Wow. The only board member I would say is guilty of "unbecoming conduct" would be Christiano.

@ Gladys: I'm not sure what prompted your comment but, Mr. Christiano is not a member of the Board of Education; he is the Board's attorney.

I agree with Cynthia this would disastrous for our children/students in the district.

I find it interesting that many people who supported the election of current board members, and who generally support board decisions, don't trust the BOE to properly review the superintendent.

The board is privvy to a lot of information that the general public doesn't have. Isn't it *just possible* that there are serious issues with Dr. Cavanna's performance? And if there are, and they're serious enough that he should be terminated for cause, wouldn't it be a *good thing* for West Orange to let him go?

Somehow, I don't think the board would terminate without cause. They wouldn't want to pick a legal fight that they couldn't win. So, if they're talking termination -- something that's not clear from the article, by the way -- they must have reasons.

If, before this week, you felt like their judgment had been compromised, then feel free to say so. Otherwise, those of you who elected the board should give them a chance to work through the process. If they have sufficient reason to terminate him, they should. If they don't, they shouldn't. And they know that. Let the process work before getting worked up over it.

This article raise some other questions: If the info was not public, how did Cynthia Cumming obtain it? Who made her aware of it before the rest of the public? And what other confidential info has she been made aware of in the past?

I likely sit in the most unique situation in this town. I'm the only person in WO who sat on the board with Dr Cavanna and Jerry Tarnoff other than the current sitting board. What I will say on this matter is that there may be other legitimate perspectives to consider, way before this week, but as a former board member I bound myself to the code of ethics I swore to and will maintain confidentiality about my experience. Having said that, I'm pleased with the progress our district has made in the past two years not only for the programs that have been implemented and grant funding received, but for the accountability that has been instilled in the staff. I attribute this positive change to Dr Cavanna's leadership, which is direction the board who hired him provided.

Sherley, Cynthia posted on the West Orange Watercooler email list that she obtained the information from Dr. Cavanna directly.

Ditto to Kathy. I am pleased with the progress the district has made as well. Due to the confidentiality clause for BOE members complete transparency to the public is a very hard to obtain.

I agree with Kathy, I am also pleased with the progress our district has made in the past two years and for the accountability that has been instilled in the staff.

However, I am concerned with the illegal meeting that was held on Thursday. I attended the BOE meeting on Tuesday (7/19). The president read into the minutes that the next meeting would not take place until August. By law, the president must inform the public of any closed session meetings within 48 hours. Although they do not have to tell you the specifics of the meeting, they must establish a purpose (personnel, finance, school budget, etc.). This did not happen. Therefore, what took place on Thursday was illegal and a violation.

Let's face it we need someone to look into what is happening at the board of education, There are way too many chiefs and no indians and the cheifs salaries are very high, Do we need a superitendent making over $200000 and an assistant superintendent making $200000? Just thinking, how are the children benefiting? Start looking into how our tax money is being spent

The praise comes in for Cavanna; Grant funding received , new programs implemented , ," a sense of accountability instilled in the staff" " " heading the district in the right direction ' "great leadership " ' losing him would be a catastrophe " . Yet NO mention of the newly implemented programs quantifiable results , and no mention of standardized test scores , college board scores , Great Schools ratings , more and more curriculum mandates being delivered in fewer and fewer hours , and administrator salaries and the overall cost per pupil .There is a conscious effort being made to dismiss or ignore objective evaluations of education , and to embrace subjective evaluations, which are arguments that can't be lost. The winners will be the educrats and their supporters . The losers will be the children and the members of the public who still believe that keeping score matters .

Just An Observer, You mentioned that board president Laura Lab is a Republican; Laura Lab has been known to cross party lines to shore up her political endeavours. How many people KNEW that Laura Lab supported Dr. Elnardo Webster when he ran for town council. Laura Lab and Paul Petigrow switched there support from Dr. Elnardo Webster when his past became an issue for her political agenda. How many people knew that once the local machines candidate had been severely tarnished, Laura Lab and Paul Petigrow weighed there options, met with the Joe Krakoviak and Ron Charles, then used the West Orange Council of PTA's to switch direction and support Joe Krakoviak. Let's not forget to mention the Freivalds were key individual on Joe Krakoviak's council campaign; Hence, the connection between Laura Lab and the Freivalds. For the record, Ms. Lab has been in play with numerous Democrats even though she is a registered Republican.

