Elementary school vice principal leaving district
Long-awaited panhandle regionalization study closer to release
MILLSTONE — Board members and residents alike were surprised and saddened by the resignation of Elementary School Vice Principal Wendy Ogaard, effective July 1. The board accepted her resignation "with regret" at Monday’s Board of Education meeting.
Ogaard, who also directs the gifted and talented pilot program in the school, gave no reason for leaving after the end of the current school year. Teachers and parents expressed their respect and admiration for the job she has done. Some said they were in shock over learning she will leave and curious to know the reason.
Superintendent Dr. William Setaro later commented that so many elements can come into play in making a decision to leave a position, but, if the reasons are personal, "it’s no one else’s business." The task of hiring a replacement will begin immediately with advertisements, followed by a thorough three-step screening process of applicants.
The board also discussed the impending release of the long-awaited panhandle regionalization study. The subcommittee of about half a dozen people, who oversaw the three components of the study, was scheduled to gather on Tuesday evening in Upper Freehold to review and discuss the results.
The next step will be to present their findings to the "parent" committee, comprised of about 30 members from Upper Freehold, Allentown, Millstone and Roosevelt, at a time still to be determined.
Board President Patricia Coffey, who is a member of the larger committee, suggested that before the information is presented to the four municipal governing bodies, Allentown Millstone, Roosevelt and Upper Freehold, that Board of Education members from all the municipalities should have the information so they are equipped to answer questions from the committee members and the public.
A date for release of the information to the public is still to be decided.
In other business, Transportation Chairman Sami Qutub reported that Millstone had been awarded a transportation efficiency rating of 110 percent by the state, far above the acceptable 90 percent rating.
The matter of school security was discussed, part of an ongoing request by some parents to address what they perceive as a lack of security for before- and after-school programs for students. During those times, when the office is closed, parents contend that it is easy for anyone to enter the school unchallenged. They are asking for that situation to be rectified immediately, and the board has promised to look into solutions.