##VIDEO ID:PKw9_vPIvQk## e e e okay we're going to start the meeting pursuant to the New Jersey open public meeting at SS njsa 10-4 10 adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by advertising such notice in the home News Tribune the Asbury Park Press the board office the schools and on cable vision channel 118 and Verizon files 24 and by filing such notice with the Township Clerk this meeting was scheduled for Tuesday September 24th 2024 the board will take formal action on payment of bills and other agenda items Mr White the Oldbridge Township Board of Education acknowledges that the law of the state establishes that members of the public including members of the board have the right to record public board meetings using audio or video recording devices provided that the active recording does not interfere with the business of this public board meeting therefore the board makes it known that any such recording is to be considered the private recording of the individual and in no manner represents the official record of this board the board therefore takes no responsibility for such private recording and completely disavows any future use thank you Mr White roll call please Dan tuno here jirano here jri here Francisco here lent present Marquetta here maone here Slade here solowski here we have a quorum thank you would everybody please rise for the pledge would everybody please remain standing move to Board of Education acknowledge the death of Nancy Wagner retired teacher Lynn Romano Andrews retired teacher Robert Swain Jr 2013 overd high school graduate and Anthony D Palma 2003 high school graduate thank you code of ethics Corner the board member refer all complaints to the chief administrative officer and act on the complaints at public meetings only after failure of an administrative solution thank you approval of minutes J Dan I'll make the motion a second okay second Dan second any discussion roll call please danant tuno yes Jano yes jri yes Francisco yes lent yes Marquetta yes mazone yes Slade yes solowski yes resolution one for approval of Miss minutes passes thank you we have our stupid representative today it's all yours Mr Mr President I just want to take the liberty of introducing um Joseph Joseph Lon ofama he is our new president and um he's very very uh strong for being here today he had the peer Retreat the past couple a couple of days so um I have no doubt that he's going to show us how he can persevere through long nights of learning and be here too today so thank you Joseph hi it's very nice to meet you all my name is Joe lanzafama and I am the President of the student senate for this school year I'm very excited to be working with the Board of Education and Central Administration for this upcoming school year I have attended MCD Elementary School Carl samber middle school and I'm now a senior at oldridge high school for this school year I've lived in Oldbridge my whole life and I'm very proud of our schools and Community for all that we do and give back each month I will relay what has happened and what is coming at Oldbridge high school at the Board of Education meetings it's been a great start to the school year and many students have begun to get involved in this school's events this time of the year we are encour encouraging all students at Oldbridge High School to join one of our programs so that all students can feel included and involved this past weekend senior peer leaders went on the peer Retreat and worked hard on team building activities we have an exciting week coming up with freshman sophomore Bingo on Wednesday night homecoming dance on Thursday night and the homecoming football game on Friday night which is the Battle of Route 18 against e Brunswick next week the senior dinner Crews we have we have the sen senior dinner cruise as well we also has have College admission Representatives starting to visit our school throughout the fall additionally fall Sports senior nights have already begun finally we have a very successful holiday night and toy drive in conjunction with the Mera Tara Foundation to collect toys and donations to donate to the Pediatric division of the JFK University Medical Center thank you for everyone that donated and attended it was a great time great event for a great cause and we were able to fill the truck with toys we are looking forward to a fun and eventful year and our goal is to get as many students involved as involved as we can it's going to be a great year to beight thank you thank you Joseph fantastic job [Applause] great okay recognition we have three retirees Miss Francisco we do um so we would like to um honor the following uh staff here in the district and express our for deep appreciation for their years of dedicated service to our district car Lee Johnson Katherine manise and Alisa Mars with a combined total of 70 years of service to our district we want to wish you the best of luck in your Journeys ahead and congratulations on your [Applause] retirement thank you okay a roll call please motion any need a motion to move I need a second Francisco will second and I I have some discussion yes yes I'd like to personally thank Miss Johnson for her years on the board I've been in the board since 2020 and you've been a great help and I've learned a lot with you Mr Mara now Mr wiel so thank you again and good luck on your time I tried joking with uh Miss Johnson last week asking like can we vote no on this because she has been such an so again to Echo thank you for everything recognition no that's it I yes I would I'll I'll jump in since we're we're doing this um so yes Miss Johnson thank you for your guidance and your help through the last year so um I would also just like to say a couple words um I've been a parent at sha for a long time so I've my girls have you know looked to Mrs marks as their nurse for the last however many years and she has been wonderful um especially with a a child with a food allergy so I know that a lot of parents will be really s to see her go so I just want to wish her the best of luck from me thank you thank you Miss Francisco roll call please sled yes danant tuno yes Gano yes JRE yes Francisco yes lent yes Marquetta yes maone yes solowski yes resolution one for recognition passes congratulations thank you do we have a superintendent report yes we do Mr President go ahead um first I would like to take the time to recognize a a board member uh a staff member who did pass away in the last 24 hours unexpectedly uh Susan arment she was a busid in the district um we're sad for her loss and her husband is a security guard at uh samber school will or Monte so uh we'll have that for recogn recognition and Remembrance on the agenda but it did happen uh like I said in the last 24 hours so all our prayers and support go out to the family at this time um just in progress towards goals and then I'll the superintendent report uh we've seen some amazing upticks in some of the progress we put towards supporting our students um both with uh many aspects and in our staff and kind of cultural and environmental and mental health supports uh one of the things we looked at is chronic absenteeism it's it's a big marker indicator on the success of a school district U by the Department of Education and post uh 2022 we were looking at 16.4% of our students were chronically absent um meaning that they exceeded at least 10% of the school year as absent in June of 2024 after we put these measures in place to support the students we saw a 6.8% reduction in that short period of time and that that's large part to our C attendance coordinators um during the 2023 24 school year we specialized a committee to work and Implement best practices for school avoidance the committee produced resource guides to provide for all school-based mental health professionals by February 2024 and those guides consist of type of avoidances and causes assessment uh for the process interventions for counselors teacher resources and classroom supports and parent strategies resources additionally in surveying our staff we saw there was an increase of students in grades 5 through eight with number hivs that were being reported we used and implemented uh the second step program and we made it available to all staff and grades 5 through eight and this supports students with managing their motions working with others maintaining friendships and problem solving Studies have shown that the use of the second step program reduces incidences of bullying lessons are quick and easily easily can be implemented at oldrid high school and Carl samber School uh they're starting their second year with the Ruckers Grant funded program and they're one of two of only 50 schools in the state that were selected to implement these mental health supports for our students Alber High School is implementing a full PBIS program which will be used as an Exemplar for other schools that are participating in the grant program so other school districts that are looking into this program will be coming to Oldbridge High School to model their program after ours we also saw that um our climate s survey pilot which began in 2324 collaboration um with our Dei committee the 2425 school year we have full implementation of the district cimment surveys for all staff students and personnel and AD it'll be administered in the fall and in the spring the data will be used to guide our best practices for our skip teams additionally we have the teacher CL and culture Innovation Grant which the board is aware of teams in Pilot schools such as sulk Samberg Miller and Madison Park started working towards these goals and I believe we one of 15 one of 18 school districts in the state of New Jersey that were selected for this and the the major concept behind this is to work on the climate and culture for our staff to best support them uh and the work that they do with our students now to the superintendent report and this was also related to our um strategic plan was that we were looking for better ways to communicate and and have Outreach to our families and in our family we changed over to from parent University being a one night event to fent uh Family Academy nights uh at this point we have uh five events already six six events already planned and possibly a seventh so just so you know about these events that coming up they they're on our website and September 30th uh 20 uh 24 which is next month tonight from 7:8 p.m. in the elic dermic grade n Center I myself will be presenting uh with with to families what is an HIV and how's that differ from a code of conduct violation we get in information and requests from parents to investigate uh code of conduct violations and often they believe it's an HIV or or bullying and part of my workshop will be telling showing parents and helping them understand the nuances and differences between what they grew up and believing as bullying and what the state of New Jersey identifies as bullying um since 2013 uh I think it would be very helpful for that and and see the resources and get the understanding that even though it may not be an hi something is B being done rather restorative whether remedial um to correct the the code of conduct violation even though it's not hfb so I I think a lot of people will find it uh educational and we'll have some fun with it and some prizes will always was giving out if I'm presenting um then on October 22nd we're going to how I can support my child in mathematics at home that's going