Navigating Your School System: updated September 20, 2017

BOARD OF EDUCATION: 

•  The board of education hires the superintendent and approves other personnel. 
• The Board adopts by resolution all laws and regulations.
•  The board creates and sets the policies for the district based on the laws and regulations. 
•  The superintendent administers the policies for the board. 
•  If you have issues that you think would require a change of district policy or you have concerns about the general governance of the district, these matters should come to the board’s attention. 
•  You could write or e-mail the individual board members or speak about the issue at the public forum at a board meeting. 

http://nj.gov/education/parents/articles/nav/navigate.htm

Protocol

There are times when parents feel it is necessary to address an issue that affects them with the school or district.  The following will guide you to the person most able to assist you:

1. CLASSROOM:  If you have any concerns related to your child’s classroom such as poor academic performance, behavior issues, or difficulty interacting with peers, make an appointment with the teacher to discuss the matter.  Work with the teacher, but if the issue cannot be resolved, request a meeting with the principal.
   
2. SCHOOL:  If you have issues with administration of the school, such as quality of meals, condition of the facility, extra-curricular activities, receiving school information, obtaining Title I supplemental services, or getting a special education evaluation, make an appointment with the principal.
   
3. DISTRICT:  If you have issues related to the operation of your school district, such as unresponsiveness to your requests by the teacher or principal, hours of instruction, starting times, school attendance boundaries, transportation routes, etc., make an appointment with the superintendent.
   
4. BOARD OF EDUCATION:  The board of education hires the superintendent and approves other personnel.  The board sets the policies for the district.  The superintendent administers the policies for the board.  If you have issues that you think would require a change of district policy or you have concerns about the general governance of the district, these matters should come to the board’s attention.  You could write or e-mail the individual board members or speak about the issue at the public forum at a board meeting.

http://nj.gov/education/parents/articles/nav/navigate.htm

When Will Englewood Acknowledge The Blip of 2013?

The last official Englewood School Board Election took place in April of 2013. The results were a surprise to some and shook others to the core. Some called it a blip on the radar screen, because it was not supposed to happen that way. Some sore losers accused the Mayor of stacking the deck in favor of the 3 who won. That was an interesting suggestion since it was common knowledge that the Mayor and many of the city leaders supported the incumbents.

Why are the results of School Board Election 2013 so hard to accept? Why have those results caused people to behave in ways not representative of people who want harmony in the city?

1. Is that the reason that the City has still not changed the School Board Members on the City Site? It is nearly a year since the blip of an election. Voters made their choice. Voters pay the salary of the person who has the responsibility to change the status and membership of the website Boards. What is the problem here? The results may have been a shock, but the people spoke through their votes almost a year ago.

2. Is this also the reason that the President of the School Board started a campaign to neuter the newly elected Members immediately after they were elected? Mr. Haughton, admitted that he asked for an official Advisory Opinion from the School Ethics Commission. He says he wanted to make sure that there was no conflict of interest. Was there a conflict of interest when the ETA supported and helped to elect both Stephen Brown and Glenn Garrison? What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Is it only a problem if the elected members are NOT MEMBERS OF SEEK?

3. Is this the reason that Carol Feinstein and Jeff Carter are not allowed to vote on personnel issues? All over the state of NJ, union members also serve on School Boards. These 2 are not even allowed in on the discussion of personnel issues. They must excuse themselves from closed sessions and wait to be summoned back into the room. Yet Harley Ungar, (VP of the School Board) who is also a Teach 4 America employee* is allowed to vote and participate as she pleases. Henry Pruitt is allowed to chair the negotiations while his company is hired to handle confidential files of Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield. (Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield would be part of negotiations with employees because they are the insurance carrier that the district uses.) They are constantly put out of closed session meetings by school board employees.

4. How did they miss the fact that Mark Tabakin's very employment is a conflict of interest? He functions as the full time attorney. Is Mark an employee of State Senator Raymond J. Lesniak's law firm or is he an employee of the Englewoood Board of Education? (We pay him $147,000 yearly) Not only does the Board have a problem identifying his designation, but it seems that Mr. Tabakin himself is a bit confused. His 2011-12 Ethics Disclosure does not agree with his 2012-13 Disclosure Statement. Does Mr. Tabakin know for whom he works? Who writes the checks that pays the mortgage on that over a million dollar home?

5. Is this blip the reason that more effort has been put into neutralizing the 3 new members of the School Board than in trying to improve the Academic Achievement of the students in the district?

