Major Changes For Secaucus Schools: Principals Transferred

SECAUCUS, NJ — In continued fallout over the controversial suspension of Secaucus High School principal Robert Berckes, the Secaucus school district is now proposing even more earth-shattering changes: Transferring all three existing school principals into new schools.

At tomorrow night's Board of Education meeting, the Board will be asked to approve the following changes:

• Principal Steven Viggiani will no longer be the principal of Clarendon Elementary and will become the principal of the high school
• Dr. Robert Berckes will leave the high school and become the principal of Clarendon Elementary
• Robert Valente will no longer be the principal of Secaucus Middle School and become the principal of Huber Street elementary
• Christine Candela (currently a humanities academic supervisor) will be named as the principal of the Secaucus Middle School

Linda Wilhelm was the principal at Huber St. elementary, and she retired at the end of this school year.

This is all a direct request from Secaucus Superintendent Jennifer Montesano. It needs the Board's majority vote before it goes through.

Board member Louie Giele said he will definitely be voting no tomorrow night.

"I am totally against this. Transfers of principals for no valid reason is nothing but the disruption of schools," he told Patch. "These transfers are because of a personal agenda by a few people who want Dr. Berckes out at the high school, and they are trying to mask it with all these mass transfers. You tell me why else you are going to take someone like Valente or Viggiani, who are well-liked at their schools, know the students, staff and teachers, and been there for years, and suddenly move them?"

"If these transfers go through, we as a board are using our students as pawns to satisfy personal agendas. I really think that," he added.

Montesano suspended Berckes, with full pay, 12 weeks ago due to how he handled a disciplinary matter with a student. Berckes, in return, now has a $5 million lawsuit pending against the Secaucus school district, alleging he has been unfairly suspended and humiliated.

Giele said he has no idea how Thursday night's Board of Ed. meeting will go. The meeting is at 7 p.m. at Huber Street elementary. It is open to the public.

"If there are enough parents there tomorrow night, who knows how this will turn out? I have been in this district 40 years and I've never seen anything like this," he said. "I am just trying to do the right thing here."

Read the entire agenda for tomorrow night, which outlines the changes (page 6): https://4.files.edl.io/22bd/06...