Mandatory Fees for NJSBA?

Who knew? I didn't. But now I wonder what this "mandatory fee" to NJSBA entitles the BOE to, and given the state of affairs, how has the BOE taken advantage of having the NJSBA resources available to them thanks to this mandatory fee? And how much is this mandatory fee for Plainfield? And how much monies are paid to NJSBA for services provided to the BOE? Wow! My brain is coming up with too many questions now. Time to go.

Interesting.

If you want to read the article, which is telling of how a politician wants to make this fees optional, and why, read HERE. Funny, well, not really, how it also has to do with our taxes.

Hopes and wishes for the 2010 year and the new decade

I have one big hope for Plainfield, only one, and that is that whoever it is, whatever it is, however it is accomplished, and from whichever side we each stand, that we all together continue to:

A Happy New Year wish to all readers, family and friends!
May this coming year and new decade bring an abundance of
health, friendship, and love!
And that the meaning of
"treat others the same way
you would like to be treated"
doesn't get lost among the abundance of opinions and challenges that our city has!

Commentary on the CN School District Latest Article

Tonight after reading the Courier News latest school district's article I got one more reason to believe that it is imperative that at this coming January 5th BOE Policy Meeting official representation from more than our local officials gets to be present. The questions, accusations, and rumors, have been going for far too long. It is indeed sad that it has taken this long to put to rest a matter that could have been dealt with in a rapid and transparent way, January 5th still offers this possibility as many will be watching the outcome of this meeting.

How, and why, did this matter exploded to this? The answers might be many, and while the focus has been on two individuals, the entire hiring process seems ripe to be re-evaluated from top to bottom, not because it is all faulty, but because the process got so tangled that it merits an effort to simplify it and make it far more transparent that it has ever been. Our community deserves nothing less.

MP

Added note in response to a comment: Thanks for the comment, but I will not posted it since I do not wish to add to the speculation of who received or not the letter. I know I didn't receive one, and I also know that I will be glad when all this is over.

E-mail to BOE and Dr. Gallon III

The invitation to Dr. Centuolo, Union County SI, and Ms. Harkness, NJSBA Policy Consultant to the BOE, to this coming January 5th, 2010 Policy Meeting where personnel policies and procedures will be discussed, must come from the Board of Education and/or Dr. Gallon III. While I think we the people ought to have the power to invite officials to meetings we feel their presence is needed, at this time, for me, this is not a point of discussion. The goal is to have State representation and the expertise of that one who has been hired to update policies. How do we get this done? I sent an e-mail to Mr. Cathcart BOE President, Dr. Gallon III Superintendent, and Mr. Estevez Policy Committee Chair, mainly because I strongly feel that we need to settle this personnel matter once and for all at this time, and the only way to make sure that we are all on the same page, my point of view, is to have all players: BOE, District, State, Hired Expert, and Community, all together at "the table". That's it. Questions, doubts, and clarifications, can all be made, and hopefully resolved, the same night. Let's hope after January 5th we all are on the same page. I am posting my e-mail, I don't know whether I'll get an answer or not, I didn't ask for one, but I am hoping the request gets considered. MP

Good Morning Mr. Cathcart and Dr. Gallon III, Mr. Estevez:

Trusting you all had a peaceful Holiday and that you are ready for yet another one I am reaching out to you for the following:

In lieu of the recent personnel matters that have unsettled many of us here in the community, and appreciating you opening the January 5th, 2010 Policy Meeting to discuss personnel policies and procedures, I would like to request that you extend the same invitation to this coming meeting to Dr. Centuolo, Union County Superintendent, and Ms. Jean Harkness, NJSBA Policy Consultant.

The reasons why are that at this time when trust needs to be re-built for the school district I strongly feel that by extending an invitation to Dr. Centuolo, Union County SI, the Board of Education will benefit tremendously from having her presence at this coming meeting. I feel at this point that reassurance for personnel matters will go much further if supported by the presence of an official State representative such as Dr. Centuolo, who has been here to supervise the district on various personnel matters. What is more, reassurance at this point from a State representative, such as Dr. Centuolo, that the BOE is aligned and compliant with all State laws and regulations will help our school district and community start the process of moving forward on, and away from, this matter.

In regards to extending the invitation to Ms. Harkness, NJSBA Policy Consultant, it is not needless to say that given the fact that NJSBA has been contracted to review and update all policies, it would only make sense to have their presence on hand to clarify on the spot whether a policy really needs to be changed, updated, or created, in order to satisfy the needs our community and district have when it comes to being compliant with personnel State laws and regulations. What is more, this would be a good time to inform the community of the work NJSBA has been doing for the district, how policies are getting updated, and how much input do we, the community, have when it comes to policy setting. I feel that by extending the invitation to an expert, such as Ms. Harkness, on this matter to help clarify any questions and doubts the community might have, can only help the BOE and the district shrink the breach that has been existent for long between the school district and the community.

I hope you take into consideration this request and appreciate your kind reception of this message.

Sincerely,

Maria Pellum


"A cowgirl gets up in the morning, decides what she wants to do, and does it!

Questions & Answers that could help clarify personnel matters and practices...

The NJSBA has a document that lists 5 key components of school district effectiveness, number 2 is personnel, the center topic of discussion for the January 5th Policy Committee Meeting. I added some questions that I think need clarification from both the BOE and Dr. Gallon III.

You can read the 3 page NJSBA document HERE, but below are the the basis for an effective district to handle personnel matters:


2. PERSONNEL

A. Licensed Personnel
The district recruits and retains highly qualified and appropriately licensed individuals to support student achievement of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS). The district complies with all applicable laws and regulations

QUESTION: ARE WE COMPLIANT WITH ALL STATE APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS?

B. Personnel Policies
District policies and procedures support equity and professional growth. The district complies with all applicable personnel laws and regulations.

QUESTION: ARE WE OFFERING, SUPPORTING, & ENCOURAGING, EVEN AND FAIR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH FOR ALL?

C. Professional Development
The district provides and supports high-quality professional development for all staff that supports student achievement of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS).

QUESTIONS: HAS THERE BEEN AN ANNUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN, ADOPTED BY THE BOE AND APPROVED BY THE STATE, ON THE LAST 2 YEARS SINCE NJQSAC?

NOW THAT THE POSITIONS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR & ASSESSMENT, DATA COLLECTION, & SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COORDINATOR ARE VACANT, WHO WILL BE TAKING CARE OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WHICH SEEMS TO BE A KEY COMPONENT TO SUPPORT STAFF IN ORDER TO SUPPORT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AS IT WAS STATED AT THE PERSONNEL NJQSAC REPORT?
Click HERE to read QSAC Field Version & Tally Sheets.

MP

P.S. Just in case some wonder about the capital letters, I wasn't screaming by writing all questions with *capital letters (*upper case for the younger generations) I was just trying to separate the questions from the statements. Plainfield has yet to make me that mad that I need to scream, I rather just take a nap or have an ice cream;-)!

I have 3 Wishes for the Policy Committe Meeting

1-That NJSBA representative, Ms. Jean Harkness, comes to the Policy Meeting this coming January 5th. It only makes sense that Ms. Harkness, who has been working with the district and the policy committee chair, Christian Estevez, on updating all district policies since 2008, comes to offer her expertise in case it is needed.

2-That Union County superintendent, Dr. Carmen Centuolo, comes too to this meeting. All personnel changes that need the approval of the State need to be approved by her, and what is more, Dr. Centuolo would be the one, outside of the administration, to know whether the district is in compliance or not when it comes to any approved Job title, description, and qualifications, something that needs to be clarified due to the budget implications that being out of compliance could carry if not dealt with properly.

3-That the Board of Education realizes that it is imperative that all of these, district needs, job titles, job descriptions, job qualifications, Board appointments, and HR changes, need to be done right but just after an educated decision has been taken with only the benefit of the district as a goal.

Three simple wishes, will they come true?

MP

PPS: Job Descriptions

The information provided here reflects not only the present posted Plainfield school district's Organizational Chart, but also some of the job descriptions that are part of any given Department, or that are listed as part of a particular Department. Background history on titles and their modifications is also given to the best of my abilities with the information at hand.

