will be able to take one of these courses in their freshman year there is a potential unintended consequences of offering a limited number of weighted electives to freshmen that still needs to be vetted um follow up on conducting enrichment program on business analytics uh the professor from rampo college Dr warma has volunteered to offer two free mini courses in the evening of high school students on business analytics and decentralization so these are the two topics that are current Trend in the it world and this professor is going to give insight to our high school students as a enrichment class in the evening uh more information on the dates times and location will be commun you know communicated sometime in January to all the families um follow up on considering yoga and pranayama uh committee recommended working with Isha Foundation to conduct a free yoga session for all interested teachers uh you know sorry interested teachers from from a selected school and the school that has been selected right now is jams uh conduct free yoga coordinator training classes to the selected uh gym teachers there are four four teachers who are interested in this practice and I'm being the coordin coordinator for the students and also conduct the free yoga training for all students in the presence of four Yoga Jam you know four yoga coordinators and that's also going to be conducted at the JM school I think I believe it's eighth grade that's selected uh grade of grade of students um Mr Cohen is going to meet with Isa Foundation volunteers again to to discuss and plan this out further the last last item there was a follow-up item for offering the geometry credit course uh during the summer to the 10th grade students the school administration under Mr Cohen's leadership is looking to offer a summer geometry credit course to incoming TR graders the school administration is also considering additional Pathways for math acceleration at the high school level allowing nth grade ERS to take both geometry and algebra too during the school year thank you thank you next we have our finance and facility committee reports Mr Jerry shei thank you uh the finance facility committee had a meeting yesterday uh it took place at the S Center at 4M uh in attendance were myself uh Mr Romano Mr MIM Patel Mr vop Patel Dr ADI Dr toi uh our ba John to uh assistant ba Jackie Becky and our head of facilities Bill cbus and assistant head facility Scott Murphy uh we talked about the 24 projects fiscal year 24 projects um this we have two architects that are doing these projects first the DMR um the JP Stevens the bisas the bismar construction has begun to mobilize and the site is being prepared for construction project projected complete is June 2025 um Herber Hoover Edition steel work has completed uh masonry CMU exterior Wars began the week of December 4th projected completion is July 2024 uh for TJ uh addition Foundation the footing is ongoing in the new gym Edition area still arrives onsite December 18th and steel erection begins on front of cannabies and a new connection Corridor over the holiday break projected completion is December 2024 uh the JP Auditorium contract and permit join documents issued to the contractor and the construction kickoff meeting was held on December 5th uh permits follow with uh uh uh Edison Township projected completion is September 2024 uh GMP kitchen a lot of things going on contract has begun footing uh excavation uh construction ongoing through April uh 2024 CM Foundation was in progress the woodo Wilson and John Adams locker room conversion uh drawing sent to Academy and Billy Contracting with two separate contractors uh doing these uh the conversions uh contractors filing for permits with Township a Target construction begins in early January 24 and projected completion for July 2024 uh the multiports batting cage which um um uh V show just mentioned uh we received the bids uh for from cooperatives uh purchasing programs but they were high waiting for proposals from a couple other um Co-op vendors um DMR is preparing a bid package to put uh put out in January if the proposal from co-ops are still High um raw Grand projects these are the projects that we received from the um the government this is to put air conditioning on the multi-purpose rooms in all our elementary schools um the electricity load calculations and uh development of design is underway uh anticipate completion big documents to go out by end of January um as long as lead items can be ordered and construction completed can be completed in summer uh we talked about um possibility uh about switch gears the people on the board we all know the switch gears now um based on the um load calculation so we'll see how many we need hope we don't need a lot that thing takes a long time and the esip solar work um interior lighting and roof work is ongoing Northeastern Interiors is currently doing pipe installation and building envelope uh weatherization uh my understanding some of the smaller schools the um lighting has already been replaced with LEDs and and all of that uh the esip is budget neutral um energy saving program uh will replace a lot of the things um at budget neutral no increase on taxes um the other is USA architect um they are doing the giams and the wo JY the uh rough utility work are ongoing the they also designed a GMI addition um they will have one more meeting schedule for January uh with the District administration and building principle for final agreements as per USA the project cost increase by 6 to 7% due to inflation um unfortunately the the more you delay it uh it's going to cost more uh USA wants to go go over the scope again to provide updated cost estimates for bidding public bid is expected to be released in January 2024 um we the board members asked the the uh insurance coverage for these ongoing constructions and the Builder Risk insurance covers uh all the construction in the district the um Edison Success Academy that's the one for the church property Dr to is activ actively working with SSP architect to remodel the existing classrooms fix the kitchen and multi-purpose room uh this property should be included in the um long range facility plan for um as part of the Meno Park for 2025 projects um John Marshall 23 classrooms uh we are seeking board approval to initiate the archit architect design and submit process which we just approved today the Edison High School uh addition and Reen renovation seeking board approval to initiate the architect design and submit prop uh processes we just approved again today uh on the um on the list are there four other projects uh we looking for funding uh it's a JP cafeteria and lab uh we know that the um numerous launch periods at J is uh with a limited cafeteria seating space uh is a key factor causing suboptimal use of classrooms and U you know V also mentioned that um uh we need Wet Labs the John Adams Edition um just remind the everyone the trailers are being used uh as a regular classrooms I don't like trailers um the other thing that we do plan to do is the uh the maintenance building um also um EHS Edison High the boiler in the basement is really really old um we just approved for the uh the repair uh but we think the board thinks the committee thinks that the the board should uh budget for uh replacement of the the boiler it's somewhere around about a million dollars uh then we went through the contracts the SSP the Edison High contract which again we just approved uh the design DMR Marshall 23 classrooms $1.6 million Academy construction for Jim fla wo Wilson and John Adams it's a total somewhere around 540k uh we felt it's cheaper we do it this way uh rather than include it in the um uh architect design Nicholson is going to uh Furbish the um John Adams and woodo Wilson gym bleachers uh it's 350k and Allied Boilers uh we need a fix the uh the boiler for Edison High School at 65k meeting journ at 5:45 submitted by Jerry she thank you very much thank you Mr she um next we have the announcement of next meeting or we have a reor meeting January 2nd at education center at 700 p.m. now we have board member comment whoever want to start first uh Miss Jor white have something to say just a little something okay um Mr shei has unselfishly served our children in our district for 10 years we are all so grateful for his accomplishments and all of his hard work the children of Edison are always first and foremost in his mind and I am truly