##VIDEO ID:larCYpIV__Q## time the mission of the Riverdale Regional School District is to provide a safe student- centered environment and which each student is valued and respected to challenge each student to reach their potential to nurture every student's intellectual social physical and emotional growth to promote a healthy work ethic a passion for Learning and respect for oneself and other to develop a responsible citizens for a diverse community and Ever Changing world to continue to involve our community in an active partnership and to provide all students the opportunity to achieve and exceed the New Jersey student learning standard sorry thank you I'm laughing as my friends are walking in the back sorry okay at this point in the meeting I'd like to open it up for public comments on agenda items only can hearing none student member report the middle school report congratulations to the hawk student Spotlight recipients for the month of November students are nominated by staff members for modeling great academic performance or High character they are Harper Benyamin Lily varel Andrew Michaels William Connor and Marie Martinez Maddie Bo Chris galinda and Luca Arch vedes the riverdell middle school students and staff have particip I ated in several fundraisers the last month including the following a student council tapier principal to the wall fundraiser in collaboration with the Family Promise of Bergen County which resulted in over $600 raise to feed those facing SC food insecurity a student ambassador toy drive in collaboration with Toys for Tots which resulted in over 200 toys for those in Need for this holiday season an interact Club sneaker Drive in collaborations with souls for Souls with the goal collecting over 200 pairs of gently used shoes and sneakers for those in need and the annual coat drive run by Mr mandarino the Winter concert will take place tomorrow evening in the Middle School the seventh and eighth graders chorus group and bands will perform in front of a packed House of family and friends as they attempt to elevate their holiday spirit with their beautiful Sounds of the Season and in the high school the month of December has been filled with great activities and amazing holiday spirit as we head towards the holiday break to start the month off students that are a part of the team pet program and other volunteers participated in decorating many teachers doors on Saturday December 7th thank you to all of those who participated and the doors look absolutely amazing we want to say a big congratulations to Jeffrey Jung who won the record athlete of the week on December 13th Jeffrey is a part of the swim team and all the students are happy to see a classmate win a great award like this we also want to give a huge congratulations to the quizbowl team who qualified for the state championship and got sixth place as we we head into the last week before break there are many thrilling activities planned for us for the students and staff first off the robotics team competed in a huge tournament this past Sunday at Riverdale on Thursday we not only have the Winter concert but the pep rally during the school day students cannot wait to get together with the whole school and really show what Riverdale spirit is and lastly all the administrators have put together a spirit week for the holidays today was pajama day tomorrow will be anything but a backpack day Wednesday will be twin day Thursday will be class colors and Friday will be ugly sweater day we cannot wait to see all the students and staff participating this week thank you president's report I really have nothing to report tonight but I would like to wish everybody a happy and healthy holiday and let's go to the superintendent report okay good evening everyone I just want to report quickly on the status of our strategic planning process c as many of you know we we have had a number of meetings already we met on November 19th and December 9th with a group of uh different parents and stakeholders and some board members as well um they've been sharing their ideas and their experiences uh here at riverdell over the years with students that there are they currently have and students that they've had previously um and helping us to guide helping to guide us towards the future and and come up with some goals and goal plans and strategic planning for our board to consider in the next couple of months um we have another meeting tomorrow night December 17th if you were not at the first two meetings people are welcome to come to that meeting as well um they're certainly welcome to do that uh we invite you to do so uh it's been uh I think really engaging um and a very thoughtful process thus far and I've appreciated being part of it uh my thanks to Mrs armal uh Mrs farelli Mr Pinson of course and uh our new to be board member in January uh Mr Housley for being part of the process as well uh just a reminder to our students and their families that Mark and Period 2 midmark and period report cards will be coming out the interum reports uh shortly sometime this week we encourage as always our students and um their parents to reach out to counselors and to teachers as needed I wanted to just because we haven't met since that time just compliment our students and Mr Wilson um and their team of outstanding performers for the uh performance and Beauty and the Beast last month um I think pretty much everyone here has been to at least one performance uh one musical either presently this La this last year or in previous years and um uh just such a high caliber and and such a high participation rate from our students um just tells me a lot about what that program is about and how much our students are benefiting from it and certainly it was a fantastic performance so congratulations to all of them they represent themselves very well and they represent riverdell very well as as as uh as many of you saw when you went and I also want to just echo my comments the that um Mr FAS just made as well um to our trustees to our board to everyone out in the audience just happy holidays and peace and joy for everyone thank you thanks okay committee reports budget and finance we had a meeting uh right before this um our board meeting here uh Trudy reminded us that the uh new budget year has