e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e that Miss Muno will you please introduce yourself yes sure good evening everyone I'm Rosa mun on the translator interpreter for this for tonight's meeting sorry thank you thank you welcome to everyone here and those of you joining us virtually to this June 25th Dober Board of Education meeting for those who wish to provide public comment remotely a Google form was posted on the district website at 6:30 p.m. and those remote comments will be addressed in the second public comment section this meeting which is hereby called to order at 6:36 p.m. is in compliance with the notice requirements of the law public notice was posted in the office of the Board of Education and communicated to the municipal clerk and daily record on January 9th 2024 can we please rise for the flag I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the repblic for stands na indivisible andice for all Mr sabahu may we have a roll call Miss ESO Miss DS present Mr Miller here miss nothing here miss Phillips here miss peles here Dr sener Miss SNES here miss mandes here miss Phillips will you please read our mission statement working together as a community our mission is to Welcome All and provide opportunities for our students in a safe and accepting learning environment to become creative empathetic resilient and who choose to make an impact thank you we are moving along to presentations uh Dr mcin thank you very much I'd like to introduce our first speaker for this evening uh just a few weeks back we attended a celebration by the uh County College of moris uh celebrating the do college promise program first uh program of its kind which has now been replicated in the moris uh School District but the featured speaker that evening uh for a whole Ballroom of individuals many of whom are uh significant donors to CCM uh was our very own Lewis jimnez who uh graduated just over a year ago and his a product of the Dober College promise program he gave a very inspirational uh reflection that evening and I've asked him if he would uh come and share those same reflections with us tonight so loose would you come to the microphone one second Louis doesn't sound like yes hello hello uh thank you so much for the introduction Mr mclin yes uh my name is lisis Jimenez I was a student here for the past four years years recently graduated he said all this and I am going to talk about my experiences in the DCP AKA do college promise as has already been established it was definitely one experience that has changed my life and that of everyone else who was involved greatly it put a significant role in my recent life which has honestly mhm thank you so much much better oh boy okay so it's played a very significant role in my recent life because it has introduced me to Opportunities which I did not know were available to me at the time and the same can be said for every other student who joined this group joined DCP we all learned about the sort of scholarship grants that we can pursue years down the line and the sort of mindset changes that we had to endure and go through in order to be able to reach that level of academic prowess that is necessary for a person to achieve in this day and age unfortunately it is not an easy road but thankfully they were there to help us and that's I have to give my thanks to Eduardo Lopez who I'm very sure could is not in the room right now but he is an amazing member of our community and he's done a lot for us as a whole we were taught important life skills such as how to you know formulate plans study efficiently set achievable goals how to work as part of a team conduct effective research and how to present in front of others very useful skills that are going to play a very you know important role time and time again if you pursue very high level achievements and for those of us who already might have known a thing or two about these sorts of things that let me assure it was a very strong reinforcement of these skills that are very again very important it helped us to better feel more confident in actually expressing ourselves and our thoughts in a way that comes off as more proper more professional and we were always given more critique more support by again our peers our mentors and our director himself in addition to these things during the past I don't think it was the past year now time has definitely past but in the two last two years that I was involved in the program we took on the task of two community service projects which one of them namely was the project at renovating Waterworks Park which if you've seen is very lovely nowadays and the second project was one right here in Dover High School one that was meant to bridge the social and academic gaps between young immigrant students and those who are already born here and part of this community we wanted everyone to feel welcome we wanted everyone to feel connected and in that regard we would be able to you know just generally improve the environment here as well as overall grade output and the project will none of these could have been achieved just on our own merits as much as we'd like to say that was the case we obviously had a lot of help from Professionals in these fields such as our um are very important social workers um me I'm sorry give me a second thank you um people who were part of CCM they gave us an entire week to be able to learn about how to create safe environments where people feel comfortable expressing themselves and that overall these two things helped to create these two projects each respectively this has helped me personally a lot in regards to my own personal Pursuits of my major in college right now specifically pursuing it this has helped me to be more into asking questions being more involved and being more you know in academically inclined it helped me really focus and realize that higher level education is not only achievable but it is very important in the success that one is going to have in the future as a person in the field that they're going to study because without that you're a step under when compared to the rest of the crop and without it without DCP I have to say I'd be a lot more confused and stressed about my future than I am now even though as time progresses things feel a lot more stressful and a lot more overwhelming with the you know entering adult life and having to take on more and more responsibilities I at least feel very certain of what path I'm going to have to take to get there and I know that I'll be able to achieve that just as long as I keep my mind where I should setting Focus onto what I should accomplish and actually pursue it until the very hopefully sweet end that is in the that is waiting at the end of the tunnel and yes that is that is basically everything that I have to say thank you very much I want to thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to come uh share with us tonight a little bit later you I'll share a few remarks you know we just experienced graduation but it's so important for us to know how our students are doing and what they feel has contributed to their success and and you did impress uh the very large Gathering uh At The Gala uh just so much uh that I thought we should all experience that as well so on behalf of the district I'd like to thank you for being here tonight thank you we are moving along to our second presentation which I will toss over to miss Phillips thanks so I just wanted to take a few moments to talk about oh this microphone uh Miss Calderone Alvarez which admittedly it's weird for me to refer to her that way okay wait first my emotions are all over the place today so I'm G to apologize up front okay like I said it's weird for me to call you that because I've known you for so long but I'm going to so I have known Miss calone Alvarez since she was in eighth grade I met her when she was on a wck basketball team that my husband was coaching I actually found a picture of you today from that team but I couldn't see your face and that's why I didn't bring it she was very quiet and reserved always super polite consistently showed up to practice