##VIDEO ID:jBAA8-4tG-w## check check check one two check check one two 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 call to order let's raise for Flex to the flag of the United States of America and stand indivis jusice for all thank you uh roll call Mr to Mr beel Patel here Mr Rano here M ping here miss white here Mr Schneider here Mr Rivera here Mr vop Pau here miss anena Patel Mr Lugo here we have a quorum thank you opening statement yes in accordance with the open public meetings ACT public law 1975c 231 Sunshine Law the Edison Township Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be published by having the date time and the place thereof posted on the board in the Board of Education Administrative Office copies of this notice were sent to the home News Tribune and the Star Ledger thank you uh next we have strategic Plan update by Mr Rick Coen yeah so the um I I can actually talk a little bit about that really quickly so at our next Board of Education meeting um we are going to be highlighting um uh the wellness portion of our strategic plan it's actually going to be Dr tuy Who's going to be heading that up um uh we will be updating the board uh on our progress in relationship to the goals that were approved in um August at that time frame and we are going to continue to do this at each and every single meeting moving forward and the chairs are going to um highlight all the great things that their uh them and their teams are doing together thank you um next is violence and vandalism report sure Dr yep yeah in accordance with um with the New Jersey Law uh we are required to report out on our VI violence and vandalism report um each period um we are we are happy to say that this this is actually a 40% reduction um in the incidents from last year to this year um and and that's something that we do monitor I I I can't help but attribute that to um you know the diligence of our building Administration as well as our teachers but but also um this board has allowed me to invest in um additional security guards under the uh under the leadership of Mr cassan to specifically monitor those those those hot areas right the bathrooms cafeteria outside the breezeways um so as as we continue to see these numbers go down we are still going to look for ways ways to um remediate the ones that that are appearing and uh and deal with them U not only from a disciplinary perspective but also from a counseling component thank you all right so welcome everyone to the Caucus meeting uh everyone had a hopefully everyone had a wonderful fall break much needed for all the staff members especially and hopefully you guys had a wonderful nja convention and hopefully you had all the fun and uh very good outcome out of it uh so the kids enjoyed there was Diwali in between and other things so everyone enjoyed um Edison had his local Board of Education elections congratulations to ronak Patel Ral Faro and Jerry shei for being on the board ronak is a new board member my very good friend and U Ral Faro and Jer she are former board members coming back to the board so they'll all take there'll be three new new board members in January so congratulations to all of them look forward to continuing the program of the district that everyone is all the board members work hard towards uh every year um we have a very good Thanksgiving break coming up so hopefully everyone takes advantage of that and enjoys and have some relaxing time before the wonderful holiday season starts but we will have board meetings before that so we have opportunity to talk before that right that being said I will give it on to Dr Al thank you board president Patel um you my portion of uh of the report will highlight some of the components of the Strategic plan at our upcoming meeting but I'm just going to take this opportunity to highlight a few agenda items um for explanation for the board as we look for through the administrative section currently right now um I also serve as a board of education member on the um ed services committee um which is comprised of superintendents and other Representatives at that time frame so I do understand um the great responsibility that this board has in dealing with issues um you know that affect students and staff uh as well as the members of those community um so this is the reappointment of um myself as an appointed board member on their board of directors there too um and also for your review as we've done for Action coming up uh you will be approving the October uh 2024 Hib report as specified before and as reviewed by the board last month uh for curriculum and instruction it looks like we've only got two items currently on and again it's still early in um in the month I know we've got uh our Action meeting coming up so there there might be a few items that we do add to the agenda in advance of this but I'll update the board um uh via email as we as we continue to add a few items here or there but as you can see we've got you know a couple Zoo trips um the Philadelphia Zoo we're going uh one of the I think the Highlight here is the first robotics District event in March for the JP Stevens um uh robotics component we have about 20 students there and some of the advisers also so we we always look for uh opportunities to showcase our talents uh our students talents and uh last but not least under curriculum instruction we have a professional development for our staff uh that are attending um out of District uh workshops to enhance their uh their professional learning opportunities at the time frame and then uh the last part of this component is going to be um our special education uh in which we have our students um uh that are either being placed out of District or coming back to District so that um based on the programs that we have here and that we're able to provide them and then I would just then turn it over to my colleague to my right which will talk a little bit about finance and Facilities sure yeah I mean it's a it's a pretty lean agenda thus far for uh the month of November standard is going to be the monthly financials subm minutes under item a Item B will be contracts it's pretty light uh we have some furniture that we're going to be purchasing uh new cafeteria tables for Edison High School so Mr Ross will be very excited and so should the students be um we are uh going to be replacing some vehicles in our buildings and grounds um uh motorpool a cargo van um and an F for 350 I believe we're going to use