Board member wants answers on school issues

Grant cites transfers, reappointment, as concerns to address

BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer

BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer

A Long Branch School Board member is asking for greater accountability on the part of District Superintendent Joseph M. Ferraina.

Avery W. Grant wants the superintendent to explain his reasons for decisions such as staff transfers, which, he says, are frequently made without explanation.

Grant, a board member for eight years, asked Ferraina to “discuss his vision and some specific plans of action” behind issues like staff transfers at last week’s Board of Education meeting.

Because of problems with the public address system during the meeting, Grant said members of the public and the board could not hear his comments so he repeated them in a letter to the editor dated June 29.

“For the eight years that I have been a board member, the superintendent has continually transferred staff around based on the justification of ‘just trust me; trust me, this is what needs to be done,’ ” he stated in the letter.

“I, and other board members, am very concerned about some of these staff changes and the capability to achieve some of the goals.”

But Ferraina said last week that he keeps all nine members of the board informed on his plans of action.

“[Grant] wants to hear the answers that he wants to hear,” Ferraina said. “All the board members are up to speed on all items. [Grant] has the right to his own opinion.”

Grant also said complaints about a high school coach have been ongoing for the eight years he has been on the board but have never been explained.

At the June 28 Board of Education meeting, assistant varsity coach Ron Pastore was reappointed to his position, according to Grant.

“The coach had been a concern in the past,” Grant said. “The reasons why were not made public. But it was made public that the parents had said there were problems.

“All I am saying is that we have issues, and if the same things are done over again, then you are going to have the same problems.

“Why bring a man back if there are problems?” Grant asked. “But if [the superintendent] has a plan and something has changed, we should know.”

On the issue of reappointment of Pastore and athletes’ academic performance, Ferraina denied that there are problems.

“There are no problems with our athletes. Athletes are like everyone else. We do our best for every child.”

Grant said that he recently received a call from a parent who said five athletes who received their diplomas were not able to attend graduation this year with their classmates.

“I don’t know why the students weren’t able to walk,” Grant said. “Before we reappoint a coach, we should know why the five students did not walk.”

Ferraina said that also is untrue.

“The number is not correct, and there are certain consequences for certain behavior for all students, regardless of whether they are athletes,” Ferraina said.

Grant raised another issue in a letter to the editor on June 29.

The letter read, “… the superintendent has continually transferred staff around based on the justifications of, ‘Just trust me, trust me this is what needs to be done.’ Well, I want more. I want some explanation of what plans of action are associated with these staff changes.”

It continued, “I fully understand that the superintendent must follow the policies and goals established by the board, and that his responsibility is to manage his staff as he sees most appropriate.”

Grant said in an interview, “All I am saying is give us your plans. The decisions he is making could be good, but let’s be clearer on why he is doing what he is doing.”

Ferraina said he keeps all nine members of the board informed on his plans of action.

“[Grant] wants to hear the answers that he wants to hear,” Ferraina said. “All the board members are up to speed on all items. [Grant] has the right to his own opinion.”

But Grant added that he is seeing many improvements in the Long Branch school district.

“We have started mandatory tutoring for athletes,” he said. “We are building new schools, and the buildings are tremendous.”

Grant said that he would like to see the guidance counselor staff at the high school be increased.

“I am concerned about our guidance department. We don’t have enough guidance personnel, and that is true in all schools.

“I know hiring more counselors costs money, but maybe each year we could add one more counselor to the high school.”

Grant has also asked the board to consider course engineering, where the school system could reach out to some of the state colleges where Long Branch graduates are attending and ask how well the Long Branch school system has prepared them for college.

“We can find out what is going on, and maybe address our curriculum where it falls short,” Grant said. “It could help students at the school know how to better prepare themselves for college.”