Is Dr. Cavanna one of those people who, when told to jump, refuses to ask "how high"?...Seems like losing him would be detrimental to the children of this town.

I must say that I have dealt with this gentleman on a number of occasions and found him to be professional, intelligent, and insightful. He seems to have a real vision in terms of his ability to sift through the B.S., which I think is essential for running any organization. I came to education after 12 years in the corporate world and watched many different managers and he ranks as one who I believe has integrity. That ingredient in itself makes him stand out in my mind. Just one man's opinion

Please note, pursuant to law and regulations, public notice of special meetings must be made within 48 hours of a meeting. Regular meetings are scheduled in advance, special meetings (closed and public MUST follow the law). The public must be informed when 3 or more Board members are together for professional reasons. This ensures transparency when dealing with taxpayer money. If the laws were not in effect, our Board of Ed could make decisions that would impact the entire District and keep it from the public.

Please refer to the NJ OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT
The Open Public Meetings Law, which is commonly referred to as the “Sunshine
Law”, was enacted in 1975. It establishes the right of all citizens to have adequate
advance notice of all public meetings and the right to attend meetings at which any
business affecting the public is discussed or acted upon. – N.J.S.A. 10:4-6 to 10:4-2
A “48-Hour Notice” is required when a public body wishes to convene a
meeting which has not been listed on the annual notice or regularly
scheduled meetings. The Law mandates the public body to provide a
written notice at least 48 hours prior to the convening of the meeting.
The “48-Hour Notice” must contain the time, date, location and, to the
extent known, the agenda of the meeting. (Once the meeting is opened publicly, the Board can go into closed session)

This procedure was not followed with the meeting that took place on Thursday.

We townspeople need to take a step back.

Dr. Cavanna's supporters consistently say how good he is and how much progress we've made in the past two years. They forget that the BOE has information about Cavanna that the public isn't allowed to know.

That's worth repeating: The Board of Education knows more than we do about Dr. Cavanna's performance.

Maybe there's no "unbecoming conduct, incapacity, incompetence and[/or] inefficiency." If so, the BOE won't try to fire him, because he'd file an unlawful termination suit, and the BOE would lose.

Some of Cavanna's supporters engage in wishful thinking, arguing that this is about "personalities" or "vendettas". But it's hard to fire educators, even when it's justified: The BOE couldn't win an unlawful termination suit based on "personalities".

The BOE knows that.

Dr. Cavanna knows that.

And we, the public, know that, if we stop reacting emotionally and settle down long enough to think.

So, if we presume that the Board is trying to fire Dr. Cavanna, we should also presume that they believe -- with legal advice -- that they have cause. We should remember that we don't know all of the facts. We should set our personal feelings aside.

Finally, remember that only Board members were at the meeting; even Dr. Cavanna wasn't there. Unless there was an ethical breach, nobody knows whether they talked about firing him. If they did, then they believe they have cause; if they didn't, then we're hyped up over nothing.

"Superintendent of Schools Under Review"
and
"School officials tight-lipped on results of evaluation."

Doesn't the BOE review the super every year?
and
Don't they never discuss the review?

The Patch says:
"... community residents [sic] feared the board might move to terminate Cavanna."

But only one resident was mentioned:
"In an email sent around Thursday and obtained by Patch, West Orange resident Cynthia Cumming warned of the possible termination of the superintendent."

So where does that leave us?

