notice is hereby given of the regular meeting of the Board of Education of the town of Westfield in the county of Union New Jersey at 6 pm. on the evening of Tuesday March 26 2024 in cafeteria B of Westfield High School 550 Dorian Road Westfield New Jersey the board will move IM immediately into private session to discuss matters rendered confidential by state and federal law including harassment intimidation and bullying incidents the public portion of the meeting will resume at 8:00 p.m. the purpose of the meeting is to transact the regular business of the board and to transact any other business to come properly before the board this is to advise the general public and to instruct that it be recorded in the minutes that in compliance with chapter 231 of the public laws of 1975 entitled the open public meetings act the Westfield school board on Thursday March 21st 2024 caus to be posted at the office of the Board of Education located at 302 Elm Street Westfield New Jersey and delivered to the Westfield leader The Star Ledger the Westfield Library Town Clerk of Westfield tap into Westfield and patch.com a meeting notice setting forth the time date and location of this meeting Patty can we have a roll call Sahar aiz Rob bonio here Kent Diamond here Brendan gallagan here char Charles jinus here Lea melli sonal Patel here Kristen Sonic schmeltz Mary wickens here can everyone please stand for the flag salute I pledge allegiance to the flag okay be it resolved that the Board of Education move into private session for the purpose of discussing matters rendered confidential by state and federal law including harassment intimidation and bullying incidents and be it further resolved that any discussion held by the board which need not remain confidential and the results of the discussion will be made public as soon as practicable we're now in executive SE you have to have a second and then all right can I have a second second thank you Mary and then all in favor all in favor e e e e e e e e e for e e e e e e e e for e e e e e e e e e for e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e for e e for e e e e e e e e e e e for e e e e for e e e e e e e e e e e e for e for for for e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e for e e e e for e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e for e e e e e e e e e e e for e right for for for e e e e for e e e e e e hey do it on behalf of the entire Board of Education we're pleased to welcome a number of our winter teams and athletes tonight to congratulate them on their phenomenal seasons for boys winter track we have a lot to celebrate our boys winter track athletes earn national state and sectional titles their coach Chris telski who also coaches cross country was awarded the national cross country coach of the year for New Jersey let's begin with the team as I call each of the athletes alphabetically to receive a certificate of recognition from our superintendent Dr Gonzalez before proceeding onto the stage to await a photograph Christian bipan Ryan daily Ryan also ran as a member of the champion 4X 800 relay at the new New Balance Nationals Peter Del re Emanuel gayanilo sorry if I said it wrong Emanuel also ran on the national champion 4X 800 relay and earned a sectional title for the 400 meter Luke G James day Jimmy who was also a member of the national champion 4X 800 relay earned a sectional title for the 4x400 Relay James Hamilton Brenton hatch Avery Keith Avery earned a sectional title in the 3200 meter Graham Corin Eman Mason Rowan MCM Rowan ran on the sectional Champion 4x400 relay uh Tage MAA Noah patrai Noah also was a member of the sectional Champion 4x400 relay Tyler petrowitz Noah Rubenstein Christian ruse Christian Sanford Caleb stokan Caleb joined the other members of the 4X 800 relay in winning a national title at the New Balance Nationals Alex Valencia Alex earned a sectional title in the 800 meter and a national title as a member of the 4x800 relay Charlie Vaness Cole [Applause] Varner coach telki before I invite you and your assistant coaches to join the team for a photograph I want to congratulate you on your National recognition by the US track and field and cross country coaches association as a 2023 High School cross country State coach of the year one boy coach and one girls coach from all 50 states in the District of Columbia were selected based on their team's performances throughout the 20 2023 cross country season congratulations again on this prestigious honor as we present you with a trophy from the association would you like to say a few words at the [Applause] podium um thank you very much for taking the time to to recognize these boys and their accomplishments um I also would like to to call up uh our coaching staff um and uh many of them are here thanks to you uh for expanding our coaching staff this year um we uh we were it was a it was a significant need for us um with the number of boys that we have uh we have 130 boys out for win to track this year um and on paper we had four coaches and we were making it work with some part-time folks and some volunteers and things like that but uh the expansion of our coaching staff really made this um the best track and field team that Westfield has ever had um Westfield track goes back to 1922 so this is the the 103rd installment of Westfield boys track uh and uh and I want to recognize not all of them could attend tonight but I'd like to call up Eric Anderson Sam Haymon Ricardo Johnson John Preston and Mariana banck for coming for working with these boys every day um and and even without the numbers that we have the number of different things that are going on at a at a given track practice every day um spread out over um in some cases the high school and over at Keller and you've got distance kids in the neighborhood you got sprinters and hurdlers doing their thing you got jumpers in the pits you you've just got so many different things just the supervision alone and then of course that's like our bare minimum we really want um instruction and we want development out of our kids uh and uh and so thank you to you for helping us to expand our coaching staff uh the results absolutely showed this year um and now that spring has started if you go to Keller on a on any weekday afternoon you've got our program you've got the girls program you've got boys and girls LAX on there you've got like almost 400 kids using the Keller facility every day um and if you were to ask any one of those kids how important Athletics is in their life and how it changes them and it shapes their experience and it it um they they cultivate great friendships uh that are going to last them their whole life so um This truly is educational um and it is it we're we're providing these kids with with lifelong memories and it starts with the support that we get from you from our school support from uh Sandy um and uh mendis and the school administration we've got fantastic athletic trainers Community groups like The the Westfield boosters friend of friends of Westfield track and field um and the families who support these kids as well uh it really takes all angles coming together on this same page consistently uh in order to produce results like these um this group of kids has two individual school records they' got three uh relay records um 11 uh meia Champions medalists um which I believe is the most of any school that attended theoc this year um we have a Ninth Place relay at Nationals a runnerup relay at Nationals and a national championship relay um and I think that that's a tribute to the work that these kids are willing to provide the instructions that they get from our staff and the support that we get from from uh Administration and community and and from home um so um I I would I would really like to to highlight these boys because um we hold them to an incredibly high standard of conduct commitment effort and teamwork um and these guys they're like the they're the face of the team they represent us at all the big meets but there's a 130 of these guys who all live up to those standards every day they're tremendous people they're exceptional athletes and they're a pleasure to work with so thank you very [Applause] much [Applause] thank you to the winter track team coaches for joining us tonight I know you need to head over to the Town Council to receive further recognition so please feel free to exit quietly that's what okay okay the boys swimming team also captured County and sectional titles on their way to winning their second consecutive public a state championship we will hear more from coach Knight in a moment after I call the swimmers up alphabetically please remember to proceed onto the stage after receiving your certificate of recognition from Dr Gonzalez Dylan Alman Hudson BG Elias Chang archam do volski Michael fiser Alexander fu Gavin gimblet Adam Godard Charlie Jackal Luke Jenner Joseph Kylie Dylan lriz Ben Lane Max lasow Flynn Martin Danny McAn RJ misturi Liam mulen Ben neat tadu Danny Pierce Clark Cedar Cole shy Logan Swenson Alejandra Valar Andrew vorobev Owen [Applause] wble Logan [Applause] Welsh Caleb Wiggins Hudson wilcoms Wes young [Applause] benzo and coach Jeffrey Knight coach Knight I know you will also be heading over to the Town Council after this but would you like to say a few words about the team's amazing season thank you very much for having us tonight uh I just wanted to say on behalf of the boys uh thank you to the town of Westfield uh we have the best fans the best alumni and the best parents and their support uh goes just like it's beyond so um and as such we have the best swimmers in the state of New Jersey um both in and out of the pool should be noted uh if you haven't uh been to one of our meets uh you are definitely missing out uh you know hearing a field west chant against Bridgewater or uh CBA um so I definitely invite you all to come next year but uh because we're going to be ready to go for uh three in a row uh these boys may have uh been even hungry this year uh to get two in a row and they did it the right way through hard work and dedication