[Music] good evening everybody we are going to get started welcome to the November obook and Board of Education meeting is good can you please read statement of compliance this meeting is being held in Conformity to the open public meeting Act njsa 10 col 4-6 publicover popular notice of the meeting was published in the local papers on January 7 [Music] 2023 which was the annual notice if any board member or member of the public and attendance believe that the meeting is is in violation of the open public meetings act the Hoboken Board of Education requests that they make a statement at this time the board wishes to make those in attendance proceed at this time I'm asking Coury children under public meeting act legislation could we our voices be heard please could you suspend the agenda after that I'm just asking I want to place thank you okay the board wishes to make those in attendance aware that this meeting is being recorded on video and will be broadcast by the board at a later date on T on Cat TV channel 77 and files channel 46 the full meeting recording will also be made available on board docs which can be accessed through the district homepage the Hoboken board of education is committed to preserving the decor of the public process and is mindful that we live in the electronic age of computer cell phone and other electronic communication devices nevertheless we respectfully request that all meeting participants kindly silence their electronic devices during the course of the meeting and if use of devic necessary we ask that you please leave the meeting room if to conduct personal business I will not change the meeting it will proceed as it proceeds every month M [Applause] president please rise we doing a pledge allegiance right now I pledge aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for we are not changing we are not changing can [Applause] [Music] [Applause] we miss cam matori here Mr delator here Mr Grana here Mrs Conor here Mr kutle here Mrs mcer here M Norwood here miss Taran here miss Angley here you have a motion I mean a full board qu you're ready to go thank you okay so we're going to start meeting with uh the recognition portion of and I would like to turn the meeting over to Miss Rodriguez with [Applause] us welcome to the student course to Welcome to the student recognition portion of the meeting we are excited to honor our students tonight T and learn about their accomplishments and those that they will aim for in the future I extend a heartfelt welcome to the members of our Board of Education superintendent Dr Johnson administrators faculty Community our students and their special guests their families it is always such a joy to stand before you and introduce our amazing principles as they come up to the podium and share detailed information and anecdotes about the students being honored here tonight as October's students of the month it is quite an accomplishment to be honored by your school and District communities and if you are one of the students being honored here tonight please don't ever forget this moment and let it Inspire many more powerful moments you are role models and peer mentors to the students in your classrooms and those you pass along in the hallways daily thank you for inspiring others we are also very proud of each of you and can't wait to hear about your academic Journey as has been our process we will begin with the Joseph F brand school and its principal principal Charles Bartlett he will then introduce the Connor's vice principal Mr Hamlin and he will follow the same pattern introducing our next presenters principal Channon sorine and Pika Petra of Wallace Hoboken middle and Hoboken High School each will celebrate their schools selections and Paws Of course for a picture opportunity again thank you for being with us here this evening and with that I would ask principal Bartlett to join me at the [Applause] podium thank you very much Mrs Rodriguez Gomez and good evening to the Board of Education um and at this time I would like to ask Gabriel liberman to join me at the podium congratulations to Gabriel liberman the Joseph F brand Elementary School student of the month for October 20123 Gabriel was nominated by his fourth grade teacher Miss brones he was nominated for his constant hard work being a role model to his classmates and his kindness and respect towards himself and others Mr brones says she couldn't be more proud of Gabriel he comes into class each day with a smile and positive attitude that is absolutely infectious he is always willing to help his classmates and teachers Gabriel has an energy and zest for life and an approach to learning that is unlike any other he is personable sweet silly curious hardworking and so kind and caring she said having Gabriel in her class has been such a special experience Gabriel is one of the students I enjoy talking to whenever I have a chance having known him from the time he was in kindergarten having had the ability to watch him grow socially emotionally and academically having had the opportunity to watch watch him take steps on his early life Journey are wonderful things he and I always seem to find ourselves in a conversation about Penn State he's a huge fan and I'm class of 2002 you think we're going to beat Ruckers this weekend not even going to be close what do you think what do you think about Coach Diaz and the defense they're pretty good right Mr Bronte said there was no one like Gabriel he is an asset to our classroom Community he's a kind he is kind and silly and he is always willing to help he perseveres even when things get hard and he is an inquisitive student who loves to research and find the answers his resilience and ability to stay the course are a great example for his peers and classmates he always wants to include his classmates in whatever activity he is working on he never wants to leave anyone out he is accepting and he is always a comfort to students who might need it if you're having a bad day go talk to Gabriel because he will talk to you and encourage you to turn your day around he loves to joke around with his teachers and classmates and talk about Sports he is truly a bright spot in not only our classroom but the school Community as well in addition to being a dedicated student and classmate Gabriel is part of the John's Hopkins cty program as well as the brand School band he is always engaged during the school day and loves to ask questions and solve problems when not in school gabrio likes to play the drums and play chess he also enjoys Taekwondo and being the goalie for his soccer team in school his favorite subjects are math and cty besides being a big Penn State fan some of his other favorite sports teams are JMU the Jets and the Yankees he wants to attend Penn State when he gets older and he wants to be a football player or a chef he loves to listen to Guns and Roses Fallout Boy and Olivia Rodrigo Gabriel said he was surprised that he earned the honor of school student of the month he thought he would earn it for his grade level or a subject area but did not expect to get the overall School honor he went on to say when he would told he would be honored here tonight and Mr brones wants it to be abundantly clear she had nothing to do with this when told he would be honored here tonight Gabriel said quote me on this Miss brones is a very good teacher based on that it is very easy to see why she highlighted Gabriel's ability to think of others and his overabundant kindness please join me in a round of applause for Gabriel liberman the Brandt Elementary School student of the month for October [Applause] 2023 thank you bud that's yours congratulations take that back with you at this time I'd like to welcome to the podium the vice principal of Connor School Mr Jack [Applause] Hamlin [Applause] thank you Mr Bartlett at this time I'd like to ask Paige Rosenfeld the Conor student of the month to [Music] [Applause] [Music] Jo we could not be more proud of Paige's growth as she is so deserving of this award Paige is a third grader in Miss Halls Home Room class Miss Hall shared that Paige is an exemplary student friend and peer Miss Hall nominated Paige as the District student of the month because she's a role model that leads by example in home room 208 Paige shows integrity each day as she constantly is making the right choices even when no one is looking each day she is following our classroom routines without needing reminders Miss Hall can always count on her to set an example for her friends one of Paige's peers explained she's a really respons responsible student she always pushes in everyone's chairs before leaving the classroom and it's really helpful she also helps me a lot when we're in groups together academically Paige has been working extremely hard to master third grade skills such as race short response strategy and narrative writing she comes to school each day ready to learn asks questions and makes connections Paige is not afraid to make mistakes and learn from them Miss Hall is so proud of her for her growth mindset Miss Hall believes that Paige will be able to accomplish whatever she sets her mind to in this life because of her positive attitude and determination Paige shared with Miss Hall that one day she wants to advance to level seven in gymnastics which is a challenging but achievable goal Miss Hall is confident that Paige's strength of character will help her to be able to achieve that goal we're so grateful to have Paige as a student at Connors not only has a Paige been a role model and a hardworking student her kind heart is her greatest gift one of Paige's classmates shared I would describe Paige as a caring and lovable friend she is really kind and always there for you when you need her Paige thank you for sharing your kindness with us we're so proud of you we can't wait to watch you continue to shine your light throughout the rest of your