Hackettstown Child Study Team
I recently heard that the Hackettstown Board of Education is letting all Child Study Team members go at the end of this school year. Included are the Speech Therapists whom will be replaced by an outside service!!!! This will greatly impact the district's most delicate students, as they will be losing their strongest advocates for them, the Child Study Team. It is imperative that all concerned parents attend the next public board meeting on May 4th at 7:00PM in the High School Library. Please attend to protest this and make sure to bring your friends as well.
Concerned ParentI will be there in full support of the Child Study team!!! It is so uncaring and unprofessional that they would put money before the needs of our children and district!!!
Goldie Please come out and show support for all of the wonderful people about to be let go.
I will be there! Some special people within the Hackettstown School District need our support at the next board meeting, May 4th. 3 speech therapists, 2 social workers, 3 psychologists, and 3 learning consultants have been given notice that our district will be outsourcing their jobs next year. Everyone is being replaced with people from Warren County Special Services. 3 of my boys have been serviced with IEP's within this district at some point within the last 13 years. The people within the child study team have graciously walked our family through many issues. I am so sad and disappointed that I will not have the rapport that I have with these people for the coming years. Please consider coming out to the May 4th board meeting to ask and (hopefully) find out what is going on with our district that this decision would have to be made…..what a HUGE loss for our children.
JenB 
htownpeep Isn't this what happened to Great Meadows? I've heard nothing but complaints from parents there since they outsourced.
I read the Board minutes each month, where was this posted?
Our special needs / special Ed children MUST get the help they need! The child study team is their best bet for success. Outside consultants who don't know these kids will take years getting up to speed, and these kids don't have years to catch up. They need a dedicated team of professionals NOW! Please come to the board meeting to reclaim our schools.
Hackettstown Mom It's always been my understanding that Child Study Teams were mandated by the state DOE.
JerryG I asked a teacher in the district what is going on and he said that they just settled their contract after two years and now they find out about this. This was kept secret and was a calculated move. People should do their research on the decline that this district had seen since this Super took over. They should also research Warren Cty Special Services, which has been nothing but a nightmare in GM.
It's all about the almighty dollar. Outsourcing is happening all across the country with companies and now the public sector is feeling it also. My company outsourced many jobs to India. People making 50-60K here were let go and you only have to pay 8-10K with no benefits to people in India. Those are decent paying jobs over there. Unfortunately the people on the front line need to deal customer complaints about the service being provided or not which makes our jobs that much more stressful. Companies don't give a crap, it's all about keeping shareholders happy. Short term thinking has and will continue to lead to a loss of more jobs. This is just wrong in my opinion but the decision has been made and I doubt it will be changed but go and voice your feelings. Mango really doesn't care what you think it's all about saving dollars at the expense of children that have developed relationships with them and their families. Just my opinion of course.
kb2755 It wasn't posted...the employees involved were notified this past week. They are a group of wonderful and caring and dedicated professionals who do not deserve this! The children and parents who have build a relationship and rapport with them do not deserve this! It's all about business...not about the kids. It's disgusting. Great Meadows parents who are not happy please voice your opinions too!
Concernedparent Please send an email to voice your concerns or if you are from GM district, how this has affected your child's education.
It takes a village
dmango@hackettstown.org, ninskeep@hackettstown.org, kgesumaria@hackettstown.org, sspeirs@hackettstown.org, gwoicekowski@hackettstown.org,, , bgrauso@hackettstown.org
gbordi@hackettstown.org, mmaciag@hackettstown.org, bmoore@hackettstown.org, eomelia@hackettstown.org, bsoobryan@hackettstown.org, dfair@hackettstown.org, gcusmano@hackettstown.org, mherbst@hackettstown.org, sburke@hackettstown.org, acochran@hackettstown.org, bbeck@hackettstown.org
DLM Your right its the all mighty dollars fault but what happens when people run out of the all mighty dollar I don't see some one giving out free money to help them not every one has jobs that pay tons of bucks some people are just getting by
Caged Animal Since our Superintendent and board members may have forgotten about our children and families among the details and numbers of this decision.....I strongly suggest that we all come to this meeting with a photo of our children and/or families who have been touched by the staff that they want to let go and replace. Let's place our pictures in front of Mr Mango to view before they go vote. They need to see faces...
