The following open letter was submitted to The Watch by community member “Calogero”:
It was evident that on Election Day May 13th, 2014, many non-tenured teachers and administrators and even clerks exercised their contractual right to take a personal day. What is further evident is that many of them were seen working the polling sites specifically for the Burke/Longo/Freda campaign. It is also known that currently, our elementary schools are under-performing, the Middle School is now a focus school, and the State Department of Education has been in this year working on the district’s Corrective Action Plan. These facts are indisputable.
Given the fact that the election coincided with the CRUCIAL NJASK testing, it is/ was tragic to see so many teachers choose election over education on that day. This is not calling into question their right to take those days. It is, however, shining a light on several issues that permeate our district, adding to the troubles.
Were non-tenured/new hires pressured to take that day to work the polls for that campaign?
Does the superintendent approve personal days in advance?
Did the superintendent approve those personal days for the staff?
Did the Board of Ed of which two members were in fact campaigning as well, approve those personal days?
At the end of the day, it was the students that suffered. It was their education that suffered as they sat in classes with substitutes. It was the potential to improve our district that suffered. It was the character and ethics of our Board of Education that suffered, and it was the confidence that we are supposed to have in our Superintendent that suffered.
Politics will not improve the quality of education in our schools. Commitment will. A commitment to education and progress will, not a commitment to the sad and pathetic “politics as usual” that brought us to this tragic juncture now.
Calogero
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