6. Is this the reason that the SEEK Board Members with terms expiring in April, 2014 voted themselves another year on the School Board? The Resolution to move School Board Elections to November was technically an official election and SEEK won. George Garrison III had the integrity to abstain from voting himself another year on the School Board. Howard Haughton voted himself anothere year as school board president. Someone should inform Mr. Haughton that it is far more prudent to please the people than it is to please the press. Besides, the school board and the people already pay the press, don't we? 

Check it out and make call. The City of Englewood Official Site

Board of Education -
City Clerk: Lauren Vande Vaarst, RMC
clerk@cityofenglewood.org

Department Phone: (201) 510-8213
2-10 North Van Brunt Street
Englewood, NJ 07631

Harley Ungar* claims to have quit working for Teach 4 America. The Advisory Opinion from the School Ethics Commission says that Jeff and Carol may not participate in those areas ever, even if they were to quit their jobs.  Equity has gone astray.

                                         How are the children?

Reverse - RoboCall

The time is always right for learning. 

"An investment in knowledge pays the best

interest." Benjamin Franklin

How are the children?

The School Board Election That YOU missed!

A Special School Board Election was held on January 16, 2014 at Grieco Elementary School.

SEEK won!

Two sitting board members, all SEEK, and 5 others with 1 abstention voted to move the School Board Elections to November. Page 14 of 20. 14-F-73 APPROVAL - ESTABLISHING THE ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE ENGLEWOOD BOARD OF EDUCATION AS THE FIRST TUESDAY AFTER THE FIRST MONDAY IN NOVEMBER .

What does this mean?

• Voters will not be able to vote on the budget
• 3 sitting board members with terms expiring in April gave themselves nearly a year more on the board without input from the voters.
• The President just voted himself another year in charge. 
• According to Harley Ungar, a study conducted by David Popkin may have shown that many people will not vote in the school board election. She suggested that the supposed $45,000 saved is more important than voters.
• Taxation without representation - Your taxes pay the tab and you no longer have a say
• The campaign has begun. 
• The School Board Election must remain in November for at least 4 years.

Tuesday, January 28 is going to be a very special day.

Board of Education: Special Public Meeting
7:30 PM

Grieco cafeteria
Meeting will include questions from the public concerning the 2012-13 audit of the financial operations of the district

(Will there be answers?)

The City Council of Englewood is also having a meeting January 28, 2014.

Municipal Court 73 South Van Brunt St. (Courthouse)

• Fire house bond ordinance
• An ordinance amending chapter 8 Boards
• An ordinance amending chapter 425 tree codes of Englewood
• An ordinance amending chapter 191 fees code of Englewood
• An ordinance amending chapter 358 soil erosion
• City Board Appointments 

The State of the Union Address 2014 by the President 9:00pm

                                       How are the children?

ATTENTION PARENTS: ARE YOU AWARE OF THE FACT THAT YOU MAY OPT OUT OF "STAR RENAISSANCE" TESTS?

DID YOU KNOW THAT YOUR CHILDREN ARE BEING TESTED IN KINDERGARTEN?
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THAT?
WHAT IS THE VALUE IN THAT?
WHAT DOES IT DO TO PREPARE YOUR CHILD FOR FIRST GRADE?
YOU MUST BEGIN TO QUESTION SUCH THINGS. NEW MANDATED TESTING IS COMING, BUT THIS IS NOT PART OF IT. THIS SMACKS OF CHILD ABUSE. WHY STRESS OUT OUR CHILDREN AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE? OTHER DISTRICTS ARE NOT DOING THIS.

IS THIS ANOTHER WAY TO SEGREGATE THE CHILDREN BASED ON INFORMATION THAT THEY HAVE NOT EVEN BEEN TAUGHT? CHILDREN WHO DID NOT GO TO PRE-SCHOOL ARE BEING SHAFTED. SOME OF THESE KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN WERE DENIED PRESCHOOL. THINK ABOUT IT. STAR RENAISSANCE TESTING IN QUARLES SCHOOL SHOULD STOP. THE TEACHERS MUST BE GIVEN A CHANCE TO TEACH THEM SOMETHING FIRST. IS THIS TESTING DESIGNED TO TEST TEACHERS? THAT IS CRAP. THERE ARE MANY OTHER METHODS FOR DOING THAT.

PARENTS: BE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT YOU MAY OPT OUT OF STAR RENAISSANCE TESTING WITHOUT ANY PENALTY WHATSOEVER. TESTING OF CHILDREN PRIOR TO 3RD GRADE IS PURELY A DISTRICT INITIATIVE. IT IS A QUESTIONABLE DISTRICT INITIATIVE. THIS TESTING IS NOT MANDATORY. IT IS AN ILL PLANNED EXPERIMENT. WE ARE IN THE PETRY DISH AGAIN.

                                "HOW ARE THE CHILDREN?"