Yes she can do two jobs and we can save some money until a permanent situation is found with the superintendent. We have enough school administrators in the district to get things done. It will mean delegating tasks and that as group the school administrators with have to step up a notch but it could be done. More notably the process is broken in this state with regards to education and this sad episode points it out. It is more about protecting the rights of adult employees than the rights of kids and taxpayers.

Sorry Adam this is not for you but for a comment Gary left for me but there is no way to reply. You state that a plumber makes what the acting super would make. I think any money that it wasted is too much money. Some people do not make anywhere near the hourly wage a plumber makes. Some people are lucky to have a job at all. I do and I don't want any of it wasted. What is a little here and there it's just a little. Everything adds up.

What are the reasons for his suspension? Why is the board being so secretive? Don't we are parents and taxpayers have the right to know why he was suspended? Is he better than the parent who was accused of stealing funds from the PTA?

Leslie:

By law and protocol, a matter of personnel is handled confidentially and doing so is in the public/taxpayer's best interest.

Once concluded the entire matter will be discoverable under OPRA if a public summary is not provided by the Board of Ed...though my guess is that they will most certainly provide one.

"Suck it up and do double duty?" Seems to me just last week, the Board was being slammed over the possibility that Mark Kenney might be carrying on a law practice in addition to his full-time job with the BOE. The premise of these critiques was that you can't possibly give full attention to Job A if you're also doing Job B. In fairness I don't recall whether Ms. Zaolino was among those critics, but I'd love to hear what they think of her suggestion that someone who already has a full-time post with the district take on the additional duties of the Superintendent.

Ryan:

First, you're confusing Mr. Kenney (the Business Manager) with Mr. Christiano (the Board's attorney) and, yes, each holds a full time position, albeit with Mr. Christiano handling private legal matters, as well, on his own time.

I personally think the Superintendent (as Chief Operating Officer) should be (for the long haul) a separate and distinct position held by a separate and distinct individual as he must oversee the work product of all those subordinate to him.

Having one of the next lower level executives wear two hats essentially has them as the final arbiter of their own work product and responsibilities which, given their nature and the compensation they're being paid, should already be fairly daunting to begin with.

Whoops, you're right Gary -- was going off memory and confused the two individuals. Point is unaffected however.

In fact, didn't something similar to what Ms. Zaolino's suggesting happen when Cavanna took over Special Ed responsibilities -- essentially combining the Super's job with another? And didn't that not work out so well?

Ryan:

As I recall (and my recollection may not be 100% accurate), when Betty Madgalena took ill and passed away, there was some lag time in naming a replacement. Dr. Cavanna temporarily filled the role, with some things apparently falling through the cracks while he did.

Here's a reasonable analogy: There is a reason you have a pilot and a co-pilot onboard a commercial aircraft and it's neither prudent nor practical to believe one man can fill both seats.

Leigh - Ann You make an excellent point . Approximately 1,000 government employees have 3 or more jobs . Does anyone know a cop or a fireman who doesn't have a least one private sector job ? The Head of the Guidance Department was also a professor at Kean University. Board Attorney Stephen Christiano maintains a private practice, as does Town Attorney Richard Trenk . .Jack Sayers had 2 full-time positions and at least 4 part -time positions that I know of. Nick Sacco is a State Senator, Mayor of North Bergen, and a School Administrator. Look at how many "full-time " public educators hold elected office{s}. .Joe D. , our County Executive , had 4 jobs at the same time when he was a " full-time" employee of the Newark Board of Education . Ras Baraka is the Principal of Central High School in Newark AND a Newark City Councilman . Another "full time " public educator in Essex County also holds 2 elected positions. And Leigh - Ann , your suggestion includes the word " interim " . For a relatively short period of time, there is NOTHING wrong wih you suggestion ., except, { and I'm not kidding }, your suggestion would save money . And {shudder } what if things went well ,or {heaven forbid ! } we saw improvements ? Your suggestion makes perfect sense ,{ and again , I'm not kidding } That is a huge problem for these spending addicts.

People get fired everyday! Do they all take their bosses to court! He just did not work out. That is the gamble you take whenever there is a contract. You pay the employee until the contract expires, except when stealing is involved. We will gain more with a strong superintendent. We cannot put a value on education. This is business and this is a welcome change.

Alan Sanders:

There is a proscribed procedure in place, all of which began with (1) the Board notifying Cavanna his contract would not be renewed (required prior to his beginning the final of that contract), (2) placing Cavanna on paid adminstrative leave "pending an investgation" which in all probability will lead to (3) the filing of tenure charges seeking his dismissal.

Once those charges are filed, Cavanna has X number of days to respond and the County Superintendent then has Y number of days to issue a ruling and/or refer the matter elsewhere for adjudication.

