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Hillside Township School District board meeting, Sep 24, 2026

52 min · 2 videos

Phones in school ▶ 2:02

Click any moment below to jump the video to that second. Video length 36 min.

Playing part 2 · 36 min of 2. Back to part 1

What happened

What happened at this meeting

Part 1 · 15 min

Hillside board votes on resolution to appoint superintendent at $215,000 starting salary 6:49

  • A resolution was read to approve the appointment of a superintendent of schools for a term of 3 years at a starting salary of $215,000, with additional terms subject to approval by the Union County Superintendent, and a roll call followed. 6:49
  • A district staff member said the district is withholding funds for a charter school that has asked for a planning year and has no students. 11:57

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

Item by item (7)
  1. Finance agenda 0:02
    • A motion was made to approve items 1 through 8 on the finance agenda, followed by a roll call. 0:02
  2. Education agenda 1:26
    • A motion was made to approve line items 1 through 10 for education, followed by a roll call. 1:26
    • Jo-Ann Horton-Givens said the board did not have the attachments for items 6 and 7, and a staff member said the attachments would be received and posted online. 2:03
    • A staff member said item 9 was stricken and would be voted on separately. 3:19
  3. Dual enrollment partnership agreement 3:47
    • Pinchas Shapiro moved to accept the superintendent's recommendation and approve the NJIT Advanced Academic Achievement Secondary School Partnership Program agreement for dual enrollment, attachment ED number 809/26, saying it was no longer pending attorney review. 3:47
    • The motion was seconded and a roll call followed. 4:13
  4. Labor relations agenda 4:37
    • Superintendent appointment resolution 6:40
      • A resolution was read to approve the appointment of a superintendent of schools for a term of 3 years at a starting salary of $215,000, with additional terms including salary increases and benefits subject to approval by the Union County Superintendent. 6:49
      • A motion was made and a roll call followed. 7:16
      • The board president congratulated the appointee, and the appointee thanked the board for the opportunity. 8:25
    • Charter school update 11:33
      • A district staff member said the charter school has asked for a planning year, has no students and that the district has received no aid report from the state about payments to the school. 11:57
      • The staff member said the district is withholding the money and it remains with the district. 11:57
      • The presiding speaker encouraged residents to contact officials in Trenton about the charter school and health care. 13:25
    • Closing remarks and adjournment 13:25
      • The presiding speaker offered holiday greetings, said the color run was a success and noted Hispanic Heritage Month. 13:25
      • The meeting was adjourned. ~15:12

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

    Part 2 · 36 min

    Hillside school board hears superintendent, student and committee reports 1:41

    • The superintendent presented New Jersey Safe Routes to School awards to several schools and said high school students were more than 90 to 95% in compliance with the dress code and device rules. 2:02
    • Speakers at public comment asked the board to reconsider a staff transfer, discussed health insurance costs and asked about layoffs and money saved because the charter school is not coming this year. 25:00
    • Board members reported on Finance, Education and Labor Relations committee meetings held Tuesday, September 22nd. 34:08
    • The transcript ended as a resolution was read for the board to meet in closed executive session. 35:29
    Item by item (6)
    1. Opening and roll call 0:00
      • The meeting was called to order, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. 0:00
      • A statement was read that adequate notice of the meeting had been provided under the Open Meetings Act, and roll was called. 0:27
    2. Superintendent's report 1:57
      • The superintendent presented awards to schools recognized by New Jersey Safe Routes to School at bronze and silver levels. 2:02
      • A speaker said a family session on the Internet Enabled Device Policy would take place Thursday, October 8th, in the boardroom, and a back-to-school resource fair was moved to October 10th on the football field. 4:39
      • A speaker said high school students were more than 90 to 95% in compliance with the dress code and with rules against using electronic devices during instructional time. 5:47
    3. Student representative report 16:15
      • The student representative reported on back-to-school night on September 15th, food bank community service trips and a JROTC field day on September 25th. 16:56
      • The student representative said Spirit Week would run from the 28th into October 2nd, followed by homecoming events on the 3rd. 18:45
      • The student representative said students were complying with the cell phone policy, that some students would like to be able to wear black pants and that students had concerns about a staff member moving. 19:21
    4. Public comment 20:26
      • A speaker at public comment asked the board to reconsider the transfer of a high school staff member. 25:00
      • A speaker at public comment discussed a finance resolution to the governor on rising health insurance costs and asked why an education motion had been stricken from the agenda; a speaker responding said confirmation from attorney review had been pending and had been received. 26:21
      • A speaker at public comment asked for a total count of staff laid off and how money saved from the charter school not coming this year would be repurposed, and the presiding officer said the questions would be addressed privately. 32:40
    5. Committee reports 33:52
      • Helen Egwaikhide reported that the Finance Committee met Tuesday, September 22nd and discussed items 1 through 7. 34:08
      • Eric Okai reported that the Education Committee met Tuesday, September 22nd to discuss line items 1 through 10. 34:31
    6. Executive session 35:17
      • A motion to go into executive session was made and seconded. 35:17
      • A resolution was read for the board to meet in closed session on matters including personnel, litigation, labor and contract negotiations, and to reconvene in public session afterward. 35:29

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

    Who spoke

    Who spoke

    Pinchas ShapiroBoard memberFirst speaks at 0:59
    Jo-Ann Horton-GivensBoard memberFirst speaks at 2:03
    Laquana Best-VickBoard memberFirst speaks at 4:45
    Marjorie HargraveVice-PresidentFirst speaks at 6:26
    Eric OkaiBoard member
    Helen EgwaikhideBoard member

    Video: posted by the district as “Hillside BOE Meeting - 9/24/2026 - PART 2”