for test testing is that good e did Miss enough ponic go oh there oh okay it's 7M I call this River Edge Board of Education to order uh roll call please Brown M Crespo Mr alesandro here Mr Cohen here Mr Langley here Mr Sim here and Miss Kang here uh let's all rise for the flag salute I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all Mr alandro could you read the mission statement for us tonight the River Edge school district is a partnership of students parents staff and community members we are dedicated to providing a supportive environment in which all students can reach their maximum academic potential while developing as responsible citizens who respect individuality our goals will be achieved because curriculum and instruction are aligned with the New Jersey student learning standards all decisions reflect the academic social emotional and physical needs of prek to sixth grade students cooperation and ongoing communication exists between the school district and the community school administrators and the Board of Education work together to assess and adjust procedures in response to new mandates and the changing needs of the community thank you uh Mr paano the open public meetings notice pursuant to the open public meetings act notice of this meeting its daytime and place have been delivered to the post office the municipal building the record and posted on the district website at least 48 hours prior to the time of this meeting thank you uh tonight we have a lot to celebrate um in starting with our sixth grade student Zoe Quan who um I would like to okay there's a reason I retired getting old I would like to uh make a slight adjustment to the order of presentations I would like to introduce Mr Jacobs president of the Bergen County School boards Association good evening thank you excuse my back um okay all good evening everybody uh my name is Mike Jacobs I'm the president of the Bergen County School boards Association sorry and uh I happen to have been in the neighborhood so what could be better than coming back to River Edge where I feel like I'm at home I think the last time I was here is when Caleb had his thing I spoke to him two weeks ago and uh he doing great down in the doe but anyway on a more serious note um I'm here tonight to present the Bergen County School boards Association rgf ha annual award to one of your board members now before I continue uh permit me to give you a little bit of background in the mid 1980s the Bergen County boards Association established the Archie F ha award to honor local board members who exemplify Dr Archie Hay's leadership in the field of education and his commitment to the children of Bergen County Dr Haye former Bergen County Superintendent was responsible for setting up the Bergen County Special Ed regions and the special services School District now this award is presented to a Burg County School Board member who in the opinion of an impartial committee made up of board members from outside Bergen County best exemplifies Dr Hay's leadership and commitment the nominee must show evidence of leadership in his or her district and be nominated by a formal resolution of the board so tonight I have the honor to present the 2023 24 Archie fhe award to president un Kang of [Applause] river got um very we had to make and also if you would wear this proudly okay it's the Bergen County School Board Association pin and specifically if you're around mors County board members wear your Bergen pin Bergen does it better anyway um I just thank you would you like to say a couple words come on um they'll wait you're the president honestly um I'm I'm really surprised because um you know as the president you you come in ready and prepared and um with everything that um is going to happen um so I was ready to and we will celebrate Zoe and all the teachers and um um my husband said that they're going on an adventure today and and then and they're coming in I see friends in the audience um so very well surprised but um thank you um this is um really for our community of rivid um I think that I couldn't have done this without the community support uh my family support my friend support so and my board current and past um and our administrators um current and past too so um thank you really um and Mr Sim thank you for nominating me so um okay Mike needs to Mike needs to leave so if we could just take a picture with on and Mike sure and we have some flowers oh look at this oh thank you okay if an if your family's here we would love you look I staged look at my staging over there so let's take the picture over there this next career are decorating yeah I'll be probably better at that than superintendent look at you all nodding [Music] yeah come on [Applause] family oh wow that's a lot your family likes you and I just want to thank your board for everything they do for public education in Bergen County so let's give them a round of applause [Applause] gone thanks good night everybody night good night good to see you you have do you have any other surprises okay so uh we are here to honor uh Zoe Quan um our sixth grader from Cherry Hill School who uh won second place at the Bergen County stigma free sticker contest this year so congratulations zo um Miss Miranda is here to speak a little bit about the contest and and Zoe's accomplishment um good evening everyone I'm so happy to be here to honor uh Cherry Hill sixth grader Zoe Quan um as you mentioned Zoe did um come in second place out of 20 entries throughout the entire Bergen County for middle and high school students um each year Bergen County hosts this contest which is all about um stigma which is when you think unfair things or assume something about a society or a group of people and so they uh reached out to the school districts in Bur County and encourag students in grades 6 through 12 to design a stigma-free sticker and Zoe submitted her design and in late April we did receive notification that zoee was a finalist and that Zoe was invited to a special stigma-free Symposium held on May 1st and uh myself Dr Murphy our people assistance counselors Mrs blee and Mr Mullen along with Zoe and