they represented Westfield in the way uh in a way that would make everyone proud uh this was our 28th state title and but it was the first going back toback as number one uh and we set numerous school records along the way so uh I cannot I can go on forever I know uh we got we got to go and I know these guys have already heard me talk more than enough times uh but uh I can't say enough good things about them uh they are uh they epitomize uh best of Westfield so thank [Applause] you e again congratulations to the boy swimming team and thank you for joining us tonight okay we welcome two members of the girls winter track team as well both who earn state championship titles when I call your name please come up to receive a certificate and await a photo Gabby demer is the grp four state champion in the high jump Gabby also plays Gabby also placed eighth in the high jump at the beat of Champions sha O'Brien earned a group Four State title in the 55 meter dash she also placed eighth in the 55 meter dash at the meet of Champions I invite coach barardi and assistant coach Eric Anderson to join Gabby and Shan for a photograph coach barardi would you like to say a few words first we talked about that I joked about her coming up here giving a speech but uh thanks again to the board uh Dr Gonzalez um these two girls up here in front of you I remember I'll just share kind of a quick story for what they had accomplished a couple years ago when they were sophomores they may maybe they don't remember uh it was earlier in their season um coming off their freshman campaigns um you know sea was was hurt much and um Gabby was a hard worker and you can kind of see that in her but like their times or anything like that was nothing like oh these girls are going to be State Champs in a couple years um but you can tell by their work ethic and I kind of identified that early we had a uh we had a conversation I still remember like walking off of Kor and it was like you two girls and another girl and I was like you guys are the future of this team and at that point they were only sophomores but you can see kind of what they brought to the table you could see the maturity that they had The Way They Carried themselves um the great young woman they've kind of uh grown into now and like the great rle models they are for the younger girls in our program uh we have a lot L of girls in our program uh coach def felsky talked about how getting those initial coaches uh this past season was enormous uh when you have a team over 100 kids a lot of times it just comes down to like a supervision thing having those extra coaches whether it's full-time or some part-time coaches there to have eyes on the girls and to give them that instruction to give them that kind of individualized uh tailored coaching is huge and I think a lot of their success um neither one of them just to give you a frame of reference neither of them won their section uh they both finished to close second in the high jump and the 55 Dash so to come back two weeks later and win the group four title um it's not only a lot more difficult you don't really see it as much done that way uh but it kind of speaks to kind of what they've been the class they they've kind of personified during their years here at the program um and I still I always remember that conversation I had with you guys and you guys have kind of grown into that you've kind of fulfilled you've fulfilled that promise right you've like everything we kind of talked about and identified and knew what you could be you guys have have become and um you know I'm excited you know we have a couple more months left with you guys as seniors here and we're going to make the most of it and um yeah just well done girls [Applause] congratulations e thank you to Gabby and sha and your coaches for joining us tonight and again congratulations we are also so glad to be able to recognize members of the girls swimming team who won state titles in both the 200 yard medley relay and the 200 yard free relay at the meet of Champions please come up as I call your name Emily constable Emily also placed third in the 100 breast stroke at the meet of Champions Jane Kavanaugh Jane placed fifth at the meet of Champions in the 100 freestyle Claire [Applause] Logan Claire plays third in the 100 backstroke at theoc and Brooke mcandrew coach Whittington would you like to come up to the podium to say a few words thank you so much thank you so much thank you so much my girls are hard at work in the pool I'm sure uh they have done such an amazing job these four girls have uh have really been the the core of of our team uh and to have some of of the not only fastest swimmers in the state but fastest Westfield swimmers of all time together on the same team has been uh nothing but a coach's dream um we have gone backto back wins at Mia champions in the in the medley relay and uh we graduate unfortunately graduation has to hit us all right uh we graduate two of future Hall of Famers No Doubt um and I just wanted to recognize two of those that are graduating the two that are graduating one is Emily Constable um she's an eight-time County Champion she has four school records she was all State uh three out of her four years she is a five-time year Champion winner and she's a nine time uh Nisa All-American which is just abs absolutely incredible uh and then the other swimmer is Clare Logan um who was last year's New Jersey swimmer of the year she's an 11 time County Champion she hold currently holds seven school records now mind you there's only 11 school school records and she has her name on on seven of them uh and then Emily has some of the other ones so it's uh it's a embarrassment of riches here uh she was an all state for every year that she swam for us a seven time met Champions winner which is mindboggling and a 12-time All-American uh she also attended the um the Olympic trials in the last one and she intends on swimming in the Olympic trials this upcoming year so uh we will we will miss them a lot a lot so I want to say thank you so much for recognizing these girls and uh we're we're looking uh looking for for more future Hall of Famers coming up thank you that concludes tonight's recognition of our winter teams and athletes so at this time I'd like to turn over to announcements uh Mary safe the date The District student assistant coordinators or Sachs are hosting an important Parent Academy on April 11th on current drug Trends with tips for recognizing signs symptoms and potential risks of substance abuse as well as appropriate actions to take when misuse is suspected The Forum will be held from 7: to 8:30 p.m. in the Westfield High School auditorium thanks Mary Kent thank you the optimistic Club of Westfield is accepting the nominations for the 26th annual Intermediate School outstanding teacher award the deadline to submit nominations is Wednesday April 10th an article with details about the nomination process is posted on the news on the district website so get those nominations in thank you thank you Kent CJ okay the parent teacher Council special education committee presents its next Roundtable event managing anxiety an evening with Robert zebrano Dr zebrano is The Clinical Director for Stress and Anxiety Services of New Jersey the event will be held on Tuesday April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Edison Intermediate School to register to attend visit the community Flyers page on the district website and click on the flyer under special education thank you C J zahar thank you um well I just wanted to say thank you to the school board and to the Westfield Community this is my last meeting um which is a what is the right word u a bitter sweet departure um and I've learned quite a bit and I think uh that the town has also learned quite a bit about itself um and I hope that this is something that um is an experience that makes it uh Le more friendly and more inclusive of minorities and women of color and that they are not treated in the same way that I was treated and hopefully that they will be accepted um even if they are different and have different belief systems than the majority in Westfield so thank you [Music] Leila do you have an announcement no okay the Westfield education fund wef will be hosting an informative webinar focused on raising financially Savvy kids on April 11th at 8:00 pm via Zoom the session the session will feature Ami sha a certified financial planner who will lead a discussion focused on family finances everything from how to begin discussing money concepts with your pre-teen to Common Financial mistakes and how your family can avoid them to learn more about the webinar and register for the session please visit um https Westfield fund.org backf Financial thank you Leila Brendan yep all Westfield Public Schools will be closed for spring break beginning this Friday March 29th through Friday April 5th students will return to school on Monday April 8th thank you Brendan Kristen no uh Rob the next regular public meeting of the Board of Education will be a reorganization meeting on Tuesday May 7th in cafeteria B at Westfield High School beginning at 7 p.m. the me the meeting will be live streamed via the district YouTube channel which viewers can access on the board tab on the district website the complete agenda will be available on Friday May 7 second also on the board tab thank you Rob at this time I'd like to turn it over to Dr Gonzalez and Patty Ramos for a report by District administration on the 2024 2025 budget thank you uh this evening is going to be uh our opportunity to present one final time before the board has the opportunity to vote on the 2425 School District operating budget um the presentation that we have prepared uh is consistent with what we've been presenting over the past several months so uh I do not intend to go into the same level of detail as it really represents uh what we have uh presented in the most recent meetings but as you'll note on the screen um the presentation really highlights and begins with our priorities the priorities that we established at the outset and the