The job descriptions posted here are subject to modifications by the school district, please also note that this list is far from being final as I am waiting for more job descriptions, thus consider this a "live document". Names were withheld, mostly due to the purpose of this post, which is to provide job description information, than for any other reason since the focus is, and will be, job descriptions. Salaries for each position can be found at BOE agendas, usually those ones from May through September. Job descriptions are of public domain and can be obtained via a BOE OPRA request. BOE agendas provide salaries and names.

*I added Department descriptions as per the school district website. Not all job titles are under a Department, and not all Departments are listed at the school district website. Some job descriptions are not reflected at the latest posted district organizational chart, but are on the Contact Us Directory or Department description. MP


Superintendent

Special Projects & District Affairs Coordinator (2)
Job description #1 adopted May 5, 2008
Job description #2 modified May 20, 2008.

District Strategic Planning & Accountability Coordinator (Title created Nov. 17,2009)

Business Administrator/Board Secretary

Business Administration Coordinator

TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT
Transportation Coordinator (Title got modified from Supervisor to that of Coordinator Nov 17, 2009)

Grants Administration
Coordinator (title modification Nov. 17, 2009)

Accounting Coordinator (3)

Purchasing Coordinator (This position got split into 2 new job descriptions but not sure if it got abolished:

Facilities Specialist & Accounts Payable Specialist

Compensation Administration Coordinator

District Facilities & Grounds Coordinator (title modified from Supervisor to that of Coordinator Nov 17, 2009)

District Facilities & Grounds Assistant Coordinator (2) (title modified from Assistant Supervisor to that of Assistant Coordinator Nov 17, 2009)

Assistant Superintendent Educational Services

Principals/Schools

Vice Principal Educational Services (2)

Resource Teachers - Content Areas (4)
Math, Science, Social Studies, ELA

BILINGUAL/ESL & WORLD LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT
Principal Bilingual Education & ESOL

SPECIAL EDUCATION, GIFTED, & PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT
Vice Principal Service Education, Gifted, and Psychological Services

Special Education Programs Coordinator

ASSESMENT, DATA COLLECTION, & SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT DEPARTMENT
Coordinator [Testing] Data Collection & Continuous Improvement (title modification and adoption Nov 17th, 2009) Prior job descriptions and title name were:

Supervisor Assessment, Data Collection, & School Improvement
Coordinator, Assessment, Data Collection, & Continuous Improvement

Professional Development & Support Services Coordinator

Student Health & Related Services Coordinator

EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS & SERVICES
Director Early Childhood Programs & Services

Vice Principal Early Childhood & Services

Accounting Childhood Programs & Services Coordinator

PUPIL PROGRESSION SERVICES DEPARTMENT
Pupil Progression Services Coordinator

STUDENT INTERVENTION & FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES DEPARTMENT
Director Student Intervention & Family Support Services

Student Intervention & Family Support Coordinator (2)

Assistant Superintendent Administrative Services

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & SUPPORT SERVICES DEPARTMENT
Information Technology & Support Services Coordinator

HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT Scroll down on the HRD (provided by the link) and you'll find what some of the positions for the following job descriptions are within the HR Department:
Human Resources & Support Services Coordinator

Personnel Assistant (3)as per BOE resolution adopted Nov 17, 2009.

Coordinator, Employee Recruit, Ret, & Lic as listed on adopted resolution Nov 17, 2009 (job description lists this position as Coordinator, Employee Recruitment, Hiring, & Licensing)

PUBLIC INFORMATION & MARKETING DEPARTMENT
Public Information & Marketing Coordinator

Administrative Services Coordinator

Student Truancy & Support Services Coordinator

STUDENT ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENTSpecialist

School Safety & District Security Director (presently the Org Chart has this position listed as Administrator)

STUDENT ATHLETICS, ACTIVITIES & SUPPORT SERVICES
Vice Principal

How is the posted information changing your perception of the school district?

As I continue posting documents, either by PDF or newly found links, I am wondering how is the posted information being received by you, the reader?

What does the information tell you about the school district up to this year, 2009? What does it tell you about your own perceptions of what the school district is, or is not? Does it make you wonder about your own contribution, or lack of it, to the state of affairs at PPS? How will the posted information change your sense of ownership, and the need for your participation at all, or most, of the decision-making of PPS regardless of what your stakeholder position is? How will the provided information affect your choices when the time to elect new board members comes around every April?

You don't need to send your answers, but I do hope you truly ponder on the above questions.

MP

New Documents Posted

New documents have been posted at the blog's right hand side column.

One is the Corrective Plan in response to the *State ordered audit performed by KPMG. It is worth mentioning that this audit got the attention of at least two administrations. Interim Superintendent Peter Carter and his Business Administrator, Michael J. Donow, sent a letter accepting the State audit findings; few months later it would be the administration of Dr. Gallon III and Business Administrator, Gary Ottmann, the one to send the Corrective Plan. Also for those planning to attend the Policy Meeting this coming January 5th, it is worth noting that this plan lists some corrective steps that were to take place at the Human Resources Department back in 2008.

The other documents are the Governance NJQSAC Tally Sheets along with the BOE Governance Corrective Action Plan that was adopted by the BOE on January 22, 2008. I am posting the Tally Sheets along with their Field Version with the hopes to aid transparency to our district's challenges.

I also got confirmation this past week that there were no BOE self-evaluations made for the years that I requested: 2006 and 2007. It is also not clear whether the 2008-09 self-evaluation the BOE went through has to be approved and adopted by resolution, other districts seem to adopt their self-evaluations in an official manner.

I hope the documents posted can provide you with a deeper understanding on what the school district challenges are. You can view them by clicking their name down below or at the blog's right hand side column, and while many steps have been taken to correct what was found to be wrong, not knowing what was wrong to begin with, it is my opinion, can lead us all to ignore and/or commit the same mistakes.

PPS 2008 Corrective Action Plan in response to the State ordered KPMG Audit

BOE 2008 Governance Corrective Plan to NJQSAC

BOE NJQSAC Governance Field Version and their Tally Sheets

MP

*Additional information: The KPMG State ordered audit was made on two school years, 2004-05 and 2005-06. I am not sure who all the members were back then but the presidents of the Board were as follow: For the audited year of 2004-05 Sharon Robinson-Briggs was the Board of Education President. For the audited year of 2005-06 (newly goggled info for those wondering who was at the BOE that year) Martin Cox was the Board of Education President.

Look what Santa brought: A Guest Blogger!

Once in a while you meet people with whom, with no logical explanation, it feels as if you have known them forever and ever, this is my case with today's Guest Blogger, Leonora Augustin. And while we are yet to meet in person, we have a common interest: education. I trust you will enjoy her post and that her writing will take you back to that very first place where once most of us were made to feel special. MP

Teach or Educate -
What's the difference?

At some point during a school project today, I become distracted by a thought that was completely unrelated to my work. That initial thought spiraled into a series of questions that I felt compelled to answer. Many years ago random thoughts appearing in the middle of a deadline would be an aggravating distraction, but these days I embrace it. So, what was I talking about again? Oh yeah, my random thought from today.

So today's, “intellectual interruption” was on the subject of my K-12 public school education. Do you remember your favorite teacher? I think every adult has at least one teacher they loved, loved, loved. To be perfectly honest with you, at my age I can't remember what I went in the kitchen for, but I can always remember my favorite teacher. It was my first grade teacher, Mrs. Fredericks.

Now all grown up, who was your favorite teacher and why? Was it their patience, tone of voice, how they made you feel exceptional, gave you a hug when you needed it most (before it became illegal to demonstrate physical and genuine signs of emotional support), or even lent a hand when you were hurt? Do you have one of those “I will never forget the time” stories that has stuck to your heart over the years like that piece of chewing gum we used to hide under our classroom desk?

So the question that came up for me today was this: Isn't each educator a teacher, but not every teacher an educator? We live in a world where a teacher has more responsibility than ever before and sometimes fewer resources. If we don't include years of experience or the school district of employment, what is the distinction between a teacher and an educator? I read somewhere that an educator must believe in the potential power of the student and use everything he has to bring his pupil to experience that power.

