can I have a motion to resume uh the public session so moved second thank you Jay thank you uh regu all in favor I any n or abstentions all right uh can we stand for the Pledge of Allegiance all right the board president report so good evening fellow members of the board administrators parents and community members I want to welcome everyone to the February 2024 public meeting at the Robinsville Board of Education thank you for your T thank you for taking the time tonight to join us uh we have a full meeting for you this evening the key topic on our agenda is the status of the public question aimed at raising crucial funds for our schools this initiative underscores our commitment to providing the best possible education for our students please be on the lookout for upcoming information sessions hosted by the district and Communications additional information can also be found on our website and now I will turn it over to the r s executive Council [Music] report so we're trying something new this uh this month exact Council came to me and said uh we're busy we're playing sports we're practicing we're doing all kinds of things how do we do our report without being there so I said make a video let's see how it goes are you sure making a video would be less work and they said yes so uh we'll see how it goes Mike do we need to just just go with enter hi we are RSA EXA Council uh we're be changing things up a little bit for now one because of our busy schedules we'll be sending in a video of everything going around Robinsville High School all the activities and also we'll still be talking about what's going on at Pond and Sharon and hopefully it helps a little bit to see what's actually going on uh with your eyes instead of us just reading up the script we hope you enjoy watching the videos from this month thank you on February 10th the Chinese Club hosted their 12th annual Chinese New Year celebration we had many different performances including lion and dragon dancing Tai Chi calligraphy and so much more staff and students enjoyed the delicious Chinese food that was offered during the show thank you to miss Kagawa and the rhs Chinese club for putting this event together our annual Mr rhs show took place on February 8th with our very own secretary Dylan gizio crowned as the Mr rhs this is a very fun event as LeBron I and Dylan were all involved and special shout out to our PTA and Miss rich and Miss bonazi for organizing this event our EXA Council raised and donated $500 to the capital city Cancer Foundation we presented a check during halftime at the Nottingham versus ramso boys basketball game Black Culture Club celebrated their second annual Black History Month Festival there was lots of food crafts and jewelry and clothing vendors at this event it was very Lively and funfilled night thank you to Mr sh Mr Williams and the BCC members that put this event together now onto Athletics our vice president LeBron Rose broke the school record in the 55 meter hurdles and long jump LeBron was also a part of the 4X two breaking another School record the rinel Allentown boys hockey team are your MCT Champions beating a talented not team 3-1 seniors Anthony Vito and Richard Esley both hit 100 career wins in wrestling Liz Mahia and blaz grippa both placed first in MCTS senior Evan Bell hit a th000 career points and now currently holds the school record for leading career points in boys basketball and that is it for the high school thank you so much for your time and I hope you enjoyed watching this video I'll will not be handing it over to LeBron Rose who will be giving an update on Pon and Sharon hello boy board so this is your Sharon School Bard ofed update to start they had a kindness week during the week of February 12th and 16th all of the students and staff were encouraged to participate in kindness week highlights of the week were daily spirit days activities in the classroom buddy classroom activities and fourth grade students had an opportunity to sign up to be kindness readers in another classroom SL grade level on February 14th the student and staff celebrated the 100th day of school students engage in a variety of learning activities throughout the school day the day was capped off by the traditional third grade student parade as the third grade students who are invited to dress up as 100 years old and lastly they would like to thank the School nurses Nurse young and nurse Knox for connecting them with the West Windsor Township Health Department all of the kindergarten classes participated in a fun educational program called The Scrub Club which focus on preventing the spread of germs and promoting the importance of cleanliness thank you [Applause] great Brian i i i l this I think we should tell our executive councils to actually make such videos every now and then it's really visual it's good I agree with that was definitely uh seen the visual component with the multi that was definitely enjoyable H I'm tell those kids are great they are so much fun they love being together they love doing things for the school it's great to see great all right now the superintendence report Mr rberg uh just uh some quick updates first with the school calendars uh the 24 uh 2324 calendar uh as you probably know um I put out a letter I think was last week about uh the three snow days we need to make up so far um we have had uh snow days in in March but not on wood hopefully we're through the worst of it so right now with those three days we're going to make up one day on April 26th which is scheduled for a PD day it'll be an early dismissal day for students and a half day PD day in the afternoon for our staff that's one day and then the final two days of school early dismissal days June 17th and 18th will make up those three days we're