9-29 Middletown BOE Meeting

John Little, chair of the curriculum committee, kicked off the public portion of the 9/29 BOE meeting by asking Middletown’s attorney, Bruce Padula, a question about charges of $2250 for legal services concerning Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Middletown schools. “Apparently in July and August, we were doing work on Critical Race Theory . . . But being on the curriculum committee, I don’t remember the topic coming up; it’s not something that the Board was looking into . . . I don’t know of any instances where it [CRT] was found in the curriculum” (1:13). Little made it clear in his comment that he wished not to debate the hot-button issue of CRT. Instead, he was simply seeking a clear answer about who authorized the charge and why these legal services were necessary.

BOE member Jackie Tobacco stepped into the debate when she said she “believed” the matter came from a policy committee. Yet Tobacco’s claim was quickly refuted by another member, Deb Wright, who stated, “I don’t remember ever discussing that in any of our policy meetings. It was never raised” (1:16). When Little again articulated his question about the legal fees, Frank Capone, vice president of the BOE, attempted to shift the discussion by saying, “That’s a good question, John. You’re the chair of the curriculum committee and you haven’t met in six months” (1:16). Instead of answering Little’s question, Capone repeated his accusation of delinquency several times, making it clear that his strategy was to avoid Little's question by engaging in ad hominem attacks.

Nevertheless, John Little persisted in his direct line of questioning, asserting that curricular issues had been addressed multiple times in full BOE meetings. Little’s point, which seemed lost on Capone and Padula, was that there was a charge for legal services concerning CRT, and, as the chair of the curriculum committee, he was unaware of any need for such services. Yet, Little’s attempt to seek clarity on this mysterious charge was met with a continued refusal to provide any information, as Capone retorted, “I’m not aware of the charge, John,” to which Little replied, “It’s on the bill list” (1:18). Padula then stepped in to say, “I don’t recall exactly who requested it, but generally, I only speak to the president [Joan Minnuies] or vice president [Frank Capone] . . .” (1:19). It seems strange, then, that neither Minnuies, Capone, nor Padula had any idea what the charge was for and why it was made. It seems strange, also, that Capone would accuse Little of delinquency when he himself appeared unprepared for the meeting, as he admitted to being unaware of the charges that he was voting on that very night.

BOE member Tom Giaimo, who is also a lawyer, then stepped in to seek further clarification by saying, “Based on that statement [from Padula] can we assume that this charge authorized you [Padula] to look into it [CRT], to do research, to do analysis . . . to issue a memorandum, which we’ve never seen, and that this was given to you by either Mrs. Minnuies or Mr. Capone?” (1:19). Again, Padula resorted to obfuscation, saying, “Mr. Giaimo, I do a lot of research . . . There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes” (1:19). But the fact that “a lot goes on behind the scenes” is the very point that Little, Giaimo, and Wright were trying to make.

It’s worth noting, also, that Wright, Giaimo, and Little are the only three members of the current Middletown BOE who have opposed president Joan Minnuies’ move to silence public debate by shutting down Zoom and refusing to read emailed comments from the public. Out of the five people who offered public comment at this meeting, three expressed a need for remote commenting options, and two lamented Minnuies’ lack of leadership and her inability to promote fairness and civility at BOE meetings.

In fact, Minnuies and her BOE majority have consistently relied on unconventional tactics that have resulted in a stifling of public discussion, such as moving the location of BOE meetings in an effort to subvert EO 251, which requires that masks be worn on school property, a rule that is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Additionally, Monmouth County is currently considered a “high risk” area for COVID-19 by the CDC, yet one would not know this by looking at most members of the BOE. As of 9/30, the 7-Day Metrics from the CDC advise, “Everyone in Monmouth County, New Jersey [to] wear a mask in public, indoor settings.” And while masks were not a central topic of debate at this BOE meeting, transparency and fairness were.

Padula’s stated: “I’m happy to look at the bill, but I’m not going to do it in the middle of a meeting” (1:19). Yet, if transparency was Padula’s goal, why wouldn’t he look at the bill and provide some insight into these charges to the public before the BOE voted to approve them? When Tom Giaimo rose from his seat to provide Padula with a copy of the bill, which was posted on the portal, instead of reviewing this information, Padula petulantly said, “Can you please step away from me? When was it on the portal? When was it on the portal?” (1:20) Upon hearing that the legal charges had been on the portal in advance of the meeting, Padula, who should have been prepared to answer questions about his legal services, complained: “So it’s been on the portal for some time but you wait till we’re here to bring it up? If you had some common courtesy, some professional courtesy as an attorney, you could have asked Joan . . . ” (1:21). Again, it’s worth pointing out that Padula, like Capone, also made a move to attack the person asking the questions (Giaimo) in his effort to divert the public’s attention from the actual issue in question.

At the end of the meeting, several members of the public expressed frustration at the tone of these meetings and the fact that most members of the BOE seem excessively focused on hot-button issues like masking and CRT, particularly when there are other important issues, such as strategic planning, that need to be addressed. It's likely that the majority of current BOE members, in their desire to bring national political arguments (a.k.a. "culture wars") into Middletown board meetings, have lost sight of the important work that they were elected to do, which is to properly and responsibly oversee Middletown's schools. The fact that the majority of this BOE has openly rejected the overarching consensus of scientists should be concerning to many parents, especially as Minnuies and a new crop of Capone's "Putting Children First" candidates are on the ballot this November. Yet, if anything is clear at this point, it's that the current majority on this BOE is putting politics ahead of children. The questions that Middletown residents likely care about are not whether Giaimo has enough professional courtesy or Little is holding enough curriculum meetings. In addition to understanding how strategic planning can be used to effectively address persistent issues that impact the health of children and school employees, such as lead in drinking water and mold in buildings, the public has a right to know the answers to the straightforward questions that Little, Giaimo, and Wright posed at this meeting: Why was a legal charge issued for CRT when there was no apparent need for it? Who authorized this charge? And why wasn’t it discussed at any BOE meetings? Unfortunately, despite the efforts of Little, Giaimo, and Wright toward transparency, these questions remain unanswered for Middletown taxpayers. Additionally, it remains unclear as to just who is allowing the board to meet at the VWF, as Minnuies and her BOE have yet to reveal how, exactly, they have wrangled the use of this space for their meetings.