MINUTES OF THE REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING OF THE TENAFLY BOARD OF EDUCATION MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 10, 2018 HELD AT THE HEGELEIN BUILDING. 500 TENAFLY RD .. TENAFLY, NJ DATE --~ h~7 ....!...../;,;.__/ '-L ~A -- APPROVED _ _,41-fnv++-· __ 7 ~bt""'~~Vj/)."""'n'--_,___ MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE TENAFLY BOARD OF EDUCATION MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 10, 2018 HELD AT THE HEGELEIN BUILDING. 500 TENAFLY RD .. TENAFLY. NJ The meeting was called to order at 6:48p.m. by Board President Eileen D. Pleva who read the following statement: "The New Jersey Open Public Meetings Law was enacted to insure the right to the public to have advance notice of and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon." In accordance with provisions of this act, the Tenafly Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be publicized by having the date, time and place thereof posted at the Borough office, Tenafly Public Library, administrative building, in the local press and on the district's web site. On roll call, the following Board members answered present: Mark Aronson Edward J. Salaski Natalie Barbanel Jocelyn Schwarz Sam A. Bruno Janet I. Horan Patricia Flynn Eileen D. Pleva Jane Juhng The following staff members were present: Ms. Shauna DeMarco, Superintendent Mr. Yas Usami, Business Administrator/Board Secretary Ms. Danielle Diaz, Human Resources Manager A motion was made by Ms. Juhng and seconded by Ms. Barbanel that the Board convenes in closed session according to the following: WHEREAS, the Tenafly Board of Education has been formed pursuant to applicable New Jersey Statutes, and WHEREAS, the Board is charged with the responsibility of performing all acts and doing all things, consistent with law and the rules of the State Board of Education, necessary for the lawful and proper conduct, equipment and maintenance of the public schools and public school property of the Tenafly Public School District, and WHEREAS, Section 7 of the Open Public Meetings Act (N.J.S.A. 10-4-12) permits the exclusion of the public ("closed session") from a meeting of the Board in certain circumstances, and WHEREAS, the Board has determined that circumstances exist for such a closed session, WHEREAS, the Board has found the action described below to be necessary and proper, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board on the date indicated above that: 1.) The public shall be excluded from discussion of and action on the closed session herein set forth. 2.) The confidential subject matter to be discussed is as follows: - Legal Matters M Personnel Matters M Student Matters 3.) The Board will return to open session at approximately 8:00p.m. No formal action will be taken. The motion was unanimously approved. The meeting recessed to closed session at 6:48 p.m. Ms. DeMarco, Mr. Usami and Ms. Diaz left the closed session at 7:04 p.m., and returned for open session. A motion was made by Ms. Horan and seconded by Mr. Bruno that the Board convene from closed session at 7:41 p.m. and go into open session. There was a delay in the meeting until taping started. The meeting was called to order at 8:02 p.m. by Ms. Pleva who read the following statement: "The New Jersey Open Public Meetings Law was enacted to insure the right to the public to have advance noti~e of and to attend the meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting their interest is discussed or acted upon." In accordance with provisions of this act, the Tenafly Board of Education has caused notice of this meeting to be publicized by having the date, time and place thereof posted at the Borough office, Tenafly Public Library, administrative building, in the local press and on the district's web site. On roll call, the following Board members answered present: Mark Aronson Edward J. Sa Iaski Natalie Barbanel Jocelyn Schwarz Sam A. Bruno Janet I. Horan Patricia Flynn Eileen D. Pleva Jane Juhng The following staff members were present: Ms. Shauna DeMarco, Superintendent Mr. Yas Usami, Business Administrator/Board Secretary Minutes of the Regular Public Meeting of December 10, 2018 Page 2 The following principal representative was present: Mr. James Morrison, Principal of High School Also present: Ms. Danielle Diaz, Human Resources Manager Joyce Chung, Sr. Student Representative Aaron Gordon, Jr. Student Representative Ms. Pleva opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Mr. Aronson and seconded by Ms. Juhng to approve the Minutes of the Regular Public Meeting and the Closed Executive Meeting of November 19, 2018. The Minutes of the Regular Public Meeting and the Closed Executive Meeting of November 19 were approved as follows: Yes- 8 Mark Aronson No - 0 Natalie Barbanel Patricia Flynn Abstain- 1 Sam A. Bruno Jane Juhng Edward J. Salaski Absent- 