Hopatcong Principals Move to Different Schools

The Hopatcong Board of Education voted to hire a new principal for the fall and for a wide-ranging administrative reconfiguration Monday, upsetting several parents.

High school Principal Emil Binotto will remain at his post through June before transferring to the middle school in September, supplanting Lou Benfatti, who will take over as principal at the fourth- and fifth-grade . That school's principal, Brian Byrne, will assume the post vacated by Dr. Joanne Mullane at the second- and third-grade .

Mullane, who spent just a year as a principal, will return to her role as a curriculum supervisor. Tracey Hensz of Hudson , which offers kindergarten and first grade, was the only unaffected principal.

None of the principals’ salaries would change, Superintendent Dr. Charles Maranzano said.

Several parents spoke out against the moves during the meeting.

Binotto, however, remained silent, seated in the fourth of five rows, near the aisle leading to the door. The only principal to attend the meeting, Binotto refused to comment when it ended. He has been the high school principal for 12 years.

Maranzano, who said he took full responsibility for the idea, said the move was made with the future in mind. He said the principals moving to lower grades would know what it takes to prepare students for higher levels.

"The opportunity before this board was to hire a new principal," he said. "Where do you want to hire that principal? Do you want a new principal in one building to make a difference or make a change or do you want to inform or enhance all the schools. The answer came down to, we think we can use our talent to infuse some knowledge to the whole staff, and that would be better."

Maranzano, however, did acknowledge the risk of moving the principals.

"This kind of change at this point in time, although there is a risk associated with it, has far more benefits and the benefits outweigh the risks," he said.

Not everybody in the audience agreed.

Hopatcong High School Parent Teachers Student Organization President Michael Hangley said the school board was "making a horrible decision."

"I truly hope it works out well because I think you are messing up," he said.

Parent Mirsada Kucevic said moving four principals at once would be a challenge. "You're switching four different people," she said. "That takes a lot of time."

Jacki Hangley, Michael's wife and HHSPTSO vice president, said the decision should have had more public input.

"It really saddens me to say it was very evident to everybody in this room that you elected officials came in with a vote in mind and it didn't matter who was sitting in this room," she said.

Board of Education President Cliff Lundin said the shuffle was made after lengthy executive session and personnel committee discussions. He also said the school board would review the decision on a monthly basis and hopes to hire a new high school principal by early July.

After the meeting, Lundin said that while the decision wasn't an indictment of any of the principals, the school board wanted to see improvements at the high school, though he wouldn’t go into specifics.

"To look at improving our test scores, to look at curriculum, to look at discipline," Lundin said. "And that's where we thought there was an opportunity. [The high school] is the last step in the process of the education system. So that's really why the consensus of this board was to look at the high school. But that's not critiquing Emil. His system is well oiled. We just want to look toward the future."

Maranzano said the new high school principal would most likely come from outside the district.

It was unclear what exactly precipitated the shuffle.

Maranzano said the idea was born after Mullane requested to reassume a curriculum supervisor post, which opened when William Roca—the district's sole curriculum supervisor—announced his retirement. But board member Joanne Passerini said "this wasn't done because of this resignation, or the ask to come back. This was all thought up and started before."

Mullane was a curriculum supervisor before taking over as Tulsa Trail's prinicpal in May 2011. Maranzano said he expected her to return to her post more seasoned after a year as a principal.

"She's got a practitioner's perspective, as well as a theoretical perspective," Maranzano said. "She should be stronger in curriculum now that she ever was."