Great Meadows School firing

Has anyone heard about the firing of Mr Nicinski

stringer
Jun '09

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Yes that is true. As usual in these cases rumors as to why are extensive and since no one but the BOE is aware of the issues surrounding this I do not think anyone should comment on the reasons why. I do know however that it will be an agenda item at the next BOE meeting next month and anyone who has an interest in this unfortunate event should attend.

concerned parent
Jun '09

I agree with concerned parent. There's no use in creating rumors. Attend the meeting for facts and to express your concern/support.

GMRSD BOE meetings are held at the Middle School, 273 Route 46, Great Meadows, NJ 07838

The next meeting is July 14, 2008 7:30 p.m.

The Workshop Meetings take place in the GMMS Media Center on the 2nd Monday of the month.
Regular Meetings are held the 4th Monday of the month in the GMMS Dining Room.

This information is located at http://www.gmrsd.com/boe.htm

localmom
Jun '09

CORRECTION: I copied an incorrect date from the website.
The next meeting date should be the 2nd MONDAY.

MONDAY, JULY 13th

Can anyone confirm this? I cannot locate a date on their website.

localmom
Jun '09

Who was Mr. Nicinski? Central or Middle?

Just Me
Jun '09

you will not find out anything at the BOE meeting; since it is a personnel issue; they will go into 'executive session' and refuse to discuss it afterwards.

anyone who attends can express their opinion (within the 3 minute time limit allowed each individual speaker), but the board will ignore all of that. as history has shown, they have already made the decision to fire the poor guy (who is probably doing a great job), the rest is just 'window dressing' to stay legal.

folks who speak their minds are routinely ignored by this current crop of NJEA intimidated Board members. it is way past time or some new blood here.

do come to the meeting though. it is educational to see how dysfunctional the system really is.

BrotherDog
Jun '09

BrotherDog, are you a past BOE member? or current? if not & you want to improve things why not run for the BOE? just a thought.

vicinity
Jun '09

been there; done that!

BrotherDog
Jun '09

vincinity;

good thought; thanks!

have worked hard over the years to change things from both the outside, and the inside. can't get much traction either way.

most BOE's are in the tank for the teachers union. his is bad for the educational process as the NJEA is againsta any prorgress in the delivery of educational services.

Great Meadows board of education is mostly comprised of individuals who have a lot of skin in the game. for example, one menber works for the county sheriffs dept and made 99,000/year thre years ago, he happens to married to a teacher who works in p-burg. since that household is bringing in about 200,000/year they have no incentive to negotiate hard with the Great Meadows Teachers Association.

there is another board member in great meadows who works as a professional fireman in morristown, he makes ovr 84,000/year. he has no incentive to negoiate cincessions fro the teachers union. his wife happens to head of the local pto. the teachers have their children hostage, any tough talk at negoiation time will result in retaliation against their kids, (ie. lower grades,)

i could provide more , but you get the picture. these civil servants have no idea how to ange things efficiently. and they have no desire to do so. since their own income cvomes from local, county and state taxes, they do not have a frame of reference on where the rest of us coe from. and no sympathy for it either.

BrotherDog
Jun '09

i fixed the typos in the prior post; sorry!

vincinity;

good thought; thanks!

have worked hard over the years to change things from both the outside, and the inside. can't get much traction either way.

most BOE's are in the tank for the teachers union. This is bad for the educational process as the NJEA is against any progress in the delivery of educational services.

Great Meadows board of education is mostly comprised of individuals who have a lot of skin in the game. They are personally invested in the local, conty and state governments. For example, one memberr works for the county sheriffs dept. and made 99,000/year three years ag; this ame guy happens to be married to a teacher who works in p-burg. since that household is bringing in about 200,000/year they have no incentive to negotiate hard with the Great Meadows Teachers Association. In fact this member benifits from a lucrative teachers contract as his wife is in the state system.

there is another board member in great meadows who works as a professional fireman in morristown. He makes over 84,000/year, and has no incentive to negotiate concessions from the teachers union. His wife happens to be the head of the local pto. So now the teachers have their children hostage, any tough talk at negotiation time will result in retaliation against their kids, (ie. lower grades,)

I could provide more, but you get the picture. These civil servants have no idea how to manage things efficiently because they all feed at the public trough. And they have no desire to do so. Since their own income is derived from local, county and state taxes, they do not have a frame of reference on where the rest of us are coming from or what we have to deal with, and no sympathy for it either.

