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My Central Jersey ‘UPDATE: Gov. Christie tells Clinton town hall 2011 will be the year of education reform’
Daily Record ‘NJ asks court to reject Parsippany, NJ, schools chief Lee Seitz's contract extension’
Independent Press ‘Chatham Board of Education passes resolution supporting superintendent’s contract’
My Central Jersey ‘UPDATE: Gov. Christie tells Clinton town hall 2011 will be the year of education reform’
CLINTON TOWN — Some of Governor Chris Christie's reform agenda has become law, but more work is left to be done -- including education reform, which the governor says is at the top of his agenda for 2011.Christie discussed his reform agenda and other topics Tuesday during his 17th town hall meeting, held at the Clinton Community Center on Halstead Street.
The governor said New Jerseyans are beginning to feel pride again in their state, and that there are some positive discussion topics for the public.
Christie said that New Jersey has the highest tax burden in the nation, many anti-business regulations, and an atmosphere where private sector jobs are treated like the enemy. But, he said, the Legislature is getting serious about passing his many reform agenda initiatives, including property tax reform, education reform, the municipal toolkit and more.
"Two-thousand-eleven is going to be the year of education reform in New Jersey and I will not keep quiet until we get it done,'' Christie said.
On average, it costs $17,000 per pupil annually for education in New Jersey -- the highest in the nation -- while test scores and graduation results are down, Christie said. He called the Abbott districts a "failed system.''
Christie also said test results show that charter schools do work and that initiatives common in charter schools, such as longer school days and years, should be considered.
In terms of other topics on his reform agenda, Christie said he is proud that the 2-percent cap on municipal budgets without the approval of local voters had passed, adding that the Legislature's passage Monday of arbitration reform will speed the process and cut costs related to disputes in police, fire and other state employee contracts.
"It's on my desk and you can be assured I'm going to sign it,'' Christie said of the arbitration bill.
Christie also said he will conditionally veto a civil service bill passed by the Legislature because it would not allow the 194 municipalities enrolled in the Civil Service system to withdraw from the program. Christie has proposed that towns should be allowed to withdraw, either by a local referendum question or a vote by a governing body.
Further, Christie said he would not sign the Coalition on Affordable Housing (COAH) bill requiring each municipality to provide 10-percent of its housing as affordable housing.
Fixing the pension benefits system and having state employees contribute toward their health insurance in return for more choice in plans also are priorities for Christie.
A number of residents pleaded with Christie to not close Hagedorn Psychiatric Hospital in Lebanon Township, as Christie had proposed earlier this year. Christie promised the audience that he will let the Mental Health Task Force that is evaluating Hagedorn do its work and then look at their recommendations with an open mind.
Christie also told the crowd that he has heard complaints about what he called his "vocal'' personality. He told the audience about a time when he visited his dying mother and she told him to go to work because he didn't need to spend more time with her, that there was "nothing left unsaid between us.''
Christie explained that New Jerseyans will never have to wonder where he stands on issues.
"What I owe you is that there will be nothing left unsaid between us when I leave,'' he said.
For more local news or to share your own news, events and comments, visit www.flemington.injersey.com
Walter O'Brien: 908-243-6613; wobrien@MyCentralJersey.com
Daily Record ‘NJ asks court to reject Parsippany, NJ, schools chief Lee Seitz's contract extension’
By ROB JENNINGS • STAFF WRITER • December 14, 2010
In a motion made public Tuesday afternoon, Deputy Attorney General Michael G. Walters argued that Morris County Executive County Superintendent Kathleen Serafino never approved the Seitz contract, as required by state law, and asked the court to reject Parsippany's request to stay her order to rescind it.
"At no point did Dr. Serafino advise the board or anyone else that Dr. Seitz's proposed contract was approved either verbally or in writing and at no point did Dr. Serafino advise the board that she would issue a letter of approval," Walters wrote.
The state's legal brief was filed in response to a lawsuit unilaterally implemented by school board President Anthony Mancuso after Serafino, on Nov. 15, ordered the board to rescind the five-year contract that it had approved only six days earlier by a 6-2 vote.
Seitz's contract extension became the subject of a statewide controversy after Gov. Chris Christie, speaking at a town hall meeting in Berkeley just hours before the board voted, slammed the agreement as an attempt to circumvent his proposed superintendent salary cap regulations.
Under the contract, Seitz would receive two percent raises starting Dec. 1, culminating in a $234,065 annual salary — more than $59,000 above the proposed cap — by the 2014-15 school year.
Seitz's original contract ran through next June; Christie's proposed pay cap would go into effect Feb. 7, but not apply to settled contracts.
Walters, in his motion, alluded to a crucial point of contention — an Oct. 29 e-mail from executive county school business administrator Ralph Goodwin reading, "Dr. Serafino will issue a letter of approval upon her return from vacation."
The board's attorney, Mark Tabakin, had argued that Goodwin's e-mail to his law firm, among other statements, were legally tantamount to approval even though Serafino never signed an approval letter.