to be at MCD divid school from 6:00 to 7: p.m. uh it'll be presented by Stacy Winters who is our supervisor of mathematics on Tuesday November 12th 2024 from 7 to 800m we're going to have a special education process and parents rights in special education uh this will be at the element dering grade n center learning lab from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. College Planning night will be on November 20th this is a virtual workshop and we were're doing this because we heard from many people who attended the virtual uh the College Planning nights in the past and they said there are so many of us that need this but we might have to work that night uh we couldn't get child care for our younger children so we're making this a virtual Workshop uh to reach all of our parents and families that are in need for this on March 12th 2025 from 6:00 to 7M we'll have steam night um we're looking to have people join us for an evening of Discovery and fun as the family's EXP various science technology engineering art and math stations that'll again be at Miller School 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on March 12 and then again another virtual Workshop will be through our uh instructional coaches be preventing summmer slide this will take place on Thursday May 8th 2025 um I look forward to having everyone attend that one from 7 to 8 PM again as a virtual Workshop that is some very good news and I think um Dr hok are you going to report on this at all or just we're have it in inside just as an insert for everyone to review on yes and try to point out the um the the uh area in which the AP exams have we've seen such an increase in that area we created the um old Township Public Schools brochure which you can see we put some copies at the back tables and there is also a QR code and it will be going on the district website included are just some of the highlights of the achievements that have taken place over the past we've looked at approximately the past 10 years but one of the things we'd like to highlight is the overall academic achievement and from 2013 to 2024 the SAT scores have seen a 99.8% increase the total students taking AP courses has seen from two again 2013 to 2024 a 27% increase and then the total AP tests taken because some students will take more than one test has increased by 22% students and this is is a big one the AP score with a three or higher has increased 25% so not only do we have more students taking those exams but we have more students students that are achieving higher scores on those exams um we also include in here a summary of our students that are in the early college and the dual enrollment program some of the positive results that we've seen some of the recognition the National Blue Ribbon Schools the schools of character distinguished ptas um athletic and and musical accomplishments are global connection that our students are making through our world language program and we've included some of our highlights for professional development some of the um quotes that have come from staff members some of the options that we provide to our staff um specifically addressing some of our new hires and how we get them ready to walk into our classrooms as well as our veteran teachers and it's we've included an area um based on how we determine the selections for professional development the selections for curriculum and how all of our programs and resources are data driven um there's a page on the measures of school climate again really addressing the data driven approach that we take we've included some Personnel components and how we utilize new or or um revised positions that we have in the district such as mental health coordinators our bcbas our instructional coaches Tech integration Specialists um and then we address our technology and how we implement the onetoone and how we continue to evolve with all of the changes in technology so it's a thank you Dr H action pack document and I just want to I want to thank all of our Educators from prek up to high school because results like that the AP and I pointed this out earlier today if you understand how AP testing works and if you've had let's say a 140 more students taking AP exams traditionally when you increase the volume of people taking the test your students that score above three will go down because you're expanding the pool of those taking so it's not those students who trally thought they were Elite enough to take this test now you're expanded more students taking that and we saw the opposite result where more students our our score actually increased as more students took the test so really connects to the scaffolding effect of Education where you start with the elementary schools and work the way through middle schools and by the time their students are getting to the high school they're taking AP tests and they're doing better on them than their predecessors really tradition really amazing stuff and it doesn't happen without great Educators from the bottom up but thank you can I just add um and I know Mr G Downer probably thinks about this but the value in being able to take that AP test and utilize it towards your college career you um can get those that credit and as families save quite a bit of money um I have a daughter that's that has taken the AP exams and is able to finish with the exception of one class almost a year early um and that's a huge savings if you're able to do that and we can have more and more of our students taking those classes thank you Dr hoker Mr cardino uh correspondents any correspondents yes hopefully I didn't miss any but we do have a number of correspondents here that came in through my email okay first correspondence is from Michael Curtis dear Board of Education members I'm writing this email in support of M cadino being offered a new contract after his current contract expires as a teacher starting my 23rd year in Oldbridge I have grown to know Mr cadino as not only a boss but as a friend I've worked under numerous superintendents in this district and none of them have gone above and beyond like Mr cadino to create a culture that promotes family and friendships he has always put the students and staff of Oldbridge first and strives to Foster an environment in which his students and Staff feel safe and accepted fostering both academic growth and personal growth if the Board of Education chooses not to renew Mr City's contract they will be doing a disservice to not only thebridge Township Public School District but also to the township as a whole thank you for allowing my voice to be heard Respectfully yours Michael Curtis second is from excuse pronunciation but Michelle sparza um good evening unfortunately I unable to attend tonight's meeting could you please share the following correspondents at tonight's meeting I am writing to express my support for the renewal of Mr cino's contract as superintendent I have had the privilege of working with Mr Cino in various capacities first as my vice principal then as principal at jonasa middle school and now as superintendent throughout his time in Oldbridge he has consistently demonstrated unwavering support for his staff and more importantly the students we serve I've witnessed Mr sadino navigate both the most challenging and the most successful times in Oldbridge his leadership has been a steady and guiding force through it all losing him would be a significant loss for our district thank you for their time Michelle sparza third correspondence from Karen Langan subject is superintendent contract renewal dear Board of Education members please read this email as correspondence at the Board of Education regular meeting on 92424 I watched the board meeting last week and was disheartened to hear that Mr cino's contract may not be renewed I felt the need to send you a letter to let you know that I support Mr Seno as the superintendent I went through the Oldbridge school system and I can honestly tell you that I never saw or heard about the superintendent while I was in school students today cannot say that about our superintendent because Mr sedino is everywhere and supports everyone I've had many nieces and nephews go through the school system and they all knew Mr Cino because of his involvement and support of all students and activities to be honest he is like where's Waldo except Mr cadino is easier to find because he is everywhere and helping everyone Mr Mr sadino has changed the way Oldbridge looks and feels and it is for the better the transition started when he became vice principal and at Jonah sock and it continued to this day I would like to share a quick story last year when sock school had to be evacuated due an emergency across the street several students were anxious I turned around and who did I see Mr cadino with Daisy his trusted four-legged four-legged companion I asked Mr Cino to introduce Daisy to a student who was having a little anxiety and not only did Mr Cino UC Daisy he spent some time with the student talking and engaging them in an effort to try to ease their an anxiety I'm asking all board members to support the renewal of Mr City News contract not just for the students and staff but for the Oldbridge Community thank you for your time and have a good evening have a good day miss Karen Langan fourth correspondence from Victoria bour or borei sorry for the pronunciation superintendent contract renewal dear Oldbridge Board of Education please read read this email as correspondence at the Board of Education regular meeting on 92424 I hope this message finds you well I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for Dave I first started working with Dave while he was an an administrator at sock Dave was always in the hallways with a smile on his face interacting with the students and staff in a light-hearted and engaging manner he wanted his staff and his students to feel comfortable in the environment in which they were in and have an enjoyable experience Dave always had an open door policy for every one which was very reassuring his support towards us all does not go notice as an administrator and superintendent Dave is familiar with many students and their families his approach towards all students staff and our community has always been caring and compassionate his involvement in our community has made a positive impact on all Dave support consistently reflects his commitment to the best interest of the students staff and community in closing I would like to express my support for the renewal of David cino's contract a superintendent of Oldbridge Public Schools sincerely Victoria bour correspondence number five from W Robin Wolf dear Board of Education members I regret that I cannot attend the meeting due to prior commitments on Tuesday nights however I want to express my strong support for superintendent superintendent Dave cadino Dave is a superintendent who truly values and supports his staff he takes the time to listen and understand the needs of everyone involved which is a rare rare and invaluable quality his extensive knowledge of what a school district requires to thrive is evident in his leadership Dave enjoys an amazing reputation among his peers and is highly respected within the educational community in many conversations with him over the years I've consistently found him to be an excellent listener demonstrating a genuine commitment to our district I firmly believe that the Oldbridge School District would not be as successful