##VIDEO ID:vx-xJ1Y-4XM## good evening everyone we're going to get started welcome to the December 2024 Hoboken Board of Education meeting thank you all for being here if you are joining us this evening to speak on agenda or non-agenda items kindly use the signup sheets that are located uh down here on the right of the stage miss or to my right I should say m good can you please read the statement of compliance good evening everyone this meeting is being held in the Conformity to the public meeting Act njsa 10 colon 4-6 proper public notice of the meeting was published in the local papers on January 5th 2024 if any board member or member of the public in attendance believe that this meeting is on violation of the open Public's meeting act the hoken Board of Education requests that they make a statement at this time the board wishes to make those in attendance aware that this meeting is being recorded on video and will be broadcast by the board board at a later date on catv channel 77 and fos channel 46 the full meeting recording will also be made available on board docs which can be accessed through the district homepage the hobc board of education is committed to preserving the decorum of the public process and is mindful that we live in electronic age of computers cell phones and other electronic communication devices nevertheless we respectfully request that all meet and participants kindly silence their electronic devices on the course of the meeting and if use of the device is necessary we ask that you please leave the meeting room to conduct personal business thank you Miss good please rise for the pledge of allegiance iedge of to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all miss good can you please call the Ro Miss Angley here miss katamori here miss Dela here Mr delator here Mr Grana Miss Conor here Mr kffl here miss Norwood here M mcer here you have a Corum thank you Miss good we're going to begin our evening with our nove recognitions for our November students of the month I will turn the meeting over to assistant superintendent Sandra Rodriguez Gomez thank you my mic happy holidays and welcome to the student recognition portion of our meeting I extend a warm welcome to the members of our Board of Education superintendent Dr Johnson our administrators faculty members community members students and of course their special guests their families we are so excited to have our talented principles come up and take us on a journey regarding the students that will be honored here today as November students of the month we will find out what motivates them what their friends think of them and even what their families think of this great accomplishment these exceptional students embody the values of hard work perseverance and kindness they set a powerful example for their peers and are a true source of Pride and inspiration to their friends families and of course their teachers their achievements remind us all of what can be accomplished with effort and resilience and they motivate us to strive for excellence each and every day we are so very proud of each of you and can't wait to hear about your academic and social accomplishments today we will begin with the Wallace principal Mr Shannon and he will then introduce the brand principal Mr Mr Bartlett he will follow this same pattern introducing our next presenters principles Addie sorine and Petra of Connor Hoboken middle and Hoboken High School as an additional note the high school will be celebrating both last month's and this month's selections all will be reminded to please remain at the podium for the very important picture opportunity again thank you for being here with us tonight and with that I would ask principal Shannon to join me thank you and good evening everyone we are here tonight to celebrate Jonathan Cruz our November Wallace school student of the month Jonathan contributes outstanding qualities and positive interactions daily in our school Community Jonathan consistently demonstrates kindness respect and a strong work ethic he comes to class every day with a positive attitude and a willingness to help others whether it's working with peers on group assignments or offering encouragement to other wild cats Jonathan also displays a dedication to learning that is truly inspiring he approaches each task with curiosity and focus working diligently to understand new Concepts and always striving to do his best in addition to excelling academically Jonathan sets an example for others through his responsibility and good citizenship he follows classroom rules respects school property and is always polite to both teachers and classmates these qualities make Jonathan a role model and a joy to have in our school it is a pleasure to recognize such an exceptional student who embodies the values we cherish in our school don't give up don't ever give up in this quote Jim Bano perfectly captures Jonathan's spirit and determination Jonathan is a kind and energetic student with a passion for sports and creativity his favorite hobby is playing tackle football where he enjoys having fun with his friends and being a part of the hobok and tackle football Community Jonathan is also actively involved in basketball flag football and soccer in Hobo showcasing his enthusiasm for teamwork and physical activity in addition to his love for sports Jonathan has a keen interest in art he enjoys expressing his creativity through drawing and other artist projects when he grows up Jonathan aspires to become a police officer because he wants to help his community by spping Badu and keeping people safe his sense of justice and desire to help others reflect his caring and determined nature in closing Jonathan's hard work and a desire to do well is a great combination for Success Jonathan is a good friend who is kind and respectful to all Jonathan we are so very proud of you let's hear it for jonath our Wallace school student of next would like to invite principal Bartlett up Joseph F Brans school to