school year and your career at Conor's Elementary Paige just like you're an incredible role model in your classroom you're an incredible role model at Connors you have become the poster child for reading you have tremendous grit and you never give up there was a time when you were younger the reading was not so much fun and felt a bit challenging you are a true example that hard work dedication and effort pays off when you were younger you read every evening and over the summer and gave your full effort in class as well as with Miss kof Franchesco to improve your skills your Dr level grew tremendously and I know how you absolutely love reading now and that you read for enjoyment I also want to give your parents a big shout out your parents love you so much and supported you every step of the way to help you succeed my wish is for you to continue to never give up and hold on to your grit with any obstacle that comes your way my second wish for you is that you should continue to hold on to your kind heart having a kind heart balanced with grit and determination will enable you to be successful with any goal that you set and make a positive difference in our world we cannot be more proud of you can everyone please join me in a round of applause for Paige Rosenfeld Conor [Music] student I'd now like to introduce the principal of Wallace Elementary School Martin [Applause] Shannon ready okay good evening we're here tonight to celebrate Nina bird our Wallace school student of the month Mrs tag nominated Nina for this honor because of her work ethic in the classroom amazing heartfelt efforts assisting other students both in the classroom and socially and her overall wonderful disposition nah is an incredible assets of the classroom and the Wildcat Community because she is able to empathize with her classmates it is truly heartwarming to see how she lends herself to her friends and those in need additionally Nina is incredibly well-round it she participates and contributes to the theater program and the band Nina loves to play the violin another one of her personal Hobbies is to take care of her pets her hermit crabs and guinea pigs with her free time she loves to research animals in their habitats her favorite subject is math so she will often practice math at home when she has free Time Sports well what could I say she loves soccer and football she also loves to cut the rug listening to pop music although she is not familiar with any colleges just yet she definitely knows that she wants to further her education and become a zoologist roaring at Wallace seems to come natural to Nina this school year she has shown exceptional effort hard work dedication and perseverance yet it is n's kind heart helpful demeanor and empathetic spirit that make her extraordinary let's hear at F Nina our Wallace school student of the month [Music] okay we going to this is [Music] yours so very proud thank you good job next I would like to welcome principal soran to the podium good evening everyone please welcome to the podium hobok Middle School student of the month for October yal [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Sagal Yuval has been nominated for student of the month by Miss Anderson Miss Donnelly and Miss Jetty yval is described by his teachers as an exemplary student he is intellectually curious participates regularly and intrinsically motivated Miss Don shares that yuval's contributions in the ELA classroom are insightful and on point Yuval is admired by and thoughtful of his pairs he is always willing to help out a fellow tiger Yuval goes above and beyond on all his assignments he is truly a pleasure to have in class Miss quis describes yal as a student who keeps her on her toes he is incredibly thoughtful about each of his problems that they approach always looking for the best ways to understand what he is trying to achieve and open to different ways to get there miss Anderson shared that Yuval is undeniably deserving of the student of the month he strives for excellence in and out of the classroom and his persistent dedication and aptitude for learning make him stand out Miss Fernandez has had the pleasure of having you youal in both her sixth grade and eighth grade science classes he can be counted on to be honest responsible and respect respectful his willingness to work hard and actively participate does not go unnoticed Miss jedy adds that yal is an outstanding student in French every single day he goes above and beyond accepting every challenging enrichment activity that she presents him and putting his best effort into every task he is a role model for his peers yet he remains modest and unassuming yuval's good friends Leah and Jonathan Echo these sentiments and say he's always willing to help his classmates with no questions asked John Le and Leah would also like for everyone to know that yubal is an avid Rubik's Cube solver and his fastest time is 6 seconds pretty good yal is also a member of the hobok Middle School academic team band and National Honor societ National Junior Honor Society yuval's favorite subject is math and loves being challenged surprisingly this is very surprising actually this is yuval's first time as student of the month at Hoboken middle school and was really excited when I shared the news that he was selected outside Side School yval enjoys reading fantasy fiction playing the flute and of course solving the rubric cube with that said before giving yal a well-deserved Round of Applause I would like yal to share his talent with all of you you ready okay so yal is going to solve this Rubik Cube for the board fully scrambled that was about well well done you that was about 12 seconds I've seen him do it blindfolded I've seen him do it with two at once it's pretty pretty amazing so great job um please please help me please join me in one more round of applause for hobok middle school student of the month we B [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] at this time I would like to invite the principal of hobokin high school Robin Petra good evening at this time I'd like to welcome Hannah Morley Hoboken school's October student of the [Applause] [Music] [Applause] month Hannah is a sophomore at Hoboken High School top five% of her class challenges herself with ap and preap coursework and it seems to come quite easy she is quiet but a Powerhouse her teachers have shared she is a curious and conscientious learner when needed she is ready to take the lead in any activity she works well within a team she well she defends her ideas but is also willing to make the necessary compromises to help her group succeed Hannah is a careful listener she considers the ideas of others and contributes thought-provoking comments and questions Hannah is a pleasant and polite person and she is valued member of the classroom Community others shared Hannah is a dedicated student who works very hard to achieve academic success but also to help Advance the discussions and understanding of her classmates in both small and large group settings she's defined as a leader her work is done with effort and thought and her peers recognized this in her Miss shared that he it is a pleasure to have her in his AP bio class she participates actively in class every day her hand is always up and she is not afraid to answer the toughest of questions her strong work ethic and intelligence have earned her an A+ average for the marking period and he's impressed with her work I just described the ideal student but Hannah is extremely gifted in the Arts as well Mr caner states that Hannah's continued presence in the theater Department has been invaluable she is dedicated talented and kind on numerous occasions Hannah has stepped up to the plate underst studying some of the lead roles in this year's musical without even having to ask she enters in full character knowing all the staging for the role she understudies simultaneously she also knows all her own lines and stag in two weeks before the show she is always the first to lend the help in hand assist him with much of the backstage prep Mr stas X says that Hannah is a leader in the band learning difficult technical passages easily on her own and helping peers stay on time she is also a standout in chorus mastering challenging Alto harmonies finding her note in a sea of challenging cords on top of all this Hannah is mature Beyond her years she is considerate generous and has such unique gifts and talents particularly her strong and dynamic voice Mr coner Mr sasc and Miss Miller are proud of all your accomplishments and contributions to the theater and music program lastly if you are around over the weekend you can come see Hannah shine in the production of into the woods I wasn't quite sure she was going to be here tonight it is Tech week but she is here Hannah we are extremely proud of all you do and you're a shining example of a red [Applause] wing congratulations to all of our students recognized tonight keep up the great work and Gabriel we are um next we are going to go into committee reports miss good do you have a business administrator's report tonight um no uh we do have addition I do I guess we do have an additional um bills list that was completed this evening um and also we do have an updated um transportation um list or I should say a revised Transportation list on the agenda thank you um first we'll start with curriculum miss mcer good evening the curriculum committee met virtually on November 8th in attendance were Miss Angley Mr delator Mr gr superintendent Dr Johnson and myself the November meeting agenda includes five items and we recommend all for approval you will see assemblies and field trips on the agenda and two items of note which are dual enrollment agreements for summer of 2024 for students at Hoboken High school to take courses at NJIT and also a program for the 2024 2025 school year uh non-agenda items that were discussed