her mom attended um this very fancy event that um actually Zoe pointed out the there were fancy chandeliers all over the place and um but it was a very special event and that's when Zoe was honored uh publicly in front of um hundreds of people in the county and we are just so proud of Zoe here in Riveredge public schools and here is we'll pass this around this is actually Zoe's sticker that she designed and um they were being given out at the event and to all of the schools in the county and Zoe actually today was our day of Wellness in River Edge and uh Zoe created a special project that um she's gonna come up and speak about um for our students here in rbridge today Zoe hi uh Boe so when I went into the thicker design contest I sort of knew what stigma was and whatever and I thought I was like oh okay it's like bullying but then I looked more into it and I realized that it's a really important part of mental health and it shapes a lot of teenagers and little kids' lives so whenever someone comes into Riv Ed they always say I came here for the schools or like whatever but I wanted to show like that River Edge is a has a community where everyone's accepted and there's zero stigma in the school so I wanted to tell kids what stigma was and help them understand what stigma was and how we can stop it in the schools to make it seem more stigma free inside the schools and know that they are safe and they can be themselves so yeah I'll pass it around [Applause] not picture right this is if you haven't seen it this [Applause] is thank you Zoe for um participating in the contest and then also really encouraging our students to to be a part of the the solution so um I hope that we can continue to use this for years to come I think it's a great idea um next more to celebrate um we have um every year we get the honor to um name teachers of the year and this year we have two amazing teachers Miss Jenik from Cherry Hill school and Miss pra from Roosevelt School but also districtwide right um so we have a few people that would like to speak um and so miss Hitman would you like to start right there welcome everyone can everybody hear me perfect so I will also want to offer congratulations to Lauren pra and Zoe Quan how we're so proud of all of these people receiving recognition tonight I I know I have to stand here right okay so Mrs Nancy jenic has um fortunately been in our district for the past seven years um Nancy is a dedicated professional that believes children should have fun in school so after speaking with students in her class I'm just going to share some of the highlights yep we're going to share some of those highlights um so we're going to start Miss Mrs jenic makes learning easier and fun she finds lots of ways to surprise students she makes test tests easier because before the test she really prepares us she always gives us plenty of examples when doing a spelling test she always uses funny sentences if someone sneezes the whole class stops and says bless you right all true they told me a lot of stuff uh she let likes to joke to keep the class fun no one ever does any smack talk or calling out in class she helps us figure things out she loves lunch duty and the students cheer when her name is announced uh she knows how to calm her students down she always meets with us upon dismissal her students have a have a special chant when leaving we hear it throughout the building do you hear it Dr Murphy y I'm sure you do uh she's strict but not not in a bad way she connects with us she just cares she cares for others before herself that's what they said excuse me a little uh nany's the fourth grade chair she runs a student oriented class she works with several different colleagues and enjoys collaboration and helping helping students succeed Mrs jenic shares her knowledge by teaching some after school pdia classes Mrs Jenza gives students responsibility and makes them accountable parents are always in the loop and appreciate the time Mrs jenic spends with their children she's very big on kindness and making sure that students show it to one another we are so proud out of Mrs jenic and this is a well-deserved honor congratulations on being the Cherry Hills teacher of the year [Applause] picture [Applause] I just like to add my congratulations to Nancy and Nancy for those who don't know her dad was an outstanding educator in his own right small world he helped Mentor me when I was a first year principal 25 years ago and um made a huge impact in my life her brother is a principal so it's a family of education and Mrs Bowers over there was a longstanding board of ed member in her own right who gave tius tily to the Paris school board so this is a a fantastic [Applause] family okay this is on I'll be really fast I'm sorry I'm looking at my phone um thank you Mrs heightman for the kind words um I'm honored to be teacher of the year for Cherry Hill School um each day when I walk into my Cherry Hill classroom I try and behave like my teachers my children's teachers um that they had and the things that I loved about their teachers and what they loved about their teachers I try and do that uh for my students although I have high academic and behavioral expectations for my students I make sure students smile laugh and believe it or not they sing as they work throughout their school today I believe good communication and parental support are necessary ingredients for a successful school year I've been lucky enough to have wonderfully supportive parents and colleagues thank you for being here um in River thank um uh so uh speaking of support thank you to my husband Michael my Sean my son Sean watching from rhod Island and my daughter Elizabeth for always being supportive and listening to my amusing School Stories I love love that my students also enjoy hearing about my family's silly Shenanigans um and thank you to my mom for being here tonight and to my dad watching at home for inspiring me to be an educator both of my parents were Educators and they also loved their jobs so thank you and congratulations to Lauren [Applause] um we will move on to honoring um Miss pra that Mr Warner will be