Township Officials Lavish Praise On Berkeley Super At Council Meeting

Berkeley Township Schools Superintendent James D. Roselli went to the microphone at the Aug. 22 Township Council meeting to clear up what he said was "misinformation" about recent job title changes in the district.

The changes boil down to this - the Berkeley Township school district now has an assistant superintendent -Jeffrey Zito - and a principal for each of the four elementary schools and an assistant principal for each elementary school. You can see the job title changes here on the district's website.

"You are going to hear things over the next few months that are going to try and trash these people," Roselli said.

Roselli said he and Board of Education members had decided to realign job titles, without adding more personnel.

The assistant principals were culled from existing staff and will focus on observations, situations that require investigations, and supervision of staff and students

"We didn't add any people...it's just a change in title," he said.

Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said it was an "extreme pleasure" to work with Roselli.

Township Councilman James J. Byrnes said he thought it was time to transition to a K-12 school district.

"Our kids are going through too many transitions," he said.

Township Council Angelo Guadagno has four children in the district schools.

"They are extra lucky to have you as a superintendent," he said.

All of the remarks were in extreme contrast to the reception Central Regional Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides received at the June 27 council meeting.

The all-GOP Township Council previously passed a resolution asking that Central's profits from the School Choice and International Student Exchange programs should be used for property tax relief for all five sending township affected by Superstorm Sandy.

But Parlapanides said the district has already eased the tax burden on the five towns by using School Choice money to repair facilities and put the funds towards supplies and programs. The district will be debt-free by 2020, he said.

"I'm glad Dr. Parlapanides came here to debate me and not the rest of the council and the mayor," Byrnes said at the earlier meeting. "I've been a facilities guy longer than you've been in business. Some of your kids that are going to start graduating can't even use a coloring book."

Brynes told the superintendent that School Choice money is "not a Christmas present" and should be used on teaching staff and reducing class sizes.

Byrnes said he would debate Parlapanides, but not in public.

"I'm not going to pull a Hillary and debate you," he said. "We will go behind closed doors. We will have this debate and not showboat."

When the Berkeley district was looking for a new superintendent back in 2012, Parlapanides offered to take on the job without pay. He submitted his application, but was never considered by the school board members at the time.

The board instead hired Roselli.

2012 Board of Ed members included now-Councilwoman Sophia Gingrich and current Council President John Bacchione..

by Patricia A. Miller

Patch file photo