started through meetings hard to believe that the year has gone by so fast and we're planning already for next year and we had the opportunity to meet with our auditor who'll present uh our report for this year thank you facilities and security uh we have not met okay thanks community relations and Technology nothing to report at this time thank you curriculum nothing to report at this time okay and policy and governance policy and governance I believe everything is going to be posted for the new year the new policy correct St that's will'll be up yep that's it okay thank you okay at this point like to move that all items designated with the asteris be part of the consent agenda and approve do I have a motion I'll make a motion thank you CIA do I have a second I'll second thanks John any questions okay John yes Robert yes Alicia yes Anette yes Tracy alen yes D yes barara yes yes yes n b this is a tough one is recommended by the superintend the board accept with deep regret the resignation due to retirement of athletic director Dennis Nelson do I have a motion well we don't make that motion if we don't accept a resignation what happens I I do every time September 1st he'll just walk out yeah yeah no I I'll I have a second thanks anybody like to say anything would you like me to start yeah so I I I work with obviously in the position that I and I work with many great professionals and it's my pleasure to work with a lot of great ones here and and historically over the years in my career as a an administrator and a teacher and a superintendent certainly I've had a lot of fantastic I've never had a bad athletic director that I've worked with um but I can honestly say that Dennis Nelson is the best one that I've worked with I'm trying not to take it personally that I got here a year ago and he decided he was going to leave as soon as I got in the door but um he just feels that it's his time but um you know I on behalf of many I know I'm speaking for many um Dennis is a consument professional he takes very seriously the work that he does and providing the best experience he can for our students he promotes riverdell wherever he goes he's quite involved at the state level as many of you know with the njsia and with many committees uh and is always looking out for the best interests of our students on all those committees um so he will be sorely missed I wish him well we all do um there's one Dennis Nelson we're lucky we had him thanks TR I will truly miss it I've work it's been wonderful working with you you take the vote call it we can make our statements as we he's saying just call it we can make statements oh okay I'm sorry John uh yes and also I I wish him the best of luck and it's incredible 23 years is really a lifetime and um you know we we get retirement in front of the board all the time this one sounded like a rumor or a April Fool's joke but um I guess people sometimes know when when they need to retire and it's their time but I think the school community the parents um and everybody the students probably who've gone through Dennis and the team that he's put together will probably greatly miss him he'll leave an incredible Legacy here Robert yes and I wish him nothing but the best and and retirement for all the certain athletes that he's touched over the years Alicia yes yes and I wish him p and happiness and his retirement Anette yes and once again I wish him all the best and his new chapter um he's definitely set the bar and helped develop a legacy of of student athletes of very good sportsmanship and uh he's going to they're big shoes to fill but I wish him the best and thank him for his years yes and again I wish him nothing but the best in his retirement and I hope he understands the impact he's had on the student athletes here at riverdell he not only shaped the athletes but also the spectators and created a culture here at riverdell where we learn as a school to lose graciously which is really tough for students but more importantly to win graciously and respect all the athletes on the field D yes and uh he'll Surly be missed having three three students who played multiple Sports uh at riverdell go through and and work with Dennis um he really will leave a mark on on the school uh in particular you know I would say promoting multisport athletes um I think is a real Legacy um and something that he's always pushed that I'll you know uh actually you know look fond of and uh it's going to be a hard hard spot to fill with someone new yes um he will be missed tremendously and wish him all the best yes and I wish him well he's been an amazing asset to our school to our students to their families um like Trac Ellen said he truly has set the bar high for our kids and also just for the school population the coaches that work for him he's one of a kind Alan yes and I'm in the shoe business and this is going to be an impossible feet to fill those shoes let me tell you a that's cute okay 11a is recommended by the superintendent that the board approve the newly revised policy and regulations manual into the Strauss SMA format for the first reading I'll make a motion thank you I have a second second thank you D any questions that thank you I have just one question one so the format that got modified I mean inevitably kind of changes the document and I think we talked about this before there is no material content change in this process no is there the the only changes that we're seeing uh in the many that I've reviewed with them are code changes language changes there were areas that were not updated in our old policies that are now updated to be compliant with code and with law um where you see some other changes are some of our policies were freestanding policies are now they're already Incorporated in other policies that exist in St Esme so we've had to track that it's why it's been such a long process uh six months at this point I think we've been going through it so um yeah so we're talking about a sub substantial number of changes that the board is going to approve it's it's really impossible I think for a board member to read it we we will approve it but is there a way to uh apprise the board of any of those somewhat material changes we know moving because it's it's not practical to read them the entire bulk of the policies is