Board of Ed Meeting – 7/14/2009
Posted by: Hoboken411 at 11:30 am on July 14, 2009
7/14/2009:
“Goal Setting” session starts at 6pm; Regular meeting at 7pm.
LOCATION: Board Meeting Room; 1115 Clinton Street
Agenda
- Goal Setting Session
- Appoint Interim Superintendent,
- Professional Service Contract Awards/Appointments through RFQ’s.
- Extension of 2008/2009 Professional Service Contracts.
- Renewal of contract exempt from public bidding [N.J.S.A. 18A: 18A:5a(19)].
- Personnel: appointments, transfers, postings, committee realignments, leave of absence, termination, resignation, retirements, suspensions, negotiations, retirement withdrawal request, reduction in force, increment withholding, and dismissal of staff personnel.
- Possible closed session discussion on potential litigation, negotiations, HSEA and Administrators, and personnel matters.
- Fiscal reports, school reports, fire drill reports, Board Committee reports.
- Possible discussion and/or action on the future of the school district’s facilities.
- Claims, regular and workers compensation.
- Approval of payroll.
- Procurement of goods and services through Cooperative Pricing Agreement.
- Grant funded salaries.
- Professional development workshops.
- Special Education tuition contracts – 2009/2010 – sending and receiving.
- Acceptance of Federal ARRA funds – SIA, Part A.
- Apply for Discretion Grant Funds – Reading First.
156 Responses to ** Board of Ed Meeting – 7/14/2009 **
July 24th, 2009 |
Check away.
In response to poed who said:
Hoboken South, with all due respect, the AC was working the night before, during the interviews-my guess is that it must be “quirky”. The line of non sense with “denying the AC to be fixed” was just that. The superintendant runs the district- he chosses the “items” of importance. Be leary of whomever is giving you info. They are inadvertently making you lose credibility with some of your answers.
Additioally, Jack sets the agenda and chooses who to put on the chopping block. He chose to have that clerks position terminated, not the board. It was part of his budget. To save face he is asking that she be rehired. She should ask him why he terminated her position to begin with.
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
Even children can be proactive if they are hungry. Our highly paid teachers will recognize if one of the dozen students in their classroom appears hungry. And having one parent? – what is that parent doing right if they have a starving child. Shouldn’t state social services be on that case. Another superfluous school form filler? Not with my tax money. I’m more concerned about kids than unnecessary jobs.
In response to Easy-E who said:
Jeez Red. It’s a simple form.
Should we just abandon all rules and requirements? If they need to submit a form, then just do it.
Kids need to learn that there is a process and consequences if you do not follow them. If it’s out of their control, then something needs to be done about it. It’s up to the teachers and administrators to step in where there is a case where a child is so neglected that a parent refuses or is incapable of filling out a simple form. If the kid simply blows it off, forgets or just refuses to do it, he’s right, hunger is a great motivator.
Do I want to see a kid starve? No, certainly not, but I can attest to the fact that it was a couple missed lunches that made me pay attention and be sure I didn’t leave my lunch money on the table when I left for school. Pretty much the same principal.
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
How long will Carter be Hoboken School Superintendent? He left Plainfield over a $ dispute with the BOE and before that unexpectedly left Ringwood. I still can not find one significant accomplishment in his public record.
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
07-02-2004
Ringwood schools chief to retire before contract ends — Demanding educator leaving early after change of heart
By BARBARA WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
Date: 07-02-2004, Friday
Section: LOCAL
Edtion: Two Star P
RINGWOOD – Schools Superintendent Peter Carter, a taskmaster who got results, has announced he will retire at the end of October. That’s eight months before his contract expires, but Carter is citing personal considerations.
“I turned 60 recently, and my kids said it’s time,” Carter said. “I don’t know how much time I have left; I want to spend some time with my family.”
But last September, he requested, and was granted by …
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
Carter also wrote a nice letter in June 2007 to the Plainfield community. Later, he said he did ‘numerous’ things to address school problems there – I have not seen a single detail. (I’m reviewing minutes of Plainfield BOE meetings from 2007 now – maybe something will appear.
