School board to discuss personnel.
The Fort Lee Board of Education sent public notice on Monday that it will be discussing personnel matters on Thursday, June 20. According to the public notice, the board will meet at Fort Lee High School at 6:15 p.m. and immediately go into closed session to discuss personnel. The board will reopen the meeting at 6:20 p.m. for public session, where official action may be taken. See the attached PFD for more.
Familiar faces have filed for seats on the school board.
Three incumbents and one challenger will be vying for three seats on the Fort Lee Board of Education in November. According to the Bergen County Clerk's office, incumbents Yusang Park, Candace Romba, and Carmelo Luppino Jr. officially filed to be placed on the ballot. Candidate Jeffrey Weinberg, a former Bergen County Prosecutor's Office detective, will also appear. Weinberg also previously worked as a residency officer in the district. Check back for more on the upcoming election in the coming days and weeks.
Upcoming meeting is scheduled for June 10.
The school board on May 20 voted unanimously to modify the meeting schedule in 2013, and has also submitted a public notice for the hiring of a school auditor. On Monday, June 10, the board will hold a private work session from 6:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. No action will be taken during the private session. The board will conduct its regular public meeting at 8 p.m. at Fort Lee High School, located at 3000 Lemoine Avenue. Official action will be taken at the regular board meeting. Check out the attached document. The board has also posted a public notice to award a contract for an auditor. The notice reads: The Fort Lee School District has awarded a contract without competitive bidding as a professional service pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-18A-5a(…
Resident Howard Pearl argues the school board cannot justify hiring an interim business administrator while Cheryl Balleto is on maternity leave. Agree? Disagree?
The contract expired Tuesday, with negotiations not scheduled to begin until mid-May.
Contracts expired for Fort Lee teachers at the end of April with meetings yet to take place between union representatives and the board of education, setting the stage for a potentially long renegotiation to begin this month. The contract that expired Tuesday had been negotiated in 2010, a year before the then current collective agreement was set to expire. But, board of education business administrator Cheryl Balletto says, that process had taken place under unique circumstances. A $3 million state aid cut that year had brought the parties together to renegotiate health coverage, Balletto said, and move from a private plan to the NJ State Health Benefits Plan to save money and minimize staff cuts. But that unique scenario aside, both …
The board will explore possible updates to its current policy on hiring relatives of district employees.
The Board of Education, citing patterns across the country of nepotism in school hiring, discussed updates Monday night to its policy on hiring relatives of current district employees. “We have a large number of teaching positions that will be available,” Board President Yusang Park said, “and I think now is a good time for us to study the policy to make sure: Do we have the right policy in place? Is it strong enough to keep the integrity of the system in place?” The current policy on nepotism, which the district adopts as a precondition for obtaining state aid, bars the hiring of immediate and extended family members—including in-laws—of the superintendent and members of the board of education. The policy can be circumvented only with the…
6:21 pm on Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Kudo's to the board. The whole town should reevaluate itself because I believe nepotism has been rampant through the years. more ›
Take a look at what's going on in Fort Lee this week.
The Fort Lee Board of Education will be meeting Monday in a Private Work Session from 6:30 pm to 8 pm at the Fort Lee High School Library/Media Center on the second floor. No action will be taken at the Private Work Session. The regular business meeting will begin at 8 pm in the High School Library/Media Center on the second floor. Official Action will be taken. On Wednesday, the Fort Lee Film Commission and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission is presenting a one-night film festival "Gangs in Fort Lee" at the Fort Lee Historic Park. This festival celebrates the origins of the gangster film genre that began in Fort Lee with D.W. Griffiths "Muskateers of Pig Alley." Fort Lee Film Commissioner, Tom Meyers, and Palisades Interstate Park …
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Fort Lee's administrative group publicly gives support to Dr. Sharon Amato, asking Board to appoint her Superintendent of Schools.
Speaking on behalf of Fort Lee's Administrative Group, Fort Lee High School Principal Priscilla Church and School No. 1 Principal Rosemary Giacomelli read a statement to the Board of Education placing unanimous support behind Acting Superintendent Dr. Sharon Amato in consideration for her appointment as Superintendent of Schools. Before an audience filled with teachers and administrators, Church stressed to the Board that the Fort Lee School district has been in transition since the departures of Dr. Alan Sugarman and Dr. John Richardson. Since they left the district, "Their long tenure in the district and steady course has not been recaptured," Church said. She emphasized that it was their personal investment in the community that …
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9:18 pm on Saturday, April 6, 2013
Every candidate should sit before every parent in Fort Lee for an interview... oh wait don't you elect representatives to speak on your behalf? more ›
Preliminary budget includes $1 million allocation towards potential property acquisition to appear on November ballot, if approved.
The Fort Lee Board of Education held its annual public budget presentation Thursday, detailing the roughly $61.9 million 2013-2014 school budget, which would raise taxes an estimated $82 on a home valued at $500,000. The proposed budget represents an increase of approximately $2.7 million over the 2012-2013 budget, or 4.65 percent. The school district highlighted the following details, among others, at its budget presentation Thursday: The roughly $2.5 million capital outlay, withdrawn from the Capital Reserve, would go in part toward security system upgrades, renovating the high school gym and the purchase of smart boards. According to the draft budget, 37 percent of general fund expenditures would go toward regular instruction under the …
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9:55 am on Monday, April 1, 2013
Great observation! I am surprised that no one else has picked-up on this; unless of course everyone else is so disgusted (that they have had it)!. more ›
Due to the absence of the former Superintendent, and inclement weather, the district's 2012-2013 goals will be a modified version.
At a recent Board of Education meeting, Alfred Annunziata, Field Service Representative from the New Jersey School Boards Association, met with the Board members to discuss their goals for the 2012-2013 school year. Board President Jimmy Park said that goal setting is usually done sooner in the school year with input from the Superintendent, but this school year "that hasn't been the case." Annunziata said that once the district goals are established they become the basis of the superintendent's evaluation. However, Superintendent Steven Engravalle submitted his resignation to the Board effective March 4. His time off to attend his wife's funeral this summer, along with his two-month leave of absence and inclement weather, played a role in…
Abigail M
9:06 am on Monday, May 6, 2013
I think that you son will be successful and happy in what ever profession he chooses. Also, history is a great subject to study and won't lead to unemployment, so matter what anyone says. Good history teachers are hard to find. If your sons is a good teacher, he'll be fine. more ›