the podium thank you Mr Shannon good evening Dr Johnson uh members of the board and our guests tonight at this time I would like to ask Andrew Foreman to come join me at the podium congratulations to Andrew Foreman the Joseph F brand student of the month for November 2024 Andrew was nominated by his third grade Home Room teacher Miss James Miss James said Andrew has had a challenging year to say the least but despite that he has shown noteworthy resilience over the past few weeks he sh he has shown an admirable amount of perseverance and growth in working towards the third grade skills and Concepts Andrew's hand consistently flies up to participate in all subjects and he is doing his best work work in all areas Andrew is focused hardworking and is never too shy to ask for help when needed Andrew's Improvement has also been noted by his other teachers as after the last pep rally Andrew went home with five brag tags from various members of our staff Miss James went on to say Andrew your classroom family is proud of you not only are you hardworking and an awesome student but you are an incredibly caring and respectful young man you make me smile every time you lend a helping hand or share kind words with your friends in the classroom keep working hard Andrew you are so deserving of this award I couldn't agree more when I have the chance to chat with Andrew he represents himself in a manner that shows he is caring and compassionate confident and kind he is truly a role model of resilience and perseverance not just for his peers but for the adults in our community as well this year so far Andrew earned Straight A's for marking period one he is writing his first ever essay after absolutely crushing his third gr paragraph his third grade paragraph assignment he truly grasped adding details and using transition words to make everything flow Andrew also just received 100 on his latest multiplication fact practice quiz and is currently on a mission to fully memorize all of his math facts Andrew demonstrates multiple qualities that exhibit why he is an asset to our school Community he consistently displays a positive and tful disposition when coming to school and tries to cheer others up when they're visibly upset he is polite and caring and you can always count on him to say thank you to help someone who is in need or to check on the others around him he is an exemplary student and learner as well as a good friend to all outside of school Andrew loves visiting places in the area and doing crafts with his mom and his sister Paige he also loves baseball and playing video games in school Andrew loves math class and when he grows up he wants to live in Pennsylvania when asked how do you feel about being nominated for District student of the month Andrew replied happy because I think I'm doing well in all of my classes not only are you doing well in all of your classes Andrew but you are doing well at showing all of us some incredibly valuable life lessons please join me in congratulating Andrew Foreman our brand student of the month for November at this time I would like to welcome to the podium the principal of the Conor Elementary School Mrs Juliana Addie at this time I'd like to call up Emily Jala tozar student of a mon Emily is a fifth grader in Miss U's class Miss U shared that Emily is a hardworking and dedicated student she strives to do her best in everything she does she was nominated for this honor because Emily embodies all that a Conor's koala should Emily produces excellent work and constantly looks to make improvements in her writing reading mathematics skills as well as her overall knowledge not only is she an active learner and participant but she is also a helpful student helping her peers and teachers offering kind words to others often without being asked Emily proves time and time again that she is a student who is eager to learn Emily's love for reading books has made a parent in English language art through her thoughtful responses and detailed writing she loves to read fantasy realistic fiction and books written by Daisy Meadows and Tom Watson such as the rainbow series and stick Dog series in mathematics Emily makes great strides to put her skills to the test each day putting into practice all that she has learned in school and also at Mathnasium Emily Contin consistently produces excellent work and constantly makes efforts to improve across all academic areas in the next few years Emily hopes to continue to make honor rooll have even more close friends and is so excited to only be a few more years away from getting a cell phone Emily sets an example for others through her participation dedication to learning and kindness her bubbly personality is contagious and her silliness always bringing a smile to her teachers and peers Emily's respectful attitude and positive energy makes make her a joy to be around outside of the classroom Emily dives into her many passions and joys Emily is a member of the Connor's band and has played the clarinet for the last 2 years athletically Emily brings her true self on the soccer field and O shows good sportsmanship to her team members and coaches Emily has been a part of the Hoboken Recreation League playing soccer since second grade this past season she played on the shipyard kickers bringing home the gold at playoffs when she's not on the field Emily dedicates her time as a committed member of the Girl Scout Troop 1248 Emily aderes by the Girl Scout laws and believes that being a sister and good citizen are ways to give back to her community but of course selling Girl Scout cookies is another one of Emily's favorite moments too I spoke to Emily earlier today and she shared that her favorite part of Connors is all the caring teachers she shared that she is so excited to not only be student of the month but District student of the month I asked Emily what she is most proud of Emily shared that she's most proud of her growth in math and shares that she has become way more confident in MA she's also