I think a teacher does their job, but an educator recognizes they are charged with not only instruction, but also believing in every one of their students. Educators take on the added responsibility to apply everything they have in their teacher goody bag (including their education, resources, and experience) to ensure by the last day of school, each pupil leaves the classroom seeing that same power of potential.

Your favorite teacher was probably more than just pleasant and reassuring. She may have whispered to you that you were a special person that would do great things when you grew up. He may have returned a test and said that you have the potential to be a great scientist. Or she could have smiled and said if you would focus, there is nothing in this world that you can't have and you knew she meant it. I would guess that your favorite teacher and mine was a teacher committed to being an educator.

Each day no matter what was going on at home, administratively, or between colleagues, our educators came into that classroom and invested everything they had into teaching us every essential tool for achievement as well as showing us how to apply them, so that ultimately we too could see the power of our potential.

I know an educator when I meet one. When you've had one, you never forget.

Please share your thoughts.

Leonora Augustin
Rutgers University,
Graduate School of Social Work
MSW Candidate '10

Leonora is a former Plainfield resident currently completing her Master's degree in Social Work. While a licensed therapist, Leonora plans to work with non-profit agencies to develop funding sources for at-risk population programming.

Seriously....

Thanks for the good wishes!

Now if it was only this easy to explain to you know who!



Merry Christmas!

MP

Happy Holidays to All!

School Winter Holiday's Break is officially here, and so is one of the most popular holidays, Christmas. I hope you are ready with every celebration preparations you might have on hand. I am not, but always have loved the last minute rush of it all!

May this Christmas and New Year bring you all, or most, of what we all truly need, health, friendship, love, and may you also get most of the things you want.

To all readers, friends, and far away relatives and friends that keep up with me through this blog, a very Merry Christmas!

Maria

After Thanks to BOE, now comes the challenge to know what to expect and demand

So no one says that I am biased and approve of everything Dr. Gallon says, let me share here what I see as the challenges that the district's administration and the BOE have been, AND STILL ARE, facing when it comes to personnel matters. This is not an opinion post, but a facts-based post where you are left to form your own opinions after you read official reports. Hopefully the posted information will help you see what the challenges are for the present Board of Education and administration, what tools they already have at their disposal (policies & official reports) when it comes to personnel matters, and what solutions can be, or need to be, created and implemented. They, BOE and administration, have a huge task ahead of them, but only if they take this task with the seriousness that it deserves. Anything less will be a band-aid. (Just read Dan's blog: What? I didn't get the e-mailed press release? Hmmm! I guess I am not on the BOE's good list! Ay,ay,ay!)(Update 11:00 AM: Policy Committee Chair, Mr. Estevez, has reached out to me with apologies, which are appreciated and accepted, but I was just joking! Thanks Christian.)

The Tally Sheets from the Personnel QSAC Files where personnel matters and concerns were found by the State in 2007 are HERE.

Tally Sheets from the Governance (BOE) QSAC Files where the State found personnel concerns are posted HERE. I also added couple of Tally Sheets on BOE/Administration Collaboration just for some additional background information.

5 years, 4 different organizational charts, all approved by the BOE. There is still one more revision to the last organizational chart that needs to be done due to all the latest personnel shuffling. Click HERE for all four organizational charts.

The 2008-09 BOE's Self Evaluation pages that deal with personnel matters are HERE.

BOE Personnel Policies to keep on mind, and on hand!

2121 LINE OF RESPONSIBILITY

4000/4010 CONCEPTS AND ROLES IN PERSONNEL; GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
(Revised May 19, 2009)

4111 RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND HIRING (Revised May 19, 2009)

4211 Recruitment Selection and Hiring (revised May 19, 2009)

4112.2 CERTIFICATION (Revised May 19, 2009)

4112.6/4212.6 PERSONNEL RECORDS (Revised May 19, 2009)

4112.8/4212.8 NEPOTISM (Revised May 19, 2009)

9130 [BOE] Committees (Revised August 12, 2008)

9313 FORMULATION, ADOPTION, AMENDMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS (Revised August 12, 2008)

9314 SUSPENSION OF POLICIES, BYLAWS AND REGULATIONS (Adopted August 12, 2008)

9322 PUBLIC AND EXECUTIVE SESSIONS (Amended: February 19, 2008)

9323/9324 AGENDA PREPARATION/ADVANCE DELIVERY OF MEETING MATERIAL (Amended: August 12, 2008)

Thanks PPS and BOE!

I don't know what did it, but the BOE will be hosting at their January 5th Policy Agenda Meeting a Human Resources Meeting. Bravo and thanks for listening to all!

Check the Courier News HERE for the article.

Maybe I'll bring the Rosca de Reyes to celebrate El Dia de los Tres Reyes, which is celebrated the following day! As far as I am concerned this meeting can be my gift from any of the three kings!

MP

Annual Audit's Corrective Action Plan

I have finalized posting the 5 years of the Introductory Letter to the Annual Audits for the school district. There have been 4 Superintendents on these five years and 4 Business Administrators, all, I am sure, with their very own style and own standards. These documents can provide anyone with the opportunity to see what has remained stable throughout these past five years, what has changed. Some of these documents needed, or need, to be challenged for their accuracy, which solely rest on the shoulders of the local BOE as it is stated by the following sentence:

--Responsibility for both the accuracy of the data and completeness and fairness of the presentation, including all disclosures, rest with the Plainfield Board of Education (the "Board").--

The entire audit is almost, or over, 300 pages. Today, as I was driving back home from picking up some other documents, I was wondering if the audit is just presented to the district on hard copy. While I am advocating for this audit to be posted at the district's website, I certainly know that if it is not presented on some form of digital form, scanning the audit would take forever and ever for the staff. So, when the break is over, that will be the question that could use an answer.

I also posted the Corrective Action Plan for the past two years. The Corrective Plan has usually been presented on December of the same year the audit is done. For those who are following, or willing to follow, this area of the district, these two documents go hand and hand.

This year the Business Office deserves to be congratulated since there were a lot less finds than last year. Gary Ottmann, the district's Business Administrator, and all of his team are certainly working hard and it shows.

There are few repeat audit findings from last year, but I haven't had a chance to find out to what this is due to. Again, this one goes to the list of questions for after the break.

All these documents are OPRA accessible, I am also posting an OPRA document on the right hand side for your convenience. You can fax your request, it is mandated by law that public entities accept faxed OPRA requests, picking your requests up is another story since I usually pick mine up (how could I miss stopping by Ms. Mathis? who unfortunately for many she is retiring tomorrow, she will be missed!).

There is one other Audit, the one made by the State back in 2008, that you might have missed, many of the findings back then have been corrected, but this is just another piece of the puzzle to understand where PPS was few years back, so you can see where it stands today. Click HERE for the 2008 State Audit that looked at expenditures from July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2006.

If you want to have an even bigger picture, then check and add the NJQSAC Fiscal Management file, click HERE to view the NJQSAC files.

Sounds like a lot? Take one page at a time, the Corrective Action Plans, posted on the right hand side of the blog, are a good start.

MP

Words of wisdom that we could all use?

--The truth is that in many communities, the real saviors of schools are the staff and community. Well-functioning schools generally reflect a strong sense of ownership, responsibility, and leadership from the community as well as from the ranks of teachers, principals, and other long-term employees who remain focused on quality even as the door to the superintendent's office continuously revolves.--

and

--I was criticized by people within the administration for "airing our dirty laundry," but the benefits of community involvement far outweigh the cost of full disclosure. Superintendents must be prepared for harsh criticism that includes holding them accountable for the transgressions of superintendents past. They are expected to turn the large ship to a new course in a short time, even when such a sharp move is impossible. Through all this, patience must be the watchword -- patience not to promise the world, patience in responding to criticism, and patience in the hunt for the common ground which can provide the basis for productive collaboration.--Dr. Larry Leverett on Engaging the Public: A Superintendent's View, an article that appeared on Edutopia in 2000. Click HERE to read the entire article.

Annual Comprehensive Audit Introductory Letters

You can find now posted on the right hand side of the blog, upper corner, the Introductory Letter to the Annual Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2009.

