##VIDEO ID:44ioXq8S6mQ## e e e e miss mford here Mr BR here Mr kova here Mr Mahia here Mr Santiago here Mr siano here Mr Warz here vice president Danny here president Paris here we have a quorum thank vice president Danny please read our mission statement the mission of the clipton school district in an open and reciprocal Community Partnership is to provide all students with a quality education to develop the skills necessary to become literate lifelong Learners who are responsible and productive citizens contributing to a Democratic Society in an everchanging world thank you the New Jersey open public meetings law was enacted to ensure the right to the public to have advanced notice of and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon in accordance with the provisions of this act the Clifton Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be publicized by having the date time and place thereof posted at the city clerk's office Clifton Public Library administration building senior citizen Nutrition Center on cable TV in the local press on the district's website and mailed to presidents of parent teacher organizations this meeting will be tape recorded in accordance with policy 0168 I invite our student representative mark up to the mic uh thank you good evening um I would like to begin by extending my congratulations to the board members on the re-election Victory the cycle I believe it's Mr Paris uh Miss Danny and Miss bassford congratulations um to start the recap of this month I would like to highlight some community events that have recently happened or will happen around CHS uh first on October 23rd CHS hosted Clifton's annual Halloween extravaganza which we can report was a success with many clubs and organizations helping out with the event furthermore CHS will be performing radium girls is the 2024 fall play tomorrow Saturday and Sunday and as such we invite all Clifton residents to come and watch the production Clifton soccer also has a sectional game versus Ridgewood on Friday at the most recent class representative meeting certain issues regarding School were discussed such as student opinion regarding the new Common Assessment program security specialist personnel and the new math program that was replacing imagine math uh the overall attitude amongst the sample of the student body which is the class representatives program was positive regarding the security Specialists with a few students remarking that they were comfortable talking to the security Personnel uh they didn't feel out of place in the school they would often see them remind other students to wear IDs and follow school school rules even if the students did find that annoying uh regarding the new math program there were a handful of students that have started utilizing the program as it's being slowly rolled out across um the uh I believe geometry sector um the students that utilize this program responded positively and said that they preferred this program to the old imagin math program and that it fixed complaints such as that it didn't line up with the curriculum and teacher complaints that students could cheat the system uh by essentially flying through the first part of the lesson by purposely getting questions wrong with no penalty this new this new program does not allow that and therefore both students and teachers are satisfied since this is a relatively new program though I'm waiting until later in the year to get a broader perspective by pulling more students regarding their experience with the program uh I think I want to do that around December or January to see uh what the whole school really thinks about it uh with the student council and other groups working cohesively to improve school spirit as we speak we believe that this could be one of the best years in recent history for CHS that is all for today's meeting thank you so much thank you so much Mark next up is going to be a um presentation by our njsba field sales representative Miss Kelly Mitchell hi everybody hello are we excited to do our strategic plan yes yes I'm so excited so just very quickly this is is going to take all of five minutes I just wanted to go over your packet and let you know what's in there and and just chat about our calendar so on the leftand side is uh just defining the process itself so today we're just going to talk a little pre-planning uh and it's a series of three meetings the um strategic plan so the first one would be the strengths and challenges and all the stakeholders are invited to come to that we'll be in breakout groups and talk about the strengths and challenges of the district and then come back together and Report out and it's a really great event for the stakeholders to come together and really get you guys can get a feel of the aspirations of the community for the education for their students the second meeting would be the Visionary meeting um and it would be like if you could have anything you wanted in the next 5 years where would you like to see yourself so that really helps us Define what our goal goals would be later on and then that third meeting would be the goals and objectives we'll start getting um it build one upon the other and it you'll start to see buckets of uh you know like goals that we can put together and come up with and then hand over to the administration yeah okay and uh so that they can do the action plans I'm sorry I I'm always so my husband says I'm very loud so I usually think that people can hear me uh so then we're going to talk about out like a sample calendar so I I put on the one side here on the right hand side you could see it's it's pretty much every month so I just wanted to have a quick conversation with you about did you want to start in December did you want to start in January um what's your feel on that January okay okay January so you got the same board coming back okay Janu so then we'll start in January the next meeting would be sometime in February then in March then we hand everything over to the administration and we say usually between 30 to 60 days that they need for the action plan and then they bring it back to us I'll I'll put a report together and then present at your meeting does that sound good yes ke Kelly could you just um explain a bit the role of the public in this and how important it is to the so um in your packet is an example of all the stakeholders and it's there's also a uh invitation that you can utilize or not utilize um to invite the stakeholders so it's really important that we have different facets of the entire Community because we want to hear from everybody if you think about um just you know the the parents like how many people have students in the community it's probably only really a third right so there a lot more than just parents a lot of times people think well that's just for the parents to go to but it's really important that we have senior citizens and we have Community leaders and you know I've had uh these strategic plans where we've had the police department the fire department everybody weigh in on what they want from our district and where they want to see it go it's really important that we get those invitations out and that everybody participates and uh I just did one in Monclair there was about 200 people there and it really was so good to see all everybody out there hear those voices and then really understand what the aspirations are of the community for our district so very important and then the logistics of that we'll have to wrap our heads around and once you start seeing those RSVPs come in then you can decide how many people you think are going to be there and then we'll logistically uh figure out what building and um where the breakout sessions would be okay yeah um Commissioners any questions of Kelly yes Dr Rob toy thank you Mr Paris thanks Kelly good to see you oh so good to see you welcome back thank you good it's good to be seen yeah I just want to remind the board members who were there and for those who didn't know it was was 5 years ago January and February we had the first two meetings of our strategic planning process and then the world shut down before our third meeting but just to give the public an idea of how powerful this is even though we only had those two meetings the thing that we heard over and over in those two meetings was facilities facilities facilities and a year later and right after the pandemic was still going on actually we passed the largest uh referendum in the history of New Jersey at the time $168 million referendum to improve our facility so that came about because we listened and we heard so being a part of this process this is not just some process to come up with a document that's going to sit on the paper this is a real process where we really want the input from everyone and I mean everyone I think our first meeting we had 150 or so people um I'm expecting at least that this this this time or more and um it's it's very valuable we'll listen and we'll come up with a plan it's not it's not what I want it's what's what does everybody want what's the shared Vision that we have for our community and it can be very very powerful so I would encourage um people to be a part of that process thank you Dr roberi uh Dr Danny hello hello nice to see you I just wanted to know if we would be at all looking at the mission statement I was involved in this in my district and so it's always good for an organization to take a look at the mission statement so I was just wondering if that was going to be part of this process because we didn't get a chance to touch on it when we did this 5 years ago because we only went through two sessions so yeah um when I so you're going to see those common themes that you could derive the the statement out of that so absolutely that can be part of that so it's not we're not touching the mission statement at all it tweaking it or anything this is really just an overarching plan but we can do um the mission and vision statement as a component of it absolutely cuz I was involved in my district through New Jersey school boards um but in Bergen County and we actually looked at the mission statement and when I attended um the New Jersey school birth conference they said to really take a look at that so I had some ideas for that so that's why I was just wondering if we would AB that thank you abely absolutely anyone else than thank you so much Kelly look forward so much so I'll wait to hear from the dates from you and then um as far as the invitations there's samples in there so that you have that thank you very much you so much okay next is board committee reports could we start with the diversity committee minutes read by commissioner Mahia I can't get okay uh do I have a volunteer oh you got it thank you the diversity and inclusion committee began um at 11:00 a.m. attendees committed myself as the chair board president alen Paris um board commissioner Anthony Santiago and board commissioner Tanya Suarez from Administration it included assistant superintendent of curriculum Jania kovich assistant superintendent Marjan Geral assistant superint attend shahada and high school principal um amen hamda the committee members introduced themselves and there were some new board