of compliance in compliance with the open public meeting ACT public law 1975 chapter 231 notice of this meeting has been properly advertised in the Daily Record and Suburban Trends its agenda has been posted at the appropriate locations and a copy has been filed with banic Township Clerk thank you please call the rooll Mr Bloomer here Mr cesi here M Dempsey is absent Mrs Esposito here Mr G here Mr mcen is going to be late Mr Pompeo here Mr siic here and Mrs shanon here we have a forum thank you we please stand for the flag salute hey good evening everyone Welcome to our June 10th Workshop meeting it's great to see a full house for what's one of the best meetings of the Year tonight we're going to honor multiple students and staff for achievements in athletics academics and service to our district and also to our community I want to congratulate our valedictorian and salutatorian on their extraordinary academic achievements I want to congratulate the pths boys golf team and the PV girls track team on their championships and I want to thank and congratulate our staff entering the quarter C the quarter Century club and those retiring to our retirees the board appreciates your service to our district and to our students We Wish You a relaxing and exciting retirement the end of the year is always an exciting time filled with opportunities to celebrate our students and their many achievements I've had a very busy two weeks doing just that on 5:30 I attended the senior Awards and scholarship ceremony at the high school and was very proud to see the number of seniors receiving Awards and scholarships from a wide range of organizations congratulations to you all that same night I attended the groundbreaking for the veterans wall project and was again Blown Away by the generosity and can do attitude of the contractors that are making that project happen and I want to say thank you to all them on 64 I attended the Yankee game and was able to be on the field when our pths marching band Led by Mr strier played our national anthem for a crowd of more than 37,000 fans the band carried themselves and performed professionally and with military Precision making it hard to believe that they were high school students I was impressed I was proud and I'm also happy to say that the band's performance inspired the Yankees to a five to one win so great job to them on 65 I attended the stem Capstone presentation and got to talk with each presenter as an engineer myself I came away impressed not only by the technical knowledge displayed displayed by our students but also by their ability to communicate difficult Concepts and describe their creation process communication is an important aspect of engineering and one that's nurtured in college to ensure that brilliant ideas can be communicated I'm happy to see that our students in the STEM Academy have a head start there great job to the students and the teachers on a very successful presentation last on 66 I attended the eighth grade Awards held at pths and again I was impressed by the number of students receiving Awards and overall it was just great to see the enthusiasm and the pride that the students showed as they got up to accept their Awards so congratulations to all them so a lot of great things happening in banic centered on and led by our students and that's the way it should be uh the last thing I want to say is that tonight we will have board training again from Miss Charlene Peterson as another step towards our Master board certification and now pass the mic to Dr poris thank you Mr senic I'm a little under the weather which is hilarious because it's June but not so hilarious because I feel miserable but um the good thing for everybody here is it's going to force me to keep my comments very brief um first off I'd like to thank our student Representatives this is our first time we've had all three of them together um and I just want to thank all three of you for your service this year um each of you has brought a different approach to providing the student representative report and I look forward to to that continuing next year which is a total pressure cell on my end because I don't know if you had plan to but I think you're kind of obligated now um and I want to also just say a quick thank you to Juan from our transportation department for being um stepping up heroically to help out with the senior Crews debacle from our our transportation Partners from Thursday um he really stepped it up to help our students and staff out and we very much appreciate that um one item that is going to come up later in recognition I just want to um say congratulations to my friend and colleague uh Dr Sheridan whose um anticipated retirement is an agenda item um I just want to thank you for all of your many many years of service and incredibly hard work to our district we'll do a more full fles recognition much like we're going to do tonight um and then as far as our recognition for students um we're going to put a few of the groups ahead because we have our senior Sunset taking place tonight so I want to make sure Mr hazler and his students can get out for that and based on the volume of this agenda we'll still be here for the senior sunrise tomorrow morning so just feel free to stop back in and catch up um with that I'm going to turn it over to the students for their report and then we'll begin the recognitions good evening everyone I just wanted to start off by saying thank you for everything you have done for us in the student body today it's going to be a difficult goodby today as this is our final report for the year I know we haven't been here in a while due to our our busy schedules but there was a lot happening over the last month at pths as our school year comes to an end our seniors have participated in their final events such as the senior uh Sunset that is taking place tonight our senior Cru that was held last week and preparing for graduation they were also excited to receive their yearbooks and will be signing their senior wall in the coming days leading up to their graduation graduation practice will be held on the 18th and 19th of June in the senior picnic will happen after their graduation practice this week is our final exam week and I truly can't believe the academic year is coming to an end and Summer's finally here student council prepared a wellness week last week to help students mentally prepared which included special meals during lunch activities and games during lunch relaxation opportunities in the library and tips on the morning announcements our fall Sports registration has opened up and numerous sports are starting up already to prep for the upcoming season spring Sports have concluded and our baseball team made it all the way to the sectional final congratulations to the marching band that performed in National Anthem at Yankee Stadium last Tuesday over the last couple of weeks student council and class elections took place congratulations to all those who ran as well as those who won planning has already begun for next year as the new executive board is excited to get started we would also like to say congratulations to our Allied Health seniors who completed their Ruckers exams and officially graduated from the mcvt and participated in the Ruckers completion ceremony last week we have had several track team members win sectional championships and qualify the for the group championships congratulations to Ryan trokar who repeated as a national champ as a champion in the 200 and the 400 meter races Henry Shel also won the sectional championship in The discus for our seniors this will officially be a final goodbye from the Panic Township School District as they begin a new chapter in their lives pths is proud of what these students have accomplished and we wish them nothing but the best moving forward graduation will be taking place at 6 pm on June 19th on Stadium Field and finally it has been an honor and a fantastic opportunity being on the board of education speakers this year we thank you all for everything again and we hope to have a great we hope for you to have a great rest of your night and have a great summer very well done ladies and your ability to manage sharing a microphone among three people was was quite impressive so excellent teamwork thanks again all we're going to begin with recognitions in a moment um Mr hazler will be our first first to speak again we want to get him out for the senior Sunset um we're going to begin with the valorian and salutatorian and then we're going to go straight into the uh boys golf team uh which also has senior representative and then after that we'll do the Girl Scouts after which we can get Mr hazler out um just came across very unceremoniously and then we'll look to honor the the PB girls track team and then head to the staff recognitions and Mr hazler is already at the microphone thank you Dr Portis welcome everyone and congratulations it really is an outstanding night to be able to recognize our students and our staff tonight pths is proud to honor our class of 2024 salutatorian Juliana mgala while being an academic scholar Juliana has been an active member of several clubs and activities throughout her time at pths including theater choir National and World Language honor societies environmental Club Habitat for Humanity operations smile and yearbook she has been a part of our teaching and learning academy uh doing her Capstone projects this year at our elementary schools and we'll be attending and Dr poris is going to love this be we'll be attending William Patterson University majoring in elementary education and English so congratulations to Juliana magala come on up Juliana come on up Juliana yeah she have to stay up here for a picture now all right this year's valid dictorian of the class of 2024 is meline Hill meline is an accomplished student inside and outside the classroom excelling in 6ap and pursuing a variety of school activities MTI took advantage of all that pths had to offer she is the student council class secretary interact Club vice president a member of Habitat for Humanity Operation Smile National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society she played soccer for three years before moving over to cross country and she's been a standout in winter and spring track in fact she recently was part of the 4X 800 relay team that broke the school record by 7even seconds this past week Maddie also has bragging rights in her family as her brother seie was the salutatorian of the class of 2022 I'm sure she isn't rubbing that in at all but I do know that you can't find two more outstanding young adults who represent pths with pride in the fall Maddie will be attending Marist University majoring in political science with a pre-law track congratulations to mateline Hill parents we're going to do a quick picture so parents ready this time I'd like to introduce Brian copino our athletic director who will talk about boys golf thank you Mr hazler thank you to the board of education and Dr poris for allowing me to recognize two out standing accomplishments from our spring season it truly has been an amazing year all around for our student athletes both in the middle school and the high school and as a department I'd like to thank you all for your support of our terrific student athletes first up I'd like to call Coach Kirkland to speak about our sectional Champion boys golf team as well as our individual sectional Champion sure it is uh I'm here today to acknowledge honor congratulate a major accomplishment of the 2024 boys varsity golf team uh the boys have shown significant improvement over the last year added a few new faces and performed like seasoned veterans this year would prove to be more difficult due to a change and had the qualifying method for the state sectional tournaments but the boys plac well enough throughout the first half of the season to be able to qualify uh heading into that sectional tournament played at Newton Country Club we were based on previous scoring slated to come in third place and in this year's group one state sectional tournament the boys beat out Wallkill Valley by three Strokes to take home panic's first sectional title since 2014 congratulations to Derek Ethan Max Ryan and Seth for doing something few teams before you had been able to do as this season ends it shines Hope on the future well done Boys in addition to this team accomplishment I'd also like to congratulate and honor Derrik zel Derek is the first individual State sectional champion in pths history this was no minor feat the first hurdle as the tournament was coming to a close was that Derrick needed to birdie two of his last three holes to get into a playoff then his opponent who was playing in the same group faltered at the end and it looked like Derek could win the tournament outright as we know things like