On Monday night, the Pascack Valley Regional High School District Board of Education observed a moment of silence, listened to committee updates, and discussed locker room renovations. 

At the start of the meeting, BOE President Gini Varghese asked for a moment of silence in honor of Pascack Hills senior Joe McNeice. On Feb. 20, Superintendent Sarah Bilotti sent out a district-wide message announcing the tragic and unexpected loss of McNeice. He was a part of the Class of 2024 and was heavily involved in the Hills community.  

Director of Facilities Robert Donahue gave a project update. He discussed Pascack Hills roof replacement, ventilation upgrades, and auditorium renovations. 

Finance Chair and BOE member Pat Luisi gave a report following a committee meeting. He discussed health insurance, pensions, student transportation, and budgets. 

BOE student representative Olivia Ge gave her monthly report. She addressed the passing of Joe McNeice and his widespread legacy at Pascack Hills.  

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time. Joe was a part of the Class of 2024 and he was always very involved in the Hills community…Together, we will honor the memory of Joe and ensure that his legacy lives on in our hearts and in our minds,” she said. 

She discussed the Mr. Pascack Hills Competition, Chamber Choir acceptances, and Indian exchange students. For athletic items, she discussed girls swimming, boys basketball quarterfinals, and boys wrestling tournaments. 

Varghese mentioned the Pascack Pi-oneers Robot Reveal Night on Feb. 27. She encouraged Board members to attend. 

Later in the meeting, Solutions Architects gave a presentation regarding the Pascack Hills locker room renovations. They discussed gender equality, team rooms, and different options on how to expand. 

Regarding the field house site plan, they discussed upgraded concessions stands, trainer offices, and home and away locker rooms. The budget for each separate project was also estimated.  

Following the presentation, questions and concerns were raised by Board members about the concessions stand, project pricing, student functionality, and overall logistics. There was a motion to get a proposal on an estimate for the room utilization at Hills. 

Under old business, there was a discussion of a phone box being installed on the Pascack Valley field. This is following the conversation at the last meeting regarding a lack of Wi-Fi. Superintendent Sarah Bilotti said the phone would only call 911. 

Also under old business, BOE member Debra Stephans thanked the administration for their response following the events of last week. 

“I just wanted to thank the administration for how they handled everything this week with the staff and the students regarding the unfortunate, tragic event that happened this week with Joseph McNeice. I just wanted to call attention to that because I was really pleased to hear what happened at the schools. Thank you,” she said. 

BOE member Stephanie Huang commented on the tremendous support from the Hills community. 

“Almost everybody at the school, parents, people who knew Joe McNeice or didn’t know [him] showed up at the wake…it was like two and a half hours for people to just get through. It was really amazing,” she said.