priorities that have guided us through this process uh I am very proud to say are the same priorities that we have fulfilled in the presentation this evening that represents the budget both the proposed base budget as well as the additional enhancements by prioritizing student outcomes by making sure that we maintain the same level of offerings the same level of opportunities for students but then taking it a step further by expanding those opportunities uh building upon what we expanded last year and continuing that into this year I'm proud to say that the 2024 25 budget accomplishes all of this and more the summary of The Experience is probably oversimplified in the graph that you see before you the the 2.62% once again represents that portion of the budget that is the maximum allowable tax increase that the board can approve um as a part of the tax Levy increase needed to uh support our our expenditures next year so without having to go to um voter approval the Board of Education could approve anything up to that blue amount in our case unfortunately that blue amount doesn't represent everything we need to be able to fulfill those priorities that I um originally started with in doing so we need to go out to a uh vote to the public in order to ensure that we have uh seven additional staff members who are needed to be able to ensure that the programs class sizes enrollments and offerings are all continued um to be existent in the same way that they are today but at the same time everything that you see in the red just represents that educational continuity that builds upon what we started last year whereas those items in the green represent those enhancements that are above and beyond what we have currently in place but in all cases anything in the red and anything in the green represents those items that require board approval to continue or to exist next year the base budget uh as we've spoken about time and time again not only is a cut and Pace from this current year it's not just a status quo budget I'm pleased to say it's fulfilling the objectives the goals and the action items uh that have guided our work this year through our strategic plan our focus on curriculum teaching and learning our focus on mental health and well-being of both students and staff our focus on Dei and celebrating the diversity uh that exists within our schools our focus on engaging Our Community Partners and our focus on uh establishing financial and Facilities plans that will allow us to accomplish all of the other goals all of those are included in the B budget most notably in this Bas budget I do want to highlight is the program that is identified in that final bullet point that final bullet point represents the expansion of programs into the Intermediate School that allow students who are currently enrolled in special education programs at the elementary school to continue to uh experience an educational um uh program in our public education system here in Westfield along with their their classmates along with their friends um our students will have that opportunity to continue to provide um to be provided those services that meet their individual educ uh educational needs and in doing so we are building the capacity with our district to continue to educate our own students rather than uh unfortunately having to possibly send them out of District not because we don't want them here but because we quite honestly hadn't had the program before this is our opportunity to build on that we also look at then the additional items that spill over so in the base budget everything that you saw including that that inclusion of that mandated uh special education program are all part of the blue base budget and as a result of everything that we were able to fit into the base budget anything that spills over becomes part of the educational continuity in the red that represents three Elementary two intermediate and two High School teachers those are the only sta seven staff members who are listed there that currently are part of our existing operating budget we do not have names we do not have positions because as I've mentioned in previous uh presentations because um if we were to ever be faced with the unfortunate decision of having to decide who would be impacted by a um a failed vote then we would look at uh everything from tenure seniority uh open vacancy these uh potential retirements to be able to make those decisions but nevertheless these seven individuals uh represent existing staff positions and then last but not least uh we spoke about our budget enhancements the budget enhancements in the green represent our focus on developing a K5 enrichment program that includes adding three additional elementary teachers to be able to deliver and enrichment program to all of our schools it includes at the intermediate level work to be done with our existing gifted and talented teacher to build out this program at the elementary but also at the intermediate level and then to be able to add an additional High School teacher allows us to Pro provide additional enrichment opportunities through course offerings and elective options at the high school level and in doing so taking the enrichment for all philosophy and really making sure that each level elementary middle and high school are able to benefit from that we also recognize that in our budget enhancements that in order to fulfill Our obligation to expand programs we need to make sure that we have the proper supports in our district so in addition to the program that you saw in the base budget we're also including um the recommendation to add a supervisor to provide those services and those supports need needed to um assist our teachers and our administrators in delivering those services in those programs and all of our programs across the Elementary uh middle and high school uh Continuum we also recognize that the delivery of services to students uh in our uh special education programs are aren't limited to just our teachers and our related service providers but also our par professionals or power professionals when they are incorporated into students IEP represent an opportunity for us to be able to provide uh students with the supports needed to fulfill their goals and uh objectives in their IEP and in doing so we want to make sure that we're providing the appropriate enhancements and inducements to keep our par professionals qualified par Professionals in District so that they won't have to seek uh opportunities elsewhere we want to be competitive we want to be supportive and respectful and in doing so we want to invest in our our power professionals moving forward and then last but not least the additional budget enhancements also attend to the opportunities for us to continue to invest in our facilities and when I speak about educational facilities I'm not limiting ourselves to the Interiors of our schools but also to the exterior our grounds so an entire facilities Department includes both buildings and grounds and therefore in order to ensure that we have the appropriate support necessary to maintain our buildings inside and out we are proposing the addition of three individuals to our uh B&G Department our buildings and grounds Department one would be an additional supervisor to oversee all the projects and maintenance uh work that has to be uh done in order to maintain our facilities but also by adding two additional uh maintenance and grounds uh Keepers were able to take care of all of the the exteriors of our buildings the fields and the um the exterior associated with uh our elementary um intermediate and high schools those responsibilities currently primarily fall on our uh custodial our building custodial staff and this would expand the support at the uh District level so that our building level custodians could focus on the interior and our maintenance and grounds folks could uh focus on the exterior and then last but not least we also include in our enhancements three additional part-time Safety and Security Personnel these would be individuals who would continue to uh operate with in the school district as uh visible um influences for our schools to be able to ensure that our culture of Safety and Security extends to being vigilant and visible within our schools so right now at the uh intermediate and high school we have partnered with our uh Westfield Police Department to be able to have the benefit of fully um deputized law enforcement officials through our school resource officers our school resource officers are are employed by the police department but they are they are assigned to our schools on a full-time basis during the school year um but they're only able to cover our intermediate and high schools these additional Personnel would be assigned to our elementary schools and Not only would they be visible during the day but they would also be able to assist with evening activities whether it be the concerts um PTO events plays uh or athletic events they would be able to augment our our staff to be able to provide that additional uh Safety and Security needed to ensure that uh we could um engage our community engage our students and feel comfortable doing so now all of that is represented in that uh bar chart but that bar chart represents percentages as we move on to the um the actual dollars and cents I'm going to hand it over to Patty Ramos to walk us through the next few slides so here are the slides now that show how we pay for everything so the the money is the the second the middle column is what the public would be voting on on April 16th the column to the left is what the board is approving final approving tonight and what I'd like to highlight in here is that we've made when we looked at this we did receive another $849,000 in state aid this year and when we received that we applied it to staff to get make sure that we were moving as many staff as we could into the first first question that's voted on tonight by the the board any we also got a health adjustment that went to retaining staff in the base budget we also looked this year we did an energy