As a former Child Study Team member (psychologist) and parent of a child who attends school in our District, I am beyond disappointed in our Board and our Superintendent, Mr. Mango! Education is not a business. It is essentially a public service. Rather than dismissing an entire group of caring professionals in order to pay out bonuses to the Superintendent who profits by laying off staff who work directly with our children, our Board should examine the trend towards hiring more administrators who have no direct impact on students. Time after time it was clear to me that no one knows what the CST actually does! In addition to a host of responsibilities dictated by law, the CST are our children's advocates. They routinely make decisions on behalf of children in the face of administrative pressure to reduce services in order to save a few dollars that magically transforms into a bonus for Mr. Mango. I could go on and on about a host of other examples. The Board is naive and ignorant about how schools actually operate. The Board and superintendent have driven our schools into ruin. The Board will eventually turn over, Mr. Mango will move on for more money, and the disaster they created will take many years to correct. In the meantime our children will continue in schools that are severely under resourced. Keep the CST.
As much as I agree this is a shame and it really stinks what is going on here in the Hackettstown school district and all across the country it seems that the average parent/citizen has no clue what is going on fiscally in our schools, our states and our entire country.
The problem is very simply THERE IS NO MONEY to pay all these people anymore...where do all of you people, who are going to bring pictures of your children, expect the money to come from? LOOK at the budget.
Coming from a long line of teachers (grandmother, father, brother-in law, 2 cousins) AND the parent of a special needs student (now in college) with an IEP I am as upset about this as you all are...however we MUST start to face reality.
Stuff like this has been happening for years in businesses and manufacturing and we are in major debt as a country and can't even fix our bridges. The only reason people are starting to get upset now is because it has trickled down and is now affecting our children and grandchildren.
Heidi I also want to add that while they outsource all those teacher's positions, Mango should take a pay cut...seems like his nice 6- figure salary can be covered somehow.
Can't afford a $60,000 a year counselor's salary but somehow his $300,000 plus is available. THAT'S what I would be screaming about!
I agree with Heidi - there are some really difficult decisions that need to be made because we simply do not have the money. Outsourcing looks different by industry and company - do you have any details?
Bonv Heidi, I am not arguing your point, but wondering were you got the $300,000 number. I think that is very inflated, even including his absurd bonuses!
In the last 5 years, the district has had an influx of $, as all employees have gone from contributing $0 for their healthcare to thousands each(some contribute $6000+ per year), while the cost of the insurance has stayed relatively stable in that time. This adds up to a lot of $$. Additionally, the super has claimed that shared services have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last few years, and he continues to share more positions. This is a lot of money. What has it been spent on?
bac Mr. Mango is laughing all the way to the Bank...............how many more years?
LittleRascal Mango salary :
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/express-times/index.ssf/2012/09/hackettstown_schools_superinte_2.html
There are also bonuses for meeting goals??
OnTheEdge 
GC His most recent $6000+ bonus was just approved at the BOE meeting. It is on the agenda.
I stand corrected...Mango's salary, if you factor in bonuses, his health insurance, etc., is more like $200,000. Which, as much as I'm not a fan of his, is quite low compared to superintendents in other districts - especially since he is doing two districts. Goes to show you the money is definitely tight.
But really, as far as my main point; where is the money for all these services supposed to come from?
To BAC,,,what the money was spent on is in the budget. You can access that on the BOE website. It shows all expenditures for each fiscal year.
Before I would go and storm the meeting, I would make damn sure I read through the budget and had an idea of what I was talking about. If there is money being wasted or things being purchased that are a waste of our (taxpayers) money then use that as your platform for why money can (or should) be reallocated from the waste to special services. But if you don't know the budget and go in blind all you parents with your signs and pictures of your children will look like fools.
Again...I also am very sad about the outsourcing and don't like it --our children will suffer, and it's horrible -- but lets not act like a bunch of emotional helicopter parents armed with pictures of Johnny and Susie and instead show up calm, cool and armed with fiscal facts, figures and thought out solutions.
I understand that it is in the budget Heidi. I also understand that they move money around in the budget constantly, making it difficult to really track. My best guess as to where the money has gone is maybe all of the additional security. It most likely is going to something additional, that wasn't in the budget previously. The cost of those being cut has been part of the budget for many years. I can't imagine that outsourcing these 12 valuable positions would have a huge impact on the budget.
