A majority of the Freehold Regional High School District Board of Educa-tion has shown its disregard for the public on an issue it had to know would be of interest to many residents.
Following a closed session executive meeting late in the evening of March 18, and into the early morning hours of March 19, five members of the board voted to renew the contract of Super-intendent of Schools James Wasser for five years.
We agree with the sentiments expressed by board member Marlene Caruso, who voted against the resolution and said, "It’s all about perception. When you do things in the wee hours of the morning without notification, it leads to suspicion and (people) think that’s wrong."
While the board’s decision to move the resolution well after midnight — after failing to inform the public that it would consider that piece of business at its March 18 meeting — was legal, the perception is that the action was taken to short-circuit public comment on the matter.
Perception, as is often said these days, is reality.
Wasser’s five-year tenure as superintendent has been marked by public discussion and debate on a number of issues. The comments have been pointedly personal at times and not always flattering for the superintendent to listen to. However, one final session of public comment on his performance as the district’s top administrator — from his supporters and his detractors — would not have been out of line.
Placing the superintendent’s contract renewal on an agenda certainly would have proved to the public that the board wants to operate in the open. Last week’s action casts doubt on the board’s willingness to do that in all instances.
As the FRHSD board prepares to ask the public for support on a $127 million budget, for support in an ongoing redistricting pro-cess, and for support in upcoming plans to build a seventh high school, trust between the board and the district’s eight sending communities will be a paramount concern.
Some of that trust needs to be rebuilt.