Use That Gavel!

Hello folks! Its been a long time since my last post. I wish I had more of a reason, other than frustration with the BOE and gallery. Sometimes I sit in the meetings with a sense of relief that things are moving along and we are making progress, and then it stops like the screeching halt of a freight train and derails into a heap of misunderstood rhetoric and piles of heated emotion. The details change, but it’s the same story: three steps forward, eight steps back. If it were not for a few BOE members and Administration, who do understand that the ultimate impact of decisions is the benefit of our children, I think I would have thrown my hands up and given up. Thanks to them and my unending desire to make things better for children, I will continue to attend and advocate where needed.

Before I go into another open letter to the BOE ...

There is one very large concern that the parents of the Fort Lee School System and the general public need to be aware of. We do not have enough upper level management. Yes, I said it. We have an Acting Superintendent; no permanent anything. It's too thin up top! What happens if he has a death in the family, is in a car accident or is ill? Hire someone at 1k a day to sit there and not run the district, just for the piece of paper? Not a good decision! We have no employee who can take the helm. A standard certificate as a Superintendent is a requirement. There was talk that we should hire an acting assistant superintendent, but is that really the best solution? If another person takes the helm, Steven Engravalle gets his old job back. So what would happen then? Right now, we have no Director of Guidance, the HR Director in charge of the much-publicized Anti Bullying Laws and a Business Administrator as the Affirmative Action Administrator. Ugh! What are we going to do next?

I hope we can create permanency, whatever the details might be. There is no doubt that I have been an Engravalle supporter, and I still think he is the best person for the job. We need a no nonsense, truth speaking leader at the helm to clean up the mess of process and procedure in our school district, be champion for our already incredible teachers and, most of all, do what is right and moral for our children. We (my husband and I)  trust him with our children’s education and that is saying more than anything. Take a look http://superintendent.flboe.com, and remember what he has done in a few short weeks and how he has cared for our children.

So! Here is another open letter to the BOE!

Dear BOE Members,

You all have some job to do! It’s been some of the most difficult and wonderful situations a BOE can face over the past year (referendums and Superintendent replacement, failing school and schools of excellence) and the work involved is not easing up at all.

One place I think needs some emphasis is control of BOE-Gallery interaction. This is a formal meeting of state officials; it is not a free-for-all, nor a discussion. You are  BOE members, whom the people of Fort Lee have elected and rely on for the management of the greater picture, remember that you are sitting where you are, not us. When you are addressing/answering questions from the gallery/audience, abide by the rules, answer the questions, pass it to the experts where needed and move on. Transparency is subjective; just be forthright. The public definition of transparency is different than what the school districts can be due to laws and regulations. Process or procedure can be disclosed, not details. However, you need to have a working knowledge of the process and procedures. If you do not, please do not try and ‘explain away.’ Your gallery is smarter than that. Don’t get caught in the minutia of rhetoric that is meant to incite reaction and use that gavel!

When the session is closed and its time for discussion or motions to approve agendas, please know we are there, witnessing it. More often than not, it is obvious that there are special interests, lack of reasonable working knowledge of common process and procedures and comradery among some gallery members. This is a huge point of frustration for me, because the only interests you should have is what is best for Fort Lee, and moreover what is best for the students--all students. All too often, I am seeing that there is less interest in what is best for our children and more in undermining each other and the administration. This is a dangerous route to take and will cause stagnation. Perhaps, that is why we are overcrowded and so delayed in repairing our schools? Too many special interests groups for too long!

The last issue I will raise is the imperative need to establish a permanent Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent and support Administration, whatever that might be. Keeping the district in this state of flux is simply becoming unreasonable. We deserve better than that.

Thanks,

Tracy Mattei