grateful to him for his many kindnesses to me you you know I am this is over the years you know I've known him for many years and he's very special to me so thank you Mr shei for a job well done be proud thank you and I thank you thank you very it's all true too and I also want to say this I just want to add my best wishes to Moen he has served the children of Edison and the board for three years forgive me um he has accomplished many good things in his time on the board and I appreciate his hard work his passion and his dedication I assure all of you that I will miss sitting beside him at these meetings he is an amazing person and he is most definitely never dull he just isn't thank you again menen for all that you've done appreciate you thank you very much thank you Genie Mr P Patel or oh you have something right so jury great service for 10 years it takes a lot of time commitment we all get exhausted and tired with this volunteer service which doesn't pay us anything but you did it for 10 years that's incredible job so you know that's that's a lot of that's a decade of your life you spent in this service so that's great and moin we're going to really miss the fun and I don't even have words to express that so at least I hope we can pass a resolution to have in Atlantic City with us next here at least I know you can stop bying board meetings but without you there is no fun so we're going to miss that so again thank you for your service and I'm going to come back to the board member comments later on other that thank you any other thank you Mr Jo Romano uh March 29th 2021 I uh had quadruple bypass and uh I believe it was in April April beginning of beginning of May uh somebody reached out to me and said hey you want to run for the board and I looked at him and said are you out of your mind and they said no no no talk to him talk to him so I reached out to Jerry it was kind of contentious to say the least but I found it that you know we actually uh we had a lot of things in common I really really am going to miss work on them now when it comes to Mo oh God I don't know how to say this but uh he he's really a pleasure to work with he's got a great sense of humor Mo anytime love you Joel thank you thank you thank you thanks a lot thank you anybody else oh Mr Brian Rivera yeah um again I want to do the sentiments to Jerry and Mohan um thank you for your your dedication to this board of education your dedication to the staff students and family members of this community I do have to agree with everybody here moan you made this fun you know so I do want to give you those uh those uh props that burel gave you you you did make it fun you did keep it spunky you kept this all on our toes so I really want to appreciate you um for that and Jerry you know your your comments you know your research your your your uh the information information that you can provide to help us was amazing so you know your 10 years of experience so I wish you both well um and thank you for your service thank you very much thank you Mr Vel yep I think I won't take much time in repeating you know what what all good they did but I'm sitting here because of Mo about probably one and a half year ago he convinced me to run for the board I I wasn't ready um but here I am and I think I'm enjoying it and and thanks Jer for all the guidance and he's a visard of how this board operates how the school district operates so I'm going to miss uh getting Insight but I know you're reachable so thank you thank you thank [Applause] you I don't know anybody Mo you want to say something sure thank you wow folks here we are three years into a three-year term final meeting I just want to say a few uh thank yous uh I'll read the speech because it's more easy so I'll start off again sorry folks here we are the final meeting into a three three-year term that you the amazing taxpayers and parents who elected me to this board by the way with the highest number of votes ever in the history of any elections in Edison to this date I am forever grateful for the trust you bestowed upon me me with my humble heart I thank you as I've stated in many of our meetings my only agenda was and has always been for the best interest of our students above anything else no one on this Das or out there can tell you otherwise and if they do I can guarantee you with my right kidney that they have an agenda and are full of feces that being said I want to wait where is this sorry all right we've gone through so much and accomplished so much within these three years recovering through a pandemic and loss of learning to finally acting upon our overcrowding issues although we still have some work to do to overcome 100% of the overcrowding I'm sure we will accomplish it without the BS politics and personal agendas I want to individ I want to individually thank the taxpayers parents students The Faculty Administration the board of member Board of aded members for all that they have done and Contin to do to make our school district one of the greatest in the State starting off with the taxpayers of Edison I would like to say thank you for entrusting me with your vote for the past three years we were able to provide a 0% tax increase without taking away from our students a promise during the campaign we made and kept thanks to The Prudent and accountable budgeting uh from Jerry throughout the 10 years of his service and the school board and thanks to the additional state aid that was given to almost all the schools in in this state using a state aid formula contrary to some sham artists going around spreading lies and taking credit for it to the taxpayers I say thank you I humbly request that you do your homework and choose your board members wisely in the future and be sure to put our students first when you push the button to vote to the parents I want to thank you for the years of support and Trust I hope you found soulless in knowing that I have and always stand firm for our students all 18,000 of them our taxpayers and the facult faculty that give their 110% no matter what anyone says also I would like to leave you with these thoughts education is important but not at the cost of our students mental health and overall well-being the 12 years that will be in school are also 12 years they are developing growing learning and finding their passions goals dreams and identity let them enjoy the process without pushing them to your version of their reality in turn encourage them love them nurture them and create an environment for them to be Risk Takers Achievers Believers and Dream Makers just remember falling and failing are also part of the process to success growth and becoming resilient all they are seeking is for you to love them as they grow and not base that love solely on their grades or their achievements to all the amazing students that go to our schools thank you for making our schools great you are the future and I wish you greatness and success in all your endeavors nothing is impossible as long as you believe it and take action to achieve it if there's an acronym I would like to leave you with is this for anything that you wish or to pursue whether it's goals dreams or anything that you want to achieve is CID commitment initiative and drive in order to achieve something you need to commit to it commitment alone will not achieve that goal once you are committed you also need to take action or ini initiative towards that goal and finally to cross that finish line that you will you will need to drive that commitment and initiative to fruition example of that I'll give you my own is I had to commit to achieving my six-pack abs my commitment alone did not get my amazing sixpacks just by saying it right I had to take the initiative and put on put out my exercise routine plan out my exercise routine and my diet plan do the sit-ups crunches all everything and there were days that I didn't want to do it so I took the initiative right but there were days where I didn't want to do it so I had to drive myself to make sure that I have the fabulous ABS that I have right now by the way that was just an example all right to all the faculty in our school district from supervisors principles VPS department heads teachers teacher aids Paras coaches secretaries grounds facilities custodians lunch AIDS and the countless other number numbers that work for the benefit of our students I bow down and thank you for going above and beyond for your service for