trying to avoid June uh juneth on June 19th so hopefully uh we will have no more days Bond graduation is still set for June 12th uh the high school graduation is sent for June 14th those are the original dates um however because we still have school the following week we're required to get 180 school days in students will come back 17th and 18th those students will be required to come back um our high school graduates will get their diplomas on the last day of school the 180th day so on the 14th uh at graduation they'll get a mock diploma they will get their diplomas uh on the 18th they have to come to school to get that not a graduation um and we do have County approval for that uh talked to the county superintendent many districts are in the same spot that we are he said as long as you get um the days in you're you're fine to go so that's what we'll do and we have approval to do that and then tonight I'm asking the board to approve the 2425 calendar um first day for students will be the the 5th of September it's an early dismissal day the 5ifth and sixth will be Thursday and Friday early dismissal days uh anticipating usually those days are hot um early dismissal days will allow the students and staff to acclimate back into the the district and then start the full week uh on the Monday after that um I'm really proud of this calendar because we are recognizing the diversity which represents Robinsville um we will have PD days no students on uh October 2nd which is rashishana November 1st which is Dali and then March 31st which is Eid first time that we're recognizing all those holidays um we originally wanted to have them off for everyone but because of uh the way it falls this year an extended winter break um and the everyone coming back after September 1st there was no way to fit all those days in uh so we came up with a really good idea do those as professional development days and if staff members want to take any of those days off the uh 2 the 1 or the 31st they can use their personal days and uh we move forward there's also one snow day built in um May 23rd that if we don't uh need it we will be off that day so again I'm asking the board to approve that tonight we did run it by um the administrators Rea leadership and the Ed policy committee so as everyone knows we're C March 12th uh on our calendars we have Flyers going out this week and we also have a mailer that is going uh out to every address in Robinsville that should hit the the mailboxes probably Thursday or Friday or this weekend the community relations committee um approved of all that um over and over over again um a lot of input to get it just right so um look for that information coming out rhs the aux gym is the official polling spot it took us a little while to get County approval they were kind of dragging their feet um it's a full day of of voting 6:00 AM to 800 PM again one polling spot in Robinsville at the high school we have 10 booths Nick five double five five five double machines so it's 10 10 booths to to vote on okay and we expect around 25 pole workers the machines came they came in we can expect the machines tomorrow on Friday if you would like um and they're ready ready to go so we even check the power outlets as well so thank you good something that may change our messaging uh we are anticipating our state aid figures to come in within two days the governor gave his speech today promised more money for schools we'll see how that shakes out here in Robinsville that may alter our message the community relations committee is ready to Pivot and uh talk about what we would need to remage if we do not get good news on our state aid figures and what that means to the public question we can't change the public question we can't change the amount we can't change the wording ballots are already uh out um but it will change our messaging what do these state aid figures mean to the community and to the the uh the public schools so look for more information coming next week we do have a meeting scheduled March 5th here to talk just budget okay any questions on any of that board members Bri uh just a quick question on the calendar can we just make sure that the calendar has the disclaimer or addition on line saying that the county has approved the additional days after the graduation I it's hard the echo is hard to hear I'm sorry okay now I was saying on the calendar right uh I know you said that you have a county approval for the additional days that's correct for this year for this year can we make sure that the calendar reflects that line that's all yeah next month hopefully rock out of any snow next month I'll have you approve a revised calendar and Victoria will make sure that we add the graduation date has been County approved because I know some people were asking that question got it thank you uh that's all I have thank you all right any liaison reports yes on uh February 1st Amanda and I attended the Mercer County School Board Association meeting uh the main focus was on school Finance presenting was uh Charles M from uh NJ SBA Thomas Eldridge uh from Lawrence Township and Dr Russo from West Windsor were the presenters they went over school financing how to put together a budget and kind of ins and outs of you know tax levy and information like that was very informative thank you uh business the business administration uh report nothing to pass thank you Nick um can I get a motion to open public comment on agenda items so moved second all in favor any n or extensions nope all right um I'm going to open public comment for an unlimited amount of time we'll we'll try this we'll see what happens there's not too many people uh but everyone is limited to 3 minutes please keep it uh as always this is the disclaimer uh you know positive and