speaking um about Miss pra tonight good evening everyone um I have the privilege of knowing Lauren I don't call her Miss prise call her Lauren so just go with it for many years now um as a classroom teacher and recently this year as a steam coach um Lauren came onto the steam team as we call each other uh this year after serving many years as a sixth grade math teacher the year prior in District um our K3 steam coach resigned so we had the opportunity to hire a new steam coach so last spring we took the opportunity to look all across the state um I traveled to college campuses recruitment fairs we advertised in the paper we had many appli an who applied for this position but Lauren shined through all of them um the K3 students in R rge when they're in Lauren's steam class they're full of joy Wonder excitement for example Lauren was recently mulching with the students this past week not that exciting right but one girl was like I want to eat lunch and mulch with Miss pra so even mulching was entertaining for students um that's for our flower beds but as the students were doing that and moving the mulch Lauren was talking to them about decomposers and making learning fun for them and integrating science into the flower beds um this year Lauren has added so many animals to our district uh chickens bees fish uh the amount of organisms we've had it is overwhelming but it's amazing because um as Lauren added all these things she talked to the students about biological engineering and biodiversity you taught K through3 students about bioengineering that's impressive she also took her role from power of play um and continued to expand on it including rubrics cubes Legos gardening even some theater because I know you like throwing that in sometimes our students benefit from the time that you spend with them and getting to know them even power of play which is an alternative form of recess for students who might not enjoy traditional recess you made that so entertaining for them um Lauren was also the one who came to me and uh she said we need eclipse glasses I want to do a stargazing night these are things I'm like sure sure let's do it so um she just doesn't stop um you also have reached out to community members and to people around us uh to find out about past experiences in Riveredge we brought so much back from the times of Discovery lab in Riveredge um things like Star Lab which is coming back finally um things that kind of got lost in the sauce because of covid she is such a commitment to education um I cannot also say this as well the amount of live streaming we've done our district I contribute that to you definitely our morning announcement on Fridays are I they're just so high high quality and that's because of you it's like a middle school or High School quality in an elementary school the amount of content knowledge passion and love that you show our students each day I am just so immensely proud of you and you truly deserve this award Lauren um you make such a difference in the community congratulations [Applause] [Applause] in the Audi in the audience is Mom and Dad right is that Mom and Dad aunt and uncle okay raise your hand and Uncle okay so I've only known Lauren in the last two months but it seems like I've known her for 10 years 20 years that's the type of Personality she has the passion she brings to her students every day is second to none River Edge is a better school district because of Lauren and I appreciate even though I'm leaving soon getting to know you you're an outstanding person thank you can I turn this or is that weird is that okay yes that's okay you I don't want I don't want to you'll be up very very soon okay I have two what two brief um you know comments about Miss prota this is from Mr Hensel it is my honor to celebrate our teacher of the year Lauren prota Lauren excels in every role she undertakes as a math teacher she turned complex complex Concepts into engaging lessons making math accessible and exciting for all her students during her steam lessons Lauren seamlessly integrates science technology engineering arts and math mathematics her Innovative teaching equips students with critical thinking skills and creativity preparing them for future challenges Lauren is the consumate professional known for her attention to detail and commitment to students capitalizing on her acting talents she has entertained the students in her classroom and at school and sponsored functions she has been a regular host of the Roosevelt starc case for the past several years offering her humor to all the audience as a colleague Lauren epitomizes collaboration and support her positive attitude and willingness to help make her an invaluable member of our school Community above all Lauren is an amazing educator igniting a passion for Learning and empowering her students to reach their full potential her dedication and creativity makes her truly deserving of this honor congratulations Laur Lauren as a well-deserved award and then um I know that um uh Dr bendo wanted to come to celebrate with both teachers and recognize them but she did write something about Lauren but I'm not going to read the whole thing Lauren because it's really long but I but I told her I would paraphrase and I promise you I will send it to you later just chat GP so as you know Lauren has you know does some acting right um so Lauren proved to be the most creative and versatile teacher who utilized her acting talents and continuously that continuously benefits students she brought Shark Tank to the rivered school district motivating and encouraging the sixth graders to utilize their steam um skills to create inventions and then to integrate their public speaking skills her classroom climate and her rapport with the students is filled with excitement and positivity I regret not being able to be there in person Lauren but know that I am with you in spirit as you receive this well-deserved honor of teacher of the year and my heart swells with pride for you I also know that there will be many more honors in your future congratulations all my love Dr bendo r superintendent of and Lauren I have the