Wyckoff School Board Members Take Their Seats

The Board of Education got a fresh start Monday, as newly elected members took their seats and helped choose new leadership.

Catherine Runge, Jill Mortimer and Diane Sobin took their oaths of office and joined their colleagues on the dais after winning three-year seats last Tuesday. While Runge and Mortimer were selected off the ballot, Sobin earned her seat via write-in support, with 221 votes. While the results have not yet been certified by the Board of Elections, business Administrator Alan Reiffe said there were not enough provisional votes cast to sway the final tally.

The three new members' first act was the selection of new leadership, as former President Dan Moynihan and Vice President Ray Hovey are no longer board members. Anthony Robert Francin and Lisa Martone were unanimously selected as president and vice president, respectively.

Both Francin and Martone were recently appointed to the board after an interview process necessitated by the resignations of two former members. They will hold their leadership roles until next April, when their seats will expire and three-year terms will be available.

"I'd like to thank Dan (Moynihan) and Ray (Hovey) for their leadership... they did a phenomenal job of leading the district," Francin said.

"I'd also like to thank the board members for their confidence in me," he said.

The Board of Education reorganized during a period of flux and uncertainty in the district: only two of seven board members have experience greater than a few weeks, Eisenhower Middle School Principal Richard Kuder is serving as superintendent while Dr. Janet Razze is on sick leave and voters rejected the board's 2010-11 budget.

However, Francin and Kuder emphasized that education goes on.

"The district is in a time of great change... but it is important for all of you to know that the schools continue to educate," Francin said.

Kuder mentioned various recent initiatives in the schools and told the crowd that "there's an awful lot that happens here on an everyday basis... we shouldn't lose sight of that."

Perhaps the board's first major challenge will be the resolution of the budget process, which is ongoing owing to the 22-vote defeat at the polls. Although the prior board cut staff and programs to construct the $33,228,727 spending plan, more could be cut, depending on the work of Township Committee.

The governing body is empowered to review the budget's line items and identify a sum that should be slashed from the tax levy; it also could keep the budget wholly intact, although representatives have indicated that such a move isn't likely. However, both sides expect to work together to identify cuts.

"We're obviously disappointed (in the budget vote). But we're working constructively with the township," Kuder said. 

The new board president said "they understand we really are cut to the bone" in response to a resident's question. 

Township's Committee's Finance Committee will first review the spending plan before discussion by the entire governing body. The members include Committeeman Chris DePhillips, liaison to the board and a former Wyckoff Education Foundation member who has said the governing body wouldn't make any cuts that would threaten the district's ability to provide a "thorough and efficient education" as mandated by law.

The board expects Township Committee members to be present at its next meeting (7 p.m. May 10 at Eisenhower Middle School) for a joint session that will be open to public comment.

Superintendent's contract

Several residents questioned the status of the district superintendent, as Razze is on extended sick leave while Kuder's post as acting superintendent expires June 30.

Francin indicated that a superintendent search could be on the board's agenda in the near future.

"I don't anticipate a renewal of the contract," he said in reference to Razze, whose employment agreement expires after this school year. One audience member loudly cheered the statement.

 Razze, who was subject to a no-confidence vote by the Wyckoff Education Association last year, has been absent since at least March following surgery. The board had spoken with her this year about a one-year extension of her contract, but Hovey, who was in the audience, said "no decision was reached.

"It was a discussion that never came to a conclusion," he said.

While Razze could conceivably respond favorably to the standing offer, Hovey, the former vice president, said "it takes two sides to agree to an offer."

According to the 2009-10 budget, Razze earns a $174,200 base salary, with $16,090 in benefits. She is eligible for 90 days of sick leave at $65 per day.

School calendar

Residents and teachers also engaged in an extended discussion of the 2010-11 calendar, which features minimum days at least once a month, excluding January and April. Many expressed concern over the plan, which would be instituted to allow teachers collaborative learning sessions with each other. However, the calendar wasn't approved prior to the board going into executive session, and the administration indicated it was possible the board could convene in public session following their closed meeting to vote on the calendar. Check back with Patch later for additional details.