this 350 with tow package to tow those new band trailers since we're going to have our own trailers now for the band equipment so that's some pretty exciting stuff uh couple of two change orders under facilities um we have one item under grants and that's the uh National Fitness campaign award I believe we're receiving $90,000 um for some Fitness equipment I think we're going to be doing like an outdoor gym parkour type thing yeah yes so I've included in the executive content of this just the link to the uh Fitness campaign so you can actually see um the um the product that's going to be open for student staff as well as um you know members of the public at that time frame too um that focuses on Fitness congratulations to Mr dcoo who um who kind of spearheaded this along with uh Dr hus uh our grants team and uh Mr to as well too and uh the last item under finance and Facilities is transportation we have our bus evacuation drills as have as have to be completed uh in order to comply with state law and then uh the award of a a few routes for transportation and that's all we got thank you Mr Tod now we'll move on to board comments we all the board members most of them went to njsba Convention and uh the best part about the convention apart from the parties is Dr Elder Ali had a presentation and Mr Rick Kohan had a presentation so it's after a long time or probably the first time I don't know the records but it was U they make the district proud that we had opportunity of two of our administrators our superintendent and Mr rohen present um Miss Heather Daniel was also selected for presentation but um unfortunately due to certain her sickness she could not attend it but we had three administrative three members of the administrative team presented um selected for the presentation which is big for the district which is huge and we all attended um Dr Al's presentation sorry Mr Gohan we can just we were not able to sneak out of the room at that time and it was challenging but uh yeah it was uh well I heard that yours was excellent as well so everything went well in the district they they both made the district proud so really huge quos to both of you I really appreciate all that thank you thank you our pleasure thank you right thank you the any other board members any comments yes Mr R Eddie this whole new board stock confuses me still to this day are we are we allowed to talk about 1G Personnel uh oneg that's superintendent's report that'll be that'll be talked about uh on Tuesday okay okay thank you thank you other board members saying none I'll open it up to public comments I will invite first Mrs Conway cuz she pushed for this Caucus meeting and here we have it Elizabeth Conway 20 Netherwood Circle uh I want to I don't have to thank you but I'm appreciative that you're doing things better let's put it that way uh because I truly felt um having a combined meeting during the summer is one thing but extending uh throughout the year I don't think it truly would give you enough time to discuss all the elements of what was going on in the district and as a former board member I realized those meetings were very important to talk to one another to discuss what's going on to get information and having from 5 :30 to 7:00 right before you have to vote on it I just thought was inappropriate so I'm really glad that uh it is back um the other thing I'd like to say is I'd like to uh congratulate those that were running for the Board of Education because anyone that steps up to run for the Board of Education I give them credit for doing it uh I will miss Doug and Brian and beel from being on the board next year you truly gave uh your best for this board and we're truly uh appreciative of everything that you did when the vote comes out the vote comes out but we have to give exp explaining how good you did for your three years so I thank you for doing what you do and I just hope that maybe some of you will join Carol and I uh to keep track of everyone that follows us in line and the only other thing that I do ask um you know I can be persistent uh I did asked last month if we could have h a periodic uh parenthesis month monthly update as to what's going on at the various schools as I drive past them um it would be nice to know where our money is being spent and when the children would be going in we hear about change Ord but we don't hear about changing seats so I appreciate if that would happen and I'm glad you're feeling better thank you thank you thank you so much Mrs Conway so yeah so the newsletter is coming out soon and hopefully we can include a section it's a part of superintendent report so you will see it very soon thank you uh next for public comments yes Joyce good evening I would like to thank all the people who participated and who are on this board now and the people who on this board to become on this board oh my name oh joy ship Freeman sorry at all thank you at all I would like to thank everyone because this job right here uh people are not paid like $220,000 you know a year or anything when you become involved in this you become involved in this because you're really interested in moving Our Town forward I respect you a lot even if you have different of opinions what I like is that you guys still respect the people in the audience whether they agree with you or whatever you um show the time you show the information you do like a really good job at it and I like the fact that you guys are showing our students what government looks like you're not playing games you don't you know do all those other things that are unnecessary back and forth and I just I feel good by being an Edison night all these years I feel good that Edison's at least the school system is headed in the right direction I feel good about that but I got one little complaint over here um I want to ask you a question um if a student gets hurt at school and it's reported to the the lunch Aid and the lunch Aid reports it to the teacher the teacher reports it to the nurse why wouldn't the nurse report it to a parent so that they can know when their kid came home that something happened to their kid so that's my my question and I will send that to you online because I'm not trying to create a circus anything anything I just need these information from parent that asked me that they were very disturbed about that all right other than that hey keep up the good work Edison thank you so you can certainly email your question Dr Al Al and you know he'll