were upcoming programs covering financial literacy uh and the district's literacy efforts including the um Family engagement days that have been funded by hpf so look for more of that coming in the New Year and that is my report for this evening thank you thank you next we'll move on to facilities Miss con good evening the facilities committee met on Wednesday November 8th at 11:00 a.m. in attendance were Mr Cal Dr Johnson Miss CAD matori Miss Norwood Mr Kell and myself there are three agenda items approval of facilities request the approval of the comprehensive maintenance plan for financial year 2024 and the approval of fire and safety drill reports we recommend all for approval thank you thank you um next we'll move on to finance Mr kall thank you hello yeah okay uh thank you the finance committee met last Wednesday uh joining me were uh miss good Miss Lopez uh Miss Angley and Miss Norwood uh the committee reviewed all agenda items that were on the agenda at that time and recommend those for for approval the uh a couple of last minute additions that Miss good just noted and that I circulated with the uh and my notes of the board earlier today uh those all seem in line um in addition I would mention that uh the audit is well underway the 2022 23 audit uh and is scheduled to be completed by early December I believe submitted uh and preliminary work has begun on the next school year year 2024 2025 budget thank you thank you um governance Mr Kion hi good evening uh the governance and Personnel committee met on Wednesday November 8th in attendance for Dr Johnson uh MK Miss kanana U Miss katori and myself uh the committee discussed all agenda items and we recommend all for approval uh as is typical throughout the school year you will see a number of agenda items items for appointments resignations leave requests transfers of Personnel in tonight's agenda this includes par professionals custodial staff teachers substitutes as well as staff for athletics co-curricular Activities The District fall festival and passport to [Applause] learning thank you and lastly oh I'm soorry a couple quick things to note um the uh approval of living lab Student Assistance for Hoboken middle school so we're exed to have four high school students um join as part-time lab assistants in the Middle School in the living lab these students have been volunteering and this will be an extension of that experience we're excited to have them here at the middle school um and uh the you'll also see 2022 2023 New Jersey qac results deeming Hoboken Public School District High performing um we've seen that multiple years in a row now I'm really proud of all that the uh district has undertaken to achieve um those uh that that ranking and um the other item is there is a a policy agenda uh item on the agenda for second reading um is so Title One education stability for children and Foster Care um and that is all for this evening thank you thank you and lastly Wellness Mr delator yep the wellness committee met on Wednesday November 8th in attendance were Dr Johnson M Mr Mr and I There Are No Agenda items for approval however I would like to report the parts and carols program led by our Hoboken High School student government will be Distributing gift cards to families in need this holiday season we look forward to working together with our community in making this event a success more in to that's it okay thank you um I don't have a report tonight other than I just wanted to say I hope everyone had it a great few days last week during the njaa teachers convention I um I also wanted to recognize the Hoboken Middle School theater department for a fantastic production of The Descendants um it was really amazing to see the kids on stage having so much fun um and they put so much effort into that show um and I'm also looking forward to the High School production of into the woods this coming weekend moving on we'll go to public comments on agenda items and this is just a reminder before we open public comments over the years and most recently the board has been ask why it does not prohibit or stop comments about School District employees from individuals who speak during the public comment portion of the meeting the short answer is that the law prevents the board from censoring comments made about District Personnel the board does not condone nor is the board of party to comments as such however just because a speaker may have the right to say what hears or she feels it does not absolve a speaker from liability for any defamatory comments that an employee may bring against the speaker should speaker say something that subjects them to a civil suit the responsibility Falls squarely on the speaker and not on the board I also want to remind speakers of board policy please state your name Municipality of residents and business affiliation if any speakers are allowed 5 minutes and Miss katamori will quietly motion with 30 seconds left please address all comments to the chair um board policy states the board welcomes comments on matters of interest to the board but this is not an opportunity for dialogue or debate between speakers and board members or the superintendent with that being said who is our first Speaker Miss waiters did you sorry I just want to let you know I I'll say 30 seconds when 30 seconds is left so you won't have to look up for me waving anything no disrespect to none of y'all Patricia waiters for clarification purposes every item on this agenda these people in the audience are a little confused so don't come the statement you just read into the record it sounds a little intimidating when you want to mention lawsuits and how many minutes they could talk and try to silence them we here tonight for a very serious reason okay I'm meish interrupt me I'm on agenda items ma'am don't interrupt me now be professional you being record okay so you guys are elected for us okay so don't try to distract me okay cuz you know where I'm going with this I want each and every individual in here tonight to be respected we all deserve respect so don't read that into your little comments with a threatening or intimidating you coming across that way and these are their first time here most of them okay so don't sit there and Shake in your boots cuz this is what you're gonna see this is a beginning cuz I'm going to take and forfeit everything y'all write on these agendas until we get social justice okay so this is we sticking to the agenda items cuz all of this is recommended by the superintendent we tired we fed up we here to make a statement we not going away this is just the beginning of a well organized protest for each and every one of you that disrespected us each and every one of you we being disrespected and on a public portion I will come back and EXP exp to you Miss mcer and you Mr Kord that when you go on social media that's a way of communicating okay so that's communicating too so remain a little professional and keep your racist comments to yourself thank [Applause] you I I just want to be clear what I did read was actually to protect the speaker not to intimidate I'm not trying to silence anyone every everyone is entitled to speak say you whatever you want to bring to the board that is of interest to the board um but I'm not trying to silence anyone that is is absolutely for your protection uh Mr Manuel [Applause] Rivera [Applause] good evening Madam president board um members of the public put this a little higher so I could speak a little more clearly I do believe and I'm assuming and I'm aware that you are going to be obviously respectful to every member of the public and you will listen to us uh I have a few questions before uh I know you're not going to answer but I just let me know where I could find it in in the uh portal um when you have when pardon me when there are resignations and I see a few here do you the board or the district try to have a supplemental person or or Personnel to cover that uh retiree or retiring person in whatever it is cuz I think we have a um a couple people couple teachers and a uh uh another Personnel the word doesn't come out of my mouth as well as I would like to know and I guess and I assume that if a person goes on leave as well you have a a person who who follows and backs that up then I would also like to ask the the ordinance that you introduced which was one you said facilities which is the one that caught my eye when you say you introduce um when you introduce something into the agenda in regards to facilities um where could I find the information as it pertains to individual buildings uh a school school complex my concern and my very important concern is this building with the scaffolding it's been on for quite a long time and I keep asking both here and in the historical preservation uh where what is the status of fixing it and taking these horrible scaffolding down um because they make first of all uncomfortable unsafe at night is very dark in the corners so it's important to if if I could find that just let me know where so I could help and let other people know and in regards to um the grants in the America rescue plan if uh members of the public could know where in the uh portal can they find um where exactly is the amount that is received uh how is it being allocated to which departments and such and um again congratulations for for getting that um uh I always congratulate even in the city council everywhere when we get grants um but it is important for members of the public to know uh where and how is that being allocated and what for because it'll make them feel more comfortable again it's just it's just for transparency and for um you know the public to know how it's being how the district is being administered and it helps from transparency so these are my questions again if you could direct me privately or if you could just tell me now I will I will listen and I will save my public