State Wrap: New Teacher Tenure Plan, Arson Charges for Firefighter, State of the County Address in Essex

Acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf Wednesday afternoon that would revamp tenure for New Jersey teachers, calling for “demonstrated student learning” to be part of the tenure process along with yearly evaluations and a plan to strip tenure from teachers who are not meeting requirements.

Under the proposal, teachers rated effective or highly effective for three consecutive years would be granted tenure. Teachers would lose tenure if they failed to meet requirements for two consecutive years.

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The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) to discuss progress made in the redevelopment of the fort property as it prepares to close in September. An infrastructure report and business plan for the property is being developed by Matrix Design Group, which will be shared with FMERA upon completion.

"We want to help create an atmosphere whereby employers will employ, and investors will invest, so that the residents of Monmouth County and New Jersey will survive the closure of this fort and ultimately thrive," FMERA Secretary and Executive Director Bruce Steadman said.

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A highly contentious and long-awaited ordinance amending Hoboken's law was Wednesday night at a council meeting that lasted until almost 2 a.m. Under the new ordinance, Hoboken tenants will have a two-year window to claim any over-charge or excess rent, and they can only collect two years. Currently there is no statute of limitations.

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Jason Campbell, a Parsippany volunteer firefighter and member of the Morris County Sheriff's Office, was with several counts of arson, burglary and official misconduct, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. Campbell, 32, is accused of allegedly setting two fires in town, one apparently with the help of a youth he was in charge of supervising, the prosecutor's office said.

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Without state aid, the Montclair school board will have to in order to stave off a hike in school taxes, Superintendent Dr. Frank Alvarez told a packed school board meeting Tuesday night.

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Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. delivered his annual Tuesday in Cedar Grove, where he touted accomplishments from his previous two terms and spoke of the work that lies ahead. A crowd of hundreds that included mayors, state legislators, division directors, county employees and freeholders gathered in the auditorium of the $58 million Essex County Hospital Center, which, completed in 2006, was an early feather in DiVincenzo's cap.

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The Hillsborough Pathmark is one of 32 A&P-owned grocery stores by the end of April, according to court documents filed Tuesday.

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West Caldwell’s governing body said Tuesday it will if the Police Benevolent Association would not agree to cost-saving concessions by the next council meeting on March 1.

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Ocean County's is "past $2 million and heading for $3 million,’’ County Administrator Carl W. Block said after reviewing reports on the cost of clearing 620 miles of county roads of snow that has fallen repeatedly since the Dec. 26 blizzard.

On Monday, Atlantic and Cumberland counties were added to a list of 13 New Jersey counties to receive a federal disaster declaration related to the Dec. 26 storm. The declaration also covers Bergen, Burlington, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset and Union counties.

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U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) announced Wednesday that nine New Jersey fire departments and one ambulance squad received a total of $2,396,338 in federal funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) programs. Municipalities receiving grants included Bridgeton, Ridgewood, Hamilton, Landisville, Edison, Bogota, Wood-Ridge, Hoboken, Harrisonville, and Cherry Hill.