members and students added to the committee so we all introduce ourselves the committee discussed how we can ensure a welcoming School environment for all students students mentioned that they noticed a ton of diverse clubs around the school that advertised for them to join other student also mentioned that there should be more faces of students in advertising online the committee discussed the impact of students sport schedules and how it impacts their ability to join and participate in clubs some students Express frustration with their coaches and the lack of flexibility in regards for them participating in clubs the committee discussed potential roadblocks that stand in the way of students participation in these clubs one major ro road block that was highlighted was Transportation some students rely on the bus after school and if they stay late they might not be able to get a ride back home next up the committee discussed involving the middle schools in the in the diversity and inclusion meeting everyone's response was positive and thought it would be a great idea and then the meeting adjourned at 12:05 p.m. committee chair Rich Mahia and Dr Daniel bosi will work collaboratively to determine the date of the next diversity and inclusion meeting thank you thank you commissioner Mahia any questions from the board commissioner BR thank you Mr President I I just want to know if we we gave them resp responses to that because you know in regards to the transportation and everything and was there an explanation given about the coaches lack lack of flexibility when it comes to inseason sports or whatever was was any of that discussed at the time or during the meeting yeah it was um one of the biggest thing is because the conflicts between students going after class going to clubs and then going to sports at the time they really didn't have the transportation ready um but that's something that they've been working on and something that has been in the set for the past few months thank you anyone else okay thank you commissioner Suarez policy please thank you president Paris the policy committee uh met on November 12th and the board members present was myself commissioner Mahia commissioner Santiago and president Paris for administration was uh Dr Robert hosy Mr J Garo Mr shahada and Miss Maggie Miller uh we discussed policy 61 63.1 for board approval for hsap PTO sponsorships Mr shahada discussed the updates to policy 61 63.1 emphasizing the importance of the newly outlined requirements for HSA home and School Association and PTO parent teacher organization sponsorships board requested changes at the board's request the policy now mandates that all HSA PTO groups receive prior approval from the Board of Education before retaining any sponsorships the changes specifically cover sponsorships on athletic wear signage apparel and any items displaying a company or individual's name ensuring that such sponsor excuse me such Partnerships align with the district's values and standards clarification on event sponsorship Mr Shada clarified that policy 61631 is is distinct from policy 7510 which governs event sponsorships while policy 7510 covers General event related sponsorships policy 61 63.1 targets ongoing sponsorships that influence the school environment the board had a lengthy discussion followed regarding the practicalities and Logistics of implementing these changes board members raised questions about how HSA and PTO groups would be informed of these new requirements the timeline for approval requests and how these changes might affect current sponsorship agreements the board emphasized the importance of clear communication and guidance for HSA and PTO groups to ensure compliance and minimize disruptions to planned activities review of additional policy and regulations Mr shahada also reviewed all policies recent ly Modified by The District's policy firm he noted that among the updated policies only one regulation 1041 board member number and term is non-mandated the majority of policy revisions were mandated by state regulations or recommended as best practices regulation 1041 is board member number and term this regulation specifies the number of board members required and the length of their respective terms it is govern by New Jersey state law under njsa 18a 126 18a 129 18a 1211 and 18a 1215 the policy firm recommended minor clarifications to ensure the regulation remains compliant with state law the committee consensus after reviewing all proposed changes the committee agreed to adopt both the mandated and recommended policy updates the revised policies were then favorably released to the entire board for adoption minutes were submitted by Mr shahada thank you thank you commissioner Suarez any questions from the board commissioner brunak thank you Mr President so all the signs that were there for years was that ever discussed and and basically that there were no issues back then but now it's an issue and then when when you look at the when you look at the language on this policy regarding uh policy number 61631 the overall appropriate there's a lot of gray language in this so the committee was aware of that of the gray language in this thank you any other questions commiss bassford um with the regards to the hsas um we have an HSA meeting coming up so if uh whatever information can be um I'm asking for that to be put on the agenda for the HSA committee to give them this new policy if it gets passed and give them that information and Then followed by an email and maybe documents to each HSA so they know that they've gotten that information I asked a couple of questions and I I apologize to Administration for the tardiness I had a couple things going on this week that really took my time away from uh my duties um I had a issue about the curriculum content uh because somebody brought a question to me does that remove the board's um ability you answer the question uh the ability to vote on curriculum you said no um the other thing I'd like to see in uh 61 63.1 is to add booster clubs on there I know you said it encompasses it all but I'd like to spell it out that's just my my uh my opinion I'm not speaking for anyone else and then I did question 04 0141 about board member number and term was this new language mandated and Tanya just just uh clarified that wasn't mandated out cuz I just wanted to know what the um what the reason was but you said it was in hearing with what the state put out so I just that was my questions I know everybody was sent but I don't think anybody uh if everybody had time to read their emails uh that was U my question sent to Mr um to the ba so thank you uh yes Mr if if if everybody's okay I can just add uh booster clubs to the policy because it's on for second reading tonight if everybody's in agreement I'll just add that on tomorrow morning fine I apologize entirely um any change to policy triggers the first reading okay anything other than the Minimus change triggers a new first reading so adding the booster club is going to trigger a new first reading so my recommendation would be to adopt this policy tonight and that next meeting we can put it up again with the change to booster club that's a good compromise thank you for that ification any other questions to the policy uh one comment we we did discuss in policy uh moving forward um the committee recommends that if we have a change in policy request or a new policy uh requested that there be a sponsor to it that the person proposing it that we know who's that that the person proposing it is indicated and that person proposing it could also have the opportunity to come to to the committee meeting and discuss the policy that they want to implement or change is implemented as well yes check what I I will not go to that meeting do we need a bylaw or policy to do that it's just a a practice the committee is has decided to adopt moving forward so Mr BR it's not going to be like legislation where your name is sponsored on it but it's in in the event that a policy comes up the entire board knows where it's coming from and it's not just the administration just trying to arbitrarily push a policy in thank you you know if there's questions also questions about the policy or the revision we know who to communicate with right well it's like today I I did get a phone call from the ba I he said no phone calls today when he his voice but the reason why he he called me was he said he wanted to share my concerns with everyone and I I thank you very much for doing that cuz in the past it that's was just usually blasted out I have no problem if anybody wants to know if I sponsor something I think it's a great idea because like we can we can talk to one another and what's your what's your thought process on this why are you bringing it up there's always a backstory to why something comes up um my backstory with this policy and I think it's a great idea is because it protects the district from a liability that could put us In Harm's Way and that's the one reason why I'm I'm going to support this thank you thank you anyone [Music] else all right uh next is residency security and Technology commissioner Santiago please thank you president Paris residency security and Technology committee took place on Tuesday November 12th and began at 5:02 PM in attendance from administration were Dr robery jumping right back into it Mr Jenaro Mr doctor Mr Nola Mr Mountain Board of Education members and attendance were myself commissioner Kenova commissioner siano and president Paris Mr doctor updated the committee on residency investigations since the last committee meeting 13 additional Clifton students have been identified as non- Clifton residents and have been removed from the district in addition through our pcti investigations we removed six students from our responsibility for payment with a savings of 65,8 Mr doctor also briefed the committee on the request to subscribe to the Frontline nursing Reg ation module to go along with our other modules we already use with Frontline the net savings for year one to the district would be approximately $133,000 and savings for subsequent years would be1 19,000 it would Aid The District in not overwhelming our nursing staff during non-contractual time provide more accurate uploading of information and provide a faster return of information from doctors missola discussed the district is currently in the planning stages of a large scale reunification plan with various venues in the area these plans are in the early stages and more information will be available in the future also an informal request was made by the city's office of emergency management to utilize the basement of one of our schools as OEM headquarters which would be used during a town emergency a formal proposal is expected shortly lastly Mr Mountain provided updates that projects involving updated clocks cameras PA systems and Stadium technology are nearly complete He also mentioned that information is still being gathered concerning improving cell service at various District buildings hopefully this one finally the committee was informed that a larger role roll out of the light speed classroom software is planned and training will begin shortly the meeting adjourned at 5:42 