privilege of Lauren being in the Cherry Hill building this year and I will tell you she's a lot of fun the children love her uh she she's like air always moving around do you know what I mean she is she is really um made an impact at Jerry now you can come on thank you thank you all right so I can't turn you got to us okay okay hi everyone is this on it's good as long as the green light is on the microphone yep okay all right close to your okay thank you so much thank you Nevin thank you Denise and thank you Tova if you're watching or okay so um for my little speech I wrote top reason why I love Riveredge so I have 10 reasons number 10 I can run around the school in a fish head without any judgment and if any of my students watch this um yes I am Gilbert I'm admitting it number nine my sixth grade team may frequently close my door when I have my students bang on their desks and have doing math chants but they still love me anyway and I apologize publicly to anyone who ha has ever or ever will hear me through a wall because that does frequently happen and I get way too excited sorry if I've Disturbed anyone's class number eight um if I ever forget to take attendance I get a nice phone call and nobody gets mad but then even if I forget after that phone call I still get a very nice phone call and usually it's fine so I'm very thankful that my forgetfulness is still tolerated um number seven I can say very strange things with a completely straight face like lunchie poo skedge pneum ultra microscopic silico volcanic o neosis Etc and nobody bats an eye nobody at all it's totally fine um I get to combine two of my very favorite things teaching and acting in so much of what I do um two of my favorites are when I host things like Shark Tank and starcase two of my favorites um I always like to give credit to Caroline church for bringing Shark Tank to Roosevelt um but I did help to try to make it as big as I Poss Poss could and I love where it's at now uh number five The Amazing Friends that I've met and have come to love and Trust are right down the hallway and it's so amazing sometimes they're down the road but it's okay um number four when I make videos and I'm feeling a little insecure about them my students always make me feel like I'm the coolest person in the world I don't know about that but it makes me feel really good um number three I'm able to be a big kid alongside of my students and learn and have fun with them um when I was in second grade in Montville another class not my class hatched baby chicks and I was so very jealous that that couldn't happen in my room and other and other class got to enjoy it and so I've been a little salty about it but until this year because I actually made it happened not just for myself but for hundreds of students and staff and just to see how much everyone got out of it was magical and it's what I believe school is all about yes um number two whenever I run to my team or to admin with my crazy ideas a lot of them have been to Nevin this year um they are always on board to help me find a way and I'm so very appreciative to that except the most recent one that I had sent to neevan it was sort of a joke but it was like these bees so you make a you have this like glass thing you have this glass tube so bees can go in the tube so the Hive is inside like through glass so you can watch it it was a joke but that was that was a no that was just a no bad bad idea bad idea but I love that everyone is so supportive um and last one number one from a very young age school has always been home to me it's where I've always felt safe supported and could truly be myself I'm very thankful to call River Edge my home where I try my best every day to create a nurturing engaging and memorable space for my amazing students to learn grow feel supported be themselves and be inspired to do great things um thank you so much for this amazing honor I'm able to grow so much here as a person and as a teacher and I love working in River Edge so thank you [Applause] everybody congratulations again um so welld deserved uh both of you so and it's also nice to see a lot of your colleagues here just supporting you um it kind of shows what community we are in River Edge um so next we're going to honor our retirees um we can't do this without our par professionals so we have two very special par professionals retiring this year uh first we have Miss Noel um Dr Jeffrey would you like to come and speak about Miss Noel good evening everybody so I have to say I feel very Dr jaff you might have to raise it up closer okay is that good yeah good evening everybody so I feel very honored to be able to recognize two incredible l IES uh two power professionals um who I've had the pleasure of getting to know the past two years that I've worked with um my first one is Elanor Noel um who is a par professional who um Works she's worked for the last 16 years as a par professional but in the last two years that I've gotten to know she's been in Roosevelt um working in various grade levels providing um a significant amount of support when it comes to um highle instruction and as a power professional it's really no easy task because you really need to get to know the content and in the various classes that you're working in and Elanor really did such that um I had the opportunity to go into various classrooms to observe um Eleanor working with the students working with the teachers she has such Grace such a Sweet Disposition that the students always feel connected and comfortable going to her um for any type of support or um assistance um and you could never tell even if the the the subject matter seem seemed kind of likeo because she just naturally made them feel comfortable and made the challenges kind of go away when it came to her level of support um she has been described by many of the staff that have worked with her over the years as very collaborative hardworking reliable always willing to provide assistance when needed she's incredibly flexible so you know whenever there was coverage that was needed you could always count on Eleanor as someone that was going to step up to the plate and be