No one in the public knows the details and legally those who do know most likely can not provide details at this time. So any conversation on this subject has limited value because it would come from limited and most likely incorect information. However, one thing the BOE might think of doing is just paying out the aproximately eleven months on the contract and have Dr. Cavanna go. This would avoid legal battles and legal fees and enable the BOE to focus on its mission of providing quality educational oportunities for our chilren at a fair cost to our taxpayers. It would also creat a certanity of leadership. Also, as a taxpayer I want my money back from those consultants we hired back in 2009 to help us find a chief operating officer for our schools.

I meant tenure! Thanks again BOE members, I am certain that many of the parents will be pleased with your decisions. Many of us have written to you guys, showing you data on the continuous failure. Please do not appoint Mr. Moore as principal, you cannot trust Dr, C decisions and recommendation anymore. I will be there on 7/23/12 to speak. The high school is too important for you to do this. Thanks Paula, and Laura! God bless you guys. I thought I was the only feeling this way. Give the other underperformers notice also, Please show them the door. We are African American parents, but we wondered aloud, why would he keep appointing novice as principals. You are a novice, when you are placed in a job without top administrative experience.

Where does this leave contract negotiations? Any progress made on that front or is the BOE too busy making and defending all these allegations? Teachers are headed into year two without a contract.

We dont have to know the details. We see the data. We know that under his tenure the district is deteriorating. We know that he was fired in atleast three instances for underperforming. We also know that he is too laid back. We know that we cannot have a meeting with him without the prinicpals sitting there, and that he never act on facts. We also know that his appointment are based on race and not on merits. In the end, we know that West Orange needs better, and he should have been gone since last year. You dont need a rocket scientist to know that he has done poorly on the job. What legal battle are you talking about? When your contract is up, no one is under any obligation to renew it. I am pleased. I am over the moon this morning, because I know this district deserve better and we are being marginalized. I am not the brightest, but I know failure when I see it.

Times are hard, it took THE STATE UNIVERSITIES five years to give their employees 2% raised without any retro pay. Two years is not bad. Just allow the district to clean up the mess first.

Times are hard, it took THE STATE UNIVERSITIES five years to give their employees 2% raise without any retro pay. Two years is not bad. Just allow the district to clean up the mess first. I dont have time to correct grammar but you get the point. Our teacher will get their contract soon. This morning is new day in West Orange.

What is going on with this BOE in West Orange? They are consistently going after administrators Jobs? I guess they like to Fire People!
I think the West Orange parents have the right to know what ethical violations Dr. Cavanna committed to have him put on leave of absence. I saw how this Board handled the Athletic Director in West Orange and that man had to bring credible witnesses from other towns to testify on his behalf before the BOE in West Orange stop their nonsense.
The WO BOE needs to make a public statement as to why Dr. Cavanna is on leave. If this BOE does not have credible evidence that Dr. Cavanna committed some illegal crime in our school district, The give him his position back and STOP this nonsense also.
I am ashamed of the WO BOE and how they handle the school districts business. I hope all of you are kicked off the BOE ASAP.
Vicki in West Orange

Concerned vocal parent -- the contract issues that Gladys is speaking of is that of the TEACHERS who are currently working without a contract, it is undoubtedly sure that these issues will yet again move any negotiations for teachers to the side...

Mr. Cavanna does not seem very concerned about the well being of the children or their families. I have known him to dismiss parent's concerns as if he just does not care. I hope West Orange will do better. Schools in this city seem to be very segregated as well. I hope in coming years a way can be found to have more diversity in the schools, specially the elementary schools.

I don't know, as the very satisfied parent of two elementary school kids, I wasn't aware of any serious problems in the district. We love our school and really have no sense one way or the other about Cavanna, other than that I've heard good things from a teacher who's worked with him on some curriculum project. We generally have avoided the constant battles they seem to have next door in South Orange/Maplewood over their schools, so I thought things were all right. Very curious to know what's really going on with this.

I have only been involved with the WO school district since last March and I do not like what I see on the WO BOE. They seem to play favorites and if administrators, teachers or janitors do not follow their directions, then the employees feel threatened that the BOE will get them fired.
I thot the BOE was in charge of curriculum and issues between the school district and the citizens, parents, children of the district. When did this BOE become the firing squad for WO School District. I must have missed that meeting giving the BOE all this power over people's jobs.
I have been in the schools and talked with employees at the district and they are literally afraid of these BOE members for fear of losing their job if they inadvertently upset a board member.
This is all about power and control for the BOE. These women Laura Labb and her flunkies on the board want to control people livelihood. They put the Atheletic Director at the HS threw HELL last May. That man was doing his job, helping his wife with issues and fighting for his career at the same time. I have no respect for this board. I do not believe what they say because they lie to prove their own point of interest.
I want to hear their evidence and I want it NOW!
Vicki in WO

Living in this town is getting to be embarrassing at this point. Either way, justified or not, the idea of the BOE having this much control over the fate of our TOWN is a scary thing. People move to neighborhoods because of schools. I've been to several BOE meetings and all I see is Labb and Petigrow bullying their other board members and parents during the meeting in addition to the pathetic lawyer who sleeps throughout the meeting. It's sad. I just hope this board knows what they are doing because you folks need to realize that their actions have a serious impact on the livelihood of this town. At the end of the day I see a few of these board members as back stabbers, power tripping, bored individuals who have nothing better to do with their time other than making lives miserable. At the end of the day they are accountable for the failures of this district too. And more that half of them have been sitting on the board since the dawn of time and have not brought the district up to the level where it should be. I hope this inspires more qualified people to run for board seats. Again my issue is not whether it's justified or not, my concern is the board members and their inability to lead and succeed!!!!!