The question has got to be asked: When all of us work for the state, where will the money come from?

BrotherDog
Jun '09

"The question has got to be asked: When all of us work for the state, where will the money come from?"

Uh oh Bro, now you've done it! You absolutely have got to stop looking at the ever increasing spending of Big Government and stop thinking about what the costs are or where the money will come from. Don't you know that the government has an unlimited source of money (you!)? That's what they teach in school today, right? ;)

justintime
Jun '09

I have no idea what happened. However, I can attest to the professionalism of Mr. Nicinski. When he was a teacher, he was a colleague of mine. also, a very kind person as well. I am sorry to hear he lost his position.

Nicholas
Jun '09

The problem with the great meadows school board is the board president! She has her own agenda and feels that she alone knows what is best for this district. She has consistently made the wrong choices which she feels benefits her personally. There is obvously something fishy that is going on with the dismissal of Mr. Nicinski. He was an outstanding MS principal and would have made an even better Superintendent. I know of plenty of parents in the district that have expressed their positive feelings regarding Mr. Niciniski to the Board president prior to the last meeting and she completely ignored them since she had already made up her mind and then poisoned other (not all) Board members to agree.Hopefully the truth will come out.....and Mr. Niciniski will indeed get his job back.

gmmom
Jun '09

Boy... a lot of compensation for Great Meadows. I honestly cannot think of any job in that depressed area making this kind of cash unless you have your own business; but these are not business owners. The system is a scam, overcompensation for underworked weak individuals who have corrupted the system.

Jay

Message Jay

Jun '09

I agree with Nicholas. I can't imagine why the board would have made the decision to fire Mr. Nicinski. He is the best thing that has happened to GMRSD. He has done a remarkable job and is a genuinely good guy. He is also a leader in the community, actively involved with the boy scouts, as well as being a pastor at the Waterloo Village church. I desperately hope the board reconsiders and gives him a fair hearing so that the truth can come out. Good luck Mr. Nicinski, many of us are pulling for you and hope that you not only get your job back, but that you take over as superintendent and get GMRSD back on its feet.

deeply concerned
Jun '09

they have already announced his replacement in the list serve emaill message.

as i said, it make no difference to the BOE at all what is said at the meeting, they have already decided!!

this is possibly a sunshine law violation.

BrotherDog
Jun '09

Unfortunately the person truly behind all of this is Jason Bing, the Superintendent who is leaving in 2 days and moving on happily, taking his new job in Barnegat. He has somehow convinced certain Board members that Mr. Nicinski needs to go, as he is the one who recommended the termination. He is leaving our school district in a real mess and now we as a community need to pick up the pieces he is leaving behind. We need to do the right thing and see if the new interim superintendent, Dr. Fredriks, can recommend Mr. Nicinski NOT be terminated in 60 days.

gmrsd family
Jun '09

FYI. The only person the BOE can fire is the Superintendent.

Facts Person
Jun '09

BOE has to vote on contracts, and also to renew or extend them, the super just makes recomendations. The BOE spends all the money. this is the law. they (BOE) are in charge of te super, and he reports to them. passing this of on the super is disingenuous, and hides the culpability of our current board, which is loaded up with government employed toadies.

come on now, let's get real 'facts person' , the misinformation train continues to hurdle down the tracks.

BrotherDog
Jun '09

So sad.. Tim Nicinski is a great man and the community and school are really losing out on a lot by losing him.