in games and always had the best attitude when the season was over I remember my husband said that she was the type of player he would always want on his team because she listens and she always gives maximum effort having watched Miss Calderone Alvarez over these last four years of high school I can say that has has not changed in her role as student representative to the Board of Education she listens not only to her peers and classmates but to the board members as well over the last two years she has eloquently given her reports to the board sharing the insights thoughts and concerns of her classmates additionally when asked to solicit specific information from her peers and classmates Miss calron Alvarez has always delivered providing clear and concise feedback and I will say that having that Direct line to the opinion of our students is invaluable to this board it is obvious that Miss Calderone Alvarez put significant time and maximum effort into each and every one of her reports and I can say that on behalf of this board we truly appreciate that the next student that steps into this role definitely has big shoes to fill I also want to say thank you and recognize your parents that are back there for doing such a wonderful job in raising such a wonderful young lady and lastly I got to get it together on a personal note S I want you to know how very proud I am of you I have enjoyed watching you grow and flourish over these last four years and I am so excited to see the things you will accomplish As you move forward in the next phase of your life I am so honored to know you thank you Miss Phillips um and Miss Calderone Alvarez we have a certificate um that I am going to give you right now and this is on behalf of the do Board of Education um this is presented to sulma Calderon Alvarez for her service on the DOA Board of Education and her dedication to the school children of the Dober Community presented on the 25th day of June 202 [Applause] Miss Calderon Alvarez would you like to say anything you don't have to I just want to I want to thank everyone and specifically Miss Phillips you made me cry and I got a little choke up too they're all crying thank you so much for your special words and they they really mean a lot to me are there any other board members who like to share a few words no Mr Miller I I just know that your insights from the student body were invaluable and helping us to try to guide any policy or changes for the student body it was great and it was great to know that you grew up in the same neighborhood that I did down the street and um I wish you all the best in the future thank thank you so much now miss Phillips if you don't cry on my last day on this board it's the kids the kids get me I can't I can't help it Miss bound did you want to say something I'm sorry I just want to thank you um you have a level a level of professionalism that is great to see in such a young person and I agree with my fellow board members um with their sentiments and this doesn't end your board of education career you could come and uh join us when you finish your schooling and things like that or thank you absolutely we actually have uh three open seats coming up so um so we are moving along to our third presentation I'll toss it back over to Dr M glin okay and I'm going to ask Miss Gibbs if she would uh cover this part of the agenda good evening I would like to thank the board members and everyone for the opportunity to share a few words about tonight's retirees that are on our agenda my words are collective and meant to honor all of the retirees featured on this evening's agenda and there are five our retirees feature our superintendent two teachers a master teacher AKA and instructional coach and our much appreciated maintenance person who was a master of all trades the totality of their service to Dover and to public education is both staggering and quite remarkable over 150 years of service wow to honor our retirees this evening I thought I would focus on the letter r or words that sound like they start with the letter R after after all the Bedrock of education is really about those words that start with the letter r or sound like they start with the letter R are you having trouble thinking of them let me help you Reading Writing arithmetic Rapport relationships resilience resourcefulness responsibility our retirees this evening have championed these fundamentals whether they were providing resourceful administrative leadership of guiding a district thank you Dr McLaughlin or they were in the classroom working with our special needs students building resiliency thank you Mr lishawa or working with our business students get getting the arithmetic right thank you Mr L or working with our teachers building Rapport and getting results thank you Mrs [Music] Ward or working in maintenance repairing rebuilding or renovating anything and everything thank you Mr Delgado to our retired this evening we reflect on your accomplishments we recognize your hard work and dedication and we thank you the final R the most coveted R retirement as you Embark or race onto this new chapter may you embrace the opportunity to rest renew rejuvenate and reflect yours is a welld deserved reward congratulations to each of our retirees on your remarkable careers thank [Applause] you we will have cake in a little bit just hold on um next I'm going to turn it over to president um Mendes who has um a special feature for one of our retirees thank you Miss Gibbs um I will say that I am ready for dinner Dr mlin over the past few years I have had the opportunity to work closely with you to achieve the educational aspirations of our community and while we have not always agreed on how to get there we remain focused on the same mission and vision Dr m Clin has always maintained an open line of communication and a willingness to understand and compromise when needed Dr mlin is not only one of the smartest people I know he has the kindest spirit I have ever encountered the time he has spent in Dover has been dedicated to improving the district on every level I am eternally grateful for your love of our community and dedication to achieving academic Excellence for our students to thrive in an Ever evolving World Dr mclin I know our district has been challenging but you Rose to the occasion at every turn while I am personally sad to see you go I am excited for your next chapter it has been an honor to serve with you and learn from you thank you for all you have done for our school community and finally I am not the only person who has been impacted by your time here so am I queuing up the video and please take a look [Applause] I know how much you love the mindfulness SP and I had to begin with that I have a few words for you as you embark on your journey of retirement retirement is the perfect time to practice mindfulness be present in the moment and enjoy each and everyone as I reflect on your upcoming retirement I have to say this is another time you got it right I hope you have that written in your book your favorite notebook entitled times I was right inside joke for those of you who are confused seriously I hope your retirement is filled with relaxation and Adventure enjoy and be mindful Dr mlin on behalf of Academy Street School our students our staff and our parents we want to thank you for everything you have done for us for our district and we hope you enjoy your retir thank you thank you Dr John and I both wish you the best in your retirement and thank you for all you've done for DOA public schools and North DOA Elementary School students thank you so much Dr mlin we wish you all the best of luck and your retirement the goal of any great leader is to leave his or her mark on their place of employment and make sure that when they leave or retire that they've left it in a better place than when they got here and you can be 100% proud and confident that you have done just that thank you you Dr mlin for all of your hard work for the do staff students and community and now you get to trade in that sh time for shance like this Dr M as you embark on your well-deserved retirement