New Director, Athletics Shake Up, Business Office Hiring & More….

New Director Appointed

As we reported at the June 20 board meeting, Dr. Joseph Cordero was appointed as the director of elementary education and intervention.

Dr. Cordero comes from Summit, where he spent time as an Elementary Principal and was appointed as the District’s Director of Curriculum and Instruction in 2022. He is credited with helping to launch Summit Public Schools’ first STEAM Innovation Lab and an Anti-Racism and Social Justice committee for staff. Before Summit, Cordero worked in Jersey City and received his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Kean University.

Dr. Cordero is replacing Dr. Christine Seminario who resigned, effective June 30, 2024.

Athletics Shake Up

Following the highly controversial termination of the GL Girls Soccer Coach (by a unanimous Board vote) at the June 10 Board Meeting (minutes here), several positions possibly tied to this staff have been listed on Applitrack (the online server used to post job openings) including CMS Social Studies teacher (posted 5/1) and GL Gym teacher replacement (posted 5/28). By far, the biggest surprise is the 7/10 posting of Ann Clifton’s position as Director of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics.

Perhaps this is a coincidence, but my gut tells me there’s more here.

Being that this is a personnel issue, no one has any business outside of what the District decides to report, so stay tuned to the August 8 meeting.

Business Office Hiring

The positions of payroll specialist and assistant to the business administrator/board secretary were posted on July 1 and July 11, respectively.

Superintendent Search

While this is primarily a closed-door and confidential process, there have been public input sessions and a public survey. The District and Board have not reported any progress on this process.

Board of Education Seats

Dr. Foregger and Ms. Stanley’s Board of Education term expires at the end of this year. In addition to these two 3-year terms, the (1 year) remainder of Ms. Penna’s term will appear on the ballot. Petitions to run for these seats are due to the county by July 29, 2024 at 4PM.

Special Meeting

Although not posted on the District website, the display board in front of the Board office shows a Special Meeting of the Board on July 25th at 630pm. Internal sources informed us that it is related to the Superintendent search. Stay tuned for more details.

Transportation

It might be safe to assume that “no news is good news” regarding the bussing/transportation issues.

New Attorneys

The new attorney’s presence at meetings has been a breath of fresh air, providing sound and accurate advice to the Board. I am happy that the public’s voice was heard, and I feel confident the Board is getting better advice and support for its business.

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