this wouldn't come easy one of the Mountain Lake seniors birdied his final hole and when he did the playoff became reality after both players heed off on the first playoff hole Derek unfortunately found himself under a tree with his ball resting against a rout what happened next was a moment all who were there will remember Derek hit a shot that can only be described as miraculous he came out from under the tree into the side of the elevated green and popped up in forward onto the putting surface but out of sight the elevation no one walking along with the with the playoff matchup knew exactly where it had finished in relation to the hole Derek's opponent then hit his second shot five yards over the green when the players in the gallery walked up the hill toward the green they could see that Derrick's ball had come to rest just three feet from the hole he went on to make the Putt and win the tournament on that first playoff hle these young men put together an incredible day of golf to claim this title both individually and as a team and on one final note of accomplishment for a job well done this season just announced this afternoon Derek seel and Max D were selected to the nj.com all group one second and third teams respectively congratulations gentlemen Z yeah ph up going Max Ryan you said and Derek dere [Music] get everybody together for a quick picture and I also like to recognize he's not here tonight but uh coach Greg SLA on his 150th coaching career Victory as well congratulations back you guy back to you no you're you have a couple people that have to leave I think thank oh good so we're going to stay with the the athletic theme this time I would like to call up coach jelli coach Zumo coach Rogers to recognize the county Champion PV girls track and field team okay so on behalf of coach Rogers and Coach Zumo we'd like to thank the board of ed for recognizing PV Track and Field tonight we'd also like to thank our hom meet volunteers including the incomparable Mike Rogers and our Gunner Michelle celd we would also like to thank uh and pay tribute to all the coaches who came before us and helped build this program including gin flurry Christine Deano Michelle D Salvo and of course the legendary Mary shimeno the girls topped off an undefeated dual meet season with an impressive e team effort in order to win pb's first track title since 2016 if you don't follow Middle School track the pattern over the past few years is that we've been dominant in the regular season but we have been able to get over the hump against County competitors a lot of runnerup trophies the past couple of years but last week our girls finally broke through by winning the big schools group at counties they place in every event competing with and defeating schools two and sometimes three times a size of us including Mount Olive Roxberry more town do Etc Elena Deo was the 400 meter champion and Liz cook was the champion in The discus event Runners up included Rose MC Bernie in the 800 Elena Deo again in long jump and Olivia young in The discus the 4x2 relay team of Elena Deo Kylie Cannon cat proso and sa shenton were also Runners up and came within a second of the school record through the ups and downs the girls remained steadfast buoyant and yet fiercely competitive this is an extremely fun group to be part of and to coach and they most of them are coming back for their eighth grade year so we're hoping to pull the repeat off in 2025 um they're a product of their strong upbringings in this tight-knit community here in panic so thank you and girls your certificates call you up yes okay so our County roster for this year beatric bersin Kylie C Elizabeth Cook zophia cook Elena Deo Lily Martin Rose MCB Bernie Amber Meyer Julia Noak Catalina proso Remy Shalia saor shenton Raina Tuttle and Olivia Young [Music] one more round of applause for our PB girls track team excellent job ladies take this time I'd like to invite up to the podium Mr hazler it's my honor tonight to recognize members of Girl Scout Troop 9 641 who donated their time to refurbish the memorial in front of the high school that recognized as Corporal Philip hes of the United States Marine Corps who was killed in action in Vietnam in 1966 the memorial has been in the front of our high school for 57 years the girls took it upon themselves to add a p outline new mulch flowers American flags and solar lights that help illuminate the area at night it was completed just in time for Memorial Day and was a wonderful tribute to one of our veterans it is an outstanding compliment to our veterans wall that will be going up this summer and we look forward to honoring Corporal hes there as well among all of the other 400 veterans uh that have attended Panic Township High School so I'd like to acknowledge those girls for their dedication and service to such an important cause so at this time I'd like to have Abby Spain come up not here okay but mol's here so Molly Spain come on up we have Claire sitting and we have Shannon cig and we have Laney Scalia parents if you want to come up for a picture come on up okay we'll begin with our retirees at this time so good evening Dr poris members of the Board of Education it's hard to believe we are here at the final board meeting of the Year thank you for your continued support the administration teachers and students in our community one of the many highlights throughout the year is the opportunity to recognize our students and staff on nights such as this one as we honor tonight's retirees it's always a Bittersweet moment for me saying goodbye is never easy and tonight is especially difficult as as the teachers and staff members who are retiring this year at pths have been colleagues of mine for a majority of my 23-year career they have provided a sense of comfort camaraderie and support during our time together and I am forever grateful for the impact they have made on the countless students faculty and community members that they have positively impacted during their time in the Panic Township School District I'm honored tonight to recognize three staff members of pths our first Honore is Michelle celd let's CL it up from the sh a proud Alum of Ruckers University with a bachelor's and degree in French language and literature and two master's degrees one in second language education from ruers and another in French language and literature from Montclair State Mrs keld is retiring with over 30 years spent in the classroom World language teachers are hard to find finding someone as talented as Mrs celd is even harder she is triple certified in Spanish French and English as a second language she started her career in Cliffside Park at a k to8 school and moved on to Allandale at a 4 through eight School teaching French and Spanish she came to pths in 2004 as a Spanish teacher and then became the primary French teacher a year later after re after the retirement of Mr wnc she has been teaching French at the high school ever since her desire to see French and Spanish grow throughout the district had her take on a teaching role at PV school as well for the past 10 years she has been teaching teach ing all grade levels in French and Spanish at PB school in the morning and then coming to pths to teach French sometimes Spanish and ESL it has been my honor to serve as principal in both locations during Mrs cel's career her energy enthusiasm and passion or unparalleled I cannot tell you how difficult it is to plan for and Implement lessons at every grade level in the morning she's teaching sixth graders and in the afternoon she may be teaching Juniors or seniors not only are the instructional levels dra ially different so are the maturity levels learning styles and teaching methodologies one of the many qualities I admire about Mrs Cel Des are constant pursuit of knowledge as instructional technology started to take off during my time at PV Mrs celd was the front and center of researching ways to integrate technology into the World Language classrooms whether it was attending conferences or networking on Twitter she was constantly learning and sharing ideas with her colleagues Mrs Cal has presented at many of our technology Summits on world Lang instructional techniques and on ass and assisting her colleagues working with ESL students in the general education setting she even did some research on desk desk desk list classrooms and student engagement she asked me one day at PV if she could take the Des desks out of her classroom I said sure go for it she's always willing to try risks to take risks to try something new to help students learn Mrs celd embraced all the school had to offer outside of the classroom she has been active in a variety of capacities she served as a one act drama adviser where she worked with Mrs Cole for many years she was a World Language Honor Society adviser French Club adviser and assistant musical director she was responsible for organizing many trips to Europe during spring break for our world language students she has been a performer in our school Cabaret and I hear she even performed at our empty bows project for several years she's been an AR for the PTA currently serving as a county rep her most important role though is being a proud mom of her two boys her oldest son Elijah gradu uating this year from Eastern University Nathaniel who's graduating from pths this year and I'm proud to say is going to my alma moer the College of New Jersey when I asked Mrs celd what she will miss the most about teaching she quickly pointed out the relationship she has made with her colleagues and students she got excited when students could use language in a powerful way and in authentic situations when students would travel to Europe it was always a highlight to see students put their learning into practice helping students see that they have the tools they don't realize they have make the job incredibly rewarding in retirement Mrs crell looks forward to seeing Taylor Swift in Austria I know a lot of students will be jealous to hear that she's going to to to go to Disney with her family continue to be active in her church and with the Boy Scouts and just genuinely enjoy the time well I don't want to say orvo just yet I do want to thank you Mrs celd thank you for sharing your love of language with our students for your positive energy Your Enthusiasm and passion for teaching thank you for your gift of theater thank you thank you for your support thank you for living Your Excellence for the past 20 years at pths and even more in public education thank you for believing in the blue and gold of the golden Panthers it's been an honor and AE pleasure congratulations to madame celd we'll invite you back up for a picture Mrs Kell all right when you're a young teacher just starting your career you're looking to forge relationships with Educators who will serve as positive role models my father a lifelong educator told me that when I started out I should surround myself with people who value the profession who carry themselves with pride who are going to help you grow and who will be there when you need advice I was fortunate that in January of 2002 one year into my career red Eveland joined the high school staff as colleagues in the same Department I admired the way in which Mr Eland did his job he was passionate creative structured and not afraid to share new ideas that would make our related arts department stronger throughout our time together in the department he was an outstanding colleague and became a better friend a graduate from the Mason gross School of the Arts at ruter with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree right after college Mr El evand joined the United States Marine Corps where he was stationed throughout the US serving our country proudly for six years after the Marines Mr Eveland got his introduction to teaching at the Delbarton School where he taught for three years before moving to Roxberry High School for the next five as I mentioned earlier he joined the pth HS staff in January of 2002 and has been a fixture in the art Department ever since during his time at pths he continued his professional growth earning a master's degree in educational leadership from New Jersey City University his incredible artistic talent creativity and passion have helped our students discover their artistic side and hone in on skills and talents they didn't know were buried deep inside of them he has taught all levels of visual art drawing and painting ceramics and sculpture and has been the AP Studio art teacher through his years of pths when walking into Mr eveland's class you will find him with his sleeves rolled up modeling art with and for his students providing feedback and encouraging creativity giving his students the creative freedom to explore their own interests with their art is something that Mr Eveland values and has helped contribute to