the 5% of you that are here just because it's a job with great pay and benefits I would like to remind you in our school and our classrooms you have the power to light a candle in the minds of our students that can bring light to the world or extinguish the very candle of hopes and dreams that could brought that could have brought light to this world so Choose Wisely I hope you choose to become part of the 95% that bring light and not Remain the 5% that continue to just collect a paycheck to our rockar superintendent and the administration I want to thank you tremendously for your leadership dedication and commitment you put forth day in and day out for our students the faculty and this great School District as a whole Dr Elder Elli you are not just the Rockstar scratch that I'm changing that now you are the Superstar superintendent you are the mayor the CEO and Godfather of our schools students parents and taxpayers thank you for providing the leadership guide guidance and the district goals that will put us in a future forward School District these goals that will bring us this these goals that will bring our school district to live up to the title of being the number one suburban school district not just in name but indeed uh with its future forward mindset and purpose and to be The Guiding Light for other school districts to emulate thank you in advance for making sure they are met in your tenure Superstar thank you to my fellow board members I thank thank you for the opportunity to prove myself right I understand my wisdom and judgment may be too much at times for the BS that's thrown my way but I'm sure you found soless in your slinging skills and I in my hitting your BS out of the park skills in all seriousness I'm confident and hopeful the new board will be wise and put our students over politics make wise decisions to prioritize the future expansion plans for additional classrooms at Edison High Marshall jmi and jams along with science wings at JP and a sports bubble wherever we find Space Dr Ross okay uh I wish you great success in making sure the needs of our students take priority over the politics and agendas all decisions matter finally I want to thank my family and friends for allowing me to sacrifice our time for the greater good of humanity yes that is correct for the decisions we make on this Das have a ripple effect on the future Generations that work walk this Earth folks I can say with honesty full transparency and confidence that I haven't broken your trust and faith in me and never will once again I'm truly grateful to each and every one of you and with my humble heart I thank you for the opportunity to serve the number one suburban school district in the state of New Jersey for the past three years as your Edison Board of Education member thank you and may the universe bless us with joy happiness and abundance and all that is great within us all nothing less than Excellence much love thank you [Applause] well president yeah Mr she wow I can't beat that I didn't write a speech so uh I'm going to be short um it's it's been a bless to have the opportunity to serve the community for the past 10 years um I thank the uh you know the the residents for giving me the opportunity um 10 years five superintendent um we achieved a lot we still have a lot to do as mohin said he did not break the promise during his campaign I did not break my promise in the 10 years I'm serving on this board not I have ever once not once using my position to advocating for my family members all the vendors that we replaced I wish we have done earlier every vendor we replaced Edison taxpayers paid less for the service they provide better or equal service for the for the district you know I just want to take this up to Unity today is my last meeting to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season I wish the district and the new board nothing but the best and I hope to see you guys around thank you very [Applause] much I I have a long speech I got to warn you first but uh thinking that these guys put in so many years I think the least I can do is spend a few minutes you know show my gratitude to these two uh Mr MIM Patel has contributed three years to this board I would just call him Mo because that's all what we always call him and uh Mr Jerry she has dedicated 10 years to Addison Board of Education 10 years a decade uh think about it um I don't know how many 10 years in one life in one's life that one can work for something without ever getting paid and um that's what they have been doing you know and it's not just 10 years being 10 years or three years of rubber stamping that will be easy it's 10 years of quality work it's 10 years of meetings research discussions negotiating Union contracts working with the administration team listening to the stakeholders assisting parents and students so when the walk path behind W Wilson was flooded it Mo was the first one got there taking pictures inform the admission team and have a duckboard set up so that the students doesn't do do not have to walk through a 20 yard puddle with the construction in John Adams blocked the the walk path Jerry was there five times tooking drone pictures and finally get a alternate path build sparing the parents the trouble of having to drive their kids back and back to school every day and when Lindendale parents has their concerns about losing their principles Jerry and mo met with them listen to their concerns and advocated for them this is just a few examples of board members Jo assisting students and parents and you think this is you know normal but in reality how many parents actually reach out to board members and get actual help from them so another vital role of board members is the fiscal responsibilities and um without Jerry and most effort we would never have saved over $10 million over the years and to build expand our schools without additional School tax and yes School Board is in charge of 56% of the property tax not the township and it is this board again not the Township in the last three years that has not increased one penny of school tax for taxpayers which has never happened in Addison school history so if the taxpayers money is safe in their pocket whose cake gets cut so that's why you might wonder you know why people some some people always come here and accuse Jerry and mo being so aggressive of course if they're not aggressive how could we o how could we fire all those overcharging vendors who have a lot of political connections if they're not aggressive how could we replace those the food vendors the insurance brokers the banks which seems to be Untouchable for over 20 years to save millions of millions dollars for taxpayers and if they're not aggressive who's going to hold who who's going to check every bill so make sure there's no over spending and there's no fraud and waste and if they're not aggressive who's going to hold people accountable you can't expect board member to hold people accountable and yet make everybody happy in fact if a board member is popular in every single group that's probably means that they're not doing their jobs and board member are elected to advocate for students and parents and taxpayers and I'm so tired and sick of of some board members former board members always hiding their opinions and being vague on every conf every critical issues controversial issues just so that they won't lose support either campaign fund campaign money or promot Pro promised votes when it comes to elections but why voters would vote for some that they don't know where they stand or never will know where they stand on the issues that they care and I think people would think would ask them when you need a voice when you need to need a representation which one on the board is there for you so with a new sex education curriculum was introduced to teach second grader gender select gender identification fifth grader masturbation Jerry Mo and I took a stand and voted to urge the state to reconsider that and by the way for those Hypocrites who say that I shouldn't say masturbation in board meeting you can save it because obviously you are very comfortable with masturbation being taught in fifth grade classroom and being assigned as homework and when biology labors cut and um music and language programs was changed schedule was changed and negatively impact our students learning Jerry and mo vocally opposed that multiple times in multiple meetings and