without Dave at the helm therefore I strongly urge you to extend his contract so he can continue to build on the success esses we have achieved under his leadership thank you Robin Wolf sanberg School in Oldbridge alumni correspondence number six from Christina Romeo good evening I am writing in support of renewing David cino's contract as always proud superintendent of Oldbridge Public Schools I've worked with Mr citadino at swalk and Oldbridge high school and was thrilled when he became our superintendent in addition to the extraordinary duties involved in running a huge School District he has maintained Oldbridge public school's excellent reputation Mr citadino has always cared deeply about the staff and students in his buildings as our principal and shows the same level of love and care for the entire District I'm not sure how he does it but he attends just about every event during the school day after school and on weekends these include Sports Oldbridge day Brady's walk and mental health Wellness fair and sep the meetings to name a few I'm sure he has given up time with his own family to support the happenings in Oldbridge and then there's Daisy from calming little ones on the first day of school to Turning big tough High School boys to Mush Daisy is such an asset to the district without Mr sadino there is no Daisy I don't know why this is even a topic of discussion you will not find Anyone who puts his heart and soul into the Oldbridge Public Schools like Mr cadino does renew his contract thank you Christina Romeo retired Oldbridge speech language pathologist correspondence number seven from Miss Katie Chong hi business administrator wiell and Board of Education I'm writing to you to express my support for renewing superintendent sedo's contract when it expires next year with all the uncertainties taking place in schools across the country my family and I always feel confident that superintendent citadino is keeping our school safe and the parents commun Guardians informed I appreciate superintendent citadino being so active in the community and always showing up at school activities to show his gen support and love for the students superintendent citadino is more than well qualified and is well respected by many school staffs parents and students Oldbridge would be so lucky if he stays with us for many years to come I hope the Board of Ed will listen to the outpouring of support for Mr cadino for superintendent cadino and renew his contract immediately there's absolutely no need to wait until after the November election to do as per board president has recommended that is a selfish decision the board president needs to put his personal grudges aside and do the right thing thank you Kate correspondence number eight subject to save Dave dear bard of Ed I would like to express my deep gratitude to Mr cadino for the positive impact he has had on our school district my daughter was fortunate to participate in a full day pilot program at Grom under Mr Caden's leadership which eventually expanded into a successful full day program for all students over the past 11 years my daughter has excelled academically becoming a high honor student involved in various activities including the National Honor Society French and Orchestra all taking all while taking honors and AP courses her success is a testament to the hard work of the teachers and the guidance of Mr citadino I wholeheartedly believe that his contract should be renewed to continue fostering this kind of academic achievement many families including mine have chosen Oldbridge because of the strength of our school system and even in the face of challenges like covid-19 we have seen success my daughter was in the sixth grade when the pandemic hit and did not return to inperson learning until late in seventh grade despite these challenges she has thrived as I mentioned above proving there is recovery with only two years left in her High School journey I hope that other parents children will have the same opportunities and success she has had thanks to the leadership and vision of Mr cadino the Board of Education exists to serve the community and our children not personally interests unfortunately it seems that some members are allowing selfish motives to interfere with decisions that directly affect the success of our students I'm not dancing around it board members Christina Elena and Matt you are delaying a process that is crucial to the future of our children it's time to put aside personal Grievances and focus on what truly matters protecting our and supporting our students president solowski I urge you to set aside any personal grudges and do what is right keeping Dave sadino as superintendent is not only in the best interest of our children but also reflects his proving track record name the njpta outstanding superintendent for the 2324 school year this should be an easy decision our Student Success depends on it thank you Dave for everything and hope you are here when my daughter graduates next year with love the keyboard Warrior Miss Stephanie mmed AKA Stephanie Field correspondence number nine from Miss Roxanna aosta hello Mr wiell and Board of Education members I am writing to express my strong support for the renewal of Mr cino's contract orber has been fortunate to have such a dedicated and effective leader and I believe it is in the best interest of our community to begin the process of renewing his contract now in my six years living in Oldbridge I have seen how the children and Community have benefited under his leadership and his commitment to transparency and accountability have fostered a sense of trust and confidence among parents and residents losing a super superintendent of his Cal would be a major setback for Oldbridge and the children I urge you to take Swift action to renew his contract ensuring that our town continues to benefit from his leadership and expertise sincerely a concerned parent Roxanna aosta correspondence number 10 from Christa Fischer good afternoon Mr wiell and Board of Education members I writing today as both a parent and a passionate advocate for the continued success of our school district David cino's dedication to Earth students is unmatched he is not just a superintendent behind the desk he is a visible engaged presence in our community whether it's attending school events supporting teachers or going the extra mile for our children he consistently shows up one experience that stands out to me personally is when he brought his therapy dog Daisy into my son's classroom during his first week of kindergarten that simple compassionate gesture helped ease the transition for my son and I'm sure many other students new students excuse me many residents are aware Ware that there may have been personal reasons for one long-standing board member of our Board of Education to to diminish superintendent cit's contract however I urge the entire board to consider the broader impact of the decision on our students teachers and Community Personal disagreement should not overshadow the remarkable dedication and commitment David has cons consistently shown to our district if any Board of Education member is truly for the kids and wants to protect parental rights then please don't punish the children in our community over the past your ego or a vandetta it only hurts our children I'd also like to go on record for the candidates who are working hand inand with our Township GOP in that a current Council woman had stated to a young man at orridge day that you are all responsible for raising our taxes and for no reason she emphasized you were all thrown under the best please don't fall as pawns for political reasons and motivations please look inside yourselves and do the right thing religion and politics is no place for our schools I believe any decision not to R new his contract would be a disservice to our students in our community and a simple and it is simply a decision that would be made out of ego David sadino belongs in this District thank you for your time and consideration sincerely Christa Fischer that was the final one thank you Mr wiell uh any any special committee reports yes um at the request of families at the last month's agenda meeting uh we had a transportation meeting concerning the late buses we addressed the fact that the late bus is a $500,000 line item in our budget and we went through the reasons why the administration and the board um unfortunately had to cut it for right now and it's we wouldn't make the money back with subscription busing or pay to play it wouldn't cover the cost of the busing um there were some suggestions that the administration are is looking into but uh I was I want to thank the administration and the board and um the staff that was able to get the meeting together so quickly um we got it done under a month and it's because you as families and parents requested it so thank you thank you anyone else yes me last Thursday September 19th SEPTA had their first meeting of the year um a lot of people showed up and I just wanted to give you a little summary of um what was talked about they now have a representative at each of the 16 school buildings where they Advocate with principls and ptas to ensure the success of special education program students and staff the board spoke about their SEPTA booklets project and new and by the way our board got those last week um and new informational postcards they distributed over 375 booklets throughout Oldbridge SEPTA reviewed many of the wish lists they granted over the summer to their incredible staff and classrooms they updated everyone on the completed GNC project if you haven't seen that it's amazing um after a grand opportunity fell through they turned to the community to help raise funds to bring this project to fruition they were able to raise over $112,000 to complete the beautiful classroom that will benefit students for years to come their new campaign is called exceptional nights it's a new um inclusive t-shirt and Hoodie design with uh the word kns inv both Sil language and Braille the exceptional nights campaign ends September 30th so if you want to order you have to do it soon September announce SEPTA I'm sorry SEPTA announced their partnership with the Department of special services to host the very first Oldbridge special education resource Fair that's going to be held on Thursday January 30th between 6:00 and 8 at the Carl Samberg learning Lab at the meeting on Thursday Dr tuy presented an overview of special education programs for 2024 2025 sept will also participate in the November 12th Family Academy night where Dr Tui will be presenting you do a lot of presenting Dr Tui on the process of parent rights and special education sept will'll be providing for refreshments and a table with resources and lastly sep is nothing bun cake sale is back this year just in time for Thanksgiving the fundraiser will start in mid October and you can pick up the bun cakes on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving thank you thank you hearing of res on any agenda items any agenda items it should be up there is it not I'm Sor is there a book to sign no no book oh in the podium no no sure hey Matt did you did you say any did you say any school item or any agenda item okay just all right okay just wanted to check thank you I can go okay on the agenda later on it states about a donation that's given to Grom school so I'd like to express my gratitude to both Lord Abbott and system