the success and confidence that his students feel when they are working in room 207 outside of the classroom Mr Eveland has been a part of the Chain Gang at football games serving as a wrestling scorekeeper and clock operator has been the go-to person for calligraphy for all of our achievement certificates and special recognitions for students that Adorn our trophy cases he has served on various committees and was a student achievement team leader responsible for the related arts department as he worked closely with the administration on school initiatives Mr E Eland also served as a member of the board board of education where he lives in Hover Park and where his father was a well-respected educator and wrestling coach for many many years Mr Eveland has also been a key contributor to what has become a tradition and right of passage for our graduating seniors which is the development of the senior murals that you find in our 200 hallway each year he works with the senior class on a theme and then along with the students in the studio art AP class create the wall for the seniors to sign prior to graduation in his retirement Mr Eveland will be selling his house and heading south to see where life takes him he is incredibly proud of his two daughters and looks forward to watching them follow their own passions and looks forward to spending time with his wife Noel he also will have a little bit more free time to train for a potential 13th Marathon as an avid Runner Mr Eveland inspired me during the pandemic to take up running I can't imagine running 26.2 miles and to do it 12 times is truly amazing and a little crazy I'm I'm gonna miss walking by room 207 and seeing Mr elen working with his students I'm going to miss the conversations in the hallway or classroom talking about teaching sharing stories about our families talking about our aches and pains or just reflecting on the good old days when our hair wasn't graying it's a wonderful thing when you build professional relationships that turn into friendships and I'm lucky to say that about red Eveland congratulations my friend and I wish you all the best in your retirement thanks for being a golden Panther all right lastly uh Charles Hopper Charlie Hopper is also part of the 25 uh year club uh so I'm going to recognize him for both things and then I do have to to get out to where the senior Sunset um but Charlie Hopper you learn very quickly in your teaching and administrative career the importance of having a positive relationship with your custodial staff While most teachers and students see the school as a busy Place between 7:30 and 3: the high school is jam-packed every day of the week pretty much up until 10 p.m and that includes Saturdays our custodians work tirelessly to ensure that our facilities are clean each and every day and our classrooms are ready for learning for our students and staff for the past 25 years Charles Charlie Hopper has been an integral part of the custodial staff of the district playing a critical role in overall success Mr Hopper began his career working in Channel Home Center as a sales associate out of high school and then became a school's custodian here in the Panic Township School District he began as a night custodian at the high school before moving to sjg to become the head custodian on the day shift he worked a split shift at North Boulevard and Hillview for some time before returning back here to the high school where he's finishing out his career he has seen many things happen throughout his career from additions put on schools to renovations to auditoriums and science labs new gym floors and locker rooms the facilities have changed with the times and for the needs of the students throughout the pandemic Mr Hopper was integral in ensuring our classrooms are clean for our students and staff providing the first line of protection on a day in and day out basis at night it can get quiet at times and that is where you will find Charlie listening to his country music as he completes his daily routines and speaking with Mr Hopper about reflecting on his career he enjoyed meeting different people along the way working at night you have the opportunity to interact with community members and witness our students in areas outside of the classroom he enjoyed working at every level and in every building he is grateful for his co-workers the administrators he got to work with and he thanks them for their teamwork and their assistance Mr Hopper is another faculty member that has been with me since I started in the district in fact my classroom was part of his daily run when I first started so we would often spend time chatting after a long day when I stayed after to coach or grade papers I'll always remember catching up with him about what he was doing with his family as for retirement Mr Hopper is in the process of renovating his house he would love to buy a camper and travel the country one day but time will tell and see where that goes Mr Hopper and I have a running joke when he asked me what I'm doing at school at night and I always tell him I'm checking up on him because I know he's retiring soon I hope he knows that it's because I've enjoyed having him around thank you Charlie for your years of service to the district and we wish you the best of luck in your future Mr Charlie Hopper and Charlie is also part of our 25th Century Club this time I'm going to introduce Mr saborowski good evening everyone I am very happy to share a few thoughts on pv's retiree Mr Jeff fo Jeff fo spent more than 25 years in the classroom as a music and band teacher and 20 of those years he spent at Panic Valley school he is an accomplished musician and educator who has instructed thousands of students over the years what many people don't know about Jeff is that in his original line of work he trained and taught people in underwriting positions for auto insurance through State Farm and it was through those experiences that he realized just how much he enjoyed being in a classroom and working with and helping people even though he moved full-time to the music classroom he continued to embrace his passion for cars as he continues to detail them and go to various car shows around the country as often as he can Jeff taught General music classes at PV and on the elementary level at different times while here in panic his true passion though is banned his role was unique in that in any given year he taught Approximately 80% of the students in the building in his band classes but what many don't realize is that he never taught an entire great six seven or eight band altogether py operates on the day one day two schedule so he would meet half one day half the other uh somehow though he always was able to bring both groups together and provide memorable performances during the winter and spring concert seasons and events such as Veterans Day and yes that is a difficult thing to do but through his hard work his passion for music and the drive to bring out the best in his students the bands were always able to form one coherent organized and Harmon harmonious group under the direction of Mr fo Jeff made additions to the program over his two decades but one of the more memorable actions I think was forming the PB jazz band a few years back he created yet one more opportunity for students to Showcase their musical talents and that's really what it's all about when one of the many recognitions he received over the years was the 2223 PB teacher of the year now I could talk about the Thundering Applause he received when I read his name in the gym that day or we could talk about the heartfelt recommendations given to him by his colleagues but my most memorable part of that process was upon hearing his name read over the microphone and in front of the entire School in the gym he proceeded to Run and Jump into my arms you heard that correctly there is no embellishment on my part I gave a speech read his name and Jeff's response was to Run and Jump into my arms after the first two seconds passed and I realized neither of us fell into the first row of the bleachers I couldn't help but laugh as it was a not so subtle reminder of Jeff fo's personality he always held high expectations for his students and when it came time to perform everyone was serious and success was achieved but there were many other times where Jeff fo running into my arms was what people knew and loved about him his sense of humor and ability to connect with kids and his colleagues have left a lasting impression on all of us Jeff we thank you for all of your work you put into building the music program at the middle school as I've spent more time on this level and I see other schools in action I am reminded of words that Jeff shared with me when I first started at PV he said no place has as big a program as we do at PV on the Middle School level the kids bring it every day they sound great and they keep me going Jeff dorny Park will never be the same and I do mean that because uh it was early on when um when I first started in panic and we would go on those trips and that was that was when Jeff and I we we got to know each other we would share stories about our families with one another uh offer each other pieces of advice and uh they've always they've stuck with me to this day and Jeff I I hope that those things resonated with you as well uh Veterans Day will hit a little differently but most of all we will miss your enthusiasm and passion for music that always made our school special Jeff will now Venture into the next part of his life with his wife Leanne and his two sons he'll keep busy hopefully detailing cars and boating and maybe even going on the Wave Runner every now and again and certainly will continue to be a regular at antique car shows Jeff we wish you well and know that you're always welcome here in panic you were a big hit when you came and visit us at field day so don't forget to come back for a visit anytime best wishes and congratulations Jeff o I wasn't kidding I told you and now Mrs Stager he didn't plan that either but I knew he was gonna do it I don't know Alice are we goingon to do that at the end probably not right um I'm honored tonight to be speaking on behalf of Hill viws retiree Alice gallano she is retiring after 30 years of service to the Panic Township School District um this is truly a momentous occasion as Mrs gallano has been a fixture in the 100 wing of Hillview and spent half her life giving back to the students of panic which means she started teaching at a very very young age Alice is an exceptionally hard worker really I I mean I I don't I I don't know many who work as as hard or as many jobs as Alice and um she attributes that to her polish Heritage but last year she got a knee replacement and she said I think I need about three weeks and she was back uh didn't didn't skip a beat probably came back a little too early but she came and she toughed it out um to the benefit of her students she always makes sure that her students feel safe they achieve at high levels and have a lot of fun pill you just won't be the same without her teaching young children is not easy and Alice has devoted her entire career to the primary grades getting seven-year-olds to function as a cohesive group can be like hurting cats at times but Alice has a natural gift for it as well as seemingly endless amounts of patience and humor when you step into our classroom the students are always engaged in learning activities and there's usually jokes and singing too Alice makes sure that there's plenty of fun being had while learning the vital core academic skills that the students need for school and life in fact this year Mrs gallano students boasted some of the highest levels of growth in mathematics in the school Alice has pretty much seen and done it all in her years of teaching the classroom looked a lot different 30 years ago but throughout all of the advances and changes she has met every challenge head-on and evolved her teaching practices to meet the changing needs of the students the level of dedication she exhibits daily is hard to come by these days and as a result Alice is highly respected by her students parents and her colleagues as a local resident Alice takes great pride in the quality of Education students receive and has given back to the community in countless ways throughout the years despite still being at the top of her game it's time for the next phase Alice has a really big heart she's one of those people you can ask for anything and she'll do it without question in addition to working tirelessly for her students she is a devoted wife mother grandmother and dog mom who always gives more than she receives now that her children are grown and she has three grandchildren she and her husband and those crazy dogs are ready to devote themselves to family full-time and relocate to Delaware this