In response to estevens who said:
I contacted an activist in Plainfield. Here’s her take on the new interim superintendent Peter Carter:
My observation would be that Peter Carter himself was highly qualified and extremely sincere in his wish to serve well. I think the troubles had more to do with conduct of the board and the board attorneys. There is a state report on the matter. You will find a link to the report in the last article. The board violated the Sunshine Law and the attorney overstepped his professional bounds and failed to disclose that Carter was his client in another matter. I got the impression that Carter was taken aback by the situation and that it was not of his doing that things went wrong.
For more on Carter from her blog:
http://plaintalker.blogspot.com/search?q=Carter
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
Hi Theresa. You started commenting about the BOE in 1996 because of the food service. And now your big complaint is a broken air conditioner. Your concern for kids’ education is amazing. I couldn’t afford the 35 cents for school lunch and my mom gladly made a sandwich and gave me an apple each day. Never attended a school with air conditioning, kindergarten through graduate school at a top US engineering university. I continue to be grateful for every day of my life.
Issues that seem to be major concerns in your life truly confound me. Please tell us – what is your very highest priority in education and what have you done about it. I hope it involves your own kids as it should with any parent.
In response to tburns who said:
In response to ConcernedResident who thinks still thinks this is about Hola: in 1996 I began commenting about the Hoboken Board of Education – specifically about the food service. At that time it was contracted out to a connected political contributor who tried to convince me and the other brave moms that the cheap processed crap they were serving was nutritionally sufficient for our kids. They should never had tried to sell that garbage to a zoo never mind children. I knew that they wouldn’t have gotten a contract in a district where more parents were involved – so I got involved. That company was politely but eventually eased out of the Hoboken schools.
I have been calling it like I see it ever since. You don’t have to agree with me – obviously most of the posters to this board see my point of view as contrary to their own. If you have other information or a different opinion – you are entitled just as I am to state it. I would, however, ask that you and other writers respectfully refrain from making personal attacks.
Skateparkmom brought up two points: 1) It wasn’t quite so stuffy after 7. My response is that the heat in the room was simply one manifestation of the ill-conceived actions of the Board. The Business office needed to hire Doria’s firm to help out. Is outside contracting for HVAC, printing, accounting etc. the cost-efficient way to go?
2) regarding the blank item naming the Interim Superintendent, maybe they didn’t know in time. My response, and you can ask your friends, they knew the night before – in plenty of time to provide the information to the public. They chose not to.
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
If I had children of school age in Hoboken, I’d be looking after their best interests first, closely followed by the interests of other citizens and taxpayers. For parents with children who want a great education and want to stay in Hoboken I propose:
Form more great public Charter Schools especially for grades up through high school. Offer jobs in these schools to the best teachers available – particularly teachers in Hoboken who will be forced out by union priorities as enrollment in public schools further declines.
Do the utmost to enable any parent who is concerned with their children’s education to be able to send them to the best schools, charter or otherwise.
Eliminate or reduce funding for all unnecessary public school programs that don’t give a child a better chance in the lives they will face as adults. Terminate highly paid staff in public schools as much as possible as long as there is no negative impact on educational results. Try to remove the least effective teachers while retaining the best even when the union fights this.
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
Theresa, I believe this is one of the best pieces you’ve written. I really hate lack of civility at public meetings. Seriously, you’ve been on both sides of BOE meetings. Is there any kind of rule about public behavior at such events. I fully support the first amendment but in my opinion, meetings and public speakers don’t have the right to cause disruption. Civility should be enforced as it is in courts of law.
In response to tburns who said:
Best wishes to Mr. Carter – the incoming Interim Superintendent.
The information from Plainfield was one piece of the puzzle not shared among the Board members before the vote – that is not his fault. Nor do I at any point suggest that he is unfit. I question the actions of the Board.
And rather than reflect critically – the people who post here attack me and try to shoot holes in my observations. OK. You won in April. So instead of excuses, I expect results. Better test scores, lowering of per-pupil costs, a smaller budget. Oh, yeah, and a truly great permanent superintendent.
And I want transparency and respect when I speak at Board meetings. No more eye-rolling and rudeness. No more telling people to “Shut UP!” Isn’t that the very least of what YOU would expect from ANY Board of Education?