Liquidators for their generous donation of office furniture and remarkable check of $5,000 however this contribution represents such more than its monetary value at the start of the school year Dr hoker announced our ambitious goal of recertifying as a natural National District of character this task is especially challenging in today's society where divisions are often seem pronounced more pronounced now than ever we find ourselves polarized whether politically generationally or even with our Sports loyalties respecting different opinions has become in increasingly difficult to me being a National District of character goes beyond banners catchphrases and signature slogans with that in mind Dr hoker I would like to include the following as part of our District's recertification application while I promise not to mention this person's name publicly it feels essential to recognize the invaluable character lesson demonstrated by Mrs Tara finlin a former grome parent and a manager at Lord Abbott who has been a vital link between Lord Abbott system Liquidators in Grom school it's safe to say over the past 11 years Tara and I have definitely had our shares of differences however she has met has set those differences aside for the greater good not just for her son's school but for all the children in our community as her sons have since moved on to sulk and the high school Tara embodies the spirit of community serving not not just as a donor but as a believer in our shared Mission as I stand here representing Grom school it's Tara's selfless commitment to putting aside disagreements and different beliefs that has exemplified what good character truly means her actions teach our children that living our values is far more significant than merely achieving recertification thank you Tara for this invaluable lesson I also want to highlight that there are countless other unsung heroes in our community students parents teachers and support staff who exemplify character every day with continued examples from individuals like Tara we can Inspire aspire to become a true community of character again thank you very much Tara finlin thank you thank you thank you Dro anyone else if we could just have you sign in so officially in the book thank you yes state your name please can you guys hear me okay good evening everyone my name is Amy kalista I live in mwan Albridge Township today I'm here as a parent and as a concern member of this community um there's been you know a lot of discussion about um superintendent is this in regards to a specific item on the agenda superintendent David citadino and his future in the district yeah but that you can speak later on on that one not now it's just for this items that are on the agenda this is not the time to do that okay we will let you know it I'll be back yes thank you thank you hello everyone good evening this is Kiran wesan um just a quick question on the item number 12 on the curriculum guides uh I see we have uh updates for pretty much from grade K all the way up to middle school and special services secondary ET uh uh I did look up the uh data that was published today like the agenda and then the schedules and attachments but honestly I couldn't find more details about what is changing you know in some of these or all of this so before we go to the voting process if any of you can please give some perspective of what is changing that'll be of help thank you thank you anyone else just items that are on the agenda I see no hands okay thank you does everyone hear me okay hello everybody nice to meet you um I'm Juliana Moko I'm a student from Brookdale Community College up in linro campus I'm here today I'm in an honors political science class and I'm here today observing you all um I'm studying to become a secondary math education teacher so I'm super excited to be here I had some questions concerning the school district even though I am from mwan I was really looking oop sorry was really looking forward to maybe applying to the ald high school is this in regards to a specific item on the agenda the board agenda for tonight um no I I had some personal questions I'm not sure so there's going to be there's going to be a second hearing of the residents where you can talk about any issue you can hold your comments until then we'll announce that when you could oh okay sorry that's all right yeah i' I've never been to this District sorry it was a good warm up it was a good warm up good practice nice run through now you'll be ready next time there'll be a second hearing we like both of your enthusiasm yes okay policy we have no policy uh curriculum professional development one through do do you want to have um Dr Tui address like the very broad question by Mr V so the state of New Jersey um has updated its student learning standards those student learning standards specifically for ELA and math uh necessitate to rewrite for our Ela and math materials additional courses that were Rewritten over the course of the summer included some special education programs a Visual and Performing Art new class at the high school which was music production 2 um and a new class we're offering at the GNC which is a halfe computer science course and just for clarification that item is in the curriculum section highlighted because based on action proposed by board member Slade which was then seconded by jri and Deon uh Dean tuno we then put it back on the curriculum meeting for voting for tonight's purpose so that was put on the agenda highlighted based on action at our last agenda session um to get it back on for voting purchases today so thank you uh would somebody need try to answer kon's uh question about the curriculum okay okay okay so it was answered good okay I need a motion to move D will move curriculum one [Music] through 12 I need a second Jo second any discussion yes I have a discussion uh so last week uh I don't know if it was last week the last time this came up for vote um I voted no to the new curriculum guides and I just wanted to explain why I did that um my reasoning was merily for wanting to make sure I did my job I cannot have voted yes to something I did not fully read or understand I need more time to be able to do my homework I brought up the points of how every single grade there was a curriculum requirement and that things were being umbrell on under different uh under the same things are being combined under the same umbrella um I need I needed some answers as to why the state requirement was necessary in every single grade and in every single subject I wanted to know why um there was how this was beneficial to all students and how it would be taught as I understand it now it is required by the state and if not listed in our curriculum the state will then remove some qack points from the district as they did when the health curriculum was voted down the state taking points away would then leave our district under needs Improvement category am I correct that okay my concern is as much as I know our teachers here in the district are doing an amazing job how are they going to be implementing these new requirements into the classrooms and what materials are going to be used the world is changing drastically and what scares me that is if the fact of leaving these requirements in the curriculum leaves that little door open for teachers to be able to teach unnecessary materials to the students and be totally okay with No Parental Guidance at some point we as a district and not just us all districts need to push back at the state and tell them no why do we have local school boards if at the end of the day we really don't have any say over our district the state has the final say so why have a local board event and why have our teachers take time away from their lives and their families to rewrite curriculum if the state can just come in and redo it all I felt I had to explain myself because it seems that everything we do everything way I tend to vote people have comments or sounds to make when all I'm trying to do is do the job I was elected to do I just wanted to thank all of the teachers who took the time out this summer to rewrite the curriculum thank you thank you anyone else yes um so over the last couple weeks I took the time that I felt was necessary to go through the many um areas of curriculum that did have some revisions um and yesterday I had the opportunity to sit down with with Dr tuy with Dr hooker and also miss edin Alie and Mr sentano and I walked into the room and it was evident to me that they were super prepared to sit down with me welcomed me in gave me all of the necessary documents that I would need you know to to look at had some things ready to present to me and it it was evident that they were respecting the fact that I had questions and that I genuinely wanted to learn as as much as I can so I thank the four of you for sitting with me having a very candid conversation um that was very promising so just so that I am being clear on you know some of the things that I did ask and I I was able to ask about the state mandates that were revised and that are present cross curricularly for us um I asked about how the ELA units are established I asked about the components of Wonders about the listed resources um how we monitor what resources our teachers are using how we um I asked about suggesting novels I asked how we ensure teachers are providing various perspectives when teaching topics I asked where digital platforms come into play and what those are um I also brought up science and social studies materials that we seem to be a little lacking in in certain grade levels um so please not I I'm doing all I can to learn and to take it all in to get to know our administrators I have a lot of respect for what they do and for the teachers and supervisors that rewrote this curriculum or looked over the Rewritten curriculum over the summer um honestly my my bigger concerns and I hate to say this because it is it's true it's they're treat issue it's bigger than us I do not fault our administrators our supervisors our teachers that are putting their time in um because they're doing their jobs they're following what the state is saying um but the state says something and is that you know is it our job to just nod and say Yes um to me it isn't to me it's much more than that and I I promise to be a voice for everybody and I'm going to continue to do that um so that's it I just wanted to be transparent in that I am doing my best to speak with everybody I can and to learn as much as I can thank you Mr Francisco anyone else yes um I too also reached out to supervisors uh who responsible for rewriting the curriculum um and they just reassured me um what I said last week just to Read's digest version of what the what the changes are in the curriculum so I want to thank the supervisors for their help and uh just clarifying um my interpretation of what the changes were so thank you thank you anyone else roll call please maretta yes maone yes SED yes danant tuno yes Gano yes jri yes Francisco yes lent yes solowski yes resolutions 1 through 12 for curriculum and professional development passes thank you Mr W Finance 1 through 11 J down make the motion I need a motion to move Finance J Mr somebody's up too high here J got it yeah sorry I said I said I was going a motion will second thank you any any discussion uh yes um I would just like to say good luck to the teachers for the next five years under their new contracts and I want to