Schools

BOE Approves Engravalle's Contract as 'Interim' Superintendent

Public expresses frustration and even anger with the way the school board is handling the search for a permanent superintendent.

Formerly Acting Superintendent of Schools Steven Engravalle is officially “acting” in the role no longer, after the approved a walk-in resolution at its regular business meeting Monday approving his contract as Interim Superintendent through Feb. 29.

But the meeting, which grew heated at times, was dominated by discussion of when a search for a permanent superintendent would be conducted and where the search process stands now, with some members of the public openly criticizing the board for what they saw as a lack of transparency and potentially doing damage to its own public image and trust.

Board secretary and business administrator Cheryl Balletto explained the walk-in resolution and the reason for the change from “acting” to “interim” in the language of Engravalle’s contract, the terms of which remain the same as the one the board approved in October, when it initially appointed Engravalle Acting Superintendent for four months and also approved a resolution to solicit bids from superintendent search firms.

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“It got put on a resolution in October, where he was called the ‘Acting’ [Superintendent],” Balletto said. “We then had to send the contract to the Executive County Superintendent of Schools for a review and approval. Once we get the approval, we then have to go back on another agenda for then the board to approve that contract.”

She added that she received the letter from the county approving Engravalle’s contract and recommending that the “acting” designation be changed to “interim” at 2 p.m. Monday.

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“This is simply just now after county approval, approving the contract,” Balletto said.

In answer to one of the main questions of the night, first asked by Fort Lee resident Ada Garcia, “How is the board doing with the search [for a permanent superintendent]?” board president Arthur Levine said, “The board is still going through the process.”

“And since this issue implicates personnel issues, we have no further information at this time,” Levine said. “When we do, we’ll certainly share it with the public.”

Fort Lee resident Paula Colbath said she found that answer “totally unacceptable,” adding, “We’re entitled to know what the status [of the search] is.”

Citing a letter to parents and community members the board published on Sept. 20, Colbath quoted the board in part as saying, “We are committed to actively seeking the best qualified and most capable candidate for the position of superintendent.”

“That’s what you told the public in September,” Colbath said. “Further to that, on Oct. 17, you approved a resolution unanimously to solicit proposals from seven firms. Since then you’ve told us that you’ve added a number of other firms to the list … We want to know when you’re going put this on an agenda and hire a firm and do a legitimate search. It’s the most important function of this board … When is the board going to retain a firm? When is the board going to post it so somebody who is currently employed by the district can make an application?”

Board attorney Yaacov Brisman pointed out that the resolution approved by the board in October was simply to solicit proposals, not necessarily to hire a firm. He also backed Levine’s comments that the board couldn’t provide any more information Monday because “there are people that are currently employed by the district that might be candidates for the position.”

“The public is not privy to all those discussions that take place because, again, they will implicate certain employees,” Brisman said. “This board is limited to openly sharing; that’s the purpose of having closed, executive sessions.”

Several members of the public however repeated the message that they were dissatisfied with the board’s answers, or what they saw as a lack thereof, especially when it came to the question of the status of the search, and expressed frustration with the process thus far.

“We were told we’d have a search,” said Fort Lee resident David Sarnoff. “To my knowledge, the position has not been posted. I think as a community, we should be entitled to have the best possible candidate. And if it’s Mr. Engravalle, I would be the first one to wish him well.”

Expressing a sentiment repeated by others who attended Monday’s meeting, Sarnoff added, “We [need] an open, public search for the best possible candidate for the superintendent of a $55 million to $60 million board of education, and I don’t understand why it’s taken so long. I don’t understand why it hasn’t even been posted.”

“I strongly urge the board to conduct a public search,” Sarnoff said. “Because we’d like to move forward with this issue.”

Board member Charlie Luppino emphasized that the school board takes into account the opinions of “thousands of people,” and then makes decisions based on what they think is right for the district.

“That’s what we were voted in to do,” Luppino said. “We all have our opinions; there are nine very strongly willed people [on the board] who care very much about this district.”

He also said that the board’s decisions “99.8 percent of the time” are based on what is best for the more than 3,500 children in the school district.

“I don’t think that you can get a 20 percent consensus on what is the right thing for the district,” Luppino said. “But the nine of us have to decide that, and after listening to the people, and after much discussion and argument and fighting and our beliefs, we come up with a decision.”


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