e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e good evening everyone and thank you for your patience as we're running just a few minutes behind schedule uh but good evening and welcome to the Western orange Board of Education public board meeting on Monday June 17th 2024 I would like to thank all of you here in person and those watching from home for joining us tonight uh Miss Flowers would you please take the roll call good evening everyone roll call please Dr Bryant here my kids were late today Mr ifer here Mr Stevenson here miss Vera here Mr Rock here thank you the new J notice of meeting the New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right the New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right of the public to have advanced notice and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interests are discussed or acted upon in accordance with the pro provisions of the ACT a written notice was sent from the office of the secretary of the board on January 8th 2024 that set notice was sent by regular mail to the West Orange Township Clerk and the editors of the West Orange crime I and by email to The Star Ledger that set notice was posted in the lobby of the administration building of the Board of Education and posted on the district website please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and may be broadcasted on local TV and the district's website at a future date please stand for the pledge of allegiance to the FL the United States of America to the for it stands indivisible thank you Miss Flowers uh in consideration of the closed and public meeting minutes of May 6 2024 and May 30th 2024 do I have a motion to accept these minutes so move thank you Mr Stevenson is there a second second thank you Mr ifar any comments hearing no comments Miss flowers please take the roll call Dr Bryant yes Mr ifer yes Mr Stevenson yes vice president Vera yes president Rock yes thank you all right uh next good evening to our student liaison Lea abona and Kai James would you please share your student liaison Report with us okay um on June 19th will be the last day of school and June 20th will be graduation for seniors as seniors we would like to say thank you for the experience as Board of Education student leaon and are grateful for all the experiences and memories we had being part of the board from me and Leila thank you for having us represent you as your board of education student as thank you thanks again to the board um I just want to share what I will be doing after graduation so I will be furthering my education at fairly Dickinson University with their honors program and I will major in biology on a pre- dental tract um I will be I will be furthering my education at Syracuse University well where I will be studying abroad at Madrid I'll be majoring in mechanical engineering and M minoring and international business that's all that's it thank you both for that it's been wonderful to have you both and congratulations to you both on many years of success sounds like you have places to be and places to go so we look forward to hearing uh in the future how everything goes um next up Mr Moore and I will report jointly this evening for our superintendent's report and board president's report we want to together recognize a few outstanding individuals uh beginning with the two of you Ila and Kai um we have a certificate here thanking you for your service and we'd like you to step up and take a picture with me and Mr Moore e and Mr Moore I will defer to you to introduce the next individual thank you president Rock and good evening everyone tonight we have the honor of recognizing some outstanding individuals that serve our students in our special service department at this time I'd like to call up Miss Alex Miss arahi Rothman Gina are you coming up too Miss Gina Velasquez hello she put me first oh well hi everyone I just would like to I think all of you may have know me as Gina Velasquez the chair um the old chair for well CPAC um I would like to um have all of my CPAC team the leadership team stand up please I want to thank my team I want to thank all of you Mr Moore the Board of Ed um Mr Guerrero everyone in the district for supporting me while I was the chair for the last five years um I just um I'm handing the Baton over to a great group of ladies and I hope that you guys will continue to support them I know you will but anyway my new our new chair is isaa Fernandez and our new co-chair is rera Jones in the black and white and the ladies are going to be on the um leadership team and they they do an awesome job so I I know you will be seeing more of them thank you not was orange oops I think it's going to be the last time I say that this year marked the end of past scholarship which has provide over 900 scholarship for student graduating with an IEP or fur plan over the past 23 years with a heavy heart we have made a difficult decision to discontinue the the scholarship in the past we used to host Grand celebration with all the support service the staff for 12 year we presented the educator of the Year award and Friends of pass award the later being nominated only by parents and the pains were from the student in Kelly Elementary School by then Pleasent Dale Elementary School this year I have nine grandkids and their mothers are teachers now homeschooling their children so they show me the curriculum and during the last two months I chose some themes that they were educating on and and here are the masterpieces made just for you he has been an honor for S freal gosh my throat I'm sorry it's been honor for sual myself to serve this community which I still consider my home even though I have moved out of town we understanding navigating