thank the negotiating team for working with them thank you roll call please lent yes maretta yes maone yes Slade yes duno yes Jano yes jri yes Francisco yes solowski yes resolutions 1 through 11 for finance passes thank you Mr wll Athletics can we just pause and have a little round of applause that's you just Athletics number one can I get a motion to move Athletics dun will move I need a second pleas second second any discussion roll call please Francisco yes lent yes Marquetta yes maone yes sled yes Dan tuno yes Gano yes jri yes solowski yes resolution one for athletics passes thank you Mr W non-certified personnel office one and two can I get a motion to move non-certified personel office m a motion Francis second any discussion roll call please J yes Francisco yes lent yes Marquetta yes maone yes Slade yes Dan tuno yes Gano yes solowski yes resolutions one and two for non- certifi personnel office passes thank you non-certified Personnel operational number one can I get a motion to move non-certified Personnel operational m a motion can I get a second M will second okay any discussion roll call please Gano yes J yes Francisco yes lent yes Marquetta yes Mone yes Slade yes duno yes solowski yes resolution one for non-certificated personnel operational passes thank you Mr wiell non-certified Personnel other one through one through 12 G down motion can I get a second please i c a second can I get a any discussion please no call call please I I actually have a question Mr Parton do I have to excuse myself from 12 and a couple of the other noon hour issues uh if the name includes anybody to whom okay so can you separate 12 then separate you can just note that when your name all right so I had a um motion by jordano seconded by Marquetta good for roll call roll call please danant tuno yes gordano yes J yes Francisco yes lent yes to everything but 12 abstain on 12 okay thank you maretta yes maone yes Slade yes solowski yes resolutions one through 12 for non-certificated personnel other passes thank you okay sir certified Personnel 1 through 21 can I get a motion to move certified Personnel please M motion can I get a second Francisco will second I I believe we have a separation here we do we have uh number one uh no number two separated by m Zone yep for discussion discussion yep yes okay first we'll vote on the entire batch okay uh so we're voting on one three through 21 so it's for voting too and and number two is discussion she yeah she just wants to discuss it before we vote okay floor is yours Christina thanks um so I would like to welcome our newest addition our amazing staff of teachers Miss Caitlyn hunt um Miss hunt if you're here please stand up okay um we know you will do some amazing things here in the district please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us can't come to the stage for a picture but oh also I would like to um congratulate Mr William Reed and okay what is it Tian Yan zamato on also your positions um are any of they they here okay um maybe next meeting but again uh congratulations uh you guys are going to do amazing things and please again don't hesitate to reach out to any of us if you guys have anything concerns or questions thank you thank you Mr Melle okay a roll call please all right on one through 21 sled yes duno yes Jano yes J yes Francisco yes lent yes Marquetta yes maone yes solowski yes resolutions 1 through 21 for cert certificated Personnel passes thank you Mr Mell thank you m maone uh not certified Personnel transportation number one can I get a motion to move non-certified Personnel Transportation duno will move L second any discussion roll call please Mone yes SL yes danant tuno yes Gano yes jod yes Francisco yes lent yes Marquetta yes solowski yes resolution one for non-certificated personnel Transportation passes thank you Mr wiell Transportation one through one two and three can I get a motion to move Transportation 1 two and three m motion can I get a second CH second any discussion roll call please Mara yes maone yes slave yes danant tuno yes Gano yes J yes Francisco yes lent yes solowski yes resolutions one through three for transportation passes thank you supplies equipment and services one can I get a motion to move supplies equipment and services light will move it Miss will second any discussion roll call please lent yes Marquetta yes maone yes Slade yes duno yes Gano yes Jo yes Francisco yes solowski yes resolution one for supplies equipment and services passes thank you uh Miss lenus 1 through four M motion can I get a second please Mar a seconds any discussion roll call please Francisco yes lent yes Mara yes M yes Slade yes duno yes Gano yes yes yes thank you resolutions one through for miscellaneous pass numeral number 27 board secretary and board business no business but Dr hooker has something to add one of our new staff members is here oh where oh would you please come forward would you please come on the stage for a picture where's the photographer here here he comes wait she she she announced you just just stand that way there you go [Applause] congratulations I guess we have a full house here a lot of people want to talk okay hearing of residents on any school district item all right now anyone can go up we can stand in line and uh you can speak former lines sign our book pass it back thank you Mr former line please Andrew Lewis Oba just want to take a minute and thank the board and some people specifically for ratifying our contract for the next 5 years especially given the budget situation in the district it's greatly appreciated I want to thank the members of the team Mr sled gordano Miss Francisco and Mrs maone I want to thank Mr wiell uh as the new business administrator who walked in right as we're starting uh for your cooperation Mr Parton I believe when we settled you said that there you know you've been doing this for 12 years this is the first time that we haven't had a mediator come in in those 12 years so I think that's great and speaks of a relationship that the board and the association Administration have formed over the past five years specifically Mr cadino and Dr hoker I want to thank you for your collaboration and relationship over the last couple of years uh the night that we did settle there was a board meeting we paused and uh we weren't going to come back and I believe from what I understand the two of you urged the board to return to the table and that's night that we settled so thank you both for your leadership in that thank you to everyone thank you thank [Applause] you hi everyone again okay so I'd like to ask the board a few questions I have um six questions here would you please state your name uh my name is Juliana Mago I am from um Brookdale Community College um so one of the first questions that I have as a concerned student studying to be a secondary math education teacher is that um as noticed as a student I'm not sure if you know if your if your children have complained um if you asked your children when you come home from school how is school today and a substitute teacher was in the classroom and does not teach um and I was very concerned about that um what are the qualifications and I noticed that high schools and especially middle schools do not have substitute teachers that are qualified to teach the certain subject that they are um substituting for and I just wanted to know what their qualifications were for that why aren't they teaching Dr H will everyone speak and then we'll answer questions at the end do you have more if you have more questions keep going okay second question is um would you say that there's an increase or decrease in standardized testing scores before or after covid-19 number three are there more students in a class before or after covid-19 pandemic number four dealing with budgeting issues how are you managing class sizes to the teacher ratio and number five do you have police officers in all of your schools and if not why not um number six based on gun violence happening throughout the country in school districts in state what has your school done or your District done to address student safety and number seven finally is something that um as a practicing teacher um do your District um or the specifically the high school have any um teacher practice for just in case of a school shooting especially for those special education teachers you're dealing with students with wheelchairs mobilized wheelchairs some students that are non-verbal or deaf um or even just regular students getting all of that teach your student ratio out of the building or safe quickly as possible thank you thank you uh you want to wait till the very end after everybody speaks yeah okay we'll do that okay next here I am again thank you Matt for clearly you know keeping me straight there or making me straight but not literally that's good hi yes I'm Amy I live in Matan overd Township um and like I said before I'm here to discuss David cino's future in this District um I want to take a moment to share a personal story um that not only highlights David's commitment to all students um but also his amazing willingness to go above and beyond for families like me um throughout last year and uh even more during the summer my wife and I we were so concerned about our children's transition into the public school system um my two six-year-olds were going from private kindergarten into first grade and they were so nervous uh so you know we wanted to make them as confident as comfortable as we could uh so we inquired about a school tour to uh ease their anxiety a little bit so normally School tours are reserved for kindergarteners uh that's you know what we were told um but David um he stepped in immediately when he saw my wife at the administrative office uh inquiring a little bit more about that um and you know David didn't say no or you know give me this standard reply he didn't you know push us aside um you know he made a phone call on the spot to the principal um and you know within several days you know my kids had a tour uh which was pretty awesome so you know know even that small act of kindness uh really made a huge impact on my family uh you know my kids they were like so much less um you know uh scared and they felt like prepared going into their school year um and it's all because like one person in a leadership role cared to act and to listen uh and that's really what this community what this District needs as far as leadership um I've talked to so many parents and they all have said that David is an advocate for all students whether you know they're from different backgrounds whether they have like additional support needs um he his leadership is all about elevating lifting students and also making sure that families are hurt um and you know what else what else that makes David so good at his job um you know he doesn't just lead but he adapts he listens he makes decisions that reflect our whole community and you know I know that there are differing opinions um I would just ask those that are opposing David's reappointment um um to consider you know what do we really need as a superintendent for a superintendent um do we want someone that cares and supports all students um someone that has dedicated his life to ensuring students are seen that they're safe that you know they're valued um or do we want to step back to a time when you know we allowed politics bias um to you know control the future of our schools uh so I firmly believe that David um