p.m. any questions thank you president Paris thank you commissioner Santiago before we go to superintendent's report I would just like to recognize officially Dr Robert to's return and how pleased we are that he's back with us we missed him greatly um and also recognize the efforts from assistant superintendent sharo who is Acting Superintendent and assistant superintendent kusevic and our ass assistant superintendent of Finance uh Mr shahada for doing such a great job in your absence but welcome back Danny thank you Mr Paris for those kind words and and um it's I have no words to describe um the feeling being back tonight but I want to express to you and I don't think I can do it well enough in words how grateful I am to this board of education for your support during my medical leave um there's not many um places where you know you have a you have a job and you need to take a medical leave and you don't have to worry everything's being taken care of because I had a great team here who I knew would take care of things um and it was a very challenging time for me for those of you who don't know I had a triple bypass heart surgery I had three 100% blockages in my heart one of them said Clifton Public Schools one of them was my children and the other one was stop eating you know stop eating bad you know um but when you have something um when you have a major medical issue or uh event in your life like I did it does bring some perspective right and the first one is to be grateful for the things that you have right and I'm eternally grateful to this board for my job um to this community and to my staff for their support uh during my medical leave um I always knew spe Clifton was a very special Community but you find out even more when when it's a time of need so thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart um your new heart my new my new um somebody sent me a pillow I got a pillow in the shape of heart that said uh rebuilt engine you know old old pipes rebuilt engine something like that um and uh a heartfelt thank you to um my amazing team um Acting Superintendent Mark Jenaro who's steadfast leadership and calm guidance uh you know led the district and one of the things that Mark gets an award for is um the person happiest that I'm back right I think he said that at a board meeting he is very very thankful that I'm back um but he's my right hand and I knew he would do it uh do a great job which he did of course to J who worked tirelessly keep the curriculum and all its moving Parts running smoothly during my absence um Mr shahada who stepped up in a big way supporting Mark and Janina uh doing a lot of things that are Beyond his usual scope and uh just showing true dedication to the mission of our district um and most importantly to the entire one Clifton uh staff and and administration at the building level I got a lot of well- wishes I got a lot of cards I got a lot of emails um and that meant the world to me um so thank you to our staff who had truly embodied the heart of this community uh could not be more grateful my health has improved I feel good I'm ready to rock you're going to be stuck with me for some time now um I'm not going anywhere so um that's a that's a wonderful thing so looking ahead I'm I'm re-energized um I'm energized by our shared I'm excited about a new strategic plan where are we going to be where do we want to be in 5 years from now I'll be here I'll be here with you where do we want this District to be in five years I look forward to doing that Journey with you um and I'm confident we can build on some of the great things we've already done God knows we got a lot of more work to do we've done some great things some areas where we need Improvement um but we'll get there we'll get there together um so anyway that's enough about me being back I'm back thank you I love you bottom of my heart uh on a even sadder note um I want to publicly extend my condolences to um Jen Lucas's family uh Jen Lucas principal of school 2 who was not only an outstanding administrator outstanding principal but even a a better person person and was a friend of mine and I was shocked and saddened to hear of her passing um and I want to extend my public condolences to her family and to the school to community on a positive note I would like to extend congratulations to our three board members who were reelected now you ask any superintendent in the state you want to keep the board members you have it doesn't matter and that's no offense Elias um love you love you as a student will always love you um but you always want to keep the people you have we've built relationships we've been doing good things and so congratulations Lucy uh Judy and yeah Lucy Judy is an OG you you guys are both OG's and Mr Paris I'm thankful to have you back because we got a lot of work to do and I was telling Tanya earlier when I was talking to her that this is my 11th year as a superintendent in two different districts might be my 12th year it's the first time I've had the same board two years in a row it's never happened there's always been at least one change so I think that means we're doing something right I I really do and I just want to publicly you know congratulate Elias on on a great showing in his first election and Elias I have no doubt that if this is something you want in the future that you will achieve it I have no doubt that you will Achieve Beyond maybe what any of us up here have achieved I have that much belief in you and uh and I wish you all the best so congratulations to our board members um next week we have our first Board of Education Awards meeting if uh public might remember last year we decided to uh take away the award presentations from our regular business meetings which means our meetings have probably been only been lasting about an hour right is that right we get out by like 8 tonight about right that how it works yeah um no my cardiologist is I can't be out after 8:30 so doctor's orders so next week is our first um award ceremony we'll be recognizing our employees of the month uh for October and November uh we didn't start in September we started in October and our students of the month uh October and November um we were going to do um some athletic achiev ments we decided after meeting and talking to Mr mle R ad we're going to wait for our February meeting to recognize the Athletics because the soccer team um is playing still going playing tomorrow in the state finals our CHS boys varsity soccer team State finals tomorrow night at Ridgewood 6:30 p.m. once again our boys soccer team won the pic County Championship I'm not sure how many times that is it's 26 27 times or something it's it's out outstanding under the leadership of Coach lri so good luck to our our good luck to coach and our boys tomorrow night so we'll recognize our and and any other individual accomplishments like coach lck's 300 wins and um any other individual accomplishments of our students athletically will do in Fe February we'll also have a pbsis presentation and award ceremony uh next week so we we'll see how it goes and and hopefully um I think it'll be nice where we just focus on recognizing staff and students that night it should be should be really very nice want to reiterate again about the strategic planning we'll send invites out we'll put it out on social media anyone who lives in Clifton regardless of whether they're employees parents students we want to hear your voice we want you to come when we send you those invitations um we want to hear what you envision our district to look like in 5 years where do we need to focus what are the things we need to do um of course our teachers yeah of course our teachers and staff certainly last time when we did this we had a significant amount of faculty and staff um but again as I mentioned the the world ended for for a while and we kind of didn't get there so um anyway we we'll we'll pick those dates I'm thinking we do one in January one in February one in March that probably sounds about right um but we'll we'll pick those dates and we'll get that going so thank you again uh everyone thank you for your support your dedication and your ongoing work on behalf of our students um great to be back I'm excited about what is yet to come let's go I I wish everyone a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving that's coming that's that's pretty awesome I got to watch you know with the arteries and everything you know uh and last but not least Mr Paris a request um to pull agenda item 11 on Personnel pending further discussion with the Clifton Education Association okay um I think I would there will will need to be a motion for that okay need a motion to uh pull item 11 under Personnel motion to pull item 11 second second motion by commissioner bassford seconded by commissioner brunak roll call Miss bassford yes yes takes me a minute to to wind up Mr brunak yes Mr kova yes Mr Mahia yes Mr Santiago yes missano yes Miss Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries thank you Dr Rober toy okay is there any unfinished business they discussed all right hearing none uh commissioner bassford could you please read our expression of condolence sure um expression of condolence uh here as on October 11th the community noted the sorrow of the passing of Miss Sandra roach whereas Miss roach had served the Clifton Board of Education and the children of Clifton faithfully and conscientiously as a kindergarten age for 3 years Sandra was heavily involved in the Clifton school system during and after her children graduated if she wasn't making the school's yearbooks she was working as a kindergarten age at school number 15 she shined the light wherever she went and this was never and this can never be replaced she will be missed dearly by all the people who came to her for guidance and she raised as if they were her own now therefore be it resolved that this resolution be forwarded to her bereaved family to serve as an expression of the great Regard in which Miss Roach was held by the Board of Education the Administration Employees the pupils of the clipon public school system and be it further resolved that the contents of this resolution be noted in its entirety in the official minutes of the clipon board of education for future generations to peruse thank you commissioner bassford this portion of the meeting is open to Residents and non-residents of Clifton for the purpose of addressing any subject matter pertinent to Android directly related to the operation of the Clifton Public School District residents and non-residents are requested to sign the register provided for this purpose and to State their names addresses and subject matter comments are limited to five minutes per person issues raised by members of the public may or may not be responded to by the board all comments will be considered and a response will be forthcoming if in one appropriate the board asks that members of the public be courteous and mindful of the rights of other individuals when speaking specifically comments regarding students and employees of the board are discouraged and will not be responded to by the board students and employees have specific legal rights supported by the laws of New Jersey the