I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your incredible leadership and unwavering support throughout your tenure as superintendent of Dober Public Schools your ation and commitment Have Been instrumental in ensuring that our students receive the best education possible under your guidance Dober public schools has flourished and you have truly made a lasting impact on this community your vision hard work and compassion have created a nurturing and effective learning environment for both students and staff you've not only focused on academic Excellence but also on the holistic development of every student which is a testament to your remarkable leadership thank you for your Relentless efforts to foster a culture of excellence and inclusivity your legacy will continue to inspire and guide us for years to come as you move on to the new chapter in your life I wish you all the best enjoy your retirement and may it be filled with joy relaxation and new adventures thank you for everything Dr mcin you'll be greatly missed ready congratulations on your return beginning July 1st every day is Saturday however if by September you are looking for your next denture I have a few ideas perhaps you'd like to apply to the subs that you person and will allow you to choose where you work and when you don't work you can still be with students and you can continue to make decisions that would impact their lives you could be the grandparent that visits often and spoils those grandchildren each time lastly if you're looking for a meaningful but yet less stressful activity I know a wonderful crocheting club that is looking for new crocheters they meet every Tuesday morning but seriously thank you for all that you've done for the students and families of DOA and whatever you decide to do relax and enjoy hello Dr mlin first I want to start off by conrat you on your retirement I'd also like to thank you for all your support for the community for the district especially for Ed and myself thank you and I wish you the [Music] best you're doing well I know that this is your final board meeting I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you for your mentorship and guidance for me personally um in this journey as high school principal but for all the work that you've done for public schools I think we have grown leads and Bounds because of your leadership and guidance and we hope to continue that going forward on behalf of the entire Administration school here at the school I want to say thank you and best of luck in your time back to my thank you very much for a nice year uh we worked together we couldn't finish the whole year but it was my pleasure to work with you I will miss those days uh we accomplish a lot of things with you and with that said I thank you for everything you done for your support and also Alvin is going to be missing you right here than and just wanted to wish you a very happy and healthy retirement um thank you for everything that you've done for the district uh thank you for giving me the opportunity to be your um director of Safety and Security for the district uh we've worked together for six months uh it's been it's been great um and I just really wanted to wish you a happy and healthy retirement take care and congratulations Dr ml I want to say thank you for the opportunity and I wish you the best in your future you're player please get on those courses if you fish Go fish if you like to cook Lobby FL is my favorite take care [Music] you hello everyone good evening uh I know we're all here tonight to celebrate uh the accomplish of Dr mland um I told me that we're going to be roasting him a little bit just joking just joking not roasting anyone I just want to thank for all the mentoring and assist and support they given me over the years as well as the work they done here for our so once again you've earned the retirement enjoy appreciate you [Music] I just want to thank everyone who contributed to making that beautiful um video uh specifically Miss Gibbs uh Mr Coniglio Mr mcau thank you for spearheading um the efforts to create such a wonderful piece um we are going to as long as there are no objections from the board and I don't know Dr M do you want to say anything well you kind of got me flat footed with that um I just want to know where I was when all that filming was happening but uh it that will be something that I treasure and I I do thank you for all the sentiments that are shared on there I have a few words later on in my report but I do truly want to celebrate uh those retirees who are here with us tonight um Tony and Mario uh we have a a special token of our appreciation for you so um if you wouldn't mind uh coming forward and uh president Mendes and I uh will uh will give these to you at this time than yes congratulations are you good so if there are no objections from the board we are going to take a 5 to 7 minute recess um to celebrate all the retirees this evening um with some cake and Miss Gibs coffee yeah is there coffee too okay cake and coffee so we will return in 5 to S minutes I need coffee okay e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e we here yeah okay um we are returning at 7:19 p.m. and running right into public comment on public comments on agenda items only the board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on school matters to ensure fair and orderly expression of such comment each statement shall be held to a time period of 3 minutes public comments limited to items on this agenda shall be entertained for approximately 30 minutes upon the discretion of the presiding officer please understand that public Comon portions of our agenda are not structured as question and answer sessions but rather they are offered as opportunities to share Thoughts with the board the board may or may not respond to public comments however all comments are considered and will be investigated and addressed as appropriate please be courteous and mindful of the rights of others when providing comments comments may not be abusive obscene threatening or irrelevant please understand that students and employees have specific legal and privacy protections the board is not permitted to respond in public to comments about students or employees please be advised that you are commenting at your own risk any public comments that are directed at a particular individual or individuals could subject you to Legal liability for defamation with that public comment is now open is there any member of the public in person wishing to speak Madame President before we begin I was advised that our timer on the video screen oh we have it never mind sweet we invite the first speaker to the podium uh hello uh Mike mcau president of the do administrators Association uh I am here tonight on behalf of the daa to thank Dr mclin for his years of service and Leadership to the do public schools and to present him with a card and gift on our behalf I'll just give a little hint that our gift uh involves a restaurant here in do so it ensures that he must return to us at some point in the near future if he wants uh uh to enjoy it so uh Dr mclin uh on behalf of the da thank you uh very much again for your years of service and Leadership uh good evening uh my name is Mary Walker I'm a long-term teacher here at do high school and the second vice president for grievances for the do Education Association and anybody who knows me knows that I hate public speaking um so I will keep it very brief I can laugh about this now but on my first meeting with Dr mlin as the new superintendent I handed him a grievance of course since he was so new I tried to couch the delivery and apologies this happened before you it's not personal I'm so sorry and that did not work very well because Dr glin has reminded me several times of our first meeting to say we got off on the wrong foot is probably an understatement that being said as time went by and the district went through so much change new buildings new hierarchy new employees several contract negotiations a pandemic You Name It We had it and issues sometimes serious on both sides of the table that needed to be