getting modified right so short of putting them side by side and reading them I don't think it's practical so if they have some sort of a summary of Where the material changes are I think that'll all allow us to go by the second reading and actually look at those sections okay I can ask you for that thank you you're welcome yeah I started flipping through it um I mean it's 700 192 pages on one I believe and 780 on on the other um I downloaded everything and I'm keeping it in a file so if I have any questions as things come up you know you have it on hand you you might want to do the same thing it is I mean we could download it the problem to your point I I paid it I didn't pay attention to the exact number but 1,600 Pages worth of policies uh in its best they you know when we had a few policies it's challenging but I think if there is a way to get what Dr Alber was talking about it could be helpful for us to kind of Focus right on those I'm sure the changes are great phenomenal and badly needed but it's not like our normal process where we update you know and approve specific ones where you have a chance of reading and it's a common question I've done this once before in my previous district and it was the same question there so I'll ask them what they can provide for us thank you you're welcome okay John yes Robert yes Alicia yes Annette yes Tracy Ellen yes dou yes Barber yes yes Alan yes okay um 12h the superintendent at the request of the board secretary recommends that the board accept line item transfers and adjustments as listed in the financial report for the month ending November 2024 do I have a motion I'll make a motion thanks John do I have a second a second thanks any questions John yes Robert yes Alicia yes yes Tracy Ellen yes Doug yes Barber yes CIA yes Alan yes okay 12 Q uh whereas the riverdell Regional School District Board of Education advertise for bids for the districtwide generator upgrades at rivell high school and riverdell middle school project bids came in for the upgrades of 512,000 $800 for both do I have a motion I'll make that motion thank you Claudia do I have a second second thanks Doug and for those of you uh this is part of the referendum that was passed last year John yes Robert yes Alicia yes manette yes Tracy Ellen yes Doug yes Barbara yes CIA yes but can I ask one question is that the number we were thinking or is that lower like that bid is that where we were that bid came in a little lower than it came in lower than I then we we budgeted okay that's what I thought thank you Alan yes and just uh I mean I think just to maybe Trudy if you don't mind can you just give a little bit more insight because I think we're spending this is all part of the referendum money and it's really big um upgrades to to the school so I if I'm correct me if I'm wrong um the school now have the capacity when there's power outages to basically fully function and also at both locations which we don't have currently and also be a place of Refuge for the community in case there's really a larger storm if I missed anything so it's it would be for not everything in the building will be completely pluged into that but it'll be a good good function and yes it would be a place for the community to come okay 12r whereas the riverdell Regional School District Board of Education advertise for bids for the mechanical upgrades at rivell high school project um Platinum Plumbing Heating and a see got the bid and it's for $1,396 th000 and the total contract bid is 1,4 479,000 250 this also is part of the referendum and you want to break it down on what this covers so this is for hvh like air conditioning heating at at the high school upgrading some things so it was a lot of there a lot of work so and this came in myed budget so okay any any questions do they have to vote separately together I'll make a motion thank you motions for both of the do I have a second this is the second one second Robert second okay John yes Robert yes Alicia yes Anette yes yes Doug yes Barber yes yes Alan yes okay at this time um our auditor is here to make a presentation on the audit for 2023 2024 uh good evening uh tonight you have uh two reports in front of you for consideration uh the first report I like to talk about is your Auditor's management report that's a small of the two reports uh this is a report required by the Department of Education they ask us to look through certain things like your payroll your purchasing your asssa and if during our audit procedures we find anything of note that we feel needs to be brought to your attention we would have a finding and recommendation uh this past year we had no findings and recommendations so you have a clean auditor management report uh your second report you have tonight for consideration is your annual comprehensive financial report uh in here are your financial statements your notes to your financial statements and then a lot of other subsidiary schedules that are required by the governmental Accounting Standards Board or the state of New Jersey Department of Education uh we prepare these financial statements from Trudy's records uh and we apply our order procedures after we apply our procedures we have to render an opinion on those financial statements uh you have a modified opinion or unmod a modified opinion or an unmodified opinion the district received an unmodified opinion that's the best opinion you can get uh we feel the finan statements are fairly stated uh you have two other reports in in the uh uh in the act for it's a single audit report that's where we look at your federal state grants uh we not any issues during that audit we also have comments uh that was once again clean and then there's a governmental Accounting Standards report in here also once again clean report uh so overall both reports are clean unmodified no commissary recommendations and overall the district is fiscally sound and has has been able to maintain their their reserves is there any spe specific questions anybody has thank you yes thanks for great year thank you thank you good night okay thank you for coming okay do I have a motion I'll make a motion I have a second thank you John okay uh yes and Trudy I would like to commend you again for this like it's a complete 100% clean Report with no questions that's really