Where is the compassion? Some empathy? Mr. Engravalle has brought more positive attention to the district than it has had in years. You can see his genuine love for the schools and his desire to bring us back to where we belong - on top. He is not a machine, he is human and has been dealt a very rough road to hoe. He needs our support, not attacks. I have lived in this town my whole life, and it used to be a very supportive and caring community. We never had the turmoil that exists now. Its really very sad. I would like to thank Mr. Engravalle for all he has done and for all I know he is yet to do. May God Bless you and your family.

The BOE = money hungry. 75% of the taxes I pay go to these leaches. I am single and have no kids, I'd rather have my money go towards emergency services and the dpw for better roads, etc, etc.

I'm one of the parents who tried to contact Mr. Engravalle multiply times. I do have empathy for what he went through in the last year, but one only has to go to a board meeting to see the MANY things that cannot be accomplished without the recommendation of the superintendent. He chose not to speak with me and I have no person vendetta against him. While that's not the end of the world it shows how disingenous his "open door" is for the average parent.

Good grief, where do I begin about this article?:

1) "Childen are still learning"? That's not the point. You've been MIA, so if the school system has still been able to function without you, then why should it still be paying you?

2) Passing the referendum is not an "accomplishment". After overzealous BOE members tried to pass unrealistic referendums on residents TWICE, voters said "yes" to the one that should have been the first referendum presented. Not something I'd be proud of to put on my resume.

3) Everyone handles death of a loved one differently. However, does anyone else believe he would have been MIA this long if he was working a 9-6 job making $50K with very limited sick and vacation days? It's insulting to everyone's intelligence.

Poor Mr.Engravalle, everyone is picking on him. His salary is $167,000, he should be able to afford a flu shot, or get to a doctor if he gets the flu. When I was working my parent passed and I took three days and got back to work like every one else does. My back hurts I take aleve or aspirin. Not good old staedy Steve. As I said in another post go get a man who has some Military training and get a man not a child to run your school.

Please, this man has an excuse for everything. It is time to stop this charade, the BOE has to get this man to perform his job and duties. If he does't start behaving like a competent superintendent of a good sized school district then fire him and get someone who can do the job. I have empathy for his lose but it is time to move on and start work

Some teachers have over 100 sick days over the years... doesn't mean they take them all in one year. Life does happen, but in life, you have to work. No one is judging his personal life, he is the one making excuses. Part of being superintendent is being visible and working with the community.

How did he even get 71 vacation days in the first place? In most places you'd be really lucky if you get 4 weeks a year. That is more than two months that he got over two years. Ridiculous.

Tracy - there are no restrictions on Mr. Engravalle doing his job. That's the point. He's not doing it. Somehow the rest of the administrators, the teachers, the B&G staff, and other district employees that have lost loved ones, suffered health problems, perhaps even financial hardship, have found a way to tirelessly and with singular focus give of their best to their jobs and our children. They're the ones that got us through a horrific hurricane, snowstorms, and a traumatic reminder of just how vulnerable our children can be. At the end of the day, all of us "opinionators" are just that - opinionators that have nothing to do with the actual running of the schools, which precludes us from interfering with Mr Engravalle's competency and the execution of his duties. If Mr. Engravalle was half the leader he touts himself to be, he would have found a way to leverage the tragedies he personally and surely many of the community members have endured, to pull us together as a community. Nevertheless, he continues to do be a condescending, arrogantly defensive, non-responsive, polarizing presence in our community. Can you guarantee that his apparent lack of judgment in his personal life will not flow over into his professional one? As it is, his professional energy does not seem to be directed to our district.

look at his contract... they get 27 vacation days a year plus 12 sick days and they carry over.

When bad decisions are made, there is always plenty of blame to go around. The BOE was too lax and Mr. Engravalle took advantage by abusing privilege.

Question: if Mr. Engravalle was married with children, and knew he would not be paid during this period, would he have had the option of a prolonged leave? Answer, definitively no.