board Bears no responsibility nor will it be liable for any comments made by members of the public members of the public should consider their comments in light of the legal rights of those affected or identified in their comments and be aware that they are legally responsible and liable for their comments there is no one in Virtual okay so motion to motion to close virtual okay motion by commissioner bassard secutive by commissioner Mahia would anybody like to approach the podium thank you good evening Dr it's great to see you thanks Elias thank you um good evening everyone I want to express my deepest GR gratitude to the incredible people of Clifton although I came out as a runner up in this past election I'm truly humbled and thankful for the tremendous support I've received throughout this campaign your trust in me in my ideas and in the vision I shared for our city school system and the world and I'll always be grateful for every conversation and vote this journey has been especially challenging giving that it was held during a presidential election year a time when political engagement is at an all-time high and the focus often shifts to larger National issues that kind of commitment though that all of you showed is not something I take lightly I understand the weight of every vote cast and I truly appreciate the faith you placed in me especially when so many of the races were commanding of attention the fact that we got as far as we did as a testament to the passion and dedication of this community I want to take this time to congratulate those that did win the this election and the other local election and though I didn't win this election this campaign has been an invaluable learning experience every step of the way I've gained new insights met incredible people and heard stories that have only deepened my resolve to serve this city the lessons I've learned through this process will stay with me and I'll continue to work with to make our schools our neighborhoods and our future as a city brighter and let me be clear just because this election is over doesn't mean I'm going anywhere public service is in my heart and I and my commitment to Clifton remains unwavering I will continue to be an active part of this community advocating to our students supporting education and standing up for the values that matter to all of us Clifton is a place I love a place I'm proud to call home and a place I will always look to improve I'm not giving up I will keep answering the call of public service and together we'll continue striving to make Clifton an even better place for everyone thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your trust your support and your belief in me I look forward to continuing to serve this wonderful City in any way that I can and I and I'm excited for what the future holds this is only the beginning thank you all so much thank you elas good evening my name is Lor Lam and I'm the president of the cea welcome back Dr Rober toi we're all very happy and congratulations to the incumbents well deserved today I address you not only as an educator and president but as someone deep ly invested in the future of our nation's children we find ourselves at a Crossroads facing a moment of profound importance for public education the president elect's plans have sparked legitimate concerns here in the staff in Clifton as well as in the state and let many Educators like us question the future of our Public Schools this plan has laid out raises alarm Bells across the educational landscape this comprehensive agenda seek sweeping changes to education aiming to privatize and decentralize our public school system in ways that could undermine Equitable access to Quality education at the heart of our concerns is a fundamental question will this agenda help or hinder our students chances to thrive in an increasingly complex world first let's talk about funding one major proposal is redirect significant Federal funding from public schools to expand school choice including private school vouchers and we know what goes on with charter schools here in Clifton and how much money they get of ours while Advocates of school choice argue that this provides options for families what they often fail to recognize is the devastating impact such moves could have on public school districts especially those serving our most vulnerable populations as Educators here we know firsthand the resources matter underfunded schools cannot offer the same breadth of opportunities Advanced courses and extracurricular programs or modern learning environments every student deserves a fair fair shot at a well-rounded education not those who can afford private institutions additionally this proposal reduces the federal role in education over oversight while we understand the appeal of local control federal guidelines have historically played a crucial role in ensuring that students across the country receive Equitable treatment particularly in protecting the rights of students with disabilities English language Learners and those in marginalized communities eroding these protections could deepen existing inequities something we cannot accept in good conscience furthermore there's a strong emphasis on minimizing the influence of teachers unions and limiting our collective bargaining rights as Educators our unions have fought tiously to secure Better Learning conditions for our students Fair working conditions for teachers and all Educators attempts to undermine our unions are in effect attempts to weaken our voices we know that the power of collaboration and our voices are vital in shaping policies that affect our classrooms and our students our biggest concern is what's at stake for our students we believe in an educational system that prepares them to be critical thinkers innovators and compassionate citizens we want a system that values diversity and inclusion and upholds the promise of equal opportunity we fear that this vision is at risk under the proposed changes finally we must consider consider the impact of policies on the most vulnerable students those from lowincome families students with disabilities his proposals have not prioritized the Investments needed to support these students his budgetary approaches frequently called for cuts to programs like Title One funding and special education which are lifelines for schools serving disadvantaged populations if we want to foster a society that offers every every child an equal opportunity to succeed we must advocate for policies that uplift all students not just a few our concerns are not rooted in politics but our dedication to education as a public good it should be accessible Equitable and well resourced we are advocating for a future where every child regardless of zip code or background can walk into a school and receive an education that prepares them to thrive we must defend this Vision standing together to ensure that our values are not compromised and our students Futures are safeguarded so this is an idea that I hope can manifest because Dr Rober toi I've been getting calls and texts that there's staff members here in the district that are very concerned from what they've been reading so just to let you know that's how I frame this all right thank you so much okay would anyone else like to speak this evening okay seeing no one um motion to close public session motion second motion by commissioner Mia seconded by commissioner brunak Mr Kenova could you read our national Native American Heritage Month Proclamation sure whereas during National Native American heritage month we celebrate a rich tapestry of indigenous peoples and honor their sacrifices and whereas Native Americans have enriched Our Heritage and continue to add all aspects of our society through their generosity of culture and the continued practice of teaching economic and Environmental and Cultural sustainability and whereas our state and C country is blessed by the character the strength exemplified by the Native Americans who have answered the call of service in armed forces in greater numbers per capita than any other group in the United States we honor our Native American veterans and those who serve in active duty for their bravery and sacrifice and whereas during the month of November we honor our native peoples and recognize their continued contri contributions in strengthening the diversity of our society now therefore we the Clifton Board of Education do hereby Proclaim Proclaim November 2004 as Native American heritage month and encourages the district to observe the month with appropriate events and activities thank you commissioner Kenova commissioner Santiago could you please read our condemning hate in all form resolution sure thank you president Paris whereas the city of Clifton is home to a diverse and Vibrant Community composed of individuals from various cultural ethnic religious and so and social backgrounds and whereas the Clifton Board of Commissioners Central Administration and all staff affirm that all individuals have the right to live work and learn in an environment free from hate so discrimination and intolerance and whereas recent incidents have reminded us that hate and Prejudice still persist in our society manifesting in Acts of harassment violence and discrimination that affect our community members well-being and sense of security and whereas hate not only harms individuals but also weakens the social fabric of our community undermining the shared values of respect inclusivity and Unity that Clifton strives to uphold and whereas the Clifton Board of Commissioners Central Administration and all staff stand firmly against all forms of hate discrimination bigotry and violence and we are committed to fostering a safe inclusive and supportive environment for all now therefore be it resolved that the Clifton Board of Commissioners Central Administration and all staff collectively and unequivocally condemn all acts of hate and discrimination in our community and Beyond be it further resolved that we affirm our commitment to upholding policies practices and initiatives that promote diversity Equity inclusion and respect for all individuals regardless of race ethnicity religion gender sexual orientation disability or socioeconomic status be it further resolved that we encourage all community members to stand together against hate fostering a community where every individual feels valued supported and safe be it finally resolved that the Clifton Board of Commissioners Central Administration and all staff will continue to take active steps to support victims of hate and discrimination work in collaboration with Community organizations to promote education and awareness and ensure that Clifton remains a place of respect unity and compassion thank you commissioner Santiago looking for a motion to approve under education yes oh I'm very sorry I miss I missed an item we need need to vote on separately um where did I miss that one the minutes are number six no they're not on it's not on here I'm looking right at them it's number 10 adoption of minutes okay should we get back to that no just just vote vote on it I'm on it okay uh motion to adopt the minutes from our last meeting motion second motion by