comments for later but I do appreciate you listening and to myself and and all the members of the public thank you good evening very much that's it for um speakers for the agenda okay so um moving on to consent agenda is there a motion motion second can we have the roll call please miss camori yes Mr delor yes Mr Conor yes Mr Grana Iain on 10.29 and 1030 and I vote Yes on 10.29 and 10 what 30 30 thank you Mr kutul yes M mcer yes M Norwood I abstain on 10.29 1030 11.06 n and yes on the rest thank you Miss Taren yes Miss Angley yes yes motion passes okay now we'll move on to public comments on agenda and non-agenda items Miss waiters Pat waiters I want to read into the record someone post last night on social media a great letter by aen mcer guys that's aen mcer support of the mom's leading process they got a cat screaming going crazy and said Patricia waiters is a dangerous Kitty and she needs to be stopped keep that thought in mind when I say this that sound like a threat to me y'all tried everything everything under the sun like Ivy Soap I still rise I want to say this I've been running 15 years y'all never never seen this many people come out and you know what they not out here for Patricia waiters they out here for the downright bigotry and hate and racism that's linging in the cracks of this district and too afraid to come forward I'm putting this out here this election I was 147 votes away from 3,000 votes do you think I'm going let 3,000 people down I'm not my fight have just begun I'm not a loser I'm not a loser the people that put y'all there are losers cuz you refuse to bring diversity to this board you refuse and it's sad because the first thing y'all say is we not racist my policy says this my procedure said I can move the cultures if I want the legislation says this we all know yall Liars you could tamper with legislation and be unethical and get away with it that's why I continue and for you guys to keep saying I got a 7y old 11 year old 2 year oldest in the district all of them was 1 7 11 and two the people you see tonight we was in the district we sharing with you our experiences so stop running around and saying well they calling us racist y'all don't have to open your mouth your action speak volumes it's sad that our kids graduate some of them on a third grade level and y'all will not give them employment in this district and then you employ them you manipulate them and they got to walk around on eggshells still to wind up to be fired for no reason it's sad that I'm the union president and you guys put out a hit Mr calie put out a hit on me members of the public got to know a man got a $50,000 increase for going after pat waiters but still our rise and it hurts me cuz it's not about me it's about the people that I supposed to protect it's about the people that I supposed to represent I won the title I'm the union president and y'all say oh it's the hsca that's holding us up I have no contract you got Paris on that agenda tonight you hiring at 18,000 what about my Paris that's already here that should have had gotten a raise what about the people y'all fire cuz they socalled don't have boiler license we got people working without boiler license he worked six years without a boiler license what's wrong with that picture discriminatory practices it said and most of them had to call me and said well Patricia what should I say should I do this I said say what you feel stop protecting what other people's feel as if we say something who you going to hurt cuz I learned in hoken it hurts the more when you being called a racist than actually seeing it act within itself so you prove something really good to me cuz I've been with Dr Johnson I shared some horrific stories about the moms from Hoboken nobody in there that look like like us is in it I seen a PTA turn all white nobody to look like us is in it and you refuse to look the opposite way like this don't exist these are experiences we sharing I could go back with the Courtney Wicks Judy barell and alisco on Vanessa Falco people that worked in this same district that look like me that was treated unjust so tonight I'm wrapping it up right now closing with this and please believe me you see I'm still here 20 years later this is the the start of a protest I am asking that you respectfully step down get out of those seats so we can see change I'm asking you respectfully so if I got to do the right way and go from the state and work my way down and put this in writing and have every black ad minister alliance every social group to come in hobok and help us it's time for change people that's been here 30 years neglecting and abusing their authority to bring pain to us along with the other underlying I we got going on at home 30s yeah it hurt the truth hurt it don't set you free ma'am but you can give everybody else that two extra seconds when they stand here I'm wrapping it up you can run but you will not hide and I'm asking you again consider it they here for you they hear for a cry for help with the blood on their hands already from the superintendent in Tim caly let's see who help and I dare y'all to retaliate it's on a record thank you thank you Isaiah [Applause] blanks Mr Miller Mr [Music] Walker [Applause] [Applause] your they need to State their name and address excuse me if you're all if each of you are going to go could you just state your name where you live and then and then I'll start for each person I'll start the time okay okay my name is kaes Lopez I'm from Hoboken born and raised here um played Sports here my whole life been in the education system here um I'm here today on behalf of my cousin Keon Walker um I could speak for all of us when I say that I experience that whole and high was like no other under the under the um the roof that he laid for us while he was left in charge so what I think is that I feel like the more we straight away from the culture that built us that made people like standing beside me from Jersey City behind me that made them come and play here we're straining away from that culture and I feel like the more we stray away from that culture we we get we we diminish more and more as a as a system so for example um little things like coming out and and alumni aren't no longer allowed to be on the sideline and Coach the kids up and and and basically encourage them like we once were like we had when we were younger it started with that and as time goes I keep coming back to the games and I'm trying to you know just get the same feel that I had when I was there you know you want to come support your old team but every time I come back it's like we losing more and more of the culture and nobody's more of the culture than Keon in my opinion because he laid the foundation he walked the walk he talked the talk and he came to try to pay it forward to the community so with that being said I think that it should be that that that change that's that subtle change was unjust and I just feel like you know we need to we need to be better at at game planning and coming together and strategizing instead of just quickly showing someone the door showing someone this isn't going to work we don't need you anymore because it's not fair to the relationships he built with us and the kids after us and the people that was looking forward to playing under him so that's really all I had to say thank you I said i n n I'm going say something so my name is Maris Roberts graduated here 2016 so I'm a kid that's from Jersey City I came from nothing my parents put me in this school system to be a better person to better myself came here coach your staff tag Shannon and sing I don't see no one else over there so these guys taught me something that a part of life that's bigger than football they always told me where are you going to do after after football I came here people understood me but no one understood me such as Keon I'm a young black man from a poverty area he taught me more than that it's more than just Jersey City you're not going to always live in poverty it's going to be more than that I graduated here every time I came back what are you doing with yourself um just working 9 to5 what's your career what are you going to do every time I walked in the locker room he talked to these kids it ain't about just football it's about your career what are you going to do after football I go online I look it's colleges come here it's more colleges was coming here with Keon than when I was here with Coach tag not for nothing around that time it was a bigger much of a white coaching staff black coaching staff came here that's from the projects that's from the area that know these kids that's from this project they know these kids they watch these kids come up they're changing the era for these kids we didn't get looked at as much when we came here as black kids we don't get looked at as much Keon came here and changed all of this around for all of us so the fact is there was Los and Seasons with the other coaches it got overlooked all it's out the door they're going to get it next year it's going to get better now if you look at our all black coaching staff coming here they have a few losing Seasons it's oh no it's not going to change we got to get them out you got to look before that Keon had winning seasons before that he put a whole bunch of kids in colleges we could put a list of colleges he put up and these kids are in college and succeeding right now right now I go on Instagram I go online and I look all these little kids are up here they crying they hurt y'all don't these are the kids y'all supposed to care about they're in y system yall supposed to care about them but obviously I don't they crying they hurt because the person that they love so much that's teaching them everything about just life not football y throwing them out the door yall going to bring someone here I don't even understand these kids he's going to come here yell