the world the world of special education can be challenging and overwhelming however we firmly believe that education is power and equipping yourself with the necessary tools and information you will be better prepared to advocate for your children with a school system the importance of your role as a parents and caregivers cannot be overstated overstated your achiev participation your active particip participation in a strong voice during your child Education meeting IEP 504 so disciplinary meetings can make a significant difference in their educational journey by being well informed about special education procedures and practice you can effectively collaborate with the school district while ensuring that your child rights are protected and their need are met remember as I always said it's okay to compromise with the school but never compromise your child's legal rights I will continue serving this County through my job in the state in my private practice advocating for students as you heard Gina is retiring from wasac after an amazing long run as well today for the last time we would like to present and recognize the staff who have been part of the work of pass and was Pac with our final friends of pass was Pak award which I call be like Betty and and they are oops sorry four yearold girl theme of colors may you continue coloring the life of a student with knowledge inspiration and guidance don't rebat you want to get everybody all together yeah just just sorry eight years old girl theme growth and space may you continue inspiring young adults to Independence and success for Unique TLC touch Jodi gy other way I put here West Orange best transition coordinator please B of bed take like I always said in every meeting do not touch this girl seven year-old girl creation of God may your love passion and appreciation for the uniqueness of each individual oops sorry continue oh where it was no the passion dedication to your student Empower them to discover their wonders and explore their world through their own words Mary Magdalene Marie all right this is from maradie speech therapy and I put here besta spech therapy too she's been with me for 23 years I just wanted to make sure that I put it right okay 9-year-old boy theme shepher and Builder you may be no sorry oh this was the creation of God may your love passion and appreciation for the uniqueness of each individual continue to shape the minds of your student and staff enabling them enabling them to reach for their own rainbows Oscar Guero hey I'm sorry okay eighty old boy theme what color do to your life may your unwar passion for the art and love for people continue to ignite the warrior Soul within you shaping others into the remarkable individuals they are oh wait do you want me to finish reading no oh it's for me for you oh my God that's why I couldn't let her read it I can p that for you used to it now you see 8-year-old boy theme nyear old boy theme shepher and Builder you have been bestowed with the gift of protecting defending and recognizing the strength of both students and staff and have proved that you are using this strength to Foster the greatness of this incredible Community I'm sorry I keep your name out of the list oh do you have no no no no no I just didn't put you on you didn't tell me this is great B you know where the surprise went oh thank you for the surprise thank you for the support of each one of you throughout the years including the many staff members from West Orange 11 schools from who I have been the privilege to know and work with even from the other side of the table because at the in the end we all come to the table with the hope and serving of students and helping them reach out their potential and remember there are no student with a special needs only a students who need the opportunity to showcase their special self when not um Alex I just wanted to say thank you but uh what I also wanted to point out is thank you for giving us Awards with student pictures to represent present our award there could be no better award than one that's from our students and uh and their creativity and from their heart and thank you for all the advocation you've done I've been with you for many years and I've seen your work for many years and you've done very good work in opening up my eyes as well as West Orange District eyes on how we should work with our students of all abilities so thank you and now I'd like to ask Mr Guerrero to please help us present the next two Awards I Believe Miss Susan panel should join him oh Mr and Mrs panel should join him I'm sorry Mr panel should you well you can stand with him go on up I'll call them up no worry have a whole routine oh you have a routine my fault okay it's all right uh just like to quickly just uh thank Gina and Alex uh for everything you've made my time here really meaningful and um just the way that you uh show up for our students is truly commendable it's unbelievable uh so thank you uh congratulations to the new leadership I just hope we continue to have the Sip and paint with Gina I do all painting no sipping oh I just putting that out there but I think it's a wonderful event hopefully we continue doing that and more like it but the Dylan panel Mountaineer Trailblazer award is a prestigious recognition presented by the Board of Education and is given to students who have made a significant and Lasting contribution to one or more aspects of our school Community although I have not had the pleasure of meeting Dyan panel in person I have heard about his remarkable achievements and truly appreciate the impact he had on his school on this school and his peers I'd like to Now call Mr and Mrs penel up to the microphone to speak a little bit more about