proud that she is a kind friend to others knowing Emily since kindergarten I can personally say that she shows the most mature level of kindness and empathy for others well beyond her years which I know your parents are so proud of too she's also always so positive and has this contagious death for Life Emily has been nothing short of wonder Emily's commitment to both her education and Community truly makes her deserving of this recognition I look forward to all of her success congratulations Emily on this incredible accomplishment can everyone please join me in a round of applause congratulations at this time I'd like to call up Mr sorine the principal of Hoboken Middle School good evening everyone happy holidays please welcome to the podium ameliana weno Hoboken Middle School student of the month for November 2024 Amano was nominated by his preap algebra teacher Miss Quist who described him as someone who brings out the best in himself and others she highlighted his remarkable maturity respect for peers and commitment to learning Miss quiz shared that emilano consistent asked meaningful questions that benefit both himself and his classmates recently after sustaining an injury Emiliano impressed Everyone by maintaining his focus and determination he returned to school with a smile took care of himself responsibly and seamlessly caught up on work he had missed his resilience and dedication to learning are truly inspiring Miss noine amano's Ela teacher Echoes these sentiments describing him as an active participant in class with a gen genuine love for learning Amano collaborates well with others and contributes thoughtful insights during discussions during a recent essay analysis on The Outsiders he demonstrated exceptional understanding of the novel exceeding expectation through highlevel thinking and articulate writing moreover Emiliano's kindness and respect for both peers and teachers shine brightly and he consistently brings a positive attitude to class each day miss mazani another one of a Milano's teacher adds teaching ailano is is a gift he is positive hardworking and always eager to learn every day he takes the time to ask how am I how she is doing showing his caring and thoughtful nature I see amazing things in his future and I am beyond proud to have him as my student and see him recognized in this way aon's friends also shared some kind words calling him a nice and helpful friend and overall just a really cool guy Nick shared fond memories of working with ailano on group projects describing describing him as focused collaborative and a great teammate Nick expressed pride in his friends well-deserved recognition Miss Falcone a Milano's guidance Council reflected on his growth since sixth grade praising his strong work ethic and commitment to Excellence she noted that Amano T takes pride in his work and consistently gives his best effort Beyond academics she has been thrilled to see him become more engaged in the school Community currently aelan is a proud member of both the entrepreneur club and Junior thespians in his free time he enjoys visiting the library and spending time with friends his favorite subject is math and he aspires to become either an engineer or a lawyer when asked how he felt about this honor Amano shared that he was grateful and proud of himself calling it a true privilege as principal of hobok Middle School one of the most rewarding aspects of my role is calling families to share the exciting news that their child has been chosen as the student of of the month speaking with speaking with Emiliano's mother was especially moving her heartfelt Pride was evident in her voice and brought so much joy to the moment when I shared the news with emilano himself his happiness and sense of accomplishment mirrored his mother's emotions moments like these remind us that achievements born of determination and hard work Inspire not only the honores but also our entire Community I am proud of you please join me in congratulating amilian wenko our student of the month for November SM God so cute at this time I'd like to invite Miss Patra to the podium really thank you um at this time I'd like to call up yelin Dominguez Hoboken High School's October student of the month hi honey this young lady is one of the best that walks the halls in Hoboken High School she a student that is loved and admired by her peers teachers and administration because she gives 100% to all that she does her teacher shared that euin is an outstanding student in the video and the connected world too she has given everything she has to her screenplay storyboard and directing our last production she has also shown True Entertainment Spirit of The Show Must Go On after injuring her leg she's still came to class focused on the production and without any complaint yelin is not only the student of the month but director of The Years congratulations yelin is an outstanding student who participates in class and completes every assignment if she misses a class she checks in with me to find out what she's missed she extends kindness to her class mates and participates in the school Community yelin challenges herself as a senior taking multiple AP courses and boast a four over a 4.0 GPA and she made sure she has made sure to be involved in as many extracurricular activities that she can Hispanic culture club agapy club soccer JV team captain National Honor Society to name a few she is in the thick of applying to her colleges her Target schools are Dickinson College in Pennsylvania Drew University here in New Jersey and oneata college in Pennsylvania some safety schools include Albright and Ruckers Newark in New Jersey and her reach schools include Wesleyan in connetic Connecticut tffs in Massachusetts and Skidmore in New York we're going to be hearing soon I am currently not sure what I want to do has said I know for certain I want to impact the lives of young kids and work towards fostering the best versions of themselves she speaks about her family and