Time for a change. Remember in November!

How is it that this current Board can "voted not to rehire Cavanna as superintendent of the district after his contract expires in June 2013" when the contract is not due for renewal and at least two members of this board may not be board members in 2013 pending the November 2012 elections?

This certainly stinks of dirty politics and the members of the BOE appear to be misguided in how they are going about things. They have already embroiled us in many lawsuits, this appears to be another one looming because of their ineptitudes. These BOE members are costing us dearly in legal fees and taking good money away from the children's education.

A agree with you Alan. The Board was voted in by tax payers and I don't believe they are doing the job they were put in office to do. Someone said it in another posting, with all the garbage that the BOE is putting out there, WO students continue to learn and perform. The Board is inconsistent with their policies and it seems that the decisions they make are fly by night and with little thought to the district as a whole, but rather to their personal need. Enough!

Simona, you are in the minority. The BOE want us to be successful. They are pressured by us to perform. You just cannot please everyone. Thank God this day has arrived. Our next goal is to reform Edison! My child move from Edison to another middle school, it was night and day. I could not believe that two sets of teachers in the same district could be so different. At Roosevelt, the teachers are so focussed. They give you weekly information. My child was just passing the Math at Edison, check the Roosevelt website, they have everything there to make your children successful. I told Dr. C just two months ago that what he allow to happen at Edison may determine his faith. I said to him that the way they operate and how children are measured is way too subjective, and that will ultimately affect them in high School. Many of you are happy because you see honor roll and some Principal's list, but have you really looked at how subjective the grades are? They did make some changes after my complaint, but it is still loosely structured. I applaud the board. We cannot continue to rank in the lowest tier among middle schools in NJ. This has to stop.

Do your research before you accuse anyone of libel or dismissing someone unfairly. He was fired from 4 district before for the same lack of leadership. It is on the web. He was just not vetted properly. This is his doing, no one else. He determine his own fate. West Orange is very generous. He said 4 weeks ago that he could not find a principal so he has to extend the application process, two weeks later he hired a principal from within the high school. He took us for granted, because he thinks that we are weak. Everytime I pay that $1500 per month for tax, I think about how to make this district successful for my children, I live here 20 years and I have never seen it so weak. Kudo to our bright children, we love them, and we applaud the great teachers who help them, but when 62% of student pass NJASK Math in the middle School, and 92 percent pas at another School in Newark, it does not look good. These are public data. Go do your research, many of you go by what you here, start doing your research.

Paid leave always concerns me. Either charge the man, put him to work cutting grass or reinstate him. If you have enough cause to suspend him, you better have enough cause to charge him.

"We looks horrible" - maybe it's not the teachers or the administrators who are failing our children.....

Who are these parents (or citizens) that believe that WO schools are the "best around"??? Have you seen the riffraf coming out of the middle schools and hs? OMG, this town if officially urban. In that regard, WO is better than EO, Irv or Nwk, but to compare it to a well managed suburban district like Livingston, Cedar Grove or Caldwell is a joke.

And no Supt change or Prin change will make any difference. The town is hopeless.

Exactly, Michelle. We need to stop placing blame elsewhere. These are our children and this is our town....it is what WE make it. We are far from powerless as parents.

Liz B not sure why you are applauding the same BOE that put him into place then, after not being vetted properly. You make no sense. At the end of the day the Superintendent reports into the Board so they ultimately are supposed to be the ones in charge and ACCOUNTABLE. Maybe they were justified in their actions which is fine but their track record doesn't show that they make good decisions. I just want the Board to know that they are to be held accountable as well. They can get fired too!

And Cadeau you can speak for yourself but obviously not every parent has had the same experience. Yes parent accountability is crucial but if you don't have a sound board, administrators and curriculum in place our efforts as parents are futile!

You are right Chris. I think EVERYONE should be held accountable. If you get into the educational field, it should be about the CHILDREN, not personal politics or feelings. If you are a parent, it should be also about your children and not personal politics or feelings.

Agreed Lee

To the person blaming special education children for the dysfunctional performance, you got it wrong. I have a child in special education who tested proficient for NJASK Language Arts and Mathematics. Also, all district have special education children. My child was in a special education class at Edison two years ago with only 4 other children. Special education children in West Orange make up for less then 10% of the School. I agree that parents are responsible for their children, but the chain is as strong as its weakest link. You have many children who are in inclusive classrooms who are performing worse than special education. So this stereotype that special education children are bringing Edison is a fabrication. Also, when you look at the ranking of schools, they also rank it based on two levels, special education and the mainstream classroom. I am sorry that your pride are hurt through all of this, but this reality. Let us do a fact check, everyone! And for the one who said the principal at Edison fight for his teachers, I am sure he does? But according to his remark at a recent BOE meeting, his school is now been watched by Christie Administration because there is a wide disparity between those who are doing well and those who are doing poorly, these are not all special education children. Remember this only 62% of his student pass NJASK Math last year. This placed the school among the lower tier.

