More fuel on the fire for the Fort Lee Board of Education Members and the Fort Lee School Administrators (damage to the physical plant as a result of Super Storm Sandy, resignation of Senior Administrators, leaves of absence for Senior Administrators,...) ! If this was a private corporation, all of these folks would be fired!

Fort Lee schools face a multitude of major issues. Calling for the BOE members to be fired makes great press, but serves no useful purpose. Castigating the “Senior superintendent” for a LOA after he lost his spouse is just “adding oil” to a fire. A better idea would be for community members to reach out to Sharon Amato, the interim Superintendent, and offer to assist. One of the owners of a local plumbing company offered his services gratus to do some work in one of the elementary schools prior to “Sandy”. I am certain there are others in the community that could offer services to help “rebuild”.

The union contract issue should be addressed expeditiously. The BOE should engage a professional negotiator and meet with Union officials ASAP. With a diligent effort, there is every reason to believe an equitable settlement can be reached and that we can retain those excellent teachers that are considering retirement.

Mr. Pearl: More people are quick to criticize the BOE rather than lend a helping hand as you suggest. You are an upstanding citizen and a very well respected member of the community. Perhaps you should consider holding office as a Council member. You always offer a solution to the problem at hand, rather than add an unsubstantiated dramatic response. "VOTE FOR PEARL 2013"

DITTO! Please run in 2013!
I will take you to task about offering free construction or any type of service into a school system---the SD is required by law only to contract specially licensed companies as well as go out to bid. This would be a general rule for anything going into a school (even to volunteer we need fingerprinting). The donation in large amounts may in fact cause federal, state and local funding issues.

This never really makes sense to private sector people-- public entities are guided by different regulations and those regulation become tighter and stricter to, rightfully so, protect our children.

So, offering moral and verbal support becomes more important sans of unfounded and emotional criticism. Cooperation and listening without prejudice, becomes the most effect form of support.
There is a shift coming up where 1/3 of the BOE is being replaced, there will be a learning period and those candidates deserve and need our support, as does the administration, as do our children.

Gentlemen; I respect your opinions but look at what has been happening the last number of years. Does it look like the BOE and / or the School Administrators have a firm grip? Look at the turnover at the top (of the school adminstration). Look at how the school renovation / expansion referendum was handled. Is this any way to run an operation? It is shame when a spouse passes away and I am in no way taking away from his (and his family's loss). With the amount of taxes that we pay (here in Fort Lee) we should be served better.

Tracy, I do respect and admire your comments. Many times good things come out of public and private undertakings. But please tell me who is running the ship (in terms of the Fort Lee School System)? Please see the point made by comment by William "Billy" Mays.

If someone can justify salary increases based on the following stats they must be living in la-la land. Fort Lee has 409 active & 330 retirees from the Board of Education.

http://www.starledger.com/str/indexpage/payrolls/active.asp

http://www.starledger.com/str/indexpage/payrolls/retired.asp

Time to start to cut costs & establish some fiscal responsibility. It's already way too late in the game, but we need to start somewhere.

William Mays,I must take exception to your America ranking on education.The last time I looked we are the only country to have landed much less reorbited off the moon.
And heck that was while I still was attending high school beach parties.For the recors,I'm older than dirt so we must be something right!!

Hmmm calling for School Board members to be fired? I was once a member of the Fort Lee Board of Education. It was the most thankless job in the world, and I received no salary. The only way to "fire" them is to elect others. The School Board has an enormous task ahead. As I see it, there is no Superintendant present and the Assistant just quit. Add to that the FLEA contract in April and a group of retirees to replace. We have a few new Board members just coming aboard who are going to learn under pressure. I suggest that the public gives the Board some breathing room to do what has to be done and try to right the ship.

To Willie May. Sir I don't think $40k is too much for a teacher. But if you look out of 409 current employees around 325 make above that figure and the remaining below either have a few years under their belt or they might be part time employees. Don't forget the retiree benefits that nobody seems to counts. Approximately 1/2 of the 330 retirees collect $40k a year or more. That sir is quite a bit of money for a retiree who can collect after 20 years of service and maybe live 20 more beyond. Where in private industry do benefits like that exist anymore?

To Baba O'reilly. Just use the links I provided in my earlier post. Currently we have 87 active policemen on the force and an incredible 190 that are retired ( a better than 2 to 1 ratio. Things like this are what brought General Motors to it's knees. Very often they retire as soon as they make their 20 year mark while their in their 40-50's and collect for 20 + years based on life expectancies. We just can't afford it anymore.

To William Mays: 325 out of 409 receive above $40K how many counselors does the town have? As for the pay where is the money coming from? Unless your a municipal employee yourself you can't be happy with the ever increasing bite your property taxes are taking out of your personal budget. Why does NJ in general have some of the highest tax rates in the country? Because of cushy contracts & rules, its the fault of the unions, over promises by politicians, and a horribly skewed arbitration process. This process needs to be reversed so the majority aren't suffering for the few.

Rona-- no one is happy about the taxes-- all of your concerns are what Gov Christie has been endlessly trying to change in the state--- and its at the state level that it will trickle down....

The 2% annual increase refers to the SD budget overall. There salary increases are contracted and must be part of that 2%- so yes, there are cases when the union contract will call for 3-4% increase. They are two different issues and should not be confused.
Where the BOE has the ability to negotiate is now - what will be the parameters of the new contract? What will be the salary step increases? So only there are we able to negotiate locally. The changes you seem to be interested in seeing are more universal.
This boe has a huge task of negotiating a new contract with FLEA but is still at the mercy of past practice as well as embedded expectation of the unions-- it won't be easy!

FYI. Many, many companies in the private sector have had salary freezes for several years, on the basis of tough economic times. Times are even tougher in the public sector, so why should everyone expect a salary increase every year?

Anna, agreed and maybe even some givebacks!

I can only speak for myself. When I was on the board of Education, Louis F Cole was the Superintendant. He was there when I got elected and, he was there when I left. Lou as his friends called him, was a career eductor and a dedicated man.Also the School Board Attorney was Joe Skelley, one of the brightest and sincerest men I have met. There was talk of Mr Cole's retirement and a replacement. It turned out to be Dr Sugarman who stayed there a long time. After that, things went downhill fast. We have had a few duds with Engravalle topping the list. If I was still on the Board, I would be looking for ways to part company with this man and get a qualified candidate. I have a friend who just retired as a Superintendant and one on the way up, who is a bright young man with a Docturate and a backround from great schools.
If he was to apply for a Superintendant vacancy he would be around for twenty years.

Most of the teachers my kids have had have been great. I think people should lay off them and focus on the administrators that keep slacking.