finally when JP expansion was used as a leverage and a threat for this past election Jerry and mo did not compromise JP expansion they stood firmly on the ground and ensure that GP expansion would proceed without delay and of course the same meion would come and accuse Jerry and mo being so argumentive but it is these arguments that bring positive changes such as the doubling of music and language instruction this year such as a bigger nicer JP would be finished on time they argue because they care and they argue because they're the one who stop anything that will detri be detrimental to our students and if Bo member just here to smile at the camera clap their hands and pra everybody then they're not doing what they're supposed to do they're not doing what they're elected to do board meetings are not happy hours and board members are not just cheerleaders board members are elected to deal with problems make tough decisions and speak up for the community so knowing Addison politics I'm probably going to be attacked for this speech I just like you know some Minion always attack Joe and mo Jerry and Mo on all the social medias spreaded all the lies and slenders about them within the community but that's exactly another reason I have to do this I think the POS the public deserve to know the truth and deserve to know who really represent their B benefits their interest and who may be doing this Township at this service so I'm not here know to please anyone I I don't mind to be the bad guy I'm here just to do what's right and I think that is for now I owe this big thank you to Jerry and mo for 10 years for every action not just words action that they have they have done to assist the students and parents for every argument they voiced loudly for the stakeholders for every battle they fought to protect our taxpayers and for never try to benefit personally from this position for never casting a vote against their conscious and finally for never giving in to political pressure or any special interest group thank you for not not just for the years of service but really for being the board member this town really needs thank you that's all thank [Applause] you next we have uh public comments before board president before we go to the public comments I have one last question as my normal for superintendent so uh locked out already um there's a announcements going out about the uh prek program for next year uh we know we are not providing for everybody uh it's about 500 students and there will be a lottery uh process to get the students in the program so the the pre program so the question uh from some of the parents is uh right now we have uh some gen gen students in the prek program a small number of them uh when it comes to next year will these students in the current uh prek program the jet of course special needs they they need to be there it's our responsibility to provide the services this is about more of a Genet students will they have a higher priority than the regular students who are currently not in the program thank you thank you Mr she for your for your final question there I always appreciate it um I'm assuming we were talking about our our three-year-old students all right our three-year-old students um a smaller population of students I I want to say it's somewhere in the ballpark of 10 11 students um yeah it would make sense to not only provide them priority but also you know grandfather the men to make sure that that would be the case there's stipulations within the Pea Grant we just have to make sure that um that process is aligned with and that if that's the case um it definitely makes sense to do that um as long as it's aligned with the grant because the grant really funds this program um that would be something that I think we could endorse but uh yeah one just one more thing if they have like siblings if one is in is it possible to consider to make the other one in as well so it' be easier on the parents to drop both kids off instead of one you know in the in the in the schools setting one of the daycare facility and the other go to somewhere else yeah yeah that that's definitely a good question it would definitely be easier as a parent that had to do that during that time frame I understand um it you actually bring up a good point and and something um that I can I might be able to highlight right now I know there's a survey going out um within this week uh it's it's tomorrow yeah there's a survey going out tomorrow um that is going to provide parents an opportunity to ask questions for the various Town Hall meetings that we have we have three of them going on I believe two of them are by Zoom they're they're in the first or second week of January I want to say one is on January 8th the other one is the 11th and then the town hall inperson one is at the end of the month I think it's somewhere in uh the 17th Dr Tu is mouth to me currently right now so the uh I would encourage parents to participate in that survey especially if your child's going to be eligible at that time um and you're interested in participating in it and at least this way we can have uh an opportunity to frontload those questions and answer them at the Town Hall and and be proactive in that approach but you definitely bring up a good uh a good point and as long as a lot all those stipulations are aligned with the uh the grant funding and the application we'd be more than open to doing those things thank you thank you all right public comments anyone back yeah two in the back good evening my name is Madu I'd like to read out uh on on behalf Madame President distinguished Board of Education members and fellow committee members I stand I stand before you today as a presentative of the residents and children of district one We Gather to express our heartfelt gratitude to the two extraordinary leaders jishi and Moen pel for their unwavering dedication and tireless efforts in enhancing the Edison schools their profound profound impact has touched countless families making a tangible difference in our community Jerry and mo mo Moen Patel have demonstrated remarkable collaboration with grassroot leaders working in hand hand in hand to elevate our schools and Community one significant achievement worthy of recognization in their successful Endeavor to address the longstanding concern of our school bus access for over 40 years students of students from Westgate 1 and two compromise comprising of over 600 households had to endure the challenge of walking to a walking a mile to catch their bus Jerry she's unwavering efforts have finally made it possible for the school buses to enter these communities benefiting more than 200 middle and middle and high school students in our districts and many more across other districts this Milestone marks a dream come true for parents and kids alike we extend our sincerest appreciation to jerish and moin ptil for their unwavering commitment to the betterment of our schools children and Community as we move forward we request Board of BOE leadership and incoming leaders to continue building upon the foundation laid by these exceptionally individuals let us strive to make Edison an exemplary Township where education and Community Prosper hand in hand thank you esteemed members for your time and attention thank you Jerry and Moen thank you [Applause] m r good evening board uh Ralph hero plasy Drive first of all I'd like to congratulate Dr Al ready in in person um congratulations I've he I've heard nothing but great things from all the stakeholders in Edison and continue to do a great job thank you you're welcome also Mrs White congratulations on reelection um I'm sure you'll continue to do great work and also the two new board members that are coming in I hope they uh at least can be a tenth of what some of the board members that are leaving have done uh Mohan I never served on the board with you but we've met a few times we've talked about some very important issues um we've had some discussions and disagreements but we've always been cordial and uh you've done a great job on the board and I appreciate everything you've done I know it's not easy I've been on the board a few times actually um and uh it's not always easy and sometimes you got to make tough decisions and sometimes it just doesn't go well with everyone but you've done a great job and I want to thank you for your service thank you and Mr shei okay uh I served as your vice president you served as