If school board members present at a meeting represent a quorum (3 members or more) and they discuss the business of the board, the meeting has to be advertised and open to the public. Even if they decided to have a secret meeting in one of their homes, the rule still applies. Once the meeting is called, they may elect to go into closed session to discuss the agenda items but must report to the public after the session. This includes a review of the superintendent’s evaluation. Please take the time to visit the following websites to learn more about this act. I also encourage you to contact Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, Executive County Superintendent phone: (973) 621-2750, The NJ School Boards Association or the NJ Dept. of Education to verify my statement.

http://www.shamong.net/vertical/Sites/%7B23FE350B-4C74-4538-8594-9B75E8AB3E35%7D/uploads/%7B6E1F1F17-C2D8-4169-BD05-13C0DAA7ED0A%7D.PDF

http://ldb.njstatelib.org/Library_Law/lwopnmtg

The regular BOE meeting took place 48 hours before the special meeting. The BOE had a legal obligation to announce the special meeting to the public. I checked the board lobby for the written notice (as I always do after every meeting) and it was not there.

Perhaps, the County Superintendent needs to investigate.

It would be nice to see more people at the BOE meeting to represent the voice of all children. There have been many meetings that my husband and I are the only community members present.

There wouldn't be a tabloid story if the guy didn't create it. If he hadn't said anything, this review would have gone on unnoticed, just like every other year. He tried to taint the reps of the BOE members and now probably tainted his own rep as well. Lose-lose for district. Thanks, Dr. C.

What I'm left with is "I think he's bad." "I feel that he's good."
"We've made progress." "The children are suffering."
These are as useful as "X has 'the best' pizza."

I for one am glad that it is out in the public. I am tired of all this behind close doors tactics. We the taxpayer need to know what is going on. If the man is truly bad for our schools, let us the people decide. Not just the BOE. We have the right to know it all, bad or good. Stop all the secrets and let us decide.

Just an observer, someone is not giving you the complete information. I was at the Board meeting on Tuesday. I know that the BOE President did not disclose to the public that there would be a special meeting on Thursday. If the meeting was posted, as you say, then the Board president was legally obligated to read the special meeting into the official record. Every BOE meeting is recorded. All one has to do is play the tape to know that this information was not provided to the public. The BOE has every right to act within the law in the best interest of students. My concern with the BOE is that some of them feel that they are above the law. Regardless of how you feel, you cannot act on emotions. There is a legal way to get things done. When one tries to circumvent the law, you have chaos, pandemonium, finger pointing, and back stepping to cover up. Ms. Cummings did not do anything wrong. Again, if a legal meeting was scheduled, there should have been full disclosure at the BOE meeting. If things were done correctly, the township would have known that a review of an evaluation (which by law should have been completed by now) was taking place.

Emotions are diverting the real problem, failure to follow rituals, routines, and legal procedures.

Raymond is right. Has anyone who was at the meeting gone on the record about what happened there? Not that I have seen. Patch only got the Board lawyer to comment and he only spoke in hypotheticals. Everything else is just rumor. Now, some of that rumor may turn out to be well- founded but at this point almost nothing is "out in the open".

And Ann, while there may be room for a little more public input, we elect the Board to make this kind of decision. Superintendent is not an elected office. I for one am glad it's not subject to popularity contests. No one would want the job if it was.

[We can't reply to a reply to a comment.]

@Jake This reminds me: I wasn't fond of the use of the word 'issue' in this article.

"Christiano... said, as part of the process, the superintendent would be suspended for 120 days without pay once tenure charges are filed and an interim superintendent would be appointed by the board until *the issue* is resolved."

Christiano was speaking hypothetically, but wasn't quoted as saying "if there were/ever is an issue..."

Was last year's review announced and held in a public session? How is this year's different? Back to my original questions(see post above). Just trying to get some answers from the selected few that have access.

WestOrangeVoice said:

"It is very obvious that most responders have formed an opinion and support a pre-determined view."

...including WestOrangeVoice.

"You, Laura, and a few others plotted this for months."

YES! Except for me, I mean. Laura and a few others planned to hold Dr. Cavanna's review for months. Happens every year. Required by statute, I believe.

"you were placed on the Library Committee by Councilman Joe Krakoviak and you had the Librarian fired."

Call the Town Clerk: I'm not on the Library Committee, and I never fired anyone.

"Jake, it is a fact that you and your wife have personal vendetta against Dr. Cavanna. When your attempt to have Dr. Cavanna dismissed with your misuse of A.R.R.A. funds accusations FAILED!. You vowed to have him fired whatever the means."

People always get this backwards. I don't accuse Dr. Cavanna of bad things because I want him fired; I think he should be fired because he has done bad things.