uh no attacks or anything like that so uh open everyone to the to the mon to the mic any public comment on agenda items going once going twice can I get a motion to close the first public comment so moved second all in favor I any n or extensions all right can I get a motion to approve the board minutes so moved second thank you Jay thank you Ru all in favor I I any n or extensions all right Mr McCree all right uh the committee reports um at policy Miss Leman thank you Mr oldberg so we met on the 13th this month um at 6 PM through Zoom we pretty much went through um what first and second reading policy would look like um Mr fasio and Dr wisuki presented the math program updates including um math placement flowchart and the announcement of the upcoming math night for grade six to8 did that already occur it did March 13th okay awesome great thank you and then we discussed um the potential 2024 25 calendar which Mr Betts just mentioned uh a minute ago hopefully to be approved tonight and that's it the next meeting will be March 12th at 6 thank you Miss Leeman Personnel Dr Pi Personnel committee met on February 20th uh it was Jay Nadia Anthony and myself um in addition it was Mr Betts M Le M Tremor and Mr mccre uh we reviewed the monthly uh Staffing spreadsheet um we went over um from last month the continued discussion on the realignment of job responsibilities of data input specialist executive assistant to the superintendent and events coordinator uh we talked about um ways to uh explore options to increase uh the waving of health benefits and we also talked about the sick Bank uh that has been opened uh we had 110 sick days that have been donated to the district sick bank and there's two applicants on the agenda for approval tonight thank you Dr Pi uh business committee is myself and intendent were Dr pi uh Mr Nandan Mr galot and then additional attendees were U Mr Betts Mr mccre Mr fio and Brian Murphy uh the business committee reviewed general maintenance pieces for each of the buildings from hbac boilers and things like that um we also reviewed um the uh upgrades to the rental facilities to you know bring bring everything up to uh up to better working standards um reviewed the summer projects that are going to be coming uh in in this summer we also looked at you know additional avenues for cost saving Ventures with for for the district um we reviewed you know the several grants that were being applied for and transportation budget and the next meeting will be held uh as Mr McCree said is the eth or the fifth the fifth okay this this we have to update this uh the next meeting will be the fifth for the budget meeting and then the regular meeting 15th and then um the next one is community relations and Mr nandon the community relations committee met on February 7 2024 at 6 p.m. um the team thoroughly reviewed the feedback from community and the board members regarding the flyer finalizing its content and design action the administration completed the task of finalizing the flyer which should be printed very soon and we should have that for handout to the community members on events Additionally the community the committee discussed the necessity of the zoom meetings to inform community members about the referendum and the related matters it was agreed upon to schedule two to three meetings and to update the progress plan with the weekly checkpoint meetings where necessary the administration facilitated the zoom meetings for the public and addressed any outstanding questions related to the public question the administration is also scheduling a weekly checkpoint to monitor the plan's progress and address any feedback regarding public questions I think Brian you also reached out to the township to arrange um for a presentation and address related queries if possible the committee also discussed the robins swell Advanced Sprint uh noting the need for significant revisions to accurately reflect the details about the public question the Committee Member contacted the robins swell Advanced reporter and corrected the details in the online version a decision was also made to distribute the mailer to the entire Community to ensure transparency regarding the public question in the upcoming elections it was also decided to provide a QR code lead reading to the school website for further information such as state aid numbers to be updated when available um action the administration task the p f with designing the mailer and the mailer has been designed and we are in the process of getting that out the committee deliberated on the speci special election charges that is who would be paying for the special election um I think Pete the board president will now communicate with the township on this matter and provide any updates that's matter under discussion discussions were also held to simplify the facility rental portal for improved use or experience the administration will explore Alternatives or enhancements to the current reservation system the committee addressed the use of AI backdrops versus physical backdrops to reduce cost where possible um the administration is currently working on this and will inform the community when more information is available the election office has now officially confirmed the special election date on March 12 2024 which will take place in Robinsville high school as Brian indicated before one uh important thing to note also the committee Charters have been now reviewed by respective committee chairs outlining the scope and responsibilities of each committee uh to make it simple for the community this Charter actually now explains what each committee does and this is now available on our website and we will also have a link in our newsletter that's it for the community relations the next meeting