I also suggest you update your knowledge about superintendent salaries. Governor Christie put caps on all of their salaries a number of years ago. The caps are based on number of students in the district. The bonuses were created at that time as a means to increase their income (The prior super would have had to take a pay cut with his new contract, which I am sure was a contributing factor in his decision to retire.) Mr. mango's salary is not a reflection of a tight budget, but of the law.
Why should Mango get an approved $6000 Bonus as a leader of education? Is our School District making a Profit ???
Please explain bac....
Heidi.....sounds like you work in the Board Office....or should I say....Mango Office
Each year, goals are set for the Superintendent (in the past, I believe Mr. mango was allowed to write his own). If achieved, he gets a bonus. Below is a link to the recently approved bonus for his goals this year.
http://www.hackettstown.org/cms/lib7/NJ01000669/Centricity/Domain/30/PUBLIC%20Packet%204-20-16.pdf
I am not sure if he has separate goals/bonuses from Great Meadows.
I will be at the meeting as I have a child with special needs and very concerned! We also should remember all the other things that are being cut this school year several other jobs being eliminated and teachers!
cloudyday I don't see the new Director of Special Services listed as someone who is losing her job? Kathy Gesumaria. She has a corporate background and came from Great Meadows. Anyone know her salary?
Does anyone know if they can apply for roles with Warren County Special Services and still be available to work with H'town children? From what I've seen, they all have full case loads, there is a lot of paperwork involved as well as the time with students. WCSS will need to bring on new people to cover this.
At the very least they should re-consider letting the entire team go at the same time! The current team knows our children, in most cases for many years. At least retain some people to help ease the transition in the best interest of the students. Some of these folks should have tenure, I would think. How is the Board getting around that?
We will be there on May 4, we owe a great deal to some very caring people who go above and beyond to help our children!
hktownie Tenure means nothing if your position is eliminated.
As far as I have heard, Ms. Gesumaria's position is not being eliminated. Only those that work directly with children.
As alluded to above, the current Superintendant has added two director positions since he came to the district, one director of security and a director of technology. And is now cutting those that work with children. Does this reflect the priorities of the community? If it does, then so be it. If not, I think it is time for the community to let the board members know what is more important.
Im a great meadows parent. I sat and listened to Mr Mango say at the voting board mtg that everything would be the same and essentially nothing would change. Please, please, please do what you can to stop this. I have not experienced anything but chaos and disorganization! Turnover has been high and performance has been extremely subpar. Luckily, they hired Kathy Gesumaria to be permanent supervisor for both gm and hackettstown. I have nothing but amazing things to say about her.
If they vote to eliminate your child study team and contract wcss, consider hiring an advocate for your child. Its the only thing that has begun to keep things according to law.
Gmparent I believe that we need to have a balanced front/attack/insight/strategy. I think that Heidi gave some great insights about the BOE and the meeting. They treat our school district like a business so we need to have some business savvy as well as remind them that this is about the children. They need to face the truth that they literally have children's lives and futures in their hands. What is more important than that? If they need to find room in the budget or cut something then we and they need to ask...is this more important then a child's future?..They need to do the right thing and let these children know that their lives and futures matter!!!
GM Parent,
I'm interested to hear more about your experience. If Kathy Gesumaria has been good for your situation, why do you recommend hiring an advocate? It's KG's job to deliver a legal solution through her staff or through WCSS. From what I've seen, she doesn't know the code, and has to consult the board attorney for every question, costing $$$.
GM parents, please keep in mind that this change in Hackettstown will effect your children when they reach high school. Any support or insight you share can only help. The Hackettstown BOE members get their info from the super, and it is clear what his objective is. BOE members must hear the other side of this issue as it effects children and families.