especially their role in The College admission process which is not the average role a family plays in their child's application process my family is not from the US and did not graduate from high school so the entire application process is forign to them someone let this hold them back but yelim began the pro called seeds and they play the parent role in the application process they inform members about college opportunities and get you ready for the process I try to keep my family in the loop but again it is difficult for them to understand the college process it means the what the college process means for them it is dedication to our education that I am confident youn will move forward to do great things congratulations youel I'm thank you and now for my November student of the month Grayson seer is this awkward you're so shy he's such a shy young man but I'm so proud of him to be here Grayson is an exceptional student currently excelling in AP level classes his academic abilities combined with his remarkable character and Leadership qualities make him a standout individual in our school Community Grayson is currently in his junior year at Hoboken in high school he is a member of our National Honor Society and a debate team he came as a quiet shy kid and I think he came up to like probably here when you first came he shot up a lot in the past couple of years but he has certainly made a name for himself and boast a GPA of over 4.0 as a dedicated science Enthusiast Grayson consistently demonstrates a deep passion for the subject inspiring both his peers and his teachers his enthusiasm is contagious and his rigorous approach to learning ensure he excels in even the most complex topics Grayson's curiosity and critical thinking skills enrich classroom discussions often lead in insightful conversations that elevate The Learning Experience for everyone Beyond his academic achievements Grayson's kindness and respectfulness have earned him the admiration of both peers and faculty he is always willing to lend a hand offering thoughtful assistance to classmates who may be struggling his compassionate and collaborative nature Fosters a positive and supportive learning environment Grayson's hard workor and consistent consistency are evident in his academic success but it's his leadership initiative and positivity that truly set him apart you really made an impression on Miss nellons in lab sessions he takes the lead ensuring his group Works effectively whether with his chosen Partners or assigned teammates his infectious smile and cheerful demean make every collaborative effort enjoyable and productive in addition to his accomplishments in science Grayson is making significant strides in his Chinese language studies bringing enthusiasm and dedication to every lesson his effort to improve fluency and his eagerness to participate in class activities showcases determination and love for learning Grayson exemplifies what it means to be hardworking intelligent and respectful he consistently goes above and beyond to assist teachers and peers acting as a role model in every sense his positive energy and enthusiasm for learning make him a deserving recipient of the student of the month honor congratulations Grayson three people in the houseice oh got it he should be there with congratulations to all of the students recognized tonight we are so very proud of you keep up the amazing work we are now going to hear from our Hoboken Middle School reps joining us this evening we have Leba Newfield and Sen Perry ladies you can come to the phum good evening Dr Johnson Miss Rodriguez Gomez hobokin Board of Education and all others in attendance tonight my name is Lea Newfield and I am an eighth grade student at Hoboken Middle School my name is senica Perry and I am also an eighth grade student at Hoboken Middle School it is a privilege to stand before you this evening to represent Hoka middle school and share the exciting events and programs from the month of November as mentioned last month Miss Kristen baroff and eighth grade student Keanu bergerman represented our best buddies chapter in the best buddies champion of the Year campaign not only were Miss baroff and Keanu honored at the best buddies Gala on November 15th but they won the New Jersey best buddies champion of the Year miss baroff and Keo raised $ 23,26 throughout their campaign their dedication and passion truly embody our cause motivating us to push the boundaries of our Hoboken Middle School is also gearing up for a production of aliceon Wonderland over 50 students made up make up the cast of this production the show will take place on February 6th 7th and 8th be sure to check out the tier Weekly Newsletter for information regarding ticket sales it has been a great first month for the hobok Middle School River Keepers program in just a short period of time the students have been very eager to take on ownership and responsibility of our lab we welcomed a few new students to our program as well as many new additions to our research lab the students have been logging the feeding schedule of this species currently in the lab which includes our starfish two clown fish hermit crabs scallop and Nails in the saltwater touch tank our three Turtles in their habitat and our trout fry as the lab again is participating in the trout in the classroom project the river keepers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our updated scientific collection permit which will allow us to collect local species from the Hoboken River from the Hudson River to observe research collect data and release back into the Hudson River the program has just begun but as you can see we have had great fun and learned so much during the week of January 6th hoki Middle School winter sports triy outs will take place we encourage all HMS students and families to stay tuned for to our Weekly Newsletter for upcoming announcements and about Witcher Sports which includes boys and girls basketball wrestling and co-ed swimming the season