reorganization meeting for the Emerson Board of Education January 8th 2024 this meeting is being held in conformance with the open public meetings Act and the time and place of said meeting has been conveyed to the appropriate newspapers and posted in the board office three schools municipal building and filed with the clerk of the burrow of Emerson uh will you all please rise for the pledge of lead to the flag of the United States of America and to theic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all meeting is being called to order at 7:32 roll call Mrs Mara here Mr Pasdar here Mr Smith here okay at this time I'd like to take a motion to approve the results of the Board of Education Election so move second call Mrs Mara hi Mr pdar hi Mr Smith hi okay at this time I'll swear in the newly elected board members um we can do them one at a time so I'll just go in alphabetical order to make it uh easier so uh Mr William GR will you please step to the podium over here please raise your right hand and repeat after me I William G the I will gr fifth do you solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and this state and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and the state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people people so help me God so help me God okay one more I William GC i f i William G the fth do solemnly swear that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law do solemnly swear that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law for the office of member of a board of education and that I will faithfully impartially and justly for the office of member of Board of Education and that I will faithfully and partially and justly perform all the duties of that office according to the best of my ability perform all duties of that office according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God thank congratulations [Music] raise your right hand and repeat after me I Amanda ricardi I Amanda ricardi you Solly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey to solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear two faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and the state and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same until the governments established in the United States and the state under the authority of the people so help me God under the authority of the people to help I Amanda ricardi I Amanda ricardi do solemnly swear that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law do solemnly swear that I possess a qualification prescribed by law for the office of member of a board of education for office of member of a board of education and that I will faithfully and partially and justly perform all the duties of that office according to the best of my ability and that I will faithfully and partially and justly perform the duties all the duties of that office according to the best of my ability so help me go so help me congratulations okay um at this time I'd like to open up nominations for the president of the Board of Education I'll make a motion that Bru passar be nominated for president of the Board of Education I'll second okay seeing no other candidates roll call Mrs Mara hi Mr gett hi Mr Pasdar I Mrs ricardi hi Mr Smith I congratulations you can open up thank you Mr mamore um I will now proceed with the rest of the uh items on the agenda uh for nomination for vice presidents I would like to make a motion that Amy Mara be nominated for vice president of the Board of Education I second uh no other nominations uh take a roll call please Mrs marra hi Mr garlic hi Mr pdar hi Mrs ricardi hi Mr Smith hi congratulations congratulations all right good um moving on next item on the agenda I'd like to uh uh can I get a motion uh Mrs Mara for uh the Board of Education approve the following committee appointments for from January 3rd 2024 until the reorganization meeting of 2025 for facilities buildings and grounds chair will grolik uh and the member Amy Mara uh finance and negotiations chair barus pazdar member Keith Smith and curriculum instruction and student achievement chair Amy Mara and member Amanda ricardi so move Keith can we get a second second second roll call please Mrs Mar I Mr Grow hi Mr Pasar hi Mrs ricardi hi Mr Smith I thank you uh can I get a motion for the Board of Education to approve the following appointments from January 3rd 2024 until the reorganization meeting of 2025 Amy Mara as board representative and baru Pasdar as alternate to the Bergen County and New Jersey School Board Association legislative committee so moved second second by Mr Smith call please Mrs Mara I Mr G hi Mr pdar I Mrs ricardi hi Mr Smith I uh Mr Smith can I get a motion to open the meeting to the public for input and comments on agenda items only I move to open the meeting to the public for input and comments on agenda items only second all in favor I I we're open for uh any input and uh comments if no other comments uh can I get a uh motion to close the meeting to the public for input and comments so moved second second all uh uh all in favor I I Mr Smith can I get a motion to adopt all items on the above consent agenda given that all board members or the current board members uh have had a chance to review the agenda items can I get a motion to adopt all items on the above consent agenda I move to adopt all items on the above consent agenda second second by Mrs Mara roll call please Mrs I Mr Garett I Mr Pasdar I Mrs ricardi I Mr Smith I uh let's move on to superintendent report so the only thing we have for the superintendent's report this evening is uh for the board to discuss uh the code of ethics which they subsequently will approve traditionally uh the board has uh read the code of ethics um as part of our discussion so I'll turn that over to you Mr Pasar great thank you uh the members of the Board of Education recognize that they hold Authority not as individuals but as members of the board in order to make a clear public statement of its philosophy of service to the pupils of the district the board adopts this code of ethics I will uphold and enforce all laws state board rules and regulations and court orders pertaining to schools desired changes should be brought about only through legal and ethical procedures I will make decisions in terms of the educational welfare of children and will seek to develop and maintain public schools which meet the individual needs of all children regardless of their ability race Creed sex or social standing I will confine my board action to policymaking planning and appraisal and I will help to frame policies and plans only after the board has consulted those who will be affected by them I will behave toward my fellow board members with the respect due to their office demonstrating courtesy decorum and fair play at