Following the same logic as that used to eliminate the entire CST, and thereby saving money, we should consider outsourcing Mr. Mango's job. For that matter, outsourcing the administrative team would surely save the District a considerable sum of money! The mony should stay with our children. It should not go to administration which is bloated and top heavy with too many administrators. Mark my words, it will be a disaster
Before I resigned early this year, and having worked in the high school for 13 years I am sad to say my last year there was by far the worst. I've witnessed the comings and goings of 3 superintendents, 4 directors, and 4 principals. Their was a period during which it was a great place to work. That is no longer the case. It is now a work environment that is toxic and filled with stress. Morale is atrocious, and staff endure the principal's micromanagement of just about everything. It is inefficient and not effective. What a sad shame that this has befallen the school
Hackettstown mom,
KG is new, so she is coming into a mess and having to wade through it. Perhaps, she doesnt know everything about the laws yet (she was an elementary gm principal before doing this job), but I do believe her heart is in the right place. Shes been helpful. However, there's a lot that happens with the rest of the cst and your case manager that leaves much to be desired. Having an advocate has been very helpful to guide us in the process.
Before KG arrived, the gm cst didnt even know who their authority was.....joe flynn or dave mango. Was a disaster when you wanted info. (That would be a great question at your board mtg.....ask for a flo chart). Also, ask for specific meet and greets with the new team and therapists that will be working with your child. I had an issue with my child working with random therapists I never met. I called j&b and they said the school district can contract a meet and greet for the parent prior to starting therapy.....but the school has to do it. Consulting for therapies had been a wreck until I put my foot down. He had 3 diff ots and pts in 1 year due to switching to consulting. Also, since you never see them, put in your childs iep that you need a weekly or monthly report from the therapist!
Bottom line, you have to be your own advocate. It seems the days of the school cst being your childs advocate are over.
Thank you for your answer GM parent. Switching therapists so much has to be counter productive. I'm definitely staying on top of what is going on much more than I had to be a few years ago.
Here is the link to the agenda for the meeting on Wed. It has been moved to the high school cafeteria.
http://www.hackettstown.org/cms/lib7/NJ01000669/Centricity/Domain/30/PUBLIC%20Agenda%205-4-16.pdf
wolf feather, I believe that 5 minute limit is per person, not the total amount of time allotted. As many people as wish to speak can be permitted, but they might well have their comments cut short if they exceed the 5 minute time frame.
summerrain1 I'm missing something??? Why pay a Director who doesn't know special education law when there is no team employed by the BOE to direct? For example, J&B (OT PT contractor) does not answer to Hackettstown, their staff answers to administration at J&B! It's concerning when staff know the law better that their supervisor! Watch out! This whole thing is going to end very badly for our children. Don't allow it. Don't believe what they say...it's bad in every way. It tells the community that our children who learn differently are less important than those that don't. Special education law was written to protect them. Don't allow this protection to be pulled away. I know exactly what is going on and it disgusts me. Go to the BOE meeting.
It is also a shame that at this same meeting there is an agenda item to approve the Special Services Director's merit pay .. really.. let's fire your direct reports and then give you a bonus in the same meeting!!
michelemorp Looks like the 'Approval of Child Study Team Shared Services Agreement' is on the agenda long before the Public Comment. We get to discuss only after it's approved by the board?
Also checked the Board Bits for March and April, there is no mention of this topic. previous discussion was deliberately concealed from the public. Earlier this year I tried to watch the archived video of the November Board meeting on School tube, but it stopped about an hour in, so couldn't see the end, also the audio quality was poor. I haven't tried again since then becasue it seemed the video quality was not good. Just now I checked to see if archived video is available for March and April. There is a link for March, but none for April on the site.
I was reading over the agenda and I saw a lot of "Merit" pay being given to the administration. The administration already makes too much money and the merit pay should go to the teachers who actually deserve the extra pay. I heard Mango made over $40,000 in merit pay. It should be explained what they did to deserve so much merit pay. I also heard that one of his goals that he got paid for was meeting with children!!! Is there any truth to this??? If this is true, IT'S HIS JOB TO MEET WITH CHILDREN!!!!!!
She gets a bonus for not knowing how to do the job? What is the merritorious achievement that was met? Ask!!! Forensic audit people, and not from a relative of this (i refuse to say our) Superintendent. They all sold us out! We let it happen. Shame on us all!
Hmmmm...I guess having a slice of pizza with the high school kids is one very expensive slice...Now your getting it!!!! Shame, shame, shame.
It must be uncomfortable for you to have the truth exposed...No respect for you in any way at all!
Out of curiosity I just checked the website for WCSS under employment. The only current postings are for substitutes. Also tried to check out some details under 'Shared Education Services' and 'Contracted/Related Services' but a log in ID is needed to view that information. There is a link for tuition rates but no list of what services are offered.
