Residents want South Hunterdon superintendent fired

School officials and parents will not reveal the contents of a petition, signed by 180 residents, asking the board not to renew the contract of Dr. Cheryl Simone.

By: Linda Seida
   WEST AMWELL — When voters torpedoed South Hunterdon Regional High School’s budget last month, school district officials acknowledged a communication problem exists with the residents in its three sending districts.
   Municipal officials, who had the power to cut as much as they deemed necessary from the school’s proposed budget, recommended the Board of Education do a better job of keeping residents informed, and school officials readily agreed.
   Now, however, after the budget is safe with only $45,000 having been cut from a total of $6.9 million, that promise of openness appears to have fallen by the wayside.
   Faced with a petition signed by about 180 residents who asked the board not to renew the contract of Superintendent Cheryl Simone, district officials refuse to discuss it. Nor will they release a copy of the petition.
   In fact, the document rests in the hands of Dr. Simone, the very woman parents have requested be dismissed. Dr. Simone would not release a copy of the petition or even allow it to be seen.
   "I don’t deal with the press," she said after the board meeting May 22.
   Waving a hand around the school’s library to indicate the school directors who had just vacated the table at which she still sat, she said, "These are my bosses. The press isn’t my boss."
   Dr. Simone said she will consult a lawyer to ascertain if the document falls under the realm of public knowledge.
   She asked why a reporter would want to discuss the petition. When told it would give her the opportunity to tell her side of the story, and even to defend herself against the parents’ complaints, she turned her head away and refused any further discussion.
   Board of Education President David Moraski no longer has a copy of the petition, he said. He directed inquiries to the board’s secretary, Stephanie Hope. Ms. Hope directed all inquires to Dr. Simone.
   "There is nothing to be gained by this except gossip," Mr. Moraski said of releasing the petition.
   Dr. Simone’s four-year contract with South Hunterdon expires in 2004. The board needs to notify the superintendent a year in advance if it does not intend to renew her contract. The cutoff date for notification is June 30.
   "That petition is one piece of information that will be taken into consideration with the regular evaluation process," Mr. Moraski said.
   West Amwell parent Cynthia Williamson, who submitted the petition to the board, also would not release a copy of the petition, saying she did not want to be divisive.