{"id":6304,"date":"2015-09-29T05:29:35","date_gmt":"2015-09-29T09:29:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/?p=6304"},"modified":"2015-09-29T00:30:46","modified_gmt":"2015-09-29T04:30:46","slug":"brick-boe-policy-updates-spur-frustration-before-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2015\/09\/brick-boe-policy-updates-spur-frustration-before-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"Brick BOE Policy Updates Spur Frustration Before Vote"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Brick<\/a>

Brick Township Board of Education\/Schools (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Brick Township school district is updating hundreds of policies \u2013 essentially, the school equivalent of ordinances that dictate how the school system operates \u2013 some of which have been on the books for decades, but the process has resulted in frustration for some members of the public and one board member.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re going to get the public involved in this stuff, you need to do a better job,\u201d said resident Vic Fanelli at the Sept. 24 board meeting. \u201cThe way you\u2019re doing it now doesn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 100 policy changes \u2013 some several pages in length \u2013 were both introduced and adopted at the meeting. The update project has largely been spearheaded by board member Michael Conti and has involved significant input from board attorney Jack Sahradnik and Interim Superintendent Richard Caldes. Some of the policies contain language mandated under state law, while many others are on the books due to the preference of the Brick district. Updating the policies, which cover everything from the transfer of funds, to how petty cash is handled, to district governance and how a thorough and efficient education is maintained for students, is a task that takes many hours of work.<\/p>\n

That is precisely what has left some people so upset. Board member Karyn Cusanelli said she was sent hundreds of pages worth of policies just two nights before the board was set to meet. Though draft revisions had been sent out earlier, it was the first time the policies were distributed to board members (as well as the public) after they had been subject to a final review by Sahradnik\u2019s office and placed on an agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat has happened, and why I had a problem last month and this month, is that we didn\u2019t get that 3000 series<\/a> until Tuesday night,\u201d said Cusanelli, speaking at the Thursday night meeting. \u201cThat was not enough time to go through 72 policies and ask the questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same concerns were echoed by George Scott, a member of the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been worked on for months since the summer. We\u2019re paying a consultant for help on this,\u201d said Scott. \u201cSo to dump it all at one time isn\u2019t fair to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cusanelli abstained from voting on policies she said she did not have enough time to review. One series of policies \u2013 known as the 7000 series \u2013 was approved in a final vote and adopted. Three other series \u2013 the 2000, 3000 and 9000 \u2013 were introduced and are still subject to change before a final vote is taken, which could come at either the board\u2019s October meeting or a later meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe, as a committee, decided, \u2018let\u2019s give the public the final version we\u2019re going to vote on,'\u201d said board member Susan Suter, rather than posting draft versions for review. \u201cI understand that\u2019s a lot to digest, but this is just the first reading. A lot of these policies were from 1983, and to do bits and pieces, you\u2019re never going to get a good policy at all. I do apologize for dumping it on the public, as you say, but I don\u2019t know any other way to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you\u2019re seeing here is the scope of the board\u2019s responsibility,\u201d said board vice president John Barton, who stated at the meeting that he reviewed each policy \u201cprobably more than once\u201d in the two days prior to the meeting.<\/p>\n

Cusanelli said it was simply not enough time for board members to fully digest the documents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t do due diligence in 48 hours, and that\u2019s my responsibility to the public,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n[box type=\u201dshadow\u201d align=\u201d\u201d class=\u201d\u201d width=\u201d\u201d]\n

Read the Policies:<\/strong><\/p>\n