at them tell them what to do what not to do but he don't understand these kids these kids living in buildings probably baile Mills in their stomach they don't understand that he understood all that because he came from and he built something so just to let a guy go because oh you have one or two losing Seasons oh we got to get them out that's not even fair that's not Justice not for nothing bless his soul coach tag had a few losing Seasons ain't no one ever said oh we got to get this guy out of here just because his name who he was they never did that if you be honest his name came from coach Keon Tyrell doch Anthony hriz that's where his name came from and that's the people that that's putting this in these kids now I watch these kids maybe they weren't the best but guess what they student at the end of the day it's not about just football look at what he's doing besides just football these kids are more than just football and then at the end of the day y'all say y care about the the system and the kids these kids are hurt do you care about the feelings for real or do yall just care about okay this is not the guy we want to order we're going to get someone of Our Kind in order maybe things can change you got to look at the bigger picture care about the kids not just the the culture which I know care about their culture as well that's all I got to say [Applause] to just I can anori onori Mr [Applause] onori [Applause] uh good evening uh my name is Ryan Nori and uh I was a former Hoboken High football player from 2018 to 2022 and uh it's my teammate right here and uh we were I believe the second team uh under coach Keon in as a head coach and the second I walked in here and I'm from Jersey City I I I was never in Hoboken I never I never hung out with these guys when they was little I I I never knew anybody like in the Hoboken area and the second I walked into that building and I stepped on that field I was immediately brought into a family and a lot of that is because of Coach Keon and I could talk about each and every coach that was wrongfully fired but I'm going to speak solely on Keon because he's a reflection of all those coaches and I want to say firstly like coach Keon not like as previously stated this man is not just about football this guy is going to make sure that you're set before and after before I even met him like he really just brought me into Open Arms he didn't even know my name yet he just said welcome to the team I I heard you're from Jersey City he he tried to get to know me the second he met me and I appreciated that from complete stranger stranger stranger I appreciated that and I promise you with with that being away from this program and you bringing complete strangers into this team you're doing these boys a disservice you're going to bring in a bunch of random people like from wherever whatever City whatever you're going to bring in all these coaches and I promise you the team you you going to make put these boys up for failure that they're going to be in an even worse situation and it's not even worse because of the coaches I'll tell you that and I'm I'm one me and him we are one of the few people here that can say we're not only former football players but we're former teammates of these kids when these kids was freshman I played with them I was in the same locker room with them I was in the same same meeting room with them I like we were in the same situation and I can tell you this like Keon has set us up to be great men I'm in college right now I go to fairy dickon University I'm a sophomore I'm a Sports Management major and I have an interest in coaching and I can speak for some of my former teammates who I played with at Hoboken some Keon who is also a firefighter for the city he's given them the opportunity to take the fireman test after high school that aren't in college and I could also say just past summer I had surgery from my right shoulder I got hurt playing football and this man still contacted me and offered me a staffing spot for the Youth Football Camp the first one that Hoboken had in a long time and that was something that I wish I could have had when I was in those boys situation when I was a freshman I was a sophomore we didn't have that and that's before Co I believe it was like a $10,000 check donated by the New York Giants and that's that's coach Keon who did that and I know principal P she didn't give Keon a office in the school for no reason like you don't just give someone a office and to give them a leadership in a program to lead these students and he he doesn't just work with the student athletes he work with other students like this man if you take this man out of the program you are significantly Hur in this team you are Hur in this city this man to treat the all these coaches the way that you guys are treating them just kicking them out the door after all they've given back good dating all the way back to the '90s everything they giving back you guys are doing a terrible service to them that's all I got to [Applause] say good evening guys it's uh night John Freeman speaking what's his name night John Freeman uh first and foremost I think we all know uh Mr Walker was obviously a great coach a great player but he doesn't get his Applause to being a person he is throughing my injury he you know he told me many different things and I I knew it was going to be hard to come back after my sophomore year and he always told me have that plan B and I'm at that plan B now and he's a fireman and that's the uh path I'm on now [Applause] and yeah he he just as a person he he's the the best of the best I don't think it gets any better uh here in this city he's the best role model I I don't admire that many men on this earth besides my dad and he's more than likely one of 100% [Music] it's it's an emotional topic for the city it's a big loss for us and I I don't know how we can overcome something like this but I think bringing back would be the best thing for this community for this town and just for the program and yeah that's all I got to say um hello um my name is Jason janat um I'm a kid from Jersey City uh I came to obok and freshman year not knowing anybody as well I came in with Ryan um I would like to say like all these coach coaches like I grew up with no father so everything my mom did so the coaches they they all built like a father figure for me and it helped me with everything even when I was excelling in football they will always tell me school first school first keep keep going in school school's going to be good for you the football is second and it hurts that I don't have I don't I can't can't see them coach anymore especially coach Aunt Coach George and Coach Keon cuz I grew up with without a father and they've been my father figure especially Hoboken Community like I have Coach Jason he coached um the youth he been like an uncle to me my my parents really don't like football so they always like put their hand on the coaches like can be careful with him like they will talk to the coaches all the time and like be careful with him make sure he's doing good in school first and then he could play football I feel like as though as making them not the coaches anymore program is not going to be the same cuz they're not just doing one thing they doing two things they're in school making sure you're going to classes make sure you're excelling and being um as great as you could be so I feel as though that you should bring the coaching staff back um my name is uh zier Miller um when I came into school as a freshman uh I didn't really know how it was going to go for me anything like that um I wasn't familiar with anything cuz I didn't go here from middle school I'm from Jersey City and um um as soon as I came in cuzz uh Keon and my dad have relation he took me under his wing he kept me um on my game with grades outside of school even outside he'll he'll he'll drive by make sure I'm okay as if I'm good make sure I'm not doing anything I'm not supposed to do and um having a figure like that in my life I have a dad he's he's he hasn't missed a minute in my life but having another figure like that really helped me out and I put myself in some situation I shouldn't have and he really helped me out with that um and I just feel like y firing him is kind is is I feel like y having no right to do that cuz it's it's putting a big hand in my future cuz I'm a junior this year my freshman year I didn't play football my sophomore year I got hurt second game in the season so this is my my first season of playing football and next season is going to be my last season of playing football and I I really want to make it out of here I really want to I want to make myself something that I know I could be and I feel like the chemistry I have with the whole old coaching staff um that can't be replicated with anybody else that you guys put in next [Applause] year and um I feel like starting from new is like it's just I don't get how firing somebody that's been there for the amount of time that he's been there is going to make us better when you're bringing somebody that doesn't know any of our our our plays our culture what our team is like I don't get how that's going to make anything better cuz like you bring in a whole new coach in he he won't he won't know how to treat any of us how practice his work anything like that when we had somebody already there and he he hasn't always had losing season he has winning seasons too Seasons where he's almost actually won it all and I feel like just cuz he had two Bad seasons that doesn't give you any right to just get him out hi my name is Jayden holes I'm I'm also a student athlete I play for the football team I'm about to be a senior next year and even my freshman year I got hurt playing freshman football I broke my ankle and I missed half the school year coach Keon really helped me he helped me get through that school year so I