The special education should not affect the score, these children have longer time to do the NJASK. Take it from me this is the excuse they have been using for the past 6 years. We confronted the board with the data at a meeting at Washington School 6 years ago. We showed them that special education is not the cause for the decline. There are so many different reasons why children are in special education, but most of them have brilliant mind. My child reads very well, but it take him a little longer to write things down on paper, but he does well on NJASK. Again, the data show that the students entering 6th grade last year Average between a high of 96% Language Arts to a low of 86% in all elementary school combined and 94% to 75% for math in all school combined, you tell me why would the same cohort goes to Edison and we see a big drop in the average? I can join the other parents and say thank God he is gone! We are looking for excuses for why some are underperforming, when some of your building administrators are clueless, and walking around with their head in the sky. You better start paying attention, and demand from them what they were hired to do. We pay them well.

Barry in their world being voted out is fired. No?

And whatever happened to the ethics charges and investigation against Laura Lab and Meghan Brill? Just curious...

And Barry I'm sure board members can certainly be removed...

To top it all off, there will be a new superintendent, and he is going to show up and realize that we need changes, and he is going to make changes. Unfortunately, some of you goibng to show up at the board meeting crying racism. Many of you are the people are complicating the progress of the town. You see how many of you are writing without knowing the facts. Last year many parents showed up at the BOE crying racism because an African American Language Arts supervisor was terminated from her post, but most of those parents have not been back to the BOE meeting since. Please do not complicate the life of our next superintendent, get read of the innercity mentality and let us fight for progress.

Again, please approach this with an openmind and embrace change, we need to get rid of the innercity personality.

I struggle to write proper English and to even spell because I am bilingual, but I want my children to get the best education. something I never got because we grew up poor, but God gave my children the ability. I want them to get what I did not get. I have a great trade and a little money, but education gold. It will never decay or vanish away. Please support the next superintendent! I am done blogging.

And who is on the next short list for next Supt? Where are we getting this Savior to come to West Orange and put up with all this bullshit politics on the BOE? I hope the BOE shares this information with the WO citizens who are paying all these salaries.
Vicki Russo

with Dr Rando as the acting super i am assuming she will want to through her hat in the ring. And with the townships last experience hiring someone elses reject in my opinion perhaps we are better off hiring from within. Dr Rando has an excellent track recors of hard work and commitment to our district.

Cynthia, I wonder if you are already an empoyee of the district making higher than the super cap, can they make you take a pay cut for a promotion???? intersting foder wouldnt you say. thank you for steppin g up for me. As for Hayden Moore the board member i spoke with are behind 100% and he will add to the hiogh school. Most I speak with are excited to have him as our leader. Its the anonymous ones who bash, grow a set and put your name behind your statement. it gives you credibility.

There you go Cynthia, showing up to make trouble, and again to spill out your lies and acuse others. I know you dont like John's comment. You only showed up after he made his comments. Tell us Cynthia is the school doing great? Show us your data.............

This is not about passion...Qualification.....I am passionate about the HS and the kids, but I am certainly not qualified to be the principal. How do you find a correlation between passion and been successfully able to lead the school district? Why using causation to bring out your point? You are saying Mr. Moore will be the High School principal on Monday because he has a love and passion for the children.....There is no correlation there.....Sicko's have passion for children too...dont get me wrong...but this is simple not a way to say someone is qulaified to lead our school district.....No one will look bad but except for Mr. Moore, if he does not prove himself to be a good leader Cynthia. This blog is for adult, so stop thinking like my 6 year old. My 10 years olde would not corelate passion with leadership.....You can flag my comments....no problem....You were the first person to sow discord last year, when you posted that Dr. C was fired. You do not know anyone on the blog, because we use assume name, so fall in line, it is ok to give opposing views......I for one dont think Mr, Moore can develop anyone (opinion, not fact).

BarryYou miss the point . Donna Rando's job is to improve the quality of education . She's not doing that. She gets no points from me for " hard work and commitment to the district " whatever that means . Barry, RESULTS are all that matters. And regarding those " paid for a pulse " educrats you refer to, keep in mind ,Hayden Moore has already stated that the West Orange High School staff is absolutely the best staff in the State,so I expect more shameless cheerleading and rationalizing of failure , and no improvements to the quality of education .

Yes Leanna, I will report your personal attacks. Since you say you know so much about me then you should know where to find me tomorrow morning. I would love to see you so we can chat in person!

I am a student at WOHS and I believe that Dr. C can be blamed for many of the issues in this school system, but the students, parents and teachers are also a very big part of the education that most people are leaving out. Us students can decide wheather we want to stay after school and work with our teachers to bring up our grades and get extra help. Some teachers are not willing to work with other students and refuse to stay after school and give the student the extra help and time that they need. Also, test scores are so low because teachers do not always prepare us the way we should be and parents do not speak out against the BOE often enough, Dr. C does not pay attention to these issues, and the parents do not encourage the children to try. Many students at the high school are spending a lot of free time after school hanging out on the streets so the parents are to blame just as much as any person working in the school district.

Paid suspension???
BOE Pissing my hard earned money away!

I have to say this much...you people on here are full of speculation ,accusations and consternation
Hayden is qualified to be a high school principal...I don't care if he is black , he is certified qualified and committed to the students of WOHS
Dr. Cavanna was a change agent and changed to much to fast for people who don't want or understand change. You can't ask for change and then not accept it when it happens
West Orange has changed demographically in the schools
75 % minority in WOHS
40% (+) economically disadvantaged as a school district
25%(+) special education as a district
Edison MS on state Focus school watch list ....anybody know by state guidelines why?
Elementary schools that are title 1 (Washington and Hazel) You could probably throw Pleasantdale in the mix
Board of education seemingly out of control and power hungry , plus two of them have pending ethics charges, yet they vote to suspend and put out tenure charges on the supt. (ironic)
An acting supt who has been asst supt. of curr. and instruction for 13 (+) years yet the area that West Orange school district failed NJQSAC (08) was in was curriculum and instruction.
Need I say more? Or do we get to a point where as a community we stop talking about the issue and do something about it.
These opinions about the district, the teachers the leadership the curriculum are all fine and good ...accurate or racist or not, the question is are you willing to do anything about it or ...just blog?