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
Is there a job description for David Anthony’s job on the BOE. Is the secretary supposed to write minutes to document the meeting? I can’t find any. Do they exist somewhere? Are videos of BOE meetings being made and published anymore? Where please?
In response to Red Haven who said:
Here is something to ponder.
When David Anthony went from Board Member to Board Employee there was an outcry from those opposed to the then-board majority who called it a “Typical Hoboken backroom deal”.
If Jimmy Farina retires within the next two years and the new Zimmer majority tries to strike a deal to make Carol Marsh the new City Clerk, will those same voices be crying foul?
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
If a position can be created (i.e. board secretary) can’t it be eliminated if it is deemed unnecessary? Why should we pay for something we don’t need.
In response to poed who said:
I will try the shortest summary of the info I read…..Basically the Board secretary job was under the auspices of the Business Administrator (as a non paid “duty” of the BA position). When Curko (old BA)took a short leave, someone sat in and did this “duty” while someone else worked on the other BA “duties”. befoere Curko came back, the board quickly created a new PAID position out of this one “non-paid duty” of the BA and appointed then newly, stepped down board member- David Anthony. Hope this makes sense. Basically it was a non paid responsibility of the BA- Burns Raslowski, Rais, Farina and Kearns turned it into a paid position with full benefits and protected status (tenured)etc…
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
POED in post #85 said:
“In 2004 Mr. Carter, an African-American school administrator, filed a racial discrimination allegation against a major state educational agency.”
That is when he abruptly resigned as school supt of Ringwood NJ (July 2004) to spend more time with his family (Bergen Record).
I so far have not been able to find any more about Carter’s racial discrimination allegation and have no idea of there is any really relevant story here.
I don’t know anything about Peter Carter except he left Ringwood suddenly (real reason unknown) and left Plainfield because he (and the rest of his team who are now also in Hoboken) wanted more money from their BOE than they had agreed to when they took the job 5 months before. This stuff isn’t damning – but why not make it part of the public discussion?
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
Right on poed. No has made the case for the BOE Secretary paid position. Eliminate the position. We have to work within the system at hand. Create more and better public Charter Schools for all school grades. Give Hoboken kids better alternatives so they can escape Hoboken’s ineffective public schools. Give the taxpayers a break – eliminate hundreds of redundant and very expensive school system positions. I support the kids, not a system that takes my money and gives it to unions.
In response to poed who said:
sorry..typo…only about 20 districts and you can guess the size of those districts.
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
The contract for the Board Secretary is a public document. Can anyone tell us where to find it?
In response to poed who said:
First of all, stop trying to suggest that this position isn’t commonly held by the BA. It is common practice. Having a paid Board secretary is NOT. Even our our city council secretary is the responsibility of the City Clerk and is NOT a seperate paid position with bennies, a pension and guaranteed position. Your spin is amazing but fools no one.
Now to further clear up your spin…
David Anthony had no experience as a board secretary and clearly didn’t know the regulations… he got the district sued so many times for OPRA violations (thousands of dollars
in attorney fees) that the terms of one of the settlement agreements was that he be mentored.. all on the taxpayers dime…
Do we want to talk about the terms of david anthony’s contract… works up to 21 hours (this means as little as 0 hrs), can delegate all responsibilities and duties… all while working his full time job at the dmv…. and a $43,000 yr job, etc..
cronyism at it’s best… it is what it is….
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
BOE Secretary contract:
http://www.divshare.com/download/8234533-d17
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
estevens thank you. the contract is a specific one between the board and David Anthony. It certainly was irresponsibly agreed to by the BOE and may not be enforceable as it inaccurately states NJ statute. I won’t be too extensive here, but strongly believe the BOE needs to review this matter and expect to write a letter to them (assuming nothing more important comes up in the near future).
In response to estevens who said:
BOE Secretary contract:
http://www.divshare.com/download/8234533-d17
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
re: by state statute David Anthony does not now qualify for a pension.
18A:17-12.1. Secretary; retirement on pension; amount
The board of education of any school district may by resolution provide for the retirement on pension of a secretary of the board of education who has served in such office for 30 or more years on a part-time basis
Login or Register to reply
August 19th, 2009 |
Frances Rhodes-Kearns, what were you thinking when you signed the 2005 contract with David Anthony?
Login or Register to reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.