we're in the process of doing an energy audit we upgraded um lighting throughout the district to be more cost efficient we've really examined our entire budget to try to save and and boost revenues wherever we could to offset the tax impact as much as we could so the fund balance number that you'll see the 1.5 million that's how much money that we're putting back towards the taxpayers for next year from monies that come in for interest that's over what we budgeted for Extraordinary Aid which we the state doesn't let us know until the summer how much we will actually get so you can't budget the full amount um so we do give back some money towards each budget in that way also so I think it's always important to highlight that and then you'll see $4 million in capital reserves those are projects that we're going to do this summer which will be air conditioning in the IDF technology closets um equipment there is very expensive and over is overheating so we're going to be air conditioning those spaces and then we're also doing some work at Roosevelt Intermediate School creating um some small group instruction spaces otpt rooms and then renovating our wood sh shop area and Technology to create a more conducive space for for that kind of um work to be done so now if we go to the next slide you'll see the pie chart that represents the sources of revenues so on here 92% of the budget is funded by the taxpayers of Westfield if you were to go to um a district a city district this would be flipped you'd see that blue would be the state aid portion it's just the way it works in New Jersey so in towns like Westfield the taxpayers fund the majority of the budget even with the additional $849,000 of state aid it only represents 5.6% of the budget for next year so I do think it's always important to highlight that that fact and now if we move on to the expenditure side the column on the left again is what will be voted on by the board as final tonight the middle column represents everything that was in the slides that Ray presented all the additional Staffing is what's what we have in here what's important to note anything in the additional spending proposal has to be a recurring cost and cannot be mandated to be provided to the student in Westfield so that's why you'll see staff in that second question if it was a onetime expense we would have to ask for that money again every year in that additional spending proposal so now if we go to the next you'll see the pie chart which again no surprise the majority of the money is spent on salaries and benefits um that's what we do here that's that's our bread and butter is our staffing to support the students you'll also see some items like our out of District tuition our transportation our outof district tuition are students that are required to be placed out of District per their individual individualized education plans which Ray spoke to earlier on that we are building programs now in District to begin to keep those students in District we do have space constraints that we're working with and so you have to move classes around to make that happen but it is a priority of the district to start to build on that to keep students in District uh you'll see here that supplies and purchase services are only 2% of our budget a lot of times you hear well why don't you just cut some of that and then you can make the budget work you can see here it's not enough it's a small portion of our budget our outside providers and Consultants most of that 4.4% relates to students with their individualized education plans and services that are required to be provided to them uh you'll see the capital reserve projects account for 2.7% and then our required maintenance of our facilities and technology is just 2% to maintain all of our buildings and grounds so now we get to the potential tax impact the average assessed home in Westfield is $821,000 so that equates to a $182 increase in the base budget that's being voted on tonight by the board and the additional spending proposal that will be voted on on April 16th represents a $165 increase to the average homeowner for a total of $347 what's important to highlight here is the 4.11% represents the increase in the tax levy from one year to the next it does not represent the increase to the taxpayer when you look at that it's actually in the 3% range in the threes what happens is as the equalized valuations the value of all taxable property in Westfield increases each year it offsets cost to the taxpayers we don't get that money we're only allowed to raise our budget each year by 2% plus any allowable adjustments of the prior year tax levy we're not allowed to look at any new development we don't get any of that money directly to us so I think it's always important to highlight that that fact because there always is confusion with that and then the next slide is just uh the the graphic representation of the budget and what's important to note here is tonight the board will be voting on the two on the entire budget but the 2.62% the base budget will be the final vote by the board the 0.59% and the 0.9% which represents the $1.67 five million is what will be on the ballot for voters on April 16th and now this next slide shows the actual ballot language which is hard to read from the seats but it spells out everything in detail that was mentioned on the slides by Ray earlier the exact positions that we will be adding and then the last two sentences uh are mandated by the state and they say that the the approval of these taxes will result in a permanent increase to the tax base that's important because it builds our 2% for next year we don't have to go back and ask for this money again and the last line says that these proposed additional expenditures are in addition to those necessary to achieve the New Jersey student learning standards which is also required because I as I said earlier nothing that is mandated by the state can be put into this additional spending proposal so as we uh approach the tail end of this experience uh the two dates that seem so far away before are now upon us uh March 26th uh represents today's budget vote in order to as Patty point out uh confirm what our base budget will be and also confirm the the language that will be presented to the public on April 16th as you'll see on this slide we also acknowledge what happens if the um if the vote is approved versus if it is not I do want to highlight that the board and administration are committed to engaging in a community information and and education campaign to ensure that everyone has enough information necessary to be able to cast and for vote on April 16th so I invite you all to uh visit our budget portal which is located on our website which is at www.westfieldnjk12.org and there you'll find information both at the top and on the the banner uh towards the bottom um included in that portal is information regarding not just the schedule of engagements but also this presentation uh frequently ask questions and also a form if you have questions that you'd like to ask we would be able to respond to those questions um both through the portal and as well we've uh tried to incorporate those responses into presentation so we just thank everyone for their engagement and for their continued interest last but not least um we just always want to make sure that we end with a very subtle reminder that on April 16th the budget vote in Board election uh will take place polls open on 700 a.m. at 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. uh but once again uh all members of the community are invited to attend any of the uh Community engagement sessions that we have scheduled so at this time that concludes our uh presentation this evening and I will now open it up to any questions from members of the [Music] board anyone has any questions let me know so I can keep track okay then at this time thank you Ray and Patty for that informative uh presentation about the budget and I will turn it over to our student representative uh Casey entering spring break whs students have been as busy as ever students and staff flocked to see the school's production of Heathers the musical which was a huge success this month also saw many Juniors take the new digital sat coming out of a successful winter season for whhs athletics students have been training hard for the spring Sports season which began with tryouts earlier this month we congratulate all blue devil winter teams on great seasons and wish good luck to all the spring teams starting out sgaa continues to plan for Thursday's community service day while also looking ahead to the Future all of the toiletries generously donated have been packaged and are being delivered to home rooms so that students can assemble them before they are sent to those in need sgaa would like to thank all those who contributed to the Amazon wish list for these supplies students will also be writing cards to senior citizens and service members on Thursday despite the wish list closing there are still ways for me for members of the community to get involved in the current community service week there is a book drive going on this week with donations being made to the bridge of books foundation and home rooms will have the opportunity to donate to the Westfield fun Club appr as we approach community service day the excitement has continued to build up over the students for staff basketball game with both teams ready to bring their aame and the whhs dance team ready to perform also coming up on the horizon is the SGA run and class Council run under classman spring semi-formal the dance will be held Friday April 26th and will be open to freshman sophomores and juniors tickets will be sold in school after spring break in addition to this dance s J is working to ensure the Su the success of student government in future years by working on a new constitution to better establish the roles pertaining to the organization the Constitution will contain guidelines on the various roles of the board membership eligibility and how elections are to be conducted last week a survey