can play football next year and keep my grades high and like everything all of that and now that I'm a sophomore season I played I fought through injuries and even Junior season I'm hurt again but but I think fire and Keon that's going to really mess me up after all coach Keon and all his coaches have helped me through throughout my throughout my high school career and now I can't [Applause] talk that's another thing I want to talk about too I forgot about that um we we did have two losing Seasons some or three in a row where we didn't win that many games but I feel like nobody shines light on the situation that we were put in and with the players that we were put in because you guys don't allow out of City case to come in anymore um it says uh this is Jon he probably scared to speak but he's a freshman he's 14 years old he just came into high school and Jon never got off the field Jan never complained Jan never cried J never quit and Jan went hard every time he ran the ball he caught the ball he returned the ball he did everything on the field and for a kid to go out like that and put in all the hard work he puts in even if he doesn't get the best result I feel like firing a coach because he doesn't have the utility and tools to actually win games rather than letting him build up chemistry with kids like Jon and and and and and get it to that point where where he could bring back what hokan was like that which was him doing that making hokan great I feel like that's wrong you guys too Vanetta [Applause] Rivera hi everyone my name is uh Vanetta Riva my son is like Miller he just got up and spoke um he's a junior athlete here um I'm trying to like calm down I'm a little bit nervous um so my daughter my son is zier Miller my daughter's prospective ninth grade student for next year I just want to put on a record that I had an impromptu football meeting on 10 2723 at Hoboken High School in which another parent recorded I did post it to my social media since when it it went viral and I was told by a few of your Educators that my kids would be targeted and I should take it down so I just want to put that on the record so everyone here hears that um one one of my major concerns that I want to address tonight is issues with your orthopedic surgeon which I also BR up in that meeting my last email that was sent to M uh Miss Johnson Spangler Mrs P was dated 92522 since then I have not heard back from anybody um I can resend you that email as well if you need it at the meeting I also BR up the issues again which was on 10:2 7:23 about the doctor how he tried to have my son go into surgery without the proper clearance his hematologist called here I sent screenshots emails other parents complaints about your orthopedic surgeon from when Mr England was here Mrs Pig and Mr Baker told me at that meeting they would look into it and get back to me no one has gotten back to me still it's been a year and 41 days and that surgeon is still on your payroll so it's a major concern not only for me but for other parents so I wanted to bring that up first that was like my major concern another concern that I have is I want to know what the duties are of your academic support administrator Francis Benway my son had been involved in things that he probably shouldn't have been outside of school like he stated Keon is the one who got him on the right path Francis Benway went out of his way to contact parents that are not a part of the Hoboken border education to give negative advice on what they should do legally with my son to have removed from your school choice program at and when as far as telling the parents of press charges he calls himself the athletic director and a coach and I just want to speak as an educator because I'm an educator myself I feel like that is not the role of an educator if Zer is his student he should have addressed his concerns with me and maybe seek ways to help my son be on a better athletic path since he is in Hoboken High School and under his care thirdly I would like to speak about the termination of head coach Keon walk I would like to thank Keon for not only being a great coach inside school but outside school thank you I'm so thankful for him that he always contacted me it regardless if it was a low grade or Zer was going to show up to practice late and he was concerned about his whereabouts he always kept the line of communication open Zer always made a funny comment that they can be in class and Hoboken High School has the little glass windows on the doors and soon as someone seen eyes they call Keon Batman so they would be like oh my God it's Keon and right away they knew put your pen to paper and like get to working so like Keon was not only involved in school but like outside of school and I always feel so much more comfortable that he is Z's coach because I'm like all right I know that he's going to be okay he would text me on the weekend Oh Zer was at the feast that you know and Z's here he's that like he's just like always like Zer says he has a father that's very involved but he's also a father figure what upsets what upsets me is how is it not obvious to everybody here how is that not obvious to everybody here what a dramatic change that this is going to make removing him this is a disappointed lived experience for the whole Community it's like what kind of message is being sent to our kids when they had their meeting with the administration at hoken high school and they told the vice principal and principles and Mr Baker that was there this is why kids from Hoboken stop are not attending Hoboken High School no more they are going to other schools outside of District they were then sent back with the vice vice principal saying well then transfer out so what kind of message is it being sent that when they are feeling the type of way and they want to address their concerns no one wants to hear it I also feel like um like it's just like telling the coaches like wining is the most important thing but then you're telling our kids they're not valued unless they produce winning results I also want to say to the board members that we emailed which is like everybody up here sitting I think it would have been common courtesy to at least respond back yes I've received your email I don't have the answers but I received your email it seems like nobody up here can be in communication unless it's about a political vote because that that's when I receive emails back I would just like to ask to look further into the termination of Keon it's in my opinion that Jack Baker has a history of wrong wrongfully terminating alumni coaches I know for a fact another alumni coach that he terminated who gave years and countless hours and times to build the programs last year the alumni coaches terminated with Baker ever even supervising these coaches or having a single face tof face sit down he didn't take any input just as now from the parents the kids that helped build this program stakeholders anybody sorry your time is up lastly I just want to say that it's unfair it's [Applause] un excuse me I don't um I'm sorry go ahead it was 5 minutes 14 seconds everybody has 5 minutes we don't this is not you know this is not a back and forth we're listening to everything everybody [Applause] says can you state your name please please go ahead Melissa Perez I'm Sor I can't hear you what's your [Applause] name what is your name ma'am Melissa Perez and that's my son right there Jan Walker well good evening so hoken is always trying to create a tradition right we get the St an's fees that's a tradition baseball supposed to be a tradition as well but what about football as an alumni football was the word everyone wanted to attend hoken high school to play football but why did that tradition die out why when we enter the fields we don't get that wow this is hoken high school field there's no banners around nothing that symbolizes Hoboken my son told me when he entered into the weit room there was nothing old weight old weights from the 1990s dumbbells that are bent nothing on the walls he took a shower several times water with flood all over the wait room is just a plain Jane room yesterday I read an email from you Miss Johnson that stated planning Fitness awarded a high school 10,000 that can be used for the equipment or the wait room where would that money be allocated inevident the board room needs it I know for sure those coaches ask for better equipment ask for walls to be painted wanted motivational quotes hanging on the walls we need more for our kids we demand more for our kids those coaches knew exactly what our kids needed to be successful we as parents and our kids are making a stand today we pick who we want leading our children and without them you guys don't have no season at all that's it [Applause] of um hi my name is Misha hon Bruno um my son is 14 he's a freshman excuse me what's your last name Michelle Hutchinson BR thank you um my son's 14 he um is a freshman um born and raised in Hoboken pray for Hoboken wreck um he had opportunity to go to St Peter's prep but I decided to keep him here sorry I'm a little emotional um I decided to I decided to keep him here because I wanted him to have better opportunity I wanted him to have a better opportunity to give him more than what I had as a kid and I can stand here before you and say the Kean has done that for him he has changed him not only football but academically he's more focused he's more driven he wants to do more he wants he's not only on he not only participates in the football he's in wrestling he's in baseball he wants to do more for his community he the soup kitchen and he does a lot but when for hearing that his coaches were fired that devastated him and not only because the coaches were fire CU he felt like we we always tell our kids that you know they have to be advocates for themselves right we tell them that they have to stand up for what they