Not everyone will believe me; their experiences of the man are different from mine. They haven't seen his conniving and bullying side. But remember that that's what crafty people do: They convince others that they're trustworthy, and then abuse that trust. It's unfortunate that this situation will leave us divided. That's not something I would have chosen.

At any rate, though I have not shied away from speaking my mind about Dr. Cavanna, I regret to say that I have nothing to do with any current actions by the board.

OK Jake, I cannot argue with that logic and it is clear that you have your head on straight regarding your approach. What I fear is two-fold. One is that there is a limited pool of talent out there and now with the salary caps some of these folks are heading to NY State and beyond. The other piece is that with his short tenure the BOE might get the reputation for being 'difficult' and that means that we will have an even harder time recruiting a quality outside candidate. If in fact that is no concern and we dance with someone we all know (and love...hahaha) then so be it. But the issues really should be more transparent. Based on the taxes we all pay to live here and the mixed reputation that the town has, we need to see a positive trajectory for the schools. Most of us are already in the hole on home we bought here over the past decade. We are essentially competing for residents that can choose to live in any of the towns in the area. We don't have a train so we need to push quality of life. Part of that falls on the schools and that is simply not a selling point right now at least to outsiders. Long time locals and current residents are another matter. My two cents.

average tenure in Nj for a superintendent is 2.2 years,

it has come to peoples attention that an email signed by Cynthia cumming from the email address of WestOrangeVoice@gmail.com could be the same person (WestOrangeVoice) slandering Laura Lab on this website. hmmmmm

WestOrangeVoice was correct when they wrote that Laura Lab is NOT there for ALL special needs children . I speak from personal experience. There are two terms ; An Essex County Republican , and a R. I. N. O. - Republican In Name Only . I choose the latter , DEFINITELY

Cynthia Cumming is NOT West Orange Voice. And I never said the meeting was illegal. Someone got a copy of my email, copied and pasted, and sent it under their own email name. Someone also forwarded my email to the Patch, as I did not.

Cynthia is on record strongly supporting Lab's election so it seems pretty unlikely she is the one allegedly slandering her.

Just an Observer, the saddest part is that the fighting is taking place over a superintendent that does not live in town, or even in NJ, At the end of the day, he collects his salary of $220,000, and drives off the NY. Let's see what he does when his contract has to be renegotiated under the the cap.

Sherley, he'll never make it to contract negotiations. His past history speaks for its self.

@Sherley, the real issue is not about the Superintendent. The concern is for the students within our district. You and I know this is personal and political power move. In regard to your comment about our superintendent not living within the district....Did you know that almost 60% of our teacher DO NOT live in West Orange and this is the main reason why when our district needed them to take a salary freeze to save 83 of there colleagues, NO ONE! was willing because they didn't live in district which meant the lost of 83 teachers did not affect their children who attended school in ANOTHER school district.

@just an observer, why is his past history such an issue with you when it appears it was not an issue with the BOE when they vetted and hired the Superintendent. Also, nothing is so unusual about his history in a school district, you stated in an earlier posting that the avg Superintendent stay was 2.2 years.

In my opinion, the district has thrived under his leadership and although I do not agree with all of his decisions I do see a positive change in district. So, I ask just an observer, Sherley , and ET al what has this man done to warrant this treatment from our BOE?

Ryan, Bravo....You sir have a keen mind. Thanks for the post.

Now for the real issue. Delivering a quality education to a diverse audience. It can be done. Is it being done well? Who knows. For fifteen years we had a superintendent whose wife was in charge of testing. The absurdity of that is beyond my comprehension. We appointed a man who may or may not be loved by the very same entrenched interests who have sheparded this district squarely into mediocrity. Finally, someone comes along who is willing to step up and lead and he is hit with what appears to be a petty and typical power struggle that is not in anyone's best interest besides maybe the few people who were either told "no" and vowed revenge like spoiled children or they decided to simply exercise ego over good sense and continue what appears to be the status quo. So they will try to send this man packing and we'll get back to business as usual. The schools will continue to leak talented students, charter schools will suck out more and more kids who want to speak an eastern language, and teachers will simply perform their duties and wait to retire. Too bad for West Orange.