was used to gather feedback from the student body on these issues now SGA will use this feedback to make adits before it goes up for a ratification vote to the student body in the fourth Market period thank you and I hope everyone has a great spring break thank you Casey okay next we'll move on to board committee reports curriculum instruction and assessment committee Kristen good evening sip met on March 11th some of the highlights from our meeting include there's a lot of them so counseling director Fallon Bal balison presented an in-depth overview of the district's counseling program at each level of schooling throughout her presentation she described the various functions of our counseling services that both our counselors and our Sachs provide at each tier of intensity such as meeting with individual students conducting small group and whole group lessons organizing teacher and parent meetings responding to students in crisis and implementing State mandates for irns plans 504 plans and Hib investigations and programs Mrs balison also provided the committee with an overview of the trends that counselors are seeing in our schools counselors are working with students from our earliest grades with social issues emotional distress and anxiety Mrs balone stressed how important and integral the addition of the counselors and Sachs from last year's budget vote have been to the Department's success this year before last year there were minimal tier one program there was minimal tier one programming occurring due to time constraints now with the addition of the elementary counselors and the dedicated sacks at both our Middle School and High School our counselor department is able to develop and Implement large group and full full School programming centered on a variety of topics including but not limited to drug and alcohol abuse hate speech body image managing anxiety Etc if you have a high schooler be sure to ask them about Thursday table talks for more detailed information on such tier one programming two specific items that I'd like to highlight from our discussions with Mrs bisone are one a team of whs teachers and counselors is is currently working with Ruckers University through their comprehensive School mental health system Grant to determine how we can best structure the services we currently offer um we currently offer to most effectively and efficiently help all of our students by creating a map as to how students can and should move through the different tiers of support we offer number two Mrs bisone continues to encourage community members to join our blue de Community Network so counselors and teachers have a database of all the potential mentors available to our students for example if a teacher is doing a lesson and would like to have a guest speaker who's an expert in that field then they may look to this database to find a Community member who's willing to share his or her knowledge or if a student is interested in pursuing a particular trade and would like to connect with an expert in the field then his or her counselor can use this database to initiate the connection if you are interested in join joining the Blue Devil Community Network please go to the whs counseling page to find the entry form any Community member can join the network you do not need to have a student in the high school to join Mrs bison's counseling program presentation that she shared with us during Sip and that I've referenced in this report is also available on the Westfield Public Schools website under District information Spotlight on education if for anybody that's interested as we previously shared goal number one of our strategic plan targets the development of more consistent and coherent curriculum the committee discussed several software platforms that are currently being reviewed by the office of curriculum and instruction to help manage all of these new curriculum documents the adoption of such a software program allows for greater articulation and coherence during the development of such documents these sophomore programs also allow for increased transparency and public view of the district curricula the committee decided to add another committee meeting to our June calendar to review the many new curriculum documents that our language arts math computer science and technology education Educators have been working so diligently on updating into more functional functional formats for our teachers to utilize starting this upcoming fall I think we have about 58 coming so that's exciting these updating updated curricula will be housed using a curriculum software program as described above once approved by sip as part of the district's strategic plan initiative to implement a multi-tiered system of supports the committee also reviewed a universal screening assessment platform that will be piloted in sixth grade at both intermediate schools and fifth grade at McKinley during the Spring the Renaissance star assessment system provides students with brief 20 minute standard aligned Assessments in language arts and Mathematics at multiple intervals throughout the year the Implement implementation of such assessments will provide valuable insights by analyzing student performance against the New Jersey student learning standards the software provides information on individual students strengths and weaknesses so teachers know how to differentiate by child in addition the assessment platform equips teachers with tailored lessons and resources to address individual student needs effectively lastly we reviewed multiple field trips and three policies which are on tonight's agenda we will continue our policy review at our next meeting as the meeting was running long per this report and we received a large volume to review our next SI meeting is scheduled for April 15th any questions told you it was long yeah can you start again from the top yes um not really a question but more um a comment about uh uh Miss fast loon's um presentation so I wasn't there and um I don't know if I looked at her presentation um on the spotlight web uh web page but something that I've noticed as a parent of a senior and I think it'll be interesting to see as the as my freshman grow um there is a marked increase in information about the other part of the counselor's job since since they wear many hats which is the preparation for Life After High School um I know that is something that many parents have expressed concerns about I had concerns about um it's it's a lot to do I think the addition of the counselors and the addition um of the Sachs is helpful I think also um Miss basselin has um a a great vision for offerings like that are alternative root or maybe different from um a typical four-year college and the presentations coming out of that department are readily accessible they are videoed they are um live they are recorded they are sent out and um they we've switched to score as of mid last year I think which um there was a whole tutorial on how to use it and I just I wanted to give kudos to the counseling department in terms of that Happ because I think that um there's been a growth and a kind of consistency across the board that this is important and we need to look at all the different types of students we have and help them prepare so I just wanted to add on to that thanks Lia okay thank you any other questions for sip okay then we'll move on to finance and Facilities all right Brendon yep uh finance and Facilities committee met Friday morning uh for almost three hours like every meeting we focused on the three Rs roof leaks Roosevelt and then our referendum um warranty roof workk at Edison and tamacas will begin uh in the next week uh solar will remain off those roofs until everything has been approved by the manufacturer uh the the repairs were made to their specifications uh phase one at Roosevelt's facade should be done by the end of April uh incl including power washing and brick face work uh the decorative panels for Phase 2 are in under construction now there was one panel that was unique that required separate shop drawings and approvals that's been done um we'll continue to update as that project progresses uh but really the bulk of the Friday meeting was talking about our referendum uh we've been talking at least superficially about it for months now uh but we really it's going to focus on four main things one is expanding space to meet current program needs expanding space to bring special ed programs back into District um full day kindergarten in some capacity and then systems and cosmetic upgrades ultimately to every classroom every classroom will see something districtwide uh whether it's you new floors and ceilings a coat of paint or replacing the heating and air conditioning units in the classrooms uh we want to see something in every classroom so that every student benefits from what we're doing uh but just to get a rough idea of program needs just to how is what we currently do this isn't talking about full day kindergarten we need to build about 55,000 ft of space or repurpose existing space uh we also need about that same amount of space 53,000 for full day kindergarten so we're talking about $100,000 worth of 100,000 square feet worth of Construction Plus another 10 for special ed programs this is not going to be a small referendum we're not trying to sneak this through this why we're talking about it at least six months before board approval and a year before it goes to the voters uh as it's set now there will be some construction at every school how big if we're still debating amongst ourselves um we talked about three different options for full day kindergarten whether it's building kindergarten centers like we have with Lincoln but uh north side and Southside uh looking at Franklin Washington or Jefferson and tacis as schools for kindergarten centers uh we need 25 classrooms for full that kindergarten districtwide however we allocate that whether it's neighborhood schools putting three or four classrooms on every building building centers on the north and south side or an option that we asked our architect