a great feat and congratulations to you and pass along our uh thanks to your staff as well which I'm sure do a great job throughout the year to make sure everything is nice and scho Robert yes and I Echo Mr Samuel's comments as well Alicia yes yes Tracy Ellen yes Doug thank you Barber yes yes congratulations Allan yes and again thank you Trudy the side of the table though wants to make sure we're not pasak Valley Green next year yeah we want not have to come up with something did you just be and go okay at this point I'd like to move forward three things from the executive session um that being the board's approving uh a pay rate increase from 150 to $225 per day for a substitute nurses um there's a couple of coach Replacements and HS and let's that's it do I have a motion I'll make the motion do I have a second okay thank you any other questions okay John yes Robert yes Alicia yes Anette yes Tracy alen yes Doug yes barar yes pod yes Alan yes okay old business new business well wait I'm old so I'm going to say old business okay because I've been here a really long time so um I actually came home and told my husband I was sad that I was leaving I can't believe it came out of my mouth because I've been never but giddy for the longest time but um it has been a pleasure working with all of you you guys keep doing what you're doing plug away move this District forward Jim you're steering the boat thank you keep going you're doing an amazing job Trudy so happy you are in the position you are in and you are our money person um because we need a woman in charge of that just saying I will say um oh my God I can't believe now I'm getting all ch you're get holy crap I didn't think this is going you should we need tears I know I know God stop that okay so um I've had the privilege of a very long tenure I also have had the privilege of being on every committee community structure is so important continue to do it um somebody's got to step up and start like you know when they say make a motion just go ahead just make the motion you're going to sit here longer the me's going to take longer just go ahead and do it one of you you guys make that choice um let's see what else um super proud of the work we've done for the referendum and amazing job moving forward you guys have a great Administration push them everybody want nobody goes to their job just to do status quo if they're going to their job to do status quo they shouldn't be in their job I say this all the time you have people here that want to be here push them push Jim push Judy that's your job that's why you sit here as board members you don't sit here just to like approve everything they say 90% of what we do we have to before course a federal law but push them they want to be challenged this is the job of a board is to challenge them um what else I will come back I will bake anytime you need me to you know that especially for like you know negotiations um you'll be your caterer I will I'll be the caterer um I am annoyed about a few things though so I never got my bees on the roof I never got winter blinds I don't even think Jim knows about those I don't know I didn't get Humanities and I didn't get Latin so I'm walking away a little defeated but it's okay I'm a big girl I can take it um but if any of you guys want any of those things I I can give you lots of background information on it don't worry about it where to go he's on the are you writing it down you better write it down John good man good man um and then what else H I'm old so it takes me a while I guess that's really it I have to thank my family I could not have done this can you are they here can you recognize oh yeah that's my husband I do that that's my husband my boy one is working and one is hopefully on his way home from college um but I'm home I'm Yours so but thank you he doesn't look too happy I know he's not smiling that's it that's all I have can I say something before you do that yes so I've been on the board six years uh at the end of this year it doesn't feel like it but it's been a long time and during that six year we've we've basically uh three veteran board members have transitioned out uh and these are board members that were on the board for 10 plus years if I remember correctly um and that's a lot of experience that's leaving the board but uh I I I thank those board members because without people leaving the board it doesn't open uh seats for new board members because some board members are very popular easy to get elected they probably could run for another 10 years and the residents would probably elect them it is Bittersweet for you probably looking at what you all accomplished over these years and I think you should be very proud of what you did I know I'm appreciative because we learned a lot from those board members that transitioned out and it can't be easy because it's like labor of love I think when we come here sometimes it feels like uh nothing but criticism for what the board does but I think you have uh a legacy as well on the board that you're going to leave Bo some board members will miss you guys and I I think uh I hope the new new board members that have joined us uh will learn and also leave their marks on the board so thank you very much for your service it was a very very long time but thank you thank you thank you I will say sorry on the board because of Claudia or her and her her her her and her um her sidekick I should say who who recently left uh re I remember them recruiting distinctly which is the side kick stanie Stephanie um but obviously you know I will uh miss you being on the board uh everything even even though I'm I'm I I'm slightly mad at you tonight I know um but um but you you know your your legacy on curriculum and just in general on the board and as you said you know um pushing past and and current um Administration and so forth for change which we have I I think achieved over the years um is very significant uh and I will tell you um I'm always amazed by how you actually remember every single teacher every single student every single person that has ever come through the room always amazes me because I walk past people and um I I couldn't tell you who they half the time who they are so um it is it is a true Talent so uh you will be missed who's going to pick up on