believe in and the one time that they were able to stand up and speak their minds nobody wanted to hear them nobody listened to them the children were upset yes they might have been disrespectful but you have to understand the way they found out was through social media they weren't given a chance to be sat down and talked to respectfully and told what what was happening and instead of them firing Keon the way they fired him they could have given him another chance especially because most of the kids that were played this season or 14 14 14 my son is 14 he's going up against seniors 18 19 years old that are going into college so he's going up against technically grown men never never cried never complained went to every game even when he was sick with bronchitis for 2 weeks he still begged me mom can I please go I'm like no you can't go but I what I'm here to say is I really honestly want y'all to reconsider it's he brings a lot to the table it's not just about him being a a a good coach he brings opportuni to our kids that most of us don't can never reach or he brings our kids to HBCU colleges and yes any coach can bring the kids to HBCU colleges but they will not have the experience that they will experience unless they were Keon Walker someone who's like them and could help them understand what they're going through and help them navigate through the system where they need to be navigated and I know my words all over cuz I'm a little nervous but I I I I really honestly want y'all to reconsider and hear us today I know there's a lot of emotions going on and there's a lot of other things going on but I'm a part of this community I work hard my husband is a veteran he works hard we're not able to go to every game but we have other parents that support and make sure our child needs what he needs Keon has done what he needs to do for these kids he's taking money out of his own pocket to buy these kids uniforms buy them food buy them food that's something that should be coming from the board that's something that I work hard for they shouldn't have to be asking him to come out of his pocket to pay for kid for for for brunches for the kids lunches for the kids cuz they want to feed them granola bars that's that's unacceptable these kids out there for 8 hours a day plus sometimes and if they need more help from the parents then fine so be it but there needs to be a stronger communication between us and the board it needs to be a strong as communication between us and the school there is none they need to set up something I don't know if it is by grade level if they should choose one parent from every grade level to to have that in so instead of having everybody at one time come up and speak maybe have one parent from every grade level so this way it could be a clear understanding and there's not so much chaos do you have anything so I with that I'm going to end it but I just want you guys to really hear us and consider everything that we said today that um it's not just about him being a good coach it's more than that for us some of these kids you know don't have father figures or do have father figures but they're working and can't be there for them every day and he's that second father figure for them he's from the community he gives back to the community not just to the football team he does give back he's he's done drives giveaways for not just for our football team but for to the community he's a firefighter from this community thank you that's fun and I know you guys don't understand what D1 is but he is the number one in Syracuse history to ever be safety and that might not mean a lot to y'all but that's a lot to us no one ever could feel his shoes Spencer Jones no Crystal Sano Crystal Sano stop signing stop signing stop signing Stu one one second let me read from the list first Manuel Rivera okay sir what's your name please my name is Jason blanks so let's go so my name is Jason blanks I coach the youth football program uh the nine and 10 year olds um so I'm just here based on because Keon Keon believed in my boys he he believed that my oldest who now attends uh Rome University June Jun uh and he started him as a sophomore quarterback and then when his shoulder was there he knew that it was a plan B he said listen I know your shoulder is done you might not be able to play quarterback again but I'm going put you on that defense and now since my since he been in Rowan he started as a freshman at corner they moved into safety so he's a threeyear starter at Rowan University he just finished his season um then to go now to my my youngest Isaiah blanks he believed in him as a freshman and that right there like meant so much to me because he was going up against a senior and I tell him all the time nothing's never given you always got to earn it you got to earn everything and he fought so now his sophomore years now like I said let me go back let me wind it back as a freshman he started quarterback this is sophomore year so now you got a sophomore running your team going against 19 year olds every week every week they had three senes on the team three senors on the team maybe six seven Juniors rest freshman and sophomores you want them to compete you want them to compete and win how you supposed to do that but what he did was he taught them we don't lose here we don't lose here we learned we learned so now when they become Juniors and seniors you're going to see the difference but why change now because that's why you want the new ones in so that way oh look what they did for the program they didn't do that Keon started that Keon started that you can't sit here and say that oh they going to change the program Keon molded that he molded that and that's all I want to say I ain't got nothing to say k i mean everybody can say they can do everything but until you there and what hurts us the most not saying is you guys up there but there's people in this town that sit there and tell these kids to go elsewhere instead of staying here you sit there and you since you 5 years old you go up break bones shed bones tears everything all the way up and then you go to high school to a different high school and that's what that's what hurts the program is the people in this town that that sit there and they they they they they they should I'm sorry for C they on this program because oh they see better yeah they see it's not everything is always the grass like you say the grass ain't always green on the other side yeah you might like there's guys up there I'm not calling nobody out there's guys up there yeah Union City got their first one but guess what those kids that was up there they rolled the pond they rolled the pond where they could have came down here and helped us but this is what happens when you got the community community here bashing everything body bashing everybody instead of just sitting here and everybody just staying together like we supposed to hoken Born and Raised we're done we don't have any more people somebody hello my name is Tariq Miller my son is z Miller um I just want to say really quickly I want to touch on the termination of Keon probably repeating a lot of what he heard already but um me's see I really need the board to be held accountable if this is finalized for letting one of the good good of letting one letting go of one of the only black minority coaches you have in the whole HBO um whole Board of Education the high school's about 75% minorities I would say just estimated maybe you have the numbers so why doesn't your staff match that or your coaches basketball baseball that doesn't match it um okay hold up lost my place who's in charge of doing a hiring can you please let us know that also I would like to know why is it that Keon is the only one thinking of the minority children he took the he took all the kids that look like me on a uh a whole tour HBCU my son was so excited never seen a whole bunch of black kids like him in college so excited that was the first time you ever seen that Keon told him Keon told him the reason why I'm doing that because when I first went to college everybody know he went to cuse he was he was uh he was intimidated because when he went there nobody looked like him that's the reason why he took my son there that's the reason why he took everybody else there he want to let them know listen I want I want y'all to I wanted to let y'all know that y'all could be successful seeing yourself so that's really all I got to say It's just sad that this has to happen this way and we need more representation of ourselves and I don't see it up here either no [Applause] representation all I'm Louis Negron what's your name Louis Negron Louis Negron can I ask you a question have any of yall ever won a state championship in any sport in high school cuz it's not easy why you laughing it's funny cuz you never won a state championship I could tell so I'm telling you you can ask Shannon shanon was our coach coach Shannon he was our coach if we had to share the field with the ban the soccer team the lacrosse team the track team cuz when we was here we had soccer we had lacrosse we had all of that but nobody touched the football field while the football team was here coach tag yeah coach tag named ring bells but he don't look like Keon once Keon came the soccer team has oh you have to share the field with the soccer team why does the band need the football field that makes no sense why does a band need a football field the lacrosse team there's seven soccer fields in Hoka why why can't they use that why can't they use the project field like they used to do when we was here and another thing he got fired because he wasn't winning I went to Hoboken I'm from jery City I came from hob I went to Hoboken from 2012 to 2016 I won three state [Applause] championships we had sleds we had brand new helmets jerseys shoulder pads cleats if we wanted gloves next week for a new game we'll get