School Board Appoints Engravalle Acting Superintendent for Four Months

After voting 5-4 in late September to table a resolution that would have appointed Fort Lee Assistant Superintendent of Schools Steven Engravalle “Acting” Superintendent when Raymond Bandlow leaves the district on Oct. 31, and subsequently holding a special meeting to take public comment on the issue last week, the Fort Lee Board of Education voted unanimously Monday in favor of appointing Engravalle to the post for the next four months.

The school board also unanimously approved an accompanying resolution to solicit bids from superintendent search firms, including the New Jersey School Boards Association; Leadership Advantage; West Hudson Associates; Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates; Ray and Associates; Spencer Stuart; and McPherson and Jacobson, LLC.

“We will quickly get those proposals out to these firms,” said BOE president Arthur Levine. “I imagine they will respond rather quickly, given the state of the economy.”

But he added that the appointment of Engravalle as Acting Superintendent for four months was extendable “at the board’s pleasure.”

“It was the result of a great deal of board discussion; there was some back-and-forth, and we said four months,” Levine said. “But we can extend that at any time.”

The resolution appointing Engravalle Acting Superintendent from Nov. 1 through Feb. 29 also boosts his salary to $167,500 a year. The difference in salary will be prorated to four months for a total of $8,680 “to be paid $2,170 per month as a stipend.”

Board member John Bang, who made the original motion to table the agenda item at the BOE’s meeting on Sept. 26—a motion that was ultimately approved by a narrow 5-4 margin—after questions were raised about Engravalle’s background and suitability to take on the role surfaced, said Monday that he moved for the vote to be delayed because he “thought there was a value in slowing down the process and getting the public’s input.”

“I thought that we took a very important step last week with having better communication with the community,” Bang said. “There was an unintended consequence, however, that I think many people saw this delay as a lack of faith on this board’s part in Steve Engravalle’s qualifications.”

Noting that many things have been said since, both “for and against Mr. Engravalle,” Bang added, “The ironic nature of this situation is that if he had actually done something wrong and the board was really upset and taking measures, it would actually be less public because a lot of it would have to be kept confidential. Even though it was unintended, my daddy always taught me that if I get in a bar fight, and I hit the wrong person by accident, I should be man enough to apologize. I would like to make a public apology to Mr. Engravalle for any emotional [distress] or any embarrassment he may have suffered as a result of this.”

Speaking after the meeting, Engravalle told Patch he was “honored” and “humbled” to be to be offered “such a privileged position.”

“I swear not to let [the board or the public] down,” Engravalle said. “I came here to do the best job possible. I’m going to strive everyday to achieve that … I’m very, very appreciative of all the support and all the faith, and I certainly don’t take that lightly.”

In reference to Bang’s remarks, Engravalle said he had “tremendous respect” for him for “[going] out of his way to do something like that.”

“He and I met for several hours to have a conversation; we wanted to make sure that there wasn’t something that he was unclear about or unsure about with me,” Engravalle said. “We had kind of lost touch, and in the several hours that we spent together, I came to understand that that whole situation was not about me; it was nothing personal. It was about the process.”

Engravalle also acknowledged board members Charlie Luppino and Joseph Surace—both of whom voted in favor of tabling the resolution on Sept. 26, and who both also offered votes of confidence in him Monday.

“It was a gentlemanly thing to do to make sure that that was clear because perhaps it wasn’t clear to some folks,” Engravalle said. “I really do appreciate them going out of their way and making clear that it is not about them being hesitant about my candidacy; it was about the process that was taking place, and they felt a little uneasy about the way things were happening. I’m just overwhelmed by it in the sense that it was unexpected. I certainly think it’s going to be a great relationship professionally, and I think we’re going to be able to continue to do some great things.”

The school board also voted Monday to authorize SSP Architectural Group to submit plans to the state to convert the district’s current central office space on Whiteman St. into classrooms but dropped from the agenda a resolution that would have approved a five-year lease agreement to relocate the central office to 2175 Lemoine Ave.

Patch will have more on Monday’s BOE meeting, including a report on violence and vandalism in all six Fort Lee public schools, a presentation by principal Robert Kravitz, farewell remarks from outgoing Superintendent Raymond Bandlow, who was attending his final Fort Lee Board of Education meeting Monday, and a presentation by the Fort Lee Film Commission of a $3,000 check—funds raised through the film commission’s summer programming—to the high school’s Academy of Performing Arts.