my vice president um we've been together for a number of years uh we've met many many times over coffee and bagel and things like that um yes we've disagreed you didn't like my red baseball field but you went along with it um but again you know I think disagreement is a good thing you know uh arguments is a good thing you know if we just agree with everything what's the point we don't need a board then um but Jerry and Mohan have dug into many many issues uh looked into many many issues um again the vendors I was on the board when Jerry a number of vendors that we uh Reb bidded and got rid of because they were just overcharging us or not doing the job so again um Jerry I hope all the best for you and your family um and again it was a pleasure working with you and for you and uh I look forward to uh still having that cup of coffee every once in a while thank you very much thank you R really appreciate it it's my pleasure working with you too thank you thank Mrs Pang thank you thank you R uh hi I'm a resident of Edison and also a mother of two children in Addison School District um I want to take this opportunity to thank Jerry for your um service in the past 10 years to our community and to our school district so we don't know how many times you responded to our parents inquiries solving problems at first time we we don't know how much time and efforts you have put um into this unpaid job and 10 years um I also thank you for uh coordinating the donation and the volunteer activities in the most dangerous time during the pandemic um I I I do appreciate and your your fight against the anti-chinese anti- Asian um that kind of sentiment in the past a few years so ear the end what I want to say is this is the last meeting of this year for Jerry but I don't think this will be your last meeting in a long run um our community would like you to be back and uh we really need you to be back and I trust you will be back someday very soon soon thank you thank you thank you Professor [Applause] Z well we prepare this post my name is Bo sha at T Lucio cor Edon for 26 years old uh 26 years uh residency in ad uh this is the post if somebody see this who what is this okay that is J Stevens after the expansion well you can look at the later um when we uh okay first of all I have sorry for uh shanon P when you when you spoke I'm was shot the reason sh is I kind of fulfill I want shot because you said there's never been done uh those job those uh accomplishment from you from your board and for past for past three year in Addison Township I want to sh is that not for the country okay there's no District No City no town has achieved that with three years free budget no increase which means 56% of our property tax no increase in this capital country and everything Capital everything need the money and the inflation and the profit that's cannot imagine so you guys Jerry Mo Sharon now all the board members you did a great job thank you very much I am not finished okay Mo you you have a great speech okay I can say I can understand English and I was uh touched by Marther King's Speech but I think you speech really touched me again today great okay Sharon Sharon pun and you speech is with a lot of information which we don't know we didn't know we had never heard of that and thank you for letting us know and and actually today my I want want to talk is the main purpose I want to thank you Mo and Jerry especially Jerry for 10 years I cannot imagine okay uh 10 years you guys use the great word I will use number every month you guys spent about 20 hours on meetings talks and the phones and the emails and probably Le probably more than 20 hours all right that will be 2400 hours for 10 years equal to 300 working days that's your contribution for the township for the Addison Township for our kids and what benefit you get what did you receive anything good for you any profit ask me answer the question you got any Penny enough to make money to serve that's right you didn't get but I myself and all the Addison Tang resident got the benefit how much for myself when I mov in the township 26 years ago my tax is $3600 for my property now is $140,000 property tax okay so for every year you save the my tax $380 per year all right that's not a lot of money but you think about it we went to Costco we we go to Costco we pick up the stuff there's a $2 off $3 off we pick that stuff saving for that $2 but you guys saved $300 $400 for for us not from the Township from you guys know because my kids already left school long time ago and cherish's kids left left school long times ago and he works for for the 2400 hours for t for what his kids already graduate his his older kids went Harvard and now is working Google and he even sent his second kid to West Point and now serves in the Navy he already done why he is working for that you know what you touched me okay all the work you C you you devoted to the to to the school system for the kids for the family for for our money okay I really appreciate thank you so much and the mo thank you thank you okay you guys want to see what's the future jumy St and and Tom Tom oh okay one more one more number is we did we did I'm sorry give me a five second uh we have a two high school is under uh expansion all the middle school and the expansion and half of the primary school and the expansion without increase our tax money one penny thank you so [Applause] much anyone else uh David David y um five day record Edison I think he just showed this uh to the other way I think we're trying to show how beautiful the new um high school after the expansion so just to make sure you can see this one um first I want to thank Jeri and mem for your dedication to the um you know school to the community especially uh for Jerry I can't imagine it's been like a 10 years 10 years you are serving on the Boe spend many many hours I mean you are always being the dedic I mean advocate for students parents and taxpayers and over the last many years you we have been seen for students more offerings or choices are offered and also for the parents we have seen the transparency is improved and of course for the taxpayers you have we have been seen you know over the last three years as he previously uh speaker mentioned that there is no increase on the portion of the schore property I mean no increase on the School portion to our property tax in increase I mean we are seen the um increase on the township part County part but thanks for your effort there is no increase on the school part and I would say thank you to all of the board members who voted yes for those uh last three years effort to elevate the tax pay burden I mean from the covid or from everything I mean thank you for that one and to jeria I mean you have a full-time job and I can't imagine you know how dedicated you are to spend this so much extra time for the board of education for the school and for the community one thing I want to you know thank you is that because of your dedication and we are seeing you know your effort and this one is influencing I think some of the art board members you know to decide to run for the Boe to serve our school and Community we also seeing a lot of our you know community members who is who are here today and our main reason that we are also doing more work to the community under your influence and for that one I definitely appreciate your like impact influence to us so that we can see a better Community I mean through some of our own work and finally I mean thank you to both of you Jerry and moan thanks thank you David thank you David you David any anyone else mat good evening Matt revnak vice president of ETA uh first of all IID like to start off with while we didn't always see eye to eye on things but I did want to compliment the two board members that are leaving at the last meeting it's always a pleasure to work with board members as I stay at last meeting with the new people coming and looking forward the one thing you always did was you always had an open ear you know we could disagree on things we can battle each other at times but there was always a respect it was never personal I know I never make anything personal business's business um but I do appreciate and on behalf of the ETA this this this dedication and service that you given to the community and to this board over the last three years and over the last 10 years um I was thinking in the audience before with Mr Ramos up there who was one of