Wyckoff Superintendent on Indefinite Sick Leave

Eisenhower Middle School's principal will lead the Wyckoff School District for the forseeable future as the superintendent takes an extended sick leave.

Richard Kuder will serve as acting superintendent of the district through June 30, when Superintendent Dr. Janet Razze's contract is set to expire. The Board of Education voted to approve indefinite sick leave for Razze at its Monday meeting.

"We don't know when she'll be back," said Alan Reiffe, business administrator.

Razze, who had been in contract negotiations with the school board, has been absent for several weeks following surgery. Outgoing school board President Daniel Moynihan said that the leave through the end of the year wasn't necessarily planned from the time she left the district, although "Janet has had some (medical) issues" in the past necessitating minor leaves of absence.

Although she is free to come back to the district whenever she is well enough to resume her duties, it's possible that her tenure as superintendent could be coming to a close.

"At the end of the day, with the no-confidence vote, and her eligibility to retire, maybe this is a way of extricating herself from the situation," Moynihan said.

The Wyckoff Education Association had delivered a no-confidence vote in Razze's leadership last year. The teacher's union had criticized Razze's ability to communicate and were upset with the dismissal of staff custodians in favor of privatized services, done as a cost-saving move. The vote, which was approved by 94 percent of the membership, also cited disagreements in scheduling, hiring and alleged contractual violations, among other items.

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, according to information on the district's Web site, www.wyckoffps.org.

"She's only got so many days," said Moynihan, whose term expires this month. He is not seeking re-election.

The board president and administration said negotiations on Razze's contract have not been scuttled, although the leave is a "wrinkle in our ability to negotiate."

"It's an awkward situation," Moynihan said.

The board had held a public hearing in January on a possible extension or modification of Razze's contract, which took effect in 2006. The board hasn't revealed any potential offers made, citing confidentiality requirements.

However, "the last offer is out to her and open" to her response, Moynihan said.

Kuder is a nine-year veteran of the district who has served as acting superintendent in Razze's absence in the past. Moynihan was confident in his ability to assume the top administrative role.

"He provides excellent interim leadership. Rich gives us the leadership we need," he said.

The board president said Kuder had been considered for the superintendent's position when Razze was hired, and he would likely be a candidate should Razze not return to the district.

"As a taxpayer, I would be extremely pleased if Rich stepped up to that role," said Moynihan, who would be a former board member by the time the governing body had to make a decision on a possible next superintendent.

The school board also approved the appointment of Stephen Raimo, Eisenhower's assistant principal, as acting principal for the rest of the school year. Robin Shean, Eisenhower's supervisor of special projects, will assume the assistant principal spot until June 30.

The appointments were made without any salary bumps, although it's possible the board could approve a stipend for Kuder, Raimo and Shean in the near future. Moynihan said the board may schedule a special meeting sometime next week so as not to leave such outstanding issues to the incoming board members.

Razze's absence has largely coincided with the board and administration's work on the 2010-11 budget, a process impacted by the total loss of state aid ($1.45 million). However, Moynihan said the superintendent was "pretty actively engaged" in the process. 

"We took significant input from her."