The audit itself is a very comprehensive, or it should be, document of the district finances, but the introductory letter is an overview of what the school district is and what it offers. It also contains, among many other things, a view of the city as it is view by either the BOE or the auditor, interesting if you ask me. Anyway, you can also find the student enrollment for the past 10 years, major initiatives taken by the district, and then budget controls systems used to protect the monies. A roster of officials is included together with an organizational chart, and consultants and advisors are listed too.

This is public information, other districts chose to post their entire audits, BOE members would do a great service to the community if they were to advocate for this audit to be posted at the district's website. This is what in my world would be called "Full Transparency".

I do have the introductory letters for this year and the past four. I will be posting them all. But then as I was looking at each one, it struck me that one of the administrations that seems to be well regarded is that one of Dr. Leverett (hope I got the spelling right), so I'll be now bothering the Business Office to please get me at least one copy of an annual audit from the times Dr. Leverett was here. If his administration is still used as an example of good, I want to know a little bit more why. The annual audits are a good start. You can read a small Bio of Dr. Leverett HERE.

Hope you find these documents as useful as I have in getting to know PPS. *Added Note: Forgot to add that you don't have to agree to all information that the introductory letter has, I certainly see some things that need to be explained.



MP

New Access to Public PPS Documents

It seems like I have finally managed to post an on-line PDF. Bravo for me! Not being "tech-savvy" as some others, I rely on self-learning and this posting PDFs on-line was due as it was beginning to be embarrassing to post pictures of documents!

With this said, please know that I am still learning, so expect mistakes, but I'll be visiting different options for posting documents on-line, the most important step, for me anyway, was getting started (and to shake that tech fear that took hold of me for almost two years! What? Did you think I have no fears?)

The BOE's Self Evaluation is now posted on your right hand side, it will take a moment for the document to appear after you click the link, but it will come, at least it did for me. Let me know if you have problems, and if you have suggestions and recommendations, by all means, send them in.

Well, now that I have a "new toy" and I need to practice, and learn more, you can expect to find more of the OPRA documents that I have gotten over the past 2-3 years. Some are relevant, some are just good to have on hand.

Now, if I could only decide what to post next!

MP

Since it seems someone else than me is interested ....

on the topic of administrators contracts, here is an article that The Westfield Leader put up last year around August. The article is a Case Study on all Union County Superintendents' Contracts. The information is easy to read, well investigated, and is good to have it on hand for the next time around.

Click HERE for the link.

And I'll repeat it here, the Board of Education negotiates every single contract that there is to be signed at PPS, we vote Board of Education members in, are you ready to hold them accountable?

MP

PPS: Things that keep one wondering

Don't you hate it when you are told, or think, that all has been said, yet you still have questions? I do, and here are some questions I have that maybe a reader can help clarify:

There was comment that made me think about what is it that makes one "eligible for" to any of our current PPS positions (this might change again, you just never know anymore with PPS!). If there were no standards, which I am sure there are, then anyone coming from the street could be deemed "eligible". So, what makes one "eligible" for the positions that require an State approved certificate? Sadly, I think, and I hope I am wrong, there is no need to worry about this one since all positions have been modified to be that of a "Coordinator", an unrecognized administrator's title". So the other questions ares: What will now be the incentive for people to improve their educational and professional background? And how having "Coordinators" instead of Supervisors (or Directors) on key areas will help the improvement of our school district?

I also wonder what is it that we pay for when it comes to professional growth. Does the district have specific policies that say what will be allowed and what not depending on the title and aspirations? How is this set up and by whom? Who approves it from the administration and who oversees this on behalf of the BOE?

On the statement that personnel files can be reviewed by BOE members, after an appointment is done (In today's world everything is an appointment, I would like to hear of a good reason of why BOE members shouldn't make appointments to view personnel files) as for the statement that Mrs. Campbell gave about she not having time to go to the central office to review files, I have two questions: If an elected official doesn't have the time to do what is fiduciary responsible and what is expected of a leader to do, why run for a position at all? Is this acceptable for voters? Since I wish not to make Mrs. Campbell feel signaled, I also wonder what does the Human Resources Chair person does if not check and verify that all is alright on this area? Just wondering.

As we continue reading, making comments, and writing posts, we must be open to the possibility that we really don't know as much as we think we do when it comes to how PPS is run. Good thing that to reach knowledge all one has to do is ask.

Your thoughtful comments, clarifications, and additional questions, will be appreciated.

MP

The School Site Visitation Reports

*Clarification: Before I start getting comments on me trying to create distractions, please note that I have stated that I need to move forward with other district concerns. I am sure others will continue to challenge the present hiring practices, something that needs to be re-examined by all and for all. MP

I have been waiting to pick up my copies of all Schools Site Visitation Reports. The visitations by district administrators are now made twice a year, the State QSAC reviews (after what the site visitations have been modeled after) if I read it well, are every three years. I am still not clear whether the districts will be reviewed every three years or not, there are some districts challenging this time-line and somewhere I read that Rutgers was, or is, doing a study on this regard. But the internal visitations are what, or should be, a concern for us here in Plainfield; these are our schools, not only are the schools the place where most Plainfield children get educated, but school buildings are an asset, or not, to our city's infrastructure. School buildings appreciate or depreciate its value depending on how well or not they are taken care of, just like a house.

The School Site Visitation Reports consist of anywhere between 15 to more areas that range from Special Education to All Area Subjects to Technology and Building maintenance. There seems to be at least one report in common: School Improvement. There are three areas that I have chosen to post: Building Maintenance, Technology, and the School Improvement one, which is basically a general recommendation for general improvement. At this moment I have with me copies of the one made at my school, Evergreen, and the one made at the High School. I am waiting for the Business Office to answer my OPRA request for the rest of the schools. These site reviews come not free of controversy, and I will include my own questions here since I do have questions on this process.

One of the controversies has been that these site visits where normally done prior to Dr. Gallon and that these new ones add a layer of paperwork to administrators and staff, but do they really add an extra layer, or PPS was not doing things right before? I have yet to review any of the old site visitation reports that are said to be as thorough as the ones performed under Dr. Gallon. If there is documentation on this site visitations, or "walk throughs" as they were called, I would like to know since I can then go and OPRA these documents (to Gary's office dismay! Sorry!!), but regardless of whether they were done or not in the past, the concern is that if they were, then what happened that the district failed so miserably the NJQSAC review? Something, despite the prior site visitations, was not getting done right.

But, are things getting done right this time around? It is too soon to tell since this is just the second year that this system takes place, but the reports are calling, at least it seems to me, for accountability from all, including the district's central administration. Dr. Gallon, at the last meeting, said that there are things that are on these site reviews that need to be addressed by the district, others that need to be taken care by the building, and other areas need to be, I think he said, re-adjusted, just don't quote me on this last one.

There are some questions that I have, which I have not asked Dr. Gallon, not just yet anyway. One is about who does the analysis for these site reviews, other is about who decides what to review, and last, but not least, and the most important, at least to me, is to find out if there is a process where those administrators and staff who feel there are things that need to be challenged or re-visited by the site visitation team exists. I am sure there are those who don't agree with some parts, or any part, of the review, but if someone feels the site review needs some adjustments, I would like to know, and make sure, that such process exists, this for the well being of not only staff, but the school district climate in general.

All three areas that will be posted will give anyone an idea of what needs the school district has, specially when it comes to technology and building maintenance, two areas that are not a perception but fact based. These last two areas are what Dr. Gallon likes to call tangible and measurable. His words, not mine.

Right now I am just posting two pages on Technology from the schools above mentioned, but check the right side of the blog the next couple of days as I am now learning how to go from picture to PDF! Click on the image to enlarge.




MP

How Sad!

Calling people to stand on one side or another, at least to me, is creating, or deepening divisions, something Plainfield does not need. Ms. Hernandez, and I will call her Ms. Hernandez from now on since I don't see how else to call someone who calls me stupid for stating that calling people to stand up on either side is creating division. Anyway, Ms. Hernandez believes that her call for people to stand up for, or against Dr. Gallon, is "calling for more conversation", fine, she can suit herself and keep on calling for people to take sides, and if that is the role she wants to play in all of these parade, so let it be. I know I am not for that.

