[Music] opening statement a roll call Mr to Mr bra Patel here Mr Romano here miss Pang here miss White here Mr Schneider here Mr Rivera here Mr vichel Patel Miss Patel Mr luga here you have a quorum thank you uh opening statement Mr to in accordance with the open public meetings ACT public public meetings ACT public law 1975 c231 Sunshine Law copies of this public meeting notice were sent to the home News Tribune and the The Star Ledger on January 3rd 2024 members of the public May participate at regular meetings in accordance with the bylaws of the board and applicable state regulations thank you welcome everyone to our first Board of Education Action meeting of 2024 I'm honored to extend a warm greeting to the entire community on behalf of Edison Township Public Schools Board of Education the board's Comm commment to providing an exceptional education remains unwavering and we are dedicated to supporting our administrative team in their dedication to fostering an environment that nurtures the growth and development of every single student this evening our superintendent Dr eldari whom I call a rockstar will share our District's progress towards achieving our 2023 2024 District goals as we focus on continual Improvement including information about our strategic planning process the vision 2030 I encourage all the members of our community to attend our community Forum here at Edison High School on Monday evening January 29th at 6:00 and to participate actively participate in our strategic planning survey in the coming months the district will keep you a prised of the many initiatives and many projects that are lined up to enhance the overall learning experience of our students our Board of Education and our Administration are committed to working collaboratively and encourage open communication we value the community input a lot as we work together to shape the future of our Edison Township Public Schools so without any further delay I will ask Dr eldra to share our mission good evening good evening you could do better than that evening good evening how are you ladies and gentlemen my name is Eddie aldarelli I am the proud superintendent of the Edison Township Public Schools um and uh I'm actually really excited uh to uh present this evening to I I I knew I was going to have a captured audience tonight um on one of my favorite nights of uh the year student recognition and I thought what better way to kind of uh recognize and uh talk a little bit about the progress that um our district has made in relationship to our board and District goals so um just a little bit about the process over the course of the this summer um the uh many of the individuals that were on this stage right here as well as previous board members got together over on a retreat and we identified areas of strength and areas for growth some of the things that we want to accomplish within the short term of a calendar year and um they created really really great overarching goals and then task me with the opportunity to create measurable measurable succinct goals that um were part of the tenants of what they believed um the future of Edison Township should be so tonight it's my privilege to report out on those and um as as you kind of listen to all of the things that we are doing and continue to do keep in mind that it is all driven and focused by what we do here as Educators in ed ased in Township first and foremost is student a achievement the process of teacher uh teaching and learning um staff and student efficacy mental health and well-being and being F fiscally responsible to the members of this audience and to the people that are on the stage stage behind me so to begin with we have uh you know a pretty robust agenda I I promise that I am not going to take a long period of time with these but just kind of Hit the highlights um and uh really focus on some of the really great work that we're doing here so our first goal is in relationship to um community and establishing a really a community engagement platform and and we wanted to enhance Community engagement um through strategic Communications which which really included our messaging through social media as well as on our district website and and these are some of the things that we we've done and we're going to make this available online as well too but I really wanted to hit some of the Highlight piece if if you've navigated our website I think one of the things that I first realized when I got here that it it really isn't that easy to use it's not really user friendly so um we have a communications director and um and a team here that's working on making sure that we're streamlining the navigation process so that it it's easy to use that when you want to find information it's a few clicks away um we did kind of like an audit of what we thought was really good about the website and what we wanted to get rid of and we're in the process of migrating that content over we're looking to do a soft launch of this in concert with an app as well too that's going to be customized to the information that you want so if you want information if you attend woodro Wilson or Benjamin Franklin and you want to know what the lunch schedule is and you want to have that easily pop up on your app those are some of the things that we wanted make readily available for you if you want to you know have access to the parent portal and things along those lines we we want to make sure that the that all of the information that we're giving um is easily accessible and the other piece too is we want to highlight the good things that we're doing here we want to make sure that this is an information platform for all of the wonderful projects that we have for all of the accolades for our student achievement for any curricular changes for any messaging that we we want to go out or in the event that there's two school closings in one week right which is superintendent's nightmare um the other two pieces that we wanted to highlight really quickly too is our new social media we have a Facebook page we have an Instagram page we are constantly getting new users each and every single day I encourage you to interact with these faces at your leisure and I think one of the pieces that we're really proud about is the infancy and the development of what we call our parent University the opportunity for educators and parents to partner together um we've got a really great theme this year it is learn live and Lead well um our first uh session uh which we had in the fall of 23 uh made you know met with really really great success we're looking for a large level of participation at Livewell which is coming up at February 28th 6m at menow Park Elementary School we've got information that's linked um on our website to this and uh we're looking forward for opportunities to partner with the community um and really share what we do with it in education so uh that's goal number one goal number two is is a little less um uh exciting but but part of the operations of building schools and that's that's really the accountability that uh my Administration is is kind of held for and this is what's called our qac it's the single uh accountability Continuum process and basically this is a process in which the state ensures that um I am stewarding the operations of the school district correctly and it meets the following criteria within the instruction program the instruction um and the curricular program which is led by both of our chief academic officers um um ensuring compliance with fiscal accountability through Mr to's office our business administrator governance falls under myself as well as the um Board of Education in their creation and the adoption of policies uh and operations and Personnel really kind of fold hand in hand just to make sure that we're in compliance with um certifications the hiring of staff and um making sure that uh all of the reporting that we do to the state for uh student assessments um and any other major components of data are are recorded correctly um and our qsac review is coming up in 2024 we meet constantly with members of the organization our leadership team at central office I meet individually with them to make sure that we are on point with all of these pieces and we're confident that our score is going to be a one of the highest in the county our third goal is is probably one of the ones that I knew um when I first got in uh was something that we needed to tackle as an organization and that's develop a long-term strategic plan something that we can focus on as as a community right as an organization that we can turn to to talk about why we're doing things in our district and it it focused on many tenants of what um we believe as Educators and what we understand as stakeholders and community members we focus on student wellness we focus on student achievement we focus on facilities uh Wellness providing accountability and fiscal responsibility so we embarked on this process in order to develop a five to sixe strategic plan we're actually calling it um you know Vision 2030 because Vision 29 it actually didn't sound that good so we we're extending it a little bit Vision 2030 sounds much better we were able to put a really nice logo along with that as well too but we started this process in early uh 23 with the procurement of some Consultants that um that do this for a living that assist us in guiding that process and one of the things that I wanted to make sure of a as a leader is that I heard from all stakeholders everybody I want to hear everybody's voice what do we do really really well here in Edison and what can we approve upon and then based on that information what what type of goals should we be setting and then what action steps after those should we Implement over the course of this time this document is going to be fluid but I wanted to make sure that all voices were heard in this process and I continue to want to hear this unfettered and whether it is you know you know whether it's complimentary or areas that you know I need and our organization needs extreme growth in that that's the only way that we get better um we have a we have a survey development in the launch which was developed in December um we we had all stakeholders take part in that if you are in this audience and you have not taken that survey I encourage you to please go ahead and do so we want to hear what you have to say I want to hear what students have to say as well too tomorrow you're going to be getting a letter from me our high school students um talking a little bit about the survey process and your options to take this survey I I encourage all students and parents if you're comfortable with your voice it's the same ones that moms and dads are getting as well as the staff so I encourage you to participate in that um and then once we get all of that information based on the survey data and some of the focus groups that we have um we analyze it we look at what are some of the common Trends we look at areas of focus does it meet with what our perception was of our organ organization and and then create an advisory committee and a foundation to formulate overarching plans develop an action plan and my goal and and I know we're moving pretty fast but is to finalize this piece in June of 2024 so that in September of 24 I can present to this community a fiveyear term or six-year term that plans the future of Edison Township Public Schools with your feedback we have an information session here if you have not participated in any of the zooms we have an in-person session it is in this room it's on the 29th uh which I think is is Monday is Monday the 29th at 6 pm. I'm going to kick it off and then I'm leaving so please feel free to say whatever you want and and voice what you think is great and the or the areas of concern or Improvement and what we can what we can get better at you you we encourage everybody in this room to participate one of the things that Dr Tui currently is championing right now it's a very large undertaking and something that we can hang our hat on we are in the process of um applying for and undertaking a grant that's going to offer Universal prek program to