Joe Licata wouldn’t let residents speak, or even the other Board members. He did this two months in a row.

I asked the following two questions:

1)   There are nine board members, not just one.  Despite what Joe Licata and Marc Capizzi want you to believe, you are allowed to think for yourselves and speak for yourselves. 

There is no urgency or necessity for the $7.5 million dollar project that you trying to rush through behind the public’s back.  It is time to take a step back and ask the residents of Lodi what they think about it.  What if the results are lopsided?  What if 99% of Lodi doesn’t want it?  A vote would benefit you and this town.

My question is for each board member to answer.  Will you support placing the $7.5 million project on the November ballot?  If not, why?

2)  Marc Capizzi has been denying my OPRA requests for access to an agenda prior to meetings.  OPRA lists 25 exemptions.  Which exemption is Mr. Capizzi using when he denies my requests?  He is required to list it but doesn’t.

If I file a complaint with Superior Court, this board will lose.  Why should the Lodi taxpayers pay $12,000 in legal costs (as you have seen in other towns over the last year) because you won’t give me an agenda?  I would prefer for you to post agendas on-line like every other district, but if you won’t, I will post them on mine.

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-  None of my questions were answered.  Joe Licata said he will speak for other Board members and say “No” to the ballot question.  I told him to let the other members speak for themselves.  Licata said he was ending the meeting.  A concerned woman said she wanted to speak. Licata denied her right to speak during the hearing of the citizens.  Licata did this to a different woman at last month’s meeting.

Joe Licata’s actions need to be investigated by the State and he needs to be removed from office.

-  Walter Curioni discussed Hasbrouck Heights using a house as their Board office and how there are  many better alternatives to wasting $7.5 million dollars.  He stated that the previous Board Secretary of 38 years poured hundreds of thousands into the building and it is secure.  He would rather see the money go towards hiring more teachers (Middle School teachers have to teach an extra period this year) and giving more extra help. He noted that Lodi failed QSAC this year and more money should be spent in the classroom and not on a building. He wanted to improve Lodi's home values that have declined badly.


-Eva Grecco informed the BOE once again that a template is not an agenda and that the BOE is in violation of the Open Public Meetings Act.  


Ms. Greco reminded the BOE that Joe Licata said last month that there was an $8 million dollar surplus yet they are only showing $6.2 million in capital reserves on the BOE website for the 2015-16 school year.  Joe Licata claimed that he never said it but everyone heard it.  Marc Capizzi said that they just transferred over $2 million to capital reserves.  Their stories change each month.  They claim that their own budget numbers are not accurate.  

-  Frank Quatrone is required by the State to discuss PARCC results at a public meeting.  He said that 3^rd and 4^th grade averages were slightly better than State averages.  And then he stopped.

Harlem Balboa asked him to discuss all the results for all grade levels and post them for the public to view.

Mr. Quatrone acknowledged that some results were bad but he didn’t elaborate or disclose them.

A complete report of PARC results should have been discussed and shown to the public. 

-  Some other residents asked some very good questions that were not answered.  Those issues better appear on the meeting minutes labeled “hearing of the citizens”.

-  I will only discuss issues on this blog.  However, some really disgusting behavior and vulgar language was used during and after the meeting.  Enough people saw what they saw and heard what they heard. 

Lodi deserves better!