commissioner bassford seconded by commissioner brunak roll call Mr shahada please M bassford yes Mr brunak yes Mr Kenova yes Mr mm yes M Santiago yes M siano yes M Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries yeah looking for a motion on under education to approve items 1 through 11 motion motion by Comm uh vice president Danny seconded by commissioner Suarez or perhaps even motion close um any any discussion commissioner Brak thank you Mr President that I I got a real issue with this policy 2200 and I want to thank Mr sh Miss kevich for trying to clarify this when you take a look at all the strikethroughs and everything that's being removed from here it stinks to high heaven they say we still have a say over over the over the curriculum right that that the board will still be able to vote for this annually when you actually look at and read this actual policy it's very concerning to me we have a body down in Trenton that is not elected this is an appointed body down in Tron that they put a strangle hold on our district to try to tell us how to run our district when it's our tax dollars that we have paid to the to this state and now they're telling us based on on what this looks like to me that we we're not capable of doing this so they try to take the power away from us and I just want to let my colleagues know I got a real problem with this policy and I'm I'm very concerned about this this stinks to high heaven when you take a look at this and um I I I will not allow these bureaucrats down and Tren and thank goodness Mr shahada did not vote on this particular to make this policy change cuz I know he knows better what's best for this District if we didn't think we had the right people in place and the right hires in this place and all the high caliber and high quality people that we have hired in this District then maybe they could say something but that is not a concern of this board as far as I'm aware of based on the contract that we have that with Dr Robert toy based on all the employees that we have here we have an excellent School District so I I just want to let everybody know I want to let my colleagues know my concern about this policy it and it stinks to high heaven when you take a look at it and I'm a hard no on this and also regarding this policy 61631 I speak with you know that the following Friday after the last meeting I spoke with some of the booster club presidents they said they had to pick up the ashes from dust when the lockdowns were over to try to bring these to try to bring these booster clubs back up to speed they they had nothing no resources or anything so they actually engaged in sponsorships and many of these businesses that have sponsored our teams and these booster clubs not only are they C CHS not only are they are they CH CHS graduates but some of them even have kids that go to our school district that attend Clifton public schools and when you take a look at this policy which I mentioned at the last meeting too it is ripe for abuse oh is this the organ is this organic from from uh the Maldives or something like that that we were required to use with this so so now what now we need to take do we need to take pictures of these do we you know what's H how deep do we have to go with this policy and how many how much more time and resources do we need to spend on a sign when Mr Malley it's very simplistic that again that these signs were there not one year not two years over three years these signs without issue until this year so I hope this is the last we talk about it but it probably won't be since since if it passes tonight there's going to be another amendment next week to include the booster clubs but I want to let my colleagues know that this policy will hurt our kids it doesn't help them these booster clubs need to fund raise a lot of different things even coordination and pra not only with our facilities but sometimes they have to go to outside of our facilities because they don't have the resources for that and we don't have the resources in the budget so this is my main concern too I just want to let my colleagues know thank you thank you commissioner brunck anyone yes commissioner B okay first of all I sit on the booster club meeting uh booster club committee nowhere in any shape and form is this policy made to hurt anyone it's to protect the district from liability okay there was one out of all those uh booster club um posters or whatever you want to call them that were hung up were there anyone that was uh apprehensible or offensive in any way or when against al mission statement one okay okay so it but it's also made to um protect the district from liability there were instances where people actually used our facility and they slapped up signs without permission from this board of education without getting those companies approved they could be an offensive company something in inappropriate that goes against the mission statement of this District we need to protect this District all this policy does and nobody on in the in the booster club committee or in policy I think want to hurt anyone I think it's just a protection to the light to the to the district if we don't put something in place and anybody could do whatever they want we we we are we live in a country where the Constitution was founded and written by people that were were everyday people and they wrote that Constitution with a with the backing of it can always be changed if you don't like it that's the beauty of living in this country using your voice to change something this is being put in place and I have confidence by being on the policy committee for so many years I stepped down because somebody smarter than me took it over I'm sure that with the wisdom of the people on this board if the policy doesn't work we will change it and amend it or dis dissolve it so I'm I'm insulted in a way because I'm trying to protect the district I have a fiduciary obligation to the people and the community to protect and to protect this organization and that's what this policy does so I'm in favor of it thank you and Mr Bry if I if I could just say we have no intention on denying anything it's kind of like use of facilities I kind of just put it on the agenda you guys say yes and we call it a day as long as it's nothing of of a vulgar nature I don't I don't see this board denying it in any capacity and uh Dr Rober toy reserves the right to um approve something and then we can retroactively approve it on the board agenda as long as it kind of Falls within the the decency standards that we have CHR BR is the last thing I'm going to say about this at the last meeting our attorney said not she did not know one other District that had a policy like this so I just want to let everybody know that thank you Mr Paris anyone else yes Mr Suarez oh oh sorry we're in sync today um I just want a question for commissioner Bak um and thank you for your concern about policy 2200 and as I'm reviewing it I because I hear your passion what exactly is it that um goes against your values or our Clifton values that you find um that isn't acceptable cuz it's my understanding that the curriculum is then absorbed still through the district um and through other areas um and it's just more a a more succinct policy um so if I can please hear your perspective so maybe I'm missing something if you can please explain BR thank you strike through strike through in paragraph number three on on policy 2200 approved annual by the board in accordance with the law paragraph number five the board directs the curriculum shall be consistent with the educational goals and OB objectives of this District struck through thank you Mr BR if I can say those changes are just made to be in sync with the the the law of the land of the state of New Jersey Mr BR thank you but when you look at it Mr Shota that was my point when I first started when I mentioned it when when you actually read it and take a look at it thank you okay remember we we are still on first reading too right so we are not adopting this this evening doesn't matter if you guys don't adiz the loss okay Dr Danny yes okay so I just want to say that um the sponsorship 616 3.1 that we are bringing that up with the HSA so Mr brunak if you know we will be bringing that up and discussing it and obviously they have a vested interest in that so they think something with the wording I mean we can always throw that back to policy but just as Mr shahada said just to you know get this moving right now and appr prove something but again they have the vested interest so I don't know if that helps in any way to maybe if there's concerns that some some of them had spoken to you about the concerns we'll have a whole entire group there and we'll be presenting this to them and if they have concerns we're definitely going to you know take it to policy for them to look at that yeah Mr shahada points out this is a mandatory policy though okay law I have a question about that because I don't see the m in it and that's why I I questioned it today my question do you um president Paris to the superintendent what is the role of a board member we set the curriculum correct we vote on it primary role is policy right but what else board absolutely approves the curriculum 100% now just for the record I I see what Mr brunak is pointing out here it it appears to me that that was removed from that sentence but if you look at the next paragraph which is only one sentence says the superintendent is responsible for implementing the curriculum approved by the board so there is still an acknowledgement that the curriculum has to be approved by the board but I don't think it matters if we strike out approved annually by the board I think we could leave it in there and I don't think it changes the fact that that if that would alleviate Mr brak's concern I think that's just an easy um uh fix that we could just you're going to prove it anyway we're going to you have to approve it you know so if if if that would you know I think Mr brak's point is well taken I think it is addressed later on which is why I don't think it's a problem to just leave that one strike I think they're striking that out for efficiency purposes that so it's not redundant not to be well maybe I'm naive too but you know I I think that's the only reason why it's being struck out but again the administration will implement the policies that the board passes so it's your call we can review this again in policy with consultation with legal concerning Dr Roberto's uh proposal here as well see if that yes so may I make a motion to remove and send it back to policy for review it automatically will go back now anyway after first reading that's normally what happens after first reading president Paris and everybody should send their concerns I was late this week and I really apologize on that one um but send your concerns and then they'll discuss it because that's one of the things I used to ask all the time policy please give us the because they look at it they really they it's a long meeting they take they take their time and they really discuss it it's it's a great meeting to be in anyone else uh president Paris really quick just on the sponsorship policy because I'm on policy