Moshe Bender

The meeting included presentations from student representatives, Yuriel Rivera and Melanie Flores, detailing events at Lakewood High School, such as HOSA Club competitions, Allshore Chorus recognition, Perkins Interest Day showcasing various career and technical education pathways, upcoming Black History Month celebrations, School Counselors Week recognition, annual public classes competition, and donation drives by the Latin Club and Interact Club. A significant portion of the session was dedicated to the presentation of the district's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. The auditors issued an unmodified (clean) opinion regarding generally accepted accounting principles but noted two emphasis of matter paragraphs. One related to an accounting change for compensated absences across the state, and the other concerned the district's ability to continue as a going concern due to decreasing fund balances (from approximately $53 million in 2022 to $22 million in 2025). A finding of non-compliance was cited regarding the state approval of the district's budget, which led to a $64 million deficit between budgeted state aid and actual receipts for the 2024-2025 school year. The auditors recommended working with the state to secure a fully approved budget that aligns anticipated revenues and expenditures to mitigate financial uncertainty, noting that the repayment of a long-standing state loan is a significant expense contributing to the financial challenges.

The Reorganization Board Meeting involved several key procedural steps. Following the roll call and statement by the Board Secretary regarding public notice compliance, the Board certified the results of the Annual School Board Election held in November 2025, which seated Shlomie Stern, Meir Grunhut, and Joel Kleinman. The Board then administered the Oath of Office to these newly elected members. The meeting proceeded with the election of officers, resulting in Moshe Bender being elected President and Heriberto Rodriguez being elected Vice President. The Board members subsequently read and adopted the Code of Ethics for School Board Members. Under the Superintendent's recommendations, the Board approved the calendar for monthly meetings spanning January 2026 through January 2027, readopted the 2016-2017 District Calendar, and re-adopted current By-Laws, Policies, and Regulations. Further approvals included designating approved financial depositories, authorizing warrant signatures, and establishing official newspapers for legal notice advertising. Various annual appointments for administrative positions and professional service contracts were approved. The Board also convened into executive session to discuss matters protected under the Open Public Meetings Act, including potential litigation and employment matters, before returning to public session where a nomination for a Board Member was considered.

This Chronic Absenteeism Improvement Plan for Clifton Avenue Grade School aims to reduce chronic absenteeism from 10.5% to 8% by June 2026, decrease absences due to doctor's appointments, and reduce student tardiness by 10%. Key strategies include bi-monthly attendance team meetings, classroom and individual student incentives, parent communication, and analyzing attendance data to identify trends and improve overall student attendance.

This document outlines an improvement plan for the Lakewood School District, specifically targeting the reduction of chronic absenteeism among preschool students at Spruce Street School. The plan aims to decrease chronic absenteeism from 32.11% to 25% or below by June 2026, through strategies including monthly attendance data review, maintaining an updated list of at-risk students, immediate family outreach, consistent attendance monitoring, providing clear expectations to families, collaborating with support staff for resources, and establishing individualized attendance improvement plans.

This Chronic Absenteeism Improvement Plan for Lakewood School District outlines a comprehensive strategy to reduce student absenteeism. The plan focuses on promoting a positive school climate and increasing student engagement through incentives and activities, strengthening universal attendance supports with automated calls and outreach, enhancing academic and behavioral supports via tutoring, professional development, and restorative practices, implementing targeted and individualized attendance interventions for at-risk students, and strengthening transition and long-term planning by analyzing data and offering summer programs.