Fact: Mr. Engravalle was not available during the Hurricane Sandy crisis. Ms. Amato was the only superintendent available.

Fact: Mr. Engravalle tells people to send him e-mails, that he will respond expeditiously and that he will meet with people. Truth: he responds when he chooses and does not always meet with people upon their request on a timely basis. Fact: How could he meet with people when he is not present in his office for 108 days since July 11, 2012, according to my calculations.

The verdict is in. Mr. Engravalle has not performed up to expectations and should allow Fort Lee to move forward.

Patrick, how many days he is entitled to or, how many days he has accumulated is irrelevant, he has been out of our district on Vacation / Sick time for 110 days since July 1st. He's obviously not interested in the district and even more importantly the children in Fort Lee! He should do the honorable thing and resign! Enough waiting for Christie or Cerf to give him a County / State level job, just resign for "personal reasons" and move on. The tax payers and children deserve better!

Well, I truely feel sorry for you people in Fort Lee. I'm from the district that Engravalle was in before coming to you. In the three years he was there, he left the school in shambles, with multiple law suits from teachers and staff. Peoples lives were ruined as he walked all over them.Stefani, you hit it on the head. He was the most condescending, arrogantly defensive, non-responsive, polarizing presence in our community. And Bert, I believe also, that he is just waiting for that call from Christie for a post. I believe he's using Fort Lee as a stepping stone, and will walk over you as he did in Hamburg. To read this article made me want to gag. Don't believe a word he says. Besides every thing that Stefani describes him as, he is also the most disingenuous person around. Good luck to you.

@LR and thank you for connecting the dots as to whom you associate with in Ft Lee. But I really hope you can get on with your life, carrying that much anger couldn't be good for you!

Btw - I really want ti hear what Sugarman says, if that is the Real Bert Sugarman.

Ms. Mattei, having days and using them are two different things. Why would he call-in sick on a Monday and Tuesday, be perfectly fine on a Wednesday to speak at a Charter School panel, then, drive 2 1/2 hours with a bad back to Atlantic City to attend Techspo on Thursday and Friday only to return and call-in sick for the entire following week! And, I am not sure if you have children in the FLSD but if you do, don't you think they are getting shortchanged?

His days out are not approved by the BOE, he calls in sick, vacation, personal, bereavement days to the BA, she marks them down and that's the process. 110 DAYS OUT and counting since July, he should be ashamed and you should be embarrassed for defending this, shame on you!

Tracy: There reaches a point where the gloves come off. As President of the Steve Engravalle Fan Club and stage door “groupie”, your loyalty apparently has no bounds.

You ask what I want. I want true dedication to the children of our district, not his family first always, including his 22 year old cousin. I'm not satisfied with his attention to our district when he gets around to it.
(1) Let’s stop pretending. She was not his WIFE, she was his EX-WIFE. Whatever feelings that he may have had, she was not a legal relative and therefore he would not even have had the option of a leave under the Family Leave Act.
(2) The BOE approving his leave does not justify how Steve took advantage. He basically abandoned Fort Lee during her illness.
(3) If he wants to come back with the dedication that is required, he first owes a whole bunch of apologies. He alienated individuals who previously supported him. I believe he has certain abilities to be a competent superintendent. But he made poor choices! Let him put his ego aside, apologize for his mistakes in judgment, and move forward. Until he does that, there is no door open.
(4) Amato is not the issue. Steve Engravalle was nowhere to be found, i.e. incommunicato, during the storm. I was directly involved with members of the BOE, who verified that, including the Mayor. There were major emergencies with two of the schools and the Superintendent needed to be there.