Jake, you impress me with your logic sir. I must yield to this clear thinking and articulate response. well said.

@Jake Freivald, Please elaborate on this statement: "I think he should be fired because he has done bad things." Does he torture puppies or something?

Lets keep the name calling on the WO Forums at NJ.com, I was hoping there could have intelligent banter here.

One solution would be to centralize all of these BOEs into regional centers and eliminate most of them. Getting rid of the bureaucracy and fiefdoms and putting the money into the classrooms. This state is far too expense to live in -- taxes are ridiculously high and most people are stuck with it. No relief in sight. Christie is a fraud along with most elected officials.

then why Mrs. Cummings are you quoted on the WO Watercooler saying you received the information from Dr Cavanna. You are a nice lady, but you were used by Cavanna as a weapon against the BOE.

Holy Cow....I have to unsubscribe from this trainwreck of a thread. This type of thing makes the town look terrible. As if we don't already have an image problem. ****

He'll do anything to save his job, just an observer? You said at 2:21 on 7/26 above that he'd be quick to take a buyout. Which is it? At least try to keep your wild speculation consistent.

ryan, he wants to keep the 230K job because the new super jobs are at 175K. He will take the buyout because he does not want his review public, AS he has done in the past.

While we welcome comments from our readers, some of the recent postings have degenerated into personal attacks. Please respect the opinions and viewpoints of others so that Patch can continue to be a forum where readers can freely express their thoughts. Patch has clear standards on what is acceptable and the complete version of our Terms of Use may be found here: http://westorange.patch.com/terms.

and when he does take the buyout, Ryan will you be a man and retract your comments?

Just an observer, I did a little research. On July 25th you said " Sherley, he'll never make it to contract negotiations. His past history speaks for its self." In fact he was at Rahway 4 years, Old Beth Page 4 years, Ft. Lee 2 years, and a School Reform Scientist, American Institutes For Research 8 years.
Read the 2009 Press release http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2009/06/west_orange_hires_new_schools.html

Again, the board has made this a personal vendetta and political power move and I truly hope for certain members of the board this matter does not BECOME ethic charges because there are plenty to go around against Lauara Lab and Paul Petigrow.

WO Voice, he took the buyout instead of contract negotiations in all three locations. As for the AIR, that's private sector. He never was renewed as super anywhere, he takes the money and runs.
I would love to hear the ethic violations you claim to have. How do you know its a personal vendetta and a power move? What is the personal vendetta? What power do Paul and Laura want?
Either you are a board member or have some privileged information and that is an ethics violation. You are the only one who claims to know all of the information, why don't you enlighten us?

Just an observer, I am not a board member nor do I imply I have privileged information. For the record, if ethic complaints are filed I will seek out the petitioner and share my information

@Portmanteau . . . . I agree. All of the negativity and back and forth comment makes the town look bad. The township is about to embark on some type of PR campaign. Not sure how they could possibly put a positive spin on all that has been said and done.

But you avoided answering my questions of your repeated posts claiming Paul and Laura have a personal vendetta against Dr Cavanna AND they are on a political power move. Once again what is the personal vendetta you claim and what political power do they covet?

Let's all just calm down and take a deep breath. There. It's gorgeous outside. Our town is in bloom. It's a wonderful place for those of us who call it home. We welcome others to it if they would like. Peace.

VOUCHERS!!!
PLEASE!!!

Can someone (on either side, preferably on both) give some details about what Cavanna has or has not done? I've got a kid starting 4th grade and another starting kindergarten, and the only difference I've noticed between administrations is the name on the letters. Makes me wonder if they couldn't just fire this guy, leave the position vacant, and let the schools run themselves.

Sternie - If i can sell my house without a loss, I will leave tomorrow. The High School is going down. If not for the AP courses, it will be way down in rating. Edison Six never improved. The principal of that school should me dismisseed before Cavanna. It was a mistake to create Edison 6. They only dragged down the high performing kids. Teacher absenteeism is on the rise. Substitutes are costing money and performance. Oh yes, the taxes are high to support poor performance.

So? What happened? What's happening?