0 Jocelyn Schwarz Janet I. Horan Eileen D. Pleva 2019 HONOR NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP SEMIFINALISTS AND NATIONAL HISPANIC RECOGNITION SCHOLARS On behalf of the Board and administration, Ms. Pleva gave praise and congratulations to the award recipients for their achievements and thanked them for coming tonight. High School Principal Jim Morrison stated that in October 2017, approximately 1.6 million students took the SAT's, and three of Tenafly's students scored higher than 99% of test takers in the nation (qualifying them as semi-finalists out of the 16,000 students nationwide). Mr. Morrison introduced the following award recipients and gave a brief but exceptional bio of each student: Matt Dreyer - 2019 National Merit Scholarship Competition Semi-Finalist Abigail Pomeranz - 2019 National Merit Scholarship Competition Semi-Finalist Kyle Richards- 2019 National Merit Scholarship Competition Semi-Finalist and National Hispanic Program Merit Scholar Minutes of the Regu tar Public Meeting of December I 0, 20 18 Page 3 Everyone applauded the students for their special achievements. BOARD PRESIDENT'S REPORT Ms. Pleva reported there is a walk-in resolution on the agenda tonight approving the new 3-year teachers' contract (TEA) covering July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2021. Ms. Pleva thanked the Board and TEA for their hard work throughout the negotiations. If the resolution is approved, a press release will be issued providing contract details. Ms. Pleva said some of the Board members will be touring the single unit lunch program at the High School, thanks to Mr. Morrison who coordinated this. The tour was done last year during the unit lunch, and the Board also toured the Care Plus Drop-in Center. The Board found the tours very valuable to see firsthand how things are run. Ms. Pleva stated that this is her last Board meeting as a trustee, and thanked the community for the opportunity and privilege to sit on the Board for the past five years. She wished the new incoming trustee good luck. She thanked the Board, administration and the district staff she has worked with, and said she is grateful to have had this opportunity. Ms. Pleva wished everyone a happy holiday season. On behalf of the Board and administration, Ms. Horan thanked Ms. Pleva for her service of two terms, and expressed gratitude for her work and all her accomplishments. Ms. Horan said it has been a privilege to work closely with Ms. Pleva this past year, and that Ms. Pleva has served her role admirably for the benefit of the entire school community. Ms. Pleva was given a gift and flowers by the Board in appreciation for her service, and she thanked everyone very much for the opportunity to serve on the Board. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT Superintendent DeMarco gave a presentation on Weaving Social and Emotional Wellness into the Fabric of Safe Schools: A Vision for the Tenafly Public Schools . Ms. DeMarco stated that in preparing for a new calendar year, she will discuss some of the aspects of her vision for Tenafly, including fiscal plans for coming years to contribute to the academic achievement of students and for their social and emotional well-being. Public comments were held until the end of the presentation (the printed presentation is attached at the end of the minutes). Ms. Pleva thanked Ms. DeMarco for all her hard work that went into an excellent presentation. Ms. Pleva asked the Board if they had any questions or comments on the superintendent's presentation. Min utes ofthe Regular Public Meeti ng of December 10,201 8 Page 4 Mr. Aronson thanked Ms. DeMarco for a comprehensive and thoughtful presentation plan, and for her leadership on a difficult and controversial subject. Ms. Pleva stated she was opening the floor for public comments, as many people attended the meeting tonight. She asked that the protocol be followed for community commentary at Board meetings and the set time of three minutes. Jean Mishkin- 152 Thatcher Rd.- Ms. Mishkin (former Tenafly trustee) spoke about the fear that is driving this issue, and urged people not to succumb to fear. She cited the Tuscan incident (supermarket shooting) where a family member was wounded and where unarmed civilians took effective action to end the incident; and cited another incident of a family member (teacher) in North Carolina who was faced with danger. She said she is not in favor of armed guards in schools, and expressed that safety does not come from a gun but from building a loving and respectful community. Brvan Rudolph - 80 Homestead Rd. - Mr. Rudolph (pediatrician, clinical researcher and parent) said he believes it is a false sense that guns will make us safer, and spoke of consequences of having guns in schools (he cited social science studies on "weapon effect" which may result in more aggression).