He needs to just leave. He cannot take credit for anything that happened this year because he hasn't been there. If a teacher was out this much in one year, they would be fired. Does he have doctors notes for each one of his absences after his leave? While I do feel bad for him for the loss of his ex wife - was she the one that bankrupted him before he started in Fort Lee - he needs to do his job. If we cannot do his job, he needs to quit. If he needs to focus on his mental health, then do that and let someone else do it. What he has done and what he will do is irrelevant. The fact is that he is getting paid a huge salary and doesn't show up to work. The reason things get done is because he has good people working below him. The teachers, supervisors, principals, vice principals, guidance councilors, and office staff are the reasons things get done in this district. They can do it with or without him, but they do need a leader who does what is best for the district and works with everyone; teachers and staff. Not someone who fires people because of 1 parents complaints and then in turn says that parents are bullying him. If he wasn't so arrogant we would feel bad for him. Do your job and stop finding every loophole to get out of it.

Well well well, Steve Engravelle has at least one major accomplishment to add to his self glowing record of accomplishments. He has single -handedly gotten the majority of people in Fort Lee together. Unfortunately for Stevie they think his job skills and performance stinks.

Ms. Mattei, I will disengage now because your obsessive, fanaticism of Mr. Engravalle is frightening. But, to answer your question, if being out of our School district for over 110 days in a 6 month span does not equal him not caring about the children of Fort Lee, you are sadly mistaken. The deflection and smoke and mirrors PR campaign your are on on behalf of Mr. Engravalle is sad and I hope you are getting well compensated for it.

Good idea. I will disengage to, I can't be bothered with trying to converse with the same few AKA's commenters.
I truly just wanted one person who could engage in a civil, objective, reasonable exchange of opinion. Not in Ft Lee!

@Tracy,

Has it occurred to you that the reason why you cannot find that one person who shares the same exact opinion you do on this topic for a simple reason.....which is because you are wrong?

You sincerely mean well for the kids in town and have donated many hours of your time to the community which is commendable. However, It's possible that because you see the same old folks with the pitchforks who look for reasons to complain and gripe at BOE meetings, pop up again because of Engravalle, it has shrouded your opinion on this. This time they're right as the guys actions cannot be defended.

Lastly, I believe your post that Colabro was done in by people hurts your cause. This person was way in over her head, unqualified to be the Superintendent and another of a long list of examples of poor decisions by the BOE over the years.

To Keith: That's a good boy. Keep pounding away at the Abbott Decision. Even if no one listens, you are 100% correct.

To Tracy: If you truly believe that you are the only one propounding intelligent commentary in Fort Lee, you might need some a serious wake up call. Bias ≠ intelligence.

My question is if we had "a $2 million surplus", then why are we paying an $150 activity fee per high school student and 10 cent a copy for tests (if the teacher lets you take it home)? Can someone please explain this to me, I would be most appreciative.

Martha: There is no surplus, in truth, our budget does not even cover the educational expenses each year. It is a numbers game that involves having a balanced budget.
FYI: The $ 150 activity fee has now been replaced with endless fundraising by the team members. Inevitable, the parents of the athletes foot the bulk of the bill. As for copies of tests costing ten cents a copy, I believe it is safe to say that this fee is a method of discouraging parents from requesting copies.

Tracy – every time you so vehemently defend Mr Engravalle I can’t help but be reminded …"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." I would have loved nothing more than to have spent the last 8 months eating humble pie at what an outstanding job Mr. Engravalle had done as Superintendent. I would have made it a point to publicly thank him for rising above the fray. Unfortunately I was not afforded that opportunity. According to the District’s Policy #1230 that outlines the Superintendent’s Duties, Clause H states “In the discharge of his/her responsibility as liaison officer to the public, the Superintendent shall:
1. Strive to interpret the needs of the school to the public and the concerns of the public to the Board;
2. As appropriate, involve members of the public in the review of district needs, community needs, and the operation of the school programs;
3. Keep the public informed about the accomplishments and problems of the school district;
4. Cooperate with the news media; and
5. Work effectively with municipal government officials and public agencies concerned with the welfare of pupils.”
Let’s just ignore 2012, because as Howard pointed out, there is enough blame to go around. Nevertheless, Mr. Engravalle is still not meeting these requirements!