all eligible students in Edison Township um this has been a process that has started um last year the middle of last year we have rolled it out Dr Tui and his team has have done an unbelievable job in sticking to timelines the grant is um rigorous and has specific um Thresh holds as well as criteria to meet um but here are just some of the highlights uh that I'd like to talk about we've we are we've established an enrollment and a criteria process um for eligibility which is in line with the grant protocols um there is a tiered Lottery system uh we have established a Communications campaign and and one of the things I think we can Pride oursel on is we're partnering with with local preschools in in the community to expand the scope to offer to more students within the first few years of the development and I believe um this is a 5-year protocol we have to capture all members of What's called the universe and that's all eligible students within the five-year term and correct me if I'm wrong Dr tuy 2829 is the time frame to for roll out all right I got the thumbs up so we should be good uh any information that you would like about this we can locate also on our district website we have a website that is uh donated directly to this it's called The Pea initiative um and these steps are ever revolving and there's a lot more information on the website than highlighting here but um I do want to keep my presentation a little bit shorter and then the last part of this is obviously you know really the the foundation of this right and that's providing a providing the funding for all of these pieces and and creating a budget that is fiscally responsible with the least minimal impact to the taxpayers and to the members of this community um the budget process does not start in January of 24 um Mr to and the business office they start this process in September they have budget kickoff meetings with all budget budgeting managers supervisors principles um they get input from the each department head um they developed and streamlined this process they automated it so that um staff have easy access to not only their budget and their budget numbers but can also justify those pieces whether it's new textbooks or materials or learning components or digital software uh then we we we established deadlines the board actually adopted a budget calendar in which we're hitting all of those deadlines um we we are conducting budget reviews over the course of the next couple months and then prior to its public Hearing in April uh we will review the budget in March right after we hear um uh the governor's budget address which happens in March of 2024 just some additional highlights that are not related to goals things I think that we're proud of that um that I just I kind of want to brag about if that's okay we have uh we have a really awesome dual language program over at Washington Elementary School it's met with great success um our our chief academic officer as well as um our uh uh our supervisor for this program and the building level leadership are doing an unbelievable job with rolling out we're really excited about this in kindergarten um uh Dr Tui and Miss Quick are spearheading our Edison Success Academy which targets our our Mo most at risk students in order to make them successful um and keep them on the on a on a path of success uh in a few moments you're going to hear a little bit about on demand tutoring uh we have it both uh we have high dosage tutoring both at the elementary and the high school level and it's Universal in a little bit I won't seal Mr Cohen Thunder um we are committed to student and staff Wellness um you know through uh uh School counseling um providing uh services for staff as well too but but especially for for our children um to ensure that their mental health needs are being met and um if you've watched any of the board meetings over the course of the last year you you'll know that we are committed to addressing our overcrowding issue and facility enhancements um that's something that previous boards prior to my um uh my time here in Edison Township have focused on and and I'm here to Steward that Vision so in in closing I I hope that was enough and I and I think it was like 11 minutes and I told them that it would be nine but it was a little bit more than that but um I I I do want to say I I can't thank you enough for your continued support I implore you to be a part of this process and the strategic planning process I welcome it um and and two more Highlights part of the reason why we do all of these things that we've just discussed is is for the greatest night of the year and that's student recognition we do it tonight and we do it in June and I would be remiss if I did not thank the members of the Board of Education these volunteers who donate their time each and every single day they only they only acknowledge one month as board recognition month that is today they have certificates recognizing that but I I I do think that they deserve accolades for all the work that they've done as well as the support that they've shown for me my team this Administration um and the students and staff here of Edison Township so without any further hesitation hopefully that presentation was good enough to criticize a little bit later on this evening you'll laugh at that later on I know some of the kids in the front were were joking about that but I appreciate your time ladies and gentlemen thank you very much you very much um our superintendent Rockstar Dr eldari um this is this was awesome and we once again strongly encourage everyone to attend next Monday January 29 6 p.m. here Edison High School the uh the session please do so with that being said there is another wonderful initiative that some of you might have already heard of had seen emails or social media posts this is truly a game changer and a step in the right direction to help our students to the full extent let's hear here from our chief academic officer Mr rohen thank you thank you thank you so much thanks for the opportunity to present uh myself real quick so yes my name is Rick Cohen I'm the newish uh Chief academic officer for secondary education uh I haven't had a chance to meet many of you yet uh but I appreciate the opportunity to present typically when I present I stand at the podium I've done probably 100 board presentations in my career rear but watching Dr Elli speak out in front walking around so much more effective so I figured I would follow suit uh literally following suit we're we're wearing the same exact suit I think so uh it's a pleasure to talk to you about something we're really excited about here we think it's a big game Cher for what we can do and how we can best serve all of our Edison students and it has to do with what we talk about is ond demand chat tutoring uh so but real first where we currently are when it comes to tutoring Edison's doing an incredible job in terms of providing tutoring to its students currently uh when it comes to in-person tutoring which is the the Rolls-Royce of tutoring when it's inperson that's the best model uh we do an extensive amount in Edison between using Title One funds to provide in-person tutoring for our eligible students and with the great work of Miss B Gomer and Maria Lopez and the district doing some grant writing brought in over $400,000 for in-person tuning for our second through fifth graders it's going to run us through the year and into the summer uh and it's just that we couldn't give even more if we even tried to in order to give more uh We've also then brought on high does virtual tutoring um that is for right now we're piling that in Edison High for our Title One math students and there was an article today published in nor jersey.com uh that talks about how this is a new wave so to speak in order to provide extensive tutoring that goes above and beyond and uh Edison is featured in that article as being sort of ahead of the game and on The Cutting Edge in terms of doing all they can to provide as much tutoring which is proven to be highly effective for students and then of course there is private tutoring that goes on we never want for parents to have to dig into their pockets to support their students but we realize that does happen and you know it can be a great uh tool for for students and despite all the great work and efforts on the entire community's part and the district's part to provide tutoring there are some challenges when it comes to in-person tutoring Staffing is a challenge you know staff have kids to go home to them or maybe they're taking graduate courses so they don't always have the availability and and teaching is difficult it's hard and stressful takes a lot of energy so to have the strength and energy to then pour out more work whether it's the end of of the day or before school to tutor kids takes an incredible amount of energy and dedication so our tutors that are out there doing that they're superheroes um but they also have their scheduling limitations those that can tutor can't do it every day so the tutoring has to be offered according to the Staffing schedule which doesn't always match our student schedules we have students that like to do a whole world of extracurricular activities or can't make it to school before school so there are limitations there as well and then of course there's an expense to the the tuning services that we do provide and there aren't unlimited funds when it comes to high dosage virtual tutoring we realize there are challenges for for engaging all students that are eligible online at high doses right there are limitations there as well and then finally if you're if it's private tutoring it can be really expensive so the game Cher is ond demand chat tutoring and I'm going to talk about the reasons why we think it's a game Cher uh but I do want to CL I do want to clarify one thing real quick when we talk about chat tutoring don't imagine your child on a phone or kids don't imagine yourself on your phone just chatting all right or texting right what what it is is full screen on a device where you're chatting conversation questions that you have your needs and there's also a whiteboard where there's you can be interactive you can post uh your homework assignments onto the platform and the tutor who's a live person who's an experienced vetted tutor can see your assignments your work and help you through it right and they're they're not giving answers they're trained as tutors now the advantages and why we call it a game changer is that it takes away all the challenges that providing tutoring has presented first and foremost this is free through a unique relationship we have with Varsity tutor our partnership they are offering free tutoring for all students kid of 12 in all of Edison that leaves no staff limitations they have over 40,000 vetted tutors this is an all core academic subjects including the high school level like chemistry and biology and physics um there is no scheduling required it's 247 on demand instantaneous so it doesn't need to be scheduled you canay on as long as you need they're not time sessions or if you just have a quick question here or there you can get it in that second and then be able to continue to move on and then it's a stress reliever you know I can say as a parent having kids going through Middle School and High School sometimes they have subjects that are challenging I can't help my kids with anything having to do with algebra right and so it's stressful for me as a parent now I know my kids if they went to Edison schools could get that help right and for you if you're a student and you have that test coming up on Monday and it's Sunday and you don't have everything clear now you can get that support you need and feel that you can be prepared or do as well as you can on your homework so the way in which to access it it's already there and accessible you can get it right now students it's in your class link you go right to class link you look for the Varsity Tutors icon you click on it and it is super easy to access you just click on on demand tutoring and your tutor will be there you pick the subject you pick the grade and you pick whether you want