VOUCHERS PLEASE!!!!!

“The BOE can approve or reject the Super's recommendation, but it is simply untrue that any informed teacher would think that BOE members can get them fired--to be fired, or even laid off, it would have to start with the super's recommendation. Therefore, the person to be worried about upsetting is the superintendent, not BOE members. No one can get hired or fired without him recommending it--that is the procedure.”

The above statement is not accurate. The Board of Education members can put pressure on a superintendent to hire family members and friends. When this is done and the Superintendent does not follow through with the recommendation, the Board can begin to cause problems for the superintendent. People can get hired and fired based on Board members – Just ask one of the CST Social Workers in the District.

Just a few facts for the public - In 2005, Superintendent Tarnoff appointed, and the Board of Education approved, the appointment of the principal of Edison (who is highly qualified), not Dr. Cavanna.

Superintendent Tarnoff recommended (and the Board of Education approved) the new math program. Dr. Cavanna implemented the plan.

The WO School District has struggled with test scores throughout the past 8 years at the middle, high school, and two elementary schools. This began long before Dr. Cavanna’s appointment in the District.

Enough with the finger pointing, there is enough blame for all to carry their share. Dr. Cavanna has been here for three years. How long have the other District leaders been around? Why wasn’t the quality of education important at that time?
If you are so passionate about the education of ALL children, why do so many people use pseudonyms?

There are obviously personal and political motives behind the BOE action in suspending Dr. Cavanna. Why are no specific complaints listed? The board leaders need to check their egos, and be more transparent in their actions. How are the taxpayers, parents and school employees to make any sense of all these accusations, innuendos and half-truths?

I have a question for the Board. How is it that you can pay this man not to come to work, but are too cheap to provide a decent contract for teachers? Shameless. I am starting to think that the state needs to come in and take over for this group of non-performing BOE thugs.

Tabla Rasa, your comments are filled with so many lies, it should be deleted. You make West Orange look like Philadelpia. We would appreciate that if peaple are making remarks it is based on fact. Even if students are in title programs such as reduced and free lunch, it does say that they are not doing well. 75% minority in West Orange, that makes everything else you said baseless. You are also saying minority children cannot learn. I attended a birthday party over the weekend, with West Orange residents who are African Americans, and they were engineers, lawyers, doctors, you name it, they were there. Are you saying our children cannot learn?

Portmanteau,
Yes With the tax burden put on the homeowners in West Orange, something needs to be done for the School District to be accountable for the money they received. After reading thru these comments, obviously parents are not happy with the education from our district. I have only been in this town 5 yrs and thank God my children are all grown but I do care about where my money is going so I attend BOE meetings. From my perspective, I do not see a functioning group who cares about the kids. I see a few members looking out for their status in this community. If a citizen in WO decided to dedicate themselves to a Board that has a leadership role for the rest of the town and have the power to make decisions of how the taxpayers money is spent, they need to be respectful of their duties and make decisions for the good of all students, administration employees and Most of All our teaching staff.
Wwhile raising my children and my involvment with PTA organizations and volunteering to help in the classrooms with my kids teachers, I realized the hours teachers put in off classtime, the measure of patience needed to handle a classroom of 30 unruly children and the constant time needed for retraining and staying up-to-date as new curriculum is adopted by the Dept of Education. These teachers deserve KUDOS and our respect as community members to take on the challenge of teaching our children.

The taxes in West Orange are so high, this means that the minorities in West Orange are rich. I am so amuze by how some of you guys think. I firmly believe that you do not have a basic education and so you are using this forum to show your lack of intelligence. When you are saying that this district is failing because of minorities moving in, you are so off. You cannot live in certain areas if you have a low socioeconomic status. Facts please!!!! Children are not successful because of race.

The children in our district are provided with very good educations and numerous programs are in place to address groups of higher achievers and those that struggle. Dr. Cavanna implemented many good programs in the district and brought in millions of dollars in grants. For people to assume that the BOE members are bringing down the district, the staff is bringing down the district, that the district is a failure, based on the comments of anonymous people or those with little real involvement and knowledge, is damaging to all of us. Negativity without proactive solutions and involvement can give people the impression that the West Orange School district is a failure... rather than a unique district with complex and ongoing issues, and yes, even interpersonal conflicts that are unprofessional at times. Well, I suppose the 2012 graduates going to Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, NJIT, Rutgers, MSU, and and a plethora of colleges across the country are failures too.

I would like to make a comment on Mr Hayden Moore as the candidate for the WOHS next Principle. I am glad to see he will be appointed next BOE meeting. The comments I have read regarding the capabilities of Mr Moore are appalling. I have met Mr Moore and talked with him (as a concerned citizen) about his vision for the HS under his tenure if appointed. He explained he has worked in this district for many years. He has already been the assistant principle at the WOHS. I have been in the HS and seen him interact with the students and I have witnessed students see Mr. Moore in the hallway of the HS and come up to greet him. From my observance, he is well-liked among the student body. He has the educational background. He wants to make the HS Number 1 in NJ. He wants to bring new and exciting things to the student body at the HS. He wants to help improve moral at the HS among the administrators. What more do you people from a qualified candidate? I personally feel promoting from within is a much easier transition for a department to keep moving forward than bringing a brand new person into the district that nobody is familiar with. Everybody has been bitching about him since his arrival. Please stop bashing Mr. Moore until he has actually done something to deserve being slammed. I am a HR Administrator & have worked with Fortune 500 companies all around the US so I can tell if a candidate is qualified by interviewing them and seeing their educational background.

