Board President One of Several Leaving CWC District

Ronald Skopak still remembers the day Joseph McCann walked into his office looking for a petition to run for the Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education.

The district's business administrator and board secretary saw something that still remains vivid six years later—McCann's passion and determination to improve the school system.

"We sat down and spoke for a couple of minutes and I was very impressed. The most important thing you can say about someone who runs for the board is that they're coming for the right reasons. I can honestly say the discussion we had that day led me to believe that you were here for all the right reasons. Six years later, I can say the same thing," Skopak told the outgoing board president at the conclusion of Monday night's meeting.

"You are truly here for the betterment of the students, the two communities and the staff of this district. The one thing that I'll always remember is the fact that you were always a stable force. You always looked at both sides of the equation before making a decision. As an administrator, that's all you can ask for. You will be missed."

McCann, who was first elected to the board in 2004 before appointed vice president for the 2007-08 school year and has been the board's president since May 2008, announced in February he wouldn't seek a third term.

The Caldwell resident and father of three said juggling the school board with family commitments and the growing demands of his district sales manager's position with General Electric became too much to handle.

Presiding over his final meeting Monday night, McCann, 42, has "no regrets."

"It was certainly with mixed emotions that I opted not to run for re-election, but I know thinking about it for the last few months it was the right thing to do," he said. "In that respect, I have no regrets."

But McCann isn't the only one leaving the district this year.

The board announced Monday a total of eight retirements, the resignation of two employees and the termination of six teachers as well as a custodian, maintenance worker, part-time receptionist and a part-time library assistant as a result of reductions in the 2010-11 budget.

"Due to some budget reductions, we are losing several staff members due to a reduction in force," Superintendent Daniel Gerardi said. "We are also losing the service of some Bridge councilors, who have been with us for a number or years at the elementary, middle and high school levels, as well as two secretaries, who are being dismissed as a result of the reduction of force.

"I would like to thank them for their time in the district and for the work they have completed with our students."

The board voted to terminate tenured teachers Pamela McMahon, social studies teacher at James Caldwell High School and Andrew Shohen, industrial arts teacher at JCHS, as well as non-tenured teachers Lyndsey Parman, English teacher at JCHS; Melissa Best, a Washington School teacher; Danielle Nittolo, teacher of the handicapped at JCHS, and Tami Kaufman, teacher of the handicapped at Grover Cleveland Middle School.

In addition, the board accepted the resignations of Theresa Eriksson, special education personal aide, and Jennifer Renard, a learning disabilities teacher consultant. 

However, after a search that spanned a year and a half, the district announced the hiring of Paul Palozzola as supervisor of special education. Palozzola, who will receive $129,000 a year, has spent the last eight years as a "special education leader" in Nutley, Bloomfield and Clark, according to Gerardi.

"I'm very enthusiastic about the recommendation of Mr. Palozzola to be the new supervisor of special education," Gerardi said.

"It's been a difficult process to find someone to fill this position. We actually had gone out at least three times to recruit for the position. We have been very fortunate that Mr. [Nicholas] Del'Re came out of retirement and has been able to step in and has done just an admirable job."

Del'Re will serve as supervisor of the special education extended-year program from June until Aug. 9, when he will return to retirement.

Also retiring will be Lincoln School Principal Charles Rees Williams, Monica Williams, a Caldwell High math teacher, Carol Capasso, a physical education teacher at Grover Cleveland Middle School, Richard Sparano, a science teacher at Grover Cleveland, Diane Casciano, a Jefferson School teacher, Teresa Matrisciano, a Lincoln School teacher, and Rosemarie Clark, a learning disabilities teacher consultant in the special education department.

"I express appreciation and congratulations to the six retirees from our teaching ranks," said Gerardi, who also pointed out the retirement of Donald Van Duyne, a custodian at Caldwell High for 27 years.

"They cover all of our school levels from kindergarten right through high school. They reinforce the benefit of our district being a K to 12 enterprise where you can really see what happens in that kindergarten and preschool level affects children throughout their entire school careers."

As the principal of Washington School in 1988, Gerardi remembers when Williams was first hired as a fourth-grade teacher at the school and has since witnessed his growth in the district.

After transferring to Grover Cleveland where he taught seventh grade math and science for a year, Williams was appointed in 1990 as supervisor of curriculum and instruction at the middle school until his promotion to vice principal of the middle school in 1994. In 2001, he became Lincoln School's principal.

"I've been associated with C.R. right from the beginning of his tenure in the district going back to February of 1988 when I was the principal of Washington School," Gerardi said.

"It was as evident to me then as it is now that Mr. Williams is an intelligent, effective and child-centered educator who always puts children first and always has put children first. It's been a pleasure for me to be associated with him over these past 22 years and to watch his progression from a distinguished teacher into an effective administrator."

Like Williams, Lincoln School's next principal will also come from Grover Cleveland.

James Bigsby, who has served as the middle school's vice principal the past seven years and is pursuing a doctorate degree at Rutgers where he earned a master's in education administration in 2003, will be formally introduced as Lincoln School's principal to the school's parents in either late May or early June, Gerardi said.

"When Mr. Williams notified me several months ago about his intended retirement, it was a very easy decision for me to recommend Mr. Bigsby for the position at Lincoln School," Gerardi said. "James has been the vice principal at Grover Cleveland Middle School for the past seven years and has demonstrated immense growth as an administrator over that time."