is the best person to continue to lead this District um his passion for education is what makes this community stronger thanks everyone for listening thank you good evening s De Primo I'm just going to take a minute and a half of your time supportive Dave uh many of you know me as a former Board of Education member in fact I was one of the original group to vote Yes to hire him as a stino excuse me as our superintendent anyway over the years they were oftentimes my colleagues and I weren't sure which way to vote on an issue usually at these times the community spoke up and let us know what they wanted most of the time that made our decision very easy since we were elected to represent the community as you were we listened to what they they wanted and acted accordingly my point is the community has spoken and you have a responsibility to listen please do the right thing for Mr CAD thank [Applause] you hello everyone um my name is Tina Santiago I grad sorry I graduated from overridge schools over 14 years ago now and I wouldn't be here or where I am today if it wasn't for David C citadino um he helped me get through middle school high school he even gave me my high school diploma on stage um he helped my mom because I was not an easy person to get through school at all um Oldbridge was would be at a disservice if he was not still superintendent next year thank you Mary Jane Santiago her mom Mr cadino was my sanity through Middle School years um we need to keep him we need to renew his contract um Oldbridge needs him I can't say in my have more said we need to keep them thank [Applause] you good evening uh Richard Dunn 58 Norman Lane in this great town of Oldbridge uh I got a few items tonight I want to discuss real quick first uh I want to ask the president when Shar Services committee meeting is going to be scheduled as we all know shed Services is a uh very integral part of of our relationship with the township of Oldbridge and it seems that the uh Oldbridge Public Schools spends over a few million dollars a year on Services towards the township and we don't get much in return so I I would like to know when that uh committee meeting will be scheduled so that's number one number two I had the uh pleasure to attend the sepa meeting at John Glenn school on Thursday even though it was only for a few minutes because I have a pre had a previous uh engagement um I was somewhat upset when I walked into the allpurpose room and found the allpurpose room without air conditioning um I know it was something that we were working on uh back in 21 when I was on the board and that's the only elementary school that does not have an all-purpose air conditioning system so I think we owe it to our children uh our prek uh our our our teachers and everyone who uses John Glenn school um to get the air conditioning and I'm hope that the uh board will consider uh starting that process now so when may rolls around uh they'll have uh air conditioning in the all allpurpose room it was very difficult to hear um Dr Tui and all the speakers um because the Fan's going and I think it's doing disservice to our children uh I'm not sure why didn't move forward in 21 when we were discussing it at buildings and grounds and transportation meeting um but maybe with the transition from day um from Joe marer to Dave and everything else that was going on it fell through a cracks but uh I would strongly recommend us allocating some of the $10 million that we received to upgrade the facilities there at Glenn school it it would be very helpful uh for our children's and children and their uh learning environment uh maybe we can consider uh utilizing a co-op a certified State Co-Op which will uh cut off costs dramatically instead of going out the bid so that's something I'm sure the ba could look into and discuss with the board um they deserve air conditioning at that school uh number three um is I would like to know what the annual cost is for the Board of Education to lease the two uh DPW bays at the township on an annual basis uh that's a number which I think uh we should know I know the numberers get is a revenue for the township and it's an expense for for the bod ofed but i' like to know what that annual expense is uh and number four uh last week I did speak on the behalf of David cadino and I said a few things and uh you know I asked the board to reconsider because David has been an incredible asset to this town but I missed one point that I really wanted to make that accentuated who he is as a man and someone who cares so much um many people know that my daughter is um a special needs individual um she has um Asperger syndrome and she has uh attention deficit disorders and many other issues and going back when she was in eighth grade at Jonah s school back in 2010 uh she was uh very upset that she wasn't able to go on the Stars trip to Washington DC and Baltimore Harbor and um you know she tried her best to get the credits because it was done in a way where when you gave service back to the school you would earn enough credits to be considered to go on the specialized trip and uh one of eron's um child uh child study team members had whispered in the principal's ear at the time about um Erin's desire to go and um you know a very love to do things and it was so involved in her that she you know really wanted to go in and Dave made it happen by giving her extracurricular activities to do special tasks um to make it happen and uh quite honestly that was a very special thing because my daughter is 26 years old today and she is a graduate of Oldbridge public schools and has had a remarkable time and she's currently at Brookdale she's finishing up her associates degree and she will be going to Ruckers next year to continue her education even though she needs to live at home with her parents um but I just wanted to share that and she brings it up to us all the time to me how much she loves David and what it was meant what what it meant to her for him being basically her guardian during those 5 days in Washington DC and Baltimore Harbor so with that said I'm going to leave it as there and I just want to again ask everyone please support Dave uh he's been a remarkable man here uh for the last 12 plus years and I think he deserves um to to leave on his own terms I appreciate and have a good evening thank you you have to press the button over there okay sorry my name is Carol nappo I am a resident of Oldbridge for a long time sorry um I my two of my children went to through the school district um I had my first encounter with Mr cadino when he was the principle of sock he encourages all the children to do their best and that's what made me proud of him um I believe that when my son was at sock he encouraged him all the way to go so then he went to the high school and he did a lot of things and now he's a mechanical engineer so I just want to say uh I endorse him 100% And I hope you feel the same way thank you hello my name is BR schmidtz and I run the German exchange program here in orbridge uh I'm a German teacher at the high school and I just wanted to say that especially these programs like you see in the little brochure uh are not possible without the support of a good Administration and thank you uh Mr Zino for all the support you've given me because it's a lot of work to put this program together it's not paid it's something we do because we like it and when the German teachers come over they always express how much of a family feel would purchase to it and you need somebody to um give that family Fe so thank you hello everyone Kiran vesan here again uh thanks Tui and Helena and Christina for clarifying on the changes but I wish uh if this from the state perspective I really like the way you guys put it right from the state perspective if they can publish ahead and what's upcoming what's changing what is mandated what is optional so we can subscribe to what is really needed for our kids but I really appreciate you all in the board honestly for the time you have spent to diligently review that and then support the community in the town thank you I think we need to give a round of applause for the efforts put put by the board and administration so my next uh point is about uh the food that is being served at the schools especially um there are many of them who are only vegetarians um when I'm talking to the community and the people around uh that is an opportunity here to improve the uh kind of food that we Supply you know so if we can provide some vegetarian options a little more consistently uh than probably the potatoes and others so some some kind of an healthy diet if we can a little bit you know focus on that I'm not sure if there is a food committee that could revisit this just a request here uh if we could we could do anything around it and uh the one other thing is around Transportation I know we did uh discuss and again thanks uh uh vice president Jennifer dintino to set that up but I'm not sure if you have any kind of dates against which we marching forward to get a response out on or is it like you know there is no more options going to be provided by the administration I'd like to hear what are the next steps around it all right thank you thank you anyone else good evening my name is VMA Medina I've been a resident of Albridge for the last 16 years and um I seen the difference in different kind of uh uh places that my children has studyed um and honestly I can't tell the difference of a good school I also you know um study in another District because I don't come from here um but I can tell what is the difference of a good leader and I can tell that David citadino is a great great one and it's a shame I mean if you guys don't renew his uh contract and I think that you should guys reconsider he's a great leader and I think that this is what Old Bridge needs thank you anyone else okay uh there was a couple of uh questions that we have to answer number one is share Services I spoke to uh Mary soor the president of the council and basically what we're going to do is I asked the two business administrators to get together and brainwash okay did did you have the meeting yes we're brainstorm brainstorm yeah I'll be working directly with anahita Fels who's the business administrator over at the township we're going to be trying to coordinate a meeting um first um just within the shared services committee we would have to advertise our end it it becomes when we try to get all boards and the entire Town Council it becomes kind of a advertising I don't want to say headache but it just more coordin more coordination and advertising so Mr sowy tasked me with reaching out to anahita to try to get a date together where at least our committee can meet with um whatever Representatives they need from the Town Council or the township Administration to get something together for for shared services um so we're working on that trying to get a meeting together I'll update the board accordingly and and obviously any meeting that we do have um will be published thoroughly um in the paper so uh I was tasked by Mr solcy to do so we're working on that with anahita um bring up you mentioned the um air conditioner I will certainly look into that situation I'll talk to facilities we do have a facilities meeting coming up in October um it can be brought up then but I will be I'll be reaching out to Ernie and and the plan services team to see what kind of options are there if it's something that um we could even put