like yeah I'm here and I'm ready to do it um she really took the job extremely seriously um was very passionate about the students anytime I had an opportunity to speak with her specifically about students the concern and you know her heart was always in the right place um students felt consistently comfortable seeking her out in terms of her level of assistance teachers and power professionals also build a rapport with her um you know so she had lots of connections when it came to the staff as well and they all seemed very comfortable depending on her in that area um I for wine no I will certainly Miss Eleanor's Sweet Disposition and wish her all the best in retirement thank you so much for everything that you've done for us welcome than yeah so with Mr Sim if you could start us off and we'll go around the table and read the resolution out loud sure I move whereas elen Noel has announced her retirement after 16 years of dedicated service to the River Public Schools and where is her compassion whereas her compassion and kind heart has embraced several students who she directed worked with in preparation for Daily Success and whereas Elanor Noel has shared her sweet demeanor through her support and dedication to her students and whereas Elanor Noel's flexibility and patience was a wonderful trait for all who work with and whereas her caring and thoughtful techniques touch the lives of many and where whereas after her dedicated service to the River Edge schools she wishes to retire now therefore be it resolved that the Board of Education of the board of rivered on this 22nd day of May 2024 spread upon its minutes this resolution of appreciation for valued service and be it further resolved that the River Edge Community offers its best wishes to Elanor Noel for a long happy healthy and productive retirement and its gratitude for her years of Serv service to the school district roll call please m brown yes M Crespo Mr alesandro yes Mr Cohen I will say thank you and yes Mr Langley yes Mr sim yes and Miss Ken yes thank you Miss no would you like to say anything you don't have to but I want to yeah sure much time as you like um I just wanted to say that my children have attended the um Cherry Hill and I knew when I was hired I was very lucky to be part of the Riveredge District in my former life I was the promotions manager at Radio City Music Hall I worked with the rockets and countless celebrities but nothing has matched the superstars of students and staff of rivered who every day get up and KCK their heels Up and Shine That's My corny side thank you so much I will miss the district I loved working here and working with Evan and um all the students I I really will miss them it was a tough decision but as a grandmother now it's on to new things thank you again so much [Applause] uh next we have Miss benetti uh Dr Daffy will speak yep so I'm talking about Lisa spinetti another really good incredible par professional that I'm so excited for um she has worked as a full-time par professional for um 11 years she currently works in our building connections Elementary class um which is no easy task in addition to the academics establishing that Rapport making those connections with the students in our program um has been nothing but success when it came to Lisa's connection with those students um she worked very closely with the par professionals as well that that are in that classroom she had an opportunity to travel with those students into the U mainstream and she exuded that positivity that encouragement that confidence in those students that really helped them flourish and shine in every spot um that they were in and I think Mrs Heyman would agree that when you saw Lisa working with these students she just had that natural gentleness and that that that way about her that they felt comfortable and they knew that she was on their side um I loved going in those classrooms and seeing Lisa and seeing the different things that she did with our students it was it was pretty incredible she um in addition to being in the classroom she participated in the in the monthly Community trips and she was always very supportive of them on on those trips as well um they would seek her out for assistance and support she was a confidant to the to the students and I know that she will be sorely missed um worked closely with our students establishing that Rapport assisting them with schoolwork and you know she's handled with care trained and she was very strong when it came to her to get the escalating skills um she established close relationships with the power professionals that are in her classroom I know they're all going to miss her and I know they really respect her with high regard um she in the two years that I've worked there she's worked with two different head teachers who I know both also have such a high esteem for um the love and support that she dedicates to those students she's extremely influential in the success of the building connections program watching several students flourish so um again we thank Lisa for all of her hard work and dedication wish her happiness in the next chapter of her life thank you so much Lis everybody Mr Sim could you start off the resolution for Miss benetti sure I Mo whereas Lisa Spiner has announced her retirement after 11 years of dedicated service to the rivet public schools and whereas her thoughtful caring efforts embraced several students who she directly worked with in preparation for the next grade level end whereas Lisa spinetti has shared her helpful and kind demeanor through her onetoone instruction and brought fun learning experiences to her students and whereas Lisa spin's passion for encouraging academic and social success for all her students and whereas her endless patience for her students families and colleagues touched the lives of many and and whereas after her faithful service to rivered schools she wishes to retire and we thank her now there therefore be resol that resoled that the Board of Education of board of river on this 22nd day of May 2024 spread upon its minutes the resolution of appreciation for her valued service and be it