Dylan whoops hi the Dylan panel Mountaineer Trailblazer award was created by this board of education in 2018 which is four years after Dylan graduated from West Orange High School it exists to acknowledge a graduating student or students who've taken their dream and have worked tirelessly during their school career to bring that dream to fruition for the benefit of fellow students from today and for many years to come our son was the inspiration for this award because since he was in eth grade at Roosevelt Middle School he began working with so many others from our own school system our Township of West Orange state of New Jersey and Washington DC as well to help establish the amazing aming Mountaineer Squadron our Junior RC unit at West AR High School the beauty of the Mountaineer Trailblazer award is that it takes Dylan's example of inspiration persistence and courage and finds each year new West Orange High School students who continue our son's Legacy in their own incredible and Innovative way I wish Dylan could be here tonight to present this award but he is a lieutenant in the United States Navy and he's presently at Sea so on his behalf my husband Donald and I are so extremely excited and hugely proud to present the 2024 Dylan penel Mountaineer Trailblazer award to Nicholas Vasquez and Gabriel Evans don't sit down yet boys just a few words about Nick from their from his teachers Nick is a kind-hearted gentle young man who always sees the world in a positive light he has an excellent work ethic and is eager to do the right thing Nick is one of our star delivery men in The Breakfast Club at West Orange High School he had paid emplo he he had play paid employment at maschio's Food Service as a server Nick loves to make movies and is proud to share them with friends and staff congratulations Nick a few words now about Gabe Gabe is the resident mayor and Entertainer at West Orange High School if music is playing Gabe is dancing he is very social and brings the party Gabe is a hardworking cont ious young man who worked in a in competitive employment for maio's food service at both Liberty Middle School and West orang High School he is a dedicated employee who will not miss work for any reason congratulations Gabe and lastly I'd like to say the term Trailblazer is defined as someone who paves the way for others to follow Nick and Gabe have exemplified this Spirit by actively participating in school activities and making a difference in our school Community their willingness to step out of their comfort zones has not not only enriched our school environment but transform the perceptions and interactions of our students with our 18 to 21 year old transition program this achievement is a testament to Nick and gab's dedication as well as the support of their wonderful families and the special services staff who have worked with them congratulations from the bottom of my heart we will miss you dearly thank you e e thank you J Nick congratulations and thank you for brightening up our high school as you have and I just want you to know I'm proud to be a mountaineer alongside both of you so thank you so much and congratulations before I conclude my my report I'd like to take a minute to thank the West Orange Community for their support as well as thank this board of education board Liaisons our Administration our teachers our staff those that are retiring and of course the reason I wake up every day smiling our students much work has been done throughout this year and everyone had a hand in helping we implemented new security measures we worked on preschool expansion we made significant enhancements to our transportation department and transportation it was also a very tough budget season I want everyone to know I appreciate your support your patience and your understanding as we work through some major funding deficits for the next school year as well based on what has been reported in the news throughout the state public education has suffered some big funding setbacks but also based on the information that was reported West Orange responded well and we should all be very proud of that West Orange the only thing I can tell you that I've gathered as a new superintendent is we are stronger together so going into next year more of that togetherness more of our working with each other communicating more transparency and myself being surrounded around a board of very intelligent and motivated people to give our students the best I appreciate you West Orange Community and I appreciate you Board of Ed board liaison and my students and I thank you in my first year of being the superintendent and it is coming to a close for your first year so that's good but for my first year I thank you for all that I've learned to this year and I look forward to us continuing our journey so that would be that's my little thank you to you and before we conclude at this time I present the Hib report and we've had one investigation throughout the district and it was unfounded and that concludes my report thank you president R thank you Mr Moore as Alex leaves uh I just wanted to say thank you to Alex for her service as well as to Gina um as long as I've been here you guys have have been a constant face so it's going to be a little strange next year not having you around but I I trust that you've left your organizations in good hands and I'm sure they will be great Partners just as the two of you have so thank you again and look forward to to next year with the new EK while we are honoring people just also want to mention one of our other students Julian Pere earned his Eagle Scout award I was at the Eagle court of honor two two and a half weeks ago or so um from Troop six so congratulations to