officially Begins the week of January 20th koki Middle School also introduced a new co-ed athletic training program for our sixth grade students offered in collaboration with prime athletic development this program is specifically designed to develop functional movement explosiveness multi-directional speed strength and condition in a positive structured environment Prime Athletics brings their dedication to young athletic development ensuring integrity and growth for each participant in August hobokin Middle School was recognized as a 2024 Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Lighthouse school this recognition came after a thorough assessment by the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence this award is a testament to our teachers hard work dedication and commitment to our Student Success Mr sorine had the privilege to accept this reward on behalf of the hobokin Middle School Community during the week of December 2nd once again the HMS student council and njhs are teaming up to spread some holiday cheer beginning December 2nd and continuing until December 12th we will be collecting new unwrapped toys Games books and other gifts for children and teens to donate to the fourth annual HPD Sergeant Peter xannon pachy toy drive look ahead the PTO is excited to host its next event Bingo night on January 16th we hope to see everyone there for more fun and school spirit thank you Hoboken board of education for allowing us to speak before you tonight and we look forward to seeing you next month thank you ladies for that very thorough update we will now welcome our Hoboken High School represent ative Miss Jenna Serio to the podium to provide us with an update of all things happening in Redwing nation good evening my name is Jenna Sero and I'm the Hoboken High School government representative and thank you for having me this evening for General events on November 15th Student Government hosted their annual flag raising ceremony the previous day Student Government came to the field after school hours and dedicated their time to planting Flags to honor our veterans friends on November 21st we held our Student Government induction ceremony where it was a complete success and to compensate for the Chile weather the Hoboken High School student government hosted a hot chocolate sale on November 22nd where it was also extremely successful for clubs this past month this past month our students have been working hard for their Tri outs for the debate program which took play which took place over the course of multiple days last week tomorrow competition teams will be announced math club has had one competition this P past month working their way to harder and harder problems with each test bi Olympiad students are working on their practice tests to prepare for their actual test in February for future events registration is currently open for our first annual holiday cookie competition this event will be held on Sunday December 15th at 2:30 p.m. if you're interested in being a contestant please contact Mr Munoz at Hoboken High School this Student Government diversity committee is sponsoring an event on Thursday December 19th at 6:30 p.m. in the Hoboken High School auditorium this event is being co-sponsored by the Jewish Student Union Agape Christian Club Hispanic culture Club AP African studies class and the africanamerican Heritage Club as you know this year we are celebrating three major holidays at the same time Hanukkah Christmas in Quanza each group will give a presentation about the history of the holiday customs and traditions we will end the evening with holiday treats and we hope to see you there the student government and Hoboken High School student climate committee will co-sponsor a holiday spirit week December 16th to December 20th and finally for sports all winter sports have been entering the beginning of their season the bowling team hockey and girl swim team are off to tremendous starts thank you very much thank you very much for this opportunity to speak and we look forward to seeing you at our events we would like to wish the administration board members and the entire Hoboken High School community warm wishes for this holiday season and as a gift we would like to present you with our annual holiday Christmas cards and as always go Red Wings thank you so much for that very thorough report we really appreciate it it sounds like there are many many exciting things going on we're now going to move into the report section of our meeting Dr Johnson do you have a superintendent report for us this evening I do thank you a to right just give us one second as the cameras adjust is it yeah of course I can't see sh this is bad I can't see I know somewhere this to my daughter I can't even do this okay okay uh good evening so this is our last Board of Education meeting before 2025 and before the reorganization of the board from September through December a lot has taken place all of our schools have earned the National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Lighthouse Awards and this past week Miss Rodriguez Gomez and I accompanied our principles to the National Conference where they were presented with their glass Lighthouse uh trophies and a banner to proudly display in their schools all of our schools were also ranked by best schools by US News and World reports Brant Elementary School was also recognized by the Rucker's promising practices project for its achievement in mathematics and we recorded another year of enrollment growth currently across the district we are gearing up for next year's budget development we are projecting future enrolling growth and staffing needs and we are brainstorming new curricula and programs that we look to introduce in the 2025 26 school year in the mean time we are gearing up for prek and K enrollment for next year as well as another year of expanding our dual language program from kindergarten through second grade we are also in the process of completing our high school