further resolved that the River Edge Community offers its best wishes to Lisa spinetti for a long happy healthy and productive retirement and its gratitude for her years of service to the school district second roll call please m brown thank you yes Mr alesandro yes Mr Cohen thank you yes Mr Langley yes Mr sim yes Miss Ken yes thank you that one [Applause] are you going to say a few words okay oh okay okay I just want to say it's been an honor and a privilege to work with the students and the wonderful staff here um I'm going to miss everybody very much thank you thank you all right um motion take a few minutes yeah we'll take a 10-minute recess to take photos we have some cookies to celebrate we have more than just some cookies okay so the Italian inmate over ordered the number of cookies so please honor if you wouldn't mind introducing your to the board because they don't really always know every employee and I think it would be wonderful during the break if they could just extend their congratulations to you and everyone I counted seven cookies each uh motion to move into recess so move second I'll favor I we'll be back on 748 758 e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e cookies thank you everyone thank you yeah I know no no slideshow tonight though [Laughter] all right it's um 802 it's 802 and we're back in session so moving on to public comments on agenda items only um so again first and foremost please remember that we aim to maintain a level decorum in our board meetings and we expect everyone to be kind and model the type of behavior that we're teaching our students each speaker should be courteous and direct comment to the board president not individual board members and as per policy 1120 a participant must be recognized by the presiding officer and must preface comments by an announcement of his or her name residents and group affiliation if appable and to maintain fairness each speaker will have three minutes to speak so at this time I open it up for public comments on agenda items only okay uh moving on to reports we have Dr Murphy with the interum superintendent report yes good evening and thank you everyone three quick things I'll get it eventually the Lan and Matthew show can be seen on okay number one the New Jersey Department um report came out on on the bullying uh scores so that will be up on our website I'm just required to let the um Community know this comes out twice a year it's a self assessment um so that will be up on our website by the end of the week number two we had our Wellness day I want to thank Christine Moran and her Wellness team I was able to get to both schools it was a hot one today I'm not going to lie a you and my short sleeve shirt didn't fit me anymore it somehow shrank over the last year I don't know what happened so I had to have a long sleeve green shirt on but it was a wonderful day and it it's nice to see students engaged in what we would consider non-traditional learning but what I would consider uh very important learning so I just want to thank uh the team for doing that and just a reminder next Wednesday from 3:30 to 5:30 is the EDI Community event it is from 3:30 to 5:30 at the Roosevelt new gym it's an event to celebrate our community they include student performances presentations food representations from various Community groups so if you're around I would love the Board of Ed I know it's a tough time to come but if you would love to come we would love to see you thank you you thank you Dr Murphy any questions or comments okay moving on to the principal's report Miss heightman is here tonight um this is the Denise heightman show sck of hearing from me never never okay so I have a short report so the njsla assessments went very well um we finished our makeups at Cherry Hill I think rosol just had one or two more um thanks to the tech team for helping out with we had minimal issues which I was really happy about um we had a great uh staff appreciation week with lots of great uh great surprises from the PTO I always want to thank our PTO they do they do a lot for our schools they also at the end of all of the um formal assessments not necessarily the makeup the PTO gave um the priz to the children only for the children not for the staff and um each student was able to pick um their snack of choice and of course it was all on our approved U e you no and they were from our tree oh it's not working sorry hello and I have one more um field days are happening and 56 field day is going to be this Friday so um you know and all the kids are all you know very pumped up for that and I think Roosevelt's Field Day for 56 was last week last right um so that's where we are and it's it's Memorial Day coming up and I can't believe it so any questions any questions from thank you Miss you're very welcome uh moving on to board secretary report Miss Nalan thank you um we had a a finance committee that you'll hear a report rep on but one of the things that we discussed which is something that we've undertaken now is we have money in our capital reserve account for the purpose of the boilers so um I had reached out to our bank which is Columbia Bank um we've just taken $4 million out from our capital reserve and invested in a jumbo CD for 30 days at a 4.15% yield which is approximately $3,666 for 30 days and then after that we'll um decide whether we'll roll part of it part one of our boilers will be done um so we may not have all of it um there's no risk of course um item A2 on the agenda is the approval of additional tree pruning and removal um under the trees for the under the school Grant which Mrs Heyman spoke about so both schools have um trees that are being planted um in various locations and um of course the sprinklers are in here now so we can enjoy um seeing the the grass finally take and do better and the and the trees um item D3 um this is for Region 5 this includes quote contracts for the 23 24 school year um but additionally um bid opening for transportation contracts for 2425 school year um of our 10 member districts of Region 5 um which are over a 100 Transportation routes um this was over a 2-hour bid prep