School Districts Begin Year Poised for Transitions

Schools are now open in Verona and Cedar Grove after a soggy end of summer, and both districts are starting the year in a time of transition.

The Verona School District is continuing its search for a permanent superintendent while in Cedar Grove, the district is preparing to start work on a .

Verona Board of Education President John Quattrocchi confirmed the district has narrowed the field of candidates to replace former superintendent Charles Sampson, who left the district at the end of the school year to become Superintendent of the Freehold Regional High School District.

Quattrocchi says the district is set to hold what could be the final interview later this month with one candidate the district is focusing on, but that the process to follow before a permanent superintendent is hired will take some time.

"If we are successful at that point, we will agree to general contract terms to make sure there are no last moment surprises. Next, we’ll conduct the remaining due-diligence and reference checks. After that, we’ll arrange a meet the candidate forum for the public to meet and Q&A the candidate. Assuming all looks good, we formally make the offer, the candidate accepts, then tenders their resignation to their current district," he said.

"If all goes well – it would mean the new person would start somewhere around Jan. 1."

Elizabeth Jewett, the district's Director of Instruction, who stepped in as acting superintendent in Sampson's absence, confirmed to Patch this week that she would not be pursuing the full-time superintendent's position.

"While I am honored to have the privilege to serve Verona in this capacity temporarily in order to ensure we move forward with all of the current district initiatives we have in place, it is not something I am interested in pursuing at this point in my career," she said.

Cedar Grove is preparing to implement a host of construction projects that will improve the functionality and aesthetics of most buildings in the district. The project will not affect this year's school calendar, as work is expected to begin after June 15, the last day of school.

Among the projects slated for the $12 million bond referendum project are fixing the rooves at North End and South End schools, repairing the roof, windows, doors and adding modern HVAC equipment at Cedar Grove High School, and fixing the roof at the old Leonard R. Parks school building on Pompton Avenue.

Throughout the summer, district architects have prepared renderings of each building showing the proposed construction, with the work expected to go out to bid in December or February.

Cedar Grove High School got a makeover during the summer as well. The auxiliary gym got new lintel work on its roof, and had its brick facade re-pointed. Drainage work was also completed to the rear of the building, adding new exterior drains and walkways. The ceiling above the stage was replaced in August, and the weight room has been re-located to next to the trainer's room in "E" Wing.

In Verona, a room has been renovated to house the VHS Broadcast Journalism class, which thanks to a grant by the Verona Foundation for Educational Excellence (VFEE), comes complete with new computers and software. The stage at the VHS auditorium will also be replaced in early September, and the college prep level English curriculum at the high school level has been redesigned to incorporate student input into reading selections.

This year, both districts will implement two new initiatives: The 9/11 curriculum and the Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying Law (HIB).

The new 9/11 curriculum, sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Education and the New Jersey Holocaust Commission . Building principals have reviewed the curriculum prior to the start of the school year, being mindful of the needs of the elementary school students.

"It has been my experience that most educators in the past did not teach about the attacks in depth because they did not know what to say and how to say it. This idea of a new curriculum, developed by educators for educators, will make everyone more comfortable with the topic and more age appropriate across the grades," Cedar Grove Superintendent Dr. Gene Polles told Patch this week.

In Verona, the new 9/11 curriculum was distributed, but will not be mandated as of now.

"We will be sharing the optional curriculum the state has provided with our teachers, but will not be mandating any parts of it. They will work together with their principal and supervisor to determine which components are most relevant to their course goals and should be integrated into instruction," Jewett said.

For more information about the 9/11 curriculum guidelines, click here.

Also new to districts across the state this school year is the Harassment Intimidation and Bullying Law (HIB), which requires districts to put in place an official HIB policy, as well as appointing specific people in the districts to oversee the programs. The new law lists harassment intimidation or bullying as grounds for suspension or even expulsion from school, and requires districts to investgate any and all incidents of HIB. The law will apply to all public schools in New Jersey, and will require swift action on acts of bullying that occur, whether on school grounds, in the streets, or even on the Internet.

This new policy, which would effectively make schools responsible for conduct of their students 24 hours a day, has already met with some legal resistance in Bergen County. Last year, Rochelle Hendricks, Acting Commissioner of the State Department of Education, upheld a court ruling nullifying the Ramapo-Indian Hills district's policy of meting out punishments for incidents of drug and alcohol abuse that take place outside of school hours, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.

Jewett says Verona is aware of the questions that have been raised about the law, and that the policy will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

"While the Ramapo/Indian Hills case has certainly raised questions regarding the enforceability of any district's 24/7 policy, we will also be reviewing the 24/7 policy to determine if there are changes that can be made to more effectively ensure that students in need of assistance will get it," she said.

Polles said the new guidelines laid out by HIB will conform to existing policies and guidelines in the district.

"The responses to HIB that occurs off school grounds shall be consistent with the board of education’s code of student conduct and other provisions of the board’s policy on HIB," he said.

Walking the halls of any school in either district this year, students will be seeing a lot of new faces, with 36 new staff added to the roles.

Cedar Grove:

Lynn DiMatteo - Supervisor, Language Arts/English

David Coster - Supervisor, Math/Science

Dr. Joyce Cutler - CGHS Athletic Director

Erika Junghans - MMS 5th Grade English

Jeff Carr - MMS Phys. Ed.

Virginia Perrzzone - MMS 7th Grade English

Carl Ernst - MMS 5th Grade Social Studies

Pamela Wichot - MMS Cycle/Science

Jessica Johnson - MMS Math 5th and 6th Grade

Michael Konopka - CGHS Social Studies and Boy's Varsity Soccer Head Coach

Kathryn Henry - CGHS Math

Christine Internicola - CGHS SAC

Jessica Caban - CGHS Biology

Janice Kennedy - CGHS Principal Secretary

Andrea Watson - CGHS Health & Phys. Ed.

Tracy Reilly - South End Media

Cassie Dunn - South End 4th Grade

Kristen Rizzo - South End 1st Grade

Joanne Stepanian - South End LLD

Lindsay D'Amico - South End Case Manager

Megan Vonoczky - North End 4th Grade

Kathleen Danieli - North End 3-4 Inclusion

Verona:

Dr. Sumit Bangia - Supervisor of Humanities, K-12 (will begin October 31)

Jonathan Thai - VHS, Math

Jennifer Errico - VHS, Special Education Math

Janan Wehbeh - VHS, Chemistry

Melissa Slavin - HBW, Special Education

William Dietsch - HBW, Special Education

Stephanie Kaderis - HBW (maternity leave replacement), Math

Angela Brancato - Brookdale/FNB, nurse

Angie Kuo Yang - Forest, Mandarin

Laura Ruggiero - Forest (maternity leave replacement), 1st Grade

Jennifer Kirby - Laning, Kindergarten

Corrie Rusignolo - Laning (maternity leave replacement), 2nd Grade

Suzanne Livelli - Brookdale, Kindergarten

Susan Conlon - Brookdale (maternity leave replacement), 4th Grade