Walters countered that Goodwin was never given authority to approve the contract.
"It was not Mr. Goodwin's intention to imply that Dr. Serafino had approved the contract as several issues were outstanding," he wrote, citing as an example the proposed starting date.
Serafino departed Nov. 2 for a vacation which took her outside of the United States, Walters wrote. She did not return until Nov. 13, four days after the uproar ignited by Christie's condemnation.
Though Serafino directed the board to rescind Seitz's contract by Dec. 1, two motions to rescind failed and Mancuso, on procedural grounds, blocked a third vote last Thursday.
Christie, in a town hall visit to Parsippany earlier this month, vowed to defend against the Parsippany suit in court.
Serafino has not commented publicly on the dispute.
Reaction from Parsippany school officials to the state's filing was not immediately available on Tuesday. Mancuso could not be reached and Tabakin did not immediately return a phone call.
Seitz remains the K-12 district's superintendent, a post he has held since 2006.
Rob Jennings: 973-428-6667; robjennings@gannett.com
Independent Press ‘Chatham Board of Education passes resolution supporting superintendent’s contract’
Published: Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 12:13 AM Updated: Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 6:06 AM
Tracy Ness/Independent Press
CHATHAM TOWNSHIP — The Chatham Board of Education passed a resolution tonight supporting Superintendent Jim O’Neill’s recently negotiated contract that is set to expire in June of 2011 stating that the board is legislatively empowered to fix the salary of its superintendent. And one board member suggested that Governor Chris Christie should look in his own backyard for savings that would far exceed those coming from the proposed salary cap.
The resolution stated that O’Neill’s proposed contract was submitted to the Executive County Superintendent for approval on Oct. 29. The board received comments and revisions from Dr. Kathleen Serafino and returned the contract with revisions made on November 16. However no further word has been received from the county and that is what prompted the board to draft its resolution of support.
Board member Jonathan Chatinover said he thinks the superintendent’s salary is fair and challenged the governor to find real savings elsewhere. “For the entire state, the new superintendent cap is expected to save $9.8 million. If the governor was really interested in controlling costs, he has a lot better places to look,” he said.
Chatinover proposed that if each district were to reduce it’s per pupil spending by $500 per student, that state would save $650 million. A reduction of $100 per student would bring in $130 million. “How about the governor’s own backyard?” he asked. “The Newark School District is technically under state control and currently spends $25,000 per student. It seems possible to come down to $24,000 per student [given that Chatham spends less than $12,000] and that would come to $40 million. And that is not including other districts under state control like Camden.”
Chatinover continued asking the governor to look at administrative costs. “If the governor could get Newark to reduce their administrative staff to Chatham’s level that would be a savings of about $16 million – just in Newark, just in administrative costs,” he explained. “But the governor isn’t really interested in saving money. He is just interested in pushing his populist agenda.”
But the issue for the board is now much larger than the contract and it hits right to heart of local control and standing up for what they believe is right. Board President Stephen Barna said that Chathamites have a long history of not backing down. “In 1801 Chatham’s main street played a critical role in history. The effort to establish the first turnpike toll road prompted Chatham to create Shunpike Road, which was an attempt to “shun” the “pike.” And some 150 years later the kitchen of Helen Fenske became the operational headquarters destined to stop the all-powerful Port Authority from building a jet port in the Great Swamp,” he said. “I believe that our community’s desire for self-rule and self-determination is built into Chathamites DNA.”
Barna also pointed out that Chatham has often been ahead of the state efforts to promote sound fiscal management. “Twenty years ago the community decided to merge the school districts and several years ago the board reached agreement with the teachers to contribute towards their dependent healthcare and these are only two examples of how our local board was way ahead of our contemporaries,” he said. “And we continue to deliver services at a fair cost to taxpayers with stellar results. I maintain that the most effective decision making process is here at the local level.”
Not all board members were ready to jump on the band wagon worrying that taking an antagonistic stance may bring retribution down the line. “Although I fully support the new contract and applaud the efforts of residents and Education Counts on this issue, we have to face reality,” said Board member Al Burgunder. “This resolution may have unintended consequences and may make for a difficult relationship with the governor going forward.” He suggested that the board offer to consolidate with other districts and make O’Neill a senior superintendent maintaining his salary.
Board member Alan Routh questioned the probability of winning the fight especially with the lack of support from elected representatives in the assembly and the senate. “We already passed a resolution in August objecting to the cap and government intrusion that was sent to the governor, the education commissioner and assembly and senators who represent the Chathams,” he said. “The governor is not listening to any of it and we’ve not heard a word from any of our elected representatives.” Routh cautioned the board that they “need to start working on plan B because the governor is going to torpedo plan A."
After a thought provoking round of discussion, Barna called for a vote on the contract resolution. Burgunder was the only no vote on the resolution that passed by 6-1-1 with Board member Alan Routh abstaining. He concluded by saying that, “We have ideas that can help the governor achieve his goals and I hope he takes us up on the offer.”