to expand on a little bit further building a fifth grade Wing at each elementary school or sorry each Intermediate School and reconfiguring how we do elementary school not saying we're doing anything there but we're talking about it and I want to make that public that we're we're exploring options that would be least disruptive to the elementary communities unfortunately it means being disrupted to the intermediate communities uh again these are all options we're exploring we have not finalized what we're doing but it is going to be a big construction project it's going to impact every District in the or every school in the district and it's going to it's not going to be cheap we don't have prices yet but it's not going to be cheap um but it's needed improvements it's space we need uh bringing special ed programs back in District will save us millions of dollars a year uh it has the opportunity to if the programs are successful to be tuition generating programs for us allowing neighboring districts to send their students to us and pay us for them uh it can be a win-win for everybody all around creates the least restrictive environment for students they don't have to sit an hour every day on the bus it it's these are programs that need to be brought back in if we can uh and building space is the only way to do that uh obviously we'll be much more to come on these hypotheticals as we start to refine them uh We've added a separate finance and Facilities meeting to the calendar for the end of April normally we meet the week before a board meeting since we don't have an April board meeting there wasn't going to be an April finance and Facilities meeting we added one so that we can meet with the Architects again and start refining these plans I know there are questions so there may not be questions only because right now I think everybody's focused on the budget so I'm sure those questions will come on the referendum afterward yes so with that that is my report for tonight more to come thank you Bron uh policies personnel and governance Leila sure so the PPG met on March 14th and um it was a relatively quick meeting uh tonight on the agenda there are six policies from our committee meeting as well as the three policies um and one regulation from sip like Kristen represented um and those will be on the agenda for first reading based on Strauss asme updates um so we have the uh educational Equity policies affirmative action which is mandatory and revised the comprehensive Equity plan which is mandatory and revised the equal employment opportunities same mandated and revised Equal Opportunity Employment complaint procedure mandated and Revis um Equal Employment anti-discrimination Practices mandated and Revis and the code of ethics um was revised it was changed to reflect a more General language versus specific um language as well as the notification of juvenile Fender case disposition the committee recommends for the first reading all of those policies additionally we were lucky enough to have Dr Greer with us and the sack the Student Assistance coordinator job description was updated and the committee went over that and recommends um to move forward for um adoption on the next board agenda and that was it for our report okay thank you ilila okay at this time I'd like to um open it up for a public budget hearing and recognize the public on agenda action items only during this portion of the meeting District residents and staff are invited to address the board of education on agenda action items only the board requests that individuals sign in and state their name and Municipality of residents for the record specific action item they are commenting on and ask that all remarks be directed to the board president the board ask that members of the public be courteous and mindful of the rights of other individuals when speaking specifically comments regarding Personnel matters are discouraged and cannot be responded to by the board students and employees have specific legal rights afforded by the laws of New Jersey the board Bears no responsibility nor will it be liable for any comments made by members of the public if a matter concerning a District staff member is of Interest or concern to a resident the matter should be refer to the responsible building principal superintendent schools or the Board of Education by a telephone letter or email although the board may not respond to items raised during the public forum all public comments will be considered each speaker State oh sorry please note that if any member of the public becomes disruptive during the meeting the board president May terminate the participant statement continued disruptions may result in removal from the meeting or adjournment of the meeting each speaker each speaker statement will be limited to three minutes in duration so if anybody would like to speak at this time you can sign in over on the they heard the policies on the agenda those and others that I feel are missing should I wait for the end yes if you have any uh specific comments on policies that aren't on the agenda then they would be addressed in the second portion of the meeting and now I tried to actually access the policies under attachment on your website and I wasn't able to is there a way to get the cop of The Cent policy that you guys are voting on yes that would be a link in miss m could show you where where you could find that okay so if there's no public comment on agenda action items are on the budget then I'm going to close public comment at this time okay I ask the board to approve the minutes from the March 5th 2024 regular board meeting can I have a second second thank you Kent all in favor say I I okay okay next we'll move on to board action action item agenda uh Rob for governance sure I'd like to move uh governance items A and B on the uh governance section of the agenda please can I have a second Kristen any questions okay seeing none Patty can we have a vote Sahar Riz yes Rob bonao yes Ken diamond abstain Brendan gallagan yes Charles delus yes Leila melli I abstain to a yes to b sonal Patel yes Kristen Sonic schmeltz yes Mary wickens yes okay Personnel action items Mary okay yes I would like to move items a through W under the Personnel section of tonight's agenda and before we move on Ray do you have anything do oh do I want to have a second first thank you ilila Ray thank you this evening we have two uh individuals who are being uh acknowledged for their uh the announcement of their retirements uh beginning with Katherine McGary Katherine McGary began her career as an an employee in the Westfield Public School District in September of 1989 as a teacher at McKinley Elementary School however she is a proud product of the Westfield Public School System Kathy has dedicated her entire teaching career to McKinley School where she's not only been a warm and loving presence in the classroom but also a beacon of Innovative and compassionate teaching her initiatives like founding kid TV coordinating early act and organizing extra lunches and backpacks for families in need have left an indelible mark on our community furthermore Cathy's creative approach and her ability to foster a nurturing environment have made her a mentor and an inspiration not just to her first graders but to her colleagues and families alike her presence will be profoundly missed but her Legacy of kindness mentorship and educational Excellence will undoubtedly continue to inspire future Generations next up we have Sandra Mayar Sandy may mar began her career in the Westfield public schools in August 1987 as an athletic trainer at Westfield High School before becoming a teacher and then the district's athletic director in 2010 under her Direction our programs have witnessed unparalleled success with the number of State sectional in County titles each year Sandy currently oversees an athletic program of 77 teams at the intermediate freshman Junior and varsity levels her focus on providing opportunities to all students is evidenced by the most recent addition of a boys volleyball team and an upcoming flag football team she established a Westfield High School Hall of Fame which recognizes our impressive athletes programs coaches and teams throughout the years her advocacy and connection to the community has enabled her tremendous support from Community organizations and she has collaborated with the Westfield booster organization and youth sports programs to enhance programs and Facilities including the varsity gym field house and creating a state-of-the-art fitness center at the center of all of our efforts is a focus on the students of the Westfield school district and providing them with opportunities to play and compete at the sports they are passionate about as she is ending her career in Westfield our program has been awarded the prestigious shop right cup and award the top program in each njsiaa group each year for the past two years in a row we wish both of these long-standing Westfield employees a happy and healthy retirement I'd also like to thank Sandy mamry for her dedication to our school district over the past many years her impact on our school system and athletic programs is undeniable on a personal note I want to thank her for supporting the play it forward tennis team co-ed doubles fundraiser it wouldn't have happened without sy's quick response and enthusiasm her commitment to providing opportunities for students to Excel on the field is truly inspiring she's left a lasting Legacy and will be missed I wish her the very best in her well-deserved retirement Patty can we have a vote Sahar aiz yes Rob bonio yes Kent diamonds yes Bron gallagan yes Charles jinus yes Leila melli yes son Patel yes Kristen Sonic schmeltz yes Mary wickens yes okay next on the agenda is finance and Facilities Ken thank you I'd like to move item a under the finance section tonight which is the the base budget that Dr Gonzalez and Miss Ramos told us about may I have a second thank you Kristen any questions uh go ahead Rob so I didn't comment earlier on it but say but uh just want to express my support for the