MINUTES OF THE PATERSON BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULAR ...

forgotten School #10. Please let’s pay attention to that school. It doesn’t look like it ispart of Paterson. Thank you.Mr. Mark Fisher: Good evening everyone, my name is Mark Fisher. I wear many hatsbut today I am to speak to Dr. Glascoe as far as representing the African AmericanHeritage Parade Committee. The parade we had on June 17 th was the best parade wehad. We thank you for coming out and showing your support. Hopefully next year wecan have a float and have all the Board members on the float. We would appreciatethat and we are going to work on that this year. Mr. Moody, I would like to thank you forbeing the Grand Marshall of our parade. You really came through and your inspirationalwords also at the Dads With Jazz on Friday night were very inspirational to everyone. Iappreciate that. Thank you. As far as Eastside High School goes, which I am a parentcoordinator, I would like to thank you guys as well. I’m not sure if Mrs. Lyde gets thecredit for this or you, Dr. Glascoe, about using Eastside as a pilot for different new ideasthat come through the pipe, such as the Wilkerson people with the uniforms and whathave you. We have always been second in high schools and I am glad that you guysare realizing that with Ms. Johnson as principal and us there we can be the pilotprogram for the other high schools, as well as the ID’s. I just want to say thank you forEastside High School.Mr. Charles Ferrer: Good evening, Charles Ferrer, Friends of the Paterson Falls,requesting five minutes. I’m glad I left my house when I did. I have some concerns thatI need to bring to the Board’s attention. I need some clarification on a few things, also.I need to know when this Board changed the promotion/retention policy for this district.At all the Board meetings I attended I don’t recall it coming up. Was the retentionpolicy/promotion policy changed? I need to know that before I leave this microphone.Last year with the DIBELS and all that material that was ordered, all of that was takencare of by the district. Now it is my understanding that individual schools are being toldthat it has to come out of their budgets, which were submitted some time ago. I needclarification as to whether or not that is accurate. This is what I am hearing.Comm. Hodges: Madam President, would you ask Mr. Ferrer to clarify what he istalking about?Mr. Ferrer: The DIBELS are the booklets and things that they use with the smallerchildren to assess them. It is my understanding that now the schools are being told thatthey have to cover that bill. So I need to know if that is true. Two years ago I attendeda workshop because we were looking at a new series on health books that wassupposed to be implemented this year. Now it is my understanding that that is notgoing to be implemented. Every year we would order some health books becausebooks get damaged. Last year we were told not to order them because we were gettinga new series. Then we were told that the district was going to buy the health books andnow individual schools are being told it is their responsibility – take it out of theirbudgets. We cannot have this inconsistency in this district when money supposedly isso tight. The last thing I need to understand, and maybe you can explain this, Dr.Glascoe, is why we dismantled the legal department. For what reason? For all theyears that I have been a resident in the City of Paterson we have had a legaldepartment. Was this a cost effective move? What is the reason? What is the logic? Iwould like to get some clarification on that while I am standing here now, through theChair to Dr. Glascoe.Comm. Taylor: I believe Dr. Glascoe is going to talk about that during our proceedings.Page 6 7/19/06