resolved and you can also credit John Coniglio and Cathy padrick as well as Dr mlon for setting the positive tone we began to have regular monthly meetings with Dr ml and his team during these meetings we hashed out whatever issues we had in a pleasant collaborative often numerous way that I think even surprised all of us even when we didn't agree Dr mclaughin was always willing to listen to our concerns and worked towards resolving them in a way that was fair and reasonable I believe that our working relationship with Dr mclaughin his administrative team and the do Board of Education should serve as a model for the way all districts should collaborate no matter which side of the table you're on because after all we're all on the same side the side of the children of the do community thank you Dr mclin for forgiving me for that first meeting I wish you all the best in your retirement your many future travels to Ireland and all the health and happiness in the world we will miss you and as they say in the old sad cadmea fulta 100,000 blessings Kathy padrick good evening my name is Kathy Patrick uh I've been a proud uh English teacher at do high school for 28 years and I'm the first vice president of do Education Association Dr mclin let me start by wishing you many congratulations on your well-deserved retirement you and your leadership will be missed however I'd also like to point out that while you were wrapping up your public school career as the superintendent of schools you began your career as a classroom teacher as we all know once you're a teacher you're always a teacher and as a teacher I'd like to thank you for some of the lessons you taught me during your time in do I'd like to thank you for thank you for teaching me that adversarial Labor Management relationships are not productive rather collaborative Labor Management relationships are Beyond valuable while we never became involved in many of the formal collaborative organizations available we developed our own collaborative style and found great success on both sides thank you for being open to collaboration thank you for teaching me that it's important to take time to listen you taught this by example when despite your tons of responsibilities you would always find the time to listen to the issues and concerns and I brought you some tough ones I think even on your first day in the district um but you always offered responses and considered Solutions thank you for teaching me that there are administrators who respect and value their employees and their union leaders this is beyond appreciated thank you for teaching me that there is always a compromise we just have to find it part of my role as the first vice president is to serve as the negotiations chair to say that some of those negotiations conversations can be difficult is an understatement but through our collaboration we were able to navig navigate those difficult issues and find that compromise thank you for buying into those conversations and working hard hard to find the tough compromises finally thank you for teaching me that there is always room for humor among even the most difficult work that we do as I've said we've had our fair share of tough conversations over the years but we we've also had our fair share of laughs thank you for teaching me that those two things can coexist I wish you nothing but peace and happiness as you embark on your next adventure you've had a tremendous positive impact on the Dober school district and you've taught me much thank you for all you have done you will be missed congratulations [Applause] uh good evening Susan shower 346 West Clinton Street in Dover and uh I feel really bad for interrupting all of the well-wishes with um an agenda item uh item number 34 under Personnel uh renewal of the assistant superintendent um the superintendent was the superintendent was hired in as you know in July of 2019 through Dr McLaughlin's efforts and was immediately paid $142,000 within a year received uh a $20,000 increase within another year a $30,000 increase uh the position uh there was discussion about the added work that had to be done in the position and there was also Merit pay that was handed in 2023 the final salary of 24,000 which was also on the agenda tonight and Frozen seems to explain the situation of the super the assistant superintendent of being frozen in time and has been missing as I've mentioned many times at this Podium for at least six to8 months I'm not quite sure um but at least 6 months I don't know how this board of education could honestly renew an employee that has left their duties after being given every tool humanly possible by this board which is their job to give the district the tools that it needs to teach our students and they have done that with this position and with this employee even giving her an assistant that did not exist before had to create a position that did not exist um I don't know how you can renew that contract when it seems for six months the job has gone on the employee has not but the job has gone on and other employees have taken on the duty of filling that workspace so please you are at a Crossroads this evening of a clean slate or continuing with the issues from the prior Administration please make your right choices tonight I thank you Melissa mzo 24 Taylor toown Montville Dr McLaughlin it is difficult to put into words our appreciation for your time with us the past five years but I would like you to know that you are leaving our district hold on I like you know that you leaving our district with a lasting impression from your efforts you have broken down the Walls between staff and administration we are a true team now and we have you to thank you for that because of you this district is the strongest it has ever been and I am confident that Mr haime will follow in your footsteps with the same momentum towards even more growth you are a true gift to education and we will forever remember your dedication to us and over enjoy your retirement and with that I would like to yield the rest of my time to John Coniglio thank you all right my name is John kigo 24 tailor toown Road modville and I am the proud president of the do Education Association now on to the business at hand Dr mlin this man is one of the most humble leaders that I know he will never tell you about accolades or awards that he has won so leave that up to me for tonight Dr mlin will often tell our staff to stay tuned for things that are new and upcoming in the district well now it's your turn to stay tuned for me I have mentioned many times at this very microphone that being a superintendent of a school district is the hardest job in education and and it is one that I would never want no matter the salary tonight we celebrate one of the great ones tonight we celebrate a man who came to Dover in 2019 and for the past 5 years has put every ounce of energy he has into our schools tonight we celebrate a man who has listened to his staff and collaborated with his staff tonight we celebrate one of the hardest working people I know tonight we celebrate you Dr McLaughlin as I was self-reflecting on your time here and what you have done I went back to when you first started in the summer of 2019 in June of 2019 you came to your first Board of Ed meeting as our guest and you introduced yourself as our next superintendent it was over in the library if you remember we didn't have all these fancy cameras and microphones and name tags and all that we didn't have a YouTube broadcast but what we did have was a guy named John kigo the DEA president going to meetings and broadcasting the meetings on Facebook live holding my camera up that's what we had I want to thank you for setting up this impressive professional operation we now have because it has made all stakeholders more involved and more importantly it has saved my phone battery from dying each evening so I thank you for that in preparation for tonight I rewatched that first meeting where you spoke to all of us with your plans for the future of our district the excitement that was generated in the Facebook comments from our staff as well as the