my former students I also had Mr she's daughter and actually what you said before I always compliment that door Ramos Jerry shei other board members never interfered with their students and you you know use their positions to you know make a phone call or anything like that um both wonderful kids two of the probably thousands of students I've had over my 35 plus years here um so it's always a pleasure I wore my Notre Dame Shirt By the way because I know Mr she if I wore Navy would be bringing up that Army Beat Navy this year so it's a running thing we've had for 10 years and I will kind of miss that joking around between us um on another thing another topic um appreciate Dr alella your mentioning the situation that happened yesterday um not only JP Stevens but really the entire staff and all around the district um getting in under treacherous conditions you know many people that you know you don't realize live out of town I come in from an alapin for example at 6:15 in the morning I was at JP Stevens like every other morning and like you said much appreciation to the staff especially at JP um I know with my colleagues I know colleagues that didn't have electricity that had flooding in their own homes but yet still came to school you know and put it as a priority and even once the announcement was made that we were closing down for the day none of us ran out you know we made sure that things were attended to so you know I just want to appreciate and thank you for your you know comments before you know and again on behalf of the association thank those people that hung in there um the next thing I want to mention Mohan I appreciate what you said about the students in your speech it's something I've been saying and I was a little dist Disturbed to look at board minutes again today and you know we're looking at doubling up again in math and accelerating and you know we're talk about again kids that are behind kids that are social emotionally you know at a deficit right now and yet it seems like we just keep jamming more and more down their throats you know with my 35 years experience teaching math I'm not so sure it's the right way to go I'd also like to know though with the committee like you know no one ever reaches out to the teachers about it you know quite honestly we have all these things in place and I understand some of them no homework weekends we have a floor of 50 we can't go below a grade below a 50 for example you know we're constantly there I was sending passes to my students just now in the back coming in for extra help tomorrow morning at you know 7 o'clock you know the kids are struggling in many cases they're behind and it just I have a grave concern over that you know it's not something that we necessarily need to do at this point you know we're talking about getting them tutoring help help and you know yoga and everything else but yet we keep throwing more and more at them and it's really not healthy um the final thing I just want to mention is as always happy K Quanza to those who celebrate Merry Christmas to those who celebrate and we all celebrate a happy healthy and prosperous 2024 um hopefully it'll be a great year for us as a school district and everybody within the community um um you know there is one other thing I want to add in um the college acceptances for early decisions and all have been coming out I believe December 15th which was Friday and again as always we have some students disappointed but many of them were very excited and happy to get AC uh accepted to some of the great institutions that our students have always been known to get into so again Kudos and congratulations to them and I know the other students are waiting on their others and they're all going to get into integrate schools and do well down the road thanks and have a great night thank you thank you thank you Mr Romano Matt Matt Matt I'm sorry I'm sorry to bother again uh I'm still looking for bus drivers I knew you were going to say that bus drivers please bus drivers yeah I told you when I retire I'll be glad to maybe drive contract says the union will supply thank you sir that's different Union you got to talk to Mr contract sir contracts you know what I mean contract that's Brian furry's win they're not under bus drivers wink wink I I hear you it's thank you sir it's a big demand all over yeah I know yeah help me out buddy parents in the audience here actually they want to know about bus drivers if anybody needs a job just see Mr Raman if you want Matt mat Rick right there thanks Matt Matt you know uh we have a lot of disagreement and our army navy thing will never agree that is true well I had laugh with the one gentleman that said that Heidi serving in the Navy after going to West Point that's correct maybe she changed sides no no no no no never no it was always a pleasure I you know I remember sitting at the volleyball games when Heidi was in in High School playing and you know again people don't realize we can be at odds with certain things doesn't mean we don't have a working relationship in other ways absolutely and personal respect thank you thank you man anyone else um one over here oh whoever wants to come first just closer to I don't know the names um hi everybody my name is Gigi um today I brought my daughter Alexis because um because I'm here today I I actually I saw them come but I come and then I was like oh it's a long meeting I can't understand how you guys can sit there long and under the stage you do a lot of effort so I come today really appreciate all your work and effort um Jerry 10 years surprised me I was like 10 years counting that's a lot of time and I brought my daughter she said like why we go there I say today we have a lesson about devotion because 10 years I said that's Jerry she he's you you are very popular I you might not know me but you are popular know you not because of your looking or six packs yeah yeah you look good but um you know it's it's self it's self selfish list uh and contribution for all these without any payment I know a lot of people they get paid but even they still didn't do the job right but you did it so good thank you so much and also I want to say that I know that's counting I'm not taking that long okay so um I also want to say that today is just a temporary farewell and soon people will say welcome back thank you so much have a great night thank you now I have time to uh get appointment for dentist appointment uh good evening everyone uh my name is Joseph Johnson I live at 28 Manor Crescent first and foremost I would just like to take the time out to acknowledge the outgoing members of the Board of Education Mr shei and Mr Mohan Patel thank you guys for serving Edison Township throughout the years we wish you luck in your future endeavors and in the same notion I would also like to welcome the new members who will be sworn in in January as mentioned before my name is Joseph Johnson I'm a graduate of JP Stevens High School class of 2014 and founder of the Lena Harris Foundation the Lena Harris Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based in Edison New Jersey over the past 5 years dating back to the 2018 2019 school year the Lena Harris Foundation has hosted the Lena Harris Foundation mentorship program the program which will be entering year six this upcoming year will begin on February 10th 2024 and conclude on March 16th 2024 the program is a 6 we Saturday program held at middle sex College from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and it includes students of both Edison High School and JP Stevens High School it focuses on students who may not be or may not have the same opportunities and advantages as other students albeit socially financially or academically the program includes free breakfast free guest speakers um activities a tour of middle sex college and an end of the year scholar ship in awards banquet in which we invite all the board members to attend students are selected by each of the High Schools administration and designed and the program is designed to expose students to Career Fields outside of high school thus far we have had over 45 students complete and graduate from the program and we look forward to increasing that number this year on Thursday December 9th or I'm sorry December 14th 2023 uh from 8:00 am to 9:00 am. the Lena Harris Foundation interviewed eight students uh from Edison High School which were chosen from the Edison High School administration