Paterson Public Schools

This document outlines the academic calendar for the Paterson Public Schools for the 2025-2026 school year. It details monthly schedules, including holidays, early dismissal days, professional development days for staff, and parent-teacher conference dates. The calendar also provides information on Board of Education meetings, emergency closing procedures due to adverse weather, and make-up days.

The agenda items approved during this session predominantly focused on Instruction & Program, Operations, Fiscal Management, and Personnel matters. Key approvals included accepting the JMC Teaching America 250 Award ($5,000) and the 2026 NJ STEM Month Mini-Grant ($500) for the Paterson P-TECH Planetarium program. Amendments were approved for contracts related to Youth Empowered Stewardship and Social Emotional Learning services. Approvals covered payments for student subject and core IB fees, awards for Mental Wellness Speakers, an Education Affiliation Agreement with St. Joseph's University Medical Center, and extensions for dance residency programs. Operations saw approval for a significant increase to the Professional Development Services contract and specialized training services for teachers of Multilingual Learners. The Board also acknowledged receiving the Harassment, Intimidation, or Bullying investigations report for January 2026. Fiscal Management approvals included the payment of bills and claims dated through February 11, 2026, totaling over $35 million, fund transfers for December 2025, and acknowledgment of monthly financial reports for December 2025. Major financial approvals also involved awarding contracts for Security Guard Services District Wide, purchasing various IT security and management platforms, and awarding contracts for Boiler Inspection Services. Personnel recommendations were approved, and the Governance section authorized the appointment of Shah Law Group, LLC, as Special Counsel. Additional items included approving the submission for the Climate Literacy through Community Resilience Grant Continuation, IDEA amended application submissions, partnerships for community blood drives and music mentoring, approval for several student field trips and out-of-district placements, and acceptance of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025.

The agenda for the Workshop Meeting of the Board of Education included several key items. Initial segments covered the Open Public Meetings Act, Roll Call, and Salute to the Flag. A presentation on Black History Month was scheduled, followed by reports from the Superintendent and the President, and a period for public comments. Resolutions slated for a vote included the approval of bills and claims totaling over $20 million, personnel recommendations from the Superintendent, approval for board and staff conference attendance, and the award of contracts for cafeteria food supplies for the 2025-2026 school year. General Business involved the presentation of 51 resolutions covering Instruction and Program, Operations, Fiscal Management, Personnel, and Governance, along with committee reports from Facilities, Family & Community Engagement, Policy, and Technology.

Key discussion topics included broker proposals for health benefits and an update on district goals concerning finance and business operations, alongside a review of fund balances. Resolutions approved by the Board included the payment of bills totaling over $13.6 million, authorization for borrowing $20,000,000.00 via a State School Aid Note, the reconfiguration of schools to expand magnet programs for multilingual students, and the permanent closure of School No. 3 effective July 1, 2025. Furthermore, the Board approved the elimination and establishment of specific special education programs across several schools, an agreement with BrainSpring for professional development in structured literacy, the Superintendent's personnel recommendations, the award of a contract for Substitute Staffing Services to ESS Northeast LLC, approval for staff attendance at conferences, ratification of transportation contract addendums, and authorization to obtain SunLife stop loss insurance. The agenda also provided for the presentation of general business resolutions and a motion to enter executive session for confidential matters.

The special meeting addressed two primary resolutions. The first involved entering into an agreement for 65 staff parking spots for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years with the Association Exempt Firemen of Paterson NJ A Corp at a significantly reduced cost compared to a previous agreement. The second resolution concerned retaining Sligo Law Group PLLC, a firm based in D.C., for specialized legal services not to exceed $10,000 to assist in seeking reconsideration of the USDOE's decision to discontinue Full Service Community School grants totaling $2.8 million. Discussion also focused on an amendment related to the Hinchliffe Stadium fee structure, including recreation as a separate tier for pre-K-12 use, and the subsequent steps for submitting a calendar for 180 days of use. Other business included addressing concerns regarding ESS locking out their substitute staff/personal assistants, which impacts students requiring aides as per their IEPs, leading to instruction loss for affected students.