positive text messages I was receiving told me that we hired one of the great ones as I sat here in 2024 and listened to you rattle off your plan on that video back in 2019 I kept saying to myself yep he did that yep he did that yep he did that too you came here with a plan and executed your vision including collaborating with our DEA on various topics and issues you guided all of us through through uncharted waters during the covid-19 pandemic I remember you calling me in March of 2020 and telling me John it's not looking good we may have to conduct some sort of virtual instruction for about a week or two unfortunately we all know it turned out to be much longer than that it was nothing any of us could have ever imagined as we conclude your time with us here in do I would like to publicly recognize you for one of your most recent achievements each year the Morris County council of education associations recognizes a few friends of Education from around the entire County of Morris I would like to make sure that everyone here tonight and everyone watching at home knows that dover's own Dr James mcglaughlin was chosen by MCCA as a 2024 friend of Education that's a very big accomplishment so we we appreciate all that you have done it's not every day that Union leaderships stand up here and speak so admirably about their superintendent you have created that be proud of what you've accomplished here you have left us in a great place and in a better place than when you started you will be missed thank you for being everything that a staff could ever ask for in a superintendent thank you for being a kind person who is easy to talk to thank you for being such a great listener most importantly Jim thank you for being one of the great ones now as we wrap up we have uh two things that we'd like to present to you from the do Education Association just give us a second here so can I approach is that right all right it's like Court Judge can I approach the bench all right so the first one is a um a book a retirement book that we had uh all of our DEA members across the district signed for you write nice messages to you uh there's even a picture a couple pictures in there from when you first started and there's a couple pictures from this past year so just to Keepsake for you to have always and remember us bye [Applause] and the second thing we have for you uh a little bird told us that you like Broadway so uh the DEA has uh presented you with a gift card to Broadway so you can enjoy a show on Broadway in all the spare time that you have now [Applause] is there any other member of the public wishing to speak seeing none public comment is now closed um do you want to say anything my there were a lot of nice things said about you during public comment yes I I I appreciate it but I I do I want to emphasize that um the things that we have done as a district and the progress we've made have been done as a team um I think that the essential purpose of a of a superintendent is to be uh a support and a facilitator uh not to um push anyone's individual Vision on the district but to support the vision that's here and our our community our Learning Community here our staff our parents our students have have the vision the vision that this board has embraced and has adhered to um which I tried to in some comments in my report uh refer to but um as uh president Mendes said earlier uh there's always been a coherence around the vision and the Visions for our kids and what our kids need what our families need and when you have a group that's together around that kind of idea great things happen so uh I truly want to extend my appreciation for uh the work um that we've done together um for all the efforts that have been made um in particular I want to thank the staff who are in front of our children each and every day uh who speak to our parents at dismissal and on the phone and through email um and really do that that work and our leadership team who work works so so hard um uh I really um rely uh rely on them and I have great trust in in all of our leaders um and so I'm I'm um humbled uh by uh the words that have been spoken tonight um I certainly don't want to take credit for um any accomplishments that have happened over the last five years but to give them the credit where it where it deserves to be which is in the hands of those who make it happen um but I am deeply appreciative I look forward to reading through the book I look forward to going to Broadway and uh I I really would love just one more gift from Mr kico and that is uh his Hawaiian shirt so thank you again thank you Dr M llin um there was an item uh brought up during public comment that I'd like to address uh Mr igano is a tenured administrator who is is required to have an annual contract that is what is being considered tonight that is what you see on the agenda in the meantime Miss Serano remains on leave and we cannot comment further on a confidential Personnel matter so we will move along to the approval of minutes is there a motion to approve the minutes from May 14th and May 29th so moved second we have a motion by Mr Miller a second by Miss nutty is there any discussion seeing none Mr sabahu may we have a roll call vote please miss DS yes Mr Miller yes Miss nothing yes Miss Phillips yes Miss pinales yes Miss SES yes Miss mandes yes we are moving along to Communications um the whole board Communications I am aware of are from Miss shower on 520 and reference to um budgetary items and financials and also well wishes uh Mr robbles on 625 with well wishes are there any other items of communication whole board Communications that I am unaware of seeing none we are moving along to the student representative to the board report Miss Calderone Alvarez good evening I would love to start my last report by sharing that choice day at the high school was only one day this year Monday June 17th where only grades 9 through 11 participated the reason being the seniors took part in graduation practice that same day seniors practiced at the high school in the auditorium and the gym until 10:30 and then enjoyed the senior lunch which was kindly organized by Tiger app then at 12:30 they continued grad practice at Hamilton field in preparation for the ceremony the Dober High School graduation took place the next day June 18th at Hamilton field in addition the eighth grade moving up ceremony also took place the same week on June 17th congratulations to all students and families as you may all know today is officially my last board meeting for real this time first of all I want to share with you that I will be attending Mammoth University and plan on majoring in Psychology I want to fulfill my dreams of becoming a psychologist and owning a private practice this year went by too quickly I vividly remember saying goodbye to to you this time last year uncertain of whether I was going to run for this position again or not I want to thank the student body my peers for voiding me for this position two years in a row it makes me happy to know that my fellow peers see in me a leader that they can trust and I am very thankful for that this opportunity allowed me to grow on a personal level challenging me and forcing me to exceed the expectations that I set for myself this posision gave me the opportunity of coming com out of my shell further developing my character and Leadership skills aside from this very important position that I held that I had the honor of taking on I also embarked on other leadership roles such as being the president of the National Honor Society and vice president of the student council I am very proud of these achievements and I want to thank do high school for giving me these opportunities I will forever be grateful with the District of Dober for the education they have provided through my trajectory from North Dober Elementary to East Del Elementary to deliver middle school and finally to deliver High School I met great people along the way staff teachers and students which I learned so much from but of course I wouldn't have been able to achieve anything without the help of the most important people in my life