all public meetings and in all public statements I will refrain from inappropriate conduct in public meetings and in making public statements refraining from any disparagement of my fellow board members or other on a personal social racial or religious basis I will carry out my responsibility not to administer the schools but together with my fellow board members to see that they are well-run I will recognize that Authority rests with the Board of Education make no personal promises nor take any private action which may compromise the board I will refuse to surrender my independent judgment to special interest of partisan political groups or to use the schools for personal gain or the gain of friends I will hold confidential all matters pertaining to the schools which if disclosed would needlessly injure individuals or the schools but in all other matters I will provide provide accurate information and in concert with my fellow board members interpret to the staff the aspirations of the community for its schools I will vote to appoint the best qualified Personnel available after consideration of the recommendation of the chief School administrator I will support and protect School personnel and proper performance of their duties I will refer all complaints to the chief School administrator and will act on such complaints at public meetings only after failure of an administrative solution great thank you uh perhaps I should have mentioned this before we started doing that but we traditionally like to read the code of ethics out loud to remind ourselves of the the code and to to show the public that uh we truly do take them seriously and and to heart so thank you fell board members for that uh can I get a motion Mr um I move that the Board of Education adopt the code of ethics for the 2024 2025 school year as recommended by the superintendent I second second by Mr Smith roll call Mrs marra I Mr Grow hi Mr Pasdar hi Mrs ricardi hi Mr Smith I uh Mrs Mar can I get a motion to open a meeting to the public for input and comments I move to open the meeting to public for input and comments second second by Mr GR all in favor [Music] hi okay Mr Smith can I get a motion to close the meeting to the public for input and comments I move to close the meeting to the public for input and comments second second by Mrs Mara all in favor I um before we uhour the meeting uh I'd like to First say a few words uh I'd like to thank my fellow board members each and every one of them to express my gratitude my thanks for their trusting me in the role as president I look forward to working with each and every member I believe in the power of collaboration and I Look to collaborate uh and to to act as one board in uh furthering the the goals of this district and to help the uh the students uh of this District uh in their growth and their education so um thank you again for your uh your trust and your support uh and I'd like to allow any other board members if they wish to say anything and and also congratulations again to uh Mrs ricardi and Mr grck we look forward to working with you and if anyone has anything to say Mr gik or Miss Mara anyone else sure thank you um you don't have to yeah I a little on the fly but um I just want to uh uh thank the community um and uh amazing turnout tonight and um I really look forward to uh presenting you all well and working with a pretty awesome board and doing so collaboratively so thank you all I would like to say something I put a little something together I humbly stand before you all with profound gratitude first and foremost I want to acknowledge Anthony k who ran alongside me with passion and dedication though the outcome favored me his commitment to our community and students is commendable together we saw to better the educational landscape and I am grateful for his contribution I want to express my deepest thanks to my friends family and neighbor Neighbors excuse me who supported me during this journey to serve on Emerson's Board of Education to each person who believed in my vision for our community's education system your encour encouragement fueled my determination and reaffirm the significance of our shared goals whether through spreading the word or offering words of encouragement your commitment has been an invaluable amount of strength to my children who are undoubtedly my greatest motivation and source of Joy your patience and understanding during this busy time have meant the world's men while it was an involuntary sacrifice that you made I hope that one day when you are faced with that option to sit or stand that you too decide to stand you have been my driving force and I am excited to work towards a brighter future for all of the students in our district last but certainly not least my heartfelt appreciation goes to my husband your encouragement sacrifices and belief in my ability to make a positive impact have been the Cornerstone of this journey I couldn't have done this without your love and steadfast support in the past two years whenever I would tell him that a board ofed meeting was happening that evening he would ask me if I was planning to go and unless there was an extenuating circumstance I would always say yes so for the record Stephen the the answer is yes I will be going for the foreseeable future I am genuinely thrilled to join the existing board and I look forward to collaborating with each member to enhance the educational experience for every child in our community together we can make a lasting difference built on the Bedrock that has been created by you and those who have stepped down from the board your service and commitment to our community have left an indelible Mark your legacy is appreciated and held with the utmost value and last but certainly not least I'd like to congrat we your dedication to this community is commendable and I extend my heartfelt congratulations as we embark on this journey together let's unite for the betterment of our schools and the future of our students I am honored to serve and I look forward to the collective efforts that will shape a brighter future for our community's children thank you thank you Mrs rard uh with that um Mrs Mara can I get a motion to close in a meeting the public I move to close close the meeting to the public and adjourn at 7:49 p.m. to discuss an executive session legal and Personnel issues in the conference room of the Board of Education offices no action will be taken at this time the board will return to open session upon completion of discussion and may or may not take action at that time the next meeting of the board of education is scheduled for January 22nd 2024 at 7:30 p.m. in the high school media center thank you a second a second got a second second second by Mr grck all in favor I I thank you everyone great Kidd hi [Music] congratulations