Kids First Spending Spree on Superintendent's Salary--Then and Now: Lawsuit Likely in Order to Challenge Governor's Guidelines

In a February 2010 letter to the Hoboken Reporter, a former Kids First Board member commented on the contract of then Superintendent choice Mr. Romano:

"Tuesday night they assisted Theresa and Board president Markle to deliver Frank Romano from Fort Lee to Hoboken with a very lucrative contract: $190,000 salary and a guarantee 3% annual increase regardless of his performance! How does this behavior show fiscal responsibility to the Tax Payers and our Students – especially during these times of national economic constraints?"

This would mean after 3 years Mr. Romano would have been making about $206,000 plus benefits. As mentioned on this blog in March, 2010-- this 3 year contract was about $162,000 over the then recommended limits of Assemblyman Dave Rible.

On Tuesday, November 23, 2010 County Superintendent Brennen refused to allow a contract by the Kids First Board of Education Super Majority-- leading the Board of Education to consider the filing of a lawsuit.

The results?

According to the Jersey Journal--- the Kids First Hoboken Board of Education is choosing to sue the State of New Jersey for the right to offer significantly more money than the Governor of New Jersey, the Interim Commissioner of Education, and the County Executive Superintendent would approve.

According to the blog Hoboken Patch, Kids First Board Trustee Theresa Minutillo was quoted as saying "Christie doesn't know what he's doing," Hoboken Patch also reports Trustee Minutillo followed up her assessment of the Governor as calling his freeze on all contract negotiations with superintendents "despicable."

To be clear, the salary limits on the pay for Superintendent contracts were clearly communicated by the Commissioner of Education in a number of memos over the past few weeks and was made very clear that such limits would be enforced.

Click here to see memo from the Interim Commissioner Hendricks and reach your own decisions.

What lies ahead is a possible costly lawsuit, a still unclear picture of who will be the permanent Superintendent of Schools, and a bewildered public perplexed by the differences between the rhetoric and the reality of claims of fiscal responsibility.