KQ

Message KQ

Jun '09

In my opinion there is likely much more to the involvement of Jason Bing in the firing of Tim Nicinski. Perhaps Mr. Bing was afraid that his (Bing's) history of mismanagement of this district would be discovered more quickly after he left by someone on the inside rather than by someone new coming in and learning the ropes? Interestingly enough, Bing isn't even his real last last name. If you look at his board contract available on the district website, Bing is his middle name - his real last name isn't nearly as "trendy" or "clever" as "Bing", the one-name signoff that he uses on all of his district-wide emails and memos. Lastly, no one has looked into Mr. Bing's alleged live-in relationship with the young female middle school gym teacher in his district, why would they bother to look closer at anything else? Instead, sadly, they likely took his advice to fire a decent and competent professional like Mr. Nicinski. Very sad for this school district.

see
Jun '09

The Great Meadows BOE just sent out emails to the community that there is a "special meeting" scheduled for tomorrow night 6/30 @ 7:30 pm. Anyone who wants to know how they can help show support for Mr. Nicinski - please just attend that meeting!

gmrsd family
Jun '09

Well, what's his real last name? If it's public record you shoul;d be able to tell us.

Burger guy
Jun '09

"Jason Bing Schetelick"

Anti-evil guy
Jun '09

Last name is Schetelick. You can google him and see the announcement from his new school district.

see
Jun '09

Dr. Frederiks is also the super. at Allamuchy Township School.

gm
Jun '09

yes bing has an east european last name that is hard to pronounce and hard to spell rght, that is why he 'opted' for the "Bing" designation. good decision if you ask me.

he makes about 120,000 dollars per year at Great Meadows, down the shore he will make about 142,000 dollars per year. that will go up to 158,000 dollars per year in the fourth year of his contract, AND he gets to live down at the shore.

this is a win, win for him and i wish him good fortune in the next step in his career.

158,000 dollars is a LOT of money to pay any superintendent if you ask me. this whole state is totally out of control. AND it is getting worse each year.

BrotherDog
Jun '09

from the list server yesterday:

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This email contains confidential and privileged information. Please be advised that the unauthorized use or disclosure of the information contained in this email is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us at once and delete all copies of this message.

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BrotherDog
Jun '09

Brother Dog - you don't know him the way most of us do. He is screwing us over and walking out the door with a smile on his face. Do you know how much money he has cost the taxpayers of this community over his tenure here? Not only has he been sued by former staff (and lost), but also families in town.

gmrsd family
Jun '09

No, it was a very bad decision.

In trying to be ultra-hip, he decided to use "Bing" as his signature line on all of those dumb emails that he sends out to the district. Were we suppossed to think, "wow, what a progressive educator"?

Really, it was not very professional at all.

Plus, "Bing" is not nearly as cool as "Anti-evil guy".

ps is Israel in East Europe?

Anti-evil guy
Jun '09

Reminder:

Tonight - 7:30 board meeting at the Great Meadows Middle School cafeteria. Please attend and voice your concerns!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jag
Jun '09

So who went to the meeting??? What happened?

jessica
Jul '09

i do not know about the lawsuits that we as a district have lost due to bing being sued, can you enlighten me?

bing has done plenty of thing s that i have major league problemds with over the years, he moves money arond the dubget like a big game of 3 card montie. the current BOE just 'rubber stamps' everything he wants to do.

they do tis because they do not want to do the work of actually reading, thinking, and considering the material they are presented with. they also do not question anything that he proposes.

this is real bad and give our district a bad name.

BrotherDog
Jul '09

any updates from last night?

BrotherDog
Jul '09

BrotherDog -

The superintendent of Mountain Lakes now makes $250,00/year. That said, however, more money is spent per student than most districts in Morris County, and less is spent on teachers/administrators overall, than most districts in Morris County.

As for the stats, it's now ranked 4th best in the state academically, 843rd in the country, with this year's graduating class's college attendance at 99%. I think the breakdown was 39% to "top/elite/competitive colleges" according to Barron's; 45% to 4-year colleges; 15% to 2-year and 1% to work. Pretty impressive so I can't begrudge the guy his salary.

On the other hand.......

ML Laker
Jul '09

ml laker;

it is too much money, period! we should put a stop to this runaway salry game.

i still need to ask, what lawsuits is bing responisble for? how much have they cost us?

I agree he is leaving us in a really bad state. the current BOE is incapable of dealing with this appropriately.

why did Peggy storm out of the executive session?

BrotherDog
Jul '09

BrotherDog -

I agree with you that it is qute a bit of money and only some truly earn it. On the other hand, I would sooner give that kind of money to a school administrator who raises the academic bar in our schools, than to... let's say.... millions upon milllions to professional athletes, some of whom take their money and snort it up their noses, etc., or gangster rappers or, even in his death, Michael Jackson!