my parents and my brother who are sitting with us here tonight I am who I am because of them and everything I do and Achieve is for them they've always been there for me supporting and bring me on and could I couldn't have asked for anything more and I thank God for them every day I love you um I would also like to thank each and every one of you board members at the very beginning which is crazy to think was around 2 years ago I was extremely nervous about presenting myself before you but every one of you made me feel welcomed you were all great people and again thank you for making this experience unique I want to let you all know that I fulfilled my task to the best of my ability and hopes that I had a positive impact on our community my purpose was to bring pride and satisfaction to do high school I hope that I fulfilled this goal Dober will forever hold a special place in my heart thank you Miss Calderon Alvarez not only did you fulfill your goal you exceeded expectations so so um thank you for your service to our community and to the students appreciate you are there any comments or questions from the board um based on her report this evening thank you Miss Kone alare we are moving along to the board president's report since our last meeting I had the opportunity to attend the eighth grade moving up ceremony and confer diplomas to the DHS class of 2024 congratulations to each of you and your families and thank you to everyone who contributed to a successful season of graduation my report tonight includes a reminder that July 29th is the deadline to file your nominating petition with the county clerk to run for a seat on this board with the state and National Climate and attention on school boards it is perhaps more important now than ever that we have dedicated candidates to run r i I will remind you as I did last year this work requires many hours of research attention to detail an ability to work as a team and excellent communication skills to name a few you should not run excuse me you should not run if you are a one isue candidate or have a political agenda we need Schoolboard members who are dedicated to academic Excellence for all all students the landscape of our district is evolving we will face many challenges on the road ahead so I invite you to run if you are prepared to work with the full board to tackle these challenges and that concludes my report we are moving along to administrative reports Dr mlen I look forward to your final report thank you uh as I begin the report I just want to pass uh around two resolutions uh one from the Senate and general assembly of the state of New Jersey honoring do for the do college promise program and the second from the uh Congress of the United States uh also celebrating the same achievement so I thought the board would be interested in seeing those uh two documents last week we saw two glorious evenings of Celebration our eighth grade promotion ceremony and our high school graduation commencement although there were some slightly elevated temperatures the weather cooperated and allowed us to celebrate outside on our beautiful Hamilton field congratulations to the class of 2024 which saw 263 students receive their high school diploma particular note is made of this year's live performances of both our band and our chorus having our own students perform on the special night made the evening even more special and they were great I am extremely pleased to report that the district has been awarded its first ever Perkins Grant made possible by establishing our graphic art CTE program as the board is aware students in the CTE program earn 12 credits through a four course sequence conducted in collaboration with the County College of moris Perkins funding in this initial award is $3,189 an amount that may climb as the district further expands its CTE offerings many thanks to our CTE team and in particular Janet gainor matonti Brian Hicks and Bob Franks for their efforts in the establishment of the program and the application for the Perkins Grant the New Jersey Department of Education self- assessment grades for 20 2324 I I apologize for 2022 23 that were previously discussed with the Board of Education had been formally approved by the Department of Education as you may recall our district met all required expectation and increased its score for the district overall by six points we anticipate continued strength in all areas of Hib compliance as the district sustains its focus on this critically important area and our grade report rep is posted on our district website under the Hib emblem do middle schools the power of being seen program has been selected by character.org as a 2024 promising practice this selection meets the requirements of a practice that that demonstrates significant impact and aligns with one or more of the 11 principles framework of character education for schools congratulations to Dober Middle School summer programs and extended school year are poised to start on July the 1st each of our schools will see the active engagement of students who are expected to benefit greatly from the tailored instruction provided during this time I also want to particularly thank uh all of our teachers and staff who are giving just that extra time uh during the summer uh for this very worthwhile Endeavor as this is my last report to the board I would like to take this opportunity to thank our teachers our staff our students Families Our administrative team our do Education Association our do support Association our do administrators Association and the members of the board of education for the opportunity to have served Dober over these past 5 years the Dober educational Community is truly remarkable driven by their dedication to our students our staff is second to none Although our board of education has had different compositions through these five years every single board has been dedicated to our shared mission and vision not just reading those words at each meeting but truly backing those words up through its actions I am appreciative of being allowed to be a part of a district that clearly sees the needs of its students and its families and strives every day to meet those needs and to take increasingly Progressive steps to doing so more effectively and with greater impact I am confident that this critical work will continue and I anticipate great things for the future of Dober students and that completes my report thank you Dr mcclin are there any um comments or questions based off of his report this evening seeing none we are moving along to U Mr sabahu good evening uh I'm going to be talking about the projects mainly tonight uh our high school work freezer project is done we just waiting for a couple things to be completed so it's going to be functional there are several items on the agenda today for facility improvements repairs and maintenance uh the very first one is Middle School and East door Elementary School rebles we are planning to get this uh completed before the school starts uh we also have academic Street Elementary School roof restoration this is also planned to be completed in the summer and we also have high school here uh ceiling tiles replacement for 200 wing and we uh we're going to have easto elementary school gymnasium floor floors finishing are uh also we're going to be completing in this summer we received our ESA Elementary and secondary Education Act grant numbers for 2024 25 which is 1,670 74 this is the increase of uh little over $116,000 compared to this year and I will end my report report by thanking Dr mlon again and I wish him a great retirement thank you Mr sabahu are there any comments or questions based off of his report seeing none we are moving along to Boe reports Mr Miller any updates from the Morris County Education Services Commission uh yes at the last meeting I was elected again as a voting member of the ESC congratulations and also the Vice President congratulations yes thank you more work yeah uh Dr serer um is obviously not here and we'll provide a report at our next meeting uh Miss DS U Morris County njsba report uh there's no report this