collection and reading of bids to a packed audience of biders at the Region 5 offices and people were actually yawning and it it went on for quite a long time reading all the bids so um but it was very important to get it done to get ready for the new school year thank you any questions uh moving on to the president's report um just an update to the public about our superintendent search so we are in the final stages of the search uh where we are conducting reference checks and background checks so in anticipation of hiring a new superintendent um permanent superintendent in June um we I think it's best for us to postpone our board retreat that we have scheduled on June 8th to perhaps July we'll have to find a date um that works for all of us including the new superintendent so that we can kind of come together um and start off off the school year together um so just board members just know that um more communication will come in the future on possible dates for that um but for now Jun will not you don't have to hold that okay um any any questions for me all right moving on to committee reports um all three committees met so we'll start with finance and Facilities yep uh so we talked about the boilers uh we talked about already we're getting quotes for the abatement part of it um the playground installation at Cherry Hill the PO is in prog process for that um the tree Grand update we talked about sprinklers are done the trees are being planted uh the cops Grant update the window film is done the cameras are in and the walkie-talkies are ordered yeah um and then region five you want to say about the region 5 program sure the Region 5 for the audience and our members watching at home or is like a Consortium of 10 growing to 11 school districts in which we pull our resources when it comes to Transportation uh OT PT AIDS um and so forth it's a it's a wonderful concept it not only saves each of the member District's money it also provides um I think better quality services it's not a New Concept it's been around for probably 15 20 years at least if not longer um the region again made up of 10 current school districts all in the Burton County area and 11th coming on in July uh agreed to start a new program that will Service A specialized set of kids and for those of us in education finding out of District placement for our students whether it's in River Edge or Ridgefield Park or Maywood it's becoming more and more difficult so we are starting a a program that will um start off small but I think is going to be exciting because it will help uh create space for the those students right now who are sitting at home waiting for school placement I I want to assure everyone even though Riveredge is the Lea of the um region which is the lead educational agency there's no Financial Risk to River Edge whatsoever it is a region program funded by the region and so forth okay great thank you uh we discussed our contract with ber and Tech um uh next year it'll be reduced to as needed because we've onboarded our own staff in the district for tech support um Columbia Bank the CD we talked about and then the headline of the meeting was the state aid uh we will be seeing a return of 45% of the state aid that was cut uh which amounts to $232,000 um that will come back to the district we thought we lost it we're going to get it back right did I say that right yes okay okay it's kind of like a grant right yeah it's a one time it's a onetime um Grant of money to make up for some of the losses that we had and make a decision so the board will discuss options for allocating that uh revenue and we will have to vote on the new budget in July right June meeting June meeting we have to June meeting we're going to vote on a new budget okay so the budget will be revised and we'll vote on that in June uh that was it can I just clarify about the the the money you might have read about this in the newspaper there were different tiers of reimbursement we did not qualify for being able to raise our budget up above the 2% threshold why is that important because as Luan correctly stated it's a one-time Grant the $233,000 is a onetime you know check to us to offset the loss other districts because they received a greater loss of Revenue and percentage wise was allowed to raise their budget over the 2% threshold without a public vote and that money would be reoccurring that would be added on to the base so I don't want to mislead anyone in the community to think that we got our 45% of our Aid back forever we got 45% of it back as a one-time you know check I'm grateful for it but if you remember how much we had to cut it's it's a a very small Band-Aid for the financial cliff that we're facing thank you any questions for Mr Langley okay moving on to personnel management report Mr Sim uh we had uh two committee meetings one was uh May 13th and the other one was May 16th May 16th was a short uh meeting uh we met at uh 1 p.m. and May 16th um Miss Kang myself Dr Mory and um uh M politan the wasn't there sorry so three of us uh there was a u uh the agenda was a uh discussion of a uh contract for business administrator uh excuse me and the second one was uh the 13th where is it when uh we met at 1 p.m. M uh Mr Coen Mr K myself Dr mfy and uh M Napolitano were present um the subjects discussed was a non-union salary schedule and ab Ag and hourly salary schedules part-time has aided Roosevelt retiring uh advertised for replacement contract with bran technical uh service School service for 24 to 25 of dates on human resource performance audit and administrator contract um the discussion uh many of them uh cont regulated so I am not allowed to say it um uh there is a progress on human res resource audit identifying issues and planning for the next year uh we discussed about the uh sell uh hourly sell uh rate for the sub teachers uh due to the shortage um so the uh basic uh I wouldn't say price cost for the uh sub teer has been raising ra risen so the continue action items uh uh drafting revised administrator contracts and evaluating employee performance and advertising for part-time positions increasing uh discuss um deciding