Board Member Accused of Flouting Anti-Nepotism Rules

The chair of the Belleville Athletic Advisory Council spoke about the volunteer agency’s activities for the coming year during yesterday’s meeting of the Belleville Board of Education.

Also during the meeting, dozens of employees were appointed to positions for the coming school year. In addition, a board member accused a colleague of selectively adhering to conflict of interest rules.

Richard Yanuzzi, the athletic advisory council chair, said the group collected $30,000 in donations since it was reformulated in May 2010 and disbursed $25,000 to various groups and efforts, most in support of Belleville school athletics and extracurricular activities.

“When you consider that the old council raised just a few thousand a year, raising $30,000 is quite a feat,” Yanuzzi said.

Among the initiatives supported by the council, Yanuzzi said, was the Books to Baskets after school program, Project Graduation, the Varsity Club and the Student Government Organization. In the coming year, the council plans to purchase a $7,000 inflatable runway to be used at football games and other town events, a device that will feature the school colors and mascot, “Bucky” Buccaneer. A person dressed in a “Bucky” mascot costume appeared alongside Yanuzzi last night.

Yanuzzi also presented the board with the group’s financial records, following an Open Public Records Act for the documents filed by Ralph Vellon, a former candidate for the board of education and frequent critic of Yanuzzi and the current board majority.

Vellon dismissed Yanuzzi’s presentation as a “dog and pony show” during public comments, stating that he still wished to see a check register showing a precise accounting of the athletic advisory council’s spending and donations.

One of the council’s  major sources of revenue are rental fees paid by the organizers of a flea market that uses the high school gymnasium one weekend a month. The athletic council is listed as the “host” of the flea market and receives $750 a month for part of the year and $1,000 a month the rest of the year, according to a copy of the agreement between the board and JC Promotions of North Arlington.

Also yesterday:

• Superintendent of Schools Joseph Picardo said the district’s special education program was found to be in compliance with several state guidelines. For the last few years special education had been in turmoil, with the program deemed deficient in a number of areas  mostly related to record-keeping.
• Various employee transfers, appointments, substitute teaching and other positions were approved last night, including a librarian, five head coaches and and eight assistant coaches. Tom D’Elia, who had been the athletic director at the high school, was named director of physical education for grades K-12.
• Board member Joe Longo publicly accused fellow board member Vincent Strumolo of violating rules requiring board members to recuse themselves from voting on matters that affect family members. Longo was referring to a vote requested by Strumolo a few weeks ago regarding his cousin, a school counselor who was not reinstated. Strumolo angrily denied Longo’s accusation, stating he had sought out a legal opinion first before voting. “I did have a conversation with Mr. DeMeo [the board’s attorney] and was advised a cousin does not fall under the definition of family member,” said Strumolo, citing rules that apply to immediate family members like spouses or siblings. Reached afterthe meeting, Longo countered that Strumolo frerquently recuses himself on personnel matters “except when they involve friends or family.”

The next meeting of the board will be Sept 12, 2011 at 8 pm at the library of Belleville High School, 100 Passaic Ave.