People can believe what they want, what I try here is to clarify, for myself, and for other readers, as well as to get support and attention to, school district matters. For years I have been saying that there is something wrong with the school district, if it hasn't been the lack of curriculum or resources, it has been the lack of attention to how money was spent by this or that department, the lack of proper building maintenance and technology is another factor that I have complained about. The hiring process, I must admit, was never on my radar mainly because I didn't know much about it until now that I have dedicated more time into understanding the process, but was I, or the other few ones that spoke up, listened to in any of the other concerns before? Nope. Mainly we were ignored, dismissed, and even told to be quiet for "we didn't know how Plainfield works".

Well, last time I checked Plainfield has the same needs and requirements that any other municipality has in order to function well, ignore this fact and you now see what the problems are. And Plainfield has been ignoring this fact not for years, but for decades. The fix is not going to be that easy, and it is not going to be a smooth ride for all.

But what was more interesting on Ms. Hernandez' comment was the following phrase:

--Well move on but don't you DARE think you can direct me in how I should handle what bothers me in MY COMMUNITY.--

To me, this phrase just demonstrates how territorial some people are, there are many, and how painful it is for them to see others who they might perceive as not part of "their" community come in and bring different expectations to what has been the norm in Plainfield. I am really sorry that Ms. Hernandez has come to the point of no dialogue, and as far as I am concerned, this is my community too, for we pay dearly to own a piece of it. Hopefully if Ms. Hernandez is successful in selling her house and decides to move out of Plainfield, no one in her new community will treat her like she has just treated me.

As far as the school district personnel issues this is my take:

If we are ready to judge Dr. Gallon for what some think it is the truth, then let's go and judge all those who have brought their "personal cabinet" to the table, from friends to relatives and from the top to the bottom, let's be fair and do examine one and each employee's background and see where they came from and with whom, and if they had, or have, the correct certifications and, please, let's make sure to check for title modifications on each and all employees, after all, this is one of the main complains we have. Let's also call for past administrators and past BOE members that have contributed to the many ills that have been affecting the school district. If we are not going to this, then, sorry, but we are holding double standards here and contributing to the ill state of the district for don't believe that everyone that works in the school district is doing what they were hired for, and this pre-dates Dr. Gallon.

Whit this said, what I can see me doing from now on is to continue bringing school district reports, facts, and more Q&A and perhaps letters on which I might or not expect an answer. I am document oriented, not perception oriented. I will continue to talk and hold accountable whoever is at the school administration, be it Dr. Gallon or anyone else, for now it is clear to me (and I promise to you too as soon as you start reading the school visitation reports) that there are far more important things to focus on. I will let the personnel brouhaha be taken care by other bloggers who don't seem to be satisfied with the answers they already received and since I know I can't change this, why bother?

MP

OK, so we oust Dr. Gallon and his Cabinet, then what?

Today's planned post on how wonderful the snow looks, and feels, just went out the window after reading the Courier News' editorial on ousting Dr. Gallon III. I can just see the anti-Gallonites jumping with joy and going "yeah! you tell them CN, we need to see this man go!" Oh well, the joys of Sunday writing.

So, how is ousting Dr. Gallon and his Cabinet going to solve the issues the school district has had for decades and that so far the only one I have heard openly admit the troubles of the school district is Dr. Gallon?

Between you and me, there was one person that told me as he was leaving the school district not that long ago that the school district needed not one strong handed superintendent, but ten strong handed superintendents that could deal with all the chaos that this school district has managed to get itself into on the past few decades. At the time I wasn't sure what that person meant, but the November 17th meeting revealed a bit of what has been going on for years and years.

The night of November 17th, Dr. Gallon took a decision some of us don't agree with on its totality, but this doesn't mean that he took the wrong decision, and perhaps this perception of "wrong" could be because we perceive his decision as bias. But then, think again, his decision benefited 6 other long term employees of which not all needed to be certified for anything. So, this unpopular decision revealed, at least to me, that Human Resources has been, shall I say... a bit of a confusing mess that needs to be looked at, untangled, and restructured in a way that is not only going to benefit the school district, but that it will allow us to raise the needed professional standards that are needed to move this district forward. Until now this HR Department has not been looked closely in public, job descriptions and qualifications were taken by granted by, my guess, all of us, including the Board of Education and past superintendents. Remember, the only way to fix mistakes is by owning them, so why would we want to oust Dr. Gallon when we can have him own this one and advocate that he raises the standards not only for his cabinet, but for the entire district?

Now, while I am sure there are plots and plots to oust Dr. Gallon, and for this matter, anyone else that comes to "shake the status quo" in this city, let's remember that the Courier News Editorial is the very same that endorsed our incumbent mayor who runs our troubled city hall, which if you have read Rashid Burney's latest post, you could see that it is exactly the lack of thinking outside of the box from her administration, which was endorsed by the Courier News, that has kept Plainfield from raising to the top, not to digress, but in short, don't get carried away by today's editorial on ousting Dr. Gallon because the credibility and judgement of the newspaper's editor is something we should be wondering about, specially when we don't know how much knowledge of the school district and needed background information the Editor has. To base an opinion on just two people would be an unfair assessment of the real troubles than need to be addressed not only by Dr. Gallon, but by the Board of Education as well.

And as far as I am concerned, I am still supportive of Dr. Gallon's administration (notice I say of him), at least until now there is nothing that says that he did something illegal. Quite contraire, he took a decision to protect the employment of 6 other people that who knows, they might have been placed by other than Dr. Gallon, on the embarrassing position of getting rehired for their own positions in such a public way. And in this particular situation of the "8 or None", we can't put all the blame on Dr. Gallon, can we? (Oh! Watch it! I can hear your nasty comments on this one!)

The easy thing is to agree with the paper, and I am sure many will take this route, but the sensible thing to do here, at least to me, is to look at the big picture, learn from past mistakes, either one's or someone else's, and take the needed steps to correct what was or is wrong. It seems to me that Dr. Gallon, and yes, the Board of Education, can take the needed steps to correct what was made wrong either by their own making or because they were left with the wrongs that no one else caught before.

Now, the difficult thing is to decide to move forward despite disagreeing with some of the decisions made by those charged with making those decisions, but to every conversation and disagreement there is a time and place, and in order to move the school district forward we must learn to agree to respectfully disagree and move forward. We also must be willing to provide an opportunity to those who we disagree with, for we might be surprised by the results obtained through those decisions that were made even while there was disagreement on those decisions made.

I have agreed to respectfully disagree, I hope you too can agree to respectfully disagree with those one you don't agree.

And enough of the agreement verb! Let's move forward, let's work harder, and let's force the BOE to tackle what no one has tackled before: Job Qualifications.

Fair?

MP

You Won't Believe This!

This has nothing to do with the school district, although it is due to the school district that I found out what I found out. Due to the fact that lately tension has been reaching my tolerance level "thanks" to school matters, I was looking for something easier to read than BOE agendas when I decided to go and find out what one of the "spiritual gurus" of today had to say about releasing tension: Depak Chopra.

I came to read Depak Chopra one day as I was wandering at Borders looking for something to fill my time with while everybody else in my family was busy with their own thing there. Somehow I ended at the Religion section, picked up a book: The Third Jesus by Depak Chopra. I have seen TV interviews of him and while interested on what he has to say, this has never evolved into me becoming a follower. But little did I know until today that Depak Chopra and I would have something in common: Muhlenberg Hospital.

Did you know that Muhlenberg Hospital is the place where Depak Chopra did his medical internship? You can read it HERE.

Now, while him doing his internship at Muhlenberg has nothing spiritual (or does it?), it certainly is an interesting fact that I thought would bring you a smile as it did to me. How interesting that Depak Chopra drove, and walk, through our streets, personally tended Plainfield residents in their time of need, and that he is now a spiritual guru well respected both here and abroad. I don't know about you, but I am thrilled to know this, and while Muhlenberg Hospital is closed, who is to say it can't be opened again...by Depak Chopra?