will be a big shift as Alice has lived here for so many decades but they're building a new house to be close to their grandchildren and will get to be present for all the milestones and Adventures that await no more worrying about traffic during weekend trips to see the grandkids or having to cut visit short short because of your work schedule Stephanie will certainly appreciate the help you'll provide and Mark will miss you however I think the dogs will be the happiest to have you around more often however I'd like you to remain in one piece so maybe consider hiring a dog walker Alice has really been through a lot in her lifetime although she's not one to dwell on it she keeps a positive outlook and likes to have fun I'll certainly miss our chats about life and everyday things although this is a very vague transition I am certain you're going to love every minute of it and hope hopefully will be enjoying the quieter days whether you are biking or at the beach and just taking time to do things you truly enjoy so Alice on behalf of the faculty staff and students at Hillview we thank you for your years of service and wish you a long happy and healthy retirement all right now I'm going to pass it off to Mr Riner thank you good evening it's a pleasure to be here to recognize Mrs Lauren Newton for her service to the students of the panic School District Mrs Newton has been an educator for 39 years with 23 of those years in panic is Mrs Newton started her teaching Journey when she earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education from Buffalo State she also earned her Masters in special education from Hunter College she began her teaching career in New York City where she taught for 16 years as an elementary teacher for students with autism she then moved to her career in banic where she has taught in all three elementary schools as both a resource room teacher and as an in-class resource teacher she has also taught our preschool disabilities class Mrs Newton is a wonderful teacher that I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the past eight years she loves being part of a community of Educators because she enjoys when colleagues Challenge and encourage each other to do what is best for kids she most recently took on the challenge to become Wilson certified so that she would be able to better serve her students it has paid huge dividends her favorite part of teaching is when you see the light bulb light up when your student does or says something that lets you know that it makes sense to them that you have made a difference no matter how small it may may be to enrich connect and reach a child in talking with Mrs Newton I found it fascinating that she originally didn't want to have anything to do with being a teacher her grandmother mother aunts and cousins were all teachers and she wanted to forge her own path she then went to work at a camp for students with special needs and that was all it took she knew teaching was where she was meant to be I know that the students she has taught and the families that she has worked with are sure glad that she found her calling when you speak to her colleagues they describe Mrs Newton as dedicated caring and positive everyone she has contact with knows that she cares her students know she wants what's best for them as the principal of sjg I have received many compliments from parents from Mrs Newton in her approach to teaching they cite her understanding of student needs and differentiation in the classroom as the reasons for their Student Success the progress of her students is undeniable so what is on the agenda for Mrs Newton's retirement it's simple spend more time with family so much more that she and her husband Neville are making a cross-country move to Colorado to be near their daughters Emma and Molly she is looking forward to spending more time with her grand puppies reading doing crossword puzzles which is one of her favorite things to do and taking walks in the beautiful nature of Colorado Mrs Newton I will greatly miss you but congratulations on your retirement we wish you the best in Colorado with your family Mrs Lauren Newton Mr Gibbs good evening tonight I have the distinct honor of honoring Miss Sharon Johnson in her retirement Miss Johnson has been a bus driver for the ponic Township School District since 2016 she retired in the fall of 2023 she was an experienced bus driver coming into the district having over 20 years of experience she took pride in her driving and was proud to be a bus driver she enjoyed driving the school bus is one of our elementary school bus drivers who also drove all of the schools District's variety of field trips out of North Boulevard she drove an out of District route to Wayne Valley high school and a midday bus route to Morris County votch she participated in driving a number of Elementary routs as well as well as athletic events she was very personable in her interactions with the students and staff and she was well-liked she has a me an avid interest in the Yankees as a Yankees fan and she enjoyed her time spending time at lunch with the staff she also has a great love for her family after she retired from panic she moved to Florida to be with her daughter Miss Johnson will be missed and we wish her all the best in her retirement and for the future thank you so at this point I'll ask if the the retirees can come up and get a group picture up front and then we'll recognize the members of the uh the 25 year Club e now make the transition to recognize our quarter Century Club honores our first presenter will be Mr ryer I know that's why you're in charge uh good evening again it's a pleasure to be here to honor Mrs Sharon Martinez and our other dedicated Educators for their 25 years of service to the students of the community of panic congratulations to you all Mrs Martinez is currently a third grade teacher at sjg but let's go back to the beginning Mrs Martinez attended William Patterson University and earned her degree in elementary education her first position after graduation was for the Head Start program at as a preschool teacher in Newark New Jersey she then became a first grade teacher in Orange New Jersey which ironically was where I started my career and we often try to figure out if our if we if our paths have crossed in Orange after two years her bana career began as a teacher in fifth grade at PV the fifth grades were then moved to the elementary schools and Mrs Martinez taught fifth grade at Hillview for 13 years from the years 2000 to 2013 in 2013 she moved over to sjg where she has been a fifth and third grade teach teacher she's in the midst of a wonderful career anyone who has been lucky enough to watch Mrs Martinez's teaching can immediately see why she is a teacher she has a love of teaching and it shines in her interactions with her students growing up Mrs Martinez has always worked with children at a young age including babysitting in her teenage years so becoming a teacher seemed natural to her and she makes it look easy even though we all know it is a ton of work in speaking with Mrs Martinez she shared that her favorite part of being a teacher is watching a student smile with Pride when they do something that they didn't think they could do she says that her biggest reward is to witness a students growth and confidence build over time it is a fact that students in her class definitely grow and Achieve Mrs Martinez has a wonderful family with her husband Tony and her two children Ryan and Josh we often talk about how well they are doing in college the awesome 3D printing that Tony does thank you for my latest Turtle appreciate it uh we talk about her tortoises that they have at home that my wife still will not let me get and I greatly appre the college appreciate the college tips that she shares making my life a little bit easier with my children entering College when Mrs Martinez is not teaching or being a mom she enjoys reading taking pictures and scrapbooking she spends as much time outside as possible going for walks and visiting the beach during our school breaks Mrs Martinez loves to travel and see new places Sharon every student in your classroom knows they are cared for are inspired and believe that they can achieve anything they set minds too they grow each day and have pride in their work thank you for being an amazing teacher and colleague congratulations on 25 years and I look forward to many more years together at sjj sh Martinez it was with great pride that I now will speak about Mrs Elizabeth Dow and her 25 years of service to the students of banic Mrs Dow is currently a second grade teacher at sjg however she wasn't always a teacher she graduated from William Patterson University with degrees in communication and sociology she worked in retail Banking and TV production before becoming an elementary school teacher Mrs d back to school and earned a degree in elementary education with a master's degree in education with a concentration in critical thinking while earning her degree she did her student teaching in panic which we will get back to later and she then entered the field she was destined for Mrs Dow earned a teaching position at North Boulevard 25 years ago and has in has been in panic ever since she taught at North Boulevard for 13 years before moving to sjg where she has been for 12 years she has held the positions of mlsp third grade teacher first grade teacher and second grade teacher in each position Mrs Dow has shined instilling her love of learning in her students in fact she still loves learning and being a student so that she can incorporate new ideas into her classroom Mrs D's favorite part of being an educator is when students are excited over their learning and accomplishments she reinforces this excitement through the classroom culture that she Fosters her classroom is built on the principle that everyone is respected and appreciated each day starts with student Circle time where students Express their appreciation for each other Mrs Dow celebrates hard work and her students incorporate a growth mindset due to her positivity and constant encouragement remember before when I said we would get back to her student teaching well Mrs Dow student taught under Helga shenton and Helga set her up on a blind date with another teacher buana Carol Dow's son she wouldn't be married today with the children with her children if she didn't start teaching her career in panic do due to her student teaching she met Brendan her and her husband Brendan have two wonderful children Lily and Ashley and as it should life often revolves around them in their activities Mrs Dow and I joke that our Hobbies now POS having children are just staying sane she does find time to walk bike knit and read but most of her spare time is spent doing her favorite activity of gardening Liz you're a wonderful teacher who inspires every student to put forth their absolute best effort you make learning fun and exciting our students are lucky to have you I truly enjoy our conversations on life and kids and our future and I look forward to continuing our conversations for years to come congratulations on 25 years Miss Liz da and we'll Now bring up Mr saboski and I would like to now recognized Jillian freebody for 25 years of service to the Panic Township School District Jillian is completing her 25th year in education and all of that time has been spent here in panic and outside of one year at North Boulevard all other years have been at PV and that one year was when the middle school was comprised of fifth sixth seventh and eighth graders so the fifth graders were shifted to elementary school she went to North Boulevard for one year and then returned to PV where she has been ever since during her time at PV Jillian is taught gifted and talented and English the majority of her work though in recent years has been teaching eighth grade English and over the years she has been a moderator of the literary magazine photography club and she even once piloted an evening creative writing club for middle and high school students when asked what has kept her here in panic for so long she said I love the people and the kids I really like working with the kids Julia not only works to connect with her students but also instill her love of reading and her passion for writing in them during her time in panic she has helped over 100 students get their work published in writing and photography Jillian is also a published author herself with multiple Works uh most recently seeing her own book of poetry published when we sat recently she told me I love to read I love to write and I always share that with the students they'll talk about books and I'll say I'm on my seventh one this year and she said that she hopes it's that that helps to inspire students to develop their own love of reading as a former high school English teacher