is scheduled for March 6 2024 thank you thank you Mr Nandan uh the security meeting did not meet uh between last board meeting we have a meeting on the calendar for this Friday uh special education I have so much okay so student services in partnership with cpeg hosted a virtual presentation on Wednesday February 21st and don't worry if you didn't see it they're GNA post it online nice job uh special education 101 it provided parents with insight into IEP programming decisionmaking and again it's going to be available online under Parent Academy series the next collaborative presentation will be held on April 17th also virtual the IEP process will be led by Claire corus assistant uh director of student services and will support parents in preparing their child's annual review there'll be like timelines and things you need for special ed um third student services and cpeg are joining forces with please forgive me I'm going to pronounce this as best I can add ymck to to support developmental disability awareness I want to shout out uh run and admit um from Town Council and aun from Robinsville they came to me and they came to ceg and they came to um the student services at Robinsville and they really wanted to create something I think it's a great idea the uh event will support developmental disability awareness at Pond Road Middle School on March 10th from 2: to 4: the event is is titled creating compassionate communities it aims to increase awareness and share resources for families uh the next one is there is an initiative at Sharon school to raise awareness regarding students with disabilities the occupational therapist Victoria G Garo has developed a week of lessons for every grade level the idea and resources were presented to Sharon school um on 221 last but not least play UniFi just ended a fundraiser uh in order to organize a dance for the spring students at all levels they sold t-shirts and sweatshirts with a Robinsville played unified design if you didn't get one and you didn't check your students folder yet Georgine has some more she's going to hold them up and wave them um and if you haven't yet seen them check your kids folders they were sent out last week thank you Miss Hill last but not least technology Mr Gadi the tech committee did not meet okay thank you all right monthly resolutions the superintendent recommends that the Board of Education approve the following action items uh a through C may I get a motion to open uh to approve the monthly resolutions so moved second all in favor oh sorry there's a vote I I'm just trained to do that sorry everybody I'll get there I'll get there I promise question any question or comments on any of the action items a through C all right Mr mccre roll call all right Miss banduka absent Mr Gat yes Miss Hill D'Angelo here Mr Howard yes Miss Leman yes Mr nandon yes Mr Ray yes Piero yes Mr olberg yes yes thank you very much everything passes all right old business any old business topics to bring up for this evening okay not seeing anything any new business I do I have something um if you indulge me for a few minutes these are for each of the board members I'd like to read a letter into the record and talk a little bit the Robinsville Board of Education staff and community members after 38 years in public school 36 of those in New Jersey it is with mixed emotions that I intend to retire and resigned as the superintendent of the Robinsville Public Schools effective July 1st 2024 throughout my career I've had the privilege of serving many districts and contributing to the educational journeys of thousands of students it has has been an honor my last day will be June 30th 2024 I intend to retire and pursue other educational entrepreneurial and artistic opportunities I wanted to highlight some of the things uh over the past four years here in Robinsville it seems like it was 40 years but it was only four years um Finance we uh changed our healthc care provider and save the district over a million dollar a year thousands of dollars into teachers Pockets because of that change we put up solar panels at the high school and middle school it failed three times before that saved the saves the district over $10,000 annually um our audits we've had no findings for three years in a row we offered the school National lunch program saving parents thousands of dollars and we have applied for grants that we normally would not have applied for we are still awaiting the P decision um hopefully with the budget now being approved at the at the state level we'll hear more about that in the coming coming weeks curriculum instruction we passed qac High performing District first time ever for the district we've revised all curriculum documents and made them accessible to teachers we're using Atlas curriculum management system for the first time we've implemented the newest version of the teacher evaluation rubric we've implemented student assessments systems like I ready link it and Etc and we were becoming a data-driven school district everyone owns the data and data drives instruction academic Improvement we started the AVID program here at Pond and it's expanding we changed our Master schedules based on improving instruction student benchmarking in math and language arts we added additional ESL support we double the time for math and language arts instructions and I can tell you meeting with the people from link or I read the other day curriculum Associates our scorers in this school and at Sharon are off the charge be off the charts because of these changes we uh curriculum department will be presenting probably to the public next month and Ed policy during the month of March we've added steam programs we've gone oneon-one with Chromebooks K through 12 and we're doing data warehousing for