Week in Review: Police Suspended, BOE Candidate Challenges Superintendent and Great Performances

Three Fort Lee Police Officers were suspended after an incident last Saturday in which police left five teenagers locked in a police van after breaking up a house party, Mayor Mark Sokolich said.

The five minors were left “forgotten” in the van outside police headquarters in freezing temperatures for more than 14 hours. Police broke up the party in response to complaints of noise from neighbors at 1:30 a.m. Saturday, and that officers became aware of the error when a passing officer heard screams and banging coming from the van. (read  full article)

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On April 27, Fort Lee voters will go to the polls to elect three Board of Education members out of a field of six candidates. At the BOE meeting Monday, one of those candidates made comments suggesting that Fort Lee Superintendent of Schools Raymond Bandlow took part in campaigning efforts for the three incumbent candidates—Peter Suh, Michelle Stux-Ramirez and Joseph Surace—by attending and speaking at a campaign kickoff and fundraising event organized by Suh earlier this month.

First-time school board candidate Helen Yoon's concerns stem from a March 21 event at on Lemoine Ave. organized by Suh as a campaign kickoff and fundraising event for the three incumbents. The event, Yoon pointed out, was covered by Korean media outlets MKTV and KNN, which are broadcast on cable. (read full article)

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The Fort Lee Board of Education moved its regular business meeting Monday evening to the School No. 1 gymnasium to accommodate the large crowd that turned out for the unveiling of the 2011-2012 budget upon which Fort Lee voters will have the ultimate say on April 27.

The total 2011-2012 budget is about $55.1 million, an increase of $2.1 million over the current school year.

The result of the state’s new 2 percent tax levy cap is a loss of $1 million in tax levy revenue, said board secretary and treasurer Cheryl Balletto, who presented the budget. The budget as proposed would therefore raise taxes 2 percent, or an annual increase of $83 on a home assessed at $500,000.

An $870,000 budget shortfall, in spite of a 2 percent tax levy increase, means a reduction in staff, including the loss of two high school teachers. The central office will also be converted into classrooms. (read full article)

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While Monday’s Board of Education meeting was dominated by discussion of the 2011-2012 school budget and notable for Yoon's surprising comments, another issue that came up but nearly slipped through the cracks was that of ongoing infrastructure problems at Fort Lee schools, highlighted most recently by a series of problems with aging—and sometimes failing—boilers.

Among the most recent problems was an incident at the middle school in which an exhaust fan on a boiler failed, setting off a carbon monoxide detector and requiring the evacuation of the school. (read full article)

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In nine years of competition, it is the first time ever that School No. 3 is the place to be if you want to see the D.A.R.E. Games trophy.

After practicing 22 days in a row for an hour every morning, the hard work paid off for the Tigers in a 34-15 victory over School No. 2 Tuesday evening. (read full article)

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Fort Lee High School did a huge credit to Rodgers and Hammerstein last weekend with their production of "The King & I." The extremely talented cast included high school students of all ages as well as a few students from the middle school and elementary schools. The entire Academy of Performing arts was involved in the production from the music students, who were in the orchestra, to the dance students on stage, to the actors who brought the play to life. Even at 2 p.m. on a Saturday, the cast brought in leagues of people who had already seen the show once or twice before. (read full article)

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The Fort Lee Girls Basketball League Playoffs had three championship games last weekend, and they were all decided by a total of five points including a buzzer-beating, game-winning shot in the fourth grade division final.

After Friday’s finish in the eighth grade division ended on the final possession, the fourth grade game on Sunday came down to the final second when Aversa Dental’s Kristen Lee caught an inbound pass, turned , shot and sank the championship-winning basket as time expired. (read full article)

The week in review appears every Sunday on Fort Lee Patch.