respond back next for public comments yes Anthony Anthony damr uh 25 Wy um this went by quick so uh get my stuff in order um the first thing um James Monroe uh in the in the in the drop and when you're picking up the kids dropping them off can we work can we coordinate with the township um and have don't have the DPW picking up their garbage and at the time of drop off it's I you know I I understand that you know you know I what they're doing on the third floor at Town Hall but clearly um you know you might have to uh baby feed it to them so you know if and wel them through this but they there there really should not be any garbage pick up it is a nightmare there and if you have if you're going to have an incident one day and God forbid that you need to you need a uh fire truck to go down there it is it is um it's just uh it's a dangerous situation and I I I'll say it again too you know hopefully um I brought this up at the Town council meeting and you know to have a more of a fluid traffic situation there one way in one way out so to speak during those time periods drop off and pick up at James Monro I think it will help uh whether you know which roads you guys want to you know go down I I think the township was supposed to do a traffic study I don't know if they did or not on that I'll follow up tomorrow at the council meeting um as a matter of fact I will follow up with that at the council meeting tomorrow um but it's just um it's you know it's just everybody's going in different directions in this this I don't have to tell you the streets are tight over there and and when you add dump you know garbage trucks picking it up it's a disaster it really is um what's that um oh uh is has this board taken a position on the Jackson a possible construction there um that they that the township wants to I guess rip up the road um I don't know if this board has commented on it if you have I you know I apologize but um you know I was at that uh that the mayor's meet and greet there on Jackson AB a few weeks ago and you know I I don't know I don't know if he call that a plan I wouldn't call it a plan but you know it's I don't know if the the school district is ready and has a plan for how you're going to bust kids in if they do that and are coordinating with the township because uh uh that looks like it's going to be you know if that goes through that's going to be a uh a headache to say the least so I was just curious to know if that uh if those if you guys have those talks and I think that's about it um thank you thank you so I think that uh garbage truck can be very annoying I understand so if you want to follow with Ray yeah Mr cus said we just kind of nodded at each other currently right now make sure he reaches out to the to the Department of works and um uh We've definitely been in contact with uh um the mayor as well as his team in relationship to that um and we're going to start looping in the building principal also into that conversation it's it's going to be you know we moved from having heavy construction over there as well too which which was super challenging when we were building the gym and things like that but rip it up the sidewalk over there where we're coming in and out is going to be it's going to be challenging too so um uh we're working on a plan working on plan thank you all right awesome and then Jackson Avenue I saw a bunch of emails from Oar and some other people over from residents so I don't know how much you guys are in the loop yeah okay so if we can have an update for you by next week thank you uh next for public comments yes ma there's no goodies from Atlantic City you want what's that no goodies from Atlantic City no no goodies from Atlantic City can you tell me how that Happ was there a convention I don't know Matt revnak ETA president um first of all I'd just like to say with the election it's always great to see it's democracy at work seven members that ran for three board seats congratulations to the winning three members Mr she Mr ronic Patel and and Mr ero I'll say my comments for the three people that are on the board that will be terminating their time on the board in January till the January meeting but you know it's a thankless job and people do it for the right reasons hopefully and you know for that great pay of zero dollars that you make and all the time and effort it's it's always appreciated no overtime and yeah no overtime Etc all right second thing um ETA is running a bus trip to um Radio City Music Hall November 23rd we still have some tickets available out there so if anyone's interested that's open to the public as well uh leaves our uh ETA office um up in Durham complex at 9:00 a.m. returns at 3:30 leaving U New York City uh the show itself is at 11:00 and we even have we have some seats available if you just want to take the bus up and walk the city and you don't want to go in show so if you're interested contact me at the ETA office our number 732 287 4322 and either myself or my secretary ruthan can you know talk to you about that um final thing I want to mention again I know Mr Campion spoke about again our successful trunk or treat at the last board meeting unfortunately I couldn't be there I was in surgery um but I also want to mention and thanks to miss Campion for the fundraiser for bosov um for scholarships for our students unfortunately it doesn't sell as much as we'd like to but anything we can bring in is always a help and we appreciate all of those that did participate thank you thank you uh anyone else public comments okay thank you uh motion to end public comments motion to end public comments all in favor right all right right thank you uh at this point the board is going to adjourn to privil session in accordance with njsa Section 10412 the Addison Township Board of Education adjs to a confidential session for the purpose of discussing the following confidential personnel and board matters pending litigation student matters Hib and I get a motion to adjourn to privilege session motion motion Mr Vishal Patel second second Mr Romano uh roll call Mr to Mr Lugo yes Mr vop Patel yes Mr AA yes Mr Schneider yes Miss White yes Miss Pang yes vice president Romano yes president Patel yes motion carries thank you at this point we will let join to previl session uh we don't expect to come back because there is nothing we anticipate to be voted upon we'll see you all next Tuesday at Edison High School at 7:00 for the action meeting thank [Applause] you for