the first time special ed more students are being serviced in District we started a cpeg twice we created the director of guidance and wellness position we expanded our ESS Services we added a behavior program here at the middle school we added the position of transition coordinator we added a bcba position and a new sensory room at Sharon facilities we replaced the HVAC system at the high school we added Pond bus lanes we fixed Pond Sharon and the high school roof leaks we've replaced flooring across the district the Sharon parking lot has been changed to allow curbs and sidewalk walks uh that triples the drop off area and pickup area for parents we stop traffic from being backed up down to the airport we've imp replaced the entire patio at both the front and back of the high school we've upgraded District uh Vehicles we've added more technology we' moved to the cloud connected all three schools and improved cyber security we've improved security infrastructure in all three buildings and we've improved the stadium with a new scoreboard sound system repaired the track and the field and uh offered online ticketing leadership wise um we've overseen a five-year strategic plan we're in the first year of that and we reinstituted the state of the district program uh miscellaneous navigated covid and those mandates we were open more than 95% of the schools across the state um we had two Rea contracts settled in those four years we rebranded the District upgraded all social media accounts upgraded the district website we hosted Governor Murphy with uh High School toilets overflowing that day that was a a crazy day the governor was coming and the high school toilets were overflowing uh there was a slight plane crash out by Sharon Sharon had no water one day it had no electric another day my first summary here when we uploaded the calendar for the previous year and all the attendance and de deck came to me and said Brian we've only had we only had 179 school days last year I was brand new I I called my colleagues in other districts what do I do and no one had a clue um we're mandated 180 uh we got a a special dispensation from the state saying don't do that again I it was July we couldn't call kids back um and personally and some of the administrators are part of this we were sued unsuccessfully four times uh the first four times in in my career as an educator in 38 years so back to the letter throughout my career I have had the privilege of overseeing nationally awardwinning schools a testament to the hard work and commitment of outstanding Educators administrators and support staff I could not have done all this by myself these accolades underscore the exceptional quality of Education provided to students and highlight the elaborative spirit that defines the districts where I worked one of the most rewarding aspects of my career has been the opportunity to mentor and guide future educational leaders witnessing the growth and success of those I have had the privilege to Mentor has been incredibly fulfilling I am confident that the next generation of leaders will continue to uphold high standards of excellence as I embark on the next chapter in my life I am eager to embrace new challenges and explore fresh educational opportunities the field of Education should be and is dynamic and ever evolving and I am excited about the prospect of contributing my experience and passion to new Endeavors I'd like to thank the Robinsville Township Board of Education the dedicated staff and the supportive Community for the commitment to educational Excellence it has been an honor to serve alongside such talented individuals and be part of a community that values education and the well-being of its members thank you for this incredible journey sincerely me thank you Brian I mean I want to express my gratitude for your four years of service as the superintendent of Robinsville Public Schools uh you know in your in your announcement you highlighted the district's Collective resilience during the many achievements and challenges uh during your four years here and some before that you inherited um underscoring the exceptional character of this community you I want to commend your leadership and overseeing our amazing schools and maintaining the high standards of excellence throughout your tenure I also want to wish you the best you know in success in your future endeavors and confident that your wealth of experience and knowledge will bro you know broaden the landscape of education so thank you thank you Brian I don't know if you remember when you first started here I emailed mailed you twice as a parent it was right in the middle of Co and I said let me know how I can help you is there anything that you need I'm I'm a classroom teacher I'm going through this myself I'm help helping my administrators in my building what can I do to help you and from the start you were receptive and open and welcomed any advice that I could give or anything that I could share and right from the from the start I you were easy to talk to helpful and willing to listen thank you for everything that you've done for the district thank you for your leadership thank you Tanya Ryan uh I think just a thank you note might not be enough for all the contributions that everyone including you do to this particular community and for the kids so I want to still thank you for all your contribution and I know our association is probably just an year but but I think I've had some very very good um I would say conversations with you regarding our kids and our school so thank you for all what you have done thank you yeah um Brian I just want to chime in there also I haven't had that long of an opportunity to work with you but um like Tanya my first experience um was reaching out to