myself I know I always enjoy going into Jalen's classroom and listening to her conference with students on writing or studying Shakespeare and when I leave her room I often say to myself that the students will be ready for their freshman year of English because of her help Jillian is an accomplished author and educator but what makes her most proud are her two children kayn and Griffin both here tonight their act their different activities both academic and athletic always keep her busy and I know I always enjoy hearing about their successes so Jillian for your 25 years of service to the Panic Township School District we commend you and sincerely thank you for all that you have done and will continue to do best wishes on continued success Jillian freebody our 25y year uh recognize please come up for a picture e e that was outstanding so many uh recogn techs so much positivity which is really really great uh Mr Gibbs do you have anything to uh add for your report I'm uh currently working with the United States post office regarding the board office lease the school district owns the property where the post office and the board office reside and the post office owns the building in accordance with the lease which comes to a close as of January 1st 2025 the post offic is looking to purchase the property from the school district there will be further discussion later on tonight's board meeting regarding that subject there was only one response to the RFP or request for proposal for a school position the board will make a decision at the June 24th board meeting whether to accept the proposal this is just a reminder that we are in the process of setting up the October 2024 New Jersey Board of uh excuse me School Board workshops early registration so we will need to know how many board members will be attending this year the dates are Monday October 21st to Thursday October 24th finally the 10th pwn meeting will be held on Tuesday July 30th at 7 pm located at the high school auditorium the town meeting will be a zoning Board of adjustment meeting regarding the approval of one school Global's new facility that will be located across the street from the high school thank you thank you all right little added order but uh up next Charlie Peterson for our board training yes are you gonna Advance oh is there a clicker oh I've got a clicker for you oh so actually I need you guys to talk like be somewhere where you can talk to one another so I don't if you want to stay yeah so I just want to say how inspiring that was to see so many years of service up here right it really says a lot about your District in terms of the number of people that retired with so many years of service and the people that are still here with that of service okay good thank you so um they said we're you know con continuing on our training Journey so um tonight we're just going to kind of do training just by talking by looking at different scenarios of different governance situations and kind of see how we would handle this so um gonna start with hopefully where am I pointing to to make this point back towards Chris yep did nothing work I'm there's a green light on now but I don't think it's still you want to just Advance them you want to just Advance them from up there sure okay okay um so it's just gonna be different scenario so how I was thinking we would handle it is that have each one of you read one I have nine of them there and then we'll just kind of stop after each one and kind of talk about what what we think about it or what you know how we think that issue should be resolved so if you want to go ahead in advance with the next to the next slide and then we'll um just get right into it okay go ahead go ahead just just describe what we're going to be doing so go ahead to the next one okay here's the first scenario um I guess Tim will start with you and go that way okay anyone I think the board memb should make sure that it isn't an administrative issue we're try and seek out some training to see if she could differentiate better what is or what isn't and what would be that differentiation what versus how right pretty much and okay good okay go ahead s me read the next one what do we think about that I mean as yeah as a board member if you have concerns about anything they need to be raised before you vote on anything right so the conversation should be had and the superintendent sh's trying to sway any voting outcomes and saying that there was pretty much a STW straw fall already and where should the board conversations be taking place right right here okay a board member has expertise in a program area where the superintendent has announced a new initiative the board member feels that she should be involved so that her expertise won't be wasted what should the board member do oh I think that they should they could probably say that they have expertise there and that that could be part of the discussion anyone else you can't really be I mean you can be involved in terms of like a committee or something like that but you're not making decisions because you're not running the school district so I would say if you have expertise in an area that you think could benefit I would just give it to the Super intendant just as just advice take it if they want to or not but that's that's all it really is I me the word involved depends what the word involved means right you can anybody can ask for advice you know there's when we're doing construction work and stuff like that you know Brian's know fil he's giving advice and her his expertise but he's not you know making any decisions on it no one listen to him anyway but we're so incredibly fortunate that we have a I would like to think a really good relationship with our superintendent so if something like this were to happen I think R will feel very comfortable approaching Dr poris and saying just so you know this is kind of what we're thinking and he could take it or leave it it's up to him what he chooses to do with it um but he would be very open to any type of that sort of conversation I would like to thank and that was the important part of like you know coming into with no expectation right you're you're sharing this and then it's up to the superintendent to decide what to do with it so that was perfect okay the board member keeps asking the superintendent for detailed reports regarding an issue of importance to the board member the superintendent is reluctant to supply the reports stating that it may take too many staff hours to produce them which are the board member do I think the board member should re-evaluate whether it's a board issue or for just something that's important to the board member personally and uh they're using their influence in a bad way to try and get the superintended to essentially work for them to to to some end that has nothing to do with student achievement or anything else also the board member could bring it to the board yeah bring it and say I I want these this information what do you what do we think and then the board could decide that's you guys are exactly right that as as one board member we don't direct the work of the superintendent it's the board majority that directs the work of the superintendent so as an individual one of the rights you have as someone said is to bring it before the rest of the board if it's something that we feel if the rest of the board agrees that that's information that the board would find helpful then that's what would direct the work not um what an individual is asking for so good job okay the board is aware that the superintendent is about to reduce a program I like a feedback yes no sorry um I think this is this is an easy one I think that um you know when Dr porz presents um different options to us um that we will be voting on with programs whether implementing or changing um I think he provides us a lot of information that we can make a really strong informed decision um I think this is where our relationship with Dr porz and as a board um really is showcased because I think that we can have open discussions during board meetings and ask questions and get you know really detailed answers and then we are able to make the best decision for the students um I don't know yeah I I feel just to sort of add on to that also by having those discussions in the setting and asking those questions information that is then very sharable with the community right these are all recorded so you can hear you know if there are Community concerns that we're aware of we can bring them up right here have a discussion um hopefully get everyone maybe not happy but more comfortable as to why these decisions are being made because I understand the history behind it uh those types of things yeah I think there's uh kudos to Brian specifically ear this year we voted on something we were going to vote on it at a meeting Brian delayed it so we could have more time to you know get it out the information out to the community I think that's important um I think Dr Portis does a great job with his parent universities and making sure you know his podcasts that people understand what's out there uh there's never a lack of information and I think that's the one thing the board should always do is make sure that we're vetting did we communicate enough to the community before you know not that we have to make everybody happy but are we educating the community perfect the board and superintendent are in the process of setting goals the superintendent believes one of the goals important to the board is unattainable given available resources the superintendent has told the board of his opinion what should the board do so there are a couple of things the board can either make this along sorry a longer term goal so break it into chunks or the board can reprioritize some of the other goals that we have and maybe move some of them further out if this really is the priority for the year and that's where the focus needs to be to take those find those additional resources elsewhere and sort of focus them on this goal yeah I was just gonna follow up with that and say then then it needs to be about the resources right if the superintendent has identified what the impediment is um that not that not that the goal is bad but there is a a process that needs to be created or done or more resources given that needs to become the new goal perfect a board member gets the call from a staff member complaining about low staff morale what should the board member do yeah chain of [Music] command y so the staff memb should go to their principal or their supervisor and up that way and it also might be helpful to give the superintendent a heads up right but so tell the person to go through the chain of command but then give the superintendent a heads up good okay a board member has an idea about a program he thinks should be implemented he shared it with the superintendent but superintendent did not proceed to implement the program what should the board member do listen I think it's great everybody has great ideas right I I think that's that's number one I think you share it with the board as well and if it fits into kind of the board goals all the things that we've done throughout the year then it's a larger conversation and and it's an out you know the fact that it hasn't been done and it fits into those goals maybe that's conversation for the board but assuming that it's just one person's idea that's a wonderful thing to have ideas and it's great that we're all volunteering our time uh Dr poris is the boss he is the one that we are trusting with the vision of this District uh and as long as he is carrying out that greater Vision sometimes not everybody's ideas are going to be hurt or ampl method I should say yeah I think that's very important share with the board because together you make the decision so if one person has the idea and they can get the other board members to understand why that would be good for the district and maybe they could sway the super to feel that way too good guess we're starting again I'd say PA Chan well I bring it to the superintendent's uh you know bring it to the superintendent I I go back to my earlier answer of just about parent universities and education and historical data um that we have done pretty consistently uh and I think just kind of pointing the community back to those resources and H and being honest in these discussions about what needs to be improved and and where we're lacking I think not just smiling and saying no everything is great is not necessarily the answer but I think really educating on what the process is and and how we plan to improve it yeah to add to that if if you're dissatisfied with the way your district is performing and need to take a look at what goals you're setting for the district and are the goals that the superintendent's setting geared