Additional legal fees might come into play if Cavanna seeks to fight the charges and/or disagrees with the County Superintendent's decision and/or if the matter is referred to an Administrative Law Judge or some other forum.

Again, we can only speculate what charges will actually be filed and what proofs the Board has but, let's keep in mind that the vote to do this was unanimous, one of the Board members is an attorney with a dozen years of Board experience and that the body is being further guided by experienced labor counsel.

Under current state guidelines, had the Board offered to "buy out" the final year of Cavanna's contract (and had he accepted), the maximum that could be paid to him is three month's compensation.

If Cavanna chose to litigate (for whatever reason) I don't know that he'd be entitled to recover any more than that and, my guess is that he's already received 1/3 that amount.

Were it a simple matter of his contract not being renewed that would be another story but in this instance he is on PAID suspension so we the taxpayers will shell out $17,000 per month to him AND pay the interim superintendent simultaneously. People are not suspended unless there is suspicion of cause... thowever that does not mean it won't be challenged which in turn will lead to legal bills. To think otherwise is illogical. As for the double duty issue? I work for the state and we are doing more and more with less as people retire or leave and positions are not backfilled. So if I have to suck it up and take on more responsibility without an increase in my salary why can't local government? Duties could be split out and divided until the year remaining on this guys contract is over. Now we are going to be paying two people for the same job only one of them gets to sit home. What's right with that picture?

To "concerned" - this is the worst business decision long haul for the taxpayers. Again, we are paying two people at the same time for the job. Is there a mystery pot of gold stashed someplace that allows for these kinds of issues? No... so when your tax bill and mine goes up don't be shocked.

Public schools are nothing more than a monopoly. If parents were given options for their tax dollars parochial schools would flourish, new private schools would open. As healthy competition emerges for those voucher students it becomes a win/win for the children. If the public school can't raise the bar to attract students or keep them their failure is still the children's win and same for the taxpayers.

Leigh Ann Zaolino:

With Catholic school enrollment half of what it was forty years ago and Sunday masses seeing comparable declining attendance over the same period, I rather doubt the institution of a voucher program will spur any increase in classroom capacity in that quarter, let alone provide the captial (in advance) to fund it.

The same dynamic applies to private institutions, whether they be endowed, non-profit or for profit; expansion on speculation is simply not a reasonable expectation.

Public schools are a monopoly insofar as supplying one is mandated in the law of the land and funded, of necessity, by the taxpayers. If the premise is that competition will provide better, cheaper and more efficient service, why stop with education? Why not police, fire and social services, as well?

While the funding method in NJ remains problematical, pooling the resources for maximum effect still makes the most sense. If a school district provides educational opportunities for students of all levels of ability, one student will rank first in a given class and one wil rank last, with their peers filling the slots between the two in accordance to their ability and performance...and so it has always been.

That all children do not excell does not mean a district is failing or has failed them as these outcomes have more to do with circumstances beyond a system's control than those that are.

Gary wrote: "If the premise is that competition will provide better, cheaper and more efficient service, why stop with education? Why not police, fire and social services, as well?"

Correct... why do we need 531 municipal governments + 22 county governments + state government? No one wants to give up a square inch of turf or a cushy salary with benefits... or political power. At some point we have to do what is in the best interests of the state as a whole. If that means vouchers, cutting the size of government, doing more with less, etc., then so be it.

As for the decline at Catholic church? As a Catholic I feel comfortable in saying they are out of step with the times and need to clean house in other areas. However I received a quality education on my father's meager salary in parochial school.

I believe parents would once again consider private school, or charter schools as an option if they had freedom of choice. The currentoffers no incentive to seek alternate forms of education for your child if you have limited means. Yes, not every child will go to Harvard but what about the ones who could and did not because they were trapped in a poor performing school. Vouchers equal the playing field for everyonend you empower parents with choices and reasons to be involved in the childs education once again. Without the freedom of choice to spend your school tax dollars how you see fit for your child nothing will ever change.

Leigh-Ann Zaolino:

Essentially, government provides collective services for all that no single individual can provide for themselves.

An ever evolving enterprise on all levels, the goverment we have (local and county) is primarily a function of how the state developed and the increasing demand for services as populations increased. Generally speaking, to this day, the less population in a given area, the less government an the less service. Point in fact: there are broad areas of the state with no local law enforcement presence and the State Police provides it.

Has the time come to review, consolidate and reduce? Perhaps it has but, the fact population is ever growing, local tradition and that people do cherish home rule are
impediments to what may be fiscally prudent, if not essential.

Back to education: "freedom of choice" has a wonderful ring to it but, providing the freedom to chose without the availability of actual viable choices is an exercise in futility. Whatever the issues one has with public education, in general, or specific schools or districts, the best approach is not to throw the baby out with the bath water. In most all things, it's generally better to improve, renovate and build on what you've got than tear it down and start from scratch.