committee as well and um I was one of the questions or one of the concerns I just wanted to bring up at the time was we want to make sure that it's clear that we aren't directing the HSA in terms of who they work with and that kind of thing um this was particularly in relation to promotional right um items right and so making sure that we don't have anything that's hanging up somewhere that's an inappropriate sponsor that's a vaping shop that's something like that right that's a liquor store and we don't know about it right so um that's really the intention behind the whole policy all right um we done with discussion right okay uh so again look I think there was a motion made if I got it yes we had already so roll call Mr sha can you please State them what we're voting on again we are we are voting on under education items 1 through 11 St my job Miss bassford yes Mr brunak yes to everything except ea6 policy 2200 I'm a no and EA 7 I'm a no got it Mr Kenova yes Mr Mahia yes to everything except ea7 um 6163 got it Mr [Music] siano uh yes to everything I'm a no on ea6 uh 2200 until I see those changes made to Dr Rober toy suggested Miss Suarez yes VI president Danny yes president Paris you miss commissioner Santiago oh I'm sorry Miss Santiago yes and president Paris yes motions carry okay next we're looking for a motion under C uh Personnel items number one through uh 32 with the exception of 11 which we have pulled motion second okay motion by commissioner bford second by commissioner Mia roll call Mr oh discussion sorry okay roll call Mr Shad um excuse me Mr Paris um I might have given the r we might have pulled the wrong one I asked for 11 to be pulled yes you did um I was taking that off my printed copy which stiens stiens that's correct oh that's correct okay thank you sorry apologize okay real call Mr shot Miss bford uh yes and stay on my um 29 my name only Mr brunak yes Mr Kenova yes Mr Mahia yes Mr Santiago yes substain on 29 my name only Mr siano yes abstaining on Tomahawk promotions due to my business relationship we're in Pete we're in person oh I'm ahead of myself so yes Miss Suarez yes abstain on P20 and p21 vice president Danny yes abstain on p29 my name only President Paris yes abstain in my name only p29 and abstain on P30 motion car motion carries okay next up is uh Finance facilities a motion to approve items number one through 11 I'll make that motion Mr Paris motion by commissioner siano second second second by commissioner Suarez discussion hearing none I have a question about use of facilities here we go fck up oh she say get out of here you ready what that's why people put me here because I ask questions I have a question for you to the ba through you president Paris with the ba um of all the facility usages that we've had since January 1 2024 how the the paid usage ones how many have not paid and do you know who they are I do not know offhand it is a handful and I will not publicly disclose who is delinquent on their payments uh you and I can have a conversation at some point in the future about that cuz um my concern is if they're not paying are we still leasing out usage to them or do we not let them have it again uh the administration serves at the pleasure of the board and if there is a use of facilities on there and somebody is delinquent a group is delinquent you guys have every right to vote it down we will not arbitrarily deny the use of facilities that's the board's perview cuz I'm on this board 13 years and I've never been told who was delinquent and who wasn't that's what my concern is a question came to me from a constituent I reached out to you and asked you the question so I think that going forward if we do have an issue with um somebody renting or trying to use our facility and they are a paid entity and they do not pay the bill why are we giving them that that listen our our buildings are great people run great programs in our buildings and they do wonderful things you have all kind of vendors all kind of and the dance competition's wonderful but if there's somebody that's going to be you know not I hate to use the word deadbeat why are we letting them come back it's not fair to the people that we charge and they pay and that's it's what's fair is fair so that's all I I'd like to if you would give me the information I would appreciate serve at the pleasure of the board if you guys want to deny it that is totally within your purpose so uh when we have a use all these are all non non- pays but if there was another one that comes up and it the person did or the people did not pay I would like to that information prior to me casting a vote for a new usage uh and then also um do we have a collect C process or do we what do you do like send three notices out and then that's I send Vinnie out I'm sorry I send Vinnie Vin Vinnie up on them yeah Vinnie chewy and Mark they go hunt people down breaking kneecaps I don't think I don't think Chewy is goingon to be very effective in getting money back they just going to fall in love with them no be and it's a serious conversation because some of the rentals we get are substantial and it and then my other issue is that you're renting you're you're you're giving the usage to this people and they're taking it and you're maybe somebody else wanted to do it and have it the same time and they would have paid Jude I can give you uh a simple answer that'll make everybody very happy and give the the the administration some discretion just create a policy if somebody doesn't pay we just we just uh I got to go right to my right board okay no worries hold the permit commissioner bassford we'll take it up in our next Finance uh committee discussion make sure it's on the agenda I agree commissioner Santiago well you kind of meant you you're both saying it it's like do we amend the facility use the facility policy to add verbiage that says if right if you are delinquent then or whatever I would do a standalone policy let's not let's not conflate the two fine all right I follow on I just curious oh thank you so much president so curiosity is killing the cat here because you just made a really good point so let's say I rent out a facility um this is my first time having this conversation and I've rented it out five times five times I have not paid you you're still going to put me on the agenda for that sixth time well I would have rent it to you in the first place without the money up front just for the record that's that's a smart move you look sket you know me quite well um no and like I said we we serve at the pleasure of the board if you guys approve it we do not have the authority to uh deny a use of facilities unless it is something that goes against the guidelines of the policy so we can outright deny it as long as they meet all the criteria we send it to the board and you guys vote it up vote it down and I will get you guys a a delinquent payment list by by the morning thank you I think we've we have the answer we and I think it's very reasonable to not rent it to somebody who hasn't paid and so we add that or create a policy I'm I'm not sure that we can just add a line to a I don't know that we need a whole new policy no just that's something we can discuss in in policy committee that 7510 opened up a can of worms for a long time let's not let's not rehash that one just let it this one I think is very reasonable I think everybody's in agreement on this right you don't pay we we we let you do it one time you don't pay we're not going to let you R rent our facility again no no business would do that why would we do that right excuse me president Paris for those out out there that don't know some of our facilities have been really upgraded and school 3 is just a gorgeous Auditorium I can't wait to see the rest of them this is a money these are money this is funding that we get that we can use for something else so if we're not getting the money then we're not using it to something else and it hurts our children in the long range that's what my motive is here I'd rather rent it to people that are going to pay so we can we can make the money for that something else that you guys come up with President Paris yes commission Sano so yeah like we're saying I just think that we can address that with policy um I ne I don't necessarily need a list of delinquent anybody um didn't know that that's a great idea that you brought up great Point um just going forward we do what we need to do we have a lot of nonprofits right and we're thinking or talking about somebody's delinquent six times it could be the first time and they're getting they didn't get a check from whoever I mean think about the the great organizations that we do you have no idea you you may have an you may have a you may think you know who be on this delinquent list and then you see the list and it might be somebody wow it's a great organization right um but but the point is yeah I don't I don't need to see the list nor know I just going forward we can fix that because again sometimes the nonprofit falls on whatever situation and um not everybody is you know egregiously intentionally not paying right sometimes we all fall on some situation including nonprofits all right roll call Mr Shad good bord yes yes Mr brunak yes Mr kova yes Mr Mahia yes Mr Santiago yes Mr siano yes with my previous exstension of Tom Hawk can you please read the check number I did before I have it as 10 n935 does that help the item number thank you Miss Suarez yes stand on f11 check 219 318 and check 219 320 vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries okay that brings us up to our board member comments and commissioner Kenova you start us off this sure uh so first I just want to congratulate my colleagues on their successful re-election I'm looking forward to working with you for um the next couple of years and uh through Elias so as a recent graduate it your dedication professionalism and ability to articulate your position on issues make me proud and I know one day that he's going to do great things in life um Miss Dr Robert toy welcome back um it was it was definitely different without you here but uh all great I mean the administration really stepped up um but that's because of the team you put in place and um now you're back now we got to get to work again sir thank you uh so we had a couple Trunk or Treats that that took place since our last meeting that were very Su successful um the community came out again and and it's just great to see I I love events where kids are involved and the community is involved um and any events we could have like that I continue to push forward um and with that in new business I'll mention another one um the parade so I did attend the parade that that was uh done and phenomenal job by the band uh they always they always come out and really put on a great show they really do great job so I'd love to see that yesterday I went to the event um with Mr brunak here with uh staff for students in in the CCMS uh Auditorium I mean the uh gymnasium and they put on a good show they the kids almost won but they did they did uh not they were not Victorious so I said we should do another one where we have Board of Ed and uh executive Administration here against their staff I'd be out for another