it English or Spanish and they'll be there within seconds uh there's a lot of information about Varsity Tutors and and how they go about getting their tutors but they do they look for subject matter expertise they want people that have previous tutoring experiences that they make them do demos and show their efficacy before hiring them and they they make sure they're meeting District standards and then of course of course safety is is most important when it comes everything is recorded and can be accessed at any time by a parent or District if needed there's a lot of other tools that are on the varsity tutor platform that are also free uh they're excellent tools of course our highlight that we're talking about right now is the chat 247 tutoring but I'm going to show you a very quick but really effective video from Varity tutors on the other on all the different um offerings on their plat form welcome to Varsity Tutors for schools the leader in live online learning Varsity Tutors for schools gives you 247 access to a collection of powerful learning tools and resources designed to support your learning goals connect with an experienced tutor at any time with 247 OnDemand chat tutoring for immediate academic help Elevate writing skills to new heights with on-demand essay review and coaching ideal for crafting outstanding essays especially for college applications choose from hundreds of live group classes each week where students get expert instruction and collaborate with their peers Elevate academics and dive deeper with course specific content prepare for higher education with test prep and admissions classes as part of our College and Career Readiness offering cultivate curiosity through enrichment classes covering topics from coding to game design and Beyond learn from the icons with celebrity-led star courses and take a star study journey through captivating subjects Varsity Tutors for schools personalizes learning for every student and creates a road map for their success practice tests help identify strengths and areas for improvement those test results help toine a personal learning plan self-study and practice problems then provide the support needed to master specific skills and Foster success unlock unlim limited access to a world of knowledge and personalized learning today access the platform through your school Portal and click on the Varsity Tutors icon your child's academic success starts here at Varsity Tutors for schools so one of the words you heard of a couple times there is personal and so now like personalization of education is like the the Holy Grail of Education if you can get personalized and individualized meeting people at their needs giving them the support that they need it it seemed unreachable and unattainable but now we believe with this resource we can get personalized education through what we offer as a school district as well as now with this platform in addition to everything else that we offer all those things you saw on there all free all on the platform you just go on to class link Varsity Tutors and it's really userfriendly but they're also we've sent out by email um uh yesterday some how-to videos if you want you can go to your your email and then see the how-to videos on how to access these things and we're also going to do a parent information session on January 30th Zoom by Zoom at 6:30 pm I'll be there Varsity Tutors will also be there we'll show you more and we'll take all your questions everything you have we really want everybody to be able to access this and maximize this as a tool to help uh you know increase the success even further with all that thank you very much and have a grateful evening thank you very much uh Mr Cohen that was very informative presentation and I'm pretty sure all the students will benefit significantly from that and once again we encourage all of you to attend that virtual session on Tuesday January 30th back toback sessions but it's all very informative and helps the district so thank you so much now while we are at the subject of implementing new ideas programs and solutions here is something that came from our parent Community from many parents um from a long time the parent Community has been struggling navigating the website or looking for information or have the information handy we can't have it all fixed in one day but Dr elderi and his wonderful team including our communications director Mrs Heather Daniel did a great job and has put together a nice one-page document or link I would say which the teams are still working on before it gets all finalized um but I just want to share a quick preview of that what it looks like once it's finalized it will be available for the parent Community handy on the website whenever they need and we are hoping that it will be very beneficial and save time for several parents and students and we look forward seeking more information or how we can improvise upon this how we can what all we can do with this so just to do a quick overview it has all the information as you can see on the screen um most of the links are handy so it will be a one place where you can go in like a on a on a middle of the week someone is looking for health desate or looking for some information on board meetings or information on Varsity Tutors or anything else it will be a one it will be all at one place and we can just make this better and better from here so we are seeking Community input and in coming um weeks U we'll send out Communications so the more input we get we will just start get making this better and better that's that's all I'm not going to make you guys a wait any longer so I'll jump right into it sorry to I apologize myself and on behalf of Dr Elder Ali as well for making you guys wait so long so as I have said many times in the past uh student recognition is one of uh my favorite meetings along with the staff recognition and we have an amazing graduation ceremony in the June that's another favorite part of being a board of member uh we are proud of everything you guys do this is all for you and your achievements here I can go all night long and praise keep singing praises of everything that you do um but also for those students who are not being recognized today you also all of you also make us feel very proud coach Vince Lombardi once said the difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength not the lack of knowledge but rather a lack in will so please keep faith for all those who are not recognized work hard I know you all do work hard and I have full confidence in all of you that you will all do a great job and very soon you all will be recognized but for now all of you here and those who could not make it here everyone who is on the list you guys worked very hard and you have earned this this is your moment so we must recognize you wholeheartedly so without any further delay I will ask our uh music and visual art supervisor Thomas White to start the wonderful student recognition thank [Applause] you good evening everyone my name is Tom white I'm supervisor of Visual and Performing Arts and I'd like to welcome you to student recognition night first I'd like to thank Dr Al RI the Board of Education and everyone at central office who help put this together a lot of work goes into this and and a lot of people behind the scenes make this a success uh we're here tonight to celebrate our student successes in so many different Arenas academic athletic artistic music FCC fcca fbl any letter combination you want to put together we got it but the only things we request tonight is that you please just stay to the end of the program there's going to be a brief intermission in between where you're going to be able to leave before the rest of the board meeting and also please stand by your seat when your name is called for recognition start our night off I'd like to introduce Dr Joan Valentine principal of John Adams Middle School good evening everyone thank you Dr aldarelli and thank you to the board of education for providing us with this wonderful opportunity and thank you to the board of education for your recognition tonight I hope that uh you'll have your salaries doubled because you deserve that so thank you for your efforts as well I'd like to start by recognizing the 2023 jamazing GMC Middle School girls varsity cross country Champions under the advisor coach Mr Doug pasaro congratulations to the following students anuka Gina avika salanki Isabelle Durk Arya Sinha Dia setel Anika Anand Anika karney Adia Patel Trisha oja Savana k Koo Nisha Mishra anusa sentil annaya Manar Mithra Rami rishika Gupta saisha Joi svi perik sonaki Roy chateri Dey Mohan Leia gaban and yajin her congratulations to those [Applause] champions a special congratulations to FCCLA fall leadership conference under the advisement of Miss suo congratulations to the following students first place gold medal with a perfect score yuvati bade singen Shandra first place gold medal what's the buzz anvid singal Gia Bachi Siana Deb Ana Shetty Arya ja Niha Pang math second place gold medal Kyra Jahar G jar Kushi maoni more FCCLA accolades gold medal aarna Ronnie and aditia Ronnie first play silver Ria Rana ashita Aurora Evelyn fu cin bhutani Arian matal and TI Shaw congratulations to all of our winners moving right along also FCCLA fall leadership conference silver medal sadika sonani Janet how heli Joi Gia Asar Alia Vara San Vetti RAV brot kilan Peri and soam Gadi congratulations to all of our jamazing students who are being recognized tonight and at this time I'd like to introduce woodro Wilson principal bevens good evening with great pride and excitement I present the Boe student recognition for woodro Wilson Middle School first I am delighted to recognize the woodro Wilson Middle school girls volleyball team woo achieving the historic Milestone of becoming the first ever Edison volleyball tournament champions congratulations girls coached by Miss katano tonight we recognize SV vashek Lavana bahal Alina bannery Olivia cha Shrea Desai Swati Donna sakar havisha gangula suara Joi Catalina Jang akruthi kadam Menin Sophia Marquez Kamaya n anuka Patel kavia Patel sa prudvi Ary ra akaya Santos Kumar haly sha Akana Sharma Tanisha Sharma Evelyn Thomas dry Vora Caitlyn yam and dry Patel congratulations tonight we also have the privilege of recognizing a co-curricular team that embodies the true Spirit of collaboration and unity for what I believe is another first for our Edison Middle Schools this winning team is comprised of students from three of our schools woodro Wilson John Adams and Thomas Jefferson so on behalf of Dr Valentine Miss emden and myself I am honored to recognize the go it team that took first place at the New York City marathon app challenge sponsored by TCS and tonight we also found out that this team qualified for the TCS globals they are one out of six teams one of six out of 931 teams that qualified so congratulations this combined Middle School team under the guidance of Mr John Peach from John Adams M Middle School truly exemplifies We Are One Edison so without further Ado our students two from woodro Wilson Middle School Vishnu chali Prav venka taraman from Thomas Jefferson Middle School sanva goind durage and from John Adams Middle School Isha ra congratulations to all the students recognized tonight and now I have the distinct honor of introducing the principal from the home of the Eagles Mr Charles Ross [Applause] right thank you Miss blin always great to be preceded by an eagle once an eagle always an eagle I want to thank Dr Al delli the Board of Education the student Representatives all the people in attendance for the opportunity one to be the Principal but also for the opportunity to shine and let everybody know just what's great about Edison High School now we got a lot of names but we're kind of operating with a skeleton crew tonight because it's also a senior night for basketball and cheer and cheer just got back from Dallas and uh basketball just got back from beating JP last night so we'll start off however for coach kayn R in girls soccer let's give it up for all red division gelsey go who's on the court and right now and Isabella Charles and all red