MP

A letter to Dr. Gallon

Update, Saturday Evening: After receiving Dr. Gallon's response to this letter, I am now the one facing "a road fork". I am told that many of my questions' answers are on past BOE agendas, that some decisions have been made based on what the district's policies are (which it is true), and that while my opinion is respected and appreciated I must remember that there are employment matters that will not be discussed outside of the approved legal perimeters. With this said, I am now facing research which I might take upon and do. But I can also take the route of trusting that matters will be resolved one way or another as sometimes, I was once told, we all need to hear not what we want to hear, but what we need to hear. I trust that this is a lesson (and post) not wasted, as this has been a learning experience for me since now I know that there are issues and policies that need to be challenged and improved. Sometimes outcomes are not what we imagine, or want them, to be, but we all must learn that there are many ways to get to Rome, and if we truly want to improve the school district, we need to make sure that the roads that have so many old potholes get not only fixed, but that a reconstruction plan gets developed and implemented. MP
---------------------------------------------

I hesitated on posting this letter to Dr. Gallon III, but because my advocacy for the improvement of the school district is nothing private, this letter, I feel, should be posted. There is much to be examined as to how to take the school district out of the state of disarray that seems to be repeated over and over again and which is the result of poor decision-making for many years now; and while the district seems to be moving forward in some areas, we are now at one of those "road forks" where Dr. Gallon must, or should, correct the direction the district has taken now under his administration. Board of Education members must also examine how they each have contributed to the state of our school district. And finally, we, parents and community members, must also examine how we have allowed the school district to be on such disarray over the course of many years. Owning our own mistakes is the only route to fix them. MP

Dr. Gallon III:

This one is to let you know of how disappointing it has been to find out of your actions committed against our school district. I know I have mentioned the "balance theory" on the past when it comes to you and what you have found in our school district. Yes, Plainfield Public Schools have been lagging behind other school districts for many years thanks to the lack of leadership from the part of our Board of Education, but that doesn't mean that you, or anyone else, knowing the weaknesses this district has, and having the knowledge and credentials that you have, can come and take advantage of the situation by providing employment to those who you feel most comfortable with, but that unfortunately lack the experience or qualifications needed for the jobs you have provided them with. This in my world is called nepotism.

This past Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 you also admitted of knowingly breaking a contract clause because you were left with the choice of firing 8 people or none. On the past, people that were found not to be certified, or qualified, for the position they were holding were fired and no title or position was modified so that they could retain their employment with our school district. What is more, certified and qualified people have unfairly been fired, an action that has resulted on the school district being sued. This action has resulted now, by your admission, on an Union grievance against you.

This past Tuesday you also recommended the hiring of an additional principal for Jefferson Elementary School, this despite the fact that you had touted not too long ago that you had implemented a "Hiring Freeze" prior to the State recommending it. Your hiring recommendation, while it can be viewed as a brilliant business move, came despite the fact that the district has qualified personnel that could occupy this position, thus resulting in adding one more employee to the budget, a budget that your yourself had mentioned will be challenging. Hiring an additional person to a division where we already have a plus number of qualified employees contradicts your statement that you are concerned about the challenges of our school district's budget since it has not been mentioned that the interim principal will stop her re-employment, after her retirement, with the school district. I also wonder how qualified employees for this position feel.

It is also disappointing to see your cabinet growing. You now count with 2 assistant superintendents, and while one position is now vacant, this position is not abolished, 2 Special Projects and District Affairs Coordinators (one will be coming back to this position on March 1, 2010, but you can correct me if I am wrong), and 1 District Strategic Planning and Accountability Coordinator, and while it is understandable that you as our superintendent need to have assistants, I lack the understanding of why there is need for what it seems to me, a large cabinet for a district of our size.

I am writing this to you not because I have withdrawn my support to your administration, but because you must know that your actions have resulted on disappointment, your latest actions have diminished my trust in your decision-making, and because my expectations of you have always been that you would do better for our school district that what has been done by others on the past. Often times our decisions are bound to our loyalties, I do hope that your loyalties to our school district get re-examined by you, for if you are to improve this school district it must be with your commitment to make decisions that are based on sound professional practices that will truly result on the improvement of not only our academic achievement, but on the high morale of district employees, as well as the trust of our community for any and all of your actions.

Respectfully,

Maria Pellum

You ever get that feeling....

...that some folks just don't know how to stop their anger and frustration?

...that no matter how full the glass looks they will always look at it as half-empty?

...that no matter how healthy they are they will always have aches?

...that no matter how blessed they are with a safe job they will always find fault on it?

...that regardless of how lucky they are to live in a place that has no wars or famine they never feel at home and are always hungry for more?

Think of your blessings today, lower your guard, and be glad you are reading this for it means you are alive, sheltered somewhere, and with access to the internet!

And if you need some music to get you to shake the doom feeling this weekend how about this?

PEA vs BOE: Here is a letter I can, for the most part, agree with

I am glad PEA (Plainfield Education Association) has yet decided to kick visitors from its website by making it "Members Only". This allows us, parents and community members, to learn what kind of struggles teachers are going through at our school district, and while some PEA members might have felt attacked by my postings on how PEA's letter to the State was not exactly all accurate and/or how unbecoming some of PEA members' behavior is, I strongly feel that most of our teachers are overworked, underpaid, and forced to make-do with poor planning and unequal, or lack of, resources.

I took the liberty to copy the latest letter from PEA, a letter that I mostly agree with because I see first-hand many of the struggles teachers have to go through, some of these struggles are the result of poor planning and implementation on the part of the district, some come from the conditions of the buildings themselves, and some are directly the results of poor policy making and contractual negotiations.

My question to you, the reader, is what can we as a community do to improve the working conditions our school district offers to teachers, the front soldiers when it comes to educate our community's children? I have highlighted the ones I know are true for fact, the other points I would have to do some research before venturing into making any kind of statement. Read the letter and then let us all know your thoughts.

Dear Fellow Plainfield Education Association Members,

Your presence at the Board of Education Business meeting on Tuesday, December 15 is important! It is time to stand and send the message that we must be treated as professionals and that our contract must be honored! State and federal laws and mandates are there for our protection, to protect the integrity of productive work environments and to provide the resources and structures necessary for student achievement. They can not simply be disregarded for personal agendas!

As you are aware, our membership continues to be subjected to contract violations, including...

· Failure to post positions

· Punitive/involuntary transfers

· Disregard for contractual transfer timelines

· Hours and workload/Work beyond the contractual time without compensation

· Changes in terms and conditions of employment

· Disregard for established past practices

Coupled with…

· Inadequate district-level planning for program implementation

· Excessive task overlaps/Interference with time on task and teaching

· Safety issues for staff and students

· Lack of time, resources and materials for instruction

These concerns and work conditions make it increasingly difficult to properly provide for students.

In view of numerous actions taken by District Administration and the Plainfield Board of Education, I have contacted appropriate authorities, including the New Jersey State Department of Education. With the recent actions at the Board of Education Business meeting on November 17 and the inadequate responses to my inquiries on a number of issues related to state mandated procedures and the teaching and learning environment, other appropriate measures are being taken. Details to follow.

You should also know that your Executive Committee is working diligently to see that your concerns are heard and addressed as appropriate. We all understand that as the leadership group for the Association, we can not sit idly by while our rights continue to be violated and some must perform in unproductive, hostile work environments! We want improvement now!

See you at the Board of Education Business Meeting (1200 Myrtle Avenue) on Tuesday, December 15!

Sincerely,

Katherine Cardona , President

To visit PEA website, click HERE.

MP

Certifications, Standards, and my original question

This information was possible thanks to readers who send me links and information. Thanks! The posted information is just an excerpt of a entire page from the State on Licensure and Credentials.

As far as I can see in the picture, Dr. Gallon did what was required of him by the State, and it seems the people he brought with him from Florida did just the same. The "or be eligible to obtain a [whatever certificate be required by the position]" kind of clears much of what has been going on regarding certificates, appointments, and employment. There is much more to find out about certifications and employment, what responsibilities the BOE has, and which have been neglected, a reader also sent a suggestion about adopting stringent qualifications, this is something to have on mind, but for now, I am taking a break from this topic since there are so many others that need to be talked about.

