Breaking: Raslowsky resigns
17
June
6/17/2009 Update:
Raslowsky returns to Jesuit roots
With only about two years on the job and two more years remaining on his contract, Hoboken Superintendent of Schools Jack Raslowsky is leaving to take a position in New York City. No official statement has been released, but have been chasing the rumors all day since Hoboken411 user “poed” first posted this comment at 10:04 this morning:
“Raslowsky… has not communicated, to the board or anyone else, his intention to leave the district in August. He has accepted another job at Xavier HS in NYC. So much for communication… When was he planning to let the board know they needed to hire a new Superintendent? Several parents knew of his plans as many have children in Xavier and/or friends with children in Xavier and were told about the arrival of a new President.”
In accepting the position at the highly regarded Xavier High School, Raslowsky returns to his Jesuit roots. Before taking the Hoboken job in what many called a rushed political coup, Raslowsky served as Principal at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City and the provincial assistant for Education and Lay Formation of the New York Province Society of Jesus overseeing seven Jesuit high schools and five middle schools in New York and New Jersey.
Raslowsky was Roberts’ choice
Raslowsky was Mayor David Roberts’ hand-picked choice to succeed former Superintendent Pat Gagliardi, who was given a controversial $600,000 buyout package to make room for Jack. His father served on the Board of Ed in the 70’s, before Raslowsky himself was elected, and later served as Board President before stepping down to be considered for the top job. As Superintendent, Raslowsky was paid $175,000 a year. After clashing with Gagliardi, Roberts and his allies on the Board of Ed engineered the buyout plan and installation of Raslowsky before an election could change the outcome.
Clashing with Kids First
Raslowsky often clashed with members of the Kids First faction on the board, which took majority control in April. He was often criticized for taking a condescending tone with members of the board and public who had an opinion that differed from his own. No word on exactly when Raslowsky will be leaving (rumors say end of August) and the surprise announcement leaves the district without a leader just two and a half years after the last search, which many people thought was a loaded process with an engineered result.
Who will be the next superintendent? Will more of Raslowsky’s team be leaving as well? How does this effect planning for the new school year? The Board of Ed has a special meeting scheduled for July 30th to deal with contracts that were not dealt with last night. This news will make the tone of that meeting very different. Are you surprised? Happy? Sad? Comment below.
6/17/2009 4:40pm Original Announcement:
Hoboken BoE Superintendent announces resignation
“Superintendent Jack Raslowsky announced his resignation today. He has accepted the position of president of Xavier High School, a Jesuit boys high school in NYC.”
June 18th 2009 - 18:03:30 |
In response to Oceanbloo, Determined and others here, it’s certainly very plausible that the Kids First victory–or the likelihood of a KF victory before the election–led Jack to quit. The word is that the first choice for the Xavier job turned it down to stay in his current job. The rumors about Jack then entering the mix started before the election but the decision-making about the job–both on Jack’s part and Xavier’s–certainly didn’t take place until well after the election. Xavier’s board didn’t even make the final decision until a week ago last Monday, the 8th.
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June 18th 2009 - 18:36:37 |
I just read the expanded post and must congratulate you, 411. I believe your writing is very even-handed. I know many people had intense feelings about Jack, but he obviously is a commodity in Jesuit education circles, which is IMHO a good thing.
I really wish him well. He is the first lay person to head Xavier, where a lot of Hoboken kids go. Godspeed.
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June 19th 2009 - 16:30:34 |
Jack R resigns, Alfred Mezzina a HVAC specialist let go, Dave, Jack’s very competent computer guy let go, reports that a very talented accountant named Marra resigned to take a business adminstators job. And strong rumors that seven or eight more people will be fired in a sense at the June 30th meeting. I suggest that one attends the 6/30 meeting to keep informed of the swift events.
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June 19th 2009 - 20:10:43 |
not that it is very fair, but the fact that Robert’s made a point to have him appointed is enough reason for me to feel happy he is leaving. Of course doing so cost us (the taxpayer) a payoff to the old supervisor. I wish we could get all the money he (Roberts) cost us back that he has wasted. the man is scum.
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June 19th 2009 - 20:36:40 |
I wonder if Pat Gagliardi reads Hoboken411?
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June 20th 2009 - 08:39:12 |
realstuff, do you pay taxes in this town?
Your HVAC “Specialist” is actually an ‘HVAC Coordinator’, which means he reports problems with window AC units to the repair service under contract w/the BoE– in other words, he make phone calls, for $68K/year (he and his wife recently bought a home in Paramus for just under $1 million- nice) … your 96K “competent computer guy” drove up from Trenton 3 days week, his hours: 10AM- 2PM, that’s 12 hrs/week. These 2 are “friends” of Jack’s, so it pays pretty well to be a friend of Jack’s. Are you a friend of Jack’s? Are you one of his phone call “specialists”? Dispatching with just these 2 positions has already paid for KF’s attorney AND restored the kids’ summer program… I’d say that’s truly putting “Kids First” and not “Jobs First”.
The BoE is not supposed to be a job factory for your friends, BTW. The taxpayers of this town are no longer in the mood to subsidize the lifestyles of the connected.
In response to realstuff who said:
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June 21st 2009 - 20:09:03 |
Patty must be shaking his head. They…… the Board at that time (including Frank, Fran and Carmelo) …. fought and maneuvered for over a year to get Patty out and make a spot for Jack. They passed over many highly qualified and experienced candidates in their “national search” and spent over $600,000 just in the buyout alone.
Jack holds the majority for two years…. gets all his people in…and because of his own arrogance and inexperience. loses the majority on the Board and cant hack it. Even out of respect to his “sponsors” he could have held out for another year until they got the majority back to pick a new Super.
Well, Jack will be very happy in his new position. That’s what counts right?
In response to ShhhDontTell who said:
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June 21st 2009 - 21:37:09 |
His sponsors will not get their majority back on the board, times have changed.
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June 30th 2009 - 10:43:08 |
Board of Ed meeting tonight June 30 at 7PM in the Board Meeting Room (1115 Clinton St.). It’s a packed agenda:
DATE: Tuesday, June 30, 2009
TIME: 7:00 p.m. Special Session
LOCATION: Board Meeting Room
1115 Clinton Street
1. Accept resignation of Superintendent of Schools.
2. Appoint Board Secretary and School Business Administrator.
3. Professional Service Contract Awards/Appointments through RFQ’s.
4. Fees for copies of public documents (OPRA).
5. Designation of Superintendent or Business Administrator: Transfer Authority.
6. Approval of minutes.
7. Personnel: re-adoption of job title, appointments, transfers, postings, committee realignments, substitutes, reinstatements, leave of absence, termination, resignation, retirements, suspensions, negotiations, retirement withdrawal request, reduction in force, increment withholding, and dismissal of staff personnel.
8. Approval of 2009-2010 school district calendar.
9. Before/After Care Services provided to Brandt School kindergarten students.
10. Possible closed session discussion on potential litigation, negotiations regarding HSEA and Administrators, and personnel matters.
11. Claims, regular.
12. Approval of payroll.
13. Renew temporary Certificates of Occupancy for temporary classroom units at Wallace.
14. Workshop approval.
15. Approval to join NJ Education Insurance Fund.
16. Budget transfer.
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