gloves brand new gloves next week Keon kids don't have that I try to come down and help the kids the lineman cuz I played lineman they don't have a sled you know how hard it is to coach a team a line with no sled going you want them to hit each other from Monday to Thursday and then go out and play another team at full speed it's impossible it's impossible you're body is going to break down so and Keon did a uh football Clinic I was a volunteer the New York Giants gave him a $10,000 check you couldn't buy one where did the money go where does $10,000 go you can't buy a sled they've been using football since I was here the same football since I was here that's the quarterback ask the quarterback how hard it is to throw a ball that's been here for I graduated what seven years ago there's no grip so if y'all don't fund the coach how do you expect him to win that's all I got to say are there any other speakers uh good evening everyone um my name is Angel Melendez currently residing in Union City I did not intend to speak tonight I just came in support and solidarity of the coaches and the parents and student athletes here but I feel like I would have regrets if I didn't share my story so uh I'm born Hoboken born and raised I attended Connor Primary School Demis Middle School Hoboken High School I was a three- sport athlete played Sports all year round I played under Sean colmer buddy Matthews Mike cazazza um graduated Class of 2004 I went on to get my bachelor's in physical education and health from Montclair State University I taught elementary PE for 7 years um at that point I went to St Peters University uh obtain my masters in educational leadership I'm currently um serving in a role as vice principal at a charter school in Jersey City I also serve as a school safety specialist anti-bullying coordinator I run a a food pantry out of my school and also in the head of a mentoring program for students um I coached five years JV boys basketball here in in Hoboken Hoboken High School under Sean colmer um everything was great um you can you can speak to buy Matthews Derrick England Sean colmer anybody about my character and and what I brought to the program um at the conclusion of my 5 years the athletic director at the time um Derek England um there was a vacancy in the girls varsity basketball coaching position um that was actually vacated by Ryan sorine who by the way did a great job at the program was a great coach um but at that point no one wanted to take over the program there were no coaches that were interested in taking over the girls varsity program they had lost um what many people were saying was all of their talent and no one just kind of want to take that on I was essentially uh uh pleaded with to to to take the position and and leave the JV team to uh coach the girls varsity team and that was on a two weeks notice before the season started and so um I took the job uh one senior tons of underclassmen not a lot of talent but that's what it wasn't about I was told that uh wins were going to be hard to come by but they wanted to change the culture and build the program back up I've been coaching in Hoboken for uh 15 years ago is when I started with bitty basketball some of the parents here I've coached their kids their cousins their children I've graduated with some of the parents sitting here today I started coaching in 2009 Hoboken Recreation um still coaching today in Jersey City my issue is is that uh going into my third year so I had my first year with uh Varsity everyone said we might not win any games we won seven games still was a losing season but again it was my first year two weeks notice only one senior on the team next year was Co season we were playing with mask I had barely eight players on my roster three of them were freshman with hardly any basketball experience um we didn't win any games but again it was 10 game season playing with mask very little to work with the conclusion of that season Derek England uh stepped down and Mr Jack Baker took over the position um I was given verbal confirmation that I was going to be the coach that season uh for the third season as the girls varsity coach I uh was running conditioning sessions in the summer at the Hoboken High School gym unpaid I worked all year round with the basketball programs for all the seven years I've been there um you name it summer fall I was there um and for some reason weeks later um I I I my I was terminated from my position um I was uh never supervised by Jack Baker never had a sit down meeting there was no conversations um and I find it impossible that Mr Baker would have or anyone would have sought out uh you know information for many stakeholders parents former players coaches uh coaches in the program I actually played under Shan comr my freshman year at Hoboken High School was coach Shan com's first year coaching in Hoboken and years later he saw what I was doing with the Hoboken Rec program and he he uh invited me in to be one of his assistant coaches and so you know I I don't wish ill will on anyone I don't want to see anyone get fired um anyone from Administration athletic directors nothing like that that my my whole point of of of standing up here and sharing that story is is that you know you had a coach in me that is is a as an alumni born and raised in Hoboken has been coaching for years loves what he does working with kids um he bringing so much to the table to offer these student athletes and it it just it just boggled my mind at the way that I was um released from my position 30 seconds and so what I'd like to end with is um I just I just ask you all to to think about the message that's being sent to our student athletes about the value of winning over the value of their growth as humans so please think about that and consider that and and look I know look I and I've I've offered to to come back and Coach if if an opportunity presented itself I've never heard back and I understand that speaking here today I may take that opportunity away from me in the future but I felt like if I didn't speak I would be doing a disservice to all the student athletes and everyone that is comes from the city that I've been born and raised in that's [Applause] time does anyone else wish to speak anyone thank you to all the [Music] [Applause] speakers Manny [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] Manu R Sol hoken thank you um Madame President for allowing me to speak I was waiting for the rest of the speakers to members of the public to express themselves uh their concerns and um were very very very potent very powerful um they all spoke from their heart and I'm sitting back there and I had my notes for this evening they will all change because I would like to Echo some of the sentiments of the people who were speaking this evening because I believe the takeaway should be there is a failure of communication a failure to let members of the public know the Community that's the backbone of uh the athletic uh uh Department because they are the ones that come out they are the ones that help the coaches they are the one that push their students their children to come out and to invest themselves in the programs but if they are overlooked if they feel like they're just being second class citizens then it does not help our district it shows a lack of empathy and you need I'm not I'm not trying to be the ogre here but you have to have more communication with the members of the public and the community because if you do not you lose trust and you are the people that they're looking for that trust because they don't see the diversity so you have to show them that it doesn't matter it doesn't matter the color of your skin your e your ethnic background your your heritage your your religion your position how athletic you are how not athletic it matters that we are a community and we must feel that we are all equal that we all matter so I need the reason I stand to speak at the end is so that you can know and understand that the takeaway has to be more communication better communication and to listen if there is someone that they have trust in the community do not take this person away from them because then they again feel less represented so help them out maybe in this isant in this instance I don't know the particulars of Coach Walker but maybe someone could explain it to us better maybe someone could let them know that this was the way because we're going to move forward with this let them be part of the process and that is what I want to say this evening and I want to thank you you listen to them uh politely but that's not the point the point is action let them feel that they were heard and I thank you again God bless you God bless the district and God bless uh the students who came out tonight uh and spoke because that was a beautiful thing to see and I encourage them to come back I encourage them to go to the City Council meetings I encourage them to write letters and and let their opinions be heard so that you could all have it in writing and that way you could send it up the chain of commands so thank you very [Applause] much okay as I mentioned before um the public comment section is not an opportunity for dialogue so I thank you all for coming we we heard everything you said we appreciate you sharing your stories and your feelings um and like I said this this isn't a a two-way dialogue but we appreciate you coming and sharing your feelings with us so now it's a young lady said again the superintendent did not answer her back so we just want to rest assure that this board is accountable and you answer them back Miss waiters I'm not familiar with the email I will follow up with Dr Johnson after stop Run for the is your obligation to answer them that concludes our meeting do I have a motion to adjourn like I need a second do this peace they are in faor all in favor allos motion is over turn [Music] thank m