Division and all GMC only a junior Kaden araven moving on to the world of tennis under coach Wes Smith we have all red division Kalia raavan and nand Chandra and nand Chandra also all GMC who for the first time ever won the second singles flight in the GMC tournament we're so proud of her R now moving on to boy soccer under coach Steve Rubin I know he's out here in the back allwhite division another young and upcoming Star Mr Emanuel CES great job with the red and gold there all right and my cheer as I said is over in the in the Frank celosi gymnasium behind us cheering our varsity basketball on they were the Red Division GMC game day Champions and they are back to back to backto back state champs coming into this year so we know it's going to be a great spring for Coach Nicole greguar and Coach Sarah Yokum we have Tiara Campbell Gianna rafino Olivia short Lexi Tango Lindsay yasco Avery Abrams Elise bulock Kylie Ying Alysa Rogers Leela Dixon Kamura green micaa Rooks Samantha Villa Melody Lewis Talia Smith Vanessa Janowski Casey laugher Sienna Dixon and John pris Goa as mascot all right moving on to coach Matt yasco with football first team All County would be Ricky Harvey and cbass Sebastian Vera and moving down first team all division big Central conference National civer we had Ricky Harvey cbass and Justin J Reed second Team all division in the big Central conference we had Matt Pas pimo torian ratree and Shan Garland in under coach Jason Worland in girls volleyball we had all white division Kyla Davis and AR Ashraf and as we continue getting State Champs in the world of gymnastic our own Emily hque was first team MC beam and also njsiaa state champ for the beam in gymnastics great job Emily under coach Megan Reeves and Danielle Heath always to thank Mr Jord leair from JP Stevens The Fantastic FCCLA the fall leadership conference great to see the middle schools building those up sending future Eagles and Hawks here to work but we've got first place gold that ended up getting a perfect score in the battle of the budget with Diddy bmal and praga now I've got almost a page of awards for the FCCLA so I'm going to go through them a little bit quickly but we've got first place gold G Chandra Chandra Hassen rishan Kun Raju second place goal rudra Patel jeny cyprien Ashlin Gordon and stti sha third place gold Haley keski anada wadha Akira Casada Muhammad Hadi Raina Patel Neville ozen miadi Jamal Muhammad kin sedra Lopez and silver medals we have naan Naval ozen yashari chai mapu Sai ganti saves premkumar karish Mai and Priscilla Samuel and now I talk about how you know the Edison High never closes and I have to get this group out of here quick because their coaches are waiting to keep practicing them you're not backtack state champs for a long time but our us band I need everybody to stand up from our marching band our us band's group for open New Jersey state champs and NJ mbda NJ state champs Class tripa A for Martina Cola and Derek dilman one two 3 4 band 10 Hut oh coach Bravo you're going to have to work let's try it again 1 two 3 4 B 10 Hut yeah that's a more backtack state champs thank you guys so much you got to sit down and wait for the JP announcements though don't leave yet Coach all right all Central Jersey Wind Ensemble continuing with the Arts we've got aay katri Jonathan Lee and Dev DDI all Central Jersey symphonic band ramulo tabone Ramirez Hannah Chong and Augusta chinen car our man in the percussion the people all Central Jersey in The Ensemble Albert badi very proud now on our academic Awards it's always great to have a fantastic rival like JP to try to St for their great academic achievements and we've done well this year with four National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists augustia caligara aarva inar AIT DTI shant balaraman and our governor stem scholar zanim shake so congratulations to all the people from Edison High and now I want to bring up from our sister School JP Stevens uh soon to be Dr OJ [Applause] Ray thank you everyone for sticking around I'm going to get started very quickly uh the first award goes to all red division sportsmanship award for the girls tennis team coached by coach krinski nasara Nikita karar Riva Kar Lippy Patel Nas sule Hera prasar Niha Shi Sophie Sun arushi trapti C deshmuk daa Verma Aditi rajaraman the first te first team United silver division football by Coach George hi biffet and mares Webb First Team all red division volleyball by coach Weber deloro Pac All Conference cross country track First Team all red division coach oer Grace best Abraham tpra first team Red Division cross country track Toni amaru first team Red Division cross country track zal Shaw first team first team allwhite division for boy soccer coached by coach M coach McMullen Alexi Serie and Tanish [Music] chattan first team Red Division girls soccer coached by coach jaldo Cassidy jaldo First Team all red division girls tennis Nas WTA the next award goes for cjmea Regions Orchestra by um Dr verie and Mr Lee n TOA spandan chundra vud Roger gopal Andrew ichimoto Joel onate Avi Patel Howard zoo and Pua ramakrishnan for CGM regions High School treble chorus advika Anan Aura chundari Saro de Kushi denal gorica Dian Kel gadil Ana Gunda meup K imandi kandar ARA kilson Silo Hari angura nages hia vula for mixed chorus Vara ofur manat Anan shiman ARG tanishi arara sh bti Rula Reva D ARA Daria Kish Jane aishi carik AER Char mner Kumar Dru mirandi maruti Nali Victor aul MTI Adia perik Adra Paul Ramia rasana Magna RI chandran viddi santosi viika shasan for acda all Eastern Middle School and Junior High honors choir Sai h halari tanishi aana sanvi chukar Daria Amy Han immani kandar Sophia Matthew juu mirani and sanvi sha and we have a whole list of FCCLA awards for the fall leadership conference first place gold vishar shasan malav Shar gory viia hero zadia ronok Sandi Shar gar om shingle tanvi pesi Melissa Romero H shinas Estella Tang Andel Cena Leia Papu palti Sali Brennan San karney juvie Patel s Tovar critika manani and Ana batla for second place gold CA Patel sarra bandari Anika suep aara Nar malav sha and for third place gold Emma Desa Ria Ken for first place silver minol ranan AR R Paul for second place silver Shri versita K prika Karu sanvi B bapari also for second place silver Mah Patel Yash Patel Arna agraval danana chakrabarti janani karaja nitia aluru M Manish Gupta ver verun venin AAS kandula bar ilmas and manov chetti for third place silver K Patel we're also proud to have the 2023 National leadership conference Amanda Chen was elected National president for the [Applause] FCCLA for the second place knowledge Bowl manov chedi critica manani bar ilmas Ana batla and minol ranan for the national Mar scholarship semifinalist M Talan Babu Vincent cow Brendan junjun samit gar Nisha ready gutia Condor Alba Kolar arushi kolu sardu Krishna Kumar prayana muranan Isa Patel Dylan VI Dylan vikas CH vidut Raja gopal Arnav sandish arag net shivanan Vel mun Andy Zoo Emma Zang and Jerome Zang and lastly to close out the Girl Scouts of the uni the Girl Scouts of the USA silver award highest Girl Scout recognition goes to Kushi habar and with that I'd like to hand over back to Mr White thank you Mr Ray how about one more big rousing round of applause for all of our students and this concludes our student recognition night I'd like to at this time kick it back to our Board of educ Board of Education president Mr buo Patel thank thank you thank you Mr White and thank you all the students uh great job and we'll give everyone few minutes to U if you want to go home do the homework so we'll take a pause here thank you great right thank you everyone uh before we start our regular meeting we would like to observe a moment of silence for someone whom the whole Community knew s Joe listo who recently passed away so let's observe a moment of silence for him thank you uh now we'll start our regular meeting and we'll start with our student council Representatives we'll start with Edison High School uh Miss charvey pad babini the president of student council hello Board of Education members and the public my name is Char PAB and I'm the student counil president and student representative from Edison High School this week Edison High School is Spirit Week the days were Maestro Monday which is a switch outfits the teacher Tuesday was tosy Tuesday which was to wear a comfortable outfit and Wednesday was ego Wednesday where you encourage students to dress an ego merch or red in Gold Thursday's Happy Feet where we ask students to dress in unique socks or dress as a penguin and lastly Friday class colors we hope students are enjoying the spirit week and engaging in the days January 26th after school is our battle the classes event this is where each class representative will go against each other in the pin the tail on the principal zakar Hungry Hippos and more both events allow classes to gain points to the final battle of class event our wrestling team's record is currently 84 and we hope they continue to succeed a few weeks ago our school competed at deca's Regional competition we had over 60 plus students qualify for States and with numerous placing in first second and third place Edison's track had GMC's and we had Amma Aang winning first place for the high jump beting the Edison High women's record for the past 40 years Edison High School's cheerleaders also went to Dallas Texas for the NCA competition where they've played six in the nation our basketball also had a fantastic win against JP Stevens yesterday winning the City of Lights trophy after asking students about school issues a standard answer we received from Seniors was senior law safety numerous students expressed how numerous other students were creating parking spots in different areas making it hard to leave at the end of the day as well as numerous potholes create adding to the unsafety thank you thank you uh Mrs padman abini Miss padini sorry uh the next is JB Stevens Miss Ranka prasini Vu did I get it right I have to get right thank you all yours good evening everyone my name is ruanas prau V siku and I'm the corresponding Secretary of the student council at John P Stevens High School since the last Board of Education meeting here our school has welcomed our new principal Mr riggy and our student body has partaken in many events through their Co co-curricular activities the dance team performed an amazing piece during our winter pep rally and we had the cheer team collaborate with teachers at our school to prepare a fun partner dance this induced an insane amount of school spirit as students got to see their favorite teachers dance add Al our DEA Club has attended its Regional Conference at Kane University and walked out with 114 state qualifiers one of the highest qualifier counts in the state our Council has made significant progress towards our annual Mr JPS event we have decided that the event will now be called JPS royalty and preparations are currently being made for this event to be held in a manner where we keep the integrity and the Heart of the event while also simultaneously making it more inclusive for my fellow peers we celebrated the holidays through our holiday spirit week and JP was buzzing with Spirit as we were able to witness it on the televisions in the cafeteria we also have many events coming up for our school the mock trial team will be attending their first conference our Science Olympia team also did an amazing job placing second during their tournament at re tournament at regionals and working hard for their upcoming state tournament the current Sports season has also been astounding for our school during um our girls basketball team has a record of 7-1 within their division which is one of the best starts in JP history our boys basketball team won their tournament over break the boys bowling team has a record of 421 in their division and the girls bowling team has a record of 73 overall the girls and boy swim teams have a record of 4-3 the wrestling team and the ice hockey team have a record of 2 to8 and 2 to six other important events that have occurred for our student body include how the past weekend was also All State auditions for the band students