Children matriculating through the what might be considered the worst schools in the worst districts in the country do excel and, so far as I know, there are no empty seats at Harvard or elsewhere,

Concerned.

It would help if we all knew you by your "legal" name so then we could address you properly. Just sayin'

Concerned Star Ledger 10 year study - 3,000,000 people in N.J. make $34,300 a year or less and they took home even smaller paychecks by decade's end . In 1990, 19% of people with jobs relied on food stamps . That number rose to 30% by 2010.Three quarters of all the new wealth created in the decade went to the top 20% households: Those earning $132,000 and more.That could be two young teachers, a teacher a police officer, or a fireman and a bureaucrat .What's the mission of the public schools ? To prepare children to compete successfully in the high - tech hyper - competitive global economy of the 21st century. Here's a bright spot ? The bio-tech industry is booming. It now employs. get ready...16.400 people. That's 16.400 people, in a State with eight and a half million residents.And I bet many of them didn't go to N.J. public schools. Mr. O Neill had a final base pay in Chatham of $208,684. His pension is $95,980. He worked 34 years and five months . Perhaps he got a buyout. Does he collect Social Security? Concerned says Mr.O Neill truly deserves more than $174,000. Does he deserve more than $269,980 and lifetime benefits in total, or should he be getting that just from West Orange ? My second question is, what do his EMPLOYERS deserve ? He will prepare the next 3 million people who will earn $34,300 and less a year,and the 30% of working people who will rely on food stamps, and the 9% of students who will be on unemployment . What do his EMPLOYERS DESERVE ?

And I believe everyone was chanting in support of the suspended with pay man sitting home collecting $17k per month. "He truly deserves more than $174K"... you are not living in reallity. When CEO's of schools make more money that CEO's in the private sector something is seriously wrong.

No CEO in the private sector makes less than $400k, unless they work for not for profit agency.

Concerned - " He truly deserves more than a 174k." That;s what YOU believe, but that's not what Dr.O'Neill believes . Concerned , you be perfect on the West Orange School Board . If O'Neill stays on for another year and he says 174k is fine for year 2, you will NOT be intimidated by his demands in the least . You will fight him tooth and nail , until his compensation equals or exceeds the highest paid School Superintendent in America . Fight the good fight Concerned . I know someone with your steely resolve would never be bullied by the Teacher's Union . If they ask for 3% a year raises , but you think they're worth at least 6%, then 6% it will be , and Teacher's Union demands be damned . Concerned , continue the great tradition of so many West Orange School Board members , but be innovative . Come up with new ways to give the Educrats everything that's not nailed down . We're all counting on you .

He is no public servant! This term is used too politically and too loosely.He is the Superintendent. He is also very qualified for the job. They should pay him much more to come here.

Adam Kraemer:

First, you continue to misrepresent the litigation Dr. O'Neill was involved in and the inconsistencies and inequities it sought to address. Characterizing the man as a robber baron looking to rape and pillage at the expense of the taxpayers and school children is patently unfair and another example of your inept political rhetoric.

You then go on to proclaim you believe that, as an interim measure, the superintendent's duties should be parcelled out among others like piecework in a 1900's lower east side sweatshop.

Well, Mr. Kraemer (as a three-time candidate Bd of Ed), do you know that such a plan is even allowable under current state law and DOE regulations or that such an arrangement would even be approved by the County Superintendent of Schools?

No?

I didn't think so.

Adam , Maybe you and Concerned can find common ground . How about "Dr. O'neil is paid by the taxpayers of West Orange . Usually, a person who derives his income solely from tax dollars would be called a public servant . But he is so much more affluent than the vast majority of WO taxpayers , he is categorized as a" public serves us." employee . He currently serves the West Orange School District { NOT the people of West Orange } in the position of acting Superintendent " Concerned writes " They should pay him much more to come here " Dr.O'Neill clearly disagrees with Concerned on what his { Dr.O'Neil's } compensation level should be .How can Concerned be so titilated by an individual who holds himself in such low regard ? How can such an individual possibly teach the students to reach for the stars?

John I like you, but you seem to want everyone to make minimum wages. There are those of us who attened Schools in West Orange who now makes over $300k. I wish that no student will make $34k, then they could not afford to buy a house in West Orange. Just be real for once. I know you very welll, you are a wonderful person, but you tend to let it seem as if you want everyone to volunteer when they are promoted to a high level position. I hope you will not take offense to my statement, but 10 years from now minimum wages will be $34k per year.

I never said vouchers were "magic" - please do not put words into my mouth. I said without freedom of choice nothing will change. We have 521 school districts and no one will budge an inch to give up turf least of all the all mighty NJEA. I suggest you watch the John Stosell piece "Stupid in America" and your opinion on vouchers may very well change. I found it recently on Utube. It is worth watching to the end.