Next BOE meeting at the HS on Monday. Come out and get involved. http://schools.woboe.org/Lists/Announcements/DispForm.aspx?ID=406&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fschools%2Ewoboe%2Eorg%2FPages%2FDefault%2Easpx

@ Basic facts I did not say the town was 75% minority I said WOHS is ...or soon will be , that doesn't mean they can't learn or do not come from middle class families. However, we dont have an academic achievement gap in this country for nothing
I did not state that Spec. ed. and economically disadvantaged student could not learn nor did I imply that they were all minorities. My point is that we test students and base the effectiveness of schools and teachers to a degree on students with identified learning disabilities
As far as econ. disadv (no matter the ethinicity) its a matter of support at home when parents have to work 2 jobs, educational level of the parents (research ) are lower and access to outside support services such as additional tutoring that other middle class parent may be able to afford.
As far as the accuracy of my statistics, simply go to the BOE meeting and ask for these statistics it is a matter of public record. If you don't have the time ,go on line and go to the NJDOE website and look up the West Orange school districts report card. While the information is not quite up to date it should provide you with some limited insight as to the demographic changes of our school not necessarily our town.
I am not making this a racial thing, but when you have changes like this in schools, there has to be some understanding that the schools must change their focus and look at those groups that need the most help without neglecting other groups

PLEASE CLOSE THE BLOG: IT SERVES NO PURPOSE. Let us respect the board decisions and hopee for the best for this district. @ Cynthia, no one call the students a failure, please let peace rein.

Brad,

Are you the moderator with the authority to close this blog or do you mean that you agree that this blog should be closes. The English on this blog is sometimes so garbled and ungrammatical that it's hard to be sure whether to take you literally.

That should read 'closed?' not 'closes.'

Editor:
Are you taking votes?
Please don't delete any posts or close this discussion--I find it all very amusing!
Thank you.

Let's wait and see what the BOW had to say before jumping to conclusions

@Deb Harvest . . . . . With all the mayhem, thanks for bringing clarity to the situation. Not for nothing, you do attend 99% of the BOE meetings. I'm starting to wonder who most of the folks are with all the comments. Hope to see them on Monday.

No Cynthia, I would not show up.....I have a fulltime job....It pays very well.....Why would I unmasked myself to you......I can donate some food to the pantry.......In all seriousness we have better things to do........Ryan....abusive..............no...........I am just having a good time spilling out the facts.....this blog is like the National Enquirer.................I bet the whole West Orange is reading.......

Not that it matters really but I see references to blogs. This is NOT a blog. This is a forum or maybe just comments on a website. But by no means a blog. A blog is something that one person (or more in few cases) write. It is their blog - think diary or more extensive Facebook. This is NOT a blog and we are not bloggers.

As I see it still there are some people with some axes to grind.....and it all screams PERSONAL

if you disagree with the BOE to appoint Mr. Moore , stand up and say so, but please make sure when you say why............that you base your reasoning on fact ....anything less is personal, and subjective

Dr. Cavanna , and his suspension should be addressed at the next BOE meeting if it is not I will ask this I promise, but to sit and speculate and start rumors about either the board or the reasons for the suspension....plain stupid

The Edison school being a Focus school from the comments I have read from a few who have made comments about it being a bad school, has anyone asked or found out why the school was put on this list? and what is being done about it? All I see is comments on the the principal being bad , the teachers are against him , and the commentators that are on here do not had a good opinion of the man or school..then it goes into qualification, color, and one was even commenting on his ability to speak the only question I would have is did any of you bring up your concerns to the board so that they can be addressed?

and last is the racial issue for the past 15 years the schools have been experiencing white flight.....meaning the white residents stay in town but send their children to private schools, has anyone looked into that phenomenon and the impact it has had on test scores and the reputation of our schools.
West orange is a diverse township and with that comes the good and the bad on this message board I can see the good and the bad ...except now the ugly is apparent

Really? White flight? I do believe that this post need to be closed....because many of these people posting on here must be on crack....Now West Orange is experiencing white flight....The topic is superintendent suspended......White flight means that whites move out when minorities move in......come on stop this nonsense......Tabla, Leanna, Cynthia, etc. you should stop this nonsense now.Also Mr. editor, stop writing topic that is flaring up these people. We know the system is not the best...but come on, why are you now writing that Dr. C is seeking job elsewhere?I would run too, he was swimming in shark infested waters. Many other will follow soon. You post things like 75% minorities in the schools, special education is the problem, principals are weak, come on everyone, have a good weekend, andstop all of this back and forth. Ask yourself, do you really love West Orange?

Tabla rass claut, time to be quiet. Take a time out, because if you get into race , I am going to start posting too.

@Jason the phenomenon of white flight is not relgated solely to a race of people leaving a residence/ town because another race moves in....that has another name. The flight that I speak is an actuality. If you take West Orange township census data and compare it to the West Orange school demographic data , you will see exactly who is attending our schools and who isn't.
This phenomenon has taken place in a number of towns in New Jersey, so its not racist to say....its fact!

check the town of Teaneck, NJ ...if you want a prime example of this phenomenon.

