School Board Approves Creation of Personnel Committee

A personnel committee was established by Toms River's Board of Education last week, though one member wanted to delay its creation until the full board is present and more information about its role could be heard. 

Members discussed the creation of the committee at length during a regular meeting last week after a motion to create by Loreen Torrone, a "Clean Slate" board member who has been a proponent of establishing the oversight body since her election in 2011. 

"As members of the public have known, I've been in favor of this for a long time. It is one of the master committees of school boards and our district doesn't have it," she said. 

But board member Edward Gearity said that a discussion about creating the committee was planned to follow an April 8 meeting with the New Jersey School Boards Association. Further, board members Thomas Baxter and Michael Jedziniak were absent and therefore could not partake in discussion about forming the committee. 

"I think it would be best if we kept it to the meeting on the 8th or shortly thereafter when everyone is available," Gearity said. 

The committee, the creation of which has been talked about by "Clean Slate" members since 2011, is especially needed since Superintendent Frank Roselli announced he will retire at the end of this school year following an early March heart attack, said board member Joseph Torrone. 

"The board has a responsibility to ask why certain people are being hired, what their credentials are, how they fit into our system. It's a very positive experience for the administration and the board," Torrone said. 

The 2011 vote on Assistant Superintendent James Hauenstein’s contract spawned a flurry of public statements from then newly-elected board members Ben Giovine, Loreen Torrone and Alex Pavliv, who said a personnel committee would be in the best interest of all parties involved in the process, including the district’s taxpayers.

Giovine said last week that school board law makes clear what their roles in a personnel committee would be. The board can create the committee and define its role later on.

"I think that we can still have a discussion with the [NJSBA] on [April] 8th as to the parameters of the personnel committee," he said. 

"I still disagree," Gearity said. "I think that the other two board members, who unfortunately could not be here, should have an opportunity to discuss their opinions regarding this committee before it is passed, regardless of whether there's a motion on the floor."

"With all due respect, they'll have their opportunity to speak about that on April 8," Giovine said, adding that Loreen Torrone has brought up the topic before and discussed it with the full board. 

Giovine said that there should be a committee to review the multiple pages of personnel changes the board typically votes on each month. The committee could also help to clear the public perception that, to be hired in Toms River's school district, an applicant must have a connection.

"I just want to make sure positions are properly advertised, job descriptions are properly written out," he said.

The committee's role would be "very limited," Giovine said, and would not include making decisions about granting tenure, since board members are not directly involved in that process.

"I think this board should be knowledgeable about the process of tenure," he said, but members would not examine candidates "name by name."

Speaking during public comment, former board member Linda Garvey said that she agreed with the creation of a personnel committee, but questioned the board's past hiring practices including appointing Stephan Leone as its attorney in January. 

"I have some concerns about anyone being on that personnel committee that had the poor judgement to hire an attorney with no experience," she said.