toward improving academics if the community really feels that the academics are a problem good y we're responsible for setting high expectations right for all students and making sure that that happens okay so I have a couple quotes here that came from the governance core that are about kind of governance work so just kind of wanted to just kind of go through them and see what you think about them the first one says governance is not just about passing policies it's what boards and superintendant do together and how they do it so what does that make you think when you read that I feel like this one I can speak to the other ones I was not quite so so involved with directly but the how is so important because we we all need to have the same why ultimately it's uh greater student learning outcomes or greater student experiences but it's so important that that the board and superintendent feeli they can communicate effectively and uh this gets to what what Cara was talking about too like I want to make sure that people feel I'm I'm approachable and that we can that we can work together we're not necessarily going to agree on things and it's actually more fun if we don't all agree on things because we find different ways to arrive at creative solution but um this is this is hugely important because yeah if you just say nope all you do is pass policies I think you're losing a really important voice which in in this case is comprised of nine different voices um but yeah it's so it's so important to just have open lines of communication I want to add something to that too and kind of like Dr Porter said the how you do it are we bringing the community along with us or are we putting something in place to even even have that communication that we could convey our message to them or is it just we're making decisions and not informing anyone you guys had said it earlier maybe you're having a discussion at the board table and you're trying to get the reasoning across to the community but it's not just about why you made the decision it's about what the benefit is to the kids right and that discussion all that comes out in it so that's part of it yeah the only thing I'll say is you know I think it's uh that first part gets me right the governance is not just passing p please I I think if we're just all protecting the institution that is the school district to protect the institution of the school district not to make the students better and provide a better option then it's broken um and I'm glad to say see that we we constantly have communication and back and forth here uh I think that's important good okay the next one a Relentless commitment to the learning of all students no exceptions must drive the work of the board and its Collective actions how do you see that playing out in your work you see that a lot you have a decision you have to make that you have friends in town that tell you this is maybe something that is going to affect me personally but then the overall Collective the majority of the children in the school district will benefit from it so you have to put your personal relationship to to the side and say okay this is the relig this is the decision you have to make for the overall Collective to make everyone benefit I think credit to the community right we've had this year alone multiple different sports programs we've had you know Arts we've had FBLA come in here and ask for something or needing something and wanted to communicate something and they were welcome um and and their is isues were addressed you solve all of them but I think that's that's a credit to this board no one on this board since I've been here has ever embarrassed those people for coming um they were given a fair share to listen to and I think that's that's part of the process good okay the last one school board members and superintendence it's time to raise your game dramatically something that can only be accomplished jointly the education world needs you indeed Society needs strong local governance mindset in action so how we rais in our gains I I think you want to keep up with other districts you want to look at what other ones are doing do reading research things like that you know when we go to you know uh Atlantic City like there's a lot of things that we sit in in on that we hear that are happening in other places that you know Mike Dr poris is like oh my God went to another class like and I come back and I'm like what do you think of this you know nine times out of 10 he's like that is pretty interesting you know we're a smaller District we can't always do things like that but um I think that's you know that's really what it's about it's just trying to not stay where you are always try to improve getting certified like we're pushing to get certified we got certified last year we're pushing get another 11 certification this year and then on top of that you have individual board members taking it upon themselves to get certified so they can learn how to do the job better promote the district and promote student achievement Mr cesi Master board member as of today so just everyone doing their part yeah I was gonna say as a newer board member of the group um I didn't always understand why certification was so important you know we constantly talk about and it's was kind of like all right we're just doing another training but it's here what I what I really appreciate is situations like this right you have the tough conversations where there's nothing on the line and we talk about how we would handle the process so when we have to have the tough conversations we've been trained we've all agreed on how the process goes and that makes all the difference in the world and I think that's what's important to the kids and and the community at large I think I think what's underlining with this board and I've seen seen a lot of different boards right in education a long time is we always put our kids first right Dr pora has always and Mr Gibbs we always put the kids first it's always a question of to it's not a question of um somebody's own personal agenda it's what is the best for the kids end of story right and I think that that's how we personally I feel like this is how we Excel on on all of our all of the items but that's my own opinion and and I think the idea that it's accomplished jointly too it doesn't it's not just limited to working with school board members and superintendents and it involves our staff it involves our association leadership it involves students student leaders it involves parents community members vendors you we there are a lot of different people who have a place at the table even if they're not necessarily sitting at this table and and you need to not necessarily follow what everyone says but you need to at least listen to it and take it seriously and and use all those different inputs to synthesize what you feel is the greatest outcome to produce the long-term benefit from the district um and and I think that that's that's really important easiest work is done alone U but that doesn't make it the best work and so I think when when when you have a collaborative structure and you you live it and you believe it um those difficult decisions get to be made a little bit more easily because people know that you are listening that you are cooperating that you are putting forth that good faith effort so I think I think that that's that's such a critical comment like I I don't know how to raise a game dramatically I'm also agonizingly methodical in every decision I make but um I think if you just want to sustain um an elevated game it has to be done with support and while supporting so many other people great I couldn't have said any of these better myself so I appreciate the fact that this was you know more of a conversation of us talking about situations and like you said something that hopefully you know you can take with you in the future and um I appreciate the time of everyone and I appreciate the fact that you're such a great board so thank you so much yeah thank you Charlene we will see you in August right for impressive thank you okay thank you Miss Peterson good night at this point we will open the meeting up to public agenda items only for public comment uh members of the public may speak once for a maximum period of five minutes by the clock during this portion of the meeting the public may speak on agenda items only during their five minutes if a member of the public raises a question uh please direct your question to the board president and state your name and sign in before we begin hi Amar finnen president of the pte I just want to thank you um for always recognizing um the staff the way that you do it's very inspiring to see the retirees and to hear about their years of service and the 25th Century Club um Mr Gibbs thank you for recognizing Sharon Johnson I actually texted her in Florida she was really kind of tickled to know that you acknowledged her um every one of our PTA members as you know plays a really valuable part in the district so um and congratulations on all your success with the board trading thank you okay we have a few action items uh first up is PMC I'm GNA ask Mr cesi to move those items I would like to move PMC 28 124 through PMC 29624 second any question or discussion what Mr Gibbs please call the rooll Mr Bloomer yes Mr cesi yes Miss Dempsey is absent Mr gon yes Mr mcweeny yes Mr Pompeo yes Mrs chanton yes Mrs esposo yes and Mr Zen yes motion carries thank you Mr maeni would you please move the items under CIS yes I'd like to move CIS 10724 and CIS 10824 second question of discussion Mr Gibbs please call the rooll Mr Bloomer yes Mr cesi yes Miss Dempsey is absent Mr gon yes Mr mcweeny yes Mr Pompeo yes Mrs shenton yes Mrs misso yes and Mr sen yes motion carries all right that brings us to our Workshop items first on the PMC two items PV and the pths start times uh and schedule updates and a staffing update right I can take care of both of these um so first one is in regards to the PV at pths school start time school start times and schedules um if anybody didn't get the memo we have amended the school start time for next year for the high school and also um revise the schedules at both PV and pths um if you happen to miss the parent University there is a recording available of it unfortunately this audio did not work for quite a bit of the PV portion of the presentation but if um no need to fret we have also recorded podcasts um I did one with Mr seasi to review the PV schedule and then a follow point with Mr hazler hopefully both are very informative um and answer any questions you might have if you do have additional questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to either me or one of the principles and if we don't have an answer we will work very hard to find it um the high school team has worked very hard in updating their schedule um developing schedules um trying to figure out what's going to work best for not only our students but also for our staff and we're we're pretty excited um to get this rolled out in September um there is one last small item we got to work at which is the early dismissal schedule for the high school U Mr hazler and I are working together on that one um we just need a little bit more time to get it done it's obviously an important topic just hasn't been front and center in terms of priorities and then just a reminder that we're going to continue to use the website as a resource and a repository for information so um as if people want to take a glance at things over the summer um that that resource will be available but again this is something put a lot of work into we're very proud of it and um I can't stress enough to if people do have questions um ideas whatever it might be please please please share that with us anything from the board about that Dr poris after all the end of your end of your activities are over and graduations and stuff can we start putting verbiage on the mares that remember school starts in September at 8:05 you know remember like just I feel like like anyone who doesn't know will drive by see it read it file it in the back of their mind somewhere um because there's still people out there questioning I know that the resources are endless but there's still people out there saying are we changing it I thought I heard we're changing it so if we could maybe try and use those to further yeah communicate that would be wonderful thank you however that may the lack of knowledge may help make sure that kids are on time to School in the first week great point if you think you're showing up at 7:29 could be running a couple minutes late you're still be half an hour early so I might actually try to keep this a secret moving forward all right and then the the second item on there is um just Staffing updates um obviously we have a recently approved