Juliet and as Mr Moore mentioned this is the end of his first official year as superintendent it's hard to believe it's only been a year feels like forever ago that that you transitioned in that that prek stuff last summer seems like like a lifetime ago uh but you have handled yourself very well this year um I think I can speak on behalf of the entire board that we are pleased to have selected you to be superintendent we are pleased to be here to continue to support you and we look forward to much more success next year and remaining four years of this contract and hopefully another contract after that but it's a discussion for a couple years from now thank you uh so that would conclude our reports do we have any committee reports or comments from the board members Mr thank you just two uh brief comments tonight uh the first one is uh when I was initially when I was elected to the board of ed we committed to visiting all the schools and now uh I have a partner in that in vice president Maria Vera and I went once with Mr Stevenson so we had the pleasure of going last week to Kelly school um I you know it sounds like a broken record that it's a special school and it's terrific but that is a special school I mean I love that place and it's so I can't tell you how nice it is when people come in oh you're Manny's dad and it's really nice and they they remember after all these years and it's a busy school they're going to be busy all summer and they're I think they're doing great and they they it starts with the principal but everybody there is moving in the same Direction and it was a very positive visit the only other thing I would add is that several people have asked me recently about Alyssa's law which is uh a law that was in response to the Parkland shooting in Florida that requires states to have uh Panic buttons I was several people asked me to inquire about it and the the good news if there is good news about Panic buttons is that every school has them so that that concludes my comments thank you thank you Mr ier anything else from uh thank you president Rock I just wanted to uh again commend and congratulate our student leaon Le and canver the graduation from high school as well as command to congratulate all the West Orange uh graduates who will graduate this upcoming Thursday principal Guerrero thank you for your leadership uh this is what we we wait for high school seniors wait for it to graduate and move on into productive live so congratulations to you all thank you Dr Bryan anything no nothing vice president beer nothing all right thank you for that um next up we will have questions from the public on agenda items only any Community member who would like to make comments or ask questions please come to the podium at this time uh please state your name and home address for the record then begin your comments please limit your comments to three minutes do we have any members of the public here in the audience tonight who wish to make a public comment on agenda items seeing none we will move on to our resolutions may I have a motion to approve the Personnel items A1 through A8 so move thank you Mr Stevenson is there a second second thank you Mr iar I want to congratulate the following retirees Darlene romberger the business office manager for her two and a half years of service Victoria incarna a part-time bus monitor for her 11 years of service and Eileen mashek a PA professional at Kelly Elementary for her 16 years of service thank you all for your service to the West Orange students and our school community best wishes to you and welcome to the club where every day is Saturday is there any discussion on Personnel seeing none Miss flowers please take the roll call Dr Bryant yes Mr ifer yes Mr Stevenson yes vice president Vera yes president Rock yes thank you all right next may I have a mo motion to approve the curriculum and instruction items B1 through B3 motion thank you Mr ier is there a second second thank you vice president ver is there any discussion being none Miss flowers please take the role Dr Bryant yes Mr ifer yes Mr Stevenson yes vice president Vera yes president brck yes thank you next may I have a motion to approve the finance items c special services items uh a 1- 11 and business office items b 1 through 31 so thank you Mr Stevenson is is there a second second thank you Mr iar is there any discussion seeing none Miss flowers please take the role Dr Bryant yes Mr ifer yes Mr Stevenson yes vice president Vera yes president Ro yes thank you and finally may I have a motion to approve reports items D1 through D3 so moved thank you Mr Stevenson is there a second second thank you Mr I is there any discussion seeing none Miss flowers please take the roll call Dr Bryant yes Mr ifer yes Mr Stevenson yes vice president Vera yes president Rock yes thank you and thank you all for H working through that agenda quickly next up we have petitions and hearings of citizens for any agenda or non-agenda item that you wish to discuss you will have three minutes to speak please approach the podium at this time state your name and address for the record is there anyone for public comment tonight seeing none thank you very much our next board meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m on July 22nd 2024 this meeting will be held in the West Orange High School library media center we will not be going into executive session after the close of this meeting there will be no further business discussed and no additional action will be taken may I have a motion to adjourn so moved thank you Mr Stevenson is there a second second thank you uh give it to Dr Bryan uh all in favor thank you for joining us tonight our meeting is now adjourned we wish you a good night