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 McDermott elected new school board president in 3-2 vote, new majority calls for changes in professional appointments
Change is the buzz word at reorganization meeting
NORTH ARLINGTON - George McDermott, the feisty independent who twice ran for council was elected President of the North Arlington Board of Education setting the stage for a series of changes within the workings of the school district. McDermott's ascension to president was supported by the board's newest members, Sharon Granell and Kathy Kartanowicz.
The election of McDermott was the first display of distinct detachment from Schools Superintendent Oliver Stringham and School Business Administrator Kathleen Marano who for years have had unquestioned support of the five member board.
But this year's school budget defeat coupled with allegations of questionable campaign tactics on school time have ruffled the feathers of the board's two newest members - Sharon Granell and Kathy Kartanowicz.
Both homemakers and mothers with children in the district, the two new trustees voted no on a series of personnel resolutions as well as calling for RFQ (requests for qualifications) for all the district's professional appointments.
The board also failed to reappoint Marano as board secretary whose term expires July 1st. Marano's chief responsibility is School Business Administrator. School secretaries report directly to the Board of Education and are non-tenured posts.
While change was apparent in the votes, the board's two senior members failed to go along.
Board trustees Karen Palatella and Fred Frato both voted against McDermott's rise to president. They also moved to retain the board's professional staff. Those votes failed, 3-2.
McDermott, a borough employee and self described municipal watchdog was unhappy in recent months in the manner in which the board conducted school business. He was highly critical of early morning budget meetings and the board's lack of participation in the construction of the 2007-08 budget.
This shift in board power from the superintendent to McDermott, Granell and Kartanowicz appeared to be a sign of a more open process as the press gathered around the new coalition of trustees for comment and feedback.
"Stringham's inability to work with the public and the local media became a defining issue in recent months. The perception by many is that he was running the district and board trustees just went along. The public meetings became nothing but constant retreats into closed session denying the public access to workings of the district. This is a reaction to that kind of arrogance," noted one former school trustee who asked not be identified.
The North Arlington Leader, in an unusual turn of events accused the district in a scathing editorial of violating the state's Open Public Meetings Act and grew tired of trying to extract the most basic of information from school officials. Similar reports of questionable election practices turned up in The Kearny Observer as well as The Record of Hackensack. In each case, Stringham was unavailable for comment.
"Ollie Stringham is a competent individual. But he needs to understand he must work with the board's trustees as well as the governing body. He has worked in a political vacuum for years and people resented that style of governance. School enrollment is flat, scores are declining and spending has doubled in the last decade. The district needs a new sense of direction and the board can't be looked upon as some rubber stamp for the status quo. It just won't work."
While there has been a definitive shift in loyalties, the new members agree that educating kids is what service is all about.
"We want to do the best job for kids. Student achievement is the objective. Money can't be the only answer to every problem. We want to instill an environment that every child can learn and excel. That takes patience and some out-of-the-box thinking on the part of the district," said Granell.
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