Menu

Asbury Park City School District board meeting, May 27, 2026

3 h 28 min

Budget cuts and layoffs ▶ 1:44:09

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 3 h 28 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Asbury Park board approves education association agreement running through June 30, 2027 2:59:33

  • Speakers at public comment asked the board to reconsider staff cuts tied to the budget, keep interpreters for bilingual families and restore $1,800 for a fresh produce distribution at Bradley Elementary School. 1:44:09
  • The board approved a memorandum of understanding with the Asbury Park Education Association covering the period retroactive to July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. 2:59:33
  • The board voted to table a motion to translate the board agenda into Spanish and Creole pending discussion by the Communications Committee. 3:22:19

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (15)
  1. Opening and executive session 10:06
    • The board read a notice that the meeting had been advertised on May 4th, 2026, and took roll call. 10:56
    • The board read a resolution to hold a closed executive session for purposes including collective bargaining, litigation, contract matters and personnel matters. 11:51
    • The presiding officer said no decisions would be made in executive session and the board would return at approximately 6:30. 13:06
  2. Teacher and student of the month recognitions 1:26:16
    • The principals of Bradley Elementary School and Thurgood Marshall Elementary School recognized staff members of the month. 1:27:12
    • The Bradley Elementary School principal said staff members vote for Teacher of the Month and must give a reason for each nomination. 1:27:12
  3. Public comment 1:43:17
    • A speaker at public comment asked the board to consider another alternative to budget cuts so bilingual parents are not left behind. 1:44:58
    • A speaker asked that $1,800 be reinstated to buy produce for an every other week distribution for food insecure families at Bradley Elementary School. 1:46:25
    • Several speakers asked the board to reconsider staff cuts and the release of teachers and said families need interpreters in the schools; two written submissions read into the record asked the district to rehire a preschool teacher. 1:50:44
  4. Administration remarks on bilingual services 2:17:07
    • The acting superintendent said the district was dealing with a budget deficit and wanted to make sure no classroom services were cut. 2:17:47
    • A district staff member said no ESL teacher or bilingual teacher was cut and that the staff member was looking at ways to use other staff members who speak Spanish to help in the office. 2:18:23
  5. Fresh produce initiative request 2:19:46
    • Dr. Shade Maghsood moved that the board require the acting superintendent to add an offer for the Little Bishop's Living Well initiative to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to students and parents to the agenda. 2:20:03
    • A district staff member said the item was pulled because it involved food and a cost, and questions about why the district would incur a cost for a community initiative were not answered. 2:20:55
    • The board took a roll call vote on a motion to table the request until the next meeting so the organization could provide the district with needed information. 2:22:06
  6. Meeting minutes 2:23:48
    • One board member abstained on 8B and 8D, and another board member abstained on 8A, 8B and D. ~2:25:42
  7. Monthly incident report 2:26:30
    • A staff member reported 3 incidents for the month, with 2 founded and 1 inconclusive unfounded, and said all actions were taken per the code of conduct. 2:26:53
  8. Personnel consent agenda and summer school 2:27:42
    • One board member said one individual on the summer school list for Bradley had been RIFed with a contract ending June 30th and asked to remove that individual, saying it could cause an issue in the future as a past practice. 2:29:17
    • The board then voted on the remaining items on pages B1 through B5, and one board member asked to abstain on one item. 2:32:34
    • A district staff member said curriculum committees would work over the summer on curriculum revisions related to the CUSAC review and agreed to give the board an overview of the process. 2:35:06
    • A staff member announced that the motion passed. 2:32:12
  9. Additional consent items and summer programs 2:35:47
    • The board took a roll call vote on a motion to table item 5 on page B6 due to a change needed for certain dates. 2:37:17
    • Asked about summer programs, a district staff member said the district has a participation number in mind for each program and keeps track of student progress. 2:39:36
  10. Professional development and travel list 2:41:17
    • Speakers asked whether professional development items on the list had already been approved and whether travel would add costs. 2:43:10
    • A district staff member said all the events are in New Jersey and mileage is reimbursed from work to the event under an existing policy. ~2:49:42
    • A district staff member confirmed the items had already been approved and no board action was needed, and the item was removed from the agenda. 2:50:22
    • A speaker said the item was not tabled. ~2:45:43
  11. Business consent agenda and budget changes 2:52:22
    • A staff member said the county office had commented on the budget resolution and the changes involved account numbers, a change in form with no change in substance. 2:55:51
    • The board took a roll call vote on item 1, the final budget adoption changed after public hearing. 2:57:42
  12. Mini pitch soccer field contract 2:58:39
    • A speaker said a World Cup event was planned for July 11th and that a request to use the field had been submitted. 1:57:33
    • The board considered a contract with the U.S. Soccer Federation to build a mini pitch on the Asbury Park High School grounds at no cost to the district except lighting supplies and permits as needed. 2:58:39
  13. Education association memorandum of understanding 2:59:33
    • The board considered a memorandum of understanding with the Asbury Park Education Association retroactive to July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. 2:59:33
    • One speaker said the agreement presented in December was for a 3-year term and included 2 hours a week for student engagement, a provision taken out of this memorandum. 3:00:32
    • Another speaker said the term was 2 years because no district knows its medical costs in year 3 and Chapter 44 sunsets in January of 2027. 3:01:39
    • The motion passed. ~3:05:34
  14. Board participation in Pride Parade 3:05:39
    • A staff member suggested the board vote to authorize participation to avoid ethics concerns about individuals appearing to represent the board. 3:07:21
    • The board took a roll call vote on a motion for the full Board of Education to walk as such in the Pride Parade, with administrators who wish to join included. 3:09:27
  15. Translation at board meetings 3:12:10
    • One board member moved that the board have an official translator at board meetings, saying many parents had said they do not understand the meetings. 3:12:10
    • The amended motion called for the board to explore all possibilities for translating the meetings, including searching for the equipment and looking for technology options, with the goal of having the meetings in English, Spanish and Creole. 3:21:18

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “May 27, 2026 Board of Education Meeting Recording”