Here is the excerpt to the page mentioned above, the link to the entire page is down below, ah! and don't worry if you don't find the link to Coordinator's requirements, this is a non-recognized State title for administrators, but you can correct me if I am wrong, and if you do, please send me the link so we can educate ourselves around here, and this just reminded me of my original question: If the district doesn't have any more Supervisors and/or Directors, isn't that like lowering the professional administrative standards? Just wondering. (Note added for clarification: The change of titles from supervisors to coordinators was done prior to Dr. Gallon's arrival)

SCHOOL LEADERS’ OVERVIEW

All candidates for certification as School Leaders, except as indicated in N.J.A.C. 6A:9-12.7, must hold a Master's or higher degree from a regionally accredited college or university. The following endorsements are available:

1. 6A:9-12.4 School Administrator
2. 6A:9-12.5 Principal
3. 6A:9-12.6 Supervisor (Standard only)
4. 6A:9-12.7 School Business Administrator

(a) The School Administrator Endorsement is required for any position that involves services as a district-level administrative officer. Such positions include superintendent, assistant superintendent, and director. Holders of this endorsement are authorized to provide educational leadership by directing the formulation of district-wide goals, plans, policies and budgets, by recommending their approval by the district board of education and by directing their district-wide implementation. Holders of this endorsement are authorized to recommend all staff appointments and other personnel actions, such as terminations, suspensions and compensation, including the appointment of school business administrators, for approval by the district board of education. Holders of this endorsement are authorized to direct district operations and programs, and to supervise and evaluate building administrators and central office staff, including school business administrators. They are also authorized to oversee the administration and supervision of school-level operations, staff and programs.

(b) The Principal Endorsement is required for any position that involves service as an administrative officer of a school or other comparable unit within a school or district. Such positions include assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, principal, assistant principal, vice-principal and director. Holders of this endorsement are authorized to provide educational leadership by directing the formulation of goals, plans, policies, budgets and personnel actions of the school or other comparable unit and recommending them to the chief district administrator, and by directing their implementation in the school or other comparable unit. Holders of this endorsement also are authorized to direct and supervise all school operations and programs, to evaluate school staff, including teaching staff, and to direct the activities of school-level supervisors.

(c) The Supervisor Endorsement is required for both supervisors of instruction and athletic directors who do not hold a standard principal's endorsement. The supervisor is defined as any school officer who is charged with authority and responsibility for the continuing direction and guidance of the work of instructional personnel. This endorsement also authorizes appointment as an assistant superintendent in charge of curriculum and/or instruction.

(d) The School Business Administrator Endorsement is required for the chief financial officer of a district. Such positions include assistant superintendent for business, school business administrator and assistant school business administrator. Holders of this endorsement are authorized to perform duties at the district level in the areas of financial budget planning and administration, financial accounting and reporting, insurance/risk administration and purchasing. Holders of this endorsement may also engage in facilities planning, construction and maintenance, personnel administration, administration of transportation and food services, and central data processing management.

Click HERE to continue reading this page. And click HERE to check PPS Organizational Chart which is yet to be revised due to the latest changes. Check it and then please tell me what do you see on it.

MP

(4:25 AM - Post edited for clarification: links added and moved to the bottom of the page)

BOE: One of the district's loopholes?

The more one reads and the more one listens, the more loopholes seem to appear. Maybe they are not, but then again, we don't know just yet since there is still a lot to learn from this latest personnel situation.

At the BOE meeting Dr. Gallon gave an answer to one question regarding certifications with an explanation of how a person is to gain NJ certification, but one phrase that I took notice was something of this sort:

All, or most, job descriptions have on their qualifications' requirements a sentence that says:

Possesses or be eligible to obtain a Standard New Jersey [whatever it might be] Certificate

When I heard that phrase, I had an AHA! moment. The "or be eligible to obtain a NJ whatever the case might be Certificate seems fair as it allows for inside professional growth, but it can also be viewed as a loophole unless there is a time limit as to how long, or how soon, a person has to obtain the required certificate. Is there such a time limit? It will help to know. If anyone can shed some light on this, please, it will be appreciated by many.

It would also help to know who, and how, from the school Board reviews how job descriptions and qualifications are written since the Board is the one who must approve all job descriptions and qualifications for all of the school district.

MP

BOE's November 17 Meeting: Eight or None

The small picture is, as it is viewed by many, Dr. Gallon III and "his team", the bigger picture, at least to me, and this is not to insult anyone but I really want an answer to the following puzzled picture:

One of the statements said last night(Tuesday's night) by a school employee, Dr. Gallon III, when confronted about his recommendations for the personnel latest shuffling was that he was confronted with firing 8 employees or doing what he did, shuffle people once more.

Now, the "Florida people" were only two. The other six out of Dr. Gallon's equation, as far as I can see and judging by list of names of employees listed on the Nov. 17 resolution, are not anywhere to be new employees, some of them I would categorize as employees that have been on this district for many, many years.

I find this troublesome, and while this finding of non-certified employees working for the district is nothing new, this time around I feel we were expecting better. We now know the excuses that have been given to at least 2 employees, but what about the other six? What are the excuses? Is this information accurate?

We really need to know more about the state of personnel on this school district, not just about the latest newcomers, for as far as I am concerned, if we are ready to call for the resignation of 2 or 4, we should also be ready to call for the resignation of those employees that have been taking advantage of the various loopholes that this district has. And as far as the BOE? They should also be made accountable.

2 out of 8? If this is true, the balance is still not favoring Plainfield, is it? Think of the lawsuits should Dr. Gallon and the BOE had fired just two.

We should all be demanding nothing less but the truth from the school district regardless of who it involves.



MP

First there was Bush and the shoe, then Obama was called a liar....

...this Sunday Berlusconi had a bloody nose, and last night I thought either Dr. Gallon or some members of the BOE would be suffering the same fate that all these previous people. Anyone wondering why was the memo released by Dr. Gallon, which was publicized by the Courier News latest article, had to be there to understand that the situation is not getting any better for the present administration and the BOE.

I am not here to defend Dr. Gallon, or the BOE, I now believe that they have made things worst for themselves by dancing around facts, not showing any consideration for those who now feel it is an "us against them", and by avoiding to say a simple: "We are very sorry for all of these" etc., etc.

But I do agree with the memo Dr. Gallon sent. It is unbecoming to have public employees behave, or say some of the things that were said the way they were said last night. Having worked with the public for more than 20 years I know that more often than not is not what you say but how you say it. And last night the words sounded quite irate and irreverent, and no matter what the situation has been, I believe that a respectful tone, armed with facts, gets you farther than a few angry yells. At least this is my opinion for what is worth.

And this is where things started to get a bit mystifying for me since some of the concerns and anger expressed by the public and staff were quite revealing of how much has Plainfield let go of accountability, to the point that it has been forgotten who does what and what is what.

What was said to Dr. Gallon and the BOE: "You were calling the shots before you arrived!" "You are a thief" "You said you love Plainfield but this is no way to show your love" "Liar" "Aren't you ashamed?" "You have to man up!" "I have been here for years and don't make the money I need to be making", these and more were some of the lines used to describe either Dr. Gallon and/or the BOE, and while on paper these phrases don't look too menacing, try them at a much higher pitch with people standing few feet from you. Not a pretty picture for a place that is supposed to be about education.

Perhaps the most reasonable question from a staff was that one about how the BOE and Dr. Gallon will bring credibility and respect to the district and the community. That is a statement that I have yet to read, and that I am sure the community, staff, and all, will appreciate.

In any case, I am not the only one who thinks last night's BOE meeting was not only unbecoming of the school district, but of the community as well, and this is not the first time. Assemblyman Jerry Green, who stayed until the end of the meeting, just like former BOE President, Bridget Rivers, spoke of this and shared his hopes that last night's meeting was the last one of this kind. He also offered his help for anything the district might need since the State budget is not looking that good right now, specially for cities and school districts such as ours, whatever "such as ours" means, but it sounded as he might have the answer to some possible concerns that we might have since he said he is one of six on command now in the State. Maybe Mark Spivey got more of his speech, but if nothing else on Assemblyman Green's speech gets published, I'll look more into my mental notes to see what else I captured.

