Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Hoboken Board of Education Passes Two Resolutions: Naming of a Permanent Superintendent and Authorizing Legal Action Against the State of New Jersey

A showdown is developing between some local Boards of Education and Gov. Chris Christie, whose latest move to control school spending by capping superintendents' salaries is upsetting some school board members.

The following are two resolutions recently passed by the Hoboken Board of Education centering on the issues surrounding their search for a permanent Superintendent of Schools. Resolution 1(A) essentially names Dr. Mark Toback as the next Superintendent of Schools beginning as soon as possible and through June 30, 2015. Resolution 1(B) authorizes the Board of Education's outside law firm to take "any and all" legal action to have the contract for the new Superintendent of Schools reviewed and approved.

To be clear, there is still no permanent Superintendent of Schools in Hoboken. The interim Superintendent has agreed to stay in the current position until January 31, 2011. If the legal matter is not resolved by then- the Board of Education can appoint any number of people within the district or any of their outside consultants they have hired to be an interim who hold the proper State of New Jersey certification. There is also the possibility, however remote, that the current administration may be coaxed to extend their stay until this matter is resolved.

The State of New Jersey legislature is expected to vote on Governor Christie's resolution in February of 2011.