Since you said you would keep posting, if I did please do , because I am not posting anything that is not factual or anything that can't be proven by district data, or census data. Nor am I afraid of talking about race and education when anything I post can be proven, and said with respect to the topic.

Why is that when speaking of the demographic change in the SCHOOLS, not the town itself, do people get upset and call it racist. Are these people afraid to admit the reality of who is attending the schools.

The question is what do we do instead of worrying about Supt. and board who can't collaborate to do what is right for all students.

Simply check the data......NJDOE website ......West Orange District School Report Card....its all there

I dont have to know Hayden , and my statement is not personal, What I do know is that the past 4 principals were recruited from within. I do believe that a principal should have at least a doctorate in Educational Leadership and 4 years experience. I also know that he has no princiapl experience. The high school is what prepare us for college. Yes, most of the children are selected for colleges, but how many are accepted to prestigious universities? How many can look back and say let me go back and help West Orange, because you know I did not start well, but I end well. It seems as if we are resigned to the fact that many of our children are not doing well so let us give up on that segment of the population. I dont have to be there for his appointment on Monday. Neither do I have to be sad if he is appointed. I know West Orange gave me an education where I could attend a prestigious university and now I very successful. I am the person who can put my son through private school, but what about the 90% will they have the opportunity?

on the 'white flight': I for one think that people taking their children out from the public school because there are too many monirities is a good thing. Let them take their kids out and send them somewhere.

I would say there is a diversity non-flight here. We, and 'many many with us (the new West Orangian) came here and still come here because of the diversity. So by all means let the 'white flight' continue (if there is any) for the diverse friendly people to move in!

Back then when I was growing up no one experiment with our education. There were fewer minorities and some started out slowly. I will not be there for his appointment on Monday, but I pray that we will realize that this is not an experiment, this is about making this system the best. West Orange residents, what are you afraid of? Why do we sit back and accept everything we are given? I have an excellent education, but in all essence I would not ask to be the principal of the High School, because I think this is too important to experiment with. Is there a mentoring program in West Orange to mentor principals? No, but in New York, they have a program where principals are mentored for two years, before they are given the opportunity to lead a School. I am happy that he was a VP. Yet again, I am senior VP, but when our CEO was fired after years of doing a great job, then the company started to decline under him, none of us were given the task to run the company, because it was too important to experiment with. I am troubled when people say the board is happy with Hayden. Parents are you happy? These are your children. I am not saying that he will not do well, but he was appointed by a man who they would not consider rehiring. This said man, appointed the past 4 principals based on race and ethnicity, not on qualification. A House divided against itself cannot stand. We will be having this discussion in 2 years.

Qualifications and experience can be very important but it's not magic. Talent and smarts can also be very valuable but lack of experience and training can leave gaps. Cavanna has all the formal qualifications and yet his legacy is controversial. Everybody has the answer and in reality nobody has the answer. Just sayin'

Community Members, Please remain focused on leadership and the children. Test scores do not define the success of a district. My two children were educated in WO from K – 12. They were taught by extraordinary teachers and were prepared for college and their professional careers. Currently, they have wonderful professional relationships with many of the teachers that taught them. This is not about the quality of instruction in WO. This is about providing leadership and teachers with the autonomy to do the job that they are hired to do. While everyone is trying to find private schools for their children, check to see how many of the teachers have college degrees. Private schools are not under the same regulations as public schools. If they were, you will find many of them are not as successful as they claim to be.
It does not matter which interim superintendent is hired to fill the position. If he/she does not have a district leadership team that shares his/her vision, mission, and goals, we will have the same mess. The leadership team reports to the superintendent not the Board.
Additionally, the Board has to concern themselves with policies, school budget, and accountability from the superintendent. There should not be power plays, micromanaging, or pressure to hire one’s friends or family members.

There is a lack of Educational practices, procedures, and transparency in this District. Accountability begins with the Board of Education. Dr. C has not recommended four principals based on race and/or ethnicity. He is suspended. Someone else will have to recommend the next principal. The former superintendent recommended the principal of Edison. Less we not forget, the superintendent recommends and the board approves.
Finally, I don’t understand how a superintendent is suspended (with pay) pending an investigation, when we have two board members that are being investigated still on the job, making decisions that will effect our children. The best thing this community can do is to educate themselves on the role of the Board of Education and attend the Board meetings.

Re: Gary Englert's link to Peg O'Brien's article on high correlation between affluent demographics and top performance, I have no doubts that she's correct. Nevertheless, I have been told by someone well versed in the West Orange (High?) School's performance statistics that they have recently plunged significantly from roughly the 75th percentile to the 50th percentile amongst it's demographic peer group. Taken at face value I don't know how to interpret it as other than an administrative failure.

Dr. Cavanna's administrative recommendations during his tenure

Dr. Joanna Pollara (Principal) Pleasantdale Elem.
Ed. Acevedo (Principal) Hazel Elem
Eric Price (Principal) St. Cloud Elem
Lionel Hush (Principal) Roosevelt MS
Alex Rosenwald (District Science Supervisor)
Frank I annucci (6-12 Math Supervisor)
Darlene Berg (K-8 Math Supervisor)
Cheryl Butler (District Guidance Director)
Connie Salimbeno (Director , Special Services)
Fil Santiago (Director of Technology)
Ron Bligh (Director of PE/ AD)

*Hayden Moore (Principal) West Orange HS
*Jim Aquavia (Language Arts Supervisor)
*Marc Lawrence (Social Studies Supervisor)
*= set to be appointed 7/23/12

Non Reappointments

Terry Caliste (District Math Supervisor)
Debbie Bartley Carter (District Language Arts Supervisor)

I am quite sure I missed one or two appointments, but my point is, is that the appointments to the district administration and supervisor ranks have been as diverse as the district itself. This is fact , check board meeting minutes on the district website.