which many students utilized as a presentation of the culmination of hard work they have been put putting into their instrument over the past few months JB as a whole has been participating in numerous events while also fostering school spirit with that being said I thank you for your time tonight thank you Miss Ranka we appreciate both of you coming here and contributing and providing us updates thank you so much next is public comments resolutions only Miss conve Elizabeth Conway 20 Netherwood Circle there's only one uh problem with um one of the resolutions on personnel and if you look at I'm trying to figure figure out the page so you can find it because there was um some additions put in and if you look at page one of 12 item two for the first person and the one two three four fifth person I engage you when it comes time to vote that you vote no thank you thank you next Jerry so I'm also going to comment about the Personnel agenda how you vote is your call so um you know I saw the agenda today and uh I felt I I need to come here uh Jeff Bowen 40 years of service and Michelle wzo 30 years of service um also we have other teacher ERS who are retiring I just want to pick these two Personnel because I had a lot of interactions with them in the past 10 years when I on board with all these uh contract negotiations actually je I know Jeff before he became the ETA president he was my uh son's teacher at John Adams and uh I know if I remember correctly he collect sand as his hobby so sand you know on beach so uh remember when I was on a trip you know my son said you know we got to get uh some sand for Mrs bow and Mr bow and Mr bow and okay so on one of my first trip I I collect the sand I I forgot where it was and I I put it in my suitcase all the way on the bottom so when you go to the airport security of course they check it out right so they found it out and I actually to explain to them so moving forward the next next couple trips you know uh I just take the bottle and put in the uh you know in the bucket so we can you know save a lot of this effort um Mr Bowen we had lot of interactions uh with him um you know I'm the that side is on the uh teacher side and uh we had a lot of uh you know we're not on the same page on a lot of things but which that's what it's supposed to be right we are on different sites but but when it comes to key things we are together we're able to compromise and that is a key I had two contract negotiation with you guys especially the latest one the fiveyear contract right and um you know um we're able to compromise and and and get somewhere in the middle and that's what the the contract negotiation supposed to be but the other things we have a lot in common is we support the good working hard work working teachers right we award them with contract and uh you know the past 10 years I remembered I don't remember how many times we have the um donalson hearings that was reversed there's only once four Donaldson hearings once and I hope you tell your Bo board tell your members who was board president at that time okay so as I said we have things different but we have a lot of things in common and uh we support the hardworking teachers and Michelle um I I don't know if you guys know Michelle she's very good at cooking uh making uh cookies so uh you know during this uh um negotiation with a law negotiation we're expecting for her to to get the cookies to us and her uh stove broke and I think towards the end we got once right she finally got a brand new oven we we got once and now I see that she's retiring I guess no more wzo cookies anymore right so uh you know that's my comment on the Personnel uh I also have a comment about the um uh Finance resolutions I when I look at the Furnitures we have multiple Furniture purchases if we add them together it's probably close to half million dollar and I know we're going through Co-op they had a pre-negotiated price and since we're purchasing so many F so much furniture and I know there are other companies Furniture companies that work with co-ops and uh can we just you know moving forward can we get other companies to also give us some quotes on this instead of going to one company and to me this a lot of lot of money and uh even for volume wise we should get some discount I I don't know if the uh we are getting any discount on this or we just going by the standard Co-op price on this so those are just the comment if you want to answer it go ahead John thank you thank you for your comment next uh resolutions only saying done motion to and public Comm ments motion Mr Romano second second Mr Schneider all in favor I all right uh motion to approve personal report motion Mr Romano Mr R second um roll call Mr to yes Mr Lugo yes Miss Patel yes Mr River yes Mr Schneider uh yes I will abstain from number 11 for a known conflict yes abstain on 11 noted Miss White yes Miss Pang yes vice president Romano yes president Patel yes and um I vote Yes on Mr Bowen you'll be in a better place trust me motion motion carries thank you um next is motion to approve Administration curriculum and instruction pupil Services reports motion Mr Schneider second Mr Romano um roll call Mr Lugo yes Miss Patel yes Mr R yes Mr Schneider yes Miss White yes Miss Pang yes vice president Romano yes M uh president Patel yes motion carries next is motion to approve Finance reports motion Mr Schneider Mr Rivera second uh roll call Mr Lugo yes Miss Patel yes Mr Rivera yes Mr Snider yes Miss White yes Miss Pang yes vice president Romano yes president Patel yes motion carries right uh we have a few announcements uh the next meeting for February we will have only one meeting that's going to be February 27 Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. we will start the close session and at 7:00 p.m. we will have the public meeting only one meeting next month February 27th Tuesday over here at Edison High School uh that being said I before we start the board member comments I would like to pass it on to our Rockstar Dr aleri for the number 11 that people heard about thank you thank you very much uh board president Patel um so I'm going to keep my comments brief and obviously we have um a little bit of time to get uh together uh left Mr Bowen and Miss wiel but I would be remiss um if I did not uh s um Express U you know my my sincere congratulations on on your retirement and welld deserved um and my thanks uh to both of you for all that you've done to support the Edison Township Public Schools uh you know since my time here since I came here in October 2020 um you've been you've been extremely welcoming and supportive of U uh of my transition which happened during a very difficult time in the midst of covid um uh we have solved problems collaboratively we have worked and supported initiatives uh together with both staff and administration um you've been an advocate of the board and staff and um student achievement uh I I thank you for all that you've done um and uh I wish you both well in your future endeavors and uh you know despite some of the uh sentiments in the audience you know the board did accept your resignation but um we do have a little bit of time to you know to get some work done over the course of the the next six months so um I know I speak for everybody on the stage as well as the administration thank you both for everything that you've done appreciate it thank you uh board member comments Mr Rivera thank you Mr Patel um I basically just have three comments that I want to make U first of all I want to congratulate all of our award winners and thank our coaches advisers and the parents um who supported them um I also want to thank Dr aldarelli um I think it's important um your presentation was very very important to the public I think uh the public should know what our vision and what direction we want to take to the school district so I truly appreciate the fact that you went back Revisited our goals and gave us a status on that so I really appreciate that thank you thank you and then finally I want to say congratulations to our retirees um I got 24 years I'm following really soon um but we got individuals from 20 years to 40 years of experience um we're going to truly miss that experience but um you know thank you for your service thank you for what you did in this district and good luck on your new paths we're truly thank you thankful for you guys thank you next Mrs White okay I'd just like to add my congratulations to all of our award winners and I already spoke to Jeff and and Michelle and you know they're they're both very special to me and when they do retire I will miss them so much so but I do want them you know to enjoy their retirement it's a beautiful thing for both of you and to Patty Savage too she's retiring as well so but good luck to both thank you Mrs White next uh Mr Schneider uh congratulations to everybody I definitely um we have plenty of time actually to congratulate you guys on your retirement I think we'll probably even have some parties to celebrate it for sure so we'll save all the congrats for for June thank you Mrs bang yeah um I just want to thank Jeff Michelle for your service best luck for the retirement um also congrats to all the kids being recognized tonight um finally I have a question for drelli actually um I know we have uh you know we we have said that we're going to install GPS on the buses is there any way we could uh have update um like which bus would have it and is there any way we could like a the for the buses that has it maybe we can put a you know a piece of paper or a flyer on the bus so the kids can see maybe a barcode or a QR code that they can you know download the app tell the parents because otherwise we keep seeing software right we're speaking to the the uh digital app for the telephone right to track the so right now where we are is I know that it's being beta tested right there's there's members and I'm not just talking about members as in staff members but like members of the community at certain uh schools that are still beta testing it we're having some okay couple hiccups with it still um we're looking actually for more volunteers I know I've had some additional parents reach out um to see if uh they'd like to you know pilot it so to speak so we could work out all the Kinks um if they want they can just reach out to my office and I'll get them in touch with Transportation the only thing that's required is that you're you're utilizing you're on a route that has a an Edison owned bus right so it can't be one of the the vendor buses because they're not required to um utilize this um and any event that and a cell phone and uh we we'd be more than willing to get you as part of the pilot program we hope to wrap this thing up uh mid-February and then you know release it to everyone to use at the end of next month but when we release it we want to make sure that you know um it's working U efficiently and and also that if there's a problem and a parent needs to call transportation that our our staff has been fully trained on the software on on the um on our end of it to be able to troubleshoot you know parents inquiries okay thank you that's all you next uh Mrs AJ Patel to say something y thank you everyone nice to see you everyone it seems like I don't know I'm new here but congratulations and the best luck and thank you Mr old Al for this nice evening thank you so much everyone thank you Mr Lugo I know many of these students had uh already left but I like to congratulate them and uh I would I look forward to seeing more achievements from them to be honest with you and I wish them all the really sincere best of luck to their future endeavors um keep up the great work and for uh uh Mr Bowen and uh Miss wsel congratulations on your retirement and uh it's only a beginning of another chapter and I wish you sincerely the the best of luck with uh with your next steps and um cheers to you thank you Mr logo vice president Romano uh Michelle it seems to me that uh the the oven went bad right before the negotiations I mean and then I don't know your partner there couldn't even get like a replacement oven right away I mean really okay but uh the next meeting is in February I'm looking