budget uh why I'm voting yes on it um you know we when I started on the board our process was a cut and fit process how do we cut things and how do we fit them under a cap um and we have changed that in a very short span of time due to a lot of dedication a lot of leadership and a lot of changes in philosophy and establishment of goals to a uh you know a a mold in shaped budget right molding the budget to fit goals that we are taking the time across all departments uh to uh to shape and to prepare um it is very you know there's only a couple of ways to do this right we have uh expenses and mandates that come from the state uh that are increasing at a far faster Pace than any cap that we are stuck with um and it's there's only so many ways you're going to grow budget when you are limited in the amount of money you can raise when you are limited in the tools you can use to shift budgets right tools that any one of us would normally use to to to budget for our own selves you know you need a new water heater you shift the budget from the vacation funds right we don't get the chance to do things like that uh we just don't you know there are things that need to be where they are so when you're limited in what you can raise and limited in how you can you know can can try to budget and try to fund things uh and limiting the amount of Revenue you can raise because this is not a revenue raising operation you know that we have here right this is an operation that serves students um you get stuck in a in a rut you know when you have expenses and mandates that are at 8 10 15% of your budget but you can only increase at 2% to make it work um so I'm very glad that the board very early on uh saw their last cut and fit budget and said no more let's start molding and shaping um and what we've done over the last couple of years is is yes grow the base budget but for very good reason you know I was asked from the very beginning you know you support a budget the answer is yeah why why am I raising these things well we're raising them because we have a set of goals that we can trace all these things to we're raising them because when with even the small increases that we got last year just by the committee reports that we've have you've seen the incredible strides that folks have made here we have an incredibly creative group of people who are working with us and their skills were being wasted on trying to fit and cut and not expand and grow um and as we talk about referendums and and things in growth for the future you know rest assured certainly as I'm looking at this budget that the increases that we're putting in are matter they're tied to real goals and they're here to set the stage for what's to come right we're not going to ask to expand facilities and not have anything to do in those facilities we're not going to ask to expand programs and not be ready to start teaching those programs when the time comes that they're expanded um and this budget keeps us along that path so I'm very happy to support it um I I think we're we're making the right strides and the Right Moves we've done a very good turn in this in this District in a very very short span of time I know there's a lot more to do I know it's what about this and what about that I can tell you we're getting there I can tell you most of the things that people ask me about are things that are on a list that that are coming um and I I think I think we see that when you look at the Outreach that we do the feedback that we get and the budget programs that we're putting in so that's that that's where I'm at and I just wanted to make sure the the public was aware why I'm why I'm a yes on this thank you I also wholeheartedly support the budget for many of the reasons you said so I won't re reiterate them if nobody else has any questions go ahead Sahar I wanted to also provide a little bit of historical context um when I first arrived on the board I really did not appreciate just how resource strapped we were I think what often happens is one makes assumptions that if the town is wealthy then the school district district is well funded uh but unfortunately our school district even hopefully if this you hopefully this vote will uh or this um budget will pass but even with that we're still under resourced uh and especially when compared with the expectations of the parents which are high expectations as they should be and they're also the reason why many people move to Westfield uh and I think many many of us on this board who have children in the schools have experienced personally the ways in which those limited resources have um you know demonstrated a a lack of opportunity or or a lack of quality that is not due to you know any fault of the administration or the teachers but it's just basically a lack of resources so uh I I just hope that people do dig into the budget and ask the right questions and you will realize that um the way I characterize it is we are in a wealthy town with a school district that is not matched in terms of the resources that it should have and what people expected to have um and I'll just use a small little recent example uh is the parents at Jefferson have expressed to the board how we don't you know they want they don't even we don't have enough money to fix something in the yard um or or there isn't a budget for it and that they they're being asked to fund raise for it um and part of it it's there are some things that are even that minimal um that can be something we can't do because we've got other priorities because we don't have Fields because we don't have a space because we don't have a full day kindergarten I mean we could go on and on um and so I I just want to kind of reiterate that it is not a lack of expertise or a lack of uh ambition or a lack of Competency in within the school district it's a lack of resources uh and as a parent and as a resident any increase in taxes I have to pay is an investment in all of our children's education I don't see it as a burden um I see it more as a as an investment and um if you don't have children in the school district I hope you you do understand that the quality of the schools absolutely is related to your property values so even if you don't have a direct connection through through a child uh so I think we all have a vested interest for various reasons for our schools to have the resources that they need um and and it's on us to to invest in those resources so anyway with that I I do want to thank Dr Gonzalez and his team and his team of excellent administrators and the teachers I know they do a lot with again uh minimal resources or not insufficient Resources with with the expectations so I I fully um support the budget and and intentionally attended my last meeting so that I could vote for it thank you Patty can we have a vote Sahar aiz yes Rob bachio yes Kent diamonds yes Brendan gallagan yes Charles jinus yes Lea melli yes sonel Patel yes Kristen Sonic schmel yes Mary wickens yes all right I'd like to move items B2 Q under the finance section of tonight's agenda may I have a second thank you Brendan uh and I'd also like to call out seven donations which will bring our year-to-date donation total to Dr roll please $69,950 one and special thanks to the Westfield coalation for the Arts for $150 for a master class given by Dr Wayne Mallette for Roosevelt choir students uh special thanks to the Friends of the John bar burn memorial fund for two Play Clocks VI the $1,525 for the Westfield High School football program at Keller field in memory of John B uh Bond Westfield High School alum 1979 uh thank you to the Franklin PTO for a donation of $823,000 to purchase ukulele storage rack for tamas mckenley PTO thank you for a gift of $4,170 43 for the purchase and installation of a basketball hoop from McKinley's playground to the Westfield High School uh ptso thank you for 500 donation for the Holocaust Education and Remembrance in the Westfield public schools and lastly but not uh least thank you to linlin PTO for $237 48 for mono price stage right series 15in powered speaker for use at at Lincoln thank you any questions okay Patty can we have a vote Sahar aiz yes Rob bachio yes Kent diamonds thank you yes Brendan gallagan yes Charles jinus yes Leila melli yes sonal Patel yes Kristen Sonic schmeltz yes Mary wickens yes okay next uh policies Leila I'd like to move items A and B under the policy section of tonight's agenda is there a second can't any questions Patty can we have a vote Sahar aiz yes Rob bonio yes Ken diamonds yes Brendan gallagan yes Charles jinus yes leam melli yes son Patel yes Kristen Sonic schmeltz yes Mary wickins yes okay next curriculum instruction assessment Kristen uh yep I would like to ask the board to move items A and B under sip today a asked the board to approve seven field trips six of them are for whhs and the other is for second graders at Washington Elementary and then um B is asking the board to approve two intern teacher positions one is in special services and one is in nursing can I get a second Mary any questions okay can vote Sahar aiz yes may Rob Bacha yes Kent Diamond yes Brendan gallagan yes Charles jinus yes Leila melli yes sonel Patel yes Kristen Sonic schmeltz yes Mary wickens yes okay I'd like to acknowledge notes for the record okay unfinished business new business liaison reports go ahead Kristen um I just wanted to take a moment to uh highlight some things for Washington and Roosevelt Washington just hosted their third annual Multicultural Festival this past Saturday there were 22 countries represented and I'm proud to share that Washington was the first Multicultural Festival two years ago and now I believe it is spread to all of the elementary schools so that's exciting um if you haven't been to one yet I don't I don't know if they're finished throughout the district if they are then I suggest attending next year um because watching the kids try new foods and learn about different cultures from each other and also from their families is a really heartwarming experience so so it's it's one of the best days I think and then both schools also uh