bigger window AC's in depending on the the we actually have to you know look at the room first to see what the options are um but we can certainly work on if that's the only school I certainly am and for especially the the population in that school you know we want to make sure that's that's addressed and and um taken care of so I will certainly look in that as well um based on your your suggestion thank you Mr wiell about stud question yeah that's Dr H substitutent so you asked a question about the qualifications of substitute teachers so there are rules and regulations that we follow with with every position in the district our substitutes who are in short-term long-term positions or daily positions all have different requirements so typically if we have a teacher who is on a long-term leave there is a certified um anyone Beyond um 15 days we put a certified staff member in those positions sometimes we don't know that the teacher is going to be out for that long we start with a per DM and then we have to make a change but we try to have consistency based on the information that we have um you asked a question about the number of students in the class and whether there's more or less postco um I don't know that there's a difference pre- postco but we look at our class size every year and it ties to the next question that you asked regarding managing class size and fiscal responsibility so every year we analyze the number of students where they're located and the class sections that we have in every building in all the way up until the high school so if we don't need this year we did reduce teams at the middle school um and that was partially um financial and partially because we could and not um max out the number of students that are required by our policy um in some classes there's more students in other classes we have fewer students so it does change based on where the population is and where new students are coming in um I think those are my questions you asked two questions about uh the crisis planning and the security I'm gonna let Mr cadino answer those okay you did a great job um so one of the off one of the questions was about armed police officers or schools yes there is at least one armed officer in every school and there are four SRO assigned to the district um that that have ultimate assign over the schools and there are SLO twos and threes in every school that's who are armed um in our shared service agreement with the police department um the the problem and the issue the countries have had with gun violence and school safety is a real one and something we've continually looked at um using multiple layers of uh security I'm one of those people who I I sit on the state task force for School Safety and Security and one of my things I like to talk in generalizations because I don't like you know like not that the Giants Playbook is unpredictable but I don't like to give the Playbook to everyone because then people with bad intentions I'm a Giants fan though um knows what how to skirt our security issues but we do have we do use um different software to monitor uh behaviors outside of school that would put us in greater risk and do give indicators and warnings to myself and members of the law enforcement Community um when a student is a danger to self or others in the community and that has worked out very advantageously already once this school year um we do use uh uh things like blueo security with schools that is a silent alarm that goes to directly to the police department when there is a a security breach within a school and notifies everyone in the school and out out of the school to go into shelter and place um there's one thing we're looking at right now that I will just say it's an very interesting AI uh initiative that I've never seen before and as part of my my position with the the task force I've introduced it to all the superintendents within middle County um we just had a a session with it the other day and to be to be proactive in it we've already applied for a grant I want thank Dr kander for assisting and and Mr wiel for assisting with this grant um the homeland security Grant expires September 30th and we've already applied to receive this groundbreaking technology and AI that would tremendously improve the safety within our schools um we do drill uh as required by the state law we have a School Safety and Security drill every month um there has to be two of specific ones lock down shelter in place um safe corner and tabletop exercises to to that nature of full evacuation um many of those have to be done twice a year and we are cognizant of that when we have students of different abilities within those classrooms how they may be impacted or are the challenges that the Educators within that classroom face when uh working with those students um I know that happens a lot especially when you have to go to a safe Corner um students that are non-verbal uh have under chart of understanding what that is and be very scary for them so um addition additional precautions in those areas where those students exist um and again not to increase their anxiety so those are some of the things we do I would encourage you if I didn't answer all of your questions to stop by here at the end and uh I'll give you my email and I can go over a few more things of you and I think we have to sign something for you too yes oh excellent Mr President you'll get to sign that um I do want to talk about a few things um Tina I'm so happy to see you don't she didn't leave yet did she all right you better stay there because I want to come over and see you before you leave um so it's great to see you I might I couldn't believe it when you walked up to the podium um it's been many years um miss nappo you really do Under you do really do under um I guess give under Accolade that's not even a word um don't give adequate accolades to your children of especially you know John and I have continue to stay in contact through social media um so she says that her son is a a an engineer mechanical engineer she didn't say that he went to upen and um was also the lead in Oklahoma as well um but he went to upen and left there in robotics and became an imagineer at Disney creating the I I believe it was the R2-D2 robot that was on the Disney cruise that was just amazing that one of our kids made that and you know how much entertainment that gave to kids um going forward um I think we need a board trip to go verify and look at that and I know what Mr V will get back to you with the food um we've worked towards that with uh our food committee and being very conscientious that our lot of our students um are vegetarians do you want to talk more about that I I will just to to Second your voice you know we have heard that from administr principles as well that have hearing it from their parents and and it's been voiced to us so we do have a new director Aron Marcus still here it's in their final year of their contract um but we have a new F food service director uh Julia Street bush is her name she replaced oh she's actually here in the back and uh the whole Aron Mark team is in the back so we have a meeting um coming up in October I believe it's oober 18th is the Food Services committee um 17th thank you Julia um so I'm sure it'll be a point of discussion we are trying to bring more options we know that the the kids love the veeg veggie nuggets um but as simple as salads beinging salads more available and getting more um options for that so we are definitely trying to push that and we'll be working on that for the rest of the year we have some some big initiatives and things planned for this year um in the final year at Aron marks contract so and the other point you said about transportation that continues to be an ongoing conversation um one of the things we're looking at and even though it's a little bit further down the line is we get the realization of our um benefits costs in January right now it's we have to operate based upon a a budget prediction and even a percentage point in our favor can be you know close to a million dollars so when you're talking about the benefits to the amount of employees that we have so if that is something funds that have become available to us it's something we can look at rein re reinstalling uh for this year and last thing you know Mr dun when you spoke about aarin you I I cleared everyone Mr Dunn wasn't my wasn't a board member even I was a principal at the time so wasn't like us doing something because you know taking eron because of uh his position he was a just a guy back then um but can I tell a funny story about Aon so we're eating we're we're sitting at the um the uh Baltimore Harbor and Aon decided that she wanted to sit with me at the table and on Miss Nancy Rose the guidance counselor and Aon uh because she's high functioning she uh she says what she what she feels and she doesn't hold back so you know a waitress or waiter comes over first did can I get anybody to drink Aon wanted iced tea he gives Aon the iced tea and you know how the waiters just come back just how is everything just not really looking for an answer aon's response was horrible so I think he was like the waiter's first day and I had to you know tell it's going to be better than that so I will always remember that that story so I hope everyone's doing well uh that concludes my superintendent remarks thank you anyone else any old business I have something good sorry I have very bad allergies I'm not contagious I just feel the need to say that right away um I've brought this up a few times and I know it's been a topic of conversation amongst the parents uh Carl Samberg parking and traffic issues during special events um I did a football game with the fire department not too long ago it was supposed to be an hour long we ended up uh staying the entire time because OEM and other Emergency Services would not be able to get in to help any student if something happened um because of traffic issues people parking in fire Lanes not enough parking issues like that um as we speak right now the Fire Marshall is there um issuing fines violations and tickets because there is an event currently right now where over 20 cars are parked in the fire Lanes um they're parked illegal um multiple issues where the fines are totaling over $66,000 right now as we're having this meeting um I know I've asked several times for additional meetings with PD OEM uh fire um I know they haven't been contacted since our last conversation last week I was wondering where are we with this I I think this is super important to to happen sooner than later not only are the safety of the kids and all in attendance at risk but you're putting the emergency services in a bad spot too okay I will send an email as soon as I get back to the office thank you I will say something was done since that since last year we've also lined all the parking lots so it used to be bus parking in the back and like everybody would just kind of like Park left right and different you know there was no structured lines for to handle additional overflow parking so that's was all done over the course of the summer um and the tonight is uh open house right for sixth grade sixth grade um and that's why we don't have it sixth grade seventh grade eighth grade the same night because just the the parking is is just too much um um so we'll have to look at you know if there are 350 to 400 parents in there um for for the students and every