Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Lee Nittel not reappointed following 5-3 vote.
The Madison Board of Education opted not to reappoint the school district's director of curriculum and instruction in a 5-3 vote at its Tuesday meeting. The administrator, Lee Nittel, said the board has refused to talk to him about it and "it's definitely politics," the Madison Eagle reported. Nittel, who stays on with the district until July, was picked to be the director of curriculum and instruction by Madison Superintendent Dr. Michael Rossi in 2011. They worked together in Roxbury, where Nittel had tenure, before coming to Madison. As director of curriculum and instruction, Nittel oversaw professional development for teachers, aligned district curriculum with federal standards, and was involved in supervising and evaluating all …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Lisa Ellis and Patrick Rowe were returned to their officer positions on the school board.
The eight-member Madison Board of Education again voted Lisa Ellis president and Patrick Rowe vice president at the school board's reorganization meeting Tuesday. Returning school board members Ellis, Kevin Blair and Linda Gilbert, who were elected by voters in November, took the oath of office, and the Harding Board of Education picked member James Novotny to be its representative on Madison's school board for another year, That means the board's makeup for 2013 is the same as last year. New Madison Borough Councilman Ben Wolkowitz, the council's liaison to the school board for the year, attended the meeting. His attendance was welcomed by Ellis, and also by resident Tom Piskula, who said at recent school board and Borough Council …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Incumbents win three-year seats over challenger.
Lisa Ellis and Kevin Blair were re-elected Tuesday to three-year seats on the Madison Board of Education, according to unofficial results. Ellis and Blair received 3,475 votes and 3,063 votes, respectively, while challenger Brenda Catalanello received 2,033 votes, the preliminary results showed. Board member Linda Gilbert, running unopposed to be elected to the remaining year of a term she was appointed to fill a year ago, had 3,883 votes.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Candidate says she would have followed consultant's advice to outsource some of the district's custodial services.
A question about the Madison school district considering outsourcing some of its custodial services last school year drew the answers with the sharpest contrast from Board of Education candidates at a forum Thursday, with one candidate saying she would have gone ahead with outsourcing and an incumbent defending the district's decision not to outsource at the time. Four candidates met in the Madison High School library to answer audience questions and give opening and closing statements at an event hosted by the League of Women Voters. Two incumbents, Lisa Ellis and Kevin Blair, are running together for re-election, and a third candidate, Brenda Catalanello, who also ran last year, is vying for one of the seats. Linda Gilbert is running …
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Board member says option is being fully considered.
Madison Board of Education member Shade Grahling said Tuesday the board's curriculum committee met with Madison High School Principal Greg Robertson and athletic director Sean Dowling to discuss the possibility of having student-athletes take study halls instead of physical education while they're participating in sports, and the issue is being fully considered. Administrators are reviewing how many students and classes could be affected by such a change, exploring possible models for it, and considering logistical issues and how it would fit in with the district's overall educational philosophy, officials said. Among the issues that would need to be worked out is grading. Students currently receive letter grades. Should the district …
Morristown Area League of Women Voters to host event Thursday night at Madison High School.
Four candidates for the Madison Board of Education will field questions from audience members, as well as give opening and closing statements, at a candidate forum to be held Thursday night in the Madison High School library, according to an announcement from the group hosting the event. The Morristown Area League of Women Voters is hosting the forum, scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m. Three seats on the eight-member board are up for election. Incumbents Lisa Ellis and Kevin Blair are running for re-election, while Brenda Catalanello is vying for one of the two, three-year seats. Board member Linda Gilbert is running unopposed to be elected to the remaining year of a term she was appointed to fill in November. Written and oral questions can be …
Friday, October 12, 2012
Ahead of Friday night game, school board issues reminder about alcohol policies.
A message from the Madison Board of Education was posted on the school district website on Friday as a reminder that alcohol is illegal on school grounds, the district insists all fundraisers and events that include students are alcohol free, and the district does not in any way condone or support the efforts of any organization that allows the consumption of alcohol in the presence of underage students. The message says there was a "disturbing trend" of incidents and complaints involving alcohol the past two years, and "the hope is that it is one that will not resurface this year." Message to the Community from the Madison Board of Education: Again this fall our students are having outstanding success on the track, fields and courts — our…
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Two-time Olympian JoJo Starbuck Gertler raised the issue at Tuesday's school board meeting.
Madison resident, figure skating instructor and two-time Olympian JoJo Starbuck Gertler said when she was training hours each day as a student, her mom managed to get her out of gym class. Now her twin boys are involved with sports at Madison High School and she said it would benefit them and all student-athletes if they were able to take a study hall instead of physical education classes. Such an arrangement could help students stay on top of their schoolwork, get more sleep and be less stressed. Students who participate in sports "get plenty of exercise and are learning to be fit," she said "Gym class is a waster of their valuable time," she said. "Those involved don't need the benefits of gym. They do need any precious time for homework…
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
State Sen. Richard Codey, Assembly members, incoming CEO of NJ School Boards attended this week's Board of Ed meeting.
Insurance rate increases that outpace the 2 percent cap on school budgets, funding the educational needs of students with disabilities, and hundreds of state mandates—with new ones added each year—are among the challenges Madison school board members told state legislators they face in a special meeting with Madison's representatives on Tuesday night. State Sen. Richard Codey and General Assembly members John McKeon and Mila Jasey, the legislators who represent Madison and other District 27 towns, attended Tuesday's Board of Education meeting to discuss a wide range of issues in public education. Also in attendance was Dr. Lawrence Feinsod, the incoming CEO of the New Jersey School Boards Association, which handles key lobbying efforts on …
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Dr. Lawrence Feinsod, who served in Madison for more than 15 years, named association's executive director.
The new executive director of a state association that provides training for school board members, advocates for school boards in Trenton and Washington, and offers technical support on policy, finance and labor relations matters, is a former Madison schools superintendent who is a friend to the borough, the president of the Madison Board of Education said. The New Jersey School Boards Association announced Wednesday that Dr. Lawrence Feinsod was named executive director of the association after a nationwide search, and will assume the role in late October. The organization’s 26-member Board of Directors unanimously approved the appointment on Friday. Feinsod, who served as Madison's superintendent for about 17 years before leaving for a …
Steve Wells
9:53 am on Friday, May 17, 2013
I'm only addressing what is the established protocol. Other than hearing opinions that have been expressed to me by friends within the school district, I have no idea what went on behind closed doors. One can logically assume that Rossi wanted to retain him since his re-appointment was listed as a "recommendation of the Superintendent," and that the Board, by its public vote, disagreed. more ›