I received this email from reader "Anthony" on a recent post I had from a source on the hiring of Anthony Romano.
Hi Kurt,
I was reading your blog this evening and just wanted to clarify a point for your information. For the post "On Frank Ramano's Hire as Superintendent of Hoboken Schools" (this thread) you mentioned "As a retired administrator, Mr. Carter is unable to remain and therefore not in the running for the permanent position." That's not exactly accurate. As a retired Superintendent (really, as a retired administrator) *anyone* can work up to but not exceed 2 years in any one district. So, at least in theory, the interim- Mr. Carter- could have been reappointed for an additional year or part there of. In accordance with NJ pension regulations, any retired superintendent (or retired assistant superintendent, or retired principal, etc..) can work up to but not exceed 2 years in any one district but are not limited to going to another district once their "term limit" is up. You'll note that Mr. Carter was an interim in a few other districts before coming to Hoboken during the summer of 2009. These rules are established by the NJ Pension system and are intended to allow district to hire "temporary" people in key roles until a permanent position is filled. State pension statutes place a two-year limit on the length of time a retired superintendent can collect a pension while earning a salary as an interim superintendent.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/78623007.html
Not all retired educators are eligible for the perk. Former teachers who return to the classroom must cancel their retirements and re-enroll in the pension fund. This happened following the repeal in November 2003 of a rule permitting interim employment for up to six months without penalty. Exempted from that decision were certified superintendents and administrators, including principals and school business administrators, who already were playing by a different set of rules. Starting in January 2002, retired superintendents and business administrators were permitted to accept employment on an interim basis for up to two years in a single district. With just a small break between jobs, retired superintendents can hop from district to district without affecting their pension income.
I'm not sure if Mr. Carter would have wanted to serve another year or if the Board of Education would want him to serve another year. But, he was legally able to serve an additional year.
Cheers,
Anthony
My comment: The issue about which Anthony was writing was the possibility Mr. Carter's elligibility for an extra year as interim superintendent if both he and the majority of the present BOE had desired so. The previous article did mention that he was not in the running for the permanent position which is true and not legally possible in that sense. Anthony just wanted to point out that there was an option to have Peter Carter stay on an extra year. The current board by a majority of 7 votes to 2 approved the permanent position of Frank Romano and therefore let the community know that filling the position on a permanent basis was the option they preferred. At this point the option to retain Mr. Carter per the comments above is moot. Let all of Hoboken hope that this turns out to be a good hire.
Original post 2/10/2010:
On Frank Ramano's Hire as Superintendent of Hoboken Schools
Original post 2/10/2010:
On Frank Ramano's Hire as Superintendent of Hoboken Schools
Here is a note about Frank Ramano being hired as Hoboken Superintendent of Schools from a good source of mine who wishes to remain anonymous.......
On Tuesday night, Dr. Frank Romano, was hired by the Hoboken Board of Education as the new Superintendent of the Hoboken Public School District. Hoboken currently has an Interim Superintendent, Mr. Carter, a retired Superintendent who came on temporarily until a permanent Superintendent was found. As a retired administrator, Mr. Carter is unable to remain and therefore not in the running for the permanent position.
Dr. Frank Romano is a veteran educator and administrator with over 18 years experience in public education. He began he career in Ramsey as a High School teacher and Staff Developer. He has worked in Tenafly, Millburn and currently is an Assistant Superintendent in Fort Lee.
Dr. Romano was chosen after a through search led by the New Jersey School Board Association. The NJSBA worked with the Board, Hoboken teachers, administrators and the public through various focus groups to devise criteria for the incoming superintendent. The posting for the position was sent to universities, professional associations and website's across the nation as well as printed in the Star Ledger (paper of record for education jobs in New Jersey). The response was good as 35 applications were requested and 21 application packets were returned. An application packet included resumes, essays on a variety of topics, examples of work and administrative dealings and references.
Dr. Romano brings with him a strong background in Public School Administration, Curriculum and Technology. He is known in his previous districts as an innovator, a collaborator, and for his commitment to excellence in all he does. An “out of the box” thinker, he has a record of finding solutions to fit the needs of all the students in his District. For example, when one or two students wanted AP courses that were unavailable in Fort Lee due to their small size, he immediately arranged for the District to join The Virtual High School Program. In it’s first year, 37 students have already signed up to access the 200 courses offered by the online program.
Many who attended the recent Candidates Forum were stuck by his energy and passion for education and his positive vision for the District.
Dr. Romano will begin on July 1st.
Note: Dr. Romano's contract has not been finalized but is basically $190K per year for 3 years with 3.5% increases each year. When the contract is finalized I am sure it will be posted for public consumption. Former Superintendent Jack Raslowksy would be making 189,600 this year if he was still with the BOE according to a source of mine so this contract is in line with that renumeration. ◦