celebrated their Community Service events Washington celebrated on March 14th at night and uh Roosevelt did theirs during the day on March 21st um and I had the honor of being at Rosevelt um and it was it was really fun to see the kids do the different activities they had uh five different service activities happening so it was wonderful thank you Kristen Mary yeah just a couple of highlights uh from Jefferson uh from their PTO um so for re Across America week um which takes place in March uh Jefferson welcomed the children's book author Beth Farrell and she shared stories uh with the students and fueled the creativity of all the Young Writers um in the in the school they also um had a presentation from lead you and they visited the students last month and had a fun action-packed assembly for each grade the assemblies focused on handling big emotions empathy conflict resolution and responsibility using activities such as roleplay breathing dancing and games so those were both for the from the PTO thank you Mary any other liaison reports okay then at this time I'd like to recognize the public for comments during this portion of the meeting members of the public are invited to address the board of education on any topic the board requests that individuals sign in and state their name municipality residents uh for the record and ask that all remarks be directed to the board president the board ask that members of the public be courteous and mindful of the rights of other individuals when speaking specifically comments regarding Personnel matters are discouraged and cannot be responded to by the board students and employees have specific legal rights afforded by the laws of New Jersey the board Bears no responsibility nor will be liable for any comments made by members of the public if a matter concerning a District staff members of Interest or concern to a resident the matter should be referred to the responsible building principal superintendent of schools or the Board of Education either by telephone letter or email although the board may not respond to items raised during the public forum all public comments will be considered please note that if any member of the public becomes disruptive during the meeting the board president May terminate the participant statement continued disruptions may result in removal from the meeting or adjournment of the meeting each speaker statement will be limited to 3 minutes in duration good evening everybody I'm Dan ortani I live at 727 Glenn Avenue here in Westfield I'm an empty nester now but I certainly appreciated my kids' time at Westfield in the Westfield school system was very rewarding for them I just I'm not going to say anything controversial I just wanted to come and say that I know this is the last board meeting before the election on April 16th I wanted to First say thank you for all of you for volunteering your time and your skills uh to the community I know this job can't be easy the board was I know the board was called to navigate through some difficult situations and did so professionally um not least due to adherence to good governance and uh respectful communication so I'd especially like to thank the board president sonel Patel for a job well done thank you um I know the board meetings have been intense at times this year uh that's been the case I think uh across the country and our community is no no um exception and as president Mrs Patel maintained theorum kept order at these meetings and and she did it through good governments good governance uh keeping people on time signed in and ensuring the best practices were followed so that the public was able to express their views but do it respectfully I think it's very important so I just wanted to thank president Patel and thank you all as well dear board members it is with a profound sense of deja can can you please just state your name oh yes D Westfield it is with a profound sense of deja vu that I stand before you today to address an ongoing issue on October 20th my daughter and a numerous of other sophomore girls at Westfield High School when confirmed to be an AI deep fake victims wronged by their classmates since then the pace of repercussions and accountability particularly concerning the boys involved in the incident has been how should I put it um glacial if not non-existent they have been treated with such a delicate touch one might confuse them for endangered species rather than students who engage in let's face it unacceptable conduct selective accountability right after I spoke the first time in front of you my legal team and I in a strug of proactive genius drafted a new code of conduct and cyber harassment policy Amendment including AI we were thinking it might be time to retire the Walkman pager and beeper references and perhaps move on to the existence of smartphones and AI as you can observe I'm not overwhelmed by emotion or hysterical but for the stake of clarity let me state that I am indeed slightly aggravated it seems as though the Westfield High School administration and the district are engaging in a master class of making this incident vanish Into Thin a air for example it has been over 5 months and we are yet to see The elusive hi report which according to quite L policy should have uh graced our presence in 10 days the school policies are yet to be addressed and my emails are to be answered curiously it appears that the administration involved in the mishandling of this incidents has been magically transported and promoted to a different District I do hope this little relocation exercise won't in any way hinder the hip investigation do though do one wonders to conclude allow me to pose a simple question from the perspective of a mother a woman and an educator myself what will it take for this District to finally rise to the occasion and perform its duties thank you hi Scott Kessler Westfield I want to start by thanking the outgoing members of the board for their service over the last few months I've come to appreciate the the hard work that you all do Fielding the comments and criticism from those of us in the audience not many tonight but there have been some and they've been loud and they've been contentious and and those who watch online um as a relatively new member of the Westfield Community and with children still in this district and who will be for a few more years despite some comments that were made here earlier tonight I just want to reiterate that our community believes in and supports inclusivity we support diversity of all kinds we support women and we support women of color such as our board president to be clear what we do not support is the hijack backing of the school board for personal gain maybe for book sales or for the spread of hatred I wish all the candidates who are running in this election in a few weeks good luck and I hope that our school district has continued success thank you I think you have to sign in for oh sorry uh T faroh from Westfield um really hope that this is the last time that we have to address this issue at all with the board um during the October meeting hundreds of parents your constituents gathered in this room over a thousand parents and students logged in to watch the meeting live from home many of us had just endured the scariest and most surreal few weeks of Our Lives we were frightened anxious and yes some were angry anti-Semitism and Jew hatred are not new there are residents in this town who are direct descendants of Holocaust Survivors our families have been exterminated in the Holocaust been victims of pograms and have been thrown out of many countries around the world just to give you some personal perspective over the last century my family has escaped and been thrown out of Russia turkey malova and Romania my great-grandfather was arrested and murdered by Stalin for being Jewish my grandparents escaped the Nazis and surv so I know what anti-Semitism can lead to and boom the largest single attack against Jews since the Holocaust followed by great anti-semitic violent acts around the world including the US and how do you think it felt to be a Jew at that moment instead of acknowledging the fear and anxiety that we felt as a board led by our superintendent and president nobody was asking for any sort of political statement nobody was asking for any kind of stands on the Middle East what we need was we hear you we see that you are all here we don't want you to feel unsafe we will protect you and your children have any of you ever been scared to send your children to school which preschools in this town have had to hire armed guards and put barricades up this was way before October 7th happened ask yourself how it must feel to be 2.4% of the US population but yet be targets of 60% of hate crimes linked to religion in this country well the public Silence of this board speaks volumes and I hope that none of any marginalized group will ever have to feel the isolation and fear that we felt for months the fact that professional Intimidators from other towns were brought here to harass us and instead of reprimanding them our board president chose to sit up in her seat and yell at her residents and constituents is mind-boggling in the week after October 7th mayor brindle and Town Council Members came to sit with us as we cried and mourned to Temple Emanuel she spoke so beauti she said we know that you're scared we know that you're frightened we know that you're thinking about who might have to hide you if this happens here we are here for you and we will protect you as a board your neutrality and lack of acknowledgement is what I want to call attention to I hope that none of you ever have to feel so scared alone and unsupported the way that so many members in this town and at this meeting felt I want to teach my children to do better than that to be better than that to show empathy protect those who are hurt and to stand up for those who are wrong okay is there no other public comments I'm going to close public comment okay so I'd like to make a motion to adjourn can I have a second thank you Brendan all in favor say hi e e e e