By the way, Tracy, you have a blog here on Patch. If we are all so ignorant of Mr. Engravalle’s myriad virtues and accomplishments, feel free to extol them there. Perhaps if you refrain from being derogatory and flippant about Fort Lee community members with opinions different to yours, you could engender a civil, objective, reasonable exchange of opinion. A parting thought: An elderly gentleman is driving down the highway when he hears an announcement on the radio “Beware a vehicle driving the wrong direction!” His immediate response is “Not one … many!!!” I sincerely hope you don’t have a head-on collision!

Ugh! Well I tried to stay away but sometime this is too much fun! (?) I will come after your arguments when its emotional rhetoric, calling names or just posting angry assumptions of another's character when you have no personal knowledge of them. I need fact, not fantasy, the whole story not partial interprteatations or rumor. ie-- why an employee is out is not important when they have the benfit time. Plain and simple but it works.
All we have done here is argue in a circle,and although entertaining, its gone too far - my concern is the education of the children in this community and all too often I see and hear powerful citizens using their platforms for other things.My interest is that our kids are receiving a curricula of 'missed opportunity' for learning, but they sure know how to take standardized test; our kids are attending school in not so safe and extremely overcrowded bldgs, and we are fully dependant on some really great teachers, when we should be supporting them with more.
We, as the community of Ft Lee have gone through too many leaders in the same manner and that needs to stop. Our BoE needs to understand its own role in policy making and allow the adminstration to manage education. The politics needs to stop. There are children involved who end up being vicitimized because we are all too busy maligning every superintendant.So, I ask that we stop this ever convoluted and refocus on education.
PS my real opinion will never be posted here about the super!

Insanity reigns in this town. Plain and simple. They do not understand that contracts in the government sector offer leave and sick benefits far superior to the private sector . I think changes in those areas are way over due , however if the leave is lawful there is nothing you can do about it.
The fact remains that any new super you get will have about a three month honeymoon and then they will feel the Ft Lee wrath . People talk about how great Sugarman was , but if they loved him so why did they vote down his referendum ? They loved him after he left. Good luck finding anyone who has seen the vitriol of this community
apply here.

Tracy, facts are simple, he's now been out of OUR district for 115+ days and counting. Over 15 of those days are not approved/authorized because he is being docked pay for those dates. Those are FACTS! He has abandoned OUR school district by being an absentee administrator, repeatedly threw our teachers under the bus by constantly wanting to break their union and put them under a fine microscope so he can fire them at will, disrespected our Mayor, Council and Police Chief by contradicting their security approach and, most disgustingly, he has disregarded OUR children through his selfishness!

I once again say, SHAME ON YOU for supportint this behavior, dredging up the past BS and blaming a BOE who has 4 new members! Let's remember, the BOE you so quickly trash that gave us Mr Engravalle and "approved" all this comp time was the previous BOE made up of mostly Engravalle "followers" like yourself.

The assumption that you are the only one who cares about the education of our children is totally delusional and ludicrous. Many of us have fought to improve the conditions of the schools and to support our fine teachers and will continue to do so.
Your statement, “why an employee is out in not important”, shows a lack of basic knowledge regarding business. True professionals often do not even use their accrued time, while working long hours of dedicated service. True professionals do not abuse that privilege, clearly the case here.
The BOE has failed in its responsibilities over the years. Hopefully, the current Board will perform better.
As for maligning superintendents, criticism comes with the territory. Several superintendents performed poorly and/or made poor choices, Mr. Engravalle included. His political and other inappropriate tweeting was offensive to the residents of Fort Lee. There were opportunities for him to reach out to the community, but he failed to do so. He could have proved his critics wrong with a stellar performance. Instead he chose the path of resistance and indifference, e.g. failure to attend BOE meetings.
If you want to prevail in a debate, you need facts and statistics. Your opponents have 110+ days absent as a fact; failure during a crisis as a fact; failure to reply to e-mails and to schedule meetings as a fact. He did accomplish certain positives, but his total performance was sub-par.

"Eighty percent of success is showing up" - Woody Allen