for cookies thank you Michelle Jeff thanks for all your help I appreciate it thank you Mr Rano uh Jeff and Michelle like I said I will repeat myself that you guys will be in better place so congratulations on your retirement and we look forward to you know seeing working with you the remaining months and you know really good luck for the future but um Edison will really miss you so thank you for everything you did for the township for the public schools really appreciate it um all the students who were recognized I have said enough and all those who were not recognized um you will you'll be recognized one day keep working hard and uh for all EHS students that's your Mentor right there Mr Ross he will keep you motivated every single day and you'll sure soon be recognized um so thank you so much for everyone being here uh one of the things that we saw earlier was the U one page uh flyer that we are going to put together which is which has all the links so I would like to say huge thanks to Dr Elder Ali and Miss Heather Daniels they worked very hard in matter of few hours to put that together that's really incredible so wholeheartedly appreciate all of your hard work and like I said the could just get better from here and I really thank all the everyone in the parent Community who reached out and contributed one of the parent is sitting here Mr Harish is sitting here right here so you are the one who also suggested about it so thank you so much and everyone else Who provided the input to uh put together this thing so if we are open to receiving more inputs and making it better for anything that helps the students and the parents so thank you so much for that um without any further delay uh we'll open it up for public comments we'll can start from the students first [Music] here good evening board Edison Board of Education my name is shusta Ry I'm a senior at shamp Stevens High School director general of JP Stevens model un president of our Deca chapter and vice president of our JSA chapter I would like to bring to your attention today the state of our clubs and extracurriculars because from the inside looking in we have from the outside looking in we have some of the most prestigious clubs in not only New Jersey but also North America our model un team wins delegation Awards awards for the high school at every single National Conference we've attended since I joined this in n9th grade youen Georgetown Princeton New York University all of them jpa has been awarded the largest chapter in the state of New Jersey even though we are only 2 years old our Junior state of America chapter so mock Congress has seen more students from JP Stevens hold State and N National officer positions though we do not have an adviser this list of our accomplishments goes on all thanks to the hard work of our advisers that are willing to put in the work and the unbelievable Drive of our students yet from the inside looking out it has grown increasingly clear that there is a lack of administrative support in these Endeavors I would like to bring the case of our model un team since JP reopened after covid-19 we've been going to the ivy league Model United Nations conference hosted by the University of Pennsylvania two years ago even though it was right after a pandemic we were transported in coach buses bringing home the best large delegation award last year we didn't have the same luxury we were shoved in a single yellow bus sitting elbow to Elbow hoping that the luggage that was piled in the back of the bus wouldn't fall over on us but still we brought home the best large delegation award beating some of the most expensive private schools in the east coast this year forget about transportation we could not even get a check passed through Administration how is that you have kids willing to take more shifts at their part-time jobs so that they can pay for these conferences yet we don't have a principle to sign off on our purchase orders as students we tried everything in our power to make this conference happen following up with our advisers months before the conference keeping in constant contact with the ilm monk Secretariat calling the Marriott hotel hotel to extend their deadlines talking to alumni of gipsman contacting our administrators we went above and beyond bond to the point where ilm monk told us they wanted us to go on this trip so badly they were willing to wave the delegation fee in the hotel fee over $115,000 as long as we could get confirmation that we would pay them back later email after email we begged for the word yes we will make it happen but it never came even though as students we were able to figure out the issues with financing we aren't administrators we don't have the power to expedite health screening or attendance protocol but you do this one conference is so major to the health of any Model United Nations national team it's the reason why underclassmen completely transform and break out of their shells even our Mayor Sam Joi is an alumni of our club and recognize how important it was in shaping his public speaking ability we won't be going this year just 20 minutes ago I got a text from an EHS student saying that they will also not be going this year their trip to will also be cancelled cuz their school couldn't pay on time either with the continuous lack of administrative response and support the ability to compete in national conferences and bring home Awards on behalf of Edison is dwindling even for neon North American Invitational Model United Nations conference hosted by Georgetown we can no longer compete even though we won out another delegation award two years ago because they only take credit card payments a payment method too modern for Edison my goal today is to convince you to do two things firstly I want Edison to talk to the larger New Jersey body and discuss a better way of payment processing hotels and conventions will no longer take the outdated purchase orders invoices and checks and so we are losing opportunities to compete because we don't have access to a credit card rules at JP Stevens make it impossible for students to navigate around these issues without making some teacher some advisor some some principal mad at us secondly I want Edison to take our Public School extracurriculars more seriously we bring nothing but Prestige to this town yet we feel so unvalued all of these Awards and yet no recognition at this lovely meeting our students should not have to beg already overworked teachers to be advisers for clubs that are already student run our students should not have to lie to go on trips that do nothing but benefit the reputation of John P Stevens and Edison High School our students should not have to keep hearing the answer no to everything we try to pass through Administration the reason we as in JP and Edison High couldn't get a check through should never be because you guys failed to arrange for administrative employees I come to you as someone graduating in another 6 months so whatever decision you decide today will have little impact on me however I truly believe in the Legacy that these clubs have and I hope you do better for my underclassmen who are wells of untapped po potential I thank you for the time for this lengthy speech But please understand I would not have taken your time if it was not in your best interest to support some of the most driven students in the country thank you thank you thank you for your comments and thank you for taking time to come here Dr yeah and and rather than get to a back and forth what what I'll do is I'll we'll touch base right after this meeting um this particular incident was actually brought to my attention last night unfortunately mine and Mr TOS um we we were really unaware of this process unfortunately I think your event is Thursday and we're we're kind of at the last minute but I do have our Administration working with this I tasked um an individual with making sure I think you have one that's coming up in February and in March and rest assured that there will be no interference in any process moving forward so um I I do thank um the individual that brought it to my attention because I you know listen I I was unaware of it that there would not have been any process there was obviously a breakdown there um but we'll touch base after the meeting and and well said I agree with everything you said Thank you next public comments Miss Cony thank you stressa for articulating the pl of clubs and JP Stevens I'm also from the model un Club me and shester are actually co-director generals which means we are both vice presidents of this club and and we can tell you firsthand that there's been a lot of motions these past few days surrounding the cancelling of this trip given this news just last Thursday after we had already prepared for the conference created room assignments planned out our grocery list and spent hours deliberating how to create the best opening speeches possible our hearts dropped to our feet hearing that the conference we had all been waiting for all year was now not possible but this isn't just about the emotions it's about the facts and as trusta was saying we have not failed in bringing Prestige to our school so now I'd like to Enlighten you all about both our individual award rate and our delegation award rate over the past three years our national team has had a 100% delegation award rate in 2023 we attended the Empire Model United Nations conference at NYU where we earned best small delegation and had a 63% award rate at the Princeton Model United Nations conference in 2023 we won one outstanding large delegation with a 70% individual award rate at the ivy league Model United Nation's conference we won best large delegation for the second year in a row with a 77% individual award rate again at Princeton Model United Nations in 2022 we won outstanding large delegation with a 55% award rate in the previous year before we went to the Washington area model United Nations conference where we won best small delegation with a 57% award rate then we went to North American Invitational Model United Nations conference winning outstanding large and an 80% individual award rate mind you this is the most prestigious conference in the entire world with over 3,000 delegates attending from all over the world then again in 2022 at the ivy league Model United Nations conference we won best large with a 97% award rate and previously we went to Empire Model United United Nations again with an outstanding large delegation award however this data doesn't even do justice to the entire gyman Legacy as you can find on our website gy.com the Legacy spans decades earning us recognition as one of the best public schools in the nation starting in the early 2010s which you can find on bestd delegate. comom what this data tells us is that we can do all of this without administrative support but imagine what we can do with it as I mentioned earlier we want outstanding large delegation at Princeton the number one University in the nation their model un conference despite it being half an hour way for 4 days we as students were forced to arrange our own transportation for a 4-day event this isn't just about getting approval for these trips that give us the prestige and the recognition for all our hard work it's about actually getting the support we need the basic support that clubs get all over town we left at the end of the school day on Thursday the middle of the school day on Friday and in the mornings on Saturday and Sunday we were not even able to get subsidized Transportation on Thursday or Friday forcing parents to take time out of their schedules to bring us to and back from the East Brunswick Hilton these are parents who work and are happy to help their kids do what they love but they should not have to take off of work to bring their children to a destination of a school trip this unfortunately wasn't the first time the Administration has let us down gypson 28 was canceled last year due to an inability to use the building for one Saturday in the month of May gypson 28 is known as one of the best local conferences in New Jersey and despite applying months in advance our event was canceled