Public School Update

For your information, our public school has 463 employees and numerous consultants with high fees. Still, the schools are submerged in an ocean of confusion, from the Special Education Department (Director is Barbara Berger, who was given tenure this past June) to the school administration and in each individual school building. Board members still have difficulty in obtaining information from the Superintendent.

The re-registration project was approved a couple of months ago. This project is the key to understanding the over crowding in some of the schools. The re-registration project has been placed in neutral from the day the Board voted to allocate $25,000 for this project. We are counting on Board President David Matthews to help trustee Larry Lubin move this project forward.

Shirley Smith, who was elected last April for a one-year term, voted “No” on the re-registration project. She must believe that it is beneficial for us to continue to educate students who do not reside in Englewood for free. Her term is up in April 2002. Mrs. Smith is a political appointee to the Traffic Advisory Committee and an employee in an After School program that is housed in a public school (Quarles School). She is a retired teachers assistant and a union member. Also, she is the Chairman of the Personnel Committee. As far as the public knows, she has not reported once regarding what this committee is doing. She is a member of the Education Committee as well, and as far as the public knows she has not reported on that committee either. Her vote to stop the re-registration project failed because David Matthews, Larry Lubin, Lazaro Carvajal, Robert Kolhagen and Marguerite Canada voted in favor of it.

Bill Anderson, another political appointee left on the Board, has missed many meetings. But he was present to vote on the nomination of the new assistant superintendent: James Lerman. Mr. Lerman, age 55 and a former employee of the Dalton School (a private school in New York City) will receive a salary of $112,500 plus pension and full benefits. His contract ends in June 2001. At Dalton he was the Director of Technology (hardware) according to the Superintendent.

For your information, the position of assistant superintendent is the second highest position in the school district. The Assistant Superintendent must competent to assume the duties on the Superintendent in the event the Superintendent gets sick or resigns. We wish Mr. Lerman the best of luck.

A few weeks ago a new principal was hired for Lincoln School - Mr. David Gidich. He resigned his position and will be leaving soon. Mr. Roth, the principal of the middle school, resigned as well and left the district on November 30^th.

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