all the details that we've lost out for the last two but uh yeah you've been a wealth of knowledge you always have everything at your fingertips and you've put in a long and hard you know you've worked very hard and you've had a tremendous impact thank you thank you looking at um you know speaking from an employees perspective not a member of the board but an ex official member of the board non voting member of the board um when you lose board members of such tenure you lose a lot of history um a lot of experience that that informs me and helps me to do my job better um so I have your cell phone number absolutely when I need to know when I need to know the why and this is important when I need to know the why of something I know that I can call you and others too but I know that I can pick up phone and I can call you and say okay why was it this way because there's usually an important reason why something was that way and you know I don't like to step on a landmine and thankfully I have not yet um but I need that that uh Touchstone to find you know why the history of something and you're very good at sharing that you're very generous at sharing that and have been for the time that I've worked with you um you ask great questions um and one thing that I don't think you take credit for is you're a big cheerleader for the things that are good at Riverdale you you're not afraid to go out and say this is something good and tell anybody who will listen even if they won't listen that this is something that's good for Riverdale and uh that's something that I appreciated in the time that I worked with you thank you you're welcome I just want to thank you for your service and also for bringing me to this lovely place um I hope that it's a theme it is a theme a theme for me um I hope when you leave you find other ways to spend your Monday nights yeah but we will definitely I will definitely miss your wealth of knowledge because when you come on the board you kind of come in blind because you're so used to looking at the school district from the outside and when you begin to see the inner workings and the mechanics you realize so many decisions are made on history so many decisions are made based on the relationships people have within the district and having someone who's so knowledgeable will sorely be missed I I wish you well in your your free time I'm sure I have a feeling you're going to fill it with other wonderful selfless things and and other uh passions that you have um don't give up on the bees I think they're great give up on those um you're going to come here one day and on the they will Mike and I are going to but I do think in in the short amount of time I have been on the board and our paths cross you've you've left the Legacy these last three years have been um a lot of change in the district as far as administrative as far as referendums as far as you know the new superintendent and and that all has your your lasting fingerprint on it and all those Journeys so um I'm grateful that that we were able to share that together but I'm excited for your new passion thank you thank you as one of the new board members I want to thank you for instilling your knowledge and love of rivell and all the good stuff but I don't think I ever had a baked good in nine months so I haven't had one either I'm just saying have to come back yeah it's been it's been two meetings and I haven't had one either I'm just saying just throwing it out there right yeah I know a little hurt but know next Monday ask for soda bread oh yeah I'll bring soda bread for you girls and boys don't worry um I will I will make sure I get something deliver it over to you guys after the new year yeah want to step up to the light oh God okay we have the option we could do it here no we'll go first I'd like to say think we've been together 12 or 13 years on the board and we haven't always agreed nope but in the end I don't agree with a lot of people everybody knows that about me but in the end you're the true definition of a board member thank you there's one word to describe you you care oh you stole my line my you you care thank you and you have not only a love for the school but a love for all the kids not just your own and you always wanted the best for everybody here and that is truly what a board member is here to do oh thank you and it's it's been a great 12 13 years um you know we had fights and all but in the end I respected you you respected me and look where we are today we're one of the I know 10 top schools in Burton County and it's because of people like you thank you that we got here thank you so in appreciation like to present you with this plaque to Claudia O'Neal for trustee 2009 to 2024 oh my God that's too long thank you for your thank thank you okay new business I think that was it that was new business okay anything for board discussion that we left out tonight okay all right at this point like to open it up to the public for comments please step up to the mic hello Dr Alro and all the board members I represent myself as River resident predy darhal and not in the capacity of council woman elect bur of River Edge with my friend here Akil Chava I'm also representing the Indian American community in rivered and oradel towns we would again like to request Diwali the Festival of Lights the major holidays celebrated across the South Asian Community to be given as a holiday in the rivel school district calendar and no homework weekend in the year 2025 26 coming year Diwali will fall on Monday October 20 2025 Diwali has been announced as a holiday in lot of towns across Bergen County so this the system is there past few years we are waiting when rivel school district will gracefully recognize this this this as a holiday despite being knowing for embracing diversity we are still waiting for our own School District to recognize this we would really appreciate if this is in place for the year 2025 26 thank you so much and we really hope we shall be heard and congratulations to you for your lovely service to rivel my my child was actually born when you started here in case you didn't feel old enough anybody else okay do I have a motion to adjourn I will make that motion one last time do I have a second I'll second everybody say hi hi have a great holiday everybody