Kids can choose colleges but not their primary education? The basics are what get you to the higher level. Competition for certain colleges is fierce and why is that? If we had competition for primary education the children will benefit. Again, if it's really about the kids reduce the top heavy administration salaries and give it to the kids. Presently it is costing approx. 17K to educate a child in WO. How much of that amount acutally is for the children versus salaries and benefits? Why are teachers constantly buying supplies if we are properly managing our schools?

I don't think there is any perfect system, private or public. But I do believe it is time to change how we do business if we want to see education in this country rise versus decline.

Would you be willing to let free - market work ? Do you believe that since failure is largely pre- determined by family income , that even children in low - achieving, dangerous schools would derive no substantive educational benefits from vouchers ? Do you believe in competition ? Would you be willing to let people make their own decisions about what they think is best for their children ? Do you feel that many people can be conned , duped or easily mislead ? So if we allowed people educational choices , many would make would you would consider to be the wrong choices ?Here are a couple of quotes by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan...." but have kids in Newark been well served ? I don't think so." And..."That poverty is not a destiny. There are some folks who feel you have to end poverty to fix education .I believe you have to fix education to end poverty ."

They may pull down more with benefits and you won't hear me argue that point. But if you look up the salaries of other Superintendents in the state why is WO the highest paid?

Alan Sanders:

As I have said previously, the size and scope of the West Orange Public Schools ($140 Million budget, 1,000 employees, 11 buildings and 7,000 daily customers) is such that a $225,000 annual salary (for someone typically with 25+ years of progressive experience in education and a PhD) is far from exorbitant...and the cost of employing such an individual probably works out to about $13 per year to the average local taxpayer.

Leigh-Ann Zaolino:

"Why is WO the highest paid?"

I don't think that's true, as the following articles suggest:

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/12/0124/0212/

http://newbrunswick.patch.com/articles/new-brunswick-schools-superintendent-pulls-in-salary-of-230000-under-governors-superintendent-salary-cap

The difficulty in finding a new superintendent is detailed here:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/salary_cap_forcing_some_nj_sch.html

Leigh-Ann Zaolino: While your desire for fiscal prudence and responsibility is understandable, what you seem to be ignoring is the fact that the Board of Education is proceding precisely how they must given current state law and DOE guidelines.

Decry the bureacracy if you'd like but, it is what it is and the terrain on which we are currently deployed.

Leigh-Ann Zaolino:

First, I rather doubt that anyone's taxes will increase a penny as a result of the action being taken to dismiss Dr. Cavanna as allowable and included in every budget are contingency funds (read emergency) which will be tapped, if necessary.

Second, given the current protocols/procedures, I believe the Board has good reason to believe that, at worst, Dr. Cavanna will wind up being paid no more than the three-month's salary allowable under a state sanctioned contract buy-out.

Third, if one does the math, that figure and the per diem now being paid Dr. O'Neill combined will not greatly exceed what Cavanna would have been paid in the final year of his contract.

Fourth, as a per diem employee and retiree, Dr. O'Neill will not be enjoying a benefits package provided by the WOBOE (he's fully covered as a retiree). Ergo, the WOBOE will be fiscally fine when all is said and done.

Lastly, the idea of continuing to employ a Superintendent at odds with the Board of Education (with reason to dismiss him) for the final year of a contract, and while simultaneously searching for his replacement, would set the stage for a play of Kafkaesque proportions and would be far from being in the best interests of the school system.

Leigh - Ann Great stuff Today's Star - Ledger: The title of the article is " Too many New Jersey kids are in economic trouble " Advocates for Children of New Jersey conducts it's own survey of the state's 21 counties each year .. The 2012 survey looks back at 2010 for a snapshot it calls " a picture of pervasive poverty " Their findings :Nearly one - third of our children, 619,000, were in low-income families;27 per cent were in a family in which no parent had full - time work . More children lived in families that received food stamps .Of immigrant, single -mother households with children under age 5, 45 per cent had incomes below the federal poverty level.The economic struggles for families and children are not limited to the urban or rural parts of the state, but extend to the suburbs as well.Child poverty has grown , and while the numbers of children affected may vary from county to county, overall it is a disturbing trend for New Jersey . But NOT for people in the business of educational failure . Don't these people understand that we need more and more of their money to attract the" best and brightest " ? Can someone please tell them what private sector CEOs make , so they can see that what a School Superintendent earns is a relative pittance ? The " low income guarantees failure " crowd loves poverty and failure. More poverty = more inevitable failure = more government programs { jobs } = more worthless jobs = more wasted spending = more poverty = .......

If Gary thinks this is not a lot of money he must not be hurting like lots of people are at this time. What about the money we spent on the headhunters who found Cavana in the first place? Can we get our money back from them?

Leslie:

Precisely what do you think is "a lot of money?"

Dr. Cavanna's salary? Dr. O'Neill's per diem?