Is it a fact that WCSS would provide the services under this proposed plan? From their website they hardly seem equipped to do so. According to this link, they say they are already providing certain services at GM and HHS? http://wcsssd.org/programs/ and they provide a link back to the normal Hackettstown website.
I just found out yesterday the news of the proposed expulsion of our Child Study Team. I am still in shock and can't for the life of me understand why, even for the sake of money!!! LIKE WHAT??? My two boys have made it through school, that's right MADE IT THROUGH because of this remarkable group of people advocating for them tirelessly over the course of many many years. Paired with them and never giving up my boys are living proof of amazing achievement today. They have both been classified since grade 2 because of educational necessities and what our Child Study Team provides is their right!!! My oldest is quite a success now age 25. My youngest had so many different issues and is now approaching graduation next year. His case manager Danielle Stanley worked endlessly with me to find the best and proper setting for him and he has gone from non-functioning to a fully engaged student who was just chosen for a great program senior year because of all his recent accomplishments! The Child Study Team made all this possible. We NEED the Child Study Team. They are not a perk. They are CRUCIAL! Please don"t let this happen! Our town can't take any more tragedies...
Hktownie, a copy of the contract that WCSS would enter with Hackettstown is included in the agenda for tomorrow night's meeting. The services that will be provided are spelled out, as well as some of the financials. Hackettstown will pay the salaries and benefits as outlined by the WCSS teacher's contract, plus 6%of their salary as a fee. It is interesting. I doubt WCSS will advertise the positions until the contract is approved.
Stick a fork in it folks, it’s DONE. It’s clear, this Administration doesn’t give a damn about the most fragile group of children in our school system. The sad thing is, we elected these board members, and they allowed the snakes into the garden, when the “Becton Boys”, moved West. Many of these members have willingly become Mango’s Marionettes. Most of the Board members know this is not a good solution, but they don’t have the resolve to challenge it. They allow themselves to be bullied by the swagger and bravado exuded by Mr. Mango, who at this point in his career, is exhibiting a real life example, of the Peter Principal. He is rehashing ideas he brought with him from Bergen County, that didn’t work there either.
These moves will always be able to circumvent the Open Public Meeting Act, by invoking purposefully vague exceptions allowing Executive Session, and meeting behind closed doors.
Mr. Mango, views Special Services as low hanging fruit, which he can outsource without a great amount of resistance. It’s true, as far as number go, this group is much smaller than all other groups in the school system, and it appears that numbers are the only factor utilized to reach this decision.
There are many other programs, which could be considered to allow for cost savings, but Mr. Mango lacks the courage to take on areas that are not easy pickings. Special education is a frail minority that can’t defend itself like sports programs, and other high profile curricula .
You can show up, at the Board meeting tomorrow night, but your words will fall on deaf ears, and you will leave with nothing more than frustration.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke Schools that have done this saw revolving therapists, no one to attend meetings, and constant outsourcing to ANOTHER agency ( an agency out of Blairstown, I understand?) to fill the numerous positions that WCSS can not supply.... Giant mess. How will they possibly accommodate all theses kids -- guess kids will miraculously need no more speech, OT or PT...God Forbid a kid takes their own life or hurts another child because there are no psychologists or counsellors to help on a consistent basis...so so wrong!
Gen3Townie FORENSIC AUDIT!! This is our money to serve the needs of our children. Steel grey 3 piece suits, tanning, and foundation look silly in Warren County...I think. We shouldn't pay the cost of psycopathy.
Anybody out there want to acknowledge NJEA as the real problem????? The teachers union has wrought this! Face facts it's the unions who don't give two darns about the students. I am appalled by what goes on in supposedly great schools. The kids are hardly taught anything these days.
LVres LVres,
Perhaps you are not familiar with the SUCCESS that has been realized in OUR schools here in HACKETTSTOWN. Blue Ribbon School, Star School, Highest Language Arts scores on the PARCC in Warren County. The undeniable evidence is that in Hackettstown the teachers ARE effective and our children are learning from dedicated professionals. This thread is dedicated to the happenings surrounding the ousting of the Child Study Team. Teacher bashing not welcomed!
hackettstowngrad So this is the reason Mango did the whole football coach saga. Diversionary tactic. Now we are stuck with him. I believe the board gave him a new contract. Whatever money he saved the district he has taken as "merit" pay.