It's all about priorities.

ML Laker
Jul '09

Does anyone seriously think that it is the Superintendent in Mountain Lakes that drives the test scores and college acceptance levels? That would be an emphatic NO!

All one needs to do is look at the demographics. The majority of families can afford to send their kids to great colleges. The majority of families, having earned successes of their own, know what it takes to be successful and they - the FAMILIES - pass their own work ethic, drive, skills and life lessons (not to mention a likely desire to "keep up with the Jones's") on to their OWN kids. IOW, the only thing the test scores/college attendance data confirms is that it is up to EACH FAMILIY to raise their own kids. Sure, the school has to provide a framework for learning but it is the ATTITUDE of each family that drives success.

When people begin to realize this - and they will given the miserable results from the Abbott ruling - then maybe, just maybe, they will realize that they have to take more responsibility in their child's education. That, my friends, is the only true solution to our educational problems. Only then will these idiotic salaries be truly exposed for the ripoff that they are.

justintime
Jul '09

justintime -

I couldn't have said it better myself... though I've tried many times and have been attacked and/or chastised for it, simply because I live in ML right now (as a renting poser!). The academic crisis at HHS will ONLY be corrected by FAMILIES.

And, if "keeping up with the Jones'" creates healthy, academic competition, then, bring it on! Whatever it takes to get a kid to succeed academically, have at it!

As for those graduates heading for those "top" colleges, I know a number of them personally, and those kids earned full and/or partial scholarships. In my own case, that will be the ONLY way my child will get there. There are more 'have-nots' in the district than one might realize; the streotype is not the reality.

ML Laker
Jul '09

"there is another board member in great meadows who works as a professional fireman in morristown, he makes ovr 84,000/year. he has no incentive to negoiate cincessions fro the teachers union. his wife happens to head of the local pto. the teachers have their children hostage, any tough talk at negoiation time will result in retaliation against their kids, (ie. lower grades,)"

Couple of corrections here. I haven't been PTO President for a while. My one daughter is in the High School, so no worries there. My soon to be ex-husband is no longer a BOE member. My daughter, who is in the GMRSD school system, gets great grades on her own, so I don't worry about her being "held hostage" one little bit.

Please do not speak of what you do not know. Oh, and if you would like to use me as an example please put your name up here so I can respond to you directly. Thank you.

Cindy Alexander
Jul '09

Great Meadows has been rated a high achieving district under Bing; though I may not agree with all of his decisions, he has demonstrtated complete candor throughout his tenure, maybe too much at times. His past personnel decisions, hiring and firing have been right on, my guess is this last decision was done with students in mind. I do not know Mr. Nisinski but as a public employee myself, a school cannot speak about a personnel issue w/o the employee's consent, which is rarely given by the employee. And school boards such as GM are never "rubber stamp" districts-in fact, they are usually the complete opposite. The board meetings I attended looked like boe members had minds of their own.
when my familiy moved into Indy Mr. Bing was Director, which was @ 6 years ago-so he was in GMRSD for awhile.

Bigboy
Jul '09

I really don't know this Bing guy from Adam, but if Microsoft hired him to be in charge of all their Internet searches, he's got to be a pretty smart guy (-;

ianimal

Message ianimal

Jul '09

ML Laker - Your stats are not the definative stats - according to this list compiled by Newsweek Mountain Lakes HS is rated 1055 in the country. Not bad but there are other NJ schools who are rated higher including West Morris - http://www.newsweek.com/id/201160/?s=N...p;q=2009/rank/1

BLD
Jul '09

There was nothing amazing or interesting about the former superintendent of Great Meadows. Only a sad story that mimics others. He started from nothing, hired as head of curriculum, pretended to be nice, was given the superintendent job, then hired inexperienced and unethical friends All are now gone & left behind the ruble remaining from the many bad decisions done behind the scenes. Since only hard working, ethical people have been fired by that guy,the principal was more than likely wonderful, but when you combine a naive board and and envious, vindictive men, who can win?

Concerned
Jan '10

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