couple months um and the only other thing that I I know we were talking about during our next meeting but because it's so small here and we're doing a lot of awards I don't know maybe we should think about moving that to another location like the high school or something I believe that's where we the awards meeting is at the high oh it is y yes sir good good that's all I had thank you thank you commissioner kova commissioner Mia thank you president Paris um first I like to say welcome back um Dr Rober tozi um second I like to say um congratulations to all of our fall sport sports that competed this past fall looking forward to the next meeting where we will honor all of our staff and to Second what commissioner kovo said I was thinking maybe we could probably have that at the auditorium as well it's going to be a big crowd so I hope to honor each and every one of them there um next up finally congratulations to Judy Allan and Lucy on your re-election I look forward to working with you guys throughout the next couple of years and please go support the boy soccer team which starts at at I believe 6:30 p.m. um they're doing phenomenally I hope to see them win again tomorrow let's hope for another ring let's go out and do it thank you sir thank you commissioner Mahia commissioner Santiago thank you president Paris um Dr Roberto welcome back thank you Mr good to see you um congrats to commissioner bassford commissioner Paris and commissioner Danny Dr Dany looking forward to doing um continuing to do good things for our students and for our school community together um happy national uh Native American heritage month to all those um celebrating and of um indigenous people and Native American descent um happy movember Men's Health um take it seriously gentlemen go out there get your screening um early detection um leads to better successful outcomes um boy soccer team and Coach Stan lri amazing um like everybody's been saying let's go uh support them Ridgewood High School 6:30 um looking forward to next week for uh all of our Awards um especially for our employees um staff looking forward to that and finally Happy Thanksgiving thank you thank you commissioner Santiago commissioner siano thank you president Paris first I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the friends and family of office berari we are deeply grateful for his dedication and service may his memory be a blessing during this tragic time I want to thank Mark for the student representative report the recap was detailed and very appreciated uh thank you Kelly for the breakdown of the strategic planning Danny definitely welcome back it's good to have the haircut back in the seat it belongs in I will say this Mark did an amazing job and his superintendent report always had like a theme to it so if you could take a couple notes from him that would be great he aot mhm was were there lightsabers involved it was amazing it was amazing I'm going to have to buy him one for his office he did such a good job um this week I had the honor of walking with some of my fellow board members in the Veterans Day Parade I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did a big thank you to everyone who helped organize the parade and to all the Veterans for their invaluable service I also had the pleasure for the first time of attending the empty bows event for St peters's Haven it was a wonderful Gathering I look forward to participating in that again in the future additionally I as all of my colleagues attended the New Jersey school boards convention where I engaged in several enlightening classes I'm eager to apply what I've learned to continuously improve my contributions to the board the dwali celebration was another highlight it's always such an amazing and beautiful event and I'm grateful for the opportunity to join in the festivities I want to congratulate all those who were elected to the recent election I'm excited to continue working with my fellow board members to serve the best interests of our student staff and Community Elias congratulations you did an amazing job be proud and lastly I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving enjoy your time with family and friends and just be safe and thank you so much thank you commissioner shano commissioner Suarez thank you president Paris and I too welcome back Danny thank you so much for being here I love being under your leadership um we welcome you and uh for from the public comments thank you Lori Lama I stand with you and your comments I to uh fight for public education um and I deeply appreciate what you had to say so thank you um congratulations to president Paris vice president Lucy uh Danny and commissioner bassford I'm really excited to continue working with you and to deepen our relationship um and to the community have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving I extend my gratitude to everyone here to teachers and administration our facilities and maintenance crew our students and families and the community of Clifton at large it's a pleasure to be a part of this team and this community everyone uh have a great night and I look forward to seeing you next week thank you thank you commissioner Suarez commissioner bastard yes uh welcome back Dr roberi it's uh pleasure to be see with you here um congratulations to uh president Paris vice president Dany um good uh good luck and congratulations to liia she put up a a good battle and to Cameron as well you did a great job uh it was a like I said at the uh council meeting your parents should be proud of both of you um thank you to all the speakers thank you uh Mr Lama for your words uh there throughout the state same sentiment people are very concerned okay so I want to I want to uh I appreciate the chance to take a moment to share a few Reflections that have truly resonated with me during the election cycle it's true I hadn't planned on running again this year but after numerous conversations with people including some of you here tonight encouraging me to return I had to take time to really consider it given recent changes challenges to fairness and difficult feedback about myself I knew it would be a tough decision I've been called many things unfit uneducated frail outdated even out of touch I had to accept that not everyone would understand the actions I took last last year to move this board forward and yes it could cost me the support of some people that I've always valued despite the difficulties I've been I believe there is a reason I'm here I believe each of us is placed in certain positions for a purpose and I feel A Renewed sense of sorry I feel A Renewed sense of commitment to represent those who may not always have voice at this table one of the statements that has stayed with me recently from a colleague who said everyone deserves a chance at leadership that sentiment took me by surprise because when that very opportunity arose last January it was an extended to everyone equally I've tried reaching out to some colleagues only to be met with silence which is a send which sends a lasting message no position no title should allow anyone to disregard or dismiss anyone or others I've been called difficult and perhaps that's true sometimes being difficult is the only way to be heard especially in a setting where voices like mine aren't always given the same weight this boardroom can feel like a male-dominated space at times while there's been progress over the years some challenges remain with us women especially around ensuring all members including the women here are respected as equals small actions can have significant can can I please thank you meaning for example not be chosen to read something could make you feel isolated and it sends a message when others receive that role time and time again I understand that experience alone does not qualify someone for leadership but dedication hard work and commitment to the role should matter many have told me because of certain promises amongst a few I may never have the opportunity to lead here it's disheartening especially when inclusivity should be at the heart of our board's Mission a narrative has been circulating that I agreed with certain leadership choices I want to set the record straight I talked about this for a long time this last couple of weeks I was not part of any such discussion and conversation though decisions were made without my input ironically some of the very people who Champion inclusion made the choice without transparency I can say with confidence that I have never compromised my principles for a seat at this table I am here to serve all of you not for a title or for accolades for the next three years I will continue to speak up for what's right did it tonight as un popular po it is I bring it up it may not always be easy and I may not I may need to be persistent to have my voice heard but I believe that that's what you deserve in a representative for this city in this town and thank you again for allowing me the chance to be here and serve each one of you with Integrity again I want to accept my heart my I want to extend my heart felt thanks to everyone who supported me and voted for me your encouragement and trust is truly humbling and I am incredibly grateful thank you Happy Thanksgiving good night thank you commissioner bassford commissioner brunak thank you Mr President I want to congratulate everyone who won the election this year especially my colleagues on this board I look forward to working with all of you for a very long time and I'm pleased to let the community know that competition is aive alive and well not only in the political world but in Clifton Public Schools I want to give my heartfelt thanks to Mr jenero for being interim superintendent thank you to miss cevich and Mr shahada for holding down the ship during Dr Robert to's recovery and uh special shout out to Mr shahada who some of us were very fortunate to see in a p panel discussion at the Department of Education he was running circles around his colleagues over there and thank what can you say but thank God that we have someone like him and change on that board that we so desperately needed due to some of the issues that we've had recently so thank God thank you Mr shahada you were outstanding over there finally welcome back Dr Robert toy I look forward to working with you you again and getting back to business Happy Thanksgiving everybody thank you for your time and God bless America have a good night everybody thank you commissioner brunak uh vice president Dr Danny so um first of all I'd like to say congratulations to Dr arosi um it's so nice to have you back see it is it is um The Best Is Yet To Come when you were saying the speech that's all I was thinking of for you Best Is Yet To Come and um I want to thank all the speakers and Mr Lama I want to say um soise whenever you speak I know you're a true champion for education so thank you I'm sure with you there at the helm um we're we're going to persevere okay um and then I would just like to take uh the time to thank all of those who helped me and supported me during my campaign um at times it was challenging um I ran my campaign by myself without the help of anyone um you know in terms of being on a ticket or anything