at the last moment again like this conference the only choice was to cancel this event an event anticipated by delegates from all around New Jersey we have only been able to hold our Flagship conference in December every year due to the benevolence of the local Islamic Center because we were still not able to get school support to holding one at our actual school every time we apply for a date to use we get put down this forces us to find new locations and dates that not only put us in a tight place as a board but it gives our delegates less time to prepare and makes it difficult for them to perform their best it is especially hard to see other clubs able to get the building usage easily while we are fighting for Just One Day in the year we are not disregarding that it may be difficult to secure janitorial and secur Security Services needed for huge events like jyon but if we can get it for events like the JP jazz festival there should be no reason why we can't get it for events like gypson which also invites students from all over the state we are not asking for much we are asking for support supports other clubs and programs get consistently to continue building the already astounding Legacy of JPS model un and although we could we wish we could ask you to get us to Philadelphia this Thursday we know that it is simply impossible at this point however we still fully intend on going to the remarkable remarkable model un conferences such as nonon in Georgetown in Cornell Model United Nations this year and all the years to come our delegates are more than just leaders and I promise you we will not let you down anytime soon in malan or the greater Edison Community a little support is the least you can do for such an outstanding group of leaders so please work with us to make these and gipsman 28 happened this year and all the years to come thank you thank you you to speak no next Miss Conway Elizabeth Conway 20 Netherwood Circle were they unbelievable or not and I have full confidence Dr aldarelli that you and Mr to are are going to take care of this I'll make sure I'd like to begin with saying congratulations to all the students that were recognized tonight it shows us time in and time out that our district is definitely a district to be reckoned with the second thing I'd like to say is congratulations to Dr Al aldarelli he calls you a rock star but I'll just call you the person that really knows what they're doing and I appreciate your presentation and I look forward to the future of this District Mr Cohen you had to follow him with your own presentation and you did fabulous yourself I think it's a phenomenal objective for this District because not every child gets all their needs met and this is going in a great direction to help them improve in wherever their needs are so I thank you for that and lastly yes I did get up and I told you to vote no and none of you listened to me but I knew it wouldn't have mattered that you voted no but I just wanted to make sure that somebody voted no but as far as uh Mr Bowen and Miss wnel they'll always be Mr Bowen and Miss winel to me because my three children had both of them and whenever we would have a discussion it was like which one was it then and my children are 38 35 and 31 so they've been a while around for a while and I know they don't want to hear the age of my children but that's how long they've been here to support the students in Edison District but not only the students they've also helped many a teacher when they needed someone if we ever had a question as a former teacher if we ever had a question question they were always willing and able to help us or at least push us in the right direction so for that I thank you both immensely there's many people in the Edison uh Township Education Association that have been fabulous but we're losing two cornerstones and hopefully there still be a phone call not too long ago and I actually have their cell phone num so you know if I have a question I can still I don't erase phone numbers after I used them once so U I just wanted to let you know but I appreciate you and I look forward to where you're going and being on the other side of the table it does have its pros thank you thank you Miss convey you had like 3 minutes and 6 seconds left and you forgot to thank all the board members for the school board recognition month that includes current and former board members yourself Miss Bowski Mr shei and all those board members who are not present here so I thought you would say that but on behalf of you I say that actually come with Miss Bowski and the two of us can't talk about the same thing all the time awesome but that's so productive that saves us time so miss Bowski while while you at it you can go you want to say something Miss brow yeah and I did get up and speak at the earlier meeting this month about um the Board of Ed and the appreciation of Board of Ed members and how important what they do is to all of our students I also would like to wish Miss wiel and uh Mr Bowen and anyone who's retiring a wonderful retirement there's so many opportunities but don't forget the schools and don't forget the students students and don't forget to come back because you can do so much more once you're you know all the things that happen and you're no longer here but I have to say that without miss wiel my family would never have thought about the fact living in South Jersey near Philadelphia and Wilmington and Washington DC um one day someone asked Miss W in my daughter's class about whether the delegates to the Constitutional Convention and whatever whether they commuted back and forth or whether they um stayed in Philadelphia while they were there and I remember my daughter going Ma she told him she didn't know and it was so funny because I just went oh no really she didn't know how about she's trying to get them to think and uh there was always a joke of ours with Philadelphia because in our family you went to Philadelphia for the afternoon but um to anyone else it it seemed a little different and Mr Bowden brought the most wonderful experience into our lives which is bringing sand back from places all over the world and uh we had my daughter had a friend that we traveled with to different places and one of the places we were at was um we were going to the FCCLA National leadership conference just to help them get started and get get ready and you know all get their gowns on their hair fixed and everything like that so my husband and uh my friend took the girls to the beach for that little bit of time and uh they had their own learning experience there because all of a sudden in the middle of looking at the ocean and playing in the ocean the one in high school um said to the other oh this is the Pacific Ocean and when I got back from the FCCLA meeting you know they were like we were at the Pacific Ocean and I said wow you flew all the way back just to do that and uh but you know everyone I consider it wow you're free but there's so many memories and so many things that come back to you when you have the life of education and worked with so many students and you see all your students as they grow up and and get different careers and my Christmas cards the photo cards I got oh yeah that's the twins the one's a lawyer and the other one's a doctor and then you see somebody else and you say oh look at that you know this one did this and these are the same kids I taught how to spell and write and walk down the hallway so you know it's a time of change and a time of a lot of milestones and we just keep moving farther and farther ahead so thank you thank you next public comments Mr she cherish Edison um I just want to Echo congratulations to all the students who recognized today I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the coaches the advisers for all these students it's the extra extra effort they put it in to get these students there and the other person these students need to recognize are their parents you know all these uh activities or chauffers they drove them around and uh congratulations to the parents and thank the parents for willing to put in the time to support your children uh just noticed a couple things observations um we had two Middle School that was recognized uh there one student from TJ got recognized I didn't see any students from Herber Hoover Uh I hope that the next recognition that the um the building principles will find something that they can recognize the students Herbert Hoover and uh TJ um this one of the the JP Edison High students mentioned that they beat JP Stevens um you know yesterday for the boys basketball last year they had a a competition here um the the GP the the B the boys basketball they have a a trophy for the winner and there was also a ladies basketball game there was no trophy so Mrs pan raised that issue at the uh last year I hope that the when the girls play each other we have a trophy for them as well I hope that's not too much to ask and the other thing I'm very surprised to hear the students with the model that's issue we had last year and uh Dr I forgot was you or um uh Dr Brean we talked about this they need one day to use a classroom the JP stens the administration cannot even give them one day that's not acceptable we found it out later and they last year they had to cancel their uh their trip I thought the issue was resolved and very surprised to hear this this week the same issue is still there right I know there's a change in the administrations but that should not impact the students activities right um I don't know when Mr regi I think that's pronunciation of his name when was he officially started uh his interim more acting principal position but let's don't forget they're there to serve the kids so um just a couple um couple things uh the JP Sten students also mentioned that they change the name of Mr JPS to something else um I thought their event is in February and uh we're going to leave the auditorium uh renovation in March uh I'm surprised to see this meetings here we still uh start working in March or the renovation will start in February that's the question for the administration so I also have a question for uh the board president Bureau uh today is the second meeting in January so where is the school board committees what is taking so long okay then I have another question is recently I heard two board members had a meeting with the um Sam Joi and Anthony deamon brought that issue up at the last meeting so my question to you Bo President should you be made aware or should the superintendent be made aware of this meeting and when the meeting is over should you guys be updated at least the board leadership and superintendent be updated of the uh discussion of that the the meeting and uh we all know that the council approved $3.7 million bound to fix the stalon school and as Mr uh Brasher said that is just to keep that building from not falling apart and I was very surprised to see that there are board members who suggest ing Sam josi to give eight or nine classrooms to our special needs students that building 3.7 million is a subpar it's just the building not falling apart you guys should be ashamed of yourself to suggest that put our students in a subpar building last year this board when we had e program we're going to put air conditioning for the building which building we put air conditioning FDR please put our you know special needs students don't put them at a lower priority they should be taken care of okay and also for anyone who suggests to Sam Joi that he can get eight or 10 classrooms for special needs students for the district then he can go after the special needs Aid in the state to take the money away you guys are deplorable thank you very much thank you next public comments Mr Freeman good evening I would like to say um congratulations to all the awardees because I know how students is really working really hard to achieve what they have to I'd also like to um thank um Balden and Michelle for their continued work with teachers that you know have problems and stuff in they work along that they work right along with the board and I also like to invite them to join in Jaa retired already