The next meeting of the RIH BOE is tomorrow at 8pm at the Ramapo High School Auditorium. The single most important item on the agenda is a resolution to send a draft Superintendent Contract to the County Superintendent for approval.
Rumor has it that the RIH BOE's search firm, HYA, was contacting administrators in Bergen County this past week, asking them to apply to our district, despite no open search currently running. Now, the RIH BOE has a resolution on the July 22 agenda to submit a draft Superintendent contract for approval. Did the BOE forget to inform their expensive search firm that they already had a candidate and a contract drafted?
Who is the candidate for this draft contract? Is it the inexperienced applicant we saw at the July 11 meeting, with numerous red flags (revealed with a quick google search) who is working under a separation agreement with his current district?
If not, has the board moved on to their third choice candidate from the weak candidate pool?
At the last board meeting, four board members (Bogdansky, DeLaite, Koulikourdis and Lorenz) made a public statement (see below in the comments) that any remaining applicants, including the one at the July 11 meeting, would put our schools at "significant risk" and would not get their vote. What kind of candidate is willing to accept a job with a board that rescinded a signed contract with their first choice candidate and entertained a grossly unqualified and presumably second choice candidate, knowing that they were third choice and that four board members will not vote for them?
The turmoil over the past year and a half, caused by Kim Ansh, Judy Sullivan, and their majority, seems to have discouraged more qualified candidates from applying. We need to demand better.
I again urge the RIH BOE to seek a strong, experienced Interim Superintendent to stabilize our district and simultaneously begin a new search for a highly qualified Permanent Superintendent to lead our educational community.
We deserve better than a second or third choice candidate from a weak applicant pool. Let your representatives know that you expect more. Email rihboe@rih.org.
Agenda Link:
Statement read by RIH BOE member Brian DeLaite at the July 11 RIH BOE meeting:
I am reading this statement on behalf of myself, Mr. Bogdansky, Ms. Koulikourdis, and Dr. Lorenz, members of the Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education. We express our deep concern regarding the current search for a permanent superintendent. After thorough consideration, we believe that continuing this search with the current applicant pool poses significant risks to our schools and community.
The remaining prospective applicants, coupled with the lack of effective communication between board members, have led us to conclude that our district's best interests are not being served. We have grave concerns about the thoroughness and accuracy of the information provided about each candidate. In our view, proceeding with this search under these conditions endangers the quality of education and administration in our district.
Our priority is the well-being of our teachers, administrators, parents, taxpayers, and most importantly, our students. We implore our fellow board members to pause the current search immediately. We propose advertising for an interim superintendent and beginning interviews in the first week of September. This pause will allow us to resume the conversation about the timing of a permanent search in the fall.
We seek a mutual and transparent commitment to conducting proper due diligence regarding a timeline, applicant, or future process for the permanent superintendent search. It is crucial that we restore confidence in our search process to attract the caliber of applicants our district deserves.
We believe this course of action is essential to ensure the future success and stability of our schools. We make this sincere plea to our fellow board members as we cannot commit to any of the remaining applicants.