Should West Orange BOE Renew Superintendent’s Contract?

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Will the Jeffrey Rutzky era continue in West Orange’s schools? As the West Orange Board of Education reportedly prepares to vote on whether to renew Superintendent Rutzky’s contract at its next meeting on Feb. 26, its members released a statement about the situation on Wednesday.

In the joint statement, BOE members said that there have been “a number of inquiries” about whether they intend to renew Rutzky’s contract. The BOE members added that they are legally prevented from discussing “personnel matters” in public, but said that they “carefully consider” all such issues.

According to the BOE:

“Over the past several months, the board has scheduled a number of special meetings, and has not taken any action at its regularly scheduled meetings, in order to carefully deliberate. The West Orange Board of Education appreciates the public’s patience during this process, as we carefully review and consider the matter. We are listening to all stakeholders’ comments, and we greatly appreciate your input.”

Board members said in their statement that some community members have also asked about the legal requirements concerning superintendent contracts.

“A superintendent’s employment contract must be approved by a majority roll-call vote of the full membership of the board pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:17-15,” the BOE wrote. “In order to non-renew a superintendent’s contract, the board needs a majority vote of the quorum of the board. Failure to have a majority vote of the quorum of the board to non-renew a superintendent’s contract will result in the superintendent’s current contract automatically renewing under the same terms in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:17-20.1.”

A debate about Rutzky’s contract dominated the Feb. 12 BOE meeting, with speakers both praising and condemning his tenure as superintendent, TAP Into West Orange reported.

Watch a video from the Feb. 12 board meeting below. Don’t forget to visit the Patch West Orange Facebook page here.

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Photo: YouTube / WestOrange BOE