like that I always just was told just run the campaign it's something I take pride in through all my years that that's what I did I worked very hard and just am dedicated because this is a position that I love I love you know being a champion for Education um I'm truly grateful to the Clifton voters who voted for me each and every one of the votes I'm humbled and I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue serving on this wonderful board I thank you for your trust and your support which allows me to keep working alongside a great group of individuals great group of colleagues um who are truly committed and and um very talented each in their own way with different talents um I want to continue to advocate for our students our teachers and our entire Community I look forward to working to build on the progress that we have made as a board here together I'm very looking forward to this strategic planning process which we didn't get to complete 5 years ago because of covid and um you know I have some ideas so I'm very excited since I was part of the process in my district and I'd like to say congratulations to miss bassford Mr Paris and to all those who ran a strong dedicated campaign thank you and have a nice Thanksgiving thank you Dr Danny um I would just like to thank everyone who came out participated and voted this year um it was great it was great to see so many people at the polls like to congratulate my colleagues commissioner bassford and commissioner Danny we had uh I I just wanted to thank the organizers for uh Miss Jen Lucas's memorial service that was on uh October 30th it was a a beautiful service for a beautiful person and really appreciate the efforts that went into putting together a wonderful Memorial to her today I participated in the veterans assembly at woodro Wilson Middle School it's a traditional event there it was wonderful there were about a dozen veterans that were honored the students did a fantastic job um the music was a beautiful ceremony and a great tribute to our veterans congratulations to our boy soccer and hopefully good luck in the next round with Ridgewood um we're looking forward to some positive results um just want to remind again what Mark brought up earlier our our student representative about the fall play that's going on this week this weekend Friday Saturday and Sunday matina uh the play is called radium girls uh looks like a very interesting topic I'm interested to see how they conduct it it's a it's a very interesting story um and then lastly just a heads up the Wednesday before Thanksgiving on November 27th uh they are there is the annual Under The Lights performance by the Mustang marching band uh it starts at 700 p.m. and this year is kind of special because uh the alumni have been invited back to perform with the band so it should be quite a a spectacle that's all I have for this evening any new business we need to discuss commissioner Kenova yes I have one item um so uh Dr Roberto I'm not sure if you remember but prior to you leaving we we talked about this a little bit so um in K to 5 once the students complete that grade we have a ceremony for them a moving up ceremony and once the students graduate in in the 12th grade we give them a diploma and they have a diploma ceremony but in the middle schools we don't do anything for the eighth grades so I want to just speak about that how how we could possibly so it's um I do remember a conversation Mr K but it's something that it it it does come up every year because um it's I want to say it's AA it hasn't been a tradition in Clifton to have 8th grade um graduations or promotion ceremonies um there are a myriad of reasons why people who've been here a long time um say that it it stemmed from um when there was a time when the ninth graders were in the middle school I'm not sure if that's accurate um that it's not a real graduation they're just but we but we do it in fifth grade we do a promotion ceremony you know um there are other activities that the eighth graders uh get to partake in they're kind of like end of year activities but there is no kind of endof year graduation having said that I'm I'm a beli and just cuz it's always been done that way or always not been done that way that we can't do it so I'm happy to have a discussion and include uh the administration at the middle schools our staff at the middle schools parents um I think if he has parents parents would want something I would ask my uh Central administrative team if they remember some of the historical reasons for why we didn't have one if they if they would mention that please ser vice principal for several years a lot of the belief was that theem gradation was [Music] [Music] and while I completely concur that just because we haven't done it doesn't mean we can't consider doing something there is quite a lot that does go on and there there's also a lot to ending a school year um anytime we add a ceremony like that that's going to require practice pulling students from classes taking them out of activities that they're already doing we they already receive things like a breakfast a class day um their their time to to have their their barbecue um or luncheon so um their farewell dance there are quite a number of activities that already take place um some of which do cut into instructional time and this would be something else that would cut into such time as well as the logistics that Mr Jenaro just shared yeah so I know that I know that they have the the farewell dance but that takes that's outside of school and I know that the fifth grade does um a celebration ceremony that's inside of school that last day um so I guess that's where that's taking some instruction time um but going back to to my statements before about um like the community coming out and us having Trunk or Treats there's not many events where we have parents and kids there and when you want to build a cohesive environment and we talk about one Cliff then we want people to to to speak to each other um I know CCMS does an event where it's a an international day and everybody bring some kind of item and that's a really cool experience I don't know if you've ever been to that but it's really I know Alan you've been there I've seen you there um so things like that is really what I'm looking for and and since we do it in the other schools and and I realize that you know people can make their own decisions when they go to high school I think there should be a point where sort of everyone gets back together again and you know you have that that I don't know that community may I suggest that we bring this to um education committee or a committee for further discussion and at that at those committee meetings I could bring Fe feedback from our staff Administration um board members could get feedback and then we'll bring that back for the full board if this is something that we end up wanting to do something we want to start planning you know right away and can I just say what Mr jenero said the the setting up of the the graduating year whatever the 2024 this year will be we need a solid week week and a half depending on the weather to to get that um orchestrated properly it's it's a massive overhaul and you know last year was like 120 degrees out on the field so like our guys couldn't just work straight so we had to break it up over the span of a week and then I think it rained the day before or whatever it was so we need time so I want you guys to just include that in whatever committee or prep that you guys have you you'll be there don't worry was refering to the Chop diversity this was topic came up the last diversity committe meeting microphone years old years old they were saying your mic wasn't on but your light was on I think it's a it's a volume thing in the back okay okay so the three committees I could see is education facilities and maybe the HSA because if if it comes back to that point the moving up ceremonies all through the elementary have the HSA component involved in it CU they help with certain things that the school district doesn't Supply president Paris yes this would go to committee and hashed out there but I can see it potentially as a moving up ceremony just like the elementaries right to the point of it's not they're not graduating right same that's the I assume that's why the elementaries have a moving up ceremony right same thing I could see it as something like that held in CCMS held in woodro Wilson very similar to the elementary moving up ceremonies but yeah the graduation would be a bigger thing a lot more Logistics to it but I could potentially be open to a moving up ceremony okay back to these three committees and we'll we'll work through it any anything else okay we do have some things on the agenda for executive session this evening we have some uh legal discussions uh some Personnel discussions so can I get a motion to adjourn to Executive session motion commissioner Mia second and by commissioner santiaga five minute recess for bathroom break conion you wait for everybody to say it action will be taken goad done that a handful of times what I do e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e hello oh suspect is going to the bag to fix the mic suspect is currently fixing the mic it's not um turn it off bye 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 I I know what the motion is I'm going to ask 11 11 recent 12 right 11 we do switch the person yes I know um welcome back everyone um returning from executive session uh motion to return motion second motion commissioner bassford second by commissioner Mahia uh roll call Mr sh Miss passord present Mr Bak here Mr kova here Mr Mia here Mr Santiago here Mr siano here Mr Suarez here vice president Danny pres president Paris here we have a Corum thank you we need to go back and revisit something we did earlier because we got the numbers mixed up if you remember the item that we pulled we pulled uh 12 no no we pulled 11 um what we really need to do is pull oh a motion to resend motion to resend 12 12 and add 11 an add 11 right sure okay motion to rece it was the who the who the motion table 12 motion to approve a letter okay motion to table 12 approve 11 what they said second table it because it's then it gets back on the agenda you want to take it off the agenda okay but do you want approve it do not want to approve I want to approve it you want a motion to resend a motion to table 12 and then a motion to approve 11 motion to resend motion to table 12 and then REM put back 11 Mo move 11 second okay uh motion by commissioner bassford second by commissioner I for in here Mia here uh roll call Mr oh any discussion no roll call Mr you good Miss bassford yes Mr BR yes Mr kova yes Mr M yes Mr Santiago yes Mr siano yes M Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries thank you um and lastly motion to approve uh section g under executive sessions item number two through S motion by commissioner Suarez seconded by commissioner mAh yeah uh roll call Mr sh Miss bford yes Mr brunak yes Mr Kenova yes Mr Mia yes Mr Santiago yes Mr siano yes M Suarez yes vice president Danny yes president Paris yes motion carries I hear motion to adjourn motion second okay Santiago great to see everybody back for