a you're already a member did you get your membership yet okay that means we'll be at lunchin together okay I'm glad okay okay good thank you and I hope some does something about just getting a bus for them to be taken somewhere to where they need to go because there are prizes we honor them so please get them a little bus even if it's a short bus okay thank you thank you anyone else public comments [Music] Mr good evening Matt revnak vice president ETA and JP Stevens teacher first of all a couple comments number one ladies fantastic job as a JP Stevens teacher I'm very proud when I see our students and the Edison High as well to get up and and do such a great presentation you know it there's been issues with that for years going back in the day I'm talking 25 years ago I ran an academic team and it was an issue getting busing the only difference was and I'm surprised Mr Veron and suggested I had a bus driver's license I would drive the kids I would use actually the tennis bus or the golf bus but it really shouldn't happen um so hopefully that'll get resolved number two is the student recognition you know it shows what the great kids we have the going above and beyond outside the classroom and the dedication and commitment of the students this appreciate Mr she mentioning the advisers the co coaches you know the staff members um because it is a lot of time outside the classroom again I know I did it for years um third one I want to say Mr Cohen nice job presenting I know it's your first time here in front of the crowd I'm sure you had a little nervousness about you um but there is one concern I have not that it's a concern in terms of bringing in a program but to all the students out there don't use that as a crutch to not listen to your teachers in class okay it doesn't substitute we went through that with the pandemic and everybody was saying it doesn't work I know we've talked about makeup days doing a virtual and the state won't allow it at this point you got to petition them or whatever and I had in total agreement with that and all my you know actually I'm about midway between Mr B and Miss wnel in terms of time of service um in the district but you know it's a little concerning and I'm hoping our students don't tune to teach you out in class because hey I can go get free tutoring and do it outside of class your teachers bring a wealth of knowledge I personally have had two residential Scholars one that I went to Washington with and back when the Star Ledger had them I had a Star Ledger scholar and the comments that they made was yeah about not only the teaching and teaching them how to do it but what you're going to use it for practicality I'm known for my stories Mr she's daughter had me you know the stories and I bring my real life into it you're not going to get that out of a tutoring service online you know I constantly you know my students always say you know like do you have a story for this or or how can we relate this where does it come from what can we use it for and that's the knowledge that classroom teachers have so again like anything else I tell them I hold the calculator this is a tool it doesn't replace the greatest calculator you have it's called a brain use it use this as a supplement don't use it instead of doing what you're supposed to do in the classroom if that happens I think it's a great thing and there are other resources by the way you know for my the more advanced students AP Cal students go on AP classroom and they have tutorials and things like that you know I know a lot of kids over years KH Academy and you know things like that we use in math Delta math a lot which does some of those things as well so again they're all great things but they're supplements they're tools they're not replacement of what you're supposed to be doing in a classroom the final thing I just want to say is you know in terms of actually three retirees you know I've been with Patty savulich at JP Steven she's there 25 years I'm there a little bit longer and again it's always been a pleasure she's an excellent teacher I know the kids respect her and like her what she does but really about the two people sitting here and I'm going to say most of my comments to the retirement dinner um but I just want to mention I'm not going to every dat Ellen Baxter is actually running that um but there will be a retirement dinner for Miss wed and Mr Bowen in May early May there'll be a save the date sent out shortly from Ellen Baxter basically Ellen's doing most of the work I'm helping her out um but you know when you get that date please save it hopefully we'll see everybody there um you know Jeff and I have been like brothers we've been together I know him for what 30 over 30 years um first at first we were he was first vice president I was second Vice President we knew each other way before that and then being his vice president now for 12 years we've negotiated I've been on six contracts I know he has a couple more than I do um but we're like brothers you know it's not only in terms of our working relationships or the respect I have for him as a teacher you know I always call him with the weather because he was a great weatherman he predicts things better than most of the weatherman on TV um you know so it's it's difficult to see like someone like that leave but it's time and I KN he told me it was time we've talked over the last year or whatever and Michelle's almost like a sister to me I have a sister very similar to Michelle has a couple dogs Etc the difference is my sister and I still fight I don't fight with Michelle so you know it's very difficult two great people and again like Mr she said I appreciate the kind words everybody said on behalf of them because they don't get up and speak like I do um but you know it it's definitely true what everybody said um you know his leadership in terms of some tough times here and then through some great times you know and brought us through some difficult times and you know being his second in command has been pleasure um in fact if I'm honored to be his successor it's tough shoes to fill and I know that going forward although in many ways we think the same way people don't realize we're on the phone with each other like this morning at 6 o00 6:15 in the morning and there's been times we on the phone with each other at 1 or two o'clock in the morning he's always called me a Workhorse if I'm a Workhorse I don't even know what title he Has because he goes even you know more above and beyond more as much as I do if not more so again I wish the two of them the best in retirement and I know they're not going anywhere I know I can always reach out to them if I need to and um you know they're working our working relationship again I appreciate what you said Dr aldarelli because it's it's so true you know I think we have a great thing going and hope to continue it thank you thanks have a good night anyone else uh Maria Maria Orchid 83 Jefferson first I'd like to congratulate all the students that were here today it's a wonderful accomplishment I'd like to say thank you to the Board of Ed and all your volunteers thank you what you do current and past uh one thing I wanted to say is the Edison environmental commission we meet the third Thursday of every month uh of course we can't do anything right now in the cold weather weather but when the spring comes around we will have different events also we look forward to seeing the high school students come to attend our meetings uh we were thinking about starting a scholarship to a lucky recipient um one other thing I want to say February 10th the Edison course is having their Tricky Tray so looking forward to that event here uh I believe it starts at 6:30 and thank you you anyone else Harish back so Harish D 45 mle Street so I had a question for Dr elderi and the school administration regarding the snow day days uh we all know we had to take two days uh even though it wasn't that severe not blaming anyone I understand we have to work together if Township Administration and OEM say something then obviously you cannot put people at risk especially the students so not blaming anyone uh parents are more curious to know what would happen if we had to take a couple of more School uh snow days uh it's my understanding that the final graduation date cannot be extended so it will come from the spring break so it would be really helpful if you could clarify that in advance because some students and families they might go on vacation some students might plan some uh courses and all that also a suggestion in the event we have to take more um uh snow days going forward in the next 1 month or so uh as uh when this time it's supposed to be a real winter unlike last year um is it possible to do the online um classes like we did during uh covid era I understand that was a different phase and it was uh not just a national but International emergency and everything was approved uh so exceptions could be passed very easily uh if we do it this time how would it work it will still not qualify as uh 183 days in school learning so maybe the individual Township uh boes have the power to override that I don't know so a lot of questions in in the community in parents Minds uh regarding uh various possibilities so it would be great if you could clarify this uh at an earlier stage um and really looking forward to working with uh the committee heads of curriculum policy and Facilities regarding some issues uh there was um yes um I remember that now so also looking forward to that uh revised demographic study uh the latest and greatest one from a different uh agency I believe this time which would include the immigration Ingress and everything into Edison so if that is not that confidential it would be great if you guys could post it on the website thank you thank you and Dr Al will speak with him afterwards right yes absolutely I'll definitely follow up especially with in relationship to the snow days and the um the criteria for you know permitting to uh go remote on a snow day or an inclement weather day there's there's some stipulations in there I can walk you through it after the meeting sure thank you anyone else saying J you want to go again all got to do this I didn't realize how quickly six minutes went so standing over here so uh uh just to continue my uh uh what I was talking talking about um last year when I joined the uh Township Leon committee that's the first time I joined the a committee in three years I asked Sam josi three questions because we are putting the the long-term plan and we're doing the demographic study to guide the uh strategic plan three questions is whether we should put stalon School into consideration for our long-term plan the answer from him was no and the other question I asked him will he be collaborating with the Schoolboard on the 401 Division Street that is the property between TJ and uh um Stelton now he's fixing the stalon and this property fits into two government entities there should be no Apartments being built and his answer was no uh he cannot participate uh collaborate with board and the only thing he might be able to do is maybe PVE the part if we get it and put a parking lot he might be able to pave it so I know those things were discussed with Sam josi and the third third question I asked him is the property of town Mage and coolage that time he said he try to get some money in November to buy that property and now this is February um just want to remind the board at last year's state of the township uh Union Address state of the township address Sam josi use a word he's going to give that property to the school board which means he will buy it not ask Schoolboard to chip in keep let's remember what he said okay there's another uh state of Township uh address coming up again he's going to give that property to the school board so far none of that I haven't heard anything about that I hope whoever talk to him get some updates and hope we can get some updates from the school board thank you very much thank you anyone else motion to close public comments motion to close public comment second all in favor I great meeting is ajour thank you need you okay [Music]