Madaly Jones’ departure as board president was a focus of the meeting. Her 14 years of service to the district were lauded by Superintendent Stacie Poelstra and fellow board members including Joseph Milancewich, Kurt Becker, and David D’Ambrosio. They praised Jones’ leadership style, work ethic, and her ability to listen to diverse perspectives. Jones expressed her gratitude towards the Learning Community and the board members for their dedication and service, singling out Vice President Joe Milano for his support and collaboration.

New board member Liam Starky was welcomed to the board by Superintendent Stacie Poelstra. Starky, acknowledging his youth, expressed eagerness to learn from the experienced members. His introduction was followed by the District Operations committee’s discussion on various issues, including the status of the media center floors and the neighbor fence. The committee also unveiled plans for new playground equipment, anticipating costs between $150,000 and $250,000. The project, inclusive of possible physical barriers and expansion of the playground area, is expected to be completed before the start of the next school year.

The meeting also addressed policy updates, focusing on sick leave, staff recording absences, school threat assessment teams, and eligibility of residents and non-residents. New policies regarding privacy expectations on school grounds and consolidated Food Services policies were also introduced. The board further discussed the school’s self-assessment for determining grades for HIV, with the school scoring 57 out of 78, meeting all the requirements and exceeding in some areas.

The meeting progress report highlighted the success of Manasquan’s field hockey team and their Esports program, which secured a substantial grant for renovations. It also touched on the increase in minimum wage affecting substitute pay rates and the completion of the initial upload of all policies to the board’s website.