By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Just days after the staging of the high school’s fall play, supporters of theater director Bernard (BJ) Solomon pleaded with the Board of Education to find a fulltime staff position for him in next year’s school budget.
A senior citizen, a high school student and a parent volunteer said they feared Mr. Solomon would leave the district, endangering a successful theater department widely recognized in the state.
Mike DeLorenzo, a junior who said he was involved in production stage management for last weekend’s "Peter Pan," said the American High School Theater Festival Board of Advisors ranked the school program in the top 40 in the country.
He said Mr. Solomon had told the students about the possibility of leaving at the end of the school year. Mr. DeLorenzo said afterwards that the director had said he "wanted to pursue his life and couldn’t do it on $10,000 a year."
Asked if he thought Mr. Solomon would come back if offered a job, Mr. DeLorenzo said, "In a heartbeat."
Mr. Solomon, who came to Hillsborough seven years ago, is paid by stipends, depending on what roles he assumes. According to the education association contract, there are at least six stipends that pertain to the theater department, ranging from $4,462 to direct the spring musical to $1,268 for the spring play to $2,268 for being responsible for stage equipment. Jobs as choreographer, set construction and musical stage design could bring anywhere from $1,925 to $2,626.
Carol Kravette, an adult volunteer with the theater department for eight years, said Mr. Solomon should receive his K-12 teaching certification in theater in May from Kean University and warned Hillsborough could lose him if he cannot be hired fulltime.
She said not only does he produce first-class performances, but that he teaches students to become more responsible, work as a team and develop time management skills. While paid as a parttime employee, he puts in fulltime hours, she said.
"He sees a greater potential in our students than they see in themselves," she said.
Estelle Julian said she was one of 200 senior citizens who go to every play. She called the department "part of the good things that happen in Hillsborough."
Superintendent Jorden Schiff said that the school district doesn’t create a position for specific individuals, but, if the board decided to add a job, he would advertise it, interview applicants and recommend the most qualified person.
He said the board did recognize the work of the theater department, whose productions he called "no less than extraordinary." He said the matter was a budget consideration, and the budget was "a reflection of district values."

