The Henry Hudson outgoing, un-elected board of education is right up there in the ranks of the Shore Regional and Oceanport school boards in taking steps that are more about spending more thousands of dollars and getting their way than it is about education or letting the people have their say in what they want for the education of students in their schools.
It began with the Henry Hudson board chairman writing that letter that went to considerably more taxpayers in Atlantic Highlands than it did in Highlands. It went to the parents of our students, it was explained.
But if that’s the case, why does the board that represents ALL the taxpayers, not just parents, feel the board president should only write to SOME of the taxpayers? Since Atlantic Highlands has almost twice as many students as Highlands in the district, that means more people in Atlantic Highlands got the letter than Highlands.
The letter wasn’t about education at all for that matter. It was about regionalization. That is a board issue. And board issues should be shared with every taxpayer in the same way.
So then it was explained that the letter was posted on the website, etc., etc.
That may be true. But those who did not get that letter wouldn’t know how to seek it out on any website, page or anyplace else. Why not treat every taxpayer the same?
When questioned further, it was the Board Attorney who interrupted the president’s attempt to answer questions at a public meeting. He said it isn’t even necessary for the board to have an open meeting to discuss and approve the president sending a letter to some, but not all, the voters.
Really?
Who gave the un-elected president the right to have more power than any other un-elected member, even though he said he and the board agreed?
Can any letter come out from the board president without any authorization from the rest of the board?
Doesn’t the public have the right to know?
But that is only part of the problem. This is an un-elected board, one which had its first meeting this past July and its last meeting last week.
In January, the very first elected board of this new regional school district will take over. So why is the un-elected board working so hard to encumber the first elected board? But they are.
That resolution adopted unanimously last week will require the yet to serve elected board to pay an attorney to represent it in the what started out with what has been called a “frivolous” challenge Oceanport and Shore Regional are taking to the New Jersey Supreme Court.
That’s the one those taxpayers, Sea Bright included, since it’s part of those districts, are challenging at the highest court in the state, that third decision in the Appellate division that already publicly spanked the Oceanport and Shore Regional boards for bringing up in the first place.
Isn’t a 34-page unanimous decision enough to convince these unelected folks just maybe there’s something wrong with what they’re trying to do?
But now, Henry Hudson’s un-elected board took an 11th hour decision at its last regular meeting to be sure the attorney has another job.
They unanimously adopted the resolution that authorizes the Busch Law Group to file a resolution and anything else necessary, with the NJ Department of Education protecting their believe there have been “scurrilous ad hominem attacks” on the Henry Hudson superintendent. The soon to be gone un-elected board wants to be sure they stand up and protect the superintendent before they leave.
And this un-elected board in this same resolution also made it clear they, even though they will be gone by January, are against any joint position to include Sea Bright in the Hudson district until they are happy with a resolution of anything in the superintendent’s certification.
In short, which is more important, the superintendent’s certifications the public doesn’t know anything about, or whether the people will ever get their right to vote of if they want Sea Bright in the district?
Their resolution the other night refers to “scurrilous ad hominem” attacks levied against her because she lives and pays her own property taxes in one of the towns that stands to lose millions if Sea Bright pulls out of that district.
The fact the board is hiring an attorney specifically to send their concern to the state rather than simply sending the Superintendent a letter with their opinion is an absolute indication this outgoing board believes there is very definitely a perception, at least among the public, that there is indeed a conflict of interest between her residency and her taking the lead as the primary spokesman for the regionalization issue.
Well, the law forbidding conflicts of interest clearly is designed and written to forbid any PERCEPTION of such conduct without an investigation into it. At least publicly, there has never been any investigation into it, nor any statement of any investigation into any possible conflict.
Yet the perception continues, enough for the board to want to spend money and keep an attorney working to defend her.
If the education of the students, the concerns of the voters and all those ‘scurrilous attacks’ were really important, surely the board would have done something before paying an attorney to bring the attacks, not the conflict, to the state Department of Education. For that matter, the Superintendent herself, if she cared about the scurrilous attacks or the costs of yet more legal action, could simply step down from her lead position in regionalization.
This is neither the time nor place for other intimations. Records will most likely show, if anyone files an OPRA, exactly how much time the Superintendent has spent on regionalization as opposed to education.
It will show the public appearances she has made, perhaps even the interviews she has given, and maybe even the places she has been quoted for her excellence on the subject. After all, regionalization has become a state-wide discussion since the unanimous approval of the state law that got Henry Hudson and Sea Bright into this predicament in the first place.
The superintendent’s vast experience at the onset of the law will all look good on resumes for newly created positions with school boards wanting to look into regionalization, again which is likely, inasmuch as the Governor is advocating larger school districts with this legislation.
Or a position perhaps with a new state office overseeing what is bound to be a major issue in years to come.
Or with a law firm that wants to specialize in regionalization issues.
No suggestions of any wrongdoing here. But if it were the case, most assuredly, furthering one’s own personal agenda would surely create a conflict of interest.