Let's hope the BOE, Dr. Gallon, PEA (and hopefully PASA which has been very quiet on all of this) continue facing their challenges for a fair place of employment since the community deserves better than this.

MP

Questions on the BOE meeting to the Board, or from BOE members, that made me think: Hmmm!

Last night I sat over 4 hours throughout the BOE meeting hoping to learn about the certification issues, whether monies that were paid to past non-certified members were reimbursable to the district (they are not), and few other things, but one thing that I wasn't prepared to, or even thought about before the meeting, was the question that has been pounding on my head since last night:

Does Plainfield really know what the Board of Education does or doesn't do? And this includes Board members, staff, parents, and community members.

It seems to me that the school district was or is, for some, this isolated safe heaven that should be untouchable, leave alone changed. No rules but "my/our rules" should go on this safe heaven.

As I am still on the process of getting some more OPRAs back I won't be able to elaborate on some of the issues that went on last night, but suffice is to say that if you don't attend some BOE meetings, you are perhaps missing the best part of being a Plainfielder. I know I wouldn't miss this for anything.

But think about it, do you know what the mission of the Board of Education is? And last, but never the least, what are your expectations of the Board of Education members?

Dare to dream, allow your mind to wander far away from Plainfield into this imaginary place where the Board of your dreams has a definitive role and mission in your imaginary city. Then, snap back to Plainfield and let us know! There is always a second chance for everything, isn't it?

And because I kind of got the feeling that there were many broken hearts last night, here is one of my favorite broken heart songs, Click HERE for that feeling of "What did I do to deserve this?!"

MP

Thanks to the High School Students on behalf of the YMCA Board

Last night, on behalf of the YMCA's Board of Directors, I wanted so badly to say a big Thanks! to the High School students that serve as BOE liaison for sharing about their peers' efforts on collecting and serving a meal to the YMCA's Homeless Shelter, but being a brand new member to the YMCA's Board I wasn't sure if I could say anything since just like the BOE, our YMCA President, Ms. Pat Turner Kavanaugh, is the one that speaks on behalf of the Board on official matters, but this morning I got clarification that "Thank Yous" don't need to cleared by her and here I am.

Thanks to all students and staff of Plainfield High School on behalf of the YMCA's Board of Directors for the efforts and gracious giving to our residents at the YMCA Homeless Shelter! Your efforts didn't go unnoticed by any of us.

As a personal note it feels so good to see our own community kids doing such a good job within our own community that those staff who organized this project must be commended for all the effort and their gracious delivery. Many times we think of our kids and community as just takers, but efforts such as this show that kids are often greater givers that we ourselves can be, we just have to show them the way. While I am not a native Plainfielder, I take great pride on being part of this community and efforts such as this make me realize how lucky my family is to be able to see this community growing into a true community, sure there will be "growing pains" but that is just part of life.

Thanks to those who made this possible, and please, keep an eye on these kids, they are our future leaders. Here is the official district's information release on this event:

Consistent with Goal 5: Community and Family Engagement of the 2008- 2012 District Strategic Plan, PHS donated, prepared, and served food to the residents of YWCA Homeless Shelter on Thursday, December 10, 2009. This event, led by the PHS Guidance Department, was designed to provide an opportunity for the PHS Staff to partner with the community during the holiday season. A special recognition is due to the students in Coach D’Amato’s class for their service as singers and servers during this event. Special thanks to the staff of Plainfield High School, under the direction of Dr. Brian Bilal, for this effort.



And thanks to our super superb President, Ms. Pat Turner Kavanaugh, for allowing to post this Thanks on my own blog!

MP

BOE Meeting

A long awaited meeting by some due to the latest headlines on personnel attracted at least 100 people where both PEA and PASA were represented. Mark Spivey, from the Courier News will most likely have a report on the meeting so why not let the professionals do the reporting this time around. But as expected, Dr. Gallon III gave a statement saying that the certification issues around the targeted employees were resolved, his included. And the surprise of the night, at least to me, was that Dr. Bailey resigned her position on the district as of December 14, 2009. I am sure there will be some statement, or something, from either the district, or Dr. Bailey herself, about her resignation.

I am sort of speechless on district personnel matters right now, I personally see an improvement on the school district from my parent's view, and while some of the personnel shuffling has been, to say the least, disconcerting, I, just as BOE member Ms. Gilbert said, welcome the State to come and end this wondering about who is to be what and do what, and under what title. I am sure personnel matters will be here for a while until all dust (or should I say sand?) settles around this matter.

There are a number of decisions that could have been made better from my point of view, but putting things on perspective this district has been surviving from bad decision to bad decision on the past, and this time around, while there were better ways to do things, I am sure the lessons have not been lost on those ones who are now making decisions. Besides, they know now that we are serious about holding them responsible and accountable.

With this said, aside from the next round on personnel matters whatever they are, you can expect information on site visitations since Dr. Gallon will be making available a district wide report on the district web site on how the site visitations are helping the district move forward. Now, this should be interesting.

Let me end by sharing that BOE members adopted each a school, or two, to visit on regular basis, I am not clear about what the guidelines on this visits to the schools are, but I'll try to find out since clarity is the key to transparency.

I'll be going over my notes later, much later, today and see what else can be clarified.

MP

On Comments re: the latest headlines

I read the article, I read your comments, I have yet to read any clarification, if any is coming, from either Dr. Gallon or the BOE. I have made the mistake before to jump into conclusions before and get all carried over by the news of the moment so guess what? I have learned my lesson since it is not funny, or comfortable, for me, to be apologizing in public.

So, if you want to see your comments posted about the latest headlines, I suggest you post them on NJ.com/Plainfield forum.

I will wait to see what is said next by the district. Got it?

I guess today I woke up with my "smart mouth" switched on, or perhaps the Irish-Mexican on me is tired of being polite, and in any case, Ms. Borge is only one of the many Coordinators we should be worrying about.

Thanks for your understanding.

MP

Thinkig about Renata's latest post

This statement came from Renata's blog:

--OK Plainfield People and School District Employees -- the GIG is up...if you are NOT certified and are currently in a job that requires certification I would suggest YOU immediately start pursuing WHAT EVER is required to become compliant.--

That was Renata's comment and its content is one reason that wakes me up in the middle of the night and for which I am looking further clarity.

If I understood right what I read on certifications on various official sites, Coordinator is a non-recognized State title for administrators, so when the title from supervisors got changed and/or modified to that of coordinators, the State can no longer require certification for the Coordinator position holders, therefore my questions are:

Did the move to change Supervisors to Coordinators back in May 2008 (Bernice's Blog) (BOE Agenda May '08) lower the professional standards of administrative positions, after all, a Coordinator doesn't have to be certified for an administrative title, or does it?

How is having Coordinators vs certified, and qualified, Supervisors affect the delivery of services to students, staff, and the community?

Is this "change of titles" reversible?

If a person is not qualified, not just yet anyway, to have a certified and recognized administrative title by the State, are we paying a fair salary for their qualifications, are paying more, less, what is the standard here?

Is the organizational chart on compliance to State regulations?

What are the key positions that must have supervisors rather than coordinators?

And the last question: Don't BOE members receive some training on personnel matters so the community doesn't have to go through this again?

Well, these, and perhaps later even more, are my questions on this topic. If you could shed some light on this before I go on my "research" mode it will be appreciated.

MP

Dr. Gallon's Two Letters

After an exhausting, long, day taking care of everything (or so it seems) I am finally able to read Dr. Gallon's letter, I hope you also have had the chance to read it HERE.

Thanks to Dr. Gallon III for his statement, I believe clarification on the "great news" was needed and I am glad he did clarify. Anyway, it seems that the certificate issues are now resolved for the two employees at the center of the latest newspaper's headlines. And although the issue of certifications and qualifications is far from over, I am glad that on this one we can move on to the next phase, whatever that phase might be.

There is also a letter of rebuttal, point by point, to PEA's letter, you can read it HERE, I just saw it today.

It is good to know that democracy still works, we voiced concerns to our elected and appointed officials, and they respond, we might not like all the answers, but so far no one seems to be running away from answers. Maybe what we have to learn is how to ask yes or no questions to avoid the long answers that sometimes get us more confused? Something to think about.

MP