In the broad scheme of things, neither really is.

Dr. O'Neill's per diem works out to $84.13 an hour in a world where the typical plumber or electrician charges $70 and hour.

I'm not worked up at all; see my response to Leigh-Ann Zaolino (above) concerning how I think this will all shake out.

Having been around for 50 years and armed with the historical perspective I have, I fully understand two things:

1. The Board of Education is a constantly evolving entity and "this BOE" has been comprised as it is only since its last new member came on board (Sandra Mordecai).

2. The decisions made by this body, over time, have always been a function of responding to the specific issues and demands of a particular point in time and armed with the best data then available.

What set the stage for some of the greatest challenges (and cost increases) of the last decade was the decision, in the face of greatly declining enrollment (circa 1984) to reduce classroom capacity and sell off schools. That would come back to haunt us but, do keep in mind that nobody currently on the Board was sitting at the time or a party to the decision.

The apologists/ excuse makers/ defeatists insist there is compelling evidence that educational failure and success is largely determined by socio - economic factors . The median household income in the Chathams is $143.000. What's the median household income of the student body of the West Orange Public Schools ? It's definitely way, way below the Chathams ' THEREFORE, based on socio- economics, Chatham HAD to be very successful, , and West Orange can't hope to even come close to Chatham's level of educational success. I don't believe that crap for a second .But let the apologists, the excuse makers, the defeatists, and the defenders of the status quo keep pedaling that garbage. It clearly demonstrates how quickly and easily they will discard millions of children who happen to come from disadvantaged circumstances, and it shows their extreme contempt for people who are struggling to make ends meet.

Leigh-Ann Zaolino: I don't find it at all remarkable that the Board of Education in Republican leaning Chathams opted not to sign on to move its elections to November and benefit from the salary cap initiative then available, as West Orange did.

Probably more interesting would be a recap of the district's support/non-support of school budgets over time.

It's also interesting that while the Chatham Board has a philosophical disagrrement with its Superintendent, they continued to hold him in high regard and esteem.

Lastly, do keep in mind that 2 of 5 of our current Board of Ed are members of the Republican Party and still voted to hire Dr. O'Neill.

Leigh-Ann Zaolino:

Nice collection of articles but, previously read by those of us wishing to be informed about the man being brought on by the Board of Ed.

On balance, Dr. O'Neill appears to be a man with enough courage of conviction to stand up for what he believes in.

Brett Kaiser:

Careful now, keep in mind you're posting on The Patch...a privilege that could evaporate in a hearbeat! :-)

Sad but true, print media is going down the tube and the journalistic integrity many outlets once had with it.

Hopefully, some web based news operation will rise from the ashes and establish itself as both credible and unbiased.

At least I live in hope!

John,

I too thought that Sheila made the right points and asked the right questions but I had questions that I was going to ask her: Who decides? What criteria do they use? You have provided me with the answer: You will decide and the criteria is 9 cents or less. Thank you for your reasoned nuanced approach.

Alan Sanders:

Sheila Lefkowiz asked: "Let's talk turkey West Orange- when choosiing any public servant- what can we afford and what employees of quality are available to meet that need?"

That is the essence of the issue and, whatever other economic stressors on the citizenry, both are a function of the fact we live and work in a market rate economy.

There are 686 separate school districts in NJ, varying in size from serving as many as 42,000 students to as few as 125. Each, of consequence requires a Superintendent at the helm. As some number of districts are unified, there are perhaps +/- 525 educators holding a Superintendent's title in NJ; albeit running operations of widely divergent size, complexity and scope. Given there are 21 counties in the state, the 5 largest school systems in each (and West Orange would be one in Essex County) require the services of 105 Chief Operating Officers with the credentials, ability, expertise and experience necessary to run some fairly substantial operations.

In a state of more than 8,000,000 (and a nation of more than 300,000,000) public school administration is not a profession attracting a huge number of people and the competiton among districts for those in it is fierce. Might we find a candidate willing to take the Superintendent's job for, let's say, $125,000 a year? Possibly, but his/her previous experience will be limited to an operation a fraction of the size of West Orange's.

You get what you pay for.

3,000,000 people in New Jersey make $34,300 or less , and their take home pay is getting smaller and smaller . 30% of people with jobs rely on food stamps, up from 19% in 1990 . There is close to 9% unemployment . Three quarters of the new wealth created in the last decade went to the top 20% households: earning $132,000 or more . Yet if we're to attract the "best and brightest," we have to pay more and more, even if it drives us deeper and deeper into poverty . There are epidemic levels of cronyism and nepotism .West Orange is not a successful school district, it is not trying to improve, yet teacher compensation is among the highest in the State.Why doesn't West Orange insist teachers be Highly Qualified ? What professional standards do teachers have ? I saw no language in the contract like this:" All papers will be corrected with exactitude " Students teach, or attempt to teach, other students World Languages , students coach and mentor other students who may be experiencing difficulty with math , and after school tutors can be as young as 16 . And these people want to be treated as professionals and compensated as such ? What regard do they have for their employers ? If teachers "come early and stay late" why does WO High School provide 14 days less instuctional time than the State average ? I'm sure teachers read The Star Ledger . I'm sure they see the inescapable connection between the decline of one group to the rise of another . They don't care .

