Crawford Says Contract Trouble Facing BOE Is No Surprise

Former Board of Education member Robert Crawford said Executive County Superintendent Kathleen Serafino's July 1 statement regarding the contract of Parsippany School Superintendent LeRoy Seitz should have been expected.

Late last week, Serafino ruled that the contract struck between the BOE and Seitz last November was invalid and outside the scope of the law. 

"I am not at all surprised by Dr. Sarafino's directive," said Crawford, a vocal critic of the contract when he was on the board. "Given the procedural irregularities that defined the entire contract negotiations and lousy legal advice, the board made some very bad and expensive decisions."

Serafino's statement came after a state appellate court dismissed the board's lawsuit against the state last month. The suit—which reportedly cost Parsippany tapayers in the neighborhood of $10,000—reportedly stated that Gov. Chris Christie had no authority to cap the salaries of superintendents over the will of boards of education.

Under Christie's cap, Seitz (or any superintendent in charge of a school system Parsippany's size) must receive no more than $175,000 annually plus a prescribed merit increase, if earned. Under the agreement between the BOE and Seitz, the superintendent would receive from $212,000 to $216,000 for 2011-12 and up to $234,000 by 2015.

Crawford tried unsuccessfully four times during the last school year to have the contract rescinded.

The executive county superintendent warned the board that if it does not rescind that contract by July 8, many penalties could come into play, including the loss of state aid for Parsippany schools and the termination of Seitz's state certification.

Board of Education President Frank Calabria told Patch that he plans to meet with BOE members, likely Wednesday, to deal with the "very serious" situation. 

Crawford said that while he is not pleased to see what is happening, "Dr. Sarafino has been absolutely consistent in her messages to the board." 

"I continue to believe that effective July 1, 2011, the superintendent's salary should be capped to $175,000," he said. "Now it is time for Dr. Seitz to decide whether or not he wants to continue to be the superintendent of the Parsipppany-Troy Hills school district or seek higher-paying employment elsewhere." 

Asked about his Democratic candidacy for the unexpired two-year seat on the Township Council, Crawford said he still is exploring his legal options. 

Crawford was defeated in the Republican June 7 primary election by incumbent Vincent Ferraro, but he received enough write-in votes to earn the Democratic Party nomination and appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. State law, however, prohibits a person from running for the same municipal office under a different party during the same election cycle, according to Township Attorney John Inglesino. 

"I'm still reviewing my options," Crawford said. "We have not given up, though."