Someone should send all this to one of the grad schools and use it as an example of what not to do!! Bet he would not send his delicate kid to this district.
Geekmom Principals are glorified teachers, directors are glorified principals, Superintendents are lucky principals.
Homeschooler
For someone that's worked in a high school for 13 years, you sure do have a poor understanding of the roles of the BOE, Super and Principal.
btownguy I think many Hackettstown teachers are heroes, working around this mess and trying to focus on teaching students. The administration should be supporting the teachers not throwing obstacles in the path.
I like the forensic accountant suggestion, lets see where the money really goes. A pie chart would be great.
Mango and Joe Flynn are friends. They probably planned this over a beer. Or a cab.
pumpkin43 According to the Agenda there is a Budget Hearing occurring at this meeting.. how can they limit attendance at a Budget Hearing?? don't we ALL have a right to here the budget???
BOE is trying to restrict crowds tonight...secutiry wil be there.....get there early
You are tipping your hand, GBtownguy.
Better to let sleeping dogs lie......
+1!!!
h-town mama Parents please attend this meeting. Even if it's not one of your kids that are being affected by this. This could be the beginning for other things that they will try to get away with. The kids need someone to fight for them, to show them that they are cared about.
TRB meeting moved back to cafeteria! Non-tenured employees have been advised not to attend.
Specedmom partial win. We are not out sourcing the CST. However we will only keep 2 of each position instead of 3....2 child study teams and 2 speech teachers.
As far as I'm concerned we lost. The Boe president said to expect this same topic to come up next year. It gives this group of women time to find another job and for them not to be replaced so warren county will be "forced" to have to come in to pick up the slack. It's just their waiting game. Politics at its finest. They implemented plan b but I really think they will succeed at plan A in the end. Our children will be the ones to suffer over the uniformity that is craved with our shared surrounding neighbors and $300,000 that will be saved.
Special needs mom First would like to say that the turnout was great! Standing room only in the cafeteria and many stories during public comment about how this CST has touched and improved lives, both students and parents. Our CST is a truly exceptional, talented and caring group of professionals. Very ironic that this all came out during Teacher Appreciation week.
The proposed plan A to outsource would have saved 355,000 according to the presented budget. Many people who spoke said numbers don't lie but I disagree. Data can be sliced and diced and things were lumped together in that pie chart that should have been visible in more detail. They compared current CST costs (including benefits) with proposed future costs at WCSS (not including benefits, but with the right to add those charges later) to get that number as far as I could see and hear. Audio wasn't good. So comparing apples to oranges. Outsourcing solution would have also been for 2 teams instead of 3.
At various times they said our enrollment is increasing for this district, and then later that we were losing state funding because of declining headcount. At one point Mango counted the 25 new students at Hatchery Hill as evidence of increasing headcount, when in fact those students were moved from Willow Grove after the line changed to balance class size. He's tricky.
Really appreciated the speaker who read out Mango's goals and bonuses for each. It's how he gets around the state imposed salary cap. Gave himself a $4000 + bonus for improving communication with HHS graduates! She said "how about spending the money on our current students". It was great. Also a former 25 year Board Member waited quietly until near the end of public comment, then stood up and spoke against outsourcing the CST. He came out specifically to do this, it was wonderful!
Plan B came out a little too pat. Mango had that in his back pocket all along and used reverse psychology to make it seem a 'good' thing. Still we are keeping 8 positions (2 teams instead of 3) out of 11, and one of the 3 positions lost is due to attrition since Gail Sarcone is retiring. One BOE member starting trolling to see if anyone else in CST is on the bubble to retire, but that was stopped thankfully.
This will increase the case load for the remaining team. I hope they can manage this, especially the speech therapists who will be running around between schools. I for one plan to attend more BOE meetings in future, instead of just reading the Board Bits. They don't cover everything.
I agree that plan B was used as reverse psychology. Makes it look like we won when really we still lost.
Took a look at the May 18 minutes, and I see a new position was created to keep the fields clean and maintained. Wonder what that starting salary is? Sounds like a job with lots of OT..... Now which side of the budget does that come out of? The reserves he "found" conveniently for Plan B? Cut the child study team, but we need those fields shoveled in the winter.