Alan Sanders:

There is very little doubt that there is a direct correlation between school district performance, and individual student performance, and socio-economic status.

A quick review of this article will illustrate that the top ten school districts in NJ are predominantly white, suburban and wealthy:

http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/nj/schools/

While I had no involvement in the process, the Board of Ed engaged both a paid consultant and a committee of parent-teachers-citizens in its search and vetting of candidates for the Superintendent's position, with Dr. Cavanna getting the nod. In addition to credential and reference checks, I believe they were privyto the last two annual evaluations done by any of the NJ school Boards he was employed by. It's possible someone was less than forthright and that derogatory information was concealed and it's also quite possible that the gears didn't mesh.

The search for an interim super (resulting in Dr. O''Neill's hire) was somewhat less cumbersome as the Board is limited to hiring from a list of certified eligibles sanctioned by the NJ DOE. Still, was he vetted, references checked and verified? I'm quite sure the answer is yes.

The academic success of the Chatham school district is undoubtedly attributed to the community's socio-economic status, it's also safe to assume that the performance standards set in such a well educated and weathy community are higher as well.

Dr. O'Neill should be equal to the task.

Just to add to what Gary said: O'Neill is explicitly an interim hire. If the BOE decides to hire him (or anyone else) on a permanent basis, the process (including the search)will, I imagine, be more exhaustive than the one that led to him getting the interim gig.

Apologists,excuse makers, defeatists, defenders of the status quo.....let them keep pedaling that garbage . It shows how quickly and easily they will simply discard millions of children who happen to come from disadvantaged circumstances, and their extreme contempt for people struggling to make ends meet .So let's get the best and brightest , let's pay alot more, build new state - of - the - art facilities , let's spend a fortune every year on cutting - edge technology and curriculum , let's spend 30, 40 even 50 thousand dollars per student, and it won't matter in the slightest . The apologists, excuse makers, defeatists and defenders of the status quo. are saying failure is pre- ordained . If you are born into a certain demograhic category, or even if you descend into one , IT IS ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY HOPELESS . Could you imagine how many teachers walk into their classrooms with that mind - set ? AGAIN, can we make a connection here? I think one of the biggest lies ever told to the American people is , " Democrats are for the poor people "

Alan Let me play devil's advocate . Let's say demograhics matter , and matter a great deal . That's today . What would do tomorrow to change that, or is there nothing we can do ? Is failure in lower demograhic groups eternally inevitalble ? How would we know none of these suggestions { vouchers, school choice, longer school year etc. } won't work unless we try them . And the words "failing " and succeeding " should be defined by students and parents, not by people with an obvious and very large inherent bias. And when people show how many of these programs have failed , doesn't that beg the question , can we learn anything from these failures ? Can we find common threads in successful programs ? In other words, is there anything we can do to improve failed programs, i.e. charter schools, a voucher system and so on , or are they doomed to eternal failure too ?

Alan Just let me ask you this ; Did you read that letter from "Teach " ? Make taking the praxis mandatory . Put professional standards in the contract i.e ." All papers will be corrected with exactitude " How can a child learn if no one corrects them ? Make the "come early and stay late crowd " put up or shut up . We absolutely need a longer school day and a longer school year .- dozens upon dozens more curriculum mandates , and WO High provides 14 days less yearly instructional time than the state average , and there are lots of scheduled early dismissals in the grammar schools A teacher wrote in and said 80% of her classroom time is devoted to test preparation . Solution : Double your classroom time and then only 40% of your time will be devoted to test preparation . And you want to use a word like dedicated ? I'll be the first to say it ; Teaching is very hard work . The proof of this statement is , it is painfully obvious that very few people are willing to meet the true requirements of the job. Question : What do you think of the people who taught " Teach " ? And no matter how skilled and dedicated a teacher may be , they can't teach when they're not in school . We need quality AND quantity . " The most important classroom resource is time "

Alan Sanders:

While the order of the ratings might change on other surveys/lists. and one or two districts might be swapped out for one or two others, I think you'd find 7 out of the 10 districts common to all.

Insofar as the rest of the data is concerned, yes West Orange's expenditures are closer to the state average than most believe or understand, while our challenges are equal to or exceed the state average in most cases.

The real problem is people decrying "performance" (primarily standardized testing) and suggesting it should be better for the price we pay. Unfortunately, they simply don't wish to acknowledge the fact that the communities they compare us to have a less challenged school population, with a higher socio-economic status, than our own.