evening as the last meeting was on May 2nd for the school year thank you Miss STS uh we are moving along to administrative approval is there a motion to approve items 1 through 10 with the hand carry amendment to item 9 so moved second was that Miss nutting okay so um moved by Miss nutting and second by Miss Phillips sure did I make that up well we said it at the same time I'm just louder is there any discussion Mr I just had a question I know the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference so um I think for this coming year we're moving up back to the normal conference which means uh more competition I um and playing more of the local schools that we used to play is that correct correct yeah the the success of our athletic programs has put us back into a competitive conference uh and as you mentioned uh it'll be both more competitive but will also uh have us playing more local teams that's great thanks any other comments or questions seeing none uh we have a motion by Miss nutting a second by Miss Phillips Mr sabahu may we have a roll call vote please miss STS yes Mr Miller yes Miss nothing yes Miss Phillips yes Miss peles yes Miss SES yes Miss mandes yes we are moving along to Personnel Miss nutting uh upon the recommendations from from the superintendent sorry I'm like losing my voice here I would like to recommend 1 through 43 and hand carry change es to 2 3 10 16 20 and 42 we have a motion by Miss nutting is there a second second Miss Phillips we have a motion and a second is there any discussion seeing none Mr sabolo may we have a roll call vote please M STS yes Mr Miller uh yes and no to is this the the one with the assistant superintendent no to the assistant super tendent contract so it's no on item 34 yes to everything else uh Miss nothing yes except for number 34 is a no Miss Phillips uh yes to everything with the exception of number 34 which is a no Miss penes just no on item 34 Miss yes everything else yes to everything else yes sorry sor uh Miss SES no for item 34 yes to everything else Miss mandes no on item 34 yes to everything else excuse me um I I would like to change am I able to do that with regard to I I didn't single out the one the result hasn't been announced yet then I yes yes so the result has not been announced yet so Miss Downs you're welcome to change your vote okay so item 34 no please yes to all no to 34 okay so item 34 fails everything else passes uh negotiations Miss nutty yes we have a upcoming meeting with the dssa coming up I think it's what Thursday so that's all to report thank you uh Mr Miller any updates from the governance committee yes we met on May 21st uh we talked about the board self- evaluation and the superintendent evaluation which we work to set that up we discussed any uh movement towards our board goals uh for the third quarter and we working on developing a framework for each committee that provides more detail and timelines so that um we will be able to uh include that and any welcome package for any new members that decide to um get elected to the board so that they will have a full understanding of how each of the Committees operate that's amazing thank you Mr Miller I have a question do you think that you will the committee will be able to have um a timeline and framework um for the board self- evaluation and goal setting um by our next meeting yes we we definitely will because I think we uh had some discussion about pushing that out a little bit so that normally we would have the board retreat in August but because we are committed to uh our superintendent search that we would push that to September um so we'll come up with some dates we're going to work virtually to come up with that I urge you to um have the timeline um work for August because a part of uh Mr h job as of July 1st will be to come up with District goals um which needs to be done before September okay we'll we'll work on that thank you um student achievement and curriculum Miss DS good evening um the committee met on May 20th and the items discussed were uh curriculum for approval was the ml English one uh colle college readiness now summer bridge program the novaris girls in science and business mentoring program uh eight do students were accepted into this program the ELA summer curriculum writing grades K through 5 the summer 2024 complete units 1 through 3 fall winter 2024 complete units 3 through six uh gifted in talented planning um grades 3 to five standard based report cards 2024 2025 grades K to 5 consistency grades 3 to five honor roll discussion the rising tiger award for standards based grading the I ready final data review the linkit data review preschool versus non- preschool students and that concludes the report thank you thank you Miss TOS um are you prepared to make a motion for us I make a motion to approve items I'm sorry okay one through 11 11 11 1 through 11 second we good yeah very good we have a motion by Miss sounds is second by Miss Phillips is there any discussion seeing none uh Mr sabahu may we have a roll call vote please miss STS yes Mr Miller yes Miss nothing yes Miss Phillips yes Miss peles yes Miss SES yes Miss mandz yes we are moving along to community relations Miss Solen good evening everyone the community relations committee met with the citizen advisory committee on May 29th it was an overall productive meeting with follow-up discussions from the previous meeting this meeting also concluded the current citizen advisory committee's term our appreciation for the service and openness to bring forth Community suggestions discussions and concerns regarding the Dober Public School District we also want to remind the community that a Google form has been posted on the district's website for any community members who wishes to apply to the 2024 2025 school year citizen advisory committee thank you and that concludes my report thank you uh we are moving along to policy miss peles good evening um the policy committee met on May 20th we discussed um first reading the following items we discussed the a new policy on the use of handheld metal detectors we also discuss um new policies on no updates on the policies of our educational Equity policies affirmative action equal employment opportunities Equal Employment anti-discrimination Practices a slight changes to these policies because the language has has been replaced we also discuss um a total rewrite on the bilingual education policy Revis guid and counseling policy to ensure all students receive counseling only by the guidance counselors we did also first readings of regulations for the above mentioned policies and we discussed other points such as um Mr M presentation on um on changing the graduation requirements from 140 to 120 credits we're still discussing that and we're going to continue discussing that in June and other topics also have also been moved to June to be discussed our next meeting will be on June 26th thank you thank you uh was with that I'm sorry I would like to entertain a motion to approve items one one to two on their policy we have a motion by Miss pinales is there a second second second oh oh my God that was that me you oh it was you who was that M Mr Miller okay so we have a motion by Miss penales a second by Mr Miller is there any discussion seeing none Mr sabahu maybe have a roll call vote please miss STS yes Mr Miller yes Miss nothing yes Miss Phillips yes Miss peles yes Miss SES yes Miss mandz yes we are moving along to finance and Facilities Mr Miller yes the finance and Facilities committee met twice since our last meeting on 521 and 611 on May 21st we um discussed uh the fact that our Architects were um doing a full facility space utilization analysis and they were visiting all our school facilities interviewing staff looking at our infrastructure uh uh putting an inventory of everything that's uh within our buildings the electrical other equipment uh to kind of Baseline uh where we are with things and look at uh some capacity improvements um and um we had a number of projects in progress that Mr so Hulu's already given you know the uh results now you know two months later at our 611 meeting we had a