and possibly increasing sub uh teacher pay and uh follow scheduling followup meetings to finalize contract details any questions um I will report on the curriculum and instruction meeting that um met on May 13th at 4 with Dr Murphy and Mr Warner U Miss elisandra was there along with myself um the main topic was uh really the new math program that's being piloted to the fourth and fifth graders in September so just for some background the current math program that um the district is using it's been used for at least 15 years and that the Publishers will be discontinuing it in a few few along with the new um New Jersey learning standards um the Mr Warner along with um his colleagues have been exploring new uh curriculum to implement in our district so he reviewed um the Mi mission statement of about specifically about math and what we want our students to come out um as graduating students of Riv um and how that aligns with the program that we will pilot in the fall um this is a program that ell is also doing in conjunction with us so that we can um share professional development OPP opportunities together um and some of the questions um or ideas that were discussed were about the grade levels that were being uh piloted for um specifically K to3 is also being um having a pilot of ela curriculum next year so they didn't want to do both for the same grades um and then another thing is just having an evaluating process so that come a year from now how are we going to evaluate whether this program works for our students and then and then how do we determine if this is the program um for River Edge so this is a topic that will be continually be discussed at curriculum and instruction meetings just to get updates on the implementation any um and one of the main things that Mr Warner had mentioned is getting feedback from teachers students families about the program throughout the year so this is something that's that's going to continually be a topic of discussion for our curriculum meetings moving forward um we also I did we asked Dr Murphy to have Miss Moran possibly present um at the next meeting about the ELA curriculum updates and and the the piloting and changes that are happening for those standards so any questions okay uh moving on to items to be acted upon um can I get a motion for A1 a I'm going to break up the motion so this is for the minutes of April 13th so move second any question roll call please m brown yes Mr elisandro yes Mr Cohen yes Mr Langley yes and Mr sim yes U motion for Miss Kang sorry oh yes motion for item a1b um a1b I stated second any questions roll call please Miss Brown yes Mr delandro yes Mr Cohen yes Mr Langley yes Mr Sim Oban and Miss Kang yes a motion for item A1 C and D move to approve item 1 C and D as stated second any questions or comments roll call please Miss Brown yes Mr alesandro yes Mr Cohen yes Mr Langley yes Mr sim yes and M K yes motion for A2 I move to approve A2 is stated second any questions comments roll call please Miss Brown yes M elisandro yes Mr Cohen yes Mr Langley yes Mr sim yes and Miss Kang yes motion for A3 and four move to approve motions A3 and A4 as stated second any questions or comments roll call please Miss Brown yes Mr alisandra yes Mr Cohen yes Mr Langley yes Mr sim yes and Miss K yes motion for B1 uh so moved second any questions or comments um from and then to what am I misunderstanding is it so I think we originally approved this back in February for one and then it's moving to the other okay I understand so a different staff member will be attending I understand now okay thank you for clarification I thought it was a gift uh uh roll call Miss Brown yes M delandra yes Mr Cohen yes Mr Langley yes Mr sim yes and Miss Kang yes motion for C1 um C1 one Mo move to approve C1 is stated second any questions comments roll call please Miss Brown yes Mr alandro yes Mr Cohen yes Mr Langley yes Mr sim yes and Miss Kang yes motion for D1 through 4 move to approve motions D1 through 4 as stated second any questions comments roll call please Miss Brown yes m Andro yes Mr Cohen yes Mr Langley yes Mr sim yes Miss K yes uh motion for items e 1 through eight uh move to approve E1 through eight is stated second any questions or comments roll call please Miss Brown yes M dandro yes Mr Cohen yes Mr Langley yes Mr sim yes and Miss Kang yes a motion for G1 motion to approve G1 as stated second any questions or comments okay roll call please Miss Brown yes M alesandro yes Mr Cohen yes Mr Langley yes Mr sim yes M Kang yes motion for [Music] G2 through five so moved second any questions comments call please Miss Brown yes Mr alesandro yes Mr Cohen yes Mr Langley yes Mr sim yes Miss K yes um is there any new or old business that the board wish to bring up we ought to have more meetings like this celebrating folks cookies too more cookies more cookies I I did not estimate well on the cookies we did well I got a pile over there so each of you needs to take home 14 cookies it's like a math problem yeah it is estimation um moving on to the second public comment time so again first and foremost please remember that we aim to maintain a level decorum in our board meetings and we expect everyone to be kind and model type of behavior that we are teaching our students each speaker should be courteous and direct comments to the board president and not individual board members and as per policy 11:20 a participant must be recognized by the presiding officer and must preface comments by an announcement of his or her name residents and group affiliation if equable and to maintain fairness each speaker will have three minutes to speak we also request that comments related to individual student matters be directed to the child's teacher principal or the superintendent as not all issues especially ones involving individual children can be addressed publicly in board meetings so at this time I open it up to the public all right uh can I get a motion to adjourn this meeting so moved second roll call please Miss Brown yes M elisandra yes Mr Cohen yes Mr Langley yes Mr sim yes and Miss K yes have a good night everyone we'll see you at June 26 little tickle I