None of those top ten school districts have 30% of their students qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, none have 20% of their students classified as "special needs" and none has 5% of their students with limited English language proficiency.

john anthony prignano:

Like it or not, the Board of Ed is following the necessary procedure (memorialized in law & protocol) to dismiss Dr. Cavanna.

The suggestion that they are simply handing a friend money is absurd as nobody on the Board is feeling particularly warm and fuzzy about the man, albeit being unable to address their reasons at this point in time.

I will say this; IF , and I say if, Dr. Cavanna is not running the District according to the School Board's dictates and policies , and if many of the Administrators and teachers and parents truly believe { and they would know } that he is a devisive and demoralizing individual, then I think the least we can do is name an athletic fieid in his honor .

Today the NJ unemployment level hit 9.8%. 3,000,000 people make $34,300 or less. 30% of people with jobs rely on food stamps, and the number of children living in poverty is soaring Are the educrats still going to say their mission is giving children the necessary tools they{ the children } will need to be successful in the high- tech, hyper-competitive twenty - first century global economy? Are they still going to tell millions of people who are broke { many of whom are their former students } that "Quality doesn't come cheap .We want the best and brightest for our kids, and that takes money "? Of course they are Read some of the letters on this thread. A few years ago,School Board member Laura Lab announced a significant increase in the school budget ,i.e. higher taxes, and in the next breath, she said the WO food pantry is seeing a hugh increase in clients, and it could use the public's help. Years ago, I went to a parent - teacher conference . As we were chatting , this teacher squared her jaw and said with unshakeable resolve " Our job is to get these kids READY ! " To her credit, she didn't say what they were getting the kids ready for .She's now retired with a disposalble income of over 90k and lifetime benefits We've all seen pictures of glammed up elitists standing in front of a classroom full of economically disadvantaged students .What does it take for the public to realize the educrats couldn't care less about the people WHO PAY THEM , THEIR EMPLOYERS ?

Alan Sanders:

Unfortunately ( and the cause is just as possibly ineptitude as alcohol), L-A posted this homage in the wrong stream, rather than the one where we were really going at it. :-)

Seriously though, engage her at your own peril...she can be a pit viper when stirred up and a tenacious adversary....the kind you want peeing out of your tent and not into it. :-)

Alan Why is it, when people talk about a property tax increase, they never mention the fact that property taxes , among other things, have a direct impact on the costs of all goods and services offered in a community ? Increased costs to the taxpayers do not begin and end with a property tax increase.

Property taxes affect the costs of all goods and services . A business can absorb the increase , and if things remain relatively constant , make a smaller profit. A business owner can raise prices in response to a tax increase , but it doesn't change his profit margin. Businesses are always in danger of pricing themselves out of the market . Property taxes have a direct impact on businesses, and it's invariably a deleterious one : The State does not have a mandated student to guidance counselor ratio, and it doesn't mandate guidance counselors be members of the Teacher's Union . The State does not mandate longevity pay,or that there be no more than 9 salary steps . The State mandates a minumum teacher starting pay. It's about 40% of what West Orange teachers start at . The State does not mandate that districts spend as much on educator benefit packages as West Orange does .The State does not mandate that the pay and benefits of West Orange teachers be among the highest in the State.The State does not mandate 14 days less yearly instructional time at WOHS than the State average , or early dismissals. Department heads are not banned from teaching.The State does not mandate the number of sick days, personal days, emergency personal days and vacation days that West Orange grants it's employees .To the contrary , the State admonished WO for it's profligacy. There's no Inter-Local Agreement mandate, either. The School Board does all this spending STRICTLY BY CHOICE.

Obviously, most intelligent people do not require Mr. Prignano's rather basic (and far from complete) introduction to basic economics, which then segues into another of his repetitive attacks on teacher compensation and the table of organization and scheduling in our public schools.

While I have some affinity for medicine (received EMT training in the Army) and surely appreciate the difficulty in surgically treating a brain tumor, I'm not about to try removing one my own with a mirror and a razor blade: I'd much pefer to engage the services of a highly educated, Harvard/Hopkins Med School grad, Board Certified, respected by his patients/peers, gobs of experience performing similar surgeries and a high record of success when doing so.

Conversely, hearing Mr. Prignano's incessant criticisms about everything under the sun, and on subjects in which he clearly has absolutely no expertise or credentials, simply makes me want to yawn...and ignore him.

"Englert" isn't trying to convince Mr. Prignano of a thing.

One thing Englert's Daddy taught him before he was knee high to a grasshopper was, "Son, you can't make sense out of crazy!" and J.A.P. is as crazy as they come!

Further, I never sent him any "documentation" but, surely posted more than enough to allow the objective person to conclude that both my qualifications for, and performance in, my government jobs were not found wanting.