B-15 Approval of New Job Description for Sport Field Technician/Custodian – BE IT
RESOLVED: that the Board of Education, upon recommendation of the Superintendent, approve the new job description for Sport Field Technician/Custodian effective July 1, 2016, attached by reference.
It just never stops with this Mango... Wonder what the heck else he has up his sleeve. Must be time for end of the school year goal bonuses.!
acl1976 He should have shared his end of the year bonuses with the previous CST members at GMRSD which he let go. For one, he took a bonus for bringing the preschool back. Interestingly, the previous CST was in the final steps of brining the preschool back. A curriculum was selected after much research, the supplies had been budgeted from the previous super, teachers were being looked at, and then suddenly he no longer would respond to brining the preschool back. Guess it was so he could get paid for it two years later. And second, he is proposing to bring all out of districts back. See the budget line. This will result in law suits. Are there programs in district, not WCSSSD but GMRSD, that are appropriate. Isn't the placement decision an IEP decision, not a BOE or super decision. What a hypocrite. WCSSSD isn't in-district programs, they are considered out of district, cost tuition money, and could be housed in any district in the county the following year. Guess the sports field are more important than the classroom. Guess H'town is really P'burg.
H'townian Bonuses are approved and directed by the BOE. They create them and decide if they're met. It doesn't matter what the catalyst is for a program being brought back, the bonus would still go to the Super.
acl1976, what was said at the BOE meeting regarding the new position? If you're a concerned citizen, you must have attended the meeting and asked questions.
The real issues: The school funding paradigm in NJ., the spiraling demands of "special students" who disproportionately consume resources, unfunded mandates, and a union that has been riding the gravy train too long
Public education is in crisis, and no matter who is on the BOE unpopular choices will be made unless the foundational issues are addressed.
crankyoldlady They are eliminating 4 custodial positions then adding a revised version of the grounds position back again.
From the May 4 meeting minutes:
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED
by
the
Hackettstown Board of Education as follows:
1.
That upon recommendation of the Superin
tendent the following positions have been
eliminated as a result of a reduction in force:
a.
Three (3) Night Custodians;
b.
One (1) Grounds Position
From the May 18 agenda:
15.
Approval of New Job Description for Sport Field Technician/Custodian
His pattern of getting rid of people through eliminating their position, and then hiring who he wants.
Kudos to the H'town BOE for listening to public input and then making their own decision regarding RIF of their CST. Maybe Great Meadow's BOE should be mentored by the H'town BOE on how they should make decisions
BTW, Mr Bordi did a nice job keeping the meeting going and did not let it get crazy. Not an easy task...
Our taxes are going up more than 2%, where was the referendum? The budget is millions short, and there will be more cuts, more than just the CST. No one to blame but the people that voted for the board of ed.
townie Wow, such blatant political manipulation and gamesmanship. Small town USA, what a shame.
pmnsk Townie, based upon your statement "No one to blame but the people that voted for the board of ed." you are blameless or could it be that you are one of those to blame. If you are blameless, it means you didn't vote in the last election, which is a part of the bigger problem. No one wants to vote, no one wants to run for office, however everyone wants to be critical and offer up their virtual two cents.
Please vote and have a say on who represents the Hackettstown tax payer, the students and staff of our schools or better yet run for a BOE seat.
Be a leader, not a sniper
Have a nice day.
crazy jane I heard a rumor, I have no factual basis but I heard a lot of the problems stem from the School Business Administrator misplacing a large amount of money. Did anyone else hear this and if it is true how would I find out this information?
I heard the same rumor.Are school taxes are really going to go up because of this. And why does that Mango keep getting bonuses? The Board of Education should stop that.
Stealing is a serious accusation, someone would be going to jail for that. With such easy public scrutiny as a school budget, that's not easy to do. Just plain rumors with no basis in fact can also land someone in serious hot water when made in writing.
There's an easy way to address all the things brought up here - go to a meeting, bring it up with the board and actually be involved.
Concerned tax payer:
I heard a rumor that you could be sued for posting such non-factual statements, as you have admitted, for slander and libel. There's only one School Business Adm, so everyone knows who you are slinging mud at. If they were to lose their job over such accusations, you will probably need a lawyer.
Have a nice day
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