Board of Education Appoints Motz and Parker to Fill BOE Seats.

The Board of Education began Tuesday’s meeting by announcing their decision to appoint candidates Jeane Parker, a journalist and Kate Motz, a small business owner to fill the seats vacated by Carolyn Williams and Marybeth Schaumberg earlier this year.

In contrast to previous meetings, the Board seemed much more relaxed; clearly the addition of two more members has eased the Board’s burden. Despite the fact that Motz and Parker abstained from voting on any resolutions, their presence added an ease and flow to Board proceedings.

After returning from an executive session BOE President James Ruban commented on the appointment of Motz and Parker.

“I would like to take a moment to again thank the community. We had seven incredible candidates; our deliberation was very difficult. The community did itself proud. We welcome our two new members,” Ruban stated.

BOE member Cathy Jakositz also commented on this process. “It was such a pleasure to see seven candidates come out. We thought we would only get one or two. We thank you so much for recognizing what a wonderful endeavor this is.”

The Board also took the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of , a senior at The Academy for Allied Health Sciences in Scotch Plains who was recently named an Eagle Scout; a great honor he received for his work at the Brighton Gardens senior citizen facility.  Dr. Jeannette Baubles presented Jennings with a certificate of recognition for his achievements.

“In my final days in the Mountainside School District, I reflect upon how blessed I have been, having had the opportunity to support you as your principal and to recognize you as your Chief School Administrator. I am extremely proud of you and will deeply miss you and your family,” Dr. Baubles remarked.

The Chief School Administrator’s Report continued with the introduction of this year’s Deerfield School Student Council. Student Council Advisor, Linda Shanahan introduced the new group of school leaders: President Kate Parker, Vice President William Lane, Treasurer Frances Hisgen, and Secretary Nadia Jlelaty. 

“Our council is an active one chosen by classmates to organize school activities, community service and various projects that help others and build character,” Shanahan stated.  

One of the highlights of the meeting was the presentation on the new Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights given by Anti-Bullying Coordinator and Director of Special Education Thomas Keenoy, and Deerfield Principal Kim Richards.  The presentation was exceptionally quick and efficient, highlighting the changes made to an already strong anti-bullying program that the district has been following since 2001. Read more on this story here.

The last BOE meeting stirred controversy due to a resident’s concerns regarding Board Secretary W. Daniel Saragnese’s. At Tuesday’s meeting, Saragnese took the opportunity to clarify the law and policy regarding subscription busing, records retention and management, the legal fees accrued by the district, as well as his credentials, all of which were called into question by one Mountainside resident.

Saragnese began by reflecting on his time working for the Piscataway Board of Education, noting that BOE members “were attacked by the public constantly.” He went on to state that a certain member of the public had questioned his credentials and capabilities to act as Board Secretary because he does not hold a MBA.

“I chose a different path,” Saragnese stated. He has a B.A. in Business Administration from Rutgers. Saragnese also holds a specialized Graduate degree from Rider University; a Masters of Arts in Educational Administration with a concentration in school finance. Saragnese also has over 30 years of experience working in this field and has worked as an adjunct teaching this subject.

BOE member Dante Gioia, who holds an MBA, supported the statements made by Saragnese. “A two year MBA does not discount over 30 years of experience. I want to lend my support and thanks to Mr. Saragnese,” Gioia stated.

In his clarification of the subscription busing presentation, Saragnese restated his position that he felt because of the incorrect capacity statistics he had been given the first time around, it would take him about two years to perfect this plan.  He noted that moving forward, his department can continue to improve the plan because the stats they have are now accurate.

An issue that was brought up by BOE members during Mary Post’s turn at the podium in the last meeting was the amount of requests she had issued for Board records. Saragnese went on to address the “do's and don’ts of requesting records” noting that a provision in the law protects him from “substantial disruptions.”

“This is the surest way that you will not get a record: if you violate school security and you burst in the door of my office, without signing in or obtaining a visitor’s pass, and without an appointment and you get in my face when I’m in the middle of a critical conversation with the Superintendent and my secretary, and you demand that I stop what I am doing immediately and get you records because you are an attorney; that is a bad thing to do. If that is the way you come in and ask me for a record I am going to tell you; you can have all the records you want but you better extend me some courtesy and you gotta ask nicely,” Saragnese explained.

BOE President Ruban also expressed his gratitude for Saragnese, who has worked diligently with officials in the police department and Governor Livingston on issues like transportation.

“I am very happy that we are involving other stakeholders back into our community and I thank you for repairing those relationships,” Ruban stated.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Mary Post briefly acknowledged that the scenario Saragnese had described was referring to an event that had occurred between the Board Secretary and herself “on March 1, at 10 a.m.” Determined to keep control of the public segments of this meeting, Ruban was able to calmly steer Post in the right direction.

This time around, the Board and Post communicated on an elevated level, listening and interchanging ideas in a respectful manner. It was also apparent that Post had managed to effectively communicate a suggestion to the Board regarding subscription busing.

“That is what intrigues me more than anything you have presented,” Vice President Christopher Minks said, examining a handout Post had prepared for the Board. “I want to know why that double line between Deerfield and Beechwood from the 2010/2011 school year shows roughly the same price as a single line for 2011/2012. That’s a $1000.00 difference, and in all honesty, that to me is something that needs to be understood. We should be paying a discounted number because it is not a double route.”

The Board expressed their gratitude for the calm and collaborative communication that occurred. Mrs. Post responded noting that her only goal is to save Mountainside some money.

Although Motz and Parker primarily acted as observers at Tuesday night’s meeting, they did participate in the restructuring of Board Committees. The position of a Berkeley Heights Liaison was filled by Dante Gioia. Kate Motz will serve as the PTA liaison.

Community Outreach Committee

After an engaging discussion regarding the formation of a community outreach committee, the Board collectively agreed that in order to better reach senior citizens and other residents who may feel disconnected from Board proceedings, a committee will be formed to get these residents involved and help them understand where their tax dollars are going.

The Community Outreach Committee will be run by Board member Carmine Venes. Motz and Parker, both of whom expressed a greater need for community outreach during the interview process, will join Venes in this effort.

Search Continues

Responding to a public comment made by Venessa Rittman, Ruban noted that new Chief School Administrator Dr. Nancy Lubarsky is currently spending a lot of time getting to know the staff and faculty of Mountainside. BOE members explained that because the Board is only allowed to appoint a CSA and cannot make any other hiring decisions, it is up to Dr. Lubarsky to find a replacement for Thomas Conroy, the former Supervisor of curriculum and Instruction, an endeavor she is fully committed to.  

As the meeting drew to a close, Board members made a point of thanking Dr. Baubles for her dedicated service to Mountainside schools. Carmine Venes expressed his gratitude noting that the Superintendent “has a lot to be proud of.”