Joanna Antoniou

The regular public meeting addressed several agenda items including a presentation on School Bus Emergency Exit Evacuation Drills for Fall 2025-2026 and the presentation of the 2024-2025 Audit during the Superintendent's Report. The agenda included extensive personnel actions, such as approving retirements, resignations, rescission of leave of absence, and numerous requests for leaves of absence (both with and without pay). Personnel actions also covered extensions of health benefits, approval and returns from administrative leave, a revision of suspension without pay, new appointments (including an Interim Principal), correction of a start date, and approvals for substitute staff and athletic coaches. Other key items involved the approval of staff payments for various professional development sessions, curriculum writing assignments, home instruction compensation, and support roles for school improvement initiatives at Mahatma Gandhi School No. 25. The board also addressed revisions to salary reclassifications and approvals for the K-8 Learning Advantage Afterschool Program.

The meeting agenda covered several administrative and operational items. Key discussions included recognizing high school election poll workers (rescheduled), a presentation on school bus emergency exit evacuation drills (rescheduled), and the Superintendent's report detailing activities such as the Aetna insurance transition, a successful Lock Down Drill observation by the NJDOE, updates on the Full-Service Community Schools Initiatives lawsuit, and student achievements in athletics and writing. Personnel matters dominated significant discussion, including the approval of retirements, resignations, and various leaves of absence. A major item was the recommendation and approval of a new three-year contract for the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Sandra Montañez-Diodonet, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. Other personnel actions included approvals for new appointments, salary reclassifications for 2025-2026, transfers, administrative leave changes, and a suspension without pay. Financial items addressed included the payment of bills, authorization for payments related to curriculum writing, STEM programs, test preparation, and various tutoring programs, as well as the approval of employees funded under Federal Grants IDEA, Title I, Title III, and the 21st Century Grant.

The meeting agenda included several key actions. The Board received a presentation on Operations Indicator 10 regarding Bus Drills and heard the Report of the Superintendent. In agenda items, the Board addressed the approval of Tuitions, including a contract for educational services, and various Authorizations. Authorizations included accepting the Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) Investigative Report for January 2026, adopting the Academic School Calendar for the 2026-2027 School Year, setting compensation for Poll Workers for the April 21, 2026 election, and ratifying a Memorandum of Agreement with the Education Association of Passaic for the period of September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2030. The Board also handled Finance and Accounting matters, such as approving 2025-2026 budget transfers and a requisition for the Local Tax Levy payment. Furthermore, several Contracts were awarded or revised, including agreements with New Jersey Institute of Technology and William Paterson University for dual enrollment courses, and various student transportation contracts were approved or revised.

The agenda for this meeting covered several key personnel matters, including approvals for retirements, resignations, revisions to sabbatical leave, and numerous leaves of absence for various staff members. The Board addressed salary reclassifications for the 2025-2026 school year, appointments, and transfers of personnel. Financial items included approving payments for Winter Athletic Coaches, professional development sessions for K-3 teachers related to early literacy skills, and payments for various after-school and grant-funded programs, such as the Credit Recovery Program for Special Education High School Students and the NJSBA Steam Tank Challenge Program. The Board also planned to enter an Executive Session to discuss personnel, student, and legal matters.

The key discussions and actions during this regular public meeting covered several administrative and personnel matters. Topics included the recognition of outstanding student graduates from the Passaic Fire Department's Junior Fire Academy and a presentation on the 2024-2025 Statewide Assessment. The meeting involved extensive personnel actions, including approvals for numerous retirements, resignations, rescission of leave, new leaves of absence, administrative leaves, and new appointments across certificated and non-certificated roles, such as a Supervisor of Mathematics and an Interim Principal. Furthermore, the agenda addressed various financial and contractual items, such as tuition matters, authorizations, payment of bills, finance and accounting reports, and the award of numerous contracts related to grant-funded programs (like BRIDGE Grant, Title I SIA Grant, and AP Tutoring) and general operations, including payments for band program coverage and staff participation in professional development.