presentation from our Architects giving us some um some conceptual ideas or options to add instructional space we discussed uh adding some additional classrooms to the east over Middle School um we talked about um adding uh sixth grade classrooms potentially and in the spot where we have the the um tennis courts now as you know some possibility because I think at one point we had talked about if we were able to move all the sixth graders to one location that would open up space in the elementary schools which is something that was done in the past one of the things that they did mention was that um for the referendum the um the plan that they felt was not architected properly um so so trying to look at new ideas of how we can create space uh within the district if there were possibilities of restructuring Uh current classroom space to create more space so they'll continue uh to look at that um and then we had an extensive update of all the projects including the modular classroom space HVAC upgrades um and um I believe that's all I think that covers the the two 2 months and with that I'd like to move that we approve items 1 through 45 we have a motion by Mr Miller is there a second second Miss NY we have a motion by Mr Miller a second by Miss nutting is there any discussion I just want to mention uh thanks for those that contributed additional funds for scholarships that are listed in our agenda thank you Mr Miller um any other comments or questions seeing none uh we have a motion by Mr Miller a second by Miss nutting Mr sabahu may we have a roll call vote please miss STS yes Mr Miller yes Miss nothing yes to all and abstain from number 44 44 Miss Phillips yes with an exstension to payments to vendor 1950 Miss pelis yes Miss sues yes Miss mandes yes uh we are moving along to some informational items upcoming Board of Education meetings July 23rd August 20th September 17th um facility requests uh we have the dssa and the town of do fire department um moving along to Old business is there any old business seeing none uh Mr Miller you have an item of new business yes I attended the New Jersey school boards Association delegate assembly representing the district on May 18th and there were 14 resolutions I know at our last meeting I discussed some of the detail of those um of the 14 two were rejected um the the uh resolutions that you know we knew would benefit our district were voted uh in I wanted to highlight uh one in which um they were seeking new policy language um uh to establish guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence in public schools uh to support the establishment of a Statewide artificial intelligence task force to provide guidance and policy recommendation to assist public schools in ensuring Equitable access to AI Technologies to promote uh responsible and ethical AI use and to Foster Innovation and digital literacy among students and Educators I wanted to note they highlighted that uh the norc public schools have approved an AI tool for use uh for help with homework they've also approved a $12 million contract uh to have 7,000 cameras with artificial intelligence features installed in the public schools uh to crack down on illegal activity so there's a lot of things that you could use artificial intelligence if you use it wisely um but they are considering a new AI tutor chatbot for district use that would guide students as they progress through lessons and ask questions like a human tutor would so the those are some of the things that there needs to be guidelines on how that can be used because it can be used on the wrong way so um they did um they did vote uh to not add language um as far as pilot projects um um in looking at the fact that the local taxes um they were looking to um looking at communities that had pilot projects uh so that if they didn't receive the taxes they wanted to just decrease State funds because the school should be getting the taxes so this was a uh an aim from certain districts wanting to equalize uh funding because the the pilot project should produce school taxes to help school districts with their budgets so that was voted down and that was a critical one and um all of these resolutions and the information are located on the Jersey school board's website if if you'd like to get more details Mr Miller thank you for um spending many Saturdays um being our board's delegate I appreciate all your hard work on behalf of our board so thank you thank you um is are there is there any other new business seeing none we're moving along to public comment um the board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on school matters to ensure fair and orderly expression of such comment each statement shall be held to a time period of 3 minutes public comments nonrestricted to items on this agenda shall be entertained for approximately 30 minutes upon the discretion of the presiding officer for those who wish to provide public comment remotely a Google form was posted on the district website at 6:30 p.m. remote comments will be read by a member of the Board of Education the Board of Education will alternate between in-person and online comments please understand that public comment portions of our agenda are not structured as question and answer sessions but rather they are offered as opportunities to share your thoughts with the board the board may or may not respond to public comments however all comments are considered and will be investigated and addressed as appropriate please be courteous and mindful of the rights of others when providing comments comments may not be abusive obscene threatening or irrelevant please understand that students and employees have specific legal and privacy protections the board is not permitted to respond in public to comments about students or employees please be advised that you are commenting at your own risk any public comments that are directed at a particular individual or individuals could subject you to Legal liability for defamation with that public comment is now open is there any member of the public in person wishing to speak hello again I am back uh John klio 24 Taylor Town Road modville uh real quick each year our do Education Association votes on educators of the year and Par Professionals of the year for our uh teaching staff and for our power Professionals in the school year uh so I just wanted to take a moment and recognize those indivual uals that were voted by their peers as the winners for this school year for Academy Street School Kathy Kina at North do elementary school Jamie kemi at East over Middle School Nicole Paulino East over Elementary School Jessica pidgen for do high school Kathy Pak and for our power professionals our classroom AIDS we did have a tie with two individuals that earn the exact same number of votes both very well-deserving uh individuals and we're proud of all of our recipients our PR Professionals of the year for this year are Andrea Williams and Janet Hooper thank you all very much for another wonderful school year we are proud not only of our of our staff and our students but we're also proud to have a um a wonderful Board of Ed wonderful community and we thank you for everything that you did this year thank you thank you uh Miss Phillips do we have any remote comments no is there any other member of the public in person wishing to speak no remote comments ments no no in Person Public comment is now closed um I uh make a motion to enter executive session to discuss Personnel um matters we would return in 30 to 45 minutes is there a second second we have a motion and a second Mr saahu may we have a roll call vote please miss STS yes Mr Miller yes Miss nothing yes Miss Phillips yes Miss peles yes Miss SES yes Miss mandz yes um and I've just been advis to mention that action may be taken after we return so e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e we are returning from executive session at 9:07 p.m. and I will entertain a motion to adjourn so moved I have motion by Mr Miller second by who me second by Miss nutting all in favor say I any oppose meeting adjourned good night everyone stay and help clean up in