retirement it was approved about two minutes ago um I have begun the process of laying out the um process for um finding a new curriculum instruction director um and we're going to incorporate a very similar approach to what we used which helped us Define Dr Sheridan and it'll be a very collaborative approach we actually do refer to it as the process we found it has helped us be very efficient while also getting a lot of voices heard um so we get really good input about different candidates um we do have a few opening ings that we're in the process of filling right now um the admin team is working very hard along with support from parents and staff members on filling those positions through the interview process we have a few people who got approved tonight um the admin team is able to hustle them through and get them to me in time to get them approved and as we as we get to the next meeting June we'll have more appointments and then over the summer we'll probably have a few more people filter in um one thing I'm very proud to share is that in my interviews people have shared that they've heard really positive feedback about our district and that the district itself has become its own recruiting tool um and I think that speaks to the power of the people we have here and uh that the good news travels fairly slow bad news travels really fast but the good news despite traveling slowly um seems to be spreading and I'm particularly proud of that I'll say that I'm getting emails from people that I've known for you know years haven't seen in a while and uh they know I live in banic and they're wondering about being a teacher here because they know we have openings and they're putting their resumes in they're asking me how's the culture how's this and because they hear a good thing so it's not untrue what you're saying it's it's great and something I take a lot of pride in for that as well is you know when we're recruiting we're not just recruiting externally we're recruiting internally we're trying to keep um our people where they're best suited which is in our district and we want people to feel fulfilled here we want them to feel like what their work is really important and it's because it is and um to to hear you saying that that means a lot and um we we've we've had pretty good turnout for our openings there are a few that are still very very hard to fill but um I'd like to than that um people want to be happy in their work and and if they have the opportunity to work at a place that has staff members who find fulfillment in their in their work then I'm I'm redundant now but it's it's outstanding recruiting and and it's great for long-term health of the district and it certainly benefits our kids anybody else all right next up Workshop CIS if you weren't awake you're awake now yeah uh two items the extended school year uh Academy update there we go um so curriculum instruction is really busy this time year but it's not really a lot to talk about because it's reviewing a lot of curriculum and stuff like that so um that's not really all that exciting to talk about so um I'm just going to give a brief overview of um just a little update on the extended school year which we're having this year we are not um doing any of our summer enrichment that we used with Esser funding since that funding has run out so um our extended school year however is happening um it's going to start on SE uh July 1st and run through the 30th um esy will be closed however for the 4th and 5th it'll be open from 8:30 to 12 o'clock housed at North Boulevard and the high school um student placements have been completed for the parents who have responded teachers will be sharing a welcome letter by June 19th and if anybody has any questions um they should reach out to miss Helena Bronco sooner rather than later or uh Mr Chris foglio up at the high school or Dr Sheri over at North Boulevard they're working to collaborate so we're also looking maybe to bring some therapy dogs to the esy so um Miss brenzinger in the high school media center has been you know kind of putting us in touch with um a volunteer group that has lovely animals and and um so we're looking into that but I think that could be kind of nice so what's that yeah I think that would be really nice and and we can Engage The response of the students to the to the therapy dogs I mean we've got a big kick out of the Ducks you know that I don't think I would pet a duck but um you know but the ducks have been a big hit up here so and they're still here and they're getting big so it's nice um as for the Academy update I'm going to bounce that ball to Dr poris and let him talk about that thank you Dr Sheridan it wasn't scheduled for part of this but I just want to point out too that um I appreciate the turnout for both the um STEM Academy capstones as well as the Allied Health Academy capstones so impressed with the quality of work that our students put forth under the leadership of our staff um it's really great that they get an Engaged audience for those events as well our Aviation students also partic participated in the Capstone as well it's our first graduating class which makes it even more exciting um speaking of the aviation we put this up here just to provide an update uh we received word back from lincol park by email about two weeks back um that they are going to send beginning with not this upcoming school year but the one they're after they're um incoming high schoolers to the botin Aviation Academy um which they are hoping to begin for this upcoming school year um just to give you a little update on the process um we had actually shared a great deal of information with the lincol park board to help them in their decision making Mr cop and I actually spoke at one of their meetings kind of function as a parent University information sharing session and it opened the door for them to have ongoing communication um we also met with their shared services department to review our intentions and designs for the program so they could have a great deal of openness um and I'm really proud during this process of how willingly and U really effectively Mr cop shared information to continue to give them updates um both in writing and also through some of the visuals of some of our students external learning experiences going on field trips and having guest speakers um so I'm disappointed uh that the board determined that there's not a material difference between the two uh programs and that they would therefore be forced to go with buen I did point out that material differences I see is that ours exists um in reality while there's on paper but um I guess they're similar enough in terms of the paper size of things and so it's unfortunate um our current students including those who are in eth grade who will be entering our high school next year grandfathered in so they'll be able to complete the program um and we are looking at ways of getting additional students into our Aviation Academy program this is something I'm working with Dr Sheridan as well as Mr cop Mr hazler and Mr foglio on um but just want to give you that update dis pointing but uh warrant mentioned okay moving on to FFA we have five items forign appare RFP status Physicians RFP the update on the projects over the summer the uh ball fields and the windows and the board office lease the uh status of the RFP for the before and after CARE program we received three proposals of which the board has been given a um a scoring sheet and they will be working on that over the next um I would say month or so um to complete that process is there any questions no okay the Physicians RFP results we actually have one physan that responded um and a copy of his proposals been sent to the board for review and hopefully the board will make a decision at the um the end of this month at the board meeting the regular board meeting any questions regarding the position no okay the update to the ball fields the renovations to the ball fields um will be at the end of August to the beginning of September obviously weather permitting um they don't foresee any problems or issues but they just wanted us to be aware of the time lies are there any questions regarding those those items no I I do um I understand so I know it's the field themselves we're not doing anything with dugouts unfortunately but the area inside the quote unquote Dugout and the entrance into these dugouts is a complete mud pit at all times um will that will there be any grading and renovating to that area entering the field um because if not we need to look into that um just because it'll rain and then it'll remain wet for for literally a week there it's just just holds water there right the dugouts were not discussed but uh the whole area will be regraded so it should help that situation okay I mean I know dugouts the cells are not going to be touched but the ground just there has to be it's it's it's a mess field especially behind home plate uh there's a grassy area I but that's like that's swamp yeah so um it's understanding that will be reconditioned and uh how long do they feel it will take probably could take six to eight weeks depending new grass and everything right on the baseball field Bas field yeah okay any other questions on the baseball no okay summer projects um the high school parking lot will begin at the end of June and be completed by mid July obviously it's weather permitting any questions on the parking lot for the high school no the uh window project is going to start the beginning of October based on manufacturing timelines evidently this is a very busy time for them so we are on the list but it's a matter of U when we will get them hopefully by the beginning of October any questions on window projects there was a question regarding some facial Replacements that will be taken care of at the end end of June or the beginning of July these facia are actually on the high school itself evidently during a um the Sandy storm we had a number of years ago they were ripped off and they've never been replaced but now they're going to be replaced any questions on those so that's going to be done as well over the summer that was driving me crazy yeah we'll be taken care of so there's something I brought up in the winter and then I experienced it again uh help decorating for the eighth grade dance the ENT the visitor's entrance to where they enter for the gym so that hallway in PB I'm sorry um that foyer is completely cracked like after the the do right right on the other side of the door there's I don't know if it's I don't know if it's tile I don't know if it's a form of of composite or concrete but there is really it's like it needs to be reviewed because uh it it's seems to be a hazard okay okay I'll look um all the painting obviously for the summer session will be completed uh and all the rooms um done by the end of August which is a a normal um summer project for school districts uh we're looking into replacing the ticket booth at the high school we have a quote of about $3,500 for the replacement uh we're going we're going to replace the one I believe at the junior high school next year because that one's in better condition but we want to replace the high school because that's in the worst Condition it's the oldest that's not a bad price yeah it's a very good price b dght or Mr Anderson did a very good job that yes thank you any other questions no and the last item I have is the board office lease as I mentioned at the beginning of the um the board meeting uh the lease for the board office is going to be up on January 1 2025 in accordance with the lease there are some options and I was finally got I finally was able to get in contact with the post office and that was not an easy task but um what they're saying is they're not willing to sell us the building whatsoever and they want to buy the property from us so now I'm working with them to try to make a determination as to obviously there's going to be a price and the way it works is they have to get a proposal as or they have to get a um an evaluation as to what it's worth we have to get an evaluation as to what it's worth and try to come to some happy medium he said sometimes this goes to a third party who will make that decision but um we have to get started on that so you're going to see uh in the next board meeting a request to go offer proposal for this you know for the appraisal Excuse me yes thank you so if I understands correctly they own the building we own the property that is correct right okay and so they want us out by the 1 of or they're not saying that they're just saying they're interested in purchasing the property in full yeah we haven't talked about when we're to leave the building um I'm happy that would be part of negotiations when it comes time to we buy the property for them to buy the property um but we are looking