one of them came we should still have enough parking based upon the parking spaces we have so there was also at Samberg I know there was a field hockey game till at least like 7 o'clock so that could have taken up some of the Fieldhouse parking absolutely and you also have the maintenance area that's all fenced off that there's a shipping containers that there's other things inside that area I myself walk through it during a football game nobody stopped me it was extremely dark the shipping containers were open I mean it's extremely dangerous someone could get robbed or worse in that area if there's not enough protection it should be fenced off and locked if you're going to keep it if it's not being utilized then we need to take down the fencing and make additional parking anyone else I do um so two things I think the only question that you missed of Julian's was the test scores uh pre and postco um if you guys can email me those as well I would like to see those uh those uh also many residents have asked if we truly know Mrs citadino and they urg us to get to know him as a person so Elena and I reached out to him and we scheduled a meeting we had asked him to sit down with us and scheduled a meeting so we really get to know him as a person how he got to where he is what his goals are what his goals were when he became superintendent um and he graciously accepted and we will be meeting next week right we're meeting next week October 1st yep and um so it's not about like I I don't know where people are getting the the facts of oh I know how you're voting and put political stuff aside it has nothing to do with us being political or anything it's really us doing our job and getting to know him as a person so just be patient with us and let us get to know him thank you thank you anyone else yes um in response to the questions um all dates of committee meetings are on our district website love the Subscribe button parents are loving it um as I've said before the committee meetings is really where the conversations happen so we invite everyone to the um committee meetings the next set of ones that I know know about um president's council is hosting candidates night here October 8th so that's where you get to see all the new board of ed candidates that are running uh for this year's election get to hear their their answers to questions that concern the district um October 9th is a curriculums special services committee meeting October 10th is going to be the transportation buildings and grounds committee October 17th is going to be the Food Services committee where will be meeting with Aramark um and then we had to kind of bump technology to into November because of some other meetings um technology committee is meeting October 18th and then we as a board have a New Jersey school board convention um in October so we are all attending meetings like all of October I don't think we you know we have an empty night you know the next few weeks so um again please come to the table we want to hear your thoughts and um have a discussion thank you anyone else uh yes um I also mentioned last week about discussing Personnel items during executive sessions so I'd like to remind the public once again not to make assumptions about the intentions of board members um there's different votes for different processes as uh some people that are new seeing at the end obviously we can't discuss it now publicly and there are a few circumstances not known by the public that we are privy to so we just wait until the final votes are done and then when the final votes are cast we'll give reasons if it's appropriate even when the votes taken uh some certain things we can't discuss you know so just keep that in mind but you could keep the emails coming because the public is free to discuss any topic they like send emails speak at board meetings and that's it thank you Gano thank you uh yes and I just have a comment um I just wanted to take um exercise my write under the old business to speak about Dave's contract that I do support I know Dave for the last three years uh we started off pretty Rocky when I got on the board because during covid but I got to work with Dave got to know him better and I Echo the words of the room that I do support extending Dave's contract thank you anyone else I got something so to Echo uh Mr Slade's comments just now um when I got on I carried a lot of resentment a lot of Anger from what happened during the covid years I knew why I didn't support Mr cadino at that time July 2023 my eyes were opened fully from the previous years of what I've witnessed as a board member in executive session with other board board members those of who I followed and looked up to I quickly realized that everything they were displaying publicly wasn't that way behind the scenes and I was the odd man out because I was the one that was acting on what I believed on what I felt was right I've given this man and this Administration an incredibly hard time these last three years again because of what I believed was right the last year and a half aside from my eyes being fully open last July because of certain things that had gone on behind the scenes that I wasn't made aware of this gentleman to my left when everything when my world was crumbling and I had people running away from me this man called my family to make sure my children were okay and to me that resonated beyond anything else because everything that I did to to them every whatever I put them through because of what I believed personally he still had it in him the dignity to call me as a man make sure my children are okay when I knew people for years for years and I went to bat for these people and I went to bat for their children and I put myself between them and the administration he's the the only one that reached out as a cause of concern because what I learned is you have people that call you to Garner information and then you have people that call you to really care to see how you're doing if I could go back in time everything that I did I'm proud of okay I'm proud of I'm proud that I was able to be a voice for the parents during Co I'm proud that I personally brought to light the sexual education of third graders the head of curriculum had no idea until I was sending emails I'm gr I'm happy that I was able to be a voice for parental rights but what I'm quickly regretting is running for a seat on the Oldbridge Board of Education because what I realize now is that this position is not one where you can make a change this is not one where you can come up here and and be a voice because that's not how it works this is a position that people use for vanity where they want to get up and make speeches and they want to utilize this to make speeches and they want to claim they're transparent but yet when a situation arises that may or may not put them in a negative light they don't want to vote on it and they don't want to disclose why they're voting on it so my question to the four people who are saying they don't want to renew Mr sadino after everything that you've been made aware of that I chose to ignore what is your plan if you choose not to renew Mr citadino what is your plan you're going to hire an interim superintendent that's going to do everything undo everything that this man did what's your plan I think as transparent as everybody claims to be on this board I think everybody deserves to know what's the plan you're going to hire a superintendent that may or may not have the best interest of the children at home right Mr gardano graduated early because he attend he did the program that Mr cadino put in place I think that if I was brave enough as uncomfortable as it made me at the time to do it and it made me uncomfortable even though maybe I didn't show it but it made me super uncomfortable but I did it because I felt that people needed to know where I stood regardless if it was right or wrong I did it being a board member is more than just making speeches when it benefit it's you being a board member is being able to make those tough decisions and voting on it publicly because that's where it matters thank you thank you don't clap I don't want it I don't want it I never I never wanted I never wanted the public I never wanted it I did everything from my heart I everything that I thought was right and no she's laughing but everything that I thought was right I did from my heart okay whether it was right or wrong I did it from here everything I never wanted the P I never want I didn't put my picture in the newspaper when I ran I don't because I I don't want it I don't know your name back there ma'am you with the anyway I saw her at a graduation I don't know her name but I saw her at a graduation and I'm standing on the stage and I'm just admiring the empty seats and I'm like wow it's crazy because this is going to be filled up with people who are taking the next step in their lives and people start piling in and I'm like all right I I want to get off the stage I'm not I'm not really one for you know public uh I'm not one for I don't like to you know see people in wave while I'm on the stage and there in the audience it's not who I am and she goes well you know you're a public official right and I was just like that doesn't matter to me because I don't do it for the attention I'm still a very private person I was always a very private person so I don't do things for the recognition I mean it's nice to be recognized for what I what what I thought I was doing and then when you get cut off by the people that you thought supported you that actually hurts more than I guess realizing that you did the wrong thing so that's all I have to say that's probably G to be my last comments until my last meeting where I'll divulge into a little bit more of how I feel and my time on the board but that's it so thank you thank you any new business yes yes go ahead yes uh as I mentioned the programs to get students out of college faster is good um but yeah back then before it was all done when I was in school I had to do it with my mother and myself so it wasn't I I didn't benefit from the programs that currently exists now but it does show all the accomplishments that have happened and once again I'll discuss these in private because there's other circumstances that we have to discuss about the process thank you that's it here's a guy that completed his college education in two years I'll tell you that's that's pretty good I got I have a piece of new business I I believe a I think a Township email went out um today um the orridge Education Foundation is having their flea market this Saturday the 28th from 9:00 to 3 at the grade n Center um we'll be selling the one love tach shirts there as well uh just a little plug we've have a little bit over $133,000 worth of sales in those shirts um just a reminder that the money that we rais in the foundation goes back to the teachers and former grants to help with any Financial shortfalls so again when you're supporting the foundation in at the same sense you're supporting our teachers so this Saturday grade n Center uh 9 to3 flea market thank you anyone else I would like to thank the public for all their comments ments and this meeting will be adjourned thank you very much Mar mov I need a motion Mar moves lent all in favor yes do we have executive session no no no you can go home all of us thank you for for the board members there was an email that went out about um Workshop some of you respond e e