and I'm proud to announce that all eight have been accepted into the program at the conclusion of the holiday recess we look forward to interviewing the students of JP Stevens High School to kick off the program on February 10th if anyone is interested or if any parent is interested please contact principal Ross from Edison High School or principal quick from JP Stevens High School and to disclose I would just like to thank the Edison Board of Education the Edison Administration middle sex College principal Ross principal quick Mr Samuel Marshall for volunteering his time and all the other board members and administrators who have supported and continued to support the program I know the program has been approved for Mr shei and M Mr Patel previously and I just thank all the current board members as well I pray for everyone in attendance tonight and look forward to working with you all in the future thank you and God bless thank you Maria hi Maria Orchid first I would like to say thank you to Mohan and thank you to Mr shei for your wonderful years of service uh also congratulations to Virginia and look looking forward to that well you know the stop Line stop sign and thank you to all the other members who volunteer selfishly for the Board of Education the other thing we wanted to point out we didn't receive the Personnel listing so I don't know if it would be available after the meeting or the update we didn't receive that want to say thank you to everyone that volunteers for the Edison environmental commission and beautiful Edison without their wonderful support we couldn't do the programs around Edison and the cleanups and lastly I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Hanukkah merry Christmas happy Quanza and a very good new year thank you thank you thank you Anthony yeah Anthony jamaron 25 Wy um let me first uh could uh wish Mr Patel and Mr shei thank you for your years of service um and uh you surely be missed and uh extremely hard worker I'll say that um we've had uh it's been interesting over the last few years but um and Mr Patel I I I happen you have your way I I agree with a lot that you have to say um and uh but I wish you guys nothing but the best um and Mrs congratulations um I'd like to also say that you you earned it uh because of you not because of anybody else or any endorsements you you it was because of you so um just know that um also to the new superintendent I haven't had a chance to I never met we don't know uh but uh congratulations um everybody seems to to to Really um to like you uh I've paid attention you're very engaging you know what's going on um and you are uh you're you're you I think you are the right man for the job um and which brings me to really the reason why I'm here tonight and uh at a concern um you do have a big job uh it's I think it's the biggest job now in in in the township um but from the things you hear now um unfortunately what possibly is going on here inside of Edison High School um concerns me uh I'm not here to point fingers I I I I don't know who's at fault I don't know um that's not that's not my concern however what's I think is obvious is policy um that needs to be changed on discipline um Mr Ross I'm a big fan of Mr Ross I I I don't point the finger at him um but when you have administrators that are hands are tied uh due to policy previous policies um we are seeing the effects of that today and it's a problem when you have local businesses that publicly put out caution as Edison High students come into their into their businesses is a major concern and that's for me it's time to we got to figure out what's going on here and from everything you I hear um and and you know do your diligence on that I I do at least um the discipline is is is a problem and I and I know for a fact that you are um starting to to to try to change that and I appreciate that I I um all the way up until before I got here uh you know I was just checking in and figuring out really trying to get you know the my facts right but um you're seeing that and and and also the the lack of respect some students have for for teachers and Educators is also concerns me um you know I I for for for anybody to to to use these Halls as their playground is um is unacceptable to me you have you know from what you hear fights weapons um it's I went to school here I I can't believe some of the things that I hear and I got to admit I mean I as someone who I supported the last Administration but if this policy of you know tying people's hands and and not being able to discipline has got to change and because you know as as someone who you know my girlfriend and I you know Little Nate he goes to James Monroe and I'll tell you you you go to these elementary schools it's it's just it's like paradise it's like it's quintessential learning the te the students love being there they love school they love to learn the teachers there are are the the they're they're inspiring these kids and you know I know there's a teacher shortage and part part of the I think part of the problem is is that um is is the way the lack of respect that we have towards the the teachers are not able to to teach to inspire and and and there's no con there's not enough connection so people are not going into the profession for whatever the reason that's partially part of the problem I think um nevertheless but you go to these elementary schools and it's like you don't want them to leave you don't want them to leave James mon you don't want them to leave to The Next Step you don't want them to get corrupted and and and hang out with the wrong crowd cuz they're they're so innocent at that age so that's scary though and and I think it needs to change um and I and from what I understand it's you guys are beginning to to do that and um I don't have all the answers I can tell you um you know working maybe with the the the police department um you know when I worked with the previous administration uh I worked with the community policing youit and uh you know I have some ideas to throw around maybe we can talk sometime I'd love to meet with you but um I I really hope that we we you know we Circle in on this and and we fix it uh Mr Russ is a outstanding job I mean listen I I had one meeting with him once the guy was typing with one hand writing with the other hand and having a full-blown conversation with me and it was just blew my mind he's he's a tremendous man so um it's but I want to protect the you know the the the school and um and honor the you know the PE especially the people that went before here so with that said I have one other question I I the in regards to um the school spirit I if I had an idea let's just say if I wanted to open up a school spirit store let's just say on like Amboy Avenue somewhere what's the process of doing that do we have contracts I I noticed that there there like if you go to Walmart they sell a lot of our apparel so I I don't know how that works uh what kind of cut the the that the the district gets but I I think one thing that um could be missing in this school what I would like to see is like a One-Stop shop apparel store where you could go in and you could buy every school every every shirt you know you put it downtown and and uh you know I would even have special needs students working there and helping out something like that and uh so I don't know how the contracts work when those contracts end with with these with Excuse me with these other stores but um just thinking outside the box so um and as far as I got a lot of notes here but um time's up oh one last suggestion you know what it be a bad idea is to put your the video while people are while you guys are all discussing and having your meet you know during a meeting because uh my eyes are getting they're getting worse is to put it up live you know stream it you know onto the uh onto the video monitor so all right guys have a happy New Year and uh thank you for president Anthony that was actually a great suggestion about the store school store and I think that's something that we should actually look into and and and if you don't mind if you want to hang out after after the board meeting I'd love to yeah great that was a great idea we actually have it at you know some of the school we have the uh um the the store to sell the the t-shirts and stuff like that but let's see if we can expand to all the schools hi good afternoon my name is Jorge Sanchez Edison resident father of