Resolution No
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MINUTES OF THE PATERSON BOARD OF EDUCATION PUBLIC HEARING/SPECIAL MEETING July 7, 2020 – 5:11 p.m. Remote - Zoom Presiding: Comm. Kenneth Simmons, President Present: Ms. Eileen F. Shafer, Superintendent of Schools Ms. Susana Peron, Deputy Superintendent Khalifah Shabazz-Charles, Esq., General Counsel Boris Zaydel, Esq., Board Counsel Comm. Vincent Arrington Comm. Manuel Martinez, Vice President Comm. Emanuel Capers Comm. Joel Ramirez Comm. Oshin Castillo-Cruz Comm. Nakima Redmon Comm. Jonathan Hodges Comm. Corey Teague Comm. Simmons read the Open Public Meetings Act: The New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act was enacted to insure the right of the public to have advance notice of, and to attend the meetings of the Paterson Public School District, as well as other public bodies at which any business affecting the interest of the public is discussed or acted upon. In accordance with the provisions of this law, the Paterson Public School District has caused notice of this meeting: Public Hearing/Special Meeting July 7, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Remote - Zoom 90 Delaware Avenue Paterson, New Jersey to be published by having the date, time and place posted in the office of the City Clerk of the City of Paterson, at the entrance of the Paterson Public School offices, on the district’s website, and by sending notice of the meeting to the Arab Voice, El Diario, the Italian Voice, the North Jersey Herald & News, and The Record. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NAMING OF SCHOOL FACILITIES Peace Center at Eastside High School and Union Avenue School Comm. Simmons: Tonight’s meeting is the public hearing for the recommendations for naming the Peace Center at Eastside High School and the new school being built on Union Ave. I know we received a number of applications and I think there were three names in total. Boris, do you have the names? Mr. Zaydel: Yes. Page 1 07/07/20 Comm. Hodges: There actually were several combinations of names for both schools. Comm. Simmons: The suggested names were Dr. Gerald E. Glisson Peace Room at Eastside High School, Dr. Gerald E. Glisson Peace Center, Dr. Glisson Eastside School Peace Center, Dr. Glisson Peace Room at Eastside High School, Dr. Glisson Peace Room, and Ms. Vivian Gaines Peace Center at Eastside High School. For the Union Avenue site, School No. 22, School No. 23, or the next school number, the Anna Iandoli Learning Center, Joseph A. Taub School, Dr. Gerald E. Glisson Memorial School, and Dr. Gerald E. Glisson School. Those are the recommended names for both the Peace Center at Eastside High School and the new school on Union Avenue. With that said, this is just a public hearing. After this hearing, the committee will convene. Dr. Hodges is the chair of that committee. He will set a meeting for the committee to go through the recommended names and the supporting documentation. After that, the committee will make a recommendation for the rest of the Board to vote on. Dr. Hodges, did you want to add anything to that? Comm. Hodges: I have to come up with a meeting date. PUBLIC HEARING ON NAMING AND/OR RENAMING OF SCHOOL FACILITIES It was moved by Comm. Hodges, seconded by Comm. Martinez that the Public Comments portion of the meeting be opened. On roll call all members voted in the affirmative. The motion carried. Comm. Simmons: I just want to remind everyone that each speaker will have two minutes to speak. Prior to speaking, Boris will call your name and unmute you. At the two-minute mark, you will be muted again. Ms. Kathy Iandoli: Hi everyone. I'm actually calling in because I was made aware that the Early Childhood Learning Center also has no name. I was asking to bring my mother to the renaming of that center. My mother was a teacher and facilitator in Paterson for 33 years. I'm not sure if anyone on the Board is familiar with her work. I know I'm coming with incredible bias because it’s my mother, but through her three decades of working in Paterson what she did for early childhood education there in terms of working with the teachers, developing curricula, building so much of the foundation that is still very much used by the Board of Education today, this is my mother's lifework. I know this wasn’t the school that's actually on the list. When I submitted the application, it was actually brought to my attention by another Board member that the ECLC needed a name and I wanted to bring that here today to put her name in for consideration. Comm. Simmons: We're just listening to the public's input, which will all be taken into consideration when we are deliberating about a name. I'm not sure how we proceed. I have to check with legal and the policy in terms of the process for the Early Childhood Learning Center. I'm not sure how we would proceed with that. Mr. Zaydel: We can get back to you. Ms. Albania Fermin: My name is Albania Fermin and I'm also calling on behalf of naming the Early Childhood Learning Center after Anna Iandoli. Is it okay to proceed with that? I'm not sure if there's a certain protocol now just listening to the previous comment. Comm. Simmons: You can proceed. Page 2 07/07/20 Ms. Fermin: I've been a Paterson resident for 32 years. I’ve been employed by the Paterson School District for over 13 years. I'm most proud of being a product of this school district. I've known Anna for about 15 years and in that time she has shown me what relentless surrender to your craft looks like. I remember the day I stopped by her office. I was a college student just deciding what to do in life. I remember just seeing her face light up when she saw me and just running up and giving me a hug as well as other students and colleagues in that center with a smile from ear to ear. She's just an overall woman who was dedicated to her craft. I remember thinking how can someone be so happy at work literally all the time. From then on, she would spend her years mentoring me on becoming an educator and showing me how to truly love and refine my craft, all the while inviting me over during holidays. She knew my family lived in the Dominican Republic and she didn’t want me spending it alone so she would invite me over to her house. That’s who she is, a woman with a heart for the community she served. As life would have it, a few months ago my current principal selected me for a leadership program in preparation to transition roles. When I got the news, instead of typically wanting to call my mom, I wanted to call Anna because she's the one who has been by my side from the beginning. This amazing woman has truly lived and believed in the mission and vision from this district, that children do come first. When you'd walk into her house, you'd see evidence of that. She had a section of her home that looked like a small development center. She always had materials for learning everywhere ready to give out. If you needed a book on pedagogy, she had 10 of them. If you were lucky enough to show up during Easter, she'd probably send you home with a pie because that's who she was. Anna was everybody's mom. It's an honor for me to recommend this amazing woman for special recognition because her relentless pursuit in putting children first will ripple through the generations to come. I know because I am a product of that. I'm submitting her name for that recommendation. Thank you. Ms. Rabia Ahmed: Hi everyone. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity. Like Kathy and Albania, I'm also calling for the renaming of the Early Learning Center for Anna Iandoli. I've known her for over 20 years. She's been such an inspiring person for me in my life in so many ways, especially as a great leader and mentor. She was a huge advocate for women in leadership roles and pushed us and inspired us every step of the way in our careers from when we were early in our college days until now. I started as a business major and worked in finance for a number of years. When I was thinking about moving into education, she was the first person who I called and spoke to. I pursued a graduate degree in international education and started a non-profit that worked on literacy education. So much of what I wanted to do was to help teachers figure out how to put together curriculum in international countries to help the literacy numbers. She helped me realize as someone who wasn’t in the classroom my work and purpose would be different. It was her honesty, support, and passion that helped me understand where my role could be in the educational space. I landed a career in higher education and thought a lot about what she said in terms of barriers to entry in higher education, colleges, and universities, the challenges that start in early childhood education, and all the work that she did in the Paterson School District to support students on their educational journey. Now as the Executive Director of Admissions at NYU's Business School, I think so much of the work that I do in providing students the opportunity to get a graduate degree has been shaped by the conversations and the mentorship that I received from Anna over the years.