Published: Saturday, December 11, 2010, 2:30 PM
The state of "unending limbo" is over.
The Hoboken Board of Education received word yesterday that state Education Commissioner Rochelle Hendricks will allow county Executive Superintendent Tim Brennan to "review" the proposed contract for proposed Hoboken superintendent Dr. Mark Toback.
A letter arrived shortly after 3 p.m. at the law office of the board's attorney, Vito Gagliardi, who filed a motion with Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Perillo asking for "emergent relief" of the situation.
Perillo denied the motion just minutes before the letter from Hendricks' office arrived.
Gagliardi could not be reached for comment.
The board voted to appoint Toback on Nov. 24, but was unable to officially hire him due to a "blanket edict" from the state that prohibited all county superintendents from approving any superintendent contracts.
In response, the board voted to file an appeal, asking a judge to order Hendricks to lift the ban for Hoboken which, they said, was in danger of having no school chief at the end of January when Interim Superintendent Peter Carter's contract is up.
According to Hendricks' letter, Brennan must review the contract within 14 business days
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note: This means some sort of decision will be made no later than around Tuesday January 11, 2011 because of the holiday vacation. Given the current interim superintendent's contract expires on January 31, 2011 and the possibility that the Board's choice of a permanent superintendent still needs to give his employer 60 days notice--- it appears no matter what the decision by the County Executive, the district is indeed in "danger" of having no school chief at the end of January. Of course, that can be addressed in any number of ways including granting another extension, appointing a different interim (including Dr. Toback), or appointing any number of well qualified and deserving individuals within the Hoboken School District to be an "interim" until the permanent superintendent is able to assume the position. Here is an earlier story on the OPRA request.