two children at the uh District um all of you I've I've emailed you about two weeks ago so you should all have that email um in relation to the topic that was just brought up um I'm here almost exactly one year to the day of that email um and the first response to that email regarding the violence at the UN at this school was I was responded to two weeks ago after I I copied all those emails and sent them right back to you explaining that I had no contact from this school or uh the superintendent at the time um so uh let me backtrack thank you for your service Mr Patel Mr shei um you guys did a wonderful job while you were here I hope all all the best to you all uh but again good evening board and community members in the past few weeks we've learned of the increase in violence in Edison High School in the aftermath of two of the most violent weeks I've witnessed since my teen has been in Edison High I finally was able to meet with principal Ross and superintendent Alder aldarelli to gain some understanding of the issues at the school and demand immediate action I'm here to reiterate that there is a crisis in this school okay and we must address both that we must address both immediate and longterm I asked the following and I'm going to ask a lot of questions I asked the following what is your head of Security's immediate plan to address the issue of fighting at Edison High School I just saw a video three days ago of principal Ross trying to break up a fight between two girls in a in a in a cafeteria one security guard was there to try to break it up principal Ross joins in on the uh the melee and gets flips up flipped upside his head literally flipped up upside his head okay all right has there been an audit of security Personnel to ensure that they are following policy and practices in their day-to-day and in their interactions with students do we have a code of conduct is it published okay is it published for Odyssey including myself and every other Community member okay has it been updated and if it is going to be updated what is the plan for that updating whose voices are going to be heard during that during that process are student voices going to be included Our Community Voices going to be included it uh is this Cod of conduct is it understood by all adults that have contact with students and is it enforced by all adults in the room are teachers trained on the code of conduct is there a plan to update the contact I spoke about that already um from my meeting with principal Ross and superintendent alderi I met with Mr Dr Al this morning I met with principal Ross last week okay um since that meeting I fear the school and the district has been too reactive in their address of student misbehavior while giving woefully insufficient attention to the overall culture of the building and the relationship between teachers and students and between students and students the security focus seems unbalanced on bad apples quote unquote bad apples okay and must be rebalanced with Equitable focus on addressing the day-to-day learning environment I asked how is it respons how is responsible decision making trust and Bel beling self-awareness and self-management how are they being integrated into instruction and Home Room periods that is a great opportunity for those topics to be addressed what are the school Norms I have no idea how are they visible living and breathing has there been efforts to engage student voice such as hosting focus groups and listening sessions with students to identif identify actionable strategies okay the school tension is palpable guys you can feel it when you walk into this building violence is often a symptom of a relationship Gap among young people and and young people and School staff so the relationship Gap among young people and School staff the issues of chronic fights and violence are symptomatic of a greater culture issue has a district considered implementing restorative justice practices to help create increased belonging and modeling healthier ways of dealing with conflict I agree that the focus on immediate and long-term safety is of highest priority I also agree that we want and and want to ensure that we commit to an intentional focus and priority in attending to the relationship gap between teachers and students I understand there's a there seems to be this thought that because you're a teacher you automatically are respected that's not how the world works okay you get what you give if you give these kids disrespect and I'm not saying disrespect I'm saying let let's clear this up it's not disrespect is apathy if you give these kids apathy right then what do you think they're going to respond with chaos okay so what are we doing we are the adults in the room what are we doing for our children yes the student that put 45 stitches on a kids face shouldn't be in the district right now right but he's still our kid we can't just give up on that kid we can't give up on the kid that just got the 45 stitches he deserves Justice too okay and every student that has to live through that walk through these hallways and deal with that needs assistance from you from the adults in the room where is the help thank you thank you anybody else oh Michelle hi hi everyone I'm late so it's my first time Michelle Chan and I want to just make few comments here before I make comments I just wanted to share a quote with all of you a great leaders are servants and servants are be harded so thank you MIM and Jerry for your service Jerry you are the one 10 years service a great leader exemplify servants to our community as tonight we all say thank you and fwell to you and mo we also like to call on all the elective Boe members to carry on Jerry's negy started 10 years ago to carry on to fight for a better school better Edison schools n corruption and and uh like the other um the other uh person just mentioned a safe school last correction n CL it a fair best inclass teaching environment for all students if you do that you will have our votes thank you and happy holidays thank you okay thank [Applause] you hi everyone Lucy D 28 terl wer at this last minute of the Year first I wish everyone a happy holiday season thank you all for serving on the board and I know it's really a tough job to be serving on the board don't ask me how I know but I want to commend you all and thank you for your hard work and I want to thank you for the incoming board member as well for taking up this challenge after today's meeting Mr uh jerish and Mr Mohan pel would have completed their current term I wanted to take this opportunity to say a few words of appreciation thank you for Serana B of for f ter and thank you Jerry for sing for 10 years that's a really long time but time is not the most outstanding contribution these gentleman have yes they put in the time but they're just good they're efficient and effective I want to point out that it is the Envy of many neighboring towns many districts in New Jersey to have zero increase in their School tax for three years in a row IIs is lucky and they did this thanks for your leadership you were able to do this with continued delivery of excellent education quality you also are doing so looking out for the best interest of the children expanding school facilities and take taking care of the U benefits for the for the teachers and staff as well uncompromised quality and um benefits you did so by um efficiency and transparency you have shown what is possible I want to also recognize that the inspiration that you have set for community service for being the strong voices for students and families for an example for minorities to get involved and contribute and for taking actions to be the change you want to see thank you Jerry and Mohan for your leadership inspiration and examples you've said thank you for your selfish services and congratulations on your achievement over the years your current term ends for now but what you have started start it will be invaluable Legacy for many for many to cherish look up to and follow I hope you best of luck in the next aspiration of yours and I'm certain whatever you choose to set your mind to you will crash it thank you thank you anyone else see now motion to adjourn motion the public comments motion motion to adjourn the meeting you do it [Laughter] second Motion toour in the meeting motion second thank you thank you everybody have a happy holiday happy holidays everyone thank you so much [Music]