Now we have a problem with the twelve years past "Cow Parade?"

Well, have whatever nonsensical opinion you'd like but, I'd say an enterprise that brought positive attention to the community and raised +/- $300,000 for local charities and non-profits in the process was well worth the little time and effort it required.

A "scathing front page expose in the Star - Ledger?"

What the hell is he talking about now?

You are irrelevant, Mr. Prignanon but, I've also long taken to heart Joseph Goebbels admonishment that "Lies repeated and unchallenged can become the accepted truth," and simply refuse to allow yours or anyone else's go unanswered.

Now, care to provide any of your own credentials that would support your expertise in any matter you expound so vehemently on?

No?

I didn't think so.

Leigh-Ann:

There's nothing "passive aggressive" about my very obviously pulling your leg...and you know I think you're OK for a complete PITA! :-)

"To be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of ignorance." ~ A. Bronson Alcott

The New Jersey unemployment rate is 9.8% .Three million people earn $34,300 or less, and their take- home pay is shrinking .Thirty per- cent of working people rely on food stamps, up from 19% in 1990 .The number of children living in poverty is soaring . 75% of all the new wealth created in the last decade was earned by the top 20%; families earning 132k or more Methinks there's a reason why one group is declining and another group is rising. In an extensive survey conducted by CareerBuilder, 40% of the respondents said they rely on the next paycheck to make ends meet.That's actually down from the high of 46% in 2008 .27% of the respondents said they don't save . 17% said they save $50 or less a month .12% save $51 to $100.14% save $101 to $250.11% save $251 to $500 a month.5% save $501 to $1000, and 10% save more than $1000 a month.Today's New York Times had an article entitled "The Classroom as a Cash Cow - Media Companies, Seeing Profits Slip, Push Into Education " e.g. techbooks instead of textbooks. From time to time, there will be a story in the news of a potential closing of an inner - city school.The residents of the neighborhood are often joined by politicians who say closing the school would have a devestating effect on the neighborhood ,because it is by far the biggest employer in the area, and many periphial businesses would be adversely affected as well .When Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he replied , " Because that's where the money is "

“Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.” ~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt

These economic figures are strong evidence of what people are calling false prosperity or a fake economy or a government based economy. 75% of all the wealth created in the last decade was earned by the top 20% ; families making 132k or more. During the same decade ,3 million people making $34,300 or less have seen their take home pay shrink .in 1990,19% of working people relied on food stamps .That number has grown to 30%. And the number of children living in poverty is soaring. So who is this 20%? It can't be wealthy industrialists . There's no industry in New Jersey to speak of . Private sector professionals like doctors, lawyers, engineers, and C.P.A. s simply aren't that great in number , and many of them are not doing so hot. See,it says FAMILIES eaning 132k or more . Elmwood Park has 40 cops. Their average base pay is 115k . There's longevity pay, overtime, and moonlighting The average base pay of 115k or thereabouts wasn't unusual for many of the towns I looked at .So 132k per family ; a cop and a teacher, two young teachers, a fireman and a teacher, a town B.A., a Corrections Officer and a teacher's aide, School Adminstrators, A State Trooper and a Township Clerk , etc. .AND, they moonlight ! Yet all those people combined don't produce so much as 1 paper clip .So sell products and labor to the GOVERNMENT ! AND consultants, arbitrators, facilitators, mediators, fact finders, etc. The employers have been blown away by their employees , "the public servants "

That is absolutely incorrect as Dr. O'Neill is simply a man whom stands up for what he believes in and allowed himself to be used as a test case, to point our various inequities and fundamental unfairness in Governor Chistie's proposal to limit Superintendent of School's compensation.

Gino:

My research indicates he has a PhD from Columbia University. Can you refute that?

Gino:

I think you may be correct.

O'Neill's resignation from the Chatham district was effective June 30, 2011. Due to a salary cap for school superintendents, O'Neill would have had to have taken a paycut so he opted to retire with the $210K.

According to the Morris County Daily Record, as of June 2011 O'Neill held a Masters of Arts degree with 32 YPE and his salary at that time was $210,058. If he had remained in Chatham, his salary would have been cut to $165,000.

In August 2011, he was hired as the interim superintendent in Roxbury at $644 per diem. If he worked 180 days, he got paid $115,920. If, OTOH, he worked 250 days, he got $161,000.

In Auguest 2012, we hired him at a $673.07 per diem rate ($121,152.60 - $168,267.50).

When did he get this Ph.D. (Ed.D.?) from Columbia? While he was the interim superintendent in Roxbury? I'd be interested in what research turned up the Ph.D. Did he mention it on his autobiographical Wikipedia page or something? Both APP and NJBTN list him as holding a Masters degree.

Nobody knows what the investigation is for. Since it's a "personnel matter", it's all hush-hush and the people who pay his salary are not allowed to know anything about it. He has a history.