Here comes a question to ponder ;

Are the teaching ranks as diverse in the schools and are the appointments made in the last three years as diverse as the appointments in the administrative and supervisor ranks?

I only posted this because of a poster stated Dr. Cavanna only appointed black principals , but my research turned up more than that

I guess you guys can look into their qualifications , I just wanted to show facts

The ranks of America's poor are on track to climb to levels unseen in nearly half a century, erasing gains from the war on poverty in the 1960s amid a weak economy and fraying government safety net.

Census figures for 2011 will be released this fall in the critical weeks ahead of the November elections.

The Associated Press surveyed more than a dozen economists, think tanks and academics, both nonpartisan and those with known liberal or conservative leanings, and found a broad consensus: The official poverty rate will rise from 15.1 percent in 2010, climbing as high as 15.7 percent. Several predicted a more modest gain, but even a 0.1 percentage point increase would put poverty at the highest since 1965.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/22/us-poverty-on-track-to-rise-to-highest-since-160s/?test=latestnews#ixzz21SjcdpNH

Let us blame Bush for the decline, and the increase in title 1. See article above lol.

I hope we can survive the next 3 years...then we are done

What, by the way, is the BOE's Charter?

Anyone got a copy? I betcha WOPL has it

Don't forget the BOE meets tonight at 8pm at WOHS. The Board will approve the contracts of Dr Rando ($199,132) and business admin Mark Kenney ($195,966). Still no teacher contract. Should be a very interesting meeting.

OMG, Rambling Rambo is now acting superintendent.....We are in trouble.......Stupid meeting tonight......The new Principal was shaking when he gave his speech........He badly needs a course in public speaking....All the African Americans were so excited.....But he must have disappointed them with his speech......Think about it Hush was just a little better last year.......One board member abstained.....She did not want the children blood on her shoulder.....Hayden first suggestion, get a course in public speeeeeeeaking.......

Dr. Rambo realised that West Orange parents are guuuuullliiiiibleee, so she just told them, to become a focus needy school...they measured the scores of a disadvantaged group against Asians who are doing well and then put Edison on focus watch..........That is so not true...............Prediction.....6 years and you will be ashamed to live in this town..........Hayden salary is $150,957.......Get a course in public speeeeakinnnnng......It willlllllllllllllllll do youuuuuuu very well.....Principaaals should not use ghetto slang................

That little old lady acted out tonight..........she called the board uneducated.....my Ally..............girl u acted like u were on something.....why were u cursing out that old black lady like that..............second why did you blame the children for the failure.......third, you fell short of telling everyone why Dr. C was terminated.....what information did the board gave you? You apologized to them for defending Dr. C. I am going to tell him to have you subpea_____________. You actually told everyone that he knew why Dr. C was fired, and you are sorry for defending him.................Not good my girl....not good_____________. Learn to behave yourself.

I have a suggestion...but I don't know if it can be done, but NO Posts by anonymous people..if you have to say something, make sure we know who you are...cowards

tabalas
Why are you just a hater towards Mr. Moore. I thought he did a great job. He was speaking alittle softer so get the crowd calm because usually these BOE mtgs are unruly. I liked his speech and his message. Stop hating on Mr. Moore
Vicki

I couldn't make the meeting and this chaotic dialogue is my main source of information on what's going on in the school system. Can anybody tell me why board meetings aren't videoed like council meetings are, and posted on the BOE site to be viewed on a computer at the convenience of those who can't make meetings? A little transparency please.....

Gary,
The handful who watch council meetings are more likely to be in the handful who make their voices heard at meetings and at election time. The educated resident is the best citizen. It would probably be a greater service to the citizenry to have BOE meetings where recording is possible than keeping the veil on the goings and comings of the board.

Gary, thanks for the link. I misspoke (wrote?). I had seen the Patch article. I should have said that the Patch is my main, virtually only, source of information on the happenings in the school system.

Gary,
While conducting business in public, gives the appearance of transparency, given how few residents, percentage-wise get to the meetings, posting them and leaving them online for future reference would greatly improve access the publicly conducted business of the BOE.

Alan,

First, I think that there is significant benefit (and good reason) for the Board to rotate its meetings among the various school buildings and neighborhoods as, not only does it expand the opportunities for people to attend in person, it gives the Board an opportunity to survey the facilities they manage.

Traditionally, the Board meeting at a particular school becomes an event heralded by that school's PTA toward encouraging attendance from interested people/parents in that neighborhood...and toward addressing the specific issues at that school.

I'm of a mind to believe that does more to encourage actual involvement than holding the meetings in (what of necessity would be) one place in order to record them.

As Tip O'Neil said, "Politics is all local" and so is public education.

The Board is actually enouraging the active participation of the community and furthering transparency...not thta it has evern been anything but transparent in its operation.

Gary,
West Orange is small enough for any site to be considered local to any resident. I believe that the transparency from posting the meetings online would outweigh the loss of attendees because the one meeting site is too far. The Council meetings are held at one site.

Additionally, if surveying the facilities they manage is important, the BOE should do it even if meetings are not held there. After all how much time passes before a meeting rotates back to any school, many months I would guess. Members could even take turns on doing one survey visit for each BOE meeting and report back to the group.