information sessions and going through our school choice applications our middle school and high school concert holiday concert was fantastic hopefully everyone had the chance to see it uh the Elementary concert is set to be amazing as well um this year we have over 50 Middle School thesbian who are going to be participating in the Middle School show so I hope everyone has the opportunity to come out and see that and this year's District musical Newsies is sure to bring about a number of awards for our fader Department as we finished our fall Sports season season our girls tennis team won the county uh tournament our girls soccer team won the conference tournament and our girls volleyball ended up competing in the state finals so we're extremely proud of our athletic teams the winter sports season is going to be as just as exciting um our girls basketball team is very young this year they're still growing and developing um our boys team is poised for success for sure our ice hocky team was actually predicted did to win their conference they had a great win over Milbourne this past Sunday night um and our swim team is actually already off to a great start and um right now I'm keeping my eyes on our indoor track team and our bowling teams as well so hopefully they are going to have an amazing uh uh winter season as well um I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season and a new year that's filled with peace decent and Goodwill and I hope that everyone enjoys the uh deserved time off um in the next few weeks and we'll see everybody when you return after the winter break thank you Dr Johnson we'll now move into committee reports miss good do you have a business administrator report for us this evening um yes I would first start off like to read the uh annual election results um Miss katori uh 9,357 votes M mcer 9,99 votes Mr cluel 8,977 votes Miss waiters 4,322 votes um writings 397 votes and congratulations to uh all of you um I also will just like to give you a brief update um from information that wasn't shared at my finance committee meeting the asssa for 2526 has been submitted as of last week we are currently working on the midyear financial review for the district we will also be working on chapter 44 which is the health benefits and how much the health benefits cost us for this school year we will also receive the rates for next school year for health benefits um they came in at over 20% for the 2526 school year position control roster has been completed and the audit will be presented to the uh board um in February I want to wish everyone a happy holiday peace and blessings to you and your families thank you Miss good now for the curriculum committee report Miss Angley the curriculum committee met on Friday December 6th in attendance for Dr Johnson Miss Rodriguez Gomez miss camori Mr gr Mr kful and myself the committee reviewed all agenda items which includes the submission of Project Lead the Way expansion grants at the elementary middle and high school levels and recommends them for approval and that concludes my report thank you Miss Angley our facilities committee report uh Mr delator uh facilities met on Friday December 6th and attendance were Dr Johnson Mr cagie M Angley Mr delara Mr G and myself all agenda items were discussed and we recommend all for approval a couple of notes uh the Wallace Elementary and Hoboken middle school will be hosting the Hoboken recck basketball league uh we are expecting to receive pricing and designs for The netting replacing scaffolding scaffolding uh over the next two weeks here for demerest and the district was granted a million doll Grant from the SDA funds are tentatively allocated to one repair the Koken High School boiler uh redoing the sidewalks here at HMS and other projects currently being determined by the facility departments uh and that concludes my report happy holidays thank you Mr delator for our finance committee report Mr clell uh thank you uh the committee did meet on December 6th with me were Miss Angley Miss katori Miss Norwood is good and M Lopez uh the committee remove reviewed all agenda items and recommend them all for approval uh especially item 14.01 which is a million dollar in SDA funding uh which Mr delor just touched on um also if anybody noticed there's an extra payroll on 11.04 which reflects the uh uh retroactive payment uh as a result of the ratification of the hoken School Employees Association which was ratified in uh early September and finally as miss good just touched on the U uh work is ongoing on the 2025 26 uh budget um but we're still waiting I was we we learned uh on state funding information which is probably not uh expected until sometime early next year uh that concludes my report thank you thank you Mr kall now we'll go to governance with Miss katamori good evening governance committee met on Friday December 6 in attendance were Dr Johnson Miss Norwood miss mcgurk Mr kille and myself committee discussed um all agenda items and recommends all for approval um as is typical there are a number of agenda items related to faculty and staff including acceptance of resignations and approval and modifications of appointments um including a couple things of note um 10.01 through 10.04 includes the acceptance of resignations and appointments of certificated staff and parent Professionals for the current school year um 10.05 through 10.07 and 10.09 through 1011 include the approval of volunteers who were unpaid and staff for various extracurricular and co-curricular programs including in relation to our athletic and theater departments as well as the eastem challenge coaches and the related stiens ass associated with each position 10.08 approves the attainment of qualitative Merit goals for the current school year for uh certain of our administrative staff which is specified in the agenda and 10.15 covers the approval of six new substitute teachers for the current school year that's my report and um happy holidays thank you Miss kator I have a