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Schools

Mountainside Board of Ed Focuses on Filling Chief School Administrator Position

Board defers search for Supervisor of Curriculum, addresses additional State Aid and hears busing update.

Discussion of the hiring process for filled Tuesday’s Mountainside Board of Education meeting as the board must hire a new Chief School Administrator following the resignation of Dr. Jeanette Baubles.

According to Board President James Ruban, the job opening was posted on Sunday, July 24 and resumes will be accepted until Sunday, August 1.

Interviews will be held as early as next week, schedule permitting. Ruban explained that members of the Mountainside Education Association (MEA), Mountainside Education Foundation (MEF) and Parent Teacher Association (PTA) will be involved in the selection process and encouraged members of the community to reach out to these organizations.

“I’d prefer us to do it right rather than do it quickly,” said board member and Chair of the Personnel/Negotiations Committee Mary Beth Schaumberg.

While stating her intention was not to complicate the hiring process, Schaumberg suggested holding a meeting with members of the MEA, MEF and PTA prior to scheduling interviews. The meetings will serve as a strategy session and allow the members of the various organizations to prioritize candidate requirements, plan interview questions and determine a schedule.

Ruban and other board members agreed that the meeting would be helpful, adding it to their planned hiring process. The board also explained the lengthy interview process

Members of the organizations and the Personnel/Negotiations Committee will conduct the first of two rounds of interviews. The panel will be split in two, with each candidate being interviewed by each panel separately for approximately one hour. The panel will then reconvene, review the results of the interviews and select the top candidates. The second round of interviews will be conducted by the Mountainside Board of Education, who will select a new Chief School Administrator.

Members of the community voiced varying concerns with the vacancy and the hiring process.

“It would appear that Mountainside is without effective leadership,” said community member Kate Diskin, while she expressed her concerns over the rush to a appoint a new chief school administrator and suggesting the board consider hiring an interim administrator while giving the search for a permanent replacement more time. “I encourage the board not to act quickly and hastily, but professionally and cohesively,” said Diskin, an educator who emphasized the direct impact leadership has on both the moral of teachers and the education of students.

“Everyone will rise to the occasion,” said MEA President Suzanne Jenks, ensuring that the Mountainside teachers will maintain their high standards and level of success in leading and educating students. “No worries, the first day will be great.”

Former board member Scott Schmedel questioned the board over how many people would be involved in the interview process, voicing a preference to have the same individuals interview every candidate.

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Community member Tracy Murdoch echoed Schmedel’s concern. The board did not guarantee this would be the case, citing a time-consuming interview schedule, possibly lasting several days, as a reason for members of the interview panel to change throughout the hiring process.

When Jenks addressed the board, she addressed Schmedel and Murdoch’s concern, saying she will require members of MEA who wish to be involved in the hiring process to attend all meetings and interviews.

During the President’s Report, Ruban also noted that the board did review resumes for the Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction position, but has deferred the search for a replacement until after a Chief School Administrator has been selected.

That position became vacant when Thomas Conroy resigned after five years of service. The resignation was accepted at the board meeting.

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Board Vice President Christopher Minks was careful to clarify that the board will definitely return focus to hiring for this position and may revisit the resumes already received.

The balance of the meeting consisted of an update from the district’s Business Office regarding the reception of additional state aid and the progress of the subscription busing program.

School Business Administrator Daniel Saragnese began by announcing the $144,651 in additional state aid will be deferred to the 2012-2013 fiscal year for future tax relief. The decision to defer the additional aid was based on the recommendation of the Union County Executive County Superintendent. The state stipulated that the additional aid could only be used in an emergency basis or only used for special education purposed during the 2011-2012 year.

“The option for immediate spending was not available to us,” said Saragnese, who added that the district also received $15,660 in transportation aid from the 2010-2011 school year which will be rolled over for tax relief once the fiscal year is closed out.

Saragnese also outlined final changes to the district’s busing service. The district will continue to use all five buses provided by National Express (formerly operated as Vogel Transportation). Each bus will have two tiers instead of three. The routings include 250 K-8 students being transported, including 100 subscription riders. Another 250 students will be transported to Governor Livingston High School. All five buses will pick up from Deerfield School, then all five buses will pick up students from Beechwood School, in an attempt to stagger the arrival of buses and cars in the school parking lots.

With the final cost per student being $2.56 per day instead of the projected $3, Saragnese received approval from the board to lower the subscription cost from $540 to $475 per pupil.

“I was hoping we could do better than that,” said Saragnese of the $52,000 total savings from eliminating courtesy busing. Saragnese cited rising fuel costs and lower ridership as sources for the savings falling short of what was projected. As reiterated by Schaumberg, Saragnese always stated that subscription busing ridership typically increases in the years following the institution of the program and the board hopes for this trend to hold true in Mountainside.

In conjunction with the busing program, Dr. Baubles and Saragnese have met with Mountainside Police Chief James Debbie regarding student safety and traffic resulting from the busing changes.

Conversation included the possibility of a crossing guard being posted at the intersection of Wood Valley and New Providence roads, with other posts being suggested by board members to be added to the discussion.

Dr. Baubles and Saragnese also requested two officers be posted at the schools each day during drop-off and pick-up times, and given the job of directing traffic. The district would like these officers to be similar to those on an “off-duty job,” where the officers cannot be taken off the post due to a call.

Given the expense and odd work hours created by this request, Dr. Baubles conceded that receiving this type of police presence is a long shot, but that the district would be remiss not to make the request.

Finally, the August board meeting will be changed from Tuesday August 30 to Wednesday August 24. The change will allow the board time to act on additional staff member retirements and coinciding hirings. The meeting change will also change the scheduled pickup of student assignments. A revised date will be included in the automated message scheduled for this Friday, July 29.

In an exclusive interview with Patch last week, Dr. Baubles explained her reasons for her resignation.  

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