Judging from what I've heard, I think that being a BOE member has been far from thankless and unrewarding. I say, make walk-throughs part of the job description. I vote for increased access to meetings via online posting - not that there's going to be an 'election'.

I think that anybody who can get to a meeting in W.O. can get to it in any location, so rotating the venue doesn't make sense to me. What seems more important would be to capture/broadcast/stream/archive them, electronically.

Re:"Clearly, Mr. Prignano doesn't know the first thing about the difference between rumor, innuendo, accusation, fact or actionable proof...as his post is rife with the first three and completely lacking in the last two. ..."

Gary for someone who was commenting on the lack of civility on this list I'm dismayed that you should strike such a tone. Would it not be possible to make your salient points without such a disparaging tone?

Alan,

Rather obviously, you are unaware of Mr. Prignano's repetitive, personal attacks on myself and others, not to mention his penchant for rambling off topic at every opportunity.

My post (above) is emphatic and to the point and nothing more.

Does Mr. Prignano connect the dots and offer any proof of nepotism or favoritism being at play here?

No, he does not...he is simply disparaging the reputations of people who have done what he never has: contribute positively to the community.

The absolute truth of the matter is that the man launched two ill-conceived and poorly executed campaigns for mayor ('94 & '98) and had a dismal showing at each outing.

His source of animosity toward me?

I ran the victorious 1998 campaign that had him on the losing end of an 80% plurality at the polls.

The man holds a grudge and it's no more complicated than that.

Jake Freivald wrote: 'Having the actual words spoken by the BOE (or council, or state senate, etc.) members can be very helpful in holding people accountable.'

Wish I'd said that, Jake. Not only can that be valuable but it can affect the behavior of BOE members. That what sunshine laws are all about. Definition of 'Sunshine Laws' U.S. federal and state laws requiring regulatory authorities' meetings, decisions and records to be made available to the public.

Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sunshinelaws.asp#ixzz21as0N6hv

I think these are the Board bylaws

http://schools.woboe.org/Board/Board%20Policies/Forms/AllItems.aspx

OK..SO is the Star Ledger Correct? Is this Farce, about "Legally" Not allowed to say why the BOE suspended Dr. C, actually against the law?

To Quote: "State Law allows public bodies to go into closed sessions under *limited* circumstances, including to discuss personal matters. The LAW REQUIRES the PUBLIC Body, BEFORE Entering such a session, to state as PRECISELY AS POSSIBLE, the time when and the circumstances under which the discussion conducted in the closed session of the PUBLIC body can be disclosed to the PUBLIC."

Labor Counsel Philip Stern said he HOPES that there will be some level of resolution in place by the NEXT board meeting on August 28th.

That DOES NOT Sound like the letter of the law, nor does it seem like there was ANY REASON to keep dragging this on. NOT Only that, it APPEARS that a Date, "As Prcesley as possible" MUST Have been set BEFORE Any Closed sessions or discussion (formal or informal, I guess) where to have taken Place.

Or is this ALL Wrong.

Oh, and Star Ledger: "Welcome to the Party, Pal. Better Late than Never" -- JM

My Biggest Fear, is that BOE is playing a game, that they are bending the rule of law, and that the township is going get sued. Not to mention the fact that it might just be a personal thing between the 2 parties. It had better be strictly Business. and they had better not have overstepped their bounds. I would put good money down, 8/28 goes by with out resolution.

Well, today SHOULD be the day....Anyone want to place a friendly wager? I'll bet NOTHING is said tonight. Any takers?

>> Labor Counsel Philip Stern said he HOPES that there will be some level of resolution in place by the NEXT board meeting on August 28th.

Um, I believe the next BOE meeting is tomorrow, Aug 29.

My teen is new in-district & to the hs though we've lived here about 15 years (was in a parochial school previously). I was impressed with Mr. Agliomento's impact as principal and am sorry he retired. Was his retirement related to Dr. C's leadership? I have no facts just wondering. I do not know if it's accurate but heard Dr. A. had been brought in to 'clean up' the high school. I'm sorry he retired before my child graduated. My concern regarding Mr. Moore is not paper qualifications rather real-world ones. WOHS is a big place with lots of upper management/administration, and home for our kids for 4 years. We need someone who's been in the trenches and can keep the discipline and standards at a adequate level & work to upgrade them. I disagree with others about the riff-raff there - these are our kids & we as parents must share the blame/successes for their learning and behavior. Parents DO need to be involved, daily. I am. But we also need an experienced leader at the helm.
I am glad my child is willing to work hard and qualifies for honors courses - we learned (and told by other parents) early those are the 'only' good classes. it's the day to day learning us parents see that really matters. I'm glad my child is almost done there as I worry how Mr. Moore's inexperience will impact the school to maintain/upgrade its performance-for our kids sake. It affects our kids learning not only here but where they go in their educational lives next.

Mr. Moore was the assistant principal and handled a multitude of responsibilities, including discipline, for the past several years. He has the respect of the students and has a new assistant principal team in place. He is putting in 12 hour days to make sure things are being addressed, whether schedules, personnel issues, or student issues. And what you have heard is not accurate... the honors classes are more challenging and contain a higher percentage of kids that want to do well academically, but the regular classes and teachers are also good. By the time a kid gets to high school, they've decided if they want to do well academically or not. While this challenges the school district in many ways, at the end of the day, they can't replace parent involvement or make students want to learn.

I was responding to Tolstoy! You must have posted at the same time I was posting my response. :)