into possibilities right now as to where we could go and what we could do uh obviously putting an addition on one of the schools would be the best option if we can do that so so first we have to find out what's the property worth let's see what kind of money we have to start and then build from there yeah is there any reason we wouldn't want to give up the property why we wouldn't want to give up the property well it's according to the lease it has to go one way or another they have first ref first refusal because they built the building on the property right it's it's a very strange agreement because we own the land they own the building and we lease the second floor so we're releasing from our tenant um but I feel like that was never I don't remember that being the understand like I don't remember understanding it that way I thought we owned it and they had a right to buy it at end up police meaning the building like I didn't know they own the building they own the building yeah was that parking lot that's why the parking lot was such a nightmare because we couldn't get them to pave the parking lot wasn't it wasn't the towns they said it was us we said it was them or I'm sorry I should have emailed you beforehand for this question but um where are we with I know you were going to look at the church for the preschool um I'm just thinking is there any spots in that building to rent for a board I'm just throwing it out there that's okay no I did speak with the um one of I guess it was the president of the association for the Lutheran Church and she was not interested in a short-term lease she says we want a five-year lease and I said well I cannot guarantee you the board is going to give you a fiveyear lease we're looking to other options to be more permanent fiveyear lease I said two years probably five I'm not sure she was going to go back to her committee and you know tell them what I had said and get back to me and she hasn't got back to me yet so I'm assuming they're probably done in shortterm lease so essentially what we're looking for is more space for our preschool program as well as a board office for our board correct yes is there any other space required at this point that's that's pretty much it we're we're good everywhere else yeah actually I'm look we're looking at two properties right now if we don't bat onto the school um and one is in a very bad flood zone which I'm not too crazy about but I've built a school in this flood and I know what that's about so it's possible but um it's not most ideal um the other property is much larger and um there is a building there now which would be doable but obviously the price is much higher so these are things have to look into but we have to start at the beginning and then build from there so this this discussion will be going on for a little while yeah and then in terms of the other schools um I think that's where you're get as well based on the demographic study um we're not anticipating that there's going to be any type of spike in our enrollment um it's tough right now at the elementary schools because of the number of self-contained programs that we have um whatever available flexibility we've had with space has really become very limited but I don't see that being reason to look to expand necessarily unless we were looking to expand a building and addon prek as well as as well as a board office there thank you yeah currently we have a 25 student waiting list for our preschool that's a lot of money we're losing so things to consider Yeah by many years had yeah yeah usually right theast we' had up to are there any grants out there for that would help dictate how we want to build especially with preschool yeah yeah there there are preschool expansion grants and we've we've looked into those um usually they tend to go towards districts with a different demographic um with a higher proportion of free and reduced um lunch service but um we're pursuing that because the state really is looking to invest in um they're looking to actually make kindergarten mandatory which is still crazy that kindergarten is not required but they're looking to have more prek programs available in districts full-time so hopefully we can tap into that because uh that becomes a funding source it makes our decision- making a lot easier but the the grant is to um it's not to build new schools it's to expand on whatever correct whatever you previously had it's it's primarily built uh it's primary predicated on expansion um but we're looking to see if we can find ways to actually use it for for growth um we did have to do the expansion we could always I think tack it onto a building um see if the state agrees with us on that one but like as a hypothetical if we had an elementary school building that didn't currently have preschool be it Hillview or SJ we added on there would that count as expansion because there's not an existing program I don't know but there is a program in District so I think we'd qualify let's face it uh building a school in this town will probably be difficult um but if there was an existing building that we purchased or added on to something that would be probably ideal but unless you're going to find five acres somewhere I don't know where you would find that okay any other questions no thank you okay next up is policy uh two items on the policy the inventory and then the summer policy work yeah so um these are these are quick and very easy first one is um we do have a policy inventory um Mrs a shared her version of it she tidied it up a little bit because uh she and I share a passion for demonstrating OCD issues but it's it's pretty linear and it lays out um when things have been revised most recently so this is something that we're going to examine to see what what is due for whether it's a revision or if it's just due for for another look um and that actually ties Us in the second one we already have a pretty good list of policies that we want to look at over the summer U we've talked for a while about the homework policy but there are a few others that we want to take the time as an admin team to look at so that there is that that um forward and back movement between board members with ex examining the policy as well as with recommendations from the administrative team so the second one I'll admit I put it in there too because I I can't have just one bulleted item to me that seems like it's heresy so we added the second one but I think it's good to get that reassurance that we are going to be examining policy we do anticipate that we're going to see um a pretty large drop from Strauss Esme coming soon and it's going to be a hefty one and I think I alluded to it last meeting that they are talking about doing an a policy our only AI policy right now is in our plagiarism policy which which is a start but it's already at a date and it's only a year old and quite frankly I want us to be able to harness AI um for productive use and it actually gets pretty tricky with with plagiarism because plagiarism focuses on taking the work of another person AI is not other person so anyway so a lot of work to be done there but it'll be good work and hopefully um come late June and July we'll have a little more room to breathe and and space to think so looking forward to that okay anybody else on policy all right that brings us to our second opportunity for public comment members of the public may speak for a maximum period of five minutes by the clock during this portion of the meeting public may speak on any topic during their five minutes minutes and if a member of the public raises a question please direct a question to the board president resident state your name and sign in before you begin I know right how are you guys sorry I was a little late to the meeting I had to get filled in um I heard that you had a discussion that you're continuing the rfps for the before and after care just wanted to pose a couple of questions because um from what I gather it was going to be a couple of weeks or maybe even like a month it takes about three months to do the process of registration and currently just so you're aware before and after Ken North Boulevard inures their license is up for Renewal that's a three-month process for us to go through all that so I'm just a little concerned with the timeline of that I understand there's a process of scoring but it it becomes very difficult for us to do a job especially if preschool is going to be something that you're interested in for this provider to get a staffed qualified staff individual because it requires a bachelor's degree it requires educational credits those are things that take time to do so my concern is just about the timeline and I just wanted to put that out there in the open that I know it does take time but we're getting to July at that that point and then registration and making sure that we have the qualified staff member in place becomes a little different I don't know if that I don't think there's an answer to it but but I just wanted to put it up there because it is something that's a little challenging as a provider to do all that in such a quick turnaround a lot of thing things are decided in April and May at the latest thank you yeah I mean just to to answer the question real high level we're still looking through the RFP and we haven't made a decision yet so as uh Mr Gibb said we're still scoring everything and take your comment into consideration I'm just going to add in to throughout the process to if you need to reach out to me directly um even if I can't necessarily respond I can direct the traffic or or give you responses as well so um hopefully that helps as well okay next up is unfinished business any unfinished business any new business board member announcements I can go um I'm just looking for the date to reference so I can't find the date but um first I did attend the groundbreaking for the veterans wall uh so it was great to meet number one some of the committee members that I've only seen on uh some Zoom calls and all the volunteers that are going into this project and the time that they're going to be spending and the material that they're going to be providing so uh really exciting um really exciting event really exciting initiative uh looking forward to seeing the progress in that and again just so many different community members coming together to uh make what we discussed in 2020 come to come to life which is which is pretty cool because I still remember going to that football game and seeing the Renditions that the STEM academy uh put together so really excited for that um then uh I was able to proudly attend the eighth grade Awards uh know not you know as a parent not as a board member so uh it was great to see all the kids' accomplishments there uh the the auditorium was filled with great great kids great families just a lot of recognition and talent um and they're going to do do great in high school so it's really uh surreal surreal that uh my eighth gr parent and got to see that all the kids that I've been coaching since they were six years old you know getting awards for National Honor Junior National Honor Society and things like that so uh just crazy time of year and the next day was um the eighth grade dance and really what why I'm mentioning that is the recognition uh to the TV parents that put months and months and months of effort to make this an absolutely amazing event um my wife was part of that committee so I I saw the hours and the money spent and the uh the you know late night uh calls with with the committee to make it happen there was dozens and dozens of parents in and out of the school on Thursday and Friday to again transform the gymnasium into uh just an amazing venue for these kids so just want to give recognition to uh HSA the committee and all the volunteers that helped out yeah um I had the pleasure of attending the on May 30th the pths pths senior award ceremony um fantastic event celebrating all the great work that our seniors have done and and the awards that they received um highlight of obviously the great the GL class that's are graduating this year but also showed the generosity of this community uh the amount of scholarships that were given from parent organizations business organizations uh in ponic it was uh TR truly inspiring to see um it was a fun night for everybody anybody else okay uh we do have reason to go into executive session we will discuss student matters and the CSA evaluation no action will be taken we will Jour from there our next meeting is 6:24 here at the high school and again there's nobody here now but you were here earlier I do want to thank everybody for attending and the board would like to wish all our students a very fun end to the school year is there a motion to go into executive session moot second all in favor third any opposed good night everyone