brief president report this evening it's really hard to believe that we're here at the last board meeting of 2024 and I wanted to take a couple of minutes to reflect on an aspect of our school district that I personally am most thankful for so as Dr Johnson mentioned last Tuesday evening was the Hoboken middle school and Hoboken High School holiday show and anyone who was in attendance can tell you what a truly wonderful performance that was last week uh each year I continue to be amazed at just the sheer number of students who are on stage the quality of the performance and how these programs have continued to grow Thursday evening there will be um students from our district representing our schools performing at the city of Hoboken tree lighting and then finally on Friday our elementary school students will have the chance to share their musical Journey so far this year at their holiday show this school district has experienced such tremendous growth and enrollment and achievement over the last 10 plus years but it's also maintained and grown its investment in arts education the Arts and Music programming has grown at the elementary middle and high school levels and I happen to think that the growth of Arts curriculum the enrollment growth and increased academic achievement are really all related I don't think you can have one without the other I I think it's a a really synergistic thing that we have here this wouldn't have happened without an Administration that values Arts education and gifted arts and music teachers it would not have happened without years of board members who value Arts education who don't look to cut Arts education when budget times get tough and those board members representing a community where Arts and Music are very much a part of the local fabric it's one of the things that makes this an incredibly special school district I hope that all of you get a chance to hear some of our students either sing or play their instruments during this holiday season and I hope that all of you have a very happy and healthy holiday and I look forward to seeing all the things exciting things that are to come for the students of the Hoboken Public School District in 2025 so now we'll move on to public comments on Madam president would you like a wellness committee report I'm so sorry I forgot your Wellness report the wellness committee met on Friday December 6th 2024 in attendance were Dr Johnson miss mcgurk Mr delator Miss darar and myself there are two Wellness policies on the agenda both of which the committee recommends for approval committee discussed a number of other items as well item 7.01 on the agenda is a first reading of policy 5337 on service animals including the use of a service animal introduced as part of the school Community when required for inclusion into a student's IEP individualized education plan or students Section 504 accommodation plan item 7.04 on the agenda is the second reading of revised policy 5350 as discussed at the last meeting this is a revision to the district Suicide Prevention policy on Church Square Park safety the administrators continue to meet with the Hoboken Police Department city council members and other stakeholders related to safety concerns in ch Square Park as well as school resource officers um in the Hoboken Public Schools there's a farm totable family event on December 17th with Chartwells um Chartwells will be holding this event ahead of the holidays with families that are experiencing food insecurity they'll be given meal prep kits including ingredients recipes and kitchen utensils to bring home after a chef's presentation many of the produce being used will have been grown in the district's Hydro iic units this is a program that is held four times a year and usually has approximately 100 people attend finally the Narcan kits have been received from the county all principls Vice principls nurses and selected other staff have completed their annual training to deploy the Naran and that concludes my report thank you Miss Norwood and again my apologies we're going to move on to public comments on agenda items as AER before we open for public comments over the years and most recently the board has been asked 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 a party two comments as such however just because a speaker may have the right to say what here she feels does not absolve the speaker from liability for any comments that could be viewed as defamatory by employee should speakers say something that subjects them to a civil suit the responsibility Falls squarely on the speaker not on the board do we have anyone signed up for Miss waiters she's not in attendance though anyone else signed up for public comment on agenda items no thank you Miss good so we will move to our consent agenda is there a motion motion second miss good when you have can you call the rooll Miss Angley yes Miss camori yes Miss deir yes Mr delator yes Miss Connor yes Mr clle yes Miss Norwood yes Miss mcer yes motion passes thank you Miss good we'll now move on to public comments on agenda and non-agenda items Miss waiters she's not in attendance uh no other thank you Miss good we will be going into executive session now for the purpose of discussing matters covered by attorney client privilege we will not be taking action so we'll be just be coming back to close the meeting we will be approximately 30 minutes do I have a motion motion miss good please call the RO Miss Angley yes Miss catori yes Miss Dela sure Mr delor Miss Conor yes Mr pille yes M Norwood yes M MC yes motion passes it is now 8:20 p.m. and we are just coming back from executive session do I have a motion to resume the meeting motion second miss good can you please call the role Miss Angley yes Miss camori yes Miss delera yes Mr delator yes Miss Conor yes Mr kutle yes Miss Norwood yes Miss MC yes and with no further business do I have a motion to close the meeting motion second all in favor say I I thank you and have a happy holiday season