you as a parent and I remember you uh called me back immediately um to talk to me about the situation which I appreciate it um somebody who's also been in education for three decades now I've been a teacher assistant principal a principal I work now in central office I know the stress that um this job can bring um takes special people to do it so um I hope you realize the the impact that you have had and you will continue to have on people in education um because of what you've done right so congratulations on your retirement um soon I'll be joining you there hopefully and um just wishing you the best brother wishing you the best Brian again just to add on to what everybody's saying uh same here my experience started out as uh during Co reaching out to you as a parent um and uh coming to your office spending almost two hours and hearing me complain of all the issues that we've had during Co so uh thank you for listening to me and thank you for also saying hey you know what if I want to make a difference you know uh you know become a board member uh I remember you saying that vividly so here I am almost uh you know this is fourth year in uh so thank you and seriously thank you for all your service thank you for your support thank you for everything that you've done uh we've had good days and lots of good days but at the same time it's a fact of coming in every day keeping a head high and doing what's in the right interest of the students of the District of our community so wish you the best of success best of luck on your retirement uh I am not behind you on retirement I've got many more years to go I've got 13 years uh more left before my youngest one goes to high school um sorry goes to college but uh but seriously congratulations and thank you just echoing what's been said um you know thank you and congratulations on uh your journey here I know the four years um you've been at Robinsville have been not only to transition from Robinsville but trans formative for the entire world um in our country um seeing the education landscape you know postco um all uncharted waters that we're still navigating with and as we all know we'll be navigating for you know what's the ramifications for what happened for years to come as well so thank you for your leadership with that and I look forward to working with you you know for the rest of this uh rest of your tenure and and when we transition I know you're going to be a big part of that process as well Brian I just wanted to say I've only had a chance to work with you for a short amount of time being newly elected but as was already mentioned you my first contact with you was as a parent and one thing that struck me was that you were very open very available and easy to listen to and talk to um I've seen you in the hallways in our schools I've seen how you intera the children and that says a lot about where you are as an educator and how much your children in the community mean to you A lot has already been said but I do want to say thank you so much for all you've done with us I know you came in in a very difficult time and you helped steers ship through this and I wish you nothing but the best and your endeavors moving forward on the last one um thank you so much for your service I met you specifically when I went into my daughter's classroom and you were leading a tour group um and I was like a helper in class that day and I very much appreciate the everything you have done um and I wish you the best in your retirement can I get a motion to accept Brian's resignation so moved second all in favor I I oh it's a vote it's a vote it's a roll call sorry Nick I promise everyone I will get it it'll Peter we've been hearing that for a while now I I messed up the big one I'm sorry m banduka is absent Mr Gadi yes Miss Hill D'Angelo yes Mr Howard yes thank you for your service Miss Leman yes Mr nandon yes Mr Ray yes Dr Pio yes and Mr olberg yes thank you very much thank you Mr bets thank you Mr bets I have a motion to open public comment on on School related matters so moved second all in favor I any NS or abstentions all right we're going to open public comment for no time limit again we try something new um for about a total of three minutes per person um again please adhere to the you know protocol as set aside by the njsba so I welcome anyone to the mic hello um good evening Jenny poino president of the Robinsville Education Association uh we just want to say uh good luck to Brian as we say in my family stoot sasev um and remind everybody as we continue our commitment to the success of students in Robinsville the Rea would like to remind you that the the community that on March 12th Robinsville Township will be holding the special election every vote matters and we encourage the community to please vote Yes a favorable outcome ensures the continuation of uh current programs the upkeep of our facilities the current level of courtesy busing sustained funding for athletics and co-curricular activities and keeps our quality teachers and instructional assistance um these elements are all an integral part of what leads to the academic achievement of our students this referendum's passage is essential for our students growth and achievement and the rea strongly believes that a collaborative effort between the community the Board of Education and our association is the way to keep preparing our students for a well-rounded and successful future so thank you get out and vote on the 12th and thank you again anyone else for public comment all right not seeing any have a motion to close public comment so moved second all in favor I any needs or extensions nope can I have a motion to close the meeting so moved second all in favor I any days or extensions nope thank you everyone have a good evening