Clarification and Correction
The following article appeared tonight on northjersey.com:
The article contained this line: “Curioni said that he received and reviewed a résumé of an applicant
who wasn’t called in for an interview, and that he believed that candidate
looked better. “
I was referring to a resume for Head Wrestling Coach,
not vice principal and the line above wasn't accurate for that situation either (the person was interviewed). I only saw one
resume for vice principal. Resumes are
withheld from board members (as per the advice of Ms. DiChiara).
Outside of the 20 out of towners (union activists) cheering
for Mr. Quatrone and Ms. DiChiara at our meetings, the majority of people frown
upon their process (or lack of process).
Everyone knows that Lodi has a nepotism problem. It has a political patronage problem. Non-connected applicants know they are not treated
fairly. A thorough and transparent
process should always be used.
In my opinion, Mr. Quatrone’s statement about not
having vice principal is disingenuous and not productive: "You're looking at a strong possibility that the school won't have
a vice principal on October 1, and we all know how important that position is.
It would be detrimental," Quatrone said.
At the meeting, I recommended that the
board do what other districts do while conducting real searches. The board can use one of the Supervisors of
Curriculum to fill in as has been done in the past. It can also use a retired administrator as an
interim.
For me, the delay in appointments had more to do Mr.
Quatrone’s actions and not the individuals recommended. I left the personnel meeting on Tuesday with more
concerns than I had before because of the process.
One concern with the “technology support specialist”
position is the labor agreement. It
states that it was negotiated by the Board of Education and it wasn’t. My understanding is that it was negotiated by
Mr. Quatrone and not any board members.
I questioned elements of the agreement and was not given any answers. This is a newly created position with a starting salary of $70,000.
My concern with the head wrestling coach position: it
appears a top applicant is being hurt for political reasons. Some took great measures to keep someone with
a great resume, background, and experience from getting the position. Explanations keep changing.
Standards keep changing.
I believe all candidates should be treated
fairly. I believe in a transparent
process.
Elsewhere in the article:
1) “Board Attorney Alisa DiChiara said
that she had already given her opinion and sent three advisory opinions on the
subject.”
Not true. I haven’t received one advisory opinion
stating board members cannot view any resumes except the one recommended by the
superintendent.
2) “Why are you downgrading our
superintendent? He’s the leader of our district. We are here for policy and
procedure to make it fair for the children,” Board member Jonathan Carafa said
in response. “I don’t trust your opinion. The superintendent recommends and
interviews the candidates, not you.”
Since joining the board, I have not heard Jonathan Carafa contribute one positive idea to move our schools forward. All he does is blame Lodi parents for the district’s poor performance.
